The People's Voice revs up

Danica vs. Sarah, cycling fans vs. me and USA Basketball vs. the world. Good week for diverse mail, so we'll get right to it.

As always, keep it to the point, with a point and include a full name and town. Thanks for writing. And as usual, my comments appear in italics.

Now onto the People's Voice …

DANICA AND SARAH ("Fishing for a feud," August 11, 2006)

How many races of either of these young ladies have you been to? How many times have you changed the tear-offs on their helmets over the last four years?

Ms. Fisher and Ms. Patrick are two different characters. Ms. Patrick did not steal any thunder away from Ms. Fisher. Ms. Fisher started hitting the wall too many times – couldn't get around the track without losing the back end. While that was happening to her, Ms. Patrick was getting her car around the track. Ms. Patrick is driven to be the best in her field. Hopefully, Ms. Fisher has her head back in the game and will be able to keep the car in the groove.

Both young ladies are amicable and friendly, and they have good hearts. They both should be applauded for continuing to do what they enjoy in that circus of the race world. They do not need media-created animosity to make the race more exciting.

It is good to have both young ladies on the track. If the organization were more diligent in finding and sponsoring more young ladies in the sport, there could be at least six more female drivers on the track on Sunday afternoon.

Dora Spracklen
Rantoul, Ill.

It is kind of ironic that we the public forgot about Sarah Fisher. She was really a forbearer for women in racing. It is kind of shameful the IRL is using Danica's sexier, steamier image to gain new fans of racing, but in the end, it comes down to the skills to pay the bills. I think when Sarah Fisher shakes off the rust she will run circles around Danica because of the new engines the IRL teams are using.

Bobby Davis
Baltimore

Fisher may be the better driver. Or maybe not. Hopefully, she will get a good team behind her next year and we can find out. I certainly don't fault IRL for marketing Patrick. That is just smart business.

I would just like to remind everyone that Sarah Fisher stood on that podium in Homestead by driving a car that would've had trouble competing in the Toyota Atlantic series because she is a good driver and a smart driver. The sad thing is, Sarah doesn't get the accolades because it's expected of her, whereas Patrick is a pretty girly girl so she "shouldn't be driving a race car."

John Sadorra
Billings, Mont.

Nice article. I have to say first that I have seen Sarah Fisher race midgets and sprint cars and win in both. Most IRL fans do not know what a sprint or midget is, nor does Danica, for that matter. To win in those divisions takes A LOT more talent than driving an IRL car. Sarah most certainly has what it takes to win in IRL with the right equipment. Put them both in equally prepared cars and Sarah will win.

Danica is all about marketing. Men like to see women naked, and Danica provided that. Sarah has morals and will not fall prey to the "sex sells" theory.

I am anxiously waiting to see how this plays out. I really do hope that someone will step up and give Sarah equal equipment. I know, I am rambling, but I am so sick of Danicamania that we quit watching the IRL races.

Charlie Marek
Watervliet, Mich.

I want to thank you for introducing me to Sarah Fisher. Danica, Danica, Danica is all I've ever heard about a woman in the IRL, and not being a dedicated follower of the sport, I had no idea Sarah existed. America loves a great soap opera, whether the two girls want to act in it or not, and the IRL stands to gain handsomely from a media-created rivalry. Heck, I'll probably even watch the IRL races now!

Joe Rosen
La Habra, Calif.

This is in response to your article about Danica vs. Fisher in the IRL. I have been to every single Indy 500 and Belterra 300 that either Fisher or Patrick has raced in. Fisher is a very good "open road" racer, but as soon as you get her in some traffic, forget about it. Patrick is fearless and very skilled in traffic and still does pretty well in the open road.

The problem is that Fisher will always be limited because of this fact. Hopefully, the NASCAR experience helped her with this problem, but for right now, Patrick is 100 times better than Fisher ever was. By the time Danica has been in the league as long as Sarah was, you will see what I always have seen. And no, I'm not blinded by her looks. For your information, I had a crush on Sarah.

Kerry Smyth
Cincinnati

I think that both of these women should quit and give their seats to a better-suited male counterpart.

To me, watching women race is like watching women play basketball. They are just no good at it compared to men. Plain and simple. That is why you don't see any women in a REAL racing series (i.e., Formula 1 or Moto GP). I think this whole women-in-motorsports thing is just for the equal-opportunity folks at the corporate offices.

YES, I think Danica is a HPOA, but that is it. I think that a male in the same car as hers with all the same budgets would kick her ass all over the track.

That is the main reason I will never watch an IRL or any other American open wheel racing series. The talent pool is too shallow with too many crashes and too many yellow flags, etc. I might as well watch NASCAR if I wanted to watch "wrestling on wheels" because that is what American racing has turned into – a freak show, in my opinion.

I am sure this will never get printed because it is not P.C. Oh well, neither is the average racing fan.

John Hopkins
Vista, Calif.

Just be glad I didn't run your email.

Are you serious with your article regarding Danica Patrick and Sarah Fisher? Have you ever talked about how good a male driver makes a fire suit look? Do you really think women are as shallow as men and say things like, "I really want to beat her because she is cuter than me." I mean seriously. … Are you serious?

Becky Simpson
St. Louis

What a news flash. Men are shallow, women are not. Call Dr. Phil.

FLOYD LANDIS ("Shameless pursuit," July 27, 2006)

Either Floyd Landis is a big liar and a cheat, or the Tour de France organizers are liars and cheats. It can only be one or the other … no gray area here. If it is cycling's masterpiece under fire, then that sort will be in DEEP trouble. If it's Landis, then he can join the ranks of "Embarrassments of the USA," like Bode Miller.

Scott Southee
Springfield, Va.

Bode never cheated. He just partied and didn't take the Olympics seriously. In terms of "embarrassing" America, what Landis did is far more significant.

How can Floyd test negative seven or eight times during the tour and then have a T:E ratio of 11:1? The answer is he can't. No steroid could have been taken nor would have worked that quick to enhance performance. If you guys spent as much time researching the issue and educating yourself about what happened as you did writing this B.S., you might appear to be somewhat intelligent. But that wouldn't be sensational enough for you idiots.

Floyd is innocent, so get over it. This just in: A member of Yahoo! Sports just tested positive for being stupid.

Greg Hynson
Atlanta

The Landis results are inconsistent and suspect. A strong suspicion of tampering or foul play exists.

If every rider has to double check every water bottle and every feeding bag and every plate of spaghetti and worry about whether it has been tampered with by the competition to make him fail a drug test, if people may be handed urine containers coated with microscopic, invisible amounts of banned drugs to pee in, if the handlebars and seats of the bikes may be spritzed with drugs that can be absorbed through the skin, if the race results are determined in a laboratory and perhaps by private detectives rather than at the finish line, what is left of the sport and how can anyone take it seriously anymore?

The only thing that can save the TDF now is if Landis confesses, but if he is innocent, he presumably will not.

Lance was right. It's not about the bike, at least not anymore. It's about the press and scandal and people like you who stand to profit from the ruin of heroes. That's all that's left.

Pete Kosel
Sacramento, Calif.

Yeah, and maybe a UFO landed and doped him during a body probe while he was sleeping, too. Obviously, there are still plenty of people willing to go the conspiracy route. I don't know what's left to say. Even Landis' own team owner thinks he's guilty. Look, if it turns out he was framed, it will be a huge story and I'll be the first to apologize and rip the perpetrators, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

As an American living in Paris, I was there on the Champs Elysees cheering for the men who were chasing their dreams. I saw, firsthand, the French rooting for Floyd. That evening and days following, all of French media and citizens were congratulating Floyd Landis. So, when I see and read Americans in the States saying the French hate American cyclists or that Floyd was framed, it is embarrassing.

Here in France, they were saddened and disappointed by the double negative outcome of the tests because they wanted to believe that he was clean. No one in the media or on the street was cheering because they finally "got an American."

Instead of pointing figures at the French and the lab, perhaps we should spend that energy on helping make the sport clean, starting within our own home.

Sugi Lim
Paris, France

U.S. BASKETBALL ("USA's long-range issue," August 14, 2006, and "Pro-American sentiment," August 3, 2006)

Did the 2-3 zone do the 2004 Olympic team in? Or was it Larry Brown's inability to inspire/motivate his players to play? Or was it the players' egos that made them play selfishly?

The 1992 team was made up of players who averaged more than eight assists per game – Johnson, Stockton, Bird – players who play unselfishly, players who don't care who makes the shots as long as they win. Sadly, no such player was included in the 2004 team. And that is the big difference between the two.

Robbie Tan
Antipolo City, Philippines

I think Larry Brown did a horrendous job with a miscast team. It was a combination of things. But the lack of an outside shooter hurt that team.

All I can say is that this bunch of athletic superstars that play for Team USA better brush up on basketball basics. Brazil scared the daylights out of the Americans. And did you see how many points they screwed around with and threw away in the last five minutes of their game against Lithuania? … America must realize that it has the best basketball players in the world, so it must safeguard that reputation. And how does a super athlete like Gilbert Arenas injure his groin during practice? Does he not wear supporters? I don't buy this stuff. All of a sudden everyone is getting injuries.

My question is: Does Team USA really want to win? Hmmm …

Ramon Infante
The Philippines

I believe I sent an email in during the Olympics, and this will be nearly the same. If only Michael Redd was on the national team, the U.S. would be significantly better.

Brian Laird
Sussex, Wisc.

I don't have a question, just wanted to send an email to say thanks for the great opinion piece on Coach K. Coach K has mastered the art and science of leadership! In the end, it's going to take a TEAM committed to winning the gold medal and Coach K is a great example of what TEAM and unselfishness really means.

Nicole Douglas
Baghdad, Iraq