ROSTY

I really was upset by A Friendship in Winter [by Bryan Smith, August]. It was a touching story of one man’s resurrection, but to give credit to a ruthless politician who milked the people of Illinois and the country to line his own pockets was very upsetting. No matter what Rostenkowski did to help [Marty Cook, it] does not excuse his unforgivable abuse of power. I know the author did not try to portray Rostenkowski as a saint, but any young Chicagoans unfamiliar with his machinations would perhaps come to the conclusion that he was.

Solis Dudnick
Northbrook

OPA!

I wholeheartedly disagree with your writer’s take on the Greek Islands as a high-volume marginal-food establishment [“Secrets of Their Success,” Dining Out, by Jeff Ruby, August]. They must be doing something right to get me and so many Chicagoans I know to keep coming back for cheerful service and delicious food. I challenge your writer to order as follows at the Greek Islands and then say the food is marginal. To start, Greek red wine, tirokafteri, village salad. For the entrée, order the loin lamb chops (best we ever had) or the swordfish shish kebab with green beans, greens, or okra.

Mary Pat Byrne
Chicago

UPDATE

We knew a fiery debate was inevitable after Noah Isackson, Geoff Johnson, and Shane Tritsch released August’s “Chicago’s Got Game,” our list of the top 40 Chicago sports moments of all time—from June’s Stanley Cup win to an 1895 automobile race. True to form, fans (and adversaries) of the Cubs, Sox, Bears, Bulls, and Hawks sounded off. Among the cheering and booing we received—both online and by e-mail—were nostalgic accounts of a few moments not on our list.

As much as I love reading about the Cubs’ misfortunes, I would like to hear about more good moments in Chicago sports history. Is it just that there aren’t 40 “good” moments in Chicago sports? I can think of 11 different [Sox] games from October 2005 alone!

James Norris
Batavia

You should have [included] one of the times during the 1985 Bears season when William “Refrigerator” Perry steamrolled over defenders for a touchdown.

Kurt Steinberg
Key West, Florida

Where [are] Disco Demolition and that Monday night game against the Cardinals from a few years ago? [In October 2006, the Arizona Cardinals led the Bears by 20 points at halftime. The Bears’ defense and special teams scored three second-half touchdowns to win, leading the Cardinals’ coach, Dennis Green, to declare, “They are who we thought they were!” in a postgame press conference.]

Ismael Moustafa
Chicago

So many omissions:

1. Gale Sayers’s six touchdowns against the Niners. Like Koufax in baseball, Sayers has a place in the Hall of Fame, despite a short career, because of his brilliance.

2. Ernie Banks’s 500th home run against Pat Jarvis, a line shot barely over the wall with Brickhouse [saying] “Hey-hey!” and “500” flashing on the WGN screen.

3. There was no baseball player in the 1950s more revered than Stan Musial. The Man’s 3,000th hit in 1958 was a double at Wrigley. At the time, Musial was the first to attain 3,000 since 1942 and the eighth in baseball history.

I have other personal memories: Don Cardwell throwing a no-hitter in his first game after being traded to the Cubs, Ditka clotheslining a fan streaking across “his workplace,” Bobby Hull knocking Gump Worsley cold with a slap shot to his forehead—down like he was shot by a sniper—but surely the three [numbered above] have to be included in big sports moments in Chi-town.

Larry Bruksch
Los Angeles, California