Voice of the fan.

Here we go again. It's back to the "inverted rectangle" strike zone, as spelled out in the rule book. I wonder how soon it will be horizontal again. If it sticks, what will poor Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux do?' --Richard Honig, Fort Wayne, Ind.

Eye for an eye

I have an idea that would mitigate violence in hockey immediately. If a player injures another player by means of an illegal, deliberate act, that player should remain suspended until the athlete he injured returns to action. If the injury turns out to be career-ending, the offending player's NHL career also would be over. Think about the effect that this simple role would have on the Bryan Marchments and Marty, McSorleys of the hockey world.

Andrew Davies Nederland, Colo.

Manufactured mystique

I found it ironic that in the March 19 issue Ichiro Suzuki, pictured throughout the article in a backwards cap and sunglasses, was deemed as a player who "breaks a few baseball conventions" and who has "mystique." Yet, a few years ago, when Ken Griffey Jr. took batting practice with a backwards cap, he was lambasted by the press and by baseball old timers, who found his act disrespectful. Why does Ichiro receive acclaim and Griffey vilification for essentially adopting the same style? What has changed in Marinerland? Simple. The M's are so desperate for a star to fill the Randy Johnson/Griffey/A-Rod void that they'll freely pump up Ichiro's "mystique" to mask the fact that their squad is now devoid of superstars.

Steve Ryan Omaha, Neb.