LETTERS

Friday, April 21, 2006 | 7:20 a.m.

Remembering Pug Pearson

Regarding Jeff Haney's April 19 column on the memorial service for poker great Puggy Pearson:

I came to Las Vegas over 30 years ago, in September 1972, to complete my last two years at UNLV. I can remember my first night in town. My friend, who was here on a golf scholarship, and I drove up Harmon Avenue to the Aladdin Hotel.

You used to have to take an escalator up to the casino floor. It was about 1 o'clock in the morning on a weekday. The baccarat pit was right by the escalator, and my friend pointed up to the pit at two guys playing gin rummy. He asked me if I knew who the bald guy was, and I told him I didn't have a clue.

"That's Pug Pearson, the best poker player in Las Vegas," he said. This was about six to eight months before he won the World Series of Poker in '73.

Hard to believe that 30-plus years later I would still remember that.

Thanks again for your article. A lot of these young poker players don't have a clue what playing poker was really like when Pug, Doyle Brunson and Amarillo Slim were young.

John Reade, Las Vegas

A Dutch treat in knuckleball story

I truly enjoyed Ron Kantowski's piece on knuckleball pitchers ("A fading art in baseball," April 17) and the mention of Dutch Leonard's name. I am not sure, but I believe Dutch and Roger Wolff both won 20 games one year for the Senators.

I know teams hated to come to old Griffith Stadium during those years. There were no cheap home runs. But I was fortunate to be sitting in the bleachers when Mickey Mantle hit one over the left field wall all the way out of the park.

My dad also showed me how to throw a knuckleball. I used it many times to win sandlot games.

Ray Steele, North Las Vegas

Floyd Mayweather should be punished

Regarding the aftermath of the Floyd Mayweather-Zab Judah brawl and subsequent fine and suspension of Roger Mayweather, Floyd's uncle and trainer:

Hockey had the problem of bench-clearing brawls years ago. A fight would start on the ice and both benches would empty. Hockey finally changed the rules and said no one, under any circumstances, can leave the bench during a fight on the ice, or there would be severe suspensions, fines, etc.

You never see those kinds of fights anymore (unless you watch the classic hockey movie "Slapshot").

The same thing should go for boxing. Unless the ref calls another person into the ring, such as a doctor, no one should be allowed to enter the ring. Give the ref absolute power during the fight. To make sure it works, the penalty should be enforced against the fighter associated with the person who entered the ring.

Then the boxers will make it clear that no one in their camp should do something stupid by entering the ring.

Dave Maher, Las Vegas