Readers sound off on MLB politics, sidewalk safety and the Twitter logo

Legendary players deserve a place in the Hall

Oceanside, L.I.: To Voicer Vinny Armiento, who wonders why the Yankees never had a day to honor Graig Nettles: I totally agree with you. He was possibly the best third baseman in Yankee history, drug cheat Alex Rodriguez included.

But I’ll tell you why they never honored him: Because he wasn’t afraid to hide his disdain for George Steinbrenner. So, George refused to retire his number and give him his day (Number 9 was retired for Roger Maris). Check out the end of the Yankees win over Boston in the Bucky Dent game. Nettles makes the catch, and after celebrating with his teammates on the field, he runs right past George — who clearly wanted his attention — into the dugout. That was no accident.

Meanwhile, although I find Fred McGriff deserving of the Hall of Fame honor, it bothers me to no end that Don Mattingly can’t get in because he supposedly didn’t have enough good years. Check out the back of his baseball card. Mattingly played 14 years, that’s not enough? He had seven years of more than 180 hits, three of them with more than 200. He had 2,153 total hits in 7,003 at-bats for a .307 lifetime average, five years of more than 100 RBIs, nine Gold Gloves and he was a six-time All-Star and the 1985 MVP. Too many lesser players are already in. It’s time to get Donnie Baseball in. Warren Meyer

Increased excitement

Brooklyn: I don’t know if Voicer Saul Grossman has ever seen a game where a runner is placed on second base at the start of extra innings. I have, and frankly, it makes it exciting. Every pitch can mean the go-ahead or winning run and really focuses the crowd. It adds to the game rather than detracts from it. Martin Selbst

Better than before

Staten Island: To Voicer Robert Stiloski: I don’t know when you think the Subway Series was at its peak, but I’m guessing that whenever you think that was, per capita crime, corruption and killings were higher than they are now. John Ottrando

Decision time

Staten Island: Steve Cohen, how much more embarrassment will you endure? You have a manager who allows a raft of runs to score before he makes a pitching change. The Mets were beyond disgrace when they played the Red Sox. I thought you stated you will spend money to procure players that will at least get the team to the playoffs. Mr. Cohen, my advice is to terminate Buck Showalter, open your checkbook and spend, spend, spend. Jeffrey Van Pelt

Solid insights

Millburn, N.J.: Kudos to Tony Paige for his excellent piece on Florida A&M (“Please do better,” column, July 25). Mike Lupica and Bill Madden are definitely good for laughs — like the crazy uncle at Thanksgiving — but Paige shows that older people can in fact write meaningful, important sports copy. Thank you. Ed Marks

Difficult work

Margate, Fla.: My heart goes out to Julia Taylor Fatum, the young EMT who was just doing her job helping a patient and was viciously stabbed. I read that she wants to leave NYC, and frankly, I don’t blame her. Employees of the City of New York like Fatum put their lives in jeopardy on a daily basis to do the city’s work. These are the people the mayor and most of the City Council want to strip of their current medical coverage as retirees and disabled retirees. I wish Fatum a speedy recovery. And I wish the City Council would open their eyes, get the facts straight and support Bill 1099. Be the hero Fatum is. Donna Sherman

Nothing’s perfect

Miller Place, L.I.: Re “Medicare snare” (editorial, July 8): You should know that NYC municipal union retirees have well-founded reasons to fear Medicare Advantage plans. Privatized medical coverage comes up short when compared to traditional coverage, as evidenced by careful research and experts who do not have a vested interest in the sale of these privatized plans. And if, as your editorial indicated, a rollout that is perfect for everyone can’t be the standard, know the truth: The lack of an option to keep original benefits is not perfect for 250,000-plus municipal retirees. The numbers are on our side. Our health benefits are the trade-off the city and its unions happily made to win approval for lower wages and fewer benefits. Finally, contrary to your position that the proposed plan is better than any in the public or private sectors, the question is not “why do we have,” but rather “why doesn’t everyone have access to quality and affordable health benefits?” Diana Martone

Fast lane

Bronx: I never thought walking on the sidewalk could be so dangerous. Well, this summer proved just that. These electric scooters are being driven on sidewalks, and the riders seem to have no regard for pedestrians whatsoever. There has to be some type of law put in place that would prohibit this. Why aren’t helmets mandatory? Are these individuals getting tickets for driving recklessly? I also feel like having insurance should come into play too. If you are hit by one of these scooters, what happens? These scooters are fast and are capable of inflicting serious injuries or death. There was a recent incident of a child getting hit in a park and being seriously injured. Pedestrians should feel comfortable walking on the sidewalk away from car traffic, but now we must watch out for scooters. Arlana Solomon Girven Walker

Disqualifying

Massapequa Park, L.I.: Felons aren’t allowed to vote, so I’m guessing they shouldn’t be allowed to run for president, or any other public office. Frank Mullahey

Stop amplifying

Brooklyn: Enough of hearing about The Hump. How about not publishing all the hoopla the ex-president is busy spewing, and still whining about losing. He needs to keep one promise he made: leaving the country if Joe Biden was elected. Try reporting something intelligent or — gasp — some news about people doing something beneficial for their communities! D.M. Glick

Flipping the bird

Middletown, N.J.: Does Elon Musk even know the reason Twitter chose a bird to be its logo? The bird is actually named Larry after Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics, who was the star of the NBA team in the late ‘70s to the ‘90s. Cofounder Biz Stone revealed this in 2011. It was to honor this legendary basketball star! Musk has renamed the company X and gotten rid of the “Bird” mascot and logo. I think this change is sacrilegious, as Bird was one of basketball’s greatest players and a legend in Boston! Herb Hanrahan

Inaccessible

Bronx: Re Gian Carlo Pedulla’s piece, “Making the best part of Access-A-Ride much worse” (op-ed, July 23): Right on! I’m legally blind with mobility issues, and recently joined the Access-A-Ride program. I need it to get to work. Since February, I’ve dealt with late rides, no-shows and having to endure trips miles out of my way because they stuff two or three of us in cabs like animals. Apparently, we disabled are seen as exactly that by the governor, mayor and MTA. By the way, the drivers aren’t penalized if they’re late, but we are penalized if we cancel a trip. Maybe if we go to Mexico and come back into New York illegally, we’ll finally be treated fairly. The Access-A-Ride program is a disgrace. Perfect match for New York City. Tony Mirabella

The jury is out

Bronx: Voicer Janice Amato claims Daniel Penny “blocked Jordan Neely’s windpipe for 15 minutes,” but according to video recorded by a freelance journalist on the train, the former Marine held Neely around the neck for approximately two minutes. Facts matter, for Penny as well as anyone else. Next, Amato’s going to state that Neely was merely impersonating Michael Jackson at the time instead of going up to passengers and threatening them. So much misinformation and presumption abounds, including from the press. Amato also assumes that Penny “deliberately” killed Neely, but as Judge Judy says, that assumption goes to the operation of Penny’s mind, which Amato does not know. Eric Cavaballo Callvado

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