Letters

"Only A Game's" Facebook community has grown no little and quite some this week, in part, perhaps, because I promised in last week's show that we'd gather around Associate Producer Doug Tribou's glowing monitor to welcome new arrivals. Our friends now number over one thousand. We're still some six million, nine hundred ninety nine thousand short of Leo Messi's alleged follower total, but, then, he's a star soccer player for Barcelona, and we're not.

Walter Eugene Bowen wins the prize for listener communicating from distance. Mr. Bowen posted as follows: "Once again, 'Only A Game' proves that it's the best sports radio show on the air. You don't even have to be a sports fan to enjoy it, week after week." Mr. Bowen lives in Chennai, Tamil Nadu….which is in India.

My conversation in last week's program with Thabiti Boone, the fellow who turned his back on the opportunity to play big-time college basketball in order to care for his infant daughter, inspired lots of responses. "Your story on Thabiti Boone was awesome," Robert McKee wrote. "The rest of the show was as good as always, but that was an inspiration."

Annie Whitney agreed. She wrote, "Thanks for introducing me to Thabiti Boone. My life includes only the smallest amount of sports watching, so where else but 'Only A Game" would I have met Thabiti?"

My commentary about the wretched way in which the Boston Red Sox have begun the baseball season provoked a bit of gloating via Facebook from Andy Vinciquerra. He wrote: "It was a magical night watching my hapless Indians shut down the mighty Red Sox. It doesn't happen often, so I'll enjoy the victory."

Among the e-mails this week was an observation from Roger Perrault, who lives in Montreal. "I find that both the host and the regular commentator, Charlie Pierce, are entertaining and occasionally off the wall," he wrote. "But when I went to the website, I found that neither Bill nor Charlie resembles the images in my mind's eye. Bill looks like a kindly version of 'Mr. Dressup,' and Charlie's a double for Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak."

Mr. Perrault's assertion sent me searching for an image of 'Mr. Dressup,' who used to host a children's t.v. program. For the record, Mr. Perrault, I have never worn a bow tie.

You, too, can find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter at Only A Game radio or call us on the listener line by calling 617-353-1860. Of course, we still welcome postcards at "Only A Game," WBUR, 890 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts, 02215.