To the editor:
Regarding the Wednesday, July 16, story headlined, "A thankful Allison enjoying his season back in pro baseball":
It was good news learning that this local, talented kid is finally turning his life around. Immaturity, coupled with too much money, led him into substance abuse.
I read about Jeff Allison's being signed to play pro ball right out of high school, and that's something that should be addressed by Major League Baseball since the same thing happened to another young, immature kid named Josh Hamilton. Josh is now 27 and made it back to the major leagues, having signed with the Texas Rangers. He's having a banner year and was named to the All-Star team.
What a nice story it would be for Jeff and his family were he to make it all the way back. Yet more importantly, he's been drug-free for 19 months. Not easy to do, but he's on his way and that's cool!
SAUL P. HELLER
Salem
