* The Post’s Ken Davidoff may be right that the signing of Felix Hernandez to a contract extension is a bad omen for the Yankees [“King Felix deal a royal crush,” The Post and nypost.com, Feb. 8], but I think it’s an evenworse omen for baseball. No doubt the Yankees would have been interested in signing Hernandez as a free agent, but it’s surprising that small market clubs such as Seattle and Toronto have the cash to competewith the Yankees. The formula of the big bad Yankees beating up all the small market teams was anenormously profitable economic model for two decades. Maybe in an ideal world, a level playing field is the best option, but for baseball, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” makes a lot more sense.
KEN DREXLER
North Woodmere, N.Y.
* Howdoes Felix Hernandez’s new contract with the Mariners add to what The Post called the Yankees’ “off-season misery”? TheYankees probably weren’t going to be able to get to sign Hernandez as a free agent and stay under their self-im-posed salary structure. As for the ‘closing gap between the Bombers and the rest of baseball, isn’t the Bombers spending farmore than most other teams what The Post and every other sports outlet has criticized them for since the signings of Catfish Hunter and Reggie Jackson back in the 1970s? Hernandez is not a king, he’s a pretender to the throne.
LARRYWEITZMAN
Manhattan
Center stage
* TheKnicks are obviously a playoffbound team, but to succeed in winning a championship, they must correct one glaring flaw. Teams consistently drive to the basket for easy layups because Tyson Chandler rarely has his hands up ready to block these shots. Chandler is a fine player, but he must be more of an intimidating force in the paint and force the opposition to take the lower percentage jump shot. This is what opposing teams do to the Knicks, but fortunately the Knicks have a bevy of great 3 point shooters, thus they are successful.
CHUCK ECKSTEIN
Brooklyn
Ray of dope
* The Ray Lewis story demonstrates how the media concocts a narrative while disregarding facts. With his infamous involvement in a double murder and a current performance enhancing drugs scandal, which he lamely denies, howhas this man become an icon of virtue? He’s dishonest to a fault and cloaks himself with religion to avoid answering questions. Lewis calls himself a Christian, but I think he would make Jesus puke.
DANSKYE
Woodside
Official misconduct
* What’swrong with the NFL referees? The Super Bowl looked like it was being played in a boxing ring after every play. Players were slapping and taunting one another. Isn’t that unsportsman like conduct? Or do the rules change for the Super Bowl?
JOHN VANACKEN
Bellerose, N.Y