They’ve already Chipped away hopes for the season
Cincinnati 26 UCLA 17. It looks like UCLA forgot the No. 1 rule of college football scheduling — never schedule a patsy you can’t beat. Rob Osborne
Manhattan Beach
After watching the UCLA football team’s poor showing against Cincinnati, I now understand why Chip Kelly closes his practices. Chris Sorce
Fountain Valley
There is certainly no disgrace in UCLA losing to an Ohio State team. Wait, make that a team from the state of Ohio. Wes Wellman
Santa Monica
We can now answer Chip Kelly’s question: the Bruins are zoo tigers, not jungle tigers. Robert Campbell
Palos Verdes Estates
Of all the true freshmen in the UCLA-Cincinnati game I didn’t expect Chip Kelly to be the most conspicuous.
For every athletic flub by his offense on the field, his gigantic ego would make a mental one from the sideline. Jim Mora would have won this game by simply being sensible. Mario Valvo
Ventura
“Justifications” for UCLA’s loss to Cincinnati:
UCLA is the fourthyoungest team in college football.
(Cincinnati is the thirdyoungest team.)
UCLA was up against a former NFL head coach who almost won a national championship at Oregon.
(Wait, that’s UCLA’s coach.)
Cincinnati has better talent, as evidenced by the fact that their recruiting classes are consistently ranked higher than UCLA’s.
(No, it’s the other way around.)
UCLA was the visiting team and it’s tough to win on the road.
(Wait, they were playing where?) Paul Jeong
Seoul
Chip Kelly has pulled off the greatest robbery since the Brinks and Lufthansa capers. Will he take the money and disappear? Oh, he did Saturday. Bill Singley
Manhattan Beach
Really? One game and Bill Plaschke already has the sky falling for the Bruins. Really? Do you really need readership that badly? Chip Kelly is not a magician. Most of the team are carryovers from a disappointing squad. He can’t turn a program around in one game. To suggest otherwise is what’s wrong with sports these days. It will take at least two years of Kelly recruiting his style of players to make an impact. Sit back and be realistic. Give him and the team a chance. Lee Schwartz
Los Angeles
Dodgers have ups and downs
Perhaps Sept. 1-2 should become a two-day city holiday to be called St. Matt’s Days, commemorating when Matt Kemp drove the Snakes out of Los Angeles. Peter Rich
Los Angeles
I think with the current state of the Dodger bullpen, instead of personal music, they should just play “Eve of Destruction” when the bullpen gates open. Bruce Kammerich
Simi Valley
The Dodgers’ pitching staff is iffy at best. They do not want to admit that Clayton Kershaw is not the pitcher that he once was. Their success can be explained by all of those home runs plus being in a weird division. If they have to face staffs like Houston, Boston or Cleveland they will go back to blaming the manager for everything wrong with the team. Arthur P. Nelson Jr.
North Hills
It’s hard to believe that the Dodgers were even thinking of allowing Kenley Jansen to go to Denver. His heart health is paramount to himself and the Dodgers.
And they should not let him visit Machu Picchu in the offseason. Paul Atkinson
Ventura
Roberto Duran achieved great success by virtue of his Manos de Piedra (Hands of Stone). Looks as if the Dodgers have a successor behind the plate in Yasmani Grandal. The next time this guy catches a crucial throw home will coincide with the time Roberto decides to come out of retirement. Herb Schoenberg
Tarzana
So now that Dave Roberts has 40 guys, are we are going to have to see all these makeshift lineups instead of putting a team on the field that can win the game? Wendy McCall
Fallbrook
On with the Sho
As Angels fans mourned the thought of Shohei Ohtani rehabbing from surgery next season, Ohtani gets in the lineup the same day and goes four for four with two home runs, an incredible story and a boost for the fans. Yet The Times makes the headline a downer about possibly losing Mike Trout.
Ohtani is one of the few bright spots for Angels fans this year. Give them something to brag about. Rich Sieger
Valley Village I was pleased when the Angels won the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes but not so sure it’s worth the circus that goes along with it.
By pitching once a week he throws the entire rotation into a chaotic rhythm. By hitting only three times a week he ensures his position can’t be filled by a productive full-time player. Or compromises the only place they have for someone at the end of his career like Albert Pujols.
He’s compared to Babe Ruth, but until he pitches every fourth day or bats every day it’s an unfair comparison. Even Babe picked one or the other. Robert Goldstone
Corona del Mar
Pluck of Irish
Thank you for the excellent article on the Irish GAA footballer, Padraig Carney. An enjoyable read, and testimony to how we need to look outside the box from the traditional sports The Times regularly covers.
Probably 95% of the Times sports readers have never even heard of the sport. Oh, and the other major Irish sport, hurling, is even better. Kevin Flynn
Simi Valley
Just argue it
Headline: Nike Kaepernick ad to run during NFL opener.
Reaction: Yet another reason to work out Sundays while watching reruns of “All in the Family” and “Last Man Standing.” Pete Russo
San Clemente
Finally, a corporate entity has decided to support an athlete whose only sin was to protest what he sees as a continuing abuse of African Americans in our country. The 1st Amendment guaranteed “the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
And for that protest, Mr. Kaepernick is labeled a thug. Truly, we have lost our way. Rodney K. Boswell
Thousand Oaks
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