LETTERS A real Hall of Shame move
The Dodgers had a week so lousy that a travel day felt like a victory. But the Angels have a genius for sinking to the bottom—and staying there. Who else would have treated the inevitable end of Albert Pujols’ career like the firing of an Amazon warehouse worker who was tardy once too often?
For a team that you can count on one hand the things they’ve done right in their 60 years, the Angels seemingly have made another embarrassing move. Take away trading Jim Fregosi for Nolan Ryan, the 2002 championship, and of course re-signing Mike Trout, what have they done right?
And now they DFA future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols. Granted the numbers this year aren’t there, but they just toss him aside like tossing out the trash . This team has a history of heartache and heartbreak. This move just follows suit. Thanks, Albert. You have always been a class act.
There is some debate about how the Angels handled the release of Albert Pujols on Thursday, and that he deserved better.
I’m not in that camp. I want the team to win, no matter who’s playing first base, or left field. Albert has earned $250 million the past 10 years, and arguably, has been a detriment to the team the last four years.
Albert is a wonderful man, an amazing talent, a sure-fire Hall of Famer, but like the legendary Willie Mays, he overstayed his time in baseball.
I get it. Albert Pujols left his best years in St. Louis. And there were not enough at-bats to go around with Walsh and Ohtani.
But he played hard every day and limped around the basepaths when many players went on the IL for a hangnail. Or a nosebleed like Josh Hamilton.
But to release him like some journeyman like Matt Harvey wasn’t right.
Pujols wasn’t the problem. Whiz kid GM Minasian followed the same Halo path that has kept them so far in the cellar of late they can smell the mildew, signing has-been hurlers that couldn’t set down the Sisters of Mercy.
Albert Pujols was a great baseball player, but he was a lousy Angels baseball player.
Dylan’s fan club
In Tuesday’s column declaring that the Lakers “are toast” after their 93-89 victory over the Denver Nuggets — and suggesting that their 2020 NBA championship really resulted because they were somehow “immune to the negative effects of the NBA bubble that damaged their rivals’ psyches” — Hernández once again makes assertions that justify his very personal views. Yes, the Lakers have struggled without their two superstars (what team wouldn’t?) and they don’t have much time to find their chemistry again as a team — but my money will always be on the Lakers. It’s disappointing that Hernández, as an Angeleno, doesn’t feel the same.
Not even COVID isolation these past many months could protect Dylan Hernández from falling prey to the hysteria of the Bill Plaschke school of writing. No, Dylan, the Dodger Blue guy in the sky (Tommy?) is not falling. That’s Uncle Bill’s ruse to create columns and controversies.
No two-week-snapshot any time during any season can give one a true picture of how a team will ultimately perform in the marathon of a full baseball season. A torrid start followed by a horrid cycle gives no true indication. As the colorful and quotable Yogi Berra pointed out, “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” Please leave the frenzy and panic to Bill. You’re a better writer than that.
So Dylan Hernández, aka Negative Nellie, writes within a couple of days an obituary for the 2021 Lakers and a doom-and-gloom warning for the chances of the 2021 Dodgers. Has he never heard don’t ever doubt the heart of a champion? I guess he probably also thought that after being thoroughly beat down physically and mentally in their first bout, Rocky’s chances of winning a rematch with Clubber Lang were over!
Singing the Blues
Dave Roberts and the Dodgers refuse to adjust their style of baseball no matter how long a losing streak they suffer. Dodger baseball is simple. Except for Corey Seager, always take the first pitch. Try to work the opposing pitcher deep into the count. Never bunt, never sacrifice, never steal a base, never hit and run, and with no outs never try to move a runner on second to third by hitting a grounder to the right side. Always swing for the fences.
And above all, never change that pattern no matter how many games you lose.
Charlie Brown’s favorite baseball player is Joe Shlabotnik, whose career batting average is .004. Roberts gave Charlie Brown competition with Edwin Rios’ .087.
Just a rumor, but I heard that Bob Dylan is headed to the studio to record a new Dodgers theme song called “Blowin’ All the Wins.”
Courting trouble
Did Tyronn Lue really say this about Paul George after the loss to Denver? “But five for 21 is a good sign, because if he keeps missing, he’s not afraid to keep shooting. So we’re going to need that from him going down the stretch.”
Huh? If he keeps missing 16 out of 21, the Clippers will have one brave shooter who loses the game for his team. Maybe the other guy with two rings should get a shot or two. Georgie, don’t be a hero.
When a professional athlete injures himself while acting irresponsibly, a team can often suspend him without pay in accordance with his contract and collective bargaining agreement. So with that in mind, shouldn’t the Lakers suspend Dennis Schroder? He apparently refused the COVID-19 vaccine when it became available, then allowed himself to become exposed to the virus. Now he has let down his teammates just as they are making the final push to qualify for the playoffs.
Back to the front
What a clever and useful solution to a contemporary journalistic problem! Congratulations on your new Sports cover placement on the back page of the California section. Sports fans, like myself, say thanks.
So I see that the front page of the sports section is on the back of the California section and we have to go from back to forward. So, I guess that means if we look real hard, will we be able to see a subliminal message that says, “The Walrus is Paul”?
I am wondering if the powers that make these decisions, adopted the philosophy of the Talmud by reading right to left. I’m in favor of keeping the English version.
The only thing good about your cute trick of switching page B14 with page B8 in Saturday’s Sports section was the opportunity to read Bill Plaschke’s story backwards. Made more sense.
Silver charm
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