Hold off on parade for now
I read Bill Plaschke’s column after the the Yu Darvish trade and realized that the baseball season was over. The Dodgers won the World Series, Friedman and Zaidi were executives of the year and Roberts the manager of the year. Bill disregarded Darvish’s struggles this year as “trade-distracted numbers” and ignored his poor record against National League teams as irrelevant, I guess.
I felt bad. And then I remembered Plaschke rarely, if ever, knows what he is talking about. The season is back on. Bert Bergen La Cañada
Last night I had a nightmare. I dreamed that Yu Darvish developed blisters on his pitching hand after shaking hands with Brandon McCarthy and Rich Hill. He was placed on the DL with no timetable for his return. Jeff Hershow Woodland Hills
Congratulations to the Dodgers on the acquisition of Mr. Darvish. The article on the trade failed to reveal whether it will take him two or three innings to match the combined annual earnings of Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale in their holdout year. Kevin Park Mission Hills
So, Yu Darvish could experience the same problems Rick Honeycutt did when traded to the Dodgers 34 years ago? To paraphrase the classic comment from the vice presidential debates almost 20 years ago: Rick, I know Yu Darvish. You were no Yu Darvish. Jeff Kandel Los Angeles
“Hey, Dave Roberts, I’m your new catcher who just came over in a trade. So, after each pitch, I throw the ball back to who?” “Yu.” “How can I throw the ball back to myself? I already have it.”
“No, you throw it back to Yu.” “I throw it back to you?” “Exactly.” “Why would I throw the ball to you? You’re the manager … in the dugout.”
“No. You don’t throw it to me. You throw it to Yu.” “Ummm…. Third base?” Come on … Yu — oops, sorry — you had to know this was coming, right? Axel W. Kyster Bradbury ::
“I think it will definitely be an emotional boost for the team,” general manager Farhan Zaidi said.
Like the Carlos Ruiz for A.J. Ellis trade? That was a real emotional boost. Alex Fernandez Lakewood
I just watched the Dodgers again blow a lead and lose the game Wednesday. I could be wrong, but this seems to happen like clockwork once every 54 games they’re leading. PJ Gendell Beverly Hills
The Dodgers’ remarkable 53-game record that they established for winning games where they at least held a lead was good because it reminds me about the great Don Drysdale, and his number 53. Ironically, when they lost by a 5-3 score, Big D might have been watching from upstairs. Their special year continues and I am very hopeful they will win it all. Nate Gleiberman Sherman Oaks
I recall reading a article on the Dodgers’ TV deal not long after it was done, wherein Magic Johnson was quoted as saying to the effect that he would not let the controversy continue. And here we are, four or so years later, no settlement, none on the horizon, and Magic’s never been called out on his remarks.
With all the revenue the ownership has reaped since they bought the team, is it that much of stretch for them to subsidize the SpectrumDirecTV controversy a buck or so, so that all Dodgers fans can see all the games? How about a little help here, Magic? It’s time. David Esterkes La Cañada
Magic Johnson and his fellow Dodgers owners have thrown a meaningless bone to the team’s faithful. Dodgers fans will be able to watch the last six Tuesday games of the season on free television. Big deal. The Dodgers should have a 25-game lead by then and will be resting everybody including the batboy.
By the way, is that the same Magic Johnson who’s the new savior of the Lakers? Just wondering. Gary H. Miller Encino
So don’t watch Angels pet peeves: Albert Pujols batting in the middle of the order while in a slump.
Kole Calhoun stepping out of the batter’s box after every pitch.
Mike Scioscia’s questionable pitching and pinchhitting moves. Ken Blake Brea
Home for the Games As is well known, the city of Los Angeles has a serious housing shortage. The 2028 Olympic games will use student dorms at UCLA and USC to house the athletes. A better plan would be to construct a new Olympic village for the Games, paid for by the International Olympic Committee. This housing could then be converted to housing for the poor and homeless at the conclusion of the Games.
It is not too late to negotiate for this because the final agreement has not been signed between the IOC and the Los Angeles organizing committee. We have leverage over the IOC. Let’s use it! Bob Lentz Sylmar
Ram tough? Hey St. Lou, er, Los Angeles Rams, what are you doing? Don’t play hardball with the best player on our team. If you can pay Tavon Austin, rewarding Aaron Donald is a no-brainer. If Les Snead screws this up, I’m going to cancel my season tickets and become a Chargers fan. Victor Segovia Orange
As a native Chicagoan who has watched the Rams tootle around UC Irvine in their golf carts, I have to wonder what Dick Butkus would say if he saw them. But I think I can guess. I believe he’d say it’s fine, the ladies probably need them. Larry Cahill Irvine
You know, it just doesn’t seem right reading about the Rams and the Chargers on the same L.A. sports page. The Rams were gone for so long from L.A., then they suddenly show up, and lo and behold, here come the Chargers. Neither team has been to a Super Bowl recently, and neither team seems very interesting, although the Chargers at least are usually entertaining until the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, San Diego sits down there with an empty stadium. The NFL needs to move a team into that city, and wouldn’t it be just wonderful if it wiped up West Coast NFL like a tornado? Chet Chebegia San Marcos
The IX factor With an NCAA demonstrably prejudiced against USC in its over-prosecution of the Reggie Bush case, we don’t need our own in-house Salem Witch Court, the Title IX Committee (investigating Matt Boermeester), following a script from Orwell’s 1984.
Transparency? Accountability? Robert D. Robinson Azusa
That hurts I’m trying to guess how many letters you received with variants of “Gallinari plays and punches the Clipper way,” “Gallinari and Griffin, the orthopedic front court,” or “Two broken hands are better than one” etc. Forty letters? Fifty? Fiftyone, counting mine? Bennett Tramer Santa Monica
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