Mayweather has a sucker punch
In 1869 a petrified man named the Cardiff Giant was presented to the public. They clamored to pay to see it. It was a fraud. Several years earlier, P.T. Barnum offered a new exhibit to the public called the Egress (another word for exit). Those who entered (exited) his museum had to pay again to re-enter. Last Saturday, Floyd Mayweather offered up his boxing match against someone who has never boxed before. The public once again clamored.
Those who ponied up over a half-billion dollars for this fiasco should be ashamed. Mayweather will be laughing at you for a long time. Bruce N. Miller
Playa del Rey ::
We have to give Mayweather a lot of credit. We knew he was robbing us without a gun, but he doubled down by wearing a mask into the ring. Brilliant! Rod Lawrence
Los Angeles
I think there should be a rematch between Mayweather and McGregor, only this time they fight for real. Loren Coleman
West Hollywood ::
BREAKING NEWS: Floyd Mayweather just announced a deal to fight “King of the Forest” Brown Bear Ben, the 500-pound ursine champion of North America. In breaking his retirement yet again, Mayweather stated, “The fans want it, they’ll pay a billion, so let’s give it to them.”
For the promise of a massive payday that inexplicably continues to accompany Mayweather fights, Ben agreed to be declawed and defanged. “He’s got skills Mayweather’s never faced,” says Ben’s team.
The fight will be staged at Las Vegas’ legendary boxing venue, Circus Circus. Cy Bolton
Rancho Cucamonga
Best slump ever?
Call me superstitious, but, in the course of all this great praise, the Dodgers have recently gone on a losing streak and robbed Rich Hill of a no-hitter because their bats went silent for 10 innings.
So, please! Let’s save these accolades for the Dodgers until they actually get to the World Series and win it. They are not the “greatest Dodgers team in history” until they win it all. Until then, it’s just puffery. Richard R. McCurdy
Burbank
Loaning money to a friend is usually a bad idea, but you only learn if it ruins the friendship after making the loan and the friend runs into trouble. Andy McCullough’s article celebrating how Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and aging star Adrian Gonzalez subordinate their friendship to team performance is premature. Let’s see if Roberts plays Gonzalez over Cody Bellinger in the playoffs when significant tests of team and personal loyalty occur. Konrad Moore
San Diego
So what if the Dodgers lose a few games in a row? It’s not like finishing above .700 should be the goal. Prepping the team for postseason success matters most.
Go ahead, test some reserve players, see who might be catching lateseason fire. To lose half of the remaining games matters not if L.A. ends its World Series drought. Gary Dolgin
Santa Monica ::
In light of the Dodgers’ recent losing streak, one has to wonder whether there is more to sports psychology than meets the eye.
Acquiring Curtis Granderson, who has not been part of the season’s success, and sending Joc Pederson to the minor s may be part of the recent Dodgers doldrums. Yes, that Joc was not hitting his weight was a problem, but he was part of the clubhouse that had built a positive camaraderie and a winning attitude. Does replacing Pederson with someone who has not been part of the winning culture tell others that their job is in jeopardy? This may be especially important with a team that is talented but young, as loyalty may be more important than home runs. Douglas Laube
Madison, Wis.
Really, Nick?
Hard to believe that Nick Saban would complain about Power 5 conference teams playing weaker teams to get a good record. In the last two years Alabama has played Middle Tennessee, Louisiana Monroe, Charleston Southern and Chattanooga. This year they play Mercer and next year Louisiana Lafayette, the Citadel and Arkansas State. These are also all home games for Alabama.
Palos Verdes Estates
Gleaming the QB
It’s time for Sean McVay to decide if he is Jared Goff ’s coach or mommy. Like Jeff Fisher before him, McVay is a coddling and overprotective guardian of the young quarterback, pulling him from games when he struggles and dishing out endless excuses for poor performance. In fairness to the coach, Goff is heavy footed and lacks situational awareness, qualities that will make him a coaching challenge. Mario Valvo
Ventura
Van Brocklin-Waterfield, Munson-Gabriel, HarrisHadl, Harris-Jaworski, Haden-Ferrragamo ..... When is the L.A. Times going to stir up a GoffMannion battle? We may not know for many years if Goff is a bust, but how about Sean giving Sean a chance for the Rams to win some games this year? Mike Anderson
Sherman Oaks ::
What a great deal! We get a lousy football team back that will have a stadium in about three years and to top it off, the fans will have to take out seconds on their homes to be able to attend the games! Steve LaRochelle
Simi Valley
A fan frowns
Bill Plaschke’s nonarticle on the Lakers’ $500,000 fine is what the reader gets during a slow sports week. Among his gems is this statement about Magic Johnson: “Johnson and his relentless smile are slowly restoring the Showtime brand.”
Really, Bill? A smile? I thought teams had to actually perform on the court to achieve greatness. Gary H. Miller
Encino
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