Tired of Mora excuses
After UCLA’s latest drubbing at the hands of Utah, Jim Mora cast much blame on injuries. The truth is that his defense has been one of the worst and poorly coached in the country since game one. He should either accept that and quickly correct it or recognize his shortcomings and turn the Bruins over to someone who can correct it. Alan Abajian Alta Loma
It’s good timing for UCLA football that the team’s latest blowout loss to Utah will receive less scrutiny due to the lingering hangover from the Dodgers’ World Series loss to Houston. But some of us are still paying attention and are dismayed at the team and program’s lack of success and relevance ... in the division, in the conference and nationally. Eric Forseth Murrieta
In less than seven days the not-quite-ready-forprime-time Mora past recruits lost two games by 52 points and three of his current prized recruits decommitted. Was not the announcing and then the opening of the heralded eight-figure Wasserman Center supposed to turn around the UCLA football recruiting? Of course in his first three years he beat USC. Oh wait; those were with Neuheisel recruits. Richard Agay Los Angeles
Finishing it off
In 2017, the Dodgers lost Julio Urias, Andrew Toles and Andre Ethier to injury. Logan Forsythe had arguably his worst year. Ditto Joc Pederson. Enrique Hernandez hit .215. Adrian Gonzalez tapped out to Father Time.
The Astros? They had two Cy Young winners, a three-time batting champion and a few MVP candidates. Their leadoff man slugged 34 homers. Their No. 8 hitter batted .314.
So, which team was Goliath?
Kudos to Dave Roberts and the front office for piecing together a scrappy team that made winning look easy, almost inevitable. For all the talk of analytics, chemistry is the science that took these Dodgers to the brink of a title
Of course, they are already favored to win the 2018 World Series. No pressure, right? Greg Black Redondo Beach Dylan Hernandez’s Nov. 3 article, “Eyeing a Title,” has some interesting observations. However, the primary reason for the $8billion TV deal had little to do with serving the public. It had little to do with rebuilding a team. And it certainly had nothing to do with making the games more affordable and available to the public on TV.
The operative word here is greed, and let the public be damned. When prices for tickets, parking, food, drink and any souvenirs are added up, I am continually amazed at how the crowds can afford it.
I guess, “If you inflate the charges, they will come.” Robert Greene Woodland Hills
A World Series Game 7 is as much a psychological challenge as a physical one. Some out-of-the-box thinking may have changed the outcome.
So, what if Kenley Jansen had started, shut the Astros down for one or two innings, then Brandon Morrow had come in and shut them down for one or two more? By then the Astros may have been intimidated and maybe the Dodgers had even put up a run or two; the momentum would have been with the Dodgers. Then Kershaw comes in and psychologically the Astros know it’s over. Sure it’s a backward rotation, but what if? Dwight Abbott Palos Verdes Estates
A heartfelt thank you to our Dodgers for one of the greatest seasons in franchise history. I am not sure why The Times prints letters from people who were obviously the last person picked in their sandlot games.
I will put this Dodgers team up with any of the my beloved teams from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. I cannot thank them enough for providing my children the opportunity to experience a season for the ages. Rob Gilmore La Cañada
Who would have thought the 2017 Rams would have a better chance to win the Super Bowl than the 2017 Dodgers the World Series? Dennis Stone Los Angeles
Baller Brands
Enough with the pictures and articles on Lonzo Ball. It’s like a second coming of Kobe Bryant, when there were no others on the team. How do you expect to build a “team” that way? Robert C. Thompson Marina del Rey
So the professional Ball is shooting 29%. The college Ball is under house arrest in Shanghai for shoplifting. The high school Ball is being home-schooled in grammar by a father who described the Shanghai situation as “it ain’t no big deal.” I hope the shoes are selling. Bert Bergen La Cañada
UCLA now stands for: U Commit Larceny Abroad.
As an alumnus I am appalled. Darryl Thomson La Cañada
This UCLA story is very disappointing. They went all the way to China, people were detained, and none of them were Dan Guerrero or Steve Alford. Omar Shaban Dana Point
Deng it
So Luol Deng is upset he is not being used the way he thought he would when he signed a $72-million deal with the Lakers. He needs to thank his lucky stars he found someone dumb enough, Jim Buss of course, to pay him $71.99 million more than he was worth. Sure, Deng can walk away from what he is owed and take a stand for what he believes in. I’d sooner bet on LaVar Ball staying quiet for 30 seconds than of that happening. Erik Schuman Fountain Valley
Students of game
Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott is right that scholarship penalties or freshman ineligibility proposals are not great ideas [“Will They Stay or Will They Go?” Nov. 10]. Better to address the issue headon and recognize college basketball and football for what they are, multi-billion dollar businesses. Let the pro leagues and colleges agree to pay college athletes, let the pros draft them whenever they want, let the athletes stay in college until “called up” by the pros.
Sure, that makes colleges real minor leagues. Sure, there will be problems having paid athletes playing alongside non-paid ones. But it would be honest and clean up the mess we have right now. David Wilczynski Manhattan Beach
Vin’s last call
I believe that Jackie Robinson would side with Colin Kaepernick. I’m sorry that Vin Scully does not. I could give Mr. Scully scores of reasons not to watch the NFL, but a quarterback taking a knee would never be one of them. Craig Rosen Los Angeles
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