Letters: Readers do their own post(season) mortem on the Dodgers

Like Adlai Stevenson (kids: Google him), it hurts too much to laugh, but I’m too old to cry.

I keep thinking about five things: Jansen’s blown save in Game 2;. Kersh’s failure in Game 5; getting Darvished twice; Turner batting around .130; and Bellinger striking out 29 times.

This is going to take a while to get over.

David Weber

West Hollywood

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Congratulations to the Houston Astros and especially to the true co-MVPs for winning the World Series: Yu Darvish and Dave Roberts.

Greg Nersesyan

North Hollywood

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If Darvish fails the Dodgers once, shame on Yu. If Darvish fails the Dodgers twice, shame on Dave Roberts.

Gail Rock

Santa Monica

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The decision to start Yu Darvish, in spite of his prior lousy outing, will be long debated. If he had delivered just a few good innings, the Dodgers could have won 1-0, thanks to the Dodgers bullpen. However, one must not overlook the fact that the Astros’ bullpen came through as well, against a sluggish Dodgers offense and a maddening inability to get hits with men in scoring position when it really, really counted.

With all the chips on the table and no tomorrow, the Astros showed that they were clearly the better team.

Richard R. McCurdy

Burbank

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Watching Game 7 was akin to witnessing a family member die in front of you for 31/2 hours. The team had no life five minutes into the game. But the Dodgers lost Game 7 because there never should’ve been a Game 7. Kenley Jansen choked away Game 2 and Clayton Kershaw choked away Game 5 and Dodger hitters choked throughout.

But this series falls at the feet of Dave Roberts. His refusal to manufacture runs. His refusal to move runners. His refusal to adjust the lineup. His refusal to actually manage the game on the field crushed the team. Sick and tired of hearing about 104 wins. When it mattered, they didn’t win playoff game number 11.

Geno Apicella

Placentia

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Houston: Yu had a problem.

Steve Ross

Beverly Hills

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Darvish Nightmare Scenario Part 2:

He signs with the Cubs and shuts down the Dodgers in Game 7 of the 2018 NL Championship Series.

Bennett Beebe

Westwood

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At least the Dodgers should be able to re-sign Darvish at a vastly reduced salary. Hmm, never mind.

Jeff Kandel

Los Angeles,

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Lessons learned from Game 7:

1. Take your nose out of the computer.

2. Forget “the process.”

3. Go look in the eyes of your pitchers and find out who wants to go out there and ram the ball down the throats of the opponents.

David Waldowski

Laguna Woods

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Andrew Friedman forgot to add one important chess piece in his brilliant sabermetric machine — Justin Verlander. Maybe spend a little more money next time and let go of a double-A prospect and L.A. would be holding the World Series trophy instead of Houston.

Bruce Laracuente

Whittier

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The Astros lost 100 or more games in a season three times in the last 10 years. The organization respects its fans so little that it forced them to watch awful baseball for the better part of a decade while it built a winning team through high draft picks obtained essentially by losing on purpose.

The last time the Dodgers lost 100 or more games in a season? 1908. Thank you to the Dodgers organization for putting a competitive team on the field every year through smart drafting and visionary trades and free agent signings. We never have to stomach bad baseball and the World Series championship is going to be so much sweeter when it happens.

Greg Hanson

Long Beach

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Why in the name of Brett Butler did Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger never think of dropping a bunt down the third base line?

Craig P. Fagan

San Diego

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Cody Bellinger is surely hurting. But he should be reminded of Gil Hodges, the Dodgers’ greatest first baseman, who in 1952 went 0 for 21 in the World Series against the Yankees. One series does not define a ballplayer.

David Wilczynski

Manhattan Beach

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Webster’s defines frustration as the inability to achieve something. That is incorrect; the definition should simply state “being a Dodgers fan.”

Frustration is giving away Game 2 that would have cemented the series.

Frustration is Kershaw turning into his postseason version year after year.

Frustration is striking out 17 times on basically the same pitch instead of trying to adjust.

Frustration is the 3-4-5 hitters combining to hit less than .200.

And the most frustrating thing of all — another offseason of shows about the 1988 team.

Tom Krug

Playa del Rey

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The Dodgers gave away Games 2 and 5 to the Astros. As Magic Johnson knows, the Lakers also handed two games to the Celtics in the 1984 NBA Finals, but then won the title three of the next four seasons.

Wait until next year.

Ken Feldman

Los Angeles

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If Roger Kahn were to write a sequel about this season, would it be entitled “The Boys of Bummer?”

Herb Schoenberg

Tarzana

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For those who are already beating up on Dave Roberts: The team won 104 regular-season games, and got into the World Series. Put on your thinking caps and recall which Dodger team and what manager did better in the last 29 years. I suppose it’s hard for those befogged by the endless local media hype to discern, but Houston is a very good team, one that broke out of the gate faster than any other in the major leagues, and effectively won their division by July. The Astros had a great season, and the Dodgers a very good one.

Thank you, Mister Roberts, and my gratitude to your squad for a most entertaining run!

Michael Jenning

Van Nuys

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Thanks Dodgers for an amazing season. I felt almost every emotion possible. We came one game from being World Series champs, but you are my champs and I love you all. We’ll go all the way next year.

Mike Witkowsky

Torrance

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Regardless of what most think, there’s still one person who thinks that the Dodgers’ season was a huge success: my 12-year-old son.

Jack Saltzberg

Valley Village

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While the Dodgers’ loss to Houston in the World Series may be a harbinger of discontent for some fans, those of us who see the glass as half full console ourselves with Shelley’s classic line, “if winter comes can spring (training) be far behind?”

Skip Nevell

Los Angeles

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What an exciting run for the Dodgers. I can’t wait to see them on TV again next October!

Michael Coyle

Long Beach

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Like the New Orleans Saints, post-Katrina, the Houston Astros, post-Harvey, were meant to be.

Vaughn Hardenberg

Westwood

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When MLB executives sought to balance the number of teams in each league for the 2013 season, they settled on the Houston Astros as the team that would shift from the National to the American League. Had they chosen any other franchise, the Dodgers would still be seeking their first World Series appearance since the Reagan administration.

Michael Hawkins

Newbury Park

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Clayton Kershaw may be the best regular season pitcher ever, but if I ever hear “best Dodger pitcher ever,” let alone “best pitcher ever,” I will upchuck my Dodger Dog.

PJ Gendell

Beverly Hills

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The 2017 Astros defeated not only the Dodgers but the Red Sox and Yankees on their way to their first World Series title.

Just behind the 2002 Angels that makes them pretty much my second-favorite team of all time.

Ron Reeve

Glendora

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On the tail end of a business trip to Oklahoma City in August, I decided to visit Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark to see the local AAA Dodgers affiliate play the visiting New Orleans Baby Cakes (no joke). Joc Pederson had been demoted to OKC, struggled at the plate and looked done. How quickly the Worm turns. Joc’s story shows why you never give up. No matter how bad it gets, there’s always the chance for another at bat.

For the record, OKC Dodgers fans are great, but the Dodger Dogs at Chickasaw do not taste right and the fans give you dirty looks when you sing “I love LA” after the game.

Christopher Deal

Laguna Niguel

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Congratulations to Joe Buck on a stirring audition for play-by-play announcer for the Houston Astros. Even when you had to squeeze in a quick, subtle mention of a Dodger player doing something well, you made certain to remind us constantly of how great the Astro players were when the score was in their favor, and go on incessantly of what they had to do to regain the lead when they were behind. Well done. You’re hired! It’s a shame; next year Fox will probably find someone impartial to take your place.

Jerry Leibowitz

Culver City

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Congratulations to the L.A. Times Sports section for the beautiful and outstanding photos featured on its back page.

The pictures are exciting, and emotional, and full of action. The photographers have an amazing eye and talent to be able to capture so many elements that jump right off the page. Makes the whole world of baseball come alive.

Esther Cole

Ventura

Hoop schemes

I love the Lakers’ new offensive scheme. It’s not the triangle. It’s the “Y” offense, a very complex scheme that has been used at the YMCA for many years. Whoever has the ball goes one on one and then forces up a shot.

David Waldowski

Laguna Woods

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I’ve been a Clippers fan for the last six years and at first welcomed Chris Paul’s defection, as I thought the offense always stalled when the ball was in his hands, and that maybe that was the reason the team couldn’t advance in the playoffs. But now Paul’s gone, and in crunch time, the whole team is still standing around waiting for the hero — this time, Blake Griffin — to deliver. It’s become clear that Doc Rivers doesn’t really know how to coach this team, or at least the offense. And why doesn’t he play rookies? Why aren’t the offensive plays more fluid? Why don’t they emphasize motion more often? It’s infuriating to be a fan of this team!

Joe Safdie

Encinitas

Price is wrong

Please stop writing about how the lack of sold-out football games at the Coliseum for Ram football games is the sole indicator that the Rams have no support here in Los Angeles. The fact that my family and I cannot afford tickets to these football games, does not by any means reflect my desire and hope of supporting the Rams here in L.A. I know you are aware that there are thousands of fans here in L.A. who would attend Ram games if the prices were more affordable.

Robert Sosa

Pacoima

Two words

A two-word message to UCLA’s athletic director: “Chip Kelly!”

Jack Wolf

Westwood

Where’s Darnold?

Does Sam Darnold have a relative on the Times Sports staff? Or are his daily photos the result of an awesomely connected PR man? I can’t recall a single edition of the paper where he does not appear. I suppose weary readers like myself should be consoled that the lad is nowhere near as successful as several dozen other college quarterbacks who come quickly to mind. Otherwise the Sports Section would be renamed the Darnold Section. Are you withholding adorable baby photos of him until he actually achieves something?

Michael Jenning

Van Nuys

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I think Sam Darnold would be foolish waiting until the Browns don’t have the first pick to enter the NFL draft. No team’s going to select a 40-year-old quarterback.

Bennett Tramer

Santa Monica

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