Letters: Dodgers still tangled up in cable

After yet another column about not being able to watch the Dodgers on television [“Not on His Watch,” April 1], I still must ask this question of Bill Plaschke: How can you justify forcing me to pay for something that you want?

There are plenty of us who do not watch the Dodgers and do not care to see our bills raised. So I have a deal to offer Plaschke. I want to have my bathroom refurbished. I will agree to a raise in my cable bill for the rest of my life so that you, Bill Plaschke, can watch the Dodgers if you, Bill Plaschke, will agree to pay to have my bathroom re-done. Because they will most likely end up costing the same, I’ll expect to see that check in the mail soon.

Glenn M. Langdon

Garden Grove

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What’s this? Time Warner Cable is losing $100 million a year on the Dodgers’ cable deal? Ahhh! There is a silver lining!

Peter Marquard

Northridge

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Bill Plaschke feels that the Dodgers could solve the TWC problem with one stroke of a pen, but that would require giving back some money and this new Dodgers ownership group doesn’t seem to be the sort that would give back money.

This season, the Dodgers are paying out $43 million to other teams employing former players in order to subsidize their huge salaries. If that’s not giving back money, I don’t know what is.

Jeff Hershow

Woodland Hills

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Thursday night was the first time this year that both the Dodgers and the Kings were on TV. I had lost track of some of the Dodgers players but fondly remember Juan Ethier, Clayton Gonzales, Zack Kemp and others. But it’s only a game and, perhaps, my memories will fade. Go Kings! Thank you for being fan-friendly and for supporting the fans that support you.

Arthur Kraus

Venice

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For a franchise that hasn’t been to the World Series in 26 years you would think the Dodgers would have some humility and appreciation for the loyal fans who have stuck with them. Who said Frank McCourt left?

Paul Shubunka

Santa Clarita

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It is hard to fathom that for those of us who are not Time Warner Cable subscribers, life as a Dodgers fan was actually better in the 1960s when we were assured of at least nine games being televised from San Francisco and Vin Scully on the radio for seven innings.

Bud Chapman

Northridge

It’s madness!

Kevon Looney, please read this letter before you sign with an agent and declare for the draft. You’re not ready. Watch the Final Four this weekend. You would hardly start on any of those teams. You are too small and light to be an NBA power forward. Your offense is hardly ready for the NBA.

You have too much potential to develop into a real player to throw it away now just to “skip a grade” for what your test scores don’t justify. Just because you might be a lottery pick doesn’t mean you do it. Have you asked Jordan Adams and Kyle Anderson how the D-League is going for them? Zach LaVine is an aberration and his team is still one of the worst in the league. And he sees plenty of bench time. The NBA will eat you alive and push you to Europe. Please reconsider. I beg of you!

Jeff Black

Beverly Hills

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“The Irish had come so close to the biggest win in the school’s history” [referring to Notre Dame’s 68-66 loss to Kentucky]. I can imagine Kentucky’s press office circulating this laughable sentence, but not in the Los Angeles Times.

Of course, the biggest win in Notre Dame’s history was the 1974 win over UCLA — ending the defending two-time national champions’ 88-game winning streak. Beating a non-champion during its single-season unbeaten streak doesn’t deserve to be in the same conversation, much less be characterized as Notre Dame’s (almost) greatest game.

Ray McKown

Los Angeles

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Bo Ryan’s two trips to the Final Four with a squad featuring zero McDonald’s All-Americans do not equate to John Calipari’s and MIke Krzyzewski’s multiple trips to the Final Four with more McDonald’s All-Americans than can be playing on the basketball court at the same time.

Sorry, Chris Dufresne, the glass slipper does fit a team this year ... and I believe most NCAA hoops aficionados in America would agree.

David Rusch

Culver City

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While watching the NCAA basketball tournament, I’m reminded how the last five five minutes of the game is the best hour in sports.

Todd Wood

Seal Beach

At a loss

If the Lakers “win” themselves out of a top-five lottery position, Byron Scott should be fired for losing that desperately needed pick.

Ken Williams

Van Nuys

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I wouldn’t mind the winning and subsequent losing of a top-five draft pick, but we all know, from fans to Lakers executives, that very few of these guys will be back next year. So the idea of developing a “winning” attitude and chemistry is fine, but it only helps other teams. Besides Clarkson and maybe Black and Hill, who’s going to be back next year? Swaggy P?

Brian Haueter

Ventura

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Wesley Johnson finds the prospect of free agency frustrating? I remember when watching Lamar Odom underperform seemed frustrating, but Johnson has brought that to a new level. Nice guy, great smile, but please, Lakers, don’t re-sign him. It’s too painful to watch a guy with that much athletic ability consistently be so unproductive. We’re already stuck with Nick Young. Two on one team is too much.

Frank Shapiro

Chatsworth

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Can someone from your esteemed sports department enlighten me as to why, since last December, you have continued to waste corporate resources, by sending Mike Bresnahan on the road to report on Lakers games? I would have thought a one-line summary after each game would have been sufficient. For example: “Last night the Lakers played (fill in name of team) and lost (fill in score).” Not only would this have contributed to The Times’ bottom line, but it would have spared your readers from having to waste their time reading about one of the most irrelevant professional sports teams in the country.

Herb Schoenberg

Tarzana

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Upon reading that Wayne Ellington is lost for the season, it made me wonder why are there are so many Lakers injuries. I think it is time to take a long hard look at trainer Gary Vitti and his staff.

Dan O’Mara

Agoura Hills

Tigress?

For those golf fans who have lost interest in the sport because of the demise of Tiger Woods, I would suggest that they start following Lydia Ko. At 17, she is the youngest player (male or female) to be ranked No. 1 in the world and as of this writing she has recorded 29 consecutive rounds under par.

As analyst Judy Rankin commented at last week’s tournament, Ko plays golf like we would all like to play the game. She is a joy to watch.

Myron Kamisher

Los Angeles

Bland central

If the great Jim Murray were still with us, here is the piece he would have done about the Valero Open:

I watched the final round of the Valero Golf Open Sunday. One thing struck me: A week ago was the Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Tournament. I could not help thinking of the contrast between this week’s winner, Jimmy Walker, and Arnold Palmer. If they were cars, Arnie would be a ’59 Caddy with the big fins. Walker is a gray Buick sedan. Walker carries bland to excess.

If Jimmy Walker were food, he’d be oatmeal. If he were in a western movie, he would be the clerk in the dry goods store. All Walker does is hit it in the fairway, on the green, then make a birdie putt now and then, while those around him are thrashing about in deep rough, going into the water and four-putting themselves into oblivion as Jimmy calmly signs his card for another ho-hum 68. C’mon, Jimmy, get some swagger. Wear red, pump your fist, or throw your three-iron into a lake.

Robert G. Brewer

Sherman Oaks

Haden’s stand

Like Pat Haden, I deeply love my four children and would do anything to support and protect them. But he is way out of line to use his leadership position at our fine university to politicize college sports (which by the way, got him to where he is today). Does he want to boycott the Olympics next, a la Jimmy Carter? If he believes this behavior is acceptable, then perhaps he should move on and return to his former career as a venture capitalist.

Dean McCormick

Balboa Island

Support team

So Josh Hamilton gets off with nothing and the Angels are furious that he didn’t get suspended, saying, “It defies logic that his behavior is not a violation.” Now that’s sticking by your player!

Mike Popov

San Clemente

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No pressure

I don’t believe UCLA fans have unduly high expectations for freshman quarterback Josh Rosen.

We merely expect him to go 48-0 during his four regular seasons in Westwood, four-zip in Pac-12 championship games, four-zip in postseason semifinal playoff games and then four-zip in the national championship game itself.

Oh, and of course, four Heisman Trophies too!

Right, Red, Tommy, Pepper, Terry and Jim?

Bill Bell

Mar Vista

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