Letters: An All-Star conspiracy theory? That, and other viewpoints on the NBA

I wonder who in the NBA office has been delegated the duty of devising the scenario in which, shockingly, King Kobe magically wins the MVP trophy at the upcoming All-Star game? Maybe they could delegate the duty to Vince McMahon. He seems pretty adept at scripting these kinds of things.

Duane Plank

El Segundo

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The technical foul called on Chris Paul by Lauren Holtkamp with 20.6 seconds left in the Clippers’ game Wednesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves was very questionable. The technical seemed to be called much too hastily, especially at such a critical point in the game

Game officials certainly have a tough job. But the best ones are able to show some restraint when it comes calling technical fouls or ejecting a player. A referee or umpire really should try to avoid injecting themselves into the outcome of a game when at all possible.

Jon White

Monrovia

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I don’t understand what’s holding up the punishment for Blake Griffin’s beatdown of a fellow Clippers employee. Suspend him without pay for the four additional weeks or so that it will take him to recover from the broken hand and call it a day.

Ken Blake

Brea

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“[The Bulls] defense was unusually soft while allowing the Clippers to score 69 points in the second half.” Ben Bolch, my guess is you haven’t seen a lot of Bulls games of late, but the Chicago defense has been marshmallow soft since Pau Gasol started playing significant minutes at center. Gasol’s recent whine that he was unfairly left off the All-Star team probably stems from his belief that playing on the defensive end of the court isn’t required.

Ray McKown

Los Angeles

Super stuff

I’m not sure why there are so many critics of Peyton Manning. He has transformed the position, has supreme attention to detail, shows intelligence, and he does have playoff success. He has won a Super Bowl. Yet the critics are lurking everywhere.

Kurt Warner and Brett Favre were on teams that also won a Super Bowl. They aren’t criticized nearly as much as Manning for having the same number of Super Bowl wins. Why? Do people think he should have more Super Bowl wins? Do they think he hasn’t lived up to an imaginary line of greatness? Peyton Manning is a legend and he will be missed upon retirement.

Luke Aiello

Buena Park

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Not everyone in L.A. was ‘blacked out’ from watching Super Bowl I on TV [“Slight unseen,” Jan. 31].

I was working as a page at CBS’ Television City studios in Los Angeles at the time while going to college. CBS invited a group of VIP guests to watch the game on closed-circuit TV in one of the studios. (I assume NBC did the same thing.) The pages were asked to work to greet the guests and escort them to the studio. We also got to see the game — and, among other things, received a free game program.

I still have mine. Anyone have an idea how much a Super Bowl I game program might be worth today?

Bernie Rosen

Los Angeles

Blue notes

Two things caught my eye in Saturday’s sports page. The first was Clayton Kershaw saying of Vin Scully, “I hear a lot more that people like to watch us on TV and hear him.” Only problem is the people who can’t get the Time Warner Cable Dodgers channel. The other was the stunning revelation that a pavilion ticket could cost $48! Who in their right mind would pay that?

Whoever you are, just know the bozos running the team have no incentive to fix the TV deal as long as they can sell bad seats at ridiculous prices.

Joe Mock

Playa del Rey

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Having the name of Vin Scully Avenue entering the stadium property is a fitting tribute to his devotion and magic to the Dodgers and their fans. The stadium, however, is where Vin resided for a few hours each game, his distinctive voice heard on radio and television over the decades. So I long for the day I hear the P.A. announcer’s voice say, “Welcome to Dodger Stadium and Vin Scully Diamond,” as that’s where he lived for us and he shall always be.

J. Rickley Dumm

North Hollywood

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Naming a street after Vin Scully is the least Los Angeles can do to honor the man who has meant so much to so many residents of this city. And it’s wonderful that the Dodgers’ mailing address will forever have his name in it. But it shouldn’t be an “Avenue.” That’s just too ordinary for someone of such extraordinary talents, personality, and accomplishment.

Vin’s street should be a “Drive.” As in, “Swung on, there’s a high drive into deep left field ...”

Barry Gold

Los Angeles

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The bloated size and payroll of the Dodgers’ front office now matches the Dodgers on the field and unfortunately, with so many talking heads, they’ll have matching inefficiencies, as well. Now if only Greg Maddux could replace Zack Greinke.

Allan Kandel

Los Angeles

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Too bad Andrew Friedman didn’t hire Greg Maddux in late November. Maddux could have advised him that pitchers aren’t washed up at age 37.

Brad Williams

Altadena

Marge’s link

The fact Marge Hearn was 98 when she recently passed away means her death really shouldn’t come as a surprise, but it doesn’t mean it isn’t sad. It is sad because it officially closes the Chick Hearn Era of Lakers basketball. It is also sad because it makes us realize how lucky we are to have so many legendary broadcasters in the area who are in the twilight of their careers and who will be retiring in the not-too-distant future. We all need to take the time to appreciate Vin Scully, Jaime Jarrin, Bob Miller, Ralph Lawler and Dick Enberg before all we have left is the past ... as the case with Chick Hearn.

Erik Schuman

Fountain Valley

Rivalry game

After giving up 80 points or more in two losses to USC, the UCLA basketball team apparently needs a coach who understands defense. Happily, UCLA has one. Her name is Cori Close, whose tough-minded UCLA women’s team wins on defense — recently holding Stanford to a mere 36 points

Herb Spencer

Bakersfield

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I just cannot figure out if USC is a football school or a basketball school. Are there any Bruins out there who can help me answer that?

Sophie Perry

Los Angeles

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With Louisville banning itself from the NCAA tournament, one has to figure if 10 more teams also disqualify themselves ... then UCLA would still be on the bubble.

Richard Katz

Los Angeles

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