Letters: With Mike Trout signed, it’s catch and relief for the Angels

Every fan needs a player from a team to identify with. Someone to bond with by either wearing his jersey or having his picture taken with. He provides a three-hour escape from life’s everyday toil.

Mike Trout is that such player. His star quality is that of Elvis or the Beatles. He is the face of the Angels and perhaps all of baseball. Not having Mike Trout at Angel Stadium is like not having Space Mountain or the Matterhorn at Disneyland.

Craig London

Encino

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I have been slamming Arte Moreno and the Angels leadership for years, never thinking that they truly cared about winning or their fans. With the signing of Mike Trout I have been proven very wrong. Now let’s get some real pitching and we might actually be a factor in the American League for the next 12 years.

Bruce Olson

Upland

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Mike Trout can end his career with 900 home runs, 5,000 hits, a .375 batting average, a WAR of 500 as well as 16 MVP and 14 Gold Glove Awards yet he will never go down as the greatest player ever if he plays only three meaningful games.

Knowing what Angels’ management is like, my money is not on Trout adding another banner to go along with 2002.

Erik Schuman

Fountain Valley

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The best purchase Mike Trout could make with his new extension would be to buy out the remainder of Albert Pujols’ contract.

Ron Yukelson

San Luis Obispo

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Bryce Harper wanted to play for the Dodgers but opted for the money instead: “Man, I want to get as much as I can...” Mike Trout felt a loyalty to the Angels and followed his heart. Yes, he’s getting paid well to stay, but look at how these two guys went about their business. Thanks Mike. Go Angels!

Jim Fredrick

Manhattan Beach

Ancient history

So Bill Plaschke puts the blame on Dave Roberts for pulling Rich Hill in Game 4 of the World Series. I argue by asking one question: What would Don Drysdale or Bob Gibson say to the manager if he came to the mound while they were pitching a one-hit shutout in the seventh inning of the World Series?

Right, and they certainly wouldn’t hand the ball to the manager. Hill should have said he could finish the job and not wait until March to say so.

Steve Vicencia

Yorba Linda

Admit it

I am beginning to think that USC stands for Unaware Supervisors Collected. Whether it is the OB-GYN department, the dental school, or, in particular the athletic department, every one of the mounting scandals at this university is met with a claim of ignorance by the person in charge. So why bother having an athletic director at all if his or her head is buried as deeply in the sand as Lynn Swann claims his is? Whether we are dealing with fabrication or an epidemic lack of institutional control, future scandals at USC will be pretty much a sure thing.

Alan Abajian

Alta Loma

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Underachieving, again, with a losing record, USC basketball misses out on the NCAA, NIT, CBI and CIT. Yet somehow I doubt Trojan fans take solace in being selected by the FBI.

Steve Ross

Beverly Hills

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USC, no stranger to controversy, immediately fired its coaches involved in the “Varsity Blues” admissions scandal. Over at UCLA, athletic director Dan Guerrero puts soccer coach Jorge Salcedo on leave for the same offense and then permits him to resign — another misstep for the spineless Guerrero.

Mario Valvo

Ventura

The cruelest sport

Animals unfortunate enough to be born into the entertainment industry suffer tremendously for human pleasure. The so-called sport of horse racing is a cruel industry, taking young horses often only 2 years old and running them before their bones are fully formed. When they are injured drugs are given to cover their pain. If the injury is fatal, well, that’s just another day at the races, according to those with a vested interest.

I don’t believe repairing the Santa Anita track will put an end to the injuries and deaths. Horse racing is not about the horses, it’s all about the money. Until the general public stops glorifying and funding these races of death, horses will keep dying, young horses who are literally running for their lives.

Laura Frisk

Encinitas

Fading Lakers

Luke Walton should be gone.

Didn’t he give away the farm to acquire an aging superstar who wanted to be in Los Angeles in order to more easily pursue his outside interests?

Isn’t he the conditioning coach and the trainer?

Didn’t he motivate the team by telling them that they were probably going to be traded in order to acquire another superstar?

Didn’t he assemble this ragtag supporting cast of misfits?

He didn’t?

Maybe he should stay.

Harris Levey

Venice

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Last Friday night, while other teams were battling for position in the playoffs, the Lakers had a lineup on the floor of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Alex Caruso, Andre Ingram, Mo Wagner and Johnathan Williams. Enough said.

Desmond Nakano

Los Angeles

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May I suggest that the space currently being used in the sports section to cover the Lakers could now be dedicated to a more compelling sport? I understand that the U.S. is facing off against Russia for the women’s curling championship.

Blaine Ziolkowski

Thousand Oaks

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The “Chosen One.” How were we so lucky?

Fred Goff

Long Beach

Trade deficit

Boo hoo. A traded NBA player has to endure living in a five-star hotel suite, paid for by his team, for 45 days. Oh, the humanity. Until one of these traumatized, traded players making millions of dollars turns in his uniform and quits after a trade, they get no sympathy from me. Let’s save our sympathy for people who really need it.

Robert Bubnovich

Irvine

Lost season

Now that the season has come to a merciful end, the UCLA basketball coaching vacancy search can get underway. I would like to recommend that Bill Walton be considered for the position. I don’t know what kind of coach he’d be but at least I wouldn’t have to listen to him. Watching the team was more than enough.

The Bruins decided to not accept a bid to the NIT if it is indeed extended. One of the few good decisions made this season. It was followed by a questionable if not bad decision, that being Moses Brown and Cody Riley included with those players that might possibly declare for the NBA draft.

Wayne Gallegos

Pasadena

Madness!

Unlike his prediction of the Rams winning the Super Bowl (which cemented my opinion the Patriots would win), this time I believe Bill Plaschke has it right, with his well-thought out prediction of Duke — and the charismatic Zion Williamson — not making it to the NCAA championship game.

Ken Feldman

Tarzana

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Here’s a haiku for consideration:

Zion Williamson

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Identical twins?

Charles L. Zetterberg

Claremont

Nowhere man

Doc Rivers recently said, “I am going nowhere.” Spoken like a true Clipper. See you after you’ve been swept by the Warriors or Nuggets, Doc!

Rich Rhea

Oceanside

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