Let’s Hear It for Fresno, UCLA and NIT

The Red Wave, indeed! And wasn’t it refreshing. If you weren’t there, you have no idea what it felt like. This was nothing less than a Midwestern-style state tournament of your dreams: All these nice farmers and small-business mom and pops from Fresno rolling into Westwood’s Yuppie heaven on that ubiquitous sea of red. It was twice as much fun as the Notre Dame game.

If the Bruins’ good defensive effort kept Fresno State under control down on the floor, certainly the Wave broke in full force in the stands. If you’ve ever had the feeling college cheers were a less than spontaneous, slightly mechanical embarrassment, here was an occasion you felt a little embarrassed not to be up and yelling. The noise level could have killed roaches: “F-S-U” and “Go Dogs” bouncing off the east/west walls. UCLA’s eight-clap bouncing off the north/south walls.

Not the least of the game’s pleasures was the almost complete absence of TV coverage. It was, apparently, not important enough, so you either bought a ticket and saw a genuine spectacle, or you missed it.

Sure, the NIT is a funny little tournament, but if it can produce games like this, more power to it.

CHARLES CHICCOA

Los Angeles

What a shame that UCLA fans live in a big city where it’s chic for the media to run down the home team. The NIT may not be the big time, but you wouldn’t hear anyone complaining about it in Fresno.

As for the seeding, Fresno State couldn’t beat a Pac-10 team in three tries before the NIT, so why would they be seeded ahead of UCLA? Of course, it’s a better story to postulate a mystical conspiracy to get UCLA to the finals, but I think the real story is how a previously beat-down bunch of kids are now playing the best basketball seen in Westwood in many a year.

E. T. BRYAN

Irvine

Why can’t Mark Heisler admit the UCLA Bruins have turned into a good basketball team? Who cares where the game was played. UCLA had to face a very good Fresno State team and face a stadium filled with mostly Fresno State fans (or is Mr. Heisler color-blind and can’t tell red from blue?). Let’s stop making excuses and report it like it is.

KEVIN ROBERTS

Visalia

The time has come for UCLA to terminate its annual basketball rivalry with Notre Dame. It is difficult to understand why UCLA students, fans and alumni masochistically endure the insults and nauseating behavior of Digger Phelps. What are the benefits to UCLA from playing Notre Dame? None! And what does Notre Dame get? Plenty!

As an independent, Notre Dame needs big games like UCLA for entry into the NCAA tournament. Playing UCLA helps Phelps’ recruiting in California and elsewhere. Moreover, UCLA consistently gets high ratings on nationally televised games, thus giving Notre Dame additional national exposure. Digger has forgotten the significant role played by UCLA in building his program during the late 1960s and thereafter.

A first-class school and program like UCLA’s does not need to associate with the classless act of Digger Phelps. There are plenty of colleges that would love to be on UCLA’s schedule. Incidentally, UCLA will be playing Temple next season. Bravo!

ARVIND PHATAK

Professor of Management

Temple University

Philadelphia

Apparently, Clippers Weren’t Listening

I’ve been reading with some amusement and a little anger about the Clippers crying foul and saying the Milwaukee Bucks covered up Marques Johnson’s drug treatment. Let me point out that I am only a casual NBA fan, but I heard about Marques’ treatment for drugs more than two years ago. How is it that the average man on the street could have known about Marques’ alleged drug treatment and the Clipper management, responsible for making multimillion-dollar personnel decisions, just heard about it on Feb. 9?

We love Marcus in Wisconsin and would welcome him back in a minute.

DENNIS REINKE

Eau Claire, Wis.

Replacing the coach didn’t seem to solve the Clippers’ problem. I think they should replace the team.

GEORGE GARDNER

North Hollywood

Hat’s Off to Cheryl and the USC Women

I have been attending sporting events in Los Angeles for 40 years. The only team I purchased season tickets for this year was the USC basketball team.

I bought them specifically for the women’s team and to see Cheryl Miller play. She is a joy to watch. She is a joy because she likes to play basketball. She plays the way Magic used to play. I have watched her with kids after the games. She cares.

Thank you, Cheryl, and the rest of the team and coaches for some exciting basketball. See you next year.

RAMON ANGELONI

Los Angeles

Don’t Hold Your Breath Waiting for Stanley Cup

Will someone please tell me what the purpose of the regular NHL season is? There are 21 teams, and 16 make the playoffs. That’s 76%! Two teams, Minnesota and Detroit, have lost 15 more games than they’ve won--and they’re already in. The playoffs take forever. Only a die-hard hockey fan can last until May holding his breath to find out the winner of the Stanley Cup. Hockey should learn a valuable lesson from baseball on the number of teams that make the playoffs.

Also, it hardly seems fair to subject the fan and the players in baseball to a grueling 162-game, six-month schedule only to have the trip to the coveted World Series potentially come down to a mere three games.

How about it, Mr. Ueberroth?

STEVE TORRENS

Garden Grove

To Win, Dodgers Need a Good Fielder at Third

The Dodgers are thumbing their nose at history if they proceed with their plans to play weak-fielding Pedro Guerrero at third base. If you examine championship teams back through the beginning of the modern era in 1903, one of the most constant factors among all of them appears to be that third base must be manned by a good fielder.

Casey Stengel understood this. The Yankees dominated baseball from 1949 through 1964 with Andy Carey and Clete Boyer at third. Neither could hit his weight, but both were superlative fielders. The Orioles dominated the next decade with the immortal Brooks Robinson at third. The great Dodger teams of the late ‘40s and early ‘50s had light-hitting gloveman Billy Cox at third.

If the Dodgers can win with Guerrero there, it will be an anomaly.

H. ANTHONY MEDLEY

Marina del Rey

Wanted: a League Where Academics Come First

After reading for some time now about recruiting and other NCAA violations throughout the country and particularly in the West, I sincerely believe that a Western-type Ivy League conference should be established. The Pac-10, as presently constituted, is an abomination. Even my beloved UCLA has been guilty of violations of NCAA regulations.

What I am suggesting is a conference comprising such high academic schools as (Cal) Berkeley, Stanford, Air Force Academy, BYU, Rice and even UCLA, presuming the latter has cleaned up its act. Let’s put intercollegiate sports in perspective with our system of higher education, which is the best in the world.

ERNIE GOODMAN

Los Angeles

It’s Time to Call Out the Guardian Angels

For 54 years, I have been present at USC baseball games. The first four years as a team pitcher. And my roomie was Rod Dedeaux. For the last 34 years, I have served as president of the Trojan Alumni Baseballers.

On March 22, at 8:30 p.m., my lady friend and I were called away from the game because of a family emergency. Just as we approached our car we were mugged and robbed. The young hoodlum was both well-prepared and most accomplished at his trade.

I most sincerely and humbly request that the USC student body and the area residents meet to establish a Guardian Angel patrol.

JOEL H. EVANS

Cornell, Calif.

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