L.A. Heat Deserve Better Treatment

Steve Lidell’s splendid response (Times, Aug. 9) to Thomas Militello’s letter was most provocative. The Los Angeles Heat should be a regular feature in the main sports section. The team represents Los Angeles, not the South Bay.

The Heat front office has maintained a remarkably low profile, while being forced to have the team develop its talents on a narrow playing surface with an omnipresent gale blowing directly along it. These young professionals deserve better.

It is always easy to criticize any management, but one wonders how many fans have shown up--more than once--due to apparent poor liaison with the media. My own beef is paying for a substandard game program, which, apart from naming the teams, contains the same information in each issue.

Lidell urges the public-address announcer to be more enthusiastic. But to have cheerleaders like the Laker girls? Nice to see, but they won’t make this team play any better.

Lidell also advocates a booster club. This could be essential, and I can think of one person to run it. If he is the same enthusiastic sportsman I used to know, the Heat should invite Tom Militello!

BRIAN PUGH

Torrance