McNall and Gretzky Just Won’t Go Away

Bruce McNall implied in Steve Springer’s Feb. 28 article that the new King owners don’t understand the entertainment business because, with all due respect, they are just real estate developers.

Bruce, neither are the new owners coin-smuggling, college education-falsifying, investor-deceiving, bank-frauding, convicted felons who have turned in more than a dozen underlings while trying to delay sentencing.

Take some responsibility, McFraud. You betrayed and disgraced a team, an organization, a city and an entire sport, with all due respect.

MARK BERNSTEIN

Los Angeles

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Last night I tried to explain to my 8-year-old daughter why Wayne Gretzky is no longer a King. For longer than she can remember we’ve watched King hockey together. Wayne is her favorite player: “He dances on his skates.”

At first I stumbled, mumbling about bad timing, bad trades and inevitability. Then I remembered my vow to never lie to her. I explained that Wayne didn’t have too many years left to play hockey, that while he had won a great deal in the past, winning again seemed most important to him, and apparently, no matter how hard the Kings tried, he didn’t feel they could win enough (the little engine that couldn’t). So, I told her, he found new people to play with.

She looked at me for a moment.

“I hope he’s happy now,” she said.

“Me too,” I replied.

JAN STEPHENS

Irvine

*

When I read Sunday’s story on the Kings’ victory Saturday night, I was thunderstruck at the negative bias of the reporters. I even wonder if they were at the Forum watching the game.

Anyone who has watched the Kings over the last few years would have noticed the Kings’ heightened level of intensity. There was no mention of the two Kings’ goals that were not allowed. And it was the most enthusiastic crowd at the Forum in the last two years.

It’s sad to see that the current vogue in journalism of negative reporting has now permeated the sports section. Perhaps your reporters should go to work for one of the Republican candidates.

LOU FRANSON

Aliso Viejo