Odds and Ends From the World of Baseball

The media continually refer to the Dodgers as underachievers. Hasn’t it occurred to anyone that this team was over-hyped from the beginning, and that regardless of certain stellar individuals, they are not very good as a team.

ALLAN NANES

Thousand Oaks

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During a baseball brawl, Moises Alou of the Montreal Expos viciously hurls a batting helmet at Houston Manager Terry Collins, ripping his lip apart, and for this cowardly, criminal and despicable act he gets a four-game suspension. Then he has the further gutlessness to appeal it [Alou dropped the appeal Friday].

You wonder why people are down on baseball?

DELL FRANKLIN

Cayucos

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Why is it that Mark McGwire has his home runs because of a “juiced ball,” while Junior Griffey, Frank Thomas, Mike Piazza and other media favorites have their home runs because of sheer power? Sure, they’re all great players, but I wish the media would do some objective reporting and call it great when great is happening, regardless whether the player has a good media image or not, such as with McGwire, or, for that matter, Albert Belle.

DONALD GARNETT

Los Angeles