Saturday Morning Managers Are Keeping Eyes on Hoffman

Instead of telling us how to amend the Constitution, Tommy Lasorda should be telling his new manager that:

1--You don’t have the hot-hitting Wilton Guerrero trying to sacrifice, with two strikes on him no less, in the sixth inning of a one-run game with the feared Juan Castro on deck;

2--In the seventh inning trailing by three runs when your leadoff man has just doubled, you don’t bunt him to third;

3--You don’t just give the opposing baserunner second base in the ninth inning of a two-run game with fewer than two outs;

4--You don’t have the man with the lowest on-base percentage in your lineup batting immediately in front of your two best RBI men.

I fear that Glenn Hoffman as manager will be nothing more than Glenn Hoffman as player--a .242 lifetime hitter with no power who was nothing special as a fielder. Let’s face it, if you don’t understand the rudiments of the game and you don’t have the basic baseball instincts by this stage of your life, more experience will not give them to you.

BART ROBERTSON

Torrance

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I was hoping to have no reason to bash Glenn Hoffman for a while, but with one move this past Sunday, he has left me no choice. Pinch-hitting for Matt Luke after he had hit three home runs in his previous four at-bats is inexcusable.

Why are the Dodger managers always the last ones to figure out that “playing the percentages” never works? And for a team that’s always emphasizing the importance of boosting a young player’s confidence, pulling a guy in that situation certainly isn’t the way to do it. Glenn, try using a little more of your brain and a little less of “the book.”

JOSH SEGAL

San Diego

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Paul Konerko made another rookie mistake, burning bridges with his “happy to escape” comments [July 17]. After all, major league players never know what team might have been willing to “show them the money” sometime in the future. Even worse, Konerko’s criticism of Dodger ownership (“They might as well give them a different name, because it’s not the same team”) is laughable, since he’s with the Cincinnati Reds now.

Take a look at the history of the Reds’ owner, Paul.

LEE SALE

Anaheim