There’s No Going Back to Old Dodger Ways

Now that Dodger fans have been dragged kicking and screaming into the modern baseball era, it’s interesting to see how they react.

Some of them seem to be taking out their frustrations on poor Bill Plaschke, whose only offense as far as I can see is writing honest, objective columns instead of same old sugar-coated “true Dodger blue” stuff we’ve been fed for 40 years.

Speaking as a baseball fan first and a Dodger fan second, I find his columns insightful, interesting and mostly right on target. I hope others feel the same way.

As for the rest of you, if all you want to read about are Duke Snider’s pets or what Gil Hodges had for breakfast, I suggest you find a time machine and head back to Brooklyn, circa 1955.

ROBERT HERR

Burbank

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There’s only one possible explanation for the recent puzzling moves made by the Dodgers: Donald Sterling, not Rupert Murdoch, bought the team. How else can you explain?

1. Discarding 27-year-old Matt Luke while keeping 39-year-old Jim Eisenreich.

2. Not giving Hideo Nomo enough time to recover from elbow surgery and trading him for two journeyman pitchers.

3. Benching potential star Paul Konerko after only 18 games.

4. Replacing Todd Zeile with sometime head case Bobby Bonilla, who is older, slower and a defensive liability.

5. Sending the greatest offensive catcher in history for a defensive specialist and an outfielder who has lived up to his reputation twice in nine years.

Remarkably, it has taken only a couple of months for the once-proud Dodgers to become the Clippers of the National League West.

SKIP USEN

Santa Monica

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Am I the only person who has noticed the increasingly poor performances of the Dodgers’ pitching staff as the season goes on?

It isn’t a problem caused by Charles Johnson’s being behind the plate. The answer is simple: Glenn “Goose” Gregson is a sorry excuse for a pitching coach. There’s no other explanation.

The pitching staff is exactly the same as last year’s--until very recently. The staff can’t go from one of the best in the majors to being at best mediocre by itself. The pitchers are developing bad habits, and Gregson isn’t even noticing! Once the Fox Group hires a real pitching coach, the Dodgers will get back on track.

SCOTT NORTHRUP

Thousand Oaks

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Who’s the big winner in the trade that reunited Nomo with Mike Piazza? How about the baserunners in the National League?

JIM GILLESPIE

Los Angeles

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Nomo’s comment as a Met: “It’s nice to be able to speak freely to everyone.”

Wow, only in New York could each player get his own interpreter.

BILL STEIN

Arroyo Grande