Angels Really Should Be Used to This by Now

I think I’ve found a way for the Angels to finally achieve the glory that their fans have been waiting almost 40 years for. Major league baseball should create another layer of playoffs: The Baseball NIT. I can almost hear the deafening chants filling the “Big Ed”: “We’re number nine! We’re number nine!”

ANDREW M. WEISS

Studio City

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In addition to working on pickoff plays and hitting the cutoff man next spring, the Angels should practice the Heimlich maneuver. It will come in handy in September.

TERRY HILLIARD

Bakersfield

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If Mickey Mouse became a free agent, would Disney sign him?

HOWARD MATIONG

Gardena

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First the Angels lose on Mark McGwire, then they lose five in a row to the Rangers, then they lose the AL West. But on the bright side, they won the coin flip for the one-game playoff.

DAVID R. STERN

Marina del Rey

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The Angels’ away record was better than their home mark this season. My wife has a theory (which I support) that there is so much distraction due to the carnival-like atmosphere during the game and between innings at the Big Ed that no one, players and fans alike, can keep focused on the game. There is no reason to have the thumping music, the boat races, the ball-under-the hat, the T-shirt throw, the constant hawking of the overpriced food and wares, and all of the other hoopla. The game itself is the entertainment--most fans back East understand that. Disney might be well-advised to cut out the distractions next year, let the players play ball and the fans stay interested in the game, and just maybe the Angels will finally win one.

JACK PRICE

Newport Beach