All Things Considered, L.A. Is Certainly Not Philadelphia

As a somewhat recent transplant from Philadelphia, I have quietly been observing the goings-on of a once-esteemed and successful sports metropolis. Until now. Granted, we Philadelphians are the harshly critical, boisterous bunch, never known for our rational ideals, but let me give it a whirl.

First, letting that brat Piazza split for Realityville sent a nice message. Baseball is just as much an exercise in defense as offense, and the way he let people dance around the diamond was pathetic.

However, months later, with his having spurned your city by telling Murdoch where to stick his 79 million bills still fresh in your minds, he comes back and you cheer him? That bum would have been booed all the way to Norristown if he’d done that to Philly.

Second, bringing back that loudmouth Lasorda hasn’t and won’t help matters. While we’re at it, that newest, boring, by-the-book skipper doesn’t seem to be cutting it. My suggestion would be to bring in Larry Bowa. There’s a guy who’d get the most out of his resources.

It seems L.A. has always lacked a fiery competitor. Perhaps, that’s reflected in the fan indifference factor. I guess L.A. people have always been too enamored of posers like Garvey, Sutton, Piazza and Karros to give a hoot about results.

Somehow, it seems to me that harassing your favorite team might help in having them stick around. Maybe the Rams and Raiders would still be here if they’d enjoyed a passionate, demanding fan base.

Finally, and in the spirit of J.M., I would like to add that L.A., its teams and fans are indicative of the climate: predictable, dry and boring. It’s not quite the place to be if you’re a sports fan, but it’s real nice . . . if you’re a palm tree.

I’m outta here. Go Eagles!

MIKE McMAHON, Marina del Rey