T.J.’s Fans Are Crowing and Making Him Eat It

I am so happy the 49ers beat Green Bay, not just because I am a fan, but now T.J. Simers has something to cry about, oops, I mean write about.

SAM RIZZARDO, Harbor City

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I’m not particularly a fan of the Arizona Cardinals, but I am one of good sportswriting. And in his story about the Cardinals-Dallas playoff game, T.J. Simers forgot a basic rule of journalism--don’t bury the lead--by not relating that Arizona had beaten the Cowboys until the fifth paragraph.

It was more important to T.J. to first get in a few more gratuitous shots about the Cardinals’ sad-sack history, when the real story should have been how they had risen above their past to smite the ‘Boys.

GORDON FRANKEL-LIGHT, Los Angeles

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Why on earth did you send T.J. Simers to Dallas? He could have researched his coverage of the Cowboy-Cardinal game from home. In case you didn’t count, he spent his entire 25-inch “description” of the game without once describing a specific play. Some of us who didn’t see the game would have appreciated more detail.

CHARLES BADER, Los Angeles

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The man has one job from August through January and T.J.’s superlative skills were in their full glory when he predicted wins by Dallas and Green Bay. Ooh, what a handicapper. Remind me not to take him to the track. What next, an Atlanta victory over Minnesota?

Now I know why a mug shot of T.J. has never been published. Enough people would probably recognize him on the street, resulting in his induction into the Jimmy Hoffa Concrete Shoe Hall of Fame.

BERNARD BECKER, Los Angeles

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Did Simers learn reporting from Times pop music writer Robert Hilburn? Reading a Hilburn review of a concert is similar to reading a Simers report of a game: Take a preestablished theme and play it out regardless of the actual event. Don’t bother giving the readers any details--it’s the reporter’s opinion that matters most.

MARK EDELSTEIN, La Crescenta

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T.J. obviously never had a grandmother to tell him: “If you can’t say anything useful, don’t say anything at all.” It’s getting very tiresome to have to read through his drivel to see if anything of note has taken place in the NFL.

Better yet, why don’t you assign him to cover hockey? Maybe someone will hit him over the head with a stick.

DAVID SILVER, Santa Monica

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Hey! Knock off the T.J. Simers bashing! When we get an NFL team, the paper will supply the readership with an NFL writer. In the meantime, will all you knuckleheads at the networks stand up and take notice of one of the best satirical writers right here in the industry town? “Sports Night” could be so much better with T.J. penning the prose, while relieving the Viewpoint editor of figuring out which of T.J.’s fan mail to print each week.

PATRICK K. GALLAGHER, Long Beach

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For the first time in my life I have a substantial reason to change my name. I do not want the initials “T.J.” ever used in reference to myself.

TANYA JONES, Redondo Beach