Living in the La-La Land of the Lost

When the One Great Scorer comes to mark against your name

he only needs a clue or two to know from whence you came.

If you tell him you’re from Titletown, he’ll say that it’s Green Bay.

But if you say it’s Loserville, he’ll know you’re from L.A.

Now summer’s turned to autumn and another season’s passed.

But no matter what the sport is, our locals finish last.

Dodgers, Angels, Kings and Ducks have less riches than rags,

and USC and UCLA have become the Pac-10’s punching bags.

No matter how they struggle, they go from bad to worse.

But a move away from Loserville can lift the dreadful curse.

The way that losers cluster here is sometimes downright eerie.

But other towns can keep the winners, as long as they keep Frontiere.

ALLEN E. KAHN, Playa del Rey

*

OCTOBER IN L.A.

The earth rocks and stocks drop.

Leaves are being raked in places where they’re still playing baseball.

Sweaters put on where they play football.

Here we watch the Weather Channel and ESPN, and dream of real seasons, real teams.

DAVID PECK, Laguna Beach