They Don’t Share Dodger Optimism

With spring training set to start, the Dodger public relations department is all revved up to woo us with weekly bombardments in The Times of team spirit and a new winning attitude [Feb. 16]. Those of us who grew up watching Koufax and Drysdale know what it takes for the Dodgers to have a winning attitude: pitching.

No fancy superlatives from a thesaurus by the PR staff will put a mark in the win column; only pitching will. The Dodgers used to own the word “pitching.” It was their forte, their calling card. What happened? Did the Dodgers let the patent expire, did Fox sell it to the Braves? Other than Kevin Brown, do the Dodgers really think their rotation of Park, Dreifort, Perez and Gagne will strike fear in National League batters? Just the thought of Perez on the mound will end a visiting player’s batting slump quicker then a seventh-inning exit by most loyal Dodger fans. Drysdale, rest his soul, would have a better chance of getting batters out from his grave than this rotation.

The Dodgers can sugarcoat it, add smoke screens, and run all the nifty feel-good publicity they want, yet come October, the Dodgers will miss postseason play once again with a mediocre--at best--pitching staff.

R.J. DEAKINS, Temecula

*

So the Reds get Ken Griffey Jr. in a trade for who? Wow! Hey, Kevin Malone! Now’s the time! Get on the phone with Seattle and see if you can get Alex Rodriguez for Carlos Perez, Juan Castro, a bucket of balls and a couple of mops!

ERIC MONSON, Temecula

*

That citrus fruit sporting the Dodger cap on the front page of the Feb. 16 sports section: Was that a grapefruit or a lemon?

EVAN PUZISS, Santa Monica