With Those Dodgers, There’s Always a Catch

Jason Reid reports that the Dodgers have “acknowledged that their former offense-first catching strategy failed.”

Once again, Reid is on top of his beat. All of baseball remembers how big a bust that Piazza guy turned out to be.

STEVE TARDE

San Diego

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Paul Lo Duca answered his critics, who don’t think he’s a legitimate major leaguer, by stating that they should “trust Bob Daly and Kevin Malone to know what they’re doing.”

That’s like trusting T.J. Simers to write a column about hockey. We all know that Bill Dwyre never would let that happen.

RALPH S. BRAX

Lancaster

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I was at the Dodger game last Sunday. Twice I noticed that, when Gary Sheffield was at bat, the scrolling ads in right and left field changed to an advertisement for a clothing manufacturer, “B.U.M.” Coincidence? I don’t think so.

GEORGE PISANO

Rancho Palos Verdes

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I am glad that Bob Daly is playing with OPM (other people’s money) regarding Carlos Perez’s future with the Dodgers. The Times [April 7] reports Daly as opposing the release of the beleaguered left-hander. After all, with a 7-18 record since signing a $15.6-million contract, that’s either $2.2 million a win or $866,000 a loss. But who’s counting?

BOB PADGETT

Manhattan Beach

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I am a lifelong Dodger fan whose greatest childhood thrill was meeting Vin Scully--26 years ago, in 1974, when the glory that is Dodgers baseball had been without a pennant for eight years. In other words, we previously have endured losing streaks. However, I never can remember your sports pages blasting the Dodgers this much when Al Campanis was trading away the future, or Tommy Lasorda was costing us pennants because of a spate of bad decisions.

Could it be that you base your judgments on whether your subject is quotable enough? If so, it is no wonder that you pine for the glory days of Lasorda, who averaged a World Series championship a decade.

MICHAEL GREEN

Las Vegas

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Oh no, here we go again. Another torturous season with the Dodgers, America’s most boring team. The problem with the Dodgers isn’t Gary Sheffield or Kevin Malone or Tommy Lasorda or whomever you all feel like blaming year to year. It’s a disease that exists with every other sports team that puts its roots down here (excluding the Clippers, who were never wanted).

The team and its fans suffer from excessive egotism and delusions of grandeur. “A win aided by Gary Sheffield is a loss for every great Dodger who has worn the uniform with pride and love,” one fan wrote last week. As if just by putting on the beloved Dodger blue a player somehow has a mythical responsibility and right to win and win pretty. That somehow the Dodgers exist out of the realm of other baseball teams in 2001 and that everyone in this world should know that and respect it.

This without all of the hard work, diligence, respect for opponents, a certain humility that becomes a good champion. It’s all about pretty faces, slam dunks, platinum records, movie stars, home runs, nice cars, advertising deals and ESPN highlights. It’s a pathetic attitude. The Dodgers, the Lakers, the Kings, UCLA and USC all suffer this malignancy. Lesson unlearned after lesson unlearned . . . save for those two football teams that left.

MARK DZIAK

Hollywood

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A Friday night thrashing of the hated Giants was sweet. No complaints of the product on the field that night. But Fox, if you are going to bump up ticket prices (again!), parking to $7, Dodger Dogs to $4 and Krispy Kremes to $5 (for a box of four!), then you best update those clips shown between innings. Some of them are 5 years old. Consider it, or the Fan Foam Finger might change digits.

DAVE BOYDSTON

Alta Loma

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The difference between our two local baseball teams can best be summed up in their promotional giveaways. The Dodgers are offering bobbleheads of Tommy Lasorda, Kirk Gibson, and Fernando Valenzuela. The Angels are offering Tim Salmon and Garret Anderson bobbleheads. They are also offering Darin Erstad and Troy Glaus promotional items. My point is this, if the Dodgers were to offer promotional items involving their current players, how much wider would the gap be among player relationships in the clubhouse?

JIM HA

Orange