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L.A. Fans Ready to Hit This Salary Out of Park

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Regarding Chan Ho Park’s rumored $20-million salary demand: Shouldn’t a $20-million-a-year pitcher at least be a 20-wins-a-year pitcher? Chan Ho has never won 20, and he’s not going to do it this year, either.

Personally, I don’t think one victory per million dollars is too much to ask. But that’s just me.

Jim Mallon

San Luis Obispo

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I love Park. However, I am now fully prepared to say goodbye to him and wish him nothing but the best.

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If the Dodgers give in to Scott Boras’ demand of $20 million a year for Park, or any amount remotely close to it, they are as financially irresponsible, as gullible and unrealistic as their unlamented former general manager, Kevin Malone.

There are plenty of outstanding pitchers out there at $3 million-$5 million a year who are capable of winning 12-15 games each year. Management should look for these pitchers. Dodger fans will become familiar with them and embrace them with open arms.

Adding to contracts in $5-million or $10-million increments, as if it’s a few thousand dollars, is just plain wacky, and it’s hard to respect those who sign players to these ridiculous terms. I hope Dodger management isn’t dumb enough to once again act in the incredibly stupid manner they did when they wasted millions of dollars on Carlos Perez, Darren Dreifort and those final three years of Kevin Brown’s contract.

Steve Smith

San Gabriel

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So Park wants $20 million a year. In other words, he wants more than $4 million more per year than the next-highest-paid pitcher. Since when does being the best pitcher on the free-agent market automatically entitle you to become the highest-paid pitcher in the game? Shouldn’t that distinction be reserved for the best pitcher in baseball? Chan Ho is a great pitcher, and he’s getting even better, but he’s still no Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens or Greg Maddux.

The reason for this absurdity, of course, is Boras, who, along with Donald Fehr, appears set on completely destroying what is left of baseball. If it weren’t for Fehr and Don King, Boras would be the most despicable character in professional sports.

Derek W. Stark

Woodland Hills

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A familiar pattern emerges when Park pitches. At the end of five innings he has thrown 100 pitches with numerous 3-2 counts and one or two hit batters. He struggles through the sixth inning, or more often, he is relieved during the inning.

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Remember when Koufax and Drysdale asked for $100,000?

Morris Elkind

La Crescenta

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Well, now it’s official! As of July 20, Bill Plaschke is aboard the Dodger bandwagon. In the midst of his annual vacillation between the panic button and the bandwagon, old “Homer” has opted for the latter.

Once again, objectivity has taken a merciless drubbing at the hands of “Pulitzer” Plaschke. All aboard!

Phil Esser

Laguna Niguel

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So, L.A. sports fans, are we fed up yet? Multibillion-dollar AOL Time Warner won’t give up a few more bucks to multibillion-dollar Fox so we can watch Dodger games on Fox Sports Net 2. And speaking of Fox and the Dodgers, they give 2-plus million bucks to some 16-year-old kid and then turn around and charge us $5 for a bag of peanuts. And then we’re all but strip-searched by the security guards at Dodger Stadium to make sure we don’t dare bring in our own bags.

Meanwhile in Lakerland, Jerry Buss won’t shell out the extra money to keep Tyronn Lue, but is quick to raise ticket prices, which are already out of the reach of most basketball fans.

Hey, and football fans, ready for another season rooting for . . . nobody?

David Brankow

Northridge

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