It’s Never Too Early for Dodgers to Panic

I enjoyed reading those absurd gloom-and-doom letters about the Dodgers last week. Surely, the Giants’ lopsided sweep signified the end of civilization as we know it. You’d have thought that half the population of Southern California was about to jump on swords, while the other half, the anti-Fox-Murdoch half, was about to celebrate by dancing naked in the street with their collective hair on fire.

Three measly games into a 162-game season and these letter writers had already written off 2002 and were looking toward 2003. Amazing.

Steve Smith

San Gabriel

*

Sports are meant as tests of will. Realistic goals are set and attaining them provides proof of improvement. Individual skills meshing with the right chemistry allow teams to outperform the competition. The key is to avoid such unforeseen circumstances as injuries to key players over the course of a season.

The baseball season consists of 162 games. There’s a common saying we use to motivate kids: “Winners never quit and quitters never win.” To read the negative letters of April 6 sends the wrong message to people with a real desire to work toward improving themselves. Last year, the Diamondbacks were behind the Dodgers months into the season and won the World Series. They had a healthy perspective as part of the team’s chemistry.

Hearing losers’ ignorant comments is part of everyday life. Why add to it by allowing them a forum?

Tony Berardinelli

North Hollywood

*

Fans in Los Angeles are unbelievable. The faithless letters published in last Saturday’s Times about the Dodgers’ early-season woes were, no doubt, written by the same finicky bandwagon sports “enthusiasts” (not fans) who call for Steve Lavin’s firing every year and can be seen leaving basketball games in the middle of the fourth quarter, leaving baseball games in the seventh inning and who complain when the local teams don’t win a championship every year. They are the same people who most likely could be found cheering this past weekend in the series against the Rockies, screaming, “We did it!”

Please. Either have faith in your team or find yourself a new one, but stop complaining when the Bruins don’t go 32-0 or the Dodgers fail to finish 162-0.

Mike Sandler

Los Angeles