Absence From Funeral Was Duly Noted

It is both ironic and disgraceful that at a time our city was honoring the memory of a man so celebrated for, among other things, his amazing ability to show up, Jerry Buss and Shaquille O’Neal chose not to show up for his memorial service.

While thousands of fans filed through the Staples Center, and friends, family and colleagues expressed their respect and affection for Chick Hearn in Brentwood, Buss and O’Neal were nowhere to be found.

For 42 years, Chick gave his heart and soul to this city and to the Laker organization. Players, coaches, even owners came and went, but Chick was always there. Chick always showed up. He lost not one, but both of his children, and he showed up. He fought through bouts of laryngitis and who knows what other illnesses and injuries, but he showed up. He suffered a heart attack and a broken hip, and although it took a little while, he showed up. And we can only imagine the times during that streak of 3,338 consecutive games that he must have just not felt like being there. But still, he showed up.

As for Buss and O’Neal, whatever their excuses are, they are simply not acceptable. Chick never made excuses. He just showed up.

Shame on both of you.

Lee Shelton

Los Angeles

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I think we all know that Staples Center is not going to be renamed in honor of our beloved Chick Hearn.

How about a statue of Chick out in front of Staples? If Michael Jordan rates a likeness of himself in front of the United Center (billed as “The House that Jordan Built”) then how much more does Chickie deserve an equal or greater honor?

He “built” a sense of community in Southern California that I hope we never lose. Let’s not forget him or what he meant to us.

Tim Gaul

Laguna Beach

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I can’t even begin to comprehend the lack of questioning of Shaq’s ( and the Lakers’ ) decision to wait so long to decide on surgery that it will cause him to sit out the entire preseason as well as the first eight-10 games of the regular season.

Am I the only one who thinks that because he is getting paid for a full season of basketball, he should do all that is possible to play a full season?

Now that the decision has been made to have surgery, it is being put off for another two weeks. Unbelievable! No one seems to be making an issue of this decision. Does the fact that he has led the Lakers to three championships give him carte blanche to do anything he pleases? Why ruin his entire summer off by having to rehabilitate his toe? Is his personal enjoyment more important than the rest of the team?

Jon M. Cortez

Long Beach

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Let’s just admit it. The NBA regular season is a sham. Just ask Shaq and his big toe.

There’s no doubt Shaq has admirably played in pain for quite a while, but his decision to wait more than two months after the close of the playoffs to have surgery is symptomatic of how little the millionaire NBA players care about the regular season. The NBA playoffs consist of hustling, hard-nosed basketball. By comparison, the 82-game regular season is a shoot-around.

Jeff Green

Long Beach