Baseball: Another Bad Pitch Misses the Plate

In “The Dodgers’ Team Color Is Now a Deep Shade of Red” (Aug. 18), James Bates relates the $41-million deficit this year to “$13 every time a fan walks through a turnstile.” In fact, the Dodgers make $13 every time a fan walks in, and fans account for almost two-thirds of the Dodgers’ operating revenue. Bates should be focusing on the real reasons for the deficit: $5,000 for every pitch that Kevin Brown doesn’t throw, $3,000 for every pitch that Darren Dreifort doesn’t throw or $11,000 for every at-bat where Eric Karros grounds into a double play or just strikes out.

Now, this fan’s had it with the spoiled-brat players and their indulgent, pouting owners. I pay about $1,000 each year just for tickets, and I’ve paid my last $1,000. The other night I attended an Angels game and boy, what a thrill it was. The players, none of whom makes the big bucks that the Dodgers’ players undeservedly get paid, are still excited about the game.

Ram Kumar

Arcadia

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I cannot say how deeply moved I was by President Bush’s prolific response that a baseball strike would be “bad” (“Bush May Whiff if He Mediates Dispute,” Aug. 17). If only the players and owners could articulate it as well, perhaps we wouldn’t have this crisis. Yet I am curious as to whether this “bad” is as bad as the economy he chooses to do nothing about. Or is it as bad as our health-care system that he chooses to ignore. Or perhaps it is as bad as our “we are tough on Iraq, but we really can’t decide what to do about it” problem. All I know is that accomplishing nothing is bad. I would elaborate further, but I feel that I may want to run for president someday.

Mike Dawe

Bakersfield

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Please, please, please strike so the whole stinking system can collapse and maybe be rebuilt with better values than the self-centered egos of multimillionaire players and billionaire owners. At the least, let’s have a couple of teams actually go into bankruptcy.

James E. Good

Redlands

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Baseball players have set a strike date for Aug. 30. So let’s preempt them. On Aug. 29, don’t go to the game, watch on TV or listen to the radio. No empty words of anger from fans. This time, action.

Damiana Chavez

Los Angeles