Reaching the Playoffs Isn’t Vintage Angels

Last Friday I decided to give the seemingly playoff-bound Angels the type of celebration they deserve, so I bought a bottle of Dom Perignon.

Let me give you some advice: Never ice a bottle of Dom five times before drinking it.

Chris Gagliano

Redondo Beach

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Although my expensive bottle was ruined, it was still sweet to the last drop. Cheers to the Angels!

I just read the coverage of the Angels’ playoff-clinching victory and was bewildered at the absence of the one person most responsible for turning the franchise around, namely Mike Scioscia.

Yes, these are not your father’s Angels and one of the main reasons they’re not is the leadership qualities of Scioscia. He was the same way when he was a catcher with the Dodgers, and why that organization didn’t see management material in him (remember Bill Russell, anyone?) is beyond me.

Look out, Yankees.

Bob Beland

Mar Vista

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Some nice final thoughts to the Dodgers’ season:

Nice that the Dodgers have drawn 3 million fans again.

Nice of Bob Daly and Fox to fail to get those fans another hitter before the trading deadline.

Nice of Shawn Green to fail to hit one home run in the crucial final two weeks of the season.

Nice that the Dodgers don’t have even one hitter batting .290, let alone .300.

Nice of Dan Evans to trade away the Dodgers’ top pitching prospect for saboteur Paul Shuey.

Nice of Adrian Beltre to provide the team with one good month.

Nice of perennial patient Kevin Brown to defer some of his salary to help the team. Oh, wait. He didn’t.

Nice of Eric Karros to decide to stop hitting for power.

Nice of Mark Grudzielanek to pout for the first two-thirds of the season.

Nice of Jim Tracy to fall so in love with Giovanni Carrara, it cost the team at least five wins.

Nice that Tracy is such a brilliant strategist. (I’m kidding. He’s not.)

Nice that Dave Roberts is the only guy on the team who can lay down a bunt.

Nice to hear the Dodgers had such a good time out on the town in Denver, while losing three out of four and saying goodbye to their playoff hopes.

Nice that everyone in the clubhouse likes each other so much.

Nice that another third-place season is just fine with Dodger management.

Nice. Real nice.

Sneaky Sims

Los Angeles

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It infuriates me that Bob Daly and Fox will look upon another third-place finish as a successful one for the Dodgers. Third place in a five-team division, whether you have 90 wins or 75 wins, is still third place. Yet, the team still draws well, so Fox doesn’t care. Next year, they’ll use all their supposed resources and strive to--maybe, if things all fall into place, if everything goes well, barring injuries, mind you, no guarantees--compete once again for third place in the West.

I remember the days when the Dodgers either won their division title or it was a bad season. I miss those days.

Steve Freeman

Los Angeles