Dodgers Could Use a Cast of Character

I tend to agree with Kevin Towers’ assessment of the Dodgers’ character because there need to be fires lit under this team, one that I’ve loved and followed since the ‘70s.

It has always boggled me that more players don’t have career offensive years when playing for L.A. Is it the smog, the laid-back atmosphere, the strip clubs?

I can only hope the Dodgers can disprove Towers’ comments this year, but until then ...

Jon Umeda

Monterey Park

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Dodger players aren’t the only ones infuriated by Kevin Towers’ comments. About a month ago, I realized I was tiring of his take on the Dodgers, as it seemed he was being quoted in The Times almost every day.

Kevin Towers and his Padres have a brand-new ballpark, lingering injuries, players not showing up to camp, and players walking out of camp. Seems to me Mr. Towers would have better things to do than opine about the character of the Dodgers.

Adding to this nonsense, Jason Reid used more space in Monday’s paper to re-quote Towers than he did to tell the story of Sunday’s game against the Cardinals. If you’re going to continue to harp on the supposedly unimproved Dodger offense, give it the coverage it deserves when it’s a day full of extra-base hits.

Sports-talk radio does a dandy job of bashing the Dodgers. You’re the Los Angeles Times.

Elizabeth Parks

Silver Lake

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Paul Lo Duca’s protestations aside, I think Kevin Towers’ comments about Dodger character were dead on.

“The Dodgers are underachievers.” “They should have accomplished more in recent years.” “You always think they’ll be good and they end up finding a way to not finish in first place.” “If they added a couple of bats to the lineup, they’d be tough to beat.”

Which of these statements is untrue?

If the Dodgers can’t do it by themselves, maybe they should listen when a good baseball man speaks.

Aside to the “de facto clubhouse spokesman”: You would do well to let your bat do your talking and not bristle when someone who knows what he’s talking about points out the obvious.

Gene Ewald

Oxnard

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Who thought we’d ever see the day when the Dodgers are being operated in a worse way than the Clippers?

Jon White

Monrovia

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There is a very easy way for Frank McCourt to share his vision of the Dodgers’ future with the fans. Simply change the “Think Blue” sign in the hills outside the stadium to “Think Detroit Tigers.”

Bob Flewin

Los Angeles

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It’s interesting to note that the early grades earned by the new owners of our local baseball franchises correspond to the owners’ first initials. The Angels’ new ownership group has significantly improved the team on the field and made the entire operation much more fan-friendly, thus earning a grade of A, as in Arte.

The new owner of the Dodgers is named Frank.

Allen E. Kahn

Playa del Rey

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I have to admit, being an avid Angels’ fan since 1970, I am really concerned that the Dodgers are going to return to prominence with the McCourts’ taking over from News Corp.

I have not been this worried since the arrival of Sheriff Kevin Malone.

Gordon Vincent Hansen

Brea

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Thanks for the bang-up job that you guys have done covering the Dodgers this spring training. The 400 words a day that are spent on them have made me feel like I’m living in the clubhouse at Dodgertown.

I hope you’re picking up the sarcasm because I’m laying it on pretty thick.

I’ll admit, the news coming out of Vero Beach may be as bleak as I can remember, but subscribers and Dodger fans still have a right to hear it.

Jon Mauceli

San Francisco

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The state of the Dodgers is woeful, but let’s look at the bright side: They managed to make it through those dismal years of Fox ownership without being forced to trade Vin Scully for Ryan Seacrest.

Tom Hensley

Sherman Oaks

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Oh, brother! That was my reaction after reading about the pitching exploits of college baseball phenom Jered Weaver [March 30].

It seems only fitting his mediocre sibling, Jeff, plays for the Dodgers. This is, after all, the same franchise that, in recent years, has suited up the wrong Guerrero (Wilton), Maddux (Mike), Gwynn (Chris), Hoffman (Glenn) and Giambi (Jeremy), leaving us fans with shattered World Series dreams and only the names on the backs of their uniforms as a frustrating reminder of what might have been.

Steve Ross

Sherman Oaks