This last week has only cemented Dodger...

This last week has only cemented Dodger fans’ reputation as the worst-informed in baseball. The Dodgers were never going to go anywhere with Kaz Ishii pitching Game 4 of the Division Series. The same fans bemoaning our lack of offense the last three years suddenly decided that they wanted to keep the lineup that led to the lack of offense. A vicious third-place cycle. Time for group therapy.

Of course, the proof is in the pudding. As of this writing, the Dodgers have won three of four since the trade and increased their lead to 5 1/2 games over all those teams worried about our “lack of chemistry.” So stop littering the sports pages with your lunatic rants, and go back where you belong, Ignorant Dodger Fan: Postgame Dodgertalk. That goes for you too, Plaschke.

Steven A. Haskins

Los Angeles

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Unlike most Dodger fans, I’m in favor of the trades made by Paul DePodesta, who possesses the nerve and audacity of a riverboat gambler. He is willing to take risks that could improve the team in the long run.

There’s an additional benefit to the trades: The acquisition of Hee-Seop Choi will appeal to the Southland’s huge Korean population. After all, they haven’t had one of their own to root for on the club since the departure of Chan Ho Park.

Joe Lyou

Santa Paula

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I believe the Dodgers will miss Guillermo Mota but I don’t think they will miss Paul Lo Duca’s play much. An average defensive presence who can hit, yet has a habit of fading toward the end of the season, is expendable.

I also don’t believe one person will blow the team chemistry to bits, which is only one of many elements. Another bigger element that has been missing is the clutch play of the Dodgers in August and September for the last 16 years.

Jon Umeda

Monterey Park

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I understand people are stupid, but I wish they would think just a little before criticizing the Dodgers’ trades:

We gave up a 32-year-old catcher and a 31-year-old setup man. We got a great starter (who is 26), and a starter is way more valuable than a setup man. We also got 25-year-old Hee-Seop Choi, who has an amazing .390 on-base percentage and a solid slugging average.

Hey, Plaschke, DePodesta did not throw his computer out the window, he used it to make the Dodgers better for now and better for the future.

Justin Brownstone

Santa Monica

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Yeah, Lo Duca was a great clubhouse presence, and the “heart and soul” of the Dodgers. But ask yourself this: In his three seasons, how many times had the Dodgers made the postseason? Exactly.

Let’s not lose sight of what’s important: winning the World Series. The team before July 31 could make the playoffs, but not win a championship. The current team can do both.

Kevin Webb

San Bernardino

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I was saddened to see the departure of Paul Lo Duca but I am glad that Randy Johnson declined to come to the Dodgers. We can use that money to bolster the team in other areas. All in all, I think Paul DePodesta did an excellent job.

David Serbin

Claremont

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Dodger fans have suffered through seven seasons when acquisitions at the trade deadline meant Tom Goodwin or Tyler Houston. Each of those seasons ended by missing the playoffs. A month ago, this team was 40-37, in third place and headed for another 85 victories. Now, after a great July, we’ve got 25 untouchable players? Change hurts, but recent Dodger history proves that not changing hurts more.

Brian Greene

Rolling Hills Estates

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DePodesta’s recent trades show more thought (and guts) than we’ve seen since Al Campanis. The Dodgers needed bats as much as an ace and picked up 38 home runs, plus Brad Penny, winner of two World Series games last October. Maybe Yhency Brazoban can fill Mota’s shoes. That Dreifort can’t for $55 million is why many lifetime Dodger fans couldn’t keep watching this slow-motion train wreck.

Craig Tepper

Santa Monica

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Even though the Dodgers bolstered their starting rotation and improved their offensive capabilities with the recent trades, the inimitable Bill Plaschke writes this morning, “The Dodgers didn’t have to do this.” It’s a good thing he’s not running the club.

Arnold G. Regardie

Los Angeles

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Let’s see, DePodesta comes in, makes some changes, and the long-term mediocre Dodgers are sailing along in first place. Now he makes some more and the press, and fans, are outraged because he’s messing with their precious team. It was a long-term disaster before he came along, remember? Do these people want to win, or do they want a lovable-loser-type of team like the Cubs had for so long?

Michael Plesset

San Gabriel

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I couldn’t contain my excitement after reading negative columns by Simers and Plaschke regarding the Dodgers’ trades. It can only mean one thing: a World Series for the Dodgers in October.

Ken Shreve

Sherman Oaks

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Why didn’t we just trade Shaq and Lo Duca to get one of Florida’s NFL teams?

Rick Henderson

Covina