Dodgers Cut Voice, Lose More Heart

Before the Dodgers play the loyalty card in their negotiations with Adrian Beltre this winter, they should bear in mind that their own hands are anything but clean. After sending the dedicated and productive Paul Lo Duca and Dave Roberts packing with practically nothing in return, the unkindest cut of all came when they unceremoniously dumped Ross Porter after more than a quarter-century of service to the organization.

Porter wasn’t perfect, but nobody is. What he was is consistently informative, reliable and knowledgeable.

Allen E. Kahn

Playa del Rey

*

Vin Scully taught me to love baseball. Ross Porter taught me to appreciate its intricacies. Frank McCourt & Co. taught me that idiots from the East Coast don’t know a thing about the Dodger Way.

Carmen Wisdom

Redlands

*

Did you know the Dodgers have never fired an announcer on the fourth Friday in October in a year in which they made the playoffs?

For 28 years, Ross Porter filled our heads with esoteric stats while providing Dodger fans with the numbers inside the story, instead of the other way around like a certain Hall of Famer with whom he shared the broadcast booth. His folksy style helped define an era of Dodger baseball, but it is time to move on. I have nothing against Porter personally, but I applaud the Dodgers for ushering in a new voice for the next generation of Los Angeles baseball fans.

Steve Ross

Sherman Oaks

*

Bill Plaschke’s article condemning the way the Dodgers handled the firing of Ross Porter was right on the mark. Porter gave us 28 years of professional service and the McCourts don’t see fit to give him or us a chance to even say goodbye.

I can’t imagine that real baseball fans will be any better off with whatever alternative to Ross Porter is offered. Given the current trends, can the firing of Nancy Bea Hefley be far behind?

Kris Kemp

Covina

*

By not rehiring class act Ross Porter, can a Wal-Mart at Chavez Ravine be far behind?

Patricia Thomson

Cheviot Hills

*

Rick Monday? You’ve got to be kidding me! He who never announces the score. He who rambles on about some inanity right over the action and then has to talk like Woody Woodpecker on speed to catch up.

One thing Ross Porter can do is properly announce a game. And one thing Ross Porter definitely has is class -- not like the classless people posing as Dodger executives.

Rick Solomon

Silverlake

*

Hey, Mr. Rosen, did your “broadcast partners” tell you that I turn off the radio every time Rick Monday fumbles toward the microphone?

Scott Blek

Toluca Woods

*

Great, now that Ross Porter will be leaving, Dodger fans will soon enjoy some Hud-Dog knock-off who spouts superlatives such as “luscious” and “splitty” to describe the action. God forbid, if Vinny retires and we get someone like Rex Hudler or Tim McCarver, I’ll have to sign up for classes at the local college so that I can learn to speak Spanish. I’d rather listen to Fernando and Jaime than listen to someone like Paul Sunderland try to fill Ross Porter’s shoes.

Dominique Padilla

Buena Park

*

Maybe if Ross Porter would have taken a shot at Siegfried & Roy’s house, you would have put his picture on the front page.

Nate Rogers

Pasadena