McCourt, Plaschke and Cast of Characters

So Frank McCourt now says that character will be a factor in acquiring players. Don’t you first have to actually have character before you can recognize someone who has it?

RUBEN PEREZ

Newport Beach

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When Frank McCourt tells columnist Tom Lasorda -- excuse me, Bill Plaschke -- that he underestimated the importance of character after the Kent-Bradley exchanges, I wonder whether “senior advisor” Lasorda told him that Don Sutton and Steve Garvey actually were best friends, or that the eight-year infield of Garvey, Lopes, Russell and Cey really did love one another. Maybe he even remembered the 1974 Dodgers losing the World Series to that character-laden franchise, the Oakland A’s, where locker room fights were almost a daily occurrence.

The three key points are these:

* If the Dodgers were winning, no one would care who did or didn’t get along.

* The inevitable whining about Paul DePodesta trading team leaders with character, such as Paul Lo Duca, never includes the realization that we didn’t win with them either.

* When Frank McCourt fired Ross Porter after 28 years of loyal service and let his replacements include a broadcaster of the caliber of Steve Lyons, he demonstrated clearly that he knows nothing about character or talent.

MICHAEL GREEN

Las Vegas

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If Frank McCourt cared more about the Dodgers than himself, would he buy a $29-million home and the $8-million home next door instead of signing fan favorite Beltre? Would he allow Paul DePodesta to gut a first-place team, removing top jersey-sellers Lo Duca and Green, and replacing them with a collection of hitters who make the Royals look like All-Stars?

Would he lie to the loyal Dodger fans, claiming he would spend $100 million on the team and instead spend only $55 million on the field?

It is nice to hear he may be learning how to run a baseball team, but what did Dodger fans do to deserve a novice at the helm?

JEFFREY CLIFFORD

Encino

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I noticed that Jeff Kent didn’t score on Jason Phillips’ double in the first inning of Saturday’s game. I’ll be waiting for his public apology to Milton Bradley and Dodger fans.

MIKE MANNARELLI

La Canada

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Does The Times rent Bill Plaschke’s high horse for him or does he get to keep it as part of some contractual agreement? When did he anoint himself as the person who determines the difference between good and bad character? Why is every column of his a morality play?

BOB TIMMERMANN

South Pasadena

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As a retired veteran of 45 years in the broadcasting industry here in the Los Angeles area, I found it ludicrous that the Dodger game last Sunday would be televised in black and white with only two cameras so that we could be lectured on how it was in television 50 years ago. A real service would have been letting the fans attend the game at 1955 prices, having the Dodgers dressed in their 1955 uniforms and the advertising removed from the outfield fences.

BILL MOUZIS

Lake Balboa

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Things are heating up. The Dodgers are still in the playoff chase.

Why not water things down farther and let everyone go to the playoffs as winner of their own one-team division? Everyone will feel good about themselves! Lots of merchandise will sell! It will create excitement!

The only thing that should be heating up for the Dodgers and about 25 other teams right about now is hot stove talk about who’s going to be traded and where.

HALE ANTICO

Santa Clarita