Letters: Money finally talks for Dodgers

Logan White brags how he lured first-round draft pick Zach Lee to give up football and instead sign with the Dodgers with the use of a newspaper article and a mention of Kurt Warner. I imagine the conversation went something like this:

Logan White: The Dodgers offer you a $5.25-million signing bonus.

Zach Lee: Where do I sign?!

White: Did you know that Kurt Warner didn’t reach the NFL until he was 27 years old?

Lee: That’s $5.25 million over five years, right?

White: Yes. Did I show you this newspaper article about how the pressure to immediately meet NFL expectations has some football players referring to the NFL as the Not For Long league?

Lee: A million is a 1 with six zeros behind it, correct? And I am getting five of those, right?

White: We’re very proud of the Dodgers’ long history of developing great pitching talent.

Lee: That’s great. So when do I get my first million? And who is Kurt Warner, anyway?

Robert Ostrove

Ventura

Great news! I see the Dodgers finally signed pitcher Lee. Unfortunately it’s Zach and not Cliff.

Patrick Drohan

Monrovia

While there have been few figures in Los Angeles sports history as polarizing as the McCourts, in all fairness they did bring championship baseball back before this year and have spent to upgrade the aging relic that is Dodger Stadium. Unfortunately, the more I read about them, the less I want to know.

Ron Yukelson

San Luis Obispo

I can do no better to condemn the McCourts than has everyone else, nor could I embarrass them better than they do by their own actions. I can say that they have so strangled the golden goose Dodgers (or “cash cow,” as their delightful attorneys have so eloquently put it) that the unthinkable is happening: My family is likely not going to renew our wonderful seats of 40 years.

Nice work, Parking Lot Attendant, Screaming Meanie and MLB.

Robert Samuels

Santa Monica

With the Dodgers and Angels virtually out of playoff contention, the only hope now for a true Fall Classic for L.A. fans would be the awarding of joint ownership of the Dodgers to the McCourts.

Barry P. Resnick

Orange

They say that divorce destroys the family unit. The impact on the kids can be devastating. Everything changes. Kids aren’t what they used to be (Ramirez, Kemp, Broxton, Ethier, Blake). Never has this been more true than this year (especially this week) with the Dodgers. My heart goes out to the poor kids. Uncle Vin just wants to give you a hug.

Jeff Black

Beverly Hills

Fresh out of UCLA law school many years ago I practiced divorce law, so I have a sense of how complicated the McCourt case must be. Given the way the Dodgers are playing, we can only imagine how desperately each spouse is begging the judge to give the ballclub to the other one.

Mel Powell

Sherman Oaks

The tool box

Matt Kemp is a five-tool player unhappy with the Dodgers. The last disgruntled five-tooler the Dodgers had was Raul Mondesi, who kept whining until he was cut loose. If Kemp thinks another team will be happy with his arrogance, moodiness, and on-again, off-again hustle, let him go.

David Macaray

Rowland Heights

In honor of Matt Kemp Bobblehead night, my son dropped him from his fantasy team. Then we watched him fly out with the bases loaded and again with a runner on second. He pulled out his Matt Kemp action figure and asked me if I thought his hand would reach to his throat.

If Kemp is really a five-tool player, I hope one of these tools is a screwdriver because I think something is a little loose up there.

Lately, every night is Matt Kemp Bobblehead night.

Larry and Jacob Weiner

Culver City

Because the Dodgers are having so many problems with relief pitchers, perhaps they should go back to the old fashioned way and let the starting pitcher stay in for the whole game. It used to work

Art Lewis Jr.

Los Angeles

Losing his halo

I have been a fan of Mike Scioscia’s for as long as I can remember — and I am wondering if it is time for him to move on. His team is reflecting his lack of enthusiasm, energy, whatever you want to call it. I wonder how he can have the fastest center fielder and not ask him to drag a bunt once a game? And how can he call for a hit-and-run with Matsui on first base? And that staff of relievers — how can you explain his reliance on pitchers who continually don’t get the job done?

I would add that Tony Reagins can move on as well. Perhaps when fans don’t show up to fatten Arte’s pocket, he will decide adding “Los Angeles” to the name of the team won’t bring them from L.A. — or from Orange County either, unless he fields a winning team!

Carol Marshall

Anaheim

Beyond compare

God bless Jerry Buss, arguably one of the greatest sports franchise owners in history. And who am I to question his phenomenal track record on assembling championship teams. But, please, Jerry, “best team we’ve had”?

Kareem, Magic and Worthy vs. Pau, Kobe, and Lamar. Kobe and Magic are a wash. Pau and Lamar do not trump Kareem and Worthy. Additionally, I don’t see a Bob McAdoo coming off the bench, do you?

No, disrespect, Dr. Buss, but the Showtime Lakers are still the gold standard.

Rick Solomon

Lake Balboa

Ode to Troy

So, Reggie Bush “feels bad” about what he put the university through. Here’s a thought: Reggie, you could use some of your $52.5-million NFL contract to make donations to USC if you’re really sincere.

Rick Kern

Rolling Hills Estates

Memo to Pat Haden:

The old saying: “You can’t tell the players without a program,” addresses the need to reverse a Trojans tradition of nameless football jerseys. Such a move would be fan compliant and consistent with most major colleges’ and universities’ football programs.

If the original intent was to deflate egos, it was counter-intuitive for one O.J. and Reggie.

Dan Anzel

Los Angeles

It is with no surprise to me as I read the venom-filled letters of the past two weeks regarding USC, its coaches, lack of player discipline, sanctions, out of conference schedule or otherwise guilty-until-proven-innocent topics.

I implore the Times sports page to continue to publish such letters as I find them of great entertainment and they provide a constant reminder to me of the envy of these authors which pervades the powerhouse that is Trojan football.

Victor Felix

Valencia

Don’t look back

Please keep instant replay out of baseball. Baseball is a relaxed, easy-going game and doesn’t need to be ruined by instant replay, which would add hours to the games. And could you imagine a baseball season without a manager or player getting tossed because all they would have to do is request a replay rather than dispute a call?

Larry Dingley

El Monte

Horse sense

Just read a letter from a reader in the Aug. 14 edition where he described Zenyatta as “one of the most exciting athletes in history.”

Are horses really athletes? I mean really?

Rick Rapp

Garden Grove

On the course

If there was ever a lucky miss, it was the par putt of Dustin Johnson on the last hole of the PGA Championship. If he made that putt, dropped to his knees, thanked the Lord and hugged his caddie as a major champion, it would have been a disaster to find out seconds later that he was penalized two strokes and actually finished in a tie for fifth.

While Johnson is certainly upset that he did not make the playoff, his chances of winning were only one in three. If he made that putt, he would have been faced with one of the most heartbreaking defeats in the history of sports and may have never recovered. He is lucky he missed it. Hopefully he will make the next one when it really counts.

Kenneth Spencer

Pacific Palisades

If it doesn’t have a rake in it, it’s not a sand trap.

If there are 20 people standing in it, it’s not a sand trap.

The Australian Open just became the fourth major.

Michael Haller

Agoura

If I was Corey Pavin, I would select numbers 9, 10, 11 and 12 for the Ryder Cup, with No. 12 being Tiger Woods. This is the only way to avoid criticism. These guys are all great golfers. What does Pavin have to lose since this is just an exhibition anyway?

Jerry Moore

Cerritos

I’ve been feeling my schadenfreude the last few weeks, watching Tiger Woods crumble on the golf course. It couldn’t happen to a better serial adulterer.

Ray Uhler

Rancho Santa Margarita

Roger that

It’s nice to know that with the economy being the worst it has been in about 80 years, people losing their houses in record numbers and having no healthcare if they get sick, the deficit at record levels and growing every day, brave young men and women risking and/or losing their lives every day fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan and unemployment the highest it has been in some time, Congress is focused on the one issue that matters the most to the American people: whether Roger Clemens lied under oath.

Erik Schuman

Fountain Valley

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