Letters: No San Francisco treat for Dodgers fans

The Giants have the most beautiful field in baseball in a great neighborhood, a great nucleus of likeable young players who actually play above their potential, and a World Series championship.

The Dodgers have the traffic jam also known as Chavez Ravine, Matt Kemp and his whining agent, and the McCourts.

As a lifelong Dodgers fan, I hope all of the idiots yelling “Giants Suck” at our home games take a moment to think about this before starting that chant again. Like the team on the field and their owners, they are an embarrassment to Los Angeles.

Matt Pierce

Redondo Beach

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Danny Kaye has just turned to Walter O’Malley and said, “The J-I-N-T-S, Giants? Say it ain’t so.”

Allan Kandel

Los Angeles

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Having been a Giants’ fan for 40-plus years, I am obviously reveling in their World Series victory. And there’s a bonus. I’m getting great pleasure knowing it’s killing Dodgers fans. C’mon L.A., say it with me:

“The San Francisco Giants, World Series Champions.”

Rich Rudy

San Diego

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It’s a darn good thing Frank McCourt doesn’t know anything about baseball or actually winning, and therefore wasn’t watching the World Series, otherwise he may have gotten the idea that old misfits and outcasts could win the World Series on a consistent basis. That being the case, he would dispatch Colletti to player retirement homes while seeking and analyzing Players Assn. retirement records seeking to sign the next Renteria, Burrell, Huff, Uribe, and of course the unable to make the Dodgers’ roster, Cody Ross.

Frank, before you get the idea of trying to talk Garvey, Lopes, Cey, and Russell out of retirement and paying them only $1 million a season, thereby, freeing up money to buy more homes, vacations, and keeping your sons and psychic on payroll, you should consider that these older Giant players motivated themselves and bonded in their last ditch effort to win the brass ring. I am totally happy for them, they rose up, dug down, executed, and met the challenge. However, let’s not forget the fact that they were led by arguably the best pitching staff in baseball.

If McCourt ever decides that he really and truly wants to win rather than just giving lip-service, and sincerely wishes to get out of the fan and media doghouse, I have one word for him this off-season, Longoria!

J.J. Volpe

Long Beach

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For us Dodger fans the past year exemplified “Murphy’s Law” at its best (or worst?). Yet throughout the summer, as bad as it seemed, when the McCourts’ divorce exploded (around the same time Manny imploded), and the team’s standing eroded, causing excuses to be floated (about a player payroll under-bloated, and a pitching staff far from loaded, suggesting Torre’s departure was goaded), we took solace in knowing that at least San Francisco had never won the World Series.

Steve Ross

New York

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Someone needs to remind Bill Plaschke of the old saying, “No cheering in the press box.” His whining about the Giants in the World Series and blatant rooting for the home team Dodgers is embarrassingly unprofessional.

And by the way, if the Phillies can’t afford to keep Davey Lopes, what makes Plaschke think the Dodgers have any money to hire him?

Ray Mungo

Signal Hill

No stopping Oregon

Now that USC lost its “bowl game” and its season is for all intents and purposes over, I can’t stop chuckling at Jurrell Casey’s comment about Oregon. Casey can note that all it takes to whip USC’s sad-sack defense is a good quarterback and running back.

Lawrence M. Kates

Los Angeles

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How can Lane Kiffin blame USC’s offense for their lopsided defeat, when it was Oregon’s blitzkrieg offense that sliced through Trojan defenders like a hot knife through butter? If anyone is to blame, it’s Kiffin’s father Monte, who couldn’t find an antidote for Chip Kelly’s frenzied offense.

Tom Turner

Dana Point

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Gosh, had it not been for two last-second field goals and that pesky 21-point nationally televised clock-cleaning, USC would still be undefeated. But hey, on the bright side, the Trojans are getting a new building!

Mark Wisniewski

Sherman Oaks

Bruins not giving up

As one of the thousands of UCLA alumni who read the Times, I suppose I am free to skip T.J. Simers’ crummy little articles. I would prefer, though, that you just fire him or put him on unpaid vacation during football season. If Simers can’t figure out why anyone would follow or root for the Bruins football team, he doesn’t have the brains to work for your newspaper.

Jim Prietto

Laguna Niguel

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I understand that Dan Guerrero does not know how to select a decent football coach. But because he is a UCLA alum, I do not understand how he can take the best uniforms in the college football and turn them into the ugliest.

Leif Johnson

Irvine

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I have always thought that UCLA athletes qualified to be Bruins because they are more intelligent than the average jock. Then, I look at how these smart guys are used in the “pistol” offense:

1. Snap the ball to the QB, who extends his arms and shows the defense that a run is coming.

2. Snap the ball to the QB, who runs to his left and shows the defense that a pass is coming.

3. Snap the ball to the QB, who runs to his right and shows the defense that a pass is coming.

The coaching staff evidently doesn’t trust the intelligence of the athletes to execute any play off of any other formation for deception, yardage, first downs, and touchdowns. I think that the Bruins’ football program needs coaches that are at least as smart as the players they coach.

Doug Bedell

Torrance

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How lame is the UCLA coaching staff? First you have Norm Chow, who is supposed to be a quarterback guru, and a head coach that was a former Quarterback and neither can teach their quarterbacks how to look off their prime receiver.

Then they go to Nevada to learn a new system. Excuse me, when did Nevada last go to a big bowl game? If they wanted a new system, they should have taken a trip up to Oregon.

Right now Bob Toledo doesn’t look so bad.

D.C. White

Palm Desert

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Q: How does a college football team feel when UCLA is its next opponent?

A: Relentlessly positive.

Steve Kehela

Studio City

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Last week a reader took Dan Guerrero to task for not hiring coaches such as Chip Kelly and Chris Petersen. The issue is not the coaches but academic requirements. No major athletic university has stronger academic requirements for their student-athletes than UCLA.

There are many players in the NFL who wanted to come to UCLA but their grades and test scores kept them from enrolling. While we alums would like to be in the Rose Bowl hunt every year, it gratifying to know that our students can actually speak properly and represent UCLA well after their playing days are over.

Ron Lederkramer

Los Angeles

Fit for a King

In response to the “Anointed One’s” self-serving Nike ad where he asks, “What do you want me to do?”...well, how ‘bout this, King James:

First, fire your PR team! With friends like this you don’t need enemies.

Second, sincerely, I repeat, sincerely apologize not for leaving the Cavaliers for a better opportunity, but for the way you left. Admit this “Decision” circus was offensive and manipulative and that you now realize you are not bigger than the game or better than your fans.

Finally? Put a sock in it! Enough yapping. Just shut up, play ball, and lead your team to the NBA Finals.

Rick Solomon

Lake Balboa

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I just don’t understand why ESPN didn’t promote “Decision 2,” an hourlong special to announce whether Brett Favre would start Sunday’s game.

Kent Simpson, Westchester

Strange days

Raise your hand if you thought that in October the Dodgers and Angels would be on vacation while the Kings would have the most points in the NHL. What’s next? A Clippers ad that does not promote Donald Sterling as humanitarian of the year?

Olivia MacKinney

Westchester

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All of us season-ticket holders understand Donald Sterling’s legendary patience, compassion, and loyalty, but, at some point, even he must face facts, right? The coach has had more than enough time to bring home a winner and has, sadly, not performed. The time has come, Mr. Sterling, Del Negro must go.

Andrew Rubin

Sarasota, Fla.

Memories

God bless you, Sparky Anderson, from a lifelong Dodgers fan. You were always fun to watch and tough to compete against. Your type of manager is what baseball sorely needs and will unfortunately most likely not see again.

Eric Monson

Temecula

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I was saddened to hear of the passing of Maurice Lucas. People born after 1980 probably don’t remember him, but if you look up power forward in the Basketball Encyclopedia, there is a picture of Mo.

Richard Turner

Fontana

Recycled

How about starting any future articles about investigations into Lance Armstrong’s alleged use of drugs with the phrase used at the end of Wednesday’s article; i.e., “Armstrong has never failed a doping test.” Personally, I’m tired of this seemingly never-ending witch hunt and while it may or may not be true he has used drugs, the fact is he has never tested positive, which, Lord knows, enough others have.

One final thought: How do you prove you did not do something?

John Snyder

Newbury Park

A regular guy

Now that the Texas Rangers have lost the World Series, they know the truth about Vladimir Guerrero: Big Daddy Vladdy will help get you to the postseason, but once you’re there, you’re on your own.

Matthew Klipper

Studio City

Mark it down

In life we always remember what we were doing when major events happened. JFK’s assassination, the moon landing, and 9/11. In sports, it was Lou Gehrig’s speech, Clay beating Liston, Franco Harris’ Immaculate Reception and Kirk Gibson’s homer. Today, these sports stories could be topped.

If Zenyatta wins her second Breeders’ Cup classic, she will be 20 for 20. To what, as sports fans, can we compare this? Marciano’s record? The 1972 Miami Dolphins? DiMaggio’s streak? Tiger Woods’ domination?

Where will this belong in history? It has to be near the top.

Dominic Campisi

Canyon Country

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