Letters: USC, UCLA have something in common

With 1:02 left in the game, Stanford trailing by a point, the end zone 74 yards away and the Trojans’ defense staring him down, I’m sure Andrew Luck had one terrifying thought go through his head: “What if we score too fast?”

John Brunel

Tustin Ranch

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I remember when USC’s big-play defense meant a 10-yard loss instead of a 35-yard gain.

M.D. McDonald

Arcadia

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Like the slap of a two-by-four across my forehead, the realization was sudden, painful, and numbing — no Trojans lead will ever be enough.

Paul Brown

Newport Beach

Bill Plaschke writing on the USC loss to Stanford says:

“Yeah, as I’m writing this, the Stanford Stadium field is filled with dancing, cheering kids in red, all of them bouncing around that dumb tree, all of them reveling in a victory that their team did not earn.”

Given the strength of bias and ineptness in observation of facts that Plaschke has demonstrated, one can only expect that he will be soon promoted out of sports reporting and moved directly to writing the editorial/political pages of the L.A. Times.

William Crader

San Fernando

Gutty-less Bruins

Things I’ve learned to count on over the last 10 years include taxes, jury duty, a growing intolerance to tasty Mexican cuisine and the inconsistency of UCLA football. What’s wrong with UCLA football this year (besides, of course, their coach is a “talker”)? Let’s review Chris Foster’s article of the UCLA-Cal debacle of last weekend. Rahim Moore is quoted as saying “We can’t lose to these types of teams.” Later, David Carter said, “We can’t be good against Texas and then flake on a team like Cal.”

Are you kidding me? A team like Cal? Who does UCLA think they are? The gutty little Bruins best take everyone seriously and recall one of the Wizard’s maxims — respect your opponent. These Bruins must show up every week because they’re just not that good.

Howard Noack

San Diego

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Cal’s defensive game plan against UCLA went like this: Put eight in the box to stop the run. Don’t worry about the quarterback running like Nevada’s did because the Bruins are starting the one with the bad knee. And keep the defensive backfield 10 yards from the line for extra run support, because Kevin Prince can’t throw deep and the receivers can’t catch.

Alan Abajian

Alta Loma

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I have to admit I was a victim of the great Neuheisel hoax. I bought into the audacity of hope that this former UCLA walk-on quarterback and MVP of the 1984 Rose Bowl was the man who could turn the UCLA program around.

However, now I am choking on another UCLA loss. We were not in the game from the very first snap against a very weak Cal team. Once again our players were completely unprepared on game day. Our defense was porous and our offense ineffective.

In his third season at UCLA, Neuheisel is now 3-3. Hapless Karl Dorrell’s third-season record was 10-2!

It is time for the Bruins to move in a new direction. Please remind me, what was so wrong with Bob Toledo anyway?

Bill Duggins

Aliso Viejo

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Saturday’s 35-7 loss to Cal was just the latest example of a long list of debacles after signature wins (USC in 2006, Tennessee in 2008, and Texas this year), and as a Bruin for 40 years, the tease continues. The life of a die-hard Bruin fan just keeps getting worse. But, I guess it could be even worse: I could be a Texas supporter!

Jack Wolf

Westwood

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If asked, I’m sure Coach Neuheisel would deny that his doctrine of being “relentlessly positive” allows for excuses, but it apparently allows for casually mentioning that “Cal had two weeks to prepare for us” in partially explaining UCLA’s humiliation.

With no games from January through August, is it too much to expect a coaching staff to plan in advance for an opponent that they know will have a seven calendar day preparation “advantage” in October? While the players are doing their homework, the coaches should do some of their own.

Wes Wellman

Santa Monica

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Regards the shredding the UCLA football program and coach have been taking from T.J. Simers: I sincerely doubt the UCLA players awaken on Saturday morning thinking, “I’m gonna play the crummiest game I can today,” or that the coaches awaken and say, “I’m gonna coach the crummiest game I can today.”

As much as we might want to ascribe superhuman status to NCAA Division I players and coaches, they’re just human beings, with human faults, and, hopefully, they should be treated as such.

Bob Jackson

Simi Valley

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Three things we should not have to hear again until UCLA (1) finishes ahead of USC in the Pac-10, (2) finds an identity on offense, and (3) shows some signs — any signs — of improvement under Rick Neuheisel:

“The football monopoly in L.A. is over” (you listening, Coach Rick?)

“Norm Chow is an offensive genius” (you listening, ABC and ESPN?)

“T.J. Simers is a jerk and unfairly criticizes UCLA” (well, OK, he is a jerk, but he has also been right about the Bruins.)

John C. Germaine

Granada Hills

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Is Norm Chow a USC plant?

Jerry Selby

Pasadena

Frank’s takeover

Dennis Mannion steps aside so Frank McCourt can masquerade as “owner” again in hopes that the judge will buy into it.

Fact is that the McCourts are carpetbaggers who have fleeced the Dodgers for over $100 million in their first six years of “ownership.” Having bought the Dodgers for $400 million and now owing $433 million on the purchase, the creditors are the true owners.

Look at the players who are now in the postseason: Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Roy Halladay: all potential Dodgers if they could have been bought with more borrowed money by already overleveraged ownership.

Three and a half million Dodger fans are counted on to pay the interest on the debt. They deserve more than that.

Duane Mitchell

Escondido

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I got the following e-mail from the Dodgers:

“Dear Stanley Alvarez, The Los Angeles Dodgers want to thank you for being such a loyal fan and season ticket holder. As we appreciate your support of the Dodgers, we are pleased to advise you that the price of your 2011 season tickets will remain the same.”

Hey McCourt, shouldn’t you be apologizing for the miserable season and lowering the price of my tickets because of it?

Stanley Alvarez

West Covina

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This guy just doesn’t get it! Even after Frank and Jamie’s pilfering of the Dodgers is made public, the Dodgers announce ticket price increases? What, your gold toothbrush needs replacing? Did your dog’s pedicure price go up? Get a grip, Frank! In this economy, you’d be lucky to keep the same amount of season tickets if you kept the prices the same.

Vincent Martinez

Arcadia

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I never would have thought it possible, but thanks to Frank McCourt, the 16-year reign of Phil Anschutz as the most disliked and mistrusted local pro owner is in serious jeopardy.

Andrew Watters

Santa Barbara

Start the parade

I hope the Tournament of Roses Committee is paying close attention to what is happening in their own backyard. That is as far as they have to look for their grand marshal for 2011.

At this moment, she is beloved more than any other person in Southern California that can’t act or sing or pose for a photo shoot. You know what? I’m sorry, scratch the latter. Yes, she could pose, and has.

She would entertain the crowd like no one before her, with her dazzling looks and antics. With so many negative things in life within the public sector, politics and cheating in sports, she remains a constant breath of fresh air, and will continue to do so for hopefully many years to come.

Come on, Pasadena, don’t miss the boat on this. Make your decision before its too late. Whether she is 19-1, or preferably 20-0, this could be her retirement party, with the whole world watching.

Zenyatta deserves this.

Andy Ducey

San Clemente

Called for icing

I used to think The Times did not put hockey on the cover because you did not understand or care for the sport. But last week you finally put the Ducks on page 1, and the team proceeded to stumble out of the gate and lose their first three games. Now I understand that The Times really does like the NHL but does not want to hamper the locals’ performances by publicizing their play. So thanks for keeping the Kings off the front page, thus ensuring a successful season.

Hmmm, how come this strategy doesn’t translate to the Lakers?

Isabella Matzel

Los Angeles

Favre from it

Looks like yet another season of Brett Favre’s career will be overshadowed by an ill-advised pass.

Toby Muller

Pasadena

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You know, I really like Brett Favre and I wish him the best. However, I wish he would have looked at Jenn Sterger’s name in the mirror before he did what he did. Because Sterger spelled backward is “REGRETS.”

Nick Cota

Ojai

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