Letters: Now he’s Doc Hollywood

A coach goes from the Boston Celtics to the Los Angeles Clippers? Is that an earthquake? No, it’s Red Auerbach turning over in his grave.

Jon White

Monrovia

::

One can only hope that Doc Rivers coaches well enough to keep Chris Paul happy.

The lunatics have indeed taken over the asylum.

Jack Kenna

Whittier

::

Riddle me this: How many NBA championships did Rivers coach after Tom Thibodeau departed for Chicago? The answer is zero. I want to be at the table when Donald Sterling writes that check for a coach each month.

Geno Apicella

Placentia

::

Sorry, Bill Dwyre, but I’m not drinking your Doc Rivers Kool-Aid. Rivers has a total of one championship. That puts him in an elite group with the likes of Larry Costello, Al Attles and Paul Westhead. So before references are made to Mt. Everest and the New York Yankees, let’s see one first with the Clippers.

Gary H. Miller

Encino

::

Hiring Doc Rivers may placate Chris Paul for a while, but it will not improve the Clippers’ record from last season, nor will they win the NBA title. Vinny Del Negro set the bar high for Rivers by winning 56 games and the division title. There was no reason to fire him except on the whim of Mr. Paul. It was another big mistake for an organization that has a long history of them.

Charles Reilly

Manhattan Beach

::

It is time to give some props to Donald Sterling. Yes, I know all about the past and his history of bad ownership. But for the last seven or eight years he has done everything possible to improve the Clippers. He offered Elton Brand and Baron Davis a ton of money and they dumped on him. He has built a beautiful training facility. He has put together the only team in Southern California, basketball or baseball, worth watching. Now he has hired a great coach.

Donald, you have done much better than that dysfunctional team down the hall!

Vance Lerner

Riverside

::

Ben Bolch’s giddy comparison of the Clippers to the Lakers in the aftermath of the Doc Rivers’ signing highlights the problem the Clippers and their fans (Bolch seemingly one of them) have: comparing themselves to the Lakers rather than measuring themselves against the league. Yes, the Clips were better than the Lakers last year and should be this year. Getting a top draft pick for a dozen years in a row will do that eventually.

But it’s time to measure this team against other top teams, not declining ones. The thing is, if you lose four straight to Memphis when it really matters, you still have a lot of work to do. Set your sights higher, Clippers fans. That’s how you become like the Lakers.

Frank Shapiro

Chatsworth

::

Now that Bill Plaschke has expressed his undying love for Doc Rivers, the office pool becomes “When does Bill demand the Clippers fire Doc?” Will it be in November when the Clippers are no longer undefeated? February during their grueling Grammy trip? April because they’ve lost in the first round again? Or May because they didn’t win the Western Conference? We all know it will happen, it’s just a matter of when.

Michael Tzipori

Ventura

::

Hey Lakers, instead of plastering the side of a building with a giant poster to feed the already-supersized ego of one of your grossly overpaid basketball players, why not contribute the money to some food banks? Maybe help build something for the homeless? Help find a cure for cancer?

Gordon Morris

Glendale

Heat check

When did I move to Miami? You sports section people really think that Lakers and Clippers fans (much less everyone else who wanted the Heat to lose) want to have our Sports section ruined by continual stories about the Heat? They won on Thursday night. I don’t want to read about them on Saturday and Sunday too. Enough already!!

Ray McKown

Los Angeles

::

I’m sure it’s already getting under the skin of many local NBA fans now that Dwyane Wade has won two titles without Shaq as well!

Luke Aiello

MIssion Viejo

Blue horizon

The years 1982-1995 are commonly known as “The Mattingly Years” in the history of the New York Yankees. During that 14-year stretch, the famed Yankees never played in a World Series game. The Yankees hit rock bottom in 1990 with a 67-95 record. Their team leader, Mattingly hit .256 with five home runs and 42 RBIs. These numbers from 1990 are similar to those of the Dodgers’ 2013 season. See performances of Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier.

This 2013 Dodgers team has Don Mattingly’s personality. During Mattingly’s last six seasons with the Yankees, the team record was 451-454 while leader Mattingly averaged nine home runs per season. Get used to it, Los Angeles.

Jerry Moore

Cerritos

::

Eleven hits Tuesday, 12 hits Wednesday, winners of six in a row going into the weekend.

Who kidnapped the Dodgers?

Vincent Martinez

Arcadia

Forgotten man

Your excellent article on the Garvey-Lopes-Russell-Cey infield Sunday certainly brought back fond memories, of a time when the Dodgers regularly made it to the World Series and even won a share of them.

The article also mentioned, off-handedly, Bill Buckner’s offer to move to the outfield so Steve Garvey could play first. That too brought back fond memories — and not only of getting Garvey away from his cringe-inducing, fan-endangering performance as a third baseman. Despite being best known for his error while playing for the Red Sox during the 1986 World Series, a generation of Dodgers fans remembers Buckner as an excellent hitter with decent speed and an outstanding fielder — not to mention a player who ran out every ground ball at full speed and never gave up on a ball to the outfield. In that way he was Pete Rose without the obnoxious attitude, and it is not surprising to read that he offered to change positions for the good of the team. We grew to expect no less from “Billy Bucks.”

Lost in the fog of one mistake is the fact that Billy Buckner was loved and appreciated by Dodger fans during his time with the team. He should know that we, too, have not forgotten.

Jeff Kandel

Los Angeles

Bruins ball

Kudos to UCLA and Coach John Savage for reaching the pinnacle of college baseball.

Conversely, the decision-makers across town at the other university that was renowned for fielding a legendary baseball program (more NCAA titles than any school) do not seem the least bit interested in attempting to reestablish their once-historic program. Thus, in my opinion, because college baseball is not a revenue-generating sport, they should eliminate the program and make it a “club sport.”

For those of us who can remember sitting in Bovard Field, it has become an embarrassment.

Howard P. Cohen

North Hills

::

Hopefully Don Mattingly was watching and taking notes on how the UCLA Bruins won the College World Series. They played smart baseball with one of the lowest batting averages ever.

They played team ball — bunting, sacrificing, moving runners over and using the suicide squeeze to bring home a few runs. That’s the way to win a World Series. Please, Donnie Baseball, apply these simple baseball rules and the Dodgers might be on their way.

Patrick Drohan

Monrovia

::

Today, John Wooden is smiling down upon the Bruins. Baseball was his favorite sport.

Steve Peeler

San Juan Capistrano

Lucky Ducks

When coaching at Nevada Las Vegas and discussing NCAA enforcement of penalties against big-time schools, Jerry Tarkanian once said, “The NCAA is so mad at UCLA, it’s going to give Cal State Northridge two more years’ probation.”

Looking at the laughably light penalties the NCAA “punished” Oregon football with in comparison to what USC did and received, once again it looks like Cal State Northridge just got slapped with two more years of probation.

Erik Schuman

Fountain Valley

What a finish

I’m not a big hockey fan, but that last two minutes of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup playoffs was the most exciting sports moment of 2013.

Rick Henderson

Covina

Sign him up

If Yasiel Puig keeps this up for another 15 years, he’s likely to catch Arte Moreno’s attention.

Konrad Moore

Bakersfield

::

The Los Angeles Times welcomes expressions of all views. Letters should be brief and become the property of The Times. They may be edited and republished in any format. Each must include a valid mailing address and telephone number. Pseudonyms will not be used.

Mail: Sports Viewpoint

Los Angeles Times

202 W. 1st St.

Los Angeles, CA 90012

Fax: (213) 237-4322

Email:

sports@latimes.com