Letters: Not an All-Star-worthy performance

Based on this season’s performance, Clayton Kershaw did not merit All-Star selection. What was that about the law of karma?

Andrew Sacks

Riverside

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Why does the L.A. media put such a premium on All-Star “nods”? Half of the invitees are there because of reasons that are not deserving. Take the Dodgers for instance. Kershaw was basically “last man standing.” Joc Pederson is hitting .230 and our catcher is mediocre. Yet all of them made the contest. Only deserving participants are Zack Greinke and Adrian Gonzalez.

Dodgers, start focusing on the big picture. Let’s win a World Series. Then we can have something to cheer for.

Mark Mozilo

Pasadena

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With the number of MLB players who have facial hair these days, including dozens sporting thick, bushy beards looking like they just stepped from a box of Smith Bros. cough drops or finished first in a Grizzly Adams look-a-like contest, I found it hilarious and a bit ironic that the principal sponsor for this year’s home run derby contest was Gillette!

Richard Turnage

Burbank

Let’s go to Cuba

As I read Bill Shaikin’s July 15 article on possible MLB expansion, the following idea occurred to me; why not have a team in Cuba? Now that we are opening the doors to increased travel and new embassies, a major league expansion team would only accelerate improving relations between the two countries. Besides, Cuba has some great players that would be fun to see when they play here. I’m sure there are issues to iron out, but it’s worth the effort.

Paul Nickerson

Londonderry, N.H.

In-house inspection

Even though I’m not a Dodger fan, I’ve always liked Tommy Lasorda. But now I think he is a hypocrite because of what he said about Pete Rose. Gambling can be an addiction just like alcohol and cocaine. Steve Howe was suspended multiple times for drug use and each time was welcomed back to baseball. Some of those second chances were with the Dodgers when Lasorda was manager.

Sam Pinterpe

Huntington Beach

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Pete Rose earned entrance into the Hall of Fame. He earned it by getting 4,256 hits. He earned it in many, many other ways.

Tommy Lasorda, Bud Selig and any other naysayer should honestly get out of the way. No one condones gambling on the game. But it’s gotten blown out of proportion, and at this point, the penalty doesn’t fit the violation.

Ask the fans, ask the players who play the game today. Almost all want Rose in the Hall of Fame. His extraordinary, decades-long performance on the field and his fierce determination to win and to be all-in every year, game, inning and pitch is unprecedented.

Alex Osterneck

Wyndmoor, Pa.

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Maybe Lasorda forgot to look in the Dodgers dugout at Mr. McGwire, who did more damage then Mr. Rose.

Jacob Perez

La Verne

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As a lifelong Reds fan in Dodger-land, I wonder what Tommy’s opinion would be if he’d ever played with or managed a Dodger with as much talent, skill and enthusiasm as Rose demonstrated in every game of an over-20-year playing career. I bet he’d cut that player a lot of slack. Instead, we get a fine whine made of sour grapes.

Kelley Willis

Venice

Beyond starters

After reading about the Dodgers going after Cole Hamels, it doesn’t matter how good the pitcher is, if you don’t score runs, they can’t win. Look at Kershaw and Greinke. They should focus on hitting!

Jeff Hershow

Woodland Hills

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The Dodgers have a more pressing problem than starting pitchers depth. Sure, Carlos Frias and Mike Bolsinger went through a mid-June swoon when each had a couple of bad games. But since June 24 they’ve combined for a 3.24 ERA over six starts. During that time the Dodgers’ relief corps — aka the Pyro Pen? — has continued to falter. Besides Kenley Jansen and J.P. Howell, the five relievers who’ve thrown at least 18 innings this season have a combined ERA of 3.99 — it’s been Jansen or Howell, or throw in the towel. A new front-line starter isn’t likely to win the Dodgers more games than a couple of quality relievers will save them.

Sandra Perez

Santa Maria

Follow the leader

In spite of a couple of possible disrupting events, the Josh Hamilton affair and the resignation of GM Jerry Dipoto, the Angels have remained focused and are now playing well [July 17]. Quotes from Angels players state, “It’s a long, long season”; “we struggled to score runs but we still had confidence in ourselves”; “we believed and knew the whole time that we were a good team.” Where does this attitude and outlook come from? None other than the most consistent person in the Angels organization, field manager Mike Scioscia.

Wayne Muramatsu

Cerritos

West-ward thoughts

Dear Jeanie Buss,

Who’s doing the math over there at your front office? Jim’s been talking about that three-year window for like 10 years now. He’s the one-year Walt Alston contract that turned into 30 years. Do you remember him whiffing on Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony and then, LaMarcus Aldridge? Three strikes and you’re out, right?

Do you remember the tall guy who was hanging around in the background while your dad was doing the marketing genius, riverboat gambler thing? The guy who said he’d leave when your dad wanted to pass on James Worthy? The guy who got you Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, then arranged for you to get Pau Gasol, while he was building solid franchises in Memphis, then Golden State? Remember him?

Now that your boyfriend took his talents to NYC, could that other guy come back? Please?

Sincerely,

William David Stone

Beverly Hills

Nothing new

Are those who wrote in last week pummeling DeAndre Jordan serious? Like this has never happened before — an employee feeling underappreciated looks for an opportunity in another company. The announcement of the employee’s possible departure causes his current employer to reach out and reassure the employee of his value and offers 10% more in salary than the competitor. The employee decides to stay. Nah, never heard of such a thing. And I am sure those excoriating DJ would only choose to move on no matter what. Right.

Rick Barton

Encinitas

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