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Letters: Frankly, fans still aren’t thrilled with the Lakers

USC needs to be on the lookout for Reggie Bush.
(Jim Thompson / Los Angeles Times)
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Congratulations to the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, F.J. Vogelkidd!

Richard Turnage

Burbank

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It’s nice to see such a warm welcome for new Lakers coach Frank Vogel from the sportswriters of the Times. Bill Plaschke has already emphatically informed us that he’s the wrong man for the job and his colleagues seem to be all in agreement.

But that’s OK because they also have an even lower opinion of Vogel’s assistant, Jason Kidd. Mr. Kidd will apparently be looking over Vogel’s shoulder and standing next in line as soon the new coach falters. As things stand now with the team, that shouldn’t take too long.

I hope Vogel possesses a good sense of humor. He’s going to need it.

Charles Reilly

Manhattan Beach

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My gosh, Plaschke and Hernandez, can you guys get off the Lakers’ case? They hire a head coach, Frank Vogel. They hire an assistant coach in Jason Kidd. Jeanie Buss is incompetent. They move up in the lottery and have a chance to select the fourth pick in the NBA draft.

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Bill and Dylan, this might be a news flash for you, but Jerry Buss is not coming back, Jerry West is not coming back, Phil Jackson is not coming back, and Kareem, Magic and Kobe have retired. What do you expect? Give these people a chance.

Chris Sorce

Fountain Valley

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The hiring of Jason Kidd as the assistant coach of the Lakers is an affront to women everywhere. Where is their decency? And to read that he is actually the head coach waiting in the wings is even more unbelievable.

Women in this country are truly fighting for their lives. Shame on the Laker front office!

Judith Braun

Woodland Hills

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I can’t wait until Jeanie Buss trades the Lakers’ fourth pick for a Hawaiian vacation with Linda Rambis.L.J. Platt

Simi Valley

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This is in response to the letter from Ron Brumel wondering why the Lakers get more coverage than the Clippers. It is pretty simple: The Lakers have won championships, the Clippers have won nothing. To put it as a mathematical equation: Championships > Abject Failure.

Despite the recent Lakers struggles, their ratings and press coverage dwarf the Clippers, and always will because they have championship history, legendary players and a legacy. That will never change.

Eddie Miller

La Mirada

Domestic issues

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Julio Urias must be used as an example to every kid that you must keep your hands to yourself and not use them to hit a woman.

Kids look up to sports stars, whether the stars wish to acknowledge this or not. Urias should become a poster child for violence against women. He could say: “Look, kids, even though I made it to the major leagues, I cannot play there anymore because I hit a woman. I should have known better. Please learn from my mistake.”

Bill Koury

La Cañada

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As an attorney who in the past 30 years has represented any number of women, and one or two men, who were the victims of domestic violence, I read the article, and column of Dylan Hernandez, concerning Julio Urias with interest. While I am totally opposed to domestic violence in any situation, I am nonetheless troubled by the current rush to judgment before the facts are in. Likewise the call for immediate resignation of a position or the dismissal of an individual bothers me.

Should the video in Mr. Urias’ case prove conclusive and Mr. Urias subsequently expresses remorse, serves time or pays a fine, completes the counseling and anger management that almost certainly will be ordered, then wouldn’t the Dodgers keeping him be a message that we as a society will allow a person to learn from inappropriate behavior without having to grovel at the feet of political correctness and give up the rest of a otherwise productive life and career?

Maury Mills

Ventura

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Travis d’Arnaud should not be surprised that the Dodgers shipped him off to the Rays for cash considerations, given that ownership shipped 70% of its fan base off to viewing oblivion for the exact same reason.

Bill Waxman

Simi Valley

Everyone hates Chris

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We all grew up with the saying, “The only sure things in life are death and taxes.”

That adage should now be amended to, “The only sure things in life are death, taxes ... and Chris Paul not making the NBA Finals.”

Jim Amerian

Santa Monica

Breakdown

When I read the article on the inclusion of break dancing to the Olympic schedule, at first I thought it was a parody on the infiltration of junk “sports” to the list of Olympic events; reading further I realized that it was not a spoof, so, I would like to add my own list of possible events for Olympic consideration: darts, mud wrestling, hopscotch, water balloon toss, roller derby, hot dog eating (Joey Chestnut would certainly bring home the gold for the USA), and three-legged potato sack race.

Steven Jayson

Playa Vista

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Three reasons I won’t be watching the 2024 Olympics: 1) The IOC tried to drop wrestling from the Games; 2) The IOC added break dancing; and 3) “Rocky 65: Rumble in the Rest Home” will be coming out.

Jack Saltzberg

Valley Village

Mother’s Day

For the past few years, I have not been kind to Bill Plaschke in this space. But, Bill’s column on Blanca and Jaime Jarrin knocked the wind out of me. While I may not always agree with Mr. Plaschke, he is a master at bringing humanity and emotion to Los Angeles sports.

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Rob Demonteverde

Brea

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If Bill Plaschke ever writes another book about his best work, his Mother’s Day story about Blanca Jarrin needs to be included.

Shin Furukawa

Torrance

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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

2300 E. Imperial Hwy.

El Segundo, CA 90245

Email:

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