Letters: It’s time to take Frank McCourt to task

If Frank McCourt took the same test the Dodgers sent fans about Vin Scully:

1. Knowledge of baseball: “A small white sphere thrown around by grown men who make me millions.”

2. Knowledge of Dodgers: “Great Dodger Dogs.”

3. Objectivity: “I try not to attend because it’s not safe”

4. Accuracy of calls: “I never answer. It could be Jamie’s lawyers.”

5. Storytelling ability: “Did you hear the one about the priest and the rabbi walking into the bar? …”

6. Focus on the game: “I can’t afford cable.”

7. Style: “I don’t understand the question.”

8. Overall performance: “My Bentley runs great, thanks.”

Dennis O’Connor

West Hollywood

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If I were facing a court case any portion of which will relate to my qualifications for running the Dodgers, the last thing I’d ever do would be to let anybody conduct a survey to evaluate Vin Scully! With enough effort one could probably put a number on what he’s worth to the company in dollars, but there are no words in the English language that describe how good he is at what he does, and what just the sound of that voice means to even the most casual of baseball fans.

Paul Ascenzi

Pomona

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As an acting teacher of mine likes to say, “I’m just another bozo on the bus!” but this bozo knows there are certain people you don’t have to do polls on. In years past, I had the pleasure of working side by side with people like that. Jack Buck and Bob Costas (among others) come to mind.

A month or so after I arrived here, I was getting ready for the pre- and postgame radio shows for the Super Bowl between the Rams and Steelers. Vin Scully walked into the booth and introduced himself to me! As if I didn’t know him by sight. I mean, you talk about a “day maker” for a then L.A. rookie...

When you’re lucky enough to have a Vin Scully representing you and your team, you don’t send out surveys to your season-ticket holders or to anyone else. No, when you’re lucky enough to have someone like Vin Scully, you look to the heavens and give thanks.

Scott St. James

Los Angeles

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Would someone please tell Steve “Psycho” Lyons that it’s Matt, not “Matty” Kemp, there’s a better chance of the Clippers winning the NBA title than there is of the Dodgers re-signing Rafael Furcal to “mentor” Dee Gordon, and no one wants to hear stories about the career of a player best known for almost taking his uniform pants off on the field.

Charles L. Freeman

Baldwin Hills

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I just read about Andre Ethier being held out of a baseball game because of an ingrown toenail.

And I am just embarrassed for the guy. Didn’t Nancy Kerrigan overcome a clubbing in the right knee with a collapsible police baton? As someone who played lacrosse for more than 20 years, I just can’t imagine a grown man missing a game because of a toenail.

Tommy Johnson

Los Angeles

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The Dodgers find themselves both offensively and defensively challenged at catcher this season. Why can’t the Dodgers get an All-Star-caliber catcher? Oh yeah, we had one in Russell Martin and they released him.

Jeff Drobman

Malibu

Dream Weaver

I was always a Jered Weaver fan, but with his recent contract extension he has moved to the top of the list. It is so refreshing that someone ignores his agent and the lure of more money to play for the team they want to play for and live where they want to live. As Jered stated, how much money does one need? Doing what is best to make one happy doesn’t always involve the most money and a shark agent.

Thank you, Jered. You have set an example of a class act.

Steve Shaevel

Woodland Hills

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They say that sports figures should not be viewed as role models, but Jered Weaver just established a pretty good blueprint. Jered, we are honored to have you represent the Angels, just as your actions tell me you are honored to be an Angel. Look for me at the stadium, I’ll be happily clad in my No. 36 jersey.

Chris Gagliano

Redondo Beach

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Good news: The Angels are closing in on behind Texas and they’ve signed Jered Weaver through 2016. Bad news: If the Angels end up one or two games short at season’s end, blame Weaver. He’s the team’s MVP and maybe the game’s best pitcher, but, by throwing over the head of Alex Avila, he forced the Angels to pitch Garrett Richards against the Yankees. Angels lose. Weaver misses his next start. Angels lose. Weaver gets bombed in his return after seven days of rest. Angels lose.

Terrence McNally

Los Angeles

Degree of Wie

How peculiar that Michelle Wie [Aug. 20] is criticized for wanting to complete her college degree. College has not only enabled Wie to grow up more normally after her prodigy childhood, it’s also given her a solid education for the rest of her life. Rather than criticizing her, Wie should be praised as a role model for other young hotshot golfers. She’s managed to get rich playing pro golf and earn a Stanford degree at the same time. She’s got plenty of time to be a world-beater on the women’s tour.

Steven Hendlin

Newport Beach

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Annika Sorenstam is wrong. Michelle Wie should be commended for having an education goal and for working to achieve it. There is more to life than making 40-foot putts and winning barrels full of money.

Jerry Moore

Cerritos

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If I were a prospective employer I would be looking to employ the best people for my company.... Hmmm, let’s see: Arizona dropout or Stanford graduate. Ms. Sorenstam owes Ms. Wie an apology for criticizing Wie’s commitment to a quality education.

Mike Rubino

San Pedro

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So Annika, who after having had enough of the college experience dropped out of Arizona before her second year, publicly criticizes Michelle Wie for focusing too much on her studies, at the expense of her golf game. “She [Wie] is very distracted by school....”

Sounds like the University of Miami just found their next athletic director.

Bill Gerlach

Seal Beach

The AEG way

We see that AEG’s Tim Leiweke is yet another puppeteer of L.A. politicians. His brash but apparently true statements concerning AEG’s right to pass on using the Coliseum as a temporary venue for a relocated NFL team seems proof.

L.A. guarantees the financing but gets no locked-in use of the Coliseum? Really. One of the few good things about the Dodgers deal more than 50 years ago was the Dodgers’ use of the Coliseum until Dodger Stadium was built.

If Tim Leiweke is a master manipulator, what does this make his boss, Philip Anschutz? And what does it make of the elected L.A. officials who do their bidding?

Warren Larson

Sunland

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Stop. Just stop. Please tell me which current NFL owner is willing to give up controlling interest, or any interest, to AEG and their carnival hawker Tim “I Love Spending Other People’s Money” Leiweke. You can’t. Until your sports department can, then stop reporting on a non-story.

Has it been such slow time for sports that this dead issue becomes front-page news? Act like journalists, not lap dogs for AEG. I suppose your next story will be the announcement that Eli “Not With My Money” Broad is AEG’s silent partner. Yikes!

Brent Montgomery

Long Beach

Handle with care

As a former family caregiver to my mother until her death and as a current family caregiver to my brother, thank you, T.J. Simers, for your most beautiful story on Coach John Wooden’s caregiver — Mr. Tony Spino [Aug. 21].

Thank you, Mr. Spino, for your devotion to Coach Wooden. You exemplify what a caregiver should be.

Remember the words of former First Lady Rosalynn Carter: “I know only four kinds of people in the world — those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers.”

Don Bentley

La Puente

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It’s refreshing to know that T.J Simers can write without ripping Rick Neuheisel. While an underclassman at UCLA in the early 1980s, I suffered a severed ACL in my left knee playing racquetball at the newly opened John Wooden Center. I hobbled over to the training center not knowing the extent of my injury, where Ducky Drake and Tony Spino welcomed me fervently, with as much concern as if I was the leading scorer on the men’s basketball team. They didn’t know me, and I was not a collegiate athlete but they treated me with tremendous care for a few days following and without prejudice of my just being a student. It was a gesture that I have not forgotten, and I never will.

Ted Sullivan

Barcelona, Spain

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I enjoyed reading T.J. Simers, mostly because I’m a sucker for punishment. However, I just read his column on Tony Spino, only to wipe away a tear or two. I live with a hero, as my wife provides all the love for her bedridden mother. And now I have another hero in Mr. Spino. His unconditional faith, commitment, and love for God, his family, and John Wooden proves to us all that there’s those among us aspiring for more. He’s taught us that hitting that winning home run, draining that final shot, or catching the overtime touchdown is not always on the playing field.

Hats off to Tony Spino, an inspiration and to Mr. Simers for writing from his heart.

Tony Piraino

Long Beach

Double doesn’t play

As a former longtime Little League coach who has participated in many tournaments, I can attest to the fact that the bigwigs in Williamsport have a somewhat skewed sense of fair play. I could cite many examples, but the latest is their “modified double-elimination” World Series. By modified what they mean is that the best team so far, undefeated Montana, should they lose Saturday, will not advance to the final even though they will have suffered only one loss and split two games with “champion” California. So that means double elimination for everyone except the team that goes into the American final without a loss. Great lesson for the kids.

Josh Clark

San Gabriel

Night moves

I just received my USC season tickets and noticed that the UCLA game starts at 7 p.m. How soon does everyone forget what happened last year at the Rose Bowl. Fighting, brawling, and even a stabbing between the fans before the game even started.

How does television have this power and how does Pat Haden let them get away with this after what happened last year? You will have people getting to the Coliseum around noon for seven hours of alcohol prior to kickoff. The rivalry deserves much better that this.

Come on, Pat. Get the starting time changed so all in attendance, paying $80 per ticket, can enjoy the game.

Bill Piercy

San Pedro

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The NCAA’s decision not to discipline Lane Kiffin for his misdeeds at Tennessee means he will not be suspended from coaching any games this season. That begs this rhetorical question: Hasn’t the NCAA already punished USC fans enough?

Mark S. Roth

Los Angeles

Hold that Laker

I’m glad to hear that Luke Walton is taking a part-time job as an assistant coach at the University of Memphis to supplement his $6-million salary from the Lakers. Perhaps Luke can teach the student-athletes how to parlay being a bench-sitting, below-average player into big bucks in the NBA.

Don Geller

Irvine

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