Letters: Did ticket prices cost Kings a Cup?

Ticket brokers are the ultimate lowlifes. There was a huge difference in fan support between Game 3 and 4. The reason is real fans could not afford to see their beloved Kings. The only people willing to pay ridiculous prices are fly-by-night observers who thought it was the in thing to do. When ticket prices escalate to upward of 10 times the face value, there is a problem. I certainly hope all the idiots who paid as much for one single ticket as it would’ve cost to purchase season seats got their money’s worth. Oh wait — they didn’t. The Kings lost.

Geno Apicella

Placentia

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The Kings’ Game 2 stories by Helene Elliott and Bill Plaschke were great reads, but they didn’t create the goose bumps of Robert Gauthier’s memorable photo of the winning goal’s aftermath. It’s a prime example of how “a complex idea can be conveyed with just a single still image.”

It’s worth more than a thousand words, and it should be worth at least a thousand bucks to a cameraman who creates those stirring images for us week after week.

Spike Bragg

Long Beach

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Drew Doughty’s magnificent goal in Game 2 was pure poetry. I haven’t seen those kind of moves across the so much terrain through multiple defenders since Maradona’s goal in the 1986 World Cup (soccer). Maybe we can call it the “Stick of God” goal!

Gino Cirignano

Playa del Rey

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Shame on NBC for the biased announcing calling the Stanley Cup. With the exception of Mike Milbury, you can almost hear the others, including Ed Olczyk and Jeremy Roenick, exhorting the Devils. Bob Miller would have been less biased in his announcing. In the end, we Kings fans will all hear the memorable words of Al Michaels and “believe in miracles.” But it would be insulting to the Kings to call this a miracle. This was an opus. Enjoy the Cup, men. After 37 years, I will. Thanks

Bruce N.Miller

Playa del Rey

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Last week’s letters compared the NHL to the NBA. My comparison is submitted for your approval.

Number of timeouts per team:

NHL: 1. NBA: 8

After an infraction:

NHL: Power play. NBA: Foul shots.

Late-game strategy:

NHL: Pull the goalie. NBA: Hack-a-Shaq

What hurts the game:

NHL: Too much fighting. NBA: World Peace.

Nelson Costello

Los Angeles

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To L.A. fans, these Kings bring back childhood memories of those first chilly mornings of early December when the L.A. River would freeze, and we’d grab our sticks from under the diving board, lace up our skates and head for the ice...

Craig Tepper

Santa Monica

Lakers’ best option?

Lakers fans must be excited, I hear Clint Eastwood is going to make a sequel to his hit movie “Million Dollar Baby.” It will star Andrew Bynum and be called “$16.1-Million Baby.” I’m sure Andrew will be excellent in the role.

Virginia Conrad

Torrance

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Looks like Jim Buss will cement his legacy by picking up the option on Andrew Bynum to the tune of $16.1 million. Hmm, I’m not sure if “cement” is the right word in this situation. Maybe silly glue?

Kristen Hyland

Irvine

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I was there when the Lakers battled the mighty Boston Celtics in the Sports Arena. I was there when the Lakers won their first West Coast NBA championship in the Forum, beating the New York Knicks in five games (there were empty seats). I was there for Magic Johnson and Showtime. In all those decades there wasn’t any Lakers team with bench players as bad as this years team. Blaming Coach Mike Brown for what Laker Land considers a failed season is crazy. He did a great job of getting the Lakers into the playoffs considering the hand he was dealt.

James West

Fallbrook

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Reader Joe Laviguer hit it right on the nose. The Kings play their guts out, the Lakers are just gutless. The Kings play together with a “we” mentality, the Lakers play a “me” game. The Kings are likable guys, the Lakers have to many sullen, petulant, and selfish people.

What can they do? Trade Bynum for whatever they can get. Howard would be great. Next, waive Artest, no matter the cost. Retain Gasol and Coach Brown. Gasol’s play will return to form when Bynum and Artest are gone. Sign one or two free agents that are mature professionals who want to play hard and well in Los Angeles. Mike Brown is a good coach, he was just dealt a bad hand.

Kobe is the main reason this team is so unlikable. But they are stuck with him. Someone in the Lakers organization needs to step up and stop the hostage mentality that Bryant has created. Everyone seems to be afraid of him, and this leads to a dysfunctional group.

These changes will not create an NBA championship, but the Lakers as they stand now are going to be unwatchable also-rans.

John M. Clark

Saugus

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The only way Kobe will get another ring is with another team (Thunder, Heat, Bulls), and the Lakers should help by trading him for youth and athleticism while he still has value. That’s the only way they’ll get another ring.

Jack Wishard

Los Angeles

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Eric Spoelstra should not fret his near-certain dismissal as Miami Heat coach. He has become a master spin doctor with a guaranteed future in politics.

Bud Chapman

Northridge

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At least one Laker is going to the Finals. Go Fish!

Charles Spink

Santa Paula

Get over it

I don’t understand why everyone is still upset with Frank McCourt. He bought a great asset with borrowed money. Then he fired older, higher paid employees to reduce costs, and raised prices to increase his profits. He then paid out ridiculous compensation to himself and his family members, and other “executives” and purchased valuable assets for his personal use. This strategy allowed him to declare bankruptcy, eliminating his liability to creditors.

You would think a bankrupt company would have little value, but apparently it does. Two billion dollars, a nice profit for McCourt. Isn’t this the model for responsible, ethical, business practices. Looks familiar to me, any other examples of this practice previously?

Jim Petralia

Playa del Rey

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If I’m Elian Herrera, the way I see it, if my manager implies that I’ll have to get two hits every single contest, and drive in the winning run every night just to rate consistent playing time over other guys who’ve stunk their entire careers, it tells me that (as always with Don Mattingly) the most I should expect is to be a platoon player until the day I wise up and sign with another club after my contract expires.

Clifford Burton

Santa Monica

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I agree with Mike Scioscia. Ervin Santana should not be relegated to the bullpen. Triple A? Sure.

Ron Reeve

Glendora

Soft landing

Nice column by Bill Dwyre on Tuesday about the politics and uncertainty surrounding the USA women’s softball team in the Olympics. It’s a shame that the IOC sees softball as a fringe sport, because it’s certainly not. The fact that ESPN broadcasts the Softball College World Series speaks to the competitiveness of the games and the sport’s broad appeal, and based on Japan winning the gold medal in the 2008 Olympics, softball is clearly not a U.S.-dominated sport, as the IOC fears.

My teenage daughter has been playing softball for seven years, and I’ve seen girls’ recreation and travel leagues grow and interest in the sport continue to rise. Many of these girls move on to play in college, and from there they eye the U.S. Olympic team. Removing softball from the Olympics is shortsighted. Softball is the epitome of team competition, and it’s a tragedy that the IOC doesn’t see this.

Ron Epstein

Woodland Hills

Spell it out

In the latest attempt to appear hip or cool, ex-jocks posing as professional sports analysts are now calling the Boston Celtics “the Cs” and tall players “bigs.” Early on, as the English language became even more fractured by those unskilled and unlearned in proper grammar, the Houston Astros became “the ‘Stros,” the Los Angeles Clippers “the Clips” and the San Francisco (nee New York) Giants, “the Jints.”

This butchering can be carried to infinite extremes, to wit: The Angels, “the Gels,” the Rangers, “the Gers,” the Rockies, “the Kies,” the Padres, “the Dres,” the Royals, “the Als,” the Tampa Bay Rays, “the A’s — wait, we already have that.

If these clowns posing as analysts want to save time, all they have to do is banish the most overused crutch phrase in sports, the dreaded, puke-provoking, “I’ll tell you what.” What will you tell me? Just tell me. Don’t tell me what, or better still, “Dnt tl me wht.”

Ed Golden

Northridge

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