Lakers have quick trigger

Did Mike Brown have a fair shot after last year’s strike-shortened season, and five games into a new season? No. Was Mike Brown the right coach for the Lakers? No. Unfortunately, firing Mike Brown isn’t going to solve the Lakers’ problem.

You can lay the fault and responsibility for the Lakers’ plight right at the feet of Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak. They are the people responsible for the Lakers’ roster, past and present. They both should be held responsible for the Lakers’ problems and pay the same price as Mike Brown.

Frank Tierheimer

Cerritos

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The hiring of a coach without at least discussing the candidate with a team’s best player is tantamount to failure. The firing of Mike Brown is evidence of such. Kobe Bryant was never asked about his opinion of Mike Brown, who many felt should not have been hired in the first place.

What did it take for the Lakers’ management to finally wake up? The “Kobe Death Stare.”

Wayne Muramatsu

Cerritos

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You don’t have to be from Princeton, Yale or even Harvard to know that the Princeton offense is Ideal for a team with less athletic ability than its opponents. The 1996 UCLA Bruins know that all too well.

Any Ivy Leaguer also knows every triangle has three angles in order for it to exist. Angle 1. Keep Kobe happy. Angle 2. Keep Kobe very happy. Angle 3. Keep Kobe very very happy.

Obviously, Coach Brown flunked geometry.

Richard Katz

Los Angeles

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Allow me to think out loud when I ask if the Lakers could really have been as bad as they looked, or did they perhaps “tank” to get the resulting coaching change? If they perk up and start winning right away, we might know.

Dan Johnson

Burbank

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So the Clippers crushed San Antonio by 22, and beat the Trail Blazers on the road in Portland by 13, in back-to-back games without their third-best player, Chauncey Billups?

Isn’t it odd that Coach Vinny Del Negro did not mention that a roster with all their new players is a work in progress, getting the team to play together is a process, or the team will need time, weeks or months, so that the players get used to playing with each other?

Tom Lallas

Los Angeles

Deflated or defense?

Jersey swapping, lying to the media about his vote in the coaches poll, banning the media for reporting on injuries, walking out of a news conference like a child. And now intentionally deflating footballs. I think Pat Haden has some “unfinished business” with Lane Kiffin.

Kyle Worrell

Redondo Beach

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Fan: I want the truth! Did you order the game balls against Oregon deflated?

Kiffin: You can’t handle the truth! Son, I have a defense that can’t stop anyone. Who’s gonna fix it? You? My old man? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. Throwing our student manager under the bus for this deplorable act, while tragic, probably saved jobs. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, helps win games. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the three-loss Alamo Bowl-bound team I lead. I’d rather you just said thank you and went on your way.

Fan: Did you order the balls deflated?

Kiffin: You’re #%&damn; right I did!

Larry Yells

Hermosa Beach

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The thing about Lane Kiffin that really makes him deplorable to me, is not only is he is a repeat offender and almost a “serial cheater,” but he actually is not very good at it.

The guy seems to get caught immediately after every attempt. If Kiffin was a bank robber, he’d be going into banks without a ski mask or anything to cover his face, no gloves and leaving fingerprints everywhere. . . and probably even wearing a big name tag with his cellphone number on it. Like many people, I do not like cheaters. But if you’re going to do it, at least make some reasonable effort to not get caught . . . and definitely don’t throw the student manager under the bus for your poorly crafted and childish little scheme.

Matthew D. Kerster

Gardena

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If the team manager had deflated Coach Kiffin’s ego instead of footballs, maybe the Trojans would have been more successful this season.

Joseph Fitzsimons

Santa Monica

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If the Trojans’ defense were a movie I’d definitely leave the theater early so I can rid myself of watching more of “The Fool Monte.”

Jesse Wolak

Pomona

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How in the world did Monte Kiffin get from Los Angeles to Baton Rouge in time to coach LSU to defeat in the last minute of its game against Alabama?

Kirk Steele

San Clemente

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Ring. Ring.

“Hello.”

“Hi, Dad.”

“Hi, Lane.

“Still coming over for Thanksgiving?”

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

“Bringing the apple pie?”

“Already bought the apples.”

“Oh, and one more thing, Dad.”

“Shoot.”

“You’re fired.”

Bill Lane

Hollywood

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Dear Monte Kiffin,

If you care at all about your son’s success as head coach of the USC football team, maybe you should relinquish your duties as defensive coordinator, especially after the worst defensive performance in USC history. If you leave, then your son may be able to hire someone to restore the defensive toughness SC sorely needs. If you stay, ultimately both you and your son will be dismissed. Be the bigger man and choose wisely.

Felipe Varela

Whittier

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Is the goal of USC football to win national championships or to be a farm program for the NFL?

It was obvious Oregon’s high-powered, no-huddle offense had USC’s defense on its heels. No embarrassment there, as Oregon did to them what they have been doing to every other team.

What is at fault is the Trojans’ offense. When is USC going to scrap their old pro-style offense? You know, the huddle-so-they-can-make-all the defensive-substitutions-they-want offense. USC fans were shown the offense of the future and Oregon has it now.

Russell Hosaka

Torrance

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So USC wins the coin toss with Oregon and Coach Kiffin thinks it a good strategy to give away the first possession? I left the room for less than a minute and it was already 7-zip! It appears the defense was hoping not so much for a stop, but that all the Ducks would pull a hamstring running so fast toward the end zone.

Kevin H. Park

Encino

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Here’s something all sports memorabilia collectors should be on the lookout for. Try and find a picture of the Oregon Ducks in an actual offensive huddle.

Richard Whorton

Valley Village

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Was that an Aflac commercial being filmed in the Coliseum last Saturday?

Jerry Selby

Pasadena

Oh, yeah, UCLA

When was the last time UCLA football was riding a two-game winning streak at the same time USC was suffering two straight losses? And the Bruins ahead in the polls as well? If recent history is any indication, the Bruins will get surprised by Washington State, dissected by USC or trampled by Stanford, if not all three.

But then again, maybe this really is a different UCLA football team. They have a star QB for the first time since Cade McNown and, no matter the future, have already exceeded expectations.

Richard Turner

Fontana

Here’s hoping

It appears that Commissioner Larry Scott needs some help. He hasn’t been able to make a deal with DirecTV. His comment in the Sunday Times, “Every week we are hoping for a different answer.” Really! Hoping! The Pac-12 Networks is like Christmas morning. You open all of your presents and there is nothing in the boxes.

Gary Price

Glendale

Juicy stuff

The Dodgers get Mark McGwire to be their hitting coach?

Who else?

Roger Clemens as pitching coach?

Lance Armstrong as conditioning coach?

Marion Jones as baserunning coach?

Arnold Schwarzenegger as strength coach?

Jerry Sandusky as community relations director?

Bad idea, guys. This could be the most ill-advised Dodgers hire since Vladimir Shpunt.

Ben Browdy

Los Angeles

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Bill Shaikin asserts in his article [“Making a Case for Clemens,” Nov. 6] that a federal jury “cleared” Roger Clemens of charges that he lied to Congress when he testified that he never used performance-enhancing drugs. Sorry, Bill, but all that the jury did was find that the prosecution had not proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Clemens had lied, which is the standard before anyone can be sent to prison for a crime. The jury certainly did not “clear” Clemens of lying any more than a previous jury “cleared” O.J. Simpson of murder.

Edward A. Ruttenberg

Rancho Palos Verdes

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Mr. Clemens’ “willingness to risk his freedom to convince a jury” and his “integrity, sportsmanship, character” notwithstanding, many a lawyer says they love a jury trial in spite of evidence. Brian McNamee testified twice, under oath, that he injected Clemens “on multiple occasions.” I count on journalists to tell us about the game I love. I may not always agree with them but they are down there, in it. I will leave it to the Baseball Writers Assn. of America to do what’s right.

Alex Fernandez

Lakewood

Bad memories

Arte Moreno, if you don’t re-sign Torii Hunter I believe that Torii, like Mike Napoli, will return to Angel Stadium in another uniform in the future and make you sincerely regret that decision.

John Freeman

Ridgecrest

For Pete’s sake

So, Pete Carroll is bored if he has only 13 things to think about? Too bad he couldn’t make it 14 by controlling his football program at USC, instead of bringing disgrace to himself and the university.

David Wilczynski

Manhattan Beach

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