Letters: Didn’t you used to be the Lakers?

We were all told a number of potential negatives regarding the new and improved Lakers.

How Dwight Howard was recovering from back surgery and had difficulty making free throws.

How Steve Nash was older and had difficulty guarding anyone younger than himself.

How Mike D’Antoni never reached the Finals and simply did not teach or care about defense.

How in spite of the glowing headlines, the Lakers are an old team.

And how Jimmy Buss, now in full control, blew the Phil Jackson rehire and really doesn’t know what he is doing.

Unfortunately, all we were told has turned out to be true.

Jim B. Parsons

Carpinteria

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Definition of karma for Jim Buss: Seeing your future brother-in-law Phil at every family function.

Alex Andrade

Pasadena

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Now that Kobe Bryant is opening up emotionally on Twitter, I have a feeling it won’t be long until we see the following tweets:

“I’m sorry I ran Shaq out of town.”

“I’m sorry I ran Phil out of town … twice.”

“I’m sorry I’m running Dwight out of town.”

“I’m not sorry I ran Smush Parker out of town.”

Gary H. Miller

Encino

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I gag listening to Kobe Bryant’s attempts at being introspective and humble after a career of being haughty, arrogant and distant.

I guess he has one thing right. It’s hard to strut when your feet are mired in mud.

Bert Bergen

La Cañada

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It’s looking more likely than ever the only Laker to get a ring this year is Jeanie Buss.

Erik Schuman

Fountain Valley

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Magic Johnson is the sole player from the Lakers’ past who cannot help kicking the team when they are down. With him being so busy not showing up at his Dodger Stadium office every day, I have to wonder where he finds the time.

Bud Chapman

Northridge

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Soon, the sports editors at The Times will have to ask themselves not the daily question “When will the Lakers stop losing and get out of their funk?” but, rather, are the Lakers still relevant enough to be put daily on the front page of the sports section?

Al DaRodda

Los Angeles

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Not everyone is unhappy with the Lakers’ performance this season. Jack in the Box must be saving a fortune!

Michael Gersch

Whittier

High Tide

Maybe the Fighting Irish can take some lessons on how to put up a fight by watching Alabama’s quarterback and center get into their own fight. Notre Dame certainly needs the lesson. But being a USC fan, I certainly enjoyed the blowout.

Harry Zimmerman

Marina del Rey

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I am eager to see who Bill Plaschke picks to win the Super Bowl so I can rush to my bookie and bet the other team.

Apparently he didn’t watch any Notre Dame games this year or he would have noticed the close results — some would say lucky wins — against the powerhouses of Purdue, Pitt and BYU.

Guess he’s been hanging around Bill Dwyre too much.

Steve Owen

San Diego

Coach on the couch

After months of vitriol spewed by T.J. Simers over virtually every other local team, I settled in to see what lambasting he’d have for Lane Kiffin and the USC football team. Imagine my surprise to see a warm and fuzzy T.J. gush over Kiffin’s white couch, sleepovers and dad duties. The only things missing were rainbows, kittens and unicorns.

Marc Hurd

Villa Park

The Hall story

This week the baseball Hall of Fame officially became irrelevant. Mike Piazza, arguably the best-hitting catcher in the history of the game, was denied entry into this hallowed hall.

I totally understand the backlash on Bonds, Clemens, Sosa and McGwire. I do not agree with the “suspicion” that Piazza and Biggio may have used drugs. I have a “suspicion” the baseball writers drink a little too much, eat way to much free food at the ballpark and could not compose their columns without spell check. Should this keep them out of the Sportswriters Hall of Fame? Oh, that’s right there isn’t one and nobody cares about that either.

Chuck Rinaldi

Huntington Beach

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Anyone who thinks Bonds and Clemens don’t belong in the Hall doesn’t understand baseball or is an idiot. Maybe both.

Roger Humes

Pomona

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The travesty and shame of Baseball’s Hall of Fame rests squarely on the shoulders of two men: Bud Selig and Donald Fehr. Not only did they look the other way as PEDs became common, but they tacitly encouraged and used players such as Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa to literally save baseball when baseball needed saving from its disastrous strike and World Series cancellation. If anyone is to blame for baseball’s “steroid era,” it’s Selig and Fehr. Those are the two who should never be elected to Cooperstown.

Rhys Thomas

Valley Glen

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There’s no point whining about the Hall of Fame vote. Voters vote, and the results are final. If the legendary Ted Williams can win the Triple Crown twice, and not be voted the MVP in either year, then anything is possible.

David Macaray

Rowland Heights

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The real travesty about the Hall of Fame voting is that one writer actually believes Aaron Sele deserves to be there.

Glenn M. Langdon

Garden Grove

They’re baaaack

Gary Bettman’s dismal legacy of three work stoppages suggests that he is unqualified to manage a fruit stand, much less a $3-billion major sports league. Shame on the NHL owners who continue to employ him while the reputation of this great sport degrades. And sincere apologies to fruit stand managers everywhere.

Robert J. Janner

Santa Barbara

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I hope moths haven’t eaten holes in the Kings’ Stanley Cup championship banner.

Jim Karlock

Hawthorne

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In the front section of the Sunday edition of The Times, there was a very interesting story about a guy who specializes in “digging through the graveyard of consumerism in search of zombie brands that can be revived.”

The front section of Monday’s edition included a below-the-fold headline that read, “NHL is ready to drop puck again.”

America truly is the land of opportunity.

Ken Swift

Tustin

Tough game

When I started high school in 1960 my parents told me in no uncertain terms that I was not to play high school football.

I find it amazing that 50 years later that the 2,000 former NFL players suing the league can say with a straight face that they were unaware of possible long-term injury.

If Junior Seau had to do it over I can only imagine he would have chosen tennis or golf over Pop Warner football.

Bob Munson

Newbury Park

Can you dip it?

Did anyone notice that the winning coach in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl was named Chip?

Harris J. Levey

Venice

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