Letters: Ryan Braun brews up some strong reaction

Why did Ryan Braun use drugs? He had 127 million reasons to use them. And he gets to keep every single one of them.

Why is anyone shocked by this?

Jeff Heister

Chatsworth

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Ryan Braun: “I am not perfect. I realize now that I have made some mistakes.”

Translation: “If I were perfect, I wouldn’t have made the mistake of getting caught using PEDs.”

Ron Tom

Pasadena

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Media question to Brewers Manager Ron Roenicke: “How do you feel knowing that Ryan Braun lied to you?”

Roenicke: “I don’t know that he did. I don’t know what this is yet.”

Please, Ron, allow me to shed some light.

What this is, is one of an epidemic number of sad stories in the naked city of an athlete lying, cheating, stealing and going Roger Clemens-Lance Armstrong-scorched-earth to defend his lies.

Memo to athletes still dumb enough to cheat: If you see the dragnet closing in on you, jump into it.

Dan Johnson

Burbank

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Oh, how I long for the good old days of baseball, when cheating consisted of a little spit on the ball and some pine tar on the bat.

Gary H. Miller

Encino

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Let’s see if I have this right. The players are guilty — they are in search of big contracts. The union is guilty — it fought for lenient drug enforcement rules. The owners are guilty — they love the crowds generated by spectacles such as the Barry Bonds circus. The fans are guilty — they continue to patronize and subsidize the tainted performances.

Looks like a level playing field to me.

Skip Nevell

Los Angeles

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I am bewildered why people still hold athletes as role models for themselves or their children. This has been going on for decades, from the bigot Ty Cobb, the philandering Babe Ruth, the drunken Mickey Mantle, the gambling Pete Rose, the wife-swapping Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich, the cocaine-buzzed Doc Gooden and Steve Howe to the apparently murdering Aaron Hernandez and now Ryan Braun.

Think we should pick new role models?

Richard Katz

Los Angeles

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The only PED Ryan Braun, the “Hebrew Hammer,” should have been using is the one he grew up with — chicken soup.

Alan Matis

Sherman Oaks

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LeBraun took his talents to South Beach too.

George Sands

Torrance

Blue blazes

So the Dodgers are in first place. What’s the name of their clueless manager?

Loren Coleman

West Hollywood

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So Matt Kemp feels obligated to criticize Ryan Braun? Considering Kemp’s unacceptable lack of hustle Sunday and his overall lack of production this year, he is in no position to criticize anyone. He has a history of bonehead baserunning, a frequent lack of hustle and a general immaturity.

Please note the Dodgers’ resurgence has occurred with Kemp on the disabled list most of the time.

Craig Poletti

San Dimas

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So let me get this straight: After hamstring, shoulder and ankle injuries, Matt Kemp is scheduled to participate in the annual charity bowling event Monday night. Matt, if you blow out your knee bowling, that does not count as hitting for the cycle.

Larry Weiner

Culver City

Old Dodgers

I’m rooting for Mike Marshall [July 20], who seems deserving of a chance to serve the game he still claims to love. But telling Bill Plaschke that he wishes he had been tougher and handled injuries better during his playing days — even while admitting he doesn’t wear his 1988 World Series ring because it’s painfully clunky and hurts his finger?

Alas, certain reputations just aren’t reparable.

Steve Ross

New York

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Finally, I know why Steve Garvey, despite his qualifying credentials, isn’t in the Hall of Fame. The recently aired episode of ESPN’s Nine for IX: “Let Them Wear Towels” covered Garvey’s role in getting locker room access to female reporters. Apparently, that’s a sin that baseball’s old guard will never forgive.

John Whiteman

San Diego

Missing links

Now that Phil Mickelson has earned $1,442,826 for winning the British Open, hopefully he won’t have to pass the collection plate to help pay his taxes. Or maybe he can do more propaganda spots for ExxonMobil.

John Bransfield

Arroyo Grande

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While the sports world theorizes on the cause of Tiger Woods’ failure in major tournaments over the past five years, they seem to neglect one very important fact: Stevie Williams is no longer his caddie.

The value of a caddie is immense. He is part psychologist and part personal trainer in order to keep his player positive and strong during the trials and tribulations of a four-hour round of golf. It is no small feat.

It is more than a coincidence that Woods has not won a major tournament since Williams got off his bag. It may be the main reason.

Kenneth Spencer

Pacific Palisades

Optimists club

Because Bill Plaschke wants to contrast (and trash in advance) the Lakers’ upcoming season with the glory of years past, let’s contrast Bill’s Lakers column with his own glorious past. The man who has written so many brilliant and touching human-interest stories is willing to put his name on a silly hack job built on quotes from benchwarmer Robert Sacre — and only Robert Sacre.

Sometimes even the greats need an editor to tell them, “You know, this isn’t worthy of you.” Because yours didn’t, Bill, I will.

Frank Shapiro

Chatsworth

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I have to feel Bill Plaschke is grasping at straws when he basically says the good news about the Lakers this coming season is that they will be faster .

In further looking for the positive, he quotes Robert Sacre as saying the Lakers will be like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in the dramatic scene in the movie where they come out with their guns blazing .

Does Robert realize it is in that scene that Butch and the Kid both die?

Bert Bergen

La Cañada

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In the July 24 article, “Dollars to Go Nuts,” Mike Bresnahan and Eric Pincus suggest that Kobe Bryant might take the veteran’s minimum next year of $1.45 million and play third fiddle behind two “big-name” free agents. Kobe Bryant playing third fiddle — now that’s nuts.

The article ended with: “Bryant said he wants to add to his ring count.” I’m pretty sure he meant that he’ll demand the $32-million maximum and hit the jewelry stores in the Newport Beach mall.

Shane Brolly

Sherman Oaks

We’re on the list!

Filling the gap between the All-Star game and end-of-season awards, consider the following “all-time” list:

Most Homers

1. Babe Ruth

2. Maris-Mantle

3. L.A. Times sportswriters

Best Cheerleaders

1. Dallas Cowboys

2. Laker Girls

3. L.A Times sportswriters

Great Sports Reporting

1. Vin Scully

2. Jim Murray

3. Ralph Martinez

Arcadia

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