Letters: Sunday isn’t always trash day in the NFL

That was a good article showing another side of Richard Sherman [“Oh the humility.” Jan. 28]. I just wish for the day when people will not seem surprised that there are good, decent, intelligent people who come from loving, caring families ... and they just happen to be from Compton. There are many, many more.

Kelvin D. Filer

Compton

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Sunday’s Super Bowl is pivotal. Flash forward 10 years to 2024. The Seahawks have won three Super Bowls by playing “smashmouth” football. They consistently lead the NFL in penalties and drug suspensions. Legions of NFL fans across the country identify themselves as “Seahawk Haters.” Pete Carroll is being compared to Al Davis, with the Seahawks’ mantra being “Just Trash-Talk, Baby!”

To avoid this outcome, or at the very least, delay it for one season, Denver must win Super Bowl 48.

Vaughn Hardenberg

Westwood

Outside shots

How many ways was the hockey game at Dodger Stadium a mistake? Let me count the ways. Regardless of what Helene Elliott and Chris Erskine raved, the game was bad and players were bogged down and struggled in the heat. The ice surface was terrible and on more than one occasion the puck adhered to the ice and just stopped cold (no pun intended). How about enough energy and refrigeration used to push global warming forward about 30 years? And, oh yes, KISS! No wonder the rest of the country just loves us here in sunny California!

Richard Luftig

Pomona

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To avoid paying the $20 parking fee for the Kings-Ducks game at Dodger Stadium, we left our car in a parking structure near Union Station and rode a shuttle bus to the stadium. The ride there was not bad; waiting in line plus the ride consumed half an hour.

After the game was a different story. We waited in line 30 minutes to board a bus and then were awarded an hour ride back to Union Station, including 45 minutes just getting out of the stadium parking lot. It then took another half hour to get out of the parking structure. More than two hours after the game ended, we were finally in our car on a city street.

The game itself was interesting, although binoculars were necessary to see what was happening. I was forced to wear earplugs most of the game because of the painfully loud noise coming out of the speakers. KISS added nothing. The woman who butchered the national anthem should be deported.

Bob Patterson

Alta Loma

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As a Kings fan, if I had known that the highlight of my evening was going to be seeing Vin Scully on the Jumbotron I would have waited until baseball season.

The only way Los Angeles wins the Stanley Cup this year is if the Ducks change their name to the Los Angeles Ducks of Anaheim.

Larry Weiner

Culver City

Bad to worse

Tuesday night in a home loss (gee, what a shock) the Lakers gave out a bobblehead doll of the incomparable Dr. Jerry Buss. I know I speak for all Lakers’ fans in saying I’d much rather have that doll running the Lakers than Jim Buss.

Erik Schuman

Fountain Valley

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As Magic alludes, there’s no “D” in D’Antoni. Kobe and Nash can’t get out of bed without hurting themselves. The Lakers are certain to finish in the bottom five of the NBA this year. No impact free agents will sign on here to what is emerging as an aging roster along with a dysfunctional front office

How did we get in this mess so quickly?

Jim Buss wouldn’t sign Phil Jackson, couldn’t sign Dwight Howard and signed Kobe too early.

Uh, duh!

Allan Kandel

Los Angeles

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Pau Gasol complaining about his teammates’ lack of defensive effort is like Jack the Ripper complaining about street crime.

Gasol never runs back hard to the defensive end (he’s too busy complaining to the referees that he was fouled), he is horrible at rim protection, and the player he’s assigned to guard too often posts career-high numbers in points and rebounds.

However, there are two ways to upgrade Gasol’s defensive effectiveness: bench him or trade him.

Ray McKown

Los Angeles

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Listening to Mitch Kupchak defend Mike D’Antoni is like listening to the president of the White Star Line defend Captain Smith after learning the Titanic sunk. The problem is, D’Antoni’s system has never won a championship and never will. In fact, he may never win his own division again.

To paraphrase the late Bum Phillips about Don Shula: “D’Antoni can take his’n and lose to your’n and take your’n and lose to his’n.”

Mannie Barling

Tarzana

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Magic Johnson, No. 8 on the top 10 list of “stunningly short NBA coaching stints,” is now a coach critic? Mark Twain said it best: “Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.”

Bob Ginn

Arcadia

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I am no fan of Mike D’Antoni, but does the guy really need Magic Johnson backbiting him from the sidelines? Dodgers “owner” Magic should stick to showing up with his Dodgers jersey and a big smile whenever there is a photo opportunity and otherwise staying clear of the people actually running the club.

Bud Chapman

Northridge

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Maybe if D’Antoni spent more time developing a defensive strategy and less time on his postgame comedy routine, we might win some ballgames.

Bob McCall

Chino Hills

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I was so relieved Lord Bryant was OK with Pau Gasol’s outburst and criticism of the team’s lack of effort against the lowly Orlando Magic. I look forward to more “deep thoughts” from Kobe on player rotations, zone versus man defense and the effect of the three-pointer in the NBA.

Steve Owen

San Diego

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I thought this year was last year’s “Wait till next year” year for the Lakers. If that is correct, then what is next year? This year?

Russell Morgan

Carson

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Good news, Lakers fans:

The Dodgers’ season starts in 50 days.

Mark Berglas

Huntington Beach

Silly sports

I enjoyed your piece on new Olympic sports [Jan. 30], but it does bring to mind the goofy criteria for picking them. Luge relay? Biathlon mixed relay? Ski jumping? How many people in the world do those things? Couple dozen? Meanwhile, women’s softball and men’s baseball are cut from the Games, and they’re threatening to cut wrestling?

They could save a lot of trouble if, instead of having all these Winter Olympic “sports,” they just go to the circus and hand out medals. Tightrope walking, anyone?

Kurt Osenbaugh

Los Angeles

Cut line

Was that Tiger Woods in the Torrey Pines parking lot last Saturday afternoon auctioning off his traditional Sunday red shirt?

Richard Whorton

Studio City

La-la-la Land

Lakers: Lose, lose, lose.

College football: Sanctions, sanctions, sanctions.

Pro football: Zip, zip, zip.

Dodgers: Spend, spend, spend.

Jim Murray: Spin, spin, spin.

Jerry Moore

Cerritos

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