Letters: When will owners and players learn to play ball with each other?

The Rams' new uniforms are drawing quite a reaction.

May 15, 2020 2:57 PM PT

A rational person with fundamental knowledge of the business of sports needs to explain to MLB players that there is a pandemic affecting millions of people in this country and their ability to pay their bills and in many cases feed their families. We can certainly get along without baseball this year, yet the MLB Players Assn. cannot accept the fact that they will have to survive with less money if they want any money at all for this year.

Once the NFL begins in September and goes head to head with baseball, fans will watch and be more interested in the NFL, and if the NBA resumes play and playoffs go head to head with baseball it will be evident that baseball takes a hit. It is quite clear that the only fair compromise for MLB is to share revenue on a 50-50 bases with the owners for this year, only because there is no doubt that without fans in the stands teams will lose money and once fans are allowed to return, how many of them will? Also owners who can only depend on television revenue will operate at a substantial loss. How many baseball fans will be able to afford increased ticket prices, parking and food? Feeding one’s family, making ends meet, paying bills will be the priority.

Edward A. Sussman
Fountain Valley

I just want to make certain I understand this correctly. Rays pitcher Blake Snell isn’t willing to risk his health for $3.5 million a year, but for the full $7 million, that would be OK?

Ron Yukelson
San Luis Obispo

A 154-game season? No way. Just have them play 80 doubleheaders, which used to be traditional. You know, before greed and MBA spreadsheets.

Tim Clark
Los Angeles

Under the heading “the more things change the more they stay the same,” place the petty squabbles now ongoing between the MLB owners and the MLB Players Assn. It is apparent that not even low national morale or rabid fan anticipation is enough to inspire a spirit of compromise, both sides remaining content to pass the almighty buck.

Bud Chapman
Northridge

I had to smile at a baseball fan’s admission to reading book chapters between pitches. My teen daughter brought “War and Peace” to a Dodgers game, no kidding. What would Mr. Tolstoy think?

April Dammann
Gualala, Calif.

Baseball games have been played in front of minimal crowds before. When Charlie Finley owned the Oakland A’s, crowds as low as 900 were in the 55,000-seat Coliseum.

I remember sitting behind home plate (you could purchase the cheapest ticket and sit anywhere because Charlie didn’t hire ushers) and listening to the right and center fielders talk to each other.

Wayne Beissert
Rancho Mirage

A typical response to almost anything that comes out of the mouth of super agent Scott Boras is “That’s rich!” It especially applies to his latest bit of social commentary while declaring that players will take it upon themselves to play or not this year. Boras exclaimed, “these contracts aren’t servitude,” implying that his clients are suffering through some sort of bondage while playing games for an other-wordly amount of money.

Boras is upset that baseball envisions an 80-or-so game season while he’s pushing for 120 so his pro-rated commission will be higher. Now “that’s rich!”

Allan Kandel
Los Angeles

Mr. Plaschke, the stories on the longtime L.A. sports fan who passed recently and the longtime Dodger ticket taker were heartfelt and perfect for the times we are all dealing with. Love the way you find these diamond-in-the-rough stories about true L.A. heroes. Thanks for making us all feel human again.

Jonathan Braun
Frisco, Texas

I am a huge Dodgers fan. This week I got misty-eyed on a Zoom call with Dodgers players. But restarting baseball: are there any benefits? Is it fair for baseball players and skeleton stadium crews to use up 3,000 tests PER GAME (approximately 300,000 for season and postseason)? Will restarting baseball help the economy? Will any of the stadium workers get paid to not work? Will the money the owners save from the players’ salaries be given to their respective cities to help their budgets pay for essential services like police, fire, and teachers at current levels? If the answer to just one of these questions is a “no”, then let’s continue watching reruns on television and restart baseball in 2021. Unless it can contribute positively to the public’s health and economy, sports is not what this country needs right now.

Jodi Regan
Aguoura Hills

I would like to commend the Dodgers for reaching out to the local fan base through weekly Zoom sessions. After attending a few of these sessions, I appreciate current players and Dodger greats’ willingness to connect with fans. As a public school teacher, I use Zoom every day to connect to my 35 students. The best part is the interaction, listening to students who need to be heard during these challenging times. Is it fair to ask that the Dodgers build on this community outreach by allowing fans to feel a little bit more of the experience? It would be great to enable attendees to feel a part of the experience by asking “live” questions and at least be seen by the players, instead of being relegated to the role of an unseen, invisible audience.

Greg Paynich
Chino Hills

Getting creative

Here’s an idea for the very real possibility that the Rams and Chargers could be playing in an empty SoFi Stadium this season. They could turn the new giant video screen into the world’s largest Zoom call. You could literally fit tens of thousands of small video windows on this massive display, and you could pipe in and mix all the audio. It would give the players a sense that they are actually playing in front of fans and it would give the fans a sense of participation.

Gary Goodrum
Coto de Caza

Sports have had a tough time these past few months. However, I expect that in the post-Corona world the experience of viewing sports remotely will surely change forever. The technology is there, or soon will be there, to view a Lakers game as if you were Jack Nicholson ... but at home. V.R. , A.I., 3-D, you name it, will give give fans shut out because of the pandemic or high prices front-row seats. The collective fan experience of giving high-fives to strangers in adjacent seats will be replaced by a Zoom-like experience with others watching the game.

Plus, no traffic to deal with and if the game is bad we can just turn the channel. Change is good.

Mike Anderson
Sherman Oaks

Revising history

It’s time to set the record straight on Kobe Bryant’s performance in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA finals. True, his shot was off (though he was clutch at the line), but I was there, and I couldn’t believe how he was snatching rebounds away from the much taller Kevin Garnett and Rasheed Wallace. Kobe had 15 rebounds. No Celtic had more than 10. Plus Kobe hounded Ray Allen, one of the greatest shooters in NBA history, who wound up a mere three for 14.

If defense and rebounding win games, Kobe was a prime reason the Lakers won a game none of us will ever forget.

Bennett Tramer
Santa Monica

The other view

Why would you print that letter from Les Birken last week that has no relevance to The Times’ love affair with UCLA?

Your coverage has USC on the back pages of the normal Sports section. And Plaschke, Bolch and Sondheimer are so pro-Bruins it is sickening to look at the headlines.

Steve Block
Northridge

The reviews are in

After the Rams doubled down on the worst logo in the NFL with the worst uniforms in the NFL, you have to wonder who in their right mind keeps approving these changes. I think the powers that be should be made to wear these uniforms in public and allow the fans to give them brutal feedback (no stoning allowed).

I guess the organization is hell bent on eliminating their fans. With ridiculously high PSL’s and increased ticket prices to a convoluted logo and eyesore uniforms, Rams fans everywhere will gladly take their refunds and pledge allegiance to another team.

Geno Apicella
Placentia

The Rams’ new stadium looks like it will be awesome. Too bad the team will have Pop Warner uniforms.

Axel Hubert
Santa Monica

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