Letters to Sports: Why do the supposedly ‘smart’ Dodgers look so stupid?
Another postseason, another Dodgers collapse. As always, there is plenty of blame to go around. Andrew Friedman and Dave Roberts deserve their share for their predictable mismanagement of the roster and curious pitching decisions. For example, removing Tyler Anderson after five innings when he’s given up just two hits and no runs. Starting a not fully healthy, strikeout-prone CT3 in Games 3 and 4. He was 0 for 7 with five strikeouts.
Even more concerning is the fact that we’ve seen the same terrible approach at the plate year after excruciating year. Once again, the “smartest guys in the room” look like the stupidest guys on the field.
Steve Kehela
Studio City
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The pulling of Anderson was an epic fail. I am doubtful that Roberts even makes these calls. Just like with Rich Hill, this substitution cost the Dodgers another title. I can’t even say wait ’till next year because I expect a tripling down on this strategy.
Paul Zimmelman
Marina del Rey
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What’s wrong with Dave Roberts? He pulls Anderson when the pitcher is doing well and can go more innings. This is not the kind of decision a savvy manager makes. And if we have him back next year, he’ll probably make the same knucklehead decisions. Is it time for a new manager?
Deborah R. Ishida
Beverly Hills
Dave Roberts and Andrew Friedman are in Dodgers fans’ crosshairs after another early October exit. Why aren’t the players being held responsible?
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As a lifetime Dodger fan I’m thinking of the recent Dodgers’ season in terms of a disappointment and not a failure. Supposed loyal Dodgers fans who will disparage the team after the joy it provided during its incredible run through the regular season are invited to jump off the bandwagon now. Please don’t wait for it to stop moving before doing so.
Ron Yukelson
San Luis Obispo
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The Dodgers lost in the playoffs, but the season is not a failure by any means. They proved they were the best team in the regular season. The playoffs determine the champion, not the best team. The best teams are forced to take five days off to disrupt the players timing and routines, they have to play a team that just won a playoff series and has tons of momentum, and they only get to play a five-game series. That is great for making the teams more evenly matched and the games more entertaining, but not for crowning a champion.
Dean Somerville
Leander, Texas
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Now that the MLB 162-game season is nothing more than a play-in tournament, it’s time to admit as much and just do away with the regular season. Or we could keep the current system and watch a third-place team battle a distant second-place team for a heavily diluted pennant.
Alan B. Posner
Santa Barbara
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Hi Bill Plaschke. Wasn’t that series between the Dodgers and Padres just adorable? L.A. can’t always win everything. You should give credit where credit is due. Go Padres!
Teresa Loren
San Diego
Andrew Friedman isn’t ready to say the Dodgers’ front office was responsible for the team’s early postseason exit. And that’s part of the problem.
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Dave Roberts should have been left off the Dodgers postseason roster.
Alan Stern
Shadow Hills
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With their lineup, my wife can manage the Dodgers to a 100-win season. Roberts ineptitude is magnified when decisions need to be made in a short series.
Bruce Beck
Oak Park
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To all those longtime frequently disappointed Dodgers fans ripping Roberts and his managing style, I have only this to say (from the late-great Tommy Lasorda, as heard on the late-great Jim Healy’s show): “It’s not my freaking fault. Campanis is the freaking guy”!
Marty Zweben
Palos Verdes Estates
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The National League had three teams that won more than 100 games and none of them will be in the NLCS.
There needs to be one wild-card team per league, not three.
David Svoboda
Fountain Valley
MLB expanded the playoffs from 10 to 12 teams for this season and the Dodgers earned a first-round bye. It had nothing to do with their elimination.
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Sitting and watching the end of the Dodgers series-ending Game 4 loss to the Padres was a bummer. But the worst thing about it was knowing that the paper the next day would feature Plaschke and Hernández wringing their hands and tearing their clothes about it, claiming that it rendered the Dodgers 111-win season an utter failure and searching frantically for scapegoats. Turns out my premonition was correct — their columns featured zero balance or perspective, unlike Houston Mitchell’s Dodgers Dugout newsletter Sunday that reminded fans, even disappointed ones, that it is, after all, only a game and should not be allowed to ruin anyone’s life.
George Legg
Rolling Hills Estates
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Regarding Dylan Hernández’s gripes with Andrew Friedman, which are well-deserved, I watched the news conference and couldn’t believe that no one asked the Dodger president whether he is going to rethink the five-innings-and-done starting pitcher philosophy, or why the second half of the batting order delivered next to nothing in the NLDS. Yes, Friedman was “haughty” and defensive, but the reporters on the scene failed Dodger fans, as well, by not asking these pressing, pertinent questions.
Elyce Wakerman
Sherman Oaks
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Dylan Hernández rips Andrew Friedman for not having a plan to end the playoff woes of the Dodgers. What does Hernandez suggest? It’s easier to complain than come up with a solution.
Jim Woodard
Woodland Hills
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Let me get this straight. In the seven seasons Dave Roberts has managed the Dodgers, no team has won the World Series more than once. The Dodgers have been to three World Series in that span, with only Houston matching them in that regard, with their one win forever tarnished by cheating. Over the same span, Roberts has a .632 winning percentage, equating to an average of 102 wins per season. No other manager comes close. Fans and sportswriters in Los Angeles need to get a grip.
Peter Maradudin
Seattle
Barely a week after setting a franchise record with 111 regular-season victories, the Dodgers see their season end in an NLDS loss to the Padres.
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As an Angels fan since the 1980s, there were some words in this article about the Dodgers demise that I didn’t understand: “winning a franchise-record 111 games” … “a stretch of 10 consecutive postseason appearances.”
Can someone please tell me what those mean?
Harriet Ottaviano
Hillsboro, Ore.
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Allow me, as a 70-year Dodger fan, to pile on with booing that God-awful performance against the Padres. Dodger ownership long ago caved in to the media pressures of Los Angeles, to create lots of entertainment during the season. Just like the movies, this resulted in so much fun fantasy.
But as the postseason showed, playing baseball is about skill, capability and desire.
Robert Whitehair
San Mateo
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My grandparents moved to Palo Verde (Chavez Ravine) in 1908. They bought a house and raised their children there. When the Dodgers came they had to leave. Thanks Padres for your beautiful gift. Grandpa would be proud. No hard feelings. Really.
Michael Garcia
Burbank
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You can just imagine Vin Scully calling the Dodger collapse in San Diego with undertones of incredulity, irony and disgust.
Dave Quick
Santa Monica
Looks familiar
The debacle in Utah exposed Lincoln Riley as the coaching love child of Lane Kiffin and Clay Helton. His Kiffin-like end-game clock (mis)management, failing to call any of his three timeouts, cost the Trojans a minimum of one minute after Utah scored the winning touchdown, leaving Caleb Williams precious little time to drive the offense to field-goal range. SC’s dozen penalties, for nearly 100 yards, was eerily reminiscent of the undisciplined teams which were the hallmark of Helton’s disastrous tenure.
Mark S. Roth
Los Angeles
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OK, we have listened to all of the Trojan hype ad nauseam. We have read all of the articles by Plaschke and his cronies about how Lincoln Riley and some well-paid transfers were making USC an instant playoff team. We listened, all the while knowing that USC has a first-rate offense and a third-rate defense. So please think about sharing the love with some other local teams for a change, like maybe that awfully good team across town in Westwood. They just might entertain you and also make you proud.
Alan Abajian
Alta Loma
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First of all kudos to Utah, better coached and more discipline. SC’s defense is pathetic on a good day. Riley is an offensive coach, who doesn’t believe in defense, maybe next year he can buy better defensive players with the NIL money.
Louis Stratford
Huntington Beach
Give him some help
What’s wrong with Russell Wilson? When the linebackers and defense ends arrive at the quarterback the same times as the ball does, then Superman couldn’t complete a pass against the onrushing linemen. Charger defensive linemen were using Russell as a tackling dummy.
Russell Wilson will look like Russell Wilson when Denver gets offensive linemen that can block.
Donald Peppars
Pomona
Over already?
It’s over, for now, I watched opening night and the Lakers are unwatchable with Russell WasteBrick! Every point or assist he makes is lost on the next play. The Lakers can’t guard a back door and miss wide open threes! Release or trade everybody but LeBron and let him play the season with the G League Lakers.
Alexander Durdines
Claremont
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They told Wilt Chamberlain to forget about scoring and concentrate on rebounding and defense. He did, and the Lakers won 33 games in a row and a ring.
Russ, be like Wilt.
Daniel Landau
Mar Vista
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The photo by Robert Gauthier of Anthony Davis lying on the floor and peeking out speaks volumes regarding the Lakers’ present state of affairs.
Beverlyn Jackson
Rialto
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I find it rather remarkable that the combined payroll of the Galaxy ($27,303,314) and LAFC ($19,001,888) is about a half-million dollars less than Russell Westbrook’s ($47,063,478) base salary for the upcoming season.
Fred Gober
Playa Vista
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