Letters to Sports: Negatives outweigh positives in Dodgers’ White House visit

Dear Dave Roberts: I was totally disgusted to see you at the Dodgers’ White House ceremony pandering to Trump. As far as I was concerned, you made a complete fool of yourself. I’m sure many Dodgers fans were equally horrified with your behavior.

Susan Stann
Temecula

Today’s visit to the White House was baseball, not politics. It was a boost for MLB, not columnists who try to be political hacks with personal bias. If the hacks or detractors listened to the references it was all about achievement in what the team did to win. The Dodgers are part of the entertainment industry which annually draws maybe a billion fans or more and certainly billions of dollars. The hacks and detractors will not be convinced otherwise but if you line up any 50,000 fans at a game, you will see a positive vote for the privilege of going to the White House. Baseball wins, sports wins, the entertainment industry wins, and America wins. Boo the hacks and the ignorant detractors.

Bill Koury
La Cañada

Dave Roberts justifies his appearance with Donald Trump because it is a “baseball tradition” that should be honored.

I didn’t hear him protesting to uphold other baseball traditions such as banning Black players from baseball, not having designated hitters, or starting with a runner on second base in extra innings.

Traditions come and go. It seems Mr. Roberts traded his moral compass for a trip to the White House lawn.

David Griffin
Westwood

In my dreams Dave Roberts says, “Nope, not gonna go to the White House. If they want to fire me, let ‘em.” Dream on.

Jay James
Pico Rivera

I will suggest the nuclear option. The Dodgers should never again visit the White House. No matter who is president.

Dennis Doherty
West Los Angeles

My family has long been Angels fans, but we’ve finally been beaten into submission. A pathetic performance by the starting pitcher, a giveaway by a reliever (usual story), and a roster full of people who are likely getting their one year in the show make this the absolutely worst baseball product we’ve ever seen. We used to go to games routinely. No more. Then we cut back to once or twice a year. No more. Then we watched, even recorded games on TV. No more. Last night, we turned it off after the first inning. Pathetic.

Mike Liewald
Los Alamitos

LeBron James’ head must be hard to fit through a door these days. What a drama queen he is to keep the NBA guessing for a month with everyone on the edge of their seats waiting for his latest “decision.”

I’ll bet everyone except Rich Paul is hoping he’ll retire and free everyone else from the never-ending guessing game.

Ken Blake
Brea

Our long national nightmare is finally over. LeBron James has ended his free agent Odyssey by joining three All-Stars and a rising star in Philly. Glad his decision was strictly based on happiness, like Rich Paul assured us, not ring chasing.

Mark S. Roth
Playa Vista

So LeBron James signs with the 76ers. I don’t know about you, but I could not survive on a piddling $4 million per year. Is he eligible for food stamps?

Jack Wolf
Los Angeles

Just watched the World Cup final. The 1994 World Cup, with its record attendance, unprecedented TV coverage and hopeful performance by a young U.S. team provided the landing ground. With this World Cup and its even bigger numbers, overwhelming media coverage and an American team that actually came with expectations, doors were knocked down.

This one didn’t suddenly make the U.S. a “soccer nation,” of course, but it showed Americans how the World Cup is indeed bigger than the Olympics, how a sport that has drawn disdain for decades from some quarters here is quite worthy of its worldwide popularity, and how our big domestic sporting events aren’t quite as big globally as some think.

Donn Risolo
Altadena

Adiós fútbol, well done!

Time for football.

Bill Hokans
Santa Ana

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