Letters: Working late is working great for Dodgers

Aug. 9, 2019 3:32 PM PT

Tired: Fans leaving super early from Dodger Stadium just to beat the traffic.

Wired: Fans arriving super late just to catch the last inning walk-offs and Gatorade baths.

Steve Weinstein

Los Angeles

It was an exciting game Wednesday and of course I’m glad the Dodgers won. Now, will someone please explain to me why the Dodgers decided to put the game on YouTube? Just doesn’t make any sense.

Jay James

Pico Rivera

I read the letters last week in the sports section and apparently this year’s World Series is over and the Dodgers lost. How did I miss it?

Roger Kraemer

Brea

Andrew Friedman said that the Dodgers can win the World Series because their position players and starting pitchers are “elite” and their “bullpen has a chance to be well above average.” Does Friedman want a surgeon who is well above average? Or a mechanic who works on the Dodger’s chartered jets?

Maybe the Dodgers can win the World Series if their opponents hitters are just well above average.

Jack Saltzberg

Valley Village

Since Andrew Friedman likes to talk about bullpen history, I wonder what grade he got got in history class? He says “our bullpen has a chance to be well above average.” Is that a B+? I imagine he also believes in the tooth fairy and the Easter bunny.

Roy Reel

Culver City

Seriously? Dodgers fans are frustrated? Over what? Not getting a zillion-dollar player? The team has the best record in baseball and their W-L record is 32 games over even, the best in baseball. The team has one of the premier home run hitters in baseball. They’ve scored 168 more runs than their opponents, by far the best in baseball. Frustrated? Who writes your headlines?

Gary M. Barnbaum

Calabasas

In response to a couple of letters in last Saturday’s edition, I feel I need to clarify what it means to be a real Dodgers fan. Being a real Dodgers fan doesn’t mean you can’t be critical of the organization and the team and simply accept what’s handed to us. You can be a real Dodgers fan and still be proud that we won two pennants in a row and could be on our way to a third.

But being a real Dodgers fan includes both enjoying the regular season while dreading yet another loss in the postseason. Being a real Dodgers fan means being a knowledgable, and, in my case, nostalgic, and expecting the once-great franchise to win a World Series maybe once every 31 years. It also means being annoyed when they don’t do everything they need to do to win, while less wealthy teams like the Houston Astros, who just won two years ago, are.

So, just because you’re content with second place, please don’t judge me because I’m not. Ask any real Buffalo Bills fan. They know what I’m talking about.

Steve Freeman

Los Angeles

Last week, The Times ran a comparison article about the salaries of various outfielders. Alex Verdugo and Cody Bellinger make just a little over $1 million combined. Yet the two talented young athletes have provided hours of thrilling, jaw-dropping entertainment to Dodgers fans. May I respectfully request that, at the end of the year, management gives these two boys a bonus? Send the check and card on behalf of Dodgers fans everywhere who simply can’t get enough of watching them.

Cheryl Holt

Burbank

Falling Angels

Remember “Spahn and Sain and Pray for Rain?”

Now it’ “Just Trout and Wait for the Rout.”

Jack Oakes

Santa Ana

The Angels have done a nice job of putting together a decent offensive club. Signing Trout to a long term deal was great. But when are they finally going to follow the lead of the Astros and realize pitching is the most important part of any team? Instead of signing stiffs like Matt Harvey, Trevor Cahill, Cody Allen, Ricky Nolasco, Joe Blanton and so on, when is Billy Eppler going to understand that before the Angels can ever contend for a playoff spot they must drastically upgrade their pitching staff?

Bruce Olson

Upland

Fact-checking

Thank you to Andrew Grief for pointing out that Doc Rivers assembled “a superteam” at Orlando. The rest of the world apparently missed that.

Also, thanks for pointing out that the rise of the Warriors prevented the Lob City Clippers from achieving greatness. I always thought the problem was losing to the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round.

Rob Osborne

Manhattan Beach

The City of Los Angeles, Lakers fans and ownership owe a heartfelt thanks of gratitude to the New Orleans Pelicans’ David Griffin for practically guaranteeing that the Lakers will hoist another championship banner in Staples Center after this season.

Mr. Griffin gave LeBron James all the motivation he needed to remind everyone that when you challenge the King, championship bells will ring throughout the Southland.

Donald Peppars

Pomona

Trojan trauma

I am sick and tired of hearing how coach Helton is to blame for our 5-7 season last year. That underperformance is 100% attributable to injuries. You can’t win with your scout team! Give the coach a break and look at his first two seasons and you’ll find one of the future all-time great coaches. Fight on!

Brian Adams

Malibu

I keep reading that Clay Helton owned it or something to that effect. Gee, is that why he fired almost his entire staff because they owned it or he did? Losing five of the last six games in the second half, fights between the players on the sidelines like in the Arizona State game and for the most part a gradual process of empty seats at the Coliseum ... but it was Helton’s assistants’ fault. He owned it, right?

Bill Consolo

Del Aire

Despite going 5-7 last year, my 2019 USC football season ticket price rose 30%. Gouge On!

David Marshall

Santa Monica

It’s interesting that of all the thousands of assistants coaches in the country, USC’s Andy Enfield decided that the father of two of the best high school basketball players in the country was the best qualified choice. To no one’s surprise, both of this coach’s sons have decided to enroll at USC. After these “one-and-done” players leave, I wonder what Enfield’s long-term recruiting strategy will be, since his short-term strategy will have played out?

Jack Nelson

Los Angeles

Hanging 10

Enjoyed Jack Harris’ article on surfing, but he should vet any source that tells him surf language is the measure of a true surfer. If that were true, “grimmies” would rule. True surfers love to surf, regardless of the jargon.

I surfed in my teens, didn’t shred or rip, but my nine-foot Bing was perfect for walking the nose. It was a time of Woodies and sex-crazed parties (according to The Breeze). Kick-outs; kick-backs; kneeling-out; beaver-flap diver’s tops; Misirlou; and what’s a leash — that was our language.

I envy the new guys, but I wouldn’t trade my memories of all those sex-crazed parties, I somehow missed.

Mario Valvo

Ventura

What happened?

The members of the U.S. women’s national team used to be the Mike Trouts of soccer. They were humble, hard-working, talented, unrelenting, and had a team-first mentality that made you want to cheer for them regardless of the outcome.

In the last year, they have become the Yasiel Puigs of soccer. Like Puig, they are very talented; but like Puig, they have become arrogant, boorish, and self-centered. No wonder their coach bailed out on them.

Russell D. Beecher

Canyon Lake

Hall of Famers

Dear Sam Farmer,

As a longtime L.A. Times reader, I am sitting here on a Sunday bemoaning the state of our country and taking a brief respite here in the toy department, the sports page. Thanks for the work that makes this possible.

God bless Jim Murray.

P.S.: T.O. still doesn’t get it.

Jeff Heister

Chatsworth

Point taken

I find it ironic that right below the column Wednesday about dropping horse racing coverage in the newspaper because “Space in our print product is at a premium” you put in a 61/2-by-5” photo of a fencing match!

Walt Hoy

Menifee

Off the pre-way

Hey Roger Goodell, it’s time to say over and out to NFL preseason games. I mean seriously, what’s the point of paying top dollar to watch players whose only claim to fame is getting cut on “Hard Knocks”?

Just add two more games to the regular season schedule so we can all get our money’s worth.

Larry HerreraRedondo Beach

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