Letters to Sports: Hold off on those Dodgers predictions and celebration

Before Game 5 of the NLCS, The Times’ Bill Shaikin quoted Dave Roberts as saying, “there’s a sense of urgency.� It does not appear that Roberts’ Rules were followed, as the Dodgers’ brain trust allowed Jack Flaherty to give up eight runs in only three innings.

Yes, the Dodgers’ starting pitching staff has been decimated, but the relievers have been outstanding and should have been summoned much earlier. This was reminiscent of the Dodgers allowing Chan Ho Park to face Fernando Tatis for a second time (in the third inning) in April 1999, and Tatis hit two grand slams. Hopefully the Dodgers will win one of the next potential two games against the Mets and advance to the World Series, but anything can happen.

Ken Feldman
Tarzana

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With Jack Flaherty pitching, I expected the Dodgers to win Game 5, so I was intending to email you that good pitching wins championships, but the Dodgers proceeded to lose 12-6, so now I have to hold off on that pronouncement.

Vaughn Hardenberg
Westwood

Times columnist Bill Plaschke is the worst thing to ever happen to sports journalism. He might be an award winner but when it comes to him predicting winners he is the “kiss of death.� His call that “the Dodgers are a lock to finish off Mets� is going down as his all-time worst. He has been wrong about every team in Los Angeles and let’s hope the Dodgers don’t make him look like the fool he is.

Jay Slater
Los Angeles

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Bill, please stop making predictions about the Dodgers. Last week, you wrote about the bullpen’s scoreless innings streak and it ends. You write in Friday’s edition that the Dodgers are a shoo-in for the World Series and then they drop Game 5. Maybe you should fast-forward to Lakers season and write your semi-annual article about how LeBron James needs to be traded.

Rob Demonteverde
Brea

Freddie Freeman, you are a warrior! In a league where guys take time off for things like “fatigue,� you arrive six hours before game time to have an ankle worked on that, at best, allows you to play the game with pain and very limited flexibility and agility when most would be in a walking boot.

No matter who hits the most home runs, gets the most hits, pitches the most scoreless innings or drives in the most runs, should the Dodgers win the World Series (assuming they make it there), you are hands down the team’s MVP; leading the way with grit, effort, determination, selflessness and commitment that surely has to lift every teammate to a higher level.

Steve Kaye
Oro Valley, Ariz.

Hey, I have an idea. Next April when the Dodgers regular season starts, somebody tell Kiké Hernández, “This IS the playoffs.�

Axel W. Kyster
Bradbury

In 2025, Clayton Kershaw should be relegated to the bullpen, where he can stay healthy by limiting his pitch count and bolster a critical need.

David Marshall
Santa Monica

I cannot express how much I enjoy watching the roundtable discussion with Bill Plaschke, Dylan Hernández and Jack Harris on Dodgers Debate. During the postseason, after every game I look forward to hearing what The Times writers have to say immediately after the game. Please continue the wonderful job during this great Dodger playoff run!

Ron Ota
Sunland

Lincoln Riley finished his five-year head coaching career at Oklahoma with a 55-10 record. At USC, hired away for a salary around $10 million a year, Riley’s record is 11-10 in his last 21 games, 5-8 in his last 13, 4-6 in his last 10. Supporters of Riley claim that the college game has changed since the days of Pete Carroll at USC. Really? Hopefully, it’s not the Peter principle.

Wayne Muramatsu
Cerritos

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While lamenting USC’s loss to Penn State, I realized what Coach Riley has been working toward. It is the same goal my UCLA friends have been crying for: parity between the Trojans and Bruins football programs.

Paul Gonzales
Claremont

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