Letters to Sports: Chargers once again find a way to lose

1

Seeing the Chargers blow another meaningful game is like watching the movie “Groundhog Day.” Same old Chargers. Again, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Richard D. Muir
San Marcos

Brandon Staley does not understand that one of the most important jobs of a head coach is to respond to game conditions by making on-the-field adjustments. How else to explain the fact that opponents regularly, and dramatically, outperform the Chargers in the second half? It doesn’t help that he spends each game singularly focused on game calling, entirely missing the big picture of the game flow.

Bill Bloomfield
Park City, Utah

When Brandon Staley was asked if he ever thought his job was in jeopardy, he bluntly answered, “No.” Wow! Staley is lucky he is employed by an owner who has no concept of winning.

John C. Borrego
Safety Harbor, Fla.

Staley needs to go. He inexplicably plays his starters three quarters in a meaningless game. He loses Mike Williams in the process. He loses more receivers during the playoff game and Justin Herbert finds he is running low on targets. Face it, some coaches are meant to be coordinators and not head coaches.

Russell Hosaka
Torrance

Brandon Staley was the sole reason that the Chargers didn’t make the playoffs last year with his stupid playcalling. Brandon Staley is the sole reason Mike Williams didn’t play against Jacksonville. The Chargers had no deep threat in a one-point loss. He needs to be fired immediately. They cannot keep underachieving solely because of their coach.

Mike Lorraine
Simi Valley

The Chargers lost another game primarily because of another questionable call by coach Staley. With a few minutes to go in the first half, the Chargers had the ball with third down and inches to go. The obvious call was a Herbert sneak (success rate of almost 100%). A first down would have almost assured that Jacksonville would not get the ball back, considering the little time remaining. Worst case, the Chargers go into the locker room leading 27-0 with all the momentum. Despite this, Staley elects to call a “daring,” risk-prone play. The play goes south, Jacksonville is given life, and the rest is history.

Bill Fado
Pacific Palisades

Staley is most certainly a fan of Clint Eastwood and spaghetti westerns with his sequel to “The Good, The Bad & The Ugly.” Now he needs to duplicate the ending and ride out of town.

Thomas Kelsey
Murrieta

Bye-bye, Brandon Staley. Maybe you can join the Lakers and consult with Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss. Time for Dean Spanos to step up and do what it takes to hire Sean Payton.

Steve Geary
Corona del Mar

I knew a Chargers coach would/should get fired after Saturday’s loss to the Jaguars, I just didn’t think it would be the offensive coordinator. I was thinking more along the lines of the (lack of defense) defensive coordinator and/or the head coach. They fired the offensive coordinator for his poor playcalling. The offense didn’t give up 31 points, the defense did.

Russell Morgan
Carson

If the Chargers players really believe their current coach can take them to a championship game, only two things are possible. 1) they’re delusional or 2) they don’t like visiting Disneyland.

Jesse Guevara
Pico Rivera

2

Lakers have heart

Lakers star LeBron James flexes his arm during his 48-point game against the Houston Rockets on Monday.

It may seem like undue optimism given recent Lakers losses, but I like what I see with this team. In spite of close, heartbreaking defeats, they come back and fight hard every night. My hope is that such refusal to quit will temper this team as it continues to heal and improve. Quitting is easy. Having the intestinal fortitude to fight on no matter the circumstances is what builds champions.

Ron Richards
Los Angeles

So, LeBron James is frustrated by the Lakers’ sub-500 season. This is the same LeBron who is responsible for the Lakers’ recruitment of Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook; Davis has been available for fewer than 50% of the team’s games, while the team has had trouble fully using Westbrook’s unique talents until lately. James bears considerable responsibility for a roster that is filled with individuals “better suited for G-League duty.”

Noel Johnson
Glendale

Once again Dan Woike‘s hero-worshiping campaign for LeBron James graces the Sports page. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend the game with my children so we missed James screaming to the crowd, “I’m a bad mother f—“. Imagine trying to explain to your kids what’s a bad mother—?

Patrick Kelley
Los Angeles

3

Why keep her in the game?

Sunday’s Times reported on an Ontario Christian female basketball player making 17 three-point shots (out of 31 shots taken) in a game, setting a state record. However, the final score was 115-30, meaning, not only did she outscore the other team, but she also took more shots than points scored by the other team. Disgustingly, she made nine three-pointers in the fourth quarter when the game was clearly out of hand. Why did coach Matt Tumambing have her still in the game? Where is the respect for the other team? When will commissioners, athletic directors and principals step in to bring a semblance of sportsmanship back to our youth?

Matt Clark
Los Angeles

4

About time, USC

As a USC alumnus, I was pleased to learn Cromwell Field has been renamed to honor the legacy of Allyson Felix. It shouldn’t have taken decades to remove the name of a known racist and anti-Semite.

Barry P. Resnick
Orange

5

More women’s sports coverage

Is it ironic that the article about Title IX and equal treatment for female athletes is being printed in the male Sports section of the L.A. Times?

The word male is dropped from the name of the section but it is obvious from the overwhelming imbalance in the photos of the athletes. With close to 500 days of statistics, the proof is that more than 92% of the photos are of male athletes. While the balance may not be 50/50 it is certainly not 92 to 8.

The article mentions hostility toward female athletes and I wonder if The Times is showing hostility toward women by ignoring or showing a mere less than 8% coverage of female athletes.

A claim that there is no interest in reporting or covering female sports cannot possibly be true. Even if the proportion is 60% male to 40% female athletes as reported in the entertainment section of the LA Times they surely deserve to be represented in the sports section or create a female Sports section instead.

Michael Kember
Van Nuys

6

Golf is like fishing?

To the reader who was upset with the limited golf coverage in the sports section of The Times, I will offer an explanation; golf is not a sport, it is a recreational activity such as fishing, and it really belongs in the Calendar section.

Steven Jayson
Playa Vista

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