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Another Dave Roberts questionable dumb move. Will somebody please explain to me why Roberts sits Max Muncy down for Game 2 against the Giants? Everyone with any Dodgers knowledge knows that Muncy “owns” the Giants. Game 1, Muncy clobbers the Giants. Game 2, without Muncy, Giants clobber the Dodgers. Game 3, with Muncy back in the lineup, he clobbers the Giants, again. What was Roberts thinking? I rest my case.
Paul Kessler
Century City
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After a frustrating performance at the plate in Arizona, Max Muncy hits two home runs in the Dodgers’ first game in San Francisco, a place where Muncy continues to have success hitting. So what does Dave Roberts do? He sits Muncy out in Game 2, which the Dodgers only manage three hits [in] a 5-0 loss.
It looks as though we are going to suffer more knucklehead managerial decisions again this season.
Kent M. Paul
Costa Mesa
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Roberts and the Dodgers need to adapt to the times and the new rules of baseball. We are among the worst when it comes to stealing bases, catching the opposing team’s runners when attempting a steal, and in overall steals allowed. The game is changing and the Dodgers and Roberts appear woefully ill-equipped to adapt with it as our opponents and division rivals pull further away.
Brett Pickering
Phoenix
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The Dodgers have been criticized for not improving the team enough in the offseason. I have seen a big improvement though! Jessica Mendoza is getting a lot of air time as color commentator! So unusual to have one who is so knowledgeable, able to articulate so clearly the complex and quick contingencies and calculations baseball players must make, and with a sense of humor that far exceeds that of the usual retired male baseball players. Congratulations, Dodgers! I am back after a period of mourning for the loss of Vin Scully!
David O. Sears
Pacific Palisades
Cody Bellinger was a budding superstar with the Dodgers until injuries and several changes to his swing led to three miserable seasons at the plate.
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It has been painful watching Andrew Friedman’s Dodgers play this month. We feared 2023 would be a sub-par season after Friedman failed to sign any big names and let several seasoned players go elsewhere. What are the reasons? Could it be: a) the pitching, b) the bullpen, c) the offense, d) the defense, e) the base running, or f) all of the above. If you guessed anything other than f, you must have been watching last year’s reruns.
Roy Reel
Culver City
James Outman was a development project with a “caveman” swing when the Dodgers drafted him. Five years later, no one is surprised by his big league rise.
2
Throw it in the lake
Wow, what an ugly victory … Lakers (Minneapolis) against Timberwolves (Minnesota) … Land of 10,000 Turnovers.
Rick Henderson
Covina
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We Lakers fans want you to sweep Memphis. Four games won and done. Anthony Davis in beast mode. LeBron James oiling the offense like a 48-oz. can of WD-40. Everyone else going 20 and 10 while playing air-tight defense. If not who, then you? If not now, then when? And always, rebounds get the rings.
Gary Linquist
Morro Bay
The postseason could work out well for the Lakers, who beat a short-handed Timberwolves team for the right play the short-handed Grizzlies.
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Of all the antics NBA players use to promote themselves, “ice in my veins” is one I hope they rethink and stop using (pun intended). Whenever a player depicts inserting a needle in his arm, it is also a reminder to some of us, the horrific reality of drug addiction. It is insensitive to the many families and individuals, mine included, that have watched harmful drugs in the veins of their loved ones ruin their lives by injecting fear, despair and hopelessness.
LeBron James standing at center court frozen as a statuesque drug user, even though his drug of choice was ice, is not what I want to see during the NBA playoffs. I am not overreacting! I love sports and “when I read the [L.A. Times], I turn first to the sports page, because the front page speaks of men’s failures, the sports page speaks of men’s accomplishments” (Earl Warren quote). But the insensitivity of some athletes to ignorantly mock drug addiction in a celebratory way is a sad reminder that brings us back to the front page.
Judy Thomsen
Glendora
3
Give it more power
The Trojans’ offense is expected to harness even more horsepower with the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and an abundance of elite skill position players, so Lincoln Riley has added a trusted “senior analyst” to study film and help game plan, fortifying USC’s road to the playoffs if they can avoid driving off a Kliff (Kingsbury).
Steve Ross
Carmel
USC fans will finally get a glimpse of the Trojans’ revamped defense during Saturday’s spring game. Texas A&M transfer Anthony Lucas could have an impact.
4
Not quite there
I wanted to thank executives Rob Blake and Luc Robitaille, coach Todd McLellan and his marvelous staff, and especially this fantastic Kings team for the most exciting season I’ve witnessed in 10 years. But very sadly, until they trade in three or four of their undersized, outmatched defenders for some fully grown men to add to [Messrs.] Drew Doughty, Mikey Anderson and Sean Durzi, their mercurial, athletic forwards will remain targets, free of charge. They will continue getting pushed around and will not be getting through the roughneck, larger teams in their division when it matters down the stretch, and you can forget about any lengthy playoff stays.
I think Kurtis MacDermid comes available soon, and I’d look into Luke Schenn, Alec Martinez. Maybe send fruit baskets to Jordan Nolan and Kyle Clifford while you’re at it.
Dan Johnson
Salem, Va.
It’s time for the Kings to show whether they’re Stanley Cup contenders or pretenders. Their first task is to get past the powerhouse Edmonton Oilers.
5
Well? We’re waiting
Just as predicted, it turns out that Major League Baseball games are almost 30 minutes shorter since the advent of the pitch clock. The agonizingly slow play at the Masters last week suggests that a swing and a putt clock may make the tournament more enjoyable for those at home watching a player compare yardage with his caddie from their notebooks to decide whether they are 130 or 131.5 yards from a pin. If you have played a course 10 times or more (Tiger Woods and Fred Couples more than 100 at Augusta), and you don’t know how far away you are by opening your eyes, it is surprising you could find the golf course. Give them 30 seconds for each shot, no yardage books, no lasers, binoculars or GPS. Just hit the damn ball!
Kevin Park
Westlake Village
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I know I am old, but doesn’t the world move fast enough right now? Baseball was the one major sport with no ticking clock. We may have gained 20 or 30 minutes in our day, but at what cost to our souls?
Rusty Austin
Rancho Mirage
The dawn of the pitch-clock era has fundamentally changed the game for pitchers and catchers, especially when things go haywire on the mound.
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How about applying the pitch clock in the announcer’s booth? Instead of having to listen to Joe Davis and Orel Hershiser talk for half an inning about what they like on their pizzas or other non-game chatter, we put a maximum limit on how many words the announcers are allowed to use within an inning or in a game? Maybe then they could do what the pitch clock has done on the field, which is to get everyone focused on the game itself.
Jeff Cooper
Apple Valley
6
Halo head games
Who in the Angels organization had the bright idea that improving a player’s mental acuity through “brain games” would result in better baseball performance? I guess the word “irony” is missing from their vocabulary flashcards.
Mario Valvo
Ventura
In a sport and league that essentially runs about nine months, Angels personnel like doing Sudoku and crossword puzzles as a way to start their day.
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