Letters: Dodgers gondola backlash aimed at Frank McCourt

1

Bill Shaikin’s extensive article about the proposed gondola from Union Station to Dodger Stadium ignores the difficulties of getting to Union Station in the first place. Would hundreds of fans driving to Union Station instead be any better?

Rich Mouton
Long Beach

::

I’m a lifelong Dodgers fan and I’d rather set my hair on fire and root for the Giants than do anything related to Frank McCourt. It’s bad enough that the current owners let him keep part of the parking lots. As far as I’m concerned, if McCourt touches it, I’m out.

Marnie Jernagan
Fresno

::

Frank McCourt’s flying gondola idea sounds like another Vladimir Shpunt stunt.

Allan Kandel
Los Angeles

::

It seems Frank McCourt will haunt the Dodgers until he’s dead and gondola.

Steve Ross
Carmel

2

Splendid silence

Why do the people who manage Dodger Stadium feel that every single second of dead air has to be filled with loud music, sound effects and electronic whizbang? I don’t want to hear “Day-O! Daaaaayyy-OOOO!” blared out on loudspeakers between pitches. I don’t need to be prompted to clap and cheer every 30 seconds. I don’t want to be subjected to a constant light show on LED screens that rim the decks. I want to watch baseball.

My wife and I watched the Dodgers play in Pittsburgh the other night on TV, and something seemed odd. Then I realized that it was silence. PNC Park hardly had any noise at all during innings, and it was so refreshing.

Tim Smight
Thousand Oaks

3

Bottom line

After reading Jack Harris’ article revealing the fact that the Dodger organization did not pursue arguably the best shortstop in baseball, Xander Bogaerts, last year is clear to me now. It’s all about their bottom line, not their desire to win a championship.

Chris Wrenn
Carlsbad

::

Dylan Hernández said it best, you can’t fool all the people all the time. Because of the Dodgers going on the cheap in the offseason, the club dropped from the most talented club to simply being one of many battling for a playoff slot.

It seems the Padres could afford Xander Bogaerts but the richest franchise in the game could not.

Fred Wallin
Westlake Village

4

Welcome back

While it’s been bittersweet to see old friends such as Cody Bellinger and Trea Turner return to Dodger Stadium this season, it was a true pleasure to welcome Craig Kimbrel back.

Gregg Schoenberg
Healdsburg

5

Front and center

Anthony Davis has relinquished his dubious spot on the NBA’s “All Street Clothes” team (along with Zion Williamson, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Ben Simmons) to emerge as one of the pivotal players in the playoffs — the Lakers’ center in more ways than one. Meanwhile, 20 million Lakers fans are collectively holding their breath, hoping A.D. doesn’t go down, or the Lakers surely will.

Ron Ovadia
Irvine

6

Trading places

Wasn’t it only a couple of weeks ago that Bill Plaschke pontificated on how much better the Clippers were than the Lakers? Negating the problem of one or both of their superstars suiting up in street clothes. They were just better, organizationally and depth-wise. Now a couple of days ago, the Lakers are a powerhouse to be feared in the remainder of the NBA playoffs and the Clippers are “cursed.”

Axel Hubert
Santa Monica

7

Trust your gut

Bill Plaschke’s May 5 column, “Lakers Jolted Back to Reality,” is mistitled. It should be: “Columnist Jolted Back to Reality.”

In his May 3 column, the only thing Plaschke had right in celebrating Anthony Davis’ Game 1 performance in the Warriors series as a definitive triumph over inconsistency was that “a bunch of you [fans] hardly believe it.” We didn’t, and his predictable disappearance in Game 2 proves we were right not to. So the next time, Bill, you find yourself driven to admit, as you do, “that [the columnist himself] hardly believes it,” trust your gut.

Fredrick Altizer

Los Angeles

8

Frame job

If baseball is attempting to clean up cheating by inspecting pitchers for foreign substances, why not also stop cheating by not allowing catchers to deceive the plate umpire by pitch framing. Have the first base or third base umpire indicate this is an obvious attempt of deception, using the same check for assistance they use when judging a check swing.

Dennis Laurents
Carmel

9

Road trip?

Traditionally, when a team is out of the pennant race, The Los Angeles Times stops sending its reporter on the team’s road trips. By that standard, I guess the Angels’ season is already over.

Jim Lawson
Santa Barbara

10

Road trip 2

Thank you for funding a writer and photographer to tell two stories about Ugandan baseball academies and the orphans and coaches who embody great compassion and determination, dreaming of a better life for themselves and others in a country where reasons to hope are hard to find.

They are informative and moving stories. We lived in L.A. for 30 years and are still active Dodgers fans.

Sarah Belknap
Salt Spring Island, Canada

11

Liking that Stetson

Regarding the Rams drafting Stetson Bennett, I think it was a brilliant move. He was one of the best college quarterbacks I have seen in the last several years. He’s got the “it factor” like Patrick Mahomes. Although not physically gifted, they are both very smart and efficient. No question, Bennett was a steal at pick 128.

Sherwyn Drucker
Winnetka

12

Draft rights

At any major college football program except UCLA, if you had an upright, healthy, five-year quarterback starter, you would be surprised that he was not drafted higher than the fifth round, not lower.

Mario Valvo
Ventura

13

Cruel subject

Every year at this time we read about horses dying in preparation for the Run for the Roses. The Kentucky Derby is just one race and I can only imagine how many horses die annually preparing and competing in the “Sport of Kings.” It’s time to stop the deaths. Cruelty to animals is not a sport.

Patrick Kelley
Los Angeles

14

Picture this

A tip of the hat to Times photographer Wally Skalij. His photo of Anthony Davis in Wednesday’s paper was an absolute work of art. Definitely award-worthy. Well done, sir.

Jimmie Hoffman
Arcadia

Lakers forward Anthony Davis beats Warriors forward Kevon Looney to the basket for a layup in the playoff series opener.

::

The Los Angeles Times welcomes expressions of all views. Letters should be brief and become the property of The Times. They may be edited and republished in any format. Each must include a valid mailing address and telephone number. Pseudonyms will not be used.

Email: [email protected]