Letters to Sports: Sorry to see Shohei Ohtani’s season slammed by injury

I feel bereft from the loss of Shohei Ohtani on so many levels — for him, for me and for baseball. His time as a two-way player may be over. Baseball has lost a season never again to be repeated. It is sad to contemplate that the hope of baseball is damaged goods. Good luck, Shohei.

Rich Fond
Sherman Oaks

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It unfortunately looks like Shohei Ohtani has been shelved from the mound once again. Which raises the question as to how much is a designated home run hitter worth on the free-agent market? It’s sad to say, because he is a once-in-a-lifetime talent (probably never to be seen again). But now it’s time to be concerned more about his overall stamina and health coupled with what’s best for him going forward.

Richard Whorton
Studio City

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So, Dylan Hernandez blames the Angels for not “protecting” Ohtani from himself and thereby contributing (at least) to his injury. Of course, no evidence is presented that both pitching and hitting led to the injury, but when did a Times’ writer need evidence before presenting a proposition as fact? Shohei Otani is a grown man and made a decision to pursue greatness. There are probably millions of baseball fans who are glad he was given that chance. Your writer would apparently prefer that he have been a modestly successful DH for the Dodgers.

Carolyn Gill
Redlands

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The Angels look like they’re just a couple of trades away from being serious World Series contenders — trades for a new owner and a new GM.

Michael Miyamoto
Mission Viejo

USC president Carol Folt is showing her true colors. And they are, of course, cardinal and gold. This means the secrecy and shroud of silence will continue at USC any time there is a scandal. But don’t forget, as long as the football team is stacked with talent and most likely in contention for a national championship, all is well in the Trojan family.

Patricia Kanda
La Crescenta

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The announcement of the latest USC athletic director reminded me of a lyric from one of my favorite songs, “Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream.”

“I asked the captain what his name was, And how come he didn’t drive a truck. He said his name was Columbus, I just said, ‘good luck.’”

Noel Park
Rancho Palos Verdes

The courts will decide whether Reggie Bush has a defamation case against the NCAA. But he should not get his Heisman Trophy back. He received impermissible benefits while at USC. Case closed!

Jack Wolf
Los Angeles

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Reggie Bush cheated by breaking the rules at the time. It is immaterial that in today’s world it would not have been a problem. Remember when the national speed limit was 55 mph ? Did all the folks who got speeding tickets for going 60 get those removed from their record after it went back to 65? No they didn’t because at the time the offense was committed they broke the law. Same logic applies here. He cheated and was caught.

Bruce Fischer
Huntington Beach

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Bill Plaschke is right — time to return the hardware. But I’m not speaking of Reggie Bush’s Heisman Trophy. The NCAA needs to first return USC’s 2004 BCS championship trophy and restore vacated wins from 2004-2005. These were team achievements stripped away by overzealous NCAA regulators using the dubious “pay for play” allegations that Bush is now challenging.

This entire fiasco was brought about by Reggie Bush breaking at the time existing NCAA rules, however unreasonable they might have been. USC suffered a lost decade and image harm as a result, but shouldn’t USC be made a little whole again before Bush can regain his Heisman and “proudly” lead the team down the tunnel once more?

Pete Skacan
Manhattan Beach

Excuse me. The Los Angeles Times devotes an entire page of its diminished sports section to criticize the Angels for not sending their radio broadcast team on the road. Aren’t you the same guys who don’t have a beat reporter travel with the team?

Chuck Brauer
Dana Point

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Of all the boneheaded mistakes owner Arte Moreno has made — and believe me, this sports page can’t hold them all — not sending their radio team on the road is the most shameful. The disservice Moreno continually exhibits to fans has reached Frank McCourt levels. Sell the team!

Jim Fredrick
Manhattan Beach

Your coverage of track and field at the world championships leaves a whole lot to be desired. One line for Ryan Crouser competing with a blood clot in his leg. More one-liners for Noah Lyles, a 200-meter specialist, winning the 100 meters over the Jamaicans. The Americans are doing great at the world championships, but nobody would know reading your magazine sports page.

Dave Simon
North Hollywood

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Her race against two of the best-ever sprinters from Jamaica was scintillating. Her story is amazing. Yet Sha’Carri Richardson’s world title in the 100 meters (in a championship record time of 10.65 seconds) did not even merit a tiny photo in The Times. With the Olympics just a year out, the fastest woman on Earth and all of our incredible track and field athletes deserve a much brighter spotlight for their feats.

Steve Weinstein
West Hollywood

All UCLA fans, as well as any anti-USC fans, should be very happy to hear of Bill Plashcke’s predictions for the USC football season. If things go as they usually do for Plaschke’s predictions, the Trojans will be lucky to even be bowl-eligible.

Alan Rubenstein
Encino

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Since The Times no longer has what most people would call a sports section, I thought we might be spared Bill Plaschke’s annual awarding of the national championship trophy to USC before the first snap of the season. Alas, no such luck.

Edward Anderson
San Diego

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