Go beyond the scoreboard
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I am so impressed with the recent history of the Chargers. They have the noble distinction as the greatest NFL team at losing close games. They build a lead, then give it up at the end in usually heartbreaking fashion. The undisputed champions of moral victories. They walk off the field when it’s over, their heads held high as they congratulate the victorious opponents. What a proud legacy!
Stephen Biskar
Huntington Beach
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The Chargers played well enough to win last Sunday, but did not win due to changes in the NFL rules. Two Titan touchdowns were greatly aided by referee penalty calls. Both were calls where the actual hit was more incidental to the play than deliberate.
Football is a contact sport. If the NFL wants to protect the players from injury, then put flags on the players so pulling the flag means the progress and play has stopped.
David L. McDaniel
Capistrano Beach
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In the NFL, two things will always be true: One, the Dallas Cowboys will never win a Super Bowl with Dak Prescott at quarterback. Two, the Chargers will never reach the Super Bowl with Brandon Staley as the coach.
Jesse Guevara
Pico Rivera
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Once again Father Staley and the Charity Chargers give away another game. Does not matter if those missionaries are at home or on the road they always lose in the same fashion. Father Staley, hear my confession, “you need to find another parish.”
W. Lee Miller Jr.
Inglewood
2
Wasting time?
Has anyone else noticed how the Rams seem to always run the play clock down to one second before they hike the ball? Why? They are wasting all kinds of time and this “tactic” simply reduces the number of plays they will be able to get off. There is no advantage to just standing there. You know what the play is, go ahead and hike the ball to get the play going.
Kelvin D. Filer
Compton
Sam Farmer makes his picks and predictions for Week 4 of the 2023 NFL season, starting with the New York Giants taking on the San Francisco 49ers.
3
A good listen
Thank you, Bill Shaikin, for the article on Charley Steiner and Rick Monday.
Unlike TV commentators, these two almost always talk about the game at hand or about baseball. Monday in particular I find intelligent, informed and thoughtful. I’m one of those many who grew up listening to Vin Scully on a transistor radio. He was unique. Yet, when I hear Rick Monday’s mellow voice, to me it says “Dodgers.”
Bob Wieting
Simi Valley
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Bill Shaikin summed up perfectly the problem with today’s baseball broadcasters. He states, “Vin Scully had a nightly conversation with the listener. Steiner and Monday have a nightly conversation with each other.” This is the difference between the absolute and glorious magic that Scully and other announcers of his time made, and those who only allow the radio audience to listen to eavesdrop on two people, good friends though they may be.
Bill Waxman
Simi Valley
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“Steiner and Monday have a nightly conversation with each other …” usually to the detriment of the fan listening to the game. Listening to these two doesn’t mean you’ll hear the action or the score.
Steve Tye
Diamond Bar
4
Where’s UCLA?
After the UCLA Bruins dominated the team they played 59-7 and USC didn’t even play, I was excited to see the front page story on UCLA’s victory. However, I was greeted by a full page story about a former USC football coach. USC has the Heisman winner, and is top 10, I get it. But on the weekends when they don’t play, can’t UCLA get some respect?
Keith Drucker
Los Angeles
Ten years after he was fired by USC on the tarmac at LAX, coach Lane Kiffin has recalibrated his life and settled into a spoiler role at Ole Miss.
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Who cares about Lane Kiffin?
It’s hard to imagine why the Sunday Sports section would lead with a story about one of the most disliked, narcissistic and untalented football coaches in recent years. Why do we care what happened to Lane Kiffin after his totally disastrous time at USC? All we care about is he’s gone. Kiffin is, and always will be, a total blight on USC football, so why make him out to be this knight in shining armor? We don’t care!
Robert J. Gagliano
Palos Verdes
6
The right and the wrong
Bill Plaschke is pretty much spot on in deriding the USC football program for its head-scratching suspension of SCNG reporter Luca Evans. It’s obvious that Evans’ “transgressions” are not suspension-worthy and I am glad to see that he has rightfully had his media privileges reinstated. However, I take issue with Mr. Plaschke mocking USC President Dr. Carol Folt for asking Evans to refer to her by her title and not her first name. Dr. Folt has a doctorate in ecology from UC Davis. According to their website, that is a six-year program. After six years of study, Dr. Folt is well within her right to request, in a professional setting, members of the media use her proper title. Unfortunately it is all too common for women in academia to be called by their first names while their male counterparts are called doctor or professor. I see it every day. So good on Mr. Plaschke for pointing out the absurdity of Evans’ suspension, but boo on him for his misogyny toward Dr. Folt.
Janna Braun
San Diego
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Freeway funnies
Q: Do you know the difference between an Angel Dog and a Dodger Dog?
A: You can get a Dodger Dog in October.
James Sanzaro
Westminster
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