Letters to Sports: It’s a long haul for DeShaun Foster and UCLA

DeShaun Foster was a good running backs coach, but he has no experience in play-calling and will give UCLA the least experienced head coach as the Bruins transition to the Big Ten. This sounds like just another money-saving move by both Martin Jarmond and Chancellor Gene Block.

Connie Giguere
Rolling Hills Estates

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UCLA is in deep doo doo. And, it’s not because DeShaun Foster is the new coach. It’s because they’re in the wrong league. The same could be said for Nebraska when it moved to the Big Ten. The once-mighty Cornhuskers are now a mediocre football team at best. Run for your coaching life DeShaun! The head coaching job at UCLA isn’t worth it.

Mark Walker
Yorba Linda

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I received my doctorate from UCLA and am a long-standing Bruins fan; I will add that I love Deshaun Foster, truly one of the greatest Bruins to ever don the gold and blue. But I have a question for all of you: Is there another university in the country that would hire someone as their head coach, whose coaching career climaxed at being a running backs coach for nearly a decade? Maybe if the interim title was added, but offering that coach a five-year, $20-million contract?

Jaime Goldfarb
Seal Beach

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Congratulations on your promotion, DeShaun Foster. Seeing and hearing of the players enthusiastic support and love was refreshing and encouraging, as was your wholehearted embrace of the challenges that lie ahead.

They say that you are too young and inexperienced. A few years back they said the same thing about the youngest person ever to be hired as a head coach in the NFL, Sean McVay. His first hire was to bring in a proven old veteran, a respected guru, Wade Phillips, as his defensive coordinator to steady the ship while Sean got his sea legs. Perhaps you take a cue from McVay. You need an offensive coordinator and it just so happens that a few miles south, down the 5 freeway in San Diego, is a proven old veteran, a Super Bowl-winning offensive guru by the name of Mike Martz. I understand that he is bored.

Charles Crawford
San Diego

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Bill Plaschke mentioned Terry Donahue’s hiring in 1976 with no previous head coaching experience. No room in his column to mention the four straight losses to USC and the heavy heat it brought. Patience was significantly running out. Wait! Eight straight against Troy! The bowl victory string! Winningest coach in conference history! Weather that storm, DeShaun. It’s coming.

Hendrik Van Leuven
Wilmington, N.C.

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Bill Plaschke and Ben Bolch don’t report the news, they create the news. They disingenuously characterize Chip Kelly’s resignation as an act of betrayal. They constantly mentioned “hot seat” in all articles for three years and thus sabotaged recruiting and retention of assistant coaches and caused hemorrhaging to the transfer portal. How can any coach be successful after such sabotage. Plaschke and Bolch obviously believe recruits and assistant coaches can’t read. It is a wonder how Kelly managed to match USC’s record last year without a Heisman winner.

Woodrow Harano
Los Angeles

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I can honestly say I have never once in my 67 years rooted for UCLA to win a football game. However, I have admired the fight in Chip Kelly’s teams, they never stop pushing, the camaraderie and the class the team shows. The game changed to big money and all Chip wants to do is call plays and coach football. Just because he won’t be what you want is no reason to dislike the man.

Flora Perry
Los Angeles

Dylan Hernández ends his column on Yoshinobu Yamamoto by saying “… the Dodgers are counting on him to be a Goliath.”

Goliath was huge, clumsy, and slow of wit. Wish that Yamamoto will be like David; who was small, agile, a quick thinker … and had a great throwing arm.

Coleman Colla
Los Angeles

As one who utilizes the Metro E and A lines to Dodger Stadium, the gondola idea is ludicrous. Most of the time consumed is due to transfers at Union Metro stations. Better uses of buses would be more cost efficient.

The cost of additional bus service would pale compared to a gondola.

David Perel
Los Angeles

There are three things in life that you can count on: death, taxes and that sports will break your heart. Congratulations to the San Francisco 49ers on an incredible season!

Stephen A. Silver
San Francisco

Taylor Swift quickly donated $100,000 to a victim of the tragic shooting at the Super Bowl victory parade in Kansas City. Yet all we’ve heard from the team owner or the players is “thoughts and prayers.” They should be establishing a fund to pay for the medical bills of each and every one of those who were wounded or injured. If they won’t, then the NFL should. It’s time to put up or shut up.

Mel Frohman
Los Angeles

I love the PGA format where they reduce the field in an event so I need not worry about seeing so many players on the course. The grounds crew must love it, many fewer divots and pesky ball marks to fix on the greens. Then, they raise ticket prices so I don’t have to worry about buying a Riviera hat or sweater to carry around. Finally throw in shankapotamus Tiger Woods as the elder statesman and we can all dream about “what could have been.”

Kevin Park
Westlake Village

While scrolling through the Sports section on the morning after the Super Bowl, I saw the headline “Taylor wins on second playoff hole at Phoenix Open” and the first thing that popped into my mind was, “OMG, she plays golf, too?!”

Harriet Ottaviano
Hillsboro, Ore.

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