Letters: Dodgers fans weigh options as trade deadline approaches

It’s nice to see that Bill Plaschke has once again decided to become the general manager of the Dodgers. Even though Dave Roberts stated that despite Clayton Kershaw’s injury, the team would continue winning games, Plaschke concluded that Roberts was really yelling, “Help!”

As usual, Bill wants to unload several top minor leaguers to get a veteran player. Of course the reason the Dodgers are in first place is because they refused to do just that. Hey, Bill, don’t quit your day job.

Ralph S. Brax

Lancaster

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I don’t know why Bill Plaschke isn’t named general manager of the Dodgers since he knows more about what to do than current management. He should at least be hired as an advisor, since he is obviously brilliant ... or thinks he is.

William Schmitendorf

Irvine

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What the Dodgers need to do is ignore all of the armchair baseball executives on the L.A. Times. The Dodgers have done a very good job of slowly building up the team without giving up prospects and mortgaging the future. They have the talent this year to sit tight and make no moves that would hurt their talented minor league inventory, so that is exactly what they should do.

James Folks

Santa Barbara

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Yu Darvish, the Texas pitcher that everyone is clamoring the Dodgers obtain? You know, the guy Dave Roberts and Bill Plaschke insist we deplete our farm system for? Well, he gave up 10 runs in 3 2/3 innings against Miami on Wednesday.

Get well soon, Clayton.

Richard Dennison

Goleta

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“Curse of the Bambino.” “The Goat Curse.” A nasty thought trickled into my brain when I heard that Clayton Kershaw got hurt as the playoffs loom large. Could this pathetic decision to lock out 70% of Los Angeles from TV access to the Dodgers be festering into some kind of karmic curse? “The 70% Curse”? “Spectrum Curse”? “Sold Your Soul Curse”?

I hope not for Kershaw’s sake.

David Waldowski

Laguna Woods

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Of course Cody Bellinger should be the favorite for MVP. In games he has not played in the Dodgers are 9-13. When he plays (as of Tuesday morning) the Dodgers are 60-18. What more is there to say?

Richard Sherman

Sherman Oaks

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So much ink spilled and teeth gnashed about those greedy Dodgers. How about asking, why?

Why do certain cities grant exclusivity to one TV provider over another? Why is this not restraint of trade? Why doesn’t the County Board of Supervisors allow for a free market in which all servers, including Spectrum, be an option for those now-closed areas? If no cable company was denied access, then no Dodgers fan would be denied access.

Norm Levine

Santa Monica

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Since I cannot receive SNLA, and have no working AM radio, may I humbly suggest the owners make a deal to name the field for Forest Lawn, as the Dodgers are dead to me.

Steve Tonkins

Panorama City

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This discussion reveals the limitations of bean-counters: They know every price they could get for naming rights and nothing of the value of the franchise.

Bob Wieting

Simi Valley

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I find it somewhat amusing that Bill Shaikin would bring up obscure statistics to make the Los Angeles-Anaheim area feel better. Granted, the Giants and Athletics are not having good years. Also granted, the Angels last won the World Series in 2002. The Dodgers haven’t won it all since 1988.

The Athletics won it in 1989. And the Giants? Try 2010, 2012 and 2014.

Eyes on the prize, Mr. Shaikin. The big priority is the World Series, something the Dodgers have yet to reach since the Reagan Administration.

Jonathan Goldstein

La Jolla

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Bill Shaikin, no Harpers or Bryants drafted at No. 35? A quiz: who was drafted in the 62nd round at No. 1,390 in 1988 and is now in the Hall of Fame?

Ken Artingstall

Glendale

Angels answers

The Angels have been headed in the wrong direction ever since their championship year. At that time they had weak starting pitching but a good bullpen and a great closer. At that time they had great offense from their everyday players and good defense from them. At that time they had a good farm system. At that time the had good a good general manager and a good field management staff.

Today they have weak starting pitching coupled with a weak bullpen. They have arguably the weakest offense in baseball with a couple of exceptions and they have arguably the worst farm system in baseball. What happened? Perhaps the answer lies in the rosters of other teams, which are sprinkled with ex-Angels who are making winners of their current organizations. At the same time their own payroll has been bloated with large salaries for players who are dismal failures.

Virgil Weatherford

Woodland Hills

Neigh-sayers

I know people think horse racing is a dying sport, but maybe it wouldn’t die so quickly if you could spare a few column inches to post the program.

Jacqueline Weil

Hemet

Sour juice

Thanks USC, for two more reasons not to follow Trojan football this fall: The giant No. 32 end zone display, and Cowlings Residential College.

Henry Rosenfeld

Santa Monica

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So O.J. Simpson isn’t welcome around USC, but how about Reggie Bush? I think it’s time to finally forgive him for that lateral in the 2006 Rose Bowl.

Steve Ross

Beverly Hills

Back again

Maybe it’s just a coincidence that Clayton Kershaw, Adrian Gonzalez and the Chargers’ first-round draft pick Mike Williams are all dealing with bad backs. Then again maybe it’s not, and maybe Lonzo Ball and others are better advised to rely on their God-given talents and forsake the perils of bulking up in the weight room.

Konrad Moore

San Diego

Open closer

While Jordan Spieth’s back nine was a roller coaster thrill ride for the ages Sunday at the Open Championship (British Open for the Yanks) and resulted in his winning the coveted Claret Jug, the bigger implications are eye-opening.

Spieth has now won three of golf’s four majors before turning 24 years old and that puts him in Jack Nicklaus/Tiger Woods rarified air. He’s a lock to win the career grand slam (possibly next month at the PGA Championship).

Furthermore, Spieth is a tradition-loving, class act like Nicklaus, has failed spectacularly to close a major win like Greg Norman, makes improbable pressure putts in majors like Tiger and recovers remarkably from errant drives a la Seve Ballesteros.

If he can capture the public’s imagination by exuding the same type of charm and charisma as Arnold Palmer, he will sit alone in popularity at the top of the golf world for decades — provided he keeps winning.

Gino Cirignano

Playa del Rey

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Pretty colossal Sunday finish at the British Open, putting it into golf lore. There was more drama in 21 minutes on the 13th at Royal Birkdale than any soap opera. Spieth’s struggle on the 13th was a life lesson — enlightening enough to realize that sometimes there are no bad bogeys, but also full of enough character to turn what could easily have easily been a repeat of Augusta into a thrilling victory.

Lou Pitt

Los Angeles

Missing stars

Interesting that every year the same promoter markets that certain superstars will be playing in the International Champions Cup matches at various Los Angeles area stadiums, but Ronaldo, Messi, etc., always seem to be in another part of the world on game day.

John Severinsen

Arcadia

Why so serious?

I have witnessed more spirited funerals than Jim Mora’s Pac-12 Media Day presentation on UCLA football.

Wes Wellman

Santa Monica

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