A Few Parting Shots at the Season That Was

Good God, what if we find out we can get along without baseball?

CHARLES E. SHELTON

Palm Desert

*

During the great players-versus-owners poker shootout, with the stakes being the World Series and more, the players should have heeded well-established poker advice, namely:

1. Never play with the grocery/rent money . . . 2. against filthy-rich demigods who can’t stand losing . . . 3. while holding a crummy pair of deuces and, most important . . . 4. know when to fold ‘em.

VINNY DAVIRRO

Goleta

*

It is with increasing sadness that I continue to hear the two most vocal Dodgers, Brett Butler and Orel Hershiser, moaning that they are getting taken.

Do these poor folks with their million-dollar salaries give a tinker’s damn about anyone but themselves? Do they care about the thousands of club employees, restaurant and bar owners and employees, cabbies, hotel personnel and others who derive a good portion of their income from baseball? These are the people getting taken.

For years, Butler and Hershiser have been the finest, most upstanding examples of Christian athletes just about anywhere. Unfortunately, as much respect as I have for them on the field, that’s how much I have lost for them off the field.

STEVE SMITH

Arcadia

*

To sum up the 1994 baseball season:

G-ames

R-eally

E-nded;

E-verybody

D-isappointed.

MOSES FIGUEROA

Los Angeles

*

It is ironic that while the baseball owners are trying so hard to impose a cap on players’ salaries similar to the NBA cap, the NBA owners have lost their salary cap by signing free agents below market value and giving them the option to declare free agency after one year.

Human nature does not change. Some owners care primarily about profit and loss. Others care mostly about winning and will attempt to circumvent whatever salary cap eventually is agreed upon.

RICHARD RAFFALOW

Van Nuys

*

What a waste. What a shame. A season of memories lost by all.

DAVID S. CANTER

Los Angeles

*

To hell with major league baseball. Just keep us posted on real baseball--like when the Northridge kids go to spring training.

BILL STEIN

Cambria