This Wraps Things Up

I opened my L.A. Times Wednesday Sports edition only to find a supermarket tabloid in its place:

* Baseball Czar Selig cancels extra innings.

* Woman (National Council of Women’s Organizations) chastises man (Hootie Johnson of Augusta) about him and his golf buddies. Now there’s a new one!

* Baseball’s version of the “Austin Powers” movies where the kids argue over the freezing of their dad (Ted Williams). One way of kids living off the fruits of their parents’ hard work, “We’ll just sell pieces of him to the public for some pocket change.” Another new one.

* ESPN president thinks professional sports is headed toward entertainment. You are in the entertainment business, you dolt!

* Second-page banter about a professional basketball player (Allen Iverson) wielding a gun and soon to be arrested, and a professional driver (Al Unser Jr.) arrested for battery of his girlfriend.

Interestingly enough, T.J. Simers was on vacation and had nothing to do with anything.

I hid the paper from my mother. She likes this stuff!

Bob Arranaga

Los Angeles