Finally, Voice for the People Gets a Little Recognition

Something very disturbing has taken place.

Or as Sebastian Vorwolff put it in an e-mail, “You’re not gonna like what I have to say. It won’t provide fodder for future articles. It’s not terribly incisive. But sometimes a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do, even if it’s painful.

“Here goes: You’re right. OK? You’re right about Shaq. There, I said it. It was hard, but I did it.”

I’ve been doing this for almost five years now, and I can’t recall anyone agreeing with anything I have written.

But now I have a thick stack of hundreds of e-mails responding to Sunday’s column about the Big Baby, with more than 90% of them beginning much like John Hayes’ epistle: “Finally, you got one right.”

I don’t know what to say. I work very hard to be consistently wrong by your standards and inspire nasty rebukes. I admit I’ve wondered what it’d be like to read an e-mail from someone in agreement with Page 2, but getting so many now I realize I must have been mistaken in what I wrote.

“I just want to write and say how unbelievably thankful I am for your article about Shaq,” wrote Matthew Kinsley. “I won’t gush too much about how perfect and succinct it was, because I know you’ll use it against me somehow.”

I don’t know where Kinsley would get a notion like that, or for that matter have any idea what’s perfect or succinct -- especially if you read the rest of his e-mail. But amazingly, his e-mail isn’t much different from all the others:

Michael Monroy: “Most of your columns are stupid and make no sense, but the one on Shaq was right on.”

Patrick Fitzpatrick: “Thank you for setting straight those few who still read your column.”

Adam Balch: “Lord, forgive me, but good job.”

Lynn Hoskins: “I can’t believe you wrote what I’ve been saying for the past year. I love you! (Don’t tell the wife.)”

My first thought, of course, was that these people couldn’t possibly live among you. For almost five years now I’ve been reading your disgusting e-mail, learning new swear words and taking suggestions on where to go, leaving me hardened and thereby vulnerable and totally unprepared for such words of praise.

“I wanted to compliment you on the column about Shaq,” wrote Steve P. “You never know when you’ll get it again. I don’t normally write to people. I prefer small dogs.”

What a relief to learn these people do live among you.

*

THE BIG Baby was at it again Tuesday in USA Today, trashing L.A., and firing a new volley of potshots at Kobe Bryant and Jerry Buss.

Shaq called L.A. fake, and Miami more real. I would have thought by now he would have visited South Beach, where you really never know who’s who.

USA Today said Shaq refers to Buss now as “that old man,” Laker management as “cowards,” and suggested he came close to punching Bryant. We’ve been told Bryant has no friends on the team, so I wonder who held Shaq back.

The funny, lovable and charismatic Shaq, of course, will play well nationally. He always does. I thought he would continue to do the same here, but not based on the message delivered via so many e-mails.

Many of the e-mails were longer than the last book I read. There are a lot of upset Laker fans out there -- more critical of Shaq than Buss.

I was stunned; I took for granted that every other e-mail would begin, “Dear Kobe Lover,” or “Total Jerk,” as on most days, before blasting Page 2 for banging on Shaq. Instead, I got “thank you, thank you, thank you,” from Jerry Tsai. “Thank you for waking up L.A. to the real Shaq.”

Upon closer inspection, I noticed a common thread running through many of the e-mails, most including the word “finally,” in the text, such as with Terri Pitts, who e-mailed to say, “Finally! Someone in the media got it right. My husband and I have been saying the same thing since Shaq was traded.”

There was also Mitch, who e-mailed to say, “Finally the truth has been told.”

(You don’t think it’s that Mitch -- do you?)

This whole “finally” thing seemed based on the lingering opinion among e-mailers that for some time now our basketball experts have had no idea what they are writing about when it comes to Shaq and the Lakers. Or, as e-mailer Woody Kroll put it: “I really didn’t think any writers at the Times had a clue until now.”

I know I’ve often thought of sitting down and writing a “Dear Mark” column, but I was afraid it might catch on and I’d be doing it all the time.

“The fat man has had writers kissing his behind all year long,” wrote Dave Rosenzweig, “with barely a peep about his part in leaving the team.”

I will not be a party, of course, to anyone criticizing Times sports columnist Bill Plaschke, and would just as soon keep his name out of this.

“I’m tired of having people blame Kobe for Shaq’s departure,” wrote Dennis Westman, and I repeat, I’m not going to be a party to anyone criticizing Plaschke.

*

IT WAS stunning to see how many people wanted to vent about Shaq, shifting their frustration from Kobe to the Big Baby -- especially since the Big Baby has shown no inclination to just shut up.

“I’m in awe that someone on the Kobe-hating L.A. Times actually pointed this out,” said Raphael Paredes, “and I will see how long it takes them to fire you for daring to side with Kobe again.”

It won’t have anything to do with Kobe when it comes to changes made on Page 2. It’ll be positive e-mail that puts an end to Page 2.

So stop it.

*

TODAY’S LAST word comes from the Dodgers’ TV broadcast.

Dodger announcer Steve Lyons, noticing St. Louis announcer Joe Buck on camera, said, “Is there a better play-by-play announcer in baseball?”

Lyons’ sidekick, Charley Steiner, replied, “I think our guy.”

No question, Rick Monday is pretty good.

T.J. Simers can be reached at [email protected]. To read previous columns by Simers, go to latimes.com/simers.