Letters: Don't trip over Clippers hype

L.A. Times Archives

Jan. 6, 2012 12 AM PT

Ralph Lawler and Michael Smith are good announcers for the Clippers. But as far as promoters and sales pitchmen, this is getting embarrassing, almost like carnival barkers.

Just because of an infusion of talent, they sound like giddy kids at Christmas when the Clippers are leading, and then retreat to explaining away, making excuses that this team is still the top such and such, while the same old Clips slowly lose another game; from hype to denial in 10 seconds.

I want this team to be good, but the pregame and postgame sales pitches, well, I’m turning the volume off until this unabashedly biased, unfounded promotional business goes away.

Michael Brown

Ontario

As for the recent rumblings about who owns this metropolis, I, for one, will take Ring City over Lob City all dynasty long.

William David Stone

Beverly Hills

I am relieved to know that all will be well in the Lakers basketball world this new year since Bill Plaschke has given his personal approval and now likes Mike Brown as Lakers coach.

I am sure that Coach Brown, the Lakers organization and Lakers fans everywhere are relieved as well.

Mario Palladini

Torrance

T.J. Simers on Wednesday devotes a column to pointing out how Brown has no strategy other than to kowtow to Kobe Bryant. “Here’s the thing ...,” he says, and then launches into what’s wrong with Brown’s approach.

Here’s the thing: That strategy may have only one thing going for it: It seems to win games. A trifling advantage. It reminds me of Simers’ strategy of mean-spirited gadfly and obnoxious tailing of sports figures, which incomprehensibly continues to land him the most prestigious locations on The Times’ Sports pages. T.J. should celebrate a kindred spirit.

Bob Burket

Santa Monica

Time for Kobe to defer to Bynum. Instead of trying to dribble through two to three defenders with nearly double-digit turnovers, and demanding the ball from his teammates resulting in more turnovers, he must pass more, and move without the ball. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that Mike Brown has the stature to force this clearly needed change. Kobe’s shooting percentage would go up, turnovers down, and the game would be simpler.

Mark Torbiner

Beverly Hills

We Lakers fans have a new coach and staff, several new players, and new play-by-play and courtside announcers. Why do we have to tolerate the old “Master of the Obvious” Stu Lantz? Many of his astute observations about the game of basketball were learned by many of us when we joined our first team in junior high school. May we have a new announcer with a fresh understanding of the NBA instead of the throwback to those days long gone by.

Dale Stroup

Huntington Beach

It should be remembered, for all the talent acquired by the Miami Heat last season, it took almost half that season for the Heat to truly start playing as a team and living up to all the preseason hype.

When the Clippers start playing as a team and not a group of individuals and play as tough on defense as on offense this should be a very good team.

Michael Solomon

Canoga Park

Somehow, I think Andrew Bynum’s parking in handicapped spots is the ultimate three-second violation of the rules of life.

John Hendry

Van Nuys

Attention: NBA commissioner’s office:

Philadelphia, Memphis and New Orleans have agreed on a trade involving two players and draft picks. Mother may I, David Stern?

Wayne Muramatsu

Cerritos

Bowl reviews

Reading post-Fight Hunger Bowl comments by UCLA’s Kevin Prince is like listening to a broken record. After every UCLA loss, Prince or somebody else makes the inevitable rationalization: Do we want to win? Are our facilities subpar? Do we lack self-discipline or mental toughness?

Funny how we never hear any comments about player quality, because the cold, hard facts for the UCLA football team, and especially for Prince, are that the current group of players simply do not have the talent to compete effectively at the major college level. Unfortunate, but true!

Kevin, Coach Mora, are you reading this?

Lawrence M. Kates

Los Angeles

With LaMichael James, De’Anthony Thomas, and Darron Thomas leading the Oregon Ducks, I’d call it the LaDeDa offense.

David Wilczynski

Manhattan Beach

As a Badger who attended the Rose Bowl game, let me congratulate Oregon for their win. However, the much-hyped Darth Vader uniforms were more like Hollywood background as the dark green merged with the playing field, and all one mostly caught in the Southern California sun was a blip of light that bounced off the top of the helmets.

Wisconsin players, on the other hand, in their simple and refreshingly collegiate white uniforms, were standouts, as was the University of Wisconsin marching band.

Mary Kay Gordon

Santa Monica

Shame on David Shaw, Stanford’s head coach, for making very poor coaching decisions in the last minute of play, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Shame on Shaw for taking the ball out of the hands of Andrew Luck, with a minute and three timeouts remaining, and putting the team’s fate in the hands of a freshman kicker. Shame on Shaw for stealing what could have been Luck’s finest hour in his college career.

Donald Rowland

Camarillo

Having two teams from the same conference playing for the national championship is wrong. It would be different if they’d been forced to meet as a result of a playoff, but that wasn’t the case. LSU and Alabama were voted in.

Also, with the SEC claiming to be the best conference in the country, why don’t they act like it? Just look at the bowl games. Auburn plays Virginia, and Mississippi State plays Wake Forest? But a 6-6 Arizona State has to face Boise State, and a 7-5 Washington gets matched with powerful Baylor? Something ain’t right.

David Macaray

Rowland Heights

Wanted: BCS bowl game defensive coordinators.

Requirements: Must be able to “hold” opponents to fewer than 28 points ... in the first half!

Marc Popkin

Los Angeles

Is the Pac-12 schedule-maker Dan Guerrero’s dad? How is it possible that in 2012, for the second consecutive year, UCLA plays Oregon State and Washington State, but does not have either Oregon or Washington on its football schedule?

Tom Lallas

Los Angeles

Off the Mark

Three years after Pete Carroll advised Mark Sanchez he was not ready for the NFL, unquestionably, Carroll has been proven correct.

He has also been proven correct on the talent, poise and ability of Matt Barkley, whose four-year career as a starting quarterback at USC will certainly benefit him when he reaches the NFL in 2013. Finally, unlike Sanchez, Barkley does not demonstrate arrogance or that he knows it all.

Perhaps Sanchez will be a future backup to Barkley in the pros or hold a clipboard as a third-stringer.

Howard P. Cohen

North Hills

While Rex Ryan cements his coaching reputation as the next generation Norv Turner, Mark Sanchez continues the tradition of former USC quarterbacks who pose as NFL quarterbacks while auditioning as cap and clipboard models.

Pete Russo

San Clemente

I love it that Dean Spanos has decided to bring back Norv Turner as Chargers coach despite the fact that the Chargers have been the most under-performing team in the NFL during his tenure. That means there will be more home TV blackouts in our market, and we will have opportunity to watch teams that, week in and week out, play up to their ability.

Mario Valvo

Rancho Mirage

Blue heaven?

The Joe Torre-Rick Caruso ownership tandem would be ideal for the Dodgers, the fans and the city. It offers baseball and business savvy, class, capital and commitment to the community. Dodger blue would get blue again.

Paul Shubunka Sr.

Santa Clarita

Fight on for UFC

In Lance Pugmire’s story last Saturday, Brock Lesnar is referred to as “UFC’s biggest star.” I presume that “biggest” refers only to his physical size. As far as star value and pure talent goes, there are several fighters, both past and present, considerably more deserving of the description, including Georges St-Pierre, Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture (who was 45 when he lost the title to Lesnar), and, of course, Anderson Silva, all of whom epitomize the definition of true warriors.

According to UFC’s website, Lesnar had a total of eight fights, with a record of 5-3. Before Lesnar, UFC was a place where you had to prove your worth before getting a title shot, and I felt he was undeserving of special privilege when Dana White put him on the fast track to fight for the title without having to pay his dues, which I felt was disrespectful to other fighters.

Kent Simpson

Westchester

A recent mixed martial arts story included these phrases: “knocked down by two right knees” “on the ground, Lesnar endured 10 unanswered punches.” “continually pounded Phans head on the canvas.” Why is this reported on the front page of The Times’ “Sports” section? These bloody, macho, carnival side shows should be “reviewed” on a police blotter!

John Holmstrom

Hollywood

On the ice

Hockey is the fastest and most physical contact sport, so concussions will occur no matter the precautions taken, but to still allow fighting smacks of illogical hypocrisy. Penalize players who target an opponent’s head during a game? Check. Allow players to target an opponent’s head during a fight? Check. How does this make any sense?

Arthur Freedman

Los Angeles

I keep reading that the Kings are having trouble getting goals this year. Yet, in spite of the teams overall shoddy performance, fans continue to sell out Staples Center every game. One could therefore reasonably conclude that’s the only goal that AEG cares about.

Pat Matzel

Los Angeles

Not gentle on Ben

After viewing UCLA basketball for half a season, I presume that Ben Howland’s recruiting criteria must be to find as many athletes as possible without any discernible quickness. Give it up for the coach, he has been nearly perfect in his quest.

Fred Wallin

Westlake Village

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