Farewell Letter Gets Mixed Reviews

What’s wrong with this picture? Shaq warmly thanks the Laker fans for eight years of support in a full-page ad while Kobe counts his money silently and Jerry Buss does whatever it is he does. Does anyone get the idea that Shaq cares about people and the Bryant/Buss duo care only about themselves? Oh wait, I forgot. In an effort to appease Laker fans, Buss raised ticket prices for next season. Isn’t it great to be a Laker fan!

Steve Thorwald

La Verne

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Dear Shaq,

Thanks for the open letter in Sunday’s Times. It really touched my heart.

Please give my best to Pat Riley. You might also warn him that his new star player doesn’t plan to lift one weight, shoot one free throw or refuse one carbohydrate this entire summer. He needs also to know that you don’t care about any game that’s played before April, you can’t hit a free throw no matter how important, and you’ll be quitting in the middle of any game in which you feel like quitting. Oh, yeah. Pat will also need to know that you will pout like a toddler for weeks whenever you don’t get the ball or you get wind of the most minuscule criticism of yourself or your “game.”

Again, thanks for the full-page letter. How much did that cost, anyway? How about that big freshly painted semi-truck you drove to your weigh-in? That must have cost plenty too! Yet you stood by and hoarded your millions (demanding even more!) while Karl Malone had to possibly finish out his great career working for peanuts.

I’m sure you’ll miss us. Sorry, but I won’t be missing you much. You see, I tend to root for athletes. You know, those guys who work hard to get in shape and sharpen their skills even in the off-season. The kind of guys who want to start winning right from the first game and won’t quit even when all seems lost? I know you’ve heard about these kind of people. They’re called “professionals.”

So, adios, Big Fella. Hope you find that “team” you claim to want to play for. In the meantime, for the first time in many years, we’re going to get to see what it’s like to have one in Laker uniforms.

Michael O’Grady

Playa del Rey

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Nobody asked me, but here are the reasons why the Lakers will not be successful:

1. Shaq’s gone.

2. Vlade Divac joins Lakers; he’s not the answer.

3. Gary Payton still with the Lakers; he’s not the answer.

4. Karl Malone still with the Lakers; he’s not the answer.

5. Derek Fisher’s gone; huge mistake.

6. Phil Jackson, gone; huge mistake.

You thought I forgot Kobe Bryant, but I couldn’t care less about Kobe Bryant. He’s not, and has never been, a team player. What happened in Colorado ruined the season.

Lights out, butter’s melting, etc.

Anthony Moreno

Montebello