Letters: That empty feeling at Dodger Stadium

Wednesday’s Dodger attendance of about 8,000 (fictional attendance of 27,767) demonstrates that strikes and lockouts go both ways.

In the past, it has been the fans who have been left dangling as players and owners negotiate baseball’s season. Well, times have changed. In L.A., no one’s really said it. No one’s really written about it. The president hasn’t assigned a federal mediator to resolve it. But call it what you want, the fans of Los Angeles have gone on strike.

How repugnant do you have to be to inspire this kind of united front among the literally millions of Los Angeles baseball fans who have lived their lives bleeding Dodger blue? How dismal a businessman do you have to be to promote the kind of focus and commitment to defeat Frank McCourt and deliver the message: Give us back our team.

Valerie Martinez

Whittier

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I don’t want to say the crowds at Dodger Stadium have been sparse, but I just found Waldo!

Jeff Prescott

La Jolla

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At first glance at the picture, I thought Clippers, then Sparks. Then I read the caption and found out it was Wednesday at Dodger Stadium. Then I read Plaschke’s column. This is beyond sad. Now we know how much destruction one man can cause.

Dave Snyder

Grand Terrace

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In light of Bill Burke’s attempt to buy the Dodgers with a Republic of China ownership group and money, I’ve put together a group consisting of Egyptian Hosni “Mad Dog” Mubarak, Syrian Bashir “The Basher” Assad, and Libyan “Crazy Legs” Kadafi as a potential suitor.

Word has it the only holdup in Bud Selig’s mind is that the team would have to change its name to the Los Angeles Despots. Arte Moreno suggested they be called The Los Angeles Dodgers of The Middle East. No word on how Selig views this.

Allan Kandel

Los Angeles

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Jamey Carroll on waivers? You have got to be kidding me! I have a better suggestion. Place Mattingly and Colletti on waivers and see if anyone picks up those two!

Rob Giannangeli

Valley Village

Calling it

Instead of the crack Dodgers marketing department trying to find out what the fans think of their announcers, they should just pipe Vin into the lethargic Dodgers dugout. I watched briefly last Friday night’s call of the game, and after Ted Lilly struck out the first two Rockies, Vinny mentioned that Carlos Gonzalez was batting .412 on first pitches he sees. So what does the crafty lefty do but groove a fastball right down the middle and promptly watch the ball deposited 421 feet into the right-field pavilion.

Perhaps the pitching coach and manager could learn something from someone who only watches the games from the press box. Vin Scully has forgotten more about baseball than “Donnie Baseball” will ever learn.

George Hynes

Arcadia

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I don’t understand all of the resistance to a poll about Vin Scully. I think one is definitely in order:

1. How long after announcing his retirement should he have to wait to be inducted into the Hall of Fame?

a. The usual 5 years.

b. The next day.

c. His enshrinement should be waiting for him.

2. Where should his statute be located?

3. Should he be enshrined in the “electronics hall of fame” for being responsible for the success of the transistor radio?

4. How long should he have to wait for Sainthood? (His “miracle” — keeping the Dodgers relevant during the McCourt era).

Ian A. Bardin

Redondo Beach

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To paraphrase one of Vin Scully’s most famous calls: In a year that has been so impossible, the magnificent has happened. Thank you, Mr. Scully, for coming back in 2012. Y usted tambien, Sr. Jarrin.

Mel Powell

Sherman Oaks

Unrelievable

Just curious:

1. How many tightrope acts and/or blown saves are necessary before Mike Scioscia realizes the eerie parallel between Jordan Walden and Jonathan Broxton?

2. When a setup man has his stuff and breezes through the seventh and eighth innings, why is it automatic for the manager to arbitrarily insert a closer (who may or may not have his stuff) to pitch the ninth?

Don Leverence

Claremont

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I’m fine with the Angels not winning a World Series every year or even once every decade if I get to see what I saw Tuesday night; our minor league system working. Knowing that Trout, Trumbo, Bourjos, Kendrick and Aybar, among others, all came through our minor league system makes watching the Halos that much more enjoyable, a lot more than if I were a Yankee or Boston fan with all their free agents and “bought” championships.

Stick to your guns [Arte Moreno, Mike Scioscia, Tony Reagins] guys and don’t listen to the whining Angels fans — half of whom weren’t fans before ’02.

Tim McLaughlin

Newport Beach

Who’s the man?

One of the characteristics of a great leader is making a definitive decision and sticking to it. Rick Neuheisel, on the other hand, is unable to adhere to this as it relates to his quarterback situation. Over the last month he has told fans and the media that either Kevin Prince or Richard Brehaut would win the starting position. However his announcement that both his returning QBs will get playing time against Houston is a cop-out, giving the team no real assurance as to the real leader of the offense.

By not buying into Kevin Prince 100%, Neuheisel is telling Bruins followers he really has no game plan for the season, a season that many hope will be his last.

Richard Whorton

Valley Village

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Now that Coach Neuheisel has reached a decision on the quarterbacks at UCLA, there are two key stats to watch.

First, total passing yards, and the second, YouTube hits showing the coach yelling at the QBs.

My hope is the first one is far greater than the second.

Bob Arranaga

Eagle Rock

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I find it interesting that an 8-5 record in football at USC is very disappointing and a 4-8 record at UCLA isn’t.

Alex Ramos

Moreno Valley

Passport, please

I once spent six glorious nights in a downtown Barcelona hotel while traveling through Europe. Does that mean I can now play alongside Pau Gasol and Serge Ibaka for the Spanish national team?

Maury D. Benemie

Corona

Open and shut

Father Time is not just clocking Roger Federer in the tennis world, he is clocking elegant play [Aug. 27]. With Federer there is no macho posturing, no temper tantrums, no calisthenics between shots, no grunts and screams. Instead, we get those beautiful one-handed shots and the joy of watching tennis in its purest form. Tennis will be the poorer when he goes.

Alexa Smith Maxwell

Los Angeles

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I’m so AIYEE! bummed. I just watched Maria Sharapova AIYEE! lose her AIYEE! tennis match at the AIYEE! U.S. Open. How truly AIYEE! unfortunate for her.

Maybe she AIYEE! was too tired from AIYEE! shrieking each time she hit the ball to AIYEE! defeat her opponent.

Richard Turnage

Burbank

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