Letters to sports: Trojans could go only so far in the tournament

If Chick Hearn had been calling the USC-Gonzaga game, he would have said USC was playing “matador defense.” Gonzaga probably set a record for March Madness layups.

Vaughn Hardenberg

Westwood

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What a sorry display of basketball by the USC Trojans against Gonzaga! Mistakes, turnovers and poor decisions by a team loaded with stars. It’s time for a coaching change — they must fire Clay Helton.

Dennis Alekel

San Juan Capistrano

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The Trojans sure picked a bad time to become the team we all thought they were. There are bad performances, but this one was epic. The team looked unprepared, nervous, confused and uninterested. They shot horribly. Their defense was nonexistent and their bench scored four more points than I did from my living room. Losing a game after playing hard is admirable, losing a game where you have no passion or competitive energy is shameful.

Geno Apicella

Placentia

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Lou Christie’s song “Two Faces Have I” perfectly describes Dylan Hernandez. On game day, he predicts USC will beat Gonzaga, touting their stellar play in the NCAA tourney. The next day, after their loss, he bashes the coach and players for not being ready.

Dylan, Gonzaga was undefeated for a reason. They are a superior team to USC. Give some credit to the Zags and credit to USC for getting to the Elite Eight. You write like you’ve never seen a basketball game. If you think Enfield should move on, maybe you should too after your series of turnovers.

Robert Bubnovich

Irvine

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Maybe Evan Mobley can get his father a job as an assistant with the NBA team that buys his services. It almost worked for USC.

Jon Udell

Santa Monica

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By picking UCLA and USC to make long runs in the NCAA tournament, Bill Plaschke has proven once again that even a blind squirrel can find an acorn.

Dave Snyder

Grand Terrace

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UCLA in the Final Four and the basketball program is relevant again? Wow. I guess the world really is starting to get back to normal.

Richard Turnage

Burbank

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As someone who went to UCLA during the glory years of John Wooden, I was somewhat skeptical of hiring another defense-minded coach and going back to the Howland years of uninspired play. Also, picking a coach who was available rather than desirable was of real concern.

Well, after a trip to the Final Four without three of the starting players he was counting on this season, I’ve warmed up to Coach Cronin quite nicely. There’ll never be another Wooden, but after 45 years of waiting, I think we’ve finally found our coach.

Don Geller

Irvine

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The difference between good coaches and great ones: Good coaches win the games they’re supposed to. Great coaches win the games they’re not. This is what separates Mick Cronin from most coaches in college basketball.

Mike Murashige

Eugene, Ore.

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Flight to Indianapolis: $250

Hotel room: $300

Tickets to March Madness: $1,500

Bruins in Final Four: PRICELESS!

Marty Zweben

Palos Verdes Estates

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When I traveled with friends to Cincinnati in 2019 for a UCLA football game, Cincinnati fans thanked us for taking Mick Cronin off their hands. It is now my privilege to say you’re welcome.

Cronin has taken a depleted roster of young men with huge hearts to surprise the nation with a trip to the Final Four. He has ingrained toughness, resiliency, and first class defense into a group of young men who bought in to his teachings at precisely the right time. With most of them returning and a highly rated class of freshmen coming in, the future of UCLA basketball is once again exciting and bright. Much obliged, Cincinnati.

Alan Abajian

Alta Loma

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Watching the UCLA win over Michigan reminded me of what a mess the end of a basketball game is — interminable timeouts, intentional fouls, free throws. Fix this easily with no timeouts allowed in the last two minutes and a free out option for the fouled team. Imagine the flowing endings we would have.

David Wilczynski

Manhattan Beach

Play ball!

I warmly welcome Bill Plaschke’s heady predictions for the Dodgers in the upcoming season. This analysis is more helpful than one might suppose. Based on Plaschke’s record of success and failure over the years, I am confident that the team won’t make it past the first round of the playoffs, and I’ll place my bets accordingly.

As always, thanks, Bill!

Stephen Mattson

Los Osos

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Joe Maddon and Mookie Betts had an opportunity to be leaders in promoting the health of their teams and their fan base, but instead they struck out. Both took a neutral stance on whether players should get the COVID-19 vaccine, which would protect teammates and which could help end this pandemic.

Maddon said, “he would never try to persuade anyone one way or the other.” Betts even refused to say whether he had been vaccinated or planned to get the shot himself. They delivered the absolutely wrong message. These vaccines are safe. They will save lives and prevent hospitalizations.

Now is not the time to be politically correct or afraid to take a stand. Stepping up to the plate for health is what is necessary. They both failed their responsibility as leaders to play their part in communicating what is required so that their team and their fans might ultimately overcome this pandemic.

Richard Z. Fond

Sherman Oaks

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Sorry, Mookie. You’re a role model. As such, your responsibility is to harness your celebrity to showcase to impressionable fans that getting vaccinated helps society. This is not a personal decision; this is a national and global herd immunity necessity.

David Alpern

Long Beach

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At certain times in every commissioner’s tenure, there emerges a decision that will forever be connected with their legacy. Bart Giamatti will be remembered as the man who banned Pete Rose, Bud Selig as the man who canceled the World Series. Rob Manfred’s moment has now arrived in deciding to move the All-Star game out of Atlanta.

Bill Waxman

Simi Valley

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Major League Baseball is making a mistake by moving the 2021 All-Star game to another location. Atlanta is a predominately black metropolitan city that is being punished financially by Major League Baseball pandering to civil rights groups. MLB claims they are moving the draft and All-Star game due to Georgia’s new voting legislation that requires showing an identification card in order to vote. There is nothing “racist” about requiring showing an identification card to vote. Showing ID is required when flying and buying alcohol. Requiring a voter to show ID to vote is not asking much to ensure election integrity.

Scott Benjamin

Agoura Hills

Bad moves?

Trending more and more these days in the NBA; players who sign contracts and then just decide they want to be traded or bought out, so they can land a spot on a contending team. These days there are only about 12-15 good teams, the rest are going through the motions.

Recent examples of Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge and Andre Drummond leave this league way out of balance.

Shame on the players and shame on the teams that are loading up to buy a championship and while we are on it, shame on Adam Silver for allowing the NBA to slowly implode.

Steve LaRochelle

Simi Valley

Beyond compare

If I read The Times correctly, DeSean Jackson compared his signing by the Rams to LeBron James’ signing and return to Cleveland, where he led the franchise to a championship.

For the record, I have met neither man though feel reasonably to totally confident in the Lloyd Bensonesque judgment: Mr. Jackson, you are no LeBron James.

Konrad Moore

Pacific Beach

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