Thanks UCLA/USC — for nothing. Thank you for keeping us out of the loop. Thank you for being greedy and not caring about your partners. We’ll remember that when we meet again. We look forward to meeting you at the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day so we can give you an appropriate “thank you.”
From an old Cal alum and Pac-12 supporter.
Terry Feigenbaum
Los Angeles
†
I’ve been a UCLA fan since the days of Red Sanders. That said, I need to borrow Dylan Hernández’s doom and gloom baton for a moment. UCLA football is barely competitive in the Pac-12. The move to the Big Ten means the program will be mediocre (.500) at best. That will be the price to get the athletic department out of the red.
Dave Snyder
Big terrace
†
Oh good. The only thing missing from USC football’s rich heritage, with games dating back to 1888, is snow.
Steve Ross
Carmel-by-the-Sea
†
The fact that the Pac-12 was completely overwhelmed by USC and UCLA’s decision to go to the Big Ten. to move tells you everything you need to know about how incompetent the leadership of a once-grand conference has become.
Harriet Ottaviano
Hillsboro
†
The Big Ten, which has 14 teams, has long been misnamed and should change it to the Sweet Sixteen.
Jack Wishard
Los Angeles
†
The almighty dollar wins againUSC and UCLA participate in the LIV Tour.
Kevin Flynn
Simi Valley
Not an option at all
Forty-seven million. Yes, you see that right. that’s how much Russell Westbrook decided to apply in front of. As if he would test the free agent market instead? I don’t blame any player for these crazy amounts. Who wouldn’t take it? The Clippers sign a man who got $31 million last season. Stay at home! The owners can do this because our sports addiction is not deterred by the ever-increasing costs to watch or attend. Somewhere along the way, we all decided that the only thing our spending would go unchecked is on sports. No schools or charities or faith. We’ve really lost our compass.
Jeff Heister
Chatsworth
†
With Westbrook on the final year of his $47 million contract, the Lakers have become the Titanic, with Westbrook their iceberg.
Vaughn Hardenberg
Westwood
†
I was also shocked to see Russell Westbrook exercise his player option for a paltry $47 million.
David Marshall
Santa Monica
†
What exactly has Russell Westbrook done to deserve the kind of personal insults directed at him by Times Sports columnists like Dylan Hernández? Calling Westbrook “cement-headed” in his Sunday column claiming that the Lakers should get Kyrie Irving from all people is just mean and wrong. To criticize Westbrook’s play is one thing – but to call him a “cement head” is a criticism of his intellect, and there’s no place for that in The Times. Westbrook deserves an apology.
George Legg
Rolling Hills Estates
Dodgers blues
Was Freddie Freeman banished to life in a dungeon, to roam the desert alone forever? No, he was paid millions to play in a beautiful stadium, in usually perfect weather, in front of huge crowds at every game. Oh, and for an eternal contender. I think he should apologize to his current teammates for making them feel like second-class citizens compared to his beloved Braves.
Steve Briseno
Mission Viejo
†
OK, we get it, you were forced to sign a $162,000,000 contract, move from a city where you liked to play a game… so now put on your big boy pants and learn to handle them.
Rob Vance
Susanville
†
Clayton Kershaw, your “second fiddle” comments are embarrassing.
I suspect that with all your time in the IL, you had nothing better to do than Freeman, the guy who plays every day, and a fan base who showed nothing but love and support for someone who gave them 12 great years. This is to be welcomed, not criticized.
At a time when families of pro athletes can’t go to venues because of verbal and physical harassment, your criticism of how they supported Freeman and his obvious love for the Braves organization and fanbase shows your complete lack of leadership.
George Sagadencky
encino
Not so angelic
An important part of my sporting pleasure requires that the participants show sportsmanship at all times. Without sportsmanship there is no sport…just big brainless crooks who think they are impressing their peers or fans.
The last thing the world needs right now is to watch a bunch of “professional” baseball players fight in the middle of a baseball field in the presence of children. How does a parent explain to their baseball idol kids that it’s not appropriate to fight over a sporting event when the kids see their favorite baseball idols behaving like thugs?
Anyone can act like a criminal. A thug is not a tough guy. A real ‘tough guy’ would try to impress his colleagues and fans by hitting a walk-off home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth when the opposing team threw a baseball to their best player. The lack of discipline and sportsmanship of the Angels and Seattle Mariners may be a clue as to why these teams are more than 10 games out of first place.
Russell D. Beecher
Canyon Lake
†
So at the Angels game last Sunday, the movie “West Side Story” was shown as the Angels and Mariners became the Jets and Sharks. Maybe they should have shown the end of “The Naked Gun” where after the brawl all players embrace and solve their problems in a professional manner. How do we stop the rising wave of violence and teach our children how to behave like civilized society rather than barbarians when things like this happen.
Craig London
forest hills
†
It seems that firing Joe Maddon wasn’t Angel’s solution. I just kicked the clumsy can into the street.
Lee Ables
palm desert
Have a good run
Are you joking. Sydney McLaughlin breaks the world record in the 400m hurdles and is on page 8. What happened to athletics in Southern California? Where are the Colosseum and Compton relays, the big Bush area events at UCLA. Now all that is good about athletics is in Eugene, Oregon. Television cannot in any way take the place of being present in person. Pay some respect for a great run by Sidney.
David Simon
North Hollywood
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times†