Letters: Hearing from all sides on the Dodgers’ A.J. Ellis trade

Hey Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi, way to cut “the heart” right out of your ball club by trading A.J. Ellis. But wait, I guess nobody knows who will be in the locker next to them every night anyway, with the revolving doors you now have on both ends of the clubhouse. It probably won’t affect them much emotionally though, they’ll go out and play their regular game and almost get no-hit.

George Hynes

Arcadia

::

I don’t get it! The beat writers are all over the Dodgers for not making significant upgrades in the off-season and the last two trade deadlines. Now they upgrade at catcher, and they say the chemistry is shot? Get over it. This isn’t Little League, where buddies Bobby and Joey cry because they wind up on different teams. Good job, Friedman!

Gary Engstrom

Mission Viejo

::

Sabermetrics do not measure the character of a man. A.J. and Clayton weren’t the only ones crying over this trade.

Rich Hardt

Long Beach

::

When I heard A.J Ellis was traded, I felt like I just lost my brother. Then I remembered, my brother couldn’t hit a fastball either.

Mark Berglas

Huntington Beach

::

Andrew Friedman, go to your computer and Google the word “intangible.” In the definition you will probably see the name A.J. Ellis. It is not a number or statistic, but a reference to his ability to instill confidence in calling games and manage a pitching staff, and not least of all being Clayton Kershaw’s best friend.

Games are won by players and teams, not computers.

Terry Feigenbaum

Los Angeles

::

If Dave Roberts isn’t the runaway manager of the year, the award is a sham. No other team could’ve survived losing Clayton Kershaw let alone another 26 players and a front office that made terrible deadline trades. Whatever Roberts and his staff are doing to keep this team going is above and beyond.

Geno Apicella

Placentia

::

Scott Kazmir is going to have his neck and back examined. How about examining the head of the person responsible for signing him?

Alex Fernandez

Lakewood

::

Considering the Dodgers and Giants’ long history, it is poetic justice that Vin Scully gets one last pennant race to call. Question is, who will get to listen?

Derek Jeter’s 20-year Yankee farewell tour ended magically. All Lakers fans got the opportunity to see Kobe light up Los Angeles when he scored 60 in his final game.

A street has been renamed in his honor, his praises sung and “Vin Scully Fan Appreciation” night scheduled for Sept. 23, but the best tribute Dodger ownership can give Vin Scully and fans is to let him be heard in the final month of his final season. Instead of one day. Dodger management could make September “Vin Scully Fan Appreciation Month” by simulcasting games on radio for nine innings, giving fans a great gift. Letting L.A.’s most familiar voice over the last half century be heard on Southern California’s airwaves would be a win-win.

Ross Merrin

Marina del Rey

The Rio medal haul

didn’t prove our mettle

While we like to pat ourselves on the back for our dominance in the total Olympic medals count, the U.S. is the equivalent of a Division I college playing against mostly Division II, III and lower schools. If we take the top 11 medal winning countries, each with more than 20 medals, the leaders in medals per population are Australia, Great Britain and France. The bottom three are the U.S., Japan, and China. Even worse, if we look at medals per GDP, the top three are Russia (even without a full team), Great Britain and Australia. The bottom three are Japan, China and the U.S. So, while we can feel good about the medal count, we shouldn’t get swelled heads about it!

Bill Weber

La Canada

::

So DeAndre Jordan thinks that winning an Olympic gold medal is way better than winning an NBA championship ring. OK, DeAndre, tell us what it was like to win your first NBA ring. Oh, that’s right. I’m happy, though, that you are enjoying your medal.

Dick Terrill

Torrance

On the case

for starting Keenum

What is this ongoing need by Times’ reporters to put pressure on the Rams to have rookie quarterback Jared Goff ready to start by Week 1? So what if other recent No. 1 overall picks started their NFL regular-season debuts? Those were different situations, different coaches, different alternative starters. The fact is the Rams have a viable, capable veteran in Case Keenum to start the season and give the Rams their best chance for immediate success. Keenum has a winning record as a Rams starter, not counting the current 2-0 preseason, and is clearly a better option at this point in time. Let’s take the spotlight off the rook and give Keenum some overdue respect.

Bob Cunningham

Riverside

::

The Los Angeles Times welcomes expressions of all views. Letters should be brief and become the property of The Times. They may be edited and republished in any format. Each must include a valid mailing address and telephone number. Pseudonyms will not be used.

Mail: Sports Viewpoint

Los Angeles Times

202 W. 1st St.

Los Angeles, CA 90012

Fax: (213) 237-4322

Email:

[email protected]