Letters: USC-UCLA not that big

UCLA vs. USC: a classic struggle between a movable object and a resistible force. May the worse team lose.

Paul Jeong

Beaumont

::

When is Rick Neuheisel — a.k.a. “The Big Excuseinator” — going to stand up and give himself the kind of public flogging that he shamelessly gives his players on national TV? In this article alone [“ Bruins look to next season,” Nov. 29] he cleverly blames his players’ talent, their motivation, their health. If their fearless leader is the biggest finger-pointer of them all, can you imagine how many fingers are getting pointed in the locker room? No wonder Rick’s teams can’t finish a game. Just like coach, they’re too busy figuring out who to blame after the game.

Scott Barry

West Hollywood

::

UCLA fans, why are you upset? UCLA’s football program has never been better than mediocre in the last 40 years. Throughout the nation, football programs are performing better with lesser talent. Rick Neuheisel needs to take responsibility for his inabilities and quit blaming his coaching staff. This is his show and it stinks.

UCLA fans, how bad are you willing to accept?

To quote John Wooden, “failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.”

Russ Ramirez

Costa Mesa

::

In a shameless attempt to deflect attention from his numerous coaching gaffes in the Notre Dame debacle, Lane (My Daddy is Monte) Kiffin threw Ronald Johnson under the bus for dropping a probable touchdown pass in the waning moments of the game. Kiffin conveniently neglected to mention the 58 minutes of ill-advised strategy — i.e. playing not to lose.

Suffice to say, Kiffin must be embarrassed in losing to one of the worst Irish teams to ever enter the Coliseum. The city eagerly awaits this weekend’s crosstown rivalry between the Mt. Rushmore of college coaches, Fast Lane Kiffin vs. Slick Rick Neuheisel!

Mark S. Roth

Los Angeles

::

Lane Kiffin’s comment following his team’s loss to Notre Dame was priceless. “I just think that none of them ever imagined that we were going to loss that game.” Keep up the good mental preparation. In fact, start preparing right now for next year. Just repeat the following: “There is no way SC is going to lose to Notre Dame next year.”

Joe Green

Irvine

::

The following is how Bill Plaschke explains three (out of five) USC losses this year. “As with Stanford, and Washington, this was a game the Trojans won … then didn’t.”

The words of a typical Trojans fan.

Bryan Cierley

Newport Beach

::

Who knew that in his first USC-Notre Dame game as head coach, Lane Kiffin’s play-calling would honor the time period in which the rivalry was born — the 1920s?

Howard P. Cohen

North Hills

::

After seeing the Trojans find so many ways to lose to crummy Notre Dame, I’m starting to remember the Paul Hackett Years. Wonder if Dillon Baxter is the next Petros Papadakis?

Jack Von Bulow

Temple City

::

Ronald Johnson isn’t alone. The entire Trojans team dropped the ball this year.

Tom Turner

Dana Point

::

Even though USC is on probation and cannot be invited to a bowl game, could USC create its own bowl matchup by organizing a game with bowl-ineligible Texas? It would be five years after the teams played for the national title and just as interesting as any other bowl matchup.

Vince Young and Matt Leinart could even attend since their NFL status is shaky.

Jonathan Horowitz

Irvine

Oh, Boise

What happens when the country’s preeminent college football writer falls in love with the wrong girl? He loses his mind, talks incessantly about her, bores everyone with his infatuation, and generally makes no sense while those around him try to figure out what he sees in her. His friends only begin to rejoice when he finally comes to his senses or she dumps him, which is exactly what happened to Chris Dufresne when Boise State lost to Nevada.

So there was Chris, smitten and in love, with most of his columns devoted to his Boise … until she kicked him (wide right and left) out.

At least now we have him back, chastising coaches and writers alike for ranking one team above another when they have equal records, but have lost to the other team. Oh, wait a minute, maybe he’s not over her yet … he just ranked 10-1 Boise State ahead of 11-1 Nevada.

Who is it next year, Chris? Buffalo is looking awfully pretty …

Jack Saltzberg

Sherman Oaks

::

Finally this overrated (especially by The Times) Boise State team is exposed. The experts (at The Times) have had them ranked No. 1 in their poll week after week over Oregon and Auburn. I totally expect you guys to now jump on the TCU bandwagon. I think I know why you have chosen to take this course and it all points to the fall from grace of almighty USC.

Alan Willingham

Santa Monica

As the football season is coming to a close, these are the things I’m sick of hearing:

This team has just become “bowl eligible.”

Do Boise State and TCU really belong in a BCS bowl game?

T. J. Simers ragging on Rick Neuheisel.

Anything about Brett Favre.

A college playoff would be unfair for the “student athletes.”

Ralph S. Brax

Lancaster

::

For Ohio State’s Gordon Gee and the others who still support the BCS system, is there not something seriously wrong with the rankings when the No. 2 team is an underdog to the twice-beaten No. 11 team?

Michael Barton

Huntington Beach

::

I’m very glad that somebody finally wrote the column that Plaschke wrote on the Boise State kicker. I never expected to have to say so, but Plaschke’s one helluva lot better (and deeper) than I once gave him credit for being.

Paul Ascenzi

Pomona

Lakerdom

Pau Gasol needs to stop his whining. Sure he has been averaging 40 minutes a game this season, and hence his effectiveness has been dismal in the fourth quarter of recent games. Oh sure Gasol and the Lakers could have benefited from a healthy Andrew Bynum at the start of the season. But really are you going to deny Bynum’s desire to attend the World Cup? And that French Riviera vacation, are you really going to demand that Bynum have surgery early in the off-season so he could be ready to help the Lakers defend their title?

Come on, man, get real, Bynum needs off time. So what if he’s not in game shape until the end of January, this guy has his own goals. It’s just too bad that he didn’t consult Pau Gasol before he made them …

Brian Haueter

Ventura

::

The Lakers forget they traded Bynum’s health for a ring and with no backup center it is taking a toll on Gasol. Artest is not much of a shooter and Brown came back down to earth in the Jazz game. Kobe has a lot of miles on his body and he can’t elevate like he use to or drive to the basket as he once could. The Lakers had been knocking over a bunch of tomato cans. Boston, can I be there when you get your rings?

William J Cooley

Los Angeles

The most exciting team in Los Angeles right now is the Clippers. I wouldn’t pay one cent to watch the whiny, unexciting Lakers.

The Clippers are young and exciting. The Lakers are old and boring.

In two years the best team in L.A. will be the Clippers and well into the future.

Gary Pinson

Sylmar

Ned-ball

Nice signing of former San Francisco Giant Juan Uribe by the Dodgers. I guess if you can’t beat ‘em, sign ‘em.

Mark J. Featherstone

Windsor Hills

::

The Times, classifying the Dodgers’ signings of four journeymen players this off-season as “significant,” shows how far our expectations have diminished regarding this team. And for a team with limited resources, what a bad couple of moves.

Allan Kandel

Los Angeles

::

I’m sorry. I must have been in a coma during Juan Uribe’s great years. I know the Dodgers wouldn’t sign a journeyman player for $21 million!

Vincent Martinez

Arcadia

::

Seems like former Giants assistant General Manager Ned Colletti, now of the Dodgers, is trying to relocate the Giants to Los Angeles by signing Juan Uribe, negotiating with Aubrey Huff, plus the ignorant signing of Jason Schmidt a few years back, plus other names like Jeff Kent, Brett Tomko, Bill Mueller, Jose Cruz Jr., plus a few other ex-Giants. Is Colletti trying to break up the Giants, or is he just trying to build his team in copycat fashion according to his former boss, Brian Sabean?

Obrey Brown

Redlands

Dodgers fans can look forward to a team that has a terrific starting rotation, an excellent right fielder, a steady first baseman, a five-tool center fielder who happens to be lazy, a talented shortstop with a bad back … and nothing else.

It’s going to be an exciting race next season between the Dodgers and Diamondbacks for the bottom of the Western Division. As a loyal Dodgers fan, I’m saying the Dodgers will win it going away.

Skip Usen

Santa Monica

As a die-hard Dodgers fan my friend bought an Eric Gagne jersey when he was at the height of his career. Soon after he was gone in disgrace. He then got a Russell Martin jersey. Now it appears that Martin’s Dodgers days are behind him.

I am encouraging my friend to put the name McCourt on his next jersey!

Mike Gamboa

Buena Park

Stir crazy

Before I read another negative reader comment about T.J. Simers, something needs to be said.

Over the decades the Los Angeles Times has had some outstanding and a few brilliant columnists. T.J. falls into one of the above categories. At times he writes what needs to be said and at other times not so much.

He “stirs the pot,” creates controversy and discussion. Anyone who takes T.J. too seriously is either a fool or an idiot.

Tim Newhard

Irvine

Tiger’s back?

I’d like to put Tiger Woods in my rearview mirror. I’ve lost all respect for that serial adulterer and I hope his 2011 is filled with more lousy play and not a single tournament win.

Ray Uhler

Rancho Santa Margarita

::

Is Tiger sincere? At this point, who cares?

If he is, sooner or later everybody will know. And if he isn’t, sooner or later everybody will know.

Clifford Burton

Santa Monica

Don’t give up

Hockey season was going great. The home team was leading the Pacific Division, jockeying for the NHL points lead. Then those guys evaporated and the Kings showed up. Oh well, maybe next year.

Derek Lovett

Torrance

Late call

I find nothing impressive about Kansas’ 64-game home winning streak when you have officials who make certain it stays intact.

Jerry Leibowitz

Culver City

::

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.

By mail: Sports Viewpoint

Los Angeles Times

202 W. 1st St.

Los Angeles, CA 90012

By fax: (213) 237-4322

E-mail: [email protected]