Letters to Sports: Put away morality card when it comes to Pete Rose
Rather than stew over whether Pete Rose and 'Shoeless" Joe Jackson should be admitted, the Baseball Hall of Fame should open a special wing for miscreants. Rose, the Black Sox members who are HOF-worthy, and PED users like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, whose accomplishments before they started using would have earned them plaques, would all be welcome.
Brian Lipson
Beverly Hills
So MLB has reinstated Pete Rose, months after his death. What a major league error to Pete Rose and his family, the fans and the Hall of Fame.
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I understand that he violated the rules and bet while a player/manager, but his numbers, which make him a Hall of Famer, had nothing to do with bets. He didn't cheat, he violated a rule. The Astros cheated and still kept the World Series title.
Russell Morgan
Carson
On the field a great player and fun to watch. Off the field bad news. His character a complete disaster. I hope he does not get in the Hall of Fame.
Phil Schneider
Marina del Rey
Was that a bit of ironic humor from Bill Shaikin saying he checked with bookies to see what the odds are on Pete Rose getting into the Hall of Fame?
Sports betting is now at epidemic levels and appears in various commercials and program commentary throughout sports media as a display of odds changing throughout many games. It's so out of control that it's become normalized.
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As for Rose, he brazenly and obsessively bet on baseball, including games involving his own team when he was a manager. That has always been considered a cardinal sin in the sport. He lied about it for decades, then came clean half-heartedly to make money on a book, then tried to play the aggrieved victim being denied his rightful place in the Hall. It was a nauseating spectacle that went on for years.
Rose was an exceptional player. But character and certain violations matter, otherwise there's no point in trying to protect the integrity of the game.
T.R. Jahns
Hemet
I understand the steroid thing with Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, and maybe they too will be honored in the Hall of Fame someday, but this "integrity, sportsmanship and character" purity test is nonsense! Look at Ty Cobb! What matters is what happened on the field. Let the all-time hits leader in ASAP.
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Kennedy Gammage
San Diego
Not again
After reading Bill Plaschke's column, I can't disagree that Austin Reaves might have to be traded in order to obtain a legitimate center. (I remember way back when we actually had one … seems like his initials were AD.) But whether the Lakers can "build around Luka Doncic" and whether JJ Redick is the carpenter for the job are huge questions.
In the Timberwolves series, Redick was outcoached and Minnesota's favorite target was Doncic. They pressured him in the backcourt and then doubled and line-trapped him in the front. By halftime, Luka was panting like an old dog in August.
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The buzz on Doncic at Dallas was that he was lazy, chronically out of shape and self-unaware. That sounds like a shaky foundation to me.
Thomas Bailey
Long Beach
Here we go again. Tossing a great player like Austin Reaves early in his career while we keep the worn-out old guys. Yes, I mean LeBron James. Why trade away Reaves in the prime of his career and keep a broken-down LeBron James? 2025-2026 will probably be his last season. Let him go back to Cleveland for free. We need the Lakers to be younger and coachable so we can get back to winning titles.
Dave Newman
Brea
Normally I agree with Mr. Plaschke and enjoy his articles, but trading another future star and hitching their wagon to an aged LeBron James appears, to me, to be a big mistake. There are plenty of examples of young talent that the Lakers let go with the lost hope of winning with the 'older' guys. Granted LBJ is an anomaly and a truly spectacular athlete. A sure first-ballot Hall of Famer but, come on man, its time to move on.
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Paul D. Ventura
Mission Viejo
They all count
In regards to a comment from comment that baseball standings from April to July are one of the most meaningless stats in sports, I disagree somewhat. The Dodgers and Padres are on top of the NL West, the Mets lead the NL East, the Yankees are pacing the AL East and the Tigers are on top of the AL Central. Barring major injuries, all these teams will be in their current positions in September. So, the current standings reflect the future.
Mark Heffernan
Bakersfield
A reader wrote that one of the most meaningless stats in sports is the MLB standings from April to July. That's good news for the Chicago White Sox and the Colorado Rockies.
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Brad Nelson
Oxnard
Dollars and sense
The USC football program has not met the expectations of past years to any degree under head coach Lincoln Riley. Yet USC paid Riley more than $11.5 million in 2023. His base salary is a mere $10.2 million. So the school paid an additional $100,000 listed under bonus and incentive compensation. The bonus must have been for showing up for work. Who needs incentive compensation with a base salary of $10.2 million? How much is tuition at USC now? Unbelievable!
Wayne Muramatsu
Cerritos
Winning the lottery
Dallas GM Nico Harrison: 'If I trade Luka the fans will run me out of town.'
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NBA commissioner Adam Silver: 'Don't worry. I got you.'
Russell Hosaka
Torrance
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