Latest news with #BillShaikin
Los Angeles Times
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Letters to Sports: Never remove the asterisk from Astros' 2017 World Series title
For a Dodgers fan like me, the story of the 2017 World Series is a wound that will never heal. In his article, Bill Shaikin suggests that A.J. Hinch deserves the asterisk removed from his name for the taint of the cheating scandal because he was a minor player and has owned his part in what happened. Maybe I can be big enough to forgive Hinch, but as far as removing the asterisk I don't think so. He witnessed the cheating in his dugout and did nothing to stop it. But I can never forgive Rob Manfred for the fact that in his finite wisdom he decided that the 2017 World Series trophy should remain in Houston. There is plenty of evidence that the cheating changed the results of that Series. And what about the $4,000 I spent on World Series tickets in '17 hoping to fulfill my son's lifelong dream of seeing his beloved Dodgers win the championship on the field at Chavez Ravine? The commissioner spit on the integrity of the sport my son and I love. That will never be forgiven. Larry WeinerCulver City I read 'Coach sheds an asterisk from '17 scandal' by Bill Shaikin. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch should never shed that asterisk. I would love to see the Dodgers face the Tigers in the 2025 World Series and sweep them. Just because 'Hinch said he was wrong' in not doing anything to stop the 2017 Astros from cheating does not exonerate him. Vaughn HardenbergWestwood So, let me get this straight. Professional athletes who depend upon their vision for success don't actually go routinely for a complete vision exam? After 10 years, Kiké Hernández 'discovered' he had an astigmatism. Now Max Muncy 'discovers' he has one too? Shouldn't comprehensive eye exams be required of every batter and fielder? What is the Dodgers' medical team doing here? Mike SchallerTemple City Attention Dylan Hernández! Cannot agree. No time to panic, just yet. Leave Shohei Ohtani alone in his DH status. Dodgers are correct in letting him ease into his pitching until after the All-Star break. We still have plenty of decent arms to carry the load until then. Aside from the first three quarters of an NBA game, the most meaningless stats in sports are baseball standings from April to July! Marty ZwebenPalos Verdes Estates The Dodgers continue to find ways to successfully fill holes in pitching, hitting and fielding. The latest arrival, Hyeseong Kim, has demonstrated potential with the bat and in the field. Perhaps, Dave Roberts may want to think about moving him to third base. Mark MallingerMalibu Entering Friday's game against Arizona, the two players who primarily bat at or near the bottom of the Dodgers' lineup (and ahead of Shohei Ohtani starting from his second at bat) were hitting .188 and .135. Although not even a quarter of the season has been played, strong consideration should be given by the Dodgers to making changes at the bottom of the lineup, and/or to moving Ohtani to second or third in the order, so that his batting talents can be maximized. Ken FeldmanTarzana When do you suppose our major universities will wise up to the notion of serving as a free farm club for the NFL and NBA? Nothing about today's college sports serves the mission of an education institution, so they should decide not to participate in the transfer portal or provide a conduit for NIL money. Schools should return to the days when students could have a part-time job to support them, commitments to sports programs should be for the season only, and nothing more than scholarships provided, if that. Then we would have student-athletes instead of shopping vagabonds. It sickens me to see where drafted students have been to three or four colleges for their 'education.' Major college programs should be divorced from universities and serve just as club teams unrelated to education. Larry NelsonPacific Palisades It is no surprise that the Lakers and the Clippers have been eliminated in the first round of the NBA playoffs since both followed the same game plan for building a team. Modern championship-caliber teams are built from the ground up starting with drafting players and by trading for young players who are still on affordable contracts. The Lakers and Clippers started with buying expensive free-agent stars and trading for stars that left them with insufficient money to fill out their rosters and insufficient draft picks to grow from within. Will they never learn? Richard RaffalowValley Glen Lakers first round — gone. Kings first round — gone. Clippers first round — gone. It's time for Dodger baseball. Dave SnyderGrand Terrace Now that the Lakers/Clippers seasons are over, it's time for some real basketball — the WNBA. David MarshallSanta Monica Things you can do during the last two minutes of an NBA playoff game: —your taxes —write a book —learn a new language —watch every round of the NFL draft Andy BernsteinSanta Monica 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. Email: sports@
Los Angeles Times
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Dodgers Dugout: Want to go to a game? Visit a financial planner
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. I'm hoping to win the lottery so I can use it as a down payment for Dodgers tickets. OK, maybe it's not quite that bad, but still... In this newsletter, we are going to turn our attention away from the players for a bit in order to look at something I get emails about weekly: Some fans, many of them longtime fans, can't afford to go to a Dodger game anymore. Colleague Bill Shaikin recently did a story on the high cost of going to a Dodger game. Let's take a look at some highlights, or lowlights if you prefer. A study was recently released that detailed how much it would cost a family of four to go to a baseball game if they got the four cheapest tickets, parking, two beers, two sodas and four hot dogs. The results: 1. Dodgers, $399.682. Tampa Bay, $330.273. Chicago Cubs, $306.384. Boston, $303.755. NY Mets, $263.216. Philadelphia, $255.707. San Diego, $250.968. Atlanta, $2459. Arizona, $231.2010. Athletics, $215.8911. Pittsburgh, $209.03MLB average, $20812. Minnesota, $205.3213. NY Yankees, $205.4814. Texas, $204.6815. Seattle, $193.4616. San Francisco, $191.3817. Detroit, $187.2118. Houston, $178.9619. Washington, $174.1620. Baltimore, $172.4121. Cleveland, $172.3722. Milwaukee, $165.6423. Kansas City, $165.5424. Angels, $161.2625. Toronto, $149.6726. St. Louis, $149.2727. Miami, $145.4728. Chicago White Sox, $145.2429. Colorado, $135.6630. Cincinnati, $124.51 As a lark, I looked at the cheapest roundtrip airfare to Cincinnati and found seats for $149. A decent hotel near the ballpark in Cincinnati could be found for $82. So, I could fly my family to Cincinnati, buy tickets to see the Dodgers-Reds there, stay overnight at a hotel, and fly home the next day for a cheaper price than seeing the same two teams play at Dodger Stadium. And what does baseball commissioner Rob Manfred have to say about the high price of Dodger games? 'One of the leaders in terms of thinking about affordability has been the other Los Angeles team,' Manfred told Shaikin. Excuse me now? If I'm a Dodgers fan, I should go to an Angels game? Let's face it. The Dodgers aren't hurting for attendance. Despite the high prices, they draw more fans than any other team in baseball. There's no incentive to lower prices when they are selling so many tickets and items at the current prices. And the Dodgers do give tickets away. The Dodgers' foundation said it distributed 64,000 tickets last year through the Commissioner's Community Initiative. Which, considering they sold a lofty 3,941,251 tickets last season, accounts for an overwhelming 1.6% of tickets. Please stop with all the generosity. None of this helps, as an example, the single parent with two kids who love the Dodgers, who would love to take their kids to a game, but it costs just too much on a limited budget. I mean, the Dodgers could have a family night out in the bleachers. Make tickets $30 for an adult, $10 for kids, and all adults must have kids with them. Plus every parent gets a coupon for two free Dodger Dogs and two free sodas, plus 15% off any souvenir. Do this once a month. They could do it during a midweek game. The little kids don't care too much about the opponent, they just want to see the Dodgers. And their parent looks like a hero. You have locked in at least three people as Dodgers fans for life. Sure, it won't be easy. You'd have to verify a lot of info, such as 'Are you a parent with small kids (say, under 12)? And yes, some people would scam the system. But don't let that stop you from doing the right thing. Or, we could listen to Manfred. 'You can't have it all ways, right?' Manfred said. 'The Dodgers have made a massive financial commitment in terms of players, and they have to run a business that supports that massive financial commitment.' He also said, 'If you want to sit next to Mary Hart, it's expensive,' Manfred said. 'I think it's really important to think about that from an access perspective.' Rob Manfred sure has his finger on the pulse of the average baseball fan. Unfortunately, it's his middle finger. My grandkids want to go to Dodgers game. But none of those free ticket offers seemed to make their way to San Dimas, so taking the seven people we would need to take to a Dodgers game to make it a family event is cost prohibitive. Instead, we are going to see the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. It's $21 per ticket to sit five rows behind home plate and see some of the stars of the future. Hot dogs, beer, soda, you name it, is much cheaper. Games between innings. Two mascots roaming the stands. I highly recommend it. And they are a Dodger affiliate (at least for this season — next year they become an Angels affiliate), so you can see some of the future Dodger stars. Because I'm stupid, while comparing the Dodgers, Giants and Padres last week, I wrote that Jung Hoo Lee of the Giants came from Japan last season. He, of course, came from South Korea. It was a case of the brain thinking one thing and the hands typing something else. My apologies to Jung Hoo Lee. In the last newsletter, I listed the all-time pinch-hit leaders. This time, by request from multiple people, the list of the Dodgers with the most pinch hits: 1. Dave Hansen, 1102. Manny Mota, 1063. Chris Gwynn, 524. Olmedo Sáenz, 495. Duke Snider, 466. Mitch Webster, 447. Andre Ethier, 408. Mike Sharperson, 399. Mickey Hatcher, 389. Kiké Hernández, 38 Tyler Glasnow had to leave Sunday's game early because of cramps in his right leg. It shouldn't be anything to worry about, Glasnow has dealt with cramps throughout his career, and no one seems to know why they happen. 'I don't know. I'm not quite sure,' he said. 'I've done all the hydration stuff. I do all the supplements. I'm not sure. I think we'll try and figure some stuff out soon. And just hopefully, it doesn't happen again.' Shohei Ohtani missed the first two games of the Rangers series because he was on paternity leave. His wife, Mamiko Tanaka, gave birth to the couple's first child, a girl. Dave Roberts' reaction: 'He loves his sleep. So it'll be interesting to see how the sleep wins out, or it doesn't win out, when you have a baby.' Tuesday: Dodgers (Dustin May, 1-1, 1.06 ERA) at Chicago Cubs (*Shota Imanaga, 2-1, 2.22 ERA), 4:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020 Wednesday: Dodgers (TBD) at Chicago Cubs (*Matthew Boyd, 1-2, 2.01 ERA), 4 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020 *-left-handed Shohei Ohtani's wife gives birth to a girl, the couple's first child Anticipating birth of first child, Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani goes on paternity leave Dodgers coach Chris Woodward is 'proud' of Rangers managerial stint, despite 2022 firing Championship blues: Dodgers games used to be affordable family entertainment. No more. The Dodgers sell hot dogs for $7.99. The Diamondbacks sell them for $2.99. Why? Manny Mota has a key pinch-double as the Dodgers rally to win Game 3 of the 1977 NLCS. Watch and listen here.
Los Angeles Times
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
LA Times Today: Apple's documentary on Dodgers provides ‘all-access' look at World Series run
The Dodgers were honored at the White House Monday to celebrate their 2024 World Series win over the New York Yankees. And now, the thrill and the drama of L.A.'s championship run is captured in a new Apple TV+ documentary called, 'Fight for Glory.' L.A. Times baseball reporter Bill Shaikin joined Lisa McRee to talk about it.
