Caitlin Clark’s impact on the WNBA is no different than Tiger Woods’ impact on professional golf over two decades ago. These charismatic and generational talents brought in new fans and changed their profession for the better. Any complaints about the attention Clark receives ignore what Tiger enjoyed and are misplaced.
Gary B. Ross
Beverly Hills
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In a letter you printed, the writer complained because the Sparks had increased the price of the cheap seat section from $20 to $125 for the game against Indiana. He may not be aware that Indiana drafted Caitlin Clark first overall in the recent WNBA draft. Clark has made women’s basketball extremely visible. The women’s March Madness final surpassed the men’s final by millions of TV fans. Last week’s game between the WNBA’s New York Liberty and Indiana became the first women’s game to generate $2 million in ticket sales. The letter writer called the Sparks raising ticket prices “socialism.” I call it capitalism. I suspect he could take his daughter to any other Sparks home game and find the price for the cheap seats to his liking.
Michael S Lurey
Santa Monica
LeBron is indeed a ‘real’ Laker
A letter writer said last week that LeBron isn’t a real Laker. Whoever puts the purple and gold on the floor at any point in franchise history IS A LAKER.
The late Kobe Bryant even welcomed LeBron to the family right after he signed. Talk about a resounding endorsement.
This sounds like sour grapes from a fan who is upset that the Lakers are eliminated this year. People want to blame LeBron, but it takes a team to win in the NBA, not just one player. Should we lower the value of the most recent Lakers title because of this non-real Laker on the roster for the 2019-20 champions?
Isn’t Michael Jordan a ‘real’ Washington wizard? He obviously meant something to that franchise, and it meant something to him. How can an NBA player not be a “real” member of a team in the association?
Lucas Aiello
Orange
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The Pacers will win it all because this team shares the ball and trusts each other. Unlike the Lakers, who play two-man basketball. The other players can’t get into a rhythm because it’s LeBron or AD who has the ball in their hands. As long as the Lakers keep LeBron, the losing formula will continue and lead to more of the same.
GT Okay
Rose Field
At least one advantage
While it’s a long shot, the Lakers’ three-point shooting should improve with JJ Redick as coach.
David Marshall
Santa Monica
Harbinger of October?
When Dave Roberts said last weekend that San Diego had a playoff atmosphere, he was right. For the most part, the offense looked similar to the offense of the last two years in the playoffs. No energy, shaking their heads after weak outs and total disregard for fundamentals like moving runners and hitting to the opposite field when thrown out.
Roberts, unless you don’t get the team performing the right way now, it’s going to be another disappointing failure in the playoffs.
Bob Malcolmian
Northridge
Shake it off
Just when we thought the exaggerated bat flip was the height of arrogant showmanship, that insipid twist-and-wiggle shimmy-shake, with arms raised in blatant self-aggrandizement, by all Dodger hitters after every single, regardless of the score , is bush league and proves Freud’s thesis: the ego is nothing other than the center of conscious attention.
Or, in the immortal words of Vin Scully, “Good is not good if better is expected.” Apparently money can buy an elite DH and starting pitcher, or two, but it can’t buy class.
Steve Ross
Carmel
It takes more than desire, Rob
So Rob Blake thinks the key to winning the Stanley Cup is to just believe: “What we’ve come to realize is that there’s a certain desire to win that needs to be instilled within our team here.” Sorry Rob, you especially should know that size matters in playoff hockey. Just look at the Kings teams of 2012 and 2014. The Kings are just too small. Hoping for the Little Engine That Could mentality won’t cut it.
Reggie Reginato
Santa Barbara
No defense
We found out last week that USC paid Lincoln Riley $19 million in his first season at Troy. I wondered how much more the boosters would pay if Lincoln also coached the defense?
Fred Wallin
Westlake village
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
