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Letters to Sports: Arte Moreno’s Angels sale reversal fires up fans

Angels owner Arte Moreno sits in the dugout.
Angels owner Arte Moreno announced this week that he is no longer pursuing a sale of the team and that he intends to remain the owner for the “2023 season and beyond.”
(Chris Carlson / Associated Press)
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It was with deep sadness for the future of Angels baseball that we learned Arte Moreno is no longer selling the team. A tiger can’t change its stripes. Moreno knows money but doesn’t know baseball. He spends on the wrong players, guts the scouting and farm systems, and fans still reward him by showing up. No more. It’s a shame that Mike Trout’s entire career may now be wasted under Moreno’s misguided ownership. I can no longer watch.

Michael Coyle
Long Beach

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How does a supposedly astute businessman come to what should have been a carefully thought out decision to sell a $2.5 billion business, engage the services of a firm to identify and vet prospective buyers, ask those prospective buyers to do the due diligence they need to perform to make their business decision, and then pull the rug out from all parties, as well as a majority of his fans? Arte Moreno is simply an incompetent owner with a history of bad decisions, starting with changing the team name to the ridiculous Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Bob Kyle
Newport Beach

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If Moreno and the Angels are serious about having a positive impact on the fan experience, then we can add to Dylan Hernández’s to-do list: Strike a deal to bring Bally Sports West to Frontier Communications so Frontier subscribers can watch Angels games at home.

Murray Zichlinsky
Long Beach

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So Arte Moreno has “unfinished business” with the Angels.

What could that be Arte? Further involvement in baseball decisions? Another franchise destroying Pujols/Rendon/Hamilton deal? Refusal to invest in player development? Slapping more Band-Aids on a dilapidated stadium? Letting the greatest player in baseball walk next year? The fact is you’ve had two decades of strikeouts, creating a losing culture.

Jim Fredrick
Manhattan Beach

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I just saw the news that Arte Moreno has decided against selling the Angels. The article insinuated Mr. Moreno still wants to win. If Mr. Moreno wished to win they should start by signing top-tier free agents instead of second- and third-tier players or players coming off of major surgeries. I don’t believe Shohei Ohtani has the loyalty of Mike Trout, so when they finish in the second division next year Ohtani will go to a winning team with a chance to get a ring.

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Bob Sands
La Habra

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Hearing the news that Arte Moreno is not selling the team and remaining the owner of the Angels is like hearing the Titanic is keeping its current ship’s captain.

Barry Smith
Thousand Oaks

Arte Moreno has a long to-do list and not much time to convince the Angels fan base that he is the right owner for one of this market’s crown-jewel franchises.

Jan. 24, 2023

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Blame Mick Cronin

It’s a shame Bruins coach Mick Cronin can’t update his game. You can’t question the heart of a team that grabs 15 offensive rebounds and forces 16 turnovers, including six steals. What you can question is the poise and mental readiness of a team that fails to put back even a few of those offensive boards, constantly goes for tips instead of shots, and seems to have forgotten the use of the backboard inside six feet, including layups. That’s coaching, and that’s on Mick Cronin.

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Mitch Paradise
Los Angeles

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Notice how Mick Cronin always blames his players for losses and never takes any responsibility himself or gives credit to the opposing team?

In a loss to Arizona, Cronin accused his players of not playing with heart when they had clearly played their hearts out for 40 minutes.

Arizona was the better team that day playing on its home court and the UCLA players played extremely hard and valiant in defeat. You’ll never hear Cronin say that. He’s one of those faultless coaches who heaps all the blame on his players. They deserve better.

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Tom Tyner
Clovis

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The shot clock violation buzzer when the Bruins are defending is music to my ears. The more often we hear it, the closer the Bruins will be to a national championship. You rock, Coach Cronin.

Mel Spitz
Beverly Hills

No. 5 UCLA’s 14-game win streak ended with a 58-52 loss at No. 11 Arizona. Here are five ways the Bruins can address their scoring issues.

Jan. 22, 2023

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How many games does UCLA have to lose before Mick “defense is the be-all and end-all” Cronin hires an assistant coach who knows how to coach the offense? Just curious.

Mark Mead
San Diego

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Not Rolen with it

Scott Rolen is not a Hall of Famer. Not a chance. He was bland and steady and just another guy in the clubhouse. I can’t even try to compare him to the greats of baseball who have not been accepted: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Manny Ramirez. Those men are baseball gods. Scott Rolen is mortal at best.

Sean Gregson
Rancho Palos Verdes

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Quick, name some of the all-time great third basemen: Brooks Robinson. Mike Schmidt. George Brett. Pie Traynor. Eddie Mathews. Scott Rolen?

The election, and subsequent induction, of Scott Rolen to the Baseball Hall of Fame cheapens the Hall for all who came before him. The Hall is meant to symbolize greatness; not above average.

Ron Yukelson
San Luis Obispo

Third baseman Scott Rolen was elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame on Tuesday with five votes to spare above the 75% needed.

Jan. 24, 2023

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There are perpetrators of injustices and inequities in life and then there are baseball’s Hall of Fame sportswriters. Jeff Kent’s lifetime stats exceeded or matched Hall of Famers Joe Morgan, Bill Mazeroski, Nellie Fox and Ryne Sandberg. Kent joins Lou Whitaker on the victims of myopic sportswriters’ bench alongside Maury Wills, Alan Trammell and many others. I think it’s time to vote the sportswriters out.

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Paul Shubunka
Santa Clarita

Editor’s note: Trammell was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Modern Baseball Era Committee.

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A three-point proposal

On Monday, NBA games included scores of 150-130, and 147-127. The night before the Lakers had a huge comeback win over Portland, which shot 17 for 46 from the three-point line. I understand why there is a proliferation of three-point shots taken (sometimes at the expense of layups), but the shot should be more difficult and the line moved back.

Ken Feldman
Tarzana

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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@latimes.com

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