Is It Twilight Time for Dodgers, Angels?

Fred Claire entered the Twilight Zone in 1988 with a script even Hollywood would shun. The Dodgers, a fair team carried on the shoulders of an aging and injured American League reject, won the World Series. Who will ever forget Kirk Gibson’s home run?

Fred decided he had the secret: Raid the American League of its injured players and dump young future stars. Like all quick fixes, it didn’t last. A look at today’s Dodgers is enough to make a fan ill. Stolid, angry, unsmiling. Hustle is a dirty word to most of these guys. Even our beloved Mickey Hatcher has become morose.

It will take many seasons to undo the harm of Fred Claire. He still dwells in the Twilight Zone and believes that the American League is run by a bunch of hayseeds who are willing to give him their star players.

LEE BANDLE

Palm Desert