Bryant gets out the vote

May 10, 2008

I congratulate Kobe on winning the MVP, and I apologize to him for all the critical letters I've sent to Sports Viewpoint.

But since he has taken credit for motivating Andrew Bynum and teammates by last summer's criticism, shouldn't I take credit for stimulating Kobe to become a better team player? Gee, I wonder why he didn't mention me in his acceptance speech?

Richard Raffalow

Valley Glen

MVP consideration should have gone to Pau Gasol, not Kobe. Kobe is a great player, but he has only been able to make these Lakers no better than a one round-and-out playoff team. If a player joins a seventh-seeded team and helps carry them to the top spot, it seems like a no-brainer.

Dan Vandermeulen

Torrance

Kobe won his first much-overdue MVP award, but he still received 10 third-place and two fourth-place votes. I take it these 12 sportswriters and broadcasters work for such media organizations like the Neptune Gazette or the Rho Oph nebula television network in the farthest corner of the galaxy.

Mark J. Featherstone

Windsor Hills

I guess I should not be surprised that Kobe receives a lifetime achievement award from the basketball writers. This reminds me of when John Wayne got an Oscar for "True Grit."

David Hatcher

Glendale

On a day when Kobe wins the MVP, Bill Plaschke again writes a piece that purports to celebrate his greatness on the court while disparaging Kobe's personality.

I am not a Kobe apologist. He is not a perfect person by any stretch of the imagination. However, Plaschke writes about Kobe:

"The self-centered nature that makes him so aloof from his teammates and the community is the same self-centered nature that allows him to unflinchingly carry all of them in crunch time."

How can Plaschke insinuate that Kobe does not get along with his teammates when he was at the news conference and personally observed Kobe's teammates' enthusiastic support of their leader? The Lakers, as a team and organization, and Kobe have made peace with one another, and have moved on. Plaschke has not.

It appears that Plaschke has lost all journalistic objectivity when it comes to Kobe Bryant and I would hope that the editors at the Los Angeles Times can keep Plaschke from further undeservedly attacking Kobe's reputation.

Daniel Grunberg

North Hollywood