Leon Smith

This is a sad story, one that shouldn't have happened, except no one knew how to stop it, or what they would do if it happened again. It has no heroes and one victim, Leon Smith of the Dallas Mavericks, now suspended without pay and in a Dallas psychiatric facility. Smith, 19, was 4 when he was taken from his mother in an abuse and neglect hearing and made a ward of the state of Illinois, to be raised in Chicago group homes.

Miscellany Leon Smith, a former first-round NBA draft pick who never played for the Dallas Mavericks, has been released by the St. Louis Swarm of the International Basketball League. Smith, a 6-foot-10 forward-center, averaged seven points and nearly eight rebounds in three games with the Swarm.

And the Dodgers stink, too! LEON SMITH Anaheim Hills

Leon Smith was beaming that June night, and who could blame him: At 18, he was about to become a millionaire. Playing in the NBA. Life couldn't be sweeter if he'd caught a genie in a bottle. "Lee-bo! Lee-bo!" His buddies chanted his nickname, slapping him on the back and tugging at his arms to congratulate him moments after he was chosen as the final first-round pick in the NBA draft.

If our troops are successful in quelling gang activity in Somalia, maybe they can do the same here upon their return. LEON SMITH Bonsall

There's no other way to say it. The Angels stink! LEON SMITH Anaheim Hills

I liked Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda better in 1988, fat and in first place. LEON SMITH, Anaheim Hills

When, oh when, will basketball coaches, sportscasters and sportswriters stop calling 7-4, 235-pound 20-year-old men "kids"? LEON SMITH Anaheim Hills

San Diego's current water crisis can be immediately eased by 50% if property owners follow Mayor Maureen O'Connor's lead by installing a second water meter, then conveniently forgetting it exists. LEON SMITH Bonsall

Miscellany Leon Smith, a former first-round NBA draft pick who never played for the Dallas Mavericks, has been released by the St. Louis Swarm of the International Basketball League. Smith, a 6-foot-10 forward-center, averaged seven points and nearly eight rebounds in three games with the Swarm.

This is a sad story, one that shouldn't have happened, except no one knew how to stop it, or what they would do if it happened again. It has no heroes and one victim, Leon Smith of the Dallas Mavericks, now suspended without pay and in a Dallas psychiatric facility. Smith, 19, was 4 when he was taken from his mother in an abuse and neglect hearing and made a ward of the state of Illinois, to be raised in Chicago group homes.

Troubled NBA rookie Leon Smith is due back in a Chicago courtroom Monday on charges he vandalized a car belonging to his former girlfriend's mother. Smith, who attempted the jump from Chicago's Martin Luther King High to the NBA this season, was charged Saturday with two counts of criminal damage to property and one count of violating an order of protection, both misdemeanors, police said.

I was wrong! I apologize! As soon as the Calgary Flames creamed the Kings in Game 3 at the Forum, I began preparing my routine "they-blew-the-playoffs-again" letter. Suddenly, instead of faltering, the Kings beat the Flames in six games. Good luck, guys. On to the Stanley Cup. No more sour letters from me, regardless of the outcome. LEON SMITH Bonsall

I was going to take the time to write to berate the Dodgers for stumbling their way to yet another loss, this time on opening day to the expansion Florida Marlins, but I'm too disgusted with Lasorda and Co. to do so. LEON SMITH Bonsall

If our troops are successful in quelling gang activity in Somalia, maybe they can do the same here upon their return. LEON SMITH Bonsall

I'm disappointed that Canada has taken the World Series baseball title away from the United States. However, I'm elated that the title did not wind up in the city where Jane Fonda resides. LEON SMITH Bonsall

Fernando Valenzuela's $2-million-plus return to the Dodgers in 1990 will once again equate to a mediocre pitching performance that will be fully justified by Tommy Lasorda, the mediocrity of Valenzuela's teammates and, of course, Vin Scully and his broadcasting cohorts. LEON SMITH, Anaheim Hills

A recent report related that the cost of maintaining 57,000 U.S. forces in Japan is $7 billion annually. As a taxpayer contributing to this enormous cost, I wonder who we are protecting Japan from. LEON SMITH Anaheim Hills

The illegal immigration problem is gradually being solved. At the rate our schools are graduating functional illiterates, we'll have sufficient U.S. citizens to work the fields and harvest the crops by the end of this decade. LEON SMITH, Bonsall

San Diego's current water crisis can be immediately eased by 50% if property owners follow Mayor Maureen O'Connor's lead by installing a second water meter, then conveniently forgetting it exists. LEON SMITH Bonsall