Game 25: Keith Erickson - Adrienne's Tacos
Before comments sections allowed anyone to post hatred and bile without limit or moderation, the world’s angriest people turned to the Letters to the Editor. It was in print where unchecked cranks sputtered seethes about local mayors and presidents, street repairs and genocide. Because The Newspaper, Our Patron Saint of the First Amendment, strains to be the ultimate glorifier of Gotta Hear Both Sides, the Letters to the Editor section of every newspaper has always been a safe space for those with abhorrent takes. But what happens when the newspaper eschews differing opinions to pile on a grieving family in print? That’s what happened in the Jan. 4th, 1997 edition of the Los Angeles Times when the paper printed letters in response to an article about the death of former Lakers color commentator Keith Erickson’s 22 year old daughter Angelica from a drug overdose.
For decades, Erickson was a SoCal basketball fan favorite. An L.A. native who graduated from El Segundo High, he helped UCLA win their first two championships in 1964 and 1965. He wasn’t a scrub either. Playing alongside Gail Goodrich and Walt Hazzard, John Wooden described him as the best athlete he ever coached. In case you forgot, Wooden also coached Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton.
Erickson’s 12 NBA seasons included five with the Lakers, one of them as part of the 1971-1972 champs who won a record 33 games in a row. After Pat Riley abruptly left the Lakers’ broadcast booth to become assistant coach, Erickson took over and held the job as Chick Hearn’s right hand man for most of the Showtime run. Even when he became the Phoenix Suns’ color commentator, he remained in Santa Monica where he and his wife Adrienne raised their five kids. A devout Christian, Erickson hosted a radio show in his free time where he interviewed Christian athletes about his faith.
That faith was shaken in 1996, when he arrived home and found his oldest son crying on the living room floor. He must’ve known that his pastor was there to tell him the earth shattering news that Angelica was found dead. In the Los Angeles Times article “A Father’s Farewell” published a month later, Mike Downey delicately describes the brief life of Angelica, someone who was simultaneously “vibrant” and “shy,” a lifelong night owl who would escape her crib as a baby and stay out all night as a teen. It’s a well-written article about a man being supported by his tight knit community and the inner strength of his faith.
Then a week later, the Times ran three letters in piece titled “Readers Find Fault With Story About on Erickson’s Daughter.” Kim J. Wade of Hermosa Beach lambasted the “superficial” story and blamed Downey for “white washing” why a “golden girl” was using drugs at all. William Ash of Santa Monica, who starts by saying he has two daughters in recovery, bashes Downey for “extolling” Angelica and says that it’s a “dishonor” that the Ericksons started a memorial scholarship fund in their daughter’s name. Patricia Hurley of Altadena tisk tisks the Ericksons for not kidnapping their daughter the moment they discovered drug paraphernalia in her room. “I’m not saying that Angelica’s parents could have saved their daughter or that they did anything wrong.” Patricia writes. “We only know what you wrote and we do not know the agony they faced and are now facing.”
What kind of psychopath writes that? In 1997, you had to literally write this on a piece of paper, put it in an envelope, lick a stamp, and then mail it off. But a better question is, what kind of an editor felt this was the necessary coda to Mike Downey’s piece? That this was the differing opinion we needed to a story about a family having their world ripped apart? Is it because they expressed their holier than thou platitudes in the polite manner of a church lady whispering about the pastor’s daughter too-high skirt? Why did they think their readers needed to read these letters? And more crucially, why did the editorial board decide that the Ericksons should wake up that morning, just weeks after the worst news of their lives, and be subjected to targeted cruelty?
Maybe it has something to do with the anonymity of the editorial board. Just like an internet comment, when there’s no face or name attached to your thoughts, it’s far easier to be unkind.
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Adrienne’s Tacos
1 to 1 ½ lbs lean ground beef
1 small can tomato sauce
1 lb grated cheddar cheese
2-4 tomatoes, finely chopped
Taco sauce
1 onion, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
½ head iceberg lettuce
2 dozen taco-sized tortillas
Cooking oil
Fry beef and onion in skillet until beef is thoroughly cooked and crumbly. Add tomato sauce, salt, and pepper. Simmer and reduce liquid, stirring often to prevent sticking.
Heat oil in deep skillet. Oil is ready when it sizzles when tortilla is placed in skillet. Fry tortillas for about 1 minute on each side; tortillas should not be soggy but not too crisp. Remove to cookie sheet lined with paper towels and keep warm in oven until all have been cooked.
Fill each tortilla with meat, cheese, lettuce sliced very fine, tomatoes, and taco sauce. Sour cream and guacamole are optional toppings.
This recipe is pretty damn good for a white family in 1980s Los Angeles. I expected (and was a little excited) to eat some hard shell tacos, but they went all out and had me lightly fry up some flat corn tortillas. I made it exactly as Adrienne prepared it with one 21st century exception: Beyond Meat instead of real ground beef. I’ve been using it to cook burgers in 2019 and I don’t think I’ll ever go back. Unless we find out in a few years that Beyond Meat has been slowly killing us in a different way than actual processed cow. There’s probably some poisonous ingredients that makes their patties crisp just like a real cow.
Anyway. This was super simple and super delicious. Great recipe, Adrienne! Those five mouths you fed in the ‘80s and ‘90s were lucky to have you as a mom.
