LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Umpire praises maintenance of Penn's gyms

To the Editor: I am a professional umpire with close to 20 years' experience in the major leagues. My job requires me to travel extensively during spring training, the regular season and the playoffs. My travels take me to some of the best-maintained training facilities, gymnasiums, hotels, locker rooms and health clubs in the country. I am also a resident of Philadelphia. Since 1981, I have spent every off-season working out at the University of Pennsylvania. During the off season, I regularly use the University's gymnasium, pool, lockers, steam room and track. I am, therefore, quite familiar with the condition of these facilities and I always find them to be as clean, safe, pleasant and well-maintained as any facility that I have ever seen. I credit the condition of the University's fitness facilities to a professional maintenance staff that is always thorough, efficient, courteous and hard-working. To the extent that Robbins is critical of that staff, he is way off base! Eric Gregg National League Umpire Word use questioned To the Editor: Somehow you youngsters at the DP need to get a grip on reality: in our culture, 58 is not usually referred to as "elderly" ("Mugging victim in critical condition," DP, 2/14/96) In actual fact, 58 is not only not referred to as elderly, it ISN'T elderly! I wonder what term you use for those living productive souls over 85? Are you middle-aged at 30 now? Please, you do irreparable harm to those of us who are finally beginning to feel mature, but know that "elderly" is a long way down the road. Susan Duggan Coordinator, University Scholars Editor's Note: The word "elderly" occurred in a quote from University Police Captain John Richardson. The truth of history To the Editor: In his column Dave Crystal writes ("The tie that binds," DP, 2/15/96), "Defending one's own ethnic or racial group simply because of personal pride is wrong." If so, why did he choose to spend his last two columns discussing race matters and defending a point of view that is so clearly based, not just on his race, but his ignorance? He writes, "we must all come together to hold truth as the higher law, and come to the realization that every and any revision of history will only engender further confusion and mistrust between the races." What truth is he referring to here? To me, it is common knowledge that history is the truth of whomever is telling it. We will all end our lifetimes with different ideas of history. There are two sides to every story and to say there needs to be no revisions made to a history that is told in the point of view of a ruling class consisting of white upperclass males seems self-serving to me. It's a shame that columns are written that are so obviously pointing a finger at one race, not an individual, but a race. If that's not "defending one's own?group," I don't know what is. Just the fact that Crystal is looking at which race his critiquers are is indicative of this. In case you're wondering, I'm Korean-American. Now where does your theory go? Susie Lee College '97