Bruin Fans Living for the Present

Let’s see, Bob Torres [Viewpoint, Nov. 22] claims that USC is still the No. 1 football team in L.A.

So, I guess by his logic, bell bottoms, 45-rpm records and the Beatles are all still No. 1.

Trouble with Trojan fans is that they’re all living in their past glory while the Bruins continue to kick their rear ends.

Go back to sleep, Trojan fans, and keep dreaming of the vintage John McKay years.

ART WILSON

Covina

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I love nostalgic USC fans like Bob Torres. They cite past accomplishments and claim city bragging rights. In what decade? I see things differently. After losing seven consecutive football games to UCLA (unprecedented in the history of this rivalry), one thing is clear: The greatness of SC football--both nationally and locally--is history.

MARK KATZ

Beverly Hills

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Year after year, I keep reading how USC is going to finally beat UCLA, how USC was the national champion decades ago, how they had a few Heisman Trophy winners decades ago, etc. I guess those Trojans keep bringing all that up since they obviously can’t win now and need something to be happy about.

MARLON A. CICERO

Westwood

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I enjoyed reading about the long history of the UCLA vs. USC football games in the Viewpoint letters written by USC fans. They give facts going back over 80 years! Well I remember, too, when Pan Am was a great airline and International Harvester was one of the Dow Jones 30! The only important thing now is what is, not what was. And we Bruin fans know what is. UCLA 31, USC 24.

SAM E. AUSTIN

Palm Desert

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To Bob Torres of Van Nuys, Steven Taylor of Valencia and Kerri from Irvine (Viewpoint from a couple weeks ago) and other Trojan football fans clinging to glory days past--Hello! Time to climb off that Trojan high horse, don’t you think?

HELENA MARINO

Palm Desert

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Attention, John Robinson:

That No. 18’s name is pronounced Mc-NOWN.

As in best quarterback in TOWN.

JACK LEENER

Palm Desert

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The gritty Trojans are to be commended for their spirited and competitive struggle against the Bruins in last Saturday’s game at the Coliseum. However, the failure of USC’s public address announcer to acknowledge Skip Hicks’ new Pac-10 touchdown record (previously held by Charles White, now a USC assistant coach) was tacky and demonstrated a lack of class. Just one more reason to root for UCLA.

JIM BRUNET

Los Angeles

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Well, I guess Bob Trumpy got it half right: There’s still only one college football team in Los Angeles.

MATTHEW MARRONE

Brentwood

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So UCLA beat SC again for the seventh straight time. Big deal. What about women’s volleyball?

GENE ABRAMSON

Encino

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My mother, Iona Redman, a member of UCLA’s first graduating class, demonstrated the ability to be a gracious loser through the formative years of the Bruin-Trojan rivalry. More recently, at 96, she has demonstrated the ability to be an even more gracious winner. Myself, a USC graduate? I can only hope to duplicate her longevity so that someday, I, too, can become a gracious winner.

DICK REDMAN

Bermuda Dunes

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After reading the Viewpoint column last Saturday, I realized USC fans have developed a new way to respond to yet another defeat at the hands of the Bruins: Before it even happens, they scramble to put it in historical perspective. Hey, Trojans, wake up--Howard Jones is dead, John McKay’s gone fishing, O.J. almost certainly killed two people and Anthony Davis is two people.

It reminds me of a recent letter I read in the Viewpoint section of the Mongolian Times. It began, “Yeah, these Chinese leaders think they are big shots now, but we kicked their butts when Genghis Khan was around.”

JIM KEANE

Bainbridge Island, Wash.