GENTLE READERS, YOU GET THE WRITER YOU DESERVE.

Byline: KEVIN MODESTI

I get to express my opinions three days a week in the Daily News. It's only fair to let readers have theri say once a year or so.

Lately, hot topics in the e-mails to heymodesti(at)aol.com have included my columns on the Miami-Nebraska Rose Bowl, UCLA, USC and Cal State Northridge football, and the Dodgers. These e-mails have been edited where necessary for length and spelling. So have my replies.

I am extremely amazed that you feel you think you speak for every Los Angeles-area football fan by only welcoming one team to the Rose Bowl (``Welcome Miami! Oh yeah, you too, Nebraska,'' Thursday). Your article is the most classless sports article I have ever read, and I cannot believe the Daily News would print the article. It does not matter if you're a football fan or not, the Rose Bowl game and activities generate a lot of income for the city of Pasadena as well as Los Angeles. All I read about is that travel-related industries are really hurting right now after 9/11, and I would think that as a spokesman you would have thought about all the poor will you were extending. I believe you owe Los Angeles-area fans and business people an apology for your insensitive article.

- Pat Weston

Several readers have flattered me by implying that my unkind words will cause Nebraskans to turn around and go home. If I could determine who visits and spends money here, would I waste that power on the Cornhuskers?

My 10-year-old son read your article and asked me, ``Why is the writer being so mean to Nebraska?'' I told him some sports writers are very stupid and just don't do their jobs!

- Tami Johnson

Don't tell your son how easy it is to be a sports writer, or he'll want to be one too.

This is only the second time in my life I have written a letter like this. The other was to the President of the United States (Truman) and it got results. My largest complaint about this particular column is that it was the most unsportsmanlike article I've ever read, and in comparison with some others I've read lately, that's pretty bad.

- Owen Edwards, North Hills

Harry Truman was kind of a pushover, was he?

I am canceling my subscription to your (expletive deleted) paper immediately! I have taken this paper for over 20 years and this is the worst article I have ever read!

- Dave Hinrichs

Dig out some of those old papers, and you'll find I've written even worse than this.

Just read your article ``Welcome Miami.'' I enjoyed it very much. Good job. However, we should start rooting for Nebraska if we want Oregon to win at least a share of the title.

- ``usctrojan''

A national title for Oregon? The team that beat USC by two points and UCLA by one? The more I think about it, maybe the national champion this year should be ``None of the above.''

I've read the ``Don't you just know 11-0 Miami is overrated'' column (Friday). I look forward to your ``Miami wins another national championship'' column after the Rose Bowl.

- ``Daggaal''

Even if Miami wins the Rose Bowl, don't count on winning the national championship in the polls. I hear the ballots are going to be counted in Florida.

Cry all you want about luck, but the bottom line is that the Hurricanes are unbeaten. Does anybody remember how ``lucky'' the 1972 Dolphins were to win each of their games? The answer is ``no.''

- ``DHafele''

Actually, I do remember how lucky the 1972 Dolphins were. In going 17-0, they faced only five teams that had winning records.

It's no wonder L.A. cannot keep pro football teams, with sports writers with your limited knowledge.

- ``B3sGranny''

It all started to fall apart when Georgia Frontiere said to Al Davis: ``Let's move our teams to cities where the sports writers have less-limited knowledge.''

I'm sure lots of people line their dog kennels and birdcages with your articles. You are doing some people a service that way, I guess. Don't try and be a Jim Rome. There can be only one.

- Brad Hillier

Just for that, you don't get the prize for Huge E-Mail of the Day.

This is in response to that literary trash you printed, referring to the UCLA football program as being in ``ruins'' (``Bruins able to smile amid ruins,'' Dec. 2). The only ruins I could see was that journalistic junk you turn in and somehow are paid to write, where you and most every other so-called professional newspaper writer can see only negative in anything UCLA does while always putting a positive spin on USC news.

- Homer Taylor, Hawthorne

The headline writer meant UCLA's season was in ruins, not its whole program. More important: Didn't the USC defense look good against Utah?

The true villain in the decision to discontinue football at Cal State Northridge is years of inaction and bad decision-making on the part of past university administrators. Jolene Koester and Dick Dull are not to blame for the current mess the athletic department finds itself in, but it's not too much to ask that they admit the wrongdoing and years of inaction by previous administrations and offer a true direction for the athletic department to head in.

- David Phelps

Well said.

Mike Piazza's defensive specialty? (``Proposed Sheffield deal not exactly a home run,'' Dec. 9.) Did you mean the routine throws to center field?

- ``TPubwdwgd''

Any old catcher can throw to second. Mike likes to keep opponents guessing.

Gary Sheffield is one of the reasons the La-La Dodgers finished only about five games above the San Diego Padres, the team you love to hate! Although he produces stats, he is a clubhouse moron and a definite detriment to the team. By the way, do you really think anybody gives a damn that you don't like the Padres?

- Pat Thomas, San Diego

I didn't think anybody gave a damn - until you showed that you do. Thanks for restoring my confidence.

ROSE BOWL 2002 Miami (11-0) vs. Nebraska (11-1)

Thursday, 5 p.m.

--TV: Ch. 7