LETTERS : DEFENSE CAN'T PREVENT CARPING.

``Wrong Jon'' Wilner makes a common error when he parrots the UCLA party line.

Incredibly, he believes that ``the Bruins are close to becoming an effective defense.'' He thinks ``the tactical problems are gone. Now it's a matter of personnel.''

Wrong, Jon.

The problem is organic and begins at the top with the likable head guy. For Bruins fans, it's deja vu.

If the problem was just youth, why is it that so many underclassmen have played well and so many upperclassmen have not? Ricky Manning Jr. is an 18-year-old freshman and easily the team's best defensive back. Ryan Roques and Eric Whitfield are both fifth-year seniors, and two of the worst.

In fact, the secondary couldn't get any worse with the addition of two more freshmen, Lovell Houston and Julius Williams. Indeed, UCLA's best defensive players have all been younger players: Robert Thomas, Ken Kocher, Anthony Fletcher, Marcus Reese.

No, Wrong Jon, the Bruins' problem is the old one of indecision and lack of nerve in the head coach.

Every knowledgeable Bruins fan winced when Bob Field popped up as the new defensive coordinator/defensive backfield coach. Having been passed over and kicked upstairs, he was just plugging along, putting in his years.

But since his boss had balked when it came to uncoupling the wretched Nick Aliotti, he miraculously found himself back in the game. Tan, rested and ready, he's still the same old ``contain,'' no-pressure Bob.

The Bob Toledo/Terry Donahue parallels are all over the place: their reliance on star players and coordinators, their lack of aggression and emotion on both sides of the ball, their predictability, their timid preference for molding players to ``the system,'' their ineffective, mechanical unit substitutions, their weakness for whining once the losing sets in, and their stubborn failure to adjust when personnel and tactical blunders become obvious.

Bruins fans have seen it all before, and it's not as if they have basketball to look forward to anymore. Hey, another 20 years and we can start a new era.

- CHARLES CHICCOA

Reseda

In my opinion, UCLA lost to ASU because it went into its prevent-defense mode with 30 seconds left on the clock. Prevent defense is a dumb maneuver and every time I see it being used, I shudder.

The theory behind prevent defense is to load the defensive backfield with many fast players to cover the receivers, thus preventing the quarterback from completing a pass. The problem with this tactic is that only two or three defensive linemen are left to attack the quarterback.

This gives him all the time in the world to, eventually, find an open receiver because no one is threatening him. Why not continue to use the defense that was working throughout the whole game? Sometimes I think teams are overcoached with theoretical strategies when just plain horse sense is all they need.

- JOSEPH F. PANICELLO

North Hills

Brown should have pitched

To all you Dodgers fans, if Kevin Brown is your team leader, then you are in a world of trouble. He could have pitched against the Houston Astros and knocked them out of the playoffs, but he wanted to go home to Georgia. Now I know he is in it just for the money. Whatever happened to ballplayers playing for the love of the game - like Babe Ruth, Jim ``Catfish'' Hunter and Don Drysdale?

- PAUL D. CARNEY

Los Angeles

Get rid of Sheffield

Why am I not surprised that Gary Sheffield blames us, his fans, for the Dodgers' miserable season? Think about it for a second: This is the same man who expects the team to make changes next season. This is the same guy who couldn't remember that the Dodgers played the Giants on Monday, Sept. 20, until his wife told him.

Guess what. I have a suggestion: It's time for you to go, Gary. Your comments prove how self-absorbed and how worthless you are despite your 30-plus home runs. Hey, don't feel bad, you are actually helping us out. The Dodgers need to dump at least $20 million from their payroll next season.

- BRUCE CHRISTENSEN

Northridge

Pointless gesture

The Dodgers' season was doomed before the season started when Davey Johnson issued an edict to the players that there would be no facial hair allowed. What a foolish, pointless gesture indicating a total lack of awareness and respect for the modern baseball player. Talk about a morale-booster. And of course, 40 games into the season, somehow that rule was relaxed, but the damage had been done. Obviously there were many other contributing factors to this horrendous season, but this occurred in March and foreshadowed to me what was to follow. Nice going, Davey.

- JACK NEWORTH

Santa Monica

Advance review of Staples

Kings season-seat holders would like to know why an organization which opened the regular season a week ago, had yet to mail out the season tickets and parking passes?

Does anyone believe the Lakers wait until after the season has begun to send their hard-core fans their tickets and parking passes? I don't think so.

The new Kings, the new Staples Center . . . yeah, right.

One of us works downtown less than a block from the main library, which is a brisk walk to the new arena. I can also tell you that if you think it was a problem getting in and out of the Forum parking lot, folks, you haven't seen nothing yet.

Like when you're at Disneyland waiting in line, ``Your wait from this sign: 2 hours.''

- JEFF and ELAINE MOHR

North Hollywood

True fans want pro football

The only people that should matter to the NFL grew up here in Los Angeles. We grew up loving the Rams games on Sunday afternoons with our parents. Shame on the transplanted tourists and yahoos who never saw ``Hacksaw'' Reynolds make a goal-line stand. You should all be quiet and respect the true L.A. fans. We want to take our kids to the games and have fun like we had.

- BRIAN RAPP

Westwood

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PHOTO This was a good moment for the UCLA defense, but critics say the unit is far from being effective.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer