THE RAP ON THE RAT

“The Wit and Wisdom of the White Rat” (by Pat Jordan, May 10) proves that Whitey Herzog is no rat. He’s this big, old, sly-but-amiable Alaskan white husky who sniffs out the psychological traits of professional baseball players like a bloodhound. He is a vintage character, the last of a breed, the kind of guy who stands around a cracker barrel telling baseball stories with such color and relish that you never want him to stop.

I miss him on the field, because what we have left--besides a handful of old timers, a couple of whom are self-trained media acting seals--are a long line of these grim, computerized guys who talk and spit as if their jaws were wired shut. They aren’t baseball. They’re acting out versions of an old code once played on grass and dirt in smelly stadiums.

Whitey’s a Stengel guy in more ways than one, and the Angels will end up winning just by getting a whiff of him.

DELL FRANKLIN

Cayucos, Calif.