To the editors:

I have been a Crimson reader for three decades. By now I thought I had every possible reaction to your editorials--agreement, disagreement and quibbles. Never before have I written in response to an editorial, but I must write to express my dismay at your editorial of Nov. 23 in which you offered the opinion that the football team "deserved" to lose to Yale.

The Harvard football team--your team--gave a tremendous effort all season, with mixed results. Those of us who attended the Yale game recognize that by most measures Harvard outplayed Yale--in a game that saw its share of errors, bad luck, reversals of fortune and redemption (for Yale). Harvard did indeed lose, but our team played its heart out, as did Yale. You should be ashamed of yourselves for that editorial. MARLYN McGRATH LEWIS '70-'73   Nov. 30, 1998

The writer is director of admissions.