What was going on when I was born?

on collisions had made a favorable impression on those in attendance. Weekend bleacherites elbowed one another knowingly and remarked about how good it was to see the Colts being aggressive for a change. The architect of change stood several yards behind the mock line of scrimmage, mostly observing. Despite the heat and humidity, Frank Kush wore a lined maroon windbreaker and his baseball cap was pulled down snugly on his head, half-shielding that permanent squint that seemingly doesn't miss a thing. When he spoke, his voice was authoritative but hardly shrill. On occasion, he offered a compliment. ''Quite a lot of people expected the worst,'' said a rookie quarterback, Mike Pagel of Arizona State, who played for Kush in college. ''The guys keep asking me, 'When is he going to cut loose?' ''

Officials of New York City and State said yesterday that $200 million of a $878 million rate increase sought by the New York Telephone Company would go for projects the utility might never use because an antitrust settlement could turn them over to the American Telephone and Telegraph Company. The officials - Karen Burstein, executive director of the State Consumer Protection Board; City Comptroller Harrison J. Goldin; Borough President Andrew J. Stein of Manhattan, and Assemblyman Maurice Hinchey, Democrat of Saugerties - said in a joint statement: ''These frivolous capital costs are nothing but a back-door effort to make A.T.&T. more competitive when it is finally broken up, by socking New York Telephone users with the cost.'' Advanced Systems at Issue On the eve of today's first hearing on the new request, the officials said the $200 million would be used to develop advanced systems, such as telephone-operated burglar alarms, office data systems, computer linkups, telephone banking and telephone-operated answering services.

For Mitsui & Company, the trading giant that traces its history back more than 300 years, these are not happy times. In recent years, it has been scarred by heavy exposure in Iran. Last Wednesday, it pleaded guilty and agreed to pay $11 million in penalties for selling steel at below allowable prices in the United States. It still faces challenges to its basic operating structure, which was set up after World War II. Mitsui, however, has survived centuries of drastic economic and social change. The company was founded as a small shop by Takatoshi Mitsui, who renounced his rank as a warrior-aristocrat to become a tradesman. From its beginning, Mitsui was part of the emergence of the Japanese merchant class.

''Right now, it is just pot luck.'' -Denise Figueroa on bus service for the handicapped. (B1:5.)

Corporate profit reports for this year's second quarter indicate that the recession is still choking many of America's key industries, although the figures do show some pockets of strength in the United States economy. Earnings have been ''a terribly mixed bag, even within particular industries,'' according to William E. Gibson, chief economist of the Republic Bank Corporation in Dallas. ''There's quite an array of ups and downs,'' he noted. Industries such as steel and machinery, which depend on capital outlays as well as consumer spending, are clearly suffering. In addition, the international energy companies (including the Exxon Corporation and Texaco Inc.) saw their profits plunge during the three months from April 1 to June 30 because of the oil glut and a strong dollar.

Graig Nettles cost his team two runs in the field yesterday and failed to produce in a bases-loaded situation in the eighth inning as the Yankees lost, 6-4, to the California Angels. After the disheartening loss, in which Roy Smalley hit a foul ball on his instep that left him limping, Manager Gene Michael said the team was dangerously thin on infielders and he would consider promoting an infielder from the minors, probably Andre Robertson, from Columbus today. With nine games in six days beginning a week from tomorrow, the Yankees are unlikely to drop one of their 10 pitchers to make room for an extra infielder, making Butch Hobson a likely candidate for demotion. After committing an error in the fourth inning that led to a run, Nettles again had trouble at third base in the eighth. The ball that bounced off his body was credited as a hit for Ron Jackson, but the 51,561 spectators thought it was an error and booed as Rob Wilfong, who had tripled off George Frazier, was on his way home with an earned run.

The beaches here were closed today and thousands of bathers were turned away after foaming patches of pollution washed ashore from Long Island Sound Saturday afternoon. The pollution was sighted late Saturday afternoon by the Coast Guard and thousands of bathers were ordered out of the water at Playland Park Beach and Oakland Beach, the adjacent town beach. Both beaches were ordered closed by the Westchester County Health Department and people arriving this morning in hopes of going into the water were not even allowed out on the beach. Health inspectors tested water samples to identify the pollution and determine what caused it. Officials said they did not expect to have any results until Monday or Tuesday. In the meantime, the police said, the beaches will remain closed.

The latest weapon in the Northeast's halting war on acid rain sits on a wooden stake here in Charles Gibson's backyard overlooking Lake Champlain. It is an empty quart-size plastic refrigerator container, the kind used to store leftover pea soup or half a pickle. When it rains, the drops collect in the container. Afterward, Mr. Gibson, a 61-year-old retired history professor, measures the water in millimeters and tests the acidity with chemically treated paper. ''It's not an extremely sexy piece of equipment,'' said Anne K. Baker, the founder and executive director of the Lake Champlain Committee, which is based across the lake in Burlington, Vt. But at least, she said, ''it gives people the feeling that they're doing something.''

Chem-Nuclear Systems Inc. has agreed to be acquired by Waste Management Inc., the companies announced yesterday. Chem-Nuclear had gone to court to oppose the takeover bid, which was made June 29.

In the text of a letter by Interior Sec- retary James G. Watt to the Israeli Ambassador to the United States yes- terday two words were omitted. The last sentence of Mr. Watt's letter reads, ''I look forward to opportuni- ties to speak to groups of your support- ers in this nation so that I might share with them the truth of what this Ad- ministration is trying to do for Amer- ica and the free world.''

Israel warned Syria today against introducing new weapons into the fighting in Lebanon. The Cabinet Secretary, Dan Meridor, said after the weekly meeting of Prime Minister Menachem Begin and his ministers that he hoped menacing words published Saturday by Sana, the official Syrian news agency, were ''nothing more than words.'' The report had threatened Israel with weapons not yet used in the war.

International Israel warned Syria not to introduce new weapons into the fighting in Lebanon. The Israeli Cabinet Secretary, Dan Meridor, said that he hoped that a threat published by Sana, the official Syrian news agency, to use weapons against Israel not yet used in Lebanon was ''nothing more than words.'' He said that if Syria carried out its threat it would suffer ''very grievous consequences.'' (Page A1, Column 6.) Yasir Arafat signed a document accepting United Nations resolutions that include Israel's right to exist, an American Congressman said after a meeting with the Palestinian leader in west Beirut. But Mr. Arafat corrected Representative Paul N. McCloskey Jr., saying what the P.L.O. had accepted was all United Nations resolutions ''concerning the Palestinian question.'' (A1:5-6.)