August 12, 1985

I never grieve for the other team.'' Dave Johnson, Mets manager, speaking about Cubs' injuries, after New York completed a three-game sweep of Chicago. [C1:6.]

When Brian M. Freeman, an investment banker, is negotiating a deal, he bluffs, he demands and, very calculatingly, he sometimes insults his adversary to gain the upper hand. The clients he so tenaciously represents, however, are neither deep-pocket takeover artists nor multimillion-dollar corporations. Instead, they are labor unions whose members may be willing to make wage concessions in return for profit-sharing and stock ownership.

An item in the Sports World Specials column last Monday about the history of the mile and the 1,500-meter run misstated the results of Olympic 1,500-meter competitions. Athletes from English-speaking nations have won 14 such races, and those from other countries have won 6.

A small cloud of toxic chemicals escaped from a Union Carbide plant near here this morning, and at least 135 residents were treated for eye, throat and lung irritation. Twenty-eight of the injured were admitted to hospitals here..

Weak economic growth led to lackluster corporate earnings in the second quarter, with the bright spots overwhelmed by depressed profits in a wide range of industries. ''The profits picture was disappointing but not unexpected given the slow economy in general in the first half of the year,'' said Robert A. Gough, an economist at Data Resources Inc., the economic consulting firm. The nation's economy grew at only a 1 percent annual rate in the first six months of 1985 and at a 1.7 percent rate in April through June.