You knew from the outset that the Lady Lions were playing out of their environment versus the East region's No. 1 seed UConn.
For the Lady Huskies, it was just another day at the office. Put on the warpaint and demolish another challenger.
The Lady Huskies have been doing that for years to the tune of seven NCAA titles. And again, they are in the Final Four and seeking their eighth title.
For the Lady Lions, this was their first Sweet 16 since 2003-2004. With only one senior graduating, the 2012-2013 Lady Lions are in good order to take the next step in the Elite Eight or better.
I can live with a few more Sweet 16 finishes. The Lady Lions have come back into the national spotlight under Coquese Washington in only her fifth season.
What the Lady Lions need to do is keep bringing in those high school All-American players in each recruiting class. The future looks bright for the Penn State women's basketball program.
On the football front, I am totally deflated on seeing Danny O'Brien choose to attend Wisconsin.
This Wisconsin head coach must be some kind of salesman to get two transfer QBs. I was convinced he would go to Penn State. This has to be a major disappointment to Coach Bill O'Brien.
Why not listen to a former offensive coordinator in NFL who was a winner with the Patriots? Maybe Danny O'Brien felt the 2013 class, with QBs Christian Hackenberg and Steven Bench coming in, would make things very confusing. Or maybe he felt he did not fit Penn State's system. Right now, it doesn't look very good for State's fortunes. I still can't believe what happened.
Les Hart
Duncansville
Ward a class act
The retirement ceremony given by Hines Ward was a total class act from start to finish.
My wife and I are lifetime Steeler fans, and with Hines, it was a beautiful 14-year run.
We had times we laughed and times we cried.
Hines never let us down. He will always be our Steeler hero.
When you get praised by your peers, you are someone special. Taking Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown under his wing and teaching them - tutoring them to be Steelers - was awesome.
We can only hope some fans will get a drive of their own money for an 8-foot bronze statue outside the stadium of Hines Ward with that big smile greeting fans for every home game.
The black and gold truly ran very deep in Hines. He will always be remembered even after induction to Canton. Hines: You were the true Steeler.
Roger and Kathy Macak
Altoona
