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Potts epitomized
Bellwood spirit
I was shocked and saddened to read in the Altoona Mirror obituary page of the passing of two former Bellwood-Antis High School athletes: Ronald Patrick Blazier and Glenn Randal "Randy" Potts.
John Hartsock wrote a fine feature article in the Mirror on Blazier, who went on to pitch for the Philadelphia Phillies.
I had not known Blazier but as the Bellwood-Antis JV basketball coach when Randy Potts played on the 1977 varsity team, I had the opportunity to witness his unparalleled love for the game.
Potts had good skills in high school, but his intensity, desire and respectfulness stood out the most, making him a worthy candidate for the all too often unheralded sportsmanship award.
He was always especially attentive to varsity coach Jerry Hoy as a point guard -- a position perfectly fitting of his personality to unselfishly assist players in scoring.
Rich Tate coached Potts on the B-A junior high team and said, "He was eager to please, pleasant and nice to be around."
It becomes disheartening reading of fallen comrades, but currently when respect for authority has been basically thrown out the window, I believe it appropriate, if not necessary, to honor this man who displayed the right attitude while playing and eventually coaching basketball throughout his life.
The unconquerable and undying spirit of Randy Potts, as both player and coach, will forever be etched on the hearts of those he touched along the way.
He is most deserving of one last standing ovation.
Galen Bickel
Altoona
PSU's 'woulda, coulda, shoulda' hard to swallow
I was disappointed as I'm sure many Penn State fans were in this year's 7-5 record.
The team is much better than the record shows.
The Lions' talent is probably as good as any team in the Big Ten with the possible exception of Ohio State.
The Lions lost five games by a grand total of 21 points and lost to the two teams that played for the Big Ten championship, Michigan and Iowa, by a total of seven points.
Had Sean Clifford been healthy, Iowa and Illinois would probably have been wins and Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State could have gone either way. Woulda, coulda, shoulda is a hard pill to swallow.
Hopefully, the team will neither lose heart nor players sitting out waiting for the draft for the bowl game.
John Gibb
Fairfax Station, Va.