Schenley's loss to Lower Merion in the PIAA final comes straight from the Life's-Not-Fair Dept.
Let me assure you that the Schenley players weren't the only ones crushed ("Schenley's sweet dreams are crushed," March 26). People who went to Hershey expecting a competitive game were not disappointed. But fans also have a right to expect great and fair referees at state championship games.

As the parent of two Schenley students, I hardly qualify as unbiased. But I have never before considered writing this kind of letter. Schenley fans left with the awful taste of not having been given a fair chance to win, and for that reason alone the PIAA should review the game and the actions and inactions of the officiating crew. In my mind, we'll never know who the real Class AAAA champs were this year.

After the game I tried to think what lessons might be learned from this loss, what I could tell my children and what I might have said to the players if I was Schenley's coach. The only lesson that I could think of was the one that too many Schenley kids already know: Life isn't always fair. High school sports championships should be.

BARBARA DALY DANKO
Regent Square

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Picture worth 1,000 hurts

The picture of D.J. Kennedy taking the shot in the closing seconds of the PIAA Class AAAA championship game says it all. The Lower Merion player's hand grabbed Kennedy's arm preventing a clear shot. How could a foul so obvious and blatant to all be ignored by the three men officiating the game? There was no similar hesitation on their part in calling fouls against Schenley in the closing minute.

The officials quickly exited the arena after being confronted by Schenley players, coaches and fans. The outcome of the game was taken out of the players' control and evoked the anger and disappointment that were portrayed in the media.

Bad calls happen in sports, but the Schenley fans that took the long ride home on the buses that night recounted previous trips to Hershey and the officiating. Many said they wouldn't make another trip to Hershey.

DANA SCHUMACHER
Pittsburgh

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Dixon better than fans think

I am not the biggest Jamie Dixon fan, but he has shown himself to be a perfectly serviceable college coach. I'm glad we have him. He took a team with no athletic size (only Sam Young at 6 feet 6) and won 25 games. Who did a worse coaching job in the tournament this year than Jim Calhoun? If Dixon had Connecticut's talent, Pitt would now be celebrating back-to-back national championships.

JIM CATALDI
McKees Rocks

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Pitt overachieved

As a student at the University of Pittsburgh, I am sick of the negativity that sports writers in this city have placed around the Pitt basketball program. It was widely accepted that this year would be a rebuilding year.

Instead of criticizing the team for not making the Sweet 16 or taking that so-called next step, you should be complimenting the coaching job that Jamie Dixon did. Nearly every player significantly improved from last year. You also fail to mention the remarkable performances that freshmen Sam Young and Levance Fields put on not only throughout the Big East tournament and regular season but also in the NCAA tournament.

Everyone that cares already knows they lost to a No. 13 seed. And yes, it is disappointing. But for once, quit being so negative. I guess it's not your fault. After all, its probably Carl Krauser's fault, right?

ANDREW CIPRO
Oakland

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Pitt lost; Bradley didn't win

Neither Bob Smizik nor Verne Lundquist, Bill Raftery or anyone else who follows college basketball can tell me Bradley is a better team than Pitt ("Bradley is better team; its win wasn't a fluke," March 20). Pitt played a lousy game and deserved to lose. If Pitt were to schedule Bradley in December, it would be criticized for scheduling a cupcake. I do agree with the point made about not having a top scorer. Pitt will never make the Final Four with a roster full of role players.

KEVIN MASTALSKI
Beaver Falls

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'Big' blinders on

Don't you think it's time for a mea culpa on the NCAA tournament? For obvious reasons, the Big East and Big Ten conferences get most of [the local media attention]. But have you noticed that the Southeastern Conference has two teams in the Final Four and a Florida-LSU game will likely determine the winner?

Let's face it: Every year the Big Ten is overrated. And despite your hype, where is the Big East? Hey, we have an endless winter in Pittsburgh. Can't somebody make a southern swing in January-February to view the competition?

JOHN DUNN
Sewickley

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Beneath the Bonds mud

I realize that it is has always been fashionable to bash Barry Bonds, but I never understood why. Here is a man who has already achieved one of the most coveted goals in sports and is on the threshold of achieving another while enduring unbelievable pressure and scrutiny.

And yet, to my knowledge, he has never completely lost his composure like so many other professional athletes. I would even commend him for appearing to make no attempt to spin his image or curry favor with the media or the public.

And while I can't testify for all of the activities of his personal life, as a professional he seems to be a man who shows up for work with a perpetually intense focus on his job and a healthy respect for your right to form an opinion of who he is, as well as a healthy respect for his own dignity and right to privacy.

JOSEPH CARDUCCI
Mt. Lebanon

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A WBC lesson in class

After watching the World Baseball Classic championship, I am convinced that major-league players should have taken notes from the Cuban team after it lost to Japan.

The players showed not just me, but all the young kids who watched the game, that sportsmanship still exists in baseball.

They, as a team, applauded and shook the hands of the winning team. That's class.

ES WHITE
North Side

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Someone defend the kid

Sidney Crosby has come under a lot of scrutiny for having the reputation of whining and complaining to referees during a game. This is unfair and hypocritical for the fans and commentators to say. If any of you were playing for a team as bad as the Penguins and were constantly getting roughed up with little backup, I'd be pretty [upset], too.

Sure, this is all part of the game. But retaliatory physical play is as well. The Penguins' organization has been extremely pacifistic with the task of recruiting enforcers to defend Crosby. As a result, opposing players like Brian McCabe are smacking him in the mouth, such as at the end of a 1-0 loss against the Maple Leafs [March 19].

I'm not encouraging to commit on-ice assault and break someone's neck, but I guarantee that kind of play would send a message across the league.

MIKE VANGRIN
San Diego

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