Punishment of Penn State's women's basketball coach has been a long time coming

Rene Portland has left a legacy of shattered college careers for those [players] she perceived as lesbian. For over 20 years, this has been [a widely held belief] in women's basketball and at Penn State. Some are able to speak publicly about it now, others may never be able to do so. Portland remains unrepentant. I hope she does change -- from the inside out -- but the time for her to do so on the university's dime has long passed.

While I would never fault someone for expressing compassion toward any person who is experiencing public humiliation, I pray that some of that compassion be directed toward the women whose young adult lives were painfully disrupted by the discrimination and humiliation they experienced at her the hands of Portland.

The university's first obligation is to the students. Portland should not be given another chance to harm any of them. Penn State should use their token fine to help achieve true equal treatment for GLBTI [Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Intersex] students, and Penn State should match it, at the very least.

B.J. SEARCY, Monessen

PSU: The state university

As a Penn State student and resident of Allegheny County, I'd like to point out a few details a recent letter writer overlooked in questioning Penn State's local interest to Allegheny County.

First, Penn State is known as The Pennsylvania State University. Since we are The Pennsylvania State University, we are not just located in State College. The Pennsylvania State University has 19 other campuses across the state, including the Penn State McKeesport campus.

Secondly, in research done by the Post-Gazette for the article "Home and Away: College-Bound Kids Don't Stray Far from Home" it was found by survey that out of 13,800 local students in the Class of 2005, Penn State (with all its campuses combined) ranked second only to the Community College of Allegheny County, in the category for most popular in-state school.

There are also 11 players on the football team roster that come from the Pittsburgh area. These facts prove that The Pennsylvania State University is a local and large part of Allegheny County.

Joe Paterno, who is also a large part of The Pennsylvania State University, can be and should be honored with the Dapper Dan Lifetime Achievement Award because Pittsburgh's people have invested so much in The Pennsylvania State University. And have you ever noticed the tailgating traffic that starts at the Squirrel Hill tunnels on a Penn State football Saturdays?

ELIZABETH CYBULSKI , Bethel Park

An arena in the hand ...

I'm fully behind the Penguins/Isle of Capri arena plan because it's the only logical plan. My question centers on the so called Plan B calls for a 30-year payment of $7.5 million. What happens if the casino that gets the slots goes bankrupt in 10 or 15 years? Who will be responsible for picking up the tab for the next 10? I fear that the taxpayers will be forced to take it. A free arena now is more logical than a 30-year payment plan.

JOE FITZGERALD, Munhall

The future is now

Let's pretend it's early in 2007, the events that will trigger Plan B for arena funding have occurred and I just bought the Penguins.

It doesn't matter who I am or where I live; it's my team and I have no obligation to remain in Pittsburgh. I need a place for my team to play. I can accept the governor's generous offer and, over the next 30 years, pour $40 million or so into helping build the place to play. Or I can take a call from any of several other cities who will allow that $40 million to be put into developing the on-ice product. Or stay in my pocket, for that matter.

What will I do? There's a reason it's called a no-brainer. On my way out of town I remind you that your aging arena still needs to be replaced, but there's a $40 million hole in the funding plan now. Who will fill this hole as Plan C begins? The circus? Probably. There certainly were plenty of clowns on hand when it became necessary.

PAUL J. MILLER , Greenville, Pa.

Pirates must earn support

A recent letter writer bemoans the fact that Pittsburghers are not showing the same support for the Pirates as they do the Steelers. He asks why during the playoffs, "everyone in Pittsburgh was expected to wear black and gold."

The answer to his musings lie in his first sentence, which included the word playoffs, a word not associated with the Pirates since 1992. Pirates fans are now in the middle of another five-year plan to build a winner. (Is this the third or fourth?) Kevin McClatchy kept telling the fans that if they gave him a new stadium, he would give them a winning team. (Yeah, I know ... he just didn't say when.)

Enjoy Oliver Perez and Zach Duke and the other young potential stars on this team. They'll be traded off in a few years so that the Pirates can begin yet another five-year plan.

Do you realize that the Florida Marlins gutted their roster after winning the World series in the late 1990s, started from scratch and won another World Series three years ago. They dumped players again this offseason and I'll bet they again turn it around before the Pirates. Maybe Pirates management can give them a call and ask why their five-year plans are successful.

I'm sure the fans will respond in true fashion if and when the Pirates make the playoffs. But don't ask them to go ga-ga over a team that hasn't had a winning season since President Bush's dad was in office. There are a lot of frustrated Pirates fans out there and I'm one of them.

MARTY STEWART, Plum

Keaton popped off 'n' out

Even though we've always liked Michael Keaton and the Pittsburgh pride he's shown in the past, we were disgusted by his comments after throwing out the first pitch [on opening day]. He even admitted that he had only been to PNC Park a few times since 2001, so how can he purport to know what Pirates management has done for our fans? He made the comment that management should write the check to sign better players. Does he even know what being in a small market means? Keaton is used to the big market teams (like those of California and New York) having the income and revenues that the Pirates do not enjoy. Our suggestion: Why don't you write a check, Batman, and help your(?) hometown team? Are you a real Pittsburgher or just a fairweather fan when it serves your purpose and can further your exposure?

HEIDI & MONICA NARR, Crafton

Letters should be addressed to Sports Mailbag, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 34 Blvd. of the Allies, Pittsburgh PA 15222. They may also be sent by fax at 412-263-1926 or by e-mail to sports@post-gazette.com. All letters must include signature, address and phone number for confirmation and are subject to editing. The Post-Gazette cannot acknowledge all letters received. Preference will be given to letters 250 words or less.