THE MAIL

Jack McCallum's article on the original Dream Team was captivating and insightful. With all the Hall of Fame talent on that roster, I can only imagine how competitive the intrasquad scrimmage must have been. Those guys set the standard for USA Basketball.

Jeff Swanson, Everett, Wash.

What Could've Been

With all the hype over the 20th anniversary of the Dream Team (The Greatest Game Nobody Ever Saw), most fans are forgetting that there were two squads, the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, that could have given the Dream Team a run for its money had their countries not dissolved just before the Barcelona Games. The Soviets were the defending gold medalist from the 1988 Games, and Yugoslavia was the '90 FIBA world champion. It is a tragedy that colossal matchups among the three basketball superpowers never occurred in '92.

C. Fred Bergsten, Annandale, Va.

Great Expectations

I would like to commend Lee Jenkins for his poignant portrait of LeBron James (Promise Keeper). In winning his first NBA title, James has, it appears, finally found peace within himself and his game. Whether you are a fan or foe of James, what you witnessed was the maturing of a man-child into a man on the court.

Raymond P. Bailey, Ottawa, Ill.

The only exception I took to James's championship celebration was his postgame statement, "I didn't shortcut anything." Wasn't it a clear shortcut to a title when he left the Cavaliers to join two All-Stars in Miami? I think deep down, James knows that while his ring was "earned not given," it doesn't mean as much as it would have meant if he had stayed and ground it out in Cleveland.

Luke Kruse, Huntsburg, Ohio

Road to Redemption

I thoroughly enjoyed your article on Royce White (The Mystery Pick Is Royce White). He is an inspiration to all who suffer from anxiety or have some type of mental disorder. While I'm thrilled he has joined the Rockets and look forward to seeing him play in Houston, as a parent I just want to see this young man succeed.

John Kilbride, Houston

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FEEDBACK

Do you agree with the NCAA's penalties against Penn State, which include a $60 million fine, a four-year bowl ban and the loss of scholarships?

Darren Richardson Absolutely not. How many NCAA violations did PSU have? Zero. If they want to punish the university for covering up Jerry Sandusky's action, fine. Instead they nailed the entire football program. If it were a fine arts professor who was molesting kids and the university covered it up, I don't think they would shut down the whole program.

Zev Form: PSU should have gotten the death penalty. At least the Joe Paterno statue was taken down.

Roddy White (@roddywhiteTV): It would have been better if they had gotten the death penalty. It's going be hard for PSU to bounce back from these stiff penalties.

Steve Frew: They say it is not a football matter, rather it's about children and families. Then why is the current football team being punished? It's being made into nothing but a football issue and not a legal issue like it should be.

Richard Hunt: As horrible as the situation is, these penalties will only hurt the student-athletes, not the real culprits.

TWEET OF THE WEEK

"If you don't believe in karma or the golf gods, talk to Adam Scott. Between [his caddie] Stevie Williams and his ball moving on the 7th hole, he had no chance! #TheOpen"

GEORGETOWN JACK (@GTWNJACK)

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GREGORY HEISLER (COVER)

FOR July 2, 2012

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JIM PRISCHING/AP (PATERNO)

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