Spring

CLEARWATER, Fla. - First, Darin Ruf hit a walkoff home run that gave the Phillies a victory over the Braves. Next, he spent 15 minutes signing autographs for fans along the third-base line. Then he answered reporters' questions for 10 minutes. And after all that, Ruf was summoned to Charlie Manuel's office, where the manager and GM Ruben Amaro Jr. told him he was being sent down to minor league camp. It was a fitting end to what had been a whirlwind spring training for the Phillies' improbable prospect.

HERSHEY, Pa. - Brittany Moore first realized she was going to win a state championship when her team was up by about 10 points with a little more than four minutes to play. For another Spring-Ford senior guard, Sammi Haas, that feeling happened when she looked at the scoreboard late in the fourth quarter. She didn't want to think the Rams had it wrapped up too soon, she said, so she buried the thought. Junior guard Sammy Stipa knew as soon as her team picked up the pace on defense in the third quarter.

Up by seven points in the fourth quarter, the Spring-Ford girls' basketball team was looking to start its 2012-13 season with a win over Notre Dame. But a remarkable 33-point performance by Megan McGurk propelled the Irish to a comeback win in the final seconds. It was the last time the Rams have lost a game they were leading. It also was the last time the Rams have lost to a team from Pennsylvania. Since that opening loss, Spring-Ford (31-2) has been a different team, relying on its staunch defense and balanced attack to advance to the PIAA Class AAAA state final, a game they were one win away from a season ago. "It's so important to us," junior forward Shelby Mueller said after her team's semifinal win Tuesday over Cardinal O'Hara.

THOSE WHO accuse Harmony Korine of sensationalist booty-shakin' exploitation in "Spring Breakers" fail to capture just how dull this movie really is. It certainly lacks the punk punch of the director's previous provocations, like "Gummo," and often seems like the work of another director entirely. See if you can guess which one: Disembodied voice-overs hovering above the sunsets and slow-motion curling surf, painterly studies of the human form, visual meditations of beauty that flow into visual meditations on violence, intimations of the eternal, of faith (there's even a girl named Faith)

Up by seven points in the fourth quarter, the Spring-Ford girls' basketball team was looking to start its 2012-13 season with a victory over Notre Dame. But a remarkable 33-point performance by Megan McGurk propelled the Irish to a comeback win in the final seconds. It was the last time the Rams lost a game they were leading. It also was the last time the Rams lost to a team from Pennsylvania. Since that opening loss, Spring-Ford (31-2) has been a different team, relying on its staunch defense and balanced attack to advance to the PIAA Class AAAA state final, a game they were one win away from a season ago. "It's so important to us," junior forward Shelby Mueller said after her team's semifinal win Tuesday over Cardinal O'Hara.

Matt Rhule didn't have time to spare. After being formally announced as the Owls' 26th head football coach on Dec. 17, Rhule hit the ground running, embarking on the recruiting trail for the first time as a collegiate head coach. "We feel really good about it," said Rhule, who has 15 seasons of professional and collegiate coaching experience under his belt. "People really responded well to us. We're going to take that Temple 'T' further across the country and let people see us. " Along with recruiting, Rhule composed a staff of his own, bringing in offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield, defensive coordinator Phil Snow, offensive line coach Allen Mogridge, defensive line coach Brandon Noble and wide receivers coach Terry Smith.

We can thank the creatives from Drexel University's visual merchandising class for sprinkling Northern Liberties boutique windows with spring fashions. As part of a class project, 17 students worked with Second Street boutiques Duke & Winston, Art Star, Once Worn Consignment, and Arcadia. Four groups of students researched warmer-weather clothing trends, the target shopper for each store, and most important, the mood of each shop. Using that information, they sketched what they thought would be perfect displays with the help of assistant professor of merchandising Kristen Ainscoe.

It was the fourth quarter, and the game was tied with a little more than a minute to play. The PIAA Class AAAA girls' basketball semifinal between Spring-Ford and Cardinal O'Hara had been back and forth all night, one team leading by a point before the other scored to reclaim the advantage. The Rams certainly weren't used to being in that situation. But in a game that was as good as advertised, Spring-Ford punched its ticket to the state final, defeating O'Hara, 53-49, Tuesday night at William Tennent.

STATE COLLEGE - Coach of the year Bill O'Brien had plenty of awards to accept and galas to attend this offseason. He's sure happy that's over. "I'm just excited to be off the banquet circuit and get back on the field coaching," O'Brien said to laughs at his spring news conference Monday. Indeed, spring practice is now under way for Penn State in snowy State College, and O'Brien outlined numerous position battles, injuries and players who have impressed him: *  Quarterback battle: O'Brien reiterated that the best player is going to play, saying he does not want to redshirt highly touted recruit Christian Hackenberg if he is healthy.