The Colgate men's lacrosse team continued their hot streak with a resounding 13-11 victory over the eighth-ranked Army Black Knights on Saturday, April 2 in front of over 600 members of Raider Nation....
By Adam SettleMaroon-News StaffI am actually not too excited about the regular season right now, to tell you the truth. As a Phillies fan, anything less than another trip to the World Series and another...
The Colgate men's lacrosse team won its second Patriot League contest on Saturday, March 26, edging out league rival Navy 5-4 in Annapolis in front of a crowd of 1,834. Each of the last three games between...
While it is true that Plaxico Burress should have known the law in New York before he brought a loaded gun into a night club, in light of how other recent cases involving athletes have been settled, two years in prison for Plaxico's crime seems ridiculous.
Look at what happened to Patrick Kane, of the Chicago Blackhawks, in Buffalo, New York. Kane and his cousin were charged with assaulting a cabby over 20 cents. The fact that a multi-millionaire athlete was arguing over 20 cents is bad enough (How about a tip?), but he allegedly assaulted someone. He was able to plea bargain down to an apology. Bills' running back Marshawn Lynch hit a woman with his car and left the scene of an accident in Buffalo and ended up with a parking ticket and losing his license. Lynch later got busted for carrying an illegal weapon in California (a state like New York that has tough gun laws) in a car that smelled of marijuana. He cut another plea deal and received three years probation and 80 hours community service. Most notoriously is Donté Stallworth who went to prison for just 21 days after killing a man while driving drunk.
Should Plaxico have known better? Absolutely. Was his crime more severe than the four mentioned above. Absolutely not. Lynch for instance also had a weapons charge against him, less than a year after a hit and run, and got no jail time. Just think about it: Does it make sense for a first time offender to go to prison for two years just for shooting himself in the leg?
Mike McMasterSports Editor
On Tuesday, Adam "Pacman" Jones signed a one-year deal with the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Back in New York, Plaxico Burress is preparing to serve out his two-year prison sentence. Jones has been arrested for violent crimes in the past, and prosecutors believe that his entourage was responsible for leaving a man paralyzed at an Atlanta night club. Plaxico Burress shot himself in the leg.
Did Plax break the law? Sure. But the only reason he is going to prison is that Mayor Mike Bloomberg decided that he needed to set an example. Someone should remind Bloomberg that he's in mayor of New York, not Gotham. New York is not such a bad place, and Plax is not such a heinous criminal that his case deserved special attention. Plaxico's sentence is a direct result of Bloomberg's abuse of power.
Burress made a mistake, and he should have to pay the consequences. However, locking him up for two years does nothing to decrease violent gun crimes, and no one wins.
Rebecca SilbermanMaroon-News Staff
If Plaxico Burress's two-year prison sentence was meant to be a punishment for shooting himself in the leg, than perhaps this punishment is a little extreme. Honestly, given the fact that Burress was suspended for the rest of the 2008 season (losing $823,529), was fined one week's pay ($205,882), got shot, has been released from the New York Giants and has become the laughingstock of the sports world, a jail sentence of two years might be considered a little harsh. Unfortunately for Burress, he is not being sent to jail simply because he shot himself, but because he did so with an unregistered gun, making this argument entirely irrelevant. As explained in section 265.03 of the New York State Penal Code, a person is guilty of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, the charge for which Burress was brought to court, when they "possess a loaded firearm." As it stands, Plaxico Burress should not see his prison sentence as a punishment for shooting himself in the leg. Rather it is a pointed reminder that next time, he should either register the gun or remember to put the safety on.
Gillian ScherzAssistant Sports Editor
Does Plaxico Burress deserve a two-year sentence? Yes. For shooting himself in the leg? No. Had he shot someone else, more punishment would be required in exchange for the damage he did to those around him. But I'm fairly certain the pain in his thigh undoubtedly taught him the lesson he deserves as far as gun placement goes.
However, while two years for shooting yourself sounds a bit ridiculous, the rest of the situation is not. Two years for unlicensed concealed carry of an unregistered weapon is probably enough. A fact that probably had nothing to do with the conviction but has everything to do with my opinion, however, is the location of this scene: a club. While I have no idea if he was intoxicated or not, the general intent of most people when going to a club is to become intoxicated. Personally, I really do not think it is ever safe to have alcohol and guns in the same vicinity, and that is the lesson to be learned here. Well, that and don't shoot yourself.
Despite escaping the wintry weather of Hamilton, New York, the Colgate's men's and women's tennis squads were defeated in a string of difficult matches in Orlando, Florida over Spring Break last week. On the women's side, the Raiders suffered a 7-0 loss to Liberty on Monday and were unable to bounce back from the blow, dropping Tuesday and Thursday matches, 6-1 versus Wayne State and 7-0 to Washington University of St. Louis. The men faltered as well, dropping their first match 7-0 against Liberty on Monday and falling to the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Fairleigh Dickinson on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively, in two tight 4-3 matches. This gives the women a 3-8 and the men a 4-8 overall record this season. Despite the losses, the spring trip proved to be an important learning experience for the Raiders as they prepare for Patriot League play in the upcoming weeks.
The women kicked things off in Orlando on Monday in their first match against Liberty University. In doubles, the Raiders were unable to secure the important point, as the women were defeated in all three matches. First, rookie Alex Petrini and junior captain Stephanie Brown fell to the Liberty first-year pair of Cameron Richard and Rebekah Jenkins 8-4. Senior captain Stephanie Bender and first-year Kelsey Shea followed with an 8-1 loss and Becky Silvers and Jen Marquit suffered a rare blow in an 8-4 defeat.
The Raiders returned with hope to secure the much-needed singles victories, but were unable to hold off the strong Liberty team in a series of losses. In the No. 1 spot, Bender was defeated 0-6, 1-6 while teammate Petrini also lost in two sets, 2-6, 1-6 at No. 2. Shea and Brown also lost in two, while Marquit and Silvers struggled at No. 5 and 6, dropping the last two matches and succumbing to Liberty in a 7-0 defeat.
On Tuesday, the Raiders returned to action, hoping to fare better versus Washington University of St. Louis. Despite their hard fought matches, the women were unable to overcome the previous day's blow, dropping their second tilt, 7-0. In doubles, the Raiders lost all three matches, Brown and Petrini falling 8-3, Shea and Bender 8-1 and Silvers and Marquit faring a bit better, losing a close 8-5 match versus the Bears' team of Theresa Petraskova and Elise Sambol. The Raiders continued the fight in singles, but fell short, losing all six matches. Petrini played the closest match, but came up short falling to Washington's Natalie Tingir 5-7 and again 0-6 in the second set.
The Raiders were unable to bounce back from their first two spring break losses and suffered their third defeat of the trip on Thursday after succumbing to Wayne State 6-1. Colgate could not secure the doubles point, despite Shea and Bender's decisive 9-7 victory at No. 2. The duo put up a hard fight, but its lone win was insufficient to gain the key point. Coming back in singles, the women dropped the first three matches, until Brown won her first set 7-5 over Wayne State's McCall Monte. Unfortunately, Brown was unable to maintain momentum, losing the next two sets by 2-6 and 1-6. Silvers secured the lone win for the Raiders, winning in straight sets at No. 6 by 6-4, 6-4.
The men's squad joined the women's team in Orlando, but was also unable to secure a victory despite impressive play. The Raiders were first bested by Liberty on Monday in a 7-0 sweep. With the doubles point on the line, the men experienced three straight defeats, falling 8-4 in every match. Bouncing back for singles play, the men were unable to secure a single victory, despite their tough play. First-year Luke Gensburg put up the best fight at No. 1, losing a close second set 6-7 to Liberty's Siim Tuus.
A day later the men returned to the courts against the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Colgate looked great in doubles, picking up the doubles point after securing two straight victories at No. 1 and 2. First, the senior captain duo of Ruslan Goussiatnikov and Phil Bernasek defeated the Flames' pair of Kiro and Cederqvist with a convincing 8-3 victory. Gensburg and junior Sean Spellberg followed suit, capturing the match by the same score. Despite the key doubles point, the Raiders suffered in singles play, ultimately losing the match by a single point. Colgate managed to claim two wins, as Bernasek continued his impressive play, winning in three sets 6-3, 6-7, 6-1. Spellberg also won his second match of the day at No. 6 in a decisive 6-3, 6-1 victory. Despite the outcome, the Raiders put up a strong fight, losing several close singles matches in tight three-game sets.
The men returned to action on Thursday, taking on the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights in their final match of the week. The Raiders continued to stake their ground in doubles play, securing the important point after Bernesak and Goussiatnikov bested their foes in a close 9-7 win. Gensberg and Spellberg proved their team's strength at No. 2, defeating the FDU duo 8-6 in their second victory of the trip. Unfortunately, the Raiders experienced the same crushing singles losses, unable to capture enough victories to outdo the Knights. Gensberg kicked things off at No. 1, defeating Dominic Hemy in two games, 6-0, 7-5. Despite a close first set, sophomore Alec Goldstein was unable to hold off his opponent, dropping the match in straights: 6-7, 2-6. First-year Bobby Berkowitz fared well, winning in just two sets in a decisive 6-3, 6-4 victory, giving the Raiders their last singles point. And while Goussiatnikov and Spellberg put up a strong fight for the squad, they were unable to outdo their foes, losing in a heartbreaking three-game set.
In spite of the teams' losses this spring break, they were able to gain the necessary preparation for upcoming Patriot League matches as the weather turns this season. Both squads will face Navy when they return to action this week, hoping to use their experience to kick off inter-league play. Both teams will travel on Saturday March 26 to Annapolis, MD to face the Mids and then to Fairfax, VA to face George Mason. The start times for all matches are yet to be determined.
