Pro athletes get special treatment

The plight of Atlanta Braves' shortstop Rafael Furcal points out one of our legal systems biggest fallacies. It depicts rather clearly that professional athletes do get special treatment. That's nothing new to most of us. We all knew that. Right?
There's always been an overdose of publicity concerning the pros whenever they step out of line but what has been happening of late is ludicrous.
Furcal, an outstanding shortstop and one felt by many to be one of the best in the majors, had a few drinks one night and was arrested for drunken driving. A judge, however, decided that Furcal could participate in playoff games against Houston and continue to play even through the World Series, had the Braves continued on the victory path. That didn't pan out as the Braves were eliminated by the Astros.
Furcal turned himself in the following day to serve his 21 day sentence. It was a no-win situation for the Braves shortstop, however, as he was going to jail at one point in his life. Couldn't win forever.
The Furcal situation is just one of many that we hear of anyway. We are not readily available to those situations and decisions that take place behind closed doors between players, owners and managers.
One other truly upsetting event was the one involving the use of steroids (or cream, as some refer to it) by some of the league's top home run hitters. What would "The Babe" or Hank Aaron have said about this one? As far as I know, nothing much was done about the usage. It was swept under the rug in a hurry. C'mon, Bud Selig, let's get with the program.
Duce on the loose
Several new acquisitions this season have put the Pittsburgh Steelers rocketing into the win column and off to one of the finest starts in years.
The jury could be out a little while longer on quarterback Ben Roethlisberger but there seems to be no question about the talents of running back Duce Staley.
It appears the Steelers knew what they were doing this time when they picked up this former Philadelphia Eagles standout. He had three 1,000-yard seasons plus with the Eagles but had to share his running spot with two other Eagles standouts. He didn't like that. He wanted to run the ball and that's just what he's been doing with the Steelers. He had rushed for three straight 100-yard games earlier this year.
As for Roethlisberger, he'll get more publicity when writers learn how to spell his name. For a rookie, he's been performing exceptionally well since taking over for the injured Tommy Maddox who may have trouble getting his job back after the way Ben has bee performing.
Ondako's camp
Westminster's College basketball coach Larry Ondako and his staff, which includes Ben O'Conner and Corey Utz, will hold a three-day, pre-season mini-camp beginning today and running on Oct. 31 and Nov. 7 at Memorial Field House. Drills and games will be featured for boys and girls ages 10-14. Registration is set for 6 p.m. today and the cost is $40. For more information call (724) 946-6163.