It has happened again — yet another case of an athlete being let off easy because of his stardom. This time I am talking about the Seattle Super Sonics’ Ruben Patterson. Patterson was accused of attempted rape by his family’s nanny. He gave some sort of modified plea, essentially meaning he will spend 15 days in jail out of a one-year sentence.

Fifteen days for attempted rape.

I guess his crying in the courtroom helped him out. Why did he not say, “”Not Guilty, your honor””? He says he did this modified plea because he believed that a jury would convict him. Aren’t juries supposed to convict those who are guilty? Was the evidence against him so strong that the prosecution would garner a guilty verdict? If the evidence was that overwhelming, then maybe he was guilty, huh?

Patterson did admit to cheating on his wife, but nothing more.

This is not the first time that Patterson has gotten into some serious trouble. In February he was convicted of assault. The accusation of rape was not his first brush with the law.

Luckily, the NBA is actually going to be doing something about the rape charge, with a suspension and a fine of around $100,000. I think Patterson will be back in the lineup again, and I don’t mean a team’s starting lineup. He has been charged with assault and attempted rape. He has gotten a slap on the wrist. He will soon return to his NBA lifestyle, making millions of dollars, doing what he feels like.

This is just another example of athletes committing a crime and getting off easy. Can anyone out there say “”Ray Lewis”” or “”Mark Chmura””?

People should just leave Toronto Raptors star Vince Carter alone. I am glad that he is graduating from the University of North Carolina. Let him go to the ceremony. Sure, the same day he has a big game, a game seven in the NBA playoffs be exact. That is his job and he should take responsibility for it.

But guys, there is just a little bit more to life than basketball. Carter has no practical reason to graduate. He is set for life. He will never have to work another minute, ever. Yet he still wants to get that degree. The NBA and all of those announcers on NBC should be applauding this. They should be stressing the importance of receiving an education, and highlighting that even someone like superstar Vince Carter, a role model to millions of kids, wants to get a degree.

Plus, the graduation activities will in no way interfere with the game. Carter is having his cake and eating it, too. Let him be.

Looks like Monty Montezuma as we know him is dead. Down the freeway over at San Diego State, they have decided to keep the Aztecs as their mascot but are choosing to get rid of Monty Montezuma.

I agree with this. Yes, keep the Aztec mascot. It does not mock the great indigenous people of Mexico. It may even honor them. The Aztecs are supposed to be strong, brave, powerful and intelligent people. That is a pretty good example to go by — much better than a Banana Slug or a color or a tree.

But State’s Monty Montezuma is embarrassing. The guy runs all around the field whooping it up with a flaming spear. I mean, it is kind of cool, but it’s still insulting. And the logo is menacing, but it is a picture of a scary, red face — also not right. The powers at State have made a decent decision.

The Padres scored 20 runs the other night against the Montreal Expos. Twenty runs! That’s more than the Chargers scored on more than a few occasions last year. You know, when compared as a whole to the entire National League, the Pads aren’t all that bad.

There are some good teams around, but none that are great, or that are unbeatable. The team is only two games out of first place in the West Division, the same division that boasts Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling, Kevin Brown, Mike Hampton, Todd Helton, Gary Shefield, Barry Bonds and others. The Pads can hang.