Ugly weekend for Pittsburgh sports

In some regards, this weekend was very good for Pittsburgh sports teams. The Penguins won two games and are now atop the Atlantic Division, the University of Pittsburgh Panthers clinched the No. 2 seed in the Big East Tournament to the surprise of just about everyone in the country, and the Pittsburgh Pirates season hasn't started yet, so they haven't lost any real games yet.

However, with the latest allegation against Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger and Penguins' Matt Cooke nearly decapitating Boston Bruins' stud player Marc Savard, it's hard to focus on the positives from above.

For the second time in the past year, Big Ben has a woman accusing him of sexual harassment. There is not a lot of information regarding this latest episode, but whether Ben did it or not, he should know better. Stay away from college bars after midnight.

Look at Pacman Jones, Darrent Williams and Plaxico Burress to name a few. All of them had different problems that all stemmed from putting themselves in bad situation. Jones made it rain at a strip club and caused all kinds of trouble, Williams got into an altercation that led to him being killed later in the night and Burress shot himself and got put in jail for it. All of these problems could have been avoided if these men avoided the late night scene.

I'm not saying Ben can't go out. He is entitled to have himself a good time. But do you need to do it at that time of night and in that place? Being a star athlete comes with responsibility. You're not just an every day person. When you go out, people notice. You need to hold yourself to a higher standard and realize there are situations that you need to avoid.

Authorities have not charged Roethlisberger, and they may not come at all. This may all be an attempt by a young woman to get a payday or her 30 seconds of fame. But then again, she could have a case and Ben has embarrassed himself, his teammates and the whole Steelers organization.

Now for Cooke. He needs to be suspended for at least five games. Looking at the replays, I don't think he was trying to hit Savard in the head, but that doesn't mean it wasn't reckless. He wasn't really looking at wear he was clipping Savard, he just went through him while looking where the puck went.

I don't know if there have been more shots to the head this season than most, but it's certainly getting more attention than in previous seasons. Either way, the NHL needs to make a firm rule that they follow with every one of these hits. Regardless if there was malicious intent or not, there needs to a minimum suspension to prevent these actions. How many players, elite or goon, need to be carried off on stretchers before this happens.

By the way, I would have had an Oscars blog if I cared about the Oscars. Seriously, how many award shows do these actors need?

Third Eye Blind - Can You Take Me