A case of two seniors

Talk about a contrast with Steve Consalvi, 17, of Berks County, Pa., and Trey Holloway, 18, of Canyon. Consalvi is going to college at Penn State, while Holloway is headed to Oklahoma State.

Going on to college may be where the similarities end.

Consalvi became a national talking point after he ran onto the outfield like an idiot Monday night in Philadelphia in the Phillies game with the Cardinals. It's not so much he ran onto the field, which happens far too frequently, but that he was Tasered by a Philly cop after he zigged and zagged away from security.

Some say it was excessive force. Others say it was appropriate and about time. I line up in the camp that it was warranted. For one, Consalvi was up and walking, albeit in handcuffs, in 27 seconds. It wasn't like he was shot with a bullet in the leg and had to be trasnported on a stretcher.

Second, if that sends a message that pro venues are growing increasingly tired of these stunts and will take more excessive measures, so be it. Disrupting the game is only part of it. One of these days, some crazed fool will try to pull a knife on an athlete, most of whom, though much bigger, are often defenseless. Think Monica Seles, the tennis star, who was stabbed during a changeover many years ago. And the father and son who attacked a Kansas City Royals coach in 2002.

And as one ex-baseball player said, if a fan charged a player, he only wished he were Tasered. The guy would get pummeled.

Then there's Holloway, the Canyon High School senior who is a National Merit Scholarship finalist. He has received a full scholarship over five years worth more than $100,000 to attend OSU where his oldest brother, father and grandfather graduated.

Holloway will study biochemistry and molecular biology. Last summer he attended the Duke University Talent Identification Program Institute of Human Genetics.

Consalvi's parents apologized publicly for their son's stunt. Stanley and Stephanie Holloway of Canyon have no such worries. They're only proud.