Well, that was fast

I wish everything moved this quickly through the penal system. Can you believe he was sentenced already?

Former University of Maryland basketball star Lonny Baxter was sentenced to two months in jail today after a D.C. Superior Court judge rejected a deal that would have set him free and allowed him to start his professional basketball season in Italy.

Aw, poor baby. Life is hard. One would hope he'd learn his lesson after the second time now: don't go around shooting guns off in random places!

Judge Craig Iscoe said that he was not happy to be imposing the sentence because he understood the consequences to Baxter's career. But he said that circumstances left him no choice and noted Baxter's conviction for a firearms offense two years ago.

Shouldn't Baxter understood the consequences to Baxter's career when he was out firing a weapon near the White House? Guess he didn't think that far ahead.

Maryland Terrapins basketball coach Gary Williams appeared in court today and spoke on Baxter's behalf, praising his leadership and his work in the community.

And that would be...? When has Lonny been in the D.C. area since graduating from Maryland 4 years ago? I assume it would be in a case like Ron Artest, where he only speaks to children when he has to as part of his community service sentence?

Speaking of which, get a load of this message that good ol' Ron is sending to the kids:

"Someone started trouble and I ended it," Artest told about 50 children Wednesday at a panel on black empowerment at the Judge Mathis Community Center. "I would always encourage you to protect yourself but in certain situations, if you can avoid them, avoid them."

What's the message here? Always fight. And don't practice what you preach, either. I have never seen Artest back down from any situation.

"I like John Green, he's real," Artest said. "I don't have any problems with John Green. He did something really stupid but a lot of people do stupid things. God forgives, so I'm forgiving too."

Artest did something really stupid, but you don't hear him admitting it; instead, he criticizes everyone else but himself since they're all at fault, of course. I also love how he compares himself to God. Artestiness is next to Godliness, apparently.