So much for perfect.

Don’t worry. This is not a commentary on how drugs are stupid and alcohol is bad for minors.

No duh.

Instead, let’s take a look at two teams, same sport, same league, with different consequences.

This baseball season, two teams from the Class 4A Greater St. Helens League had athletes test the system. They lost, and their teams did, too.

There were more athletes who found similar trouble this school year, too. Remember, we’re talking about a lot of athletes here, boys and girls, from freshman to junior varsity to varsity, in sports from fall, winter and spring.

The school districts, though, do not announce who has been disciplined and for what offenses. Nor should they. It is not a matter of public record to know if John Doe from Skyview or Battle Ground had a beer the other day.

We at The Columbian hear about some, while other offenses never come to light. From time to time, especially if the police get involved and there is a public record, we will report on a high school athlete who finds trouble.

Or, if the athlete is high profile, someone who has been featured as a leader or is considered one of the top players in the region, well, we reserve the right to report that which is deemed newsworthy. Same for a program in an extraordinary situation. If a football team is a game away from the state championship game, then loses four starters to a suspension, that’s a story.

It is case by case,

Which leads us back to the baseball suspensions.

Skyview lost six players, according to coach Eric Estes, to suspension this season to a couple of incidents. Each player missed 10 games for a first offense violation of the Vancouver School District’s policy.

Battle Ground, meanwhile, had an incident prior to the final week of the regular season. One player was immediately suspended for one game, and after an investigation, it turned into six.

At Battle Ground, the penalty for violating the code is not set in stone.

“We have some parameters,” said Lee Bradford, the school’s athletic director. “It depends on the situation and the cooperation we get from the student. We have some latitude with that.”

Over at Skyview, there is no wiggle room. First offense is half the season. In baseball, that’s 10 games.

“I absolutely support it,” Skyview athletic director Jim Condon said. “I like that it’s set in stone and everybody is aware of it.”

Athletes in the Vancouver School District, in order to participate, must sign a form confirming they have read the policy.

Interestingly, the three districts that comprise the 4A GSHL have different policies. Jim Hudson, the athletic director for the Evergreen School District, said a first offense is 20 percent of a season. That would be four games in baseball.

A part of me leans toward the tougher consequences. Athletes, especially those on varsity, are role models to the middle and elementary school athletes.

The punishment also should be a deterrent. Half the season probably would make most people think twice. Obviously not everyone, but many. 

A part of me leans toward a more compassionate response. A first offense could be a first mistake. We all make bad choices from time to time. Do we want to kill half of a season for one mistake by a 16-year old?

All of me, however, leans toward a league having the same rules for the same offenses.

There might be three districts in the 4A GSHL, but together they compete on the same field, going for the same number of playoff spots.

The two baseball coaches from this situation agree.

“Kids who do the same crime shouldn’t get more punishment or less depending on where they live,” Hayes said.

“I would prefer it to be equal,” Estes added. “The WIAA should put something mandatory, or better yet, the league should have something that is uniform.”

The coaches are not arguing one policy is better than the other. They just want someone to figure out the best plan of action, and make it a league-wide policy.

As the WIAA likes to say, just play fair.

Paul Valencia covers high school sports for The Columbian. He can be reached at 360-735-4558 or e-mail at paul.valencia@columbian.com.