There is always something a little sad at the end of a sporting event, when a team that is hopelessly behind its opponent has the ball and absolutely no chance of victory.

They go through the motion of playing the game for a win, but everyone in the stands knows they are just running out the clock until the contest is officially over.

That is the unfortunate position New York's first black governor David Paterson finds himself in these days. He has already announced that he won't seek election to his own full term as governor, but he won't allow himself to suffer the shame of walking out on his term before it is complete.

So Paterson continues to meet with constituents, hold town hall meetings and otherwise conduct the business of government, even as he is being investigated for illegally pressuring a woman to forgo abuse charges against his aide and faces an ethics charge for getting free World Series tickets.

It seems that since Paterson announced that he won't seek election, people are feeling some sympathy for his plight.

An opinion poll this week found that nearly three-quarters of those asked believed Paterson should be allowed to finish his term without being impeached. Just 21 percent said he should be impeached by the state legislature if he doesn't step down.

Maybe the Paterson "supporters" in the poll realize that he hasn't been charged or convicted of any crime at this point. Perhaps they are tired of seeing powerful black politicians in New York like Paterson and disgraced U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel beat up in the news media and want Paterson to retain some portion of his dignity.

It's easy to see how staying in office helps Paterson. Whether it helps the people of New York is another matter, though. To me, as long as no more scandal leaks out from his administration, and he doesn't mess anything else up, it's best for all to avoid a nasty impeachment trial.

Either way, unless any more dirty laundry gets aired, it seems people have decided to let Paterson run out the clock and finish the game. In this contest, we are all losers.