What the BCS (or as we call it around here, the Bogus Championship Series) needs is a healthy prescription to remedy the only collegiate sport that, in reality, doesn't crown its champion on the field. Sure, everybody has a quick fix for what ails Division I college football. Since you can't please all the people all the time, however, perhaps you can please all the skeptics some of the time. Or maybe you can please all the pundits some of the time. Well, you get my drift.

College officials have long maintained a stance against having a "second season" in college football on the basis that they didn't want their student-athletes' (yeah, right) seasons to carry over into the spring semester. Funny, it never seemed to upset the basketball teams, whom I might add, play more than one game per week as opposed to their football counterparts.

A little investigative work by my crack staff yielded some interesting results. Only three of the Big Ten (actually Eleven) schools--Northwestern, Michigan, and Ohio State--resume classes the first week of January 2007. Four of them (Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, and Penn State) don't even hunker down and hit the books until the sixteenth of January. Wisconsin students don't emerge from winter hibernation until the 22nd. Lots of time for ice fishing, I guess.

If other schools have similar schedules, then college presidents whining about missed classes are obviously misinformed. So why not have a college playoff system, with games culminating the first weekend in January? What about those schools who might be in class? Well, unless things have changed dramatically in the 20-plus years since I graduated from college, very little work gets done in the first week of any semester.

But what about the early bowl games? Wouldn't they loose their luster? Sorry, but I don't excited anymore about the prospect of missing the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl or the Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl. Although I must admit, I kinda miss the Poulan Weed-Eater Bowl, and there will always be a place in my heart for the Astro Blue-Bonnet Bowl. I'll explain the solution for the relatively meaningless bowls shortly.

First let's tackle the big issue. Suppose I have convinced you to let me cast a hypnotic spell over the football powers that be and force them to have a playoff. Who gets in? Realistically, we have to begin with eight teams. Why eight? For starters, four teams is too few, and secondly, I don't have enough pixie dust to sprinkle in the NCAA's eyes to make them allow 16 teams. In reality, an eight-team playoff makes the most sense because it would only take three weeks. Start it Christmas weekend and end it the first weekend in January.

So who gets to be in the elite eight? Why, the conference champions, of course. Three of the major conferences already have a playoff game (ACC, Big 12, SEC), so can't we talk some sense into the Big Ten (OK, Eleven) and find another school for the conference to adopt? What about Notre Dame? The Irish are halfway there. They already play Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, and Penn State.

Oh, but the Irish have a sweetheart deal with NBC. Yes, and they also play the service academies. (They should be docked BCS points for picking on defenseless Army, Navy, and the Air Force, and outscoring them 118-40 this year.) Find a way to give NBC a piece of the pie. Remember, we are working for the greater good here. What about the other nonconformist, out west? It's time for the Pac-10 to morph into a 12-Pac. Look under a rock or behind the bushes. There's probably a Lobo, a Ute, a Runnin' Rebel, or an Aztec that merits inclusion in this club. The Big East can square off against the MAC, and if needed, the WAC champ can slug it out with the Mountain West. Take that first weekend in December. You can have six or seven conference title games from Thursday through Saturday. I'm getting excited already.

Now you have seven of the eight contenders, all of whom survived a title fight. Then they take a short break for final exams. They are students, after all (wink, wink.)

This is where the BCS rankings come into play. Take the number eight-ranked BCS team, or the highest-ranking conference runner-up, and throw them into the mix. Use the rankings to create seedings. If a team with two losses beats an undefeated team, so be it. Win or go home. Everyone else moves up. Now take the seven big bowl games: Citrus, Gator, Sugar, Rose, Fiesta, Orange, and Cotton (forgive me, but I prefer to use the original names), and have each one host the title game on a rotating basis.

Historically, teams have had way too much time to prepare for bowl games anyway. Sometimes this produces mismatches in the BCS. Anyone remember January 4, 2000? Virginia Tech would rather forget about the 46-29 pounding they took from Florida State. What about the Sooner Schooner? Two years ago the wheels came flying off during a 55-19 pummeling at the hands of USC. I'll bet you won't see that kind of slaughter when teams only have a week to prepare for their second opponent.

Now let's get back to the other bowl games. After all, none of those riveting matchups wants to lose their luster if only eight teams have a shot at the national championship.

Here's the solution to that problem. Teams that meet the NCAA win requirements and finish out of the hunt are already slotted into bowls. For instance the Big Eleven's third versus the SEC/East's third, the ACC's fourth vs. the Big 12's fourth, and so forth.

Take all of those games and give them a point value. A #6 vs. #6 matchup would be worth one point, a #5 against #5 would be worth two points, #4-#4 three points, and so on. Whatever school wins the game, their conference gets the points. The system should be weighted to give the final seven games even more value. As the Bowl season plays out, the points are tallied. The last team left standing wins the national title, but the conference that racks up the most points gets a big prize as well--let's say a cool million in scholarship money from some big-time car, beer, or snack food sponsor.

Wouldn't it be great to see schools rooting for their rivals to win so that their conference keeps racking up pizza, soda, or insurance company-sponsored points? Such a system might even ratchet up interest in the bowl games reminiscent of March Madness. I can see it now….December Dogfight….Christmas Chaos….January Juggernaut.

Who's ready? Let's go bowling!

this story is (c)2006 SRN Internet Venture, LLC. All rights reserved

TOKEN FEMALE: TAKING GIRRRRL POWER TO THE NEXT LEVEL
By: Alison Moran, YourSportsFan.com Columnist

CAN MARYLAND DO IT AGAIN?

Basketball was never better than in the 2006 NCAA Division 1 Women's Final. Last April, in Boston, the #2 Maryland Terrapins took on #1 Duke in the finals of the NCAA Women's Tournament. The Terps rallied from a 13-point deficit, took the Blue Devils to overtime on then-freshman Kristi Toliver's three-pointer at the end of regulation, then made two free throws with 35 seconds left in overtime to capture their first NCAA Women's Basketball crown. Final score: Maryland 78 Duke: 75.

For the first time that I'm aware of, major publications called the Lady Terrapins "cocksure" in describing their confidence and commanding presence in their victory. Was a new era in women's basketball born that day?

2007 marks the 25th Anniversary of the NCAA Women's Tournament. Could the Terps unveil a dynasty even more compelling and fearsome than that of notorious three-peaters Tennessee and UConn? And would engraved silver candlesticks make an appropriate gift if they do repeat?

As the 2006-07 women's basketball season gets underway, every major college poll--AP, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, CBS Sportsline.com, ESPN, etc., has made Maryland its top pick. At YourSportsFan.com, before we draw such a conclusion, let's look at the evidence that merits the ranking and the expectations:

* As of Sunday, the Terrapins are undefeated (they went 34-4 last season)
* The Terps are returning five of their starting players, including sophomores Toliver and Marissa Coleman, senior Shay Doron, and juniors Crystal Langhorne and Laura Harper.
* Four of them have Wade Trophy nominations, and all but Harper are on the "Wade Watch" for 2007.

That's what I call a TALENTED Team!
* The presence of Sa'da Wiley-Gatewood, a transfer from Tennessee. Chronic knee tendonitis may limit her minutes, but pure speed will keep their game up-tempo.
* Christie Marrone, an outside shooter, transferred from Virginia Tech.
* The "X" factor: Their determined and indefatigable coach, Brenda Frese.

And the evidence against:

* The "BEEN THERE, DONE THAT" Factor: Complacency is an enemy of any team with a championship under its belt. Maryland must avoid the tendency to rest on their laurels.
* The REVENGE Factor: It's a sure bet that every team the Terps beat on their way to the top has studied the championship tapes for months. Duke coach Gail Goestenkors admitted to Sports Illustrated that "I got a bottle of wine, sat by myself, and watched it (game tape) the night I got home. It was medicine that didn't taste good, but it was necessary." Don't think the other top coaches--Pat Summitt of Tennessee or Geno Auriemma of UConn--haven't done the same, with or without the wine.
* The NEWNESS Factor: It's gone. Maryland is no longer an unfamiliar quantity to Division 1 schools, and they will be Public Enemy Number One throughout the season.
* The JORDAN Factor: With a team loaded with so much individual talent, Coach Frese must now be ready to become the NCAA Women's version of Phil Jackson, should the team forget how it got the championship in the first place, which was through TEAMWORK!

Who can beat Maryland? Here are five pedigreed schools who can catch the Terps any day of the week:

1) OKLAHOMA: Like Maryland, the Sooners are a young team, and they returned all five starters. Look for big contributions from Hakeem Olajuwan's daughter, freshman Abi, and freshman forward Amanda Thompson.

They will ably co-exist alongside electric sophomore Courtney Paris, who hopes to improve her 21.9 ppg and 15.0 rebound average. If they're hungry, they're going to be BIG trouble for Maryland. Coach Sherrie Coate, however, will need to keep the Sooners speedy if they want to win the BIG one.

2) NORTH CAROLINA: The Tar Heels' goal this year is 115 possessions per game, according to Sports Illustrated. They have the best offense in the NCAA, along with best point guard (ACC Player of the year Ivory Latta, who avearged 18.4 ppg last year) and forwards Camille Little (11.7 ppg) and Erlana Larkins (13.8 ppg). They were 32-0 against the rest of the country last season, but just 1-2 against Maryland.

One problem...with so much offense, who'll play defense? The answer to this question could mean the difference between the Elite Eight and the Final Four.

3) STANFORD: They beat the Sooners in the Sweet 16 last year. No one who doubts the abilities of All-American junior guard Candace Wiggins, who led Stanford with 21.8 ppg and scored 30-plus five times last season. Wiggins and Brooke Smith are the most formidable inside/outside combination around this season. Jayne Appel, a freshman, says Coach Tara Vanderventer, "has great hands, great instinct, and the wingspan of a 7-footer," according to Sports Illustrated. Coach Vanderventer needs to work on team quickness if they want to go further than just winning the Pac-10.

4) TENNESSEE: NEVER count out the Lady Vols, especially when they have Candace Parker, CSTV's choice for National Player of the Year, who spent her summer vacation with USA Basketball at the World Championships. Coach Pat Summitt also added another point guard, transfer Shannon Bobbitt, who brings quickness. The Volunteers might not have all the aces, as in the past, but on any given day, Coach Summitt can take whatever talent she has and spin straw into gold. She likes nothing more than a challenge--which she'll have this year.

5) UCONN: Remember this name: TINA CHARLES. She is the nation's top recruit, and rightly so, because this 6'4" freshman has speed, low-post dominance, size, and speed. Charles, sophomore point guard Renee Montgomery, and junior shooting guard Mel Thomas are the triumvirate to beat in the game this year. Coach Geno Auriemma says he's really excited because for the first time since 1995, he hasn't a single palyer with Final Four experience. Yeah, sure. But watch...I'm taking Auriemma at his word.

THREE TEAMS TO WATCH:

1) ARIZONA STATE: For their freshman Dymond Simon, a point guard. At 5'3", let's hope she's another Spud Webb. This should be an interesting team, largely because of with 6'6" sophomore center Kirsten Thompson. Simon and Thompson will join senior Jill Noe, junior Reagan Pariseau, and sophomore Briann January.

2) DePAUL: Center Khara Smith is gone from their 2006 Sweet 16 team. But Coach Doug Bruno says that two All-Big Easters, senior guard Jenna Rubino and junior guard Allie Quigley, hold the keys to advancement this season. They will be aided ably by Erin Carney and "X"-factor Missy Mitiderio, along with freshmen Sam Quigley (Allie's sister), China Threatt, and 6'3" Felicia Chester. The Lady Demons play the Sooners in the regular season, and I'm looking for them to move up to the Elite Eight this year.

3) OHIO STATE: The Buckeyes return their center, two-time Big Ten Player of the Year Jessica Davenport (18.7 ppg), along with senior point guard Brandie Hoskins (12.3 ppg) and junior shooting guard Marscilla Parker. Ohio State should make the Big Ten an interesting place to watch women's basketball.

FINALLY, MY NATIONAL PICKS:

The Top Five:
1. OKLAHOMA
2. MARYLAND
3. UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA
4. UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT
5. TENNESSEE

CLIP JOINT
By Mark Meyers, YourSportsFan.com Columnist

Check the NBA standings today and you'll find that the team leading the Pacific Division is the Los Angeles Clippers. That probably won't come as much of a shock to you, and that in itself is shocking. The Clippers have the look of a team that will not just simply qualify for the playoffs, but also do some serious damage once they get there.

The Clippers rallied from 14 points down to beat Dallas Wednesday, giving Mike Dunleavy's squad four wins in five tries despite not yet having played an impressive game. Point guard Shaun Livingston has been extremely inconsistent, center Chris Kaman has been mostly a no-show, and All-Star forward Elton Brand has been, well, exhausted (more on that later). Still, the team is in first place and there is a definite buzz surrounding this ball club, which got me to wondering: Which is "L.A.'s Team"…Lakers or Clippers?

Please go to YourSportsFan.com to see the whole story including audio clip of Elton Brand

In FM, a somewhat forgettable 1978 movie (save for the soundtrack), a corporate suit is sent to rev up radio station Q-sky's sales. Regis Lamar, from the home office, attends a packed concert sponsored by the station, and seeing the sizeable crowd, vows to get every possible account on the station with "wall to wall commercials!" Program director Jeff Dugan sarcastically replies, "Too bad we can't get rid of the music completely." Without even thinking, Lamar replies "Yeah!"

Oddly prophetic. We have finally reached an era when sporting events seem like one continuous three-hour commercial. From kickoff to the final whistle, and from the national anthem to the final pitch, everything at the stadium (including the stadium name itself) is for sale.

Shouldn't we have seen this coming? In 1964, CBS paid $14.1 million per year for the rights to telecast NFL games. By 1998, the three networks (plus ESPN) ponied up nearly eighteen BILLION dollars for the rights to show games, almost four times what they had shelled out in 1994. The new contracts signed this year net the NFL a minimum of $600 million from NBC and as much as $1.1 billion per annum from ESPN, or as our own Les Grobstein refers to them, "The Eastern Seaboard Programming Network."

When we aren't being bombarded by blatant sales pitches, we are served a barrage of annoying graphics, mind-numbing stats, endless promos, and network puff pieces. Network games are starting to resemble a typical Olympic telecast. It makes me long for the days of Howard Cosell. Well, maybe not Howard, but Curt Gowdy...

The networks can't possibly make a profit on their incredibly expensive NFL telecasts, so they instead use the games to inform viewers about their prime-time offerings, build those programs' audiences, and ring up profits from the TV doctors, lawyers, and crime scene investigators.

Here is a sampling of the visual blitzkrieg from two recent sportscasts.

During the Monday Night Football game between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys, viewers, during the second quarter, saw:

*Kickers' stats taking up almost a third of the television screen

*Billboards for Men's Warehouse, Texas Instruments Plasma TVs, Coca-Cola, and T. Rowe Price

*Aerial coverage brought to you by Goodyear

*A teaser for an in-booth appearance by Hank Williams, Jr.

*An ESPN college football promo

*Hank Williams, Jr. in the announcer's booth

*A puff piece with clips of Bill Parcells talking about Terrell Owens

*A graphic featuring several sports "Odd Couples"

It took about a half-hour to run seven and a half minutes off the game clock.

During the World Series, viewers were welcomed to games in Detroit by cars from Chevrolet and to St. Louis contests by the Budweiser Clydesdales. In addition:

*The "Diamond-Cam" was sponsored by DirecTV

*The game summary was brought to us by Verizon

*The U.S. Postal Service delivered the "Fox Trax" pitch illustrator

*Stats geeks read the "Travelers" in-sync box score

*Fox ran constant promos for "Prison Break," "Justice," "House," "Happy Hour," and "The O.C."

No wonder audience numbers are sinking faster the Michael Jackson's career. Who would blame young people if they'd rather listen to their iPods, play on their X-Boxes, or just watch a movie on HBO?

By Steven Leventhal
YourSportsFan.com Sports Director

Once again, the government is sticking its omnipotent nose in everyone's business.

The recent passage of Unlawful Internet Gambling Act has sent seismic repercussions through the online poker community.

For those of you who don't know, this bill, passed by Congress on September 30, ostensibly attempts to remedy perceived inadequacies in the 1961 Wire Act that forbade gambling over the phone. In 2001, a federal district court judge ruled that the statute applied only to betting on sports. Legislators had been struggling with ways to attack the thriving business of online gambling. This new law attempts to thwart the process by making it illegal for bank and financial institutions to knowingly allow funds to be transferred to online gaming companies.

Among the Internet's many benefits is that it allows anyone with a credit card or bank account to play poker, blackjack, or craps, or place bets on NFL games, from the comfort of your home. Whether you live in the outskirts of New York, or a hundred miles from nowhere, your own personal casino is a few mouse clicks away. Savvy entrepreneurs have built big businesses feeding on the public's insatiable gambling appetite. Virtually all of these companies exist overseas, far from the long arm of U.S. law enforcement. Yet Uncle Sam wants to deprive you of the ability to feed your poker Jones.

Casino gambling is BIG business. The American Gaming Association reports that 2004 gross gaming was $78.6 billion, and that in 2005, the 11 states with commercial casinos in operation contributed $4.93 billion in tax revenue to state and local governments. In July, the Poker Players Alliance, a non-profit association in (surprise) Washington, D.C., released the results of a study suggesting that regulation and taxation of the U.S. online gaming industry could raise over three BILLION dollars in revenues.

Apparently, legislators have overlooked this fact and instead saddled up to the anti-gambling lobby in the passage of this legislation. Brick and mortar casinos sit silently on the sidelines. They have to most to gain if online gambling is outlawed, yet one would think the Vegas casinos would love to get a piece of the action if online gaming were decriminalized.

Greg Raymer, 2004 World Series of Poker champion, and Chris "Brsavage" Savage, writing on PocketFives.com, state, "The effort to selectively stop online poker—while permitting horse racing and other forms of online gambling favored by Congress—is ridiculous. All of the online sites do everything they can to prevent minors from playing. When an adult plays, they are responsible for themselves. We see this effort as merely an Internet version of the Depression-era prohibition of alcohol. The outcome would be no more beneficial; it takes an activity that everybody engages in anyway and criminalizes it, leading to a loss of tax revenue and an increase in true criminal behavior."

As a result of the Senate passage, several online sites have suspended or plan to stop taking wagers and money from U.S. customers. PartyGaming plc, a British company operating Party Poker, one of the largest poker sites on the Internet, told its users, "the Board of PartyGaming has determined that if the President signs the Act into law, the Company will suspend all real money gaming business with U.S. residents, and such suspension will continue indefinitely, subject to clarification of the interpretation and enforcement of U.S. law and the impact on financial institutions of this and other related legislation.

"Access to PartyGaming's online gaming sites for the Group's U.S. free play customers will be unaffected. Access for all of PartyGaming's non-U.S. customers will also be unaffected."

At sites such as FullTiltPoker and the DoyleBrunsonNetwork, the word is business as usual. Others, like PokerStars, are taking a wait-and-see attitude. Manager Lee Jones, writing in a popular poker forum, noted, "There are many unanswered questions at this point—we'll let you know more as time progresses. However, there are three important things that we can tell you right now. Your money is completely safe at PokerStars. It's kept in a segregated account at one of the largest banks in Europe. [Players] will have 24/7 access to your account funds. You will always be able to get to your money. We have not made a decision one way or another as regards closing our American accounts. The other thing that I can promise is that we'll keep the lines of communication open to forums such as these. Stay tuned."

This is welcome news to Noreen Klein of Washingtonville, NY. "I play many online sites," she states emphatically. "Any of the sites that do not back American players have been boycotted by me and many of my friends. If they pull out, they will never get our business again. I predict many will lose an enormous amount of money by not backing U.S. players." Noreen, who plays online under the screen name "CookieK," has gone so far as to remove the gaming software from her computer from the sites that have stopped taking money from American customers, and promises never to download them again. Klein also joined the Poker Players Alliance and has written letters to President Bush, senators Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer, and her Congressman.

Allyn Jaffery Shulman is one of the leading experts on Internet gambling. She is the legal counsel for Card Player Magazine and recently joined the board of directors of the Poker Players Alliance. In a very well-written and thorough analysis of the recently passed legislation, she refutes the media interpretation that the Unlawful Gambling Enforcement Act outlaws Internet gambling.

As she writes on CardPlayer.com, "The new bill does not make online gaming illegal where it was not illegal before. Let me say that again. The new bill does not make online gaming illegal. The bill merely speaks to the mechanism by which an online account is funded." She goes on to say, "It does not speak to the legality of online gaming. It only applies to the mechanism of funding any Internet gaming that has already been deemed to be illegal."

Since most poker players do not directly fund the poker sites from the credit cards and bank accounts, she feels it will be extremely difficult if not impossible to enforce this law. Several years ago credit card companies stopped transactions with poker sites, resulting in the creation of third party purveyors, such as Neteller and Firepay, to handle the money transfers They serve as intermediaries between the players and their financial institutions. All of these operate in offshore locations and would appear to be out of the reach of the Justice Department.

As the dust settles, one thing will become clear: Law enforcement agencies will have a difficult time enforcing the new legislation. Enterprising companies will find ways to get around the new law in order to satisfy their customers' desires to play poker from the comfort of their homes.

Resources:
Poker Players Alliance
Card Player.com
PocketFives.com

originally written September 17, 2006

It's great to work in sports, because one of the perks is having Sunday Ticket at the office. Perhaps the best feature of NFL coverage on satellite is "The Red Zone" channel. It seamlessly switches to the best action moments in EVERY game. Mostly live, with some replays; it's fabulously entertaining, especially if you're not obsessively following a team outside of your home TV area.

I was reminded (sort of) about the fiasco forever to be known as "The Heidi Game" while watching Bear game coverage on the local Fox affiliate in Chicago. There was a Heidi- worthy moment shortly after the conclusion of the Bears' 34-7 victory over the Lions.

For those of you unfamiliar with the story(and by that I mean the game, not the forgettable made for TV movie,) the Heidi game lives on in broadcasting lore, because some clueless TV execs cut away from the Raiders – Jets game on Nov. 17, 1968, with the New Yorkers ahead 32-29 lead with 1:05 to play. NBC went to a commercial and returned to the movie "Heidi." Viewers never saw the Raiders score two touchdowns and win 43-32.

Back to the present day. After the early game, the Chicago audience, and presumably several others around the country went to the Fox post game show. In the meantime, RZC viewers got treated to two fantastic finishes, one in Philly, and one in Minneapolis. So while Terry, Howie, and Jimmy were dissecting the already completed games, those willing to shell out for Sunday Ticket, and the additional ninety-nine bucks for the Red Zone and Mix Channels saw something much better.

Ryan Longwell(yes, former Packer kicker Longwell) threw a touchdown pass on a fake kick attempt, and then converted in overtime as the host Vikes beat the Panthers 16-13. The RZC, hosted by former Chicago radio reporter Andrew Siciliano, went back and forth from the Metrodome to the City of Brotherly Love, where the Eagles were sharing plenty of love for the Giants who rallied from 17 down in the fourth quarter to win 30-24 on a 31-yard pass to Plaxico Burress.

The major networks just don't get it. That's where ESPN is so much more in tune with the action on the field. You would never be denied the extra action on the Bristol network. Now, perhaps there is some arcane league policy that forces home teams to show the post game show only, but how can you NOT show two fantastic finishes still going on.

If the No Fun League(NFL) is intent on capturing younger viewers, it better keep them watching. Otherwise they will retreat back to their Game Cubes and PlayStations. We are in the 21st century after all.