Redbird

Every year I fill out these brackets, hand over my $20, sometimes multiple times. Every year, I pick a few Cinderellas, we all do! Every year my bracket is in the crapper by the end of round one or two. I consider myself to be a pretty informed sports fan, yet I can never seem to come close on these brackets!

I think this is what we love most about the month of March, it is absolutely unpredictable! You never know who is going to shock the world, or fall on their face. I think every sports fan will agree that this is a magical time of year, one that even non-sports fans look foreward to.

Why can't some of that magic be used to rescue a dying BCS? A 16 team playoff, all 11 division champions, and the top 5 rated non-champions. Seed them 1-16 and let the upsets begin! Play it out on the field for a TRUE National Champion! Can you imagine the excitement in December and January over a college football playoff?

Take a few minutes to think what theat bracket might look like, how it might play out. Think of Boise State vs Oklahoma in 06, think of Utah in 05. Consider the possibilities of big upsets (Appalachian St vs Michigan in 08) Now picture a bracket full of those matchups, played out on neutral fields, on national television.

Wouldn't this be so much more exciting than the predictable Bowl Games we currently watch?

I grew up chewing the crappy gum to get the baseball cards! I wrote on them when a player changed teams (before I knew they were worth a fortune). I wore a plastic batting helmet (oven) all summer long to support my Cardinals. I checked the standings and box scores (pre-internet) every day, because I cared!

With that said, I have really lost interest in the game these past couple years! All the records I once coveted, and then watched in amazement when they were broken have been tarnished by steroid use by many players! I can't know and don't care to speculate anymore who all of them are! It just kind of diminishes the importance of all of it. I try to teach my kids to play by the rules, and be honest, then their sports heroes get caught cheating, then further the shame by lying about it! Double slap in the face!

I understand the pressure to perform for a young player, so it is hard to hold them responsible! I can only hold one person responsible, Bud Selig! This man turned a blind eye on the biggest scandal in baseball since the Black Sox scandal! This created an atmosphere that promoted steroid use, and did nothing to stop it. As a young marginal player, it was juice or be cut! For his role in this scandal, he is rewarded with a 15 million dollar salary.

Yes revenue, and ticket sales are up, but at what price? Kids are juicing because there heroes are, records have fallen that never would have, further promoting steroid use because the records were broken by juicers, and nothing was done about it, in fact we celebrated it! Rewarded it if you will! This will all come full circle, because regardless of what Mr. Selig's message may be, it doesn't pay to cheat, and in the long run MLB will lose! It is a shame the owners do not see this and oust this fraud of a commissioner before he completely ruins the game, if he already hasn't!

Give me your thoughts on this subject............