Now I know the BCS is kind of unpopular, but I wasn’t aware of any provision in the Constitution that makes it unconstitutional:  Justice Department: Obama May Take Action on the BCS

As a governing note, Congress or the President can claim that the “interstate commerce” clause allows for regulation of college football, but essentially that clause could be said to allow for regulation of anything. I mean, why not use the federal government to install a DH in the National League or change the overtime rules in the NFL?

The BCS system is how college football has decided to structure their postseason. Now the MLB has decided to structure it differently: They only allow 8 teams to make the playoffs. Perhaps that’s an anti-trust violation because it always favors rich teams and doesn’t give enough teams a chance like the NBA playoffs, where half the teams make it, and where the first two rounds don’t matter at all.

Guess the feds need to force more leagues to adopt an NBA-style playoff system so the league can make more money at the “expense” of the fans. Bore everyone with pointless games.

In a letter to Megalomaniac Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, the Assistant Attorney General wrote:

“The administration shares your belief that the current lack of a college football national championship playoff with respect to the highest division of college football … raises important questions affecting millions of fans, colleges and universities, players and other interested parties,” Weich wrote.

For fans who think that these “important issues” make the game unenjoyable, DON’T FREAKIN WATCH IT!

Other important issues in sports: injuries, trades, free agency, salary caps, whether or not Brett Favre will play next year…

Photo: Reuters

ShareThis

MITCHELL BLATT

Texas Rep. Joe Barton compared the BCS system to communism as he wrote a bill attempting to outlaw the BCS Championship.

Here we have a man who is trying to control a private enterprise through government force, and he’s complaining about communism. Nice.

But if the government already has a majority stake in General Motors, what’s wrong with them trying to take over college football?

Joe Barton warned the NCAA: “If we don’t see some action in the next two months, on a voluntary switch to a playoff system, then you will see this bill move.”

A voluntary switch would seem best except for the fact that having the government threaten you to do something is, um… not voluntary.

Illinois’ Bobby Rush complained about the big conferences having automatic bids, saying, “How can we justify this system … are the big guys getting together and shutting out the little guys?”

Yeah, if I create a football team with my friends, the NFL won’t let me play with them. It’s the same concept. The BCS is a league and thus they decide which teams get certain advantages. The NFL is a league, and they do the same thing, deciding which teams can play in their select group of 32 teams and which can’t.

The BCS may not be a good system in your opinion. I say it’s good because it makes the season more exciting. I’m not going to debate further. The point is that it’s a privately created system created with the consent of university athletic departments. What in John Madden’s name does Congress think gives them the authority on an issue like this?

Perhaps the funniest line in the article is this:

Yet it is unclear whether lawmakers will try to legislate how college football picks its No. 1 before the first kickoff of the fall season. Congress is grappling with a crowded agenda of budgets, health care overhaul and climate change, and though President Barack Obama favors a playoff, he hasn’t made it a legislative priority.

Seriously, Congress is so stupid that they actually have to put a line in there putting college football right there with budgets and health care as if it’s on the same level.

Article: BCS Bill in Congress

ShareThis

• Former Atlanta Braves relief pitcher John Rocker, a village idiot who alienated the city of New York with his racist and homophobic comments, became the latest outcast to finger New York Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez as an abuser of steroids. On Monday, the obnoxious hick from Georgia claimed that in spring training of 2002 a doctor hired by the Major League Baseball Players Association instructed him and his then Texas Rangers teammate on how to juice-up in a way that is “not going to hurt you.” This is the second time since December that A-Post-Season-Out has been accused of utilizing synthetic testosterone. In the immediate aftermath of the Mitchell Report, Jose Canseco, a dishonorable speaker of truth, said he was flabbergasted that A-Rod wasn’t among the 83 names mentioned in the Director of the Boston Red Sox investigation into performance enhancing drugs.

“All I can say is the Mitchell Report is incomplete,” Canseco said. “I could not believe that (Rodriguez’s) name was not in the report.”

As mind-numbing as it is, in this distorted day and steroid age, Canseco is baseball’s answer to “Honest” Abe Lincoln and if he says the purple-lipped pariah took a banned substance then he likely did.

• Generally, I am not a conspiracy theorist. After reading Gerald Posner’s book “Cased Closed,” I think Lee Harvey Oswald was Jack Kennedy’s lone murderer that terrible afternoon in Dallas, Texas. I am also not a member of the “9-11 Truth Movement.” I think 19 members of Al Qaeda commandeered 4 commercial aircrafts on 9/11/2001 and that’s that. But, with A-Rod’s conspicuous omission from Mitchell’s report, I wonder if a conspiracy is not in our midst. Can one not fathom Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig politely asking his investigator to keep his paws off the heir apparent to his sports all-time home-run crown? Rodriguez, who has 518 round-trippers at 32 years of age, will likely surpass Barry Bonds, the face of steroids, and his 762 lifetime dingers somewhere in the vicinity of the year 2012. Selig needs a dirty Rodriguez as much as he needs a case of herpes and I am confident that he’ll go to great lengths to keep A-Rod’s drug results cleaner than Danny Tanner’s kitchen floor.

• By the way, for those keeping record at home, the Red Sox mediocre pitcher, Daisuke Matsuzaka, has recorded more postseason RBI’s (2) than A-Rod has since game four of the 2004 ALCS. Rodriguez has one RBI since that timeframe.

• Wednesday on Capitol Hill, tarnished baseball icon Roger Clemens exhibited the least impressive performance in a court of law since Stanley Rothenstein’s public defender graced us with his stuttering-self in “My Cousin Vinny.” Under oath, rogue trainer Brian McNamee said he injected Andy Pettitte with human growth hormone and, when pressed, the lefty-ace acknowledged that McNamee was being straightforward with his account. After having his ear placed against the proverbial stove, McNamee revealed that he also injected Clemens better-half, Debbie, with HGH and the pitcher’s wife reluctantly admitted that McNamee was speaking with candor. Are we truly to believe that McNamee is lying solely regarding his accusations towards Clemens? I think not. Clemens is a disgraceful excuse for a husband, friend and ballplayer.

• Since its Valentine’s Day, one needs to wonder what Knicks owner James Dolan and his Head Coach Isiah Thomas have planned for the night. I’ll bet they are going to share a bath in a heart-shaped tub and listen to the sexual melodies of Marvin Gaye from a Bose sound system.

ShareThis

• Genuine thanks to you all for giving me some of your time. I hope I am able to entertain you with my rapid take on the week that was in the world of sports.

• Tarnished baseball legend Roger Clemens and controversial trainer Brian McNamee met with congressional investigators this past week in preparation for their February 13th hearing on steroids in front of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Clemens and McNamee have conducted an intense smear campaign against one another designed to discredit and slander the other man’s word before Wednesday’s much-anticipated testimonials. To date, McNamee has dominated the mudslinging war by providing the feds with vials that allegedly contain traces of steroids and human growth hormone, as well as blood-stained syringes and gauze pads that purportedly contain Clemens DNA. For good measure, McNamee reportedly told investigators that he also injected Clemens better-half, Debbie, with HGH before she posed in a bikini alongside her portly husband for a 2003 Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition photograph. McNamee preserving the noted evidence could simultaneously be the sketchiest and most pertinent proof since Monica Lewinsky revealed her semen-stained dress and it may be the smoking gun that lands Clemens in a “Federal pound-me-in-the-ass prison.” On the positive side for “the Rocket,” he recently shed his frost-tip haircut. That bodes well for the notorious headhunter because such manes are likely very popular behind bars.

• Robert Montgomery Knight, 67, resigned this past week as the Head Coach of Texas Tech University. Knight, who quit on his team with the most career coaching wins in NCAA Division I history (902-371), is renowned for running clean programs (not one of his squads was ever sanctioned for recruiting violations) and graduating the large majority of his players. Regardless of his vast pedigree on the sideline, Knight is a miserable bully whose accomplishments are dwarfed by his hideous behavior and treatment of others. Knight’s callous and offensive statements and actions are innumerable. While coaching the U.S. team at the 1979 Pan American Games, Knight assaulted a Puerto Rican police officer over a dispute regarding a practice facility. In 1993, he kicked his own son Pat in the huddle of a game at Assembly Hall in Indiana leading the Hoosier faithful to jeer their inexplicable “hero.” In an April 1988 interview with Connie Chung, Knight said “I think if rape is inevitable, relax and enjoy it.” The mentioned is a very, very brief exemplification of the malevolent individual that Knight really is. Bobby Knight was a great basketball coach. Bobby Knight never was and he never will be a good man. As Kent Harvey said when he was an IU freshman, “Hey, Knight. What’s up?” Luckily for the world of collegiate athletics, “the General” no longer is.

• University of Illinois athletic officials apologized for their fans behavior Thursday night in an 83-79 double overtime loss to arch-rival and 14th-ranked Indiana (19-3, 8-1) and their superstar turncoat Eric Gordon, 19. Gordon, a freshman guard who reneged on a verbal commitment to play for the Illini in late-2005, endured some of the vilest treatment since William Wallace meet his English executioners toward the end of Braveheart. Despite the hostile road environment and his shoddy play early, Gordon scored 18 second-half points to lead the Hoosiers to a colossal Big Ten victory. A crucial win like this is yet another reason to believe that the month of March will be very kind to the Hoosiers and don’t be surprised if Kelvin Sampson’s crew is singing “One Shining Moment” come April.

• Former WBO Heavyweight Champion Tommy “the Duke” Morrison (47-3-1), 39, who tested positive for the HIV virus in 1996, is scheduled to fight Matt Weishaar Saturday night on a Top Rank-promoted pay-per-view card in Leon, Mexico. The Association of Boxing Commissions is urging Top Rank matchmaker Bruce Trampler to mandate a blood test despite the fact that Mexico does not require them for fighters. The deadly HIV virus, which can not be cured, is transmitted via infected blood, semen and vaginal fluid. Boxing is a blood sport. No matter how minimal the chances are of acquiring the HIV virus in the ring, it is categorically insane to even contemplate putting the Rocky V star in a bout.

• The Miami Heat sent iconic center Shaquille O’Neal, 35, to the Phoenix Suns this week in exchange for 4-time all star forward Shawn Marion, 29, and Marcus Banks. Many hardwood pundits think that the Suns banged the pooch with their decision to acquire the aging and fragile big man. I am not one of those pundits. Granted, the Phoenix Suns have been one of the elite teams in the NBA for years and their fast-paced offense is a thing of beautiful production. But, they have never been able to get over the proverbial hump and there is nothing to indicate that they would have this year without making a transaction of some genuine magnitude. The acquisition of Shaq will grant Amare Stoudemire with great protection down-low and I believe the Suns, being led by two-time MVP playmaker Steve Nash, will create serious match-up issues for every team that they meet from this point on. The Suns couldn’t win it all without Shaq. Now we’ll find out if Phoenix will rise to championship glory with Superman on its side.

• New York Knicks guard Stephon Marbury, 30, will miss the remainder of the season because of complications he’s encountered from ankle surgery he underwent 3-weeks ago. With Marbury on the sideline indefinitely, the Knickerbockers quest for a championship is in grave jeopardy. Ha!!

• After drinking like Mickey Rourke’s character in Barfly, my friends and I began to discuss the male soap opera that was formerly known as the WWF. During the bender, a fascinating question was broached by my friend, Latroy. Latroy wondered who was the most prominent and important grappler among the trio of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, “Macho Man” Randy Savage and the “Nature Boy” Ric Flair. I entirely realize that I’m probably going to get a great deal of flack on my comment board for writing about a topic that many find to be such a reprehensible waste. But, if there is anyone with love for 80’s squared circle action, your feedback would be appreciated.

• Thanks again for providing me with some of your time. Without your readership, I’d have no reason to write.

ShareThis

• I thank you all for giving me some of your time. I hope I am able to entertain you with my thoughts on the greatest Super Bowl ever played.

• Ding Dong the witch is dead. The team that many proclaimed was the greatest in the history of the NFL was not even the best one on the gridiron in 2007. In an upset of Davey and Goliath proportions, the New York football Giants (14-6) defeated the “unbeatable” New England Patriots (18-1*) 17-14 in Glendale, Arizona in Super Bowl XLII.
Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning (19-for-34, 255 yards, 2 touchdowns), an individual I once compared to Corky Thatcher, threw the game-winning 13-yard touchdown pass to embattled wide receiver Plaxico Burress with 35-seconds remaining in regulation to lead the Big Blue to their third championship in franchise history.

Despite their shocking demise, the record-setting 2007 New England Patriots were a legendary squad whose accomplishments should never be forgotten or diminished. Unfortunately, in lieu of Sunday’s gut-wrenching loss, one can anticipate that history will not be kind or complimentary to the Patsies.

At this moment, it is impractical to suggest that this years version of the Patriots are anything more than the 43rd best team in the history of the National Football League and it would be an utter crime to mention them in the same breath as the 2007 championship-winning football team from Gotham.

• Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced last week that he wants to speak with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and possibly hold hearings to determine the leagues reasoning for destroying all evidence from “Spygate.” In response to Specter’s request, Goodell stated that he would gladly meet with the Senator to discuss the Patriots cheating tactics and the two have tentatively agreed to rendezvous sometime early next week.

Two days after Specter’s and Goodell’s political jockeying, the Boston Herald published a report Saturday asserting that Bill Belichick and his nefarious Patriot staff illegally taped the St. Louis Rams’ private walk-through before their 20-17 triumph in Super Bowl XXXVI. If such an unsportsmanlike taping actually transpired, the Patriots would have had an enormous competitive edge in the red zone and there is little to no question that it would have played a vital role in New England’s measly 3-point “upset” victory over the heavily-favored Rams.

Whatever motives Specter may have for revitalizing the notorious “Spygate” scandal, if this allegation is proved to be true, Goodell needs to administer a swift and powerful punishment to Belichick and New England as a whole. I’d broach the idea of publicly stoning the philandering fashion-plate. But, in a civilized society, that isn’t realistic. So, suspending Belichick for an entire season and forfeiting the Patriots 2001 championship campaign would seem perfectly justified. Draconian sanctions of the like are not unprecedented in the world of sports. Just ask the University of Michigan and the much-ballyhooed “Fab Five.” In case you forgot, their 1992 Final Four run never happened.
As Sophocles once said, “I’d rather fail with honor than succeed by fraud.”

• The New York Giants, who entered Sunday as 11-point underdogs in the Super Bowl, cost Nevada sports books a record $2.6 million with their epic 17-14 victory. As Detective Jimmy McNulty said on HBO’s the Wire, “You play in dirt, you get dirty.”

• Eli Manning, 27, deserves a wealth of credit and respect for producing under Manhattan’s unrelenting and downright harsh glare. Nevertheless, regardless of his performance in the playoffs, Manning is an unrefined product who desperately needs to improve his horrid mechanics in the off-season. I am not trying to urinate on Eli while he sips on his champagne.
The facts are that this past season Manning, the 1st overall selection in the 2004 draft, had a sub-par quarterback rating (73.9), he completed only 56.1% of his passes and he was tied for the league lead with 20 interceptions. Those numbers are virtually Leaf-ian and it is imperative that Manning develops into the performer that his skills indicate he can become on a consistent basis. If he doesn’t locate consistency with his game, the New York area will turn on him quicker than a pit bull on a poodle and Arizona will feel further away than Melmac.

ShareThis

• I thank you for taking the time to give me some of your time. I hope I entertain.

• The New York Mets acquired two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana this week from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for four coveted minor league prospects. The deal was finalized Friday night when Santana, 28, and the Mets agreed to a record-setting contract extension worth $137.5 million over six-years. Santana, who is 93-44 with a 3.22 ERA in eight major league seasons, is the most pivotal acquisition the Metropolitans have made since they landed first baseman Keith Hernandez in 1983.

The acquisition of Santana adds a legitimate frontline starter to an already productive and balanced rotation and it makes the Mets prohibitive favorites to capture their first National League pennant since 2000. The Mets, whose late-September collapse in 2007 rivaled the hideous demise of the Giuliani campaign this past week, will always be the red-headed step-children from Gotham. But, because of this instrumental free agent parlay, they will likely be the Big Apple’s best squad on the diamond throughout the 2008 season.

As a massive Yankees aficionado, I hope I am wrong. But, unfortunately, I don’t think I will be. The Mets are the safest bet since Takeru Kobayashi nestled his lips around a frank.

• When the congressional hearings on Capitol Hill in Washington are completed, the Clemens’ and Pettitte’s will get along like the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s.

• Former WWE superstar Brock Lesnar, 30, folded like one of Jeff Van Gundy’s cheap suits Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas when he submitted to past UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir (11-3), 28, 90-seconds into the opening bell. Although Lesnar lasted as long as a fifteen-year-old virgin, he exhibited glimmers of potential that indicate that he could develop into a force in the octagon for years to come.

“You win some and lose some,” said Lesnar. “I’d like to win them all, but you can’t.”

It’s safe to presume that “The Next Big Thing” will win a lot more than he loses throughout his foray into the world of mixed martial arts.

• The Los Angeles Lakers (29-16) acquired 7-footer Pau Gasol, 27, Friday from the Memphis Grizzlies (13-34) for center Kwame Brown, rookie Javaris Crittenton, two first-round draft picks and the rights to Fredo Corleone (Gasol’s younger brother, Marc, 23, a 2007 second-round pick). Gasol, a creepy-looking man who looks like he could sing for the Goo Goo Dolls, is an extreme talent who may help lead the “Hollywood Fakers” to their first finals appearance since 2003. In essence, the eighties have revisited us. The Lakers will rendezvous with the Boston Celtics (36-8) come June.

• As always, thanks for reading my material. Without your readership, I’d have no reason to write.

ShareThis

“Rudy… Hillary… What is Your Position on the NFL Union’s Pension Plan?”

The dispute between the NFL Player’s Association and retired players who allege that they haven’t received fair benefits is now being investigated in Congress. Finally our government is doing its job.

But, the 2008 presidential candidates have largely ignored the issue, instead choosing to play politics with pointless issues like war and national security.

Frankly, this is appalling, but not surprising. Politicians such as those running for president are scared to expose their true views on a complex issue. Rudy Giuliani, for example, flip-flopped by rooting for the Red Sox in the World Series after declaring himself the “Yankees fan in chief.”

---

First time here? Like what you see? Subscribe to JSB

---

I’m sick of the candidates dogding the questions, so I got together with some Congressmen who have asked the tough questions about sports, and had them challenge the candidates themselves.

The Congressmen and political figures I chose were:

Joe Barton (R, TX), who called for a “comprehensive review” of the BCS in 2005, because “The current system of determining who’s number one appears deeply flawed.”

Arlen Spector (R, PA), who championed Terrell Owens’ rights when he was being treated in a “vindictive and inappropriate manner” by the Eagles in 2005

Ralph Nader (–), who challenged the Eagles for their antitrust violations they committed by benching Owens

George Mitchell (D, ME), who is leading some kind of investigation or something to look into steroid use

Linda Sanchez (D, CA), who chaired the subcommittee looking into the NFL Player’s Association

As you can see, this committee is bipartisan, made up of two Republicans, two Democrats, and one Loser.

Though they all have varying interests, and followings–Mr. Barton has the support of “LSU Alumni for a Full Share of the 2003-04 National Championship.” Spector and Nader have been driven by “T.O. for Me.”–they all have one thing in common: a commitment to the truth.

To get to the truth, we staged a political debate last night. Here is the transcript:

Mr. Barton: Let’s bring this debate to order. First topic will be the BCS. Now, the BCS has once again abused the rights of so many football teams, mostly Georgia. They didn’t get a fair chance at the national title just because they didn’t win the SEC. Your thoughts Romney?

Mr. Romney: Well, you present me with a tough question: How do we decide on just two teams for the national championship? Deciding on two abortion positions is easy enough, but there are way too many college football teams to make a politically beneficial choice. I mean Hawaii went undefeated. LSU only lost two in overtime…

The first two major primary battles are Iowa and New Hampshire, so I’ll go with Iowa vs. N.H. …But those answers are subject to change.

Mr. Spector: Thank you, Romney, now our next question goes to…

Little Ralphie: I think I’ll take it from here. Spector is part of the corrupt two party system, so he’s unqualified to take part in this debate. Anyway, Clinton, this is for you. If you had been president these past four years, what would you have done about Terrell Owens’ situation in Philadelphia?

Clinton: Now, you ought to be ashamed of yourself for trying to attack with that question. You don’t…

Ralphie: Excuse me, Bill, but the question was aimed at your wife. You can let her answer.

Mrs. Clinton: If I were president over the past four years, I would have pardoned the honorable Mr. Owens from his punishment. If there is one thing my Oval Office experience as first lady has taught me, it is how to pardon people.

Mr. Mitchell: Thank you, Clinton. This question is for Giuliani. If elected, what do you plan to do about steroids in baseball?

Mr. Giuliani: Yes, 9/11 was a tragedy, but I was there fighting the terrorists in New York City. I’ll do it again.

Mr. Mitchell: The question was about steroids.

Mr. Giuliani: Yes, I hate steroid users, too. In fact, I view them as terrorists. So I’d remove all terrorists from Guantanamo Bay and fill it with anyone who is named in your report, Mitchell. I will also launch an attack on San Francisco and any other city that harbors steroid users.

Ms. Sanchez: Thank you, Giuliani. This final question is for Edwards. What is your view on the NFL Player’s Association not giving enough aid to their retired players?

Mr. Edwards: I think it’s terrible. And something needs to be done about it. It is clear that the players are not getting enough benefits, and something has to be done about it. If elected, I would first sue the NFL and the NFL Player’s Association. Then, I would sue each individual team. Then I’d sue the corporate sponsors that subsidize the NFL’s brutality. That includes you, United Way. I’d also sue Peyton Manning. He’s in all the corporate sponsors’ commercials. Then, I’d sue the fans who pour money into the leaguer. Finally, I’d sue the retired players themselves, and the problem would be solved.

Mitchell Blatt: Thank you everyone for participating. This has been a very educational debate. I hope everyone reading this now has a better idea of who to vote for on Election Day.

Space Man Kucinich: Wait, you forgot about me!

Mr. Obama: There, there. Don’t cry, baby. I didn’t have a fair shot either, but that’s because there were only four questions.

More of My Ignorant Opinions on Government and Sports
Robert Byrd on Michael Vick: Barbaric!
The NFL and Imperialism

ShareThis

Michael Vick Related Posts

Michael Vick Dogfighting Page
Michael Vick Case Was Racist? Some Say…
Vick Treats Children Better Than Dogs. Who Cares?
PETA To Take On Georgia Bulldogs For Promoting Dogfighting?
The Michael Vick Experience: Everybody Is Jumping!
Robert Byrd Gets In His Licks On Vick In Congress

ShareThis