Can We Have Playoffs Already?

Another college football season is coming close to an end, and we have yet another controversy surrounding the championship game.

Now a week away from the conference championships, the BCS has pushed the Oklahoma Sooners ahead of the Texas Longhorns for the second spot on the list. Alabama still sits at number one, playing number four Florida for the SEC Championship on Saturday. These four teams could switch at any point, with any outcome making a slew of people angry.

The NCAA is scared to have a playoff system because then you take out the sponsors of every bowl. However, that's greedy and stupid. You can still have sponsors. Have the top eight teams go to a playoff. That's four first round games, two second rounds, and a final. That's seven games that can have sponsors. The top payer gets to sponsor the championship.

No one cares about a galleryfurniture.com bowl. Not even Mattress Mac. And for those that think they regular season wouldn't matter as much...does the regular season matter in the NFL? It definitely does. Every team in college football would battle to make it to that top eight. Then teams 9-25 could still play in other bowls. This makes too much sense to me and my head might explode.

And I am not bringing this up so I can back UT. I can't stand the Longhorns. I actually hate every team in the Big 12, but they need to fix something. Three-way tie for the championship? That's ridiculous. I don't know if the NCAA will change anything at all, but I can only hope they will so all of this will make some sense.

Oh...and USC is stuck at number five, and that's aggravating as well. Because they could beat teams 1-4 anytime, any place. And USC head coach Pete Carroll hates the system as well. As he stated recently:

“What is the criteria of the process? Is it the team that has the best season? The season that you like the most and feel best about voting for? Or is it the best team at the end of the year, the team that would win a playoff system if you did have it? … All we can do is keep talking about it.”

Thank you.

Is Benching McNabb The Right Thing To Do?

I like that Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid is trying to light a spark under quarterback Donovan McNabb, but I don't know that benching him is going to help.

In Sunday's 36-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Reid benched McNabb after a terrible first half performance. Reid after the game said that he was trying to help McNabb by making the move.

"Sometimes you have to step back to step forward in a positive way and
Donovan will do that," Reid said.

McNabb finished the game throwing for 59 yards with three turnovers. Maybe McNabb does need something to shake things up. I think he might need a change of scenery. He has always had negativity surround him on the Eagles.

McNabb's horrid passer rating or excessive turnovers are making this his worst season yet. I really do think it is time he part ways with this organization. At season's end, when the Eagles have yet again failed to make the playoffs, McNabb should announce his request to be traded.

Think of how good McNabb could make another team. Think about how the change would benefit him. He could finally win the Super Bowl that he could never get in Philadelphia.

MLB MVP Needs More Standards

It doesn't make any sense to me that St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols won the National League MVP today. Pujols had a great season, granted, but the Cardinals failed to even make the postseason.

Shouldn't someone we consider a "MVP" be able to get his team into the playoffs?

Pujols did have an incredible year. A .357 batting average with 37 homeruns and 116 RBI's. However, the Cardinals 86-76 record wasn't good enough for the postseason.

Philadelphia Phillies first baseman, Ryan Howard finished the year with 48 homeruns and 146 RBIs. Not only that, but the Phillies went on to win the World Series.

This is Pujols second MVP in four years. The irony of the matter is that Pujols agrees with the logic that an MVP should be on a team that makes the playoffs.

"I see it this way: Someone who doesn't take his team to the playoffs
doesn't deserve to win the MVP"

The MLB should have to put this into consideration. Statistics are, of course, a main part of who should be named most valuable player. However, whether or not that players' team makes it into a postseason should be an intricate part into determining the award.

Oden Finally Ready

Portland Trail Blazers rookie center Greg Oden looks to play his first full NBA game tonight. Oden sat out his actual rookie season with injuries and began this season with problems as well.

Oden, who has yet to make a field goal in the big leagues, looks to silence all of the critics who say he is another Sam Bowie. Oden wants to become the dominant force that he once looked like in his days at Ohio State.

Oden sprained foot has cost him to miss the beginning of the season, and the Trail Blazers sit at 4-3 in a stacked Western Conference.

My question is, will Oden just be another injury-prone player? We see big men go down a lot with leg problems, and Oden has yet to prove that synopsis wrong. We watched Bill Walton struggle throughout his career with injuries and never reach what he could have been. Bowie was the last Blazers busted pick because of injuries, and we have seen Rockets center Yao Ming battle knee and foot injuries the past three seasons.

"Feels good. I'm ready. I'm excited," Oden said after Wednesday's shootaround.
"I'll hopefully play the full game tonight."

Many people are starting to criticize Oden, citing him as another wasted pick. Someone who won't reach the potential they once thought he might. We will see tonight at 8 ET if Oden can hush the crowd against the Miami Heat.

Obama, McCain To Interview On Monday Night Football

One day away from the election, and Monday Night Football makes the political headlines. Tonight's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Washington Redskins will pause for interviews with candidates Barack Obama and John McCain.

Both candidates have busy Monday schedules, and the interviews will give both candidates a last major chance to appeal to Americans during a coveted spot on prime-time television. "Monday Night Football" has averaged 12.2 million viewers this season.

Both candidates are pleased with the way Americans have dedicated themselves to either candidate.

"I just want all of you to know that if we see this kind of dedication on
Election Day, there is no way that we're not going to bring change to America,"
said Obama

The game, between the host Washington Redskins and the Pittsburgh Steelers, will be the first NFL game played in the D.C. area on the Monday night before a presidential election in 24 years.

Singletary Causes Commotion In First Game As Coach

On his first day of coaching after taking over for the recently fired Mike Nolan, San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Singletary made a big splash for all the wrong reasons.

Singletary, named "Samurai Mike" in his playing days as a linebacker on the 1985 champion Chicago Bears team, brought the same attitude to the sidelines on Sunday.

After 49ers quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan became turnover prone in the first half, Singletary replaced him with backup Shaun Hill. Singletary also had a sideline issue with tight end Vernon Davis after Davis was called for a personal foul in the fourth quarter.

Singletary is finally restoring order in San Francisco, although he is still only an interim coach for the time being. After the history of this Niners franchise, the aura that this team brought throughout the 80s and 90s, they have yet to gain that pinnacle this decade. The firing of Nolan let everyone else in the organization know that they are ready to get back on track.

With Samurai Mike taking over at the helm, maybe this team can pick up a new attitude and feed off of him.

"I'd rather play with 10 people and just get penalized all the way until we have to do something else rather than play with 11 when I know that right now that person is not sold out to be a part of this team," Singletary said. "It is more about them than it is about the team. Cannot play with them, cannot win with them, cannot coach with them. Can't do it. I want winners. I want people that want to win."

As of right now the 49ers sit at 2-6, and next-to-last place in the NFC. Although yesterday's game ended in a 34-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, it seems like Singletary could be the answer to bringing this franchise back to it's glory days.