3 Ways to liven up the NFL Pro Bowl

With the 2010 NFL Pro Bowl less than an hour away, I have some suggestions for commissioner Roger Goodell on how to make the game and weekend more fan friendly:

• Make player participation mandatory. That means any player that is healthy enough to play in his team's final game, and so happens to be elected to the Pro Bowl, is also healthy enough to play in the Pro Bowl. The fans are not paying more than they would during the regular season to see second rate talent. So, for example, Tom Brady was able to play the entire game in the Patriots loss to Baltimore during the wild card round of the AFC Playoffs. Then there should be no reason why he can't take a few snaps under center for the Pro Bowl either. We're not talking an entire game, and we all know they players are not going 100% on every play anyway.
• Going for two should also be mandatory. Sorry placekickers, but the extra point has to be the most boring play in all of football. If you really want to get in the game, try lobbying the head coach to kick a field goal on third and long inside the thirty and let me know how that works out. But I would like to see the coaches' strategies once they know the conversion after the touchdown is not automatic.
• Finally, the NFL should create a contest in which the winner gets to call an entire offensive or defensive series for the AFC or NFC. Just winning tickets to the Pro Bowl has become so passe. Make one lucky fan part of the game and now we're talking. Plus, it would be a great way to show us monday morning quarterbacks how difficult it really is to devise a winning game plan.

Hicks decision huge blow to Ohio State recruiting class

The decision by Lakota West High School(West Chester, Ohio) linebacker Jordan Hicks to accept a scholarship offer at the University of Texas rather than Ohio State is a huge blow for OSU's 2010 recruiting class. Hicks, regarded as the top linebacker prospect in the country, is the first Ohio recruit to agree to play football for Mack Brown's Texas Longhorns. This is significant for a couple of reasons. That Jim Tressel was unable to convince the state's premier high school prospect to stay in state to play collegiate ball may be the start of an omnious trend for future OSU recruiting classes. Not only that, but it had been widely reported that Ohio State had placed the majority of its recruiting efforts into landing Hicks, only to be rebuffed by Hicks at the 11th hour. Ohio State is not accustomed to losing top rated in state prospects to other programs, especially programs as far away as Texas. While I would argue that Jordan Hicks' decision puts a damper on OSU's 2010 class, the Buckeyes could and should use this as a lesson for future recruiting classes. For Ohio State recruiting to continue to be successful in years to come, it must ensure that top national prospects from the state of Ohio like Hicks choose the Buckeyes before any other program.

Tim Tebow- not an NFL quarterback

For all the awards and accomplishments that Tim Tebow has on the collegiate level, I do not believe that will translate into success in the NFL. No one can argue that what he did at the University of Florida has to place him not only among the top college quarterbacks of all time but also among the top college athletes of all time. But does that necessarily mean he is ready to make the leap to NFL quarterback? In a word, no. The first hurdle he has yet to clear is taking a snap under center, something he has struggled with during practice for Saturday's upcoming Senior Bowl. That he took only less than a handful of snaps under center while at Florida certainly did not help. More importantly, however, is whether he can make the necessary throws under intense duress-something he rarely encountered while at Florida. And when he did encounter such pressure, ala the SEC Championship versus Alabama, Tebow showed he can be easily rattled. Tim Tebow will find that he won't be able to stand in the pocket and lock on to his top receiver like he has been accustomed to. That doesn't mean I believe he will not play in the NFL. My prediction for Tebow is that he will become a situational quarterback like Kordell Stewart, Brad Smith, Pat White, and yes, even Michael Vick. Let's be honest, out of the former heisman trophy winning quarterbacks of recent history, only one has a starting job: Carson Palmer. And Palmer played on Pete Carrol's pro style offense for USC. Hopefully Tebow's struggles will serve as a lesson for asipiring NFL quartebacks still in college.

Calling Commissioner Stern: do the right thing

Recent events in the NBA have given its commissioner, David Stern, a lot to think about in the coming months and in 2010 in general. First their is the situation regarding Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton, and, more importantly, the place guns have in the league in general. Next on the agenda is the upcoming All-Star game next month. Finally, there is the looming lockout in 2011 if he can't get the players and owners to agree on a new barganing agreement. Those three things may seem like daunting tasks, but I have some simple solutions for the commish. The first is to ban both Arenas and Crittendon from the NBA indefinitely for an idiotic prank. Next, he should create incentives for superstars such as Lebron and Kobe to participate in All-Star weekend festivities other than the game. Finally, with the possibly headed for a lockout of its own, Commissioner Stern should do everything in his power to make sure the owners do force a lockout of the 2011 season in the NBA.

Much has been said of the Arenas/Crittenton fiasco as of late, but one opinion that has been seldom voiced is that of a lifetime ban for each player. If you are not aware, both Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton, guards for the NBA's Washington Wizards, were recently suspended for not only bringing guns to practice but drawing them out of their bags and pointing them at each other over a gambling dispute. I will contend that the punishment meted out to these two does not go far enough; they should be banned from the game for life. Basketball stars today, like it or not Charles Barkley, are role models for young kids; as such many kids imitate what they see their NBA heroes doing. This is more so than in the NFL, as every kid wants to "be like Mike." We cannot be sending a message to the current youth that bringing guns to practice or a game will be tolerated in any form. These kids today are too impresionable. They see Gilbert Arenas bring a gun to practice one day and the next they think it's okay for them to do it. Commissioner Stern, its time to send a message not only to your players but also to today's youth that the basketball court is no place for guns. And the most effective way you can do this is by imposing a lifetime ban on both Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton for their actions earlier this season.

Commissioner Stern, you need a way to improve attendance at the slam dunk and three point competitions during all-star week, you say? I have a simple solution: create incentives for player participation to entice superstars such as Lebron James and Kobe Bryant to participate. There are a number of reason these players do not wish to participate in such events ranging from they need the rest to the potential that they could get hurt. But make it worth their while to participate, and everyone wins. The players win because of course they have a reason to participate. The fans win because they get to see their favorite players perform in these contests. And the NBA wins in turn because of an increase in not only fan attendance at these events but also television viewership as well.

Finally, you need to do everything you can to avoid the impending lockout in 2011, Commissioner Stern. There is a possibility that the NFL could have its own lockout that year as well, but even without one, a lockout is a headache you don't need. Especially since the league has gone into damage control with the Gilbert Arenas debacle. You need to do anything you can to bring more fans to the NBA; while averting a lockout does not guarantee this, it does guarantee that you will not lose the fans you already have.

Speaking of the Olympics...

While we're on the subject of the Olympics, I have an idea for an event that should be added to the 2012 Summer Games in London: Mixed Martial Arts competition. I understand that this may be a controversial addition to the games for a variety of reasons, but I also believe that it is necessary for several reasons. The first reason they should add it is the increasing popularity of a sport that has begun to rival boxing ( Ulitmate Fighting Championship's current heavyweight champ, Brock Lesnar, was 96 on Business Week's Power 100 in sports, as compared to boxing welterweight great Floyd Mayweather Jr., who came in slightly ahead of him at 91, according to sherdog.com. For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, Business Week's Power 100 is a list of athletes who are not only at the top of their sport but also help their sport sell billions of dollars as well) . In addition, mixed martial arts has gained world wide appeal, with fighters coming from North America, South America, Asia, and even Europe/Russia. Critics of mixed martial arts would argue that it is a more violent sport than boxing, and therefore should not be added to the games. I would counter that argument by saying that boxing can be very violent itself, and the International Olympic Committee can always add stipulations to the sport (such as making headgear necessary, shortening the length of the rounds) to limit its brutality. Finally, detractors of MMA would argue that it is too barbaric to be considered an olympic sport. Well, I would say it is no more barbaric than boxing itself, and, actually, there is more skill necessary to win an MMA event than a boxing event. I believe the best example of this would be Anderson Silva, a middleweight from Brazil who not only utilizes a devastating karate kick but superior boxing skills to wear down his opponents.

Winter Olympics are here: why should I care?

Well, its almost February, and that means its time for the Super Bowl, Pro Bowl and the NBA All-Star Game. It also means that the 2010 Winter Olympics are coming up as well from Vancouver, Canada. But pardon me if I really could care less. I mean, the Summer Olympics have events such as men's basketball, soccer, track and field, and swimming to keep me interested. But beyond men's ice hockey(in which the US again has no chance of winning, thank you very much), I have no real interest in watching any other sporting event in this year's Winter Olympics. You say I should turn in for curling? Yawn. Figure skating? Boring. The biathlon? C'mon now, I have some paint I need to watch dry. If NBC is hoping that the 2010 Olympics gather near the ratings that the 2008 games in Beijing did, they had better start promoting the heck out of some event like it did with Michael Phelps quest for 8 gold medals, or fan indifference like mine will become the norm.

Basketball fan in Kansas get jobbed

Hey sports fans, any of you watch today's top ten plays on Sportscenter? Did you see the top play yesterday?
If you didn't, I will fill you in: a high school basketball fan in Kansas gets the opportunity during halftime of the game to win tickets to this year's Final Four. All he has to do is make a half-court shot. The guy swishes the shot, only to find out the high school does not have the tickets for him because they didn't believe he would make the shot. Instead, as a consolation prize they give him a gift certificate to a Mexican restaurant. Are you kidding me?!! Nothing says final four like a tortilla, right? Wrong. In my opinion, there are five events that if given the chance no sports fan should pass up (in no particular order): the Super Bowl, the World Series, the Daytona 500, the Rose Bowl, and the Final Four. And this guy was denied a chance to go to the final four all because no one believed he would make the shot? I am not sure how dinner at a Mexican restaurant makes up for final four tickets, but, in my opinion, it does not. But then again, I do not live in Kansas either.