The NFL draft — every year without fail — stirs up football fans’ most intense emotions. It is talked about, discussed, and argued over nonstop for pretty much 365 days a year. You can barely hear anything analysts say about it because they all talk — I mean shout — incessantly at the same time as if they on the verge of killing each other. Same thing on message boards all over the Internet, except thank goodness none of that, presumably, is done in the presence of fellow users. A subject of one thread on the Atlanta Falcons message board asks if the number of people banned from the board in the last week is over or under 100.

Speaking of Atlanta, that brings me to the point of this article. Normally I would say that there are simply some things you can say about certain draft picks and some things you can’t say about certain draft picks. However, there is freedom of speech in this country and rarely is that freedom exercised more freely than in discussing the NFL draft. Rabid fans say whatever they want and whenever they want, especially when they’re not happy. I can’t flat-out say that there are things you can’t say about certain draft picks. Therefore, I will say that there are some things you can’t say about certain draft picks without forfeiting your right to refer to yourself as a sane person.

In the countless arguments surrounding the 2008 NFL Draft, none is more heated than the one pertaining to whether or not the Atlanta Falcons made the right choice with the No. 3 pick in the draft. They went with Matt Ryan. Most thought they would go — and still think they should have gone — with Glenn Dorsey.

You can say that they should have gone with Dorsey. You could back up that claim with valid arguments such as that the Falcons have too many holes all over the field to take a quarterback, or simply that you think Dorsey will turn out to be a better pro than Ryan. You can say Matt Ryan will be a bust.

What you cannot say is that Matt Ryan was a bad choice by the Falcons. Well, let me clarify as I did earlier. You cannot say Matt Ryan was a bad choice by the Falcons without forfeiting your right to refer to yourself as a sane person.

“Why can’t I say that?” you ask. The answer is not complicated. If general manager Thomas Dimitroff and the rest of the Falcons front office did not think Matt Ryan is a “franchise” quarterback, they would not have taken him. If they think that Matt Ryan is a “franchise” quarterback, they had to take him. Quarterback is inarguably the most important position on a football field when you are mediocre at best — borderline awful — at the position, you have to do something about it and you have to do something about it immediately.

If it’s your pick and you need a quarterback and you think there is a “franchise” quarterback available, you draft him. It doesn’t matter what else is available (and this is beside the point but in my opinion that “what else” wasn’t that great). So even if you think Matt Ryan is going to be a “bust,” you can’t say the Falcons made a bad, stupid pick because clearly they don’t agree with you. That itself makes the Ryan choice a smart one.

By similar logic you can’t say Joe Flacco was a bad pick by the Ravens. You can predict he will be a “bust” and cite poor competition at Delaware as a reason, but you can’t say he was a bad pick. Why not? Because clearly the Ravens think Joe Flacco is a “franchise” quarterback. How is it clear? Well, the Ravens traded down from No. 8 to No. 26 in the first round and Flacco most likely would have been available at 26. Nonetheless, not willing to risk losing Flacco, the Ravens traded back up — to No. 18 — and took their man probably well before he otherwise would have gone. Yes, they think Flacco is a “franchise” guy. Whether or not anyone else thinks that is irrelevant.

There are some picks, on the other hand, that you have every right to say are bad ones. You can say taking Chris Johnson 24th overall was a bad pick by the Titans. It doesn’t matter if they think Johnson is the next Eddie George because one, he isn’t, and two, they don’t need a running back. They also can’t afford taking a running back when they have plenty of other holes to fill, not the least of which is the absence of a top-notch receiving threat for quarterback Vince Young.

You can — and should — say that Brian Brohm and Chad Henne were bad picks. The Packers drafted Brohm and therefore that means they don’t believe in Aaron Rodgers. The Dolphins took Henne and that means they don’t believe in John Beck. Newsflash to the Packers and Dolphins: if you think you have a problem at the most important position on the field, you address it immediately. You don’t wait around to draft someone you think has a chance of being pretty good. You make a bold move and get someone you are confident is going to be great. If the Dolphins felt they needed a QB they should have taken Ryan, and if the Packers felt they needed a QB, they should have traded up for Joe Flacco. Another newsflash to the Packers and Dolphins: two mediocre quarterbacks do not equal one great quarterback.

People say a lot about the NFL draft. There are some things you can’t say about it … at least not if you don’t want to sound crazy.

Here’s to thinking just a little bit before spouting off and making yourself look foolish in NFL draft water-cooler discussions.

Syndicated with permission from Sports-Central.org.

I’m sure if you are reading this article that you’ve already perused the full compliment of my colleague’s postings detailing the specifics of each professional baseball team’s chances this coming summer. As such, my rehashing of these points with little difference than my own personal views interjected wouldn’t make for very dynamic reading and nobody, especially our dedicated editor, wants that. That being said, there isn’t a whole lot of interesting banter that can be generated relative to baseball this early in the spring beyond the simple, straight-forward measure of any team’s chances for hoisting a World Series trophy.

Alas, perhaps there is a happy medium to be had —prognosticating the 2008 baseball season without restating either the sublime or the ridiculous that my peers (or my betters, depending on your opinion of my writings) have already so capably provided. It is in this spirit that I present to you 2008’s listing of what is sure to be served up on your MLB palette over the course of the upcoming season.

1. A “drug-free” player will top 60 homers for only the third time in MLB history. A-Rod has been knocking on that door for several years now and 2008 will be his season to join the likes of the Babe and Roger Maris. He still will be one of the primary contributors to yet another failed attempt at a Yankee championship, but personal glory has always been his strong-point and ‘08 will not yield any different result.

2. As A-Rod tops 60 homers, Barry Bonds’ head will explode. As a result of a toxic cocktail of unbridled arrogance, rampant abuse of performance enhancers and the sudden realization that people just don’t like him, the Greatest Player of the Steroid Era will blow is prodigious melon. It will happen on September 22nd as Alex the Great is canonized and just after Barry laments to the media “why doesn’t anyone love me … just because I cast doubt onto the American Pastime and did so with cold-hearted calculation not witnessed since Charles Manson roamed free doesn’t make me a bad person.”

3. The Cubs beat out Angels to take the championship/the Cubs just miss in their hunt for a title. Remarkably, both will happen (you see, my son’s little league team name is the Cubs); what you have to figure out is which team will do what. This, my friends, is what those in the gambling business call hedging your bets.

4. The Angels win AL pennant over the Tigers. Dang it, looks like I gave away the suspense of the preceding entry. This, my friends, is what those in the gambling business call having a terrible poker face.

5. Houston’s Woody Williams will retire by mid-May with an ERA of 12.25 and a record of 0-6. Team owner Drayton McClain will then offer the native Houstonian a lifetime services contract to serve as the team’s home run coach, pointing out that he is more familiar with the long ball than anyone else in their organization.

6. I will win my fantasy baseball league. Through savvy drafting and a can’t-miss strategy of dominating all pitching statistics, I will wind up the season atop my fantasy league for the first time ever. Yes, I am well aware that you quite likely care little for this prediction. Sorry; my article, my rules.

7. In a shocking turnaround, the Tampa Bay Rays will dominate many of the parks they play in. Of course, I am referring to Ray Jones and Ray Smith, the Tampa area traveling chess team, as they travel from one city park to the next plying their trade.

8. In an equally shocking turnaround, the real Tampa Bay Rays will be serviceable, winning a franchise-record 88 games in 2008.

9. The Tiger’s Justin Verlander will be the best statistical pitcher in the AL in 2008. San Diego’s Jake Peavy will hold that honor for the NL. Neither will win the Cy Young Award in 2008 as the voters will be enamored by lesser stars in larger markets.

10. The first-annual Rafael Palmeiro Award will be presented to Roger Clemens. The “Raffy” will recognize brilliance in a player who forces himself into retirement by publicly embarrassing himself in an effort to deny the undeniable. Congrats, Rocket; at least now you’ll have a trophy to put in place of those Cy Young Awards the league is going to take back from you.

11. In the season’s last month, all of America will realize at precisely the same moment the following truths: Joe Torre is overrated as a manager, Johan Santana is the left-handed pitching version of Alex Rodriguez (dominating stuff, until it matters most), the Baltimore Orioles are the worst-run franchise in baseball, and power hitting and pitching are far more valuable than team speed and hitting for average.

12. Sometime in mid-May, Hank Steinbrenner will fire, re-hire, re-fire, and finally hire again himself in homage to his dad. In the subsequent public statement announcing his triumphant return to the team, he will find a way to blame Scott Boras for an unfortunate hot dog shortage in Yankee Stadium’s mezzanine section and will fill that void by hiring non-union peanut vendors who feel they had been given bad advice by their union bosses and decided to represent themselves.

13. Tired of playing second fiddle to the cross-town Cubs, the Chicago White Sox will voluntarily give up their 2005 World Series title in an effort to be considered the new “lovable losers.” This strategy will fail miserable after A.J. Pierzynski goes on a rampage and punches out two dozen fans at a ball-signing session.

14. Sometime this summer, anti-stadium activist David Bicking will find the documentation he had been desperately searching for. This information will move Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak to issue an immediate stand-down on construction of Twins Ballpark. What will that damning document be, you may be wondering? A team program.

15. Cooperstown will shut its doors. After being stunned by the apparent use of performance enhancers by two of the sport’s all-time greats, baseball’s commissioner and the head of the players’ union issue a joint statement recommending the HOF not allow accused users into its hallowed halls. Shortly thereafter, the Hall of Fame committee realizes that C.J. Nitkowski is the only eligible player from the ’90s and decide to shut down the Hall for good.

I do hope you’ve enjoyed this look ahead at 2008 MLB season, minus that troublesome reality we all hear so much about.

Syndicated with permission from Sports-Central.org.

• UCLA holds the record for most National Titles, with 11
• The winner of the Ivy League regular season conference championship is the only team which receives an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament without winning the conference’s post season tournament because the Ivy League does not have a post season tournament
• In 2001, the tournament field was increased from 64 to 65 with a play in game the Tuesday before the tournament began to determine the #16 seed of the final bracket
• The play in game has always been played at the University of Dayton Arena
• No #16 seed has ever upset a #1 seed
• The NCAA tournament began in 1939 with only 8 teams making it to the Big Dance
• The winner of the NCAA tournament traditionally gets to keep the court from the final game
• The lowest seed to ever reach the Final Four is the #11 seed

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