How Should Big East Re-align?

Rick Pitino mentioned that the Big East may need to look at splitting into two divisions when TCU arrives next summer. His point being that in basketball, there are tons of scheduling quirks that are really not fair (note: Louisville has quite a slate this coming season).

Let me be clear: I think that no basketball league should be in divisions. The Big East will just schedule an 18-game season where you play the other 16 teams once and two of them twice. If they expand again, I can see playing everyone once and one "rival" twice.

But there is some buzz about trying to split into two divisions. The obvious way to split is the way Pitino mentioned -- football schools in one division and non-football schools in the other.

I: Cincinnati, Louisville, Pitt, Rutgers, South Florida, Syracuse, TCU, UConn, West Virginia
II: DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Notre Dame, Providence, Seton Hall, St. John's, Villanova

There are flaws in this, however. For one, the I division has nine teams while II has eight teams. If they hold a true round-robin, then one division plays 16 games while the other plays 14. Also, some rivalries would be broken (but, hey, that's what all this football movement has done to basketball all over the place anyways).

Not to mention that Division I would lose their trips to St. John's and Seton Hall ... meaning Rutgers would be their lone link to the NYC area. They'd also miss out on Georgetown, DePaul and Villanova which means they'd be without a footing in D.C., Chicago and Philadelphia. Division II would miss out on the addition of TCU (Texas area). It just doesn't make sense.

But how else could you realign? Geography? Possibly but you'd still come up with those same issues.

WEST: Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pitt, South Florida, TCU, West Virginia
EAST: Georgetown, Providence, Rutgers, Seton Hall, St. John's, Syracuse, UConn, Villanova

Again, the West would miss out on the NYC, D.C. and Philly areas and the unbalanced schedule remains. It would also split up Pitt from the rest of the old school members. Hmmm.

How about this realignment?

I: Georgetown, Pitt, Providence, Seton Hall, St. John's, Syracuse, UConn, Villanova
II: Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame, Rutgers, South Florida, TCU, West Virginia

If you didn't notice, the Division I would corral up the old school members (the bulk of the first half of the Big East's life) while the Division II would house all the "expansion" schools. Again, there are quirks to this just like all of the scenarios.

Last one. To kind of rid the whole "region" thing ... let's split everyone up:

I: Cincinnati, DePaul, Georgetown, Pitt, Providence, South Florida, St. John's, Syracuse
II: Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Seton Hall, TCU, UConn, Villanova, West Virginia

There's no rhyme or reason why I put whom where. I did try to split up those "areas" so everyone gets some sort of shot. DePaul-Marquette? Split so that each team has a shot at that area.

See, it's hard to get this worked out in a fair way. Just add an 18th school, have a round robin of playing everyone once but your rival twice. It's the most fair deal.

Ranking the No. 1 Overall NBA Draft Picks During The Lottery Era

Yao Ming is retiring, which makes me want to revisit my list of top No. 1 draft picks during the lottery era (1985-present). So here we go.

26-Michael Olowokandi, Clippers (1998): To me, he's the worst top pick in the history of the draft. No one heard of him until just before the draft and no one has heard from him since.

25-Pervis Ellison, Kings (1989): He was Olowokandi a decade earlier. Though the '89 draft wasn't very special, there were a lot of players with much better careers than "Never Nervous".

24-Kwame Brown, Wizards (2001): The main reason why there is an age limit now. Michael Jordan and the Wizards way overreached with Brown. Especially when Tyson Chandler and Pau Gasol ... the big men on the last three NBA champions ... were taken directly behind him.

23-Andrea Bargnani, Raptors (2006): He's been in the league long enough to reach some potential. Seriously, most people forget he is in the League and most forget he was a No. 1 draft pick.

22-Greg Oden, Blazers (2007): Injuries have damaged his career and everyone's opinion of him. He's done okay when he can play (about 25% of the time). It doesn't help when Kevin Durant was selected right behind you and watching him lead the Thunder to the Western Conference Finals.

21-Andrew Bogut, Bucks (2005): Has potential but no one sees him play. A few years ago, it looked as if he was set to launch but he's still stuck in neutral. Great rebounder but lacking as a scorer. Again, when guys like Deron Williams and Chris Paul are selected No. 3 and No. 4 then it hurts you.

20-Joe Smith, Warriors (1995): He never was a star, but stuck around the league as a role player. The four guys picked behind him? McDyess, Stackhouse, Sheed and KG. I have a soft spot for him since we were born on the exact same day.

19-John Wall (2010): He has all the talent, but he's only got one year in the L.

18-Danny Manning, Clippers (1988): Injuries derailed his career, but man could he ball when he was right.

17-Kenyon Martin, Nets (2000): K-Mart was a force before his knees gave out on him. Is this sort of sounding familiar?

16-Elton Brand, Bulls (1999): The Bulls' other top pick has had his moments but hasn't been able to be a winner yet. He's having a very non-descript career.

15-Larry Johnson, Hornets (1991): His career only lasted a decade but he was a big part of the Hornets surge and a Knicks Finals team. Extra points for Grandmama.

14-Blake Griffin (2009): Again, just one year into the league but he has put his stamp on it. A fierce dunker and an instant YouTube favorite, The Blake Show has given us quite a taste on what's to come.

13-Glen Robinson, Bucks (1994): People forget that he averaged 20 ppg for his career.

12-Derrick Coleman, Nets (1990): That's Coleman for ya. He'd be up a bit farther if he actually cared to be. Still, he may be the O.G. of the perimeter power forwards.

11-Brad Daugherty, Cavaliers (1986): Another short career due to back problems. Still, he led the Cavs during their pre-LeBron hey-day.

10-Chris Webber, Warriors (1993): We are reaching the borderline Hall of Fame players now. C-Webb was a monster but I cooled on him with his lack-of-clutchness.

9-Derrick Rose (2008): Just a few years in and already the NBA's MVP. He has become the prototype of what NBA teams are looking for in a point guard.

8-Dwight Howard, Magic (2004): He has a lot to learn offensively, but he is extremely young and seems to be on the right path. A defensive enforcer, maybe a change of scenery will benefit him?

7-Yao Ming, Rockets (2002): Injuries killed his career but his importance has been on the globalization of the game. Yao's short career was well worth it as it got that lucrative Chinese market for the NBA. Seriously, that's one of the biggest factors why he's up here.

6-Patrick Ewing, Knicks (1985): The first definite Hall of Famer. The O.G. of lottery picks.

5-David Robinson, Spurs (1987): He dominated the league like few players have. A great role model and an outstanding career.

4-Allen Iverson, Sixers (1996): He may be pound for pound the best scorer in league history. Sure, the end of the road seems a bit slimey, but there has been no player like him in NBA history. Rose may turn into him in some ways.

3-LeBron James, Cavaliers (2003): His ceiling places him above some of the others. Yeah, we all hate what he did to the Cavs last summer, but LBJ is still one of the greatest players the NBA has ever seen.

2-Tim Duncan, Spurs (1997): Four rings, two MVPs. Respect from everyone in the league.

1-Shaquille O'Neal, Magic (1992): He may be the best player selected in the lottery era regardless of which pick. To me, he's an easy No 1 of the top picks. One of the true giants in the game in every sense.

Forget "The Decision", Remember the 1996 Lakers

Today is the one year anniversary of LeBron James' "Decision". That was the day that LeBron stomped on Cleveland's heart and took his talents to South Beach to play with the Miami Heat.

People in the sports world are reminiscing over The Decision and the impact it had over the past year (not to mention the impact it will have on the future of the NBA). That's cool, but the only problem I'm having is calling LeBron's decision "the biggest free agent move in sports history" and how Pat Riley reeled off the greatest offseason a GM/President has ever had.

Sorry, but I disagree.

Let's look back to 1996. That year, the Los Angeles Lakers were coming off a pretty good season. They were 53-29, placing them 4th in the Western Conference standings and lost to the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs. Remember that this was also the season that Magic Johnson came out of retirement to finish off the season.

The stars of this team? Cedric Ceballos, Nick Van Exel, Vlade Divac, Elden Campbell, George Lynch and Eddie Jones.

In that 1996 offseason, Lakers GM Jerry West went to work. He sent away some of his players for nothing (like Lynch and Anthony Peeler) just to clear up money to sign Shaq. It worked . O'Neal signed for $121M to change coasts and turning the NBA on its ear. This may change, but Shaq is a much bigger figure in the history of the NBA than LeBron is on pace to be.

One of the other salary dumping moves was dealing Vlade Divac (who wouldn't be needed if they did get Shaq) to the Charlotte Hornets for the draft rights to Kobe Bryant. How did that work out?

Let's see: Anthony Peeler, George Lynch, Vlade Divac for Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant? Quite impressive indeed. That turned into three championships combined for Shaq and Kobe and two more Kobe won without Shaq.

Oh ... I forgot to mention that Jerry West used the No. 24 pick in the 1996 NBA Draft to select Derek Fisher out of Arkansas-Little Rock.

Not a shabby offseason.

Nine Stadiums/Arenas That Need To Be Blown Up

Let's get to ol' ball and chain out. No, no, we're not taking our wives anywhere, but we're checking out all those pro sports stadiums that just need to go away. A wrecking ball can take care of it.

Now, some of these places are beloved and some are just ridiculed. This isn't a run on what teams need a new stadium/arena (such as the Florida Marlins) but the stadiums themselves.

NO 9-FENWAY PARK: Here we go. Yeah, sure, I'm another non-Bostonian who doesn't understand how great and important Fenway Park is to the people. Well, I'm sure that those same people don't understand how there have been many stadiums and arenas that were beloved ... yet replaced. I'm a Reds fan and the Reds won the 1975 World Series in Fenway Park. Riverfront Stadium hosted one of the greatest teams in baseball history, three World Series Champions and two Bengals teams that reached the Super Bowl. But the stadium became outdated and replaced by a much better stadium.

Even the Yankees got this. For all the memories Fenway Park may have produced, Yankee Stadium produced much more. It was replaced. So was Shea Stadium, who saw the Miracle Mets and that amazing 1986 Series. The Lakers left the Forum. The Celtics left Boston Garden, Tigers left Tiger Stadium. The Redskins left RFK Stadium. It isn't like it hasn't happened pretty much everywhere.

Fenway Park is uncomfortable and ancient. The "team of the 2000s" needs a stadium worthy of it. Keep the look the same you want, just make it better for the fans, players and employees there. Maybe Sox fans won't love a new stadium as much as the old one (that happens too) but it will be in the best interest of everyone.

NO 8-TARGET CENTER: The Wolves home is about two decades old, but it hasn't held up well. Please let them move to the Xcel Center in St Paul.

NO 7-ALAMODOME: Why is it even here? The Spurs have moved on to the dark, dank AT&T Center and the Alamodome has no real tenants. And never will.

NO 6-BRADLEY CENTER: When the college team down the street has a sweet arena and yours looks like a funeral home ...

NO 5-O.CO COLISUEM: Oh, that's the newest name to that monstrosity in Oakland. One of the very few stadiums to host both NFL and MLB, I've heard nothing but horrible things about it. I'm sure it doesn't matter during football season, but it is a tomb when the A's play.

NO 4-CANDLESTICK PARK: Let's stay in the Bay Area. The Stick wasn't the greatest of baseball stadiums and it certainly isn't one of the better football stadiums. One of those old school outdoor convertable stadiums, the site lines due to the baseball configuration are horrendous. How can a franchise like the 49ers not have a palace to play in instead of some old fixer-upper?

NO 3-TROPICANA FIELD: Okay, it is a conversation piece when looking at it from the outside. On the inside? Well, let's just say that it isn't designed for baseball. It has no atmosphere and when you have the catwalks impact play ... that's garbage.

NO 2-METRODOME: This is obviously a horrible stadium. It's so bad that the Twins rather play in freezing temps than keep dealing with the Hefty bag outfield wall. Now that the Vikings are the lone tenant, it has gotten worse. I mean, how does a roof in Minnesota cave in from snow? Shouldn't that have been part of the planning?

NO 1 - NASSAU COLISEUM: This "arena" has needed to be put out of its misery for quite a while now. Various owners have been trying to find a way to either replace or renovate the arena for over a decade with no success. To put it bluntly, it looks like one of those old malls that no one goes to anymore. To think a New York team has to play in this crap-hole is mind boggling.

NBA Lockout WILL Get Outta Hand

Understand this: the NFL and NBA lockouts have nothing in common. What they're fighting about really isn't the same thing. And how it plays out and what both sides can do are totally different.

The NBA lockout is truly Armageddon. There is no way the NBA season starts on time in November. There is no way the NBA will play another game in 2011. For those of you out there who think we'll just have a 50 game season as we did in 1998-1999 ... that's very, very wishful thinking.

The truth of the matter is that both sides are completely dug in. The owners don't just want money back -- they want a lot of money back. They want to limit guaranteed contracts ... both in money and in length. They want to limit free agency in a way. They say they are losing money (whether you really believe that or not) and the league isn't viable with the current system nor a few quick fixes to the system.

Commish David Stern pretty much drew the line in the sand when he said that he isn't shocked about the lockout and was already "resigned" to the fact that they could lose all of the 2011-2012 season.

Here is where this lockout will differ from the NFL lockout ... or pretty much any lockout you could think of.

It will be hard to bully the players.

The players are paid, on average, more money than any other pro sport and average more money per player than any union in the nation. From the things I've heard, the Players Association has done a fantastic job over the last two years relaying the message that this lockout would happen and it will be quite a lengthy one. Players have been saving their money and are in better position now more than ever to deal with no paychecks.

By the way, the first paycheck players would lose wouldn't be until November 15th ... so that's a long time before the players will feel ANY affect of this lockout.

The ones who've made their money ... just like in any sport ... can afford the missed checks. It is usually the lower end players that feel the pinch and struggle to stay on board with the issues. That's what the NFL is working towards and how the NHL crushed their players union in the mid 2000s. There are plenty of players who are barely treading water.

However, these players have options. See, basketball is a global game and there is money all over the place. If you are a player feeling the pinch of the lockout, you can just go to Europe, China or any of the various leagues out there that would love to add a player like that. Again, they're not getting LeBron, Kobe or Dwight but they'd be getting an NBA calibar player who certainly can help the organization.

So bleeding the players dry would be a lot harder than the owners think it will be. Word is that the NBA wants an NHL-type lockout where the NHL cancelled an entire season and, in turn, pressured the players into a total overhaul of the economic system. Six current NBA owners were NHL owners during that mess and they've seen how it worked out better for them. The NBA, however, will have a bigger problem with that.

Yeah, NHL players could've played overseas too, but they didn't already average around $5M per player nor does NHL players have any of the marketability that the NBA players enjoy. See, Nike will still run ads for Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, etc. Those ads will still be out there and those endorsement dollars aren't going anywhere.

That's not to say that players won't feel the pain of losing money. That isn't to say that David Stern and the 30 teams will break down and take whatever the players offer. What I'm saying is that it will take quite a bit more bullying to make the players flinch.

And when they do, it could be 2012 already.

It's Moving Day For NCAA!

Happy July 1st! That means we are officially entering the second half of the year. It also begins a lot of government fiscal years. Oh, and it means all those crazy moves college teams and conferences are official.

So welcome Nebraska to the Big Ten!

Welcome Colorado and Utah to the Pac-12. Uh, welcome Pac-12!

Welcome Boise State to the Mountain West ... which will look a lot like the WAC in another year.

Welcome to the freedom of being an independent, BYU!

We also say hello to the Pac-12 championship game and goodbye to the Big XII title game.

Go to those conference websites and they all welcome their newest members. Now teams like Nebraska, Colorado, Utah and Boise State are changing out many memories of their old conferences. They enter their new leagues ready to make their mark and counting all the dollars made by doing so.

Lay Off Chad Ochocinco, Will Ya?

Let's be clear: I'm certainly not a Chad Johnson (err Ochocinco) fan nor am I a fan of the Cincinnati Bengals. I think Chad has been overrated as a receiver and a lot of his whining has been lame to say the least.

Now people are all over him for running around doing whatever this summer. He has ridden a bull. He tried out for an MLS team. Currently he's working on Jeff Burton's pit crew. So what?

Look, if we all had the opportunity to fulfill our bucket lists ... who can fault us for doing so? If I dreamed of those things, I wouldn't like it if people felt I shouldn't do them.

Yeah, I get the bull riding thing probably made the Bengals a bit nervous. But the owners locked the players out so they have no say in what these guys do during their time off. For an NFL player, this is like a vacation. Things they couldn't or weren't allowed to do are now happening. Want to act in a movie or TV show? Go for it. Want to ride in a race car? Do it. Want to sky dive? It's yours.

I can't fault Chad for taking advantage of his time off. People tend to say "yeah, but he has an offseason every year to do these things". Not true. Remember that an NFL offseason isn't as long as you think for the players. Also, a lot of these things they are contractually forbidden to do in order to keep their guys healthy. But with the players locked out and not getting paid, those forbidden fruits are ripe to be plucked.

I mean, isn't that the whole point to being rich and famous? To be able to do all the cool stuff you've always wanted to do? So why get on him about it?

Save your boos for the regular season when he lets you down in uniform.

Alright, I've Realigned EVERYTHING

I'm all excited about the NHL's willingness to overhaul their divisions. So if I was the CZAR OF SPORTS then I would turn the four major sports leagues into this:

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

EASTERN CONFERENCE: Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Indiana, Miami, Milwaukee, New Jersey, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Toronto, Washington

WESTERN CONFERENCE: Dallas, Denver, Golden State, Houston, LA Clippers, LA Lakers, Memphis, Minnesota, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, San Antonio, Utah

This is pretty much how the NBA standings are really run ... so why not just skip all the bull and make it official.

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

AFC EAST: Buffalo, Miami, New England, NY Jets

AFC SOUTH: Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Tennessee

AFC NORTH: Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburgh

AFC WEST: Denver, Kansas City, Oakland, San Diego

NFC EAST: Dallas, NY Giants, Philadelphia, Washington

NFC SOUTH: Atlanta, Carolina, New Orleans, Tampa Bay

NFC NORTH: Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay, Minnesota

NFC WEST: Arizona, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis

I like the NFL exactly the way it is.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

NL EAST: Atlanta, Cincinnati, Florida, Milwaukee, NY Mets, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington

NL WEST: Arizona, Chi Cubs, Colorado, Houston, LA Dodgers, San Francisco, San Diego, St Louis

AL EAST: Baltimore, Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, NY Yankees, Tampa Bay, Toronto

AL WEST: Chi White Sox, Kansas City, LA Angels, Minnesota, Oakland, Seattle, Texas

I think it works better with less divisions. I'm keeping the American and National Leagues in place and dividing them up. The AL was pretty easy. The NL did have some issues. After all, the Braves and Reds used to be in the old NL West while the Cubs and Cardinals were in the old NL East. For geographic purposes (aside from the Milwaukee-Chicago one), I kept it like this. I wanted Chicago and St Louis in the same division so they both went west.

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE

ADAMS: Boston, Buffalo, Montreal, New Jersey, NY Isles, NY Rangers, Ottawa, Toronto

PATRICK: Carolina, Detroit, Florida, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Washington

NORRIS: Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Minnesota, Nashville, St Louis, Winnipeg

SMYTHE: Anaheim, Calgary, Colorado, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Jose, Vancouver

Who Has The Best Draft?

Draft season is nearly over. We had the NFL Draft a couple of months ago and the NBA and NHL Drafts last week. Coming soon is the MLB Draft.

So which pro sports league has the best draft? The answer may surprise you.

NO. 1 NHL DRAFT: Yeah, the NHL Draft tops my list. I couldn't tell you any of the players that will be drafted beforehand and, like baseball, there's a good shot we don't see many of these kids in the big league next season. But the draft itself is magical.

I love the fact that members of each organization stroll up to the podium with jersey in hand, chat for a second and then make their selection. When the drafted player makes it up there, it's a nice scene that he is officially welcomed into the league by the people that wanted him ... not just a photo op with the commish.

Also, the NHL Draft seems to have more of a sense of community to it. Many more prospects attend the draft (some not being drafted until the very late rounds). Plus, the NHL Draft still travels while the NBA and NFL Draft stay in the New York area.

NO. 2 NFL DRAFT: I'll have more on this at the end, but the NFL has been at the forefront at pimping its draft. Now it takes about a week (okay, weekend) to hold the draft. Round 1 takes place on Thursday night ... 2nd and 3rd on Friday night and the rest on Saturday. It is much harder to predict as there are so many positions and the depth of talent at those positions greatly impact each draft.

The NFL also has another huge advantage -- their "draft season" is so much longer. The college season ends after the beginning of the new year and the NFL season ends at the beginning of February. That gives everyone 2 to 3 months to break down everyone. The NBA and NHL drafts are held about a week after their champions are crowned.

NO. 3 NBA DRAFT: Personally, the NBA is my favorite draft. I'm more of a basketball junkie than anything so I'm more in tune of teams' needs as well as the pool of draft picks.

However, there are two major items weighing the NBA Draft down. One, there are no stars in the draft anymore. The one-and-done rule has watered down the draft because picks are made more on potential than anything. That's why there are people who were lottery picks that have barely played any high level of basketball.

Sure, John Wall, Blake Griffin and Greg Oden are name guys ... but their names weren't as big as the games of guys like Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan, Shaq, etc.

The other problem is the way they do trades. The NBA has a gag order on deals the day of the draft. That means that picks get dealt but ... techincally they don't. So it looks like the Kings draft a guy and he wonders around wearing a Kings hat but really he'll be a Bobcat. Look at last week's draft and you'll see a bunch of guys getting "traded" right then and there.

NO. 4 MLB DRAFT: Nothing against this draft but it just doesn't strike a chord. First off, it is in the middle of the baseball season so it isn't like the diehards are fiending for some action (unlike the NFL). Plus, there is, like 200 rounds it seems and many of these guys will never sniff the major leagues. Add in the fact that some of the best players that will enter the major leagues to make an impact are foreign and they don't have to enter a draft to do so.

NHL Realignment: Just Cut Out Conferences

The buzz around the NHL is that they are looking at major realignment. The NHL has a lot of problems with their current alignment -- Dallas is in the Pacific, Winnipeg is in the Southeast, Columbus is in the Eastern Time Zone yet in the Western Conference, Detroit is in the opposite conference as Toronto.

The rumored route is that the NHL is going to shave down from six divisions to four. Two divisions will have 8 teams and two will have 7. The problem is that it is still so difficult to figure out where to make these divisional breaks in a four division system (it can be done, but it could look a bit ugly).

So here is my proposal: just kill off the conferences and just have FIVE divisions? We don't need conferences at all. We really don't. We can just have the top three teams in each of the five divisions in the playoffs as well as the fourth place team with the best record.

NORTH
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Detroit Red Wings
Montreal Canadiens
Ottawa Senators
Toronto Maple Leafs

ATLANTIC
New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Washington Capitals

CENTRAL
Carolina Hurricanes
Chicago Blackhawks
Columbus Blue Jackets
Florida Panthers
Nashville Predators
Tampa Bay Lightning

MIDWEST
Colorado Avalanche
Dallas Stars
Minnesota Wild
Phoenix Coyotes
St. Louis Blues
Winnipeg Jets

PACIFIC
Anaheim Ducks
Calgary Flames
Edmonton Oilers
Los Angeles Kings
San Jose Sharks
Vancouver Canucks

I know that's completely hard for most people to comprehend. No conferences? But how do the playoffs work. Easily, just rank each team from No. 1 thru No. 16 and go at it. Sure, you may have a San Jose-Tampa Bay first round series ... but who cares? If need be, make those kind of cross-country series a 2-3-2 format or something.

If it is two wild for you, here ya go with what the NHL will probably do:

NORTH: Boston, Buffalo, Montreal, New Jersey, NY Isles, NY Rangers, Ottawa, Toronto
SOUTH: Carolina, Detroit, Florida, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Washington
MIDWEST: Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Minnesota, Nashville, St Louis, Winnipeg
PACIFIC: Anaheim, Calgary, Colorado, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Jose, Vancouver

Maybe the NHL will have one conference have 16 teams and the other have 14 (if so, expect Columbus to move to the South Division and Colorado moves to the Midwest). To me, I'd just eliminate the geographic names and go back to the Adams, Patrick, Norris and Smythe names of yesteryear.

Heat Join Other Losers Who Are Remembered More Than The Champions

The 2011 NBA Finals will be remembered more for the fact that the Miami Heat lost and not so much that the Mavericks won. Seriously, listen to talk radio today and it was all about what Miami didn't do instead of what Dallas did.

It happens like that sometimes. Sometimes we remember the loser more than the champion. Here are a few examples:

8-1993 WOLVERINES: This seems to be Carolina's lost championship as most people instead remember the Fab Five and Chris Webber's timeout to seal the deal for the Heels. Jalen Rose said it best: you can remember the starting lineup for Michigan with little effort but unless you were a diehard UNC fan, you couldn't name three of their starters.

7-2004 LAKERS: Shaq and Kobe were joined by Karl Malone and Gary Payton to make a team of four future Hall of Famers. But the team spectacularly fell apart in the Finals to Detroit ... a team with no future HOFers ... and lost in five games.

6-1986 RED SOX: This is a close one. People certainly remember the '86 Mets, but that Series is known for Boston's implosion in Game 6. A mere out away for their first title since 1918, Bill Buckner became the icon of how a team can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Again, those Mets had their own character but that Series will always be about how the Red Sox choked away a title.

5-1993 KINGS: Wayne Gretzky's LA Kings made it to the Stanley Cup Finals and truly made it a Hollywood affair. Yet, it was just another championship for the mighty Canadiens, who won the last of their 24 Cups. And I bet most puckheads know that Barry Melrose was the coach of that team.

4-2011 HEAT: LeBron James and Chris Bosh came to Miami to join Dwyane Wade and turn the Heat into an instant contender. People loved that this controversial team choked away a title. Years from now, this will still be remembered as the one LeBron/Wade/Bosh lost.

3-ROCKY BALBOA: Okay, okay it is a fictional character. But other than Muhammad Ali, is there a more famous boxer? People still forget that Rocky lost his bout with Apollo Creed in the first film.

2-2007 PATRIOTS: Hard to believe a New York championship team could be overshadowed, but Super Bowl XLII will be remembered for the fact that the undefeated Patriots lost their only game in THE game. It really is amazing.

1-1919 WHITE SOX: Quick ... who won the 1919 World Series? I know, but that's because I'm a Cincinnati Reds fan. Yeah, the Reds won this Series but no one remembers that. All they remember is Chicago throwing the series for gamblers. The "Black Sox" are probably the most notorious team in baseball history and their tanking the World Series has far overshadowed who won it.

How Should MLB Re-align?

Today it was revealed that the powers that be in MLB are thinking about realigning the entire league. Two scenarios were given: moving one National League team to the American league to make both 15-team leagues. The other goes a bit further by getting rid of the divisions altogether.

God please let this happen.

Over my nearly decade-long blogging life, I have been dead set against divisions in MLB, NBA and NHL (the NFL's division format actually works). Either cut down on the amount of divisions or just dump them all.

Baseball really doesn't need six divisions and it certainly doesn't need a National League with two more teams than the American League.

One thing I don't want is the Houston Astros moved to the AL. I don't think having both Texas teams in the same league is the smartest idea. I'd move the Arizona Diamondbacks. Arizona doesn't have the history that the Astros have and the American League doesn't have a team in the Mountain Time Zone (the NL would still have the Colorado Rockies).

So here would be what MLB would look like:

AMERICAN LEAGUE: Baltimore, Boston, Chi White Sox, Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City, LA Angels, Minnesota, NY Yankees, Oakland, Seattle, Tampa Bay, Texas, Toronto

NATIONAL LEAGUE: Atlanta, Chi Cubs, Cincinnati, Colorado, Florida, Houston, LA Dodgers, Milwaukee, NY Mets, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Diego, San Francisco, St. Louis, Washington

What the league wants to do next is put the top five teams in the playoffs. The 4th and 5th place teams play a one or three game playoff to join the top three place teams in the postseason we all are currently familiar with. You can check here to see what the standings would look like if we had no divisions.

The advantage is for teams like the 3rd place AL East team who gets shut out of postseason play even if they have a better record than the AL Central and AL West champions. Right now, where you are geographically placed is just as important as how good a team you really are. It will may those playoff races a bit more racy as more teams should be in it longer than usual.

The disadvantage if there are two 15 team leagues is that there will be teams down the stretch in a pennant race that will be playing interleague games. See, if we get two 15 team leagues, that means we get interleague play pretty much every day. While I'm not against that, I can see why that would rub teams the wrong way.

But remember the 1980s. Then, the AL had two 7-team divisions. Six teams in the AL East played each other down the stretch while the other team was the "swing team" and played the AL West teams. So it isn't like this would be a completely odd scenario.

But if that is the sticking point, just leave the NL with 16 teams and the AL with 14. There, no worries about interleague games mucking up the pennant races. Whatever, just lop off these divisions!!!

Don't Feel Sorry For USC, BCS Or The Players

In the record books, one of two things will be seen in the college football section under "champions". Either it will have USC's name next to the 2004 championship with an asterisk chillin' next to it ... or it will say "vacated".

The BCS officially took away USC's 2004 BCS championship (the Associated Press earlier had said they have no intention of taking away their AP titles). Since the BCS also stated that it will not award Oklahoma, who were creamed by USC in the title game, the de facto championship, it means there was no champion for that season.

That is fitting. In reality, college football has no champion. It used to be some writers and media types crowned a champion. Now a computer joins the voters in determining who plays in a "championship game". Either way, the champion isn't solely determined by competition but by fairy tales and magic carpets.

In a situation such as this, you can't feel sorry for anyone involved. None of them.

Reggie Bush? Yeah, his name has been muddied but he'll try to wipe his tears with the millions he has gotten and will continue to get in the NFL.

The USC players that now have worthless (in theory) title rings? To a man, they all believe they still are champions ... and they are right. They got to have all the trimmings of winning a title back in 2004 and no matter what any record book may say, they got all that championship swagger. I know rules were broken, but no one cheated. Cheated the system? Maybe. But that football team won the title.

How about Oklahoma? The lost to USC in the BCS title game yet still don't get to be called champions. They shouldn't be. Even if you take USC out of the picture, that means Auburn would've played Oklahoma for the title and who knows what happens? And if you start handing out make believe titles like it is a Miss America crown, it opens up a huge bucket of worms. I mean, since John Calipari's Final Four with Memphis was vacated does that mean Texas (who Memphis beat in the Elite Eight) can hang a Final Four banner in their rafters? Does that mean Mississippi State, who Memphis beat in the second round, consider themselves reaching the Sweet 16 that year? No. So why award Oklahoma a title?

This is a scummy business these people are participating in. They all bend the rules as much as they can and many break them. It's hard to feel sorry for anyone in the system. So don't bother.

SEC Scraps Division Format

The SEC actually did something to benefit their basketball side of things. Last week, the conference decided to scrap the divisional format for basketball. Smart move.

I've said that on this blog for quite some time. Divisional formats hurt college basketball conferences. The ACC didn't bother with it when they became a 12-team league. The Big XII dumped the divisions after a while (though they did use it for scheduling). It doesn't work.

Too Bad Shaq Left Too Much On The Floor

Shaquille O'Neal announced that he's retiring from the NBA after a storied NBA career. He is indeed one of the greats of this league and will be a sure fire Hall Of Famer in five years. Over 28,000 points, four championships, three Finals MVPs and one NBA MVP award headline an outstanding resume.

Which makes it a shame that it coulda ... shoulda ... been much more.

Shaq had the potential to be the most physically dominant player this league has ever seen. He came into the league breaking backboards (and everything else), running the floor like a gazelle and introducing a brand new kind of swagger into a league that Michael Jordan ruled. To be that big, that fast and that quick was just unfair.

I don't think he maxed all of that talent. Sure, there was stretches of the brilliance that should have defined his career. From the moment he stepped into the NBA until his Laker career was coming to an end, Shaq was at or near the top of the league lead in scoring and shooting percentage. Yeah, a couple of guys named Jordan and Iverson had a lock on those scoring championships, but Shaq was always right there.

If there was anyone that could've challenged Jordan for one of those scoring titles, it would have been Shaq. Again, just look at the talent ... and the size.

However, Shaq didn't care as much about being dominant as he could have been -- he felt he was dominant enough. He famously said since he got hurt on company time, he will have surgery on company time. His conditioning left much to be desired. He would take it easy during the season to spend his energy for the playoffs. If he has spent a bit more time staying in shape, just think of the numbers he could have put up.

Instead he still sits behind a trio of centers that, I feel, had better careers. Wilt Chamberlain is still the greatest player to ever play in the NBA. People tend to forget how great Kareem Abdul Jabbar really was. Bill Russell? The greatest champion the NBA has ever seen.

I hope that Shaq will still hang around the NBA in some capacity. David Stern would be wise to make him some sort of ambassador to spread his infectious personality and sell the game. One of the truly greats of this game ... who could've been greater.