The Toast : CBSSports.com Blogs

CLUB SOCCER IS THE PROBLEM

Sun, 21 Nov 2010 16:06:31 EST

The folks that claim to be in the know when it comes to soccer will dissagree, but that's just because they have bought into the current system. And by bought in, I mean they have paid outrageous amounts of money so that their kids can play for the elite soccer clubs.

Club soccer is the reason why the best we can produce is Landon Donovan. By soccer standards, he's great, but not by USA professional athletic standards. With club soccer, we are basically telling out best young athletes as they get into high school "look, you either play soccer year round and forget the more popular football, baseball and basketball, or you forget soccer and go play the sports that your school friends are playing." Is that not a stupid ultimatum? It's one thing that we have to decide based on seasons: Football vs. Swimming; Basketball vs. Wrestling and soccer; Baseball vs. Tennis and Track; but anytime you tell a kid that they have to devote themselves to one sport when their best prospects in this country of having a successful sporting carreer lie in other sports, the obvious outcome is that the best athletes will vear away from soccer.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS A WONDERFUL MESS

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:51:40 EST

I love seasons like this. Anyone can beat anyone, except that nobody can seem to beat Florida, Texas, Iowa, etc. However, even those elite teams will find serious challenge in their bowl games. The PAC-10 is great this year. I like USC being good, but I like the PAC-10 championship being up for grabs. Even U of Arizona has a shot (which would make me sick if they get a Rose Bowl bid). My Sun Devils look crappy, but they still seem to make games against ranked teams very close and entertaining. The Mountain West is even fun this year with three pretty strong teams, and I'm not a MWC fan by any stretch.

Yes, it looks like we are gearing up for a Florida Texas championship game. However, the Bowls are not just about crowning a champ. I think we will get to see some great match-ups throughout the holidays. ASU needs two more wins to take part. That would make my year.

FEDERAL TAKEOVER OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:06:07 EDT

Of all people, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) is asking President Obama to get involved in college football.

"Hatch asked the president to launch a Justice Department investigation into the way the BCS crowns its national champion. "Mr. President, as you have publicly stated on multiple occasions, the BCS system is in dire need of reform," Hatch, R-Utah, wrote in a 10-page letter, obtained by the Associated Press. Hatch, who held a hearing on the BCS in July, told Obama that a "strong case" can be made that the BCS violates antitrust laws."

This is madness. I don't care how screwed up the BCS might be, the federal government has no business there. Many out there might not be aware, but the United States federal government does not have the constitutional authority to regulate every aspect of our lives. Over time, Congress, with a weak-kneed Supreme Court, has raped the Commerce Clause of the US Constitution to the point that they got to regulate a one-acre farm just because it might (with many other one-acre farms) impact interstate commerce. To have a Republican senator perpetuate that tyranny to private bowl committees is lunacy.

Can't Stomach Another East Coast World Series

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:48:44 EST

As a born and raised Dodger hater (I consider Steve Garvey a Padre), I'm conflicted as the inevitable seems to be unfolding in the ALCS. It seems the Dodgers are the only real hope of not having another East Coast World Series, but that hope is dwindling. Sorry Angels, I'm throwing in the towel.

I love baseball, but if the World Series bounces back and forth between New York and Philly, I will watch no more than one game of it. I'm just not interested. Perhaps it has something to do with the environment of the game in the East. But that's a subject for a later post. Baseball is territorial in nature, in a different way from football. The baseball season is so long and exhausting that unless you have a dog in the fight, you're not that interested in that last fight. If the West is unrepresented in the World Series, my guess is that much of the West will tune-out.