the Informer

AP

So much to say, so little space. As this is my final column, and I have way too many thoughts flowing through my sports-obsessed mind, this won’t be a regular one-topic article. Instead, jump inside my head for 700 words as I pour out every thought, prediction and unbiased opinion I have left to offer. Welcome.

Tiger Woods is “the man” and will continue to be for a long time. No, not because of his affairs, but because he looked America in the face and basically said, “here I am, come get me.” If you haven’t seen his Nike commercial with him staring into a camera as his dead father asks him why he “did it,” then go watch it. Now. Tiger will win a major this year, just watch, and as he’s crushing the competition, I hope he’s swearing while doing it. Tiger shouldn’t change his on-course personality just to have a better public image. He should be himself, just not the “hey, it’s, uh, Tiger” self.

Overtime playoff hockey is amazing, even if no one cares. The game is so intense, so physical and so fast-paced, I still don’t understand why more people don’t love it. In the playoffs there is no shootout, just continuous physical hell for as many 20-minute periods as it takes. A five-overtime game is nearly three full hockey games. If you think a double-overtime basketball game looks tiring, go watch hockey.

The New York Yankees’ payroll is $206 million. The Pirates’ is $34 million. Fair?

The NCAA added three teams to the NCAA tournament field, which is now up to 68 squads, but the additions won’t stop there. College sports are supposed to be about amateurs, playing for the love of the game, and getting an education. It isn’t. College football and basketball are now basically professional sports with unpaid athletes, unless of course you wear a UCS Trojans helmet. The tournament field will eventually be expanded to 96 teams for one reason: money. Whether its alumni controlling which coach gets hired, sports agents manipulating student athletes or shoe companies influencing where a high school kid goes to college, money is everywhere and the corruption is only growing.

The NFL has some serious issues. Many experts and football people are truly starting to believe that a work stoppage in 2011 is not only possible, but likely. The league has a major problem with rookie contracts exceeding those of proven veteran stars at the same position, an issue that must be resolved moving forward. A prime example: Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell will most likely be released in the next few days, but, why should he care? The former No. 1 overall draft pick has already been paid $39 million dollars to produce nearly nothing on the field. Why should rookies work hard when they have already been guaranteed a lifetime supply of cash? The system must be changed, hopefully before a strike is necessary.

LeBron James is coming to New York. Wait, no he’s not. Honestly, nobody on this planet knows what LeBron is going to decide on July 1, and anyone who says they do is simply lying. I don’t even think LeBron knows what he’s going to do yet. I understand he’s from Cleveland and they have finally surrounded him with a championship-worthy supporting cast, but if he really wants to be the best, he should consider coming to the Big Apple. Fair or not, winning in New York is different than winning in Cleveland. If I were the Knicks, I would put LeBron in a room with Mark Messier and say, “Hey Mark, tell LeBron here what it’s like to win in this city.” Are the Knicks a good team right now? No. But neither were the Celtics before they added Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in one offseason. It can be done. Come on LeBron. Make it happen.

The World Cup is always an amazing sporting event, even if the United States is more likely to lose every game than win the entire tournament. Soccer isn’t the most exciting sport in the world, but considering the rest of the world thinks the tournament is more important than global warming, its worth paying attention to. Just watch Lionel Messi tear apart defenses. You’ll be hooked.

In one year the Jets have gone from a team with no future to possible Super Bowl favorites. But, with all of the recent additions, many for players with character issues, will Rex Ryan and his gigantic gut be able to stomach potential chemistry problems?