I gotta say something: I think the decision to mutually end the LSU-Tulane football series, dubbed “The Battle For the Rag,” is horribly short-sighted and downright unfair for the city of New Orleans.

I’m not calling the schools on the carpet yet, but I’ll get there.  For nearly every year since 1893, and every single year between 1919 and 1994, LSU and Tulane have faced each other on the gridiron.  The “Battle for the Rag,” may be passé and old school, but at 41 years of age, I can remember as a child when this rivalry, lop-sided though it is, mattered.

I listened to LSU’s last defeat to Tulane on the radio, not believing my ears.  That was, I believe, the infamous “rubber game” LSU overlooked on the way to playing Nebraska in the Orange Bowl after destroying Florida State.  I also remember the TULANE 48, LSU 7 bumper stickers.

Enough of my silly remembrances.  This stinks, and the people it really stinks for are the people of New Orleans, LSU and Tulane fans alike.

When LSU Athletic Director Joe Alleva was quoted in The Times-Picayune as saying “it makes no financial sense for us ever to play Tulane in New Orleans,” I kind of felt this series had drawn its last breath.  That statement is incredibly offensive to this LSU fan in New Orleans who would actually LOVE to see the Tigers play the Greenies at the Dome.

Trouble is, I know where Joe is coming from, and I can’t fault what he says even though I dismiss it out of hand.  The trouble is, of course, Tulane football fans.  The Superdome is a great facility that can host Super Bowls, Sugar Bowls and Final Fours.  However, when the 70,000-seat facility is 4/5ths empty, it looks like a mausoleum.  If you’ve been to a Tulane home game recently, you know what I say is true.

The last Superdome game, a 34-9 LSU triumph, was a very exciting and entertaining game that is totally obscured by the final score.  The first matchup between the two schools in the Dome in 12 years, and the first in New Orleans since Katrina, it should have been a sellout.  But it wasn’t.  Guess who didn’t bring the fans?  Sadly, it was Tulane.  Only 59,000 came to see the game that day.  When you take into consideration that LSU would draw nearly 40,000 more fans at Tiger Stadium, it becomes easy to see Alleva’s point of view.

It does not make it right, though.

Depriving the citizens of New Orleans, LSU and Tulane fan alike, the move robs New Orleans of an essential piece of the recovery.  True that some LSU (and anti-New Orleans) Tiger fans would skip this one for fear of giving any money to Tulane, the shops, bars, restaurants and hotels would benefit from those who did wish to come and enjoy themselves in New Orleans.  It’s good enough to come for a Sugar Bowl.  Why not for the Tulane game?    

In giving up on the series, LSU is handing Tulane $700,000 to walk away, plus the $650,000 the Green Wave will get for this year’s tilt on Halloween.  My hope is that Tulane puts the money to good use, like upgrading its facilities, adding more scholarships, or (god forbid) look into building a new stadium Uptown.

A couple of years ago, a Tulane fan and friend of mine said that the move from Tulane Stadium to the Superdome was the death of Tulane football.  Moving the games from Uptown, where thousands of fans could simply walk to the game, putting it in the sanitized confines of the Dome, where you have to drive, park, and walk through the concrete jungle, proved too much to keep the fan base coming.  The constant losing did not help, either.

Try moving Tiger Stadium to Prarieville, LA and you’ll understand the comparison.  Tulane Stadium, like Tiger Stadium, had a mystique all its own.  Did you know that when the Saints began play in Tulane stadium that it was at the time the largest-capacity stadium in the NFL?  Tulane fans (and LSU haters) can’t say that Tulane never brought the fans.

Tulane athletics is at a crossroads.  They have tried games at Tad Gormley Stadium, and while the tailgating in City Park is awesome, the facility—which also is used for high school football and track—is old, worn and uncomfortable—not unlike sitting in a lounge chair with a spring coming out of the seat.

Tulane should start a drive—immediately—to find a place Uptown or by the river downtown to build a small, cozy, 30,000-seat stadium with suites, club level seating, and places to tailgate.  Smaller stadiums have smaller price tags—but if they really want to bring the fans, they need to build it so they can come.

Am I asking too much? 

David Beckham is not coming back to MLS. Of that fact I am pretty well confident.

And while his marriage with MLS was as brief and unfulfilling as many star-crossed unions in Hollywood, the two sides remain at odds over how best to end the affair. Beckham undoubtedly wants to remain with his current team, AC Milan of Italian Serie A rather than return to exile in Major League Soccer for the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Beckham has said very little as to why he wants to stay in Italy, speculation is rampant that he desires to show his progress to England national coach Fabio Capello so that he can make the 2010 World Cup if England qualifies.

Beckham likely feels rejuvenated by playing with superstars in the NFL of world soccer and doesn't want to waste another minute being watched by smallish crowds at Home Depot Center and playing with mediocre world talent.

For MLS-who owns David's playing rights until November-a clear line in the sand has been drawn as the league and AC Milan bicker over the transfer fee. Transfers between leagues in different countries is standard fare over there, and cash is almost always the medium of exchange. Milan wants to bid MLS $3 million and the ask for Beckham is $10 million.

For their respective parts, AC Milan and MLS have waged a standard war of poor-mouthing and and warming praise, as Milan plays the pauper who just sees Beckham as a small piece of a tactical puzzle and MLS who sees Beckham as one of the most marketable soccer player anywhere.

Beckham is playing the part of the pawn in the middle-not wanting to return to MLS, professing love for his current home and being careful not to offend the folks in America he may have to return to. A recent news story says he feels "frustrated" over the delay in making his transfer to Italy permanent.

I believe there is a way out for him, to say goodbye USA without much of the foul taste this situation currently has.

He can appeal to his love for England. Americans can be overly patriotic at times. We see NBA stars like Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson answer the call of the county for Olympics and World Championships. They say when there that playing for their country means everything to them. However, we back in the States have to be thinking-a star this big doesn't need the exposure. Why, other than pure patriotism, would they answer the nation's call so selflessly?

At least in the case of Iverson, that is perhaps his most endearing quality.

But back to Beckham. Telling MLS fans he needs to return to Europe to prepare himself to play for England, is on its own, a noble purpose. We can speculate on what he means and his sincerity, as with Kobe and AI, but deep down we don't know what's in the man's soul. If he cares for England that much, who are we to question that motivation?

Who knows? Are appeals to nationalism considered verboten in Europe? Can England have sunk so low that their sporting folk can't tell the world how much pride they get by putting on the national team shirt? I honestly do not know the answer to that question.

But that's the point. Americans likely will take that gesture for face value. Beckham can go back to Europe and MLS fans will simply assume the better angels of his nature wanted him home in the hopes of playing for the old country one last time. It's the kind of sappy sentimental story of one last chance at glory that we Americans love (see movies like The Natural and Hoosiers if you doubt that).

If Beckham loves being back in Europe so much, I wonder why he hasn't brought England in the equation yet. It would certainly help ease the disappointment of fans in MLS who have followed the game here in America because of him. And, back in Europe, he will get raves from England fans and perhaps jeers from others, but not many in the US will know or care by then. "He left to play for his country..." will be their final thought of him.

Until then, Beckham is left in the position of being wanted where he doesn't want to be and wants to be where open arms (at least in public) only give a shoulder-hug.

Fans of Major League Soccer, the Los Angeles Galaxy and the American soccer scene have a lot to learn about the way European Soccer clubs barter and posture for their talent.

At least AC Milan and David Beckham would have you think so.

Milan, of Italian Serie A received Beckham on loan in October and want to keep him permanently. MLS signed Beckham in January of 2007, securing the most marketable soccer persona in the English-speaking world. At the time, it was hoped that the signing would bring exposure to the foundering soccer league as well as increase TV exposure and ticket sales in MLS's new soccer-specific stadiums.

Beckham certainly did do that. Many of his games were telecast on national TV. He signed endorsement contracts like with Sharpie Pens, and while most Americans could not even name another MLS player, almost everyone on this country knew the name David Beckham even before he arrived on our shores as a player.

However, in world soccer terms, think of his leaving the likes of Real Madrid and coming to the Galaxy as Tom Brady leaving the New England Patriots and playing a couple of seasons for the Randolph Oilers.

While Beckham has certainly lived up the hype, the on-the-field results have been less than spectacular. The Galaxy have never competed for an MLS Cup while Beckham has been part of the team. The team could not not even keep a head coach, having had four in his two seasons. The widely held opinion in Europe is that Beckham's time in MLS is a waste as he simply doesn't not have the caliber of player to compliment his advanced European-style game. Put yourself in Beckham's boots-would rather be passing to Ronaldinho or Landon Donovan? Would you rather play in front of 60,000 or 25,000?

Head-to-head, it is no contest. AC Milan and Europe have the clout, cash and fan base to rival all of MLS, not just the Galaxy. Which is why the Galaxy should be taken out of the equation.

This battle is Beckham and AC Milan against MLS. Beckham's professed love for his new home in Italy has not made this easy, as he clearly missed Euro soccer and still hopes to play for England in the World Cup in 2010. And, to be truthful, other than his contract, Beckham owes MLS and American soccer fans nothing-he brought them the exposure they wanted and fans got to see a wonderful player in his declining years.

And while American soccer fans are na