You can read Part One in the second half of yesterday's post

I'm a man of my word.  Even though approximately zero people read The Manrub Plan for a college football playoff, I'm still following through with an analysis of why my plan would be beneficial to all parties involved. 

Before I present my analysis, I would like to present a few crucial modification to one of the elements I presented yesterday.  In yesterday's post, I had stated that the six BCS conference champions would be guaranteed home games.  I originally included that clause to appease the BCS member conferences by increasing the probability that thier champions would advance to the quarterfinals.  Upon further examination, and using the NCAA Basketball tournament as a model, I have determined that the top 8 qualifying teams in the BCS rankings will receive home games, regardless of whether or not the team won its conference championship.  Holy Cross doesn't receive a favorable seed when it wins the Patriot League, nor should a football champion if it is not deserving.

Another change I would like to make concerns the number of games in the season.  Currently, the NCAA allows for 12 regular-season games, plus a conference championship in larger (12-plus team) conferences.  I propose trimming the regular season back to eleven games, and affording every conference, regardless of size, the opportunity to have a championship game.  In smaller conferences such as the Big East, the first and second place team could simply play each other for the championship.

I have one more change.  Any undefeated team is automatically in the tournament, no questions asked.  If Middle Tennesee State has a powerhouse one year, they should not be penalized for playing in the Sun Belt Conference.

Several groups would benefit from the Manrub Plan (which does need a better name).  For your reading pleasure, here they are, with a brief analysis of why these groups would benefit:

BCS Member Conferences: The BCS system is currently a major cash cow for the ACC, Big East, Big XII, Big 10, Pac 10 and SEC Conferences.  Under this system, there would be opportunities for increased BCS payouts, as more teams are involved in the tournament.  Also, the additional rule of allowing a championship game in all conferences would be a cash windfall for the Big East, Big 10 and Pac 10.

Non-BCS Conferences: It's rare that a non-BCS school gets into a BCS bowl game.  The non-BCS conferences would go from having no guaranteed BCS tie-in to at least two per season.  The idea of two of these smaller conferences getting a slice of the BCS pie annually has to be appealing to the conferences.

The BCS Mathemageniuses: The math wizards that devised the BCS haven't had a happy holiday season since the advent of the ranking system.  My proposal would give the BCS more of an RPI feel.  While, unlike the RPI, the BCS would be the sole factor determining at-large berths, the role of the BCS would be changed to determining who the most tournament-worthy teams are, rather than outright choosing the best two.  Additionally, the system that many people have worked on perfecting for years would be salvaged.

BCS Bowls: The two games out of the four major BCS games (Rose, Orange, Sugar and Fiesta) that happen to land the semifinal games in a particular year just got a whole lot more important.  The added importance of those two games should boost revenues and television ratings, while the two games hosting the losing quarterfinal teams in alternate years wouldn't see a big drop-off in interest from where they are at currently, for the four BCS bowls are currently meaningless in the national title picture.

The New Tier 2 BCS Bowls: The four bowls that are invited to become Tier 2 BCS games could potentially receive the largest benefit of any stakeholder involved.  Imagine if the top-ranked team lost their opening game and was sent to play in the Holiday Bowl.  The attention and revenues from hosting a popular team such as Ohio State could do wonders for these games

Lesser Bowls: Okay, the lesser bowls don't really benefit from my plan.  Generally speaking, only fans of participating schools and football junkies pay attention to games such as the Music City Bowl and the Las Vegas Bowl anyway, and the same people would still have an interest in these games.

Television Networks: A sixteen team playoff?  Additional meaningful games?  Does this need explanation?

Joe Student Athlete: The more kids that get a chance to play for a national championship, the better the system.  Also, I don't see where a potential for sixteen total games (which would be the total for teams that make the championship) is really that much of a detriment to the student-athletes.  Division 1-AA teams that make the championship game already play fifteen games, and nobody seems to be complaining about that.  I doubt the sixteenth game will be the straw that broke the camel's back.

Joe Six Pack: The fans are the biggest winners in this scenario.  The bowl games are preserved, and we have a tournament to crown a true national champion.  What's better than that?

Given this scenario, a Division 1-A College Football playoff is feasible and beneficial to many parties.  While you wait for the bowls to start, chew on these potential opening-round matchups that you could be watching this weekend (note: maximium 2 at-large teams per conference, sorry Arkansas)...

• (16) Brigham Young at (1) Ohio State
• (15) Rutgers at (2) Florida
• (14) Virginia Tech at (3) Michigan
• (13) Wake Forest at (4) LSU
• (12) West Virginia at (5) USC
• (11) Notre Dame at (6) Louisville
• (10) Oklahoma at (7) Wisconsin
• (9) Auburn at (8) Boise State

July 18th, 2000 is a day that I will always remember.  No, I didn't lose my virginity that day (although as a high school student on the cusp of my senior year, that was always my biggest goal), nor did I go to some crazy drunken teen party.  On that sunny afternoon, I went with a few of my friends to watch a doubleheader at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, RI, home of the Pawsox, or as they're better known throughout America, the Pawtucket Red Sox.  I don't have a clue what happened in the second game of the double dip, for the first one stole the show.  The young hurler for the Pawsox, who had just been demoted from the parent Boston Red Sox days earlier, threw a seven-inning no-hitter (games in minor league doubleheaders are only seven innings long) against the visiting Ottawa Lynx.  My friends and I marveled at the pinpoint location and sharp breaking pitchers of this young pitcher, and we envisioned him helping the Sox win games for years to come.  This young stud quickly became one of my favorite players at any level, right up there with Nomar Garciaparra, Pedro Martinez, and Ken Griffey Jr.  I vowed to follow his career no matter what path it took.  Unfortunately, the pitcher's career path came to an abrupt dead end due to injury problems, and he never realized his potential.  That pitcher is Paxton Crawford.

In last week's issue of ESPN the Magazine, Paxton Crawford admitted using multiple performance-enhancing drugs during his tenure in the Red Sox organization.  Considering that there have been several stories of steroid abuse among professional athletes in the late 1990s and early 2000s, I should have been ready for a relevation from somebody connected to the Red Sox of the Dan Duquette era (besides Jose Canseco).  I didn't think that a young prospect that faded from the game too quickly, perhaps directly because of steroid abuse, would ilicit an emotional response from me.  Much to my surprise, it did.  When I opened up the Providence Journal last Thursday, the facts of the story hit me like a ton of bricks.  How could Crawford, a young player with his whole career, his whole life ahead of him, have essentially been cheating the whole time?  Bearing witness to Crawford's seven-inning no-hitter had been one of the highlights of my life as a Red Sox fan, right up there with the 2004 World Series and my first visit to Fenway Park as a child.  It was as if one of my former heroes was a fraud, a false idol that I had wasted my fan worship on.  It was worse than getting punched in the stomach, it was more like getting smacked from behind by a cinder block.

For the next couple of days, I remained angry at Crawford for what he did.  I would bristle at the inevitable mention of his otherwise-forgotten name on ESPN and other sports channels.  When Red Sox highlights came on I would change the channel, hoping to miss the inevitable follow-up story on the clubhouse culture of steroid abuse that Crawford described in his interview.  My realized that my anger had turned into denial.  I was no longer viewing Crawford as a phony, rather as a cheater that had the balls to own up to his past misdeeds.  But I couldn't accept the image of the Red Sox clubhouse that he had painted, an image of a clubhouse where steroids were accepted and drug abuse was a fact of life.  A part of me felt that Crawford was stil lying, and that he was in the minority among baseball players.  Another part of me, however, believed that, at least partially, Crawford was telling the truth.

Yesterday, I had a moment of clarity.  I woke up and realized that, while I didn't condone Crawford's actions, I was still a fan of his.  Nothing, not even a drug scandal, could taint the memory of that special afternoon at McCoy Stadium.  Suddenly, I understood how San Francisco Giants fans can cheer Barry Bonds every time he comes to the plate.  These fans are not judging Bonds as an alleged liar or an alleged cheater, they are judging the body of work and the memories he has given them over his great baseball career.  For the fans that were in attendance when Bonds hit his 715th career home run, nothing that happens from here on out will ever erase that memory.  Those fans got to witness a great player reach a great milestone.  Just as I remain a fan of Paxton Crawford, major league pitcher, there are many people that are fans of Barry Bonds, legendary outfielder.  While not all these fans condone the actions of alleged cheaters, they remain fans for the lasting memories these players provide.

Until last week, I had always viewed the steroid issue in baseball as a distant issue, one that really had no impact on me.  Jose Canseco, Jason Grimsley and Rafael Palmiero were not players that I had ever been particularly fond of, therefore I had no clue as to why any sports fan could remain fans of these athletes.  When Paxton Crawford admitted that he used steroids, it was an eye-opener for me.  One of my favorite ballplayers had too been a cheater.  Although I was initially angry with him, I came to the realization that Crawford's these accomplishments.  I highly doubt that Paxton Crawford's admission of steroid use affected as many fans as much as it affected me, but he was the player that put the whole steroid issue into perspective for me.  Paxton Crawford woke me up to the realities of steroids in baseball.

Yesterday, the Major League Baseball draft began, and the sports community collectively yawned.  A few of the players drafted may arrive in the Majors soon, but the vast majority of those that reach the big show will take much longer to arrive in a big league ballpark.  Most of the athletes drafted yesterday will never make it to the Majors, toiling away fruitlessly in the Minor Leagues, holding onto their last shred of their boyhood dreams.

It is because of the poor opportunities for immediate success that the Major League Baseball draft is a non-event.  Why should baseball fans get excited about a seventh-round pick that will never make the Big Leagues?  Sure some seventh-rounders like Tim Norton, (a high school classmate of mine in Rhode Island picked by the Yankees yesterday after a great college career at UConn, I just had to give him a shout-out) will be great major leaguers, but far more of these players will never be heard from again.

Thinking about how little sports fans care about the baseball draft made me wonder what other sporting events rank as the top non-events in sports.  I have compiled a list of non-events, which is stated below.  The main criteria for a sporting event being a non-event is that it must be of minimal long-term interest to fans of the sport.  Baseball fans don't get all jazzed up about the draft months before it happens, and many can't remember who their team picked two weeks after the draft.  The other events I have listed have the same qualities.

PGA Tour Qualifying School- There may be hardcore golf fans that spend all year looking forward to following the trials and tribulations of the men on the cusp of making the PGA Tour, but I doubt it.  Without using google, can anybody name one of the top-ten finishers from this event last year?  Golf fans follow Q-School while it's in progress, but many of the names and storys are forgotten very soon thereafter.

WWE Pay-Per-View Press Conferences- Okay, okay, pro wrestling isn't a sport in many people's minds, but athleticism is involved in WWE matches, so it has a place in this list.  Before every Pay-Per-View, the WWE hosts a press conference in the city hosting the wrestling event.  Even wrestling fans don't give a crap about these press conferences.  Come on, wrestling fans.  Try to picture yourself saying "I can't believe Triple H put down Cena at that press conference!"  You'd never say that.  Press conferences are meaningless.

NFL Trade Deadline- In recent years, the NFL trade deadline has yielded exactly ZERO blockbuster deals.  Perhaps this is due to the early date of the deadline, but that does not change the trade deadline's non-event status.  I care much much more about the trade deadline in the Madden video games, where blockbuster deadline deals actually are a real possibility (much more real than completing a screen pass), but in real life, I think I'd rather watch paint dry than analysis of the trade deadline.

WNBA Preseason Games- Quick, name one memorable performance in a WNBA preseason game?  Can't do it?  Didn't think so.

Beer Pong- It can also be argued that drinking games are not sports, but anybody that has ever participated in a 15-cup, 8 beer game of beer pong will beg to differ.  The only people that care about the results of a beer pong tournament are the tournament winners themselves.  A few buddies of mine tried to start a beer pong league a few years ago.  All efforts to organize a bunch of drunks into teams over the course of a full season proved to be futile at best.  Perhaps it's the affects of the alcohol, but very few people remember beer pong games the next day.

That's my list of sporting non-events for now.  I may make this a running feature of this blog, adding items as they come to mind.  If anybody has any ideas for non-events, please feel free to let me know.

Again, congrats to Tim Norton on being drafted by the New York Yankees.  This may be the only time in history that I've been excited to see the Evil Empire acquire a player.  I guess it took the drafting of a small-town player, a player from my own small town and my own high school graduating class, to accomplish this feat.   Good luck Tim.

My trip to Philly has come and gone.  Wow, what a blast those last two days were!  On the way to Philadelphia, we didn't hit any traffic at all, and made it there in under four hours, near record time for a minivan traveling from Rhode Island to Pennsylvania.  My friends and I spent Saturday afternoon exploring the city and eating cheesesteaks from Geno's, which may be the single greatest sandwich place in the history of time.  The highlights of the trip, however, were definitely the baseball games on Saturday night and Sunday morning.  Even though the Red Sox only took the Saturday affair, both games were extremely exciting and enjoyable.  Even Lenny DiNardo couldn't spoil the fun on my trip.

In my last post, I mentioned that Wally the Green Monster may have a leg up on the Philly Phanatic in the race for best green mascot.  As you may recall, I based that claim on the Wally dolls with Jerry Remy's autograph planted firmly on the gluteus.  After seeing the Phanatic in person, I have to eat some crow and admit that I jumped to conclusions a bit prematurely.  The Philly Phanatic isn't just the greatest green mascot of all time, he is the greatest overall mascot of all time, period.  From Riverdance with fake umpires to John Deere tractors equipped with hot dog cannons, the Phanatic's actions were the funniest events I have ever witnessed at a baseball game, even funnier than Izzy Alcantara's infamous catcher-kicking incident with the Pawtucket Red Sox.  Seriously, my friends were more upset about missing the hot dog cannon while standing in the beer line than missing Josh Beckett's home run.

Citizen's Bank Park is a nice facility, but I've been to better ballparks.  The stadium was very clean and comfortable, and there wasn't a bad seat in the house.  The environment, however, seemed sterile to me.  Camden Yards and Fenway Park both have much more character than Citizen's Bank Park.  The new stadium has to be an upgrade from Veteran's Stadium, but more could have been done to give it some character.

The worst moment of my mini-vacation had nothing to do with the trip at all.  I had been looking forward to seeing highlights of the Preakness, for after Barbaro's dominating win in the Kentucky Derby it seemed he had a legitimate shot at the Triple Crown.  My heart sank when I saw him pull up lame just a few yards into the race.  I couldn't hear the sports anchor discussing the highlights (I was watching the TV in a bar in the stadium, McFadden's, which is one of the nicer touches of Citizen's Bank Park.)  I was actually happy to learn Sunday morning that Barbaro had not been euthanized yet, and that an attempt would be made to save his life.  As of this writing (Monday afternoon), his chances of survival are 50/50.  Certainly Barbaro isn't out of the woods yet, but he's fought hard to make it this far, and I know he won't stop fighting.  Best wishes to Barbaro.  Nobody wanted to see your career end the way it did, and I certainly hope this isn't the end of a young horse's life.

All in all, my trip to Philadelphia is an experience that I will likely never forget.  Any time spent with friends is time to cherish forever, and this past Satuday and Sunday were filled with great memories for me to look back on years from now.

The Boston Red Sox are not the only group heading to Philadelphia this weekend for the renewal of the "natural" rivalry series with the Phillies.  Saturday morning, I am leaving with a group of five friends to watch the Red Sox and Phillies do battle on Saturday night and Sunday morning.  I am looking forward to seeing the epic battle that will answer many burning questions.  How will the Red Sox fare with either Kevin Youkilis or Mike "Doubles" Lowell riding the bench for the purpose of keeping Big Papi in the lineup? (Hopefully well.)  Can the Phillies mount a charge and overtake the Mets in the NL East?  (Possibly, but I'll be happier if they don't start charging until Monday.)  Who is the coolest fuzzy green mascot of them all, Wally the Green Monster or the Philly Phanatic?  (They sell Wallys with Jerry Remy's autograph on the ass, case closed.)  Over the next few days, these questions, and more, will be on full display in Citizens Bank Park (unofficial slogan: Not your typical hitter's paradise). 

The one Red Sox player that I am looking forward to seeing above all others, believe it or not, is Wily Mo Pena.  When the Bronson Arroyo trade first occured, I was unsure of what we were getting in terms of talent from Wily Mo.  Certainly the first week or two of the season did nothing but heighten my uncertainties, as Pena looked as good on the field as Rosie O'Donnell does in a bikini.  (I know, that's a cheap shot.  Sorry for digging that low, Wily Mo.)  Over the past month, having a chance to see Wily Mo Pena every day leaves me with no question as to why the Red Sox gave up a proven starting pitcher to obtain his services.  Pena has the most natural baseball ability I have seen from a young Red Sox player since Nomar Garciaparra.  With more playing time, Pena should become more patient at the plate, and won't chase as many bad pitches.  When that time comes, he will be one hell of a difficult out.

Some may claim that I have a Man Crush on Wily Mo Pena.  For those that believe that, I have one thing to say: You are right.  I undoubtably have a Hetero Man Crush on Wily Mo Pena.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.

I can't wait for 6:00 AM on Saturday.  The ride from Rhode Island to Philadelphia is not a short one, but hopefully the anticipation of game time will make it fly by.  Monday I will write a post about my impressions of Citizens Bank Park, and the atmosphere surrounding a Phillies game as a whole.  Enjoy the weekend, everybody.

  Side note: can anybody tell me WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH THIS SMILEY???  IT FREAKS ME OUT!!!