Best 15 Sports Nicknames of All-Time

I was at work the other day at the newspaper waiting for another high school soccer coach to call and name her entire defense as people that played well. I swear if high school coaches got their way when they won every one from the water boy to the kids parents would be mentioned in the 2 paragraph blurb in the paper.

But anyway, I was reading the sportswire, which I do always when I am bored, and I came across something that made me laugh while inspiring me at the same time. It was just a short story about how Dan Lauzon, a MMA fighter from Brockton, was going to be fighting Bla-Bla (not his real name) in 2 weeks.

But what really caught my name was Lauzon's nickname. "The Upgrade", just for the record that rolls of the tongue as Dan "The Upgrade" Lauzon... c'mon! that is the worst sports nickname of all time, it doesn't instill any fear in the opponent and frankly is just terribly unimaginative, so I decided to make a list of my top 15 sports nicknames of all-time.

15. Dominique "The Human Highlight Film" Wilkins
This nickname found its legs after watching a young, small and skinny Wilkins throw down some of the most athletic dunks of the early 90s. Seriously, this makes the list not only because it is simple, yet unique, but because it is so apt. Wilkins really was a highlight film early in his career. He is one of those basketball players who was really good relying on his ability to jump over everyone else on the floor. If you are going to have that kind of nickname you better be a staple on YouTube, and if you type in Dominique Wilkins dunks, you will see some of the most ferocious and exciting dunks in all of basketball, truly a highlight film.

14. Pete "Pistol Pete" Maravich
I put this name of the list because I would like to think this originated when someone was thinking about an ode to the western movies or stereotypes that spawned from those movies. Lawlessness, people who shot from the hip, drank heavily, and made love to loose women, in short did what ever they damn well please but they were also dangerous.
Pete Maravich fits that description, except he did it all on the basketball court. There were no rules or set plays or specific ideas on offense when Pete Maravich was on the floor. Watch "the Pistol" and you will see that Maravich was without a doubt one of the most selfish, independent, and improvising basketball players of all time. That being said, he was also probably the most dangerous offensive player in the league then. He could score from downtown, or beat you off the dribble. He most likely made love to loose women, but don't sleep while he was on the court because there was no one more entertaining.

13. Ted "The Splendid Splinter" Williams
The key to this nickname, what makes it flow so easily and sound so smooth on the ear is the alliteration, but it is also quite apt. Take a good look at a picture of Ted Williams and then try and guess his weight. This man was way over 6 feet and weighed right about 200 pounds... does it look like he weighed that much. He truly does look like a splinter, a wiry, long baseball player.
He was also quite splendid. Although he may not have looked like a man who had a lot of raw power, keep in mind this man hit 500+ home runs and had years in his prime taken away by that goddamn Nazi Hitler. He was the best hitter in the history of baseball and could hit doubles and home runs with just the flick of his wrist, if you don't believe go stand at the red seat in Fenway and then squint and find home plate 450 feet away. His almost mathematical and scientific approach to hitting is what made him so "splendid" and its the alliteration that really makes this nickname work.

12. Charles "The Round Mound of Rebound" Barkley
This is the first nickname to make my list which actually is funny! A comical character like Charles Barkley deserves a nickname that doesn't make people laugh outloud when they see it attached to his picture, but does make them smile and think about really great things that can go along with a great nickname and a great player.
What also makes this nickname terrific is again how apt it is. When Sir Charles, his dumber nickname, played in Philadelphia he was clearly playing a full 60 minutes of basketball, going through a case of bud light, and mixing that in with some late night Wendy's runs. To make it all more comical he was short. He only stands about 6 feet 5 inches tall and must have weighed upwards of 240 pounds which kind of makes me think that if we were to push him down a hill in the snow, he would make a great snowball... but hey thats just me. But he also carried himself with grace and tenacity. He athleticism in proportion to his stature and weight was quite absurd. He could lead the break, dunk and break your ankles on a cross-over. But what he definitely could do was rebound. For his career he average 11.7 rebounds per game and only finished under double digits once, his first season in the league.

11. Wayne "The Great One" Gretzky
This nickname truly says it all in one of the most obvious and simple nicknames of all time, and thats what makes it so great. Wayne Gretzky was and will always be the greatest hockey player to ever play the game. Its like when someone picks first in pick up basketball but doesn't know the name of the kid who he wants to pick, so he says, "I will take the good kid, who can jump high, and shoot well." Its an obvious statement but it goes understated just how truthful it is, especially in the case of Wayne.
It just makes too little sense for his nickname to be anything else. This type of player doesn't need alliteration or some funny play on his name, "freight train Wayne" or Wayne "the stain". Not only are these terrible examples to illustrate my point but they obviously don't do a man of Gretzky's talent or stature justice. "Insane" Wayne, Wayne the "Dane".... I just thought I would try a few more, see if I couldn't do better.

Its late at night and I am too tired to write out the rest of them now so I will be lazy and write the ....................to be continued

Hail Thee Josh Beckett

If I was really one of those lame Red Sox fans, I would take a page out of Nike's book and make red t-shirts with huge white letters across the front that say "Witness". But, I am the kind of Red Sox fan who roots for them from my own home without attending "Yay we made the playoffs" rallies and wearing a goddamn Red Sox track suit whenever I leave the house.

However, midway through the year I was still not sold on Beckett. When my friend asked me who I would pitch in game 7 of the World Series I answered without heisitation Curt Schilling. In the words of Roberto DeVincenzo, "What a stupid I am!". I still love the gamer Schilling is, but I was really forced to eat my own words big time with the way Beckett has pitched this postseason.

What we are witnessing in Boston, and for anyone who remotely cares about baseball as a whole, is the emergence of one of the greatest big game pitchers of all time. I am talking Jack Morris, Game 7 of the 91 World Series except multiply it by 7 or 8. Josh Beckett is rapidly becoming one of the greatest postseason performers in the history of all sports, let alone baseball. Allow me to prove to you what I mean.

Career Postseason Statistics:
W/L- 5-2
Innings- 65.2
Runs allowed- 13
ERA-1.78
Hits allowed-34
Strikeouts-73
Walks- 13
WHIP-0.72
Shutouts- 3

Now before we go on keep in mind that he has won his last 4 starts, including all three this postseason, and his record is 2-0 with a hold in games with the series on the line. Also if you throw out his terrible outing in Game 1 of the 2003 NLCS his ERA might actually be below 1. He is the kind of front of the line ace any team would wet their pants to get a hold of...hold on I have to go change my pants.

When Beckett first came to the Red Sox last season, he had the reputation of a good pitcher, with electric stuff, who was difficult to tame and also had trouble harnessing all his talent. In his first season in the American League that proved to be true. He was young and stubborn and even with Jason Varitek calling the game it was clear he was still trying to blow his great fastball by these hitters. As a result, he gave up a ton of homeruns, and although he was a rather reliable pitcher, his ERA was above 5 and he clearly wasn't scaring anybody.

This season has been a different story. On April 16th he went against the Angels and he was lights out for the most part, only allowing 1 run in 6 innings of work to improve to 3-0. But the best thing to see as a self-deprecating and extremely savvy baseball fan was that he was doing a much better job of hitting his spots with his fastball, and his curveball, which has always been great, was downright unhittable. I continued to follow the Red Sox all season and at the end of the season even I had to admit that CC Sabathia was probably more deserving of the AL Cy Young based on the sheer volume of innings he pitched and the fact that his stats were almost identical.

"I did not have doubting relations about that baseball player" There it was, you only see it once, a retraction of something I said which was clearly wrong. This postseason I am pretty sure he has proved that he deserves the AL Cy Young, now I know the votes have already been counted, but I have a feeling the announcement "CC Sabathia has won the AL Cy Young!" will have the same effect as "Mark Redman has been voted into the 2006 All-Star game for the Kansas City Royals." Beckett is just a better pitcher, Sabathia has comparable stuff, but reminds me of a young Beckett who still is learning how to effectively pitch.

After last night's performance in Cleveland where he basically walked out to the mound, shut down the Indians for 5 innings, almost got beat up by Kenny Lofton, and then continued to mow down Indians after the fact. I got to thinking about what makes Beckett perfect for the postseason, its always elusive and subjective to pin down certain characteristics that make him great, but hopefully I have a found a few.

1. Adrenaline:
Ever since Beckett started in this league he has made quick enemies by the way he wears he emotions on his sleeve, yells and shouts about just about everything on the mound, and basically takes offense to anything that anyone does that is in the least bit insulting. Plain and simple Beckett is an adrenaline junkie, he thrives on the roar of the crowd and the immense pressure of the situation.

For all that is said about the intensity Papelbon brings to the mound, Beckett might still have him beat. The man is a true gamer, Lofton flips his bat on some silly, meaningless at bat and Beckett immediately starts jawing with him.

I live for the moments in the late innings when everyone is standing at Fenway, cheering their brains off and Beckett strikes someone out and comes out the mound like he is charging the Brittish as a member of William Wallace's army.

Beckett just seems to have that extra reserve to be able to reach back for a lively fastball just when it looks like his pitching are losing their edge, and in the postseason that reserve is what seperates the special, from the above-average. Schilling used to have it, Mariano Rivera still has it, although it has lost its edge, and John Smoltz had it.

2-F*&% You!!
One thing that Josh will never be questioned about is his focus on the game of baseball. As much as I love Manny Ramirez basically lost in lala land while the postseason is going on, it is much more comforting to have someone who every day they are playing brings their gameface and their best effort.

Last night was a terrific example of how Beckett exemplifies the quality I am talking about. The first singer assigned to sing the national anthem drops out, so Cleveland reaches deep into their assorted bag of cheap, contrived marketing schemes (i.e. home run hankie) and decides to bring in Danielle Peck who Cleveland said is an native and "die-hard Indians fan". Ohh That must be why she is wearing a Red Sox jersey on her website, clearly she is admitting she is something like the Madden Curse where whatever she wears will do poorly....

Anyway it just so happens that Peck is also an ex flame of Josh Beckett, who keep in mind has joined the Mile-High Club with Leanne Tweeden. Well thank you Cleveland for delivering what most people call bulletin board fodder and I now call Fuck You Incentive.

Beckett was so distracted by the emergence of his ex-girlfriend that he decided to try and pick a fight with Kenny Lofton, allow a grand total of 5 hits, and only strikeout 11 batters. Seriously Cleveland, what was more likely, Beckett being rattled by the appearance of a woman he used to have relations with? or Beckett coming out in the 8th inning pointing at Mark Shapiro, who probably had nothing to do with it, and mooning him and punctuating that with the middle finger?

Instead Beckett went into a press conference, dropped the F bomb on live TV, made Joe Buck enraged with his use of foul language, and became instantaneously immortalized in Boston if he wasn't already.

The best part probably was that reporters went to his room this morning and he opened the door in his silk boxers with Danielle Peck hiding her naked body underneath the sheets...Ok I made that up, but seriously, Beckett has the stones to do it.

Thats only two because you guys are probably done reading already, but the best part is, Beckett doesn't care about his image with the public, he doesn't care if he upset a bunch of stiff TV anchors and advertisers, he just wants to win baseball games.

I can promise you that that kind of intensity and devotion is duly appreciated by his teammates in the locker room who must feel like Frank Thomas on TBS being carried by Ernie Johnson.

Pitchers like Bob Feller and Bob Gibson and Walter Johnson and Don Drysdale would throw the ball at your head, and then tell you to fuck yourself when you looked back at the pitchers mound.

Today the only pitchers I can say I would be scared of are Kyle Farnsworth, who still relishes someone charging the mound so he can spear them and land some haymakers to their face. Number 2 is Josh Beckett, who will throw the ball at your head at 100 mph, yell back when you yell at him, and then turn around and strike you out with a devasting curveball...and probably shout at you the whole way back to the dugout.

I am not going to lie, thoughts of joining the mile high club with Josh Beckett are getting a lot more exciting.

Handicapping the Heisman Race

Its playoff time

Well folks, Hockey season has started again... and still nobody cares. Instead people are getting excited to watch the battles of the division series in baseball where we have seen some dominant individual performances, some dominant team performances, and some poor managing that of course I will critique because I could clearly do a better job. Also I know what you are thinking, and no, hindsight is not 20-20 that has always been a rule amongst sports writers because when games end we get to pick the decision making apart as if we would have done better. So now I will implement that rule and give you a rundown of what I have thought about each series so far, starting in the American league with my Boston Red Sox

Red Sox v. Angels:
Game 1 certainly was a feel good game for any Red Sox fan that was particularly nervous about how are team was going to hold up after stumbling a little down the stretch of the regular season. Josh Beckett clearly put that uneasiness to rest with a dominanting performance. This is a guy who truly thrives off of adrenaline and it shows everytime he plays in big games. After a big strikeout he often comes off the mound and looks like someone infected with the rage from 28 days later, yelling and screaming and fist-pumping that puts John Papelbon to shame.

In this game it was different, he was completely in control of every single on of his pitches and you could just tell that the Angels, whose lineup looked like the Mariners lineup the night Clemens wiffed 20, had absolutely no chance at finding any rhythm against Beckett who didn't use a single fist pump or primal scream to vanquish the Halos. I will however withhold judgement because Dice K will be an adventure tonight, and Schilling is only beginning to get fully healthy, although I will still take Schilling over anyone in the playoffs outside of maybe Sabathia, Beckett and Webb. Other quick points.

• The one good thing about TBS playoffs is there is no more Joe Buck and Tim McCarver, who collectively are the bane of my existence.
• The Angels really need Juan Rivera, nobody named Maicer will ever strike fear in an opposing pitcher hitting 5th.
• The one thing I respect about the Yankees is their decision to not have the contrived publicity stunt that was a rally for the division playoffs. The Red Sox are like a media circus, the team, the ownnership and the fans need to act like they have been here before and go about their business the way New York does, its really pathetic.
• I will take a now healthy David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez and a throw in (maybe Mike Lowell) over any three hitters on any other post season team.

Yankees v. Indians:

I think it is a very bad sign for the Yankees that their most consistent starter got roughed up so badly in game 1. But I don't believe that Yankees fans have lost hope, first of all Lebron is rooting for them so he can always go off for like 65 points against Cleveland while Hideki Matusi stands around like Ilgauskas and A-Rod whines about not getting the ball enough like Drew Gooden. Also their lineup is frankly just too deadly to ever be counted out, especially against a team like Cleveland who doesn't have a single starter that has a lot of postseason experience.

I predict Carmona will be hit or miss tonight, he will either baffle the Yankees by keeping his sinker down in the strike zone and probably steal game 2 for the Indians because you know Petitte is too clutch to get rocked, or he will get shelled because of postseason jitters and the experienced Yankees hitters like Posada, and Jeter, and A-Rod will take advantage of that and send him to the showers early. The x factor tonight really is Carmona because Petitte is frankly just too solid to really get rocked and he will most likely set the bar around 3 or maybe 4 runs and it will be up to Carmona and whoever comes after him to keep the Yankees under that quota. Other thoughts;

• Can't you just picture Kenny Lofton and Paul Byrd taking full advantage of the fact that they are really the only two players who have substantial postseason experience. It must be like story time for Byrd and Lofton, "Yes guys we are washed up, but let me tell you a story about my 5.40 postseason ERA and how to accomplish something as incredible as that. Did you know Kenny used to be a feared lead off hitter who was a key cog in a number of post season teams when you guys still fought over who was the cooler the black power ranger or Leonardo from the ninja turtles?" They must relish it and bask in the spotlight, I mean Byrd got interviewed before Game 1 and he is likely to make no impact on the series whatsoever.
• You hear that coughing and choking sound, thats A-Rod struggling to force down an 0-2 with a runner left on base night. I still don't buy him as a scary postseason threat until he puts together a massive game like some of the ones he had in the regular season.
• Chien Ming Wang was followed by Russ Ohlendorf and Jose Veras, I can just see the "Spahn and Sain and Pray for Rain" rhyme now, "Ohlendorf and Veras, please Joba save us."
• Did I mention Kenny Lofton is 40 YEARS OLD!!! He must have his sights set on Julio Franco.

Rockies v. Phillies

I want to make it clear that I think if the Phillies were playing any other team in the NL playoffs right now they would have at least split the series and looked substantially better than they have against the Rockies. But the way the Rockies are playing right now they might as well be a Soviet Hockey team from the middle 70s, just a flat out buzz saw that is cutting down everything in their path. They are killing Philadelphia's pitching that looked so good down the stretch, and making Utley and Howard look silly up at the plate, although Howard has looked silly this season to the tune of 200 strikeouts.

Mark my words, the Rockies will sweep this series and I think they have a great chance of running the table on the Diamondbacks as well because right now their combination of timely hitting and solid but unspectacular pitching is a winning formula. They had 12 hits against the pitching of Philadelphia last night and probably could have had more if they weren't just trying to preserve the lead later in the game. Other notes;

• Troy Tulowitski is phenomenal, his stats may not measure to Ryan Braun's but he is far and away the NL Rookie of the Year, nobody that young and green should ever be as clutch as he has been. He is the remaking of Andruw Jones of the early 90s and 2000, he plays terrific defense and always has timely hits. If the Rockies are interested I hear Julio Lugo really likes the skiing in Vail, we can always trade?
• After all I just said about Tulowitski, Jimmy Rollins is the best shortstop in baseball right now and my vote for NL MVP no matter what Matt Holliday does the rest of the way. There is nobody more integral to the Phillies than Rollins and nothing illustrates that better than in the last regular season game him leading off with a single and stealing second and third. Matt Holliday just can't do that. Did I mention Rollins is going to be on Baseball Tonight once he retires, mark it down that is a sure thing.
• I mean Philly fans can always rely on the Flyers and the Eagles..........oooooh I love to rub it in.
• Breaking news! Willie Randolph has gained 10 pounds on beer and junk food alone watching this series.

Diamondbacks v. Cubs

Whether it be Bartman in 2003 or Zambrano coming out this year Cubs fans, and Red Sox fans also, love to find that one thing about a series they lost and point to it as the only reason they lost the series. Bartman didn't lose the series, the Cubs blew it, they pulled a Red Sox in 1986 except Bartman was a little less directly to blame that Bill Buckner was. This season I cannot say enough about how much of the wrong decision it was for Lou Piniella to take out Zambrano. I am pretty sure managers since Stengel has been quoted as saying "you take it one game at a time." and you play to win each and every day. That does not mean you take out your best starter in a 1-1 tie after 6 innings, if Zambrano really wants to win he will pitch again in Game 4 no matter how many pitches he threw. Piniella can stand by his decision but now he is in an 0-2 hole that he will almost likely not be able to climb out of. But hey, at least Zambrano is ready for game 4.

With all that being said it is not Piniella's decision that has cost the Cubs this series. Ted Lilly's 88 mile an hour chest high fastball to Chris Young is more directly at fault, and the fact that Soriano and Derek Lee, who were so pivotal for the Cubbies down the stretch, have mailed it in and gone a combined 4-27. When your best offense play of the postseason was a home run hit by Hernando de Soto, the influential and daring Spanish explorer and conquistador of the 15th century, you know you aren't producing.

• I am pretty sure Brandon Webb, Chien Ming Wang, and Carmona are all the same pitcher with different skins, kind of like a FaceOff Nicholas Cage type deal. They literally throw all the same pitches and get people out the same way, its really quite eerie.
• Will someone please tell me who Mark Reynolds, and Jeff Salazar and Chris Snyder are? Imagine if they win the World Series, they will set records for least number of people to care about a championship team. F.Y.I I am convince the fans in Phoenix are the nouveau Dodgers fans who are very passive and mild and love to wagon hop.
• Chris Young is going to be good once he learns to be a little more selective, and Stephen Drew is going to be as good if not better next year after the showing at the plate he has displayed in Games 1 and 2.
• Hey Cubs fans, there is always next year right? Isn't that what you guys always say? I am wrong, do I have it backwards?

I will most likely write again in the middle of the Championship series, I like being creative and writing mid series rather than summarizing the whole series. It allows me to make predictions and if they come true, I look smart.

5 Reasons why college football is better

I want you all to think back to when you were 8 years old. It is Christmas Morning at 5 am and you are the one awake downstairs shaking all the presents to see what you can find out and constantly pestering the rest of your family to wake up because its so exciting. That is how I felt, like a kid on Christmas, when I got home from work to find out that not only was Florida losing late in the 3rd quarter to unranked Auburn, but also that USC was in a dogfight with Ty Willingham and the rest of the top 10 had already been turned upside down earlier in the day.

Thats when it hit me, I am in the minority amongst my friends when it comes to liking college football better than pro football so this blog will be devoted to explaining to you not why I think college football is better, but why it is better. Enjoy

Reason 1-The games are more fun
Its true, I understand that football is a fun sport whether it is at the Pop Warner level or the NFL but college football really is more fun. Has anyone ever heard the Patriots marching band strike up the fight song after a touchdown? Has anyone ever seen 100,000 people in Dallas all jumping up and down like at Camp Randall before a Wisconsin football game? The point is that professional football is a business and a career, and like any other job, the seriousness increases exponentially when you are working or playing to make a living and not because you want to live it up in college.
When Vince Young beat the Saints last Monday in resounding fashion he most likely went back to his house or hotel to either sleep and prepare for a film session tomorrow or rest from getting his ass kicked all over the field so he can practice on tuesday. When South Florida beat West Virginia I almost guarantee Matt Grothe did not go back to campus and sleep, my guess is he went out to celebrate and probably hooked up with a really attractive girl from school(lucky bastard). The pressure is the same, the intensity is the same, and the necessity for winning is the same at both levels and thats why some college football players will complain that college football is a fulltime job for them. I bet it is, but they also haven't actually played the game for a job so they don't really know.

Reason 2-Upsets
Last Saturday should have served as a wake up call to people living in a dreamworld where the NFL is more exciting than College Football. Florida, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Rutgers, Penn State, Texas, and Clemson all were upset in some of the most exciting and dramatical games of the year. Upsets happen in the NFL also, they just aren't as resounding as the ones in college football. When the Texans beat the Colts last year, that was an upset, but did anyone see hundreds of crazed Texans fans who had rushed the field standing behind David Carr as the useless sideline reporter asked him how he managed to beat the Colts? No! But when Rob Stone interviewed Ben Moffit how many drunken South Florida stands were standing behind him screaming at the top of their lungs and rubbing his bald head?
There is really only one way to accurately describe and convince people that college upsets are better. Next Saturday is Ohio State is getting beat by Purdue by 7 with 2 minutes to go and you don't care about either team, evaluate how excited you are to watch the next 2 minutes unfold. Then the next day when the Raiders are winning by 7 with 2 minutes to go against the Patriots and you are from Cleveland and couldn't care less who wins, tell me how excited you are. You will clearly learn that potential upsets in college get the adrenaline pumping far more than any NFL upset.

Reason 3- Mistakes
Now you must be ready to kick my ass, mistakes in college football make the game better? You must be smoking some of that stuff that Ricky Williams got on his visit to the jungles of India. But hear me out before I am stoned to death (no pun intended). People always argue that the Pro game is better because the level of talent is higher and the quality of play is better, i.e. less sloppy mistakes, less penalties, more amazing displays of athletic ability and prowess. Au Contraire my dear Watsons because this is exactly why the pro game is worse than the college game.
For example, I show the jury exhibit A, the super bowl game between the Patriots and the Panthers, the Patriots drive down the field and end up at around the 28 yard line, but for the sake of the argument lets say the drive ends at around the 32. That means that Adam Vinateri is lining up to win the Super Bowl with a 45 yard kick. Now I understand that this is real human drama, but being realistic is there any possibility that Vinateri misses that kick? My answer is no, he is a professional kicker and one of the best in the world in a neutral site with only a half-hostile crowd on turf.
Now think about last Saturday when Auburn kicker Wes Byrum is lining up for a 43 yard field goal as a redshirt freshman, in one of the more hostile environments in college football. He is young, and inexperienced and not yet equipped with the nerves and focus that it takes to make that kick 10 times out of 10. Then he not only has to make it once, but because of a timeout by Urban Meyer, he has to make it twice. That is real drama, there is no guarantee that Byrum will make this kick, I mean he has missed already from shorter distances on the season. Now what would you rather watch?
Missed tackles and bad decisions by quarterbacks and dropped passes that should have been caught are all bad football plays, but great for adding intrigue, excitement, and of course drama to a football game. How many times are punts blocked in the pros? How many times are they blocked in college? Now, after realizing "Gee whiz Mike that is very insightful, the professionals almost never block punts" think about how exciting and monumental and important a blocked punt can be to not only the scoreboard, but also momentum and energy. Now tell me you don't want more.

Reason 4- Pressure, Pressure, Pressure
I pride myself on finding new angles at which to explore topics, such as why college football is better, and because of this I am very ashamed to write this 4th reason because it is of course one of the most integral reasons why college football is better, and therefore is more played out than Brett Favre.
On a side note I blame Chris Berman entirely for getting sick of Brett Favre. I mean the guy is a great competitor, and terrific quarterback and most likely a good guy. But Chris Berman every Sunday night, keep in mind I speak of last season, ignores all of his interceptions and poor decisions and instead acts like 1 touchdown and 3 picks is ok because he is Brett Favre and everyone knows Brett only threw those interceptions because he wanted to because he has pinpoint control and has never played a bad game in his life. The way Chris Berman not-so-secretly loves him makes me think that he has rescued the Berman's cat from a tree, or sent them a Christmas card every year. Yet I digress.
The reasoning that has been beaten like a dead horse is that not every game in the NFL is so directly linked to your ability to succeed in the post season. Its true that more teams from college play in "the post season" but there are also 119 teams and I am not so sure if Miami really enjoyed playing in the MPC computers bowl last year while watching Wake Forest play Louisville in their home stadium in a BCS game. In college football, essentially one loss in a game you weren't supposed to lose and your dreams of a national title are dashed. For example, Oklahoma, If they beat Texas they will have another outside chance at the National title, but they don't play good teams the rest of the way and their loss is to Colorado, who is now at .500, thats like settling for a good looking girl because her face is really cute when there is a girl with a really cute face and a great personality who didn't get beat by Colorado who wants to go out with you.
This reasoning makes every game equally as important, where as 3 straight losses in the NFl doesn't mean a damn thing if you won the first 10 games. The college kids put more emotion and heart on the line week in and week out and play every down and game like it is the most important because technically, it is.
Put it this way, If Michigan has just Ohio State left on their schedule, and they have only lost 1 game and are already in the post season, they are not going to sit Chad Henne and Michael Hart, partly because the game is of the utmost importance, and partly because Michigan hates Ohio State like Biggie hated Tupac to use the most related analogy.
The last three weeks of the season are bad in the NFL, starters sit because their coaches don't want them to get hurt, which makes sense, but isn't fun, and the possibility of pulling a Doc Rivers and making sure that every single player who could help your team win is sitting because you want a better draft pick is not only feasible, its likely. Again, excitement and nerves run rampant in college where as in the pros its just business.

Reason 5- Rivalries, Traditions, and Characters
I start this reason with a little bit of 1 on 1, I want you to choose which rivalry you think is not only better in terms of quality of games and deeply-rooted hatred, but also for pageantry and traditions. Ready?

Ohio St. v. Michigan or Green Bay v. Minnesota?
Army v. Navy or Philadelphia v. New York?
Miami v. Florida St. or Indianapolis v. New England?
Oregon v. Cal or Denver v. Oakland?

With the exception of the 3rd choice I offered I think it is very clear that every single college rivalry is better than the professional rivalry I offered as a foil. I mean for goddsakes John Cooper got fired from Ohio State despite almost a .750 winning percentage because he was 2-10 vs. Ohio State. Likewise, people put Lloyd Carr on the hotseat even before his team decided it never liked defense anyways and wasn't going to play any of it because he is 1-5 vs. Jim Tressel, Cooper's successor who could probably get people in Columbus to hold his johnson for him while he pees.
They are just better, I don't remember the last time a professional football mascot got in a fight with another mascot like the numerous occasions in college football. Emotions run higher in college football, for chrissakes Woody Hayes tackled a Clemson player for intercepting a pass, the closest professional thing I can think of that compares is when Randall Simon mugged the Sausage at Miller Park because Simon had put money on him to win and he wasn't. Emotions make rivalries, they spawn hatred for other teams when the players probably are going to be co-employees in the professional league.

There you have it, the 5 reasons why College Football is better, yeah its corrupt and players don't have to go to class and most are of questionable moral integrity and their coaches are of even more questionable moral integrity. But put the blinders on and watch the game.

Amendent 1- College Gameday is waaaaaaaay better than listening to Michael Irvin and Tom Jackson and the 17 other former players they have on Sunday Countdown, it doesn't even compare.