D Is For Draft

San Diego bust Ryan Leaf wonders why anyone would
want to watch the NFL Draft, especially this year with the
impending lockout.

With the first pick of the 2011 NFL Draft I give you.... the most overhyped day of the year.

That's right. In just a few short hours, the Carolina Panthers will kick things off for the most pointless three hours of television – made even more pointless by the impending lockout.

We all know how crazy Americans are for football – that's why some genius came up with the NFL Network. But those fans that dress up and attend the actual draft border on insane. Like a fine cigar, the draft's anticipation and expectation often lead to a disappointing experience that leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

For starters, there's no guarantee that those draft picks will even pan out – just ask Ryan Leaf about it, if you can find him. Leaf isn't the only bust in the draft's history. Countless others have fizzled once they quit playing the junior varsity teams in college.

Then there's the chance that the rookie will struggle or not even play at all in his first year – unless he's a man named Suh. People get too excited over what a player did in college. The NFL is a completely different game. The players are bigger, they're quicker and they hit harder. It takes some time getting used to.

But perhaps the worst part about the draft is seeing those insane fans jeer when they feel their team has made a bad pick. Alright, Oakland fans had a right to boo Al Davis after the Darrius Heyward-Bey incident – everybody and their mother knew that was a bad pick. However, jumping to quick conclusions should be avoided at all costs. Remember, these guys scout players for a living. They know what it takes to be the best and know more about the team's needs than the average Joe Tailgater.

I'm not advocating a boycott of the NFL Draft. If you want to kill some time and cheer or jeer your team's picks, have at it. Just realize, with the impending lockout, your effort tonight might be for a lost cause. The class is not overwhelmingly full of great athletes and all the teams seem to be looking for something different, so in a similar fashion to draft guru Mel Kiper Jr., I'll give the 2011 NFL Draft a D at best.

Hacking Away With Character

Kevin Na examines his lie on the ninth hole of the Valero
Texas Open. Na's 16 set a record, but even after the hole he
was still able to smile and address the media.

Anybody whose ever picked up a golf club knows how challenging the sport can be. Sometimes the hole looks no bigger than a pea. Other times, tree branches seem to multiply as you get closer and closer to your ball.

Now imagine trying to play the most infuriating game known to man with the pressure of the world's best nipping at your heals.

That's what Rory McIlroy and Kevin Na had to deal with these last two weekends.

For McIlroy – a 21 year old in search of his first Green Jacket – the plan was relatively simple. With a four-shot lead going into the final day all he had to do was show up and keep it in the fairway.

He showed up, but that's about all that the vibrant Irishman did. Perhaps it was a bad tuna sandwich or a busty beercart lady after the turn that had McIlroy distracted, but after a pair of double bogeys sandwiched a bogey, McIlroy's name dropped from the leaderboard like a golf ball hit in the middle of the lake.

But while McIlroy choked on the world's biggest golf stage, he can take solace in knowing that someone else had a worse week.

Whenever I got stuck behind a tree while playing a round, my dad always used to say that the tree was 90 percent air. Try telling that to Kevin Na.

During last weekend's Valero Texas Open, Na's knack for finding the woods resulted in a record-setting 16 on one hole. Don't believe me, you can count the shots here.

We've all been there at sometime or another. After about 12 shots, most of us would pick up the ball, call it a day and head into the clubhouse looking for a cold brew to help us forget that nightmare even happened.

Kudos to Na, though. Despite all the frustration and knowing that his shot at a tournament win went up in flames with that one hole, he fought through it all – even laughing it off and talking to the media after his round.

Professional golfers are very touchy and tough to deal with sometimes. They often act like the world owes them a favor just because they can hit a little, white ball into a 50 to 100-yard fairway. Just look at the way Tiger Woods has carried himself over the past year.

Obviously, both McIlroy and Na were frustrated with their performance – as any professional athlete would be. For them to address the media and handle the questions in the way they did following their poor rounds, that says a lot about their character.

Golf may not be the most watched sport on TV, but with guys like McIlroy and Na letting the public into their own little world, its popularity will soar. If nothing else, people will tune in just to see a couple of guys hack it like they do.

Athletic Directors Gone Wild!

Southern University's Greg LaFleur
ponders how he's going to top his recent
arrest for soliciting a prostitute to win
Worst Athletic Director of the Year
next year.

Think of all the bad athletic directors in college athletics. Some – like BYU's Tom Holmoe – take championships away by enforcing silly rules. Others see previously earned victories vacated by letting players and coaches run amuck without any consequences for their actions.

But the award for Worst Athletic Director of the Year goes to a dark horse – Mr. Greg LaFleur of Southern University.

That's right folks, this is not another Mike Alden bashing – as you would expect from a University of Missouri alumni after the recent hire of Frank Haith as the new men's basketball coach for the Tigers.

No, the former NFL tight end topped the wishy-washy and often misinformed Alden by being arrested for soliciting a prostitute Sunday in Houston. Turns out the prostitute was part of a sting operation put on by undercover police officers.

Prostitution seems to be running rampant in the sports world these days. Just a few weeks ago, Kevin Provencher, an award-winning sportswriter in New Hampshire, was sentenced to two years in prison for running a prostitution ring. If only LaFleur would have called him instead of browsing the streets like he was in a grocery isle.

Generally, the athletic director position is reserved for one of two types of people. The hoity-toity snob who can barely walk and chew bubble gum or the former jock who is barely smart enough to figure out how to use his office computer. My guess is that LaFleur falls into the latter column.

But it isn't just LaFleur who is acting out as an athletic director. Debbie Yow, NC State's athletic director, has also made recent headlines stating that Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams – whom Yow worked with for 16 years – sabotaged Yow's quest for a new men's basketball coach. Yow-za!

So look out, world. It appears that athletic directors across the country are through with being the ones to uphold the standards at their respective universities. Summer may not be here yet, but as you can see, some athletic directors have already let their hair down.

Won't Be Fooled Again

Matt Howard cuts down a piece of the net after beating Florida to reach the

Final Four. Don't be surprised if the Bulldogs are cutting down more nets in

Houston this weekend.

Alright, raise your hand if you correctly predicted all four teams that reached the Final Four. Those people with their hands raised are either lying or should be taking the next flight to Las Vegas.

If your like me, chances are your bracket was fried by the first weekend – if not the first day. The addition of four more teams to this year's tournament has somehow created a multitude of upsets and ruined approximately 5.9 million brackets on espn.com and countless others worldwide.

So here we are, heading into the final weekend of college basketball and it already appears that the championship will feature David vs. Goliath. 

But why should we be surprised that Butler or Virginia Commonwealth will be playing for a national championship Monday night?

The Bulldogs made an improbable run to last year's Final Four. Everybody – including myself – figured it was a fluke, especially knowing Butler had to go through the might and Big East-tested Pitt just to reach the Sweet 16.

Butler's run consisted of hard work, a little luck and basically everything that makes the NCAA Tournament great. Led by Matt Howard – an all-elbows-and-knees player who looks like he was just pulled from the stands – the Bulldogs and their coach Brad Stevens continue to show the world mid-majors can compete with the big boys. Perhaps that's why Stevens' name has been on every team's wish list since early last year.

Then there's VCU. At this point, the Rams are just happy to be in Houston. Last year, they may not have even made the tournament, but because of the play-in games, they got a shot. After taking care of USC, VCU proved to be an atomic bomb for brackets across the nation – capping their run off with a stunning upset of overwhelming favorite Kansas with a barrage of 3-pointers.

While the big boys – Kentucky and UConn – duke it out in the night's second semifinal, don't sleep on the little guy in Monday's championship. These two teams have been playing like they have nothing to lose all tournament. Chances are they will play the same way in the championship.

And when March rolls around next year, don't automatically count out the little guy. I learned my lesson and, as The Who once sang, I won't be fooled again.