The National Football League is thinking about adding two more teams to the playoff tournament, or in essence, turning the regular season into an extended preseason. This is truly ridiculous. What makes the NFL so great is its regular season and parity between teams. Every regular season game is crucial considering there are only 16 of them. There are already teams with 9-7 records getting into the playoffs; with an extended playoffs there is a possibility of a team with a losing record getting in. Rewarding a losing team is like getting $10 in middle school for earning a ‘D’. This is already happening in the NHL and NBA on occasion, but it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Just let it alone, Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, don’t let the extra bucks cheapen the game.The NFL’s biggest problems lie off the field, however. We have Rae Carruth found hiding in the trunk of a car in a motel parking lot, running from police after getting charged with the murder of his pregnant girlfriend. Hmm… Rae, I’m guessing that’s not the way to give an appearance of innocence. Then again, after Orenthal… never mind. Ray Lewis has also been accused of murder after an incident on Super Bowl weekend that left two dead. After the first week of testimony in his trial it looks like he may be innocent. Peter Warrick could be seen a month ago collecting garbage on the side of the highway in Florida as part of his punishment for a 98 percent discount at Dillards. That incident cost him the Heisman trophy his senior year at Florida State. Last, but most surprising, is former United Way spokesman from the Packers, Mark Chumura. Chumura is accused of having his way with a 17-year-old girl at an after-prom party. Mark, Mark, Mark…The parity between teams in the NFL makes the hunt for playoff spots in the regular season exciting. It’s the best aspect of the NFL. For example, last season Kurt Warner came out of the soup kitchen to lead the Rams to a championship after their previous season’s record was 6-10. The expansion teams Jaguars and Panthers made their respective conferences’ championship games in only their second seasons. Baseball could use a little parity to spark interest in the regular season. I don’t see Tampa Bay overthrowing the Yankees or Red Sox anytime soon in the AL East. There are some ways of achieving parity. No. 1 is a salary cap. The players union isn’t gonna let that fly; it’s not exactly the CWA were talking about. The owners attempted a sort of cap in 1994 and the players went on strike and sat out the season. The World Series was canceled for the first time since 1904. A second possible solution in baseball would be to cut some teams from the league. This may be even more inconceivable than the salary cap. Cut the Angels and Expos out of the league and no one there would even notice. Put their players in a draft and we have a more talented league. It would reverse what the recent expansion trend has done, watering down the talent pool. Phillies pitcher Curt Schilling seconds this notion, “If a city doesn’t support a team they shouldn’t have one.” Now nickel beer night would also spur attendance, but riots are frowned upon (i.e. Cleveland Stadium, 1970s). It has been a somewhat refreshing year in baseball but it is only June 1. There is more competition in most divisions, but if you look at the standings, the deep-pocketed teams are still at the top. The exceptions are the Dodgers and Orioles, who are about as fiscally responsible as the Soviet Union during the cold war.
Travis Sawchik is a sophomore journalism major who is slightly aroused by the image of Peter Gammons in a dress in the “Baseball Tonight” commercials.