While the possibility of this seems less likely with each passing day (conference moves have been like gunshots lately, see Syracuse and Pitt to the ACC or TCU to the Big 12), I think it is interesting to investigate where they should go. A decision will have to be made at some point.

First of all Florida State really messed up when they did not make a play for the SEC (Clemson messed up as well). The SEC is obviously a behemoth conference in terms of revenue and popularity and unlike the Big 12, the Noles sit just beyond the fence. There just two hours away from Florida and five hours from LSU. The fit would have been perfect in terms of geography, football popularity and the potential to compete. While Florida State is solidly behind the SEC schools in talent, there not as far as you may think. And they’re definitely ahead of Missouri and Texas A&M.

FSU President Eric Barron is right; moving to the Big 12 is not a great idea. The travel is grueling, a large number of the teams will not have the cache needed to sell out Doak Campbell and you would replace being second fiddle to North Carolina schools for being second fiddle to Texas. And Florida State will never win that battle. At least in the ACC, the Seminoles can nudge closer with ACC tournament title wins and most importantly, a football national championship.

So, for now, Florida State should sit back and ride the ACC wave out (maybe actually win the ACC football title) and wait for another round of SEC expansion. Then get with Clemson and ruthlessly push away from the ACC and into greener pastures.

Traditionally, all that has come from sports and gambling is controversy. Pete Rose in the MLB, Michael Jordan and Tim Donaghy in the NBA, Boston College and the Mob in the NCAA, but there has never really been an NFL scandal regarding gambling.

With the ever increasing need for any form of revenue, the NFL would be ignorant not to explore this option for revenue. Not only are advertising dollars down, but so are dollars in every other area of the game. Casinos most likely will offer more money for prime advertising spots than an insurance company or bank. So for now, this is a strong handed move, and I foresee the NBA following suit. It is more difficult to bet on the NHL and the MLB, so they will most likely be the last groups on the bandwagon.

However smart this move is now, it is a bit scary to think about what this could snowball into. Would a company like the Royal Palms be able to purchase an entire NFL team (maybe the Vikings)? Would the Hard Rock casino be allowed to place slot machines in the concourse? For the sake of the game, let’s hope that sports and gambling do not become synonymous in the future.

The Rangers won games 1, 3, and 6. The Senators have won games 2, 4, and 5. It all comes down to game 7 in New York on Thursday night. This series has been tense all the way through, and game 7 will not stray from that trend whatsoever.

Despite home ice advantage in the Garden, the Senators are going to pull this one out in the end. Being in the Garden certainly doesn’t bother them, they are 4-1 there this season. On top of that, the eight seed doesn’t exactly bother the Senators, who only finished a few games back in the regular season.

As far as personnel, Senators coach Paul MacLean is in his first game 7 an he is as hungry as ever. Jason Spezza of Ottawa has three goals and two assists already this series, and he hopes to make a fool of Henrik Lundqvist in his own house.

When it all boils down, it is going to be an excellent game Thursday night at the Garden. Speaking from a nationalistic side of the matchup…never choose the United States over Canada. Just ask those Olympic Gold Medal winners of 2010.

‘Bones’ stands 5 inches taller than Evans at 6’4, with an impressive reach of 84.5 inches. Bones is a wrestling specialist, and also favors Muay Thai. Jones lands more than 50 percent of his punches, and almost never gets taken down. At only 24 years old, Jones certainly has plenty of fighting energy in him.

Rashad ‘Suga’ Evans is a much different fighter than Jones. He stands a mere 5’11 with a short reach of 75 inches. Evans is like a fighting brick. He is very strong and likes to wear his opponents down late into fights. He only lands 40% of his punches when boxing, but once Evans gets his opponent to the ground he is a relentless wrestler.

While it could be possible that Jones is looking past the underdog in Evans, I don’t see an upset here. ‘Bones’ is far too talented and too athletic. His aggressive style along with his impressive wingspan will be enough to win this fight in only a few rounds.

For our money, baseball is best watched live.

Essentially there are three places to watch sporting events; at home (or friends’ home), at a bar (or restaurant), or live. While each of these locations certainly has its pros and cons, they vary depending on the sport. Taking a look at the four major sports, where would you want to watch them?

NFL Game: This one is a no brainer to me, of course at home. Watching a football game seems as if it was meant for the lazy boy. Not only does this allow you to kick back on the couch with all of your buddies, but you can also feast like a king and get considerably intoxicated for little cost to you. The NFL also shows several games in conflicting time slots on Sundays, which means you will be allowed to flip from channel to channel and watch several games.

NBA Game: Basketball is perfect to watch at a bar or restaurant. The high flying athletes prompt frequent eruptions from the slightly buzzed patrons. On top of that, most NBA games come down to the last second or head to overtime. There could not be a better occasion to bet your buddies another round of drinks on the victor.

NHL Game: I feel as if the NHL, like the NBA, is also most appropriately viewed from a bar. A bar narrowly beat out live, mainly because of the difficulties most people have seeing the puck at a live hockey game. At a bar, you get enhanced views of the plays and are surrounded by a bunch of like-minded Canadians. The fighting culture of hockey also seems to blend perfectly into a bar scene; just take it outside.

MLB Game: The question of where to watch baseball is almost a no brainer. Obviously live, right? Not as if baseball is wildly entertaining live but it certainly provides much more than at home or a bar. Sitting through an entire three hour baseball game while drinking at a bar would probably end with an arrest, and at home on the couch would end with a nap. Plus, nothing like going to the ballpark, having ice cold lemonade and peanuts. …And leaving in the 7^th inning.

To begin, this was not a ‘bizarre’ move by the MLB, they did this last year… I’m not sure where the gripe was then. Wasserman challenges the meaning of this message, stating that he never saw the true correlation between Jackie’s number and what he meant for the entire sports world. He states that Jackie’s number does not have the intimacy of Jordan’s 23, Gretzky’s 99, or Mantle’s 7. I disagree outright. Jackie did more for sports than each of them combined. Heck, Michael Jordan may have never played basketball had it not been for Jackie Robinson.

The reason why this is an appropriate tribute is because of its minimal consequences, and the lack of an alternative. I don’t see the big deal if the announcers have some difficulty discerning whom a player is; it only happens once a year. To say that this tribute should not be performed in order to ease scorekeeping is absurd and insensitive. Even if this whole scorekeeping debacle was such an issue, how else are you going to pay tribute to a man who changed the face of sports forever? I’m certain that a sleeve patch with his number does almost no justice in the matter.

Jackie Robinson is not some guy who passed last weekend and deserves a moment of silence. Jackie Robinson is not some guy who hit 500 home runs. Jackie Robinson is not a greedy owner who passed the week earlier. Jackie Robinson changed the Dodgers, he changed baseball, he changed sports, and he changed America. The least we could do is deal with a few scorekeeping errors, right?

Madden has even attempted to avoid the curse, in 2009 they put a retired Brett Favre on the cover, he went on to return to the NFL and get himself involved in a sexual harassment scandal. Leading up to 2012, Peyton Hillis graced the cover and became an irrelevant running back again.

This year, Madden decided to let the fans decide who will make the cover. The vote is down to four finalists; Cam Newton, Patrick Willis, Aaron Rodgers, and Calvin Johnson. Do any of these guys even want to be on the cover?

Say no, why chance it? If a guy like Barry Sanders can’t beat the curse, nobody can. Being on the Madden cover it is somewhat of a self-defeating prophecy. Sure, the thought of being on a game coveted by millions of fans is great publicity and all, but is it really worth ending a career for?  Then again, the thought of being the one who breaks the curse is tempting. Just ask the Cubs how that has worked out for them

1. Who’s the breakout star so far of 2012?

Brittany Griner. Isn’t that obvious? Or are NCAA women’s teams often forgotten? Griner carried Baylor all season with a record of 40-0. If Griner isn’t on that team they don’t make headlines or get past the first round of the tournament.

 2. Best tournament so far in 2012: NFL playoffs? NCAAs? Masters? Other? Explain.

Considering the Nathan’s Hot Dog contest hasn’t happened yet…The NFL playoffs were cool, but it was just a repeat of the 2007 playoffs.

3. 2012 has not been kind to reputations (e.g. Dwight Howard, Bobby Petrino). Whose has taken the biggest hit so far?

Is Cleveland still suffering from LeBron taking his talents to South Beach?

 4. What’s the biggest story that no one is talking about right now (until, that is, you talk about it)?

The TCU Athlete-Run Drug Ring, aren’t they supposed to be Christians?

5. In the rest of 2012, I’m looking forward to …?

Ozzie Guillen’s favorable comments on Hitler, Mussolini, crime.

It all depends what you want to get out of the game. Parks like Fenway and Wrigley Field are about baseball and only baseball. At either of these parks don’t expect carousels, fish tanks, hot tubs, or anything like that. Fenway is about tradition, and what is happening on the field; nothing else. That being said, you have to be a true baseball fan to enjoy Fenway or Wrigley Field. The seats are cramped, the views aren’t the best, but it has nothing to do with that for the spectators, they are all for the love of the game.

New parks like Marlins Park in Miami or Comerica Park in Detroit offer much more than baseball to their fans. In Detroit they have a Ferris wheel, in Miami they have fish tanks and a pool, in Houston they have a hot tub. These parks are designed for fan enjoyment outside of baseball. If you have kids, they may not enjoy or appreciate the bland tradition of Fenway Park. Take them to Marlins Park where 3 hours of baseball has its distractions so they don’t get bored.

Fans will have a great time at a Major League ballpark no matter what, it just depends what type of fan you are. If you are more into baseball, stick with tradition and ignore the merry go round in centerfield. If you’re looking for an exciting distraction from reality, head south to Miami.

To start, it was about the contracts. Ozzie Guillen, had he been terminated, would have been wrongfully fired. Although he has a responsibility for maintaining a positive image of the team, he still is allowed to say what he wants. Petrino on the other hand had explicitly spelled out terms in his contract regarding his image and the Razorbacks football program.

After that, these two could not have handled the matter any differently. Petrino came out and lied to the public, and the team. He did not seem sympathetic whatsoever, rather he was looking for sympathy. If Petrino thought he could get away with a lie of that magnitude he is mistaken.  Ozzie handled his matter much differently. Although the public backlash was extreme, he went out of his way to apologize whole-heartedly. Ozzie claimed that this was the biggest mistake he has ever made, and that it has changed him as a person.

Although Ozzie Guillen’s incident may have more taboo, Petrino was far more immoral in his actions. First, the man is cheating on his wife with a colleague, then he crashes his motorcycle (possibly intoxicated) and lies to the fans and his team about it. Ozzie made one tiny slip up, Petrino orchestrated his own downfall from beginning to end.