DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN

***** DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN 

1. FOOTBALL CONFERENCES MADE GEOGRAPHICAL SENSE .    A CONFERENCE ONLY HAD 8 OR 9 MEMBERS SO EVERYONE PLAYED THE COMPLETE CONFERENCE . 

THE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP WAS DETERMINED BY THE REGULAR SEASON . YOU HAD ROOM FOR TWO TO FOUR OUT OF CONFERENCE GAMES . 

 THE SEASON ONLY LASTED 10 TO 12 WEEKS DEPENDING ON THE AMOUNT OF BYE WEEKS YOU WANTED .

 THEN IN SEARCH OF THE DOLLAR CONFERENCES EXPANDED TO 12 TO 16 TEAMS . SCHOOLS PLAYED IN DIVISIONS THEN HAD A CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME . 

 THIS WAS DONE TO INCREASE THE SIZE OF THE TV MARKET AND THE INCOME FROM THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME . 

 THE AVERAGE FAN GOT THE SHORT END OF THE STICK  . INCREASED TICKET PRICES AND LONG DRIVING  TRIPS TO SEE THE TEAM PLAY ON THE ROAD .    

 NOW SCHOOLS ARE ENGAGED IN AN ARMS RACE TO PROVIDE THE MOST ORNATE FACILITIES POSSIBLE . YOU FALL BEHIND IN THE ARMS RACE YOU FALL BEHIND IN RECRUITING . 

 CHASING THE DOLLAR HAS GOTTEN MANY TEAMS IN FINANCIAL STRESS AND CAUSED HARM TO COLLEGE FOOTBALL . 

 COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS NOT AN EXTRA - CURRICULAR ACTIVITY BUT IS A MULTI - MILLION DOLLAR SCHOOL BUSINESS .

THIS IS NOT GOOD . 

2. BASEBALL HAD TWO LEAGUES , THE WINNER OF EACH LEAGUE PLAYED IN THE WORLD SERIES . 

THE WORLD SERIES WAS OVER BEFORE THE ARRIVAL OF COLD WINTER . I DON'T THINK BASEBALL WAS MEANT TO BE PLAYED IN ICE AND SNOW .

EACH LEAGUE DETERMINED THE CHAMP IN THE REGULAR SEASON .

AFTER YOU PLAY A 162 GAMES YOU DON'T NEED 7 - GAME PLAYOFFS TO DETERMINE THE BEST TEAM . YOU HAVE ALREADY DECIDED THAT . 

 BUT THE PLAYOFFS ARE A BIG BIG MONEYMAKER . SO WE HAVE A 162 GAME SEASON . TWO OR THREE OF 7-GAME PLAYOFF SERIES ,THEN THE WORLD SERIES . 

IN THE NAME OF THE DOLLAR WE PLAY ENDLESS BASEBALL INTO THE DEAD OF WINTER . 
BUT YOU MUST WAIT TO THE SPRING THAW TO FIND THE NUMBER OF FANS FROZEN IN THE CLASSIC . 

***** ANOTHER QUICK THOUGHT 

THE SUPER BOWL IS IN NEW YORK THIS YEAR . 

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT AN OUTDOOR GAME AT NIGHT IN NYC IN FEBRUARY .

WHOSE IDEAL WAS THIS  ? IN THE NEW LANGUAGE OF TEXTING THOSE FOLKS ARE GOING TO FTAO .

LATER GATOR .  I THINK OLE MISS WILL GET VANDY . HOPE NOT . I SHOULD NOT REALLY CARE . I WAS NOT RICH ENOUGH TO GO TO OLE MISS AND NOT SMART ENOUGH TO GO TO VANDERBILT.