Does Clarett know what he's getting into?
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At first, it seemed another commercial for "The Practice," a once-proud-but-now-unwatchable show with bizarre storylines.
A talented running back who has been in trouble academically, legally and with the NCAA and who has been linked this past week to a known gambler challenges the NFL's rule that prevents him from being eligible for the draft until he's three years out of high school.
Unfortunately, it's not reality TV. It's as real as the possibility that former Ohio State star Maurice Clarett will be drafted this April.
U.S. District Court Judge Shira Scheindlin opened a Pandora's box by ruling that the NFL had violated antitrust laws with its age limits, thus excluding this young athlete from selling his services to the highest bidder (i.e., the NFL) and denying other young athletes the opportunity to enter the job market in their chosen field.
On the surface, it's easy to agree with that line of thinking. But further study and reflection brings the realization that America's No. 1 team sport could soon face the same plague that has damaged the quality of play in the NBA - a plethora of immature players seeking jobs in the pros before they're ready, and most ending up on the scrap heap.
The successes of kids who leave college early (Michael Jordan, Isiah Thomas and this year, Carmelo Anthony) are the exceptions to the hundreds who surrendered college eligibility without having the talent to make it in the NBA. Most end up in developmental leagues or in Europe, if they're lucky.
And what about the kids who have opted to go straight to the pros from high school?LeBron James is truly the first to have an impact as a rookie. Some (Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett) develop quickly into stars and a few (Tracy McGrady and Jermaine O'Neal) need three years of riding the pine to mature their game.
Scheindlin says that kids should be allowed to seek the jobs they want. True, but who's going to protect them from the same system that's supposed to set them free? The NCAAisn't likely to change its rules that don't allow prep basketball players who declare for the NBA Draft to play in college, and won't let early-entry college players return if they've hired an agent.
Plus, the physical aspect of maturity is also an important component of this debate. While the rigors of a basketball season are tough on a young body, they don't compare to the punishment doled out in a single NFLgame. It would be downright scary to watch Ray Lewis get up a full head of steam before plowing into the admittedly fragile Clarett.
A bigger issue is whether antitrust laws even apply. This case is really about one person and not a whole group of people seeking relief in a class-action suit, and that makes Scheindlin's ruling vulnerable to the NFL's certain appeal.
If the ruling stands, Clarett will have to decide if he's ready for the pro game. He should know that he'll probably end up playing for the Raiders, Cardinals or Browns. That might be even worse than waiting another year.
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Ted Giannoulas (aka "The Famous Chicken") and Pete Rose (who once played for the Montreal Expos) are among those up for induction this year into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times says this will allow voters "to finally answer the proverbial question: Which comes first: the Chicken or the egghead?"
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In celebrating 25 years of covering college basketball games, ESPN recently featured a "Turn Back the Clock" game between Indiana and Michigan State. The Sporting News' Caught on the Fly saw it this way:
"To give viewers the feel of 1979, the broadcast included old-school uniforms for the players, retro clothing for the announcers, clunky on-air graphics and a lucid comment from Digger Phelps."
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Super Bowl MVPTom Brady has been romantically linked to model/actress Bridget Moynahan. Hollywood screenwriter Scott Rosenberg, who used to date Moynahan, lamented his fate to the New York Post:
"You'd think 20 years after high school you'd be safe from losing your girl to the quarterback."
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Sometimes adults say and write the darnedest things:
Jeff Gordon, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: (wondering what the NFL can do in 2005 to top this year's Super Bowl halftime controversy) "Britney Spears unsnapping Michael Jackson's nose?"
Jerry Perisho, comedy writer:"The last big boob seen during a live NFLbroadcast was asking Suzy Kolber for a kiss."
Tom FitzGerald, San Francisco Chronicle: (sees other televised events finding similar trouble) "Wait till the FCC finds out that Barenaked Ladies are going to sing at the NHL All-Star Game."
Greg Cote,Miami Herald:"It was gratifying, in a way, to note plastic surgery has been good to at least one member of the Jackson family."
David Letterman, CBS's 'Late Show': "Justin Timberlake called the incident a 'wardrobe malfunction.' The last time I had one of those, I became a father."
Craig Kilborn, CBS's 'Late Late Show': "The incident was so crass and so sleazy that Fox television is launching its own investigation (as to) why they didn't do it first."
Reid Kerr, fistfulofsports.com: (on the Super Bowl broadcast) "In another CBS promotional tie-in, Tom Brady (was)protected in the pocket by the 'Survivor' immunity necklace."
Ty Warren, New England rookie defensive end:(on his approach to Super Bowl media day) "I try to take it one reporter at a time."
Jim Armstrong, AOL.com:(on the future of Texas Tech's chancellor after a salad bar run-in with Bob Knight) "Not that all the news is bad for him. Knight has graciously allowed him to continue running the school."
Michelle Wie, 14-year-old golf sensation:(when meeting Arnold Palmer during a Champions Tour pro-am) "Hey, I saw you in 'Happy Gilmore'."
Pete Caroll, USC football coach: (on recruiting experts ranking his 2004 class the best in the nation):"Are those done by the human poll or the computer poll?"
Reach Karl Vogel at 473-7432 or kvogel@;journalstar.com.
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