How about scrapping the regular season and replacing it with a round-robin, 162-game first round playoff, with the best team in each division securing a second-round playoff spot? That would make the whole season exciting!

Or, less facetiously, how about keeping the three divisions, dropping the Wild Card, and giving the team with the best record a first-round bye? It would not only bring back divisional races but also create a secondary race for the best record in the league. I know it will never happen but it would certainly make for a much better season.

Seriously? Green Bay has been through some lean years? You mean back in the 80s? They have had just 1 losing season in the last 16 years! They've started 3-0 this year with some pretty exciting games. Favre just broke the all time wins record, tied the career td record, is about to set a few more records (including the int record most likely), has been hitting 8-10 receivers a game and the defense is great.

Maybe you're just burnt out on football. Nothing wrong with that, but maybe if you paid more attention to "your team" you'd be more interested.

Well said.

What about Hockey?

Mike Schmidt is a journalist covering steroids now?

Winnipeg's favorite sons, The Weakerthans, have a song about curling on their latest album. Best indie rock curling song ever! I would imagine.

Even tho I live in Chicago, I'm from NY and I'm a huge Yankees fan. Pennant races are notoriously sloppy, I'm not remembering a lot of races where at least one team didn't struggle; that's how they get to be so close. Lest we forget 1978, the Red Sox, of course I love that example.

Here's what I want to know, Mr Kaufman: why the pissing contest? Can't we have both Football and Baseball exist side by side without having to pick one as the King, toward which we must bow and pay our respects.

In my opinion, Baseball is far superior in so many ways, but I'm sure some feel the same way that you do. But I wouldn't completely disregard baseball fans who might read your column. Your job isn't to pick the best sports, it's to cover all of them. Is that incorrect?

Boy, that escalated quickly... sorry too many Anchorman reruns in Courtyards...

I am just so proud to have midwifed this discussion with my original post that KK cited in his column. I promise not to get all Thrasher on y'all.

Just a thought from a 'soccer person' - Why are we supposed to live in a ghetto just because we enjoy a game that is not American in origin and that the US does not have a monopoly on? I grew up on baseball, shed tears in '78 and '86 when the Sox collapsed, live and die with my college b-ball, and yes, am a die-hard Colts fan who is going to enjoy every unimpressive divisional road victory he gets.

That being said, I am over the moon about Arsenal's start in the EPL and the potential of this team. So far they are playing a game that no one else can touch and even their opponents agree is the most attractive in the sport.

Like many others on this board, I would love to see the relegation/promotion concept used in baseball and hockey, where there are well-developed minor leagues. Can a soccer match be boring for large stretches of time? Of course, but honestly so can baseball and football. Scoring doesn't necessarily = excitement nor does lack of it mean nothing interesting just happened.

In WWC, I'm rooting for Hope Solo to be the next Brandi Chastain in the uniform malfunction sweepstakes.

I am really unmoved by claims like Amerigos that "Steroids are particularly dangerous, because many young people try them not only to achieve success in sport, but also as an adjunct to recreational body building without being fully aware of the side effects and dangers."

First of all, you would have to be living under a rock not to know that steroids are dangerous - particularly when used without doctors supervision (more on that later). Secondly, I just don't see tens of millions of kids using steroids everyday to be better Babe Ruth players. I'd need to see some evidence for that fear - one anecdote doesn't make an epidemic. Kids are more influenced by their peers than parents, teachers, coaches or other so-called "role-models." "The Nurture Assumption" by Judith Rich Harris offers a good collection studies on this much fretted about but also ignored truth.

Finally, the term steroids covers a large number of drugs - some legal, some not. For example, cortizone is a perfectly legal steroid used all the time to fight inflammation. It is what OJ Simpson could have used to loosen for the video you cite. If the drugs that were banned were instead used under supervision, would that be so bad? Considering cortizone a steroid means that a number of great performances have been "steroid enhanced."

As a side note, this Met fan takes exception to the characterization of their late season swoon as "choke job for the ages." Take a look at this graph: http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/teams/nleast/

The Mets play has been fairly consistent this season - on pace for 90 or so wins. They came in to September 3.5 games over the Philles. Losing that lead is a choke job for the ages? What of the 1969 Cubs then?