Um, don't you have something better to do?

I'm not sure what to be bothered by more.

The fact that President Barack Obama found time out of his busy schedule to fill out a NCAA Tournament bracket or that ESPN's Andy Katz got into the White House to cover it.

I can't get Mario Moccia to fill out a bracket because of NCAA rules, but the leader of the free world can. I'm thinking the President has more inside info than the Director of Athletics at SIU. Whatever.

For the record, Obama selected North Carolina as his national champions. What can I say: great minds think alike.

Barack-etology [ESPN]

Palin ends Legace's era

Once upon a time, Manny Legace was an all-star goalie.

That's until The Curse of Sarah Palin reared its ugly (but oddly attractive in a MILFY kind of way) head in Legace's direction. He slipped and injured himself on the carpet laid for Palin who was dropping the puck for a St. Louis Blues game that day. He hasn't been the same since.

And now, Legacy will report to the Blues' minor-league affiliate after clearing waivers.

Rough weekend for Missourians(?) as TCoSP also was seen at the campus of Missouri State University. The former VeePee candidate visited the Springfield, Mo., campus that Friday and the next day, the football Bears lost a heartbreaker of a game to Southern Illinois on a Chris Dieker touchdown pass to Marc Cheatham as time expired.

Now that I think of it, I'm even more glad my president is black.

Imagine the carnage had she even taken one look at the economy.

10 Things Barack Obama Should Do (Sports related, of course because what else matters)

Pretty self-explanatory. Here are 10 things I hope Barack Obama can accomplish in his first term in office.

1. Order the Chicago Cubs to win a World Series. Because it is obvious to everyone in the baseball world that they will not do it willingly.
2. Eliminate the Bowl Championship Series. Establish a playoff system that includes each conference's champion. Claim 10% of profits and use it to pay off the national debt.
3. Tell every free-wheeling owner if he wants to spend $1 billion on free agents then he must put the same amount of money back into the education system.
   
4. Banish all dumb, drunk White Sox fans to Oakland. They're giving Chicago baseball fans a bad name.
5. Do the same will all dumb, drunk Cubs fans. But not the cute girls, they can be saved!
6. Establish the Supreme Court of Sports with the honorable David Stern and Roger Goodell for starters. Remove Bud Selig and Gary Bettman from office.
7. Mandate price breaks on season and single-game tickets for die-hard fans. Tickets to big-time sporting events shouldn't cost an arm, leg and first-born child to attend.
8. Appoint PacMan Jones to a government job to keep him out of trouble. Get him an office with a stripper pole and he would never get in trouble.
9. Touchdown celebrations will no longer be penalized. Instead, they will be judged. Loser pays $10,000 towards the Shawn Kemp School of Learning.
10. Signing bonuses from Bart Scott and Brandon Jacobs should be donated to Saluki Way.

Five ideas that missed the cut:

• Mandatory retirement age for Brett Favre, Michael Jordan and Rickey Henderson
• "My President Is Black" by Young Jeezy replaces the 7th inning stretch and "Black President" by Nas replaces very home team's victory song
• Cruel and unusual punishment is legal for one thing and one thing only: Ruining The National Anthem will be punishable by law, preferably by launch via catapult
• Implementing cheerleaders for Bears games and Cubs games ... because I can't get enough of pretty blond girls
• Lower tariffs and taxes on imported 7-footers with low-post moves so the Bulls can sign one to team with Derrick Rose
  

Bush/Selig 2012? Not quite.

Former President George W. Bush might not care about black people, but he does care about baseball.

And while he wasn't the best Commander-in-Chief, he might make a very good baseball commissioner. In fact, if G-Dub needs and endorsement then he can have my stamp of approval.

Bush cares about baseball so much, he had Congress come to a stand-still as Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire testified and admitted nothing in particular as Palmeiro lied, McGwire denied and Sosa just plain ol' forgot how to speak English.

But something happened out of it. America's Past Time implemented a much more strict steroid testing policy and in turn, the game has seen the inflation of power numbers return to normal.

And the best thing is that there are some ridiculously strong power hitters out there and there isn't a trace of BALCO products to be found.

Ryan Howard could crack the Liberty Bell with the kind of screamers he slams out of Philadelphia. Big Papi can still yank 'em around Pesky's Pole sending the Fenway faithful into a frenzy. Phat Albert can still hit him over and beyond the Arch in Saint Louis. And of course, Manny can still be Manny whether he makes a splash in the ballpark by The Bay or returns to Mannywood.

The point is that baseball needs a leader who cares about the game and is willing to lead baseball's middle-market teams out of some dark times. C'mon George, baseball teams in Pittsburgh, Kansas City and Miami need your help. Step to the plate and make a change.

So, why would I trust a man who is partially responsible for an economic downturn reminiscent of a classic Barry Zito 12-to-6 curveball with the world's my favorite sport?

Well, I have a feeling that after eight years of inexplicable failure, that son-of-a-Bush might want at least one shot of redemption.

Future Headline: Obama To Slay The BCS Monster

Someone should tell President Barack Obama that eliminating the Bowl Championship Series should be his top priority as he steps into the Oval Office today.

Sure, the economy is in dire need of a PacMan Jones, rain-induced boost. And yes, we should make a courtesy call to our worldly neighbors just to catch up. And we should most definitely drape the White House with a banner that proudly says "U.S.A.: Under New Management" as soon as possible.

But why deal with all the hard stuff first. Take care of the BCS and you would be crowned an instant success by people like me.

All I am asking you is to come in on your white horse and slay the evil BCS Monster once and for all.

Or at least come with your cavalcade of black GMC Sierras and sign a bill with that mighty pen that denounces the system that has caused as more message board wars than Barry Lamar Bonds, SpyGate and Lindsay Lohan's relationship status combined.

Take advantage of that whole "executive power" deal and help benefit America, because, truth is, a playoff benefits everyone.

And if those bowl-pushing bullies try to intimidate you, tell them they can keep their individual bowls featuring the barely bowl eligible WAC and MAC teams as long as the top teams can battle for a true national championship.

Use the BCS bowls as playoff sites that pit conference champions against one-another. Because that makes sense, and unlike the thinking of the previous presidential regime, making sense is a good thing.

And if Central Michigan wants to play Nevada in the Big Dead Sidebar Bowl of Mediocrity, so be it.

We really could use the advertising money.

Beware of Barack

Alright, I get it. Today is an important day in American history.

Barack Obama will officially become America's 44th President and will attempt to clean up in four years the mess George Bush created in eight.

Good luck, B.O.

And while most people will focus on the economy, foreign affairs and bailing out big business, The Big Dead Sidebar will take a look at what President Obama can do to improve sports.

Because, really, that is all I care about.

2008: The Year In Which Sports And Politics Mixed

One of the biggest sports storylines of this past year took place outside of the field of play, locker room and cheap seats.

There was one topic that transcended media this year and it was when sports and politics were brought together to make headlines. Both are topics that families try to stay away from at the dinner table, but it was hard to do so when the two combined to make for interesting media fodder.

Such as Barack Obama's interview with Stuart Scott of ESPN. To localize it even more, TBDS focused on Obama's allegiance to the Chicago White Sox and some pretty strong words about their North Side rivals.

ESPN came under a lot of scrutiny for doing something like this, despite Obama's deep ties to basketball which include security staff member Reggie Love (former Duke star) and brother-in-law who coaches Oregon State's men's basketball team, because it seemed as if the World Wide Leader was taking a stance when it was supposed to be neutral.

In an act of fairness, ESPN provided equal interview time for John McCain, who is a baseball purist whose sports goal would be to rid the baseball world of steroids. Finally, something McCain and I can agree on.

Heck, both made an appearance on Monday Night Football the night before the election. It was almost as if you could not separate sports from politics at times.

And now that he is the leader of the free world, maybe President-Elect Obama will throw his weight around and bring a playoff system to the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Oh, and there was that whole Brandon Marshall glove tribute to Obama, which was also on MNF. Again, where sports and politics meet again.

And as a finale, video interviews with SIU athletes Kevin Dillard, Brandin Jordan and Chauncey Mixon, and Torres Roundtree and Anthony Booker taken by yours truly with the help of Stile Smith.

Enjoy.



SIU PG Kevin Dillard talks about how cool it would be if he were in Chicago witnessing Barack Obama making history.





SIU b-ball freshmen Torres Roundtree and Anthony Booker provide insight on a historic day for the history books.



SIU LBs Brandin Jordan and Chauncey Mixon talk about the significance of a black president.

Developing Story: Blago, the Cubs and the Feds

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (a.k.a G-Rod or Blago) was arrested today on several federal charges.

Can anyone tell me why being Illinois governor is a dead end job? I guess G-Rod and George Ryan can figure that out together in the slammer.

For those of you who read this site that are not politically inclined, here's the Cubs-related news nugget you're waiting for:

"Blagojevich and (chief of staff John) Harris also allegedly conspired to demand the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members responsible for editorials critical of Blagojevich in exchange for state help with the sale of Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs baseball stadium owned by Tribune Co."

I wonder how this will effect that whole Jake Peavy thing?

Only time can tell.