The first game of the Division II Softball Championship didn't disappoint - on the field or in the dugouts. The teams played a barnburner of game, with St. Edward's winning on a run-scoring single from Lisa Paul in the bottom of the seventh inning. But like the contest on the diamond, the competitive cheering from the dugouts was tight throughout the afternoon.

The NCAA sponsors 88 championships in 23 sports, but the cheers in the 22 other sports pale in comparison to the utter passion displayed from softball dugouts across the country.

"If we're up cheering and we're loud, that just shows how much we want the game," said St. Edward's outfielder Kristen Lozano. "We want it all and we don't want to stay quiet for one second."

Softball cheers can range in length, volume and pop influence, but the most original seem to be the ones that you walk away whistling.

For instance, led by sophomore Sara Hipson, the Barry team changed the lyrics of the popular Spice Girls song "Wannabe" to encourage junior Ashley Likens when she came to the plate.

If you wanna be my Likens/you got to hit that ball/run around the bases/and touch 'em all. If you wanna be my Likens/you have got to rip/rip it over center/cause that's the way it is. You gotta, you gotta, you gotta, you gotta, you gotta/slam, slam, slam/if you wanna be my Likens! (listen to the cheer).

In the third game Wednesday, two distinct cheering styles were employed by Lock Haven and Humboldt State. While the Lady Eagles focused their cheers on the jersey number and last name of the batter, Humboldt State's players brought a jazzier, Aretha Franklin-style to their cheers.

After a dramatic, 10-inning win, Humboldt State gathered outside the field and gave a sample of one of their favorite cheers.

Although the majority of softball student-athletes seem destined for superstardom with their creative and musical skills, it turns out that cheers rarely break out in the classrooms back on campus.

"Softball is really the only place we cheer," said St. Edward's junior Jaime Zilverberg. "Sometimes we get excited and cheer outside the dugout, but nowhere else really."

After finishing its round on the links yesterday, the St. Edward's men's golf team headed over to the softball diamond to take in some of the game between Lock Haven and Humboldt State.

Junior Andrew Workman enjoyed the singsong atmosphere, and remarked about the different approaches he's seen while frequenting softball games.

"I've seen a couple different styles. Some get real quiet before they hit and some of them just keep it rolling," Workman said. "I think it's really good that the girls do that for each other."

Although he enjoys the cheering from the stands, Workman isn't sure it would translate well to the golf course.

"We were actually talking about it. I think it would be kind of crazy and we might lose our focus," Workman said. "But I think it works great in this sport."

There has been no research to prove that there is a correlation between cheer volume and victories on the field, but apparently nobody told the players. When Barry faces elimination in its game against Francis Marion this morning, Hipson says the team's cheers will be louder than they've been all season.

"We'll be our loudest and our strongest," Hipson said.

I love the Final Four. The Men's College World Series is simply awesome. But without fear of exaggeration, I can honestly say that the Division II National Championships Festival is the best event the NCAA has to offer.

The opening ceremonies were held tonight at Houston's Downtown Aquarium, and hundreds of student-athletes, coaches and athletics administrators mixed and mingled for hours. Unfortunately, we couldn't get all of you into the event, so here are the highlights. I hope it feels like you were there.

• St. Edward's softball coach Amy Coulter described her excitement for the event. The only Texas institution at the festival, St. Edward's is competing for its first national title in softball.

• I ran into Ferris State Director of Athletics Tom Kirinovic in the Hyatt gym this afternoon and his excitement was second to none. One of the best guys in the business, Tom has spent 26 years at Ferris State and is attending his first National Championships Festival. Ferris State's softball and women's golf teams are both in Houston and Tom shared some thoughts about the experience in our conversation.

• There were bands and DJs rocking at the opening ceremonies all night. It only took about a half-hour before the ice was broken and the student-athletes put on their Fred Astaire's and hit the dance floor.

• The Double-A Zone Dance Award goes to the C.W. Post softball team, which danced for two hours straight.

• The men's and women's tennis teams from Valdosta State are both in Houston and the squads interacted during much of tonight's festivities. I caught up with Otto Lenhart, who describes what it means to share the experience with the women's program.

• I also chatted with West Florida golfer Federico Damus, who was clearly having a blast during his first few hours in Houston.

• Finally, it was a pleasure to sit down with Metropolitan State President Stephen Jordan, who chairs the Division II Presidents Council. Dr. Jordan shared some thoughts about what makes the National Championships Festival an important event for Division II.

St. John Fisher doesn't have any baseball left to play this season and that's just fine with head coach Dan Pepicelli.

On Thursday, the Cardinals were playing for a postseason berth against Oswego State and the Lakers led 9-5 in the ninth inning. With Oswego State hitting in the top half of the inning, head coach Frank Paino was hit in the head by a line drive while coaching third base and instantly lost consciousness.

Pepicelli was the first person to reach Paino, who was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital and was thankfully released the following day. At the time, however, nobody knew if Paino would live or die - and if that sounds overly traumatic, just refer back to the tragic story of Mike Coolbaugh from last summer.

After Paino had been taken to the hospital, there was still baseball left to play, but Pepicelli and the Cardinals would have none of it. St. John Fisher conceded the game to Oswego State, refusing to take final at-bat in the bottom of the inning. "At that point, nobody was feeling like playing a game anymore," said Pepicelli. "What we were trying to get done, advancing in the tournament, seemed very, very distant."

The Cardinals saw their season come to a close on Thursday, but all of the players on the field learned a tremendous lesson in sportsmanship. The game is never bigger than life, and we shouldn't treat it as such. The decision to concede the game was an easy one for Pepicelli.

While Paino will make a full recovery, don't we once again have to wonder why coaches aren't wearing helmets when they stand on the field? We've seen death, we've seen people get knocked out - what are we waiting for? Professional baseball has changed the rule, and it's time for colleges and high schools to follow suit.

I spent a bunch of time last week surfing around the Web to see how folks were reacting to the fourth year of APR data. Of course, there were the usual rumblings and grumblings that come along with something like academic reform, but there was something else that stood out on a number of Web sites and blogs: enthusiasm!

That's right - it seems that fans were happy when their favorite teams performed well in the classroom. On a popular Boston College blog, an Eagles fan wrote: "What does it mean for BC? For the most part the news is excellent. The danger score is 925 and all of the BC teams are well above that number. Hats off to the athletics department for keeping our athletes in school and on the path to graduation."

When teams didn't perform well in the classroom, fans noted some disappointment. For example, on this North Carolina Tar Heels blog, a UNC Greensboro graduate wrote: "On a personal note, my alma mater, UNC Greensboro was penalized for poor ratings in men's basketball and baseball. I am willing to bet AD Nelson Bobb is not a happy man since I cannot count the number of times the student in student-athlete was emphasized during my three years of running cross country there."

Still others seemed to turn it into a competition, taking pride when their teams were at the top of the conference. On "The California Golden Blogs," the author wrote that: "Cal is way up at the top. USC was the only team to receive penalties (as noted above). As a minor note, the score for "private schools" is higher than the score for "public schools" pretty much across the board. Ammo for the Stanford complaintniks????? Only time will tell! Go Bears!"

The most important part of all this is that people are paying attention to APR, and are taking notice of how teams are performing in the classroom. Whether or not you agree with academic reform, there is little rationale for arguing its merit as a means of bringing academic success to the forefront of intercollegiate athletics.

Wins and losses on the fields of play matter, and fans will always smile after wins and pout after losses. But doesn't it signal a move in the right direction when those same fans are cheering and jeering the academic performance of those same student-athletes? To me, that signifies that APR and academic reform truly matter.

David Pickle shares some thoughts on the NCAA's drug-testing policies.

A story in Tuesday's Atlanta Journal-Constitution focused on the tragic death of a Georgia Tech baseball player and the revelation that his death resulted from morphine toxicity. The article examined the NCAA's and Georgia Tech's drug-testing policies and inferred that the athlete played the odds that he wouldn't get caught because he knew he wasn't likely to be tested.

I can understand how the NCAA and institutional athletics programs would be interested in checking for performance-enhancing drugs to protect student-athletes from their willingness to imperil themselves. There's also a need to make as certain as possible that the competition is equitable.

But I would be interested in knowing more about why people believe it is appropriate for athletics organizations to test for street drugs without probable cause.

Does anybody have any thoughts about this?

Gary Brown shared the following about APR:

One of our staff members here at the national office half-jokingly referred to yesterday's release of the Division I APR as "the academic Super Bowl." He wasn't far off.

APR is one of those things like basketball tournament selections that brings out people from both ends of the spectrum. It's like getting whacked on the knee with that ridiculous triangular hammer in the doctor's office - it's hard not to reflex.

Case in point with yesterday's release of four-year APR numbers that, for the most part, validate the notion that academic reform in general - and APR in particular - has infiltrated the Division I nomenclature and is having a positive effect. About 50 news reporters were on the conference call and many more outlets had posted stories in advance about schools in their area. Now I know that four dozen reporters is a little less than the horde at the Super Bowl, but it ain't bad for an academically-based report.

Most of them were civil, but it was clear that a few were cheering against the ol' U. of NCAA. Now that's not new to me - I know that to some people, the NCAA ranks right up there with the IRS and health insurance companies on the popularity poll, but these conspiracy theories really get me. It's either "The NCAA is too soft for not penalizing enough teams," or "The APR shows positive change only because of academic fraud and clustering of majors."

For those who pose these can't-win scenarios, do you really think that the 400 staff members in Indianapolis and the thousands more on campuses at NCAA schools sit around all day and think of ways to scam the system? Really?

For that matter, do we think IRS employees actively pursue policy that screws the common Joe? Now before you reflex your leg, just think for a minute. Don't the vast majority of us - and I mean 99.99 percent of us - go about our work doing the best we can to support whatever initiative we're tied to? And aren't most of those initiatives geared toward the common good in at least some small regard? Even a caveman is...no, wait, that might end up in a commercial.

The point is that those who cheer for the NCAA to fail do so for their own gain - either our bad news makes their good news, or our shortcomings support their "livelihood" as a critic of big-time college sports. After all, some people out there have made names for themselves in that regard.

But do you really think the thousands of people who oversee college sports work up a froth figuring out how to shaft the student-athlete? Really?

If so, you may need the triangular hammer applied in places other than the knee.

If you're a regular reader of the Double-A Zone, you'll know that academic reform has been the hallmark of Myles Brand's presidency at the NCAA. He has regularly said that his number one hope is that initiatives like the Academic Progress Rate (APR) and Graduation Success Rate (GSR) aid inspire a behavioral shift in intercollegiate athletics. If the fourth year of APR data serves as an accurate indicator, behavior is certainly changing.

The overall APR, which measures student-athlete performance based on eligibility and retention, rose slightly, with increases in both eligibility and retention and a decrease in the number of student-athletes leaving school while academically ineligible.

A squad-size adjustment, which was in place until teams accumulated four full years of APR data, was eliminated this year for most teams. Because of the departure of the squad-size adjustment, general consensus was that penalties would be significantly higher than the 218 teams from 123 institutions that appear on the penalty list. About 3.5 percent of 6,272 Division I teams will receive penalties.

There is a lot of good news in this year's data, including the increased performance of baseball and football programs. On the flip side, men's basketball is still not at an acceptable level and a great deal of work remains in that sport.

The numbers reveal that more kids are returning to finish their degrees than ever before. In fact, since the reform structure was implemented, more than 4,000 student-athletes have earned a graduation bonus point for their institutions because they returned to finish their schooling after leaving early. There's a reason that individuals like Vince Young, Kevin Durant and Jeff Green have decided to go back to school while earning millions in the professional ranks.

For the skeptics who believe the penalties are soft, look at the 26 teams that have entered the historical phase of the structure this year. Those programs have failed to change their behavior and will face restricted scholarships, recruiting and practice time. If the academic performance of those teams doesn't get better, the penalties will become more severe. Next year, postseason bans will be in the mix and along with the scholarship reductions, those penalties are as strong as the ones doled out for major infractions cases.

The overall APR data is encouraging and in my opinion, add legitimacy to the entire enterprise of intercollegiate athletics. Programs cannot ignore the responsibilities student-athletes have in the classroom and if they do, they will soon find themselves without the means to win on the fields of play.

For more information about the APR data, click here to read Michelle Hosick's story on NCAA.org.

An eighth grader from California has decided where he's going to play his college basketball - the University of Kentucky. That's right, a 13-year-old who hasn't even figured out where he's going to high school next year has given his verbal commitment to Billy Gillispie and the Wildcats.

This isn't the first time an eighth grader has announced where he will attend college, but each time it happens, I am stupefied by a number of things. Let's use today's top post to run down the list of stupefaction.

• How can an eighth grader possibly know what college campus and athletics program is the best fit? Wouldn't it be wise to wait and see if there are other schools that have better academic tracks for this particular prospective student-athlete?

• When I was 13, my dream job was still professional baseball player. Three years later, the goal had changed significantly. That doesn't mean kids shouldn't hold on to their reach dreams for as long as possible, but professional sports are just that - a reach.

• Because this has been picked up by major media, the 13-year-old's name is all over the news. We're not using his name for a reason.

• We published our "Are There Really Recruiting Rankings For Sixth Graders" post on August 22. That post has garnered more comments that most we've had, which means that this is a hot topic and will continue to be a hot topic as more kids continue to "commit" before high school begins.

• This prospective student-athlete would enroll at Kentucky in 2012. In today's changing landscape, will Gillispie still be in Lexington?

• What if Kentucky brings in three kids at this kid's position two years before he gets to Lexington and there's no immediate need for his services? Forget the scholarship.

• If this kid goes out and averages six points and three assists during his first three years of high school, there is no way Gillispie uses a scholarship on him.

Those are just a few things floating around my head at this point, but the truth is, verbal commitments mean nothing. Some people argue that they take pressure off the kids in the recruiting process, but that doesn't make a lot of sense to me (see Eric Gordon rescinding his commitment to Illinois to go to Indiana). Nothing is in stone until a written offer is made and signed. Until then, eighth graders should just be eighth graders.

At the NCAA Gender Equity and Issues Forum in Boston this week, the issue of childhood obesity was raised during one presentation. While student-athletes are generally perceived to be in pretty good shape when they get to college, administrators are wondering whether increased obesity rates may have an adverse effect on the quality of prospective student-athletes in years to come.

The American Obesity Association says that about 15.5 percent of adolescents (ages 12 to 19) and 15.3 percent of children (ages 6 to 11) are obese. While it is always important to emphasize a healthy diet and good exercise, the purpose of this post is to discuss whether these rising levels will impact what we see on the fields of play in future years.

Think about it - if more youngsters are significantly overweight, it would seem logical that a smaller pool would be physically prepared to succeed in college sports when the time comes. If a larger number of kids were active and healthy, the quality of student-athletes would seem to be greater.

If you don't think childhood and adolescent obesity will have an impact on the quality of student-athletes when they get to the college level, perhaps you might agree that injuries will likely become more pervasive for those who haven't lived a healthier lifestyle. If you're overweight throughout your life, you are probably more susceptible to debilitating injuries and illnesses that can keep you on the sidelines in college.

As large portions and stagnation continue to add pounds to children, is there anything athletics administrators can do to protect those who will eventually become student-athletes? As an industry, should we be looking at ways to make sure kids are healthier now, so they can prosper on campus later?

Conference commissioners announced Monday that the Bowl Championship Series will not change its formulas for the upcoming football season. ACC Commissioner John Swofford called it "a pretty easy decision."

Inevitably, when an undefeated or hot team doesn't have a chance to play for a national championship next year, folks will once again cry foul, angered by the system that the conference commissioners once again approved moving forward.

The one thing I don't want to see next January, however, are hundreds and hundreds of e-mails from people who think that the NCAA (i.e. Myles Brand and the national office staff) have anything to do with the decisions made affecting postseason football. The truth is, we just don't have the influence to change the format, even if we wanted to do so.

NCAA rules and regulations are made by the Association's membership, and chancellors and presidents sit at the highest level of that structure. Thus far, those individuals have elected to keep college football's top teams competing for a BCS championship, not an NCAA championship. And BCS decisions - including whether or not to institute a playoff format - are made by the leaders of those conferences

It's not January, but it certainly seems pertinent to hear what people have to say about BCS football at this time. Are you happy with the current system? Or are there things you would change to improve it?

If your eyes don't well up while reading Graham Hays' piece on ESPN.com today, you should go to the doctor. Hays writes about Western Oregon outfielder Sara Tucholsky, a 5-foot-2 senior who had never hit a homerun during her college career. In a scoreless game against Central Washington on Saturday, Tucholsky sent one over the centerfield wall and was so excited, she skipped first base. When she went back to touch the bag, her right knee gave out and she collapsed in a heap.

Rules prohibited teammates from helping Tucholsky around the bases to credit her home run, and the logical solution seemed to have a pinch-runner come in to replace her at first and record the hit as a single. Nobody seemed to like that solution and the diminutive slugger was writhing in pain on the dirt.

The appropriate solution came to Central Washington senior Mallory Holtman, who is the school's all-time home run leader. Holtman asked the umpires if she and a teammate could carry Tucholsky around the bases, so the senior could have the homer she deserved. The answer was yes.

So two Central Washington student-athletes carried an opposing player around to home plate, where her teammates were waiting with open arms, to make sure she got her college homerun. Tucholsky's blast put Western Oregon ahead 3-0 and it stood up in a 4-2 win, but somehow, the outcome of the game doesn't really seem to matter.

Holtman doesn't think her actions were a big deal and believes anyone who knew that an opposing player could touch a baserunner would have helped Tucholsky out. I tend to believe that sportsmanship is prevalent and many student-athletes may have stepped up, but a lot of people would have kept their mouths shut.

The diagnosis isn't final, but it looks as though Tucholsky tore her ACL, which would keep her out for the rest of her college career. I wonder how she feels about going out with a Central Washington-assisted homerun. Probably pretty good.

Last July, Tulsa Drillers first-base coach and father of two Mike Coolbaugh was struck in the head by a foul ball and died soon afterwards. Like all base coaches at the time, Coolbaugh wasn't wearing a helmet on the field.

Since that time, Major League Baseball has adopted a rule that requires coaches to wear helmets when they're out on the field. A lot of coaches aren't happy with the new rule, including Los Angeles Dodgers' third-base coach Larry Bowa, who said: "That's not for me. My question is, how can I be in the league 40 years and the league says who wears a helmet and who doesn't? One guy got killed and I'm sorry it happened."

Whether or not Bowa likes the new rule, however, is irrelevant, as MLB has decided that safety comes first for coaches, and helmets are now required in the boxes. But outside of the professional ranks, have we learned from last summer's incident, or are we going to wait for another tragedy to come again?

This spring, I am volunteering as a high school baseball coach. Over the weekend, I coached first for the Bishop Chatard junior-varsity team. I didn't wear a helmet at first base, although I did think about my stupidity. What prevented me from putting on something that could clearly protect me? Was it vanity? Is it my belief that I can get out of the way of anything that comes my way?

These are interesting questions. In general, I'm not a vain individual and I've been hit enough times in the face while fielding that I should know that nobody's quick enough every single time. In fact, I saw a kid get hit by a line drive, while playing first, in a college game a few years ago. The ball was right at him and he still took it right off the head. Luckily, it was just a concussion and some embarrassment for the player, but it could have been much worse.

So I guess I'm looking for rationale. Professional coaches have put helmets on while they're out on the field, yet college and high school coaches seem to have ignored last summer's tragedy with a "it can't happen to me mentality." I've been at a lot of games this spring and not once have I seen a base coach wear a helmet, myself included. We're playing with our lives, yet nobody seems overly concerned. Why is that?

I like to think that the next time I'm on the field, I'll channel John Olerud and throw a helmet on. It may not look cool, but I know that if something freaky does happen, at least I'll be able to stand back up. If Mike Coolbaugh had one more shot at it, he'd put a helmet on.

The Chicago Cubs won their 10,000th game on Wednesday night, but millions of fans will tell you that the franchise is cursed. And the reason for that curse? Because Cubs fan Billy Sianis placed a hex on the franchise after he and his pet goat were ejected from Wrigley Field during Game 4 of the 1945 World Series. The Cubs have clearly won a lot of games since that season, but have never returned to the Fall Classic.

Of course, the Boston Red Sox faithful were convinced their franchise was cursed because the organization sold Babe Ruth to the hated New York Yankees in 1920. But when Boston won the World Series in 2004, it was evident that the Curse of the Bambino had been lifted.

Last week, a construction worker tried to bury a David Ortiz jersey in the foundation of the new Yankee Stadium. When co-workers found out what he was doing, they spent hours digging it out for fear that the stadium would be cursed if the jersey remained. After it was retrieved, the shirt was auctioned off for $175,000 to benefit the Jimmy Fund.

Those are just two of the more famous curses we have in sports. There's also the Curse of the Coin Flip, the Sports Illustrated Curse and most recently, the Madden Curse. But along with curses come superstitions - rational people know that these things don't affect what happens on the fields of play, yet they still believe in the power of the supposedly supernatural.

When I was playing little league baseball, I once kissed my bat before stepping to the plate. I hit a homerun that at-bat, and thought that my smooch had made the difference. Practically speaking, the homerun was more likely a result of my outlandishly large 12-year-old body, but the kiss was the superstition I needed.

I proceeded to kiss my bat before each time at the dish and then went through a stage where I kissed my bat before each pitch. My father told me to cut it out, and I began reserving my bat kisses for only the most crucial at-bats for the rest of my career.

What is it about sports that make us believe in curses and superstitions? If you played sports, were you superstitious? What kinds of things did you do for good luck?

First of all Sonny Vaccaro, there are a heck of a lot of things more un-American than the NBA's age limit. Ever heard of communism, Al-Qaeda or the Iron Curtain? How about sauerkraut, goulash and the designated hitter? When put in that context, the 19-year-old age limit doesn't seem terribly un-American does it?

Since the NBA and NCAA partnered up to examine the issue of youth basketball, Vaccaro has been chirping about all the injustices David Stern and Myles Brand are heaping on the world of hoops. Specifically, he has spent a lot of time criticizing the NBA for its consideration of increasing the minimum-age requirement, and the NCAA for supporting that idea.

Let's get a couple of things straight - the NCAA has nothing to do with the NBA's age limit. That's an NBA issue, and as far as I'm concerned, Commissioner Stern and the league are doing what they can to ensure that players are more mature when they enter the NBA. But again, the NCAA has nothing to do with that.

I've said for years - and even this week - that I think high school kids should be able to go right to the NBA, if they are 18-years-old. Once they come to school, however, I think they should have to stay three years, just like in baseball and football.

Vaccaro is insistent in his belief that the NBA is trying to use the NCAA as a farm system, and one year in school doesn't do anything for kids who just want to play professional basketball, but he's missing a lot of points. The NBA isn't the only professional league; there are tons of money-making opportunities for the best high school players overseas. If a prep star wants to make some cash, he can go to Europe. Next year's LeBron or Kobe can get paid, just not by the NBA.

And Vaccaro wants college basketball players to be paid, arguing that everyone else is making money off their services. Again, let me clarify. College basketball stars do help their institutions bring in a lot of revenue, but paying them is not an option. The NCAA is an association of higher education and its member institutions are required to offer a wide range of athletics programs. Much of the money needed to support most of the 400,000 student-athletes is derived from football and men's basketball, and just because most sports aren't moneymakers doesn't mean they shouldn't exist.

If you want to play in a college program, you have to play by the NCAA, conference and institutional rules. There won't be any salary, but you will get a free education. You can't put a price on that - and I'll argue that one semester of higher education is better than none. If you want to be paid, that's fine. Go overseas and when you're old enough, give David Stern a ring.

Vaccaro likes to make noise, and that's fine. But he lives in a basketball world, where he deals with the best of the best athletes. He doesn't have a realistic grasp on the landscape of intercollegiate athletics, so if you catch him on his speaking tour, make sure to keep that in mind.

The April edition of the NCAA's Champion Magazine was released earlier this week, and that means thousands will spend this weekend devouring stories about intercollegiate athletics.

In case you aren't aware, the NCAA stopped printing the NCAA News in January and has instead focused its energy on producing daily content on NCAA Online and the Double-A Zone. Additionally, the publishing staff elected to enter the world of magazines and put out the first Champion at the NCAA Convention.

For those who don't wish to subscribe to the magazine, a corresponding Web site has been created to host the features, news stories and other content in each magazine. The Champion Web site also has some exceptional multimedia features that can't be published on paper, so even if you get a hard copy of the magazine, the Web site is still a necessary stop.

There are a number of unique and exciting pieces in this issue of Champion, and I wanted to point out just a few in this post:

• Samantha Findlay's extra-innings home run, Lorenzo Charles' dunk in 1985 and Nick Ackerman's miraculous run to the 2001 Division III wrestling title - these are just three of Champion's top 10 most dramatic finishes in the last 25 years. More than 2,000 NCAA championships have been conducted in the past quarter-century (now we have 88 in 23 sports across three divisions) and Greg Johnson's story highlights the top 10 storybook endings. Agree? Disagree? Let us know.

• If you watch the NCAA basketball tournaments, you've almost certainly seen our public-service announcements declaring "there are more than 380,000 NCAA student-athletes and almost all of them go pro in something other than sports." If you want to know how the production of those spots goes down, Marta Lawrence gives a behind-the-scenes look at the PSAs from Los Angeles. As an example of the multimedia content you can find on the Champion Web site, check out this video about the production.

• With its academic reform efforts, the NCAA has made it clear that success in the classroom is a priority for student-athletes. Because of all the demands being a student-athlete places on one's schedule (travel, practice, competition, etc.), universities are relying on academic advisors to help guide student-athletes toward what should be their ultimate goal - graduation. Michelle Hosick explores the world of academic advisement and some of the related costs in her Champion feature.

• Attention high school students, the Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse no longer exists as you once knew it. Instead, the NCAA opened its Eligibility Center in downtown Indianapolis last fall and the new staff is responsible for certifying the academic and amateur eligibility of about 70,000 prospective Division I and II student-athletes each year. Jack Copeland features the Eligibility Center and pulls back the curtain on the eligibility process.

• Read exciting profiles on Peach Belt Commissioner Dave Brunk, Salve Regina Director of Athletics Del Malloy, Texas Director of Women's Athletics Christine Plonsky, UNC-Wilmington Director of Athletics Kelly Mehrtens, Temple Director of Fencing Nikki Franke and many more!

• And of course, the cover subject is a wonderful student-athlete from Vanderbilt - basketball student-athlete Shan Foster. But calling Shan just a basketball player is a serious injustice; he's also a talented musician and a remarkable individual who makes a point of giving back to others.

There's a lot of other great stuff in April's magazine, including spreads on new media, technology, championships and even book reviews. Check it out now!

In case you've missed it, the Trinity (Connecticut) baseball team enters today's game with Eastern Connecticut State boasting a robust 27-0 record. The Bantams are seven victories away from finishing a perfect regular season before the NESCAC tournament begins May 9.

Trinity, which is one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country, has long been one of the best baseball programs in Division III. Last year, alum Jonah Bayliss appeared in 39 games with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

This year's numbers are staggering - Trinity is outscoring its opponents 260-64 and senior Tim Kiely has allowed just one walk in 49.2 innings on the hill. The Bantams can hit, pitch and field, but most importantly, they know how to win.

There don't seem to be any teams that have finished the collegiate season undefeated and with a national championship. We know it's happened in other sports like basketball and football, so why is baseball so different? Why is running the table such a daunting task in this particular sport?

Trinity has a long road ahead with doubleheaders still scheduled against strong programs from Amherst, Brandeis and Wesleyan, but it's certainly going to be fun to watch.

Is baseball perfection possible?

Jim Halley recently conducted an interesting roundtable discussion with four elite high school basketball players. The results of the conversation were printed in USA Today on Friday morning.

If you're interested in who said what among the four high school student-athletes (Brandon Jennings, Drew Gordon, Ed Davis and Kemba Walker), check out Halley's story. Otherwise, here are a couple of the quotes that cost me shuteye this weekend.

• "(Players) should get paid. Enough to get you by, like an allowance."
• "To me, my Plan B to the NBA would be to play overseas. I just want to play professional basketball."

I recognize that many prospective and current student-athletes don't always walk around campus with full wallets, but I've known plenty of non-student-athletes who've had to watch their dollars in college. Those non-athletes don't receive the free meals, housing and tuition that their basketball classmates do - so how can a 17-year-old kid say he needs more to "get by?" There are millions of students who would be thrilled with a free education, and the sense of entitlement here is downright disturbing. The education will be free - FREE. Does anyone know how big a deal that is?

But perhaps that sense of entitlement propagates the minds of the elite hoopsters because their Plan B is to play professional basketball. Education isn't on the minds of many of these kids and that's truly unfortunate. There's nothing wrong with hoping to play professional sports, but the opportunities are few and far between. Just 0.03 percent of high school players move on to the professional level and if you've ever seen a torn ACL, you know that a plan B has to involve something off the court.

In my opinion, the NBA's 19-year-old limit is probably a disservice to basketball student-athletes. I've always thought that people should have the right to earn a living at 18-years-old, especially if they can go fight overseas. But once they commit to coming to college, there should be a three-year minimum stay before the professional leagues can come calling again - baseball and football do this well.

If the four kids Halley interviewed are confident they can make the jump to the professional ranks right now, they should be free to go and get paid. If they decide to attend college, however, it shouldn't be in a minor-league capacity - there has to be an investment in academia. Otherwise, the legitimacy of the amateur enterprise is severely threatened.

I will never flex on my opinion that student-athletes shouldn't be compensated - scholarship athletes get more than enough in the way of tuition, food, etc. If they're in college, they need to be learning, not just swinging by for a few games. And they need to remember that plenty of their starving theater/science/business-minded classmates would likely trade packages with them in a heartbeat.

The NCAA's Gary Brown asks some important questions about community service and student-athletes.

Over time, student-athletes have come to expect various "givens" from participating in sports. They know that many demands will be placed on their time, from practice and training to homework at odd hours to extensive travel to and from the contest sites.

They've also accepted as a fact of participation the possibility that they'll be drug-tested and that they'll be expected to "give back" to their communities.

What exactly does the latter mean, and how has community service become so entrenched as a rite of student-athlete passage?

As the "front porch" to the university, the athletics department - and by extension student-athletes - acts as an ambassador to the community, with the hope of a return on that investment in the form of support. So not only does community service - or the broader community engagement - make sense from a human perspective, it also makes good business sense for athletics departments to reach out to their communities.

Division II has built much of its identity on this type of behavior. Division II members in fact regard community engagement as much more than just sending the soccer team to read to first-graders - it's about tearing down the ivy-covered walls and making the university more approachable to the very community of which it is a part.

So, what does all of this mean to the student-athlete? Given the time demands they already face, should they also be "obligated" to adopt a community focus? NCAA research indicates that most student-athletes enter the university predisposed to performing this type of outreach, but should it be strictly voluntary, or is community engagement something that comes with the territory?

What do you think?

Gary Brown ponders the different phases of winning and losing.

University of Indianapolis Athletics Director Sue Willey used to teach a sports ethics class that among other topics focused on the four "phases" of winning. At the top is playing to your potential and winning, and at the bottom is the reverse. Then there are the two in the middle - you play to your potential and lose or you don't play to your potential and win.

All of us - from student-athletes to coaches to administrators to fans - would prefer our teams to play their best and grab the W, but what would be the second option? For how many of us does "playing to your potential" come before winning?

It's an interesting question, and it may depend on who's answering. For example, I'm a Tennessee Lady Vol basketball fan. In their national semifinal against LSU, neither team played to its potential, but did that matter to me after Tennessee's Alexis Hornbuckle tipped in a last-second shot to send the Lady Vols to the national championship game? No. They won. I was happy. 'Nuff said.

Would the players and coaches say the same thing? The school administrators? Would anyone rather they had lost just because they didn't play to their potential?

My guess is no, but whatever happened to the saying "It's not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game?"

Now I know that statement is more of a motivational mantra than a hard-and-fast rule, but does such desire to win lead to being OK with winning at all costs (which prompts cheating and other nefarious means)?

Everyone likes to win, but I wonder if we all need to take Sue Willey's sports ethics class just as a refresher. If I were to do so, I'm not sure which of the two middle options I would choose - as a fan, probably the latter.

Which would you pick?

Syracuse basketball fans received a jolt last week when standout freshman Donte Greene declared for the NBA Draft. Greene had a solid season - not at all outstanding - but his talent should earn him first-round status and a guaranteed rookie contract.

Although this is the NCAA's official blog, and we always love kids continuing their educations, I don't know how anybody can criticize someone for taking a seven-figure deal at the age of 19. We're not going to criticize Donte, but simply use his as a case study for the state of college basketball.

As a diehard Orange fan, I have seen almost every game the team has played since I was in diapers. Only a couple of players have left Syracuse after their freshman season - notably Carmelo Anthony, who made a fairly significant impact during his only year with the program.

Anthony and Greene each spent one year with Syracuse, yet Anthony will always be indelibly linked with the program because of the national championship and the $3 million gift he gave to build a practice facility about a year ago. Greene, who isn't nearly as physically or mentally mature as Carmelo was, led Syracuse to the NIT this season, and will leave college without ever experiencing the NCAA tournament. How will his impact on the program be felt?

Rest assured, what the fans think is wholly unimportant, but this case study does raise some important questions. Did Donte Greene do more to harm or help Syracuse in his few months on campus? With him, Syracuse could have been great next season. Without him, the Orange will have to invest another year getting someone ready to help them win.

But the real importance of this conversation, and something that has changed since Carmelo left Syracuse in 2003, is whether or not Greene will leave Syracuse in solid academic standing. If Greene drops out of school this semester, he will hurt Syracuse's APR, and could cost the program a scholarship. If he doesn't leave in good standing, he won't have done much on the court or the classroom. Would Coach Boeheim recruit him all over again?

The answer is probably yes. Greene was highly touted coming out of high school, and if Carmelo taught us anything, you have to gamble on the blue-chippers because it could mean a national championship. Academic reform, however, has added more legitimacy, and one thing we're seeing is more kids (Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, etc.) returning to school after leaving early.

As a Syracuse fan, I can only hope that Greene finishes this semester and leaves the program better off than he found it, not worse.

This year's women's basketball tournament was the most viewed ever, according to ESPN. Overall, viewership on ESPN was up 42 percent from last year and ESPN2 saw a jump of 31 percent. The championship game alone saw a 30 percent ratings increase over last year's final.

The level of national interest and attention is encouraging, but also a little puzzling when you compare it to the men's game. The men's final, which was much closer and featured an overtime victory, saw an 8 percent drop in ratings over last year.

It could be argued that the women's game has the greatest potential for growth. Thanks to Title IX more women are playing sports than ever before and those women become life-long fans.

Another reason could be that the women's game has found its John Wooden in Pat Summitt. Summitt has become the ambassador for women's basketball, elevating her status in coaching ranks while simultaneously increasing interest in the sport.

This year's final also had a Magic vs. Bird matchup in Candace Parker and Candice Wiggins. Superstars make for good story lines. A quick Google News search for "Candace Parker" returned 3,976 stories. "Candice Wiggins" returned 3,505.

Of course, there's also Candace Parker's gutsy performance after twice dislocating her shoulder in the Elite Eight. Journalists and fans love drama and this year Tennessee had plenty to offer.

Then there's the controversy. Nothing propels interest like bad blood. What if UConn had made the final? Can you imagine what the ratings would have been if Geno and Summitt squared off?

Could last year's Don Imus scandal also have impacted national interest in the game?

What do you think? Why have the women found double-digit success while the men struggle to keep ratings on par?

This week's Campus Connection is so important, we've decided to make it the featured post as well.

In a discussion with Emmett Gill, an assistant professor in the Rutgers University School of Social Work, the impact of the recent Vogue cover featuring LeBron James and supermodel Giselle Bundchen is the topic of conversation.

Dr. Gill discusses the stereotyping of females and minorities, and specifically addresses student-athletes. He also talks about the impact of the Don Imus controversy on the Rutgers community.

We encourage you to take a few minutes to listen to the important conversation and share some thoughts with us on the issue.

Leading a team to a national championship can do a lot of things for you, and one of them is make you rich. Especially when you're an Oklahoma State grad and your alma mater is likely willing to throw a blank check at you.

Less than 24 hours after leading Kansas to its first men's basketball championship since 1988, head coach Bill Self is in high demand. Whether or not he leaves Lawrence for Stillwater will be a personal choice, but if money is part of the equation, the Cowboys could be in good shape.

A few years back, oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens dropped $165 million on Oklahoma State, and with that type of investment, money is spent on the things Pickens wants. Who wouldn't want a national championship coach to return to his alma mater?

I don't want to debate whether or not Self will stay or go, because in this discussion, it's relatively unimportant. What I want to know is whether boosters should have such significant influence over athletics department decisions.

ESPN devoted Sunday's Outside the Lines program to Nike CEO Phil Knight's influence at Oregon, especially with regard to the hiring of his good friend, Pat Kilkenny, as athletics director. Kilkenny, by the way, is not a college graduate.

Pickens' spokesperson said the billionaire has all the confidence that Director of Athletics Mike Holder will hire the right man for the vacant position. But it is clear that a $165 million gift makes you an integral part of the decision-making process on important hires.

Should it be that way? Should boosters be allowed to exert such influence on intercollegiate athletics?

The men's national championship game is just a few hours away, and while the Kansas-Memphis match-up could be one for the ages, the historic moments of the day have already transpired.

Just about an hour ago, NCAA President Myles Brand, NBA Commissioner David Stern, Georgia Tech head men's basketball coach Paul Hewitt and other key stakeholders conducted a press conference to announce a historic partnership concerning youth basketball.

Earlier in the day, it was reported by Jeff Goodman that the tenor of the announcement would focus around an increased age-limit for underclassmen entering the NBA. Goodman couldn't have been any more incorrect - the NCAA had nothing to do with the 19-year-old limit imposed a couple of years ago and will have nothing to do with any future age restrictions/limitations.

While Goodman got his story wrong, there is still news to announce today. The NCAA has partnered with the NBA, the National Federation of State High School Associations, USA Basketball, the men's and women's coaches associations, shoe companies and the Amateur Athletic Union in an initiative to add new structure to youth basketball.

In today's edition of Mondays With Myles, Dr. Brand discusses the structure of the partnership, which will include a president and board of directors. Dr. Brand says the hope is that the organization will be financially self-sufficient and if there any surplus dollars, they will be put back into scholarships and other initiatives that directly benefit student-athletes.

This announcement has been preceded by two years of discussions among the key stakeholders, and while there aren't tangible results to report at this time, Dr. Brand says in his podcast that the end goal is to positively impact potential student-athletes, improve their educational opportunities and help them graduate.

Youth basketball has become more and more popular recently, as teenagers are playing four and five games a day during the summer months. As proponents of social change, the NCAA and NBA felt responsible to put their mark on the landscape. Myles Brand discusses the NCAA's position in his podcast while Commissioner Stern elaborates on the question in our brief conversation.

I also had the chance to speak with USA Basketball President Val Ackerman, who discussed the impact this announcement will have on the international game (listen to podcast). Additionally, after the press conference I spoke with Bob Kanaby, executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations (listen to podcast).

Imagine walking into a room with some of the most influential business leaders in the country. It's certainly intimidating, but that goes away kind of quick when you find some immediate common ground - intercollegiate athletics and higher education.

I spent Friday night at Biga on the Banks, where members of the NCAA's Leadership Advisory Board came together for dinner prior to meeting Saturday morning in San Antonio. Throughout the night, I spent time with a number of LAB members, and to a person, they said the reason they volunteer their time to the advisory board is because they believe in the mission of the Association.

So that everyone fully appreciates the folks serving on this board, here are a few that I met on Friday night:

Robert Wood, chairman, president and CEO of Chemtura Corporation - After 27 years working with Dow Chemical, Wood became CEO of Chemtura in July 1, 2005. The Michigan grad also served a six-month term as senior deputy mayor of Indianapolis.

Charlotte Jones Anderson, Vice President/Director of Charities and Special Events for the Dallas Cowboys - One of the leading front office executives in the NFL, Anderson works with licensed apparel, uniform design, team memorabilia, stadium amenities and is also president of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. She discusses her passion for intercollegiate athletics in a discussion we had yesterday.

Calvin Hill, consultant, Alexander & Associates - A former standout with the Dallas Cowboys, the Yale graduate has been a consultant to Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys since 1997.

Kenneth Chenault, vice chairman, American Express - As vice chairman of American Express, Chenault is responsible for formulating policy and business strategy company wide. He heads up American Express' consumer charge card, credit card and lending businesses around the world.

David Sokol, chairman and CEO, MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company - Sokol joined MidAmerican as CEO in 1991 and the company now has nearly $19 billion in assets. A former football student-athlete at Nebraska-Omaha, the LAB is a natural fit for Sokol, who discusses his experiences in yesterday's interview.

I spent this morning at the Youth Education through Sports (YES) clinics, as hundreds of San Antonio children spent a few hours at Trinity University, Sam Houston State and a couple of other locales to hone basketball, leadership and teamwork skills. Similar clinics were also held this morning in Tampa.

A number of head and assistant college coaches volunteered their time to work with the 10-16-year-olds, including St. John's head men's coach Norman Roberts. I first met Coach Roberts about 17 years ago, when I was 8-years-old and a participant at his basketball camp at Queens College (New York). Nearly two decades later, he's still spending his free time teaching the game to children. During today's clinic, I chatted with Coach Roberts about his participation (listen to podcast).

While boys and girls gleaned as much information as they could from the college coaches, they also had the opportunity to interact with student-athletes from a number of sports, as basketball, baseball, soccer and volleyball players tutored participants during the sessions. I spoke with Trinity (Texas) freshman Sam Dworkin about spending his Saturday morning working at the clinic (listen to podcast). It seemed as if there was no place he'd rather be.

At Hoop City, Special Olympians played five-on-five with coaches after competing in drills. Before showing off his game in the scrimmage, Rhode Island head coach Jim Baron discussed why he has spends every year volunteering at YES clinics (listen to podcast).

The YES clinics are held each April at the Final Four, and they're a life-changing experience local kids won't want to miss.

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. As we gear up for the Final Fours in San Antonio and Tampa, it seems necessary to recognize the impact Dr. King had on civil rights and the residual effect on intercollegiate athletics.

It was just 42 years ago that Texas Western won the national championship, becoming the first team to claim the title with five black starters. Two years later, Dr. King was gunned down in Memphis at the age of 39. The last time Memphis was in the Final Four was 1985, yet the Tigers made it to San Antonio on the 40th anniversary of Dr. King's death. Interesting.

Today, we don't even blink an eye when UCLA, Kansas, Memphis and North Carolina take the court with four or five black players. Barack Obama could be the next president of the United States. We have come a long way, and Dr. King spent his short life bringing us closer to this point.

There is some irony that we mark the 40th anniversary of Dr. King's death while we are in San Antonio, where the Battle of the Alamo took place in the winter of 1836. In that battle, black and white soldiers joined together to protect the land and secure independence for Texas.

Dr. King's legacy reminds us that we have come quite a ways in the past four decades, but there's no doubt that we still have a long way to go. The number of black college football coaches is embarrassing. Many of our Olympic sports lack any type of diversity whatsoever. We're better than we were 40 years ago, but not even close to where we need to be.

On the 40th anniversary of Dr. King's death, how do you believe intercollegiate athletics has progressed with regard to diversity?

I'm not in Disney World, but this week, the Alamo is a more popular destination. I just arrived in San Antonio, and will spend the next five days soaking up the greatness that is college basketball. We will utilize the Double-A Zone during the next week for sights and sounds from the Final Four, so make sure to check back early and often.

While I'm in San Antonio, my colleague Kat Krtnick is off to Tampa, where she will be significantly closer to Mickey and Minnie, and will blog about her experiences at the Women's Final Four.

Between now and Tuesday, we will offer pictures, podcasts, videos and commentary from the Final Four sites. Mondays With Myles will be conducted in San Antonio prior to the men's championship game, locker room podcasts will be shared and photographs from concerts, press conferences, inside the arenas and around San Antonio/Tampa will be shared.

Per usual, we will start each day together with a cup o' joe, as we discuss the happenings of intercollegiate athletics in Morning Coffee. While the morning post will be utilized to discuss the Final Fours, we will continue to discuss other important notes as well.

If you're not a Double-A Zone subscriber, now's a good time to sign up for daily e-mails, as you won't want to miss one bit of action from the NCAA's premier events.

The NCAA's Marta Lawrence looks toward the Beijing Games and questions why the Olympics aren't in a more open and democratic society.

Beijing? You mean the place where students were killed protesting for democracy? The country that disposed the Dalai Lama and committed scores of human rights violations? Why in the world would the International Olympic Committee want to host the 2008 Games in such a controversial place?

In 2001 several members of the IOC claimed giving China the Games would encourage a more open and democratic society, but as Christine Brennan argues in a recent column, the IOC has largely squandered that opportunity.

Rather than demanding the Communist country change their oppressive ways, Beijing, Brennan claims, has largely been left to be itself, which means queuing drills for its citizens, violent squashing of protests and prohibiting live broadcasts from Tiananmen Square.

Honestly, what did the IOC expect? It's tough to believe that the Games can succeed where years of diplomacy have failed.

Unlike Brennan, however, I think the IOC (maybe even by accident) is creating the change they hoped for. Think about it, can you turn on the television without hearing about Tibetan protests or China's link to the genocide in Darfur?

I did a quick Google News search for "China Human Rights" and returned nearly 25,000 stories written in the last week. This time last year there were 281.

China may not be changing as a result of the Olympics, but they're certainly getting a lot more attention for their bad behavior. Maybe the IOC never intended to influence China. Maybe they intended to influence the rest of us.

What do you think? What's the lasting legacy of the Beijing Olympics?

NCAA staffer Michelle Hosick sheds light on her favorite marketing plan.

I think someone in the marketing department at Southern Illinois deserves a raise.

On April 4, the Salukis will host their first "Kids Night Out" - a promotion that will give parents of kids ages 3-12 the opportunity to go out on the town while student-athletes babysit. The cost is minimal - a $5 donation partially benefiting the local Boys and Girls Club - and each kid gets a free Saluki T-shirt.

As the mother of a young child, I think this is brilliant.

Everyone wins. The parents get a night to themselves without the expense of a $10-an-hour babysitter. The kids get the attention of some local "stars" (and don't forget the T-shirt). And the school? The school is the biggest winner of all.

Every weekend from now until their "babysitters" graduate, those kids are going to beg their parents to attend a game, buy concessions, get a new T-shirt/jersey/Saluki stuffed dog. The one night out the student-athletes sacrificed to watch some snotty-nosed 8-year-olds could translate into community support from those parents for years.

I'll just be waiting for one of the Indianapolis institutions to do this. And lower the age floor to two.

While watching Stephen Curry electrify fans for the past two weeks, it was only natural to assume that yesterday's loss to Kansas could have been the last time we saw the sophomore play in a college uniform. Apparently, that's not the case.

Following the game, Curry said he would "definitely" be back for his junior season, nipping any speculation about a potential jump right in the bud.

Sure, he could cash in on his performance from the past few weeks and begin his NBA career early. He could move from outside Charlotte to New York, Boston, Los Angeles or any other high-flying NBA city.

But why would he want to leave the cozy confines of Davidson? Curry has the chance to stay in school for two more years, get a degree from a top-flight institution and enjoy every part of the campus experience. Logic says he doesn't need the money too badly, as his father played 16 seasons in the NBA and currently works with the Charlotte Bobcats.

If Curry has the means to stay in school, by all means he should do it. For all intents and purposes, when that minute percentage of student-athletes has to decide whether or not to leave school for the professional ranks, they have to make some of the same determinations and use the same judgment as students all across the nation.

College is expensive and attendance at a particular institution truly comes down to opportunity cost. There are plenty of students who can go to elite private institutions but can't afford $45,000 per year to do so. Therefore, they find more affordable publicly-funded institutions, work jobs or finish school over a number of years. When it comes to finances, decisions are wholly personal and often difficult to make - and that's not just for student-athletes.

There are some student-athletes in Curry's position that would leave regardless of their financial background - and we wouldn't criticize them. There are others that might leave because they simply have no choice - they might need any amount of money professional basketball can offer. Then there is another group that has the opportunity to shun the dollars for a couple of years and enjoy college for just a little longer.

I certainly don't know the financial situations of any of the elite underclassmen, but I do suspect that it will be a major factor in the decisions they make in the upcoming weeks. Similarly, those same factors influence millions and millions of students all the time.

That brings us to an important question, one that will serve as our poll question for the week: if you were going to be a first-round selection, would you leave school early for the NBA, regardless of financial situation? Or might those factors play a role in your decision?

Gary Brown shares some thoughts about the perceptions of intercollegiate athletics as a big-business enterprise.

USA Today published an interesting point-counterpoint the other day on higher-education business practices. The house editorial criticized colleges for teaming with banks to make student ID cards double as debit cards - a blatant revenue producer for the schools (about $1 million a year in some cases) and a sweet deal for the banks that gain access to clients prone to overdraft. The paper ID'd the students as the arrangement's short-straw holder, since they were subject to high fees and steered away from "less costly banking options."

But National Association of College and University Business Officers CEO John Walda countered by calling the debit cards "a great example of efficient student service." He said the deal cuts the wait on financial aid disbursement and frees up staff to address other student services. "As higher-education institutions face increasing financial challenges in this uncertain economy," Walda said, "they are not wrong - but wise - to think creatively about ways to generate the revenue needed to provide a top-quality education."

Sound familiar? It might if you pay attention to the sports pages in USA Today and other publications, where reporters routinely criticize the NCAA and college sports for "being big business." The media howls foul when athletics departments try to make money, but they aren't as loud about how those same schools spend it.

Does it cost money to fund the Division I-minimum 16 sports? You bet it does, and there aren't many of those sports popular enough to carry the fiscal load. That's why football and men's basketball are called out for their bully business behavior, because the swimmers, golfers, rowers and runners are red budget meat without those two cash cows. But this "college sports as a business" thing is so overplayed by people who forget - or don't know to begin with - that only about 15-20 athletics programs out there are self-sufficient and the rest rely on subsidies from their schools to balance the budget.

If college sports were really a business in the classic sense, it's a bad one. Try trotting the college sports model out to a corporate board - you'd be tossed out of the room quicker than the time it takes Michael Beasley to juke you out of your shorts.

College sports has to engage in business practices to provide the products that grace the very sports pages that call them into question. But college sports are no more a business than the schools that sponsor them. As USA Today points out, higher education has to engage in business practices, too, but you don't hear many people calling education a business, do you?

When I pulled up to my house on Tuesday, my wife noticed that we had a package sticking out of our mailbox. After the normal celebratory dance (we love packages), my wife opened it up to find quite the surprise. Inside the mystery package was a 2001 University Athletic Association conference champion t-shirt with the names of each Brandeis women's fencer from the team along the front. Additionally, there was a note from head coach Bill Shipman, apologizing for the seven-year delay but hoping he wasn't too late on making good on the promise to get his fencers shirts for their conference title.

The look on my wife's face is difficult to explain. She fenced for two years at Brandeis before deciding to devote all of her time to the student events department, which turned out to be a pretty smart career move. She truly enjoyed her time with the program, but admittedly, lost some contact with her former teammates and coach after leaving the team.

She was a good fencer and was an integral part of the team that won that 2001 championship, and to receive recognition for her contributions, along with her teammates, meant more to her than Coach Shipman may ever realize. Her face shined brighter than the tree in Rockerfeller Center. That evening, she wore the t-shirt to the gym.

I think it's important to dwell on the gesture made by Coach Shipman. Here's a coach who is so invested in his program, and in his current and former student-athletes, that the fact that he hadn't properly marked a conference championship seven years later truly irked him. The fencers had likely long forgotten the t-shirt, but he never did. And he made each of them smile with a package in the mailbox. Truly special.

While we were at the gym, and my wife was running proudly in her 2001 champion t-shirt, I couldn't help thinking about the importance of the relationship between players and coaches, and what that means for both parties. In this case, it meant something for Coach Shipman to make good on a promise to girls he had recruited, coached, gotten to know and led to a conference title. For my wife, it was important to be included and to be remembered for her role as a freshman on that special team.

It was a feel-good package and I hope Coach Shipman knows he got a huge smile in Indiana.

The NCAA Men's Basketball Championship is entering its second week, so discussions about which college players we're seeing for the last time are in full swing.

Kansas State head coach Frank Martin told the Associated Press yesterday that he believes standout freshman Michael Beasley will leave for the NBA, despite the fact that he "loves being a college student."

Why shouldn't Beasley love college? Don't most people love college? It's absolutely the greatest time of our lives - when boys become men, girls become women and we learn how to become productive members of society. There are great classes, all-you-can-eat meals, parties and 2 a.m. bedtimes. College is perfect - I never wanted to leave.

Most folks work hard trying to figure out how to stay in college longer, not leave early. But if you had millions on the table - not in six months, but tomorrow - wouldn't you leave as well? Does it make any sense to stay?

I love watching Michael Beasley play and it's great that he loves college, but nobody in their right mind can expect him to stay in school. If he does, I will cheer louder than anyone (except the Wildcat faithful) because it would be a tremendous statement and a truly brave choice.

More likely, Beasley will leave for the NBA, which will provide him with financial freedom for the rest of his life. He can always go back and receive his degree, but returning to school as a multi-millionaire won't be the same.

If Beasley leaves school, he is making a respectable choice to cash in, but he is also choosing to grow up a few years sooner than his peers. That's not always easy.

What would you do?

Dave Pickle is the Tiger Woods of the NCAA national office staff.

Like millions of other fans, I was let down last weekend when it became apparent that Tiger Woods wasn't going to win his seventh consecutive worldwide event.

This desire to see Tiger excel is completely backward from the build-up-to-tear-down mindset that Americans have employed for the last quarter century or so. What makes Tiger different?

I believe the public deeply appreciates two particular aspects of Tiger Woods.

First, he has great physical gifts, but he has relentlessly built the strongest mind that the game has ever seen. He's disciplined enough to stay perfectly fit, he almost never makes a wrong decision and he is almost inhuman in his ability to focus at critical moments. It's the mental part of Tiger's game that has made him a legend.

Second, Tiger always conducts himself like a champion. He never does anything to embarrass himself or his family or his associates. For people who are sick of rich personalities who can't stay out of jail or out of rehab, Tiger reaffirms the positive potential of stardom.

His late father Earl once said that Tiger's ultimate influence will not be restricted to golf - that someday he'll take his fame and money and use them for much greater purposes.

I hope Earl turns out to be right. What an interesting twist it would be if Tiger Woods eventually went pro in something other than sports.

Can a team that can't shoot free throws win an NCAA championship? Although Memphis snuck past Mississippi State last night to earn a berth in the Sweet 16, the Tigers were exposed for their horrendous free-throw shooting. It seems that Memphis will have to play infinitely better than its competition to overcome its nasty Achilles heel.

I am of the opinion that Memphis will not cut down the nets in San Antonio because of its abysmal free-throw shooting. My colleague Greg Johnson, who is a lifelong Tigers fan, disagrees with me. Throughout the day, we will have a conversation about the topic on the blog. Please share some comments with us on the topic as we spar, and make sure to vote in this week's Double-A Poll as well.

Josh: There is no way Memphis can win a national championship while shooting 58 percent from the free-throw line. With nearly four minutes left in yesterday's game, Mississippi State head coach Rick Stansbury had his team begin fouling and the Bulldogs were able to claw back in the game. This strategy will eventually work, maybe in the next round, when Memphis has to face Tom Izzo's savvy Michigan State squad.

Greg: It all depends on who is at the foul line for Memphis. If it is Joey Dorsey, then that strategy has a good chance of working. Memphis isn't going to shoot that poor of a percentage every game. They shot around 72 percent in the NCAA tournament last year, and they shot a similar percentage in the C-USA tournament a week ago.

Josh: Sure, Memphis has some free-throw shooters better than others, but 58 percent as a team doesn't get it done. Remember Derrick Coleman in 1987? If he hits a free throw, Syracuse wins a national title. That's just an example, but everyone seems to think when the pressure's on Memphis will get it done at the line, but couldn't the bright lights make it even worse?

Greg: It's just that I prefer to look at all the things Memphis does well to offset the free-throw shooting flaw. For example, the Tigers are one of the best defensive teams in the country, a fact that is rarely brought up by the analysts. Also, Memphis only had five turnovers for the entire game against Mississippi State. Memphis had 19 offensive rebounds and outrebounded Mississippi State (41-32) for the game. There is no rule that says the team that misses a free throw can't get the offensive rebound and score on that possession. Is it an ideal situation? No. But it can be overcome with other strengths.

Josh: Why don't we use this year as an example? In Division III, the Howard Payne women's team won the national title, shooting 75.8 percent from the line this season. The men's champ, Washington-St. Louis, shot 71.5 percent from the stripe. Memphis does a lot of things well, but now we're in the Sweet 16, and a lot of teams do things well. Games often come down to free throws at the end, and Memphis trails the entire field in that category.

Greg: I'm glad you brought up the Sweet 16. Last year in San Antonio, Memphis guard Antonio Anderson was at the foul line with his team trailing by one point to Texas A&M. He made both shots and Memphis advanced to play Ohio State in the regional final. Anderson shoots in the 60s for his career at Memphis, but at that time he was 2-for-2. A guy could be an 80 percent shooter, like Texas' D.J. Augustin, who airballed a free throw in the final seconds against Miami on Sunday. No one would have thought that would happen. I've seen Memphis succeed at times at the line and I've seen them atrocious at times. But I can't argue with a 35-1 record that includes an 8-1 mark against teams that made the 65-team field.

Josh: The argument that good free-throw shooters can miss and bad free-throw shooters can hit is lacking. Memphis has taken 846 free throws this year and has hit 505. Averages may not catch up in one game, but there are four left before a national championship - the averages will hurt.

I don't argue Memphis' ability - the Tigers are 35-1 and earned their No. 1 seed. Unless I'm wrong, Memphis has only had two games this year decided by five points or less. The team's record in those games? 1-1. Averages baby, averages.

Greg: Memphis played nine teams in their non-conference schedule that made the 65-team NCAA tournament field. The fact that only two of those games (USC and Tennessee) were decided by five points or less shows the characteristic of a strong team. Would I prefer that Conference USA was a stronger league? Yes. But the reality is many of the institutions left the conference to join the Big East. So to compensate, Memphis has to test themselves with games against the likes of Georgetown, Connecticut, Arizona, Gonzaga and Oklahoma. All of these teams offer different styles to prepare Memphis for potential opponents in the tournament. Memphis shot well from the free-throw line in some of the games, and not so well in others. Yet, they found a way to win with the exception of the Tennessee game that came down to the final seconds. Whether a guy on your favorite team is an excellent or poor free-throw shooter, you are still going to have that fan nervousness about whether they will make it during a tight game.

Butler President Bobby Fong penned an editorial in this morning's Indianapolis Star, and the purpose was not to rally support for the university's men's basketball team today.

Instead, Fong used the opportunity to discuss what basketball has meant for the Butler community and asserted that it is only part of what the university experience is about.

"Basketball has been great for Butler University. It helps give us, a school with about 3,900 full-time students, an opportunity to showcase our message on a national stage. And that message is: Our students' achievements on the court are but part of their larger educational achievement.

Our students come to Butler to get an education. One of their options while they're here is to play intercollegiate sports."

A few weeks ago, we mentioned the success of Butler forward Drew Striecher, who has already completed his undergraduate degree in chemistry with a 3.95 GPA. Streicher is just one member on a team full of academic standouts. Fong and the Butler community are thrilled to be players in March Madness, but they seem genuinely more excited about the academic plaudits. And that's exactly the way it should be.

As we gear up for a weekend of pizza, wings and basketball, it's important to approach the tournament with President Fong's message in mind. The players we cheer for are student-athletes - students first, athletes second. The universities they represent are institutions of higher learning, which have athletics teams to complement the educational experience.

Fong says it best in his closing sentence: "Athletic fame will be fleeting for the overwhelming majority of those playing in these tournaments. But education is forever."

Root for your teams this weekend. Cheer for the outrageous athleticism displayed by the teenagers playing the game. But remember that the basketball programs are just one small part of the institutions they represent, and the student-athletes on the court won't likely play professionally, but they will use their education every day for the rest of their lives.

Gary Brown is feeling quite productive, despite the start of the NCAA tournament.

OK, so let me get this straight - today and tomorrow will be among the most unproductive days of the year according to media reports that cite the NCAA basketball tournaments as costing the country millions in lost worker productivity.

Please. Such speculation is based on workers actually working every minute of every day. What about somebody visiting the next cubicle for a recap of last night's American Idol? Does that count? How about an impromptu hallway chat among co-workers who pontificate about tonight's Bucks-Knicks game? Do we really need to blame slacking off on the NCAA men's tournament when there are so many other demands on our time otherwise spent with our collective noses to the grindstone?

I'm not saying that the tournament isn't a good reason to keep your computer on speed-dial to your favorite team's game, but I am saying that it's lame for companies to block that access and claim lost dollars as the excuse.

Now, let me get back to what I was doing. Oh, wait - the game's on!

Tragedy struck the Central Florida community yesterday, as football student-athlete Ereck Plancher died following an off-season conditioning workout. Nothing was out of the ordinary at the workout, which was held inside an air-conditioned facility.

This isn't the first case of a student-athlete dying following a practice, workout or competition, and the NCAA and its member institutions must find a better way to protect the young men and women on its fields and courts. The question is, what can we do?

Obviously, there isn't any possible way to prevent all tragedies - death is a part of life, and unfortunately, sometimes young people are taken from us way too soon. There may be practical ways, however, to prevent unnecessary deaths.

Plancher had passed a physical earlier this year, but to my understanding, he wasn't subjected to an echocardiogram or more advanced heart testing. By no means is this a suggestion that Plancher's death could have been prevented, but perhaps more in-depth testing could have made a difference.

It is the rare school that provides its students with echocardiograms. We recently discussed Tennessee and its program that may have saved the lives of two student-athletes. There's no question that those are amazing results.

In part, this is a financial issue. If schools can't afford echocardiograms for all of their student-athletes, then it's difficult to figure out how they will be provided. On Monday, NCAA President Myles Brand weighed in on the issue during his weekly podcast, commenting that "you can't put a price on the life of a young student-athlete, but you always have the question in health care about how to allocate scarce resources."

I don't know what the solution is, but I think it's necessary to have these conversations. These are the worst stories out there, and if there's any chance we can find a practical way to save more lives of student-athletes, we must do it - and soon.

Should echocardiograms be mandated for student-athletes to compete in intercollegiate athletics?

Marta Lawrence asks whether a state championship game should end in a tie.

Few state hockey championships end with both teams hugging and congratulating each other and until recently none had ever ended in a tie after eight overtimes. In the Division I Michigan state high school championship officials called the game after both teams, Marquette and Orchard Lake St. Mary's, failed to score.

But the real story here is the sportsmanship exhibited by the teams.

After the game--which was the longest high school hockey game ever played--the teams posed for joint championship photos.

"After eight overtimes, there is no loser. It ended the right way," Shane Halaas the forward for St. Mary's said in a story from the Detroit Free Press. "It's better than if we lost. Everyone goes out a winner. It was different, but we're champions and we get rings."

Athletes on both sides of the bench became nauseated and dehydrated during the extended game. Many of the kids weren't sweating.

"Not only was there a matter of physical exhaustion," Randy Allen, the state official responsible for hockey said, "but the kids hadn't had nutrition since early in the afternoon. We had to make a responsible decision."

Michigan high school hockey rules say that overtime play will continue until there is a winner and does not allow for shootouts.

The game raises interesting questions about winning and losing. Some think a championship deserves a winner and the kids should have been given an opportunity to rest and then resume the game.

From my perspective, I think it's pretty cool that these kids acknowledge an equal skill level and are able to celebrate the strengths of an evenly matched opponent.

What do you think? Did officials handle the game correctly? Is a winner really all that important or is it enough to have a great, hard-fought game?

The Field of 65 was announced last night after a crazy weekend of conference tournaments. Here are some thoughts and questions I've been pondering.

• By now you've probably heard about Georgia's miraculous run to the SEC Championship. The Bulldogs weren't on anyone's radar to make the NCAA tournament, but won three games in two days to earn the automatic bid. That's