NFL gurus and former players and coaches always talk and preach about "protecting the shield".

What they mean is to hold up and dignify the NFL as a league or a sacred entity and to do everything not to make a mockery of it.

Well, to protect the shield, first they should take the Pro Bowl out back behind the billion-dollar shed next to the NFL headquarters in New York City and shoot it right between the eyes.

The Pro Bowl is embarrassing to every circus or carnival freak who ever dressed up in funny pants and allowed crowd members to throw pies at them.

Nobody cares about the half-baked exhibition game, nobody tries, and the usually gentle Hawaiian audience is booing.

If Joe Thomas doesn't want to block, why should I watch? If defensive backs don't want to cover anyone, why should I care who is named a Pro Bowl player? It doesn't add weight to a resume anymore. It is just a title, associated with a complete trainwreck.

It is so ridiculous any more that there is no sense to suggest changes. Just end it, and spend the week before the Super Bowl doing meaningful things like rearranging your sock drawer or campaigning to have Colin Cowherd and Skip Bayless deported to an island with no microphones and no TVs.

- BTilton@News-Herald.com

When you flip through the channels in search of a basketball game, chances are you're not tuning in with great interest or have your choice swayed because of the logo at center court.

That said, is it really necessary for some college and NBA teams to commit a crime against hardwood and parquet by splashing a HUGE logo that takes away from your viewing enjoyment?

For example...

And probably the most blatant ever...

First of all that NCAA one, prominent during March Madness in recent years, looks like kindergartners had a painting class featuring the color blue, and when they were told to clean up the mess they thought that meant wiping the blue paint as far across the court as they could.

That Jayhawk at center court at Kansas is bigger than the total land mass of Andorra.

The eyes of Texas are upon that logo at Texas A&M because viewers can't tell if the point guard bringing the ball up the court is in Houston or Galveston.

And that Oregon logo? I can't tell if someone brought in an industrial-size eraser and didn't finish the job or if the depths opened up. So that's what happened to that West Wyoming A&M State-Yosemite Branch team that went there for a nonconference game earlier this year. It all makes sense now.

Seriously, folks, what is the thought process here? Is there some genius in the marketing department that thinks, "You know, I think people will tune in to watch us play, and they'll be so overwhelmed by the size of our logo and pride we show for our school that they'll drive here in droves."?

I'm amazed with these wild court designs - and certainly not just the examples above, mind you - that players don't have a difficult time in some instances distinguishing baselines, 3-point lines, where the exit might be - the important stuff.

Bottom line: A small, old-fashioned varsity block letter never hurt anything. These logos hurt your enjoyment, not to mention your eyes. Take it down a notch.

- Chris Lillstrung

We're five days away from national signing day. It's an occasion many in the college football industry refer to as a national holiday.

To which I ask, "In what country?" Plenty of fan bases refer to themselves as "(nickname) nation." But that's not the kind of country I'm talking about.

In regions where college football is No. 1 (read: the SEC), it's a bigger deal than the NFL draft. As evidence, ESPNU is advertising 10 hours of coverage beginning Wednesday morning. The network has already been analyzing recruiting rankings and weighing in on coaching changes and how they affect a school's incoming classes.

ESPNU is cranking up the hot air for three reasons: 1) It has no other live events to show on a Wednesday morning/mid-day. 2) It gives the network something to talk about between the bowls and spring practice. 3) There's demand. A lot of demand, with thousands upon thousands of fans and boosters anticipating every commitment like election results in November.

What doesn't seem to matter, unfortunately, is that all of the expert commentary is as much hope as it is analysis. Think about how difficult it can be to project the careers of NFL draft picks. The players signing letters of intent are three to four years younger, with a lot more players to watch and less film of each of them.

Still, national signing day gets eyeballs and web hits. Therefore, it will be covered as if it were the professional draft, even though you could take the consensus top 10 recruiting schools, pull them out of a hat one by one, and your rankings have just as much chance at being as accurate as the experts'.

- Howard Primer

Life is full of decisions. As a sports editor of a daily newspaper, this is the dilemma we are facing at The News-Herald:

On first reference, is it Fausto Carmona or Roberto Hernandez Heredia?

We're going Heredia on first reference, so if you see a headline with "Heredia" in, we're really mentioning Carmona. Or Heredia.

Thanks Fausto, I mean Roberto, you're messing with sports departments all over Northeast Ohio.

- Mark Podolski | @mpodo

Sunday, we all woke up to the sad news of the passing of a sports legend in former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno. It was a shock but unfortunately was not totally unexpected after Saturday's reports of Paterno being in serious condition and on a ventilator.

To mark Paterno's passing, ESPN pre-empted its Australian Open coverage to present reaction from around the sports world in a "SportsCenter" special - as it should with a watershed moment such as this, by the way.

I couldn't help but think, though, of seeing the graphic "BREAKING NEWS: Joe Paterno dies at 85". That marked the second time this week I've seen a breaking news graphic on ESPN.

This one was thoroughly deserved of course. The other instance was far from it.

Previously in this space, Sports Editor Mark Podolski talked very accurately about the pratfalls in the race to be first with the Paterno story Saturday night, as multiple reports prematurely said he had already passed away.

Allow me to add one more: The very definition of breaking news.

The other instance of breaking news I saw this week on ESPN - and honestly, it pains me to even bring it up because it so far pales in comparison to the finality of a sports legend passing away - was when it was revealed LeBron James would play against the Lakers after being sent home from morning shootaround with a flu bug.

It's not even so much that James is involved - it just so happens he's the example in this case. But let's say Albert Pujols, Aaron Rodgers, Tiger Woods - any other prominent athlete in the world - also had a flu bug, and it was revealed they would play on anyway. I think it's fair to say it would not be met with the fanfare of "breaking news" as it was with James. A "developing story"? Perhaps. Worthy of a crawl item on the ticker? Absolutely. But not breaking news.

There are many, many instances in which ESPN should be very proud of its journalistic integrity and quality, and the depth with which they covered and the perspective they provided on Paterno's passing is one of them.

But if someone in Bristol honestly believes James battling a flu bug, taking some over-the-counter medicine and being able to play the same day qualifies as "breaking news" - particularly compared to Sunday's unfortunate events - they're sadly mistaken.

- Chris Lillstrung

The report of Joe Paterno's death on Saturday evening is a painful lesson in journalism. Or, more appropriate, Twitter.

Twitter is an effective, useful tool for gathering and delivering information and opinion. It can also be an avenue for mistakes because it seems the race to be first can sometimes outweigh being right.

If you missed it, here's what happened on Twitter concerning Paterno, who, as I write this at 10 p.m. on Saturday, is in serious condition in a hospital while battling cancer:

- CBS sports was the first major news organization to report Paterno had died.

- Twitter posts with tributes and farewells were abundant immediately after. CNN followed up CBS' report of Paterno's death.

- Moments later, the Paterno family responded by saying Joe Paterno was not dead and earlier reports were "Absolutely not true."

Saturday night reminded me of the night when Bob Feller died. As sports editor of The News-Herald, my No. 1 priority that night before a tweet was posted or a headline was written on-line was confirming the story of Feller's death was 100 percent accurate.

On a much smaller scale, I made a major mistake a few years ago concerning an area man who coached high school baseball. It had nothing to do with me searching for information. I received a call about a fund raiser for the person, and in the process, the wrong information was reported.

It was an honest mistake by myself, but I felt horrible about it and made it a point to talk to the person. It was a phone call I dreaded.

Back to the night of Feller's death. Until we at The News-Herald received confirmation from Feller's family or the Indians, we were not going to report it.

It was a lesson learned.

- Mark Podolski | @mpodo

The Cavaliers released an image of their latest alternate uniform, called the CavFanatic, on Friday afternoon. They will debut it against the Knicks on Jan. 25.

- Howard Primer

This lousy weather is tough to beat.

In some cases, not even the gym can cure the winter time blues.

As I get older, exercising becomes more of a priority, and for good reason. Keeping the pounds off gets more difficult as the years pass.

This time of the year is by far the most difficult to keep up the pace at the gym. The mood outside (snow, gray skies, bitter cold, high winds) can have a peculiar affect on our psyche.

If it's lousy outside, in a lot of cases you feel lousy. If it's picture perfect outside, in a lot of cases you feel great.

The trick for me is getting over that mental block. During the winter, half the battle is making the trek to the gym, but when I get there, putting the work in is a must.

It's been said the best workout a person can put in is the one when he or she's heart isn't into it. In my case, workouts at this time of the year are a perfect example of that.

Keep grinding, I say.

- Mark Podolski | @mpodo

I think I figured out why some teams work so well together while others struggle.
It's because some teams are close while others are not.
Winning teams work well together.
They listen to what their coaches are saying and follow through.
Their mentality is not "me first." It's "team first."
Trust me, I've seen teams come together over the years and I've seen teams fall apart.
When a team does not succeed, it's often not pretty.
But other times, it doesn't matter. The team is still working as a team even if it is losing.
Years from now, kids usually won't remember if they won or lost (unless they go deep into the postseason).
They will remember the work ethic their coaches tried to instill in them, the friendships they formed and the struggles they conquered.
They will remember the really important lessons in life.
That's why kids should try to be close not only on the court, but off the court.
The continuity makes a difference.
The athletes who try to look out for only themselves will not make it far. Sadly, there are plenty of them out there.
It's the ones who care more about team statistics than individual stats who go far. Trust me, it's obvious to tell when an athlete is out for just themselves, and it isn't pretty.
It can't be hidden.
So please try.
It makes all the difference.


-Theresa Neuhoff Audia

The Associated Press state polls for basketball are not gospel nor should they be taken so seriously that they ruin your day.

Cliche as it sounds, they are what they are.

Voters from all over the state of Ohio are asked to vote on teams they have never seen. Imperfect system, but that's what we have to work with.

So don't get too caught up in who is ranked where or who isn't ranked at all. Not worth your elevated stress level.

Is Mentor ranked too low? Is VASJ ranked where they should be? What about Kenston in D-II?

It just isn't worth worrying about or taking too much stock in one way or another, folks.

It is certainly nice and a bouquet on the resume, but understand, it is not a scientific look at the best teams in the state.

Yearly complaint of mine, so there it is and let's all move along.

- BTilton@News-Herald.com

I had the chance to take in my first collegiate hockey game in person Sunday, covering the Frozen Diamond Faceoff at Progressive Field between Ohio State and Michigan.

During the second period, I happened to peek at the television, and Fox Sports Ohio had a shot of Michigan coach Red Berenson on the bench.

If anybody embodies being a hockey coach, it's Berenson.



He's a legend, in his 28th year at Michigan, having won well more than 700 career games and guiding the Wolverines to national championships in 1996 and 1998.

Berenson reminds me a lot, taking it back to my wheelhouse and Greater Cleveland high school hockey, of legendary Shaker Heights coach Mike Bartley. Now obviously it's on different platforms, but both are hockey coaches through and through.

Berenson has a bit of that Canadian accent when he speaks. So does Bartley.

Berenson has won a load of games. So has Bartley.

Berenson is the figurehead of the program he guides, and rightfully so. Same with Bartley.

Just like Bartley, whom I've had the great pleasure of talking hockey with many times over the years when Shaker has played my area teams, Berenson has great stories.

One came up almost out of nowhere after Michigan's 4-1 win Sunday. A reporter asked for the sake of it if anybody on stage - Berenson and his two players - had any baseball background given Sunday's game was at Progressive Field.

So Berenson shares a story about being a pretty good catcher when he was at Michigan but not being able to grab the attention of the Wolverines' baseball coach at the time. The reason? Michigan's catcher back then was Bill Freehan, who would go on to an outstanding MLB career with the Tigers.

It drew a big laugh from the room hearing Berenson tell the story. He can work a room, and he certainly guide a hockey program as well.

- Chris Lillstrung

When I asked Ohio State hockey coach Mark Osiecki what hockey fans should expect on Sunday when his team plays Michigan at Progressive Field, he said this:

"You're going to see a lot of guys that will play in the NHL one day," the coach said.

A look at each team's roster, especially Michigan's, and it's easy to see why that's a good possibility.

The Wolverines have 11 NHL draft picks on their roster of 25. The Buckeyes have four players that were drafted.

The Michigan players drafted with their NHL team: Kevin Lynch (Columbus Blue Jackets), Luke Moffatt (Colorado Avalanche), Alex Guptill (Dallas Stars), Zach Hyman (Florida Panthers), Mac Bennett (Montreal Canadiens), Jon Merrill (New Jersey Devils), David Wohlberg (New Jersey Devils), Chris Brown (Phoenix Coyotes), Lee Moffie (San Jose Sharks), Greg Pateryn (Toronto Maple Leafs), Brennan Serville (Winnepeg Jets).

The Ohio State players drafted: Ben Gallagher (Florida Panthers), Ryan Dzingel (Ottawa Senators), Max McCormick (Ottawa Senators), Chris Crane (San Jose Sharks).

- Mark Podolski | @mpodo

The attached tweet  was sent shortly after the conclusion of the Alabama-LSU BCS national championship game Monday night.

Luckily for us, the democracy is safe. Calls for stripping someone's privileges for not voting a certain way are usually confined to sports polls and awards.

As a journalist, I'm more sensitive to freedom-of-speech issues. Allowing for dissenting opinions is one of the foundations of our country. If everyone is supposed to vote for the same team or player, then you don't need a poll.

There are places where everyone is supposed to vote a certain way and sanctions could await them if they don't. None of them are countries I want to live in.

To be clear, this isn't about whether any team besides Alabama should be voted No. 1. It's about voters who want to make an opposing argument without being sanctioned for it. It's a poll - a compilation of opinions. Emphasis on opinion. This is how the college football determines its champion - the final two in the BCS, and No. 1 in the AP.

If participants in the polls can't select teams or awards without fear that their vote will be taken away because the Twitter-verse disagreed, then you won't have a true opinion of who the champion is.

College football already has enough problems with that.

- Howard Primer

Enough about the egg nog jog in Chardon. Get over it. It's not that big of a deal. So what if Chardon's assistant cross country coach Mary Pat Martin was there to witness it on the Chardon High School track over New Year's break. Aren't there bigger problems for teenage kids, their coaches and parents to worry about? I am the cross country beat writer for The News-Herald and over the years, I've witnessed plenty of kids throwing up before, during and after running. IT HAPPENS. This is not something new in cross country. Cross country kids are an eclectic group of athletes. They have to be a little out there to put in all of the miles they do in rain, heat and snow. These kids are crazy fun. So why not let them have a little fun? Focus on more important things like drugs in school, teenage pregnancy and more. I'm not proud to admit it, but we did things that were way worse when we were teenagers back in the day. Chugging egg nog and jogging wasn't one of them. In fact, I'm not going to even admit to what I did. I'm just glad there weren't videos of it posted on facebook. Coaches devote countless hours to helping high school athletes better themselves in so many ways. If they were paid what they deserve, they would be rich. But they aren't in it for the money. They are in it to enrich kids lives. That's what Mary Pat Martin thought she was doing. Parents were present with her and there was no alcohol involved. Kids were not forced to do this. They volunteered. So give it up. Enough about the egg nog jog. -Theresa Neuhoff Audia

So, what's new in the world of sports? Anything interesting happen over the weekend? I covered some high school basketball. The countdown to spring training is on for the Indians. The Cavs struggled in Portland. Oh, and I heard there were some pro football games. I really don't have much to say, just wanted to see if I could through a few hundred words without mentioning HIS name. I understand once HE threw the winning touchdown on Sunday night, 9,424 tweets went out on Twitter in one second. Simultaneously, the Internet and ESPN drooling egomaniac Skip Bayless' head almost exploded at the same time. I've watched sports my whole life and covered sports in the media for half of it and I have never seen anything close to this kind of mass hysteria one way or another over an athlete. Love HIM or hate HIM, HE does give everyone something to talk about. But in this case, it was just too much. I made it through all of Monday without turning on ESPN or ESPN2 or ESPNRadio once. That is an all-time record for a sports junkie like me. I have had enough. I'm not rooting against HIM as an individual, just the abnormally annoying circus of emotions and attention that surrounds HIS every wobbly throw or fullback-style run. Alright, that's all I have to say. I did what I set out to do. I made it through an entire sports blog without one time mentioning HIS name. No tricks, no clever endings to this. Just the peace of mind that I can talk about sports without mentioning Tim Tebow. Darn it. Well, I'm only human, even if HE isn't. - BTilton@News-Herald.com

Sifting through the finalists for this year's NFL Hall of Fame Class of 2012 did two things - it made me feel old, and it raised my blood pressure seeing Clay Matthews not get a shot as a finalist.

Be that as it may, I thought it would be interesting to go through some stats and the recesses of my memory and come up with my own Class from these finalists.

It's worth noting a maximum of seven get in - and that's only if both senior nominees make it.

It's also worth noting Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries will reconcile before I get an actual Hall of Fame vote.

But I'll have my fun anyway. For the NFL Hall of Fame Class of 2012, let's go with:

MODERN DAY

WR Tim Brown: 9-time Pro Bowler, played 17 years, 1,094 receptions, 14,934 yards, 100 TDs

WR Cris Carter (the biggest lock, in my opinion; that man could catch anything): 8-time Pro Bowler, 2-time All-Pro, played 16 years, 1,101 receptions, 13,899 yards, 130 TDs
C Dermontti Dawson (as much as it pains me as a Browns fan, I respected him a lot): 7-time Pro Bowler, 6-time All-Pro, played 13 years
DE Chris Doleman: 8-time Pro Bowler, 2-time All-Pro, played 15 years, 150.5 sacks, 914 tackles

RB Curtis Martin: 5-time Pro Bowler, 1-time All-Pro, played 11 years, 14,101 yards rushing, 90 TDs

SENIOR
CB Jack Butler: Played in the 50s on some very mediocre Steeler teams but was a 4-time Pro Bowler and 3-time All-Pro who had 52 career interceptions
G Dick Stanfel: He was a 5-time All-Pro and was a highly respected 1950s lineman for the Lions and Redskins.

Just my two cents. If it's anything like my college football bowl picks, these poor guys just had the hex put on them.

- Chris Lillstrung

Shocking news broke this weekend, with the report the Colts will select Stanford QB Andrew Luck with the first overall pick in April's NFL draft.

In other sports news:

- Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger will be gimpy but play on Sunday vs. the Broncos.

- Tim Tebow will continue to be awesome, no matter what happens.

- SEC speed will continue to be unmatched.

- ESPN blowhard Skip Bayless will continue to annoy.

In other words, reports of the Colts' draft plan would be like someone predicting the SEC will win another college football national championship on Monday night. No matter what, Luck to the Colts will happen, folks.

***

The fact there are 35 bowl games this season is bad enough. Now, there's this:

Eight - not one, not two, not three - bowl teams finished the 2011 season with losing records. They are:

UCLA (6-8), Arizona State (6-7), Iowa State (6-7), Northwestern (6-7), Ohio State (6-7), Pittsburgh (6-7), Vanderbilt (6-7) and Wake Forest (6-7).

Those who support the bowl system always point to the fact teams that win their final game of the season finish the season on a high note, but what about the teams that lose?

The results are proving some of those teams have no business being in a bowl game in the first place.

- Mark Podolski | @mpodo

Our high school sports Players of the Week feature is one of the most popular parts of our sports section, online and in print. Whether readers are looking for the top athletes or goofy hobbies from the honorees, they draw eyeballs.

Sometimes I wish we had a different title for them, though. By the strictest definition, it would be the absolute best performances of the previous seven days, and that's how they're sometimes interpreted. Readers occasionally wonder why what would seem like an obvious Player-of-the-Week performance didn't make it.

Players of the Week serves a couple purposes:

1) It allows us to highlight performances we missed in our regular coverage. We can't be at every game, and this allows us to make up for that.

2) They're economical. It's like putting eight small features in the space of one big one.

We also a have a few ground rules:

- We only take nominations from coaches or those appointed by the coach.

- We encourage nominations, but we don't seek out specific ones. We get more than enough just by publicizing the weekly deadline. One exception: A few years ago, we hadn't received any lacrosse nominations in the first few weeks of the spring season. We thought perhaps coaches weren't aware we include lacrosse. So we notified area schools that, indeed, we would like to include lacrosse in Players of the Week, but we can't until someone is nominated.

- An athlete can only be a Player of the Week once per season (fall, winter, spring). No matter how good the performance is, it defeats the purpose of the feature to take a spot away from someone else to honor an athlete for a second time in a season.

When the strict interpretation of the title and our reasons for doing Players of the Week collide, it makes for some funny moments.

In a recent year (I'm avoiding specifics so as not to identify the party), we did a big preseason story on an athlete who had a Division I scholarship. A couple weeks into the season, the athlete's coach nominated him for Player of the Week. He and another athlete had comparable weeks. For us, it was an easy call - we picked the other kid.

The coach sent us a scathing email, incredulous as to how we didn't pick his Division I recruit over the other athlete. We were equally incredulous - why would we pick someone we just wrote a big story about a couple weeks prior? To us, Players of the Week are not MVP trophies or an all-out, Darwinistic battle for supremacy. They're about getting names and pictures in the paper.

Instances like those come up from time to time. So do imbalances in which sports are selected. This week, for example, we had four basketball players, two wrestlers and a swimmer. Why? Because those were the sports that were nominated. We would love to include the other winter sports, and we encourage nominations from hockey, bowling and gymnastics. But nominations are voluntary -- we're not the government. We can't make anyone do it.

- Howard Primer

New Year's Day was reserved for the NFL, but Jan. 2 stood in as the biggest bowl day of the year.

There's nothing like 6 bowl games on one day, with 4 taking place at the same time in mid-afternoon. It is a college football fan's nirvana.

That is, until you attempt to do something as foolish as order out for dinner.

I had a nightmare of a time trying to get something to eat. The first pizza place I went to took my order over the phone, had me wait 5 minutes in the restaurant and THEN tell me they were out of key ingredients to complete my request.

The second place I called did not identify the restaurant and was hard to hear on the phone, so passed on them as well.

The third place was buffet style, and getting that to go turned into more of a chore than it was worth, so STRIKE 3!

I thank Zeppe's of Mentor for helping me keep my sanity after almost 2 hours of trying to get something to eat.

Should have just shopped at Giant Eagle ... or called my friends at Hooley House (first shameless Chalk Talk plug of 2012 in case you were keeping score at home).

Oh well, learned my lesson. It won't happen again on Jan. 9 for the National Championship game.

Hope you all had better luck trying to get some simple nutrients in between the Rose Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl on Monday.

- BTilton@News-Herald.com

People will make their case for there being too many college football bowl games, and usually it's an argument decisive enough that it carries some merit.

One case during bowl season, on the other hand, really needs to be toned down.

If you watch enough bowl games, you're likely to hear the phrase, "This guy can play on Sundays," - referring obviously to a player's ability to reach the NFL and stay there.

The problem is it's a crutch for football broadcasters - kind of like attaching the word "position" to every position on the field (quarterback position, running back position) even though it's thoroughly unnecessary.

As a result, let's be honest. Many college football players work hard and they put together commendable careers at that level. But if every player that someone said could play on Sunday actually played on Sunday in the future, there would be NFL franchises in Albuquerque and Honolulu. Heck, at the rate that phrase is thrown out there would be NFL franchises in Parma Heights and Rancho Cucamonga.

Here's a stat to illustrate my point of how unlikely it is: According to the NFL Players Association, of the 100,000 high school seniors who play football every year, 215 will make an NFL roster in the future. And of the 9,000 who make it to the college ranks, 300 will get an invite to the NFL scouting combine.

It seems as if a third-string linebacker for West Central Wyoming A&M could come in and make a play and the analyst would say, "You know, he has great football instinct. This guy can play on Sunday."

Chances are, he's not. Just saying ...

- Chris Lillstrung