So, when's the NFL Draft?

If you've been paying attention to the latest sports news (or have a pulse) then you know that the world's biggest meat market is coming to town. That's right, the over-analyzing is complete and we will finally get to hear guys in suits call out names for two days straight. Thrilling. It reminds me of watching the Weather Channel, except instead of weather forecasts, we're getting predictions as to who is going where and what they will be doing once they get there. Just.....FREAKING EXCITING! (with a hint of sarcasm)

When did the NFL Draft become the biggest thing since hot dog stands? It's long and it's boring. Why not just wait a day and read the entire list of picks in the newspaper instead of wasting an entire day watching the damn thing? Why does each team get 15 freaking minutes in the first round? They've been preparing for every scenario involving every player for the last four months. Do they seriously think it's going to take 15 minutes for these teams to decide who to take? If the draft were not televised live from Radio City Music Hall on two different stations, if it weren't the most over-hyped spectacle since Geraldo opening Capon's vault, the teams would get like 5 minutes tops. They know who they are going to pick. The league just wants to milk it for all it's worth. The longer they are on the air, the more commercials are played, therefore more revenue is filtered into a league that really doesn't need any more revenue. It's all a big scam of our time and energy. I flip on Sportscenter hoping to check out some baseball scores or NBA playoff analysis and instead I'm hearing for the eight-thousandth time how strong Jamarcus Russell's arm is and how young Amobi Okoye is and how sexy Brady Quinn is. You know, the usual mind-numbing nothingness that is inherent when people try to analyze the vertical leaps and shuttle run times of twenty year olds.

Let's get past the over-exposure of the Draft for just a second. Does anybody really think that any of it matters all that much? An active NFL roster has 53 names on it. The draft gets each team on average 7 or so new players, a couple of whom will not make the team. Also, this is a league in which teams build off of free agency. With all of this taken into account, who cares who these teams pick? Most of them are destined to become "cap casualties" who end up with six different teams during their exploitation by the league. Sure, there will be players who make huge impacts on the roster and who help transform the franchise. I get that. But in a league in which players are changing teams every year, does it matter which team the start out with?

Frankly, the NBA draft is the most important of all drafts. One player can completely change a franchise. One year, the Cleveland Cavaliers are the worst team in basketball. One Lebron and two seasons later, they are contenders in the East. One player can have a huge impact on the on-court performance of an NBA team. In football, there are 22 different positions. Is that one left tackle going make 4-12 into 12-4? Unlikely. That's not to say that it never happens (see: Vince Young). But NFL teams build in free agency. In a "win now or else" culture, free agents help teams win now. The coaches who draft these players likely won't be around to enjoy the fruits of their tireless scouting labor because they'll be fired by the time the players pan out (or flame out). It's a giant crap shoot for guys who may be fantastic but still not impact the team enough to illicit noticeable improvement in the standings.

As you can tell, I'm sick of all of this draft talk and can't wait until Monday when, instead of talking about what might happen in the draft, we get to hear about what did happen and what it all means for the next four months. Give me NBA playoff basketball over name reading all day long. Has anybody noticed that the first week of NBA playoffs was sick with excitement and intrigue? Probably not because instead of hearing about the defending champs possibly meeting their match, or the best team in basketball getting themselves into a real dog fight, or Utah and Houston playing perhaps the most competitive first round series ever, we're hearing about how some of the possible draft picks admitted to smoking pot. Shocking! That's like telling me Bill Gates doesn't have an iPod. You didn't have to tell me but I probably could have figured it out anyway. Guys smoke pot in college. Big deal.

By the way, the Eugene Marathon is this weekend and I'm getting ready to head over to the Hilton for the Health-Fitness Expo and to check-in. I am thoroughly jacked! I hope I don't keel over and die at mile 20 or something bad like that because then I'll miss all of the exciting wrap-up from Name Reading 2007. I'll check in the draft a couple of times but I'll mainly be watching basketball, mentally preparing to run, and carb-loading. I wish Enoka Lucas, JD Nelson, Jordan Kent, Blair Phillips, and all the other Ducks who may get drafted huge amounts of luck. I hope their names get called and I hope they get a chance to represent the O at the next level. That said, I won't feel the need to be glued to the set when their names scroll across the screens as the most recent selection.

To wrap-up, the Oregon Spring Game is this weekend. I am considering going, but I may not. It would be too terrifying to watch Jonathon Stewart get tackled. Everyday I open the sports page, I am praying (even though I'm not religious) that the headline isn't something like "Stewart blows out ACL, lost for season." EEK! As long as nobody gets hurt and lots of food is donated to the Lane County Food Share, the day will be a success.