Under Construction

Yo, what's good people. We are taking a little hiatus to get ready for the new football season with a new website and our September issue launching in exactly one week. We will be writing articles still periodically until then. We just kind of wanted to send this lil' message out to you all so you wouldn't wonder where we were. We're here, we're just getting it in. To take a page out of Chris Johnson and Chad Ocho Cino's book, we're a little homeless right now.

Get ready! One week!

Hold 'ya head Plax

Don't have much to say about this. You break the law, you'll be punished. No one disputes the facts of that uneventful night in Manhattan. He came strapped to the club, gun slipped down his waistband, went off and hit Plaxico in the right thigh. The gun was not registered in New York or New Jersey. This happened in November 2008, and the registration of the gun that didn't want to stay in the waist band which was licensed in Florida but it expired in May 2008.

Easier said than done, but if you break the law and get caught, expect to be punished, high-profile status or not. Prosecutors are cracking down on those with high-profile status to prove a point now a days. To everyone that's in it for the glitz and the glamour, yall still want to be famous?

All I can say, keep your head up Plax. He'll be 34 when he gets out, a lot different from Vick being 29. The naysayers will say he can't play ball at an elite level anymore, but I'm sure he'll be signed and disprove his doubters. I've never been in prison, so it might be crass for me to say this, but two years goes by faster than you think. Plax is a religious man, so all I can tell you is that God allows things to happen for a reason. This event was meant to happen, be a man tough it out, and you'll be just fine, matter of fact, probably an even better man.


That's all I got,



Ricky Writer

And in other news... Favre, Brett is back

Oh shoot. I'm a day late on the Brett Favre scoop. Shoot me, sue me, then kill me. This guy gets more attention that what is needed. Why be on time, when the rest of the media is right on it?

My 6Mag followers don't come to me for the breaking news, they come to me for insight that they think about but no one else is reporting. So,with that said, I'ma go in.

Are we surprised that Brett is back, if you are then go to PETA headquarters with a Mike Vick jersey and ask them "What's the big deal?"

It doesn't surprise me one bit. This is what B-Favre does, he toys with our emotions, loves to hear his name in the media, and stills wants to throw burners in the league but knows that his age or his body isn't on his side. Brett Favre is addicted to football, you think he's really going to tell it no when it comes back in his face?

Brett Favre is going to play football until he can't play anymore or until no one entertains signing him to a contract. I mean Brett was cool, chilling in Mississippi, and Vikings head coach, Brad Childress hit Brett up on Monday night. Childress woke the sleeping giant. Childress making this call shows how much faith he has in his current quaterbacks, Sage Rosenfels, Tavaris Jackson, and John David Booty.

To all the naysayers, why should Brett stay at retired? If someone is offering you double digit millions to do something you'd do forever if they ever discovered a fountain of youth, but luckily your body is hanging on by a thread so you can still perform. Why not play? Also, for the record the demise of the Jets last year wasn't all Brett Favre's fault, I site Mangini for not rushing the ball more and the defense for not being able to get off the field in late games.

Legacy? Ya, he's Hall of Famer to be. Sounds like a good legacy to me? Are Brett Favre's last few seasons in NYC, Minnesota, and wherever else going to keep him out of the Hall of Fame? Now tarnishing his legacy would be admitting he bet on games, took performancing enhancing drugs, or that he was on the sidelines while his stunt double was throwing for all those record setting yards and touchdowns. Playing too long? Nah, his legacy is still good.

Playing past your prime is almost a pre-requisite of being an athlete. Sports is 90% mental, so the successful atheltes have believed and will always believe that they can play at top flight level until their body betrays them, someone disfigures their body in a career ending way, or until the general mangers of their respective league thinks they are washed up. Look at those who played past their prime, OJ, Johnny U, Emmitt Smith, Jordan to name a few. Does anyone know who they ended their careers with, no, unless you're a die hard fan. Any player that's been blessed to have played long and well enough to have attained a legacy is remembered by the teams that he/she spent their prime. When we all die in 50 years from now(hopefully), when Brett Favre's name is brought up, will we remember Brett the Jet or Viking, no. We will remember Brett the Packer.

Unless, Brett the Viking wins a Super Bowl, which is quite possible. The Vikes have a quarterback that knows the offense and division better than the head coach. Percy and Bernand Berriman on the outside. Vishante in the middle, and the best running back in the league toting the rock. Let us not forget one of the best defenses in the league as well. Favre actually has the chance to improve his legacy with a Super Bowl win and get Packer GM Ted Thompson fired at the same time.


That's all I got,



Ricky Writer

6Magazine Non-football All-Pros

I watched Usain Bolt set an world record in the 100m which seemed impossible. He ran 9.58 at the World Track and Field Championships in Berlin yesterday. I know people have teased with what if Usain Bolt played football, but what if he really did? It got me to thinking and here is 6Magazine's non-football all-pros.

QB - Joe Mauer - I mean you see the kid killing it for the Twins. I can only imagine he would have been as equally adept had he gone to FSU and played QB.

RB - Carl Crawford - At 6'2" 215 you know he has the size. He leads the majors in stolen bases so you know he has the speed. He's from Texas so football is in his blood. He was recruited by Nebraska to be an option qb, OU, UCLA, and more, so you know he can tote the rock as well. I'm sure he has shakes, and let that boy get in the open field....it's a wrap.

RB - Alex Ovechkin - Alex the great stands 6'2" 220 lbs. You seen how nice he is on the ice weaving in and out of defenders. You also seen him deliver a blow. I see Ovechkin similar to Adrian Peterson, being that there is no such thing as an out of bounds line.

FB - Prince Fielder - 5'11" 268 he's clearly got the size. He's nimble on his feet too. You see the passion with which he plays too! If you don't look up how gangsta he got when he went to the Dodgers locker room after getting hit by a pitch. This is someone I want to be on the field with no matter what the sport.

3rd down back - Bryan Clay - at 5'11" 185 the reigning Olympic decathalete champion does it all. So why not put him here. You need to run a draw on 3rd and 7, he's got your first down. Screen plays, he's the man. Gotta a blitzing lineback, Clay's cutting 'em pronto.

Split End - Lebron James - Did you expect someone else. I don't need to say much besides, 6'8" 250 lbs. runs like the wind and jumps like gas prices in the summer.

Flanker - Usain Bolt - 6'5" 190 lbs. Oh yah I forgot to mention he runs the 100m in 9.58 seconds. Imagine how deep your safeties are going to have to be to account for this guy. I've seen Randy Moss out run deep safties, so I know Bolt can. Also send this guy on a dig route over the middle with an accurate quarterback, and he's going to the end zone every time.

Slot Receiver - Allen Iverson - Quick as hell and tough as nails, thats what he has and exactly what it takes to play in the slot. High school A.I. was also a top D-1 football recruit. Ask about em.

Tight End - Matt Kemp - At 6'2" and 230 lbs, he is shorter and smaller than what you expect in most tight ends but something tells me at only 24 he's got room to gain weight and what he lacks in height in makes up for in leaping ability.

Left Tackle - Shaquille O'neal - 7'1" 340 the Big Aristotle has feet like Ichiro Suzuki. Not really, but you know what I mean. He's carried all the teams he's played for on his back. The Left tackle normally does the same in the passing game. Who's going to get around him? Plus he'd be an offensive lineman with a defensive lineman's mentality. Scary.

Left Guard - Big Show - 7'0" 485 lbs. Uhh, running lanes, big ones too. To quote Vince Lombardi, " I want a seal here! And a seal here! with Big Show, that's not two lineman that's his two arms with the DE and DT at his mercy.

Center - Adam Dunn - Dunn spent a season at Texas playing as a redshirt QB, but then ditched the gridiron for the diamond. He's 6'6" and 275 lbs. So he's a we bit big to be under center. Also, I'm not as impressed with this footing or fielding in the outfield, but he's perfectly athletic and big enough to run my offensive line.

Right Guard - Ryan Howard - He stands 6'4" and 256 pounds which is tiny for a offensive lineman, but hell, you try and find NFL sized lineman in other sports. I know Howard would get the job done, and that's why he's here.

Right Tackle - Glen Davis - Davis is going to wreck shop plain and simple. With Shaq on the blind side, Davis won't have too much pressure on him. Only thing he'll be asked to stop is run stopping DE's and blitzing linebackers, but that's something his nimble 6'9" 289 lbs body can handle.

KR - Dwayne Wade/Ichiro Suzuki - To run a kickoff back in the NFL it takes speed and balls. You have to be super fast and have the courage to go through the black hole also known as the wedge at full speed when you don't know what or who could be on the other side waiting. You seen the way D-Wade goes to the rack? Fearless. I know you see him slash through the lane as well. Ichiro has the speed and it wouldn't surprise me if the had he courage as well.

PR - Derrick Rose/Jimmy Rollins - Speed. Moves. Agility. Quickness. Ohh wee!

K - David Beckham - Strong leg? Check. Bend it through the uprights from the far hash? Check.

DEFENSE

Right Defensive End - Blake Griffin - Just as big as Lebron James. Maybe a hair or a half notch less athletic, but at DE he'd be a force to be recon with ala Julius Peppers.

Defensive Tackle - Jack Swagger - He is 6'6" 263 lbs. If you didn't know he actually played DT in college at OU, so you know is going to do his thing.

Nose Guard - Ben Wallace. His height might have him a bit out of place and susceptible to being cut, but he has the mean streak and will find a way to sack the quarterback and stuff the run.

Left Defensive End - The Rock - I mean he played DT for the U in the early 90's. What more do you want? He has left the wrestling arena thus having slimmed down, that's why we made him move to DE, but it should be a seamless transition.

Weakside Linebacker - Torii Hunter - He's bigger than you'd expect for as athletic of plays you see him make in the Summer. He's a deceptive 225 lbs in a 6'2" frame. Perfect for covering TEs, RBs, and FBs and blitzing Qbs.

Middle Linebacker - Ron Artest - Besides being 6'7" 260 lbs, he's freaking Ron Artest. Could you imagine anyone else? If you can, "reconsider, read some litta"

Strongside Linebacker - David Wright -Yes he's tiny for a MLB (6'0" 217lbs.) But with the right weight program you know he can add on some pounds, and he's one of the tougher smarter players in baseball today which would translate to MLB.

Left Cornerback - BJ Upton - At 6'3 185 have fun getting seperation or catching jumpballs on him.

Right Cornerback - Justin Upton - Can't have one brother at one corner and not have the other brother at the other side. He's bigger at 6'2 205 so have fun getting off the line on him. Also he's the more cockier of the two. If you run his way he's probably going to flip you and make you feel really stupid.

Free Safety - Derek Jeter - At 6'3" 200 lbs, Jeter has the perfect size for a safety. You seen his work in short and sometimes in the corner was well. Pick City!

Strong Safety - Jose Reyes - The NYC Metropolitan is 6'1" and 200 lbs even. He looks like he'd be great in the box, a fearless blitzer and a tight end's down comforter.

Nickel Back - Jozy Altidore - You see how much ground he covers on the soccer field. It's a wrap when the gets on the football field. Watch out for him on the blitz too.

Dime Back - Cristiano Ronaldo - Sure he is a skinny 165, but he's 6'1 and quick enough to cover any slot or #4 wideout and blitz from the edge as well.

Punter - Time Lincecum - He's small like a punter, but pitches like a wizard. I have no basis for this, but the way with which he places his pitches exactly where they need to be leads me to believe that his punts will be no different.

Special Team Specialist - Sean Avery - Most special teams studs are fan favorites, small sized, and scrappy. Avery at 5'10" 195 has all 3 bases covered.


That's all I got,


Ricky Writer

Michael Vick on 60 minutes

Watch CBS Videos Online

Vickadelphia and the racial undertones

Vick is in Philly. Duh! We all know by know Mike Vick is back in the league. I am probably the happiest person in the world being that I am one of his biggest fans.

You can go to other sites to get the status of when Vick will play, how he will help, how he will hurt them etc.

I'm going to chop it up about the racial undertones that are really, really bothering me. Vick is not the Wildcat quarterback ambassador. Why is now that any athletic black quarterback is immediately the wildcat specialist. I love what Donovan McNabb said yesterday in response to a reporters question regarding the Vick and the Wildcat formation.

He said, and I paraphrase, "I think people look at the Wildcat as a cop out. He's not a utility guy, he's not a wide receiver, he is a quarterback. He was brought in to be a quarterback. Yes, the Wildcat formation works in college, and a few times adopted it last year in the NFL, but it won't last long in the NFL. Michael Vick is first and foremost a quarterback. People focus too much on numbers instead of his (Vick) wins and losses."

To hear this being said from the starting quarterback shows how confident the organization is in McNabb, and how confident McNabb is in himself. I was amazed by McNabb's confidence and even more amazed that he lobbied for Vick to be an Eagle.

Jamie Dukes of the NFL network said something that no one else seems to be saying. He said that Michael Vick despite his numbers was a very good quarterback in NFL. His completion percentage is not great but his win loss record is 38-28-1. Most importantly when he was quarterback, he lead the Falcons to a road playoff win against Brett Favre and the Packers, and also took the Falcons to the NFC Championship game. He made it known that Vick really didn't have people around him. Imagine if Roddy White played the way he does know with Matt Ryan. Not saying White sabotaged Vick in anyway, only that he was a young reciever. Vick never had that stellar goto wide reciever. One thing he did have was a lot of dropped balls. In fact at one point the Falcons were 8th in the league in terms of dropped passes in 2006.

I find it funny how people are not open to change. Before this wildcat craze no one said it would work. But now everyone is a proponent of it? If Vick was winning, although not a high rate, what is the big deal with his style of winning? I mean Kerry Collins did not exactly win pretty in Tennessee last year as many people want to say he did. Vick was not the greatest quarterback in terms of passing, but what he lacked passing he made up for running. Why isn't Vick allowed the same growth pattern that was allowed to Steve Young?

Either way, he is back. I've always been a Vick fan, and I'll be rooting for him and Eagles harder than ever before. Welcome to Philadelphia, home of the black quarterback, Randall Cunningham, Donovan McNabb and now Mike Vick.

It's funny how Dan Marino and Jim Kelly are regarded as two of the greatest QBs of our time even though they didn't win a Super Bowl. Terry Bradshaw won 4 Super Bowls, while having a 212/210 TD/Int ratio and a 70.9 QB rating(Vick's 75.5). For Vick to even be considered in the same breath he has to not only play with what the "masses" deam the appropriate way to play quarterback, he also has to win. To understand my frustrations, listen to the last video of this post by Chris Rock. Thanks.


That's all I got,


Ricky Writer

Vick introduced as the newest Philadelphia Eagle






Donovan Embraces Vick




Chris Rock on HBO Black List Vol. #1

Ed The Sports Fan drops some knowledge

Ed the Sports Fan does. And he does it well everyday on his website, Edthesportsfan.com. His site was the voted as the Best Black Sports blog in 2008. He's nominated again this year as well. Check him out at, http://vote.blackweblogawards.com/pick, he's number 24. Mr. Ed has blessed us with a very interesting article as well. Let me get out of his way and let the man do his thing.


The Five Greatest College QBs in the last 25 years.

by Ed the Sports Fan



This debate started on twitter, had some vile conversations with Cephas from WTFMoments.org, and had some Blackberry Messenger debates with Kenny.

So this list will be highly inconclusive, inspiring, inaccurate, mind-blowing, hateful, and truly awesome all at the same time. This "greatest" list will be qualified as the most dynamic, do-it-all, big-game winning QB in my generation. Please note that no professional success will be factored into this, so just like Christian Laettener was lame in the NBA, he was awesome in college. Same rules apply here.

With all that being said, here's the best of the rest. QB's that didn't make the top 5.

Eric Crouch, Nebraska - Probably was #6 on the list of QBs, was the dream-killer of Oklahoma in the early '00's. Crouch is the all-time record holder for total offense in the Big 12 with 7,915. He is the 13th player in NCAA Division 1-A history to run and throw for more than 1,000 yards in a season.

Josh Heupel, Oklahoma - QB of the 2000 National Champion Oklahoma Sooners. Made every big throw for the Sooners and got big time wins against Nebraska, Texas, and Florida State.

Tee Martin, Tennessee - Peyton Manning might've been the better overall QB, but Tee Martin made every big play to get Tennessee a national championship.

Carson Palmer, Southern California - Carson owns seven Pac-10 career records and such USC player records as: total offense (a Pac 10 record 11,621), plays (a Pac-10 record 1,824), passing yardage (a Pac-10 record 11, 818), passing touchdowns (72, third on the Pac-10 ladder), completions (a Pac-10 record 927), attempts (a Pac-10 record 1,569). Palmer finished his USC season with a win at the 2003 Orange Bowl where he was selected bowl MVP.

Troy Smith, Ohio State - During Smith's senior year campaign, he threw for a school-record thirty (30) touchdowns while securing a spot for his Buckeyes in the BCS National Championship Game. Following his senior season, he was also awarded the Walter Camp Award, Davey O'Brien Award, AP Player of the Year, Sporting News Player of the Year, and Big Ten Offensive Player of the year.

NOW FOR THE TOP 5...

#5. Matt Leinart, Southern California - Matt is just the third quarterback in more than thirty years to lead his team to back-to-back national championships. In the process he led USC to three championship appearances and made every big throw the Trojans needed. The prototypical pocket passer to come out of the '05 draft, he was loaded with stars (Mike Williams, Dewayne Jarrett, LenDale White, Reggie Bush) however he was the lynchpin. Will go down as maybe the greatest USC QB of all-time.

#4. Vince Young, Texas - VY10 put together maybe the single-greatest game performance in the history of college football. The 38-35 Texas victory over USC in the Rose Bowl was truly magical. After the game, former USC and NFL safety Ronnie Lott said "Vince Young is the greatest quarterback to ever play college football." That gets you in the pantheon by itself. In his career he finished with a 30-2 record, and finished #7 on UT's rushing list with 3,127 yards. In his final year Young finished the season with 3,036 yards passing and 1,050 yards rushing earning him the Davey O'Brien Award.

#3. Charlie Ward, Florida State - Ward won the 1993 Heisman Trophy and Davey O'Brien Award as a quarterback for FSU, and subsequently led the Seminoles to their first-ever National Championship when FSU defeated Nebraska 18–16 in the 1993 Orange Bowl. Charlie was a phenomenal athlete, and was the anchor on a phenomenal Seminole team that was loaded with stars like Warrick Dunn and Derrick Brooks. The simple fact that Ward never played pro football almost adds to his mystique, and his senior year he finished with a 70% completion percentage while throwing for over 3,000 yards with 27 TDs and just 4 interceptions.

#2. Tim Tebow, Florida - God's 2nd favorite quarterback (behind Kurt Warner) is truly a talent from the heavens. Heisman trophy winner, 2-time Maxwell Award Winner, 2-time All-American, and more importantly 2-time national champion winner. #15 is the first Quarterback I've seen who was much more fullback/linebacker than the tall, lean or stiff, QBs that you usually see. Trust me, there is a huge chance that if I ever do this list again, he will be #1. If he wins another title this year, or wins a 2nd Heisman...I gotta put him #1.

#1. Tommie Frazier, Nebraska - Tommie Frazier is widely regarded as the greatest option quarterback in college football history. Frazier led the Cornhuskers to the Sunshine State Triumvirate aka 3 consecutive national championship games ('93-'95) against Florida, Miami, and Florida State. Frazier quarterbacked the Big Red Machine to back-to-back national championship in '94-95, the last team to do such a feat. Frazier was maybe the best big-game QB of our generation as he is the only player ever to win MVP of three national championship games. He finished with a career 33-3 record, and maybe pulled off one of the most back-breaking plays of all-time against the Gators...


The man had blood clots in his legs, and never got to showcase what he could do in pro football, and as much as I hate to crown a Cornhusker...he's #1 on this list.

WOW...AGAIN AS ALWAYS PLEASE LEAVE YOUR HATEFUL COMMENTS, LET THE DEBATE BEGIN!

-Ed.
www.edthesportsfan.com

**Please show your support of ETSF by voting for us as the Best Sports Blog on the net! CLICK HERE to vote for Ed The Sports Fan (selection #24) today! The revolution will not be televised, but its sho' gon' be live**

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Posted By Ed The Sports Fan to Ed The Sports Fan at 8/11/2009 08:55:00 AM

My First Football Game in 5 Months

I couldn't believe what I saw. Was it true? Was it 200+ lb. men flying around and hurling their bodies into one another and break neck speeds(literally)? It couldn't be could it? Yes, Jesus and the Football gods have ended their dispute of whether or not to make football a year round sport. As usual, Jesus won the argument, but he has allowed the Football gods to continue doing what they do best, orchestrating football matches from early August to early February. Oh ya, that's REAL football they are orchestrating by the way, and I'll go in a back alley with any soccer fan to prove my point of American football, being THE real football.

The Hall of Fame game was played this past weekend. It wasn't the greatest game in the world, but the game of football was on and my eyes were glued to the TV. I realized a few things that I am going to share with you. Terrell Owens has to have some fountain of youth and is not letting anyone else have any. How can this man continue you to play with the consistency he does at his age. He did start his career with the 49ers as did Jerry Rice who played 19 years in the league. Sidenote: Yo, Michael Crabtree, you might want to sign that contract with the 49ers if you know what's good for you homie. I'm not saying, I'm just saying. Chris Johnson is fas(not a typo he just ran across the computer screen and stole the "t" off the screen and you just didn't see him.)
The biggest Vince Young highlight wasn't his TD pass, but he threw an INT and bounced back from it just to throw a TD pass later in the game.

The actual Hall of Fame presentation the previous day was cool also. As I get older, I recognize more of the players that are inducted into the Hall. I remeber Randy McDaniel always having a high rating on Madden so I'd always trade for him and have a dynasty that would win five straight Super Bowls until the computer cheated in the 6th Super Bowl. Didn't know much about Ralph Wilson to be honest other than he owned the Bills and was one of the AFL founders, did I need to know more? I knew Bruce Smith was the 2nd best DE to ever live. I knew Derrick Thomas was either 1a or 1b when it came to outside linebackers to ever play this game. I know Bob Hayes might not ever be duplicated again, unless Usain Bolt wants to play football at a Hall of Fame level, if he's even capable. I also knew that Rod Woodson was one of the greatest cornerbacks of all-time, and know that I am in denial when I say Deion Sanders was a better cornerback than Woodson was.

Ralph Wilson's speech was cool and it was good to see him accept his recognition being that he is 90 years old even though he doesn't act his age. There were two posthumous recognitions recognized at the Hall of Fame this year, being Bob Hayes and Derrick Thomas who were presented/accepted by Roger Staubauch and Carl Peterson respectively.

Randy McDaniel had a good speech as it also was the deepest voice speech as well.

Bruce Smith had the funniest acceptance speech of anyone with one single quote, saying that he was responsible for stealing, former Bills RB, Thurman Thomas' helmet in the Super Bowl.

Rod Woodson's speech was the most inspirational as he spoke about the struggles of bi-racial individuals in the US.

No one's speech was "memorable" ala Michael Irvin or Darrell Green of recent years but their in the Hall of Fame and I'm not so take that, take that 6Magazine.

My one issue with this past weekend's festivites is this, why do those elected into the Hall need to be presented? To be honest, I don't want a hear a childhood friend, former coach, wife, son, etc anyone present a player. Let the player be presented by his play. A great video highlight reel from high school to professional is more than enough, then skip the "presenter" and let the player get up and accept his enshrinment.

That's all I got,


Ricky Writer

"Untitled" - Forde: New world order

(the genius himself, ESPN.com's Pat Forde)










I have to name this post "Untitled" because it left me speechless when I read the article. It is quite possibly one of the most brilliant ideas I've ever heard of in my life! ESPN's Pat Forde and whoever else helped with the process have absolutely made my day. I will be starting a petition to get this proclamation in effect as soon as possible. Anyone and everyone is welcomed to sign, babies, kids, dogs, felons, immigrants, inanimate objects etc. Let it be known that anyone who stands in the way will be destroyed by the wrath of whatever high being that you choose to believe in, and if no higher being is believed in then, Big Worm from Friday will deal with you promptly.

Let me get out of the way. Read up on this article via ESPN.com's Pat Forde.

Forde: New world order

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Get ready for a new world order

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By Pat Forde
ESPN.com
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To Baylor, Godspeed. To Indiana, fare thee well. To Duke, may the road rise to meet you. And to the entirety of the Sun Belt and Mid-American Conferences, safe travels.

Now get out.

[+] Enlarge

Jeff Gross/Getty Images
Pete Carroll shouldn't have to worry about USC being selected in Tuesday's mock draft.

What we are doing here is performing a hangeronectomy -- a ruthless downsizing of the cumbersomely named and gruesomely bloated Football Bowl Subdivision. Just as in corporate America, 2009 is the time to get lean in college football. It's time to separate the wheat from the chaff, the men from the boys, the Trojans of USC from the Trojans of Troy.

Let's end the charade. The most powerful and least powerful of the 120 teams in the current FBS have very little in common. Sure, you all put on your football pants one leg at a time -- but they're faster legs and bigger pants on one side of this great divide.

Despite the occasional peasant uprising (2008 featured Toledo over Michigan, Arkansas State over Texas A&M, UNLV over Arizona State) the outcomes of Have vs. Have Not are predictable and persuasive. These two groups do not belong together. So what the NCAA has brought together, ESPN.com will now tear asunder.

We're going to remake big-time football. From now on, clueless Top 25 voters and arcane computer formulas are out; on-field competition is in. And membership in an elite conference is subject to annual renewal as opposed to being a birthright.

It starts with a live draft Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET. When colleagues Ivan Maisel, Mark Schlabach and I are finished with our cut list, we'll be down to a fast and furious 40 power programs in the newly renamed Gordon Gekko Subdivision. (Motto: "Greed is good.")

We'll be drafting the most successful programs in the nation, based on whatever criteria each of us chooses to bring to the situation room. There is no set formula for this. Wins and losses matter most -- and what you've done in the 21st century is more important than what happened in the 1930s -- but fan following and overall prestige count, too.

You elites will be formed into four 10-team conferences of our choosing. You will play all nine league opponents every season, with the full round-robin scheduling alleviating the need for an annoying conference championship game. Of your three nonconference games, two must be played against fellow Gordon Gekko Subdivision opponents. Only one game can be played against an opponent from outside the top 40.

When the regular season is over, the four conference champions will enter a playoff -- yes, a playoff! -- to determine the national champion. (We expect approval from the First Playoff Advocate in the Oval Office at any time.)

After our 40-program draft, there will be a post-draft champagne-and-caviar reception on the penthouse level. From there you elites can look down and wave goodbye to the Little People we're in the process of evicting.

Those of you on the 80 teams that didn't make the cut can take your small stadiums and tight budgets and step-slow players to the Greyhound buses parked outside. They're waiting to relocate you to a middle-class home of your own. You're headed to the Tom Joad Subdivision (motto: "They fix 'em so you can't win nothing"), where you huddled masses can battle each other in relative obscurity while the upper class counts its money.

Research Guide

Need some help selecting the 40 teams you think belong in our new Division I-A? Check out the numbers from ESPN Research's Prestige Rankings. They should help you make your selections.

But wait. Before you rich and powerful teams get too comfortable, understand this: You can be kicked out of the club. Think Premier League soccer relegation, and apply it to the gridiron.

Every season, the bottom five teams in the Gordon Gekko Subdivision will be booted out and replaced by the top five teams in the Tom Joad Subdivision, which will feature eight 10-team conferences. The four teams that finish last in the Gekko conferences are automatically relegated, plus one underachiever will be chosen at large for demotion. They will be replaced by the four semifinalists from the playoff of Joad conference winners, plus a fifth team that must win an at-large game against another Joad conference winner.

Consider it a play-in game. And have it in Dayton, naturally.

So those are the rules of engagement. To the rich: Congratulations on getting richer. To the poor: Let them eat cake.

If you're a Joad team, it doesn't mean your brand of football is without value -- entertainment value and intrinsic value. It just means you should be playing your actual peers instead of having your brains beaten in by monolithic programs where the strength coach makes more than your head coach.

But not all the so-called little programs really are little, and not all the so-called big programs really are big. That's where we step in to redistrict the place.

We're not just sweeping out the lowest tier of the current BCS; we're also looking to whack the bottom feeders from the power conferences and most of the midlevel league members as well. We'll take down some academically oriented schools and a few basketball schools. And with the possible exception of fast learner South Florida, just about every school that jumped into what was formerly called Division I-A over the past 10 to 15 years now is on its way back out under our format.

Sorry about that, strivers. But in case you haven't heard, life is unfair.

Look, I'm ESPN.com's resident college populist and antiestablishment crank. There are few things I love more than seeing Boise State shock Oklahoma in football, or George Mason beat North Carolina, Michigan State and Connecticut in basketball.

But I'm also a realist. And no matter what the current NCAA divisional alignment tells us, it's unrealistic to believe that Louisiana-Monroe, with 2007-08 athletic revenues of less than $8 million, according to the Orlando Sentinel, is on equal terms with Texas, with more than $120 million in revenue.

The gulf is greater in football than it is in basketball. And it's now wider than Alabama's Terrence Cody.

Which is why it's time for a mass eviction. Don't let the marching band hit you on the way out, Have-Nots.

Pat Forde is a senior writer for ESPN.com. He can be reached at ESPN4D@aol.com.

Spats and shoe freedom

The NFL uniforms compared to the college uniforms are ugly. Plain and simple, they just don't compare to how those college kids rock their jerseys. You would think that professional players would be granted a little more leeway in terms of dress code, but they aren't.

If your shirt tail hangs out, you're fined. Socks down around your ankles, fined. If you're not wearing the ugly socks, fined and the list goes on and on.

You know what NFL, you win. We understand that if you bend the rules on the NFL dress code, you'll have players sending messages through uniform modifications that may not reflect or convey the NFL properly. Cool, you don't want a player to write "Obama" on his wrist band, because that could turn off Republican or non-Obama supporters off the NFL. The players aren't the league, they are representatives of the league and they should be privileged to play in the NFL yadda yadda yadda, we know. I said you win didn't I?

I do make this request let us have the socks and shoes please. That's all we want is the socks and shoes! The godfather of 6Magazine, Deion Sanders, once said, "If you look good you feel good, If you feel good you play good, If you play good they pay good."

To the NFL player, their occupation is a great career, a very lucrative and enjoyable career, but still a career. There are tons of people who have careers that love/like/enjoy them. They enjoy them better when they have a cool CEO that allows the employees to be themselves a little bit and not be so buttoned up. Companies that allow casual work environments are great and often very successful. Employees are chipper, having fun, and this makes them want to work ten times harder for their CEO because they are giving them some room to be who they are.

Too often in the business world, an employee's main focus is blend in and represent the company. The NFL capitalizes of players all the time, I mean you know the real reason why although Chad Johnson's name was legally changed to Ocho Cinco, he still had to wear the Chad "Johnson" jersey last season right? Well if you don't, in short, the NFL did not have any printed "Ocho Cinco" jerseys and they would have lost money by not selling the "Chad Johnson" jerseys and by making new Ocho Cinco jerseys. Pure business move.

An even better business move, give the players more leeway with their socks and shoes. You could keep it uniformed and only allow players to wear socks and shoes of their team colors or designated shoe color. Let the players wear colored shoes, of their team colors of course. Allow the players to tape their shoes with tape of the same color. This would elimnate the ugliness that plagues NFL jerseys, those damn ugly ass socks. I admire players who find a way to make it look good, but the rule is stupid, there is no need for a white sock.

Why is this a better business move? The players will look good, they will feel good, they will play good, and if they play good, the NFL will get paid good. Fans will be into new look and feel of the NFL. High school and college kids will be more entranced by the game. Imagine a fresh tape job on a New Orleans Saints uniform or even the Miami Dolphins. Of course, the players will be playing at an all time high, feeling free to be who they truly are and look fresh at the same time. NFL records will be broken by the droves and the NFL will be caked up with more money that it ever imagined. Heck, the NFL could even brand the socks and the tape, much like the NBA does with their socks.

Mr. Goodell, you're a fine owner, leader, and a great business man. Make a fashion statment. Give the players their sock and shoe freedom back!

That's all I got,


Ricky Writer

One Year Anniversary

Yo, yo. We are one year old today. Lol, 6Magazine is a training camp baby. Thanks to everyone who has supported us and expect much more to come in the future. Football season is right around the corner. Get ready to go in. We're gonna celebrate tonight, so see you guys bright and early on Monday!