Major League Baseball should change 'World Series' name to 'US-Canada Series'

With the US team again doing less than stellar in the second World Baseball Classic this year, it's time for Major League Baseball to change the arrogant and grossly inaccurate "World Series" name for its championship series.

Japan won the first World Baseball Classic in 2006 and beat the US team in a semifinal game in 2009 [the US also lost to Venezuela twice and Puerto Rico once]. The US team didn't even make the four-team finals tournament in 2006, having lost to Mexico, South Korea and Canada.

So arguments can be made that there could be better teams in other countries. We will not know until there is a true "world series" playoff involving teams in the US, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and other nations.

While people in other sports such as the NBA and NFL sometimes refer to their champions as "world champs," they do not call their final championship series a "world" series. Major League Baseball calling its championship series the World Series dates back to the 1880s. Some call that arrogance on the part of top baseball officials, others just call it a tradition that would be too confusing and demeaning to change. Whatever, it is inaccurate, to say the least, to label MLB's champion as "world champs." And it should be changed.

NFL, NBA need fairer playoff systems

How can the 11-5 New England Patriots miss the playoffs this year, while the 8-8 San Diego Chargers host a playoff game?

The same way two teams with losing records – Atlanta and Philadelphia - made the NBA playoffs last season, while the 48-34 Golden State Warriors missed out.

Divisions and dinosaurs running those leagues.

The NFL is locked into divisions that make no sense. Questionable teams like Arizona play their way to a divisional title by beating up patsies San Francisco, Seattle and St. Louis, while San Diego can lose 8 of its first 12 games and still make the playoffs. [Yes, Arizona and San Diego won wildcard playoff games AT HOME, but they should not have been playing at home since they did not possess the better records and would not have beaten Atlanta and Indianapolis on the road.]

We should have each team in the NFC play each other during the regular season, while each team in the AFC plays each other. That makes 15 games. Then, each team plays one other team from the other conference, based on how well they did the previous season. For example, next year, the top seed in the NFC, the New York Giants, would play the top AFC seed, the Tennessee Titans, in the regular season. And the winless Detroit Lions would play the AFC’s doormat, Kansas City.

Besides making for a fairer and more interesting schedule, you wouldn’t have 8-8 teams hosting playoff games when there are 11-5 teams sitting at home.

As for the NBA, league bigwigs either should cut the playoff field from eight to six teams like the NFL does, or pass a rule that no team with a losing record can make the playoffs if there are still winning teams left. If one conference doesn’t have eight teams that won at least half of their games, then a winning team from the other conference that is left out makes the weaker conference’s playoffs. If there is not a winning team left from either conference, then the loser in that conference can go.

The schedules can be managed so each team plays one another about the same number of times during the regular season. Purists say that doing away with divisions takes away from historic rivalries. So what? Do you want to see a fair playoff system that rewards teams based on performance on the field, or do you want to continue with the system in place that favors teams based on their luck of being in a weak division? Rivalries such as Dallas-Washington and Green Bay-Chicago will remain intense, as they will still play each other once a year and perhaps another time in the playoffs.

Signs of the holiday times

Even greeting card companies are having to downsize these days. American Greetings plans to cut 275 workers and close as many as 30 stores after profits fell. Hallmark is slashing 335 jobs and closing three greeting card plants.

But some have found a niche, taking advantage of the dour economic times by offering cards with somewhat humorous messages. The Order of St. Nick, a greeting card company in Iowa, has a line of Great Depression greeting cards, including one with a 1930s era woman cutting some fabric on the front. The message: "I made you a Christmas present!"

And inside: "But I had to burn it in a trashcan to stay warm.....Have a Great Depression and a Happy New Year!"

Uh, yes, thank you. It's good some can see the humor here.

As I've said before, I don't think we're near a depression. Sure, unemployment has risen to 6.7 percent nationally from 4.7 percent a year ago. Sure, the stock market is still well below what it was last year, though it's better than it was in October.

But we have a long way to go to hit 30 percent unemployment. Let's not get carried away, yet. I would just say, "Have a Merry Recession and a Happy New Year!"

Dodging shoes and worse

George Bush got rave reviews recently for his ability to duck some shoes thrown at him by an Iraqi journalist while giving a speech.

The journalist, Muntader al-Zaidi, also was regarded by some as a hero for daring to hurl the shoes, which is apparently a rather strong sign of contempt in Iraq. Iraqi security guards did not think so, beating Zaidi in prison, according to the shoe thrower's brother. Sounds like the work of Dick Cheney.

The shoe-throwing incident has threatened to derail the career of the Iraqi prime minister, who claims Zaidi conspired with a terrorist to throw the shoe. Zaidi's family said he did it out of frustration towards the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq.

Meanwhile, Bush is not the only speaker who has dodged items.

Last April, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman ducked green-colored pies thrown at him, avoiding "the brunt of the contents," according to reports. Friedman returned to finish his speech.

Now we know why Terrell Owens was dressed as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver and sometimes instigator Terrell Owens was sporting a red nose and giving holiday cheer this week during interviews.

Owens has worn some, um, interesting outfits before. This one threw a few people, though it really wasn't as outlandish as some.

On First Take Friday, Skip Bayless, author and ESPN sports analyst, gave his theory on why Owens dressed like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: He is sending a message of "poor me, QB Tony Romo and tight end Jason Witten are drawing up secret plays and won't let me play in their reindeer games."

I guess it makes as much sense as any theory about why TO does the things he does.