Notes and a Long Editorial

Let's be honest, how many Twins fans made it through the entire first inning last night? I turned it off when Hendriks left trailing 5-0 with runners still on base. The 12-1 final was not a shock to anyone who watched that first inning.

I also tried watching some Monday night football last night. Neither the Bengals  nor Steelers were worth watching. I don't see either of them as playoff teams.

The NCAA repeated yesterday that they do not plan on paying college athletes. They want them to remain amateurs. I still think the time for new pro leagues featuring kids right out of high school can't be that far off. Both basketball and football leagues featuring kids who no longer want or need that amateur status, and who wish to earn a living from their skills, will flock to leagues that will pay them way more than minimum wage.

The better players will join the NFL and NBA some day, while others will go on to lead normal lives after a few seasons. IF those leagues required players to take and pass college classes as part of their terms of employment, most would be happy with the arrangement.

The basketball league would be the easiest to start. Just put a team in every current NBA town and play in the NBA's off season. Eventually, they could even become part of the NBA as a type of farm system. I'm guessing they would get way more fans than the current WNBA who currently occupy that time slot of the NBA offseason. A 40 game season with $15- $20 tickets would appeal to an awful lot of basketball fans. AND the teams could play in larger high school gyms or arenas in the state to get more local fan support.

The league would need less than 400 players. Each player would make about $50,000 a year. That's only about half a million dollar roster cost per team. IF they could sell T.V. rights (and if you signed top high school stars that really wouldn't be a problem) they could be quite successful. The better teams would be as good as some of the NCAA tournament teams.

And the players would get paid. Top high school stars would sign two-year contracts and then wait for the NBA draft, getting great playing experience.

And the NCAA might discover they have to compete with that league to get top players. It's win-win for the players. And college sports would be changed forever.

I'd love to see some of these games in person with a quick drive to Mankato.

I'm thinking the league needs JUST the right name. Any suggestions?

I'll share some tomorrow if I can think of any.