Last month, I started writing a daily blog.

I don’t know how many of you have seen it.

I mentioned it a time or two in previous columns or put the address at the end of my column.

You can also find the address below in the Contact Us portion of the scoreboard.
I plan to write a daily blog throughout the sports season, hitting on topics I don’t want to wait until my weekly column to talk about.

I will be blogging from certain sporting events as well.

So I thought I would give you a taste of what I have been writing about so far and let you decided if you want to follow me.

Here we go:

Tuesday, August 4, 2009
NCAA bid

I was interested in reading that Western Michigan University was putting in a bid to host first and second round games in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids in either 2111, 12 or 13.

I was interested because it would be a great think for West Michigan and it would also be great for people who want to see the ‘greatest show on earth’ and don’t want to drive to Detroit, Chicago or Indianapolis to see it.

Who knows what the NCAA will do.

But it would also be great to see them hit some sites that it hasn’t before and to award schools like Western Michigan some recognition.

Those of you who know me understand how much the NCAA tournament means.
I think it is the greatest sporting event there is. Forget the Super Bowl, the World Series, Wimbledon or the World Cup.

Nothing comes close to those couple of weeks at the end of March and the beginning of April.

No other sporting event can generate the excitement, the passion nor the drama.
So having it come back to our state, which hosted the NCAA Final Four this past season, would be nothing short of amazing.

Let’s hope the NCAA sees fit to award WMU and West Michigan the honor of hosting those games.

Monday, August 3, 2009
Watch this

I am already sick of watch lists.

They seem to be coming in daily.

While I put them in the paper or on our web site, I by no means follow them.
I think putting together a list of people to follow for your award makes you narrow sighted.

Every quarterback or linebacker or whatever your list may follow, shouldn’t you be looking at all the qualified players?

Providing a list of players before the season even begins, check that, before the preseason camps even begin, makes no sense to me.

Begin following players after everyone has played their first game and if you want to put together a list of leading candidates for your award I would be fine with that.
I have the same problem with preseason polls.

If you pick teams before the season begins, just what do you base those rankings on?
Just because a team returns a lot of players, or one loses several key players doesn’t mean they are going to win or lose.

Polls should be based on actual on the field play, not what a bunch of people sitting around a room or on a conference call decided.

The only good thing about preseason polls and watch lists is that it signals the college football season is approaching.

I love college football. So I am very much looking foward to the start of the season.
So I will put up with the watch lists and preseason polls. It’s all a part of the game.

Friday, July 31, 2009
When will they learn?

Friday afternoon, Charlie Weis got a phone call from Greg McMackin apologizing for comments he made recently that were pretty stupid to be blunt about it.

I am not going to repeat what McMackin said, by now I am sure everyone has read it.
When will people learn that certain things should never be said and in particular, should never be said in a format that could be repeated over and over again.

Weis took the high road, saying he believed that the remarks were not meant to be offensive, but none the less, were and his football program was offended by the comments.

This isn’t the first time someone has said something they wish they hadn’t.
I just have to wonder if public figures realize that with a 24-hour news cycle that everything is fair game. With cell phones that take video, every move and comment can be recorded and then streamed to the web for the entire world to see and hear.
But back to my original point.

The comment was uncalled for and quite frankly I think McMackin should pay a higher price than the public embarrassment he has brought to himself and the Hawaii football program.

I have said things I have regretted and I have paid the price for doing so.
I know how it feels to be embarrassed when something I said was repeated back to me by someone who was offended by it.

It’s not a good feeling and I have tried to remember that what I say, whether or not it is taken in the spirit it was meant or not, can be hurtful.

So everyone, let’s try to be a little nicer to each other.

Who knows, we might keep ourselves from having to apologize for something that should have never been said to begin with.

Scott Novak is sports editor of Leader Publications. He can be reached at scott.novak@leaderpub.com or by phone at 687-7702

Follow me on my daily blog: www.leaderpubsports.blogspot.com