Four Lessons

Temporary technical difficulties...resolved, finally.

Four things I learned on Saturday:

1. Brady Quinn is a little too muscular, has problems with accuracy, and rarely shows up in big games. At least, that's what I was told.

As soon as it became evident that Quinn would not go in the top ten of Saturday's NFL Draft -- a realization crystalized by his disappearance from the green room -- the 47 studio hosts on call at ESPN scrambled to tell me why he sucked. Which was funny, because those very same hosts and analysts had spent the two hours prior to his selection telling me, with video to back it up, that he was the second-best player in the draft.

This is not to knock Quinn, who did nothing other than set a gazillion passing records at Notre Dame and earn the admiration of Chaz Weis, who is adored by the ESPN brass. Rather, I was disgusted by the speed with which every one of those talking heads backtracked on Quinn once he dropped in the draft. Someday, if we're lucky, studio producers and talent will learn this one irrefutable fact about TV audiences: we don't care if you're wrong, as long as you explain the reasons behind your convictions, and then stand by them. "Transparency" is the word I'm looking for. I'll respect you if you admit that you blew it. Once you start re-writing history, you've lost me.

On that note, what does it say about the coverage of the draft when Keyshawn Johnson was far and away the best analyst on the desk? And how viciously will the South Florida fans rip the Dolphins for passing on Quinn? The Cleveland Browns just got the best offensive lineman in the draft, and the best pure QB in the draft. Nice work all the way around.

2. Tony Stewart has cojones milled from pure brass. His diatribe on NASCAR's "phantom cautions" hit a wee bit too close to home, but he barely scratched the surface. Back in the Dark Ages, when I was hosting "RPM2Night" on ESPN2, there was a running joke among the racing media about which team or driver would get "the call" before a race. The implication was that NASCAR would willingly and knowingly allow certain cars to slide through pre-race inspection -- a spoiler too high here, a roofline too low there -- based on who "deserved" a better shot at winning. Stewart's calling-out wasn't exactly the same thing, but it comes from the same set of criteria: put on the best show possible. It's entertainment, folks. Like wrestling. Crap, am I on probation?

But write this down -- the impending antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR will have much, much more to do with the future of the sport than anything Stewart can come up with. The dirty little secret of stock car racing is about to go public, and in my view, the France family's monopoly on venues cannot withstand the legal scrutiny.

Is there any scenario under which the NFL would be allowed to own and operate more than 50 percent of its teams' stadiums? What about the NBA? Wouldn't you be howling at the league's double-dip in terms of revenue? That's the reality of NASCAR right now. This is going to get ugly. Mark my words.

3. Straight beats long. Luke Donald assumed the lead at the EDS Byron Nelson in Dallas based primarily on his accuracy: through three rounds, he led the field in fairways hit, even though he was only 52nd in distance. He was also tied for second in greens in regulation. By comparison, first-round leader Sean O'Hair tumbled all the way to 28th in the field via a stat line that included the 9th-best distance off the tee and the 52nd-best average greens in regulation. Hit greens, make putts, win tournaments. Remember that before you plunk down 400 bucks for a new driver. That money might be better spent on lessons with the irons. Oh, and by the way -- the guy who ended up winning the tournament, Scott Verplank? Eighth on Tour in driving accuracy, 156th in driving distance. Career earnings: $19,410,000. Sorry, I was saying?

4. The Orlando Magic got exposed. When this NBA season began, I wondered in this space how many teams in the Eastern Conference were better than the Magic, and I predicted that they would make the playoffs. So far, so good. However, they were stripped naked in their first-round series with Detroit, in much the same way that Miami has been worn out by Chicago -- which I also predicted, in a roundabout fashion. The Magic have some big questions to answer this summer, and for once, it has nothing to do with a new arena. I've spent way too much time defending this franchise's decisions, on this blog and in person. This series was embarassing. Miami had an excuse, with Dwyane Wade playing on one arm. Orlando does not. Something has to change. I don't know that I completely agree with those who argue that the team needs a different voice, but I can at least acknowledge their stance. This, too, could get ugly, or perhaps it should.

Pretty good weekend for sports on TV, no?