The Moderator's Take on The First Round in the Chris Berman Region

Since it's my blog, I would like to take the opportunity to voice my two cents on the first round matchups in the Chris Berman Region. I will let you know how I voted and why. However, unlike ESPN, I will not make my vote count more than yours.

TIGER WOODS vs. TONY ROMO: While I realize that ESPN's love for Tiger Woods can get a little out of hand sometimes, he deserves a lot of the attention he gets. He is good and for the most part likable. I just think that he's no more dominant in his sport than Roger Federer is in his (and Federer gets no attention whatsoever from ESPN). As for Romo, come on. He gets to be in the limelight and discussed among the elite quarterbacks because he had a good month and a half? If Tony Romo played for the Browns, he would have been a curiosity last year at best. And God knows Carrie Underwood wouldn't have anything to do with him. MY VOTE: Romo

BOBBY KNIGHT vs. MARIA SHARAPOVA: This is almost a toss-up for me. If Sharapova was ordinary looking, ESPN wouldn't care. And as I posted in the original matchup, she's not the best female tennis player in terms of Grand Slam wins. But as also mentioned in the original post, she gets credit because, unlike Anna Kournikova, she has game. As far as Knight goes, he's been irrelevant for over a decade. He's become a caricature of his former self. And ESPN and Knight seem content on milking it for all it's worth. MY VOTE: Knight

DEREK JETER vs. MATT LEINART: You can probably tell by my comments in the matchup that I am a little annoyed by and skeptical of his carefully-crafted public persona as The Man Who Can Do No Wrong. But he has, for the most part, earned his due. As far as Leinart goes, you can't take the college championships and awards away from him. But please, ESPN, kick your USC love down a notch or two. And projecting him as a Hall of Famer after roughly half a season of NFL starts is a little presumptuous, to say the VERY least. Especially for a Cardinal. MY VOTE: Leinart

SHAQUILLE O'NEAL vs. DALE EARNHARDT JR: Yes, I am not impressed by Shaq's antics off the court. But he is a champion. And in my opinion, he is the "good guy" (if there is one) in the Shaq/Kobe feud. As far as Junior goes, I am voting for him, but not because I'm part of the "NASCAR is not a sport/NASCAR is a redneck sport" crowd. To me, that's irrelevant. I'm voting for Junior because he has, for the most part, sucked for the last three years and is still the most publicized driver. Yes, I know he's popular. But popularity alone should not dictate the degree of coverage, especially when we're talking about ESPN's (purported) news-oriented programs and networks. MY VOTE: Junior

The Stuart Scott Region will get underway after the weekend. Until then, I encourage you to spread the word, and hope all of you have a great weekend.