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.

Matchup 4: Shaquille O'Neal vs. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Here's the final matchup in the Chris Berman Region

SHAQUILLE O'NEAL--CREDENTIALS

• Won 4 NBA titles so far
• One of them without Kobe Bryant
• One of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players
• Numerous endorsements
• One half of the overplayed Shaq/Kobe feud (which can usually be seen on ABC on Christmas Day!)
• Shaq the Police Officer
• "Shaq's Big Challenge"

(NOTE: You can't blame "Kazaam" and his rap albums on ESPN--I don't think)

DALE EARNHARDT JR--CREDENTIALS

• One of the two most popular NASCAR drivers
• Dale's kid
• Numerous endorsements (even for NASCAR)
• Has won a grand total of 2 Nextel Cup races after 2004 season
• During that same time, for example, Jimmie Johnson has won 13, Tony Stewart has won 12, and Jeff Gordon has won 10
  
• His departure from DEI has turned into an ESPN soap opera
• Not directly related, but his daddy was the subject of an ESPN movie
  

Matchup 3: Derek Jeter vs. Matt Leinart

Moving on in the Chris Berman Region...

DEREK JETER--CREDENTIALS

• Yankees captain
• Cornerstone of the great Yankee teams of the late 90s/early 00s
• Considered one of sports' greatest clutch players
• "The Flip" shown ad nauseam (even though it was an amazing play)
• Dates celebrities
• Apparently has done nothing wrong, selfish, or controversial at any point in his life or career
• Portrayed as the angel to Alex Rodriguez's devil

MATT LEINART

• Heisman Trophy quarterback
• National Championship quarterback
• First round draft pick, and solid rookie season for the Cardinals
• Also dates celebrities
• Rarely called out on ESPN as a Deadbeat Dad
• His 2005 USC team prematurely hyped on ESPN as one of the all-time greatest teams, right before it lost the Rose Bowl to Texas
• ESPN already predicting that he will make it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
• Wore a "f*** the BCS" t-shirt on ESPN after being locked out of the BCS championship in 2003. Then, in 2004, he and his teammates defended the BCS when an undefeated Auburn team was locked out of the BCS championship
  

Matchup 2: Bobby Knight vs. Maria Sharapova--and "Thank You" to The Big Lead

BOBBY KNIGHT--CREDENTIALS

• Winningest NCAA Division I basketball coach
• Has won national championships and gold medals
• Dick Vitale calls him "The General: Robert Mongtomery Knight"
• "A Season on the Brink" movie
• "Knight School"
• ESPN tried to turn an (alleged) slap of a Texas Tech player into a national crisis
• Texas Tech basketball on TV more often than deserved (based on performance)

MARIA SHARAPOVA--CREDENTIALS

• Has won two Grand Slam titles
• Highest-paid female athlete
• Anna Kournikova with talent (a.k.a. she's hot)
• ESPN always seems to find a way to get her matches on in primetime
• Like Tiger and golf, ESPN doesn't care about tennis when she's not in the tournament
• Justine Henin has more Grand Slam titles (6), but maybe an ounce of the media attention

I will try to get one or more two more up before the weekend. Thanks to "The Big Lead" for the mention.