Do We Really Need Another Bowl Game?

By MARTIN FENNELLY The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 1, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - Peace in our time we need. A $2 gallon of gas we need.

This we don't need.

We've got it anyway.

Wednesday, the St. Petersburg Bowl officially became the one-millionth college football bowl game after being approved by the NCAA bowl certifying board.

The process reportedly went like this.

"Welcome to the NCAA bowl certifying board. If you know your party's extension, please enter it now. If you would like one bowl, press 1. If you would like two bowls, press 2. If you want three or more bowls, please stay on the line and a representative will be with you shortly."

This is not entirely true, since there were people and presentations and everything, and also because one proposed bowl game was actually not approved Wednesday - the Rocky Mountain Bowl, presumably because a stadium had not been lined up and the game actually would be in the Rocky Mountains.

Who cares?

We've got ours.

Now we know where USF goes if it doesn't have a prom date.

Plenty To Go Around

A light-rail system we need. Better schools we need.

This we don't need.

But let's make the best of excess.

Ever since God sponsored the first Gaylord Hotels Let There Be Light Bowl (Eve 12, Adam 7) bowls have been a part of everyday life. I like bowls. Some of my best friends are bowls. Nothing says America like a 7-5 team being rewarded for mediocrity well done.

The big game will be televised by ESPN and held inside Tropicana Field, at least until the world champion Rays open No Parking Stadium in downtown St. Pete.

Such cynicism will fade as the game draws near, pitting, as it will, the fifth or sixth selection from USF's Big East against the fourth or fifth selection from Conference USA. Add the fact that it will be played just before Christmas. And you were getting grandma a rocker. How about two on the 50!

And so there will be 68 bowl teams next college football season. There are only 120 Division I programs. There will be more bowl teams than teams in the NCAA basketball tournament.

Do we really need this? Tampa Bay already has a very fine bowl, the Outback Bowl, and it will be until they run out of Bloomin' Onion. If we want to bring a big game back, why not get on our knees and beg the Florida Classic to return to Tampa with Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&M? It's just a thought.

The St. Pete Bowl's mother is an ESPN subsidiary named ESPN Regional Television. The bowl will join the ESPN bowl "family," which includes Papajohns.com Bowl and the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, the last of which was listed as the "Armed Forced Bowl" in one news release. You know, that release might have a point.

Less Reverend Wright we need. More rain we need.

This we don't need.

But let's have fun.

So Many Bowls, No Playoffs

ESPN will do a fine job, and players will be frolicking on the beach. What's so bad about that? And never underestimate bowl fever. I might just show up in a St. Petersburg Bowl propeller beanie at the first St. Petersburg Bowl Parade, though the world is pretty much plum out of bowl parade grand marshals.

"Roger, remember, up on the float, put one arm around Ms. McCready and the other around our bowl mascot, Snorkles the Manatee."

In other news, the BCS, in a shocker, rejected a proposed four-team playoff system. Meanwhile, back at the bowl certifying board, approved was the Congressional Bowl in Washington D.C. (West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd, 90, is listed as questionable). Actually, Navy is expected to meet the ninth-place ACC team. The 10th-, 11th- and 12th-place ACC teams will do community service.

And shelved was my proposed Who Says There Are Too Many Bowls? Bowl, where players from Florida schools who've been suspended from their teams' bowl games will take on members of the bowl certifying board. That one could get ugly.

Boy, I'd pay to see it.