Q&A with "The Schwab"
By Rhonda Reigstad
ESPN's tycoon of sports trivia, Howie Schwab, answers my questions on the Hall of Fame, the gridiron and baseball.
The list for the Baseball Hall of Fame is out and Mark McGwire is eligible for the first time this year. Is McGwire a first ballot Hall of Famer? Who is on the list-not a first time ballot-that should be in the Hall?
Based on what he did on the field, McGwire is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. However, given the cloud of suspicion out there, I don't think he will get in right away, and some feel he may not get in at all. That would be a shame because he was never suspended for any wrongdoing under the rules of baseball when he played. I feel Jim Rice, Goose Gossage and Dave Concepcion belong in the Hall among non first-year players on the ballot.
The National Football League is four weeks from the end of the regular season. Which team or individual has been a surprise? A disappointment?
I think the Saints and Jets are the two biggest surprises. I felt Arizona was going to have a better season given the offensive firepower there.
Should there be a playoff system of the top eight or ten teams in college football to determine a national champion? Or should they keep the current system in place?
I have been calling for a playoff system for close to 20 years. Win the championship on the field in that system. It is done that way in Division I-A, II and III. Politics with the bowls make it difficult to get it done but the cries for a playoff get louder - eventually they should be heard.
Major League Baseball has been handing out some hefty salaries in the offseason. Is this good or bad for baseball and sports in general?
I have always felt that the players should take whatever they should get. The owners then cry when salaries escalate, but it is their own fault. It is not great for sports in general because the fans end up paying. I don't ever blame a player for signing a $30 million deal...nobody put a gun to their heads.
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