Saturday Scorecard: Tell Utah and others to shut up!

After the Florida Gators took possession of the giant crystal football -- a symbol of their victory over Oklahoma in the BCS National Championship Game -- I couldn't help thinking about the final episode of "The Sopranos."

After investing countless hours watching a long, compelling drama play out over the regular season and bowl games, the closing moments of the 2008 college football season created a combustible mix of confusion, controversy and consternation. And it led to questions: 

Did the dude in the Member's Only jacket wipe out Tony and his family at the diner?

Would Texas or USC have given the Gators a better battle than Oklahoma?

What happened to the Russian guy that Paulie and Christopher left in the woods?

What about Utah?

These questions and others are going to haunt people for awhile and somewhere Sopranos creator David Chase and the overlords of the Bowl Championship Series are smiling on the way to cash fat checks.

Why? Because controversy works. Arguments create interest. Interest creates demand. Demand leads to sales and sales lead to massive revenue.

Now, to test that theory, I'll create a little controversy in this little corner of the sports world.

My advice to fans in Southern Cal, Texas and especially Utah is simple:

Shut the hell up.

I have nothing against you or your teams. To varying degrees, you all got screwed. If you're passing around a petition about the need for a playoff in college football, I'll be happy to sign. I just don't want to hear any whining from fans, bloggers, columnists, attorneys general or even the President-elect. For about a zillion reasons -- most having to do with money, politics, bureaucracy, TV rights and inertia -- a resolution to the current mess isn't going to happen soon, if ever. It definitely won't happen soon enough to ease your current burden.

Did you get that?

There will be no 16-team playoff. There will be no eight-team playoff. And, despite a recent thawing in some circles, there likely won't be a "plus-one" game, which may be a good thing because watching USC and Florida play for all the marbles would have made folks in Utah even more angry.

This year, Utah is at the center of the debate. For those not paying close attention, the Utes capped the only undefeated season in Division 1 this year by whipping Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Thursday night, they settled in with the rest of the country to watch their former coach, Urban Meyer, guide the Gators past the Sooners in a titanic tilt between one-loss teams.

The idea that an unbeaten team like Utah -- or Boise State or Ball State or Wyoming or (insert school here) -- is not allowed a legitimate chance to compete for a national championship is absurd. It's one of the better arguments that playoff proponents have in their arsenal.

Of course, now that the Utes have been ranked No. 2 in the country, the counter-argument from some circles -- that Utah is inferior to USC and Texas and would not have gone unbeaten in a "power" conference -- also holds merit. Fans can -- and certainly will -- debate this issue through spring practice all the way until the opening kickoff of next season.

But, it isn't going to help.

At the risk of sounding crass, the system sucks. It has sucked for awhile. No matter how much anyone whines, it's going to keep on sucking.

Utah just enjoyed an incredible season punctuated by a stirring victory over one of the marquee programs in the country. By focusing on whining, which isn't going to do any good, Utes fans may be missing out on the fun.

I visited Utah a few years back. It's an absolutely beautiful state. The residents I came across were engaging, energetic and -- by and large -- quite attractive.

My advice to Utah fans is simple. Go viral. If you think you're the best football team in the nation, go ahead and act like it. Enjoy the parade. Print up a bunch of T-shirts with your record and the fact that you're really No. 1.

Who cares what pollsters or edu-crats or writers think? Enjoy your success and enjoy the off-season. Watch the 75 hours of coverage of the NFL Draft. Worry about the recruiting class, or the chance that your coach will leave.

Just stop whining. It might make you feel better. But, it's already tiresome for the rest of us. And, sadly, it isn't going to change anything.

Hell's Bells: After enduring the Eric Gagne Experience last season, many Brewers fans are leery about the team's signing of veteran closer Trevor Hoffman. That's understandable, but this was another low-risk, high-reward move that general manager Doug Melvin has pulled before.

Was anyone thrilled when Melvin acquired Dan Kolb, Brian Shouse or Francisco Cordero? They, among others, turned out to be serviceable pitchers. Given his status in the game, Hoffman comes in with more hype and higher expectations. But, he probably has a better chance of having a positive impact, too.

Bottom line: the Brewers needed a closer and they signed the best guy available at the time -- a guy also happens to hold the major-league record for saves.

Larry King Lounge: It's hard to blame Wisconsin running back P.J. Hill for leaving early and declaring for the NFL Draft. The guy probably wasn't going to improve his draft position as a senior and could have hampered it with a subpar performance or injury. . . . If college football fans applied their logic to hoops, this would be the result: Boston College beat No. 1 North Carolina. Harvard beat Boston College. Therefore, Harvard should be ranked No. 1. . . . The notion that Prince Fielder will someday sign a multi-year contract extension with the Brewers is a long shot, but it's going to get longer when Fielder and Scott Boras sit in a room and listen to club officials point out his statistical shortcomings and weight issues. . . . If Jim Powell bolts for Atlanta, and it doesn't sound like the Brewers or WTMJ are doing much to prevent such an occurrence, an interesting dilemma will arise. In the past, the club has experienced great success with young, relatively inexperienced and cheap hires like Matt Vasgersian, Powell, Daron Sutton and Brian Anderson. Since Powell is a WTMJ employee, and Journal Company stock is in the dumper, it's likely that they'd like to go to cheap again. The problem with that plan is that Powell's replacement likely will slide into the No. 1 chair when and if Bob Uecker retires. The Brewers have a decent track record with announcers, but this will be a hire to watch. . . . Speaking of the Brewers, the all-encompassing sponsorship deal with Potawatomi is a sign of the times. The Diamondbacks (Gila River) and Padres (Sycuan) have had casino partners in the past and other teams will follow suit if the right offer arises.