Welcome to Starting 5 – a weekly column by Operation Sports!
Each week, Managing Editor Shawn Drotar and Senior Game Editor Clay Shaver will tackle the world of sports and sports gaming in a rapid-fire discussion.

Is there a question on your mind? Find out below how to submit your question for next week’s column!

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Starting 5 – Five hot-button topics in the world of Sports and Sports Gaming 1) The BCS mess. How can a team ranked first in both polls NOT play in the championship game? This is exactly what the BCS was created to stop. What are your thoughts?

Shawn: My first instinct is to keep any team that doesn’t win its conference from participating in a national championship game. However, some conferences don’t have championship games like the Big 12. This gives those conferences and teams an edge. A lot of this could be fixed very easily. – either every conference has a championship game, or none of them should. These top matchups would make it simpler to find out who’s contending, and who’s pretending – making the BCS’ job much simpler. Of course, a playoff would solve the whole thing – but we know that won’t be happening…

Clay: I have a lot of mixed feelings on this. I do believe that USC should be playing for the national championship. I also believe that LSU should be playing for the national championship. Oh, and guess what? I also believe that Oklahoma should be playing for the national championship. It’s ugly on paper and people are ticked off now – but the BCS has one universal truth - that was supposed to be what made it fairer then the “other” systems. And that is, that a loss should mean the same thing whether it’s in the first week or the conference championship. That was the bill of goods presented by the BCS. Should they have learned a lesson from Nebraska and not let any teams play in the NC game that didn’t even win their Conference? Yes…for sure. But they should have done that two years ago! You didn’t ask for my fix, so I won’t give it. But, I think the BCS did what it was built to do. At least all the “Pacific Sunshine Boys” can cry about a “West Coast Bias” for another year.

On a side note, at least it sets up the best Rose Bowl and perhaps bowl game, period - that we’ve seen in years.

2) “A-Rod” to Boston? The Red Sox are discussing a blockbuster trade (and handing over millions to boot) to bring the superstar shortstop to Beantown. Will this actually happen? If so - what of “No-mah”?

Clay: Theo Epstein is the king of “Strat-O-Matic” baseball! He manages like we play Xbox. Didn’t win? Then trade for all the best players!

No, I don’t think “A-Rod” will end up in Beantown. To my understanding, it all hinges on Texas being willing to take Manny Ramirez and his contract in exchange. That’s a cancer that the Rangers don’t need to take on. The Rangers couldn’t win with character guys like “A-Rod”, so they’ll go the complete opposite direction? I don’t think this move happens unless Ramirez is taken out of the equation. If I’m Nomar, I’m on the first ride out of town when the opportunity presents itself.

Shawn: I think this trade will happen, and I think it’d be a great move for the Red Sox – if they retain Garciaparra. Move Nomar to second, move Rodriguez to third – whatever – just find a way to keep them both. As great as Rodriguez is, he can’t replace Ramirez and Garciaparra’s production at once. Nomar’s a great player, and a Boston icon. Moving him would be tremendous mistake. Boston should make the deal – but shouldn’t give up it’s heart and soul in the process.

3) The Orlando Magic's long losing streak is finally over. How can the Magic be this bad?

Clay: I’m starting my own “Curse of the Bambino” conspiracy theory. I think that ten years from now, people will be calling the Grant Hill for Ben Wallace and Chucky Atkins sign and trade the major turning point for two franchises. One up…one down. Can you imagine “T-Mac” sharing the court with Ben Wallace at this point in time? They would instantly be the team to beat in the East. Now imagine the Pistons without Ben Wallace and with millions tied up in Grant Hill? They might have been in the lottery for LeBron last year. But that’s not what happened…and now there is no Magic left in Orlando.

Shawn: You’re right – what an awful trade. If Hill would have been healthy, who knows what would’ve happened? But he never was – and the Magic are still paying for it. Nevertheless, they have McGrady – a true superstar; Drew Gooden, Juwan Howard and Gordan Giricek. They aren’t all-world players, but that’s still not a lineup you should lose 19 straight games with. The Magic changed coaches, and that hasn’t helped. The players (except McGrady) have underachieved, and there’s really no one else to blame at this point. The Magic’s players need to look inside themselves and decide if that’s the kind of team they want to be.

4) Brett Hull moved into third-place all-time in goals scored this week. What will be Hull's legacy when all is said and done?

Clay: Brett Hull is a lot of things to a lot of people. Talented. Funny. Outspoken. Driven. Cocky. Smug. An ambassador for US Hockey. Wayne Gretzky was the ultimate scorer. Gordie Howe was the ultimate all-around player. But, no one…no one…has a nose for the net like Brett Hull. He doesn’t create plays. He’s just learned how to play defense in the last few years. However, if there is a puck in the vicinity of the net, whether it’s hopping, rolling, knuckling, or sitting still, Brett Hull will find a way to put it in. It’s not always pretty…but then again - the pretty goals only count as one, too.

Shawn: You forgot cherry picker…
Hull’s been an outstanding one-dimensional player. I realize that’s damning with faint praise, but it’s true. He’s as deadly a shooter as there’s ever been in the league – but that’s all he’s ever done. The rest of the game has always seemed like an inconvenience to him. Hull is hockey’s much-improved version of Dennis Rodman. In his prime, Rodman rebounded like no other, and contributed virtually nothing else whatsoever. His one dimension served him well – as has Hull’s – and they were both players that contributed mightily to championship clubs. But when you hear the names of the greatest basketball players to play the game, you won’t hear Rodman’s among them – and I don’t believe you’ll hear Hull’s in hockey, either.

5) Michael Vick is back - but too late to save Atlanta's season (or Dan Reeves' job). Is Vick alone worth the price of admission to the rest of the Falcons' horrific season?

Clay: I refuse to answer this question based on the fact that Michael Vick single-handedly eliminated me from one of my fantasy football leagues.

Ok, I’ll answer. Yes! He is the new Barry Sanders. I can’t tell you how many bad, bad Lions losses that I happily sat through just for the joy of watching Barry run. I paid big bucks to watch him run. That’s Michael Vick! I would pay to watch him play - win or lose. He’s great for the NFL and the game of football. I’ve always said that there will never be another running back like Barry. I stand by that. But I never said there would be another player like Barry…

Shawn: Absolutely. Vick is John Elway – with 20 years of athletic evolution tacked on. He’s the single most dangerous weapon in the NFL. He’s got a rocket arm, wide receiver speed, and the same sixth sense that Elway had to escape pressure and pull off the unbelievable play. He also had Dan Reeves as his first coach. Once Reeves left Denver, Elway’s career got a second wind. Vick will do the same, but he’ll have it nearly a decade earlier than Elway did. Once Vick learns the nuances of the NFL game – touch passing, learning when to throw it away, and learning when to run out bounds – he’ll be essentially unstoppable. Enjoy it while you can.

6th Man – A little help off the bench

6) "Links 2004" is quickly beginning to look like the sleeper sports hit of the holiday season, in large part to its integration with XSN Sports. Is Microsoft Game Studios' luck beginning to change?

Clay: I don’t think there is any luck about it. Microsoft Game Studios went with a very simple and novel approach…they decided to make good games (cough…except “NFL Fever”…cough). I think XSN plays a role, but they’re simply good games. “Amped 2” and “Links 2004” are not only the sleeper hits of the year, some will argue (and have) that they are the games of the year. It doesn’t matter how big “Uncle Bill’s” wallet is if the product is junk. $50 is too much money to support low quality. The XSN lineup is flat-out high quality work!

Shawn: I was very concerned at first about XSN. While I thought Microsoft has the wherewithal to pull it off, no one had really tried something of this scope before. Now, EA Sports has their own version, and Microsoft has had to come up with something astounding to impress the gaming public. I think they’ve done it. With the notable exception of Sega’s sports titles this year, I’m not sure that – taken as a whole – Microsoft hasn’t put together as solid a package of titles as EA has this year. On top of that – unlike EA - they support the online initiative of the Xbox, the finest console system for sports gamers on the planet. Disagree all you want, but that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. If you ask me, “Links 2004” with XSN Sports is the single best thing to happen in sports gaming in years. If you haven’t tried it, you don’t know what you’re missing…

24 Second Clock – Get one more off in 24 words or less

Clay: Current ESPN NFL Record: 6-1-0-5. 5 drops from “cheesers” who turn off their modem when I’m winning. Ban cowards from XBL!