How many bowls is too many? We wanted to find out, so we asked the powerbrokers behind the NCAA's newest bowl game, the EagleBank Bowl. The EagleBank Bowl matches up Navy with the ACC's #9 team. They had some interesting things to say in justifying their bowl game.

Juiced Sports Blog: How does the bowl process work? How does a bowl game get started. Who provides the money? How does the NCAA decide whose bowl game should be sanctioned and whose shouldn't?

Marie Rudolph: There's a process by which the NCAA reviews prospective cities holding bowl games. You need a two million dollar letter of credit in addition to other things. You need a stadium (a place to play the game). There are minimum requirements: the NCAA would not let a high school stadium host a bowl game.

JSB: Originally Washington D.C.'s first bowl game was to be called the Congressional Bowl. Now, it's the EagleBank Bowl. How does a sponsorship come about? Does the bowl game go to the sponsor? Does the sponsor submit a proposal to the bowl game?

MR: It happens both ways. It really happens either way. In our instance we were actively seeking sponsors. We have individuals who are seeking sponsors on behalf of the bowl game. EagleBank was one that came to the bowl game and we proceeded that way.

JSB: The way the EagleBank bowl is set up, is for Navy (If they win 6 games, which it looks like they will) to play the ninth selected team from the ACC. A couple questions: First, how did the EagleBank Bowl committee decide on conference affiliations for the game, and second, how long does it take for these affiliations to be approved?

MR: The approval of who plays in the game is done at the same time as when the NCAA considers the bowl application. The ACC tie in made a lot of sense because we are almost right in the middle of the geographic footprint of the ACC.

JSB: Many people have asked: why does the ACC's ninth selected team (in a 12 team conference) deserve a spot in a bowl game? They argue that these bowl games are rewarding mediocrity. What would the EagleBank Bowl say to that?

MR: I would look at it a different way. The university, their team, their fans appreciate the opportunity to play in these post-season games. The economic benefits to the communities where the bowl games are held are substantial. However, I understand those fans that hold the opinion that you shared, but for us we think of it in a different way.

These are just the first four questions. Read the link for more.

Excerpts from my interview with Danny LeDonne, creator of Super Columbine Massacre:

Mitchell Blatt, JSB: You have said that we have a violent society and mentioned Super Bowl Sunday as an example of that violence. Why is football violent?

Danny LeDonne: Sports are to war as pornography is to sex. It is a rehearsal that is designed to simulate the same areas of our brain. The sport of football is designed to mimic a battlefield with different territorial zones. The sport itself is fairly violent by American standards. Certainly some sports are more violent, like rugby, boxing, and ultimate fighting, but football is by far the most commercialized American sport.

The apex of television is defined as Super Bowl Sunday. a€¦ It is like one of those forms of violence that is unquestionably accepted because it occurs within a context that we all feel is accepted. Rates of domestic violence among US households increase dramatically after a football game is broadcast on TV.* [which may or may not be truea€"see explanation at the end of the interview] a€¦

It also represents something about our culture's priorities. You look at Columbine High School, it's not that Columbine doesn't have a ward in public speaking and science fair and academic decathlon and all these other areas, but the pride of the school is the football team. The trophies that are displayed prominently inside the school belong to the football team. That represents something about what the school deems as important. You can see that on a national scale as well. What does the average player in the NFL make in comparison to your average high school teacher or nurse.

MB: How can you criticize football as being violent but then defend violent video games?

DL: My critique of video games is a little bit nuanced. I'm not willing to come out and say that Grand Theft Auto is the best game, and, not only that, every game should be like it, because violence in video games is what we need a lot more of. I think it really comes down to how the violence is contextualized. a€¦ I think that the difference is that we have written a blank check to things like football that we celebrate as the cornerstone of American character.

DL: I'm not calling for the end of football. I'm questioning why it is given the paramount place in our society that it has. a€¦ Why does football fulfill our desires? On some basic level, we're a species that, until very recently, has organized a lot of tribal warfare. That's how we marked our gains and losses in a lot of indigenous culture. Now unfortunately, we still have global conflict, now on an unprecedented level, but even beyond that, we still seem to have a fundamental need for in group, out group thinking. You're a Christian, I'm a Jew. You're a Sox fan, I'm a Yankees fan. These are ways we seem to like to identify ourselves as part of one group and not another. Football fulfills that nicely, and it also provides us with the opportunity to participate in this sort of primal male ritual."

But it's not like violent video games are part of violent culture, are they?

There have already been many high profile athletes endorsing Obama including Greg Oden and LeBron James (who donated $20,000 to a group to help elect Obama), along with retired athletes Bill Bradley and Joe Dumars.

With basketball players heavily favoring Obama, McCain has to work on a sport that Republicans have traditionally done well in, football. That said, he already has the support of the Elway family.

After doing some research on Open Secrets.org, I found that John Elway donated $2,300 to McCain's campaign on May 29 and $600 to the Republican National Committee. His wife donated $400 to the Republican National Committee. Overall, the Elways have donated $16,000 to Republican candidates and committees this election cycle.

Yao Ming is happy to have Ron Artest on the Rockets with one condition: "Hopefully, he's not fighting anymore and going after a guy in the stands."

Ron Artest was quick to dismiss Yao. He said he hasn't changed. In fact, he said that getting into fights is part of black culture.

"I'm not going to take it personal. I understand what Yao said, but I'm still ghetto. That's not going to change. I'm never going to change my culture. Yao has played with a lot of black players, but I don't think he's ever played with a black player that really represents his culture as much as I represent my culture."

What does "representing my culture" mean? Running into the stands and attacking a random fan who turned out not to have been the fan who threw a cup at you?

I'm not blacka€"certainly not as black as Ron Artesta€"but I am pretty sure that getting into fights for no reason isn't part of black culture.

Sure there are some bad people, like Ron Artest, but there are bad people in all races. Ron Artest, please shut your racist mouth up.

Sports Illustrated published an article saying there aren't enough blacks in baseball (just 8%), but there were 27% in 1975. Do they expect use to believe that there is more racism in baseball now than in 75?

You know what would be a more realistic reason? That blacks have started playing basketball and football more since the 70's. Wouldn't that be good for race-relations then? More blacks in basketball and football?

Even looking at SI's race-baiting agenda, why would they write an entire article on a player being young, gifted, and BLACK? That's taking away from David Price's skill, saying he's just BLACK, not talented, BLACK. In sports, you ought to pay attention to skill level, not race.

Carl Crawford said that the reason blacks don't play baseball is, "You have to be able to turn on the TV and see players who look like you."

Guess I've got to stop watching basketball.

If we want to move forward on race relations, we have to say RACE DOESN'T MATTER.

So don't tell me it's a problem that blacks don't play baseball. If it is, than we need affirmative action in basketball.

The blog InGameNow is a rising star for the title of "first white leader" in the same way that Jesse Jackson is a "black leader."

While Jackson constantly contends that everything is racist against blacks, InGameNow has pulled the race card out in attacking the media for being racist against white people.

He says that Griffey should be criticized more for throat slashing, that he's getting away with it because he's black.

Yeah, like blacks like DeShawn Stevenson, Keyshaun Johnson, Warren Sapp, and others who have been fined for throat-slashing have gotten away with it for being black...

Assuming he doesn't get traded (no one seems to want to give enough for him), he will be a free agent at the end of the year after the Sox don't extend his option.

This would present an interesting option for Manny's original team, the Cleveland Indians. My inside sources tell me the Indians might be interested in signing him.

Indians owner Larry Dolan has taken heat from Indians fans for not spending enough, but my source noted that Dolan has had a track record of spending big money on good young players. Dolan did spend $57 million over four years on Travis Hafner in his 2007 renegotiation.

At the end of this season, with the contracts of C.C. Sabathia, Casey Blake, Paul Byrd, and Jason Michaels off the books, the Indians will have about $20 million available to spend. With the Indian's disappointment this year and their lack of offensive production, the front office is feeling pressure to do something.

If they can sign Ramirez for two years for $15-16 million a year, they might go for it.

The Brewers have traded 3B Taylor Green, who was named their Minor League Player of the Year after hitting .327, 14 HR, last season, to the Indians as part of the Sabathia trade. ESPN reported LaPorta and Bryson to be part of the trade, and now we know one more player involved.

It has been confirmed from a source that CC will be traded, but there are a few teams on the table. Most likely is the Dodgers who will have to part with Matt Kemp or Chad Billingsley. The Yankees denied trades involving Robinson Cano and Joba Chamberlain. Tampa, Millwaukee, and Oakland may also be interested.

Deadspin worth $16 million. TBL $1.8 million. How much is yours worth? This domain valuing website gives the rankings for the top 100.

"...The tipping point was June. That month I got over 100,000 hits. That was only my third month. Technically I started the blog in late April, so it was really just over two months into doing the blog that I got 100,000 hits, which was pretty cool. I managed to then follow that up with nearly 200,000 hits in July. "

Now that MLB players are always starting cock fights and you are going

to make them attend animal sensitivity courses, don't you think that

every actor in Hollywood and also every musician and every other

celebrity should attend those courses, too? I know not all of them

abuse animals, but it would still be nice for them to go to the course

just to make sure they don't. They are also role models along with

MLB players.

I mean, think about how bad it would be for

Paris Hilton to watch two cocks fight, going at it hard, bleeding everywhere.

Bethelhem Shoals is famous for his "insane" style of posting on basketball at http://freedarko.blogspot.com/

He also writes weekly for the Sporting News. He took some time to answer some questions for the Sports Blogger Forums:

Another blogging success story, Tim Dierkes run the popular baseball blog MLB Trade Rumors, and is now making enough off of it that he has quit his 9-5 job. He was interviewed about it, discussing that and other topics about blogging and baseball.

In an interview, Brian Powell of AA talks about how he was able to quit his job to blog full time from on-site ad revenue and the Sporting News. He's expecting to break 1 million page views this month. There was other stuff in there about who he liked as broadcasters like, "Put Charles Barkley, Stephen A. Smith, and Michael Irvin in a room, what happens?"