By James A. Lyons
By arming the rebels, we're aiding al Qaeda

Where is NCAA president Mark Emmert? That the scandal is academic and not athletic is irrelevant. The president has already shown a devil-may-care willingness to disregard tradition and intervene at Penn State.

At the December meeting of the school's Athletic Council, Gordon Gee also took shots at schools in the Southeastern Conference and the University of Louisville, according to a recording of a meeting he attended late last year.
Ten _ just 10 _ of the top topics in the 64-team NCAA baseball tournament, which starts Friday:
The Southeastern Conference's basketball tournament is ready to settle down.
Alabama coach Nick Saban has a strong _ and seemingly solitary _ stance on the Southeastern Conference potentially moving to a nine-game league schedule.
Lane Kiffin has an idea.
It could end up being taxpayer money going down the drain.

SEC commissioner Mike Slive said Thursday the SEC network will produce 1,000 live events each year, including 450 televised on the network and 550 distributed digitally.
The Southeastern Conference and ESPN on Thursday announced a 20-year agreement to operate a SEC network that is scheduled to debut in August, 2014.
The College Football Playoff is all but done. The only part that remains unsettled is the membership of the selection committee that will determine which teams play for the national championship when the new system kicks in for the 2014 season.
The cartel formerly known as the Bowl Championship Series has changed its name.
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly knows the importance of staying on message and he has been consistent all spring.
Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel did almost everything right in Texas A&M's spring game on Saturday.
The long-awaited announcement of the Southeastern Conference network is days away.