Hook, Line, And Sinker
ArenaFootball is on it's way to becoming the fifth major sport in our country.

As baseball looks to be rolling into another work stoppage, you may want to consider another summertime diversion that is on its way to being the fifth major sport in our country - arenafootball.

Now, many members of the media feel that the best way to build something up is to tear something else down. Different people enjoy different sports; it doesn't matter.

It's your time and your money. I've yet to find anyone who has been to an arena football game and doesn't want to go again. It's a fast paced game that's easy to understand. It's high scoring and strives to be an affordable, fun way to spend 2 and a-half hours once a week.

The most successful team in the Bay Area in the past three years has been the San Jose SaberCats - a 35-7 record and three division titles.

This is beside the point. It could be mentioned that the SaberCats attract a larger audience than the Earthquakes and CyberRays combined. Or that SaberCats games on TV have better ratings than some hockey playoff games.

But I digress. Here are the answers to a few common questions about the Arena League:

-       Isn't arenafootball a minor league of the NFL?  No, it's just a different brand of football.

-       Are these guys any good? Does the name Kurt Warner ring a bell? And he wasn't even the best quarterback in the Arena League. The athletic ability of the players is outstanding, but because of the two-way play, only the quarterbacks and defensive backs have directly relatable NFL skills.

-       How long has the Arena League been around?  It has been around for 16 years.

-       Don't they have a bunch of crazy rules? No. It's still four downs, 10 yards, three points for a field goal, six for a touchdown, one for point-after-touchdown. The major difference is the nets hanging in the end zones to keep kicks in play. That is a bit bizarre and can cause a number of crazy things to happen on special teams.

The best thing about the Arena League would have to be the relationship between the players and fans.

The athletes really appreciate being able to play a professional sport: taking the time to give autographs, interviews, perform community service, and are very approachable. They stay on the field after games to spend time with fans and I've never seen that in any other sport.

So, if a break is needed from your office version of "Pin the tail on the strike date", I'd suggest checking out an arenafootball playoff game this week.

But, you may want to be careful or else you may end up buying season tickets for next year.