In a much-publicized move earlier this week, ABC canceled incessantly-promoted Heather Graham vehicle "Emily's Reasons Why Not" after only one episode. There was a bit of buzz about the cancellation, but it was by no means a first. Fox regularly cancels shows two or three episodes into their runs, and that's probably a better fate than shuttling them from night to night ensuring that nobody will ever see them.

The shocking thing isn't that ABC spent so much money promoting a show for which they never saw a script. The more shocking thing is that this sort of thing happens all the time. And it becomes a vicious cycle. Why should I as a viewer tune in to the first few weeks of a show? If the show gets cancelled, I've wasted time watching it. If it sticks around for awhile and catches on, I'll be able to rent the DVD or watch reruns to catch up.

Even Seinfeld didn't hit its stride until season 4, imagine if NBC had pulled the trigger after one episode and replaced it with some lame retread reality show or horrendous game show hosted by the World's Ugliest Soul Patch. I'm not saying that Heather Graham's show deserved a second chance (truth be told I didn't watch it, although I probably saw a half-hour's worth of commercials for it), but if Family Guy has taught us anything (besides "shamelessly ripping off the Simpsons can be profitable") its that TV execs have no clue what they're doing. Just put your less-profitable shows on iTunes so all the tight-jeans-wearing indie kids can watch them while listening to The Killers and you will make money even if the show isn't mainstream enough for prime time (Arrested Development, although it certainly took a turn for the bizarre, I'm looking in your direction).

Every once in awhile I have an idea so groundbreaking that I must share it with the world. Today's idea will revolutionize the music we hear on the radio. Right now, most radio stations choose what to play based on a) what the DJ's like, b) what people request, and c) what is popular in other parts of the country. I think there is a better measure for whether a song is good enough to be on the radio.

My proposed measure is number of people who switch to another radio station within 15 seconds of a song starting. I'm aware there is currently no way to measure such a statistic, but if there were this would be a perfect way for stations to know exactly when a song goes from hip to overplayed (Mr. Brightside, I'm looking at you).

I listen to the alternative station here in town, and usually stick to just that station (when I'm not listening to a CD). I won't switch to the other stations except during commercial breaks, long periods of DJs making fools of themselves, or songs that I just can't take anymore. Since they make all of there money through advertising, it is to their benefit to keep people listening, and if I won't even stay through a bad song then there's no way I'll stay through a commercial.

I often post here about the songs that I hate, and I realize that I'm often in the minority. I may complain about how terrible the White Stripes are, for instance, and just exactly how bad a drummer Meg White is, but I realize that there are many people who like them. I may switch the station during a White Stripes song (especially that "hardest button to button" one), but most people probably don't.

Using my system, radio stations could easily differentiate between the songs that just I don't like and songs that nobody in the known universe likes, such as anything off the new Weezer CD. I don't know anyone, lifelong Weezer fans included, who likes either of the songs they play on the radio. Any way to keep those songs off the airwaves would be a service to humanity, so you can make that Nobel Prize out to Chris with a C.

No one took up my challenge to pick the NFL playoff games (presumably because I trounced them in the regular season), but I continue anyway.

WAS at SEA: The weekend starts with the biggest clunker. The offensively inept Redskins fly all the way to Seattle just to get trounced by a team better than them in every facet of the game. SEA

NE at DEN: This is the most scared I've been going into a Pats playoff game since they achieved "they always win" status a few years back. Granted they will be healthier than the last time they went to Denver, but the team has a history of losing in Denver, Belichick has a history of not coaching well against Mike Shanahan, and Tom Brady has had some of his worst games there. Still, nobody really trusts Jake Plummer, and while the Pats may be shaky, they still always win when it matters. NE

PIT at IND: Don't be fooled by last week's win over Jon Kitna. The Steelers do not have a good enough defense to stop Indianapolis, nor do they have a good enough offense to keep up with them in a shootout. IND

CAR at CHI: The Bears D may be overrated, but so are the Panthers. One week they win against a playoff contender, the next week they lose to a worse opponent. The Bears will surprise some people and won't lose until next week, when Seattle trounces them. I love the NFC, where the Seattle Seahawks are the best team by a landslide. CHI

There is a story on ESPN.com about a trustee at Auburn who pretty much runs the football program because he donates so much money to the school. The story is a good read, and it sums up pretty nicely why D-1 college sports are a joke.

The NFL and NBA need a minor league system, where young players can get used to the rigors of playing at a high level. Just don't make students, who pay to go to school to get an education, foot the bill for the athletes who attend the minimum number of classes to retain eligibility so they can go pro as soon as they're ready (unlike the athlets at smaller schools, who aren't on scholarship and must meet the same academic standards as everyone else).

Meaningless bowl games, entire basketball teams who don't graduate a single player, boosters who hire and fire coaches on a whim and run the lives of 18-year-olds like their own personal rotissierie league, the more you look at it the less it looks like college and the more it looks like the ridiculous travesty that it is.

When I applied to college, if I said on my application "I'll stay there one, maybe two years for experience and then drop out and get a job", no school would even think of offering me a scholarship. Yet that's exactly what happens to many students at the larger college programs, where the coach, AD, and boosters are often one big good-ol'-boy network trying to milk the student athletes for as much money as possible before they jump to the pros. A scholarship offer is just a drop in the bucket compared to the megabucks they get from bowl games (even the meaningless ones), merchandise sales, and TV deals, while the real students are paying their way in.

It's about time that they get honest with us and just drop the "college" from "college sports". Programs should either be like they are at D-III schools, where there are no scholarships and the athletes play in addition to their academic workload, or they should be full-fledged football teams not affiliated with a university.

WAS at TB: Now that the playoffs are mercifully here, I no longer have to find something to write about meaningless games between the Lions and Texans. All the games are meaningful, and they all feature exciting matchups...wait a minute. What the hell is this? The Redskins and Bucs? I don't care about either of these teams. And both teams feature awkward-throwing lefthanded quarterbacks. Has there ever been a lefthanded quarterback who didn't have a throwing motion that looked like a drunk playing darts? Edge to Washington, whose lefthanded quarterback is at least half decent. WAS

JAX at NE: Everyone in the media gives the big edge to the Patriots, which scares me. The Pats' problems this year have been well documented. Although the larger problems (Duane Starks) are no longer a factor, there is still that whole issue of whether or not Tedy Bruschi will play. In week 16, the Pats defense was dominant with Bruschi in the game. When he got hurt, they reverted back to a team that could get torched deep by the likes of Vinny Testaverde. Plus their secondary is, on average, the size of a Keebler elf. In any jump ball situation, even a moderately tall receiver has a huge advantage. But they're the champs, and they're at home, and oh yeah, Tom Brady has never lost a playoff game. NE

CAR at NYG: Welcome to the NFC, where even the most uneven, poorly-quarterbacked team can make it to the Super Bowl! Do I go with the Giants, who can't pass the ball, or the Panthers, who can't run the ball? I think the Giants' pass rush gives them the edge. NYG

PIT at CIN: Everyone is picking upset here, even though the Steelers have no defense to speak of and Ben Roethlisberger still throws sidearmed with a broken thumb. The Bengals may still be the same old Bengals (losing their last 2 games of the year), but everyone forgets that the Steelers have an equally ignominious playoff history. Unless they can play some defense, Carson Palmer should be able to win the shootout. CIN