It may be as easy as one, two, three

Trying to understand all the computer shenanigans, odd (and even) numbers, polling, votes, percentages and whatever else they use to come up with the Bowl Championship Series standings is a time-consuming and not particularly rewarding experience.

Let’s face it, who really enjoyed math tests anyway?

The BCS lists the top three teams in the country this week as Ohio State, Louisiana State and Oregon. That’s based on all the various information they cram into and then spit out of the whole complicated process.

There has to be a better way.

So here’s a suggestion, and it’s a heck of a lot easier to follow:

Category -- Mascot names (three points for longest, two, then one): Brutus Buckeye at Ohio State; Oregon Duck at (duh!) Oregon; Mike VI at LSU. OSU 3, Oregon 2, LSU 1.

Category -- All-time records (three points for best): Ohio State 797-301-53; LSU 689-377-47; Oregon 545-461-46. OSU 3, LSU 2, Oregon 1.

Category -- Uniforms (three points for best): OSU, good; LSU, good; Oregon, ridiculous. OSU and LSU 2 1/2 ; Oregon 1.

Category -- Nearby bodies of water (three points for best): Oregon, Pacific Ocean; LSU, Gulf of Mexico; OSU, Olentangy River. Oregon 3, LSU 2, OSU 1.

Current MBS (Morning Briefing Series) poll:

No. 1, Ohio State, 9 1/2 points; No. 2, LSU, 7 1/2 points; No. 3, Oregon, 7 points.

Hey, maybe those BCS guys aren’t so bad after all. They got the order right, didn’t they?

Trivia time

What team was ranked No. 1 in the first BCS poll, on Oct. 24, 1998?

More BCS

While we’re on the topic of the BCS, here’s something from the archives: Texas has appeared in the standings 65 times, more often than anyone, with Florida next at 64.

The most appearances at No. 1? Oklahoma with 18, USC with 15 and Ohio State with 13.

What’s the rush?

So Major League Baseball’s general managers, at a meeting in Orlando, recommended that television replays be used to help umpires make close calls, probably starting in 2009.

The NFL began using instant replay on a limited basis in 1986.

Score it an E

Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig gave the Dodgers permission to skip the interview of a minority candidate for the manager’s job so the team could hire Joe Torre. Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle found a loophole in that tactic.

Wrote Ostler: “[Selig] forgot one important purpose of the rule. . . . The process gives public exposure to worthy minority candidates.”

Arena news

Clay Bennett, owner of the apparently-bound-for-Oklahoma City Seattle SuperSonics of the NBA, said he’s done with Key Arena and filed for the move, then cited the Washington legislature’s rejection of taxpayer funding for his proposed $500-million arena in Renton.

Uh, $500 million? What’s it made of, gold bricks? Oh, yeah, that’s who’s in the owner’s box.

By the way, the price tag for a proposed downtown baseball stadium for the Marlins in Miami is less, checking in at $490 million.

In case anyone is keeping track, Seattle is the nation’s 13th-largest media market. Oklahoma City is 40th.

Food news

The Miami Heat’s upgrade of their center court suites at America Airlines Arena included the installation of sub-zero refrigerators and induction cooking units. The idea is to copy a home’s kitchen island, perfect for making hot meals.

Now, if Shaquille O’Neal turns up missing, we’ve got a pretty good idea where to start looking for him.

Trivia answer

UCLA.

And finally

Players on NBA teams who take on the New Jersey Nets on the Nets home court at the Izod Center are apparently sort of needy. They get free swag, including Izod polo shirts, sweaters, hats, jackets, sports shirts and fleece tops.

The average salary in the NBA this year: $5.36 million.

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