"I'm a very emotional and passionate man. I can't help it. To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. Number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special. It's so important to know where you are. I know where I am right now. How do you go from where you are to where you want to be? I think you have to have an enthusiasm for life. You have to have a dream, a goal. You have to be willing to work for it."

New Trier, Barrington, Wheaton South, Cary-Grove, Huntley, Glenbrook South, Hersey, Maine South, Lyons, Wheaton North, St. Viator, Loyola, Homewood-Flossmoor , Wheaton Academy, St. Ignatius and Lake Forest were the 16 teams that earned one of the top seeds.

The complete tournament bracket may be found at www.pepsishowdown.us. Here is the complete game schedule for the 2010 showcase:

The 2010 showcase will take place Dec. 29 at the Chicago Sports Zone, and it will feature an added combine portion and college coaches Q & A panel for coaches, parents and players.

The goal is simple - to provide players an opportunity to shine in front of college coaches, while providing one site for college coaches to come and see hundreds of high school players from all over. But it's also a great opportunity for players to play with different players and high school coaches from different schools to see players from outside their area.

The 2010 event will return to its four session format of underclassmen boys, underclassmen girls, senior boys and senior girls. You don't need to head to Florida or another state with a club team to be seen in December 2010.

The opportunity is right here.

Here is the list of colleges expected to be in attendance:

And at the end of the day, that's who I'm writing about, writing and running events for.

When Curt Herron, a former co-worker of mine when I was still in college, told me that he and Gary Larsen of WestSuburbanSoccer.com were going to hand out postseason awards differently, my ears perked up.

If you've been a reader of this blog for more than a day or ever met me, you know I disapprove of how some awards are handed out. But with that said, sometimes it's a crap shoot with stuff like that.

This year, I took a lot of heat for two players on the 2009 Sun-Times All-Area Boys Soccer team. The first was naming Naperville Central's Chris Prince the Sun-Times Player of the Year, and the second was naming Neuqua Valley's Scott Davis to the first team.

I question people all the time, so I expect people to question me. It's part of the job. That's why when I read the story on WestSuburbanSoccer.com and saw who the players talked about the most, I'm not going to lie - I smiled.

The event, which is co-sponsored by YourSeason.com, is the lone tournament in Illinois to host its title game at Toyota Park every year since the venue opened. Here is the list of teams to receive a 2010 invite, which includes a couple newcomers. There also will be Saturday Showcase games at Lyons. Those teams will be announced at a later date.

Stay tuned.

According to the AP, a House subcommittee approved legislation Wednesday aimed at forcing college football to switch to a playoff system to determine its national champion, over the objections of some lawmakers who said Congress has meatier targets to tackle.

The bill, which faces steep odds, would ban the promotion of a postseason NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision game as a national championship unless it results from a playoff. The measure passed by voice vote in a House Energy and Commerce Committee subcommittee, with one audible "no," from Rep. John Barrow, D-Ga.

The BCS selections announced last weekend pit two unbeaten teams, No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Texas, in the Jan. 7 national title game. Three other undefeated teams -- TCU, Cincinnati and Boise State -- will play in a BCS bowl game, but not for the championship.

"What can we say -- it's December and the BCS is in chaos again," said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, the top Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He said the BCS system is unfair and won't change unless prompted by Congress.

So if you can't say national champion after the No. 1 and No. 2 teams play in college football, then it's safe to say you can't say state champion after the winner of a geographic-based tournament - right?

Too bad Congress can't bounce Marty Moneyball off YouTube and out of Pee-Wee's Playhouse in Bloomington, too.

The event, which is slated for Wednesday, Dec. 30 at the Chicago Sports Zone in Melrose Park, will feature hundreds of high school boys and girls varsity soccer players from the Midwest.

Additional details for players and college coaches may be found by visiting www.pepsishowdown.us.

But do me a favor and please write return to sender in CAPS on the box with GAC in CAPS.

Until the folks at Pee-Wee's Playhouse learn to DWR - nice one IHSA first-year PR guru Matt Troha - Walgreen's should tell the IHSA and moneyball Marty Hickman to take a hike.

Tournament games on small fields, with no lights and horrible layout.

Yes, IHSA - DWR.

(P.S. GAC doesn't mean Girls Athletic Conference. It means 'Get A Clue.')

*Head coach boys - 29 years
*More than 400 wins
*Led Sandburg to IHSA title in 1993 and Lincoln-Way to second place finishes in 1999 and 2000
*Six-time sectional coach of the year
*IHSSCA soccer person of the year
*IHSSCA vice president - 1998-present

But what half of the people in the audience and even those sitting at the head table with him will never truly understand is the impact he's had on soccer in the South Suburbs.

Brian Papa is soccer in the South Suburbs.

But blogs and message boards have allowed the goons of the world to be heard.

It's going to be very interesting once this case is final to see how the world changes. It took another big, positive step in the right direction today.