Not exactly the freshest news 36 hours later, but maybe that's the problem with the NFL's version of an all-star outing. I seriously just found out, and my life wasn't the worse for that delay.

The Pro Bowl lacks any sizzle. The most diehard pigskin addict doesn't care.

There's the timing factor. Unlike the other major all-star exhibitions in the NBA, NHL, MLB or even NASCAR, football's all-star outing comes at the end of the season, not in the middle.

It's tough to get too excited about seeing the league's best one week after seeing the league's best teams in the Super Bowl.

And that would be the case if the league's best players even showed up for the Pro Bowl.

Every year it seems that more and more top players bow out. I'm pretty sure this year one receiver claimed polio and a linebacker had his grandma die five straight years to miss the game.

If the players don't want to play, why should the Pro Bowl be a blip on the sports fan's radar?

And what's the motivation to go? A trip to Hawaii is nice, but it's not like professional football players can't afford a little vacation each offseason.

Maybe the NFL should call off the game and give out 100 trips to Hawaii each February to some fans of long-suffering teams. Detroit Lions backers -- all three of you -- pack your bags.

You can't even get the best broadcasters to show. Heck, every year it seems whichever network is showing the game sends its "C" or "D" team of announcers, too.

The Pro Bowl can't be an entertainment spectacle like the other all-star outings.

You could see Beyonce performing at halftime of the NBA All-Star Game, The Hives at the start of the NHL All-Star Game and any American Idol belting out "God Bless America" in the seventh inning of the MLB All-Star Game.

After the annual star-studded Super Bowl, the NFL would be lucky to be able to pony up for a Color Me Badd reunion for the Pro Bowl.

Having the best football players be showcased in the final football game for six months seems like a good idea. There have been suggestions of moving up the game to either the Sunday or Saturday before the Super Bowl in the championship game city to increase interest.

That would mean players from the top two teams wouldn't play.

That's also little difference from now.

This and That

Other things becoming meaningless in the sports world:

* The field against Tiger Woods. How often would taking the field against one golfer week after week turn you into a penniless Las Vegas bum faster than sticking with your "lucky number" on a roulette wheel?

* Non high def events. Going HD quickly turns you into a sports snob once you see the Field Turf being kicked up, the blades of the grass in the outfield or can follow a puck.

I knew I was in trouble when I complained at a hockey game that it looked better on TV.

* Long-range weather forecasts for the Nebraska high school basketball championships.

No matter what they say, everyone knows there will be a blizzard one of the first two weekends in March. Will it be the boys or girls tourney which gets hit hard this year?