This week's Sin Bin -- My weekly sports column. Let me know what you think and stay sinful.

Female athletes: Peeling back the skin

For colleges all across the land it's spring break time and that means MTV is chock-full of more skin than your local KFC.

Which leads me to the question of the week: Who is the most recognizable woman in the country? If you said Hillary Clinton, you'd be wrong. Mia Hamm? (Buzzer) Wrong again, Johnny!

Try Anna Nicole Smith, may she rest in peace. I don't know about you, but there's just something wrong with the fact that the most popular woman alive is in fact, dead.

Having two young nieces myself, I am understandably concerned about the mainstream coverage of what I consider to be a poor role model.

In this day and age, I would venture to say that most young girls could pick Lindsay Lohan out of lineup before identifying the current First Lady of the United States. It's not their fault; the media - don't you just hate those guys? - pump it into their heads like they're acting out a scene from "The Matrix."

Call me Morpheus, but I took a gender studies class once upon a time and actually paid attention, if only to catch the heated debates usually incited by our instructor. While her name eludes me, her impression was felt nonetheless. She used to talk about prominent women from all walks of life, including professional athletes.

Some of her favorites were of course soccer goddess Hamm, former WNBA star Rebecca Lobo and Olympic Gold Medalist Mary Lou Retton. Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Dorothy Hamill, Lisa Fernandez, Martina Navratilova - I could go on.

There is a new generation of female athletes now, some of whom cannot even legally drive without the supervision of an adult.

No, they're not convicted felons. They're professional athletes, and they serve as much better role models than those found on the inside of Hef's pages.

Not that female athletes aren't attractive enough to be featured in the men's magazine - former beach volleyball star Gabriella Reece posed a few years ago, as did almost a dozen members of the U.S. Olympic team during the 2004 Games in Athens.

But as my girlfriend recently explained to me, "Girls need to believe they're more than just something to look at." Being that she played, and coached, collegiate volleyball, she knows a little something about female athletics.

Speaking of volleyball and the 2004 Olympics, anyone remember Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh? The pair took the gold in beach volleyball, and looked good doing it, too. However, ask me if I would ever have the nerve to say that directly to the 6-foot-3 Walsh, and you'll get a very definitive no.

That is one strong, powerful woman; I think my nieces need to learn more about her.

They also need to learn more about a little game that first began in the land of the Scots. Golf, or goff, as we know it from the critically-acclaimed "Caddyshack," features the likes of Annika Sorenstam, Karrie Webb and now, 17-year-old Michelle Wie. My eldest niece already excels at and follows this humbling game and still, no matter how many tournaments Wie wins, she'll never receive the level of recognition or money reserved for men's champ Tiger Woods.

I read a piece the other day in the Bible of sports writing - Sports Illustrated - in which they compared the purses awarded to men and women who compete in the same sport. Everything ranging from tennis to golf to basketball was compared, and frankly, the results were shocking. When it comes to equal prize money, golf is not up to par.

Neither is basketball. No, the sport that now offers the same exact purse no matter the sex is tennis. They're breaking new ground, and I can't even begin to list off the number of phenomenal athletes who routinely roam the clay, grass and hard-court.

Serena and Venus Williams are the first two that come to mind, but I'm not here to drop names. Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport, Maria Sharapova and Anna Kournik ... wait, skip that one.

Now I may have hit 90-mph fastballs, but I'm not about to step in the way of a 125-mph serve from one of these ladies.

Near the end of the SI piece, the writers suggested to parents who want their daughters to be treated as equals, at least where money is concerned, to replace their oversized-gripped golf clubs with an oversized-head tennis racket.

And while I would never encourage my nieces to give up golf, I might just take them to the courts the next time I'm home. Ultimately, though, it's probably their mother who will have the most influence on their athletic futures.

Maybe that's not so bad. After all, we did begin this 800-word adventure talking about role models. Role models other than Britney "Bald Eagle" Spears and Paris "I'm Skinnier Than the Eiffel Tower" Hilton.

Women like my sister. Women who set records playing volleyball in high school; who raise two beautiful girls while working a full-time job; who are strong and powerful; and who exemplify the belief that females everywhere are more than just something to look at.

All the so-called "experts" had Washington State losing in the first round...good call douchebags, had that one picked all the way.

Cougs to the Elite Eight. You heard it hear first. West, west y'all.

Check out my latest column from the recent Colorado State Wrestling Tournament.

Controversy? We love it down here at the Sin Bin, baby!!!

Probably one of the funniest stories of the year. Being a netminder myself, I can see the appeal.

And hey c'mon, the kid is from Southern California, they're not used to wearing clothes down there.

Don't really care about her husband but I do know they're still together, even though I've seen more than a few articles on here lately claiming otherwise.

Don't worry, it's not like I want her to be married to some douchebag who can't throw a decent slider to save his life but that's just the way it is.

This one's for all you crazy ass Americans that can't skate for shit. Hahaha...this hoser is just playin, everyone loves a big hit. Enjoy, Canuck and Yank alike.

The next installment in my lineup. Make sure you make it all the way to No. 1 if you want to see why sometimes playing goalie just ain't fair.

The Sin Bin tackles Alaska's "Great Race" and shows you the similarities and differences between it and a local sled dog race here in southwest Colorado.

Thanks for reading y'all, have a good weekend.

As a sportswriter myself, this kind of shit makes me sick. Not that I'm a big fan of A-Rod, but simply because of the lack of respect.

The problem is, in my opinion, that too many sportswriters out there never played sports. They were too busy trying not to get swirlies in the bathroom.

Staying with the masked men, here's a little trip down memory lane. Roy vs. Vernon, the original Detroit-Colorado goalie fight.

Note Roy getting lifted off his ass at the very start of the clip. After seeing what 5-foot-nothing Mike Vernon did to his bitch ass, I think he should have stayed in the net.

This is the first installment of a series of hockey highlight videos I'll be posting in the next week or so.

Since I played in net and iit is quite simply the most demanding position in all team sports, here are the top 10 saves of all time.

Note, Martin Brodeur is God.

The 11th version of ESPN's Winter X Games showcased hundreds of athletes competing at the top of their respected sports. But one event, Mono-Skier X, deserves a littl more recognition.

First, skiing is not easy. Second, skiing with no legs is near impossible. Or so you may have thought. Check out this link to see how mono-skiers not just completed--but tore up--the Skier-X course at Aspen's Buttermilk Mountain.

While legged skiers were crashing left and right on this course, these guys rocked it and in the process, showed the true essence of the sport and the X Games.

To all those who never stop competing, I salute you.

Don't have the heart to write too much about this one. Basically, the Cougs should have won and should be sitting in second place in the Pac-10 standings this morning.

Instead, they let Derrick Low's 37 points go to waste by losing to the Ducks in OT, 77-74. My inside sources tell me Pullman was ready to explode. Oh well, I guess Cougs fans will just have to wait til the UCLA game to rush the floor.

Washington State (17-4 overall, 6-3 Pac-10) now hits the road to face Arizona Thursday at 5:30 p.m. (PST).

After losing to the lowly Avs by a score of 3-1 Jan. 20 in Denver, the Detroit Red Wings repaid the favor yesterday in Hockeytown, winning at the Joe by the same score.

Not much of a game really, unless you're a Wings fan such as myself. I'm still not sure if this performance makes up for the torment I received while in attendance at the game in Denver.

Clad in my trusty Stevie-Y jersey, I sat (and drank) helplessly while my team got dominated. Yesterday looked more like the team I know and love, with the Wings outshooting the Avs 41-11 in the contest.

Basically the Wings beat the Avs and all is right with the world. I love you, man!!!

So the league has formally admitted they indeed made a bad call against Ellis Hobbs in last Sunday's AFC Championship game against the Colts.

But my name's not LT or Rivers, so don't expect me to cry about it. Just wanted to let you all know what you already knew, that wasn't pass interference and the Colts aren't the better team.

Happy Monday, y'all. Go Pats (in 2007!!!).