There are some who feel that sports are a good distraction from the problems of the real world. With that in mind, was Virginia Tech right to cancel its sports for the remainder of the week, including its spring football game?

Caple: I guess so. I've never been a big fan of cancelling sporting events, but this one comes in the aftermath of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Kind of makes all of Hokie alum Marcus Vick's problems seem pretty irrelevant, doesn't it?

Mayers: It's hard to pass judgment on this decision, and I am in no place to do so. The whole Virginia Tech situation is something that we can only empathize with, but not identify with. If in football coach Frank Beamer's opinion this was the right thing to do, then it was the right thing to do. In the end, it's just spring football.

Chartrey: This is not easy by any stretch. On the one hand, these people need time to mourn, and an exhibition game seems kind of trivial. But on the other, as football coach Frank Beamer said, people need something to get past this somehow. And maybe, just maybe, a spring football game was that something.

Dion: No question about it, this was the right thing to do. You can't ask those players to focus on football in light of what happened. Hell, you can't even ask them to focus on school. I would be for canceling the rest of the semester, or quarter, depending on the system they have over there. What about the students and parents? You can't ask them to come out and watch a football game after they've just lost loved ones.

Should Joey Crawford have been suspended for his altercation with Tim Duncan?

Caple: No. Why should he? All he did was challenge Duncan to fight. If a guy wants to fight, he wants to fight. David Stern needs to back off on this one. Uh, wait a second. ... Hold on. ... Crap. Joey Crawford just T'd me up.

Mayers: Joey Crawford is an idiot. And I thought all the horrible refs were relegated to the Pac-10. But seriously, folks, I don't think someone with his rationale should be allowed to officiate again. He clearly is too in love with himself to serve the sport as he should, and if it were up to me, I'd tell him to go find another job.

Chartrey: The sooner these referees learn that it's not about them the better. Get this straight, Joey, no one came to see you jog up and down the court and blow your whistle. They came to see Tim Duncan toss up majestic hook shots. In every situation, Crawford, you lose.

Dion: Who does Joe Crawford think he is? You're a referee! Why are you challenging Tim Duncan, one of the most soft-spoken people there is, to a fight? Yes, he deserves to be suspended; in my mind he deserves to be fired. Too bad David Stern can't T him up twice and kick him out of the league.

Are you ok with booing old players who return to their original parks (Sammy Sosa recently got booed at Chicago)?

Caple: Yeah, I'm OK with it. Owners jack up ticket prices every year, and player loyalty is essentially non-existent. If I pay top dollar for a ticket to a baseball game, I'm going to boo whomever I please. Especially if it's Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds or Paul O'Neill. Yeah, I know O'Neill is retired, but I still hate him. And if Joe Buck ever gets any at-bats, so help me God. ...

Mayers: He was booed by the White Sox fans, not the Cubs fans, which makes me wonder: Maybe they were booing him because he corked his bat and used steroids. And really, booing an opponent is always acceptable. Actually, booing all baseball players is justified. The whole sport is infected with frauds and cheaters. Shame!

Chartrey: Not only am I OK with it, but I am a long-time booer myself. The only thing that was able to vindicate Alex Rodriguez's defection to Texas for $252 million — in my mind — was to hurl wads of Monopoly money at him every time he stepped to the plate. If Chicago fans feel slighted by Sosa, then by all means, boo away.

Dion: Of course I'm OK with it. Sammy Sosa is a bum, and he deserves to be booed wherever he goes. The only problem I have with it is when fans boo subjectively only because the player left the team. Boo when the player deserves it, if he left in bad circumstances, not when the player did so much for your team (see Ken Griffey Jr., who'd better not be booed when he returns to Seattle in June).

The UW spring game is the same day as the NFL draft — which will you be watching?

Caple: I'll watch the draft when the Seahawks are on the clock, but that's about it. And I don't see myself making a 20-minute walk to Husky Stadium to watch an intrasquad game, but we'll see. Too bad Casey Paus isn't playing for the UW anymore. That way, we could finally get to see Husky defensive backs make some interceptions.

Mayers: I love the NFL draft, but I also love Husky football. Since this will be my last opportunity to watch Jake Locker and the boys play for free, I will have to take advantage of that. Plus, I'll likely be covering the game for The Daily. But I also love the NFL draft; I hope to be able to catch as much as I can, particularly to see where Isaiah Stanback goes.

Chartrey: The beauty of the draft is that everything takes so damn long. This means that I will probably only miss one round during the entirety of the Purple and Gold Game. Besides, my system is in withdrawal mode from not having any college football to watch. I need college football. And probably professional help.

Dion: This is an easy one. The draft! I absolutely love watching the NFL's annual selection show, as Chris Berman calls it. The NFL is the best league there is, and the draft symbolizes the start of the season and hope for every team. I don't even care that the Seahawks don't have a first-round pick this year because you never know what's going to happen. (Trades, anyone?) And the bonus is the analysis that you get from the wall-to-wall coverage. Spring football? Are you serious? Wake me up when the freshmen enroll.