​Somehow I've taken some heat for this blog post from Monday, in which I admit to being initially skeptical about women's World Cup soccer but, in the end, apologizing to the sport and thanking the U.S. for the thrills and chills.

Guess I should expect it from a blog penned by some jealous feminist who conveniently, predictably leaves out the red meat of my offering. I can't be bothered by watching a game that, um, I just watched?

Riiiiiiiiight.

I watched the U.S. beat France Wednesday and if I make it home from flirting with and demeaning the cart girls on the golf course in time I'll check out their championship match against Japan Sunday afternoon.

Got me to thinking about women's sports in general. And on second thought, yes, I do like them.

In this order ...

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​10.Two of the sweetest words to any man's ears: Free. Upgrade. Thank you, US Airways.

9. For the life of me I can't figure out why casinos offer the game of War. It's the the most balanced, fair game in Vegas. It's high-card wins, with ties merely forcing the player to double the bet for another hand. Higher stakes, but no change to the odds. There's no green spaces like Roulette. No juice on winning hands like Baccarat. No hidden hole cards like Blackjack. It's basically a coin flip. Zero strategy, 100-percent luck and the fastest, easiest way to win money in Sin City. If you can find a War table, play it. You'll like it.

8. The day before heading out I went to a pool party and somehow dropped a $50 bottle of Patron tequila on my buddy's garage floor. How strong is it? Literally ate away the protective coating seal off his garage floor. Imagine what it does to our stomach.

7. As for futures sports bets at MGM, the Rangers to win the World Series stood at 14-1, the Cowboys to win Super Bowl XLVI at 18-1 and the Mavs to win the 2012 NBA Finals at 8-1.

6. Nothing like walking out of a strip club with a girlfriend, two new friends and being greeted by ... sunrise.

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​You know what I think of women's sports. Why watch them when you can see men run faster, jump higher or hit the ball longer?

And you know what I think of soccer. A potentially entertaining game is ruined by archaic offsides rules, ridiculous fake injuries and the worst officiating of any sport on the planet.

Combine those two on Sunday and we got ... magic.

It was 12 years ago to the day that Brandi Chastain scored on a penalty kick to beat China in the Rose Bowl and give the U.S. the Women's '99 World Cup. Since then, though, little progress has been made in the push to make women's soccer a mainstream sport. A major professional league came and went and for the most part, if you're not an 8-year-old girl with a pink jersey on a team called the Hot Shots, you don't give a damn. (As big as youth soccer is in North Texas, I'm shocked none on the U.S.' 36-member player pool is from around here.)

I scoffed in Las Vegas at the sportsbooks actually taking bets on the 2011 Women's World Cup.

But yesterday morning I gave the U.S.-Brazil quarterfinal try. And, boy, was I rewarded.

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​Whether her name is Irina Shayk or Iwanna Shake, we've fallen for it again.

Every year I hear the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue is about to hit stands and my initial reaction is to yawn. We don't have harsh winters in Dallas plus, don't know if you've heard, but you can find women in any pose you desire on a thing called the Internet.

But then a blizzard(s) sweeps through North Texas, a Super Bowl slides on ice to disaster, there's a taste of 70-degree days and -- presto -- I'm craning my neck to see who's wearing what on the cover.

I canceled my subscription to SI when Rick Reilly jumped ship, but I'll admit it -- I'm a sucker for the swimsuit issue. Today's offering got me to thinking about two things:

*I'm pretty sure the SI cover jinx doesn't apply to scantily clad models. Christie Brinkley, Cheryl Tiegs, Kathy Ireland and Elle Macpherson all got career boosts from their cover shoots. Last year Brooklyn Decker parlayed her appearance into an engagement to tennis star Andy Roddick and a bikini role in Just Go With It. And Shayk, for what it's worth, dates European futbol star Cristiano Ronaldo, he of the immense talent and irritating dramatics.

*I wonder what a list of my all-time Top 10 covers would look like.

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​In the past year -- in the wake of Reggie Bush -- Kim Kardashian has dated Dallas athletes Miles Austin, the Cowboys' receiver, and then Kris Humpries, who played briefly for the Mavericks.

Apparently she hasn't, after all, moved on to Kanye West.

While hotties like Jennifer Aniston, Brooklyn Decker and Pamela Anderson will be at a party at FIG for Super Bowl Week January 31-February 4, no confirmation yet to KK and her coveted booty making an appearance.

Last year Kardashian showed up at the Aces & Angels Party at Super Bowl XLIV, so being at Fair Park's Centennial Hall on February 2 wouldn't be such a bad idea. Just in case. And, as if ogling Pamela and Brooklyn aren't enough motivation, Adam Sandler is also on the FIG party VIP list.

Don't worry. If Karshashian's not in town, she'll still very, um, visible for Super Bowl XLV...

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​Had a day off from 105.3 The Fan Wednesday (thank you, Texas Rangers) so - in between writing a Dallas Cowboys-centric Observer cover story that will hit stands September 2 - I caught up on some Tivo.

Daily Show = Good.

Entourage = Better.

True Blood: More better.

Family Guy = Best.

Then I remembered, "Oh yeah, the young, naked hotties!"

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A judge in Connecticut recently ruled that - surprise - cheerleading isn't a sport. He said nothing, however, about cheerleader-watching.

Game. On.

​10. Oregon Ducks.

 

​9. Texas Longhorns.

 

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​Surprised by the reaction to Tuesday's item about Girls Gone Wild: Search for the Hottest Girl in America.

There was a computer hiccup in the afternoon, so comments were disabled for a while. But via text, in my email inbox and through calls to 105.3 The Fan most folks are somehow disgusted that Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban would allow such "filth" on his HDNet network. Some even suggested the NBA would surely frown on such an association between Cuban and GGW founder Joe Francis.

Fair enough. Let's ask Cuban shall we?

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​Finally got around to watching HDNet's Girls Gone Wild: Search for the Hottest Girl in America last night.

In a word: HolyHellWowzaI'mHooked.

Couple of people have told me HDNet is struggling, that's why proprietor and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is desperately partnering with GGW founder Joe Francis. Another skeptic said NBA commish David Stern would frown upon one of his owners profiting from soft-core porn.

But me, I finally got around to watching HDNet's Girls Gone Wild: Search for the Hottest Girl in America last night.

In a word: HolyHellWowzaI'mHooked.

Couple of people have told me HDNet is struggling, that's why proprietor and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is desperately partnering with GGW found Joe Francis. Another skeptic said NBA commish David Stern would frown upon one of his owners profiting from soft-core porn.

But me, I figure Cubes knows what he's doing. It's more an edgy (and revealing) expansion of the HDNet brand. Right?

Let's call it, um, research, shall we?

I'm watching the pre-show GGW ads, and it's the typical commercial: Girls flashing and dancing and kissing and prancing, all with their private parts blurred out and/or covered up by "Censored" or "Too Hot for TV".

Been there. Seen that.

On to the show ...

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Iola Johnson - The Original.

​Tony Romo, you've been warned.

In the spirit of the Sports Illustrated cover jinx, the first two winners of The Sportatorium's Hottest TV Women in the Metroplex are, um, gone. Yep, Erin Hawksworth (to Boston) and Megan Henderson (to L.A.) packed up and left.

Just like that.

Either I have really good taste or, more likely, I merely saw what everybody else did. Beauty. Sexuality. It.

So now, it's time for the girlfriend of the Dallas Cowboys' quarterback to take her crown and attempt to have some semblance of a lengthy era. Candice Crawford of Channel 33, you're on the clock.

And the throne.

With honorable mention nods to Channel 5 metereologist Tammy Dombeck, Channel 11 reporters Arezow Doost and Nerissa Knight, and Channel 4 metereologist Fiona Gorostiza, I present the hottest of the hot on our nightly boob tube ...

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