My View…Adrift in a harsh realm RIDGE MAHONEY Did the end to the MLS regular season receive any notice in the harsh realm of professional sports coverage? Barely a whisper, IÆm afraid. ItÆs a sad example of league travails when the final weekend of play ù with the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference at stake and none of the Western slots decided ù draws barely a mention on national sports programs or in newspaper coverage outside of the MLS cities involved. Smothered under the Nike U.S. WomenÆs Cup, baseball playoffs, a typically heavy Saturday log of college football, and an upset-riddled NFL Sunday, MLS thrashed futilely for national attention. Yet, look at what happened in a few MLS cities that final week: A supposedly crucial Western showdown between the Fire and the Rapids in Denver drew an announced crowd of 6,635 on a Wednesday night. Miami soared to its playoff-clinching win ù on a Saturday night ù over the Rapids in front of 8,107 fans. Only those in Boston seemed to get the drift, and, soccer being the cruel game that it is, the 20,635 fans went home disappointed with a RevsÆ shootout win that left them in fifth place. But on the national radar screen, nary a blip. A league with several coaches droning on about how the regular season isnÆt all that important and an eight-month campaign that starts weeks before baseball throws its first pitch yet lingers on long after the World Series has much to do. A shorter season would help, but when the vast majority of games draw crowds in the low teens, signals are clear the buzz isnÆt there. When the honchos meet in Boston next month, thereÆs a lot more to chew on than just the shootout. Disinterest in the playoffs is at an all-time high. The season may yet end with a bang, but the regular season ended with a whimper. FANS, LET’S HEAR YOUR VIEW Click here to log onto (Soccer) American Graffiti. Then click on the topic titled “YOUR VIEW: My View…Adrift in a harsh realm” and respond to RIDGE MAHONEY in 200 words or less. Best responses may be reprinted in Soccer America Magazine. If YOUR View is selected, we’ll send you a cool T-shirt and pin… Because You’re FANATIC.