By Donal (Sports Editor)

Tomorrow at approximately 3:10pm eastern, a red(ish) haired man in a suit will walk up to a podium and call out a football team and a persons name. Ten minutes later, he will do the same thing. Ten minutes after that, the same again….and so on and on throughout the evening.

I can barely contain my excitement. Seriously

The 2008 NFL draft looks like it could be one of the most unpredictable drafts in years. All we know for certain is that Bill Parcells did not take my advice. Beyond that, its anyones guess. Or given that this is Hubdub, anyones prediction.

Now, I may have pretty funky hair, but I’m no Mel Kiper. So instead of embarrassing myself by offering up my own predictions, I’m going take a look at some of the more interesting NFL Draft questions in play right now on Hubdub and what Hubdubbers are predicting.

St Louis Rams on the clock.
The uncertainty begins with St Louis whose selection will have a big impact on how the rest of the top ten picks unfold. It looks like Glenn Dorsey versus Chris Long with Hubdubbers split on who the Rams will pick.

If the Rams select Glenn Dorsey, they could also be sending Matt Ryan to Atlanta and Chris Long out of the top five. Opting for Chris Long would probably result in Dorsey going to Atlanta and things getting rather interesting and uncertain for Matt Ryan.

Who will the St. Louis Rams choose as their first draft choice of 2008?

The other Long.
Howie’s boy was once thought of as a potential first overall pick. With that honor (or curse) now bestowed upon the other Long, there is a chance that Chris Long may not even be drafted in the top 5 if both St Louis and Atlanta pass on him. Hubdubbers however seem confident (overly confident if you ask me)that the Virginia DE will be spared that indignation.

NFL - Will Chris Long be drafted in the top five (5) of the NFL draft in 2008?

Darren McFadden
Darren McFadden is probably the most interesting player at the top of the draft for a number of reasons.

For many, he is the most talented player in the 2008 class, but he plays in a position where year on year, better value is found in later rounds. Add to that the alleged character issues and the fact that many mock drafts and Hubdub users are predicting that he will be selected by Oakland, who are stacked at running back; and you have a pretty intriguing draft story-line.

What team will pick Darren McFadden?

Quarterbacks, Quarterbacks, Quarterbacks!!
Increasingly Quarterbacks are what the NFL is all about. After Steve McNairs retirement, my beloved Ravens are in need of a QB (when aren’t they?), but Hubdubbers are predicting (marginally, I might add) that they won’t draft one in the first round.

Will the Baltimore Ravens draft a Quarterback in the first round of the 2008 draft?

It all begins with Matt Ryan whose future looks very much up in the air. Atlanta is the destination favored on Hubdub. But Hubdubbers could be wrong on two counts if Ryan were to be drafted by the Ravens (a prospect I would have very mixed feelings about)

Which team will draft Matt Ryan?

But Matt Ryan may not be the only QB drafted in round one. This years late first or early second round QB pool is quite crowded and there may well be some jostling for position amongst the teams that passed on Ryan, to pick up one of Misters Brohm, Flacco or Henne.

Who will be the second Quarterback selected in the NFL Draft?

How many quarterbacks will be picked in the first round of the NFL draft this weekend?

Some other Questions
For good measure….

Will Miami’s Jason Taylor be traded before this weekend’s NFL draft?

Will Vernon Gholston be a top-5 pick in the 2008 NFL Draft?

Which of the players invited to attend the NFL Draft will be last to be selected?

What kind of player will the Washington Redskins draft with their first pick in the first round of this year’s NFL draft?

There isn’ t much time left, so get on Hubdub (join if necessary), make your predictions and try and prove yourself to be the next Mel Kiper (funky hair or not).

Popularity: 4% [?]

By Lesley (Editor-In-Chief)

Hubdub, a website that allows users to bet play money on news events, is reporting a rising phenomenon of users becoming Hubdub addicts, or Hubdubaholics as they’re calling themselves.

If you recognise any of these characteristics, then seek help immediately:
1. You are obsessed about the weather: You check the forecast in Angola (when you live in LA) and stay up to 3am waiting for it to rain in Denver (when you live in NYC).

2. You develop an intense passion for politics: You follow every second of every speech made by Clinton and Obama: you have a wager on whether Hillary will cry again and how many times Obama will say “change”. One Hubdubber said, “I’ve never been so interested in politics in my life”.

3. Your chores are left undone and life is put on hold: 25 year old Laura* who admits that she hasn’t done any laundry or cleaning since discovering Hubdub, says sheepishly, “I am in a worried state for my own future”, and goes on to confess, “I have printed charts and progress lists everywhere. Rise and fall, I crosscheck it all!”

4. You forget to eat: One Hubdubaholic, David (age 18), confirms that he’s “forgotten to eat some days” and is “certain (enough to bet $1000 on Yes) that he’s far from alone in his experience”. “I was so busy worrying about who will win the March 4th Primaries that I forgot all about lunch”

5. You begin to lose rational thought: You hear a news story about a missing child and think – do I have a wager on that? You structure your life around the opening and closing of the financial markets. “I drool like Pavlov’s dog when I hear the opening and closing bell of the DOW, wondering which wagers I won” says Adam (age 34). And your whole day revolves around the site, “As soon as I wake, I Hubdub. Fresh out the shower? I Hubdub. As soon as I get into the office? Hubdub. My daily commute? Leave home shortly before the DAX closes, arrive at work before the DOW opens, leave work after the DOW closes, and make it home before the reality shows and evening news shows.”

6. You begin to treat news like porn: You hide your PC screen whenever your boss walks by and you sneak news peeks like you’re visiting an adult entertainment site. “I feel so guilty, but I can’t stop myself, it’s so riveting” says Adam.

7. You suffer insomnia: You have sleepless nights about losing too many Hubdub dollars overnight on the latest NFL question. You toss and turn wondering if Britney will be hospitalised again.

8. Your reading and TV habits alter dramatically: You read every section of the newspaper and race home from work/college just to catch the latest headlines. One Hubdubaholic from New York admits that he “Asked to borrow a newspaper from a fellow commuter on the way to work to check for info on whose flashbacks will appear in LOST that night.” Another confesses that “All the sites and blogs that I used to visit, I don’t visit anymore.” And TV viewing becomes increasingly impossible, “I even have to turn off “Jeopardy!” because I can’t think about that and Hubdub at the same time.”

9. You have vivid and recurring dreams: You dream about making it onto the leaderboard, or just notching one rank above your buddy, proving that you are indeed smarter than them. According to Stephen, age 30, “I think about it all the time, even in my sleep. Nothing beats the thrill of winning a prediction. Or, of climbing the leaderboard. Or, of knowing that I was right when others were wrong.”

10. You become isolated: You wonder how to include other Hubdubbers into your “real” life, for they are the only ones you can communicate with. You stop socialising because alcohol dulls your brain and it needs to stay sharp to hubdub. “I had a couple of glasses of wine last week then got onto Hubdub and lost myself a couple of thousand Hubdub dollars on what will be top of the box office this weekend…never again.”

It is feared that things could go from bad to worse now that new functionality has been introduced allowing users to compete hard against their friends.

Please remember folks, friends don’t let friends drink and Hubdub. And whatever happens, it’s only a game. Isn’t it?

* Names have been changed to protect the innocent (but addicted)

Popularity: 5% [?]