The what ifs.

We all have them.

We all wonder what would have happened had we not told our friends Sidney Crosby will never make it in the NHL or put our life savings on Ohio State beatingFlorida in January.

I especially wonder what would have happened had I not filled out my bracket with Texas playing Wisconsin in the national title game.

The cool thing about sports is there are more what ifs to ponder than Oliver Perez wild pitches. It's endless, really.

Here are few:

• What if Brett Favre had not been traded to Green Bay?

In 1991, Favre was a member of the Atlanta Falcons. Jerry Glanville, the coach of the Too Legit to Quit crew, didn't thinkFavre would develop into a top quarterback and traded him to the Packers in the offseason.

But, what if Favre had remained with the Falcons? Imagine the ripple affects of that non-move.

Favre may have won a Super Bowl inAtlanta and Green Bay may have continued to struggle through the '90s.

• What if the Portland Trail Blazers had picked Michael Jordan instead of Sam Bowie in the 1984 NBA draft?

Perhaps Portland would have been known as a six-time champion instead of the Jail Blazers.

Somehow I don't see Jordan as being the marketing marvel he was and is if he played his career in Oregon.

• What if the Steelers had drafted Chad Pennington instead of Plaxico Burress in the 2000 NFL draft?

Everyone was clamoring for Pittsburgh to select Pennington with the eighth pick in the first round. That opened the door for TommyMaddox years later and then BenRoethlisberger.

Had Pennington been selected, maybe he'd still be the Steelers quarterback — and the Steelers probably wouldn't be Super Bowl XL champs.

• What if Jean Van de Velde hadn't gone allKevin Costner in "Tin Cup" during the 1999 British Open?

All the dude had to do was shoot a double-bogey on 18 to win the event. Even I can get a double-bogey.

Instead, he waded through water with his pant legs rolled up and fired a triple-bogey. He lost in the fourth playoff hole.

Had he not melted down like that, we would have been robbed of a great moment in futility.

• What if Bill Buckner had been in a wheelchair instead of a Red Sox uniform in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series?

Buckner was so banged up, my joints hurt when I watched him try to field that ground ball. As we all know, it went through his legs and the Mets won Game 6 and thenGame 7 of the series.

But if Dave Stapleton was in the game at first base on that pivotal play instead of Buckner, he probably would have fielded the ball cleanly and Sox fans wouldn't have had to wait 18 more years for the curse to end.

• What if LeBron James was a senior at Ohio State?

My bracket would have definitely said "Ohio State" as national champs.

Mike Kilroy is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.