A soft drink company figured out almost immediately in the mid-1980s that "New Coke" wasn't such a swell idea.

   Over time, Americans came to realize that rooting for Iraq in th Iran-Iraq war wasn't the way to go -- not that taking a "rooting" interest in anything so grave as war is ever particularly tasteful.

   Macs went from being perceived as tech toys for the artsy crowd to status as reliable alternatives to the PC for business computing.

   And Tiger Woods went from role model to ... well, I'll leave you to answer that as I try to keep this blog family friendly.

   But here's one example where my own opinion has remained unwavering: national high school championships. I spoke out against the concept nearly a quarter of a century ago in one of my first columns for the Democrat and Chronicle when the subject was broached in basketball and remain generally opposed now.

   I mention this because of the report from USA Today that the National Federation of State High School Associations could conduct its first championships -- in golf or tennis -- a little more than a year from now.

   The National Federation board will hear a proposal at its annual meeting in July, with a number of individual sports under consideration as the beta test. President Ennis Proctor said the emphasis would be on sports that could be conducted during the summer because of concerns about students missing classroom time. Cost is also a consideration, so the organization would not be likely to move forward without reliable sponsorship from a responsible patron.

   It's certainly reasonable for the National Federation to be cautious on both those counts.

   If you've read this far and see no reason for them not to take a shot at pulling this off, let me offer up four letters that should make you reconsider for a moment: N-C-A-A.

   The NCAA is a collection of individual schools and conferences, and it rules with the proverbial iron fist. It is judge, jury and executioner in disciplinary issues and does not have to be responsive to public opinion, evidenced by the fact that we have a bowl system rather than a genuine national championship in football.

   In short, they have a lot of clout, to the point that you won't find very many people contend the NCAA has too little power in college sports.

   Well, the National Federation is a collection of most of the statewide governing bodies across the U.S., and those entities in turn are collections of most of the schools in their respective states. Though the structure of the National Federation somewhat mimics that of the NCAA, the mission to this point does not. Sanctions against schools are meted out at the state and local levels rather than by the national body and there are no billion-dollar TV deals to be negotiated either.

More on the site Boys hoops: Road to Glens Falls, your all-purpose destination Boys hoops: Sectional tourney scores and NYSPHSAA brackets Boys hoops: 2010 All-State Team

   Moving forward with championships, however, begins to put the National Federation into a line of business where others already tread, some arguably more high-minded and generous than others. Cross country has the Foot Locker Championships and Nike Cross Nationals, and there are already dueling National Scholastic Championships and Nike Championships in both indoor and outdoor track. IMG Academies and the National High School Coaches Association are sponsoring golf and tennis events this summer that are being positioned as national championships.

   And, of course, there have been several efforts in recent years to move toward national championships in basketball. ESPNRise's National High School Invitational has a two-year jump on other hopefuls for now but is a long way from assembling representative national fields.

   None of these are conducted by the National Federation, which means the NFHS isn't getting a taste of the revenue.

   And that's where this thing starts to smell a little funky. When push comes to shove, you cannot reasonably expect the NFHS to say, "Hey, those other guys are doing a nice job, so let's not hold our own championship in that sport."

   Remember, there's money at stake.

   Remember, the NIT used to be the country's big postseason college basketball tournament.

   Surprise decision: Rice senior forward Kadeem Jack is putting college on hold for a year, Zagsblog.com reports.

   Despite having offers in hand from Arizona, Arkansas, UConn, Miami and St. John’s, the first-team all-state selection will head off in the fall to South Kent, a prep school in Connecticut. He texted his decision to several reporters late last week.

   "Felt like I needed 2 get my skills and my body and my confidence up so when I go into college I can make a much bigger impact,” Jack texted.

   Speaking of moves, Zagsblog has Rice coach Moe Hicks virtually certain to join Steve Lavin's staff at St. John's University as director of basketball operations. That announcement could come down the pipeline in the next few days, with Abraham Lincoln coach Dwayne “Tiny” Morton still in contention for another administrative position with the Red Storm.

   Pulling off either hire would help Lavin with metro-area recruiting; adding both to the staff would assure that he'd at least get a brief sit-down meeting with most of the local big-name recruits before they make a college choice.