If Oliver North can break his silence so can I. I've decided that, for the betterment of mankind and the future welfare of this country, I should speak out against the latest thing to hit stadiums.

You guessed it--Arena football.

While it hurts to admit it, I've watched Arena football three times. The first time was just to get an idea of what this new action-packed league (the advertising commercial said so) is all about.

The second time was to make sure that it was as bad a I thought it was. It was.

The third time was to make sure that I would never watch it again.

Arena football emphasizes versatility, with the players playing both offense and defense. This is obviously the league for someone like Holy Cross' Gordie Lockbaum, who plays both offense and defense for the Crusaders.

There are four 17-man teams, representing Denver, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Washington. The choice of cities was the one good move made by the Arena people; all of them eat, drink and sleep football.

Unfortunately, the curiosity probably be gone by the end of the first season, and the new league will probably disappear as fast as the United States Football League.

The Arena league made a good decision in not trying to compete with the National Football league; however, in trying to differentiate itself from the NFL, it went to extremes with some of its rules.

One of the most ludicrous things about it is that the field is 50 yards long and 26 yards wide. The field is just a little longer that a carpeted hockey rink.

But there is a bright stop linked to the shortness of the field. If you're one of those unlucky fans who always winds up with tickets at the 25-yard line at a Dallas Cowboys or New York Giants game (where real football takes place), then the Arena league is for you.

However, one wonders if a ticket at the midfield line is compensation enough for sitting through two hours of boredom.

I think the best seat for an Arena football game is in your living room. At least that way you can always change the channel.

Tonight Washington and Denver will face off at 9 p.m. (all Arena games are only on ESPN). But if you're trying to decide between the game and the Business Report on Channel 44, pick the report. Why? Because it's juts as exciting, and far more interesting.

The first time I watched Arena football I was totally shocked. I couldn't believe it when I saw Denver Quarterback Stuart Mitchell (a Cornell alumnus) throw the ball 10 feet into the net over his receiver's head. But what really surprised me was that the receiver and the defending cornerback both tried to catch the ball off the net behind the endzone.