• The only thing odder than the playoff seeding in the NBA is the draw for the Champions League and FA Cup semifinals, in which the top two remaining teams are facing each other now instead of in the finals. In the Champions League, Barcelona, which is 11 points clear atop La Liga, is playing AC Milan, which is in a tight battle with Juventus for the top spot in Serie A. In the other semifinal, Arsenal, which is in fifth place in the Premiership and 31 points behind first-place Chelsea, is playing Villareal, which is in eighth place in La Liga and 24 points behind Barcelona. Neither Arsenal nor Villareal would qualify for the Champions League if their seasons ended today. In fact, Villareal wouldn't even qualify for the UEFA Cup.

In the FA Cup, Chelsea, which is running away with the Premiership title for the second consecutive season, is facing Liverpool, which is in a battle with Manchester United for second place in the league. In the other semifinal, Middlesbrough, which is in 13th place and 45 points outside of first, is playing West Ham, which is in 10th place and 39 points outside of first.

The finals, however, certainly won't be anticlimactic, especially if Thierry Henry and Arsenal face Ronaldinho and Barcelona in the Champions League final. This would be a matchup of not only the two most mesmerizing strikers in the game, but two of the most storied football clubs in the world. Plus, it will be interesting to see if mid-table Middlesbrough can do the unthinkable and finish the season with not one but two prestigious titles -- the FA Cup and UEFA Cup.

• It's been a rough month for the USC Trojans projected to go in the first round of next week's NFL draft. First, Matt Leinart -- who broke up with his girlfriend, USC basketball player Brynn Cameron, last month -- left Leigh Steinberg to sign with Tom Condon after Condon left IMG to join CAA, the agency that was already handling Leinart's endorsements and licensing deals.

Despite leaving Steinberg in the dark and without one of his top clients before the draft (Wait, didn't I already see this in a movie?), Leinart made a move that makes sense for him. The quarterback not only gets all his representation under one roof but also hopefully has someone in Condon who can help him with his suddenly plummeting stock. The surefire No. 1 pick last year, Leinart has recently slid to the end of the top 10 on some experts' boards.

Oh, and don't feel too bad for the suddenly single Leinart. He's been spotted at various glamorous functions with Hollywood's A-list since becoming a "free agent." During a three-day stretch after his split with Cameron, he was spotted talking to Paris and Nicky Hilton at the launch party for The Godfather -- The Game at Privilege, a club in West Hollywood. He was also seen chatting with Tara Reid and Kristin Cavalleri at a 2 B Free Fashion Show at the Regent Beverly Wilshire.

LenDale White, on the other hand, who was projected as a possible top 10 pick following the Rose Bowl, has fallen nearly out of the first round after not being able to run the 40-yard dash during USC's pro day three weeks ago. The "Thunder" in USC's "Thunder and Lightning" backfield suffered a torn right hamstring at the NFL combine in February that only got worse after he tried to work through it. "I had a hard time running or jumping," White told me after the injury.

Critics started to compare White with Maurice Clarett after White's injury. Yeah, because White disgraced his university, got in trouble with the law, filed a lawsuit against the NFL after playing only one season of college football, chose to not get in shape and basically spurned everyone who tried to help him or talk to him during his ordeal. Wait. Oh, that's not like him at all? The only comparison is that he gained some weight and had a bad workout? OK, that's fair.

And finally, there's growing speculation that Reggie Bush, who has been the surefire candidate for the No. 1 pick since last season, might be passed up by the Houston Texans. I seriously doubt this will happen, but of greater concern for Bush in recent weeks is giving up his famous number 5 jersey when he gets to the NFL. (Running backs are only allowed to wear numbers 20-49 under current NFL rules.) He plans on petitioning the league to let him keep the only number he's worn since high school. He also doesn't want to have to reshoot the Subway commercials he did recently, which tell fans to "Get inside No. 5" and show him running around in a number 5 jersey.