OLIVER KIMOKEO | sports editor

I am beyond psyched for Leap Year Day (LYD). It is the only day when you can get the sensation of being on borrowed time.

I always look forward to LYD. This is the seventh LYD in my lifetime. I already have the quinessential grab bag of LYD memories after living through six previous encounters with the leap year.

Sports has always been a lingering personal memory associated with LYD and today will be no exception.

Actor Will Ferrell is cashing in on the LYD craze by releasing his latest sports movie, Semi-Pro, on the only day that would do the film justice.

Even though Ferrell is widely known for his slow-witted comedic stylings, his training ground was sports information at USC. Ferrell understands the subconscious of the male athlete and is not afraid to wrap himself within the machismo necessary to symbolize an athlete who is graceful on the court and seductive with the ladies.

Following in the grand tradition of Ricky Bobby and Chazz Michael Michaels, Ferrell has created another classic character in Jackie Moon. All Moon desires is for you to “love me sexy” and Moon personifies the living dream in all of us through such a sentiment. If nothing else, the film did give Will Ferrell a long overdue appearance in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue which is something we’ve all been waiting to see for ages.

Jackie Moon has already made a cultural impact in his search for a provocative pastime in which pleasure is the greatest slam dunk. Moon has also been raising the hemline for a retroactive revitalization in competitive chic. Short shorts have been taken for granted as of late and it is time for them to make a comeback.

Traditionally for the last century, short shorts have been the sportswear of choice for the ultimate advantage in speed, strength, and of course, style. Look across the spectrum of athletics: swimming, track, volleyball and more are still using short shorts because it gives them an competitive edge. There is only one sport which has departed from this standard and it has set a decline in the purity of basketball aerodynamics.

An athlete’s piece of clothing is not meant to restrict the performance at hand. In basketball, the shorts are way too long. Instead of being able to move at an accelerated pace from baseline to baseline, the basketball players must carry the bagginess of their shorts as they move their bodies and have to constantly adjust the shorts to keep them properly on their waist.

If our basketball teams would break the conformity of the current trend and make the switch back to short shorts, we would raise our margin of victory to at least 10 points more because we would be the only team not fumbling with our drawstrings.

After winning the last three Director’s Cups, the Cougars are obligated to hold themselves to a fine standard of athletic success. The right choice in sportswear must be considered in order to enable the athletes to do their very best.

Who likes short shorts? I like short shorts.