E-T-Y-M-O-L-O-G-I-C-A-L-L-Y P-R-E-C-O-C-I-O-U-S

It's that time of year again -- the time when millions of Americans, including many who never watch ESPN or have never heard of "Mike and Mike in the Morning" sit spellbound in front of their TVs and watch an all-sports network cover the National Spelling Bee like it's the World Series of Poker.

As I am typing this, a kid named Connor from Platte City, Missouri, is correctly spelling ooporphyrin. "Sorry, I'm stuttering a bit," he says. We're told he's excited because he realized this is a word he's actually studied.  (Generally, spelling champs memorize etymology rules and not the dictionary, so that they can nail down all kinds of unfamiliar words just from learning their origins.) The commentators are even noting what an unusual style he has.  He gives two letters from the spelling, holds his contestant card up to his face, covering his mouth, lowers it, says more two letters, and repeats this ritual until he's done with the word: "O-o ... p-o ... r-p ... h-y ... r-i-n."

ESPN has tricked up its coverage a little, and employed the radio tandem of Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic to supply color, as if the Bee needs any more color.  Didn't anybody at ESPN watch "Spellbound"?  You don't need fancy graphics or announcer overkill to wring maximize drama out of junior America's ultimate rite of passage.

Once again, a corporate sponsor's logo appears on the sleeves of the contestants' polo shirts.  (The same sponsor advertised on the Bee last year.)  Am I the only one who finds this appalling?  I mean, Scripps Howard has its name in the competition's title, but its involvement goes back to the beginning years, when companies didn't rent nationally televised events for a year or two to boost its brand image. 

Spellers' sleeves should not be for rent.  Anyone else with me on this?

After all, this is a purer competition than any of the others that ESPN airs during the year. There will never be a spellers' strike. Never will be a Bee contestant eliminated for performance-enhancing drugs (ADHD pills would be exempted anyway). And given the ever-increasing amount of camera power ESPN throws at the Bee every year, it seems highly unlikely any speller will ever be able to game the system. (I suppose that, since these kids and their p's are so smart, they'd be capable of such treachery. But I doubt it.)

Also, it seems like there's a little more controversy every year. Part of that is the power of TV. When a speller appealed their elimination in the past, it usually took place behind the scenes. Now, Stuart Scott gets the dispute right out on the air. A contestant last year was restored to the flock after her appeal was upheld, and ESPN waited until it had come out of a commercial break for the dramatic, "Queen for a Day"-styled announcement.

Also, with each year the Bee seems to be getting its brand out to the wide world of sports. A Jamaican girl won the contest a few years ago. This year there's a New Zealand contestant. And right now, as I type this, the Kiwi has brought the contest to a screeching halt because it sounds like she spelled jardiniere with a "g" instead of a "j" ... but who can say with those crazy accents? Finally the judges did the sensible thing and asked her to give another word that the letter she spoke begins with. She said "giraffe." If she was a little more clever she could have sniffed out what was up and said "judges." But she didn't.

Once again, the finals will air in prime time on ABC tonight, beginning at 7 CT.