THE WATERCOOLER
(Post-Dispatch columnists and beat writers share their thoughts on a question of the day.)

Question: With general manager Jim Hendry saying Monday that the Cubs will raise payroll again next season, what chances do the Cardinals have to stay competitive in the NL Central given their projected budget?

JOE STRAUSS
Acquiring a legitimate closer and depth for the rotation should give the Cardinals an expectation of 90 wins. That should compete next season within a division including a financially taxed Houston Astros, a Sheets-less and Sabathia-less Milwaukee Brewers and a still rebuilding Cincinnati Reds team. The Cardinals still appear dependent on the Cubs taking a step back. Budget is secondary to personnel decisions. Kyle Lohse last year proved a much better acquisition than, say, Carlos Silva.

RICK HUMMEL
The Cardinals still will be competitive — if they add starting pitching help themselves. Jake Peavy doesn’t help that Cubs’ offense any and, as you saw, any team with decent right-handed pitching (Los Angeles Dodgers, most recently) can carve up the Cubs’ right-handed hitters.

DERRICK GOOLD
The Cubs having a budget that could be $40 million more than the Cardinals gives them more ability to take risks and a larger margin of error, especially with their pitching. They can gamble on injury risks like Rich Harden and Jake Peavy at such high dollars because the gap in payroll gives them that option. The Cardinals don’t have that luxury and have to hinge their ability to contend on Chris Carpenter being healthy, filling in holes with cost-effective options (i.e., Trever Miller) and having more depth in place. The difference in payrolls comes down to this: Kosuke Fukudome. The Cubs have the ability to paper-over their big-money import’s poor performance with another big-money outfielder. The Cardinals have to get big bangs for their bucks to contend. The Cubs can have a few busts from their bucks and still win the division.

BERNIE MIKLASZ
The spending isn’t the only issue, but clearly the Cubs have a tactical advantage over the Cardinals because of their aggressive expansion of payroll. That said, money isn’t everything. The Cubs have wasted plenty of it by signing the likes of Kosuke Fukudome. But the Cubs have gained the upper hand in this rivalry by putting so much emphasis on starting pitching. The rotation carries the North Siders and the edge will be even more pronounced if Jake Peavy lands at Wrigley. The Cardinals haven’t kept up in the arms race.

JEFF GORDON
This is an interesting scenario. The Cubs will have new ownership soon. So the current regime wants to win in 2009. Why worry about the future? The next owner may want his own guys. The Cardinals are taking a longer view. Bill DeWitt is stressing player development and John Mozeliak is managing his assets for the long haul. These two aren’t going anywhere. But that doesn’t mean the Cards can’t compete in ’09. Thanks to the influx of Chris Perez, Kyle McClellan, Colby Rasmus, Jason Motte, etc, Mozeliak will be able to assemble a playoff contender for $100 million or less. And thanks to the wild-card rule, the Cards don’t have to fret the Cubs winning 110 games with the Best Team Money Can Buy.

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MIDDAY NEWS AND THOUGHTS

HAVE BATS, WILL TRADE: Joe Strauss reported in this morning’s paper that the Cardinals are poised to deal from a surplus of left-handed hitters created by Rick Ankiel, Skip Schumaker, Chris Duncan and top prospect Colby Rasmus. Is there any question which one of those guys Cardinal fans would most like to see go? But you have to know if all the fans see it, other teams see it, also. If John Mozeliak can pull off a trade involving a quality pitcher for Chris Duncan, I say the Cardinals just go ahead and make him GM for life. No, if the team deals, I think it has to involve one of the other outfielders if you want quality in return. More on this situation in our winter meetings blog.

CRY ME A RIVER: Former Cubbie Ron Santo, who was bypassed for election to the Hall of Fame yesterday, says the voting process needs to be changed. “It’s a travesty,” Santo told the Chicago Sun-Times. “When I saw nobody got in again, I go, ‘Whoa, this is wrong.’ They can’t keep going the way they’re going. They’ve got to put a [different] committee out there.”

That’s it, Mr. Santo. Let’s get a different committee. Obviously all 64 living members of the Hall of Fame who make up the Veterans Committee do not understand what it takes to make the Hall. Santo says he’s not just speaking up for himself but for other players also. However, one has to wonder if Santo would be saying anything at all if he were already in the exclusive club. Santo was a nine-time All-Star, won five Gold Gloves and finished his career with 342 home runs and a .277 lifetime batting average. Is that enough to get you in the Hall of Fame? The Veterans Committee says no. End of story.

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A FEW THINGS TO PONDER

IT’S ALL GOOD: Yesterday in this forum I lamented the fact that I wasn’t going to get to see T.J. Oshie play alongside the other Baby Blues at the Scotty last night. While I didn’t get to see Oshie, I did see history in the making. Three things you’ll never again see happen in the same night at a Blues game: 1) The Blues score 6 goals; 2) B.J. Crombeen corrals a hat trick; and, 3) Alex Steen is on the ice and actually does something (goal and assist.) I know, I know, why do I have to say something negative the day after the Blues finally climb above .500? Perhaps it’s because I expected Steen to have a Brad Boyes-like transformation once he arrived in St. Louis and, up until last night, he seemed to be a total non-factor since coming over in the Lee Stempniak trade. But let me put a positive spin on it and say: Here’s hoping last night was the beginning of a good run for Steen.

(By the way, Blues fans, Jeremy Rutherford is feeling a bit threatened by the deluge of traffic the new Round Two blog is getting. So in the holiday spirit, I implore you to visit his Morning Skate blog to get him more “hits” than Round Two.)

STICKING IT TO THE LITTLE GUY: The NFL announced today that it is cutting more than 10 percent of its headquarters staff in response to the downturn in the nation’s economy. That’s about 150 jobs lost. I’m thinking if you took the salaries of guys like Pacman Jones and Plaxico Burress and gave it to the league, not only could you save those 150 jobs, but you could probably go on a hiring binge. Perhaps I’m just edgy because of all the jobs being lost at A-B and around the country in general, but the huge salaries paid to some guys who don’t care about all of “us” who actually pay their salaries just peeves me. I thought you were supposed to become more conservative as you got older, and here I am talking like Karl Marx. But I’m just sayin’ …

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STAT OF THE DAY

3.18 – Assuming the Cubs land Jake Peavy, that would be the combined 2008 ERA of the team’s rotation. That’s a lower team ERA than any individual ERA on the Cardinals’ staff not named Carpenter … who threw only 15.1 innings last season. By pursuing Peavy, the Cubs are clearly climbing the ladder to the top of the tree, bypassing all the low-hanging fruit.

THE WATERCOOLER
(Post-Dispatch columnists and beat writers share their thoughts on a question of the day.)

Question: What personnel area do you think the Rams most need to address this offseason?

JIM THOMAS
The Rams are set at punter and place-kicker. Everything else should be subject to review. But it all begins in the trenches, and with the exception of some decent pass blocking, the Rams showed nothing in the Arizona desert to change their major overriding need: Help on the offensive line. An offensive tackle — preferably one who can show up on time to team meetings — and a center should be a minimum requirement.

BILL COATS
Offensive tackle. Orlando Pace, 34, has been solid on the left side this season, but he’s showing signs of wear and tear. Alex Barron, the team’s first-round draft choice in 2005, is just an average right tackle. His contract is up after next season, and he probably won’t be back. The Rams need quality as well as quantity to shore up this vital position.

JEFF GORDON
I would start with offensive tackle, since elite prospects loom at that position at the top of the ’09 draft. Orlando Pace offers great risk with his age and injury history. As we saw this week, Alex Barron cannot be counted on. John Greco is better playing inside. Adam Goldberg is a fine back-up, but not a bulwark to build around. This is a difficult position to fill, so the Rams should make it the top priority.

BRYAN BURWELL
Anyone who has watched this sad offense bog down every week knows that the most glaring weakness is on the offensive line. Until they can put together a unit that can control the line of scrimmage, this team will continue to struggle.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Those guys are the experts, so who am I to argue? I know it all starts up front, but there’s just nothing sexy about an offensive lineman. Where are the “skill” position players? The Rams need those, too. I’d start with a young QB to build around … Georgia’s Matt Stafford or Florida’s Tim Tebow, anyone? Or maybe Sam Bradford, he looked pretty good last week against Mizzou — though I guess having 10 seconds or so in the pocket every snap helped. (By the way, my call for the “skill” positions probably shows why I’d be about as successful as Matt Millen as a GM.)

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MIDDAY NEWS AND THOUGHTS

MADDUX HANGS THEM UP: Pitcher Greg Maddux announced his retirement Monday after 23 seasons and 355 victories (one more than Roger Clemens, by the way.) In his illustrious career, Maddux won four consecutive Cy Young awards from 1992-95 and made 8 All-Star appearances. Known more for his pinpoint precision than his power, Maddux also collected 18 Gold Gloves in his career. No surprise here, but Derrick Goold says, “There is a place in Cooperstown already reserved for Maddux. He’ll be in almost the moment he’s eligible.”

IT AIN’T SO FOR JOE: Fan favorites Joe Torre and Ron Santo did not receive the votes necessary from the Veterans Committee to be included in this year’s National Baseball Hall of Fame class. There were two different committees voting this year, one charged with voting on players that played pre-1943 and another on players who played post-1942. Joe Gordon, a nine-time All-Star second baseman for the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians and an American League MVP (pre-1943), was the only candidate elected.

A look at the voting for those players who played post-1942 (48 votes needed):
Ron Santo - 39
Jim Kaat - 38
Tony Oliva - 33
Gil Hodges - 28
Joe Torre - 19
Maury Wills - 15
Luis Tiant - 13
Vada Pinson - 12
Al Oliver - 9
Dick Allen - 7

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A FEW THINGS TO PONDER

PLAXICO SHOULD’VE USED ANOTHER WEAPON … HIS BRAIN: Detroit Free Press columnist Drew Sharp points out that NFL players are justifiably fearful for their safety because they are targets. He cites a number of incidents in the last year alone, including: the murder of Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor, Jacksonville offensive lineman Richard Collier losing a leg and being paralyzed after being shot 14 times, Oakland receiver Javon Walker beaten senseless in a robbery. And there are other examples. Sharp points out that athletes have the same right of self-defense as the general public, but he says the strongest defense rests with what lies between their ears rather than what they’re possibly packing in their pants.

THAT’S A BUMMER: I was hoping to get my first live glimpse of the Baby Blues playing together at tonight’s game vs. Nashville. But Tom Timmermann is reporting this morning that T.J. Oshie will not play. The exact nature of Oshie’s latest injury has not yet been disclosed, but he was injured during Saturday night’s game vs. Phoenix. Stay tuned for details.

TALK AMONGST YOURSELVES: The Associated Press has put out its annual ballot for newspaper editors to vote on the top male athletes of the year. Following is the list of candidates for 2008:
• Michael Phelps
• Eli Manning
• Kobe Bryant
• Padraig Harrington
• Lewis Hamilton
• Jimmie Johnson
• Rafael Nadal
• Usain Bolt
• Francisco Rodriguez
• Cristiano Ronaldo
• Bode Miller

Is Michael Phelps the runaway winner here? I was pretty captivated by Usain Bolt during the Olympics, too. And, man, what a year K-Rod had. Who would you cast your vote for?

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STAT OF THE DAY

21 — Seasons Jerry Sloan has been the head coach of the Utah Jazz. The other 29 NBA franchises have made 222 coaching changes since Sloan became coach. Sloan is the longest-tenured coach with one team in the four major sports, according to the Associated Press. Leaders in the other sports include Bobby Cox of the Atlanta Braves who has completed 19 seasons, Jeff Fisher of the Tennessee Titans who is in his 15th and Lindy Ruff of the Buffalo Sabres who is in his 12th.

Amazing feat … living 21 years in Utah, that is. (I jest. I jest.)

THE WATERCOOLER
(Post-Dispatch columnists and beat writers share their thoughts on a question of the day.)

Question: Did Mizzou jump the gun with Gary Pinkel’s contract extension and overpay by making him the third-highest paid coach in the Big 12?

JEFF GORDON
No. Pinkel has not built a Top 10 football program, true. His Tigers are not ready to compete with Texas and Oklahoma step for step. His team might lose by 50 points in the Big 12 Championship game. But Mizzou has arrived as a perennial Top 25 program. On Pinkel’s watch, MU has built better facilities, a stronger recruiting base, greater fan support and increased revenue. For two decades, Missouri was one of the biggest underachievers in college football. Pinkel changed all that with Herculean effort. So he earned his extension and raise.

STU DURANDO
No. How can they be jumping the gun after he went 12-2 and 9-3? If fans think the raise was a mistake, then they’re willing to let him go and start over with a new coaching staff. And then maybe it takes that staff seven or eight years to get back to this level.

BILL COATS
Absolutely not. Even though Larry Smith took Mizzou to a couple of minor bowls, the program was in terrible shape when Pinkel arrived. He said it would take time to rebuild, and it did. But now, MU has established itself, and its recruiting success reflects that.

DERRICK GOOLD
The pay isn’t the issue. Pinkel’s new salary fits the going rate for college football coaches at major programs, and Mizzou is starting to fancy itself a major program even before it really has enough major victories. No, the pay has a purpose. The salary is a shield. It makes any buyout difficult and sends would-be suitors shrinking back to their boosters. The concern here is the length of the contract. Committing to Pinkel, the 31st coach in MU history, through 2015 means his tenure will be second only to Don Faurot. He’ll vault past Dan Devine. There is more faith than money in this contract. Is a repeat of the last seven years good enough now? Is Mizzou that confident that Pinkel can keep the Tigers in the BCS picture? It must be. This contract offers consistency and implies sustained excellence. It just as easily could lock the Tigers into a complacent run of up-year, down-year cycles. That’s better than it was, sure. But hasn’t Pinkel positioned the program to demand better yet?

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MIDDAY NEWS AND THOUGHTS

MORE SURGERY FOR BALLESTEROS: Five-time golfing major champion Seve Ballesteros has undergone more surgery, this time to drain fluid from his brain, according to the Associated Press. Doctors implanted a valve in Ballesteros’s brain today to remove fluid. Madrid’s La Paz hospital says he is in stable condition and remains in intensive care. The 51-year-old Ballesteros had surgery Oct. 24 to remove a malignant brain tumor.

STEPHEN A. ON PLAX: “Another black athlete. Another sad statistic,” says Stephen A. Smith of ESPN.com. “The embarrassing and precarious set of circumstances Plaxico Burress finds himself in clearly are not an indication of the behavior exhibited by most players of any color in the NFL, particularly African-Americans. The vast majority of NFL players have some sense.”

ALBERT AND THE MVP: While you’ll always find the best Cardinals baseball coverage in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch or here at STLtoday.com, occassionally I’ll run across a different perspective. I thought this piece written by John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus when Albert Pujols won his most recent MVP award had some interesting anecdotes about the Cardinals slugger and his thoughts on hitting. This won’t get you whole article (you have to pay for that), but what Albert has to say at the top is pretty good. Read about his “rookie mistake.”

HOT CARDINALS TOPICS: Again, like I said, you’ll get the best Cards’ coverage from us, so here’s a couple things you don’t want to miss: Rick Hummel’s Hot Stove discussion today, where he includes thoughts on Mark McGwire’s Hall of Fame chances and those of another former Cardinal. … And, don’t forget to come back tomorrow on STLtoday.com to ride the tsunami of Joe Strauss Live!!! as he gets set to head to the baseball Winter Meetings. Ask Joe your questions now before the wave moves out on its way to Las Vegas.

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SOME THINGS I THINK I THINK

PERRON AND ON: St. Louis Blues forward David Perron might be the most exciting St. Louis athlete in-season to watch right now. Kudos to coach Andy Murray for lighting a fire under Perron’s French-Canadien derriere by reminding him the AHL always awaits, and to Perron for stepping up to the challenge. Always fun to watch as a stick-handler, Perron once seemed to fear going into the dark places on the ice. Watch his shifts now. Though it may not always show up on the stat sheet, Perron is charging the puck hard all over the ice and even when he’s not scoring it seems he’s keeping the puck alive and creating opportunities for his teammates. Now that Patrik Berglund is back from injury, hopefully T.J. Oshie also returns soon and Blues fans long-starved for offense will have a troika of young, offensive talent to watch.

A-ROD GONE WILD: Has Alex Rodriguez lost his mind? He’s 33, he’s in the prime of a Hall of Fame career that likely will end with him becoming the all-time home run king, he’s made more money playing baseball than anyone ever, and he’s pretty much always listed as one of the World’s 100 most Beautiful People. He’s got it all, right? So what in the name of all things good is he doing frolicking around with 50-year-old Madonna, who’s probably the only person in American history to have slept more places than George Washington? I just don’t get the fascination with the washed-up pop star. Perhaps Madonna’s playing the Susan Sarandon role of Annie Savoy to A-Rod’s “Nuke” LaLoosh. You watch closely this year and tell me if you don’t see A-Rod trying to “breathe through his eyes.”

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STAT OF THE DAY

11 — Number of games missed by Blues LW Paul Kariya due to his “day-to-day” injury suffered Nov. 5 against Anaheim. “Week-to-week” would have been a more accurate description of Kariya’s lingering hip-flexor injury from the outset, and since this Friday will mark one month since Kariya’s been out, perhaps “month-to-month” would have been better yet. Unfortunately, in the NHL teams do not have to give out much info on their players’ injuries, and the players themselves are often under pressure from management to remain mum also. I don’t know that the secrecy gives teams any sort of competitive advantage, but I do know a lack of information leaves fans totally in the dark about their favorite players and teams. When will Kariya be back? Who knows? Reports now say perhaps sometime next week … whatever that means.

THE WATERCOOLER
(Post-Dispatch columnists and beat writers share their thoughts on a question of the day.)

Question: Does Mizzou stand any chance against Oklahoma in this Saturday’s Big 12 title game? Why or why not? And how about a final score?

BERNIE MIKLASZ
Mizzou is facing a long night at Arrowhead. No chance. OU is highly motivated to advance to the national championship game. And on top of that, coach Bob Stoops and the Sooners will want to shut up critics who insist that Texas should be in this game instead. On the Mizzou side, Gary Pinkel has never beaten a team of Oklahoma’s caliber, and the Tigers are hopeless on defense. At least the parking lots will empty early. Final score: Oklahoma 62, Missouri 28.

BRYAN BURWELL
Of course they have a chance. It’s a slim one because the Sooners are playing as good as any team in the country right now, and Mizzou historically does not do well against OU’s bigger and more physical players. But under Bob Stoops, OU does have a habit of losing at least one big game that they shouldn’t, so maybe this is that one. Final score: Oklahoma 61, Mizzou 35.

JOE STRAUSS
Mizzou has an outstanding chance if Jeremy Maclin’s hip heals, Chase Daniel finds a cure for happy feet against the Sooner defensive front, the Tiger special teams go crazy, Coach P. doesn’t leave timeouts on the clock, Sam Bradford can’t hold the ball and Benny Hinn lays hands on the secondary. Oklahoma is good enough to compete in the SEC, maybe even beat Alabama (but not Florida). It’s going to take more than a few “nifty ball plays” for the Tigers to avoid tumbling from the Top 25. In a closer than expected outcome: Sooners 41, El Tigres 27. Remember the Alamo!!!

JIM THOMAS
When I watch the Mizzou defense, I feel like I’m watching the Rams. Namely, blitzes that don’t get there and lots of blown coverages in the secondary, complete with defensive backs pointing aimlessly into space, wondering what happened. Can’t see Mizzou hanging with this bunch. Final score: Oklahoma 52, Mizzou 24.

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MIDDAY HEADLINES AND QUESTIONS TO PONDER

PLAX SURRENDERS: New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress surrendered to police in Manhattan today to face a charge of handgun possession. Burress turned himself in three days after a gun he was allegedly carrying discharged and wounded him in the leg while he was at a New York nightclub. According to the New York Times Web site, Burress didn’t have a license to carry a gun in New York or New Jersey, where he lives. New York state law carries a sentence of up to 15 years for anyone convicted of carrying a weapon without a permit if it’s determined the person was going to use the weapon to harm someone, and up to seven years if intent to use can’t be proved. (More on Plax below)

MORE MASON TO COME? As reported by Jeremy Rutherford in today’s Post-Dispatch, Blues goalie Chris Mason has allowed just four goals on 134 shots in his past four games, lowering his goals-against average to 2.29 from 3.59 and improving his save percentage to .928 from .878. Against Atlanta on Sunday, he surrendered two goals on 30 shots, perhaps making a case to be the regular starter. Blues management and coaches were not happy with comments regular starter Manny Legace made after Saturday’s 4-2 loss to Edmonton. “I need some help out there,” Legace said. (Now I know the defense hasn’t played great of late, but I’m thinking a goalie needs to be worried more about what’s getting behind him than what’s going on in front of him.)

FAN FOR LIFE, AND DEATH: According to the Associated Press, lifelong Red Sox fans can now take their love of the team to the next level — eternity. A Massachusetts funeral home recently took delivery of the first Red Sox casket, which features the team logo on the exterior as well as the inside. Bob Biggins, co-director of Magoun-Biggins Funeral Home in Rockland, told The Boston Globe that families in mourning often want their loved ones buried with favorite items. In the past that’s included Red Sox paraphernalia; the casket takes it to the next step. (How long until the Yankees offer a similar casket with the words “Boston sucks even here” on it in an effort to continue taunting Bosox fans on the Other Side.)

IRISH WAKE: Can anyone explain to me what the heck has happened at Notre Dame? How does a school with that much history and tradition finds itself a mediocre-at-best program? Charlie Weis has seven years remaining on a 10-year contract and it’s looking like the ax could fall on him any day. Bob Davie obviously wasn’t the guy to follow Lou Holtz. Ty Willingham did alright but got chased quickly from South Bend. Are there any logical reasons this school can no longer recruit like it once did? And is there a high-profile, successful coach out there that would come to a school where so much is demanded from the football program and so much needs to be done to get them on course? I’m throwing this one to the masses because all the experts I listen to sure don’t seem to have the answers.

ALL HAIL THE CHIEFS: Rams fans should be elated with the Kansas City Chiefs victory on Sunday. That brings the Chiefs record even with the Rams at 2-10 — for those keeping track for 2009 draft purposes. Better yet, the Chiefs are showing signs of improvement, so the Rams may yet move ahead of them in the draft order. Since the Rams still go head-to-head with the 2-10 Seahawks, it’s a toss-up who wins that draft battle. I think it’s safe to say the 0-12 Lions have secured the No. 1 pick (with Matt Millen gone, any chance they still take another WR?). And at 1-10-1 and showing no pulse, the Bengals would have to be the frontrunner for the second pick. So the Rams could be looking at anywhere from picks 3 through 6. If they do as well at next year’s draft as they did with Chris Long at No. 2 last year, perhaps there is a ray of light.

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SOME THINGS I THINK I THINK

ANQUAN’S THE MAN: There are players who want to tell you how good they are (think T.O., Ocho Stinko), and then there are players who just show you how good they are. One that clearly falls into the Show Me category is Arizona WR Anquan Boldin.

Boldin, you may recall, showed up at training camp this year and lashed out at the club for failing to follow through on what he said was a promise for a new deal. (Notice though, that he SHOWED UP at camp.) No new deal was forthcoming. Boldin, one of the league’s most consistent receivers in recent years, didn’t sulk like many of today’s athletes are apt to do, vowing instead that his unhappiness with his contract wouldn’t affect his play.

And you know what? It hasn’t. Through this weekend’s games Boldin leads all WRs in the NFL with 11 touchdown receptions (his more heralded teammate Larry Fitzgerald is tied for second with four other receivers at eight), he ranks fourth in receptions at 78 and ranks seventh in total receiving yards at 942.

Oh, did I forget to mention that Boldin is doing his job weekly with eight plates in his face and wiring in his jaw. Boldin missed two and half weeks after he suffered a fractured sinus and other facial injuries following a fierce hit by the New York Jets’ Eric Smith on Sept. 28 — a hit that cost Smith a $50,000 fine and a one-game suspension. Boldin underwent surgery, with doctors inserting eight plates to repair his face and wiring to align his bite — yet he has still found a way to play.

“I’m still in awe of what he does on a weekly basis, and what he’s done since he’s come back from that injury,” quarterback Kurt Warner said. “Just a special individual.” I couldn’t agree more, Kurt.

Teams can come up with marketing campaigns like “Bring It” all they want — and every club in every league does it — but I contend that if you had more players that “bring it” with the heart and skill that Boldin does week in and week out, perhaps you’d put fannies in the seats without the catchy slogans. Boldin should provide gut-check fodder for every player in the NFL.

If I could have one WR to build a team around, Boldin would be the man. You got somebody better? Make your case.

POOR PLAX: If someone were seriously injured after an incident like this, I wouldn’t touch it. But since Burress apparently walked into court Monday without as much as a limp, according to reports, I can’t help myself. It’s easy to become immune to news about athletes smacking women around or spitting in their faces at nightclubs, or athletes involved in shootings that leave people paralyzed, or even athletes convicted of murder. It’s all happened in recent years, some times repeatedly. So I guess the only thing I can say about the alleged Plax shooting is this: At least he hurt no one but himself … perhaps that kind of self-policing can be the best thing for sports’ bad boys.

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STAT OF THE DAY

GUESS THAT QUARTERBACK: A former Pro Bowler put up these numbers yesterday — 15 of 21 passing for 125 yards, two interceptions, and zero TDs. No, it’s not Marc Bulger. Those are the stats of once-mighty Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback Peyton Manning. RB Joseph Addai can’t stay healthy (sound familiar?) and WR Marvin Harrison is getting old (sound familiar?) And in the wake of that, Manning is starting to look rather ordinary.