SHORT SHORTS!

* It's awesome, ba--*cough* *choke*. It's not even December yet, how has Dick Vitale blown out his larynx already? Anyway, the NCAA basketball season is already shaping up to be great, with several tournaments already producing great games (Coaches vs. Cancer, Maui Classic, Preseason NIT, etc). Tune into some of the Big 10 vs. ACC showdown games (like #1 Duke vs. #16 Indiana) and you'll see what I mean. It might level out a little until the conference games start in earnest in '06, but so far, so good. I know I'll be tuning into ESPN @ 5 PM Saturday to see #4 Villanova hosting #5 Oklahoma.

Note: the "Coaches vs. Cancer Classic" is not to be confused with the Eagles' Andy Reid and Terrell Owens, who were in the "Coaches vs. Team Cancer Classic".

* Why do they call some offensive linemen "tackles" when they never tackle anyone?

* When Barbara Walters was asked who cried during her interviews this year, she admitted that the mother of missing-presumed-dead-in-Aruba-Natalee-Holloway cried when talking about her daughter. She added that those tears are what keeps her alive, as she bottles them during her inteviews and uses them as a "magic elixir", to keep her going for another year of awkward celebrity interviews. Also, celebrity tears are great at getting out wine stains. Good to know.

* The Cool Google Maps blog, surprisingly, is filled with cool Google maps.

* Annoying ESPN commentator and former Dallas Cowboys WR Michael Irvin got pulled over for speeding on Sunday night, and a crack pipe was found in his car, which he claimed was not his. He was at work at ESPN the next day. I have a feeling, if I had the same list of priors, I would have been treated differently . . .

* Did you see the through-the-legs Malik goal, which gave the Rangers a shootout win in the 15th round on Saturday night? I'm still looking for a video link to it, but trust me, it was sick (which means "great", apparently, although I don't endorse getting sick).