. . .but without the awkward Brett Favre man-love

Ten quick things I think I think, or whatever the hell Peter King calls it . . .

1. I've appreciated Allen Iverson's fearless-bordering-on-reckless play since he was a
(tattoo-free) Hoya, and while I'd likely appreciate him as a member of the Celtics as well, I hope the Answer's arrival in Boston isn't as inevitable as it seems. That bony body is going to break down sooner rather than later, and a player of Iverson's skill-set will not age well. Let him become someone else's bad contract.

2. If your "allergies" didn't act up a little after seeing ESPN's "Make A Wish" piece with a wonderfully compassionate Tedy Bruschi and a 6-year-old heart patient who adored him, well, maybe you're the one whose heart needs to be checked.

3. LeBron James took a lot of heat for dropping well-known agent Aaron Goodwin and putting his financial and business interests in the hands of what was portrayed as a couple of members of his posse. But someone in that camp knows what he's doing, because LeBron is playing the game off the court as well as he plays the one on it. Not only does he enhance his reputation as the Savior of Cleveland Sports by re-signing with his hometown Cavs, but by negotiating a three-year deal (with a fourth-year option) rather than the maximum contract, he can become a free agent in the summer of 2010, when the collective bargaining agreement expires and he's the ripe old age of 25. Shrewd. Very shrewd.

4. Jack Welch? Again? Are you bleepin' kidding me? Okay, just how much is "the Voice of the (Billionaire) Fan" paying them for this air time?

5. Jon Lester has finessed his way out of more jams in six starts with the Red Sox than his fourth-starter predecessor, the skittish Matt Clement, did in a season and a half.

6. I refuse to believe that Bill Belichick intends to begin the season with Monty Beisel as one of his starting linebackers.

7. Glad to see Steve Carell get an Emmy nod for his role on The Office, if only to give the show some deserved publicity. But I think it's fair to say that among the three main male actors on the show, his character portrayal is the least nuanced or convincing. Jim and Dwight wuz robbed.

8. I just traded Aramis Ramirez straight-up for Pedro in my work rotisserie league. So tell me why don't I feel at all good about it?

9. I know what I want/I get what I need . . . AIYEEEEEE! MY EARS ARE WEEPING!!! MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!!! Seriously, why must that fake-soulful, Mark Cuban-looking American Idol doofus pop up on my television between every . . . single . . . inning during a Sox game? If he's the winner of that show, I'd hate to hear the losers. (On the plus side of the Overplayed NESN Commercials ledger, DD iced coffee really does help unstick your legs from the pleather. Go figure.)

10. As for today's Completely Random Baseball Card:



Meet the Yankees' version of Jason Johnson.