Mr. Kaufman obviously spent time reading the Washington Post before posting his column today - catching Michael Wilbon for encroachment - but he must not have read Norman Chad's column which contained a blatant ripoff of a joke made in Friday's "Sports Daily".

Kaufman on Friday: "Tagliabue also met with USC coach Pete Carroll. According to an anonymous and also fictitious source, the commissioner proposed that USC join the NFL, but Carroll declined because he didn't think the Trojans could get under the salary cap."

Chad on Monday: "Frankly, the '72 Dolphins couldn't even beat the '05 USC Trojans; then again, Southern Cal, I believe, has a higher salary cap."

Chad had been drifting towards hackery for some years now, but this is a new low.

Listen, boychik, bubbeleh and mameleh are for girls, tateleh is for boys. FYI.

At first I thought you were saying boychik and the other two were all for girls.

I understand bubele to be a unisex term of endearment, possibly, or possibly not, related to the word for grandmother, bubbeh. I've heard both arguments, pro and con. Anyway, I think there's an element of sarcasm when it's directed to a man -- think of the movie caricature of the exasperated agent or studio executive pleading with his male star to listen to reason -- but not an element of questioning his masculinity.

Got citations to argue?

may or may not be a great QB, may or may not be able to throw from the pocket, but dude, are you questioning his manhood? Listen, boychik, bubbeleh and mameleh are for girls, tateleh is for boys. FYI.

You let you San Fran roots show a little too much.

I'm a native Angeleno.

Is it your contention that people in L.A. don't say dude? They say dude in S.F. They stop saying it in L.A. since I left?

About blacking out games, that's a good point, it's better not to have a local team if you don't have DirecTV and the Sunday ticket. But from what I hear, the networks still seem to think the Raiders are the local team, so you don't necessarily get the best game, you get the "regional" game. Right?

Another downside to having a team in LA , is that now your local CBS/FOX affiliate will have to blackout good NFL games because of the horrendous blackout rules that govern NFL broadcasts. If you do not have Direct TV it is better not to have a NFL team in your city.

Kind of disappointed that you would do cheap shots at LA. Not that we don't deserve it, but you are usually more clever than resorting to the obvious "Dude" humor every bad comedian uses when making fun of LA. You let you San Fran roots show a little too much. And to let you know, there are plenty of people here who want an NFL team. But we aren't willing to pay for a new stadium. We have enough here, and real estate is too expensive to build another one.

Not to be a picker of nits, but as a former Angelino, I'm pretty sure its spelled with an "i".

Perhaps you lived in Angelino Heights? But a person from or living in Los Angeles is an Angeleno.

As a bitter Jets fan I am deeply disgruntled. Not only will our team suck while playing the Panthers but we DO NOT HAVE cheerleaders. At this point I will take hot cheerleaders even without the girl on girl action.

Why oh why do the Jets and the Giants have no cheerleaders ? Is it the authorities who own the Meadowland complex ? If that is the case why do the Nets have cheerleaders ?

Guess I better start doing tip drills...

Does LA really want a team, and is this magical thinking on the part of Taglibue, or he is trying to put a mouse in Alex Spanos pocket?. Spanos threatened to take the Chargers back to LA when the new stadium giveaway ran into a bankrupt San Diego city fund, but alas LA did not want the team at any price. The Spanos team came crawling home, hoping something would happen, and it did. The governor went on MNF and plugged the Spanos family, big donors get plugs, you and i get plugged. Then the Republican mayoral candidate won, and now that pocket is getting a little more crowded, with a mouse, and a bunch of real estate developers, who bought and paid for their new pro business mayor. TO seal the deal here comes the bait and switch artist from the NFL high office, who is probably putting the LA team business out there to give Spanos some leverage. Who knows, if the team makes the playoffs the voters might just be stupid enough to give the Chargers what they want, sixty acres of prime Mission Valley real estate. That football also occurs on the sight is secondary. These same voters signed off on PETCO, on the fool me once side of the ledger, and agreed to a sales tax increase on themselves to pay for it. Honestly, if you're someone who is out there running a con game, I don't know why you aren't here right now.

It's Bill Belichick. Duane Starks was just placed on IR, and Bill's wondering if you're free this Sunday.

Oy, what a tough pick. On paper, they look like teams heading in opposite directions, but they don't play that way. The Pats' tough run defense or Ricky Williams getting his sea legs back? Recruiting the Bruins' healthy scratches for the secondary or, well, Gus Frerotte? Guess this is why King gets the big bucks.

I had to comment since there appears to be a dearth of letters responding to this excellent football analysis column.

Thank you for finally getting to the meat of the season; the Carolina Panthers cheerleaders. It's good for football and good for beer sales too. I can just see Pete Coors in the adjoining stall, dreaming up a new ad campaign not nearly as insipid as the frosty silver bullet crap.