That's not exactly contract-year hustle.

Moss playing ball...Another kind [Boston Globe]

•Tracy McGrady got a pretty representative sample of what he's in for: the Knicks hung tough with a good team, until collapsing down the stretch twice, in regulation and overtime of a 121-118 loss to Oklahoma City. And the Knicks got a very representative sample of what they're in for: T-Mac was electrifying early, but disappeared completely in crunch time. (Thanks to Adam, who beat five people in sending in that screengrab by about a minute)

•Randy Moss says this will probably be his last year in New England, because he thinks the Pats don't want to extend his contract. Randy probably shouldn't be taking about 2011 — it's looking more and more likely no one's going to be back anywhere.

•In a 43-car field, Danica Patrick finished 31st...and it's even worse than that sounds. When Patrick finally crossed the finish line at yesterday's Nationwide race, she only beat out six other cars still on the track, and was three laps off the leaders. Or, if you want to look at it glass half-full, she beat everyone running the track for today's NASCAR race by almost a whole day!

•A mostly meh day for our Olympians, with Shani Davis taking a silver, Apolo Anton Ohno a bronze, and Lindsey Vonn another bronze. I can't believe I have to report Vonn's run as last night's broadcast, when it actually went down 24 hours ago. Thanks, NBC.

•The Tigers are pretty happy with their Johnny Damon signing, figuring the ex-Yankee has one good year in him before they hand the job over to the other ex-Yankee they got. And Damon should be thankful he got more than $5 million, Bobby Abreu's Anaheim benchmark for players who waited too long.

•••••

Thanks to Gourmet Spud for holding it down, but we need to make this an American site once more. So let's talk...curling and hockey. Damnit.

It wasn't my idea to go to the Giants' final regular season game in late December of 2007. Personally, I saw no upside: the Giants were locked, win or lose, into a #5 postseason slot, and numerous sports shouters were of the opinion that Tom Coughlin ought to rest ailing starters like Plaxico Burress in advance of the playoffs. I figured I'd be better off on the couch.

But a friend of mine — let's call him Bill, since that rhymes with his actual name — peer pressured me to seek out some tickets and did not hesitate for a second when I came back with a pair a tad outside our range. Why would he? Bill's team was the Patriots, and they were coming to the Meadowlands with a perfect season on the line.

The game was at 8:15 on a Saturday night. Bill was in a Wes Welker jersey, and I wore long underwear and a hoodie and a Shockey #80 that I had borrowed-slash-stolen from a friend. (It became obsolete, sniff, and he never asked for it back.) The parking lot of Giants Stadium was a festive if bizzaro affair, with the ratio of home fans to visitors noticeably out of whack.

The result of this crazy alchemy was everyone was just happy to be there. Giants fans in particular were about as laid back as we'd ever been, knowing that (barring injuries) nothing could really go wrong. Should the Patriots win, we'd see history made, and if the Giants could only…

Ha! Yeah right, like the Giants would win.

This was our attitude, or at least it was mine. So when Eli hit Plaxico for 52 yards on the very second play of the game, we reacted with dumb and spontaneous glee.

You know when young toddlers, confronted with candy or the sight of a real live dump truck, get excited beyond their vocabulary and just begin hopping and flapping their arms? That was us, and Brandon Jacobs hadn't even capped off the drive with a touchdown yet. I couldn't embrace Bill, so I bearhugged some strangers around me instead. I hugged them a lot that night.

The Giants were winning at halftime, 21-16, and Bill and I had depleted all of the contents of our flask. I was giddy, and he was zen.

With the Giants leading 28-23 early in the fourth quarter, Tom Brady hit Randy Moss with a 65-yard bomb that set new NFL touchdown pass records for both players and reminded us mere mortals of New England's omnipotence.

Eli would throw an interception on the next series. The Patriots would convert it into a touchdown. We were disappointed, sure, but also impressed. This was Tom Brady and the Patriots. What else did we expect?

The Giants never led again. But down 10 with under five minutes remaining, they did something almost as good: drove an authoritative 68 yards on 11 plays and picked up a touchdown with a minute to go. Against the Patriots, man, who fielded the onsides kick and became the first team to go 16-0.

It was unclear which fan base had more to celebrate. Bill had found some simpatico New England fans in the stands near us and they were busy high-fiving and hollering and basking in the glow.

But the Giants crowd was loopy and amped. The strangers and I shouted at each other in incredulous tones. Did you see how well they played? They almost beat the Pats! Since when does Eli scramble? Since when can Eli drive the field? That was the best they've played all year!

I was drunk enough on whiskey and high enough on life that I guess I scaled a barrier and hopped right onto a bus. I didn't know where Bill was, but I wasn't worried either. I sat down in the first seat and looked out the window over the snaking line of people that I had just cut. I had never left a stadium happier, and my team hadn't even won.

The Patriots beat the woeful Panthers yesterday, yet most of post-game interviews with the defeated Carolina players seemed to focus on what Moss didn't do to help his team win. He had one catch, which he immediately fumbled over to the other team. His half-hearted route running contributed to Tom Brady's lone interception. And Carolina's secondary confessed that they didn't expend a lot of energy trying to keep Moss under wraps.

We knew he was going to shut it down," Panthers cornerback Chris Gamble told me after the game. "That's what we wanted to do him. That's what we did. ... He'd just give up a lot ... Slow down, he's not going deep, not trying to run a route. You can tell, his body language."

[...]

"You get physical with him, and I don't want to say he quits, but he kind of doesn't run the routes the way they're supposed to be run," safety Chris Harris told me. "If you get a jam on him, he'll just ease up."

So Moss' (apparently deserved) reputation continues to follow him. Of course, that doesn't explain how the Panthers played the whole game on a power play and still managed to lose by 10 points. Despite this "disaster" of a year, the Patriots are still securely in first place and the playoffs are a whole new season. So why should Moss break his back on things like run blocking, holding on to the ball or running in a straight line, when it won't change the fact that he'll be playing in Indianapolis' cozy dome (or better yet, San Diego) this January.

He's supposed to bust his ass so he can spend a winter in Foxborough? No thanks.

Panthers say Moss 'shut it down' [Boston Globe]
Randy Moss chided for dogging it after subpar performance [Boston Herald]
Did Moss 'shut it down'? Panthers say he did [Shutdown Corner]
Panthers say Randy Moss gave up on Patriots; is it true? [USA Today]
The Rap on Randy Moss [NY Times]

* * * * *

Here are some other big winners, who did not win quite as big....

Brandon Marshall: See? 21 catches and his team still lost. Hey Brandon, Randy's on line one. [Denver Post]

Mark Ingram: No, it doesn't bother this Michigan State fan at all that the Heisman Trophy winner is from Flint, Michigan, and was recruited by Bobby "How Does This Guy Have A Job?" Williams. These are tears of joy for the young man! [Flint Journal]

Accenture: In its own way, dumping Tiger Woods was the best advertising campaign this company has ever launched. Now if we could just figure out what the hell they do. [LA Times]

DeSean Jackson: Last night's completely defense-free game had Jackson flying pretty high. Luckily, he has Andy Reid's girth to break his fall. [700 Level]

And the Weekend Loser? This guy. Look, everybody loves "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia," but wearing this costume to a sporting event is no longer clever.

At this point, you're basically the guy who dresses as Austin Powers for Halloween. In 2003. Give it a rest, people.

• Randy Moss Has A Chip On His Shoulder. Odd. "I don't know why coach disrespected me like that, but I'm who I am, and I love to do what I do. And anytime I feel disrespected then I want to get out there and make it happen. And I think they disrespected me today by only playing me single coverage."

• Is That What's Supposed To Happen? Arizona Cardinals' Neil Rackers attempts a 68-yard free kick field goal against he Giants. Wackiness ensues. [New York Times]

"I think the New England Patriots have won the division over the last couple of years, so the New England Patriots are the team to beat," the Patriots' all-world wide receiver said on a national conference call, responding to a specific question about the Jets' seemingly improved chances. Tom was a big, big, big component to make the offense move, and with him gone, we have to find other ways to make the offense move. But we're the team to beat, and we'll see what happens."

How about a real mooning this time instead of the fake variety? That should do it.

Randy Moss To Jetrs: Patriots Are Still 'The Team To Beat' [New York Daily News]

Sydney Moss was talented enough to play basketball for Ryle High School (Kentucky) as an eighth-grader last season. Knowing who her father is makes her even more of a curiosity. The 5-foot-10 forward is expected to be one of the top 100 players in the Class of 2012 and says she already has received letters from the University of Louisville, University of Kentucky and Purdue.

Plus this amusing tidbit, from Northern Kentucky Sports World:

Apparently some of Moss' children live in Boone County but he doesn't. He also has a son playing Pee-Wee football in Boone County and sometimes shows up at games and watches from his Escalade.

As Kige Ramsey will surely tell you, that is the only way to watch a Pee Wee football game in Kentucky.

Randy Moss' Daughter Could Be A Great Catch [Louisville Courier-Journal]
Randy Moss' Daughter Is A Baller [Larry Brown Sports]
Randy Moss In The Tri-State [Northern Kentucky Sports World]

Moss is the third West Virginian sportshuman to be honored, after Jerry West and Mary Lou Retton, both of whom are comparable to Randy Moss is every way.

"Randy Moss is to football what Tiger Woods is to golf," said District Manager Karen Schenck, who will make a presentation to Moss. "The Postal Service wanted to honor Mr. Moss, so we designed a commemorative envelope as a fitting tribute to his many talents."

Personally, we can't believe they've ignored a true champion of West Virginia sports: Pittsnogle!

Now You Can Lick Randy Moss [Lion In Oil]

But why limit it just to football teams? SportsWrap did a bang-up job of splicing together some of Randy Moss's free agency options. The WNBA one might be the best one, which you've already concluded since I went through the trouble of rehosting and renaming it. Being a lacrosse player is another option, although evidently he'll have to paint his legs white.

What next, are Randy Moss and Daunte Culpepper going to agree to sign as free agents for the same team? Why, that'll be a cold day in ... oh, this one's true. At least as far as rumors can be classified as "true."

* - I just made this one up, but let's see if it picks up any steam anywhere.

Where Might The Freak End Up? [SportsWrap]
Randy Moss Appears To Be Available [Shutdown Corner]
Moss, Culpepper Talk About Reuniting Via Free Agency [ESPN]

While even a humiliating loss in Super Bowl XLII might not prevent Patriots fans from remaining "chest-proud," let's not get delusional in the thought that Moss can't be tempted to go elsewhere. Any perceived allegiance to a team quickly goes away with the phrase, guaranteed money. How badly, for instance, would the Carolina Panthers break the bank for a Steve Smith-Moss combo? One NFL insider tells the Charlotte Observer: "Carolina has freed up a lot of cap space with all the guys they've cut recently. Suppose they offer Randy a 6-year, $60 million deal with $25 million guaranteed? Now, if the difference is one or two million, Moss probably gives the Patriots a discount and goes back. But $5 million extra guaranteed? These guys have egos. And he knows that Carolina has been working aggressively to get better. Who's to say he doesn't make the move?"

Other stuff of interest:

• Jonathan Vilma to the Saints. New Orleans traded an undisclosed draft pick for the Jets' middle linebacker, who had 118 tackles last season and was named AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2004. Ah, that many tackles will be easy to make up. Meanwhile, Carolina dealt DT Kris Jenkins to the Jets for third- and fifth-round draft picks this year. Deal was for $35 million with $20 million guaranteed.

• Asante Samuel about to sign with Eagles. It'll probably happen just as you're reading this. Sorry, Patriots fans. At least Tedy Bruschi is back!

• Redskins love them some Todd Collins. Washington agreed to terms today with the quarterback, who is expected to be a backup to Jason Campbell.

• It's hard to believe that the Rams still had a player from their Los Angeles days, but they did: Until today. For the second time in three years, the team cut wide receiver Isaac Bruce. I smell a move to the 49ers, where new offensive coordinator Mike Martz will be waiting for him with a warm smile and a muffin basket.

Overall, it's a seller's market out there, kids. Not a lot to choose from I'm afraid. Unless you're looking for pitching.

Jets Trade Vilma, Acquire All-Pro DT Jenkins [MSNBC]
NFL Roundup: Free Agent Season Kicks Off [USA Today]
Is There A Catch With Moss? [Boston Globe]

In other news, I suspected that Eyepatch was just being bitter when they ripped Randy Moss to tiny bits of confetti following the Super Bowl, but you know, maybe they have a point. On Monday Moss tossed Bill Belichick directly under the large, bus-like vehicle. Said Moss on Sunday:

"The Giants just had a better game plan. They played heads-up football. They came ready to play for four quarters, 60 minutes."

Also, seemingly the entire world is second-guessing him for that fourth-and-13 call. How can the Patriots get people's minds off of all of this? Paying off the Lost writers to reveal about eight secrets on Thursday, that might do it.

The QB Mannings, A Family Affair [Sign On San Diego]
Cause To Kick Themselves? [Boston Globe]
Brady, Moss To Miss Pro Bowl [SF Gate]
Super Bowl Blogdome [Deadspin]

Here are the details. Apparently, Moss committed "a battery upon (Washington) causing serious injury. (Moss) refused to allow (Washington) to seek medical treatment." Though the real "bombshell," if there is one, is when (Washington) — her given name does not have parentheses — says that she has been in a relationship with Moss since 1997 and that he has "a drug or alcohol problem." You call that a problem?

Moss was sort of ambushed with the question at a morning locker room news conference, which is why his reaction was so strange.

At Gillette Stadium this morning, Moss addressed the allegation, saying he's "never laid a hand on a woman in 30 years."

You know, NFL groupies just aren't as proficient as they used to be.

That said, he's out front of the story. Smart.

The fact that the radio station pulled their big scoop off the Web would seem to imply that it's not real, or that they have the wrong Randy Moss. But the reporter was just on WEEI Radio in Boston reading the affidavit and assuring listeners that it is the real Randy Moss.

So then, just for the sake of discussion ... what's the alleged story? Here's a highlight from the cached page:

New England Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss has been hit with a temporary injunction for protection against dating violence. According to the victim, he committed a battery upon her causing serious injury and then refused to allow her to seek medical attention.

The affidavit reveals Moss cannot come within 500 hundred feet of the victim and cannot use or possess firearms.

It's worth noting that we corrected several spelling errors in that "story." But yeah: WDBO either made a huge mistake in identification, got a nasty cease-and-desist, or both. But the reporter, found right here, is still out there touting her story. So something's going on, anyway.

Moss Hit With Temporary Restraining Order (Cached) [WDBO]

(UPDATE: And look here: The story's back on the site, live. So here we go.)

(SECOND UPDATE: The Boston Herald has the story, and Moss has acknowledged it. So this'll be fun to talk about all week.)

We think it's because we're a sucker for history. Not just seeing teams make it to the top, but watching them being taken down in the most epic fashion. If the Patriots had lost to the Giants on Saturday, this would have been just another season; the postseason would have been entertaining, because it always is, but it wouldn't have had that same oomph. Now, no matter what happens, every Patriots game — every postseason game, really — will be a can't miss. History will either be made, or devastated, depending on what happens in the next month. We will always remember this season, and this postseason. Can you say that about last year?

The Patriots might be loathsome, but dammit, isn't that what we want? If they lose, we rejoice. If they win, we snarl at them as they gleefully and indifferently raise the Lombardi Trophy. With the playoffs kicking off this weekend, we can't think of much more fun than watching the Patriots lose. And if they don't ... well, the ride will be well worth it, and they will have certainly earned it. Everything on the line, every game. What more could we ask for? We can't wait.

Bowie is the cornerback out of Cincinnati whom the Raiders took with the pick they garnered for Moss. Bowie is on the Raiders' 53-man roster but still hasn't made it on the field, while Moss has seven touchdowns already. Obviously, he wouldn't have seven touchdowns for the Raiders right now, but it's still kind of a sad place for Bowie to be. We hope the guy can make it in a game at least. Not that Raiders fans, we suspect, miss Moss all that much.

Purring Along [Boston.com]
In Honor Of Randy Moss And John Bowie [The Angry T]

Are you getting the great football player Randy Moss, or are you getting the pain in the ass Randy Moss? That's been the question posed to coaches, executives, and owners throughout Randy's career. Let's face it; the guy can play. He's as talented as Terrell Owens, as fast as many of the top speed receivers, and can haul in just about anything. But as enamored as we are with his talents, I have a real hard time believing his past is in the past. And before you say this is just like Corey Dillon, Randy Moss is no Corey Dillon. Corey just wanted to play for a winner, and he still worked hard to do that. Randy Moss has been on teams that have won games, but he's quit on them too. Will this work out for the Patriots? It better, otherwise we're in for a rough ride next year.

No matter what, it will be entertaining. And it should make the Patriots a ton more fun in Madden too.

Moss Revisited [Pats Fan Blog]
FTT Saves You 5K Future Words From Bill Simmons [Five Tool Tool]

(UPDATE: Simmons has chimed in with considerably fewer than 5,000 words.)

It's a battle of wills. In one corner, Randy Moss and his will to destroy the chemistry of any team on which he plays. In the other corner, the Patriots franchise and their will to turn every player on their roster into a selfless, personality-less drone who does nothing for himself and everything for the team.

If there's one guy who can destroy a foundation of character and responsibility that a franchise has labored to build over the years, it's ... well, that's Terrell Owens. But if there are two guys who can do that, they're Terrell Owens and Randy Moss.

Either Moss wrecks team chemistry, or the Patriots all-for-one, one-for-all attitude envelops him. It's quite a matchup. By Week 4, the entire franchise could be in shambles. Or Moss could be scoring three touchdowns on a broken tibia, giving the game balls to children with disabilities in the first row (sitting there because Moss gave them tickets), babysitting for Tom Brady when he has custody of his kid, and donating 75% of every game check to breast cancer research.

Raiders send WR Moss to Patriots [NFL.com]

According to The Boston Herald — whom we guess would know? — the long-rumored trade that would send Randy Moss from the Raiders to the Packers for Aaron Rodgers is on the verge of happening. Everyone's denying it, of course.

However, one source close to Rodgers adamantly denied the rumor, saying, to his knowledge, the Raiders and Packers have not had substantive discussions. There are expected to be other particulars in the deal. According to the Wisconsin source, Green Bay would also give up a seventh-round pick in 2008, while the Packers would receive Raiders tight end Courtney Anderson as part of the deal.

We never know whom to believe in these trade things, but we continue to support the Randy Moss-to-Green-Bay discussion, if just because it would likely make Joe Buck cry.

Moss Headed To Green Bay [Boston Herald]

The Randy Moss Return Man Award, quite reasonably, will go to the best kick and/or punt returner in college football; they haven't announced this year's nominees yet, but if you're having trouble figuring out which ones they are, just look for the people moping around, running over cops with their car and, you know, getting stoned.

OK, that wasn't fair; Instead, just look for the people wearing this.

Randy Moss Is Happy About This ... We Promise [WBRS Sports Blog]
Randy Moss Seeking Happy Ending [The Fanhouse]
MOSSMASK! [Deadspin]

As if they had nothing better to argue about, Terrell Owens and Donovan McNabb are feuding over a text message that Owens may or may not have received from his former Eagles' teammate. McNabb says he sent Owens' good tidings after T.O.'s trip to the hospital last week, which may or may not have been a suicide attempt. But Owens said he never got the message. Hilarity ensued.

"I think the message was sent," McNabb told the Associated Press. "If he read it or received it, then I think he would know."

And:

"Look, I'm not trying to start anything," Owens said. "He's a smart guy. If he wanted my number, he could've gotten it."

We hear that the two of them will meet in some sort of football game this Sunday.

• You Go, Keyshawn . Do we really need another scandal in which former victims continue to appear out of the woodwork? Panthers' center Justin Hartwig says that he, too, was a victim of Albert Haynesworth's foot three years ago (the Titans' defensive tackle was suspended five games for stomping on Andre Gurode's head on Sunday). Hartwig says that Haynesworth kicked him in the chest during a training camp drill in 2003 when both played for the Titans. This, of course, prompted Panthers' receiver Keyshawn Johnson to pipe up: "I wouldn't want him on my team. That's just me. I don't condone it. I don't think it's cool. If somebody did that on this team when I was here, I'd tell (owner Jerry Richardson) the same thing, 'I don't want him on my team. I'm not going to play with a dude doing that on my team.' "

• Randy Moss Has His Finger On The Problem. It's the age-old question: If Randy Moss spouts off in the forest, does it make a sound? In his latest rambling manifesto, Moss told Fox Sports Radio that he wasn't concerned about the team's poor start because "it doesn't seem like nobody else is concerned." Ignoring his double negative, Moss continued "I mean, I don't really know what the feeling is. But I know the feeling is bad, so that's saying no one cares about what's going on around here." To which head coach Art Shell responded: "I don't worry about that. Maybe I'm naive, but I don't worry about that." Yeah, it's like a passenger on the Titanic complaining about the noise in the next stateroom.

T.O.-McNabb Feud Heats Up Over Text Message [MSNBC]
Keyshawn Rips Tempermental Haynesworth [MSNBC]
18 And Unhappy [SF Gate]