A Post-Christmas Edition

Wow, that's a big picture of Santa, huh?

Happy holidays and all that.

Let's get down to business -- lots of things happened in college hoops over the holiday weekend:

-- Syracuse compromised its principles and values for the sake of winning.

-- There were three big transfers.

-- None of the AP Top 5 lost (Oklahoma and Duke didn't play).

And how about in just sports in general?

-- Heads are rolling in the NFL. Detroit, New Jersey (Jets) and Cleveland all made regime changes. There might be more to come. Meanwhile, Mike Singletary keeps his job in San Fran. I have a feeling Matt Cassel will end up in a 49ers uniform.

-- Brett Favre needs an MRI, and his future as a Jet is in doubt. But really, if thisMi QB cries retirement, does anybody hear him?

-- Big Ben suffers a concussion; this time, it's not related to being an idiot.

-- The Greatest Quarterback Ever is behind schedule in his recovery from a devastating knee injury, according to NBC Sports.

-- Josh Bard and Brad Penny are headed to the Red Sox.

-- An 8-8 team is in the AFC playoffs while the 11-5 Patriots and 9-7 Jets are not. The Chargers are 8-8. Want to know who else is 8-8? The Broncos, Texans, Saints and Redskins. Wow. Those are all great playoff teams, huh? Want to know who isn't in the playoffs but would be if they were in the AFC West? The Cowboys, Bears, Bucs, Jets and Pats.

There is, however, some argument that the Chargers can be dangerous in the playoffs if the right version of the team shows up. After all, San Diego's eight wins include victories against the Jets, Patriots, Bucs and Broncos. The other four? Uh, two against both the Raiders and the Chiefs ...

-- Oh, and Mark Teixeira is not worth $180 million. I'm sorry. Not even close. And the Yankees spent $423.5 million -- on three guys ... Teixeira, CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett. Teixeira and Sabathia I can understand. But AJ Burnett?

-- When are pro athletes going to say, hey, I'll take a pay cut to help this franchise pay its employees who don't wear uniforms?