So let me get this straight . . .

The Denver Nuggets spent heavily to acquire a post-30 Allen Iverson. The Phoenix Suns spent heavily to acquire 36-year-old Shaquille O'Neal. And the New Jersey Nets had to rent a Brinks truck to haul off the loot they stole from the Dallas Mavericks in the deal for 35-year-old Jason Kidd.

You already know where this is going - the Nuggets, Suns and Mavericks are done for the season, their gambles on an instant championship failed.

In return for Iverson, the Sixers got a superlative leader in Andre Miller plus two No. 1 draft choices, one of them Thaddeus Young.

For O'Neal, the Heat got talented forward Shawn Marion and guard Marcus Banks.

And in the blockbuster Kidd trade, New Jersey got 24-year-old point guard Devin Harris, center DeSagana Diop, swingman Trenton Hassell, guard Maurice Ager, an out-of-retirement Keith Van Horn (via sign-and-trade), two first-round draft picks (2008 and 2010) and $3 million in cash.

Phew.

Dallas got a first-round playoff exit and coach Avery Johnson got fired.

Funny game. Has anyone else noticed the pitching matchup for tonight's Phillies game?

The Phillies will start former Padre Adam Eaton against San Diego, and the Padres will counter with former Phillie Randy Wolf.

Am I in the Twilight Zone?

No playoff. As expected, the commissioners of the Bowl Championship Series rejected an attempt to add a one-game playoff onto the college football season.

It was not expected, however, that the Big East and the Big Twelve would join the Big Ten and the Pac-10 in opposing the plan. Although no formal vote was taken, the commissioners said only the ACC and the SEC were interested in even discussing the "and-one" proposal.

Briefly, the plan was this: Instead of the current BCS championship matching the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the final bowl game, the new format would match No. 1 vs. No. 4 and No. 2 vs. No. 3 on New Year's Day. The final would be held a week later between the two winners.

Exactly why the conferences oppose this is unclear.

The leagues cling to the bowl system because that allows them to control the massive payouts. The BCS gets the money from television and disburses that money directly to its members.

Under an NCAA playoff system, the NCAA would control the television money.

But since the "and-one" playoff would still be under BCS auspices, the BCS would still control the spigot that gushes out television cash.

Maybe the commissioners just want to spend January watching the NFL playoffs.

Finally. The Flyers have more guts than a slaughterhouse. It ain't always pretty, but the final product is great.

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