Watchdog

Barry Horn, my Dallas Morning News counterpart, reports Barry Melrose is headed back to ESPN. Hmm.

I will look into this further Thursday.

I still am not entirely sure what Chris Russo's point was Tuesday in his amusing, rambling rant about John Mara in the wake of the Plaxico Burress incident, but I have gotten to the bottom of one of Russo's accusations.

For the record, the Giants' president does have four dogs, but none is a poodle.

Initially Mara described them in an email as "the mangiest looking mutts ever seen in the greater metropolitan area."

Later, he added a clarification in an attempt to maintain peace in his home. The pooches all are Pet Rescue dogs, an organization for which Mara's wife, Denise, volunteers.

So, now you know, people. That's journalism!

I'm out. Enjoy the 1999 "Wrangler World or Rodeo" on ESPN Classic at 11 p.m.

Neil Best answers your sports media and business questions today in a live chat at 12:15 p.m.

I'll be taking the next 90 minutes off to sit in a dark room listening to Guns N' Roses and putting on my game face for a 12:15 p.m. live chat.

Let's save time and effort during the chat by getting some things out of the way now:

Yes, I think Mike Francesa should and will add another regular cast member. No, I don't know who it will be or when it will happen. Yes, there is a very good chance you will have the MLB Network on your TV Jan. 1 if you live on Long Island or in New York City. No, I don't know yet whether the Panthers-Giants game is headed for a prime time flex, but I wouldn't bet against it. Yes, CBS Radio and WFAN as far as I know are happy with the morning show that replaced Don Imus.

No, I do not know whether John Mara actually has a poodle. I was going to ask him this morning, then thought better of it.

I'm guessing his sense of humor about all this is somewhat limited at this stage.

The Islanders have a new ad campaign featuring music by Ron (Bumblefoot) Thal, a guitarist for Guns N' Roses.

Here is video and audio of said ads.

I'd be more impressed if I had heard of Mr. Thal before today, but I have heard of Guns N' Roses. I researched Thal in preparation for this post and learned Bumblefoot succeeded a guy named "Buckethead."

I also learned bumblefoot is a bacterial infection that often affects the feet of birds and rodents.

Sean Avery made an off-color reference to a couple of former girlfriends and their current NHL boyfriends, earning him a suspension and prompting bloggers to exploit said former girlfriends, notably Elisha Cuthbert, by posting pictures of them.

(I'd link to stories that contain all the gory details, but . . . um, maybe I shouldn't.)

Anyway, it's all part of the circle of Internet life, my friends. Perfectly natural. At least I selected an extremely tasteful photo of Ms. Cuthbert. So did Glauber.

No matter how wacky or convoluted my baby boomer references get, readers always manage to surpass me.

Take this observation from a radio industry type who (understandably) requested anonymity:

Plaxico Burress reportedly checked into the hospital under the alias "Harris Smith."

In the 1960s sci-fi show "Lost in Space," the bad guy was played by actor Jonathan Harris, whose character was Dr. Zachary Smith.

Hmm. Is Plax a closet "Lost in Space" fan? I'll ask him next time I see him.

The NFL Network has offered to purchase any remaining tickets to Thursday's Raiders-Chargers tilt to avoid a local blackout.

(Charlie Chilkoot, will you be there? Tickets seem to be available if you're interested.)

Speaking of Thursday's game, it will be shown live in 3-D to invited guests in theaters in New York, Boston and L.A., showcasing a technology that maybe, someday, will be available in your den.

Now Fox has joined the fun, announcing it would experiment with the BCS Championship Game - between Texas and Boise State, right? - in 3D.

Fox sports boss David Hill had some blunt comments about the economics of the technology in this article.

Now that Plaxico Burress officially is done until after Super Bowl XLIII, how about one more Plax-related post after all.

It's a partial transcript, courtesy of Sirius XM, of Chris Russo's vintage John Mara rant while discussing Mr. Burress' problems on "Mad Dog Unleashed" this afternoon.

Enjoy:

“I’ll say one thing about the Giants. And the Giants are a classy organization but let’s be fair here. John Mara has more nieces and more nephews and little kids running around Westchester County. Trust me. I know. There’s hundreds of them. If he knew that one of his nieces, including the great Kate Mara, the actress, if he knew that one of his nieces or nephews or, God forbid, his own children was in an establishment late on a Thanksgiving weekend night when one of the patrons was drinking with a loaded pistol in his pocket, John Mara would have gotten out of bed with his pajamas on, hopped into his SUV with sleep on his face, with a cup of coffee and would have himself escorted the nephews, the nieces, the sons, the daughters, his poodle, to get them out of the bar. Guaranteed, guaranteed, guaranteed…”

OK, one more Plax post:

If you were planning to give a loved one a No. 17 Giants jersey emblazoned with the name "Harris Smith" as a holiday gift, you are out of luck.