12/12 (12-12-12) Quickie

"12-12-12" falls somewhere between "kinda cool" and "not nearly as cool as the attention it's getting."

Bountygate: Very (very) surprised that Paul Tagliabue would implicitly rebuke Roger Goodell overreaching on the player suspensions. But the theory is solid: The players were doing what the coach(es) were telling them to and so the punishments were overly harsh.

MLB Hot Stove: Kevin Youkilis joins the Yankees. Forget the whole "Red Sox player joining the Yankees" storyline; Youkilis immediately becomes the most popular Jewish athlete in New York since Amare Stoudemire. (OK: The most popular Jewish baseball player since Shawn Green... perhaps Sandy Koufax.)

NBA: Carmelo for MVP? I never would have imagined it, but -- yes -- he is in the conversation. (Although with the caveat that both LeBron and Kevin Durant are both better players, giving Melo the "Charles Barkley" or "Karl Malone" MVP during the Jordan years, when MJ shoulda/coulda been MVP every year.)

Lakers still reeling: They're just not a good team right now. (And isn't the season vastly more fascinating with the Lakers being so mediocre? Especially given that so many people -- ahem -- picked them to win the West.)

Kevin Love is unhappy: I can't follow this story without dreaming of my Wizards making a play for Love (Seraphin + Veseley + unprotected 1st-round pick in '13?). Of course, that's coming after the report that my Wizards couldn't seal the deal for James Harden back in the summer. Woo.

College Hoops: Like Notre Dame in football, college hoops is way better when Michigan is really really good. That said: It's a team I'm going to sidestep as a Final Four pick -- so keep winning, Blue, because then everyone will pick them to the Final Four and I'll clean up in the pool by NOT picking them. Still: Really fun to see them back near the top.

Fascinating read: About the way the 49ers are hiring Silicon Valley talent, led by former Facebook CFO (now team president) Gideon Yu. It seems almost unfair that the Niners would have the best coach in sports AND the best team president.

Last thought: Here's hoping the same people who cheered on Jack Taylor's 138 points for Grinnell College a few weeks ago are cheering the Indiana girls' h.s. basketball team that won 107-2.

-- D.S.