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1. The Yankees have formed a partnership with Steiner Sports Marketing to hawk game-used bats, balls, bases, hats, lineup cards and other items on the Web and at the team's shops. So far the most popular item is Jason Giambi's used syringes.

2. Boudreaux's Butt Paste, a diaper-rash reliever, has signed an extension to its primary sponsorship deal with a NASCAR Busch Series team. Boudreaux's will sponsor the No. 93 car driven by Kim Crosby, who will be the third full-time female driver in Busch Series history. Still, some women's groups are upset at the apparent implication that child-rearing is a women's job.

3. The NBA Referees Association will remove the sections of its Web site that explain and interpret league rules. The NBA reportedly felt that its referees should not publicly comment on or interpret the rules in response to fans' questions. The controversy apparently began when one ref conceded in print that he'd never heard of a travel.

4. It seems the media may have jumped the gun on the supposed Anna Kournikova-Enrique Iglesias nuptials. People magazine reports that the pair is, in fact, not married. The most surprising aspect is the fact that Anna apparently announced her retirement from professional tennis in March. The 10 Spot honestly did not know that; we assumed she was recovering from some injury. Then again, it's not like Anna did all that much playing even when she was active, given the pesky fact that one needs to win to advance. Still, how long can we refer to her as "Russian tennis star Anna Kournikova," the billing she still draws? Is there a statute of limitations?

5. The Dodgers have pulled out of the proposed three-team, 10-player deal that would have sent Randy Johnson to the Yankees. The full deal never reached the desk of commissioner Bud Selig, who had to approve the swap because more than $1 million would have changed hands. But Selig must now rule on George Steinbrenner's decision to fire L.A. GM Paul DePodesta.

6. The AP will no longer allow its football poll to be a component of the BCS rankings, fearing that the writers were creating news rather than reporting it. The AP writers, unlike those who vote in the coaches' poll, made their selections public. The BCS matchups will now be determined by the Masons and a cabal of Swiss bankers.

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7. ESPN2 will debut Bass Saturday on Jan. 1, 4½ hours of programming anchored by the news and highlights program BassCenter. The show's breakout star is expected to be Billy Bass, a colorful talking fish who constantly screams his trademark phrase, "Is that a hook in your gills, or are you just happy to see me?"

8. Canucks forward Todd Bertuzzi was expected to accept a plea bargain Wednesday after being charged with assault causing bodily harm for his sucker punch of the Avalanche's Steve Moore last March. According to the deal, Bertuzzi will avoid jail time and instead perform community service. That leaves Bertuzzi free to not play NHL hockey.

9. The Amazing Race update: Jonathan actually toned down his Victoria-bashing on Tuesday's episode, saving some of his venom for airline-counter workers and cabbies, one of whom quite justifiably tossed him out of his cab. This comes after the New York Post reported that the show's executive producer had instructed Jonathan to "chill out" after his outburst in the previous episode. Still, Jonathan and Victoria's constant bickering was noted by the other competitors, with Kris offering, "They should probably have some counseling." That's an ominous sign, since Kris and Jon are perhaps the most even-tempered couple in the history of reality TV, and maybe in all of reality. Even when the pair stalled out in the middle of a Hungarian traffic circle amid cursing Hungarian motorists, all they did was push the car and laugh at the absurdity of it all. The 10 Spot has found a new pair to root for after the elimination of the Mormon sisters and the grandparents. If there's any such thing as good karma, Kris and Jon should win in a walk.

10. Tuesday brought a surprising flurry of e-mails from 10 Spot readers pointing out our erroneous Lock of the Week pick, in which we took the Patriots laying 9½ points against the Dolphins on Monday night. Given our decent-but-unspectacular 9-6 record, we've obviously been wrong before, but this is the first time we've received even one comment. (Not counting my cousin Brian, who scoffed at my selection of the Redskins over the Packers back in November.) Hey, if we really thought we could consistently pick NFL winners against the spread, we'd be living it up in Vegas. At this point, we simply hope the 10 Spot is competing in the NFC.