TEN THINGS I THINK I THINK

1. I think Donovan McNabb ought to work for the U.N. "Everything is going to be fine," he said the other day, when asked about the potential in training camp for a Terrell Owens dustup. "I know you guys are looking for a story, for us to start fighting or stuff like that. Sorry if I don't give that to you, but I'm just going to be me.'' More interesting was his take on the shelf life of the NFC champs. "I think the window could be closing,'' he said. "I feel like I have the key to it and I have control of how far the window closes.''

2. I think the weirdest sight I've seen on the trip so far is Brian Billick's gray beard. Unless, of course, you include the bright red and white American Flag-motif tattoo Jeremy Shockey just got on his bicep.

3. I think this is the reason you can't judge a player definitively by watching two or four hours of practice in a team's training camp, even though you'd like to think you can: The other day, at Lions' camp, I watched Joey Harrington complete four tough throws in a row, two in heavy traffic. Either he's the next Johnny Unitas, or a quarterback who knows he's not going to be hit has an easier time of it. Or somewhere in between. Harrington did look terrific. You know the sense I got being there? The entire camp is holding its breath, dying to know if the guy can be the 63-65-percent passer Steve Mariucci's offense needs him to be.

4. I think the Giants will be in some very big trouble if Eli Manning's not as durable as his brother. Tim Hasselbeck behind him? Maybe it's a sign of bad backups leaguewide, but to me he's a three, not a two. I was impressed with Manning, but if you read this column you know I think he's going to be really good. He's got the right attitude to be a quarterback in New York. He doesn't care about all the peripheral things that don't matter. Nice job, Archie.

5. I think it was interesting to hear the other day from Atlanta owner Arthur Blank that he thinks there's going to be a thaw in the negotiations for a new collective-bargaining agreement this month. All I can say is they better figure out how not to screw this game up.

6. I think, like my highly respected peer from Dallas, Rick Gosselin, that Kansas City linebacker Derrick Johnson will be defensive rookie of the year.

7. I think Chad Pennington's arm will be just fine and it won't affect the Jets' pursuit of the Patriots in the AFC East.

8. I think I don't blame Nick Saban for dressing down Manuel Wright the way he did. For crying out loud, THE GUY FORGOT HIS SHOULDER PADS! HOW DO YOU FORGET YOUR SHOULDER PADS WHEN YOU'RE PLAYING FOOOTBALL?

9. I think Manny Ramirez ought to be ashamed of himself. He's a disgrace to any uniform, not just to the one I happen to be partial to. The guy's making $20 million a year, and he thinks it buys him the right to act like the biggest diva in sports. For those outside the Hub, Ramirez leaked to SI's Tom Verducci that he wanted to be traded last week, which evidently is an annual request, a request well-nigh impossible to grant because only three or four teams would ever dream of taking on his salary. Ramirez asked manager Terry Francona for last Wednesday off, so he'd be able to have to take two days off in a row. The Red sox were off Thursday. I have no idea why a baseball player who is not hurt needs two days off in a row, but Francona said yes. That night, right fielder Trot Nixon suffered a pulled oblique, sending him to the disabled list. The backup outfield position is thin for Boston, so Francona asked Manny if he'd play Thursday. Ramirez said no. Francona cobbled together a lineup that beat the Devil Rays. Then Manny got booed Friday night at home, both for the trade request and asking out of the lineup when the team needed him so much. Good for the fans. And then Ramirez, with trade talks swirling, agreed with Francona that he should not be in the lineup Saturday and Sunday. Too much heat from the fans, seemingly. Now, I wasn't for booing Keith Foulke when he struggled, because he was out there trying his rear end off even though he was failing. I am all for booing Ramirez, because he is letting his team down in the middle of a pennant race, sitting like a petulant child because he can't take the consequences of the actions he caused.

You want to blame Francona for not standing up to Manny? Fine. But he's damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. If Ramirez blows up and says he's not playing for Francona, the manager would be ripped for not handling his diva with kid gloves. If he mild-manners it, he's ripped for not slapping Manny around. There is no simplistic answer here, other than to say my prayers that Theo Epstein can find some lame brain organization to take this sniveling baby off Boston's hands come December. And it doesn't change anything that Ramirez got the game-winning hit on Sunday, coming off the bench against Minnesota. He's still a prima donna. He never should have been coming off the bench in the first place. He ought to have been booed for taking the previous seven at-bats off.

10. I think these are my other non-football thoughts of the week:

a. Congrats on the Hall of Fame, Peter Gammons. You're an inspiration to a generation of writers you don't even know, and some, like me, who know you only in passing.

b. I know I miss a lot of life out here on the road, but it's got to be pretty scary to be a London commuter right now.

c. God, Stephen A. Smith is famous.

d. Coffeenerdness: I see what Howard Schultz is doing. He's Starbucksing America. The stores are everywhere. Used to be, even two or three years ago, I had to makes plans to find a good latte on the road during the summer. This morning, I wrote this column in the Starbucks inside the Safeway supermarket here in Maryland.

e. ESPN has to take that eating contest off TV. With starvation in Africa on the news every week, it's a disgrace to show a bunch of idiots gorging themselves to nearly puking proportions.

f. I thought it was supposed to be the hottest summer in memory. The other day, in Green Bay, I was wishing for a windbreaker during the morning practice. It was, I'd say, 60 in the shade.

g. Do the Devil Rays actually understand that trading is allowed in baseball?