Caught on the Fly

Hey, didn't you used to be a senior?

* Fly expects the rechargers to play the No. 1 pick close to the chest, especially now that Mike Vick's in the mix. The team's John Butler-sized quandary: Is Vick, a two-year starter at VaTech, a franchise QB the G.M.'d slap forehead over passin' up/along or merely opportunity--Akili Smith in blue-n-yellow-to deal for inflated price.

* Speaking of S.D. QBs, plenty-o-No. 2 pencils're bein' pushed at college football all-star games-n-scouting opps. Mental jumpin' jacks in the form of fill-in-the-bubble psych pro-filing serve a purpose if teams pay attention. Exhibit A: Cryin' Ryan Leafs pre-draft brain-type test predicted he wasn't, ahem, "wired for optimal success."

* Talk about real estate ... Fly hears Li'l Ricky Pitino paid $5.9 mil for that Beantownhouse two years ago and is askin' $8.5 mil for it now. What to do with the cap gains? Hmmm, how 'bout red 17, Coach.

* Yup, the Ns recognized this year's their best shot at the Series, and that's why they pulled the trigger on the Johnny Damon deal. But a front-office worker bee was thisclose to admitting that cutting the Giants off at the three-team pass made this swap all the sweeter.

* Fly's Top 5, or "Here's Plug for Teams with the Biggest Holes": 1. Virginia Tech; 2. Florida; 3. Nebraska; 4. Auburn; 5. NC State.

* Squeezing big names at the NBA trade mart? Grizz's owner might've told team brass to clam up on trade talk, but Fly hears Mike Bibby and Shareef Abdur-Rahim still're ripe for plucking 'cause the brains think former's too quiet to lead and latter's late shots're too, ahem, brick-like. Most interested/interesting: the Bulls-n-Hawks.

* The Spies say let's get this straight: Chris Spielman's a Buckeye through-n-through. But when it comes to OSU's vacancy, the guy wasn't a player. His skimpy resume made him more wannabe than gonnabe.

* Dressing room buzz is that despite NHL reg-season success, Blues' lack of emotional control plus rough edges in their game stand as postseason stumbling blocks to catching up with NHL elite.

* Sacramentologists studyin' Jason Williams' behavior say full-blown poufs been avoided in recent games if/when late-game subs happen. But that's just subtext to C-Webb whisperin' to Mends that he'll be a dominant player in Eastern Conference when NoCal's in his rear-view mirror.

* Finally, the Spies got a quick "no comment" when they asked the Reds if they're chatting about sending QB/3B Drew Henson back to the Yankees. Buzz is the Pinstripes envision him steppin' in soon after this, the last year-o-Scott Brosius' three-year deal. Problem is, which is it, Kid, football or baseball?

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