This is the second year in the past 10 where an Elmo toy has been the hot, hard-to-find toy of the year (the same can be said for the PS3 --- literally), and I'm not exactly sure why. With the PS3, the shortage is most likely due to a combination of the materials used to manufacture the Blu-Ray drive being scarce and the fact that Sony loses hundreds of dollars per unit sold, so it really is bad business for them to sell very many.

But the Elmo is another matter. The PS3 is an overpowered computer with cutting-edge laser technology. The Elmo is the exact same Elmo manufactured since 1996, presumably with the same cell phone vibrator mechanism inside. In this case, the demand is completely and entirely manufactured, and next month when Elmo is everywhere you'll feel like a moron for spending $1,000 buying one off eBay.

I say we just combine the two so that gullible dolts don't have to waste their money bidding on 2 separate auctions. Put a fuzzy exterior on the PS3 and if you rub its tickle spot it can shoot you with a Blu-Ray laser and urge you to purchase Gran Turismo.

Shortened NFL picks this week:

MIN at GB: GB
KC at OAK: KC
CAR at ATL: ATL
TEN at BUF: BUF
TB at CLE: TB
CHI at DET: CHI
WAS at STL: STL
NO at NYG: NO
BAL at PIT: PIT (Upset Special)
NE at JAX: NE
IND at HOU: IND
AZ at SF: SF
CIN at DEN: CIN
SD at SEA: SD
PHI at DAL: DAL
NYJ at MIA: MIA