Between them, the Leafs and Raptors are thinner than a Ron Wilson smile or Jay Triano's hair.

Between them, Toronto's disastrous duo has won 33 games this combined NHL and NBA season - or the same as the Boston Bruins have managed on their lonesome before last night's 2-1 loss in Washington. Boston is enjoying the best of both worlds, hockey and hoops. The Celtics beat New Jersey by 20 yesterday afternoon to keep pace with their co-tenants, also with 33 W's.

Boston, 66. Toronto, 33.

No contest.

Go down the list of the 18 cities that have franchises in both leagues and, heading into yesterday's play, only two partnerships were worse - the Los Angeles-area combo of Ducks and Clippers, with 30 wins between them, and Tennessee's paired-for-this-purpose Memphis Grizzlies and Nashville Predators, with 31. And never mind ties and overtime losses and shootouts, it's the wins that make the chests and egos and heads swell.

Next behind Boston's duo was Detroit's Red Wings and Pistons, but they are well back with 53 wins.

Throw in the Patriots and Red Sox and it's a great time to be a Beaner.

AND FURTHERMORE: Among those who witnessed the crash landing of that airliner in the Hudson River was Vince Carter of the Nets, who lives in a high-rise overlooking the scene. "I was just sitting there," Carter told reporters, "looking out the window - dead even where the plane hit." He said it was like watching TV or a movie. "It hit like nose first, and you could (hear) the impact. Couldn't believe it. Just couldn't believe it." ... For the record, during his days with the Raptors, Carter more than once crashed and burned. ... However things work out for him, Kaka will be full of it. Money, that is. ... Kaka is a common diminutive for the name Ricardo in Brazil. The Brazilian midfielder's proper name is Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite. ... Go down the list of still-active quarterbacks and there are several headed to the hall of fame for sure, be it Brett Favre or Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. But what about Kurt Warner? He's a two-time league MVP and one-time Super Bowl MVP. If he somehow gets the Cardinals through today's game and into the Super Bowl, should he be considered a Canton can't-miss, too? Just asking. But if he were to wind up with another Bowl ring, it says here he's in. ... Yes, the Argos deserve credit for avoiding retreads in their hiring of new head coach Bart Andrus. But CFL teams that give the big opportunities to Canadian born and bred and trained coaches deserve all sorts of credit, too. ... Salary cap considerations keep the NFL in a constant state of change, even upheaval. To wit, the San Diego Chargers are considering releasing or trading LaDainian Tomlinson. ... Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was asked by a reporter about his players' opinion of him: "I'm not interested in my players' evaluation of my performance," he replied. "I'm paid to evaluate them. How's your editor doing?"