From our mailbag:

Has the kow-towing already begun at the Wall Street Journal? Rupert Murdoch hasn’t officially taken over the WSJ yet, but some of the paper’s staffers seem to be falling into line. On page A6 of today’s WSJ, a story about the “ire” over Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to New York, says the New York Post told him in a headline to “go to hell.” Actually, it was Thursday’s page 1 in the in the New York DAILY NEWS. As I recall, the post front–page was a self-promotion for the new page 6 mag and an a-jad story headlined “zero tolerance.”

Naturally, we're convinced this was all just an innocent mistake. Surely, the WSJ wouldn't have intentionally credited the Post with a Daily News headline! After all, that would be an extremely bizarre (and easily traceable) breach of journalism ethics. Plus which the Post's own "Zero Tolerance" headline was clearly much, much zippier.

We thought we saw the Best Headline Ever on Us Weekly's website yesterday. But that was until we saw this one on CNN this morning:

"Clerks lick veggies in rap video; A&P sues."

Game, set, match: CNN.

Ever tried to come up with a clever headline? It's actually far more difficult than you might imagine. In fact, not many can master the delicate balance of clever wordplay, straightforward news and an informative synopsis in 10 words or less.

Which is why whenever there's "breaking" news (and we use the term loosely to incorporate ABC's recent announcement regarding Isaiah Washington's termination) we like to see what the veterans came up with.

After scanning the internet and filtering out all the boring "Washington Fired From Grey's Anatomy" fare, we've gathered the most impressive entrees for your convenience…after the jump.

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Since you're probably sitting down to you computers, lunch in hand, looking for a quick read, we've taken the liberty of scouring the internets and rounding up the best headlines regarding Jim McGreevey's recent decision to become an Episcopalian priest.

• "He'd Like To Be Jim McRevvy" (NYDN)
• "The Day Jim McGreevey Upped The Ink-Grabbing Ante" (Queerty)
• "HEAVEN HELP US! MCG TO BE PRIEST" (NYP)
• "McGreevey's Life Journey Is Taking A Spiritual Turn" (Newark Star Ledger)

Truthfully, we're still partial to our own incarnations, "What Are You, A Priest? 'Actually, Yeah,' Says Jim McGreevey" and "McGreevey To Become Episcopal Priest; Catholics Still Swear He's Going To Hell," as well as Gawker's more risqué submissions.

But of the above entrants, we have to give the Daily News their due. And a free "Venti" beverage of choice (from the downstairs Starbucks) for whoever coined the name "McRevvy."

Just how many different ways are there to describe badly how the Jets, Giants blew it yesterday? Apparently, quite a few. The NYT goes the boring/traditional route,** but the tabloids nearly wet themselves in the excitement of dreaming up new, innovative ways to say "You Suck."

In the first corner, we have the New York Daily News, who scores immediate bonus points for channeling a cartoon pig:

FOR ERIC'S JETS, PATS ALL FOLKS
N.Y. FANS SPELL FINALE WITH 2 L's
BRADY, JETS ON TWO PLANES

In the second corner, the New York Post proves a worthy competitor, rising to the challenge by whipping out an arsenal of puns:

JETS FLY FROM CHAD TO WORSE
TIME RUNNING OUT TO PENN WINNING STORY
MAGIC RUNS OUT THIS TOM

The Verdict: Both papers certainly get an "E" for Effort, but—in our slighly biased opinion—we feel that we've come up with a headline of our own that better encapsulates the seriousness of the situation:

WITH GIANTS, JETS OUT OF THE PLAYOFFS, NEW YORK'S POSTSEASON HOPES ALL RIDING ON ISIAH THOMAS' KNICKS.

Winner: Team Jossip

**as usual