She's golden, but a Hall of Fame headliner?

BEA ARTHURShe brought us Maude, Dorothy

So, the Hall of Fame made its new honorees known this week and, frankly, the headliner is more than a little disappointing.

With all the star-studded names out there, the big honoree this season is better known as a supporting player than an actual star. Sure, there were some career highlights, but clearly the committee dropped the ball this year. I mean, this showstopper isn't even the biggest name in this year's class.

Even this player had doubts about whether the résumé was strong enough. When the committee originally tried to bestow the honor back in 2003, it was rebuffed.

"I said, 'So sorry, very nice of you, but I can't possibly accept. There are so many talented people in the business.' "

Right on, Maude.

That's correct. Bea Arthur will be enshrined in the TV Academy Hall of Fame Tuesday. She tops a ticket that includes Larry Gelbart, the late, great Merv Griffin, Sherwood Schwartz, and a couple of behind-the-scenes muckety-mucks.

Just how does Bea Arthur get in the same class as Larry Gelbart, Merv Griffin, and Sherwood Schwartz?

Gelbart was one of the writers behind "M*A*S*H." He helped bring to life the brilliant characters of Hawkeye Pierce, Henry Blake, Frank Burns, and, my personal favorite, Colonel Flagg.

Bea Arthur brought us Maude Findlay.

Thanks.

I'm still more than a little upset at the way she treated poor Mrs. Naugatuck.

Besides his self-titled talk show, Merv Griffin was the golden boy of game shows, developing such hits as "Jeopardy!" "Wheel of Fortune," and, of course, "Crosswords."

Bea Arthur brought us Dorothy Zbornak.

Thanks again.

Did you know Arthur was actually older than the late Estelle Getty, who played her mother (and was the real star) on "The Golden Girls"?

The real king on this list is Schwartz. Where would we be without Schwartz? As if he hadn't done enough for America by creating "Gilligan's Island," he hit us with "The Brady Bunch."

Schwartz comes up with "Gilligan's" (my favorite episode featured "The Mosquitoes") and "Bunch" (my favorite character was the devilish cousin Oliver) and he has to take a back seat to Bea Arthur?

It's enough to make you want to book a three-hour tour.

The picks
New England (-4 1/2) at Seattle - Matt Hasselbeck made a visit to the Issaquah (Wash.) Middle School this week as part of the NFL's "Play 60" program to encourage kids to exercise more. No big deal. The big deal was that after tossing the ball around the gym for a while, two seventh-graders were signed by the Seahawks to play receiver this week. Pick: Patriots.

Jacksonville at Chicago (-6 1/2) - As long as we're talking Halls of Fame, wasn't Walter Payton about the best running back in the last 25 years? Earl Campbell and Barry Sanders rocked, too. Pick: Bears.

Minnesota at Detroit (no line) - With mammoth defenders Pat and Kevin Williams appealing their suspensions for violating the NFL's policy on steroids, the Vikings are taking no chances. The team is in intense negotiations to sign noted tough guys Eric and Tiger Williams to plug holes on the line. Pick: Vikings.

Houston at Green Bay (-6) - Congratulations to the Texans for winning their inaugural game on "Monday Night Football." To mark the achievement, may we suggest retiring those "Battle Red" uniforms forever? Pick: Packers.

Cleveland at Tennessee (-13 1/2) - Ken Dorsey gets the start at quarterback for the Browns. Couldn't Phil Savage at least bring in Bernie Kosar or Brian Sipe for Romeo's farewell tour? Pick: Titans.

Cincinnati at Indianapolis (-13 1/2) - Speaking of farewell tours, it would be nice if Chad Ocho Cinco could do something nice for Marvin Lewis as his tenure on the Cincinnati sideline winds down. And when we say nice, we mean score a touchdown or two. Pick: Colts.

Atlanta at New Orleans (-3) - At the risk of getting ahead of ourselves, this game pits the Rookie of the Year against the Most Valuable Player. Pick: Saints.

Philadelphia at NY Giants (-7) - The obvious thing to do here would be to take a cheap shot at Plaxico Burress. But unlike him, we're going to aim higher. Pick: Giants.

Kansas City at Denver (-9) - Chiefs coach Herm Edwards is worried about his club being overconfident after last week's win in Oakland. Coach Edwards, how overconfident can a 2-10 team be? Pick: Chiefs.

Miami vs. Buffalo (-1) - This one's in Toronto, eh? In tribute to the CFL, the Bills will wear Ottawa Rough Riders throwbacks and the Dolphins will don Saskatchewan Roughriders throwbacks. Also, the McKenzie Brothers are being brought in for the pregame loonie toss. Pick: Dolphins.

NY Jets (-4) at San Francisco - After last week's loss to the Broncos, Jets coach Eric Mangini said, "We've established a certain way to play football around here. We've established a certain identity and this wasn't even close to that." Really? They looked exactly like the mediocre team (22-22) they've been since Mangini took over. Pick: 49ers.

St. Louis at Arizona (-14) - Anyone else out there think the Geico Cavemen have officially worn out their welcome? That show was canceled because nobody liked it, right? Pick: Cardinals.

Dallas at Pittsburgh (-3) - Wade Phillips's new coaching strategy is to give his players as much rest as possible. Fitting, because they look like they've been sleepwalking for half the season. Pick: Cowboys.

Washington at Baltimore (-5) - Something tells me Jason Campbell is going to have a real queasy stomach when he looks across the line of scrimmage and sees Ray Lewis frothing at the mouth. Pick: Ravens.

Tampa Bay at Carolina (-3) - In closing, congratulations Larry, Merv, and Sherwood. Yeah, you too, Bea, but only because your fights with Archie Bunker were classic. Pick: Buccaneers.

Last week: 5-11. Season: 90-98-4.