"Now there are two good-looking guys at Real Madrid!"

Another day, another slew of cup matches. The playboys in white took on Athletico Bilbao, and the result was fairly predictable. But it was interesting to see the dynamics within the squad. Robinho and Julio Baptista are clearly enjoying their football, and they play with the same smiling innocence as L'il Ron, if not with as much verve.

Robinho missed at least one sitter, but he also seemed to pop up in the right place most of the time. His tricks weren't as mesmerizing as L'il Ron's, but he still managed to shake most of the Basque defenders.

As well as being one of the most effective deep strikers - moreso even than Raul of late - Julio Baptista is like the Adriano you'd actually like to meet. He's also another player of quality who got away from Tyneside.

On the other side of the ledger, observe Thomas Gravesen. He lost his rag early and often, finally shoving Baptista out of the way when the latter tried to intervene in a dispute. While TDH might have enjoyed seeing Lex Luthor and the Big Friendly Giant square off in the Octagon, there were just too many reminders - the green four-sided pitch, the goal nets made of string, the other players - that this was actually a football match. Somehow Gravesen managed to miss them. Another misfit heading Toonward? Seems like we do a pretty good trade with the Madrilenos.

Meanwhile, TDH caught the highlights of Milan's back-and-forth embarrassment with Brescia. Inzaghi's opening goal looked like a stroke of genius... until it became plain that 1) he handled the ball to control it and 2) it took a deflection before looping over the Brescia keeper. It was like the old joke that starts, "Comrade, did you hear, they're giving away cars in Moscow!" The punch line? Actually it's in Leningrad, it's bicycles not cars, and they're not giving them away - you have to steal them. Kind of like Milan's 4-3 victory.