Indianapolis can go for broke or rest up for playoffs

Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts have been down this road before: unbeaten after 13 games, chasing perfection and wondering what to do next. . . .

Back off or keep pushing? . . .

Four years ago, the Colts lost their 14th game, rested their starters in splitting their last two and then, after a first-round bye, fell short against Ben Roethlisberger and the sixth-seeded Pittsburgh Steelers in their only playoff game. . . .

Either way they choose, coaches Jim Caldwell of the Colts and Sean Payton of the unbeaten New Orleans Saints will be second-guessed -- unless everything goes right. . . .

By the way, if the teams remained unbeaten through January, the Colts would be two-point favorites over Drew Brees and the Saints in the Super Bowl, according to BetUS.com. . . .

The hits just keep on coming for Tiger Woods, who has suffered a record-breaking drop in popularity since his infidelity scandal broke, a USA Today/Gallup poll shows. . . .

While 54% of men said they were disappointed in Woods, the figure jumped to 67% among women. . . .

Editors of supermarket tabloids, meanwhile, must love him. . . .

Kobe Bryant refuses to get fingered for the injured list. . . .

Former Lakers and UCLA forward Trevor Ariza left himself open to ridicule from his Houston Rockets teammates this week when he was ejected and suspended for throwing a forearm at ex-USC guard DeMar DeRozan of the Toronto Raptors. . . .

Said Rockets teammate Shane Battier, “We were calling him Manny Pacquiao and ‘Golden Boy’ Oscar De La Hoya.” . . .

The Tammy Wynette chestnut, “D-I-V-O-R-C-E,” sounds like a Dodgers fan’s lament: “I love you both and this will be pure H-E-double L for me/Oh, I wish that we could stop this D-I-V-O-R-C-E.” . . .

Say what you will about his puny arm and lack of power, Juan Pierre made the Dodgers a better team. . . .

If the Angels’ intention was to make the race in the American League West more exciting next summer, Tony Reagins & Co. are enjoying a tremendous off-season. . . .

The addition of World Series MVP Hideki Matsui does not make up for the loss of John Lackey and Chone Figgins, especially with Figgins and Cliff Lee joining the Seattle Mariners. . . .

If the Big Ten adds a 12th member, as it reportedly is considering, what will it call itself? . . .

The Big Ten Plus Two? . . .

Not even the most optimistic of Kings fans would have predicted that Jonathan Quick & Co. would be sitting atop the Western Conference standings this far into the season. . . .

Loyola Marymount, picked to finish last in the West Coast Conference, has been better than expected, but Saturday’s victory at Notre Dame was still a shocker. . . .

The Lions, 3-28 with a Ratings Percentage Index of 320 last season, are 4-7 after sophomore Jarred DuBois made a game-winning three-point shot to take down the Irish. . . .

Malcolm Lee and UCLA play at Notre Dame on Saturday. . . .

Though Seattle University’s athletic teams adopted the politically correct nickname Redhawks in 2000, reader Bill Cohen of Lake Balboa e-mails to note, they were known as the Chieftains when Elgin Baylor led the Seattle basketball team to the championship game of the NCAA tournament in 1958. . . .

Bon voyage and happy trails to Pete Thomas, a popular and devoted colleague who wrote about the outdoors as skillfully and passionately as any other writer in America for more than two decades before losing his job this week. . . .

May the surf always be up and the marlin consistently biting. . . .

Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert, improbable benefactor of the U.S. speedskating team and unlikely Sports Illustrated cover subject: “I am the Michael Jordan of people who don’t deserve to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated.” . . .

The late Allan Malamud would be pleased to learn that Langer’s Delicatessen, which ranked among his favorites, tops a Chowhound poll of “ultimate Los Angeles restaurants.” . . .

Mud, who died in 1996, might have celebrated his 68th birthday last month with a pastrami on rye. . . .

Spotted this week at New York’s LaGuardia Airport: An ad showing Tiger Woods, hands on hips, looking into a water hazard below the words, “It’s what you do next that counts.” . . .

Here’s guessing he’s painfully aware.

jerome.crowe@latimes.com