Randy Moss was placed on waivers Tuesday.

Randy Moss’ ability on the field garnered him the nickname “Freak” early in his career.

Luckily for him, his nicknames off the field never stuck.

The Minnesota Vikings officially placed the talented-yet-trouble wide receiver on waivers Tuesday, meaning NFL teams have until today at 4 p.m. ET to claim him. Interest for Moss has been widespread around the league (SI.com’s Andrew Perloff lists 10 possible landing spots for Moss, but some believe picking up the fleet-footed enigma may be a bad idea, even if your offense could desperately use him.

“I’m sure Randy Moss would be a good get for some team making a playoff push in the second half of the season,” writes Peter King in his latest column, “but I wouldn’t touch him with a 10-foot pole.”

While speaking to King, one NFL executed compared the Vikings letting go of Moss to the Los Angeles Dodgers waiving Manny Ramirez earlier this season, except for the fact that Minnesota’s move reeked much, much more of desperation. The Vikings still have half of their season to play while the Dodgers had just a sixth of theirs when they made their parting move.

And although Moss’ next team will have to pay him the remaining $3.3 million left on his contract in 2010, they could end up paying even more if the experiment goes wrong.

Everywhere Moss has played he’s had a public falling out. His act grew tiresome in Minnesota despite putting up All-Pro numbers. His lack of effort resulted him dumped from Oakland for just a fourth-round pick. And his bickering in New England eventually led to his exit as well.

Which is why reports of Moss’ detrimental conduct last week came as no surprise. Moss allegedly humiliated a St. Paul catering in a post-practice meal only to deliver a post-game speech on Sunday that was even harder to stomach. Those actions, combined with lackluster play on the field, led to Vikings coach Brad Childress waiving the star received.

Randy Moss was once famously quoted saying, “I play when I want to play.”

True. But the All-Pro no longer gets to decide where.

Here’s the action going on around the sporting world today (all times Eastern):

Rutgers at South Florida (7:00 p.m., ESPN2)
Two Big East rivals clash at Raymond James Stadium when the Scarlet Knights (4-3) travel to take on the Bulls (4-3). Rutgers has won the last four matchups, including a 31-0 victory last season.

Milwaukee Bucks at Boston Celtics (8:00 p.m., ESPN)
Rajon Rondo (16.8 assists per game) and the red-hot Celtics host the Bucks, who have struggled to a 1-3 up to this point.

BY THE NUMBERS

20 – Age of Mississippi State defensive end Nick Bell who passed away Tuesday after a short battle with cancer. Bell was diagnosed in late September after experiencing headaches after football practice.

29 – Points Wizards rookie John Wall scored in Washington’s 116-115 win over Philadelphia Tuesday. Wall also had 13 assists and nine steals in the victory. SI.com’s Chris Mannix writes the first-year player has already established himself as a game changer around the league.

8.4 – Average television rating the Giants-Rangers World Series produced, matching 2008 for the lowest World Series rating ever.