Odds on an Alec Baldwin MSNBC return? (Apparently) slim to none

The odds of Alec Baldwin returning to MSNBC after his two-week suspension are now apparently as good as the Jets winning Super Bowl XLVIII. (Hey! Anything is possible. Sure, Sunday's loss hurt and the Jets do sometimes seem to take every other week off, but the Bills are good this season, and .?.?. wait a minute, I'm off topic here. Sorry.)

In any event, there are two prominent reports this morning suggesting Baldwin's short-lived TV talk career may remain just that, at least at MSNBC. The most amusing, as would be expected, was on "Page Six," which says he does only an hour of preparation, and is in a bad mood whenever he arrives at 30 Rock. Worse, he says the air is too "dry" in the building. Apparently "Page Six" doesn't realize he's simply in character, as Jack Donaghy.

(Jack to Lemon: "I'll drop you off at the airport then I'll swing by MSNBC. I have to talk to Rachel Maddow. Only one of us can have this haircut.")

Next: The Hollywood Reporter says MSNBC is disappointed because the numbers have dropped 40 percent after five weeks — to just under 400,000 viewers. Hey, Alec could do what everyone else does: Blame the promotion department. Plus, bookings haven't materialized — one of his biggest "gets" was Chris Matthews, for example.

In that Huff Po cri du coeur that Baldwin posted Saturday morning, the host indicated that he was weighing his options on a return.

Meanwhile, here's an idea for a replacement talk show: Rex Ryan! After all, he can talk and should have plenty of free time by February.