Nvidia started a new Web site devoted to its increasingly ugly rivalry with Intel. The site, dubbed "Intel's Insides," features a series of cartoons that parody Intel and its chief executive Paul Otellini. Actually, the cartoons do more than just poke fun at Otellini -- they flat out accuse Intel's CEO of bribery and coercion. And the cartoons come amid a federal antitrust lawsuit against Intel from the New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.

Nvidia may think its jokes are funny, but Intel won't. The two companies are already embroiled in legal battle, and "Intel's Insides" could add another lawsuit to mix. So here's the question for Nvidia: when you pull a tiger by the tail as a prank, what exactly are you hoping to gain?

Lately, Nvidia's Intel bashing has grown tiresome. I'm a Red Sox fan, so I'm quite familiar with suffering from an inferiority complex in the face of a larger, strong and more successful rival. These cartoons are like Sox fans endlessly chanting "Yankees Suck!" -- even when the team isn't playing the Yankees. It reeks of immaturity and misplaced aggression. And yes, those are the hallmarks of any good sports fanatic. But this isn't a sports rivalry. This is business.

Nvidia seems hell bent on trying to show up Intel and prove that it won't be bullied. Its outspoken CEO Jen-Hsun Huang can't pass up an opportunity to bash the world's largest chipmaker. But I'm wondering what Nvidia and Huang hope to accomplish by continuing to provoke Intel. What's the point? I'm all for good competitive rivalries, but a blog with silly cartoons? Wouldn't Nvidia be better off composing an effective advertising campaign like Verizon's "There's a map for that" or Apple's "Get a Mac" ads?

All of this makes me think there's something else going on here: Nvidia is trying to distract us from its own problems. It's a poor attempt at misdirection, frankly. While the headlines today may be dominated by news of "Intel's Insides," Nvidia will still have lingering issues that aren't going away any time soon. For example, AMD's new line of Radeon graphics chips are suddenly putting pressure on Nvidia's GeForce 9 series. In addition, Jon Peddie Research recently reported that graphics shipments for the third quarter were up an amazing 21.2 percent, with AMD seeing the biggest growth at 30 percent. Meanwhile, Nvidia's growth was a mere 3.3.

Nvidia will likely continue to shout and scream at Intel, despite its own issues. Personally, I'd wish the company would just shut up, buckle down and focus on its core competency: graphics chips. But Nvidia isn't going to do that; it's just not the company's nature. It will continue to poke and tease the tiger, hoping for some kind of reaction.

Well, be careful what you wish for, Nvidia. You just might get it.