Mike Francesa hates the Sunday Night Football song with a passion (Video)

Mike Francesa, aka Captain Miserable, is not a fan of many things. And even if he was, he’d never admit it. He’s just one of those guys. On Wednesday, Francesa took aim at the Sunday Night Football theme song.

Most of us have enjoyed the Sunday Night Football theme song for years if only because it gives us an opportunity to look at gorgeous women like Faith Hill and Carrie Underwood for 45 seconds or so. Francesa, however, pays close attention to the lyrics. He despises them.

“That’s the stupidest song that ever was created,” Francesa said. “No one waits all day, they watch football all day. No one waited one minute for Sunday night I watched football all darn day. I always say that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard in lyrics. … Getting ready for Sunday night. That’s the dumbest song ever created.”

We all know what’s coming next. WFAN callers will be all over Francesa this week heckling him about his disdain for the Sunday Night Football theme, just like they did with that hilarious 1776 parody video that was released earlier this month.

H/T The Big Lead

Bill Polian ticked at Jim Irsay for disparaging Colts defense

Former Indianapolis Colts President Bill Polian seems furious with team owner Jim Irsay for disparaging the Colts’ defense and special teams as a way to backtrack from his “cheap shot” at Peyton Manning.

In an interview with USA Today, Irsay seemed to express disappointment over the Colts only winning one Super Bowl with Manning at quarterback. He also said he wanted Super Bowls more than big stats, which sounded like a “cheap shot” at Manning, as John Fox said.

After his comments made huge news Tuesday, Irsay went on his Twitter to “clarify” things. That’s when he stuck his foot further in his mouth, blaming the team’s defense and special teams for the lack of success.

My comments meant if we gave Peyton better SP Teams n Def,we would have won more than 1 Sup/Bowl,instead of asking Peyton 2do too much

— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) October 16, 2013

It's hard 2C how any individual could understand them any other way,but CONTRO sells so I understand the games "Let's get something started"

— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) October 16, 2013

Greatest QB of their era,which is obviously Brady vs Peyton(my vote's Peyton),at least now the media will NOT use Sup/Bowl wins n debate!!

— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) October 16, 2013

In that debate,the clock will spin swiftly back to October,2013…and theIr middle name will quickly endure a hyphen to add hypocrite 2 name

— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) October 16, 2013

Prelude 2 what I was talking about-ORGANIZATIONAL Model n Team building/discussed with J Bell; we committed 70% of cap on Offense n some yrs

— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) October 16, 2013

It’s obviously difficult to understand Irsay’s tweets. I mean you seriously need a special decoder to figure out what that doofus is trying to say, but it’s obvious he switched the blame from Peyton to the defense and special teams. Well that didn’t sit well with Polian, who was the man chiefly responsible for constructing those teams.

“Well I never had an exit interview, so I can’t tell you [what Irsay meant with his comments],” Polian said with a bitter tone. “But let me deal with some facts, OK? I’ll give you some names: Dwight Freeney, Robert Mathis, Kelvin Hayden, Gary Brackett, David Thornton, Adam Vinatieri, Pat Angerer, Bob Sanders, Antonine Bethea. And, by the way, there was a salary cap.

“When he talks about this model that he wants to build, which I’ve said a hundred times is perfectly OK — he’s the owner, he can do what he wants — when he has to pay Andrew Luck as one of the top-paid quarterbacks, if not the top-paid quarterback in the league two years from now, he’ll be back in the same boat we were in for all the years that we had Peyton.

“We did our best. If it wasn’t good enough, that’s fine. I don’t have any problem with it. But I will tell you this: I and I’m sure I speak for most of my teammates and colleagues, are very proud of what we did. Our record is there for all to see. It’s up to this new group of Colts and this new model to meet or exceed what we did.”

That was a great response from Polian. Irsay should have just stood by his original comments, said his quotes were taken out of context, or just clarified and said he had tremendous respect for Manning. I’m not sure why he decided to turn around and blame the defense and special teams for a lack of Super Bowls. It just seems so silly on his part.

Mario Chalmers had a rough game, possibly because of some bad crab dip

Mario Chalmers had a night to forget against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday. Fortunately, we’re only in the preseason. The Miami Heat guard shot 0-for-9 from the field, including a horrendous 0-for-7 from three-point range. His only two points came on free throws, and Chalmers turned the ball over four times. Don’t worry, he has a valid excuse.

Chalmers has been an important role player for the Heat during their back-to-back championship runs. Hopefully he learned his lesson on Tuesday night and will be laying off the crab dip prior to games once the regular season begins.

Never again will I eat arena crab dip before the game. Stomach goin thru it right now

— Mario Chalmers (@mchalmers15) October 16, 2013

On one hand, you have to wonder why any athlete would slam down some crab dip before a game. On the other, do you remember what Kobe Bryant said he ate before his incredible 81-point performance? Maybe Chalmers thought the crab would give him a boost.

H/T Ball Don’t Lie

Mariano Rivera was ready for retirement, had ‘no desire’ in September

Mariano Rivera could still be a very effective closer if he chose to return to the New York Yankees for another season in 2014. The 43-year-old saved 44 games this season. He blew seven saves, though his 2.11 ERA was below his career ERA of 2.21. Still, all indications are that the Sandman has no intention of changing his mind.

In an upcoming documentary that will air on FOX this weekend called “BEING: Mariano Rivera,” the Yankee legend is shown having lunch in Boston with Red Sox slugger David Ortiz. He addressed his impending retirement while the cameras rolled.

“I can’t wait for the moment when this is over,” Rivera told Ortiz in Spanish, via the NY Post’s Page Six. “I’m ready for it already, brother. I’m ready for it. Mentally and physically, I’m ready for it. There’s no desire anymore.”

It had to have been incredibly difficult for Rivera to remain focused this season. Those of you who kept track of all the thoughtful gifts Mo received from teams around Major League Baseball can appreciate that he had to worry about a lot more than just pitching on game day. He became bigger than the game. As the greatest closer of all time, Rivera deserved it. That does not mean he was comfortable with it.

“We keep doing this for what?” Rivera added during his chat with Ortiz. “Is it for boastfulness, or for the love of the game, or because we don’t want to do anything else?”

For what it’s worth, Rivera may have worn down as his season — and likely career — came to a close. Five of his seven blown saves came during the final two months of the season, including back-to-back blown saves against the Red Sox in the series surrounding his lunch with Big Papi. Could Rivera come back and pitch effectively next season? There’s no doubt in my mind, but he seems perfectly at peace with his decision to call it a career.

Thanks to LBS reader David for the tip

Josh Freeman to start for Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings announced on Wednesday that Josh Freeman will get the start at quarterback on Monday night against the New York Giants. Freeman signed with the Vikings just over a week ago, days after he was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

It was previously reported that Freeman had a chance to start this week for his new team as long as he could familiarize himself with the playbook in time. Christian Ponder, who began the season as Minnesota’s quarterback, has been nursing a rib injury. Matt Cassel played well in a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers before the bye week, but he threw two interceptions in a blowout loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

Simply put, the Vikings probably can’t do any worse. Freeman has a strong arm and plenty of experience, even if he did play poorly this season in Tampa Bay. He has proven he can win games at the NFL level, which is something that has been a challenging task for the Vikings this season.

When Freeman starts on Sunday, he’ll become the first NFL quarterback to start for two teams in one season since Kyle Orton started for the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos in 2011. Now we’ll be able to get a better feel for whether or not his poor play in Tampa was the direct result of a tarnished relationship with head coach Greg Schiano.

Brandon Marshall shares letter from his NFL fine for wearing green shoes

Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall expected to receive a fine for wearing green cleats against the New York Giants last Thursday night, and the league delivered its love letter right on schedule. Marshall, who has been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, chose to wear the green shoes to bring attention to Mental Health Awareness Week.

Marshall knew the cleats were against the NFL’s uniform policy, but he vowed to wear them anyway and match any fine the league levied against him with a donation to charity. On Wednesday morning, he shared a photo of the letter the league sent him informing him of his penalty.

Football is my platform not my purpose. This fine is nothing compared to the conversation started & awareness raised. pic.twitter.com/P9GNygFpH9

— Machine Marshall (@BMarshall) October 16, 2013

Marshall lit up New York’s secondary on Thursday, catching nine passes for 89 yards and two touchdowns. His shoes were mentioned on the NFL Network broadcast several times, and he later auctioned them off for $2,150 and donated that money as well. For someone who is playing under roughly a $50 million contract, the money Marshall had to pay the league was well worth it. He more than accomplished his goal.

Photo: Instagram/Brandon Marshall

Dwight Howard ‘a little upset’ Orlando Magic let Tobias Harris wear No. 12

Dwight Howard would like to think that he left behind a legacy when he was traded from the Orlando Magic to the Los Angeles Lakers. He is the Magic’s franchise leader in points, rebounds and blocked shots. However, Howard never won a championship with Orlando and left the team on sour terms. And now he expects the Magic to essentially retire his jersey number?

In a recent interview with Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, during which Howard said he left the Lakers because he “had to do what was best for Dwight,” the 27-year-old admitted he would have liked his former team to block players from wearing No. 12. The jersey is currently worn by 21-year-old small forward Tobias Harris.

“I just think that despite whatever happened, there was a lot of things that I did and that we did as a team, and that number was special down there,” Howard said. “And I was a little bit upset about that.”

Howard also expressed regret for the way his career in Orlando ended. That being said, how delusional is this guy? No one is saying the Magic have to despise him, but is everyone just supposed to forget about the way he embarrassed the team with his phony relationship with Stan Van Gundy toward the end? Or how about all the reports that he was disgusted with Orlando and wanted out, all of which were followed with infamous Dwight denials?

As a side note, Harris is wearing No. 12 to honor a close friend of his who died from leukemia at age 17. We’re assuming Howard was unaware of that.

Maybe Howard will win a championship with the Houston Rockets and the fans will love him. Perhaps some day his number will be retired in Houston. But as of now, he doesn’t exactly have massive fan bases in Orlando and LA. Why should he?

H/T Ball Don’t Lie

Tyrann Mathieu chasing javelinas in Arizona and ‘honey badger don’t care’

Tyrann Mathieu has had a solid start to his NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals this season. Despite missing an entire year at LSU after he failed multiple drug tests, Mathieu has made some big plays in Arizona this year and held his own in the defensive backfield.

After spending some time in a drug rehabilitation facility last year and looking to get his life back on track, Mathieu said he was ditching his “Honey Badger” nickname. He was then drafted by the Cardinals in the third round and admitted he was open to bringing the nickname back over the summer. Oh, it’s back alright.

Been chasing javelinas all night.. The cost you pay for living by mountains.. Honey badger don't care

— Tyrann Mathieu (@Mathieu_Era) October 16, 2013

For those of who you don’t watch Animal Planet, javelinas — also known as peccaries — are a member of the pig family. Any member of the pig family, of course, is no match for the Honey Badger. Considering the insane play Mathieu made against the St. Louis Rams earlier this year, we don’t blame him for bringing back his nickname. The rookie has earned it.

LeBron James: I’ve never had a basketball conversation with Michael Jordan

LeBron James is often compared to Michael Jordan. Their styles of play and physical makeup are quite different, but King James and Air Jordan are two of the greatest players to ever touch an NBA court. Many people assume they have some sort of relationship with one another simply because they’re, well, MJ and LeBron. That doesn’t seem to be the case.

In a recent interview with ESPN the Magazine’s Chris Broussard, LeBron was asked if he ever wishes he had a closer relationship with Jordan.

(more…)

Oklahoma WR Trey Metoyer charged for allegedly masturbating in public

Oklahoma sophomore wide receiver Trey Metoyer is no longer with the football team for disciplinary reasons. While most players typically get the boot from their teams for drug-related violations or not doing well in class, Metoyer’s story is a bit more disturbing.

According to SoonerScoop.com, Metoyer has been charged with two felony counts of indecent exposure. Metoyer initially denied the allegations against him, but later admitted that both incidents did in fact take place. The first was on Aug. 29. Here is the victim’s description from a probable cause affidavit obtained by SoonerScoop.com.

“The victim advised she was on a balcony smoking a cigarette when she observed the black male driving through the parking lot ? in a red Grand Am. The black male backed up and pulled into a parking spot. The victim noticed a short time later that the black male had his (genitals) exposed while sitting in the car (performing a lewd act).”

The second incident was similar in nature. This time, on Sept. 17, the victim claimed Metoyer approached her and asked if he could borrow a pen.

“It was learned that the victim was walking her dog when she was approached by a black male who asked her if he could borrow a pen,” the affidavit of the Sept. 17 incident stated. “The victim went into her apartment to get an ink pen and when she came back outside, the black male was (performing a lewd act) in front of her apartment. The black male then asked the victim if she would want the pen back.”

Metoyer was identified by the victim of the Sept. 17 incident earlier this month in a six-person photo lineup. Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops addressed Metoyer’s standing (or lack thereof) with the team on Tuesday night.

“Trey has not been with us since prior to the TCU game and at this time I do not anticipate that he will return to the team in the future,” Stoops said.

This dude obviously has a problem. Getting arrested for indecent exposure because you refuse to pull up your baggy pants is one thing. What Metoyer did is sexual harassment by any interpretation of the term.