After Brett Favre's "Pants on the Ground" rendition last weekend, I figured there wasn't anything else that could make me root for the Saints more. Well that was until this morning, and the release of Prince's new Viking Fight Song "Purple and Gold". Via FOX 9 in Minnesota....

Purple and Gold Lyrics

the veil of the sky draws open
the roar of the chariots touch down
we r the ones who have now come again
and walk upon water like solid ground
as we approach the throne we won't bow down
this time we won't b denied

raise every voice and let it b known
in the name of the purple and gold

we come in the name of the purple and gold
all of the odds r in r favor
no prediction 2 bold
we r the truth if the truth can b told
long reign the purple and gold

the eyes say ready 4 battle
no need 4 sword in hand
we r all amped up like a rock n roll band
ready 2 celebrate every score
ready 2 fight the elegant war
ready 2 hear the crowd roar

that's what we came 4
and so much more
in the name of the purple and gold

r spirits may b tired
r bodies may b worn
but since this day is r destiny
r history – that's y we must b
4ever strong as the wind that blows the Vikings' horn
in the name of the purple and gold

I have no words. I mean, it sounds like the Uzbekistan National Anthem more than a fight song. Good lord that was terrible. Geaux Saints!

Prince Releases 'Purple and Gold' Vikings Song (FOX 9)

Oh man, does this ever have the potential to be the biggest trainwreck in the history of television. The always emotional Elisabeth Hasselbeck will be switching jobs with her husband, ESPN NFL analyst Tim Hasselbeck, for a day. Seriously.

Elisabeth will be appearing on NFL live at 4pm on Tuesday, January 19th, while Tim will be co-hosting "The View" on Thursday, January 28th at 11am. Via ESPN PR....

Elisabeth Hasselbeck, a Daytime Emmy Award-winning co-host of ABC’s “The View,” and her husband, ESPN NFL analyst Tim Hasselbeck, are changing jobs – for one day.

Elisabeth will spend the afternoon of Tuesday, Jan. 19 on the ESPN campus in Bristol, Conn., where she will appear in Tim’s place on ESPN programs, including NFL Live (4 p.m. ET), to discuss the NFL playoffs and other sports topics.

Tim will complete the job swap Thursday, Jan. 28, at the ABC studios in New York, where he will occupy Elisabeth’s seat on “The View” (11 a.m., ABC) alongside co-hosts Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Sherri Shepherd and Barbara Walters. The former NFL quarterback will share his perspective and match wits with the all-female panel as they discuss the latest news, celebrity gossip and events of the day.

“We think fun and sports should go together, and the job swap will be fun for our viewers and for fans of ‘The View’ who will get the chance to see and hear from Elisabeth and Tim in completely different settings,” said ESPN senior coordinating producer Seth Markman, who oversees NFL Live.

“So many times we ask, ‘How did work go today?’ ” said Elisabeth. “Undoubtedly we will be finding out the hard way as we switch jobs. The question then will be, ‘What have we gotten ourselves into?’ "

Added Tim: “Hopefully I can pull this off because I see her preparation on a regular basis each week – reading, and watching cable news shows, other television programs and upcoming movies. I will enjoy this because I know they will have fun with me at ‘The View’ and, of course, when I get back to work at ESPN. I’m sure I’ll have a greater appreciation for what she does on a day-in and day-out basis.”

I'd love to get Trey Wingo's reaction on this idea. Obviously it's a little kitschy, but it could turn out to be fun. Tim will be trying to fend off the cackles of Whoopi and Barbara Walters, while Elisabeth cries on NFL Live over the Cowboys Tony Romo choking away a Playoff win for the Cowboys.

Yes, there are certainly terrible individuals in the broadcasting world, and there are a few bad duos as well, but I don't think it's possible to assemble a team as bad as the one that called the Jets-Bengals game. Tom Hammond is usually pretty good, but no one could stop the trainwreck that was Joe Gibbs and Joe Theismann.

There were a ton of notable mistakes, but none more glaring than the following two. Not only could they not figure out who threw the touchdown pass to Dustin Keller (Brad Smith or Sanchez) in the second quarter, but they even praised Marvin Lewis' idiotic decision to challenge challenge an almost meaningless play, and waste his last challenge....in the first quarter. Via the NY Times....

Gibbs and Theismann offered decent but unmemorable analysis. Theismann displayed how much more accurate the erratic Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer’s passing is when he follows through; both described how the Jets were running behind their offensive line to the left, six days after succeeding against the Bengals to the right.

But they were late in recognizing the seriousness of the gamble taken by Bengals Coach Marvin Lewis in using his challenges too early — in fact, Theismann said the second challenge was a good one without saying how the decision might hurt him later.

Then, he and his old coach did not revisit the subject late in the fourth quarter when Chad Ochocinco was ruled out of bounds on an attempted touchdown pass.

Not enough video analysis was given by NBC to determine if the call was right.

Joe Gibbs southern drawl was way too slow, which then allowed Theismann to interrupt him just about every single play. Theismann even took it upon himself to do play-by-play when it wasn't warranted. Basically he couldn't shut the "F" up, which is nothing new.

I know it can be tough to throw teams together at the last minute (just ask TBS Baseball), but everyone knew this was a terrible idea from the get go. NBC probably should have just gone with its full College Football announcing team, but they tried to get cute, and it turned out terribly. That didn't seem to stop people from watching though. NBC posted the best Wild Card ratings in 10 years.

Redskins Reunion in the Booth Doesn't Quite Click (NY Times)

I don't know if you were watching the NBA pregame show on ESPN last night, but both Jamaal Mashburn and Avery Johnson handed out gifts to various NBA teams for a bit (The Spurs got anti-aging cream....SO CLEVER!). Well ESPN is doing the same thing for Baseball, but they're amping it up a little bit by bringing you Santa Kruk multiple times throughout next week.

Among the ingenious gifts that Kruk will giving teams during Sports Center segments included (but are not limited to):

Chicago Cubs gift – a goat catcher (akin to a dog catcher), since the goat is to blame for no World Series win since 1908
New York Mets – power tools; the Mets had the least homers in majors last season
Kansas City Royals – umbrella and lots of rain, so Zack Greinke can pitch every game
Pittsburgh Pirates – tickets to a Sister Sledge concert, to return to the glory days of "We Are Family"
Washington Nationals – eight clones of Ryan Zimmerman
Los Angeles Dodgers – cooking lessons with Giada, so she can teach them how to whip up a recipe to beat the Phillies
Houston Astros – a NASA rocket scientist, to figure out what's gone wrong

Not that the Colin Cowherd hosted show doesn't already piss you off, but apparently ESPN is going to make it completely unwatchable for a day. The afternoon show will be going for the Guinness World record, for the most mentions of the name....Brett Favre. Seriously....

ESPN hopes to hype records for its Green Bay-Minnesota game Monday night. Literally. ESPN, says spokesman Mike Soltys, will announce that on next Monday's broadcast of its ESPN2 SportsNation (5 p.m. ET), it will try to set a record for the most mentions of Brett Favre on a TV show — with Guinness World Records now looking for the current record. Some records should never be broken.

First of all, you don't really even need to hype the game. It's basically guaranteed to become the most watched cable program of the year, by a long shot. Second....really? REALLY ESPN?!?! I understand that you think you're being cute, but this is just a terrible, terrible idea.

Spice Rack (USA Today)

I know ESPN has guest anchors every so often, but this just taking it too far. I thought the Mike Greenberg was the worst that they could come up with, but apparently I was wrong. Dead wrong....

Rick Reilly®'s SportsCenter Audition Tape (Deadspin)

It wasn't that long ago, that Jemele Hill was suspended for comparing the Boston Celtics to "Hitler" and "Nuclear War", and now she's back in the news for controversial remarks. During "First Take" yesterday, Hill encouraged Packers' fans to give Brett Favre the "Duracell Treatment", and ESPN has issued a statement regarding her comments. First the video via Bob's Blitz....

ESPN's Statement:


Obviously, this is another failed attempt at humor, but you have to wonder what was going through Hill's mind at the time. You can encourage fans to boo and bring signs, but never ask them to bring objects to throw at players.

Video - ESPNs Hill to Packer Fans: Throw Duracells at Favre (Bob's Blitz)

I honestly don't know what a network like FOX sees in Michael Strahan as a comedian, but the former NFLer is all set to star in his own sitcom next fall. "Brothers" will start out on Fridays at 8pm, and will feature Strahan as a former NFL player (surprise!) called back home to help out his family. Wanna learn more? Of course you do. Via Newsday....

"Starring Michael Strahan (“FOX NFL Sunday”) and Daryl “Chill” Mitchell (“Ed,” “Veronica’s Closet”), BROTHERS is a new half-hour comedy about a former NFL hot shot who learns that even though you can always go home again, the trip back might be tougher than you think. MIKE TRAINOR (Strahan) seemingly has it all – he’s a good-looking, wealthy and recently retired NFL player living the high-life in New York City, but he’s about to get sidelined. When Mike gets a phone call from his MOM (CCH Pounder, “The Shield”) who orders him home to Houston, he quickly realizes the more his life has changed, the more his family has stayed the same. His brother CHILL (Daryl “Chill” Mitchell), whose life was altered drastically after a car accident left him in a wheelchair, is struggling to keep his restaurant afloat with the help of his loudmouth associate, ROSCOE (Colton Dunn, “MADtv”). The dynamics between Mike and Chill are the same as when they were kids, and their sibling rivalry hasn’t lessened with age. If they can stop their bickering, put aside their differences and learn to be teammates, the brothers might just turn out to be each other’s biggest asset. Wedged between Mike and Chill are their parents. Their father, whom everyone refers to as COACH (Carl Weathers, “Rocky”), is the local high school football coach and the conservative, opinionated alpha male of his clan. Coach thinks he runs the show, but really it’s Mom who calls the shots. Saucy, stern and a schemer, she is the mastermind of the family. And when she learns that Mike’s business manager took off with all his money, she orchestrates a plan to keep Mike in Houston, save Chill’s restaurant and bring the family back together under one roof again – all without anyone realizing what she’s up to. Mom’s plan helps Mike realize that his family – however dysfunctional they may be – is the only family he’s got. And although he may not have a penny to his name, as long as he’s surrounded by people who love him, he’ll always be a rich man."

Wow. That sounds like a.....umm....winner. Not only is the plot ridiculous, but the show is already pretty much damned by being slated for a Friday. Good luck with that one though, FOX.

Strahan....as Fox Sitcom Star (Newsday)