FanNation - The Republic of Sport

It was a scene straight out of a Bud Light commercial. The only difference was this time the referee wasn’t sitting on the bench popping a cold one after tackling the unsuspecting quarterback. At least, I don’t think so. The camera didn’t catch that. The hit? Well, that’s become an internet sensation at this point.  

By now most of you have seen the video of SEC umpire Wilbur Hackett Jr. basically laying out South Carolina quarterback Stephen Garcia with a forearm shiver that would make any linebacker proud. It’s one of the most fascinating clips I’ve seen on YouTube. I’ve watched it at least 20 times, each time hoping I might catch something that would lead me to believe that Hackett was trying to get out of the way. That he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. That he didn’t intentionally hit Garcia.

I can’t.

Frank Caliendo seems to be a hit-or-miss celebrity amongst sports fans. You either love his outrageous impressions of John Madden, Charles Barkley and Jim Rome, or think he's a one-trick poney who has run his course. Outside of seeing his mug on every other commercial each time I watch TNT or TBS, I think he's hilarious. Thankfully I'm not in the minority as Frank TV is back for another season on TBS, premiering Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 11pm. Here's a sneak peak at some of Frank's latest sports impressions.

In a reality series called The Quarterback, John Madden looks for a new love after Bret Favre announced his retirement.

SI.com recently ran a special section on the favorite venues of some of its writers. I had written one awhile back for the section, here's what I wrote about my favorite venue: Dodger Stadium.  

Everything about Dodger Stadium is distinctly Los Angeles. The multi-colored beach ball flying over your head, the topless sun bather with his feet propped up on an empty seat in front him getting grilled like Dodger Dog, the bleach blonde beauties swigging back long necks as they squeal when Russell Martin come up to bat and, of course, the sprawling views everywhere you turn. Downtown to the south, the San Gabriel Mountains to the north and the greenery of the Elysian hills all around.

It's been called "Blue Heaven" and if the after life has a ball park as divine as the one that sits on Chavez Ravine, we will all be so lucky. In a town where makeovers and face lifts are the norm, Dodger Stadium remains the one beacon of hope that Botox and liposuction isn't always the answer. Sometimes all you need is quality time with an old-timer, wrinkles and all, to feel young again.

Dodger Stadium hasn't changed much since opening its gated doors in 1962. It has never altered its capacity (a conditional-use permit limit its capacity from exceeding 56,000), the wavy steel paneled roof atop the pavilion in the outfield, which may have been in fashion along with Tie-dye shirts and bellbottoms, still remains and the façade of the ballpark has gone untouched except for its annual new coat of paint. Oh and how can we forget about those delectable Dodger Dogs? No trip to see the boys in blue is complete without consuming at least one foot-long frank wrapped in a steamed bun.

As a child I never knew when I would be going to the ballpark because my father would always conveniently leave out the "ball" in front of the location he was driving me to. Loving surprises, he would simply say he was taking me to Elysian Park to play catch. Although the traffic streaming past the park and the ticket scalpers offering up cheap duckets would usually give away his surprise. "Let's just go to the game," he would say as he pulled out a pair of tickets from his back pocket. "We can play catch there."

It would be understandable for that boyish exuberance to wane now that I am a somewhat seasoned professional but I am not ashamed to say it hasn't. I still get giddy as I drive up the tree-lined hills of Elysian Park and see the interlocking blue LA logo painted on the back of the diamond shaped scoreboard. I still get nervous as I walk past Tommy Lasorda in the dugout and walk onto the lush green grass before a game. And I still get speechless when I see Vin Scully in the press box before the game as he prepares to let fans know that it's "time for Dodger baseball." That's when I suddenly become that kid again whose happiness centered on playing catch with dad in the parking lot before the game and I am once again reminded why they call this place "Blue Heaven."

The easiest edit that ESPN made during Sunday's tape-delayed ESPYs came fairly early in the broadcast when Justin Timberlake was teasing Paul Pierce about his "injured" knee in Game 1 of the NBA Finals during his opening monologue. In describing how Pierce quickly came back after being taken off on a wheelchair, Timberlake joked that Pierce was back on the court, "shucking and jiving." The comment, which was cut out of the broadcast that aired Sunday night, was met with silence from the crowd when the show taped on Wednesday before Timberlake transitioned into his next joke about Eli Manning.  

The phrase, which has racial connotations originating from slavery, has been discussed recently when used by others, who like Timberlake, most likely weren't aware of its meaning and origin. It was the only real blemish in an otherwise stellar debut for Timberlake as the show's host that was still kept spotless thanks to a four-day tape delay.