FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Magic Johnson "faked AIDS" to gain sympathy? Ridiculous.
AP

Tim McCarver calls Manny Ramirez "despicable."

Two talk-show hosts in Minneapolis say Magic Johnson "faked AIDS."

They may seem like two totally separate stories, but the link between two of the biggest sports headlines this week is that they should have been non-stories in my book.

First of all, who didn't call out Ramirez for basically quitting on the Red Sox before being traded this summer? Calling his actions "despicable" would have been one of the kinder adjectives used by the Boston media around the time of his trade to Los Angeles. So why was McCarver's comment in a 455-word story in the Philadelphia Inquirer treated the same way as if it was coming out of the mouth of a Phillies player, or better yet, one of his former teammates in Boston?

So what if McCarver is on the broadcast team for the NLCS? Does that mean every criticism he makes about every player should be headline news?

Vitali Klitschko (left) and Samuel Peter meet on Saturday night from Berlin for the WBC world heavyweight championship.

Michael Sohn/AP

All times Eastern.

Friday

• 8:30 p.m., TBS: By the time Game 1 of the American League Championship Series between the Red Sox and the Rays gets underway Friday night, two NLCS games could already be in the books. Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka goes against Tampa Bay's James Shields in the series opener from Tropicana Field.

• 11:00 p.m., HBO Family: The Bad News Bears with Walter Matthau -- still a subversive classic -- has a shelf life far superior to the 2005 remake with Billy Bob Thornton.

• 11:35 p.m., NBC: Four-time Super Bowl champ and FOX NFL Sunday co-host Terry Bradshaw stops by The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Dennis Quaid stars as Ben Schwartzwalder in The Express.

Universal Pictures

Dennis Quaid is no stranger to sports films. In his over 30-year acting career, the Texas native has played a quarterback (Any Given Sunday), a running back (Everybody's All-American), a cyclist (Breaking Away) and a pitcher (The Rookie). He can now add college football coach to his faux sports resume as he plays legendary Syracuse coach Ben Schwartzwalder in The Express: The Ernie Davis Story which opens in theaters on Friday.

I caught up with the actor recently to see why he can't say no to sports roles and if he might consider taking over the current Syracuse team -- in reality, that is -- to turn the program around.

Arash Markazi: How familiar were you with the story of Ernie Davis when you were offered the role of Ben Schwartzwalder?

Quaid: Not at all really. I was born in the '50s in Texas but I really never heard of Ernie Davis and I was really surprised at how many savvy sports fans I knew hadn't heard of him or his story either. It's certainly an inspirational one, that's for sure.

AM: You were in Any Given Sunday with Jim Brown, who played under Schwartzwalder at Syracuse, how instrumental was he in your preparation for the role?

DQ: Jim and I spent quite a lot of time together on the set of Any Given Sunday. We didn't start working until noon so every morning it was myself, Jim Brown, Lawrence Taylor and Jimmy Woods at Doral playing golf at sunrise. Then in between shots, Jim and I would play chess. Jim was really my main source for playing Schwartzwalder. I think Schwartzwalder died in '93 and Jim was close with him after playing for him in a very controversial time before Ernie Davis came along. He gave me great insight into  Ben Schwartzwalder's character and the time period. I also watched a lot of film too that existed of him to get his mannerisms.

We've seen plenty of miraculous eleventh-hour comebacks at every level over the years, but last week's furious final reel in a Minnesota high school game ranks pretty high on the list.

Jordan Larson, a senior wide receiver at St. Paul Central High, hauled in two touchdowns in the last five seconds of regulation to help the Minutemen force overtime against rival St. Paul Johnson, where they'd lock down a 25-18 victory and at least a share of the school's first St. Paul City Conference title in 20 years.

Minneapolis Star-Tribune reporter Michael Rand caught up with Larson on Monday.

What do you think? Have you ever seen a more impressive comeback with less time remaining in a game?

Diminutive back Darren Sproles is the classic speed demon.

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Having trouble staying awake through four-hour baseball playoff games? Don't worry, we have a remedy for your boredom and it's called pro football. But who are the NFL's most exciting players? We pored through hours of video to provide you with our choice of the five players guaranteed to give fans their money's worth. Here's our list of the five most exciting NFL players ...

1. Reggie Bush: Do you need a halfback to run between the tackles for a tough two-yard-gain? Bush is probably not your guy. But if you need a 71-yard punt return for a TD -- or a 64-yard one in the same game -- Reggie is the man for you. Bonus points for his not-so-ugly girlfriend Kim Kardashian.

2. Darren Sproles: Sure, LaDainian Tomlinson may get the majority of carries (and love from fantasy football owners), but we'd much rather watch the 5-foot-6 Sproles. Whether it's a 103-yard kickoff return or a simple screen pass turned into a 66-yard touchdown pass, Sproles makes us stand up and cheer.