Tebow gets billboard outside Lincoln Tunnel

If commuters aren't tired enough of hearing about Tim Tebow on their talk radio stations while stuck in traffic, now they'll have to stare at his face as they inch down the Helix (ramp) to the Lincoln Tunnel from the New Jersey side.

Jockey has put up a billboard outside the underground entrance to New York City bearing the face of the New York Jets  newest quarterback with the words," WE SUPPORT TEBOW & NEW YORK." The firm's trademarked logo appears below the green and white letters.

Tebow and Jockey have a marketing campaign together.

The ad, according to a statement released by the company, "plants a stake in the ground that NYC is now officially Tebow-country."

The welcoming ad went up at noon today and will stay up for the next week.  Approximately half a million people will see the ad, the company speculates.

Tebow isn't even officially a Jets player due to a clause in his contract, but the snag is expected to be rectified on Saturday.

Maybe the sight of saintly Tebow watching over the maddening traffic jams will keep  drivers from cursing out buses or flipping off lane-cutters.

Stella McCartney unveils her "secret" UK Olympic outfits

The famed designer Stella McCartney unveiled her designs for Britain's Olympians with imaginative uses of the Union Jack's red, white and blue colors.

The uniforms, a closely guarded secret for months, were shown at the Tower of London in a king-sized event that brought the worlds of high fashion and international sports together as one.

At this gala event, the rail-thin super-models were the ones on the sidelines as McCartney— who is serving as Adidas' creative director for the Summer Games— used real athletes to show off the designs they will wear at the Olympics and Paralympics.

"The basic message is to unify the team," the designer told The Associated Press.  "The athletes all want to feel like one team.  The other big starting point for me was the Union flag, an iconic flag.  I think every Briton is proud of it, but I wanted to look at it in a different way."

Her theme— come together.  I think I've heard that song before, but where?

McCartney isn't the only famous designer with an Olympic line coming out— Ralph Lauren is working on some of the outfits for the U.S. team, and Giorgio Armani is behind the designs of the Italian team.

If they gave gold medals for designs, the Italians might sweep.

Trampoline accident could sideline Joba Chamberlain for season

New York Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain suffered what's being called "a significant injury,"an open dislocation of his right ankle, while playing on a trampoline with his five-year-old son at a recreation park.

Chamberlain— who was coming back from Tommy John elbow surgery— suffered the injury at what general manager Brian Cashman explained was a "kid's center with athletic activities featuring trampolines," according to the YES Network.

Cashman was visibly upset as he addressed the media in the Yankees dugout at George M. Steinbrenner Field this morning, saying "Joba is in St. Joseph's Hospital right now."

"While he was enjoying time with his son under those those circumstances, he suffered a very significant injury, an open dislocation of the ankle.  He underwent a surgical procedure last night," said Cashman.  "He will be at St. Joseph's for a number of days.  I don't have a timetable for his return."

Asked if the injury was "career-threatening," Cashman replied, "I would like to think that it is not," but the GM sounded like it was serious.

"Let's keep him in our prayers," he said, "because obviously he's facing a lot right now."

Chamberlain often tweets about his son Karter and  posted a photo of the two of them together two days ago.  It was reported that his son was not hurt.

The one time set-up man who has already bounced from starter to middle reliever did not figure in the Yankees immediate bullpen plans, but this latest setback— which Cashman called "massive"— looks like it could keep him off the roster for the entire season.

Chamberlain is beginning his sixth season after making a dramatic debut in 2007.  The Yankees attempted to convert the flame-throwing righthander into a starter in 2008 and 2009 to mixed results.  The last two seasons were spent in the bullpen and in surgery rehab.

He is slated to make $1.675 million this season and will be a free agent after the 2013 season.

Jets fan first to be buried in Tim Tebow Jets jersey

A lifelong New York Jets fan made a deathbed prediction last week that his favorite team would get Tim Tebow and then, sadly, passed away.


In a cruel twist of fate, Russell Francis, spoke those words to his wife before news broke that Tebow was headed to New York in a trade with the Denver Broncos.  A swap that nobody saw coming, according to The New York Daily News.


His family will now send the Jets fan into eternity on Friday sporting a brand-new, green-and-white No. 15  New York Jets jersey as Tebow-mania hits its most unlikely venue yet: a funeral home.

The ink isn't even dry on the new Tebow jerseys and they're making their way into heaven already.

Widow Wendy Tatum told the Daily News she recalled one of her last conversations with her husband Francis, 44, as he battled lung cancer.

"He kept saying, 'They're going to get Tebow.  They're going to get Tebow,'" she said after shopping for the jersey for the shirt on Thursday.  "This was a whole week before the trade."

It sounds like Francis wasn't much of a Mark Sanchez fan.

Francis may be headed to that great stadium in the sky, but other visionary words he left behind might excite fans of Gang Green.

"He said they're going to the Super Bowl this year," his wife said.

Pat Robertson: Manning injury would be karma for trading Tebow

Televangelist Pat Robertson is not happy with the Denver Broncos trading Tim Tebow to the New York Jets.  So much so, that he is wishing Tebow's replacement Peyton Manning nothing but bad karma.

Robertson— a leader in the Christian Right movement— said Denver treated Tebow "shabbily" after all he did for the "nothing team" last season from his pulpit on the 700 Club on Thursday.

"And you ask yourself, OK, so Peyton Manning was a tremendous MVP quarterback, but he's been injured.  If that injury comes back, Denver will find itself without a quarterback.  And in my opinion, it would serve them right," he said.

Robertson has come to Tebow's defense before.  He blasted Saturday Night Live earlier this year for performing a skit that mocked Tebow's religious beliefs.

Remember, the television preacher also once called the earthquake in Haiti a "blessing in disguise."

Robertson went on singing the praises of Tebow and trashing Denver last night.

"He wins seven games, he brought them [Denver] into the playoffs, for heaven's sakes.  I mean, they were a nothing team .  He rallied them together with spectacular last minute passes and, you know, when they beat Buffalo, I mean Pittsburgh, excuse me it was a tremendous victory."

Sounds like he subliminally has something against the Bills too.

Tebow-mania touches down in New Jersey; Next stop: New York

Tim Tebow finally arrived in the New York area as either the New York Jets latest experiment or new backup quarterback.  The unannounced flight touched down at Morristown Airport by — what else— private jet at approximately 3:20 this afternoon before he was whisked away.

Tebow exited the jet, shook some hands and was driven off the runway in a black luxury SUV as news choppers circled overhead.

Tebow-mania has already started and he's still 30 miles west of Met Life Stadium.

Last night, Tebow had a chance to address the media in New York via phone after the trade with the Denver Broncos was finalized.

"I'm very thankful for the opportunity to to play for such a great organization," he said.

Tebow, who has spent a lot of time in the spotlight in the past year, was asked if he had any trepidation about life in the big city.

"Not really.  I'm excited about it," he said. "I think it's a great market.  It's a great city.  I'm excited to be a Jet now."

 The Jets have made it clear that incumbent quarterback Mark Sanchez was, and will be,  the Jets starter in 2012.  The new guy in town didn't seem bothered.

Tebow said he already talked with Sanchez on the phone after the trade and everything was fine between the two quarterbacks.

"We spoke on the phone yesterday.  Got caught up a little bit," said Tebow.  "Had a great conversation and looking forward to seeing him soon and working with him and, you know, we've been blessed to know each other over the last few years.  "I definitely have a lot of respect for him."

The Jets have not released the day and time of Tebow's official introduction as a Jets player, but expect a media crush.

If news choppers stalking a country airport is any indication— I think Tebow-mania is going to be bigger than ever.

Lin can't wait for Tebow-mania

If anybody knows sports hysteria it's Jeremy Lin.  The man who kicked off Linsanity in a New York Knicks uniform is thrilled that Tim Tebow is coming to town.

"It's awesome.  I'm just excited for him and to see what he does," said the Knicks point guard.

"We'll see what happens next year, but I'm excited obviously that he's going to be in New York," said Lin after dumping 16 fourth quarter points on the Philadelphia 76ers in last night night's 82-79 win.

Lin's rise to worldwide celebrity didn't come with the baggage Tebow-mania lugs into New York.  The journeyman NBA player was an anonymous benchwarmer crashing on his brother's couch when his star rose.

Tebow just doesn't want to end up being a couch— Tim Couch that is.

The expectations and questions surrounding Tebow's role as New York Jet are a lot more complicated than Lin's magical turn and the New York media is ready to pounce.

Tebow had his shining moments last season but now comes in with a $2.5 million, two second-round draft picks price tag.

Tebow-mania in Denver is being Cinderella — Tebow-mania in New York is the clock striking twelve.

Lin dealt handily with the few weeks of Linsanity and had some tips for the incoming quarterback/tight end/fullback/fill-in-the-blank to help cope with the distractions in his new city.

"Everyone gave me some advice— they said, 'Make sure not to read the papers,'" Lin joked with reporters.  "But I don't want to offend you guys.  But that's what I've been told.  I don't really read anything.  I think it helps me."

Lin said he did not talk with Tebow— who's #15 Jets jersey will soon replace Lin's as NYC's best seller— yesterday during the wild trade-talk frenzy between the Denver Broncos and Jets, but said he'd like to catch a few Jets games this season.

Both athletes are deeply religious men, and Lin revealed that he has never Tebowed with his fellow Christian.  That could all change once Tebow gets into the Jets dysfunctional locker room.

"I've only talked to him like once," said Lin. "But he's a great guy from everything I hear, and the conversation I had with him was great as well."

After Tebow meets Gang Green and the hungry media, he might want to keep a Bible handy and his phone's speed dial set to Linsanity.

Shockey fires back at Sapp for calling him a 'snitch'

Jeremy Shockey fired back at NFL Network analyst Warren Sapp for calling the tight end the "snitch" who led the NFL to the bounty investigation by the league.  It resulted in embarrassment and severe penalties to Shockey's former team— the New Orleans Saints

Saints head coach Sean was suspended by the league for a full season and the team lost two second-round draft picks as penalties.

"It's reckless, it's careless, it's hurtful to me and the great time I had with the Saints," said Shockey, who was labeled a "snitch"on Twitter by Sapp after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell put his fist down on Wednesday.

"Sean Payton is like a father figure to me," he continued.  "I would never do that to him or the Saints."

Shockey then twice offered to take a polygraph to prove he wasn't the rat.

While the Bountygate scandal came to a conclusion on Wednesday, there are a few questions which remain unanswered.  It starts with who did leak the information to Goodell's office if it wasn't Shockey.

Someone in the Saints inner-circle had to be the culprit, but who.

Sapp maintains that his source was very close to the situation and he trusted what he was told:

"I trust my source unequivocally," said the former-NFL star.  "I did not call anyone in the league and I did not receive any information from the league."

Sounds like we have a "Deep Throat" situation.

Shockey responded to Sapp's accusation by taking to Twitter and offering to get hooked to a polygraph on live television.

Both men played their college ball at Miami University— at different times—but those blood ties "Ended right there" after Sapp's allegations, tweeted Shockey.

The former Saints tight end played under Payton when the team won Super Bowl XLIV over the Indianapolis Colts in 2010.  He was coached by Payton prior to that with the New York Giants.

"I know Sean Payton's family and I have been around them.  I have been to his son's birthday party parties.  I've had family around him.  We're friends," Shockey said.  "I loved my time in New Orleans and now people are killing me on social media thinking I did this.  I love Who Dat nation."

It's hard to put a lot of stock into what Sapp "heard" about Shockey.

The former-defensive end has called everyone from Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis to defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth a name or accused them of one thing or another in the past.

A larger question remains. Why wound the NFL Network— which is owned by the NFL— let Sapp make his claim about Shockey on air?

This is a direction which threatens to undermine the NFL's policy of protecting sources.  It contradicts the NFL's message that it would protect "whistleblowers" who anonymously report league violations.

NFL spokesperson Greg Aiello had no explanation on why the NFL Network aired Sapp's claims or why Sapp— a league employee— was allowed to make the claim in the first place.

Let's see how many players line up at the confessional now.

Meanwhile, Shockey kept up the attack on his accuser.

"Sapp can say what he wants about me, but if he really says that he'll put his life on the line for his source, we'll see," said Shockey.  "I've never been a guy who failed multiple drug tests.  I've never been  divorced.  I don't have four kids by four different women.  I don't lie.  This attacks my character and it's not fair."

The out-of-work Shockey is still looking to hook up with a team in 2012, and—  if he plays the Saints— it could be interesting.

Jets Tebow jerseys could already be collectibles

When word got around that Tim Tebow was traded to the New York Jets this afternoon, Tebow-mania hit New York City like well...  Linsanity and it didn't take long for the New York Jets Store in mid-town to start ironing out green and white #15 jerseys with Tebow's name on the back.

After the deal shockingly hit a snag, the store stopped producing the shirts.

Lucky for the few dozen New York Jets fans, who snagged the jerseys bearing Tebow's name on the back, they could now be holding a valuable collectible.

Apparently the Jets didn't read the fine print (who would have guessed) on the contract and found out they must pay an additional $5 million to secure the rights to the Broncos quarterback or the deal is off.  The decision is now in the hands of the Jets themselves.

If the Jets back out of the deal, cha-ching for the jersey owners.

As for Tebow, the good news is that #15 is currently not taken by any other Jets player.  The bad news  is it's on a Jets jersey.

The only other person I can remember wearing #15 for Gang Green was Babe Parilli.  Parilli was Joe Namath's backup in Super Bowl III.

Ahmad Bradshaw beats Ron Gronkowski, again

Ron Gronkowski went head-to-head with Super Bowl XLVI counterpart Ahmad Bradshaw in a grudge match in Activision's Call of duty: Modern Warfare 3 and lost once again.

Instead of the football field, the New England Patriots tight end took on the New York Giants running back on the video game's battlefield, but the results came up the same— 3-2 victory for Big Blue.

No word if Kronk hit the clubs and went dancing afterwards.

Bradshaw said he thought Gronkowski was still a little bitter after last month's loss to the Giants.

"Well sure, he wants the rematch," Bradshaw joked.  "He wants to get back at me as much as he can for scoring the game-winning touchdown, but I think I can back myself up.  I can play alright, I can do pretty good."

This wasn't any casual match-up either.  Both of these guys are are gamers.  Bradshaw even confessed that he constantly plays the popular first-person shooter and got some of his fellow Giants hooked on the game as well.

"I'm playing 24/7, man," he said.  "A lot of the guys play the game like [former-Giant] Brandon Jacobs, D.J. Ware, all kinds of guys.  I put everybody on the game so everybody gets on and plays together at times."

Bradshaw told the New York Post that the thrill of competition is what draws him to the Call of Duty joystick, as well as, the gridiron.

"I love the competitiveness of every game and in Call of Duty it's just like that," said Bradshaw.  "You have millions of guys on the Internet at the same time and you just want to get on and compete against everybody.  When I get on I want to be the best, I want to have the most kills.  You want to know the environments the same way you just want to get on the field."

Caron Butler pokes fun at Tyler Hansbrough's "acting"

The Indiana Pacers Tyler Hansbrough has gotten a reputation as an Oscar-worthy actor when it comes to complaining about rough treatment in the NBA.

Last night—  against the Los Angeles Clippers— he gave another intense performance which was mockingly caught on the imaginary camera of opponent Caron Butler.

Butler made fun of the former-North Carolina star's antics by pretending to film the agitated Hansbrough after he got tangled up with Blake Griffin under the basket in the third quarter.

Hansbrough looked like he had a good reason to complain about the collision but that didn't stop Butler from going Cecil B. DeMille on him.

Even the Indiana announcers got into the act and said, "What is he doing?" and "They need to get him [Butler] for taunting."

As Psycho T got more and more steamed, Butler kept pretending to be cranking a movie camera at him.

In the end, it ended up being a comedy with Hansbrough having the last laugh.  The Pacers won, 102-89.

Mike Tyson helps Rosie O'Donnell ring in her birthday

Mike Tyson keeps popping up in the weirdest places and it seems like he'll do anything to make a buck or keep his tattooed face in the public eye.

Monday night, the former heavyweight champion, helped Rosie O'Donnell celebrate her 50th birthday  with some of his family, her fiancee Michelle Rounds, staff  and fifty assorted women turning 50 who were invited to party with the star.

Rosie had a good time at a Chicago lounge, despite recently getting the news that her talk show on the OWN network was being cancelled.

Tyson had taped an episode of the show earlier in the day and is promoting his upcoming one-man show in Las Vegas.

Maybe he stumbled into the bash thinking the guest of honor was Chuck Wepner with a little make-up.

The ear-biting fighter rolled out the 3-foot birthday cake while dancing to 50 cent's "In Da Club" and led everyone in a rendition of "Happy Birthday."

Rosie jumped on stage and sang with the band Sixteen Candles in their version of "Jessie's Girl."

The show's final broadcast will be March 30, but Rosie told everyone to have a positive outlook despite the  cancellation.

Tebow throws pass to "Glee" star Dianna Agron

Tim Tebow may not be calling the signals for the Denver Broncos much longer but, he has sent out a audible loud and clear to "Glee" star Dianna Agron.

The NFL quarterback told the sultry 25-year-old actress that he is smitten with her, according to The New York Post.

A source told the Post, "Tim has made no secret that he likes Dianna, and told her so, but she has remained faithful to her actor boyfriend Sebastian Stan."

Talk about a Wildcat triple-option.

The blond beauty has been dating Stan on and off for about a year but they reportedly broke up in December before reconciling a few weeks later.

They live on opposite coasts (she-west, he-east) and a source said it was taking its toll on the couple.

Tebow was spotted chatting with Agron at an Oscar party in late February and then seen a few days later on a date with singer Taylor Swift.  It has been reported that Swift is interested in Tebow, but he says they are just friends.

I'm seeing a Tebow-type here— blond and wispy.

Tebow has made no secret about liking Agron, but she has remained involved with Stan, said the Post.

The actress is mostly known for her role as Quinn Fabray on "Glee" and Tebow is the man behind Tebow-mania.

Agron's representative said the couple's break-up was "Not true" and reps for Tebow declined to comment, said the Post.

If Agron ever moves on from Stan, she might do good by hooking up with the quarterback.

Even John Elway said yesterday, "Tim Tebow is a great kid.  If I want someone to marry my daughter, it would be him."

Marry daughter, fine.  Play quarterback for the Broncos... not so much.

Antonio Cromartie: No room for Tebow on Jets

Antonio Cromartie apparently isn't too keen on the New York Jets taking an interest in Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow in any capacity.  Cromartie tweeted about it after Denver signed Peyton Manning— all but ending Tebow's career with the Broncos.

The outspoken Jets cornerback used Twitter to express his feelings about pursuing Tebow.

"We don't need Tebow," Cromartie tweeted Tuesday.  "We sell out every home game let him go to Jacksonville Tampa or Miami."

Cromartie— one of the leaders of the mayhem in the Jets locker room— wasn't through trying to sway the Jets brass from bringing in the unorthodox quarterback.


"Our Wildcat offense can be run by (Jeremy) Kerley or Joe McKnight,"he tweeted.  "We have Mark_ Sanchez and just signed Drew.  Mark has taken us to 2 AFC championship game.  We need to build on the team we have right now."

Could introducing Tebow's ultra-religious character to the dysfunctional Jets locker room have something to do with Cromartie's rant.

Cromartie has a troublesome background and has fathered nine children with eight women in six states and doesn't exactly adhere to Tebow's beliefs.

The Jets cornerback does make some good points for not getting Tebow, but several people in the Jets organization have told the New York Daily News that he might be a good fit.

Many insiders believe the Jets new offensive coordinator Tony Sparano could put Tebow's abilities to good use in certain Wildcat schemes.  Sparano was the head coach for the Miami Dolphins when he began using the Wildcat offense to pump up the anemic offense.

There are a lot of pros and cons that come with bringing Tebow into the Jets family.

For one thing, Tebow's character could play a big role in bringing the fractured locker room together, but could just as well split the team in two.  The team isn't exactly a group of choirboys.

The media attention surrounding Tebow could distract the press enough to take the cameras away from oft-targeted Sanchez but, on the other side of the coin,  there is also the possibility that Tebow could wilt under the 24/7 New York media spotlight.  'Aw, shucks' only goes so far in New York— unless you win it all.

Just ask Eli Manning.

Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum hasn't commented on Tebow except to say that "Tim Tebow is a player under contract with another team."

Tannenbaum also avoided dumping any more negativity onto the tattered psyche of Sanchez— after the 'Peyton Manning to the Jets' stories and disappointing 2011 season— by saying he "feels good about" the quarterbacks on the roster, which includes Greg McElroy and Drew Stanton.

Tebow-mania and Linsanity in the same city might be a little too much anyway.

Shaq looms large on Conan's miniature set during show

That's not an even bigger, larger-than-life Shaquille O'Neal you see joining Conan O'Brien and Andy Richter on the set of the late night show early Wednesday morning— it was just that the furniture was miniaturized for a "Honey, I Shrunk the Set" episode.

The 7-foot-1 O'Neal made the already tiny furniture look like something from Barbi's Malibu House as he took a seat on the little couch next to his hosts.

Shaq told the audience that he is working on another title— Dr. O'Neal— and will retire the name Shaq once he gets his doctorate.  He wants be known as Dr. O'Neal to everyone except children when he earns that distinction.

The former-NBA star— and current television analyst— also explained his past distain for talking heads in sports now that he is one of them.  Shaq said he never disliked all studio analysts— only the critics who dumped on him and never played basketball— especially "most of the new ones that started in the last five years."

Tebow's photos already removed from Broncos facility

On the day that the Denver Broncos celebrated the arrival of Peyton Manning, all of the photos of Tim Tebow— that once lined the halls of the team's facility— were taken down, according to The Associated Press.

The outright removal of the indelible images of Tebow running, scoring and rallying the troops were removed from the walls and could be a subtle hint of things to come.

While executive John Elway and head coach John Fox haven't just come out and say it, it looks like the only remnants of Tebow-mania will be memories of last season.

"Tim Tebow is a great kid.  If I wanted someone to marry my daughter, it would be him," said Elway.

Ouch.

"We have to go back and address Tim and see what the next situation is for the Denver Broncos as well as him," continued Elway.

Goodbye.

Manning said he plans to reach out and speak with Tebow and has nothing but respect for last season's Rocky Mountain High.

"I know what kind of player Tim Tebow is," said the new Broncos quarterback.  "What an awesome year he had this year.  If Tim Tebow is here next year, I'm going to be the best teammate I can be to him.  He and I are going to help this team win games.

"If other opportunities present themselves to him, I'm going to wish him the best.  He's going to be a great player wherever he is."

Hear that San Francisco, Green Bay, Jacksonville and Jets?

Brittney Griner becomes second woman to dunk in NCAA tournament Game

Brittney Griner took a pass from a teammate under the basket, took a step to the basket and jammed the ball through the rim— becoming only the second woman in history to dunk in an NCAA tournament game Tuesday night.

The 6-foor-8 junior phenom's rare feat highlighted top-seeded Baylor's 76-57 win against ninth-seeded Florida in the second round game.

Tennessee's Candace Parker— who holds the career record with seven dunks— had dunked twice in an NCAA tournament game against Army in 2006.

The second half jam was Griner's first dunk of the season and helped erase the memory of going scoreless for nearly 12 minutes in the first half of the second round game.



Griner took the reaction of the fans and teammates in stride— and without showboating.

"I think my team got fired up a little bit more than me," she modestly said.  "I got a little more fired up, I think, on the blocks I had.  But it definitely felt good throwing it down."

The Bearcats head coach Kim Mulkey was a little more enthused.

"That wasn't just a barely-over-the-rim type of dunk.  That was a monster dunk," she said.  I think Brittney is so conscious about people writing good or bad about the dunk, that she's scared to get excited sometimes and celebrate a dunk, because she's been written about in a negative way.  I said, 'Honey, if could dunk it, I'd do backflips down the floor."

Griner wowed the crowd before the game by tossing down dunks and hanging on the rim in warmups.  She finished the game by going 8 of 14 from the field with 9 rebounds and six blocks.

Baylor (36-0) moves on to the Sweet 16 to face fourth-seeded Georgia Tech.

Warriors owner booed mercilessly at Chris Mullin ceremony

On a night when Chris Mullin's former-Golden State Warriors #17 jersey was to be lifted to the rafters of Oracle Arena, the real story ended up being the boos that rained down on the team's owner Joe Lacob during the ceremony.

In an unbelievable five minutes during the ceremony, fans at arena drowned out Lacob's introduction of the ex-Warriors great during "Chris Mullin Night."

Lacob looked visibly shaken before he was rescued by Mullin and another former Warriors great, Rick Barry.



Things had already seemed tense way before the owner had a chance to proceed with the unveiling of Mullin's jersey for retirement.

Fans were probably venting their frustration at the team's recent trade of fan favorite Monta Ellis to the Milwaukee Bucks  and the probability at looking at another lottery pick instead of the playoffs.

While the booing quieted after Lacob's introduction, the owner said, "Now that we got that out of the way..."

Little did he know what was yet to come.

Lacob was only able to nervously add, "Tonight is about two things, embracing history and respect," before the hostile crowd turned on him full blast.

Mullin walked over and hugged the visibly shaken Lacob before imploring the crowd to calm down.

"As the greatest fans in the NBA," he reasoned, "Change in inevitable."

After the boos and catcalls kept interrupting Lacob's speech, Warriors Hall of Famer Rick Barry stepped up and scolded the fans.

"Show a little bit of class," an angry Barry barked into the microphone.  "This is crazy... seriously."

"He's going to change this franchise," he continued.

Lacob was finally able to continue his speech and told Mullin, "Chris, this night is about you."

Mullin and his family were given an Hawaiian vacation by the team, but  the guest of honor seemed more concerned about Lacob's humiliation.

It was too bad the fans had to ruin a special night for the Hall of Famer Mullin who gave the Bay area so many good memories.

Thankfully, at the end,  things subsided and the ceremony ended in cheers.

Frank Tripucka has no problem giving Peyton Manning his retired No. 18 jersey

Now that we know Peyton Manning has instructed his agent to begin negotiations with the Denver Broncos, there is one small detail that looks like it will not be a deal breaker— the retired No. 18 jersey worn by quarterback Frank (Trip) Tripucka in the early 60's.

 Tripucka has already made it clear he would be honored if Manning chose to wear the same No. 18 the incoming quarterback wore during his 14-year career with the Indianapolis Colts— even though the Broncos retired the jersey nearly fifty years ago.

"It's perfectly OK for him to go ahead and use it," the New Jersey native said.  "I would be honored to have him wear it."

Tripucka's No. 18 is one of three numbers retired by the Broncos.  The other "untouchable" numbers are Floyd Little's No. 44 and John Elway's No. 7.

The 84-year-old Tripucka was the first quarterback to call signals for the Broncos.  The #1 draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1949 had a 15 year career and threw the first touchdown pass in the history of the old AFL.  He was a Pro-Bowler in 1962.

It is too soon to know if Manning is even thinking about what number will be on his back, but it would be a nice symbolic gesture from both sides if Manning dons the No. 18 in tribute to the old days and remind people about Tripucka's contributions to the early years of the franchise.

"It's been retired for fifty years," said Tripucka said.  "That's long enough."

Tripucka carved out a nice career after football as a beer distributor and raised a family of six boys— including NBA star Kelly Tripucka— and one daughter with his 84-year-old wife Randy.

Most Broncos fans probably never heard of Tripucka— never mind getting to see him play— and must wonder what he did to have his number retired after compiling a 13-23-1 record with 51 touchdown passes and 85 interceptions after four years with the team.

For one thing, in 1960, Tripucka was the first quarterback to throw for 3,000 yards in a season and was one of the first pioneers of the wide-open passing game the AFL became famous for.

The late Broncos owner, Bob Howsam, was so appreciative of Tripucka's services he just decided to retire the number as a thank you in 1963.

If Manning passes on pulling the old No. 18 out of storage, he could go back to wearing the No. 16 he wore at the University of Tennessee.  Jake Plummer was the last notable Broncos player to wear it.

Word is No. 15 should be available pretty soon too.

Tennessee dining chain offers Peyton free pancakes to sign with Titans

A Nashville-based restaurant chain has stacked the deck in favor of Peyton Manning signing with the Tennessee Titans— more like stack the plate with pancakes.

Shoney's, the popular southern dining spot, wants to sweeten the team's offer and will give the free agent quarterback and former-University of Tennessee legend a free stack of the griddle cakes every day throughout his career in Nashville if he signs with the Titans, according to a press release and ad placed in the The Tennessean last week.

The sign reads: "Peyton, Sign here and Tennessee Would Really Be Stacked" in white letters with a picture of a stack of pancakes dripping with syrup and butter.

Below the pancakes, the ad says "Shoney's CEO wants to sweeten the deal.  Sign with our hometown team and you'll receive FREE PANCAKES EVERY DAY throughout your career here in Nashville.  Let's win.  And Let's Eat."

If Manning does sign with the Titans, the offer would stand for any of the Nashville area Shoney's only.  But with the Titans owner Bud Adams offering the sought after quarterback a $60 million contract, I don't think limiting the number of Shoney's where Manning could scarf down the wheat cakes covered in maple syrup would be a deal breaker.

A follow-up ad is being considered but the company had better hop to it.  I hear a San Francisco restaurant chain is offering Manning a lifetime supply of sourdough bread if he signs with the 49ers.