New Nelly Song - 'The Champ'

Here's the video for Nelly's "The Champ," which the two-time Grammy winner composed for ESPN's bowl coverage.

Patrick Henry Hughes

This is truly a beautiful story.

Every once in a while, we need someone like this to remind us that life may not be perfect, but God gives us so much more than we use for his Glory. Enjoy and I dare you not to be touched.

This guy is so incredible....also his dad, too. It reminds us to be grateful for all God has given us.

Steve Bartman Today, A Look Back

Back in 2003, Steve Bartman unintentionally found himself in a world of controversy and the target of ire for an entire fanbase when he did what any fan would do at the ballpark: reach for a foul ball. Sadly, this particular foul ball would change Bartman's life forever. The tragic figure is now the subject of a much talked about documentary for ESPN's 30 for 30 series. The film Catching Hell, which aired last night and will be repeated frequently, dissects the unfortunate reality of scapegoating in sports and investigates the Bartman incident in detail with fresh, insightful outlooks from fans, athletes, writers, and other Game 6 attendees.

Back in 2003, Steve Bartman unintentionally found himself in a world of controversy and the target of ire for an entire fanbase when he did what any fan would do at the ballpark: reach for a foul ball. Sadly, this particular foul ball would change Bartman's life forever. The tragic figure is now the subject of a much talked about documentary for ESPN's 30 for 30 series. The film Catching Hell, which aired last night and will be repeated frequently, dissects the unfortunate reality of scapegoating in sports and investigates the Bartman incident in detail with fresh, insightful outlooks from fans, athletes, writers, and other Game 6 attendees.

If you're not a sports nut or simply don't remember the meek fellow known as Steve Bartman, allow us to paint a picture of that ill-fated night at Wrigley Field in downtown Chicago. It was Game 6 in the ALCS, and the Cubs, a team many believe is cursed and who haven't won a World Series in over a century, were leading the game 3-0 and the series 3-2. In the eighth inning, Marlins' Luis Castillo popped a fly ball into foul territory, but close enough to the wall that Cubs' outfielder Moises Alou had a chance to make the out. Then it happened: As Alou went up for the ball, a cluster of Cubs fans instinctively reached for their shot at a piece of ALCS history. Steve Bartman was the unlucky fan who made contact with the ball, disrupting the field of play and preventing Alou from making the catch.

If you're not a sports nut or simply don't remember the meek fellow known as Steve Bartman, allow us to paint a picture of that ill-fated night at Wrigley Field in downtown Chicago. It was Game 6 in the ALCS, and the Cubs, a team many believe is cursed and who haven't won a World Series in over a century, were leading the game 3-0 and the series 3-2. In the eighth inning, Marlins' Luis Castillo popped a fly ball into foul territory, but close enough to the wall that Cubs' outfielder Moises Alou had a chance to make the out. Then it happened: As Alou went up for the ball, a cluster of Cubs fans instinctively reached for their shot at a piece of ALCS history. Steve Bartman was the unlucky fan who made contact with the ball, disrupting the field of play and preventing Alou from making the catch.

The rest, as they say, is history: The Cubs went on to lose the game and two days later lost Game 7, ending their World Series hopes. Bartman took the blame. He received death threats and was so harassed that he essentially went off the grid in fear of his safety and with the unwarranted shame and guilt that he was somehow responsible for ruining his beloved Cubs' championship opportunity.

Eight years later, and with the ESPN documentary to help, we hope that hindsight has helped those irate Cubs fans forgive Bartman. In reality, "forgive" is a strong word because it implies wrongdoing. Steve Bartman did what any fan, including the other fans around him that night, would do. And Steve Bartman didn't lose the World Series for the Cubs; the Cubs did. The team could have still won Game 6 (remember Bartman's influence came on a non-scoring play), and they still had Game 7 to put away the Marlins.

While many Cubbies found the incident as confirmation of the curse, it was Steve Bartman who suffered the most, and despite being offered hundreds of thousands of dollars to come out of hiding, Bartman just wants to get on with his life. Although he doesn't appear in the film, we hope that this documentary serves as both closure and redemption.

UPDATE: Are you ready for some vengeance? Hank Williams Jr. strikes back

Hank Williams Jr. is releasing a new song entitled "I'll Keep My ...," in which he calls out ESPN and Fox News after his remarks about President Barack Obama and Adolf Hitler on "Fox and Friends" led to his dismissal from the "Monday Night Football" theme song after 23 years

The country music singer wrote the song on Friday and is scheduled to release it late Monday or early Tuesday. In its third verse, he takes issue with how Fox took his words out of context: "So Fox 'n Friends wanna put me down/Ask for my opinion/Twist it all around."

If it didn't mean having to listen to Hank Williams Jr. speak about anything other than music or Alabama football, I'd be interested to hear how he thinks Fox twisted his opinion. After all, there are only so many ways to take the quote: "It'd be like Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu."

Williams calls the U.S. the "United Socialist States of America" earlier in the song. He finishes the third verse with a subtlety you'd expect from the man who wrote "Why Can't We All Just Get a Long Neck?" The song ends with the suggestive jab, "Well two can play that gotcha game you'll see."

During an appearance on "The View" last week, Williams found a measure of support from Whoopi Goldberg. This led to him suggesting a possible Whoopi/Hank presidential ticket in the future. Let's pray that this theoretical campaign would never take them to the golf course. That would be like ... never mind.



UPDATE: AP reported earlier that the song would be titled I'll Keep My ..., but that apparently isn't the case. Deadspin has the full lyrics and says the title is Keep The Change.

Williams's original claim, if you need the rehash, was "that President Barack Obama and House Speaker Rep. John Boehner golfing together was like Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu playing a round." He told the AP that he wrote added the relevant verse to "Keep The Change" after waking up on Friday, the day after ESPN had let him go. And because circuses like this generally have at least two weeks of air time, Williams is scheduled to go on The View and Hannity this week.

Here are the lyrics to Hanks Jr.'s "Ether":

I'll keep my freedom
I'll keep my guns
Try to keep my money
And my religion too
Try to keep on workin'
Try to keep on smilin'
I will keep my Christian name and y'all can keep the change

I'll keep my heroes
Pictures on the wall
I'll keep my family safe
You're [something] when I call
I'm gonna keep my big V8
Keep my friends the same
Keep the government outta my business
And y'all can keep the change

This country sure as hell been goin' down the drain
We know what we need
We know who to blame
United Socialist States Of America
How do you like that name?

I'll keep the U.S.A. and y'all can keep the change

So Fox & Friends
Wanna put me down
Ask for my opinion
Then twist it all around
Supposed to be talkin' about my father's new CD
Well, two can play that gotcha game, just wait and see
Don't tread on me!

This country sure as hell been goin' down the drain
We know what we need
We know who to blame
United Socialist States Of America
Don't you just love that name?

I'll keep the U.S.A. and y'all can keep the change
I'll keep the U.S.A. and y'all can keep the change

Yeah, you can keep Fox & Friends and ESPN outta yer homes, too! 'Cause Bocephus and all his rowdy friends—and his song—is out of there!

Hank Williams Jr and ESPN part ways

ESPN's Jaworski curses live on Monday Night Football

UPDATE: Ron Jaworski's swearing on ESPN's coverage of Monday Night Football went straight to viewer living rooms on live TV with no tape delay, ESPN spokesman Bill Hofheimer said Tuesday.

ESPN does not use a slight tape delay on MNF telecasts that would allow directors to bleep out profanities, Hofheimer said. Jaworski dropped a four-letter S-bomb that rhymes with "fit" during ESPN's coverage of the New England Patriots' win over the Miami Dolphins.

ESPN producers can't recall anything like it in their experience of televising Monday Night and Sunday Night Football games, Hofheimer said.

Jaws apologized on-air to MNF viewers. The likable former Philadelphia Eagles QB was equally "sorry" after the game, Hofheimer added. ESPN is not taking any further action. "We're moving on."

PREVIOUS: Well, that could have gone smoother for ESPN's first Monday Night Football telecast of the 2011 NFL season. Ron Jaworski swore live on the air during the New England Patriots win over the Miami Dolphins.

Jaworski dropped a four-letter S bomb that rhymes with "fit." The likable former quarterback later apologized to MNF viewers on air and said he hoped he didn't offend anybody.

We covered Jaws putting his foot in the mouth during our live TV Sports blog of ESPN's game telecast Monday. Thanks for reading and weighing in and we'll see you next time:

11:20: ESPN spokesman Bill Hofheimer says the network won't put out a statement since Jaworski himself apologized at the end of the game.

10:32: Social media does not wait for ESPN or anybody else. Almost as soon as ESPN's Jaworski swore on the air, it became a hot topic on Twitter.

The clip was uploaded to the Internet. You can watch here via Larry Brown Sports. Jaws later apologized on air.

10:26: ESPN spokesman Bill Hofheimer confirms Jaworski cursed live on the air.

10:23: Ouch. During ESPN's first MNF telecast of the season, analyst Ron Jaworski dropped a four-letter S-bomb on live TV.

With the Patriots leading 31-17, Miami QB Chad Henne overthrew WR Brandon Marshall in the end zone.
"----, you have to get rid of this ball. Just a split second quicker," said Jaws.

BRADY TORCHES DOLPHINS  Throws for record-setting 517 yards

10:10: TD call overturned by replay. Good call from the booth. Replay pretty clear he didn't make it. 4th down.

10:06: Reggie Bush gets tripped up before goal line. Gruden says you have to run "North-South," not "East-West" against a Bill Belichick zone defense. Henne bests Pats' all-out blitz with nice throw. But TD call goes to replay booth. ESPN crew doesn't think Miami made it. "If I'm Tony Sparano, I'm getting my 4th down play ready," says Gruden.

9:57: Henne just makes a pair of nice throws. Miami on the Patriots' 25-yard line. Gruden says there's "plenty of time" with 7:43 left in 4th quarter.

9:54: ESPN comes back from commercial break with close-up of Dolphins cheerleaders. Dolphins' Marshall and Patriots McCourty are having some battle tonight.

9:50: Brady tries the old Mike Vrabel play to a linebacker. But Dolphins jump the route " beautifully" and almost pick it off, says Jaws. Pats settle for field goal. They're up 31-17.

9:44: Visiting Patriots look to be in much better physical condition than home Dolphins. Several replays of Dolphins defenders bent over. Pats tight ends like Aaron Hernandez are just "eating up" Dolphins defense, says Gruden.

9:38: What did football viewers do before the virtual first-down line? One of the best innovations in sports TV history.

9:34. Another Brady TD pass . Pats tight ends have 10 catches tonight, notes Gruden. Patriots up 28-17 over Dolphins. "I've never seen the Patriots use their no-huddle better than they have tonight...The only guys who aren't tired in this stadium are that Patriots offense and Tom Brady." Brady has completed passes to 8 different receivers, Tirico says.

9:33: Jaws says Dolphins defense is "reeling." Gruden says Miami's Nolan Carroll flat-out can't cover New England's Deion Branch. Another Patriots TD under review. Gruden says break is what Dolphins defense needs since they can't keep up with Brady's no-huddle attack. "This defense looks gassed," says sideline reporter Wendy Nix.

9:24: Tirico reminds viewers Miami WR Brandon Marshall was stabbed in the stomach by his wife in a domestic violence incident and diagnosed with a personality disorder. Alrighty then.

9:21: Both Jaws and Gruden wonder exactly what pass patterns the Dolphins receivers were running on last two plays. Pats stuff Dolphins at goal line and they settle for a field goal.

9:18: One of the big TV football terms this season is "back shoulder throw." Listen for how many times you hear that. Or the QB threw into a "tight window." Dolphins threatening.

9:14: Gruden says Brandon Marshall is a "very angry man" after a catch. Wow, there seems like there's a lot of commercials tonight. Can anybody out there from ESPN tell me if commercial minutes are up for this telecast?

9:07: Brady appears in UGG TV spot that's long on attitude but short on everything else. My picture just blinked out for a minute but we're back.

9:06: Brady leading Pats on another drive. Jaws says his "pocket presence is amazing" as Brady steps in and around the pocket to complete throws. Brady has them on the goal line again. TD to Welker. "If you come after Tom Brady with all-out blitz, and he sees one-on-one coverage, he has every route in the book and he will shred you," says Gruden. Pats up 21-14.

9:00: Gruden shows how Pats safety got beat on Henne's 10-yard TD throw. Pats need help at safety after losing some veterans, he says.

8:59: Now that we've heard about how accurate Tom Brady is, ESPN needs to analyze his interception from every angle when they get back from commercial break. Love these Madden 12 commercials with voice-over by Ben Affleck.

8:56: Wow, the Dolphins get the big turnover Gruden said they needed to beat the Pats. Flag down. "That' the kind of play the Miami Dolphins have been lacking here -- especially at home," Gruden says. Henne throws TD. Score is tied 14-14.

8:52: We're back on the field. Jaws like the way Brady is throwing to his tight ends. Sideline reporter Wendi Nix says Pats center Dan Koppen is on crutches and probably out for the game.

8:47: ESPN's halftime grade for their first MNF telecast of the year: B-. Tom Brady's a great QB. But you'd think the Pats were up 28-0 over the Dolphins instead of 14-7 the way they gushed over him. Otherwise Gruden is on his game. Jaws seemed quieter than usual, especially in first quarter. What's up with that? TV replays and graphics were excellent. Half of ESPN TV commercials are about...ESPN. That's why they pay so much for MNF without getting a playoff game.

8:37: Gruden loves Cameron Wake of Dolphins doing his "Animal" move after sacking Brady. He should. He talked about it in the pregame show. Terrible kick. Guess what, Dolphins are only down by a touchdown at halftime 14-7. Here comes Chris Berman with the halftime crew.

8:35: Gruden wanted a pass interference call on the Dolphins against Chad Ochocinco. Replay looked like he was right on.

8:32: Now, 15-year veteran Jason Taylor is hurt. Holding his ankle. Another injury timeout. Tirico notes he's on his "third tour of duty" with the Dolphins. Gruden: "He's a leader on this football team and they need him."

8:30: There's a Chad Ochocinco sighting. He makes his first catch as a Patriot. Pats center Dan Koppen carted off field. Replay did not look good. His leg buckled. Hope he's OK.

8:21: Great name. The Dolphins left guard is Richie Incognito. He's incognito no longer after appearing on MNF. Don Draper is back with another Mercedes commercial.

8:16: ESPN just cut to a shot of Mark Anthony, Will Smith and Dwyane Wade in a luxury box. Anthony looks like he's getting over his break-up with Jennifer Lopez. He's texting away. Weren't they two of "celebrity" owners with a small ownership piece of the Dolphins? Hey, at least ESPN isn't inviting him up to the booth for a lame interview that interrupts the action. Can you say Christian Slater?

8:07: Brady gets a ridiculous amount of time on one passing play. Gruden: "Ive never seen pass protection like this." Jaws thinks Miami has to "dial up" some blitzes. We'll see.

8:05: Jaws notes Brady has been "razor sharp" tonight. Patriots driving again. Danny Woodhead, one of the stars from HBO's Hard Knocks series on the New York Jets, is on the field.

8:03: Jon Hamm, actor from Mad Men, voicing Mercedes TV spots. Must be picking up some nice coin from that gig. We're back with Brady.

8:00: Love those TV shots of secreative coaches on the sidelines calling plays with the clipboards covering their mouths.

7:57: Whoah, Chad Henne getting some love from Jaws. He says the Dolphins QB can "extend" the play. ESPN's guys on the pregame show thought he was a deer in the headlights who froze if his second read was covered.

7:53: Tom Brady puts the Patriots up 14-7. Remember how TV networks used to praise Brett Favre? Now it's Brady.

7:48: Jon Gruden has already dropped a couple of his signature "this guy" or "that guy" references. I put the over-under at 20 on this guy/that guy references for tonight's game. How about you?

7:34: Tough run by Patriots running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis to tie the score at 7-7. Good close-up, down-low replay by ESPN of him spinning off a tackler and reaching the end zone.

7:31 PM: Chad Henne sure likes proving Gruden wrong. Right after Gruden says the Dolphins QB made a "critical mistake," he runs in a QB draw for a TD. 7--0 Dolphins.