Unlike Carl Lewis and Roseanne Barr, Canadian singer Alexis Normand has a beautiful voice.
Unfortunately, Normand still managed to secure a spot alongside the infamous duo on the all-time list of worst anthem singers.
Before the 2013 Memorial Cup junior hockey championships between the Halifax Mooseheads and Portland Winterhawks Saturday in Saskatchewan, Normand came on to pull double duty with a rendition of both "O Canada" and "The Star-Spangled Banner".
The Canadian citizen had no problem with the first part of the performance, but halfway through the U.S. anthem she delivered a moment that would have made Francis Scott Key roll over in his grave.
Let's not be too hard on Normand, after all she already feels bad enough.
I'm embarrassed and deeply sorry. I wish I'd had more time to learn the American anthem. Thanks so much for the crowd's help! #memorialcup
Over the years, we've seen some amazing things in Arena Football and its offshoot leagues.
Heck, we've seen a buffalo nearly trample a player -- and that happened right here in Phoenix.
But I don't think we've ever seen this. R.J. Rollins of the Omaha Beef in the Champions Professional Indoor Football League (the same team that offered Tim Tebow a job) scores on a rushing touchdown and in his celebration, flips the ball toward Lincoln Haymakers coach Dave Brumagen.
Brumagen didn't like that very much, and knocked Rollins to the ground, inciting an on-field melee.
The Lincoln coach has been suspended for the rest of the season and received a $500 fine -- which equates to $1.3 million in normal non-indoor-football dollars.
Oh, and by the way, Rollins' touchdown was the game-winner for the Beef in a 27-23 win. Maybe Lincoln should have used the coach on defense?
Johnny Manziel is just like any other 20-year-old college student, except for the fact that he is the quarterback at Texas A&M and a Heisman Trophy winner.
Manziel has spent the offseason seemingly enjoying his status, and while some may not appreciate how much fun he's having, we at the Haboob Blog don't mind. He's just 20, after all.
Anyway, Johnny Football's travels took him to San Diego Thursday where he threw out the first pitch before the Padres hosted the Washington Nationals, and he threw it in the most Johnny Manziel way possible.
He basically re-enacted a play against Alabama that led to a touchdown pass. And not to be outdone, Mark Kotsay Caught the pitch in a very outstanding way.
Earlier this week, we treated you to Manny Ramirez's "slide"
into second base that came up a tad bit short in a Chinese Professional Baseball League game.
Well, apparently the art of sliding has universally gone out of style.
Thursday night in a game against the Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler attempted to go first to third on a single by Elvis Andrus.
Unlike Ramirez, Kinsler has no problem reaching the base. Instead, the former ASU standout went right over the bag head-first and beat up his face in the process.
If you have small children still learning the game, hide them...NOW!
Have you ever been to an arm wrestling competition?
If so, was it a women's competition?
Whatever, that's not important.
What is important is the fact that a Georgian competitor whose name we do not know was locked in a battle with a Ukrainian competitor at the European Women's Arm Wrestling Championships in Lithuania, with the intensity of the event being a bit too much to handle silently.
So, she screamed. Often and loudly. And for the record, it did not help her win.
OK, we understand that art is a very subjective thing.
As the saying goes, "one man's trash can be another man's treasure," and that is indeed the case.
But still, there has to be some reason certain pieces of artwork are valued and others not. Right?
Wrong.
As reported by BlazersEdge.com, Portland Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen recently sold a painting for $43,845,000.
That price is a record for famous high-end auction house Sotheby's.
The painting is a 1953 piece by Barnett Newman, and it is called "Onement VI."
It's 8.5-foot-by-10-foot, and it's two blue rectangles vertically separated by a light blue line.
And that's it.
So, the good news is if Allen misses the painting chances are good he can recreate it fairly easily. In fact, we argue most children in a second-grade classroom could recreate it.
Hey, we may have just fixed the education budget shortfall!
It is not uncommon for professional basketball players to be given their own shoe by companies like Nike, Reebok and Adidas.
And for some players, like Michael Jordan, their line continues long after they've retired from the game.
Apparently Charles Barkley has a similar deal.
Nike is releasing the Chuckposite Barkley Posite, and the shoes are adorned with Phoenix Suns colors. Of that, we approve.
Of course, we do not know if this is a shoe for broadcasters or players -- or both -- only that it is purple and orange. And odds are it will be more successful than the Air-Bombay Loafer, but we digress.
Along with the knowledge that a new Barkley shoe is on the way came the revelation that there is someone who makes YouTube videos dedicated to sneakers, where they are discussed and reviewed.
He played Chandler Bing on Friends, one of the most popular sitcoms of all time.
He is a big hockey fan.
And his latest sitcom, Go On, was recently cancelled by NBC after just one season.
That didn't dampen Perry's enthusiasm for the Los Angeles Kings Western Conference playoff series against the St. Louis Blues. Perry attended the contest at Staples Center in L.A. last Friday night.
It also didn't dampen Fox Sports reporter Dan Moriarty's desire to bring up the cancellation to the actor during an intermission interview.
He has no issue spending money in an effort to win, and he seems to 'get it' with regards to fans.
And yet, he's found a way to be even cooler.
Cuban and the Mavericks would like to have a new look in the 2015-16 season, which means they need redesigned uniforms.
And where will they turn for the design?
The fans, of course.
In a blog post, Cuban essentially lays out the ground rules.
They want the look to "stay true" to the franchise's tradition and is not a total revamp of the color scheme. Also, anything that is submitted -- whether it's chosen or not -- will belong to the Mavericks.
"If you think its horrible that the Mavs own your design. Do not post. If you think its cool that the Mavs could possibly use your design and you will have eternal bragging rights, then post away."
Cuban also said tickets may be given out, and designs will be posted online so folks can "glance lovingly" at them.
The owner goes on to note that it's possible none of the designs will be chosen, and the contest will run through the last day in May.
