Over the past several weeks, I have written about my top 3 personal favorite Royal Rumble moments. John Cena’s miraculous return in 2008, the controversy surrounding the 2005 Rumble match and the infamous 3 Faces of Foley Rumble in 1998 were all incredible RR moments. I know there are many others but there is one moment in particular that WWE fans still ask me about to this day. It’s time to finally set the record straight about the 2001 edition of the annual classic.

The question that everyone constantly asks me is, “did you keep any of the money you scooped up that Kane slapped out of Drew Carey’s hand?”  Before I finally tell you all the truth about this, let me paint the picture from my vantage point. Truth be told, even my Aftermath Radio co-host Arda Ocal hasn’t heard the real story about this night so this will be news to him as well.

As a referee in the Royal Rumble match, you have to be prepared for anything that can and may happen during the match. We all knew that comedian Drew Carey was to be a participant in the match but were not aware of how involved he would be. As the clocked clicked down to zero while Matt and Jeff Hardy fought to eliminate each other, who should appear in the #5 position but Drew Carey.

The Cleveland Ohio native was in no hurry to enter the ring. The Hardy’s managed to eliminate one another simultaneously which left Carey as the only entrant standing in the ring. As the time counted down to the #6 entrant, Drew anxiously awaited the next Superstar to enter. The look of utter fear in his eyes told the story as flames and pyro lit up the New Orleans arena and Kane walked confidently to the ring. Once inside, he raised his arms above his head and quickly brought them down and more flames shot out from all 4 ring posts. A terrified Carey extended his hand in an attempt to shake hands with Kane but the Big Red Monster just stared a hole through Drew. Carey then reached into his pocket and pulled out several $100 bills. Kane slapped the money out of his hand and wrapped his extra large hand around Drew’s throat and was about to choke slam the future Price Is Right host. (If you look at the photo above, you can see me eyeballing the cash.)

This is where I leaped into action. Seeing all that money just laying there in the ring and with all those photographers hovering around ringside, I decided that the only smart thing would be to scoop all the cash up. Raven, who was the next entrant in the Rumble stormed into the ring hitting Kane with a Kendo Stick making him release Carey who, in a blink of an eye, jumped over the top rope thus eliminating himself from the Rumble.

Here’s where I’ve had fun with the story over the years. I have told people that I gave it back when the match was over. I’ve told others that I may have kept some of the cash before returning the rest of it. The actual truth is, and this is the very first time I am telling this, is that I was so concerned about what “the office” might think that I gave the money right back to Drew Carey as soon as he eliminated himself from the Royal Rumble. I didn’t hold onto it, I didn’t keep any of it, I just figured the sooner I gave it back, the less chance of me being blamed if it were to disappear. I could always put the blame on the millionaire comedian. In hindsight, not sure who they would have believed had the money gone missing. It could’ve been one hell of a trial.

Well, there it is. It only took 11 years for the truth to rear its head. I just couldn’t live this lie any longer. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Well, maybe not but it was fun letting fans think I may have copped a few dollars that night. For one night, people thought I was “The Bad Guy”. Probably not but a guy can hope.

This weekend is the 25^th annual Royal Rumble. I have had the honor and privilege to have been a part of many of them. Those memories will be with me always. Hope you all enjoy the Pay Per View this Sunday. I’m very much looking forward to it myself. Until next time, stay thirsty my friends.

President Barack Obama has a strange way of rationalizing why he can’t pick a winner to Super Bowl XLVI. He tells ABC’s Diane Sawyer that he can’t make predictions when his Bears aren’t involved. But shouldn’t that be the case when Chicago’s playing?

I suppose Obama is trying to say that he doesn’t want to risk pissing off the people of New York or New England by picking against their team. But two years ago, when the Democrats controlled the chamber and the 2012 election was only on a distant horizon, the prez was more than willing to pick the Colts to beat the Saints. And the year prior to that, he took the Steelers over the Cardinals.

But it’s an election year, and Obama isn’t risking anything. Politics spoil everything.

I guess the saddest part is that there are apparently people within Obama’s administration who believe (probably with good reason) that voters would consider a football prediction when casting their ballots for the next president of the United States.

Or I suppose more accurately, “hits of the season.”

We’re passed the halfway point in the NHL schedule, and on All-Star break, so we thought it’d be a good time to look at the best plays so far.

Yesterday we gave you the 10 best saves of the year (ridiculous). Here are the best hits.

How it works: every Friday, I will look at several weekend matches and and assign points to various items you’ll have to find surrounding the match and then post up in form of links in the comments section (please provide links where you can and names for commentators).
Commenter with the most points wins! The prize? You get to have me write a post on any football-related topic of your choice. Winners announced in the “Story So Far” on Monday.
Let’s “kick off.”

QPR v. Chelsea

Something about a handshake (5 points).

John Terry doesn’t say anything remote offensively to anyone (1 point).

Fans behave themselves and don’t sing anything remotely clever and/or outrageously inappropriate (50 points).

Liverpool v. Manchester United

Something about Patrice Evra (5 points).

Empty seats at Anfield because, you know, it’s the FA Cup (100 points).

Kop end unfurls giant banner that reads “You Were Right” (1000 points).

Millwall v. Southampton

Saints fans sing “Everyone likes us, you don’t care” (50 points).

Stevenage v. Notts County

Leads on Sky Sports News (1000 points).

The New Jersey Nets are stuck in New Jersey for another few months, waiting to finally make their way to Brooklyn. Jay-Z is super happy about it. But for now, it’s New Jersey and the Prudential Center, where the Nets have played the last two seasons.

And they hate it. Deron Williams and Anthony Morrow in particular aren’t fans, telling some media outlets they “don’t like this arena one bit” and “it was made for hockey, not basketball.” Considering the team shoots worse and scores fewer points per game at home than on the road, their complaints might have some validity.

Avery Johnson, however, isn’t buying it. From the New York Daily News:

“Guys have played basketball, outside. You’ve played in the dark, you’ve played in matchbox gyms. For me, I didn’t care where I played because the basket is 10 foot,” Johnson said. “And we’ve got to find a way to put the ball in the basket and take our time. So whatever the perception or the depth or whatever that is, hopefully we can have the right type of depth perception where the ball goes in the basket.”

Just to clarify for Avery Johnson, it’s “depth perception” that the players are worried about. That is, to quote Wikipedia, is the visual ability to perceive the world in three dimensions (3D) and the distance of an object. Now that that is cleared up, we can move on to the jokes.

I can see both sides of this argument. It can be tough to play in a new place. You’re not used to the sight lines, dead spots on the floor and where the light is coming from. It’s different and it can definitely mess with you.

On the other hand, these dudes are professionals and they’ve been playing games in the Prudential Center for about a year (more so in Morrow’s case), so they should be able to handle playing in a hockey arena. Plus, as Avery Johnson says, get over it. These guys have played in worse gyms in the past, no doubt about it, so they need to just stop worrying about it and play basketball. Deron Williams was playing basketball in Turkey two months ago. Even New Jersey has to have better stadiums than that.

To me, the solution to the Nets’ problems is easy. Avery Johnson needs to take his team to the streets to play a wild game of street basketball, similar to what Team USA did in “D2: The Mighty Ducks.” If getting back to what basketball really is doesn’t help, then nothing will.

Brandon Inge is unhappy about the Prince Fielder signing? Did he take Michael Young’s course in Veteran Leadership?

— Andrew Simon (@HitTheCutoff) January 27, 2012

Hard as it might be to believe, Tigers utility man and fan-favorite scrappy dude Brandon Inge is not too impressed with the Tigers decision to summarily replace him with the Quarter Ton Couple of Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder.

Understandable for Inge, coming off his worst season at age 33, a season in which he took a minor-league demotion like a champ, is now chuffed at the prospect of losing his job. Who knew?

Brandon Inge used to be an above-average baseball player. After his move out from behind the plate, Inge turned some fine third base defense, league-average offense, and every day durability into two seasons worth around 8 Wins Above Replacement (depending on your flavor). The ravages of age took over as Inge started missing games and his defense returned to the league-wide baseline.

Inge was downright terrible last season. His power disappeared and, despite a decent walk rate, he failed to get on base. At all. Not even once! Despite insisting he’s in the Best Shape of His Life and not at all interested in platooning, Inge probably sits behind even Don Kelly on the Tigers third base depth chart.

Brandon Inge has one more guaranteed year on his contract before an all-but inevitable buyout ahead of 2013. At 34 years old, he likely isn’t as bad as his 2011 season showed but still a long way from serving as an everyday player on a team with title aspirations. His outrage is understandable and only endears him to loyal Tigers fans further.

As a fan, it is very easy to commiserate with a player clinging to his big league career like grim death when the ownership of your team spends two-hundred million dollars securing superior options, thereby rendering the scrappy lifer all but obsolete. “He’s like a mascot! Little Binge is so cute, trying to run around with the big boys. No quit in that one, no sir. Now when to the two portly guys with all the home runs show up?“

Mauro Ranallo catches up with MMAFighting.com and FUEL TV’s Ariel Helwani as the two discuss the big UFC on FOX 2 show tomorrow night in Chicago and the latest happenings from the world of mixed martial arts.