Today John Madden announced his retirement after 30 years in the broadcast booth.  Cris Collinsworth will replace Madden in the booth.

I’ll always remember John Madden not only for his awesome video game (thanks EA Sports), but for the parodies done for him over the years.  And of course his addiction to drawing all over the screen.

Happy St. Patty’s day. Only a few links today since all of you should be out drinking.

If you haven’t seen the A-Rod photo spread from the April issue of Details yet, then do yourself a favor and click here. No Homo? Not Quite.

Are you one of these guys?

Interesting final column from the departing ESPN Ombudswoman. It would behoove ESPN to take her opinions to heart.

Your 2009 Washington Nationals!

I’ll take uses for the word ‘rape‘ for $800, Alex.

Finally, a glimpse at St. Patty’s day around the NFL, KSK style.

Larry H. Miller of the Utah Jazz dies at age 64.

You think A-Rod is in trouble? Check out his trainer.

Nate “Krypto Nate” Robinson on Letterman.

A spotlight on our friends at Sports2Debate.

Our boy John Hollinger evaluates the 11 most likely buy-out candidates.

Happy Hump Day, stumblers. Today’s links:

Wow. Deranged Chimpanzees, Xanax, women sleeping with primates…wtf?! (NY Post)

Lance Armstrong lost his bike, and needs the help of Twitter nation to get it back (yahoo)

Weird dealings down at Texas Tech, where Coach Mike Leach’s contract situation is very much in limbo. There are rumblings that Tech might now fire Leach, rather than work out a contract, which would be devastating to the program. (Dallas News and CNNSI)

If you haven’t seen this yet, enjoy. It’s NFL draft prospect Jarron Gilbert out of San Jose State, and dude is an beast. (You Tube)

This would be a solid, solid pickup for the Cavs, and could put them over the top in the East. Jamison is a class act all the way who wouldn’t cause any chemistry issues-he’d just produce and help them win. With the Wizards in complete shut down mode, I’d love to see this happen. (CNNSI)

T-Mac hurt? No way! It is a shame to hear the dreaded term “micro-fracture surgery” bandied about. (ESPN)

Two Helpings of Strange Red Wings News

The first story involves the suspension of Red Wings stars Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk who were forced to sit out last night’s Red Wings vs Blue Jackets game due to not participating in this past weekend’s All Star game.

“I thought it was the best move for the team,” Lidstrom said Monday. “I could have taken a game off in the middle of the season and maybe missed three days. I took the weekend off, and it ended up being six or seven days. For the Red Wings, I think it’s the best move to try to heal up.

In classic display of NHL ineptitude, the NHL and the league’s general managers made a rule requiring players that do not participate in the All Star game to sit out a regular season game. Talk about fighting the symptoms and not the disease: THE NHL ALL STAR GAME SUCKS! (even ESPN thinks so).

The second unusual story involved Red Wings center Henrik Zetterberg being signed to a 12-year contract running through 2021.

“Our goal is to try to keep this team together,” said team vice president Steve Yzerman, who won three Cups as a Red Wings player. “He’s the kind of person and the kind of player we want in this organization.”

12 years? Why? That’s ridicuous. Not surprisingly, it represents the longest contract in team history. The agreement likely means the team won’t be able to resign both Johan Franzen and Marian Hossa who are free agents this summer.

Cardinals fans need to remember how forlorn their franchise has been until this season. Enjoy the bandwagon ride, but know that you have not earned the right to do crap like this yet. (The Big Lead)

It’s always fun to read more about the absolute train wreck known as the 2008 Dallas Cowboys. (Dallas News)

A look at some key NBA rookies and how them hitting “the Wall” might impact the Association down the stretch. (ESPN.com)

Worth some clicking through: Top 99 Women in the world. (askmen.com)

TicketStumbler launches (some) interactive maps!

A fan wins $1 million at a Blackhawks game.

TrueHoop blows up!

Awesome Wade dunk vs the Thunder.

Should the NHL ban fighting? No.

Sorry Boldin, there’s no excuse.

Surprise! The Cowboys were undisciplined.

McGahee is all right.

Dennis Green led to the Cardinals to the Super Bowl.

I love watching Kurt Warner unleash dragons.

Kobe tries a different kind of shocker. 9 fingers.

And the Sports2Debate NFL mock draft.