The Lighter Side of Sports This Past Week

By - Brad Heerschop

Moments in sports that truly make you laugh are not all that hard to come by. Whether it's bloopers, foot-in-mouth type interviews or crazy fans, one would be hard pressed to go more than a couple days without a good laugh from something they find in the crazy world of the games we love.

Last week was no exception. In a two-day period, fans were lucky enough to witness two of the more comical moments in recent memory.

First, to the Association. Last Wednesday, in what is being called "Soda Gate," Brooklyn Nets head coach Jason Kidd discovered an innovative way to call a timeout in a 99-94 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Photo by: Corey Sipkin

With 8 seconds on the clock and no timeouts in his pocket, the former All-Star point guard was clearly in dire need of a conference with his team. Kidd had made a substitution, and as Tyshawn Taylor made his way over to the bench, he bumped into his head coach, sending Kidd's soda onto the court.

Needless to say, the mess required cleaning up, giving the Nets a much needed break. The score at that point was 97-94, and the stoppage allowed Brooklyn to get together and draw up a play for a potential game-tying three pointer.

One might argue that the spill was completely incidental and purely accidental. However, if you have viewed a clip of "Soda Gate," you would be hard-pressed to make a good argument to support that thought process. You will probably even be able to make out Jason Kidd's lips mouthing the words "hit me" as Taylor approaches.

When asked about the incident, both player and coach denied it. Kidd's excuse? "I've got sweaty palms. I was never good with the ball."

This may not have been the first time a coach intentionally spilled a drink in order to buy some time, but it was certainly the first time one was flat out accused of it. Kidd was fined $50,000 for the incident.

The Nets went on to lose the game so it wasn't worth it in the long run, but nevertheless, it was definitely cause for water cooler conversation the next day.

On Thanksgiving night, the NFL was the league to provide some mirth for its loyal fans. Again, in the form of a head coach.

In a showdown between two divisional rivals, the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin was the creative genius this time.

While Tomlin insists that what happened was unintentional, I find it hard to believe. Either way, it was pretty damn funny. If you didn't laugh, you must be from Maryland.

Towards the end of the third quarter, Baltimore's Jacoby Jones returned a kick 73 yards. If not for Tomlin, you could argue that Jones was on his way to pay dirt. The TD would have put the Ravens up 20-7, but they instead were forced to settle for a field goal and a 16-7 lead.

During the return, Tomlin "inadvertently" stepped off of his sideline and onto the field of play. Jones was then forced to break from his clear path to the end zone in order to avoid an imminent collision. Just that simple cut was enough to slow him up and allow Cortez Allen to make the touchdown-saving tackle.

Photo by: Lloyd Fox

Tomlin vehemently denied his actions were in any way intentional, and has since gone on to apologize for his "embarrassing, inexcusable and illegal" blunder.

Much like Jason Kidd, Tomlin's club eventually went on to lose the game and the play was a moot point. To be honest, I don't care if he did it intentionally or not. It was hilarious no matter how you slice it.

Thanks for the laughs, gentlemen. Keep up the good work.