This is not the type of sports highlights that most fans in Tuscon were looking for when they were watching the Super Bowl Sunday evening.  A bizare event happened:  porn showed up in the middle of the football game.

Comcast customers in Tuscon got an eye-popping 30 seconds of pornographic material during the Super Bowl last night. Shortly after Arizona Cardinal Larry Fitzgerald caught a toss from quarterback Kurt Warner to take the lead against Pittsburgh, the Super Bowl feed paused and dissolved into a scene featuring full frontal male nudity from the adult channel Club Jenna.

Comcast says it is investigating the incident, and its engineers worked through the night to find out what went wrong. According to preliminary reports, standard broadcast/analog customers were the only ones to see the Club Jenna segment — digital and high-definition subscribers were not affected. It is unclear how many homes were experienced the interruption.

The feed originated with NBC local affiliate KVOA in Tucson and traveled via a fiber optic line to the Cox Cable Company, which then relayed the feed through a separate line to Comcast. Both KVOA and Cox say the problem lies with Comcast, as the KVOA feed was porn-free when it left the station, and Cox did not receive any complaints from its customers.

Just hours after the football game finished, Comcast customers who caught the Super Bowl surprise on their digital video recorders were posting the incident all over the web. While we’re not linking to anyone who posted the event — hey, this is a family show — we can say that shots of the event can be found on everything from personal websites to video-sharing sites like Break.com.

So, how did this happen? Was it simply a computer or human error or perhaps a disgruntled employee or hacker? Digital pranks and sabotage have made headlines recently. Just last week, a disgruntled Fannie Mae employee was indicted for trying to crash the company’s computer systems, hackers recently posted a zombie alert on a road sign in Texas, and let’s not forget December’s Twitter hacks allegedly perpetrated by members of the online forum Digital Gangster.

While Comcast hasn’t uncovered the cause of the porn malfunction yet, the timing seems somewhat suspicious to me. The Cardinals had just taken the lead with about three minutes left in the fourth quarter. Perhaps with the NFL’s coveted trophy within reach, an Arizona fan felt the moment called for some extra celebration. As Cora King of Marana told the Arizona Star, “I just figured it was another commercial…then he did his little dance with everything hanging out.” Gives a whole new meaning to “we’re No. 1!” doesn’t it?

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Sports Highlights

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CALGARY — Five of Canada’s top female biathletes shed their lycra race suits to officially launch a nude calendar on Wednesday which they created to celebrate healthy, active women’s bodies, and also to generate money to fuel their quest for the international podium.

Zina Kocher, of Red Deer, Alta.; Sandra Keith, of Calgary; Rosanna Crawford, of Canmore, Alta.; Megan Imrie, of Falcon Lake, Man.; and Megan Tandy, of Prince, George, B.C., developed the plan to pose nude together in Bold Beautiful Biathlon, which is on sale now for $25 at www.boldbeautifulbiathlon.com on the Internet.

With a goal of targeting financial support from corporate Canada for their Olympic journey, the five Canadian women turned up the heat on a frigid Calgary morning when they roller skied through the downtown core during noon hour with nothing more than shorts, race bibs for tops, and their traditional biathlon rifles locked on their backs.

“We are extremely appreciative of the generous financial support given to our program by Sport Canada, and by Own the Podium to the athletes on our team that are projected to achieve excellence,” said Zina Kocher, a targeted athlete herself and the leader of the Canadian Biathlon Team, who in 2006 became the first Canadian to win a World Cup medal since Myriam Bedard did more than a decade ago. “But our sport remains significantly under-funded compared to our competitors, and one of the few winter sports in this country without a title sponsor or personal sponsors.”

Funding for an athlete’s annual budget comes from a variety of avenues. Personal sponsorships are a core component to covering the many annual expenses high-performance athletes face for both training and competition. Despite being one of the lone fully-funded athletes in the national biathlon program, Kocher and long-time World Cup and Olympic teammate Sandra Keith, took the lead in rallying their World Cup comrades to aggressively seek additional funding opportunities.

“We believe there is a tremendous opportunity for someone in corporate Canada to not only invest in this team and our drive to the Olympic podium, but also to invest in building a new image for young Canadian girls to look up to,” said Keith, who enjoyed a breakthrough season on the World Cup last year which included a career-best 11th-place result. “Contrary to a lot of images young girls are seeing on television and in magazines about the ideal woman’s body, it is a healthy athletic body that we should all be looking to maintain. You don’t need to be a high-performance athlete to be fit, and we are encouraging all women to be proud of their bodies.”

The photos of Keith, Kocher and their teammates were taken by Rachel Boekel and Adrian Marcoux in Canmore, Alta. Each athlete will be featured on two pages of the calendar, along with four group photos.

Nude calendars have become more common as fund-raising tools. Around the same time as the the “Nordic Nudes” calendar of 2001, the Australian Women’s Soccer team released a calendar of artistic photos featuring full-frontal nudity. High-jumper Amy Acuff organized Omni-Lite Millennium Calendar of Champions featuring Acuff and 11 other female track and field athletes in black-and-white photographs, mostly nude. Currently, a calendar titled “Women of Curling” is on sale, featuring nude curling athletes from around the world. The list goes on – golfers, rugby teams, and many more have created nude calendars to support their sport or cause.

At the time of the “Nordic Nudes” calendar, the practice was far from accepted, and both the Canadian women’s cross-country effort and the Australian women’s issue generated significant controversy, often from activists who claimed that the calendars were demeaning to women, both as people and as athletes. Critics pointed out that one rarely, if ever, saw male athletes producing nude calendars. But the calendars sell well, inspiring others to follow suit, and it appears that the practice has become generally accepted.

The Canadian biathletes were inspired to take on the project when thinking back to the success two of their Olympic heroes in cross-country skiing, Sara Renner and Beckie Scott, had in raising funds after producing a similar calendar in 2001. Renner and Scott, along with three other teammates, tastefully took their clothes off to also raise the profile of their sport while showing the world cross-country skiers were fit and healthy people.

“An athlete’s livelihood depends on their bodies and I believe athletes should be proud of their bodies. This calendar celebrates strong, athletic women,” said Sara Renner, who will compete in her fourth and final Olympic Winter Games in 2010. “As the mother of a daughter, I would be proud to see pictures of these role models on my child’s wall as opposed to a synthetically enhanced Hollywood star.”

Sales of the calendar took off for Canada’s cross-country ski women, which helped finance their preparations for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City where Beckie Scott became the first North American woman to win an Olympic medal when she won gold in the pursuit race. Scott and Renner later joined forces to win a silver medal in the team relay at the 2006 Olympics.

“A healthy, female body is a beautiful thing and if these girls choose to celebrate it with a calendar, then all the power to them,” said Scott, who also became a mother after retiring in 2006 with 17 World Cup and two Olympic medals. “The unique thing was we created this calendar right on the cusp of our team making huge strides in the sport internationally, and I hope this marks the same trend for the biathlon women. I wish them the very best and give them my full support.”

Nude calendars have become more common as fund-raising tools. Around the same time as the the “Nordic Nudes” calendar of 2001, the Australian Women’s Soccer team released a calendar of artistic photos featuring full-frontal nudity. High-jumper Amy Acuff organized Omni-Lite Millennium Calendar of Champions featuring Acuff and 11 other female track and field athletes in black-and-white photographs, mostly nude. Currently, a calendar titled “Women of Curling” is on sale, featuring nude curling athletes from around the world. The list goes on – golfers, rugby teams, and many more have created nude calendars to support their sport or cause.

At the time of the “Nordic Nudes” calendar, the practice was far from accepted, and both the Canadian women’s cross-country effort and the Australian women’s issue generated significant controversy, often from activists who claimed that the calendars were demeaning to women, both as people and as athletes. Critics pointed out that one rarely, if ever, saw male athletes producing nude calendars. But the calendars sell well and bring mainstream attention to fringe sports, inspiring others to follow suit, and it appears that the practice has become generally accepted.

Canada’s biathletes will be hoping history repeats itself as well – both with sales of the calendar and on the biathlon course. The calendar will begin selling across the country immediately, while the team will hit the start line for their first World cup race of the season one month later in Sweden.

To purchase a Bold Beautiful Biathlon calendar, or for more information on the project, please visit www.boldbeautifulbiathlon.com on the Internet.

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Five Canadian Biathlon Women Launch Nude Calendar With Hopes Of Raising Funds To Fuel Quest For International Podium

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Anderson, who also had a bit of a beard going, bears a striking resemblance to — and there is no way around this — the cartoon character Goofy. This is the single word that comes up most often when folks discuss the Browns’ transcendent quarterback.

“If you’re going to name a Disney character after him,” said wide receiver Joe Jurevicius, “it’s definitely Goofy.”

And Anderson not only looks the part, it’s his world view.

“I just try to keep it loose,” Anderson said. “If you get tight then you start second-guessing things. I’ve realized that I play better when I play loose.”

Said Browns general manager Phil Savage: “The tighter the game gets, the looser he is. That’s a great quality to have.”

Before the 2007 season there wasn’t much empirical evidence that Anderson was such a cool customer. He had played in only five games in three NFL seasons and seemed destined to sit behind Charlie Frye and first-round draft choice Brady Quinn.

Guess again.
Anderson, who came on in relief of Frye in the opener against Pittsburgh, started the next week versus the Bengals — and promptly threw five consecutive incomplete passes. The Cleveland crowd booed lustily and called for Quinn. Completing 20 of his 28 remaining passes, Anderson won the fans over, throwing for 328 yards and leading the Browns to a manic 51-45 victory.

Despite his dreadful performance in Week 16, when he threw four interceptions in a 19-14 loss to the Bengals, Anderson remains in the fans’ good graces. He’s 9-5 as the starter, and the Browns have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs, something that has happened only once in the past dozen seasons. Anderson, improbably, has thrown for 28 touchdowns — good enough for fifth in the NFL and two touchdowns better than Green Bay’s venerable Brett Favre.

Favre has produced a stirring comeback, but he is a first-ballot Hall of Fame player. Considering where he was and what he’s achieved, Anderson might be the biggest (positive) surprise in this cathartic NFL season. A sixth-round draft choice in 2005 who was waived by the Ravens — think they could use a quarterback? — has the Browns on pace to break their all-time scoring record.

It all goes back to where Anderson comes from: Scappoose, Ore.

“The community has always been supportive, and kind of just laid-back, too,” Anderson said. “[That's] just how I am. It’s a little bit of a spitting image.”

Browns head coach Romeo Crennel, observing Anderson’s casual dress and standard-equipment flip-flops, called him a “hippie.”

“Interesting,” Anderson said. “No,” he added, smiling. “I don’t partake in those activities.”

Scappoose is a town of fewer than 6,000, about 25 miles outside of Portland. It was discovered by the Chinook Indians, who named it for its gravelly plains overlooking the Columbia River.

“If you go to the Varsity Bar and Grill and eat dinner, you’re going to see everybody there that you know,” said Anderson’s father, Glenn. “It’s just good country living.”

“I was his elementary P.E. teacher,” said Sean McNabb, the varsity football coach at Scappoose High School, which won a state title when Anderson was a senior. “I got a fortunate opportunity to watch him grow into the man he is today.”

Said Sara Jean Underwood, a childhood friend: “It’s just a little highway town, very close-knit. Derek was a grade older than me. He started dating one of my good friends, Lisa, who he ended up marrying.”

There must be something in the water in Scappoose, because in the span of one year in the mid-’80s it produced an NFL quarterback and Underwood — the 2007 Playboy Playmate of the Year. What are the odds of that?

When Underwood got her first big break, she was featured on the Oct. 2005 cover of Playboy wearing what appeared to be an Oregon State football jersey, a tribute to her fellow Beaver, Anderson. He wore No. 14 in Corvallis, but magazine officials didn’t think Underwood could pull off double digits, so she went with No. 7 — which was literally painted on, in memorable fashion.

If you saw the Monday night game between Minnesota and Chicago (Week 15), you know that premium quarterbacks are tough to find in the NFL. The Browns suddenly find themselves with two legitimate starters in Anderson and Quinn. Savage said last month he is leaning toward giving Anderson the highest contract tender after the season. That would constitute a raise from Anderson’s current NFL minimum of $435,000 to $2.562 million. It would also guarantee the Browns first- and third-round draft choices if franchises like the Dolphins, Falcons or Panthers offered Anderson a long-term contract.

Anderson’s success this year puts Cleveland in an intriguing predicament. For the short term, the Browns could well keep both quarterbacks, since Quinn is guaranteed less than $8 million of the five-year, $20 million contract he signed.

Before the season, Underwood clearly had a higher profile than her childhood friend, but n ow who is the more famous Scappoosian?

“I don’t think that I’m famous, so I have to say Derek,” Underwood said. “It’s a lot of work trying to look good, but Derek, to me, is the real star.”

A recent Google search for “Derek Anderson” and “Sara Underwood” came back in favor of the quarterback, 555,000 links to 269,000.

Anderson, on the other hand, thinks Underwood is more famous.

“Nobody,” he said, laughing, “wants to look at me in that magazine.”

Greg Garber is a senior writer for ESPN.com.

23-year-old blond beat out 11 other beauties to become the magazine’s 48th Playmate of the Year.

Her title and the start of her yearlong reign were celebrated Thursday with a backyard luncheon under a tent at Hugh Hefner’s famous Playboy Mansion, with the yard filled with current and former playmates, more than 50 dating back to the 1950s.

Hefner described her as an “all-American beauty,” but that’s not all that’s required to be Playmate of the Year.

“It has to do with personality,” he said, adding that the honoree represents the magazine and its advertisers at personal appearances all over the country.

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Derek Anderson: From humble beginnings to budding star

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Sources say that Jessica is happy with Tony because he helps her “upstage” her ex-husbands new relationship. Ex-husband Nick Lachay is dating, and apparently close to a second marriage with, Vanessa Minnillo.

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Jessica Simpson Comfortable With Tony Romo Romance

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On ESPN this morning, Anderson and Underwood discussed their longtime friendship. They both grew up in Scappoose, Oregon, they both attended Scappoose High School (Anderson was one year ahead of Underwood), and they both went to Oregon State for college. Underwood was apparently something of a matchmaker for Anderson and his wife, Lisa.

Oh, and while they were in college together, Underwood appeared on the cover of the “Girls of the Pac-10″ issue of Playboy, a cover you can see here and is possibly not safe for work.

Anderson went on to become the 2007 Playboy Playmate of the Year. Anderson may go on to his first Pro Bowl. So who’s the most famous person from Scappoose? They each say it’s the other one. See More Explicit Photo Here.

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Browns QB Derek Anderson Is Buddies With Playboy Playmate Sara Jean Underwood

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