Fans agree: Take break from ‘Roar’
The roars from Cincinnati Bengals fans have been heard and, as a result, Katy Perry’s latest hit song won’t be blaring anymore when the team gets introduced at Paul Brown Stadium on Sundays.
After playing Perry’s hit song “Roar” before, during and after their home opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night, the Bengals told The Wall Street Journal on Friday that they wanted to tone down the playing of it after a social-media backlash.
Specifically, it was the playing of the song during the player introductions that drew the ire of some fans.
A team spokesman reiterated to ESPN.com on Saturday afternoon the organization’s wishes to re-evaluate how often it will play Perry’s song during home games. The Bengals are not planning to completely nix it from the overall musical rotation, the spokesman added.
“We still like the song,” said Jeff Berding, the Bengals’ director of sales and public affairs. “We are not ditching Katy Perry.
“I can’t tell you exactly when the song will play or even whether it will play at all [today]. It’s just being moved around.”
The Bengals host the Green Bay Packers this afternoon.
Turning it up
Francisco Liriano and left hander Jeff Locke have been the Pittsburgh Pirates’ aces for most of the season, but rookie Gerrit Cole is making his case to be the Game 1 starter when the National League playoffs roll around.
Cole, who pitches Tuesday at Wrigley Field, has won his past three starts, allowing only two runs in 20 innings against the Rangers, Cubs and Padres. He has struck out 28 and walked six in those starts, including a 12-strikeout outing Thursday against the Padres. It was the most strikeouts for a Pirates rookie since Jose DeLeon struck out 13 Reds in 1983.
“He continues to evolve as a pitcher - I mean, he threw me change up, slider, curve, everything, fastball away, fastball in,” Padres catcher Nick Hundley said. “Anytime a guy with that type of stuff starts to pitch that way, yeah, the sky is the limit for a guy like that.”
Dead man walking
Fox Sports is airing a documentary on former boxing champion Mike Tyson. The show’s producer, Andrew Fried, said the documentary is not “a look backwards.
It’s a look inwards.”
Fried said Tyson, 47, has evolved.
“He is no longer ‘Iron Mike, the baddest man on the planet,’ ” Fried said. “He is someone who has lived 10 lifetimes. He should be dead. Now, he is in a different place.”
Water logged
“It’s a good thing the Dodgers didn’t clinch the National League West in San Francisco,” wrote Carl Steward of The Oakland Tribune. “That water in McCovey Cove is really cold.”
Quote of the day
“Rutgers is a good team, but we kind of gave the game away.” Arkansas tailback Jonathan Williams
Sports, Pages 24 on 09/22/2013