A lot of so-called cool kids hesitate to admit they like listening to The Fray. To be honest, I like some of their songs, but what happened at the NCAA championship game between the Kansas Jayhawks and Kentucky Wildcats on Monday night was borderline atrocious.

Isaac Slade, the lead vocalist, didn’t forget the lyrics. He didn’t sing off key. But the Grammy-nominated band from Denver, Colorado did give one of the worst renditions of the “The Star-Spangled Banner” in recent memory.

It was dark, acoustic (with tambourine), and the Washington Post’s Cindy Boren called it “a version that made you want to curl up in the corner and drunk text an ex.” However, The Fray’s lead guitarist Dave Welsh seemed to take the criticism in good spirit. “Upon thinking about it, doing the National Anthem is a bit like choosing between Jif and Skippy. You just can’t please everyone,” he wrote on Twitter.

Here’s a video of The Fray performing “The Star-Spangled Banner”. Oh, and by the way, the Wildcats defeated the Jayhawks 67-59 to win the school’s eighth NCAA championship.

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Video: The Fray ruins the National Anthem

Until today, no one had ever scored more than four times in a Champions League game. Then Lionel Messi showed up.

The 24-year-old Barcelona forward became the first player to score five goals in a Champions League match as he helped the Catalan giants demolish German club Bayer Leverkusen 7-1 Wednesday night to ease into the quarterfinals of Europe’s premier club competition with a 10-2 aggregate victory.

“The important thing is what the team did and that we qualified for the next round,” Messi said in a television interview after the triumph at Camp Nou. “It’s nice to score five but winning was the priority.”

The World Player of the Year scored in the 25th, 42nd and 49th minutes for a 3-0 lead and his 17th career hat trick for Barca, then added goals in the 58th and 84th minutes. It was the first time in his career that he achieved the feat in any competition.

Cesc Fabregas, Messi’s teammate, said “we have never seen anyone like him,” while Manchester United star Wayne Rooney took to Twitter to address the Argentine hitman as “the best ever”.

Watch:

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Video: Messi scores 5 goals against Bayer Leverkusen

Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli and Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal both go shirtless in this photo from the 2012 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

Refaeli, who graced the 2009 cover of the magazine, is also featured in a number of sexy snaps with L.A. Clippers point guard Chris Paul and Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps. The spread was shot in Montreal, Canada by famed photographer Walter Iooss Jr.

For more pics and videos, visit SportsIllustrated.com.

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Bar Refaeli poses with Rafa, Phelps and Chris Paul for SI’s swimsuit issue

Every time Aaron Ramsey scores, someone famous dies. Well, that’s the theory of some football fans in England.

One fan wrote on a forum: “I’m worried things will get out of control when he scores more.”

It all began last May when the 21-year-old Arsenal midfielder and Wales captain netted against Manchester United and the next day Osama Bin Laden was killed. In October he scored against Tottenham Hotspur, three days before Steve Jobs succumbed to a publicly fought battle with pancreatic cancer. Later that month, he scored against Olympique de Marseille in the UEFA Champions League. Next day, Muammar Gaddafi was shot dead.

Ramsey’s goal against Sunderland on Saturday was also blamed for Whitney Houston’s death. Whitney’s body was found hours after the Welsh playmaker netted during their game against the Black Cats.

Coincidence? Yes, of course… but it gets creepier. Let’s see what happens when he scores a hat-trick.

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Gunners midfielder Aaron Ramsey ‘linked’ to Whitney Houston’s death

I rarely play basketball, but I would still buy these kicks…if I win in some sort of gambling.

I say that because the highly anticipated Air Jordan 2012, the 27th model in the Air Jordan franchise, is gonna cost you a staggering $223. That’s a lot, considering that there’s nothing so special about these shoes except for the interchangeable sleeves and midsoles for performance customization.

The Tinker Hatfield and Tom Luedecke-designed footwear also boasts an “innovative Flight Carbon plate in the midfoot that is made with a combination of glass and carbon fiber and is contoured to the natural shape of the foot for optimal support.” Nice job, Nike, now please lower the price of these shoes —or else no one will buy them…except those sneakerheads.

Check out the video below to listen to Hatfield and Luedecke as they go in depth with the new Air Jordan.

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These new Air Jordans are designed to encourage today’s rich ball players to rethink performance

The New England Patriots and New York Giants will meet tonight ( kickoff time 6:30 p.m. EST) at Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis for Super Bowl XLVI, a rematch of the Giants’ Super Bowl XLII victory over the Patriots.

The Giants provide a tough matchup for the Pats. Tom Coughlin’s men not only defeated Tom Brady and the gang in The Big Game four years ago, they won 24-20 at New England on Nov. 6 this season. New York’s front line is superb, perhaps the best in the league. A second championship for Eli Manning would make a strong case for his eventual induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Meanwhile in Brady’s ten seasons as a starter, New England has earned trips to the Super Bowl in half of them, and the 34-year-old playmaker can join Pittsburgh’s Terry Bradshaw and San Francisco’s Joe Montana as only the third quarterback in NFL history to win four Super Bowls if he can lead the Pats to a victory over the Giants. But football enthusiasts should keep in mind that Bradshaw and Montana never lost in The Big Game . They were each 4-0; Tom would be 4-1 with a win tonight.

Madonna, together with Nicki Minaj and M.I.A., will perform for an estimated 117 million viewers during the Super Bowl halftime show, and everyone has been wondering about what the 53-year-old singer will do on stage. Although Madge will be singing three of her classic hits as well as her new track Give Me All Your Lovin‘, the Queen of Pop said that she did not want to give anything else away ahead of time.

“I don’t want to blow the surprises,” Madonna said. “I want people to be knocked out of their seats.”

There are also rumors that Cee Lo Green may appear during her set, as well as LMFAO.

Super Bowl 2012 certainly has all the makings of another thriller. And yes, everyone from car manufacturers to a yogurt company will try to entice us with their commercials. Last year’s game drew in more than 111 million viewers, and the number of people tuning in has increased each year for the past five.

The Big Game will be televised in the United States on NBC. But if you don’t have access to television at the moment, you can catch all the action live online, for free, at the NFL’s official website. Super Bowl 46 will also be streamed live at NBCsports.com.

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Super Bowl 2012 Live Stream: Watch Giants vs Patriots Live Online for Free

Heath Frisby landed the first ever snowmobile front flip at the 2012 Winter X Games on Sunday night. Yes, it looked way easier than it was, but it’s absolutely difficult to complete the life or death stunt on a huge snowmobile. The 27-year-old daredevil from Idaho pulled off the feat in his first run during the best trick competition, earning him the gold medal.

WATCH:

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Frisby pulls off world’s first jump of its kind at X Games [VIDEO]

At 24, Lionel Messi has already racked up enough honors to make him arguably the best player of his time. On Monday, Messi strengthened his claim to the title by winning a third-consecutive Ballon d’Or—international football’s biggest individual award.

The Argentina forward bested Barcelona teammate Xavi Hernandez and Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo for the 2011 FIFA Ballon d’Or, making him only the second player to win the honor for three-consecutive years. French legend Michel Platini won the Ballon d’Or from 1983 to 85. Messi received his award from retired Brazilian star Ronaldo, who won the award three times in 1996-97 and 2003.

Messi offered his 2011 victory to teammate Xavi, who ended up third in the voting with 9.23 percent. “This one is very special because I want to share this with my friend and teammate Xavi. He deserves it,” Messi said. It was a double victory for Barcelona on Monday as the Catalan club’s manager, Pep Guardiola, was named coach of the year.

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Messi Wins Third-Straight Ballon d’Or

Check out this fascinating video mashup of past and present NBA greats dubbed “NBA Forever.” See Dirk Nowitzki and Larry Bird squaring off. See Derrick Rose playing alongside Michael Jordan. And witness Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson take the court side by side. It’s all set to Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors’ “Live Forever.” Thanks, TNT!

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Derrick Rose and Michael Jordan play together in TNT’s ‘NBA Forever’ [VIDEO]

A football match between Dutch clubs AFC Ajax and AZ Alkmaar was halted after a crazy fan ran onto the pitch and tried to attack Alkmaar goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado.

The 22-year-old Costa Rican, who was voted the top goalie in the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup, responded by kicking the drunk supporter to the ground before stewards intervened. Alvarado then gets a red card for retaliating which led to AZ boss Gertjan Verbeek ordering his men off the pitch.

“Verbeek ordered the team off the pitch to control the situation and in the dressing room our players said that they don’t feel safe anymore on the pitch,” said Alkmaar’s technical director Earnest Stewart.

Ajax were leading 1-0 at the time of the abandonment. The current Eredivisie champions apologized for the incident and said the fan would receive a lifetime ban from games. No decision has yet been announced whether the match will be replayed.

WATCH:

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Dutch Cup match suspended after fan attacks netkeeper [VIDEO]

Monta Ellis of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors has been hit with a sexual harassment charge by a former team employee, who accused the star player of sending her sexually explicit messages and a photograph of his genitalia.

Erika Ross Smith filed the lawsuit on Wednesday, accusing Ellis of, among others, sending suggestive messages through her team-issued mobile phone. According to the lawsuit, Ellis began sending messages to Smith in November 2010, asking her what she was wearing, among other things. Smith reportedly rejected Ellis’ advances. The suit also claims that Ellis sent a photo of his manhood on December 17, 2010, a day after the basketball star allegedly complained to team officials about Smith’s performance as a community relations employee.

Smith’s attorney, Burt Boltuch, said that his client was “embarrassed. She was intimidated. She felt scared and helpless.” Ellis and the team, which has been named as respondent in the suit, have yet to issue a statement regarding the case. Smith claimed that she was slowly eased out of the organization after Ellis’ wife, Juanika, learned and told the team about the text messages.

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Monta Ellis Accused of Sexual Harassment

Floyd Mayweather Jr. was ordered to serve 90 days in the Clark County jail beginning January 6, 2012 after pleading guilty to a battery domestic violence charge and two harassment charges connected to a 2010 incident with the boxer’s ex-girlfriend.

Mayweather Jr. was sentenced on Wednesday after the undefeated welterweight champion decided to plead guilty to a lesser offense rather than go into trial on a felony offense. The 34-year-old boxer was accused of hitting Josie Harris, an ex-girlfriend and the mother of his children, during an altercation in September last year.

Prosecutor Lisa Luzaich said that Mayweather should be punished as he has repeatedly been in trouble without being disciplined by authorities. “He just continually gets himself into trouble and he is able to get himself out of it as well,” she told Justice of the Peace Melissa Saragosa. “The only thing that’s going to get this man’s attention is incarceration.” Aside from the jail time, Mayweather must also perform 100 hours of community service and pay $2,500 in fines.

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Mayweather Jr. Gets 90 Days For Domestic Violence Charge

Kobe Bryant will soon be a free agent. In the game of love and relationship, that is.

Bryant’s wife, Vanessa, reportedly filed for divorce from the Los Angeles Lakers star earlier this month, according to TMZ. Reports said Vanessa Bryant signed her petition for divorce on December 1, while Bryant replied on December 7. The soon-to-be ex-couple issued a statement saying that issues regarding the divorce have been settled with the assistance of their counsels. TMZ claimed that the Bryants have no prenuptial agreement, which means that Vanessa is entitled to half of the assets amassed by Bryant during their more than ten years of marriage. Kobe married Vanessa Laine on April 18, 2001.

Vanessa famously stood by her man when Bryant was accused of sexually assaulting a Colorado hotel employee in 2003. The basketball star denied raping the employee, Katelyn Faber, but admitted committing an adulterous sexual encounter with the woman. Vanessa stuck with Bryant despite the incident, but a TMZ source said the Lakers all-star apparently did not learn his lesson. “She’s been dealing with these incidents for a long time and has been a faithful wife, but she’s finally had enough,” the source said. “This one is the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

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Kobe Bryant’s Wife Files for Divorce

Chris Paul is heading to Hollywood. However, the all-star point guard will be donning the uniform of the “other” Los Angeles-based NBA team and not that of the Lakers.

The Los Angeles Clippers welcomed Chris Paul to the team on Thursday as the blockbuster trade that sent CP3 to Los Angeles from New Orleans was officially completed. The Clippers beat the Lakers and several other teams in the wheeling and dealing for the services of Paul, who was arguably the biggest name available in the lockout-shortened NBA season. The New Orleans Hornets received center Chris Kaman, Eric Gordon, Al-Farouq Aminu, and a first-round draft pick.

With Paul on board to combine forces with Blake Griffin, the Clippers are in a good position to outshine the Los Angeles Lakers this season and probably for years to come. Clippers vice-president of basketball operations Neil Olshey said that they expect Paul to carry the team to a whole new level. “Chris is the kind of player that makes everybody around him better. He’s a general. He wins. He’s a warrior, and he’s going to take this whole organization to the next level,” he said.

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Clippers Beat Lakers in Battle for Chris Paul

The Los Angeles Clippers have added veteran point guard Chauncey Billups off waivers on Monday, as the transfers and trades continue to heat up in the lockout-shortened 2011-2012 NBA season.

Billups was released by the New York Knicks on Friday via the new amnesty clause approved between team owners and players. “This is a different vehicle to acquire a player,” Clippers general manager Neil Olshey said according to ESPN. “We’re the first ones to do it (winning an amnesty auction) and I think there’s a little uncertainty with everybody on how the process is going to work. All I know is this is another great addition to our roster. ”

Under the amnesty clause, the Knicks will be allowed to scratch off Billups’ salary from their payroll but the team will still have to pay the pointguard his salary, which amounted to $14.2 million before the Clippers’ reported winning bid of $2 million. The acquisition of Billups comes amid the ongoing trade talks that could bring Chris Paul to the Clippers.

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Clippers Acquire Chauncey Billups Off Waivers