Ride that bucking Bronco

Brady Quinn is better at catching than throwing.

Having been a sports fan for a solid 25 years — probably a passionate one in the last 15 to 20 — I can’t remember a time when such a bad team with such mediocre NFL quarterbacks was the talk of the league.

I am talking, of course, about the circus that is the 1-4 Denver Broncos. Kyle Orton was the team’s starting quarterback and the Broncos passed up a few opportunities to trade him. Then, Orton was dreadful Sunday and he was yanked for one of the league’s most popular players (who has accomplished zero so far) — Tim Tebow.

A nation cheered.

It’s unclear when Tebow leaped over third-stringer Brady Quinn, because they were just about even in the preseason. Why does Quinn matter? Because his girlfriend is Olympic gymnast Alicia Sacramone. Her popularity has never been higher — she just got naked for ESPN’s “Body Issue” (her hands were strategically placed, leaving a little to the imagination).

Monday, while NFL talking heads everywhere were getting frothy over Tebow being named the starter — nevermind that the Broncos have a bye this Sunday, so he wouldn’t be starting for another 13 days — Quinn was already by Sacramone’s side in Charlotte. She was due to have surgery, and after the Broncos lost to the Chargers, Quinn jumped on a red eye to fly east and be by her side. She tweeted that Quinn was the “best boyfriend ever.”

This must be a tough time to be Kyle Orton.

What a total hot dog

Have you seen the video of a deranged fan charging the green while Tiger Woods was lining up a putt, shouting “Tiger!” and then hurling a hot dog in his direction? The crazed lunatic — he was taken down almost immediately by security and then cops — had Carl Lewis-like accuracy (the hot dog didn’t come close to Tiger), but the scene was absolutely bizarre.

I’m puzzled by the hot dog selection. Why not a hamburger? Based on shape, I would assume if flung like a Frisbee, you could toss it farther. The man’s toss was a weak one, but as security bum-rushed him, the man dropped to the ground and put his hands up in the air as if he knew the routine.

Was he drunk? (Police say he wasn’t intoxicated or on drugs.) Just having fun? (I love to throw hot dogs at people, too!) Although the man was charged with disturbing the peace, it is only a misdemeanor, so his name wasn’t released.

That’s too bad. I’d love to know his motive.

– Jason Raj McIntyre covers athletes off the field and runs the popular blog, The Big Lead.