Desmond Howard Does Television
April 30, 1997

One can always tell when television sweeps are upon us because all kinds of athletes start to show up on the small screen. Two athletes hoping to boost ratings for NBC’s "The Jeff Foxworthy Show" are NBA legend and CBS SportsLine contributor Bill Walton and Super Bowl MVP Desmond Howard, now with the Oakland Raiders. The sports superstars will guest star on the Monday, May 5th at 8:00 p.m. episode. Bill and Desmond will play characters named Lester and Harold respectively, who play in a softball game that is up against the Foxworthy clan . Lester and Harold think they have the championship in the bag, but the Foxworthy teamwork leads to a surprising final inning.

Desmond met Jeff at an awards dinner and said ,"we really hit it off and the next thing I knew I was asked to go on his show ." "I am a fan of Jeff Foxworthy and own two of his comedy CD’s" said the 1991 Heisman winner. I have a feeling Jeff is a big fan of Desmond, too.

"I really enjoyed working on the show. Jeff is such a professional and keeps the comedic edge going off camera as well, to make everyone feel comfortable while doing the show" said the Oakland Raider. Desmond couldn’t say enough good things about his experience, adding "the cast is great and they keep you in stitches. "

Besides "The Jeff Foxworthy Show," Desmond has recently taped appearances for the CBS sitcom "Everyone Loves Raymond,"Fox’s "Living Single," and HBO’s "Arliss."

Has the acting bug bit Desmond? "I would consider acting as a career after my football career is finished. Acting is like football in the sense that if you work hard there are big rewards and like football if you do a good job you can put smiles on peoples faces" said the big-smiled Desmond.

I am sure the Oakland Raiders fans will be wearing a lot more smiles because Desmond has joined the Raiders this year after setting two Super Bowl records and being named the MVP in the 1997 Super Bowl. "I will miss the cheeseheads (Green Bay Packer fans) but I am looking forward to playing in Oakland."

A Little of This and a Little of That…

Someone once told me that every athlete wants to be a singer and every singer wants to be a athlete. The following will give you proof that this statement may not be far from the truth…

Utah Jazz’s Karl Malone will be warbling some tunes on the NBC sitcom "Fired Up" Thursday, May 1st at 9:30 p.m.…WARNING: Another athlete singing a.k.a. warbling—Terry Bradshaw who led the Pittsburgh Steelers to four Super Bowl wins made an appearance on "Prime Time Country" on TNN cable network recently. Terry really showed a different side of himself – he sang a duet with gospel singer Jake Hess from their country gospel album "Gaither Gospel Series: Terry & Jake." Besides singing, Terry donned a wig and kissed Jake on the cheek and then told the audience that he and Jake hug and kiss a lot. Maybe Chicago Bulls’ Dennis Rodman inspired Terry to get in touch with a softer, feminine side.…

CBS SportsLine’s Shaquille O’Neal is not only appearing back on the court with the Los Angeles Lakers but he is appearing in a new music video on MTV. The music video is for "Strait Playin" one of his songs off his most recent album "You Can’t Stop the Reign." The video features the usual scantily clad women and a gold toilet (remember Shaq has a contract worth 120 million with the Lakers)…