Five of the Funniest Sports Interviews of 2012

ABSTRACT: Sometimes a sports interview takes a funny turn. Here are the five funniest sports interviews of 2012.

Media members have conducted countless interviews with athletes, coaches and other sports figures over the last year. Most of the interviews were yawners; however, a few of them contained some humorous moments.
Here are the five funniest sports interviews of 2012.

Rick Pitino Answers the Phone: On Dec. 8, Pitino was holding a routine press conference when a male media member's phone rang in the middle of one of the Louisville coach's answers. The phone was on the podium; Pitino picked it up and started conversing with the female caller on the other end. The media sitting in the gallery laughed uproariously when the woman asked Pitino to go out for dinner and drinks. The Louisville coach politely declined. He then handed the phone to its owner. It is too bad that the camera crews did not snap a photo of the phone's owner at that moment.

Novak Djokovic in Joking Mood: Djokovic pranked fans when he pulled a golf club (instead of a tennis racket) out of his bag during his June 25 opening-round match at Wimbledon. Fans who chuckled at that maneuver probably laughed out loud when they watched the tennis star's post-game press conference. During the interview, Djokovich jokes around with reporters and engages tennis star Maria Sharapova in friendly banter over their pet dogs.

Aaron Rodgers Gets a Pie in the Face: The Green Bay Packers quarterback was conducting a routine press interview after practice on Aug. 27. The interview appeared to be following the usual pattern, with Rodgers providing staid, predictable responses to the reporters' questions. All of that changed when one of Rodgers' fellow players surprised everyone (including Rodgers) by planting a shaving cream pie in the star quarterback's face. Fans of slapstick comedy had to be impressed.

Steve Spurrier Adds Humor to SEC Media Days: When Spurrier finishes his college football coaching career he might be able to land a job as a comedian. Spurrier provided viewers with a taste of his comedic abilities in an interview he gave to the press during the annual SEC Media Days in July. Spurrier's interview provided something for everyone, including quirky facial expressions, folksy phrases, and sarcastic one-liners.

Thomas DeCoud's Meowing: The Atlanta Falcons safety meowed like a cat several times during an ESPN interview in late September. DeCoud's meowing added some comic relief to an otherwise serious interview. A Yahoo! Sports writer noted 14 meows in the interview. How many do you count?

The author follows many sports. He is a fan of the Atlanta Braves and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

-- Anthony Hopper

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