Chad Ochocinco

Let's say you're a professional football player and you want to anger many of your 2.3 million Twitter followers. What's the best way to do this?  If Chad Ochocinco's recent actions are any indication, the quickest way is to buy a Glenn Beck book and actually read it (!) .  Flying to Memphis over the weekend, the Cincinatti Bengals' star wide receiver (and Ray Lewis' favorite chew toy) announced to the Twitterverse that he had purchased Beck's latest book "Broke" for the plane ride.

Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Joe Thomas is preparing to shield his quarterback, Colt McCoy, from a Ravens defense that sacked San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith nine times in last week's win. He is also preparing to protect his ears from the barrage of insults sure to come from the Baltimore defense. “ They talk a lot ,” Thomas told The Canton Repository in Canton, Ohio. “Some of it is personal, but it's funny.” The chattiest, Thomas says, is Ray Lewis, who finished second behind Chad Ochocinco in a recent Sports Illustrated poll asking current players who was the NFL's funniest trash talker . (Lewis has missed the past two games and did not practice Wednesday, putting his status for Sunday's game in Cleveland in doubt.)

Now that he has a little free time on his hands, Chad Ochocinco will attempt to make the jump from pro football to pro futbol. Next week, the outspoken and locked-out Bengals wide receiver will get a four-day tryout with Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer. I'm not sure who's more desperate for attention: Ochocinco or the MLS team formely known as the Kansas City Wizards. "We're always searching for players who can help our team and bringing in new talent," K.C. manager Peter Vermes told the Associated Press . "We know that Chad is an exceptional athlete and that he loves the sport of soccer, and he did play a lot when he was younger.

One aspect missing from the buildup of Sunday's AFC North clash between the Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals is the lack of barbs usually crafted by wide receiver Chad Ochocinco. Ochocinco, a former Bengal who is now employed by the New England Patriots, once sent deodorant to the Ravens secondary to help the defensive players from sweating while trying to shadow him. He used to keep a pre-game list in his locker of the defensive players he planned to target, and he added former cornerbacks Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle and current inside linebacker Ray Lewis in the past.

First soccer. Then professional bull riding. And now snake wrangling. Yes, it’s been a busy and bizarre offseason for your favorite Bengals wide receiver, Chad Ochocinco, who has decided to turn the recent criticism from Cincinnati owner Mike Brown into inspiration for his excellent adventure of the month. On Tuesday, Brown sarcastically criticized the outspoken wide receiver for his forays into other sports during the lockout.  "He's going to do the things he does. Next maybe he'll be a snake wrangler and we'll watch to see if he gets bit," Brown said.

Move over, Chad Ochocinco. Justin Bieber is the latest star to cross over to the soccer field. The dreamy Canadian pop sensation, who was in Spain for a concert, practiced with FC Barcelona on Wednesday. You know you want to watch this video.

The Bengals have agreed to a one-year, $2 million contract with wide receiver Terrell Owens , who is expected to report to training camp in Georgetown, Ky., in a couple of days, according to various reports. Receiver Chad Ochocinco is one of Owens' close friends, and welcomed him on his Twitter feed. Ochocinco lobbied for the team to sign Owens and has dubbed the two of them Batman and Robin. • Jack Tatum , the Pro Bowl safety for the Raiders best known for his crushing hit that paralyzed Darryl Stingley in a 1978 exhibition game, died of a heart attack in an Oakland, Calif.

Chad Ochocinco was unsuccessful in his attempt to crack the roster of MLS soccer squad Sporting Kansas City, who evaluated the Bengals wide receiver in a week-long tryout. He wasn't offered a contract, but today he was named an "honorary member" of the team by coach Peter Vermes. If he wishes, Ochocinco will be allowed to continue honing his skills -- and bringing in publicity -- on the club's reserve team. He told The Kansas City Star that he plans on accepting the invitation . "It’s awesome," Ochocinco said this morning.

In March, Chad Ochocinco was unsuccessful in his attempt to make it in the MLS. For his next stunt, the outspoken Bengals wide receiver -- at least for now -- will attempt to ride a raging bull this weekend at a Professional Bull Riders event in Duluth, Ga. I'm guessing you will be rooting for the bull in this one. Ochocinco will earn $10,000 if he doesn't chicken out and actually rides a bull. If he can hang on for eight seconds, he'll win a new Ford truck and get to rename the beast that he conquered.

Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Joe Thomas is preparing to shield his quarterback, Colt McCoy, from a Ravens defense that sacked San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith nine times in last week's win. He is also preparing to protect his ears from the barrage of insults sure to come from the Baltimore defense. “ They talk a lot ,” Thomas told The Canton Repository in Canton, Ohio. “Some of it is personal, but it's funny.” The chattiest, Thomas says, is Ray Lewis, who finished second behind Chad Ochocinco in a recent Sports Illustrated poll asking current players who was the NFL's funniest trash talker . (Lewis has missed the past two games and did not practice Wednesday, putting his status for Sunday's game in Cleveland in doubt.)

Ravens running back Ray Rice and strong safety Bernard Pollard were flagged for taunting in Sunday's 30-27 win over the Arizona Cardinals. A day later, coach John Harbaugh said he didn't understand the penalties. “I'm going to have to save that for the league, to be honest with you,” Harbaugh said at his weekly Monday press conference. “I don't understand them. So we'll look forward to seeing how the league explains them to us.” I'm guessing he won't be satisfied by the NFL's explanation, especially for the weak call on Rice, who was penalized for briefly flexing toward a Cardinals defender who had flexed at him after an earlier play.

Let's say you're a professional football player and you want to anger many of your 2.3 million Twitter followers. What's the best way to do this?  If Chad Ochocinco's recent actions are any indication, the quickest way is to buy a Glenn Beck book and actually read it (!) .  Flying to Memphis over the weekend, the Cincinatti Bengals' star wide receiver (and Ray Lewis' favorite chew toy) announced to the Twitterverse that he had purchased Beck's latest book "Broke" for the plane ride.

News item: Matt Stover officially announced his retirement at a news conference at The Castle on Thursday and will be inducted into the Ravens' Ring of Honor during the upcoming season — provided there is an upcoming season. My take: The numbers don't lie. Stover was one of the greatest kickers in the history of the game, and he would be on the Acela Express to Canton if there weren't an inexplicable prejudice among Hall of Fame voters against one of the sport's most important positions.

First soccer. Then professional bull riding. And now snake wrangling. Yes, it’s been a busy and bizarre offseason for your favorite Bengals wide receiver, Chad Ochocinco, who has decided to turn the recent criticism from Cincinnati owner Mike Brown into inspiration for his excellent adventure of the month. On Tuesday, Brown sarcastically criticized the outspoken wide receiver for his forays into other sports during the lockout.  "He's going to do the things he does. Next maybe he'll be a snake wrangler and we'll watch to see if he gets bit," Brown said.

Bengals wideout Chad Ochocinco went through with his promise to try professional bull riding on Saturday, earning $10,000, which he will donate to charity , for lasting 1.5 seconds on the back of a bull. If you cheered when Ray Lewis jacked up Ochocinco a couple of years ago , you will probably enjoy this video:

In March, Chad Ochocinco was unsuccessful in his attempt to make it in the MLS. For his next stunt, the outspoken Bengals wide receiver -- at least for now -- will attempt to ride a raging bull this weekend at a Professional Bull Riders event in Duluth, Ga. I'm guessing you will be rooting for the bull in this one. Ochocinco will earn $10,000 if he doesn't chicken out and actually rides a bull. If he can hang on for eight seconds, he'll win a new Ford truck and get to rename the beast that he conquered.

One aspect missing from the buildup of Sunday's AFC North clash between the Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals is the lack of barbs usually crafted by wide receiver Chad Ochocinco. Ochocinco, a former Bengal who is now employed by the New England Patriots, once sent deodorant to the Ravens secondary to help the defensive players from sweating while trying to shadow him. He used to keep a pre-game list in his locker of the defensive players he planned to target, and he added former cornerbacks Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle and current inside linebacker Ray Lewis in the past.

Ravens safety Tom Zbikowski has been making the media rounds since it was announced last week that he was getting back in the boxing ring. It will be his first pro fight since 2006. He told my colleague Jamison Hensley that he expects to profit only $100 from the fight . On "The Dan Patrick Show," he said he wants to fight Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco . And in an appearance on ESPN's "First Take" this morning, Zbikowski said that he thinks Ravens Pro Bowl defensive tackle Haloti Ngata could be a heavyweight title contender if he took up boxing.

The 2011 NFL draft has come and gone, leaving us in limbo until the lockout ends and free agency begins sometime (hopefully) this summer. The Ravens pieced together another solid draft class over the weekend, but they weren’t the only ones in the AFC North who got better during the draft. Their three division rivals came away as winners as well. The Ravens and the Steelers bolstered their rosters for title runs in 2011. Meanwhile, the rebuilding Bengals and Browns probably won’t be ready to compete with the AFC North’s two powerhouses whenever football operations resume, but they helped lay strong foundations for future seasons in this draft.

Move over, Chad Ochocinco. Justin Bieber is the latest star to cross over to the soccer field. The dreamy Canadian pop sensation, who was in Spain for a concert, practiced with FC Barcelona on Wednesday. You know you want to watch this video.