Morning Briefing: Joe Namath says Suzy Kolber interview saved his life

Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath has a new book out, “All the Way: My Life in Four Quarters.” And yes, he talks about the infamous TV interview where, while drunk, he asked ESPN’s Suzy Kolber for a kiss.

“I saw it as a blessing in disguise,” Namath writes. “I had embarrassed my friends and family and could not escape that feeling. I haven’t had a drink since. That shame is where I found my strength to deal with the addiction. With the help of my recovery, I learned that I had used my divorce as an excuse to go back to drinking. That knowledge made me a stronger individual.”

Namath had divorced his wife in 2000. The interview with Kolber took place in 2003.

Namath appeared on ESPN’s “The Michael Kay Show” earlier this week and said that interview essentially saved his life.

“I really believe I wouldn’t be here today,” Namath, 75, said. “I wouldn’t be a healthy Joe Namath today. I wouldn’t be lucky today with my family, living every day and sharing every day with the grandchildren and living with my friends. … I don’t think I would have survived.”

Flipping out

Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson, whose exuberant bat flip a couple of weeks ago led to a benches-clearing fight when Kansas City Royals pitcher Brad Keller threw at him in his next plate appearance, has no plans for toning things down.

“I like to go out and play with a lot of passion because that’s fun, and I think that draws attention to the fans and the kids,” Anderson told ESPN’s “The Dan Le Batard Show.” “You know the kids love it. I’m on deck now, I get from the fans, ‘Hey, do the bat flip.’ So it’s cool stuff, and it’s all fun stuff. It’s nothing to disrespect anybody. But I think it’s a part of the game or it should be.”

But, he was asked, doesn’t he worry about violating the unwritten baseball rules?

“I don’t really know the rules,” he said. “There’s not any for me. I can’t call them dumb because I don’t have any. ... Nobody really came to me and said these are the rules, so I really don’t know what they are. I’m not bothered by other teams. I go in and I’m trying to beat the other teams. I could really care less how they feel about me or how they think of me as a player. But I know my teammates understand me. I’m going to go out every day and give them what I got.”

And what about earlier this season when he called himself a trailblazer in the same way Jackie Robinson was?

“When I said it, I was saying it in a jokingly way,” he said. “I had said that Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. I was saying that I feel like Jackie Robinson, I need to break the fun barrier. And I think that kind of got pulled out and thrown into the main topic of things. The people that know me kind of understand me. And I don’t think I really have to explain anything to the people that don’t understand me.”

Football odds

Betonline.ag has released their NFL divisional odds for the upcoming season. Here they are:

NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles, 1-1; Dallas Cowboys, 5-4; Washington Redskins, 10-1; New York Giants, 16-1.

NFL North: Chicago Bears, 7-4; Green Bay Packers, 2-1; Minnesota Vikings, 9-4; Detroit Lions, 10-1.

NFC South: New Orleans Saints, 4-7; Atlanta Falcons, 7-2; Carolina, 5-1; Tampa Bay, 12-1.

NFC West: Rams, 4-7; Seattle Seahawks, 11-4; San Francisco 49ers, 5-1; Arizona Cardinals, 25-1.

AFC East: New England Patriots, 2-7; New York Jets, 5-1; Buffalo Bills, 7-1; Miami Dolphins, 25-1.

AFC North: Cleveland Browns, 1-1; Pittsburgh Steelers, 2-1; Baltimore Ravens, 7-2; Cincinnati Bengals, 20-1.

AFC South: Indianapolis Colts, 11-10; Houston Texans, 9-4; Tennessee Titans, 4-1; Jacksonville Jaguars, 5-1.

AFC West: Kansas City Chiefs, 2-3; Chargers, 7-4; Denver Broncos, 12-1; Oakland Raiders, 16-1.