Cyclist starts wildfire after pooping, lighting toilet paper ablaze

Authorities say a cyclist started a 73-acre wildfire in southwest Idaho by lighting his toilet paper on fire after taking a crap in the woods.

U.S. Bureau of Land Management officials say the eco-concerned cyclist stopped to defecate in a ravine in the Boise foothills on Wednesday afternoon. The man then lit the toilet paper on fire but lost control of the hot embers in the dry grass while trying to extinguishing the TP.

Firefighters contained the flames several hours later.

Investigators say the man contacted them Thursday morning and his story matched the evidence found at the scene.

The BLM did not release the name of the cyclist. However, officials say he will be fined for causing the fire — and probably banned from Taco Bell the night before peddling in the woods.

A-Rod rookie bat up for auction with bids starting at $10,000: Report

Call it striking while the iron is hot or, in this case, while the A-Rod is smoking.

A Southern California sports memorabilia company is auctioning off the bat Alex Rodriguez used to notch his first major-league hit and — considering all the steroid accusations, a season-long drug-suspension and that whole Minotaur painting embarrassment — the timing couldn't be better.

“Now that he has passed Willie Mays on the home run list and he has joined the exclusive 3,000-hit club, A-Rod is in collectors’ good graces again,” SCP Auctions spokesman Terry Melia told the Daily News. “He’s not looked at in the same light as when he was suspended. He paid his dues and he is trying to earn back their admiration.”

And the overachieving A-Rod has been lethal at the plate this season. After agreeing to shift to a full-time DH role, Rodriguez has regained his status as one of the American League's most feared hitters. On Wednesday, he became one of only 10 players in MLB history with 16 seasons of at least 20 home runs.

Rodriguez was an 18-year-old rookie with the Seattle Mariners, playing in his just his second big league game, when he hit a single off Red Sox pitcher Sergio Valdez at Fenway Park on July 9, 1994. Rodriguez played in 17 games that season, which was infamously cut short by MLB’s season-ending strike.

Rodriguez signed and inscribed “1st ML Base Hit” on the black Louisville Slugger, which he later gave to Mill Creek Sports, a Seattle-area sports memorabilia company that sold A-Rod memorabilia early in his career. The company sold the bat to a collector who held on to it for 20 years.

Melia said the collector, whom he declined to identify, is selling the bat now because the market for A-Rod collectibles may never be higher. Rodriguez not only seems intent on cleaning up his scandal-stained image, but he also has 20 home runs and 54 RBI.

The bat comes with a Mill Creek letter of authenticity signed by Rodriguez, who misidentifies the date of his first hit as “7/8/94.”

Bidding on the bat will start at $10,000, but Melia said the company expects it might sell for double that or more. Online bidding begins Aug. 5 and concludes on Aug. 22.

Charles Haley told 49ers rookies to 'Act like the white guys': Report

Charles Haley was a larger-than-life character back during his NFL playing career and, through all of the antics, was able to win five Super Bowl rings and will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in August.

So it was really no surprise when the five-time Pro-Bowler, who played eight years in San Francisco, was asked to speak to the 49ers rookies back in May.

But what might be a little shocking to some people though is what Haley said to those NFL newbies.

"As far as the rookies, and I know they probably got mad, but I said, 'Why don't you all act like the white guys? You never see them in the paper getting high or hitting people," Haley said, via the San Jose Mercury News. "'Why don't you act like that?' They all looked at me crazy."

The 51-year-old Haley wasn't necessarily trying to be controversial with his comments, he was just trying to get the attention of a group of rookies — Something that's much easier said then done in this world of cell phones, Twitter and Instagram.

"I just did it for the shock value of it," Haley said. "The hardest thing is these guys, they have an attention span of a 5-year-old. I'm not the most gentle and kind person to sit there and deal with that crap. I'm a little more confrontational. I think I got my point across."

Lost in all of Haley's reasoning was the fact that 49ers fullback Bruce Miller, who is white, was arrested two months earlier following an incident with his fiancee and ultimately pleaded no contest to disturbing the peace.

Still, Haley maintained that his main point was that young players need to find the right role models to follow early in their careers. He cited Ronnie Lott, Michael Carter and Joe Montana as some of the players that provided that direction for him early in his career.

"You've got to have people that stand for something, until you're able to lead yourself," said Haley.

Tom Brady is No. 1 in NFL merchandise sales: Report

The DeflateGate scandal may have taken some of the air out of Tom Brady's title as Super Bowl Champion in some NFL circles, but seems to have pumped up the Patriots quarterback's selling power with fans.

That's because Brady is the top earner on the NFL Players Association's top 50 player overall retail sales list.

According to the NFLPA, the list is based on total sales of all officially licensed merchandise from March 1 through May 31. The list is released quarterly by NFL Players Inc.

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson had been No. 1 in the last quarterly rankings, with Brady finishing third.

Brady's No. 1 ranking was powered by him outselling all players in Oyo Sports mini-figures, Forever Collectibles bobbleheads, Fatheads and Lids custom player headwear.

Brady ranked second in Nike jersey sales behind 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Brady also finished second in women's apparel, trailing Kaepernick.

The complete top 10 in total sales:

1. Patriots QB Tom Brady

2. 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick

3. Seahawks QB Russell Wilson

4. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers

5. Broncos QB Peyton Manning

6. Texans DE J.J. Watt

7. Seahawks CB Richard Sherman

8. Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr.

9. Titans rookie QB Marcus Mariota

10. Buccaneers rookie QB Jameis Winston.

Hank Azaria calls classic Mets moments as 'Simpsons' characters (VIDEO)

Actor and comedian Hank Azaria joined MLB Network earlier this week and called a few classic Mets highlights as some of the characters he voices on The Simpsons. The Queens native is a Mets fans and, like all Metsies, has a healthy sense of humor about the Flushing Follies.

Watch as Azaria calls the Bill Buckner play from the 1986 World Series, Endy Chavez’s spectacular grab in the 2006 NLCS, and the time Roger Clemens threw a broken bat at Mike Piazza as Moe, Apu, and Chief Wiggum, respectively.

Cue The Simpsons theme song.

Japanese baseball player has the most entertaining at-bat routine ever (VIDEO)

Most batters, when they step up to the plate, have a ritual to get them prepared to face the opposing pitcher. Something simple, like a check of the bat, a tilt of the helmet or a little cup adjustment.

But not this Japanese high school baseball player who turns the stretching, hopping and bat twirls during his at-bat routine into a grand show.

Combine his animated moves with the drums, cowbells and a sour-sounding version of We Will Rock You filling the stadium and you have baseball's version of a Japanese game show.

It's funny when he cockily points at the pitcher after fouling off a tough one (at about 2:39) but ends hilariously as scurries back to the dugout, after all that bluster, on a weak ground out.

Can you imagine this live amine trying to steal second?

Lou Lamoriello stuns NHL after quitting Devils to join the Maple Leafs as GM

Hockey Hall of Famer and three-time Stanley Cup winner Lou Lamoriello shocked the NHL on Thursday morning by resigning as president of the New Jersey Devils and accepting a position as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Lamoriello’s 28-year run as Devils president ends less than three months after he had stepped down as New Jersey’s GM, giving way to the hiring of Ray Shero. He is being hired by Toronto president Brendan Shanahan, who was drafted second overall in 1987 to play for New Jersey (1987-1991) and who returned to the Devils briefly at the end of his playing career (2008-09).

Thursday’s sudden and unique switch was made public after the Devils tweeted at 10:10 a.m. ET that Lamoriello had resigned as president:

BREAKING NEWS: Lou Lamoriello resigns as President of the #NJDevils. http://t.co/8LwWMLqgli pic.twitter.com/LhsTTcvovz

— New Jersey Devils (@NHLDevils) July 23, 2015

And the Leafs followed with a tweet two minutes later that they were naming him the 16th GM in Toronto’s franchise history.

The #Leafs have named Lou Lamoriello the 16th General Manager in Club history #TMLtalk READ → http://t.co/gabNyzLRwI pic.twitter.com/huVOhgEYJl

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) July 23, 2015

The 72-year-old Lamoriello joined the Devils as president and GM in 1987 and led New Jersey to 21 playoff appearances, nine division titles, five Cup Final appearances, and three Stanley Cup championships (1995, 2000, 2003).

The Maple Leafs haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1967 and recently have become a laughingstock, finishing 15th in the 16-team Eastern Conference last season.