Miss January

The gorgeous Heather Knox isn't just a football fanatic and a huge Indy Colts fan, she's also Playboy's Miss January 2012 and this week's lovely lady of Sports and Torts.

Plus, we'll have more football talk with broadcaster Irv Cross and Detroit Lions Hall of Famer Charlie Sanders

Photo Courtesy of Playboy

Episode Segments:

Sports and Torts: Playmate Heather Knox 2012 has been good so far to Heather! Not only is she Playboy’s Miss January, but she also gets to host Playboy’s Big Game festivities in her home town of Indianapolis. It’s almost enough to make up for the down year her Colts had. We talk Playboy, NFL and more with this dazzling beauty. Photo Courtesy of Playboy
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Sports and Torts: Hall of Famer Charlie Sanders We talk to the Hall of Fame tight end about his playing days, his 40-plus years with the Lions organization, and the thrill of returning to the postseason for the first time since 1991. We’ll also get his perspective on the roll of the tight end in today’s NFL and the development of Matthew Stafford.
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Sports and Torts: Irv Cross The former The NFL Today host talks about what ked him from the playing field to the broadcast booth, and why he thinks today’s pregame shows are more style than substance.
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Guest(s) Appearing on this Episode

Heather Knox Football fanatic Heather Knox won’t have to travel far to watch this year’s Super Bowl. The game’s host city, Indianapolis, happens to be her hometown. Better still, as Miss January 2012, she’ll be front and center at all of Playboy’s Super Bowl weekend festivities. "Getting to watch the game from a suite will be the coolest thing ever," she says. "I keep forgetting how many opportunities being a Playmate is going to bring me." The diehard Colts fan became a pigskin expert while working as a waitress at an Indiana sports bar. "I learned the game for the benefit of my bank account," she explains. "By understanding what was happening, I knew when not to interrupt a table of guys." She proved to be a quick study; until recently she was the only undefeated member of her fantasy football league. "My league is called Show Me Your TDs- say it fast and you’ll realize a guy came up with the name." Heather has also developed her own call- "Ay yi yi yi yi!" -that she unleashes whenever she attends Colts games so as to better distract the visiting team’s offense on third down. Heather's Facebook Page Heather on Twitter

Charlie Sanders Charlie Sanders was a collegiate star in both football and basketball at the University of Minnesota. His athletic prowess drew the attention of the Detroit Lions who selected him in the third round of the 1968 draft. Not surprisingly, Sanders enjoyed instant success in the National Football League. In an era where the tight end served more as a blocker than as a pass catcher, it did not take long before he became the Lions’ secret weapon. Opposing defenses were caught off guard as Detroit quarterbacks Greg Landry and Bill Munson made Sanders one of their favorite targets. Sanders combined his great leaping ability, big hands, and strength with unusual speed and elusiveness to help fuel the Lions offense in the late 1960s and the 1970s. As a rookie in 1968, the 6’4”, 230-pound tight end hauled in 40 passes for 533 yards and scored one TD. His single greatest game of his career came in that season’s finale when he had 10 receptions for 133 yards against the Washington Redskins. Sanders was the lone rookie to earn a Pro Bowl selection that season. More prolific play continued the following year as Sanders recorded the finest season of his career. He caught 42 passes for 656 yards and 3 TDs. For his efforts, he was named first-team All-NFL, the first of three straight all-league selections for Sanders. Following his run of all-pro years, Sanders suffered a broken shoulder during a 1972 preseason game that forced him to miss action during the regular season. However, he quickly rebounded and returned to his all-star form. Sanders recorded 30 or more catches in a season seven times and amassed more than 500 receiving yards in six seasons. By the time he retired following the 1977 season, Sanders ranked as the Lions’ all-time leading receptions leader with 336 career grabs. His 4,817 receiving yards was second in the team’s record book. He also scored 31 touchdowns during his 128-game career. Sanders, who was the Lions’ leader or co-leader in receiving six times during his 10 seasons in Detroit, was voted to seven Pro Bowls. He earned first- or second team all-conference selections in 1969, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1975, and 1976. Regarded as one of the best tight ends of his era, he was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1970s. Charlie's Bio at the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Irv Cross Cross was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the seventh round of the 1961 NFL Draft. In 1966 he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams. Then in 1969, he returned to the Eagles and became a player/coach. He retired from play in 1970, when he became a coach for the Eagles. Cross was employed as an analyst and commentator for CBS Sports from 1971, when he became the first African-American to work full-time as a sports analyst on national television, to 1994. In addition to his work on CBS' NFL coverage (including co-anchoring The NFL Today from its inception in 1975 through 1989), Cross called NBA basketball, track and field, and gymnastics at various times for the network. He served as athletic director at Idaho State University from 1996 to 1998. Cross was the Director of Athletics at Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota until May 2006. He was the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota until May 2010 and is back to football commentary for the Twin Cities' Fox station KMSP-TV.