Song Of The Day 2/1/2014: Warren Zevon - "Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead"


Super Bowl XLVIII Preview: And now here's an inside look at the AFC Champion Denver Broncos:

- Denver was named after a former governor from Kansas who killed a newspaper editor in a duel. The Arapaho name for Denver is Niinéniiniicíihéhe, which loosely translated means "jacuzzis and nosebleeds."

- Denver's main source of economic revenue is placing things in boxes.

- The Denver Broncos football team was established in 1960 and immediately admitted to the American Football League, a once-competitor of the National Football League. The AFL attempted to siphon fans from the NFL by offering free seat cushions to standing-room-only ticketholders. Then they got a marketing department, who determined they should pass out small area rugs.

- The Broncos' defense in the 1970's earned the nickname "Orange Crush." They were so named because they tasted like ammonia if left out in the sun too long.

- Denver quarterback Peyton Manning set all-time records in 2013 with 55 touchdown passes, 5,477 passing yards, and 23,286 groan-inducing, seemingly unwritten Papa John's commercials. His nickname is "The Sharif" because he loves to play contract bridge.

- Wes Welker overcame incredible physical challenges to play in 2013.

- Running back Knowshon Moreno doesn't actually have a lot of close friends named Shon.

- The Denver Broncos' fight song is adapted from "Belle siccome un angelo," an aria in Donizetti's opera Don Pasquale. In between the third and fourth quarters, Denver home audiences stand up and sing the immortal words in unison:
Bella siccome un angelo
in terra pellegrino.
Fresca siccome il giglio
che s'apre in sul mattino.
Occhio che parla e ride,
sguardo che i cor conquide.
Chioma che vince l'ebano
sorriso incantator.
These lyrics translate in English as:
Beautiful as an angel
like a pilgrim on earth.
Peyton is a lily
which opens in the morning.
If this contest shall not turn
in our appointed stallions' favor
Let's visit Hunter S. Thompson's compound
and shoot at anything that moves.
- John Denver was, in fact, named after the omelet.

- The best Quarter Pounder with Cheese I ever had was at a McDonalds in the Denver Airport. Of course, I hadn't eaten anything in 24 hours at the time and would have happily consumed a saddle with croutons on it.

Tomorrow we preview your NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks, who I hear are real go-getters.

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