Jones: John Madden doesn't like Will Ferrell's act

On Thursday, actor Will Ferrell suited up for 10 major-league teams and played all nine positions. However, former NFL coach and broadcaster John Madden had a big problem with it.

"I hate it,'' Madden said during a radio interview with KCBS-AM. "That's a lack of respect, that's a lack of respect for the game."

Madden needs to grab a cheeseburger and relax over there away from the rest of us. First off, Ferrell's day was to raise money for college scholarships for cancer survivors.

And it's spring training, for crying out loud. What's disrespectful is teams charging ridiculous prices to watch games that don't mean a thing and are full of a bunch of unknown kids who will never climb out of the minors. Frankly, I'd rather watch Ferrell than some of those guys I've never heard of and will never hear from again.

Madden's point is that professional sports, even exhibition games, are meant for serious pros. But I think making an exception one day during spring training to help raise money for cancer survivors is a good enough reason to not criticize it. Madden ended up sounding like some old grouch telling kids to get off his lawn. Come on, John, don't be that guy.