A University of Minnesota study on alcohol consumption by sports fans indicates that we need to have breathalyzer booths at the exit gates of stadiums.

The study says 8% of fans are legally drunk when they leave games. For a typical NFL crowd of 70,000, that means 5,600 people depart drunk, and it's fair to assume they don't all have designated drivers.

The kicker is that the study also says tailgaters who drink are 14 times more likely to get blotto than fans who don't tailgate.

The study's results, based on breathalyzer exams given to 362 adults after 13 baseball games and three football games, likely don't come as a surprise to the NFL. In 2009 the league asked teams to limit the amount of time tailgaters can set up shop.

Who does that affect? Well, guys like the Buffalo Bills fan who was told he couldn't continue his ritual of organized consumption of shots of Polish cherry liqueur from the thumbhole of a bowling ball.

So yes, if the league curbs the parking lot parties it's one time they shouldn't face that No Fun League criticism.

Here's what else is on my lunchtime plate:

. . . John Calipari likes to wax about the lore of Kentucky blue, but he was caught swearing a blue streak after the loss to Alabama. Freshman Terrence Jones was the target of Calipari's profanity, and let's just say that Jones' mother might also be due an apology.

. . . Seems like Al Davis is always up to the challenge of raising the bar on Raiders weirdness. His comments about firing Tom Cable indicate Davis was more upset with with his coach for bringing a girlfriend on road trips than he was with him breaking an assistant's jaw and getting accused of assaults on women. Ah, the Raider way.

. . . Green Bay receiver Greg Jennings says the turf at Soldier Field is probably the NFL's worst, and the league also is taking a hard look at conditions for Sunday's NFC title game. Given that the field wasn't used for three weeks leading up to last Saturday's playoff with Seattle it looks like the Bears were either negligent, or maybe they feel a lousy surface gives them an advantage.

. . . Great line from Brian Urlacher to the Daily Herald in Chicago, about the Bears dominating Seattle with 37:10 time of possession: "It's easy to play defense when you're not playing."

. . . Yahoo's Jay Busbee points out a great example of ambush marketing, when Jimmie Johnson gifted Kid Rock with a Camaro for his 40th birthday celebration in Detroit last weekend. That meant there was a Chevy smack dab in the middle of Ford Field.

. . . The only thing worse than Super Bowl bets between mayors is a financial wizard making stock market predictions based on who wins the big game. This year's scenario says we'll all be broke if the Jets win.

. . . Shoutout to reader Rugidwear for the comment on Blake Griffin's rise: "As long as he stays on the Clippers, he'll be the best player on the worst franchise in all of sports."

. . . With an 84-83 career record, Gil Meche was the embodiment of MLB mediocrity, statistically speaking. But by facing up to his shoulder problems and walking away from the $12 million he had coming from Kansas City this season Meche showed he's something special.

. . . Pro Football Talk says Brett Favre is trying to help his agent, Bus Cook, land Cam Newton as a client. Maybe he can teach the kid how to intercept a text.