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Andy Roddick quiets the crowd whenever he hears Jimmy Buffett's "Margaritaville."
When you think of Andy Roddick, you probably imagine a blistering serve and a fiery on-court personality, topped with on and off-court wisecracks. When you think of Jimmy Buffett, you probably conjure images and sounds of the tropical-themed, easy-going, southern-twanged beach crooner. Now, try to imagine the two men together and you get ... well, you probably get confused.
But that's exactly what's happening, as Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band are set to play at Roddick's "Fifth Annual Andy Roddick Foundation Charity Gala" in Austin, Texas. What's fun is the fact that Buffett is auctioning off two VIP tickets to the event to raise money for Roddick's charity. It's an odd couple for a good cause, even if the image of Roddick slamming out a 130 mph serve while Buffett jams out his hit, "Margaritaville" makes us chuckle.
We commend the two men for coming together for the greater good. In fact, we're going to make some suggestions for some other famous, easy-going artists to team up with explosive professional athletes and raise money for their respective charities. Here are some ideas:
Jack Johnson and Ray Lewis
We're going to be the first ones to recommend that the Ray Lewis 52 Foundation (which helps disadvantaged Baltimore children) hire Jack Johnson for its next major event, only because we think it would hilarious to have a laid-back surfer/singer performing while the always-scary Ray Lewis looks on. Seriously, though ... watch one of those Old Spice commercials with Lewis on mute while playing Johnson's "Better Together." Have a good laugh AND raise tons of cash -- who could ask for anything more?
Dave Matthews and Alexander Ovechkin
Sure, Dave Matthews pulls out the occasional electric guitar for a few tracks ... but he's hardly the musical equivalent of Ovechkin's hard-nosed, hard-hitting hockey style. Now put the two together and imagine Dave Matthews Band's "Crash" playing during an Ovi's Crazy Eights (which gives back to kids in the D.C. community) event. Other than raising a lot of money, the only thing better would be seeing Ovechkin jump in on back-up vocals WHILE raising lots of money.
Jason Mraz and Carmelo Anthony
Mraz is known for a nice, relaxed mix of jazzy and easy-going music (as well as his trademark fedora). "Melo," on the other hand, has been known to have a bit of a bad-boy attitude. However, he definitely knows how to give back to society, as is the case with Melo's H.O.O.D. 3 on 3 Challenge (Hold Our Own Destiny), which helps youngsters in Baltimore. Now imagine that 3-on-3 game going on while Mraz plays his hit song, "I'm Yours." Slam-dunks, love songs and a great cause? Yes, please.