THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Give me more of those who talk trash

This might miff some of you, but …

We need loud, arrogant, controversial athletes.

They’re fun.

Sure, you can put together a team of Boy Scouts who do and say all the right things, but eventually they’ll put you to sleep.

Give me the players and competitors who pop off, trash talk, yada, yada.

Naturally, the subject comes up today because the Bears get a revenge shot at Aaron Rodgers and the Packers this weekend.

Surely, you remember the events of Oct. 17, when Rodgers ran for a clinching touchdown against the Bears in Chicago.

When some fans began heckling and cursing him from up close, Rodgers turned and hollered: “I own you. All my f*ing life, I’ve owned you. I still own you.”

Since the Packers have won 22 of their last 26 regular-season games against Chicago, Rodgers’ brashness carried a definite “to-hell-with-you” ring of truth.

AND NOW, knowing full well he’ll be facing the Bears’ formidable pass rushers in the Lambeau Field rematch, Rodgers went out of his way to say he didn’t regret his outburst.

He invited journalists (and anyone else) to look up his record against Chicago.

I love stuff like that.

Closer to home, I’m sure U-Dub partisans will be steaming forever, having watched Washington State’s brash young quarterback Jayden de Laura plant the Cougar flag right in the middle of that giant purple W at midfield — as a couple thousand WSU students and fans celebrated on the Husky Stadium turf.

You think that will be forgotten in future Apple Cups?

Washington players no doubt will be shown footage of de Laura and that Coug celebration after a 40-13 thumping — right in their house.

Rightly so.

I wish Max Borghi were going to play one more year for WSU instead of heading to the pros, especially after his tirade about “hating the Huskies” and even “hating the color purple.”

It would have been fun to see if U-Dub managed to get in some late shots at Borghi in next year’s Apple Cup.

Hey, you can still change your mind, Max.

IT WON’T surprise you that I always rooted for Tiger Woods — and his stone-cold killer approach — over nice guy Phil Mickelson.

I was a huge fan of Muhammad Ali and his self-promoting statements.

For instance, just prior to Ali facing George Foreman in the much-hyped “Rumble in the Jungle” …

"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. His hands can't hit what his eyes can't see. Now you see me, now you don't. George thinks he will, but I know he won't.”

Ali infuriated Joe Frazier by calling him too ugly to be a champion, and Frazier never, ever forgot it or forgave it.

Poor Joe didn’t understand that Ali was one of the early geniuses of marketing.

In real life, Ali was one of the nicest and kindest men I’ve ever met.

And speaking of that, I watched up close as he did an appearance in Kansas City — helping a well-known pastor open a new church.

A LOCAL television personality asked Ali to do a quick interview.

Muhammad replied: “How much time do you want to film?”

The gentleman told him: “I just need 30 seconds.”

At which point, Ali went into full rant mode, insulting every other boxer, pronouncing himself too beautiful to be hit, all at ear-splitting level.”

Then, suddenly he stopped, and quietly asked the TV guy: “How was that for time?”

The answer: 29 seconds.

That’s how “The Greatest” could turn it on and off.

So can a current athlete like Aaron Rodgers.

He knows he’s working the Bears into a lather — maybe hoping he can get someone to jump offside on a big third-down play.

Super stuff.

Have a laugh and don’t take trash talk seriously.

It all makes me giggle.

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. He also writes Zags Tracker, a commentary on Gonzaga basketball which is published weekly during the season.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”

And today there is a special disclaimer: Steve often used a Muhammad Ali quote to help him as a crafty, unapologetic left-handed pitcher in college, and later in adult leagues: “If you even dream of hitting me, you better wake up and apologize.”

The idea was to make batters angry enough to swing too hard. It worked occasionally, but Steve has never claimed to be “The Greatest.”

But he HAS wondered if, maybe …