Just when you thought Charles Barkley had a gambling problem, Scott Wiese, a mad-crazy Chicago Bears fan, made a bet the NBA Hall of Famer would shy from.

Wiese, a die-hard Chicago Bears fan, will legally change his name to that of the Indiana Colts quarterback after signing a pledge in front of a crowd at a Decatur bar last Friday night. He vowed to adopt Manning’s name if the Bears lost Sunday’s Super Bowl.

“I made the bet, and now I’ve got to keep it,” said the 26-year-old, who lives in Forsyth, just north of Decatur.

Wiese will now have to advertise his intention in the local newspaper – the Herald & Review – for several weeks and then have a judge give him the OK to become, legally anyway, Peyton Manning.

The men have little in common, Wiese acknowledges.

Manning the quarterback is 30 years old, stands 6-foot-5 and has a contract with the Colts worth more than $100 million.

Wiese is 5-foot-11 and works at a Staples office-supply store for somewhat less.

I’ve made some bets — even some crazy ones — but nothing like this. And if I was going to change my name, I think I’d go the Colin Farrel route. Maybe David Beckham. Chuck Liddell would probably be somewhere at the top of the list.

But Peyton Manning?

This poor guy is going to get mocked for the rest of his life. Maybe if he’s lucky, the name change will bring endless Staples commercials that help him build a fortune. It’s a long shot, but ya never know.