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Len's Top 5 - September 8, 2010 |
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1. Quick Hits
* And then there were none. Sam Querrey, the last American man alive at the Open, has been ousted. Venus Williams reaches the semis.
* As expected, Tiger Woods is a captain's pick for the U.S. Ryder Cup team.
* The NFL season kicks off tomorrow night with the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints hosting Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings.
* Bill Parcells will no longer run the Miami Dolphins. He'll remain as a consultant.
* Nice round number. Milwaukee reliever Trevor Hoffman, baseball's all time saves leader, notches his 600th career save. Mariano Rivera is in 2nd place with 555. It's 604 to 594 if you count post season.
2. Backsies
Remember that Heisman Trophy Reggie Bush of USC won in 2005? Never mind...maybe. After being found ineligible for accepting cash and gifts, the Heisman people reportedly will strip him of the award. The runner-up, Vince Young of Texas, will not get it. 2005 will be left blank. Hmmm. Bush loses his Heisman, but O.J. Simpson keeps his? Bad precedent. You can't go back and change history. That also applies to the Hall of Fame. Then again, they can't get Simpson's trophy back because he sold it to help pay his debts in the civil suit he lost for wrongful death. Now that's a sullied Heisman on so many levels, which takes nothing away from Simpson's accomplishments on the field.
 3. Oh Captain! My Captain!
The amount of newspaper space and airtime debating Derek Jeter will be ginormous over the next month. Two reasons. He's slumping and his contract is up. Simple. Write him a blank check, and let him fill in the amount. Make him a Yankee for life in whatever capacity he wants. He's earned it. End of story. Now we can go back to wasting our time on the real sports issues of the day, like who will A-Rod date after he dumps Cameron?
 4. Spin Zone
Here we go with another NFL season starting tomorrow. Cue the press releases. For example.
* Harris Poll says NFL more than twice as popular as baseball.
Here are some press releases the NFL won't be writing.
* Some tickets and PSL's are just too damn expensive.
* Teams fail to set attendance records in 2010.
* Percentage of players who fight debilitating injuries rises later in life.
Johnny Mercer wrote some lyrics in 1944. "You've got to accentuate the positive. Eliminate the negative."
Might as well be the theme song for sports leagues.
 5. Local Yokels
They say all politics is local. So too baseball. I'm learning it the hard way. When I was at the Little League World Series, Pittsburgh fans were ticked that Roberto Clemente didn't make my new kids book, "The 25 Greatest Baseball Players Of All Time." On Dallas radio they asked me, "where's Nolan Ryan?" And yesterday on KNBR in San Francisco, one of Gary Radnich's sidekicks bemoaned the fact that Barry Bonds didn't make the cut. I have a feeling this is just the beginning. When I mentioned to a group of ESPN people that neither Sandy Koufax nor Hank Greenberg made it, sportscaster Karl Ravech quipped, "You should call the book 'The 25 Greatest Non-Jews Who Played Baseball.'"
Oy.
Happy Birthday: Former Knick Latrell Sprewell. 40.
Bonus Birthday: The great Sid Caesar, from '50s TV "Your Show of Shows." 88.
Today in Sports:Mark McGwire of the Cards hits his 62nd homer breaking Roger Maris' record. 1998.*
Bonus Event: So why did Francis Bellamy publish the Pledge of Allegiance on this date? To commemorate the 400th anniversary of Columbus discovering America. 1892.
In conjunction with this week's release of my new kids book, "The 25 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time," once again the Top 5 is running a contest. Send us the email addresses of 3 new Top 5 subscribers and you'll be entered in a lottery to receive autographed copies. Send at least 5 new subscribers and be eligible to win autographed copies of both the new book and my New York Times bestseller, "The Greatest Moments in Sports." Contact Len to enter.
The Top 5 resumes on Friday.
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Len's Top 5 - September 7, 2010 |
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1. Quick Hits
* Maria Sharapova and Mardy Fish exit the U.S. Open.
* #3 Boise State beats #10 Virginia Tech 33-30.
* Charley Hoffman, who? He wins the Deutsche Bank Championship. Tiger Woods finishes 12 shots back but still, somehow, retains his #1 ranking.
* Quarterback Matt Leinart, cut by Arizona, signs with Texas.
* Location, location, location. The Red Sox, who are dead in the water, would be one game out of first in the National League West behind the Padres. San Diego broke its 10 game losing streak yesterday by beating the Dodgers.
2. Let's Make a Deal
I never thought Darrelle Revis of the Jets would miss a regular season game. He and the Jets need each other, so a deal was done. The bigger problem for the Jets and Giants mirrors the Yankees and Mets. Many of the best seats will be empty during games. They're just too pricey with PSL's and all. But how will that look on television? Maybe nobody will notice, not too many "foul balls" are hit into the stands in football. But that's what sports has come too. Maybe 100 years from now stadiums will be comprised of just luxury boxes and a few nose-bleed bleacher seats. The middle class sports fan will be squeezed out.
 3. Listen Up
The captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team, Corey Pavin, is officially announcing his selections today. Here's a little golf tournament held every two years, and fans actually care. Do sports fans get stoked up for tennis' Davis Cup team announcement? Are fans even aware they still compete for the Davis Cup? Credit Jack Nicklaus in part for the Ryder Cup being on the radar. With the U.S. beating England all the time, he suggested changing the format in 1979 to include all of Europe opposing the Americans. Bingo. Now it's a fair fight. I'm not sure if there's anything tennis can do to bring back the luster of the Davis Cup
 4. Scandalous
It was New Year's Eve and Christmas all rolled into one for the British tabloids over the weekend. They reported that their big soccer star, Wayne Rooney, was paying for a prostitute while his wife was pregnant. Turns out soccer players are pretty randy over there. Three other players have obtained injunctions to prevent stories in the media about their private lives. As for Rooney, the prostitute in question is accused of being a "Wannabe WAG." That's British tabloid talk for wanting to be a soccer player's wife and girlfriend. It seems some people wanna be a football hero. Others just wanna bed a football hero.
 5. I Went to a Tennis Match and ......
....a hockey game broke out. In case you missed it late last week, some tennis fans started acting like, well fans of any other sport. Some profanity, probably some alcohol, and fists flew. The trio has been banned from the U.S. for 3 years. Obviously they're much tougher on fans than players in this sport. Here are a couple of videos of the incident.
Or as Steve H. wrote at Facebook, at "Len Berman's Top 5," "I never realized Jersey Shore was filmed at Arthur Ashe Stadium."Nice.
Happy Birthday: Hockey Hall of Fame player for the Montreal Canadiens in the '60s and '70s, Jacques Lemaire. 65.
Bonus Birthday: Marge Simpson, or at least her voice. Julie Kavner. 60.
Today in Sports:Bobby Riggs wins his 2nd U.S. Championship. Yes, that Bobby Riggs who lost to Billie Jean King 32 years later. 1941.
Bonus Event: I give it 13 weeks. A new cable channel debuted featuring 24 hours of sports. They called it ESPN. 1979.
Today's the release date for my brand new kids book, "The 25 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time."
Once again, the Top 5 is running a contest. Send us the email addresses of 3 new Top 5 subscribers and you'll be entered in a lottery to receive autographed copies. Send at least 5 new subscribers and be eligible to win autographed copies of both the new book and my New York Times bestseller, "The Greatest Moments in Sports." Contact Len to enter.
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Len's Top 5 - September 3, 2010 |
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1. Quick Hits
* Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will meet with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell today. He hopes to have his 6 game suspension reduced.
* Ohio State, Miami and USC all post wins in college football.
* Game of the night. The Phillies score 9 in the 7th and beat Colorado 12-11. Philly is now 2 games out of first.
*Word is that Alex Rodriguez has fired his mega-agent Scott Boras.
* The New York Post reports that contrary to what you've heard, Tiger Woods is not moving into an apartment in lower Manhattan.
2. Playing for Real
Sad how fast the NFL exhibition season flies by. It's now kaput. You don't have to pay regular season prices anymore to see scrubs trying to make the team. You can now go back to worrying about how you're going to pay for your personal seat licenses. You're feeling better, right?
 3. Bleeding Dodger Red
Say it ain't so. The L.A. Dodgers, one of the glamorous sports franchises, is deeply in debt. Word is banks won't loan them any more money and payroll slashing is the name of the game. Is it any wonder that they let Manny Ramirez waltz away to save some bucks? The Dodgers counter that they're committed to winning, but actions speak louder than words. When Frank McCourt bought the team in 2004, the Dodgers had the 7th highest payroll. They've now slipped to 12th.
 4. Friday eMailbag
T.R. doesn't think that Manny Ramirez leaving the Dodgers had anything to do with the contentious McCourt divorce. "First the PED suspension, followed by so-so production. His attitude has been lousy, and that coupled with his injury, then getting himself thrown out arguing a strike call on the very first pitch he saw (with the bases loaded, no less), made it an easy decision for the Dodgers to save $4 million and send him packing."
B.L. is intrigued by Ramirez joining the White Sox. "I cannot wait to see "Manny being Manny" playing for "Ozzie being Ozzie!" Should be worth the price of admission!"
Editor's note: In any language.
As for sumo wrestlers in Japan being given iPads since their fingers are too fat for cellphones, A.T. emails: "The only problem with giving iPads to sumo wrestlers instead of cellphones is that you can't make a phone call on an iPad. But it's a nice gesture."
Editor's note: Oh, now you're going to go all technical on me?
And when I mentioned Mamie van Doren, the actress and former Playboy model, and she then emailed me, I mused about maybe writing something about Christie Brinkley? J.M. wrote at Facebook at "Len Berman's Top 5," I say you write about Bill Gates. Maybe he'll float you a few shekels."
Editor's Note: Much better idea.
 5. Spanning the World
They're at it again. This week's Spanning the World highlight comes from that Icelandic soccer team called Stjarnan. You've seen them before with some creative goal celebrations. This one is the "human toilet."
Stay classy Stjarnan!
In case you forgot, here's their "Gone Fishin'" goal celebration.
Happy Birthday: The "Flying Tomato," snowboarder Shaun White. 24.
Bonus Birthday: Actor Charlie Sheen. 45.
Today in Sports:Japan's Sadaharu Oh hit his 756th homer "surpassing" Hank Aaron's total of 755. 1977.
Bonus Event: The Gregorian Calendar was introduced in England. September 3rd through 13th were eliminated that year. One myth has citizens rioting to "get their 11 days back." 1752.
My brand new kids book, "The 25 Greatest Baseball Players Of All Time," will officially be released Tuesday. It's in some bookstores now, and it's in stock at Amazon. It's great for the "kid" in your life who loves baseball.
Enjoy the Labor Day holiday everyone!
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Len's Top 5 - September 2, 2010 |
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1. Quick Hits
* Andy Roddick is ousted from the Open in the 2nd round in 4 sets by Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic. Roddick railed against a foot fault called against him, but he didn't threaten to ram his racket down the throat of the lineswoman.
*Victoria Azarenka of Belarus collapsed during her match in the heat and was forced to withdraw. She later blamed a concussion that she suffered in a fall before the match.
* Reds rookie pitcher Aroldis Chapman, the Cuban defector, hit 103.9 on the radar gun last night. The Tigers Joel Zumaya holds the unofficial record at 104.6.
*Talk about locking the barn door too late. The PGA changes the rule that barred Jim Furyk from playing last week because he was late for a pro-am. Nothing like making up rules as you go along.
* Yesterday I wrote about Mamie van Doren, and she emailed me. Hmmm...maybe I'll write something about Christie Brinkley today.
2. Manny Being Manny
Manny Ramirez has turned into one of those Barry Bonds/Alex Rodriguez type of players. Loved, or at least liked, by home team fans. Despised by everyone else. Manny made his White Sox debut yesterday going 1-3 with a bloop single as Chicago won again. He didn't trim his hair....yet. A couple of emails from Top 5 subscribers. Bob G. slams his egotism. "This guy hits a towering shot and he stands there watching it like a tourist rather than busting his buns to run the bases! Rich R. blasted his pulling a "Sammy Sosa" during his White Sox news conference. "What was Manny doing with that asinine 'press conference' with a translator? We all know he speaks English. Is he nuts?"
And don't get me started on how he's turned his back on his old High School in Washington Heights, New York.
 3. Trick Shots
With Roger Federer hitting the "shot of the tournament" the other night with his "tweener," there are those who still think this is Roger's "shot of the year." It came during the filming of a Gillette commercial. Roger himself won't say whether or not it's legit. You can decide for yourself.
 4. Bling
Has to be a first. After Dolphins practice the other day, players were crawling around on their hands and knees looking for an earring. Defensive end Kendall Langford said he forgot to take off his jewelry before practice and lost a 2.5 carat diamond earring. Yeah, I'm sure it happened all the time in the days Bronko Nagurski and Dick Butkus.
 5. Typo
A couple of twitter-mates, @AXP112 and @MVNUSID tweeted me @LenBermanSports to tell me about a little twitter gaffe made by the St. Louis Cardinals. Take a look.
I remember a weather guy in Dayton, Ohio years ago who broke himself up when he wanted to say "A warm air mass is on the way," he left out "air" and it sounded on the air like a "warm ass" is headed in our direction.
Run for your lives!
Happy Birthday: Tennis star Jimmy Connors. 58.
Bonus Birthday: Actor Keanu Reeves. 46.
Today in Sports:The tiebreak is used for the first time at the U.S. Open. 1970.
Bonus Event: Vice President Teddy Roosevelt utters the phrase, "Speak softly and carry a big stick." It becomes famous. 1901.
My brand new kids book, "The 25 Greatest Baseball Players Of All Time," will officially be released Tuesday. It's in some bookstores now, and it's in stock at www.Amazon.com It's great for the "kid" in your life who loves baseball.
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Len's Top 5 - September 1, 2010 |
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1. Quick Hits
* Shoot. Former Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress' application for work release is denied. He remains behind bars and can't apply again until next June.
*Reds rookie Aroldis Chapman, the Cuban defector, made his Major League debut last night. He pitched a perfect inning against Milwaukee, topping out at 102 mph.
* Washington pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg will undergo "Tommy John" elbow surgery Friday.
* Manny Ramirez only got as far as the on-deck circle with his new team, the Chicago White Sox. While he was standing there, A.J. Pierzynski hit a 3 run homer to beat Cleveland. Ramirez will start this afternoon, but will he get a haircut?
* The big names all advanced at the U.S. Open.
2. Mistake by the Lake
Sad to see that the Cleveland Browns and Jim Brown have had a falling out. Jim is only the best football player I've ever seen, period. Browns fans were great in making sure when their team bolted for Baltimore, their history didn't. Unlike the Colts history now residing in Indianapolis. So this doesn't make sense. And in a short span Cleveland has divorced itself from its two biggest stars, past and present. Let's hope this isn't irreconcilable. Alas, if it is, Cleveland will always have the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
 3. Oh Brother
I don't like to analyze sportscasters. Being one myself, I can see the job from all sides. So I leave it to the viewers to form their own judgements. But after listening to the McEnroe brothers call tennis the other night, I have a question. Is there a better announcing team in any sport? Forget their expertise, humor and easy listening quality. They don't sound like they're trying to announce. They're more like two guys at a bar, hoisting a cold one, and chatting up the room. Very cool. Now if ESPN could only lose that ticker on major sports events. I get it. Roger Clemens pleaded not guilty. But every 30 seconds?
 4. Just the Facts Mamie
Older readers will recall the name Mamie van Doren. She's lots of things. Actress/Playboy model/Fiancee of the late Angels pitcher Bo Belinsky. You can add "not a Manny fan" to her resume. Reader K.V. shared this posting from Mamie on her Facebook page. "Last night Manny Ramirez proved what a brass-plated asshole he really is. He made a pinch hit appearance in the sixth inning. With the Dodgers down to the Colorado Rockies 10-5 and the bases loaded, Manny had a chance to leave L.A. a hero. Instead he argued the first pitch strike and the ump tossed him. Bye-bye, Manny and don't let the door hit you in the ass. Good luck, White Sox. You'll need it."
You gotta love her spunk!
 5. Fore! Or Rather Fire!
I've heard of bad golf swings. A golfer in Irvine California hit his ball in the rough the other day. His next swing caught a rock and sparked a blaze that needed 150 firefighters to extinguish. The official score? 12 burned acres. But I have a feeling if you asked the golfer he'd say "put down an 8."
Happy Birthday: The great undefeated heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano was born on this date in 1923.
Bonus Birthday: Lily Tomlin of Laugh-In fame. 71.
Today in Sports:The Pittsburgh Pirates start 9 black players. A Major League first. 1971.
Bonus Event: But did Charlie ever return? Boston opens the first underground rapid transit system. 1897.
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