Happy Tuesday everyone, here's my Top 5 for July 21, 2009 from www.LenBermanSports.com.
1. Quick Hits
Story 1
Pittsburgh Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been accused of sexual assault in Las Vegas. He denies it.
Michael Vick was released from federal custody yesterday. The ball is now in the NFL's court. He has served this time, is he now free to play football in the NFL?
Manny Ramirez hits home run #537 and moves ahead of my hero Mickey Mantle into 15th place all time.
The chase is on. The Yankees and Red Sox are now tied for first with 70 games to go.
Game of the night, the A's trailed the Twins 12-2 in the 3rd inning and won 14-13.
Mets ownership assures General Manager Omar Minaya and Manager Jerry Manuel that their jobs are safe. (If they don't get injured like all their players.)
2. Picky Picky
According to the New York Post the Yankees don't like one fan's creativity. Long Island's Steve Lore trademarked the phrase "the house that juice built" as his own little steroid protest. His T-shirt design includes the Yankee logo with a syringe instead of a baseball bat. The Yankee legal team is on the prowl. In honor of the Babe, maybe they'd prefer that Yankee Stadium be known as "the house that booze built?"
3. Fan-atic
You heard about David Beckham nearly coming to blows with a fan at a soccer game, but in Colombia things were far worse. A fan was heckling a soccer player and threw a stone at the player's car. So the soccer player got out and brandished a pistol to scare the guy. Next thing you know, the pistol accidentally went off..... several times, killing the fan. The soccer player now says he was drunk but faces 50 years in prison nonetheless. Something to chew on next time you want to take out your frustration on an underperforming athlete near you.
4. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah
Paul McCartney finishes up his Citi Field gig tonight. I was there Saturday night and it would be much too easy to say it's the most noise Citi Field will hear all season, and certainly the most hits. Several years back McCartney was caught on camera singing along to one of his hits during a Yankee playoff game. I dubbed him "the fan of the month" on Spanning the World. Paul requested a copy of the tape. Yeah, he hasn't been honored much over the years. What a career thrill for him!
5. Knocking your Shot Stiff
Thanks to subscriber N.M. for tipping us off to a unique miniature golf course in Palatine, Illinois. It's in the basement of a funeral home. You go to a wake, and "play your respects." Some of the obstacles include coffins and tombstones and to add to the mood they play spooky music and screams. It's free and the owners say kids love it. Ya know it's never too early to associate golf with a slow painful death.