Happy Thursday everyone, here's my Top 5 for July 16, 2009 from www.LenBermanSports.com.
1. Quick Hits
The British Open is underway at Turnberry in Scotland.
Manny Ramirez is sure to get a "heroes welcome" tonight in L.A. when he returns from his 50 game drug suspension.
It'll be the Boston Bruins vs. the Philadelphia Flyers at Fenway Park next January 1st. The latest NHL Winter Classic.
Brett Favre says he'll tell the Minnesota Vikings by July 30th if he plans to play for them. (Unless he changes his mind.)
2. Back to Basics
You gotta love a senior softball team on Long Island. According to Newsday they're putting together a video to show how to execute the basics of baseball. Things like touching all the bases when you're running, and how to catch simple popups. Then they're going to send the tape to the Mets. Their philosophy is simple. We understand the basics better than they do. Hard to argue.
3. The Honor System
There are plenty of golf courses in Scotland where you pay your greens fee into a locked box. There's nobody to collect the money, but since golf is a game of honor, you're expected to pay as you go. I'm not sure that would fly over here, but here's what I'd like to see. Sports fans pay on the way out, what they think the game was worth. Then we could pay athletes based on what they did. Basically a "pass the hat economy."
4. Cold Feet
Richard Jefferson was always the "go to guy" for the media when he played for the New Jersey Nets. Need someone to talk in complete sentences? Richard was your guy. Hell, he even showed up after a game for a live interview on TV with me wearing his bathrobe. You could always count on Jefferson. Until last weekend. He called off his expensive Manhattan wedding at the last minute. Some of his guests even showed up in town before they got the news. The shindig reportedly was costing $2-million. I guess the price was too high for a little "one on one."
5. What a Guy
Early candidate for Athlete of the Year: Gerhard Wilder of Germany. He blamed the beer twice. Once for causing him to fall into an open drain in the road. A second time for being unable to extricate himself from said hole, because of his beer belly. Gerhard pledges to go on a diet and swear off beer. Atta boy.