Happy Monday everyone, here's my Top 5 for January 31, 2011 from Len Berman at ThatsSports.com.
1. Quick Hits
* The Steelers and Packers arrive in Dallas today for Super Bowl XLV.
* To kill some time before the Super Bowl, they held the Pro Bowl in Hawaii. The NFC led the AFC 42-0 in the first half, before winning it 55-41.
* Novak Djokovic easily beat Andy Murray to win the Australian Open, extending Britain's Grand Slam drought to 75 years. Kim Clijsters won on the women's side.
* Bubba Watson wins the Farmers Insurance Open by one shot over Phil Mickelson. Tiger Woods finishes 15 shots back.
* In the NHL All Star Game, one team beat the other guys 11-10. There was one penalty called in the game.
* St. John's stuns #3 Duke 93-78 at Madison Square Garden
2. Moneyball
The announcement that Mets ownership may seek a minority partner or two should not come as a major surprise. The Mets weren't players in the free agent market, and the reason for that was easily summed up by two words: Bernie Madoff. But give Mets ownership credit for going public with their plight. They could have easily stonewalled their fans and pretended everything is fine. That was their posture when the Madoff scandal first broke. So now we get the real picture. In truth, fans don't care about the Wall Street Journal stuff, they just care about wins and losses. So if an infusion of cash leads to that, it's a win-win for all involved.
3. Dollars and Sense
Many of you have written to me about the Gil Meche story. He is turning down his $12-million salary this season from Kansas City because "he's not worthy." Instead, he's retiring. He has brought praise from Archbishops to newspaper editorial writers. I'm surprised the Players Union doesn't take him to court. What? Players making what they are truly worth? What's wrong with this guy?
4. Public Service Announcement
In the NHL All Star Game, Team Staal was favored by 1.5 goals. Alas, they lost to Team Lidstrom 11-10. In the Pro Bowl, the NFC was favored by 1.5 points. They easily covered. If you bet on either of these games, your Top 5 subscription is on shaky ground. In fact, call this number immediately. (888) 424-3577. Gamblers Anonymous will he glad to hear from you.
5. Yum!
The Akron Aeros, the Cleveland Indians Double-A affiliate, have a can't miss ticket plan for you. It's the 10 game, "Three Dog Night" package. You get tickets to 10 home games plus 10 vouchers for the "Three Dog Night." What's that? According to their web site, it's a "hot dog stuffed inside a bratwurst, stuffed inside a kielbasa, topped with sauerkraut and mustard, and served on a hoagie roll." The Aeros should take it one step further. After each "Three Dog Night" night, they should schedule free Maalox give-aways, followed by Airline Barfbag night. We'll see who the best hurler in Akron really is? Nah, that's just a gag.
Happy Birthday: Let's Play Two. Mr. Cub, the great Ernie Banks. 80.
Bonus Birthday: Mr. Super Bowl halftime show wardrobe malfunction himself, Justin Timberlake. 30.
Today in Sports: Braves pitcher John Rocker was suspended for offending just about everyone in a magazine article. 2000.
Bonus Event: Mickey Da. The first McDonald's opens in Moscow. 1990.
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