Happy Thursday everyone, here's my Top 5 for March 3, 2011 from Len Berman at ThatsSports.com.
1. Quick Hits
* The NFL labor agreement expires at midnight tonight.
* The Chicago Cubs are off to their usual fine start. Pitcher Carlos Silva gave up two home runs in a six-run first inning against Milwaukee yesterday, and third baseman Aramis Ramirez made one of three Cubs errors in the inning. So what did Silva and Ramirez do? They scuffled in the dugout. Cubs lose, Cubs lose 12-5.
* A's outfielder Coco Crisp was arrested for DUI, the third major leaguer this spring.
* Tennis star Serena Williams underwent emergency treatment for a blood clot in her lung.
* The Colombian soccer player who kicked the owl got suspended for two games and fined $560. The owl later died.
2. Buckle Your Chinstraps
So by this time tomorrow NFL players could be locked out, or not. The owners may be justified, or not. So too the players, or not. Having lived through a zillion of these labor disputes, I can tell you that this one may be the most unique. Never has a sport been healthier. It just appears that the owners want "just a little more." Doesn't everybody? I'm convinced both sides will give, and there will be football next season. I can also tell you that the person who is considered the least in all this, if at all, is the fan. And isn't he the one who pays the freight?
3. Rules are Rules
BYU got thumped last night by New Mexico 82-64. It was the first game that #3 BYU played since the dismissal of their center Brandon Davies for breaking the school's honor code. His offense? According to the Salt Lake Tribune, he engaged in premarital sex. BYU's honor code also forbids students from partaking in alcoholic beverages, tobacco, tea, coffee, not to mention drugs. And students must attend church regularly. Or as subscriber Paul G. writes, "You think if other schools had this honor code anybody would be playing college sports?"
4. Bowling for Dollars
Wow, what a bonanza for a college going to a major bowl game. U-Conn went to the Fiesta Bowl and got trounced by Oklahama 48-20. For their efforts they got $2.5 million. Good deal, right? Not so fast. According to the Daily Campus newspaper at U-Conn, the school was allotted 17,500 tickets. They managed to sell just 2,771. As a result the school had to eat nearly $3 million in unused tickets. As a result, U-Conn incurred a $1.8 million loss by playing in the Fiesta Bowl. Ya' think they need to reconfigure who plays where in the post season and why?
5. Oh, Say, Can You Sing?
In light of today's Bonus Event below, I have a confession to make. Before a 2003 Yankees/Red Sox playoff game at Fenway I met Michael Bolton on the field. He told me he was going to sing the National Anthem. I promised him, if he "screwed it up" I'd use it on Spanning the World. He proceeded to screw it up. I was mortified figuring it was all my fault for putting the idea in his head. I also ordered my producers to "burn the tape." No way I was going to use it on the air. Sorry about that, Michael... somebody got hurt.
Happy Birthday: Finals MVP for the 1994 Stanley Cup champion Rangers, Brian Leetch. 43.
Bonus Birthday: Hey, call up a friend and tell him Alexander Graham Bell was born on this date in 1847.
Today in Sports: After a "name the stadium" contest, the Giants stadium in San Francisco is named Candlestick Park. 1959.
Bonus Event: Fueling some great material for "Spanning the World," the Star-Spangled Banner is officially adopted as the U.S. National Anthem. 1931.
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