Happy Wednesday everyone, here's my Top 5 for November 2, 2011 from Len Berman at www.ThatsSports.com.
1. Quick Hits
- The Los Angeles Dodgers are for sale.
- Yankees general manager Brian Cashman reups for three more years.
- The Even Bigger East. The Big East conference is inviting Boise State, Navy and Air Force to join for football and SMU, Houston and Central Florida to join for all sports.
- For what it's worth, last night was supposed to be opening night in the NBA.
2. Buh Bye
Congratulations Dodgers fans, your long national nightmare is over. Frank McCourt has agreed to sell his personal piggy bank, make that the Los Angeles Dodgers. Attendance and luster has plummeted for one of baseball's storied franchises. Forbes says they're worth $800 million. But out there is Hollywood, won't they fetch closer to a billion? The bidding war promises to be more interesting than any of the baseball they've been playing.
3. The Life of Brian
I admit it, I like Brian Cashman. He's paid a bundle to spend the most money and as long as he makes the postseason he seems to be safe. The Yankees mantra is: "anything short of a World Series win is a failure," but they've only been to one World Series out of the past eight. And not only does he get a three year extension, he doesn't have to deal with the late George Steinbrenner anymore. Again I like Brian, I'm just jealous that he may have the best sports job on earth.
4. Yum
Did you know tomorrow is National Sandwich Day? Anyway, the ARAMARK concession people at many NHL and NFL stadiums have come up with "signature sandwiches" which feature "the distinctive tastes and local flavors of their hometowns." Yup, when I think of the Pittsburgh Penguins I think of a "Pastrami Pretzel Sandwich." Since the name of the sandwich is so ambiguous, it's further described as "Hot pastrami on a pretzel roll." Got it. Anyway, my daughter, the Director of Nutrition at Caloriecount.com, estimates that the pastrami pretzel contains 695 calories with 21.7 grams of fat. She calls it a "minor heart attack on a platter," with half the saturated fat and sodium one should consume in a day. In short, it's not the worst possible sandwich. It only sounds like it.
5. Back-Handed Compliment
Wow, they take things seriously in Iran. Two soccer players were suspended for their "immoral" behavior following a goal. The players reportedly had their pay cut by 15% and the manager of the team was given his walking papers because he didn't report the incident. What did the players do? After a goal, one guy slapped the other guy on the butt. Here's the butt fondle in question. I remember an Islanders hockey game when one player, after a goal, kissed his teammate on the lips. Good thing they did it on Long Island and not in Tehran. That's probably a capital offense.
Happy Birthday: Eight-time Grand Slam tennis champion Ken Rosewall. 77.
Bonus Birthday: Singer Jay Black (Jay and the Americans.) 73.
Today in Sports: Roger Maris nips teammate Mickey Mantle in the American League MVP balloting. 1960.
Bonus Event: Despite what the Chicago Tribune might have reported, Harry Truman actually defeated Thomas Dewey for the presidency. 1948.
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