Happy Monday everyone, here's my Top 5 for February 27, 2012 from Len Berman at www.ThatsSports.com.
1. Quick Hits
- For the first time in its 54-year history, the Daytona 500 was postponed by rain. The race will be held today. (Weather permitting.)
- Tilt! The West beat the East 152-149 in the NBA All Star Game. Kobe Bryant suffered a broken nose due to an actual foul. He also surpassed Michael Jordan as the highest scorer in All Star Game history.
- In golf, Hunter Mahan wins the Match Play Championship.
- The Mets will wear a patch on their uniforms in memory of Gary Carter. They tweeted a pic.
- Ben & Jerry's, has apologized for including fortune cookies in its "Taste the Lin-Sanity" frozen yogurt sold in Boston. They've replaced the cookies with waffle cones.
2. He Doth Protest Too Much, Methinks
Ryan Braun went over the top to celebrate his "innocence." The Milwaukee Brewers MVP won his arbitration against baseball. His teammates and Brewers fans all celebrated. The Barry Bonds syndrome. Loved by the home team and no one else. But was Braun truly innocent? It all hinged on the chain of evidence, more of a technicality. He should have quietly said "thanks" and moved on. But his yammering about vindication and truth rings hollow. It recalls the Rafael Palmeiro moment. He jabbed his finger in the air and pronounced to Congress "I have never used steroids, period." A few months later he flunked a steroid test.
3. Prohibition
Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine has banned alcohol in the clubhouse. Some players were accused of drinking beer during games down the stretch when the Red Sox were collapsing last season. Valentine says 19 other teams have a similar ban, which means on 12 Major League Teams, skoal!
4. Upon Further Review
After all these years the NFL replay rule still doesn't work as planned. It takes WAY too long to make decisions. If something is obvious, it's obvious. Decide in 10 seconds and then play on. The NFL now reviews all scoring plays and they're considering reviewing all turnovers. Great. Let's make the games even longer. You go to a football game and a lengthy baseball game breaks out. Outdoor winter fun.
5. And the Oscar goes to....
Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville -- Moneyball has struck out.
(Yup, I was rooting for Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill and even Rooney Mara because of her football family. Aren't there any sports fans in the Academy?)
Happy Birthday: Utah Jazz star Devin Harris. 29.
Bonus Birthday: Consumer activist Ralph Nader. 78.
Today in Sports: 16-year old Tiger Woods becomes the youngest to play in a PGA tournament in 35 years. 1992.
Bonus Event: People Magazine hits the stands for the first time. 1974.
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