TGIF everyone, here's my Top 5 for October 8, 2010 from Len Berman at www.ThatsSports.com.
1. Quick Hits
* The Yankees and Texas take two games to none leads in their best of 5 series, with both heading home. The Giants win game one against Atlanta, as Tim Lincecum pitches a 2-hit, 14 strikeout gem.
* The howling continues for instant replay, as umps calls are questioned and 2 managers get ejected.
* Today's playoff Schedule. Both games on TBS and Eastern time.
Game 2, Cincinnati at Philadelphia. 6:00pm
Game 2, Atlanta at San Francisco. 9:30pm
* I'll drink to that. The Nets Russian owner strikes a deal to have Stolichnaya as the official vodka of their new arena. Yeah, sports and booze, a winning image. Wonder what the official erectile dysfunction pill will be?
2. Lights... Camera...
Inaction! The Wall Street Journal took a stopwatch to major league baseball games and logged 14 minutes of actual action in a 9 inning game. Of course, you have to define "action." If you throw in unwrapping/wrapping batting gloves, trips to the mound, spitting and scratching... you might be way north of 18 minutes.
3. Perfecto
When I look at "Today in Sports" I harken back to that day. School let out at 3pm and we would race to the neighborhood bar, lean in, and ask the score of the World Series game that began at 1pm. We weren't allowed into the bar. But on this day, a perfectly sunny day in Queens, with the game in the Bronx, the bar was empty. We were stumped. The bartender told us Don Larsen had pitched a perfect game and everybody went home. My first reaction was, "what's a perfect game?" Years later, my question is, who was sitting in that bar drinking at 3pm in the afternoon on a weekday?
And subscriber Bob H. poses the question, "was anybody at both the Halladay and Larsen games?" Great question. Joe Torre was a fan in the upper deck for Larsen's perfect game.
4. Friday eMailbag
Michael Vick continues to stir up emotion. I think subscriber S.B. makes a good point. "I really love dogs, so I was particularly upset by Michael Vick's dog fighting ring... There seems to be so much less willingness to give him a second chance than there is to forgive athletes convicted of manslaughter, athletes who attack fans, who drive drunk, who beat up their wives, who carry guns, who don't live up to their responsibilities as fathers and husbands. I think the guy deserves a chance."
As for Tour de France winner Alberto Contador flunking a drug test, M.W. writes, "Another dope on a bike!"
Editor's Note: Isn't that redundant?
When viewers filed complaints over the Cincinnati Reds smoking cigars during their victory celebration, a violation of the state's smoking ban, R.F. wrote at Facebook at "Len Berman's Top 5, "They drink champagne, get in their cars and drive home, and the citation is for smoking a cigar in the locker room? What's this world coming to?"
And when I wrote on Facebook that the Mets decisions in the coming weeks will determine whether or not Citi Field turns into a ghost town, A.T. wrote, "Tombstones still get a few visitors."
Editor's Note: Gallows humor. Nice.
5. Spanning The World
Our Spanning the World highlight this week is for hockey pucks.
Kaspars Daugavins of the Binghamton Senators scoring on a creative move in an exhibition game shootout. Me thinks that should count double.
Have a great weekend everyone.
Happy Birthday: Two-time Daytona 500 winner and Motorsports Hall of Famer Bill Elliott. 55.
Bonus Birthday: Actor Matt Damon. 40.
Extra Bonus Birthday: One of my faves, Chevy Chase. 67.
Today in Sports: Yogi goes and jumps in Don Larsen's arms after Larsen pitches the only perfect game in World Series history, game 5 against the Dodgers. 1956.
Bonus Event: Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicks over a lantern and causes the Great Chicago Fire. Sure blame a cow. 1871.
I'll be signing copies of my kids' baseball book tomorrow afternoon at the Apple Festival at the Mill Neck Manor School for the Deaf on Long Island.