Happy Tuesday everyone, here's my Top 5 for May 15, 2012 from Len Berman at www.ThatsSports.com.
1. Quick Hits
- The Rangers shutout the Devils 3-0 in game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
- NBA playoffs: Philadelphia edged Boston 82-81 to even their series at a game apiece. Oklahoma City dumped the Lakers 119-90 in game one of their series.
- Chris Bosh is lost to the Heat indefinitely with an abdominal strain.
- The deal is finally done. Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton signs off on the new Vikings $975 million (about half paid by the team) downtown stadium. They hope to open it in 2016.
2. Coach Speak
Whether or not the Ranger/Devils series turns out to be a classic, I'm guessing the post game news conferences will be. Rangers coach John Tortorella has been putting on a show. He basically won't answer anything, and treats the media sessions as if he's undergoing a root canal. The CBC had DJ Steve Porter put together this Tortorella video highlight reel. Enjoy.
3. Then Again
Or perhaps we're focusing on the wrong aspect of John Tortorella's presentation. Check out the stats for Brad Richards while Tortorella was speaking last night after the game. Read them closely. Now there's a player on the go. Too much information?
4. On the Clock
It's painful to watch. PGA golfer Kevin Na can't start his backswing. Along the way, fans are yelling at him "Pull the trigger," and "Hit it." To his credit Na knows he has a problem and vows to correct it. Once he does, maybe he can give some advice to those interminably slow pitchers in baseball.
5. The Gift That Grows
Tomorrow night, you might want to head to the Giants game in San Francisco for Carnaval night. You might be lucky to get one of the "limited edition" Pablo Sandoval Chia Pets. Forget bobbleheads, you get an actual Chia head, and it grows a fro. Unfortunately Sandoval himself won't be playing, he has a broken hand, but you can grow his fro at home in his honor until he gets back in the lineup. Don't you wish they had this when Oscar Gamble played?
Happy Birthday: The winningest coach in NBA history, Don Nelson. 72.
Bonus Birthday: Actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler. 31.
Today in Sports: Angels pitcher Nolan Ryan pitched the first of his seven no-hitters. 1973.
Bonus Event: The New York Rangers came into existence. Two years later they won the Stanley Cup. 1926.
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