Happy Monday everyone, here's my Top 5 for June 25, 2012 from Len Berman at www.ThatsSports.com.
1. Quick Hits
- Wimbledon is underway.
- Dickeymania cools. The Yankees solve the knuckleballer and beat R.A. Dickey and the Mets 6-5.
- The Red Sox trade Kevin Youkilis to the White Sox.
- Italy ousted England on penalty kicks to reach the Euro 2012 soccer semifinals.
2. Guilty X 45
Jerry Sandusky is going away for the rest of his life, as well he should. But I can't help but think of all the other monsters who are walking around free out there who haven't been exposed. There's lots of blame to go around including a ton of it for Penn State University. But at least hopefully Sandusky's victims will receive a small measure of closure. They'll never feel healed.
3. Flipping Out
So you train your whole life to make the Olympic team and it might come down to a coin flip? That's the deal after Allyson Felix and Jeneba Tarmoh finished in a dead heat for third place in the 100 meters at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials. Only one of them makes the team in the 100 meters and a tie had never happened before. So they huddled up and decided that the women can decide what they want to do. They can have a runoff or they can just flip a coin. Maybe they should try that in baseball. Once a game goes 12 innings call "heads or tails." Then we could have the first "walk-off flip-off."
4. King James
Last week I wrote that I was glad LeBron James finally got his ring so we can all get on with our lives, and that stars always call the shots. And you guys fired back:
From Top 5 subscriber D.R. (A Cleveland native.) It is not that he left Cleveland. It is the way he left Cleveland...he could have shown some class. But remember, no amount of athletic ability (and he has a lot) will ever, ever, ever make him into a real man. I don't want him in my fox hole."
James has his supporters including M.L. Potentially the most talented basketball player to have ever played the game just won his first NBA championship after overcoming a ton of criticism. And you chose to spend the one section you have on this monumental achievement in the game of basketball to talk about Cleveland fans? Don't get me wrong -- I love reading your emails everyday, but I think you need to fork over a little more bandwidth to the potential King of the NBA.
B.K. says "Next!" The new fall guy in the NBA is Carmelo Anthony. Third pick same year as LeBron and has made the playoffs every year he has been in the NBA, but has only made it out of the first round once."
And R.S. wonders, why is it always Cleveland? So LeBron finally got his long sought after Ring after a 'lockout.' Just like the Atlanta Braves finally got their rings after finally winning the World Series over the Cleveland Indians after the 'Strike Year' of 1994. Is this funny or just a coincidence that the Victims in both these "shallow victories" were the poor fans of Cleveland, Ohio!"
5. G-O-O-A-L!
So with the Euro 2012 soccer tournament going on, what does it mean for British women? Right sex! But not with their mates or steadies. The web site Illicitencounters.com has seen a spike of 77 percent from women looking for some action, and 82 percent when England was playing in the quarterfinals. In fact there's a direct correlation. As the TV ratings have soared, the women, while their men are watching soccer, are looking for their own score. And that leads us to male escort services. They are also doing a booming business. One guy told The Sun "Football tournaments are to male escorts like Christmas is to super- markets -- the business keeps us going for the rest of the year." Isn't that heartwarming.
Happy Birthday: The Captain, Willis Reed. 70.
Bonus Birthday: Singer/songwriter Carly Simon. 67.
Today in Sports: Was this really necessary? The NHL over-expanded, adding 4 new teams in Columbus, Nashville, Atlanta and Minnesota. 1997.
Bonus Event: Ouch. Lucien Smith patented barbed wire. 1867.
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