Happy Tuesday everyone, here's my Top 5 for September 25, 2012 from Len Berman at www.ThatsSports.com.
1. Quick Hits
- Monday night football ends in a referee debacle, as Seattle beats Green Bay 14-12.
- Let the fines begin. Denver coach John Fox was fined $30,000 and his defensive coordinator $25,000 for the way they acted toward replacement officials. If they don't settle this thing soon they may have to fine the entire league.
- The Jets have lost their best player for the season, cornerback Darrelle Revis has a torn knee ligament.
- They spent gobs of money, but is time starting to run out on the Angels and Dodgers wild card hopes?
2. Enough's Enough
This was inevitable, a total fiasco at the end of last night's Packers/Seahawks game. Yes that should have been pass interference on Seattle. Yes that was a Green Bay interception. Yes two officials on the field made conflicting calls. Yes the ultimate call was wrong. And stunningly replay upheld it. If this doesn't end the lockout of officials, nothing will. This season is now tainted. Yes the owners call the shots, but should team's make the playoffs, or fail to make them as a result of last night, the legacy of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will be stained forever.
3. Got More Melk?
Yesterday I mentioned the hypocrisy of Melky Cabrera eliminating himself from contention for the National League batting title since he's under a drug suspension. All the stats really happened, and they still count. As Top 5 subscriber Eric R. pointed out, we shouldn't forget about the All Star game. Cabrera hit the only homer that night and was named the MVP of the game. Thanks to Cabrera's contribution, the National League will have home field for this year's World Series. Or do we retroactively change all that?
4. Game Called
This might be a first. A New Jersey high school football game was canceled because they feared for the underdogs. Powerhouse St. Peter's Prep was scheduled to play Kearney last Friday night but Kearney called it off. They had lost their previous two games by a combined score of 90-6 and they feared that their kids would suffer injuries against St. Peter's. I guess you can't argue with erring on the side of caution.
5. Frontier Justice
It's dangerous when you live on a golf course. Well, generally it's dangerous for the home owner. In one case, it was the reverse. In Reno, a man was fed up when a golfer shanked his shot and took out one of his windows. So he did what any aggrieved soul would do, he fired back. Only he used a shotgun. He was arrested on a couple of weapons charges. As for the shotgun blasts, he basically missed both golfers but one of them suffered minor pellet wounds. So from an accuracy standpoint it looks like the whole thing was a wash. Neither side could shoot straight.
Happy Birthday: Chicago Bulls great Scottie Pippen. 47.
Bonus Birthdays: Actor Michael Douglas. 68 and his wife Catherine Zeta Jones. 43.
Today in Sports: 50 years ago today, Sonny Liston wins the heavyweight title knocking out champ Floyd Patterson in the first round. 1962.
Bonus Event: Sandra Day O'Connor becomes the first woman on the Supreme Court. 1981.
Spanning the World has been changed to this Thursday morning on NBC's Today Show at 8:50 a.m.
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