Happy Tuesday everyone, here's my Top 5 for December 4, 2012 from Len Berman at www.ThatsSports.com.
1. Quick Hits
- It's a horse race. Washington beat the Giants last night 17-16, so the Giants now lead Washington and Dallas by just one game with four to go.
- Hockey talks resume today with some owners and players sitting down face to face.
- The Heisman Trophy will be awarded Saturday night. The three finalists are Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein, Texas A&M freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel, and Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o.
- Sports Illustrated names NBA star LeBron James its Sportsman of the Year.
2. Hip Hip
So now we know why Alex Rodriguez disappeared down the stretch, he has more hip problems. He will undergo surgery once again and is expected to miss half the season. Of course he won't miss any paychecks for the next five years totaling zillions. I know there are one or two Yankee fans who read the Top 5. At what point are you concerned about the age and cost of this team? Is it possible that the current "golden era" is now at an end? Isn't it possible that this collection of players misses the 2013 post season? Or are we getting ahead of ourselves?
3. Hall Worthy
Colonel Jacob Ruppert has been dead longer than he's been alive, but yesterday he was one of three men from the early days of baseball who were voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. When George Steinbrenner's name was raised as a possible Hall of Fame candidate, many old Yankee fans said that Ruppert should go in first. After all, he was the man who engineered the deal for Babe Ruth and built the original Yankee Stadium. So Ruppert has finally made it. Is George on deck?
4. Take a Powder
After Baltimore lost to Pittsburgh Sunday night, star safety Ed Reed ripped the NFL saying the new rules make it a "powder puff" league. He says the league does everything to help the offense because people want to see points being scored. Then again, as the New York Times reported yesterday, the scientific journal Brain published research about the correlation between routine hits in football and hockey and degenerative brain disease. Even baseball may have pitchers experiment with padded lining in their baseball caps to absorb the shock of batted balls. As far as I'm concerned, you can't make football safe enough. Bring on the powder puffs.
5. Social Media
Here's what it's come to. Hashtag Jameson. A newborn girl was given the name Hashtag according to this Facebook posting. It may or may not be true, but it raises the question if she should sign her name #? An Egyptian couple named their daughter "Facebook" to commemorate the role that social media had in the Egyptian revolution. Speaking of Facebook, an Israeli couple named their daughter "Like" last May. How come only girls get the cool social media names? Here's a suggestion for a boys name: Topfive.
Happy Birthday: Brooklyn Nets part-owner Jay-Z. 43.
Bonus Birthday: Oscar winner Jeff Bridges. 63.
Today in Sports: Latrell Sprewell of Golden State is suspended one year for choking his coach, P.J. Carlesimo. 1997.
Bonus Event: You can have it your way. The first Burger King opened in Miami. 195
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