Happy Wednesday everyone, here's my Top 5 for January 9, 2013 from Len Berman at www.ThatsSports.com.
1. Quick Hits
- Baseball Hall of Fame ballot results will be announced at 2 p.m. Eastern today.
- Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III is undergoing surgery today for a torn knee ligament.
- Former Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith will interview for the Philadelphia Eagles job tomorrow.
- The Dallas Cowboys have fired defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.
- NHL training camps are expected to open Sunday.
- Dustin Johnson wins the opening PGA event of the year, the weather-delayed Tournament of Champions.
2. Big Announcement
Can't wait for the big announcement today. No, not the Hall of Fame voting. The Lingerie Football League. Today in Los Angeles they're going to announce a major rebranding with uniform modifications. Obviously the lingerie has got to go.
3. Letdown
File this under "don't wish too hard for something." The New York media was livid that Rex Ryan and Woody Johnson waited so long to address them after the season. Maybe they didn't wait long enough. The sought-after newser was held yesterday and was it really worth all that hand-wringing? What did we learn? That the owner loves the coach. Next! Ryan had the best line when asked about his tattoo that shows his wife wearing a Mark Sanchez jersey, "Obviously if Sanchez doesn't play better that number is changing." Left unsaid is where Sanchez might be playing next season.
4. The PC Police
I'll admit ESPN fawned a little too much over Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron's girlfriend Katherine Webb during the BCS Championship game telecast. OK, it was more like drooling. But did they really have to apologize yesterday? They said "it went too far." Seems a bit too PC, no? By the way, her Twitter followers have doubled again. Before the game she was around 500. Now she's well over 200,000. ESPN isn't the only one revved up.
5. I Before E
Talk about pregame preparation. In advance of the 2014 World Cup soccer tournament in Brazil, Brazilian prostitutes are signing up to take free English lessons. Prostitution is legal in Brazil. Just another example of sports advancing the common good.
Happy Birthday: Golfer Sergio Garcia. 33.
Bonus Birthday: Princess Kate. 31.
Today in Sports: After missing three years of baseball in World War II, the Marines recall Ted Williams to serve in Korea. 1952.
Bonus Event: Remember Wendy's "Where's the Beef" commercial? It aired for the first time. 1984.
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