Happy Wednesday everyone, here's my Top 5 for November 10, 2010 from Len Berman at www.ThatsSports.com.
1. Quick Hits
* Miami may have James, Wade and Bosh, but Utah has Paul Millsap. He scored 46 points as the Jazz dumped the Heat in overtime in Miami.
* With all the hoo-hah over the Heat, the champion Lakers are quietly 8-0.
* When Josh McRoberts of Indiana missed a 3-point shot with 1.9 seconds left in the third quarter last night, it was the only Pacers miss of the quarter. They went 20 for 21, scoring 54 points. They beat Denver 144-113.
* Every Yankees infielder not named Alex Rodriguez won a Gold Glove yesterday. Even the supposedly over the hill Derek Jeter. Seattle's Ichiro won his 10th straight.
* Tweet, tweet. Reports have the Yankees grooming a new starting catcher Jesus Montero. But Jorge Posada says he intends to be behind the plate. His wife settled it last night when she tweeted "Yes, Jorge will DH next year." Thanks, Laura, you've got a future in the news business.
2. Morality Play
When I mentioned yesterday that I would vote for George Steinbrenner for the Hall of Fame next month if I had a vote, subscriber Chuck A. brought up a great point. He ponders, "Wonder how much Steinbrenner's two suspensions will hurt him for first time entry?"
You mean what happens off the field affects your candidacy? Of course it does. Just ask Pete Rose and the steroid cheats. I think Pete should be in, the cheats should not. And George gets my vote. I guess it's selective justice on my part, but isn't the whole deal subjective to begin with?
3. Smile!
You gotta love modern technology. A New York murder suspect was reportedly nabbed when he was shown on a Jumbotron at an NBA game in Charlotte. Somebody recognized him and when he showed up for another game he was nailed. Some guys are just camera hogs. A few years back at a Reds game in Cincinnati, one genius thought it would be cool to smooch a woman when they were shown on "Kiss Cam." His parole officer just happened to be at the game. His next kiss was in jail.
4. Rules Scmules II
When I wrote about the NFL changing its overtime rule come the playoffs, it touched off an interesting debate on Facebook at "Len Berman's Top 5." I think it's dumb that the rule doesn't apply to the regular season too.
Gary A. pointed out that hockey has different regular season and overtime rules too. Tom M. has an interesting tiebreak idea. "Give each team one possession. If still tied, each team attempts a field goal. If still tied, move the kickers back five yards and try again. Repeat until one team misses and the other scores." And Steve F. dislikes the college overtime rule. He wants it the same as the current NFL rule. I don't like the college rule either, especially how they report it. They refer to "triple overtime games." Are you kidding? I've seen triple overtime games in basketball and hockey. College football might have 3 extra possessions. But that's about it.
5. The Line of Succession
They've replaced the great oracle Paul the Octopus in that German aquarium. They've now got Paul II, although they don't know if he has the same powers of predicting World Cup soccer results as his predecessor. I'm thinking that a puff of white smoke did not signify Paul II's ascension. More likely bubbles from a gassy sea turtle.
Happy Birthday: 4-time baseball All Star Jack Clark. 55.
Bonus Birthday: Rapper and actress Eve. 32.
Today In Sports: The Dolphins Dan Marino becomes the first NFL quarterback to pass for 50,000 yards. 1996.
Bonus Event: Sunny day sweepin' the clouds away. The debut of Sesame Street on PBS. 1969.