Happy Tuesday everyone, here's my Top 5 for November 16, 2010 from Len Berman at www.ThatsSports.com.
1. Quick Hits
* Michael Vick throws for 4 touchdowns and runs for 2 more as Philadelphia routs Washington 59-28. The Eagles and Giants are now tied for first place. The Giants visit Philadelphia Sunday night.
* Before last night's game, the Washington Redskins threw $78 million over 5 years at 34-year old quarterback Donovan McNabb, the same McNabb who was benched in the final minutes against Detroit with the game on the line.
* Giants catcher Buster Posey and Rangers closer Neftali Feliz win Rookie of the Year awards.
* Ryne Sandberg, passed over for the Cubs managerial job, jumps to manage the Phillies Triple-A team, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
* The Yankees led the Majors in attendance. The amount of money they make is obscene. So what to do? Right, raise many of the ticket prices for next season.
* Well, that didn't take long. The woeful Islanders fire coach Scott Gordon.
2. Person Of The Year
There's one athlete among the finalists for Time Magazine's Person of the Year, and it's sure to piss off Cleveland fans. It's none other than LeBron James. Of course the winner doesn't go to the "best" person, just the one who did the most to influence the events of the year. Others on the list include Lady Gaga, Glenn Beck, President Obama, and the Chilean miners. I'm not even sure that LeBron is the person of the year in sports; after all, Derek Jeter won a Gold Glove. Don't they read the sports pages over at Time?
3. The Whole Truth And Nothing But
So with Washington signing Donovan McNabb to a huge contract, the issue of "coaching honesty" rears its ugly head. When Redskins coach Mike Shanahan benched McNabb, in the days after, he made up several versions of why he did it. Shanahan now admits he's not going to be honest with the media when it comes to benchings. Why should he be? Teams lie all the time, especially about injuries. In hockey they call it a "lower body" injury so as not to let the opposition know which knee to go after. Coaches will never tell you the team they're about to face "sucks." It's all coach babble/doublespeak. And it makes you wonder why we bother with coaching news conferences in the first place?
4. Keeping Track
Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns welcomed his third child to the world. The next day he announced he was divorcing his wife. In other words, within hours he recorded a triple-single.
5. Clothes Make The Man
Hey, for all you wiseguys who made fun of my sport coat in the picture of my 1972 interview with Sparky Anderson, how about the women's basketball coach at Phil Simms' old college, Morehead State? Tom Hodges and his staff have struck a deal with the company that provides golfer Jon Daly with his "unique" pants. Take a look at the picture in the Kentucky paper. OK, so they lost in their debut to Kentucky 82-48. But give 'em credit for calling attention to their program
Happy Birthday: Knicks "savior" Amar'e Stoudamire. 28.
Bonus Birthday: Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. 33.
Today In Sports: Lotsa boards. The Celtics Bill Russell sets the then NBA record by nabbing 49 rebounds against Philadelphia. His record that day of 32 rebounds in a half still stands. 1957.
Bonus Event: Trippy. A Swiss chemist concocts something called LSD. 1938.
Attention Holiday Shoppers
It's that time of year when you need to get Chanukah gifts and stocking stuffers. Have I got an idea for you! An autographed copy of my kids (of all ages) books, The Greatest Moments in Sports (with a free CD of many of the great moments), and The 25 Greatest Baseball Players Of All Time. Just call the Dolphin Bookshop to reserve your autographed copies at 516-767-2650. Easy, right?