Happy Tuesday everyone, here's my Top 5 for January 18, 2011 from Len Berman at ThatsSports.com.
1. Quick Hits
* Brett Favre officially filed his retirement papers with the NFL. You can buy "Thanks for the Memories" merchandise on his web site. Honest.
* Hue Jackson gets promoted to coach of the Oakland Raiders. He was their offensive coordinator.
* Ohio State is the new #1 in college basketball.
* Davis Love III will be the new U.S. Ryder Cup captain in 2012 at Medinah Country Club outside Chicago. Jose Maria Olazabal was named European captain.
* Zenyatta is voted horse of the year.
2. Style Points
How can you not root for the Jets to make it to the Super Bowl? After Sunday's game, Patriots coach Bill Belichick was asked about his reported benching of Wes Welker for all his foot references during the week. No comment. What went wrong on the fake field goal? "I'm not going to go into that." What did he say to Rex Ryan after the game? Crickets. It's way too long between the championship games and the Super Bowl, so who would you rather have for entertainment value, Mum Bill or Blabberhouth Ryan? No contest.
3. Guarantees
Guarantees are a bunch of hot air. Patrick Ewing always meant well when guaranteeing Knicks wins. Yet he is ringless. Only two "guarantees" resonate with New York sports fans, Broadway Joe and today's birthday boy. Namath pulled off the biggest win in Super Bowl history, and Mark Messier guaranteed a win against the Devils in 1994 trailing 3 games to 2. The Rangers not only won game 6, but Messier scored a hat trick. It's hard to believe 17 years have passed since then. Then again it's been 42 years since the Jets have been to a Super Bowl. I have a hunch you'll hear a few "guarantees" from the Jets in the weeks ahead. Up till now, it's been foolhardy to bet against them.
4. Just Wonderin'
I noticed that the CBS promos for the Masters, with the tag line "A tradition like no other," features Phil Mickelson. Time was, that anything golf had Tiger Woods as its poster boy. Perhaps the Masters slogan should be, "A transition like no other."
5. Family Entertainment
You go to an indoor lacrosse game and a strip club breaks out. The Boston Blazers are apologizing for a half time promotion gone awry. Scantily clad women were giving the Blazers mascot named Scorch, a lap dance. Here's the video shot from the stands.
With all the noise and promotion at sports events these days, this was the logical next step, no?
Happy Birthday: The Captain. Former Oiler, Ranger and Canuck Mark Messier. 50.
Bonus Birthday: Actor Kevin Costner. 56.
Today in Sports: Willie O'Ree makes NHL history. The first black player is signed by the Boston Bruins. It's ironic that the Bruins had a black player before the Red Sox. 1958.
Bonus Event: The birth of airport security. The X-Ray machine is exhibited for the first time. 1896.