TGIF everyone, here's my Top 5 for September 4, 2009 from
www.LenBermanSports.com
1. Quick Hits
Eagles quarterback Michael Vick has been reinstated to the NFL
effective the third week of the season. Vick heard some boos in the
Meadowlands last night as the Jets sacked him 4 times in beating the
Eagles 38-27.
17-year old Melanie Oudin from Marietta Georgia ousts #4 Elena
Dementieva at the U.S. Open.
Is it student athlete or student thug? After Oregon lost to Boise
State last night in college football, senior running back LeGarrette
Blount decked linebacker Byron Hout with a punch. My guess is Blount
will now have plenty of extra time to attend classes.
It's even a bad year for former Mets. Pitcher Jerry Koosman is
sentenced to 6 months in prison in Wisconsin for tax evasion.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Tigers Hall of Fame announcer
Ernie Harwell. A wonderful man and broadcaster battling cancer at the
age of 91.
2. Milestones
A couple of milestones could be reached by Derek Jeter and the
Pittsburgh Pirates before this Labor Day weekend is over. Jeter may
surpass Lou Gehrig as the Yankees all-time hit leader. How fitting if
it happens this weekend. No Yankee has ever been more "workmanlike"
despite his lofty wages as Jeter. The Pirates could clinch another
losing record. Their 17th straight. Nobody has ever done that in any
major sport. The fine working people of Pittsburgh deserve better.
3. Name that Tune
Last Friday I talked about Seattle's Adrian Beltre returning to
baseball wearing a cup after he got smashed you know where with a
ground ball cupless. When he came to bat the other night they played
the theme from the "Nutcracker Suite." "Great Balls of Fire" would
have worked just as well.
4. Friday Mailbag
The name game. S.D. writes that his teenage daughter says Mets stands
for: "My Entire Team Sucks."
And S.G. thinks the name of the team should be changed to "The New
York Meds." And he says, "If Obama gets his way then the next time an
injured player is taken off the field they'll have to wait until next
season for an MRI and another season until they get surgery."
Editor's Note: This is not a political blog. But "Meet the Meds"
sounds like a good theme song to me.
Many of you responded to the story about how long it takes some pros
to earn $100-thousand. For example, A-Rod: 6 pitches.
S.F. said: "Being a Junior College Head basketball coach it would
take me 16 years to reach $100,000.
And A.V. wrote: "In 1948 as an usher at the RKO Fordham in the Bronx
I was making $.50/hour and no taxes were taken out.
Editor's Note: Yeah, but that's when 50-cents was half a dollar!
When I talked about sitting in the bleachers for a World Series game,
J.B. wrote that his field level box seat at Yankee Stadium used to be
$16. When they upped it to $125 in 2007 he was outta there. He hasn't
attended a Yankee game since.
And when I mentioned that I once helped Pee Wee Herman tie his tie,
many of you wrote that you were glad I didn't shake hands with him.
Editor's Note: I knew that was coming. (So to speak.)
5. Friday Fodder
The NFL won't allow players to tweet during games. Ya' mean cellphone
calls are OK in the huddle?
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Be still my heart. Hockey training camps open up next week.
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Do you think if I post a naked peep-hole video of myself on the
internet, I can get on Oprah too?
Happy Birthday: Former catcher Mike Piazza. 41.
Bonus Birthday: Beyonce. 28.
Today in Sports: Jim Abbott, a one handed pitcher for the Yankees,
throws a no-hitter against Cleveland. 1993.
Bonus Event: Swimmer Mark Spitz becomes the first Olympic athlete to
win 7 gold medals at the same games. 1972.
The Top 5 is taking off Labor Day. See ya' Tuesday. Enjoy the holiday
weekend everyone.