Top 5 Sports Stories

TGIF everyone, here's my Top 5 for October 9, 2009 from www.LenBermanSports.com.

1. Quick Hits

The Dodgers took a 2-games to none lead over St. Louis. The Rockies evened things with the Phillies one game apiece. The Angels beat the Red Sox 5-0 in game one in Anaheim.

Today's Schedule

Game 2 Minnesota @ Yankees 6:07pm ET TBS
Game 2 Boston @ Angels 9:37pm ET TBS

Are you really ready for Olympic golf and rugby? The IOC voted today to include them in the 2016 Olympics. Olympic golf? We don't have enough international competitions?

2. Sudden Death

Joe Torre used to say about the 1996 Yankees that "everyone wants to be the hero, but no one wants to talk about it." Left unsaid in sports is that nobody wants to be the goat. Just ask Matt Holliday of St. Louis. He dropped the final out of a Cardinals win last night when he lost the ball in the lights. And the Dodgers took the gift and parlayed it into two runs in the bottom of the 9th. So instead of the series being tied at 1, the Dodgers have a two games to none stranglehold. Holliday's mid-season trade helped the Cards win the division. His error may have torpedoed their season. Somewhere Bill Buckner is smiling, or not.

3. Epic Collapse

When the Tigers lost that playoff game to the Twins they became the first team to blow a 3 game lead with 4 games to go. Well, not exactly true. As a couple of astute Top 5 readers pointed out, that's exactly what the Yankees did with the Red Sox in the 2004 playoffs.

4. Friday Mailbag

M.W. writes: " My wife and I were watching the Giants and Jets yesterday and noticed the pink cleats and she was touched by the gesture but wishes the NFL Players would just donate the money spent on the pink cleats and promoting them to breast cancer research."

As for various sports organizations banning handshakes for fear of spreading the swine flu, An Atlanta doctor, E.G. writes: "Len, the no-touching thing is amazingly stupid. I hope that there is no health care professional involved in the decision-making process...if they are, they'd be laughed right out of any professional association that I belong to. I think they should shake hands at center court, and then whip out their Purell pumps right there and schmear it all over themselves, and the ball!"

Editor's Note: Is schmear an official sports term?

And from R.B. "Rumor has it that since the Mets won't be in the playoffs, their players are auditioning for a new TV show...Dancing With the Scars." Editor's Note: Ouch.

5. Athlete of the Week

They'll run the Chicago Marathon on Sunday. David Kuhn will in the race. He is legally blind after being struck by a drunk driver, so he needs a guide to run along with him. When his guide backed out, he put out the word asking if anyone could help him. Over 100 responded. He only needs one, but several will run along side anyway. He's running to raise money for homebound seniors. Talk about a win/win/win situation.

Happy Birthday: Mr. Hairdryer, Joe Pepitone of the Yankees. 69. Bonus Birthday: John Lennon would also have been 69 today. His son, Sean Lennon, is 34 today.

Today in Sports: The Cincinnati Reds won the World Series against the Chicago "Black Sox." Several Chicago players "threw" the World Series. 1919. Bonus Event: Cuddle up. The first electric blanket is sold in Virginia. (No wonder that state is for lovers.) 1946.

Radio daze. I'll be on with John Gambling on WOR Radio Monday's and Friday's at 8:10AM. (I told you I wasn't retiring.)

 

 

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