Happy Monday everyone, here's my Top 5 for Oct. 12, 2009 from
www.LenBermanSports.com.
1. Quick Hits
The Angels sweep away the Red Sox and the Yankees (who is this A-Rod
guy?) sweep the Twins. The Angels and Yankees will now meet in the AL
Championship Series.
Today's Schedule: Phillies @ Rockies game 4. (Phillies lead 2 games
to 1.) 6:07pm ET TBS. Last night's game time temperature in Denver was
35 degrees.
Go ahead, say it out loud. The first place Cincinnati Bengals who
have now won 4 straight games.
Champagne in the locker room, but this time for the U.S. soccer
team. They beat Honduras 3-2 Saturday night to qualify for next year's
World Cup.
With a nod to David B. on Twitter: This just in, President Obama has
won the Heisman Trophy.
2. Win Some Lose Some
You can't call Boston's loss yesterday heartbreaking. Red Sox fans
know heartbreaking (Buckner, Bucky, Boone) and this one doesn't come
close. Still, coughing up a two run lead in the ninth with your closer
on the mound, and losing 7-6 to the Angels to get eliminated is still
tough to swallow. But look at the bright side, Red Sox fans. You've had
lots of experience at this over the years. Sure you've won a couple of
World Series, but misery like this is part of your Red Sox DNA.
Embrace it.
3. Instant Replay
I've never been a big believer in instant replay for baseball. Unlike
basketball, football and hockey, the field isn't rectangular. There
are so many angles and variables. Like ball/glove/base simultaneously.
But after this weeks blown calls maybe we should rethink things. Joe
Mauer's 11th inning ground rule double at Yankee Stadium Friday night
was inexplicably called foul by umpire Phil Cuzzi who was standing
what, 10 feet away? What's the point of extra umpires down the line in
the playoffs if they can't get it right? So now I'm thinking if you
fix cameras on the lines, you can add replay for "fair or foul?" Too
late for the Twins who got screwed on the biggest stage.
4. Public Service Announcement
We interrupt this Top 5 to offer the following. A golfer in South
Carolina went to retrieve his ball from a pond. An alligator bit off
part of his arm. Your wet ball just isn't that valuable.
Now back to our regularly scheduled program.
5. Kooky Kiwis
The New Zealand Olympic Committee is threatening taekwondo
competitor Logan Campbell with legal action. To raise money in his
bid to make the 2012 Olympics he opened a brothel. Despite being
legal, the Olympic Committee doesn't like the connection. And to think
what Campbell is doing is the oldest "sport"in the world.
I guess they're pretty buttoned up down there. They play a sport
called netball, and a team wanted to call itself the "Master Baiters."
(Some kind of fishing reference.) Fearing concerns about a double
meaning, they changed their name to "Master Netters." Sigh.
Today's Birthday: "Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please." The
Yankees legendary P.A. announcer Bob Sheppard turns 99."
Bonus Birthday: Actor Hugh Jackman. 41.
Today in Sports: The summer Olympics begin in Mexico City. Before
they end, American runners Tommie Smith and John Carlos are suspended
for giving a black power salute on the medal stand. 1968.
Bonus Event: Christopher Columbus thinks he sees India. It's really
the Bahamas. Why didn't he just use Google Earth? 1492.