Happy Thursday everyone, here's my Top 5 for November 5, 2009 from
www.LenBermanSports.com.
1. Quick Hits
Cue the parade (tomorrow). The Yankees win their 27th world
championship beating the Phillies in 6 games, 7-3.
Hideki Matsui, who drove in 6 runs last night, becomes the first
Japanese born player to win the World Series MVP award. Not a bad
season. It began with the Japanese winning the World Baseball Classic.
Disgraced former NBA referee Tim Donaghy got released from jail
after serving most of his 15 month sentence for taking bribes from
gamblers in return for inside tips
2. By George
The only sadness last night for Yankee fans was that George
Steinbrenner wasn't there. Love him or hate him, he's the one who made
all this possible. Without George's ownership there wouldn't be 11
pennants and 7 championships since he took over, or a new Yankee
Stadium. It's easy to say the Yankees bought a title, but the
landscape is littered with teams, including the Yankees, who spent
tens of millions and came up empty. As for all those Yankee fans who
wanted to string up manager Joe Girardi for only using 3 starting
pitchers, those same fans are crowing today "told ya' they'd win!"
Although it didn't have the feel of a World Series game last night.
The umps didn't blow any calls. And who would have thought that a
season that began with Alex Rodriguez holding a steroid news
conference, would end with A-Rod holding his first championship
trophy. Only in New York.
3. Celebrate Good Times, Come on!
Subscriber R.B. has a simple question. Will the Yankees celebrate
their championship with a parade up lower Broadway or a sail on the
Hudson?
4. Award Season
And this year's Plaxie goes to Dodger pitcher Vicente Padilla.
Stealing a page from Plaxico Burress, Padilla accidentally shot
himself in the leg while hunting in Nicaragua. Reports are sketchy. He
might be OK, it might not have happened hunting, and it might have
been someone else who shot him. If somebody else did the shooting,
he'll be asked to forfeit his Plaxie, and the runner-up will assume
all the rights and responsibilities.
5. And Now This Word...
The Colbert Report on Comedy Central is sponsoring the U.S. Olympic
speedskating team. Not to be outdone the U.S. fencing team will be
sponsored by reruns of Zorro. The equestrian team by Mr. Ed. I've got
millions of 'em.
Happy Birthday (Talk about a party): Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon.
36.
Bonus Birthday: She won an academy award when she was 10 years old.
The former Mrs. John McEnroe. Tatum O'Neal. 46.
Today in Sports: Quite a day for former Mets Manager Davey Johnson.
He quits as Manager of the Baltimore Orioles and within hours he's
voted Manager of the Year. 1997.
Bonus Event: Another Johnson, Walter, was one of the greatest
pitchers of all time. But when he ran for Congress from Maryland, he
posted an "L." 1940.