Happy Wednesday everyone, here's my Top 5 for March 3, 2010 from Len Berman at www.ThatsSports.com.
1. Quick Hits
* Carlos Beltran of the Mets says he talked with the Feds about their drug investigation of a Canadian doctor. The same doc treated teammate Jose Reyes, Alex Rodriguez and Tiger Woods.
* The Missouri Senate wants to rename Mark McGwire Highway in St. Louis "Mark Twain Highway." It's presumed Twain wrote without the use of performance enhancing drugs. But hey, who knows for sure?
* The NFL Pro Bowl will return to Hawaii next year, but again will be played the week before the Super Bowl.
* The fountain of youth. The NHL Atlanta Thrashers have signed 48-year old defenseman Chris Chelios.
* Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco and ESPN sportscaster Erin Andrews will appear on Dancing With the Stars. It's my responsibility to let you know this stuff.
2. Give Me A-Brake
Top 5 subscribers know that A-Rod has been a favorite target of mine. I was hoping for a respite. A boring spring training, and an equally uneventful season off the field. Forget it. The Feds want to talk to him about his dealings with a Canadian doctor who is under investigation for performance enhancing drugs. Yankee brass seems to be in the dark. Why is it always A-Rod? They don't call him the "Lightning Rod" for nothing.
3. Come and Get It
Why should you go to watch a lousy team like the Nets play basketball? Well, if you show up for one of their final home games, you'll get a voucher to have your New Jersey state tax return done for free. A $29 value. Of course you can also get a voucher for free online and avoid parking and concession fees. But then you might miss a chance to see the Nets set the all time record for futility.
4. Hold That Line
The New York Daily News yesterday discussed the notion of football in the Olympics. American football. The argument goes, if curling is an Olympic sport, anything is. Hey, how come nobody ever suggests stickball? I coulda been a contenduh.
5. What's in a Name?
They've come up with a list of some of the "most unfortunate" names in England. Barb Dwyer and Justin Case made the list. Obviously their parents were either oblivious or had a sense of humor.
When it comes to sports, a Korean pole vaulter's name gets lost in translation, especially when English audiences chant his name. Kim Yoo-Suk.
Happy Birthday: Heisman winner, running back Herschel Walker out of Georgia. 48.
Bonus Birthday: Hello? Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, was born on this date. 1847.
Today in Sports: They come up with a name for the San Francisco Giants new ballpark, Candlestick Park (near Candlestick Point). 1959.
Bonus Event: A new craze starts at Harvard, goldfish swallowing. 1939.