Happy Thursday everyone, here's my Top 5 for April 8, 2010 from Len Berman at www.ThatsSports.com.
1. Quick Hits
* The Masters golf tournament gets underway today in Augusta, Georgia. There is more than one golfer competing, right?
* Miami Dolphins free agent linebacker Jason Taylor, who in the past has trashed the Jets, their fans and their stadium, reportedly met with the Jets yesterday.
* Tennis star Martina Navratilova revealed she has breast cancer. Says she expects to make a full recovery.
* Just stopping by. Four freshmen and a junior at Kentucky will bolt for the NBA draft.
* Whoa Nellie. Golden State coach Don Nelson wins his 1,333rd game surpassing Lenny Wilkens as the winningest all time NBA coach.
* Economics 101, supply and demand. The Chicago Cubs have the highest priced tickets, averaging $52.56. The Red Sox are second, Yankees third. Premium seats are not included in these calculations.
2. Morality Play
I found it interesting that the Chairman of the Augusta National Club took time to pile on Tiger Woods. Billy Payne opined, "It is not simply the degree of his conduct that is so egregious here. It is the fact that he disappointed all of us, and more importantly, our kids and our grandkids."
If any of those kids or grandkids happen to be female, they'll never be allowed to join Augusta. Just thought I'd point that out.
3. Let's Go Rangers
Rangers hockey fans are some of the most passionate in sport. Too bad their ardor often goes unrewarded.They could very well miss the playoffs despite their hefty payroll. Glen Sather has been President and GM since 2000 and the Rangers have made the playoffs just 4 times. Do the Knicks' failures allow the Rangers to fly under the radar? Are the Cablevision Dolans so rich it doesn't matter that the Garden lights will be turned off on the playoffs this spring? Is Sather GM for life? Just askin'.
4. Happy Birthday John
As you'll see below, John Havlicek celebrates a special birthday today. I'm often asked how I could grow up in New York as a Knicks fan, and become a Boston Celtics TV broadcaster. Easy. When you get into journalism you don't root for teams, you root for people. The day John Havlicek retired in 1978, I drove with him to his last game with a camera crew in tow. That day, John gave me a pocket watch with the inscription "Time for a friend." It's easy to see why I'm a John Havlicek fan for life.
5. Location, Location, Location
And now for the latest on the Iceland real estate market. That country's parliament has passed a new law banning strip clubs, effective July 1st. And as Dwight Perry points out in the Seattle Times, "There went Reykjavik's hopes of ever landing a pro sports franchise."
Happy Birthday: One of my heroes, Boston Celtic John Havlicek. 70.
Bonus Birthday: Musician Julian Lennon, John's son. 47.
Today in Sports: Move over Babe. Hank Aaron hits home run number 715 to become the all time home run champion. (Since eclipsed by Barry Bonds.) And featured in my best selling kids book The Greatest Moments in Sports. 1974.
Bonus Event: Dodgers executive Al Campanis is forced to resign after making some unfortunate remarks, such as "Blacks may not have the necessities" to become managers or general managers, on ABC's Nightline. 1987.