Happy Monday everyone, here's my Top 5 for July 26, 2010 from Len Berman at www.ThatsSports.com.
1. Quick Hits
* The reign in Spain continues this summer. Alberto Contador won this 3rd Tour de France. This after Spain won the World Cup and Rafael Nadal won Wimbledon. For good measure, Fernando Alonso of Spain won the Formula One German Grand Prix yesterday.
* The Angels land top notch pitcher Dan Haren from Arizona.
* Andre Dawson becomes the 2nd Montreal Expo inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Gary Carter was the first.
* Are you ready for some football? The Dallas Cowboys have begun training camp. Everyone else will open this week.
* A trial begins in Louisville today, where a woman is charged with trying to extort cash and gifts from Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino. This is the woman Pitino, the married father of 5, had sex with in a restaurant.
2. Hall of Fame
They held the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies yesterday in Cooperstown. Andre Dawson, Manager Whitey Herzog and umpire Doug Harvey were the honorees. All good baseball men. And that's what Halls of Fame have become. In many cases instead of the all time greats, they honor the all time very very goods. Here's a simple question. If Andre Dawson was elected in his 9th year of eligibility, why is he an all time great this year, but not the first 8 years he was on the ballot? Don't get me wrong, Cooperstown is a very special place. I love the Hall of Fame. It's just that Halls of Fame in every sport need to hold a ceremony every year, and therein lies the problem.
3. Crime and Punishment
That'll show 'em. Because they stunk at the World Cup, the entire French national soccer team has been suspended for one game. This could be the start of something. Mariners? Lions? Nets? You name it. Speaking of the Mariners, they finally made the highlights. Manager Don Wakamatsu fought with Chone Figgins in the dugout because of a perceived lack of hustle. Shades of Reggie Jackson at Fenway. Somewhere Billy Martin is smiling.
4. A Dying Breed
I spoke to a group of teenagers, aspiring sportscasters, at Hofstra University earlier this month. As a group, they don't really read newspapers. This doesn't come as a shock. They don't watch TV newscasts either. They're missing a lot. They never got to read Vic Ziegel's work. Vic, a long time New York sportswriter, passed away the other day at the age of 72. If you're like me, and actually read newspapers, you read the byline first. That way you know what you're getting. With Vic you got honest reporting without an axe to grind, mixed in with a sense of humor. I loved the story that as a die-hard New York Giants fan, he taught his pet bird to chirp "The Giants win the pennant, the Giants win the pennant." Good guy, Vic Ziegel. And a damn good newspaperman. Young people can look it up... if they know where to look.
5. 9-1-1
A Manitoba man faces charges because he repeatedly called 911 and demanded the police return the Winnipeg Jets to Winnipeg. In 1996 the Jets moved to Phoenix and became the Coyotes. The man, who had apparently been drinking, faces charges. In a related story, Knicks fans have been reaching out to the man to see if Winnipeg might be interested in an NBA team?
Happy Birthday: Olympic gold medal figure skater, Dorothy Hamill. 54.
Bonus Birthday: The other Mick, Mick Jagger. 67.
Today in Sports: Babe Ruth is seen in public for the last time, attending the New York premiere of The Babe Ruth Story. 1948.
Bonus Event: The advent of going postal. The 2nd Continental Congress establishes the postal system with Ben "Kite-Boy" Franklin, the first Postmaster General. 1775.