Happy Wednesday everyone, here's my Top 5 for September 5, 2012 from Len Berman at www.ThatsSports.com.
1. Quick Hits
- The Giants host Dallas in tonight's NFL season opener.
- How many days does it take to blow a 10 game lead? 47. The Yankees and Orioles are now tied for first place. Tampa Bay is 1.5 games out.
- #1 Victoria Azarenka reaches her first U.S. Open semifinal ousting defending champ Sam Stosur.
- Alabama leapfrogs USC to become #1 in college football.
2. R-E-S-P-E-C-T
The NFL season begins tonight with the Giants hosting Dallas. Talk about no respect, According to BetVega.com Dallas has a better chance of winning Super Bowl 47 than the Giants. In fact lots of teams do. The Giants are the 12th favorite at 22-1. The Patriots are the #1 favorite at 11-2, followed by the Packers and 49ers. Hello. The Giants beat all three of those teams in last year's playoffs. OK, the Giants had a mundane regular season. Maybe it's Eli Manning. He's not flashy, yet all he does is win rings. If you lost count, he has two. His brother just one. And yet Peyton's Broncos are given a better chance than the Giants. I demand a recount.
3. Same OLD, same OLD
Tennis needs a youth movement. Not just in the U.S. but around the world. Deep into the U.S. Open the favorites to win are still 31-year-old Roger Federer, and soon to be 31 Serena Williams. Where are the young tennis stars and how come they're not dominating? Golf's hot thing is Rory McIlroy, all of 23. Baseball's sensation is Mike Trout of the Angels who just turned 21. And Lydia Ko, who won the Canadian Women's Open, is just 15 for goodness sakes. It hasn't always been this way in tennis. Remember when Boris Becker blazed through Wimbledon, taking the title at the age of 17? Ancient history. It's the usual suspects fighting for the title, Federer, Djokovic, Serena and Sharapova. Where are the teeny boppers?
4. One At Bat
Does the name Adam Greenberg ring a bell? He made his Major League debut for the Chicago Cubs in 2005 and saw exactly one pitch. It hit him in the head. He never made it back to the Majors. It wasn't even considered an at bat. It was a plate appearance. Now there's a campaign underway to get Adam that one Major League at bat. Check out the video. Sounds like a cool idea.
5. Munich
I was sitting in front of a television 40 years ago today when Jim McKay famously announced, "They're all gone." It was chilling. The Olympics had been shattered by terrorism, not to mention the families of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches. 40 years later, terrorism is now a sad way of life. And the IOC still won't recognize the slain Israelis at their opening ceremony. Words escape me.
Happy Birthday: Pirates Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski. 76.
Bonus Birthday: Comedian Bob Newhart. 83.
Today in Sports: 25 years ago today -- John McEnroe is fined $17,500 for his tirades at the U.S. Open. 1987.
Bonus Event: The first Labor Day parade is held in New York City. 1882.
I'm happy to report my newest book for young readers, The Greatest Moments in Sports: Upsets and Underdogs, is now in stock.
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