Happy Tuesday everyone, here's my Top 5 for June 23, 2009 from www.LenBermanSports.com
1. Quick Hits
Unknown Lucas Glover wins the rain delayed U.S. Open at Bethpage by 2 shots. Phil Mickelson faded, as usual, to finish 2nd for the 5th time, tied with David "what a comeback" Duval, and Ricky Barnes. By the way, Tiger Woods finished 4 shots back. If he had parred the 15th hole in every round, he and Glover would be staging an 18 hole playoff today. At Wimbledon, defending champion Venus Williams was an easy first round winner this morning. Well that didn't take long, 17th seed James Blake was dumped in the first round at Wimbledon in straight sets. No American man has won Wimbledon since Pete Sampras in 2000.
2. Fehr and Loathing
I always used to side with the baseball players union. It goes back to the days when Marvin Miller headed it up. Players were screwed by the owners when it came to salary and Miller tipped the balance. Donald Fehr replaced Miller in 1983 and resigned yesterday after 26 years. Under Fehr the players union fought drug testing tooth and nail. Under the guise of privacy he helped enable the steroid era. That's not a legacy to be proud of.
3. The Ladies Draw
A raging debate in jolly old England. Former Wimbledon champ Michael Stich stirred things up when he said the ladies side of the draw isn't about tennis, it's about selling sex. He took dead aim at the "grunters" who make all the noise saying it detracts from their sex appeal. He joked the only way to stop the "grunters" is to shoot them. Needless to say his comments got feminist knickers in a twist. They want women players judged on their "athletic performance." In a perfect world, sure. But that's like saying female movie stars are judged solely on their acting ability. (Now I've stepped in a hornets nest.)
4. A-Rod Update
C'mon, admit it. You can't live without it... the latest A-Rod celebrity chatter. The night that Alex Rodriguez was benched in Miami for fatigue, The Palm Beach Post reports he was partying until 2:30am with Kate Hudson. The Miami Herald claims it looked like Kate Hudson was giving him a lapdance at the Fountainbleu. The Yankees say they'll rest A-Rod once a week. Sounds like he could certainly use it.
5. Creative Math
The Chinese government reports the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing turned a profit, not counting the construction of the venues or infrastructure. Yeah, and I shot even par the other day, if you don't count the bogeys and double bogeys.
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