TGIF everyone, here's my Top 5 for July 15, 2011 from Len Berman at www.ThatsSports.com.
1. Quick Hits
- The judge declares a mistrial in the Roger Clemens perjury case.
- Thomas Bjorn and English amateur Tom Lewis were the first round leaders of the British Open at 5-under par. Tom Lewis was named after Tom Watson, who nailed a hole-in-one in today's second round.
- The world's tallest sportscaster. Shaquille O'Neal joins the TNT NBA studio crew.
2. Swing and a Miss
Roger Clemens just dodged a high hard one. The judge declaring a mistrial in his perjury case. Way to go, government. The judge warned you not to show jurors certain evidence, but you showed it anyway. Their next at bat comes September 2nd. They'll hold a hearing to decide if they should have a retrial. Do we get a vote? You had your shot, government, and you blew it. Stop wasting taxpayer's money trying catch a steroid cheat. The truth is, Clemens has already been found guilty in the court of public opinion... and isn't that the court that really counts?
3. Misquoted
Willie Mays supposedly castigated the current players for not showing up at the All Star Game by saying, "Hey it's not jury duty." It turns out he didn't actually say it. Too bad. He should have.
4. Friday eMailbag
Subscriber R.B. has some advice for All Star AWOLs. "If players have no intention of showing up for the All-Star Game, then they should ask that their names be removed from the ballot."
From M.W. "It appears Jeter wasn't the only one not showing up for the All Star Game judging by the TV ratings."
J.S. thinks the All Star Game has outlived its usefulness. " (Thanks to TV) you can see any team and any athlete you want... in every sport... every day, so the idea that fans in National League cities could finally get to see Babe Ruth or Mickey Mantle in person no longer applies."
When I talked about a Giants fan suing in 1921 so that fans could keep balls hit into the stands, R.M. shared this story. "I sat in the bleachers at the old Stadium once when Bobby Shantz was in the bullpen. He handed me a baseball and told me to put it away because Frank Crosetti kept a running account of how many balls were returned to the ball bags."
5. Spanning the World
This week's Spanning the World highlight comes from a Lowell Spinners game. He is David Smith, the "human home run." He is high, he is far, he is gone! And nobody got hurt!
My next Spanning the World appearance on NBC's Today Show will be Wednesday, August 10th in the 8:00 half hour.
Happy Birthday: Former wrestler and governor, Jesse "The Body" Ventura. 60.
Bonus Birthday: Howard Stern's wife Beth Ostrosky. 39.
Today in Sports: California Angeles pitcher Nolan Ryan throws his second no-hitter of the season. 1973.
Bonus Event: They sure move around a lot. The New Jersey Americans of the ABA move to Long Island and become the New York Nets. They are now the New Jersey Nets, soon to be the Brooklyn Nets. 1968.
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