Happy Monday everyone, here's my Top 5 for September 27, 2010 from Len Berman at www.ThatsSports.com.
1. Quick Hits
* The Atlanta Falcons knocked off the Super Bowl Champion Saints 27-24 in overtime.
* Dallas and Minnesota finally win their first games of the season. The 49ers are winless.
* When Stanford fullback/linebacker Owen Marecic scored touchdowns on both offense and defense against Notre Dame Saturday, he became the first to do it in 4 years.
* The Texas Rangers clinched their division this weekend. The Phillies clinched a playoff spot.
* Jim Furyk wins the PGA Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup and pockets a cool $11.35 million. The Ryder cup begins Friday in Wales.
2. Crime and Punishment
Braylon Edwards did not start for the Jets last night. His punishment for his DUI arrest? One quarter on the sidelines. After that, he caught just two passes, but they were huge. One gave the Jets the lead for good. The other was a critical first down. So Jets brass must be proud of themselves. They didn't let a little thing like drunk driving get in the way of a win.
Meanwhile, is there something in the water in the New Meadowlands Stadium? The Giants were out of control yesterday. Imagine if the Jets had played so undisciplined? Rex Ryan and Woody Johnson would have been ripped apart by the fans and the media for running a frat house.
3. Bing-O
Thanks to Pittsburgh Pirates part-owner Bing Crosby, the entire telecast of game 7 of the 1960 World Series exists. It was sitting in his wine cellar, and now the world will get to see it in December on the MLB Network. I remember watching that afternoon game at my friend's house. Half a century ago, I recall the huge Hal Smith homer. Also, my hero Mickey Mantle diving back into first as the tying run scored. And of course Bill Mazeroski's homer, which won it all. (And eventually got him elected into the Hall of Fame.) I can't wait to see if the video matches my memories. Now if they can only find a video of Super Bowl I. It was televised live by both CBS and NBC and all the tapes got erased. Maybe it's in somebody's wine cellar?
4. Fan Fare
Teams with expensive tickets that go unsold, take note. An Italian soccer team has come up with the answer for empty seats. Painted vinyl, with images of fans, stretched across empty sections of seats. Looks great on television. Take a look.
The downside? It does nothing for concession sales. I fondly recall the New Jersey Nets pumping fake audio into the arena to make it sound more exciting on TV. The jig was up when it sounded like the crowd was going wild, and the camera zoomed in on a lady just sitting there picking her teeth.
5. Shocking
I can't believe it. According to the National Enquirer, Tiger Woods bailed on his sex addiction therapy. What condition could possibly contribute to his miracle cure? Being single?
Happy Birthday: One of the best guys you'll ever meet in or out of sports. They named the Pesky Pole (the right field foul pole) after him in Fenway Park. Johnny Pesky. 91.
Bonus Birthday: Oscar winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow. (I knew her grandfather.) 38.
Today in Sports: Walter Alston may have managed the Dodgers for 23 years, but he only appeared in one Major League game. In his only at bat he struck out on 3 pitches. 1936.
Bonus Event: The Tonight Show makes its debut on NBC with Steve Allen as host. 1954.
My appearance on the Howard Stern show has been rescheduled from today to this Thursday at 7am.
If you're interested in having me sign your copy of The 25 Greatest Baseball Players Of All Time, email me, and we can work out the details.