Happy Tuesday everyone, here's my Top 5 for March 5, 2013 from Len Berman at www.ThatsSports.com.
1. Quick Hits
- The beat goes on. Make it a franchise record 15 straight wins for the Miami Heat as they beat Minnesota 97-81.
- Zag power. As expected Gonzaga is the new #1 in college basketball for the first time in school history.
- The disabled list. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman broke his leg and dislocated his ankle at the end of his second skydive yesterday in Florida. He was making the jumps to raise awareness for the Wounded Warrior Project, a great organization that helps returning veterans.
- The NRA will sponsor a NASCAR race in Texas. (What did you expect them to sponsor, spelling bees?) Winners of the Texas race are photographed holding six-shooters.
2. Pay No Attention to that Man
Lance Armstrong, Oscar Pistorius, who know how many ballplayers, Manti Te'o and now Lauren Silberman. Is anything in sports on the level? Lauren was the first woman to try out for NFL scouts. She's a kicker. Apparently she's not. She tried two kicks on Sunday and was awful injuring herself on the first try. USA Today reported that the tryout was really just a promotional stunt for her business interests. The paper also pointed out that any punter or kicker can try out. All you need to do is pony up an entry fee of $275. I was crushed as a kid when I found out that the "guy behind the curtain" wasn't really the Wizard of Oz. In sports it's a daily occurrence.
3. Record Setting
Grambling's basketball team lost Saturday night to Alabama State 74-62. That completed their perfect season, 0-27, losing every game by at least 10 points. It's no surprise that they finished last in the nation in scoring average. But of course they can still qualify for the NCAA basketball tournament. All they have to do is win their conference tourney which consists of only seven teams since three schools are on probation. Collegiate sports at its finest.
4. Golf Boys
The "Golf Boys" are back with their second music video, 2.Oh. I'm not sure what you'll think of the rapping ability of PGA golfers Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, Ben Crane and Hunter Mahan, but perhaps you'll agree with me that you'd pay to see Bubba dressed in those overalls when he defends his Masters title next month.
5. I'm Don Pardo
Sad to see that the great Don Pardo, who recently turned 95, has missed the last couple of Saturday Night Live broadcasts due to a reported broken hip. He's been their announcer since the inception in 1975. Before that, it was the original Jeopardy! with Art Fleming who always thanked Don when he come on stage. In 1987 I asked Don if we would voice the opening to Spanning the World. He happily said "yes." We didn't know how to end Spanning, so we decided to have Don say "Tune in next time, if there is a next time, I'm Don Pardo." We honestly didn't know if there would be a "next time." Here's hoping there is a "next time" for Don on SNL. It just isn't the same without him.
Happy Birthday: Actor and former NFL defensive back Fred "The Hammer" Williamson. 75.
Bonus Birthday: Televangelist Joel Osteen. 50.
Today in Sports: 40 years ago today the "Yankee Wife Swap," between Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich. 1973.
Bonus Event: The Boston Massacre. (No, not any number of Yankee baseball beatdowns, the real Boston Massacre.) 1770.
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