Happy Wednesday everyone, here's my Top 5 for August 25, 2010 from Len Berman at www.ThatsSports.com.
1. Quick Hits
* Johnny Damon nixes a waiver deal to Boston and Stays with the Detroit Tigers.
* With baseball great Hank Aaron among those on hand, a statue of Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig was unveiled outside Miller Park in Milwaukee. Selig used to own the Brewers.
* A George Steinbrenner monument will be dedicated in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium before the game with Tampa Bay September 20th.
* Elin Nordegren breaks her silence to People Magazine saying she didn't have a clue that Tiger Woods was cheating on her.
* Quick, who is Caroline Wozniacki? She's seeded first at next week's U.S. Open despite having never won a major championship. She's from Denmark and is ranked #2 behind Serena Williams, who dropped out of the Open.
* The death of 25-year old pro golfer Erica Blasberg last May has been ruled a suicide.
2. Bathroom Humor
Thanks to subscriber Kevin V. for alerting me to last night's promotion with the Binghamton Mets. We know the New York Mets are in the toilet this year, but so are the B-Mets in more ways than one. Last night's doubleheader was billed as "Toilet Tuesday." The first 1,000 fans got free toilet plungers, and any fan named John got a half price ticket. Hey, what about guys named Loo? Or with the initials W.C.?
What were they trying to do, paper the house? The team must be flushed with pride over this gimmick. I'm not pulling your chain.
I've got a million of 'em.
(By the way, Binghamton swept the doublheader.)
3. Picky Picky
Everyone's a critic. But did you know everyone is a referee too? All you have to do is catch a golfer breaking the rules on TV, call up the tournament, and bingo "gotcha." It happened to Julie Inkster on the women's tour over the weekend. During a long delay she was warming up with a weighted club. That's a no no. A savvy viewer alerted the tournament and Julie got disqualified. Hey, I believe in limited instant replay. But isn't this going just a tad too far?
4. Does the Date Ring a Bell?
Subscriber Jeffrey Lyons emailed about a conversation he once had with Ralph Branca. Branca yielded Bobby Thomson's homer on October 3, 1951. Jeff asked Branca what happened on that date? Branca answered, "Dave Winfield was born." "But what else?" Branca was silent. The answer: Sonny Corleone got whacked at the toll booth in The Godfather. In the movie, Sonny was listening to Thomson's homer when he met his fate. It differed from the novel, but a little poetic license was taken by director Francis Ford Coppola.
5. Oops
So the skydivers last night in Texas were making their landing at Rangers Ballpark when that pesky flag pole got in the way.
One diver got "hung out to dry" so to speak.
The good news is that they weren't jumping into a domed stadium, and that nobody got hurt!
Happy Birthday: Hall of Fame reliever Rollie Fingers. 64
Bonus Birthday: 007 is now an octogenarian. Actor Sean Connery, James Bond. 80.
Today in Sports: At the age of 20, Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden becomes the youngest 20 game winner. 1985.
Bonus Event: The great Arthur Ashe, one of the finest athletes I ever had the pleasure of knowing, became the first black to win the U.S. men's singles championship. 1968.
I'll be at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. this weekend signing copies of my brand new kids book The 25 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time. For a complete list of my book appearances, check out www.ThatsSports.com.