Happy Thursday everyone, here's my Top 5 for January 10, 2013 from Len Berman at www.ThatsSports.com.
1. Quick Hits
- Thanks to steroids, nobody was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame yesterday.
- Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III underwent major knee surgery. Next season could be in jeopardy.
- On Saturday Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly said leaving Notre Dame "is not an option." Word is he has interviewed for the Philadelphia Eagles job.
- NHL owners approve the new labor deal. Now the players vote. The L.A. Kings will raise their Stanley Cup banner January 19th against Chicago.
- Since you're dying to know what the Lingerie Football League did yesterday, they changed their name to Legends Football League and de-emphasized sex appeal, although the uniforms will still remain skimpy. In other words they want to have it both ways.
2. Hall of Shame
I guess it's for the best. Nobody made it to Cooperstown. Not Barry Bonds nor Roger Clemens nor even clean guys like Craig Biggio. Bonds was named on 36.2 per cent of the writers ballots, Clemens 37.6 and Biggio 68.2. You need 75 per cent so I guess Biggio with his 3,000 career hits will get in next year. Does that make him an all-time great or just an all-time very very good? I'll let you stat freaks hash it out. As for steroids, OK writers you made your point. Now deal with the fact that an entire era was tainted and see your way clear to vote for Bonds and Clemens one day. No matter what you really think of them.
3. Confessional?
And while we're on the subject, what will Lance Armstrong tell Oprah Winfrey when he does a 90-minute interview with her that airs next week? That he's completely innocent, just a victim of the cycling culture? That's he's completely guilty and completely sorry? Either way, will anyone believe anything he has to say?
4. Your Turn
Now I know why I went to journalism school. So I could discuss Miss Alabama in the stands and Rex Ryan's tattoos. Apparently many of you also went to J-school.
*G.T. A 73-year-old grandpa audibly fawning over a 23-year-old co-ed? On national TV? With the largest TV audience for any college sporting event? "Creepy" doesn't even begin to describe Brent Musburger's comments. He made the game into what will be remembered as one big GoDaddy.com Super Bowl commercial. Beyond inappropriate.
*R.K. In regards to the ESPN apology: R.K. It isn't like ESPN or the other Disney networks aren't pushing as much eye candy as they can in due course anyway. They still air The Bachelor on ABC, and ABC put Elisabeth Hasselbeck on The View with limited prior TV experience so she could sit next to Barbara Walters. And ESPN itself ran this ad.
*A.C. I'll play both ends on "The PC Police." ESPN definitely went too far in their apology, but can you imagine Red Barber saying such things about Joan Hodges if she was shown on the air during the World Series in 1952? On the other hand, if Mel Allen were announcing today, he could have seen the shot of Katherine Webb and just said "How About That?"
Editor's Note: Joan might not have looked happy. Hubby Gil was 0-21 in that World Series. But back in Red Barber and Mel Allen's day they never took tight shots of fans in the stands. How times have changed.
5. Newfound Respect
So you say you hated the NFL replacement refs. Remember them? You hated them in comparison with what? Top 5 subscriber G.G. sent along this Wall Street Journal article. For example, those polled easily gave colonoscopies a higher approval rating over Congress 58-31 percent. And comparing Congress with replacement refs, the refs came out on top 56-29 percent. So the replacements weren't all that bad, right? Who did Congress beat out you ask? Lindsay Lohan for one.
Happy Birthday: Hall of Fame San Francisco Giant Willie "Stretch" McCovey. 75.
Bonus Birthday: Rocker Rod Stewart. 68.
Today in Sports: Boston Bruins rookie goalie Jim Stewart allows 5 goals on 9 shots to St. Louis in the first period of his NHL debut. He was removed after the period, and never played in the NHL again. 1980.
Bonus Event: Time flies, or does it? Mitt Romney wins the New Hampshire primary. 2012.
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