Happy Tuesday everyone, here's my Top 5 for March 6, 2012 from Len Berman at www.ThatsSports.com.
1. Quick Hits
- Two key rulings go against the Mets in court. (See #2 below.)
- Nailed! Former Mets and Phillies outfielder Lenny Dykstra was sentenced Monday to three years in a California state prison for grand theft auto.
- The coach at the center of the bounty scandal, Gregg Williams, meets with NFL officials in New York. The investigation continues.
- Albert Pujols goes 2 for 3 in his Angels debut.
- According to Yahoo! Sports the Syracuse basketball team had at least 10 players test positive for banned substances since 2001. They were allowed to practice and play when they should have been suspended.
- The Big East basketball tournament begins today at Madison Square Garden.
2. The Met$
Not a good day in court for Mets ownership. They had hoped to get the Madoff case thrown out, instead they have to pay and go to trial. U.S. District Court Judge Jed Rakoff ruled that up to $83 million in "winnings" must be paid back to the trustee. And the trial for another $303 million that the trustee is seeking will begin March 19th. The judge is skeptical of the trustee's case, but it'll be up to a jury to decide. What does this mean for Mets fans? More of the same.
3. Power Couple
Enough about Tom and Gisele, the real power couple in sports is the #1 golfer in the world Rory McIlroy and the former #1 tennis player in the world Caroline Wozniacki. Wozniacki was playing an exhibition match against Maria Sharapova last night at Madison Square Garden when she enlisted the help of her boyfriend. Pretty cool.
4. Bad Shake
Can handshakes be dangerous to your health? The head doctor for the British Olympic team is advocating a little rudeness this summer. He's afraid of his athletes catching germs and he suggests that British athletes shouldn't go around shaking hands with rivals and dignitaries at this summer's games in London. No word if fist bumps are acceptable.
5. March Madness
Here we go again, the second annual Top 5 March Madness contest. All you have to do is pick the winner of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. The tiebreaker is the final score. To enter go to www.ThatsSports.com and hit the "Contact Len" icon, and put your winning team in the subject line. The winner will receive an autographed copy of my best selling book The Greatest Moments in Sports. Second prize is even better, the coveted That's Sports baseball cap. The entry deadline is Tuesday March 13, 2012. Good luck!
Happy Birthday: Shaquille O'Neal. 40.
Bonus Birthday: Rob "Meathead" Reiner. 65.
Today in Sports: Cassius Clay becomes Muhammad Ali. 1964.
Bonus Event: And that's the way it was. Walter Cronkite signs off as anchor of the CBS Evening News. 1981.
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