Happy Tuesday everyone, here's my Top 5 for February 26, 2013 from Len Berman at www.ThatsSports.com.
1. Quick Hits
- Word is that quarterback Tom Brady and the Patriots agree to a cap-friendly three-year extension worth only $27 million that will keep him a Patriot until the age of 40.
- Girl power. The Daytona 500's overnight TV ratings were up 30 percent over last year.
- The beat goes on. The Chicago Blackhawks beat Edmonton 3-2 in overtime to stretch their NHL record to 19 straight games with at least one point to start the season.
- As if Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o doesn't have enough problems, he recorded slow times yesterday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis in the 40-yard dash.
2. My Hero
Who doesn't want to be a football hero? Except when it goes horribly wrong. Desmond Bryant is a defensive end for the Oakland Raiders. He was arrested in Miami after showing up drunk at a neighbor's house. His mug shot will not be used in the "game day program" although with the Raiders, ya never know.
3. Great Gig
Maybe you saw the story the other day, the highest paid outfielder on the Mets doesn't play for them, in fact he doesn't play for anyone. And yet he will earn over $1 million a year until 2035. Not bad for a guy who hasn't played for the Mets since 1999. You bet it was a Happy 50th birthday for Bobby Bonilla on Saturday. And he'll continue to have happy birthdays until he's 73!
4. Lemme in Coach
Speaking of old outfielders, Johnny Damon is looking for work. Make that begging. He told New York media outlets that he'd come back to the Yankees for peanuts and quietly go away when left fielder Curtis Granderson returns from his broken arm in about 10 weeks. Damon would fit right in to the Yankees old timers' lineup. What say the team? Pass.
5. Come and Get it
Who wouldn't want to go to a Tampa Bay Rays game on April 21 against Oakland? It's bobblehead day. Not for a player, but for a Rays player's pet. You can get a bobblehead of Astro, pitcher David Price's pet French Bulldog. Astro even has his own Twitter account with over 3,200 followers. So this is what sports has come to. Fans signing up read the musings of dogs.
Happy Birthday: He claims he's the inspiration for the Rocky movies, boxer Chuck "the Bayonne Bleeder" Wepner. 74.
Bonus Birthday: Singer Michael Bolton. 60.
Today in Sports: The New York Yankees release Babe Ruth. He signs with the Boston Braves. 1935.
Bonus Event: 80 years ago today, they broke ground for the Golden Gate Bridge. 1933.
To sign up for Len's free daily Top 5 email click here.