Top 5 Sports Stories

In the NCAA, it's win or go home. Not for Butler. They win and go home to Indianapolis. And if you want to draw a comparison to the movie, go right ahead.
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

Happy Monday everyone, here's my Top 5 for March 29, 2010 from Len Berman at www.ThatsSports.com.

1. Quick Hits

* The Final Four next Saturday in Indianapolis will feature Butler vs. Michigan State and West Virginia vs. Duke. Butler and Duke are slight favorites to win.
* The Knicks were officially eliminated from the playoffs for a 6th straight season. They don't even get a lottery draft pick; it's owned by Utah.
* Former UCLA basketball coach and current ESPN analyst Steve Lavin will interview for the St. John's job today.
* This is the final week of spring training in Major League Baseball.

2. The Final Four

In the NCAA, it's win or go home. Not for Butler. They win and go home to Indianapolis. And if you want to draw a comparison to the movie Hoosiers, go right ahead. The final scenes of the movie were filmed on Butler's home court, Hinkle Fieldhouse. West Virginia returns to the Final Four for the first time since Jerry West in 1959. West Virginia boasts 6 New York area players on their roster. Duke features 4 from New Jersey. Something to chew on for whoever finally winds up coaching at St. John's. Incidentally, many thought Duke wasn't good enough to be seeded # 1. And yet they were the only #1 seed to advance.

3. World Wide Dominance

So which professional sports team has the highest payroll among its starters in the entire world? That would be your New York Yankees. They beat out 3 powerhouse soccer teams. Interesting to note, places 5 through 11 are all taken by NBA teams. The Knicks rank 10th in world wide salary. So now we have international confirmation that you don't get what you pay for.

4. Fore!

The Andalucia Open in Spain has a unique hazard for golfers. Nudists. The Parador Golf Club runs along side a nude beach. So during the action the other day, some nude guy wandered onto the course to see what the fuss was all about. He came within 15 yards of first round leader Soren Kjeldsen, who fell 2 strokes off the lead. Undaunted, Kjeldsen went on to win the tournament, distractions and all.

5. The Race for the Matzos

Why is this race different from all other races? It's called the Passover Pace. Monticello Raceway, in the heart of the "Borscht Belt," stages an annual Passover Race for Jewish harness drivers only. A driver named Sheldon Rose hasn't been able to get into the race, so he asked if he brought his own horse would they let him in? When he told them the mare's name is Gefilte Fish, the track said Mazel Tov, you're in. In 7 starts, Gefilte Fish is winless, but does have 3 second place finishes. Maybe for the race next week, Gefilte Fish could use a little horseradish to enhance the experience?


Happy Birthday: Clyde. Walt Frazier. 65.
Bonus Birthday: Model Elle MacPherson. 47.

Today in Sports: In the dark of night, the moving vans sneak out of Baltimore, moving the Colts to Indianapolis. 1984.
Bonus Event: Presidential candidate Bill Clinton said "I didn't inhale," when asked about his experimentation with marijuana. He was always truthful, right? 1992.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot