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Don Zimmer (left) made headlines during the 2003 ALCS.

Paul J. Bereswill/AP

By Lang Whitaker, SI.com

When the Dodgers and Phillies almost came to blows this weekend, it turned out the players weren't the ones most in danger of losing their cool: It was assistant coaches Davy Lopes and Larry Bowa. It was also Bowa, you may recall, who was suspended three games earlier this season after being ejected for ignoring an umpire's warnings not to leave the third base coaching box. As integral as assistant coaches are, one of the key elements of their job description is to stay out of the headlines. Most do, some don't. Here's our list of the five most infamous assistant coaches ...

1. Don Zimmer: Just ask Pedro Martinez.

2. Rick Mahorn: The former Bad Boy was known as a physical player during his years with the Pistons. But this past WNBA season, as an assistant with the Detroit Shock, Mahorn set a new standard when he got tangled up with L.A.'s Lisa Leslie during a bench-clearing brawl.

3. Rick Tocchet: After a long career in the NHL, Tocchet was working as an assistant coach for the Phoenix Coyotes when he was accused of helping finance a nationwide gambling ring.

4. Joe Cullen: The defensive line coach for the Detroit Lions is probably better known for allegedly hitting a Wendy's drive-through window while under in the influence. Also, he was nude.

5. Dwane Casey: The former Kentucky assistant was essentially exiled from basketball for years after he was implicated in a recruiting scandal involving Chris Mills. Casey later made it back and had two runs as a head coach in the NBA.

Who is your favorite infamous assistant coach? Let us know below ...

Lang Whitaker is the executive editor of SLAM magazine and writes daily at SLAMonline.com.

The Famous Famiglia pizza-eating contest was held Sunday.

New York Daily News

Each day during the noon hour, we'll offer five reading recommendations from around the Web.

1. Joey Chestnut breaks pizza-eating record with 45 slices in 10 minutes (By Lore Croghan, New York Daily News): Reigning Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest champion Joey Chestnut won the Famous Famiglia pizza-eating contest in Times Square on Sunday, consuming 45 slices in 10 minutes -- roughly 1.7 pizzas per minute.

2. NFL should apologize for bad call (By Drew Sharp, Detroit Free Press): One day after a questionable pass interference penalty prevented Detroit from earning its first victory of the season, this writer contends the NFL owes the Lions an apology.

3. Loss doesn't bode well for Patriots' future (By Ron Borges, Boston Herald): Last night's thumping at the hands of the Chargers revealed the reigning AFC champions are a shell of their former selves.

4. A small team in Germany hits big time (By Kate Connolly, The Observer): The German town of Hoffenheim (pop. 3,200) is very small. But its local soccer team has risen rapidly through the ranks to the Bundesliga, the nation's top division. Incredibly, just over a week ago, Hoffenheim sat atop the league standings, above world-renowned powers like Bayern Munich, Schalke 04 and Werder Bremen.

Philadelphia's Shane Victorino ducks under a pitch from Los Angeles righthander Hiroki Kuroda in Game 3 of the NLCS.

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

Hiroki Kuroda | The 33-year-old rookie right-hander, an 11-year veteran of Japan's Central League, surrendered just five hits and two runs through six innings in L.A.'s crucial 7-2 win over the Phillies in Game 3 of the NLCS. But it was Kuroda's pitch near the right ear of Philly's Shane Victorino -- an apparent retaliation for Brett Myers' throw at Manny Ramirez in Game 2 -- which lit a fire under the Dodgers and changed the complexion of a previously lopsided series.

The Redskins' offense | Washington was proven guilty of overconfidence in a shocking 19-17 loss at the hands of the woebegone Rams. After entering the contest as the only team in NFL history to open a season with zero offensive turnovers through its first five games, the 'Skins lost three fumbles in a span of four possessions, setting the stage for their surprising upset loss.

Texas football | The Longhorns ascended to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 during the regular season for the first time in 24 years in the wake of their resounding 45-35 victory over Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry on Saturday. Texas, previously ranked fifth, made the largest jump to No. 1 in a single week since Miami went from No. 6 to No. 1 on Aug. 29, 1988.

It was a littler earlier Sunday, but this clip from Arizona's overtime upset of Dallas is worth seeing again. For the first time ever, an NFL game ended on a blocked punt for a touchdown.

It was a long day for JaMarcus Russell -- and Raiders fans.

AP

It's only one game, but the Raiders were no better under new coach Tom Cable than his predecessor, Lane Kiffin. Did anyone expect them to be this bad in Cable's first game as head coach?

The final score – Saints 34, Raiders 3 – suggests things will get worse before they get better for Oakland.

The Raiders trailed 10-3 at halftime. Whatever Cable, the former offensive line coach, told his team in the locker room didn't resonate with the players as the Saints scored 24 unanswered points in the second half.

Whatever Kiffin said to Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell earlier in the week also was counterproductive. Raiders owner Al Davis, who fired Kiffin on Sept. 30 after their public feud, could not have happy that Kiffin called Russell and offered advice about the Saints to the second-year quarterback.