Morning Briefing: Devils fans were Puddy in his hands

Remember “Seinfeld”? It was a very obscure TV show and it’s hard to find reruns of it nowadays. Those who did watch it, though, may remember a scene involving the character David Puddy, played by Patrick Warburton, painting his face and chest to attend a New Jersey Devils game.

On Tuesday, the Devils had a special surprise for their fans: On David Puddy Bobblehead night, Warburton attended the game dressed as Puddy from that episode. He rallied the fans and players on the video screen before the game.

For the ceremonial first puck drop, he walked out to center ice with his face painted and wearing a Martin Brodeur jersey. After dropping the puck, he ripped off his shirt to reveal his painted chest. He then shouted that episode’s catch phrases: “Let’s Go Devils!” and “gotta support the team.”

And then the Devils lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-3. Too bad they didn’t have the Soup Nazi come out and say “No win for you” after that to make the night complete.

That’s better

The San Diego Padres made a big splash Tuesday by signing free agent Manny Machado to a 10-year, $300-million deal. Some speculated that this makes them immediate playoff contenders.

Not so fast, say Las Vegas oddsmakers.

The Padres were at 100-1 to win the World Series before Tuesday. Today, they are 66-1.

Get well

Lute Olson, the legendary former Arizona men’s basketball coach, has been hospitalized for a minor stroke, according to the Arizona Daily Star, which reports that the stroke occurred over the weekend.

“Hall of Fame Coach Lute Olson has been hospitalized after experiencing a minor stroke. Coach Olson is not only an icon of our men’s basketball program and all of college basketball, but he is also an embodiment of greatness to Arizona Athletics, the University of Arizona and the Tucson community. Our thoughts are with Coach Olson, his family and loved ones during this time,” the school said in a statement.

“He is likely to make a full recovery but will likely need some rehabilitation therapy after his discharge from the hospital,” David Labiner, chairman of the department of neurology at Banner University Medical Center, said.

Best sports movie

Well, we are finally here at the finals for the poll on best sports movie that we have been conducting here and via our daily sports newsletter. After several rounds of voting and thousands of votes, we are down to the final five. So please vote for what you feel is the best of the below movies by typing in the URL: poll.fm/10245624 or emailing me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. Results will be announced on Monday. Here are the semifinal results after receiving 20,452 ballots:

“Field of Dreams” named on 50.4% of ballots

“Rocky” 42.2%

“Hoosiers” 41.6%

“Bull Durham” 36.5%

“A League of Their Own” 35.7%

Just missed the cut

“The Natural” 33.3%

“Brian’s Song” 23.7%

“Caddyshack” 21%

“Raging Bull” 20.3%

Others receiving votes in order of finish: “Chariots of Fire,” “Major League,” “Slap Shot,” “Remember the Titans,” “The Pride of the Yankees,” “Miracle,” “Seabiscuit,” “Moneyball,” “Rudy,” “Million Dollar Baby,” “Jerry Maguire,” “Tin Cup,” “The Longest Yard” (1974), “The Karate Kid” (1984), “Hoop Dreams,” “White Men Can’t Jump,” “Cinderella Man,” “The Mighty Ducks,” “Blue Chips,” “He Got Game.”