Grilling ribs, rating Chambers, dissing Danica and more

     A Tuesday torrent to bust the spell of a long holiday weekend...

     Sorry we haven't fed the blog for a few days. Too busy solemnly marking Memorial Day Weekend and all it stands for by partying with friends and consuming a vat of Miller Lite. Wife and I argued at length Monday over whether it's advisable to par-boil ribs before grilling. I think we've been married way too long. Ribs turned out OK, not great. The good news? At least I wasn't wearing a nerdy chef's apron like this guy.

     Feature in the paper today (find it here) about Dolphin receiver Chris Chambers. Rate Chambers. Great? Good? OK? Disappointment?

     Danica Patrick, eighth in the Indianapolis 500. Still hasn't won a race. Tick-tock, Dani. You and Michelle Wie are in a pitched battle for the Anna Kournikova Cup, awarded to the female athlete who has seven tons of hype, but no wins.

      That reminds me. Dario Franchitti wins the Indy 500 and goes home with Ashley Judd. I could work up a pretty strong dislike for that guy.

     Anaheim takes the opener of the Stanley Cup Finals, raising the question: Is there a more embarrassing nickname in professional sports than Ducks?

     Congrats to UM baseball for making another NCAA regional. The last time the Canes didn't make a regional, it was only because Doubleday hadn't thought up the game yet.

      R.I.P., Charles Nelson Reilly. You acted flamboyantly gay before it became trendy. Also you wore glasses the size of television screens.

     Miss Japan was crowned Miss Universe, although the title is not being recognized by Greg Cote, who issued a statement saying, "I dunno. To me, she really doesn't look Japanese." 

     Le Batard wrote Sunday the Marlins don't need the song and dance at home games: the Mermaids, fireworks, post-game concerts etc. Wrong. Dolphins and Heat don't need the bells and whistles. But a baseball team averaging around 15K? I say throw in a raffle and the rumor of a public stoning of Castro if it'll fill seats.

     My paper also had a recent column advising Marlins fans to start worrying because the annual rumors about trading Dontrelle Willis are bound to start. Why People Hate the Media, part 643.

      Finally: "Your blog's OK, but I'll never visit again unless you run a photo of Jimmy Johnson wearing a funny hat after -- apparently -- several Heinekens."

Comments

[George S]

Is there a worse team name then the ducks? Im an avid Dolfan but what makes the Dolphins team name that much better?...both are very harmless animals.

When it comes to Chambers...This is his make or break year if he wants to be recognized as a number 1 guy. No more excuses after 2007

[OC Dolphin]

Pork or beef ribs? Wouldn't want undercooked pork you know.

Got to love what coach Cameron has been doing. Michael Wallace's story in the rag today hit on an item worthy of note; Cam's comment that--"The minute you quit getting better in this business, you're on the way out. ...'' Taken at face value, it sounds like a cliche, but this doesn't seem to be the case.

Consider the recent moves of shifting four stagnant starters to NEW positions. This not only is an obvious move to stir the pot, but to help them grow as well. Hence, the quote above. These sort of moves are very encouraging indeed. Rectifying the QB issue will have to be resolved, but these sort of things lead me to think that there is a fair enough shot for making it into the playoffs this year.

[OC Dolphin]

Pork or beef ribs? Wouldn't want undercooked pork you know.

Got to love what coach Cameron has been doing. Michael Wallace's story in the rag today hit on an item worthy of note; Cam's comment that--"The minute you quit getting better in this business, you're on the way out. ...'' Taken at face value, it sounds like a cliche, but this doesn't seem to be the case.

Consider the recent moves of shifting four stagnant starters to NEW positions. This not only is an obvious move to stir the pot, but to help them grow as well. Hence, the quote above. These sort of moves are very encouraging indeed. Rectifying the QB issue will have to be resolved, but these sort of things lead me to think that there is a fair enough shot for making it into the playoffs this year.

[zak822]

Two things.

One, never, ever boil ribs first. You may as well make soup, all flavor goes into the water. They'll be tender, but no real fun to eat. Instead, when they're nearly done, wrap them in foil with a dollop of sauce and move them to a an area of low heat and let them steam for 45 min. or so. Butter tender, guareenteed.

Two, Patrick and Wie have both finished ahead of any number of men who also have not won an event. Please come back when you're ready to tell the guys what you're telling Patrick and Wie.

[Ron]

Would someone please tell the Dolphins to quit screwing around and offer the Chiefs a conditional draft pick for Trent Green? Make it a 6th round pick now; 5th round if he starts half the games this year; and a 4th round if he plays that many plus getting the Dolphins into the playoffs. This way both teams get/give fair compensation for his on field performance.

[Asra Jawaid]

A question more relevant to the Dolphins' offensive aspirations this season is who their starting qb will be.

[JAM]

Chambers - Who?
Patrick - Hawt!

[tommy a.]

Chambers on a scale of 1-5.......(3) He'd be a (4) if he was playing with Dan Marino, though.

[Papo from calle ocho, Miami]

Ribs take time; rub them down with a dry rub and cook them slowly. First, sear them on the hot part of the grill to lock in the natural juices, then, slowly but strategically cook them on different parts of the grill, finishing them off on the top rack; it's a slow but rewarding process. I, personally, don't approve of the par-boil technique (it robs the rib of it's true flavors). Also, take the time to prepare a homemade barbecue sauce, and then lovingly baste the ribs periodically ... Danica is annoying, Chambers is OK, I'd bang Miss Universe (right now) and Dan wrote an article last week about hockey, and I laughed really hard because it seemed like he really cared, then he writes about how he doesn't like looking at pretty ladies dance at Marlins games? He marches to the beat of his own drum. It's the Mighty Ducks, Greg

[the shadow knows]

greg,

it is patently unfair to compare danica patrick to anna k and michelle w, who have not defeated those of their own gender while danica patrick finishes 8th (no small feat) against men; please compare her to others with XX chromosomes- janet guthrie, sarah fisher- and we see that she is a decent driver who will have her day soon

[the shadow knows]

greg,

it is patently unfair to compare danica patrick to anna k and michelle w, who have not defeated those of their own gender while danica patrick finishes 8th (no small feat) against men; please compare her to others with XX chromosomes- janet guthrie, sarah fisher- and we see that she is a decent driver who will have her day soon

[dean]

- growing up on the southside of chicago, home of the stockyards, allowed me to learn from the masters. where else do "brothers" barbeque in the bathtub when it's too cold outside? their secret was in the sauce and peeling the nasty skin off the underside before slow grilling.

- more embarrassing than ducks? how about dolphins?

- must have chased elton john a mile and beat his ass (no pun) to steal those glasses.

- miami is such a crappy sports town that domino tournaments are outdrawing the marlins and the heat cover their empty seats with white pillowcases.

- still sitting on all those cuban flags waiting for castro to clock out.

- jimmy johnson? pink shirt makes him look more flaming gay than charles nelson and elton put together. who's the lesbian pretending to be his wife?

[the shadow knows]

dean,

what is the name of that little sissy doggie that jimmy johnson can't live without? a dead giveaway to his preferences- jimmy johnson would have been great in the ned beatty role in deliverance!!

[pancanfinfan]

Whadda ya trying to hide slatherin all that sauce over dem ribs...yer lousy cookin! No man - just a combination of garlic salt, sea salt, black peppa and paprika sprinkle generously on beef or pork ribs slow cooked on the grill over red oak from california...thats the way the big boys do it.

[dean]

shadow,

i'm hearing banjos! the percentage of homosexual nfl players would shock you. steroids, wife beating, dog fighting, coke, pot, alcohol, pac man, tank, nicholson...... all good.

bone smoking would devastate the game, though.

not a whole lot of chicks hanging out with troy aikman and jerry jones is there?

[Flipper72]

Dean is smoking crack with the Miami Vice guys!!

[Flipper72]

Franchitti is a lucky bastard to go home with Ashley Judd. Enjoy it while you can!

Charles Nelson Riley....RIP!
I used to like watching those old Match Game Shows with him JP Morgan, Chuck Barris, the Unknown Comic, Gene the Dancing Machine, etc. "We'll be back with more stuff". Classic!

Jimmy Johnson looks like he's going to get some red snapper in that pic. Go Jimmy Go!

Danica looks hot and so does Michelle Wie.
They will have no problem getting endorsements- now they need to work on their talent.

Chambers should have a rock soild year!

I think the Cleveland Browns and the Temple Owls are the worst names for sports teams.
I mean what the hell is a "brown"?? I know they named themselves after Paul Brown but in my opinion, that was the dumbest and most egotistical move ever in the history of sports. Browns sounds kind of racist!

[I-Win]

Hey Dean we have an opening at the Miami Herald for an online blog. It's called "Losers who wish they can be like Greg Cote and try to get recognition on his blog". You LOSER!!! AHAHAHAHAHAH! Ahhh you need a girlfriend (or likely a boyfriend for you).

[DT]

Poor Danica. Still no wins and now this South American chick is driving and she has an absolutely killer bod. She will soon be naked in Playboy and Danica will be left out.

[mike1]

Miss U contest is always tainted by poor judging…from a pool of 10 or so random celebrities (yes, one was from Japan). Year after year, some gorgeous ones are passed over in the first cut from 77 …you only get to see them for 2 seconds; and I can rarely understand most of the top 15 selections. You know USA will always make the first cut because it's an American show..got to keep the mostly American viewers watching. Miss Japan wasn't a bad choice..but there were better.

Miss World is the better event; for some reason not shown in the US. (Probably the competition factor).

What is needed is an event, with 1000 male only judges..wide and equal cross section of ethnicities ..and then you might get a real winner. (except USA won't stand a chance since everyone hates us).

[mike1]

George S… Dolphins can kill sharks. Can a duck? Dolphins are fast and agile. Ducks?

Charles Nelson Reilly in kiddy show "Liddsville"…...was there any connotation in that title, as there was with "HR Puff'n Stuff"? Match Game..back in the days of the awesomely funny game shows.

Flipper 72 and the Dolphins names haters..… would you recommend a name change: Miami Shulas.

[mike1]

Making a field of 33 racers and placing 8th is impressive . ..so I wouldn't put her in the Anna K. league.
But I read some other racers say that women drivers have an advantage due to weighing less than guys.