Choosing your least unfavorite televised non-sport: The Scripps-Howard National Spelling Bee puts a bunch of brainy/nerdy 9- to-14-year-olds in the national TV spotlight tonight. Recently there was the Westminster Kennel Club show getting similar treatment. Soon will come the also-televised World Series of Poker and the Fourth of July hot dog-eating contest. 'Tis the season for ESPN to broaden the parameters of what "sports programming" means. Am I missing anything? Any chess tournaments coming up? Which of the four events mentioned would you be most likely to watch if you had a free hour and had to watch one of them? Take a dip in our poll.
Heat unveils major initiative to distract drivers, cause mayhem: The Heat's downtown bayside arena has unveiled a 3,400-square-foot LED digital motion-picture display that will constantly emit messages and images (including advertising) from the arena's western front facing Biscayne Boulevard. Great. Because, you know, Miami didn't have enough traffic congestion, bad drivers and road rage as it was, so offering careening, text-messaging motorists an additional three-story-high, major distraction probably was a smart idea.
List of repeat title games, list of repeat title games: The upcoming Detroit Red Wings-Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup Finals rings familiar because it is a repeat of last year's NHL championship series. Got us to wondering how often that happens in the big-four pro leagues. Cue research. Answer: Not very. This is the NHL's 12th repeat in 91 years. NBA has had 12 in 62 years, NFL 9 in 76 years, and MLB 9 in 106 years. That's a total of 42 in 335 combined years, or an average of once every eight years. More recently, since 1970, it has averaged only once every 14 years. The three most recent championship rematches in each sport:
NHL: 2008/09---Detroit Red Wings-Pittsburgh Penguins; 1983/84---Edmonton Oilers-New York Islanders; 1977/78---Boston Bruins-Montreal Canadiens.
NBA: 1997/98---Chicago Bulls-Utah Jazz; 1988/89---Detroit Pistons-Los Angeles Lakers; 1984/85---Boston Celtics-Los Angeles Lakers.
NFL: 1992/93---Buffalo Bills-Dallas Cowboys; 1961/62---Green Bay Packers-New York Giants; 1958/59---Baltimore Colts-New York Giants.
MLB: 1977/78---Los Angeles Dodgers-New York Yankees; 1957/58---Milwaukee Braves-New York Yankees; 1955/56---Brooklyn Dodgers-New York Yankees.
The only occurences of three championship matchups in a row have been once each in the NFL (Cleveland Browns-Detroit Lions, 1952-54) and MLB (New York Giants-New York Yankees, 1921-23).
JJ in party mode: Former UM football coach Jimmy Johnson -- imprimatur of ebullience, benefactor of Heinekin -- parties in a sombrero at the recent grand opening of his JJ's Big Chill restaurant/tiki bar in the Upper Keys. Reveling attendees included current Canes coach Randy Shannon, TV yukmate Terry Bradshaw, Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach and several women who appeared to be surgically augmented not that there's anything wrong with that.
Soccer briefly rears head: Barcelona defeated Manchester United 2-0 to win the European soccer championship. From what I saw of the match it wasn't so much the Spaniards' brilliance as it was Wayne Rooney and Man U disappearing. Guessing at least one of the British tabs offered -- or should have -- the headline MAN BLEW.
Tennis star weighs pair of big decisions: Young Romanian tennis star Simona Halep (pictured) reportedly is considering having breast-reduction surgery because she worries her chestiness is an impediment to her game. I say don't do it, Simona! If Serena Williams can reach the top despite some decided topsy-ness, so can you!
Down year for local baseball prospects: The only three guys from So-Fla schools in Baseball America's latest Top 100 Draft Prospects list for 2009 are No. 68 Archbishop McCarthy High pitcher Dane Williams, No. 75 Ferguson High catcher Steven Baron, and No. 80 UM shortstop Ryan Jackson. A year ago there were seven locals in the Top 100 including No. 7 Eric Hosmer of American Heritage and No. 12 Yonder Alonso of UM.
Poker news: Attended the monthly 790 The Ticket poker tournament at Dania Jai-Alai last night, drawn not so much by the chance to hang out with Dan LeBatard as by the dollar beers. The final table of 10 (pictured above) agreed to split the pot. Which is lame, by the way. Play it out for chri'sakes! What's next? The two Super Bowl teams agreeing pregame to be declared co-champions? Highlight of the photo? For me it's the guy inspecting his Coors Light bottle obliterating the view of LeBatard.
Ways That Dwyane Wade Is Not Like Us (one in a series)
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Greg,
The Heat unveils digital motion-picture display... to distract...and that will constantly emit advertising...a major distraction!?
Oh, but that doesn't happen here on this blog, now does it?
Posted by: OC Dolphin | May 28, 2009 at 07:08 PM
When you think about it, it doesn't require the visionary insight of an H. G. Wells to recognize that soon, very soon, our content will look too much like this:
This post is brought to you by who reminds you that "When it rains it pours," and folks, did it pour at the Marlins game the other day - Philies runs. Joe Blanton who was in the center of the "Diamonds are forever" couldn't strike out Cody Ross, who did manage to get a "Let yours fingers do the walking," in an otherwise futile game by the Marlins. When asked about the game, the Philies said: "At We try harder."
Posted by: OC Dolphin | May 28, 2009 at 08:05 PM
Wow, pretty weird stuff. Didn't know that when one places any text within (shift .or,) the text disappears. I had isolated all the sponsors in the text above in that manner: Morton Salt, De Beers, Yellow Pages, and Avis.
It's good not to be Dilbert.
Posted by: OC Dolphin | May 28, 2009 at 08:13 PM
Love the LED banner. Its a neat "big city" vibe. I believe it creates a little life and fits in good with the idea of this so called "entertainment district" with which it resides if not borders.
Posted by: Wes | May 28, 2009 at 08:15 PM
It sure is nice to see JJ away from the Dolphins owner's ear...
Posted by: r. duke | May 28, 2009 at 10:09 PM
Mike1 I get a pop up too whenever I see Sofia Viagara.
Posted by: r. duke | May 28, 2009 at 10:11 PM
JJ needs some sun screen for those rosey cheeks. Alcohol abuse is the real reason his nose is red. Rumor has it he was very drunk when he recommended Wannestadt the HCoach to Wayne H. The next day he was scratching his head laughing "I endorse who?????"
I would like to see more female tennis players... especially European women on here.
Ronnie Brown is a good sport and doesn't brag. Currently the guy is maybe top 10 in the league. Not his fault, but his former injuries keep at this spot. The man has the potential to be a top RB and agewise he should be in his prime. I think he's great for the Dolphins and will enjoy more success.
Posted by: Jimbo | May 28, 2009 at 11:00 PM
Jimbo I'd like to see naked babes in heels playing tennis on asphalt drunk...
Posted by: r. duke | May 28, 2009 at 11:05 PM
Does that make me a bad person ginrai?
Posted by: r. duke | May 28, 2009 at 11:07 PM
JJ looks like he needs an AA sponser.
Posted by: r. duke | May 28, 2009 at 11:08 PM
one second my posts are there and then poof they're gone...
Posted by: r. duke | May 28, 2009 at 11:10 PM
Very strange. I posted in succession as separate posts. ginrai does that make me a bad person? regarding drunk babes... JJ looks like he needs an AA sponsor. They were posted one nanosecond and gone the next. WTF?!
Posted by: r. duke | May 28, 2009 at 11:14 PM
and now they're back. anyone else having this same problem?
Posted by: r. duke | May 28, 2009 at 11:16 PM
COTE GODDAMMIT ARE YOU TRYING TO GASLIGHT ME?!!!!!!
Posted by: r. duke | May 28, 2009 at 11:19 PM
Hard to believe looking at that pic of JJ he has Super Bowl rings. Amazing f***ing world where "Heaven Knows Anything Goes...
Posted by: r. duke | May 28, 2009 at 11:39 PM
Regarding Belichick's 17year son being caught by cops with a whole "beer" in stadium parking lot, Bill should get down on his hands and knees and thank Christ he doesn't have Andy Reid's kids...
Posted by: r. duke | May 29, 2009 at 12:12 AM
duke-e-boy,
I have not encountered the same problems you've described. The only Houdini thing I've discovered is the disappearance of text whenever one strikes the shift key to the right of "m" followed, and book-end by shift key to the left of /.
Check it out. I will type "Greg likes Chef Boyardee," regularly, then type it again with how I described. "Greg likes .
Posted by: OC Dolphin | May 29, 2009 at 12:28 AM
R. Duke, pretty funny.
Big electronic screens, TV, displays exist all over the world. They even had one in Kazan (capital of Tatarstan). It's a shock to me that only now are we going to have one.
Posted by: mike1 | May 29, 2009 at 12:06 PM
Oh yeah, Tatarstan, next to Harributtholestan.
hahaha hahaha
Girls playing tennis with no shirt
hahahaha haahahaha
Anna Kornholio
hahaha haahahaha
Posted by: Beavis | May 29, 2009 at 06:27 PM
WOW..!! I like the hot lookin' blonde that J.J. is showing off in that pic.
Handle it Jimmy..!! Oh Yhea!!
I just became a new fan of Simona Halep.
Those torpedo heads would cause a traffic jam in South Florida. Keep em' babe..!!
They enhance your sex appeal.
I think Hugh Hefner should give this young lady some big bucks so she can pose in Playboy and we can all get a chance to see those huge jugs and silver dollar nipples!
LMAO!!!
Posted by: Flipper72 | May 31, 2009 at 08:18 PM