Ominous Ronnie Brown news confirmed; plus Isiah Thomas called bizarre, Bud's holiday bird, wild turkey menaces drivers & more

[Note: TODAY'S LIVE ONLINE CHAT IS CANCELED due to technical issues at MiamiHerald.com. We'll return next Wednesday from 1-2 p.m. To join live, read transcripts or post questions anytime (well, anytime the system is working), click on Mad Chatter].

DOLPHINS' BROWN-OUT DIMS PLAYOFF HOPES:

Dolphins announce today that Ronnie Brown is placed on injured reserve with his foot injury and out the rest of the season. Readers of this blog are not surprised. I said yesterday here, after hearing the Dolphins were sending Brown to see a specialist, that "specialist" often means this is worse than a typical injury. My guess was Brown's out awhile. Unfortunately, I was right. (Of far less importance: This soap opera with Joey Porter. ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported Joey would not play this week and perhaps beyond. Wrong. Tony Sparano said Porter would play Thursday. Doh!) The Brown news is disheartening for Dolfans. As the primary running back and Wildcat triggerman, Brown it could be argued was Miami's MVP. No arguing his absence makes the uphill climb to a playoff berth that much steeper. A hard question in the wake of this week's news: Is it now fair to call Brown injury-prone? He missed nine games in 2007, is now missing seven games in 2009, and has yet to start all 16 games even in his three healthy seasons. Does that add up to injury-prone? And does that mean Ronnie may have played his last game as a Dolphin? His contract ends this season and he has not been re-signed.  

OPPONENT CALLS ISIAH THOMAS "VERY BIZARRE": Tulsa'a coach on Sunday labeled FIU coach Isiah Thomas "very bizarre" for motioning and yelling during a lopsided loss that Tulsa should remove its starters. Click here for story. I have a feeling this Thomas tenure, however long it lasts, could be a wild and bumpy ride.

BUD ADAMS' HOLIDAY BIRD: Tennessee Titans 86-year-old owner Bud Adams is fined $250,000 by the NFL for giving the bird, repeatedly, to Bills fans. Click here to access a brief video. I have learned exclusively that the fine breaks down to $150,000 for the obscene gestures and $100,000 for wearing a powder blue suit.

COGHLAN HONOR DESERVED: Richly deserved NL rookie of the year award for Marlins' Chris Coghlan. An everyday player should always have the edge over a pitcher, uness the latter's stats were overwhelmingly better, and J.A. Happ's were not. Happ was named on more top-three ballots, though. More kindling for the Phillies-Marlins rivalry.

WILD TURKEY SEEKS VENGEANCE: A wild turkey has been wreaking havoc on the New Jersey Turnpike (click here) in apparent retribution for the annual slaughter of his kin. "They kill us to celebrate a [bleeping] holiday," said the turkey. "Frightening a few motorists was the least I could do." Pictured is the actual havoc-wreaking wild turkey. I have a soft spot for pictures of angry, menacing, purposefully striding turkeys.

BILL BELIWRONG: Speaking of turkeys, Pats coach Bill Belichick was wrong to gamble on 4th and 2 from his own 29 rather than punt late in Monday's loss to the Colts, and got what he deserved. Andf the pople saying Belichick was not wrong are also wrong. He'd have been wrong even if his gamble had worked. You punt right there. Period.

TIGER'S PALACE NEARLY COMPLETE: Here's a photo of part of Tiger Wood's new oceanside mansion in Jupiter. The nieghbors complain that it's too big and snooty, which is saying something, considering how big and snooty all of their places are.

EUREKA! TWO FANTASY WINS!: Both my fantasy teams won. I'm having a fake heart attack like Fred Sanford. The Bad Newz Fennelz (now 3-7) won 57-45 behind Frank Gore's 20 points. Greg's Lobos (now 4-6) won 152-82 led by Randy Moss' 39. 

UNFRIENDLY DECISION: "Unfriend" (as in what one might to do someone on Facebook) is New Oxford American Dictionary's 2009 Word of the Year. Congratulations, Unfriend. 

Click back. Probably be adding more stuff to this post later.

Love,

Twitter.com/gregcote

Comments

[Tom]

Our 5 losses are against opponents with a combined record of 35-10. Our remaining opponents have a combined record of 32-31. The second half of the season is going to be much better than the first half. You heard it here first well except for Flipper.

[OC Dolphin]

We all take note on how much Barack loves being just one of the bros. You know, hanging with MJ, chillin with da fellas. How do you suppose a smart cookie like Tiger, one raised on proud military hard working American principles, dig fellow bro's mission in life for taking Tiger's excessive cache and redistributing it among the common folk? Yo, yo, we're cool. Got to give it up for the cause yawl.

[OC Dolphin]

Hey Tom, thanks for the compliments. I still crack up in laughter over the memory of that link you sent of the drunken midgets trashing that runaway car. YES, "midgets," not "little people."

[OC Dolphin]

In fact, if you could find that sucker again, it would be worthwhile revisiting. That had to be one of the top 5 posts in all Random Evidence history!

[Shark74Shark74]

I believe we are going to get a good look at the real Dolphins tomorrow night. It’s not going to be a gimme and we are really going to have to perform if we are going to get a win. Just call it a hunch but I don’t believe we are going to see a lot of the Wildcat, what we will see is what a real bull Ricky is, with him getting the majority of the runs he should have a field day, the more carries he gets the better he gets. Without overusing the Wildcat like they have been doing will give Henne a chance to really get into the rhythm of the game, he has not had that opportunity yet and given that chance he should shine and we will get a good look at our Q-back of the future.
The only thing I pray for is that they keep Ginn off the field except for kick returns, if they do that I predict an exciting win.

[Jimbo]

I'm all about the W Shark74

[the shadow knows]

boys,

greg oden over kevin durant for portland? i told 'em so!!!

[the shadow knows]

greg,

what is going on (off) with type-pad? in the black again!!!!

[Tom]

I saw this on ESPN concerning the LPGA schedule for next year.

SUGAR LAND, Texas -- The 2010 LPGA season will begin in Thailand on Feb. 18 and end at the LPGA Tour Championship Nov. 21, sources tell GolfDigest.com. There are 24 events on the schedule, which will be released Wednesday morning, down from 34 in 2008 and 27 this year, a season that began with 31 events on the schedule. In all, there will be 17 off-weeks between the first and last event in 2010.

Koreans are killing the LPGA. Americans are not particularly interested in watching another Kim, Lee or Park win. The Koreans are going to dominate this tour out of existence.

[Jimbo]

OC,

don't U mean "vertically challenged folk?"

I dated a midget once,
I was just nuts over her.....

[OC Dolphin]

shadow,

Standard thinking dictates that whenever one can secure a big player for their NBA team, you select him. Even over the more talented, smaller player. Portland just followed the script.

Having said that, player selections in any sport remains a total gamble. See: Chris Washburn, Kwame Brown, Michael Olowokandi, Darko Milicic...

[Larry Craig & Larry Storch]

My sources inform me Mortensen is a reknown men's room stall shoe tapper and he likes it rough. Word: he likes wearing his Green Bay Packer helmut and Ray Nitschke jersey once he successfully ID's a willing playa...

[Brett Favre]

You leave my Morty alone!!

[Mongo, Sheiff Bart & The Waco Kid]

Im jealous you found your Krupp's blue 88MM Jimbo. Every guy should have one. Agree OC I'm so sick of PC that I wish All in the Family and SOAP were back on the air. How did El Presidentress go from great satan American hating "woman" to lesbo wet dream & fashion plate so quickly?

[Mongo]

Duh Mongo sorry. Mongo meant Sheriff Bart not "Sheiff Bart." Mongo go eat beans now!

[Mongo]

Brett Favre, Mongo thinks you stink as an actor and you old enough to be Jim Nabor's Papa

[g8rh8r]

Solid, well stated argument as usual, Cote.

To paraphrase, Belichick is wrong and those who support him are wrong. Because. Yep, because. Period.

The logic is, as usual coming from you, undeniable and impossible to dispute. You have once again put forth a solid argument stating your case with a point by point analysis of the situation, the pros and cons of the alternative choices, and the percentages behind the decision.

Why do I still bother?

Moron.

[Brett Favre]

Hey Mongo, you ain't fit to carry my wranglers ya toe tapper..

[OC Dolphin]

duke, thanks for joining in the fun!

[naplesjackpatsfan]

Jimbo- To follow up on your thoughts about larry johnson. I dont think it was money. Bengals only gave him a 1yr contract, plus they told he he was only a backup. I think the bengals were the only team interested. I have a feeling this was a t.o. situation. Nobody would touch him. Even if ronnie browns injury was career ending, no way the tuna goes near him. I think if the tuna can find a way, he will dump porter.

[Mongo]

I think Belichick afraid of Easter Island Head Peyton Manning.

[Jimbo]

naplesJack- yah, I agree with your last post.

Mongo-sheriff Bart-Waco kid. thanks for the plug.. 88MM is one of a kind, all men want the 4 enviable things in life, Money, power, women and an 88!

easter Island head...lol

Do you know what WACO really means???

We
Ain't
Comin'
Out

'nough said

[naplesjackpatsfan]

Not to change the subject but, do any of you guys read armandos blog? Does anybody post on his site? Man, I have to tell you, some of these guys are funny. I dont know if its because some of them are not to bright, like armando, but some of them are out there.

[the shadow knows]

OC Dolphin,

greg ode was damaged in college, kevin durant was making thirty footers and even rebounding a little at texas; the point with portland is that they drafted sam bowie, who was broken down while at kentucky. sometimes the greatest racehorses never see the track because they can't stay sound, and oden looks like Bowie II and has for awhile.

[Ricardo "Sanchez" Mantalban]

Armando's fine Corinthian leather...

[IMAWriterRobJ]

BTW, years ago Ricardo told me there was NO SUCH THING as "Corinthian leather." Ad speak.
As was the pronunciation of the car. The correct pronunciation is COR-do-ba, not cor-DOH-ba. He objected, but once again the suits prevailed.
It always bugged him.

[mike1]

shadow, did you see the highlights of the debacle in Paris today? was on Sports Center and Fox. Ireland had tied the aggregate in the 2nd game. Went to OT. Henry is near the post, and uses his hand to keep the ball in play. Uses it again to set it up so he can pass it to an open player who scores. The play was offside to begin with. France gets away with it and qualifies. The Irish coach is lived and had to be controlled. All over the soccer news. Once again, FIFA hands all the games to the big name teams. As biased as the BCS.

Most of the teams I wanted or didn't want..didn't work out for me today. I wanted Egypt over Algeria in the thriller tiebreaker. Nope. I wanted Ireland. Nope. I wanted Bosnia over Portugal. Nope. Only one that came though was Slovenia (2 mill. pop.) beating Russia (150mil) and advancing on away goals. Their last 2nd goal in their loss last Saturday became very important.

One qualifer left tonight. Costa Rica at Uruguay. Uruguay has the aggregate lead.

[OC Dolphin]

I too feared the worst after seeing brown grimace in pain after that play. Greg Cote is right, Brown is our MVP and the team's most important element in the Wildcat. I hate to say this, but to me his departure means two possible wins turning into losses.

[Jimbo]

web site wouldn't let me post last comment--100% football related, nothing controversial. hmm, what gives Cote?

[Jimbo]

naplesJack
for the longest time I though Armando was some lucky high school senior who got to add a juvenile touch to local sports on the herald. his articles are,, uninformative and never insightful or well written, usually stating only the obvious. A whole different Jimbo posts on his blog,,, imagine 2 of us out there!

[Jimbo]

Losing Ronnie Brown for the season is a killer. Now:
Ricky Williams-poised to be the main man again.
Lex Hilliard-here's your chance to show (I think this guy's a hidden gem).
Chad Henne-man up, prove your the franchise QB.
Pat White-man up, prove your a football player.
Ten Ginn's(and tonic)-just man up and play.

Entire Defense-be a consistant presence and finish games.

[Noel]

Jimbo,
Ted Ginn will just run for the sideline to avoid getting hit.

[the shadow knows]

mike1,

yes i saw the hand-ball in "real-time" (delayed) and the irish goy jobbed. they are demanding a replay of the contest and deserve one, if not an outright awarding of the gameto them. the irish put on a fantastic display and this would be a grievous result if it is led to stand. the funny thing is that the announcers refer to france's players as "the frogs"!!! i hope they croak!!!france had a fabulous run in 1998; i still have the radio tape of the final over the BBC, and it is a joy to hear even 10 years after it occured-seasoned radio announcers describing a sport which is perfect for radio!!

[the shadow knows]

boys,

says here that the dolphinsthrow the ball 30-35 times-BY DESIGN!! henne gets nervous when passes are called after so many running plays. methinks they will be gunning the ball all over the field against carolina;better idea than to start running and then have to junk that idea if they fail.

[Noel]

Go to hell, Roger Goodell!

[naplesjackpatsfan]

Jimbo- I was watching espn one morning, there was armando with his pants up above his ankles, with 1 black sock, 1 tan sock. Now I dont pretend to be a fashion expert, but I have never seen this before. I think cote has the PC police on alert. I had a post blocked for not speaking to kindly about some columnist. Nothing profane, just not very kind.

[naplesjackpatsfan]

noel- Agree with you about t.ginn. Why the anger at Goodell?

[naplesjackpatsfan]

Well guys, is it to soon to ask the question, do the dolphins release ted ginn, trade him, or give him 1 more year?

[Noel]

naplesjack,
Robbing fans and team of a home game to go to London is wrong. Fining Welker for the making the snow angel after the TD was wrong too. These guys bust their ass year round to be good enough to score. No harm in celebrating as long as it isn't directed at the opposition. Goodell will fine people for any little thing just to make more money.
The Dolphins should call Al senile Davis and see if he will be stupid enough give up a top pick for Ginn. Your team has already suckered him a few times.

[mike1]

Shadow, in the case of admitted cheating, FIFA should break ground and order a replay. It's one thing if the ref missed something, but this was clear cheating. France should be rightfully punished. At the very least, they need to start cracking down on these players. Ban the guy for a year. He'll miss the World Cup..the price to pay for getting his country in.
All these players who take obvious dives in the box. Their goal is to fool the ref. The biggest one of the last WC helped Italy advance (and eventually get to the Fina) when Grosso dove..the Australian defender never came close to contact. Brazil's Rivaldo in 2002 vs Turkey..pretending his face was in pain getting hit by the ball a Turk kicked at him ..and hit him in the stomache. But he fell to the ground, writhing in pain, holding his face. He later told media that part of the game is to deceive refs. He got a $7000 fine.

You'll rarely see the US do this old-fashioned cheating. We're not experienced at it; therefore, we can never get to the Final.

The FIFA website makes no mention of the handball in the description of the game. But I checked several foreign papers. It was top headline. Even made top CNN news.

[FZB]

Naples, I'm happy to see you're in good spirits today, after that debacle by the belli-cheaters I was worry about you ....

to answer your questions on T Ginn, the dolphins will not release him, but I'm sure they can find a sucker out there that could take him off our hands...

Cote just picked the panthers to win, I'm afraid he may be right on this one, how are the dolphins going to score points???....if they lose, they need to start playing all the rookies to see who stands out...lets see that rookie free safety, hilliard, the new rookie TE (don't remember his name )... just paly the young guys...

that is all

[naplesjackpatsfan]

FZB- After 24hrs, I usually cool down. Did not go to bed till about 4:am monday morning. I feel better now, I figure the Pats crush the jets sunday. I am praying they can run up the score on Wrecks ryan.

[naplesjackpatsfan]

Noel- Let me ask you, would you take jamarcus russell, for ted ginn?

[Dave in VA]

Naples Jack, it was obviously some fine wine that calmed you down to your normal demeanor. Ginn for Russell? That's like trading herpes for vanerial warts. You don't want either and they never get better.

[the shadow knows]

mike1,

henry actually touched the ball twice-first he stopped the ball, then batted it in front of him to put the ball into position for the pass that led to the header; horrible play for him, ireland, and for those who love football. i agree with the sanctions you proposefor the offender.