NBA lockout: Lay the blame (with poll); plus LeBron James a Seahawk?, Tim Tebow an actor?, Cruz control redux, Hank Jr. & more

[Join us on Twitter @gregcote]

Click on Villains Everywhere for today's latest column by me, on neither side being "right" in NBA lockout, and on Ain't No Sunshine for my previous column on Dolphins leading the sad state of our state.

NBA LOCKOUT: ENOUGH, ALREADY!: Owners and players failed to reach labor peace by yesterday's self-imposed deadline, and commissioner David Stern canceled the first two weeks of the regular season. More may yet be lost. I have avoided blogging much on the lockout, but the very idea that two sides of grown men can't agree on how to share billions of dollars is fairly disgusting, and now the season itself is being impacted. I feel for the people being locked out, but I don't mean the players, I mean you, the fans. Time to have your say. Who's most to blame? Is it the league and owners like the Heat's Micky Arison? Or is it players like Dwyane Wade and LeBron James? Vote and say why.

LEBRON JAMES ... SEATTLE SEAHAWK?: LeBron James on Twitter this week inquired about the NFL deadline for signing free agents, playfully hinting he might be interested in switching leagues during the NBA lockout. The notion is not preposterous, considering LBJ is a former all-state high school receiver and, at 6-9 and 250 pounds, can be pictured as a tight end skying over undersized (compared to him) defenders. So Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll -- probably playfully but maybe not -- Tweets this photo. Fun! This is precisely what the PR-addled Miami Dolphins should have done, either seriously or in jest or a little of both.

TIM TEBOW ... ACTOR?: Speculation is afloat that Gator-turned-Broncos QB Tim Tebow is (for some odd reason) being considered to replace Bruce Willis' character in future Die Hard films. Tebow currently stars in Try Hard, playing an under-skilled NFL quarterback who gets by on gumption and resolve and is wildly popular for not being Kyle Orton. I'm not sure about Tebow portraying Willis' hard-bitten character, though. Not sure at all if those bad guy-terrorists will be swayed by his handing them leaflets advising they put their trust in Jesus.

ME, PICKS: Had a bad Week 5, going 8-5 straight-up and 6-7 against the spread, including a really horrid Upset of the Week call with Titans over Steelers. Oy. Details (unfortunately) coming on this Friday's NFL predictions page.

ME, FANTASY: Better. Greg's Lobos won, 139-86, improving to 3-2 on the season. The squad was led by 28 as expected from Aaron Rodgers and a big unexpected 27 Benjarvus Green-Ellis.

UPDATED BCS CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS: From our friends at Bodog, the college football title pack is led as expected by Alabama at 7-4, Oklahoma at 3-1 and LSU at 9-2. Top five completed by Wisconsin at 7-1 and Boise State at 10-1. No Florida school on the radar at even 125-1 or better. 

HANK JR. DUPES FANS, DEADSPIN ON "NEW" SONG: Hank Williams Jr. is trying shamelessly to capitalize on his being fired by ESPN from its Monday Night Football intro over comments insulting President Obama. On his website hankjr today: "In light of the recent Hank Jr. and ESPN news Hank has recorded a song called 'Keep The Change'..." That of course implies the song is newly written about the ESPN controversy and, sure enough, the website Deadspin takes the hook with an item about the song calling it "an Obama/Fox & Friends/ESPN diss track." Um, anybody care for the truth? The song was inspired by the singer's opposition to Obama's election, the title of it a play on the president's "Change" campaign theme. But the song was written in 2008, long before this latest controversy and having zero to do with ESPN's actions. Hank's newly recorded version adds a late, cursory mention of the latest controversy. Click here for a YouTube video of Hank Jr. singing his "new" song more than two years ago in Evansville, Ind.

BASEBALL: BACK TO CRUZ CONTROL FOR TEXAS: Two nights after Nelson Cruz whapped the first walkoff grand slam in postseason history, his three-run homer last night carried the Rangers over Detroit 7-3 for 3-1 ALCS lead for Texas. A possible clinching Game 5 is today at 4:15. In the NLCS St. Louis won 4-3 last night for a 2-1 lead over Milwaukee, with Game 4 tonight at 8. Your rooting interest, if you don't give a crap, should go here: 1. Milwaukee. City has had Brewers since 1970 and seeks first World Series title in only fourth playoff appearance. 2. Texas. Have had Rangers since 1972 and seek first WS crown, although reached finals last year. 3. Detroit. Had the Tigers since 1901 and have won four championships but none since 1984, and this is only third postseason bow since then. 4. St. Louis. Cardinals since 1900 and 10 WS titles, as recently as 2006. In context of this final four, rooting for St. Louis is like rooting for the Yankees.

COTE'S STATE OF THE STATE: Our latest updated weekly ranking of the seven FBS teams in our state, with previous week's rank in parentheses. Entering Week 7:

1. Florida Gators (1) 4-2, 2-2 SEC 

2. Miami Hurricanes (3) 2-3, 0-2 ACC

3. FSU Seminoles (2) 2-3, 0-2 ACC

4. S. Fla. Bulls (3) 4-1, 0-1 Big East

5. C. Fla. Knights (5) 3-2, 1-0 C-USA  

6. FIU Panthers (6) 4-2, 1-1 Sun Belt

7. FAU Owls (7) 0-5, 0-2 Sun Belt

WOMEN'S BREASTS!: Did I get your attention? I enjoy toying with the parameters of what being sexist means. Here is a link in which a writer (a woman , if that matters) discusses seven popular terms for female breasts. This does not bother me. I am amused what society tells us: That it is OK for women to accentuate and be proud of their assets, but that men run the risk of being labeled as sexist for openly admiring said assets. For example, the admittedly juvenile poster at right I find funny and not the least bit anti-women or sexist. Am I wrong?

THE REAL T-30: The Real T-30 is our weekly cumulative, consensus Top 30 college football ranking based on a combination of the three major polls: Associated Press, USA Today, ESPN. Points based on 30 for a No. 1 ranking, 29 for No. 2, etc. The combined ranking entering Week 7:

Rank   Team   Points   (Last week)

1   Oklahoma   620   (1)

2   Louisiana State   606   (2)

3   Alabama   601   (3)

4   Boise State   551   (4)

5   Stanford   529   (5)

6   Wisconsin   507   (7)

7   Oklahoma State   499   (6)

8   Oregon   451   (8)

9   Nebraska   410  (9)

10   South Carolina   382   (12)

11   Arkansas   381   (13)

12   Texas A&M   370   (10)

13   Virginia Tech   354   (14)

14   FLORIDA STATE   340   (11)

15   FLORIDA   262   (15)

16   West Virginia   239   (17)

17   Texas   237   (16)

18t   Clemson   218   (20t)

18t   Michigan State   218   (18)

20   Michigan   198   (24)

21   Baylor   185   (19)

22   Georgia Tech   164   (27)

23   Arizona State   156   (25)   

24   Texas Christian   149   (20t)

25   Ohio State   145   (22)

26   SOUTH FLORIDA   144   (23)

27   Illinois   133   (29)

28   Auburn   131   (26)

29   Mississippi State   90   (28)

30   Kansas State   75   (36)

38   MIAMI   13   (37)

41t   CENTRAL FLORIDA   7   (40t)

Click back. Much more coming to this latest blog post this evening and into Tuesday...

Comments

[dukester]

Nothing personal but like mike1 I liked old Monday Night theme song when Dandy Don Meredith, Dracula Cosell and Chuck Bednarik's whipping boy Frank Gifford were at that helm. Sometimes less is much, much more.

[FZB]

Allrighty guys...

Here is the deal, should we root for the Dolphins to beat the stinking Jets or to lose in support for the "suck for Luck" sweepstakes ?

I have never rooted for the Jets but I must admit I'm on the fence on this one, what say you all wise Dukester and blogger friends and foes?

[Pat Robertson]

Good riddance to pitiful, drunken Hank Jr.. The funniest part is that point he meant to make was merely that it was scandalous for Boehner (Rebel secessionist yokels) to be on speaking terms with Obama (Northern abolitionist city-slickers).

[I am Kazaam]

Beat the Jets.

Then lose to the Broncos in embarrassing fashion with Tim Tebow throwing six touchdowns, running for two, and doing the Gator chomp after every one.

[AnonymousFin]

Pluck the Dolphins and their tribute to the Damn Gators, I have been a fan since the early days and 66-0 losses. This is more than I will tolerate plus their is no way in hell they get any of my hard earned money to watch this mess.

I will be looking for a new team to support soon, Mr Ross thanks for NOTHING!

[AnonymousFin]

Hank Jr. forever! The Miami Herald, soon to be archived in the Smithsonian under failed News Papers with failed sports editors.

Liberal mouth pieces even with their sports reporting, most often wrong sports journalists.
Manny, Armando and Barry not included, jump ship before it sinks.

[dukester]

Go J E T S JETS JETS JETS & Leave R O S S ROSS ROSS ROSS!!!

[I am Kazaam]

Hank Jr. is worse at playing music than he is at expressing his perspective on contemporary politics.

Hank Jr. is Hitler.

[I am Kazaam]

It is begun.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/10/10/2447888/fluoridation-its-just-a-government.html

[I am Kazaam]

Cote's lack of understanding about the NBA lockout is unfortunate given that the Heat are the only team worth a damn around here. Hasn't Lebatard's dad's TV show been cancelled yet?

The NBA lockout has nothing to do with Micky Arison or Dwyane Wade or Lebron James. It's about Rashard Lewis and whoever owns the Washington Wizards.

NFL was a completely different situation. No NFL teams were actually losing money.

Half the NBA teams are losing money. Half the NBA teams are paying mediocre players franchise-crippling amounts of money.

Seems to me the salary side is easy - get rid of the mid-level exception and bi-annual exception and you won't get teams overpaying players because they know they can always add two more each year over the "cap".

But how do you make franchises financially viable when there aren't 20,000 people who want to pay to watch them play 41 times a year?

NBA has problems and they need to either drop franchises or distribute the wealth of teams like the Heat, Celtics,or Lakers.

But it's not an easy decision and nobody involved is going to be well served by making the fans realize that they don't care if 3/4 of the season is cancelled.

[Gator Nation]

LOL Apparently all that furlough is affecting Mr. Cote's decision making. What a laughable college football state ranking. Obviously my Gators deserve to be first, but UM deserves to be penultimate. Practically every other ranking has USF, FSU, UCF... Heck even FIU ahead of the lousy Canes. Watch them lose AGAIN on Saturday and go 2-4, yet knock off UF from the top.

Chomp Chomp

[the shadow knows]

Kazaam,

if the NBA went without a season, as the NHL did, they would come back paying megabucks to the stars despite half the teams losing money. a regular season NBA game is relatively meaningless and excruciating to watch, especially the last two miutes that take twenty with timeouts after every 3 seconds of play. don't care what happens between mafioso donald stern and his overpaid at 1/20th the price players.

[I am Kazaam]

"State of Florida Rankings per CBSSPORTS.com (just updated 10.10.11)

27. USF 4-1
38. UF 4-2
45. FIU 4-2
59. UCF 3-2
64. FSU 2-3
72. UM 2-3
111. FAU 0-5

Look around, CBSSportsline is not alone with those rankings. AP and Coaches Poll have UM way at the bottom, behind other Florida programs, as well. These are facts.

Yet Cote somehow thinks UM is the best school in the state. He's either living in the past or seems to think moral victories are suddently legit.

Zero credability. Cue the trolls."

[I am Kazaam]

I assumed you were talking about UM and not FIU when you posted your list here the other day Quijote.

Turns out I was right, no?

[Harey Carey]

Cote, you're such a friggin hypocrite that its amazing. If Hank Jr. said the same thing about a conservative you would be kissing his ass. Now be a good liberal boy and go worship your poster of Castro.

[Carl Marx]

I urge all fans to go out and occupy the NBA.

[killerdolphin]

Lmao! Nice H C so many commies out here!

[killerdolphin]

!!!

[mike1]

I could care a less if baseball and basketball went away. I know it won't happen of course. I can live with the NHL, in shorter seasons.

Give me more football and soccer. And some more exposure to team sports such as:

Irish Football
Australian Football
Rugby
Handball
World Volleyabll League

[mike1]

Speaking of which,

The recent All Ireland Football Final held in front of 82K in Dublin, was won by Dublin in a great game coming down to the last seconds. Dublin beat perenniel powers Kerry 1-12 to 1-11. A one point win.

The Rugby World Cup is in the semifinal stage, and this weekend we have hosts New Zealand vs rivals Australia. and France (which upset England) vs Wales (which upset Ireland).

The final is at 4am ET, Sunday Oct 23...we have plenty of sports bars that will show it. ..if I can't find it on Live TV. ABC will show it later that day around 2pm or 3pm.

Talk about a true man's sport...no helmets used. These guys really take a bruising ..and a tooth losing

[mike1]

Not a fan of the country rock, raspy voice of Hank Williams..

as mentioned by Dukester, my favorite Monday Night theme .. almost has a moment of Wonder Woman theme sound

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8fkMkE2Yjg

and repeating my favorite Sunday theme:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv-datkQYUU&feature=related

.and not bad, NFL Today on CBS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBKFbc7sRis&feature=related

1970 CBS theme

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwSBQ6uOQhs&feature=related

and the Wide World of Sports...damn I miss that program:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2AZH4FeGsc&feature=related

They're going retro on uniforms, how about theme songs???

[mike1]

Three kickers now with the 63 yd record. Janikowski, fully capable of going further.

But keep in mind, Elam and Sebastian did it in low density air in Denver.

Tom Dempsey did it with half a foot, at normal altitute.. AND to win the game.

Here are two different videos of that Tom Dempsey kick. The first one sets up the situation, with 2 seconds left.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwSBQ6uOQhs&feature=related

this just has the kick, but better quality video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrxTjgFYoU8&feature=related

This was a really great moment.

[mike1]

NBA on CBS, theme, 1970's ..baxk when I watched basketball

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b43vk8dhbu4&feature=related

[Tom]

Come on Obama is not Hitler. That's nonsense. What Obama is is an unqualified nitwit driving our country over the cliff into the abyss. But he's not Hitler.

If the Dolphins win a game this year they will not get Luck. There are currently 9 teams with one or fewer wins. I suspect there is going to be a log jam at 1 win for the season and we know the Dolphins NEVER win tie breakers. We need three things to happen for this franchise to get back to winnnig: 1) a real NFL QB (Luck), 2) a real NFL head coach (not a clown), 3) an NFL owner who is smart enough to hire real football talent to run his franchise and then leave town and his cell phone behind so these people can do their job.

Unfortunately, even if we get Luck and a new head coach we are stuck with the Obama of owners, Steve Ross (an unqualified nitwit of the first order).

[Alex in Boca]

The NBA just can't compete with the NFL/MLB because the season is so long and you have many half ass franchises in small markets. I mean you get a couple of teams that generate buzz like the Heat and Celtics..but then you have the Charlotte Bobcats/Minnesota Timberwolves/Memphis Grizzlies/Indiana Pacers/Washington Wizards etc. Baseball is drawn out..but it goes through the whole summer when a lot of people have time off and make it a tradition to go to the park. Plus the mediocre teams in baseball like the Cubs and say the Mets have history..unlike what the NBA offers with the Grizzlies and company. And baseball ticket prices are often much more reasonable for folks than basketball tickets. The NFL is largely invulnerable when it comes to following due to the fact that people in America are football crazed. We only have 16 regular season games and we make sure to tune in/sometimes drive to the stadium. NBA is in a pickle. Rashard Lewis was making over 20 mil a year. THAT is the problem. Most are overpaid chumps.

[the shadow knows]

Alex in Boca,

glad to read that somebody else thinks that the NBA is a bunvh of junk teams made up of millionaires who have no concept of fundamentals and who violate evry one of what used to be the rules of basketball. aside from a favorite player or two- kevin love, tyler hansbrough, ty lawson- i find no reason to watch a bunch of joel anthony types who make up the majority of rosters on the majority of teams. i find the NCAA, once the conferences shed their patsies and start playing for real, a much better product- but even they are going the way of phantom fouls and overlooking the rulebook. i am biased towards UNC and this year they are loaded with talent and barrring a horrendous shooting night, should be in the last four.

[FZB]

NBA ?...What ever...

[Nik Shmenga]

If a few games have been cancelled from the seemingly endless NBA season, the players are clearly winning. The fans will manage just fine.

[Base Commander Ripper]

Kazaam, Good work soldier. Now maybe we can get the B-52s off the tarmac and do some good before it's half past too late....

[Lionel Mandrake]

General Jack,

I got this call last night from one of our regulars. The guy was clueless as to who BCR was. I'm afraid his Dr. Watson keen mind has been affected by so much fluoridation.

[Hare Hare, Hare Rama]

Have the Hare Krishnas showed up at Wall Street yet?

[Alex in Boca]

Florida will lose to Auburn and lose to Georgia in my opinion. Don't see them winning on the road at Auburn without Brantley starting and don't see them beating Georgia with how good Aaron Murray is.

[OC Dolphin]

We will soon find out whether or not Stephen Ross is as smart as Jim Irsay. Right about now even a blind man can spot the strategy. If you recall, last week I reported here that a source inside the Colts told me that Payton Manning had thrown his last pass. That medically, he would be risking paralysis if he insisted on continuing. This predicament is not lost with the owner who just recently suggested that drafting Luck is a possibility. Really, Mr. Irsay! Really?!

Perhaps Ross, your biggest roadblock to having back-to-back stud QBs has not caught on yet. He is after all trying so hard to produce wins for his team, and fails to see the bigger picture.

Dear Mr. Stephen Ross, OPEN YOUR EYES!!!!!!

http://leeinks.weei.com/sports/2011/10/11/colts-owner-says-indy-would-consider-drafting-andrew-luck

[david in los angeles]

so the NBA owners lock out the players because they want a system that GUARANTEES them profits?
sounds like socialism to me. these owners are pigs, and if they make bad business decisions, the players shouldn't have to pay for it..
of course, they could always revenue share from the pool of money they already have, (like hockey, baseball and football), but that would mean less money for them. they are pigs and they are denying fans the right to see games. this has NOTHING to do with the players.

[Naples Jack]

Who gives a shit about basketball. Shut it down for the year, who cares.

[Naples Jack]

i am convinced that if the the dolphins cant beat the Broncos, with this half assed so called QB, Tebow, they are in the tank for this season. He is the poorest excuse for a starting NFL QB these eyes have ever seen. You can not lose this game at home to this team with this guy as a QB.

[OC Dolphin]

I'm not taking ANY chances, Naples,

If I were Ross I would sign this guy up and MANDATE that he start in all remaining games.

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f133/jlg5377/2006/Skinnyguy.jpg

[Spiderman]

Am I the only guy who clicked on the brest link? There something about brests where I have to look at them.

[FZB]

David in LA and Naples Jack..agree on both your comments as far as the NBA, I really don't pay too much attention until after football season is over and only if its a big game..

OC...You would think the Dolphin brass would have the common sense to realize the Dolphins need a stud at QB, guarantee they will do everything to screw the Luck sweepstakes...Thses people have shit for brains, however I do like your suggestion of the scroanny looking dude, pretty funny I say old chap.

[OC Dolphin]

It's a no-brainer, FZB. In fact, let's put it up to those creative and crafty minds on this blog to come up with some suggestions that Mr. Ross can use to assure that the Dolphins attain the overall #1 draft pick for next year.

Naturally, there are some that are just plain given. Like Tom suggests, keeping coach dumb-dumb for the rest of the season, ditto for Ireland.

Here are a couple sure-fire loses right off the top of my head:

1. Have your secondaries say they are the best in the league...oh wait, they did that one already.
2. Rip all the plays right out of the playbook that do not call for going for three points.
3. Get rid of the last guy on the team who made it to the ProBowl and routinely obtained short yardage gains....hmm, did that one too...
4. Sell more part ownerships to celebrities.
5. Bring back Tom Olivadotti.
6. Leak a comment to the press that the team's next opponent is soft.
7. Encourage the team to party hard at South Beach every Saturday night.
8. Have two or three starting guys crack an official for no apparent reason. The suspensions should flow.
9. Bring back the orange unis.
10. Make Sparano coach without his sunglasses.

[OC Dolphin]

Yes sir! Whatever it takes, boys. We have to make this happen.

Are we men, or are we Devo!?

[the shadow knows]

mike1,

the two addditions to the USA futbol team, willams and brek shea have been really good for their first tries at international level futbol. so far it has been a fine match- tempo good but not a lot of shots on target. i would take clint dempsey on my team anytime at any level; he is by far the best player for the gringos and has the tenacity of a pitbull. his success in the EPL is no surprise and he is the epitome of american toughness and relentlessness.

[UMike]

I don't know HOW anyone can blame the OWNERS for the NBA lockout...they want to split the venenue 50/50, and the players want MORE? Un-f**king-believable!

The players ALREADY MAKE TOO MUCH MONEY, and now they want more! It's a simple case of GREED ON THE PLAYER'S PART, plain and simple.

They'd better get their act together soon or they'll all be playing in EUROPE!

They're already going to lose THOUSANDS of fans because of their GREED!

F**K ALL OF THEM! NONE of them care about the fans!!!

[the shadow knows]

mike1,

of course i am primed to seeel tri go against brazil with andres cantor doing the radio on 1020- i believe a mexican station that travels across the gulf and reaches us in miami. chicharito, neymar, dossantos, ronaldinho... ought to be a good, good match and a fine test of where this terrific team of mexicans is holding. saw that they were ranked #9 in the world by some organization, and it doesn't seem far fetched to me. at this point they are notches better than the USA on the rankings ladder.

also loved the CBS intro to the 1970 dalls/detroit playoff game, which a contributor on the youtube page correctly identified as ending up 5-0 dallas as it was played in a horrible rainstorm. detroit had a very good team- greg landry the running QB from massachusetts (university of), charlie sanders, altie taylor, lem barney and others. dallas had the team that lost to the colts in the SB on jim o'brien's kick.

[FZB]

OC....As I stated before, I have a really bad feeling with Dolphins management when it come to common sense...Everything they try to do basically turns to horse manour..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRSYhLn4RCI

[the bostonian]

What is manour? Silly Miamian, you can't spell. Gotta love 0-4!

[I am Kazaam]

This "Suck for Luck" thing is getting ridiculous.

Most Dolphins fans think back to 2007 and just assume that we can get the #1 pick by sucking huge donkey balls.

Few remember what it took to fail forward that fast. Saban defected, Ricky Williams was suspended, Chris Chambers was banished, Ted Ginn was the #1 WR, Zach Thomas was concussed, and Cleo Lemon was temping at the game's most important position. And even with all that the Dolphins would have been picking second if they had won just one more game.

I'm not saying it's wrong for Dolphins fans to root for them to lose, but this team has far more talent than the 2007 squad and this much optimism by Dolphins fans that we're going to catch a break and beat the odds by getting the #1 pick over Indy, Minnesota, Carolina, St. Louis, Arizona, Jacksonville, and Denver, just seems absurd.

Here's the cold hard reality: the Dolphins aren't good at sucking, they're good at being cursed.

Beat the Jets. What the f*ck.

[I am Kazaam]

http://www.midwestsportsfans.com/2011/10/nfl-suck-4-luck-power-rankings-week-6/

[Jimbo]

Cote, shouldn't you be in NYC covering the Wall Street protesters nonsensical behavior? This is classical.
The left tries to drag down the Tea Party publicly. Now they are trying to duplicate it's effectiveness by creating this group of nitwits wanting more "social justice" by redistributing others accomplishments.

[Ex Cane]

UM is ok with playing FAU, but wants nothing to with FIU. This confirms UM is scared of FIU, they want nothing to do with the best team in the conference, but have no problem playing the absolute worst team in the conference. UM's fear is blatantly obvious. They know FIU is for real, and their chances of losing against FIU are realistic whereas they have no concerns against FAU.

I guess this is where GREEN comes out to "educate" us, LOL.

"### A UM official said FIU pitched UM on a home-and-home football series, but the Hurricanes declined. FAU is a possibility for UM..."

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/sports-buzz/2011/10/fau-to-call-shannon-leach-fins-players-say-crowder-missed-plus-um-heat.html

[the shadow knows]

mike1,

missing the penalty shot is still keeping it a game. brazil is missing many top flight players but they are still brazil. it says here that el tri will spring chicharito for a goal and el tri will win 2-1.

[I am Kazaam]

I can save green the trouble (hopefully).

UM doesn't want to play FIU because the last time they played some cowardly lion body slammed UM's backup quarterback on an extra point and a brawl broke out that reflected poorly on the only university that the national audience had ever heard of.

UM isn't afraid to play anyone, but they sure as hell don't have an incentive to pay a half million dollars to put that particular cupcake on their schedule.

The best team in your conference lost to the worst team in ours. Have some perspective.

[Reality]

Let's see if your perspective holds once Duke beats UM.

Besides, the ACC refs were doing everything in their power to make sure FIU lost that game. FIU had more than double total yards. Duke was called for ONE single penalty, while FIU was called for TEN! Additionally, several of those whistles came AFTER FIU scored, disallowing 21 points. Every single noncall went Duke's way.

Even ESPN announcers said "this officiating crew is awfully suspect..." Its on ESPN3, feel free to waste your time since you having nothing better to do than stalk Greg's blog.

[I am Kazaam]

I'll get back to you November 6th Don Reality.

[the shadow knows]

mike1,

flop by neymar, fabulous free kick by ronaldinho and terrific play by the best man on the field, marcello. s very enjoyable game, even with el tri losing.

[OC Dolphin]

Kazaam,

That is just it, you nailed it perfectly. It is not about being the-same-old-dolphins. It is about stepping out away from familiar grounds. Let's put it this way. Let's say that you are a time traveler who finds himself in a poker match to win a free ride in the Titanic. Being a time traveler, you would know that if you won that poker pot that you would win a trip aboard. Would you go ahead and try to win that poker game knowing what lies ahead? I contend that only a Michigan grad would do so. It is incumbent upon all true Dolphins fans to make Mr. Michigan see the obvious.

[underpass duke]

Or maybe instead of beating the Jets they should just stay home & beat off. God do I have years of toxic sludge accumulated in my bile ducts towards this horribly inept franchise. Hello Dali, Hello Dali it's so good to have you back where you belong. Dissolving the Dolphins cursed, karmic wheel of sludge.

[OC Dolphin]

I think I have just come up with the perfect that will assure the #1 pick. Let's face it, Ross can't blatantly just tank it, Goodell and his fellow dweebs would just call him on it. So here's the thing. How does an owner demonstrate effort, yet guarantee last placement.

Answer: Send the team out on the field dressed with regular uniforms but also wearing aqua tutus. Just Perfect. The humiliation alone will cause them to down-perform even less than what they are currently doing. Can you imagine!?

Hey, if you're the owner, you can pretty much do whatever it is you deem necessary to land the #1 pick. If Ross f**ks up that opportunity he pretty much announces to the entire world that he is not worthy of being an NFL owner.

[mike1]

Shadow,

If you didn't watch the Brazil-Mexico game on ESPN2, you missed a treat. They FINALLY found a commentator who was great. I did not catch his name, but I'm going to write in to ESPN that I completely approve and they need to keep this guy. ..and then I won't have to watch in Spanish!

He's a foreigner with slightly broken English. He has sharp commentary; sometimes funny, and he does the goaaaal. His sidekick was ok too, but this guy standsout.

[mike1]

Shadow,

This was a huge day. 12 of the teams are now known for Euro 2012. 4 more will be determined in playoffs in November. Can you believe that Estonia, Bosnia and Montenegro (600k pop.) all have a shot? Unfortunately, the playoffs will be seeded and they will be facing teams like Turkey, Croatia, Portugal.

Bosnia was sooo close to winning in France today and being the automatic qualifier. ..they gave up a late PK. I'd love to see the foul; based on how France got the Henry handball goals that there could be some suspicious officiating.

More progress in World Cup 2014 qualifying for Asia, South America, and CONCACAF.

Can you believe Argentina was beaten by Venezuela... and Canada was held by Puerto Rico?

In case you want to see all the scores from today, here is the link..just click on Tuesday.
US Virgian Islands got spanked again

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/scores?league=all&cc=5901

[david in los angeles]

redistributing others accomplishments? you mean theft, right?
i guess socialism is bad when we're trying to take care of poor people, but it's acceptable when wall street uses it's money and influence to deregulate, gamble with OUR money, and when they lose get bailed out by us to the sum of trillions? if you're cool with that, jimbo, so be it.
i hope everyone takes to the streets once they realize how corporations with the help of both major parties have ruined this country.
FU$K em all.
UMmike, the owners are lying. it isn't a 50-50 split; it's actually 40% with incentives. the players already make 57%. why should they agree to less when each 7 point is 40 million? they actually agreed to take 53%, but the pig owners said no. they spend foolishly and don't want to bear responsibility for it? memphis and oklahoma city both made it deep in the playoofs being wise with their money. how many business owners have the gall to request guaranteed profitability? anyone who thinks the owners are right is a moron..
how many business owners have the gall to request guaranteed profitability?

[Tom]

Soccer? Really mike1? Really? Shit. Will someone please pass the duct tape so I can wrap my head to keep it from exploding.

Sorry mike1. You too shadow. But this soccer shit is making my head explode.

One a brighter note, the Dolphins are almost the odds on favorite for the #1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft. Jacksonville is #32 and Miami is #31.

http://www.oddschecker.com/american-football/nfl/superbowl/winner

But with our "luck", which is no LUCK at all, our team will ff it up and end up with the 2nd pick.....and take an offensive tackle to back up Jake Long.

[SalvationTweet]

Walk with Me and I will take care of You !

[the shadow knows]

Tom,

if "soccer" is giving you headaches, how about post after post about how the dolphins suck, posturing to draft andrew luck, firing sparano, politics, NBA lockouts...

as a longtime contributor to our post, the banter between mike1 and is really old news and whilenot being stateside when the women of the USA made their run towards the WC for dukes, i am sure that there were plenty of posts regarding their almost winning the WC for carpetmunchers.

futbol is the most popular sport in the world which mike and i enjoy at the various levels- club, champions league, euro 2012, WC 2014 which all take place simultaneously, and keep the afficianado busy.

keep in mind that there are beloved blogmates who could give a rat's ass about baseball, the NHL, and the NBA- me for one- and i and mike1 find the goings on in futbol to be really interesting. why don't you check out a real rivalry- man u and liverpool- to see a crowd into the game and a rivalry over 100 years old (probably). or does carolina versus jacksonville move you, each about twenty years into their existence.

[the shadow knows]

Tom,

jacksonville and carolina started playing in 1995. what was bizarre was that i believe one year soon after their creation both got into the conference finals and had they both won there would have been an "expansion super bowl".

[the shadow knows]

TALKING ABOUT EXPLODING HEADS:

draft tracking four games into the season, my good friend, Tom? worrying about a draft that is 6 MONTHS AWAY OVER THE POSSIBILTY OF GETTING ANDREW LUCK? that is real exciting stuff there, buddy.

[the shadow knows]

mike1,

andres cantor didn't do the radio, so i listened to the announcers on ESPN 2, and agree that they had a duo that called the game properly. even though brazil was missing some important pieces, they are still brazil and have loads of talent. neymar dives a lot, one of which set up the terific kick by ronaldinho, and the effort by marcello a few minutes later was a well-earned goal; i though he was the best player in the match. but the announcers stated something about the coach not liking him; what's not to like about a guy who is non-stop and ferocious on the pitch? make him an american or a mexican and those teams would be 25% better!

[I am Kazaam]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xLn-X8YJRg

[OC Dolphin]

I would rather read about the most trivial, insignificant, superfluous tidbit of anything football than whether man-ray is a kind of team or some protruding forehead Okie who introduces himself as - Me man Ray.

[FZB]

I watched the Oklahoma and Texas game on saturday...This kid Landry Jones is damn good, if we don't win the Luck sweepstakes this guy would not be bad consolation prize.

[Naples Jack]

Dave in LA- Stop with this nonesense that the NBA owners are pigs. If you want to talk about pigs, look at some of the scumbags that are playinging the game. They should have a salary cap like the NFL. No guaranteed contracts, earn your money like everyone else in society. Socialist, is that what you tell every club owner where you perform at in LA? I doubt it.

[I am Kazaam]

Because everyone else in society agrees to work without a contract and any semblance of job security?

[I am Kazaam]

There are no good guys or bad guys in the NBA lockout. Frankly they need to stay locked out because their overall business model doesn't work and they're still bickering over insignificant things like percentages.

Here's the only percentage that matters: the NBA is 100% star-driven. Most of the players currently on rosters are replaceable but the dozen or so that aren't are the reason that people pay to watch these teams play.

Old timers like Shadow may lament the lack of fundamentals and the quick whistles and pine for the old peach basket days but the NBA is what it is and isn't going back anytime soon.

Not one time in my 6 years as a Heat season ticket holder have I regretted having those tickets because no matter how the team's doing, I know I can take some girl who doesn't care at all about the NBA and she's going to experience at least one moment where Dwyane Wade does something incredible and the crowd goes crazy.

Teams without a superstar are not viable. They lose money because there aren't enough Shadows out there that want to pay to watch them play.

The NBA needs to either drop teams or spread the wealth that the superstars bring in but a 3% shift in revenue from owners to players isn't going to change anything.

[I am Kazaam]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPVzvf3nPxQ

[James Naismith]

brother shadow, these young whippersnappers don't seem to appreciate the simple things in life. They are all to busy running around in those horseless buggy contraptions.

[Director of HEAD]

Fellow comrade,

You are hereby ordered to attend this evening's basketball match between our magnificent amateur and glorious state athletes and those professional capitalist pigs from America. You will assemble at Revolution Square precisely at 5:00 p.m., where you will be driven to the Palacio de el Pin**do on one of our vintage 1959 buses.

When you arrive make sure to check in with the committee leader who will check off your name and fit you into a red T-shirt with our beloved Che's image. Please return the shirt after the match as it will be reused next Wednesday at the reception of our socialist friend and ally, Hugo Chavez.

As always, please remember that failure to attend will greatly affect your food allocation for the month.

Sincerely,

Director of Human Experience and Diversion.

[FZB]

mmmm...I see the "comunistas" are out in force today, it reminds me of when I was a little lad
in Cuba.

Kazaam, You are correct in your assessment of the NBA, this is indeed a star driven league and Sterns needs to realize there are way too many teams...They need to lose about ten of them.

[Alex in Boca]

You're wrong. The last time FIU and Miami played wasn't the brawl game. They played the following year (2007) as well. And it really doesn't matter but FIU won that fight. Miami was doing chicken sh*t things the whole time (Reddick hitting someone with his helmet, Meriweather trying to stomp someone on the ground, etc). Fought like a bunch of bitches. I call it how I see it. If you want to throw down you throw down like a man. Andre Johnson fighting Finnegan is a good example.

[Go Rangers!]

Excellent post Alex in Boca

[Pig Lover for Change]

David in LA- If you were worth your bragging rights musically the Corporate pigs would be breaking the bank to sponsor you.

[Hopey Chaney]

We could Change the World by redistributing Work Ethic

[Chaineys Dick]

Hopey, your asking a lot of those young'ens. You know, work and all that.

[Canesfan02]

Couldn't agree more Alex in Boca, great post!

[Tom]

shadow

Just for the record, I was being facetious about soccer. Although soccer bores me to tears, I understand that some people like watching paint dry. And then writing and talking about what they saw.

On a brighter note, the Dolphins did not lose this past week. So we got that going for us.

[Alex in Boca]

Bored so how about the 10 juiciest quotes in Miami sports history:

10) Santana Moss: "Big time players step up in big games"
9) Keith Jackson: "Missed it to the right!"
8) Mark Redman saying during the Steve Bartman game: "Let's make him famous"
7) Kellen Winslow: "F*ckin soldier"
6) Mercury Morris: "Don't call me when you're in my town, call me when you're on my block and I see you next door moving your furniture in"
5) Ed Reed: "I put my heart into this sh*t"
4) Shaq: "I'm gonna bring a championship to Miami I promise"
3) Mandich: "ALLLLLLLLRIGHHHHHHHHT!"-many occasions
2) Livan Hernandez: "I love you Miami"
1) LeBron: "taking my talents to South Beach"

[Deep Throat]

Marc Anthony "Hey babe which pair of Greco-Roman sandals should I wear to the Dolphin game tonight?"
JLo "The brown ones I just bought you!"

[Ray Finkle]

Laces out DAN

[Rick]

I still say that Dempsey had the longest field goal, by half a foot.

[david in los angeles]

hey pig lover? i AM sponsored by every facet of my industry. that would be a drum company (ludwig), a cymbal company (zildjian), and sticks( vater).
i get them all for free. annoying, huh?
it's because my talent and experience have earned that privilege. what have YOU ever done professionally to warrant such accolades?
....... we're all waiting......
next time you decide to write something ignorant, post your real name so i can make fun of you FOR REAL.
and naples, my old rightie, i tell the club owners nothing.
for one thing, my work takes me to venues all over the world, and my money is negotiated in advance, by a manager sometimes, for AS MUCH MONEY AS I CAN GET. there's no salary cap in the music business, or any OTHER business.
much like our maligned NBA players.
if i'm replaced, or i lose the job, i don't get paid anymore.
if an artist like edgar winter, for example, (who i HAVE toured with), decides to guarantee my money and tenure of employment that's up to HIM. in the NBA, the careers are incredibly shorter than the real world. guaranteed contracts protect players and also prevent owners from making reckless moves. they need to be held accountable and need to be thoughtful in making those decisions. that isn't such a bad thing, especially when the players offered to make the contracts shorter.

[david in los angeles]

the soft cap makes it possible for players to remain with the teams that drafted them, and still make more money.
when there's a cap on owners profits, then i'll be happy to see a HARD cap on what the players can make.. why should the players have a limit on what they earn, but not the owners??

[I am Kazaam]

Edgar Winter is Hitler.

[dukie]

Johnny Winter is Hitler

[david in los angeles]

kazam! you're fired!

[The Truth]

Per Greg's colleague Barry Jackson in today's Herald...

"...With his defense struggling badly, UM coach Al Golden twice this week has made a public appeal to high-school recruits who are listening: “If you’re a young guy and you want to play for a top 40 institution, in the defensive line, linebacker and secondary, there’s a great opportunity to play early” here...."

Wow Al, way to publicly talk poorly about your CURRENT defensive line, linebackers and secondary. Way to motivate your team.

Excellent leadership. lol

[OC Dolphin]

Greg,

I like the idea of Tim Tebow playing the Bruce Willis character in the Die Hard movies. Make it a package deal and you could play the role of the chubby cop eating the Twinkies.

[I am Kazaam]

Too early?

You haven't seen any UM games this year have you?

[I am Kazaam]

Cote would be the Samuel L. Jackson character who figures out how to transfer water between jugs to keep them from exploding.

Except obviously he'd blow it.

[OC Dolphin]

Are you kidding? Just look at that mug up, left corner. That face has Twinkies written all over it!

[Tom]

Hey Shadow and mike1

I'm going to give soccer another try after reading this article

"Scientists show there's nothing boring about watching paint dry"

http://www.physorg.com/news200587501.html

[OC Dolphin]

hahaha... nice one Tom.

I tell ya, with the sad state of Miami sports being what it is, all that is left is just to laugh.