Greg Cote's Random Evidence of a Cluttered Blog

5 reasons why Game 1 win should have Heat fans feeling cockier than ever; plus biggest threat to Heat (poll) & much more

1) It is MONDAY, APRIL 22. Thanks to all of today's live blog chatters. We do it Mondays from 1-2 p.m. Now I'm back in The Herald's Mock Draft Laboratories today birthing my annual M.D. Details to come. 2) Somewhere, Ryan Tannehill is smiling as Darrelle Revis is traded from Jets to Bucs. 3)  "Stay white, Miami!" --Micky Arison, 2006. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Dolphins schedule and forecast, NBA first-round odds and picks, Branden Albert, Brittney Griner. 5) Join us on Twitter @agregcote.

FIVE REASONS HEAT FANS SHOULD BE COCKIER THAN EVER: Ebulllient joy should be raging across the area after last night's 110-87 Game 1 rout of Milwaukee in the first-round playoff series. Heat fans should be cockier than Stephen A. Smith because of these five reasons:

1. LeBron James is so good it's frightening. Last night he scored 27 points on 11 shots. Is that even possible? Bucks cach Jim Boylan: "The guy is the best player in the world, so what can you do?" Bucks guard Brandon Jennings: "You fall asleep out there because you're so worried about what LeBron's gonna do." Dwyane Wade: "LeBron is in playoff mode. We like him like that."

2. Heat is now bigger than just the Big 3: D-Wade was quiet with 16 points, Chris Bosh took only seven shots and it hardly mattered. Miami no longer is a team that needs all of the Big 3 to be 'on.' As James said, "We have so many threats on the floor now, it allows me to play without stress." That stress is transferred to the opponent, because...

3. Bench and depth make Miami better: This year's new weapons, Ray Allen and fan favorite Chris "Birdman" Andersen, combined for 30 of the team's 42 bench points. Former key reserves like James Jones and Joel Anthony are stuck to the bench now. Mike Miller didn't even play last night.

4. Confidence is at an all-time high: Winning it all last year, the record-setting regular season this year. LeBron's MVP season and last night's spar from Allen/Andersen combine to make this team, right now, feeling better about itself than it ever has.

5. Milwaukee poses no threat: Heat can ease though this series and use it to hit a stride for bigger tests ahead because the Bucks, after guards Jennings and Monta Ellis, have no real third scoring threat. I mean, the center is Larry Sanders. What the hell is HBO's Garry Shandling doing as a starting center!?

* Click Milwaukee No Match for my column off Game 1. Click The Best Got Better for my column in our Heat postseason preview section. Click Random Evidence for our Sunday notes column leading with Heat playoffs and Dolphins draft making it an exciting time for Miami fans.

Heat introduce new playoff song, "Wade in the Water": Click on Wade in the Water to hear Heat's new playoff anthem, featuring the lyric, "Wade in the water, he gonna trouble the water..." 'Trouble the water,' of course, is street slang for create havoc or, in this case, dominate the postseason. OK that's the premise here. The real story: Wade in the Water is a 1950s gospel song by the Staple Singers (pictured). To imagine this old spiritual being played in the arena as pump-up music is (at least to me) funny.

G1: HEAT 110, MILWAUKEE 87: LEBRON'S 27 LEAD PLAYOFF-OPENING WIN: LeBron James' 27 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists led Miami in Game 1. It was close for awhile but the champions pulled away. Heat enjoyed 43 bench points, including 20 from Ray Allen, and showed last night why it is better than last season. Allen and Chris "Bird" Andersen, the two new players, played major roles. Dwyane Wade was quiet and Chris Bosh took only seven shots, but it didn't matter. Mike Miller couldn't get off the bench Sunday night. ..... Original post: Milwaukee's Brandon Jennings promised the Bucks would win this series in six games. The number of people in the United States who truly believe that could convene in the bed of a Ford F-150 pickup truck and not be particularly crowded. Miami is a prohibitive betting favorite not just to win this first-round series but to win four games in a row starting with Game 1 here tonight at 7; odds of a sweep are 4-to-5. The intrigue in this series, for me, is to see how coach Erik Spoelstra's starting lineup and rotation shake out after the Big 3 of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and steady fourth starter Mario Chalmers. Will the fifth man be Udonis Haslem? Shane Battier? What will be Mike Miller's role? Will the basic rotation be pared to nine or even eight? Might we see an April Surprise such as big minutes for Joel Anthony? The better question for the moment: Can the Bucks avoid a four-game sweep? I say no. Pictured left: What arriving fans will see at the arena tonight. Pictured right: A deer in the headlights.

WHAT TEAM IS THE BIGGEST THREAT TO A HEAT REPEAT?: Sorry, but "nobody" isn't an available answer. Heat fans have a right to be confident/cocky with Miami a 5-to-8 betting favorite to repeat. But somebody out there poses the biggest eventual challenge, whether it's Carmelo Anthony's Knicks in the East, perhaps the Thunder or Spurs out West ... or someone else. We might all agree the answer is most likely not Milwaukee, but after that, who? Take a dip in our poll and say why. A number of the early votes are saying "somebody else." Curious who you mean. Indiana? L.A. Clippers? Share.

Heat beyond prohibitive first-round favorites: Miami is a 1-to-250 betting favorite to advance past this first round, according to Bovada. That's insane. Next biggest favorite is Oklahoma City at 1-20. Heat individual over/unders on series averages are LeBron James 27.5 points, Dwyane Wade 21.5 and Chris Bosh 16.0. For Milwaukee it's Monta Ellis 19.5 and Brandon Jennings 16.5.

THE LIST: HEAT PLAYOFF HISTORY: This is the first time Miami has faced Milwaukee in the postseason, making Bucks the 15th different opponent Miami has met. Heat playoff opponents, ranked by total number of postseason games:

Games   Opp.   Heat W-L (Series)   Years

29      NY Knicks         15-14 (2-3)     97-98-99-00-12

26      CHI Bulls            9-17 (2-4)     92-96-97-06-07-11

17      BOS Celtics        9-8 (2-1)       10-11-12

16      DET Pistons      10-6 (2-1)      00-05-06

12      IND Pacers         6-6 (1-1)      04-12

12      DAL Mavericks   6-6 (1-1)      06-11

12      ATL Hawks        5-7 (0-2)      94-09

9        NJ Nets             8-1 (2-0)      05-06

7        NO Hornets       4-3 (1-0)      04

5        OKC Thunder     4-1 (1-0)       12

5        PHI 76ers          4-1 (1-0)       11

5        ORL Magic        3-2 (1-0)       97

4        WAS Wizards    4-0 (1-0)      05

3        CHA Hornets     0-3 (0-1)      01

NOTE: Heat's six seven-games series have been in 1997 (Won/Knicks); 2000 (Lost/Knicks); 2004 (Won/Hornets); 2005 (Lost/Pistons); 2009 (Lost/Hawks); and 2012 (Won/Celtics).

THE LIST II: HEAT PLAYOFF RECORDS: Individual Heat postseason game records in eight major statistical categories across the franchise's 25-year history:

Category       Record     Player               Set

Points             46       Dwyane Wade     2010 vs. BOS

Field goals      19       LeBron James     2012 vs. BOS

Free throws    21        Dwyane Wade    2006 vs. DAL

3-pointers        7        Damon Jones '05 v. NJ & Mike Miller '12 v. OKC

Rebounds       20       Rony Seikaly '94 v. ATL & Shaq. O'Neal '06 v. CHI

Assists          15         Dwyane Wade     2005 vs. WAS

Steals             6         LeBron James    2012 vs. IND

Blocks             9         Alonzo Mourning  2000 vs. DET

Click back. Will be updating/adding to this latest blogpost...

Happy New Year! Heat championship named 2012 Miami sports story of year, but Nos. 2-3-4 a dead heat

[1) It is TUESDAY, JANUARY 1. Happy New Year, everybody! 2) Find results of season-final Dolfan Satisfaction Meter poll in blogpost directly below this. 3) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]

HEAT CHAMPIONSHIP DOMINATES AS 2012 MIAMI SPORTS STORY OF YEAR: We asked you previously to name the year's top national sports story and you did (results at bottom of this blogpost). Now we asked you to select the 2012 Miami  sports story of the year, and of 16 choices the Heat's LeBron James-led NBA title won clearly with 22.3 percent. I personally chose the Top 16 local stories of the year and invited you to pick your top five (5). The consensus of all of you would shape what the biggest or most significant story was and set the order. I had an order in mind but our list below and in the poll is chronological so you won't be unduly influenced by somebody else's ranking. The real race was for second place, with the opening of the Marlins' new ballpark (12.6%) edging the Dolphins drafting Ryan Tannehill and the Marlins' latest fire sale (both 12.5%). Here is a brief synopsis of the contenders, followed by the poll...

Orange Bowl Game Sets Records (January): Miramar's Geno Smith leads West Virginia past Clemson, 70-33, record for points in bowl game.

Dolphins Hire Joe Philbin (January): Miami hires Green Bay's offensive coordinator, never before a head coach, to lead its new era.

Dolphins Trade Brandon Marshall (March): Team trades talented but mercurial receiver to Bears for two third-round draft picks.

WGC Golf At Doral (March): England's Justin Rose wins annual World Golf Championship event on Doral's Blue Monster course.

Peyton Manning Turns Down Dolphins (March): Miami seeks Manning in free agency, is seen as early frontrunner, but loses him to Denver.

Sony Ericcson Tennis (March): Novak Djokovic and Agnieszka Radwanska win title in sport's "fifth major" on Key Biscayne. 

Miami Hosts Wrestlemania (April): WWE's 28th Wrestlemania is hosted by South Florida for first time, held at Dolphins stadium.

Marlins New Stadium Debuts (April): Opening night had glitches, but team finally had new downtown ballpark after years of failed efforts.

Guillen/Castro Controversy (April): Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen compliments Fidel Castro, enrages Cuban Miami, gets 5-game ban.

Panthers Make NHL Playoffs (April): Hockey club ends league's longest drought, qualifies for Stanley Cup playoffs for first time since 2000. 

Dolphins Draft Ryan Tannehill (April): Miami spends first-round draft pick (8th overall) on a quarterback for first time since Dan Marino in '83.

Heat Wins NBA Championship (June): MVP LeBron James leads Miami past Oklahoma City for his elusive first NBA title, city's second.

Guillen Fired After Nightmare Year (October): Marlins fire manager, hire Mike Redmond, after big payroll and high hopes end in last place.

Marlins' Latest Fire Sale (November): Stars Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson and others shipped to Toronto in a blatant cost-cutting that angers fans. 

Homestead Ends NASCAR Year (November): Star Jeff Gordon wins race but Brad Keselowski owns day, capturing first NASCAR season title.

Hurricanes Self-Impose Bowl Ban (November): UM removes self from second straight bowl, awaits NCAA sanctions in Nevin Shapiro probe.

Postscript: No, I didn't forget about Marlins on The Franchise or Dolphins on Hard Knocks; those made-for-TV dramas just didn't make the cut. (This was going to be a Top 15, but I decided to include Wrestlemania for a bit of serendipity!). Did I leave anything out? Should I have included FIU firing Mario Cristobal?

Vote-percentage explainer: We invite readers to vote for as many as five choices in the above poll. If all voters cast the maximum five votes, the highest overall percentage for any one story would be 20 percent. The Heat-championship count of more than 20 percent means that story is being included in a vast majority of top fives and also garnering votes of those who opt to choose fewer than five stories.

Poll result: Penn State scandal named 2012's top national story: In the previous blogpost I let you vote on The Associated Press list of the year's Top 10 national sports stories (you may still vote), and the Penn State/Jerry Sandusky scandal was named the biggest with 31.3 percent, followed by the London Olympics with 16.8% and Lance Armstrong's fall from grace with 11.8%. Rounding out the top five were Peyton Manning's resurgence (9.2) and Saints' Bountygate (8.5).

Check back often to monitor evolving results in our year-end Miami poll...

Here are Top 10 national sports stories of 2012. You pick the biggest. Poll. Vote now!; plus NFL/Dolphins predix & more

[1) It is FRIDAY, DEC. 28. Dolphins rule injured WR Davone Bess out of Sunday's finale at New England. 2) Dwyane Wade's one-game groin-kick suspension without pay will cost him $154,764. I'm thinking of taking up a collection for him. Telethon, maybe? 3) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]

YOU PICK THE 2012 NATIONAL SPORTS STORY OF THE YEAR: The top 10 stories below are from The Associated Press annual ranking. However I have listed them alphabetically in the poll, not in 1-through-10 order, so your vote will be more independent and not influenced by The AP's rank. A synopsis:

Lance Armstrong: 7-time Tour de France champ stripped of titles.

College Football Playoffs: Finally! NCAA approved playoffs for 2014.

Giants Win Super Bowl: Once 7-7, New York surges to championship.

London Olympics: Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt lead summer gold rush.

Peyton Manning Resurgence: QB stages a huge comeback in Denver.

NFL Concussions: Health and long-term risk at issue as lawsuits fly.

NFL Replacement Officials: Labor strife settled after Week3 debacle.

Penn State/Jerry Sandusky: Conviction, penalties in sordid scandal.

Saints 'Bountygate': Penalties ruin season, embroil NFL in controversy.

Pat Summitt: Winningest women's hoops coach retires with dementia.

Disclaimer: My own list would be a bit different. I definitely would have included the Heat's LeBron James-led NBA championship, for example. But that'll get its due soon enough when we bring you 2012's Greater Miami Top 10 Sports Stories, also with a poll. Might have added the NHL lockout, too. Anyway, for now, we invite you to vote for your top three (3) national stories of the past year from The AP list and say why. Then check back often to monitor the evolving results:

NFL PREDIX: DOLPHINS' COLD END IN FOXBOROUGH: Miami will play New England tough Sunday, beating the point spread but not the Patriots. The 27-20 final will end Miami's season at 7-9. Click on Week 17 Gems for all our latest NFL predictions -- including a surprise in the big Cowboys-Redskins playoff play-in game. And click on Pro Bowl A Fair Mirror for our Friday page notes column leading with the notion Miami's lone PB pick is no travesty, it's a pretty accurate reflection of the team's lack of impact talent.

Poll result: Receiver in a landslide as Dolphins' greatest need: We asked in a previous blogpost for your choice as Miami's greatest need in free agency or the draft, and wide receiver thoroughly dominated with 83.6 percent, followed by cornerback 8.8%, pass rusher 5.5% and something else 2.1%.

HEAT BIG 5 @... SKIPS A TURN: Blog housekeeping note: Our "Heat Big 5 @" series, bringing you the team's most productive players at five-game intervals, skipped the "@ 25 games" interval. Oops. Blame the holidays! Look for the feature's return @ 30 games. Thanks.   

Click back. Will be updating/adding to this latest blogpost...

Blog exclusive: Dolphins' next finalists for Honor Roll (with poll, vote now); plus prez debate, NFL pix 'n fantasy, SOPY rankings & more

[1) It is WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17. Beyonce (left) will be the next Super Bowl halftime performer as two teams try to put a ring on it. I like dat! 2) See results of latest Dolfan Satisfaction Meter (a season best) in blogpost directly below this new one. 3) Visit our video channel at YouTube/TheGregCote and join us on Twitter @gregcote]

Debate Night in America: A presidential rebound: I thought Barack Obama edged Mitt Romney in their 2.0 debate last night. Thought Romney clearly won first debate. Thought the prez bounced back to win last night. Question: What's scarier: An Obama pumpkin (right)? Or Paul Ryan making a sham of a soup-kitchen photo-op?

BLOG EXCLUSIVE!: HERE'S WHO DOLPHINS ARE CONSIDERING NEXT FOR HONOR ROLL: You know that Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas are newly minted as the 23rd and 24th members of the club's stadium Honor Roll. (Click on An Example For All for the latest column by me on what Taylor/Thomas can teach the current team). Now we'll tell you, from a club source, who the finalists are to be inducted next. One or two are likely to be added as soon as next year, and you can help the club decide in this poll. Vote for as many as three (3) but only vote for players you feel are Honor Roll-worthy. Let us know if you think none are, or if you think someone isn't on the list but should be. The 10-man list includes three Super Bowl-era players (Manny Fernandez, Mercury Morris and Garo Yepremian) and five more recent players (Tim Bowens, Bryan Cox, Sam Madison, O.J. McDuffie and John Offerdahl), along with former owner Wayne Huizenga and longtime radio voice Rick Weaver. (Scroll to bottom of this post for a complete list of current Honor Roll indutees). Who should be next? My vote: O.J. McDuffie and John Offerdahl. No sure anyone else rises to the measure. The older players might, but they're adequately encompassed by the '72 team being on the Roll. OK, that's me. Your turn. Remember, you may vote here for as many as three. Let's do it!

Poll result: Wildly mixed opinions on Jeff Ireland: We asked in a recent blogpost if you thought criticism of Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland was excessive, and 40.2 percent said yes, 42.4% said no, and 17.4% were undecided. I actually take that as a fairly positive result for Ireland.

NFL PIX 'N FANTASY: I picked the San Diego Chokers and Philip "The Pick" Rivers to win Monday night. Not that I'm bitter or anything! NFL predix: Rough week. Aren't they all? Nailed my Upset of the Week with Packers over Texans ("Aawwk!"), had another outright upset with Browns over Bengals, had 'dog Lions and Giants with the points, and still managed only 8-6 overall and 6-8 vs. the spread. Greg's Lobos: Yay. My fantasy team woke up and won 140-135 to improve to 2-4. Lobos got a huge 50 from Aaron Rodgers but needed 12 from Ryan Mathews on Monday night to eke out the win.

BASEBALL UPDATE: WE ARE ALL TIGERS: Anti-Yankees Nation exalts, cartwheels and dances a merry jig! Tigers leads ALCS by 3-0 now after last night and can clinch it back in Detroit tonight. Motown is only one of four finalists whose fans haven't cheered a World Series title lately so Tigers advancing feels right even beyond the NYY hatred factor. (Having said that, I do feel bad for Derek Jeter's injury). In the NLCS its Cards-Giants tied 1-1 with series resuming today at 4 in STL.

BROWNS FAN DUNKS HEAD IN BUCKET OF URINE: Well, I guess that headline about says it all. Click here to watch if you are not weak of stomach. 

SOPY RANKINGS (WEEK 7): FSU'S MANUEL STORMS TO LEAD: This college football season marks the blog debut of our weekly State Offensive Player of the Year (SOPY) rankings, which I like to call the "Sunshine State Heisman." Our chart encompasses the most productive seasons of any quarterback, running back or receiver from the state's seven FBS teams: Miami, Florida and FSU, FIU and FAU, and South Florida and UCF. (Note: Rankings consider only passing, rushing and receiving, not returns). Our formula awards one point per offensive yard gained running or receiving and a half-point per yard passing, plus six bonus points for touchdowns thrown or scored. Because our rankings are cumulative, players on a bye week take a temporary hit that evens out over course of season. After Week 7 it's Florida State's E.J. Manuel (pictured) bounding into the lead. The SOPY Top 10 entering Week 8:

Rank (LW)     Player, Team-pos.     SOPY Pts. Week=Year

1 (3)     E.J. Manuel, FSU-qb   248.5 = 1,178

2 (2)     Stephen Morris, Miami-qb     123.5 = 1,140.5

3 (1)     B.J. Daniels, South Florida-qb     BYE = 1,113   

4 (4)     Chris Thompson, FSU-rb     95 = 871

5 (5)     Blake Bortles, UCF-qb     137 = 845

6 (6)     Jake Medlock, FIU-qb     203 = 819.5

7 (9)     Jeff Driskel, Florida-qb     233.5 = 792

8 (7)     Mike Gillislee, Florida-rb     79 = 683

9 (8)     Duke Johnson, Miami-rb     47 = 646

10 (--)     Graham Wilbert, FAU-qb     129.5 = 590

Bubble: Mike James, Miami-rb, 571

State of the State rankings: 1. Florida (6-0); 2. FSU (6-1); 3. Miami (4-3); 4. UCF (4-2); 5. South Florida (2-4); 6. FAU (1-5); 7. FIU (1-6).

THE LIST: DOLPHINS HONOR ROLL: The 24 inductees onto the Honor Roll in chronological order:

1990: Joe Robbie, Larry Csonka, Bob Griese, Jim Langer, Paul Warfield. 1991: Nick Buoniconti. 1992: 1972 Undefeated Team. 1993: Larry Little. 1994: Dwight Stephenson. 1995: Bob Kuechenberg. 1996: Don Shula. 1999: Nat Moore. 2000: Dan Marino. 2003: Mark Clayton, Mark Duper. 2006: Dick Anderson, Richmond Webb. 2008: Bob Baumhower, Doug Betters. 2010: Jake Scott, Bill Stanfill. 2011: Jim Mandich. 2012: Jason Taylor, Zach Thomas. [Note: Selection committee consists of retired players Csonka, Griese, Marino and Moore, club president Mike Dee and owner Stephen Ross].

Click back. Will be updating/adding to this latest blogpost. I swear...

G7: Heat 101, Celtics 88: Big 3 huge as Miami roars back into NBA Finals! Plus, should Bosh start or remain weapon off bench in Finals? Vote now (with poll)

[1) It is Monday, June 11. Dolphins will audition free-agent WR Chad Ochocinco. 2) 'I'll Have Another' burst from the equine infirmary and, limping, heroically won the Belmont Stakes and Triple Crown. Then I woke up and saw that 'Union Rags' won. 3) Watched French Open women's final. Gruntfest. Sounded like both players were giving birth on every shot. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]

POLL: Should Bosh start or remain a weapon off the bench in Finals? Vote now!: That question will have some traction over the next couple of days so we present it here. It will have traction because, in his postgame interview at about 12:30 a.m. this morning, LeBron James, lauding Chris Bosh's 19 points Saturday, said: "We haven't had that activity, that firepower off the bench since we got here. It may be good for us." Coach Erik Spoelstra will have an interesting decision to make. Not sure he can go wrong, either way, especially with the non-diva Bosh amenable to either role. I'd be tempted to not mess with what's working. Now it's your turn to guide Spoelstra's decision. Vote now and say why. [Game 7 post is directly below the poll].

G7: HEAT 101, CELTICS 88: BIG 3 POPS FOR 73 POINTS; OKLAHOMA CITY ON DECK: "Good job, good effort!," to coin a phrase. Click on Big 3, Indeed for my later-version column off the huge Game 7 triumph. LeBron James continued his stellar postseason with 31 points, Dwyane Wade had 23 and sparked the fourth-quarter surge, and Chris Bosh had a sparkplug 19 off the bench including three three-pointers. How's that, OK? This was the Big 3 Miami imagined in 2010 when this thing came together. This is the Big 3 capable of leading a championship team. Finals start Tuesday in Oklahoma City. Yee haw! Original post: Even though the prize of an NBA Finals appearance vs. Oklahoma City is at stake, the psychology of human nature suggests the Heat will think its heavy lifting in these Easten Conference finals is done and that tonight will be something approaching automatic. That winning Game 6 in Boston was the tough part, and that Game 7 at home tonight will be a comparative breeze. Coach Erik Spoelstra will passionately preach otherwise to his team today, but it will be up to Heat players to believe it enough to match the Leprechauns' presumed desperate energy, especially early, when the game's tone gels. Miami's Game 7 theme already was evident an hour after the last win in Boston, when Dwyane Wade said looking ahead, "Nothing is promised to us." It should not take another 45 points from MVP LeBron James tonight. (Which is not the same as saying it might not). More from the balance of the Big 3, Wade and Chris Bosh, would be nice -- say, 45 combined from them? Also could use a non-B3 to step up into double figures. (Talking to you, Mario Chalmers, Udonis Haslem, Mike Miller or Shane Battier). Give LeBron a break, in other words. A little help. He didn't need much in the way of scoring help with that superhuman Game 6 performance. Chances are he might tonight.

Quick aside on the soda and LeBron: Hate to spoil the fun of my media brethren who have enjoyed dramatically writing and saying that LeBron James had a soda dumped on him by a Celtics fan after Game 6, but it didn't really happen. Not quite. The soda hit the left shoulder and arm of David Holcombe, the Heat's director of team security walking beside James. A drop or two at most touched James.

THE LIST: HEAT GAME 7'S: A chronological history of the six Game 7s in the Heat's 24-year history, with Miami's leading scorer in each:

1997: Heat 101, Knicks 90 in conference semis (Tim Hardaway, 38)

2000: Knicks 83, Heat 82 in conference semis (Alonzo Mourning, 29)

2004: Heat 85, Hornets 77 in first round (Caron Butler, 23)

2005: Pistons 88, Heat 82 in conference finals (Shaquille O'Neal, 27)

2009: Hawks 91, Heat 78 in first round (Dwyane Wade, 31)

2012: Heat 101, Celtics 88 in conference finals (LeBron James, 31)

Note: All were Heat home games except 2009 at Atlanta.

Indiana next as Heat eliminate Knicks; plus Heat PA announcer under fire, vote your faith in Spoelstra (with poll), Marlins pitching surge, 2013 mock draft & more

[1) It is Friday, May 11. National Teacher Day was this week. Great teachers are some of the best people on Earth. Thank you Cheryl O'Connor-Place, wherever you are! 2) 800-Pound Bride Fitted For World's Biggest Wedding Gown. 3) Wouldn't want to be John Travolta right now. Here is why. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]

Pacers await: The Heat will play the Indiana Pacers in the second round, with Game 1 scheduled for Miami this Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

Heat apologize for announcer crack: The Heat has apologized after PA announcer Mike Baiamonte said Amare Stoudemire had been "extinguished" from last night's game after he fouled out. The Heat in a statement called it a "lapse of judgement." I thought it was mildly clever and Stoudemire said he wasn't bothered, but it was off-key in the context of the Heat considering itself a class-first organization.

G5: HEAT 106, KNICKS 94: NEXT, PLEASE! SPOELSTRA HAS THE BEST (AND MOST THANKLESS) COACHING JOB IN AMERICA: LeBron James scored 29 points last night and Miami dispatches New York, 106-94, to move onto second round vs. Indiana. Click on Keeping The Doubters At Bay for my column off the game. Click Coach No-Win for my previous column on the Heat's Erik Spoelstra (pictured) as the luckiest and unluckiest coach in the NBA at the same time, and for the same reason. He has the Big 3. If Miami wins the championship it will be because of them; talent rising. If Miami falls short again it will be because, somehow, Spoelstra failed to make it happen. The Heat is the only team in the playoffs not allowed to fall short, and therefore Spoelstra is the only coach who must win. The players profess confidence in the man they call "Spo." But do fans? Do you? Express your level of faith in Spoelstra in the following poll. Vote now, and say why you feel as you do.

HOW 'BOUT THEM MARLINS! (TOLD YA SO): Marlins last night completed a club-record 8-1 road trip and the reason for the recent surge is clear: consistently strong starting pitching. A couple of weeks ago the Marlins were stuck in a losing streak and couldn't hit and I wrote in a blogpost I liked where the team was at despite it all, because of the starting pitching. You're welcome! Three nights ago a complete-game, three-hit gem by Carlos Zambrano marked Miami's seventh win in a row, all on the road, and everything seemed to be coalescing. Zambrano is pictured, pointing up to where things are looking for the Marlins. Two nights ago Anibal Sanchez pitched well enough to win if not for Omar Infante's one defensive meltdown. Last night saw an encouraging start from a struggling Josh Johnson. Defense has mostly been solid. Giancarlo Stanton is en fuego with the long ball, and Jose Reyes and Hanley Ramirez are picking it up offensively as well. As for that starting pitching, when Johnson is (as of now) your weakest starter, you are a playoff-caliber team.

Marino swamps LeBron in 'most impressive' poll: We asked, you answered. Who's more impressive, Dan Marino in his prime or LeBron James right now? You had it Marino by 57.4 percent to LeBron's 28.1%, with 14.5% saying too close to call. Poll analysis: The Marino mythology lives! Marino by a 2-to-1 margin is way over the top, considering James is having an MVP season (it would be his third) and is seen as the best player in his sport. Took pains to express the poll was not a popularity vote, but not sure all of you were listening.

EXCLUSIVE: GEORGIA LINEBACKER TO DOLPHINS IN 2013 DRAFT: Yes, the 2012 draft just ended, but Todd McShay's first 2013 NFL mock draft is  out for ESPN (God but I only wish I were kidding) and he has Miami selecting Georgia outside linebacker Jarvis Jones (pictured) in the first round, eighth overall. McShay projects no Hurricanes in the 1R, and three QBs: Southern Cal's Matt Barkley (6th), Virginia Tech's Logan Thomas (17th) and Oklahoma's Landry Jones (19th). Somewhere in Iowa, a caterwauling infant has just tossed his snipped umbilical cord across the delivery room. McShay has just projected him as the top quarterback taken in his first 2033 mock draft.

POLITICAL NUDES OUT OF MEXICO: A Mexican Congressional candidate, Natalia Juarez, decided that a campaign revolving around herself posing nude (pictured) would be the way to go. Story here. I would advocate this as a trend I'd like to see spread to the U.S., but then I picture Madelaine Albright and quite frankly have second thoughts.

IDIOT CHANGES NAME: A Nebraska man named Tyler Gold, 23, pictured left, has had his name legally changed to Tyrannosaurus Rex. 

THE LIST: MARLINS COMPLETE-GAME SHUTOUTS: Carlos Zambrano this week pitched the Marlins' 55th complete-game shutout in their 20 seasons. The most recent five that included allowing three or fewer hits:

Date   Pitcher (Hits)

5-7-12   Carlos Zambrano (3)

9-10-11   Anibal Sanchez (1)

7-29-10   Anibal Sanchez (1)

8-19-08   Ricky Nolasco (2)

9-10-06   Dontrelle Willis (3)

Click back. Will be updating and adding to this latest blogpost...

Heat-Knicks: Fork time. Brooms ready. New York is ... done!; plus R.I.P. MCA, Shannon/UM torch bridge, Junior Seau, Tiger Woods & more

[1) It is Friday, May 4. R.I.P., Adam Yauch (pictured), MCA of the Beastie Boys, taken by cancer at age 47. In his honor: Make Some Noise. (Warning: Language includes f-words). 2) Am seeing the Beach Boys' 50th anniversary show tonight at the Hard Rock. Oddly, my first time seeing them perform live. Musical treat: Do It Again to set the nostalgic mood. 3) Norwegian expressionist Edvard Munch's iconic 'The Scream' painting sold at auction yesterday for $120 million. Now I just have to find a place in th shack to hang it. 4) Wish I could muster some feel-bad, ex-Cane Jonathan Vilma and you fellow bounty-Saints socked yesterday. But I can't. 5) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]

G3: HEAT 87, KNICK 70; MIAMI WITH INSURMOUNTABLE 3-0 SERIES LEAD: Player of the Game LeBron James with 32 points at the Garden tonight including 17 in the fourth quarter as Miami runs away with it, 87-70, for a dominating 3-nil series lead. Heat shot only 42.6% and got only five points from its bench but a stifling defense held NYK to 31.9% shooting inlduing a paltry 4 of 20 from 3-land. Chris Bosh flew back after being in Miami for his wife giving birth and contributed nine points and 10 rebounds. "Of course he would do that," was my initial reaction on whether Bosh would fly home for the early-Wednesday birth of a son, Jackson, his first child with wife Adrienne. It was priorities, family over basketball. If my boss tried to tell me I had to miss the birth of my child, he'd be my ex-boss. (Besides, there are far worse reasons for missing important games, right Amare "Fire Extinguisher" Stoudemire!?) But Heat get best of both worlds with Bosh flying back up for tonight's Game 3. The Knicks are done now, dead. This was NYK's best shot, because down 3-0 they might as well concede and go look for more fire extinguishers to punch.

Reggie Miller says something stupid about LeBron: I think the pressure of having to keep up with Charles Barkley in the Idiotic Comments category is getting to other NBA announcers. Reggie Miller turned dumb in criticizing LeBron James for reaching out last summer to legends Hakeem Olajuwon, Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas -- Olajuwon for tips on a low-post game, the others for advice. This was a good thing LeBron did, but Miller portrayed it as weakness. Dear Reggie: You're lucky you made it into the Hall of Fame. Also, you have enormous ears.

JUNIOR SEAU'S DEATH A TRAGEDY, BUT SUICIDE MAKES IT WORSE: Suicide makes it worse because it is seemingly so preventable.  Junior Seau was an all-time NFL great, a San Diego treasure/hero and of course a popular and respected Dolphin later in his career, in 2003-05. His death yesterday -- police say the gunshot wound to the chest was by his own hand -- is a tragedy unmitigated by circumstance. Click on Why, Why for my remembrance column on Seau, online and in Thursday's paper. We all agree this is a terrible loss, sympathizing with his loved ones and feeling terrible that anyone's demons might lead them to this unimaginable conclusion. Do we compartmentalize grief, though? I don't mean his family. I mean we outsiders. Do we feel differently about Seau's death as a suicide than we might if it had been, say, a random murder or a car accident? I'm curious, that's all. And the fact he reportedly did not leave a suicide note -- does that weigh in? I once read a suggestion that suicide involves cowardice and that the absence of a note offering some closure to loved ones magnifies the fact. I'm not sure I can agree. I think I feel that if you are driven to that beyond-desperate state that you deserve unvarnished sympathy and as much understanding as is possible. But I wonder if I were touched personally by such a thing if there might be anger involved, too, after the grief. I don't know. I understand intellectually that people don't so much choose suicide as are compelled to it by forces they cannot control. In this case there is also the dark under-shadow that maybe NFL violence and concussions have their role. Anyway, for now let's just agree it's a plain, stunning tragedy. An all-time NFL great just took his own life at 43. Man. R.I.P., Junior.

SEE THAT BRIDGE? RANDY SHANNON AND UM JUST SET IT ON FIRE: Miami New Times first reported that Randy Shannon, sacked as UM Hurricanes football coach in November 2010, is suing the school in Miami- Dade court to recover money he says he is still owed. That would include a bonus for reaching the 2010 Sun Bowl even though he'd been fired prior to the game. In the lawsuit Shannon claims he was "fired without cause." (I can think of a few thousand Canes fans who might disagree). Bottom line: This came to a suit because neither side could agree on a settlement. The phrase for that is "bad blood." Given Shannon's born-and-raised ties to The U, and vice versa, that's a shame on both ends.

ON LEON SEARCY: Longtime Hurricanes fans will remember big Leon Searcy, the former offensive lineman who carved a solid NFL career, mostly with the Steelers. Just read this interesting piece in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Searcy today. Post-football, money squandered, starting over. Such a typical tale, but nonetheless worth the telling, and the knowing. 

TIGER WOODS AND CHANGING MEDIA: Lost this week, largely overlooked, was Tiger Woods declining a traditional media press conference in favor of a Q&A with fans (pictured) on his personal website, answering only questions submitted to him via Facebook and Twitter. This is not about the increasing power of social media over traditional media. This to me is more about the move by athletes, teams and leagues to control their own message by bypassing TV/radio/newspapers and dealing directly with fans. We have seen it before, such as Shaquille O'Neal announcing his retirement not in a press conference but with a video posted to his Twitter followers. More and more, news is news when athletes say it is, not when media reports it. Another example: the dissemination of the Heat photo showing hoodie-waring players in support of Trayvon Martin. The trend will only grow. The concern: That what you get directly from athletes/teams/leagues (such as a Dolphins website presentation of Jeff Ireland talking about the draft) is tantamount to advertising, or propaganda with a layer of makeup. This trend most recently delivered by Tiger will ironically subtantiate the role of Tradtional Media and the value of its independent voice. Interesting times for sports journalism, these. We're all along for the ride.

NEON BONEYARD: I found this video on Las Vegas' Neon Boneyard to be interesting. Recommended for fans of Vegas, its iconic neon and/or nostalgia.

"DEAR GREG...": "Your blog's OK but would be better if occasionally you would show a photo of a gigantic baby seated on a bench towering over a 6-foot adult man. Thank you." Dear reader: Don't be ridiculous. C'mon.

THE LIST: A MARLINS-INSPIRED SALUTE TO Z'S: The Marlins won again last night in San Fran on another Giancarlo Stanton home run in a game that began as a Carlos Zambrano-Barry Zito pitching matchup. Which got us thinking, of course. Players with "Z" surnames (alphabetically) in the history of our big-four pro teams:

Player   Team, Pos.   Year(s)

Carlos Zambrano   Marlins, P   2012-

Gregg Zaun   Marlins, C   1996-98

Rich Zecher   Dolphins, DT   1966-67

Richard Zednik   Panthers, LW   2007-09

Todd Zeile   Marlins, INF   1998

Jeff Zgonina   Dolphins, DT   2003-06

Scott Zolak   Dolphins, QB   1999

Wang Zhi-Zhi   Heat, C   2003-05

Note: Plus three guys I'd never heard of: Marlins P Mauro Zarate (2007), Dolphins OT Dave Zawatson (1991) and Marlins INF Eddie Zosky (1995). 

Click back. Will be updating and adding to this latest blogpost...

G2: Heat 104, Knicks 94: Miami in control, Amare sounds fire alarm; plus Dolphins' play for popularity, Marlins' nightmarish April, giant rubber duck & more

[1) It is Wednesday, May 2. The Heat-Knicks G2 pumpup music: Old-school barroom hip-hop from House of Pain, Jump Around. (Warning: Some of the lyrics might offend the easily offended). 2) Newt Gingrich announced he will formally drop out of the presidential race today, surprising analysts who assumed he'd dropped out weeks ago. 3) The new Brooklyn Nets logo appears at left. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]

'LIVE CHAT WEDNESDAY' BIDS NON-TEARY FAREWELL: Join us today 1-2 p.m. for the historic farewell edition of Live Chat Wednesday. The Miami Herald is at least temporarily discontinuing its Q&A Chats, a corporate decision, and that means I'll be clicking my heels like a drunk leprechaun doing the final installment today. I'll be the guy in the middle of the Chat Room wearing the pointy cardboard cone-hat. Click FAREWELL, CHAT to magically transport yourself there today at 1, or to post questions early.

Click on A Little Help? No Help Needed for my latest column. It's on the Heat's championship path clearing with injuries to Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard and now Amare Stoudemire, but on a Heat team needing no outside help to look, right now, like the best team in the NBA.

G2: HEAT 104, KNICKS 94: NEW YORK IN MAJOR HOLE AS BIG 3 COMBINE FOR 65 POINTS: Miami taking a big 2-0 series lead up to New York now after G2 Player of the Game Dwyane Wade's 25 points and early spark led Monday night's home win. After the loss the Knicks' Amare Stoudemire cut his left hand when punching the glass case holding a fire extingisher and later was seen boarding the team bus with said hand heavily bandaged, his arm in a sling, his status for Game 3 questionable. Defeat + anger + temper = ugly cocktail. This win was as big for Miami as Game 1 even if the margin was not. The earlier 33-point rout could be brushed off as an aberration. This was a more of a "normal" game, one that found NYK more desperate to have, and yet one the Heat controlled. Nice balance and bench tonight for the Heat, and also a second straight game in which Miami was more dangerous from 3-point land, a supposed Knicks edge in this series. Don't call this first-rounder done. Miami has only held serve. But boarding its flight tonight is a New York squad that surely must know (if not yet admit to itself) that the Heat simply is better. And not by a little. [Original post]: The Knicks' desperation in this series entering tonight's Game 2 here is reflected equally by Miami's 33-point victory in the opener and by the talk now of Jeremy Lin perhaps returning from injury as soon as Game 4 -- as if that's the golden ticket. Funny to me that anybody might think the difference for NYK between Game 1 and winning this series is the exhumation of whatever remains of Linsanity. By the way, I think coaching rarely wins an NBA game and didn't in Game 1, but Erik Spoelstra showed some coaching chops with that new-look defense that utterly stymied Carmelo Anthony, and also with the unleashing of his 3-point guys to open up the floor for LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Be interesting to see both teams' adjustments for Game 2. The onus is on you, Knicks coach Mike Woodson. Remember, a suddenly available Isiah Thomas is right around the corner ready to step in. (At halftime, if necessary!) Your thoughts on tonight's game and the series are invited.

A LeBron James highlight reel: Click here for a nice 3 1/2-minute YouTube vid that reminds why LeBron James has been this season's MVP. (Heat announcer Eric Reid should renegotiate to be paid by the exclamation point).

Photos of Heat's Big 3 as kids: Passing this along might be considered mean-spirited of me, insulting to Chris Bosh, in poor taste. But since I grabbed the photo off LeBron James' official Twitter site it means LeBron and therefore the Heat find it amusing, and so my passing it along enjoys the imprimatur of good clean fun. See how that works?

Nike's idiot shoe designer: Nike's Lebron James shoe designer Jason Petrie (the two are pictured) mocked adidas client Derrick Rose after Rose's playoffs-ending knee injury Saturday, Tweeting, "you chose poorly." Perhaps Petrie should awaken to find himself Nike's former shoe designer. Of course the ESPN headline read, 'LeBron's Nike designer jeers Rose after injury,' verifying the media's continuing intention to put LeBron front and center even in controversy he has nothing to do with.

Dolfans give team's draft a grade of B, shading B-plus: I asked, in the prior blogpost, you answered, and Jeff Ireland will like the results. Those grading the Dolphins draft an "A" were at 20.5 percent, "B" 57.3%, "C" 18.1% and "D" 4.1%. That's a strong A-or-B thumbs-up from nearly 80 percent. Poll analysis: Results will play out, of course, but from a fan-perception standpoint this was a successful draft. The fact so many fans were predisposed to be pessimistic or anti-Ireland I think makes the approval that much more impressive.

THE DOLPHINS' PUBLIC PLAY FOR POPULARITY AND...: Two more Dolphin draft thoughts: 1) Selecting QB Ryan Tannehill in the first round, drafting two UM Hurricanes (Olivier Venon, Lamar Miller) and now inviting undrafted QB Jacory Harris in for a tryout all feel like decisions made with mending an unhappy fan base in mind. Doesn't make them bad decisions; you know I was for Tannehill. But I think the franchise is beginning to act with fans in mind in a way it hadn't for years. 2) The new wife of Tannehill (married in January, see photo) continues to be just unbearably perky and cute.

EXCLUSIVE! NFL PLAYERS MIGHT BE HIGH: NFL players voted for the current Top 100 that NFL Network has begun annoucing piecemeal, and in the initial blurt of players rated 91st throgh 100th we see Tim Tebow ranked 95th. Titans RB Chris Johnson is ranked 100th. Teams that would rather have Tebow than Johnson: None that I can think of. (No Dolphins in the first wave. Only Jake Long is a lock to be ranked at all). 

MARLINS' ONE-MONTH SUMMARY: OY!: Baseball season has ended its first month and the Marlins' first season in the new ballpark has started off great ... if you don't count the disasterous Muhammad Ali buzzkill Opening Night ceremony, the Ozzie Gullen/Fidel Castro nightmare, and the lack of hitting that has sent the team spiraling into the NL East cellar. On the bright side, the Marlins and their MLB-worst 2-10 road record are away for the next eight straight games.

On David Samson, charity and lying: David Samson, the Marlins' president, recently ran 52.4 miles for charity. Also, Samson recently admitted in The New Yorker that he lied about the team's season-ticket sales in the old stadium (not the first lie Samson's critics would attach to him). Dear Dave: Your charitable side is great. Please take as seriously your credibility as Marlins' president.

LONDON OLYMPICS GIRDS TO THWART TERRORISTS: With the London Olympics less than three months away, some residents of the city have been told they will have British troops and surface-to-air missiles on their rooftops. Ah yes, the Olympics: Celebratring international brotherhood!

GOVERNMENT WASTE IN MIAMI-DADE: People complain (still) about how Miami-Dade couldn't afford to substantially pay for the Marlins' new ballpark. And that's fine. But when you read a story like this -- about 298 brand new vehicles bought by Miami-Dade in 2006-07 and never used -- you are reminded there are things more outrageous in terms of waste and dubious spending.

GENERALLY SPEAKING, PET OWNERS MIGHT BE NUTS: Don't get me wrong. I'm a pet owner (dog, cat). But occasionally I see examples of my kind that make me shake my head. When I see a Pomeranian wearing a designer cardigan, for example. Or when I read a headline like this. (Overheard in dating interview: "But no a-- sniffing on the first date," says the female. "I'm not that kind of dog."

DEAR GREG...: "Your blog's OK but would be better if occasionally you would show a photo of the giant rubber duck that is floating around the world to promote peace. Thank you." Dear reader: OK, but I have to warn you. No way this thing gets past the Somali pirates.

THE LIST: HEAT PLAYOFF SCORING LEADERS: LeBron James' 32-point Game 1 got us wondering what have been Miami's highest individual scoring averages over an entire postseason. The top five:

Average   Player   Year (Games)

33.2   Dwyane Wade   2010 (5)

29.4   Wade   2009 (7)

29.1   Wade   2006 (23)

27.4   Wade   2005 (15)

26.0   Tim Hardaway   1998 (5)

Note: Others to top a 20-point average have been Wade 24.5 (2011), James 23.7 (2011), Wade 23.5 (2007), Alonzo Mourning 21.6 (1999), Mourning 21.6 (2000) and Rony Seikaly 20.7 (1992).

Click back. Will be updating and adding to this latest blogpost...

Dolphins pull trigger on QB Tannehill. Like the pick? Vote now! (with poll); plus Cats lose Game 7, Heat draw Knicks in 1R

[It is Saturday, April 28. Join us on Twitter @gregcote]

POLL: LIKE DOLPHINS' PICK OF QB RYAN TANNEHILL? VOTE NOW!

SUPER THURSDAY IN SOUTH FLORIDA!: It was all about 7 and 8 last night. Panthers with a huge playoff Game 7 here (they lost). Heat learning who'll be the 7th seed and their first-round playoff opponent (it's the Knicks). And of course Dolphins picking 8th in the NFL Draft and landing QB Ryan Tannehill. Exciting times. Click on Super Thursday for my column...

PANTHERS' ELIMINATED IN GAME 7: Florida vs. New Jersey Devils last night at the Sunrise barn in the first home-ice Game 7 in the franchise's 19-year history. Alas, Cats lost 3-2 in double-overtime, failing to achieve their first postseason series win and playoff advance since 1996. If the rats ain't flyin', the Cats'll be cryin'. Click on Not A Lost Season for my column off the game. Despite the defeat, this franchise finally mattered again in the NHL and in a tough spoerts market.

History of local-team Game 7s: Last night marked the Cats' second Game 7 (1996) but first on home ice. Marlins have had two Game 7s (1997 here vs. Indians, 2003 at Cubs). The Heat have had five Game 7s: 1997 and 2000 vs. Knicks here; 2004 vs. Hornets here; 2005 vs. Pistons here; and 2009 at Atlanta. All-time Game 7 records: Panthers 1-1, Marlins 2-0, Heat 2-3.

DOLPHINS TAKE TANNEHILL WITH NO. 8 DRAFT PICK: Miami fulfilled most speculation in last night's NFL Draft by selecting Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill as the club's first 1R QB since Dan Marino in 1983. It was a good choice, the one Miami had to make. Click on Mockable Me to see my entire 2012 Mock Draft. (Got Tannehill to Dolphins right...)

Dolphins' recent draft woes quantified: I did some research. (I do that once in a while). I canvassed every NFL team's drafts (rounds 1-7) from 2000 through 2011 and counted the total number of Pro Bowl seasons by players selected by that club as a gauge of teams' talent evaluation. The NFL average is 15.6 Pro Bowl seasons drafted. The leaders: Patriots with 32 and Dallas with 30. The Dolphins have 6. Only the Rams and Bucs have fewer. Miami's only drafted Pro Bowl seasons since 2000 have been three by Jake Long and one each by Ronnie Brown, Chris Chambers and Yeremiah Bell.

History of the 8th pick: Miami's only previous No. 8 pick worked out OK; it was future Hall of Fame RB Larry Csonka in 1968. Zonk is one of seven 8s in the Hall, along with OT Jim Parker (1957), TE Mike Ditka (1961), WR Lance Alworth (1962), S Ronnie Lott (1981), OG Mike Munchak (1982) and OT Willie Roaf (1993). Only two other QBs had been selected 8th overall: Jim Hardy in 1945 and Jake Locker in 2011.

HEAT DRAWS NEW YORK AS KNICKS EARN NO. 7 SEED: NBA regular season wrapped up last night with Heat losing at Washington (with Big 3 resting again), but it was determined the Knicks would be 2nd-seeded Miami's first-round playoff foe starting with Game 1 here Saturday. Knicks clinched 7th seed by winning.

Miami's history as 2-seed vs. 7-seed: This will be the Heat's sixth all-time first round series as a 2-seed vs. a 7-seed. Miami is 4-1 in those series, with wins/advances in 1997 (3-2 over Orlando), 2000 (3-0 over Detroit), 2006 (4-2 over Chicago) and 2011 (4-1 over Philadelphia). The loss/elimination was in 1998 (2-3 to New York).  

THE LIST: OUR BEST ATHLETES WHO HAVE WORN 7 OR 8: In honor of Super Thursday's magic numbers. And in some cases the pickings were slim...

Dolphins: Best 7 Fuad Reveiz, Best 8 Daunte Culpepper

Heat: Best 7 Shawn Marion, Best 8 Steve Smith

Marlins: Best 7 Pudge Rodriguez, Best 8 Andre Dawson

Panthers: Best 7 Dmitry Kulikov, Best 8 Valeri Bure

Click back. Will be updating and adding to this latest blogpost...

Who is "face" of Heat? Vote (with poll); plus Isiah Thomas, Sid Rosenberg, Marlins' Opening Night missteps, Panthers make playoffs (!) & more

[1) It is Saturday, April 7. Did you have a Good Friday? 2) The Dolphins' intention to lower prices on around 10,000 mostly club-level seats is a positive in the public-relations department, and a recognition that the franchise needs help there as much as on the field. 3) Click here to read about a basketball player who scored 113 points in one game this week. 4) Rick Santorum: Drop out of the race if you lose your home state of Pennsylvania to Mitt Romney. 5) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]

THINGS MARLINS SHOULD WANT TO HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY: Don't get me wrong. In the big picture and grand scheme, Wednesday's Opening Night succeeded and rather spectacularly. The new Marlins Park is wonderful, the crowd and all it portends was terrific, and Miami losing to St. Louis 4-1 (even getting no-hit into the seventh inning) was comparatively insignificant. That's why my column off the big event that appeared Thursday on page 1A, Baseball In Miami Is Born Again, is overwhelmingly positive. There were missteps, though, things begging a do-over. You know I'm going to put it plain, so buckle in...

1. Muhammad Ali: OK I'll say it. Man, that was hard to watch. The great Ali, nearly invalid, being wheeled slowly to the mound on a golf cart before the game while the big video screens showed him shaking badly in his severe stage of Parkinson's disease. There was poignancy in his handing a baseball to Hanley Ramirez in lieu of a more traditional ceremonial opening pitch, but mostly there was sadness. On a festive evening of celebration, this was a stupefyingly major buzzkill.

2. Showgirls: We get that the new park wants to have a distinctive tropical flair and be very Miami, but starters escorted from the dugout to the baseline by showgirls in feather headdresses (pictured) for pregame intros was over-the-top. It seemed like a joke, like, "Really!?" I asked two players after the game about that. One rolled his eyes. The other (off-the-record) said, "Fun, yet embarrassing."

3. National anthem: Jose Feliciano's voice was in fine form, but his barely recognizable version of the Star-Spangled Banner did not produce the emotional, signature moment a more traditional rendering might have.

4. Military tribute: A good idea to have a video hookup between a local family and their loved one overseas, but the family speaking only Spanish lessened the impact for much of the crowd and mostly it went on for way, waaay too long. The saving grace was the young boy too overcome with emotion to speak to his dad. That was touching.

I posted the above early Thursday morning. Friday there is a column in the paper (not mine) on the same topic. Your welcome.   :)   :D

By the way, I love the kitschy, weird, mildly psychedelic Home Run Whatchimacallit. It looks like something Peter Max might have conceived after a night of mushrooms in 1968. Love it. 

THE "FACE" OF THE MIAMI HEAT IS...: Hey, maybe this poll will take your mind off last night's awful, home-winning-streak-ending Heat performance. We just did this with the Miami Marlins (Ozzie Guillen won) and I thought it'd be fun to do the Heat next. Use your own definition of what the "face of a franchise" even means. Biggest star? Person who best represents the team? Is longevity a factor? For me it is the person who comes to mind first when you think "Heat." And for me the face of a franchise demands a national perspective, not just local. If I'm voting it's a tough choice between LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, with Pat Riley a very credible third candidate. But I'm not voting, you are, from an alphabetical list of current Heat figures. Remember this is not a favorite-player poll. We want the face of the franchise. Cast your vote and say why. And check back often to monitor evolving results. The Big 3 is dominating so far ... but not the Big 3 you'd think.

Four-team race for NBA title: If you buy ESPN's latest updated computerized Hollinger rankings/forecast, the race for an NBA championship is this close: Oklahoma City 19.8 percent likelihood, San Antonio 19.6, Miami and Chicago both 19.5, and nobody else over 3.8.

Magic mess: Dwight Howard angling to oust Van Gundy: Stan Van Gundy and his staff must be let go for Dwight Howard to return to the Magic. That's more than the latest report out of Orlando. That's what Van Gundy himself says he has been told. What a mess in Orlando.

OMG! PANTHERS MAKE NHL PLAYOFFS. NO, SERIOUSLY!: Our long local nightmare has ended. The free-falling Florida Panthers, losers of eight of their past nine games including Thursday's in Washington, have neverthless qualified for the playoffs, ending their mind-bending 10-season postseason drought. Congratulations, Cats. You backed in. But you're in!

ISIAH THOMAS AND FIU: END OF AN ERROR: FIU fired men's basketball coach Isiah Thomas yesterday. He later said he was stunned. Really? Really!? His record in three seasons was 26-65. Any questions? Let the ridiculous Knicks speculation begin! 

SID ROSENBERG STEPS IN LATEST PILE OF S---: WQAM radio personality Sid Rosenberg was back on the air Friday after an early-Wednesday arrest for DUI and driving with a suspended license, and a Thursday mostly spent in jail. Sid has his demons. They have included drugs and gambling. They obviously still include alcohol. I wish him well. Meantime, pending his personal and legal problems, he should not be on the air. It will be an insult to WQAM listeners if he continues to be.

DEAR GREG...: "Your blog's OK but would be much better if occasionally you would show a photo of a 500-pound Elvis impersonator. Thank you." I'm sorry but I can't pander to every bizarre request I get. 

THE MASTERS: CAN TIGER GET BACK ON THE JACK ATTACK?: Tiger Woods won the 14th and most recent of his majors in ever-distant 2008, but he entered The Masters as the betting favorite to end that slump and resume his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus' record 18 majors. I root for a good story. Tiger winning would be the best one this week. Meanwhile the old white men who run Augusta National continue to resist admitting women members. Maybe a century slipped past them and they think it's 1912? Under these men, "Masters" takes on another connotation, harking to a time when the word conjured images of slave owners. But let's not get political. Fore!

HEADLINES YOU THOUGHT YOU'D NEVER SEE... (one in a series): Click here. My comment: "What do I get if I throw in fries?"

ON 'TODDLERS & TIARAS': I try to not be too judgmental (no, I do try), but I won't hide my disdain for parents, mostly moms living vicariously, who dress up their pre-school girls like adults (see photo) and parade them in beauty pageants. Click here for an example of why disdain is not too strong a word. Or just watch any episode of the TV show Toddlers & Tiaras. Mom, your little girl looks like a freakish, pint-sized hooker, and you look like a sad excuse for a parent.

THE LIST: OPENING DAY HOME RUNS: In honor of baseball's Opening Days for MLB teams this week, here are the only three players in history to hit three homers on Opening Day:

Year   Player, Team

1988   George Bell, Blue Jays

1994   Tuffy Rhodes, Cubs

2005   Dmitri Young, Tigers 

Click back. Will be updating and adding to this latest blogpost...