Greg Cote's Random Evidence of a Cluttered Blog

It's Indiana! Heat-Pacers in East finals; plus Heat bigger faves than ever to repeat, D-Wade prom video, Oxbow, Sad-O-Meter & more

1) It is SATURDAY, MAY 18. Sesame Street is introducing a new character named Armando or "Mando," which may or may not be an homage to Herald sports writer Armando Salguero. Mando is pictured at right. (Is it me or do half of the Sesame Street characters sort of look like this?) 2) Former NASCAR driver Dick Trickle dead at 71 of reported suicide. Sad story. All-time great name, Dick Trickle, but a sad story. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Heat Game 5 win, Wade health poll, LeBron No. 2 in money, most disappointing hotel, catchers' fake fingernails, Sad-O-Meter. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote.

Another year, another horse fails to win Triple Crown: Affirmed in 1978 remains the last to do it after Kentucky Derby winner Orb finished a disappointing fourth in today's Preakness Stakes, won by Oxbow with ancient Gary Stevens aboard. Orb started on the rail and really struggled to extricate himself from traffic.

Hit Wade Strikes Back for my column off Wednesday's Heat win.

"David Beckham is retiring? What a big, big loss for the sport of underwear endorsing." --Greg Cote

UPDATED: HEAT CRAZY-BIG FAVES TO REPEATS AS CHAMPS: If you want the other side you stand to make some big bucks. Are you that daring? New from Bovada, championship odds on the five teams still alive show Heat at 1-3, Spurs 5-1, Grizzlies 6-1, Pacers 20-1 and Knicks 40-1. Miami odds to win East and get to Finals: 1-9. Man! Based on the public perception that sets the odds, let's just go ahead and plan that parade right now. I'm just sayin'.

EASTERN FINALS SET: HEAT VS. PACERS: Indiana beat visiting New York 106-99 tonight to win the series 4 games to 2. Miami will host Eastern finals Game 1 vs. Pacers on Wednesday night. The series suggests Pacers are a better team, although that is debatable. Both teams fared well against Miami this season, Indy going 2-1 against the Heat and the Knickerbockers 3-1. The other factor in answering the poll question below was the vantage point of your vote. It might have been based on which team you think would be an easier draw for the Heat. Or you might have voted for what you think the more exciting series would be. On the latter criteria the clear preference would seem to have been New York, a bigger rival with more starpower and boorish fans in constant need of shutting up. Based on results, your choice was pretty clear. Enjoys the Eastern finals anyway.

UPDATE: HEAT MIDDLE-FINGER LADY: South Florida's most famous birder is keeping sharp between playoff series. After honing her skills against the Bulls' Joakim Noah, Middle-Finger Lady now prepares for Indiana or New York in the next round. Pictured left, MFL transmogrifies into a clownishly grinning LeBron James in a final, parting-shot farewell to Noah. At right, Middle-Finger Lady inexplicably proffers the Flying Digit to an adorably dumbfounded polar bear.

DWYANE WADE: PROM DATE: What cute story. Archbishop Coleman Carroll senior Nicole Muxo posts a YouTube video asking Heat star Dwyane Wade to be her prom date. He calls her cell phone with his regrets, then moments later walks into the Friday ight event in Coral Gables, shocking her. Later Wade Tweeted, 'I had a blast at Prom. Never be 2 scared to ask.' The couple is pictured on the dance floor. This, among a million other reasons, is why South Florida loves Dwyane Wade.

Click HERE for a 3-minute video on how Wade pulled off his big prom surprise. Good stuff.

LATEST TRAVAILS OF CHAD JOHNSON: Free-agent receiver Chad (nee Ochocinco) Johnson lessens his chances of ever playing again with a warrant for his arrest for failing to report to his probation officer stemming from the domestic violence issue that got him cut by the Dolphins. The latest misstep is indicative of Johnson perhaps suffering from DAS, Dumbass Athlete Syndrome. There is no known cure.

UPDATED! MARLINS' SAD-O-METER: We have this new blog feature we update as long as Marlins' winning percentage is under .300 -- as long as the New York Mets' infamous 1962 record of 40-120 (.250) is within dubious reach. Well, six straight losses with last night's have brought the S-O-M roaring back as the season inches past the one-quarter mark. Updated Sad-O-Meter: Current record, 11-31 (.262). Season projection, 42.43 wins, 119.57 losses.

BACKSTORY: COMPANY NAMES: Took this pic on my phone camera as proof there is a baked-goods company operating in South Florida under the name Bimbo. (Primary dictionary definition: "A foolish, stupid or inept person.") I am envisioning the initial meeting of company investors. "OK, first things first," says the boss. "We need a name that represents who we are. Thoughts?"

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G5: Heat 94, Bulls 91. Miami rallies, advances to Eastern finals!; plus Wade poll, LeBron ranked #2, bad hotel, updated Sad-O-Meter & more

1) It is THURSDAY, MAY 16.Dolphins signed former Richmond QB Aaron Corp, as third-stringer or training camp fodder. 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Heat's Game 4 win, Heat biggest-rival poll, '14 NFL draft, Sad-O-Meter, Jackmerius Tacktheritrix. 3) Join us on Twitter @agregcote.

Click on Wade Strikes Back for my column off last night's game.

G5: HEAT 94, BULLS 91: WILD GAME LEAVES MIAMI SMILING, AND MOVING ON (Heat win series 4-1, awaits Pacers-Knicks winner): LeBron James led Miami with 23, but Dwyane Wade's last six points (of 18) were some of the biggest of the night. Crazy game. Miami led by as many as 18 early, trailed by as many as 11 in the second half but flexed championship mettle late. Eastern finals will open in Miami on Monday or Wednesday. Original post: Evidently the NBA would not allow Chicago to formally concede and forfeit, so the Bulls are here for what should be a perfunctory Game 5 whipping to end this second-round series. We know that Derrick Rose and Luol Deng are once again out for the wounded, limping Bulls and that Kirk Hinrich is doubtful. The only real mystery tonight is whether Dwyane Wade, nursing a bruised right knee, will play or sit this one out. I think he should rest. Lebron and company can win without him. The only people who want to avoid a Game 6 back in Chitown more than Heat players are Miami media members such as yours truly. No cheering in the press box, but for a lot of us it'll be a night of inwardly rooting for our own best interests. Miami would win this series even if Bulls were at full-strength, but as is, save that Game 1 abberation, this matchup has proced almost as lopsided as the Bucks series. It's been more interesting because of the technicals, ejections and bad blood, but not much more competitive. Heat end it tonight, and await Pacers-Knicks survivor.

SHOULD DWYANE WADE AND HIS RIGHT KNEE PLAY TONIGHT?: I know. I Am Not Dwyane's Knee, you are (probably) not a doctor and nobody can be certain about this question. What we know is that Wade's right knee is far from 100 percent, that he is questionable as a game-time decision to play tonight, and that rest would seem to be a pretty logical Rx. Assume that Dwyane insists to Erik Spoelstra that he can play tonight's Game 5. If you're the coach, what do you do? You vote right here! This is a Flash Poll (patent pending). That means limited-time. Voting will shut off around mid-late afternoon so vote now, and say why.

Flash Poll: Call to sit Wade tonight wins by more than 2-to-1 margin. (I think most of us may have been wrong...) Results below:

Poll result: Knicks still biggest Heat rival: We asked and you said Miami's biggest NBA rival was the Knicks at 38.3 percent, followed by the Celtics at 32.4% and Bulls at 23.2. "Somebody else" drew 6.1%. 

LEBRON NO. 2 IN U.S SPORTS EARNINGS: Sports illustrated's 10th annual "Fortunate 50," newly out, ranks the top-earning U.S. athletes for 2013 in combined salary and endorsements, and Heat megastar LeBron James is ranked second at $56.55 million. No. 1 is boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. at $90 mill. Rounding out top five after LeBron are Drew Brees ($47.80M), Kobe Bryant ($46.85M) and Tiger Woods ($40.84M). Two other Miami-area athletes ton the list are Heat stars Dwyane Wade (11th, $28.68M) and Chris Bosh (47th, $18.55M).

THE MOST DISAPPOINTING HOTEL EVER: When traveling to Chicago, may I recommend that you avoid the Congress Plaza Hotel as if it were ablaze? I stayed there for Heat-Bulls Game 4. The independent (non-chain) hotel has a rich history. The hotel has an idyllic location, off South Michigan Avenue across from Grant Park. The hotel is otherwise a monumental letdown. I felt like I had been cast into The Shining. When wondering when the hotel was last refurbished, you don't wonder what year, you wonder what decade. Rooms are in disrepair, hallway carpeting is ancient, my floor's ice machine rattled and groaned and took about five minutes to spit ice, neither boarding-pass computer worked, and I couldn't get wifi because the front desk messed up which room I was in. Oh, almost forgot: I was charged $49 for early check-in -- an outrage. I was a registered guest. My room was available. But because I wanted to check in at 10 a.m. instead of noon I wasa charged an extra $57.04 (with taxes). That is the hotel's "policy," I was told. Nightmare. (It was probably a fitting omen that I had to cross a picket line to enter the place. Seriously). When next in Chitown, I'd sleep on a cot under the L before I'd stay at the Congress Plaza again.

THE MOST LIMITED-MARKET PRODUCT EVER: A company called Game Signs produces "enhancement stickers" (see left) for the fingernails of baseball catchers so pitchers as well as sign-stealing opponents can better read the signals. This is a blog, so you know I'm not making it up! 

UPDATED MARLINS' SAD-O-METER: We have this new blog feature we update as long as Marlins' winning percentage is under .300 -- as long as the New York Mets' infamous 1962 record of 40-120 (.250) is within dubious reach. Well, four straight losses have brought the S-O-M roaring back as the season hits its one-quarter mark. Updated Sad-O-Meter: Current record, 11-29 (.275). Season projection, 45.55 wins, 116.45 losses.

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G2: Heat 115, Bulls 78. Champs strike back!; plus bizarre story behind Middle-Finger Lady, Lil Wayne, Dolphin threats, Charles Ramsey song & more

1) It is THURSDAY, MAY 9. The national group, People Who Feel Sorry For Jodi Arias, will be meeting tonight in that phone booth over there. Plenty of room. 2) Marlins closing off upper deck for some games to make crowds seem bigger. What a major inconvenience for the six fans who've been sitting up there! 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Heat's Game 1 loss, Derrick Rose poll, the non-LeBron voter, Serena 'n Sloane, baseball awards odds. 4) Join us on Twitter @agregcote.

Click on Sense Of Order Restored for my column off last night's Heat's series-evening Game 2 rout.

Well I reckon this here photo from Wednesday's Game 2 pretty much shows how much Heat fans in general love Joakim Noah and how cute we think his adorable little hair-bun is!!!: (I can't be sure, but I think her middle finger might actually be lodged in Noah's right ear). Dear Joakim: We sure appreciative your constant sneering, whining and arm-flapping. We wish your hair-bun would catch on fire. Love, Miami.

[Postscript: Bizzare backstory to Middle-Finger Lady: She is Filomena Tobias, her daughter told the Sun-Sentinel today. Name ring a bell? Her wealthy husband Seth drowned in his Jupiter swimming poll in 2007. No foul-play was determined, but his four brothers sued Filomena in civil court claiming she drugged him and caused his drowning. The guy pictured with her fiance, the VP of an Atlanta wealth-management firm. The daughter said, "She's embarrassed [by the photo] but she's being a good sport. All she has to say is that people need to get a life." Here is The Herald's story].

News Mashup: What if the Heat's Middle-Finger Lady had been in Cleveland during Charles Ramsey's hero interview?: I believe this woman has found a possible new cottage industry as the Irate Lady who appears in all circumstances and situations angrily delivering da bird.

Wade strikes back in post-game attire: LeBron James had the crazy interview-session garb after Game 1, all floral and bird-y. Challenged, a sartorially splendid Dwyane Wade (pictured) struck back impressively last night with a shirt/light jacket combo that looked like it was the creation of Versace on hallucinogens.

G2: HEAT 115, BULLS 78; MIAMI EVENS SERIES 1-1: LeBron James' 19 points and Ray Allen's 21 off bench lead six Heat players in double figures as Miami win by the biggest margin in club playoff history and deals Chicago its worst playoff defeat. Brutal game. Nine technical fouls and second each leading to ejections of Bulls Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson. Headed to the Midwest now at 1-1 as speculation continues to swirl about a dramatic Game 3 return by Derrick Rose. Column off tonight's game should be posted soon. Original post: You can partly blame the rest/rust factor for Monday's 93-86 Game 1 Heat loss that featured clanky 39.7 percent shooting and unusually disjointed defense. Or you can simply target the fact that Heat 3-point specialists Shane Battier, Ray Allen and Mike Miller were a combined 4-for-15 beyond the arc. If each hit just one more 3, Miami wins. But I look to other stats that must be corrected tonight in what, realistically if not literally, is a must-win for Miami. Chicago outrebounded the Heat 46-32; that gap must narrow. Four Bulls had more boards than Chris Bosh. Step up, Bosh! And this: Dwyane Wade took zero free throws Monday, and LeBron James took fewer than either Nate Robinson or Jimmy Butler. That must change. Miami can't rely on making 3's so much that it concedes the paint. The Heat need a manlier, more aggressive mindset on both ends of the floor. They'll have it tonight. I see Miami -- team and fans -- showing up a lot better than in Game 1. They'd sure as hell better.

Just to be annoying, Heat nemesis Lil Wayne hops on Bulls bandwagon: As if Miami didn't have enough incentive tonight to even this playoff series after dropping Monday's opener? Rapper Lil Wayne hates the Heat and shows it at every turn, including boasting on-stage that he'd had relations with Chris Bosh's wife. Here Wayne is pictured celebrating with Bulls players after Game 1, courtesy Bulls guard Rip Hamilton, who posted the pic on Instagram. Wayne, referencing Nate Robinson's 24-point second half, also Tweeted, Nate the Great! Somebody show this photo to LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and maybe especially Bosh. They play better angry.

ON DOLPHINS' THREATS, ROSS' ODDLY TIMED PHILANTHROPY: What a strange time for the very top of the Dolphins organization in the wake of its stadium-renovations defeat in Tallahassee. Two quick thoughts. On the Dolphins' threats: Club president Mike Dee, asked about team's long-term future in Miami, said ominously, "I wouldn't want to prognosticate what the future holds but it is clearly bleak." Hmm. My friend Danny Webster tells me "bleak" means "without hope or encouragement, depressing, dreary..." Is that really how the franchise wishes to portay the state of the franchise? That's dumb, and unnecessarily upsetting to customers (a.k.a. fans). That attitude is mindful of the kid who didn't get his way so he threatened to take his ball and go home. It also sounds like a defeatist attitude. Time to be grownups about this, Dolphins. (Dee is pictured with owner Stephen Ross, their smiles belying the bleakness all around them). On Ross' oddly timed philanthropy: Comes word this week that Ross, 73, has joined the Warren Buffett/Bill Gates initiative in which the wealthiest of the wealthy pledge to donate at least half their money to charity over time or posthumously. It's a billionaires philanthropy club, a wonderful thing. Good for Ross. But the timing only underlines how well he can afford to pay for the desired stadium renovations himself. Ross is pledging to give away more than $2 billion when it would take only a fraction of that to refurbish his stadium to a Super Bowl-attracting, future-assuring shine. Maybe the smart, pragmatic billionaire businessman should consider that whatever money he did spend would come back to him in increased franchise value. That, in turn, would help ensure the club's long-term future here beyond Ross' eventual death -- something he claims he wants. Do what made you a billionaire, Mr. Ross: Get it done. Meantime, enough with the threats about leaving. South Florida deserves better.

HEAT'S SPOELSTRA SECOND IN COACH VOTE: NBA yesterday announced Denver's George Karl was its 2012-13 coach of the year, with Miami's Erik Spoelstra finishing second. Not a surprise.

"DEAAAD GIVEAWAY!" THE MARVELOUS CHARLES RAMSEY: Ramsey (pictured) is the Cleveland neighbor-turned-hero who this week rescued those three young women who'd been held captive for 10 years. The crime was horrific. But Ramsey's description of his role in the rescue is exceptional. It is entertaining, even funny. Click HERE to watch and listen. Ramsey colorfully references McDonald's, eating ribs, salsa music and "big testicles." He ends by saying, "I knew something was wrong when a pretty little white girl runs into a black man's arms. Dead giveaway. DEAAAD GIVEAWAY!" In a later interview, Anderson Cooper asked Ramsey if he wanted a reward and he said, "I get a paycheck. Give the reward to the rescued women." Charles Ramsey, you're my hero. McDonald's, give this man free cheeseburgers for life! (Yes: I am aware Ramsey is an imperfect soul reportedly with domestic-violence arrests in his past. No: It does not diminish his role in this matter, or the fab interview he gave). In the spirit of celebrating Ramsey's role in this -- not making light of the crime -- we present two alternate versions of the interview:

* Charles Ramsey interview remix: Songified. (Grade: A-plus) 

* Charles Ramsey interview animated: Crazy Taiwanese Style. (Grade: B)

Poll results: Deeply divided on Derrick Rose drama: We asked, and 46.6 percent said the medically-cleared Bulls guard should be playing, but 45.2% supported his decision not to, and 8.2% were undecided.

UPDATED: MARLINS "SAD-O-METER" RETURNS! (UNFORTUNATELY): We have had this new blog feature we update as long as Marlins' winning percentage is under .300 -- as long as the New York Mets' infamous 1962 record of 40-120 (.250) is within reach. Well, the Sad-O-Meter disappeared for a little bit but three straight losses including yesterday's shutout in San Diego have brought it back. Updated Sad-O-Meter: Current record, 10-25 (.286). Season projection, 46.29 wins, 115.71 losses.

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Vote! Who is Heat's MVOG (Most Valuable Other Guy)?; plus Heat-Bucks schedule, Kiper plays Ireland, Marlins, reflections on Boston & more

1) It is THURSDAY, APRIL 18. NFL says Larry Litttle will anounce Dolphins' 2nd- and 3rd-round draft picks. 2) UM linebacker Eddie Johnson officially departs for Hinds Community College. 3) R.I.P. Pat Summerall, 82, for many the voice of football. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Boston Marathon tragedy, Man vs. World on Heat, Dolphins' Mount Rushmore results, UM spring football, New Orleans visit. 5) Join us on Twitter @agregcote.

Heat-Bucks schedule: Game 1--Sunday 21st at MIA 7 pm; 2--Tuesday 23rd at MIA 7:30; 3--Thursday 25th at MILW 7; 4--Sunday 28th at MILW 3:30. If necessary: 5--Tuesday 30th at MIA tbd;p 6--Thursday 2nd at MILW tbd; 7--Saturday 4th at MIA tbd. Click on Must Win for my forward-looking column off last night's regular season finale. Dwyane Wade says Miami must win a repeat title for the record-setting regular season to matter.  

Click UM In Right, But NCAA Has Might for today's latest column.

FORGET THE BIG 3. WHO HAS BEEN HEAT'S MOST VALUABLE OTHER GUY?: LeBron James will win another NBA season MVP award or the league should be disbanded. So a vote on the Heat's season MVP would be pointless; it's obvious. Likewise, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are the Heat's second and third best and most valuable players beyond argument. But after the Big 3? There the debate begins. In this poll I offer a choice of the eight other players who have played most. Any of four of them, to me, might be legitimate picks here. Have your say. Vote and say why.

KIPER PLAYS IRELAND ON DOLPHINS DRAFT: Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland, take the month off. ESPN draftnik Mel Kiper has done your job for you by revealing Miami's picks in the first three rounds. Dolphs are only NFL team with five, by the way. They'll be, says Mel: 1st round (12th overall)--Alabama OT D.J. Fluker; 2R (42nd)--Florida State DE Tank Carradine; 2R (54th)--UConn CB Blidi Wreh-Wilson; 3R (77th)--North Carolina State CB David Amerson; and 3R (82nd)--Harvard FB Kyle Juszczyk.

MORE REFLECTIONS ON BOSTON: I grew up in South Florida but was born in Massachusetts, 25 miles west of Boston, in Lawrence. Many longtime readers know the Red Sox and Carl Yastrzemski were my first love in sports. My second was the parquet floor on which Bill Russell and John Havlicek worked. But of course I felt Monday's Boston Marathon tragedy not because of those roots, but as an American. Background matters not at a time like that. We are all one country. It sounds corny, but it is the one truism that the terrorists fail to understand: That what they think will tear us apart, binds us together instead. I was so moved to see people running toward where the bombs blew, to render aid. To hear of runners sprinting straight from the race to the nearest hospital, to donate blood. New York understands, and so the Yankees last night displayed both teams' logos with the banner, 'United We Stand,' and played the Red Sox anthem Sweet Caroline during the game. (Click here to see and hear that sweet gesture). Times like these remind us there are so many evil people in the world .. but also that there are so many, many more who are good. [Click on We Deal With It for my reaction to the tragedy, a column I am grateful to say has appeared in newspapers all over the country].

Papelbon goes there: Jonathan Papelbon, Phillies (and ex-Red Sox) pitcher, might have had a little internal voice saying, "Don't go there." But he went there. He might have heard that little inward voice warn, "Don't be that guy." But he was that guy. Papelbon, yesterday, on the Boston bombings: "Today's day and age has gotten so crazy. Shoot, man, Obama wants to take our guns from us and everything."

MARLINS UPDATED WORLD SERIES ODDS. NO, SERIOUSLY!: Hey, Mr. Vegas wants somebody to bet on everybody. Hence, odds. Updated World Series odds from Bovada, new today, have a bunched crowd for favorite, with Tigers 7-1, Braves 15-2 and Nationals 8-1. Your Marlins are dead last now at 1,000-to-1.

SHANE LARKIN, DON'T GO: Hurricanes point guard Shane Larkin's protrcated decision whether to return to UM or enter the NBA draft is said to be leaning toward go-pro, according to ESPN's Chad Ford. That would be unfortunate for him, I think. Larkin would not be a certain first-round draft pick. TNT's Steve Kerr, appearing on 790 The Ticket recently, responded to my question about Larkin's NBA future by saying he'd be a career backup. Larkin needs another college season to solidify his first-round status and improve perceptions about his upside on the next level.

On FIU's basketball hire: Norfolk State's Anthony Evans taking over FIU men's basketball feels like a solid hire if only because -- unlike star names Richard Pitino and Isiah Thomas before that -- Evans seems like he might not treat the job as an immediate stepping stone. FIU doesn't need another fast-break outta town. It needs a coach who wants to stay, and build.   

"DEAR GREG...": "...your blog's OK but would be better if occasionally you would show a picture of Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill riding a go-kart. Thank you." Dear reader, I'll see what I can do. No promises.

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The Laura Silberman sham; plus Heat win record 15th straight, UM falls one to No. 6, Dolphins franchise Starks, golf's surprise, Bar Eaters & more

[1) It is MONDAY, MARCH 4. Sorry, again, that there was no live blog chat today due to a scheduling conflict. We'll be back at it next Monday 1-2 p.m. as usual. 2) Aside to Auto Nation: The "who you gonna call..." jingle that worked with the word "Maroone" does not work now. So stop it, please. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Dolphins and Darrelle Revis, Heat do Harlem Shake, Heat/Canes lead monster hoops weekend. 3) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]

THE SHAM AND SHAME OF LAURA SILBERMAN: I saw this on TV and thought it was a joke. Like something from a Saturday Night Live skit. Premise: Female kicker gets historic NFL tryout but is so godawfully bad that it's, well, it's ridiculous-funny. So Silberman, 28, of New York City, appears Sunday at an NFL regional scouting combine at the Jets facility and becomes -- officially, and for all-time -- the first woman to participate in an NFL-sanctioned tryout. And what does she do? She sets women's sports back about two decades. She attempts two kickoffs. One goes 19 yards, the other 13. Then she stops, claiming a bad leg. She had played club-level soccer, no football. She had kicked her first football about two months earlier. Reports are she was unsure how to place the ball on the tee, or where to stand on her approach. She was thoroughly unprepared and unqualified for anything related to an NFL tryout. It smells like a publicity stunt. Yet the NFL played along, promoted her appearance, and the media throng there included E! Entertainment. Now, because of her "first," I have no doubt a quickie book or a deal for a really bad movie are right around the corner. Remember when "firsts" meant something? First man on the moon. First woman in Congress. First black president. Let the record state that the "first woman in an NFL-sanctioned tryout" was preposterously unqualified and had no business being there.

HEAT WIN CLUB-RECORD 15TH IN A ROW: [Update: Heat tonight won No. 15 in a row, 97-81 at Minnesota, led by D-Wade's 32 points. And I was dead-wrong about this being a danger/trap game]. Original post: Back to back the Heat have beaten a very good West team in Memphis and conquered an East rival in New York on the great stage of Madison Square Garden to reach a club-record-tying 14 consecutive wins. Tonight the record 15th straight W should come easily at last-place Minnesota, right? Except you know it won't, right? It's a classic trap game. Pictured: A lobster trap of the type Dave Wannstedt would hang in the Dolphin lockerroom certain weeks. The letdown factor will be big for the Heat tonight. Plus LeBron James has a slightly hyperextended knee and is questionable to play. He'll play (knowing LeBron), but this might be a good time for his first rest of the season. By the way, still not sure what to make of the Heat re-signing ancient Juwan Howard. Can't imagine he'll play any significant minutes. To afford that roster luxury is another sign how good the Heat are.

CANES DROP ONLY ONE SPOT TO NO. 6: That's in today's latest Associated Press college men's basketball poll, and that's fair and reasonable, following a narrow loss at Duke. Top five: new No. 1 Gonzaga, then Indiana, Duke, Kansas and Georgtown. Florida is 11th.

DOLPHINS FRANCHISE STARKS: To nobody's surprise, the Dolphins today placed their franchise tag on defensive tackle Randy Starks, guaranteeing he will be among the top-paid at his position but assuring he will not be lost in free agency. It would have cost the team more money to franchise pending FA's such as tackle Jake Long or cornerback Sean Smith. Assigning a franchise tag is the first major step for general manager Jeff Ireland as he outlines how the coming free agency period will play out for Miami.

WHAT A-ROD DOES IN HIS SPARE TIME: Yankee and Miami's own Alex Rodriguez, when not rehabbing from an injury or denying suggestions of steroid use, is now reportedly busy dating Torrie Wilson, a former wrestler and Playboy model. Torrie is pictured. (Is it cold in this blog!?)

 

GOLF'S CONSTANT SURPRISE: Enjoyed covering Sunday's final round of the Honda Classic up in Palm Beach and writing this column on the sport's splendid unpredictability. The week's script called for a Rory McIlroy-Tiger Woods showdown. Instead the final leaderboard was highlighted by a guy in Mr. Rogers' sweater (winner Michael Thompson, pictured) and a guy who'd had two heart transplants, Miamian Erik Compton. No team or individual sport more than the PGA Tour offers an anything-can-happen/anybody-can-win feel every week. Already looking forward to Doral this week.

Poll result: Interest in Revis, but not for 1st-round pick: We asked what you'd give up to get Jets CB Darrell Revis in a trade, and a plurality of 33.5 percent said 2nd and 3rd-round draft picks, 25.2% said a 2nd or 3rd-rounder and lower picks, 7.2% said a 1st-round pick and 5.9% said a 1st-rounder and more if needed. Another 28.2% would not give up picks for Revis.

A WAR ON BAR EATERS: A "bar eater," according to the Greg Cote Encyclopedia of Pet Peeves, is a person who walks into a fine restaurant, sits at the bar and orders a full meal that he or she consumes at the bar -- thereby occupying limited space intended for people who are A) there only to drink, or are B) there having drinks while waiting for a table. Again, I'm not talking about sports bars here; I'm talking about nice restaurants. To bar eaters and establishments that allow them: Restaurant tables = eating. Restaurant bars = drinking. Quiz in the morning.

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Do you root for Tiger Woods? Poll. Vote!; plus LeBron saves the dunk!, Jared Odrick goes Hollywood, Tony Bennett, Loria's poll record & more

ESPN's OTL on Loria: Thanks again to ESPN for having us on Outside The Lines for yesterday's segment on Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria. (I'm second-from-left on the screengrab here -- the guy who looks like he doesn't belong on TV). Behind-curtain tidbit: Club president David Samson also was a guest and we taped at same studio in different rooms, and spoke cordially before and after. He doesn't take personally my professional criticism, which I respect.

[1) It is THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28. Always a test to see how teams respond after loss, and No. 5-ranked Hurricanes men did it very well last night in beating Virginia Tech. 2) I am now following my latest crush @emmyrossum. I get to admit that because my wife doesn't read anything I write, which has its advantages. 3) Can you imagine being next Pope and having Benedict still living in the Vatican? Be like if Barack refused to leave White House. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Loria letter/outtakes/poll, Heat hit stride, Canes football/hoops, Oscars, celeb diving, giant prosthetic feet. 5) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]

Click on Fabulous February for today's latest column by me, on the huge month for the Heat, for LeBron James and, less noticed, for a revitalized Dwyane Wade.

TIGER IS AMONG US. ARE WE ROOTING FOR HIM AGAIN?: A little over three years ago, late November 2009, Tiger Woods' world blew up when the expose of his serial infidelity ruined his marriage and image. It may have contributed to seriously damaging his career, too, considering his career majors have been stuck at 14 since the 2008 U.S. Open. Once he seemed a cinch to surpass Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 majors, now there are doubts whether Woods, now 37, ever will. The kings of golf's zoo, the Golden Bear and Tiger, are pictured. Are you rooting for Tiger to pass Jack? I sort of am. His post-scandal contrition was a model for guys like Lance Armstrong, anyone caught in a lie, to follow. I think his image is largely repaired and that, in the midst of his majors slump, he has become what he never was before: an underdog. A comeback story. Tiger begins play today/Thursday in the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens as the PGA Tour's So-Fla swing begins. His next majors shot, The Masters, is fast approaching. Share your thoughts on Tiger in this poll, and say why you feel as you.

DOLPHINS' ODRICK GOES HOLLYWOOD: Dolphins defender Jared Odrick is one of 22 current and ex-players enrolled in second annual "NFL Pro Hollywood Boot Camp" taking place March 11-15 at Universal Studios in L.A. It's a league initiative designed to offer a crash course for players pondering post-football career related to film industry. Odrick is pictured looking camera-ready.

LEBRON: PREGAME SHOWTIME WILL GO ON!: [Thursday update: LeBron announces detractors will not deter his pregame dunks. OHTHANKGOD!] Original post: LeBron James' pregame dunking during warmups have become must-see for Heat fans; click HERE to watch one of Tuesday night's. James had enough energy left over to score 40 points and lead Miami's double-OT win over Sacramento for a 12th straight victory. (Dwyane Wade added 39 points). But LeBron now is threatening to quit his pregame throwdowns because many on Twitter are slamming him for doing this yet declining to participate in the NBA All-Star dunk contest. "Maybe I should stop because it's making a lot of people mad," he said after last night's game. "They're like, well, if you can do it in warmups why don't you be in the dunk contest. Stop it." Yes, stop it, please. And enjoy.

HEAT BIG 5 @ 55: The blog loves bells 'n whistles especially the nerdy-stat variety and so we started this one we are running throughout Heat season at five-game intervals. It's top-five cumulative ranking of players having the biggest overall impact based on eight statistical categories. The numbers themselves might not mean much but the numbers relative to each other give an indication of the contribution players are making. The Big 5 @ 55 Games (41-14):

Rank (@50)   Player   Total

1 (1)   LeBron James   2,123.6

2 (2)   Dwyane Wade   1,476.6

3 (3)   Chris Bosh   1,272.8

4 (4)   Mario Chalmers   832.0

5 (5)   Ray Allen   817.2

Bubble: Udonis Haslem, 554.3

Poll result: Anti-Loria sentiment sets record: You know our blog loves polls. Done hundreds of them. But none quite like this. We asked if you wished Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria would sell the team -- yes or no (you may still vote in blogpost directly below this) -- and 97.6 percent said yes. No other question we have ever posed has gotten such a landslide.

ON THE LEGENDARY TONY BENNETT: Wife and I saw crooner Tony Bennett at the Broward Center for the Perfoming Arts last night, and he was great. I'm grading somewhat on the curve. He's 86, after all. But he was still great, in some ways all the more impressive because of his age, not despite it. I love seeing aging, legendary music artists I have not seen before, and am happy to have added Bennett to a long list that includes Count Basie, Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis. Bennett was in such fine voice that even showed it off by setting down his mic and singing half a song a capella. He'd just bragged about the acoustics of the hall, and sure enough his unamplified voice was strong and carried. I do have a few nitpicks (or it wouldn't be me). The opening act was Bennett's middle-aged adult daughter (groan), and she performed six songs, which was about three too many. (They later dueted on one). l don't mind a father showcasing his daughter, but too much of her meant tnot enough him; Bennett himself performed only about 50 minutes. I also wished he hadn't abbreviated just about every song including his signature tune, I Left My Heart in San Francisco. He omitted the entire preamble that leads into the title words, on the one song most in the audience wished was longer, not shorter. Afterward, Bennett came out for a few curtain calls but did not play an encore. Despite the minor disappointments it was a great show by a true American original -- after Frank Sinatra probably the greatest singer of his generation and genre.

TEEN EATS DEODORANT: A 19-year-old young woman revealed on the "My Strange Addiction" TV show that she eats deodorant. I have nothing to add but this link.

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

Tannehill vs. World: Name best young QB. New poll; plus NSD, Gangnam golfer, Heat Big 5@45, Amazin' Canes win again & more

This is your National Signing Day headquarters! (Not really): Proudly, we won't have up-to-the second updates on whether, for example, the Hurricanes landed coveted long-snapper Lennay Tanktread of Surgery Prep, because we know that info is only available to you about a thousand other places including live on ESPN. However, later in the day, we will assemble all pertinent information and then -- after extensive research consisting of the Internet -- we'll assess how the Canes and others did. Stay tuned.

[1) It is WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6. Hey, sorry I'm late, y'all. Barack and I were off skeet-shooting. 2) Alex Rodriguez thinks he might be the victim of a conspiracy. Looky here. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): How power outage saved Super Bowl, SB grades, TV, '14 odds. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]

Yes, the Amazing Kreskin is still alive: His publicist informs us the Amazing Kreskin correctly predicted the Super Bowl winner. That puts Kreskin in the exclusive company of myself and about 86.3 million other people who also correctly picked Baltimore. 

TANNEHILL AGAINST THE WORLD: NAME THE BEST YOUNG QB: Watching the Super Bowl the other night at my house with a small group, a friend remarked, of Colin Kaepernick: "(Ryan) Tannehill might become really good, but he's not this guy." I said nothing but immediately thought: Blog poll! This is a Golden Age of Golden Young Arms in the NFL. Just look at the seven names in the poll. All meet my criteria: One or two years' NFL experience, and 25 years old or younger. (The "somebody else" category also might include, among others, Nick Foles, Blaine Gabbert, Jake Locker and Christian Ponder. Notes on three more: Sam Bradford is 25 but has played three pro years, Matthew Stafford turns 25 this week but has played four, and Brandon Weeden was a rookie this past season but is 29). Here is how impressive the poll names are: Tannehill might be last in some estimations, and he just passed for 3,294 yards as a rookie. You'll wish you had about five votes here but you only have one. So. Which young QB would you most want on your team? Vote and say why.

HOW AND WHY CANES LOST RB RECRUIT COLLINS TO ARKANSAS: I know folks at South Plantation High; was the baseball announcer there for several years. And I can tell you Miami didn't lose highly recruited running back Alex Collins to Arkansas because of anything Al Golden's staff did wrong. I am told Collins' decision was based on two factors: 1) He had built up a strong relationship with Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema, and when the coach moved to Arkansas (on Dec. 4, 2012) and took his Miami-area recruiter Charlie Partridge with him, Collins' thoughts immediately went with him to the Razorbacks because of that relationship. 2) The Southeastern Conference. Playing in America's premier college-football conference was something Miami and the ACC could not offer. Despite Miami's history of great running backs, Collins became convinced the SEC stage would better foster a future NFL career. A pretty major blow to UM's recruiting  class as Wednesday's National Signing Day arrives.

PROFESSIONAL GOLFER DOES IT GANGNAM STYLE: It was James Hahn, on the green, after a birdie putt. Funny. Click here to watch.

HEAT BIG 5 @ 45: The blog loves bells 'n whistles especially of the nerdy-stat variety and so we started this new one we are running throughout Heat season at five-game intervals. It's a top-five cumulative ranking of the players having the biggest overall impact this season based on eight statistical categories. The numbers themselves might not mean much but the numbers relative to each other give an indication of the contribution players are making. The Big 5 @ 45 Games (31-14):

Rank (@40)   Player   Total

1 (1)   LeBron James   1,711.1

2 (2)   Dwyane Wade   1,139.6

3 (3)   Chris Bosh   1,087.5

4 (4)   Ray Allen   687.5

5 (5)   Mario Chalmers   665.6

Bubble: Udonis Haslem, 454.1

Heat's subtle early lobbying to re-sign LeBron: LeBron James can leave in free agency after next season, in 2014, and one way Miami hopes to keep him is simply to show constant appreciation, publicly and privately. "To never, ever take him or what he does for granted," as coach Erik Spoelstra likes to say. Two nights ago James scored 31 points on a career-best, near-perfect 13-for-14 shooting. The consistency of his excellence can make it seem routine; Spoelstra's constant praise fights that. James telling ESPN.com last week he doesn't feel he gets enough credit for taking less money to be here did not surprise Heat officials. As one member of the front-office staff told me, "LeBron likes to be appreciated."

LARRANAGA'S AMAZING HURRICANES: [Update: UM steamrolled visiting Boston College last night, Miami's 10th straight win to go 9-0 in the ACC] Original post: I try to avoid hyperbole. Don't use words like "amazing" often. But Jim Larranaga's Miami men are 17-3, have won nine in a row, have risen to a program-best-tying No. 8 in the national polls, and are 8-0 in the ACC -- the first team other than Duke or North Carolina to do that since 1981. Yes: that's pretty amazing. I spoke to Larranaga yesterday for today's column. Being a head coach in the ACC had been a lifelong ambition of his. Even when he gained national attention leading George Mason to the Final Four in 2006, he had not arrived to where he wanted to go. Now, in his second season here in the ACC, Larranaga is proving he belongs. He is proving to be the perfect man to win big and also to grow college basketball in what has never been a hotbed. Click on Fulfilling A Dream for the full column.

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