1) It is MONDAY, MAY 20. Happy birthday, Eldest Offspring. Love you! 2) R.I.P., Ray Manzarek of The Doors, player of the iconic keyboard on "Light My Fire." 3) Maybe I'm too cynical, but Dolphins safety Reshad Jones missing a May workout day in a contract tiff -- I don't give a crap! 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): It's Heat-Pacers, Heat title odds, Preakness, Wade goes to prom, Chad Johnson, Sad-O-Meter. 5) Join us on Twitter @gregcote.
Heat prohibitive faves over Pacers: Bovada as of today has Miami a 2-15 favorite to win the Eastern finals over Indiana, which is 21-4. Individual series scoring-leader over/unders are Heat's LeBron James at 26.5 points and Indy's Paul George at 18.5.
Spurs take Game 1 of Western finals: Miami's presumed eventual NBA Finals opponent looks more solidly like San Antonio today after the Spurs dominated Game 1 at home vs. Memphis, 105-83.
Marlins win! Marlins win!: Fish beat visiting Arizona yesterday 2-1 to end a seven-game losing streak, thanks to Ricky Nolasco's 11 strikeouts in eight-plus innings. See updated Sad-O-Meter below.
VOGEL YAPS AS INDIANA IS UP NEXT ON HEAT'S 2013 UPPER-MIDWEST ANNIHILATION TOUR: I'd almost forgotten what a little irritant Pacers coach Frank Vogel (pictured) is. He has the Heat's attention after
saying of Miami, "They're the next team that's in our way, and that's how we're approaching it." Granted, the comment is fairly benign. But everything this time of year is magnified and heard as if it were shouted, and so LeBron James has found a way to take umbrage and use Vogel's remarks as fuel. "We're not just another team," said James, interpreting Vogel 's comments as a dismissive insult to Miami. History: Vogel wasa fined 15K by the NBA a year ago for calling the Heat the biggest "floppers" in the league. The latest exchange is mighty tepid as "War of Words" go, but it's enough to construct the new framework for this series: Lil' Pacers feeling saucy, big Heat intending to put them in their place. Can't wait! Original post: First, Milwaukee fell. Then, Chicago. On deck, Indiana, with Game 1 of the Eastern finals Wednesday night in Miami. Fate
has the Heat mowing through the upper Midwest to get back to the NBA Finals. Milwaukee was an easy 4-0 sweep. Chicago was a lot harder, but, bottom line, still a 4-1 breeze. Indiana figures to be a more difficult; to the point, more difficult than New York would have been. The Knicks are a one-man show (Carmelo Anthony) and below-average on the defensive end. Indiana rebounds better, defends much better and has a player (Paul George) who bothered LeBron James into 15 turnovers in three regular-season meetings. Plainly, NYK would have been an easier opponent. There were other reasons to wish the Knicks were the next opponent. From a fans' viewpoint, the Knicks presented a sexier foe as Miami's biggest rival. Oppositely, the Pacers are star-less and not an historic rival (though last year's playoff meeting was contentious). Heat fans may be feeling cheated of the opportunity to watch boorish Knicks fans and No. 1 cheerleader Spike Lee turned sad by defeat. From the vantage of Your Friend the Media, well, would you rather spend a few days in New York City or in Indianapolis? Exactly! As I mention in my Sunday notes column, New York is The City That Never Sleeps. Indianapolis is The City That Makes Me Sleepy. But it is what it is, as they say, so the 2013 Upper Midwest Annihilation Tour marches on. How do you see this series going? Vote and say why:
Poll result: We wanted Knicks, not Pacers: We asked, and seven out of 10 voters preferred the Heat face the Knicks next rather than the Pacers. When last we checked it was 69.98 percent landlside for New York, and 30.02% for Indiana.
SAD-O-METER: MARLINS NOW ON RECORD PACE FOR LOSSES: 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, seven straight losses pushed Miami beyond that 120-loss pace, but yesterday's win worked in the reverse. Updated Sad-O-Meter: Current record, 12-32 (.273). Season projection, 44.18 wins, 117.82 losses.
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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.
"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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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.
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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Yes, it's Radio Tuesday: I'll be back in-studio with Le Batard and Stugotz starting at 3 today on 790 the Ticket and FM 104.3, even though, frankly, I'm dog-tired after a late night and early flight back from Chicago.
1) It is TUESDAY, MAY 13. New blogpost coming later today if I can, or early Wednesday. 2) Big Sunday for Tiger Woods fans like me, with his victory at The Players Championship and his adversary Sergio Garcia's embarrassing late collapse. 3) Hope all you good Ma's had a nice Mother's Day! 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Heat G3 win, return of Good Job Good Effort Kid, Heat aviary update, Palm Beach Dolphins, Super Bowl bid, Maxim Hot 100. 5) Join us on Twitter @agregcote.
LeBron earns defensive honor: NBA named LeBron James to its all-league defensive first team for fifth straight season. Other forward is OKC's Serge Ibaka. Guards are Memphis' Tony Allen and Clips' Chris Paul. Center was a tie between Knick Tyson Chandler and raging Bull Joakim Noah. No second-team Heaters. Shane Battier and Dwyane Wade got a couple of honorable-mention votes each.
Chicago redux: Back in Chicago Monday, I paid $49.95 fee for early check-in. Won't ever stay in this Unnamed Rattrap again. On a positive note, on my full Southwest flight, one of only two empty seats on the entire plane was the middle next to me. I credit that to either dumb luck or my ability to secrete a skunk-like stink.
G4: HEAT 88, BULLS 65: SMOTHERING DEFENSE CARRIES MIAMI: LeBron James had 27 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds last night in Chicago, but the story was a defensive effort that limited the Bulls to 65 points on abysmal 25.7 percent shooting. Miami now with a commanding 3-1 series lead heading back to Miami Wednesday night for Game 5. The other big story of the night, for me, was the state of Dwyane Wade, working on a shaky right knee and held to six points. Wade's performance the rest of this postseason could be a key to Miami repeating. I explore in THIS COLUMN from Chicago off last night's victory. ..... Original post: Swing Game as defined by me: Miami wins tonight for 3-1 series lead heading back home
and the chance of a nice, neat, quick five-games series becomes extremely likely. Miami loses tonight to even things and suddenly the chance of a full seven-game series looms large. Bulls then will be
playing for their playoff lives in Game 4, realistically. But talent and health trump intangibles and home court, so I like the Heat once again. The return for Chicago of Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich again seems unlikely, and the return of Derrick Rose seems even more fanciful. Health frustration has got to be the root of Chicago's spate of technical fouls, three ejections and two league fines in this series -- the most recent a 35K slap to Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau for implying the officials want the Heat to win. Poor Tom sounds like he's expecting the opposite treatment and sympathy for his injuries. Doesn't work that way. Even fully healthy, Chicago would be a clear underdog to the champs. Chitown has no answer for LeBron James. The better team almost always wins in a seven-game series. And the better team -- the much better team -- is winning this one. As expected.
WHO IS HEAT'S BIGGEST RIVAL?: I've always been interested in what constitutes any team's biggest rival.
Sometimes it isn't an easy call. I don't think it is with the Heat; hence, a blog poll! For me the answer used to be Knicks without much question (is it still?), then it sort of became Celtics (is it still?). Or is it Bulls now? It isn't just this current series that resumes Monday with Heat leading 2-1; Miami has faced Chicago in the postseason more than any other opponent. "Biggest rival" is a lot about gut feeling. So when I say, "The Heat's biggest rival is...", you say what? Vote now and say why.
MIAMI'S BRIDGEWATER PEGGED 2ND IN '14 DRAFT: ESPN's Mel "It's Never Too Early" Kiper is out with his
first top 25 "Big Board" for the 2014 NFL draft, and it is led by South Carolina DE Jadevon Clowney, followed by Louisville QB Teddy Bridgewater (pictured), the Miami-born former Northwestern Bull. No Canes, but four other state-school players in Gators CB Loucheiz Purifoy (10th), Seminoles DT Timmy Jernigan (15th), Noles OT Cameron Erving (19th) and USF DE Aaron Lynch (25th). Also of note, slotted 25th: Texas A&M QB and Heisman winner Johnny Manziel (should he enter the draft, of course).
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, two straight losses have brought the S-O-M back. Updated Sad-O-Meter: Current record, 11-27 (.289). Season projection, 46.89 wins, 115.11 losses.
HAVE YOU MET JACKMERIUS TACKTHERITRIX?: Love the comedy duo Key & Peele, and especially love
their spoof of football player introductions with a parade of increasingly ridiculous names. Click HERE to watch and listen. With one notable exception all of the names made fun of belong to African-American "players." Key & Peele also are black. Had this same video been done by a white comic I wonder if he'd have come under fire for making fun of blacks? I'm just asking!
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1) It is WEDNESDAY, MAY 8. New blogpost coming later this morning! 2) The Steelers signed an offensive tackle named Guy Whimper. That's right: Guy Whimper. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): LeBron's MVP, updated NBA playoff odds, Dolphins' stadium loss, Tyson Clabo, Orb, media bias, Sad-O-Meter retired. 4) Join us on Twitter @agregcote.
G1: BULLS 93, HEAT 86: MIAMI FLAT AFTER LONG LAYOFF(Bulls lead 1-0; Game 2 Wednesday in Miami): Too easy to blame the rest and the rust. Too convenient. That might explain the slow start for Miami Monday, but does it also explain the Heat leading by four after three quarters and then surrendering 35 fourth-quarter points? Miami shot poorly (39.7%), got out-rebounded and maybe underestimated the Bulls' will. "Our backs are against the wall now," said Chris Bosh. "We have to respond." The backs-against-wall thing might be a bit dramatic, or at least early. But the need to respond Wednesday in Game 2 is beyond paramount. ..... Original post: The Bulls are talking the talk, but when they try to walk the walk, the walk has a limp. Can an injured, hobbled Chicago squad coming
right off a wearying 7-game series stand up to a rested, reigning
champion? Let's find out! Bulls will be missing both Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich tonight, and a couple of other guys, notably Joakim Noah (foot; pictured left in an intimate moment with LeBron James) are not 100 percent. Then there's the whole missing Derrick Rose drama. Da Bulls are feisty, though, still smarting over the 2011 playoffs when Chicago was top-seeded but got bounced by Miami in five games. That's when Noah called the flashy Heat "Hollywood as hell," remember? This time around, says Bull Taj Gibson, "Words cannot express how badly we want to beat them." Added teammate Marco
Belinelli, "We're not going to be scared and our mentality is to win." OK good luck with that. Fully healthy (Rose, Deng) I do think Chitown matches up pretty well, as a rugged-defending, strong-rebounding team. They can stretch this series if Carlos Boozer comes up big and Nate Robinson is hot. But the Bulls just aren't healthy. Oh, and Miami ain't Brooklyn. Series pick: Heat in 5 games.
SHOULD DERRICK ROSE BE PLAYING?: It's the question Chicagoans have been wondering, and now it
overshadows this Heat-Bulls playoff series that starts tonight. Derrick Rose, star guard, had his knee surgery almost exactly one year ago and is medically cleared to play but says he is not ready. "You want that (to play), but you've got to look at the big picture," he said over the weekend. "If I'm not healthy, no way I'm stepping on the court. I'm in control of the whole process." It is not ruled out that Rose might return later in this Heat series -- but not expected. Imagine if Rose were on your team. How would you feel about his continuing caution. Vote and say why.
MEET GARY WASHBURN, PROFESSIONAL SPOIL SPORT: The Boston Globe's Celtics writer Gary Washburn (pictured) has identified himself with a story today as being the one voter, of 121, who did not cast a first-place vote for LeBron James for NBA MVP. James would have been the first unanimous winner ever if not for Washburn, who voted for the Knicks' ball-hoggin' Carmelo Anthony. Washburn made two points in his mea culpa. One was that he was surprised to be the lone wolf, thinking that Kevin Durant, Anthony, CHris Paul and perhaps Kobe Bryant all would get first-place votes. (Dear Gary: No, because everybody else but you knew who the clear MVP choice was). His second point was, "I thought Anthony was the most valuable player to his team this season, not the best player in the league." (Dear Gary: Voters every year, including 120 of 121 this year, sort of see it as a league-wide award, not a team award). I was harsh last night in the blog to call the then-mystery voter an "idiot." I don't think Washburn, whom I do not know, is an idiot. I do think he's a guy who cast a really bad vote that he'll wear like an ill-fitting suit the rest of his career.
SERENA WILLIAMS SLAMMED BY PROTEGE: Rising American tennis star Sloane Stephens, 20, calls her former hero Serena Williams, 31, a fraud who has been unkind and shunned her. Surprising stuff (click here to read), because I saw Serena as a mentor to Stephens. Not shocking, though. Serena is a real diva and I have written as much, including noting during the recent Key Biscayne tournament here that she kept a room full of reporters waiting close to an hour without a word of explanation, let alone apology.
UPDATED BASEBALL AWARDS ODDS: From Bovada, favorites as of today: NL MVP, Braves' Justin Upton 9-2; Cy Young, Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw 3-1. AL MVP, Tigers' Miguel Cabrera 2-1; Cy Young, Red Sox's Clay Buchholz 11-4.
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1) It is SATURDAY, MAY 4. Happy quatro de Mayo! New blogpost coming later today. 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Heat's preference for next round, Dolphins' biggest-need poll, NBA gay player backlash, Sad-O-Meter, glowing sheep. 3) Join us on Twitter @agregcote.
LeBron to collect fourth MVP award on Sunday: ESPN citing "sources" in saying it'll be official on Sunday. ESPN sources also indicate the sun'll come up tomorrow.
Click on Waiting For A Game And A Challenge for my most recent column, on the Heat's long wait for a second-round oppoent that, either way, doesn't look too scary.
THE BUILDING (AND BRANDING) OF DION JORDAN: The Dolphins' No. 1 draft pick is missing this weekend's rookie camp as he recovers from shoulder surgery, but I use the occasion to share two things about Jordan I find interesting. 1. Building a Beast On the Field -- Jordan has trained with MMA legend Chuck Liddell and Fox
Sports' Jay Glazer (also a former fighter) on his aggressiveness and hand-work. Glazer has taught him to attack blockers with "hammer-fist" techniques. "Why would you not want to make it a bad day on that [blocker's] forearms," says Glazer. 2. Building a Brand Off the Field: Jordan enlisted Tallahassee-based public relations firm 180 Communications for "media training" to better tell his story and grow his profile in Miami. His training specialist, Elton Gumble, says Jordan's is "a story that could rival Michael Oher's Blindside for popularity." Jordan's mother lost custody due to drug addiction when he was 12, and at 17 he suffered burns on 40 percent of his body in an explosion when he and friends tried to siphon gas from one car to another in a buddy's garage by using a vaccum cleaner. ("Dumb idea," Jordan admits). Gumble sees his story as one of perseverence and overcoming odds, and thinks he'll be active locally working with burn victims and inner-city kids. Of course, it will take his becoming a star commensurate with the third overall pick to fully provide that forum. It'll be interesting to watch his potential -- on and off the field -- play out.
BULLS OR NETS? WHO'D GIVE HEAT A BETTER SERIES?: I know, I know. Heat fans are supremely confident, and should be, and so the natural reaction is to harrumph and say what difference does it make because neither Brooklyn nor Chicago -- who play a Game 7 Saturday for the right to meet Miami -- will seriously challenge the Heat. Neverthless, one of them would give Miami a tougher time for whatever reasons. Which one? Vote and say why. (I know "Neither one" would win here; that's why it isn't a choice...)
THE STRANGE TALE OF SUSANNAH COLLINS: She's a Chicago hockey reporter fired this week by
Comcast for saying during a live report in front of the Blackhawks dressing room that the Blackhawks had enjoyed "such a tremendous amount of sex during the regular season." Now, while that may be true, Collins (pictured) meant to say "success" and quickly corrected herself. The blooper (click here) went viral. But that isn't what got her fired, exactly. The misspeak going viral led to a probe of Collins' past that included some mildly risque sports videos done in 2009-10 as part of the Sports Nutz for Middlebrow Media. Click here for those. She'll be out of work for about a minute and a half.
TIM TEBOW TO THE DOLPHINS!WHY IS THIS GUY TAKING CREDIT FOR AN ABSURD RUMOR?:Miami New Times online has a story by a Ryan Yousefi headlined, "Tim Tebow to the Dolphins! How I
Trolled Twitter Into Believing An Absurd Rumor." Two thoughts here. 1) It wasn't that asburd. What this guy Tweeted on Thursday found whatever traction it did largely because Tebow's own agent, Drew Rosenhaus, had said on WQAM the day before that he "wouldn't be shocked" if Miami showed interest. So the speculation already was out there. I'd been deflecting Tebow-to-the-Dolphins rumors and email inquiries from the moment the Jets cut him. 2) Sounding a false alarm on Twitter is so easy that any giggling adolescent with too much free time can do it. You Tweet, "OMG. [Famous Celebrity] just died!!" and chances are the celeb's name will soon be trending. This Tebow stunt, despite the bow for applause, hardly invented or perfected the art of Twitter pranking.
Poll result: Left tackle Dolphins' biggest need by far: We asked what Miami's biggest remaining need was, post-draft, and 68.0 percent voted left tackle, followed by 10.9% cornerback, 7.9% running back, 5.9% tight end and 1.0% linebacker. Another 6.3% voted "something else."
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1) It is THURSDAY, MAY 2. Happy dos de Mayo! 2) Always been a big Snoop Dogg fan. Now here is the reincarnated, reggae-fied Snoop Lion: Here Comes The King. 3) Panthers not making the NHL postseason? Unfortunate. Me not having to feign interest in the Stanley Cup playoffs? Priceless! 4) Click on Weatherman Battles Hiccups on Air for funny vid. 5) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): NBA's gay player, Dolphins' SB odds, Ed DuBois, Sad-O-Meter. 5b) Join us on Twitter @agregcote.
Dolphins/Tebow rumor: How'd it start? I mean beyond ther usual Internet nonsense? Agent Drew Rosenhaus said on WQAM this week he "wouldn't be shocked" if Miami showed interest in free agent QB Tim Tebow. That's how. Drew was doing what good agents do: Trying to drum up business. Tying to create the illusion of smoke so there appears to be fire. Most who follow the team closely would be far more shocked than Rosenhaus if Miami showed any interest. Bet against it. Big.
HEAT (AND FANS) SHOULD HAVE CLEAR PREFERENCE IN BULLS-NETS SERIES:[Update: Nets beat Bulls tonight to tie series 3-3, with Game 7 in Brooklyn]. What opponent should Heat players and fans most want to face in the second round starting Monday in Miami? Players would never say it because to do so would build confidence in the team they'd least like to play or incentive in the one they'd prefer. (Also, the confident Heat "fears" no team; Miami instills fear in others). But there is no doubt the Heat matches up better with Brooklyn than Chicago and should hope the Nets -- who tied the series tonight and now host Game 7 -- can win one more. Miami was 3-0 vs. Brooklyn this season by an average margin of 18 points, but only 2-2 vs. Chicago, which ended Miami's 27-game win streak. But it's more than that, and more than the possibility (however remote) that Bulls star Derrick Rose could make his lonnnnng-awaited return in the next round. It is that Chicago defends Miami's strength better than any team in the NBA. LeBron James driving and then kicking it out for an open corner-3 (Ray Allen's moneymaker) is a huge part of the Heat's game. Miami shot 44 corner 3's in swamping Milwaukee in the first round, or 11 per game. But Chicago's defense this season allowed an NBA-low 3.6 corner-3 attempts per game. ESPN.com statwonk Tom Haberstroh has more on this here. Defensively the Bulls were better than the Nets this season in most categories, but it is their denying the corner-3 that would most challenge the Heat. Also worth noting, Chicago outrebounded Miami by 36 (175-139) in the four season meetings, and limited the Heat to 30 percent on 3-point shots (21-for-70), versus Miami's 41% on 3's against everybody else. Don't get me wrong. Miami still would be a heavy favorite to beat the Bulls, and deservedly. But the challenge would be a stark contrast to the playoffs' "soft opening" in that sweep of the Bucks.
DOLPHINS' BIGGEST REMAINING HOLES, POST-DRAFT: Left tackle seems to be getting most of the current attention and tryout calls (which must make Jonathan Martin feel like crap), and I can
understand that. But for me there are other roster soft spots of some concern. They include cornerback, where starters Brent Grimes and Richard Marshall would hardly count among the NFL's best tandems; tight end, where Dustin Keller is a marginal upgrade over departed Anthony Fasano; and perhaps running back, where Lamar Miller and Daniel Thomas leave Miami lacking proof. Also wonder if we might add linebacker, where Koa Misi and newcomers Dannell Ellerbe and Philip Wheeler have much to prove in an overhauled unit. What do you think is the Dolphins' biggest remaining area of concern and why?
Poll note: One choice above is garnering roughly two-thirds of all the votes. There is a phrase in the business for something like that. The phrase is, "Lousy poll idea."
PETITION TO SUSPEND BROUSSARD CIRCULATING: ESPN basketball analyst Chris Broussard is under fire for calling out-of-the-closet NBA player Jason Collins a sinner and saying his homosexuality is an
"open rebellion to God and Jesus Christ." The faith-based group Faithful America (click for the petition) is collecting online signatures calling for ESPN to suspend Broussard for what the group's executive director Michael Sherrard called allowing Broussard to "mischaracterize our faith and use the teachings of Jesus as the basis for gay-bashing." Faithful America's slogan is, "Love thy neighbor. No Exceptions."
MARLINS "SAD-O-METER" LIVES ON: We have this new blog feature we're updating as long as the Marlins' winning percentage is under .300. The New York Mets' 1962 record of 40-120 (.250) is widely regarded as the single worst season in modern MLB history and the Marlins had been on pace to threaten that ignominy. A recent three-game win streak almost tipped the Fish up over .300 to at least temporarily shut down our Sad-O-Meter, but tonight in Philly made it two losses in a row. So: MARLINS SAD-O-METER: Current record, 8-21 (.276). Updated season pace, 44.69 wins, 117.31 losses.
SOUNDS LIKE A BAA-AAAD IDEA: Scientists in Uruguay have engineered a "genetically modified" sheep that glows in the dark. (And you became a scientist for what exactly!?) WWMT? [What Would (Ron) Magill Think?] Click here for the story. Remember. This is a blog. I couldn't say it if it weren't true.
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1) It is MONDAY, APRIL 29. Click on Random Evidence for the Sunday notes column, leading with Dolphins' fight to reclaim market's top-dog status from Heat. 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Dolphins draft: Dion Jordan and Day 2; Heat Game 3 win, Shane Larkin, Marlins Sad-O-Meter. 3) Join us on Twitter @agregcote.
GRADE THE DOLPHINS' 2013 DRAFT: I know. It's a little bit insane, an instant-grade poll like this. So what! Sure, it takes a couple of years or even longer to fully, fairly judge any draft, but we're running a
blog here, not an encyclopedia. I don't care how you view this draft in restrospect after several years; I care what you think now. I don't care what Mel Kiper says; I care what Dolfans think. Looking for gut reaction here. From the trade-up for the top pick through to today's Day of the Gator (three picks from UF), how much did the Dolphins help themselves? Did they fill needs? How excited are you vs. how you hoped to feel? Factor in whom they might have drafted but didn't and give Jeff Ireland and Miami a grade on this draft, then say why. (Why did I not include an 'F' grade? Simply to disappoint Jets fans bent on anarchy). So here is a list of all Miami's picks to refresh the memory, followed by the poll. And the overall grade is...?
1st round (3rd overall) -- DE Dion Jordan, Oregon
2r (54th) -- CB Jamar Taylor, Boise State
3r (77th) -- OT Dallas Thomas, Tennessee
3r (93rd) -- CB Will Davis, Utah State
4r (104th) -- OLB, Jelani Jenkins, Florida
4r (106th) -- TE Dion Sims, Michigan State
5r (164th) -- RB Mike Gillislee, Florida
5r (166th) -- PK Caleb Sturgis, Florida
7r (250th) -- S Don Jones, Arkansas State
Poll result: Dion Jordan pick grew on you: This was an anomaly. Normally it just takes a few hundred votes for trends to set pretty firmly and results to not change much. But with the Dolphins' selection of Dion Jordan third overall, that was not the case. The immediate-reaction/initial-wave showed "don't like it" in the lead, but that would change substantially. The final verdict: "Love it" 29.0 percent, "like it" 28.3%, "don't like it" 17.7%, "lukewarm" 14.8% and "not sure" 10.2%. That's still a mixed approval rating, but the favorable side grew steadily.
Canes avert draft shutout: Cornerback Brandon McGee goes in the fifth round (149th overall) to the Rams, and running back Mike James in the sixth (189th) to the Bucs. Remembering when UM used to be all over the first round, not Day 3 scraps. FIU equals Miami with two picks: safety Johnathan Cyprien (2nd round/33rd) to Jaguars, and defensive end Tourek Williams (6th/179th) to Chargers.
G4: HEAT 88, BUCKS 77: SWEEEEEEEP!: Dwyane Wade sat out but LeBron James scored 30 to complete the four-game sweep Sunday in Milwaukee. Miami now awaits Chicago-Brooklyn winner, likely Bulls at this point. ..... Original post: Dwyane Wade is a game-time decision today with a sore knee. He should sit. Even if he says he can play, he should sit.
Miami, up 3-0 in the series, can win without Wade and also can afford a loss here. The clear priority should be geting Wade's knee right so is healthy in the ensuing series when he is far more needed.
CAN'T BLAME LARKIN: Two and done, Shane Larkin bolting the Hurricanes for the NBA Draft after his sophomore year. It's too bad for UM, but its understandable. Larkin is healthy and coming of an ACC Player of the Year season for a Sweet 16 team. His stock may never be higher, unless you think it will be one year older and coming off the down-to-earth season Miami is facing. It would have been tough for Larkin top repeat as a conference all-star as the only returning starter. He made the judicious call. Now, hvaing said that, he's still a borderline fiorst-round pick who is not seen as a future NBA star. Analyst Steve Kerr pegs Larkin a backup point guard in the pros. But I doubt one more year of college seasoning would have improved that judgment either.
UPDATED: MARLINS "SAD-O-METER": We have a new feature we'll update in the blog throughout the
season as long as the Marlins' winning percentage is under .300. The New York Mets' 1962 record of 40-120 (.250) is widely regarded as the nadir in its class -- the single worst season in modern MLB history. Now, your Marlins are threatening that ignominy. Marlins Sad-O-Meter: Current record after Sunday's win, 6-19 (.240). Updated season pace, 38.88 wins, 123.12 losses.
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1) It is WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24. New Dolphins uniforms (left) equal much ado about very little. Apart from the apparent disappearance of the color orange they don't seem that new/different. 2) R.I.P., the great protest singer Richie Havens (right). 3) "Stay white, Miami!" --Micky Arison, 2006. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Five reasons Game 1 should leave Heat fans cockier than ever, new Heat song, biggest-threat poll, lists. 5) Join us on Twitter @agregcote.
G2: HEAT 98, BUCKS 86: WADE'S 21 LIFTS MIAMI TO 2-0 LEAD: D-Wade's 21 points and LeBron's 19 were enough last night, with Chris Bosh, Bird Andersen and Shane Battier all adding 10. Dwyane's right knee still isn't just right but he's playing through it. Click on Wade Summons Some Vintage Moments for my column off Game 2. Oh, and Dear Brandon Jennings: How's that prediction looking!? (The Bucks guard had guaranteed Milwaukee in six games). "If it wasn't for their run in their fourth quarter," said Jennings, "we still should have won this game." The word is "delusional." ..... Original post: Game 1s in a seven-game series always are the feeling-out stage. What is each team's game plan? What's the rotation? "Game 2s are always harder," Dwyane Wade said after after today's morning shootaround. "We understand they're going to make adjustment and we have to be ready." That means Erik Spoelstra's imprint on the series gets a little bigger starting tonight. Bracketheads love the one-and-done of the NCAA Tournament -- they don't just love it, they rhapsodize over it -- but I prefer a seven-game format because who advances is a truer reflection of the better, more deserving team. Also love a long series because the complexion of it changes with each result. For example: Can you imagine how differently things would feel if Miami lost tonight and was 1-1 facing two straight games in Milwaukee? Yeah, I can't seem to imagine that, either...
'New Adventures of Christopher Bosh in the Multiverse!': We brought you the first bizarre little Bosh animated film several months ago. Well, a new one has been issued. Click RIGHT HERE to view. It includes a reference to the Miami cannibal face-eater, but that's not my warning. This is: The 11-minute film is so damned trippy that it probably would be best appreciated while floating on a '70s-style mushroom cloud. (Not that I'm endorsing that).
OUR 2013 NFL MOCK DRAFT: EIFERT TO DOLPHINS: It's our 22nd annual Mock, suggesting an expertise that may or may not be there, although my mock did prove more accurate than Mel Kiper's last year. (Self-depracation plus boasting = Humblebrag). Click on '13 MOCK for my entire first round with capsule analysis for each choice. Here is my Dolphins pick in its entirety:
12. MIAMI DOLPHINS: TYLER EIFERT, TE, NOTRE DAME —So many hedges and caveats trying to divine this pick. Florida State CB Xavier Rhodes might be the safest, most predictable call. And Alabama RT D.J. Fluker also looms
possible. I might go Rhodes or Fluker if I wanted the safest bet. A trade-up to grab LT Lane Johnson or even Eric Fisher is possible; Miami has the ammo to go movin’ on up like The Jeffersons. Even a trade-down would not shock. (Much depends on whether the Dolphins complete a predraft deal to acquire chiefs OT Branden Albert.) I have a hunch about Eifert, though. Twelve is higher than his typical projection, but I am told GM Jeff Ireland and coach Joe Philbin are enchanted by Eifert (pictured), seeing in him what the Patriots have in Rob Gronkowski — somebody who can wreak havoc in the red zone and continue giving Ryan Tannehill all he needs to make it big. Eifert is too tall (6-6) for DBs to cover and too fast for most linebackers. If this choice is a bit of a “reach,” it’s a calculated gamble that could hit big for the Dolphins.
OK, now it's your turn: Whose name announced with the 12th pick Thursday night would please you most to hear assuming Miami does not trade up or down? A consensus of most major mock drafts is that it will be Rhodes. I have Eifert. Kiper says Fluker, whose inclusion in the poll presumes a trade for Chiefs tackle Branden Albert will not be completed pre-draft. Obviously plenty of other guys will be available at 12 so I have a "somebody else" category. In voting somebody else, though, please make sure you are thinking of someone who would realistically be available and tell us who. Alright. Ready, set ... vote!
HERE IS A LUNATIC LIST OF ALL 11 GUYS DOLPHINS WILL DRAFT: You'd click on predictionmachine.com for picks on the entire 7-round draft. I list their guesses for Miami's 11 picks here, and call it a lunatic list with all due respect, of course. Here are their Dolphins picks: 1st round (12th overall)--Utah DT Star Lotulelei; 2r (42)--LSU DE Sam Montgomery; 2r (54)--Oregon State CB Jordan Poyer; 3r (77)--Stanford RB Stepfan Taylor; 3r (82)--Tennessee OT-G Dallas Thomas; 4r (111)--Alabama S Robert Lester; 5r (146)--UCLA OG Jeff Baca; 5r (166)--Tennessee WR Justin Hunter; 7r (217)--Georgia Tech CB Rod Sweeting; 7r (224)--Georgia S Shawn Williams; and 7r (250)--Auburn TE Philip Lutzenkirchen. Two respects to highly suspect this list: They have Oregon's Dion Jordan going late in the third round and LSU's Barkevious Mingo going mid-fifth. Both are certain 1st-rounders, Jordan likely top-five overall and Mingo not far behind.
Poll result: Thunder still biggest threat to Heat: We asked and you had to 39.1 percent Oklahoma City, 28.3% New York Knicks, 19.9% San Antonio Spurs and 12.7% somebody else.
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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.
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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