[1) It is WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6. The new Sports Illustrated (right) has NFL commish Roger Goodell atop its list of 50 most powerful figures in sports off-the field. List here. No So-Fla folks on it. 2) R.I.P. Alvin Lee, guitarist from Ten Years After, dead at 68. 3) Happier musical news: Jack White, Brendan Benson and The Raconteurs are reuniting to record another album. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Laura Silberman, Heat 15th straight, UM falls to 6, Dolphins franchise Starks, A-Rod's girl, golf's surprise, Bar Eaters. 5) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]
Dolphins close to re-signing Hartline: Good news, Dolfans. Miami and pending free-agent wide receiver Brian Hartline are close to agreement on an extended contract averaging just over $6 million a year. Dolphins will continue to target outside help at the position, such as former Steeler Mike Wallace. Click on Greg Cote Talks Free-Agency to see and hear a video of, well, I guess that title about says it.
Heat win 16th in a row: LeBron James with a layup with three seconds left and Heat survive visiting Orlando 97-96 tonight. That was Miami's first field goal in final seven minutes. A fortunate win. Funny, though. Good teams seem to have a lot of those.
A WORD OR TWO FOR THE MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: During the Timberwolves' loss to Miami the other night the club released an official response video (click here) to the Heat's immensely popular (and well done) Harlem Shake video. Minnesota's version depicts a guy in a No. 6 Heat jersey (LeBron's number) being clubbed into submission bye the T-Wolves' mascot. Later, after the game, Minnesota's J.J. Barea blasted Ray Allen for "crying." I believe this merits a response. J.J., you're from Miami and I hate to pick on a homeboy, but you calling out Allen is like a flea calling out an elephant. It's comical. He's a hall of famer. You are a career backup. Shhh. As for that video, similar situation. Miami is reigning champion. You, Minnesota, have done nothing worth hanging from a rafter in 24 NBA seasons. Zero. This will be your ninth straight year out of the playoffs. Respect those who have earned it. Know your role.
FIRING ONLY FEATHERS SILEO'S CAREFULLY CULTIVATED PERSONA: WQAM-560 fired Dan Sileo, its 10 a.m.-to-1 p.m. radio host, and it's just about the best thing that could have happened to him and his career. Sileo being suspended or fired is sort of like a rapper being shot or arrested. What seems like
bad news really isn't. Street cred is only enhanced. Reputations are only magnified. I have known Sileo since he played for the Miami Hurricanes in the mid-'80s, and credit him with creating for himself a career in radio. But the niche he has tried to carve and own is pretty clear by the self-description on his Twitter account: AMERICA'S MOST CONTROVERSIAL SPORTS TALK RADIO HOST. (The capital letters are his). The listener is left to discern whether Sileo is actually good at what he does, or simply loud. The listener is left to decide if Sileo's controversy is organic and natural or a manicured contrivance. The next station that hires him -- preparatory to firing him, and then acting like it didn't know what it was getting -- should know precisely what it is getting: a guy who is going to bang into a market shouting and ranting and hoping to make headlines. It might take cartoonishly sexist Twitter comments about Erin Andrews. It might take suggesting the Canes pull a knife on the opposing quarterback and gouge his eyes. Or it might take what led to his firing this time: Saying "that's the half Hebrew in me" regarding saving money. But he will make his headlines. Sileo's Tweet upon his dismissal: FIRED FOR SPEAKING MY MIND, BABY!!!! Love it!! And he does, too, and should. For him, it's good for business.
D-WADE'S SPECIAL DAY: Dwyane Wade scored 32 points with 10 assists and seven
rebounds in a club-record 15th straight Heat win; his recent play has been vintage, pre-LeBron dominance. But what distinguished the trip to the Twin Cities was Wade making time for a Make-A-Wish fan, a 13-year-old girl, Tess Mountain, who suffers from a heart ailment that also affects her facial features. Click HERE for the story and video. Michael Jordan once told Wade to perform every night as if he were playing for the one fan in the arena who'd never seen him in person but always wished to. His making this girl's dream real was sort of the same thing. Only better.
CATS' WEISS OUT FOR SEASON: A bad hockey season got worse for the Florida Panthers with the news center and longest-tenured Cat Stephen Weiss would undergo wrist surgery and be done for the year. It lessens the team's already slim playoff hopes. And it eliminates Weiss, who is in the final year of his contract, as a trade option prior to the April NHL deadline.
DENNIS RODMAN: CLOWN DIPLOMAT: It's funny to me. Not quite a year ago Ozzie Guillen expressed admiration for Fidel Castro and Little Havana exploded in his face. But Dennis Rodman recently heaped effusive praise on North Korea dictator Kim Jong Un after a visit there and it's just sort of passed off as Dennis Being Dennis. I rip Rodman in my latest column. Click on Clown Diplomat to read.
WARNING: GOLFERS RAPPING: PGA Tour players Bubba Watson, Ben Crane, Rickie Fowler and Hunter Mahan call themselves Golf Boys. Thankfully their schtick is a bit more inventive than
their name. Click HERE for their latest faux-rap video, "2.Oh." It is wonderfully awful. If you think golfers are dull, consider this a prescribed antidote. I'd love to make fun of this project and snarkily suggest less-rapping-more-golfing -- except this is a pretty accomplished quarter in the sport. They have 14 PGA Tour titles among them; each has won. Fowler is an up-and-coming star and Watson is the reigning 2012 Master champion. Hard to imagine this video playing well -- or at all -- at staid Augusta. Which makes it that much better!
THE CURIOUS MAGNETICISM OF 'DOWNTON ABBEY': My wife has fallen in love with this show and so I have developed a residual interest. Sort of an osmosis thing. It's about an aristocratic
British family, sub-royals but full of lords, ladies and servants. I love the time period, 1912-21, an era that fascinates me because it is out of personal reach but not prehistoric. (I love Boardwalk Empire for some of the same reasons). I love the costuming and sets of Downton Abbey as well; the series is stunningly luxurious visually, and, for me, wonderfully acted. There is also something about the British accent that is lilting and mesmerizing. Let's be honest. A Brit could say, "Pardon me but I must go take a giant crap" and it would sound like poetry.
Click back. As always, I'll be updating/adding to this latest blogpost...
[1) It is SATURDAY, JANUARY 26. Pat White signs minor-league deal with Marlins. Bill Parcells ... VINDICATED! 2) Prince has new song called Screwdriver and you'd click the word to see and hear. I like Prince and the song. Not a big fan of the naughty use of the word screw, but the music is percussive with nice bass. 3) Much flap over Beyonce lip-synching at presidential inauguration, but outcry was misdirected. Don't blame the singers for trying to make it easy on themselves. Blame the hiring party -- Super Bowl, inaugural committee, etc. -- that fails to insist on a live, real performance. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): UM crushes Duke, NCAA probe tainted, Miami's All-Star Game fiasco. 5) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]
BOSH-FOR-HOWARD DEAL IS PLAUSIBLE. BUT IS IT SMART?: I didn't start this rumor. Heck, ESPN.com
lists seven teams to whom a Dwight Howard trade would make some sense, and has Miami first. The trade would work financially as a straight-up deal. The Lakers could be interested because Howard -- beyond his health and attitude issues -- has not been an ideal fit in L.A. to say the least. Chris Bosh would work in the Lakers' offense better, lending an outside presence and allowing Pau Gasol to work closer to the basket. The Heat could theoretically be interested, too, in that Howard is younger and could provide the low-post presence and defensive rebounding that is lacking. For Miami, especially, though, the trade would be a gamble. It could become a chemistry issue, and it would rely on Howard's full health and his willingness to be the Heat's third scoring option. Don't get this wrong: Am not advocating a trade or even remotely predicting it might happen. Mavericks and Rockets seem likelier landing spots if L.A. made a deal. Worth considering, though, that's all. And discussing. Have a vote and say why.
LeBron's joyful tackle: LeBron James is still a big kid at heart in ways most pro athletes aren't, and that showed last night when he ran out to tackle a fan who'd just won $75,000 by making a halfcourt shot during a break in the Heat game. Click HERE for the brief video. Call this the latest step in the transformation of LeBron's national reputation since it hit rock bottom with The Decision in 2010. [Note: Heat Big 5@40 coming in new blogpost on Sunday].
TOP 10 SUPER BOWL STORYLINES YOU'LL BE SICK OF: [Note: I rarely republish in the blog what is in print but make an exception here because the column below appears in the newspaper under such a
godawful don't-read-me headline ('Lewis top Super Bowl story line') that I feel most readers ran from screaming from it. So here it is...]
I would describe Super Bowl Week — not the game itself, but the buildup to it — thusly: Thousands of journalists bound by custom and formula all writing and saying basically the same things while trying unsuccessfully to repackage them for an audience that not only has already heard these stories, but is sick enough of them to scream.
In other words, pretty much what I am doing right here with my Super Bowl Week primer, a list of top 10 story lines, a national cheat sheet for my media brethren set to descend locust-like upon New Orleans for the upcoming 49ers-Ravens game.
1. RAY LEWIS: Baltimore’s great linebacker (and ex-Hurricane) will be at the emotional epicenter of this game, a role for which he is insanely well suited. Ray is a baller. I don’t just mean once the game
starts. He’s bawling during the national anthem, pulling muscles with his squirrel dance and giving pregame speeches so fiery the field under his feet is left charred and smoldering. Your Friend the Media will plumb the soul of the Canton-bound Lewis and wonder aloud if he is the greatest defensive player ever. Coverage of him mostly will be breathlessly rosy, although some — the Serious Journalists Who Know It Isn’t All Fun and Games — will be unable to resist the temptation to revisit the 2000 murder indictment, later dismissed in exchange for Ray’s testimony against two other men. (These same Serious Journalists also will be writing densely this week about the league’s concussion crisis, a story no less important because nobody cares to read about it.) My hope? After a million floral retrospectives and odes to Lewis’ swan song have been reverently crafted, Ray casually mentions the day after the game that he has changed his mind and isn’t retiring, after all.
2. THE HARBAUGHS: Bro Bowl! Har-Bowl! Super Baugh! This has not been reported anywhere else, to my knowledge, but apparently Jim and John Harbaugh will be the first head coach brothers ever to duel
in a Super Bowl. And oh how the media swoons with enchantment! Father and former longtime college coach Jack Harbaugh, 73, will be more popular in New Orleans next week than beignets at Café Du Monde. Mom Jackie will need a phalanx of bodyguards to fend off the rush of reporters all seeking warm memories of a Harbaugh childhood, and tears, if she wouldn’t mind. For an offshoot, there also will be much contrasting and comparing of the Harbaughs with the N’Awlins-based Mannings: Peyton, Eli and patriarch Archie. (It’s why I have bought stock in media use of the phrase “first family of football.”) My hope? A major news outlet (thinking Yahoo!) will have the exclusive, intriguing interview with heretofore unknown third brother Jasper Harbaugh, but it will turn out Jasper never existed and was the work of the same guy who duped Manti Te’o.
3. BOUNTYGATE: A Super Bowl held in New Orleans the season of the Saints’ crippling Bountygate scandal and resulting penalties will spawn a thousand reheated analyses. (Not to mention vicious postgame booing of Roger Goodell as he presents the Vince Lombardi Trophy.)
4. 'MEDIA DAY': This is the one day during Super Bowl Week when both teams appear in the stadium and thousands of media members swarm upon them. The occasion is such that an
investment in media references to “circus atmosphere” might be prudent. This event is renowned for the Wacky Foreign Journalist, typically a Mexican radio bombshell in a low-cut wedding dress asking the quarterbacks to marry her, and also for the Adorable Kid Reporter, typically a 12-year-old there for Nickelodeon who gets ushered to the front of the line by handlers rudely elbowing through the crowd of legitimate journalists. This also is where hundreds of columnists looking for an easy day on account of a tee time lament the “media excess” and “circus atmosphere” of Media Day, unbothered by the irony that they are contributing to that excess by writing about it.
5. KAEPERNICK/FLACCO: It is mandatory a Super Bowl’s quarterbacks be the focus of the perspective-laden piece placing each man in an historical context, a formula challenging this time because neither
one has been in a Super Bowl before. (Or, as we in the media love to write and say: “On this stage before.”) The peg for Raven Joe Flacco: Is he “elite”? This will be the game that anoints or denies him. Unless perhaps the Ravens win even though Joe had a really crappy game, in which case a reevaluation of the word elite might be necessary. The peg for San Francisco’s Colin Kaepernick: The Breath of Fresh Air. Nine games ago, this guy was most known for his tattoos, but now he’s a pass/run wunderkind. Watch an enterprising columnist visit a New Orleans tattoo parlor (say, Tats ’R Us) to discuss Kaepernick’s body art with an eclectic local ink god — only to discover that 14 other enterprising columnists are there doing the same thing.
6. FOOTBALL VS. REAL LIFE: This is the staple annual theme piece for the beyond-sports, big-picture
journalist (thinking Mitch Albom, or perhaps Jeremy Schaap) who delights to juxtapose the extravagance and partying that surround a Super Bowl with the poverty being endured by real folks just blocks away. Any host city offers this contrast, dare say New Orleans more than most. This is where the serious writer notes that champagne, lobster and shrimp the size of kittens are being served at the Commissioner’s Party while, six blocks away, a family of 11 displaced by Hurricane Katrina lives in squalor battling over a can of tuna. (If the actual conditions are not quite squalor, well, this is why God invented embellishment!)
7. O.J. BRIGANCE: Most of the tear-jerk stories will center on Lewis’ farewell and on the Har-Bros, but
here is the real deal. Brigance, 43, is a former Ravens linebacker who now works in the club’s front office. He suffers from ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), is wheelchair-bound and speaks through a computerized voice. Lewis calls him his and the team’s biggest inspiration. Bonus: Brigance played four seasons for the Dolphins (1996-99), so he qualifies to fill the coveted Hometown Angle role for South Florida reporters trying to “localize” the Super Bowl for their readers.
8. THE 'OTHER' EX'S: Here’s another Hometown Angle for the Miami guys to plumb. Stock premise:
“Ray Lewis is getting all the attention, but …” Baltimore safety Ed Reed and tackle Bryant McKinnie are other prominent ex-Miami Hurricanes for the Ravens, along with injured running back Damien Berry and receiver Tommy Streeter. For the 49ers, running back Frank Gore is a major player, and linebacker Tavares Gooden is a reserve. Oh, and of course Ted Ginn Jr., former Dolphins No. 1 draft pick, is a return guy for the Niners, so we’ll be looking for local reporters to invite a gloating Ginn to complain how he never got a fair shot here.
9. RANDY MOSS: A thousand stories and sound bites all will portray the Niners backup receiver and once-controversial figure as the “forgotten superstar” of this Super Bowl. Even though he obviously isn’t forgotten at all if so many people are writing and talking about him.
10. LOCAL FLAVOR: These is where media folks sent to New Orleans on the company dime justify the expenditure and prove to their bosses they aren’t covering the game from
their hotel bar by venturing into the city and filing descriptive “color pieces.” These would include the aromatic Cajun cuisine of Bourbon Street, the buoyant brass of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, casual use of the words “gris-gris” or “hoodoo,” and (almost certainly) a requisite tarot-card reading. A journalist’s research would likely also include three or four Hurricane cocktails at Pat O’Brien’s, a fact that would be omitted from one’s “color piece” but be deftly hidden on one’s expense report. That last thing is pure speculation, of course. I’m not speaking from experience or anything.
AL GOLDEN'S "HOMELAND SECURITY" STRATEGY: I find Al Golden's two most recent Hurricanes football hires to be good ones, but more than that interesting ones, for the same reason. James Coley, the
new offensive coordinator (from FSU, pictured top) and Mario Cristobal, assistant head coach/tight ends (from FIU, bottom) have this in common: Recruiting. It is a clear strength of both men, especially in South Florida. Cristobal is born and raised here and tapped in with local schools. Coley is a Miami High alum whose first coaching job was at Norland; ESPN has named him top recruiter in the ACC. I mentioned this coincidence to a
source in the football program. "But it isn't a coincidence. It's our 'Homeland Security' plan," the source said, the phrase his, not Golden's. "Al wants to dominate [recruiting] in Dade and Broward." That's especially true now as the school faces possible scholarship limits by the NCAA in the Nevin Shapiro case. If you don't have quantity, the quality had better be that much greater. The strategy to dominate in your bounteous backyard also sounds to me like a head coach digging in and planning to stay awhile. Golden and Cristobal were at the basketball arena with guest recruits during UM's big win over No. 1 Duke -- a result and ambience that could only have helped Canes recruiting leading to next month's signing day. And sitting right next to UM's current star running back Duke Johnson was the player Miami hopes follows in Duke's footsteps: South Plantation's heavily recruited Alex Collins. My guy coined the new reemphasis on South Florida as 'Homeland Security.' I might call it fencing in the backyard. Either way, Coley and Cristobal are smart hires to help Golden and UM get there.
SUPER BOWL PROP BETS (NORMAL AND NOT SO MUCH): There are hundreds. Some betting favorites that interested us, courtesy Bovada: MVP--Colin Kaepernick 7-4. First TD--Frank Gore 13-2. Alice Keys national anthem--2 minutes 15 seconds. Coaches' postgame handshake/bro-hug--7.5 seconds. Times word "Harbaugh" mentioned during game on telecast--20.5. TV rating/viewers--46/111 million. MVP thanks first--Teammates 5-4. (Sorry, God. You're at 5-2).
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[1) It is FRIDAY, AUGUST 31. NEWEST VIDEO! DOLPHINS IN WAKE OF AN 0-4 PRESEASON: Visit our video channel, YouTube/TheGregCote, to peruse all our "The View From Miami" mini-commentaries including the most recent, a Dolphins-Cowboys post-mortem. Subscribe (it's free) to get our latest videos as they are posted. 2) More than 18,000 people have joined a Facebook group and posted nude photos of themselves in support of Prince Harry and his recent naked Las Vegas scandal. This is either inspiring or sad, I can't decide which. 3) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]
UPSET BIRD COUNTDOWN: 7 DAYS: The Upset Bird and I kick off our season of Friday NFL prediction pages Sept. 7, and began a 21-day countdown that each day is honoring notable birds. Following the skateboarder Tony Hawk, today we welcome Winnie the Pooh's compatriot, Owl.
Dolphins airport-runway mishap: How fitting...: What better way to punctuate an 0-4 preseason than to have your team plane back into another plane on the airport runway? That's what the Dolphins jet did trying to leave Dallas after last night's loss, necessitating a switch of aircraft that delayed the Dolphins' departure by three hours. Perfect! In other news, receiver-shy Miami is working out recently cut Patriot Donte Stallworth today.
PS4: DALLAS 30, DOLPHINS 13: MIAMI ENDS PRESEASON 0-4: Final thoughts: Can the Dolphins get a few more preseason games, please? Because it does not appear that this team is season-ready. Tough to read much into this result since starters played so little, but Miami completed exhibition play without a single game that generated much optimism. Tonight the biggest positive I'd take is that Ryan Tannehill looked pretty sharp. Here comes the season, ready or not. And the "not" is unfortunately looking more likely at this point. ..... Halftime thoughts: I think the Dolphins could use a few more practice games. My one positive take from this so far is that Ryan Tannehill -- 6-for-8 with a drop in two series -- looked sharp. ..... Original post: I attended the annual Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Kickoff Luncheon for the Dolphins yesterday and
didn't sense a lot of enthusiasm. Click on Gloomy Dolphins for the resulting column. This is a franchise and a fandom in need of a jolt, of reasons to believe. Or maybe just the slightest hint of momentum at 0-3 in a ragged preseason. That's where tonight's exhibition finale at Dallas comes in. (Yeah, I Know. Wednesday night football. Weird). Miami hasn't looked all-round solid in any preseason game yet and must tonight, no matter the result, to build hope for the regular season. With the Vontae Davis trade being questioned and now tackle Jake Long out for a bit, this would be a good time for the Dolphins to give fans something to feel good about. A strong showing by the defense tonight, especially the pass-D, would be a start. So would Ryan Tannehill looking sharp tonight (and ready) even thought he won't play much. Miami needs to come out of this game feeling better about itself in terms of confidence entering this season.
Sports Illustrated has Dolphins 4-12: SI's NFL preview issue is out this week and pegs the Dolphins 4-12, last in the AFC East and better, leaguewide, than only St. Louis' 3-13. I'm inclined to think Miami will be two or three wins better than that due largely to a soft schedule, although I'm less certain than I was a month ago.
Notable from last night's Dolphins 'Hard Knocks': A few thoughts. 1) Dear Daniel Thomas: You're not proven enough or good enough to keep being late. Be careful. 2) HBO cameras love Lauren Tannehill and also Jake Long's wife. I can't blame them. 3) Stunning how unfamiliar Tannehill is with NFL divisions. Thought Chiefs were in the NFC East. 4) Indy's first offer for Vontae Davis was 5th and 6th round picks. Still think Miami getting a 2nd (and 6th) was good value.
Poll result: Serious disagreement on Vontae Davis trade: We asked in the previous blogpost if you agreed with the Dolphins trading Vontae Davis (you may still vote) and it was close, with 47.6 percent saying yes, 42.7% no and 9.7% undecided. Interestingly, in votes cast in Florida, where a heavier concentration of Dolfans might be assumed, no-votes slightly edged yesses, 45.6 to 45.2.
790 + 104.3 = MARKET DOMINATION: Effective 5 p.m. today 790 The Ticket began simulcasting on
West Palm FM station 104.3. This is big in local sports-talk radio wars because many, many more people listen to FM than AM. What it means is that rival WQAM, already trailing 790 in ratings, no longer will be able to compete in terms of overall number of listeners. Initially only 790's three locally produced show will be simulcast. The station hopes to add its Heat, Marlins and ESPN programming to the simulcast by late this year or mid-2013 at latest.
"WILL YOU TAKE THIS ZOMBIE...": A Louisville couple, Jesse Embry and Jennifer Wilson, plan to walk down the aisle dressed as zombies on their wedding day (story here). Betting over/under on how long it will take the couple to seriously regret ruining that day by acting like morons: 4 months.
THE BETRAYING SEAL: Fox News has identified as Mark Bissonnette the former Navy SEAL who wrote (under a pseudonym) the tell-all book on the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. From what I have read this sounds like a betrayal of oath, a release of classified information. I'd not buy the book in protest for the author's actions, and not be disappointed if he faced legal consequences.
A LOVE OF ELVIS TO EXTREMES: Urine-stained underwear (pictured) worn by Elvis Presley in 1977 will be sold at an auction in Manchester, England next week. Estimates are the garment could fetch around $15,000. The only thing scarier than the thought someone would want this displayed in their home is the idea someone would want this because, well, they fit, and who couldn't use another pair of underwear!?
Click back. Will be updating/adding to this latest blogpost...
GO, MOLLI, GO!: If you haven't heard of Molli Serrano's story, it will be worth your time. She was featured on the Today show last week. I knew her story before that because she is my neighbor in Plantation, same street, four houses down, a 38-year-old married mother of twins. I make a living in the company of great athletes, but Molli might be the most extraordinary athlete I know. Isn't courage how we respond when life deals us an awful hand? A year ago Molli underwent major surgery for pancreatic cancer, and six months of radiation and chemotherapy treatments -- all the while continuing with her serious passion for biking, running and swimming. Now she has a chance to compete in October in the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii if she receives enough votes in a "Kona Inspired" contest. Voting ends today/Wednesday, July 18. Click on Team Molli to hear her story in her words, then please vote to help her dream happen, and forward this to others who also may wish to vote. I thank you.
[1) It is WEDNESDAY, JULY 18. Scroll down for Olympics poll immediately below. 2) UM dismisses senior safety Ray-Ray Armstrong. His own bad decisions caused it. What a shame. 3) Watch this kid try to steal a PGA Tour player's golf ball during yesterday's tournament. 4) Cigar smokers: Just finished a nice CAO La Traviata, a good bargain stick at $5. 5) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]
WHAT SPORTS ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO IN THE SUMMER OLYMPICS?: Athletes have begun to arrive in London. The Summer Games begin in only seven days (yes, there is competition in soccer and archery prior to the July 27 Opening Ceremony), which means excitement begins to build in those who give a crap. I have always viewed the Olympics as a lot of stuff to fast-forward past -- sorry badminton, canoe and trampoline et al -- interspersed with sports of actual (and rather intense) interest. It has been said gymnastics, swimming and track are the Big 3 Summer Olympics sports. I'll be drawn to soccer and especially U.S. men's basketball as well. (Loved watching LeBron score 30 in that 80-69 U.S. exhibition win over Brazil Monday night). What competition in London are you most anticipating? Vote for your top TWO. If you vote for a sport not listed, pray tell which one. (It's canoe, right?) And remember, to not vote at all would be un-American, or un- whatever you are. That's why this poll doesn't have snarky, anti-Olympics options such as "Wake me when it's over!" or "Bring on the NFL!" After all what is the Olympics all about if not patriotism and national pride? If you don't vote in this poll you might as well just go ahead and burn the flag right now. (And I know you're better than that!)
LE BATARD RATED NO. 13 YAKKETY-YAK MAN IN U.S.:Talkers magazine, a talk-radio industry pub, is out with its 2012 Heavy Hundred, which it calls the 100 "most important" sports-talk hosts in America, and 790 The Ticket's Dan Le Batard (pictured) is rated 13th -- tops in the Greater Miami market. Top three overall are Mike Francesa (WFAN/New York), Jim Rome and Dan Patrick. Other national notables are Mike & Mike 6th, Tony Kornheiser 8th and Colin Cowherd 22nd. Other So-Fla yakkers inhaling Le Batard's dust are WQAM's Dan Sileo 32nd, 'QAM's Joe Rose 49th and 790's Stugotz & Marc Hochman 51st.
Irvin leaves WQAM: Michael Irvin bid his listeners goodbye Monday, and WQAM is right to make the move. Michael is a good guy and had a pretty good show but it insults the local market to have a man living in Dallas doing Miami radio.
MARLINS AND TRADE DEADLINE: Earlier I wrote, "Baseball trade deadline is the end of this month. Is it too late to trade the Marlins -- I mean the owner, manager, entire roster, everybody -- and just start over?" But the frustrating-to-watch Fish are showing signs of life again, 3-2 sinec the all-star break after last night's win at the Cubs fueled by Carlos Lee's grand slam. (Meanwhile, Ozzie Guillen lashed out during Sunday's game at Nats phenom Bryce Harper for using too much pine tar. A mastery of lip-reading is not reqired to discern Giullen calling Harper "a piece of s---." Click here for the YouTube vid).
CANES FOOTBALL: "WE'RE NO. 43! WE'RE...!": Bleacher Report, a website I seldom visit because its has that annoying, time-consuming slideshow theme, has come out with a preseason ranking of all 124 FBS football teams and Miami's Hurricanes are ranked an uninspiring 43rd -- barely ahead of FIU's 49th. Other state-school rankings: FSU 4th, Florida 25th, South Florida 29th, UCF 44th and FAU 114th. The predictable top-three: Alabama-LSU-Southern Cal. Dead last: UMass. Almost dead last at 121st: Texas-San Antonio led by ex-Canes coach Larry Coker (pictured).
MORE PROOF LEBRON IS NOW THE GREATEST PERSON ON EARTH: The man America used to hate continues his inexorable move toward sainthood with this: Granting the wish of a cancer-stricken boy. As part of ESPN's currently running "My Wish" series, Georgia teen Thiago D'Elia (pictured with his hero) gets the star treatment from the Heat and LeBron James. Click here for the video.
Heat in China: Club announced it will play a pair of preseason exhibitions in China against the L.A. Clippers, on Oct. 11 in Beijing and Oct. 14 in Shangai.
Heat Summer Leaguers are kicking a--!: Heat younguns swamped the Lakers' children, 106-56, yesterday in Summer league play in Las Vegas, a SL record for win margin. Norris Cole led with 13 points, nine assists. Miami had beaten Toronto, 71-59, in its first of five Summer League games, topped by Terrel Harris' 14 points.
FAMILY OF JOE PATERNO TO LAUNCH OWN INVESTIGATION: I could not type the preceding headline without laughing out loud and being angry and sad all at once. But it's true. The Paterno family thinks the damning Freeh Report -- a credible, detailed, independent, months-long investigation -- was incomplete and so will appoint its own investigators. Wild guess: The family report will suggest the late Joe Pa did what he could to stop the monster Jerry Sandusky and that Paterno's superiors are most to blame. Dear Paterno family: This is pathetic. Your patriarch's name is forever damaged beyond repair (see below). At least deal with it with a little grace. Jesus. [Tuesday update: A plane pulling the banner pictured flew over Penn State today].
Poll result: Landslide! Paterno statue should come down: We asked in the previous blogpost (you can still vote) if Penn State should take down the statue honoring Paterno, and man did you answer. It was 80.5 percent yes, 14.6% no and 4.9% undecided. (Votes cast in Florida were 81.7 - 13.7 - 4.6. Votes from Pennsylvania were 79.0 - 15.7 - 5.3).
DAMN YANKEES EVEN BEAT RED SOX IN STAMPS: U.S. Postal Service issues four new commemorative baseball stamps late this week, and based on preorders the Joe DiMaggio stamp edged the Ted Williams stamp in popularity, 421,266 to 417,066, with the Willie Stargell and Larry Doby stamps well behind. The DiMaggio stamp pictures Joe canoodling Marilyn Monroe. Just kidding. The stamp is shown. Quick thought: Maybe the USPS wouldn't be as close to bankruptcy as it is if it put out fewer commemorative stamps.
AND IN TODAY'S DUMBASS-ATHLETE FACEOFF...: We present Broncos defensive end Elvis Dumervil, arrested in a road rage incident in Miami Beach, vs. Knicks guard Jason Kidd, busted for DUI in New York.
TIME TO BOYCOTT CHICK-FIL-A?: It has come to my attention (belatedly, I feel), that the restaurant chain Chick-fil-A has been making an awful lot of political donations to groups that would fall under the broad umbrella "anti-gay." Click here for a backgrounder, and please pass it along. The corporation running Chick-fil-A has a right to its political leanings. So do consumers have a right to not patronize restaurants that are serving up a heapin' side of intolerance.
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[1) It is Thursday, June 21. Vikings WR-KR Percy Harvin seeks trade. He'd be interesting fit for Dolphins. i'm just sayin'. 2) Thunder's Serge Ibaka said LeBron James is "not a good defender." In defense of Serge, I think he was drunk when he said it. 3) You want "time flies"? Paul McCartney (pictured) turned 70 Monday. 4) Ever imagine that Chad Ochocinco's first practice as a Dolphin would be such an afterthought? 5) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]
UH OH. COTE ON ESPN'S 'FIRST TAKE': That's the shoutfest with Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless. I'll be a guest today/Thursday yelling about discussing the Heat, of course. Show airs 10 a.m. to noon; think my segment will be around 11. Looking forward to finding a way to needle Bayless for his comically incessant LeBron-bashing. Actual exchange today after I told my son I'd be on the show and he asked if I was nervous. "Why?" I said. "I've done 'Outside The Lines' a bunch of times, haven't I?" "Yeah," he said, "but people actually watch 'First Take'!"
Click on Two Heavyweights, One Standing for my lastest column off last night's Game 4 Heat win. Click LeBron's Road to Redemption for my previous column on how the Heat and LeBron James are earning respect and changing perceptions.
Wade's family issue: Attorneys for Dwyane Wade asked a Chicago judge on Tuesday to suspend his ex-wife's visitations rights for their two young sons following an incident in which she delayed the boys' return to his custody, leading to her arrest.
Riley's honor: Heat president Pat Riley received the NBA's Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award before Game 4, well deserved. Riley called Miami's 2006 crown the most "cherished" of his titles and gave no hint of retirement. "I'm looking to build this thing even better," he said. "I still have a lot of bite left in my bark."
G4: HEAT 104, THUNDER 98: MIAMI PUTS THE HAMMER DOWN!: LeBron James goes out with leg cramps late in the game -- a fan's worst nightmare -- but Heat win, anyway. James with 26 points before limping off, Dwyane Wade with 25 and, most unexpectedly, Mario Chalmers also with 25 points. Adversity's Team overcame an early 17-point deficit and now is on the verge of the title with a 3-1 series lead. No team in NBA history has been up 3-1 in the Finals and not won a championship. Game 5 is Thursday night right back here. Ticker tape, anyone? Champagne chilled? Note: Wade appeared in the postgame news conference wearing glasses with flip-up shades, a la Dwayne Wayne (pictured) from TV's A Different World. Dwyane Wade channels Dwayne Wayne! ..... Original post: I love that every result in a best-of-seven changes the context of the series, and with Miami up 2-1 tonight's Game 4 here is no exception. With a win the Heat is in control and able to win the championship on its own floor. But with a loss to even the series Miami would be forced to win at least one game in Oklahoma City. Momentum and the home-court edge would swing back to OKC, and the pressure would swing to Miami. That's why a hammer-down mentaltiy is essential. That is what Dwyane Wade had in mind Monday when asked if he was "comfortable" with a 2-1 lead. He scoffed, said, "I can't even spell that word right now." For Miami tonight will -- realistically -- make an NBA championship feel very likely, or cast it back in doubt.
LEBRON FOURTH ON WORLD ATHLETE $$$ LIST: Forbes is at it with another list, this one the World's 100 Highest-Paid Athletes in combined salary/endorsements, and LeBron James checks in No. 4 with $53 million over past year. The top 10: Floyd Mayweather (85M), Manny Pacquiao (62), Tiger Woods (59.4), LeBron, Roger Federer (52.7), Kobe Bryant (52.3), Phil Mickelson (47.8), David Beckham (46), Cristiano Ronaldo (42.5) and Peyton Manning (42.4). Also notable: Alex Rodriguez 18th (33M), Kevin Durant 34th (25.5), Dwyane Wade 35th (24.7) and Carlos Zambrano 91st (17.3; most being paid by the Cubs, not Marlins).
THREE KEYS FOR HEAT IN GAME 4:1) Hit an outside shot. Please? Miami lived on the short game in G3 with 46 points in the paint and 31 on free throws. When you extract the four 3-pointers made, the Heat was a miserable 1-for-18 on mid-range jumpers. You have to figure OKC's defensive plan will be to limit Miami's inside game tonight, meaning better Heat shooting on regular ol' jump shots will be a must. 2) Continue the free-throw turnaround. Miami as a team was barely over 70 percent on free-throws in the postseason entering this series but is up around 85 percent in The Finals. In games being decided by just a few points, that's been huge. 3) Maintain defense as a starting-point and mindset. Kevin Durant is getting his points but is frustrated by foul trouble. Russell Westbrook has been kept off his game. James Harden & His Magic Beard have been nearly invisible. Defense is winning this series for Miami. Hidden Bonus Key Just For You: Avoid overconfidence. Remember that Oklahoma City trailed San Antonio 2-0 in the Western finals. Heat do not own sole rights to resilience.
PAYOFF TIME FOR BARKLEY/LE BATARD SPEEDO BET: Prior to last year's NBA Finals television gasbag Charles Barkley bet Dallas would win, while 790 The Ticket yakmeister Dan Le Batard said Miami. The bet: The loser had to wear a Speedo bathing suit in a public setting. (I love that sports-talk radio shuns gimmickry and self-promotion don't you?!) The bet payoff: Yesterday at The Clevelander on South Beach came Dan's big unveiling. Pictured right: Le Batard, practicing. (I wouldn't torture blog readers with the real thing).
OKC WALLOPS MIAMI IN CIVIC MANLINESS: It's true. Oklahoma City is No. 1, the Manliest City in the U.S. and Miami ranks only 36th, according to a fourth annual America's Manliest Cities study conducted by Combo's, the snack. The 50 biggest metropolitan areas are rated on several manly criteria such as most pickup trucks. Miami shouldn't feel too bad, though, nor OKC too happy. I have not yet confirmed but hear the study refers to manliest women.
Warning: Following items are NOT about Heat or NBA Finals!
ROGER CLEMENS: THE ODD VERDICT: Baseball's defrocked Rocket, acquitted of all six perjury charges. So the jury is saying Roger Clemens did not lie under oath about using steroids, meaning (it would then figure) he did not use steroids. Do we believe that? Um, not really. The taint of perception will remain, although being absolved officially at least gives Clemens a fighting chance on the Hall of Fame ballot. Meantime, what this verdict really means is that prosectors did a lousy job, didn't have enough to work with, or that the government shouldn't be involved with these sports cases in the first place.
SPIN THE DOLPHINS' QB WHEEL: Dolphins stage a three-day minicamp Tuesday through Thursday and by the end of the week the quarterback situation heading into training camp should have largely defined itself. I can't recall Miami ever having a three-way battle like this one. Nobody winning the starting job would shock me. See incumbent Matt Moore as the favorite, but narrowly. Veteran David Garrard has impressed, and rookie Ryan Tannehill, though perceived as needing time, has done well picking up a system already familiar to him. As a journalist I of course am a neutral observer. However, if you suggested to me that hoping Tannehill wins the job makes sense only so we might see more of his wife (pictured), I would find that hard to argue.
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[1) It is Thursday, April 12. Only two starts, yeah, but after last night Marlins ace Josh Johnson has now gven up 21 hits in 9 2/3 innings. 2) Musical treat du jour: Bonnie Raitt lays a reggae vibe on Gerry Rafferty's Right Down the Line. 3) George Zimmerman to be tried for second-degree murder in shooting of Trayvon Martin. Grass-roots outrage brings justice closer. 4) Did a spot with Tony Kornheiser on his national radio show. Tony's intro music for segment on Ozzie Guillen: "I'm Sorry" by Brenda Lee. 5) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]
Vote continues on impact of Ozzie's gaffe: Still welcoming your votes on the very popular poll on the impact of Ozzie Guillen's Castro mess. Find it in our blogpost just below this newest one.
A TEST FOR MIAMI NOW. TIME TO FORGIVE, MOVE FORWARD: My latest column, Healing, If You Want It, explains my take on the Ozzie Guillen/Fidel Castro mess more fully, but let me augment here. I'm in an unsual spot as an Anglo sports columnist in the middle of this. I can't feel the visceral hatred of Castro that many Cuban Americans among us rightly do, and won't pretend to. On the other hand one needn't be Jewish to abhor the Holocaust, be black to hate racism, or be Cuban to count Castro as a vilified dictator. Guillen was insensitive and plain dumb for suggesting -- in this of all communities -- any sympathy for Castro. My question: What now? What next? Do we as a community allow this controversy to cripple the Marlins, or do we find a way to move forward? Guillen, a brash, outspoken man (loudmouth might be accurate) has been contrite; an inherently unapologetic man has apologized. Is that enough? And if it isn't ... does that say more about Guillen, or about the unforgiving? I'm just asking. I spoke to Cookie Rojas, the Cuban broadcaster for the Marlins, and what he told me resonated. He said Guillen opened a wound, that the wound bleeds and then scabs, but that a reminder would always be there. A scar, in other words. I asked Cookie if what Guillen said was forgivable. He paused a second or two. "I would say yes," he said. I would, too. Would you?
HEAT LOSE IN OT AT BULLS: I'll say it again. Something is missing. Something isn't right. A Heat championship in Year 2 of the Big 3 is beginning to feel very dicey, very iffy. Am I being too pessimistic? Tonight the Heat lost in OT at Chicago 96-86, making Miami 5-6 in its last 11 games overall and 3-8 in its past 11 on the road. Tonight was huge. Heat fans were looking for a reason to believe. (Maybe Heat players were, too?) I still the Eastern Conference finals coming down to these two teams, and probably to a game seven, and a last shot. But that's the point. Nothing is coming easy for the Heat.
ON '26.2' AND '13.1' STICKERS: You've seen them fixed to cars, disproportionately on the rear windows of Range Rovers, it seems. They are worn by people bragging that they run marathons and halfs. (Well, they want us to think so. Maybe they just bought the stickers). These people might as well have a bumper sticker that reads, I EXERCISE. DO YOU? Or, I'M MORE FIT THAN YOU. What is it about people who are into fitness that makes them think anybody else cares about their lifestyle regimen? Or that fills them with a need to share what they do? Most of us put down the Cheetos and do something to stay in shape (even me), but I think of it as something personal, not something to be trumpeted. You run marathons? Good for you. It's you feeling the need to let the strangers in the car behind you know it that I find oddly sad. Likewise, by the way, nobody cares that you went to -- or are headed to -- the gym.
WILL UM RETURN TO FOOTBALL PROMINENCE? "NO QUESTION...": Seahawks coach and longtime Southern Cal coach Pete Carroll, yesterday on West Palm's ESPN 760 radio, on whether the Canes can return to football glory: “I don’t think there’s any question. I think Al [Golden] has done a fantastic job wherever he’s been. He’s come into a situation and put together already a new culture and a new mindset, taking on the challenges that you sometimes acquire when you go someplace. I think the rest of Florida and those schools, they can feel it already. I think they can already sense that the turn is happening. I would expect [in] the next couple years they’ll really make a big jump.” (One necessary caveat: Carroll's son, Brennan, is on Golden's staff).
ON CAMERON WAKE: Dolphins sackman Cameron Wake skipping the start of voluntary offseason workouts this week is only a big deal as an obviouos Wake-up call to GM Jeff Ireland. The message: I want a new contract. Or, to quote an old song: "Moneymoneymoneymon-ey .... MON-ey!" If Cam is still boycotting, unrenumerated and unhappy, when mandatory workouts start in May/June, then we have a problem.
LOCAL RADIO SHAKEUP: We were the first at MiamiHerald.com to tell you Jorge Sedano left 790 The Ticket to pursue TV interests. Big loss. Big shakeup for local airwaves. Sedano and WQAM's Joe Rose were the only morning voices that mattered on local sports-talk radio. More: 'QAM has fired Sid Rosenberg after last week's DUI arrest and replaced him with recently fired Tampa personality Dan Sileo. Many will recall Sileo (who I've known since covering him in the '80s) as the former UM football player. This market is a natural for him, and he's good. The 790/560 rivalry just got more interesting.
Click back. Will be updating and adding much more to this latest blogpost...
[1) It is Tuesday, April 10. WQAM suspends Sid Rosenberg one week following DUI arrest. Smart, right move. 2) NFL commish Roger Goodell surprises nobody by denying Saints appeal, upholding his own penalties in bounty case. 3) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]
Sedano leaving 790: 790 The Ticket has just announced to its staff that morning-show fixture Jorge Sedano is leaving the station immediately to pursue TV opportuntities.
GUILLEN AND CASTRO: TEMPORARY MESS OR DAMAGE DONE?: It may or may not be a crisis to you. Trust me, it is to the Marlins. Unfiltered manager Ozzie Guillen told Time magazine's website he "loves" and "respects" the way Cuban oppressor Fidel Castro has remained in power so long -- and the club was so aghast it immediately released a statement calling Castro a "brutal dictator" and saying there was nothing there to respect. The club had Guillen on damage-control Saturday, offering an apology "if I hurt somebody's feelings" and clarifying that he is "against everything 100 percent the way this man treat his people for the last 60 years." You can't put smoke back in the cigar, though. The day-after mea culpa was not enough for some Marlins fans. The unrelentingly honest Guillen saying he loved and respected Castro may be a permament tattoo. The comments came just two days after Guillen said he gets drunk in his hotel room after every road game. Your manager officially qualifies as controversial when, among his week's comments, going on a local radio show and talking about participating in the bloody animal sacrifice of his Santeria religion only ranks No. 3. The poor Marlins. At a time when fans should be reveling in the new stadium and talking baseball, Guillen's embrace of Castro has dominated talk, at least among many Cuban fans. Today/Tuesday, Guillen will hold a stadium press conference to (try to) explain himself. I'll be there. I'm curious how you feel. The club is privately concerned about a demonstration outside the new ballpark before the next home game, and about lasting effects. How big a deal do you think the Guillen/Castro issue is? Vote and say why. And check back often to monitor the results. Very divergent opinions.
Face of the Heat: Dwyane Wade: In the second installment of our Face of the Franchise trilogy, Dwyane Wade dominates as your Heat choice, as expected, with 47.4 of the vote among nine poll choices. President Pat Riley edges LeBron James for runnerup, 24.9% to 21.2. Those Big 3 accounted for 93 percent of the total vote. The first part of our trilogy found manager Ozzie Guillen beating Hanley Ramirez for Face of the Marlins. Our trilogy will finish with the Face of the Dolphins. Watch for that poll soon.
BAD AND GOOD IN PANTHERS' PLAYOFFS ODDS: Panthers' odds of winning the Stanley Cup are set at 35-1, tied for last with Ottawa. But I see a silver lining that suggests to me Florida has as good a shot as anybody at a first-round upset. As a division champ the Cats have home-ice (4 of 7 games here) over New Jersey despite being the betting underdog, the teams split four season games, and the Devils, at 18-1, are tied for the longest title odds of any first-round favorite. (Our friends at Bovada also have Cats 35-1, but Devils only slightly less a longshot at 25-1).
WATSON JOINS PANTHEON OF FAMOUS BUBBAS: The jacket given The Masters champion still always reminds me of what Dad puts on every St. Patrick's Day for laughs; nevertheless, Bubba Watson stepped up onto a mighty echelon with Sunday's playoff triumph. Watson now slots second on my all-time list of Sporting Bubbas, after longtime NFL star Bubba Smith, the defensive end/bad actor. Watson should fire his agent if doesn't have an endorsement deal with the Bubba Gump restaurant chain within three months.
ON MARLINS, CANES BASEBALL: Quick thoughts. 1) Heath Bell's blown save Sunday was disappointing and a 1-3 start is a mini-downer, but Marlins fans should be encouraged by the starting pitching so far. 2) Congrats to Jim Morris for his Canes' home sweep of No. 3 North Carolina this weekend. UM will have a shot at the ACC title if it can figure a way to decipher nemesis Florida State.
EASTER VIDEO FROM ME TO YOU: Spoiler alert. The talking eggs survive the boiling water so it's OK to watch, kids. Click here and enjoy.
THE LIST: HOME PLAYOFF GAMES FOR OUR BIG FOUR PRO TEAMS: The Panthers on Friday will host their first playoff game in 12 years. All-time postseason home games for our Big Four pro teams:
Games Team Home record Most recent
72 Heat 49-23 June 12, 2011
22 Dolphins 15-7 Jan. 4, 2009
17 Marlins 11-6 Oct. 23, 2003
16 Panthers 8-8 April 20, 2000
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[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
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[1) It is Thursday, March 29. Sean Payton approaches Bill Parcells about coaching Saints this season. A second chance for Pat White? 2) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]
IS FAITH IN HEAT CHAMPIONSHIP FALTERING? LET'S MEASURE FANS' CONFIDENCE: The Heat is a blase 8-6 since the all-star break after last night's loss in Indiana followed an even more significant 16-point loss at Oklahoma City. To me the OKC game was a microcosm of this Miami NBA season, perhaps separating dreams and doubts. Hyperbole? Maybe. But there can be legitimate debate now on whether the Heat will win the championship in Year 2 of the Big 3. To me, those hopes teeter. Going through Chicago (as it now stands) to even reach the Finals wil be very tough. Then it's the Thunder of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, the only duo that outscores LeBron and D-Wade. The OKC game was the anticipated Finals preview, and the declarative statement was by the Thunder, not the Heat. Time for a pulse-read on Heat fans' confidence. We ran this same poll back in early February. It will be intresting to compare results. How confident are you, right now, that the Heat will win the championship this season? Try to distinguish what you hope will happen from your honest degree of confidenc. And check back often to monitor evolving results in what is a very close vote.
DOLPHINS' ROSS, IRELAND DEFEND THEMSELVES: The club's embattled owner Stephen Ross and GM Jeff Ireland defended themselves yesterday in a media session at the NFL owners meetings in Palm Beach. The gist: Ross said, "I'm very excited the way things are going" (no, he really did!); said the club wants to be "more responsive" to fans; said of the offseason, "It's not like we lost anything" (well, except Brandon Marshall and chances to upgrade at QB); and called criticism of Ireland "unfair." Ireland said Peyton Manning was the only available QB who definitely would have started ahead of Matt Moore, and said new coach Joe Philbin will develop talent better better than predecessors (a shot at Tony Sparano). Previously, in an interesting stab at public relations, Ross arranged to speak by phone with longtime season-ticket holder Jason Lawrence, one of the disgruntled picketers outside club HQ last week. They reportedly spoke 27 minutes. Among the revelations: Ross said the team would have cut Marshall outright if the Bears hadn't come through with an offer; that there was no interest in Tim Tebow; and that Philbin wasn't high enough on Matt Flynn to justify the expenditure. Hmm. Are those things supposed to make a Dolfan feel better? No indication from the fan he telephoned whether Ross called collect. The owner is pictured at right, making a gesture with his fingers that seemed to indicate the degree of confidence Dolfans have in Ross and Ireland at the moment.
NEW MARLINS LICENSE PLATE: We have seen and offer to you a sneak peek at the new Miami marlins specialty license plate to be available from the state beginning next month.
CHANGE AT 790 THE TICKET: South Florida's sports-radio ratings leader 790 The Ticket introduced its staff to its new program director yesterday: Tod Castleberry, 51 (pictured), recently an executive for Redskins owner Dan Snyder's Red Zebra broadcasting operation. Castleberry replaces Marc Hochman, who elected to devote himself fulltime to producing Dan Le Batard's afternoon show.
MARLINS PARK: A PRIMER: In what surely must be a Norman Braman nightmare come to life, The Miami Herald on Sunday published a commemorative 12-page special section aggrandizing and detailing the new Marlins Park, "Jeffrey Loria's new masterpiece." I contribute a column; click Now Marlins Have a Fighting Chance to read. Part of the research for that included a personal guided tour of the park by Loria. Just him and me. Bear in my mind I supported the new stadium but also spent years lambasting Loria in print for his past frugality. He reads the paper. Our tour was awkward at times but ultimately beneficial in moving a strained relationship forward. I hope the column was fair.
MADNESS! FINAL FOUR: KENTUCKY-LOUISVILLE, KANSAS-OHIO STATE: When the highest seed in the Final Four is a No. 4, forget Cinderella, forget the attempt at a storyline about the heartwarming lil' underdog team. Ain't none this year as the Elite Eight winnowed to the Final Four. No. 1 Kentucky bopped 3-Baylor 82-70 and 2-Kansas beat 1-North Carolina 80-67 on Sunday, a day after No. 4 Louisville and No. 2 Ohio State advanced -- L'ville thanks to a big-time Florida Gator choke. UF blew an 11-point lead on a game-ending 23-8 Cardinal run. Pictured right: Gators coach Billy Donovan thinking, "How the hell did that happen!?" Everywhere you look now, only heavyweights remain. Some will miss the Glass Slipper element. I think it's looking like a splended Final Four. UPSET WATCH: One upset by seed in two games today, for 17 upsets in 60 tournament games thus far, or 28.3 percent. MY BRACKET: Kentucky is my lone horse left and I have them winning it all, but I'm way past having any shot to win my pool.
ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL: A belated nod to the three-day Ultra Music Festival at Bayfront Park that ended Sunday. I love a wide array of music but honestly electronic/dance ranks low on my list of preferred genres. I like some Fatboy Slim, own an LCD Soundsytem album, am aware of the hype around Skrillex and that about exhausts my ready knowledge. What an event, though. Too many arrests aside, an event that can sell 165,000 tickets and draw Madonna as a surprise guest is major and good for Miami. Negative: A pandering, trying-to-be-hip Madonna shouting to the crowd a reference to the drug ecstacy. C'mon, Madge.
RYAN WILLIAMS DAY IN CANES SPRING FOOTBALL: QB Ryan Williams completed 14 of 21 passes for 228 yards and four TDs in the weekend scrimmage. Get well soon, Stephen Morris. Your starting job may depend on it.
TENNIS NOSTALGIA ON KEY BISCAYNE: Veterans-on-the-comeback Serena Williams and Andy Roddick were among winners down at the Crandon Park Tennis Center on Saturday and you'd click Raising the American Flag for my column. By the way, that facility is the most scenic of any major sporting venue in South Florida, and the drive across Rickenbacker Causeway to get there reminds you why you live where you do. Just gorgeous.
TIGER (FINALLY) WINS!: Tiger Woods won by five strokes yesterday, his first PGA Tour triumph in 2 1/2 years. Bad day for Tiger-haters. Great day for those of us who root for his return to prominence. Update: Bovada now has Tiger a 7-2 pick favorite to win The Masters, faulting Rory McIlroy as the favorite. Original post: Upstate at the Bay Hill Tiger Woods entered today's final round in good shape for his first PGA Tour win in a couple of years -- a springboard to The Masters. At around 8:30 this morning my wife told me Tiger had a bogey after he hit the ball into somebody's yard when a woman screamed on his backswing because a kid had fainted at a concession stand. Either that's the weirdest bogey in golf history, or my wife is drunk awfully early today.
Click back. Will be updating and adding more to this latest blogpost...
Entries have closed on our annual MARCH MADNESS HAIKU CHALLENGE contest in the blogpost directly below this. The winner will be announced on Friday, Good luck!
[1) It is Thursday, March 15, National Bracket Day, and two days before we all pretend to like corned beef and cabbage. 2) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]
Bulletin: Peyton Manning late today, as expected, eliminated the Dolphins from his decision, meaning Miami will now turn sights on free agent QB Matt Flynn.
D-DAY FOR MANNING? DOLPHINS BRACING FOR MANNING'S DECISION: Today we might find out if the awful photoshop of Peyton Manning's head on a dolphin's body will come to pass or be denied. A Denver Post report and a general consensus is that Manning leans to the Broncos or Titans over the Dolphins and Cardinals, but none of his Final Four was known to have been eliminated as of late Wednesday night. The Dolphins have seemed to recede as a candidate ever since being the consensus favorite out the gate. Meanwhile the sudden trade this week of wide receiver Brandon Marshall to the Bears becomes somewhat more understandable in light of the New York Post report that Marshall (pictured) recently punched a woman at a NY nightclub. There are conflicting reports of Marshall's role; in any case Marshall's rep as a trouble magnet is underlined, with an exclamation point. The initial intrigue in the trade was whether the deal was made as a precursor to or a condition of signing Manning, amid speculation Manning did not wish to inherit the headache that can be the diva Marshall. If not tied to Manning, the trade seemed curious, and dubious. If tied to Manning -- if it meant getting him -- the trade would look brilliant. But that seemed less likely when WR Reggie Wayne, who theoretically might have accompanied Manning to Miami as Marshall's replacement, unexpectedly re-signed with Indy. Now it appears Miami is (likely) losing out on Manning in addition to no longer having a No. 1 receiver. And the multitude cried as a mournful chorus: "It isn't easy being a Dolfan!" Click Dolphins' Desperate Patience for today's latest column by me (and thanks for making it the most-read thing in Sports today on MiamiHerald.com). And, pictured lower right, apropos of nothing, a sneak look at the team's new Nike orange jersey.
MARLINS' NEW THEME SONG: It is called "We Are the Marlins" (appropriately enough) and it is generically bland and yet somewhat catchy, with a Caribbean, vaguely reggae feel. Not sure if Emilio Estefan wrote or produced it, but it bears his musical stamp. Click here to listen.
JUMP IN THE POOL, IT'S MARCH MADNESS!: Kentucky is favored to get coach John Calipari his first national title, and other No. 1 seeds are North Carolina, Michigan State and a Fab Melo-less Syracuse, but I'm taking a more parochial approach for my March Madness mini-preview, focusing on the four local or state schools that interest me most this postseason:
1. Miami (women's NCAAs) -- With key seniors departing, this is the year for coach Katie Meier's third-seeded Canes to prove (after a disappointing ACC tournamant) that they can go deep, perhaps even into Final Four territory. UM opens Saturday vs. 14th seed Idaho State in Spokane, Wash.
2. Florida State (men's NCAAs) -- I give Leonard Hamilton's guys a Sweet 16 shot. They beat North Carolina, beat Duke, won the ACC and play great defense. They're also easy to root for as a senior-laden team in a one-and-done sport that sees too many players bolt for the NBA after their freshman year. Noles open Friday vs. No. 14 St. Bonaventure in Nashville.
3. Florida (men's NCAAs) -- Seventh-seeded Gators live and die by 3-pointers so could surprise if their hand is hot from deep, but otherwise I don't see this squad advancing far, maybe not even beyond the first round. UF opens vs. 10th seed Virginia Friday in Omaha.
4. Miami (men's NIT) -- Disappointed to not get a Big Dance bid in Jim Larranaga's first season, but probably didn't deserve one, frankly. UM opened its NIT run last night be beating visiting Valparaiso despite the absence of Durand Scott. Canes next play Minnesota Monday night.
'72 DOLPHINS TOP-SEEDED IN NFL BRACKETOLOGY: NFL.com presents its own 64-team bracket of greatest teams of all time and invites fans to vote here. (First-round voting ends Thursday at 5 p.m.). The four No. 1 seeds are the 1972 Dolphins, 1978 Steelers, 1985 Bears and 1989 49ers. Miami's Perfectos face the 16th-seeded 2011 Packers in the first round. Better get out and vote, Dolfans, or Don Shula will not be happy. Two other Dolphin teams make the bracket: Seventh-seeded '73 Dolphins vs. 10th-seeded '98 Vikings, and 11th-seeded '84 Dolphins vs. sixth-seeded '97 Broncos.
DRAMA WEEK FOR HEAT: I guess every week is around here, but this one especially, with Miami losing in Orlando in OT in what could have been Dwight Howard's final home game as a Magician, and then losing last night at Chicago despite the Bulls missing Derrick Rose, in a likely Eastern Conference finals preview. Howard (pictured) is the big target as Today's/Thursday's NBA trade deadline looms. Speculation has him headed to the New Jersey-becoming-Brooklyn Nets, but Orlando desperately is pulling out all stops to convince him to sign a contract extension. One scenario here even has Howard somehow going to the Heat after this season. I'd say the chances of that are roughly equal to those of me having an affair with Ivanka Trump (pictured). Still, interesting to imagine. (I mean Howard-to-Heat, not me and Ivanka). Meantime Miami has now lost four straight road games and just lost to the depleted Bulls, the very team it must beat for a return to the NBA Finals. Should we be worried?
KARDASHIAN TELL-ALL WORRYING DOLPHINS' BUSH?: A rumored forthcoming tell-all book by Kim Kardashian reportedly will deal heavily with husband-for-a-minute Kris Humphries and with ex-boyfriend Reggie Bush of the Dolphins. Then again "reportedly" in this case means speculation in the celebrity-gossip press like this, so who knows? (More to the point, who cares?) Pictured: A photo of herself that the shy, publicity-avoiding Kim Tweeted last night.
LEBATARD SHOW SHAMELESS PLUG: A new CD, "15 Of The Not Worst Moments in LeBatard Show History," is available now right here and will be out next week on iTunes. This information is a Random Evidence Blog Exclusive (REBE), by which I mean Marc Hochman emailed me and asked for a plug.
THE NEWSEUM, WASHINGTON, D.C.: While visiting friends who live outside the District this past weekend we visited the Newseum on Pennsylvania Avenue, a museum dedicated to media through history -- print, electronic and beyond. I expected a small, sparsely visited boutique museum but marveled at a crowded, seven-story mammoth we spent five hours touring. As a journalist I found the place in my wheelhouse but would recommend it to anyone. Click Newseum.org to learn more. It is a place to celebrate freedom.
THE LIST: DOLPHINS THIRD-ROUND DRAFT PICKS: This week Miami traded WR Brandon Marshall for two third-round picks. Through their history the Dolphins have drafted 49 players in that round and 42 have made the team, but only five have made a Pro Bowl with Miami. Dolphin third-round Pro Bowl'ers:
Player Pos. Year drafted
Dick Anderson S 1968
Mercury Morris RB 1969
Tim Foley DB 1970
Nat Moore WR 1974
Jason Taylor DE 1997
Click back. Probably be further updating or adding to this latest blogpost....
