[1) It is MONDAY, AUGUST 20. Watch for a new blogpost later today. 2) LATEST VIDEO! Watch our newest video -- a post-mortem of the Dolphins' loss at Carolina -- at YouTube/TheGregCote. All 13 "The View From Miami" mini-commentaries I've done so far are there. 3) Marlin's Giancarlo Stanton hit a 495-foot home run the other night. Good lord. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]
UPSET BIRD COUNTDOWN: 18 DAYS: TheUpset Bird and I kick off our season of Friday NFL prediction pages Sept. 7, and began a 21-day countdown that each day will honor a notable bird. Following the former First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson, today we welcome the classic comedic prop, Rubber Chicken.
PS2: CAROLINA 23, DOLPHINS 17: TANNEHILL FAILS TO NAIL DOWN STARTING JOB, MIAMI DROPS TO 0-2 IN PRETEND GAMES: Miami hopes and plans to name a starting quarterback this coming week, before preseason game No. 3. Friday night's 23-17 loss at Carolina didn't make coach Joe Philbin's decision any easier. Rookie Ryan Tannehill, who started Friday, failed to maintain momentum from last week, only going 11-for-23 for 100 yards, and incumbent Matt Moore was a mere 3-for-10 for 33 yards. Reserve Pat Devlin looked pretty good late before throwing a last-second end-zone interception. If only shaky QB play was the only issue. Receivers had a lousy, drop-filled game, underlining WR as a Dolphins soft spot. The offensive line was shaky, especially the second unit. The defense wasn't very good; Panthers QB Cam Newton had his way early on. And is anybody but me a bit concerned that for a second straight game no real attention was paid to the running game? Beyond that a combined 27 penalties made the game nearly unwatchable. Now, midway through the preseason for Miami, there remain lots of issues to correct and one major decision (QB) still unresolved. ..... Original post: The Dolphins will likely name a season-opening starting quarterback in a few days, in time for the third preseason game, and so it is logical to think the job will swing unmistakably to either Matt Moore or rookie Ryan Tannehill if either is clearly better tonight at Carolina. Since Moore started last week (in lieu of injured David Garrard) I'd be surprised if Tannehill did not start tonight and I was right. He's starting. Let's see what he can do against a starting defense. Miami will sit several slightly injured starters this evening but still will want to see improvement from last week's loss to Tampa Bay, especially on pass defense. For this team right now, though, it's all about the quarterback, about somebody stepping forward. LeBron James had "The Decision." Joe Philbin faces one of those, too, and I suspect tonight will help make it for him.
PATRIOTS TO SIGN DEMPS: The Dolphins' climb in the AFC East just got steeper because the Patriots just got better. Or at least faster. Olympic silver-medalist sprinter Jeff Demps is signing with New England, according to various reports. Seven or eight teams were interested in the former Florida Gators star running back. Would have been an interesting fit for Miami.
HURRICANES TO SEE DEBUT OF AWFUL NEW NOTRE DAME UNIFORMS: This week Notre Dame revealed its new alternate football uniforms that will first be worn Oct. 6 vs. the University of Miami at Soldier Field. The helmets pictured are particularly bad.
Poll result: LeBron will (or might) surpass Michael Jordan: Few of our poll votes surprise me, but this did. In the previous blogpost I asked if you thought LeBron James will someday be considered greater than Michael Jordan (you can still vote), and a plurality of 38.5 percent said yes, another 36.9% said possibly, and only 24.6% said no. Take away votes from Florida, where Heat-related bias would most be a factor, and the 'yes' or 'possibly' votes still outnumber 'no' votes.
FOOD STAMPS FOR DESSERT?: This story interests me. Andrea Taber (pictured), owner of Ever So Humble Pie, a Massachusetts bakery, is controversially in the news for refusing to accept food stamps, saying, "American taxpayers should not be footing the bill for people's dessert." To some the case has racial tones; she says not. I think her stand is valid. Sensible. Food stamps are supposed to be for essentials, not luxuries. You can't use them for cigarettes or lottery tickets, for example. Doesn't seem unreasonable that pies and cakes might join the no-buy list.
PUSSY RIOT SENT TO JAIL: You thought Russia had softened its intolerance of dissent? It hasn't. A Moscow judge has sentenced the three members of Russian female punk band Pussy Riot each to two years in prison on "hooliganism" charges stemming from a cathedral protest against Vladimir Putin. Click here for the story. The case has drawn much attention because of the band's support from human rights groups and from major music artists including Paul McCartney.
HEADLINES YOU THOUGHT YOU'D NEVER SEE: Click here. (It's the parents who named him who should be arrested).
DAVID BECKHAM, LARGER THAN LIFE: Ten-foot almost-nude statues (pictured) of soccer star/underwear model/apparent heartthrob David Beckham will soon appear all over the United States in an ad campaign for his "underwear collection." For some reason this makes me sad. But I am thankful at least that the woman in the photo isn't doing to the Beckham statue what she might have been. (Use your imagination...)
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!: Hope you all had a happy Fourth of July, and happy 236th to the U.S.A.Celebrate freedom by voting in our Obama-Romney presidential poll below. Today is election day and it's too close to call. Also, click on PATRIOT RAP (seeright) for our latest holiday video, starring myself and champion Heat architect Pat Riley along with George Washington, Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. (The homies called him T-Jeff...).
[1) It is Thursday, July 5. R.I.P., Andy Griffith, gone at 86. He made 'The Andy Griffith Show' and 'Mayberry RFD' a warmly remembered icons of my early youth. Click here for a 1950s stand-up comedy bit by Griffith. 2) Marlin Giancarlo Stanton is second betting fave at 4-1 in Home Run Derby, after Jose Bautista at 7-2. 3) My latest television love: HBO's 'The Newsroom.' 4) Dontrelle Willis announced his retirement. Marlins should sign him to 1-day contract and send him out with the team that saw his best days. A good guy, D-Train. May he find happiness in his next chapter. 5) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]
POLL: BARACK OBAMA VS. MITT ROMNEY:"WHAT THE...? WHAT THE HELL!? I THOUGHT THIS WAS S'POSED TO BE A SPORTS BLOG!! STICK TO [BLEEP]IN' SPORTS YOU MORON!!! CANCEL MY SUBSCRIPTION!!! (Wait. The Internet doesn't have subscriptions). CANCEL MY INTERNET!!!" There. I figured I'd represent what will surely be the outraged reaction of some to this poll just to sort of get it out of the way. This blog constantly bets on the side of sports fans/readers having interests much broader than just games, and here is the latest example. It's the Fourth of July, four months 'til presidential election day, and that sounds like a good time to me to take a straw poll on Obama vs. Romney. Vote for the man you currently most support, either strongly or leaning. Or don't vote at all. Ain't freedom great! I included only the two major candidates (sorry, Ralph Nader), because I'm trying to live in the real world here. All I ask is that we keep it civil in the Comments section. Both guys mean to do the best for America, so wouldn't it be neat if we could just be positive and support one without demonizing or disrespecting the other? I have a dream...
CAN HEAT TALK RAY ALLEN INTO THE DISCOUNT BIN?: Heat want top free-agent target Ray Allen for all they can afford to pay him: $3.1 million per season for three years. Others are offering much more, but Miami is offering the (very) good chance of another championship and the open looks that come with being on the same floor with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Some free agents (like Steve Nash) are overtly money-minded. Is Allen? We'll see. He visits here Thursday, and Pat Riley leads a pretty impressive, convincing sales team. In case they don't land Allen, Heat also are casting lines for size with Rashard Lewis and Marcus Camby.
Magic living a Dwightmare: Now that LeBron is enjoying an image makeover and making such a lousy bad guy, America needs a new villain. I nominate Orlando's Dwight Howard in my latest column; click on Dwightmare to read.
LeBron merch moving: Upper Deck marketing manager Chris Carlin says sales of LeBron James merchandise "saw the floodgates really, really open" after he won his first NBA championship.
MARLINS: WLY ... WORST LOSS OF YEAR!: Anybody figure out the Marlins yet? A wonderful May. An abysmal June. Now four wins in a row ... but then two losses in a row including the worst of the year yesterday. Trailing 9-2, rally to lead 12-11 in extra innings -- then lose when Heath Bell gives up a walkoff two-run homer. Heath Hell! Topsy turvy season. I need a Dramamine. This could have been such an uplifting win. Wow. Still think Miami has a decent shot at the playoffs. If they miss, though, we'll all look back at a loss like last night's.
CANES MUST CAPITALIZE ON OB/ACC MARRIAGE: Orange Bowl and ACC announce major extension, a 12-year football alliance for Jan. 1 games at 1 p.m. starting with 2014 season. That's a lot of opportunity for the Miami Hurricanes to earn a distinct home-field bowl advantage.
LIVE MUSIC VS. BIG SOCCER: People who know me well would tell you I'm not as big an overall sports fan as most readers might assume from my job (one of the reasons this blog often delves elsewhere), and
so I had a tough decision to make Sunday. Spain-Italy was playing the Euro '12 final at 2:30, but Cory Chisel was playing a live set at Fort Lauderdale's Radioactive Records at 2. Cory and I are acquaintances (through Brendan Benson), so of course I had to go see him. Think I made a good call. Got back to watch the latter part of the game, but a 4-0 soccer match is nobody's idea of a great final ... well, except Spain's. I'd like to introduce you to Chisel's music. Click on Born Again for a video taste. He has a new CD out called "Old Believers" that I look forward to diving into. (Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas and Chisel are pictured. I'll let you figure out who's who).
DOLPHIN AND BIG SOCCER: Dolphins RB Reggie Bush Tweeted a photo of himself, far left, hanging out yesterday with a few soccer stars including England's Wayne Rooney (the white guy). I'm not sure why. But I know this: HBO's Hard Knocks will enjoy that Bush has enough juice to hang with Rooney. Dolphins! Star-power!!
PHILLIPINES LOVES SPOELSTRA: Pictured is a banner currently flying in downtown San Pablo City in the Phillipines, where champion Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is popular -- not Manny Pacquiao national hero-popular, but popular. ("Mabuhay" is a Filipino/Tagalog exclamatory that means "Long live!") Though raised in Portland, Ore., Spoelstra is the first head coach of Asian/Filipino-American heritage in any of the four major American pro sports. MABUHAY!
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[1) It is Monday, July 21. New blogpost coming later this (Monday) morning! 2) We bring you the Rolling Stones' new 50th annivesary logo. I'd have thought the redesign might have had the tongue spitting out dentures. (Sorry, Mick). 3) InsideTheU.com reporting that Hurricanes safety Ray-Ray Armstrong has been suspended for discussions with a booster on Twitter. 4) Woman Super-Glued to Walmart Toilet. 5) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]
SUNDAY UPDATES: SPAIN REIGNS; MARLINS HOT AGAIN: Spain beats Italy yesterday 4-nil to win Euro '12. I said I'd be surprised if Spain didn't win but expected a better match for sure. Must admit I was rooting for Mario Balotelli and the u-dog Italians. (Sorry I had the final as 3-0 for a while. Stopped watching in the 86th minute; meant to recheck the final but forgot). ..... Congrats to Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton for his first all-star selection today, well deserved and the first many I have a feeling. (He'll be in the Home Run Derby, too). Stanton is Miami's only all-star and showed why another homer leading a fourth straight victory. The topsy turvy Marlins are suddenly topsy again!
'DIRTY SECRETS OF THE NBA CHAMPS!': Well I saw that headline in the Publix checkout line today and since the July 9 issue of the Globe called it a Special Report I had to waste spend $3.99 to find out what the dirty secrets are. 1) 'LeBron James' family shame': Old news about his mom Gloria's past run-ins with the law. 2) 'Dwyane Wade's boys in kidnapping drama': Rehash of the recent situation that led Wade to seek a revoking of his ex-wife's visitation rights. 3) 'Chris Bosh's Bitter Child Support War': In which the lawyer for the mother of Bosh's daughter claims his $2,600 in monthly child support isn't enough -- even though that is exactly what the courts ordered him to pay. Well, in summary, that's $3.99 I'll never get back, but I spent it so you don't have to. On the bright side, the Globe apparently failed in efforts to prove that any of the Heat's BIg 3 is, in fact, a space alien.
HEAT DRAFT TALL WHITE GUY JUSTIN HAMILTON: Interesting and arguably productive NBA Draft for the Heat last night. They end up with LSU center Justin Hamilton (pictured) as the 45th overall selection, plus a future conditional first-round (but lottery-protected) pick from Philadelphia, in exchange for sending forward Arnett Moultrie (originally picked 27th by Miami) to the 76ers. (I called Justin "Josh" before noticing the mistake. Sorry!) Arguably productive? Naysaying ESPN.com grades Miami's draft an 'F' because it says Moultrie was a better fit and that Miami also could have drafted a shooter such as Jeff Taylor. Hamilton, 22, is one of those advertised-as 7-foot guys who's really 6-11 but possesses a silky, Bosh-esque shooting touch from the outside. He also has dual U.S./Croatia citizenship, so you can expect the Heat will likely farm him out to develop overseas for a year or two. There was speculation Miami would go small-ball in the draft but they needed size, frontcourt help, so this looks like a prudent choice. That future No. 1 will be a nice bonus, too. Miami had no pressing needs that could be answered with a 27th pick, so call this trade-down for a developmental player the luxury of a champion.
PAT RILEY PREVIEWS FREE AGENCY: It starts Sunday and the Heat don't have the spending power available to be major players but would like to add an available shooter -- anybody got a number for Ray Allen? -- if he'd take less than he could get elsewhere. Miami's selling point? "Not many teams have a chance of winning a title," as club president Pat Riley (right) noted late last night in post-draft remarks. Riles said the club has "five or six guys earmarked" in free agency with the positional priority a shooter or a big. "We've got a compelling team," said Riley of his champions, "and it excites me to try to make it better."
LORIA: MARLINS STILL "ABSOLUTELY" HAVE PLAYOFF TALENT: Spoke to Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria yesterday for today's latest column. Click on "I Love Our Chances" to read it. At midseason of Year 1 in the new ballpark, much has been disappointing, from Muhammad Ali/Opening Night to Ozzie Guillen/Fidel Castro to the June swoon to less-than-expected attendance. But now, with the Heat done and football a ways off, this is the Marlins' window of opportunity. The stage is theirs. Do they have a big second-half and playoff run in them? The owner thinks so. Do you?
Poll result: Yearning for Dolphins Super Bowl beats Heat repeat: In the previous blogpost I asked which Miami prefers: The Dolphins to win the Super Bowl this coming season or the Heat to repeat as NBA champions next year. The winner? An end to the Dolphins' 40-year title drought, 63.6 percent to 36.4. The results sound reasonable to me.
PRO LACROSSE TO SOUTH FLORIDA?: Major League Lacrosse stages its all-star game in Boca Raton Saturday night at the FAU football stadium, testing waters for possible future expansion here. So there.
LONDON OLYMPICS PICKS OFFICIAL SONG: It is "Survival" by the English rock group Muse. Click on Survival to hear it. (You'll be sick of it by the Closing Ceremony). Sounds like a dirge for about the first minute but then gets all peppy, with lyrics about winning and never quitting -- imagine that!? I think bands now write songs expressly to be played at sporting events.
NEW USFL THREATENS 2013 LAUNCH: A new United States Football league is planning a March 2013 startup with eight teams, and initial cities being explored are Akron, Austin/San Antonio, Portland (Ore.) and Salt Lake City. Here is the new logo. You will next see it when the league announces it cannot possibly whip togerther an eight-team league in less than a year and is delaying its launch. You will then see the logo a final time when the USFL announces it is folding before ever playing a game.
WOO-HOO! I WIN A 'CUPY':The Miami Herald gives out monthly in-house CUPY awards for special effort (yeah I have no idea why they're called CUPYs), and I was one of three June winners for my deadline columns during the Heat playoff run. (The only negative? Now I'll need a new tombstone to replace the epitaph I'd planned: 'But He Never Won A CUPY!') Other June winners were news reporters Ellie Brecher and Nadege Green, heavy lifters on the Causeway Cannibal story. I was talking to LeBron James and Dwyane Wade about winning; they were talking to cops about somebody's face being chewed off. I like my job.
ON MAGIC MIKE: I have no interest in seeing the new male-stripper movie, Magic Mike, but the title interests me. I think it's a compromise, not quite what they really wanted. As for what they really wanted, use your imagination. In a totally, totally unrelated question, whatever happened to Richard "Magic Dick" Salwitz, harmonica player and founding member of The J. Geils Band?
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[1) It is Tuesday, June 26. The Marlins blew a big lead and lost last night, Or, did that go without saying? 2) Click on Random for my latest Sunday notes column, leading with Heat. 3) Panthers select defenseman Mike Matheson, 18, from Quebec, with 23rd pick in NHL draft. See you in a few years, kid. Maybe. Or not. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]
I LOVE A PARADE: Took in the Heat victory parade and arena celebration today. Click on The Power of Sports for my new column on it, online now and shipping to Tuesday's paper. It was not a perfect day. Lots of fans disappointed the parade moved along too quickly, and other complaining there was no culminating appearance on the arena steps (as there was in 2006). Still, a great day for Miami, and a reminder of the power of sports to bring together a community.
PARTYING LIKE AN NBA CHAMPION: Heat players, family and friends partied all night at a jammed Club LIV in the Fontainebleau after winning the NBA championship, running up a tab of close to $250,000. (Then again, LeBron James is the world's fourth-highest-paid athlete at $54 million a year counting endorsements. A quarter-mil to him is, mathematically, around $235 to a guy making $50,000 a year). The public portion of the party had the stars up on stage, with LeBron and Dwyane Wade even briefly grabbing the mic to rap. LeBron wore a shirt showing his likeness with vampire teeth. Interesting. That was last year's image. Now I think he's the hero who slays the vampire and saves us all. Click HERE to see a few minutes of the Heat's pricey partying Heat in a video courtesy Seth Browarnik and Worldredeye.com.
POLL: WHICH TWO SOUTH FLORIDA PRO SPORTS TITLES ARE MOST SPECIAL TO YOU?: Greater Miami now has six major professional sports crowns: Dolphins in 1972 and '73, Marlins in 1997 and 2003, and Heat in 2006 and 2012. Here I invite you to vote for theTWO that are the most special to you. Use whatever criteria you wish: Historical importance, most fun, made you most proud, whatever. Vote for your top two and then say why...
Poll note: I understand the timing of this poll greatly favors the title the Heat just won. But the support being shown for the most distant of the six titles also shows fans are able to step back and vote how they feel.
SANDUSKY TO LEARN WHAT A REAL 'TICKLE MONSTER' IS: Defrocked Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, the demon pedophile convicted of 45 of 48 counts of abusing young boys, deserves every minute and more of whatever sentence he gets. It will be tantamount to a life sentence for a man 68, after which I'd convince myself there is a hell just to picture Sandusky in it. His lack of admission, contrition and remorse compounds the feeling about him. It is difficult to imagine his life from here won't be doubly awful if he is allowed in the general prison population. I am told pedophiles don't do well in there. One imagines the "Tickle Monster" will be getting what he's been giving; call it the heavy hand of karma. Except, in prison, I don't they they call it tickling.
WHY MESSI HERE WAS NOT SUCH A BIG DEAL: I'm a soccer fan. I appreciate Lionel Messi as the best futbol player on Earth (at least the best goal-scorer). And I respect that thousands who watched the other night at Dolphins stadium were excited. I don't get why this was seen as such a big event, though. It was not a bona fide game between national teams or premier club teams. It wasn't a bona fide game, period. It was an international all-star game that meant nothing. Remember the farce of those NBA touring all-star games during the lockout? This was the soccer version, complete with no semblance of defense .
MARLINS' ROCK BOTTOM KEEPS GETTIN ROCK BOTTOMER: Marlins blew a big lead and last night and lost in 10 innings, making it 16 lossses in the past 19 games. When you consider the Muhammad Ali/Opening Night fiasco, Ozzie's Fidel Castro mess, the team's complete overshadowing by the Heat title run, smaller than expected average attendance and now this June swoon, the long-awaited Year of the New Ballpark has pretty much been a mess so far for the Marlins.
CLEVELAND JUST CAN'T LET IT GO: Cleveland's WTAM-1100 radio has a "You Still Suck, LeBron!" promo (click here) on its website inviting liseners to agree with that sentiment. When last I checked, almost 3,000 people had. Stay classy, Cleveland!
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HAIKU MADNESS, our blog's annual NCAA Tournament contest, is coming today/Tuesday. Get those 17-syllable poems ready!
[1) It is Tuesday, March 13. Let the Madness begin! 2) Join us on Twitter @gregcote.
Click Miami Is Comeback Hub for my latest column on commonality between Tiger Woods, who played at Doral, and Peyton Manning, in the Dolphins' dreams. Click It's All About Peyton Now for my earlier column on Dolphins' interest. Signing him is all-in-or-bust for a Dolphins owner trying to not only win but to make a once-kingly franchise relevant again. I first thought Manning was Miami's to lose. Now it seems they could lose him. Vote in our poll below and share your thoughts.
MANNING IS SET FREE, DOLPHINS READY TO POUNCE: Update: Manning met last evening in Indianapolis with a Dolphins contingent led by coach Joe Philbin, suggesting Miami remains in a sweepstakes for which Denver and Arizona are now thought to be frontrunners. ..... Original post: An emotional day for Indianapolis sent waves rippling across the NFL as the Colts officially parted ways with Hall of Fame-bound QB Peyton Manning. Dolfans, it is time to forget the dream-like tradeup to draft Robert Griffin III, time to forget free agent Matt Flynn, time to forget lower-drafting Ryan Tannehill and time to forget incumbent Matt Moore. On this date in history, 2012, Peyton Manning officially became a free agent -- maybe the greatest free agent in NFL history -- and the Dolphins' entire quarterback focus swivels hard now in that direction. I wrote recently Miami would do best to do what it took to ideally trade up for Griffin, but, make no mistake: a healthy Manning is the next best option, and an exciting one. In fact, AccuScore estimates Manning would mean 3.1 additional victories for Miami in 2012 -- from a projected 7.4 to 10.5. That's the difference between no playoffs and playoffs. Manning said at an early-afternoon news conference, "I haven't thought yet about where I'll play," adding, "I'm confident. I don't know what the next steps are. This is uncharted territory. We'll see where all that plays out." Manning has been medically cleared to play but is not yet 100 percent following multiple neck surgeries. Of his health he said, "Ive got some progress to make but I've come a long way. I feel closer and closer." The Dolphins are confident they can sign Manning. How confident are you? Whether you prefer Manning as the trageted option or not, what do you predict: Will Manning end up as a Dolphin in 2012 or not? Vote now and say why, then check back often to see how the voting evolves.
Handicapping the Manning Sweepstakes: My updated rank of the most likely landing spots for Peyton Manning: 1) Broncos; 2) Cardinals; 3) Dolphins; 4) the field.
Manning-to-Miami the betting favorite: Original odds from Bovada have Dolphins favored at 2-1 to land Manning, followed by Redskins 13-4, Seahawks and Cardinals both 7-2, and Chiefs and Jets both 21-4.
DAVID SAMSON'S BIG MOUTH: Marlins president David Samson is reported by business publication Miami Today to have insulted the intelligence of Miamians during a Beacon Council breakfast this week. Those would be the same Miamians whose taxes built the new Marlins Park and whom the club is counting on to fill that park. Samson (pictured) says he was misquoted; however, TV did air him commenting on low voter turnout in Miami by speculating non-voters were "too lazy or watching Oprah." It's hard to know the truth here. Miami Today was a staunch new-stadium opponent and did not record Samson's comments. Then again Samson has an earned reputation as a foot-in-mouth guy and one whose flip manner can be both offputting and misconstrued. That reputation makes benefit of doubt to Samson a lot to ask.
TIGER, RORY AND A BUNCH OF OTHER GUYS AT DORAL: Resurgent Tiger Woods and world No. 1 Rory McIlroy lead the charge in the PGA Tour event at Doral's Blue Monster that began Thursday. Click on Golf's Renaissance for my column previewing the event. I write how the Rory-led new wave and the recent surge of elders like Woods and Phil Mickelson make this an exciting time for golf. By the way, colleague Linda Robertson has a very nice read on new Doral owner Donal Trump; click here to read.
HEAT'S NEXT BIG TEST: Most Heat games are perfunctory wins, let's be honest. The OT win over Indiana was a thriller, but the Heat's next big test will be back-to-backers at Orlando and Chicago next Tuesday and Wednesday. There isn't a reasonable soul on Earth who doesn't believe it'll be Heat-Bulls in the Eastern Conference finals.
UM MEN'S HOOPS SETTLE FOR NIT: The barely-on-the-bubble Hurricanes needed a big showing in the ACC Tournament for any shot at an NCAA Tournament bid. The opening victory over Georgia Tech was a necessary start but the loss then to Florida State wasa deal-breaker. Canes settle for NITville, and that frankly is where the team probably belongs this season.
NEW SLOGAN FOR REPUBLICAN RACE: "IT'S A CLUSTER[----]!": Super Tuesday did little to make a Republican or any of the four candidates feel particularly good. The day's winner was probably Barack Obama, who gets to sit back and watch the other party be divisive and fail to reach any consensus. Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul, hopeless to win the nomination, should of course drop out now. Then it would get interesting, because the Gingrich far-right'ers who would flock by default to Rick Santorum would outnumber the Ron Paul support that would gravitate to Mitt Romney. Most polls and common sense indicate Romney would have a much better chance to beat Obama than would Santorum, which is why Democrats will discreetly high-five one another when Gingrich finally concedes.
ADS COMING TO NBA JERSEYS?: League meets in April to consider adding prominent, permanent advertising to NBA game jerseys, a potential $31 million revenue stream. It would be an aesthetic abomination, of course, but hey ... money! Some lesser leagues such as the WNBA already pander with jersey ads. Let's hope the NBA stays above that.
TOP MLB ROOKIES FOR FANTASY: Baseball Prospectus has the top three as Mariners C Jesus Montero, Rangers P Yu Darvish and Rays P Matt Moore. (Rays have a Matt Moore and Bucs have a Josh Johnson. What's up with Tampa stealing our names?) Other notables on the list: A's OF Yoenis Cespedes, the might-have-been-Marlin, is 4th; and Padres 1B Yonder Alonso, the ex-Cane, is 8th. Only Marlins rook in the top-50 is setup-reliever Jose Ceda, 37th.
ON THE COLOMBIA-MEXICO NOTE: I wrote an item in my Random Evidence notes column Sunday that elicited angry emails, chatter on local Spanish-language radio and consternation among Herald editors. Reference was to the recent Colombia-Mexico soccer game and our lampoon of each country's reputation regarding drugs. Two points: 1) Random Evidence is a humor-oriented column that needles and jabs, so the item was in context of a well-established irreverent format. 2) I felt both countries' drug-related reputations were earned over many years and therefore fair subject for parody. Similarly, as an example, if I were writing in Random Evidence about a game involving North Korea and Iran I might have a punchline referencing a nuclear weapon. I intended a broad swipe at an unfortunately real aspect of two countries' reputations -- not a personal shot at good people of Colombian and Mexican descent who are understandably tired of negative stereotypes.
THE LIST: DOLPHINS' NO. 18'S: In honor of Peyton Manning's No. 18 jersey number being retired by the Colts, here are the relative few Dolphins who have worn 18, chronologically:
Player Pos. Seasons
Dick Wood QB 1966
Cliff Stoudt QB 1989
Sage Rosenfels QB 2002-05
Ernest Wilford WR 2008
Roberto Wallace WR 2010
Peyton Manning QB 2012???
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[It's Election Dayin Florida! Youcan still votein our blog'sRepublican primary inthe post directlybelow this newone. Poll hasn'tclosed but youcan see theresults as theyhappen. Sorry, Newt. 2) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]
SUPER BLOG TUESDAY: BELICHICK, COUGHLIN IN DOUR-OFF: In the Patriots' Bill Belichick and Giants' Tom Coughlin -- Coach Ebullience and Coach Vivacity are pictured -- this Super Bowl has the two NFL head coaches who were most apt to be off snarling grimly in the film room when God was handing out personality. A four-pack of other thoughts for Super Blog Tuesday: 1. Last year's Skechers Super Bowl commercial featured Kim Kardashian. This Sunday's Skechers ad will feature a French bulldog named Mr. Quiggly. Sounds like an upgrade. 2. Scouts Inc. ranks all 106 players in this SB and No. 106 is Giants defensive end Justin Trattou. So my money on Trattou-for-Super Bowl-MVP is not looking good. 3. Giants safety Antrel Rolle, the ex-Cane, said, "We are expecting to win this game Sunday" -- and in New York it got displayed like a guarantee. Gawd. What hath you wrought, Joe Willie? Nowadays in the buildup to a Super Bowl the most perfunctory expression of confidence is shot up with media steroids and vomited as an implied guarantee. 4. Rome called. They want their numerals back.
DOLPHINS: ON COACHING STAFF, SOLAI: One name among the new assistant coaches jumped out at me. You how great it would be if you could combine the talents of all-time Dolphin defensive greats Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor? Miami just did. The team's new assistant quarterbacks coach is Zac Taylor. Speaking of the Dolphins, somebody explain why Paul Soliai is a Pro Bowl defensive tackle in a 3-4 defense but apparently expendable if the team converts to a 4-3 alignment? Makes little sense. Talent is talent. In both systems you need a wideload to take up space and tackle people. If the Dolphs won't spend to keep him in free agency, fine. But don't let him walk and blame it on the new alignment.
ON CRISTOBAL STAYING (FOR NOW):Here is today's column by me on Mario Cristobal deciding to remain as FIU football coach. I am a bit harsh on him, perhaps. I just think recent dalliances with Pitt and Rutgers portray Cristobal as a coach willing to listen to outside offers and looking for his next stepping stone. No crime in that. But it's tough to preach loyalty when you are sort of wearing a 'For Hire' button on the lapel.
FLY ON THE WALL: GINGRICH STRATEGY SESSION: Chief advisor: "Newt, our poll numbers are trending down. We need to do something to verify to voters that you are presidential, measured, sound ... the common-sense candidate. Any ideas." [Long pause] Gingrich: "Moon colony!"
TEEN WITH ODD TNELAT: Click here to see and hear a teen girl instantly repeat any word backward. For instance, you say, "Congress," and she immediately says, "Ssergnoc." I find this girl's odd skill to at once be both evisserpmi and suolucidir.
R.I.P, WOMEN'S SOCCER: The Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league has folded says it won't play in 2012. The Boca Raton-based and absurdly named magicJack franchise previously had disbanded. This was a team and a league studded with U.S. World Cup stars like Abby Wambach and Hope Solo. If this women's soccer league could make it in America, will any, ever?
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1) You can still vote in our pick-the-Dolphins-next-QB poll in blogpost directly below this latest one. 2) Best wishes to Mark Duper on his full recovery from kidney surgery. 3) Musical treat: Our friend Brendan Benson drops a new CD, What Kind Of World, on April 24. Click here to listen to the first single, "Bad For Me," courtesy Stereogum. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote.
Fore! Herald moving to Doral: The Miami Herald announcing its new corporate headquarters will be on a 15-acre lot in Doral, four miles west of the airport, beginning in May 2013. That's because the iconic current location off Biscayne Bay was sold, alas, to a group that is building a $3.8 billion casino resort. The move is not expected to affect Greg Cote, who never goes into the office anyway.
WHY PEYTON MANNING TO MIAMI IS PLAUSIBLE: Piece together all the little bits of circumstantial evidence and Peyton Manning ending up a Dolphin seems to make some sense. 1) The Colts intend to draft QB Andrew Luck No. 1 overall and would owe Manning a $28 million roster bonus on March 8 unless they release him before then. A columnist I like, Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star, writes compellingly about Manning's awkward situation now in Indy from an exclusive and very candid interview with Manning this week. Click on Manning's Discomfort with Colts for the entire piece. "It's not a real good environment down there right now to say the least," Manning says. The candor upset Colts owner Jim Irsay. 2) Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland indicates very clearly from the Senior Bowl he thinks Miami needs an upgrade at QB. That leads to a strong supposition Miami is unlikely to stick with Matt Moore. (So is Miami unlikely to spend hugely for a major draft trade-up and a shot at Robert Griffin III. 3) Star-minded owner Stephen Ross wants a QB signing with the impact to sell tickets and build instant excitement or, as Ireland said, "Make a much bolder statement in South Florida." Manning would do that. Matt Flynn (of the two career starts) would not to nearly the same degree. 4) Manning as a free agent would have his choice of suitors. But Ross indicated with Jeff Fisher that money would not be an issue and likely would not be outbid for Manning. Miami has a solid offensive line, which would be important to an almost-36-year-old QB recovering from neck surgery. Oh, and the Dolphins have a unofficial lobbyist who would try to persuade Peyton to come here. They are close friends and golfing buddies. The name of the unofficial lobbyist-in-waiting is Dan Marino. In a poll in my previous blogpost I ask Dolfans what their QB choice would be for the team and by a narrow margin you all pick signing Flynn over signing Manning. I respectfully disagree. Manning -- if fully healthy, a critical caveat -- has at least a few prime seasons left and would make Miami an AFC contender the minute he stepped into the uniform. Manning to Miami at this stage in his career would not equal LeBron taking his talents to South Beach and the Heat. But it would be close. If owner Ross agrees, it could happen.
ON TIM THOMAS' WHITE HOUSE SNUB: The Boston Bruins' star goalie was absent this week when his Stanley Cup champion team was honored by President Obama at the White House. It was a protest. Thomas wrote on Facebook he didn't participate because, "The Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties and Properties of the people." It sounds like Thomas was worried he'd be stopped from bringing his shotgun onto the grounds -- you know, the one you'll only get when you pry it from his cold dead hands? -- despite the Second Amendment. Dear Tim: The tea party screed is fine, but I think the biggest statement you made was one of simple disrespect, a statement with no nobility in it. However, you had every right to do what you did (or didn't do). You owe no apologies, but the other side of freedom is fair criticism for how one might choose to exercise those rights.
MIDFIELDER SIDELINED BY SEX: AC Milan star midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng is sidelined for a month with what the club calls a "muscular lesion on his left thigh" and could miss the team's Feb. 15 Champions League round-of-16 match. Girlfriend Melissa Satta tells Vanity Fair the injury was caused by the couple having sex "seven to 10 times a week." Satta is pictured for educational purposes.
PRINCE'S KINGLY SUM: Free-agent slugger Prince Fielder and his luxurious beard get a nine-year, $214 million deal from the Detroit Tigers, just a fraction less in average ($23.8M per) than Albert Pujols' recent 10-year, $240 mill deal from the L.A. Angels. It's silly money. Tigers owner Mike Ilitch, the pizza magnate, must be nuts. (In a related story, a Little Caesar's medium with pepperoni now costs $75). This deal will make anyone but a Detroit fan sort of hope Fielder immediately gains 70 pounds and hits .208. Or settles in on the D.L. with a back strain incurred bending over to pick up a dropped Twinkie.
NFL 'ANY-ERA' TEAM: Latest gimmickry from list-obsessed ESPN is to count down the current top 20 NFL "any era" players. The list so far: 20, future Dolphins QB Peyton Manning (I can dream); 19, Tim Tebow (oh Lord); 18, Ndamukong Suh (I guess stomping an opponent is fashionable in any era); then 17 to 5 in order are Dwight Freeney, Jared Allen, Darrelle Revis, Ray Rice, Ed Reed, DeMarcus Ware, Tom Brady, James Harrison, Aaron Rodgers, Hines Ward, Patrick Willis, Adrian Peterson and Brian Urlacher. Top four out Friday. I'd only bet every penny I have that Ray Lewis is No. 1.
FART MAGAZINE: Fart was a 1950s and '60s car magazine in Sweden, in whose language "fart" means "speed." The coincidence? Both types of fart involve gas. Somewhere in Goteberg, in 1961, a man who just finished the magazine remarked to his wife [translated], "I really enjoyed that Fart."
D-WADE'S ANKLE: Heat star Dwyane Wade missed a fifth straight game with his sore right ankle last night, and his eighth game this season overall. We caught up with Wade's ankle. "We're fine, getting close, maybe even give it a go tonight in Detroit," said Wade's ankle. "But from now do not approach me directly. Go through my agent or the team publicist, please."
PRO BOWL UPDATE: Because of fake injuries to every available player, I have been added to the AFC Pro Bowl team and so has your neighbor Ed.
ON JORGE POSADA: An L.A. Times blog has a poll asking if retired Yankees catcher Jorge Posada is a Hall of Famer. It's about like asking if I am a presidential candidate, moot in its absurdity. Short answer: No, no way, never, not even close.
DEAR GREG...: "Your blog's OK but would be better if occasionally you would show an artist's depiction of Barack Obama as Abraham Lincoln, especially since Obama referenced Lincoln in his State of the Union speech last night. Thank you." I'm sorry that won't be possible.
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[Time flies but greatness endures: Remembering John Lennon one day after the 31st anniversary of his murder. Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also, you can still vote in our Hanley Ramirez poll in the post directly below this one].
Note: Heat star Dwyane Wade appeared Saturday in an ABC special, "Primetime Nightline: Bringing America Back." Wade is featured among inspirational stories for his work on behalf of children.
DAVID STERN'S YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY: I'm going to go ahead and say that David Stern, the NBA's erudite and at-times snooty-ish commissioner, could only be having a worse year if suddenly all of his league's basketball courts were devoured by a dark cloud of termites. First he oversees a labor lockout that erases a chunk of the regular season. Now -- for reasons dubious -- he vetoes the three-way mega-trade that would have sent Chris Paul to the L.A. Lakers, Pau Gasol to the Houston Rockets, and Kevin Martin, Lamar Odom, Luis Scola, Goran Dragic and a 1st-round drat pick to the New Orleans Hornets. Pictured: Stern, frowning, and Paul, reacting to the veto. The deal seemed reasonably fair to me. Stern nixed it ostensibly "for basketball reasons" but the real reason seems to be the vehement negative reaction of many club owners including the Cavaliers' Dan Gilbert. The problem is that club owners beyond just the three involved in the trade have a right to stick their nose in because the NBA owns the Hornets, meaning, in effect, the other 29 owners own the Hornets. The obvious conflict of interest in a league owning a team has played out in the worst possible way here, shoving the beleaguered Stern into yet another a no-win situation. Parochially, how should a Heat fan regard the trade not happening? All depends on which Lakers you judge a tougher championship roadblock for Miami: The would-have-been smaller Lakers with CP3 in Kobe's backcourt? Or the bigger, as-is Lakers with Gasol still haunting the key? I call it a push.
WELCOME BACK, RONNIE BROWN: Eagles at Dolphins Sunday brings Ronnie Brown back to town. Alas, he is Philly's third back and hasn't played much, so opportunities to give him the appreciative cheer might be rare and fleeting. His return got me to thinking: How does Ronnie rank among the Dolphins' all-time best running backs? I'm curious how you feel. The poll lists alphabetically the top six guys in franchise career rushing. The order in terms of yards would be Larry Csonka, Ricky Williams, Brown, Mercury Morris, Jim Kiick and Tony Nathan. Your votes will decide the real order. Start casting!
NFL PREDIX: EAGLES' TALENT COOLS HOT DOLPHINS: Granted I've apparently been overestimating Philly's talent all year, but I think the return from injury of Michael Vick and LeSean McCoy, DeSean Jackson and others at his disposal will be too much for Miami. Call it 31-23, Eagles, in a slight upset. Click on Week 14 Gems for all my latest NFL picks, and on Aaron's Year for my King Sport Third-Quarter Awards.
ON PAUL SIMON: Wife and I saw Paul Simon the other night at the Hard Rock. He puts on a truly terrific show. Great live performer. Not a single reference to Simon & Garfunkel, with "Sounds Of Silence" beginning one encore the only S&G song performed. Otherwise all from his own catalog, leaning heavily to his wonderful Graceland album and to his critically acclaimed latest CD, So Beautiful Or So What. Simon songs are interesting aurally, with Afro-Caribbean rhythms and instruments such as accordions and washboards. But it is his lyrics, his storytetlling, that always has distinguished him. A legendary career still going strong. Great to see and hear.
COLOMBIA VS. MEXICO: It is announced that Dolphins Stadium on Feb. 29 will host a Colombia vs. Mexico international soccer match. I suppose that would be the match voted most likely to be interrupted by warring drug cartels.
PSSST. THE PANTHERS ARE REALLY GOOD. SHHH...: The Florida Panthers picked a hell of a time to be good again. Playoff-good. Maybe even great. The NBA lockout ending foists the Heat back onto center stage locally. The Marlins' major free-agent spending crowds the stage, too. So does the Dolphins' resurgence. With a continuing lockout, the usual baseball frugality and the Dolphins who started 0-7, the Panthers might own the stage. Now? Off in the wings. Winning, but off in the wings.
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Vote in latest CANESFAN SATISFACTION METER poll in separate blogpost just above this one!
G7: HURRICANES 24, GEORGIA TECH 7: UM IMPRESSIVELY BACK IN ACC RACE: Most impressive about this win? That Jacory Harris struggled (8-for-23, one INT). That Lamar Miller was contained pretty well (27 for 93). And that Miami still won easily. Big defensive show. I underestimated UM's D, and maybe its home-field advantage, too. Think Al Golden has this thing flying right. Original post: Miami is a nominal 3-point home favorite and could get right back into ACC contention with a win, but I have a bad feeling about this one. Tech's strength, its running game, plays to Miami's weakness right now, a depleted defensive line. Canes will have a great shot regardless, if the pick-free Jacory Harris shows up again and if Lamar Miller enjoys a return to form. But I'm just not liking the matchup. Hope I'm wrong. By the way, ESPN The Magazine in its latest issue has a nice piece on Al Golden; click here to read. No new ground broken, but a good read. Pick: Georgia Tech, 27-24.
Other collball Week 8 state FBS games: FIU lost to Arkansas State, 34-16, Tuesday. Central Florida lost to Alabama-Birmingham, 26-24, Thursday. Saturday, besides UM game: South Florida's slide continued vs. Cincinnati, 37-34; Florida State dispatched Maryland, 41-16; and FAU -- needing Andrew Luck even more than the Dolphins -- was flat at home again, this time vs. Middle Tennessee, 38-14. The Gators were off.
National top-25 matchups: 1-LSU handled 20-Auburn, 45-10; 16-Michigan State upset 6-Wisconsin, 37-31; and 8-Stanford rappycacked 25-Washington, 65-21.
'THE MIAMI HERALD SONG 2011': Reader and devoted newspaper fan Alan Donovan, a.k.a Rochester Slim, has re-recorded and updated his tribute song to The Miami Herald and to newspapers in general. Click HERE for the YouTube vid. The main song kicks in at 0:35. It is a bit dirge-like yet charming, sad and inspirational all at once. I hope you like. Even you fat and lazy people watching TV!
'OCCUPY MIAMI DOLPHINS': OK, a Facebook page does not a "movement" make, but that's sort of how one begins these days, right? This Facebook page claims itself as a new hub of Dolfan frustration and reports an Occupy Wall Street-inspired protest outside Sunday's game is being planned. Watch for it, scorn it, ignore it, participate in it -- your choice. Ah, democracy!
MORE REASONS TO BE A TEXAS RANGERS FAN: Besides the fact St. Louis has won many World Series crowns and Texas has none? How about a pumpkin in the half-heartwarming, half-creepy likeness of Rangers manager Ron Washington!
STRIKERS' SHOT AT HISTORY, 31 YEARS LATER: It only took the Fort Lauderdale Strikers 31 years (1980 Soccer Bowl) and the re-formation of the NASL, but the reconstituted Strikers are back playing for a league championship vs. the Minnesota Stars tonight up there and next Saturday at Lockhart Stadium. Win one for Cor van der Hart, fellas!
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[Big lead-in to weekend. Thursday we marked 50th birthday of President Obama, and Friday was International Beer Day, surely a holiday invented with me in mind. The staple beers of Greg Cote: Miller Lite for standard consumption, Red Stripe on occasion, Duvel on special occasion. Hey join us on Twitter. Cold taps, no waiting].
Click Can't Have It Both Ways for my latest column. It's on Tony Sparano and Dolphins bearing some responsibility for fans' lack of confidence in Chad Henne. Coach benched him. Team tried and failed to find his replacement. If Dolphins aren't sure he's good enough, why should fans be?
QUARTERBACK QUANDARIES: ON HENNE, CANES' DUEL: It's simple over at The U. Simply a competition, that is. Jacory Harris and Stephen Morris (pictured right) are in a QB battle, starting with Saturday's first practice, that is said to be so close you couldn't slip a sheet of notebook paper between the two of them. Up in Dolphinland, not so simple. Looks like Chad Henne (left) is the man again, but it seems like Dolfans are not so happy about that. At a stadium practice this week you heard scattered booing after his incompletions. You also heard a "We want Orton!" chant, which coach Tony Sparano blasted, said, "It makes me sick." I just think fans are frustrated. I also think the target of that is less Henne himself than the idea the organization failed to go out and sign someone better. Now it's time for what you think. Does the booing and chant that made Sparano "sick" represent you or not? In the first poll, share your honest confidence level in Henne (and, in a comment, perhaps your thoughts on the club failing to bring in somebody better). In the second poll, pick a favorite in the UM battle.
POLL OBSERVATION: In the Chad Henne poll, interesting that his "high confidence/get off his back" rating almost doubled from around 8 to 15% in fairly short order. In other words around a couple of hundred votes piled in for him. I smell a concerted effort. Almost as if the Dolphins sent word throughout their organization to vote for Henne. Can't prove it. Nothing wrong with that even if I'm right. I'm just sayin'.
CHINA OFFERING D-WADE MEGA-YUAN?: The website niubball.com, respected in Chinese basketball circles, reports that Heat star Dwyane Wade, while on a Nike tour of China, was offered $2 million per month to play there because of the NBA lockout. The newspaper Chengdu Daily says the club that wants him is Zhejiang Guangsha. Still can't fathom it happening, but Wade's never-say-never stance plus a reported actual offer makes one wonder a bit. [Update: Offer to Wade now being denied].
ON BRETT FAVRE: I DID START THE FIRE!: Tony Sparano was asked in his media session yesterday if he cared to quash the idea of any possible interest in Brett Favre or leave that door ajar. He replied with his stock answer to any such questions about personnel: "I can't rule anything out." Well, predictably, headlines bloomed nationwide. On ESPN.com it's: 'Brett Favre to Miami? Nothing ruled out.' An admission: It was I who asked the question. A promise: I will do cartwheels and handsprings, nude, from Dolphins camp to the stadium if Miami signs Favre. Maybe the best reason of all to hope it doesn't happen. Trust me.
FIRST PRESEASON FOOTBALL TOP 25 SNUBS HURRICANES: It's from USA Today, and Al Golden's Miami Hurricanes are not on it. Top five is Oklahoma, Alabama, Oregon, LSU and Florida State, with Florida sneaking in 23rd.
MARLINS: BAD IDEA ON NEW-BALLPARK EXHIBITIONS: I might be alone on this, but I don't like that the new Miami Marlins will open their new ballpark, Your-Corporate-Name-Here Stadium, with two exhibition games vs. the Yankees next spring. Need for a dress rehearsal? Baloney. The first game in the new park should be the first real game, period. Now, the historic Opening Day won't be as special because it will be the third game there. Axiomatic: Your "Grand Opening" is never as grand when you have already been open.
FUTBOL PACKS FOOTBALL STADIUM: Worked Wednesday's stunning 4-1 win by Chivas de Guadalajara over FC Barcelona at the Dolphins stadium and was impressed. Yeah, by Chivas, although Barca was missing star Lionel Messi and clearly the exhibition meant more to the Mexicans. Mostly I was impressed by Miami turning out 70,080 for this event. People judge us a lousy sports town by a midweek Marlins crowd, or because Heat fans aren't all in their seats by tipoff. Judge us as a sports town by nights like last night, too. Click on Chivas, Miami Win for my column off the game. Pictured here is the Chivas logo. My favorite thing about the club: Mascot is a goat.
JUSTIN BIEBER: HE STREET. HE BAD: Is our boy Justin Bieber cultivating an edgier image? Or should I say are his handlers fashioning a tougher persona on his behalf? Here Justin is seen wearing a "F**k You" T-shirt. Oh my. Hide the preteens, Mom! What next: "Damn" in a lyric!?
HAIR CASTLE: A woman has constructed a castle (right) made of human hair, redefining the phrase, "Woman with too much time on her hands." Click here for the story. Could I say it in a blog if it weren't true? If Rapunzel starts leaning out that window, I believe I just might scream.
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