Greg Cote's Random Evidence of a Cluttered Blog

Marlins add amateur nudist Redmond to manager merry-go-round; plus Heat confidence poll, my Halloween video, Tannehill, SOPY rank & more

[1) It is THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1. Did you have a happy Halloween? We're a mid-traffic neighborhood. Probably candied about 30 kids. 2) Enough with the Dwayne Bowe-to-Dolphins speculation and rumors! (Please?) 3) Visit our video channel atYouTube/TheGregCote (on hiatus; new vids coming soon) and join us on Twitter @gregcote]

Halloween video from me to you: Click HERE to watch. It stars me, new Heater Ray Allen, defrocked Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen, Dolphins coach Joe Philbin, and the sublime Lauren Tannehill. Enjoy!

MARLINS HIRE MIKE REDMOND AS MANAGER: Marlins interviewed three others including the ghost of Larry Bowa, who last managed in 2004 and turns 67 in December, but the clear frontrunner all along was Redmond, the former Marlins catcher. He has only Single-A experience as a manager but is praised as ready by those who know him. I like the hire. Redmond is perhaps best remembered during his Marlins years for once entering the batting cage nude -- wearing only spikes and batting gloves -- to help break a losing streak. That isn't legend; he admits it. And it worked. The season was 2003. The Marlins won the World Series.

OPENING NIGHT: RINGS ON, BANNER UP, HEAT BEATS CELTICS: [Update: Heat beat Celtics, 120-107, behind 29 from D-Wade, 26 from LeBron and 19 apiece from Ray Allen and Chris Bosh. Click on The Routine Of Excellence for my column from the game]. And the curtain lifts on Year 3 of the Big 3. The Heat NBA championship that was won in June and celebrated with a parade is celebrated anew onight as the 2012-13 season commences. A ring ceremony and lifting of the championship banner will precede a game against the Boston Celtics, who most experts expect will meet Miami in the Eastern Conference finals. Ray Allen switching sides only enlivens an already heated rivalry. Boston is counting on Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett (pictured with LeBron) to once again play younger than they are. The Celtics lead the Heat's East roadblock alsong with Indiana and perhaps Chicago. Waiting in the NBA Finals, should Miami returns, figures to be the fortified L.A. Lakers, Oklahoma City again, or perhaps San Antonio. I know Heat fans are confident; the question is how confident? Vote now.

Poll result: Sorry LeBron, but it's still D-Wade: We asked in a recent blog poll who your favorite Heat player is, and Dwyane Wade had 60.1 percent to LeBron James' 34.2. The other 5.7% chose "someone else."

NFL PIX 'N FANTASY: OK on one, not so much on the other... NFL predix: Had a decent Week 8 on my Friday pix page, going 10-4 overall and 7-6-1 vs. the betting line. Nailed two outright upsets with Falcs over Eagles and Raiders over Chiefs, but, oh, missing that Miami game hurt. What was I thinking! Greg's Lobos: My fantasy team sucks, or I do running it. Fell to 2-6 with a 124-87 loss. Had nobody over 17 points. Not giving up on a playoff spot but the 'Bos need to pick it up. Let's go!  

TANNEHILL INJURY ONLY A BRUISE: MRI results on Ryan Tannehill's injured left leg showed no structural damage to the knee or quad, only a deep bruise. His status for Sunday's game at Indianapolis is a legitimate questionable. "What he can or can't do Wednesdday and Thursday will deteremine his availability," a club spokesman told us. Meanwhile Matt Moore's status rises as one of NFL's better backup QBs.

McKinnie and strip clubs: Hey here's an only-in-Miami story for you. Bryant McKinnie is being sued in Miami-Dade Circuit Court by the father of rap star Trick Daddy. The allegation: That McKinnie, Ravens offensive tackle and former Miami Hurricane, ran up $375,000 in bills at South Florida strip clubs -- money borrowed from the dad of Daddy. McKinnie told the Baltimore Sun the suit us "bogus."

Marlins 40-1 odds for next World Series: Bovada has new odds out already for 2013 World Series and leaders are Tigers 6-1, Yankees 7-1 and Giants 10-1. Miami is a respectable 40-1 but unfortunately that's fourth in the NL East after the 12-1 Nationals and 14-1 Braves and Phillies.  

PANDA TIME! FITNESS IS OVERRATED: Moms, give your child that extra Twinkie. Dads, let that gym membership lapse. Kids, fat is the new thin! The Giants' Pablo "Panda" Sandoval is the World Series MVP -- the man sitting atop all of baseball -- following his team's sweep of the Tigers. Sandoval in the postseason led the Giants in home runs, RBIs and carbs. Here he is. Mr. America!

SOPY RANKINGS (WEEK 9): ALPHABET SOUP: E.J. LEADS B.J.: This college football season marks the blog debut of our weekly State Offensive Player of the Year (SOPY) rankings, which I like to call the "Sunshine State Heisman." Our chart encompasses the most productive seasons of any quarterback, running back or receiver from the state's seven FBS teams: Miami, Florida and FSU, FIU and FAU, and South Florida and UCF. (Note: Rankings consider only passing, rushing and receiving, not returns). Our formula awards one point per offensive yard gained running or receiving and a half-point per yard passing, plus six bonus points for touchdowns thrown or scored. Because our rankings are cumulative, players on a bye week take a temporary hit that evens out over course of season. After Week 9 it's Florida State's E.J. Manuel leading for a third straight week, but narrowly over South Florida counterpart B.J. Daniels. The SOPY Top 10 entering Week 10:

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

1 (1)     E.J. Manuel, FSU-qb     157 = 1,483.5

2 (3)     B.J. Daniels, South Florida-qb     231.5 = 1,457

3 (2)     Stephen Morris, Miami-qb     BYE = 1,241   

4 (4)     Jake Medlock, FIU-qb     110.5 = 1,112

5 (6)     Blake Bortles, UCF-qb     173.5 = 1,099.5

6 (5)     Chris Thompson, FSU-rb     DNP = 965

7 (7)     Jeff Driskel, Florida-qb     88.5 = 946

8 (8)     Graham Wilbert, FAU-qb     165.5 = 941

9 (9)     Mike Gillislee, Florida-rb     117 = 834

10 (--)     Latavius Murray, UCF-rb     218 = 700

Bubble: Duke Johnson, Miami-rb, 692.

State of the State rankings: 1. Florida (7-1); 2. FSU (8-1); 3. UCF (6-2); 4. Miami (4-4); 5. South Florida (2-6); 6. FAU (2-6); 7. FIU (1-8).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bubble: Mike James, Miami-rb, 571

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

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

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

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Diamond in rough season: Marlins MVP vote (w/ poll); plus Dolphins sign Jabar Gaffney, D-Wade changes shoes, Cabrera/Yaz, pix 'n fantasy, SOPY Top 10 & more

[1) It is TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2. Find results of our latest Dolfan Satisfaction Meter -- a number surprisingly high -- in blogpost directly below this new one. 2) Visit or video channel at YouTube/TheGregCote and see our latest mini-commentary on Saturday's big day by QB Stephen Morris and the Canes. 3) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]

MARLINS MVP: FINDING THE DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH: A miserable Marlins season expires with games tonight and Wednesday, and most disappointed fans are grateful for it to end. From the Ozzie Guillen/Fidel mess to the Hanley trade to the injuries to Heath Bell to all the losing -- what a bleepin' nightmare. I know that when I invite you to select a team Most Valuable Player the inclination might be to vacate the award in disgust and say nobody deserves it. But we'll be bigger than that. (Won't we?) I think three men have most stood out above the mess. Mark Buerhle has been the starting pitcher they thought they were getting: Solid, consistent, 13-13 despite poor run support, a team-leading 202 innings and 3.74 ERA. Shortstop Jose Reyes has lived up to expectations, too: .284 with 37 doubles, 11 triples and 38 stolen bases. And outfielder Mike Stanton, despite missing a month injured, hit .290 with 37 homers and 86 RBIs. Who is the diamond in the rough season? Vote for the Marlins' 2012 MVP and say why.

JABAR GAFFNEY AN UPGRADE FOR DOLPHINS: Farewell, Legadu Naanee. If only you had more catches than vowels. Dolphins upgraded today by replacing Naanee with veteran Jabar Gaffney, 31, the ex-Gator. Should slot in as a nifty third WR after Brian "Sudden Star" Hartline and Davone Bess. Gaffney's past two seasons (with Broncos and Redskins) were his best, totaling 133 catches for 1,822 yards (13.5 average) and seven TDs.

D-WADE DUMPS NIKE FOR LA-NING: Heat star Dwyane Wade has left the Nike Jordan brand in favor of Beijing-based La-Ning in terms of shoe and apparel endorsements. Change effective Oct. 1.

Heat ranks among ESPN Top 500 players: LeBron James No. 1, of course, Dwyane Wade No. 8 and Chris Bosh 18. Others ranked: Ray Allen 64, Mario Chalmers 104, Shane Battier 107, Udonis Haslem 129, Joel Anthony 209, Mike Miller 236, James Jones 252, Norris Cole 256 and Rashard Lewis 257. What jumps out is Lewis' low ranking. Guaranteed, Heat expects a healthy-again Lewis to perform like a top-100 guy. Wouldn't surprise me if he won the starting power-forward role.

Poll result: Three rings the magic number for Heat's Big 3: In a recent blogpost we asked how many NBA championships it will take for the Heat 's Big 3 era to be fully seen as a success, and a plurality of 46.6 percent said three. Two rings got 26.7%, four or more got 17.5%, and only 9.2% said the one title already achieved.

ON CABRERA, YAZ AND THE TRIPLE CROWN: Carl Yastrzemski, last man to win baseball's Triple Crown in 1967, was my first boyhood idol. I never particularly liked Miguel Cabrera, the ex-Marlin. Now the Tigers' Cabrera (pictured) is poised to win the Triple Crown. With two games left he is plus-4 in average, plus-1 in homers and comfortably up in RBIs. I have mixed emotions, but ultimately I think Cabrera would be a worthy successor. Among active players only Albert Pujols has had a start to his career better than Cabrera's, and even that is arguable. Cooperstown beckons. If only he'd remained a Marlin. If only.

NFL PIX 'N FANTASY: Had a bit of a bounceback with my picks, but my fantasy slump continued. NFL predix: I went 10-5 straight-up last week and 7-7-1 vs. the spread, a modest rebound both ways, but numbers to neither encourage boasting nor chagrin. You killed me with those five picks last night, Romo. Way to come up big on a big stage, you Gagmeister. Greg's Lobos: We lost, 149-122, not getting enough beyond Aaron Rodgers' 35 points. You're usually in trouble when your second-leading scorer is your defense (Houston, 23).

AMERICA'S RYDER CUP COLLAPSE: I love to play golf (badly), like it as a TV sport and was riveted by the weekend U.S. vs. Europe Ryder Cup even though the match-play can be confusing. How could the Americans blow a 4 1/2-point lead entering Sunday!? What a choke. Seriously. Captain Davis Love III, face of the team Tiger Woods and culprit/goats like Jim Furyk should all be embarrassed. Get outta my country!

LIL WAYNE AND ELVIS: Rapper Lil Wayne has topped Elvis Presley's record for most charted songs on the Billboard Hot 100, with 109. However a large asterisk is required. Only 42 of Wayne's songs were essentially his; all the rest found him credited as contributing, often in a minor way. Pictured is Elvis. Nah. It's Lil.

BIRK: RHYMES WITH...: Ravens center Matt Birk has broadcast his narrow-mindedness by writing an anti-gay marriage editorial in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, apparently in reaction to teammate Brendan Ayanbadejo's public comments in support of marriage equality. I remember the simpler days when teammates argued about play-calling, not politics. Birk argues his stance does not represent homophobia. I guess it only represents him thinking he is somehow better than or at least entitled to more rights than gay people. I leave you with the delightful irony of a man with Birk's views making his living, as a football center, with another man's hands constantly under his crotch.

SOPY RANKINGS (WEEK 5): CANES' MORRIS LEAPS TO NO. 2 OFF RECORD DAY: This college football season marks the blog debut of our weekly State Offensive Player of the Year (SOPY) rankings, which I call the "Sunshine State Heisman" until a Heisman lawyer tells me to stop. Our chart encompasses the most productive seasons of any quarterback, running back or receiver from the state's seven FBS teams: Miami, Florida and FSU, FIU and FAU, and South Florida and UCF. (Note: Rankings consider only passing, rushing and receiving, not returns). Our formula awards one point per offensive yard gained running or receiving and a half-point per yard passing, plus six bonus points for touchdowns thrown or scored. Because our rankings are cumulative, players on a bye week take a temporary hit that evens out over course of season. After Week 5 it's B.J. Daniels of South Florida (pictured) on top for a third straight week, with UM's Stephen Morris leaping to second after his record-setting 566 yards passing. The SOPY Top 10 entering Week 6:

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

1 (1)     B.J. Daniels, South Florida-qb     155.5 = 985.5

2 (4)     Stephen Morris, Miami-qb     315 = 902.5

3 (2)     E.J. Manuel, FSU-qb     136 = 830.5   

4 (3)     Jake Medlock, FIU-qb     DNP = 616.5

5 (6)     Chris Thompson, FSU-rb     98 = 606

6 (7)     Duke Johnson, Miami-rb     69 = 542

7 (5)     Jeff Driskel, Florida-qb     BYE = 527

8 (9)     Blake Bortles, UCF-qb     145.5 = 521.5

9 (--)     Phillip Dorsett, Miami-wr     208 = 484

10 (--)     Graham Wilbert, FAU-qb     96 = 460.5 

Bubble: Mike Gillislee, Florida-rb, 446

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

BIEBER VOMITS ON STAGE: Hours after the Dolphins left Arizona Justin Bieber performed in Glendale Sunday and vomited on stage. Click here if you dare. The teen- and preteen female audience didn't seem to mind. In fact I hear Bieber's expelled chunks are now selling on eBay.

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Long national nightmare ends! Real NFL refs return!; plus pix 'n fantasy (WWE), SOPY rankings, bickering Marlins & more

[1) It is THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27. Mike Love, who unfortunately owns legal rights to the name "The Beach Boys," has followed a successful 50th anniversary tour by firing three founding members of the group including mastermind Brian Wilson. Mike Love is a lunatic. 2) Visit our video channel at YouTube/TheGregCote and join us on Twitter @gregcote]

AGREEMENT REACHED AFTER NFL REPLACEMENT OFFICIALS HIT ALL-TIME LOW ON MONDAY NIGHT FARCEBALL: The real striped shirts will be back on the field beginning with tonight's Browns-Ravens game after an eight-year agreement was reached late last night. Click on Our National Drug for today's latest column by me, on how America's obsession with sports overrides everything -- yes, even including replacement refs. Original post: I tried, folks. I really did. I hated that so many fans were obsessing on the NFL replacement officials. I was, like, "Hey, they aren't perfect, so what?" But last night turned me around. Incompetent officiating literally stole a victory from the Green Bay Packers and handed it, unearned, to the Seattle Seahawks with an outrageously, preposterously blown call in the end zone on the game's final play. Seattle receiver Golden Tate snatched the ball off the chest of the intercepting Packers defender -- except really all he did was put an arm on the ball. The official at left is making the proper signal of GB possession, but the dunce on the right signalling touchdown prevailed. I think the official on the right, the cheater Tate, the referee and the replay official should all be tarred and feathered, paraded in shackles through every NFL stadium and pelted by bottles, then set loose in a meat-packing plant in Green Bay. There they should be beaten within an inch of their lives by enraged Packers fans swinging enormous legs of lambs, after which they should be shot from cannons into the middle of the ocean and stranded there until rescued or (preferably) devoured by lamb-blood-smelling sharks. In all seriousness, I would make two points. 1) The commissioner's office should void that final, mistaken call and award this victory to Green Bay in the best interests of the what's left of the integrity of the game. 2) The league should cave, give the real officials what they want and get back to the way it was, when we'd complain about the officiating but at least sort of trust it. (Do I sound bitter? The next item, Pix 'n Fantasy, may help explain why...)

Update: NFL statement on MNF mess: The league admitted that Seahawks receiver Golden Tate committed an offensive pass interference penalty that was not called -- and that shold have ended the game with Green bay winning. On the call itself, the league stands by the ruling of "simultaneous catch" favoring the offense, even though any sighted person not living in Seattle who watched the play live or on replay is aware it was not a simultaneous catch. What a calamity for the NFL. Embarrassing.  

NFL PIX 'N FANTASY: WWE: WORST ... WEEK ... EVER!: Speaking of embarrassing, let us just say that Monday night's stupefying ending was a perfectly fitting cap to my weekend. NFL predix: I went 3-13 on my NFL picks this past week. There. I said it. THREE AND THIRTEEN! I believe that is my single worst week in 22 seasons of Friday predix. (I was 4-11-1 against the spread). Everything that could possibly go wrong, did. Dolphins blow a field goal. Detroit's OT botchery. Saints' blown lead. Steelers' blown lead. Monday night. Just unbelievable. Greg's Lobos: Would my fantasy team offer me a smidgen of solace? Of course not! Lobos got whipped, 139-93. I had nobody better than 19 points. I am very close to finally running out of patience and benching Chris Johnson. That of course will be the week he rushes for 226 yards and three TDs.

HEATH: SHUT THE BELL UP!: Marlins defrocked closer Heath Bell popped off about his manager Ozzie Guillen on my friend Dan Sileo's WQAM show, saying, "It's hard to respect a guy that doesn't tell you the truth." And, "We need someone who leads us that everybody respects and looks up to." First thought: I know you're frustrated, Heath, but how classless to publicly rip your manager in-season. Second, Bell's own miserable April is what first tipped this season and sent it over the cliff. This human goat is the last man in that clubhouse who should be pointing fingers. (Bell is pictured, presumably marking down his latest blown save).

NHL MOURNS WITH 'LOCKOUT MAN': A hockey blog mourns the season-threatening NHL work stoppage with "Lockout Man," to the tune of Elton John's "Rocket Man." Click here to listen. Other than going on waaay too long, it isn't bad.

SOPY RANKINGS (WEEK 4): DANIELS STILL NO. 1, UM'S MORRIS CLIMBS TO FOURTH: This college football season marks the blog debut of our weekly State Offensive Player of the Year (SOPY) rankings, which I call the "Sunshine State Heisman" until a Heisman lawyer tells me to stop. Our chart encompasses the most productive seasons of any quarterback, running back or receiver from the state's seven FBS teams: Miami, Florida and FSU, FIU and FAU, and South Florida and UCF. (Note: Rankings consider only passing, rushing and receiving, not returns). Our formula awards one point per offensive yard gained running or receiving and a half-point per yard passing, plus six bonus points for touchdowns thrown or scored. Because our rankings are cumulative, players on a bye week take a temporary hit that evens out over course of season. After Week 4 it's B.J. Daniels of South Florida (pictured) on top for a second straight week. The SOPY Top 10 entering Week 5:

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

1 (1)     B.J. Daniels, South Florida-qb     249 = 830

2 (3)     E.J. Manuel, FSU-qb     304 = 694.5   

3 (2)     Jake Medlock, FIU-qb     59 = 606.5

4 (10)     Stephen Morris, Miami-qb     240 = 587.5

5 (4)     Jeff Driskel, Florida-qb     148.5 = 527

6 (--)     Chris Thompson, FSU-rb     194 = 508

7 (8)     Duke Johnson, Miami-rb     110 = 473

8 (6t)     Mike Gillislee, Florida-rb     73 = 446

9 (5)     Blake Bortles, UCF-qb     BYE = 376

10 (6t)     Kedrick Rhodes, FIU-rb     DNP = 373

Bubble: Graham Wilbert, FAU-qb, 364.5

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

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Dolphins home playoff game? Could be a circus!; plus Notre Dame joining ACC*, Romney, LeBron dials it up, G-Stanton, new SOPY rank & more

[1) It is THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13. Honoring the almost 3,000 victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and the loved ones left behind. 'Never forget' doesn't mean just one day a year. 2) Visit our video channel at YouTube/TheGregCote and join us on Twitter @gregcote]

Oh no a political note!: In 2008 I thought the presidential election turned when John McCain named Sarah Palin his running mate. In 2012 I think the (much closer) election was decided when Mitt Romney stunningly mishandled his reaction to this tragedy in Libya. I am not saying I'm right, and reasonable people might disagree. It's just what I believe.

Click on Patience Is A Virtue, Remember? for the latest column by me. I explore the Dolphins' and Hurricanes' similar situations, both teams asking patience of fan bases grown tired of waiting for a resurgence.

DOLPHINS BOOK STADIUM DURING PLAYOFF TIME BUT SAY NO CONFLICT: Remember owner Stephen Ross recently saying he is "planning" on the Dolphins making the playoffs this season? He is also planning for the stadium to be making revenue whether they do or not. Word leaked to us that Cirque de Soleil has booked shows for its newest production, Totem, in the "Grand Chapiteau" at Sun Life Stadium from Jan. 10 through Feb. 3. The NFL playoffs begin the weekend of Jan. 5-6 and run into early February. Club spokesman Harvey Greene told us the "Grand Chapiteau" will be set up in a stadium parking lot. He acknowledged the possibility a Dolphins home playoff game and a Circque de Soleil show could be occuring at the same time but said, "The potential disruption would be very, very minimal." Of course the whole issue is likely moot because the Dolphins' playoff chances seem remote, but I find this interesting in the category of actions speaking louder than words. If this were the Patriots or Packers or any team whose owner honestly anticipated hosting home playoff game(s), I doubt very seriously a major three-week circus run would be booked concurrently. 

Dolphins' dismal opening game local-TV ratings: The latest evidence the Dolphins have work to do to regrow their fan base: Miami ranked last, 30th of 30, of all teams where an NFL game ranked No. 1 in local ratings during Kickoff Weekend. Miami's 13.5 rating was well below the next worst, Tampa's 17.5 Twenty-six of 30 markets topped a 20 rating. Pittsburgh led all with 50.3.  

NOTRE DAME PLANS TO JOIN ACC (WITH AN ASTERISK): The asterisk is that Notre Dame plans to join Miami's conference in every sport except football, beginning with the 2013-14 school year if all works out. But the plan is for ND to play five football games each year vs. ACC teams. UM plays Notre Dame this fall at Soldier Field in Chicago. The rivalry rekindling itself in some way is welcome news.

AWFUL AND UNLUCKY IS NO WAY TO START A SEASON: No, I am not talking about the Dolphins' or Hurricanes' weekend. Could be, but am not. Am talking about my own season-opening performances on my NFL picks (that's the awful part) and my fantasy team (that's the unlucky part). NFL predix: I'll own up here each week, good or bad. That's called transparency. I'll gloat when I can, so I won't hide when the weeks go sour. I went 7-9 overall and 5-11 vs. the spread in Week 1, and that's abysmal both ways. Only Brandon Weeden had a worse week than me. Oddly enough I hit a rare exact score on the Dolphins' 30-10 loss in Houston but too many other games crashed in on me. KC over Atlanta proved to be an awful Upset of the Week call, and I don't know what I was thinking with Buffs over Jets. I'll bounce back. Greg's Lobos: My fantasy team led into Monday night, got tied 133-133 on Sebastian Janikowski's kicking, and then lost our league tiebreaker, which is most quarterback points, by 27-26. Canes, Dolphins, then me. The lost weekend.

LEBRON DIALS IT UP: Training camp begins in just a little over two weeks for the NBA defending champion Heat, but league MVP LeBron James isn't waiting. ESPN reports James and Thunder star Kevin Durant are currently working out in tandem near James' home in Akron, Ohio, just as they did last season. Among the myriad things to love about James is the idea he could be idling on auto-pilot right now but isn't. The best basketball player on Earth has a thirst to get better. That's scary. Good-scary.

STANTON. AGAIN: Giancarlo Stanton hit his 34th home run last night and saw his slugging percetage rise to a majors-leading .600. Imagine if he hadn't missed a month-plus injured? Stanton is The Reason To Still Be Watching. Only one Marlin has ever slugged .600-plus for a full season: Gary Sheffield (.624) in 1996.

Marlins' 2013 schedule: It's out today. Team wil open on the road then play an April 8-17 homestand vs. Braves, Phillies and Nationals. So the NL East pecking order will set itself right out the gate. 

Ozzie Guillen back on Twitter: Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen is back on Twitter. He must be almost as bored with this season as most fans. What will Ozzie say? Will he fracture grammar in two langauages? If I have absolutely nothing to do I might actually visit his Twittering @OzzieGuillen.

SOPY RANKINGS (WEEK 2): MEDLOCK TO THE TOP: This college football season the blog debuts our weekly cumulative State Offensive Player of the Year (SOPY) rankings, encompassing the best seasons of any quarterback, running back or receiver from the state's seven FBS teams: Miami, Florida and FSU, FIU and FAU, and South Florida and UCF. Some people already are calling our rankings the "Sunshine State Heisman." OK nobody is calling it that but me. Anyway, our formula awards one point per offensive yard gained running or receiving and a half-point per yard passing, plus six bonus points for touchdowns thrown or scored. After Week 2 it's one FIU star (Jake Medlock, pictured) replacing another atop our list. The SOPY Top 10 after Week 2:

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

1 (2)     Jake Medlock, FIU-qb     257.5 = 462.5

2 (4)     B.J. Daniels, South Florida-qb     232.5 = 392

3 (1)     Kedrick Rhodes, FIU-rb     57 = 314

4 (3)     Mike Gillislee, Florida-rb     98 = 258

5 (--)     Graham Wilbert, FAU-qb     161 = 253

6 (--)     Blake Bortles, UCF-qb     126.5 = 238.5

7 (6)     E.J. Manuel, FSU-qb     98.5 = 236.5 

8 (7)     Stephen Morris, Miami-qb     99 = 229

9 (--)     Andre Davis, South Florida-rec   203 = 216

10 (5)     Duke Johnson, Miami-rb     37 = 194

Bubble: Jeff Driskel, Florida-qb, 176.

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

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

How you rated my fantasy football team (with poll); plus Dolphins player stat-projections, Garrard, SOPY rankings, mocking Penn State, U-Bird (1) & more

[1) It is THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6. Visit our video channel at YouTube/TheGregCote to see our "The View from Miami" mini-commentaries. 2) Thanks to Dan Le Batard, Stugotz and 790 The Ticket for having us sit in on their show yesterday. Fun. 3) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]

UPSET BIRD COUNTDOWN: 1 DAY: The Upset Bird and I kick off our season of Friday NFL prediction pages this week, tomorrow, Sept. 7, and began a 21-day countdown that each day is honoring notable birds. Following Thanksgiving's iconic Turkey, today we conclude our countdown by welcoming the 1970s sitcom/music group, The Partridge Family. (Find a complete roll call of our 21 Birds at the end of this blogpost).

YEAH! Y'ALL RATED MY FANTASY TEAM SECOND OF SIX: My little six-team fantasy football league held its draft a few days ago (points-per-reception format, ESPN.com) and I offered a poll indicating each team's top three choices in order wihtout saying which was my team. I'll admit I'm not a great fantasy player, so I was genuinely curious how you all rated these teams based on the top three picks, because I assume many of you are better and more serious fantasy players than I. Well, I can now reveal you voted my team (B. Aaron Rodgers, et al) second in what turned out to be a two-team race. My youngest son's team (E. Calvin Johnson, et al) won by landslide. The other four teams you didn't like much. You can still vote for which of these top-threes you'd most like to have in a PPR league and say why. Meantime, Aaron and I thank you for the vote of semi-confidence.

DOLPHIN PLAYER PROJECTIONS: From our friends at Bovada, statistical over/unders are offered for five Dolphins: Ryan Tannehill passing (185 1/2 yards average), Reggie Bush rushing (875 1/2 yards), Davone Bess receiving (700 1/2 yards), Anthony Fasano receiving (500 1/2 yards) and Cameron Wake sacks (9). It is interesting that Tannehill is given an average rather than a season total, an indication to me that Mr. Vegas thinks his starting job could be temporary. Five rookie QBs will start Week 1. Odds on who'll lead in passing yards are: Andrew Luck IND 7-4, Robert Griffin III WAS and Russell Wilson SEA both 2-1, and Tannehill and Brandon Weeden CLE both 15-2.

ON GARRARD: The Dolphins unsurprisingly releasing veteran QB David Garrard dovetailed perfectly with the column I wrote. (Click on Into The Unknown to read). Miami is in full-blown rebuilding mode, in starting-over mode. Fans approach this season as if blindfolded and walking into a pitch-black room, hands stretched out before them in case they might bump into something. This is scary. But it's also a little bit exciting. That element of the unknown might be the only thing that is exciting about this season, but you gotta start somewhere.

DEBUT: SOPY RANKINGS (WEEK 1): This college football season the blog debuts our weekly cumulative State Offensive Player of the Year (SOPY) rankings, encompassing the best seasons of any quarterback, running back or receiver from the state's seven FBS teams: Miami, Florida and FSU, FIU and FAU, and South Florida and UCF. Our formula awards one point per offensive yard gained running or receiving and a half-point per yard passing, plus six bonus points for touchdowns thrown or scored. The season began with UM's Duke Johnson getting most of the publicity but with another Miami running back -- FIU's Kedrick Rhodes, pictured -- leading the state after 130 yards rushing and 115 receiving. The SOPY Top 10 after Week 1:

Rank   Player, Team-pos.     SOPY Pts.

1. KEDRICK RHODES, FIU-rb     257

2. Jake Medlock, FIU-qb     205

3. Mike Gillislee, Florida-rb     160

4. B.J. Daniels, South Florida-qb     159.5

5. Duke Johnson, Miami-rb     157

6. E.J. Manuel, FSU-qb     138

7. Stephen Morris, Miami-qb     130

8. James Wilder, FSU-rb     124

9. Latavius Murray, UCF-rb     117

10. Wayne Times, FIU-rec     114

Bubble: Rannell Hall, UCF-rec, 106. FAU leader: Byron Hankerson-rec and Martese Jackson-rb, 99 each.

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

ON MOCKING PENN STATE'S SANDUSKY SCANDAL: Opening weekend of college football saw a proliferation of T-shirts and signs making fun of Penn State and its Jerry Sandusky scandal with varaiations on the theme, "I'd Rather Shower at Penn State Than..." Two examples are pictured. Fair game or bad taste? Readers of mine know I don't offend easily and occasionally push the bounds of taste. In this case, though, I vote thumbs-down on this stuff. Why? Because there were real-life victims of those showers. They are still trying to heal. They do not deserve to be made fun of.

[21 BIRDS: A ROLL CALL: In order: 1. Poe's Nevermore from The Raven; 2. Sesame Street's Big Bird; 3. Lady Bird Johnson; 4. Comedic prop Rubber Chicken; 5. The Byrds; 6. Larry Bird; 7. Charlie "Bird" Parker; 8. Bird Bowl (on Bird Road); 9. Clarence Birdseye; 10. A Flock Of Seagulls; 11. Sheryl Crow; 12. Warner Brothers' Tweety Bird; 13. Hitchcock's The Birds; 14. Tony Hawk; 15. Winnie the Pooh's Owl; 16. Carly Simon/James Taylor's "Mockingbird"; 17. The Eagles; 18. Donald Duck; 19. Robot Chicken; 20. Thanksgiving Turkey; and 21. The Partridge Family].      

Click back. Will be updating/adding to this latest blogpost. Consider that both a threat and a promise...