Greg Cote's Random Evidence of a Cluttered Blog

Vent! Wildly mixed views as fans speak out on Marino scandal; plus history lesson from Shula, Parcells & Sapp make Hall, UM wins, Smirk Saturday & more

[1) It is SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2. Have I mentioned that I, too, frequently go skeet-shooting? 2) Am thinking the Indiana Pacers now top the list of teams the Heat do NOT wish to face in the first round of the playoffs. Miami's rebounding weakness exposed again last night. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Marino scandal, Super Bowl pick, Smirk Friday, LeBron upset, the Lance Effect. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]

Parcells, Sapp head new Hall class: Former Hurricane Warren Sapp, ex-Dolphins executive Bill Parcells and briefly-a-Dolphin Cris Carter among today's newly elected Pro football hall of Fame class, along with Jonathan Ogden and Larry Allen, plus old-timers Curley Culp and Dave Robinson. Thought Sapp was deserving but wasn't sure he was a first-ballot guy. Tuna? Um, let's just say he didn't get in for what he did in Miami. Good to see drafting Pat White didn't hold him back! Congrats to all.

UM men win again: Huge win today No. 19 North Carolina State for 14th-ranked Hurricanes, 79-78, on a last-second Reggie Johnson tip-in. Canes end on an 8-2 run, to go to 8-0 in the ACC.

CATCHING UP WITH DOLPHINS' OTHER (UNTARNISHED) ICON: DON SHULA: Strange the way it worked out this week. One day before the Dan Marino scandal broke open, I happened to have a long talk with the Dolphins' other towering icon, Don Shula. I wanted to use the Super Bowl as a launchpoint to seek some memories from the man who has head-coached in more SBs (six) than anybody else. We spoke about all of them, the good and the not so much. Click on History Lesson From A Legend for today's full column, the result of that conversation. Don spoke at length of what a burden his 0-2 Super Bowl record had been, and thus what a personal relief that Perfect Season was. I also asked Shula about a perception of mine that -- even with a record 347 career wins, two Super Bowl wins and the Perfect distinction, he does not get the respect nationally that is due him. He simply pointed to the bottom line, the victory record, and let that speak for him. Today, a new one-hour documnetary, Shula 347, premieres on CBS at 3 p.m.

THE FANS AND READERS SPEAK ON MARINO!: A poll in the previous blogpost (you may still vote) asked whether Dan Marino's love-child scandal made you think less of him, and more than 3,000 of you responded -- with clear if not overwhelming support for Marino. "No" brought 59.7 percent, "yes" brought 31.9% and another 8.4% were unsure. The topic also generated around 250 comments in that blogpost. And my Friday column on the scandal -- Marino Deserves Forgiveness -- inspired more than 100 emails, from oh-thank-you agreement to incredulous objection. I haven't done this before, but I wanted to share a couple of dozen of the emails below, a representative cross-section. Overall I'd estimate the response was pretty evenly split (moreso than the poll results) between those who appreciated the column/support Marino and the opposite. Here's some of the reaction, almost all of it condensed:

"Why would this revelation be made on the eve of his Super Bowl pregame gig? Whoever leaked this surely wants to harm Marino. No one wins here except the lowly NY Post." -- Robert A.

"Marino has been spending his time on the practice squad!!!" -- Marc S.

"He deserves the criticism that comes his way. Some of us believe having sexual relations outside the marriage is wrong and the person SHOULD take a lot of heat, no matter how iconic." -- Maffront

"Agree with your column 100%. He did the right thing after he made the mistake. Many don't." -- James H.

"It irks me the media has to dig into everyone's personal life. Yes he made a mistake, but I could have spent the rest of my life not knowing about it. He doesn't need absolution from us." -- Patricia M.

"You have GOT to be kidding me. Just because he 'nobly admitted' the affair that makes it OK? Just because he's famous he gets a pass?" -- Mike

"The final word belongs to Claire and nobody else." -- RLPerez

"Your hypocrite buddy deserves nothing more than an immediate firing by CBS." -- Robert R.

"Your commentary said it all and I only hope Miami and the country will allow Marino to get on with the life he earned and deserves." --Stan G.

"Marino pulled off the QB sneak for almost eight years. is that a new NFL record?" -- David B.

"He has the same responsibilities we all have, but he actually should be held more accountable. He should be the example." -- Spikefootball

 "Thank your for your column. It is very humanistic." -- Ian N.

"The great publicity machine has ruined his life. The writing and reporting fraternity will never recover from this departure from common decency." -- Charlie S.

"We all have weaknesses. We all fall at one time. Dan will keep on doing the right and good things he has done in the past." -- Walter F.

 "This changes nothing as far as I'm concerned other than he's a human being with flaws like all of us." -- Doug B.

"Football players are not heroes. Most of them cannot manage their own lives and Marino is one of them." -- JoAnn A.

"Another case of the media midning others' business. Does outing Marino somehow make you feel better?" -- DM

"OMG are you serious? I cannot believe your Editor had the guts to run your Marino column." -- Josie

"Sorry, Marino needs to go away. I find his recently discovered affair, love child and hush money payments appalling." -- Joseph B.

"He's only human and his misdeeds shouldn't diminish the importance of his charity work and his years of leadership." -- Asra

"Dan Marino is human. The good he has done far outweighs his fallability." -- Jonathan R. 

"It's a very selfish act and dishonest. This just confirms more about him as a man." -- Mark E.

[Note: Thanks to all readers who take the time to write me. I try to respond to all of my emails, even if it sometimes take awhile].

Smirk Saturday: Super Bowl With a Smirk, sent here to tweak the self-imortant NFL and gravitas of its big game, offers its final edition today, with a menu including dueling parties, Roger Goodell, Crispy Blue Crab Gyoza, Hall of Fame, Queen, an orangutan and, as always, much more Click on Smirk Saturday for the full column.

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Shamed Dan Marino has done enough to be forgiven. Agree? Poll. Vote!; plus Super Bowl pick, Smirk Friday, LeBron upset, Lance Effect & more

[1) It is FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1. This is a jockey's favorite month, because it's the shortest. God that was awful! 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): A-Rod/Ray Lewis accusations, Smirk Wednesday, Cats slipping. 3) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]

Super Bowl predix: Upset! Ravens, 24-21: The favored 49ers might have an overall talent edge, but Ray Lewis gives the Ravens an emotional/intangible advantage, which often is big in a Super Bowl. Also think Joe Flacco has the vertical passing game to penetrate San Fran's D. Click on Super Bowl Gem for the full prediction capsule.  

MARINO LOVE-CHILD A SCANDAL, BUT FORGIVENESS TRUMPS SCORN: I have my say in my newest column today; click Marino Deserves Forgiveness to read. Do you agree? Vote in our poll below and say why you feel as you do. Original post from yesterday: Dan Marino, maybe the biggest sports figure in South Florida history, has been exposed by the New York Post for having fathered a love-child in 2005 and paid millions to the mother to support the child and to keep quiet. She evidently did not keep quiet. Full story here. Marino, a CBS analyst since 2003 who is to be involved with Sunday's Super Bowl broadcast, apparently had an affair with a CBS production assistant, Donna Savattere, then 35, that resulted in the birth of daughter Chloe. The mother and daughter are pictured. The news broke on Marino's 28th wedding anniversary to Claire; they have six children including two adopted daughters. Marino, when confronted with the news, owned up to it, saying, "This is a personal and private matter. I take full responsibility both personally and financially for my actions." Now, my take: Marino is enough a public figure to make this newsworthy, but I feel bad for Dan, for Claire and their family. He made a mistake eight years ago. He's human. This does not change his standing as one of the NFL's all-time great quarterbacks or as a Miami icon. Neither does this erase any of the good works he has done in the community in raising funds for great causes; I don't know of any athlete we have had who's done more. Some will think less of Marino and that is their right. He has paid millions in this matter, and now he is paying far more, with his embarrassment and with the tarnish on his name. How if at all does this matter affect your opinion of Marino? Vote and say why.

Smirk Friday: Super Bowl With a Smirk, here to tweak the self-imortant NFL and gravitas of its big game, is back today to refute speculation that Beyonce lip-synched replies to questions at her Halftime Show Press Conference. We have details on that, plus Ali, overweight cheerleaders, bowling, Tazon Latino, puppies, football laces and, as always, much more. Click on Smirk Friday for the full column.

Smirk Thursday: Smirk's Thursday menu included the lavish New Orleans arrival of the Roman Numerals (that's right), Beyonce, fake tickets, John Harbaugh's apparent sexiness, astrology, chicken, Hungary and, as always, much more. Click on Smirk Thursday for the full column.

LEBRON JAMES UPSET HE'LL MISS SUPER BOWL: The Heat play at Toronto Sunday and will miss most if not all of the Super Bowl because the team will be en route back to Miami on a private jet with no Wi-Fi or satellite TV. "How disgusting is that!?" James said. LeBron, a huge football and Cowboys fan, said, "If the Cowboys were in the Super Bowl I'd stay there for the game."

THE LANCE EFFECT: A-ROD, LEWIS DENIALS HARDER TOP ACCEPT: Lance Armstrong has made it harder for us to believe athletes when they say "I didn't do it," as Alex Rodriguez (Biogenesis) and Ray Lewis (deer-antler extract) have this week. I explore that here: Click on The Lance Effect for the full column.  

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A-Rod's Biogenesis, Ray Lewis' deer-antler extract: World gone mad!; plus Smirk Wednesday, Ken Dorsey & more

[1) It is WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30. Pictured left and right are Kate Upton from her Mercedes-Benz Super Bowl ad, and Beyonce as she would look if playing referee and running back at the same time. Why? Just because. 2) Former UM quarterback Ken Dorsey named today as new QBs coach for the Carolina Panthers. 3)  In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Heat at White House, Super Bowl matchup poll, Pro Bore, Smirk, Cats, runners. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]

BIOGENESIS AND DEER ANTLERS: A-ROD, RAY LEWIS MAKING THE WRONG KIND OF NEWS: Is it me, or has the first month of 2013 been exceptionally bizarre in our little Sports World. In newspapers they used to call us the "toy department." Now the toy aisles are filled with guns (real ones) and drugs. Now the toys come in such weird packaging like Lance Armstrong's shamed confession and Manti Te'o record-setting naivete. A week ago the NCAA accused its own investigators of wrongdoing in the Miami probe. Of course it did! And now: A double scoop of strange involving two superstars with strong Miami ties. Ex-Hurricane Ray Lewis of the Ravens makes unfortunate Super Bowl Week headines when Sports Illustrated accuses him of using a banned substance found in, of all things, deer-antler extract. And Yankees icon Alex Rodriguez is the most prominent name in a Miami New Times expose about a now-shuttered PED-peddling Miami "anti-aging" clinic called Biogenesis. For what it's worth, A-Rod denies any involvement with Biogenesis and Lewis denies what he is accused of. It's a bad climate for denials, though, isn't it. In sports, our benefit of doubt is spent. Call it the Lance Effect.

Smirk Wednesday: Super Bowl With a Smirk, here to tweak the self-important NFL and the gravitas of its big game -- think of us as a whoopee cushion in church -- is back today with a menu that includes deer-antler extract, Media Day, the NFL Experience, national anthem, media party, Psy's pistachios and, as always, much more. Click on Smirk Wednesday for the full column.

Poll result: Super Bowl matchup better than most: We asked in the previous blogpost how 49ers-Ravens rates as a SB matchup and 44.5 percent said better than most, 41.5% said about the same, and 14.0% said worse.

CATS ON ICE! SLIPPING, FALLING...: Since their exhilirating season-opening home win your Florida Panthers have now lost five games in a row by a combined score of 23-5. This truncated 48-game NHL season will seem shorter and shorter and then too short for teams that fall too far behind early. Anybody seen a panic button?

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