1) It is SATURDAY, MAY 18. Sesame Street is introducing a new character named Armando or "Mando," which may or may not be an homage to Herald sports writer Armando Salguero. Mando is pictured at right. (Is it me or do half of the Sesame Street characters sort of look like this?) 2) Former NASCAR driver Dick Trickle dead at 71 of reported suicide. Sad story. All-time great name, Dick Trickle, but a sad story. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Heat Game 5 win, Wade health poll, LeBron No. 2 in money, most disappointing hotel, catchers' fake fingernails, Sad-O-Meter. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote.
Another year, another horse fails to win Triple Crown: Affirmed in 1978 remains the last to do it after Kentucky Derby winner Orb finished a disappointing fourth in today's Preakness Stakes, won by Oxbow with ancient Gary Stevens aboard. Orb started on the rail and really struggled to extricate himself from traffic.
"David Beckham is retiring? What a big, big loss for the sport of underwear endorsing." --Greg Cote
UPDATED: HEAT CRAZY-BIG FAVES TO REPEATS AS CHAMPS: If you want the other side you stand to make some big bucks. Are you that daring? New from Bovada, championship odds on the five teams still alive show Heat at 1-3, Spurs 5-1, Grizzlies 6-1, Pacers 20-1 and Knicks 40-1. Miami odds to win East and get to Finals: 1-9. Man! Based on the public perception that sets the odds, let's just go ahead and plan that parade right now. I'm just sayin'.
EASTERN FINALS SET: HEAT VS. PACERS: Indiana beat visiting New York 106-99 tonight to win the series 4 games to 2. Miami will host Eastern finals Game 1 vs. Pacers on Wednesday night. The series suggests Pacers are a better team, although that is debatable. Both teams fared well against Miami this season, Indy going 2-1 against the Heat and the Knickerbockers 3-1. The other factor in answering the poll question below was the vantage point of your vote. It might have been based on which team you think would be an easier draw for the Heat. Or you might have voted for what you think the more exciting series would be. On the latter criteria the clear preference would seem to have been New York, a bigger rival with more starpower and boorish fans in constant need of shutting up. Based on results, your choice was pretty clear. Enjoys the Eastern finals anyway.
UPDATE: HEAT MIDDLE-FINGER LADY: South Florida's most famous birder is keeping sharp between playoff series. After honing her skills against the Bulls' Joakim Noah, Middle-Finger Lady now prepares for Indiana or New York in the next round. Pictured left, MFL transmogrifies into a clownishly grinning LeBron James in a final, parting-shot farewell to Noah. At right, Middle-Finger Lady inexplicably proffers the Flying Digit to an adorably dumbfounded polar bear.
DWYANE WADE: PROM DATE: What cute story. Archbishop Coleman Carroll senior Nicole Muxo posts a YouTube video asking Heat star Dwyane Wade to be her prom date. He calls her cell phone with his regrets, then moments later walks into the Friday ight event in Coral Gables, shocking her. Later Wade Tweeted, 'I had a blast at Prom. Never be 2 scared to ask.' The couple is pictured on the dance floor. This, among a million other reasons, is why South Florida loves Dwyane Wade.
Click HERE for a 3-minute video on how Wade pulled off his big prom surprise. Good stuff.
LATEST TRAVAILS OF CHAD JOHNSON: Free-agent receiver Chad (nee Ochocinco) Johnson lessens his chances of ever playing again with a warrant for his arrest for failing to report to his probation officer stemming from the domestic violence issue that got him cut by the Dolphins. The latest misstep is indicative of Johnson perhaps suffering from DAS, Dumbass Athlete Syndrome. There is no known cure.
UPDATED! MARLINS' SAD-O-METER: We have this new blog feature we update as long as Marlins'
winning percentage is under .300 -- as long as the New York Mets' infamous 1962 record of 40-120 (.250) is within dubious reach. Well, six straight losses with last night's have brought the S-O-M roaring back as the season inches past the one-quarter mark. Updated Sad-O-Meter: Current record, 11-31 (.262). Season projection, 42.43 wins, 119.57 losses.
BACKSTORY: COMPANY NAMES: Took this pic on my phone camera as proof there is a baked-goods company operating in South Florida under the name Bimbo. (Primary dictionary definition: "A foolish, stupid or inept person.") I am envisioning the initial meeting of company investors. "OK, first things first," says the boss. "We need a name that represents who we are. Thoughts?"
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1) It is SATURDAY, MAY 4. Happy quatro de Mayo! New blogpost coming later today. 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Heat's preference for next round, Dolphins' biggest-need poll, NBA gay player backlash, Sad-O-Meter, glowing sheep. 3) Join us on Twitter @agregcote.
LeBron to collect fourth MVP award on Sunday: ESPN citing "sources" in saying it'll be official on Sunday. ESPN sources also indicate the sun'll come up tomorrow.
Click on Waiting For A Game And A Challenge for my most recent column, on the Heat's long wait for a second-round oppoent that, either way, doesn't look too scary.
THE BUILDING (AND BRANDING) OF DION JORDAN: The Dolphins' No. 1 draft pick is missing this weekend's rookie camp as he recovers from shoulder surgery, but I use the occasion to share two things about Jordan I find interesting. 1. Building a Beast On the Field -- Jordan has trained with MMA legend Chuck Liddell and Fox
Sports' Jay Glazer (also a former fighter) on his aggressiveness and hand-work. Glazer has taught him to attack blockers with "hammer-fist" techniques. "Why would you not want to make it a bad day on that [blocker's] forearms," says Glazer. 2. Building a Brand Off the Field: Jordan enlisted Tallahassee-based public relations firm 180 Communications for "media training" to better tell his story and grow his profile in Miami. His training specialist, Elton Gumble, says Jordan's is "a story that could rival Michael Oher's Blindside for popularity." Jordan's mother lost custody due to drug addiction when he was 12, and at 17 he suffered burns on 40 percent of his body in an explosion when he and friends tried to siphon gas from one car to another in a buddy's garage by using a vaccum cleaner. ("Dumb idea," Jordan admits). Gumble sees his story as one of perseverence and overcoming odds, and thinks he'll be active locally working with burn victims and inner-city kids. Of course, it will take his becoming a star commensurate with the third overall pick to fully provide that forum. It'll be interesting to watch his potential -- on and off the field -- play out.
BULLS OR NETS? WHO'D GIVE HEAT A BETTER SERIES?: I know, I know. Heat fans are supremely confident, and should be, and so the natural reaction is to harrumph and say what difference does it make because neither Brooklyn nor Chicago -- who play a Game 7 Saturday for the right to meet Miami -- will seriously challenge the Heat. Neverthless, one of them would give Miami a tougher time for whatever reasons. Which one? Vote and say why. (I know "Neither one" would win here; that's why it isn't a choice...)
THE STRANGE TALE OF SUSANNAH COLLINS: She's a Chicago hockey reporter fired this week by
Comcast for saying during a live report in front of the Blackhawks dressing room that the Blackhawks had enjoyed "such a tremendous amount of sex during the regular season." Now, while that may be true, Collins (pictured) meant to say "success" and quickly corrected herself. The blooper (click here) went viral. But that isn't what got her fired, exactly. The misspeak going viral led to a probe of Collins' past that included some mildly risque sports videos done in 2009-10 as part of the Sports Nutz for Middlebrow Media. Click here for those. She'll be out of work for about a minute and a half.
TIM TEBOW TO THE DOLPHINS!WHY IS THIS GUY TAKING CREDIT FOR AN ABSURD RUMOR?:Miami New Times online has a story by a Ryan Yousefi headlined, "Tim Tebow to the Dolphins! How I
Trolled Twitter Into Believing An Absurd Rumor." Two thoughts here. 1) It wasn't that asburd. What this guy Tweeted on Thursday found whatever traction it did largely because Tebow's own agent, Drew Rosenhaus, had said on WQAM the day before that he "wouldn't be shocked" if Miami showed interest. So the speculation already was out there. I'd been deflecting Tebow-to-the-Dolphins rumors and email inquiries from the moment the Jets cut him. 2) Sounding a false alarm on Twitter is so easy that any giggling adolescent with too much free time can do it. You Tweet, "OMG. [Famous Celebrity] just died!!" and chances are the celeb's name will soon be trending. This Tebow stunt, despite the bow for applause, hardly invented or perfected the art of Twitter pranking.
Poll result: Left tackle Dolphins' biggest need by far: We asked what Miami's biggest remaining need was, post-draft, and 68.0 percent voted left tackle, followed by 10.9% cornerback, 7.9% running back, 5.9% tight end and 1.0% linebacker. Another 6.3% voted "something else."
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[1) It is WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6. The new Sports Illustrated (right) has NFL commish Roger Goodell atop its list of 50 most powerful figures in sports off-the field. List here. No So-Fla folks on it. 2) R.I.P. Alvin Lee, guitarist from Ten Years After, dead at 68. 3) Happier musical news: Jack White, Brendan Benson and The Raconteurs are reuniting to record another album. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Laura Silberman, Heat 15th straight, UM falls to 6, Dolphins franchise Starks, A-Rod's girl, golf's surprise, Bar Eaters. 5) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]
Dolphins close to re-signing Hartline: Good news, Dolfans. Miami and pending free-agent wide receiver Brian Hartline are close to agreement on an extended contract averaging just over $6 million a year. Dolphins will continue to target outside help at the position, such as former Steeler Mike Wallace. Click on Greg Cote Talks Free-Agency to see and hear a video of, well, I guess that title about says it.
Heat win 16th in a row: LeBron James with a layup with three seconds left and Heat survive visiting Orlando 97-96 tonight. That was Miami's first field goal in final seven minutes. A fortunate win. Funny, though. Good teams seem to have a lot of those.
A WORD OR TWO FOR THE MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: During the Timberwolves' loss to Miami the other night the club released an official response video (click here) to the Heat's immensely popular (and well done) Harlem Shake video. Minnesota's version depicts a guy in a No. 6 Heat jersey (LeBron's number) being clubbed into submission bye the T-Wolves' mascot. Later, after the game, Minnesota's J.J. Barea blasted Ray Allen for "crying." I believe this merits a response. J.J., you're from Miami and I hate to pick on a homeboy, but you calling out Allen is like a flea calling out an elephant. It's comical. He's a hall of famer. You are a career backup. Shhh. As for that video, similar situation. Miami is reigning champion. You, Minnesota, have done nothing worth hanging from a rafter in 24 NBA seasons. Zero. This will be your ninth straight year out of the playoffs. Respect those who have earned it. Know your role.
FIRING ONLY FEATHERS SILEO'S CAREFULLY CULTIVATED PERSONA: WQAM-560 fired Dan Sileo, its 10 a.m.-to-1 p.m. radio host, and it's just about the best thing that could have happened to him and his career. Sileo being suspended or fired is sort of like a rapper being shot or arrested. What seems like
bad news really isn't. Street cred is only enhanced. Reputations are only magnified. I have known Sileo since he played for the Miami Hurricanes in the mid-'80s, and credit him with creating for himself a career in radio. But the niche he has tried to carve and own is pretty clear by the self-description on his Twitter account: AMERICA'S MOST CONTROVERSIAL SPORTS TALK RADIO HOST. (The capital letters are his). The listener is left to discern whether Sileo is actually good at what he does, or simply loud. The listener is left to decide if Sileo's controversy is organic and natural or a manicured contrivance. The next station that hires him -- preparatory to firing him, and then acting like it didn't know what it was getting -- should know precisely what it is getting: a guy who is going to bang into a market shouting and ranting and hoping to make headlines. It might take cartoonishly sexist Twitter comments about Erin Andrews. It might take suggesting the Canes pull a knife on the opposing quarterback and gouge his eyes. Or it might take what led to his firing this time: Saying "that's the half Hebrew in me" regarding saving money. But he will make his headlines. Sileo's Tweet upon his dismissal: FIRED FOR SPEAKING MY MIND, BABY!!!! Love it!! And he does, too, and should. For him, it's good for business.
D-WADE'S SPECIAL DAY: Dwyane Wade scored 32 points with 10 assists and seven
rebounds in a club-record 15th straight Heat win; his recent play has been vintage, pre-LeBron dominance. But what distinguished the trip to the Twin Cities was Wade making time for a Make-A-Wish fan, a 13-year-old girl, Tess Mountain, who suffers from a heart ailment that also affects her facial features. Click HERE for the story and video. Michael Jordan once told Wade to perform every night as if he were playing for the one fan in the arena who'd never seen him in person but always wished to. His making this girl's dream real was sort of the same thing. Only better.
CATS' WEISS OUT FOR SEASON: A bad hockey season got worse for the Florida Panthers with the news center and longest-tenured Cat Stephen Weiss would undergo wrist surgery and be done for the year. It lessens the team's already slim playoff hopes. And it eliminates Weiss, who is in the final year of his contract, as a trade option prior to the April NHL deadline.
DENNIS RODMAN: CLOWN DIPLOMAT: It's funny to me. Not quite a year ago Ozzie Guillen expressed admiration for Fidel Castro and Little Havana exploded in his face. But Dennis Rodman recently heaped effusive praise on North Korea dictator Kim Jong Un after a visit there and it's just sort of passed off as Dennis Being Dennis. I rip Rodman in my latest column. Click on Clown Diplomat to read.
WARNING: GOLFERS RAPPING: PGA Tour players Bubba Watson, Ben Crane, Rickie Fowler and Hunter Mahan call themselves Golf Boys. Thankfully their schtick is a bit more inventive than
their name. Click HERE for their latest faux-rap video, "2.Oh." It is wonderfully awful. If you think golfers are dull, consider this a prescribed antidote. I'd love to make fun of this project and snarkily suggest less-rapping-more-golfing -- except this is a pretty accomplished quarter in the sport. They have 14 PGA Tour titles among them; each has won. Fowler is an up-and-coming star and Watson is the reigning 2012 Master champion. Hard to imagine this video playing well -- or at all -- at staid Augusta. Which makes it that much better!
THE CURIOUS MAGNETICISM OF 'DOWNTON ABBEY': My wife has fallen in love with this show and so I have developed a residual interest. Sort of an osmosis thing. It's about an aristocratic
British family, sub-royals but full of lords, ladies and servants. I love the time period, 1912-21, an era that fascinates me because it is out of personal reach but not prehistoric. (I love Boardwalk Empire for some of the same reasons). I love the costuming and sets of Downton Abbey as well; the series is stunningly luxurious visually, and, for me, wonderfully acted. There is also something about the British accent that is lilting and mesmerizing. Let's be honest. A Brit could say, "Pardon me but I must go take a giant crap" and it would sound like poetry.
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Radio Tuesday!: Tuesday means I'm back in-studio today with Le Batard and Stugotz on 790 The Ticket/FM 104.3 starting at 3. Ears welcome.
[1) It is TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26. Happy 85th birthday to New Orleans legend Fats Domino (pictured). Chubby Checker tried to borrow his name and sound but there was and is only one Fats. Click HERE for his unmistakable signature song. 2) Jimmie Johnson won the Daytona 500 but Danica Patrick won much respect with her eighth-place finish off the pole position. She is a huge shot in the arm for NASCAR. 3) Speaking of women, I think I could beat up Ronda Rousey. Not really. I just like to annoy UFC fans. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): On LeBron James maybe leaving next year, Canes lose, kvetching Perfectos, Marlins' young talent. 5) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]
"I'm a little worried about my weight. You know how Life of Pi was a big Oscar winner? I'll be starring in Life of Pie." -- Greg Cote
JEFFREY LORIA'S STUNNING LACK OF SELF-AWARENESS. (OR COULD IT BE THAT HE JUST DOESN'T GIVE A S--- WHAT FANS THINK?): On behalf of the newspaper industry I'd like to thank Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria for Sunday's full-page "Letter To Our Fans" ad that ran on page 21A of
The Miami Herald and also in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and Palm Beach Post. We all can use the revenue. As for the content of the letter? That was combative, found Loria blaming everyone but himself for his abysmal public image, and left most fans I've talked to or heard from just shaking their heads. Loria just doesn't get it. "Something needed to be done," he writes. OK, but did that mean gutting the roster? Did that mean paring the payroll back to embarrassing meagerness? "Acquiring high-profile players just didn't work," he writes. Because you didn't acquire the right ones, perhaps. So go out and get better ones, don't scrap the entire higher-payroll philosophy after one stinkin' year. That higher payroll, by the way, was an assurance Loria made in order to get that new ballpark built. It was a public trust he has broken. It was something unaddressed in that self-serving open letter. It was not unaddressed last evening when I and other media meet with Loria for the first time in months. Take our poll, and see more on last night's Loria meeting just below the poll.
LORIA AT THE DIAMOND CLUB: THE OUTTAKES: Jeffrey Loria, club president David Samson and a few other Marlins officials met with a select group of media including myself last evening at Marlins Park. Click on Owner In Denial for my latest column, filed following that meeting. Included is Loria's reaction to the poll results directly above. Here are some outtakes from the Loria-Samson meeting, things that
wouldn't fit or didn't belong in the column: 1. I asked Samson directly if it wasn't accurate that the stadium was built on the promise of higher payrolls. He called that "accurate with an asterisk," saying, "We miscalculated" the revenue. 2. Samson said paid attendance was 2.2 million in year one of the new park but that the actual turnstile count was 1.4 million. 3. Samson said
the tone of Loria 's open letter, perceived as combative, was partly a reaction to the "constant personal pounding" his boss has taken. 4. Samson on Giancarlo Stanton's future: "It takes two people to sign a long-term deal." In other words, no amount of money will keep Stanton if he wants out. 5. Loria and Stanton were in Europe at the same time recently and the owner invited the player to dinner at the Eiffel Tower and said they had a wonderful time. I think it might take the Eiffel Tower to re-sign Stanton. 6. Loria's new PR
firm happens to be called Jeffrey Group, named after its founder, not Loria. The firm specializes in Latin America and U.S. Hispanics, an indication of markets the Marlins want to hit hard. 7. Loria labeled as a "smear campaign" the Dolphins' effort to win public funding for stadium improvements by putting the Marlins' ballpark deal in an unfavorable light. 8. Loria said Jose Reyes was "inaccurate" in saying Loria advised him
to buy a home in Miami two days before he was traded. 9. Loria: "It's not a fire sale. It's called hit the restart button." 10. Finally, apropos of nothing, the fastidious Samson selects what to wear from a prearranged order of clothes. Monday evening his socks were a pinkish red. "Maybe fuscia," he said. I'm not sure Samson is a great club president. But he is an interesting person.
HEAT HITTING REPEAT-LEVEL STRIDE: Miami ran its victory streak to a season-best 11 games Sunday and
Dwyane Wade lately is looking like the pre-LeBron dominator he was. We assume LeBron's nightly MVP-caliber output, but Wade showing he can still reach those elite levels is nourishing news. National media continue to harp on Heat's lack of size and insufficient rebounding, but I see a confident, championship team priming itself for a repeat run.
Poll result: Support for LeBron even if he left next year: I wrote an unpopular column on the likelihood from my view that LeBron James will return to Cleveland after next season, with a companion blog poll. I asked how you'd feel if that happened and 38.5 percent said they'd be positive and not begrudge him, vs. only 17.4% who said they'd see him as turning his back on the Heat. Another 25.7% said mixed feelings or didn't want to think about it yet, and 18.4% said the answer was to be determined by results this season and next.
HURRICANES FOOTBALL, MEN'S BASKETBALL:Football: UM completes its 2013 schedule. The seven home games are Aug. 30--FAU; Sep. 7--Florida; Sep. 21--Savannah State; Oct. 5--Georgia Tech; Oct. 26--Wake Forest; Nov. 9--Virginia Tech; and Nov. 23--Virginia. The five road games are Sep. 28--USF; Oct. 17--North Carolina; Nov. 2--FSU; Nov. 16--Duke; and Nov. 29--Pittsburgh. Men's basketball: Canes fall in polls: Miami dips from No. 2 to No. 5 in the latests Associated Press poll. The drop is to 7 in the USA Today coaches' poll and to 8 in the ESPN.com Power Rankings, all following the weekend loss at Wake Forest. The AP drop is pretty modest, and that's still the Big Daddy poll.
"WHO ARE YOU WEARING!?": This one question, asked of an actress on a red carpet, embodies much of what the rest of the world both envies and hates about America. The excess and ostentatiousness. The celebrity-worship so absurdly out of control there actually might be avid interest in what designer made Janie Pretend's gown. What a hoot! That's what made last night's Oscars so much fun. Hollywood needsa big female superstar who won't play along, who when asked "Who are you wearing" answers "Target" and then rails against the question. Found it intersting that Argo won Best Picture. Just saw it. Liked it. Didn't love it, or think it was transcendental in the way you hope Oscar champs might be. Quick aside for my right-leaning readers always needling me about my (apparent) left-leaning tendencies: the late video intrusion of First Lady Michelle Obama was spectacularly unnecessary and quite ridiculous.
LATEST AWFUL IDEA FOR TV SHOW: CELEBRITY DIVING!: God I wish I were kidding, but ABC in March
will premiere Splash, a new reality show in which ex-Olympian Greg Louganis (pictured) judges 10 celebrity divers. (No, seriously!) The show has a screwball chance because half of the contestants will be curvy young women in swimsuits, including Miss Alabama Katherine Webb. (At least we know Brent Musberger will be watching). Divers also will include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar -- Huh? Whu!? -- Ndamukong Suh and Louie Anderson. Counting on the latter two for cannonballs.
"DEAR GREG...": "...Your blog's OK but would be better if occasionally you would show a picture of Jim Carrey wearing giant prosthetic feet to Elton John's Oscars party. Thank you." Hmm. No promises, but let me see what I can do.
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[1) It is THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21. My latest guilty pleasure is the HBO series 'Girls' and its star, Lena Dunham (pictured). The show is what we used to call a chick-flick and Lena is few guys' idea of classic-sexy, but I find both very appealing. 2) Giancarlo Stanton got beaned on the helmet by a fastball yesterday at spring training and walked away as if a marshmallow had hit him. That kid might be our biggest, strongest, most imposing pro athlete after LeBron James. 3) Thanks to ESPN for having us on Outside The Lines this week to discuss the UM/NCAA developments. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): "Hurricane Donna" Shalala blasts NCAA, Canes win again, Lil Wayne's war on Heat, Fixing NBA All-Star Weekend, Dolphins, yelling goats. 5) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]
"HURRICANE DONNA" TAKES GLOVES OFF VS. NCAA, BUT WHO'S RIGHT?: U-Miami president Donna Shalala said, "We have suffered enough," after a 2-year NCAA investigation in the Nevin Shapiro case that led to significant self-imposed penalties such as a two-year football postseason ban. She calls for no
additional penalties and I agree, factoring in not only the self-imposed sanctions but the shady reputation of the accuser and the NCAA's own well-documented and major internal wrongdoing that tainted the investigation. These are extraordinary circumstances for which there is no template. But NCAA president Mark Emmert disagreed with Shalala and pushed forward with a Notice of Allegations that likely will result in yet-unknown additional sanctions. Who's right? I hestitated with this poll because I try not to post questions for which I think I know the answer. Then again, around 50 percent of our poll votes typically come from outside Florida; it isn't as if only Canes fans will be voting. There also is a fair argument on either side and some gray area. For example, though I agree with Shalala, I could see UM getting very minor added sanctions, perhaps. Anyway, cast your vote and say why you did.
HOT HEAT MAKE MINOR DEADLINE-DAY TRADE: Heat today traded reserve/D-League center Dexter Pittman and a 2013 second-round draft pick to Memphis for rights to center Ricky Sanchez, currently playing in Argentina. It's unlike Sanchez ever will play for Miami. Deal was done to open a roster spot for Heat to add a veteran big man, possibly Kenyon Martin. Meantime, the Heat played a home game in Atlanta last night based on what it sounded like, and Miami made it a season-best eight wins in a row, staying hot as play resumed after the break. LeBron James was held to only 24 points. The bum!
OWLCATRAZ: FAU ALIGNS WITH CONTROVERSIAL PRISON COMPANY: This might have been a feel-
good story: FAU selling naming rights to its Owls football stadium to GEO Group, a locally based company that privately runs prisons. It begged humor. Call the stadium Owlcatraz. Call coach-emeritus Howard Schnellenberger "The Warden." Put the cheerleaders in vertical stripes and the mascot in a county-issue orange jumpsuit. Stuff like that. The problem is GEO Group is controversial for abuses and treatment at its prisons, spawning outrage such as is reflected in the cartoon pictured. I have doubts whether this deal will stand because of the objection to it. I have doubts whether a public university should align itself with a notorious company that has the attention of human-rights and immigration-rights groups.
DOLPHINS ON FREE AGENCY, DRAFT:On free-agency: GM Jeff Ireland from the NFL Combine in Indianapolis today said re-signing DT Randy Starks was a priority, leaving the impression the franchise tag might be considered for him. He said team wants RB Reggie Bush back but at the right price. Said they want OT Jake Long back too but implied that injury concerns limit the price they'll pay. On the draft: Our fly-on-the-wall Dolphins front-office source (who will not appreciate being referred to as a fly) tells us Miami likely will not draft a receiver at No. 12 because the plan is to re-sign Brian Hartline and hard-pursue Mike Wallace in free agency. Mel Kiper and others keep pushing Tennessee WR Cordarrelle Patterson but Dolphins consider him a project and want right-now impact. Offensive line is likelier with the top pick because the draft is very deep there and because chances of retaining Long are very iffy. Pass-rush help or a trade-down also are options being mulled.
ODDSMAKERS HAVE MARLINS SKIRTING 100-LOSS SEASON: Latest World Series odds via Bovada have Blue Jays the pick at 7-1, then Tigers 8-1, Dodgers and Nationals both 17-2 and Angels 9-1. Miami is 100-1, tied for next-to-last ahead of only the 200-1 Astros. Victory over/unders have Marlins at 63.5, a nice way of saying 98.5 losses. (Odds for upcoming World Baseball Classic have USA a 5-2 favorite, followed by Dominican Republic at 13-4 and Japan 7-2).
RON FRASER CELEBRATION OF LIFE: It'll be Saturday at the Knight Sports Complex on campus marking the great life of the former UM baseball coach who died last month at 79. The event is from 4-6 p.m. and free; doors open at 3. That night's 7 p.m. home baseball game vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee also will be in Ron's honor.
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[1) It is SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22. I know Dallas was Dirk-less and down, but very impressed by the Heat the other night, especially the defensive quickness that utterly repelled the Mavs. 2) Just watched the movie 'Ted.' Draggy, cliche ending but liked it overall. Anyone who loves 'Family Guy' would be predisposed in that direction. 3) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]
Thought of the day: I bet $1, with billion-to-one odds, that the world really would end Friday as predicted. Had I win ... where would I have collected?
END OF THE WORLD POLL: WHAT DEFINES MIAMI SPORTS?: Two big things were to happen Friday. 1) It was winter solstice! 2) The world would end, or so said the Mayan calendar. It was amazing to me how the looming
apocalypse was so nonchalantly regarded. For example, the Dolphins never announced a ticket refund plan for the Sunday home game that obviously would have been lost -- not to the Bills, but to oblivion. Sure, the Y2K end-of-the-world never happened, but why assume this one wouldn't? In that spirit, and now to celebrate the globe's survival, our world-didn't-end poll aims to name what most defines sports in Greater Miami. The question is broad. We offer
four choices and you may pick your top two. (If we gave you three it'd be too easy, right?) Vote and say why, and if you chose "something else," what, pray tell? Then get on down into the bunker because, seriously, you never know.
NFL PREDIX: DOLPHINS GET EARLY CHRISTMAS GIFT: The gift is Buffalo and the Bills' fairly awful defense, the first in King Sport since 1986 to allow 45 or more points in four games. Like Jacksonville last week, this is a soft home opponent against whom the Dolphins cannot lose, and won't. Click on Week 16 Gems for all our latest NFL pix. And on Spinning The Records for our Friday Page NFL notes column leading with Adrian Peterson and Calvin Johnson chasing major season records.
Trading Cam Wake?: ESPN has crackpot speculation this week listing Dolphins sackman Cameron Wake among the NFL's top five most tradeable players. The logic: He's 30, and his backup, Olivier Vernon, is pretty good. My take: He is Miami's best defender and worth more to his team than you'd realistically get in return. And the club already has stockpiled draft picks. Keep him barring some silly-big offer.
Dolphins switch placekickers: Team signed longtime former Charger Nate Kaeding to work the final two games after placing Dan carpenter on injured reserve.
BLOG EXCLUSIVE!: WHY MARLINS' SAMSON NO LONGER ON 790 THE TICKET: The owner stepped in. Neither Marlins president David Samson nor 790 The Ticket wanted to end Samson's weekly show with Dan Le Batard in which Samson discussed movies along with baseball, but owner Jeffrey Loria didn't like the segment and finally exerted his authority. Add this to the view of Loria as a micro-manager to a fault. Another example: His hands-on editing of Showtime's The Franchise series starring the Marlins.
On Placido Polanco signing: Marlins announced they have signed veteran third baseman Placido Polanco (pictured) to a one-year deal. He spent last season with Phillies but battled back issues. He is 37 and past-prime but if healthy is a positive signing. He's a solid defender, a good clubhouse guy and a career .299 hitter.
RICK PITINO SCHOOLS HIS KID, FIU: No. 5 Louisville dreams of a men's basketball national
championship. FIU dreams of mere respectability. It was a mismatch in L-ville this week and you know the final score could have been far worse than 79-55 if not for Daddy Rick Pitino showing paternal pity upon FIU rookie coach/famous offspring Richard Pitino. I'm not sure if the meeting was particularly meaningful outside the Pitino family, but it rates a mention here because the blog has always looked for -- and until now never found -- a reason to run a photo of Robert Young as wise Jim Anderson in the 1954-60 TV sitom, Father Knows Best.
The road to March Madness: Louisville, Kentucky and Michigan all have current 12-1 odds to win the national title, trailing only Indiana at 5-1, Duke 6-1 and Florida 10-1. Miami is 66-1 and running fifth for the ACC crown after Duke, N.C. State, North Carolina and Maryland.
VAN GUNDY'S HEAT WARNING: Stan Van Gundy said on 790 The Ticket that the Heat cannot repeat as champions playing defense the way they are now. To that I would add that Miami is presently last in the NBA in rebounding. But Heat has played D much better lately, including last night in Dallas. Heat is 17-6 and second in the conference after the Knicks right now, but the hand-wringing is for what waits beyond the East, in The Finals. Oklahoma City is looking better than last year, Memphis has showed it matches up well with Miami, and the L.A. Clippers are demanding to be taken seriously.
Poll result: Mixed feelings on Cowboy's barring Josh Brent: We asked in the previous blogpost if you agreed with the Cowboys and NFL banning player Josh Brent from the sideline because of his manslaughter-DUI charge even though the victim's mother asked for compassion. A plurality of 48.6 percent said yes. But, combined, a slight majority either said no (39.2%) or were undecided (12.2%).
SHAME IN WAKE OF NEWTOWN TRAGEDY: I read that a scam website is soliciting donations in the
name of one of the young victims, Noah Pozner. Even more galling, the outrageously infamous Westboro Baptist Church threatened to picket funerals and vigils associated with the murder of 26 at a Connecticut elementary school because, said a church spokeswomen, "God sent the shooter." And also because Connecticut legalized gay marriage. This is the same crackpot church that has protested at the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. Terrorism remains the most sinful misuse of the name of God, but right after terrorism I'd nominate the Westboro Baptist Church. I love free speech, but must doubt that this is what the framers had in mind.
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[1) It is FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30. Big week for UM basketball. Congrats to Jim Larranaga's Canes men and Katie Meier's women for home wins over ranked opponents Michigan State and Penn State, respectively. 2) I have belatedly discovered and am loving the Showtime drama, Homeland. It could be the great storyline, or my long-standing, unseemly infatuation with Claire Danes. 3) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]
Me on ESPN's 'OTL' today: Your faithful columnist and blogger has been invited to appear today on ESPN's Outside The Lines (3 p.m.), and has agreed. It'll be for a segment on the uproar over coach Gregg Popovich sitting his core player last night in the semi-Spurs' loss to the Heat here.
Reunited: FAU following FIU to Conference USA:The Owls of Boca Raton announced the football team will join Conference USA in 2014. FIU is making the switch now, for '13. The Sun Belt is sinking. As Elton John sang, "Don't Let the Sun (Belt) Go Down On Me."
NFL PREDIX: BRADY, PATS OFFENSE LOOK UNSTOPPABLE: Dolphins look good at home to keep it
inside a 7 1/2-point betting line Sunday, but wishful thinking is required (sorry) to imagine Miami's offense will outscore Tom Brady's. Click On Week 13 Gems for all of today's latest NFL picks by me, and on Postseason Primer for our Friday Page leagues notes column leading with a look at the playoff races. Looking pretty dram,a0free at this point, with eight or nine of the 12 playoff spots in firm control.
BONDS. CLEMENS. SOSA. VERDICT TIME!: The 2013 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot is out this week, and
notables on it for the first time include Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa, the Mount Rushmore of the sport's
Steroids Era. This vote will be the ultimate referendum on whether Cooperstown will admit those linked with PEDs, because these three -- especially Bonds and Clemens -- otherwise would be first-ballot inductees of the highest order. Long-time baseball writers get to vote. But now you get to vote first. I have included on my ballot the three guys mentioned plus Pete Rose, just for old time's sake. Vote for as many of the four as you think belong in Cooperstown in 2013. You may vote for any, all or "none." Decide and say why.
Poll result: Strong support for Marlins/Loria boycott: We asked in the previous blogpost (you may still vote) what Marlins fans should do, and 76.7 percent said stop supporting the team as long as Jeffrey Loria is owner. Another 16.3% said contuinue to support team and 7.0% were undecided. Interestingly, the animus was slightly less strong in Florida, where the numbers were 73.7/18.1/8.2.
TURNS OUT CHRIS BOSH IS AN INTERGALACTIC TRAVELER. WHO KNEW?: A new animated short film, Adventures of Christopher Bosh In the Multiverse, will debut mid-December in the Borscht Film Festival at the Arsht Center in downtown Miami. A screen-grab is pictured. (It animates when you click on it. Cheap thrill). The film is by Ronnie Rivera of the art consortium Bleeding Palm. Click HERE to watch a short trailer. The film is trippy-delic. It's like nothing I've ever seen that did not involve mushrooms.
Heat beat Semi-Spurs; get off Popovich's back!: The NBA literati and commissioner David Stern are up in arms that Spurs coach Gregg Popovich rested his primary stars in the Heat's 105-100 win here last night. Oh the outrage! Embarrassment! Travesty! No it wasn't. It was a coach's decision, that's all. Popvich wanted to save some old legs to then face conference fe Memphis. His call. What next? Stern monitoring stars' minutes? Only time this should come into play and be anybody's business but the team's is late in the sesaon when playoff positioning is being determined. If a team is resting stars to lose for a more favorable playoff opponent, then that's Stern's business. Not now. (Postscript: During the telecast, Charles Barkley informed us Dwyane Wade isn't the player he used to be. Do tell! Scoop to Chuck!)
LeBron back on top in jersey sales: LeBron James jerseys are No. 1 in latest NBA merchandise sales for first time since April 2011 -- yet another sign of his transformation from national villain to champion-hero. Rounding out top five: Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose. Dwyane Wade is seventh. In team sales the Knicks are No. 1 for first time since 2004, with the Heat second.
SUPER BOWL ODDS NOW A DEAD-HEAT: Updated, from Bovada, Texans and Patriots now SB co-favorites at 9-2, followed by 49ers at 5-1 and Broncos 11-2. (Dolphins improved to 200-1, 20th place). MVP picks are Peyton Manning at 5-4 and Tom Brady 5-2.
ON POWERBALL AND LOTTERY OBSESSION: You are a loser if you plunged money into this week's $579.9 million multi-state Powerball. Alas, I mean that literally and figuratively. Playing the lottery is a
sucker's bet, with only 47 cents on the dollar returned. "Yeah well somebody has to win!" Yeah except it won't be you. One winning ticket was sold in Arizona, another in Missouri. Everybody else ripped up their money. Your odds of winning this week's Powerball were 175-million-to-1. You are more likely to see a Dromedary camel in sweatpants on a treadmill at Dick's Sporting Goods. Studies also indicate that lower-income folks -- not LeBron James, who plays, too -- are disproportionately more likely to play the lottery. The folks who can least afford to waste money, in other words. Shoot, who am I kidding with this anti-lottery rant. I'm just mad I didn't win, either!
DEAR ANGUS T. JONES...: The now-young-adult star of the sitcom Two And A Half Men is telling
Christian media that people should not watch the show because it is full of filth. 1) No it isn't. It is full of sophomoric, double-entendre sexual humor, that's all. 2) You are an actor. You pretend for a living. Just as we know the actor who plays Dexter is not really a serial killer, we understand that you are simply playing a character on TV. 3) You grew out of that role years ago. Kindly quit the show you disdain soon, before its producers have the good sense to fire your ungrateful a--.
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[1) It is TUESDAY, AUGUST 28. Visit YouTube/TheGregCote to peruse our "The View From Miami' mini-commentaries including the latest on the Dolphins trading Vontae Davis. It's the most-viewed vid we've done yet; thank you. Subscribe (it's free) to get all our newest videos as they are posted. 2) Click here for Kate Upton's greatest video hits, including the Cat Daddy. 3) Lady Gaga is in the studio recording her new album, ARTPOP, completely in the nude. Or, did that go without saying? 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote].
UPSET BIRD COUNTDOWN: 10 DAYS: The Upset Bird and I kick off our season of Friday NFL prediction pages Sept. 7, and began a 21-day countdown that each day is honoring notable birds. Following the singer Sheryl Crow, today we welcome the yellow canary from Warner Brothers cartoons, Tweety Bird.
WAS VONTAE DAVIS TRADE GOOD FOR DOLPHINS?: As Dolphins prepare to wrap the preseason Wednesday night in Dallas, the week's big news is Miami trading 2009 No. 1 draft
pick Vontae Davis to Indianapolis. You know from my latest video that I like the deal. A second-round pick plus a sixth from the Colts is a lot of value for a cornerback who had lost his starting job. (Of course the key is making something of that second-round pick. Miami's recent history of 2R selections has been spotty at best). I imagine though that there are others who think Miami's defense cannot afford this trade, or that it signals giving up on the season, or perhaps that the club gave up on Davis too soon. Hence, this poll. Vote and say why.
Poll result: High hopes for Tannehill, but also caution: We asked in the previous blogpost what you foresaw for Ryan Tannehill's career and the vote was 49.0 percent "very good," 31.9% "good," 10.8% "bust" and 8.3% "greatness." I call that outlook largely favorable, but with an undercurrent of thought that he'll fall short of being special.
FINAL PRESEASON BCS, HEISMAN ODDS: From Bovada, it's Southern Cal a 3-1 favorite for the BCS title, followed by Alabama 5-1, LSU 6-1 and Florida State 13-2. Miami a 150-1 longshot, tied for 24th. Heisman pick is USC QB Matt Barkley at 3-1, Wisconsin RB Montee Ball 6-1 and Michigan QB Denard Robinson 13-2. Highest state player is FSU QB E.J. Manuel at 30-1.
JERRY JONES RAPPING (SORT OF): It's the Cowboys owner pimping a new Papa John's pizza ad. This is something nobody should ever have to see or heat. Click this if you dare.
STRIPPERS, MEET REPUBLICANS: Many state travelers are aware Tampa, site of the ongoing Republican National
Convention, is billed as America's strip club capital. These savvy travelers would then be unsurprised that the clubs are rolling out the red, white and blue theme for GOP week. Pictured left: One such theme. Pictured right: Porn star Lisa Ann, in Tampa as a Sarah Palin impersonator. Ah, politics!
SPORTIES ON NEW 'DWTS':Dancing With The Stars' 13th season is an all-star affair, and sporties on it are Olympic gymast Shawn Johnson and speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno, Cowboys great Emmitt Smith and race car driver Helio Castroneves. Johnson is pictured, because she leads the league in perky.
THE "LAST MEAL" ON DEATH ROW: I have mixed feelings about Death Row inmates being able to order a lavish "last meal" (whatever they wish); therefore I found this story interesting. I'm not saying these societal miscreants should be served a pile of crap, but neither am I comfortable with the idea of a mass murderer setting sail with a banquet courtesy taxpayers. I say we compromise. They get a tasty burger to go. No cheese, though!
SUN BELT GIRDS FOR FIU DEPARTURE: The Sun Belt conference, which of course includes FIU and FAU, is making a public relations push (click here) to position itself as the top "other" league, the best of the big-five football conferences. I think this push also is meant to soften the blow of losing FIU to Conference USA following the 2012 season. The Int'l -- a.k.a the Mario Brothers -- are flying high now as the Belt's top football power under aegis of wundercoach Mario Cristobal.
PRINCE HARRY NUDE VEGAS UPDATE: We are thrilled to tell you Buckingham Palace has forgiven Prince Harry his nude Las Vegas strip-billiards romp and released a new official family portrait to show everything is back to normal with the Royals. So good to hear.
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MY NEWEST VIDEO: ENOUGH WITH THE PAST! ON DOLPHINS' OBSESSION WITH WHAT WAS: Click on YouTube/TheGregCote for my video channel featuring my newest mini-commentary related to the Dolphins' past and present.
[1) It is FRIDAY, AUGUST 10. New blogpost coming later this morning! 2) Congrats U.S. women's soccer with 2-1 triumph over Japan to win Olympic gold. "U-S-A!" 3) Heat announce 8-game preseason schedule starting Oct. 7 at Atlanta, followed by two games vs. Clippers in China, then the first home exhibition Oct. 18 vs. Detroit. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]
On the Dolphins' Perfect Season anniversary celebration: It's the 40th anniversary year of 1972's Perfect Season, the Dolphins yesterday announced celebration plans, and I write about it in this column today. Don't get me wrong; 17-0 is worth appreciating all over again. But the franchise walks a fine line. Worshipping its distant past only underlines and magnifies how little there has been to cheer in recent years. My latest video (see above) also is on this topic.
THE PROOF: DOLPHINS A HARD CHALLENGE FOR HBO'S HARD KNOCKS: How do you make a mediocre and comparatively dull NFL team seem interesting? Well, you don't, apparently, as we were reminded watching the one-hour debut of HBO's training-camp reality series Hard Knocks, this year featuring the Dolphins. HBO did its best to manufacture excitement. My favorite attempt was the segue straight from the sexy sizzle of South Beach to the team's training-camp hotel, done in a way that implied the Dolphins train in South Beach, not 30 miles north in a horsey Broward burg called Davie, where the center of town is (seriously) a rodeo. Another noble attempt was the gratuitous several-seconds snippet of Dolphins cheerleaders practicing, apropos of nothing. We saw David Garrard water-skiing, Ryan Tannehill's odd-looking dachsund, Mike Pouncey getting a haircut and Kevin Burnett at home with his kids. We heard owner Stephen Ross say, "I think we have a great team here" -- great evidently being open to wide interpretation. There were a couple of interesting behind-the-scenes nuggets. One was tight ends coach Dan Campbell, in a coaches meeting, calling Les Brown's blocking "a complete liability." Another was receiver Chad Johnson's boastful, profane press conference followed by coach Joe Philbin pulling Johnson aside to tell him to self-edit the language, please. The overriding problem for HBO is the lack of starpower on a team whose best player is the left tackle. Johnson and Reggie Bush wiggle the national Q-Rating needle a little, but not a lot. It doesn't help HBO that Tannehill is No. 3 on the depth chart, making it a tough-sell to package him right now as the savior. Also doesn't help that the new head coach is the visual and personality opposite of, say, Rex Ryan, in terms of scene-stealing, show-carrying command. As HBO gets more and more desperate in subsequent episodes, I'd imagine we should expect to see more scenes of South Beach, cheerleaders and Tannehill's hot blond wife, and perhaps file film of Bush on the arm of his ex-, Kim Kardashian. It would make for better TV than the stuff on the football field, alas.
Dolphins 75-1 Super Bowl longshots: New SB odds out from Bovada show Packers (6-1) and Patriots (13-2) as virtual co-favorites followed by 49ers 10-1 and Texans and Eagles both 12-1. Miami is 75-1, tied for 26th. In AFC East: Pats a prohibitive 3-10, Jets 11-2, Bills 6-1 and Dolphins 15-1.
Dolphins facility nobody refers to gets name nobody will use: A hospital has bought corporate naming rights to the Dolphins' Davie training facility and practice site that includes the indoor field nicknamed "the Bubble." In keeping with a personal policy I'll not use the corporate name, aloud or in print. Well, maybe if the Bubble was sponsored by Bubblicious, but otherwise, no. Personally I find it odd that a football team obsessed with avoiding injuries would now be sponsored by a hospital. Seems jinx-y.
VOTE: SHOULD BONDS, CLEMENS BE IN COOPERSTOWN?: I am bestowing to you, right now, a baseball Hall of Fame vote. Players eligible beginning in 2013 will include Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, both unquestionably with first-ballot career statistics, but both strongly tainted by steroids scandal putting their election in serious doubt. Bonds this week told MLB.com he should be in Cooperstown "without a doubt." Now you tell him if he's right.
ON THE OLYMPICS COLUMN BY ME: I wrote in this column the reasons why, for me, the U.S. women's soccer team is closer to the Olympic ideal and the ideal Olympics than LeBron James' Team USA in basketball. Unexpectedly, the column inspired this needling text-message exchange between friend and colleague Dan Le Batard and myself late last night after Dan read the column online: Le Batard to me, 11:32 p.m.: Herald headline -- Cote loves white women playing sports. Hates black men. My response to Dan, 12:30 a.m.: Herald headline -- Le Batard looks at rainbow, sees black and white. (For the record, black/white and male/female never occured to me while writing what I wrote. Maybe it should have? But it didn't).
London Olympics medals update: Pertinent medals standings as of late afternoon today/Thursday:
United States 39 gold - 25 silver - 25 bronze -- 89 total
China 37 - 23 - 19 -- 79
Russia 12 - 21- 23 -- 56
Great Britain 24 - 13 - 14 -- 51
Cote d'Ivoire 0 - 0 - 0 -- 0
Time running out for Cote, the Official National Team of This Blog. Let's go d'Ivoires! Dammit!
THREE REASONS TO STILL WATCH THE SAD MARLINS: 1. Jose Reyes' hitting streak. It was 26 games until ending today, as he looks more and more like the player Miami thought it was getting. 2. Giancarlo Stanton is back in the lineup, his at-bats the most exciting minutes in the game, as two homers last night attested. 3. To see if the Marlins can still reach .500, at least. They'd need to finish 30-20 from here. (We can dream, can we not?)
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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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