[1) Warm congratulations and respect to Muhammad Ali (pictured), The Greatest, on his 70th birthday today. And to the Heat's Dwyane Wade, One of The Greatest, on his 30th birthday today. 2) Another great man, Martin Luther King Jr., would have turned 83 Sunday. 3) Find our NFL Divisional Round playoff post directly below this. 4) If Jon Huntsman dropped out of the Republican presidential race and nobody cared, would he still make a sound? 5) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]
LIVE ONLINE CHAT TODAY: Our Wednesday live chat is 1-2 p.m. Click HERE to join us then or to post questions now.
DOLPHINS LOSE DEFENSIVE CHIEF MIKE NOLAN: Bad gets worse for the poor Miami Dolphins. Today defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, probably the most accomplished coach on the staff, leaves for the same position with the Atlanta Falcons. This is a big loss and also a bit of an insult -- to lose a top aide to essentially a lateral move. The perception is that Nolan (pictured) has jumped a sinking ship while the jumping was good. Perhaps he also figured the next head coach would not retain him. In either case, another blow to the Dolphins. And here is yet another: Colts firing Jim Caldwell today means more competition in the coach-hiring derby.
PFFSSSSS... THAT IS THE SOUND OF THE AIR LEAVING THE SUPER BOWL: The NFL would never admit it, and Giants and 49ers fans are duty-bound to disagree, but the Feb. 5 Super Bowl in Indianapolis lost a lot of air this past weekend, a lot of anticipation, with the unexpected elimination of Aaron Rodgers' Packers and Drew Brees' Saints. The ideal SB matchup was either team vs. Tom Brady's Patriots. Sorry, but Giants vs. 49ers feels more like a quarterfinal game than an NFC Championship. New York's recent run does not erase that 9-7 regular-season that cast the Giants as nothing special, while defense-minded San Fran is efficient but, well, pretty dull compared to the Packers or Saints. Going into the postseason the NFC team was set as a 4 1/2-point Super favorite over the AFC, back when the Pack or Saints were assumed. Watch that turn around. Thinking that Pats, assuming they get there, would be favored over San Fran or NYG. [Update: I'm right. Just got Bovada odds. AFC now a 2 1/2-point SB favorite, a full touchdown swing. Championship odds are Patriots 6-5, Niners/Giants both 3-1, and Ravens 6-1]. Anyway, enough grousing. This is the NFL's Final Four, so let's deal with it. What's the preferred SB matchup now, and for what team are you most rooting? Take a dip in our poll and say why.
WILL NEW DOLPHINS COACH BE SAME AS THE OLD COACH?: Miami continues to interview head-coach candidates, in no huge hurry now that Jeff Fisher has taken his highly coveted mustache to St. Louis. Who'll end up being hired is yet unknown, but I pass this along and it might be worth remembering: A Dolphins executive I trust told me Sunday, "Be careful to not rule out Bowles." That of course would be Todd Bowles, interim coach. I am told an option being considered by owner Stephen Ross and GM Jeff Ireland right now is to stick with Bowles as a bridge guy for a season and then see if the Cowher/Gruden/Dungy tree is ready to drop any fruit a year from now. Not saying that'll be the play. But that option is very much on the Dolphin table. Meantime, NFL Network reports Dolphins want to add Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael to their interview list, although that's in some doubt.
WAYS DWYANE WADE IS DIFFERENT THAN YOU AND I: One of the phenomenons and odd fascinations of modern sports celebrity is that, the bigger the star, the more likely he is to have a lavish party thrown for him and pay for none of it. The star's corporate partners (and others wishing to be) are eager to sponsor said bash, as with Heat star Dwyane Wade's 30th birthday celebration. Wade's birthday is today/Tuesday but the party was Sunday at The Setai on South Beach (where the cheapest room is around $1,000 a night and a penthouse tops $30K). About 400 guests were there,
including rappers T.I. and Rick Ross, who performed. I always find it cute that promoters offer publicity such as the emailed notice pictured right even for an an affair that is, as noted, "a private, invitation-only event." Sort of a tease, no? It's like, "You too could have mingled with fame and partaken of the complimentary open bar provided by Belvedere, Hennessey and Moet, but for your unfortunate lack of membership in D-Wade's exclusive circle of trust and par-tays." Wade is pictured left at his party with actress/girlfriend Gabrielle Union. (Loving those shoes, D! Bringin' back the spats!!) I'm not picking on Dwyane here. No, the celebration-of-self partying has become de rigeur among sports stars, an all-in-all harmless narcissism calling to mind the splendid two-syllable Muhammad Ali poem: "Me, Whee!!"
Bulletin! Media implores Heat to be cautious with Wade's ankle injury! Heat try to hurdle a three-game losing streak tonight at home vs. San Antonio (Spurs are good, but winless on road), and the club is being advised to be careful with Dwyane Wade's ankle injury. And thank God for that advice, because I think otherwise the Heat would have been inclined to recklessly hurry Wade back before he's ready and laugh irresponsibly at notion of aggravating the injury.
DEAR GREG...: "Yo, your blog is pretty good but would be better if occasionally you would provide a link to a rare video of Kanye West rapping as a 19-year-old in Chicago in 1996. Thank you." OK: Here.
O.J. SIMPSON UPDATE: Yeah, but other than being in prison and now this, things are going pretty well for displaced Miamian O.J.
THE PANTHERS AND PANIC: Was amused by the headline, "Cats down, but not about to panic." Um, I think the recent record has begun to panic for them. Florida has lost eight of its past 11 games with last night's 3-2 shootout loss to visiting Boston, and that season-long and once-solid Southeast Division lead has melted like ice in a glass. Cats and Washington now virtually even in race, and Florida point total stands sixth in the scrum for eight playoff spots. Three straight road games ensue.
HEADLINES YOU NEVER THOUGHT YOU'D SEE (one in a series): Click here. Comment: Could have been worse. It could have been a rifle.
ACTRESS 'TEBOWING' AT GLOBES: An actress/"television presenter" identified as Maria Menounos, whose possible celebrity is hardly diminished by the fact I've never heard of her, is photographed "Tebowing" on the red carpet prior to Sunday night club's Golden Globe awards. Updates as warranted.
Click back. Will be updating/adding to this latest blogpost...
Comments