"And in politics, men named Mitt and Newt are trying to unseat a man named Barack. Whatever happened to guys named Bill and Ted?" --Greg Cote
[1) President Obama visited the University of Miami yesterday. Click here to see and hear the prez singing 'Sweet Home Chicago.' 2) Thanks to Professor Michelle Kaufman for having me address her UM sports journalism class. Enjoyed it. Bright group. 3) You may still vote in our Dolphins-QBs poll in blogpost directly below this new one. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote]
HEAT DOMINATES WHATSHISNAME: Jeremy Lin has been the biggest and maybe best story in the NBA this season, but the Heat has been the biggest, best team story -- no maybes. Last night's 102-88 win 
over the visiting Knicks was Miami's eighth straight win, all by at least 12 points, and a suffocating defense reduced Lin (pictured losing a staredown vs. LeBron James) to looking like what he is: a nice little role player from Harvard. Lin had eight points on 1-for-11 shooting, only three assists and eight turnovers. The Heat's Big 3 stepped up as you knew they would, Chris Bosh with 25 points, Dwyane Wade with 22 and James with 20 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, five blocks and two steals. Terrific night for the Heat, which now enters the all-star break a league-best 27-7. Scary-good. Original post: Miami and the NBA's MVP favorite, LeBron James, tonight hosting New York and the league's MDP (Most Discussed Player), Jeremy Lin. Oh my. LeBron and 
Lin ... IN THE SAME GAME! If ESPN had a head, it would explode. Lin, of course, is the out-of-nowhere sensation who has inspired an unending parade of awful and occasionally racist wordplay such as is pictured. Tonight could only be a bigger media event if Tom Brady's wife sat courtside blaming Spike Lee for the Pats' Super Bowl loss as Tim Tebow inexplicably started Tebowing at midcourt. Click here for my Wednesday column previewing tonight's game. A playoff atmosphere will permeate the downtown arena because this is one of those "event" games that blessedly break up the monotony of an NBA season. Yes, monotony, even when your team is really good, because everything is so geared to the playoffs that the regular season can seem like little more than the perfunctory bridge there -- except on nights like this. Here is what will happen: While most eyes are on Lin, two players from the other team, guys named LeBron and Dwyane Wade, will remind everyone who the best players in this game are, and Miami will win comfortably. Trying to get a quick patent on the headline, 'Knicks Have Lin But Heat has Win.' Hey. I made it through this entire item without once using the word "Linsanity"! Damn. So close.
NBA All-Star Weekends odds: From Bovada, LeBron James is All-Star Game MVP favorite at 13-2, with Dwyane Wade 12-1 and Chris Bosh 25-1. Rising Stars Challenge fave is (surprise!) Jeremy Lin at 5-1, with Norris Cole 20-1. Three-Point pick is Anthony Morrow at 5-2, with James Jones 7-2 and Mario Chamers 4-1. And Slam-Dunk fave is Paul George at 3-2. What, no John Ringo?
Shane Battier's South Beach Battioke: Clear here to be enlightened.
COVER YOUR EARS! OZZIE'S HERE!: I have a partial representative transcript of Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen answering a question: "I don't [bleep] if they [blank] as long as they [censored] because all that other [deleted] is [oy!]." If paid by the F-bomb, Guillen would have more money than owner Jeffrey Loria. Click on Ozzfest for the latest column by me off this week's opening of spring training up in Jupiter. This Marlins season should be a wild, loud, fun ride for a number of reasons and one of them is that the refreshing Guillen in Rex Ryan in cleats.
MANNING TO MIAMI? HERE'S A SIGN: Two Dolphins fans up in Stuart have started a ManningtoMiami.com website and paid for this Miami billboard to promote their cause. What's next? A competing, pro-Matt Flynn group called the Miami DolFlynns? Update: GM Jeff Ireland, at the NFL Combine in Indy, reports Miami wouold not rule out a short-term solution at QB. Well, no duh, Jeff. Everybody knows the team is interested in a healthy Manning. So in other words Ireland is not ruling out the quarterback they want. Another update: Dolphins win coin flip with Carolina and will draft eighth overall, not ninth. DOLPHINS DOMINATE COIN FLIP!
FAITH IN HAITH: Missouri coach Frank Haith, formerly of the Miami Hurricanes of course, is favorite at 5-2 odds to win NCAA men's basketball coach of the year, says Bovada. After that it's Michigan State's Tom Izzo at 7-2 and Kentucky's John Calipari at 5-1.
ON RYAN BRAUN: I wrote a blog item on Milwaukee's Braun, the NL MVP and ex-Miami Hurricane, when he tested positive for a banned substance in October, so it is only fair I do so again now that those results have been overturned on appeal. Baseball needs to check its testing system, which evidently was wrong then or wrong now. Fans must have confidence that players who test positive absolutely are guilt of having used a banned substance. And players deserve to not be falsely accused and have their reputations stained. Braun will always be the guy who once tested positive, whether he was ever guilty or not.
AUGMENTATION NATION: This woman (left) has had 22 breast-enlargement surgeries and isn't done yet. Hey, this is a blog. Could I say it if it weren't true!?
SOUTH BEACH WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL: Took in last night's opening of the SoBe Wine & Food festival, pricey but worth it. Paid extra for early access, chowing and imbibing nonstop while those who hadn't paid for early access waited outside. It's strange, the feeling of privilege and (yes) superiority. I felt a little like I do walking through an airport 
and watching cigarette fiends (the modern lepers) penned in their smoke-filled room sucking cancer herb. Where was I? Oh yeah. I sampled enough ribs, brisket, pulled pork sliders and barbecue tacos to fill a raft. (BBQ theme, obviously). Also some yummy, vinegary slaw. Much of the food was sublime, some of it was not. Pork belly? C'mon! Sipped a bit of champagne, mostly stuck to Malbec, ended the liquid portion of my evening with cognac, neat. The most fun part was seeing the star chefs, including two personal culinary heroes of mine, Emeril Lagasse and Masaharu Morimoto. The official co-host along with Lagasse was Guy Fieri (both are pictured). I like his show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives but because of it I think of him as more an eater and host than a chef. A bit much on the packaging, too, for me. The spiked hair, shades on the back of the head. Working a bit too hard for the biker/rock-star persona. C'mon! Also enjoyed seeing Travel Channel's Andrew Zimmern, the bravest eater on Earth. Saw him walk up to a plateful of brisket and ask the chef, "Do you have that in vegetarian?" Chuckled, I did. Good times. Original post from Thursday: This is the 11th annual, and tonight for the first time I'll be attending. (Tried to get Heat-Knicks to postpone their game, but uncooperatively they refused). Boss wanted me at the Heat game but wife reminded me how much the festival tickets cost and started swearing at me like Ozzie Guillen so my decision was pretty clear. I'll have a report here tomorrow on what this event is really like. After several glasses of wine tonight I plan to pick a fight with Emeril Lagasse or perhaps start throwing shrimp at Guy Fieri to spice up that report, so we'll see how that goes.
NUDE MAG COVERS TURNS BLASE': Remember when [Your Female Celebrity Here] posing nude yet artfully covered on a magazine cover was different and daring? Now it's more unsual if somebody isn't nude. Here is actress Kate Walsh on the cover of Shape. I think she thinks she looks really good for 44. Also, in this particular case, I thank God for the airbrush.
Click back. Will be updating and adding much more to this latest blogpost...
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