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Significance of NBA's first gay player (and the reaction); plus Nets stay alive to face Heat, Dolphins' new SB odds, Ed DuBois & more

1) It is WEDNESDAY, MAY 1. Another year, another Greg Cote snub in the Tony nominations. 2) "I am no better, and neither are you." --Sly Stone, 1968. This for the intolerant: Everyday People. 3) Played golf Sunday at Jacaranda for a great cause in the Angela Kramer-White Memorial Tournament. I played lousy; however, I did win closest-to-the-beer. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Grading Dolphins draft, Canes avert shuout, Heat sweep Bucks, Shane Larkin, Marlins Sad-O-Meter. 5Join us on Twitter @agregcote.

Nets stay alive to face Heat guillotine: Brooklyn beats Chicago 110-91 at home to shave Bulls' series lead to 3-2. Winner faces Miami. Game 6 Thursday night in Chitown.

Click on The First Steps Forward for my latest column, on the bravery of Jason Collins and why this is important for pro sports and for the cause of equal rights.

1aa1collinsWIZARDS CENTER: "I'M GAY": Free agent 7-foot center Jason Collins, who finished this season with the Washington Wizards, reveals himself as the cover subject (pictured) of the May 6 issue of Sports Illustrated newly available. His story begins: "I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay." Click here for the whole story; it is as compelling as you'd imagine. Collins has seldom been an important player on the court. He last started in the 2006-07 season and has become an end-of-the-bench journeyman. His career scoring average is 3.6 points. But he has become an important player now, near the end of that career, by becoming the first active, openly gay athlete in one fo America's big-four team sports. Does this have the same impact as if a rising star had come out? No. But it still is a significant watershed in that a door that always has been shut has now been nudged ajar. Somebody had to be the first. Good for Jason Collins. Update: There has been widespread praise and support for Collins on Twitter and then there as this from Dolphin Mike Wallace: 'All of them beautiful women in the world and guys want to mess with other guys ... I just don't understand.' Wallace soon deleted the Tweet and quickly apologized. Hey you're not all alone, Mike. Chris Broussard today on ESPN called being gay "an open rebellion to God." What century is this again!?

DOLPHINS' SUPER BOWL ODDS: Courtesy the good folks at Bovada, updated post-draft Super Bowl betting favorites are 49ers at 6-1, Broncos 15-2, Patriots 8-1 and Seahawks 9-1, with Miami a modest 40-1 (tied for 18th). Pats/Dolphins are 1-2 in AFC East well ahead of Jets at 75-1 and Bills at 100-1.

Dolphins' pre-training camp dates announced: Rookie minicamp will be May 3-5. OTA offseason workouts will be May 21-23, May 29-31 and June 3-6. And mandatory minicamp will be June 11-13.

Poll result: Dolfans pleased if not quite thrilled with draft: We asked for grades, almost 3,000 of you and counting have responded and a plurality of 48.4 percent gave Miami's draft a "B." "A" (26.1%) outpolled "C" (21.3%), while only 4.2% voted "D." So roughly three-quarters voted A or B. Is that fairly interpreted as pleased-but-not-quite-thrilled overall?

1aa1pain&gain 1aa1eddubTHE REMARKABLE ED DUBOIS: I met Ed (pictured) several years ago researching a 50-years-later column on a Miami team that won the 1958 Little League World Series. Ed was a member of that team who went on to a colorful career as a private investigator whose work in the 1990s partly inspired the new Mark Wahlberg/Dwayne Johnson film, Pain & Gain. Actor Ed Harris portrays the role of DuBois in the movie. DuBois, also a songwriter, has a new country-rock feel song called Pain & Gain. Click on the title to download.

UPDATED: MARLINS "SAD-O-METER": We have a new feature we'll update in the blog throughout the season as long as the Marlins' winning percentage is under .300. The New York Mets' 1aa1bbsad1962 record of 40-120 (.250) is widely regarded as the nadir in its class -- the single worst season in modern MLB history. Now, your Marlins are threatening that ignominy, despite a season-best two-game winning streak. (The sad face is now for Giancarlo Stanton getting injured yet again). Marlins Sad-O-Meter: Current record after last night's win, 7-19 (.269). Updated season pace, 43.62 wins, 118.38 losses.

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

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