1) It is WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26. LeBron James is on cover of the newest Sports Illustrated, pictured. Heat today exercised team option to keep Mario Chalmers for next season. Smart move. 2) One of my musical heroes, Mavis Staples, has a new album out called One True Vine. Look forward to picking it up. (Yes, I sometimes still buy CDs!) Follow on Twitter @Mavis_Staples. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Heat-among-our- greatest-sports-accomnplishments poll, Paula Deen mess.
Follow us on TWITTER @gregcote and INSTAGRAM @ upsetbird and VINE @ Greg Cote. New stuff from Heat celebration, 790 The Ticket.
Heat commemorative special section: It's out today in The Miami Herald and online, and my contribution is this column on how Dwyane Wade is the quiet cause of all this. It was Micky Arison's money, Pat Riley's gumption and LeBron James' talent ... but first it was Wade's willingness and sacrifice.
GREEK GOD-LIKE GIANCARLO STANTON GOES COMMANDO FOR ESPN 'BODY' ISSUE: It hits newsstands July 12 and athletes who'll be naked but artfully covered include Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton (pictured
right), 49ers QB Colin Kapernick, NBA'er John Wall, WNBA'er Swin Cash, tennis player John Isner, volleyballer Kerri Walsh-Jennings and (oh my) 77-year-old golfer Gary Player. Need to wrap my mind around that last one. I don't think even women married to 77-year-olds want to see them naked,
but I may be wrong. Other athletes involved are NBA'er Kenneth Faried, the Mets' Matt Harvey, drag racer Courtney Force, 49er Vernon Davis, women's soccer's Sydney Leroux, golfer Carly Booth, NHL'er Joffrey Lupul, snowboarder Elena Hight, boxer Marlen Esparza, rock climbers Chris Sharma and Daila ojeda, UFC's Miesha Tate, motocross' Tarah Gieger and tennis player Agnieszka Radwanska. Stanton's spread might cause the most attention the Marlins have had all season. They should capitalize with a Stanton Night, in which the first 5,000 fans to show up nude get in free. Hopefully Stanton's photo shoot was a bit bit more creative and less ridiculous (if I can say that) than the previous Body Issue appearance of then-Marlin Hanley Ramirez. Although who among us hasn't ironed in the nude at some point?
ENOUGH! LET HEAT ENJOY WHAT THEY EARNED: Two recent slices of local media bothered me a little. The microscopic over-analysis was out even as South Florida threw itself a championship parade. Dan LeBatard on 790 The Ticket was playing psychologist by reading a newly defiant, angry, "how-do-you-like-me-now" attitude in the Heat in the wake of their second straight title. A jump-point was LeBron brandishing his championship trophy in one
hand and Finals MVP trophy in the other in a showy manner. He also put out an Instagram video (click here) that showed him quite cocky. (Still from vid is pictured). I think we make too much of too little to see overriding arrogance here instead of guys just reveling. And, by the way, a bit of arrogance is probably justified, after all the turmoil and hatred this team went through in 2010-11. I have actually seen a fair amount of humility in this Heat team overall, especially in the way they lavished praise and respect upon the vanquished Spurs. In my own Miami Herald, there was a news story about LeBron being "noncommital" on his intentions beyond next season, when he'd be free to leave. The piece flew on this comment James made to CNN: "I don't know, because I haven't really even thought about it. So when that moment comes up, I will approach it like a professional and we'll see what happens." How benign! What else should LeBron say? And yet the implication was that James being "noncommital" may bode darkly for Miami. Sure enough, LeBron came out a day later and said it would be the "ultimate finish" for the Big 3 to stay intact beyond next season. The over-analysis of this team takes no holiday.
Poll result: Hold on, Heat. Are we still a football town?: This gauge suggests so, anyway. I asked you to put the Heat's three championships including back-to-backers in context with Miami's other greatest team-sports feats, and you placed the Heat only third with 24.7 percent. The Dolphins' Perfect Season/1972-73 Super Bowls won with 40.3%, followed by UM's five football national championships with 31.3%. The Marlins' two World Series collected the remaining 3.7%.
WHILE WE WEREN'T WATCHING, THE MARLINS GOT PRETTY DECENT: The Fish still have the majors' worst record, yeah, but since May 31 (while we were all Heat-obsessed), they have been 13-9 to shower some of the stink and shame off themselves. They began a six-game homestand with a win last night, and with the local stage pretty much to themselves for a while, this would be a very good time to continue not stinking.
PATRIOTS TIGHT END ARRESTED, LOSES BOTH ARMS: The arrested part is for sure. Patriots TE Aaron Hernandez, Dumbass Athlete, was taken into custody this morning and charged with murder. My speculation that Hernandez also has lost both arms is based entirely on this photographic evidence, which also indicates Aaron got fat. Oh, and the Pats just cut him. (Can you play tight end, Tebow? Just asking...)
Dumbass Athletes, continued: Mark Sanchez: I guess the phrase Nude Booty Dance about sums it up.
TENNIS CAT FIGHT!: I love this claws-out back and forth between tennis stars Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, who are pictured here in more amiable days. This is a hell of
as lot meatier than that little Tiger Woods-Sergio Garcia tiff but with not nearly the attention. Serena makes clear in a magazine piece that Maria is dating one of her ex's, and Maria fires back -- in a post-match news conference! -- by stating that Serena had a relationship with a man "that was married and is getting a divorce and has kids." And all of this in the midst of Wimbledon! The British tabloids haven't been this happy since those topless pics of Kate Middleton materialized.
YOUR 2014 STANLEY CUP ODDS RIGHT HERE: The confetti hasn't even fallen in Chicago yet after Blackhawks' win last night and already Bovada has rushed out 2014 odds for Lord Stanley's chalice. Leaders are Pittsburgh at 13-2, champ Chicago at 15-2 and Boston at 9-1. Your lovable Florida Panthers? Thirtieth of 30 at 100-1.
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