GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND.
It's Radio Tuesday!: I'm back in-studio with the Dan LeBatard Show today, 3-7 on The Ticket Miami, 4-7 on ESPN Radio. Ears welcome.
1) It is TUESDAY, MARCH 24. "Hello. I'm Ted Cruz and I'm running for president of the United States even though I have as much chance to win as the homeless guy with the cardboard sign." 2) Click here to watch heroic ponies save a French couple from a wild boar attack. 3) Click on Random Evidence for our latest Sunday notes-column package. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Miami's biggest sports star poll, NCAAs, Heat/Panthers playoff race, Haiku Challenge, expectations on Stanton, LeBatard show & more. 5) Follow us on Twitter @gregcote. Also on Facebook, Instagram and Vine.
PLAYOFF CHASE: Heat in good shape, Cats in must-win mode. Update entering Tuesday: A daily blog feature as two teams fight to finish in top eight in Eastern Conference. HEAT--Trending even in 7th place at 32-37 (L1), 1 1/2 games from 6th with 13 games left (next tonight at Milwaukee). Heat playoff likelihood: 68.1% (up 2.6) per Hollinger/ESPN. PANTHERS--Trending down in 10th place at 33-39 (W2), 4 points from 9th and 5 points from 8th with 10 games left (next tonight at Tampa Bay). Cats playoff likelihood: 3.2% (down 1.0) per sportsclubstats.com.
HAIKU CHALLENGE CONTEST UPDATE: TODAY IS LAST CHANCE TO ENTER!: Entry window bangs shut tonight at midnight on our annual March Madness Haiku Challenge, so get your 17-syllable poems in
today. We'll announce the winner on Wednesday. Three simple rules: 1. If your poem is 17 syllables exactly and it's about the NCAA Tournament/March Madness/college hoops, it'll be considered. 2. You may submit entries two ways: Here in the blog's 'Comments' section below OR by email to [email protected]. 3. You may enter as many haikus as you wish. Contest prize? Grand prize will be the glory of victory, of course, but we'll have offer other choices. Maybe a Dolphins or Heat media guide? Maybe a chance to visit the Dan LeBatard Show on a Tuesday we're in-studio? In any case, rev up your creative mind now. Last chance. Ready, set ... haiku!
MARCH MADNESS AT THE BREAK: UPSET-O-METER, MY BRACKET: The men's NCAA Tournament has whittled from 64 teams (I don't count the play-ins, sorry) to the Sweet 16. Now, starting Thursday, it gets good. No, it gets great. Let's take stock. The Upset-o-Meter is running at 20.83 percent, with 10 upsets (based on seeds) in 48 games thus far. No. 1 Villanova and a pair of 2's (Virginia and Kansas) are bounced. The top three upsets based on seed differential: 14-UAB d. 3-Iowa State, 14-Georgia State d. 3-Baylor, and 8-North Carolina State d. 1-Villanova. How's your bracket doing? Mine (I'm only in one pool) is in surprisingly decent shape. I am tied for eighth place among 42 teams entering the Sweet 16 -- not counting my money (*), but certainly not out of it. (*-I use the word "money" figuratively, of course. Under no circumstance would I ever be involved in an illegal pool that featured an illicit pot!).
Click on Cinderella Has Left The Building for today's latest column by me, on how this Sweet 16 has everything but a true, classic underdog.
IT'S (SORT OF) OFFICIAL: MARLINS HAVE BEST OUTFIELD IN BASEBALL: ESPN's Baseball Tonight is ranking the 10 best players at every position, began with the three outfield positions, and the Marlins place all three in the top 10: Christian Yelich No. 6 in LF, Marcell Ozuna No. 7 in CF and Giancarlo Stanton No. 1 in RF. The only other team with all three is San Diego, ranked 3-9-9 left to right. Marlins average OF rank of 4.7 beats Padres' average of 7.0. Six teams place two guys in the OF top 10s.
HOT BUTTON MAR. 22: TOP 10 THINGS SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive Sunday (this week, Monday) feature. Hot Button means what's on our minds, locally and nationally, as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead:
1. COLLEGE BASKETBALL: March Madness pauses, prepares for Sweet 16: America’s annual spring obsession with brackets and office pools is at its break point, with a 64-team field whittled to the Sweet 16. Meanwhile, in Miami, UM's women are out of the NCAA Tournament after two games but the Canes men are still alive in the NIT, visiting Richmond in a quarterfinal game Tuesday night. Thinking that makes it a little closer to March Mildness this year for Hurricanes fans.
2. HEAT: Rejuvenated, vintage Wade leading playoff push: Though Miami lost Sunday at Oklahoma City, Dwyane Wade had scored 25 or more points in seven straight games entering the weekend (his best stretch since 2010) and led big home wins over LeBron James’ Cleveland and Portland that lifted Miami from ninth to seventh in the NBA playoff chase. What was that you were saying about “past his prime?”
3. MARLINS: Big spending Fish extend Yelich’s deal: For years we made fun of Jeffrey Loria’s infamous cheapness. Now the Marlins owner is making it rain and buying everyone drinks. Latest example: the 7-year, $49.5 million contract extension for young outfielder Christian Yelich. The only complaints you hear these days are from Loria haters are how tough they have it now.
4. PANTHERS: Win over Boston keeps Cats alive: Florida' big home win over the Bruins Saturday moved the Cats within four points of Boston for the final NHL playoff spot, with 10 game left in regular season. Still don't like their chances, but, now, at least there is a chance.
5. DOLPHINS: Fins let Clay go, audition receivers: Tight end Charles Clay left for Buffalo as Miami signed center J.D. Walton, invited receiver Michael Crabtree in for a visit and pondered adding WR Greg Jennings. Once the news got to career backup QB Tarvaris Jackson also being in for a look, it was official: The big Ndamukong Suh-led wave is done. Excitement's over. Free agency beginning to wane.
6. TENNIS: Key Biscayne welcomes top men, women: The two-week pro tennis tournament in Key Biscayne, often called the sport’s “fifth major,” begins its annual run Monday. One problem: Predictability. Put it this way: Give me Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic and you can have everybody else. I like my chances.
7. HURRICANES: UM spring football set to wrap up: The Canes' annual football Spring Game is coming up Saturday. It isn’t the season, so instead of a plane pulling a “Fire Al Golden” banner, it will be a small drone carrying a cardboard sign.
8. HORSE RACING: 64th Florida Derby runs at Gulfstream on Saturday: This is where we get excited and imagine the winning horse might finally be the one to end the sport’s 37-year Triple Crown drought, even though we sort of all know better.
9. NFL: League considers tweak in scoring: NFL is considering 23 rules changes at its league meetings, including one proposed by the Colts that would give teams a “bonus point” if, after making a two-point conversion, they then converted a 50-yard field goal. The only reasonable explanation for this proposal: The Colts were either kidding or drunk.
10. BASEBALL: Rose officially seeks reinstatement: Pete Rose, lifetime-banned for gambling, officially petitioned baseball and new commissioner Rob Manfred for reinstatement. I wouldn’t bet on his chances. “I would!” said Rose.
NO SURPRISE: HEAT'S WADE CROWNED AS MIAMI'S BIGGEST SPORTS STAR: We had a major poll here in the blog inviting you to name South Florida's biggest current professional team-sport star. We gave you 10 choices and three votes, and
the results showed a clear top-five: 1. Heat's Dwyane Wade with 36.7 percent, 2. Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton with 21.0%, 3. Dolphins' Ndamukong Suh with 17.3%, 4. Dolphins' Ryan Tannehill with 8.1%, and 5. Heat's Chris Bosh with 6.9%. (Marlins' Jose Fernandez led the others at 3.5% followed by Dolphins' Cam Wake at 2.9%. Lesser support rolled in for the Panthers' Jaromir Jagr and Marlins' Ichiro, both 1.3%, and Panthers' Roberto Luongo, 1.2%). Wade winning comfortably was no surprise, and Stanton merited the runnerup spot. A mild surprise, at least to me, was how the recently signed Suh barreled in to quickly swamp Tannehill as the Fins' top vote-getter. Thanks to all.
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