GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND.
1) It is WEDNESDAY, JULY 8. Click on Random Evidence for our latest Sunday notes column package. 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): U.S. women reign, ESPN's 'Body,' Marlins All-Stars, LeBatard on 'Ballers,' Hot Button Top 10, Dwyane vs. Jose verdict & more. 3) Follow us on Twitter @gregcote. Also on Facebook, Instagram, Vine and now Periscope, too (with a new 'Scope vid from yesterday's radio show).
Fins seat auction is today: Dolphins today are offering limited number of assembled seats and seatbacks for purchase. Seats were removed during stadium reconstruction. Proceeds from auction will benefit Miami Dolphins Foundation. Single and double seats are available; visit Dolphins.com/seatback to bid or for more info. Seats will be sold to season-ticket holders first (limit two per account) beginning at 11 a.m., then to others starting at 2 p.m., subject to availability.
An ode to Serena Williams: U.S. women's soccer flares across the sky as newly minted champions and deserves the applause, but look to the very pinnacle of American women's sports and who you see is Serena Williams. Click on Miss America for my latest column.
HOW DO HEAT FANS FEEL ABOUT CARNIVAL CRUISING TO CUBA?: Three facts, and how they might collide: Fact 1--Carnival Cruise Lines has won U.S. government approval to begin excursions to Cuba, as detailed in thisMiami Herald story. Fact 2--Doral-based Carnival Corporation is chaired by and a huge part of Micky Arison's $7.1 billion net worth. Fact 3--Arison (pictured aboard one of his ships) also owns the Miami Heat, many of whose fans are Cubans who do not approve of the normalization of U.S.-Cuba relations because of their anti-Castro feelings. So, the question: Should the Heat owner's primary enterprise doing business with Cuba have a negative impact on how fans view him as a basketball team owner? I say no. I happen to support better relations with Cuba, and cruise traffic there was an inevitability, so Arison is doing smart business. Nor do I believe that all Cubans in South Florida might object; though some surely do. Let's get a rough idea how that breaks down with this pulse-read. Take a dip in our poll and say why.
NARCISSISM ON STEROIDS: ESPN'S ANNUAL 'BODY' ISSUE: Athletes love their bodies because their bodies are what make them rich and famous. Unless they are blowing up their hand misusing fireworks on the Fourth of July, athletes are famous for proudly taking care of their bods. Get all that. What I don't get is the comically outsized narcissism reflected in ESPN The Magazine's 'Body' issue, the seventh annual of which is out this week. Like, famous athletes don't get enough figurative exposure so they need the literal kind, too? Like, Bryce Harper doesn't have time to enter the Home Run Derby but he has time to get nekkid for ESPN? It's funny how the line has blurred. A top female athlete posing in Playboy would be lambasted for exploiting her sexuality and setting a bad example for young girls. But that same athlete going au naturale for ESPN is celebrated for being proud of her body. (Pictured left: Tennis player Stan Wawrinka. At right: Swimmer Natalie Coughlin). It's funny to me how ESPN fires a preemptive strike against any criticism that they are promoting only the perfect image of perfect bodies. They do this with the annual token inclusion of imperfect bodies. This year that includes three Colts linemen and a heavy female Olympian. Dear Athletes: Being proud of your bodies fully clothed would be just fine. A little modesty would be something to consider. But I may be wrong. Take a dip in our poll and share your overall view of ESPN's annual 'Body' issue.
RILEY'S REVENGE? HEAT PREZ IS COMING AFTER LEBRON: Last time it was to sign him. This time it's to beat him. That's a theory ESPN's Stephen A. Smith espoused on WQAM's Freeman & Fox Show, and it makes some sense. (Riley and LeBron are pictured in happier days). What follows is condensed, because Stephen A. is monumentally verbose: "Pat Riley I believe is coming for LeBron James. I believe Riley would have retired at the end of this [past] season had it not been for LeBron deciding to leave Miami. I think that has lit a fire under Riley we haven’t seen in some time. I think he is hell-bent on returning Miami to its glory and showing LeBron that [leaving was] not the way to go. I think Riley is going to do everything [he can to show] that LeBron made a mistake leaving the Heat. I think that’s a huge motivation." It is. That's why I wrote recently that getting to the Eastern Conference finals and beating Cleveland would be tantamount to an NBA Finals for Miami and almost parade-worthy for Riley and the Heat.
WEIGHING THE FISH (80 GAMES): We throw an occasional bell 'n whistle into the blog, and this year we debuted a new Miami Marlins feature. "Weighing The Fish" -- WTF! -- is a once-every-10-games (or so) cumulative ranking of every Marlins batter who is averaging at least one at-bat per game. Ten qualify for our latest ranking. WTF factors six offensive categories, serving as an ongoing de facto team MVP race. The numbers might not mean much, but, relative to each other, it gives an idea who is having the best overall season or is hot/cold. Here's WTF after 80 games (actually 83 at 35-48; oops again):
Rank Player WTF# @70
1 Giancarlo Stanton 362.5 1
2 Dee Gordon 309.1 2
3 Adeiny Hechevarria 251.0 3
4 Marcell Ozuna 215.6 4
5 Martin Prado 201.5 5
6 Christian Yelich 194.3 7
7 Jacob Realmuto 178.5 6
8 Justin Bour 165.9 9
9 Ichiro Suzuki 129.9 8
10 Michael Morse 91.6 10
Note: Season WTFs leader-count is now Stanton 5, Gordon 2.
UPDATED DOLPHINS, HURRICANES BETTING ODDS; KAAYA HONORED: From Bovada, the Packers are your new Super Bowl favorite at 6-1 odds, with Seahawks displaced to 13-2, followed by Colts 8-1 and Patriots 9-1. Dolphins sit at 33-1, tied for 12th. In college football, latest win over/unders have the Hurricanes at only 6, which I'd call surprisingly low and a bargain play at 'over'. (One reason I think that: QB Brad Kaaya, pictured, who yesterday was named to the preseason Maxwell Award watch-list). Other state win over/unders: FSU 9.5, Florida 7.5, UCF 7, FIU 5.5, FAU 5 and South Florida 4.
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GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND.
1) It is MONDAY, JULY 6. Hope y'all had a safe and fun Fourth of July and long holiday weekend. Happy 239th, America! Pictured is a photo I posted on Instagram of the flag in my yard as fireworks boomed over my neighborhood. 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Dwyane vs. Jose poll, Confederate fag result & more. 3) Follow us on Twitter @gregcote. Also on Facebook, Instagram, Vine and now Periscope, too.
Random Evidence: The Sunday notes column: Click on Random Evidence for today's latest Sunday notes column package.
"Let's gooooo States!" U.S. clubbed Japan 5-2 last night in Canada to convincingly win the Women's World Cup -- USA's third championship and first since 1999. Abby Wambach, Hope Solo and the Americans were favored and delivered, and of course as a ("U-S-A!") journalist I was a perfectly ("U-S-A!") neutral observer. "Let's gooooo States!"
ESPN 'Body' issue: It's out in the magazine and online, ESPN's annual gratuitous platform allowing naturally narcissistic athletes to be even more narcissistic by showing us that their wonderful athleticism is a tribute to their even more wonderful bodies. Pictured right: Gymnast Aly Raisman, until my editors tell me to take the pic down, which I'm sure they wouldn't since it's, like, you know, all over ESPN.
Marlins All-Stars: All-Star Game starters based on fan voting were announced on ESPN last night, and as expected the Marlins' Dee Gordon and Giancarlo Stanton made it, Gordon leading NL second basemen in voting and Stanton (though he's injured and won't play) finishing second among NL outfielders. The Marlins previously had only two players voted to start the ASG: Gary Sheffield (3B, 1993) and Hanley Ramirez (SS, 2008-10). Reserves will be announced tonight.
LeBatard cameo on 'Ballers': Dan LeBatard had a small speaking role on HBO's Miami-based Ballers series last night, seen wearing a 'Miami' cap, smoking a cigar and asking Dwyane Johnson what his end-game was. I loved his appearance, mostly because now so I can make fun of him on the radio Tuesday.
HOT BUTTON (UPDATED): TOP 10 THINGS SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive Sunday feature is part week-in-review, part look-ahead. Hot Button means what's on our minds, locally and nationally, from a Miami perspective, as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead:
1. SOCCER: U.S. beats Japan, wins Women’s World Cup: Four years ago Japan beat the United States on penalty kicks in the championship match. Last night, the U.S. sought its revenge and resoundingly got it with a 5-2 rout in a WWC final rematch in Canada -- led by Carli Lloyd's three goals. This is where I’d drop in a quick Pearl Harbor reference, but that might be seen as politically incorrect so I'd better not.
2. HEAT: Wade re-signs with Miami, but for only one year: Huge week for Heat with Luol Deng staying, Goran Dragic signing long-term, Michael Beasley cut, Justise Winslow starring as Heat summer-league team opened play, plus that pointless pursuit of LaMarcus Aldridge. But of course the biggest new was Dwyane Wade re-upping. Call it drama, delayed. Won’t the Heat and Wade be doing this same contract dance a year from now? That’s what a one-year deal gives you. No complaint, though. A starting lineup of Hassan Whiteside, Chris Bosh, Deng, Dragic and Wade can win. (Had better, anyway!)
3. MARLINS: Fernandez makes winning return after year’s absence: It had been more than a year — 419 days — since Jose Fernandez last pitched before his triumphant comeback Thursday. He improved to 13-0 with a 1.23 ERA at Marlins Park. Isn’t there some way to convince him that every time he pitches it’s a home game? Hypnosis, perhaps?
4. TENNIS: Serena survives scare as Wimbledon, faces sister next: Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams seem championship-bound as Wimbledon begins its second week. Serena survived an upset bid by Heather Watson on Friday but must now face sister Venus today/Monday. Meanwhile this was the fourth Wimbledon in a row in which Rafael Nadal has been ousted early and ingloriously. Might be time to bring back the Capri pants.
5. DOLPHINS: Fins set training camp schedule: The Dolphins announced their historic 50th anniversary season would begin July 30 with the official start of preseason training camp, two weeks of practices segueing into the first exhibition game. Anniversaries less impressive than the 50th include this being the 42nd season since their last Super Bowl.
6. SOCCER: Chile upset winner in Copa America: Beating Argentina on penalty kicks to win Copa America marked Chile's biggest international title ever. Finally, a message to Brazil and Argentina that South America has other teams, too.
7. NBA: LaMarcus Aldridge to Spurs: San Antonio bags NBA's No. 1 actually-might-leave-his team free agent with power forward Aldridge leaving Portland. Heat's Pat Riley had flown to L.A. to meet with Aldridge, the Godfather's biggest wasted trip since that meeting with LeBron James a year ago.
8. CYCLING: Tour de France gets underway: Still going despite all of its various doping scandals, the latest Tour de Fraud France has begun. It must be so difficult for those cyclists to peddle up mountains while simultaneously providing urine samples.
9. PANTHERS: Cats stage four-day developmental camp: It was for recent draftees and other first-year players and included “team building” activities such as a beach outing and a Marlins game. Hmm. I’d rather my team win but not get along than lose and sing Kumbaya.
10. HOT DOGS: Annual gorging contest held on Coney Island: Answer: I would sooner watch vultures disemboweling maggot-covered carrion in a roadside ditch. Question: Did you watch Saturday’s annual hot dog-eating contest? Dear "competitive eating" fad: You were cute for a while. Go away, please.
Missing the HB10 cut: Golf, Doral standing behind Donald Trump, for now. Dan LeBatard cameo on HBO's Ballers tonight. Strikers lose to Boca Juniors. Brett Favre, 45, says he could still play. ESPN Body issue out today/Monday as our most narcissistic athletes celebrate themselves.
Poll result: Dwyane edges Jose for biggest story: Admittedly it was an apples-and-oranges question that (predictably) caused a smallish response, but we asked it anyway, and Dwyane Wade re-upping with the Heat was judged a bigger story than Jose Fernandez's comeback game by 59.2 percent to 40.8%.
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GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND.
1) It is SATURDAY, JULY 4. Happy birthday, America! You look good for 239. Have a fun and safe Fourth, all. 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Jam-packed! Wade re-signs, Fernandez's winning comeback, Aldridge meeting, Wade/LeBron in Bahamas, Heat summer league, U.S. in WWC finals, Confederate flag poll & more. 3) Follow us on Twitter @gregcote. Also on Facebook, Instagram, Vine and now Periscope, too.
"I'll hitchhike nude to Portland and back if the Heat acquire LaMarcus Aldridge." -- Greg Cote
DWYANE, JOSE MAKE IT A MEMORABLE DAY IN MIAMI SPORTS: A thrilling Thursday for South Florida sports, right? Marlins ace Jose Fernandez makes a successful, winning comeback after being out more than a year (almost 14 months) following Tommy John surgery. Then, a nearly sold-out Marlins Park had barely emptied after the matinee game when the news broke that Dwyane Wade had agreed to a one-year, $20 million deal to remain with the Heat. Both stories were big enough that I was called upon for double duty. I wrote a scheduled column on Jose's exciting return (click on Welcome Back, Kid K) and later wrote a breaking-news column on Wade's deal (click on Everybody Wins, Especially Heat). Both are currently online. The Jose column also is in today's print editions; the Dwyane column saves for Saturday's paper. I'm curious which of these twin-tower stories felt bigger to you on Thursday: The Marlins getting back their young ace after more than a year sidelined? Or the Heat securing Wade though only for a year? For me, it's close. The gut reaction may be to say Wade, perhaps, but that is tempered by the fact A) him staying was expected, and B) the news isn't as big as it would have been if it were a long-term deal. Don't make this a favorite-team vote, by the way. Please. It isn't. It's about which story felt bigger to you, and more significant. Vote and tell us why.
Poll result: Most find Confederate flag an offensive symbol: We asked, and 51.4 percent said they think the Confederate flag is a symbol of racism or intolerance, vs. 27.1% who find it a legitimate symbol of American history and heritage. The other 21.5% said they can see both sides or are undecided.
Check back a lot because we constantly update and add to our latest blogposts...
GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND.
1) It is THURSDAY, JULY 2. Pictured right is the new Rolling Stone cover. Would it be wrong to admit I stared at the photo for about five minutes before noticing she was wearing a hat? 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Heat/Dwyane Wade impasse, Dolphins training camp schedule, "Let's gooooo States!" & more. 3) Follow us on Twitter @gregcote. Also on Facebook, Instagram, Vine and now Periscope, too.
"Brett Favre says he could still play at age 45? Sounds like the concussions talking." --Greg Cote
This is why we missed Jose: Click on Welcome Back, Kid K for today's latest column by me, from Marlins Park, on the long-awaited comeback of Jose Fernandez. It wasn;t just the high heat and wins that Miami and fans have missed. It was the passion.
HEAT RE-SIGNS WADE FOR 1 YEAR: Heat and Dwyane Wade today agreed to a new 1-year contract for $20 million. Him staying in Miami is not a surprise at all. Click on Heat And Wade Will Work It Out to read my recent column. The market for Wade was soft. He wanted to stay. Heat wanted him back. All those things led to today's news. What is a bit surprising is the 1-year deal, which essentially means all of this starts over one year from now: Will Dwyane leave? How much will Miami pay to keep him? For now, though, the bottom line is all that counts. Wade remains a #HeatLifer. (At least for another season...)
HEAT AND ALDRIDGE? HA HA HA!: Seriously, I mean, we all love Pat Riley and think he's a magician and all that, but does anybody really think that Riles meeting tonight in L.A. with free agent LaMarcus Aldridge means Miami will land the NBA's most coveted actually available free agent? They don't have the money for Aldridge if they plan on re-signing Dwyane Wade and also planning for 2016. Nor do they especially have the need because Chris Bosh plays the same role. I'lladmit how wrong I was if somehow the Heat lands Aldridge. Meantime, anybody who tells you this could happen may well be drunk.
IT'S A WINNING JOSE DAY FOR MARLINS FANS, MIAMI:[See link above for today's newest column by me from Marlins Park]. In a 12:10 matinee today at Marlins Park, Jose Fernandez toed the mound in a real game for the first time in 419 days, since injuring his elbow and undergoing Timmy John surgery in May 2014. And it was a winning effort in a 5-4 final that drew more than 32,000. This Marlins season has disappointed, from the won-lost record to the managerial change to Giancarlo Stanton's injury. A strong performance by Fernandez today wouldn't make everything better, but it would be a much-needed symbol that better days are ahead. "I know I have to stay calm," Jose said yesterday. Bet that Marlins fans were a bit anxious, too. The team and its fans have missed and need more than what his right arm brings. The Marlins have missed his excitement and enthusiasm, too, so welcome back, Kid K.
WADE, LEBRON DO THE BAHAMAS: Former teammates and still-good-friends Dwyane Wade and LeBron James and their wives were seen at Atlantis in the Bahamas last night, mini-vacationing together. Pictured left: Dwyane and Gabrielle walking through the Atlantis lobby, glancing over their shoulders, and LeBron walking just ahead of them, the inconspicuous 6-8 guy in the hat. Of course this photo and others like it snapped on smart-phones blew up on social media ... just like you know Dwyane and LeBron knew they would. Of course this could be an innocent, long-planned getaway by a couple of friends with unlimited money. It also could be a well-timed public display designed to foment a rumor that LeBron may be trying to coax Dwyane to sign with Cleveland -- either because he really is, or to create leverage for Wade to squeeze more dollars from Miami to stay. I bet on the latter. Interesting either way, though.
NO SURPRISE: HEAT KEEPS DRAGIC. WADE NEXT?: It is being reported as the 5-year, $90 million deal that was expected -- and keeping point guard Goran Dragic is Miami's first big move of 2015 free agency. Hassan Whiteside Tweeted congratulations that included, "Let me borrow 5 dollars. lol." The only other free-agent move that really matters to Heat fans in the coming hours or days will be whether the club will spend enough to re-sign Dwyane Wade, or see him poached by another team. There is no reason, at least not yet, to think Wade will not be back. I asked Yahoo's tapped-in NBA expert Adrian Wojnarowski about Wade/Miami on the radio and he said, "I'd be shocked if this didn't work itself out in the near future." Yesterday ESPN's Chris Broussard said of Wade: "He's a lot of [other] teams' Plan B. That's why most people think he'll wind up back in Miami. If he wants $50M long term, then he's probably going to have to get it from the Heat." Stay tuned.
HEAT SUMMER-LEAGUE INFO: Heat announced its 18-player roster for the upcoming NBA summer leagues in Orlando and Las Vegas, and we were the first Herald blog to bring it to you. Team will play five games in Orlando starting July 4 and at least five in Vegas starting July 11. The roster will include recent draftees Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson, and returning Heat players Zoran Dragic, James Ennis, Tyler Johnson, Shabazz Napier and Henry Walker. (Hassan Whiteside will practice with the Heat's summer squad but not play in games). Assistant coach Dan Craig will be in charge. Miami's summer roster also includes rookies Bradford Burgess, Kenny Gabriel, famous son Juwan Howard Jr., Tyler Kalinoski, Rodney McGruder, Gabriel Olaseni, Willie Reed, Joshua Smith, Travis Trice, Seth Tuttle and Greg Whittington.
PARTYING LIKE IT'S 1945! "LET'S GOOOOO STATES!": I enjoy absurd hyperbole (everybody needs a hobby), so I'll go ahead and say the Americans' 2-0 victory over Germany in the Women's World Cup on Tuesday was the best U.S. result in the two countries' relationship since the Germans surrendered in World War II on May 8, 1945. U.S. advances to Sunday's WWC championship match in Canada vs. Japan, which edged England 2-1 in extra time last night. This sets up a rematch of the 2011 final won by Japan and sets a narrative for the thirst for U.S. revenge. I'll try my best to avoid politically incorrect Pearl Harbor references. No promises, though.
ON THE CONFEDERATE FLAG: You can't keep sports out of political issues, and vice versa. Sports are too interwoven into society. Latest example is the national movement to ban the Confederate flag from flying on government buildings in the wake of the racist mass killing at a South Carolina church. Now NASCAR -- still so linked to the Deep South -- is disassociating itself from the flag and even offering a trade-in: Race fans may exchange their Confederate flag for an American flag. Champion Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari also has come out against the Confederate flag. My take? The Civil War happened in the 1860s. Time to move on. I do not believe all who support the Confederate flag are racists. Yes, I've seen the "Heritage, Not Hate" bumper stickers. But I do understand why that flag, once flown by the side that supported maintaining slavery, might be seen as a symbol of racism by many. I'm curious on your thoughts. Take a dip in our poll and say why.
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