Dolfans, has preseason thus far left you feeling better or worse about team? Poll. Last day to vote!; plus Marlins Park lands Race Of Champions, the 2 reasons it went to hell for Ryan Lochte, KFC Extra-Crispy Sunscreen & more
GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND.
1) It is WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24. Todd Marinovich found naked with drugs. Or, did that go without saying? Click here. 2) I'm not fascinated by celebrity; closer to the opposite. But I must admit I'd love to know the real reason why Simon & Garfunkel grew to hate each other. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hot Button Top 10, your verdict on Greg's Lobos roster, grandma rapping & more. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook, Instagram, Vine,Periscope and Snapchat.
Marlins' wild-card playoff game: Mark it on your calendar if you are feeling optimistic. The Marlins' wild-card playoff game would be on Wednesday, Oct. 5 if (currently 1 1/2 games off pace) they make it.
The Olympics are about the world, not the gold: That is the theme of my latest column. In a world rending and seeming to come apart, the Olympic Games give it a stage to come together, at least symbolically. Click on The Real Olympic Ideal to read in full.
HAVE FIRST TWO EXHIBITIONS LEFT DOLFANS FEELING BETTER OR WORSE?: Miami's preseason is half done after a win at the Giants and a loss at the Cowboys, with Thursday's dress rehearsal vs. Atlanta in Orlando up next, followed by a wind-down Sept. 1 vs. Tennessee at the new-ish Hard Rock Stadium. The question: Have the two games thus far, the totality of them -- good and bad all considered -- left Dolphins fans feeling better or worse about their team and season than they felt entering the preseason? I know, I know. Preseason doesn't matter yada yada. But it does offer hints and indications. It can move the needle on outlook. I know your opinion is subject to significant change. But I'm talking about right now. Take a dip in our poll and check back often to monitor evolving results.
'RACE OF CHAMPIONS' COMING TO MARLINS PARK: It was announced yesterday the Race Of Champions, an annual event dating back more than 25 years, will be run inside Marlins Park this coming Jan. 21-22 -- its first time held in the U.S. The race pits drivers from various forms of racing competing in identical machines. See the trailer below. The first three drivers confirmed to compete are four-time Formula 1 world champion and reigning ROC champ Sebastian Vettel of Germany, NASCAR champion Kurt Busch and IndyCar champ and Indianapolis 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay. Impressive field if that's just the start. And an interesting idea. Nice get for Marlins Park -- and for South Florida.
THE TWO REAL REASONS IT GOT SO BAD FOR RYAN LOCHTE: Lochte always has come off a bit like the goofball/airhead who should always have a bit part waiting in a stoner movie. Now sponsors are dropping America's disgraced Olympic swimmer, including Speedo. It wasn't just that he wreaked vandalism in a gas-station bathroom in Rio. It wasn't even that he then panicked and made up a story about being robbed at gunpoint. Here are the two reasons it turned out so bad for Lochte: 1) The U.S. Olympic Committee initially tried to dismiss this as kids blowing off steam. No. Sorry. Lochte is 32. He is, literally, old enough to have known better. 2) His so-called apology was lame, made it worse. There was no real contrition, just a carefully worded mea culpa that never quite admitted regret for anything beyond the obvious lack of judgement. At 32 he was expected to be an elder statesmen for the U.S. team, not a buffoon with a middle-school mentality. And once his story unraveled, once he was caught, he needed a genuine,unequivocal apology, not the bulls--t he dished out. Played right, people would be feeling sorry for Lochte today over much ado about very little. Played the way it was, he's the jerk who is getting what he deserves. His swimming career has been spent in the shadow and wake of the legend, Michael Phelps. That has to have been tough. He might have played the role fate dealt him with grace. He fell short.
KFC EXTRA-CRISPY SUNSCREEN. NO, SERIOUSLY: Not so rarely, there is something in the news that is real and actually happening, but feels instead like something you should be reading in the The Onion. Latest case in point: KFC Extra-Crispy Sunscreen. The fried-chicken giant yesterday introduced a 30SPF sunblocker that, yes, smells like fried chicken. Take that, scent of coconut! (Click here for the backgrounder). The chain gave away 3,000 free bottles yesterday in a guerrilla marketing campaign to promote its extra-crispy chicken. Don't worry, Coppertone. Colonel Sanders won't be elbowing your space on Walgreen's shelves. It's just a PR stunt. But a rather good one at that. I love the concept of someone on the beach tanning -- someone we imagine is lean and fit -- smelling like deep-fried thighs and wings. Come to think of it, this is somewhere in between real and The Onion. Good for the Colonel. I like where KFC is going with its advertising. Smart. Fresh. Fun.
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