GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND.
1) It is WEDNESDAY, May 31. R.I.P., Frank Deford, famed sportswriter, gone at 78. Never met him, but much respect for who he was in this business. 2) Know any Dolfans? Surprise and delight them with our book on club's first half-century, Fins At 50. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hot Button Top 10, UM baseball streak ends, Tiger Woods' arrested, 50,000 Names tribute video, The List (Dolphins draft), your most-wins verdict & more. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook, Instagram, Periscope and Snapchat.
ICYMI, our latest Sunday column: Golden State, LeBron on history's doorstep: For the Warriors as a team or LeBron James as a player, this NBA Finals is going to leave one of them looking a lot like the best there ever was. Click on History Calling Warriors, LeBron for my new Sunday column.
STRANGE LATEST CHAPTER IN THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL OF AN ALL-TIME GREAT: DO YOU FEEL BAD FOR TIGER WOODS?: Tiger is pictured in better days and in this week's booking mugshot. You know the weird story by now. Found asleep in his running car. Taken into custody at 2:49 a.m. Monday, booked at 7:18, released on his own recognizance at 10:50, to be will be arraigned in Palm Beach County Court July 5. But the DUI charge turned out not to involve alcohol. He blew a perfect 0.00 breath test for that. Turned out to be a mix of prescription drugs, including painkillers, blamed on recent back surgeries. Said Woods in a statement: "I understand the severity of what I did, and I take full responsibility for my actions. I want the public to know that alcohol was not involved. What happened was an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications. I didn't realize the mix of medications had affected me so strongly." Woods recently announced he'd miss the remainder of the 2017 PGA Tour season. Since his initial back surgery in MArch 2014 Woods has played only 19 Tour events with zero top-10s, his career majors number long stuck on 14. I feel bad for Tiger. Do you?
REPORT: JEB BUSH OUT OF RUNNING TO BUY MARLINS: The Associated Press, citing unidentified sources, first reports today that former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has withdrawn from a bid to buy the Miami Marlins. Bush fronted the group led by ex-Yankees great Derek Jeter, who may continue to explore a bid with other money men. No reason for Bush's withdrawal was reported. "Gov. Bush has great respect for Derek Jeter, and Derek remains a great friend," the AP quoted a source. "And he's looking forward to a great rest of the season for the Marlins." The apparent frontrunner to buy the club now would appear to be the group fronted by businessman Tagg Romney (Mitt's son) that includes ex-Braves star pitcher Tom Glavine -- but not so fast on that. Bush had very little capital in the investment group, so that group very much would remain in the running with Jeter -- still involved -- out front. Today's no-Bush news, in effect, might end up meaning very little. Both groups had been considered nearly even in the running to make the deal. Existing owner Jeffrey Loria has lowered his asking price from $1.8 billion to (as of now) about $1.3B. There are reports the deal will be completed in the next couple of month so change of ownership might be ratified at the next MLB owners meeting in August.
UM'S BASEBALL STREAK ENDS, BUT CANES WIN ANYWAY: The longest NCAA postseason streak in any sport -- Miami Hurricanes baseball's 44-year run -- ended Monday when UM was passed over for an at-large regional bid. It was a mild surprise but not a shock. After a 31-27 record, it's hard to argue the Canes got screwed. The nature of the tournament is that, as in basketball, automatic bids got to small-conference winners to fill much of the 64-team field. UM did get unlucky, though,as the first team out. UM coach Jim Morris was admirably gracious, saying, "It's an honor and a privilege to be part of the 44. It's a streak that's unmatched in any sport in NCAA history, so to be part of that and be part of that with coach [Ron] Fraser is an honor." Morris could have complained, claimed to have been cheated, claimed the selection committee didn't show proper reverence for his program's pedigree, or blamed the team's many injuries. Instead, no excuses. He took the high road. Good for him.
OVERREACTION IN FIRING OF TERRY FREI: I don't know Frei, until this week a Denver Post sportswriter, so this opinion is uninfluenced by friendship. He Tweeted something ill-advised. But I'm not sure it was a firing offense, given his immediate explanation and contrition. Frei Tweeted he was "uncomfortable" with a Japanese driver winning the Indy 500 on Memorial Day, harking to Pearl Harbor. For me, that was outrageous. The equivalent would have been me writing on Twitter that the Marlins should have sat Ichiro on Sunday for the same reasoning. That's pretty crazy. But, again, given the extenuating circumstances (Frei' s father fought in the war), and his fast apology, I feel bad that one lapse in judgement cost the man his job and reputation. Frei is pictured. A regrettably uttered or written sentiment can happen to any of us in this fast-paced business. I wish him well.
ESPN'S SECOND ANNUAL 'WORLD FAME 100': Click here for the full list, or stay here to save time. The top 10, in order: Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James, Lionel Messi, Roger Federer, Phil Mickelson, Neymar, Usain Bolt, Kevin Durant, Rafael Nadal and Tiger Woods. Also notable: Serena Williams 19th, Tom Brady 21st and Dwyane Wade 24th. No current South Florida athlete made it. Thought maybe Jaromir Jagr and Ichiro had a chance to sneak in low.
HOT BUTTON DAILY / WED 5-31-17: Up to five events on today's sports calendar that interest SoFla most:
1. Philadelphia at Marlins, 1:10 p.m: Fish have won 3 straight, are 4-1 in 10-game homestand.
2. NHL playoffs, 8 p.m.: Pittsburgh leads Nashville 1-0 and home for Game two of Stanley Cup Finals.
3. French Open, 11 a.m: Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic among notable on today's schedule.
4. Dolphins OTA day: Second of this week's three closed-to-public offseason practices.
[Note: NBA Finals start Thursday June 1].
Select other recent columns: Harris Vs. Fins' Draft Drought: High hopes for top pick Charles Harris. What's Next, Marlins?: Easy to say blow up the Fish, but harder (and not smart) to do. Awful Team Continues Marlins Curse: Fish fans deserve a medal. Big Risk For Big Upside: On chance Heat could land Harry Giles in NBA Draft. NFL's Moral Obligation: League must do more for brain-injury sufferers like Buoniconti and Kiick. LeBron And Steph To the Rescue: How a third straight Warriors-Cavs Finals will save a lopsided postseason. The Dolphins' Eight Ifs: Explaining dichotomy of opinion on Fins. On The Team's Terms, Not His: What it would take for a Heat/Dwyane Wade reunion. Not In Our Stadium: N-word at Fenway and fans' responsibility. The Kid From Pampa: Why Dolphin draft's late rounds matter. Right Pick For Right Reasons: Fins' first-round choice Charles Harris. Home Run For Miami: Bush/Jeter group as frontrunner to buy Marlins. The Jose Statue's Positive Purpose: Controversy over Marlins' planned Fernandez memorial. An American Tragedy: Suicide of Aaron Hernandez. History Breathes at UM Sports Hall: Tour of a little-known campus gem. Spo's Greatest Challenge -- And Triumph: strangest of Heat seasons. Is There A Team Brave Enough for Kaepernick?: A curiously unemployed QB. Also: Thank You, Mae Riback, A Ghost Tour of Miami's Sports Past, The Miracle of Liberty City, Thank You, Edwin Pope.
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Twitter @gregcote
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