GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND.
1) It's WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31. Click on Greg Cote Tuesday for the podcast from yesterday's LeBatardShow. 2) The Dolfans in your life don't know it, but they need this. Click on Amazon or Barnes & Noble to check out Fins At 50, our franchise history book. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hot Button Top 10, Pegasus World Cup, our Wondrous Weekend & more. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook and Instagram.
R.I.P., BOB RUBIN, 1942-2018: Our friend, mentor and longtime former colleague, Bob Rubin, passed away peacefully Tuesday at age 76 following complications from a stroke he'd suffered on Jan. 2. Bob was a Miami herald fixture from 1976 to 2002, mostly as a columnist in tandem with Edwin Pope (who died last January at 88). Rubin is survived by his wife Lena, three grown daughters and four grandsons. I spoke to Bob for the last time one week before he died, and was honored the Herald asked me to write his obituary. Here it is.
WHERE WILL MLS MIAMI SOCCER RANK AMONG OUR BIG 5 PRO TEAMS IN YOUR INTEREST LEVEL?: We got the Miami Dolphins first (1966), the Miami Heat next (1988), then the Miami Marlins and Florida Panthers together (1993). For a quarter century it's been our Big Four professional team sports in South Florida. Now, make room for one more. It was confirmed Monday that as-yet-unnamed team fronted by David Beckham will join Major League Soccer for the 2020 season. Click on Beckham's Dream Becomes A Team for my column. This will make ours one of only 10 U.S. cities or metropolitan regions with all of the Big Five teams -- football, baseball, basketball hockey and soccer. And there is no doubt that booming MLS qualifies as the fifth league in stature. My question: Where will MLS soccer arrive on our interest scale? Top? Middle? Bottom? Imagine it is two years from now, and Beckham's team is readying for its inaugural season. One through five relative to the Dolphins, Heat, Marlins and Panthers, where will your interest in Miami MLS soccer land? Vote now!
IT'S LEBAPALOOZA! LEBA-FEST?: This is exciting. I mean it. This sounds like a great Miami event, combining Dan Le Batard's imprint on Miami and national sports and the mark of his brother Dave (a.k.a Lebo) in local-and-beyond art circles. Throw in music and it's a can't-miss. And since the whole thing is driven by the popularity of Dan's national ESPN Radio show (which I co-host every Tuesday), I'm honored to be a very small part of this extravaganza. (Picture booth? With me?) It is called "Made In Miami: A Celebration Of Music, Art And Sports in Miami," and it is March 10 from 6 p.m. 'til midnight at Blackbird Ordinary. Get many more details by visiting LeBatardBrothers.com. (Click on image at right to see much larger version).
CELEBRATE SUPER BOWL WITH A SMIRK WEEK IN MIAMI!: It's Super Bowl Week and that means Super Bowl With A Smirk is back in the Miami Herald for five daily notes columns. Join us as we merrily poke fun at the self-important NFL and the gravitas of its big game. Smirk III lands later today. So far:
Smirk I: Unlike-A-Bowl -- Starring two teams you'd rather see both lose, played in a city you'd only visit in winter if you lost a bet.
Smirk II: TV Ads -- Angry Clydesdale Chases Screaming Betty White. The time it took to read that previous sentence cost $588,000.
Latest other columns: Beckham realizes MLS Miami dream: Click Beckham's Dream Becomes A Team for column from Monday's news that Miami will join Major League Soccer in 2020. Other most recent columns: A Heart Both Broken And Soaring Wins Pegasus (Gulfstream's world's richest horse race). The Upside Of a Fire Sale (Lewis Brinson becoming face of Marlins' reboot). Appreciating Wayne Huizenga. And When Victims Seize The Power (Larry Nassar/USA Gymnastics trial).
BECAUSE IT'S A GREAT SONG, AND IT SAYS SOMETHING: Without getting too political here, I thought U2's Grammy performance the other night of their song, "Get Out Of Your Own Way" was triumphant. The backdrop of the Statue of Liberty was perfectly suited to the lyrics, and the chorus won't leave my head. A great song that says something. See if you agree.
Select other columns: For Dolphins, Hope and Frustration in Final Four. And Barkov Shall Lead Them. No Way to Escape Her Shame. Are the Fins Feeling Bold? Canes' Late Swoon, OB Loss Don't Erase the Progress. Where The Swagger Was Born. Stanton Had All the Power -- And Used It. Do We Trust Jeter To Fix Marlins?. Truex Jr. Takes Trophy, But Dale Jr. Wins The Day. A QB, a Crisis & a Father's Love. The Hurricanes Are Back; Deal With It, America. The Godfather Speaks. Jeter Betting On Jeter. Hope That Wasn't Goodbye. Wade Will End Where He Belongs. Larranaga Has Canes Flying High, Now This. Regret, Tears & a Legacy's Dark Shadow. Specials: Thank You, Mae Riback. Thank You, Edwin Pope.
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Twitter @gregcote
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