GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND.
It's THURSDAY, MAY 2. Welcome, May. It's been almost a year. 2) Happy 86th Birthday Week to Willie Nelson, country music icon and the freest of spirits. 3) Football is never done, so it's always the perfect time to buy our 'Fins At 50' book for the Dolfans in your life. Learn more or buy on Amazon. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Dolphins draft bounty and you-grade-it poll, your verdict on Wilkins as the No. 1 pick, Hot Button Top 10 & more. 5) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook and Instagram.
Newest 'Back In My Day' video: This premiered earlier this week on the Le Batard Show on ESPN Radio and ESPNews. To watch, visit BIMD: Phones!
NEWEST COLUMN: WHAT AMERICA HAS BECOME THROUGH PRISM OF SPORTS: I happen to not be a Trump voter or supporter. But I try to be nonpartisan in my latest column in lamenting that pro golfer Lexi Thompson was chased from social media by the torrent of negative comments she called "hurtful" after she played a round of golf with the president. We are so divided, us against them, one side fighting the other, hitting each other with rights and lefts. We can blame who's in the White House if we wish. But this is us. It is we the people who have been unable -- maybe unwilling? -- to rise above the divisiveness and rancor. This is not a typical column for me. To read it please visit, Welcome to the New America, Lexi Thompson.
WHY THIS HAS CHANCE TO BE DOLPHINS' MOST IMPACTFUL DRAFT IN MORE THAN 20 YEARS: My three main reasons, in shorthand: 1) Clemson DT Christian Wilkins, taken 13th overall, shows every indication of being a star, a fixture on the line for years. And his lockerroom presence is just as good. He'll be a culture cornerstone, an instant leader. 2) I believe in Josh Rosen’s continuing potential to be a franchise QB, and it was a steal of a deal to get him for a low second-round pick and a fifth. It is low-risk, high-reward. If he blossoms, great. If he doesn’t, there’s still Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert and Jake Fromm in 2020. Rosen is a safety net, a potential elite QB in case "Tank for Tua" doesn’t pan out. 3) The stockpiling of additional draft picks for next year. Miami has 12, and that could grow to 14 with expected compensatory picks for losing Ja’Wuan James and Cam Wake in free agency. Wilkins and Rosen are pictured. To read the full column please visit Rosen Has Chance To Turn A Good Dolphins Draft Great.
Our previous Dolphins draft columns on Rosen trade, Wilkins pick: To read, visit Dolphins Big Winners With Draft-Day Trade For QB Rosen and Dolphins Land Big Prize in Wilkins. Yes, I really liked both moves. When your first two days deliver an elite defensive tackle and a potential franchise quarterback on the cheap in a buyer's-market trade -- that's good work.
POLL RESULT: SOLID APPROVAL FOR DOLPHINS' OVERALL 2019 DRAFT: We asked, "What do you think of what the Miami Dolphins got done in the 2019 NFL Draft?" The poll included the trade for the QB Rosen as a part of the team's draft bounty. Your verdict: Very Impressed/Love It 27.34 percent; Impressed/Like It 43.17%; Fair/It's OK 21.58%; and Disappointing 7.91%. I say that's solid to strong approval -- 70.51% loving or liking it.
Other most recent columns: Dolphins at 13: Twice Lucky, One Horrific Tragedy / Everything Aligning for Dolphins to Land Tagovailoa in '20 / Oh To Be Hated Again! Lean Times For Miami Sports / Le Batard Takes Miami To Manhattan / Why Tiger's Masters Triumph Is About So Much More Than Golf / In Joel Quenneville, Panthers Get Their Riley, Their Shula / And our Dwyane Wade Week trilogy: The Last Star: Post-Wade, Miami Sports Is Bereft / Wade Fittingly Goes Out A Winner And A 30-point Star / And Thank You, Dwyane Wade, Miami's G.O.A.T.
Select other columns: Bosh Honored On A Wistful Night Of 'What If' / Beckham's Miami Soccer Odyssey Takes Latest Detour / Will Diaz's Canes Justify 'The New Miami' Hype? / Why Tannehill's Legacy Probably Isn't What You Think / Case For Kaepernick's Comeback As A Dolphin / 'Coach Crutch' Has Nova Southeastern Soaring / Trip to Miami Inspired a National Bobblehead Shrine / The Intrigue Left: Will LeBron Go Out On Top? / Transgender-Athlete Firestorm A Necessary Debate / Across the Rio Grande to the PGA Tour / From Dark and Empty to Top Of the World: Dan Le Batard at 50.
APSE-HONORED WORK: The Associated Press Sports Editors 2018 writing awards ranked us a Top 10 national sports columnist in the major-outlet category. Thanks, APSE. Here are the five nominated columns that earned the honor: At Doral, an annual tradition since 1962 is replaced by silence, and by what's missing / Marlins' Jose Fernandez statue is divisive yet has a chance to serve a greater purpose / NFL has moral obligation to help Buonicontis and Kiicks while it limits future suffering / What led to El Clasico Miami began with Joe Robbie's unlikely, accidental love of soccer / With 59 home runs, Stanton still had a magic season. Just hope this wasn't goodbye.
Revisit our blog often because we update and add to our latest posts throughout the day.
Twitter @gregcote
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