1) It is MONDAY, OCTOBER 9. Happy Columbus Day, if it hasn't become politically incorrect to still think of Christopher positively. 2) See previous blogpost for results in latest Canesfan Satisfaction Meter. They're buoyant, a season high. 3) Know any people who are serious Dolfans despite recent performances? Surprise them with our book on club's first half-century. Learn more or order at Fins At 50. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Canes win at FSU with CSM poll, other state Collball Week 6, Panthers open, Cam Newton's problem, your World Series verdict & more. 5) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook, Instagram, Periscope and Snapchat.

Dolphins column off Sunday's game: Ah, yesterday. The halcyon days when the Dolphins' biggest problem was a lousy offense, not a soon-to-be-former offensive line coach snorting lines of a certain white powdery substance. Click on It Isn't Just Cutler for my game column.

Dolphins column on Foerster/Snortgate: NEW! Click Latest Drama in Bizarre, Trying Season.

DOLFAN SATISFACTION METER: G4: 9.9%: Results are certified in the latest installment of the Dolfan Satisfaction Meter postgame polls, and they show 9.9 percent overall approval -- the combination of "very" and "somewhat" satisfied votes -- in the wake of Sunday's 16-10 victory over the visiting Tennessee Titans putting Miami's season record at 2-2. That's a slight bump up, but a minimal one following a victory. The DSM is a continuous weekly gauge of how Dolfans are feeling about the team and its direction. Right after each game I invite you to share your overall degree of satisfaction. Criteria for voting is your own, but I suggest fans consider the most recent game's performance and caliber of opponent, season as a whole, direction the club is heading and your overall degree of optimism -- all in the context of reasonable expectations. Results are certified official the morning after one full day of voting. In this case that will be around 7 a.m. Tuesday.

G4: TENNESSEE AT DOLPHINS: EARLY IN SEASON FOR MUST-WIN FEEL, BUT HERE WE ARE: Postgame thoughts: One theory is there are no unsatisfying wins in the NFL. But if there were, this would be close: A 16-10 Miami win, at home, against a Tennessee team without its starting QB, a team that last week gave up 57 points. The Dolphins defense was as good as its offense was bad. That's the glass half-full. The D produced six sacks and two fumble recoveries -- the D won the game. But Jay Cutler and the offense were mostly anemic again, producing only six points on their own. With Miami 2-2, the Cutler offense has yet to generate a 20-point game as the schedule toughens from here ..... 4Q: Huge sack by top-pick rookie Charles Harris ... MIA up 16-10 on Cutler-Landry 6-yard hookup, but then a missed extra point wide right. Uh oh ..... 3Q: And the puntfest/snoozefest continues, with 15 combined punts through three ... Near-safety for MIA defense; ball marked at 1 leading to punt from end zone ... Miami punting on 4th and 1 from TEN 47 tells you how much confidence Adam Gase has in his offense right now ... TEN ties it 10-10 on 69-yard drive ending in 11-yard scoring pass. First opponent series Miami D has looked less than dominant ... DeVante Parker won't return today. Just the news an anemic offense didn't need ..... Halftime thoughts: Miami's defense, even considering Titans were without Marcus Mariota, was fantastic, limiting Tennessee to 80 total yards on 29 plays.  Four sacks and Reshad Jones' two fumble recoveries, one returned for a TD, made it among the most dominating defensive halves in memory. But! The Dolphins offense was just as bad as the defense was good, totaling a measly 63 yards. Miami scored zero points not set up by the D. Jay Cutler was 5-for-11 for 21 yards with an interception, and heard booing and "We want Moore!" chants. About as ugly as it gets for a team with the lead ..... 2Q: Cutler  intercepted on deflected ball. Pass was high, though, so it's mostly on him ... A very brief "We want Moore!" chant just bloomed following another Dolphins punt ... TEN within 10-3 on 45-yard FG set up by Ajayi turnover ... Ugh. Ajayi lost fumble gives Titans ball at MIA 24 ..... 1Q: Wow! MIA 10-0 after Jones' 38-yard TD return on fumble forced by Alonso hard hit on QB Cassel. Seemed like incomplete pass at first. Jones returned it anyway. Good thing ... MIA 3-0 late in quarter on Parkey 41-yard FG set up by takeaway ... Little Jakeem Grant had a TD catch but two defenders broke it up ... First big play is by MIA's defense as Jones recovers fumble at Titans 42 ... Noticeable booing as Fins punt for third straight time ... MIA's first 2 series have started at 7 and 3 yard lines. Not good ... Long-snapper Denney playing in 196th game, tie-3rd in Dolphins history. Promise never to mention the long snapper again ... Swapping punts to start game ..... Pregame: Marcus Mariota inactive a  huge boost for Miami's upset shot. Bet-line immediately fell from Dolphins -3 to -1.5. And then to even/pick-'em ..... Original post: I don't need a reminder that Miami started 1-4 last year, rose like Lazarus and made the playoffs. It is both true and means nothing. This Dolphins team at 1-2 will be in deep trouble if it falls to 1-3 today and all know it. Tennessee at 2-2 is a 3-point road favorite, which tells you a little something about regard for the Fins. But I like Miami in an upset. That's right. Eureka! Dolphins sleeping offense finally awakens! It hardly feels like an upset, especially with the strong possibility that Titans QB Marcus Mariota (hamstring) either won't play or will be limited. The dropoff to lousy Matt Cassel is extreme. But I'd like Miami anyway in the Fins' second-latest home opener in franchise history to one in 1987. Dolphins' offense can't possibly be as bad as it's looked the past two weeks (right?), and this is a Tennessee defense that just gave up 57 points (!) to Houston. Miami needs to recommit to the ground and Jay Ajayi, first, and the O-line must give Jay Cutler a cleaner pocket and another second to throw against a beatable Titans pass defense. Meanwhile the Dolphins run-stopping has been pretty solid; now, if only the pass-D was as stout. The key may be Ajayi's health, after he missed practice Thursday, babying a tender knee. Still not sure this will prove to be much beyond an average Dolphins team, or a playoff team, but it is a team that wins this game at home. (Or better be). My pick: Dolphins, 24-17. [Click on Week 5 Gems for all our latest NFL picks].

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (UPDATED): WHAT SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive every-Sunday feature, updated Mondays, is part week-in-review, part look-ahead. Hot Button means what's on our minds, locally and nationally, but from a Miami perspective, as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead. This week's HB10:

1. HURRICANES: Finally! UM gets Litmus-test win over FSU, but loses Walton: Canes fans had waited since 2009, through seven straight losses to Florida State and then a Hurricane Irma delay, to finally beat their ACC rival and nemesis again. Wait: Worth it. Still-unbeaten Canes 24, Noles 20. Costly, though, with season-ending ankle injury to top RB Mark Walton.

6. BASEBALL: Postseason underway with divisional series: The Astros (at Red Sox) and Indians (at Yankees) are up 2-1 and in position to clinch their 5-game AL divisional series tonight. Raise your hand if you still think of the Astros as an NL team.

7. SOCCER: U.S. men breathe easier after rout of Panama: Team USA walloped Panama 4-0 Friday night in a qualifying match in Orlando to all but assure itself of advancing to the 2018 World Cup in Russia. U.S. can clinch Tuesday with a win (or likely even a tie) at Trinidad & Tobago.

8. CAM NEWTON: Carolina QB belittles woman sports writer: Newton called it "funny" to hear a "female" talk about route-running. Dear Cam: You play football for a living. What I find funny is someone who plays a game for living believing that game's intricacies are beyond the grasp of anybody.

9. UM BASKETBALL: Canes expect no problem with FBI probe: A Hurricanes assistant coach was implicated but not charged in that national FBI investigation of college men's basketball recruiting, and UM now says it expects a complete exoneration. Exhale, please.

10. WNBA: MInnesota continues its mini-dynasty: A fourth championship in seven seasons. Does that qualify the Minnesota Lynx as dynastic? If only I cared enough to consider further.

Revisit our blog often because we update and add to our latest posts throughout the day.

GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND.

1) THURSDAY, JUNE 29. Congrats to Miami FC for beating MLS Atlanta last night to reach the round of eight in the U.S. Open Cup. 2) Know any Dolfans? Surprise them with our book on club's first half-century. Learn more or order at Fins At 50. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hot Button Top 10, your verdict on Heat's Adebayo pick, The List (Heat) & more. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook, Instagram, Periscope and Snapchat.

Clinton Portis's near-murder: The former NFL and Miami Hurricanes star running back nearly committed murder four years ago over a financial swindle, says Sports Illustrated in new story. Click here to read.

The latest Back In My Day: I was back in-studio yesterday with Dan LeBatard Show With Stugotz. Click here for the best-of podcast, then scroll to about 48:30 mark for latest Back In My Day (Tuxedos).

My column on Heat, Adebayo: Click on Bam Is Due Benefit Of Doubt for my column on the Miami Heat drafting Kentucky power forward Bam Adebayo in first round. Most mock drafts and media experts see it as a "reach." John Calipari and Pat Riley disagree. I know where my benefit if doubt goes.

SERENA WILLIAMS VS. JOHN MCENROE: WHAT'S FAIR?: LeBatard and I had a genuine disagreement and high-pitched radio debate about this yesterday. John McEnroe noted in an interview that, while Serena is the greatest women's tennis player, she'd lose to the 700th-ranked man. LeBatard and many others agree and think Serena cannot be called the "best" without that qualifier. I think that's absurd and an insult to women's athletes and accomplishments to be constantly compared to men when the debate is pointless -- apples and oranges. Serena has won 23 singles majors (and counting, post-pregnancy). No man has won more than 17. Maybe this is a semantics argument (best vs. greatest), but I think it's unfair to Serena to always get the "yeah, but" qualifier on how she might lose to a good men's college player. Should the greatest women's weightlifter of all-time be diminished because men can outlift her? Crazy. Serena is the most accomplished player to ever lift a tennis racket. Period. OK, that's me. Your turn. Take a dip in our poll:

THE LATEST DISRESPECT OF MIAMI DOLPHINS: The Dolphins -- the 10-6 playoff team from 2016 but with a 7 1/2-win betting over/under for '17 -- continue saddled by low regard nationally. The latest example: ESPN today ranks all 32 NFL rosters in order, based on Pro Football Focus grades for every projected starter, and the Dolphins' roster ranks 22nd. New England's is rated second, trailing only Atlanta. ESPN calls Ndamukong Suh the Fins' biggest strength, and the offensive line the biggest weakness. Why that's significant: Ryan Tannehill had a 116.6 rating throwing from a clean pocket, but only 49.1 when hurried -- a drop almost double the league average. Here are PFF's rankings for every Miami starter, with 90-plus considered elite, 80-89 good/high quality, 70-79 average, 60-69 below average, and 60 or lower poor. Totals add up to more than 22 starters because of starting battles at a few positions:

Elite (0) -- None. Good/high quality (9) --  S Reshad Jones 88.5; DT Suh 88.4; DE Cam Wake 87.4; RB Jay Ajayi 86.8; WR Jarvis Landry 85.1; CB Byron Maxwell 85.0; DE William Hayes 83.4; QB Tannehill 80.8 and WR DeVante Parker 80.2. Average (8) -- RT Ja'Wuan James 78.0; TE Anthony Fasano 76.5; WR Kenny Stills 73.8; LG Ted Larsen 72.3; LB Kiko Alonso 71.9; CB Bobby McCain 71.2; C Mike Pouncey 71.7 and LT Laremy Tunsil 70.4. Below average (2) -- S Nate Allen 68.0 and TE Julius Thomas 66.6. Poor (5) -- DT Jordan Phillips 56.8; RG LB Koa Misi 50.0; CB Xavien Howard 49.1; LB Lawrence Timmons 46.8 and (pictured) RG Jermon Bushrod 41.7.

My take: Grade for Maxwell seems high. But grades for Pouncey (when healthy), Tunsil and Timmons seem low.

NEW DEFINITION FOR GREATEST DOLPHINS FANS EVER. OR WEIRDEST, PERHAPS?: You think you're a huge Dolphins fans? OK, would you wear a Dolphins helmet during your wedding ceremony? Put another way: Would your bride let you? Lee's wife-to-be did. Lee (@LeeToplanding on Twitter) is a huge Miami fan from England, got married on Sunday, and posted the attached photo from his wedding ceremony. Dolphins, get this guy free tickets or something. Seriously. I admire his level of fandom. More than that. I admire his bride's sense of humor.

HOT BUTTON DAILY: THU 6-29-17: Today's sports events of most interest in SoFla:

1. N.Y. Mets at Marlins, 7:10 p.m.: Fish in 2nd of 3 vs. NL East rivals.

2. Confederations Cup, 2 p.m.: Germany vs. Mexico in soccer semifinal.

3. U.S. Swimming, 7 p.m.: National championships continue in Indianapolis.

4. Arm wrestling, 10 p.m.: It's the World League championships!

Select other recent columns: A 1-Man Mock Draft: My prediction for Heat's top pick. Random Evidence: The Shame of Margaret Court: Return of The Notes Column! Make Fun of the Farce, But You'll Watch: On Mayweather vs. McGregor. No Parade In Sight: None of our Big 5 teams seems close to a championship. A Fall From Greatness And From Grace: Latest in Tiger Woods saga. 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. 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. The Dolphins' Eight Ifs: Explaining dichotomy of opinion on Fins. On The Team's Terms, Not His: What it would take for Heat/Dwyane Wade reunion. The Kid From Pampa: Why Dolphin draft's late rounds matter. 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. Also: History Breathes at UM Sports Hall, Is There A Team Brave Enough for Kaepernick?, Thank You, Mae Riback, A Ghost Tour of Miami's Sports Past, The Miracle of Liberty City, Thank You, Edwin Pope.

Revisit our blog often because we update and add to our latest posts throughout the day.

GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND.

1) It is FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4. Miami Herald's new book on Dolphins' first half century is now available, just in time for the holidays! Click on Fins At 50 for more info or to order through Amazon. 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Cubs win World Series with history of Game 7s, Wade and LeBron's bet, your Dolphins/London verdict & more. 3) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook, Instagram, Vine, Periscope and Snapchat.

A few recent columns: World Series, NFL, Jose Fernandez, Heat, Dolphins: There's Hope For Us All (on Cubs' World Series win) and A Needed Slap In Face (on NFL's declining TV ratings), our two newest columns. Also: Jose Tragedy Couldn't Get Worse, But Then It Did. The Whiteside Project. What Took You So Long? (on Dolphins' running-game epiphany). Heat's System Reboot. And The 200-Yard Man (Jay Ajayi).

IT'S UPSET BIRD DAY / WEEK 9: OUR PICKS FOR DOLPHINS-JETS, REST OF NFL: Time to reclaim our mojo in Week 9 of our 26th season of Friday Page NFL predictions in the Miami Herald, one of our best, after last week's stumble. We were 6-6-1 overall and a miserable 3-9-1 against the spread last week, our worst showing of the season by far. And yet we are now a big 22 games over .500 ATS for the year (70-48-3) after a good start to our week last night. We correctly had Falcons covering a 4-point line at Tampa Bay; click Thursday Gem for that pick. For all our latest selections click on Week 9 Gems as myself and the Upset BIrd ("Aawwwk!") bring you our latest predictions for Dolphins-Jets, our Game of the Week, Upset of the Week and more. We also offer our accompanying NFL notes column today that leads with our midseason trophy choices in seven categories including league and Dolphins MVP. Click on King Sport Halftime Awards to read.

WHY HARVARD UNIVERSITY HAS NEVER STOOD TALLER: The word "Harvard" always has connoted top-tier academia, but today we applaud not its brainpower but its moral stand. The Harvard men's soccer team, leading the Ivy League, was just suspended immediately for the rest of its season by the university, all remaining game forfeited, all postseason hopes erased. Why? Because that men's team was found to have continued a disgusting practice in which the male players offer explicit, lewd, sexually charged "scouting reports" on Harvard's women's team. Is this 2016? Or 1956? Is this the highest level of academia? Or middle school? For better or ill, this proves the men of Harvard, ostensibly smart, can be as misogynistic, boorish, juvenile and crude as anybody else. Note that the Harvard crest includes the word "veritas." In Roman myth, Veritas was the goddess of truth. So here's some truth: the offending Harvard men's soccer players are a bunch of idiots! Click here for the background story, and here for the women's team's response. Good for Harvard for its actions, although, considering there were indications of this happening as far back as 2012, you wonder if this little cancer should have been addressed sooner. There should be mutual respect between men and women athletes. Wait. Better yet: How's this for a concept? There should be mutual respect between men and women.

INTRODUCING: "THE LUDDITE'S ANTI-ANALYTICS HEAT MVP STANDINGS": Points. Rebounds. Assists. That's it. With tongue partly in cheek, we go old-school, strip it down, combine the Original Big Three statistical categories, and introduce a running, cumulative race for Heat team MVP. We'll bring you updates every five games. Miami's fifth game is tonight. So look for The Luddite's debut Heat MVP standings here in the blog Saturday morning.

Revisit our blog often because we update and add to our latest posts throughout the day.

GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND.

1) It is WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27. ICYMI, click on Making a Showkiller for Fusion TV's spoof (starring me) of Making a Murderer. 2) In The Previous Blogpost: Panthers-Broncos Super Bowl 50 polls, Canes' and Heat's big night, Heat's Whiteside Dilemma poll, Hot Button Top 10 & more. 3) For those who care (both of you), I went 1-1 straight-up and against the spread on my NFL Championship Sunday picks. Did not see Broncos beating Patriots. 4) Follow us on Twitter @gregcote. Also on Facebook, Instagram, Vine and Periscope.

"Some headlines could not be more ridiculous if you made them up. Are you ready? 'John Rocker Endorses Trump.' Seriously." --Greg Cote

UM baseball picked to win its ACC division: The upcoming college baseball season is expected to be a big one for the Hurricanes, who are No. 5 in the preseason polls and now selected to win the ACC Coastal Division in a preseason poll of coaches. Louisville is forecast to win the Atlantic Division and overall conference title. Other strong ACC baseball schools include Virginia and Florida State.

Larranaga's vision, crystallized in one night: The ranked Hurricanes beating Duke in front of a packed house -- this is what Jim Larranaga imagined when he took this job in 2011. Click on Coach L's Vision for my column off Monday night's game.

'72 PERFECT SEASON DOLPHINS LOSE!: Oh my but Don Shula, Mercury Morris and those fellas won't like this one bit. CBS Sports and Strat-O-Matic are playing the 49 Super Bowl winners head to head in simulated games to name the ultimate all-time champion, and the '72 Dolphins, a No. 1 seed, just lost in the round of 16 to the 17th-seeded 1992 Cowboys. The recap from CBS: "Garo Yepremian's missed 44-yard field goal with 30 seconds left in regulation ended the '72 Dolphins' dreams and enabled the '92 Cowboys to advance to the Elite 8."

HURRICANES FOOTBALL SCHEDULE LOOKING LIKE 9-3 SEASON, BUT...: The ACC released its 2016 schedules today and Miami's soft non-conference opening portends a 3-0 start and gives the Canes' a leg up on a strong season under new coach Mark Richt. Initially I'm thinking 9-3 (see below) two of those projected losses could be wins: Florida State, here, and North Carolina, also here. Only the game at Notre Dame feels like a good-bet loss. Our quick thoughts:

G1: vs. Florida A&M Sept. 3 -- Division 1AA Rattlers finished 1-10 in the MEAC. Season opener and Mark Richt debut should be a breeze for Canes. W, 1-0 

G2: vs. Florida Atlantic Sept. 10 -- Owls were a disappointing 3-9 in Conference USA including a 44-20 loss to UM, but recall that FAU pushed then-No. 8 Florida to overtime in a 20-14 loss in the Swamp. Should be a sure Canes win, but Owls could put up some fight. W, 2-0

G3: at Appalachian State Sept. 17 -- The Mountaineers were 11-2 in the Sun Belt and gave Clemson a better game (a 41-10 loss) than Miami did last year. Miami should win without much trouble, but it's no pushover, plus it is UM's first road game. W, 3-0

G4: at Georgia Tech Oct. 1 -- UM's ACC opener is vs. a Yellow Jackets squad that will be trying to rebound from a 3-9 season that included a 38-21 loss to Miami. Liking Miami to win this and make it 4-0, especially coming off bye week, but conference games on the road seldom are easy. W, 4-0

G5: vs. Florida State Oct. 8 -- FSU finished 10-3 and only beat Miami 29-24 last year, but figures to be favored, even on the road. The Seminoles have become a nemesis and conference roadblock. Al Golden couldn't beat them. Richt must prove he can. L, 4-1

G6: vs. North Carolina Oct. 15 -- The Tar Heels whipped Miami last year 59-21 en route to an 11-3 season and only lost 45-37 to Clemson. UNC could be favored here. It's one of those swing games that will determine whether Richt's first season is seen as a success. L, 4-2

G7: at Virginia Tech Oct. 20 -- Hokies finished 7-6 including a 30-20 loss to Miami, but this is a tough place to play. Another swing game. W, 5-2 

G8: at Notre Dame Oct. 29 -- Fighting Irish were 10-1 before losing their last two, and South Bend can be a madhouse. A likely loss ... or a signature win. L, 5-3

G9: vs. Pittsburgh Nov. 5 -- Panthers were 8-5 and lost to Miami 29-24. Another competitive game is likely, but UM should prevail at home. W, 6-3

G10: at Virginia Nov.12 -- Cavaliers were 5-8 but gave Miami a fight, losing 27-21. Could be tough as a road game but count it a Canes win. W, 7-3

G11: at North Carolina State Nov. 19 -- Wolfpack were 4-0 before fading to 7-6 and did not face UM last year. The road makes it dicey, but it feels winnable for UM. W, 8-3

G12: vs. Duke Nov. 26 -- Blue Devils finished 8-5 including a 30-27 loss to UM. Home and regular finale should find Canes favored. W, 9-3 

#WOMENNOTOBJECTS: Ad executve Madonna Badger, tired of how her own industry objectifies women as sexual playthings, produced a short video skewering the advertising game. Background story here. The video is below, and it's pretty powerful stuff. Quick aside to fashion designer Tom Ford: I'm sure you are a nice guy, maybe, but your ad agency appears to be run by misogynistic idiots.

FUN ACTIVITIES FOR SATANIC CHILDREN. NO, SERIOUSLY: There are fervent believers in God. There are those who want to believe. There are agnostics. There are atheists. And, yes, there are Satanists. This past summer hundreds gathered at a Satanic temple in Detroit for the unveiling of a large bronze statue of Baphomet, the goat-headed creature who has come to represent a totem of modern Satanism. Whatever, right? Free country and so forth. But what I find both a little frightening and oddly hilarious is the book pictured. I don't wanna know what those fun activities involve. Animal sacrifice? Crafting papier mache goat horns? Nor do I want my kid having a play-date with the tall, sullen Satanic Frankenstein kid on the far right.

Poll results: Thinking Panthers, but wanting Broncos: We asked your early Super Bowl 50 picks, and 81.6 percent predicted the Carolina Panthers would win, but 59.1% want the Denver Broncos to win.

Poll results: You're torn on the Whiteside Dilemma, too: We asked you what the Heat should do this summer, and it was 42.0% for making a free-agent play for Kevin Durant, 31.7% for signing Hassan Whiteside long-term instead, and 26.3% undecided.

Revisit our blog a lot because we constantly update and add to our latest posts...

Twitter @gregcote

[Thanks to all our live-chatters today. We do it every Wednesday from noon to 1. Click HERE to join us then or to post questions any time. Also, follow along at Twitter.com/gregcote. Note: Our Udonis Haslem/pot-bust poll is still accepting your votes in blog post directly below this].

THE DEATH OF  WOMEN'S SPORTS: A new study of gender in televised sports by Southern Cal's Center for Feminist Research finds that women's sports are being shown on TV less than at any point in the past 20 years. The center's Michael Messner calls it "simply intolerable." I call it "simply understandable." Women's sports that should be staples, such as the WNBA and LPGA, are stagnant and struggling. The latest attempt at women's professional soccer has folded. And TV is the great, inarguable barometer: It's all about the ratings. Women's Olympic sports such as figure skating, the WTA (women's tennis) and to some degree women's major-college basketball are consistently the only female sports that draw interest (ratings). You can debate the moral ethics of Title IX, but you can't argue facts such as TV ratings or this, as an example: the NBA attendance share relative to the WNBA was 92.3 percent last season. Title IX gives women's sports a free pass, a fair chance, but women need to earn their place on TV by providing a product that is attractive. At the root of this is the reality that the WNBA and women's golf simply are not sports that enough people (men or women) care to watch. But that's just my take. What's yours? Take a dip in our poll and weigh in.

FAVRE RETURNING STEEPENS DOLPHINS' CLIMB: Looks like quarterback Brett Favre will return to the Minnesota Vikings instead of retiring, thanks in part to a $3.5 million bribe raise. The biggest impact of that is to the Green Bay Packers, whose path to a division title adds a huge roadblock. But Miami takes a hit, too. Dolphins are at Minnesota in Week 2 and will go there now as a considerably bigger underdog. The Vikes would have pretty good even with Tarvaris Jackson. With Favre they're a top-five squad and a Super Bowl contender.

GOTTA LOVE THE MEDIA: Talking about today's headline, 'No hand-wringing needed about [Brandon] Marshall drops.' I am not singling out the writer because we all do it; I've done it. Essentially we write "no need to panic" but in devoting coverage to the subject we lend credence to and in effect contribute to the panic. It's mindful of the annual barrage of Super Bowl columns bemoaning the excess while contributing to it. Marshall continues the least of your worries, Dolfans. Now if you'd like to start worrying about the rash of injuries (the latest to guard Nate Garner), then I think you're on to something!

YET MORE LEBRON: Click here for excerpts from GQ's September cover story on LeBron James in which he mentions maybe ending his career back in Cleveland, if Cavs fans would have him. That should be fine. We'll allow it. Don't be greedy, Heat fans. Five years of LBJ and a few championships should sate us well.

LET'S GET ALL POLITICAL!: I know, I know. "That's inappropriate for a sports blog!" I can hear you now. I stretch the bounds of the blog partly for the hell of it, but largely because I give sports fans and my readers credit for having a brain beyond games. So I say this:

1. DR. LAURA: I don't listen to Dr. Laura Schlessinger's syndicated radio show but have explored the issue of her using the N-word on the air and basically being forced into retirement for it. Click here for an audio and transcript of what she said. In context, she used the word in reference to how black comics say "n--, n--, n--" all the time, with impunity. (She might have added black rappers). It strikes me the firestorm is much ado about very little. But there's a lesson here: Apparently it is that White Folk may not use the N-word even when quoting Black Folk using the N-word.

2. GROUND ZERO MOSQUE: I guess we have to define the boundaries of what constitutes Sacred Ground, considering the mosque site is a couple of blocks from where the World Trade Centers went down, in an area that used to be a Burlington Coat Factory. Anybody else think it's strange that in this case a prayer center seems less fitting for Sacred Ground than a coat factory?

3. ROD BLAGOJEVICH: A jury convicted the disgraced Illinois governor on only one of 24 corruption counts. Who knew the O.J. Jury was still together?

Don't even get me started on Jeff Greene.

SHAQ VS. TYSON GAY: Click here for the full episode of the Shaq Vs. reality show when he races 60 meters against Tyson Gay. Well, except that Tyson is running 60 meters and Shaq only 30. There is a word for that type of head start. I think the word is "cheating."

HIP-HOP MONEY-MAKERS: Forbes list the top 20 hip-hop profiteers and the top 10 is Jay-Z, Diddy, Akon, Lil Wayne and Dr. Dre, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, Timbaland, Pharrell Williams and Kanye West. Did you ever notice that all Forbes seems to do now is rank people by how much money they make.

Click back. Be adding updates and more new stuff to this post later...