Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Miami, the city of Scarface, now ruled by the Heat



You can never take back your final conversation with a dying relative, and the last words I ever remember uttering to my nearly lifeless cancer stricken grandfather wasn’t some deep insightful realization about what he meant to me or advice on how to become a successful man with a nice suit and a hot wife.

“Poppy,” I said to the man who was so sick, he told the nurse to bring him an original Coke, with diet no longer able save him, “the Heat just traded for Jamal Mashburn. They’ve really made it.”

Poppy died, the Heat wouldn’t reach the NBA Finals for nearly a decade, but if you were a 14-year old South Florida sports junkie you felt on top of the sports world. Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway and Jamal Mashburn? That’s a hell of a team that people will notice.

Miami, of course, still belonged to Gloria Estefan, Scarface, glamour, glitz, crime, cocaine, sunbathing strippers on South Beach, Spanish billboards and shiny buildings. No more.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

'Canes to face Wannstedt, Dolphins second greatest coach ever?

Dave Wannstedt enters the conscious of South Florida sports fans on Thursday when the U tries to shake off the ugly loss to the Buckeyes with a much more realistic victory against Wannstedt’s Pitt Panthers.

Unless you’re in the Tom Selleck look-alike club in which Wannstedt is a full pledged card-carrying member, you haven’t thought much lately about Dave’s mediocre but respectable career with the Dolphins.


Thursday, September 16, 2010

Even Obama gets more love than LeBron

Our president, whose opponents paint him as the Muslim Communist illegitimate leader, is more popular than LeBron James. Go figure.

At least Obama’s popularity tanked slowly over a year in a half. LeBron plummeted in less than two months.


Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Dampier would bolster Heat's depth, chemistry issues and all



It might have been the most hated hour in the history of television, but I couldn’t help but rewatch LeBron’s Decision last week during routine maintenance of my DVR.

I fast forwarded through LeBron’s snoozer, instead revisiting the stunned analysts’ take on James’ impending move to Miami.

Jon Barry, as many remember, was a hater. He looked shell shocked, unwilling to admit that a trio of James, Wade and Bosh could dominate the league. 

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Marshall looks like the real deal for Miami

The Dolphins didn’t dominate in their opener, didn’t make any eye-opening statements against a below average Buffalo team.

But the most important thing to take out of Sunday’s game? Brandon Marshall is a beast, and the best target Miami has had in years. Ted Ginn’s No. 19 jersey has officially been washed, sanitized, purified, rectified. However you want to say it, the number looks a hell of a lot better on Marshall.



Saturday, September 11, 2010

Thoughts from the day that wasn't for Florida football teams

We can’t vote, can’t drive, it’s too hot, it rains all summer, but we damn sure know how to play football.

There’s so much talent by the beaches, in the muck that the Top 10 should forever be loaded with the state’s Big Three, and on Saturday it looked like Florida State and Miami had a chance to rejoin the Gators in elite company.

Then came the truth. Reality: 1, Miami/FSU: 0


Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Remembering the All-Time best Heat players in honor of NBA Jam

Don’t fault the newly resurrected NBA Jam for giving you Rony Seikaly and Glen Rice instead of Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway as your Miami legends. I cheered the bait-and-switch.




Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Parcells steps down with undetermined legacy in Miami

There’s a very thin line between lauding Bill Parcells for resuscitating a Dolphins team that was gasping for oxygen in a Himalayan village known as the House that Cameron built, and cursing the man who rode into town on a white horse and leaves Miami (sorry, sticks around as a consultant) a few short years later with Jeff Ireland and Tony Sparano to kick around -- nothing against Ireland and Sparano. Maybe they’ll continue to build a solid, if not impressive foundation that Parcells started to build at Sun Life Robbie Pro Stadium Park. Maybe not.

But you can’t really criticize the Big Tuna yet, because his legacy is far from determined in Miami an you have to remember what he came to fix.