It is Friday!  The weekend is here.

What is next for the Heat?  Retooling, not rebuilding.  Here’s the world, according to Pat Riley:

The Heat World, according to Pat Riley

The Miami Herald reviews Pat Riley's comments

Notable excerpts from Pat Riley's conference

In case you missed it, Riley had some public criticism of Coach Erik Spoelstra:

"He needs to reinvent himself"

More from Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel:

The Sentinel's Ira Winderman

Let’s go to MLB.

TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION:  In Wednesday’s game vs. the Blue Jays, Yankee catcher Brian McCann tripled and homered and drove in five runs.  Who was the last Yankee catcher to do that in a game?  The answer comes later, alligator.

Marlins prospect Andrew Heaney made his major league debut yesterday, and gave up only a first-inning homer to David Wright.  That was just what Mets’ starter Zack Wheeler needed, as the Metropolitans beat the Fish, 1-0.  Heaney suffered the loss, but he looks like the real deal.

Video Recap from ESPN

Here are the probable pitchers for the rest of the Mets series this weekend:

Friday         Daisuke Matsuzaka vs Henderson Alvarez  7:10 pm

Saturday     Jacob deGrom vs Tom Koehler                   4:10 pm

Sunday        Jon Niese vs Anthony DeSclafani               1:10 pm

After the series with the Metropolitans, the Fish head to Philadelphia to take on the surging Phillies.

Click below for yesterday’s recaps and results in the major leagues:

National League

American League

Here are the standings in MLB:

MLB standings

Today’s complete schedule in the major leagues:

Today's games in MLB

Here are the individual leaders in the majors:

Individual batting and pitching leaders

Some other things I’m keeping my eye on around the diamonds:

Clayton Kershaw tossed a no-hitter on Wednesday.  Beautiful performance.  It would have been a perfect game, except for this error by SS Hanley Ramirez:

E-6 by Hanley costs Kershaw a perfect game

Kershaw shouldn't feel all that bad, however.  He joins Armando Galarraga, Jonathan Sanchez, and Terry Mulholland in a select group of pitchers that lost perfect games to an error.  Galarraga, of course, lost his gem to an error by umpire Jim Joyce, who missed an obvious call at first base with two outs in the ninth inning.

For you history buffs:  Here’s the true definition of heartbreaking:  In 1959, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Harvey Haddix retired 36 consecutive batters to start a game against the Milwaukee Braves, a team loaded with offensive stars like Joe Adcock, Eddie Mathews, and Hank Aaron.  12 perfect innings in the books before an error spoiled the perfect game leading off the 13th inning.  The Pirates and Haddix ended up losing the game, on a walk-off homer by Adcock.  Adcock’s homer went into the record books as a double because Aaron walked off the field instead of scoring after the homer.  By the way, Lew Burdette of the Braves tossed all 13 innings for the Braves.

The Atlanta Braves need a “babalao”.  Another starting pitcher had a season-ending injury yesterday, as Gavin Floyd suffered an elbow fracture while pitching in the seventh inning.  He had a two-hit shutout going before the injury on the first pitch of the inning. 

BTW, the Braves have now beaten the Nats in 23 out of their last 30 encounters.

Speaking of streaks, the Yankees swept the first-place Toronto Blue Jays in a three-game series at Yankee Stadium.  Make that 16 wins in a row for the Bombers over the Jays in the Bronx.

As the Yankees pitching staff is manned by a whole bunch of “no-names”, CC Sabathia continues to try and recover from a knee injury.  They are now saying that he will miss at least another 6 to 8 weeks.

Great comeback by Scott Kazmir of the Oakland A’s.  He beat the Red Sox last night, 4-2, allowing only 2 runs and four hits in seven innings.  Kazmir struck out 8 and didn’t walk a batter in improving to 9-2, with a 2.08 ERA.

Let the bidding begin!  Another Cuban player has defected from Cuba.  23-year-old outfielder Yasmani Tomas is the latest to leave Cuba for greener pastures in MLB.  

Another Cuban player defects

More from MLB:

MLB Trade Rumors

ESPN Rumors

PAY ATTENTION HERE . . . THIS IS IMPORTANT

The recent decision by the US Patent and Trademark Office to cancel the registration of the Washington Redskins football team due to the “disparaging nature” of the name brings up the question of what’s next?

Somebody in Washington, DC has very little to do if they are really concerned about the Redskins name being offensive.  Personally, I find it more offensive that for decades, the baseball team in Washington was named the “Senators”.  Talk about derogatory, naming a team after a corrupt group of politicians . . . . 

Here is more history for you history buffs:

The nickname “Redskins” came long before the team started playing in Washington.  They began playing football in 1932, in Boston, where they were known as the “Braves”.  They changed the name to the Redskins in 1933, before moving the team to Washington, DC in 1937.  

During the early years of the NFL, most teams were struggling to draw fans to the game, and they tried to “piggyback” on the names of baseball teams to help.  For example, in Chicago, the Cubs’ success led to George Halas naming his NFL team the Bears; in Detroit, the Lions followed the Tigers, in Boston, it was the Boston Braves; in New York, the NFL team was known as the Yankees for a while, and later the Giants.

"Redskin" was used throughout the English-speaking world throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as a common term of reference for indigenous Americans. However, the more commonly used term from early colonization through the twentieth century was "Indian", perpetuating Columbus' belief that he had found the Indies.  

Although most people assume that the word “redskin” refers to the natural skin color of the North American Indians, there is more than ample documentation and historical proof that it was conferred on the native inhabitants of the colonies by the British colonists, because of the red paint they wore in battle.  The first use of red-skin or red Indian may have been limited to specific groups that used red pigments to decorate their bodies, such as the Beothuk people of Newfoundland who painted their bodies with red pigment.  Redskin referred not to the natural skin color of the people, but to their use of vermilion face paint and body paint.  The indigenous peoples of the continent had no common identity, and referred to themselves using individual tribal names, which is also preferred to the present day.  Group identity for Native Americans only emerged during the late 18th and early 19th century, in the context of negotiations between many tribes signing a single treaty with the United States, where Native American Chiefs referred to themselves and the tribes they represented, with words translated into English as "red skins”. 

Is it offensive or not?  A poll commissioned by Sports Illustrated in 2002 found that 75% of American Indians polled did not object to the Redskins name.  In 2004, a poll conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania found that 91% of the American Indians surveyed in the 48 states of the US Mainland found the name acceptable.I cannot join the number of people that opine on this subject, but I can cite an example of a high school in Teec Nos Pos, Arizona, where the students are 98% Native Americans.  Their mascot name of choice?  The Redskins.

Here is a very interesting story on the history of Chief Wahoo, the logo of the Cleveland Indians:

The secret history of Chief Wahoo 

WHAT’S NEXT IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S AGENDA: 

THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA

Obviously, they need to start by changing the name of the state of Oklahoma.  The word Oklahoma is derived from Choctaw Indian words which translate as red people (“okla" meaning "people" and “humma” meaning “red”).

CHANGE THESE NATIVE AMERICAN NAMES AS WELL:

Florida State Seminoles

San Diego State Aztecs

Illinois Fighting Illini

Cleveland Indians

Atlanta Braves

Kansas City Chiefs

Chicago Blackhawks

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors

Texas Tech Red Raiders

Central Michigan Chippewas

Dallas Cowboys

OTHER GROUPS MAY BE OFFENDED BY:

New York Yankees - (The term “Yankee” was a derogatory term used by the British Army to make fun of the American army during the Revolutionary War.)

Notre Dame Fighting Irish 

Ohio Wesleyan University Fighting Bishops

Coachella Valley Arabs

Minnesota Vikings

Milwaukee Brewers

New York Mets - (ACRONYM - My Entire Team Sucks)

Pittsburgh Pirates 

East Carolina Pirates

Sweet Briar College Vixens 

Yuma Criminals

Orofino Maniacs

Watersmeet Nimrods

Williamsport Millionaires

Centrallia Orphans (boys) Annies (girls) 

Hoopestown Cornjerkers

Nashville Predators

UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

SEXUAL INNUENDO:

Alabama Crimson Tide (usually followed by menstruation jokes)

Colorado Rocky Mountain Oysters (bull testicles)

Oregon State Beavers (female anatomy)

Ohio State Buckeyes (a tree that produces a small, hairless nut)

Toronto Blue Jays (commonly referred to as the BJ’s)

Virginia Tech Hokies (castrated turkeys)

VILE ANIMALS:

Arizona Diamondbacks - a venomous snake

South Carolina Gamecocks - glamorizing cockfighting?

Delaware Blue Hens - chickens used in cockfighting for soldiers’ entertainment during Revolutionary War

Florida Gators - talk about a vile creature

UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs - Yeech

Trinity Christian College Trolls

RELIGIOUS OVERTONES:

New Jersey Devils

New Orleans Saints

Wake Forest Deamon Deacons

Northwestern State University Demons

Kaukauna Galloping Ghosts

DISASTERS (natural or otherwise) THAT CAUSE INJURIES, PROPERTY DAMAGE, AND EVEN DEATH

University of Miami Hurricanes

Carolina Hurricane

University of Tulsa Golden Hurricanes

University of New England Nor’easters

Iowa State Cyclones

Booker T. Washington Tornadoes

Oklahoma City Thunder

Tampa Bay Lightning

San Jose Earthquakes

Colorado Avalanche

Miami Heat

Calgary Flames  - (originally the Atlanta Flames). - named after General William T. Sherman’s burning of Atlanta during the Civil War

DUMB NAMES OR NAMES THAT ARE NO LONGER RELEVANT:

LA Dodgers - Dodgers name was for the Brooklyn folks who used to “dodge” trolley trains in Brooklyn

LA Lakers - Originally in Minnesota, land of 1,000 lakes

Utah Jazz - Good while the team was in New Orleans

Orlando Magic - since the Magic Kingdom is near Orlando

Washington Wizards - ???

Golden State Warriors - originally the Philadelphia Warriors.  Hell, their logo is a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - really?

Georgetown Hoyas - Although their mascot is the picture of a bulldog, the word “hoya” is Greek for “what”.

HERE ARE SOME GREAT NICKNAMES, (usually from minor league baseball, or colleges and universities):

Savannah Sand Gnats

Richmond Fighting Squirrels

Batavia Muck Dogs

Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs

Montgomery Biscuits

Asheville Tourists

St. Louis College of Pharmacy Eutectics

University of Akron Zips

Wichita State Shockers

Scottsdale Community College Artichokes

Bottom line, there is no consensus as to whether or not Native Americans are or are not offended by these mascot names.  Is it appropriate to name teams after natural disasters?  The burning of a city?  The Anti-Christ?  Vile animals?  

Methinks the federal government should stay out of stuff like this.  Maybe they should concern themselves with stuff that truly is relevant to the well-being of the entire United States. It seems to me that any one could take offense to any nickname.

From his Twitter account, here’s what Robert Griffin III, quarterback of the Washington Redskins, has to say:

“In a land of freedom we are held hostage by the tyranny of political correctness.  Tyranny - a condition imposed by some outside agency or force <living under the tyranny of the clock or political correctness….”

Let us move on to the Miami Dolphins and the NFL.

The Herald reports on the Dolphins’ scrimmage:

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Dolphins sign first round pick 

Hallelujah!  Miami-Dade County approves deal with the Dolphins, new roof on the horizon for the Seven-Names stadium

Here’s more on the Miami Dolphins from Armando Salguero:

Dolphins in Depth

Chris Perkins and Omar Kelly bring us their Dolphin blog:

Sentinel's Dolphin Blog

The countdown is on until the Dolphins take the field.  Their first preseason game is just over two months away.  Here are both the Preseason and Regular Season schedules:

2014 MIAMI DOLPHINS Preseason schedule: 

Aug. 8         at Atlanta Falcons             (Fri)    7:00 pm
Aug. 16       at Tampa Bay Bucs           (Sat)     7:00 pm
Aug. 23       Dallas Cowboys                (Sat)     7:00 pm
Aug. 28       St. Louis Rams                 (Thu)    7:00 pm

2014 MIAMI DOLPHINS Regular Season schedule:

Sep. 7         New England Patriots                    1:00 pm
Sep. 14       at Buffalo Bills                              1:00 pm
Sep. 21       Kansas City Chiefs                         4:25 pm
Sep. 28       at Oakland Raiders  (London)         6:00 pm

Oct. 5         BYE
Oct. 12       Green Bay Packers                         1:00 pm
Oct. 19       at Chicago Bears                            1:00 pm
Oct. 26       at Jacksonville Jaguars                  1:00 pm
Nov. 2        San Diego Chargers                         1:00 pm
Nov. 9        at Detroit Lions                              1:00 pm
Nov. 13      Buffalo Bills              (Thu)              8:25 pm
Nov. 23      at Denver Broncos                           4:25 pm

Dec. 1        at New York Jets      (Mon)              8:30 pm
Dec. 7        Baltimore Ravens                           1:00 pm
Dec. 14      at New England Patriots                  1:00 pm
Dec. 21      Minnesota Vikings                           1:00 pm
Dec. 28      New York Jets                                 1:00 pm

For more from around the NFL, here is NFL NATION:

NFL Nation Blog

Of course, we can all continue to sleep at night, knowing full well that Aaron Hernandez remains in jail, where he belongs. 

From around the universities,

Manny Navarro and Susan Miller Degnan have more from the University of Miami.

Eye on the U

From FIU, David J. Neal of the Herald has the latest in his blog:

Panthers Prowl

Here’s the latest from Tallahassee and the Seminoles:

FSU blog | Seminoles Chant

From Gainesville and the University of Florida:

UF blog | Gator Clause

The Central Florida Knights are in the house:

Central Florida Blog / Knights Note Pad

In other sports,

There is some sort of soccer thing going on.  I hear the American team won a game, and they are ready to play again.  There is a lot of celebrating in Columbia, but Spain is in mourning.  Here is the latest from Brazil:

World Cup Coverage from ESPNFC.US

Here is Santos Perez’ weekly boxing column in the Miami Herald:

Santos Perez' weekly boxing column from the Miami Herald

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THE ANSWER TO TODAY’S TRIVIA QUESTION:  In Wednesday’s game vs. the Blue Jays, Yankee catcher Brian McCann tripled and homered and drove in five runs.  Who was the last Yankee catcher to do that in a game?

Elston Howard, in 1962.  Admit it . . . you thought it was someone else, didn’t you?

Behave yourselves, and always remember that tomorrow will bring us a brand new day.  Have a great weekend!