It's also a perfect time to talk about sports. (As opposed to, say, politics, or baseless, alarmist claims about fluoride in the water — ahem.)
And while we're on the subject, let's talk turkey. As in: choosing Miami's top sports turkeys of the year.
Kind of an antidote to all the givings of thanks. The following people can gobble-gobble our [earmuffs, kids] giblets.
Dwayne Wade’s statue has been unveiled and he does not look happy about it pic.twitter.com/1CG9bGHaJj
— non aesthetic things (@PicturesFoIder) October 28, 2024
Omri Amrany and Oscar León
You never get a second chance to make a first impression, and the first two men on this year's New Times Top Turkeys list have engraved — nay, bedazzled — their names on the wrong side of Miami sports history.There are those nominated for New Times Turkey of the Year who are forgotten before New Year's Day. Then there's Omri Amrany and Oscar León — a duo that had such a horrendous impact on Miami sports that they've managed to bypass mere annual honors and punched their ticket straight to the Miami Sports Turkey Hall of Fame.
For those who have managed to block the memory out of their mind, Amrany and León are artists from the Rotblatt Amrany Studio who brought to life the hideous Dwyane Wade statue that looms outside the Kaseya Center, likely awaiting its time to shine in the next season of Black Mirror.
Even in the unlikely event that the Heat opt for a do-over, the genie's out of the bottle — that thing happened.
Marlins Owner Bruce Sherman discusses payroll, player development and much more. pic.twitter.com/j6Ms808HLx
— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) November 18, 2024
Bruce Sherman
If Miami Marlins owner Bruce Sherman were a turkey, he would be the variety so big that you'd need to pull him out of the freezer a week before Thanksgiving just to defrost him. And he'd certainly be full of something, but it wouldn't be stuffing.Somehow, Sherman is, once again, attempting to sell fans on another rebuild centered not on paying for quality players — that will happen when the time is right, they say! — but on prospects so green you won't even know their names before Opening Day. Somehow, Sherman thinks the fanbase's attention will be riveted on players who show up to Spring Training wearing #67 while the rest of Major League Baseball battles it out in what feels like an entirely different sport.
In a league where payrolls exceed $300 million per season, Sherman didn't even deign to lighten his wallet by $100 million this past season. Expect that number to decrease in 2025, thanks to trades that sent many of their veterans elsewhere.
Bruce Sherman is giving Jeffrey Loria a run for his money as the worst Marlins owner of all time. It would be an impressive feat if it weren't so sad.
Chris Grier
Nowadays, they sell insurance for just about anything. You can't book a five-dollar hotel room in Laos without the travel site asking if you're sure you don't want to purchase "travel protection," just in case your plans fall through.Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier might be shocked to learn that in the NFL, they call this insurance "Backup Quarterback." And if you're going to sign a quarterback with a track record of horrific concussions to a four-year, $212.4 million deal, you may want to beef up your policy.
Knowing full well that Tua Tagovailoa was possibly the most high-risk, high-reward signing in the NFL's history, Grier decided the best idea wasn't to have a backup plan (Jameis Winston, say, or Joe Flacco) to step in, but rather a duo of Skylar Thompson and Mike White, neither of whom would start for half the teams in the NCAA, much less the NFL.
The results were predictable: Tua was again knocked into the shadow realm versus the Buffalo Bills in Week 2 — the third documented concussion of this career. The hit, which caused many to call for his retirement, would result in Tagovailoa missing the next four games, three of which were Dolphins losses.
Grier would be forced to sign Tyler Huntley off the Baltimore Ravens practice squad, but it was too little, too late.
Pat Riley speaks on this current Heat build
— Emo Jimmy (@HeatCulture13) November 26, 2024
“It’s up to them. 6/7 years of experience. It’s on them right now. Jimmy, Bam, Tyler, Rozier, all the guys behind them you have to put all the sh*t together and win. I think they’re more than capable”
(Via @theOGsShow) 🤔 pic.twitter.com/7s6ikzluUg
Pat Riley
Yeah, we said it. Do you want to fight about it? This is a Turkey of the Year Award, not a lifetime achievement award. And ol' Riles is not having himself the best 2024.Suppose you're going to get all the credit when Dwyane Wade convinces LeBron James and Chris Bosh to join him in Miami for a generational four-year run, as he did in 2010. In that case, you're surely going to accept some of the blame when you trot out an undermanned and — even worse — boring roster for the better part of the following decade.
Pat Riley and the Miami Heat front office have repeatedly failed to shake up a roster that needs a reset. Because of this, they remain a mediocre regular-season outfit, pinning all their hopes and dreams on Jimmy Butler, who is trying hard and hoping to catch magic in a bottle again in the postseason.
Here we are in 2024, talking about how Terry Rozier and young Heat players just need to try harder and "go get it" versus a slew of superteams in the NBA that are simply better, more talented, and, like it or not, obviously more well put together than this Heat squad, whether you're talking roster or salary cap. Remove Pat Riley's name for this roster build. Heat fans are anxiously talking about whether the general manager should be fired. This is an unserious contender; anyone saying otherwise is lying to themselves.
Pat Riley is a legend. The Miami Heat will play on a court named after him for the rest of their existence. But running things back this season is something only a man stuck in his outdated ways would do.
He told @heykayadams months ago that if he came back, it would be to play for Tampa. https://t.co/ug25oXpbfi pic.twitter.com/KkJvn9wxyB
— Ryan Yousefi (@RyanRYousefi) November 26, 2024
Shaq Barrett
A week ago, no one would have remembered that Shaq Barrett was technically a Miami sports figure for a few weeks. But just a few hours before the New Times Turkey of the Year deadline, Barrett has tossed his hat into the ring.Barrett, who abruptly retired after signing an $8.5 million deal with the Dolphins this past offseason, suddenly wants to play football. But it's complicated: He has made clear in the past that he would only return to the NFL to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he now says he "is fine" with returning to play for Miami.
We call bullshit. Barrett is forcing the Dolphins' hand, hoping they release him. It's a headache and a distraction that's the last thing the Dolphins need heading into the biggest game of the season on Thanksgiving Day.
Barrett already seemed like a goofball, but this midseason drama only serves to confirm that he's someone the Dolphins are better off without.
