Sanford Ziff Embarrasses the Ballet Opera House and Other Regrettably Named Venues

Sanford Ziff and former wife Dolores.

​Sanford Ziff is a dirtbag. He's practically spitting on the memory of his dead wife, Dolores, when she's supposed to be resting in peace. To recap, Dolores died in January. Sanford and Baroness (yeah, Baroness!) Beatrice Clancy wed in July. And in September, Ziff is telling everybody he gave the dough so he could do what he wants with the name of the theater, even if that means shitting all over his former wife's name.

Ordinarily, we'd excuse such bad taste from such an old timer -- he's practically half way to joining his former wife, not that she'd have him -- but sorry Ziff, you don't get a pass on this one. Neither does the Baroness, whose title obviously didn't come with class. You both suck and can kiss our ass. In fact, we've decided to rename our 2008 New Times Best of Miami Issue's Best Power Couple in light of recent goings on. The award will no longer go to Dr. Sanford and Dolores Ziff. We're dumping the former and keeping the latter. The whole episode is so distasteful it got us thinking of other instances where bad behavior seeps its way into the public consciousness because of naming rights. Check them out:

4. Enron Field, Houston
Poor saps in Houston actually had to pay accounting fraud kings Enron $2.1 million to buy back the naming rights after the energy and financial trading company was found guilty of one of the largest corporate scandals in American history in 2001. Even so, the stadium was still mocked and called "The Stadium Formerly Called Enron Field" by opposing players and fans.

4. Jose Canseco Street, Miami
The Miami member of the Oakland Bash Brothers had a street near his alma mater Coral Park Senior High renamed in his honor in the late 1980s, about the time he was juicing with steroids. Then he became the biggest rat in baseball history. And then he badmouthed an ex-girlfriend on twitter and gave her number out to everybody. Suffices to say they dumped his name from the street.

2. Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High Biscayne Bay Campus, Miami
We know, we know, Zo has done a lot of good with his Zo Summer Groove and as an inspiration coming from back a kidney transplant. Zo and his wife are another recipient of the New Times Best Power Couple (it's starting to resemble the Sports Illustrated jinx). But word on the street is that Zo can be a real asshole. And when he dipped from the scene of a car accident earlier this year, well, he might have proved as much.

1. Nevin Shapiro Student-Athlete Lounge, University of Miami
Too soon. Probably. This one still stings as its hardly been a month since the little dude who tells big lies went and ratted out the entire UM football program. If the program gets the death penalty from the NCAA it'll be because of Shapiro. Was the Nevin Shapiro student lounge really worth it. Football players should have hung out at the Rathskeller.

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