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

1) It's TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23. Football season means it's the right time to delight Dolfans you know with our 'Fins At 50' book. Check it out on Amazon. 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Dolphins fall at home to Detroit with DSM poll, Hot Button Top 10, your Perry vs. Rosier verdict & more. 3) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook and Instagram.

It's Radio Tuesday!: I'm back in-studio today for my regular Tuesday co-host gig (after missing last week sick) on the Dan LeBatard Show With Stugotz. It airs 8:55 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Miami's 790 The ticket and 10-1 nationally on ESPN Radio and ESPNews. Join us!

Most recent columns: On Marlins' big signings, Dolphins' defensive collapse, Wade's home debut: On Monday's big Marlins signings: Victor-y as Marlins Land Victor Victor and Victor! On Sunday's Dolphins home loss: When the Dolphins D Was A Letter Grade. And on Saturday's home-opening Heat loss: Wade Reminds Us Why We'll Miss Him.

GO RED SOX! BEAT THE DODGERS!: This is a perfectly impartial note from a neutral journalist as the World Series begins tonight at Fenway Park. Please understand. Though I'm a South Floridian since early childhood, I was born in Massachusetts. The Patriots were never big with me as a kid. Neither were the Bruins. The Celtics were second. But it was the Red Sox, clearly, that had me. Carl Yastrzemski and that 1967 Impossible Dream season hooked me. I named my first cat Yaz. That season and that team and that man kindled the love of sports that would, somehow, lead to a lifelong career writing about it. So, yeah: Go Red Sox!

RYAN SNATCHES WEEK FROM MAHOMES / MIAMI HERALD NFL QB RANKINGS / WEEK 7: Falcons' Matt Ryan (pictured) scored a 49.95-point game Monday night to narrowly win Week 7 honors over Chief Patrick Mahomes' 48.90 in the Herald's latest NFL quarterback rankings. Viking Kirk Cousins maintains his season lead and Ryan bumps up into second ahead of Saint Drew Brees. Because our rankings are cumulative, players on a bye week take a temporary hit that evens out over the course of a season. Dolphin Brock Osweiler, filling in for injured Ryan Tannehill, scored a 30.95-point game tto move up three spots to 32nd overall. This is our 21st season of Passer Success System (PASS) NFL QB rankings. Our formula is simple and unchanged since its inception in 1998, factoring accuracy, yardage, TD-interception ratio and team result. (Formula detailed below). Most major ranking systems such as the NFL's and ESPN's are complicated and percentile based, allowing QBs who miss half a season to still win a title, while our system is cumulative, rewarding players who are consistently productive and avoid injury or benching. The Top 15 table (plus Dolphins) entering Week 8:

NFL WEEK 7 PIX 'N FANTASY RESULTS: STUMBLE, RISE: Every Tuesday in the blog I update you on how I did the past weekend with my Miami Herald predictions and with my LeBatard Show/League Of Lobos fantasy team. The latest: Herald picks: Stumble. Endured our worst showing both ways in Week 7, going 8-6 overall and 4-9-1 against the spread, with the Bucs win pushing at 3. Miserable misfire on our Upset of the Week (Jets) and also blew the Dolphins game. Not much to do but move on. Fast! Greg's Lobos: Rise. Improved to 3-4 and ended a 4-game losing streak with a 132.4 to 95.5 obliteration of Dan's team. The Lobos got 24 points from the Rams defense, 22.8 from Zach Ertz and 20.6 from Tyreek (Money) Hill to lead the parade. Still time for that majestic run to the playoffs! #WeAreTheLobos

COTE'S STATE OF THE STATE RANKINGS: Each Tuesday I rank the state's seven FBS-level college football teams. The latest: 1. UCF (7-0); 2. Florida (6-1); 3. Miami (5-2); 4. South Florida (7-0); 5. Florida State (4-3); 6. FIU (5-2); 7. FAU (3-4).

Other select recent columns: Dolphins Are Fun For A Change, and Playoff-Good. No More Excuses, Florida Panthers. Tannehill: Requiem For A Quarterback. With All D.Wade Has Meant, One Year to Say Goodbye Might Not Be Enough. Kid QB Passes His Big Test. Whatever Happened to Kenyan Drake? NFL 2018 Team Rankings. Dolphins? Heat? Nope. UM Football Owns This Town. NFL Enters Year 3 Of Anthem-Protest Quagmire. To The Good-Guy Grinder In The Shades. Time to Flip the Old Narrative On Miami As a Sports Town. Can Riley Rescue Heat From Purgatory? When 3 World Cup Legends Were Ours.

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

1) It's FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19. Football season means it's the right time to delight Dolfans you know with our 'Fins At 50' book. Check it out on Amazon. 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Heat open season with expectations poll, Dolphins turn exciting and fun, Herald NFL QB rankings, Pix 'n Fantasy results, Cote's college State of the State rank & more. 3) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook and Instagram.

IT'S UPSET BIRD DAY IN AMERICA!: DOLPHINS-LIONS AND ALL THE REST OF OUR NFL WEEK 7 PICKS: An exhilarating, exciting, comeback home win over the mighty (we thought) Bears last
week left Miami 4-2 and ebullient. The bad news? The wins gotta keep comin' for the playoffs to loom into view. In a very-crowded-at-the-top AFC, six teams have two losses and five others have three. ESPN'S Football Power Index today slots Miami ninth in line for six playoff tickets, with a 20.9 percent postseason likelihood. So the Dolphins must keep winning games within reach of them. Enter Detroit on Sunday. Detroit is a road favorite, perhaps because Ryan Tannehill (shoulder) is out again and Brock Osweiler is in. Will the "Mr. Brocktober" magic continue? Read the full Fins-Lions predix capsule at the top of my latest NFL predictions. They include my Game of the Week, Upset of the Week ("Aawwk!") and all the rest. Our 28th season of Friday NFL picks (online Thursdays) is sailing well. We are a stout 64-27-2 overall (.703) and more importantly a strong 52-38-3 against the spread (.578) entering Week 7. (Unfortunately our week got off to a shaky start Thursday night with badly misplaced faith on the miserable, cowardly Cardinals. Not that I'm bitter!). Dive into Week 7 Gems for all of our latest picks.

Select other recent columns: Dolphins Are Fun For A Change, and Playoff-Good. Also: No More Excuses, Florida Panthers. Tannehill: Requiem For A Quarterback. And With All D.Wade Has Meant, One Year to Say Goodbye Might Not Be Enough.

POLL RESULTS: YOU SET HEAT EXPECTATIONS AT MODEST, BUT PLAYOFFS: Miami is 1-1 entering Saturdays home opener. Before the first game we asked, "What is the most likely number of Miami Heat regular-season wins in 2018-19?" Your results:

44.07% -- 45 to 49 wins,a solid playoff number.

28.81% -- 40 to 44 wins, a marginal/maybe playoff number.

11.86% -- 50 or more wins, top-four-seed territory.

10.17% -- 35 to 39 wins, no postseason for you.

5.08% -- 34 or fewer wins, thinking draft lottery.

THE LIST: NFL TOUCHDOWN PASS LEADERS: With Drew Brees on the doorstep of a milestone, the top 10 NFL career leaders in TD passes

1. Peyton Manning                       539

2. Brett Favre                                508

3. Tom Brady, Patriots                 501

4. Drew Brees, Saints                  499

5. Dan Marino                               420

6. Philip Rivers, Chargers          357

7. Eli Manning, Giants                 345

8. Fran Tarkenton                         342

9. Ben Rothelisberger, Steelers   341

10. Aaron Rodgers, Packers         325

Note: Next among active players are Falcons' Matt Ryan (274), Lions' Matthew Stafford (226) and Ravens' Joe Flacco (209).

Other select recent columns: Kid QB Passes His Big Test. Whatever Happened to Kenyan Drake? NFL 2018 Team Rankings. Dolphins? Heat? Nope. UM Football Owns This Town. NFL Enters Year 3 Of Anthem-Protest Quagmire. To The Good-Guy Grinder In The Shades. Time to Flip the Old Narrative On Miami As a Sports Town. Can Riley Rescue Heat From Purgatory? When 3 World Cup Legends Were Ours.

1) It's THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18. Find the latest Dolfan Satisfaction Meter results in the previous blogpost or see them directly here. 2) Football season means it's the perfect time to delight the Dolfans in your life with our 'Fins At 50' book. Check it out here on Amazon. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Dolphins beat Bears in OT with DSM poll, Hot Button Top 10 & more. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook and Instagram.

OPENING NIGHT! HEAT BEGIN SEASON OF MYSTERIOUS EXPECTATIONS. YOU SET THE BAR IN NEW POLL: Heat lose opener in Orlando, 104-101, last night despite Goran Dragic's 26 points, Josh Richardson's 21 and Hassan Whiteside's 18 rebounds. Dwyane Wade has 9 off bench on only 3-of-13 shooting. Miami had an early 14-point lead but frittered it away against a bad Magic squad. Disappointing ..... Original post: Miami opens its 31st NBA season -- and Dwyane Wade's last -- tonight at 7 in Orlando, which has six straight losing seasons and is on its fifth coach since 2012. The Magic is the opposite of the steady Heat. It would be a surprise if Miami didn't come away 1-0, even though the Heat battle injury issues with James Johnson and (of course) Dion Waiters out, and Justise Winslow and Wayne Ellington both doubtful. Heat return a largely intact 44-38 team for Erik Spoelstra's 11th season, trying to find a way to get back in the playoffs and improve upon last season's 4-1 first-round ouster by Philadelphia. Wade and Udonis Haslem beginning their final Heat season tops the emotional marquee in Miami. But the trade that didn't happen (or at least hasn't yet) is on the mind. Jimmy Butler. In going hard after him Miami obviously felt it needed the impact player it now lacks to be a real player in the East. The Heat wins with great coaching, stout defense, balanced scoring and depth. But it lacks starpower and an elite playmaker, no knock on Wade (pictured), who is easing toward retirement at age 36. So, sans Butler, how good will the Heat be? Eight of 15 teams make the East playoffs, and Miami should be one of those. Based on ESPN's Power Rankings, Miami is fifth-best in the East. Based on Basketball Power Index win projections, Miami is seventh (at 42.3). The Heat must break into the clear upper tier of the East (Celtics, Raptors, 76ers, Bucks) to earn home-court advantage in the playoffs. Assuming no Butler trade, what are your expectations for this Heat season? Set the bar in this new poll and remember to vote not on what you're hoping for as a fan, but what you are logically expecting and would bet on. Vote now!

EXCITING, EXPLOSIVE AND FUN. YES, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE DOLPHINS: The Miami Dolphins at 4-2 are a lot of things they typically are not. They're fun. They're a big-play team. They have opponent-beating speed. I explain all the ways they suddenly have become an interesting team ... and why they should be a playoff team this season. Two of the big reasons -- Albert Wilson and Jakeem Grant -- are pictured at left. This is the gist of my latest column. To read it, visit Dolphins Are Fun For A Change, and Playoff-Good.

Other select recent columns: No More Excuses, Florida Panthers. Tannehill: Requiem For A Quarterback. And With All D.Wade Has Meant, One Year to Say Goodbye Might Not Be Enough.

RYAN WINS WEEK, COUSINS TAKES OVER, OSWEILER COMES UP BIG / MIAMI HERALD NFL QB RANKINGS / WEEK 6: Falcons' Matt Ryan scored a 52.70-point game to win Week 6 honors and vault to third place in the Herald's latest NFL quarterback rankings. Viking Kirk Cousins displaces Saint Drew Brees for the overall season lead, owing largely to Brees' bye week. Because our rankings are cumulative, players on a bye week take a temporary hit that evens out over the course of a season. Dolphin Brock Osweiler (pictured), filling in for injured Ryan Tannehill, scored a 39.00-point game that ranked fifth for the week. This is our 21st season of Passer Success System (PASS) NFL QB rankings. Our formula is simple and unchanged since its inception in 1998, factoring accuracy, yardage, TD-interception ratio and team result. (Formula detailed below). Most major ranking systems such as the NFL's and ESPN's are complicated and percentile based, allowing QBs who miss half a season to still win a title, while our system is cumulative, rewarding players who are consistently productive and avoid injury or benching. The Top 15 table entering Week 7:

NFL WEEK 6 PIX 'N FANTASY RESULTS: SOLID ON PICKS, BUT MORE OH-NO-LOBOS: Every Tuesday in the blog I update you on how I did the past weekend with my Miami Herald predictions and with my LeBatard Show/League Of Lobos fantasy team. The latest: Herald picks: Pretty solid again. We were 11-4 overall but 7-8 against the spread -- our first week sub-.500 ATS, though a survivable stumble. We nailed another Upset of the Week with Steelers winning at Cincy ("Aawwk!"), scored another outright upset with Cowboys beating Jacksonville, and had Bills-with-point over Houston. This hurt: Wrote that our gut feeling was Dolphins over Chicago but changed our mind. Wish I hadn't! Greg's Lobos: Ouch ... again. The Lobos fell to 2-4 with an embarrassing fourth straight loss, beaten by the fruit of our own loins in falling 157.8 to 114.1 to Chris. Got a huge 39.2 points from Tyreek Hill and way too little from anyone else. A combined 20.9 from my QB and two RBs will get you beat most weeks. We've got problems beyond the Le'Veon Bell mess. But knowing that and finding a remedy are two different animals. Still plenty of time. #WeAreTheLobos

COTE'S STATE OF THE STATE RANKINGS: Each Tuesday I rank the state's seven FBS-level college football teams. The latest: 1. UCF (6-0); 2. Florida (6-1); 3. Miami (5-2); 4. South Florida (6-0); 5. Florida State (3-3); 6. FIU (4-2); 7. FAU (3-3).

Other select columns: Kid QB Passes His Big Test. Whatever Happened to Kenyan Drake? NFL 2018 Team Rankings. Dolphins? Heat? Nope. UM Football Owns This Town. NFL Enters Year 3 Of Anthem-Protest Quagmire. To The Good-Guy Grinder In The Shades. Time to Flip the Old Narrative On Miami As a Sports Town. Can Riley Rescue Heat From Purgatory? When 3 World Cup Legends Were Ours.

1) It's FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12. Happy birthday yesterday to my brother. Love you, big bro! 2) Football's here and that means it's the perfect time to delight the Dolfans in your life with our 'Fins At 50' book. Check it out here on Amazon. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): The Ryan Tannehill column, Herald NFL QB rankings, Pix 'n Fantasy results, Cote's State of the State college rankings, latest Back In My Day video & more. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook and Instagram.

Our most recent columns: No More Excuses, Florida Panthers and Tannehill: Requiem For A Quarterback. Also: Kid QB Passes His Big Test, Whatever Happened to Kenyan Drake? and With All D.Wade Has Meant, One Year to Say Goodbye Might Not Be Enough.

IT'S UPSET BIRD DAY IN AMERICA!: DOLPHINS-BEARS AND ALL THE REST OF OUR NFL WEEK 6 PICKS: Consecutive bad, bad road losses make Sunday a well-timed home game for the Dolphins, but the hot Bears are hardly the right opponent. Ryan Tannehill and the Fins are going to find it another tough go against a very strong Chicago defense led by unstoppable Khalil Mack. Read the full predix capsule at the top of my latest NFL predictions. They include my Game of the Week, Upset of the Week ("Aawwk!") and all of the rest. Our 28th season of Friday NFL picks (online Thursdays) is off to a blazing start. We are a stout 53-23-2 overall (.697) and more importantly a strong 45-30-3 against the spread (.600) entering Week 6. (Sad to say our new week got off to a rocky start last night thanks to a misplaced gamble on the rotten Giants, who laid down like mangy, pathetic dogs at home Thursday. Not that I'm bitter). Dive into Week 6 Gems for all of my latest picks. (Included is a separate link to Thursday night's pick, unfortunately). 

HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH FOR HEAT TO GIVE UP FOR JIMMY BUTLER?: The Miami Heat really want Jimmy Butler (pictured), the Minnesota Timberwolves guard pushing to be traded. But at what cost? Some reports are that Miami has offered Josh Richardson, Bam Adebayo and a 2019 first-round draft pick. That to me is too much (hate to part with Richardson especially), but it's a close call. Butler is a 6-8 swingman, a four-time all-star, a 20-to-24 points scorer who absolutely would make Miami better this season -- maybe a team fighting for a top-four seed instead of scrambling for a seventh or eighth. But he also is 29, and could become a free agent in July. If you were the Heat would you make the deal being speculated? Take a dip in our poll. Vote now:

PANTHERS OPEN 25TH HOME SEASON WITH 5-4 LOSS: For my column from the arena on tonight's loss, visit: No More Excuses, Florida Panthers. Original post: I'll be at the Sunrise arena for tonight's home launch of the Florida Panthers' 25th hockey season and second under coach Bob Boughner. It began inauspiciously Saturday with a 2-1 shootout loss at Tampa Bay. Worse, goaltender Robert Luongo left with a knee injury and will miss at least a couple of weeks. Not a great omen when your 39-year-old goalie can't get out of the first game. Still, hopes are high because the Cats finished so strong last season. On Jan. 25 they were 19-22-6 (or nine games under .500 on wins/losses). After that they were 28-8-2 -- or 15 games over .500. The big finish very narrowly missed a playoff spot. The returning nucleus of Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Vincent Trocheck, Nick Bjugstad and Aaron Ekblad forms much expectation. Will this be the season the Cats finally live up? Florida has made the playoffs only five times (last in 2016) and not won a playoff series since that stirring Year of the Rat run all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1996. It's time.

Other select columns: NFL 2018 Team Rankings. Dolphins? Heat? Nope. UM Football Owns This Town. NFL Enters Year 3 Of Anthem-Protest Quagmire. To The Good-Guy Grinder In The Shades. Time to Flip the Old Narrative On Miami As a Sports Town. Can Riley Rescue Heat From Purgatory? When 3 World Cup Legends Were Ours.

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

1) It's WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10. Latest Dolfan Satisfaction Meter results (they're gutter-low) may be found in the previous blogpost. 2) Football's here and that means it's the perfect time to delight the Dolfans in your life with our 'Fins At 50' book. Check it out here on Amazon. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Dolphins' utter collapse in Cincinnati with DSM poll, Hot Button Top 10 & more. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook and Instagram.

REQUIEM FOR A QUARTERBACK: OUR RYAN TANNEHILL COLUMN: It felt Sunday as if we were witnessing a seismic fault in the foundation under Ryan Tannehill’s future in Miami. Like we were seeing the beginning of the end of the Tannehill era. It isn’t just the consecutive awful games. Far from it. It is the cumulative effect. It is seven years of this. Of enough upside to tease us that he’s the guy, and enough of much less to make us know he isn’t. At some point, if your quarterback does not enact change, it is time to change your quarterback. That is the synopsis of my latest column. For the full read: Tannehill: Requiem For A Quarterback.

Other recent columns: From Hurricanes' comeback over Seminoles led by N'Kosi Perry's four touchdown passes: Kid QB Passes His Big Test. Also: Whatever Happened to Kenyan Drake? and With All D.Wade Has Meant, One Year to Say Goodbye Might Not Be Enough.

NEW 'BACK IN MY DAY': SOAP!: Dirt hasn't changed much over time. Our skin hasn't, either. So why has soap changed so much? I'm seldom sure how these BIMDs are going to go over on the LeBatard Show on ESPN Radio and ESPNews. For what's it worth, this one was very well-received:

BREES ON TOP AGAIN, TANNEHILL CONTINUES SLIDE / MIAMI HERALD NFL QB RANKINGS / WEEK 5: Saints' Drew Brees (pictured) scored a 55.15-point game Monday night (his third weekly title already this season) to fortify his overall No. 1 ranking in the Herald's latest NFL QB Rankings. (Also of note, he broke the all-time record for career passing yards!). This is our 21st season of Passer Success System (PASS) NFL quarterback rankings. The Dolphins' Ryan Tannehill, after a second straight lousy game, tumbles two more spots to 22nd. Our formula is simple and unchanged since its inception in 1998, factoring accuracy, yardage, TD-interception ratio and team result. (Exact formula detailed below). Most major ranking systems such as the NFL's and ESPN's are complicated and percentile based, allowing QBs who miss half a season to still win a title, while our system is cumulative, rewarding players who are consistently productive and avoid injury or benching. The Top 15 table entering Week 6:

NFL WEEK 5 PIX 'N FANTASY RESULTS: SOLID AGAIN ON PICKS, BUT OH-NO-LOBOS: Every Tuesday in the blog I update you on how I did the past weekend with my Miami Herald predictions and with my LeBatard Show/League Of Lobos fantasy team. The latest: Herald picks: Very, very stout again as our strong start to the season continues. We were 12-3 overall and 10-5 against the spread. That includes nailing our Upset of the Week with Cardinals winning at 49ers ("Aawwk!"). Greg's Lobos: Ouch again. The Lobos fell to 2-3 with a third straight loss, falling to Mike Ryan. I am too distraught to provide further details at the moment.

COTE'S STATE OF THE STATE RANKINGS: Each Tuesday I rank the state's seven FBS-level college football teams. The latest: 1. UCF (5-0); 2. Miami (5-1); 3. South Florida (5-0); 4. Florida (5-1); 5. Florida State (3-3); 6. FIU (3-2); 7. FAU (3-3). 

Other select columns: NFL 2018 Team Rankings. Dolphins? Heat? Nope. UM Football Owns This Town. NFL Enters Year 3 Of Anthem-Protest Quagmire. To The Good-Guy Grinder In The Shades. Time to Flip the Old Narrative On Miami As a Sports Town. Can Riley Rescue Heat From Purgatory? When 3 World Cup Legends Were Ours.

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

1) It's FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5. Football's here and that means it's the perfect time to delight the Dolfans in your life with our 'Fins At 50' book. Check it out here on Amazon. 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Tannehill falls in Herald QB rankings, NFL Week Pix 'n Fantasy, college State of State rankings, final 4-Man Outfield, latest Back In My Day video & more. 3) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook and Instagram. 

Canes-Noles Week column: Perry's first (real) test: Through Mark Richt's smartly calculated design, the Hurricanes' emerging young quarterback N'Kosi Perry (pictured) has faced little to no pressure in his first three college appearances. That changes this week. Our latest column: We're About To Find Out About N'Kosi Perry. Select other recent columns: Whatever Happened to Kenyan Drake? And: With All D.Wade Has Meant, One Year to Say Goodbye Might Not Be Enough.

UPSET BIRD DAY IN AMERICA!: DOLPHINS-BENGALS AND ALL THE REST OF OUR NFL WEEK 5 PICKS: The Dolphins are going to find it a tough go Sunday in Cincinnati, where the Bengals have their best offense in years and now get top RB Joe Mixon back from injury, as well as top defender Vontaze Burfict back from suspension. Read the full predix capsule at the top of my latest NFL predictions. They include my Game of the Week, Upset of the Week ("Aawwk!") and all of the rest. Our 28th season of Friday NFL picks (online Thursdays) is off to a solid start. We are a stout 42-20-2 overall and more importantly a strong 36-25-3 against the spread after starting Week 5 off big Thursday night. We had the Patriots covering 10 1/2 by beating Colts 34-20, and Pats won 38-24. Let's keep it going! Dive into Week 5 Gems for all of my latest picks. (Included is a separate link to Thursday's pick, or find it directly here.

BASEBALL POLL: EIGHT TEAMS STANDINGS. WHO YOU WANT TO WIN WORLD SERIES?: The two tiebreakers are out of the way. The two wild-card games are, too (sorry, Cubs and A's). Now we are down to the real postseason, the Last Eight Teams Standing, four in each league, with the division series having started Thursday in the NL and the AL unfurling today. And I'm curious: What's your rooting interest? Who do you want to win the World Series. Not who you predict will win -- who you hope does. Contending teams are listed alphabetically. Vote!

THE 'ROCKETMAN' TRAILER: As some know a movie is being made about the early years of Elton John. As others may know I'm a huge, lifelong fan of the man and his music (not to mention his philanthropic efforts et cetera). So I pass along this movie trailer with great anticipation...

Other select recent columns: NFL 2018 Team Rankings. Dolphins? Heat? Nope. UM Football Owns This Town. NFL Enters Year 3 Of Anthem-Protest Quagmire. To The Good-Guy Grinder In The Shades. Time to Flip the Old Narrative On Miami As a Sports Town. Can Riley Rescue Heat From Purgatory? When 3 World Cup Legends Were Ours.

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

1) It's WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3. Happy new month, y'all. Welcome to autumn. Can't stop the holidays now. 2) See the latest Dolfan Satisfaction Meter results (they're ugly) in the blogpost directly below. 3) Football's back and that means it's the perfect time to delight the Dolfans in your life with our 'Fins At 50' book. Check it out here on Amazon. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Dolphins fall flat in New England with DSM poll, Hot Button Top 10 & more. 5) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook and Instagram. 

Latest column: Dolphins' problem. And solution: Miami was exposed as a team without an identity in Sunday's blowout loss in New England. One main reason? Adam Gase has turned Kenyan Drake into a missing person. That column: Whatever Happened to Kenyan Drake?

Other most recent columns: For The Dolphins, The Moment Of Truth Is Here. Finding Great QB is Now Richt's Holy Grail. With All D.Wade Has Meant, One Year to Say Goodbye Might Not Be Enough.

THE NEW 'BACK IN MY DAY': DISAPPEARING CARS!: Our latest BIMD video made its debut Tuesday on the LeBatard Show on ESPN Radio and ESPNews. Here it is: 

GOFF MAKES HIS MOVE, TANNEHILL TAKES MAJOR TUMBLE / MIAMI HERALD NFL QB RANKINGS / WEEK 4: Rams' Jared Goff (pictured) wins Week 4 with a big season-high 62.25-point game to make a move on season leader Drew Brees in the Herald's latest NFL QB Rankings. This is our 21st season of Passer Success System (PASS) NFL quarterback rankings. The Dolphins' Ryan Tannehill, after a subpar game in New England, tumbles eight spots from 12th place overall to 20th. Our formula is simple and unchanged since its inception in 1998, factoring accuracy, yardage, TD-interception ratio and team result. (Exact formula detailed below). Most major ranking systems such as the NFL's and ESPN's are complicated and percentile based, allowing QBs who miss half a season to still win a title, while our system is cumulative, rewarding players who are consistently productive and avoid injury or benching. The Top 15 table entering Week 5:

NFL WEEK 4 PIX 'N FANTASY RESULTS: SOLID AGAIN ... AND NOT: Every Tuesday in the blog I update you on how I did the just-past weekend with my Miami Herald predictions and with my LeBatard Show/League Of Lobos fantasy team. The latest: Herald picks: Very solid again as our strong start to the season continued. We were 11-4 overall and 8-5-2 against the spread, with the Raiders and Seahawks wins both pushing on 3-point lines. We misfired badly on our Upset of the Week (way to not compete, Dolphins), but did hit an outright upset with Texans and also had three 'dogs with points in Bengals, Titans and 49ers. (Hate like hell to miss a Dolphins game, but, keep in mind, Miami is only 3 percent of the total teams I'm predicting...). Greg's Lobos: Ouch. The Lobos fell to 2-2, betting crushed by Amin Elhassan, 141.6-111.1. We got 31.1 points from Deshaun  Watson, but for naught. Running back play is killing us as the continuing Le'Veon Bell mess is beginning to take its toll.

COTE'S STATE OF THE STATE RANKINGS: Each Tuesday I rank the state's seven FBS-level college football teams. The latest: 1. UCF (4-0); 2. Miami (4-1); 3. South Florida (4-0); 4. Florida (4-1); 5. Florida State (3-2); 6. FIU (3-2); 7. FAU (2-3).

'THE FOUR-MAN OUTFIELD' (SEASON FINAL): YELICH DOMINATES!: Periodically throughout this MLB season -- just for fun -- I compared and updated the ongoing performances of the three Marlins outfield starters traded away during the offseason and current Marlins center fielder Lewis Brinson, the most highly regarded prospect to arrive in the deals. Unfair to compare three established stars with a rookie? Boo hoo. Who said life was fair! Plus, remember: Just for fun! We based our rankings on OPS (on-base plus slugging). The final 4-Man Outfield tally for 2018:

Player, Team                                  OPS     G   AB   R    H    BI     D-T-HR    AVG. 

1. Christian Yelich, Brewers          1.000 147  574 118 187  110   34-7-36   .326

2. Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees       .852  158   617 102 164  100   34-1-38  .266

3. Marcell Ozuna, Cardinals           .758  148  582   69 163    88   16-2-23   .280

4. Lewis Brinson, Marlins               .577  109  382   31  76     42   10-5-11   .199

Other select recent columns: NFL 2018 Team Rankings. Dolphins? Heat? Nope. UM Football Owns This Town. NFL Enters Year 3 Of Anthem-Protest Quagmire. To The Good-Guy Grinder In The Shades. Time to Flip the Old Narrative On Miami As a Sports Town. Can Riley Rescue Heat From Purgatory? When 3 World Cup Legends Were Ours.

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

1) It's WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26. Results are complete in the latest Dolfan Satisfaction Meter postgame poll -- and they are buoyant! Scroll to the previous blogpost or find them directly HERE. 2) Football's back meaning it's the perfect time to delight the Dolfans in your life with the surprise of our 'Fins At 50' book. Check it out here on Amazon. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Dolphins rally past Oakland with DSM poll, Hot Button Top 10, The List & more. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook and Instagram.

DWYANE WADE GETS EMOTIONAL AS HE ENTERS FINAL HEAT SEASON: MY NEW COLUMN: Dwyane Wade was introspective at Monday's Heat media day as he ceremonially entered his final NBA season --just a few days after opting in for "one last dance" rather than retiring. I particularly loved this reflection by him: "In class I was shy. Never raised my hand because I didn’t want to get the answer wrong. [But] when I was on the basketball court I was a different person. I liked that person." One more season of that, one more chance for us to say goodbye to Wade, and for him to say goodbye to his fans, too. We never got that chance with Dan Marino; we'll have it now. No matter how good, bad or in-between the Heat do in 2018-19, Wade's farewell will be The Reason For The Season. I wrote an unabashedly sentimental, from-the-heart column on Wade. To read: With All D.Wade Has Meant, One Year to Say Goodbye Might Not Be Enough.

BREES ROCKS THE WEEK, TANNEHILL MAKES BIG LEAP / MIAMI HERALD NFL QB RANKINGS / WEEK 3: Saints' Drew Brees wins Week 3 with a season-high 62.80- point game to regain the overall season lead in the Herald's latest NFL QB Rankings. This is our 21st season of Passer Success System (PASS) NFL quarterback rankings. The Dolphins' Ryan Tannehill (pictured) scored a season-best 38.45-point game vs. the Raiders to move up five big spots, to No. 12 in the chart. (Pats' Tom Brady, if you wondered, tumbles to 20th). Our formula is simple and unchanged since its inception in 1998, factoring accuracy, yardage, TD-interception ratio and team result. (Exact formula detailed below). Most major ranking systems such as the NFL's and ESPN's are complicated and percentile based, allowing QBs who miss half a season to still win a title, while our system is cumulative, rewarding players who are consistently productive and avoid injury or benching. The Top 15 table entering Week 4:

NFL WEEK 3 PIX 'N FANTASY RESULTS: SOLID ... AND HEARTBREAK: Every Tuesday in the blog I update you on how I did the just-past weekend with my Miami Herald predictions and with my LeBatard Show/League Of Lobos fantasy team. The latest: Herald picks: Solid again. We navigated a tough week full of upsets for a 10-6 record overall and 8-8 against the spread, including an Upset of the Week bull's-eye ("Aawwk!") on Saints winning at Falcons, a checkmark on Dolphins winning, and Giants with the points at Houston. Cost myself a game ATS with a clerical error on my part. I wrote, "Like Tennessee with points," but then had a score not reflecting that. Dumb. Greg's Lobos: The Lobos fell to 2-1 with a 129.4-112 loss to Randy Scott, thanks to a disappointing Monday. We had a very narrow lead entering the game, and it was my DeSean Jackson vs. his Mike Evans. Well, Evans' game shouted. My guy's ... didn't. So 25 points from Deshaun Watson and 24 from Adrian Peterson go for naught.

COTE'S STATE OF THE STATE RANKINGS: Each Tuesday I rank the state's seven FBS-level college football teams. The latest: 1. UCF (3-0); 2. Miami (3-1); 3. South Florida (4-0); 4. Florida (3-1); 5. Florida State (2-2); 6. FAU (2-2); 7. FIU (2-2).

LATEST 'BACK IN MY DAY': GROCERY STORE SHOPPING!: When an army clad in olive green plays active defense against our shopping experience...

Other select recent columns: Give Dwyane Time And He'll Make Right Call. Why Drake/Gore Will Work, And Why That's Crucial to Fins. Somehow, Dolphins Make A 7-Hour Wait Worth It. Soft Stretch In Schedule Is About Improving At QB. NFL 2018 Team Rankings. Dolphins? Heat? Nope. UM Football Owns This Town. NFL Enters Year 3 Of Anthem-Protest Quagmire. To The Good-Guy Grinder In The Shades. Time to Flip the Old Narrative On Miami As a Sports Town. Can Riley Rescue Heat From Purgatory? When 3 World Cup Legends Were Ours.

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

1) It's SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22. Football's back! That makes this the perfect time to delight the Dolfans in your life with the surprise of our 'Fins At 50' book. Check it out here on Amazon. 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Herald NFL Week 2 QB Rankings, Pix 'n Fantasy results, Cote's State of the State, Marlins Man, the real FitzMagic & more. 3) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook and Instagram.

Personal update: As many know from following me on Twitter, I had recent thoracic surgery to remove a tumor from my chest and am in recovery mode. I'm on pain meds and on rest and no-drive orders this week. That's why I've cut back on a bunch of stuff such as a temporary reduction in Herald workload, no LeBatard Show and so forth. Thanks for the understanding. Hope to be back at it starting Monday.

CANESFAN SATISFACTION METER: G4: 84.0%: Results are certified in the latest Canesfan Satisfaction Meter postgame poll, and they show a season-best 84.0 percent overall approval -- the combination of "very" and "somewhat" satisfied votes -- in the wake of Saturday's 31-17 home victory over FIU putting No. 21 UM's season record at 3-1. The CSM is your invitation after every Canes football game -- no matter the result or opponent -- to vote on your overall satisfaction with the team and season in a continuing weekly gauge of how UM football fans are feeling. Criteria for voting is your own, but I suggest you consider the most recent game's performance and caliber of opponent, the season as a whole, the program's direction 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 was around 8 a.m. today/Monday. (The CSM also takes place on my Twitter site @gregcote. The vote there showed 51% overall approval).

2018 CSM game-by game results

G1: 9.2% following 33-17 loss to LSU.

G2: 73.8% following 77-0 victory vs. Savannah State.

G3: 76.7% following 49-24 victory at Toledo.

G4: 84.0% following 31-17 victory vs. FIU.

Next poll: Sept. 27 following game vs. North Carolina.

G4: NO. 21 HURRICANES (3-1) BEAT FIU (2-2), 31-17: Final: Miami, 31-17. Synopsis: On the day UM honored its 1983 championship team, the men who set the template, Miami may have found its next quarterback. N'Kosi Perry was pretty great Saturday in the 31-17 rout of FIU, replacing Malik Rosier with the game scoreless and taking impressive charge (17-25, 224 yards, 3 TDs), one interception his only blemish. I say rout because the final score does not reflect the lopsidedness. Miami never trailed and was never in jeopardy. But! This was FIU for Perry, a game where the idea of losing was no real concern. This coming Thursday night in prime time vs. North Carolina -- the season's ACC opener -- will tell more about The U's QB situation than Saturday did. The Tar Heels are not great, but, unlike FIU, they are a team UM's size. A fair fight. A challenge. Who starts that game at QB for Miami -- and how he performs -- will shape Mark Richt's ultimate decision more than what we just saw ..... 3Q: Miami, 31-0. Synopsis: An even bigger mismatch than imagined, but the story of the game is N'Kosi Perry replacing Malik Rosier and QB and lighting it up, although his third-quarter interception was a youthful mistake ..... Half: Miami, 24-0. Synopsis: Score doesn't show it even show UM's utter dominance. FIU has no shot, cannot move the ball (13 total net yards) on this Canes defense. N'Kosi Perry is 12-for-13 for 170 yards, two TD passes and all four scoring drives in relief of Malik Rosier. Mark Richt has himself a decision to make moving forward. Or, maybe it's already made? .....  1Q: Miami, 7-0. Synopsis: N'Kosi Perry in at QB for Malik Rosier is the news. Perry looks sharp. Travis Homer 35-yard TD for the score. Earlier 78-yard Jeff Thomas punt-return TD negated by penalty. FIU offense doing nothing. Miami in charge ..... I'll be semi-live blogging here throughout today's game, with up-to-the-minute scoring updates plus quick thoughts after every quarter ..... Original post: Here we go today/Saturday at 3:30 at Hard Rock, in front of ESPN2 cameras, the Hurricanes coming off a solid win at Toledo that failed to move them up in the polls, and crosstown neighbor FIU having hung 63 points on UMass and (as always) looking for respect. Emotion frames the matchup, of course, because so many players on either team grew up friends in Miami, and mostly because of what happened when they met 12 years ago, in the 2006 season. BRAAAWWWLLL!!! Both benches emptied, a melee ensued, eight Panthers and five Canes were ejected, and 31 players from both teams were later suspended. Both coaches (Larry Coker, Don Strock) would lose their jobs after that season. The Backyard Brawl obviously was not the sole reason, but it was a shared embarrassment that helped shelve the natural rivalry as a regular series. UM won the brawlgame 35-0. The schools met the next season without incident, Miami winning 23-9. Today is the schools' first meeting since, the first in 11 years and only the third ever. Nobody anticipates an ugly reprise of '06. Said UM coach Mark Richt: "There will be guys getting their blood pumping. But I don't really anticipate anything foolish. I've not mentioned one thing [about the '06 brawl]to our guys." Second-year FIU coach Butch Davis, formerly with UM, of course, recruited the players who would win the 2001 national championship (Miami's most recent), but has a long way to go to hoist FIU onto a competitive par with UM. As we'll likely see Saturday. My pick: Hurricanes, 41-20.

OTHER STATE COLLBALL: There are seven FBS-level college teams in Florida. With Saturday's Miami-FIU game previewed above, here's chronological Week 4 schedule for the rest:

No. 16 UCF (3-0) beats FAU (2-2), 56-36: Teams got the national ESPN spotlight Friday night with Knights coming off an unexpected bye after Hurricane Florence erased last week's game at North Carolina. UCF, a 2-TD fave, used big second half to crush Lane Kiffin's Owls.

FSU (2-2) beats Northern Illinois (1-3), 37-19: Most recent years this would have been a walkover for Seminoles, but now-struggling FSU was a rather modest 9 1/2-point home favorite as new coach Willie Taggert bought an ounce of patience.

Florida (3-1) beats Tennessee (2-2), 47-21: Gators seem to be finding their groove, and this was impressive road win in a big SEC matchup.

South Florida (4-0) beats East Carolina (1-2), 20-13: A win is a win, but this one likely won't be enough vault Bulls up into the Top 25.

Week 4 national Top 25 matchups (2): No. 1 Alabama beats No. 22 Texas A&M, 45-23; and and 7-Stanford beats 20-Oregon, 38-31 in OT.

UPSET BIRD DAY IN AMERICA!: DOLPHINS-RAIDERS AND ALL THE REST OF OUR NFL WEEK 3 PICKS: The Dolphins are going to defend The Rock and beat the Raiders here Sunday to forge a 3-0 start for only the fourth time since 1998. I explain why at the top of my latest NFL predictions. They include my Game of the Week, Upset of the Week ("Aaawwwk!") and all of the rest. Our 28th season of Friday NFL picks (online Thursdays) is off to a solid start. We were a stout 20-10-1 overall and more importantly a strong 19-12-1 against the spread entering Week 3. Now let's keep it going! Dive into Week 3 Gems for all of my latest picks. (Included within is a separate link to Thursday night's Jets-Browns pick, or find it directly at Week 3 Thursday Gem. Got off to another win-win start to our new week, only one point off a rare Exacto on the final score. Thank you, Baker Mayfield!) Pictured at right, our "How the Darts Landed" shield, the bull's-eye representing the height of giddy optimism.

Select recent columns: Give Dwyane Time And He'll Make Right Call. Why Drake/Gore Will Work, And Why That's Crucial to Fins. Somehow, Dolphins Make A 7-Hour Wait Worth It. Soft Stretch In Schedule Is About Improving At QB. NFL 2018 Team Rankings. Dolphins? Heat? Nope. UM Football Owns This Town. NFL Enters Year 3 Of Anthem-Protest Quagmire. To The Good-Guy Grinder In The Shades. Time to Flip the Old Narrative On Miami As a Sports Town. Can Riley Rescue Heat From Purgatory? When 3 World Cup Legends Were Ours.

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

1) It's THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20. Results are complete in the latest Dolfan Satisfaction Meter postgame poll (and they are sizzlin'!) Scroll to the previous blogpost or find them directly HERE. 2) Football's back meaning it's the perfect time to delight the Dolfans in your life with the surprise of our 'Fins At 50' book. Check it out here on Amazon. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Dolphins win at Jets with DSM poll & more. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook and Instagram.

Personal news: As many know from following me on Twitter and social media, I had my thoracic surgery to remove a tumor from my chest and am now in recovery mode. I'm on pain medication and on rest and no-drive orders all this week. That is why I'm cutting back on a bunch of stuff such as a temporary reduction in Herald workload and no LeBatard Show Tuesday. Thanks for the understanding.

Tonight's Jets-Browns pick: Could be a no-lose for Dolphins fans tonight. Y'all might either get to see the Browns' first regular-season win in 21 months, or see the Stinkin' Jets lose. Again. For tonight: Week 3 Thursday Gem.

Most recent columns: On D.Wade's decision, Dolphins running game: Dwyane Wade (unsurprisingly) has decided on one more season with the Heat. I explored the delay in his decision, why it wasn't bad and what Wade would do: Give Dwyane Time And He'll Make Right Call. And: Ryan Tannehill is better when he throws less, and running more leads to Dolphins success. Enter Kenyan Drake and Frank Gore: Why Drake/Gore Will Work, And Why That's Crucial to Fins.

AND IN TODAY'S EDITION OF DUELING RIDICULOUS MIAMI SPORTS STORIES...: Marlins Man ends feud and returns to good graces with ballclub vs. Dolphins rookie Minkah Ftzpatrick files trademark application for phrase "FitzMagic" even though Bucs QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is already called that.

MAHOMES SWEET 'HOMES! / MIAMI HERALD NFL QB RANKINGS / WEEK 2: Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes (pictured) wins Week 2 while the Bucs' Ryan Fitzpatrick nudges ahead of Saint Drew Brees for the overall season lead in the Herald's latest NFL QB Rankings entering Week 3. This is the Miami Herald's 21st season of Passer Success System (PASS) NFL quarterback rankings. Dolphin Ryan Tannehill improved in Week 2 yet falls four spots to 17th. That's because it was a higher scoring week in which several QBs improved by even more. Our formula is simple and unchanged since its inception in 1998, factoring accuracy, yardage, TD-interception ratio and team result. (Exact formula detailed below). Most major ranking systems such as the NFL's and ESPN's are complicated and percentile based, allowing QBs who miss half a season to still win a title, while our system is cumulative, rewarding players who are consistently productive and avoid injury or benching. Here we go!

NFL WEEK 2 PIX 'N FANTASY RESULTS: GOOD AND GOOD ... AGAIN!: Every Tuesday in the blog I update you on how I did the just-past weekend with my Miami Herald predictions and with my LeBatard Show/League Of Lobos fantasy team. The latest: Herald picks: Another solid week! Went 10-5-1 overall again (Vikings-Packers tied) and went a stout 9-7 against the spread, including outright upset calls on Dolphins over Jets and Titans over Texans, plus 'dog Chiefs and Lions with points. Greg's Lobos: The mighty Lobos are now 2-0 with a 134.7-90 rout of Sarah Spain. Consistent scoring described the day, with Deshaun Watson, Tyreek Hill, Zach Ertz and DeShaun Jackson all tallying in the 20-23 point range. Still being held hostage by the Le'Veon Bell mess, but surviving the mess nicely thus far.

COTE'S STATE OF THE STATE RANKINGS: Each Tuesday I rank the state's seven FBS-level college football teams. The latest: 1. UCF (2-0); 2. Miami (2-1); 3. South Florida (3-0); 4. Florida (2-1); 5. FAU (2-1); 6. FIU (2-1); 7. Florida State (1-2).

Other select recent columns: Somehow, Dolphins Make A 7-Hour Wait Worth It. Soft Stretch In Schedule Is About Improving At QB. NFL 2018 Team Rankings. Dolphins? Heat? Nope. UM Football Owns This Town. NFL Enters Year 3 Of Anthem-Protest Quagmire. To The Good-Guy Grinder In The Shades. Time to Flip the Old Narrative On Miami As a Sports Town. Can Riley Rescue Heat From Purgatory? When 3 World Cup Legends Were Ours.