The extraordinary journey of Jose de Jesus Rodriguez. Our latest column; plus Wade's 'Last Dance' gets its signature moment, a personal note & more

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

1) It's THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28 through SUNDAY, MARCH 3. Farewell February and a hearty welcome, March! 2) A fond bon voyage to colleague and friend Clark Spencer, the Herald 's Marlins beat writer who has retired after a long career in sports writing. Great at what he did, and an even better person. 3) Football is done, but never too late to buy our 'Fins At 50' book for the Dolfans in your life. Check it out on Amazon. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): New sports-business tome and Top 50 breakthrough moments, NBA best-under-25 list snubs Heat, What's Ridiculous In Sports & more. 5) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook and Instagram.

A personal note: We're off on holiday for a few days through the weekend, so look for the new Hot Button Top 10 here on Monday upon our return, one day later than usual. 

THE EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY OF JOSE DE JESUS RODRIGUEZ: I have been chronicling sports since the 1970s and have met and written about hundreds of athletes more famous but maybe none more extraordinary than golfer Jose de Jesus Rodriguez. I met him Wednesday, and wrote the column linked here, just below. He is a PGA Tour rookie at age 38, competing in this week's Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens. At age 15 he left his home in central Mexico, made his way more than 500 miles to the border, and after months of trying finally crossed the Rio Grande into the United States, convinced golf would be the way he might lift his family from poverty. He arrived "illegally" but today has a proper work visa and a bright future. He learned the game with homemade clubs made of rebar shafts, inner-tube-rubber grips and clubheads of shaped metal. It was an impossible dream that came true. The American dream. Had a border wall been there, he'd have never have made it. His story is enough to make you glad there was no wall. And to consider that for every bad guy a wall might turn away, how many honest dreamers like this might also be denied. An excerpt from the column: The Mexican side of the border is rife with smugglers who’ll get you across, but Jose had not nearly enough money for that. He would have to do it himself. In the black of night, the boy who could not swim tried to make his way across the famous river only to be intercepted, again, by the U.S. Border Patrol. For months this went on, until finally Jose heard the Border Patrol changed shift at 2 p.m. In that sliver of time, he crossed. He made it. He was in America. The water that night was up to his chin. The currents shoved him. “I’m dying in the Rio Grande,” he recalled thinking. “I’m saying, ‘God help me. I want to help my family.” To read the full column, please visit Across the Rio Grande to the PGA Tour.

Our other most recent columns: The Evolution Of Sports Into Big Business / Riley Scoffs At Retirement Because His Work Isn't Done / Zion Should Say See-Ya Duke and Shut It Down / Wade's 'Last Dance' A Masterwork In How To Say Goodbye / Six Reasons To Be Hopeful About Marlins' Rebuild / Stain On NFL Stays Until Kaepernick Is Signed / He Was Wrong To Stiff Caddie, But Vilifying Kuchar is Wrong, Too / Why Murray Is Perfect Fit For Dolphins.

WADE'S 'LAST DANCE' GETS ITS SIGNATURE MOMENT: Maybe the Heat's Dwyane Wade still has something in store to top Wednesday night, but it's hard to imagine what we just saw can be topped. Wade, in his 'Last Dance' farewell season before retirement, hits a last-second, buzzer-beating 3-point bank-shot prayer on the home court to beat mighty Golden State, 126-125. That slumping Miami needed a win badly only accentuated the moment. Fans roared in merry disbelief. Teammates engulfed Wade with love -- but only after he hopped onto a scorer's table and faced the cheering fans. Steph Curry and Kevin Durant watched it all, standing shoulder to shoulder. Curry wore a small smile. "Those are iconic moments that he's had," Curry said later, in admiration. Said Wade: "It's special for me." The long chronology of magic moments that D.Wade his authored just got its exclamation point.

Select other recent columns: Taking On NFL Cost Costas His Job, But Not His Integrity / The State Of South Florida Sports in 2019 / The Redemption Of Manny Diaz / Here's Why Dolphins Hit Big With Flores Gamble / Bonds and Clemens Inch Toward Cooperstown, But A-Rod Faces Tougher Road / Kooch Never Made Canton But Helped Make Dolphins History / From Dark and Empty to the Top Of the World: Dan Le Batard at 50 / Getting Diaz Back The Perfect Fit For UM / Miami's Hate-Hate Relationship With Nick Saban.

APSE-HONORED WORK: The Associated Press Sports Editors 2018 writing awards ranked us a Top 10 national sports columnist in the major-outlet category. Thanks, APSE. Here are the five nominated columns that earned the honor: At Doral, an annual tradition since 1962 is replaced by silence, and by what's missing  /  Marlins' Jose Fernandez statue is divisive yet has a chance to serve a greater purpose  /  NFL has moral obligation to help Buonicontis and Kiicks while it limits future suffering  /  What led to El Clasico Miami began with Joe Robbie's unlikely, accidental love of soccer  / With 59 home runs, Stanton still had a magic season. Just hope this wasn't goodbye.

Revisit our blog often because we update and add to our latest posts throughout the day.

Twitter @gregcote

1) It's THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28 through SUNDAY, MARCH 3. Farewell February and a hearty welcome, March! 2) A fond bon voyage to colleague and friend Clark Spencer, the Herald 's Marlins beat writer who has retired after a long career in sports writing. Great at what he did, and an even better person. 3) Football is done, but never too late to buy our 'Fins At 50' book for the Dolfans in your life. Check it out on Amazon. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): New sports-business tome and Top 50 breakthrough moments, NBA best-under-25 list snubs Heat, What's Ridiculous In Sports & more. 5) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook and Instagram.

A personal note: We're off on holiday for a few days through the weekend, so look for the new Hot Button Top 10 here on Monday upon our return, one day later than usual. 

THE EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY OF JOSE DE JESUS RODRIGUEZ: I have been chronicling sports since the 1970s and have met and written about hundreds of athletes more famous but maybe none more extraordinary than golfer Jose de Jesus Rodriguez. I met him Wednesday, and wrote the column linked here, just below. He is a PGA Tour rookie at age 38, competing in this week's Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens. At age 15 he left his home in central Mexico, made his way more than 500 miles to the border, and after months of trying finally crossed the Rio Grande into the United States, convinced golf would be the way he might lift his family from poverty. He arrived "illegally" but today has a proper work visa and a bright future. He learned the game with homemade clubs made of rebar shafts, inner-tube-rubber grips and clubheads of shaped metal. It was an impossible dream that came true. The American dream. Had a border wall been there, he'd have never have made it. His story is enough to make you glad there was no wall. And to consider that for every bad guy a wall might turn away, how many honest dreamers like this might also be denied. An excerpt from the column: The Mexican side of the border is rife with smugglers who’ll get you across, but Jose had not nearly enough money for that. He would have to do it himself. In the black of night, the boy who could not swim tried to make his way across the famous river only to be intercepted, again, by the U.S. Border Patrol. For months this went on, until finally Jose heard the Border Patrol changed shift at 2 p.m. In that sliver of time, he crossed. He made it. He was in America. The water that night was up to his chin. The currents shoved him. “I’m dying in the Rio Grande,” he recalled thinking. “I’m saying, ‘God help me. I want to help my family.” To read the full column, please visit Across the Rio Grande to the PGA Tour.

Our other most recent columns: The Evolution Of Sports Into Big Business / Riley Scoffs At Retirement Because His Work Isn't Done / Zion Should Say See-Ya Duke and Shut It Down / Wade's 'Last Dance' A Masterwork In How To Say Goodbye / Six Reasons To Be Hopeful About Marlins' Rebuild / Stain On NFL Stays Until Kaepernick Is Signed / He Was Wrong To Stiff Caddie, But Vilifying Kuchar is Wrong, Too / Why Murray Is Perfect Fit For Dolphins.

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

The evolution of sports into big business and Miami's role. New column; plus Heat young players are chopped liver, says ESPN; also, struggling Heat, Kraft arrest, AAF, 'Greg Cote Monday' ESPN podcast & more

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

1) It's WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27. I co-hosted LeBatard Show a day earlier than usual this week on ESPN Radio. Visit Greg Cote Monday for the best-of podcast. 2) Black History Month is February. It was first celebrated at Kent State University in 1970 and was officially recognized nationally in 1976. We spent hours one weekend wandering the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis a couple of  years ago. An irreplaceable trove. Well worth your time and effort! 3) Football is done, but never too late to buy our 'Fins At 50' book for the Dolfans in your life. Check it out on Amazon. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hot Button Top 10. Le Batard TV show premiere with Riley, Zion Williams Shoegate & more. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook and Instagram.

THE TOP 50 'BREAKTHROUGH MOMENTS' IN SPORTS-BUSINESS HISTORY: A new book, The Sports Business Handbook, says it's been around 50 years since we began to understand that "sports business" was about more than games and results -- that it also was about deal-making and law and business and marketing and administration in what has become a trillion-dollar industry. "Fifty years ago was around the first time people really started focusing on those off-field things," said author Rick Horrow. "Before that if it wasn't in a box score, it wasn't reported or talked about." The Miami Beach-born Horrow, who hand a hand in shepherding the original Miami Arena into fruition back in the day, includes in the book a chronological list of the top 50 "breakthrough moments" in sports business. I write of this in my latest column; please visit The Evolution Of Sports Into Big Business to read. Two of those beyond-sports moments mentioned have strong South Florida ties: the emergence of the Williams sisters Serena and Venus in tennis, and LeBron James' 'The Decision' that brought his talents to South Beach and the Heat. (I found it interesting that the first and most recent moments listed both were about social justice involving the national anthem: the raised fists on the medal stand during the 1968 Mexico Olympics, and Colin Kaepernick kneeling. Horrow's book has spawned a "symposium tour" that begins Thursday at Harvard University. A stop in Miami  is expected this summer. The book is out next week, and available now at mascot books.com.

Our other most recent columns: Riley Scoffs At Retirement Because His Work Isn't Done / Zion Should Say See-Ya Duke and Shut It Down / Wade's 'Last Dance' A Masterwork In How To Say Goodbye / Six Reasons To Be Hopeful About Marlins' Rebuild /  Stain On NFL Stays Until Kaepernick Is Signed / He Was Wrong To Stiff Caddie, But Vilifying Kuchar is Wrong, Too / Why Murray Is Perfect Fit For Dolphins.

ESPN UNDER-25 LIST SNUBS HEAT: ESPN today tossed out a list of top 25 NBA players under 25. Greak Freak Giannis Antetokounmpo is on top, the usual suspects follow, and the whole list is here, based on a mix of right now and "future potential." Next Superstar Rankings, they call it. What jumped out at me, Mr. Miami, was the absence of any love for any Heat player. The list is a by a panel of three experts with 25 votes each. That's 75 votes, total. Number given to any Heat player: Zero. I thought either or both of the two legit candidates, Justise Winslow and Bam Adebayo (pictured right), might at least have been tossed the crumb of a No. 24 vote something. Nada! (Josh Richardson just missed the poll's kiddie pool at age 26, if you wondered). It's one more gloomy indication that Miami is a team without a current (in-his-prime) superstar and also apparently a team without a future superstar on the roster, at least so says ESPN.

WHAT'S RIDICULOUS IN SPORTS: A quick Tuesday three-pack...

(*) Heat losing at home to Phoenix -- If Miami misses the NBA playoffs, last night's loss will be presented as Exhibit A. Rock bottom. Zero excuse available for a 124-121 home loss to a league-worst Suns team that had lost 17 in a row coming in, and is blatantly tanking for Zion Williamson. Great games by Hassan Whiteside and Kelly Olynyk, wasted. Miami has now lost six home games in a row, once unheard of. The season is turning depressing for Miami, although at least Dwyane Wade's long farewell lends an emotional heft and a reason to keep watching.

(*) Arrest of Robert Kraft -- So the Patriots owner is caught up in a police prostitution sting out of a happy ending massage parlor "day spa" in Jupiter. There are real criminals in this case. They are whomever is involved in the alleged human sex trafficking that may be in play here. Arrest them and throw 'em in jail. But clients unaware of any trafficking who simply went there for what they thought was private enjoyment? Cops have better stuff to do. If a restaurant is selling stolen steaks, you arrest the owner buying them, not the diners.

(*) Alliance of American Football -- The new spring AAF just finished its third weekend and already it has had to be bailed out financially and seen a coach quit. Ratings have dived after initial curiosity made Week 1 numbers encouraging. The whole venture is just one network's content initiative, and it's stumbling early. The question: Will the AAF even survive to welcome a rebooted XFL as competition a year from now? "LOL," says a grinning NFL.

Select recent other columns: Taking On NFL Cost Costas His Job, But Not His Integrity / The State Of South Florida Sports in 2019 / The Redemption Of Manny Diaz / Here's Why Dolphins Hit Big With Flores Gamble / Bonds and Clemens Inch Toward Cooperstown, But A-Rod Faces Tougher Road / Kooch Never Made Canton But Helped Make Dolphins History / From Dark and Empty to the Top Of the World: Dan Le Batard at 50 / Getting Diaz Back The Perfect Fit For UM / Miami's Hate-Hate Relationship With Nick Saban.

APSE-HONORED WORK: The Associated Press Sports Editors 2018 writing awards ranked us a Top 10 national sports columnist in the major-outlet category. Thanks, APSE. Here are the five nominated columns that earned the honor: At Doral, an annual tradition since 1962 is replaced by silence, and by what's missing  /  Marlins' Jose Fernandez statue is divisive yet has a chance to serve a greater purpose  /  NFL has moral obligation to help Buonicontis and Kiicks while it limits future suffering  /  What led to El Clasico Miami began with Joe Robbie's unlikely, accidental love of soccer  / With 59 home runs, Stanton still had a magic season. Just hope this wasn't goodbye.

Revisit our blog often because we update and add to our latest posts throughout the day.

Twitter @gregcote

1) It's WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27. I co-hosted LeBatard Show a day earlier than usual this week on ESPN Radio. Visit Greg Cote Monday for the best-of podcast. 2) Black History Month is February. It was first celebrated at Kent State University in 1970 and was officially recognized nationally in 1976. We spent hours one weekend wandering the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis a couple of  years ago. An irreplaceable trove. Well worth your time and effort! 3) Football is done, but never too late to buy our 'Fins At 50' book for the Dolfans in your life. Check it out on Amazon. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hot Button Top 10. Le Batard TV show premiere with Riley, Zion Williams Shoegate & more. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook and Instagram.

THE TOP 50 'BREAKTHROUGH MOMENTS' IN SPORTS-BUSINESS HISTORY: A new book, The Sports Business Handbook, says it's been around 50 years since we began to understand that "sports business" was about more than games and results -- that it also was about deal-making and law and business and marketing and administration in what has become a trillion-dollar industry. "Fifty years ago was around the first time people really started focusing on those off-field things," said author Rick Horrow. "Before that if it wasn't in a box score, it wasn't reported or talked about." The Miami Beach-born Horrow, who hand a hand in shepherding the original Miami Arena into fruition back in the day, includes in the book a chronological list of the top 50 "breakthrough moments" in sports business. I write of this in my latest column; please visit The Evolution Of Sports Into Big Business to read. Two of those beyond-sports moments mentioned have strong South Florida ties: the emergence of the Williams sisters Serena and Venus in tennis, and LeBron James' 'The Decision' that brought his talents to South Beach and the Heat. (I found it interesting that the first and most recent moments listed both were about social justice involving the national anthem: the raised fists on the medal stand during the 1968 Mexico Olympics, and Colin Kaepernick kneeling. Horrow's book has spawned a "symposium tour" that begins Thursday at Harvard University. A stop in Miami  is expected this summer. The book is out next week, and available now at mascot books.com.

Our other most recent columns: Riley Scoffs At Retirement Because His Work Isn't Done / Zion Should Say See-Ya Duke and Shut It Down / Wade's 'Last Dance' A Masterwork In How To Say Goodbye / Six Reasons To Be Hopeful About Marlins' Rebuild /  Stain On NFL Stays Until Kaepernick Is Signed / He Was Wrong To Stiff Caddie, But Vilifying Kuchar is Wrong, Too / Why Murray Is Perfect Fit For Dolphins.

ESPN UNDER-25 LIST SNUBS HEAT: ESPN today tossed out a list of top 25 NBA players under 25. Greak Freak Giannis Antetokounmpo is on top, the usual suspects follow, and the whole list is here, based on a mix of right now and "future potential." Next Superstar Rankings, they call it. What jumped out at me, Mr. Miami, was the absence of any love for any Heat player. The list is a by a panel of three experts with 25 votes each. That's 75 votes, total. Number given to any Heat player: Zero. I thought either or both of the two legit candidates, Justise Winslow and Bam Adebayo (pictured right), might at least have been tossed the crumb of a No. 24 vote something. Nada! (Josh Richardson just missed the poll's kiddie pool at age 26, if you wondered). It's one more gloomy indication that Miami is a team without a current (in-his-prime) superstar and also apparently a team without a future superstar on the roster, at least so says ESPN.

WHAT'S RIDICULOUS IN SPORTS: A quick Tuesday three-pack...

(*) Heat losing at home to Phoenix -- If Miami misses the NBA playoffs, last night's loss will be presented as Exhibit A. Rock bottom. Zero excuse available for a 124-121 home loss to a league-worst Suns team that had lost 17 in a row coming in, and is blatantly tanking for Zion Williamson. Great games by Hassan Whiteside and Kelly Olynyk, wasted. Miami has now lost six home games in a row, once unheard of. The season is turning depressing for Miami, although at least Dwyane Wade's long farewell lends an emotional heft and a reason to keep watching.

(*) Arrest of Robert Kraft -- So the Patriots owner is caught up in a police prostitution sting out of a happy ending massage parlor "day spa" in Jupiter. There are real criminals in this case. They are whomever is involved in the alleged human sex trafficking that may be in play here. Arrest them and throw 'em in jail. But clients unaware of any trafficking who simply went there for what they thought was private enjoyment? Cops have better stuff to do. If a restaurant is selling stolen steaks, you arrest the owner buying them, not the diners.

(*) Alliance of American Football -- The new spring AAF just finished its third weekend and already it has had to be bailed out financially and seen a coach quit. Ratings have dived after initial curiosity made Week 1 numbers encouraging. The whole venture is just one network's content initiative, and it's stumbling early. The question: Will the AAF even survive to welcome a rebooted XFL as competition a year from now? "LOL," says a grinning NFL.

WHAT'S RIDICULOUS IN SPORTS: A quick Tuesday three-pack...

(*) Heat losing at home to Phoenix -- If Miami misses the NBA playoffs, last night's loss will be presented as Exhibit A. Rock bottom. Zero excuse available for a 124-121 home loss to a league-worst Suns team that had lost 17 in a row coming in, and is blatantly tanking for Zion Williamson. Great games by Hassan Whiteside and Kelly Olynyk, wasted. Miami has now lost six home games in a row, once unheard of. The season is turning depressing for Miami, although at least Dwyane Wade's long farewell lends an emotional heft and a reason to keep watching.

(*) Arrest of Robert Kraft -- So the Patriots owner is caught up in a police prostitution sting out of a happy ending massage parlor "day spa" in Jupiter. There are real criminals in this case. They are whomever is involved in the alleged human sex trafficking that may be in play here. Arrest them and throw 'em in jail. But clients unaware of any trafficking who simply went there for what they thought was private enjoyment? Cops have better stuff to do. If a restaurant is selling stolen steaks, you arrest the owner buying them, not the diners.

(*) Alliance of American Football -- The new spring AAF just finished its third weekend and already it has had to be bailed out financially and seen a coach quit. Ratings have dived after initial curiosity made Week 1 numbers encouraging. The whole venture is just one network's content initiative, and it's stumbling early. The question: Will the AAF even survive to welcome a rebooted XFL as competition a year from now? "LOL," says a grinning NFL.

WHAT'S RIDICULOUS IN SPORTS: A quick Tuesday three-pack...

(*) Heat losing at home to Phoenix -- If Miami misses the NBA playoffs, last night's loss will be presented as Exhibit A. Rock bottom. Zero excuse available for a 124-121 home loss to a league-worst Suns team that had lost 17 in a row coming in, and is blatantly tanking for Zion Williamson. Great games by Hassan Whiteside and Kelly Olynyk, wasted. Miami has now lost six home games in a row, once unheard of. The season is turning depressing for Miami, although at least Dwyane Wade's long farewell lends an emotional heft and a reason to keep watching.

(*) Arrest of Robert Kraft -- So the Patriots owner is caught up in a police prostitution sting out of a happy ending massage parlor "day spa" in Jupiter. There are real criminals in this case. They are whomever is involved in the alleged human sex trafficking that may be in play here. Arrest them and throw 'em in jail. But clients unaware of any trafficking who simply went there for what they thought was private enjoyment? Cops have better stuff to do. If a restaurant is selling stolen steaks, you arrest the owner buying them, not the diners.

(*) Alliance of American Football -- The new spring AAF just finished its third weekend and already it has had to be bailed out financially and seen a coach quit. Ratings have dived after initial curiosity made Week 1 numbers encouraging. The whole venture is just one network's content initiative, and it's stumbling early. The question: Will the AAF even survive to welcome a rebooted XFL as competition a year from now? "LOL," says a grinning NFL.

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Why Heat's Pat Riley is defiantly scoffing at retirement. On the premiere of new ESPN/Le Batard TV series with Riles in debut episode; plus Radio Monday (!), latest Hot Button Top 10 (updated) & more

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

1) It's MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25. Football is done, but never too late to buy our 'Fins At 50' book for the Dolfans in your life. Check it out on Amazon. 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Wade's farewell a masterwork in how to retire right, 6 reason for Marlins optimism, Miami's rank among best sports cities, new Back In My Day video, Brandi Carlile's 'The Joke' & more. 3) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook and Instagram.

It's Radio Monday (!): I'm co-hosting on the Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz today/Monday instead of my regular Tuesday gig because of a Herald work-related conflict. It airs 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. nationally on ESPN Radio and ESPNews, after a local-only hour 8:55 to 10 on Miami's 790 The Ticket. Join us!  

On Le Batard TV premiere with Riley: ESPN's Dan Le Batard has a new ESPN TV series called Art Of Conversation that premiering last evening with Heat president Pat Riley. I thought it was really good. In case you missed it, or even you didn't, here is our review. Please visit Riley Scoffs At Retirement Because His Work Isn't Done.

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (UPDATED): WHAT SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive every-Sunday feature, updated Mondays, is part week-in-review, part look-ahead. Hot Button means what's on our minds, locally and nationally, from a Miami perspective, as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead. This week's HB10:

1. HEAT: Miami stumbling out of All-Star break: Post All-Star break, first the Heat lose to a 76ers team minus Joel Embiid, then get clobbered 119-96 by a Pistons they're chasing for the final East playoff spot. Slumping Miami now is 26-32 and 10th in the jockeying for eight playoff tickets. Why? Largely because the 11-17 home record is the worst by far of any playoff contender. After hosting Phoenix on Monday, Miami plays Golden State here Wednesday. Oy.

2. MARLINS: Spring games underway for retooling Fish: Miami opened its 30-game spring schedule on Saturday vs. the Cardinals in Jupiter. They got clobbered, giving up 20 hits in an 11-1 loss, and are now 0-2 in fake games. (Keep repeating: "Spring results don't matter..."). Highlight of spring opener: Starter Sandy Alcantara looked pretty good in two innings' work. Lowlight: Everything else. 

3. MLB: Padres hit Machado jackpot: San Diego won the bidding for prized Hialeah-born free-agent slugger Manny Machado with a 10-year, $300 million bid. Padres have never won a championship in their 50 seasons and last made the playoffs 13 years ago. No pressure or anything, Manny! 

4. UM BASKETBALL: Canes women end jinx, beat FSU: The 23-6 UM women rose to No. 14 in polls before an upset loss at Virginia Tech, but bounced back at home to beat nemesis Florida State 64-54 Sunday -- ending  a nine-game regular season losing streak in the series. As regular seasons wanes, Katie Meier's troops are playing for NCAA Tournament seeding. Meanwhile Jim Larranaga's 11-14 Miami men's team likely needs a big finish and a prayer just to sneak into the NIT.

5. ZION WILLIAMSON: Unraveling Nike sneaker fells game's top player: panthers ] College Player of the Year-designate Zion Williamson of No. 1 Duke crumples and injures a knee when his Nike sneaker falls apart during a game like a frayed retread on the Interstate. Barack Obama, at the game, was seen on TV saying, "His shoe broke!" Accurate. Meanwhile Nike stock takes a billion-dollar hit before rallying.

6. GOLF: Tiger says he won't play the Honda: Tiger Woods said he'll skip this week's Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, South Florida's only PGA Tour event since the tour left Doral. Modest field features only three of top 20-ranked players in No. 2 Brooks Koepka, No. 4 Justin Thomas and No. 9 Rickie Fowler. With fan favorites like Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson and Jordan Spieth also all skipping Honda, event could have really used Tiger.   

7. ROBERT KRAFT: Patriots owner nabbed in prostitution sting: You just can't make this stuff up, folks. If you did, nobody would believe you. So the 77-year-old owner of the New England Patriots is caught in a police sting for eliciting sex at a Jupiter massage parlor. Pats won the Super Bowl but evidently (you see this coming, right?) Kraft had another happy ending in mind. 

8. PANTHERS: Cats clobber Kings, but time running out: As Monday's NHL trade deadline looms, Florida routed the visiting L.A. King 6-1 Saturday night but still are only 27-33 and a big 10 points back in the playoff chase. Cats finished a seven-game homestand 4-3 and now hit the road starting Monday in Colorado.

9. CANES BASEBALL: UM loses series at rival Florida: The Gino DiMare era busted out to a 5-0 start before the unranked Canes lost the final two games of a three-game weekend set vs. No. 3-ranked Gators in Gainesville. 

10. DOLPHINS: Fins bolster front office with McKenzie: Dolphins hired Reggie McKenzie as "senior personnel 0executive," which basically sounds like he'll be a right-hand man for general manager Chris Grier. McKenzie spent past seven years as GM for the Oakland Raiders, but we won't hold that against him.

Missing the HB10 cut: Dan Le Batard's new ESPN series, Art Of Conversation, premieres Sunday at 5:30 with a profile of Heat prez Pat Riley. Shameless Plug Alert: I have details about the show and its first episode here ..... Ichiro singled in his first spring at-bat for Seattle. Also notable: He's bleepin' 45! ..... Famed Syracuse men's basketball coach Jim Boeheim said he would coach Saturday night's game just two days after an accident in which his car struck and killed a man. Boeheim has fully cooperated and may not be charged with anything. Still, maybe take the next game off while the other family plans the funeral? Just a thought ..... The new Alliance of American Football, entering its third week, already has needed a bailout to meet payroll. Buzzards are circling ..... Former straight-laced NBA coach Don Nelson, in retirement, has grown a hippie beard and become a devotee of marijuana. Somewhere, Bill Walton is smiling ..... ..... A Kenosha, Wisconsin high school gave cheerleader awards called Big Booty and Big Boobie until the school board stepped in. Give the Big Idiot award to the coach who let it happen ..... Breakdancing has been proposed for the 2024 Olympics. Oh Lord how I wish I were kidding ..... Update: Countdown now 2,674 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in the 2026 World Cup.

A BUSTED SHOE, A HURT KNEE AND WHAT'S NEXT FOR ZION WILLIAMSON: The most-talked about and coveted young basketball phenom since LeBron James suddenly falls with an injured knee on Duke’s court because his Nike sneaker fell apart. It’s national TV. The camera shows former President Barack Obama, seated courtside, saying, "His shoe broke!" That’s notable enough. But what happens next might be bigger: Will Zion Williamson play another game for Duke? Should he? Why should he? That's the gist of my column. To read it, please visit: Zion Should Say See-Ya Duke and Shut It Down.

Other most recent columns: Wade's 'Last Dance' A Masterwork In How To Say Goodbye  /  Six Reasons To Be Hopeful About Marlins' Rebuild  /  Stain On NFL Stays Until Kaepernick Is Signed /  He Was Wrong To Stiff Caddie, But Vilifying Kuchar is Wrong, Too /  Why Murray Is Perfect Fit For Dolphins.

Select recent other columns: Taking On NFL Cost Costas His Job, But Not His Integrity / The State Of South Florida Sports in 2019 / The Redemption Of Manny Diaz / Here's Why Dolphins Hit Big With Flores Gamble / Bonds and Clemens Inch Toward Cooperstown, But A-Rod Faces Tougher Road / Kooch Never Made Canton But Helped Make Dolphins History / From Dark and Empty to the Top Of the World: Dan Le Batard at 50 / Getting Diaz Back The Perfect Fit For UM / Miami's Hate-Hate Relationship With Nick Saban.

APSE-HONORED WORK: The Associated Press Sports Editors 2018 writing awards ranked us a Top 10 national sports columnist in the major-outlet category. Thanks, APSE. Here are the five nominated columns that earned the honor: At Doral, an annual tradition since 1962 is replaced by silence, and by what's missing  /  Marlins' Jose Fernandez statue is divisive yet has a chance to serve a greater purpose  /  NFL has moral obligation to help Buonicontis and Kiicks while it limits future suffering  /  What led to El Clasico Miami began with Joe Robbie's unlikely, accidental love of soccer  / With 59 home runs, Stanton still had a magic season. Just hope this wasn't goodbye.

Revisit our blog often because we update and add to our latest posts throughout the day.

Twitter @gregcote

1) It's MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25. Football is done, but never too late to buy our 'Fins At 50' book for the Dolfans in your life. Check it out on Amazon. 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Wade's farewell a masterwork in how to retire right, 6 reason for Marlins optimism, Miami's rank among best sports cities, new Back In My Day video, Brandi Carlile's 'The Joke' & more. 3) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook and Instagram.

It's Radio Monday (!): I'm co-hosting on the Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz today/Monday instead of my regular Tuesday gig because of a Herald work-related conflict. It airs 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. nationally on ESPN Radio and ESPNews, after a local-only hour 8:55 to 10 on Miami's 790 The Ticket. Join us!  

On Le Batard TV premiere with Riley: ESPN's Dan Le Batard has a new ESPN TV series called Art Of Conversation that premiering last evening with Heat president Pat Riley. I thought it was really good. In case you missed it, or even you didn't, here is our review. Please visit Riley Scoffs At Retirement Because His Work Isn't Done.

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (UPDATED): WHAT SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive every-Sunday feature, updated Mondays, is part week-in-review, part look-ahead. Hot Button means what's on our minds, locally and nationally, from a Miami perspective, as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead. This week's HB10:

1. HEAT: Miami stumbling out of All-Star break: Post All-Star break, first the Heat lose to a 76ers team minus Joel Embiid, then get clobbered 119-96 by a Pistons they're chasing for the final East playoff spot. Slumping Miami now is 26-32 and 10th in the jockeying for eight playoff tickets. Why? Largely because the 11-17 home record is the worst by far of any playoff contender. After hosting Phoenix on Monday, Miami plays Golden State here Wednesday. Oy.

2. MARLINS: Spring games underway for retooling Fish: Miami opened its 30-game spring schedule on Saturday vs. the Cardinals in Jupiter. They got clobbered, giving up 20 hits in an 11-1 loss, and are now 0-2 in fake games. (Keep repeating: "Spring results don't matter..."). Highlight of spring opener: Starter Sandy Alcantara looked pretty good in two innings' work. Lowlight: Everything else. 

3. MLB: Padres hit Machado jackpot: San Diego won the bidding for prized Hialeah-born free-agent slugger Manny Machado with a 10-year, $300 million bid. Padres have never won a championship in their 50 seasons and last made the playoffs 13 years ago. No pressure or anything, Manny! 

4. UM BASKETBALL: Canes women end jinx, beat FSU: The 23-6 UM women rose to No. 14 in polls before an upset loss at Virginia Tech, but bounced back at home to beat nemesis Florida State 64-54 Sunday -- ending  a nine-game regular season losing streak in the series. As regular seasons wanes, Katie Meier's troops are playing for NCAA Tournament seeding. Meanwhile Jim Larranaga's 11-14 Miami men's team likely needs a big finish and a prayer just to sneak into the NIT.

5. ZION WILLIAMSON: Unraveling Nike sneaker fells game's top player: panthers ] College Player of the Year-designate Zion Williamson of No. 1 Duke crumples and injures a knee when his Nike sneaker falls apart during a game like a frayed retread on the Interstate. Barack Obama, at the game, was seen on TV saying, "His shoe broke!" Accurate. Meanwhile Nike stock takes a billion-dollar hit before rallying.

6. GOLF: Tiger says he won't play the Honda: Tiger Woods said he'll skip this week's Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, South Florida's only PGA Tour event since the tour left Doral. Modest field features only three of top 20-ranked players in No. 2 Brooks Koepka, No. 4 Justin Thomas and No. 9 Rickie Fowler. With fan favorites like Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson and Jordan Spieth also all skipping Honda, event could have really used Tiger.   

7. ROBERT KRAFT: Patriots owner nabbed in prostitution sting: You just can't make this stuff up, folks. If you did, nobody would believe you. So the 77-year-old owner of the New England Patriots is caught in a police sting for eliciting sex at a Jupiter massage parlor. Pats won the Super Bowl but evidently (you see this coming, right?) Kraft had another happy ending in mind. 

8. PANTHERS: Cats clobber Kings, but time running out: As Monday's NHL trade deadline looms, Florida routed the visiting L.A. King 6-1 Saturday night but still are only 27-33 and a big 10 points back in the playoff chase. Cats finished a seven-game homestand 4-3 and now hit the road starting Monday in Colorado.

9. CANES BASEBALL: UM loses series at rival Florida: The Gino DiMare era busted out to a 5-0 start before the unranked Canes lost the final two games of a three-game weekend set vs. No. 3-ranked Gators in Gainesville. 

10. DOLPHINS: Fins bolster front office with McKenzie: Dolphins hired Reggie McKenzie as "senior personnel 0executive," which basically sounds like he'll be a right-hand man for general manager Chris Grier. McKenzie spent past seven years as GM for the Oakland Raiders, but we won't hold that against him.

Missing the HB10 cut: Dan Le Batard's new ESPN series, Art Of Conversation, premieres Sunday at 5:30 with a profile of Heat prez Pat Riley. Shameless Plug Alert: I have details about the show and its first episode here ..... Ichiro singled in his first spring at-bat for Seattle. Also notable: He's bleepin' 45! ..... Famed Syracuse men's basketball coach Jim Boeheim said he would coach Saturday night's game just two days after an accident in which his car struck and killed a man. Boeheim has fully cooperated and may not be charged with anything. Still, maybe take the next game off while the other family plans the funeral? Just a thought ..... The new Alliance of American Football, entering its third week, already has needed a bailout to meet payroll. Buzzards are circling ..... Former straight-laced NBA coach Don Nelson, in retirement, has grown a hippie beard and become a devotee of marijuana. Somewhere, Bill Walton is smiling ..... ..... A Kenosha, Wisconsin high school gave cheerleader awards called Big Booty and Big Boobie until the school board stepped in. Give the Big Idiot award to the coach who let it happen ..... Breakdancing has been proposed for the 2024 Olympics. Oh Lord how I wish I were kidding ..... Update: Countdown now 2,674 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in the 2026 World Cup.

A BUSTED SHOE, A HURT KNEE AND WHAT'S NEXT FOR ZION WILLIAMSON: The most-talked about and coveted young basketball phenom since LeBron James suddenly falls with an injured knee on Duke’s court because his Nike sneaker fell apart. It’s national TV. The camera shows former President Barack Obama, seated courtside, saying, "His shoe broke!" That’s notable enough. But what happens next might be bigger: Will Zion Williamson play another game for Duke? Should he? Why should he? That's the gist of my column. To read it, please visit: Zion Should Say See-Ya Duke and Shut It Down.

Other most recent columns: Wade's 'Last Dance' A Masterwork In How To Say Goodbye  /  Six Reasons To Be Hopeful About Marlins' Rebuild  /  Stain On NFL Stays Until Kaepernick Is Signed /  He Was Wrong To Stiff Caddie, But Vilifying Kuchar is Wrong, Too /  Why Murray Is Perfect Fit For Dolphins.

Select recent other columns: Taking On NFL Cost Costas His Job, But Not His Integrity / The State Of South Florida Sports in 2019 / The Redemption Of Manny Diaz / Here's Why Dolphins Hit Big With Flores Gamble / Bonds and Clemens Inch Toward Cooperstown, But A-Rod Faces Tougher Road / Kooch Never Made Canton But Helped Make Dolphins History / From Dark and Empty to the Top Of the World: Dan Le Batard at 50 / Getting Diaz Back The Perfect Fit For UM / Miami's Hate-Hate Relationship With Nick Saban.

APSE-HONORED WORK: The Associated Press Sports Editors 2018 writing awards ranked us a Top 10 national sports columnist in the major-outlet category. Thanks, APSE. Here are the five nominated columns that earned the honor: At Doral, an annual tradition since 1962 is replaced by silence, and by what's missing  /  Marlins' Jose Fernandez statue is divisive yet has a chance to serve a greater purpose  /  NFL has moral obligation to help Buonicontis and Kiicks while it limits future suffering  /  What led to El Clasico Miami began with Joe Robbie's unlikely, accidental love of soccer  / With 59 home runs, Stanton still had a magic season. Just hope this wasn't goodbye.

Revisit our blog often because we update and add to our latest posts throughout the day.

Twitter @gregcote

Other most recent columns: Wade's 'Last Dance' A Masterwork In How To Say Goodbye  /  Six Reasons To Be Hopeful About Marlins' Rebuild  /  Stain On NFL Stays Until Kaepernick Is Signed /  He Was Wrong To Stiff Caddie, But Vilifying Kuchar is Wrong, Too /  Why Murray Is Perfect Fit For Dolphins.

Other most recent columns: Wade's 'Last Dance' A Masterwork In How To Say Goodbye  /  Six Reasons To Be Hopeful About Marlins' Rebuild  /  Stain On NFL Stays Until Kaepernick Is Signed /  He Was Wrong To Stiff Caddie, But Vilifying Kuchar is Wrong, Too /  Why Murray Is Perfect Fit For Dolphins.

Other most recent columns: Wade's 'Last Dance' A Masterwork In How To Say Goodbye  /  Six Reasons To Be Hopeful About Marlins' Rebuild  /  Stain On NFL Stays Until Kaepernick Is Signed /  He Was Wrong To Stiff Caddie, But Vilifying Kuchar is Wrong, Too /  Why Murray Is Perfect Fit For Dolphins.

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Dwyane Wade's farewell season a masterwork in how to say goodbye. New column; plus 6 reasons for optimism as Marlins open spring training, latest 'Back In My Day' video (Men's Socks!), Miami's rank among best sports cities, Brandi Carlile & more

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

1) It's WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20. Visit Greg Cote Tuesday for the best-of podcast from yesterday's Le Batard Show on ESPN Radio/ESPNews. Find below the video for the latest Back In My Day segment. 2) Anybody else think Presidents' Day is a lame holiday to have off? Or maybe I'm just bitter I had to work. 3) Football is done, but never too late to buy our 'Fins At 50' book for the Dolfans in your life. Check it out on Amazon. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hot Button Top 10, Kaepernick case settles, your Dolphins QB verdict & more. 5) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook and Instagram.

NO MATTER HOW SEASON ENDS FOR HEAT, WADE GOES OUT A WINNER: Heat are in Philly tonight to begin the season's second half, with Miami precariously right on the outer edge of playoff contention. Close call whether they make the postseason, but either way, Dwayne Wade, in his 'Last Dance' farewell season, is giving a lesson on how to retire, and when. To read my latest column, please visit Wade's 'Last Dance' A Masterwork In How To Say Goodbye. Wade, feeling the love from coast to coast, is doing it his way, going out on his terms and his timetable. Says No. 3: "For me, to be able to come back to Miami and make the decision this year that I was going to walk away from the game on my own -- under my own will -- it’s a good thing."

AS SPRING IS SPRUNG, AN OPTIMISTIC TAKE (BELIEVE IT OR NOT) ON THE REBUILDING MARLINS : I ventured north to Jupiter on Monday for the first full-day of Marlins spring training and birthed my latest column. To read it, and I hope you will, please visit Six Reasons To Be Hopeful About Marlins' Rebuild. My six reasons are entitled Pitching, pitching, pitching; A burgeoning farm system; Potential future stars to watch; The broadening scope of the talent search; Stuff behind the scenes you don’t see; and A ‘Yankees South’ feel to the makeover. In the column I detail each and explain why these are all positives. I have been tough on the "Fire-Sale Fish" over the years, and was when the new Derek Jeter regime abruptly traded stars Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich. But the return is becoming ecvident. There will be lots of losing in the short-term. But I think by around the 2021 season, the club's plea for fans' patience may be showing dividends. Pictured on Monday: Jeter chatting with new special adviser Jorge Posada.

Other most recent columns: Stain On NFL Stays Until Kaepernick Is Signed /  He Was Wrong To Stiff Caddie, But Vilifying Kuchar is Wrong, Too /  Why Murray Is Perfect Fit For Dolphins.

MIAMI, START THAT EBULLIENT "WE'RE NO. 7!" CHANT!: The website 24/7 Wall St. (247wallst.com) lists the Top 20 "Best Cities for Sports Fans" in the U.S. (full ranking here) and Miami comes in a respectable No. 7, trailing only, in order, Los Angeles, Boston, New York City, Chicago, San Antonio and Denver. The methodology is vague but is said to include all American cities/metro areas with at least one professional team in the NFL, NBA, NHL or MLB, with additional points given for number of teams, number of championships in past decade and consistency of winning, along with team payrolls, presence of major stars and "other measures related to overall experience of being a sports fan." The synopsis on Miami, condensed by me: "While Dolphins had their share of success in 1970s, Heat has been the winningest team recently, with NBA titles in 2006, 2012, and 2013. They are probably most remembered for adding LeBron James and Chris Bosh prior to the 2010-11 season. After six straight trips to the postseason, the Heat qualified in just one of the last three seasons. The Dolphins are most remembered for their perfect season in 1972. The Miami Marlins, who have made it to the postseason in just two of the 25 years of their existence, won the World Series both times — in 1997 and 2003. The Panthers won a conference championship in 1995-96 but have never hoisted the Stanley Cup. They qualified for postseason just twice (2012, 2016) in last 16 years. In Miami, it’s not the humidity, it’s the Heat." My comment: Should we really be lending credence to any gauge that calls L.A. the best city for sports fans?

NEW 'BACK IN MY DAY': MEN'S SOCKS!: Whatever happened to white socks for sneakers and black socks for dress shoes as the simple rule of footdom?

BRANDI CARLILE'S 'THE JOKE': Blog readers know what a huge music fan I am, and I'd heard of but not really knew of Brandi Carlile before seeing her performance of her song, "The Joke," at the recent Grammy Awards. I was blown away. By the song. By the performance. By the message.I hope it means something or moves you in some way as it did me:

Other select recent columns: Taking On NFL Cost Costas His Job, But Not His Integrity / The State Of South Florida Sports in 2019 / The Redemption Of Manny Diaz / Here's Why Dolphins Hit Big With Flores Gamble / Bonds and Clemens Inch Toward Cooperstown, But A-Rod Faces Tougher Road / Kooch Never Made Canton But Helped Make Dolphins History / From Dark and Empty to the Top Of the World: Dan Le Batard at 50 / Wade Deserves All-Star Sendoff / The Dolphins Seem Desperate, And It's About Time / Getting Diaz Back The Perfect Fit For UM / Miami's Hate-Hate Relationship With Nick Saban.

APSE-HONORED WORK: The Associated Press Sports Editors 2018 writing awards ranked us a Top 10 national sports columnist in the major-outlet category. Thanks, APSE. Here are the five nominated columns that earned the honor: At Doral, an annual tradition since 1962 is replaced by silence, and by what's missing  /  Marlins' Jose Fernandez statue is divisive yet has a chance to serve a greater purpose  /  NFL has moral obligation to help Buonicontis and Kiicks while it limits future suffering  /  What led to El Clasico Miami began with Joe Robbie's unlikely, accidental love of soccer  / With 59 home runs, Stanton still had a magic season. Just hope this wasn't goodbye.

Revisit our blog often because we update and add to our latest posts throughout the day.

Twitter @gregcote

1) It's WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20. Visit Greg Cote Tuesday for the best-of podcast from yesterday's Le Batard Show on ESPN Radio/ESPNews. Find below the video for the latest Back In My Day segment. 2) Anybody else think Presidents' Day is a lame holiday to have off? Or maybe I'm just bitter I had to work. 3) Football is done, but never too late to buy our 'Fins At 50' book for the Dolfans in your life. Check it out on Amazon. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hot Button Top 10, Kaepernick case settles, your Dolphins QB verdict & more. 5) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook and Instagram.

NO MATTER HOW SEASON ENDS FOR HEAT, WADE GOES OUT A WINNER: Heat are in Philly tonight to begin the season's second half, with Miami precariously right on the outer edge of playoff contention. Close call whether they make the postseason, but either way, Dwayne Wade, in his 'Last Dance' farewell season, is giving a lesson on how to retire, and when. To read my latest column, please visit Wade's 'Last Dance' A Masterwork In How To Say Goodbye. Wade, feeling the love from coast to coast, is doing it his way, going out on his terms and his timetable. Says No. 3: "For me, to be able to come back to Miami and make the decision this year that I was going to walk away from the game on my own -- under my own will -- it’s a good thing."

AS SPRING IS SPRUNG, AN OPTIMISTIC TAKE (BELIEVE IT OR NOT) ON THE REBUILDING MARLINS : I ventured north to Jupiter on Monday for the first full-day of Marlins spring training and birthed my latest column. To read it, and I hope you will, please visit Six Reasons To Be Hopeful About Marlins' Rebuild. My six reasons are entitled Pitching, pitching, pitching; A burgeoning farm system; Potential future stars to watch; The broadening scope of the talent search; Stuff behind the scenes you don’t see; and A ‘Yankees South’ feel to the makeover. In the column I detail each and explain why these are all positives. I have been tough on the "Fire-Sale Fish" over the years, and was when the new Derek Jeter regime abruptly traded stars Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich. But the return is becoming ecvident. There will be lots of losing in the short-term. But I think by around the 2021 season, the club's plea for fans' patience may be showing dividends. Pictured on Monday: Jeter chatting with new special adviser Jorge Posada.

Other most recent columns: Stain On NFL Stays Until Kaepernick Is Signed /  He Was Wrong To Stiff Caddie, But Vilifying Kuchar is Wrong, Too /  Why Murray Is Perfect Fit For Dolphins.

Other most recent columns: Stain On NFL Stays Until Kaepernick Is Signed /  He Was Wrong To Stiff Caddie, But Vilifying Kuchar is Wrong, Too /  Why Murray Is Perfect Fit For Dolphins.

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Latest Hot Button Top 10 (updated): See who's No. 1 and what else falls where; plus Kaepernick and Kuchar columns, your verdict on Murray vs. Tagovailoa for Dolphins & more

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

1) It's MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18. Happy Presidents' Day. I honor the office and what it stands for. Not always the man in it. But the office. 2) Football is done, but never too late to buy our 'Fins At 50' book for the Dolfans in your life. Check it out on Amazon. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Matt Kuchar/underpaid caddie tempest, Dolphins' QB plan with poll, Parkland 1-year anniversary & more. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook and Instagram.

Colin Kaepernick, Caddiegate, Kyler Murray: Our most recent columns: Stain On NFL Stays Until Kaepernick Is Signed /  He Was Wrong To Stiff Caddie, But Vilifying Kuchar is Wrong, Too /  And Why Murray Is Perfect Fit For Dolphins.

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (UPDATED): WHAT SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive every-Sunday feature, updated Mondays, is part week-in-review, part look-ahead. Hot Button means what's on our minds, locally and nationally, from a Miami perspective, as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead. This week's HB10:

1. HEAT/NBA: Wade's 'Last Dance' pauses for All-Star Game: It was Team LeBron rallying to beat Team Giannis 178-164 in a typically defense-oriented (!) NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte Sunday night. Heat's Dwyane Wade, a special all-star roster addition, scored seven points with four assists off the bench in 10 minutes of action in the final all-star bow of his Last Dance farewell season. Now back to earth: Miami will return from the break Thursday at 26-30 and narrowly off playoff pace.

2. MARLINS: Fish open full spring training: Marlins are up in Jupiter (the city, not the planet) for Monday's first full-squad work of spring training. With catcher J.T. Realmuto now a Phillie, every Miami veteran with any appreciable trade value has now been swapped out for prospects. Fish could be good someday. We just have no idea when.

3. MOTORSPORTS: Hamlin takes Daytona 500: Denny Hamling won the Daytona 500 for the second time in four years Sunday in NASCAR season-opening race, one marred as usual by multiple wrecks. William Byron (whom Hot Button is not pretending to have heard of) was on the pole. Too bad. Nobody has won this race from the pole position since Dale Jarrett in 2000.

4. UM BASKETBALL: Canes women win at No. 2 Louisville: After earlier stunning No. 4 Notre Dame, Katie Meier's Canes women -- 22-5 and ranked 20th -- visited second-ranked Louisville Sunday and won 79-73. The drama for UM's men is of a far different sort. Jim Larranaga's guys (11-14) will need a miracle finish in last five games and in ACC Tournament for any prayer of an invite to NCAAs.

5. COLIN KAEPERNICK: QB, NFL settle collusion grievance: I'm no lawyer, but this I know: the settlement of a collusion grievance is a compromise but one that does not mean there was no collusion to keep Colin Kaepernick out of the league. Simple to end all doubts, though. Somebody sign the guy!

6. CANES BASEBALL: Canes open season, DiMare era with sweep: With Jim Morris retired after 25 seasons, Gino DiMare took over as coach as the Hurricanes wrapped their season-opening home series vs. Rutgers Sunday with a three-game sweep: 19-3, 7-1, 9-3. Canes are unranked. For now.

7. MATT KUCHAR: 'Cheapskate Champ' finally does right by caddie: The PGA Tour's Caddiegate starred Matt Kuchar, who, after winning a tournament and its $1.3 million prize, paid his fill-in caddie a paltry $5,000. Social media vilification ensued. Friday, Kuchar relented, apologize and said he'd give the bag man 50K.

8. PANTHERS: Barkov hat trick lifts Cats: Florida, in the midst of a seven-game homestand, beat Montreal Sunday behind Aleksander Barkov's hat trick. But Cats are still a big 11 points off playoff pace two-thirds into the NHL season. Panthers have won than three games in a row only once all season. Streak, please?

9. BOB COSTAS: Broadcaster breaks silence on NBC split: Bob Costas revealed details of his breakup with NBC Sports after a 38-year run, saying it came down to his outspokenness on NFL brain injuries clashing with NBC's pricey partnership with the league. No surprise: Costas leaves with his integrity intact.

10. INSPIRATION: A coach with no arms or legs: ESPN told the story of Rob Mendez, a California high-school football coach born without arms or legs. Store away the previous sentence in the back of your mind for use the next time you start feeling sorry for yourself.

Missing the HB10 cut: The Dolphins introduced new coach Brian Flores' staff of assistants to the media on Friday. Time now for them to introduce Miami to something nearly forgotten: a winning Fins team ..... Week 2 for the new Alliance of American Football, and I can already feel interest fading ..... Bengals RB Mark Walton, the ex-Cane, was arrested in Miami for snatching a cell phone from a woman during an argument. And the propensity of some pro athletes to be their own worst enemy continues to astound ..... Finalists for the 2019 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class are led by Marques Johnson, Jack Sikma, Ben Wallace and Paul Westphal, verifying once and for all they're letting too many people in ..... David Beckham watched his first Salford City match since becoming a 10-percent owner of the English non-Premier League club. Hey Becks, how about you concentrate on Inter Miami, yes? ..... R.I.P. Gordon Banks, famed British goalkeeper who ended his career with Fort Lauderdale Strikers in late '70s, gone at 81 ..... Update: Countdown now 2,681 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in the 2026 World Cup.

NO KAEPERNICK COLLUSION? ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN SETTLEMENT: Colin Kaepernick settled his collusion grievance against the NFL on Friday, but the quarterback remains unsigned entering his third season of suspicious unemployment. For my newest column, please visit Stain On NFL Stays Until Kaepernick Is Signed. Friday's settlement should not have surprised anyone. The player knows how difficult it is to prove collusion in court. And the NFL wanted very badly to spare commissioner Roger Goodell and several team owners from being deposed and having their phone records and emails examined. It also is important to note that settling the collusion grievance does not mean there was no collusion to blackball Kaepernick from the league, or that there isn't still. I'd rehash the whole background here, but you're living under a rock if you don't know the polarizing QB is where he is as the father of the NFL players' social justice movement that has included kneeling during the national anthem. All it will take is one brave team to see in the "athlete/activist" first as a really good quarterback who is better than what they've got. Only then will the stain of collusion begun to fade.

POLL RESULTS: IT'S TAGOVAILOA OVER MURRAY FOR FINS: We asked, "Which of these 2 options would you prefer as a Miami Dolphins quarterback plan?" And you preferred drafting Tua Tagovailoa in 2020 over Kyler Murray in 2019 by 57.50 percent to 42.50%. So a somewhat less than overwhelming majority is buying into the prevalent "tank in '19 for Tua in '20" theory -- even though odds are against Miami being bad enough next season to draft high enough to get him. And a sizable minority agree with me about fast-tracking the future by going for the more gettable Murray in this April's draft.

Other most recent columns: Taking On NFL Cost Costas His Job, But Not His Integrity / The State Of South Florida Sports in 2019 / The Redemption Of Manny Diaz / Here's Why Dolphins Hit Big With Flores Gamble.

Additional select recent columns: Bonds and Clemens Inch Toward Cooperstown, But A-Rod Faces Tougher Road / We All Got Cheated, Not Just Saints / Kooch Never Made Canton But Helped Make Dolphins History / From Dark and Empty to the Top Of the World: Dan Le Batard at 50 / Wade Deserves All-Star Sendoff / The Dolphins Seem Desperate, And It's About Time / Getting Diaz Back The Perfect Fit For UM / Miami's Hate-Hate Relationship With Nick Saban.

APSE-HONORED WORK: The Associated Press Sports Editors 2018 writing awards ranked us a Top 10 national sports columnist in the major-outlet category. Thanks, APSE. Here are the five nominated columns that earned the honor: At Doral, an annual tradition since 1962 is replaced by silence, and by what's missing  /  Marlins' Jose Fernandez statue is divisive yet has a chance to serve a greater purpose  /  NFL has moral obligation to help Buonicontis and Kiicks while it limits future suffering  /  What led to El Clasico Miami began with Joe Robbie's unlikely, accidental love of soccer  / With 59 home runs, Stanton still had a magic season. Just hope this wasn't goodbye.

Revisit our blog often because we update and add to our latest posts throughout the day.

Twitter @gregcote

1) It's MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18. Happy Presidents' Day. I honor the office and what it stands for. Not always the man in it. But the office. 2) Football is done, but never too late to buy our 'Fins At 50' book for the Dolfans in your life. Check it out on Amazon. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Matt Kuchar/underpaid caddie tempest, Dolphins' QB plan with poll, Parkland 1-year anniversary & more. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook and Instagram.

Colin Kaepernick, Caddiegate, Kyler Murray: Our most recent columns: Stain On NFL Stays Until Kaepernick Is Signed /  He Was Wrong To Stiff Caddie, But Vilifying Kuchar is Wrong, Too /  And Why Murray Is Perfect Fit For Dolphins.

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (UPDATED): WHAT SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive every-Sunday feature, updated Mondays, is part week-in-review, part look-ahead. Hot Button means what's on our minds, locally and nationally, from a Miami perspective, as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead. This week's HB10:

1. HEAT/NBA: Wade's 'Last Dance' pauses for All-Star Game: It was Team LeBron rallying to beat Team Giannis 178-164 in a typically defense-oriented (!) NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte Sunday night. Heat's Dwyane Wade, a special all-star roster addition, scored seven points with four assists off the bench in 10 minutes of action in the final all-star bow of his Last Dance farewell season. Now back to earth: Miami will return from the break Thursday at 26-30 and narrowly off playoff pace.

2. MARLINS: Fish open full spring training: Marlins are up in Jupiter (the city, not the planet) for Monday's first full-squad work of spring training. With catcher J.T. Realmuto now a Phillie, every Miami veteran with any appreciable trade value has now been swapped out for prospects. Fish could be good someday. We just have no idea when.

3. MOTORSPORTS: Hamlin takes Daytona 500: Denny Hamling won the Daytona 500 for the second time in four years Sunday in NASCAR season-opening race, one marred as usual by multiple wrecks. William Byron (whom Hot Button is not pretending to have heard of) was on the pole. Too bad. Nobody has won this race from the pole position since Dale Jarrett in 2000.

4. UM BASKETBALL: Canes women win at No. 2 Louisville: After earlier stunning No. 4 Notre Dame, Katie Meier's Canes women -- 22-5 and ranked 20th -- visited second-ranked Louisville Sunday and won 79-73. The drama for UM's men is of a far different sort. Jim Larranaga's guys (11-14) will need a miracle finish in last five games and in ACC Tournament for any prayer of an invite to NCAAs.

5. COLIN KAEPERNICK: QB, NFL settle collusion grievance: I'm no lawyer, but this I know: the settlement of a collusion grievance is a compromise but one that does not mean there was no collusion to keep Colin Kaepernick out of the league. Simple to end all doubts, though. Somebody sign the guy!

6. CANES BASEBALL: Canes open season, DiMare era with sweep: With Jim Morris retired after 25 seasons, Gino DiMare took over as coach as the Hurricanes wrapped their season-opening home series vs. Rutgers Sunday with a three-game sweep: 19-3, 7-1, 9-3. Canes are unranked. For now.

7. MATT KUCHAR: 'Cheapskate Champ' finally does right by caddie: The PGA Tour's Caddiegate starred Matt Kuchar, who, after winning a tournament and its $1.3 million prize, paid his fill-in caddie a paltry $5,000. Social media vilification ensued. Friday, Kuchar relented, apologize and said he'd give the bag man 50K.

8. PANTHERS: Barkov hat trick lifts Cats: Florida, in the midst of a seven-game homestand, beat Montreal Sunday behind Aleksander Barkov's hat trick. But Cats are still a big 11 points off playoff pace two-thirds into the NHL season. Panthers have won than three games in a row only once all season. Streak, please?

9. BOB COSTAS: Broadcaster breaks silence on NBC split: Bob Costas revealed details of his breakup with NBC Sports after a 38-year run, saying it came down to his outspokenness on NFL brain injuries clashing with NBC's pricey partnership with the league. No surprise: Costas leaves with his integrity intact.

10. INSPIRATION: A coach with no arms or legs: ESPN told the story of Rob Mendez, a California high-school football coach born without arms or legs. Store away the previous sentence in the back of your mind for use the next time you start feeling sorry for yourself.

Missing the HB10 cut: The Dolphins introduced new coach Brian Flores' staff of assistants to the media on Friday. Time now for them to introduce Miami to something nearly forgotten: a winning Fins team ..... Week 2 for the new Alliance of American Football, and I can already feel interest fading ..... Bengals RB Mark Walton, the ex-Cane, was arrested in Miami for snatching a cell phone from a woman during an argument. And the propensity of some pro athletes to be their own worst enemy continues to astound ..... Finalists for the 2019 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class are led by Marques Johnson, Jack Sikma, Ben Wallace and Paul Westphal, verifying once and for all they're letting too many people in ..... David Beckham watched his first Salford City match since becoming a 10-percent owner of the English non-Premier League club. Hey Becks, how about you concentrate on Inter Miami, yes? ..... R.I.P. Gordon Banks, famed British goalkeeper who ended his career with Fort Lauderdale Strikers in late '70s, gone at 81 ..... Update: Countdown now 2,681 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in the 2026 World Cup.

NO KAEPERNICK COLLUSION? ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN SETTLEMENT: Colin Kaepernick settled his collusion grievance against the NFL on Friday, but the quarterback remains unsigned entering his third season of suspicious unemployment. For my newest column, please visit Stain On NFL Stays Until Kaepernick Is Signed. Friday's settlement should not have surprised anyone. The player knows how difficult it is to prove collusion in court. And the NFL wanted very badly to spare commissioner Roger Goodell and several team owners from being deposed and having their phone records and emails examined. It also is important to note that settling the collusion grievance does not mean there was no collusion to blackball Kaepernick from the league, or that there isn't still. I'd rehash the whole background here, but you're living under a rock if you don't know the polarizing QB is where he is as the father of the NFL players' social justice movement that has included kneeling during the national anthem. All it will take is one brave team to see in the "athlete/activist" first as a really good quarterback who is better than what they've got. Only then will the stain of collusion begun to fade.

Colin Kaepernick, Caddiegate, Kyler Murray: Our most recent columns: Stain On NFL Stays Until Kaepernick Is Signed /  He Was Wrong To Stiff Caddie, But Vilifying Kuchar is Wrong, Too /  And Why Murray Is Perfect Fit For Dolphins.

Twitter @gregcote

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Matt Kuchar was wrong to stiff caddie, but venomous overreaction is wrong, too. My latest column; plus our Kyler Murray-to-Dolphins posit with Murray vs. Tua Tagovailaoa poll. Last day to vote!; also, remembering Parkland one year later & more

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

1) It's FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15. Hope y'all felt much love on Valentine's Day, while also remembering the 17 lives lost one year ago in the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland. It will never be a happy Valentine's Day for the loved ones left grieving. Shouldn't stricter gun control and a ban on assault weapons be a bipartisan issue above politics? May the March For Our Lives activism this tragedy spawned continue and grow. 2) Visit Greg Cote Tuesday for best-of podcast from this week's Le Batard Show on ESPN. It's really bad, thanks to my record-low performance. You're welcome! 3) Football is done, but never too late to buy our 'Fins At 50' book for the Dolfans in your life. Check it out on Amazon. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Bob Costas walks away, your Miami's-next-champion verdict & more. 5) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook and Instagram.  

YES, KUCHAR DID A DUMB, CHEAP THING. NOW GET OFF HIS BACK!: I guess that would be my latest column if you boiled it down to two short sentences. Yes, the PGA Tour star Matt Kuchar, who'd just won a tournament and its $1.3 million prize, paid his caddie a piddling $5,000. But as bad as that was (and it was), the overreaction vilifying Kuchar may be worse, especially when extenuating circumstances and the full picture of Kuchar are considered. For that more nuanced look I invite you to visit my newest column here: He Was Wrong To Stiff Caddie, But Vilifying Kuchar is Wrong, Too. (Kuchar and the caddie are pictured, in happier times, before the bag man realized his week's pay envelope was a little very thin).

MURRAY IN '19 OR TAGOVAILOA in '20? VOTE NOW: In my latest column I propose that the Dolphins fast-track their future by (hopefully) drafting Kyler Murray this year rather than gambling to maybe get Tau Tagovailoa a year later. To read that column, visit Why Murray Is Perfect Fit For Dolphins. Now, in this poll, I'd like to know your opinion on this. That the Dolphins will be moving on from quarterback Ryan Tannehill seems so increasingly clear it's almost as if he's already gone. But who's next? A stopgap veteran seems unlikely. The draft seems far likelier. And the choices seem fairly clear. Draft Oklahoma's Heisman-winning Murray 13th overall this April if he's there, which he plausibly might be. Or tank this coming season and gamble you'll be bad enough to get a pick high enough to go for Alabama's Tagovailao in 2020. No guarantee Miami would get either guy, of course. But if the plan is to draft your future, Murray now vs. Tagovailao later seems the probable either/or. Your opinion goes here:

Other most recent columns: Taking On NFL Cost Costas His Job, But Not His Integrity / The State Of South Florida Sports in 2019 / The Redemption Of Manny Diaz / Here's Why Dolphins Hit Big With Flores Gamble.

Additional select recent columns: Bonds and Clemens Inch Toward Cooperstown, But A-Rod Faces Tougher Road / We All Got Cheated, Not Just Saints / Kooch Never Made Canton But Helped Make Dolphins History / From Dark and Empty to the Top Of the World: Dan Le Batard at 50 / Wade Deserves All-Star Sendoff / The Dolphins Seem Desperate, And It's About Time / Getting Diaz Back The Perfect Fit For UM / Miami's Hate-Hate Relationship With Nick Saban.

APSE-HONORED WORK: The Associated Press Sports Editors 2018 writing awards ranked us a Top 10 national sports columnist in the major-outlet category. Thanks, APSE. Here are the five nominated columns that earned the honor: At Doral, an annual tradition since 1962 is replaced by silence, and by what's missing  /  Marlins' Jose Fernandez statue is divisive yet has a chance to serve a greater purpose  /  NFL has moral obligation to help Buonicontis and Kiicks while it limits future suffering  /  What led to El Clasico Miami began with Joe Robbie's unlikely, accidental love of soccer  / With 59 home runs, Stanton still had a magic season. Just hope this wasn't goodbye.

Revisit our blog often because we update and add to our latest posts throughout the day.

Twitter @gregcote

1) It's FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15. Hope y'all felt much love on Valentine's Day, while also remembering the 17 lives lost one year ago in the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland. It will never be a happy Valentine's Day for the loved ones left grieving. Shouldn't stricter gun control and a ban on assault weapons be a bipartisan issue above politics? May the March For Our Lives activism this tragedy spawned continue and grow. 2) Visit Greg Cote Tuesday for best-of podcast from this week's Le Batard Show on ESPN. It's really bad, thanks to my record-low performance. You're welcome! 3) Football is done, but never too late to buy our 'Fins At 50' book for the Dolfans in your life. Check it out on Amazon. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Bob Costas walks away, your Miami's-next-champion verdict & more. 5) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook and Instagram.  

YES, KUCHAR DID A DUMB, CHEAP THING. NOW GET OFF HIS BACK!: I guess that would be my latest column if you boiled it down to two short sentences. Yes, the PGA Tour star Matt Kuchar, who'd just won a tournament and its $1.3 million prize, paid his caddie a piddling $5,000. But as bad as that was (and it was), the overreaction vilifying Kuchar may be worse, especially when extenuating circumstances and the full picture of Kuchar are considered. For that more nuanced look I invite you to visit my newest column here: He Was Wrong To Stiff Caddie, But Vilifying Kuchar is Wrong, Too. (Kuchar and the caddie are pictured, in happier times, before the bag man realized his week's pay envelope was a little very thin).

Twitter @gregcote

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Bob Costas walks away with his integrity intact. Latest column; plus radio record-low, R.I.P. Gordon Banks, your Miami's-next-championship-team verdict & more

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

1) It's WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13. Visit Greg Cote Tuesday for best-of podcast from yesterday's Le Batard Show on ESPN Radio and ESPNews. It's really bad, thanks to my record-low performance. You're welcome! 2) R.I.P., Gordon Banks (pictured), former English World Cup soccer star and Fort Lauderdale Strikers goalkeeper in the late '70s, gone at 81. My column from last June. 3) Football is done, but never too late to buy our 'Fins At 50' book for the Dolfans in your life. Check it out on Amazon. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): State of Miami pro sports with next-champion poll, Hot Button Top 10 & more. 5) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook and Instagram.

"It's February 13th, fellas. Only one day left to dream up a creatively plausible excuse why you forgot Valentine's Day." --Greg Cote

BOB COSTAS WALKS AWAY FROM NBC WITH INTEGRITY INTACT: Bob Costas revealed details this past weekend of what led to his departure from NBC Sports after 40 years. Basically, it was that NBC thought he'd crossed a line with on-air commentary about the NFL's concussion and brain-injury problem. Costas would not agree to be quiet, so the two sides mutually ended their long marriage. Go here for the in-depth ESPN piece that broke the story. For my own newest column, visit Taking On NFL Cost Costas His Job, But Not His Integrity. I wrote admiringly about Costas, his career and moral compass. I also see his story as a microcosm reflecting much of America's evolving opinion about football. We acknowledge the downside, the threat to players' health ... but we can't stop watching. Costas could only keep broadcasting NFL games if he kept his mouth shut. He wouldn't. Good for him.

Other most recent columns: The State Of South Florida Sports in 2019 / The Redemption Of Manny Diaz / Here's Why Dolphins Hit Big With Flores Gamble.

POLL RESULT: SURPRISE! INTER MIAMI SOCCER SEEN AS MIAMI'S NEXT CHAMP: A team that won't even play its first game until next year will be Miami's next major pro champion, said you in our most recent blogpoll. We may say less about confidence in David Beckham's Inter Miami as it does as lack of confidence in the immediate futures of the Dolphins, Heat, Marlins and Panthers. We asked, "Which of South Florida's 5 major pro teams do you think will win a championship next?" You results: Inter Miami/MLS Cup 50.42 percent; Panthers/Stanley Cup 16.81%; Heat/NBA Finals 13.45%; Marlins/World Series 10.08%; and Dolphins/Super Bowl 9.24%. So the team that doesn't yet exist won easily, followed by the team that has never won a championship. Lean times for the Heat, Fish and Fins.

More select recent columns: Bonds and Clemens Inch Toward Cooperstown, But A-Rod Faces Tougher Road / We All Got Cheated, Not Just Saints / This Is Offseason for Dolphins to Be Bold, Not Think Tanking / Kooch Never Made Canton But Helped Make Dolphins History / From Dark and Empty to the Top Of the World: Dan Le Batard at 50 / Wade Deserves All-Star Sendoff / The Dolphins Seem Desperate, And It's About Time / Getting Diaz Back The Perfect Fit For UM / Richt Can Call It Retirement, But He Just Quit On The Canes / Miami's Hate-Hate Relationship With Nick Saban.

APSE-HONORED WORK: The Associated Press Sports Editors 2018 writing awards ranked us a Top 10 national sports columnist in the major-outlet category. Thanks, APSE. Here are the five nominated columns that earned the honor: At Doral, an annual tradition since 1962 is replaced by silence, and by what's missing  /  Marlins' Jose Fernandez statue is divisive yet has a chance to serve a greater purpose  /  NFL has moral obligation to help Buonicontis and Kiicks while it limits future suffering  /  What led to El Clasico Miami began with Joe Robbie's unlikely, accidental love of soccer  / With 59 home runs, Stanton still had a magic season. Just hope this wasn't goodbye.

Revisit our blog often because we update and add to our latest posts throughout the day.

Twitter @gregcote

1) It's WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13. Visit Greg Cote Tuesday for best-of podcast from yesterday's Le Batard Show on ESPN Radio and ESPNews. It's really bad, thanks to my record-low performance. You're welcome! 2) R.I.P., Gordon Banks (pictured), former English World Cup soccer star and Fort Lauderdale Strikers goalkeeper in the late '70s, gone at 81. My column from last June. 3) Football is done, but never too late to buy our 'Fins At 50' book for the Dolfans in your life. Check it out on Amazon. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): State of Miami pro sports with next-champion poll, Hot Button Top 10 & more. 5) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook and Instagram.

"It's February 13th, fellas. Only one day left to dream up a creatively plausible excuse why you forgot Valentine's Day." --Greg Cote

Twitter @gregcote

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The State of South Florida Sports in 2019: My latest column, now your turn. Which of our 5 major pro teams will be next to win a championship? Poll. Last day to vote!; plus Hot Button Top 10 (updated) & more

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

1) It's MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11. Football is done, but never too late to buy our 'Fins At 50' book for the Dolfans in your life. Check it out on Amazon. 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Buoniconti/D.Wade documentaries, Dolphins projected to draft QB, top 8 Hurricanes prep recruits, your verdict on Fins' Flores hire & more. 3) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook and Instagram.

Troika of newest columns: The State Of South Florida Sports in 2019, our latest. Also: The Redemption Of Manny Diaz and Here's Why Dolphins Hit Big With Flores Gamble.

CHALLENGING TIME FOR MIAMI PRO TEAMS. MY NEW COLUMN, NOW YOUR VOTE: I believe hardly any of us in South Florida is a fan of only one local pro team (although we all have our favorite), and that many of us are fans of or care about all the local teams to some degree. So I don't shy away from occasional columns like my newest, a state-of-the-franchise take on all five teams, including a one Big Hope for each. To read that column, and I wish you would (!), visit The State Of South Florida Sports in 2019. The Dolphins are seen in rebuild-mode with a new coach. The average Heat are struggling to find the map to relevance again. The Marlins are doing a ground-up reboot. The Panthers continue to perform below expectations. Inter Miami will join Major League Soccer as an expansion team in one year. So my column and our annual (if we remember to do it) poll question are well-timed  because right now you could make a good argument for -- or against -- any of the five teams in an interesting, challenging time in South Florida sports. For this poll I invite you to be as neutral as possible. It isn't a favorite-team poll. It is asking you, honestly, which team you think is  best-positioned to win a championship soonest. Vote as if your money were riding on the answer. Ready? Go!

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (UPDATED): WHAT SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive every-Sunday feature is part week-in-review, part look-ahead. Hot Button means what's on our minds, locally and nationally, from a Miami perspective, as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead. This week's HB10:

1. HURRICANES: National Signing Day puts bow on 24-man class: New coach Manny Diaz and staff signed 16 prep stars and eight transfers for a 24-man 2019 recruiting class. It ranked only 30th in the country (via ESPN) but that didn't include the transfer Portal bounty. Highlights: A load of talent at defensive tackle, and a tatted-up 6-4 punter from Australia who looks like your top draft pick to win a barroom fight.

2. HEAT: Struggling Miami trades 2, falls at Golden State: Heat are 25-29 and for now off playoff pace in East after last night's 120-118 loss at Golden State despite Josh Richardson's 37 points. Miami beat trade deadline by sending Tyler Johnson and Wayne Ellington to Phoenix for Ryan Anderson in a move less about basketball than about clearing cap space. As if we needed a final reminder how the Heat overpaid so grossly for Johnson.

3. MARLINS: Fish trade Realmuto with spring on deck: Marlins' long-expected trade of all-star catcher J.T. Realmuto happened in deal with Philadelphia that brought Miami a nice haul including top Phillies prospect Sixto Sanchez, a potential ace No. 1 starter. Team had its FanFest on Saturday, meaning spring training is on deck. Pitchers and catchers report Wednesday, with the full squad convening a week from Monday.

4. PANTHERS: Can Cats still make playoffs?: Florida is making this interesting after all. Cats still are only 22-31 and are nine points off NHL playoff pace, but had won two in a row and six of past eight before Sunday's 5-2 loss to Tampa. That began a seven-game homestand. Miracle on ice, anyone?

5. UM BASKETBALL: Canes women stun Notre Dame: No. 25-ranked UM women are 20-5 after beating No. 4 Notre Dame 72-65, while Canes men are struggling at 10-13 after Saturday's heartbreak 88-85 OT loss at No. 8 North Carolina. Its's Bracketology season as March Madness near, but only one Miami team is in the convo.

6. NBA: LeBron uses all-star draft to recruit: The NBA All-Star Game is next Sunday in Charlotte, but LeBron James (one of the two captains along with Buck's Giannis Antetokounmpo) used this week's ASG draft to coincidentally (!) sslect players his Lakers may try to woo this summer. With his first three picks he chose Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Kawhi Leonard, all pending free agents. Hmm.

7. DOLPHINS: New coach Flores completes staff: Newly hired Fins head coach Brian Flores completed his coaching staff. Notable: Bringing in experienced Jim Caldwell as assistant head coach. Oh, and stealing three assistants from Bill Belichick's Patriots staff. Not a bad first week on the job, B-Flo.

8. AAF: Alliance of American Football debuts: The new Alliance of American Football, pretty much a creation of CBS Sports, debuted Saturday with two games as San Antonio Commanders beat San Diego Fleet 15-6 and Steve Spurrier's Orlando Apollos beat Atlanta Legends 40-6. The AAF is worth watching. Mostly because, like all spring alternatives to the NFL, it likely won't last.

9. ADAM GASE: Drama in Jetsville already underway!: Adam Gase's new Jets coaching staff includes his father-in-law, Joe Vitt, and Gregg Williams. Hmm. Vitt and Williams both were embroiled in the Saints' Bountygate scandal, with Vitt accusing Williams of lying during NFL's investigation. Fun!

10. UFC: Time to call it quits, Mr. Silva: At UFC 234 in Australia unbeaten middleweight Israel Adesanya defeated all-time great Anderson Silva in a unanimous decision. Silva is 43. Need more be said? 

Missing the HB10 cut: Fellas, remember Valentine's Day is Thursday. Only four more days to concoct a believable excuse why you forgot ..... Houston's James Harden's streak of 30-point games is now at 29. In case an MVP award might be coming, his beard has already written an acceptance speech ..... Skiing great Lindsey Vonn won a bronze medal in the world championship downhill in her final career race before retiring. The rest of her life? All downhill from here ..... Pole qualifying underway for next Sunday's Daytona 500. Think of it as a pole dance at 180 mph ..... A thrown can of beer hit Rob Gronkowski kin the head during the Patriots' championship parade. Alternate punchlines: A) He didn't feel a thing. B) That's terrible. What a waste of beer! ..... Update: Countdown now 2,688 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in the 2026 World Cup.

Other select recent columns: Bonds and Clemens Inch Toward Cooperstown, But A-Rod Faces Tougher Road / We All Got Cheated, Not Just Saints / This Is Offseason for Dolphins to Be Bold, Not Think Tanking / Kooch Never Made Canton But Helped Make Dolphins History / A Better Coach Isn't Dolphins' Biggest Need / From Dark and Empty to the Top Of the World: Dan Le Batard at 50 / Wade Deserves All-Star Sendoff / The Dolphins Seem Desperate, And It's About Time / Getting Diaz Back The Perfect Fit For UM / Richt Can Call It Retirement, But He Just Quit On The Canes / Miami's Hate-Hate Relationship With Nick Saban.

Super Bowl With a Smirk quintet: Smirk V: Mahomes, Reed top Honors night. But what about Miss Colombia? / Smirk IV: Of 100-plus Super Bowl Canes, he was 1st / Smirk III: No comment, say halftime performers / Smirk II: No. 1 Dolfan on edge of history / Smirk I: Welcome to 'Suit' Bowl LVIII.

APSE-HONORED WORK: The Associated Press Sports Editors 2018 writing awards ranked us a Top 10 national sports columnist in the major-outlet category. Thanks, APSE. Here are the five nominated columns that earned the honor: At Doral, an annual tradition since 1962 is replaced by silence, and by what's missing  /  Marlins' Jose Fernandez statue is divisive yet has a chance to serve a greater purpose  /  NFL has moral obligation to help Buonicontis and Kiicks while it limits future suffering  /  What led to El Clasico Miami began with Joe Robbie's unlikely, accidental love of soccer  / With 59 home runs, Stanton still had a magic season. Just hope this wasn't goodbye.

Revisit our blog often because we update and add to our latest posts throughout the day.

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

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Buoniconti documentary premieres Tuesday, D.Wade doc on the way. Details here; plus my Redemption of Manny Diaz column; also, Dolphins draft projection, ranking top 8 UM prep recruits, your verdict on Fins' Flores hire & more

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

1) It's FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8. Congrats to Katie Meier and Canes women's basketball for last night's huge home win over No. 4 Notre Dame. Nice at least one team in town is winning! 2) Football is done, but never to late to buy our 'Fins At 50' book for the Dolfans in your life. Check it out on Amazon. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Dolphins' Flores hire with poll, Heat to retire Bosh jersey, new Back In My Day video & more. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook and Instagram.

Latest column: Manny Diaz's redemption: Canes football spiraled into a mess in December and Diaz leaving was part of the problem. The past five weeks, culminating with Wednesday's National Signing Day, helped Diaz fix it ... and redeem himself. To read full column, visit The Redemption Of Manny Diaz. 

Other most recent column: Visit Here's Why Dolphins Hit Big With Flores Gamble.

BUONICONTI DOCUMENTARY AIRS TUESDAY; D.WADE DOC COMING: This should interest Miami sports fans -- especially vintage Dolfans and current Heat fans. On Tuesday at 10 p.m. HBO will premiere "The Many Lives Of Nick Buoniconti," a feature-length documentary on the life story of the Dolphins Hall of Fame linebacker who became a lawyer and a sports agent and, later, after his son was paralyzed by a football accident, a driving force behind The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. Today, at 77, Buoniconti suffers from severe neurological issues that include warning signs of CTE. Buoniconti famously once told Don Shula to go f--- himself in a sideline tempest, which both Nick and the coach discuss in the film. Something I did not know: (Spoiler alert!) As an agent Buoniconti once represented baseball star Andre Dawson, in 1981 making Dawson one of the highest-paid players in the game with a $6 million deal. Also on the doc front, Imagine Documentaries is producing one on the life of Heat star Dwyane Wade, encompassing his Hall of Fame-headed basketball career and his off-court life, from childhood through the current "Last Dance" farewell season. A release date has not yet been announced.

MCSHAY: DOLPHINS TO DRAFT HEISMAN QB KYLER MURRAY IN APRIL!: Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray to Dolphins with 13th overall pick,says ESPN's Todd McShay today in his new Mock Draft 2.0. Says the Toddster: "Yes, the risk is apparent. Murray is undersized at 5-foot-10 and still hasn't decided on his baseball career. But he has an electric arm and some of the best athleticism I've seen at the position in years. New offensive coordinator Chad O'Shea would have a real talent to develop at quarterback if Miami moves on from the Ryan Tannehill era." I would add: The moving on from Tannehill is pretty much a foregone conclusion and has been for awhile. I'd love Fins to take a QB in first round. But I'd take Murray (pictured) only if his commitment to football was unequivocal.

THE EIGHT CANES PREP SIGNEES WHO MADE NATIONAL RADAR: Miami's 2019 recruiting class completed on Wednesday numbers 24 -- 16 traditional high-school signees and eight transfers. UM's national class ranking is a disappointing 30th (ESPN), but those rankings do not include transfers, and Miami did very well there. Anyway, of the 16 prep guys incoming, half of them, or eight, show up in at least one of ESPN's national Top 300, 247sports' top 300 or Rivals.com's top 250. The only two listed in bold are the only two to make all three lists, with No. 1 overall Canes recruit Jeremiah Payton pictured . Our composite ranking of UM's elite eight:

1. Jeremiah Payton, WR, Neptune Beach, FL (54th/247sports; 61st/ESPN; 76th/Rivals). 

2. Christian Williams, DB, Daphne, Ala. (141st/Rivals; 160th/247sports); 174th/ESPN).

3. Avery Huff, LB, Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas (170th/Rivals; 207th/247sports).

4. Jahfari Harvey, DL, Port St. Lucie, FL (188th/Rivals; 210th/247sports).

5. Keontra Smith, DB, Hollywood Chaminade (188th/247sports; 231st/ESPN).

6. Te'Cory Couch, DB, Hollywood Chaminade (215th/ESPN). 

7. Cameron Williams, DL, Hollywood Chaminade (247th/Rivals).

8. Jason Blissett, DL, Queens., NY (294th/247sports).

POLL RESULT: SOLID SUPPORT FOR FLORES HIRE (BUT DOUBTS, TOO): We asked, "What best reflects your opinion of the Dolphins hiring Brian Flores as head coach?" There were four choices, but, breaking it down to thumbs-up or thumbs-down, it was just about exactly two-thirds approval at 66.90 percent. Two caveats, though. 1) Looking more closely at the those who approved, more than twice as many "Liked" the hire (45.77%) compared to those who "Loved" it (21.13%). 2) A sizable 28.17% voted "not sure/have my doubts," while another 4.93% wished they'd never fired Adam Gase.

Other most recent columns: Le'Veon wants Dolphins, And Interest Should Be Mutual / Bonds and Clemens Inch Toward Cooperstown, But A-Rod Faces Tougher Road / We All Got Cheated, Not Just Saints. This Is Offseason for Dolphins to Be Bold, Not Think Tanking / Kooch Never Made Canton But Helped Make Dolphins History / A Better Coach Isn't Dolphins' Biggest Need / From Dark and Empty to the Top Of the World: Dan Le Batard at 50 / Wade Deserves All-Star Sendoff / The Dolphins Seem Desperate, And It's About Time / Getting Diaz Back The Perfect Fit For UM / Richt Can Call It Retirement, But He Just Quit On The Canes / Miami's Hate-Hate Relationship With Nick Saban.

Super Bowl With a Smirk quintet: Smirk V: Mahomes, Reed top Honors night. But what about Miss Colombia? / Smirk IV: Of 100-plus Super Bowl Canes, he was 1st / Smirk III: No comment, say halftime performers / Smirk II: No. 1 Dolfan on edge of history / Smirk I: Welcome to 'Suit' Bowl LVIII.

APSE-HONORED WORK: The Associated Press Sports Editors 2018 writing awards ranked us a Top 10 national sports columnist in the major-outlet category. Thanks, APSE. Here are the five nominated columns that earned the honor: At Doral, an annual tradition since 1962 is replaced by silence, and by what's missing  /  Marlins' Jose Fernandez statue is divisive yet has a chance to serve a greater purpose  /  NFL has moral obligation to help Buonicontis and Kiicks while it limits future suffering  /  What led to El Clasico Miami began with Joe Robbie's unlikely, accidental love of soccer  / With 59 home runs, Stanton still had a magic season. Just hope this wasn't goodbye.

Revisit our blog often because we update and add to our latest posts throughout the day.

Twitter @gregcote

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Dolphins' Brian Flores hire. My column, now your turn. New poll. Last day to vote!; plus why Heat is right to retire Bosh's No. 1, new 'Back In My Day' video (Medicine!), Bob Marley & more

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

1) It's WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6. Remembering the great Bob Marley, who would have turned 74 today. 2) Football is done, but never to late to buy our 'Fins At 50' book for the Dolfans in your life. Check it out on Amazon. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Patriots beat Rams in Super Bowl, Hot Button Top 10, Smirk Quintet, your Canton-inductees verdict & more. 4) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook and Instagram.

Super Bowl wrapup: Patriots won. I did, too: Dull, unorthodox game, 13-3, but Patriots won sixth championship of the Brady/Belichick era. I won, too. Had Patriots winning outright. (Check). Had Patriots covering at minus 2 1/2 points. (Check). And had the 'under' on what what a 56 1/2-point line on scoring. (Check). Visit Super Bowl Gem for the full pick. A fitting end to our personal-record-setting season of predictions! Also, a last chance to revisit our Super Bowl With a Smirk Quintet: Smirk V: Mahomes, Reed top Honors night. But what about Miss Colombia? / Smirk IV: Of 100-plus Super Bowl Canes, he was 1st / Smirk III: No comment, say halftime performers / Smirk II: No. 1 Dolfan on edge of history / And Smirk I: Welcome to 'Suit' Bowl LVIII.

THE DOLPHINS' BRIAN FLORES HIRE: MY TAKE ... NOW YOUR TURN: I've had my say, in my latest column. Visit Here's Why Dolphins Hit Big With Flores Gamble to read in full. I mention the cautions and caveats, but also why on balance I like the hire. I think Flores has the chance to be the only post-Shula era Dolphins hire since Jimmy Johnson in 1996 and Nick Saban in 2005 to spark true excitement in the fandom. But enough of my say, Now it is your turn. This poll invites your reaction to the Flores hire. Pick the one option that best describes your feeling. Ready? Vote!

ON HEAT'S BOSH JERSEY RETIREMENT: Heat announced yesterday it would retire Chris Bosh's No. 1 jersey this spring. I have since heard some argument on social media. There shouldn't be any. The honor is deserved. Bosh played six seasons here, including the four straight NBA Finals and two championships. His 18.0-point scoring average is fifth all-time for Miami. His rebounds are top-10. He was an exemplary off-court presence. He stuck with the franchise when LeBron James bolted in free agency and Bosh could have, too. Dwyane Wade left as well. Bosh never did. Only blood clots could remove him. He'd likely still be a Heat fixture, today, at 34, in his ninth season, if not for his medical issue. Congratulations, Chris Bosh!

NEW 'BACK IN MY DAY': MEDICINE!: xHere's the new BIMD video that premiered Tuesday on the Le Batard Show on ESPN Radio and ESPNews:

Other most recent columns: Le'Veon wants Dolphins, And Interest Should Be Mutual / Bonds and Clemens Inch Toward Cooperstown, But A-Rod Faces Tougher Road / We All Got Cheated, Not Just Saints. This Is Offseason for Dolphins to Be Bold, Not Think Tanking / Kooch Never Made Canton But Helped Make Dolphins History / A Better Coach Isn't Dolphins' Biggest Need / From Dark and Empty to the Top Of the World: Dan Le Batard at 50 / Hurricanes' Wild Ride From Chaos to Calm / Wade Deserves All-Star Sendoff / The Dolphins Seem Desperate, And It's About Time / Getting Diaz Back The Perfect Fit For UM / Richt Can Call It Retirement, But He Just Quit On The Canes / Miami's Hate-Hate Relationship With Nick Saban.

APSE-HONORED WORK: The Associated Press Sports Editors 2018 writing awards ranked us a Top 10 national sports columnist in the major-outlet category. Thanks, APSE. Here are the five nominated columns that earned the honor: At Doral, an annual tradition since 1962 is replaced by silence, and by what's missing  /  Marlins' Jose Fernandez statue is divisive yet has a chance to serve a greater purpose  /  NFL has moral obligation to help Buonicontis and Kiicks while it limits future suffering  /  What led to El Clasico Miami began with Joe Robbie's unlikely, accidental love of soccer  / With 59 home runs, Stanton still had a magic season. Just hope this wasn't goodbye.

Revisit our blog often because we update and add to our latest posts throughout the day.

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote

Twitter @gregcote