GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND.
1) It's MONDAY, JULY 22. It's always the perfect time to check out my 'Fins At 50' book at Amazon. 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Le Batard rebukes Trump and ESPN, 4 reasons Heat has had winning offseason, people keep saying the Dolphins are awful, why 2019 may be best sports year ever, Greg Cote Day countdown, Back In My Day video, The List & more. 3) Join us on Twitter @gregcote. Also on Facebook and Instagram.
Greg Cote Day countdown: 5 days: We began a 10-day countdown to Greg Cote Day on Saturday, July 27 at Hammond Stadium, home of the minor-league Fort Myers Miracle, and it's now five days to go. (Always said that for me to have a Greg Cote Day would take a Miracle, so I was right). I'll be meeting fans, throwing out the first pitch, singing the national anthem and playing left field. All but one of those four things is actually true. Will I see you there? It's just a couple of hours west of South Florida. Tickets are going fast. Well, I don't really know if they are or not. But they might be! In any case click HERE for the link to buy yours.
Le Batard, Heat, Dolphins and 2019: My most recent columns: Check out my past week's work: Le Batard Defies Trump, ESPN's No-Politics Policy / The 4 Ways Miami Heat Had A Winning Offseason / What If Everybody's Wrong About The Dolphins? / and Wimbledon, Tiger, U.S. Women For Starters. Why 2019 Is Greatest Sports Year Ever.
HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (UPDATED): WHAT SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive every-Sunday feature, updated through Monday, 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. DOLPHINS: Football. Football. FOOTBALL!! Training camp is here: King Sport returns! Preseason training camp is on deck for the Fins as rookies reported to the Davie training facility Sunday, veterans report on Wednesday, and the first full-squad practice is Thursday. The Dolphins are supposed to be lousy this season. All of the media "experts" say so. No matter. In July, Miami is tied for the best record in the NFL at 0-0.
2. GOLF: Lowry wins hometown British Open: Northern Ireland's little known Shane Lowry -- closer to journeyman than star, at least before this week -- carried a big 4-shot lead into Sunday's final round of the British Open being held in his home country for the first time since 1951. He won going away, by six. Much of the air went out of the major, for me, when both native son Rory McIlroy (the betting favorite) and Tiger Woods failed to make the cut. But Lowry winning for his country was sweet consolation.
3. BASEBALL: Cooperstown welcomes 6 new inductees: The Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday welcomed its six latest inductees: Closers Mariano Rivera and Lee Smith; designated hitters Edgar Martinez and Harold Baines; and starters Mike Mussina and the late Roy Halladay. Rivera is a no-brainer, of course. Baines? He was headed to the Hall of Pretty Good and somehow got smuggled into Cooperstown.
4. MARLINS: Fish can't seem to shake 100-loss pace: Brian Anderson's double gave Miami its first walkoff win of the season to end a 3-3 homestand, but Marlins have started 0-3 on a six-game road swing. Fish were swept by Dodgers Sunday and now play three at White Sox before heading home. Current pace: 60-102.
5. HEAT: Might Beal give Miami one last summer splash?: No Russell Westbrook? No problem. Pat Riley worked some magic in a four-team trade to get Jimmy Butler, and might not be done yet as speculation swirls that Riles may be seeking a trade with Washington to acquire rising star Bradley Beal (and if, necessary, injured John Wall as a package deal). Give the Heat this. Miami has been a player in what was supposed to be a dead summer for the club.
6. HURRICANES: Diaz leads UM at ACC Media Days: Coach Manny Diaz, linebacker Shaq Quarterman and receiver K.J. Osborn repped The U at ACC Media Days. They'd have brought a starting quarterback but they don't have one yet. Clemson rules the ACC, but Canes are seen as a strong contender to win the Coastal Division.
7. DAN LE BATARD: Radio hosts blasts Trump, ESPN: Le Batard went on an impassioned four-minute rant against those "send her back" chants at a Trump rally, calling them "un-American," and calling "cowardly" his own network's policy against political talk on the air. The equation: Dan's principles > threat of suspension.
8. SOCCER: International Champions Cup underway: The creation of Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is in midst of seventh edition of its tournament, its 12 teams including giants like Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Real Madrid. No matches in Miami this time, alas. However, Hard Rock Stadium has a Barcelona-Napoli La Liga match coming up August 7. You better be here, Messi!
9. BOXING: Ageless Pacquiao defies time, wins again: Filipino hero Manny Pacquiao, 40, handed unbeaten Keith Thurman his first career loss in a split decision Saturday night in Vegas to claim the WBA welterweight title. The downside: Could create momentum for yet another Pacquiao-Mayweather bout.
10. CYCLING: Will French drought finally end in Tour de France?: Two-thirds through cycling's biggest race, it is beginning to look like Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe could be the man to finally end France's 34-year drought of no homegrown. Thus exhausts all of my knowledge on the subject. Quick aside: Why do regular people riding bikes dress like they're in the Tour de France? Just so you know, motorists are making fun of you.
Missing the HB10 cut: Sierra Canyon High School outside of L.A. just added a 5-star transfer recruit to a basketball roster already including the teenage sons of Dwyane Wade (Zaire) and LeBron James (Bronny). Can we just cancel the season and hand them the trophy, please? ..... Hossein Ensan, a 55-year-old German, beat 8,568 other competitors to win the $10 million first-place prize in the 2019 World Series of Poker main event in Vegas. Mamas, put a deck of cards in Junior's crib. No chips, though. Choking hazard! ..... The eight-team 2019 season of World TeamTennis is underway, for those of you who, like me, were under the assumption the WTT had stopped being a thing, like, 30 years ago ..... All of the top U.S. World Cup stars are back with their club teams in the National Women's Soccer League. Another phrase for this is, "Falling off the face of the Earth" ..... MLB trade deadline is July 31. Marlins need bats. But not as much as they to not trade top prospects ..... The FINA World Aquatics Championships are underway in South Korea. I'll see you there! ..... The Rugby Championship is underway to determine best team in Southern Hemisphere. New Zealand and Australia are always up there ..... BIG3 basketball continues, and America continue to not care ..... That reminds me. The WNBA All-Star Game is coming up ..... Update: Countdown now 2,527 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in the 2026 World Cup.
MEET THE HIGHWOMEN: This is the country supergroup fronted by Maren Morris and Brandi Carlile, and I love everything I've heard from them so far, including this first single, "Redesigning Women," from their forthcoming debut album. Love the music, the smart lyrics, but as much as that I love the very idea of a female group trying to break the old boys' club and carve a meaningful inroad into male-clogged country radio. More power to them. Give a listen:
Select other recent columns: On Brink Of History At Wimbledon, Serena Is Denied Again / Heat And Riley Lose On Westbrook, But Loss Might Still Be A Win / If You Don't Like Rapinoe, USWNT -- That's On You, Not Them / Heat's Run At Westbrook Is Riley's All-Out Gamble To Win Now / Coco's Wimbledon Runs Ends, But U.S. Tennis Just Found Its Next Big Thing / Queens of the World. U.S. Soccer Wins Again / U.S. Women Reach World Cup Final -- Not With Arrogance, But Excellence / Bold Moves To Get Jimmy Butler Make Heat -- And Pat Riley -- Relevant Again / New-look Panthers: Lots Of Hope, Zero Excuses Left / It Is Megan Rapinoe's World Cup -- On And Off The Field / Kawhi to Lakers Would Mean More Rings, Last Laugh For LeBron / An Era Ends As Panthers' Luongo Retires / Heat's Haslem Doesn't Need Us Telling Him Whether To Retire / Drip Or Swag, Herro Brings It, And Heat Need It / O.J. Can Tweet What He Wants, But How He's Seen Is Not Up To Him / U.S. Women's Soccer Should Be Celebrated -- No Apologies / Miami Dolphins Will Be Better Than You Think In 2019 / Ranking Dolphins, Heat, Marlins & Panthers' Best Young Players / Heat Must Dump Bad Contracts Starting With Whiteside, Dragic /Inter Miami Aiming High With Barca's Suarez / Reasons To Like Flores & 5 Keys To Dolphins Season / For Marlins, An Encouraging Two Weeks Is Progress / End The Illogical Shame and Honor Schnellenberger / Smart Decision A No-Brainer: Dolphins Should Start Rosen / Dolphins Land Big Prize in Wilkins / Oh To Be Hated Again! Lean Times For Miami Sports / Why Tiger's Masters Triumph Is About More Than Golf / Case For Kaepernick's Comeback As A Dolphin / Transgender-Athlete Firestorm A Necessary Debate / Across the Rio Grande to the PGA Tour / From Dark and Empty to Top Of the World: Dan Le Batard at 50 / And, our Dwyane Wade Farewell Trilogy: The Last Star: Post-Wade, Miami Sports Is Bereft; Wade Fittingly Goes Out A Winner And 30-point Star; and Thank You, Dwyane Wade, Miami's G.O.A.T.
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.
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Twitter @gregcote
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