1) It's MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9. It's the perfect time to check out my 'Fins At 50' book at Amazon. 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hurricanes lose at North Carolina with CSM postgame poll, our NFL Week 1 predictions, your verdict on my fantasy team & more. 3) Join us on Twitter.com/gregcote. Also on Facebook and Instagram.
My column from Dolphins' 59-10 opening loss: It was not as brutal as the score suggests. It was more so. Welcome to the weirdest season, where being really, really bad can be really, really good. For my column from the stadium, visit The Dolphins aren't awful. They're worse than that.
Canes postgame poll results final: Voting in the latest Canesfan Satisfaction Meter postgame poll has ended with the approval rating plummeting as expected following the 28-25 loss at North Carolina. Scroll to previous blogpost for details.
DOLFAN SATISFACTION METER: G1: 18.3%: Results are certified to open the 12th season of the Miami Herald’s Dolfan Satisfaction Meter postgame polls, and they show 18.3 percent overall approval -- the combination of "very" and "somewhat" satisfied votes -- in the wake of Sunday afternoon’s 59-10 loss to the visiting Baltimore Ravens in the Fins’ season opener. It was the most points ever allowed in a Dolphins home game, the low but perhaps better than expected DSM likely owing to the Tank for Tua wing of the fandom. The DSM is a continuous weekly gauge of how Dolfans are feeling about the team and its direction. Right after each game I invite you to share your overall degree of satisfaction. Criteria for voting is your own, but I suggest fans consider the most recent game’s performance and caliber of opponent, season as a whole, direction the club is heading and your overall degree of optimism -- all in the context of reasonable expectations. Results are certified official the morning after one full day of voting. In this case that was around 6:30 a.m. today. Online voting determines official results, although you may also vote on Twitter @gregcote, where the vote was 57% approval.
2019 DSM game-by-game results
G1: 18.3% following 59-10 loss vs. Baltimore.
Next poll: Sept. 15 following game vs. New England.
G1: BALTIMORE 59, @DOLPHINS 10: ONLY THING WORSE THAN FINS' PERFORMANCE? MY PICK!: Original post: "AAAWWWK!" shrieks the Upset Bird, ushering in the 2019 season with a big-bang pick. "Tanking schmanking. Aawwk!" OK, here’s the thing. Repeat after me: "The Miami Dolphins will not be as bad as you think." I am about the only media-ite saying this — locally or nationally. The view is kind of scary from way up here out on the limb, but that’s all right. Imagine being the Dolphins right now. You spend the whole offseason and preseason hearing and reading about how lousy you are. About tanking and no talent and eve-of-season trades that diminished that talent even further in the name of rebuilding and draft capital. Well, there are two ways to respond: 1) With dejection, dissension and self defeat. Or 2) The way I see Miami responding today/Sunday, which is to show that this maligned, mocked, written-off team is very capable of winning five to seven games in a parity-soaked league. So, yeah, give me the home-’dog upset on a hunch here. Dolphins were 6-2 at home last season and have the anger and intangible edge here. More tangibly, Baltimore had some key free agency losses on defense, and Ryan Fitzpatrick and Kenyan Drake — even behind a mishmash O-line — could have opportunities. Also think Miami’s defensive line depth and secondary will come through Sunday against the big challenge of dual-threat Lamar Jackson. Yes, this pick is a big swing that could miss badly, but, like the Black Eyed Peas in 2009, I gotta feeling. "Fergie! Dolphins limited ownership partner! Thataway to tie it all together," notes a grinning, nodding Upset Bird. "Tank schmank. AAWWK!" Cote's pick: Dolphins 23, Baltimore 20.
[Click on Week 1 Gems for all of our NFL Kickoff Weekend predictions].
Our most recent columns: Trading Tunsil Hurts, But Dolphins Won This Deal / Who's Super Bowl-Bound And Where Dolphins Land (NFL Team Rankings) / Diaz's Choice For Hurricanes QB Not Seen In More Than 50 Years / Luck Deserves Praise For Putting Health, Life Above Football / Hurricanes Have Only Themselves To Blame For Opening Loss / Dolphins' Ross Cannot Be Surprised By Major Fallout Over Trump Fundraiser / Le Batard on Miami Radio Turmoil: 'We Were Evicted' / Buoniconti: Hall of Famer, But Even Greater Off the Field.
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. DOLPHINS: Ready or not (not!), Miami falls hard in season opener: The media and betting consensus is that the Dolphins will be worst-in-the league bad this season. Tanking is assumed after a fire sale of veterans in exchange for future draft picks. Some have even floated 0-16 as a possibility. I alone, it seems, thought otherwise. Saw Miami as a five-to-seven win team and even predicted the Fins would upset the Ravens in Sunday's opener here. Um, Ravens won 59-10. Only thing worse than the Dolphins' performance was my pick. And even that's a close call.
2. HURRICANES: Ouch! UM 0-2 after blowing late lead at North Carolina: This head coaching thing ain't so easy, huh Manny Diaz? Canes are 0-2 for the first time since 1978 after last night's 28-25 loss at Chapel Hill. The U trailed much of the game, led late, then blew it, although QB Jarren Williams was great. Pretty bad when your season feels derailed two games in.
3. TENNIS: Serena falls short again, Nadal wins thriller to close U.S. Open: Serena Williams tried again for a record-tying 24th career major win Saturday but stunningly fell to barely known Canadian Bianca Andreescu, 19. (Begins to make you wonder if she'll ever get the record...) Old stalwart Rafael Nadal won the men's crown Sunday in a five-set thriller over Russian Daniil Medvedev.
4. NFL: Antonio Brown drama takes wild turn as season kicks off: First Sunday of NFL's 100th season kicks off today, and the lead story? The Oakland Raiders managing to botch the Antonio Brown situation to such a colossal degree they release the Pro Bowl receiver and he signs with ... of course ... the New England Bleepin' Patriots! If only I were kidding.
5. BASKETBALL: Team USA turns back the Greek Freak: Team USA is now 4-0 and onto the quarterfinals of the FIBA World Cup in China after Saturday beating Greece and its NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo 69-53 in their toughest test yet, led by Kemba Walker's 15 points. Coach Gregg Popovich's guys have not always looked great thus far, but expectations of another U.S. world title seem increasingly justified. Yanks play Brazil today.
6. SOCCER: Huge Miami crow for Brazil-Colombia: Brazil and Neymar drew a sellout of 65,232 to Hard Rock Stadium Friday night for a 2-2 draw with Colombia in a national teams friendly. Will the Dolphins draw as many to Sunday's season opener? Let's see, shall we?
7. MARLINS: Yelich visit on deck as Fish play out the string: Stinkin' Fish are 51-91 in midst of a 7-game homestand. Christian Yelich and the Brewers are here for four starting Monday -- yet another sad reminder of all the stars Miami once had -- then Marlins play 13 of last 16 on road to end season. Meantime Marlins' Brian Moran in his MLB debut struck out his brother Thursday, first time ever a pitcher in his debut K'd his own bro.
8. PANTHERS: Cats and hockey are back on the radar: Infused with an accomplished new coach in Joel Quenneville and a top-tier goalie in Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida's now-or-bust season unfurls this week. Cats host rookie camp Tuesday and Wednesday, media day Thursday, then full training camp beginning (superstitious people look away) Friday the 13th. Is this finally the Panthers' year? (Have we asked that before?)
9. HEAT: Arisons donate to Hurricane Dorian relief: Micky Arison's Carnival cruise ships make millions bringing tourists to the Bahamas, so it was only fitting the Heat's owner donated $1 million and use of one of his ships to hurricane relief for that devastated area. Micky's other passion, the Heat, opens preseason training camp soon. In other news, Pat Riley was partying with retiree Dwayne Wade on a yacht in St. Tropez, dancing while dressed like Aladdin. Or, did that go without saying?
10.DWYANE WADE: Ex-Heat star will work out with LeBron: Retiree Dwyane Wade, says he'll be on the court with LeBron and the Lakers working out often before games this season. Wade, who is now lives in suburban Los Angeles, said he plans to work out with his former teammate before games, both at the Lakers' training facility in El Segundo and at Staples. "I just want to stay around it and be as involved as I can," says D-Wade. Hmm. Comeback with Lakers a matter of time?
Missing the HB10 cut: The Ironman 70.3 World Championships were held Saturday in France. I'd planned to compete, but decided at the last minute to wait in a long line for one of those Popeye's chicken sandwiches instead ..... The Chess World Cup begins Monday in Russia. Chess is the game/sport for folks not smart enough to play checkers ..... Update: Countdown now 2,478 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in the 2026 World Cup.
Select other recent columns: Zero Doubt: Rosen, Not Fitzpatrick, Must Start For Dolphins / Here's Why Canes Took Bold Gamble on Jarren Williams at QB / How Brian Flores Won Dolphins Players' Respect Before Ever Coaching A Game / In Tyreek Hill, Goodell And NFL Turn Blind Eye To Domestic Violence / 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? / Wimbledon, Tiger, U.S. Women For Starters. Why 2019 Is Greatest Sports Year Ever / Heat And Riley Lose On Westbrook, But Loss Might Still Be A Win / Coco's Wimbledon Runs Ends, But U.S. Tennis Just Found Its Next Big Thing / Queens of the World. U.S. Soccer Wins Again / 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 / 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 / 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 / For Marlins, An Encouraging Two Weeks Is Progress / End The Illogical Shame and Honor Schnellenberger / 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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