1) It's THURSDAY OCTOBER 10. Check out our 'Fins At 50' book at Amazon. 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hurricanes fall to Virginia Tech with CSM poll and column, Gators top Auburn, NFL Week 5 picks, Hot Button Top 10 & more. 3) Join us on Twitter.com/gregcote. Also on Facebook and Instagram.
Our Thursday Giants-Patriots pick: You know who'll win. But will they cover? Answer: NFL Week 6 Thursday Gem.
Updated Miami Herald NFL Week 5 QB Rankings: Houston's Deshaun Watson wins the Week 5 title with an all-time top-10 point total to vault high in this week's Top 20. But does Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes hang onto the overall No. 1 spot? Find it all here: Miami Herald NFL Week 5 QB Rankings.
NBA, OTHERS WHO DEAL WITH CHINA MUST FACE THE HUMAN-RIGHTS VIOLATIONS: Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted something the Chinese government didn’t like, and the NBA has spent much of the past week bending over backwards to express profound regret to all of its great friends in China who might have been offended. Why? Simple. NBA China alone is worth more than $4 billion. It is estimated more than 500 million Chinese regularly consume NBA content. This is American basketball’s richest global partnership, one developed over three decades. But it is an uneasy alliance, one with a dark side — one this controversy has laid bare. And that’s good. The NBA would tell you that, beyond being enriched by the business arrangement, its relationship with China helps build global bridges and bring the world closer. But the relationship also is this: It is a major, immensely popular U.S. sport lending credibility to China — to everything China stands for. Think of it this way: You know how the NFL loves playing games in London every year? Would they still be doing that if Great Britain was notoriously known for systemic human rights violations? But it’s OK for the NBA to do that? And then lamely allude to "political differences?" For my latest column, visit Why Is NBA Doing Business With Human Rights-Violating China In First Place? [Image is via usatoday.com]
NFL PIX 'N FANTASY RESULTS: WEEK 5: NFL picks -- Solid. We struggled at 8-7 overall but will happily take the 9-6 against the spread last week. We nailed our Upset of the Week halfway (ATS, not outright) when Pittsburgh covered. Also had underdog Bills and Raiders with the points. We're due a big week straight-up but sailing nicely vs. the Evil Betting Line. LeBatard Show fantasy (16-team PPR) -- Ouch. Greg's Lobos dropped to 2-3, falling to auto-drafting, fantasy-hating Dan LeBatard, 114.9 to 99.6. Oh the indignity! We got a big 28.3 points from Tyler Boyd and 21.3 from Sony Michel, but a subpar 20.5 from Patrick Mahomes, with too many others in single digits. The killer: Zero -- 0 -- from usually reliable Mike Evans. Time to rally, 'Bos! Friends n' family fantasy (10-team PPR) -- A record-setter! Lobos are now 2-3 after a 191-122 win, a season-high point total for the league. We got a huge 43 from Deshaun Watson, 28 from Allen Robinson and 26 from Dalvin Cook. And this: 36 from the Eagles D/ST! Cannot ever remember that from a defense! Tailwind. Plus I get Saquon Barkley back soon. Go 'Bos!
IT'S WINLESS WEEK IN MIAMI! BUT WHY DOLPHINS-REDSKINS ISN'T MUST-LOSE FOR FINS: It is an even 200 days until the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, or, as Miami Dolphins fans call it, "A reason to live." Excitement is building. In South Florida, what we are feeling is akin to playoff fever — except the exact opposite. Losses stack up before us like chips at a poker table. Now the Hunt For 
April ratchets up. It is Winless Week in Miami, the official kickoff of the Tua Tournament. Redskins at Dolphins on Sunday — the Battle of the Beatens — is the first of six direct matchups this season between what are currently the NFL’s four remaining winless teams. Washington just fired coach Jay Gruden, isn’t sure who its quarterback is, and is a fully engulfed dumpster fire at 0-5 — yet is an early 3 1/2-point road favorite over an 0-4 Miami team coming off a bye week. Which speaks not to any glimmer of light in the Skins tunnel, but to the abject black hole that is this Fins season. Picking a team to win a Redskins-Dolphins game is likely choosing whether to wear underwear made of sandpaper or burlap. Dolphins coach Brian Flores, asked on Monday how an opponent’s coaching change affects his preparation, replied: "We’re just going to go about our business as we normally do.." A cheer might have erupted had Dolfans been in the room. "Keep Doing What You’re Doing — Losing!" might as well be the official team slogan moving forward. And, yet, Dolfans may cheer guilt-free for a win Sunday, because the game is not must-lose for Miami. The why is in my recent column. To read it in full please visit Why Woeful Dolphins-Redskins Matchup Is Not Must-Lose For Miami.
Our other most recent stuff: No Quit In Canes, But Still Bad Loss In Down Year (on home loss to Virginia Tech) / Now Or Never For Panthers To Stop Wasting The Barkov Years (as NHL season unfurls) / and 'Culture' Isn't Enough. It'll Take These 5 Factors to Lift Miami Heat (as team nears preseason) / Also: Winless But Progress Is Perfect Combo For Dolphins (off recent loss to Chargers).
Previous select recent columns: Riley Introduces Butler -- 'Cause the Heat Don't Tank / Dolfans, Here Is Your Escape To The Glory Days / Why Dolphins, Even Epic-Bad, May be Closer to Major Turnaround Than Canes / Turning Its Back on Kaepernick Enters Year 3 As NFL's Ongoing Shame / Worst Miami Team Ever? Epic Losing Already Making Dolphins A National Joke / Quit Whining! Yes Dolphins Are Tanking, And Yes They Should / It's Up to Today's Dolphins to Defend Shula's Legacy / Who's Super Bowl-Bound And Where Dolphins Land (preseason NFL Team Rankings) / Luck Deserves Praise For Putting Health, Life Above Football / 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 / Queens of the World. U.S. Soccer Wins 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 / 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 / Inter Miami Aiming High With Barca's Suarez / End The Illogical Shame and Honor Schnellenberger / Oh To Be Hated Again! Lean Times For Miami Sports / Why Tiger's Masters Triumph Is About More Than Golf / 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.
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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