1) It's MONDAY-SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10-15. We're off on vacation all this coming week. See ya'll next weekend! 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Time for 'The Lone Voter' to step forward, Heat and Riley win on Iguodala, Ed Reed return part of Canes surge, Dolphins have a new roadblock, latest Back In My Day video & more. 2) Join us on Twitter.com/gregcote. Also on Facebook and Instagram.
Our most recent columns:
(*) It's Time For Anonymous Lone Voter Who Denied Jeter To Step Forward.
(*) Heat And Gloriously Impatient Riley Win In Trade For Iguodala.
(*) Return Of Ed Reed, Even If Mostly Symbolic, Leads Surge By Canes Football.
(*) Poor Dolphins Finally Getting Rid Of Brady Only to Have Mahomes Take His Place.
(*) Two-part series: How One Man Long Forgotten Changed Everything For the Miami Dolphins; 2) How Shula Made Dolphins Perfect and Made Miami Matter, And the Coach Today at 90.
HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (FEBRUARY 9-15): WHAT SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive Sunday-into-Monday 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. HEAT: Slumping Miami in win-now mode with big Iguodala trade: Heat and Memphis beat the NBA trade deadline with a six-player deal that, at its core, sends Justise Winslow to the Grizzlies and brings elite wing defender Andre Iguodala to Miami. Smart move by the Heat with playoff run in mind. Heat is 34-18 and fourth in East after losing three straight and five of past eight, with two left before all-star break.
2. PANTHERS: Uh oh. Cats stumble, fall of NHL playoff pace: The once-hot Panthers have lost three in a row and four of past five to tumble to 29-25 and off playoff pace. Florida needs to regain its mojo starting Monday in Philadelphia to stay afloat in a brutally tough, packed Eastern Conference.
3. RUNNING: More than 20K hit streets in Miami Marathon: Sunday's Miami Marathon and Half-Marathon drew more than 20,000 runners to the streets of Miami and Miami Beach. It's a glorious annual event except for people who drive cars and whose weekend plans are disrupted by hordes of exercise-obsessed fanatics in a sporting event of interest only to participants.
4. HURRICANES: Revamped UM sets spring football start: Coach Manny Diaz introduced new chief of staff Ed Reed, new offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee and new QB D'Eriq King in a National Signing Day press conference to wrap up recruiting. New-look Canes will hit the field to open spring practice on February 29, happily leaving last year's 6-7 nightmare behind.
5. MARLINS: FanFest ushers in arrival of spring: FanFest was Saturday at Marlins Park, signaling the arrival of spring. Pitchers and catchers have their first workout of spring training on February 14 and the full squad begins February 19. Here comes Year 3 of the Derek Jeter Rebuild, ready or not.
6. BASEBALL: Red Sox Nation up in arms over Mookie trade: Boston completed a blockbuster three-team trade that sent RF Mookie Betts and P David Price to the Dodgers, with the Red Sox getting CF Alex Verdugo and a pitching prospects whose medical condition held up the deal. To Red Sox Nation, feels like a salary dump and a surrender flag waving.
7. KOBE BRYANT: All-star tribute, public memorial upcoming: The helicopter crash that took the lives of Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven others continues to reverberate. Next Sunday's NBA All-Star Game in Chicago will include tributes to Bryant, and a public memorial has been set for February 24 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
8. SOCCER: U.S. women qualify for Olympics: The U.S. women's national team whupped Mexico 4-0 to qualify for the coming Olympics. Had the reigning World Cup champions not qualified for the Olympics -- now that would-a been news! U.S. has made every Olympics since the first for women's soccer in 1996, and has won four gold medals.
9. UM BASEBALL: Season on deck for No. 3-ranked Canes: Season of high hopes began with Saturday's FanFest and alumni game. Real play for coach Gino DiMare's ACC-favorite team opens at home starting February 14 with a three-game series vs Rutgers.
10. CANES HOOPS: Larranaga's men's team sort of stinks. Sorry: The terribly slumping Canes men are no 11-2, 3-10 in the ACC and 0-6 against Top 25 teams. UM women are a bit better at 12-10 and 4-7, but also 0-6 vs ranked teams. Not much local excitement building for March Madness, alas.
Missing the HB10 cut: The XFL debuted, and this is where I can't even muster enough fake interest to pretend I care ..... Bobby Knight attended his first Indiana basketball game in 20 years. Did he throw a folding metal chair just for old times' sake? ..... Jon Jones won UFC 247. Wake me when he moves up to the heavyweight class ..... Countdown 21 days until Inter Miami's inaugural game as a Major League Soccer expansion team. Newbies play two on road before opening at home on March 14 ..... NFL Scouting Combine begins February 27 in Indy. NFL Network will extend coverage into prime time for the first time, prompting analysts to ask, "Why!?" ..... Update: Countdown now 2,324 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup.
Other select recent columns: Chiefs, Mahomes And A Former Dolphin Win Super Bowl 54 -- And So Does Miami and Kobe's Death Sends Sports World Reeling, But Immortality Is His. Also: How The NFL, Even Amid Safety Concerns, Bounced Back And Is Healthier Than Ever / How Miami Went From Forgotten to Back On Top As 'Super Bowl City' / Jimmy Johnson's Biggest Triumph? Knowing When To Quit -- And Why / Announcing Miami Dolphins' 2010-19 All-Decade Team / On Miami's Home Field, Gators Remind Canes How to Win Major Bowl Game and We Are The Champions: How South Florida Came to Own the State in High School Football.
Visit Greg Cote Column Headquarters, and revisit this blog often because it is updated regularly. The Associated Press Sports Editors 2018 writing awards ranked the blog's author a Top 10 national sports columnist in the major-outlet category. Author of 'Fins At 50,' available on Amazon. Follow on Twitter @gregcote.
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