GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND
1) It's MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16. The Greg Cote Show podcast is now separately on Twitter and Instagram. Join us on both! 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hurricanes rally past Virginia Tech, FIU Falls to FAU, NFL Week 10 picks, biggest Greg Cote Show podcast ever & more. 3) Join me on Twitter and Instagram.
Canes rally past Virginia Tech. Our new column: Top-10 But Underdogs, Disrespected Hurricanes Rally Past VT in Blacksburg.
GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE 37 OUT NOW!: Our Miami Herald podcast debuted in March and the new Episode 38 is out now! A new pod drops every Monday morning on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, Megaphone, iHeart -- wherever you pod, and of course at MiamiHerald.com. Find all 37 we've done so far RIGHT HERE for free. Please listen, subscribe, rate and review. In the new new Ep37 we welcome in ESPN star Mina Kimes to discuss Tua and the Dolphins, the Marlins hiring Kim Ng and other fun stuff. Also: Greg's thoughts on the contentious Le Batard Postgame show last Wednesday, a little bit of Masters golf, a new Mount Gregmore and more. You all made last week's Greg Cote Show easily the most downloaded and most listened-to in our history as it climbed to as high as No. 3 among all sports podcasts in the national Apple rankings. So thank you! Appreciate you listening each week and check out the new ep!
G9: DOLPHINS 29, L.A. CHARGERS 21: TUA SOLID AGAIN AS PLAYOFF-CHASING FINS WIN 5TH STRAIGHT: Miami now 6-3 after fifth straight win, 29-21 over Chargers here Sunday. Another solid, two-TD day for rookie Tua Tagovailoa in his third start ..... Original post: They won’t meet often but their careers will forever be linked and compared, and it starts Sunday at Hard Rock: Tua Tagovailoa vs. Justin Herbert (pictured). Along with Cincy’s Joe Burrow these are the 2020 high-drafted rookie quarterbacks in a race to see who’ll be best and who’ll lift his team highest. So far so good for the two men drafted fifth overall (Herbert) and sixth (Tagovailoa). Miami’s golden Samoan has impressed in his two starts and kept the Dolphins hot, trying to win a fifth straight game Sunday at 4:05 at The Rock. Herbert? He holds the inside lane for offensive rookie of the year despite the Chargers’ tough-luck season. This is only the second time all year Miami has been a betting favorite, albeit a very narrow one for a home team with a clearly better record. It’s been tough for Joe Public to accept that the long-downtrodden Fins suddenly are, like, good. Scoring a lot and defending strong — and doing both better than the Chargers do either. MIA is ahead of expectations on its rebuild in a way that should have Brian Flores climbing the coach of the year charts. Flores vs. the Chargers' Anthony Lynn presents the season's only all-Black head coaching matchup -- not an insignificant aside. Be wary of the Bolts, despite their record. All six LAC losses have been by less than seven points. They are a couple of bounces and a bit of luck from being in the same 5-3 neighborhood as Miami. Fins (and Tagovailoa) will miss injured WR Preston Williams but will catch a break if Chargers DE Joey Bosa (concussion) remains out. This game is high-risk for a loss if Miami struts in all full of itself and expecting an easy time, but Flores has this team better-coached than that. The Miami bandwagon is getting crowded and picking up speed. Now is not the time to jump off. My pick: Dolphins (-2 1/2), 31-24. For all of our latest King Sport picks, visit NFL Week 10 Gems.
HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (NOVEMBER 15-16): 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. MARLINS: Miami makes history with Kim Ng hiring: And we thought Don Mattingly winning NL Manager of the Year was big news? The Marlins made history Friday in naming Kim Ng as the general manager. With an executive background including years with the Yankees and Dodgers, she now becomes the highest ranking woman leading baseball operations for any of the 30 MLB teams, and is believed to be the first female GM of any major professional men's team in any North American league. And another ceiling shatters!
2. DOLPHINS: Tua outduels Herbert as Fins win 5th straight win: When quarterbacks are taken fifth and sixth overall in the same draft, their careers will forever be linked and compared. Which brought us to Justin Herbert vs. Tua Tagovailoa on Sunday, a.k.a, Los Angeles Chargers at Miami Dolphins. Verdict: Fins win 29-21. Tua outplays Herbert. Playoff-chasing Miami has now won five in a row, three straight since the starting job was handed to the golden Samoan.
3. HURRICANES: No. 9 UM rallies past Virginia Tech in Blacksburg: Disrespected, the top-10 Canes flew to Blacksburg as underdogs, trailed the whole game, then rallied for the late D'Eriq King scoring pass that beat Virginias Tech 25-24. That despite several players including three starters being absent for COVID-related issues. Miami is now 7-1 and shedding the doubters one win at a time.
4. GOLF: Long-delayed, The Masters was Dustin Johnson's to win -- and oh did he: Dustin Johnson held a four-shot lead entering Sunday's final round of The Masters at Augusta, the season's delayed, final major his to win, and finished winning by five shot with a Masters-record 20-under 268, two shots better than the former record set by Tiger Woods in 1997 and equaled by Jordan Spieth in 2015. Also memorable for in this Masters for the wrong reason: Tiger's 10 on the par-3 12th.
5. HEAT: Draft, Udonis, Caron headline busy week: The virtual NBA Draft on Wednesday finds the Heat holding the 20th overall pick as its only selection, with Maryland forward Jalen Smith projected to Miami in ESPN's latest mock draft Meanwhile Udonis Haslem announced he will return for an 18th season with the Heat, and Caron Butler will join Miami as a new assistant coach. The abbreviated free agency window opens on Friday, with training camps starting December 1 and the 72-game regular season commencing December 22.
6. INTER MIAMI: Expansion Miami opens MLS playoffs Friday: Inter Miami (7-13-3, 24 points) plays at fellow expansion team Nashville (8-7-8, 32) Friday night at 9 as the expanded Major League Soccer postseason begins. Miami's win in its final regular season match clinched the 10th and final spot in the East playoffs. The teams played twice in the regular season, a 1-0 Nashville win and a 0-0 draw.
7. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Gators win big, FIU falls again: No. 6 Florida whupped Arkansas 63-35 Saturday as QB Kyle Trask threw six more TD passes. Somebody put that kid in the Heisman conversation! Closer to home, FIU lost again, falling to FAU in the Shula Bowl. It was a college week especially battered by COVID, with nine games postponed (including No. 1 Alabama at LSU) and six others canceled.
8. COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Schedules (finally) set for Canes men, women: Ready or not, pandemic or not, college hoops is around the corner, with most schools opening November 25. Miami Hurricanes men announced a 17-game schedule that could grow, with the November 25 season opener vs. Stetson already postponed and the new opener now November 29 vs. North Florida. Canes women announced a 24-game schedule starting November 25 at home vs. Jacksonville.
9. MLB: Awards and hot stove season in baseball: Biggest hardware goes to White Sox's Jose Abreu (AL MVP), Braves' Freddie Freeman (NL MVP), Indians' Shane Bieber (AL CY Young) and Reds' Trevor Bauer (NL Cy). As hot stove heats up, top free agents this offsaeson include Bauer, C J.T. Realmuto and OFs George Springer and Marcell Ozuna.
10. NFL: King Sport adds incentives for minority hires: Six months after tabling the proposal, NFL owners this week unanimously approved a resolution that will reward teams with compensatory draft picks for developing minority talent in the coaching and executive ranks. Pity the rule isn't retroactive. The Dolphins (the only team with a Black head coach and GM) would be due a windfall.
Missing the HB10 cut: There are reports the Rockets and Clippers are discussing a trade involving Russell Westbrook and Paul George. Wow. A down offseason for free agency could get interesting anyway ..... UEFA Champions League play resumes November 24 in the fight to reach the round of 16 ..... Gigantic alligator seen roaming golf course in Naples, Florida. Fore! ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast's new Episode 37 drops Monday! ..... Update: Countdown now 2,052 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup.
Our most recent other columns: Canes Keep Beating Teams They Should (If Barely) / Stop the Silly Noise And Speculation. Give Dolphins' Tua Time And a Fair Chance / Fans of ESPN's Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz Should Prepare For Another Change / Dolphins Defense Makes It Easy For Tua In First NFL Start / Drama, Controversy, Torqued-Up Pressure: Welcome to Tua Week In Miami / Turner, With COVID, Joining Dodgers Celebration A Sadly Fitting End to Season / Dolphins Turning to Tua Now Is Risky -- But Right Move/ Dolphins Turning to Tua Now Is Risky -- But Right Move / and Heat, Marlins, Canes -- now Tua. Miserable 2020 Suddenly Great Time To Be Miami Fan.
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THE ARCHIVES:
Heat NBA Finals columns: Game 6--LeBron Reigns, But Credit Heat For Unexpected Run to Finals. Game 5--They're Alive! Butler, Heat Beat Lakers, Get to Game 6 In NBA FInals. Game 4--Lakers in 3-1 Command in NBA Finals, But Don't Write Off Heat Yet. Game 3--Jimmy Butler's 40 Gives Heat New Life in NBA Finals. Game 2--NBA Finals Slipping Away As Heat Lose Again. Game 1-- Riley Wants Heat to Beat LeBron So Bad, But Opening Loss a Reality Check.
Marlins postseason run columns: NLDS Game 3--Marlins Season Was A Miracle But Way It Ended Is Lesson On Work Still Ahead. Game 2--Marlins Fall Again, Join Heat On Brink Of Elimination. Game 1--Braves Homers, Bullpen Collapse Bury Marlins in NLDS Game 1. Columns from two wins over Cubs in wild-card round: Miracle Marlins Advance in NL Playoffs and Seventeen Years Out of Playoffs, Marlins Return in Style.
Select other recent columns: 'If I Die, I Die.' QB Cousins' Shamefully Cavalier Attitude On Pandemic / Boycott Of NBA Playoffs Shows Nation That Injustice Is Bigger Than Sports Right Now / Having Fans at Dolphins, Canes Games A Bad Idea And Big Risk / For Marlins, A Home Opener -- And First Place -- In Mid-August / As Panthers Move on From Tallon, Who's Next Miami Team Executive on Hot Seat? / 'Perfect Storm For Virus Transmission': Why Football Is Struggling to Lift Off / Marlins Delaying Home Opener For COVID Outbreak a Scary Lesson For All Sports / Don Shula, 1930-2020, R.I.P. / What Shula Meant to a Father & Son. They Boy Was Me / It Took George Floyd To Finally Wake Up White America / Goodell's NFL Response to Floyd Killing Is Hypocrisy At Its Most Ironic / and George Floyd Is Why Kaepernick & Sports Must Continue Fight For Social Justice
Revisit this blog often because it updates regularly. The Associated Press Sports Editors writing awards ranked the blog's author a Top 10 national sports columnist in the major-outlet category. Greg is also a regular on the Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz on ESPN Radio. Finding Greg: Twitter. Instagram. Facebook. Columns. Podcast. Podcast on Twitter. Podcast on Instagram. LeBatard Show. Book: Fins At 50. Songs: Letting Go (audio) and The Ballad Of 1440 (video).
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