GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND
1) It's THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19. Note to readers: Not been writing as much lately because I'm burning a bunch of unused vacation time before end of year. That's why, for example, I have no column on last night's Miami Heat draft pick. However, find my quick thoughts on the pick below. 2) The Greg Cote Show podcast is now separately on Twitter and Instagram. Join us on both! 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Dolphins beat Chargers for 5th straight win, Hot Button Top 10, new Greg Cote Show podcast Episode 37 & more. 4) Join me on Twitter and Instagram.
Pick for tonight's Cardinals-Seahawks game: No result would surprise ... except either team being held below 30 points. For our preview and pick: NFL Week 11 Thursday Gem. Look for all of our Week 11 picks online by mid-afternoon today.
Updated Herald NFL QB rankings: Old G.O.A.T. wins Week 10 and a virtual three-way dead heat for the season lead. Check out Herald Week 10 NFL QB Rankings.
QUICK THOUGHTS ON HEAT'S FIRST-ROUND DRAFT PICK: They hit big with Tyler Herro 13th overall last year and with Bam Adebayo 14th in 2019 (no pick in '18). Now we begin to find out if Miami made it three straight Grade A first rounders last night with Precious Achiuwa 20th overall out of Memphis in the delayed, virtual NBA Draft. Achiuwa (pronounced ah-CHEW-uh and pictured) is a Nigeria-born 6-9 power forward who is 21 though playing only one year in college. He was American Athletic Conference (AAC) Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, averaging 15.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.87 blocks and 1.10 steals while shooting 49.3 percent from the field. He was All-AAC First Team and the only freshman in the nation to average a double-double. Pat Riley: "We were looking for bigs like him that were quick, athletic, that could run, that could handle. Obviously, he’s an explosive player, plays above the rim. We were very, very impressed with him. He was in our wheelhouse." Thought they might have leaned point guard, but Achiuwa will fit nicely as a backup for Adebayo and give Miami some of the size it was shown lacking last season in its unexpected run to the NBA Finals. And do not scoff at Memphis or the AAC. His teammate, center James Wiseman, was taken second overall last night. Recent NBA players out of that Memphis program have included Tyreke Evans and Derrick Rose. ESPN graded Miami's selection a 'B.' That sounds about right. You don't expect stardom out of a 20th pick, but Heat envision a rotation guy, an immediate contributor with big upside. Fun fact about Precious: He has brothers named God'sgift, God'swill, God’slove and Promise.
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!
NFL PIX 'N FANTASY: WEEK 10 RESULTS: NFL Pix--Best week yet vs. the line!: Pleased to report our Week 10 results showed a strong 10-4 overall and a really strong 11-3 against the point spread -- best of the season thus far ATS. Called the Colts' mini-upset win at Tennessee, nailed Washington covering at Detroit in our Upset of the Week, and also had 'dog covers by Houston and the Giants. Needed that big week against the evil point spread. Now let's keeps it going! Glad you're with us on our 30th season of picks in the Herald! Greg's Lobos: Ill-timed slide continues: Lobos lost a fourth straight game and embarrassingly, 118-61, to fall to 4-6 in PFPI Fantasy, our friends 'n family 10-team PPR league. Nice 21 from Chase Claypool but everyone else underperformed their projections. Dak Prescott injury killed me, Michael Thomas nightmare has too and now Chris Carson is hurting us. Been a Lobos season full of bad luck. Still a playoff shot, but likely need at least two wins in last three weeks.
MIAMI MARLINS HIT HOME RUN WITH HISTORY-MAKING HIRE OF GM KIM NG: Historic. Ground-breaking. Ceiling-shattering. Such language is so often hyperbole, applied too casually. Here, it fits. Heck, it might qualify as understatement. The Miami Marlins’ hiring of Kim Ng as new general manager has kicked down one of sports’ most stubborn barriers. A woman, and one of Asian- 
American descent, is now running a Major League Baseball front office for the first time. When the outpouring of congratulations are coming from the likes of Michelle Obama and trailblazer Billie Jean King, your franchise has made not a typical hire, but a transcendent one. One that feels as much about proof of equality as it does about baseball. She calls King a hero of hers, along with Martina Navratilova. The congrats from Obama she called “humongous.” This has been a long climb for her. “I’ve been defeated and deflated numerous times, and it is difficult going through that failure publicly,” Ng said Monday, in an introductory news conference done via Zoom, as she sat seated near home plate at Marlins Park. “But you always keep hoping, and plowing through.” Ng (her surname pronounced ang) turns 52 on Tuesday. Happy birthday, indeed. This woman’s climb is one of perseverance, indefatigable persistence and 30 years of dues-paying to finally get the phone call she had dreamed of: The offer of a big-league general manager’s job. On the other end of the line: Derek Jeter, Marlins CEO and part owner. “The idea this has affected this many people is just extraordinary,” Ng said of the reaction she has gotten. “I thought it would be a big deal, but this is beyond my expectations. People are looking for hope, looking for inspiration. I’m happy that this is a part of that.” For my latest column in full, visit Marlins Hit History-Making Home Run With Kim NG Hire As GM.
Our most recent other columns: Top-10 But Underdogs, Disrespected Hurricanes Rally Past VT in Blacksburg / 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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