GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND
1) It's SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21. R.I.P., Jake Scott. The Dolphins' great passed away at 75 after a fall at his home. Free safety, free spirit -- still the club's career leader in interceptions. 2) Note to readers: Not been writing as much lately because I'm burning a bunch of unused vacation time before end of year. But the blog still chugs on! 3) The Greg Cote Show podcast is now separately on Twitter and Instagram. Join us on both! 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Thoughts on Heat's No. 1 draft pick, Marlins hit home run with Kim Ng hiring, NFL Week 10 Pix 'n Fantasy results, Greg Cote Show podcast Episode 37 & more. 5) Join me on Twitter and Instagram.
Our most recent stuff: Marlins Hit History-Making Home Run With Kim NG Hire As GM / Herald Week 10 NFL QB Rankings / Top-10 But Underdogs, Disrespected Hurricanes Rally Past VT in Blacksburg / and In a Pandemic-Battered Season For FIU, Butch Davis' Love Of Coaching Survives.
NFL WEEK 11 PICKS: DOLPHINS-DENVER, RAMS-BUCS GOTW, 3 BIG UPSETS TOP THE MARQUEE: The Week 11 picks have a tough act to follow. We were 10-4 straight-up last week and, even better, a season-best 11-3 against the spread. More, please! Highlighting the new picks: Can Tua and the Dolphins keep the win parade going in Denver with a sixth straight W? Tom Brady tries to solve the Rams' defense in our Game of the Week on Monday night. And three big upsets! Well, two of them are little upsets, but still. This is our 30th season of NFL picks in the Miami Herald, and thanks as always for joining us on the ride! For our Week 11 previews and picks for Fins-Broncos, our Game of the Week, our Upset of the Week and all the rest of the league's 14-game slate, visit NFL Week 11 Gems. Our week got off to a boffo start Thursday night in the Emerald City. Nashville. The host Seahawks were favored by three points over the Cardinals and we had it right twice, calling both the Seattle win and the point-spread cover. Our picks appear Thursday afternoons every week online, and Fridays in print, after the Thursday night pick appears separately Wednesdays online and Thursdays in print.
HURRICANES SEASON ROCKED, POSTPONED BY COVID OUTBREAK THAT INCLUDES MANNY DIAZ: The 12th-ranked 7-1 Miami Hurricanes (who somehow dropped three spots in The AP poll by winning) are supposed to be preparing right now to host ACC rival Georgia Tech Saturday night as near-three-touchdown favorites. A global pandemic got in the way. A COVID-19 virus outbreak within the UM program has caused two games to be postponed and all three remaining regular season games to be re-scheduled. Coach Manny Diaz (pictured) announced Friday morning that he, too, has tested positive -- becoming at least the ninth FBS-level head coach to do so this pandemic-ravaged season. This week alone, 17 more FBS games nationally have been postponed (8, including Miami) or canceled (9). UM's readjusted remaining schedule: December 5 at Wake Forest, December 12 vs. North Carolina and December 19 vs. Georgia Tech. The Ga-Tech game will be played only if Miami is not in the ACC Championship Game, which is also that day. To reach the conference title game, the Canes must win out and hope either No. 2 Notre Dame or No.4 Clemson loses.
State FBS games this week (in order; all Saturday unless noted):
UMass (0-2) at FAU (4-1), 8 p.m. Friday: Owls are a nutty 33-point favorite in the home nest tonight on the heel of last week's Shula Bowl win over rival FIU.
No. 4 Clemson (7-1) at Florida State (2-6), noon: Could-Get-Ugly Alert. The mighty Tigers a 35 1/2-point pick over a now-downtrodden 'Noles program.
No. 6 Florida (5-1) at Vanderbilt (0-6), noon: Gators, a 31 1/2-point road favorite, are aimed for SEC Championship Game and haven't given up on still sneaking into the four-team College Football Playoff.
FIU (0-4) at Western Kentucky (3-6), 2 p.m.: The traveling Panthers are only 7 1/2-point 'dogs. Might Butch Davis finally catch a break and a win?
No. 7 Cincinnati (7-0) at UCF (5-2), 3:30 p.m.: Upset Alert. The Cinderella Bearcats are a 6-point fave, but face a rugged road test against the strong Knights.
Off this week: None. COVID-related postponements: Georgia Tech (2-5) at No. 12 Miami (7-1) and Navy (3-4) at South Florida (1-7).
GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: MINA KIMES ON TUA, KIM NG IN NEW EPISODE 37!: Our Miami Herald podcast debuted in March and the new Episode 37 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 stroll to Augusta and Masters golf, a new Mount Gregmore (T's) and more. You all made last week's Greg Cote Show the most downloaded and listened-to in our history as it climbed as high as No. 3 among all sports podcasts in the national Apple rankings. Thank you! Appreciate you listening each week and check out the new ep!
Select other most recent columns: 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/ 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 2020 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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