GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND
1) It's MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15. Happy Valentine's Day! You better have remembered, husbands and boyfriends. 2) The Greg Cote Show podcast is separately on Twitter and Instagram. Join us on both! 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Playing national anthem at games takes new turn, Inter Miami's Beckham risk mess with Qatar, Tom Brady's place in sports' pantheon, Greg Cote Show podcast & more. 4) Join me on Twitter and Instagram.
GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE DROPS MONDAY!: Our Miami Herald podcast debuted last March and our new Episode 7 of 2021 (49th overall) is out Monday! A new pod drops every Monday morning on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, Megaphone -- wherever you pod, and of course at MiamiHerald.com. You can find all 48 we've done so far RIGHT HERE for free. In the latest Ep6 of '21, Greg and Chris discuss the Super Bowl rout by Brady's Bucs, and Greg blasts the football Hall of Fame for again denying Zach Thomas. And Stugotz is on with us to talk Super Bowl, the future of the Le Batard Show, and the recent death of his mom. Also, a new Mount Gregmore centered on the University of Miami. Hear all of that and more in our latest podcast. Thanks as always for the support. Please listen, subscribe, rate and review!
National anthem, Beckham/Qatar, Tom Brady. Our most recent columns:
Oh Say Can You See No Anthem At Games? We Weigh In
Inter Miami's Beckham Risks Stepping Into Massive, Avoidable Mess
HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (FEBRUARY 14-15): 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: Miami's win streak ends in Utah: Heat are 11-15 after Saturday night's 112-94 loss in Utah ended a season-best four-game win streak. Miami, one game off playoff pace, is two games into a seven-game western road trip. One other thing: Max Strus!?
2. PANTHERS: Rival Lightning clobbers Cats: Florida 8-2-2 after Saturday night's back-to-Earth 6-1 loss to rival and nemesis Tampa Bay on home ice. Cats had beaten Lightning 5-2 the game before. Rubber game is Monday upstate. Meanwhile a COVID outbreak on five teams (Florida not among them) postponed 11 games in past week as NHL tightened protocols.
3. MARLINS: Spring training unfurls this week: Miami pitchers and catchers report to spring training in Jupiter this week with the full squad soon following and the first spring game set for February 28. Marlins made big splash by hiring Kim Ng as sport's first female GM but have had a quiet offseason as far as major deals. Fish are relying on a second-ranked farm system (per ESPN) with six Top 100 prospects.
4. TENNIS: Serena advances as Aussie Open reaches midpoint: Tenth-seed Serena Williams beat No. 7 Aryna Sabalenka in three sets Saturday night to reach the quarterfinals at the midpoint of the Australian Open, the year's first tennis major. Serena is after her elusive record-tying 24th career major. Meanwhile defending champion Sofia Kenin was out in the second round, Rafael Nadal laughed off a female heckler, and COVID lockdown restriction have caused some late-night matches to be suspended to the dismay of fans.
5. NASCAR: Flag drops today as Daytona 500 kicks off new season: NASCAR revs and vrooms and begins its 2021 season today at Daytona with the circuit's first and biggest race. Denny Hamlin is a small favorite over Chase Elliott to take the checkered flag.
6. NFL: Swagger 'n stagger as Brady celebrates boat parade: Tampa celebrated the Bucs' Super Bowl win over Kansas City with a boat parade, and the only thing outnumbering fans watching were (evidently) tequila shots flowing down Tom Brady's neck. The ageless QB of the seven Super Bowl rings had to be helped off the boat by an aide as he staggered and swayed onto dry land. BetOnline.ag used geotagged Twitter data to determine whom each state considers the all-time G.O.A.T., and four athletes won multiple states. Brady won 20 states (including Florida), Michael Jordan and Le Bron James won 11 states each, and four went for Serena Williams.
7. KOBE BRYANT: Probe calls tragedy 'entirely preventable': Federal investigators concluded the helicopter crash one year ago that killed basketball legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and seven others was "entirely preventable." The National Transportation Safety Board said charter pilot Ara Zobayan pushed the limits of bad weather flying rules, climbed into clouds and became disoriented in making a left turn into a cloud-obscured hillside.
8. INTER MIAMI: Beckham risk Qatar mess as MLS season nears: As MLS season nears (training camps open February 22), Inter Miami president David Beckham risk a public relations mess for his club with news out of London that he has agreed to be a goodwill ambassador for Qatar in the buildup to the 2022 World Cup behind held there. The problem: Qatar's notorious record on human rights, including it being a punishable crime to be gay there.
9. NFL: An early mess for new Jags coach Urban Meyer: Jacksonville Jaguars' new director of sports performance Chris Doyle, the former University of Iowa strength coach accused of racist remarks and bullying players, resigned hours after the Jags were criticized for the hire by the Fritz Pollard Alliance. It was a blunder by first-year Jaguars coach Urban Meyer, who released a statement saying he failed to properly consider the impact of hiring Doyle.
10. UM BASKETBALL: Canes try to end strong as regular season wanes: UM men are 7-11 and an ugly 3-10 in ACC entering Sunday's game at Notre Dame, while Canes women are 8-8 (5-8) going into today's game at Florida State. With a handful of games left in regular season and then the ACC Tournament, both teams will need a big finish for any shot at postseason invites.
Missing the HB10 cut: Happy Valentine's Day! And if you needed that to remind you, chances are you're in trouble ..... The Dolphins are second favorites to win the AFC East in 2021 at 5-2 odds, per sportsbetting.com. Bills are on top at 2-3. Patriots are 6-1 and Jets 15-1 ..... Coach Manny Diaz announced that Hurricanes spring football would begin March 13, with 15 practices over one month. QB D'Eriq King will miss spring work as he rehabs from a knee injury suffered in the bowl game. UM returns 19 of 22 starters from a team that finished 8-3 and ranked 22nd ..... The Texans obliged J.J. Watt's wishes and released him. The market for the aging edge rusher has been buoyant ..... The Chiefs did not renew Britt Reid's contract following his alcohol-related accident that left a child fighting for her life. Imagine losing the Super Bowl not being the worst thing to happen to Andy Reid that week? ..... UEFA Champions League play resumes Tuesday with round-of-16 first leg matches featuring Barcelona vs. Paris Saint-Germain, the latter without injured Neymar .....Tokyo 2020 organizing committee president Yoshiro Mori, 83, will resign after making demeaning and sexist comments about women during a public meeting ..... Major trade week in the WNBA included 2019 Defensive Player of the Year Natasha Howard heading to the New York Liberty and Dallas landing the No. 1 overall draft pick ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast's new 49th episode (No. 7 of 2021) is out Monday! ..... Update: Countdown now 1,961 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup.
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ARCHIVES:
Super Bowl With a Smirk series: Smirk V starring Dolphins up for NFL Honors including Zach Thomas for Hall of Fame; Smirk IV starring Top 10 Super Bowl scandals/controversies; Smirk III starring sad, gradual death of the mystique of the Super Bowl commercial; Smirk II starring Brady-Mahomes as bitter Joe Exotic/Carole Baskin/Tiger King rivals; and Smirk I starring a virtual Super Bowl Week not remotely like usual.
Select other most recent columns: Why Schilling Is To Blame For Falling Short Of Hall / Why A Brady-Mahomes Super Bowl Is Torture For Dolphins Fans / Chad Henne: Ex-Dolphin An Overnight Sensation, 13 Years Later / Final Herald NFL 2020 QB Rankings / Saban the New G.O.A.T. as Alabama Reigns in Miami / Dolphins' Re-Commitment to Tua is Smart, And Well-Timed / Promising Season For Dolphins, Tua Ends In Crushing Collapse/ It Was the Overshadowed Bowl, but A&M and UNC Deliver An Exciting OB / 'A' For Effort, But King Hurt As Hurricanes' Bowl-Woes Continue / The King Is Dead! Dolphins Win Signals End of Era For Belichick, Pats / Heat Are Getting No Respect, But Didn't Earn Much In Opener / Le Batard Leaving ESPN, But Assures Fans They'll Hear From Him Again Soon / Marlins Hit History-Making Home Run With Kim NG Hire As GM / In a Pandemic-Battered Season For FIU, Butch Davis' Love Of Coaching Survives / 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 / Turner, With COVID, Joining Dodgers Celebration A Sadly Fitting End to Season / and Heat, Marlins, Canes -- now Tua. Miserable 2020 Suddenly Great Time To Be Miami Fan.
Heat NBA Finals last column: LeBron Reigns, But Credit Heat For Unexpected Run to Finals. Marlins postseason run last column: Marlins Season Was A Miracle But Way It Ended Is Lesson On Work Still Ahead.
Select other 2020 columns: 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 / 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. 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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