GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND
1) It's MONDAY, JUNE 7. Le Batard Show 24-hour marathon broadcast was noon Friday through noon Saturday. Check it out on the Le Batard And Friends YouTube channel -- including the live Greg Cote Show podcast hour from 4 a.m. to 5 a.m! 2) Check out yesterday's Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz podcasts for way too much of me. 3) Follow the Greg Cote Show podcast on Twitter and Instagram. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Pirate Ship sails with 24-hour Le Batard Show broadcast, Osaka withdrawal shakes up French Open, Greg Cote Show podcast & more. 5) Join me on Twitter and Instagram.
GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: BELLY BUTTON DOCTOR, PSYCHIC JOIN NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our 22nd episode of 2021 and 64th overall is out now! A new pod drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon, Stitcher, Megaphone, iHeart -- wherever you pod, and of course at MiamiHerald.com. You can find all 64 we've done so far HERE for free. Our new episode features an extremely tired, sleep-deprived Greg broadcasting live at 4 am. A doctor is on to examine Greg's belly button abnormality. Also, a psychic drops by, and the Fancy Lad reveals a bizarre pre-sleep ritual. Plus: Welcome to Miami, Messi! Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, rate, review and follow! (Our pod now simulcasts on Sirius XM, too, every Monday 5-6 p.m. ET on Channel 145).
Behind the scenes inside Le Batard Show's 24-Hour marathon. New column: Pythons, Peppers, Pirate Flag Raised. Inside Le Batard's 24-Hour Triumph. Other most recent columns: The Pirate Ship Sails! Details, Guests For Le Batard Show's 24-Hour Relaunch and The Curious, Complicated Drama Of Naomi Osaka's French Open Withdrawal.
HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (JUNE 6-7): 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. INTER MIAMI: Messi to Miami in two years? Yes, please!: The Catalan-based Spanish daily SPORT reported a proposed new Barcelona contract for Lionel Messi that includes a swan-song in MLS with Inter Miami. The 10-year, $293 million deal would have the Argentine great playing the next two seasons for Barcelona, then two for David Beckham here, then six in an off-field role with Barca. If true, Messi would play for Miami in 2023-24 at ages 36-37. We'll take it! But, the way things are going for Inter Miami (off until June 19), we'll believe it when we see it.
2. BOXING (SORT OF): Paul goes distance vs. Mayweather at Hard Rock: Floyd Mayweather and YouTuber Logan Paul staged a boxing match, sort of, last night at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium. There were eight three-minute rounds, 10-ounce gloves, no judges, no headgear and no official winner declared, but Paul went the distance in the exhibition to determine which of two intensely dislikable men would be the least dislikable.
3. HEAT/NBA: Riley backs core; Clips top Mavs Game 7: Heat president Pat Riley in his season-ending presser reiterated his faith in Miami's Butler-Adebayo-Herro core despite being swept out of first round by Milwaukee. Meanwhile the NBA playoffs still going on got its first Game 7 Sunday as Kawhi Leonard's Cliippers topped Luka Doncic's Mavericks to complete the conference semifinal matchups. Dear Pat: When the Clips are out, get to work on Kawhi Leonard. Jimmy, Bam and Tyler are fine. But you need a whale.
4. TENNIS: With French Open path cleared, Serena loses in straight sets: At the French Open's midpoint the path seemed cleared for Serena Williams to perhaps bag her long-elusive, record-tying 24th major win, with Naomi Osaka's controversial withdrawal and Ash Barty's early exit. But Serena fell 6-3, 7-5 Sunday to Elena Rybakina. On the men's side Rafael Nadal is the favorite for the 64th straight year, more so with Roger Federer's Sunday injury withdrawal.
5. MARLINS: Finally! 8-game losing streak ends: Miami is 25-33 and out of the NL East cellar after Sunday's 3-1 win in Pittsburgh behind Sandy Alcantara's strong start ended an eight-game losing streak, the club's longest in six years. Miami had been 0-7 on this road trip (emphasis on trip) before Sunday. Fish are at Boston today before heading home.
6. DOLPHINS: Fins wrap OTAs, Marino's bold statement: fMiami ends OTA workdays with practices Monday, Tuesday and Thursdays prior to the mandatory minicamp June 15-17. Meanwhile Dan Marino said he doesn't want Bill Belichick to break Don Shula's career wins record. Hmm. If you hear something and your reaction is, "Well no DUH!" ... is it really news?
7. DAN LE BATARD: Show pulls off 24-hour Miami marathon: The Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz aired 24 consecutive hours Friday and Saturday in a stunt to mark its new era with Meadowlark Media and DraftKings. I was a small part of it. Why aren't I asleep right now?
8. SOCCER: U.S. tops Mexico in renewal of rivalry: Bitter rivals United States and Mexico renewed their men's soccer feud Sunday night in the CONCACAF Nations League championship match in Denver. El Tri had been 3-0-1 vs. the U.S. since the Americans last prevailed in a competitive match in a World Cup qualifier in September 2013 -- but that changed with Sunday night's 3-2 U.S. win. Match was paused due to Mexican fan's boorish anti-gay chants.
9. CANES BASEBALL: UM disappoints (again) in NCAA Regional: Miami's season is done at 33-21. After bombing in the ACC Tournament with two straight losses the Canes went 1-2 and were eliminated Sunday from the NCAA Regional in Gainesville in a 7-2 loss to South Alabama. Canes were vying for an unlikely spot in the June 18-30 College World Series.
10. HORSE RACING: Essential Quality wins Belmont Stakes: Betting favorite Essential Quality comfortably won Saturday's Belmont Stakes, the third of the season's Triple Crown races. The horse may also be awarded the Kentucky Derby crown if Bob Baffert-trained Medina Spirit is disqualified. The disgraced Baffert is banned two years from Churchill Downs for cheating.
Missing the HB10 cut: Falcons trade WR Julio Jones to Titans for second- and fourth-round picks ..... Duke's Coach K, Mike Krzyzewski, is retiring after next basketball season. Sorry your retirement got overshadowed, Celtics prez Danny Ainge ..... Coral Springs' Lexi Thompson leads entering Sunday's final round in search of her first Women's U.S. Open championship in golf ..... Three men who helped the Hurricanes win their fifth national football championship -- QB Ken Dorsey, tackle Bryant McKinnie and and coach Larry Coker -- are among 85 FBS-level players and coaches on the 2022 College Hall of Fame ballot ..... Florida GM Bill Zito in his postseason media Zoom called the season a success and saw positives moving forward despite his team's first-round ouster by Tampa Bay. Lightning, up 3-1 on Carolina, is closest to advancing in Stanley Cup playoff's second round ..... The spring football USFL is re-launching in 2022, 37 years after folding. The new USFL will play with at least eight unnamed teams. Another spring league, the XFL, has been targeting a 2022 restart. Counting on both folding within two years ..... Good for MLB with its inaugural Lou Gehrig Day in the fight against ALS disease ..... In a blow to transgender rights, after months of contentious debate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill banning transgender females from participating in women’s and girls’ scholastic sports ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is out with a new episode dropping Monday at 7 a.m. ET ..... Update: Countdown now 1,849 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup.
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ARCHIVES:
Our Heat/Panthers playoff columns: Miami Heat, With No Answers, Put Out of Misery In Game 4 Loss To Milwaukee / Heat Fans Showed Up For Game 3. Their Team Did Not / Another Early Panthers Playoff Exit Ends An Encouraging Season Too Soon / Time For Heat Fans To Help Lift Their Team Back Into This Series / Heat Fall, Panthers Need Miracle On Ice As Both Lose On Big Day for Miami Sports / Panthers, Hopes Of Fans In Peril After Game 2 Loss, 2-0 Series Hole / Chasing Respect, Florida Panthers' 5-4 Home Loss A Crushing Start to Playoffs / This Looks Like Best Florida Panthers Team Ever. But The Proving Starts Now.
Other most recent columns: Hall of Fame Snubbed Chris Bosh Last year. Time To Make it Right / Aging Ex-Dolphins Reflect On Own Mortality One Year After Shula's Death / Aaron Rodgers' Packers Drama Involves Miami (Of Course). But Here's Why It Won't Happen / Grade-A Draft Feeds Momentum For Team-On-the-Rise Dolphins / Iffy Trades That Cost Them Pitts Mean Dolphins Better Hit Big With Waddle / Le Batard Bet On Himself And His Audience -- And Won Big / Justice For George Floyd Helps Heal Our Shaken Faith, But Fight For Equality Goes On / What Would Jackie Robinson Think About Race In America Today? / The Case For Dolphins Trading Up, Going All-In For Kyle Pitts / and It Won't Fix the World, But Matsuyama's Masters Win Lifts Japan In Time Of Anti-Asian Hate.
Select other recent columns: Talk Of U.S. Olympic Boycott A Reminder Sports, Politics Are Entwined -- And That's Good / How And Why the Miami Heat Landing Kawhi Leonard This Summer Could Happen / The Miami Dolphins' Six Can't-Lose Options For a Great No. 6 Pick in NFL Draft / Even After Playoffs In '20, Marlins Still 'Bottom Feeders' Fighting For Respect / Special Opening Day as Marlins Welcome Back Fans, Feeling Of Hope / In History And In Hearts, Howard Schnellenberger Will Matter For All Time / Beckham Keeps Name-Dropping Messi, Ronaldo For Inter Miami. Can He Deliver? / Women Keep Accusing Deshaun Watson of Sexual Misconduct. But Will It Matter to NFL Teams? / No-Splash Free Agency Indicates Dolphins Going All In On Upcoming Draft -- And Tua / Phil Reflects on 25-Year Rivalry/Friendship With Tiger As Honda Classic Tees Off / Reality, Loss, Comeback: How Sports Has Been Guiding Light In America's Awful Past Year / Heat Should Parts Ways With Meyers Leonard Over Anti-Semitic Slur / Beckham's Resolve Tested By Tumult As Inter Miami Nears 2nd MLS Season / Time-Travelling To 1960s And Childhood, When The Baseball Card Was King / Quit Lecturing LeBron On Activism And His Own Conscience / Michael Jordan, Pitbull Signal Needed New Era as NASCAR Returns to Homestead / Doesn't Matter If Tiger Woods Never Wins Again. We Are Lucky He's Alive / Loss at Aussie Open Leaves Serena's Legacy Firm Yet Still Unfinished / Marlins Stick With Youth As Rest Of NL East Spends Big / Inter Miami's Beckham Risks Stepping Into Massive, Avoidable Mess / Put Brady In Sports' All-Time Pantheon. But He Has Company / Final Herald NFL 2020 QB Rankings / 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 / Don Shula, 1930-2020, R.I.P. / What Shula Meant to a Father & Son. The Boy Was Me.
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 only) and The Ballad Of 1440 (with video).
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