GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND
1) It's MONDAY, APRIL 11. Visit BIG GAME: THE MUSICAL for Le Batard Show's album -- which includes a song by me and reached No.1 on iTunes chart! 2) Join me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Follow the Greg Cote Show podcast separately on Twitter, Instagram and now TikTok, too! 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Inter Miami a rare failure for Beckham but there's a fix, Marlins Opening Day finds no excuses lieft, Tiger's miracle Masters, Greg Cote Show podcast.
GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE OUT NOW! Our 17th episode of 2022 and 108th overall is out now! 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. Find all 108 we've done HERE, free. In the new episode: It's Welcome Back, Baseball as welome in ESPN MLB expert Tim Kurkjiam and Hal Richman, legendary inventor of the Strat-O-Matic baseball board game. Kurkjian tells us team that will surprise, talks Marlins, and opines in changes in the game. Richman describes how he thought of Strat-O-Matic as an 11-year-old and launched a brand important in millions of lives -- including my own. Hit up GCS2217 for full story on the new ep, and watch our weekly YouTube preview. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, review and follow. Our pod also simulcasts on Sirius XM every Mondays 5-6 p.m. ET).
Personal note and thanks: I'm honored to have again been named by Associated Press Sports Editors as national Top 10 columnist for 2021 in '22 judging. The four nominated columns that won us APSE distinction: Inter Miami’s David Beckham and Qatar a budding, avoidable controversy / Hall of Famer Jimmy Johnson knows biggest victory happened in own family / Scorned, but does he deserve empathy? Behind who Aubrey Huff became and Dolphins sabotaging Tua with interest in Watson
MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:
NEW! Inter Miami Has Been Major Failure For David Beckham. Here's The BIg Fix NEW!
Rotation Set, Lineup Improved, Excuses Gone. Time For Marlins To Win
Could Have Died. Nearly Lost a Leg. Tiger Playing Masters Means He's Already Won
The Lawsuit, 2 Months Later: Why Flores Has Already Won, And Dolphins Are Still Nervous
NCAA Final Four: Why (Was) America Rooting Against The Perfect Ending?
Hilltop: The most recent five after that: Marlins Owner Sherman Said He'd Spend. Payroll Says It Hasn't Been Enough / Crushing End Short Of Final Four, But Miami Hurricanes' NCAA Run Was Exhilarating Milestone / Peacocks? Coach K? Hurricanes, The 'Football School' In Elite Eight, Deserve Love Too / Tyreek Hill Trade, Terron Armstead Signing A Win-Now Power Play By Dolphins / Hurricanes Storming Sweet 16 Shades of George Mason '06 for Larranaga
HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (APRIL 10-11): 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, but from a Miami perspective, as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead. The latest HB10:
1. HEAT: Miami holds No. 1 seed as season ends, awaits playoff foe: Heat ended 53-29 and with No. 1 seed in East with Sunday's meaningless loss in Orlando in which starters sat and Victor Oladipo scored 40. Play-in games are Tuesday though Friday with the full NBA playoffs commencing next Saturday, and Miami now likeliest to draw Cleveland or Kevin Durant and Brooklyn in first round. Miami has two dogs in the awards hunt: Bam Adebayo (Defensive POY) and Tyler Herro (Sixth Man).
2. MARLINS: Fish dip to 1-2 as Opening Week on road continues: Marlins are 1-2 in newborn season after Sunday's 3-2 loss in San Fran. Fish now play two games at L.A. Angels before returning for Thursday night's home opener vs. NL East rival Philaldelphia to start a seven-game homestand.
3. GOLF: All eyes on Tiger but it's Scheffel in Masters green jacket: Tiger Woods playing his first competitive event since his awful car wreck 14 months ago assured extraordinary interest in the 86th Masters. Alas, he finished 13 over par and 23 off the lead, but still found encouragment and committed to play the U.S. Open. Scottie Scheffler won by 3 shots over Rory McIlroy.
4. PANTHERS: Huberdeau sets club record, sizzlin' Cats win 7th straight: Florida is 51-15-6 with seven straight wins and an eight-point lead in NHL Atlantic after Saturday's 4-1 banger in Nashville. It's Florida's longest W run since opening the season 8-0. And Jonathan Huberdeau became first player in franchise history to have a 100-point season and is in the running for both the Ross trophy (points leader) and the Hart (MVP). Aleksander Barkov is a finalist for the Selke (defensive forward) and Andrew Brunette for the Adams (coach). Cats are back on ice Tuesday vs. Anaheim with 10 games left in regular season.
5. INTER MIAMI: Herons finally win on big weekend for Beckhams: As rumors of Lionel Messi eventually coming here renew yet again, Inter Miami finally won its first matchof 2022 Saturday, a 3-2 home win over New E gland powered by Leonardo Campana's franchise-first hat trick. Miami had begun MLS Year 3 winless in five games with one draw. On the same day up in Palm Beach, David Beckham's eldest son Brooklyn got married. Meanwhile Miami City Commisison vote on new stadium is set April 28.
6. DOLPHINS: Flores lawsuit against NFL, Fins gaining steam?: Brian Flores' legal team revealed he wrote a letter to club officials in December 2019 putting in writing his allegations that owner stpehen Ross offered him bonus money to lose. And two more former NFL coaches, Steve Wilks and Ray Horton, joined Flores' class-action suit. Meantime former Tennessee coach Mike Mularkey said Titans ownership "told me I was going to be head coach" in 2016 before going through Rooney Rule interviews. On the field, Dolphins offseason workoust build toward a voluntary minicamp Aril 29-20.
7. NFL: League rocked by Haskins death, AGs' warning: Steelers quarterback and former Ohio State star Dwayne Haskins, 24, died Saturday when struck by a dump truck while walking alongside Interstste 595 in South Florida, where he'd been training with teammates. The NFL also reels as attorneys general from six states wrote a letter to Commissioner Roger Goodell warning that the league will face a major investigation if alleged workplace harassment of women and minorities is not addressed and corrected.
8. HURRICANES: Spring football wraps, baseball rising fast: Big spring for Canes sports on heel of Miami men reaching NCAA Elite Eight for first time. Mario Cristobal's first spring practice as head coach wraps up next Saturday with the annual Spring Game at Inter Miami's stadium in Fort Lauderdale. And Canes baseball has risen from No. 8 to No. 2 in the polls and is 26-6 with 13 straight wins after a weekend home sweep of Virginia.
9. SOCCER: U.S. men's soccer sets pre-World Cup schedule: The USMNT, World Cup-qualified and drawn into Group B led by England, has scheduled six matches in the buildup to the November/December event in Qatar. The American men will play friendlies on June 1 and 5; compete in CONCACAF Nations Lesagues matches June 10 vs. Grenada and June 4 vs. El Salvador; and play two more friendlies between September 19-27. All locations are TBD, as are the opponents for the friendlies.
10. COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Champion Kansas, coach Self facing cloud of allegations: Men's NCAA Tournament champion Kansas and coach Bill Self face allegations in an NCAA investigation into corruption in college basketball nearing its conclusion. Kansas is among a list of schools that were part of a 2017 FBI case alleging bribes were paid to lure top recruits to elite programs, and payments were made to coaches to steer young players toward financial and business advisers.
Missing the HB10 cut: Clemson's Dabo Swinney misses College Football Playoff for first time in seven years, calls for "complete blowup" of the sport. Hahahahahahahaha! ..... Real Madrid, Villarreal, Manchester City and Liverpool take the advantage into UEFA Champions League 2nd leg quarterfinal matches this Tuesday and Wednesday. The one surprise: Can upstart VIllarreal reach the semifinals past powehouse Bayern Munich? ..... Despite qualifying, runners from Russia and Belarus will be banned from competing in the 126th Boston Marathon on April 18 over the invasion of Ukraine. The ruling eliminates 63 runners from an expected field of some 30,000 ..... A new wealth list named embattled Dolphins' owner Stephen Ross the NFL's fifth-richest NFL owner at $8.2 bilion. He trails only the Panthers' David Tepper, Rams' Stan Kroenke, Cowboys' Jerry Jones and Pats' Robert Kraft ..... NBA playoffs with no LeBron. Is that even legal? ..... WNBA Draft is Monday. No Hurricanes expected to go in any of the three rounds ..... Terrell Owens, 48, is returning to pro football (sort of) in the Fan Controlled Football league, a 7-on-7 startup that allows fans to make key decisions and play calls, kicks off April 16 and figures to be permanently defunct by summer ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode out Monday at 7 a.m. ..... Update: Countdown now 1,541 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup.
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ARCHIVES
Other recent columns: Dolphins' Moves Help Tua, But Isn't About Surrounding Cast. It's On him / Why Do We Love March Madness This Much? First, Look In The Mirror / Brady's Comeback Not About Another Ring. It's About Holding Onto Who He Is / When Spoelstra Joined Heat's 'Inner Circle' And Became Riley's Next Coach / Why Brittney Griner Is Lost In Russia / The Resurgence Of Miami Hurricanes Basketball as March Madness Nears / Chris Cote To Save Sport Of Jai-Alai / Brady A Dolphins Part Owner? Why It Could Happen / Why Derek Jeter-Marlins Marriage Fell Apart / Players Are On Right Side In Labor Dispute, But MLB Has Far Bigger Problem To Fix / Mickelson's Support Of Saudi Tour Mirrors Sports' Blind Eye to Human Rights / Top 15 Figures (Non-Athletes) In Miami Sports History / Hall of Fame Keeps Saying No, But Zach Thomas Keeps Feeling Gratitude / McDaniel Overcame Much In Own Life, Now Must Overcome Dolphins' Turmoil And Win / An Inside Preview Of Le Batard Show's Upcoming Musical. Yes, Musical / The Lesson For Dolphins in Rams-Bengals Super Bowl Result / Ranking Flores/Ross Bombshell Among Biggest Dolphins Scandals / Ross Should Be Done As Fins Owner if Flores Allegations Are True / The G.O.A.T. We Never Saw Coming: From 199th Drafted To History, A Salute To Tom Brady / Like Him Or Don't, Antonio Brown Not Always To Blame -- And Wasn't In Bucs Divorce / Ortiz Makes Hall, But Final Denial Of Bonds, Clemens A Shame on Voters, Baseball / Mahomes-Allen Air Show A Reminder How Much Better Dolphins And Tua Need To Be / Time Is Right (But Running Out) For MLB to Reinstate Pete Rose /'There Was A Pall On Us': The Panthers Season That Would Not Be Derailed / No-Vaccine Is Your Right. But There Are Consequences as Djokovic Was Reminded / State Of Miami Sports: Every Major Team, Graded Top To Bottom / Dolphins Firing of Flores The Unjustified Travesty Of A Clown-Show Owner / Canes Land Grand Prize In Cristobal, So No Excuses Left. New Glory Days A Must / 50 Years At the Herald For Me -- And a Lifetime Of Gratitude
Select other columns: Why Saban 'What-If' Still Haunts Miami 15 Years later / Revealing My 2022 Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot / UM Legend Frank Gore Talks NFL Future, Cristobal, Boxing As He Prepes For Ring Debut / Tua Keeps Showing Dolphins How Silly They Were To Doubt Him So Soon / UM And Blake James Parted Ways With Class -- Which Butch Davis Didn't Get From FIU / Quenneville Rightly Sacked as Panthers Coach Over 2010 Chicago Scandal / State of the Art: Heat, Miami's Best-Run Franchise, Sails In Opener / 'Time to Hunt': Cats' Hyped Season Off to Wild, Winning Start / Dolphins Fans, Ex-Players Gather For Emotional Farewell to Don Shula, Father of the Glory Days / If Sports Had A Spine, Kyrie Irving & Other Anti-Vaxxers Wouldn't Be Playing / Kyle Lowry Must Channel 'Doctor Of Greatness' If Heat Is To Chase NBA Title / Fairy Tale With Wrong Ending: Remembering Jose Fernandez 5 Years Later / Miami Herald's 2021 NFL Team Rankings: You Won't Believe Where Dolphins are / Why Dolphins, Canes Should Be Taking Lead In Requiring Fans To Be COVID-Vaccinated / An Appreciation of Udonis Haslem As He Re-Ups For 19th Heat Season / College Football and FSU Lose a Treasure In Passing Of Bobby Bowden / Biles' Withdrawal For Mental-Health Reasons Merits Empathy, Not Scorn / Where Dolphins Rank Among Teams With Longest Championship Droughts / Hot Seat Scale: Ranking Miami's Biggest Coaches By Most to Least Job Security / May Sha'Carri Richardson Be Last Victim Of Olympics' Archaic Marijuana Rules / 'I'm D'Eriq King For College Hunks Hauling Junk!' It's Strange New World in College Sports / Nassib Coming Out As Gay NFL Player A Milestone In Sports History / Fate Snatched Basketball From Chris Bosh. His new Book Is Part of His Journey Of Healing / Where's Tua? Ranking Our Top 15 South Florida Pro Athletes 25 And Younger / Pythons, Peppers, Pirate Flag Raised. Inside Le Batard's 24-Hour Triumph / 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 / In History And In Hearts, Howard Schnellenberger Will Matter For All Time / Women Keep Accusing Deshaun Watson of Sexual Misconduct. But Will It Matter to NFL? / Reality, Loss, Comeback: How Sports Has Been Guiding Light In America's Awful Past Year / Time-Travelling To 1960s And Childhood, When The Baseball Card Was King / Doesn't Matter If Tiger Woods Never Wins Again. We Are Lucky He's Alive / 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 2021 writing awards again ranked the blog's author a Top 10 national sports columnist in '22 voting 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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