GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND
It's MONDAY, JULY 11. Last-minute switch: I'll be back in-studio with Le Batard Show tomorrow/Tuesday this week, not today. 2) Join me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Dear America (an open letter to all of us), AK-47 coffee at Cowboys games, Marlins' ace-on-fire Alcantara does it again, Greg Cote Show podcast, Mount Gregmore of columns.
GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE DROPS NOW!: Our 30th episode of 2022 and 121st overall is out now! A new episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify -- wherever else you pod and of course at MiamiHerald.com. Find all 121 we've done so far HERE, free. In the new episode: It's our special Diggin’ Into Summer Edition: Chris, Stugotz and Mike Ryan (pictured) join us from Lake Tahoe to mock Greg for not being invited; ESPN’s Israel Gutierrez stops by with a review of our Fourth of July beach bash; and Greg reveals a testy email exchange with Dan Le Batard escalating Dan’s claim that Greg hasn’t been sufficiently hating on the late broadcaster Hank Goldberg. Also: 'Creature From The Black Lagoon,' a new TV recommendation, and cataracts. Hit up GCS2230 for full story on the latest ep, and watch our weekly YouTube preview. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, review, follow, subscribe et cetera and so forth. We simulcast on Sirius XM, too, Mondays from 5-6 p.m. ET. And now, brand new: Our podcast has a website and merch store: Check it out at TheGregCoteShow.com and visit the merch store by clicking 'Shop'. New items! Also check out our podcast's new YouTube channel.
MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:
Cup Of AK-47 Coffee At Cowboys Games? Nuthin' Wrong With That, Huh Jerry?
Cy Young Alert: Marlins' Ace-On-Fire Sandy Alcantara Does It Again
Nobody Wins, Everybody Loses, As NFL Weighs Deshaun Watson Punishment
The End Isn't Here, But It's Coming. Miami Sports Has Had Nobody Like Heat's Pat Riley
Title IX Empowered Women. The Supreme Court Has Done The Opposite
The Hilltop: The five columns before that: Florida Panthers Swap Coach Of Year Finalist For Guy No. 1 In Career Losses / 20 Cases Settled, But Deshaun Watson Won't Begin To Clear Name Without Remorse / Tua Will Handle Scrutiny & Pressure. Question Is If Rest of Miami Dolphins Can / 'Black Cloud' Over U.S. Open Amid Golf Civil War In Time Of Revolution In Sports / Curry's 4th NBA Title, 1st Finals MVP Opens Path To Michael/LeBron Best-Ever Talk
HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (JULY 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, from a Miami perspective, as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead. The latest HB10:
1. MARLINS: Jazz, Sandy named All-Stars as break nears: Second baseman Jazz Chisholm was named the NL starter in becoming the first-ever Bahamas-born player to earn an All-Star selection. He is just the sixth Marlin to win a fan vote, after Hanley Ramirez (three times) and Dee Gordon, Marcell Ozuna, Gary Sheffield and Giancarlo Stanton. The 23 pitchers and reserves named Sunday included (of course) ace Sandy Alcantara. Marlins are 41-43 entering a seven-game homestand before All-Star break, with wild-card playoff hopes teetering ahead of August 2 trade deadline.
2. HEAT: Durant talk cools as Miami seems ready to stand pat: The trade market for Kevin Durant does not seem as ready to give as Brooklyn would like, with Phoenix seen as the fronturnner for a deal. Heat seem to have decided to not go all-in and instead run it back with the squad that came close to reaching the NBA Finals last season. Club has re-signed Caleb Martin and Victor Oladipo among others. Heat is 1-0 in main Summer League play in Vegas after starting 1-2 in Oakland. Highlight thi=us far: A 25-point game from top rookie Nikola Jovic. Miami's youth squad is back at it Tuesday vs. Atlanta.
3. INTER MIAMI: Herons swing major trade for ex-MLS MVP Pozuelo: Inter Miami scored one of the biggest deals in its three-year history in acquiring 2020 MLS MVP Alejandro Pozuelo from Toronto in a cash trade. The Spanish attacking midfielder, 30, scored 26 goals with 31 assists in 88 starts for Toronto and "is a game-changer in this league," said Miami coach Phil Neville. xxxxx Herons are 6-4-8 and four points off playoff pace after Saturday night's 1-0 loss in Orlando City on an own-goal in extra time. Miami is back in action Wednesday when it hosts Philaldephia. Looming: The July 19 home friendly vs. Barcelona. Visa issues have not yet allowed Pozuelo's debut.
4. TENNIS: Djokovic, Rybakina reign as Wimbledon ends: Unlikeable men's final at Wimbleon today as notorious anti-vaxxer Novak Djokovic was favored and indeed beat oft-fined and temperamental hothead Nick Kyrgios. Was Djoker's seventh W title and fourth straight. On Saturday, Elena Rybakina beat Ons Jabeur in the first women's Wimbledon title match since 1962 between two players making their debuts in a major final. Rybakina is the player from Kazakhstan to win a Grand Slam singles title, though controversially. She was born in Moscow but has represented Kazakhstan since 2018, so was allowed to play despite the All England Club barring players from Russia and Belarus over the war in Ukraine.
5. BASEBALL: Miami named main host of '23 World Baseball Classic: The World Baseball Classic returns in March 2023 with its fifth iteration. The last, won by the U.S., was in 2017. Japan, Taiwan, Phoenix and Miami will host pool play, with Marlins park hosting Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Israel and a fifth country to be named. Miami also will host the semifinals as well as the March 21, 2023 championship game.
6. PANTHERS: It's a low-watt NHL Draft as Cats stress youth: Florida had seven picks but none before the third round in the NHL Draft held in Montreal. Panthers sent their 2022 No. 1 pick to Buffalo last summer for Sam Reinhart and sent two second-round picks to Calgary for Sam Bennett. (Cats also will be without their 2023 and '24 No. 1 picks via trades for Ben Chiarot and Claude Giroux, respectively). This year's overall No. 1 NHL pick was Slovakian winger Juraj Slafkovsky to Montreal. FLA's top pick in third round (93rd overall) was Portland (WHL) defenseman Marek Alscher. FLA also went D with its second pick, then targeted LW, LW, G, C and RW. The theme: Youth. All seven picks are 18.
7. GOLF: McIlroy the fave as British Open starts this Thursday: The year's final golf major tees off Thursday with the 150th Open Championship (i.e. British Open) at St. Andrews. Rory McIlroy is betting favorite followed by Jon Rahm, then Jordan Spieth, Scottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas. Tiger Woods is listed in the field but is a 40-1 longshot. Also allowed in the field despite being barred from PGA Tour events: LIV Golf defectors such as Dustin Johnson.
8. POLITICS: Griner guilty plea believed to be strategic: As the WNBA plays its All-Star Game today without her, star Brittney Griner, detained in Russia more than four months, pleaded guilty to possessing a small amount of cannabis oil and faces up to 10 years in prison. However, experts believe the plea was a necessary step toward a hoped-or eventual prisoner swap between Russia and the U.S.
9. SOCCER: U.S. qualifies for Women's World Cup (well no duh!): The retooling, more youthful but still mighty U.S. women's national team earned a spot in the 2023 World Cup in a 5-0 rout of Jamaice. The U.S. has qualified for all eight previous WWCs, winning four including the past two in a row. Next summer's competition is being co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
10. DOLPHINS: Clayton, Kooch back in chase for Canton: As Dolphins prepare for training camp with rookies reporting July 19 and veterans July 26, a pair of ex-Fins are back in the mix for Pro Football Hall of Fame selection. Hall announced 54 semifinalists in the seniors/coaches/contributors category and among older players, former WR Mark Clayton and former OG Bob Kuechenberg both made it. Next hurdle: Making the cut from 54 to 24 on July 27.
Missing the HB10 cut: Will the last college football team to leave its conference please turn out the light? ..... Four-star edge rusher Jayden Wayne from Bradenton committed to Miami, lifting Canes 2023 class into top 10 at ninth, according to 247sports.com. Chose UM over Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Michigan State and Oregon ..... The 2022 World Games, the 11th edition of an international competition for sports or events not in the Olympics, are underway through next Sunday in Birmingham, Ala. There are 108 nations involved, with 54 events across 30 sports. Big time for Birmingham, as the city's Stallions just won inaugural USFL championship game -- its victory parade delayed by the World Games ..... MLB Draft is next Sunday, with Marlins picking sixth overall. Expected first-rounders include CF Elijah Green, a Miami Hurricanes commit, and LHP Brandon Barriera from American Hertage High ..... Group play is underway in soccer's Women's European Championship being hosted by England ..... COVID is not done wth sports yet. Due to China's ongoing battle with the pandemic, PGA Tour cancelled an October tournament in Shanghei, and LPGA also canceled an upcoming event there ..... Longtime WWE boss Vince McMahon paid $12 million to four women to hush up coercive sexual relationships, says an expose' by the Wall Street Journal ..... Another ceiling shattered as Raiders made Las Vegas attorney Sandra Douglass Morgan as new team president, the first Black woman in that role in NFL history ..... Baker Mayfield is now a Carolina Panther via trade and will face Sam Darnold in an epic training camp QB battle of draft-bust flops ..... Aaron Rodgers got his first tattoo. Let us please never speak of this ever again ..... The American Century Championship, the annual celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, ends today ..... In a surprise, former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and France football legend Michel Platini both were acquitted of corruption charges by a Swiss court ..... A BetOnline.ag Twitter analysis determined which baseball fans complain the most about umpires, and St. Louis fans dubiously "won" wth an 6.89 percent complaint rate. Cleveland fans were last at 0.71%. Miami fans were in upper third at 5.26% ..... Upcoming: The 92nd MLB All-Star Game July 19 in L.A., with full rosters announced today/Sunday. The ESPYS on July 20, the sports awards show existing solely so ESPN can promote itself. British soccer powers Arsenal and Chelsea meeting July 23 in Orlando to culminate a week of Florida Cup Series matches. And Class of '22 Baseball Hall of Fame induction July 24. Also, Tour de France ends July 24 ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode out Monday at 7 a.m. ..... Update: Countdown now 1,435 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup.
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ARCHIVES
Thank you!: Was 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: 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
Select other recent columns: Heat Season Ends One Win (One Shot?) Short Of NBA Finals In Game 7 Loss / No Consolation, No Excuse: Panthers Swept From Playoffs In 2-0 Loss A Brutal End / Why'd World Cup pick Miami? Thank Dolphins Founder & Unlikely Soccer Visionary Joe Robbie / Serena Playing Wimbledon Still Matters, Maybe More Than Ever. Because It Feels Like Goodbye / Whatever Happened To Don King? Famed Boxing Promoter Back At 90 For Last Bow in Miami / Mickelson, Johnson et al Are Saudi Pawns Pocketing Blood Money / Dolphins Denied It, But Deshaun Watson Lawyer Reveals How Close Miami Was To A Deal / A Lesson In Sioux City: Sports And Real Life In Age Of Mass Shootings / ‘Centerpiece of futbol in world’: Dream is green-lit. Now can Inter Miami deliver? / Only In Miami: Ex-Marlins Prez Samson Joins Fight vs. 'Boondoggle' Soccer Stadium / Blowing Up Dolphins' Brady-Payton Plan Parting Shot Of Flores Lawsuit. For Now / 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 / 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 / Tyreek Hill Trade, Terron Armstead Signing A Win-Now Power Play By Dolphins / When Spoelstra Joined Heat's 'Inner Circle' And Became Riley's Next Coach / Why Brittney Griner Is Lost In Russia / Brady A Dolphins Part Owner? Why It Could Happen / 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 / Ranking Flores/Ross Bombshell Among Biggest Dolphins Scandals / Ross Should Be Done As Fins Owner if Flores Allegations Are True / 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 / UM And Blake James Parted Ways With Class -- Which Butch Davis Didn't Get From FIU / Dolphins Fans, Ex-Players Gather For Emotional Farewell to Don Shula, Father of the Glory Days / Fairy Tale With Wrong Ending: Remembering Jose Fernandez 5 Years Later / 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 / Nassib Coming Out As Gay NFL Player A Milestone In Sports History / Le Batard Bet On Himself And His Audience -- And Won Big / In History And In Hearts, Howard Schnellenberger Will Matter For All Time / 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 / Marlins Hit History-Making Home Run With Kim Ng Hire As GM / 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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