GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND
1) It's MONDAY, AUGUST 8. Join me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Canes football needs Cristobal to be the homecoming king, Goodell keeping power why Watson may yet get harsher ban, Ross and Dolphins socked for tampering, R.I.P. Vin Scully, Greg Cote Show podcast, updated Mount Gregmore of columns.
GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE OUT NOW WITH PLAN TO RENAME MOUNT RUSHMORE: Our 34th episode of 2022 and 125th 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 125 we've done so far HERE, free.
In our new episode: We introduce and discuss our new petition drive at change.org to change the name of Mount Rushmore to Mount Gregmore. Also: Bill Maher of HBO’s “Real Time” asking, “Have you ever seen a fat 90-year-old?”; Yeti explains how a music studio in Slovakia had a hand in producing “Pebble Drive,” his new song that debuted on our show last week; Chris takes us into the room as Season 2 of Battle Court Jai-Alai gets underway with a player draft; Golfing alone leads Greg to reveal a heretofore unknown insecurity; Greg considers filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Postal Service; Greg holds Chris solely to blame for the two of them not winning last week’s billion-dollar lottery; Gender reveal stunt gone awry; and Chris and friend Alex have a surprise night out planned with their fathers. (But does Chris let slip what the surprise is?). Hit up GCS2234 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:
NEW! Why Has Brady Skated On Tampering Role & Does He Still Have Future In Miami? NEW!
NEW! Miami Raised Mario Cristobal. Payback? Come Home & Make Canes Football Matter Again New!
Goodell Kept The Power, After All. It's Why Watson Still Faces Much Harsher Ban
Ross NFL Cheating Scandal A New Low For Owner Who Embarrasses Dolphins
11 NBA Titles Not Where Bill Russell's Legacy Starts. Tribute To An Epic Life
The Hilltop: The five columns before that: Deshaun Watson's 6-game NFL Suspension A Slap-On-The-Wrist Affront / Ranking South Florida's Top 20 Biggest Sports Stars (2022 Edition) / If Miami Marlins Trading For Juan Soto Sounds Laughable -- That's The Problem / Dolphins' Tua: The Disrespected Underdog QB About To Prove Everybody Wrong / How Matthew Tkachuk Brings Needed Swagger, Bravado To Panthers
HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (AUGUST 7-8): 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. DOLPHINS: Owner Ross guilty of tampering, Fins lose first-round pick: The NFL found the Dolphins and owner Stephen Ross guilty of tampering in 2019 to '21 in trying to lure quarterback Tom Brady and coach Sean Payton when both were under contract to other teams. The Fins must forfeit a 2023 first-round draft pick and a '24 third-rounder. In additon Ross was fined $1.5 million and vice chairman Bruce Beal was fined $500,000. Addressing the Brian Flores lawsuit, the league found that Ross expressed a priority for high draft position over winning but did not directly bribe Flores to lose. Miami will stage joint practces with the Buccaneers ahead of the first of three preseason games this coming Saturday in Tampa.
2. NFL: Goodell, league appealing Watson's wrist-slap 6-game suspension: The NFL said it will appeal the six-game suspension for Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson in favor of a harsher penalty for violating the league's personal conduct policy related to sexual misconduct in massage sessions. The Monday sentence by league disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson has been roundly criticized as too lenient. Commissioner Roger Goodell will determine who will hear the appeal, himself or a designee. The league wanted an indefinite suspension of at least one full season, a fine and treatment.
3. HURRICANES: UM opens fall camp, season less than month away: The Canes began their first fall camp under new coach Mario Cristobal with a first practice Friday. A CanesFest fan event inside the indoor practice facility followed Saturday's practice. Preseason Top 25s are not out yet, but ESPN's first Football Power Index for 2022 has Miami No. 9 overall and second in the ACC to Clemson with a plus-14.5 rating. Miami opens its season at home September 3 with a softie vs. Bethune-Cookman.
4. INTER MIAMI: Herons now on pace for final MLS playoff spot: Inter Miami is 8-6-10 after Satutday's 2-2 draw at Monttreal and its 30 standings are now tied for the seventh and last MLS East playoff spot. The league takes its all-star break this Wednesday night with the MLS stars -- including defender DeAndre Yedlin as Miami's lone rep -- taking on Mexico's Liga MX stars. The Herons return to league play with 10 games left in the regular season starting next Saturday at home vs. New York City.
5. MLB: Soto to Padres the whale-deal at the trade deadline: The San Diego Padres acquired 23-year-old megastar slugger Juan Soto from Washington for a bevy of top prospects in the biggest trade by far at the MLB trade deadline. Next biggest deal was the one not made, with Shohei Ohtani staying with the Angels, at least for now. Soto joins Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado in the S.D. lineup as Friars make a run at the Dodgers' dominance in the NL West.
6. MARLINS: Sandy or bust. Let's quit pretending Fish are still in wild-card race: The good news: Ace Sandy Alcantara is now 10-4 after complete-game shutout of the Reds. The bad news? Most everything else. That gem ended a 1-5 homestand that left Miami so far back in the wild-card hunt it's time to stop using "Marlins" and "playoffs" in the same sentence. Miami has sliumped to 49-59 in the midst of a six-game road swing. Marlins' only trade-deadline move was a small one, dealing relievers Anthony Bass (team' holds leader) and Zach Pop to Toronto for infielder Jordan Groshans, a top-five Blue Jays minor-league prospect.
7. WNBA: Griner sentenced in Russia, but prisoner swap hoped for: A Russian court sentenced WNBA star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison for bringing cannabis into the country. She'd been arrested February 17. Her guilty plea, verdict and sentence were considered necessary precursors to allow U.S.-Russia negotiations for a prisoner exchange to begin.
8. GOLF: PGA Tour defectors fire latest salvo in the Golf War: Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau and nine other LIV Golf competitors (a.k.a. PGA Tour expatriates) filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour in federal court, claimng their suspensions are part of a “carefully orchestrated plan" to defeat the Saudi-backed breakaway tour. Meanwhile the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoffs, from which LIV guys are excluded, begin August 19.
9. DEATHS: R.I.P., Vin Scully, broadcasting legend, diamond poet: Hall of Fame baseball broadcaster Vin Scully, the Dodgers icon and diamond poet to generations, passed away at 96. It was the sports world's second farewell to an epic life within days, after NBA legend Bill Russell passed on at 88.
10. HEAT: Shh. Quiet, please. We don't want to wake the Heat's offseason: The exciting speculation about Miami's interest in going after major trades for whale Kevin Durant or mini-whale Donovan Mitchell seems long time ago and miles away as the Heat snore through a quiet offseason whose biggest headline thus far has been the loss of P.J. Tucker in free agency. Is Miami up to something? Anything? Stay tuned.
Missing the HB10 cut: Aaron Rodgers, much better at passing than at not saying things he shouldn't, admitted in an interview has had "psychedelic experiences" with mushrooms and the mind-bending ayahuasca plant. Will be interesting to see if the Packers are NFL do anything beyond shaking their collective head ..... Hate to be harsh, but it was a B-list crowd entering the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. Tony Boselli, Cliff Branch, Art McNally, Sam Mills, Richard Seymour, Dick Vermeil and Bryant Young enter as evidence the Hall admits too many .... Las Vegas beat Jacksonville 27-11 to kick off the NFL preseason in the Hall of Fame Game, in what was believed to be the worst matchup and most boring result in the history of human activity ..... Arsenal shut out Crystal Palace 2-nil to kick off the 2022-23 English Premier League season. A cloud over it: Cristiano Ronaldo's apparent desire to extract himself from Manchester United ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode out Monday at 7 a.m. ..... Update: Countdown now 1,407 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: Barkley, Djokovic, Lia Thomas: Being Sports Fan Never Harder -- Or More Interesting / How Super Mario And The Cheetah were Sent To Save Football in Miami / How Messi-to-Miami Became the Biggest, Longest Tease In Sports / Why LeBron (of All People) Chiming In On Griner's Russia Detention Is Ironic / Heat Luring Donovan Mitchell Involves Friend D-Wade, Arch-Enemy Ainge, Too / Why Miami Heat Should Re-Think, Go All-In For King-Whale Kevin Durant / 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 / 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 / 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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