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9 posts from October 2022

October 29, 2022

NFL Week 8 picks out now, including Dolphins-Lions and all the rest; plus Saudi pawns sucking blood money for LIV Golf are at Doral but not welcome here (new column); also, new Greg Cote Show podcast out now & more

GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND

1) It's SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29. Glad to be on the newest Marvel Cinematic University podcast to talk about my extensive comic book collection from childhood. Check it out HERE! 2) Also happy to be back on Le Batard Show this week. Check out the show's Tuesday podcasts and videos. 3) Join me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hot Button Top 10, Tua and defense lead Dolphins over Steelers, New low for Cristobal in error-filled Canes loss, NFL Week 7 picks, new Greg Cote Show podcast, Mount Gregmore of columns.

GcsCoteshowGREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our 45th episode of 2022 and 136th overall is out now! New episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify and wherever you pod. Find all 136 we've done so far HERE. In our new episode: A new Le Batard Show “Mas Miami’ fan night is coming up December 10, and the GCS podcast reveals big plans for a major presence at the event; Greg shares the two new TV commercials out now that he loves; Greg is fascinated by a new forensic study on a Neanderthal family that lived 54,000 years ago and Chris and Yeti are palpably bored and dumbfounded by that fascination; and Chris and Greg report live from Sunday night’s Dolphins-Steelers game, and Greg shares an inside look at Saturday’s invitation-only gala honoring Miami’s 1972 Perfect Season team. Also in the new ep: Greg’s reveals a shocking and perhaps repulsive truth about himself; Greg rails against LIV Golf coming to Miami and a World Cup in Qatar; Calendar jumpers; Friends of Greg (FOG) update; A horrifying revelation about ants; and a new Dad joke of the week. Hit up GCS2245 for full story on latest ep, and watch our weekly YouTube preview. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, review, follow, subscribe and so forth. We simulcast on Sirius XM, too, Mondays from 5-6 p.m. ET. Now our podcast has a website and merch store! Check it out at TheGregCoteShow.com and visit store by clicking 'Shop'. New items including Greg's Lobos T-shirts and hats -- with free shipping this week through Thursday! Also check out our podcast's YouTube channel.

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

LivgolfNEW! Pawns Chasing Saudi Blood Money Come To Doral As LIV Golf Ends 1st Season NEW!

Not Perfect, But Return Of Tua, Big Defense Lift Dolphins Past Steelers

Epic New Low For Cristobal: 8 Turnovers in 45-21 Home Loss To Duke

Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat Disappoint In Season-Opening Home Loss

Tua Can't Return Soon Enough As Dolphins Fall To Vikings For 3rd Straight Loss

Hilltop: The five columns before that: Sorry, Canes, But 20-14 Win At Va-Tech Doesn't Impress Any More Than 3-3 DoesCsonka, ‘Heart’ Of Dolphins Glory Days, On Life Of Adventure — And Perfection / QB Calamity! 3rd-String Thompson Has Rough Baptism As Dolphins Fall At Jets / Canes Lose ACC Opener, Fall To 2-3 As Misery Continues For Mario Cristobal / Five Years In, Miami Marlins Rebuild Isn't Working. Here Is The Solution. Note: Mount Gregmore Of Columns includes opinion columns only. NFL picks, QB rankings and stories on newest podcast are not included.

MepicksNFL WEEK 8 PICKS: DOLPHINS-LIONS, PACKERS-BILLS AND ALL THE REST: Went 9-5 against the spread last week to make it 17-11 ATS over the the past two weeks in Herald picks. Visit NFL Week 8 Gems for to find all of our latest picks for Dolphins-Lions, Packers at Bills (a.k.a. Aaron Rodgers vs. Josh Allen), four big upsets (!) and all the rest. Got off to a bad start last night. Had Bucs (+1) beating Ravens in a slight upset. They did not, up early but not holding on. Find that separate predix capsule at NFL Week 8 Thursday Gem.

NFL WEEK 7 RESULTS: HERALD PICKS X GREG'S LOBOS X QB RANKINGS:

Herald Picks: Workin' 9-5 on a solid week -- Been a tough season so far with our picks in the Herald but had a solid Week 7, going 9-5 both straight-up and against the spread. I'll take that ATS any week. Nailed our Upset of the Week with Giants winning at Jacksonville, and also had another pair of dogs-with-points on covers by Washington over the Packers and by Seattle vs. the Chargers. Let's keep building on our recent upswing against the point spread!

Greg's Lobos: Back on winning track and on playoff pace at midseason -- The defending PFPI Fantasy champion Lobos are at 4-3 and solidly on playoff pace, standing third of 10 teams and second in overall points at midseason after a 120-108 win. We smartly started Raheem Mostert as a bye-replacement and got a team-leading 20 from him, as well as 18 from Nick Chubb and 15 from Pat Freiermuth.

NFL QB Rankings: Burrow takes week, and there's a new No. 1 -- Cincy's Joe Burrow wins Week 7 honors with a season-best game and vaults from seventh place to second in the overall standings, but it's a different QB who takes over the No. 1 spot in the updated Miami Herald Quarterback Rankings. Full Top 25 and more at NFL Week 7 QB Rankings.

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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: NFLPA Firing Doctor For Concussion Eval May Mean Fins, Tua Are Victims HereDolphins Fall In Cincy, But Tua Hospitalized Puts Result In Perspective / No. 1 Dolphins, Fans Bask in National Attention, Ditch 20 Years' Irrelevance / Gamble Of Inaction: 5 Answers Will Judge Heat's Quiet Offseason / What's Going On Here!? Dolphins Beat Rival Bills, Improved to 3-0 / Cristobal Honeymoon Ends With Thud As Canes Lose To Middle Tennessee / Zero To Perfect: How Glory Days Dolphins Put Miami on National Sports Map / Our 2022 NFL Team Ranking. Wait. Miami Dolphins Are WHERE!? / Why Hill & Waddle Are Dolphins' Best WR Duo Since Clayton/Duper / UM's Van Dyke Had Epic Year. Now His Encore Will Define Start Of Cristobal Era / Serena's Week At U.S. Open One For Ages As Tennis' Queen GOAT Defies Time / Tribute: Community Was One Place Dolphins Won Big -- Because of Jason Jenkins / Watson Punishment Will Go Way Beyond HIs Extended NFL Suspension / Butch Davis On Retiring, His 50-Year Career -- & Canes Twice Almost Bringing Him Back / Miami Raised Mario Cristobal. Payback? Come Home & Make Canes Football Matter Again / 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 / 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 / How Messi-to-Miami Became the Biggest, Longest Tease In Sports / Cy Young Alert: Marlins' Ace-On-Fire Sandy Alcantara Does It Again / 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 / Why'd World Cup pick Miami? Thank Dolphins Founder & Unlikely Soccer Visionary Joe Robbie / Whatever Happened To Don King? Famed Boxing Promoter Back At 90 For Last Bow in Miami / 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? / 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 / 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 / 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 / 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 / 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 / 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: TwitterInstagramFacebookColumnsPodcastPodcast on TwitterPodcast on InstagramLeBatard Show. Book: Fins At 50. Songs: Letting Go (audio only) and The Ballad Of 1440 (with video).

October 24, 2022

Latest Hot Button Top 10 (updated): Fins beat Steelers (with column), Canes hit new low (with column), MLB playoffs, Heat win, NASCAR, FIU!; plus NFL Monday pick, new Greg Cote Show podcast out now & more

GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND

1) It's MONDAY, OCTOBER 24. Join me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Heat lose season opener at home, NFL Week 7 picks, Greg Cote Show podcast, NFL Week 6 results, Mount Gregmore of columns.

Coteshow GcsGREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our 45th episode of 2022 and 136th overall is out now! New episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify and wherever you pod. Find all 136 we've done so far HERE. In our new episode: A new Le Batard Show “Mas Miami’ fan night is coming up December 10, and the GCS podcast reveals big plans for a major presence at the event; Greg shares the two new TV commercials out now that he loves; Greg is fascinated by a new forensic study on a Neanderthal family that lived 54,000 years ago and Chris and Yeti are palpably bored and dumbfounded by that fascination; and Chris and Greg report live from Sunday night’s Dolphins-Steelers game, and Greg shares an inside look at Saturday’s invitation-only gala honoring Miami’s 1972 Perfect Season team. Also in the new ep: Greg’s reveals a shocking and perhaps repulsive truth about himself; Greg rails against LIV Golf coming to Miami and a World Cup in Qatar; Calendar jumpers; Friends of Greg (FOG) update; A horrifying revelation about ants; and a new Dad joke of the week. Hit up GCS2245 for full story on latest ep, and watch our weekly YouTube preview. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, review, follow, subscribe and so forth. We simulcast on Sirius XM, too, Mondays from 5-6 p.m. ET. Now our podcast has a website and merch store! Check it out at TheGregCoteShow.com and visit store by clicking 'Shop'. New items including Greg's Lobos T-shirts and hats -- with free shipping this week through Thursday! Also check out our podcast's YouTube channel.

PicksNFL WEEK 7 PICKS: DOLPHINS -STEELERS AND ALL THE REST: Went a solid 8-6 against the spread last week, started the new week strong Thursday night, now let's keep it going! You want rampant parity in a league overrun by .500 teams? Only one of 14 games this week is matchup of two teams both with a winning record. Visit NFL Week 7 Gems to find all of our latest picks for Dolphins-Steelers, our Game of the Week, a big upset, the return of Dak Prescott and all the rest.

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

TuaNEW! Not Perfect, But Return Of Tua, Big Defense Lift Dolphins Past Steelers NEW!

NEW! Epic New Low For Cristobal: 8 Turnovers in 45-21 Home Loss To Duke NEW!

Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat Disappoint In Season-Opening Home Loss

Tua Can't Return Soon Enough As Dolphins Fall To Vikings For 3rd Straight Loss

Sorry, Canes, But 20-14 Win At Va-Tech Doesn't Impress Any More Than 3-3 Does

Hilltop: The five columns before that: Csonka, ‘Heart’ Of Dolphins Glory Days, On Life Of Adventure — And Perfection / QB Calamity! 3rd-String Thompson Has Rough Baptism As Dolphins Fall At Jets / Canes Lose ACC Opener, Fall To 2-3 As Misery Continues For Mario Cristobal / Five Years In, Miami Marlins Rebuild Isn't Working. Here Is The Solution / NFLPA Firing Doctor For Concussion Eval May Mean Fins, Tua Are Victims Here. Note: Mount Gregmore Of Columns includes opinion columns only. NFL picks, QB rankings and stories on newest podcast are not included.

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (OCTOBER 23-24): 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:

1Hb. DOLPHINS: Tua, defense lead Miami past Steelers on special night!: What a night! Tua Tagovailoa made his long-awaited return from a concussion and led Fins to 16-10 win over Steelers Sunday night to end a 3-game losing streak an put Miami at 4-3. Big defense including two late interceptions sealed the win. Game also marked the club's celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 1972 Perfect Season at the stadium Sunday on top of an invitation-only gala Saturday night at the Hard Rock Guitar Hotel.

2. HURRICANES: New low for Cristobal: 8 turnovers in 45-21 home loss to Duke: You thought the loss to Middle Tennessee State was bad? It was. This may have been worse. A 45-21 home conference loss to Duke Saturday thanks to eight (!) turnovers, most in a game by any Power 5 conference team since 2009. Canes now 3-4 and 1-2 in ACC as season goes off the rails. UM is at Virginia next week before hosting rival Florida State.

3. HEAT: Miami shakes off worst start since '07 with first win: Heat loss to Celtics Friday night gave Miami an 0-2 start for first time since 2007 -- and 0-2 at home for first time ever. That was after disappointing season-opening loss to Chicago plagued by poor defense. Heat finally won by beating Toronto Saturday to go 1-2 behind Jimmy Butler's 24 and more bench magic from Max Strus. Miami hosts Toronto again Monday/tonight before setting out on a three-game West road trip. 

4. MLB: It's an Astros-Phillies World Series!: The New York Yankees and the San Diego Padres are emphatically done! The AL and NL Championship Series ended Sunday with Philadelphia ousting the Padres 4 games to 1 and Houston sweeping the Yanks 4-0. Not sure Houston-Philadelphia is riveting TV, but we all hate the Astros, so that's something. Go Philly!

5. PANTHERS: Cats off to 4-2 start but lose Ekblad lost to injury: Panthers are 4-2 this young NHL season after Sunday's win over the Islanders. Cats are back at it Tuesday in Chicago but will be without star defenseman Aaron Ekblad until at least mid-November and likely longer with a groin injury. This would be the third straight season Ekblad had missed at least 20 regular season games due to injury. 

6. NASCAR: Larson back in headlines for right reason in Homestead win: NASCAR's eighth of 10 playoff races roared at Homestead-Miami Speedway today as Kyle Larson led 199 of 267 laps including the last one. The win came a week after the reigning Cup Series champion, eliminated earlier in this year's playoffs, was intentionally spun by Bubba Wallace, who got suspended for it. Joey Logano continues atop the playoff standings.

7. INTER MIAMI: Quick playoff exit ends successful season for Herons: A 3-0 playoff loss at New York City FC ended Inter Miami's Year 3 in MLS following an uplifting 14-6-14 regular season. The match marked the career finale for retiring star Gonzalo Higuain. Leaguwide, the conference finals will be set with results today. Out West, No. 1 seed Los Angeles awaits today's Austin-Dallas winner. In the East, No. 1 Philadelphia will face today's Montreal-NYC winner.

8. STATE COLLEGES (NON-UM): Huge upset win for FIU is an historic first!: This has never happened before. Of the seven state FBS football teams, FIU was the only one to win this week with Saturday's big 34-15 upset at Charlotte led by Grayson James' 306 passing yards. FU, now 3-4, stands alone because Miami, FAU and UCF all were upset losers, and Florida, Florida State and South Florida all had byes and did not play.

9. MARLINS: Fish narrow manager candidates, decision may be near: Astros bench coach Joe Espada and Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro have been the first candidates to be invited back by Miami for a second interview, for what that's worth. Plus for each: Espada might come as a World Series champ; Quatraro is used to small player payrolls. (I thought Bruce Bochy was worth a hard look; the Rangers hired him instead.) In other Fish news, shortstop Miguel Rojas is a Gold Glove finalist.   

10. CANES BASKETBALL: College hoops near as UM men, women unfurl: Jim Larranaga's Hurricanes men and Katie Meier's women's team, both coming off successful seasons, held their Media Day to tip-off the coming season. The men were 26-11 last year and reached the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time, but are unranked in the preseason poll (though just three spots outside of the Top 25). The UM women were 21-13 and reached the second round of the NCAAs but also are unranked. Both open the new season Nov. 7.

Missing the HB10 cut: U.S. Women’s National Team faces Germany at Inter Miami Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on November 10 in a battle of the top two women's teams in the world ..... No. 5 Clemson rallied to beat 14-Syracuse 27-21 on Saturday and No. 10 Oregon crushed 9-UCLA 45-30 in the biggest of five Top 25 matchups. One other top-10 team besides UCLA lost: No. 7 LSU falling 45-20 to Ole Miss ..... Warning: The money grubbers of LIV Golf are coming! The startup tour of players pocketing blood money from Saudi Arabia comes to Doral next week ..... USWNT drew Netherlands, Vietnam and a fourth team to be determined in its group for the 2023 Women's World Cup. England is opposite bracket, setting up a possible U.S.-Brits title match ..... Bulletin: Cristiano Ronaldo continues to sully his name with his petulance at Manchester United ..... Former world No. 1 Simona Halap faces a four-year ban from tennis after failing a drug test during the U.S. Open ..... One day before the World Cup kicks off November 20 in Qatar, two teams that did not qualify, Colombia and Paraguay, will play a friendly at Inter Miami Stadium ..... The 49ers acquired star RB Christian McCaffrey from Carolina for multiple draft picks in a major NFL trade ..... The College Football Playoff said it still is undecided on when it will expand to 12 teams, but hopeful it will happen as soon as 2024 ..... Dan Wieden, the ad man who coined Nike's famous 'Just Do It' slogan, died at 77 ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode out Monday at 7 a.m. ..... Update: Countdown now 1,330 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: Dolphins Fall In Cincy, But Tua Hospitalized Puts Result In PerspectiveNo. 1 Dolphins, Fans Bask in National Attention, Ditch 20 Years' IrrelevanceGamble Of Inaction: 5 Answers Will Judge Heat's Quiet Offseason / What's Going On Here!? Dolphins Beat Rival Bills, Improved to 3-0 / Cristobal Honeymoon Ends With Thud As Canes Lose To Middle Tennessee / Zero To Perfect: How Glory Days Dolphins Put Miami on National Sports Map / Our 2022 NFL Team Ranking. Wait. Miami Dolphins Are WHERE!? / Why Hill & Waddle Are Dolphins' Best WR Duo Since Clayton/Duper / UM's Van Dyke Had Epic Year. Now His Encore Will Define Start Of Cristobal Era / Serena's Week At U.S. Open One For Ages As Tennis' Queen GOAT Defies Time / Tribute: Community Was One Place Dolphins Won Big -- Because of Jason Jenkins / Watson Punishment Will Go Way Beyond HIs Extended NFL Suspension / Butch Davis On Retiring, His 50-Year Career -- & Canes Twice Almost Bringing Him Back / Miami Raised Mario Cristobal. Payback? Come Home & Make Canes Football Matter Again / 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 / 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 / How Messi-to-Miami Became the Biggest, Longest Tease In Sports / Cy Young Alert: Marlins' Ace-On-Fire Sandy Alcantara Does It Again / 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 / Why'd World Cup pick Miami? Thank Dolphins Founder & Unlikely Soccer Visionary Joe Robbie / Whatever Happened To Don King? Famed Boxing Promoter Back At 90 For Last Bow in Miami / 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? / 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 / 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 / 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 / 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 / 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 / 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: TwitterInstagramFacebookColumnsPodcastPodcast on TwitterPodcast on InstagramLeBatard Show. Book: Fins At 50. Songs: Letting Go (audio only) and The Ballad Of 1440 (with video).

October 22, 2022

Hurricanes host Duke today. Column coming; plus NFL Week 7 picks, Heat disappoint in 0-2 start (with column), latest Greg Cote Show podcast & more

GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND

1) It's SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22. Glad to be back in with the Le Batard Show this past week. Check out Tuesday's show podcasts and videos -- including a new Back In My Day from me. 2) Join me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hot Button Top 10, Dolphins fall to Vikings for 3rd straight loss, Canes end skid with win at Virginia Tech, NFL Week 6 picks, new Greg Cote Show podcast, Mount Gregmore of columns.

CoteshowGREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: LATEST EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our 44th episode of 2022 and 135th overall is out now! New episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify and wherever you pod. Find all 135 we've done so far HERE. In our newest episode: Chris reports live from Pittsburgh after gloing to Bucs-Steelers game; Greg and Yeti chew over the Dolphins-Vikings game, MLB playoffs; Jumpin’ Charlie the World’s Largest Puppy eats Greg’s eyeglasses, forcing Greg to record newest podcast wearing emergency backup glasses that may or may not make him look like Harry Caray. Also, Charlie is sent away to boot camp; An in an in-show meeting. (Are we too naughty?); Greg turns on The House Of Dragons; Are we about done with Kanye West?; Tom Brady has finally made something of himself, buys pickleball team; Yeti recalls the time his life was threatened on the job; Dad joke of the week; and (!) a brand new Mount Gregmore! Hit up GCS2244 for full story on latest ep, and watch our weekly YouTube preview. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, review, follow, subscribe and so forth. We simulcast on Sirius XM, too, Mondays from 5-6 p.m. ET. Now our podcast has a website and merch store! Check it out at TheGregCoteShow.com and visit store by clicking 'Shop'. New items including Greg's Lobos T-shirts and hats! Also check out our podcast's new YouTube channel.

Canes-Duke column coming today: I'll be at Hard Rock for today's UM matinee vs. Duke. Watch for my column from the game online soon after it ends and in Sunday print.

MepicksNFL WEEK 7 PICKS: DOLPHINS -STEELERS AND ALL THE REST: Went a solid 8-6 against the spread last week, now let's keep it going! You want rampant parity in a league overrun by .500 teams? Only one of 14 games this week is matchup of two teams both with a winning record. Visit NFL Week 7 Gems to find all of our latest picks for Dolphins-Steelers, our Game of the Week, a big upset, the return of Dak Prescott and all the rest.

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

HeatbullsNEW! Adebayo, Miami Heat Disappoint In Season-Opening Home Loss NEW!

Tua Can't Return Soon Enough As Dolphins Fall To Vikings For 3rd Straight Loss

Sorry, Canes, But 20-14 Win At Va-Tech Doesn't Impress Any More Than 3-3 Does

Csonka, ‘Heart’ Of Dolphins Glory Days, On Life Of Adventure — And Perfection

QB Calamity! 3rd-String Thompson Has Rough Baptism As Dolphins Fall At Jets

Hilltop: The five columns before that: Canes Lose ACC Opener, Fall To 2-3 As Misery Continues For Mario CristobalFive Years In, Miami Marlins Rebuild Isn't Working. Here Is The Solution / NFLPA Firing Doctor For Concussion Eval May Mean Fins, Tua Are Victims Here / Dolphins Fall In Cincy, But Tua Hospitalized Puts Result In Perspective / No. 1 Dolphins, Fans Bask in National Attention, Ditch 20 Years' IrrelevanceNote: Mount Gregmore Of Columns includes opinion columns only. NFL picks, QB rankings and stories on latest podcast episode are among stuff not included.

NFL WEEK 6 RESULTS: HERALD PICKS X GREG'S LOBOS X QB RANKINGS:

Herald Picks: More tough sledding ... but better against the spread -- Thirty-two seasons of NFL picks in the Herald and I can rarely remember a tougher one. Wet only 7-7- overall last week with the onset of byes, but better against the spread at 8-6. Misfired on the Dolphins winning an upset, but did nail Patriots' upset win at Cleveland. Also had three other dogs with points on covers by Falcons, Giants and Broncos. Time to build on that ATS upswing and get on a roll!

LobosGreg's Lobos: Sour loss but still stout in playoff hunt -- Defending PFPI Fantasy champion Lobos had won three straight but now have lost two in a row with last week's 106-100 defeat. Got 24 from second QB Trevor Laerence but not enough help. Needed 10 points from Courtland Sutton Monday night to win; got three. Ourselves to blame, though. Started a newly signed tight end who'd been unexpectedly ruled inactive just before game in a rare clerical lapse. Still, at 3-3 we are only one game off the lead, second in scoring and well on playoff pace.

NFL QB Rankings: Ryan takes week, Allen grows overall lead -- Indy's Matt Ryan busted out with season's second-best passing game for the Week 6 win to vault seven spots to No. 6 overall in the updated Miami Herald Quarterback Rankings. Buffalo's Josh Allen grew his overall lead and is No.1 for a fourth straight week. Full Top 25 and more at NFL Week 6 QB Rankings.

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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: Gamble Of Inaction: 5 Answers Will Judge Heat's Quiet Offseason / What's Going On Here!? Dolphins Beat Rival Bills, Improved to 3-0 / Cristobal Honeymoon Ends With Thud As Canes Lose To Middle Tennessee / Zero To Perfect: How Glory Days Dolphins Put Miami on National Sports Map / Our 2022 NFL Team Ranking. Wait. Miami Dolphins Are WHERE!? / Why Hill & Waddle Are Dolphins' Best WR Duo Since Clayton/Duper / UM's Van Dyke Had Epic Year. Now His Encore Will Define Start Of Cristobal Era / Serena's Week At U.S. Open One For Ages As Tennis' Queen GOAT Defies Time / Tribute: Community Was One Place Dolphins Won Big -- Because of Jason Jenkins / Watson Punishment Will Go Way Beyond HIs Extended NFL Suspension / Butch Davis On Retiring, His 50-Year Career -- & Canes Twice Almost Bringing Him Back / Miami Raised Mario Cristobal. Payback? Come Home & Make Canes Football Matter Again / 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 / 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 / How Messi-to-Miami Became the Biggest, Longest Tease In Sports / Cy Young Alert: Marlins' Ace-On-Fire Sandy Alcantara Does It Again / 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 / Why'd World Cup pick Miami? Thank Dolphins Founder & Unlikely Soccer Visionary Joe Robbie / Whatever Happened To Don King? Famed Boxing Promoter Back At 90 For Last Bow in Miami / 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? / 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 / 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 / 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 / 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 / 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 / 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: TwitterInstagramFacebookColumnsPodcastPodcast on TwitterPodcast on InstagramLeBatard Show. Book: Fins At 50. Songs: Letting Go (audio only) and The Ballad Of 1440 (with video).

October 17, 2022

Latest Hot Button Top 10 (updated): Fins fall to Vikes, Canes end skid, Heat Opening Week, Cats start hot, Inter Miami playoff tonight, MLB postseason, 'Bama loses. What a week!; plus NFL Week 6 picks, new Greg Cote Show podcast out now (!) & more

GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND

1) It's MONDAY, OCTOBER 17. Join me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): NFL Week 6 picks, new Greg Cote Show podcast with Aaron Ekblad, 50 years later the Larry Csonka you never knew, NFL Week 5 results (Picks/Lobos/QB Rank), Mount Gregmore of columns.

CoteshowGREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our 44th episode of 2022 and 135th overall is out now! New episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify and wherever you pod. Find all 135 we've done so far HERE. In our newest episode: Chris reports live from Pittsburgh after gloing to Bucs-Steelers game; Greg and Yeti chew over the Dolphins-Vikings game, MLB playoffs; Jumpin’ Charlie the World’s Largest Puppy eats Greg’s eyeglasses, forcing Greg to record newest podcast wearing emergency backup glasses that may or may not make him look like Harry Caray. Also, Charlie is sent away to boot camp; An in an in-show meeting. (Are we too naughty?); Greg turns on The House Of Dragons; Are we about done with Kanye West?; Tom Brady has finally made something of himself, buys pickleball team; Yeti recalls the time his life was threatened on the job; Dad joke of the week; and (!) a brand new Mount Gregmore! Hit up GCS2244 for full story on latest ep, and watch our weekly YouTube preview. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, review, follow, subscribe and so forth. We simulcast on Sirius XM, too, Mondays from 5-6 p.m. ET. Now our podcast has a website and merch store! Check it out at TheGregCoteShow.com and visit store by clicking 'Shop'. New items including Greg's Lobos T-shirts and hats! Also check out our podcast's new YouTube channel.

Our NFL Week 6 picks: Onset of byes trims schedule from 16 games to 14 but it's still biggest week of season thus far with two co-Games of the Week in Bills-Chiefs and Cowboys-Eagles. Vikings-Dolphins should be a goodie, too. Visit NFL Week 6 Gems to find all of our latest picks for those three and all the rest Two more big upsets in the mix this week; will Fins be one? Got off to an unfortunate start Thursday night. We had Chicago winning at home over Washington in a pick-'em game, but Bears lost 12-7 -- failing to score on four tries inside the Commanders 5 in the final minute. That exemplifies our unlucky season so far. Sigh.

Column from Dolphins-Vikings game coming: Look for it online soon after game ends and in Monday print.

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

Umvat TuadolNEW! Tua Can't Return Soon Enough As Dolphins Fall To Vikings For 3rd Straight Loss NEW!

NEW! Sorry, Canes, But 20-14 Win At Va-Tech Doesn't Impress Any More Than 3-3 Does NEW!

Csonka, ‘Heart’ Of Dolphins Glory Days, On Life Of Adventure — And Perfection

QB Calamity! 3rd-String Thompson Has Rough Baptism As Dolphins Fall At Jets

Canes Lose ACC Opener, Fall To 2-3 As Misery Continues For Mario Cristobal

Hilltop: The five columns before that: Five Years In, Miami Marlins Rebuild Isn't Working. Here Is The Solution / NFLPA Firing Doctor For Concussion Eval May Mean Fins, Tua Are Victims HereDolphins Fall In Cincy, But Tua Hospitalized Puts Result In Perspective / No. 1 Dolphins, Fans Bask in National Attention, Ditch 20 Years' Irrelevance / Gamble Of Inaction: 5 Answers Will Judge Heat's Quiet OffseasonNote: Mount Gregmore Of Columns includes opinion columns only. NFL picks, QB rankings and stories on latest podcast episode are among stuff not included.

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (OCTOBER 16-17): 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:

Hb1. DOLPHINS: Miami falls to Vikings for 3rd straight loss. (Hurry back, Tua!): Fins are 3-3 with three straight losses after Sunday's 24-16 home L vs. Minnesota. Rookie Skylar Thompson eft game with thumb injury after three series. Teddy Bridgewater entered, three a for a bunch of yards but was ineffective. Oh my lord does this team miss Tua Tagovailoa, set to return next Sunday night vs. Steelers. [My column from game above.]

2. HURRICANES: Canes end 3-game slide with 20-14 win at Va-Tech: The reeling Canes flew to Blacksburg trying to save their season Saturday at Virginia Tech in an all but must-win ACC game. UM entered 2-3 after three straight losses and 0-1 in the conference but an 8-point favorite over the 2-4/1-2 Hokies -- and UM won 20-14. Hurricanes led 17-0 at half and held on. [My column on game above]

3. HEAT: It's Opening Week for Jimmy, Bam and company:  A 4-1 preseason fades to irrelevance now as Miami's 35th NBA regular season opens at home Wednesday night vs. Chicago, with a four-game homestand against East rivals beginning the 82-game stretch. Miami had a quiet offseason, doing little to augment the core of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry, with Tyler Herro and Caleb Martin rounding out the new starting five. Was standing pat smart or a risk? We start to find out. 

4. PANTHERS: Cats, Tkachuk off to fast start as NHL season opens: Florida opened its 29th NHL season with a 3-1 win at the Islanders, giving Paul Maurice a W in his first game as coach, with new star Matthew Tkachuk scoring on a late empty netter. Cats made it 2-0 at Buffalo Saturday with a 3-2 win, and another goal and assist from Tkachuk. Florida is at Boston Monday before returning to the Sunrise rink for their home opener on Wednesday vs. Philadelphia.

5. INTER MIAMI: Higuain seeks to extend career as Herons open playoffs in New York: Miami after a 14-6-14 MLS regular season opens the playoffs at defending league champion New York City Monday night at Citi Field. Retiring star Gonzalo Higuain sparked Miami's run to postseason with 14 goals in last 16 matches. NYC is a much different team than the one that won the title. Miami is in better form lately and has a big shot to win. Meanwhile Miami's Drake Callender is a finalist for MLS goalkeeper of the year and Higuain for comeback player.

6. MLB: Phils-Padres in NLCS; Astros await NYY-CLE winner: The week began with baseball's final eight teams split into two best-of-5 AL and NL Division Series. Now only five are still alive. Philadelphia and San Diego advanced to an unexpected NL Championship Series, eliminating the favored Braves and Dodgers. Houston swept Seattle to reach the ALCS and awaits the Yankees-Guardians winner. Yanks stayed alive with win Sunday. Deciding Game 5 is tonight in the Bronx.

7. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Vols deal Alabama first loss in huge week for sport: Eight Top 25 teams lost on Saturday, none bigger than No. 3 'Bama falling at No. 6 Tennessee, 52-49, in a battle of unbeatens. Vols had lost 15 in a row to Tide before this. Highest-ranked other teams to lose were No. 7 USC (to Utah), No. 8 Oklahoma State (to TCU) and No. 10 Penn State (to Michigan).

8. STATE COLLEGES (NON-UM): Gators, Seminoles suffer big home losses: LSU beat Florida in the Swamp, 45-45, and No. 4 Clemson edged FSU in Tally, 34-28. Gators and Noles both were 4-2 going in and poised to reenter polls with a win. In other state games (non-UM, FIU fell to 2-4, losing big to UTSA; FAU beat Rice; UCF crushed Temple and could be poll-bound at 5-1; and Tulane beat South Florida.

9. MARLINS: Cy to Sandy seems a lock, but manager hunt wide open: After the latest disappointing Fish season of 69-93, bright spot Sandy Alcantara remains a huge betting favorite to win the NL Cy Young Award. But odds on the next Marlins manager are tight. It's Joe Maddon at 4-1, Bruce Bochy 5-1, Miguel Cairo 6-1 and Joe Espada 7-1 heading the list. In other words, it's anybody's guess. Trust they'll pick someone experienced in working with really small payrolls?

10. NASCAR: Playoffs heading to Miami-Homestead Speedway: The seventh of 10 NASCAR playoff races was Sunday in Las Vegas, with Joey Logano winning and now atop the playoff standings. Circuit heads down to Miami-Homestead Speedway now for its eighth playoff race next Sunday.

Missing the HB10 cut: Co-Games of the Week in NFL as Bills beat Chiefs in reprise of last year's epic playoff game, and Eagles held off Cowboys stay unbeaten ..... LeBron James' son Bronny is one of five amateurs to be given Nike NIL deals. Bronny said thanks but couldn't be understood because of the silver spoon in his mouth ..... Yet another woman has socked Deshaun Watson with a lawsuit alleging massage room perversion ..... ESPN's Troy Aikman admitted he was "dumb" to say the NFL should "take the dresses off" and quit calling borderline roughing the passer penalties, a misogynistic aside straight outta 1958 ..... The PGA Tour is on the decline and LIV Golf is on the rise, said Phil Mickelson, the least impartial man on earth with the most vested interest possible and the biggest axe to grind ..... Can we all please take up a collection and pay Dan Snyder to disappear and never be heard from again? ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode out Monday at 7 a.m. ..... Update: Countdown now 1,337 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: What's Going On Here!? Dolphins Beat Rival Bills, Improved to 3-0 Cristobal Honeymoon Ends With Thud As Canes Lose To Middle Tennessee Zero To Perfect: How Glory Days Dolphins Put Miami on National Sports Map / Our 2022 NFL Team Ranking. Wait. Miami Dolphins Are WHERE!? / Why Hill & Waddle Are Dolphins' Best WR Duo Since Clayton/Duper / UM's Van Dyke Had Epic Year. Now His Encore Will Define Start Of Cristobal Era / Serena's Week At U.S. Open One For Ages As Tennis' Queen GOAT Defies Time / Tribute: Community Was One Place Dolphins Won Big -- Because of Jason Jenkins / Watson Punishment Will Go Way Beyond HIs Extended NFL Suspension / Butch Davis On Retiring, His 50-Year Career -- & Canes Twice Almost Bringing Him Back / Miami Raised Mario Cristobal. Payback? Come Home & Make Canes Football Matter Again / 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 / 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 / How Messi-to-Miami Became the Biggest, Longest Tease In Sports / Cy Young Alert: Marlins' Ace-On-Fire Sandy Alcantara Does It Again / 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 / Why'd World Cup pick Miami? Thank Dolphins Founder & Unlikely Soccer Visionary Joe Robbie / Whatever Happened To Don King? Famed Boxing Promoter Back At 90 For Last Bow in Miami / 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? / 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 / 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 / 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 / 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 / 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 / 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: TwitterInstagramFacebookColumnsPodcastPodcast on TwitterPodcast on InstagramLeBatard Show. Book: Fins At 50. Songs: Letting Go (audio only) and The Ballad Of 1440 (with video).

October 15, 2022

NFL Week 6 picks for Fins-Vikes, Bills-Chiefs, 'Boys-Eagles and the rest; plus Larry Csonka 50 years on. Special new column; also, NFL Week 5 results for Picks/Lobos/QB Rank, latest rollicking Greg Cote Show podcast & more

GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND

1) It's SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15. Happy birthday this week to my one and only older brother, the great and powerful Uncle Dick! 2) Glad to be back in on Le Batard Show this week. Check out Tuesday's show podcasts and vids. 3) Join me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hot Button Top 10, Dolphins down to 3rd string QB in loss at Jets, Canes lose ACC opener as Cristobal misery continues, NFL Week 5 picks, new Greg Cote Show podcast, Mount Gregmore of columns.

CoteshowEkandwifeGREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW! AARON EKBLAD, 'GREG DOESN'T KNOW MOVIES,' 'LOBOS: HARD KNOCKS'!: Our 43rd episode of 2022 and 134th overall is out now! New episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify and wherever you pod. Find all 134 we've done so far HERE. In our newest episode: A fun edition of 'Greg Doesn't Know Movies, special guest Aaron Ekblad (left) of the Florida Panthers (pictured with new bride), and a new Greg's Lobos/Hard Knocks. Also, Cheating scandals in chess, billiard and fishing; Dolphins-Jets talk; Dad joke of the week and more. Hit up GCS2243 for full story on latest ep, and watch our weekly YouTube preview. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, review, follow, subscribe and so forth. We simulcast on Sirius XM, too, Mondays from 5-6 p.m. ET. And now our podcast has a website and merch store! Check it out at TheGregCoteShow.com and visit the store by clicking 'Shop'. New items including Greg's Lobos T-shirts and hats! Also check out our podcast's new YouTube channel.

Our NFL Week 6 picks: Onset of byes trims the schedule from 16 games to 14 but it's still biggest week of the season thus far with two co-Games of the Week in Bills-Chiefs and Cowboys-Eagles. Vikings-Dolphins should be a goodie, too. Visit NFL Week 6 Gems to find all of our latest picks for those three games and all the rest Two more big upsets in the mix this week; will Fins be one? Got off to an unfortunate start Thursday night's stinker. We had Chicago winning at home over Washington in a pick-'em game, but Bears lost 12-7 -- failing to score on four tries inside the Commanders 5 in the final minute. That exemplifies our unlucky season so far. Sigh.

ZonkTHE LARRY CSONKA YOU NEVER KNEW: I recently interviewed Dolphins great Larry Csonka for an hour and a half, about the Perfect Season, his life of outdoors adventure, his life in general -- a farmboy growing up poor, with an outhouse out back. There were things I didn't know, such as Zonk disliking Don Shula at first and asking to be traded. Shula went on to call Csonka "the heart" of the Perfect Season, the championship years and the glory days. For that column, new and out now:  Larry Csonka, ‘Heart’ Of Dolphins Glory Days, On His Life Of Adventure — And Perfection.

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

NEW! Csonka, ‘Heart’ Of Dolphins Glory Days, On Life Of Adventure — And Perfection NEW! 

QB Calamity! 3rd-String Thompson Has Rough Baptism As Dolphins Fall At Jets

Canes Lose ACC Opener, Fall To 2-3 As Misery Continues For Mario Cristobal

Five Years In, Miami Marlins Rebuild Isn't Working. Here Is The Solution

NFLPA Firing Doctor For Concussion Eval May Mean Fins, Tua Are Victims Here

Hilltop: The five columns before that: Dolphins Fall In Cincy, But Tua Hospitalized Puts Result In Perspective / No. 1 Dolphins, Fans Bask in National Attention, Ditch 20 Years' Irrelevance / Gamble Of Inaction: 5 Answers Will Judge Heat's Quiet Offseason / What's Going On Here!? Dolphins Beat Rival Bills, Improved to 3-0 / Cristobal Honeymoon Ends With Thud As Canes Lose To Middle Tennessee. Note: Mount Gregmore Of Columns includes opinion columns only. NFL picks, QB rankings and stories on latest podcast episode are among stuff not included.

NFL WEEK 5 RESULTS: HERALD PICKS X GREG'S LOBOS X QB RANKINGS:

Herald Picks: Rough week after hot streak -- We'd had two strong weeks in a row but the game-by game grind that is the 2022 NFL season bit us again in Week 5 as went a mediocre 9-7 overall and a gut-punch 5-11 vs. the spread. Had Browns-with-points over Rams in our Upset of Week. Also had Texans and Cowboys plus points. But not enough else went right. Season still young. Time to start a new streak!

LobosGreg's Lobos: 'Bos get battered but still in good shape -- Defending PFPI Fantasy champion Lobos had won three straight before last week's 174-124 loss. Ground game came up big with 26 points from Nick Chubb and 25 from Dalvin Cook but had four men in single figures. Bright side: At 3-2 we're still tied for first in our bunched-up 10-team friends 'n family league, and alone on top with tiebreaker, total points scored. Back on board: Let's "Lo, lo, lo your boat"!

NFL QB Rankings: Mahomes wins week, Allen still on top, Tua tumbless: Patrick Mahomes wins Week 5 to move up into second place behind Josh Allen and inactive Tua Tagovailoa continues his slide in the latest Miami Herald NFL Quarterback Rankings? Full Top 25 and more at NFL Week 5 QB Rankings.

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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: Everyone Loves Tua & Dolphins Now. But Can Bandwagon Survive Buffalo?Tua's Career-Redefining Six TDs Lead Dolphins' Miracle Comeback / Hurricanes Let Another Chance For a Big-Stage, Signature Win Slip Away / Texas A&M The Win Canes Need To Give Cristobal Era Liftoff, Make America Notice / Zero To Perfect: How Glory Days Dolphins Put Miami on National Sports Map / Our 2022 NFL Team Ranking. Wait. Miami Dolphins Are WHERE!? / Why Hill & Waddle Are Dolphins' Best WR Duo Since Clayton/Duper / UM's Van Dyke Had Epic Year. Now His Encore Will Define Start Of Cristobal Era / Serena's Week At U.S. Open One For Ages As Tennis' Queen GOAT Defies Time / As Optimism In Dolphins & Canes Spikes, Miami Flexes As A Football Town / Tribute: Community Was One Place Dolphins Won Big -- Because of Jason Jenkins / Watson Punishment Will Go Way Beyond HIs Extended NFL Suspension / Butch Davis On Retiring, His 50-Year Career -- & Canes Twice Almost Bringing Him Back / Why Has Brady Skated On Tampering Role & Does He Still Have Future In Miami? / Miami Raised Mario Cristobal. Payback? Come Home & Make Canes Football Matter Again / 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 / 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 / How Messi-to-Miami Became the Biggest, Longest Tease In Sports / 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 / 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 / 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 / Whatever Happened To Don King? Famed Boxing Promoter Back At 90 For Last Bow in Miami / 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? / 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 / 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 / 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 / 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 / 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: TwitterInstagramFacebookColumnsPodcastPodcast on TwitterPodcast on InstagramLeBatard Show. Book: Fins At 50. Songs: Letting Go (audio only) and The Ballad Of 1440 (with video).

October 10, 2022

Latest Hot Button Top 10 (updated): QB calamity as Fins fall at Jets (with column), TVD's 496 not enough for UM (w/ column), Higuain goes out right, MLB playoffs, Cats open; plus NFL Week 5 picks, new Greg Cote Show podcast out now! & more

GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND

1) It's MONDAY, OCTOBER 10. The North Carolina Tar Heels have a football player named Storm Duck. 2) Join me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Five years in Marlins rebuild is failing and here's the solution, NFL Week 4 result for Picks, Lobos and QB Rank, new Greg Cote Show podcast, Mount Gregmore of columns.

Coteshow EkbladGREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE! AARON EKBLAD, GREG DOESN'T KNOW MOVIES, LOBOS: HARD KNOCKS!: Our 43rd episode of 2022 and 134th overall is out now! New episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify and wherever you pod. Find all 134 we've done so far HERE. In our newest .episode: A fun edition of 'Greg Doesn't Know Movies, special guest Aaron Ekblad (left) of the Florida Panthers, and a new Greg's Lobos/Hard Knocks. Also, Cheating scandals in chess, billiard and fishing; Dolphins-Jets talk; Dad joke of the week and more. Hit up GCS2243 for full story on latest ep, and watch our weekly YouTube preview. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, review, follow, subscribe and so forth. We simulcast on Sirius XM, too, Mondays from 5-6 p.m. ET. And now our podcast has a website and merch store! Check it out at TheGregCoteShow.com and visit the store by clicking 'Shop'. New items including Greg's Lobos T-shirts and hats! Also check out our podcast's new YouTube channel.

PicksOur NFL Week 5 picks: We're coming off our second straight double-digit wins week overall and a season best 9-6-1 mark against the spread. Visit NFL Week 5 Gems to find all of our latest picks for Dolphins-Jets, our Game of the Week Upset of the Week and all the rest. Got off an unlucky start in Thursday night's stinker. Denver led most of the game before falling in OT, 12-9. We had the Broncos winning and covering a 3 1/2-point line. Find that separate capsule at NFL Week 4 Thursday Gem. Oh well. Tally ho!

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

SkyfinNEW! QB Calamity! 3rd-String Thompson Has Rough Baptism As Dolphins Fall At Jets NEW!

NEW! Canes Lose ACC Opener, Fall To 2-3 As Misery Continues For Mario Cristobal NEW!

Five Years In, Miami Marlins Rebuild Isn't Working. Here Is The Solution

NFLPA Firing Doctor For Concussion Eval May Mean Dolphins, Tua Are Victims Here

Dolphins Fall In Cincy, But Tua Hospitalized Puts Result In Perspective

Hilltop: The five columns before that: No. 1 Dolphins, Fans Bask in National Attention, Ditch 20 Years' Irrelevance / Gamble Of Inaction: 5 Answers Will Judge Heat's Quiet OffseasonWhat's Going On Here!? Dolphins Beat Rival Bills, Improved to 3-0Cristobal Honeymoon Ends With Thud As Canes Lose To Middle Tennessee / Everyone Loves Tua & Dolphins Now. But Can Bandwagon Survive Buffalo? Note: Mount Gregmore Of Columns includes opinion columns only. NFL picks, QB rankings and stories on latest podcast episode are among stuff not included.

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (OCTOBER 9-10): 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:

Hb1. DOLPHINS: Oy! Tua out + Teddy hurt = 40-17 loss at Jets: Miami at 3-1 was a small road favorite at the rival Jets Sunday despite Tua Tagovailoa out concussed and backup QB Teddy Bridgewater starting. Then Teddy got hurt and left after one play. Then 3rd-string Skylar Thompson made his NFL debut. Then: A 40-17 Miami loss. Fins will try to shake off consecutive losses next Sunday vs. Vikings.

2. HURRICANES: Ouch. TVD shines but UM falls to UNC in ACC opener: The Canes had all the pressure on them Saturday at home in their ACC opener as small home favorites over 4-1 North Carolina -- after consecutive losses to Texas A&M and Middle Tennessee (!). They didn't handle it, falling 27-24 to North Carolina for a 3rd straight loss and 2-3 record as Mario Cristobal's woes continue. How does Tyler Van Dyke pass for a Canes-record 496 yards and you still lose!? Miami tries again next Saturday at Virginia Tech.

3. PANTHERS: It's Opening Week for new(ish)-look Cats: Florida wrapped up a 2-4 preseason last night and now it's Opening Week for the Panthers' 29th NHL regular season. Cats open at N.Y. Islanders and start with three on the road before their home debut October 19. A great season ended badly in the second playoff round last year, now it's a fresh start with new coach Paul Maurice and new star Matthew Tkachuk.

4. INTER MIAMI: Higuain retiring with bang, lifts Herons into playoffs!: Miami finished the MLS regular season at 14-6-14 after Sunday's 3-1 loss to Montreal snapped a four-game win streak during which retiring Gonzalo Higuain had scored six goals. Herons finished sixth in MLS East to earn a playoff spot but not a home match. Miami opens a week from today/next Monday at New York City FC. 

5. MLB: Playoffs! CLE, SEA, PHI, SD advance from wild-card: OK Aaron Judge got his AL-record 62nd homer, fell short of the Triple Crown and now forget that because -- postseason! Eight clubs (four AL, four NL) were in the best-of-3 wild-card round and Cleveland, Seattle and Philadelphia were first to advance with 2-0 sweeps. San Diego stayed alive in three games after winning at the Mets Sunday night. In Division Series starting Tuesday it'll be Yankees vs. Guardians and Astros vs. Mariners in the AL, and Braves vs. Phillies and Dodgers vs. Padres in the NL.

6. HEAT: Miami completes NBA preseason this week: Heat is 2-1 in exibitions with fake games left at home Monday and Wednesday vs. Houston and New Orleans. Erik Spoelstra has been all over the map with his lineups/rotations. Notable: Bam Adebayo flexing his offensive side, and at times on the floor with 6-11 Omer Yurtseven. Miami opens the regular season with a four-game homestand vs. the East starting October 19 vs. Chicago.

7. STATE COLLEGES (NON-UM): Gators win, but Seminoles, FIU both fall: Florida topped Missouri in the Swamp, 24-17, to go to 4-2 but Florida State also now is 4-2 after a 19-17 loss at No. 14- N.C. State. FIU is 2-3 after getting spanked by UConn. UCF won big on Wednesday, while South Florida lost a close one at No. 24-Cincinnati. FSU was off.

8. MARLINS: Lousy season ends; new manager, Sandy's trophy on deck: Miami finished 69-93 and fourth in the NL East, a two-game uptick over last season but out of the playoffs for the 27th time in 30 franchise years. Atop the to-do list: A managerial hunt is underway as Don Mattingly and the club agreed to part ways after seven seasons. And Sandy Alcantara is the NL Cy Young favorite, which would be a club first. Real priority should be the owner spending big in free agency for offense, but don't hold your breath.   

9. SOCCER: USWNT loss caps dispiriting week in women's soccer: USWNT fell 2-1 to England in a friendly at Wembley pitting the No. 1-ranked World Cup champion Americans and the No. 4-ranked Brits who just won the Women's Euros crown. U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski said he was proud of his players for "even being on the field" after just days after the release of a bombshell report detailing systemic abuse in women's soccer in the U.S. The independent investigation especially detailed abuse within the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and charged that the that the league and governing body U.S. Soccer failed to adequately protect players.

10. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: 'Dawgs leapfrog 'Bama for No. 1 in AP poll: No. 1 Alabama edged Texas A&M 24-20 Saturday while No. 2 Georgia more impressively thumped Auburn 42-10. Bulldogs moved to NO. 1 in new AP poll, with Ohio State second and 'Bama falling to third. Five more Top 25 teams lost, though the highest-ranked to lose were No. 11 Utah and No. 13 Kentucky.  

Missing the HB10 cut: Max Verstappen won Formula One season title at Japanese Grand Prix to clinch his second straight championship with four races left ..... Indonesian police are bringing criminal charges against three officers and three civilians for their roles in the deaths of 131 people at a soccer match when police fired tear gas inside a stadium, setting off pandemonium ..... Cheating scandal engulfs chess world! Hans Nieman, 19, is accused of skullduggery at U.S. Chess Championships in St. Louis in wake of his upset of world champion Magnus Carlson. Nieman is alleged to have received advice on moves from his coach via wireless vibrating anal beads. Hey, this is a blog! I couldn't say it if it weren't true! ..... NFLPA agreed to toughen concussion protocols in wake of situation with Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa. The NFL response: Changes are "likely" but no timeline has been set ..... Sixth of 10 NASCAR playoff races is Sunday in Charlotte. Homestead is up on October 23. Season champion will be crowd November 6 in Phoenix ..... Golden State Warriors are probing how video of Draymond Green punching Jordan Poole during practice was made public. Green apologized ..... Tom Brady's ugly divorce over his changing his mind and unretiring has gone all public as he and Giselle Bundchen have both lawyered up ..... No surprise, but Lionel Messi confirmed the upcoming 2022 World Cup would be his last ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode out Monday at 7 a.m. ..... Update: Countdown now 1,344 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup.

***** ----- ***** ----- ***** ----- ***** ----- *****

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: Tua's Career-Redefining Six TDs Lead Dolphins' Miracle Comeback / Hurricanes Let Another Chance For a Big-Stage, Signature Win Slip Away / Texas A&M The Win Canes Need To Give Cristobal Era Liftoff, Make America Notice / Zero To Perfect: How Glory Days Dolphins Put Miami on National Sports Map / Our 2022 NFL Team Ranking. Wait. Miami Dolphins Are WHERE!? / Why Hill & Waddle Are Dolphins' Best WR Duo Since Clayton/Duper / UM's Van Dyke Had Epic Year. Now His Encore Will Define Start Of Cristobal Era / Serena's Week At U.S. Open One For Ages As Tennis' Queen GOAT Defies Time / As Optimism In Dolphins & Canes Spikes, Miami Flexes As A Football Town / Tribute: Community Was One Place Dolphins Won Big -- Because of Jason Jenkins / Watson Punishment Will Go Way Beyond HIs Extended NFL Suspension / Butch Davis On Retiring, His 50-Year Career -- & Canes Twice Almost Bringing Him Back / Why Has Brady Skated On Tampering Role & Does He Still Have Future In Miami? / Miami Raised Mario Cristobal. Payback? Come Home & Make Canes Football Matter Again / 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 / 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 / How Messi-to-Miami Became the Biggest, Longest Tease In Sports / 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 / 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 / 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 / Whatever Happened To Don King? Famed Boxing Promoter Back At 90 For Last Bow in Miami / 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? / 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 / 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 / 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 / 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 / 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: TwitterInstagramFacebookColumnsPodcastPodcast on TwitterPodcast on InstagramLeBatard Show. Book: Fins At 50. Songs: Letting Go (audio only) and The Ballad Of 1440 (with video).

October 07, 2022

NFL Week 5 picks for Dolphins-Jets and all the rest, right here!; plus NFL Week 4 results for Herald picks, Greg's Lobos, QB Rankings; also, latest Greg Cote Show podcast with Larry Csonka out now & more

GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND

1) It's SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8. Bit under the weather so not in with the Le Batard Show this week. Plan to be back on next Tuesday. 2) Join me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hot Button Top 10, Dolphins fall in Cincy and Tua concussion controversy, new Greg Cote Show podcast, Mount Gregmore of columns.

CoteshowZonkGREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE OUT NOW. ZONK!: Our 42nd episode of 2022 and 133rd overall is out now! New episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify and wherever you pod. Find all 133 we've done so far HERE. In our newest episode: We are joined by Miami Dolphins legend Larry Csonka for an in-depth chat about the Perfect Season, his life after football and more. Also in the new ep: The Tua Tagovailoa concussion controversy, Hurricane Ian, Jumpin' Charlie surgery update, Barney the purple dinosaur, What constitutes a friend?, Pop 'n G, Dad joke of the week and more. Hit up GCS2242 for full story on latest ep, and watch our weekly YouTube preview. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, review, follow, subscribe and so forth. We simulcast on Sirius XM, too, Mondays from 5-6 p.m. ET. And now our podcast has a website and merch store! Check it out at TheGregCoteShow.com and visit the store by clicking 'Shop'. New items including Greg's Lobos T-shirts and hats! Also check out our podcast's new YouTube channel.

PicksOur NFL Week 5 picks: We're coming off our second straight double-digit wins week overall and a season best 9-6-1 mark against the spread. Visit NFL Week 5 Gems to find all of our latest picks for Dolphins-Jets, our Game of the Week Upset of the Week and all the rest. Got off an unlucky start in Thursday night's stinker. Denver led most of the game before falling in OT, 12-9. We had the Broncos winning and covering a 3 1/2-point line. Find that separate capsule at NFL Week 4 Thursday Gem. Oh well. Tally ho!

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

Tua is down BshermanNEW! Five Years In, Miami Marlins Rebuild Isn't Working. Here Is The Solution NEW!

NFLPA Firing Doctor For Concussion Eval May Mean Dolphins, Tua Are Victims Here

Dolphins Fall In Cincy, But Tua Hospitalized Puts Result In Perspective

No. 1 Dolphins, Fans Bask in National Attention, Ditch 20 Years' Irrelevance

Gamble Of Inaction: 5 Answers Will Judge Heat's Quiet Offseason

Hilltop: The five columns before that: What's Going On Here!? Dolphins Beat Rival Bills, Improved to 3-0 / Cristobal Honeymoon Ends With Thud As Canes Lose To Middle Tennessee / Everyone Loves Tua & Dolphins Now. But Can Bandwagon Survive Buffalo? / Tua's Career-Redefining Six TDs Lead Dolphins' Miracle Comeback / Hurricanes Let Another Chance For a Big-Stage, Signature Win Slip Away

Note: Mount Gregmore Of Columns includes opinion columns only. NFL picks, QB rankings and stories on latest podcast episode are among stuff not included.

NFL WEEK 4 RESULTS: HERALD PICKS 'N GREG'S LOBOS 'N QB RANKINGS:

Herald Picks: A second straight strong week after slow start -- We continued our recent surge in Week 4 with another solid 10-6 mark overall and season-best 9-6-1 ledger against the spread (with the Bills' win the push at 3 points). Bull's-eyed a nice outright upset with Titans winning at Colts, and also had Seahawks with the points at Detroit. Nailed the Dolphins-Cincy pic too; always especially like to hit the Miami game just right. Mojo back, now let's keep it rollin'!

LobosGreg's Lobos: Lo lo lo your boat! 'Bos win third straight! -- The defending PFPI Fantasy champion Lobos, after an opening loss, won a third straight game in Week 4, 133-114. Tee Higgins (26 points), Cee Dee Lamb (21) and Nick Chubb  (20) all came through big for us. 'Bos at 3-1 are tied for first in our 10-team friends 'n family league, but alone on top based on the total points tiebreaker. Big start to season. Now let's "Lo, lo, lo your boat" and keep it going!NFL QB Rankings: Brady rises, Allen still on top, Tua slips: Tom Brady wins Week 4, Josh Allen weather a subpar game to stay on top and Tua Tagovailoa slips in the latest Miami Herald NFL Quarterback Rankings? Full Top 25 and more at NFL Week 4 QB Rankings.

***** ----- ***** ----- ***** ----- ***** ----- *****

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: Texas A&M The Win Canes Need To Give Cristobal Era Liftoff, Make America Notice / Zero To Perfect: How Glory Days Dolphins Put Miami on National Sports Map / Fins' McDaniel, UM's Cristobal On Honeymoons, But Those Don't Last  / Dolphins Handle Rival Patriots 20-17 In Impressive Season Opener / Our 2022 NFL Team Ranking. Wait. Miami Dolphins Are WHERE!? / Why Hill & Waddle Are Dolphins' Best WR Duo Since Clayton/Duper / Canes Rout Bethune 70-13 In Opener, But We Don't Know Real UM Yet / UM's Van Dyke Had Epic Year. Now His Encore Will Define Start Of Cristobal Era / Serena's Week At U.S. Open One For Ages As Tennis' Queen GOAT Defies Time / As Optimism In Dolphins & Canes Spikes, Miami Flexes As A Football Town / Tribute: Community Was One Place Dolphins Won Big -- Because of Jason Jenkins / Watson Punishment Will Go Way Beyond HIs Extended NFL Suspension / Butch Davis On Retiring, His 50-Year Career -- & Canes Twice Almost Bringing Him Back / Why Has Brady Skated On Tampering Role & Does He Still Have Future In Miami? / Miami Raised Mario Cristobal. Payback? Come Home & Make Canes Football Matter Again / 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 / 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 / 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 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 / 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 / 'Black Cloud' Over U.S. Open Amid Golf Civil War In Time Of Revolution In Sports / 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 / Whatever Happened To Don King? Famed Boxing Promoter Back At 90 For Last Bow in Miami / 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? / 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 / 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 / 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 / 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: TwitterInstagramFacebookColumnsPodcastPodcast on TwitterPodcast on InstagramLeBatard Show. Book: Fins At 50. Songs: Letting Go (audio only) and The Ballad Of 1440 (with video).

October 03, 2022

Latest Hot Button Top 10 (updated): Fins, Tua and Concussiongate (with column). Inter Miami surges. FIU wins!; plus today's NFL Week 4 picks, new Greg Cote Show podcast with guest Larry Csonka out now (!) & more

GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND

1) It's MONDAY, OCTOBER 3. Farewell September, month of my birth and football. Hello October! 2) Join me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hot Button Top 10, Canes fall to Middle Tennessee, Greg Cote Show podcast, Mount Gregmore of columns.

Coteshow ZonkGREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE OUT NOW. ZONK!: Our 42nd episode of 2022 and 133rd overall is out now! New episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify and wherever you pod. Find all 133 we've done so far HERE. In our newest episode: We are joined by Miami Dolphins legend Larry Csonka for an in-depth chat about the Perfect Season, his life after football and more. Also in the new ep: The Tua Tagovailoa concussion controversy, Hurricane Ian, Jumpin' Charlie surgery update, Barney the purple dinosaur, What constitutes a friend?, Pop 'n G, Dad joke of the week and more. Hit up GCS2242 for full story on latest ep, and watch our weekly YouTube preview. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, review, follow, subscribe and so forth. We simulcast on Sirius XM, too, Mondays from 5-6 p.m. ET. And now our podcast has a website and merch store! Check it out at TheGregCoteShow.com and visit the store by clicking 'Shop'. New items including Greg's Lobos T-shirts and hats! Also check out our podcast's new YouTube channel.

MepicksOur NFL Week 4 picks: We're coming off our best week of the early season -- including nailing four outright upset picks last week. We have three more big upsets this week. Visit NFL Week 4 Gems to find all of our latest picks for Chiefs-Bucs, Bills-Ravens, our Game of the Week, Upset of the Week and all the rest. Got off to a strong start Thursday night. Had Bengals winning and covering the 4-point line, 27-20, and Cincy won 27-15. Find that separate capsule at NFL Week 4 Thursday Gem.

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

TuadownNEW! NFLPA Firing Doctor For Concussion Eval May Mean Dolphins, Tua Are Victims Here NEW!

Dolphins Fall In Cincy, But Tua Hospitalized Puts Result In Perspective

No. 1 Dolphins, Fans Bask in National Attention, Ditch 20 Years' Irrelevance

Gamble Of Inaction: 5 Answers Will Judge Heat's Quiet Offseason

What's Going On Here!? Dolphins Beat Rival Bills, Improved to 3-0

Hilltop: The five columns before that: Cristobal Honeymoon Ends With Thud As Canes Lose To Middle Tennessee / Everyone Loves Tua & Dolphins Now. But Can Bandwagon Survive Buffalo? / Tua's Career-Redefining Six TDs Lead Dolphins' Miracle Comeback / Hurricanes Let Another Chance For a Big-Stage, Signature Win Slip Away / Texas A&M The Win Canes Need To Give Cristobal Era Liftoff, Make America Notice

Note: Mount Gregmore Of Columns includes opinion columns only. NFL picks, QB rankings and stories on latest podcast episode are among stuff not included.

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (OCTOBER 2-3): 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:

Hbutton1. DOLPHINS: Fins fall in Cincy, lose Tagovailoa to concussion amid controversy: Miami lost 27-15 in Cincinnati Thursday to fall to 3-1 but that was secondary to Tua Tagovailoa going out with a concussion -- sparkling a Twitterstorm of hindsight debate over whether he should have played after being examined for and cleared of a concussion the Sunday before. Lots of armchair experts questioning the independent neurologist and team doctors who actually examined Tua. But wait. That independent neurologist has now been fired by the NFLPA. The review of how Miami handled this on Sunday continues. Stay tuned. Fins play next Sunday at the Jets, all but certainly with backup Teddy Bridgewater.

2. HURRICANES: Idle Canes feeling pressure as they prep for ACC opener: UM at 2-2 is off this weekend as it prepares to host 4-1 North Carolina next Saturday in its ACC opener. UM is 2-2 after two straight L's including a shocking home loss to Middle Tennessee, a fast honeymoon-ender for new coach Mario Cristobal. QB Tyler Van Dyke was benched for Jake Garcia. Let's see who gets the call for a conference opener suddenly with must-win pressure.

3. INTER MIAMI: Hot Higuain, Herons solidify MLS playoff push: Miami is 13-6-13 with three straight wins after Friday's big 1-0 victory at Toronto on Gonzalo Higuain's team-leading 14th goal -- and 12th in the past 14 matches. Herons are now tied for sixth in the hunt for seven MLS East playoff spots. Two regular season matches are left, both at home: vs. Orlando on Wednesday and Montreal next Sunday.

4. STATE COLLEGES (NON-UM): Big win for FIU, FSU falls, Gators win: FIU ended a 20-game FBS losing streak Saturday with a 21-7 upset at New Mexico State while No. 23 Florida State fell at home to No. 22 Wake Forest, 31-21. Now-unranked Florida hosted and beat East Washington 52-17 Sunday in a game delayed by Hurricane Ian, and UCF hosts SMU in a game delayed to Wednesday. In other Saturday state-FBS results, FAU fell to North Texas and South Florida lost to East Carolina.

5. MLB: Mariners, Judge top big finish as postseason looms: The Seattle Mariners ending a 20-year drought to make the playoffs and Yankee Aaron Judge's pursuit of the Triple Crown highlight the last days of the MLB regular season. Judge hits his 61st home run to tie Roger Maris' AL mark. Ten of 12 postseason tickets are clinched, with San Diego and Philly all but clinched and for the final two spots and Milwaukee needing a miracle. Postseason begins with wild-card playoff games this coming Friday.

6. MARLINS: Alcantara shut down as Fish head to final three games: Still getting past the excitement and drama of Richard Bleier's record three balks in one at-bat, but time to move on. It's the end-game now for manager Don Mattingly, who'll part ways by mutual agreement after the season. Fish are 67-92 entering a final three-game homestand vs. Atlanta starting Monday to close season. Sandy Alcantara will not pitch again but remains the betting favorite for the NL Cy Young award despite Friday's loss dropping his record to 14-9.

7. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Georgia escapes, but 10 Top 25 teams fall: No. 1-ranked Georgia rallied to beat Missouri 26-22 and avoid what would have been a seismic upset. Ten Top 25 teams lost in Week 5 though none that changed the landscape of the College Football Playoff race. Highest-ranked teams to lose were No. 7-Kentucky and No. 10 N.C. State.

8. SOCCER: U.S. ends disappointing runup to World Cup: U.S. men's national team was held to a 0-0 draw by Saudi Arabia this week in its final tuneup for the 2022 World Cup that commences November 20 in Qatar. r injury. Team USA faces Saudi Arabia Tuesday in Spain in its final tuneup match. Team USA in its past seven prep matches against WC-bound teams has one win, three losses and three draws -- and was shut out six times. Coach Gregg Berhalter must submit his final 26-man World Cup roster on November 13.

9. HEAT: Miami tip offs preseason schedule this Tuesday: A five-day training camp in the Bahamas wrapped up Saturday, now the Heat is back to prepare for its first of five preseason games this Tuesday night at home vs Minnesota. Two starting spots alongside Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry could be fluid: Max Strus or Tyler Herro at shooting guard, and Caleb Martin or Duncan Robinson at power forward.

10. PANTHERS: Just the preseason, but Cats drop third straight: Florida is 1-3 in the preseason with three straight losses entering the final two exhibitions Thursday vs. Tampa Bay and Saturday at Tampa. NHL regular season -- dawn of a fresh start under new coach Paul Maurice and new star Matthew Tkachuck -- opens October 13 at the New York Islanders.

Missing the HB10 cut: The Pro Bowl is dead! Yay! The NFL finally killed off its lame all-star game, replacing it with a 'Pro Bowl Games" extravaganza featuring a flag-football game ..... A new-look ..... A new-look Team USA in women's basketball  won a fourth straight FIBA World Cup gold and 11th overall in Sydney, beating China ..... Lewis Hamilton violated a no-jewelry rule by wearing a nose stud in F1 qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix. No action was taken against Lewis Hamilton, but his Mercedes team was fined ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode out Monday at 7 a.m. ..... Update: Countdown now 1,351 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: Zero To Perfect: How Glory Days Dolphins Put Miami on National Sports Map / Fins' McDaniel, UM's Cristobal On Honeymoons, But Those Don't Last  / Dolphins Handle Rival Patriots 20-17 In Impressive Season Opener / Our 2022 NFL Team Ranking. Wait. Miami Dolphins Are WHERE!? / Why Hill & Waddle Are Dolphins' Best WR Duo Since Clayton/Duper / Canes Rout Bethune 70-13 In Opener, But We Don't Know Real UM Yet / UM's Van Dyke Had Epic Year. Now His Encore Will Define Start Of Cristobal Era / Serena's Week At U.S. Open One For Ages As Tennis' Queen GOAT Defies Time / As Optimism In Dolphins & Canes Spikes, Miami Flexes As A Football Town / Tribute: Community Was One Place Dolphins Won Big -- Because of Jason Jenkins / Watson Punishment Will Go Way Beyond HIs Extended NFL Suspension / Butch Davis On Retiring, His 50-Year Career -- & Canes Twice Almost Bringing Him Back / Why Has Brady Skated On Tampering Role & Does He Still Have Future In Miami? / Miami Raised Mario Cristobal. Payback? Come Home & Make Canes Football Matter Again / 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 / 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 / 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 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 / 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 / 'Black Cloud' Over U.S. Open Amid Golf Civil War In Time Of Revolution In Sports / 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 / Whatever Happened To Don King? Famed Boxing Promoter Back At 90 For Last Bow in Miami / 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? / 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 / 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 / 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 / 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: TwitterInstagramFacebookColumnsPodcastPodcast on TwitterPodcast on InstagramLeBatard Show. Book: Fins At 50. Songs: Letting Go (audio only) and The Ballad Of 1440 (with video).

October 01, 2022

Doctors who've never examined Tua need to shut up and quit questioning ethics of doctors who have. New column; plus NFL Week 4 picks, latest Greg Cote Show podcast with Greg's health scare & more

GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND

1) It's SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1. Farewell September, month of my birth and football. Hello October! 2) Pleased to be back in with Le Batard Show this week. Check out Tuesday's show podcasts. 3) Join me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hot Button Top 10, Canes fall to Middle Tennessee, Greg Cote Show podcast, Mount Gregmore of columns.

CoteshowGREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE OUT NOW: DOLPHINS-BILLS, GREG'S HEALTH SCARE: Our 41st episode of 2022 and 132nd overall is out now! New episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify and wherever you pod. Find all 132 we've done so far HERE. In our newest episode: WE discuss the Dolphins-Bills game and Don Mattingly out as Marlins manager. Also, Greg's health scare (the day this weekend when Chris thought his Dad was dying); Uncle Scotchy's Blues Opera; How much would you pay to be taller?; Sandy Alcantara and Cy Young; Greg's beef with Mike Schur; Dad joke of the week; and Brad Pitt and Malibu Barbie. Hit up GCS2241 for full story on latest ep, and watch our weekly YouTube preview. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, review, follow, subscribe and so forth. We simulcast on Sirius XM, too, Mondays from 5-6 p.m. ET. And now our podcast has a website and merch store! Check it out at TheGregCoteShow.com and visit the store by clicking 'Shop'. New items including Greg's Lobos T-shirts and hats! Also check out our podcast's new YouTube channel.

PicksOur NFL Week 4 picks: We're coming off our best week of the early season -- including nailing four outright upset picks last week. We have three more big upsets this week. Visit NFL Week 4 Gems to find all of our latest picks for Chiefs-Bucs, Bills-Ravens, our Game of the Week, Upset of the Week and all the rest. Got off to a strong start Thursday night. Had Bengals winning and covering the 4-point line, 27-20, and Cincy won 27-15. Find that separate capsule at NFL Week 4 Thursday Gem.

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

TuadownNEW! Unfair To Dolphins For 'Experts' Who've Not Examined Tua To Malign Team Doctors NEW! 

NEW! Dolphins Fall In Cincy, But Tua Hospitalized Puts Result In Perspective NEW! 

No. 1 Dolphins, Fans Bask in National Attention, Ditch 20 Years' Irrelevance

Gamble Of Inaction: 5 Answers Will Judge Heat's Quiet Offseason

What's Going On Here!? Dolphins Beat Rival Bills, Improved to 3-0

Hilltop: The five columns before that: Cristobal Honeymoon Ends With Thud As Canes Lose To Middle Tennessee / Everyone Loves Tua & Dolphins Now. But Can Bandwagon Survive Buffalo? / Tua's Career-Redefining Six TDs Lead Dolphins' Miracle Comeback / Hurricanes Let Another Chance For a Big-Stage, Signature Win Slip AwayTexas A&M The Win Canes Need To Give Cristobal Era Liftoff, Make America Notice

Note: Mount Gregmore Of Columns includes opinion columns only. NFL picks, QB rankings and stories on latest podcast episode are among stuff not included.

NFL WEEK 3 RESULTS: PICKS 'N LOBOS 'N QB RANK:

Herald Picks: Surging to shake off rough start -- Two down weeks in a row to start the new season, but we shook that off in Week 3, surging to a 10-6 mark overall and 8-8 against the spread, our best showing both ways so far. That included nailing four outright upset picks (!) with wins by Dolphins, Titans, Panthers, Cowboys -- plus we had Colts with-points vs. Chiefs. Mojo restored, now let's keep it going!

Greg's Lobos: Lo lo lo your boat! Another big win! -- Lobos, after a second straight championship, won 158-96 in our PFPI Fantasy league behind 39 points from Lamar Jackson, 22 from Cee Dee Lamb and eight players in all in double figures. We're now 2-1 and atop the 10-tea league in scoring so far. Solid start. Lo, lo, lo your boat and let's keep it going and rowing!

NFL QB Rankings: Allen vs. Tua on Sunday and again in rankings: Dolphin Tua Tagovailoa ascended to NO. 1 overall after Week 2. Did he hold on, or is there a new leader in the Miami Herald's updated NFL Quarterback Rankings? Full rankings at NFL Week 3 QB Rankings.

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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: Zero To Perfect: How Glory Days Dolphins Put Miami on National Sports Map / Fins' McDaniel, UM's Cristobal On Honeymoons, But Those Don't Last  / Dolphins Handle Rival Patriots 20-17 In Impressive Season Opener Our 2022 NFL Team Ranking. Wait. Miami Dolphins Are WHERE!? / Why Hill & Waddle Are Dolphins' Best WR Duo Since Clayton/Duper / Canes Rout Bethune 70-13 In Opener, But We Don't Know Real UM Yet / UM's Van Dyke Had Epic Year. Now His Encore Will Define Start Of Cristobal Era / Serena's Week At U.S. Open One For Ages As Tennis' Queen GOAT Defies Time / As Optimism In Dolphins & Canes Spikes, Miami Flexes As A Football Town / Tribute: Community Was One Place Dolphins Won Big -- Because of Jason Jenkins / Watson Punishment Will Go Way Beyond HIs Extended NFL Suspension / Butch Davis On Retiring, His 50-Year Career -- & Canes Twice Almost Bringing Him Back / Why Has Brady Skated On Tampering Role & Does He Still Have Future In Miami? / Miami Raised Mario Cristobal. Payback? Come Home & Make Canes Football Matter Again / 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 / 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 / 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 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 / 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 / 'Black Cloud' Over U.S. Open Amid Golf Civil War In Time Of Revolution In Sports / 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 / Whatever Happened To Don King? Famed Boxing Promoter Back At 90 For Last Bow in Miami / 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? / 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 / 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 / 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: TwitterInstagramFacebookColumnsPodcastPodcast on TwitterPodcast on InstagramLeBatard Show. Book: Fins At 50. Songs: Letting Go (audio only) and The Ballad Of 1440 (with video).