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.
GREG 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.
Our 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:
NEW! 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:
1. 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: Twitter. Instagram. Facebook. Columns. Podcast. Podcast on Twitter. Podcast on Instagram. LeBatard Show. Book: Fins At 50. Songs: Letting Go (audio only) and The Ballad Of 1440 (with video).
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