GREG COTE'S RANDOM EVIDENCE BLOG: MIAMI. SPORTS. AND BEYOND
1) It's MONDAY, DECEMBER 5. I'll be back in-studio with Le Batard Show on Tuesday. 2) Join me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Le Batard on new Mas Miami and more, Messi-to-Miami expectations heat up, NFL Week 13 picks, Greg Cote Show podcast, Mount Gregmore of columns.
GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE WITH LE BATARD OUT NOW!: Our 51st episode of 2022 and 142nd overall is out now. New episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify and wherever you pod. Find all 142 we've done so far HERE. In our newest episode we are joined by old friend Dan Le Batard as we talk Mas Miami and Dolphins-49ers and Dan accuses Greg of ruining journalism. Also in the new episode: A dance recital with 4-year-olds; Greg and his wife spar at the U.S.-Netherlands match; 'Three Facts, Jack' and more. Hit up GCS2251 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 -- and there's a holiday sale going on! Also check out our podcast's YouTube channel.
NFL WEEK 13 PICKS: INCLUDING TONIGHT'S SAINTS-BUCS PICK: Went 10-6 outright but a hard-hit 5-10-1 against the spread last week, ending as run of six straight weeks at even or better ATS. This week we take on Dolphins at 49ers, a handful of other Game of the Week-caliber matchups, the dubious return of Deshaun Watson, three upsets and all the rest. Visit NFL Week 13 Gems for all our latest picks.
MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:
NEW! Reality-Check for Dolphins, Tua In San Fran -- But Don't Quit On Miami NEW!
Le Batard On New Mas Miami, First DocuSeries -- And Next Big Move
Miami Needs To Seal Deal On Messi Or It'll Be Fans Who Should Feel Jilted
Dolphins Rout Texans, but How Good Are Fins, Really? We're About To See
Miami Hurricanes End No-Bowl Season 5-7 With Home Rout-Loss To Pitt
Hilltop: The five columns before that: Thanksgiving 2022: In Sports As In Life, Little Feeds Spirit Like Gratitude / Canes' 40-0 Loss At Clemson Harsh Measuring-Stick Result For Cristobal / Jimmy Johnson Had To Give Up Football To Get His Life Back / R.I.P. Chuck Carr: Remembering Marlins' Speedy First Star / Dolphins At 7-3: It's Beginning To Feel A Little Bit Magical Around Here. Note: Mount Gregmore includes opinion columns only. NFL picks, QB rankings and stories on newest podcast are not included.
HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (DECEMBER 4-5): WHAT SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive Sunday-into-Monday feature -- back after taking last week off -- 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. SOCCER: U.S. out of men's World Cup with loss to Dutch: The U.S. fell to Netherlands 3-1 in a round-of-16 knockout match Saturday and was sent packing in the men's World Cup in Qatar. The Americans did well to advance past the group stage but deserved go no further, scoring only three goals in four WC games. Lionel Messi and Argentina beat Australia 2-1 in Saturday's other KO game. The Netherlands face Argentina in a quarterfinal match this Friday December 9. On Sunday: England and France advanced to set up a highly anticipated quarterfinal. The WC moves on without Germany and Belgium, probably the two biggest teams that failed to survive the group stage.
2. DOLPHINS: Fins, Tua faced rugged challenge in San Fran, and result showed: It was a homecoming game for coach Mike McDaniel, former 49ers offensive coordinator, but not time for nostalgia. The now 8-4 Fins fell 33-17 in the first of three straight road games. Tua Tagovailoa was intercepted twice and lost a fumble in a reality-check result.
3. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Georgia, Michigan lead CFP after Championship Weekend: Will the College Football Playoff's top four survive Championship Weekend? That was the question as No. 1 Georgia (vs. LSU in SEC) and No. 2 Michigan (vs. Purdue in Big Ten) did -- but No. 3 TCU (vs. Kansas State in Big 12) and No. 4 USC (vs. Utah in Pac-12) did not in conference championship game results. Lurking, idle No. 5 Ohio State and No. 6 Alabama waited to pounce into the CFP final four, but only one got in as TCU stayed No. 3, Ohio State rose to No. 4 and Nick Saban sort of got screwed.
4. HEAT: Butler back as Miami scores statement win in Boston: Miami is 11-12 after an overtime win at East-leading Boston Friday that saw Jimmy Butler return from injury with 25 points and 15 boards. Heat was level at 7-7 but has yet to climb up over .500 this no longer young NBA season now past the quarter mark. but injury-wracked Miami finally is as healthy as it has been. Heat return to the wood tonight/Monday at Memphis.
5. PANTHERS: Cats win a second straight, near .500: Florida is 12-13 (12-9-4) after a Saturday's win in Seattle. Panthers had lost six of previous seven before the current two-game win streak. Cats are back on ice Tuesday in Winnpeg.
6. NFL: Blight on league as Watson returns from suspension: Browns QB Deshaun Watson returned from an 11-game suspension to face his former team in Houston Sunday in a highly though dubiously anticipated comeback. The NFL suspended Watson, though too lightly, over allegations of sexual abuse and perversion from some two dozen massage therapists. Boo him, please.
7. CANES BASKETBALL: UM men open ACC schedule with big win: Miami's men, also receiving votes outside the Top 25, are now 8-1 after opening their ACC schedule Sunday with an 80-53 rout at Louisville, once-mighty but now 0-8. The Canes women are 7-3 after crushing North Florida on Sunday, with their conference opener not until December 21.
8. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Bowl season! Orange gets Tennessee, Clemson: Clemson trounced North Carolina to win the ACC Championship Game (as Miami wallows in a 5-7 season) and earn an range Bowl invitation to face Tennessee. Also notbale on the bowl schedule: Florida-Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl, FSU-Oklahoma in the Cheez-It Bowl, UCF-Duke in the Military Bowl, and Liberty-Toledo in the Boca Raton Bowl.
9. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Prime Time heading to Colorado: Deion Sanders will be named next coach at Colorado, the school said Saturday night. Sanders, with just three years' experience coaching college football, went 27-5 at Jackson State. He completed a12-0 regular season Saturday in winning the SWAC championship. He told his team he still will coach Jackson State in the Celebration Bowl on December 17.
10. MLB: Will voters pitch shutout on '23 Hall of Fame ballot?: The 28-man ballot for 2023 Hall of Fame induction is out, with 14 returning ex-players, 14 newcomers -- and none a cinch for election to Cooperstown. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling are newly off the ballot. No returning player got more than Scott Rolen's 62.3 percent, well short. And no first-time balloteer strikes us as likely. Intriguing returning players back for another try including steroids-tainted Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez.
HB10 cut: UCF was the only state FBS team in a conference title game but lost the AAC finale to Tulane ..... A Saudi Arabian soccer club is offering Cristiano Ronaldo $207 million a year to play there. #Sad ..... Dolphin Tyreek Hill is fifth in total votes in very early Pro Bowl voiting ..... Betting odds have Aaron Judge likeliest at -130 to sign with the Giants but almost as likely at -110 to remain a Yankee ..... Former NFL quarterback Drew Brees reportedly was struck by lightning while filming a commercial for PointsBet but is OK ..... Sandy Alcantara and Jazz Chisholm (unsurprisingly) are out front in Marlins' pitch to sell tickets for next season ..... FAU hired Tom Herman, former Texas coach, to take over its football program after firing Willie Taggert following a 5-7 season ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode out Monday at 7 a.m. ..... Update: Countdown now 1,282 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: Canes' Easy Win At Georgia Tech A Late Lift On Down Year For Cristobal, UM / Dare To Dream, Dolphins Fans. Why Miami Is a Legit Super Bowl Contender / Shula To Miami And 17-0 Should Not Have Happened. It Was Luck ... Or Fate / Kyrie Irving's Anti-Semitism Mess Bigger Than Him. It's Symptom Of What Ails America / Shootout Win In Chicago Shows Dolphins Are What They Haven't Been in Years: Exciting / Canes Are No-Shows in 45-3 Home Loss To FSU In Latest New Low For Cristobal / Has Dolphins' Trade For Chubb Sent Team's Super Bowl Shot 'To The Moon'? / Pawns Chasing Saudi Blood Money Come To Doral As LIV Golf Ends 1st Season / Epic New Low For Cristobal: 8 Turnovers in 45-21 Home Loss To Duke / Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat Disappoint In Season-Opening Home Loss / Csonka, ‘Heart’ Of Dolphins Glory Days, On Life Of Adventure — And Perfection / 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 / 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, Improve 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: 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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