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Hamlin, Tua put the harsh reality in Fins-Bills playoff opener. New column; plus latest Hot Button Top 10 (updated): Dolphins in playoffs! (with column), UM women en fuego; also, new Greg Cote Show podcast out now has final verdict from jury & more

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

1) It's MONDAY, JANUARY 9. OK. Done. Over. No more "Happy new year" wishes. 2) Glad to be back on the Le Batard Show tomorrow for my regular Tuesday seat this week. 3) Join me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): NFL Week 18 picks, Damar Hamlin crisis brings NFL to halt, The Curse of the Miami Dolphins, NFL Week 17 results (Picks/Lobos/QB rank), Greg Cote Show emergency year-end episode, Mount Gregmore of columns.

CoteshowGREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: FIRST NEW EPISODE OF 2023 OUT NOW: 'THE VERDICT': Our 1st episode of 2023 and 147th overall is out now! New episodes drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify and wherever you pod. Find all 147 we've done so far HERE. Our new episode settles -- once and for all -- the show's Tony Kornheiser/toenail bet with a verdict from an all-star three-person jury consisting for Sarah Spain, Ron Magill and Tim Kurkjian. Did Greg or Chris win? Hint: It was not unanimous. Also in the new ep, the guys discuss the Dolphins making the playoffs (!), whether Greg went cheap with Seinfeld tickets, Chris in the King Mango Strut parade and more. Hit up GCS2301 for the full story on latest ep, and watch our weekly YouTube preview. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, review and follow. 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 free-shipping promotion through this Thursday! Also check out our podcast's YouTube channel.

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

InjsNEW! Hamlin, Tua Put Focus On Health, Danger Of NFL As Dolphins-Bills Open Playoffs NEW!

NEW! Barely Won. Needed Help. But Dolphins In Playoffs First Time Since 2016 NEW!

Nothing Stops The NFL? Damar Hamlin's Near Death Did

Curse Of The Miami Dolphins Is Real & Rearing Its Ugly Head

Out Of Control: Dolphins Lose Playoff Grip With 5th Straight Loss

Hilltop: The five columns before that: Tennessee Routs Clemson in Orange Bowl As Canes Rebuild From 5-7Pele', King Of The Beautiful Game, Touched The World ... & South FloridaTua Has Big Future With Dolphins, But Will Concussions Allow It? / Bah Humbug For Christmas Gift Not There As Dolphins Lose 4th Straight / Messi's World Cup Makes America Last Frontier To Conquer. And Inter Miami Waits. Note: Mount Gregmore includes opinion columns only. NFL picks, QB rankings and stories on podcast are not included.

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (JANUARY 8-9): 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 wins, gets help, ends six-year playoff drought: With third-string quarterback Skylar Thompson on call Sunday, the Dolphins had to beat the visiting New York Jets and have the Patriots lose at the Bills in a concurrent game. Done. Done. Playoffs! Miami is in the NFL postseason for the first time since 2016 and only third time in past 21 seasons. 

2. NFL: Chiefs, Eagles top seeds as 14-team playoff field set after week under grip of Damar Hamlin: Eighteen teams are out and 14 have  advanced to the NFL playoffs, the last three including Miami making it on the final weekend of the regular season. Week was dominated by the cardiac arrest suffered by Bills safety Damar Hamlin on Monday night in a crisis that first postponed and later canceled the Bills-Bengals game. Hamlin has since shown great progress and was talking via FaceTime with his teammates Friday night.

3. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Can TCU shock the world (and the Dawgs)?: Can No. 3 TCU (13-1) shock the world (and the Dawgs) by beating heavily favored No. 1 Georgia (14-0) in Monday night's College Football Playoff championship game in Inglewood, California? Georgia, the defending champion, is a 12 1/2-point favorite to win its third national title. TCU is after its second crown and first since distant 1938.

4. HEAT: Miami one game over .500 at midpoint of season: Gaining breathing room on .500 has been a season-long struggle for Miami, and the Heat is 21-20 at the NBA's halfway point after Sunday's 102-101 home loss to hot Brooklyn, which is 18-2 since late November. Miami continues a four-game homestand Tuesday vs. Oklahoma City.

5. PANTHERS: Cats denied first 3-game win streak; Tkachuk an all-star: Florida is 18-23 (18-19-4) after Sunday's 5-1 loss at Dallas to open a four-game road trip. Cats had won two straight and sought their first three-game streak of season. A light in a rough season so far: First-year Panther Matthew Tkachuk, team leader with 20 goals and 48 points, was among the first of 32 All-Star selections the NHL A-S Weekend that Florida is hosting February 3-4. A remaining 12 All-Stars will be determined by an online fan vote ending January 17. 

6. UM BASKETBALL: Canes men finally lose; UM women score two big wins: The No. 12 Canes men are 13-2 (4-1) after Wednesday's ACC loss to Georgia Tech ended a nine-game win streak. Team Larranaga is back at it this Wednesday hosting Boston College. Miami's women are 10-6 (3-2) after Thursday's big home win over No. 22 North Carolina and then Sunday's even bigger home win over No. 9 Virginia Tech.

7. UFC: Silence over Dana White's scandal: UFC boss Dana White slapped his wife during a drunken celebration in Vegas. Was right there on a TMZ video. Didn't happen years ago when he was 18 (see No. 9 below).Happened this New Year's Eve. Should he be made to resign? Surely come punishment is due. It's the latest controversy engulfing UFC, but ownership group Endeavor and broadcast partner ESPN (that's Disney) keep swallowing their tongues, saying nothing. Shameful.

8. SOCCER: Berhalter, his snitch and U.S. Soccer: U.S. men's national team coach Gregg Berhalter, when age 18, kicked his then-girlfriend (and current wife) in the legs during an argument when both had been drinking. It came to U.S. Soccer's attention during last month's World Cup when Danielle Reyna and husband Claudio Reyna evidently snitched-out Berhalter because hey were upset over their son Gio's lack of playing time on the USMNT. Bottom line: Berhalter looks bad for something he did a very long time ago. The Reynas look worse for what they just did.

9. SOCCER: Ronaldo buries his legacy in Saudi cash: Portugal's great but aging Cristiano Ronaldo followed the money trail at all cost in signing with obscure Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr -- and promptly embarrassed himself by saying he had "come to South Africa." Ronaldo, 37, Ronaldo a two-and-a-half-year contract to play in the Saudi Pro League in a deal that reportedly will pay him as much as $200 million a year.

10. HURRICANES: UM football details major facility upgrade: The U announced plans to build a new football operations center, what it is calling an on-campus "forever" home for Hurricanes football. The towering seven-story structure will sprawl over 175,000 square feet and connect to the indoor practice facility. The new building will include areas of sports medicine, strength and conditioning, nutrition, sports psychology and personal branding services. It will also serve as a destination space for recruits, their families, and alumni. The new building will convey "major national program" ... as opposed to the recent 5-7 season.

HB10 cut: Desperate Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher hired disgraced Bobby Petrino to be his offensive coordinator ..... The Dodgers severed ties to Trevor Bauer, the starting pitcher and former Cy Young winner who was given an unprecedented suspension following allegations of sexual assault ..... University of Texas fired men's basketball coach Chris Beard less than a month after his December 12 arrest for domestic violence ..... NCAA is after Michigan and coach Jim Harbaugh for several violations ..... Unlikeable, questionably talented self-promoter Jake Paul signed to compete in MMA with the Professional Fighters League ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast drops its first episode of the new year on 7 a.m. ET Monday, January 9 ..... Update: Countdown now 1,247 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 this past year to again be named by Associated Press Sports Editors as a 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 See Playoff Hopes In Peril With 3rd Straight Loss in Buffalo / Loss In L.A. Puts Pressure on Dolphins -- And Tua -- To Rise Up In Final Month / Griner Freed, But Others Still Held, And WNBA Responsibility Remains / Reality-Check for Dolphins, Tua In San Fran -- But Don't Quit On Miami / 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 / Thanksgiving 2022: In Sports As In Life, Little Feeds Spirit Like Gratitude / Jimmy Johnson Had To Give Up Football To Get His Life Back / R.I.P. Chuck Carr: Remembering Marlins' Speedy First Star / 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 / Canes Are No-Shows in 45-3 Home Loss To FSU In Latest New Low For Cristobal / Pawns Chasing Saudi Blood Money Come To Doral As LIV Golf Ends 1st Season / Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat Disappoint In Season-Opening Home Loss / Csonka, ‘Heart’ Of Dolphins Glory Days, On Life Of Adventure — And Perfection / Five Years In, Miami Marlins Rebuild Isn't Working. Here Is The Solution / No. 1 Dolphins, Fans Bask in National Attention, Ditch 20 Years' Irrelevance / Gamble Of Inaction: 5 Answers Will Judge Heat's Quiet Offseason / 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 / 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 / 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).

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