HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (JANUARY 1-2): WHAT SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive Sunday-into-Monday feature -- back this week after Christmas Sunday off last week -- 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 suffer 5th straight loss; playoffs now on thin ice: Miami sunk to 8-8 with a fifth straight loss Sunday, 23-21 at New England, losing their grip and control over whether they make the playoffs. Miami now must win at home next Sunday over the Jets and have the Patriots lose at Buffalo. No word yet who'll be at QB for the Fins next week, with Tua (concussion) and Teddy Bridgewater (finger injury) both iffy.

2. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: It's Georgia-TCU for CFP title after semifinal thrillers: A College Football Playoff semifinal doubleheader on New Year's Eve Saturday determined the championship-game matchup -- and it was 2-for-2 on epic thrillers totaling 179 points scored. No. 3 TCU never trailed in upsetting No. 2 Michigan, 51-45. Then No.1 Georgia rallied from 11 down in the fourth quarter to beat No. 4 Ohio State 42-41 when the Buckeyes badly missed a 50-yard winning field as time expired. The semifinal winners will meet for the national championship on January 9 in Inglewood, California -- Georgia a huge early 13-point favorite.

3. HEAT: Hero Herro lifts Miami back over.500: Reaching and staying over .500 has been a struggle, but has Miami finally caught a little bit of a tailwind? The Heat is 19-18 and on a 7-3 run after Saturday's 126-123 win in Utah on Tyler Herro's buzzer-beating 3. Heat's five-game road trip continues with an L.A. double at Clippers Monday and Lakers Wednesday.   

4. HURRICANES: Cristobal bounces back with big signing-day haul: Coach Mario Cristobal suffered a 5-7 first season at UM but began to make amends with an early National Signing Day that left Miami with a No. 3 national ranking by ESPN, trailing only Alabama and Georgia. The Canes' haul was led by five-star offensive tackles Samson Okunlola and Francis Mauigoa. A third five-star commit, cornerback Cormani McClain, failed to sign as expected that day, but McClain wore Canes gear and flashed the 'U' on Thursday durind media events for the Under Armour Next All-American game in Orlando.

5. SOCCER: Pele', 'king of the beautiful game,' dies at 82: A towering, near-mythical icon of his sport akin to Babe Ruth in American baseball, the Brazilian soccer great Pele' died this week after battling colon cancer. He is the only man to lead a nation to three World Cup wins and helped grow the sport in the U.S. by playing for the NASL's New York Cosmos late in an epic career.

6. ORANGE BOWL: Tennessee owns Clemson in a snoozer OB: The No. 6 Tennessee Vols from the SEC handled the No. 7 Clemson Tigers from the ACC, 31-14, Friday night in a less than scintillating 89th Orange Bowl game.

7. MARLINS: Segura? Fish do something. Finally. But not much: After a stunningly inactive offseason the Marlins signed veteran middle infielder Jean Segura from the Phillies to a two-year, $17 million deal. It is the first free agent move of any note this offseason for the Fish, after a 69-93 season. Segura, 33 in March, is alright but likely a few years past his best days. This move hardly counters seeing the NL East rival Braves, Phils and Mets spend aggressively to get better.

8. PANTHERS: Slumping Cats now six games under .500: Florida is 16-22 (16-18-4) and has lost eight of its past 10 games after Sunday's loss to the Rangers on top of Friday's shutout loss vs. Carolina. Panthers are back on home ice Tuesday vs. Arizona.

9. UM BASKETBALL: Canes men sizzling toward top 10; Larranaga a Hall nominee: The No. 14-ranked Hurricanes men (school's highest ranking since rising to No. 6 in December 2017) are 13-1 (4-0 ACC) including a big win over No. 6 Virginia after Friday's win at Notre Dame. Jim Larranaga, newly named a first-time nominee for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and team are back at it this Wednesday at Georgia Tech. UM's women, after a 4-0 start, are 8-6 (1-2 ACC) after Sunday's needed conference win at Pitt.

10. INTER MIAMI: Still a bystander as saga of Messi's future plays out: Reports out of Europe are that Barcelona is continuing an ambitious pursuit to bring Lionel Messi back to Camp Nou even amid unconfirmed reports that the newly minted World Cup champion has agreed to a contract extension with Paris Saint-Germain. Where does that leave Inter Miami and its ferocious interest in bringing Messi to MLS? Waiting and hoping, as usual.

HB10 cut: NFL's Pro Bowl all-star game has devolved into a flag football game to be coached February 5 by Peyton and Eli Manning. Still, to be selected is sort of a big deal, and Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill, OT Terron Armstead and S Xavien Howard made it. Hill was no-brainer-deserving; Armstead and Howard were closer to habit picks. Miami alternates are QB Tua Tagovailoa, FB Alec Ingold, WR Jaylen Waddle, DE Christian Wilkins, OLB Bradley Chubb, S Jevon Holland and TE Mike Gesicki ..... Yankees slugger Aaron Judge and champion Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky were named Associated Press male and female athlete of the year ..... Marlins FanFest has been set for Saturday February 11 at the ballpark so that fans might celebrate a stagnant offseason by Miami while other teams aggressively spent big ..... Hurricanes baseball is No. 8 in Collegiate Baseball’s preseason poll. Coach Gino DiMare's fifth season opens vs. Penn State on February 17 ..... R.I.P., Franco Harris, Steelers great gone too soon at 72 ..... Four Panthers prospects were named to rosters for hockey's IIHF World Junior Championship underway through this coming week in Nova Scotia ..... Kelly Clarkson named host of NFL Honors awards show ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast dropped an unscheduled "emergency" episode on Saturday. We'll be back with a regular new episode on January 9 ..... Update: Countdown now 1,254 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup.

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

1) It's SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31. Happy New Year's Eve! Make it a safe one. 2) Hot Button Top 10 was off last Sunday for the holiday but returns this week. 3) Join me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): NFL Week 16 picks, Greg Cote Show podcast, Mount Gregmore of columns, NFL Week 15 results (Herald picks/Greg's Lobos/QB Rankings).

Note to readers: I've had fewer columns this month because have had lots of vacation time to use before end of the year. Still doing the blog, NFL picks, QB rankings and Dolphins games, just fewer general columns for now.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW YEAR-END EMERGENCY OUT NOW! THE KORNHEISER BET ANSWERED!: Our 55th and last episode of 2022 and 146th overall is out now! New episodes drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify and wherever you pod, but this is an emergency Saturday drop. Find all 146 we've done so far HERE. Our newest episode is a 14-minute mini that solves the long-running show bet over whether we'd get ESPN star Tony Kornheiser on before the end of the year. Did we> Listen to find out. (And even then you might be sure?) Hit up GCS2255 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 holiday sale going on! Also check out our podcast's YouTube channel.

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ARCHIVES

Thank you!: Was honored this 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: 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.

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

1) It's SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3. Farewelll, Augie. See you next year. Welcome, September ... and football! 2) Happy to be back in with Le Batard Show this week. Check out Tuesday's show podcasts -- including a new Back In My Day. 3) Join me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Personal note, Greg Cote Show podcast, updated Mount Gregmore of columns.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: MEET THE MAN WHO INVENTED ... ME!: Our 37th episode of 2022 and 128th overall is out now! New episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify and wherever you pod. Find all 128 we've done so far HERE. In our newest episode: Meet Jim Martz (pictured far right), the man who first hired me at the Miami Herald way back when, how it happened and why. Also in the new ep: Airplane bathroom strategy, Greg discovers legal weed, #WadeWorldTour, Udonis Haslem, BRAD, A song from 1840, and The Addams Family vs. The Munsters. Hit up GCS2237 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! Also check out our podcast's new YouTube channel.

Opening Day for The U!: Hurricanes football launches today at Hard Rock with a soft opener vs. FCS-level Bethune-Cookman. Miami is such a huge favorite there is no betting line; it's off the board. I will be on site covering. Look for my column online soon after game ends and in Sunday's print editions.

Be the change!: Visit Change.org/MountGregmore today and sign our petition to change the name of Mount Rushmore. It's free!

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

NEW! Serena's Week At U.S. Open One For Ages As Tennis' Queen GOAT Keeps Defying Time NEW!

NEW! As Optimism In Dolphins & Canes Spikes, Miami Flexes As A Football Town NEW!  

Tribute: Community Was One Place Dolphins Won Big -- Because of Jason Jenkins

Tua's Preseason Debut Was Most Impressive 4 1/2 Hours Before It Began

Watson Punishment Will Go Way Beyond HIs Extended NFL Suspension

Hilltop: The five columns before that: No Doubt Now: Deshaun Watson Knows He'll Be Pariah In Stadiums Across NFL / Who Dolphins Are Was Hidden In Opening Win. 5 Questions That Still Need Answers / 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

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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: Goodell Kept The Power, After All. It's Why Watson Still Faces Much Harsher Ban / Ross NFL Cheating Scandal A New Low For Owner Who Embarrasses Dolphins / 11 NBA Titles Not Where Bill Russell's Legacy Starts. Tribute To An  Epic Life / Deshaun Watson's 6-game NFL Suspension A Slap-On-The-Wrist Affront / Ranking South Florida's Top 20 Biggest Sports Stars (2022 Edition) / If Miami Marlins Trading For Juan Soto Sounds Laughable -- That's The Problem / Dolphins' Tua: The Disrespected Underdog QB About To Prove Everybody Wrong / How Matthew Tkachuk Brings Needed Swagger, Bravado To Panthers / Barkley, Djokovic, Lia Thomas: Being Sports Fan Never Harder -- Or More Interesting / How Super Mario And The Cheetah were Sent To Save Football in Miami / How Messi-to-Miami Became the Biggest, Longest Tease In Sports / Why LeBron (of All People) Chiming In On Griner's Russia Detention Is Ironic / Heat Luring Donovan Mitchell Involves Friend D-Wade, Arch-Enemy Ainge, Too / Why Miami Heat Should Re-Think, Go All-In For King-Whale Kevin Durant / Cup Of AK-47 Coffee At Cowboys Games? Nuthin' Wrong With That, Huh Jerry? / Cy Young Alert: Marlins' Ace-On-Fire Sandy Alcantara Does It Again / Nobody Wins, Everybody Loses, As NFL Weighs Deshaun Watson Punishment / The End Isn't Here, But It's Coming. Miami Sports Has Had Nobody Like Heat's Pat Riley / Title IX Empowered Women. The Supreme Court Has Done The Opposite / Florida Panthers Swap Coach Of Year Finalist For Guy No. 1 In Career Losses / 20 Cases Settled, But Deshaun Watson Won't Begin To Clear Name Without Remorse / Tua Will Handle Scrutiny & Pressure. Question Is If Rest of Miami Dolphins Can / 'Black Cloud' Over U.S. Open Amid Golf Civil War In Time Of Revolution In Sports / Curry's 4th NBA Title, 1st Finals MVP Opens Path To Michael/LeBron Best-Ever Talk / Heat Season Ends One Win (One Shot?) Short Of NBA Finals In Game 7 Loss / No Consolation, No Excuse: Panthers Swept From Playoffs In 2-0 Loss A Brutal End / Why'd World Cup pick Miami? Thank Dolphins Founder & Unlikely Soccer Visionary Joe Robbie / Serena Playing Wimbledon Still Matters, Maybe More Than Ever. Because It Feels Like Goodbye / Whatever Happened To Don King? Famed Boxing Promoter Back At 90 For Last Bow in Miami / Mickelson, Johnson et al Are Saudi Pawns Pocketing Blood Money / Dolphins Denied It, But Deshaun Watson Lawyer Reveals How Close Miami Was To A Deal / A Lesson In Sioux City: Sports And Real Life In Age Of Mass Shootings / ‘Centerpiece of futbol in world’: Dream is green-lit. Now can Inter Miami deliver? / Only In Miami: Ex-Marlins Prez Samson Joins Fight vs. 'Boondoggle' Soccer Stadium / Blowing Up Dolphins' Brady-Payton Plan Parting Shot Of Flores Lawsuit. For Now / Rotation Set, Lineup Improved, Excuses Gone. Time For Marlins To Win / Could Have Died. Nearly Lost a Leg. Tiger Playing Masters Means He's Already Won / Marlins Owner Sherman Said He'd Spend. Payroll Says It Hasn't Been Enough / Crushing End Short Of Final Four, But Miami Hurricanes' NCAA Run Was Exhilarating Milestone / Tyreek Hill Trade, Terron Armstead Signing A Win-Now Power Play By Dolphins / When Spoelstra Joined Heat's 'Inner Circle' And Became Riley's Next Coach / Why Brittney Griner Is Lost In Russia / Brady A Dolphins Part Owner? Why It Could Happen / Top 15 Figures (Non-Athletes) In Miami Sports History / Hall of Fame Keeps Saying No, But Zach Thomas Keeps Feeling Gratitude / McDaniel Overcame Much In Own Life, Now Must Overcome Dolphins' Turmoil And Win / An Inside Preview Of Le Batard Show's Upcoming Musical. Yes, Musical / Ranking Flores/Ross Bombshell Among Biggest Dolphins Scandals / Ross Should Be Done As Fins Owner if Flores Allegations Are True  / Dolphins Firing of Flores The Unjustified Travesty Of A Clown-Show Owner / Canes Land Grand Prize In Cristobal, So No Excuses Left. New Glory Days A Must / 50 Years At the Herald For Me -- And a Lifetime Of Gratitude / UM And Blake James Parted Ways With Class -- Which Butch Davis Didn't Get From FIU / Dolphins Fans, Ex-Players Gather For Emotional Farewell to Don Shula, Father of the Glory Days / Fairy Tale With Wrong Ending: Remembering Jose Fernandez 5 Years Later / An Appreciation of Udonis Haslem As He Re-Ups For 19th Heat Season / College Football and FSU Lose a Treasure In Passing Of Bobby Bowden /  Biles' Withdrawal For Mental-Health Reasons Merits Empathy, Not Scorn / Where Dolphins Rank Among Teams With Longest Championship Droughts / Nassib Coming Out As Gay NFL Player A Milestone In Sports History / Le Batard Bet On Himself And His Audience -- And Won Big / In History And In Hearts, Howard Schnellenberger Will Matter For All Time / Reality, Loss, Comeback: How Sports Has Been Guiding Light In America's Awful Past Year / Time-Travelling To 1960s And Childhood, When The Baseball Card Was King / Marlins Hit History-Making Home Run With Kim Ng Hire As GM / Don Shula, 1930-2020, R.I.P. / What Shula Meant to a Father & Son. The Boy Was Me

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

1) It's MONDAY, AUGUST 8. Join me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Canes football needs Cristobal to be the homecoming king, Goodell keeping power why Watson may yet get harsher ban, Ross and Dolphins socked for tampering, R.I.P. Vin Scully, Greg Cote Show podcast, updated Mount Gregmore of columns.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE OUT NOW WITH PLAN TO RENAME MOUNT RUSHMORE: Our 34th episode of 2022 and 125th overall is out now! A new episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify -- wherever else you pod and of course at MiamiHerald.com. Find all 125 we've done so far HERE, free. In our new episode: We introduce and discuss our new petition drive at change.org to change the name of Mount Rushmore to Mount Gregmore. Also: Bill Maher of HBO’s “Real Time” asking, “Have you ever seen a fat 90-year-old?”; Yeti explains how a music studio in Slovakia had a hand in producing “Pebble Drive,” his new song that debuted on our show last week; Chris takes us into the room as Season 2 of Battle Court Jai-Alai gets underway with a player draft; Golfing alone leads Greg to reveal a heretofore unknown insecurity; Greg considers filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Postal Service; Greg holds Chris solely to blame for the two of them not winning last week’s billion-dollar lottery; Gender reveal stunt gone awry; and Chris and friend Alex have a surprise night out planned with their fathers. (But does Chris let slip what the surprise is?). Hit up GCS2234 for full story on the latest ep, and watch our weekly YouTube preview. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, review, follow, subscribe et cetera and so forth. We simulcast on Sirius XM, too, Mondays from 5-6 p.m. ET. And now, brand new: Our podcast has a website and merch store: Check it out at TheGregCoteShow.com and visit the merch store by clicking 'Shop'. New items! Also check out our podcast's new YouTube channel.

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

NEW! Why Has Brady Skated On Tampering Role & Does He Still Have Future In Miami? NEW!

NEW! Miami Raised Mario Cristobal. Payback? Come Home & Make Canes Football Matter Again New!

Goodell Kept The Power, After All. It's Why Watson Still Faces Much Harsher Ban

Ross NFL Cheating Scandal A New Low For Owner Who Embarrasses Dolphins

11 NBA Titles Not Where Bill Russell's Legacy Starts. Tribute To An  Epic Life

The Hilltop: The five columns before that: Deshaun Watson's 6-game NFL Suspension A Slap-On-The-Wrist Affront / Ranking South Florida's Top 20 Biggest Sports Stars (2022 Edition) / If Miami Marlins Trading For Juan Soto Sounds Laughable -- That's The Problem / Dolphins' Tua: The Disrespected Underdog QB About To Prove Everybody Wrong / How Matthew Tkachuk Brings Needed Swagger, Bravado To Panthers

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (AUGUST 7-8): WHAT SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive Sunday-into-Monday feature is part week-in-review, part look-ahead. Hot Button means what's on our minds, locally and nationally, from a Miami perspective, as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead. The latest HB10:

1. DOLPHINS: Owner Ross guilty of tampering, Fins lose first-round pick: The NFL found the Dolphins and owner Stephen Ross guilty of tampering in 2019 to '21 in trying to lure quarterback Tom Brady and coach Sean Payton when both were under contract to other teams. The Fins must forfeit a 2023 first-round draft pick and a '24 third-rounder. In additon Ross was fined $1.5 million and vice chairman Bruce Beal was fined $500,000. Addressing the Brian Flores lawsuit, the league found that Ross expressed a priority for high draft position over winning but did not directly bribe Flores to lose. Miami will stage joint practces with the Buccaneers ahead of the first of three preseason games this coming Saturday in Tampa.

2. NFL: Goodell, league appealing Watson's wrist-slap 6-game suspension: The NFL said it will appeal the six-game suspension for Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson in favor of a harsher penalty for violating the league's personal conduct policy related to sexual misconduct in massage sessions. The Monday sentence by league disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson has been roundly criticized as too lenient. Commissioner Roger Goodell will determine who will hear the appeal, himself or a designee. The league wanted an indefinite suspension of at least one full season, a fine and treatment.

3. HURRICANES: UM opens fall camp, season less than month away: The Canes began their first fall camp under new coach Mario Cristobal with a first practice Friday. A CanesFest fan event inside the indoor practice facility followed Saturday's practice. Preseason Top 25s are not out yet, but ESPN's first Football Power Index for 2022 has Miami No. 9 overall and second in the ACC to Clemson with a plus-14.5 rating. Miami opens its season at home September 3 with a softie vs. Bethune-Cookman. 

4. INTER MIAMI: Herons now on pace for final MLS playoff spot: Inter Miami is 8-6-10 after Satutday's 2-2 draw at Monttreal and its 30 standings are now tied for the seventh and last MLS East playoff spot. The league takes its all-star break this Wednesday night with the MLS stars -- including defender DeAndre Yedlin as Miami's lone rep -- taking on Mexico's Liga MX stars. The Herons return to league play with 10 games left in the regular season starting next Saturday at home vs. New York City.

5. MLB: Soto to Padres the whale-deal at the trade deadline: The San Diego Padres acquired 23-year-old megastar slugger Juan Soto from Washington for a bevy of top prospects in the biggest trade by far at the MLB trade deadline. Next biggest deal was the one not made, with Shohei Ohtani staying with the Angels, at least for now. Soto joins Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado in the S.D. lineup as Friars make a run at the Dodgers' dominance in the NL West.  

6. MARLINS: Sandy or bust. Let's quit pretending Fish are still in wild-card race: The good news: Ace Sandy Alcantara is now 10-4 after complete-game shutout of the Reds. The bad news? Most everything else. That gem ended a 1-5 homestand that left Miami so far back in the wild-card hunt it's time to stop using "Marlins" and "playoffs" in the same sentence. Miami has sliumped to 49-59 in the midst of a six-game road swing. Marlins' only trade-deadline move was a small one, dealing relievers Anthony Bass (team' holds leader) and Zach Pop to Toronto for infielder Jordan Groshans, a top-five Blue Jays minor-league prospect.

7. WNBA: Griner sentenced in Russia, but prisoner swap hoped for: A Russian court sentenced WNBA star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison for bringing cannabis into the country. She'd been arrested February 17. Her guilty plea, verdict and sentence were considered necessary precursors to allow U.S.-Russia negotiations for a prisoner exchange to begin.

8. GOLF: PGA Tour defectors fire latest salvo in the Golf War: Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau and nine other LIV Golf competitors (a.k.a. PGA Tour expatriates) filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour in federal court, claimng their suspensions are part of a “carefully orchestrated plan" to defeat the Saudi-backed breakaway tour. Meanwhile the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoffs, from which LIV guys are excluded, begin August 19.

9. DEATHS: R.I.P., Vin Scully, broadcasting legend, diamond poet: Hall of Fame baseball broadcaster Vin Scully, the Dodgers icon and diamond poet to generations, passed away at 96. It was the sports world's second farewell to an epic life within days, after NBA legend Bill Russell passed on at 88.

10. HEAT: Shh. Quiet, please. We don't want to wake the Heat's offseason: The exciting speculation about Miami's interest in going after major trades for whale Kevin Durant or mini-whale Donovan Mitchell seems long time ago and miles away as the Heat snore through a quiet offseason whose biggest headline thus far has been the loss of P.J. Tucker in free agency. Is Miami up to something? Anything? Stay tuned.

Missing the HB10 cut: Aaron Rodgers, much better at passing than at not saying things he shouldn't, admitted in an interview has had "psychedelic experiences" with mushrooms and the mind-bending ayahuasca plant. Will be interesting to see if the Packers are NFL do anything beyond shaking their collective head ..... Hate to be harsh, but it was a B-list crowd entering the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. Tony Boselli, Cliff Branch, Art McNally, Sam Mills, Richard Seymour, Dick Vermeil and Bryant Young enter as evidence the Hall admits too many .... Las Vegas beat Jacksonville 27-11 to kick off the NFL preseason in the Hall of Fame Game, in what was believed to be the worst matchup and most boring result in the history of human activity ..... Arsenal shut out Crystal Palace 2-nil to kick off the 2022-23 English Premier League season. A cloud over it: Cristiano Ronaldo's apparent desire to extract himself from Manchester United ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode out Monday at 7 a.m. ..... Update: Countdown now 1,407 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup.

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ARCHIVES

Thank you!: Was honored to have again been named by Associated Press Sports Editors as national Top 10 columnist for 2021 in '22 judging. The four nominated columns that won: Inter Miami’s David Beckham and Qatar a budding, avoidable controversy / Hall of Famer Jimmy Johnson knows biggest victory happened in own family / Scorned, but does he deserve empathy? Behind who Aubrey Huff became and Dolphins sabotaging Tua with interest in Watson

Select other recent columns: Barkley, Djokovic, Lia Thomas: Being Sports Fan Never Harder -- Or More Interesting / How Super Mario And The Cheetah were Sent To Save Football in Miami / How Messi-to-Miami Became the Biggest, Longest Tease In Sports / Why LeBron (of All People) Chiming In On Griner's Russia Detention Is Ironic / Heat Luring Donovan Mitchell Involves Friend D-Wade, Arch-Enemy Ainge, Too / Why Miami Heat Should Re-Think, Go All-In For King-Whale Kevin Durant / Cup Of AK-47 Coffee At Cowboys Games? Nuthin' Wrong With That, Huh Jerry? / Cy Young Alert: Marlins' Ace-On-Fire Sandy Alcantara Does It Again / Nobody Wins, Everybody Loses, As NFL Weighs Deshaun Watson Punishment / The End Isn't Here, But It's Coming. Miami Sports Has Had Nobody Like Heat's Pat Riley / Title IX Empowered Women. The Supreme Court Has Done The Opposite / Florida Panthers Swap Coach Of Year Finalist For Guy No. 1 In Career Losses / 20 Cases Settled, But Deshaun Watson Won't Begin To Clear Name Without Remorse / Tua Will Handle Scrutiny & Pressure. Question Is If Rest of Miami Dolphins Can / 'Black Cloud' Over U.S. Open Amid Golf Civil War In Time Of Revolution In Sports / Curry's 4th NBA Title, 1st Finals MVP Opens Path To Michael/LeBron Best-Ever Talk / Heat Season Ends One Win (One Shot?) Short Of NBA Finals In Game 7 Loss / No Consolation, No Excuse: Panthers Swept From Playoffs In 2-0 Loss A Brutal End / Why'd World Cup pick Miami? Thank Dolphins Founder & Unlikely Soccer Visionary Joe Robbie / Serena Playing Wimbledon Still Matters, Maybe More Than Ever. Because It Feels Like Goodbye / Whatever Happened To Don King? Famed Boxing Promoter Back At 90 For Last Bow in Miami / Mickelson, Johnson et al Are Saudi Pawns Pocketing Blood Money / Dolphins Denied It, But Deshaun Watson Lawyer Reveals How Close Miami Was To A Deal / A Lesson In Sioux City: Sports And Real Life In Age Of Mass Shootings / ‘Centerpiece of futbol in world’: Dream is green-lit. Now can Inter Miami deliver? / Only In Miami: Ex-Marlins Prez Samson Joins Fight vs. 'Boondoggle' Soccer Stadium / Blowing Up Dolphins' Brady-Payton Plan Parting Shot Of Flores Lawsuit. For Now / Rotation Set, Lineup Improved, Excuses Gone. Time For Marlins To Win / Could Have Died. Nearly Lost a Leg. Tiger Playing Masters Means He's Already Won / Marlins Owner Sherman Said He'd Spend. Payroll Says It Hasn't Been Enough / Crushing End Short Of Final Four, But Miami Hurricanes' NCAA Run Was Exhilarating Milestone / Tyreek Hill Trade, Terron Armstead Signing A Win-Now Power Play By Dolphins / When Spoelstra Joined Heat's 'Inner Circle' And Became Riley's Next Coach / Why Brittney Griner Is Lost In Russia / Brady A Dolphins Part Owner? Why It Could Happen / Top 15 Figures (Non-Athletes) In Miami Sports History / Hall of Fame Keeps Saying No, But Zach Thomas Keeps Feeling Gratitude / McDaniel Overcame Much In Own Life, Now Must Overcome Dolphins' Turmoil And Win / An Inside Preview Of Le Batard Show's Upcoming Musical. Yes, Musical / Ranking Flores/Ross Bombshell Among Biggest Dolphins Scandals / Ross Should Be Done As Fins Owner if Flores Allegations Are True  / Dolphins Firing of Flores The Unjustified Travesty Of A Clown-Show Owner / Canes Land Grand Prize In Cristobal, So No Excuses Left. New Glory Days A Must / 50 Years At the Herald For Me -- And a Lifetime Of Gratitude / UM And Blake James Parted Ways With Class -- Which Butch Davis Didn't Get From FIU / Dolphins Fans, Ex-Players Gather For Emotional Farewell to Don Shula, Father of the Glory Days / Fairy Tale With Wrong Ending: Remembering Jose Fernandez 5 Years Later / An Appreciation of Udonis Haslem As He Re-Ups For 19th Heat Season / College Football and FSU Lose a Treasure In Passing Of Bobby Bowden /  Biles' Withdrawal For Mental-Health Reasons Merits Empathy, Not Scorn / Where Dolphins Rank Among Teams With Longest Championship Droughts / Nassib Coming Out As Gay NFL Player A Milestone In Sports History / Le Batard Bet On Himself And His Audience -- And Won Big / In History And In Hearts, Howard Schnellenberger Will Matter For All Time / Reality, Loss, Comeback: How Sports Has Been Guiding Light In America's Awful Past Year / Time-Travelling To 1960s And Childhood, When The Baseball Card Was King / Marlins Hit History-Making Home Run With Kim Ng Hire As GM / Don Shula, 1930-2020, R.I.P. / What Shula Meant to a Father & Son. The Boy Was Me

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

1) It's SATURDAY, AUGUST 6. R.I.P., gone this week at 94, legendary Dodgers broadcaster and diamond poet Vin Scully -- the most eloquent voice of baseball. 2) Join me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hot Button Top 10, Deshaun Watson's 6-game suspension, Bill Russell R.I.P., new Greg Cote Show podcast, updated Mount Gregmore of columns.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE OUT NOW: FIELD GOALS, TEARS AND 'POP 'N G'!: Our 33rd episode of 2022 and 124th overall is out now! A new episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify -- wherever else you pod and of course at MiamiHerald.com. Find all 124 we've done so far HERE, free. In our new episode: Father-Son Olympics resumes as Greg and Chris go at it in field-goal kicking; Yeti world-premieres a new song, "Pebble Drive," that brings Greg to tears; and we debut an occasional new segment, 'Pop 'n G,' in which Greg converses with his 4-year-old granddaughter. Hit up GCS2233 for full story on the latest ep, and watch our weekly YouTube preview. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, review, follow, subscribe et cetera and so forth. We simulcast on Sirius XM, too, Mondays from 5-6 p.m. ET. And now, brand new: Our podcast has a website and merch store: Check it out at TheGregCoteShow.com and visit the merch store by clicking 'Shop'. New items! Also check out our podcast's new YouTube channel.

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

NEW! Miami Raised Mario Cristobal. Payback? Come Home & Make Canes Football Matter Again New!

NEW! Goodell Kept The Power, After All. It's Why Watson Still Faces Much Harsher Ban NEW!

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

Deshaun Watson's 6-game NFL Suspension A Slap-On-The-Wrist Affront

The Hilltop: The five columns before that: 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 / Barkley, Djokovic, Lia Thomas: Being Sports Fan Never Harder -- Or More Interesting

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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: How Super Mario And The Cheetah were Sent To Save Football in Miami / How Messi-to-Miami Became the Biggest, Longest Tease In Sports / Why LeBron (of All People) Chiming In On Griner's Russia Detention Is Ironic / Heat Luring Donovan Mitchell Involves Friend D-Wade, Arch-Enemy Ainge, Too / Why Miami Heat Should Re-Think, Go All-In For King-Whale Kevin Durant / Cup Of AK-47 Coffee At Cowboys Games? Nuthin' Wrong With That, Huh Jerry? / Cy Young Alert: Marlins' Ace-On-Fire Sandy Alcantara Does It Again / Nobody Wins, Everybody Loses, As NFL Weighs Deshaun Watson Punishment / The End Isn't Here, But It's Coming. Miami Sports Has Had Nobody Like Heat's Pat Riley / Title IX Empowered Women. The Supreme Court Has Done The Opposite / Florida Panthers Swap Coach Of Year Finalist For Guy No. 1 In Career Losses / 20 Cases Settled, But Deshaun Watson Won't Begin To Clear Name Without Remorse / Tua Will Handle Scrutiny & Pressure. Question Is If Rest of Miami Dolphins Can / 'Black Cloud' Over U.S. Open Amid Golf Civil War In Time Of Revolution In Sports / Curry's 4th NBA Title, 1st Finals MVP Opens Path To Michael/LeBron Best-Ever Talk / Heat Season Ends One Win (One Shot?) Short Of NBA Finals In Game 7 Loss / No Consolation, No Excuse: Panthers Swept From Playoffs In 2-0 Loss A Brutal End / Why'd World Cup pick Miami? Thank Dolphins Founder & Unlikely Soccer Visionary Joe Robbie / Serena Playing Wimbledon Still Matters, Maybe More Than Ever. Because It Feels Like Goodbye / Whatever Happened To Don King? Famed Boxing Promoter Back At 90 For Last Bow in Miami / Mickelson, Johnson et al Are Saudi Pawns Pocketing Blood Money / Dolphins Denied It, But Deshaun Watson Lawyer Reveals How Close Miami Was To A Deal / A Lesson In Sioux City: Sports And Real Life In Age Of Mass Shootings / ‘Centerpiece of futbol in world’: Dream is green-lit. Now can Inter Miami deliver? / Only In Miami: Ex-Marlins Prez Samson Joins Fight vs. 'Boondoggle' Soccer Stadium / Blowing Up Dolphins' Brady-Payton Plan Parting Shot Of Flores Lawsuit. For Now / Rotation Set, Lineup Improved, Excuses Gone. Time For Marlins To Win / Could Have Died. Nearly Lost a Leg. Tiger Playing Masters Means He's Already Won / Marlins Owner Sherman Said He'd Spend. Payroll Says It Hasn't Been Enough / Crushing End Short Of Final Four, But Miami Hurricanes' NCAA Run Was Exhilarating Milestone / Tyreek Hill Trade, Terron Armstead Signing A Win-Now Power Play By Dolphins / When Spoelstra Joined Heat's 'Inner Circle' And Became Riley's Next Coach / Why Brittney Griner Is Lost In Russia / Brady A Dolphins Part Owner? Why It Could Happen / Top 15 Figures (Non-Athletes) In Miami Sports History / Hall of Fame Keeps Saying No, But Zach Thomas Keeps Feeling Gratitude / McDaniel Overcame Much In Own Life, Now Must Overcome Dolphins' Turmoil And Win / An Inside Preview Of Le Batard Show's Upcoming Musical. Yes, Musical / Ranking Flores/Ross Bombshell Among Biggest Dolphins Scandals / Ross Should Be Done As Fins Owner if Flores Allegations Are True  / Dolphins Firing of Flores The Unjustified Travesty Of A Clown-Show Owner / Canes Land Grand Prize In Cristobal, So No Excuses Left. New Glory Days A Must / 50 Years At the Herald For Me -- And a Lifetime Of Gratitude / UM And Blake James Parted Ways With Class -- Which Butch Davis Didn't Get From FIU / Dolphins Fans, Ex-Players Gather For Emotional Farewell to Don Shula, Father of the Glory Days / Fairy Tale With Wrong Ending: Remembering Jose Fernandez 5 Years Later / An Appreciation of Udonis Haslem As He Re-Ups For 19th Heat Season / College Football and FSU Lose a Treasure In Passing Of Bobby Bowden /  Biles' Withdrawal For Mental-Health Reasons Merits Empathy, Not Scorn / Where Dolphins Rank Among Teams With Longest Championship Droughts / Nassib Coming Out As Gay NFL Player A Milestone In Sports History / Le Batard Bet On Himself And His Audience -- And Won Big / In History And In Hearts, Howard Schnellenberger Will Matter For All Time / Reality, Loss, Comeback: How Sports Has Been Guiding Light In America's Awful Past Year / Time-Travelling To 1960s And Childhood, When The Baseball Card Was King / Marlins Hit History-Making Home Run With Kim Ng Hire As GM / Don Shula, 1930-2020, R.I.P. / What Shula Meant to a Father & Son. The Boy Was Me

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

1) It's MONDAY, JANUARY 3, 2022. Happy New Year! Hope you made it a safe one. 2) R.I.P., John Madden. A football legend in so many ways. Had a chance to interview him once many years ago and he could not have been more generous or giving of his time. Also, R.I.P. Betty White, at 99. 3) Join me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Follow the Greg Cote Show podcast separately on Twitter, Instagram and now TikTok, too! 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): NFL Week 17 picks, Georgia wins OB to setup title game vs. 'Bama, My 2022 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot revealed, Greg Cote Show podcast.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: SPECIAL NEW YEAR-END BEST-OF EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our 1st episode of 2022 and 92nd overall is out now! A new pod drops every Monday at 7 ET on Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon, Stitcher, Megaphone, iHeart -- wherever you pod, and of course at MiamiHerald.com. Find all 92 we've done so far HERE, free. In our new episode: It's GregFest: Our Best-Of Year-End Extravaganza (with new stuff, too). We relives out greatest hits from the past year: Interviews, Songs, Greg Doesn't Know Movies, Hard Knocks/Lobos -- the fun don't stop! Inlcuding a new Mount Gregmore of OUR favrite epsiodes. You won't want to miss it! Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, rate, review and follow. (Our pod simulcasts on Sirius XM every Monday 5-6 p.m. ET).

NFL WEEK 17 PICKS: DOLPHINS-TITANS, 2 BIG UPSETS, ALL THE REST: Our second-half heater resumed in Week 16 as went a big 12-4 overall and a solid 10-6 against the spread. Nailed Titans’ upset of Niners and Colts’ miniupset of Cards, and also had Lions-with-points covering at Atlanta. Had some bad luck related to the fact our picks are locked in on Thursdays. That has hurt us some related to Covid protocols and also injuries, such as Lamar Jackson still with a shot to play when we picked last week. Anyhow, no excuses. With two weeks to go our overall season total has risen and our number against the Evil Betting Line is now above what it was a year ago. Time to finish strong! This week we call two more outright upsets. For those, our Game of the Week, our pick for Dolphins-Titans and all the rest, visit NFL Week 17 Gems.

Our Dolphins column: Party, Meet Hangover: Tua, Dolphins OUt Of Playoffs Chase With Loss at Titans.

Our Orange Bowl column: Georgia Crushes Michigan in OB. The Bad News? 'Bama Next.

Most recent other columns: Revealing And Discussing My 2022 Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot / Also: Hey, America, After 7th Straight Win, Do Miami Dolphins Have Your Attention Yet? / Duuuuuke Lifts Fins to 6th Straight Win, .500 / Canes Land Grand Prize In Cristobal, So No Excuses Left. New Glory Days A Must / UM Legend Frank Gore Talks NFL Future, Cristobal, Boxing As He Prepes For Ring Debut / Tua Keeps Showing Dolphins How Silly They Were To Doubt Him So Soon / and 50 Years At the Herald For Me -- And a Lifetime Of Gratitude.

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (JANUARY 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' 7-game win streak, playoff hopes end with a thud: Dolphins were small road underdogs but big losers Sunday afternoon at Tennessee in a 34-3 defeat that (coupled with Chargers' win) ended Miami's playoff hopes. To make matters worse, longtime former quarterback Ryan Tannehill outperformed Tua Tagovailoa.

2. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Georgia wins OB in rout, to meet Alabama for title: Georgia crushed Michigan 34-11 in the 88th Orange Bowl game in Miami, hours after Alabama routed upstart Cincinnati 27-6 in the Cotton 6, the two College Football Playoff semifinals producing a January 10 Bulldogs-Crimson Tide championship game in Indianapolis. Nick Saban vs. America? 

3. HEAT: Depleted Miami loses to end 5-game win streak; Chalmers back: Miami is 23-14 with Sunday's loss ending a five-game win streak. Heat, depleted by COVID and injuries, continue on seven-goal road trip. Team brought back old fan fave Mario Chalmers, 35, on a 10-day contract but he has yet to play.

4. PANTHERS: Hot Cats folloe COVID pause with third straight win: Florida is 21-7-4 and second in the NHL East with Saturday's 5-2 win over Montreal a third straight W following three straight losses and then a four-gmae COVID-related postponement. Florida is back on ice Tuesday vs. Calgary.

5. DEATHS: NFL icon John Madden, gone at 85: Madden died just days before the premiere of the documentary bearing his name. Similarly ill-timed, beloeved TV icon Betty White passed away at 99, missing her 100th birthday by just 17 days.  

6. HALLS OF FAME: Zach Thomas, 3 ex-Canes among 15 football HOF finalists: Perennial near-miss Zach Thomas, the popular former Dolphin, gives Canton another try as one of 15 2022 finalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame. Joining him: Ex-Hurricanes Devin Hester, Andre Johnson and Reggie Wayne.

7. HURRICANES: Did UM narrowly avoid bowl forfeit?: Miami, after bowing out just days ahead of the Sun Bowl due to a COVID outbeak, might have been saddled with a forfeit loss had the Sun not found a last-minute replacement to play Washington State, Hot Button hears. UM, with new coach Mario Cristobal in place, has lost 10 of past 11 bowl games.

8. CANES BASKETBALL: UM men surging, women on pause: Canes men's basketball is 11-3 and an ACC-leading 3-0 in conference with seven straight wins. When will AP Top 25 voters start to notice? Men host Syracuse Wednesday then play at No. 2 Duke next Saturday. UM women are 7-3, with four straight games postponed by COVID including Sunday's at Virginia.

9. MLB: Lockout stalemate now msessing with start of spring training: MLB and its players union have not met for nearly a month now, since the lockout began. with no talks scheduled. Experts now say there's a strong chance the February spring training will be interrupted.

10. BOXING/UCF: Jake Paul vs. Dana White: Self-created boxer Jake Paul Paul tweeted to UFC chief Dana White he'd retire from boxing to fight Jorge Masvidal if White agreed. Three words for Jake Paul retiring from boxing: Happy New Year!

Missing the HB10 cut: Dolphins DB Jason McCourty is one of eight finalists for the NFL's 2021 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast returns from a holiday week off with a special "GregFest: Year-End Best-Of Extravaganza" out Monday, January 3 ..... Update: Countdown now 1,639 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup.

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

1) It's SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 2022. HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2) R.I.P. Betty White, gone on New Year's Eve. She missed 100 by 18 days. 3) R.I.P., John Madden. A football legend in so many ways. Had a chance to interview him once many years ago and he could not have been more generous or giving of his time. 4) Join me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Follow the Greg Cote Show podcast separately on Twitter, Instagram and now TikTok, too! 5) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hot Button Top 10, NFL Week 16 picks, Greg Cote Show podcast.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: SPECIAL EPISODE WITH BELOVED HUMORIST DAVE BARRY OUT NOW!: Our 49th episode of 2021 and 91st overall is out now -- and it's must-hear special. A new pod drops Mondays at 7 ET on Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon, Stitcher, Megaphone, iHeart -- wherever you pod, and of course at MiamiHerald.com. Find all 91 we've done so far HERE, free. In our latest episode: Pulitzer Prize-winning author and humorist Dave Barry (pictured) joins us for a lengthy conversation ranging from the inanity of his 2021 Holiday Gift Guide to a serious talk about some of the personal tragedy he's lived through and how that has influenced his humor. Also in the new episode: My Dolphins Christmas song, Fins' winning streak, Greg's Lobos update and more. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, rate, review and follow. (Our pod simulcasts on Sirius XM every Monday 5-6 p.m. ET). We're taking the holiday week off -- no new episode out this week -- so it's the perfect time to catch up on our latest episode or back catalog!

NFL WEEK 17 PICKS: DOLPHINS-TITANS, 2 BIG UPSETS, ALL THE REST: Our second-half heater resumed in Week 16 as went a big 12-4 overall and a solid 10-6 against the spread. Nailed Titans’ upset of Niners and Colts’ miniupset of Cards, and also had Lions-with-points covering at Atlanta. Had some bad luck related to the fact our picks are locked in on Thursdays. That has hurt us some related to Covid protocols and also injuries, such as Lamar Jackson still with a shot to play when we picked last week. Anyhow, no excuses. With two weeks to go our overall season total has risen and our number against the Evil Betting Line is now above what it was a year ago. Time to finish strong! This week we call two more outright upsets. For those, our Game of the Week, our pick for Dolphins-Titans and all the rest, visit NFL Week 17 Gems.

A BASEBALL HALL OF FAME VOTER (ME) EXPLAINS HIS 2022 BALLOT: The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, is a quaint place lost in time. It’s a village with an estimated 1,750 people actually living there. It is a Norman Rockwell painting. You aren’t sure what decade you’re in. The Hall’s address is Main Street, although that might have gone without saying. Getting into the Hall of Fame is rather a quaint process, too. As if the Internet did not yet exist. The Baseball Writers’ Association of America mails the latest ballot every December to the 440 voting members — I am honored to be one — and they are due back by December 31. You fill out the paper ballot by hand. Old school, a self-addressed, stamped return envelope is included. For 53 cents (pre-paid), my ballot is mailed to an address in Bayside, New York, an upscale neighborhood in Queens, where a BBWAA official will count them by hand. Results will be announced January 25 and the 2022 induction held July 24. But who gets into sports’ most famous Hall of Fame and why — that is not simple, or quaint. Used to be, before steroids, when a voter had the luxury of just crunching stats, but all that changed with performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) and their great influence over said stats. I reveal and discuss my 2022 ballot in my latest column. This is the final year for Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens' eligibility and the first for Alex Rodriguez (pictured), so the vote will be under particular scrutiny. For my full column, visit: Revealing And Discussing My 2022 Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot.

Column off Georgia's Orange Bowl rout of Michigan: Georgia Wins 88th Orange Bowl. The Bad News? 'Bama Is Next.

Column off Dolphins' Monday night win: Hey, America, After 7th Straight Win, Do Miami Dolphins Have Your Attention Yet? 

Most recent other columns: Duuuuuke Lifts Fins to 6th Straight Win, .500 / Canes Land Grand Prize In Cristobal, So No Excuses Left. New Glory Days A Must / UM Legend Frank Gore Talks NFL Future, Cristobal, Boxing As He Prepes For Ring Debut / Tua Keeps Showing Dolphins How Silly They Were To Doubt Him So Soon / 50 Years At the Herald For Me -- And a Lifetime Of Gratitude

(*) OUR PICKS: BIG WEEK AS STRONG FINISH CONTINUES: Our recent hot streak resumed in Week 16 as went a big 12-4 overall and a solid 10-6 against the spread. Nailed Titans' upset of Niners  and Colts' miniupset of Cards, and also had Lions-with-points covering at Atlanta. Had some bad luck with timing of Covid stuff (our picks are in on Thursdays), but still did well overall.

(*) GREG'S LOBOS: A WIN SENDS US ONTO THE CHAMPIOSNHIP GAME!: After a first-round playoff bye the Lobos won big in the semifinal game last week, 139-121, over my nephew Joe, led by 40 points from Joe Burrow, a last-minute sub for injured Lamar Jackson. We are now in the championship game of PFPI Fantasy, our 10-team friends 'n family league. My opponent? Eldest son Christopher. He's going for his third league title and me my first. Go Dad!

(*) HERALD NFL QB RANKINGS: BURROW SOARS TO SEASON-BEST WEEK: Cincinnati's Joe Burrow wins Week 16 with a season-best 71.25-point game and Tampa's Tom Brady grows his overall lead in the Miami Herald's updated rankings. Details and the latest Top 25: NFL Week 16 QB Rankings.

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

1) It's MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27. Was back in with Le Batard Show last week. Check out last Tuesday's show podcasts for way too much of me. 2) Join me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Follow the Greg Cote Show podcast separately on Twitter, Instagram and now TikTok, too! 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): NFL Week 3 picks, Remembering Jose Fernandez 5 years later, Tua's latest woe fitting of rocky start to career, Time for Panthers it finally live up to hype, Greg Cote Show podcast & more.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: PET PEEVES, HARD KNOCKS INSIDE GREG'S LOBOS IN NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our 37th episode of 2021 and 79th overall is out Monday! A new pod drops every Monday at 7 ET on Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon, Stitcher, Megaphone, iHeart -- wherever you pod, and of course at MiamiHerald.com. You can find all 79 we've done HERE, for free. In our new Greg and Chris discuss and rank their pet peeves, and we bring your episode 2 of Hard Knocks' inside look at the Grrg's Lobos fantasy team. Also, Dolphins, Canes and the football weekend. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, rate, review and follow. (Our pod simulcasts on Sirius XM every Monday 5-6 p.m. ET).

NFL Week 3 picks: Enjoyed big 12-4 mark straight-up in NFL Week 2, with second straight solid 9-7 vs. the spread including second straight bull's-eye on Upset of the Week call. Now we turn to Week 3 and our picks for Dolphins-Raiders, Bucs-Rams and all the rest. Check out NFL Week 3 Gems.

Jose Fernandez, Tua injury, Panthers' hype: Our week's column troika: Fairy Tale With Wrong Ending: Remembering Jose Fernandez 5 Years Later / Tua's Rib Injury In Keeping With Weird, Rocky Start to QB's Dolphins Career / and Hope And Hype Are Sky-High. Time For Florida Panthers To Finally Deliver. Also: Dolphins' Shutout Loss in Home Opener a New Low For Flores Era / Miami Hurricanes Aren't Very Good -- And Keep Proving It / and The Big Question About Canes, Fins After Ugly Home Losses.

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (SEPTEMBER 26-27): 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. This week's HB10:

1. DOLPHINS: Tua out at least 3 games as Miami falls at Vegas: Tua Tagovailoa was put on IR and will miss at least the next three games as the Dolphins on Sunday tried to wash away stench of last week's 35-0 home loss to Buffalo with rebound effort in Las Vegas vs. 2-0 Raiders, with Jacoby Brissett starting. Miami lost 31-28 in overtime. Tua (ribs) also will miss the Indianapolis and Tampa Bay games and is eligible to return vs. Jacksonville in London In week 6. Meantime Fins prepare to honor life of Don Shula in stadium event next Saturday.

2. HURRICANES: UM rolls past tiny foe. But will QB King miss ACC opener?: The hurting Canes got to 2-2 by routing tiny Central Connecticut State 69-0 as they better have Saturday, with QB D'Eriq King out injured and young 'uns Tyler Van Dyke and Jake Garcia filling in. But will King's shoulder be OK for this Thursday night's ACC opener vs. visiting Virginia? Concern and doubts about that.

3. JOSE FERNANDEZ: Remembering Marlins ace, 5 years after tragedy: It was five years ago Sunday, September 26, 2016, that South Florida awoke to the horrific news that Miami Marlins ace pitcher Jose Fernandez, only 24, had died hours earlier in a tragic boating accident off Miami Beach that also killed two friends. We remember. R.I.P.

4. INTER MIAMI: Playoff-chasing Herons pick bad time to go cold: Inter Miami had been on a run in which they lost only one of 10 matches. That was before consecutive ill-timed 4-0 and 5-1 home defeats slammed the brakes on momentum. Inter Miami, now 9-5-11, is back in play Wednesday at Atlanta United, with seven matches left to make up a three-point deficit in the MLS playoff chase.

5. MARLINS: Fish contunue season-long slump: Five straight losses have Miami 64-91 and trying to stay out of the NL East cellar in midst of a seven-game road trip (the year's last) vs. the Rays and Mets, to be followed by a season-ending three-game home series with Phillies October 1-3. Meanwhile the BBWAA Miami chapter named it Marlins award winners: Co-MVPs--Sandy Alcantara and Jesus Aguilar; Rookie of the Year--Trevor Rogers; Charlie Hough Good Guy Award--Jazz Chisholm; and Conine Award for Heart & Professionalism--Miguel Rojas.

6. GOLF: U.S. dominates in winning Ryder Cup: The Ryder Cup, the biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and United States, wraps up its 44th edition on Sunday in Wisconsin -- the U.S. team in command. Europe was defending champion and had won nine of the past 12 events since 1995, but the Americans won big, 19-9, with home-course advantage, putting it away with Sunday's 12 singles matches at Whistling Straits.

7. HEAT: Miami training camp gets underway this week: The Heat with new addition Kyle Lowry open training camp on Tuesday, after media day today/Monday. Miami finished third as East favorite in an ESPN experts poll, after Brooklyn and Milwaukee. Heat open preseason October 4 vs. Atlanta.

8. STATE COLLEGES (NON-UM): Gators roll over Vols at Swamp: No. 11 Florida whipped visiting Tennessee 38-14 atop Saturday's FBS state schedule, non-UM division. Other games: FIU lost at Central Michigan, Florida State fell to 0-4 vs. Louisville, FAU got strafed by Air Force and South Florida fell at No. 15 BYU. (UCF was off).

9. PANTHERS: Training camp, preseason underway for Cats: Training camp begins this week with a 47-man roster opening an NHL season of high expectations for Florida. Three practice days segued to a split-squad doubleheader scrimmage and two wins over Nashville here Sunday. Five-game preseason schedule begins Wednesday on road and Friday back home, both vs. Dallas.

10. HALLS OF FAME: Plenty of locals among '22 football nominees: The newly announced 122 modern-era nominees for 2022 induction into Pro Football Hall of Fame will narrow to 15 finalists. For now, 11 former Dolphins or Hurricanes are among nominees, listed in our estimation of Hall-likelihood. Ex-Fins are Zach Thomas, Wes Welker, Richmond Webb, Troy Vincent, Reggie Roby and Matt Turk. Ex-Canes are Reggie Wayne, Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Vince Wilfork and Jeff Feagles.   

Missing the HB10 cut: ACC announced recipients of its inaugural UNITE Awards, created to honor those who've impacted racial and social justice. Miami Hurricanes honorees are Ray Bellamy (1967 football) and Will Allen ('67 basketball), and Kim Sands (1974 basketball and tennis) -- each the first UM black athlete in their sport ..... It's Phoenix-Seattle and Chicago-Minnesota in second round of WNBA playoffs Sunday, with winners advancing to to semfinals vs. Connecticut and Las Vegas, respectively ..... Red Sox and Yankees out front in tight AL wild card chase as MLB season winds down ..... The Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix announced its inaugural event would be held May 6-8, 2022 ..... Bill Foran, the Heat's strength and conditioning coach, has retired after 33 years with the club ..... A meager two Top 25 matchups in FBS college football Saturday: No. 12-Notre Dame won 41-13 at 10-Wisconsin, and 16-Arkansas surprised 7-Texas A&M. Six Top 25 tems lost including both Clemson and North Carolina in the ACC ..... Fourth of 10 NASCAR playoff races happens Sunday in Las Vegas ..... NFL announced that beginning this season its Wild-Card Weekend would conclude with a Monday night playoff game, in league's continuing effort to own the entire calendar ..... The Panthers' home rink in Sunrise, formerly BB&T Center, is now FLA Live Arena (ugh) until permanent naming rights are sold ..... Bronny James, 16, son of LeBron, is coming to Miami. Not to play for UM, alas, but to participate in an October 9-10 showcase event at Florida Memorial University ..... Miami has most NFL players (19), based on where they went to high-school, edging Houston by one ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode Monday at 7 a.m. ET ..... Update: Countdown now 1,737 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup. (Hard Rock Stadium and FIFA staged a media tour this week, further indication Miami expects to be among host venues).

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

1) It's SATURDAY, AUGUST 28. R.I.P., Charlie Watts (pictured), gone at 80. He was the drummer/backbone of the Rolling Stones, the dapper elegance in the maelstrom. 2) I was back on the Le Batard Show on Tuesday for the first time in a few weeks due to a holdout. I would refer to the holdout as suspended, not ended. Still no contract or payment from Meadowlark. 3) Join me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. And follow the Greg Cote Show podcast separately on Twitter, Instagram and now TikTok, too! 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hot Button Top 10, Time to start believing in the Dolphins, new Greg Cote Show podcast & more.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW 'FANTASY FOOTBALL PREPISODE' OUT NOW!: Our 33rd episode of 2021 and 75th overall is out now! A new pod drops every Monday morning at 7 ET on Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon, Stitcher, Megaphone, iHeart -- wherever you pod, and of course at MiamiHerald.com. You can find all 75 we've done HERE, for free. In our new episode: Hear fantasy football expert Sia Nejad, pictured lower-right (CBS Sports, Sirius XM, Win Daily Sports show) share tips to help your dominate your draft and league. (Can he save Greg's Lobos?) Greg shares detailed update on his holdout from the Le Batard Show. Pet peeves at the roulette table. And two new songs! Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, rate, review and follow! (Our pod simulcasts on Sirius XM every Monday 5-6 p.m. ET on Channel 145).

THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY AN ACC/BIG TEN/PAC-12 ALLIANCE CAN OUT-SEC THE SEC. HERE'S THE PLAN: How to summarize the shifting of tectonic plates in the Power 5 college conferences? Here it is in a nutshell (and I use the word with care because this whole thing seems a little nutty): ▪ The Southeastern Conference , already reigning and preening on account of the Alabama dynasty, gets appreciably stronger, more prestigious and richer by poaching traditional powerhouses Texas and Oklahoma from the Big 12 effective in 2025 at latest. ▪ The suckerpunched Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten and Pac-12, scrambling in the wake of the SEC’s audacious power grab, meet and quickly form an “alliance” as everybody else scrambles to figure out exactly what that will mean. ▪ The already diminished Big 12, bracing to lose its two biggest football programs and drop to eight schools, and left out of the ACC/Big Ten/Pac-12 alliance, drifts like a forlorn tumbleweed through a ghost town. Is any of this good for college football? No. Instability seldom is. What this is good for is the SEC and its soon-to-be-enriched 16-team super-conference, and everybody else be damned. It’s a time of tumult in college football beyond teams switching conferences. The NCAA oligarchy is losing power by degrees. The NIL law (name, image, likeness) means college athletes can be paid. The College Football Playoff weighs major expansion. So now the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 join hands and start singing “Kumbaya” in a show of solidarity. But why? to what end? For our full latest column, visit There Is Only One Way an ACC/Big Ten/Pac-12 Alliance Can Out-SEC the SEC. 

WHY IT'S TIME TO GO ALL-IN, FINALLY START BELIEVING IN TUA, FLORES AND MIAMI DOLPHINS: Faith can be a tricky thing. Sometimes it takes a leap to get there. Whether it’s falling in love, going all-in on a bet or trusting that this is finally the year for your team, you have to believe in something. Your heart. Your gut. Just a wisp of a feeling. Something. It gets complicated when, for example, your football team has mostly let you down for the past 20 years or so. When your franchise’s best days are your father’s memories, not yours. That is when optimism gets calloused, replaced by cynicism. When the easiest thing to trust is that your team will let you down again. What I am about to say, in this context, comes from both the innately skeptical veteran journalist and from the young boy who attended that first ever home game with his Dad in the Orange Bowl in 1966 — because those two are the same. It is time to start believing in the Miami Dolphins again. Believing that last year’s 10-win season was not a mirage. Believing that Brian Flores is just the right coach. Believing that Tua Tagovailaoa’s doubters are falling away, one by one. Believing that a corner has (finally!) been turned. For our full recent column, visit Time to Finally Start Believing in Tua, Flores and Miami Dolphins.

Other most recent columns: Why Dolphins, Canes Should Be Taking Lead In Requiring Fans To Be COVID-Vaccinated and An Appreciation of Udonis Haslem As He Re-Ups For 19th Heat Season. Also: Dolphins' 'Big Picture' Begins To Emerge With Unveiling Of Year 2 Tua / Unraveled: The Story Behind Who Aubrey Huff Became / and What Lionel Messi's Sudden, Stunning Move Means For Inter Miami.

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

1) It's MONDAY, AUGUST 9. I was back on the Le Batard Show last week with a new Back In My Day. Check out Tuesday's show podcasts. 2) Join me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. And follow the Greg Cote Show podcast separately on Twitter, Instagram and now TikTok, too! 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hall of Fame columns on Jimmy Johnson, Edgerrin James, Isaac Bruce and Steve Hutchinson, Greg Cote Show podcast & more.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: LAUGHTER, EMOTION IN NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our 31st episode of 2021 and 73rd overall is out now! A new pod drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon, Stitcher, Megaphone, iHeart -- wherever you pod, and of course at MiamiHerald.com. You can find all 73 we've done so far HERE, for free. In our latest episode: It's (un)official. This episode sets a GCS record for most laughter, much of it from a new 'Greg Doesn't Know Movies' segment hosted by Greg's younger son, Michael. We also have a decal giveaway update that evolves into an emotional, at-times poignant discussion of the father/son dynamic of our show. (Is Chris too mean to his father?) Also in the new ep: Why most people hate good dancers. Lionel Messi to PSG. And the search for a man named Greg Lobo. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, rate, review and follow! (Our pod simulcasts on Sirius XM every Monday 5-6 p.m. ET on Channel 145).

OUR BOWDEN TRIBUTE COLUMN: College Football and FSU Lose a Treasure In Passing Of Bobby Bowden. 

The Hall of Fame quartet: Our columns on the four men with strong South Florida ties who were enshrined Saturday in Canton: Biggest Victory Of Hall Of Famer Jimmy Johnson's Life Was Getting His Son Back / Hurricanes' Edgerrin James / Dillard High's Isaac Bruce to Canton column / and Coral Springs High's Steve Hutchinson.

Our most recent other columns: Xavien Howard Right To Feel Disrespected, And Dolphins Need To Fix This Mess / Biles' Withdrawal For Mental-Health Reasons Merits Empathy, Not Scorn / and Top 10 NFL Storylines Entering Training Camp (Where's Tua?).

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (AUGUST 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. This week's HB10:

1. HEAT: Miami signs Lowry, extends Butler: No whale splash. Plenty of big action, though -- led by signing Kyle Lowry in free agency (sign-and-trade) and locking up Jimmy Butler through 2025-26 with a four-year, $184 million extension. Lowry may have been the biggest FA to change teams -- although the NBA reportedly is now investigating possible tampering violations involving the sign-and-trade deals for both Lowry-to-Mami and Lonzo Ball-to-Chicago, so stay tuned. The Heat also notably added P.J. Tucker and Markieff Morris, and kept Duncan Robinson and Victor Oladipo. Key losses: Bye-bye Goran Dragic. Also Kendrick Nunn, Andre Iguodala and Trevor Ariza. Meantime Heat prospects are 2-0 in Summer League as games move to Las Vegas beginning tonight vs. Denver.

2. SOCCER: Messi splits with Barcelona, agrees with PSG: In news that stunned the international soccer world, Barcelona announced that Lionel Messi would leave the club after the five-year extension they'd agreed upon did not meet La Liga financial requirements. Messi, 34, wasn't a free agent long, reportedly agreeing to a two-year deal (and third-year option) with French club power Paris-Saint Germain. Messi is widely expected to end his playing days in MLS after his European career -- with Inter Miami a likely destination.

3. OLYMPICS: Disappointments, yes, but U.S. soared in Tokyo as Summer Games end: There were letdowns, yes, notably Simone Biles' withdrawals in gymnastics, U.S. women's soccer settling for bronze and U.S. men's track flaming out in 4x100 meter relay. But as the Olympics ended with today's Closing Ceremony, the good -- and the gold -- outweighed the bad for the America contingent. That included swimmer Caleb Dressel leading all athletes with five golds, Katie Ledecky adding four total medals, Kevin Durant leading U.S. basketball to gold, and Allyson Felix becoming the most decorated Olympian in U.S. track history. Team USA comfortably won the overall medal title with 113, and edged China 39-38 for most gold medals.

4. BOBBY BOWDEN: Florida State legend passes away at 91: At home, surrounded by family including his wife of 72 years, Bobby Bowden died Sunday morning at 91. FSU's two-time national champion football coach had survived last year but recently was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. He always said that after retirement there was only one big event left in life. He wasn't lying.

5. DOLPHINS: Fins, Xavien reach agreement; (pre) season opens in five days: Miami is winding down training camp, with the first of three exhibition games in six days, August 14 at Chicago. Meantime the Xavien Howard holdout/trade request got solved Sunday morning with an agreement. Not a surprise. Coach Brian Flores had said flatly the Fins "don't want to" trade Howard and I'd written: "(It says here) a compromise and reworked contract to keep Howard may be in the offing." 

6. HURRICANES: UM fall football camp underway: Coach Manny Diaz conducted the Canes' third fall practice Sunday night, and attention has riveted to quarterback D'Eriq King as he comes back from a serious right ACL knee injury sustained in last season's Cheez-It Bowl loss to Oklahoma State. King has not been held back and has looked sharp. Canes open season with their toughest test (by far): Reigning national champion Alabama on September 4 in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta.

7. HALL OF FAME: Peyton, J.J., Edge lead weekend in Canton: Saturday's delayed Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement of the Class of 2020 was notable for four men with strong SoFla ties: Former Canes and Dolphins coach Jimmy Johnson, ex-UM running back Edgerrin James, Fort Lauderdale-born receiver Isaac Bruce and former Coral Springs High guard Steve Hutchinson. The Class of '21 led by Peyton Manning and Calvin Johnson went in Sunday.

8. MARLINS: Lost season drags on, but Luzardo wins debut: Fish are 47-65 (8-15 since the break) after a third loss in a row Sunday in a lost season now in the midst of a six-game road trip. What's ahead? 1) Can they at least escape the NL East cellar? And 2) awaiting the call-ups of young prospects including those recently obtained at the trade deadline such as lefty starter Jesus Luzardo, who won his Marlins debut earlier this week.

9. INTER MIAMI: Finally! Team stays hot(ish) with home win over Nashville: Since ending an eight-match winless streak Inter Miami has now gone tie-win-tie-win with Sunday night's 2-1 home win over fellow 2020 MLS expansion team Nashville. Inter Miami is now 4-4-8 and out of the Eastern Conference cellar as it remains hopeful Messi will end his career in Miami, although it can't be yet known how Messi leaving Barcelona might impact that. Next match: Next Saturday at New York City. 

10. NBA: Stars staying put the story of free agency: Stars led by Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Steph Curry, Chris Paul and Julian Randle all res-signed to stay with their current teams as NBA free agency got rolling. Notable stars changing teams included Kyle Lowry to Miami, Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan to Chicago, Carmelo Anthony to Lakers and Kemba Walker to New York.

Missing the HB10 cut: There is little worse in sports than NFL exhibition games, and a reminder pored forth in Pittsburgh's 16-3 yawner over Dallas in a Hall of Fame Game bereft of star players. Full preseason Week 1 is this week with 16 scrub-filled games spread across Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday ..... Weekend headline: 'Florida COVID update: Record-breaking 23,903 new cases, more people than ever in hospital.' Um, could someone please wake Gov. DeSantis and tell him? ..... xxxxx ..... Monster Jam wraps up Sunday in Sunrise, for those of you who inexplicably are fans of big trucks with giant tires ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is out with a new episode Monday at 7 a.m. ET ..... Update: Countdown now 1,786 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup.

Other recent columns: Where Dolphins Rank Among Teams With Longest Championship Droughts / Dolphins Owner Ross Unveils New $135 Million Training Site As Another Reason Team Must Win Now / It's Selfish, Me-First Athletes Who Are Refusing the COVID Vaccine / Hot Seat Scale: Ranking Miami's Biggest Coaches By Most to Least Job Security / Peril vs. Possibility: Should the Heat Gamble and Try to Fix Ben Simmons? / Tokyo Olympics Should Be Delayed Again But It's Too Late. Why? Money / May Sha'Carri Richardson Be Last Victim Of Olympics' Archaic Marijuana Rules / 'I'm D'Eriq King For College Hunks Hauling Junk!' It's Strange New World in College Sports / Time For Sports To Quit Hiding, Stand Up And Lead The Pro-Vaccine Fight / and Nassib Coming Out As Gay NFL Player A Milestone In Sports History.