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

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

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

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

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

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

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

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

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

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

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

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (OCTOBER 23-24): WHAT SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive Sunday-into-Monday feature is part week-in-review, part look-ahead. Hot Button means what's on our minds, locally and nationally, from a Miami perspective, as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead. The latest HB10:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Missing the HB10 cut: U.S. Women’s National Team faces Germany at Inter Miami Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on November 10 in a battle of the top two women's teams in the world ..... No. 5 Clemson rallied to beat 14-Syracuse 27-21 on Saturday and No. 10 Oregon crushed 9-UCLA 45-30 in the biggest of five Top 25 matchups. One other top-10 team besides UCLA lost: No. 7 LSU falling 45-20 to Ole Miss ..... Warning: The money grubbers of LIV Golf are coming! The startup tour of players pocketing blood money from Saudi Arabia comes to Doral next week ..... USWNT drew Netherlands, Vietnam and a fourth team to be determined in its group for the 2023 Women's World Cup. England is opposite bracket, setting up a possible U.S.-Brits title match ..... Bulletin: Cristiano Ronaldo continues to sully his name with his petulance at Manchester United ..... Former world No. 1 Simona Halap faces a four-year ban from tennis after failing a drug test during the U.S. Open ..... One day before the World Cup kicks off November 20 in Qatar, two teams that did not qualify, Colombia and Paraguay, will play a friendly at Inter Miami Stadium ..... The 49ers acquired star RB Christian McCaffrey from Carolina for multiple draft picks in a major NFL trade ..... The College Football Playoff said it still is undecided on when it will expand to 12 teams, but hopeful it will happen as soon as 2024 ..... Dan Wieden, the ad man who coined Nike's famous 'Just Do It' slogan, died at 77 ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode out Monday at 7 a.m. ..... Update: Countdown now 1,330 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup.

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ARCHIVES

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

Select other recent columns: Dolphins Fall In Cincy, But Tua Hospitalized Puts Result In Perspective / No. 1 Dolphins, Fans Bask in National Attention, Ditch 20 Years' Irrelevance / Gamble Of Inaction: 5 Answers Will Judge Heat's Quiet Offseason / What's Going On Here!? Dolphins Beat Rival Bills, Improved to 3-0 / Cristobal Honeymoon Ends With Thud As Canes Lose To Middle Tennessee / Zero To Perfect: How Glory Days Dolphins Put Miami on National Sports Map / Our 2022 NFL Team Ranking. Wait. Miami Dolphins Are WHERE!? / Why Hill & Waddle Are Dolphins' Best WR Duo Since Clayton/Duper / UM's Van Dyke Had Epic Year. Now His Encore Will Define Start Of Cristobal Era / Serena's Week At U.S. Open One For Ages As Tennis' Queen GOAT Defies Time / Tribute: Community Was One Place Dolphins Won Big -- Because of Jason Jenkins / Watson Punishment Will Go Way Beyond HIs Extended NFL Suspension / Butch Davis On Retiring, His 50-Year Career -- & Canes Twice Almost Bringing Him Back / Miami Raised Mario Cristobal. Payback? Come Home & Make Canes Football Matter Again / Ross NFL Cheating Scandal A New Low For Owner Who Embarrasses Dolphins / 11 NBA Titles Not Where Bill Russell's Legacy Starts. Tribute To An  Epic Life / Ranking South Florida's Top 20 Biggest Sports Stars (2022 Edition) / If Miami Marlins Trading For Juan Soto Sounds Laughable -- That's The Problem / Dolphins' Tua: The Disrespected Underdog QB About To Prove Everybody Wrong / How Matthew Tkachuk Brings Needed Swagger, Bravado To Panthers / How Messi-to-Miami Became the Biggest, Longest Tease In Sports / Cy Young Alert: Marlins' Ace-On-Fire Sandy Alcantara Does It Again / The End Isn't Here, But It's Coming. Miami Sports Has Had Nobody Like Heat's Pat Riley / Title IX Empowered Women. The Supreme Court Has Done The Opposite / Why'd World Cup pick Miami? Thank Dolphins Founder & Unlikely Soccer Visionary Joe Robbie / Whatever Happened To Don King? Famed Boxing Promoter Back At 90 For Last Bow in Miami / A Lesson In Sioux City: Sports And Real Life In Age Of Mass Shootings / ‘Centerpiece of futbol in world’: Dream is green-lit. Now can Inter Miami deliver? / Could Have Died. Nearly Lost a Leg. Tiger Playing Masters Means He's Already Won / Marlins Owner Sherman Said He'd Spend. Payroll Says It Hasn't Been Enough / Crushing End Short Of Final Four, But Miami Hurricanes' NCAA Run Was Exhilarating Milestone / Tyreek Hill Trade, Terron Armstead Signing A Win-Now Power Play By Dolphins / When Spoelstra Joined Heat's 'Inner Circle' And Became Riley's Next Coach / Why Brittney Griner Is Lost In Russia / Top 15 Figures (Non-Athletes) In Miami Sports History / Hall of Fame Keeps Saying No, But Zach Thomas Keeps Feeling Gratitude / McDaniel Overcame Much In Own Life, Now Must Overcome Dolphins' Turmoil And Win / An Inside Preview Of Le Batard Show's Upcoming Musical. Yes, Musical / Ross Should Be Done As Fins Owner if Flores Allegations Are True  / Dolphins Firing of Flores The Unjustified Travesty Of A Clown-Show Owner / Canes Land Grand Prize In Cristobal, So No Excuses Left. New Glory Days A Must / 50 Years At the Herald For Me -- And a Lifetime Of Gratitude / Dolphins Fans, Ex-Players Gather For Emotional Farewell to Don Shula, Father of the Glory Days / Fairy Tale With Wrong Ending: Remembering Jose Fernandez 5 Years Later / An Appreciation of Udonis Haslem As He Re-Ups For 19th Heat Season / College Football and FSU Lose a Treasure In Passing Of Bobby Bowden /  Biles' Withdrawal For Mental-Health Reasons Merits Empathy, Not Scorn / Where Dolphins Rank Among Teams With Longest Championship Droughts / Nassib Coming Out As Gay NFL Player A Milestone In Sports History / In History And In Hearts, Howard Schnellenberger Will Matter For All Time / Reality, Loss, Comeback: How Sports Has Been Guiding Light In America's Awful Past Year / Time-Travelling To 1960s And Childhood, When The Baseball Card Was King / Don Shula, 1930-2020, R.I.P. / What Shula Meant to a Father & Son. The Boy Was Me

Revisit this blog often because it updates regularly. The Associated Press Sports Editors 2021 writing awards again ranked the blog's author a Top 10 national sports columnist in '22 voting in the major-outlet category. Greg is also a regular on the Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz.

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

1) It's MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5. Happy Labor Day Weekend, all! 2) Be the change! Visit Change.org/MountGregmore today and sign our petition to change the name of Mount Rushmore. 3) Join me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): An appreciation of Serena as she exits U.S. Open, Optimism in Fins and Canes has Miami flexing as Football Town, R.I.P. Jason Jenkins, Greg Cote Show podcast, Mount Gregmore of columns.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our 38th episode of 2022 and 129th overall is out now! New episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify and wherever you pod. Find all 129 we've done so far HERE. In our latest episode: Anthony (10-Day Tony) from the Le Batard Show joins us for a fun chew on fantay football, and Greg reveals an invention for a whole different kind of fantasy league. Also in the new ep: Season 2 premiere of HARD KNOCKS: GREG'S LOBOS, Farewell to Serena Williams, Are the Fins for real? and more. Hit up GCS2238 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.

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

NEW! Canes Rout Bethune 70-13 In Opener, But We Don't Know Real UM Yet NEW!

NEW! UM's Van Dyke Had Epic Year. Now His Encore Will Define Start Of Cristobal Era NEW!

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

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

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

Hilltop: The five columns before that: Tua's Preseason Debut Was Most Impressive 4 1/2 Hours Before It Began / Watson Punishment Will Go Way Beyond HIs Extended NFL Suspension / 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

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (SEPTEMBER 4-5): WHAT SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive Sunday-into-Monday feature --back after a one-week holiday -- 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. HURRICANES: UM routs Bethune 70-13 in opener, but first test looming: The No. 16-ranked Miami Hurricanes and the Mario Cristobal era launched with a soft opening at home Saturday -- a 70-13 waltz-win  victory over FCS-level Bethune-Cookman at Hard Rock. A run-strong emphasis on balanced offense and some sloppiness on defense were the takeaways. Canes feast on another home softie next week vs. Southern Miss before season starts for real on September 17 at No. 6 Texas A&M.

2. TENNIS: G.O.A.T. Serena bids farewell in third-round loss:  After two stirring wins including a defeat of the world No. 2, Serena Williams, about to turn 41, bowed out of the U.S. open in the third round with Friday's 7-5, 6-7, 6-1 loss to Ajla Tomljanovic. Serena and sister Venus had been eliminated in doubles the night before. Barring a change of mind, this ended Serena's singles career. Meanwhile, still alive for the U.S. Open crowns: No. 1 seed Iga Swiatek and American Coco Gauff are in the quarterfinals, but men's No. 1 Daniil Medvedev lost.

3. DOLPHINS: Tua named captain, Fins celebrate VP Jenkins: Third-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was voted a team captain by players for the first time following a 2-1 preseason. The Dolphins are mourning a loss off the field and Monday in a stadium event will celebrate the life of senior vice president Jason Jenkins, who passed away last week from a blood clot. Miami opens the NFL season at home next Sunday vs New England.

4. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: CFP approves playoff expansion to 12 teams: College Football Playoff's Board of Managers voted to expand the CFP from four teams to 12 in 2026 -- but is encouraging the sport's commissioners to implement it as soon as 2024. The 11 presidents/chancellors who comprise the CFP board approved the original 12-team model, which is the six highest-ranked conference champions and six at-large teams.

5. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Georgia, Ohio State big wins launch season: Conference upheavel. Transfer portals. NIL money. Oh yeah, almost forgot. There's still games, too! Week 1 of the college season kicked off with Alabama the title favorite and featuring three Top 25 matches -- two of them immediately shaking up the top 10 and the season-long College Football Playoff race. In those games, No. 2 Ohio State handled No. 5 Notre Dame, 21-10, and more impressively, No. 3 Georgia clobbered No. 11 Oregon, 49-3.

6. HEAT: Donovan-to-Cavs continues disappointing Miami offseason: Heat entered the offseason reportedly interested in exploring trades for available whale Kevin Durant or rising whale Donovan Mitchell. Well, Durant (reluctantly) re-upped with Brooklyn and now, Thursday, Cleveland acquired Mitchell from Utah for three players and three future first-round  draft picks. Cavs and the NBA East get stronger, and Miami's biggest offseason news remains losing P.J. Tucker to Philly. Ouch.  

7. MARLINS: Reeling, stinking Fish lose seventh in a row: Marlins are 55-78 and have lost seven straight after Sunday's latest L. Not even ace Sandy Alcantara could rescue Miami in a rare bad outing in Friday's 8-1 loss. Alcantara is an NL Cy Young favorite but his hopes took a hit Friday. Miami, on a 1-9 skid, continues its road trip Tuesday in Philly as Fish play out the string on yet another disappointing season.

8. STATE COLLEGES (NON-UM): FIU escapes on night honoring Knox; Gators win a big one: Transfer-depleted FIU trailed 16-0 early to Rhode Island FCS school Bryant in its opener Thursday but rallied for a 38-37 overtime win led by Grayson James' four TD passes and winning two-point throw in OT. Night was a tribute to FIU linebacker Luke Knox, who died unexpectedly three weeks ago. Elsewhere: UCF routed South Carolina State, FAU easily beat Ohio, unranked Florida survived No. 7 Utah in the Swamp 29-26, and South Florida fell big to No. 25 BYU. State college Week 1 wrapped up Sunday as now 2-0 Florida State held on to beat LSU and, at Hard Rock, Jackson State routed Florida A&M in the Orange Blossom Classic.

9. INTER MIAMI: Herons fall to edge of playoff pace with two straight losses: Inter Miami is 10-6-12 with two straight losses and the lull has dipped the Herons to seventh place in the hunt for seven Major League Soccer East Conference playoff spots. Miami has six games left in the MLS regular season starting September 10 at Chicago Fire.

10. GOLF: World No. 2 Cameron Smith is latest PGA Tour loss to LIV Golf: The PGA Tour has lost another handful of blood-money-sucking defectors to Saudi-backed LIV Golf -- notably world No. 2 Cameron Smith, the British Open champion. Smith now complains it is unfair that those who joined the Saudi tour are not receiving world ranking points, whch threatens future eligibility to play in the majors. Dear Cam: Nobody sympathizes with you.

Missing the HB10 cut: In the WNBA playoff semifinals today it's Las Vegas at Seattle and Chicago at Connecticut in Game 3s of 1-1 best-of-5s. Chicago is reigning champion while Seattle is a four-time winner. Vegas and Connecticut seek their first crowns ..... QB Russell Wilson agreed on a five-year, $245 million deal with the Denver Broncos. (Dear Baltimore: What are you waiting for with Lamar Jackson?) ..... Argentina suspended soccer matches on Friday after an assassination attempt on the country's vice president ..... Florida Panthers will open preseason September 26 in Nashville to launch the era of new coach Paul Mauirce and new star Matthew Tkachuk ..... Angels star Shoehei Ohtani became first player ever with 30 home runs and 10 pitching wins in same season ..... U.S. women's hockey kept alive its streak of reaching the final at every ice hockey world championship after beating the Czech Republic in the semifinals Saturday ..... Hawaii's Little League World Series championshp over Curacao will be celebrated Thursday with a parde in Honolulu ..... Vanessa Bryant and second plaintiff were awarded $15 million each in a verdict against L.A. County over improper distribution of gruesome photos of the January 2020 helicopter crash that took the lives of Kobe Bryant and eight others ..... Last month's Women’s Euro '22 soccer tournament in England set records for interest. Event had a global cumulative live viewership of 365 million — more than double the 2017 total of 178 million. And the aggregate attendance of 574,875 fans more than doubled the record of 240,055 set in '17 ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode out Monday at 7 a.m. ..... Update: Countdown now 1,379 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: 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 / 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 22. Happy birthday shoutout to the greatest person I know ... my wife! 2) Join me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Greg Cote Show podcast, Why Watson punishment will go well beyond his extended NFL suspension, updated Mount Gregmore of columns.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE WITH JESSICA SMETANA OUT NOW!: Our 36th episode of 2022 and 127th overall is out now! New episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify -- wherever you pod and of course at MiamiHerald.com. Find all 127 we've done so far HERE. In our newest ep: Jessica Smetana from the Le Batard Show joins us to sing and dance (OK, no dancing) and provide us her all-time top five musicals -- which takes a shockingly unexpected dark turn. Also in the new ep: Greg pulls off surprise birthday party for his wife; Greg revisits the recent Charles Bricker stunt on the Le Batard Show, when Greg was duped into thinking he was speaking with an old journalism rival from the early ‘90s; the guys discuss Deshaun Watson’s increased NFL suspension; Dippity-Do talk; the USA Mullet Championships and much more. Hit up GCS2236 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.

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

Watson Punishment Will Go Way Beyond HIs Extended NFL Suspension

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

Hilltop: The five columns before that: 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 / 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

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (AUGUST 21-22): 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. NFL: Deshaun Watson suspension increased in settlement: Serial creep Deshaun Watson's punishment over his sexual assaults during massage sessions was increased from a six-game suspension and no fine to 11 games and a record %5 million fine in a settlement between the NFL and its players union. The shamed Cleveland Browsn quality will be eligible to make his season debut on December 4 at Houston, his former team.

2. DOLPHINS: Tua debuts in Miami's home preseason loss: Miami is 1-1 in the preseason after Saturday night's 15-13 home exhibition loss to Las Vegas. Tua Tagovailoa was sharp (6-for-8) in brief action in his preseason debut, although top wideouts Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle again sat out. Fins' fake-game finale is at home next Saturday vs. Philly. Real season opens Sept. 11 here vs. New England.

3. FIU: Linebacker Knox passes away suddenly. R.I.P.: The FIU football family is dealing with a tragedy as it prepares for its season. Linebacker Luke Knox, younger brother of Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox, died at 22 late Wednesday night after being hospitalized. Cause of death still is unannounced but foul play is not suspected. Knox played four years at Mississippi before tranferring. The Panthers and first-year coach Mike MacIntyre open the season September 1 vs. Bryant.

4. INTER MIAMI: Surging Herons win, solidify playoff chances: Herons are level at 10-6-10 and now in fifth place in the fight for one of seven MLS East playoff spots after Saturday's 2-1 home win over Toronto. Inter Miami, in its third season, is back on the pitch next Saturday at New York Red Bulls with eight games left in the regular season.

5. HURRICANES: Countdown 13 days 'til UM season opener: The No. 16-ranked Canes (AP poll) are less than two weeks from their opener at home vs. Bethune-Cookman to launch the Mario Cristobal era. Red-circled games are September 17 at No. 6 Texas A&M and November 19 at No. 4 Clemson. Also notable: November 26 vs. No. 17 Pitt and November 5 vs. traditional rival Florida State.

6. MARLINS: Sandy (The Bright Spot) Alcantara back on hill today: The fading Fish are 52-68 after three straightt losses entering today's game at the Dodgers. Ace Sandy Alcantara, chasing the NL Cy Young award despite the stinky team around him, is back on the mound today/Sunday. Miami's six-game western roadie moves on to Oakland beginning Monday.

7. HEAT: Schedule out; should Miami feel insulted? And U.D. re-ups!: Heat’s 82-game regular season schedule for 2022-23 begins with four-game homsetand, a franchise first, starting October 19 vs. Chicago. Miami finished one win shy of reaching the NBA Finals last season, but was excluded from both the season-opening marquee doubleheader on October 18 and prestigious Christmas Day slate. Meantime (no big shock) Udonis Haslem announced he'd be back for 20th (!) Heat season.

8. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: CFP mulls taking over sport's governance: The 11 college presidents and chancellors who comprise the College Football Playoff's Board of Managers met and began to discuss the possibility of restructuring how college football is governed -- perhaps outside the NCAA under the auspices of the CFP itself. Stay tuned.

9. GOLF: Tiger rallies the troops on behalf of PGA Tour: Tiger Woods, still the soul of golf, met with top players last week to rally support for the PGA Tour and stem the tide of defections to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series. The meeting took place at the BMW Championship in Wilmington, Delaware, site of the second of three FedEx Cup playoff events, won by Patrick Cantlay.

10. WNBA: Fowles bows out as playoffs begin: In a season overshadowed by the continuing Russian detention of star Brittney Griner, the eight-team WNBA playoffs led by the top-seeded Las Vegas Aces got underway. The start of the postseason also marked the retirement of Miami-born-and-raised Sylvia Fowles, the greatest center in league history.

Missing the HB10 cut: Leon Edwards' stunning knockout of Kamaru Usman in Salt Lake City won the welterweight title in UFC 278 on Saturday night ..... Confirming what the Miami Herald first reported in January, the College Football Playoff announced Miami would host the 2025-season national championship game on January 5, 2026 at Hard Rock Stadium ..... Serena Williams' U.S. Open farewell begins a week from Monday ..... Lakers star LeBron James signed a two-year, $97.1 million contract extension with a player option for a third year in 2024-25. Sounds the like the plan is he'll take the third year if Lakers also sign Bronny for a father-son finale season for Dad ..... FIFA says the Qatar World Cup starting in Noevmeber has sold 2.45 of 3 million available tickets ..... Florida Panthers announced a six-game preseason schedule opening September 26 at Nashville. Training camp figures tp open two weeks earlier ..... Pro Football Hall of Fame announced Chuck Howley, Joe Klecko and Ken Riley as the three senior finalists for the Class of 2023. Those failing to make the cut included the late former Dolphins guard Bob Kuechenberg ..... The 75th Little League World Series of baseball is underway w\in Williamsport, Pa., with the U.S. and International finals on August 27 and the overall champion decided a day later ..... Widow Vanessa Bryant's lawsuit against Los Angeles County and county sheriff Alex Villanueva over graphic crash-site photos of her late husband Kobe and daughter being shared is nearing an end. The January 2020 helicopter crash killed nine people ..... Fernando Tati Sr. called his Padres-star son's 80-game PEDs suspension based for baseball, blaming everybody except his son. C'mon, papi, get real ..... Upcoming: Florida A&M and Jackson State in college football's Orange Blossom Classic Spetember 4 at Hard Rock ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode out Monday at 7 a.m. ..... Update: Countdown now 1,393 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: 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 SATURDAY, AUGUST 13. Happy weekend! Glad to be back on with Le Batard Show this week. Check out Wednesday's show podcasts, including my "Mount Gregmore Of Overrated Foods" bit. 2) Join me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hot Button Top 10, Does Brady still have a future in Miami?, new 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.

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! Butch Davis On Retiring, His 50-Year Career -- And Hurricanes Twice Almost Bringing Him Back NEW!

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

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

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

The Hilltop: The five columns before that: 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

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

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 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, DECEMBER 13. R.I.P., Michael Nesmith. 2) Make me feel better. Tell me you haven't started your Christmas shopping yet. 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): Canes land grand prize in Cristobal, NFL Week 14 picks, Frank Gore on boxing, Week 13 NFL results for picks/Lobos/QB rankinsg, Greg Cote Show podcast.

Note to readers: I've burning a bunch of unused vacation days in December so am having fewer columns out lately. But am still producing occasional columns and regular staples such as the weekly NFL picks, the podcast and this blog.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: DOLPHIN MACK HOLLINS ON NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our 48th episode of 2021 and landmark 90th overall is out now! 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 90 we've done HERE, free. In our latest episode: Mack Daddy! Mack the Knife! Miami Dolphins receiver Mack Hollins joins us and delights with his splendid unusualness. Quick hints: Sings Sinatra. Owns an 11-foot boa. Owns no car. Fun dude. Also in the new episode: Important discussion about ear wax; Greg apologizes to a dearly departed Monkee; Friday afternoon driving songs; Goodbye Manny Diaz; an ominous Lobos update and more! Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Most podcasts were off this past week for the holiday. NOT US!!! Please listen, rate, review and follow. (Our pod simulcasts on Sirius XM every Monday 5-6 p.m. ET).

NFL Week 14 picks: Still alive for our 6th straight (!) Upset of the Week bull's-eye: NFL Week 14 Gems.

Our most recent columns: 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 (DECEMBER 12-13): 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. HURRICANES: Early faculty-blowback against Cristobal's mega-deal: Ink was barely dry on Mario Cristobal's new $80 million deal to be UM's new head coach -- not to mention Dan Radakovich's big new contract to be athletic director -- when faculty on campus began loudly complaining about the athletic spending in the context of cutbacks elsewhere. Worse, Cristobal has been in charge nearly a full week now and the Canes still have yet to win a single football game!

2. PANTHERS: Cats welcome back Barkov, stay atop East despite loss: Florida is 18-5-4, still atop the East and had won four of past five games before Sunday's loss at tough Colorado. And Aleksander Barkov is back from injury and on the ice. Despite the unexpected coaching-change turmoil, hopes for this season remain so high they should be illegal.

3. HEAT: Miami wins second straight despite missing stars: Miami has shed a 1-4 slump and is 16-11 after two straight wins, including Saturday's over Chicago depiste star Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler both missing with injuries. Adebayo underwent surgery on his right thumb is is not expected to return before mid-January.

4. OLYMPICS: U.S. to have diplomatic boycott of Beijing Games: President Biden said U.S. will not send a diplomatic delegation to Beijing Winter Games in two months to protest China's human rights violations such as abuses against Uyghurs in Xinjiang and crackdown in Hong Kong. The U.K., Australia nd Canada also will not end diplomats. U.S. athletes still will compete.

5. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: FIU hires coach, Diaz lands on his feet: FIU hired former Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre as its sixth head football coach, replacing the let-go Butch Davis. Penn State hired deposed UM coach Manny Diaz as defensive coordinator, giving him a Power 5 landing spot. Also, Florida State promoted another ex-Canes coach, Randy Shannon, to the same role.

6. GOLF: Tiger Wood makes his comeback this week, sort of: Tiger Woods will compte ealongside son Charlie beginning next Saturday in the PNC Championship, just 10 months after his February car crash that left his right leg mangled and Woods doubting he'd ever play golf again. Low-stakes, fun event -- but great to see Tiger back nonethless.

7. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Oh my God, bowl season has begun!:  We are nine bowl games in and 35 yet to go in the 44-game glut called bowl sesaon, culminating with the CFP national championship game January 10 in Indianapolis. Only state FBS teams bowling are the Canes December 31 vs. Washingotn State in the Sun Bowl, and Florida-UCF Dec. 23 in the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa. That's one of seven bowls within the state -- led by the December 31 Georgia-Michigan CFP national semifinal in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock.

8. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: 'Bama QB Young wins Heisman Trophy: Alabama quarterback Bryce Youg  won the Heismna Trophy in a landslide Saturday, he Tide's sixth winner and second in a row. Lemme guess. It's kn his contract. Nick Saban get another raise.

9. DOLPHINS: Hot Fins carry 5-game win streak into bye: Some say the late bye week is needed for well-deserved rest. Others say it's ill-time and could derail Miami's momentum. Greg Cote says he's just happy for a damned weekend off.

10. SOCCER: New York City wins MLS Cup: New York City beat the Portland Timbers 4-2 in penalties after a 1-1 match Saturday to win its fiurst Major League Soccer championship in Portland, denying home fans a repeat fo their 2015 title. NYC coach Ronny Deila kept a promise by (please, God, no) stripping down to his underwear doing pushups on the field.

Missing the HB10 cut: Gymnast Simone Biles is Time's 2021 Athlete of the Year, for "rasing the volume" on mental health awareness. Good choice ..... U.S. women's soccer star Megan Rapinoe was left unprotected and is available to be taken in this week's NWSL expansion draft on Thursday ..... Six days until the Jake Paul fight in Tampa that includes the pro boxing debut of former Canes and NFL star Frank Gore on the undercard ..... Reigning women's basketball Player of the Year Paige Bueckers of UConn may be out longer than expected as she considers surgery on her injured left knee ..... Strong starts for Canes basketball. Men are 7-3, 1-0 in ACC. Women are 6-3, with ACC opener December 19 vs. No. 19 Duke ..... Jeff Bezos‘ rocket company, Blue Origin, launched another private flight, this one including former NFL star Michael Strahan aboard ..... MLB lockout continues, and nobody will give a flying crap until the start of the regular season is threatened ..... NBA trade window opens on Wednesday ..... Hey, Urban Meyer. Missin' the college campus yet? ..... R.I.P., Al Unser Sr., four-time Indy 500 winner, gone at 82, and former Broncos star Demaryius Thomas, unexpectedly at 33 ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode Monday at 7 a.m. ET ..... Update: Countdown now 1,660 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 MONDAY, NOVEMBER 22. Happy Thanksgiving Week! I'll be in with the Le Batard Show on Tuesday ... with a special surprise. 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 11 picks, Greg Cote Show podcast, latest columns, NFL Week 10 results for picks/Lobos/QB rank & more.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our 45th episode of 2021 and 87th overall is out now! 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 87 we've done HERE, free. In our newest episode: Meet orange-bearded Marc Angelo, the Miam Dolphins' nominee for 2021 NFL Fan of the Year. And Greg, Chris and Yeti share their picks for worst Thanksgiving foods -- the ones that should be kicked off the table. Plus, Chris' empty bags vs. Greg's umbrella misuse; Chris rips Scottie Pippen, Dolphins keep rollin', Lobos update and Quirk Line for you to call in. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Most podcasts are off this week for the holiday. NOT US!!! Please listen, rate, review and follow. (Our pod simulcasts on Sirius XM every Monday 5-6 p.m. ET).

NFL WEEK 11 PICKS: DOLPHINS-JETS, GAME OF THE WEEK, 3 BIG UPSETS AND ALL THE REST: NFL Week 11 is upon us and we started off with a double win Thursday night (NFL Week 11 Thursday Gem) because we had Patriots winning and covering a 7-point spread and they did both, beating Falcons, 25-0. Hope that's a harbinger for a big week! The rest of our picks include Dolphins at Jets, our Game of the Week, three big upsets and all the rest. Find all of our latest picks here: NFL Week 11 Gems.

Column from Sunday's Dolphins win: They're Alive! Dolphins, Tua Beat Jets For 3rd Straight As Revival Continues.

Column from Saturday night's Hurricanes win: Diaz Smiles Through Rain & Pain As Canes Win,  Reach Bowl Game He May Not Be Around To Coach.

Our most recent other columns: Hurricanes, Too Beholden to Past and UM Family, Need to Go Outside for new AD Hire / UM And Blake James Parted Ways With Class -- Which Butch Davis Didn't Get From FIU / and How Miami Dolphins Are Poised to Transform Their 1-7 Start Into Playoff Contention and Miracles Happen: Huge Defense, Tua Off Bench Help Fins Stun Baltimore

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (NOVEMBER 21-22): 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: Tua excels as hot Fins win at Jets for 3rd straight: Tua Tagovailoa is past his finger injury, started Sunday and was great, including two TD passes, in 24-17 Miami win at rval Jets. Dolphins are now 4-7 with three straight wins, and three straight winnable home games ahead. (Playoffs? Playoffs!?)

2. HURRICANES: UM wins, earns bowl trip on bittersweet night for Diaz: Miami led throughout in a 38-26 win over Virginia Tech last night in a rain-soaked home finale at Hard Rock (see my column link below). Canes at 6-5 are now bowl-eligible entering next week's finale at Duke. But will Manny Diaz be around to coach in the bowl game? Questionable to doubtful as UM ssearches for the new athletic director who'll likely choose his replacement.

3. HEAT: Four-game win streak ends but Butler is making MVP case: Miami is 11-6 after last night's narrow loss at Washington but Jimmy Butler continues making his case for league MVP, already leading the team in scoring eight times. Past week's highlights included Dwyae Wade's first return to home arean this season. Heat is back in play Tuesday in Detroit.

4. PANTHERS: Cats are hot again, maintain East lead: Florida is 13-2-3 and still atop the NHL East after last night's home win over Minnesota. That's three wins in a row after a four-game skid that found plenty of Cats fans pouncing way to soon on interim coach Andrew Brunette. Panthers are back at it Wednesday vs. Philly.

5. MARLINS: Fish extend Alcantara with $55 million deal: Miami Marlins locked up ace pitcher Sandy Alcantara with a $55 mllion extension announced Monday. Also, club made four additions to club’s 2022 Major League coaching staff, notably Marcus Thames as hitting coach and Al Pedrique as third base and infield coach. Marlins also had a piece of MLB awards week, as pitcher Trevor Rogers finished second in NL rookie of year voting.

6. STATE COLLEGES (NON-UM): Gators lose again, Butch falls in FIU home finale: Florida Gators are a bowl-shy 5-6 after Saturday's 24-23 loss to Missouir that furthers imperils coach Dan Mullen. And FIU is 1-10 after a 49-7 home loss to North Texas in Butch Davis' final home game; he won;t return next season. Elsewhere in state FBS play (non-UM division): FSU beat Boston College 26-23, FAU got clobbered by Western Kentucky, UCF routed UConn and South Florida fell hard to Tulane.

7. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Loss by No. 3 Oregon shakes up CFP final four: No. 3 Oregon's crushing 38-7 loss at No. 23 Utah Saturday will shake up the College Football Playoff and likely see Georgia, Alabama and Ohio State welcoming in interloper Cincinnati to the select four in the next CFP rankings. Does it also make Mario Cristobal likelier to leave the Ducks for, say ... Miami? Other Top 25 losses were by No. 7 Michigan State, 10-Wake Forest and 21-Arkansas.

8. UM BASKETBALL: Good starts but big tests await for Canes men, women: UM men are 3-1 after Sunday's win over Florida A&M, and play three more before their ACC opener. Canes women are 4-0 and next play Thanskgiving Day vs. Washington State. First major tests for UM women are next Saturday vs. No. 4-Indiana and December 2 at 3-Maryland.

9. MLB: Ohtani the talk of baseball's Awards Week: MLB handed out hardware for ML and AL MVP, Cy Young, manager and rookie of the year this past week, and at the top was the unanimous AL MVP vote for the Angels' Shohei Ohtani. He is legitimately the sports' greatest two-way hitter/pitcher since one Babe Ruth circa 1915-18.

10. OLYMPICS: U.S. mulling diplomatic boycott of Beijing Games: President Joe Biden thi week said the United States is considering a diplomatic boycott of next year's Winter Olympics in Beijing over China's human rights abuses. That would keep American dignitaries -- but not athletes -- from attending the Games.

Missing the HB10 cut: The USMNT's 1-1 draw with Jamaica leaves the American men in good shape in World Cup qualifying. There's a pause now, with the next U.S. qualifier, vs. El Salvador, not until January 27 ..... MLS playoffs (Inter Miami is on the couch watching) are almost down to the final eight and the conference semifinals, with New England Revolution the clear title pick based on season form ..... Antonio Brown is accused of obtaining a fake COVID-19 vaccination card. Or did that go without saying? ..... The new biopic King Richard is out, about Richard Williams and tennis daughters Serena and Venus, starring Will Smith in the title role ..... The new Tom Brady docuseries is called Man In The Arena, because all of the good titles were already taken. (Quick note: Brady plays in stadiums, not arenas) ..... Garbiñe Muguruza won the WTA Finals in tennis. Alexander Zverez and Daniil Medvedev go for the ATP Finals crown Sunday .....  The Washington Spirit won the NWSL title with a 2-1 extra time victory over the Chicago Red Stars ..... The Cleveland Indians' name-change to Cleveland Guardians is now official. Insulting nickname to a just plain bad one. Upgrade? ..... The rapper Ludacris is narrating MLB's offcial Braves World Series film out December 14 ..... Homestead-Miami Speedway is hosting a "Magic Of Lights" drive-through holiday display through January 1. Good idea. But it'd be even more magical if they weren't charging $20 and up per car ..... NFL Pro Bowl tickets are now on sale and Pro Bowl voting is underway, and nobody cares ..... R.I.P., Sam Huff ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode Monday at 7 a.m. ET ..... Update: Countdown now 1,681 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, NOVEMBER 20. Join me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Follow the Greg Cote Show podcast separately on Twitter, Instagram and now TikTok, too! 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hot Button Top 10, new Greg Cote Show podcast, Dolphins stun Baltimore, Canes fall at FSU & more.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our 44th episode of 2021 and 86th overall is out now! 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 86 we've done HERE, free. In our new episode: Meet the Prince of Mumbai, Rohan Nadkarni (pictured), NBA writer for Sports llustrated and an old cigar-bar buddy. Rohan tells us why the Heat’s Jimmy Butler is an NBA MVP contender, how Kyle Lowry has made Miami better, and why LeBron James might finally be showing "past-his-prime vibes." But, wait! WHOA! Who is this interloper? Jessica Smetana (also pictured) pod-bombs the episode to reunite with her former SI stable-mate. The chat devolves into an argument over Rohan’s support of Greg’s pumpkin-carving over Jess’. Also in the new ep: Rohan and Jess discuss whether Greg looks more like Tom Cruise or the guy on the green Flanigan’s cup; Rock, Paper, Scissors is the worst thing ever and Greg explains why; Greg takes a victory lap with Tua Tagovailoa after Dolphins’ huge win; new episode of Hard Knocks/Greg’s Lobos; and James Taylor/Jackson Browne concert review. 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 11 PICKS: DOLPHINS-JETS, GAME OF THE WEEK, 3 BIG UPSETS AND ALL THE REST: NFL Week 11 is upon us and we started off with a double win last night (NFL Week 11 Thursday Gem) because we had Patriots winning and covering a 7-point spread and they did, beating Falcons, 25-0. Hope that's a harbinger for a big week! The rest of our picks include Dolphins at Jets, our Game of the Week, three big upsets and all the rest. Find all of our latest picks here: NFL Week 11 Gems.

Canes-Virginia Tech: Watch for our column from Hard Rck Stadium online late tonight, moments aftre the 730 p.m. game ends. 

This week's columns:

Hurricanes, Too Beholden to Past and UM Family, Need to Go Outside for new AD Hire

UM And Blake James Parted Ways With Class -- Which Butch Davis Didn't Get From FIU

How Miami Dolphins Are Poised to Transform Their 1-7 Start Into Playoff Contention

Also: On UM loss at FSU: Just Another Cursed, Heartbreak Finish for Diaz And Hurricanes and Thursday's big Dolphins win: Miracles Happen: Huge Defense, Tua Off Bench Help Fins Stun Baltimore

NFL WEEK 10 RESULTS:

(*) OUR PICKS: BETTER. AND THAT'S A START: Tough season for us so far, but saw an upswing last week with a 9-4-1 mark overall and 7-7 against the spread. Highlights: We nailed a second straight Upset of the Week pick with 49ers beating Rams Monday night, and had a second outright upset call with Vikings winning at Chargers. Also has Washington-with-points covering vs. Tampa Bay.

(*) GREG'S LOBOS: IF WE WERE ANY HOTTER WE'D BE ON FIRE!: Lobos won 99-96 last week over family friend Brandon. Ezekiel Elliott led us with 20 points but we had six in double figures to win the low-scoring affair. That makes is 8-2 and alone in first place (!) in the PFPI Fantasy regular season, our 10-team friends 'n family league.

(*) HERALD NFL QB RANKINGS: MAHOMES IS BACK! (DID HE EVER LEAVE?): The Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes wins Week 10 with an elite 60-point game and makes it a three-way season race with Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford in the Herald's updated rankings. Details and the latest Top 20: NFL Week 10 QB Rankings.

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

1) It's SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 14. 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): Hot Button Top 10, Dolphins end skid in win over Texans, Is Manny Diaz saving himself after 3rd straight win?, Greg Cote Show podcast & more.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE DROPS MONDAY!: Our 44th episode of 2021 and 86th overall is out now! 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 85 we've done HERE, free. In our most recent episode: Hear Greg's live on-stage routine and more from Le Batard Show's mini-Mas Miami fan event. Also: Toy Hall of Fame inductees, Yeti live report from Braves' championship parade, how to pronounce "Tuesday," an homage to Villa Rose (R.I.P.), Big Bird gets the vaccine, NFL's wild weekend, Greg's Lobos update, stern message from the National Respect The Pumpkin Foundation & 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).

My column off Saturday's UM loss at FSU: Just Another Cursed, Heartbreak Finish for Diaz And Hurricanes

Column off Thursday's Dolphins upset win: Miracles Happen: Huge Defense, Tua Off Bench Help Fins Stun Baltimore

Our other most recent columns: Oh Brother! Heat-Nuggets' Family Feud Spices Season / Fins End 7-Game Skid -- But Only Because Texans Were Even Worse / Is Manny Diaz Saving Himself? Coach, Comeback Canes Win 3rd Straight. Also: Dolphins' Watson Lust Ruined Season, Damaged Tua. And That Starts With Owner Ross / Buffalo's Late Classlessness Aside, Miami Out Of Answers In 7th Straight Loss / U-Turn: UM Season, Diaz Future Looking Up With 2nd Straight Big Win / and Quenneville Rightly Sacked as Panthers Coach Over 2010 Chicago Scandal.

NFL Week 10 picks: Week 10 began with Dolphins hosting Ravens Thursday night and winning, 22-10. That result blindsided me; didn't think the Fins had it in 'em. Hope the rest of my week goes better! Here are our picks for our Game of the Week and Upset of the Week along with an additional upset and all the rest: NFL Week 10 Gems.

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (NOVEMBER 14-15): 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: Stunner! Miami shocks Ravens with big defense, Tua off bench: Awesome defense and a late lift from Tua Tagovailoa in relief were plenty as the Dolphins stunned Baltimore, 22-10, Thursday night. Lest we forget, play of the game honors to 330-pound guard Robert Hunt for his TD that didn't count ... except as fabulous! The second straight win puts Fins 3-7 and with schedule softening, starting with the Jets next Sunday. Late miracle-rally to playoff contention, anyone?

2. HURRICANES: UM trails, leads, blows it in wild loss at FSU: An early 14-0 hole. A late 28-20 lead. An eventual 31-28 last-second. Ho hum, just another hear-attack finish for Canes and their fans -- the seventh game decided by four points or fewer. Miami now 5-5, 3-3 in ACC, out of the Coastal race and still not bowl-eligible with two games left.

3. HEAT: Miami cools off but wins in Utah: Heat started 6-1 but was 7-5 before Saturday's 111-105 win in Utah fueled by Duncan Robinson's six 3's, despite Jimmy Butler missing second straight game with ankle injury. Miami ends its wesern roadie Monday at Oklahoma City. Meantime NBA's probe into possible pre-free agency tampering by Miami in the Kyle Lowry signing is  nearly complete. (League also is investigating Chicago's Lonzo Ball deal).

4. FIU: Longtime AD Garcia steps down, Butch Davis headed out, too: Veteran FIU athletics boss Pete Garcia stepped down after 15 years, not a huge surprise and good news to many on campus. Now comes word that the school already is advertising to replace football coach Butch Davis after this season. Davis is 1-9 this season and 1-16 since shocking the Hurricanes late in 2019. 

5. SOCCER: U.S. scores huge win over Mexico in WC qualifying: The U.S. men's national team won its third straight over rival Mexico, 2-0, in a World Cup qualifier in Cincinnati. The Americans next CONCACAF-region qualifier is Tuesday vs. Jamaica. U.S. men sit pretty to reach next year's World Cup in Qatar.  

6. PANTHERS: Hot Cats cool with fourth straight loss: Florida's 10-2-3 record still shines, but it's four losses in a row now, the past two in added time including 3-2 in OT Saturday in Tampa. Team was 7-0-0 when coach Joel Quenneville stepped down. Panthers begin four-game homestand Tuesday vs. New York Islanders. 

7. MLB: Looming lockout, free agency on the plate: The CBA is expiring and a possible lockout looming as baseball enters free agency. The question in South Florida: Will the Marlins break recent tradition and be big spenders for the bat(s) they need to augment solid pitching? They say yes. Let's see. They swung a minor deal for reliever Louis Head, but offene is the need.

8. UM BASKETBALL: Canes men, women await early big tests: UM men are 1-1 after Saturday's 95-89 home loss to UCF, while Canes women are 3-0 after beating Stetson Sunday. The men play six games before ACC play begins. The women's first big tests are November 27 vs. No. 8-Indiana and December 2 at 4-Maryland.

9. STATE COLLEGES (NON-UM): Gators win, but rather embarassingly: Florida limped to 5-5 with 70-52 win over Samford. How do you give up 52 to Samford!? Tough week for state FBS teams (non-UM division), with losses by FIU, FAU, UCF and South Florida.

10. INTER MIAMI: MLS playoffs start (sans Miiami) this week: The 14-team Major League Soccer playoffs begin this coming Friday. Inter Miami ended its second season a disappointing 12-5-17 (that's 12 wins in 34 matches), and well out of the playoff hunt.

Missing the HB10 cut: Tennis' ATP and WTA Finals are going on. Woemn finish up this Wednesday and the men next Sunday ..... Rams signed Odell Beckham Jr. ..... Jon Gruden is suing the NFL saying he was forced out as Raiders coach. Dear Jon: WHo wrote those hateful emails? The NFL? Or you? ..... Six more Top 25 football teams lost, but none higher than No. 8 Oklahoma ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode Monday at 7 a.m. ET ..... Update: Countdown now 1,688 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 MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13. Twenty years ago this past weekend, the world changed, and an attacked America stood strong. NEVER FORGET! 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 1 picks, Tua's heavy lifting starts now, 9/11 remembered, Our Orlando vacation, Greg Cote Show podcast & more.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: FINS-PATS, SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR GREG IN NEW EPISODE OUT MONDAY!: Our 35th episode of 2021 and 77th 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. You can find all 77 we've done HERE, for free. In our new episode: A cavalcade of stars from Le Batard Show, ESPN and elsewhere, including special surprises, drop by the podcast to wish Greg a happy birthday. Also, Greg and the guys discuss Dolphins win at Patriots, NFL Week 1 and the Canes two weeks in. 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).

My Dolphins column from Foxborough: In my column on Miami's 17-16 win at New England, I discuss the problem with the Fins offense as a secondary topic. Mostly I focus on how fitting it ewsas that the player who spent the offsesaon seeking more monbey and respect proved in the opner why he deserved both. For the full column, visit Xavien Howard Deserved the Money and Respect He Wanted -- This Was Why.

NFL Week 1 picks: The Upset Bird and I are back for (hard to believe) our 31st season of NFL picks in the Miami Herald. It's debut week! Visit NFL Week 1 Gems for our pick for Dolphins-Patriots, our Game of the Week, Upset of the Week and all the rest. We peg three big upsets out the gate. Is a Fins win one of them? Got off to a mixed start Thursday night. Had Patriots beating Dallas and covering 8 points. They won but failed to cover.

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (SEPTEMBER 12-13): 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: Year 2ua launches with big win at New England -- thanks to D: Hopes were high, coming off a 10-6 season, that Year 2 of the Tua Tagovailoa era and Year 3 for coach Brian Flores would see Miami a playoff team on the crest of sustained winning. Well, a good start: 17-16 over Pats, thanks to Xavien Howard's big play late, and first place in AFC East.   

2. HURRICANES: UM narrowly escapes App State: Losing the opener to No. 1 Alabama was excusable (although the 44-13 final was a bit much). But losing Saturday's night's home opener to Appalachian State would have had Canes fans marching with torches and pitchforks and after the head of coach Manny Diaz. Exhale. Calamity avoided. Or at least delayed. Barely. Down from 14th to 22nd in The AP poll, UM stemmed the bleeding (sort of) by surviving Appalachian State 25-23 at home. 

3. MARLINS: Jeter inducted in Cooperstown as season wanes: Marlins president Derek Jeter, inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame this week after being voted in on 396 of 397 ballots, thanked writers -- "All but one of you," he said, smiling, of the still-anonymous cretin who denied him 100 percent. Alas, Jeter's Marlins are a disappointing 60-83 in midst of a six-game homestand.

4. HEAT: Bosh inducted into Hall of Fame: Chris Bosh took his place Saturday in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. He's the eighth inductee with Miami Heat ties (Pat Riley and Alonzo Mourning at the forefront), and the first since Ray Allen 2018.

5. DON SHULA: Dolphins announce 'Celebration of Life': The Dolphins announced an event to celebrate the ife of legendary coach Don Shula would take place at  at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 2 at Hard Rock Stadium -- the first public ceremony honoring Shula since his passing on May 4, 2020. Registration is open at https://www.miamidolphins.com/don-shula/. The event will be the day before the Dolphins Alumni Weekend game vs. Indianapolis.

6. TENNIS: U.S. Open's unexpected championship weekend: Sunday's men's final? Unexpected: Top-seed Novak Djokovic falling to to second-seed Danii Medvedev. Saturday's women's final? Really unexpected: Emma Raducanu defeating Leylah Fernandez in a thoroughly and refreshingly unexpected duel of little-known, unseeded teenagers. Raducanu, an 18-year-old Brit, became the youngest Grand Slam champion in 17 years and the first player in the pro era to make a major final after playing her way in through qualifying rounds.

7. INTER MIAMI: Hot Herons win again, close in on MLS playoffs: Inter Miami is 8-9-5 but on a 6-1-3 hot streak and now only two points off playoff pace with 10 games left after Saturday night's 1-nil home win over Columbus Crew on a Higuain tally.

8. STATE COLLEGES (NON-UM): Gators angling to crash top 10: The Week 2 Saturday slate (besides Appalachian State at Miami) found No. 13 Florida winning 42-20 at South Florida atop the state FBS marquee. The rest: Jacksonville State stunning FSU at Doak, FIU denied a 2-0 start in home loss to Texas State, FAU routing Georgia Southern, and UCF routing Bethune-Cookman.

9. COLLEGE FOOTBALL (NON-STATE): Early shakeup as No. 3 Ohio State loses: Only two Top 25 duels for Week 2 but both worth a watch as No. 3 Ohio State hosted and lost to No. 12 Oregon, 35-28 -- one week after No. 3 Clemson also lost. And one entire state took Saturday off as 10-Iowa visited and defeated 9-Iowa State.  

10. BOXING : Old boxers and Trump -- Oh God no!: Evander Holyfield, 58 (!), looked his age Saturday night at Hard Rock in a first round TKO loss to former UFC champion Vitor Belfort in what was to be eight two-minute rounds atop a four-fight card. Fight was moved to Miami after California wouldn't sanction it (with reason, apparently). Adding to the spectacle, former President Donald Trump was a ringside commentator. Can't make this s--- up, folks.

Missing the HB10 cut: Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice Saturday in in his return to Manchester United in a 4-1 Premier League win over Newcastle United ..... College football's upheaval continues as BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and Orlando's UCF accepted invitations to join the decimated but rallying Big 12 conference ..... Miami politicians announced plans to build an 820,000-square foot indoor multi-sports complex called Destination Sport Miami on a 20-acre site just west of the Turnpike and Dolphin Mall ..... U.S. men's national team sits solid with a win and two draws in Word Cup qualifying entering its next match October 7 vs. Jamaica ..... The 43rd Ryder Cup begins September 24 in Wisconsin, and captain Steve Stricker completed the 12-man U.S. team with a blend of experience and youth including six Ryder Cup rookies ..... Denny Hamlin won the first event in the 10-race NASCAR playoffs that continued Saturday at Richmond ..... The Heat announced the retirement of veteran broadcaster Mike Inglis, the team’s radio play-by-play voice for 23 seasons. He'll be replaced by Jason Jackson ..... Florida Panthers announced they have offered NIL (name-image-likeness) contracts to over 200 female athletes at FAU. Each athlete is invited to attend Panthers games and get a free t-shirt (!) ..... Less ridiculous, the Panthers' four-day developmental camp runs through Tuesday in Coral Springs ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode Monday at 7 a.m. ET ..... Update: Countdown now 1,751 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup.

Other most recent columns: Canes Can Shock the World and Beat Alabama. Here's How [Update: Oops!] / Belichick Must Be Smiling As Dolphins Deal With Rumors And Tua With Doubt / and Fins' Faith In Tua Will Be A Lie If They Sell Soul, Spend Big For Watson. Also: There Is Only One Way an ACC/Big Ten/Pac-12 Alliance Can Out-SEC the SEC / Time to Finally Start Believing in Tua, Flores and Miami Dolphins / Why Dolphins, Canes Should Be Taking Lead In Requiring Fans To Be COVID-Vaccinated / An Appreciation of Udonis Haslem As He Re-Ups For 19th Heat Season / Dolphins' 'Big Picture' Begins To Emerge With Unveiling Of Year 2ua / Unraveled: The Story Behind Who Aubrey Huff Became / and What Lionel Messi's Sudden, Stunning Move Means For Inter Miami

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

1) It's FRIDAY-TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3-7. We're off on a (rather spectacularly ill-timed) holiday for a few days. Back early next week. 2) Was back on the Le Batard Show this past Tuesday. Check out that day's show podcasts. 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): The Hurricanes' best shot at beating Alabama, 2 columns on Dolphins' hell week fighting Watson rumors, Latest Greg Cote Show podcast & more.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: GREG'S LOBOS AND PFPI FANTASY DRAFT OUT NOW: Our 34th episode of 2021 and 76th 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. You can find all 76 we've done HERE, for free. In our most recent episode: Join the Cote family and friends and hear all the fun banter during the PFPI Fantasy Draft featuring Greg's Lobos, and emceed by Greg, followed by pool time and a Paella Party. You'll feel like you were there! Also: Greg discusses the resurfaced Deshaun Watson-to-Dolphins rumors, and we debut a new song revealing Greg's Lobos on HBO's Hard Knocks. No new episode this coming week because we're on vacation. Perfect time to catch up with our whole catalog. Watch for a new episode September 13! 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).

Featured recent columns: Canes-Bama, Dolphins drama & more

• Hurricanes: Canes Can Shock the World and Beat Alabama. Here's How
• Dolphins: Belichick Must Be Smiling As Dolphins Deal With Rumors And Tua With Doubt / and Fins' Faith In Tua Will Be A Lie If They Sell Soul, Spend Big For Watson
• Also: There Is Only One Way an ACC/Big Ten/Pac-12 Alliance Can Out-SEC the SEC / Time to Finally Start Believing in Tua, Flores and Miami Dolphins / Why Dolphins, Canes Should Be Taking Lead In Requiring Fans To Be COVID-Vaccinated / An Appreciation of Udonis Haslem As He Re-Ups For 19th Heat Season / Dolphins' 'Big Picture' Begins To Emerge With Unveiling Of Year 2ua / Unraveled: The Story Behind Who Aubrey Huff Became / and What Lionel Messi's Sudden, Stunning Move Means For Inter Miami

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (SEPTEMBER 3-7): WHAT SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive (usually) 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. HURRICANES: Canes clobbered by Bama in season opener: The No. 14-ranked Canes were 19 1/2-point underdogs to reigning national champion and No. 1 Alabama Saturday in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta -- and the odds were underlined in the Crimson Tide's 44-13 rout. Bryce Young thoroughly outplayed D'Eriq King  in the QB battle and it was men against boys on defense. So is The U "back'?" Next question, please.

2. DOLPHINS: Fins prepare for Pats, Mac Jones in opener as Watson rumors ebb: Miami prepares to visit AFC East rival New England in its September 12 NFL season opener. And it'll be Tua Tagovailoa vs. Mac Jones in a duel of ex-Alabama quarterbacks as the Pats cut Cam Newton and the Fins' reported interest in Deshaun Watson has borne nothing but ill-timed rumors as fruit.

3. HEAT: Bosh gets his due with Hall of Fame induction: Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2021 -- including former Miami Heat star Chris Bosh -- is honored next Saturday (the 11th) in Springfield, Mass. Pat Riley and Ray Allen will present Bosh. Other notable inductees include Paul Pierce, Ben Wallace, Bill Russell (as a coach), Chris Webber, Rick Adelman, Jay Wright, Yolanda Griffth and Lauren Jackson.

4. STATE COLLEGES (NON-UM): Gators, Noles, FIU debut; Orange Blossom Classic returns: In sequence: Thursday--FIU routed Long Island University 48-10; UCF rallied past Boise State 36-31; and South Florida got embarrassed at N.C. State 45-0. Saturday--FAU lost predictably at No. 13 Florida 35-14. Tonight/Sunday--No. 9 Notre Dame at Florida State. Non-FBS-level but also notable Sunday: Deion Sanders' Jackson State vs. FAMU at Hard Rock in a welcome renewal of famed Orange Blossom Classic for HBCU teams, last played in 1978.

5. COLLEGE FOOTBALL (NON-STATE): Week 1 begins in full with Clemson-Georgia atop marquee: FBS-level college football had a soft opening with "Week 0" last week but began in full Saturday. Besides UM-Alabama, biggest Week 1 matchup nationally was No. 5 Georgia at No. 3 Clemson on Saturday -- and the Bulldogs were upset winners in a 10-3 defensive gem.

6. INTER MIAMI: Hot Herons rally into MLS playoff chase: Inter Mia is 7-9-5 but on a 5-1-3 hot streak after a 1-0 win at Cincinnati Saturday night. The Herons' run of late -- one loss in past nine matches -- has drawn them within four points of playoff pace with 11 matches left. Meanwhile David Beckham signed his son Romeo, 19, to the club's Fort Lauderdale minor league team.

7. MARLINS: Fish escape NL East cellar!: Miami is 57-80 but a warm 6-4 lately and (for now) out of the NL East cellar. Miami continues a six-game homestand with three games vs. the Mets starting Tuesday.

8. GOLF: Cantlay wins FedEx Cup playoffs: The Tour Championship in Atlanta Sunday crowned the winner of the PGA Tour's three-event FedEx Cup playoffs -- and it was Patrick Cantlay protecting his lead to win the $15 million prize. Jon Rahm was runnerup as the PGA Tour completed its season.

9. OLYMPICS: Paralympic Games wrapping up in Tokyo: The 16th Paralympic Summer Games end today/Sunday in Tokyo, and the U.S. team finished fourth in overall medals and third in golds, with China easily atop both categories. U.S. is the all-time Paralympic medals leader but last led in gold and overall medals in 1996.

10. TENNIS: U.S. Open reaches its midpoint: The year's final tennis major is on in flash-flood-bothered New York and scheduled to end next Sunday, with notable stars including Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Serena Williams not playing due to injuries. No. 1 seed and betting favorite Novak Djokovic remains alive, But women's faves Ashleigh Barty and Naomi Osaka both are eliminated.

Missing the HB10 cut: U.S. men's national soccer team played El Salvador to a 0-0 draw Thursday night in its first World Cup qualifying match -- but without star Christian Pulisic, who is recovering from a positive COVID test despite (he says) being vaccinated ..... ESPN gets duped by nationally televising a high school football game involving a fake team, "Bishop Sycamore." That's B.S. High, for short. Hilarious! ..... The course for the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix debuting in 2022 will be called the Miami International Autodrome. So there ..... Canada beat the U.S., the five-time defending champion, 3-2 in overtime to win gold in the women's hockey world championship ..... The Mets made Francisco Lindor and Javer Baez pretend to be sorry for giving thumbs-down gestures to fans after getting booed recently ..... Beginning to think creepy Trevor Bauer may never pitch again, and pretty damned happy about that ..... Honduran club Olimpia and Mexican club Pachuca meet Sunday in a soccer friendly at Inter Miami's stadium in Fort Lauderdale ..... Florida Panthers' developmental camp begins this Friday September 10 ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is out with a new episode Monday at 7 a.m. ET ..... Update: Countdown now 1,758 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup.

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