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

1) It's SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5. Sorry the blog was not updated for several days. Typepad, our host, had been down. But we're back! And Hot Button Top 10 will return with a new edition on Sunday. 2) Join me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): NFL Week 8 picks, Blood-money LIV Golf ends season at Doral, NFL Week 7 results, Greg Cote Show podcast, Mount Gregmore of columns.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE WITH MINA KIMES (AND LENNY) OUT NOW!: Our 46th episode of 2022 and 137th overall is out now! New episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify and wherever you pod. Find all 137 we've done so far HERE. In our latest episode: ESPN star Mina Kimes (and, unexpectedly, her dog Lenny, pictured) join us for a chat on the NFL and on fun stuff, too. Also: Trick-or-treating with Trevor Lawrence, Greg speaks about his social-media firestorm over Jerry Lee Lewis' death and more. Hit up GCS2246 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! Also check out our podcast's YouTube channel.

NFL WEEK 9 PICKS: DOLPHINS-BEARS, GAME OF WEEK, 3 UPSETS ALL THE REST: Had a third straight winning week against the point spread last week. Can we keep it going? Visit NFL Week 9 Gems for to find all of our latest picks for Dolphins-Bears, our (controversial) Game of the Week, three more big upsets and all the rest. Got off to a mixed start. Had Eagles (-14) both winning and covering at Houston. Birds won but narrowly missed the cover, 29-17. Find that separate predix capsule at NFL Week 9 Thursday Gem.

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

NEW! Has Dolphins' Trade For Chubb Sent Team's Super Bowl Shot 'To The Moon'? NEW! 

NEW! Miami-FSU Rivalry Week Leans On Nostalgia As 2 Programs Try To Get Back Up NEW!

Tua's Huge Day Leads Dolphins Over Lions in Detroit. But Warning Signs Are There

Not Pretty. OK, It Was Ugly. But Canes' OT Escape At Virginia Keep Bowl Hope Alive

Pawns Chasing Saudi Blood Money Come To Doral As LIV Golf Ends 1st Season

Hilltop: The five columns before that: Not Perfect, But Return Of Tua, Big Defense Lift Dolphins Past Steelers / Epic New Low For Cristobal: 8 Turnovers in 45-21 Home Loss To Duke / 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.  Note: Mount Gregmore includes opinion columns only. NFL picks, QB rankings and stories on newest podcast are not included.

NFL WEEK 8 RESULTS: HERALD PICKS X GREG'S LOBOS X QB RANKINGS:

Herald Picks: Streak against the spread lives! -- Been a tough season so far with our picks in the Herald and I'm not alone, but scratched out a 9-6 mark overall and went 8-7 against the spread. That was our third straight winning week ATS, with a 25-18 mark (.581) vs. the Evil Betting Line in that span. Bull's-eyed an outright upset with Broncos over Jaguars in London, and had another pair of dogs-plus-points on covers by Packers in Buffalo and Browns over Cincy. Let's keep it going on our recent uptick against the point spread!

Greg's Lobos: A 175-point rout for another win! -- The defending PFPI Fantasy champion Lobos are rolling at 5-3 after a big 175-115 win. Got 29 points from Tua Tagovailoa, 26 from both Dalvin Cook and Nick Chubb, and 21 from both Lamar Jackson and Nick Folk. When you get a double-double from your kicker -- you know you're golden. We now stand tied for second in our 10-team family 'n friends fantasy league. Big game this week against another 5-3 team in Crown Me The Champ -- my son Chris.

NFL QB Rankings: Tua wins week, and there's another new No. 1 -- Miami's Tua Tagovailao wins his second weekly title of the season to take Week 8 honors and there's another change at No. 1 overall in the updated Miami Herald Quarterback Rankings. Full Top 25 and more at NFL Week 8 QB Rankings.

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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: 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 / 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, 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 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, NOVEMBER 1. Hope y'all had a happy and safe Halloween. Now welcome November! 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): Panthers' Quenneville resigns amid scandal, NFL Week 8 picks, Fins sabotaging Tua over Watson infatuation, 10 ways Tua is world's unluckiest man, Week 7 results for picks/Lobos/QB rankings, Greg Cote Show podcast & more.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE WITH GARY "THE BAG" ROSENFELD OUT NOW!: Our 42nd episode of 2021 and 84th 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 84 we've done HERE, free. In our latest episode: Greg has a live on-air pod reunion with childhood neighbor Gary "The Bag" Rosenfeld. Also: Toilet talk, PETA vs. the bullpen, Tomahawk Chop, sad demise of Joel Quenneville, Princess Belle, Lobos midseason update and more! Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, rate, review and follow. (Our pod simulcasts on Sirius XM every Monday 5-6 p.m. ET).

NFL WEEK 8 PICKS: DOLPHINS-BILLS, GAME OF WEEK, UPSETS AND ALL THE REST: We pivot to NFL Week 8 and our picks for Dolphins-Bills, our Game of the Week and Upset of the Week along with an additional upset and all the rest. Got off to a mixed start Thursday night. Lost the pick outright with Arizona losing but nailed it against the spread because we had Green Bay covering. For all of our latest picks: NFL Week 8 Gems.

Our latest columns:

Dolphins: Buffalo's Late Classlessness Aside, Miami Out Of Answers In 7th Straight Loss

Hurricanes: U-Turn: UM Season, Diaz Future Looking Up With 2nd Straight Big Win

Panthers: Quenneville Rightly Sacked as Panthers Coach Over 2010 Chicago Scandal

Also: Dolphins Sabotaging Tua Season Over Misguided Infatuation With Watson / As Dolphins' Dysfunction Surrounds Him, 10 Ways Tua Is The Unluckiest Man On Earth / Tua Shuts Off Noise, Throws 4 TDs, But It Still Isn't Enough / Canes, Embattled Diaz Show The Fight Left In Them /State of the Art: Heat, Miami's Best-Run Franchise, Sails In Opener / and 'Time to Hunt': Cats' Hyped Season Off to Wild, Winning Start

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (OCTOBER 31-NOVEMBER 1): 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. PANTHERS: Quenneville out as nightmare scandal interrupts dream season: Florida's NHL-best and franchise-best 7-0-0 start took a back seat this week as coach Joel Quenneville was engulfed by and resigned in shame because of what happened with the 2010 Chicago Blackhawks when Quennveille coached there. He was implicated in covering up the sexual assault of player Kyle Beach, then 20, who came forward this week. Cats are now 8-0-1 after Saturday's 3-2 OT loss in Boston, and are off until Thursday.

2. DOLPHINS: Promising start, typical finish in 7th straight loss: Miami tried to end its six-game losing streak as two-touchdown underdogs in Buffalo Sunday and came away as 26-11 losers. The defense show up, but the offense struggled including Tua Tagovailoa in his third start since returning from a rib injury. Still looming: A report out of Houston that the Texans and Fins contiunue in talks over a trade for embattled Deshaun Watson. However ESPN reports Houston will keep Watson beyond Tuesday's NFL trade deadline.

3. HURRICANES: They're alive! Canes, Diaz  bag 2nd straight big win: UM was a 9-point underdog at No. 17 Pittsburgh Saturday but prevailed 38-34, led by a huge day from young QB Tyler Van Duke leading a second straight win over a rabked opponent. Resurgent Canes are now level at 4-4 on the season and 2-2 in the ACC after win put Coastal Division title back in play. UM next hosts Georgia Tech on Saturday.

4. HEAT: Butler-led Miami stays hot early: Miami has begun the season 5-1 with signature early wins over East powers Milwaukee and Brooklyn after Saturday's rout-win in Memphis fueled by 21 3's, one shy of team record. As key addition Kye Lowry makes his presence felt, Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and super-sub Tyler Herro are carrying the scoring load, and Heat also boasts NBA's No. 2-ranked defense out the gate. Miami is back at it Tuesday in Dallas.

5. MLB: Astros cut Braves' lead, force a Game 6 in World Series: Houston overcame a fast 4-0 hole and won 9-5 Sunday to force a World Series Game 6. The Atlanta Braves still lead the series 3-2, but Games 6 and (if neccessary) 7 both are in Houston starting Tuesday. Braves trying to hangon for their first Wirld Series title since 1995.

6. INTER MIAMI: Loss eliminates Herons from MLS playoff race: Inter Miami is 11-5-17 with Saturday's 3-1 loss to New York City in Miami's home finale -- the defeat eliminating David Beckhams' club from the MLS playoff chase. Miami ends the regular season next Sunday at New England.

7. STATE COLLEGES (NON-UM): Gators pounded by No. 1 Georgia in Jax: No. 1 Georgia routed the Florida Gators 34-7 Saturday in the renewal of their neutral-site rivalry in the erstwhile 'World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party' in Jacksonville. Also on the Week 9 state FBS slate, non-UM division: FIU was shut out at Marshall, FAU edged UTEP, Florida State fell at Clemson, UCF routed Temple, and South Florida fell at East Carolina.

8. MARLINS: Fish keep popular Rojas with two year extension: Miami signed popular shortstop Miguel Rojas, 32, to a two-year contract extension through the 2023 season. He batted .265 with nine homers, 30 doubles and 48 RBIs this past season. Rojas is the longest-serving current Marlin, with the next two seasons his eighth and ninth in Miami.

9. NASCAR: The Championship Four field is set!: Kyle Larson was already in. Sunday, he got company as reigning champion Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. will join him in the Championship Four finale next Sunday in Phoenix -- winner-take-all for the NASCAR season crown. Alex Bowman's race win yesterady at Martinsville eliminated Champ Four contenders Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski.

10. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Another bloody Saturday in Top 25: Three Week 9 national Top 25 matchups, two with possible College Football Playoff bearing: No. 5 Ohio State handled 20-Penn State and 6-Michigan fell at 8-Michigan State. The other was 10-Ole Miss falling at 18-Auburn. There were nine losses by Top 25 teams: The three mentioned, plus No. 9 Iowa, 12-Kentucky, 17-Pitt, 19-SMU, 21-San Diego State and 22-Iowa State.

Missing the HB10 cut: Greg Norman is taking on the PGA Tour. He will be COO and commissioner of a new golf league set to begin in 2022, backed by Saudi money and hoping to lure top players with lucrative guaranteed deals and rich purses ..... Nine days 'til college basketball! Tuesday, November 9, begins the 2021-22 college basketball season in Miami and nationally. Hurricanes open that day at home vs. Jackson State (women) and Canisius (men) in a day/night doubleheader. Neither UM team is ranked in preseason polls ..... The NAACP is urging a boycott of Texas over the state's restrictive voting and women's rights laws. It sent an open letter to five players' unions urging that their athletes not to sign with teams in Texas ..... UEFA Champions League play resumes Tuesday with eight matches ...... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode Monday at 7 a.m. ET ..... Update: Countdown now 1,702 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, OCTOBER 18. Was back in with Le Batard Show this past week. Check out Tuesday's show podcasts. 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): Florida Panthers win season opener, NFL Week 6 picks, Week 5 results for Picks/Lobos/QB rankings, Greg Cote Show podcast & more.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our 40th episode of 2021 and 82nd overall is out Monday! 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 82 we've done HERE, free. In our newest episode: Front row at a Monkees concert, Panthers talk with Roy Bellamy, golf with Chris and Uncle Dick, Old Heidelberg, sad Dolphins and Canes, corn mazes and hayrides, Hard Knocks/Greg's Lobos (heads rolling), on a boat with Izzy Gutierrez and Jessica Smetana and more. Our most action-packed episode yet! 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).

Heartbreaker, the sequel: Fins lose in London. My column: Are Dolphins the worst team in the NFL? YOu could  make the argument after Sunday's 23-20 loss to winless Jacksonville in London: Tua Looks Good In Return, But Dolphins Lose 5th Straight.

Heartbreaker: Canes lose at North Carolina. My column: Could UM pull off a road upset with a backup QB? Almost. Came down to final six seconds before Miami fell, 45-42, as the heat on Manny Diaz grows: Canes, Trying to Save A Season And Maybe A Coach's Job, Fall Short in Chapel Hill.

Florida Panthers win crazy season opener: 'Its' Time to Hunt': Florida Panthers' Hyped Season Off to Wild, Winning Start.

Other most recent columns: Loss In Tampa Has Dolphins Season In Free Fall As Embarrassments Pile Up / Why It's Too Soon, And Dumb, To Quit On Tua As Dolphins Answer / Year Of Reckoning, And Impatience, For Slow-Starting Dolphins & Canes / With Ghosts Of Glory Days Watching, Dolphins Showed Inept Effort in Third Straight Loss / Dolphins Fans, Ex-Players Gather For Emotional Farewell to Don Shula, Father of the Glory Days / Unlucky, But Heat on Manny Diaz Rises With Home Loss In ACC Opener / If Sports Had A Spine, Kyrie Irving & Other Anti-Vaxxers Wouldn't Be Playing / Kyle Lowry Must Channel 'Doctor Of Greatness' If Heat Is To Chase NBA Title / Fairy Tale With Wrong Ending: Remembering Jose Fernandez 5 Years Later / Tua's Rib Injury In Keeping With Weird, Rocky Start to Dolphins Career / Hope And Hype Are Sky-High. Time For Florida Panthers To Finally Deliver.

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (OCTOBER 17-18): WHAT SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive Sunday-into-Monday feature is part week-in-review, part look-ahead. Hot Button means what's on our minds, locally and nationally, from a Miami perspective, as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead. This week's HB10:

1. HEAT: It's Opening Week for new-look, Lowry-infused team!: Miami's encouraging 5-1 preseason ended Friday with another big offensive show from Tyler Herro. Let the real games begin! Jimmy Butlerr, Bam Adebayo and noted addition Kyle Lowry get it started with the season and home openr Thursday night vs. defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks.

2. DOLPHINS: Tua plays well in return, but Fins fall to Jags in London: The free fall (1-5 after five straight losses) continued Sunday in a 23-20 loss to previously winless Jacksonville in north London. Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa returned after three games out injured and played well but for one awful interception, throwing for 329 yards and two TDs.

3. HURRICANES: King done, Diaz in trouble as UM falls at UNC: The job security under coach Manny Diaz trembles and quakes that much more after Saturday's 45-42 road loss to North Carolina dropped Canes to 2-4 and 0-2 in the ACC. Freshman Tyler Van Dyke made his first start at quarterback with D'Eriq King lost for the season after shoulder surgery, and threw three interceptions incluing a batted-ball pick in the closing seconds that cost Miami a shot at a short tying field goal.

4. PANTHERS: High-hope Cats jump out to 2-0 start: Cats won a wild season and home opener, 5-4 in OT over Pittsburgh Thursday, on two goals by Aaron Ekblad and a pair including the game winner from Carter Verhaeghe, then scored a 5-1 home win Saturday over the N.Y. Islanders on Sam Bennett's hat trick. Florida is back at it Tuesday at rival in Tampa.

5. MLB: Braves lead Dodgers, ALCS tied: Red Sox and Astros are tied 1-1 in the home run-fueled AL Championship Series, with Game 3 Monday in Boston. Braves are up 2-0 over favored Dodgers in the NLCS, with Game 3 Tuesday in L.A. 

6. NFL: Email scandal sacks Raiders coach Jon Gruden: Star coach Jon Gruden resigned abruptly and in shame from the Las Vegas Raiders when it was reveaed he had sent internal emails that were racist, misogynistic and homophobic. And the fallout may be just beginning.

7. STATE COLLEGES (NON-UM): Gators lose again: No. 20 Florida Gators faced a challenge Saturday as 11-point favorites at LSU and lost 49-42, while unranked UCF (a decent 3-2) was on the road trying and failing badly to derail upstart and unbeaten No. 3 Cincinnati, 56-21. Elsewhere on the FBS state schedule, non-UM division: South Florida fell to Tulsa, 32-31. FSU, FIU and FAU all were off.

8. INTER MIAMI: Miserable Herons drops sixth straight match: Fading Miami is 9-5-15 after a sixth straight loss, Saturday's 4-0 defeat at Columbus. David Beckham's disappointing team is now nine points off MLS playoff pace with five matches left starting Wednesday vs. Toronto.

9. MARLINS: Team's Fall Development Camp wraps up this week: The Marlins' three-week Fall Development Camp, for prospects mostly at the rookie league and Single A level, ends this coming Friday. The camp has included 27 players (non-pitchers), 11 of them teenagers. Notables include No. 1 prospect Khalil Watson, Victor Mesa and Griffin Conine (Jeff's kid).  

10. WNBA: Chicago Sky wins first title: Chicago Sky on Sunday completed a 3-1 series win over the Phoenix Mercury in the 25th WNBA Finals. Mercury had won three league championships, the last in 2014. Sky won their first.

Missing the HB10 cut: Seven Top 25 teams lost this week, including No. 2 Iowa. The new CFP top four figures to be Georgia, Cincinnati, Oklahoma and Alabama ..... Dwyane Wade's eldest son, Zaire, 19, is signing a G League contract and expected to join Utah's developmental affiliate in Salt Lake City. Dad purchased an ownership stake in the Jazz earlier this year ..... The Washington Football Team will retire the No. 21 jersey of slain former Hurricane Sean Taylor on Sunday, only the third such honor the franchise has given, after Sammy Baugh and Bobby Mitchell ..... U.S. men's soccer earned a needed 2-1 win over Costa Rica in World Cup qualifying, which continues through March. Next: Big one vs. rival Mexico on November 12 ..... UEFA Champions League play resumes Tuesday with eight matches ..... Portland Thorns and OL Reign lead the push as scandal-beleaguered NWSL nears its playoffs ..... Four races left in NASCAR playoffs starting Sunday at Texas. Can anyone stop this season's seven-time race winner Kyle Larson? ..... Meantime NASCAR team owner Tony Stewart is getting into NHRA drag racing in 2022 with fulltime entries in both Top Fuel and Funny Car ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode Monday at 7 a.m. ET ..... Update: Countdown now 1,716 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, OCTOBER 11. Happy birthday to my big brother, the famous Uncle Dick! 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 5 picks, Too soon and dumb to quit on Tua, Fins and Canes' woes make this year of reckoning, Week 4 results for Picks/Greg's Lobos/QB Rankings, Greg Cote Show podcast & more.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our 39th episode of 2021 and 81st overall is out Monday! 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 81 we've done HERE, free. In our new episode, we bring you inside Saturday night's Dan Le Batard celebrity roast at the Hard Rock. We roast the roast, bringing you the best and worst of it. Also in the new pod: We chew over the Dolphins' ugly loss in Tampa, give you a Greg's Lobos update, chat Marlins with Jordan McPherson and much 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).

Dolphins get clobbered in Tampa. My column: Loss In Tampa Has Dolphins Season In Free Fall As Embarrassments Pile Up.

NFL Week 5 picks: Rough go last week but we did hit our fourth straight bull's-eye for a perfect 4-0 mark on Upset of the Week picks. Now we turn to Week 5 and picks for Dolphins-Bucs, Bills-Chiefs, Game of Week, Upset of Week and all the rest: NFL Week 5 Gems.

Our most recent columns: Why It's Too Soon, And Dumb, To Quit On Tua As Dolphins Answer / Year Of Reckoning, And Impatience, For Slow-Starting Dolphins & Canes / With Ghosts Of Glory Days Watching, Dolphins Showed Inept Effort in Third Straight Loss / Dolphins Fans, Ex-Players Gather For Emotional Farewell to Don Shula, Father of the Glory Days / Unlucky, But Heat on Manny Diaz Rises With Home Loss In ACC Opener / If Sports Had A Spine, Kyrie Irving & Other Anti-Vaxxers Wouldn't Be Playing / Kyle Lowry Must Channel 'Doctor Of Greatness' If Heat Is To Chase NBA Title / Fairy Tale With Wrong Ending: Remembering Jose Fernandez 5 Years Later / Tua's Rib Injury In Keeping With Weird, Rocky Start to Dolphins Career / Hope And Hype Are Sky-High. Time For Florida Panthers To Finally Deliver.

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (OCTOBER 10-11): 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: Season in free fall with 45-17 loss, 1-4 record: The Fins are now 1-4 after a 45-17 loss in Tampa Sunday -- a fourth straight defeat. Tom Brady wth five TD passes had his way and both offense and defense collapsed. Answers, Brian Flores. Pronto, por favor?

2. PANTHERS: It's Opening Week as Cats lock up Barkov long-term!: After a 5-2 preseason now done, the Panthers open their 28th NHL season at home in Sunrise this Thursday vs. Pittsburgh. It's a season of extraordinarily high hopes for Florida, buoyed this week by the Cats extending star Aleksander Barkov, 26, with an eight-year, $80 million deal -- richest in franchise history.

3. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Wait. What!? Alabama loses!: The College Football Playoff picture got shook up Saturday, starting with No. 1 Alabama losing 41-38 to Texas A&M. Also notabe: 2-Georgia beat No. 18 Auburn 34-10, and 3-Iowa State beat 4-Penn State 23-20. In other Top 25 matchups: 6-Oklahoma beat 21-Texas 55-48, and 17-Ole Miss topped 13-Arkansas 52-51.

4. MLB: Red Sox, Astros lead; both NL Division Series tied: With Yanks and Cards dismissed as wild-card losers, the real playoffs are underway with the final eight teams split into two five-game AL and NL Division Series. AL: Red Sox lead Rays 2-1 and Astros lead White Sox 2-1. NL: Brewers and Braves are 1-1 and Giants and Dodgers 1-1. All four series play Monday. Dodgers and Astros were 1-2 as betting favorites to win it all. 

5. HEAT: Herro, new-look Miami 3-0 in preseason: The new-look Heat -- Kyle Lowry joining Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo in a new Big 3 -- is 3-0 halfway through a six-game preseason schedule. Tyler Herro totaled 76 points in first three games. Miami's final exhibition games are Monday, Thursday and Friday, then regular season opens October 21 at home vs. Milwaukee.

6. HURRICANES: Idle UM, Diaz gird for big -- and perilous -- stretch of schedule: The heat is on coach Manny Diaz with Miami, off this week, 2-3 as it prepares for three lose-able games in a row. Canes are small underdogs at North Carolina on October 16, then host a ranked (No. 23) N.C. State, then will likely be underdogs visiting Pitt. Not predicting it, but if UM is 2-6 come Halloween, Diaz could be gone.

7. INTER MIAMI: Fading Herons lose 5th straight: Miami is 9-5-14, with five straight losses and now eight points off MLS playoff pace with only four matches left after Saturday's 1-nil loss at New York Red Bulls. Done.

8. STATE COLLEGES (NON-UM): Gators win to top state slate: Florida Gators tumbled 10 spots to No. 20 after last week's humbling loss to Kentucky but bounced back Saturday in the Swamp, beating Vanderbilt, 42-0. Elsewhere on the FBS state schedule, non-UM division: Charlotte beat FIU 45-33, FAU beat UAB 14-0, Florida State beat North Carolina 35-25 and UCF beat East Carolina 20-16. South Florida joins UM as idle.

9. MARLINS: Fish hint at offseason spending for offense: The Marlins, after a disappointing 67-95 season full of promising pitching and bad bats, are feeding the media hints about big spending for offense in the coming offseason. OK. Good talk. Now let's wait to see it.

10. WNBA: Chicago wins opener as Finals underway: The Chicago Sky and Candace Parker are up 1-0 on the Phoenix Mercury led by Brittney Griner in the best-of-5 WNBA Finals after winning Sunday. It's the league's 25th Finals. Phoenix has won three championships, the last in 2014. Chicago is seeking its first title.

Missing the HB10 cut: Heat broadcaster Jason Jackson's Jax Celebrity Roast IV honored targeted Dan Le Batard on Saturday night at the Hard Rock ..... Tyson Fury KO'd Deontay Wilder in the 11th round of their WBC heavyweight title bout Saturday night in Vegas. Their previous bouts were a split-draw Fury win ..... Bills-Chiefs. BILLS-CHIEFS! ..... Bubba Wallace became only the second Black driver to win a main-race event in NASCAR and the first since 1963. Sunday at Charlotte is the sixth race in the 10-race playoffs ..... The NWSL sex-abuse scandal overshadows the season as the league moves within a month of its playoffs ..... Only six of 32 teams in the UEFA Champions League are 2-0-0 after two matches, including giants Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Juventus. Play resumed October 19 ..... Eighteen former NBA players are charged with pocketing $2.5 million by defrauding the league's health and welfare benefit plan. That averages to about $140,000 each. Was it worth it, guys? ..... Bronny James, 16, son of LeBron was in Miami this weekend participating in a showcase event at Florida Memorial University ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode Monday at 7 a.m. ET ..... Update: Countdown now 1,723 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup.

xxx

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

1) It's MONDAY, OCTOBER 4. Was back in with Le Batard Show last week, including a new Back In My Day. Check out Tuesday's show's podcasts! 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): Canes lose ACC opener, Kyrie Irving's ignorance, Heat need Kyle Lowry to be 'Doctor of Greatness,' Week 3 results for NFL picks/Greg's Lobos/QB Rankings, Greg Cote Show podcast & more.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: SETH WICKERSHAM ON PATRIOTS, LE BATARD SHOW GOLF ON NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our 38th episode of 2021 and 80th 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 80 we've done HERE, for free. In our new epsisode, ESPN senior writer Seth Wickersham (pcitured) joins in to chat up his new book on the Patriots dynasty and how it ended. Also: Greg & Stugotz vs. Chris & Mike Ryan in Le Batard Show golf, the return of Mount Gregmore, Hard Knocks/Greg's Lobos episode 3, high-school prom stories, funereal times for Dolphins and Canes and more! Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, rate, review and follow. (Our pod simulcasts on Sirius XM every Monday 5-6 p.m. ET).

Dolphins' inept home effort in loss to Colts: With Ghosts Of Glory Days Watching, Dolphins Showed Inept Efprt in Third Straight Loss.

Our 'Celebration of Life' column from Shula tribute: Dolphins Fans, Ex-Players Gather to Bid Emotional Farewell to Don Shula, Father of the Glory Days.

NFL Week 4 picks: Went 11-5 straight-up and 8-8 against the spread in NFL Week 3, including a third straight bull's-eye on our Upset of the Week pick. Now we turn to Week 4 and our picks for Dolphins-Colts, Brady at Belichick and all the rest -- incluindg five (!) upset picks. Can we make it 4-0 on Upsets of the Week? Check out NFL Week 4 Gems.

Most recent other columns: Unlucky, But Heat on Manny Diaz Rises With Home Loss In ACC Opener / If Sports Had A Spine, Kyrie Irving & Other Anti-Vaxxers Wouldn't Be Playing / Kyle Lowry Must Channel 'Doctor Of Greatness' If Heat Is To Chase NBA Title / and Fairy Tale With Wrong Ending: Remembering Jose Fernandez 5 Years Later. Also: Tua's Rib Injury In Keeping With Weird, Rocky Start to QB's Dolphins Career / and Hope And Hype Are Sky-High. Time For Florida Panthers To Finally Deliver.

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (OCTOBER 3-4): 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: Stinky effort in loss to Colts ends big weekend for Fins: The 1-2 Dolphins tried to get even in hosting Indianapolis Sunday, whch also marked the club's annual Alumni Weekend with the return of Larry Csonka and other greats. Instead they had inept effort in a 27-17 loss. Saturday the club hosted a Celebration of Life for Don Shula (column link above), the iconic glory days coach who passed away at age 90 in 2020. Fins played second of three games without injured starting QB Tua Tagovailoa.

2. HURRICANES: Heat on Diaz rises as UM drops ACC opener at home: Should have beaten Virginia Thursday night but for a short missed field goal in the final seconds. Unlucky. Nevertheless, Canes are now 2-3, 0-1 in the ACC and have lost five of past seven games dating to last season. They honored the late Howard Schnellenberger on same night the heat got hotter under current coach Manny Diaz.

3. MLB: AL wild-card race won by Red Sox, Yankees as regular season end: Suspense in two spots Sunday as MLB ended its regular season. Giants beat Dodgers for NL West title, and in a four-team logjam old rivals Boston and New York won AL wild-card spots. 

4. NFL: It wasn't Bucs at Pats. It was Brady at Belichick!: Sunday Night Footballl got a ratings monster last night with Tom Brady's Buccaneers returning to Foxborough to face Bil Belichick's Patriots for the first time since the rather ugly dissolution of the dynasty with Brady's departure. Tom set the NFL career passing yards record and also won, though barely, 19-17, in a rain-drenched game that ived up to the hype.

5. MARLINS: Fish close disappointing season on good note at home Sunday: The Marlins ended their season at home Sunday with a second straight win over the Phillies to finish 67-95. The only "drama" for Miami down the stretch was whether Fish or Washington would avoid the NL East cellar, and Marlins did.

6. INTER MIAMI: Slumping Herons now sagging in MLS playoff chase: Inter Miami's hot streak has ended with a mighty thud, with Sunday's 1-0 loss at Portland a fourth straight defeat. Miami now is 9-5-13 and eight points off MLS playoff pace with only five matches left starting next Saturday at New York Red Bulls.

7. HEAT: Training camp gives way to start of preseason: The new-look Heat -- Kyle Lowry added to Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo in what they hope is a big enough Big 3 -- opens its six-game preseason schedule tonight/Monday vs. Atlanta, followed by road games later in week in Houston and San Antonio.

8. PANTHERS: High-hope Cats open preseason with bang: Florida, dreaming Stanley Cup, opened its seven-game preseason 4-0 with a pair of split-squad scrimmage wins over Nashville and a pair of wins over Dallas. Warmup games conclude with three straight against rival Tampa Bay Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

9. STATE COLLEGES (NON-UM): Ouch. No. 10 Gators falls Kentucky: No. 10 Florida Gators were at Kentucky but fell-20-13 Saturday -- one of  nine Top 25 teams to lose. The annual FIU-FAU Shula Bowl shared the marquee atop the FBS state schedule, non-UM division, with FAU winnig big. Other games: Fllorda State beat Syracuse for its first win, UCF fell at Navy, and South Florida lost at SMU.

10. SOCCER: Unseemly scandal rocks NWSL: National Women's Soccer League commissioner Lisa Baird and general counsel Lisa Levine were removed from their roles this week in the wake of a report detailed allegations of sexual coercion and abuse by now former North Carolina Courage manager Paul Riley that spanned multiple teams. Riley was fired om Thursday.

Missing the HB10 cut: Kyrie Irving, new face of the anti-vax crowd, faces not being permitted to play in Brooklyn's home games this season because he is not vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. NBA responded by saying players would not be paid for games missed due to not being vaccinated. Good! ..... Barcelona two straight losses in Champions League. How the mighty hve fallen ..... The College Football Playoff picture faced a shakeup Saturday with four Top 25 matchups: No. 2 Georgia roouted No. 8 Arkansas, 7-Cincinnati won at 9-Notre Dame, 1-Alabama beat 12-Ole Miss, and 19-Oklahoma State beat 21-Baylor. Nine Top 25 teams in all lost Saturday ..... It's Chicago vs. Connecicut and Las Vegas-Phoenix in semifinals of WNBA playoffs ..... NASCAR 10-race playoffs reach the midpoint Sunday at Talladega ..... Bronny James, 16, son of LeBron, is coming to Miami. Not to play for UM, alas, but to participate in an October 9-10 showcase event at Florida Memorial University ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode Monday at 7 a.m. ET ..... Update: Countdown now 1,730 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 27. Was back in with Le Batard Show last week. Check out last Tuesday's show podcasts for way too much of me. 2) Join me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Follow the Greg Cote Show podcast separately on Twitter, Instagram and now TikTok, too! 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): NFL Week 3 picks, Remembering Jose Fernandez 5 years later, Tua's latest woe fitting of rocky start to career, Time for Panthers it finally live up to hype, Greg Cote Show podcast & more.

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

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

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

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (SEPTEMBER 26-27): WHAT SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive Sunday-into-Monday feature is part week-in-review, part look-ahead. Hot Button means what's on our minds, locally and nationally, from a Miami perspective, as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead. This week's HB10:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1) It's MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 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): NFL Week 2 picks, NFL Week 1 results for my picks, Greg's Lobos and QB Rankings, Greg Cote Show podcast & more.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our 36th episode of 2021 and 78th 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 78 we've done HERE, for free. In our newest episode: Jason "Jax" Jackson (pictured) is on with us to talk about his new role as Miami Heat play-by-play voice, and about the roast his foundation is putting in next month with Dan Le Batard as the roastee. Also: Season debut of Hard Knocks' behind the scenes look at Greg's Lobos, and the guys discuss the woeful weekend for the Dolphins and Canes. 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).

Dolphins crushed 35-0 by Bills. My column: Miami once again not in same league with team it must learn to beat: Dolphins' Shutout Loss in Home Opener a New Low For Flores Era.

Canes fall 38-17 to Michigan State. My column: From the game that has UM fans jumping off cliffs: Miami Hurricanes Aren't Very Good -- And Keep Proving It.

NFL Week 2 picks: Our picks for Dolphins-Bills, Game of Week, Upset of Week and the rest at NFL Week 2 Gems. Off to 1-0/1-0 start after perfect Thursday night as we nailed Washington winning but Giants covering.

Our most recent other columns: Xavien Howard Deserved the Money and Respect He Wanted -- This Was Why / Canes' Offense Dangling Like a Cat And Needing Help /Tua's Burden as Dolphins Open at Pats? Lift a Team, a Franchise and a City. Now / Chasing Giants & Ghosts: Miami Hurricanes' 20-year search for return to glory / and Miami Herald's 2021 NFL Team Rankings: You Won't Believe Where Dolphins are.

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (SEPTEMBER 19-20): 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: Miami embarrassed in shutout loss to Bills in home opener: Fins fell hard to 1-1 with Sunday's 35-0 home-opening loss to AFC East rival Buffalo -- getting dominated all over the field. Bills have now won six straight in series, all easily. Tua Tagovailoa went down early with rib injury that doesn't seem serious. No matter. Miami had no shot in this one.

2. HURRICANES: Ouch! UM crushed by Michigan State, now 1-2: After blowout loss to No. 1 Alabama and narrow escape vs. Appalachian State, No. 24 Miami and quarterback D'Eriq King were looking for their first impressive performance of the season on Saturday at home vs. unranked but unbeaten Michigan State. Didn't get it. From from it. King had four turnovers in a 38-17 home loss. 

3. MARLINS: Somber anniversary near as Fish play out string: Next weekend marks the fifth anniversary of the tragic death at age 24 of Marlins ace pitcher Jose Fernandez, and the present-day Fish play out the string on a disappointing season. Miami is 63-86 entering Monday in midst of a six-game homestand continuing vs. Nationals.

4. INTER MIAMI: Herons walloped in 4-0 loss; Beckham increases stake: Inter Miami is 9-5-10 but was on 6-3-1 hot streak before Friday night's 4-0 home-loss spanking by the New York Red Bulls. Herons still are only one point off playoff pace entering a Wednesday home match with Nashville. Friday, owners Jorge Mas and David Beckham announced they had bought out two minority owners.

5. STATE COLLEGES (NON-UM): Gators hang tough but fall  to No. 1 Alabama: No. 1 Tide entered the Swamp a 14 1/2-point favorite over No. 11 Florida Saturday to top the state FBS schedule for collball Week 3, and Alabama escaped with a 31-29 win. Elsewhere (besides UM-Michigan State): UCF was an upset loser at Louisville Friday night, FSU got clobbered at Wake Forest, FAU routed visiting Fordham, FIU got hammered at Texas Tech and South Florida handled Florida A&M.

6. NASCAR: Homestead gets a big bump on new schedule: Homestead-Miami Speedway will return to the playoff portion of the NASCAR season in 2022. Homestead hosted the season finale championship race from 2002 through 2019 but was bumped to an early-season race date last year as NASCAR experimented with long anticipated schedule changes. Phoenix got the finale in 2020 and is to host it for a third consecutive season next year. Homestead was given an October 23 race date in '22 -- the middle race of the third round of the playoffs. 

7. HEAT: Miami prepares for opening of training camp, preseason: The Heat and new addition Kyle Lowry prepare to open training camp for the 2020-21 season on September 28, with the first preseason home game set for October 4.

8. PANTHERS: Cats open preseason training camp: Florida opens its NHL training camp this week toward the start of its preseason schedule with September 26 doubleheader vs, Nashville. Regular season opens October 14. Cats will stage fan event September 30, and October14-17 the club will host Amerigol International Hockey Association's 2021 LATAM Cup at Panthers IceDen in Coral Springs.

9. COLLEGE FOOTBALL (NON-STATE): Three Top 25 matchups on Week 3 slate: In addition to No. 1 Alabama's squeaker past No. 11 Florida Saturday, it was 10-Penn State beating 22-Auburn, and 23-BYU beating 19-Arizona State. Other Top 25 losers were 13-UCLA, 15-Virginia Tech and 24-Miami.

10. GOLF: Ryder Cup set to begin in Wisconsin: The Ryder Cup, a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States, stages its 44th edition this coming Friday through Sunday in Wisconsin. Will home-course advantage? Europe os the defending champion and has won nine of the past 12 events since 1995.  

Missing the HB10 cut: His FAU football received a $2.5 million grant from Michelle and Michael Hagerty to name the head coaching position as Hagerty Family Head Football Coach. So now it's the Owls led by Hagerty Family Willie Taggert? Can't make this s--- up, folks ..... History! The Milwaukee Bucks named Lisa Byington as team's new television play-by-play announcer, making her the first woman to handle full-time TV play-by-play duties for a major men's professional sports team .....  U.S. Soccer Federation announced it will offer the respective players’ unions for the men’s and women’s national teams the same contract, suggesting the equal pay for which the USWNT has fought so long. File it under 'Believe It When I See It' ..... Upcoming: Shula celebration October 2 ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode Monday at 7 a.m. ET ..... Update: Countdown now 1,744 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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