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

1) It's MONDAY, MAY 9. Hope all you Moms had a lovely and happy Mother's Day! 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 and Heat both fall hard in Game 3s, Greg Cote Show podcast, latest in Mount Gregmore of columns.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our 21st episode of 2022 and 112th overall is out now! A new episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify and wherever else you pod, and of course at MiamiHerald.com. Find all 112 we've done HERE, free. The new episode includes Event 4 of the Father-Son Cote Olympics: Darts! Can Dad finally win a doggone event? Also, Le Batard Show's Jessica Semtana drops by with an eclusive F1 Miami Grand Prix report; Greg launches into an epic Gripefest; and update on our new website/merch store & more. Hit up GCS2221 for full story on the latest ep, and watch our weekly YouTube preview. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, review and follow. We simulcast on Sirius XM, too, Mondays from 5-6 p.m. ET. And now, brand new: Our podcast has an all-encompassing website and merch store: Check it out at TheGregCoteShow.com!

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

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

NEW! Heat Falls Again, Series Now 2-2 Because Heat Has Forgotten How To Shoot 3's NEW!

No. 1 seed Panthers Risk Early Playoff Exit (Again) After 6-1 Loss, 2-1 Hole

Now The Playoffs Have Begun: Embiid Back As Heat Lead Cut To 2-1

Panthers Remind Why They're Fun & No. 1, Tie Series In 5-1 Rout Of Caps

Bench Lifts Heat to 2-0 Series Lead. Now History Says It's Over

Hilltop: The most recent five after that: Uh oh. Panthers Collapse Late, Lose Game 1 at Home to Capitals / Herro, Bam lift Heat over 76ers in Game 1 To Launch Huge Week in SoFla Sports / Why Quiet Draft With No 1st-Round Pick Was Great News For Dolphins / ‘Centerpiece of futbol in world’: Dream is green-lit. Now can Inter Miami deliver? / 31st Annual Official Miami Herald NFL Mock Draft

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (MAY 8-9): WHAT SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive Sunday-into-Monday feature is part week-in-review, part look-ahead. Hot Button means what's on our minds, locally and nationally, but from a Miami perspective, as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead. The latest HB10:

1. HEAT: Miami falls again; series tied 2-2. Where have the 3's gone?: After 14- and 16-point home wins the Heat has fallen hard in Philly including Sunday night's 116-108 loss evening the series at 2-2 as it heads back to Miami for Game 5 Tuesday night. Even Jimmy Butler's 40 points were not enough as James Harden and Joel Embiid combined for 55 and Heat shot 7-for-35 on 3's.

2. PANTHERS: Ouch. Cats' 6-1 loss digs 2-1 hole entering tonight: A home split in Sunrise was followed by Saturday's ugly 6-1 Panthers loss in Washington for a 2-1 Capitals lead in the first round series. Florida must find way to win Game 4 in D.C. tonight/Monday or it will return home needing three straight wins to survive the first round as a No. 1 seed.

3. MOTORSPORTS: Verstappen big winner in Sunday's inaugural Miami Grand Prix: Sunday's maiden Miami Grand Prix blasted around Hard Rock Stadium Sunday in the fifth race of Formula One's championship series. Charles Leclerc and Ferrari had the points lead but Red Bull's Max Verstappen dominated the day and won the event. Fan favorite Lewis Hamilton finished sixth. The course's vista on Turns 6, 7 and 8 was the stuff of photoshopped internet fun, with 10 yachts on the inside surrounded by solid "vinyl water."

4. MARLINS: Sunday loss leaves Fish on 1-7 skid: Joe Dunand, nephew of Alex Rodriguez, homered and doubled in his big-league debut Saturday as the Marlins won in San Diego, 8-0. Sunday, not so good: Blown save in a 3-2 loss -- the seventh in past eight games for the now 13-15 and third place Marlins. Seven-game road trip continues with three in Arizona.

5. SOCCER: It's Real Madrid vs. Liverpool in Champions League final: Liverpool in the May 28 UEFA Champions League final did not surprise. But Real Madrid did after a stunning semifinal comeback ousted Manchester City. "We have a score to settle," tweeted Liverpool star Mo Saleh. The teams last met in the 2018 UCL championship, when Salah left in tears after being injured in a tackle during Real Madrid's 3-1 win. Madrid have won 13 European Cups, most ever; Liverpool's six tie for third most. Finale will be in Paris, moved from Russia after the Ukraine invasion.

6. INTER MIAMI: Hot spell done. Team back to losing: Inter Miami is 2-1-6 after Saturday's 1-nil loss at Charlotte, the team's first match since the big win in the Miami Freedom Park stadium vote. On deck: Herons host South Georgia in a U.S. Open Cup match Tuesday, then return to MLS play at D.C. United May 14. 

7. DOLPHINS: Miami sets rookie minicamp, offseason dates: The Dolphins' four recent draft picks led by Georgia linebacker Channing Tindall and the team's undrafted free agents will gather for a rookie minicamp this coming Friday through Sunday. The team's mandatory full-squad minicamp is schedule June 1-2. Other offseason workdays are setfor May 16-17, 19, 23-24 and 26, and June 6-7 and 9-10.

8. HORSE RACING: 80-1 longshot stuns at Kentucky Derby: The 148th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs opened thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown season on Saturday -- but not as planned. An 80-1 lonsghot,  Rich Strike, bolted up the rail to win, with 4-1 favorite Epicenter and Zandon beaten at the finish. "I about fell down in the paddock when he hit the wire,'' said winning trainer Eric Reed. "I about passed out.'' Rich Strike paid $163.60. Only Donerail in 1913 had a higher payout of $184.90.

9. BOXING: A rarity: Canelo Alvarez loses a fight: Dmitry Bivol scored a unanimous decision over Canelo Alvarez in Las Vegas Saturday in one of the biggest boxing upsets in recent memory. It was the first loss for Alvarez rsince 2013, at age 23, to Floyd Mayweather.

10. WNBA: Griner shadows Opening Weekend for 26th season: WNBA's 26th season tipped off Friday with the Las Vegas Aces, Connecticut Sun and defending champ Chicago Sky the betting favorites of the 12 teams. League will honor Phoenix Mercury star Britney Griner, arrested and held in Russia (where she played in offssesaon) since February 17, with a 'BG42' decal on every home court. The U.S. is now classifying Griner's arrest as a "wrongful detention" and negotiating her release. About time. 

Missing the HB10 cut: There are 12 playoff series going on in hockey (eight) and basketball (four) including of course the Heat and Panthers -- and six of the 12 are tied 2-2. Colorado Avalanche up 3-0 can be next to to advance tonight ..... Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani this week became the first pitcher to both start a game at Fenway Park and also bat in the top four of the order since Babe Ruth did so September 20, 1919 ..... Spotlight-addict Antonio Brown in the headlines for trashing Colin Kaepernick. What an odd fight to pick ..... Diego Maradona's 'Hand Of God' jersey worn in the 1986 World Cup has sold at auction for a record $9.28 million. Previous record for a game-worn jersey was $5.64 million for a 1928-30 Babe Ruth jersey ..... No. 6-ranked Canes baseball is 35-12 after a weekend home sweep of North Dakota State ..... Matt Kenseth, 2003 Cup Series champ, was voted into the 2023 class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame on the first ballot ..... Good for Ryan Tannehill, acknowledging he'd been in a "dark place" and sought therapy after last season's Titans playoff loss ..... Florida high schools had 22 of the 247 players taken in the NFL Draft this year. Six Miami-Dade or Broward schools had one player each: American Heritage, Booker T. Washington, Central, Dillard, Flanagan and St. Thomas Aquinas ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode out Monday at 7 a.m. ..... Update: Countdown now 1,513 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup.

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ARCHIVES

Select other recent columns: Oladipo Crowns His Long Road Back, Lifts Heat Into Second Round / Only In Miami: Ex-Marlins Prez Samson Joins Fight vs. 'Boondoggle' Soccer Stadium / Marlins Declare 'Impatience," Delight Near-Sellout In Exciting Home Opener / Blowing Up Dolphins' Brady-Payton Plan Parting Shot Of Flores Lawsuit. For Now / Heat 'Wildly Disrespected' No. 1 Seed, But that's Fine By Miami As Playoffs Begin / Inter Miami Has Been Major Failure For David Beckham. Here's The BIg Fix / 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 / The Lawsuit, 2 Months Later: Why Flores Has Already Won, And Dolphins Are Still Nervous / NCAA Final Four: Why America Was Rooting Against The Perfect Ending / 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 / Dolphins' Moves Help Tua, But Isn't About Surrounding Cast. It's On him / Why Do We Love March Madness This Much? First, Look In The Mirror / Brady's Comeback Not About Another Ring. It's About Holding Onto Who He Is / When Spoelstra Joined Heat's 'Inner Circle' And Became Riley's Next Coach / Why Brittney Griner Is Lost In Russia / Chris Cote To Save Sport Of Jai-Alai / Brady A Dolphins Part Owner? Why It Could Happen / Why Derek Jeter-Marlins Marriage Fell Apart / Players Are On Right Side In Labor Dispute, But MLB Has Far Bigger Problem To Fix / Mickelson's Support Of Saudi Tour Mirrors Sports' Blind Eye to Human Rights / 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  / Ortiz Makes Hall, But Final Denial Of Bonds, Clemens A Shame on Voters, Baseball / Time Is Right (But Running Out) For MLB to Reinstate Pete Rose /'There Was A Pall On Us': The Panthers Season That Would Not Be Derailed / No-Vaccine Is Your Right. But There Are Consequences as Djokovic Was Reminded / State Of Miami Sports: Every Major Team, Graded Top To Bottom / 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 Legend Frank Gore Talks NFL Future, Cristobal, Boxing As He Prepes For Ring Debut / UM And Blake James Parted Ways With Class -- Which Butch Davis Didn't Get From FIU / Quenneville Rightly Sacked as Panthers Coach Over 2010 Chicago Scandal / 'Time to Hunt': Cats' Hyped Season Off to Wild, Winning Start / Dolphins Fans, Ex-Players Gather For Emotional Farewell to Don Shula, Father of the Glory Days / 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 / 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 / Hot Seat Scale: Ranking Miami's Biggest Coaches By Most to Least Job Security / 'I'm D'Eriq King For College Hunks Hauling Junk!' It's Strange New World in College Sports / Nassib Coming Out As Gay NFL Player A Milestone In Sports History / Fate Snatched Basketball From Chris Bosh. His new Book Is Part of His Journey Of Healing / Where's Tua? Ranking Our Top 15 South Florida Pro Athletes 25 And Younger / Pythons, Peppers, Pirate Flag Raised. Inside Le Batard's 24-Hour Triumph / Le Batard Bet On Himself And His Audience -- And Won Big / Justice For George Floyd Helps Heal Our Shaken Faith, But Fight For Equality Goes On / In History And In Hearts, Howard Schnellenberger Will Matter For All Time / Women Keep Accusing Deshaun Watson of Sexual Misconduct. But Will It Matter to NFL? / 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 / Doesn't Matter If Tiger Woods Never Wins Again. We Are Lucky He's Alive / Marlins Hit History-Making Home Run With Kim NG Hire As GM / In a Pandemic-Battered Season For FIU, Butch Davis' Love Of Coaching Survives / 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, JUNE 7. Le Batard Show 24-hour marathon broadcast was noon Friday through noon Saturday. Check it out on the Le Batard And Friends YouTube channel -- including the live Greg Cote Show podcast hour from 4 a.m. to 5 a.m! 2) Check out yesterday's Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz podcasts for way too much of me. 3) Follow the Greg Cote Show podcast on Twitter and Instagram. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Pirate Ship sails with 24-hour Le Batard Show broadcast, Osaka withdrawal shakes up French Open, Greg Cote Show podcast & more. 5) Join me on Twitter and Instagram.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: BELLY BUTTON DOCTOR, PSYCHIC JOIN NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our 22nd episode of 2021 and 64th overall is out now! A new pod drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon, Stitcher, Megaphone, iHeart -- wherever you pod, and of course at MiamiHerald.com. You can find all 64 we've done so far HERE for free. Our new episode features an extremely tired, sleep-deprived Greg broadcasting live at 4 am. A doctor is on to examine Greg's belly button abnormality. Also, a psychic drops by, and the Fancy Lad reveals a bizarre pre-sleep ritual. Plus: Welcome to Miami, Messi! Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, rate, review and follow! (Our pod now simulcasts on Sirius XM, too, every Monday 5-6 p.m. ET on Channel 145).

Behind the scenes inside Le Batard Show's 24-Hour marathon. New column: Pythons, Peppers, Pirate Flag Raised. Inside Le Batard's 24-Hour Triumph. Other most recent columns: The Pirate Ship Sails! Details, Guests For Le Batard Show's 24-Hour Relaunch and The Curious, Complicated Drama Of Naomi Osaka's French Open Withdrawal.

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (JUNE 6-7): 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:

3. HEAT/NBA: Riley backs core; Clips top Mavs Game 7: Heat president Pat Riley in his season-ending presser reiterated his faith in Miami's Butler-Adebayo-Herro core despite being swept out of first round by Milwaukee. Meanwhile the NBA playoffs still going on got its first Game 7 Sunday as Kawhi Leonard's Cliippers topped Luka Doncic's Mavericks to complete the conference semifinal matchups. Dear Pat: When the Clips are out, get to work on Kawhi Leonard. Jimmy, Bam and Tyler are fine. But you need a whale.

4. TENNIS: With French Open path cleared, Serena loses in straight sets: At the French Open's midpoint the path seemed cleared for Serena Williams to perhaps bag her long-elusive, record-tying 24th major win, with Naomi Osaka's controversial withdrawal and Ash Barty's early exit. But Serena fell 6-3, 7-5 Sunday to Elena Rybakina. On the men's side Rafael Nadal is the favorite for the 64th straight year, more so with Roger Federer's Sunday injury withdrawal.

5. MARLINS: Finally! 8-game losing streak ends: Miami is 25-33 and out of the NL East cellar after Sunday's 3-1 win in Pittsburgh behind Sandy Alcantara's strong start ended an eight-game losing streak, the club's longest in six years. Miami had been 0-7 on this road trip (emphasis on trip) before Sunday. Fish are at Boston today before heading home.

6. DOLPHINS: Fins wrap OTAs, Marino's bold statement: fMiami ends OTA workdays with practices Monday, Tuesday and Thursdays prior to the mandatory minicamp June 15-17. Meanwhile Dan Marino said he doesn't want Bill Belichick to break Don Shula's career wins record. Hmm. If you hear something and your reaction is, "Well no DUH!" ... is it really news?

7. DAN LE BATARD: Show pulls off 24-hour Miami marathon: The Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz aired 24 consecutive hours Friday and Saturday in a stunt to mark its new era with Meadowlark Media and DraftKings. I was a small part of it. Why aren't I asleep right now?

8. SOCCER: U.S. tops Mexico in renewal of rivalry: Bitter rivals United States and Mexico renewed their men's soccer feud Sunday night in the CONCACAF Nations League championship match in Denver. El Tri had been 3-0-1 vs. the U.S. since the Americans last prevailed in a competitive match in a World Cup qualifier in September 2013 -- but that changed with Sunday night's 3-2 U.S. win. Match was paused due to Mexican fan's boorish anti-gay chants.

9. CANES BASEBALL: UM disappoints (again) in NCAA Regional: Miami's season is done at 33-21. After bombing in the ACC Tournament with two straight losses the Canes went 1-2 and were eliminated Sunday from the NCAA Regional in Gainesville in a 7-2 loss to South Alabama. Canes were vying for an unlikely spot in the June 18-30 College World Series.

10. HORSE RACING: Essential Quality wins Belmont Stakes: Betting favorite Essential Quality comfortably won Saturday's Belmont Stakes, the third of the season's Triple Crown races. The horse may also be awarded the Kentucky Derby crown if Bob Baffert-trained Medina Spirit is disqualified. The disgraced Baffert is banned two years from Churchill Downs for cheating.

Missing the HB10 cut: Falcons trade WR Julio Jones to Titans for second- and fourth-round picks ..... Duke's Coach K, Mike Krzyzewski, is retiring after next basketball season. Sorry your retirement got overshadowed, Celtics prez Danny Ainge ..... Coral Springs' Lexi Thompson leads entering Sunday's final round in search of her first Women's U.S. Open championship in golf ..... Three men who helped the Hurricanes win their fifth national football championship -- QB Ken Dorsey, tackle Bryant McKinnie and and coach Larry Coker -- are among 85 FBS-level players and coaches on the 2022 College Hall of Fame ballot ..... Florida GM Bill Zito in his postseason media Zoom called the season a success and saw positives moving forward despite his team's first-round ouster by Tampa Bay. Lightning, up 3-1 on Carolina, is closest to advancing in Stanley Cup playoff's second round ..... The spring football USFL is re-launching in 2022, 37 years after folding. The new USFL will play with at least eight unnamed teams. Another spring league, the XFL, has been targeting a 2022 restart. Counting on both folding within two years ..... Good for MLB with its inaugural Lou Gehrig Day in the fight against ALS disease ..... In a blow to transgender rights, after months of contentious debate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill banning transgender females from participating in women’s and girls’ scholastic sports ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is out with a new episode dropping Monday at 7 a.m. ET ..... Update: Countdown now 1,849 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup.

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

1) It's MONDAY, MAY 17. The Greg Cote Show podcast is now separately on Twitter and Instagram. Join us on both! 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hoops Hall of Fame will get it right on Chris Bosh this time, Panthers look like best in franchise history but it's time to prove it, newest Greg Cote Show podcast with ESPN's Israel Gutierrez, latest column links & more. 3) Join me on Twitter and Instagram.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our 19th episode of 2021 and 61st overall is out now! A new pod drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon, Stitcher, Megaphone, iHeart -- wherever you pod, and of course at MiamiHerald.com. You can find all 61 we've done so far HERE for free. Our latest episode features Superfans @JuJuGotti (pictured) & @YetiBlanc_ on cult of @LeBatardShow worship; and identical-twin teenage whiz-kid authors try to explain sports analytics to Greg & @ChrisCoteDKings. Also: Local sports!! A frantic Joe Biden phone message. New Nellie's Diner ad. And a Mount Gregmore music quiz. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, rate, review and follow! (Our pod now simulcasts on Sirius XM, too, every Monday 5-6 p.m. ET on Channel 145).

Column from arena on Panthers' Game 1 loss: Chasing Respect, Florida Panthers' 5-4 Home Loss A Crushing Start to Playoffs.

Other most recent columns: Hall of Fame Snubbed Chris Bosh Last year. Time To Make it Right. Also: This Looks Like Best Florida Panthers Team Ever. But The Proving Starts Now; Aging Ex-Dolphins Reflect On Own Mortality One Year After Shula's Death; Aaron Rodgers' Packers Drama Involves Miami (Of Course). But Here's Why It Won't Happen; and Grade-A Draft Feeds Momentum For Team-On-the-Rise Dolphins.

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (MAY 16-17): 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: Cats drop Game 1 thriller as road to Stanley Cup begins!: Puck dropped Saturday on NHL playoffs and Florida Panthers opened Sunday night with a 5-4 home loss to Tampa Bay in Game 1 of what figures as a contentious first-round series between bitter state rivals. Panthers took five of eight games from Lightning in regular season and carried a six-game win streak into playoffs including 5-1 and 4-0 wins over Tampa -- yet Cats are series betting underdogs and the reigning league champs showed why last night.

2. HEAT: Miami ends regular season Sunday, awaits Bucks in first round: Miami ended 40-32 and sixth to draw third seed Milwaukee in first round. Can Heat eliminate Bucks from playoffs as they did in the bubble last year? Tall taks. And they'd like draw Brooklyn in second round. Uh oh. Thursday's home finale marked an eventful if brief season debut for beloved Udonis Haslem: Three minutes, one ejection. Playoffs -- United In Black is Miami's theme -- are to start next Saturday following the play-in tournament Tuesday through Friday.

3. HALL OF FAME: Big weekend as Kobe is inducted, Bosh is elected: An emotional Saturday saw Kobe Bryant, presented posthumously by his widow and Michael Jordan, lead the 2020 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class in a delayed-by-COVID induction ceremony, along with notables Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett. The 2021 class announced Sunday included former Heat star Chris Bosh as expected among 16 new entrants. No Tim Hardaway, though.

4. DOLPHINS: NFL schedule out, Fins wrap up rookie minicamp: Miami's three-day rookie minicamp for newly signed top pick Jaylen Waddle and all the rest ended Sunday. Up next for offseason work: Voluntary (but not really) OTA workdays May 24-26. Meanwhile NFL schedules came out, with Miami opening September 12 at New England, then at home September 19 vs. Buffalo. Notable: Fins in London October 17 vs. Jacksonville, and in prime time November 11 (Thursday, vs. Baltimore) and December 27 (Monday, at New Orleans).

5. MARLINS: Lopez, Duvall deliver needed win: Fish are 18-22 after beating Dodgers 3-2 Sunday on Pablo Lopez's strong start and Adam Duvall's three-run homer. Miami is now 3-4 on a 10-game road trip that continues in Philadelphia Tuesday. 

6. INTER MIAMI: Locals beat Cincinnati to pull even on season: Team Beckham won 3-2 at FC Cincinnati, fueled by two goals from Gonzalo Higuain to pull even at 2-2-2 for the young MLS season. MLSPA figures out last week showed Miami with biggest payroll at $17.8 million and Higuain third among all players at $5.79M. (They got their  money's worth Sunday). Next up: At Chicago on Saturday. 

7. HORSE RACING: Rombauer wins Preakness Stakes: Rombauer won the 146th Preakness at Pimlico on Saturday, beating runnerup Midnight Bourbon. The third-place finisher was the Kentucky Derby winner, Cheatin' Medina Spirit.

8. GOLF: PGA Championship is this week: The second of four golf majors, the PGA Championship, is this Thursday through Sunday in South Carolina. Rory McIlroy is betting favorite at 10-1, just ahead of Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas, all 12-1.

9. WNBA: 25th anniversary season now underway: The Seattle Storm begins defense of its title as it's opening weekend for the women's league's silver season, with the 12 teams back in their home arenas for the 32-game regular season. The WNBA will break for a month (July 12-August 14) for the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

10. SOCCER: Leicester City surprise win in FA Cup: The 140th FA Cup final Saturday found underdog Leicester City surprising Chelsea 1-0 at Wembley Stadium to take the English football crown. Youri Tielmans' strike delivered Leicester's first-ever FA Cup win, after video replay disallowed a tying Chelsea goal in the 88th minute. On May 29 the UEFA Champions League final sees Chelsea again, but this time a betting underdog vs. Manchester City.

Missing the HB10 cut: Albert Pujols isn't going far, signs one-year deal with Dodgers after being cut by Angels ..... Bigger cloud over NFL offseason: Aaron Rodgers wanting divorce from Green Bay? Or Deshaun Watson legal mess in Houston? Close call ..... Canes baseball is 28-16 entering, the it's four games left in season before ACC Tournament. Miami was passed over as an NCAA regional host ..... Brouhaha in college women's golf! NCAA canceled women's golf regional in Baton Rouge over soggy course conditions even though coaches said it was playable. As a result the top six seeded teams advanced to nationals and others -- including Miami -- were denied their chance. UM coach Patti Rizzo? Angry ..... It's the South Dakota State Jackrabbits vs. the underdog Sam Houston State Breakats on Sunday in the FCS championship game of second-tier college football, which played a spring season this year ..... Upcoming events: Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 are both May 30. French Open also starts that day ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is out with a new episode dropping Monday at 7 a.m. ET ..... Update: Countdown now 1,870 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup.

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Select other recent columns: Talk Of U.S. Olympic Boycott A Reminder Sports, Politics Are Entwined -- And That's Good / How And Why the Miami Heat Landing Kawhi Leonard This Summer Could Happen / The Miami Dolphins' Six Can't-Lose Options For a Great No. 6 Pick in NFL Draft / Even After Playoffs In '20, Marlins Still 'Bottom Feeders' Fighting For Respect / Special Opening Day as Marlins Welcome Back Fans, Feeling Of Hope / In History And In Hearts, Howard Schnellenberger Will Matter For All Time / No Lowry, But Stealing Oladipo, Keeping Herro a Win-Win For Heat, Riley / Beckham Keeps Name-Dropping Messi, Ronaldo For Inter Miami. Can He Deliver? / Women Keep Accusing Deshaun Watson of Sexual Misconduct. But Will It Matter to NFL Teams? / No-Splash Free Agency Indicates Dolphins Going All In On Upcoming Draft -- And Tua / Phil Reflects on 25-Year Rivalry/Friendship With Tiger As Honda Classic Tees Off / Why Men's NCAA Tournament Has A Needed Fresh Feel As We Welcome Back March Madness / Reality, Loss, Comeback: How Sports Has Been Guiding Light In America's Awful Past Year / Heat Should Parts Ways With Meyers Leonard Over Anti-Semitic Slur / Beckham's Resolve Tested By Tumult As Inter Miami Nears 2nd MLS Season / Time-Travelling To 1960s And Childhood, When The Baseball Card Was King / Quit Lecturing LeBron On Activism And His Own Conscience / Michael Jordan, Pitbull Signal Needed New Era as NASCAR Returns to Homestead / Doesn't Matter If Tiger Woods Never Wins Again. We Are Lucky He's Alive / Loss at Aussie Open Leaves Serena's Legacy Firm Yet Still Unfinished / Marlins Stick With Youth As Rest Of NL East Spends Big / Inter Miami's Beckham Risks Stepping Into Massive, Avoidable Mess / Put Brady In Sports' All-Time Pantheon. But He Has Company / Final Herald NFL 2020 QB Rankings / Marlins Hit History-Making Home Run With Kim NG Hire As GM / In a Pandemic-Battered Season For FIU, Butch Davis' Love Of Coaching Survives / 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, MAY 10. Hope y'all had a Happy Mother's Day! It's a time time to appreciate the Mom you have but also, for me and many others, to remember with love the one no longer with us. Pictured is the last photo of my Mom ever taken before she passed at age 96 in 2015. 2) I was on Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz this past Thursday this week, and back in-studio for first time in more than a year with a new Back In My Day. Check out that day's podcasts for way too much of me. 3) The Greg Cote Show podcast is now separately on Twitter and Instagram. Join us on both! 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Aging ex-Fins reflect on 1-year anniversary of Shula's death, Aaron Rodgers involves Miami (of course), Grade-A draft fuels Dolphins' momentum, Greg Cote Show podcast with draft talk and Tony Calatayud & more. 5) Join me on Twitter and Instagram.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!:  Our new 18th episode of 2021 and 60th overall is out now! A new pod drops Mondays at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon, Stitcher, Megaphone, iHeart -- wherever you pod, and of course at MiamiHerald.com. You can find all 60 we've done HERE for free. Our latest episode features special guest Israel (Izzy) Gutierrez of ESPN (pictured) in a fun conversation about boats, sneakers, golf and Chris Cote's social skills. Oh, and hoops talk, too, including Chris Bosh's Hall of Fame chances and how the Heat are looking as the playoffs near. Also, an historic new Mount Gregmore. Bonus: Greg sings the song that was playing on the radio when he first kissed a girl. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, rate, review and follow! (Our pod now simulcasts on Sirius XM, too, every Monday 5-6 p.m. ET on Channel 145).

Our most recent columns:

Aging Ex-Dolphins Reflect On Own Mortality One Year After Shula's Death

Aaron Rodgers' Packers Drama Involves Miami (Of Course). But Here's Why It Won't Happen

Grade-A Draft Feeds Momentum For Team-On-the-Rise Dolphins

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (MAY 9-10): 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: Cats close season, open playoffs vs. bitter-rival Lightning: Florida at 36-14-5 has won five straight and leaped to second in points in the Central ahead of Tampa Bay with Saturday night's penalty-strewn 5-1 home rout of the Lightning, fueled by Alex Wennberg's hat trick. Rivals meet again Monday night in Sunrise to close the 56-game regular, with Cats needing a win or overtime loss to earn home-ice advantage in first round of playoffs. If Saturday was an indication, fists will be flyin' in a Florida-Tampa playoff. 

2. HEAT: Miami jockeying for playoff position and down to stretch run: Miami solidified its lead over the Celtics for sixth place in the East with Sunday's big Jimmy Butler-led win at Boston. Now at 37-31 it's four games left in the shortened 72-game regular-season starting with another game at Boston on Tuesday. Heat are near-certain to make postseason but must finish in the top six to avoid play-in round. (Aside to Jimmy Butler: Could you lay off Karl Anthony-Towns a bit? Dude's had a tough year).

3. DOLPHINS: Fins set offseason schedule, trade for veteran CB: NFL offseason is underway and, for Miami, it starts with rookie minicamp for the Jaylen Waddle and Jaelan Phillips-led incoming draft class this Friday through next Sunday. Then: Voluntary-but-not really OTA workdays May 24-26, June 1-3, June 7-8 and June 10, and a mandatory full-team minicamp June 15-17. Also, Fins signed veteran ex-Pats corner Jason McCourty, 33, to 1-year deal, obviously as insurance (and leverage) in case Xavien Howard brays about holding out for more money.

4. MARLINS: Fish lose two of three after 4-game win streak: Miami was 15-16 and out of the NL East cellar after a three-game home sweep of Arizona and then a fourth straight win Friday vs. Milwaukee, before losing two straight to the Brewers. Miami begins 10-game road trip Monday at Arizona. Starters Sandy Alcantara, Pablo Lopez and Trevor Rogers have been terrific, and the 'pen has been lights-out.

5. SOCCER: FA Cup, Champions League finals set: What a time for English football! The 140th FA Cup final will match Chelsea and underdog Leicester City this coming Saturday May 15 at Wembley Stadium. On May 29 the UEFA Champions League final in Turkey will see Chelsea the betting underdog this time vs. Manchester City. It will be only the third all-England final in the Champ League's 66 years. 

6. INTER MIAMI: Franchise-first winning record still elusive after 1-1- draw: Team Beckham is 1-2-1 after a loss-win-draw-draw this young season with Sunday's 1-1- home tie vs. Atlanta United. Miami is still chasing its first-ever winning record into its second season in Major League Soccer. Inter Miami is back home for a Wednesday mid-weeker vs. Montreal.

7. NFL: Aaron Rodgers drama heats up, with Miami a peripheral player: MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers reportedly wanting out of Green Bay has seen ripples around the NFL, including an ESPN piece this week speculating Washington, Denver and Miami as the three likeliest teams to pursue. Dolphins are still publicly in "Tua's our guy" mode. Time will tell.

8. UPCOMING: Preakness Stakes leads parade of big events remaining in May: The Preakness at Pimlico next Saturday will be horse racing's second Triple Crown race, with Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit a 7-2 betting fave to win again. Also upcoming in May: The PGA Championship is May 20-23, the Indianapolis 500 on May 30 and the French Open starting May 30.

9. GOLF: Can new 'Premier Golf League' wins its war with PGA Tour?: A proposed European Super League in soccer failed fast. Now golf? The proposed Premier Golf League,' heavily funded by Saudi money, is promising multi-million-dollar guarantees to top-ranked golfers to break away from the PGA and European Tours. Phil Mickelson calls the notion "interesting." The breakaway tour is set to start in September 2022 ... if it can attract top players. Your move, PGA Tour.

10. MLB: Angels abruptly release future Hall of Famer Pujols: Has certain first-ballot Hall of Famer Albert Pujols taken his last-MLB at-bat at age 41? Pujols, in sharp decline the past two years, was abruptly cut by the L.A. Angels this week. His first team, St. Louis, seems likeliest to sign him, but perhaps to a 1-day contract so he might retire as a Cardinal. 

Missing the HB10 cut: Former Miami Heat star Chris Bosh will be among likely honorees next Sunday when the College Basketball Hall of Fame announces its 2021 class ..... Mexican star Canelo Alvarez, no doubt inspired by an appearance on the Le Batard Show (!), stopped Billy Joe Saunders before 65,000-plus fans in Texas Saturday in a super middleweight unification fight ..... House Speaker  Nancy Pelosi honored baseball legend Willie Mays for his 90th birthday by tweeting out a photo of herself with Wille McCovey. OY! ..... Russell Westbrook tied Oscar Robertson's NBA record for most career triple-doubles ..... Portland Thorns won the NWSL Challenge Cup tournament over Gotham FC in a penalty shootout ..... Canes baseball at should re-enter the rankings if it completes a home sweep of Appalachian State today ..... Saturday semifinal wins launched Sam Houston State and South Dakota State to next week's FCS championship game in second-level college football ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is out with a new episode dropping Monday at 7 a.m. ET ..... Update: Countdown now 1,877 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup.

Our most recent other columns: Iffy Trades That Cost Them Pitts Mean Dolphins Better Hit Big With Waddle / Le Batard Bet On Himself And His Audience -- And Won Big / Justice For George Floyd Helps Heal Our Shaken Faith, But Fight For Equality Goes On  /  What Would Jackie Robinson Think About Race In America Today?  /  The Case For Dolphins Trading Up, Going All-In For Kyle Pitts  /  and It Won't Fix the World, But Matsuyama's Masters Win Lifts Japan In Time Of Anti-Asian Hate.

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Select other recent columns: Talk Of U.S. Olympic Boycott A Reminder Sports, Politics Are Entwined -- And That's Good / How And Why the Miami Heat Landing Kawhi Leonard This Summer Could Happen / The Miami Dolphins' Six Can't-Lose Options For a Great No. 6 Pick in NFL Draft / Even After Playoffs In '20, Marlins Still 'Bottom Feeders' Fighting For Respect / Special Opening Day as Marlins Welcome Back Fans, Feeling Of Hope / In History And In Hearts, Howard Schnellenberger Will Matter For All Time / No Lowry, But Stealing Oladipo, Keeping Herro a Win-Win For Heat, Riley / Beckham Keeps Name-Dropping Messi, Ronaldo For Inter Miami. Can He Deliver? / Women Keep Accusing Deshaun Watson of Sexual Misconduct. But Will It Matter to NFL Teams? / No-Splash Free Agency Indicates Dolphins Going All In On Upcoming Draft -- And Tua / Phil Reflects on 25-Year Rivalry/Friendship With Tiger As Honda Classic Tees Off / Why Men's NCAA Tournament Has A Needed Fresh Feel As We Welcome Back March Madness / Reality, Loss, Comeback: How Sports Has Been Guiding Light In America's Awful Past Year / Heat Should Parts Ways With Meyers Leonard Over Anti-Semitic Slur / Beckham's Resolve Tested By Tumult As Inter Miami Nears 2nd MLS Season / Time-Travelling To 1960s And Childhood, When The Baseball Card Was King / Quit Lecturing LeBron On Activism And His Own Conscience / Michael Jordan, Pitbull Signal Needed New Era as NASCAR Returns to Homestead / Doesn't Matter If Tiger Woods Never Wins Again. We Are Lucky He's Alive / Loss at Aussie Open Leaves Serena's Legacy Firm Yet Still Unfinished / Marlins Stick With Youth As Rest Of NL East Spends Big / Inter Miami's Beckham Risks Stepping Into Massive, Avoidable Mess / Put Brady In Sports' All-Time Pantheon. But He Has Company / Final Herald NFL 2020 QB Rankings / Marlins Hit History-Making Home Run With Kim NG Hire As GM / In a Pandemic-Battered Season For FIU, Butch Davis' Love Of Coaching Survives / 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, MAY 3. Farewell, April. Welcome, May! 2) I was back on Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz this past Thursday. Check out that day's show podcasts. 3) The Greg Cote Show podcast is now separately on Twitter and Instagram. Join us on both! 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Our 30th NFL Mock Draft (and how we did), Le Batard's $50 million DraftKings deal, Greg Cote Show podcast with ESPN's Mina Kimes talking draft & more. 5) Join me on Twitter and Instagram.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our new 17th episode of 2021 and 59th overall is out now! A new pod drops Mondays at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon, Stitcher, Megaphone, iHeart -- wherever you pod, and of course at MiamiHerald.com. You can find all 59 we've done HERE for free. Our latest episode, out now, features special guest Anthony (Tony) Calatayud, pictured, from the Le Batard Show Shipping Container before mysteriously falling off the pirate ship. Also, Greg raves about the Dolphins draft, how the Arizona Diamondbacks won Twitter and much more. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, rate, review and follow! (Our pod now simulcasts on Sirius XM, too, every Monday 5-6 p.m. ET on Channel 145).

DOLPHINS DRAFT POLL: Mixed results on Waddle, but mostly thumbs up: We asked in a Twitter poll what you thought of Miami picking Alabama WR Jaylon Waddle sixth overall. You said: Love it 30.5%; Like it 29.1%; Hmm 26.5%; Disappointed 14.0%.

MY MOCK DRAFT RESULTS VS. KIPER AND MCSHAY: ESPN's Todd McShay crushed it, with 26 correct first-round picks overall, six misses and a big 11 Exactos -- right player to right team. ESPN's Kiper and your guy Cote both had 25 correct overall, seven misses and seven Exactos. However I give myself the tiebreaker over Kiper because I also had two players pegged to the exact position they were taken, but to different teams. Highlight: One of my Exactos was Hurricane Gregory Rousseau going to Buffalo 30th overall. Neither Kiper nor McShay had Rousseau in their first round. [Find my full 30th annual Mock Draft HERE].

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (MAY 2-3): WHAT SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive Sunday-into-Monday feature is part week-in-review, part look-ahead. Hot Button means what's on our minds, locally and nationally, from a Miami perspective, as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead. This week's HB10:

1. DOLPHINS: WR Waddle, ex-Cane Phillips front Miami's draft: Fins didn't luck into top receivers Kyle Pitts or Ja'Marr Chase with the sixth overall pick in Thursday night's NFL Draft in Cleveland, so they picked Jaylen Waddle over Heisman winner DeVonta Smith in a choice of 'Bama wideout toys for Tua to play with. It was hardly "settling"; Waddle's really good. Dolphins addressed edge rush at No. 18 and didn't leave the 3-0-5 in getting ex-Hurricane Jaelan Phillips. Solid Day 1 bounty continued in a heralded draft that ESPN's Mel Kiper graded 'A.'

2. HEAT: Miami back on right side of play-in with seven games left in regular season: Up and down Heat sit sixth now in East after Sunday's win in Charlotte left Miami 35-30 with seven games left in the shortened 72-game season. Miami must finish in top six to make the playoffs proper and avoid the play-in that awaits the 7-through-10 finishers.

3. DAN LE BATARD: Leaving ESPN pays. Le Batard strikes gold with DraftKings deal: Meadowlark Media, the content company formed by Miami's Dan Le Batard and former ESPN president John Skipper, landed a three-year, $50 million sponsorship deal with DraftKings. The Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz is Meadowlark's flagship. Good for you, Dan. Can you loan me $20? 

4. PANTHERS: Cats jockey for playoff position as regular seasons wanes: Florida is 34-14-5 and two points back of Carolina in the NHL Central after Saturday's 5-4 win at Chicago. Regular season ends now with three at home: Tonight/Monday vs. Dallas, then Saturday and next Monday vs. rival Tampa Bay. Florida must jump Carolina and win the division to avoid facing Tampa in first round of the playoffs, a very tough draw.

5. HURRICANES: First time in 6 years 2 Canes drafted in first round: Defensive ends Jaelan PPhilhe (18th overall to Miami) and Gregory Rousseau (30th to Buffalo) gave UM two 1R NFL Draft picks for the first time since 2015. Tight end Brevin Jordan (5th round, Houston) and DE Quincy Roche ((6th, Pittsburgh) also were drafted.

6. NFL: Rodgers report breaks ahead of QB-laden NFL Draft: ESPN reported that Packers superstar quarterback, reigning league MVP and mediocre Jeopardy! host Aaron Rodgers wants out of Green Bay, the buzz of that looming over the start of the draft. The story of round 1? Five QBs go, including the top three and with all five in the top 15. Only the 1983 draft (with six) had more QBs go 1R.

7. MARLINS: Fish at bottom after being swept at Washington: Miami is 11-16 and last in the NL East, but only 2 1/2 games off the lead after being swept at Washington with Sunday's loss. NL East is the only division in MLB without a team over .500. Who wants it. Anybody?

8. INTER MIAMI: Second-year team in scoreless draw at Nashville: Buried in a new pandemic, Inter Miami's inaugural season began with five straight losses and ended 7-13-3. Year 2 started loss-win. That meant 1-1-0 Miami had a chance for its first-ever winning record Sunday at Nashville. Alas, a 0-0 tie ensued.

9. HORSE RACING: Medina Spirit wins Kentucky Derby: Medina Spirit won the 147th Kentucky Derby Saturday to commence the 2021 Triple Crown season. Jockey John Velazquez entered the race with 12-1 odds but delivered trainer Bob Baffert his record seventh Derby win.

10. SOCCER: UEFA Champions League nears title matchup: Second-leg semifinal matches this week will determine which two teams advance to the Champions League finale. Manchester City carries a one-goal edge over Paris-Saint Germain in their Tuesday match. Wednesday, Real Madrid and Chelsea enter even after a draw in in the first leg.

Missing the HB10 cut: There is now speculation Texans QB Deshaun Watson,  besieged by 23 accusations of sexual misconduct, may not play in 2021 ..... Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he will sign a bill banning transgender females from women’s and girls’ sports. So  much for the notion of equal rights ..... Four games Sunday will bring us to next Saturday's semifinals in the second-tier FCS college football playoffs. South Dakota State is No. 1 seed of teams still alive from the original 16 ..... Canes baseball is 24-14 entering today's rubber game at Boston College ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode dropping Monday at 7 a.m. ET ..... Update: Countdown now 1,884 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup.

IFFY TRADES THAT COST THEM PITTS MEAN DOLPHINS BETTER BE RIGHT ON WADDLE: The top of the Miami Dolphins’ NFL Draft on Thursday night was all about one thing: Making second-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa better. They did it in drafting his former Alabama teammate, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (pictured), sixth overall in the first round of the draft in Cleveland. Another way to frame what the Fins’ draft priority was: Tagovailoa has one less excuse now. The coming season must see a leap from him, a verification why Miami put the franchise keys in his hand just one year earlier. Think about the AFC East moving forward. Buffalo has rising star Josh Allen at quarterback. The New York Jets (Zach Wilson) and New England (Mac Jones) drafted their QBs of the future Thursday night. Tua is suddenly in the mix with three young rivals. Miami went defense with its second first-round pick, and looked to the backyard in drafting former Miami Hurricanes defensive end Jaelan Phillips 18th overall. It was a need-filling smart pick (although I believe DE Kwity Paye, who went three spots later, may have a greater career). The way the draft played out — with coveted tight end Kyle Pitts going fourth overall and receiver Ja’Marr Chase going fifth — limited Miami’s options with its top pick. The Dolphins were left to choose among Waddle, his Bama teammate DeVonta Smith, the Heisman Trophy-winning receiver, or offensive tackle Penei Sewell. Waddle’s name being called felt like a bit of a surprise to some. In a pre-draft poll on Twitter that presumed Pitts would be gone before No. 6, I asked who should Dolphins fans hope Miami takes, with four choices. It was Chase 49.0 percent, Smith 23.9 percent, Sewell 19.5 percent and Waddle only 7.6 percent. But consider: Tagovailoa has played with both Waddle and Smith. Do you think the Dolphins brought Tua in on that decision? Of course they did. Any second-guessing of the Dolphins shouldn’t center on Waddle over Smith or Sewell. But it might legitimately center on the club yo-yoing from the third pick to the 12th and back up to sixth via two major trades. Stay at three and you get Pitts, who is said to be a generational, franchise-changing talent. But in the maneuvering that cost them Pitts the Dolphins gained the 49ers’ first-round draft pick in 2023. So here is what a Dolphins fans must weigh. What would you rather have moving forward: Pitts? Or Waddle plus an additional 2023 first-round pick? It isn’t an easy question or a knowable answer right now. For our full column, visit Iffy Trades That Cost Them Pitts Mean Dolphins Better Hit Big With Waddle. 

Our most recent other columns: Le Batard Bet On Himself And His Audience -- And Won Big / Justice For George Floyd Helps Heal Our Shaken Faith, But Fight For Equality Goes On  /  What Would Jackie Robinson Think About Race In America Today?  /  The Case For Dolphins Trading Up, Going All-In For Kyle Pitts  /  and It Won't Fix the World, But Matsuyama's Masters Win Lifts Japan In Time Of Anti-Asian Hate.

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Select other recent columns: Talk Of U.S. Olympic Boycott A Reminder Sports, Politics Are Entwined -- And That's Good / How And Why the Miami Heat Landing Kawhi Leonard This Summer Could Happen / The Miami Dolphins' Six Can't-Lose Options For a Great No. 6 Pick in NFL Draft / Even After Playoffs In '20, Marlins Still 'Bottom Feeders' Fighting For Respect / Special Opening Day as Marlins Welcome Back Fans, Feeling Of Hope / In History And In Hearts, Howard Schnellenberger Will Matter For All Time / No Lowry, But Stealing Oladipo, Keeping Herro a Win-Win For Heat, Riley / Beckham Keeps Name-Dropping Messi, Ronaldo For Inter Miami. Can He Deliver? / Women Keep Accusing Deshaun Watson of Sexual Misconduct. But Will It Matter to NFL Teams? / No-Splash Free Agency Indicates Dolphins Going All In On Upcoming Draft -- And Tua / Phil Reflects on 25-Year Rivalry/Friendship With Tiger As Honda Classic Tees Off / Why Men's NCAA Tournament Has A Needed Fresh Feel As We Welcome Back March Madness / Reality, Loss, Comeback: How Sports Has Been Guiding Light In America's Awful Past Year / Heat Should Parts Ways With Meyers Leonard Over Anti-Semitic Slur / Beckham's Resolve Tested By Tumult As Inter Miami Nears 2nd MLS Season / Time-Travelling To 1960s And Childhood, When The Baseball Card Was King / Quit Lecturing LeBron On Activism And His Own Conscience / Michael Jordan, Pitbull Signal Needed New Era as NASCAR Returns to Homestead / Doesn't Matter If Tiger Woods Never Wins Again. We Are Lucky He's Alive / Loss at Aussie Open Leaves Serena's Legacy Firm Yet Still Unfinished / Marlins Stick With Youth As Rest Of NL East Spends Big / Inter Miami's Beckham Risks Stepping Into Massive, Avoidable Mess / Put Brady In Sports' All-Time Pantheon. But He Has Company / Final Herald NFL 2020 QB Rankings / Marlins Hit History-Making Home Run With Kim NG Hire As GM / In a Pandemic-Battered Season For FIU, Butch Davis' Love Of Coaching Survives / 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, MARCH 29. Thanks to the Paul Castronovo Show for having us on this morning to talk Dolphins and Schnellenberger. 2) The Greg Cote Show podcast is separately on Twitter and Instagram. Join us on both! 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Heat and Riley steal Oladipo at trade deadline, Beckham keeps name-dropping Messi and Ronaldo for Inter Miami, Deshaun Watson's escalating off-field mess, Greg Cote Show podcast with Pablo Torre & more. 4) Join me on Twitter and Instagram.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our 13th podcast of 2021 (55th overall) is out now! A new pod drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, Megaphone, iHeart -- wherever you pod, and of course at MiamiHerald.com. You can find all 55 we've done so far HERE for free. In our latest Ep13 we offer a tribute to the late great Howard Schnellenberger and welcome in two special guests. Meet Mike Jack (pictured), who just a Guinness World Record for eating the hottest pepper ever grown. And Jeremy Tache' of Bally (nee Fox) Sports Florida is on to discuss Heat, Marlins and Schitt's Creek. Greg and Chris also chew over Dolphins' big draft trades. And hear the return of Mount Gregmore! Thanks as always, pod family, for the support. Please listen, subscribe, rate and review! (And remember: Our pod now simulcasts on Sirius XM, Mondays 5-6 p.m. ET on Channel 145).

HOWARD SCHNELLENBERGER, 1934-2021: MY TRIBUTE COLUMN: Like grown children do with aging parents, sports fans know the day is coming for beloved old coaches who have faded from sidelines and headlines but never from our hearts. We have so long to prepare for the day, so many years, yet somehow we always feel unprepared when the news hits. Howard Schnellenberger -- father of the Miami Hurricanes football dynasty but with an impact so much greater -- passed away early Saturday. He had turned 87 two weeks earlier. We forgive hyperbole in eulogies, but sometimes what might seem like a statement too big is just right: “Without him there is no Miami football,” the Hurricanes program tweeted simply. For my full tribute column, visit In History And In Hearts, Howard Schnellenberger Will Matter For All Time.

Riley's magic, Beckham's optimism, Watson's mess. Our three othre most recent columns: No Lowry, But Stealing Oladipo, Keeping Herro a Win-Win For Heat, Riley / Beckham Keeps Name-Dropping Messi, Ronaldo For Inter Miami. Can He Deliver? / and Women Keep Accusing Deshaun Watson of Sexual Misconduct. But Will It Matter to NFL Teams? Other most recent columns: No-Splash Free Agency Indicates Dolphins Going All In On Upcoming Draft -- And Tua / Phil Reflects on 25-Year Rivalry/Friendship With Tiger As Honda Classic Tees Off / and Why Men's NCAA Tournament Has Needed Fresh Feel As We Welome Back March Madness.

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (MARCH 28-29): 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: Slump deepens, but Miami, Riley win big at draft deadline: Bad news? Heat has lost a season-high six straight games and fallen below .500 (22-24) and tumbled from fourth place to eighth in the East after Friday's loss at Charlotte. Good news? Miami and Pat Riley killed it on NBA trade deadline day. Couldn't pry Kyle Lowry from Toronto, but acquired 20-point scorer Victor Oladipo and forward Nemanja Bjelica without having to part with valued pieces like Tyler Herro or Duncan Robinson. No Lowry? No problem! Miami is back in play Monday at Knicks.

2. DOLPHINS: Miami trades down in first round, gets draft windfall in return: The Fins on Friday shook up the NFL draft's April 29 first round by trading down from the No. 3 overall pick. Miami in return got San Francisco's No. 12 overall pick, its third rounder this year and two future first-round picks -- one in 2022 and one in 23. Then, Miami got the No. 6 overall pick this year and a '21 fifth-round pick from Philadelphia in exchange for the '21 12th overall pick, a '21 fourth-round pick and a '22 first-round pick. Got all that? Bottom line: By moving down third to sixth in this year's first round, Fins gained a 3rd-round pick in '21 and a first-rounder in '23. Smart.

3. MARLINS: It's Opening Week for Miami's 29th MLB season!: Marlins open the regular season with a six-game homestand vs. Tampa Bay and St. Louis starting this Thursday vs. the Rays, with Sandy Alcantara on the mound for Miami. Low expectations for Fish in tough NL East, based on betting numbers, though Miami snapped a 17-year playoff drought last year. Season comes after a successful spring that saw Fish finish atop the Grapefruit League standings at 14-5 (not counting five ties) after Sunday's closing win.

4. HOWARD SCHNELLENBERGER: R.I.P. to Canes' first champion football coach: Howard Schnellenberger passed away Saturday at age 87. His leading the Miami Hurricanes' 1983 national championship touched off a dynasty that would lead to four titles more over the next 18 seasons. He later built FAU's program from scratch.  A true South Florida sports legend. R.I.P. 

5. COLLEGE BASKETBALL: March Madness' Sweet 16 turns to Elite Eight: The original 68 teams in the men's NCAA Tournament are down to the surviving Elite Eight after weekend results. Saturday, No. 1 Baylor advanced along with Houston, Arkansas and Oregon State. (Notably eliminated: Cinderella-designate Oral Roberts and Sister Jean's Loyola). Sunday, No. 1s Gonzaga and Michigan moved on along with USC and, in an upset, UCLA. Elite Eight games are tonight and Tuesday.

6. BOXING: Tyson-Holyfield III set for Miami in May ... or is it?: The third and last fight in the Evander Holyfield-Mike Tyson trilogy is set for May 29 at a socially distanced Hard Rock Stadium. But only if it ends up happening. It seemed set. Then Holyfield's camp announced Tyson had rejected the $25 million guarantee. Then, a day after Tyson proclaimed the fight was on, his reps told TMZ the boxer misspoke and wasn't aware how far apart the two sides are in negotiations. So stay tuned. Quick aside: Tyson is 54 and Holyfield 58. Tick tock, fellas!

7. HURRICANES: Spring football practice breaks for UM's NFL Pro Day: Midway through its 15 spring practices, UM pauses on Monday to welcome in scouts for its annual Pro Day in advance of the NFL Draft. Two ex-Cnes -- defensive ends Jaelan Phillips and Gregory Rousseau -- are seen as certain first-rounders, though likely mid-round. Spring practice concludes April 17.

8. PANTHERS: Ekblad injured in Florida win: Florida is 22-9-4, third in NHL Central and only two points off the lead after a pair of wins in Dallas. Sunday's was was costly, though, as defenseman Aaron Ekblad left the ice on a stretcher with a serious left leg injury that will keep him out "an extensive time," said coach Joel Quenneville. Ekblad is a Norris Trophy finalist for NHL defenseman of the year award.

9. TENNIS: What's left of Miami Open reaches midpoint: Rocked by major late withdrawals including Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Novak Djokvic and Rafael Nadal and with its prize fund gutted, the remains of the Miami Open -- back with limited crowds after being erased by the pandemic last spring -- reached its midway point this weekend outside Hard Rock Stadium.

10. HORSE RACING: Known Agenda wins Florida Derby: Todd Pletcher-trained Known Agenda won Saturday's Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park, a major prep race for Triple Crown season. Win qualified the horse for the Kentucky Derby. Known Agenda's owner? Vinnie Viola, who also owns the Florida Panthers.

Missing the HB10 cut: U.S. men's soccer failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics after Sunday's 2-1 loss to Honduras in Guadalajara, Mexico. It's the U.S. men's third straight missed Olympics ..... Year 2 for David Beckham's Inter Miami opened with a practice game vs. the USL Tampa Bay Rowdies Sunday, a 1-0 loss in St. Pete. After five friendlies will come the MLS regular season opener April 18. Meantime Beckham keeps name-dropping Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as among stars who could end their careers with Miami. We'll hold you to that, Becks! ..... Attrition clobbers Canes hoops. UM men's season ended at 10-17, worst in 27 years, and the hits keep coming. Guard Chris Lykes announced he's turning pro as expected, although at 5-7 it's unlikely he'll draw NBA Draft attention. Now leading scorer Isaiah Wong also is pondering an early departure, and shooting guard Kameron McGusty also is gauging NBA interest. Oh, and two others, Elijah Olaniyi and Earl Timberlake, have entered the transfer portal. Tough times for Jim Larranaga ..... Yeah, innocent until proven guilty. OK. But 16 civil suits against Deshaun Watson for sexual impropriety or assault? At what point might teams negotiating a trade with Houston have second thoughts? ..... Francis Ngannou KO'd Stip Miocic to win the UFC heavyweight title Saturday ..... A Miami Heat arena name change is at hand. It's going from AmericanAirlines Arena to FTX Arena, after a cryptocurrency exchange. Will players now be paid in Bitcoin? ..... No. 19 Canes baseball is 11-8 entering Sunday's series rubber game at Virginia ..... Upcoming: UEFA Champions League first-leg quarterfinal matches are next week on April 6; The Masters at Augusta is April 8-11; Tampa hosts WrestleMania 37 on April 10-11; and the Kentucky Derby is in one month, on May 1 ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast's 13th episode of 2021 and 55th overall drops Monday morning. Now Mondays 5-6 p.m. on Sirius XM Channel 145, too! ..... Update: Countdown now 1,919 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 9. For Le Batard Show faithful: 2) The Greg Cote Show podcast is now separately on Twitter and Instagram. Join us on both! 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hurricanes-N.C. State preview and pick, FIU's Butch Davis on his most trying season, NFL Week 9 picks, Greg Cote Show podcast Episode 35 & more. 4) Join me on Twitter and Instagram.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: CHRIS DISCUSSES ESPN LAYOFFIN NEW EPISODE OUT NOW: Our Miami Herald podcast debuted in March and the new Episode 36 is out now! A new pod drops every Monday morning on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, Megaphone, iHeart -- wherever you pod, and of course at MiamiHerald.com. Find all 36 we've done so far RIGHT HERE for free. Please listen, subscribe, rate and review. In an emotional new Ep36 Chris Cote discusses his layoff from ESPN, which he announced on Twitter Sunday evening. Chris and I also talk Tua and Dolphins, a smidgen of politics and bring you a new Mount Gregmore -- but it's the emotional discussion of the layoff that will be must-listen, especially for fans of the Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz. Hear all that and more on the latest Greg Cote Show podcast. Go HERE for the Miami Herald's story on the layoff.

Our Hurricanes-N.C. State column: Canes Keep Beating Teams They Should (If Barely). Other most recent stuff: In a Pandemic-Battered Season For FIU, Butch Davis' Love Of Coaching Survives / Stop the Silly Noise And Speculation. Give Dolphins' Tua Time And a Fair Chance / and Fans of ESPN's Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz Should Prepare For Another Change.

G8: DOLPHINS 34, @ARIZONA 31: MIAMI COLLECTS 4TH STRAIGHT WIN IN TUA'S ROAD DEBUT!: Original post: In the desert at 4:25 p.m. Sunday Miami will try to do something the franchise hasn't accomplished since 2016: Win four games in a row. (It was six straight in '16, when the Dolphins last made the playoffs). Whether they can do it will be disproportionately all about Tua Tagovailoa. After not needing much from him in his first start -- last week's defense-driven home upset of the Rams (an upset I called, btw -- more will likely be required of the rookie quarterback Sunday in his first road start, vs. a good team coming off a bye. Miami coach Brian Flores refuted the noisy speculation he was "auditioning" Tua for a later trade in case Miami were to high-draft yet another QB in 2021 with the pick it will have from Houston, but such stuff is better quieted with results than with coachspeak. Will Tagovailoa be up to hanging tough in what could be a shootout if Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins can unlock Miami’s hugely improved D? (The two young QBs, dueling No. 1s, are pictured). Will the Fins’ minor trade-deadline deal to acquire RB DeAndre Washington have any impact with leading rusher Myles Gaskin out injured? Both teams have three-game winning streaks and are comparable in most major measurements including scoring, defense and point differential. That the Cardbirds and Fins rarely meet (last in 2016) adds yet another layer making this one a tough call. There is little cause for 'Zona to be favored beyond whatever home-field advantage there still is in a crowd-diminished pandemic. In what feels like closer to a pick-’em game in which no result would surprise, I give the slightest nod to the home team coming off a bye, but like Dolphins to cover. My pick: Arizona (-4 1/2), 23-20. For all of our latest King Sport picks, visit NFL Week 9 Gems.

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (NOVEMBER 8-9): WHAT SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive Sunday-into-Monday feature is part week-in-review, part look-ahead. Hot Button means what's on our minds, locally and nationally, from a Miami perspective, as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead. This week's HB10:

1. DOLPHINS: Tua leads Miami to 4th straight win in road debut!: Fins won a fourth straight game (last accomplished by Miami in 2016) out west Sunday, 34-31, at Arizona as rookie QB Tua Tagovailoa passed for 248 yards and two touchdowns in his first start on the road. The Dolphins are angling into playoff contention after five wins in past six games.

2. HURRICANES: No. 11 UM rallies to win at N.C. State: D'Eriq King threw for five touchdowns Friday night to life Miami past host North Carolina State, 44-41, on a night when UM's defense needed all the offense it could get. Canes are now 6-1 and should kinch into the top 10. Canes had been 0-5 under Manny Diaz coming off a bye or with extra time to prepare, so at least that trend has ended.

3. INTER MIAMI: Sunday win lifts expansion Miami into MLS playoffs!: Inter Miami (7-13-3, 24 points) ends its inaugural MLS regular season at home Sunday with a 2-1 victory over Cincinnati -- clinching the 10th and final East seed in the expanded MLS playoffs. Miami's first postseason match will be Friday, November 20 at Nashville.

4. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Notre Dame, Florida shake up the season: No. 4 Notre Dame beat No. 1 Clemson (sans TrevorLawrence) 47-40 in overtime in South Bend on Saturday, after No. 8 Florida upset Georgia 44-28. The Pac-12 finally starring its season added to the big day in the sport. The new rankings will be interesting. Doubt Clemson will be penalized too harshly.

5. NASCAR: Chase Elliott is crowned season champion in Phoenix: Chase Elliott, 24, topped fellow finalists Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano to become the third-youngest driver to win the NASCAR Cup season championship Sunday in Phoenix. It also was the last ride for retiring Jimmie Johnson, the greatest driver of his generation -- the pandemic short-changing him the sesaon-long victory lap he deserved.

6. GOLF: Long-delayed, The Masters is finally on deck: The first-ever fall Masters, delayed seven months by the pandemic, is this Thursday through Sunday at Augusta, wrapping up the sport's majors season. Bryson Dechambeau is the betting favorite ahead of Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas. Sentimental money bet-up Tiger Woods into a tie for ninth favorite.

7. HEAT: Miami preps for draft, early restart: NBA players union voted to approve a league plan for a December 22 start to the 2020-21 season -- only 72 days after the NBA Finals ended -- and a reduced schedule from 82 to 72 games. Meanwhile the virtual NBA Draft is next week on November 18. Miami selects 20th overall (no second round pick), and ESPN's latest mock draft has Heat taking Alabama point guard Kira Lewis.

8. SOCCER: Four still perfect in Champions League: World club powers Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Manchester City are the only teams a perfect 3-0 at the halfway mark of group-stage play in the UEFA Champions League. The race to the round of 16 continues on November 24.

9. HORSE RACING: Authentic wins Breeders' Cup Classic: Kentucky Derby winner Authentic scored another major 2020 victory Saturday in 37th Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland, maybe the sport's biggest day outside of the Triple Crown races. Prerace favorites had been Improbable at 5-2, Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law at 3-1 and Maximum Security at 7-2. 

10. POLITICS: If sports took a cue from Donald Trump...: Henceforth in all sports, the official acknowledgement of final results of games will be delayed indefinitely as losing teams file myriad hopeless lawsuits desperately disputing the outcome.

Missing the HB10 cut: NFL fined Las Vegas Raiders $500,000 and a sixth-round draft pick for repeated violations of COVID protocols. Pittsburgh Steelers also were fined ..... College basketball starts November 25 (as the pandemic worsens) and many teams including the Miami Hurricanes still don't have a schedule to announce ..... No punishment for Justin Turner. That's weak, MLB ..... Least surprising sentence ever: ESPN 300 quarterback Shedeur Sanders flipped his commitment from FAU to Jackson State, where dad Deion Sanders is the new coach ..... Alex Cora is back as Red Sox manager after a one-year ban for cheating. Adjusted bromide: 'Cheaters Almost Never Prosper' ..... Seattle QB Russell Wilson has file to trademark the phrase 'Let Russ Cook.' Like anybody wants it? ..... Florida Panthers re-signed defenseman MacKenzie Weegar for three more years ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast's new Episode 36 drops Monday! ..... Update: Countdown now 2,059 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup.

Other most recent columns: Dolphins Defense Makes It Easy For Tua In First NFL Start / Drama, Controversy, Torqued-Up Pressure: Welcome to Tua Week In Miami / Turner -- With COVID -- Joining Dodgers Celebration A Sadly Fitting End to Season / Dolphins Turning to Tua Now Is Risky -- But Right Move / and Heat, Marlins, Canes -- now Tua. Miserable 2020 Suddenly Great Time To Be Miami Fan.

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THE ARCHIVES:

Heat NBA Finals columns: Game 6--LeBron Reigns, But Credit Heat For Unexpected Run to Finals. Game 5--They're Alive! Butler, Heat Beat Lakers, Get to Game 6 In NBA FInals. Game 4--Lakers in 3-1 Command in NBA Finals, But Don't Write Off Heat Yet. Game 3--Jimmy Butler's 40 Gives Heat New Life in NBA Finals. Game 2--NBA Finals Slipping Away As Heat Lose Again. Game 1-- Riley Wants Heat to Beat LeBron So Bad, But Opening Loss a Reality Check.

Marlins postseason run columns: NLDS Game 3--Marlins Season Was A Miracle But Way It Ended Is Lesson On Work Still Ahead. Game 2--Marlins Fall Again, Join Heat On Brink Of Elimination. Game 1--Braves Homers, Bullpen Collapse Bury Marlins in NLDS Game 1. Columns from two wins over Cubs in wild-card round: Miracle Marlins Advance in NL Playoffs and Seventeen Years Out of Playoffs, Marlins Return in Style.

Select other recent columns: 'If I Die, I Die.' QB Cousins' Shamefully Cavalier Attitude On Pandemic / Boycott Of NBA Playoffs Shows Nation That Injustice Is Bigger Than Sports Right Now / Having Fans at Dolphins, Canes Games A Bad Idea And Big Risk / For Marlins, A Home Opener -- And First Place -- In Mid-August / As Panthers Move on From Tallon, Who's Next Miami Team Executive on Hot Seat? / 'Perfect Storm For Virus Transmission': Why Football Is Struggling to Lift Off / Marlins Delaying Home Opener For COVID Outbreak a Scary Lesson For All Sports / Don Shula, 1930-2020, R.I.P. / What Shula Meant to a Father & Son. They Boy Was Me / It Took George Floyd To Finally Wake Up White America / Goodell's NFL Response to Floyd Killing Is Hypocrisy At Its Most Ironic / and George Floyd Is Why Kaepernick & Sports Must Continue Fight For Social Justice

Revisit this blog often because it updates regularly. The Associated Press Sports Editors writing awards ranked the blog's author a Top 10 national sports columnist in the major-outlet category. Greg is also a regular on the Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz on ESPN Radio. Finding Greg: Twitter. Instagram. Facebook. Columns. Podcast. Podcast on Twitter. Podcast on Instagram. LeBatard Show. Book: Fins At 50. Songs: Letting Go (audio) and The Ballad Of 1440 (video).

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

1) It's MONDAY, OCTOBER 5. The Greg Cote Show podcast is now separately on Twitter and Instagram. Follow us on both! 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Miracle Marlins advance to NLDS, depleted Heat fall to 0-2 in NBA Finals, Collball Saturday, Greg Cote Show podcast Episode 30 & more. 2) Join us on Twitter and Instagram.

Playoffs! Miracle Marlins -- the 'Miami Bottom Feeders' -- advance to NLDS: Column off NLWC-clinching Game 2 win over Cubs: Miracle Marlins Advance in NL Playoffs. Column off Game 1: Seventeen Years Out of Playoffs, Marlins Return in Style. Game 1 of best-of-5 NLDS vs. Braves begins Tuesday in Houston.

Playoffs! They're alive! Butler leads Heat to Game 3 win over Lakers: Column off Sunday's had-to-have-it Game 3 win: Jimmy Butler Gives Heat New Life Vs. Lakers in NBA Finals. Column off Game 2: NBA Finals Slipping Away From Miami as Heat Lose Again. Column off Game 1: Riley Wants Heat to Beat LeBron So Bad, But Opening Loss a Reality Check. Game 3 of best-of-7 is Sunday night in Orlando bubble.

G4: SEATTLE 31, @DOLPHINS 23: TWO TURNOVERS, TOO MUCH RUSS, BAD D SINK MIAMI: Original post: It’s a rare treat awaiting those brave Dolfans who venture through the pandemic to Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday. Hall of Fame-headed Russell Wilson is making only his second appearance here and first since his 2012 rookie season. And he arrives with 14 TD passes, a record through three games, and early MVP front-runner status as the NFL season reaches its quarter mark. Chef Russ is one reason why King Sport has set a three-week record for most TDs (281) and points scored (2,446). Wilson looks unstoppable, all the more so Sunday with the Fins maybe missing CB Byron Jones (again). But here’s the thing. Ryan Fitzpatrick is just as well-armed for an airborne shootout, with Seattle’s pass defense allowing a gargantuan, absurd 430.7 yards per game. No wonder the over/under on total points is a fat 54. The number for combined passing yards might catapult over 600. Punters, take the day off. Defensive coordinators, cover your eyes. Miami comes in rested after playing last Thursday, while the Seahawks’ injury list is crowded. Then again, Seattle is on a 9-0 run playing in the Eastern time zone. I like Miami getting six points, but, did I mention Russell Wilson? Despite his own sieve of a pass defense, he has been way too good to not outscore the Dolphins. My pick: Seahawks (-6) over Dolphins, 34-30. Visit NFL Week 4 Gems to see this capsule online and for all of our other latest previews and picks.

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (OCTOBER 4-5): 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. MARLINS: Miracle 'Miami Bottom Feeders' advance to NLDS!: As MLB postseason's division round begins today and Tuesday, the underdog Marlins, not expected to be anywhere near the playoffs, are calling themselves the 'Miami Bottom Feeders' in their first postseason in 17 years. They just swept the Cubs in the best-of-3 NLWC with Friday's Sixto Sanchez-fueled 2-0 win. Now they're on to the NLDS vs. the Braves in Houston. The best-of-5 series begins Tuesday. Fish are now 7-for-7 as a franchise in all-time playoff series. Amazin'!

2. HEAT: Butler's huge Game 3 gives Miami new life in NBA Finals: The 18- and 10-point losses and injuries to Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic had Miami staring at a 3-0 hole. Jimmy Butler to the rescue! Butler's 40-point triple-double last night led a had-to-have-it 115-104 win to draw Miami within 2-1 entering Game 4 of the best-of-7 Tuesday night. Heat's first championship in 2006 happened after Miami trailed 2-0 in Finals. Can history repeat?

3. DOLPHINS: Russell Wilson lifts Seattle over host Miami: Fins dominated Jacksonville last Thursday but even with extra time to prepare were six-point home 'dogs to unbeaten Seattle and Russell Wilson, whose 14 TD passes in three games were the most ever. Well, Russ threw for 360 yards Sunday to beat the Fins 31-23. Too much Russ, two Ryan Fitzpatrick picks, too many red-zone fizzles and field goal-settling and bad D late spelled the result.

4. HURRICANES: Countdown: 5 days 'til UM visits Clemson. Uh oh: Miami is ranked No. 7 and 3-0 after crushing FSU last Thursday. Clemson is No. 1 and 3-0 after routing Virginia Saturday night. So where's the "uh oh" come in? Canes don't have a great track record recently with extra time to prepare. And UM has dropped its past two games against Clemson by 38-3 (2017 ACC Championship Game) and 58-0 (2015). New team, new time? We'll see.

5. NFL: Two Week 4 games disrupted by COVID test-positives: Sunday's Pittsburgh at Tennessee game was postponed to October 25 after several Titans players tested positive for COVID-19. Saturday it was reported Patriots QB Cam Newton has tested positive and will miss this week's Chiefs. A test positive on both teams will delay that game to Monday or Tuesday, said the NFL. The virus caused the preseason to be canceled and has resulted in home stadiums with no fans or a limited number, but this, in Week 4, is the first disruption of the regular season schedule.

6. TENNIS: Nadal on track in French Open; Halep, Serena out: Favorite Rafael Nadal is on track at the major's midpoint in Paris. The big news: On the women's side, favorite Simona Halep was ousted Saturday, routed by little known Iga Swiatek, 19, of Poland, and Serena Williams earlier was knocked out by an Achilles injury and said she's likely done for the year. The question of Serena is, at age 39, her last major win in 2017, could done for the year mean done for the career?

7. INTER MIAMI: Higuain has assist but expansion team falls again: Inter Miami 3-10-2 after a 3-2 home loss Saturday night to New York City FC. Lewis Morgan scored both of Miami's goals. The rookie team is a respectable 3-5-2 since an 0-5 start. New star Gonzalo Higuain, the Argentine forward, still is looking for his first MLS goal two matches in, but had an assist Saturday. In his eventful Miami debut he'd missed a penalty kick and sent a bicycle-kick shot off the post. Miami's next match is Wednesday at New York Red Bulls.  

8. PANTHERS: NHL Draft this week will be first for new Florida GM: The NHL Draft, to be held virtually, is Tuesday (first round) and Wednesday (two through seven), and it'll be the first for new Florida general manager Bill Zito. Panthers likely would prefer to target a defenseman with top pick, but if none is deemed worthy of the 12th overall selection they may go for a scorer. Right wing Jack Quinn of Ottawa in the OHL has been mentioned for the Cats in mocks.

9. HORSE RACING: Surprise in Preakness Stakes ends Triple Crown season: Kentucky Derby winner Authentic at 9-5 was favored to win Saturday's Preakness Stakes but was beaten out by unheralded Swiss Skydiver in the last race of a Triple Crown turned upside down by the pandemic. Belmont winner Tiz the Law did not run at Pimlico. Swiss Skydiver is only the sixth filly and first since 2009 to win the Preakness.

10. WNBA: Bird has Seattle flying in WNBA Finals: Seattle Storm lead Las Vegas Aces 2-0 and can close out the best-of-5 Finals Tuesday night, after Sunday's win. Seattle, led by Breanna Stewart and especially Sue Bird, seeks its fourth league title. Vegas, led by 2020 league MVP A'ja Wilson, is after its first.

Missing the HB10 cut: UEFA Champions League begins group-stage play October 20. Notable from the draw: Megastars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will square off in UCL group play for first time, with Barcelona and Juventus both drawn into Group G ..... No. 3 Florida Gators handled South Carolina 38-24 Saturday. 4-Georgia beat 7-Auburn. Most-notable other Top 25 losses were by 9-Texas and 11-UCF ..... Doc Rivers didn't have time to collect an unemployment check. The fired L.A. Clippers coach signed a five-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers ..... NASCAR playoffs continue at Talladega Sunday. Meantime the sport promised major changes in its 2021 schedule and delivered, announcing six road courses, new stops in Austin and Nashville, and NASCAR's first dirt race in the Cup Series since 1970 ..... The San Diego Loyal soccer club, leading 3-1, walked off field and forfeited its USL Championship match vs. Phoenix Rising to protest a homophobic slur directed at openly gay Loyal player Collin Martin. Hmm. Seems like beating the homophobe's team might have been its own statement, no? ..... Tampa Bay Lightning celebrated their second Stanley Cup with a boat parade and ceremony at Raymond James Stadium with a capped attendance of 16,000 fans ..... R.I.P., Bob Gibson ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast's new Episode 31 drops Monday! ..... Update: Countdown now 2,094 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup. Hope stadiums will be full again by then.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE 31 OUT NOW!: Our Miami Herald podcast, The Greg Cote Show With Greg Cote, debuted in March and new Episode 31 is out now! A new pod drops every Monday morning on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, Megaphone, iHeart -- wherever you pod, and of course at MiamiHerald.com. Find all 31 we've done RIGHT HERE for free. Please listen, subscribe, rate and review. In new Ep31 we welcome in guest Billy Gil from the Le Batard Show to talk Miracle Marlins and other fun stuff. New Mount Gregmore, too -- the N's. Hear all that and more on the new Greg Cote Show podcast!

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THE ARCHIVES:

Other most recent columns: COVID-Decimated and 30,000-to-1 Odds, Miami Marlins Are a Sports Miracle For the Ages / Canes Score Biggest Rout Of FSU in 44 Years. Soon, We Find Out How Good UM Really Is / Heat Wins East, Reaches NBA Finals Vs. LeBron / and We All Want Dolphins to Unveil Tua, But Appreciate the Ryan Fitzpatrick We Just Saw.

Our football special-section column troika: TUA TAGOVAILOA IS DOLPHINS' SAVIOR SENT TO BRING NEW GLORY ... IF PROPHECY IS TRUE  /  WHO'S SUPER BOWL-BOUND? WHERE DO FINS FALL? OUR 2020 NFL-IN-A-PANDEMIC TEAM RANKINGS  /  and FOR MIAMI & AMERICA, HERE COMES A COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON WE'LL NEVER FORGET

Select other recent columns: 'If I Die, I Die.' QB Cousins' Shamefully Cavalier Attitude On Pandemic / Boycott Of NBA Playoffs Shows Nation That Injustice Is Bigger Than Sports Right Now / Having Fans at Dolphins, Canes Games A Bad Idea And Big Risk / For Marlins, A Home Opener -- And First Place -- In Mid-August / As Panthers Move on From Tallon, Who's Next Miami Team Executive on Hot Seat? / 'Perfect Storm For Virus Transmission': Why Football Is Struggling to Lift Off / Marlins Delaying Home Opener For COVID Outbreak a Scary Lesson For All Sports / Don Shula, 1930-2020, R.I.P. / What Shula Meant to a Father & Son. They Boy Was Me / It Took George Floyd To Finally Wake Up White America / Goodell's NFL Response to Floyd Killing Is Hypocrisy At Its Most Ironic / and George Floyd Is Why Kaepernick & Sports Must Continue Fight For Social Justice

Revisit this blog often because it updates regularly. The Associated Press Sports Editors writing awards ranked the blog's author a Top 10 national sports columnist in the major-outlet category. Greg is also a regular on the Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz on ESPN Radio. Finding Greg Cote: Twitter. Instagram. Facebook. Columns. Podcast. Podcast on Twitter. Podcast on Instagram. LeBatard Show. Book: Fins At 50. Songs: Letting Go (audio) and The Ballad Of 1440 (video).

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

1) It's MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7. Happy Labor Day, all! Please remember: COVID-19 doesn't take the holiday off. Be safe. Be smart. 2) The Greg Cote Show podcast is now separately on Twitter and Instagram. Follow us on both! 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Kirk Cousins' cavalier comments on pandemic, Our columns off Heat-Bucks Games 1 and 2, Greg Cote Show podcast Episode 26 & more. 4) Join us on Twitter and Instagram.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE 27 STARRING CHUCK TODD OUT NOW!: Our Miami Herald podcast, "The Greg Cote Show With Greg Cote," debuted in March and we're back with new Episode 27, out now! New episodes drop early every Monday morning on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, Megaphone, iHeart or wherever you pod, and of course at MiamiHerald.com. Find all 27 we've done so far RIGHT HERE for free! Please listen, subscribe, rate and review. In new Ep26 we welcome in very special guest Chuck Todd, the NBA Meet the Press moderator who also happens to be Miami born and raised and a huge Hurricanes fans. He talks growing up in the 3-0-5, UM football and also a bit of politics. What was his pinch-me moment? The answer will surprise you. Greg and Chris also talk Heat-Bucks. And of course there's a new Mount Gregmore -- the royal J's. Here all that and more on the the Greg Cote Show podcast now!

Our most recent columns: 'If I Die, I Die.' QB Cousins' Shamefully Cavalier Attitude On Pandemic and our columns off Heat-Bucks Games 1 and 2: Lifting Spirits And A City: Heat, Up 2-0, Continue Pandemic Playoff Run and Heat Beat Bucks In Game 1, In A Series Also About '21 Free Agency. Also: Boycott Of NBA Playoffs Shows Nation That Injustice Is Bigger Than Sports Right Now and Having Fans at Dolphins, Canes Games A Bad Idea And Big Risk.

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (SEPTEMBER 6-7): 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: Broom denied, but Miami still up 3-1 on Milwaukee: Underdog fifth-seed Heat were denied a series sweep Sunday but still hold a commanding 3-1 lead over top-seeded Bucks in NBA Eastern Conference semifinals. Heat go for the win and a ticket to the East finals in Game 5 Tuesday if necessary. Miami last reached the East finals in 2014, the last season of LeBron and the Big 3.

2. HURRICANES: College football is back! Miami opens Thursday night: The Canes open their season vs. 16-point underdog UAB (Alabama-Birmingham) Thursday night at 8 at Hard Rock Stadium, where coronavirus protocols will limit attendance to a max 20 percent of capacity, or 13,000. Seven Top 25 teams are in action this coming week including No. 1 Clemson at Wake Forest. The only state school in action besides UM is Florida State hosting Georgia Tech next Saturday.

3. DOLPHINS/NFL: Rosen released, now, ready or not: Kickoff in 6 days: Dolphins open their 55th season and first in a pandemic next Sunday at New England with Ryan Fitzpatrick again expected under center as rookie first-rounder Tua Tagovailoa waits his turn. Miami cut third-stringer Josh Rosen on Friday after failing to find a trade partner. Opener will be instant measure of Miami's improvement and a new AFC East after offseason that saw Patriots decimated by Tom Brady's departure and coronavirus opt-outs. The quick test for Fins's improved defense? One Cam Newton. King Sport kicks off this Thursday night with Houston at champ Kansas City.  

4. MARLINS: Alcantara helps end skid vs. Rays, then  Fish fall Sunday: Nifty outing by Sandy Alcantara lifted Miami on Saturday and ended a nine-game losing streak vs. Tampa Bay. But then Fish fell Sunday to tumble 17-18 in midst of six-game road trip that heads now to Atlanta. Miami has fallen to third in NL East but is still in the hunt. Trade-deadline acquisition of outfielder Starling Marte added a potent bat to the lineup to aid the playoff push.

5. NBA: Yes, there are three other playoff series, and all are tied: Miami awaits winner of Boston-Toronto, which leveled at 2-2 Saturday with Raptors' second straight win; Game 5 is tonight. Out west, L.A. Clippers and Denver are tied 1-1- after Nuggets' win Saturday, with Game 3 tonight. Houston and James Harden and LeBron's L.A. Lakers are tied 1-1, with Game 3 Tuesday.

6. INTER MIAMI: Expansion team goes nil-nil with Nashville: Inter Miami is 1-6-2 after a second straight 0-0 draw, this Sunday night at home vs. fellow expansion team Nashville. Game marked the Miami debut of Blaise Matuidi, formerly of reigning Italian champions Juventus and before that Paris St. Germain. Of greater note: Inter Miami reportedly is close to agreeing to terms with Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain. It would be the biggest signing yet for David Beckham's struggling first-year club.

7. HORSE RACING: Authentic with big upset win in Kentucky Derby: Authentic outraced heavy favorite Tiz the Law to win the 146th Kentucky Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs. With John Velazquez aboard, Authentic led from start to finish to give trainer Bob Baffert his record-tying sixth Derby champion in the race delayed by four months. There were protests outside track over the Breonna Taylor killing by Louisville police.

8. GOLF: U.S. Open gets under way Thursday: The virus-delayed U.S. Open is this coming Thursday through next Sunday at Winged Foot in New York. Betting favorites are Dustin Johnson along with Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka. Tiger Woods is tied for seventh favorites, because a stunning number of bets are placed by sentiment ad hope.

9. TENNIS: Depleted U.S. Open reaches its midpoint with Djokovic controversy: Faced with her earliest ouster at the U.S. Open since her debut 22 years ago, Serena Williams rallied from a set down to beat American rival Sloane Stephens 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the delayed, no-fans major. Serena stays alive in hunt for her record-tying 24th major at the open's midpoint. Sunday, men's favorite Novak Djokovic was ousted by default after he hit a ball in anger that struck a line judge in the neck.

10. NHL: Final four! Conference finals set: The Florida Panthers filled their general manager opening by hiring Bill Zito away from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Teams not needing to fire their GM because they're really good: the NHL's Final Four! Out west, Dallas took a 1-0 lead on Vegas Sunday. In the East, Tampa Bay and N.Y. Islanders begin skating Monday. Meanwhile, yet another year of no Stanley Cup for Canada.

Missing the HB10 cut: NASCAR's 16-driver playoffs get underway Sunday at Darlington. Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin are betting favorites among the field qualified for the 10-race playoffs that end with the Championship Four racing for the season crown Nov. 8 in Phoenix, ending Homestead's 18-year run as title-race host ..... Lionel Messi is staying at Barcelona! It ends a week's tempest of his own doing. (Keep his phone number handy anyway, David Beckham) ..... Vikings QB Kirk Cousins, who doubts the efficacy of mask-wearing, says, "If I die, I die." About a coronavirus pandemic that has already killed more than 185,000 Americans. What a cavalier, callous expression from a supposed team leader ..... The Tour de France is at its midpoint and I can't bring myself to pretend I've heard of a single cyclist ..... Match made in gambling heaven: Michael Jordan is a new equity partner in DraftKings ..... Welcome to Twitter, Vin Scully! Social media does not deserve but dearly needs your civility ..... Brooklyn Nets hired Steve Nash as new coach ..... Florida Panthers owner Vincent Viola was named a part of a new NHL anti-racism initiative ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast's new Episode 27 is out Monday morning ..... R.I.P. to the greatest Met of all, Tom Seaver, gone at 75 ..... Update: Countdown now 2,122 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup. We will all still be six feet apart then?

Most recent other columns: Pat Riley's Grand Plan On Track As Heat Close In On Playoff Advance / For Marlins, A Home Opener -- And First Place -- In Mid-August / Fractured College Football Mirrors America's Divide On How to Handle a Pandemic / Fall Without Football: Big Ten, Pac-12 Set Moral Compass for NFL, Others to Follow / As Panthers Move on From Tallon, Who's Next Miami Team Executive on Hot Seat? / and 'Perfect Storm For Virus Transmission': Why Football Is Struggling to Lift Off.

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THE COTE ARCHIVES:

Marlins Hell Week Trilogy: Are Marlins To Blame For Own Outbreak? If So It Would Mirror America's Struggle / Marlins Outbreak Worsens, Sports Should Rethink Playing Again in 2020 / and Marlins Delaying Home Opener For COVID Outbreak a Scary Lesson For All Sports.

Special Don Shula tribute: Don Shula, 1930-2020, R.I.P. / and What Shula Meant to a Father & Son. They Boy Was Me.

George Floyd-related: Sports' Gradual Return Offers America Relief We Desperately Need / It Took George Floyd To Finally Wake Up White America / Goodell's NFL Response to Floyd Killing Is Hypocrisy At Its Most Ironic / and George Floyd Is Why Kaepernick & Sports Must Continue Fight For Social Justice

Other most recent columns: Here's Why Nobody Should Rule Out Heat Reaching NBA Finals / Marlins and Dolphins, In a Race For Relevance, Offer Hope At a Time We Need That / When Will Dolphins Unleash Tua? Exploring the Timetable as Rookies Report / Sports Resume, But Major Concerns Complicate Opening of Football Training Camps / He Made a Mistake, But Miami Knows Who Dwyane Wade Is And Knows It By Heart / Marlins Captain Miguel Rojas On Pandemic And Playoffs As Baseball Returns / Rest In Pieces, Redskins. Now Here Are Sports' Other Suspect Nicknames / 'Redskins Is Racist Nickname Based On a Lie. Time For It to Disappear / Money Or Health? NFL and Major College Football Face A Decision / Tough Times All Around, But Rise Of Miami Sports Offers Hope / The Face Of Miami Sports in 2020: Our Top 20 And Who's No.1 / Time to Abort Season Restarts and Call Off Sports For Rest Of 2020 / Uh-oh. Cam Newton means Belichick and Patriots Are Back / Saving the National Anthem From Sporting-Event Extinction / Baseball Joins In With Restart Plan. But Is Sports Walking Into a Giant Mess? / Noose Left For NASCAR's Bubba Wallace's Only Grows Resolve to End Racial Hatred / and Team That Signs Kaepernick Will Be Champions Of the Street

Select columns from earlier in 2020: Amid Pandemic And Protests, 'America's Pastime' Is Letting American Down / Return Of Sports Promises Historic TV Smorgasbord / Homestead Is Test Lab As NASCAR Gradually Welcomes Back Fans / R.I.P. Kurt Thomas, an American Gymnastics Pioneer  / MLB Players Demanding More Millions, Right Now, Is A Bad Look / Amid a Pandemic, An Outrage in Alamance County / Welcome to Sports Without Fans, the New Normal / As NBA, MLB Plot Return, We Miss Them -- Yet Sports Have Never Seemed More Trivial / Anticipation of Relevance, Excitement Is Tua's Gift to Miami / Hall of Famer Andre Dawson On Baseball and Owning a Funeral Home Amid COVID-19 / Dolphins Aim High, Win Big With Tua Tagovailoa Pick / Greg Cote's 2020 NFL Mock Draft / Coronavirus, Tua Make This Dolphins' Weirdest, Most Interesting Draft Ever / NFL Draft Will Offer Blunt Verdict on Canes' Talent / Ultimate All-Time South Florida Major Sports Trivia Challenge / Sports Should Stop Pretending It Will Resume Anytime Soon As Coronovirus Rages / How a Longtime Herald Sport Writer Came to Own a Top Contender in Florida Derby / Time for NBA, NHL to Shut it Down, End Seasons / Le Batard Show Deals with Coronavirus-Related Upheaval / Brady Leaving Patriots for Tampa. Will Belichick Be Proved Right In Letting Him Go? / Miami Sports Now Utterly Engulfed By Coronavirus Threat -- But Precaution Is Justified / Inter Miami Is Market's Sleeping Giant As Home Opener Nears / Jeter Arrives At Camp, Calls Marlins 'Layered With Talent' / Dwyane Wade, His Transgender Daughter And A Lesson In Love / Time For Anonymous Lone Voter Who Denied Jeter To Step Forward / Heat And Gloriously Impatient Riley Win In Trade For Iguodala / Return Of Ed Reed, Even If Mostly Symbolic, Leads Surge By Canes Football / Kobe's Death Sends Sports World Reeling, But Immortality Is His / Jimmy Johnson's Biggest Triumph? Knowing When To Quit -- And Why / Announcing Miami Dolphins' 2010-19 All-Decade Team / and two-part series on how Dolphins' Glory Day happened: How One Man Long Forgotten Changed Everything For the Miami Dolphins and How Shula Made Dolphins Perfect and Made Miami Matter, And the Coach Today at 90 

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Revisit this blog often because it updates regularly. The Associated Press Sports Editors writing awards ranked the blog's author a Top 10 national sports columnist in the major-outlet category. Greg is also a regular on the Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz on ESPN Radio. Finding Greg Cote: Twitter. Instagram. Facebook. Columns. Podcast. Podcast on Twitter. Podcast on Instagram. LeBatard Show. Book: Fins At 50. Songs: Letting Go (audio) and The Ballad Of 1440 (video).

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

1) It's MONDAY, AUGUST 17. The Greg Cote Show podcast is now separately on Twitter and Instagram. Follow us on both! 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Fractured college football mirrors America's divide on pandemic, Big Ten and Pac-12 set a moral compass, On Panthers moving on from GM Tallon, Marlins home opener (finally!), Greg Cote Show podcast new Episode 24 & more. 3) Join us on Twitter and Instagram.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: A WEEK OFF, THEN NEW EPISODE 25!: Our Miami Herald podcast, "The Greg Cote Show With Greg Cote," debuted in March and Episode 24 is out now. After a week off (no new episode Monday), we'll celebrate our silver podiversary with Ep25 on August 24. New episodes drop Monday mornings on Apple, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, Megaphone, iHeart or wherever you pod, and of course at MiamiHerald.com. Find all 24 we've done so far RIGHT HERE. Free! No paywall! Please listen, subscribe, rate and review. In Episode 24 Greg reveals his likes and dislikes about being on Le Batard Show. Also, hear from a screenwriter with a movie on Netflix who also happens to be running for Broward County supervisor of elections. And a guy who wrote a book about baseball cards ... and a double dose of Mount Gregmore (G's)! All that and more in new Ep24! 

Our most recent columns:

For Marlins, A Home Opener -- And First Place -- In Mid-August

Also: Fractured College Football Mirrors America's Divide On How to Handle a Pandemic / Fall Without Football: Big Ten, Pac-12 Set Moral Compass for NFL, Others to Follow / As Panthers Move on From Tallon, Who's Next Miami Team Executive on Hot Seat? / 'Perfect Storm For Virus Transmission': Why Football Is Struggling to Lift Off and Here's Why Nobody Should Rule Out Heat Reaching NBA Finals

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (AUGUST 16-17): 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. MARLINS: Hear ye, hear ye! An actual game actually happened in Miami!: For the first time in 156 days, since the coronavirus pandemic shut down sports on March 11, an actual game happened in South Florida -- the Marlins' long-delayed home opener Friday night, albeit sans fans. The Heat, Panthers and Inter Inter Miami have been playing elsewhere; this was the first time in just over five months a local team had played an actual home game. Seven-game Fish homestand vs. Braves and Mets continued Sunday with Marlins wearing throwback Miami Giants uniforms (a 1930s semipro team) in honor of 100th anniversary of Negro Leagues. Atlanta won to take two of three.

2. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Seismic! Big Ten, Pac-12 to skip 2020 season: In the biggest sports story of the pandemic since the cancellation of March Madness, two of the Power 5 football conferences, the Big Ten and Pac-12, announced they would not play in 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns. They're hoping to play in spring of '21 instead. However, the SEC, Big 12 and ACC/Miami Hurricanes plan as of now to play this fall as scheduled. Miami is to open September 10 at home vs. UAB, though likely without fans or with a very limited number.

3. HEAT: Playoffs! Miami-Indiana best-of-7 series starts Tuesday: NBA playoffs start Monday and Heat-Pacers first-round series begins Tuesday, all in the Orlando bubble. Miami finished only 3-5 in the eight-game regular season restart, including a split of two games with the Pacers. Derrick Jones Jr. left on a stretcher Friday with a "neck sprain."

4. INTER MIAMI: Team announces major signing as MLS resumption nears: Portland Timbers beat Orlando City 2-1 to win the MLS is Back tournament, now the league's regular season has resumed. Expansion team Inter Miami returns to play next Saturday, August 22, vs. Orlando in its temporary stadium in Fort Lauderdale -- its first-ever home game, although sans fans. Miami is 0-5 in its rookie year but just signed French international midfielder and former Juventus star Blaise Matuidi, 33, who helped France win the 2018 World Cup. Meantime speculation persists that David Beckham's Miami is hot after Barcelona striker Luis Suarez.

5. DOLPHINS: Club to honor Shula with jersey patch this season: Miami would be one game into its exhibition schedule had the whole preseason not been canceled. Now, with the September 13 season opener at New England less than a month away, Dolphins announced players would wear a 'Shula/347' jersey patch this season to honor the late Don Shula. This will be first time club has had a uniform patch to honor an individual.

6. PANTHERS: Cats get unlucky in NHL draft lottery: NHL Stanley Cup playoffs are underway, as Florida continues its search to replace general manager Dale Tallon, sacked after a play-in series fizzle vs. Islanders. (Might former Cat Scott Mellanby be a candidate?) Meantime Panthers got no luck in NHL draft lottery. Had a 12.5 percent shot at the overall No. 1 pick but will select 12th instead. Draft, delayed from June, is scheduled to be done virtually October 9–10.

7. SOCCER: UEFA Champions League semifinals are set: UEFA Champions League being held in Portugal is down to its semifinals. It'll be Paris-St. Germain vs. Leipzig on Tuesday, and Bayern Munich vs. Lyon -- which stunned Manchester City 3-1 on Saturday. Semifinal winners will meet for the European crown on August 23, with Bayern now a stout favorite.

8. HIGH SCHOOLS: FHSAA green lights fall sports: The FHSAA, governing body for Florida prep sports, voted 11-5 to allow fall sports including football to go on beginning later this month despite the pandemic hitting this state harder than most. To the five adults in that room, thank you for trying, at least.

9. UFC: Miocic pummels Cormier into retirement: Stipe Miocic beat Daniel Cormier in a unanimous decision in UFC 252 Saturday night in Vegas to cement his status as the sport's heavyweight G.O.A.T. The loss pushed Cormier to say he's retiring. Over/under on his coming out of retirement: Three months.

10. HORSE RACING: Delayed Kentucky Derby to allow some fans: The 146th Kentucky Derby, delayed by the coronavirus from early May until September 5, plans to allow some 23,000 spectators, or 14 percent of capacity. Meanwhile activists are calling for the race day to be cancelled and accuse police of cracking down on social-justice protests to put a happy face on Louisville as the race nears.

Missing the HB10 cut: R.I.P., Aubrey Hill. FIU''s wide receivers coach, 48, passed away on Sunday after a long battle with cancer ..... The Miami Hurricanes impressed in a football scrimmage Sunday night,with D'Eriq King throwing for four TDs. That was according to UM. Since no media were there to see it, did it really happen? ..... The Masters at Augusta, delayed by the pandemic this year from the spring to November 12-15, announced it would go on with no spectators allowed at the course ..... Along with some 70 players who have opted out of the coming season (including Dolphins Albert Wilson and Allen Hurns), at least seven NFL game officials have opted out, ESPN reported. Five are on-field officials and two are replay-booth guys ..... "TUA," a documentary on the Dolphins' rookie quarterback Tagovailoa (unless by some wild coincidence somebody else goes by Tua), premieres on Sunday, September 6 on Fox ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast will return August 24 with silver pod-iversary Episode 25 after a week off ..... Update: Countdown now 2,143 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup, always presuming the world still exists at that point.

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THE COTE ARCHIVES:

Marlins Hell Week Trilogy: Are Marlins To Blame For Own Outbreak? If So It Would Mirror America's Struggle / Marlins Outbreak Worsens, Sports Should Rethink Playing Again in 2020 / and Marlins Delaying Home Opener For COVID Outbreak a Scary Lesson For All Sports.

Other most recent columns: Marlins and Dolphins, In a Race For Relevance, Offer Hope At a Time We Need That / When Will Dolphins Unleash Tua? Exploring the Timetable as Rookies Report / Sports Resume, But Major Concerns Complicate Opening of Football Training Camps / He Made a Mistake, But Miami Knows Who Dwyane Wade Is And Knows It By Heart / Marlins Captain Miguel Rojas On Pandemic And Playoffs As Baseball Returns / Rest In Pieces, Redskins. Now Here Are Sports' Other Suspect Nicknames / 'Redskins Is Racist Nickname Based On a Lie. Time For It to Disappear / Money Or Health? NFL and Major College Football Face A Decision / Tough Times All Around, But Rise Of Miami Sports Offers Hope / The Face Of Miami Sports in 2020: Our Top 20 And Who's No.1 / Time to Abort Season Restarts and Call Off Sports For Rest Of 2020 / Uh-oh. Cam Newton means Belichick and Patriots Are Back / Saving the National Anthem From Sporting-Event Extinction / Baseball Joins In With Restart Plan. But Is Sports Walking Into a Giant Mess? / Noose Left For NASCAR's Bubba Wallace's Only Grows Resolve to End Racial Hatred / and Team That Signs Kaepernick Will Be Champions Of the Street

Special Don Shula tribute columns: Don Shula, 1930-2020, R.I.P. / and What Shula Meant to a Father & Son. They Boy Was Me

George Floyd-related columns: Sports' Gradual Return Offers America Relief We Desperately Need / It Took George Floyd To Finally Wake Up White America / Goodell's NFL Response to Floyd Killing Is Hypocrisy At Its Most Ironic / and George Floyd Is Why Kaepernick & Sports Must Continue Fight For Social Justice

Select earlier columns from 2020: Amid Pandemic And Protests, 'America's Pastime' Is Letting American Down / Return Of Sports Promises Historic TV Smorgasbord / Homestead Is Test Lab As NASCAR Gradually Welcomes Back Fans / R.I.P. Kurt Thomas, an American Gymnastics Pioneer  / MLB Players Demanding More Millions, Right Now, Is A Bad Look / Amid a Pandemic, An Outrage in Alamance County / Welcome to Sports Without Fans, the New Normal / As NBA, MLB Plot Return, We Miss Them -- Yet Sports Have Never Seemed More Trivial / Anticipation of Relevance, Excitement Is Tua's Gift to Miami / Hall of Famer Andre Dawson On Baseball and Owning a Funeral Home Amid COVID-19 / Dolphins Aim High, Win Big With Tua Tagovailoa Pick / Greg Cote's 2020 NFL Mock Draft / Coronavirus, Tua Make This Dolphins' Weirdest, Most Interesting Draft Ever / NFL Draft Will Offer Blunt Verdict on Canes' Talent / Ultimate All-Time South Florida Major Sports Trivia Challenge / Sports Should Stop Pretending It Will Resume Anytime Soon As Coronovirus Rages / How a Longtime Herald Sport Writer Came to Own a Top Contender in Florida Derby / Time for NBA, NHL to Shut it Down, End Seasons / Le Batard Show Deals with Coronavirus-Related Upheaval / Brady Leaving Patriots for Tampa. Will Belichick Be Proved Right In Letting Him Go? / Miami Sports Now Utterly Engulfed By Coronavirus Threat -- But Precaution Is Justified / Inter Miami Is Market's Sleeping Giant As Home Opener Nears / Jeter Arrives At Camp, Calls Marlins 'Layered With Talent' / Dwyane Wade, His Transgender Daughter And A Lesson In Love / Time For Anonymous Lone Voter Who Denied Jeter To Step Forward / Heat And Gloriously Impatient Riley Win In Trade For Iguodala / Return Of Ed Reed, Even If Mostly Symbolic, Leads Surge By Canes Football / Kobe's Death Sends Sports World Reeling, But Immortality Is His / Jimmy Johnson's Biggest Triumph? Knowing When To Quit -- And Why / Announcing Miami Dolphins' 2010-19 All-Decade Team / and two-part series on how Dolphins' Glory Day happened: How One Man Long Forgotten Changed Everything For the Miami Dolphins and How Shula Made Dolphins Perfect and Made Miami Matter, And the Coach Today at 90 

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Revisit this blog often because it updates regularly. The Associated Press Sports Editors writing awards ranked the blog's author a Top 10 national sports columnist in the major-outlet category. Greg is also a regular on the Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz on ESPN Radio. Finding Greg Cote: Twitter. Instagram. Facebook. Columns. Podcast. Podcast on Twitter. Podcast on Instagram. LeBatard Show. Book: Fins At 50. Songs: Letting Go (audio) and The Ballad Of 1440 (video).