HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (JANUARY 1-2): WHAT SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive Sunday-into-Monday feature -- back this week after Christmas Sunday off last week -- is part week-in-review, part look-ahead. Hot Button means what's on our minds, locally and nationally, from a Miami perspective, as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead. The latest HB10:

1. DOLPHINS: Fins suffer 5th straight loss; playoffs now on thin ice: Miami sunk to 8-8 with a fifth straight loss Sunday, 23-21 at New England, losing their grip and control over whether they make the playoffs. Miami now must win at home next Sunday over the Jets and have the Patriots lose at Buffalo. No word yet who'll be at QB for the Fins next week, with Tua (concussion) and Teddy Bridgewater (finger injury) both iffy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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ARCHIVES

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

Select other recent columns: Dare To Dream, Dolphins Fans. Why Miami Is a Legit Super Bowl Contender / Shula To Miami And 17-0 Should Not Have Happened. It Was Luck ... Or Fate / Kyrie Irving's Anti-Semitism Mess Bigger Than Him. It's Symptom Of What Ails America / Shootout Win In Chicago Shows Dolphins Are What They Haven't Been in Years: Exciting / Canes Are No-Shows in 45-3 Home Loss To FSU In Latest New Low For Cristobal / Has Dolphins' Trade For Chubb Sent Team's Super Bowl Shot 'To The Moon'? / Pawns Chasing Saudi Blood Money Come To Doral As LIV Golf Ends 1st Season / Epic New Low For Cristobal: 8 Turnovers in 45-21 Home Loss To Duke / Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat Disappoint In Season-Opening Home Loss / Csonka, ‘Heart’ Of Dolphins Glory Days, On Life Of Adventure — And Perfection / Canes Lose ACC Opener, Fall To 2-3 As Misery Continues For Mario Cristobal / Five Years In, Miami Marlins Rebuild Isn't Working. Here Is The Solution / Dolphins Fall In Cincy, But Tua Hospitalized Puts Result In Perspective / No. 1 Dolphins, Fans Bask in National Attention, Ditch 20 Years' Irrelevance / Gamble Of Inaction: 5 Answers Will Judge Heat's Quiet Offseason / What's Going On Here!? Dolphins Beat Rival Bills, Improve to 3-0 / Cristobal Honeymoon Ends With Thud As Canes Lose To Middle Tennessee / Zero To Perfect: How Glory Days Dolphins Put Miami on National Sports Map / Our 2022 NFL Team Ranking. Wait. Miami Dolphins Are WHERE!? / Why Hill & Waddle Are Dolphins' Best WR Duo Since Clayton/Duper / UM's Van Dyke Had Epic Year. Now His Encore Will Define Start Of Cristobal Era / Serena's Week At U.S. Open One For Ages As Tennis' Queen GOAT Defies Time / Tribute: Community Was One Place Dolphins Won Big -- Because of Jason Jenkins / Watson Punishment Will Go Way Beyond HIs Extended NFL Suspension / Butch Davis On Retiring, His 50-Year Career -- & Canes Twice Almost Bringing Him Back / Miami Raised Mario Cristobal. Payback? Come Home & Make Canes Football Matter Again / Ross NFL Cheating Scandal A New Low For Owner Who Embarrasses Dolphins / 11 NBA Titles Not Where Bill Russell's Legacy Starts. Tribute To An  Epic Life / Ranking South Florida's Top 20 Biggest Sports Stars (2022 Edition) / If Miami Marlins Trading For Juan Soto Sounds Laughable -- That's The Problem / Dolphins' Tua: The Disrespected Underdog QB About To Prove Everybody Wrong / How Matthew Tkachuk Brings Needed Swagger, Bravado To Panthers / How Messi-to-Miami Became the Biggest, Longest Tease In Sports / Cy Young Alert: Marlins' Ace-On-Fire Sandy Alcantara Does It Again / The End Isn't Here, But It's Coming. Miami Sports Has Had Nobody Like Heat's Pat Riley / Title IX Empowered Women. The Supreme Court Has Done The Opposite / Why'd World Cup pick Miami? Thank Dolphins Founder & Unlikely Soccer Visionary Joe Robbie / Whatever Happened To Don King? Famed Boxing Promoter Back At 90 For Last Bow in Miami / A Lesson In Sioux City: Sports And Real Life In Age Of Mass Shootings / ‘Centerpiece of futbol in world’: Dream is green-lit. Now can Inter Miami deliver? / Could Have Died. Nearly Lost a Leg. Tiger Playing Masters Means He's Already Won / Marlins Owner Sherman Said He'd Spend. Payroll Says It Hasn't Been Enough / Crushing End Short Of Final Four, But Miami Hurricanes' NCAA Run Was Exhilarating Milestone / Tyreek Hill Trade, Terron Armstead Signing A Win-Now Power Play By Dolphins / When Spoelstra Joined Heat's 'Inner Circle' And Became Riley's Next Coach / Why Brittney Griner Is Lost In Russia / Top 15 Figures (Non-Athletes) In Miami Sports History / Hall of Fame Keeps Saying No, But Zach Thomas Keeps Feeling Gratitude / McDaniel Overcame Much In Own Life, Now Must Overcome Dolphins' Turmoil And Win / An Inside Preview Of Le Batard Show's Upcoming Musical. Yes, Musical / Ross Should Be Done As Fins Owner if Flores Allegations Are True  / Dolphins Firing of Flores The Unjustified Travesty Of A Clown-Show Owner / Canes Land Grand Prize In Cristobal, So No Excuses Left. New Glory Days A Must / 50 Years At the Herald For Me -- And a Lifetime Of Gratitude / Dolphins Fans, Ex-Players Gather For Emotional Farewell to Don Shula, Father of the Glory Days / Fairy Tale With Wrong Ending: Remembering Jose Fernandez 5 Years Later / An Appreciation of Udonis Haslem As He Re-Ups For 19th Heat Season / College Football and FSU Lose a Treasure In Passing Of Bobby Bowden /  Biles' Withdrawal For Mental-Health Reasons Merits Empathy, Not Scorn / Where Dolphins Rank Among Teams With Longest Championship Droughts / Nassib Coming Out As Gay NFL Player A Milestone In Sports History / In History And In Hearts, Howard Schnellenberger Will Matter For All Time / Reality, Loss, Comeback: How Sports Has Been Guiding Light In America's Awful Past Year / Time-Travelling To 1960s And Childhood, When The Baseball Card Was King / Don Shula, 1930-2020, R.I.P. / What Shula Meant to a Father & Son. The Boy Was Me

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

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

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

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

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

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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ARCHIVES

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

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

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

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

1) It's MONDAY, OCTOBER 17. Join me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): NFL Week 6 picks, new Greg Cote Show podcast with Aaron Ekblad, 50 years later the Larry Csonka you never knew, NFL Week 5 results (Picks/Lobos/QB Rank), Mount Gregmore of columns.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our 44th episode of 2022 and 135th overall is out now! New episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify and wherever you pod. Find all 135 we've done so far HERE. In our newest episode: Chris reports live from Pittsburgh after gloing to Bucs-Steelers game; Greg and Yeti chew over the Dolphins-Vikings game, MLB playoffs; Jumpin’ Charlie the World’s Largest Puppy eats Greg’s eyeglasses, forcing Greg to record newest podcast wearing emergency backup glasses that may or may not make him look like Harry Caray. Also, Charlie is sent away to boot camp; An in an in-show meeting. (Are we too naughty?); Greg turns on The House Of Dragons; Are we about done with Kanye West?; Tom Brady has finally made something of himself, buys pickleball team; Yeti recalls the time his life was threatened on the job; Dad joke of the week; and (!) a brand new Mount Gregmore! Hit up GCS2244 for full story on latest ep, and watch our weekly YouTube preview. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, review, follow, subscribe and so forth. We simulcast on Sirius XM, too, Mondays from 5-6 p.m. ET. Now our podcast has a website and merch store! Check it out at TheGregCoteShow.com and visit store by clicking 'Shop'. New items including Greg's Lobos T-shirts and hats! Also check out our podcast's new YouTube channel.

Our NFL Week 6 picks: Onset of byes trims schedule from 16 games to 14 but it's still biggest week of season thus far with two co-Games of the Week in Bills-Chiefs and Cowboys-Eagles. Vikings-Dolphins should be a goodie, too. Visit NFL Week 6 Gems to find all of our latest picks for those three and all the rest Two more big upsets in the mix this week; will Fins be one? Got off to an unfortunate start Thursday night. We had Chicago winning at home over Washington in a pick-'em game, but Bears lost 12-7 -- failing to score on four tries inside the Commanders 5 in the final minute. That exemplifies our unlucky season so far. Sigh.

Column from Dolphins-Vikings game coming: Look for it online soon after game ends and in Monday print.

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

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

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

Csonka, ‘Heart’ Of Dolphins Glory Days, On Life Of Adventure — And Perfection

QB Calamity! 3rd-String Thompson Has Rough Baptism As Dolphins Fall At Jets

Canes Lose ACC Opener, Fall To 2-3 As Misery Continues For Mario Cristobal

Hilltop: The five columns before that: Five Years In, Miami Marlins Rebuild Isn't Working. Here Is The Solution / NFLPA Firing Doctor For Concussion Eval May Mean Fins, Tua Are Victims Here / Dolphins Fall In Cincy, But Tua Hospitalized Puts Result In Perspective / No. 1 Dolphins, Fans Bask in National Attention, Ditch 20 Years' Irrelevance / Gamble Of Inaction: 5 Answers Will Judge Heat's Quiet Offseason. Note: Mount Gregmore Of Columns includes opinion columns only. NFL picks, QB rankings and stories on latest podcast episode are among stuff not included.

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (OCTOBER 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. The latest HB10:

1. DOLPHINS: Miami falls to Vikings for 3rd straight loss. (Hurry back, Tua!): Fins are 3-3 with three straight losses after Sunday's 24-16 home L vs. Minnesota. Rookie Skylar Thompson eft game with thumb injury after three series. Teddy Bridgewater entered, three a for a bunch of yards but was ineffective. Oh my lord does this team miss Tua Tagovailoa, set to return next Sunday night vs. Steelers. [My column from game above.]

2. HURRICANES: Canes end 3-game slide with 20-14 win at Va-Tech: The reeling Canes flew to Blacksburg trying to save their season Saturday at Virginia Tech in an all but must-win ACC game. UM entered 2-3 after three straight losses and 0-1 in the conference but an 8-point favorite over the 2-4/1-2 Hokies -- and UM won 20-14. Hurricanes led 17-0 at half and held on. [My column on game above]

3. HEAT: It's Opening Week for Jimmy, Bam and company:  A 4-1 preseason fades to irrelevance now as Miami's 35th NBA regular season opens at home Wednesday night vs. Chicago, with a four-game homestand against East rivals beginning the 82-game stretch. Miami had a quiet offseason, doing little to augment the core of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry, with Tyler Herro and Caleb Martin rounding out the new starting five. Was standing pat smart or a risk? We start to find out. 

4. PANTHERS: Cats, Tkachuk off to fast start as NHL season opens: Florida opened its 29th NHL season with a 3-1 win at the Islanders, giving Paul Maurice a W in his first game as coach, with new star Matthew Tkachuk scoring on a late empty netter. Cats made it 2-0 at Buffalo Saturday with a 3-2 win, and another goal and assist from Tkachuk. Florida is at Boston Monday before returning to the Sunrise rink for their home opener on Wednesday vs. Philadelphia.

5. INTER MIAMI: Higuain seeks to extend career as Herons open playoffs in New York: Miami after a 14-6-14 MLS regular season opens the playoffs at defending league champion New York City Monday night at Citi Field. Retiring star Gonzalo Higuain sparked Miami's run to postseason with 14 goals in last 16 matches. NYC is a much different team than the one that won the title. Miami is in better form lately and has a big shot to win. Meanwhile Miami's Drake Callender is a finalist for MLS goalkeeper of the year and Higuain for comeback player.

6. MLB: Phils-Padres in NLCS; Astros await NYY-CLE winner: The week began with baseball's final eight teams split into two best-of-5 AL and NL Division Series. Now only five are still alive. Philadelphia and San Diego advanced to an unexpected NL Championship Series, eliminating the favored Braves and Dodgers. Houston swept Seattle to reach the ALCS and awaits the Yankees-Guardians winner. Yanks stayed alive with win Sunday. Deciding Game 5 is tonight in the Bronx.

7. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Vols deal Alabama first loss in huge week for sport: Eight Top 25 teams lost on Saturday, none bigger than No. 3 'Bama falling at No. 6 Tennessee, 52-49, in a battle of unbeatens. Vols had lost 15 in a row to Tide before this. Highest-ranked other teams to lose were No. 7 USC (to Utah), No. 8 Oklahoma State (to TCU) and No. 10 Penn State (to Michigan).

8. STATE COLLEGES (NON-UM): Gators, Seminoles suffer big home losses: LSU beat Florida in the Swamp, 45-45, and No. 4 Clemson edged FSU in Tally, 34-28. Gators and Noles both were 4-2 going in and poised to reenter polls with a win. In other state games (non-UM, FIU fell to 2-4, losing big to UTSA; FAU beat Rice; UCF crushed Temple and could be poll-bound at 5-1; and Tulane beat South Florida.

9. MARLINS: Cy to Sandy seems a lock, but manager hunt wide open: After the latest disappointing Fish season of 69-93, bright spot Sandy Alcantara remains a huge betting favorite to win the NL Cy Young Award. But odds on the next Marlins manager are tight. It's Joe Maddon at 4-1, Bruce Bochy 5-1, Miguel Cairo 6-1 and Joe Espada 7-1 heading the list. In other words, it's anybody's guess. Trust they'll pick someone experienced in working with really small payrolls?

10. NASCAR: Playoffs heading to Miami-Homestead Speedway: The seventh of 10 NASCAR playoff races was Sunday in Las Vegas, with Joey Logano winning and now atop the playoff standings. Circuit heads down to Miami-Homestead Speedway now for its eighth playoff race next Sunday.

Missing the HB10 cut: Co-Games of the Week in NFL as Bills beat Chiefs in reprise of last year's epic playoff game, and Eagles held off Cowboys stay unbeaten ..... LeBron James' son Bronny is one of five amateurs to be given Nike NIL deals. Bronny said thanks but couldn't be understood because of the silver spoon in his mouth ..... Yet another woman has socked Deshaun Watson with a lawsuit alleging massage room perversion ..... ESPN's Troy Aikman admitted he was "dumb" to say the NFL should "take the dresses off" and quit calling borderline roughing the passer penalties, a misogynistic aside straight outta 1958 ..... The PGA Tour is on the decline and LIV Golf is on the rise, said Phil Mickelson, the least impartial man on earth with the most vested interest possible and the biggest axe to grind ..... Can we all please take up a collection and pay Dan Snyder to disappear and never be heard from again? ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode out Monday at 7 a.m. ..... Update: Countdown now 1,337 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, OCTOBER 10. The North Carolina Tar Heels have a football player named Storm Duck. 2) Join me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Five years in Marlins rebuild is failing and here's the solution, NFL Week 4 result for Picks, Lobos and QB Rank, new Greg Cote Show podcast, Mount Gregmore of columns.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE! AARON EKBLAD, GREG DOESN'T KNOW MOVIES, LOBOS: HARD KNOCKS!: Our 43rd episode of 2022 and 134th overall is out now! New episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify and wherever you pod. Find all 134 we've done so far HERE. In our newest .episode: A fun edition of 'Greg Doesn't Know Movies, special guest Aaron Ekblad (left) of the Florida Panthers, and a new Greg's Lobos/Hard Knocks. Also, Cheating scandals in chess, billiard and fishing; Dolphins-Jets talk; Dad joke of the week and more. Hit up GCS2243 for full story on latest ep, and watch our weekly YouTube preview. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, review, follow, subscribe and so forth. We simulcast on Sirius XM, too, Mondays from 5-6 p.m. ET. And now our podcast has a website and merch store! Check it out at TheGregCoteShow.com and visit the store by clicking 'Shop'. New items including Greg's Lobos T-shirts and hats! Also check out our podcast's new YouTube channel.

Our NFL Week 5 picks: We're coming off our second straight double-digit wins week overall and a season best 9-6-1 mark against the spread. Visit NFL Week 5 Gems to find all of our latest picks for Dolphins-Jets, our Game of the Week Upset of the Week and all the rest. Got off an unlucky start in Thursday night's stinker. Denver led most of the game before falling in OT, 12-9. We had the Broncos winning and covering a 3 1/2-point line. Find that separate capsule at NFL Week 4 Thursday Gem. Oh well. Tally ho!

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

NEW! QB Calamity! 3rd-String Thompson Has Rough Baptism As Dolphins Fall At Jets NEW!

NEW! Canes Lose ACC Opener, Fall To 2-3 As Misery Continues For Mario Cristobal NEW!

Five Years In, Miami Marlins Rebuild Isn't Working. Here Is The Solution

NFLPA Firing Doctor For Concussion Eval May Mean Dolphins, Tua Are Victims Here

Dolphins Fall In Cincy, But Tua Hospitalized Puts Result In Perspective

Hilltop: The five columns before that: No. 1 Dolphins, Fans Bask in National Attention, Ditch 20 Years' Irrelevance / Gamble Of Inaction: 5 Answers Will Judge Heat's Quiet Offseason / What's Going On Here!? Dolphins Beat Rival Bills, Improved to 3-0 / Cristobal Honeymoon Ends With Thud As Canes Lose To Middle Tennessee / Everyone Loves Tua & Dolphins Now. But Can Bandwagon Survive Buffalo? Note: Mount Gregmore Of Columns includes opinion columns only. NFL picks, QB rankings and stories on latest podcast episode are among stuff not included.

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (OCTOBER 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. The latest HB10:

1. DOLPHINS: Oy! Tua out + Teddy hurt = 40-17 loss at Jets: Miami at 3-1 was a small road favorite at the rival Jets Sunday despite Tua Tagovailoa out concussed and backup QB Teddy Bridgewater starting. Then Teddy got hurt and left after one play. Then 3rd-string Skylar Thompson made his NFL debut. Then: A 40-17 Miami loss. Fins will try to shake off consecutive losses next Sunday vs. Vikings.

2. HURRICANES: Ouch. TVD shines but UM falls to UNC in ACC opener: The Canes had all the pressure on them Saturday at home in their ACC opener as small home favorites over 4-1 North Carolina -- after consecutive losses to Texas A&M and Middle Tennessee (!). They didn't handle it, falling 27-24 to North Carolina for a 3rd straight loss and 2-3 record as Mario Cristobal's woes continue. How does Tyler Van Dyke pass for a Canes-record 496 yards and you still lose!? Miami tries again next Saturday at Virginia Tech.

3. PANTHERS: It's Opening Week for new(ish)-look Cats: Florida wrapped up a 2-4 preseason last night and now it's Opening Week for the Panthers' 29th NHL regular season. Cats open at N.Y. Islanders and start with three on the road before their home debut October 19. A great season ended badly in the second playoff round last year, now it's a fresh start with new coach Paul Maurice and new star Matthew Tkachuk.

4. INTER MIAMI: Higuain retiring with bang, lifts Herons into playoffs!: Miami finished the MLS regular season at 14-6-14 after Sunday's 3-1 loss to Montreal snapped a four-game win streak during which retiring Gonzalo Higuain had scored six goals. Herons finished sixth in MLS East to earn a playoff spot but not a home match. Miami opens a week from today/next Monday at New York City FC. 

5. MLB: Playoffs! CLE, SEA, PHI, SD advance from wild-card: OK Aaron Judge got his AL-record 62nd homer, fell short of the Triple Crown and now forget that because -- postseason! Eight clubs (four AL, four NL) were in the best-of-3 wild-card round and Cleveland, Seattle and Philadelphia were first to advance with 2-0 sweeps. San Diego stayed alive in three games after winning at the Mets Sunday night. In Division Series starting Tuesday it'll be Yankees vs. Guardians and Astros vs. Mariners in the AL, and Braves vs. Phillies and Dodgers vs. Padres in the NL.

6. HEAT: Miami completes NBA preseason this week: Heat is 2-1 in exibitions with fake games left at home Monday and Wednesday vs. Houston and New Orleans. Erik Spoelstra has been all over the map with his lineups/rotations. Notable: Bam Adebayo flexing his offensive side, and at times on the floor with 6-11 Omer Yurtseven. Miami opens the regular season with a four-game homestand vs. the East starting October 19 vs. Chicago.

7. STATE COLLEGES (NON-UM): Gators win, but Seminoles, FIU both fall: Florida topped Missouri in the Swamp, 24-17, to go to 4-2 but Florida State also now is 4-2 after a 19-17 loss at No. 14- N.C. State. FIU is 2-3 after getting spanked by UConn. UCF won big on Wednesday, while South Florida lost a close one at No. 24-Cincinnati. FSU was off.

8. MARLINS: Lousy season ends; new manager, Sandy's trophy on deck: Miami finished 69-93 and fourth in the NL East, a two-game uptick over last season but out of the playoffs for the 27th time in 30 franchise years. Atop the to-do list: A managerial hunt is underway as Don Mattingly and the club agreed to part ways after seven seasons. And Sandy Alcantara is the NL Cy Young favorite, which would be a club first. Real priority should be the owner spending big in free agency for offense, but don't hold your breath.   

9. SOCCER: USWNT loss caps dispiriting week in women's soccer: USWNT fell 2-1 to England in a friendly at Wembley pitting the No. 1-ranked World Cup champion Americans and the No. 4-ranked Brits who just won the Women's Euros crown. U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski said he was proud of his players for "even being on the field" after just days after the release of a bombshell report detailing systemic abuse in women's soccer in the U.S. The independent investigation especially detailed abuse within the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and charged that the that the league and governing body U.S. Soccer failed to adequately protect players.

10. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: 'Dawgs leapfrog 'Bama for No. 1 in AP poll: No. 1 Alabama edged Texas A&M 24-20 Saturday while No. 2 Georgia more impressively thumped Auburn 42-10. Bulldogs moved to NO. 1 in new AP poll, with Ohio State second and 'Bama falling to third. Five more Top 25 teams lost, though the highest-ranked to lose were No. 11 Utah and No. 13 Kentucky.  

Missing the HB10 cut: Max Verstappen won Formula One season title at Japanese Grand Prix to clinch his second straight championship with four races left ..... Indonesian police are bringing criminal charges against three officers and three civilians for their roles in the deaths of 131 people at a soccer match when police fired tear gas inside a stadium, setting off pandemonium ..... Cheating scandal engulfs chess world! Hans Nieman, 19, is accused of skullduggery at U.S. Chess Championships in St. Louis in wake of his upset of world champion Magnus Carlson. Nieman is alleged to have received advice on moves from his coach via wireless vibrating anal beads. Hey, this is a blog! I couldn't say it if it weren't true! ..... NFLPA agreed to toughen concussion protocols in wake of situation with Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa. The NFL response: Changes are "likely" but no timeline has been set ..... Sixth of 10 NASCAR playoff races is Sunday in Charlotte. Homestead is up on October 23. Season champion will be crowd November 6 in Phoenix ..... Golden State Warriors are probing how video of Draymond Green punching Jordan Poole during practice was made public. Green apologized ..... Tom Brady's ugly divorce over his changing his mind and unretiring has gone all public as he and Giselle Bundchen have both lawyered up ..... No surprise, but Lionel Messi confirmed the upcoming 2022 World Cup would be his last ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode out Monday at 7 a.m. ..... Update: Countdown now 1,344 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, OCTOBER 3. Farewell September, month of my birth and football. Hello October! 2) Join me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hot Button Top 10, Canes fall to Middle Tennessee, Greg Cote Show podcast, Mount Gregmore of columns.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE OUT NOW. ZONK!: Our 42nd episode of 2022 and 133rd overall is out now! New episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify and wherever you pod. Find all 133 we've done so far HERE. In our newest episode: We are joined by Miami Dolphins legend Larry Csonka for an in-depth chat about the Perfect Season, his life after football and more. Also in the new ep: The Tua Tagovailoa concussion controversy, Hurricane Ian, Jumpin' Charlie surgery update, Barney the purple dinosaur, What constitutes a friend?, Pop 'n G, Dad joke of the week and more. Hit up GCS2242 for full story on latest ep, and watch our weekly YouTube preview. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, review, follow, subscribe and so forth. We simulcast on Sirius XM, too, Mondays from 5-6 p.m. ET. And now our podcast has a website and merch store! Check it out at TheGregCoteShow.com and visit the store by clicking 'Shop'. New items including Greg's Lobos T-shirts and hats! Also check out our podcast's new YouTube channel.

Our NFL Week 4 picks: We're coming off our best week of the early season -- including nailing four outright upset picks last week. We have three more big upsets this week. Visit NFL Week 4 Gems to find all of our latest picks for Chiefs-Bucs, Bills-Ravens, our Game of the Week, Upset of the Week and all the rest. Got off to a strong start Thursday night. Had Bengals winning and covering the 4-point line, 27-20, and Cincy won 27-15. Find that separate capsule at NFL Week 4 Thursday Gem.

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

NEW! NFLPA Firing Doctor For Concussion Eval May Mean Dolphins, Tua Are Victims Here NEW!

Dolphins Fall In Cincy, But Tua Hospitalized Puts Result In Perspective

No. 1 Dolphins, Fans Bask in National Attention, Ditch 20 Years' Irrelevance

Gamble Of Inaction: 5 Answers Will Judge Heat's Quiet Offseason

What's Going On Here!? Dolphins Beat Rival Bills, Improved to 3-0

Hilltop: The five columns before that: Cristobal Honeymoon Ends With Thud As Canes Lose To Middle Tennessee / Everyone Loves Tua & Dolphins Now. But Can Bandwagon Survive Buffalo? / Tua's Career-Redefining Six TDs Lead Dolphins' Miracle Comeback / Hurricanes Let Another Chance For a Big-Stage, Signature Win Slip Away / Texas A&M The Win Canes Need To Give Cristobal Era Liftoff, Make America Notice

Note: Mount Gregmore Of Columns includes opinion columns only. NFL picks, QB rankings and stories on latest podcast episode are among stuff not included.

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

1. DOLPHINS: Fins fall in Cincy, lose Tagovailoa to concussion amid controversy: Miami lost 27-15 in Cincinnati Thursday to fall to 3-1 but that was secondary to Tua Tagovailoa going out with a concussion -- sparkling a Twitterstorm of hindsight debate over whether he should have played after being examined for and cleared of a concussion the Sunday before. Lots of armchair experts questioning the independent neurologist and team doctors who actually examined Tua. But wait. That independent neurologist has now been fired by the NFLPA. The review of how Miami handled this on Sunday continues. Stay tuned. Fins play next Sunday at the Jets, all but certainly with backup Teddy Bridgewater.

2. HURRICANES: Idle Canes feeling pressure as they prep for ACC opener: UM at 2-2 is off this weekend as it prepares to host 4-1 North Carolina next Saturday in its ACC opener. UM is 2-2 after two straight L's including a shocking home loss to Middle Tennessee, a fast honeymoon-ender for new coach Mario Cristobal. QB Tyler Van Dyke was benched for Jake Garcia. Let's see who gets the call for a conference opener suddenly with must-win pressure.

3. INTER MIAMI: Hot Higuain, Herons solidify MLS playoff push: Miami is 13-6-13 with three straight wins after Friday's big 1-0 victory at Toronto on Gonzalo Higuain's team-leading 14th goal -- and 12th in the past 14 matches. Herons are now tied for sixth in the hunt for seven MLS East playoff spots. Two regular season matches are left, both at home: vs. Orlando on Wednesday and Montreal next Sunday.

4. STATE COLLEGES (NON-UM): Big win for FIU, FSU falls, Gators win: FIU ended a 20-game FBS losing streak Saturday with a 21-7 upset at New Mexico State while No. 23 Florida State fell at home to No. 22 Wake Forest, 31-21. Now-unranked Florida hosted and beat East Washington 52-17 Sunday in a game delayed by Hurricane Ian, and UCF hosts SMU in a game delayed to Wednesday. In other Saturday state-FBS results, FAU fell to North Texas and South Florida lost to East Carolina.

5. MLB: Mariners, Judge top big finish as postseason looms: The Seattle Mariners ending a 20-year drought to make the playoffs and Yankee Aaron Judge's pursuit of the Triple Crown highlight the last days of the MLB regular season. Judge hits his 61st home run to tie Roger Maris' AL mark. Ten of 12 postseason tickets are clinched, with San Diego and Philly all but clinched and for the final two spots and Milwaukee needing a miracle. Postseason begins with wild-card playoff games this coming Friday.

6. MARLINS: Alcantara shut down as Fish head to final three games: Still getting past the excitement and drama of Richard Bleier's record three balks in one at-bat, but time to move on. It's the end-game now for manager Don Mattingly, who'll part ways by mutual agreement after the season. Fish are 67-92 entering a final three-game homestand vs. Atlanta starting Monday to close season. Sandy Alcantara will not pitch again but remains the betting favorite for the NL Cy Young award despite Friday's loss dropping his record to 14-9.

7. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Georgia escapes, but 10 Top 25 teams fall: No. 1-ranked Georgia rallied to beat Missouri 26-22 and avoid what would have been a seismic upset. Ten Top 25 teams lost in Week 5 though none that changed the landscape of the College Football Playoff race. Highest-ranked teams to lose were No. 7-Kentucky and No. 10 N.C. State.

8. SOCCER: U.S. ends disappointing runup to World Cup: U.S. men's national team was held to a 0-0 draw by Saudi Arabia this week in its final tuneup for the 2022 World Cup that commences November 20 in Qatar. r injury. Team USA faces Saudi Arabia Tuesday in Spain in its final tuneup match. Team USA in its past seven prep matches against WC-bound teams has one win, three losses and three draws -- and was shut out six times. Coach Gregg Berhalter must submit his final 26-man World Cup roster on November 13.

9. HEAT: Miami tip offs preseason schedule this Tuesday: A five-day training camp in the Bahamas wrapped up Saturday, now the Heat is back to prepare for its first of five preseason games this Tuesday night at home vs Minnesota. Two starting spots alongside Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry could be fluid: Max Strus or Tyler Herro at shooting guard, and Caleb Martin or Duncan Robinson at power forward.

10. PANTHERS: Just the preseason, but Cats drop third straight: Florida is 1-3 in the preseason with three straight losses entering the final two exhibitions Thursday vs. Tampa Bay and Saturday at Tampa. NHL regular season -- dawn of a fresh start under new coach Paul Maurice and new star Matthew Tkachuck -- opens October 13 at the New York Islanders.

Missing the HB10 cut: The Pro Bowl is dead! Yay! The NFL finally killed off its lame all-star game, replacing it with a 'Pro Bowl Games" extravaganza featuring a flag-football game ..... A new-look ..... A new-look Team USA in women's basketball  won a fourth straight FIBA World Cup gold and 11th overall in Sydney, beating China ..... Lewis Hamilton violated a no-jewelry rule by wearing a nose stud in F1 qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix. No action was taken against Lewis Hamilton, but his Mercedes team was fined ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode out Monday at 7 a.m. ..... Update: Countdown now 1,351 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, SEPTEMBER 19. Be the change! Visit Change.org/MountGregmore and sign our petition to change the name of Mount Rushmore. 2) Join me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hot Button Top 10, NFL Week 1 picks, 2022 NFL Team Rankings, Why Hill/Waddle will be Fins' best WR duo since Clayton/Duper, Greg Cote Show podcast, The List (Heat-iest Heaters in the Hall), Mount Gregmore of columns.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our 40th episode of 2022 and 131st overall is out now! New episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify and wherever you pod. Find all 131 we've done so far HERE. In our newest episode: Greg and Chris discuss the Dolphins miracle comeback win fueled by Tua Tagovailoa's six TD passes. Plus a touch of Canes, and a new "Hard Knocks: Greg's Lobos" featuring the world premiere of the new Lobos anthem. Also in the new ep: Greg and Chris discuss the father-son dynamic of the show; Bizarre facts about the Wizard Of Oz; The strangest way to accidentally cut yourself; David Beckham and the Queen; Chris and Yeti play sound to make fun of the funny ways Greg jumps in and contributes on the Le Batard Show when he has nothing to say; a new Dad joke of the week and more. Hit up GCS2240 for full story on latest ep, and watch our weekly YouTube preview. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, review, follow, subscribe and so forth. We simulcast on Sirius XM, too, Mondays from 5-6 p.m. ET. And now our podcast has a website and merch store! Check it out at TheGregCoteShow.com and visit the store by clicking 'Shop'. New items including Lobos T-shirts and hats! Also check out our podcast's new YouTube channel.

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

NEW! Tua's Career-Redefining Six TDs Lead Dolphins' Miracle Comeback NEW!

NEW! Hurricanes Let Another Chance For a Big-Stage, Signature Win Slip Away NEW! 

Texas A&M The Win Canes Need To Give Cristobal Era Liftoff, Make America Notice

Zero To Perfect: How Glory Days Dolphins Put Miami on National Sports Map

Fins' McDaniel, UM's Cristobal On Honeymoons, But Those Don't Last

Hilltop: The five columns before that: Dolphins Handle Rival Patriots 20-17 In Impressive Season Opener / Our 2022 NFL Team Ranking. Wait. Miami Dolphins Are WHERE!? / Why Hill & Waddle Are Dolphins' Best WR Duo Since Clayton/Dupe / Canes Rout Bethune 70-13 In Opener, But We Don't Know Real UM Yet / UM's Van Dyke Had Epic Year. Now His Encore Will Define Start Of Cristobal Era

Note: Mount Gregmore Of Columns includes opinion columns only. NFL picks, QB rankings and stories on latest podcast episode are among stuff not included.

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (SEPTEMBER 18-19): WHAT SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive Sunday-into-Monday feature is part week-in-review, part look-ahead. Hot Button means what's on our minds, locally and nationally, from a Miami perspective, as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead. The latest HB10:

1. DOLPHINS: Tua's six TDs (!) power miracle Fins comeback!: How ya like Tua now huh!? Think he might have a future as Miami's QB? Tagovailoa threw six scoring passes Sunday -- four to Tyreek Hill and jaylen waddle -- to power Miami's 42-28 rally-win at Baltimore for a 2-0 start to the Mike McDaniel era. Dolphins had lost four straight trips to BAL, the last two by a combined 78-6.

2. HURRICANES: UM lets chance for another big-stage, signature win slip away: The two wins over smaller opponents told us nothing. This did: Saturday night's 17-9 loss by the No. 13 Canes at No. 24 Texas A&M. Miami is now 5-9 in its past 14 games against  against ranked opponents. 

3. SOCCER: Messi in Miami for friendly this week. (Can we kidnap him?): Lionel Messi is part of the Argentina travel squad for a friendly World Cup tuneup match vs. Honduras this Friday night at Hard Rock Stadium. A sellout is expected. Speculation that Messi could end his career playing for Inter Miami in MLS have percolated for a good while.

4. INTER MIAMI: Herons' huge win marred by racist incident: Inter Miami bossman David Beckham reportedly waited in line 13 hours to pass by the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II and pay respects. On the pitch, his team is 12-6-13 and now tied for the seventh and last MLS East playoff spot with three regular-season matches after Sunday's 3-2 home win over D.C. United. The m atch was marred by a racist term said to a Miami player, MLS is investigating. Herons are off until October 5.

5. TENNIS: Roger Federer announces retirement: Roger Federer will retire from pro tennis at age 41 after an epic career in which he won 20 Grand Slam titles (third all-time) and ended five seasons ranked No. 1 in the world. A series of knee operations have beset his late career. Federer's 20 major titles are third only longtime rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Rafa's final event will be as part of ream Europe in Laver Cup September 23-25 in London.

6. STATE COLLEGES (NON-UM): No. 18 Florida, FSU both win: No. 18 Gators protected their poll standing but not impressively, edging South Florida, 31-28, while Florida State is now 3-0 and thinking polls after a 35-31 win over Louisville. Elsewhere in non-UM land, UCF whomped FAU, 40-14. FIU was off.

7. NBA: Suns owner, fined, suspended. But is it enough?: NBA fined Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver the maximum $10 million and suspended him for one year after a league investigation found he used the N-word amid instances of inappropriate and sexual comments toward employees. Many including Le Bron James are calling for harsher punishment including his selling the team.

8. HEAT: Miami sets preseason training camp in Bahamas: The Heat will hold their five-day 2022 preseason training camp at Baha Mar in the Bahamas from Tuesday through Saturday September 27-October 1. The team will depart following Media Day on Monday, September 26 at the arena. Preseason games commence October 4.

9. MARLINS: Sandy's gem-win  bolsters Cy chances as sad Fish play out string: Miami is 60-87 after Sunday's complete-game gem by Sandy Alcantara avoided a sweep at Washington. Fish open a homestand Monday vs. the Cubs. Alcantara bolstered his already strong chance to win NL Cy Young award. Before Sunday he'd lost twice since last winning August 27.

10. PANTHERS: Cats announce training camp details: After participating in the four day Prospects Showcase hosted by Carolina, Florida will open preseason training camp this Thursday leading into the first exhibition game on September 26. Cats enjoyed their best regular season last year but it ended in great disappointment with a second round playoff sweep vs. Tampa Bay.

Missing the HB10 cut: : Las Vegas Aces won WNBA Finals Sunday, a franchise first, by winning a Game 4 at Connecticut ..... No bloodbath in national college football this week, although the teams ranked 11-12-13 (Michigan State, BYU and Miami) all lost ..... With five of six division races runaways, MLB late-season drama focuses on two home run chases: Will Aaron Judge reach 60 homers for season (he has 59) and will Albert Pujols reach 700 for his career (he has 698)? ..... As golf's Presidents Cup starts Monday, Phil Mickelson said LIV Golf is "here to stay" and called upon the PGA Tour to work with the Saudi-backed series for good of the sport ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode out Monday at 7 a.m. ..... Update: Countdown now 1,365 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 SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11. This is the 21st anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. that killed almost 3,000. Never forget. 2) Be the change! Visit Change.org/MountGregmore and sign our petition to change the name of Mount Rushmore. 3) Join me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): NFL Week 1 picks, 2022 NFL Team Rankings, Why Hill/Waddle will be Fins' best WR duo since Clayton/Duper, new Greg Cote Show podcast, Mount Gregmore of columns.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE DROPS MONDAY!: Our 39th episode of 2022 and 130th overall is out Monday! New episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify and wherever you pod. Find all 129 we've done so far HERE. In our most recent episode: Anthony (10-Day Tony) from the Le Batard Show joins us for a fun chew on fantasy football, and Greg reveals an invention for a whole different kind of fantasy league. Also in the new ep: Season 2 premiere of HARD KNOCKS: GREG'S LOBOS, Farewell to Serena Williams, Are the Fins for real? and more. Hit up GCS2238 for full story on latest ep, and watch our weekly YouTube preview. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, review, follow, subscribe and so forth. We simulcast on Sirius XM, too, Mondays from 5-6 p.m. ET. And now our podcast has a website and merch store! Check it out at TheGregCoteShow.com and visit the store by clicking 'Shop'. New items! Also check out our podcast's new YouTube channel.

Our NFL Week 1 picks!: The Upset Bird and I are back for (hard to believe) our 32nd season of NFL picks in the Miami Herald -- and it's debut week! Visit NFL Week 1 Gems for our picks for Dolphins-Patriots, our Game of the Week, Upset of the Week and all the rest. We pick three big upsets out the gate. Got off to a bad start Thursday night and I mean baaad. Liked champion Rams as a home dog and sort of dismissed all the hype around the Bills. Well I (and the Rams) got schooled, 31-10. Ouch. But have the whole week left. Let's go!.

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

NEW! Our 2022 NFL Team Ranking. Wait. Miami Dolphins Are WHERE!? NEW!

NEW! Why Hill & Waddle Are Dolphins' Best WR Duo Since Clayton/Duper NEW!

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

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

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

Hilltop: The five columns before that: As Optimism In Dolphins & Canes Spikes, Miami Flexes As A Football Town / Tribute: Community Was One Place Dolphins Won Big -- Because of Jason Jenkins / Tua's Preseason Debut Was Most Impressive 4 1/2 Hours Before It Began / Watson Punishment Will Go Way Beyond HIs Extended NFL Suspension / No Doubt Now: Deshaun Watson Knows He'll Be Pariah In Stadiums Across NFL

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (SEPTEMBER 11-12): WHAT SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive Sunday-into-Monday feature is part week-in-review, part look-ahead. Hot Button means what's on our minds, locally and nationally, from a Miami perspective, as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead. The latest HB10:

1. DOLPHINS: New-era, high-hope Fins open season  today vs. rival Pats: Miami opens its 57th season at home Sunday vs. AFC East rival New England, ushering in a new-look team led by new coach Mike McDaniel and new star recievr Tyreek Hill. Not new but improved (?): Third-year QB Tua Tagovailoa, expcted to reach a new level thanks to Hill, a revamped running game and a (theorteically) improved offensive line. Hope are high. Time for the Fins to justify them. 

2. HURRICANES: UM wins big again. Now the real season starts: UM's perfunctory 30-7 home rout of Southern Miss (with RB Frank Gore Jr.) on Saturday followed the 70-13 season-opening home rout of Bethune-Cookman to put the No. 15-ranked Hurricanes at 2-0 with expected big wins over smaller opponents. Now? Now the real season starts with this coming week's game at No. 6-but-not-for-long Texas A&M, which was stunned Saturday at home by Appalachian State. That will make A&M an even tougher first test for the Canes in six days in College Station.

3. TENNIS: Swiatek reigns, U.S. Open men's final today: No. 3-ranked Carlos Alcaraz faces No. 5 Casper Ruud on Sunday -- both after their first Grand Slam title -- in an unexpected men's final of a U.S. Open whose emotional centerpiece was the likely final singles appearance of retiring G.O.A.T. Serena Williams. Alacaraz won his semifinal over No. 22 Frances Tiafoe, who was trying to become the first event's first American man to win in almost 20 years. On Saturday, No. 1 seeded Iga Swiatek handled No. 5 Ons Jabeur of Tunisia in straight sets for her third Grand Slam title and first U.S. Open crown.

4. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Alabama escapes, but upsets litter the Top 25: No. 1 Alabama escaped 20-18 at unranked Texas but seven upsets in the Top 25 sent the early season upside. The unexpected losers: No. 6 Texas A&M, UM's next opponent, to Appalachian State; No. 8 Notre Dame, 9-Baylor, 12-Florida 17-Pitt, 19-Wisconsin and 25-Houston.

5. SOCCER: Messi coming to Miami! (Well, for a friendly, at least): Argentina's national team -- with Lionel Messi in the traveling party -- will play a World Cup tuneup vs. Honduras in a friendly at Hard Rock Stadium on September 23, with tickets selling fast. Speculation of Messi eventually signing with Inter Miami have floated for a good while. Meantime, at least we get him for a night.

6. STATE COLLEGES (NON-UM): No. 12 Florida beaten in Swamp; FIU falls: No. 20-Kentucky was an upset winner at overranked No. 12 Florida, 26-16, putting the Gators at 1-1. Elsewhere, FIU is 1-1 after being clobbered 41-12 at Texas State; 2-1 FAU pounded Southeast Louisiana 42-9; favored UCF lost at home to Louisville 20-14; and South Florida handled Howard 42-20. Florida State (2-0) was off this week.

7. HEAT: Hardaway becomes 6th to wear Miami uniform in Hall of Fame: Miami is nearing the opening of its training camp ahead of the start of the NBA preseason on October 4. But first, Heat welcomed former guard Tim Hardaway into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Saturday. He joins Ray Allen, Chris Bosh, Alonzo Mourning, Shaquille O'Neal and Gary Payton as former players enshrined. Also in: Current president Pat Riley, former executive Billy Cunningham and ex-assistant coach Bb McAdoo.

8. INTER MIAMI: Third-straight loss leaves Herons in scramble for playoffs: Inter Miami is 10-6-13 with three straight losses after Saturday's 3-1 loss at Chicago Fire left the Herons five points from the seventh and last MLS East playoff spot with five regular season matches left. The now-desperate Herons host Columbus Crew on Tuesday.

9. MARLINS: Only drama left in sad season: Can Sandy nail down the Cy Young?: Marlins are 57-81, winning two of three after a nine-game losing skid, entering Sunday's game vs. Mets as an eight-game homestand continues. Ace Sandy Alcantara is next on the mound Tuesday vs. Philly, still the NL Cy Young betting favorite despite his surrounding team and looking to nail down what would be a franchise-first Cy for the Fish.

10. MLB: Baseball passes major rules changes for '23: MLB, doing something right, voted to implement a pitch clock and ban defensive shifts to quicken pace of play and encourage action. The competition committee, consisting of six ownership-level reps, four players and one umpire, approved a pitch clock of 15 seconds with empty bases and 20 seconds with runners on, and a defensive alignment that must include two fielders on each side of second-base bag with both feet on the dirt. New rules also will limit pickoff moves and expand the size of bases.

Missing the HB10 cut: : The death of Queen Elizabeth II at age 96 led ghe English Premier League to suspend this weekend's soccer matches as a mark of respect, with several other sporting events across the U.K. also postponed. Tributes across the sports world have poured in for Britain's longest-serving monarch, who reigned 70 years ..... No suprise: Scottie Scheffler was an overwhelming winner of PGA Tour Player of the Year honors ..... Connecticut Sun are at Las Vegas Aces today/Sunday in Game 1 of the best-of-5 WNBA Finals. Either would be a first-time champion. Vegas, led by league MVP A'ja Wilson, is the betting favorite ..... NASCAR star Kyle Busch reportedly is leaving Joe Gibbs Racing after 15 years to join join Richard Childress Racing starting in 2023 ..... Florida Panthers, ahead of training camp and September 26 start of preseason games, is sending 26 young players to the Carolina Hurricanes-hosted Prospect Showcase from September 16-19. The young Cats (Kittens?) will play three agmes against Carolina, Tampa Bay ad Nashville ..... The U.S. team is favored over the International team in golf's Presidents Cup starting September 19 at Quail Hollow in Charlotte ..... Canada defeated Team USA 2-1 in the IIHF women's ice hockey world championship final in Denmark ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode out Monday at 7 a.m. ..... Update: Countdown now 1,372 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup.

IT'S UPSET BIRD WEEK AND GREG'S LOBOS WEEK IN AMERICA!: Week 1 of NFL season means only one thing. Well, OK it means a lot of things, but two of them are the Upset Bird launching his 32nd (!) season of NFL predictions in the Miami Herald, and Greg's Lobos beginning defense of their league championship in PFPI Fantasy:

NFL picks -- A Herald tradition since 1991, our predictions appear online Thursday afternoons and in print Fridays every week starting this week. (Our pick for Thursday night games appear separately online Wednesday and in print Thursday). Each week we offer our Game of the Week, Upset of the Week (courtesy the Upset Bird: "Aawwk!"), a longer, more detailed predix capsule on the Dolphins game, as well as picks for all the other games. We also update you every week, and here in the blog each Tuesday, on how we're doing with our won-lost records both overall and against the point spread. We have fun but take our picks seriously. Longtime Upset Bird fans, welcome back! Newbies, glad to have you!

Greg's Lobos -- America's Most Famous and Popular Fantasy Football Team (AMFAPFFT) begins defense of its PFPI Fantasy crown this week in our 10-team friends' n' family PPR super-flex league. Had our draft the other day and our Big 5 to start the season are QB Lamar Jackson, RBs Dalvin Cook and Nick Chubb, and WRs CeeDee Lamb and Tee Higgins. You like? We'll update you in this blog every Tuesday morning on how we did that week and how we're doing in the league. You ready to howl, Lobos Nation? You ready to get in the Loboat and row? Join us for the ride!

THE LIST: HEAT-IEST HEATERS IN HALL: Nine men with an affiliation to the Miami Heat are now in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, including the latest, Tim Hardaway, inducted Saturday. Pat Riley (of course) is and Billy Cunningham was an executive and Bob McAdoo was an assistant coach. Of the six men who played for the Heat, who was the Heat-iest? We rank them based on percentage of career games played in a Miami uniform:

Player                        Pct.      Heat games/Total

Alonzo Mourning         70.77    593 of 838

Chris Bosh                  43.00    384 of 893

Tim Hardaway            42.33    367 of 867

Shaquille ONeal          16.98    205 of 1,207

Ray Allen                    11.69    152 of 1,300

Gary Payton                11.16    149 of 1,335

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ARCHIVES

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

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

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

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

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our 38th episode of 2022 and 129th overall is out now! New episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify and wherever you pod. Find all 129 we've done so far HERE. In our latest episode: Anthony (10-Day Tony) from the Le Batard Show joins us for a fun chew on fantay football, and Greg reveals an invention for a whole different kind of fantasy league. Also in the new ep: Season 2 premiere of HARD KNOCKS: GREG'S LOBOS, Farewell to Serena Williams, Are the Fins for real? and more. Hit up GCS2238 for full story on latest ep, and watch our weekly YouTube preview. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, review, follow, subscribe and so forth. We simulcast on Sirius XM, too, Mondays from 5-6 p.m. ET. And now our podcast has a website and merch store! Check it out at TheGregCoteShow.com and visit the store by clicking 'Shop'. New items! Also check out our podcast's new YouTube channel.

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

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

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

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

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

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

Hilltop: The five columns before that: Tua's Preseason Debut Was Most Impressive 4 1/2 Hours Before It Began / Watson Punishment Will Go Way Beyond HIs Extended NFL Suspension / No Doubt Now: Deshaun Watson Knows He'll Be Pariah In Stadiums Across NFL / Who Dolphins Are Was Hidden In Opening Win. 5 Questions That Still Need Answers / Butch Davis On Retiring, His 50-Year Career -- & Canes Twice Almost Bringing Him Back

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (SEPTEMBER 4-5): WHAT SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive Sunday-into-Monday feature --back after a one-week holiday -- is part week-in-review, part look-ahead. Hot Button means what's on our minds, locally and nationally, from a Miami perspective, as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead. The latest HB10:

1. HURRICANES: UM routs Bethune 70-13 in opener, but first test looming: The No. 16-ranked Miami Hurricanes and the Mario Cristobal era launched with a soft opening at home Saturday -- a 70-13 waltz-win  victory over FCS-level Bethune-Cookman at Hard Rock. A run-strong emphasis on balanced offense and some sloppiness on defense were the takeaways. Canes feast on another home softie next week vs. Southern Miss before season starts for real on September 17 at No. 6 Texas A&M.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Missing the HB10 cut: In the WNBA playoff semifinals today it's Las Vegas at Seattle and Chicago at Connecticut in Game 3s of 1-1 best-of-5s. Chicago is reigning champion while Seattle is a four-time winner. Vegas and Connecticut seek their first crowns ..... QB Russell Wilson agreed on a five-year, $245 million deal with the Denver Broncos. (Dear Baltimore: What are you waiting for with Lamar Jackson?) ..... Argentina suspended soccer matches on Friday after an assassination attempt on the country's vice president ..... Florida Panthers will open preseason September 26 in Nashville to launch the era of new coach Paul Mauirce and new star Matthew Tkachuk ..... Angels star Shoehei Ohtani became first player ever with 30 home runs and 10 pitching wins in same season ..... U.S. women's hockey kept alive its streak of reaching the final at every ice hockey world championship after beating the Czech Republic in the semifinals Saturday ..... Hawaii's Little League World Series championshp over Curacao will be celebrated Thursday with a parde in Honolulu ..... Vanessa Bryant and second plaintiff were awarded $15 million each in a verdict against L.A. County over improper distribution of gruesome photos of the January 2020 helicopter crash that took the lives of Kobe Bryant and eight others ..... Last month's Women’s Euro '22 soccer tournament in England set records for interest. Event had a global cumulative live viewership of 365 million — more than double the 2017 total of 178 million. And the aggregate attendance of 574,875 fans more than doubled the record of 240,055 set in '17 ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode out Monday at 7 a.m. ..... Update: Countdown now 1,379 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup.

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

ARCHIVES

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

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

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

1) It's MONDAY, AUGUST 22. Happy birthday shoutout to the greatest person I know ... my wife! 2) Join me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Greg Cote Show podcast, Why Watson punishment will go well beyond his extended NFL suspension, updated Mount Gregmore of columns.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE WITH JESSICA SMETANA OUT NOW!: Our 36th episode of 2022 and 127th overall is out now! New episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify -- wherever you pod and of course at MiamiHerald.com. Find all 127 we've done so far HERE. In our newest ep: Jessica Smetana from the Le Batard Show joins us to sing and dance (OK, no dancing) and provide us her all-time top five musicals -- which takes a shockingly unexpected dark turn. Also in the new ep: Greg pulls off surprise birthday party for his wife; Greg revisits the recent Charles Bricker stunt on the Le Batard Show, when Greg was duped into thinking he was speaking with an old journalism rival from the early ‘90s; the guys discuss Deshaun Watson’s increased NFL suspension; Dippity-Do talk; the USA Mullet Championships and much more. Hit up GCS2236 for full story on latest ep, and watch our weekly YouTube preview. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, review, follow, subscribe and so forth. We simulcast on Sirius XM, too, Mondays from 5-6 p.m. ET. And now our podcast has a website and merch store! Check it out at TheGregCoteShow.com and visit the store by clicking 'Shop'. New items! Also check out our podcast's new YouTube channel.

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

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

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

Watson Punishment Will Go Way Beyond HIs Extended NFL Suspension

No Doubt Now: Deshaun Watson Knows He'll Be Pariah In Stadiums Across NFL

Who Dolphins Are Was Hidden In Opening Win. 5 Questions That Still Need Answers

Butch Davis On Retiring, His 50-Year Career -- & Canes Twice Almost Bringing Him Back

Hilltop: The five columns before that: Why Has Brady Skated On Tampering Role & Does He Still Have Future In Miami? / Miami Raised Mario Cristobal. Payback? Come Home & Make Canes Football Matter Again / Goodell Kept The Power, After All. It's Why Watson Still Faces Much Harsher Ban / Ross NFL Cheating Scandal A New Low For Owner Who Embarrasses Dolphins / 11 NBA Titles Not Where Bill Russell's Legacy Starts. Tribute To An  Epic Life

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (AUGUST 21-22): WHAT SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive Sunday-into-Monday feature is part week-in-review, part look-ahead. Hot Button means what's on our minds, locally and nationally, from a Miami perspective, as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead. The latest HB10:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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ARCHIVES

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

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