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

It's MONDAY, JUNE 20. Hope y'all had a lovely Father's Day and Juneteenth! 2) Happy 80th birthday today to Beach Boys founding member, creative force and enigmatic genius, the great Brian Wilson (pictured). 3) Join me on Twitter, INstgram, Facebook and Tik-Tok. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Steph Curry grows his legacy, Miami named '26 World Cup host city, new Greg Cote Show podcast, updated Mount Gregmore of columns.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: FATHER'S DAY STORIES AND GREG'S A NEW DAD! NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our 27th episode of 2022 and 118th overall is out now! A new episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify -- wherever else you pod and of course at MiamiHerald.com. Find all 118 we've done so far HERE, free. In the new episode: A Father's Day special! Listeners stop by with their Dad stories, Greg talks about his own father and Yeti shares his last phone message from his Dad. Also on the menu: Whatever happened to the Father-Son Cote Olympics?, A new Yeti song to the tune of “Dancing In The Moonlight,” about catching your parents making love, Reflections on Paul McCartney’s 80th birthday including Greg’s favorite post-Beatles Macca song, A dive into the viral video of beloved Tom Hanks going ballistic, and Greg shares a sad sight from his recent holiday in St. Augustine. Hit up GCS2227 for full story on the latest ep, and watch our weekly YouTube preview. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, review, follow, subscribe et cetera and so forth. We simulcast on Sirius XM, too, Mondays from 5-6 p.m. ET. And now, brand new: Our podcast has a website and merch store: Check it out at TheGregCoteShow.com and visit the merch store by clicking 'Shop'. New items! 

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

NEW! 'Black Cloud' Over U.S. Open Amid Golf Civil War In Time Of Revolution In Sports NEW!

Curry's th NBA Title, 1st Finals MVP Opens Path To Get To Michael/LeBron Best-Ever Talk

Why'd World Cup pick Miami? Thank Dolphins Founder & Unlikely Soccer Visionary Joe Robbie

Serena Playing Wimbledon Still Matters, Maybe More Than Ever. Becuase It Feels Like Goodbye

'Free' speech? Ignorance Cost Del Rio $100,000. But He's Lucky To Still Have A Job

The Hilltop: The five columns before that: Why Browns' Watson Faces, Deserves Lengthy Suspension From NFL / 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

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (JUNE 19-20): 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. SOCCER: Miami among host cities named for 2026 World Cup: The announcement was no surprise and the reward is four years away -- but it still was big news as FIFA announced Miami among host cities for the men's 2026 World Cup to be played across North America. Matches will be played in 11 U.S. cities, three in Mexico and two in Canada. Miami was not a host for the 199 U.S. World Cup, so this will be a first for South Florida.

2. GOLF: Fitzpatrick wins U.S. Open amid sport's civil war: Little known Matt Fitzpatrick of England won the U.S. Open on Sunday in Massachusetts. The event was the first battlefield in golf's new civil war. Phil Mickelson, who missed the cut, is among 17 players who have been indefinitely suspended by PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan for playing in the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational Series rival event in London last week. The Open, indepedent of the Tour, did not ban those players.

3. NBA: Curry carries Warriors past Boston for title: Golden State won three straight games including Thursday's clinching Game 6, 103-90, to best Boston in the NBA Finals. Steph Curry scored 34 in the clincher and unanimously won Finals MVP for the first time to lead the Warriors' fourth championship in eight seasons.

4. NHL PLAYOFFS: Colorado blasts Tamoa Bay. up 2-0 in Final: Colorado is up 2-0 after a 4-3 OT win and then Saturday night's 7-0 blowout back in Denver. Games 3 and 4 of Stanley Cup finals are Monday/tonight and Wednesday in Tampa Bay. The now desperate Lightning are after a third straight NHL championship while Avalanche seek their first since 2001.

5. HEAT: MIami preps for NBA Draft, free agency: Fresh off a successful season that ended in the Eastern finals, the Heat dives into the offseason with the NBA Draft this Thursday and free agency estimated to start June 30. Miami holds a late first round pick (27th overall) and ESPN's mock guess for the Heat is Arizona guard Dalen Terry. Team forfeited its second round pick when when the NBA ruled Miami began its pursuit of Kyle Lowry ahead of the allowed date.

6. MARLINS: Slump-buster Alcantara does it again!: The Marlins were 28-35 off three straight losses -- and 16-27 since a 12-8 start -- before Saturday's 6-2 win at the Mets led by ace Sandy Alcantara, who improved to 7-2 with a 1.72 ERA. Fish are at NYM again today to conclude a 10-game road trip. Miami is back Tuesday to open a six-game homestand vs. the Rockies and Mets.

7. PANTHERS: Cats reportedly after Brunette's replacement as free agency looms: Why hasn't Florida lifted the "interim" tag off coach Andrew Brunette afgter its deepest postseason run since 1996? Becuse it's searching for his replacemment, apparently. Hockey insider Frank Seravalli of @DailyFaceoff reports the Panthers are interviewing a number of possible hires, notably including two-time coch of the year Barry Trotz, Rick Tocchet and ex-Cats coach (2008-11) Pete DeBoer. Meanwhile the NHL has not yet decided whether to reinstate Joel Quenneville, whom Brunette replaced. Florida will want it coach flux settled before free agency starts July13. 

8. INTER MIAMI: Herons' hot(ish) runs ends in shutout loss: In its first MLS match since May 28, Inter Miami risked a four-game unbeaten streak (two wins, two draws) on Sunday at Atanta United but came away with a 2-nil loss. The Herons are now 5-3-7 overall and two points off playoff pace in the Eastern Conference as the regular season nears its midpoint.

9. TENNIS: Wimbledon on deck with Serena a wild-card entrant: Wimbledon starts a week from Monday June 27 in London with Serena Williams a surprise entrant on a wild-card invitation. It's a comeback as Serena, 40, has not played sinve leaving last year's Wimbledon injured. The All England Club is banning players from Russia and Belarus over the Ukraine invasion, meaning world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev will not compete.'

10. HURRICANES: NCAA at UM to interview Ruiz over NIL's: The NCAA visited the Miami campus for information on the Canes' use of the new Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) that allows athletes to be compensated. Miami attorney and mega-UM booster John Ruiz was interviewed for more than an hour but was cordial, not accusatory. No investigation of UM or accusation of wrongdoing has been announced.

Missing the HB10 cut: Oklahoma is first team to advance to final four in the College World Series ..... Oklahoma women won their College World Series. Or did that go without saying? ..... Russia extended the hostage-holding of WNBA star Brittney Griner masquerading as a legal detention as negotiations for her release continue ..... Five ex-Canes made the 2023 College Footbal Hall of Fame ballot -- strong candidates all. Ray Lewis should be an automatic. Others are Ken Dorsey, Bryant McKinnie and coaches Larry Coker and Mark Rcht ..... WWE wrestling CEO Vince McMahon stepped aside amid allegations he gareed to pay hush money to a former employee over an affair ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode out Monday at 7 a.m. ..... Update: Countdown now 1,471 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

Heat/Panthers playoff run columns: Heat Season Ends One Win (One Shot?) Short Of NBA Finals In Game 7 Loss / Legacy Building: Butler Rising Fast Among Heat All-Time Greats / Jimmy Butler Just Saved Heat Season, Gave Us Greatest Gift In Sports: A Game 7 / No Consolation, No Excuse: Panthers Swept From Playoffs In 2-0 Loss A Brutal End / Panthers' Magical Season Looking Out of Answers, Almost Out Of Time / Bam! Heat Take Back Control OF Series. Can Panthers Do The Same? / As Heat, Panthers Title Hopes Slip, These 4 Players Must Step up Now / Panthers Suffering Crushing Loss, In 2-0 Hole Heading To Tampa / Panthers Drop Game 1 At Home To Tampa. Time For Huberdeau, Barkov To Step Up / Heat-Celtics, Panthers-Lightning: 3 Keys, Who'll Win & Why in Both Series / Wow! Panthers Close Out Caps in 6 for 1st playoff advance since '96 / Butler And Defense Rise Again As Heat Eliminate 76ers, Reach Eastern Finals / Verhaeghe Lifts Miracle Cats to Comeback Win, 3-2 Lead / Massive Defense, Return of 3's Lift Heat to Game 5 Win, 3-2 Lead / Panthers' Miracle Finish Sends Caps Series Back Home Tied 2-2 / Heat Falls Again, Series Now 2-2 Because Heat Has Forgotten How To Shoot 3's / No. 1 seed Panthers Risk Early Playoff Exit (Again) After 6-1 Loss, 2-1 Hole / Now The Playoffs Have Begun: Embiid Back As Heat Lead Cut To 2-1 / Panthers Remind Why They're Fun & No. 1, Tie Series In 5-1 Rout Of Caps / Bench Lifts Heat to 2-0 Series Lead. Now History Says It's Over / Uh oh. Panthers Collapse Late, Lose Game 1 at Home to Capitals / Herro, Bam lift Heat over 76ers in Game 1 To Launch Huge Week in SoFla Sports

Select other recent columns: ‘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 / Heat 'Wildly Disrespected' No. 1 Seed, But that's Fine By Miami As Playoffs Begin / Inter Miami Has Been Major Failure For David Beckham. Here's The BIg Fix / Rotation Set, Lineup Improved, Excuses Gone. Time For Marlins To Win / Could Have Died. Nearly Lost a Leg. Tiger Playing Masters Means He's Already Won / 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 / Why Derek Jeter-Marlins Marriage Fell Apart / Mickelson's Support Of Saudi Tour Mirrors Sports' Blind Eye to Human Rights / Top 15 Figures (Non-Athletes) In Miami Sports History / Hall of Fame Keeps Saying No, But Zach Thomas Keeps Feeling Gratitude / McDaniel Overcame Much In Own Life, Now Must Overcome Dolphins' Turmoil And Win / An Inside Preview Of Le Batard Show's Upcoming Musical. Yes, Musical / Ranking Flores/Ross Bombshell Among Biggest Dolphins Scandals / Ross Should Be Done As Fins Owner if Flores Allegations Are True  / Ortiz Makes Hall, But Final Denial Of Bonds, Clemens A Shame on Voters, Baseball / 'There Was A Pall On Us': The Panthers Season That Would Not Be Derailed / State Of Miami Sports: Every Major Team, Graded Top To Bottom / Dolphins Firing of Flores The Unjustified Travesty Of A Clown-Show Owner / Canes Land Grand Prize In Cristobal, So No Excuses Left. New Glory Days A Must / 50 Years At the Herald For Me -- And a Lifetime Of Gratitude / UM And Blake James Parted Ways With Class -- Which Butch Davis Didn't Get From FIU / Quenneville Rightly Sacked as Panthers Coach Over 2010 Chicago Scandal / 'Time to Hunt': Cats' Hyped Season Off to Wild, Winning Start / Dolphins Fans, Ex-Players Gather For Emotional Farewell to Don Shula, Father of the Glory Days / Fairy Tale With Wrong Ending: Remembering Jose Fernandez 5 Years Later / An Appreciation of Udonis Haslem As He Re-Ups For 19th Heat Season / College Football and FSU Lose a Treasure In Passing Of Bobby Bowden /  Biles' Withdrawal For Mental-Health Reasons Merits Empathy, Not Scorn / Where Dolphins Rank Among Teams With Longest Championship Droughts / Hot Seat Scale: Ranking Miami's Biggest Coaches By Most to Least Job Security / Nassib Coming Out As Gay NFL Player A Milestone In Sports History / Where's Tua? Ranking Our Top 15 South Florida Pro Athletes 25 And Younger / Le Batard Bet On Himself And His Audience -- And Won Big / Justice For George Floyd Helps Heal Our Shaken Faith, But Fight For Equality Goes On / In History And In Hearts, Howard Schnellenberger Will Matter For All Time / Women Keep Accusing Deshaun Watson of Sexual Misconduct. But Will It Matter to NFL? / Reality, Loss, Comeback: How Sports Has Been Guiding Light In America's Awful Past Year / Time-Travelling To 1960s And Childhood, When The Baseball Card Was King / Marlins Hit History-Making Home Run With Kim NG Hire As GM / In a Pandemic-Battered Season For FIU, Butch Davis' Love Of Coaching Survives / Don Shula, 1930-2020, R.I.P. / What Shula Meant to a Father & Son. The Boy Was Me

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

1) It's SATURDAY, JUNE 18. I was back in with Le Batard Show Monday this week instead of Tuesday, and then again Thursday for a special occasion. 2) Join me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Follow the Greg Cote Show podcast separately on Twitter, Instagram and now TikTok, too. 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hot Button Top 10, Sports and real life in the age of mass shootings, new Greg Cote Show podcast, updated Mount Gregmore of columns.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: ONE-OF-A-KIND NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our 26th episode of 2022 and 117th overall is out now! A new episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify -- wherever else you pod and of course at MiamiHerald.com. Find all 117 we've done so far HERE, free. In the new episode: Christopher and Yeti are joined by Jeremy Tache' of the Miami Mic'd Up podcast. It;'s the first GCS podcast without Greg, although he checks in from a haunted bed and breakfast in St. Augustine, Florida. On the menu: What are your pop culture blind spots?; What’s the most upset you’ve been at a restaurant over the service?; and, Is Chris a bad parent fort taking his 4-year-old daughter to see scary “Jurassic Park Dominion” in a theater? Hit up GCS2226 for full story on the latest ep, and watch our weekly YouTube preview. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, review, follow, subscribe et cetera and so forth. We simulcast on Sirius XM, too, Mondays from 5-6 p.m. ET. And now, brand new: Our podcast has a website and merch store: Check it out at TheGregCoteShow.com and visit the merch store by clicking 'Shop'. New items! 

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

NEW! Curry's th NBA Title, 1st Finals MVP Opens Path To Get To Michael/LeBron Best-Ever Talk NEW!

Why'd World Cup pick Miami? Thank Dolphins Founder & Unlikely Soccer Visionary Joe Robbie

Serena Playing Wimbledon Still Matters, Maybe More Than Ever. Becuase It Feels Like Goodbye

'Free' speech? Ignorance Cost Del Rio $100,000. But He's Lucky To Still Have A Job

Why Browns' Watson Faces, Deserves Lengthy Suspension From NFL

The Hilltop: The five columns before that: 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 / Heat Season Ends One Win (One Shot?) Short Of NBA Finals In Game 7 Loss

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

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

Other Heat/Panthers playoff run columns: Legacy Building: Butler Rising Fast Among Heat All-Time Greats / Jimmy Butler Just Saved Heat Season, Gave Us Greatest Gift In Sports: A Game 7 / No Consolation, No Excuse: Panthers Swept From Playoffs In 2-0 Loss A Brutal End / Panthers' Magical Season Looking Out of Answers, Almost Out Of Time / Bam! Heat Take Back Control OF Series. Can Panthers Do The Same? / As Heat, Panthers Title Hopes Slip, These 4 Players Must Step up Now / Panthers Suffering Crushing Loss, In 2-0 Hole Heading To Tampa / Panthers Drop Game 1 At Home To Tampa. Time For Huberdeau, Barkov To Step Up / Heat-Celtics, Panthers-Lightning: 3 Keys, Who'll Win & Why in Both Series / Wow! Panthers Close Out Caps in 6 for 1st playoff advance since '96 / Butler And Defense Rise Again As Heat Eliminate 76ers, Reach Eastern Finals / Verhaeghe Lifts Miracle Cats to Comeback Win, 3-2 Lead / Massive Defense, Return of 3's Lift Heat to Game 5 Win, 3-2 Lead / Panthers' Miracle Finish Sends Caps Series Back Home Tied 2-2 / Heat Falls Again, Series Now 2-2 Because Heat Has Forgotten How To Shoot 3's / No. 1 seed Panthers Risk Early Playoff Exit (Again) After 6-1 Loss, 2-1 Hole / Now The Playoffs Have Begun: Embiid Back As Heat Lead Cut To 2-1 / Panthers Remind Why They're Fun & No. 1, Tie Series In 5-1 Rout Of Caps / Bench Lifts Heat to 2-0 Series Lead. Now History Says It's Over / Uh oh. Panthers Collapse Late, Lose Game 1 at Home to Capitals / Herro, Bam lift Heat over 76ers in Game 1 To Launch Huge Week in SoFla Sports

Select other recent columns: ‘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 / Heat 'Wildly Disrespected' No. 1 Seed, But that's Fine By Miami As Playoffs Begin / Inter Miami Has Been Major Failure For David Beckham. Here's The BIg Fix / Rotation Set, Lineup Improved, Excuses Gone. Time For Marlins To Win / Could Have Died. Nearly Lost a Leg. Tiger Playing Masters Means He's Already Won / 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 / Why Derek Jeter-Marlins Marriage Fell Apart / Mickelson's Support Of Saudi Tour Mirrors Sports' Blind Eye to Human Rights / Top 15 Figures (Non-Athletes) In Miami Sports History / Hall of Fame Keeps Saying No, But Zach Thomas Keeps Feeling Gratitude / McDaniel Overcame Much In Own Life, Now Must Overcome Dolphins' Turmoil And Win / An Inside Preview Of Le Batard Show's Upcoming Musical. Yes, Musical / Ranking Flores/Ross Bombshell Among Biggest Dolphins Scandals / Ross Should Be Done As Fins Owner if Flores Allegations Are True  / Ortiz Makes Hall, But Final Denial Of Bonds, Clemens A Shame on Voters, Baseball / 'There Was A Pall On Us': The Panthers Season That Would Not Be Derailed / State Of Miami Sports: Every Major Team, Graded Top To Bottom / Dolphins Firing of Flores The Unjustified Travesty Of A Clown-Show Owner / Canes Land Grand Prize In Cristobal, So No Excuses Left. New Glory Days A Must / 50 Years At the Herald For Me -- And a Lifetime Of Gratitude / UM And Blake James Parted Ways With Class -- Which Butch Davis Didn't Get From FIU / Quenneville Rightly Sacked as Panthers Coach Over 2010 Chicago Scandal / 'Time to Hunt': Cats' Hyped Season Off to Wild, Winning Start / Dolphins Fans, Ex-Players Gather For Emotional Farewell to Don Shula, Father of the Glory Days / Fairy Tale With Wrong Ending: Remembering Jose Fernandez 5 Years Later / An Appreciation of Udonis Haslem As He Re-Ups For 19th Heat Season / College Football and FSU Lose a Treasure In Passing Of Bobby Bowden /  Biles' Withdrawal For Mental-Health Reasons Merits Empathy, Not Scorn / Where Dolphins Rank Among Teams With Longest Championship Droughts / Hot Seat Scale: Ranking Miami's Biggest Coaches By Most to Least Job Security / Nassib Coming Out As Gay NFL Player A Milestone In Sports History / Where's Tua? Ranking Our Top 15 South Florida Pro Athletes 25 And Younger / Le Batard Bet On Himself And His Audience -- And Won Big / Justice For George Floyd Helps Heal Our Shaken Faith, But Fight For Equality Goes On / In History And In Hearts, Howard Schnellenberger Will Matter For All Time / Women Keep Accusing Deshaun Watson of Sexual Misconduct. But Will It Matter to NFL? / Reality, Loss, Comeback: How Sports Has Been Guiding Light In America's Awful Past Year / Time-Travelling To 1960s And Childhood, When The Baseball Card Was King / Marlins Hit History-Making Home Run With Kim NG Hire As GM / In a Pandemic-Battered Season For FIU, Butch Davis' Love Of Coaching Survives / Don Shula, 1930-2020, R.I.P. / What Shula Meant to a Father & Son. The Boy Was Me

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

1) It's MONDAY, JUNE 6. Join me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Follow the Greg Cote Show podcast separately on Twitter, Instagram and now TikTok, too. 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Sports and real life in the age of mass shootings, The List (Butler's postseason in Heat history), Greg Cote Show podcast, updated Mount Gregmore of columns.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our 25th episode of 2022 and 116th overall is out now! A new episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify -- wherever else you pod and of course at MiamiHerald.com. Find all 116 we've done so far HERE, free. In the new episode: The Father-Son Cote Olympipcs brings you Event 7, Shopping, live from grocery store aisles as Greg and Chris race the clock to find 10 specific items. Also: Greg explains the Sioux vs. Sioux faux pas, a '90s song challenge, the triumphant return of Mount Gregmore and ... Hurricane Betsy? Hit up GCS2225 for full story on the latest ep, and watch our weekly YouTube preview. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, review, follow, subscribe et cetera and so forth. We simulcast on Sirius XM, too, Mondays from 5-6 p.m. ET. And now, brand new: Our podcast has a website and merch store: Check it out at TheGregCoteShow.com and visit the merch store by clicking Shop. New items! 

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

NEW! A Lesson In Sioux City: Sports And Real Life In The Age Of Mass Shootings NEW!

Heat Season Ends One Win (One Shot?) Short Of NBA Finals In Game 7 Home Loss

Legacy Building: Butler Rising Fast Among Heat All-Time Greats

Jimmy Butler Just Saved Heat Season, Gave Us Greatest Gift In Sports: A Game 7

No Consolation, No Excuse: Panthers Swept From Playoffs In 2-0 Loss A Brutal End

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (JUNE 5-6): WHAT SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive Sunday-into-Monday feature is part week-in-review, part look-ahead. Hot Button means what's on our minds, locally and nationally, but from a Miami perspective, as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead. The latest HB10:

1. NBA: Warriors roar back, rout Celtics to even Finals: Warriors needed an answer Sunday night. They got one. After Boston rallied to win Game 1 handily, Golden State answered with a convincing 117-88 Game 2 win to level the NBA Finals behind Steph Curry's 29 and despite an off night from Klay Thompson. Series swings to Boston for Game 3 Wednesday night.

2. TENNIS: Swiatek tops Gauff in French Open; Nadal routs Ruud: World No.1 Iga Swiatek handled Coco Gauff, 6-1, 6-3 to win the women's French Open title Saturday in Paris. Gauff, 18, is from Delray Beach and was in her first Grand Slam final. Sunday, Rafael Nadal routed Casper Ruud in straight sets to win the men's final. Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo caught heat and apologized for saying men's matches had more "appeal."

3. NHL PLAYOFFS: Avalanche, Rangers out front in conference finals: In the Eastern Conference final the New York Rangers are up 2-1 on the same Tampa Bay Lightning that swept Florida, after Tampa's clucth win Sunday. Game 4 is Tuesday. Out West, Colorado on Saturday made it a colossal 3-0 lead over Edmonton, with brooms out for Game 4 Monday in Oilersville. A team from Canada has not won the Stanley Cup since Montreal in 1993.

4. MARLINS: Fish back to losing: The Marlins are 22-30 -- 10-22 since a 12-8 start -- after Sunday's 5-1 home loss to San Fran. Miami's seven-game homestand continues vs. Washington on Tuesday. Fourteen of Miami's losses have been by one run. Sandy Alcantara 's next start is scheduled Thursday. He has Cy Young-convo numbers at 6-2 with a 1.81 ERA and 71 strikouets, the wins, ERA and K's all top-three in the NL.

5. DOLPHINS: Tua defends arm strength as Fins wrap minicamp: You know Miami's two-day mandatory minicamp was uneventful when biggest news from it might have been quarterback Tua Tagovailoa defending his arm strength by pointing out a couple of deep completions to Tyreek Hill. Dolphins have four more OTA practice days this week -- Monday and Tuesday and Thursday and Friday -- before taking off until start of full preseason training camp in late July.

6. CANES BASEBALL: Ugh. UM season ends on brutal Sunday in Gables Regional: UM won its Gables Regional opener with an 11-6 rally past Canisius on Saturday in a game twice delayed by stormy weather and rain. Sunday wasn't so kind. The Canes lost 2-1 to Ole Miss and 3-2 to Arizona to see their season end in disappointment. Miami was the No. 6 national seed with dreans of the College World Series but fizzing badly in a home Regional.

7. SOCCER: Next U.S. men's matches in buildup to World Cup: The USMNT played an international friendly vs. Uruguay Sunday in Kansas City, Kansas, a 0-0 draw in preparation for the CONCACAF Nations League tournament. Those matches are this coming Friday June 10 vs. Granada in Austin, Texas and June 14 at El Salvador. The late-year 2022 World Cup in Qatar begins with group stage play starting November 21. The U.S. is in Group B with England, Iran and Wales, which won a playoff match Sunday over sentimental favorite Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in the midst of the invasion by Russia, thanked the national team for its win over Scotland in a playoff semifinal.

8. PANTHERS: Brunette misses out on coach honor. But will he keep job?: Florida Panthers interim coach Andrew Brunette was a finalist for NHL coach of the year but missed out as Calgary's Darryl Sutter won. Brunette coached the Cats in 75 games in the regular season after Joel Quenneville was forced out over revelations about a decade-old scandal in Chicago and led Florida to NHL's best record. But, curiously, club still has not announced whether or not he will lose the interim tag and be retained.

9. GOLF: Brady, Rodgers win 'The Match': It was one for the ages. The old ages. Old quarterbacks Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers beat young QBs Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen this week in Las Vegas in 'The Match,' a 12-hole golf exhibition for charity. Rodgers' putt on the final hole was the difference in the 1-up win. The event raised money equating to 10.3 million meals donated to Feeding America.

10. NFL: Gore, Fitzpatrick bid farewell with retirements: Two men who meant a lot to Miami, Frank Gore and Ryan Fitzpatrick, retired this week after long NFL careers. Gore, a former Miami Hurricane and a Dolphin in 2018, signed a 1-day contract to retire a 49er, third in all-time rushing yards and Canton-bound. Fitzpatrick, a Dolphin in 2019-20, has a place in the Hall of Quite Good, ending with 34,990 passing yards, 223 touchdowns and one fabulous beard.

Missing the HB10 cut: Minjee Lee won the U.S. Women's Open in golf in North Carolina ..... A Canes men's basketball program coming off its first NCAA Elite 8 appearance got a boost this week with the news UM guard Isaiah Wong will return for the 2022-23 season as a fourth-year junior. Wong, UM's second leading scorer at 15.3 points last season, had entered his name in the NBA Draft but withdrew when it became apparent he would go undrafted ..... NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the league may change format of its All-NBA teams to make them positionless ..... Thirteen PGA Tour players including Dustin Johnson are entered in next week's first LIV Golf Invitational Series event in London, and face penalties from the tour including possible suspension if they compete in the Saudi-backed league ..... The Special Olympics reversed its COVID vaccine mandate for upcoming competitions in Orlando after awful Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis threatened a $27.5 million fine ..... At some point while you were sleeping the past week, LeBron James became a billionaire, the first active NBA player to do so ..... Serena and Venus Williams are not on the entry list for Wimbledon, which starts June 27. Either could still seek a wild-card invitation ..... The NFL, Cowboys and Texans donated $800,000 to aid families of victims in the Uvalde school masscare  ..... Inter Miami, 5-3-6 and at the far edge of MLS playoff pace, is off until a June 19 visit to Atlanta ..... Ecuador will play a World Cup tuneup vs. Cape Verde next Saturday June 11 in Fort Lauderdale. Inter Miami's leading goal scorer, Leonardo Campana, is on Ecuador's WC roster ..... No MLB players slapped each other this week ..... Harini Logan, 14, won the Scripps National Spelling Bee in an historic spell-off after several rounds left two spellers tied ..... A Twitter analysis by betonline.ag has named the most hated players in MLB. They are, in order, Manny Machado, José Altuve and Bryce Harper. Congrats, guys! ..... The 2023 College Football Hall of Fame ballot will be released on Monday ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode out Monday at 7 a.m. ..... Update: Countdown now 1,485 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

Other Heat/Panthers playoff columns: Panthers' Magical Season Looking Out of Answers, Almost Out Of Time / Bam! Heat Take Back Control OF Series. Can Panthers Do The Same? / As Heat, Panthers Title Hopes Slip, These 4 Players Must Step up Now / Panthers Suffering Crushing Loss, In 2-0 Hole Heading To Tampa / Panthers Drop Game 1 At Home To Tampa. Time For Huberdeau, Barkov To Step Up / Heat-Celtics, Panthers-Lightning: 3 Keys, Who'll Win & Why in Both Series / Wow! Panthers Close Out Caps in 6 for 1st playoff advance since '96 / Butler And Defense Rise Again As Heat Eliminate 76ers, Reach Eastern Finals / Verhaeghe Lifts Miracle Cats to Comeback Win, 3-2 Lead / Massive Defense, Return of 3's Lift Heat to Game 5 Win, 3-2 Lead / Panthers' Miracle Finish Sends Caps Series Back Home Tied 2-2 / Heat Falls Again, Series Now 2-2 Because Heat Has Forgotten How To Shoot 3's / No. 1 seed Panthers Risk Early Playoff Exit (Again) After 6-1 Loss, 2-1 Hole / Now The Playoffs Have Begun: Embiid Back As Heat Lead Cut To 2-1 / Panthers Remind Why They're Fun & No. 1, Tie Series In 5-1 Rout Of Caps / Bench Lifts Heat to 2-0 Series Lead. Now History Says It's Over / Uh oh. Panthers Collapse Late, Lose Game 1 at Home to Capitals / Herro, Bam lift Heat over 76ers in Game 1 To Launch Huge Week in SoFla Sports

Select other recent columns: Why Quiet Draft With No 1st-Round Pick Was Great News For Dolphins / ‘Centerpiece of futbol in world’: Dream is green-lit. Now can Inter Miami deliver? / 31st Annual Official Miami Herald NFL Mock Draft / Only In Miami: Ex-Marlins Prez Samson Joins Fight vs. 'Boondoggle' Soccer Stadium / Marlins Declare 'Impatience," Delight Near-Sellout In Exciting Home Opener / Blowing Up Dolphins' Brady-Payton Plan Parting Shot Of Flores Lawsuit. For Now / Heat 'Wildly Disrespected' No. 1 Seed, But that's Fine By Miami As Playoffs Begin / Inter Miami Has Been Major Failure For David Beckham. Here's The BIg Fix / Rotation Set, Lineup Improved, Excuses Gone. Time For Marlins To Win / Could Have Died. Nearly Lost a Leg. Tiger Playing Masters Means He's Already Won / 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 / Why Derek Jeter-Marlins Marriage Fell Apart / Mickelson's Support Of Saudi Tour Mirrors Sports' Blind Eye to Human Rights / Top 15 Figures (Non-Athletes) In Miami Sports History / Hall of Fame Keeps Saying No, But Zach Thomas Keeps Feeling Gratitude / McDaniel Overcame Much In Own Life, Now Must Overcome Dolphins' Turmoil And Win / An Inside Preview Of Le Batard Show's Upcoming Musical. Yes, Musical / Ranking Flores/Ross Bombshell Among Biggest Dolphins Scandals / Ross Should Be Done As Fins Owner if Flores Allegations Are True  / Ortiz Makes Hall, But Final Denial Of Bonds, Clemens A Shame on Voters, Baseball / Time Is Right (But Running Out) For MLB to Reinstate Pete Rose /'There Was A Pall On Us': The Panthers Season That Would Not Be Derailed / No-Vaccine Is Your Right. But There Are Consequences as Djokovic Was Reminded / State Of Miami Sports: Every Major Team, Graded Top To Bottom / Dolphins Firing of Flores The Unjustified Travesty Of A Clown-Show Owner / Canes Land Grand Prize In Cristobal, So No Excuses Left. New Glory Days A Must / 50 Years At the Herald For Me -- And a Lifetime Of Gratitude / UM And Blake James Parted Ways With Class -- Which Butch Davis Didn't Get From FIU / Quenneville Rightly Sacked as Panthers Coach Over 2010 Chicago Scandal / 'Time to Hunt': Cats' Hyped Season Off to Wild, Winning Start / Dolphins Fans, Ex-Players Gather For Emotional Farewell to Don Shula, Father of the Glory Days / If Sports Had A Spine, Kyrie Irving & Other Anti-Vaxxers Wouldn't Be Playing / Kyle Lowry Must Channel 'Doctor Of Greatness' If Heat Is To Chase NBA Title / Fairy Tale With Wrong Ending: Remembering Jose Fernandez 5 Years Later / An Appreciation of Udonis Haslem As He Re-Ups For 19th Heat Season / College Football and FSU Lose a Treasure In Passing Of Bobby Bowden /  Biles' Withdrawal For Mental-Health Reasons Merits Empathy, Not Scorn / Where Dolphins Rank Among Teams With Longest Championship Droughts / Hot Seat Scale: Ranking Miami's Biggest Coaches By Most to Least Job Security / Nassib Coming Out As Gay NFL Player A Milestone In Sports History / Fate Snatched Basketball From Chris Bosh. His new Book Is Part of His Journey Of Healing / Where's Tua? Ranking Our Top 15 South Florida Pro Athletes 25 And Younger / Le Batard Bet On Himself And His Audience -- And Won Big / Justice For George Floyd Helps Heal Our Shaken Faith, But Fight For Equality Goes On / In History And In Hearts, Howard Schnellenberger Will Matter For All Time / Women Keep Accusing Deshaun Watson of Sexual Misconduct. But Will It Matter to NFL? / Reality, Loss, Comeback: How Sports Has Been Guiding Light In America's Awful Past Year / Time-Travelling To 1960s And Childhood, When The Baseball Card Was King / Doesn't Matter If Tiger Woods Never Wins Again. We Are Lucky He's Alive / Marlins Hit History-Making Home Run With Kim NG Hire As GM / In a Pandemic-Battered Season For FIU, Butch Davis' Love Of Coaching Survives / Don Shula, 1930-2020, R.I.P. / What Shula Meant to a Father & Son. The Boy Was Me

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

1) It's MONDAY, MAY 23. Join me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Follow the Greg Cote Show podcast separately on Twitter, Instagram and now TikTok, too. 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Game 2 losses have Heat and Panthers in playoff peril, latest Messi-to-Miami speculation, Greg Cote Show podcast, updated Mount Gregmore of columns.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our 23rd episode of 2022 and 114th overall is out now! A new episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify and wherever else you pod, and of course at MiamiHerald.com. Find all 114 we've done so far HERE, free. In the new episode: Back after nine months, the return of the popular segment, 'Greg Doesn't Know Movies,' in which Chris and younger son Michael try to stump Greg on the simplest of movie questions. Also: the show crew take the Hanger Reflex challenge; Greg reveals a dark secret about Opie from the Andy Griffith Show; Yeti performan an original song for Chris in honor of his birthday; the history of Greg's three fan-boy Twitter accounts; and a heartwarming story about the neighbor who listned to porn loudly. Hit up GCS 2223 for full story on the latest ep, and watch our weekly YouTube preview. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, review and follow. We simulcast on Sirius XM, too, Mondays from 5-6 p.m. ET. And now, brand new: Our podcast has an all-encompassing website and merch store: Check it out at TheGregCoteShow.com! There's new new merch in the merch store (click Shop) and free shipping this week only! 

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

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

NEW! Panthers' Magical Season Looking Out of Answers, Almost Out Of Time NEW!

Bam! Heat Take Back Control OF Series. Can Panthers Do The Same?

As Heat, Panthers Title Hopes Slip, These 4 Players Must Step up Now

Panthers Suffering Crushing Loss, In 2-0 Hole Heading To Tampa

Panthers Drop Game 1 At Home To Tampa. Time For Huberdeau, Barkov To Step Up

Previous Heat/Panthers playoff columns: Heat-Celtics, Panthers-Lightning: 3 Keys, Who'll Win & Why in Both Series / Wow! Panthers Close Out Caps in 6 for 1st playoff advance since '96 / Butler And Defense Rise Again As Heat Eliminate 76ers, Reach Eastern Finals / Verhaeghe Lifts Miracle Cats to Comeback Win, 3-2 Lead / Massive Defense, Return of 3's Lift Heat to Game 5 Win, 3-2 Lead / Panthers' Miracle Finish Sends Caps Series Back Home Tied 2-2 / Heat Falls Again, Series Now 2-2 Because Heat Has Forgotten How To Shoot 3's / No. 1 seed Panthers Risk Early Playoff Exit (Again) After 6-1 Loss, 2-1 Hole / Now The Playoffs Have Begun: Embiid Back As Heat Lead Cut To 2-1 / Panthers Remind Why They're Fun & No. 1, Tie Series In 5-1 Rout Of Caps / Bench Lifts Heat to 2-0 Series Lead. Now History Says It's Over / Uh oh. Panthers Collapse Late, Lose Game 1 at Home to Capitals / Herro, Bam lift Heat over 76ers in Game 1 To Launch Huge Week in SoFla Sports

Hilltop: The most recent five non-playoff columns: Why Quiet Draft With No 1st-Round Pick Was Great News For Dolphins / ‘Centerpiece of futbol in world’: Dream is green-lit. Now can Inter Miami deliver? / 31st Annual Official Miami Herald NFL Mock Draft / Only In Miami: Ex-Marlins Prez Samson Joins Fight vs. 'Boondoggle' Soccer Stadium / Marlins Declare 'Impatience," Delight Near-Sellout In Exciting Home Opener

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (MAY 22-23): WHAT SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive Sunday-into-Monday feature is part week-in-review, part look-ahead. Hot Button means what's on our minds, locally and nationally, but from a Miami perspective, as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead. The latest HB10:

1. HEAT: Bam to the rescue as Miami wins, takes 2-1 lead: Bam Adebayo poured in 31 points Saturday noght to lead Miami to a 109-103 win in Boston and a 2-1 series lead in the NBA Eastern Conference finals. That followed a split in Miami, the Heat winning Game 1 big then losing Game 2 bigger. Jimmy Butler sat out the second half with knee inflammataion, an injury now shadowing the series entering Game 4 back in Boston Monday/tonight.

2. PANTHERS: Big trouble! Cats down 3-0 face elimination in Tampa: Florida's first time advancing in the playffs since 1996 has hit a serious roadblock. Andrew Brunette was named an NHL coach of the year finalist. He'd trade it for a win. The home losses were 4-1 and, far worse, 2-1 when Cats gave up a goal with 3.8 seconds to go in regulation. Then came Sunday's 5-1 loss in Tampa for a 3-0 hole. Now it's on to Tampa for Games 4 tonight. A sweep is in the offing. Let's see if a massive, redeeming comeback might be, too.

3. NBA PLAYOFFS (Non-Heat): Golden State in command in West: Steph Curry dropped 32 Friday night and 31 Sunday as Golden State rolled to a 3-0 series lead over Dallas in the Western Conference finals. Mavs getting 40s from Luka Doncic but it isn't enough. Series back in desperate Dallas for Game 4 Tuesday night with Warriors thinking sweep.

4. GOLF: Thomas wins PGA Championship in playoffs after rookie blows it: PGA Tour rookie Mito Pereira held a 3-shot lead entering the final round of the 104th PGA Championship on Sunday and needing only to par the 18th for a major win. He didn't, freeing Justin Thomas to beat Will Zalatoris in a three-hole playoff -- the first in a major since 2017. Tiger Woods withdrew after a 79 Saturday, feeling pain in his surgically repaired leg, the first time Woods has withdrawn from a major championship as a professional. Reigning champion Phil Mickelson did not compete.

5. NHL PLAYOFFS (Non-Panthers): Carolina, Colorado, Edmonton hold 2-1 leads: Carlina leads the Rangers 2-1 as series satsy in New York for Games 4 Tuesday, the winner to face the Panthers-Lightning survivor in the Eastern finals. Out West, Colorado is up 2-1 on St. Louis with Game 4 Monday. And Edmonton leads Calgary 2-1 with Game 4 Tuesday. The winner will give Canada, inventor of hockey, a chance for its first Stanley Cup since Montreal won in 1993.  

6. INTER MIAMI: Herons get needed win, prep for U.S. Open Cup round-of-16 as Messi rumors resurface: Inter Miami plays at MLS rival Orlando FC Wednesday night in a round-of-16 match in the U.S. Open Cup. Unsurprisingly 13 of 16 remaining clubs in the all-comers tournament are from MLS, country's top-tier league. In MLS play the Herons are 3-3-7 after Sunday's needed 2-0 win over New York Red Bulls. Herons host Portland this coming Saturday. Meanwhile, on the Lionel Messi watch, a report said he'll join Inter Miami in 2023 in a deal that gives him 35 percent of club's shares in MLS -- a deal both Inter Miami and Messi's reps call "premature speculation." (Which isn't exactly a flat denial).

7. SOCCER: Barcelona set 2 U.S. friendlies including Inter Miami in Ju1y: Barcelona will face Inter Miami in a July 19 friendly in Fort Lauderdale, then visit the MLS New York Red Bulls for another on July 30. The five-time UEFA Champions League winner and 26-time LaLiga champ last played in South Florida in 2019. Negotiations are ongoing for Barca, Real Madrid and Juventus to play U.S. dates in a breakaway European Super League later this summer.

8. MARLINS: Alcantara lifts Fish to needed win: The up and down Marlins lost a third straight game Saturday but bounced back  Sunday to beat Atlanta behind Sandy Alcantara and are now 18-22 and just one game out of second in the NL East. Miami now heads out on an eight-game road trip starting Tuesday in Tampa.

9. TENNIS: Lopsided men's draw as French Open begins: The sport's clay-court Grand Slam, second major of the year, is underway through June 5 at Roland Garros in Paris. Men's co-betting favorites Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz along with Rafael Nadal all were placed in the same half of the men's bracket. Djokovic, defending champion, could meet 13-time French champion Nadal in the quarterfinals. Iga Swiatek is a huge favorite on the women's side, with early casualties there including Naomi Osaka and reigning champ Barbora Krejcikova.

10. CANES BASEBALL: UM ends season, heads to ACCs: No. 9 Miami won two of three at home over No. 14 Notre Dame this weekend to end the regular season 39-16 overall and 20-10 in the conference. The ACC Tournament is this week in Charlotte, with the third-seeded Canes' first game Wednesday night vs. 10th-seeded North Carolina State. The NCAA Tournament's 64-team field and regional pairings will be announced May 30.

Missing the HB10 cut: Nick Saban, Jimbo Fisher at war! Alabama coach Saban accused Texas A&M coach Fisher of "buying" its top-ranked signing class via NIL (name, image, ikeness) deals. Fisher shot back in a fiery rebuttal and denial, calling Saban's comments "despicable." The overarching story: NIL money has become an under-regulated mess in a tumultous time for college football ..... Early Voting held off betting favorite Epicenter to win The Preakness on Saturday at Pimlico, second leg of the Triple Crown. Kentucky Derby upset winner Rich Strike didn't run, a major bummer and so bad for thoroughbred racing ..... FIFA on June 16 will announce 2026 World Cup host stadiums for the event being held in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Book it: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami will be one. I  guarantee it! ..... European soccer shocker: Kylian Mbappe snubs Real Madrid, says he will remain at Paris Saint-Germain ..... Dolphins offseason work continues with OTA practice days woriking toward a mandatory full-squad minicamp set for June 1-2 ..... Orlando Magic won the NBA Lottery for the June 23 draft, the club's first overall No. 1 since taking Dwight Howard in 2004 ..... ESPN researched the investments of 40 principal NBA team owners and found that together they have more than $10 billion tied up in China. On the eve of the current NBA playoffs, quietly, league games returned to state-run TV in China after a near-three-year ban ..... Betting favorite Liverpool faces Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League finale next Saturday May 28 in Paris ..... Michael Vick, fleeting NFL QB phenom turned notorious dogfighter, is coming out of retirement to join startup league Fan Controlled Football. Gawd! ..... NFL spring meetings in Atlanata Monday and Tuesday will feature the league's ongoing effort to promote increased coach and executive diversity with its inaugural 'Coach and Front Office Accelerator' initiative ..... Alex Rodriguez is a new investor and board member in mixed martial arts' Professional Fighters League ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode out Monday at 7 a.m. ..... Update: Countdown now 1,499 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup.

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

ARCHIVES

Select other recent columns: Blowing Up Dolphins' Brady-Payton Plan Parting Shot Of Flores Lawsuit. For Now / Heat 'Wildly Disrespected' No. 1 Seed, But that's Fine By Miami As Playoffs Begin / Inter Miami Has Been Major Failure For David Beckham. Here's The BIg Fix / Rotation Set, Lineup Improved, Excuses Gone. Time For Marlins To Win / Could Have Died. Nearly Lost a Leg. Tiger Playing Masters Means He's Already Won / 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 / Why Derek Jeter-Marlins Marriage Fell Apart / Mickelson's Support Of Saudi Tour Mirrors Sports' Blind Eye to Human Rights / Top 15 Figures (Non-Athletes) In Miami Sports History / Hall of Fame Keeps Saying No, But Zach Thomas Keeps Feeling Gratitude / McDaniel Overcame Much In Own Life, Now Must Overcome Dolphins' Turmoil And Win / An Inside Preview Of Le Batard Show's Upcoming Musical. Yes, Musical / Ranking Flores/Ross Bombshell Among Biggest Dolphins Scandals / Ross Should Be Done As Fins Owner if Flores Allegations Are True  / Ortiz Makes Hall, But Final Denial Of Bonds, Clemens A Shame on Voters, Baseball / Time Is Right (But Running Out) For MLB to Reinstate Pete Rose /'There Was A Pall On Us': The Panthers Season That Would Not Be Derailed / No-Vaccine Is Your Right. But There Are Consequences as Djokovic Was Reminded / State Of Miami Sports: Every Major Team, Graded Top To Bottom / Dolphins Firing of Flores The Unjustified Travesty Of A Clown-Show Owner / Canes Land Grand Prize In Cristobal, So No Excuses Left. New Glory Days A Must / 50 Years At the Herald For Me -- And a Lifetime Of Gratitude / UM And Blake James Parted Ways With Class -- Which Butch Davis Didn't Get From FIU / Quenneville Rightly Sacked as Panthers Coach Over 2010 Chicago Scandal / 'Time to Hunt': Cats' Hyped Season Off to Wild, Winning Start / Dolphins Fans, Ex-Players Gather For Emotional Farewell to Don Shula, Father of the Glory Days / If Sports Had A Spine, Kyrie Irving & Other Anti-Vaxxers Wouldn't Be Playing / Kyle Lowry Must Channel 'Doctor Of Greatness' If Heat Is To Chase NBA Title / Fairy Tale With Wrong Ending: Remembering Jose Fernandez 5 Years Later / An Appreciation of Udonis Haslem As He Re-Ups For 19th Heat Season / College Football and FSU Lose a Treasure In Passing Of Bobby Bowden /  Biles' Withdrawal For Mental-Health Reasons Merits Empathy, Not Scorn / Where Dolphins Rank Among Teams With Longest Championship Droughts / Hot Seat Scale: Ranking Miami's Biggest Coaches By Most to Least Job Security / Nassib Coming Out As Gay NFL Player A Milestone In Sports History / Fate Snatched Basketball From Chris Bosh. His new Book Is Part of His Journey Of Healing / Where's Tua? Ranking Our Top 15 South Florida Pro Athletes 25 And Younger / Le Batard Bet On Himself And His Audience -- And Won Big / Justice For George Floyd Helps Heal Our Shaken Faith, But Fight For Equality Goes On / In History And In Hearts, Howard Schnellenberger Will Matter For All Time / Women Keep Accusing Deshaun Watson of Sexual Misconduct. But Will It Matter to NFL? / Reality, Loss, Comeback: How Sports Has Been Guiding Light In America's Awful Past Year / Time-Travelling To 1960s And Childhood, When The Baseball Card Was King / Doesn't Matter If Tiger Woods Never Wins Again. We Are Lucky He's Alive / Marlins Hit History-Making Home Run With Kim NG Hire As GM / In a Pandemic-Battered Season For FIU, Butch Davis' Love Of Coaching Survives / Don Shula, 1930-2020, R.I.P. / What Shula Meant to a Father & Son. The Boy Was Me

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

1) It's MONDAY, MAY 16. Join me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Follow the Greg Cote Show podcast separately on Twitter, Instagram and now TikTok, too. 2) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Heat and Panthers playoff runs, Greg Cote Show podcast, latest in Mount Gregmore of columns.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our 22nd episode of 2022 and 113th overall is out now! A new episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify and wherever else you pod, and of course at MiamiHerald.com. Find all 113 we've done HERE, free. In the latest episode: Chris delves into Le Batard Show’s beef with Associated Press Miami sports writer Tim Reynolds, and Greg takes sides; Greg and Chris discuss and celebrate the Miami Heat and Florida Panthers’ simultaneous playoff runs; Round 5 of the Father-Son Cote Olympics (bowling!); Chris' parenting milestones and more. Hit up GCS2222 for full story on the latest ep, and watch our weekly YouTube preview. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, review and follow. We simulcast on Sirius XM, too, Mondays from 5-6 p.m. ET. And now, brand new: Our podcast has an all-encompassing website and merch store: Check it out at TheGregCoteShow.com!

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

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

NEW! Wow! Panthers Close Out Caps in 6 for 1st playoff advance since '96 NEW!

NEW! Butler And Defense Rise Again As Heat Eliminate 76ers, Reach Eastern Finals NEW! 

Verhaeghe Lifts Miracle Cats to Comeback Win, 3-2 Lead

Massive Defense, Return of 3's Lift Heat to Game 5 Win, 3-2 Lead

Panthers' Miracle Finish Sends Caps Series Back Home Tied 2-2

Previous Heat/Panthers playoff columns: Heat Falls Again, Series Now 2-2 Because Heat Has Forgotten How To Shoot 3's / No. 1 seed Panthers Risk Early Playoff Exit (Again) After 6-1 Loss, 2-1 Hole / Now The Playoffs Have Begun: Embiid Back As Heat Lead Cut To 2-1 / Panthers Remind Why They're Fun & No. 1, Tie Series In 5-1 Rout Of Caps / Bench Lifts Heat to 2-0 Series Lead. Now History Says It's Over / Uh oh. Panthers Collapse Late, Lose Game 1 at Home to Capitals / Herro, Bam lift Heat over 76ers in Game 1 To Launch Huge Week in SoFla Sports

Hilltop: The most recent five non-playoff columns: Why Quiet Draft With No 1st-Round Pick Was Great News For Dolphins / ‘Centerpiece of futbol in world’: Dream is green-lit. Now can Inter Miami deliver? / 31st Annual Official Miami Herald NFL Mock Draft / Only In Miami: Ex-Marlins Prez Samson Joins Fight vs. 'Boondoggle' Soccer Stadium / Marlins Declare 'Impatience," Delight Near-Sellout In Exciting Home Opener

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (MAY 15-16): WHAT SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive Sunday-into-Monday feature is part week-in-review, part look-ahead. Hot Button means what's on our minds, locally and nationally, but from a Miami perspective, as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead. The latest HB10:

1. HEAT: Miami wins Game 6, gets rival Celtics in Eastern finals: Jimmy Butler's 32 points lifted Miami Thursday to a 99-90 Game 6 win in Philly and an advance to the NBA Eastern Conference finals for the second time in three years with Butler at the helm. Heat now will fce rival Boston (a Game 7 winner over Milwaukee) in ECF Game 1 Tuesday night in the 3-0-5. 

2. PANTHERS: Cats to face rival Lightning in 1st playoff advance since '96!: Carter Verhaeghe made it three straight game-winning goals in three straight wins for the Comebacks Cats Friday night in the 4-3 Game 6 win in Washington that eliminated the Capitals for the Panthers' first playoff advance past the first round since 1996. Florida will face rival Tampa Bay next after the Lightning's 2-1 Game 7 win in Toronto. Game 1 is Tuesday night in Sunrise.

3. DOLPHINS: Fins still adding talent; season schedule opens tough: Offseason? What offseason? Dolphins wrapped up three-day rookie minicamp Sunday after adding veteran free agent running back Sony Michel and then vegteran pass rsher Melvin Ingram. Team's mandatory full-squad minicamp is set for June 1-2. Meanwhile NFL schedule release Thursday night finds Miami with a tough first four games: Home opener September 11 vs. Patriots, then at Ravens, vs. Bills and at Bengals. Cincy game and Steelers here October 23 are the two prime time games.

4. NBA: Two Sunday Game 7s set conference finals: In the West, it's Dallas (not Phoenix) facing Golden State in a finals Game 1 Wednesday night. In the East, Miami drew Boston when Celtics won a G7 over reigning champ Milwaukee. That Game 1 is Tuesday night in Miami.

5. NHL: Two Sunday Game 7s set final eight: Florida vs. Tampa Bay and Colorado vs. St. Louis were set in the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs' final eight. Joining them: New York's Game 7 win sent the Rangers advancing to face Carolina, and Calgary's G7 win sets an all-Canada Matchup with Edmonton. Second-round Game 1s begin Tuesday and Wednesday.

6. MARLINS: Up-and-down Fish seek consistency as homestand continues: Marlins on Sunday wrapped up a three-day celebration of the 25th anniversary of the club's 1997 World Series champs in midst of a nine-game homestand. Back to reality: Current Marlins lost Sunday and are 3-11 since a seven-game win streak and 15-19 overall, down to fourth in the NL East. Fish host Nationals starting tonight then Braves.

7. INTER MIAMI: Herons settle for draw with D.C. United: Inter Miami is 3-0 in U.S Open Cup play entering round of 16 play May 24-25, but in the MLS the Herons are only 2-2-6 after Saturday night's 2-2 home tie with D.C United after Miami blew a 2-0 lead. Next up in league play: Wednesday at Philadelphia Union.

8. GOLF: PGA Championship this week with Tiger in field: The year's second major is this Thursday through next Sunday at Southern Hills in Oklahoma, with Tiger Woods among the final field of entrants. Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are out front of the betting favorites going in.

9. GOLF: PGA Tour escalates war with Saudi-backed breakout tour: London next month starting June 9 will host the inaugural tournament of the LIV Golf Invitational Series, a new startup circuit backed by Saudi Arabian riches and with Greg Norman as its face. The eight-event series is boasting $255 million in total payouts, with five events in the U.S. and three abroad. The PGA tour has drawn a hard line, threatening suspensions or even lifetime bans of players who compete in the new circuit if its events conflict with Tour events.

10. CANES BASEBALL: Miami loses series at rival FSU as ACC tourney nears: No. 6-ranked Canes baseball is 37-14 after dropping two of three at rival Florida State. Miami now has only four games left in regular season prior to the ACC Tournament and then NCAA regionals.

Missing the HB10 cut: The WNBA star Brittney Griner is being detained an additional month in Russia as the U.S. negotiates her release ..... The U.S. will host the Rugby World Cup in 2031 (men) and in 2033 (women). World Rugby, the governing body, hopes the sport will become as big here as it is elsewhere ..... Liverpool wins FA Cup Saturday in a 6-5 penalty shootout over Chelsea. Liverpool faces Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League finale May 28 in Paris ..... And the shot at another Triple Crown horse is done as Derby winner Rich Strike won't run in The Preakness ..... Anti-vaxxer Novak Djokovic wins 1,000th career match to reach final of Italian Open in tuneup for French Open ..... A Cleveland Guardians COVID outbreak caused postponement of a game vs. the White Sox. It was first game ppd'd by COVID this season. The virus postponed nine games last year and 45 in schedule-shortened 2020 ..... Oklahoma landed a quarterback transfer with the greatest name in sports history: General Booty ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode out Monday at 7 a.m. ..... Update: Countdown now 1,506 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup.

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ARCHIVES

Select other recent columns: Oladipo Crowns His Long Road Back, Lifts Heat Into Second Round / Blowing Up Dolphins' Brady-Payton Plan Parting Shot Of Flores Lawsuit. For Now / Heat 'Wildly Disrespected' No. 1 Seed, But that's Fine By Miami As Playoffs Begin / Inter Miami Has Been Major Failure For David Beckham. Here's The BIg Fix / Rotation Set, Lineup Improved, Excuses Gone. Time For Marlins To Win / Could Have Died. Nearly Lost a Leg. Tiger Playing Masters Means He's Already Won / The Lawsuit, 2 Months Later: Why Flores Has Already Won, And Dolphins Are Still Nervous / NCAA Final Four: Why America Was Rooting Against The Perfect Ending / Marlins Owner Sherman Said He'd Spend. Payroll Says It Hasn't Been Enough / Crushing End Short Of Final Four, But Miami Hurricanes' NCAA Run Was Exhilarating Milestone / Tyreek Hill Trade, Terron Armstead Signing A Win-Now Power Play By Dolphins / Dolphins' Moves Help Tua, But Isn't About Surrounding Cast. It's On him / Why Do We Love March Madness This Much? First, Look In The Mirror / Brady's Comeback Not About Another Ring. It's About Holding Onto Who He Is / When Spoelstra Joined Heat's 'Inner Circle' And Became Riley's Next Coach / Why Brittney Griner Is Lost In Russia / Chris Cote To Save Sport Of Jai-Alai / Brady A Dolphins Part Owner? Why It Could Happen / Why Derek Jeter-Marlins Marriage Fell Apart / Players Are On Right Side In Labor Dispute, But MLB Has Far Bigger Problem To Fix / Mickelson's Support Of Saudi Tour Mirrors Sports' Blind Eye to Human Rights / Top 15 Figures (Non-Athletes) In Miami Sports History / Hall of Fame Keeps Saying No, But Zach Thomas Keeps Feeling Gratitude / McDaniel Overcame Much In Own Life, Now Must Overcome Dolphins' Turmoil And Win / An Inside Preview Of Le Batard Show's Upcoming Musical. Yes, Musical / Ranking Flores/Ross Bombshell Among Biggest Dolphins Scandals / Ross Should Be Done As Fins Owner if Flores Allegations Are True  / Ortiz Makes Hall, But Final Denial Of Bonds, Clemens A Shame on Voters, Baseball / Time Is Right (But Running Out) For MLB to Reinstate Pete Rose /'There Was A Pall On Us': The Panthers Season That Would Not Be Derailed / No-Vaccine Is Your Right. But There Are Consequences as Djokovic Was Reminded / State Of Miami Sports: Every Major Team, Graded Top To Bottom / Dolphins Firing of Flores The Unjustified Travesty Of A Clown-Show Owner / Canes Land Grand Prize In Cristobal, So No Excuses Left. New Glory Days A Must / 50 Years At the Herald For Me -- And a Lifetime Of Gratitude / UM Legend Frank Gore Talks NFL Future, Cristobal, Boxing As He Prepes For Ring Debut / UM And Blake James Parted Ways With Class -- Which Butch Davis Didn't Get From FIU / Quenneville Rightly Sacked as Panthers Coach Over 2010 Chicago Scandal / 'Time to Hunt': Cats' Hyped Season Off to Wild, Winning Start / Dolphins Fans, Ex-Players Gather For Emotional Farewell to Don Shula, Father of the Glory Days / If Sports Had A Spine, Kyrie Irving & Other Anti-Vaxxers Wouldn't Be Playing / Kyle Lowry Must Channel 'Doctor Of Greatness' If Heat Is To Chase NBA Title / Fairy Tale With Wrong Ending: Remembering Jose Fernandez 5 Years Later / An Appreciation of Udonis Haslem As He Re-Ups For 19th Heat Season / College Football and FSU Lose a Treasure In Passing Of Bobby Bowden /  Biles' Withdrawal For Mental-Health Reasons Merits Empathy, Not Scorn / Where Dolphins Rank Among Teams With Longest Championship Droughts / Hot Seat Scale: Ranking Miami's Biggest Coaches By Most to Least Job Security / 'I'm D'Eriq King For College Hunks Hauling Junk!' It's Strange New World in College Sports / Nassib Coming Out As Gay NFL Player A Milestone In Sports History / Fate Snatched Basketball From Chris Bosh. His new Book Is Part of His Journey Of Healing / Where's Tua? Ranking Our Top 15 South Florida Pro Athletes 25 And Younger / Pythons, Peppers, Pirate Flag Raised. Inside Le Batard's 24-Hour Triumph / Le Batard Bet On Himself And His Audience -- And Won Big / Justice For George Floyd Helps Heal Our Shaken Faith, But Fight For Equality Goes On / In History And In Hearts, Howard Schnellenberger Will Matter For All Time / Women Keep Accusing Deshaun Watson of Sexual Misconduct. But Will It Matter to NFL? / Reality, Loss, Comeback: How Sports Has Been Guiding Light In America's Awful Past Year / Time-Travelling To 1960s And Childhood, When The Baseball Card Was King / Doesn't Matter If Tiger Woods Never Wins Again. We Are Lucky He's Alive / Marlins Hit History-Making Home Run With Kim NG Hire As GM / In a Pandemic-Battered Season For FIU, Butch Davis' Love Of Coaching Survives / Don Shula, 1930-2020, R.I.P. / What Shula Meant to a Father & Son. The Boy Was Me

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

1) It's MONDAY, MAY 2. Thank you for your service, April. See ya next year. Welcome back, May! 2) Visit BIG GAME: THE MUSICAL for Le Batard Show's album, which includes song by me. 3) Join me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Follow the Greg Cote Show podcast separately on Twitter, Instagram and now TikTok, too! 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Cote nails Dolphins' Tindall pick at 102nd, my Mock Draft results vs. Kiper, Inter Miami's sky-high aim for new stadium, new Greg Cote Show podcast, latest in Mount Gregmore of columns.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE OUT NOW! DID GREG REALLY KICK A 50-YARD FIELD GOAL? MEET THE EYE-WITNESS: Our 20th episode of 2022 and 111th overall is out now. A new episode drops every Monday at 7 a.m. ET on Apple, Spotify and wherever else you pod, and of course at MiamiHerald.com. Find all 111 we've done HERE, free. The most recent episode includes an eye-witness to Greg's long-held claim of having made a 50-yard field goal, and Phil Taylor on whether Greg actually beat him in a footrace. Also: Father-Son Cote Olympics continues with free-throw shooting, Greg explains his lifelong love of Elton John, and Greg's Mock Draft vs. Mel Kiper's. Hit up GCS2220 for full story on the latest ep, and watch our weekly YouTube preview. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, review and follow. We simulcast on Sirius XM, too, Mondays from 5-6 p.m. ET. And now, brand new, our podcast has an all-encompassing wesbite and merch store: Check it out at TheGregCoteShow.com!

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

Nailed it! Cote bull's-eyes Dolphin's Tindall pick at 102nd overall!: Hard enough to guess right on first round. To nail Miami's top pick at 102nd overall late in third round is, well, unheard of. But I did it. Proof is here: 31st Annual Official Miami Herald NFL Mock Draft. My overall first round Mock Draft results vs. ESPN mocklord Mel Kiper Jr.: Zagactos (aka exactos), right player to right team: Tied 6-6. Tiebreaker: Right player to right team in exact order: Cote 6, Kiper 5. Winner: By a nose at the wire ... Me! See ya next year, Junior.

MOUNT GREGMORE OF COLUMNS: OUR LATEST FIVE:

NEW! Why Quiet Draft With No 1st-Round Pick Was Great News For Dolphins NEW!

‘Centerpiece of futbol in world’: Dream is green-lit. Now can Inter Miami deliver?

31st Annual Official Miami Herald NFL Mock Draft

Oladipo Crowns His Long Road Back, Lifts Heat Into Second Round 

Butler, Heat Culture Arise as Miami Seizes 3-1 Series Lead

Hilltop: The most recent five after that: History Says Heat Still In Charge, But Blown Game 3 Lead Gives Atlanta Life / Only In Miami: Ex-Marlins Prez Samson Joins Fight vs. 'Boondoggle' Soccer Stadium / Marlins Declare 'Impatience," Delight Near-Sellout In Exciting Home Opener / Blowing Up Dolphins' Brady-Payton Plan Parting Shot Of Flores Lawsuit. For Now / Heat 'Wildly Disrespected' No. 1 Seed, But that's Fine By Miami As Playoffs Begin

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

1. HEAT: 76ers' Embiid out a huge break for Miami entering Game 1 Monday: Game 1 of Heat-76ers second round series is Monday night in Miami, with No. 1 East seed Heat the favorite even before the news Philly MVP-candidate center Joel Embiid will be out "indefinitely" with a right orbital fracture and mild concussion sustained in first round vs. Toronto. Embiid already was playing with a sprained thumb. Are we ready for 30 shots per game from James Harden? 

2. PANTHERS: Cats open Stanley Cup hunt at home vs. Capitals Tuesday: Florida hosts Game 1 of its first round NHL playoff series vs. Washington and goal monster Alex Ovechkin on Tuesday night. Panthers finished with best record (58-18-6), most goals scored and best goals differential yet are second betting favorite to win it all, just behind Colorado. Why? Track record. Since reaching Stanley Cup Finals in 1996, Cats have made the playoffs only six times and never gone beyond the first round. Different now? Seems so. But we'll see.

3. INTER MIAMI: Freedom Park 'yes' vote is Team Beckham's biggest win yet: Inter Miami scored the biggest win in its three-year MLS history this week. It was 4-1. That was the Miami city commission vote (finally) green-lighting Miami Freedom Park, set for a March 2025 opening. On the pitch, Herons are 3-1-5 after Saturday's 2-0 loss at New England ended a three-game win streak. Lads are back at it next Saturday in Charlotte.

4. DOLPHINS: Georgia LB Tindall is Miami's top pick in quiet draft: Miami had an NFL-low four picks and none until the 102nd overall, making Georgia linebacker Channing Tindall their first selection. Then again, Fins spent their top picks to get star WR Tyreek Hill from Chiefs, so if you wanted to call Hill Miami's No. 1 pick in this NFL Draft, I wouldn't argue much. No first round pick usually is a good sign for Miami. The nine previous times, eight winning seasons, six playoff berths and the '72 Perfect Season followed.

5. MARLINS: Shh. Overshadowed, but Fish win streak finally ends: Heat and Panthers in playoffs and NFL Draft have hogged the recent spotlight, but Marlins quietly won seven straight before losing Sunday and are 12-9 and second in NL East. This was Miami's longest win streak since 2016. As expected, pitching (seventh of 30 in team ERA) has made up for an offense 22nd in run production. Miami hosts Arizona for three games starting tonight. 

6. NBA: Title odds for final eight teams as 2nd round begins: NBA playoffs' second round begins with a pair of games Sunday, and Golden State (+300) and Phoenix (+325) are betting favorites to win it all among the final eight, followed by Boston (+375), Miami (+500) and reigning champion Milwaukee (+700). Longshots are Memphis (+1300), Dallas (+2000) and, because of the Embiid injury, Philadelphia (+2500).

7. MOTORSPORTS: Countdown 6 days 'til inaugural Miami Grand Prix: The first Miami Grand Prix of Formula One racing will run one week from today/Sunday in and around Hard Rock Stadium. Max Verstappen is a narrow betting favorire over Charles Leclerc to win. (Yes, Lewis Hamilton is in the event, too, for those who can only name one F1 driver).

8. RUNNING: Miami Corporate Run disrupts, angers thousands of concert goers: The Miami Corporate Run on Thursday evening halted and disrupted downtown traffic in rush hour Thursday evening. The gridlock in favor of a footrace caused thousands of music fans to be late for an Elton John concert they'd paid hundreds to see at the Heat arena. As if it didn't go without saying: Motorists and event-goers should not be diverted as second-class citizens so runners can clog roadways meant for motorists. Insane.

9. CANES BASKETBALL: Wong pivots over NIL threat to leave: Hurricanes guard and second-leading scorer on an Elite Eight team, Isaiah Wong, said he would not enter the transfer portal, less than 24 hours after his agent said he would transfer if his name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation was not. Wong now says he will keep his name in the NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility and leaving open the option to return to Miami. NIL figured to get ugly. It did.

10. MLB: Record domestic violence suspension for L.A.'s Bauer: Baseball announced a 324-game suspension for Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer, the equivalent of two full seasons -- and easily the most severe punishment handed out under the sport's domestic violence policy. Bauer quickly announced he would be appealing. Ironically, it seems very little about Bauer is appealing.

Missing the HB10 cut: Hurricanes football kept alive (barely) its now-48-year streak of players taken in the NFL Draft when defensive lineman Jonathan Ford was selected in the seventh round by Green Bay on Saturday. UM has had at least one player picked in every NFL Draft since 1975 -- fourth-longest streak in the nation ..... Mark Emmert has stepped down as NCAA president. What a thankless job that has become! ..... Liverpool (up two) and Manchester City (plus one) take advantages into this week's second-leg semifinal matches in the UEFA Champions League ..... Canes baseball is No. 3-ranked but not for long at 31-12 after four straight losses .....  Tennis great Boris Becker was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for illegally transferring large amounts of money and hiding assets after he was declared bankrupt ..... Shame on Miami Lakes for "moving on" from the Shula name ..... xxxxx ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode out Monday at 7 a.m. ..... Update: Countdown now 1,520 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup.

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ARCHIVES

Select other recent columns: Inter Miami Has Been Major Failure For David Beckham. Here's The BIg Fix / Rotation Set, Lineup Improved, Excuses Gone. Time For Marlins To Win / Could Have Died. Nearly Lost a Leg. Tiger Playing Masters Means He's Already Won / The Lawsuit, 2 Months Later: Why Flores Has Already Won, And Dolphins Are Still Nervous / NCAA Final Four: Why America Was Rooting Against The Perfect Ending / Marlins Owner Sherman Said He'd Spend. Payroll Says It Hasn't Been Enough / Crushing End Short Of Final Four, But Miami Hurricanes' NCAA Run Was Exhilarating Milestone / Tyreek Hill Trade, Terron Armstead Signing A Win-Now Power Play By Dolphins / Dolphins' Moves Help Tua, But Isn't About Surrounding Cast. It's On him / Why Do We Love March Madness This Much? First, Look In The Mirror / Brady's Comeback Not About Another Ring. It's About Holding Onto Who He Is / When Spoelstra Joined Heat's 'Inner Circle' And Became Riley's Next Coach / Why Brittney Griner Is Lost In Russia / Chris Cote To Save Sport Of Jai-Alai / Brady A Dolphins Part Owner? Why It Could Happen / Why Derek Jeter-Marlins Marriage Fell Apart / Players Are On Right Side In Labor Dispute, But MLB Has Far Bigger Problem To Fix / Mickelson's Support Of Saudi Tour Mirrors Sports' Blind Eye to Human Rights / Top 15 Figures (Non-Athletes) In Miami Sports History / Hall of Fame Keeps Saying No, But Zach Thomas Keeps Feeling Gratitude / McDaniel Overcame Much In Own Life, Now Must Overcome Dolphins' Turmoil And Win / An Inside Preview Of Le Batard Show's Upcoming Musical. Yes, Musical / Ranking Flores/Ross Bombshell Among Biggest Dolphins Scandals / Ross Should Be Done As Fins Owner if Flores Allegations Are True  / Ortiz Makes Hall, But Final Denial Of Bonds, Clemens A Shame on Voters, Baseball / Time Is Right (But Running Out) For MLB to Reinstate Pete Rose /'There Was A Pall On Us': The Panthers Season That Would Not Be Derailed / No-Vaccine Is Your Right. But There Are Consequences as Djokovic Was Reminded / State Of Miami Sports: Every Major Team, Graded Top To Bottom / Dolphins Firing of Flores The Unjustified Travesty Of A Clown-Show Owner / Canes Land Grand Prize In Cristobal, So No Excuses Left. New Glory Days A Must / 50 Years At the Herald For Me -- And a Lifetime Of Gratitude / UM Legend Frank Gore Talks NFL Future, Cristobal, Boxing As He Prepes For Ring Debut / UM And Blake James Parted Ways With Class -- Which Butch Davis Didn't Get From FIU / Quenneville Rightly Sacked as Panthers Coach Over 2010 Chicago Scandal / 'Time to Hunt': Cats' Hyped Season Off to Wild, Winning Start / Dolphins Fans, Ex-Players Gather For Emotional Farewell to Don Shula, Father of the Glory Days / If Sports Had A Spine, Kyrie Irving & Other Anti-Vaxxers Wouldn't Be Playing / Kyle Lowry Must Channel 'Doctor Of Greatness' If Heat Is To Chase NBA Title / Fairy Tale With Wrong Ending: Remembering Jose Fernandez 5 Years Later / An Appreciation of Udonis Haslem As He Re-Ups For 19th Heat Season / College Football and FSU Lose a Treasure In Passing Of Bobby Bowden /  Biles' Withdrawal For Mental-Health Reasons Merits Empathy, Not Scorn / Where Dolphins Rank Among Teams With Longest Championship Droughts / Hot Seat Scale: Ranking Miami's Biggest Coaches By Most to Least Job Security / 'I'm D'Eriq King For College Hunks Hauling Junk!' It's Strange New World in College Sports / Nassib Coming Out As Gay NFL Player A Milestone In Sports History / Fate Snatched Basketball From Chris Bosh. His new Book Is Part of His Journey Of Healing / Where's Tua? Ranking Our Top 15 South Florida Pro Athletes 25 And Younger / Pythons, Peppers, Pirate Flag Raised. Inside Le Batard's 24-Hour Triumph / Le Batard Bet On Himself And His Audience -- And Won Big / Justice For George Floyd Helps Heal Our Shaken Faith, But Fight For Equality Goes On / In History And In Hearts, Howard Schnellenberger Will Matter For All Time / Women Keep Accusing Deshaun Watson of Sexual Misconduct. But Will It Matter to NFL? / Reality, Loss, Comeback: How Sports Has Been Guiding Light In America's Awful Past Year / Time-Travelling To 1960s And Childhood, When The Baseball Card Was King / Doesn't Matter If Tiger Woods Never Wins Again. We Are Lucky He's Alive / Marlins Hit History-Making Home Run With Kim NG Hire As GM / In a Pandemic-Battered Season For FIU, Butch Davis' Love Of Coaching Survives / Don Shula, 1930-2020, R.I.P. / What Shula Meant to a Father & Son. The Boy Was Me

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

1) It's MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14. Happy Valentine's Day, sweethearts! 2) Join me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Follow the Greg Cote Show podcast separately on Twitter, Instagram and now TikTok, too! 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Zach Thomas on missing Hall again, Dolphins introduce Mike McDaniel, Super Bowl predictions, Smirk Week, Greg Cote Show podcast.

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!: Our 8th episode of 2022 and 99th overall is out now! A new pod drops every Monday at 7 ET on Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon, Stitcher, Megaphone, iHeart -- wherever you pod, and of course at MiamiHerald.com. Find all 99 we've done so far HERE, free. In our new episode, we continue The Greg Cote Show Non-Sport Olympics, but with a live audience, and talk Super Bowl, Brian Flores suit, and new Dolphins coach Mke McDaniel. Also in the the latest ep: Drake (!) makes brief appearance; Greg’s business lunch with LeBron James; Greg brags about leaving big tip; Would you rather lick toad or toe?; Chris can’t believe Flores turned down lunch with Tom Brady; and Farding (not farting; farding). And, on a serious note, Greg's tribute to a dear friend who recently died unexpectedly. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, rate, review and follow. (Our pod simulcasts on Sirius XM every Monday 5-6 p.m. ET).

OUR BENGALS-RAMS SUPER BOWL PICK: We nailed it! (Sort of). We called the Rams' win. But had them covering 3 1/2 points, so missed that by a point. For our full predix capsule, who'll win and why: Super Bowl Gem.

Flurry of recent Dolphins-related columns: Hall of Fame Keeps Saying No, But Zach Thomas Keeps Feeling Gratitude / and McDaniel Overcame Much In Own Life, Now Must Overcome Dolphins' Turmoil And Win. Also: Dolphins New Coach McDaniel Must Win, Heal Broken Franchise / Ranking Flores/Ross Bombshell Among Biggest Dolphins Scandals / and Ross Should Be Done As Fins Owner if Flores Allegations Are True.

Super Bowl With a Smirk quintet: SMIRK V ($1 million party ticket). SMIRK IV (Hip-hop halftime). SMIRK III (Last members of been-to-every-game club). SMIRK II (Joe Nickname, SB commercials). SMIRK I (City wars: L.A. glitz vs. Dull Cincy).

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (FEBRUARY 13-14): 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: Rams reign on Super Bowl Sunday!: L.A. Rams are champs after beating Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in the last minute. A so-so game was redeemed by the exciting finish. Halftime show tried valiantly but could not leave up ot the enormous expectations. Commercials disappointed except for a few. And I have the Super Bowl flu. God Bless America! 

2. DOLPHINS: Miami officially introduces new coach Mike McDaniel: The guy replacing fired Brian Flores met the media for first time. Owner Stpehen Ross and GM Chris Grier took no questions (unfortunately but predictably), but first question to McDaniel was about the Flores-lawuit allegations againast Ross. McDaniel said it raised "no red flags" for him. Points to the new guy for blinders-on against the controversy and making it football-only. His new staff in progress notably added Wes Welker as receivers coach.

3. OLYMPICS: Chen, Kim leading Team USA gold rush: Team USA has climbed to third place in the medal count at the Winter Olympics in Bejing, with 16 total including seven golds into Monday's action. Nathan Chen in figure skating singles, Chloe Kim in snowboarding halfpipe and most recently Erin Jackson in 500m speedskating lead the gold rush. Elsewhere, Kamila Valieva's controversy, Mikaela Shiffrin's disappointment and Shaun White's farewell have made headlines.

4. HEAT: Miami quiet at deadline, but not on court with 5th W: Heat did nothing big before NBA trade deadline, but why should they? Miami is 37-20 and in first place in the East on the court after a fifth straight win Saturday, tyig a season-long streak. Miami is back on the floor Tuesday as Dallas visits.  

5. NBA: Harden-Simmons tops deadline deals: The Brooklyn-Philly trade-deadline blockbuster essentially sends James Harden to 76ers and Ben Simmons and two first-round picks to Nets as boht try to improve their disappointing standing in the East. Other deadlines moves of note: Kristaps Porzingis to Wizards, Serge Ibaka to Bucks and old Heat favorite Goran Dragic to Spurs.

6. HALLS OF FAME: Canton shuts out Zach Thomas, Canes trio: Pro Football Hall of Fame let in a slew in its 2022 class -- Tony Boselli, LeRoy Butler, Sam Mills, Richard Seymour, Bryant Young, Cliff Branch, Art McNally and Dick Vermeil -- but Canton forgot all about Miami. No (again) to Dolphins great Zach Thomas. And no to the hopeful ex-Canes trio of Devin Hester, Andre Johnson and Reggie Wayne.

7. HURRICANES: 5-Star QB, Ruiz's dream keep momentum going: Canes football momentum since the Mario Cristobal hire is palpbale. The latest: The hiring of Josh Gattis as offensive coordinator now has UM a serious contender for 2023 five-star quarterback Dante Moore. Meanwhile John Ruiz, the Miami billionaire lawyer and mega-donor, now includes Tropical Park as the latest possibility for a new Canes football stadium.  

8. PANTHERS: Cats finally return to ice this week: Florida is atop the East at 32-10-5 but will there be rust when Panthers to to the ice this Wednesday at Carolina? Between the NHL All-Star break and a mandatory one-week midseason bye, this will be the Cats' first game since February 1, a 15-day break.

9. AWARDS: MVP Aaron Rodgers top NFL Honors show: Three thoughts from the NFL Honors show: 1) What exactly is that hairstyle of MVP Aaron Rodgers' called?; 2) What's with the NFL's concerted but failed effort to covince us the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for community service is its biggest prize?; and 3) Christian Wilkins' 310-pound worm celebration made the night. But, when did we start calling a celebration a "celly"?

10. UM BASKETBALL: Canes men making case for NCAA invite: As March Madness nears, Canes men are 17-7 (10-4 ACC) and considered on inside edge of an NCAA Tournament invite after Saturday's 76=72 comeback win at Wake Forest. Jim Larranaga's guys are back at it Wednesday at Louisville with seven games left in regular season. UM women are 13-10/6-7 after Sunday's home win over nemesis Florida State, kindling hope for a late rally into contention for the NCAAs.

Missing the HB10 cut: No. 25-ranked Canes baseball opens its season with a home series vs. Towson State starting this coming Friday ..... The MLB lockout continues, now more than 70 days in and with the late-February start of spring training games in peril. Commissioner Rob Manfred said a delay of Opening Day would be a "disastrous outcome" ..... The SheBelieves Cup in women's soccer kicks off this Thursday in California. The USWNT faces Iceland on February 23 in Texas ..... NASCAR's first major event of the new season, the Daytona 500, is next Sunday ..... A Pele' rookie card from 1958 sold for $1.33 million, the first soccer card to top $1M ..... Twin countdown for Inter Miami: Stadium vote on February 23, opening of team's MLS Year 3 on February 26 ..... The HBCU Legacy Bowl next Saturday concludes the run of college all-star showcase games ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode out Monday at 7 a.m. ..... Update: Countdown now 1,597 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup.

Select other most recent columns: The G.O.A.T. We Never Saw Coming: From 199th Drafted To History, A Salute To Tom Brady / Like Him Or Don't, Antonio Brown Not Always To Blame -- And Wasn't In Bucs Divorce / Ortiz Makes Hall, But Final Denial Of Bonds, Clemens A Shame on Voters, Baseball / Mahomes-Allen Air Show A Reminder How Much Better Dolphins And Tua Need To Be / Time Is Right (But Running Out) For MLB to Reinstate Pete Rose /'There Was A Pall On Us': The Panthers Season That Would Not Be Derailed / No-Vaccine Is Your Right. But There Are Consequences as Djokovic Was Reminded / State Of Miami Sports: Every Major Team, Graded Top To Bottom /Dolphins Firing of Flores The Unjustified Travesty Of A Clown-Show Owner / Canes Land Grand Prize In Cristobal, So No Excuses Left. New Glory Days A Must and 50 Years At the Herald For Me -- And a Lifetime Of Gratitude.

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

1) It's MONDAY, DECEMBER 20. Check out last Tuesday's Le Batard Show podcasts for my new Dolphins Christmas song. 2) Join me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Follow the Greg Cote Show podcast separately on Twitter, Instagram and now TikTok, too! 3) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): NFL Week 15 picks, Greg Cote Show podcast, Week 14 results for picks/Lobos/QB ranking.

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

GREG COTE SHOW PODCAST: SPECIAL NEW EPISODE WITH BELOVED HUMORIST DAVE BARRY OUT NOW!: Our 49th episode of 2021 and 91st overall is out now -- and it's a must-hear special one. A new pod drops every Monday at 7 ET on Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon, Stitcher, Megaphone, iHeart -- wherever you pod, and of course at MiamiHerald.com. Find all 91 we've done so far HERE, free. In our newest episode: Pulitzer Prize-winning author and humorist Dave Barry joins us for a lengthy conversation ranging from the inanity of his 2021 Holiday Gift Guide to a serious talk about some of the personal tragedy he's lived thorugh and how that has informed his humor. Also in the new episode: My Dolphins Christmas song, the Fins' 6th win in a row, Greg's Lobos gird for fantasy playoffs and much more. Thanks as always for the support, pod family. Please listen, rate, review and follow. (Our pod simulcasts on Sirius XM every Monday 5-6 p.m. ET).

NFL Week 15 picks: For Dolphins-Jets and all the rest: NFL Week 15 Gems.

Dolphins-Jets column: Off Sunday's 31-24 Miami win: Duuuuuke Lifts Fins to 6th Straight Win, .500.

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

HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (DECEMBER 19-20): WHAT SOUTH FLORIDA SPORTS FANS ARE TALKING ABOUT: Our blog-exclusive Sunday-into-Monday feature is part week-in-review, part look-ahead. Hot Button means what's on our minds, locally and nationally, from a Miami perspective, as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead. The latest HB10:

This was the week the resurgence of COVID greatly impacted sports, near and wide, to a degree not seen since 2020. Examples are below as leagues scramble to tighten precautions and protocols.

1. DOLPHINS: Fins, hit by COVID, stay hot with 6th win in row: Miami cimbed  to 7-7 and .500 Sunday with the 31-24 comeback win over the rival Jets at Hard Rock. Jaylen Waddle and Jevon Howard had to sit out, but Fins got a hge day from Duke Johnson and six sacks in keeping (slim) playoff hopes alive.

2. HURRICANES: Cristobal scores big on early National Signing Day: New coach Mario Cristobal kept six of eight Manny Diaz recruits and added eight ore on early NSD, including TE Jaleel Skinner (a big flip from Alabama) and DL Nyjalik Kelly from backyard Dillard. UM also scored DL Jacob Lichtenstein from USC via the transfer portal. 

3. PANTHERS: Cats, wracked by virus, have 3 games postponed: Florida is 18-7-4 after three straight losses and has dropped to third place in the East -- a virus-depleted roster largely to blame. Already missing Aleksander Barkov to injury, seven players in COVID protcol caused the NHL to include Florida among a spate of postponements. Three Panthers games scheduled for Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday have bee postponed until after Christmas.

4. NFL: Three Week 15 games delayed by COVID: Teams severely hit by COVID depletions caused three games to be rescheduled: Raiders-Browns from Saturday to Monday, and Washington-Eagfles and Seahawks-Rams from Sunday to Tuesday. It's first time this season the virus has directly impacted the schedule.

5. HEAT: Miami grinding with two top stars sidelined: Miami is 18-13 after Sunday's loss in Detroit, hurt by the continued injury absence of Bam Adebayo, sidelined until January, and Jimmy Butler, who has missed 14 games including six in a row and 10 of the past 11. Stepping up: The likes of Max Strus and Gabe Vincent.

6. NBA: Curry break's Allen's 3-point record: Golden State's Steph Curry is the NBA's new career leader in 3-point field goals made, surpassing Ray Allen's record of 2,973. Allen made 255 of his long buckets with the Maimi Heat in 2012-14, his final two seasons.

7. GOLF: Tiger makes return in event with son: Tiger Woods and 12-year-old son Charlie combined to foinish secod by two shotsto John Daly and son in the PNC Championship in Orlando, a fun event that pairs a major champion with a family member and ended Sunday. It was Tiger's first competition since his major car crash last February. What's next? Stay tuned.

8. BOXING: Paul wins, Gore loses debut on undercard: Jake Paul scored a sixth-round knockout over Tyron Woodley Saturday night in Tampa then began bleating for a UFC invite. Former football star Frank Gore lose his pro boxing debut on the undercard in a four-round split decision to Deron Williams. In round two Gore got shoved thorugh the ropes, an instant meme.

9. INTER MIAMI: Wheelin' and dealin' Beckham and team: Inter Miami announced the 34-match 2022 season, its third in MLS, would begin February 26 and in past week swung three trades, acquiring $1.2 million for M Lewis Morgan, F Ariel Lassiter for $100,000, and M Mo Adams for GK Dylan Castanheira. In the biggest deal of all, club prez Davd Beckham bought a 100-foot yacht for $6.5 million.

10. CANES BASKETBALL: COVID forces UM women to forfeit ACC opener: Hurricanes women are 7-4 after today's/Sunday's game vs. No. 15 Duke was ruled a forfeit because COVID protocols left Miami unable to field a team for its conference opener. UM's men are 8-3 and 1-0 in the ACC.

Missing the HB10 cut: On the bright side, Urban Meyer did last 13 whole games as an NFL coach ...., Welcome becak, Kyrie Irving. Wait. Oh ..... The annual men's basketball Orange Bowl Classic in Sunrise Saturday was cut in half when COVID forced Florida State to bow out of its game with UCF. FSU is one of 17 Division 1 men's teams and the only in Florida to see its schedule impacted. The other OBC game went on, and Florida Gators beat South Florida, 66-55 ..... Jackson State coach Deion Sanders, who I refuse to call "Coach Prime," made the biggest splash of early National Signing Day by getting 5-star recruit Travis Hunter to flip from Florida State (Sanders' alma mater) his own school, a triumph for HBCU schools ..... Nine college football bowl games done, only 35 to go! ..... MLB lockout enters its third week and everybody is losing, especially the sport ..... NBA trade window is open. Can the Sixers just trade Ben Simmons already!? ..... Seven players went in NSWL expansion draft, available Megan Rapinoe not among them ..... Max Verstappen won his first Formula One world title ..... The Greg Cote Show podcast is back with a new episode Monday at 7 a.m. ET ..... Update: Countdown now 1,653 days (give or take) until Miami hosts its first match in soccer's 2026 World Cup.

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

1) It's SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2. Farewell, September, month of my birth -- and welcome, October! 2) Was back in with Le Batard Show yesterday, including a new Back In My Day. Check out Tuesday's show's podcasts! 3) Join me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Follow the Greg Cote Show podcast separately on Twitter, Instagram and now TikTok, too! 4) In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Hot Button Top 10, new Greg Cote Show podcast & more.

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

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

Canes lose heartbreaker to Virginia in ACC opener: A so-far-disappointing Miami played its first ACC game last night vs. Vrginia as slight home favorite at Hard Rock. The Canes could have gotten a big jump on winning the Coastal ... or continue to disappoint. They lost 30-28 on a last second missed field goal. For my column off the game, visit Unlucky, But Heat on Manny Diaz Rises With Home Loss In ACC Opener.

IF SPORTS HAD A SPINE, KYRIE IRVING & OTHER ANTI-VAXXERS WOULDN'T BE PLAYING: The NBA steps into its third season affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, poised to welcome back full arenas as America and sports take off the masks, replace them with blinders and pretend the public health crisis of our time is over even though all know it is not. If you want to know why it is not, look around. There are 100 million examples among us. They are the willfully unvaccinated. They are trapping us in this nightmare with their astounding, selfish ignorance. If you want the perfect example of this, the new face of the problem, basketball star Kyrie Irving is raising his hand to volunteer. For our full latest column, visit If Sports Had A Spine, Kyrie Irving & Other Anti-Vaxxers Wouldn't Be Playing.

KYLE LOWRY MUST BE 'DOCTOR OF GREATNESS' IF HEAT IS TO MAKE A TITLE CHASE: It was a moment between the doctor and the entrepreneur, both of them wearing Miami Heat uniforms. Dr. Kyle Lowry sat answering questions behind the microphone at the team’s Media Day on Monday when his new teammate crept low into the room and (not inconspicuously at all) placed a cup of Big Face Coffee within Lowry’s reach. “Ladies and gentlemen, that was Jimmy Butler,” Lowry said. “No it wasn’t,” came Butler’s playful voice as he left the room. Butler founded his burgeoning coffee company during the pandemic. Last month it scored rights to some highly rated Pacamara variety green coffee at an auction in El Salvador. It was earlier this year when Butler’s new teammate, still with the Toronto Raptors then, became Dr. Kyle Lowry, receiving an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from Acadia University in Nova Scotia, Canada. He was asked then to define what his title meant. “Doctor of Greatness,” he said. The Heat is about to find out as NBA training camp begins Tuesday with Lowry the new star in South Florida sports and the reason he chose Miami in free agency unequivocal: “To win a championship,” he said. For our full recent column, visit Kyle Lowry Must Channel 'Doctor Of Greatness' If Heat Is To Chase NBA Title.

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

OUR RESULTS ON NFL WEEK 3 PICKS: SOUND OVERALL, EVEN AGAINST SPREAD: Went a stout 11-5 straight-up in our Week 3 NFL picks, and an OK-but-not-really 8-8 against the spread.  Highights: Now 3-0 on Upset of the Week picks after nailing Packers winning at San Fran. Also called Rams upet win over Bucs, and had a pair of 'dogs-with-points on covers by Dolphins and Chargers. The bad news: Too many misfires, including thinking Philly would cover at Dallas Monday night. Ouch.

GREG'S LOBOS: BIG WEEK 3 NETS SECOND STRAIGHT WIN IN PFPI FANTASY: After droppingg our opener the Lobos have roared back with two straight wins -- the latest a 141-127 W over Cori (Chris' sister-in-law). Won it on Monday night, getting a big 26 points from game MVL Ezekiel Eliott and adding eight from Dallas Goedert. Earlier got 22 from Ja'Marr Chase, who has earned a start for us at flex. Let's keeping putting a obos Mint under our pillow and dreaming big!

HERALD NFL WEEK 3 QB RANKINGS: ALLEN, BRADY TOP THE LATEST MARQUEE: Bills' Josh Allen wins Week 3 honors while Bucs' Tom Brady (!) climbs to the No. 1 spot overall in the Miami Herald's 24th season of NFL quarterback rankings. Story and updated Top 20 chart here: NFL Week 3 QB Rankings.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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