GREG COTE’S HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (SEPTEMBER 29): WHAT IN SPORTS HAS GRABBED US THIS WEEK : Our Sunday Hot Button Top 10 notes column brings you what’s on our minds, locally and nationally, but from a Miami perspective and accentuating stuff that’s big, weird, damnable, funny or otherwise worth needling as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead. Welcome to the 75th edition of your Sunday sports-potpourri notes column, the HB10:
1. DOLPHINS: Miami tabs Snoop as top Dogg for Monday night: Quarterback Tyler (Snoop) Huntley will be behind center Monday night as the Dolphins host Tennessee, replacing injured starter Tua Tagovailoa and injured backup Skylar Thompson. The 1-2 Fins have nudged up as from a 1- to a 2-point favorite against the winless Titans. Miami lucks to face a winnable four-game schedule stretch with the Patriots, Colts and Cardinals to follow.
2. HURRICANES: Lucky, last-second win in ACC opener the reality check UM needed: No. 7 Miami is a 5-0 team lucky to not be 4-1 after Friday night’s 38-34 home escape vs. Virginia Tech in the ACC opener. Official ruled Tech scored the winning pass on a Hail Mary as time expired but the call was controversially overturned on review. Canes had outscored their first four opponents 207-41, and I’d put Friday’s scare in the beneficial wakeup call/reality check category with challenging road trips to Cal and then No. 15 Louisville on deck.
3. MARLINS: Fish flush season today; Skip out; MLB playoffs on deck: The fire-sale Fish flush another sad season down the commode today at 61-100 entering the finale in Toronto. Miami manager Skip Schumaker is out as expected in a mutual parting. MLB postseason finds Shohei Ohtani’s Dodgers the betting fave to win the World Series followed by the Yankees and Phillies. Playoffs open with four wild-card games Tuesday -- with the NL’s Braves, Mets and Diamondbacks fighting down to the dramatic last day for the final two WC spots.
4. INTER MIAMI: Messi scores for draw; team can clinch Supporters Shield Wednesday: Lionel Messi’s goal in the 67th minute Saturday forged a 1-1 home draw with Charlotte and enabled Inter Miami on Wednesday at Columbus to clinch the MLS Supporters Shield for best season record in the league. Miami then finishes at Toronto and home vs. New England before the playoffs begins. Herons are healthy betting favorites to win the franchise’s first MLS Cup championship.
5. WNBA: Caitlin Clark eliminated; playoffs decide to go on anyway: Rookie sensation Clark’s Indiana Fever were eliminated 2-0 in the playoffs’ first round as America mourned -- but the postseason, though diminished, bravely carries anyway. It’s New York Liberty vs. two-time defending champ Las Vegas Aces and Minnesota Lynx vs. Connecticut Sun in the conference finals starting today/Sunday. As for the Caitlin Effect: WNBA enjoyed its best attendance in 22 years, sellouts were up 242 percent, TV viewership was the best in 24 years, and merch sales spiked by 601%.
6. PANTHERS: Stanley Cup champ Cats nine days from NHL opener: The Panthers are 3-2 in the preseason after Saturday’s win vs. Carolina, with three practice games left starting Monday vs. Tampa. The champs begin defense of their Stanley Cup for real in nine days, October 8 at home vs. Boston -- the polar opposite of a soft opening. Cats eliminated the Bruins 4-2 in the second round of the ‘24 playoffs in the most physical test of the postseason.
7. TENNIS: Billie Jean King awarded major U.S. honor: For her career on the court and perhaps more so off it, Billie Jean King has received the Congressional Gold Medal -- the first individual woman athlete so honored. President Joe Biden signed the legislation recognizing King’s groundbreaking contributions. Now 80, King won 12 Grand Slam single titles and also blazed trails in gender equality, equal pay and women’s and LGBTQ rights. A big life well led -- and thankfully still going.
8. HEAT: As preseason nears, shade on Miami’s new alternate jersey: Every NBA team will introduce new “City Edition” alternate jerseys this season. The website SB Nation ranked them and the Miami Heat’s CE threads are one of five teams graded last in the F-tier with Heat listed at the very bottom. It’s a red, sleeveless jersey with ‘Heat’ in small letters below ‘CULTURE’ in bigger script. I don’t hate it but it is an extra heavy lean on the whole Heat Culture thing, which drives some folks nuts. (Team stages its media day Monday ahead of its preseason opener October 8.)
9. GOLF: Company benefiting from Tiger’s name sues Tiger in trademark dispute: A company that sells helmet-cooling products for athletes called Tigeraire is suing Tiger Woods’ apparel brand Sun Day Red in a trademark dispute, claiming the brand “unlawfully hijacked” its logo design. (Both designs show a silhouette of a tiger.) Sports word association with the word “tiger” = Tiger Woods. Dear Tigeraire: Who’s ripping off who?
10. OLYMPICS: The value of a gold medal to one man in Hungary: Hungarian fencer László Csongrádi won gold in men’s team sabre at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. This month, his prize was stolen when his home was broken into as he slept. Now 65, Csongrádi so badly wants his medal back he has offered, upon his death, to leave it in his will to the thief who stole it if it is returned. “I want him to return the object that means nothing to him,” he said. The medal would be returned with no such macabre strings attached, if only there was honor among thieves.
NEW HB10 FEATURE: THE LIST : ‘The List’ will bring you something unexpected every Sunday. Our debut:
THE LIST: DOLPHINS QB DURABILITY : Miami quarterbacks who have started every game in a season:
Number of times / Player (Seasons)
11 / Dan Marino (1984-86, ‘88-92, ‘94, ‘97-98)
4 / Ryan Tannehill (2012-15)
2 / Bob Griese (1970, ‘77)
1 each / David Woodley 1982*, Jay Fiedler 2001, Chad Pennington 2008, Tua Tagovailoa 2023. *-Strike-shortened season.
Other most recent stuff from me: No. 7 Hurricanes get lucky & get wakeup call in 38-34 win over Virginia Tech // Dolphins have talent to win even with QB mess -- but must plan for life after Tua // NFL Week 4 picks // Are No. 7 Miami Hurricanes really as good as they’ve looked? The proving starts now // Herald NFL Week 3 QB Rankings // Bad gets worse as calamity-struck Miami Dolphins lose another game, another QB // Previous HB10 // Poll Dance: Is Eli Manning a hall of Famer? // Raiders coach, others telling Tua to retire: Shut up! His life, his decision // Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill victim of police abuse of power, MDPD needs to apologize /./ Miami Dolphins own city’s heart, now it’s time to reward starved Dolfans with new glory days // Le Batard Show reveals major new partnership, 20th anniversary plans // Cristobal’s Hurricanes stake best-in-ACC claim with 41-17 opening rout at Florida // 2024 NFL Team Rankings: 1 to 32, Super Bowl to dregs // Mario Cristobal’s rebuild of Miami Hurricanes has been ‘massive.’ Now it’s time to win big // Messi at 37 has missed more than half of Inter Miami games. Cherish him while you can // Book it! Miami Hurricanes will vie for ACC title, make playoff in huge return to power // Jazz trade continues Miami Marlins’ losing cycle of talent-for-prospects cost cutting // And my latest podcast:
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