Greg Cote’s Hot Button Top 10: U.S. fights off Canada, Messi & Inter Miami open, Tyreek’s race & more
GREG COTE’S HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (FEBRUARY 16): 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 94th edition of your HB10:
1. PANTHERS/NHL: Team USA beats Canada to reach 4 Nations final: Team USA quite literally fought to a 3-1 win over rival Canada Saturday night in Montreal to assure the Americans a spot in Thursday night’s 4 Nations Face-Off championship game in Boston. There were three fights in the game’s first nine seconds. (No, seriously.) U.S. has a meaningless game vs. Sweden Monday while Canada plays a must-win against Finland.
2. INTER MIAMI: Opening Week for Messi’s final year (probably) in Miami: A draw at Orlando City closed a promising preseason at 4-0-1 for Miami. Now the real matches begin as the Herons play at Sporting Kansas City on Tuesday in the first round of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, and then open the MLS regular season next Saturday at home vs. New York City FC. On a bit of an off-key note, IM’s under-13 won a match 12-0, with Diego Messi scoring 11 goals -- three in the final minutes. Bad look. Lionel Messi’s kid or not, remember sportsmanship, yeah?
3. HEAT/NBA: Miami skids into All-Star break; Arison in Hall?: Heat ride a four-game post-Butler skid and are 25-28 and barely hanging onto play-in playoff pace at the All-Star turn culminating with today’s game(s) in San Fran. Brighter side? Club majority owner Micky Arison is among 17 finalists for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 headlined by Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard and Sue Bird. Arison would be 10th person with Heat ties to be inducted. In his 29 years atop the club Arison has overseen three NBA titles, seven Finals. 10 Eastern finals and 23 playoff appearances.
4. MARLINS: Full spring training begins Monday in Jupiter: New manager Clayton McCullough, opening day starter Sandy Alcantara and the rest of the Marlins stage their first full-squad workout Monday building to their spring opener next Saturday. The low-spending, mostly no-name Fish are among he biggest longshots in MLB this season. Do you believe in miracles?
5. DOLPHINS: Tyreek to race Noah Lyles; farewell Mostert: Miami is waiving running back Raheem Mostert in a salary-cap move. Bigger, sillier Fins news: Wideout Tyreek Hill and reigning Olympic 100- meter champion Noah Lyles have agreed to race each other this spring or early summer after a couple of years of trash-talking about who’s faster. Distance to be determined, with Lyles a huge favorite at 100 yards and a small one at 60. Either way what could possibly go wrong so close to the U.S. track championships and NFL training camp other than both men pulling a hamstring in a ridiculous brag-run?
6. NASCAR: Season on with Sunday’s Daytona 500!: Today the gentlemen start their engines at Daytona in “The Great American Race.” William Byron is reigning 500 champ but Joey Logano won the season-long title, his third. Kyle Busch is the betting favorite today just ahead of Denny Hamlin, Logano, Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski and Kyle Larson, with Byron close by.
7. TENNIS: World No. 1 suspended for doping: The unavoidably easy joke out of the way first: No athlete has had a more appropriate surname than the 23-year-old Italian, Jannik Sinner. The men’s No. 1 in the ATP rankings accepted a three-month ban from the sport to settle a case that has dragged on for months after he twice tested positive for the banned substance Clostebol, an anabolic steroid. His wrist-slap ban through May 4 will make him eligible to play the French Open,the next major. Sad and bad for tennis. At least there is no end-date for the stain on Sinner’s name and reputation.
8. NFL: Dolphins turn up on Aaron Rodgers’ next-team odds: After the Rodgers/Jets divorce SportsBetting.ag released updated Rodgers next-team odds and Steelers are now even-odds at 1-1 to opt for Rodgers over both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. The 49ers are next at 3-1, then Saints at 5-1 and Raiders 7-1. Miami turns up tied for 10th-best odds at 18-1. Two things: 1) I think Rodgers will retire but if he continues it’ll be as a starter not a backup. 2) If the Dolphins sign Rodgers to replace Tua Tagovailoa I’l hitchhike from here to Winnipeg.
9. NASCAR: Miami’s Pitbull abruptly resigns as team owner: Mr. 305, Latin hip-hop and pop star Pitbull, has ended his four-year NASCAR ownership in Trackhouse Racing -- abruptly, on the eve of the season-opening Daytona 500. Trackhouse has won eight races in the past four years and has four drivers in Sunday’s 500. Calling it his decision, Pitbull said, “We’ve made history by introducing NASCAR to a whole new audience.” Meanwhile FIU football stunk at 4-8 this past season its first playing at the newly renamed Pitbull Stadium.
10. NFL: The sweet story of Bills mailroom worker ‘Slick Rick’: Eagles winning it all takes a backseat to my favorite story of the NFL playoffs. Bills QB Josh Allen in his MVP acceptance speech mentioned a team mailroom worker he called ‘Slick Rick’ -- and it has been a life-altering thing for Roderick Morrow. “It was like, wow, I’m a nobody, just an average guy,” he said. Morrow does not own a car; has taken the bus to and from One Bills Drive for 26 years. But no more. A local auto dealer moved by the story has gifted Morrow a car. Sweet.
THE LIST: The List is taking the week off. See you next Sunday!
GREG COTE’S POLL DANCE: 0ff this week. Back next Sunday. Previous Poll Dance verdict: We asked, “How do you grade the Miami Heat on its Jimmy Butler trade?” You said: Grade B 39 percent, Grade A 37%, Grade D 15%, Grade C 9%.
Other most recent stuff from me: Colleges to pros, a revolution in sports is all around us // What Eagles win tells teams like Dolphins, plus Super Bowl winners & losers // Previous HB10 // Poll Dance; Butler trade // Super Bowl LIX pick // Smirk V / Smirk IV / Smirk III / Smirk II / Smirk I // Miami misses on Durant, but trading Butler brings gust of fresh air -- and Heat got plenty in return // Dolphins trading for Browns defensive star Myles Garrett wold be boldness Miami needs // Amid Miami’s Butler drama, all-star Herro, Ware lead surge of Heat home-grown talent // Unprofessional Jimmy Butler quit on Heat, ruined his legacy in Miami // Hurricanes bank on QB Carson Beck to lead ‘monster jump’ to 6th national title // Our Top 10 biggest Miami/South Florida sports stories of 2024 // Canes’ Larranaga lost heart for game in ‘new world’ cannibalizing college sports // It’s mountaintop to hinterlands for Miami Marlins’ new manager // Messi, Inter Miami out in MLS playoffs’ first round a stunning disappointment // Pete Rose wasn’t perfect, but MLB’s endless lack of mercy followed him to grave // And my latest podcast:
This story was originally published February 16, 2025 at 10:33 AM.
