Greg Cote’s Hot Button Top 10: Panthers face next ‘must-win,’ Inter Miami skids, Riley talks & more
GREG COTE’S HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (MAY 11): WHAT IN SPORTS HAS GRABBED US THIS WEEK: Our Sunday Hot Button Top 10 notes column -- back after a week off -- 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 103rd edition of your HB10:
1. PANTHERS: They’re aliiiive! Game 3 OT thriller rescues Florida’s season (for now): Champion Panthers were down 2-0 in games and 2-0 and then 3-1 in goals Friday night at home to Toronto -- at risk of falling into an 0-3 series hole that has been escaped only four times in 212 tries in NHL history. But they won on a Brad Marchand overtime goal and now can tie the series in Game 4 back in the Sunrise barn Sunday night. Thriller of a game to keep hope alive. But tonight feels like another (all but) must-win
2. INTER MIAMI: Team Messi in worst skid as Club World Cup nears: Still reeling from its disappointing semifinals ouster from the CONCACAF Champions Cup tournament, Inter Miami resumed MLS action Saturday with a 4-1 loss at Minnesota -- the Herons’ fourth loss in the past five matches. Messi cashed Miami’s only goal in the 48th minute. IM is now 6-2-3 in league play, and down to sixth in the Supporters’ Shield standings. The Herons have five more MLS matches to solve their lull before their league schedule pauses for their first three games in the FIFA Club World Cup starting June 14.
3. HEAT: Did Riley wrapup talk hints at roster changes ... sort of?: Was Miami getting routed by a margin of 131 combined points and swept by Cleveland in the playoffs’ first round enough to convince Heat president Pat Riley that major changes were needed? In other words, are fans who are clamoring for a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade going to be rewarded? Or will it be an offseason of tinkering around the Tyler Herro/Bam Adebayo core. “I’m glad that we got Tyler, him and Bam,” said Riley. “I hope [Herro] can stay here the rest of his career.” Riles also spoke of the need for change, but, bottom line: If Giannis wants Miami and Heat can work a multi-team deal to make it happen, it likely will. Odds? Bet on it? Your guess. [See poll below.]
4. DOLPHINS: Offseason work underway for critical ‘25 season: After tumbling to 8-9 last year, coach Mike McDaniel and GM Chris Grier are fighting for their jobs as work begins building to the new season. Rookie minicamp wraps up today/Sunday for top pick Kenneth Grant, the Michigan defensive tackle, and other newbies. Allotted official team practice days will be spaced out May 27 to June 12, with mandatory full minicamp June 10-12 ahead of the start of full training camp.
5. MARLINS: Miami vs. Pope Sox; Fish survey fans on team (but not really): The online fan survey mainly sought opinions on which insurance and home-security advertisers you liked best. There were questions about how important the Marlins are in your life -- but zero chance to tell the club why you don’t go to games. They’re afraid of the answer. Miami is last in the NL in attendance and 28th of 30 overall because they notoriously don’t spend on payroll and field a low-budget minor-league team. Result: A 15-23 record, 3-10 skid and last in the NL East entering Sunday’s game at the Chicago Pope Sox.
6. NFL: It’s schedule release week! Woo-hoo!: King Sport is so big even the release of its season schedule is gobbled heartily and discussed ad nauseum by fans and Your Friend the Media. Wednesday is the day. We already know Miami’s non-AFC East schedule will be home vs. Ravens, Bengals, Saints, Buccaneers, Chargers and Commanders, and away at Falcons, Panthers, Browns, Steelers and Colts. But Wednesday fills in dates, prime-time games and so forth.
7. AUTO RACING: NASCAR season-championship race returns to Homestead: Oscar Piastri just won the F1 Miami Grand Prix, but auto racing had even bigger news in store for us: NASCAR Championship Weekend, a November fixture at Miami-Homestead Speedway for 18 years from 2002-2019 before dumping us for Phoenix, will return to decide the season title in 2026 and periodically thereafter in a rotation with Phoenix and other unnamed cities.
8. GOLF: Rory one of two clear favorites as PGA Championship tees off: Scottie Scheffler at +400 and Masters champion Rory McIlroy at +475 are runaway betting picks to win the PGA Championship that tees off in four days and wraps next Sunday at Quail Hollow in Charlotte. Next in betting odds is +1400. Rory would make history if he won all four majors the same year; only Ben Hogan in 1953 and Tiger Woods in 2000 have won three in a year.
9. HORSE RACING: Derby winner Sovereignty ruins Triple Crown season: Sovereignty won a muddy Kentucky Derby at 7-1 but will not be entered in next week’s Preakness Stakes -- the fifth time since Justify won all three races in 2018 that the Preakness will run with no shot at a Triple Crown. Bummer. Simple solution: The Derby and Preakness are too close at 14 days apart. Space out the races, let Triple Crown season breathe and make the Derby winner more likely to run all three races.
10. LEGAL SILLINESS: The most hopeless lawsuit ever: A Colorado football fan who lives in Georgia filed a $100 million lawsuit against the NFL for “emotional distress and trauma” over Shedeur Sanders sliding to the fifth round of recent Draft. “John Doe,” apparently too ashamed to use his name, has zero chance for this case not to be tossed. I’d be embarrassed to be the lawyer who took the case. This is an example why the U.S. court system moves like molasses down a snow bank.
THE LIST: WORLD’S STRANGEST MOTHER’S DAY SALUTE: We set out looking for greatest sports mothers in major American team sports, meaning athletes whose last name began with the word ‘mother,’ but found none. No sports equivalent of music group Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh. So we settled for names beginning with ‘mom,’ but found none as perfect as Ethan Mom of Australian soccer club Floreat Athena. We scanned the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, WNBA and MLS all-time rosters, and here’s the full list of mom-starting names, alphabetically:
Name League Years played
Ifeanyi Momah NFL 2016-17
Sergio Momesso NHL 1984-97
Beatrice Mompremier WNBA 2020-22
Bob Momsen NFL 1951-52
Tony Momsen NFL 1951-52
Note: Momesso was notable with 152 career goals. The others above were flash-in-the-pan types. (No offense, Momsen bros.)
Other most recent stuff from me:
Sudden death to new life: Marchand OT goal wins Game 3 thriller, gives Panthers renewed hope // Florida Panthers are desperate, doubted, down 2-0. Now the series gets good // Panthers drop Game 1 in Toronto, but don’t dare doubt the Cup champions // Panthers’ 4-1 ouster of Tampa declares intent, and ability, to repeat as champs // Giannis? Durant? Embarrassed Heat need major help after 55-point loss and playoff sweep // Previous HB10 // Poll Dance: Grade Dolphins draft // NFL Draft Live! Pick-by-pick analysis, Cote vs. Kiper mock results // Our 34th annual Official Herald NFL Mock Draft // Miami Dolphins should be fed up with Tyreek Hill, but team is too desperate to trade him // LeBron vs. Michael, now Ovechkin-Gretzky. Our obsession with ranking greatness // NCAAs crescendo with exciting Final Fours, but college basketball is broken. Let’s fix it // To owner Bruce Sherman of low-hope Marlins: Spend more on payroll, or sell team // Dolphins’ 18-month decline, quiet offseason heap pressure on Tua, coach, GM in ‘25 // A tribute to Miami sports legend Jimmy Johnson as he retires from Fox TV // Must-win MLS season for Messi, Inter Miami a tough climb, as opening 2-2 home draw shows // 15 years later, Dolphins Cancer Challenge is the life-saving legacy of Jim Mandich // Unprofessional Jimmy Butler quit on Heat, ruined his legacy in Miami // Our Top 10 biggest Miami/South Florida sports stories of 2024 // And my latest podcast:
This story was originally published May 11, 2025 at 8:41 AM.
