Greg Cote’s Hot Button Top 10: Messi back, Dolphins win, plus Canes, Heat & more
GREG COTE’S HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (AUGUST 17): WHAT IN SPORTS HAS GRABBED US THIS WEEK: Dolphins win, Canes opener nears, Messi returns, Marlins skid contines and more. Welcome to the 114th edition of HB10, bringing you what’s on our minds from a Miami lens and accentuating stuff that’s big, weird, damnable, funny or worth needling as the sports week past pivots to the week ahead:
1. DOLPHINS: Miami wins in Detroit! (Curb your enthusiasm...): After a preseason-opening tie in Chicago, Miami on Saturday won in Detroit 24-17. The “looked good” crowd was led by QBs Zach Wilson and Quinn Ewers, RB Ollie Gordon and WR Theo Wease Jr. Now let’s all pretend any of it matters! (It doesn’t. Exhibitions matter only to the players trying to make a roster; they do not portend a season’s outlook in the least. Fake games end next weekend at home against Jacksonville.
2. HURRICANES: Countdown 2 weeks ‘til mega-opener: Miami is No. 10 in the Associated Press poll (matching its spot in the Coaches Poll) as the Aug. 31 season opener at home in prime time vs. No. 6 Notre Dame hits its 14-day countdown. Fighting Irish are an early 2 1/2-point betting pick, although I feel that may shrink or even flip slightly in the home team’s favor as ND waffles on a starting quarterback. Betting odds are only slightly less optimistic than the polls on Canes, with Miami currently tied for the 11th best national-championship odds per DraftKings.
3. INTER MIAMI: Herons crush L.A. as prelude to Leagues Cup quarters: Miami walloped reigning MLS champ L.A. Galaxy 3-1 Saturday at home with a healthy-again Lionel Messi scoring one off the bench. It was an encouraging tuneup for Wednesday’s home game agaist Mexico’s Tigres UANL in a quarterfinal match in the Leagues Cup tournament. Galaxy also are in the quarters in the opposite bracket, so a rematch for the LC championship is possible.
4. SAT GOLF: McIntyre (who!?) leads secodleg of FedEx Cup playoffs: Little-known Robert McIntyre of Scotland at 16 under leads Scottie Scheffler by four strokes entering Sunday’s final round of the BMW Championship in Maryland -- the second of three tournaments that make up the FedEx Cup Championship playoffs. Justin Rose won the first leg last week. The third event is this coming week in Atlanta, with Scheffler the reigning champ.
5. MARLINS: Fish road stink has playoff hopes disappearing: Miami’s loss Saturday in Boston was the club’s third straight and seven in last eight games. Club is now 58-65 and 2-8 on the road trip that wraps today in Beantown before a nine-game homestand vs. the Cardinals, Blue Jays and Braves. Miami is now seven games back and fading in the wild-card chase. Remember when Miami was briefly over .500 after a stirring home sweep of the Yankees? Ah, memories.
6. HEAT: Miami the NBA team that national TV forgot: A big chunk of starpower leaving with Jimmy Butler, two straight fast playoff exits and low hopes for the coming season. Result? Only five national-TV games for the Heat in newly released regular-season schedule. By comparison, champion Thunder, Lakers, Warriors and Knicks have 34 each. Miami is tied for 19th in NBA title odds in 2025-26 and 10th in the East as season opens Oct. 22. Meantime Heat traded rehabbing Haywood Highsmith to Brooklyn in a minor-deal pick swap that allows team to dodge the luxury tax and create a second roster opening.
7. NFL: Remember Brian Flores v. NFL? The lawsuit lives on: A federal appeals court ruled that the NFL can be put on trial over claims of discriminaton in a civil suit brought by former Dolphins coach Brian Flores and other Black coaches. The ruling rightly I think found “insurmountable flaws” in a league arbitration process in which commissioner Roger Goodell would serve as arbitrator. The Flores suit is against the NFL and three teams: the Broncos, Giants and Texans. And the tortoise-speed morass that is the legal system plods on!
8. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: NCAA wrist-slaps tackles Michigan over sign stealing: The NCAA infractions committee levied historic fines totaling at least $20 million and four years’ probation on Michigan over the sign-stealing scandal before and during its 2023 national championship season. Still a slap on the wrist, considering major programs spend more than that to buy-out the contract of fired coaches. Wolverines get to keep the title and and are not banned from future conference championships or the College Football Playoff, so the punishment is soft. Fans of the sport (at Ohio State, at least) wanted more.
9. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Canes’ Ed Reed makes all-time All-America team: The Associated Press named an all-time All-America Team to mark the 100th anniversary of the college game’s All-America designation. State of Florida is well-repped with Gators QB Tim Tebow, FSU corner Deion Sanders, Miami safety Ed Reed and FSU kicker Sebastian Janikowski. Also honored and of note to South Florida: Miami native Derrick Thomas and former Dolphins Hugh Green and Ndamukong Suh. Ex-Hurricanes who ought to have been considered along with Reed include Ted Hendricks and Ray Lewis.
10. FIU: Ouch. Panthers make ESPN’s preseason Bottom 10: Writes ESPN in ranking FIU No. 8 in the B10: “The Panthers moved up to FBS football nearly 25 years ago and since then have posted only four winning seasons, the last coming in their legendary 9-4 campaign in 2018 that ended with a win in the Popeye’s Bahamas Bowl. Over the past five years, they have averaged 2.6 wins.” Note: the four winning seasons were two apiece under actual quality coaches in Mario Cristobal and Butch Davis. New boss Willie Simmons is the latest coach to try to make relevant Miami’s other college team.
THE LIST: PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: As the English Premier League begins its 34th season, the seven clubs that have combined to win the first 33 league championships:
Titles Club Most recent crown
13 Manchester United 2012-13
8 Manchester City 2023-24
5 Chelsea 2016-17
3 Arsenal 2003-04
2 Liverpool 2024-25 (reigning)
1 Blackburn 1994-95
1 Leicester City 2015-16
Note: The only three teams to finish second without ever winning are Newcastle United (twice), Aston Villa (once) Tottenham Hotspur (once).
Other select most recent stuff from me: Cristobal has ‘insatiable’ drive for new Hurricanes glory days, and he’s getting close // Poll: Top Dolphin for fantasy team // Like it or not, UFC & Dana White’s world domination tour just grew // Previous HB10 // Poll Dance // Fins, Canes & ‘26 Hall // GCS 283 pod: Trip to sex store, monkey bars // Asked & answered: Solving 8 biggest questions in Miami sports today // Cowboys owner Jerry Jones still chasing glory -- and attention // This one goal for Dolphins and another for Hurricanes will define success or failure in 2025 // Why Miami staunchly remains a Football Town even as Dolphins and Canes disappoint // Strobe lights? Trajekt Arc? How Marlins’ trust in youth, player-development is paying off // Jalen Ramsey, now Asante Samuel drama = Dolphins mess at cornerback // Heat getting 3-point ace Powell a pickpocket-win for Riley // Champion Panthers keep revving this summer while Heat stays quiet // Dolphins’ gamble on Waller after Ramsey & Smith for Fitzpatrick was net loss // Inter Miami falls to PSG but won big to reach Club World Cup final 16 // Panthers celebrate as 1 of 4 South Florida sports dynasties -- with no end near // Major news on future of Dan Le Batard Show, Meadowlark Media, DraftKings // A tribute to Miami sports legend Jimmy Johnson as he retires from Fox TV // 15 years later, Dolphins Cancer Challenge is the life-saving legacy of Jim Mandich // And my latest podcast:
