Cote’s Hot Button Top 10: F1 Miami vs. rain, Derby shock, 3 Game 7s, Messi and more
GREG COTE’S HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (MAY 3): WHAT IN SPORTS HAS GRABBED US THIS WEEK: Miami Grand Prix vs. weather, Kentucky Derby shocker, 3 Sunday Game 7s to advance NBA/NHL playoffs, Inter Miami still winless in new stadium, Dolphins ramp up offseason, Cameron Young in charge at Doral and more. Welcome to 147th 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 sports week past pivots to the week ahead:
1. AUTO RACING: Sunday’s F1 Miami Grand Prix moves to 1 p.m. start by weather threat: The fifth annual Miami Grand Prix today will start three hours earlier at 1 due to threats of severe later weather. May still be dicey getting the full race in. Race goes off at Hard Rock Stadium as drivers adjust to and grouse about Formula One’s major changes -- especially new hybrid engines with a 50-50 split of internal combustion and electric. Change has made cars a few seconds slower per lap, which is huge. Veteran star Max Verstappen has hinted this may drive him into retirement as his Red Bull team struggles to adjust. George Russell (+150) and Kimi Antonelli (+188) are betting faves today with stalwarts Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen sixth and seventh.
2x. HORSE RACING: 4 reasons why Golden Tempo win made it a great, historic Derby: 1) 23-1 longshot Golden Tempo charged from last place to win the 152nd Kentucky Derby and launch Triple Crown season in surprising style Saturday at Churchill Downs. 2) Cherie DeVaux becomes first female trainer in history to saddle a Derby winner. 3) Jockey Jose Ortiz won his first Derby in his 11th attempt. And 4) Golden Tempo -- navigating an 18-horse field -- is owned by Florida Panthers owner Vinnie Viola. Call it nice solace for not making the NHL playoffs this year.
3. NBA: Pistons, Cavs favored as two Sunday Game 7s to complete final-8 bracket: It’ll be Orlando at Detroit and Toronto at Cleveland today in a pair of Game 7s, with the winners facing each other in the NBA playoffs’ second round (conference semifinals). The Knicks-76ers East semi is already sets, with Boston ousted. Out West it’s Oklahoma City vs. Los Angelds Lakers and Minnesota vs. San Antonio. Thunder, Spurs and Knicks and 1-2-3- in current title betting odds.
4. INTER MIAMI: Ouch. Herons fall to rival Orlando, still winless in new park: Lionel Messi scored in 33rd minute yet Inter Miami fell 4-3 at home Saturday to rival Orlando City on an extra-time goal. After three straight draws to open the news digs, Miami embarrassingly remains winless in its new stadium and dips to third in MLS East. Miami is back on pitch next Saturday in Toronto with four league matches left before World Cup break.
5. NHL: Montreal-Tampa Bay Game 7 tonight to set final-8 field: Canadiens at Lightning Game 7 winner tonight will face Buffalo to complete the NHL’s second-round bracket and join Carolina-Philadelphia in the East semifinals. Montreal is the last Canada team standings as the nation tries (again) to end a streak of not having won a Stanley Cup since 1993. Out West its Carolina vs. Minnesota (with Game 1 tonight) and Las Vegas vs. Anaheim. Carolina and Colorado are Cup betting favorites.
6. DOLPHINS: Fins prep for rookie minicamp as offseason ramps up: You know by now the NFL never really ends, right? Season, playoffs, Super Bowl, draft. Now: Offseason, then training camp, then season, etc. Dolphins got the early jump given teams with new head coaches. Next: Team’s 13 recent draftees and other new Fins have rookie minicamp May 8-9; then come official team activity days (OTAs) on May 18-19, 21, 26-27 and 29; a mandatory minicamp June 2-4; then more OTAs June 8-9 and 11. Then: a brief exhale before preseason training camp opens late July.
7. SAT GOLF: Young in control into rain-threatened final round at Doral: The PGA Tour’s first time back in Miami since 2016 is rain-threatened as it tries to wrap today on Doral’s Blue Monster course with Cameron Young holding a safe(ish) 6-shot lead. Course-owning Donald Trump attending today was up in the air but seeming in doubt. Attendance at the Cadillac Championship has been poor. Meanwhile the rival Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour seems to be dying and good riddance. Hope the PGA Tour makes it tough on the return for the traitors who chased the sportswashing blood money
8. MARLINS: Meyer gem has Fightin’ Fish within one of .500: Marlins are 16-17 after Saturday’s 4-0 home win over Philadelphia on Max Meyer’s, 7-inning, 1-hit mound gem. Miami is second in NL East and 3 1/2 back in wild-card chase. I’m a bit uncomfortable celebrating the inherent mediocrity that is .500 as a goal, but credit Fish for an upward trajectory, at least. Current 10-game homestand resumes today vs. Phils again.
9. WNBA: New York, Las Vegas out front as 30th season opens: Preseason ends today and WNBA’s 30th season tops off this coming Friday with 44-game schedule and 15 teams including expansion Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo. Title odds show New York Liberty at +220 favored to dethrone champ Las Vegas Aces at +390. ESPN rank of top 50 players has Vegas’ A’ja Wilson, Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas and Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier 1-2-3. (Indiana’s Caitlin Clark is 10th). Labor strife solved ... let’s hoop!
10. SOCCER: Two disparate semis to decide Champions League final: UEFA Champions League’s second-leg semifinal matches this week will set the May 30 final in Budapest for the European crown and soccer’s second-biggest trophy after the World Cup. In the underdog semi this Tuesday it’s Arsenal vs. Atletico Madrid after their 1-1 first-leg draw. The heavyweight side on Wednesday has Paris-Saint Germain vs. Bayern Munich after PSG’s 5-4 opening win. Bayern has won six Euro titles, third-most ever, and PSG is reigning champ after its first. Either would be final favorite as Atletico and Arsenal both seek their maiden crown.
THE LIST: DOLPHINS’ POST-MARINO STARTING QBS: With Malik Willis set to become the 28th, here are the 27 quarterbacks who have started at least one game for the Miami Dolphins in the 26 years since Dan Marino retired after the 1999 season. (Can the biggest Dolfan in your life come close to naming all 27?) Order is by total number of regular-season and playoff starts:
Starts QB (Years)
88 Ryan Tannehill (2012-18)
77 Tua Tagovailoa (2020-25)
62 Jay Fiedler (2000-04)
31 Chad Henne (2009-11)
21 Chad Pennington (2008-10)
20 Ryan Fitzpatrick (2019-20)
Others: Matt Moore 18, Gus Frerotte 15, Jay Cutler 14, Joey Harrington 11, A.J. Feeley 8, Cleo Lemon 8, Ray Lucas 6, Jacoby Brissett 5, Trent Green 5, Brian Griese 5, Tyler Huntley 5, Brock Osweiler 5, John Beck 4, Daunte Culpepper 4, Skylar Thompson 4, Quinn Ewers 3, Josh Rosen 3, Teddy Bridgewater 2, Sage Rosenfels 2, Damon Huard 1, Tyler Thigpen 1.
Other select most recent stuff from me: Poll Dance: Pat Riley // Why ‘26 is very good year for Dolphins to be really bad // Heat’s Pat Riley still fighting for career finish Shula never got // Dolphins’ new GM earns trust on Proctor, draft. But he better be right // Podcast: Springsteen’s new tour, Dolphins // Previous HB10 // NFL Draft Live: Dolphins’ weird 1st pick, Cote beats Kiper // Cote’s 35th annual Mock Draft // Power of Lionel Messi shows in Inter Miami’s latest coaching change // Heat end season valiantly, but effort and almost are not enough // Sorry, Lamar, but Super Bowl win is the harsh reality for elite QBs // No Tiger, no Phil at Masters and why it’s so hard in sports to let go // State of Miami Sports; Grading Fins, Heat, Cats, Fish, Inter Miami & more // It was a grand opening night -- finally -- for Inter Miami in Miami // U.S. team struggles, doubts grow as men’s World Cup nears // NFL’s Rooney Rule needs protecting in face of Florida’s dumb attack // Sandy shines, Marlins win to launch latest season of budget-ball // Baseball, politics, emotion lift Venezuela past U.S. to WBC championship // Dolphins got good haul, but blame Curse of Tua for trading Waddle at all // 46 years later and on top of world, USA hockey owns Canada’s sport // Dolphins’ major rebuild is on -- and it’s about damned time // No Giannis (yet), but for Heat it’s a dream deferred, not dead // Belichick’s stunning Hall snub is a shame on sanctimonious voters // Dolphins’ new coach, GM take on 25 years of franchise torpor and a QB mess // Canes title-game loss does not erase success of watershed season // Step aside, other cities: Why 2026 in sports belongs to Miami // Stugotz signs major iHeart Media deal, but says not done with LeBatard Show // Messi, Inter Miami win MLS Cup, crown 50 years of SoFla soccer // And my latest podcast:
