Greg Cote

Greg Cote’s hot topics of the week: UM athletics, Miami Heat, Pete Rose

1. COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Welcome to Miami: Basketball Town USA: Remember when this was a football town? Saturday alone, the No. 23 Canes women faced No. 4 Baylor, No. 15 UM men improved to 9-1, and we hosted Florida and FSU in the four-team Orange Bowl Classic. Hoop City!

2. HEAT

Riley denies team is shopping Whiteside: As Heat hosts Portland on Sunday, speculation the team might trade young center Hassan Whiteside is “BS,” said president Pat Riley. Which may or may not be execu-speak for, “We haven’t heard a good enough offer yet.”

3. COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Six days to UM bowl game as postseason parade begins: Saturday saw the first of 42 bowl games, with Miami set to face Washington State this coming Saturday in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. That’s so close to the border you can see Mexico. Well, unless Donald Trump’s wall is up.

4. DOLPHINS

Fins in San Diego as another disappointing season ebbs: Miami visits the Chargers on Sunday, playing out the string after Monday’s loss to the Giants eliminated Fins from playoffs for a seventh season in a row. “Grandpa, tell me again what it was like when the Dolphins were good!”

5. PETE ROSE

Purgatory continues as bid for reinstatement is denied: Banned from baseball since 1989 for gambling, all-time hits leader Pete Rose remains ostracized with last week’s ruling. Of course, the Hall of Fame independently could still put Rose on its ballot, but that’d make too much sense.

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