GREG COTE’S HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (JULY 26): WHAT IN SPORTS HAS GRABBED US THIS WEEK: LeBron snubs Heat for Philly, Spain celebrates World Cup, Messi rests as MLS resumes, football returns as Dolphins/Canes open camps, Marlins’ skid at 11 and more. Welcome back (after one week off) to the 158th edition of HB10, bringing you what’s on our minds through 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. HEAT: Miami loses out on LeBron to Philly. Was it the social-media gaffe: Miami and the NBA were waiting for LeBron like Vladimir and Estragon waiting for Godot, but the wait finlly ended Friday — unfortunately for the Heat. Heat chances seemed good as -205 betting favorites but LeBron stunned all by opting for a two-year, $8 million bargain deal with Philly. Heat confidence had showed embarrassingly this week when the club’s YouTube page mistakenly announced a LeBron introductory press conference was set — a post quickly removed. Oops! Maybe the Heat should-a waited for LeBron’s announcement first? Doubtful, but let’s hope King James wasn’t so miffed that he harrumphed and changed his mind in spite.
2. SOCCER: Spain celebrates World Cup win; U.S. women favored in ‘27: Nearly two million fans in Madrid celebrated Spain’s 1-0 men’s FIFA World Cup triumph over Argentina. About 66 million U.S. viewers watched the final (English and Spanish broadcasts combined), making it the most-viewed soccer match by far in American history. On deck in just 11 months is the women’s World Cup in Brazil next June 24-July 25. Earliest betting odds per DraftKings have Team USA narrowly favored at +350 over reigning champion Spain at +400, followed by host Brazil and England.
▪ A sincere thanks from The Greg Cote Show podcast to all those who joined our cotecup.thegregcoteshow.com site during the World Cup. More than 60,000 of you visited, from all 50 states and 41 countries. Thank you!
3. HURRICANES: New QB Mensah rated top-5 as preseason opens: Off a runnerup finish for the national championship, coach Mario Cristobal’s Canes begin preseason camp next week with hopes high again. Miami is seventh in preseason title odds per DraftKings, after only Ohio State, Notre Dame, Texas, champ Indiana, Oregon and Georgia. UM’s new transfer-prize QB Darian Mensah is ranked No. 4 in nation by The Athletic, behind only Trinidad Chambliss of Ole Miss, Oregon’s Dante Moore and Notre Dame’s C.J. Carr. Canes open season Sept. 4 at Stanford.
4. DOLPHINS: Ready or not, rebooting Fins open training camp this week: Miami rookies have already reported, the veterans are due on Tuesday and the full squad hits the practice fields Wednesday to open the first training camp with new coach Jeff Hafley leading a rebuilding regime. Next Sunday is the first practice open to the public. The Dolphins have second-worst Super Bowl odds per DraftKings, ahead of only Arizona, as they work toward their first preseason game on Aug. 14 and the season opener Sept. 13 at Las Vegas and Fernando Mendoza.
5. INTER MIAMI: Messi rests, Suarez soars, Miami stays hot out of break: Inter Miami has won two straight out of MLS World Cup break and is now 11-2 with 4 draws. Herons won 3-2 at home over Chicago on Luis Suarez’s two goals, then Saturday won 1-0 at Montreal on a Suarez 81st-minute penalty. Miami’s German Berterame was hospitalized after landing on his head from an in-air collision and appearing to lose consciousness, but is said to now be stable and undergoing tests. Star Lionel Messi remains on 21 days’ rest after his demanding, eight-goals World Cup showing for Argentina and figures to mid-August, with matches missed including Wednesday’s MLS All-Star Game in Charlotte. Herons return Aug. 1 vs. Columbus then play three straight Leagues Cup matches. Brazilian midfielder Casemiro debuted Saturday for Miami. (An MLS probe into alleged tampering is ongoing but will find no wrong, as IM reached prior agreement with L.A. Galaxy over Casemiro’s discovery rights.)
6. MARLINS: Flailing Fish lose club-record-tying 11th straight game: The Red Sox just won 15 games in a row. Houston’s Yordan Alvarez is chasing the Triple Crown. And in Miami, the Marlins are Marlinsing again. After a 26-8 run just before the All-Star break, Miami has thudded back to Earth with 11 losses in a row and is now 52-53 after Saturday’s home fall. That ties the club record for consecutive L’s done twice in 1998 and again in 2011. Will the Fish — still chasing an NL wild-card spot but now 3 games back — buy or sell at the Aug. 3 trade deadline? Need a righthanded bat badly. But the guess is they’ve packed it in.
7. WNBA: All-Star Weekend in Chicago marks 30th season: Team Spoon beat Team Coop 129-122 Saturday before 19,738 at Chicago’s United Center in the WNBA’s 30th All-Star Game. New York Jonquel Jones scored 22 off bench and was MVP. Indiana’s Caitlin Clark’s 17 included three logo-3’s. Party tipped off on Friday with Dallas’ Azzi Fudd winning the 3-point contest, the first rookie in league history to do so.
8. HORSE RACING: New league coming in ‘27 has South Florida ties: A new startup called the Horse Racing League (HRL) is set for a 2027 debut led by Greg Maffei, former head of Formula 1 auto racing and Liberty Media. Like Formula 1 it will be a team-based league targeting a February launch with 10 teams of eight horses each and a $10 million prize pool. One group committed to owning a team includes Vinnie Viola, the Florida Panthers owner whose stable has won three Triple Crown races including the 2026 Kentucky Derby with Golden Tempo. One of new league’s home tracks is expected to be Gulfstream Park in South Florida.
9. MEDIA: ESPN is OK. Quit using latest layoffs as a sign of doom: “The Worldwide Leader in Sports” is a title once indisputable but now inviting mockery. It is true ESPN viewership is down one-third from its dominant peak years. But I laugh when so many in sports media use the latest layoffs (Ryan Clark, Karl Ravech et al) as a sign of demise in Bristol. The cuts are mostly tied to the recent purchase of NFL Network. ESPN still commands almost 35 percent of sports-TV viewership in the U.S., more than its next few competitors combined. The margin has narrowed, yeah … but it’s still the Worldwide Leader.
10. HALLS OF FAME: Cooperstown welcomes a meh trio in Class of ‘26: The Baseball Hall of Fame today/Sunday welcomes a three-man Class of ‘26 that does not lead the league in excitement. No first-ballot guys here, with Carlos Beltran the closest in making it in his fourth year of eligibility. Andruw Jones sneaks in on his ninth year, his next-to-last try. And Jeff Kent is the interloper — never coming close to the 75 percent of votes needed in 10 years on the BBWAA ballot (topping off at only 46.5%), but finally and dubiously let in by the counter-productive Veterans Committee, which real voters (like me) see as demeaning the Hall by letting in way too many marginal players who’d been legitimately rejected.
THE LIST: Can Lopez become Marlins’ fourth NL Batting champ?: Miami Marlins’ all-time single-season batting average leaders:
Avg. Player, Year
.354 Luis Arraez, 2023 (led NL)
.342 Hanley Ramirez, 2009 (led NL)
.339 Miguel Cabrera, 2006
.334 Luis Castillo, 2000
.333 Dee Gordon, 2015 (led NL)
.332 Hanley Ramirez, 2007
331 Otto Lopez, 2026 (leads NL through Saturday)
Other select most recent stuff from me: Cancel that intro. LeBron to Philly a stunning loss for Miami Heat // Poll Dance: LeBron to Philly // LeBron’s best choice is a return to the Miami Heat — and it isn’t even close // Podcast: Live from New York, New York // Latest Messi magic conjures Argentina-Spain final // More than Messi/Mbappe, this was greatest World Cup final-four ever // Hey, Jude! Bellingham lifts England into World Cup semifinals with Miami win // Miserable end makes it disappointing World Cup for American team // Previous HB10 // Seismic trade for Giannis a massive win for Miami Heat, Pat Riley // It’s the end of era as Le Batard Show drops Stugotz from name // Despite noise on Boston, Miami Heat will win Giannis sweepstakes // Historic night for Miami, World Cup as Saudis and Uruguay tie 1-1 // Ugly buildup to World Cup, but now the beautiful game and the magic take over // Trump intrudes on NBA Finals, New York’s epic night // As we lose ‘72 Perfect Season Dolphins 1 by 1, time to cherish Miami’s family heirloom // Dolphins will be better than you think in ‘26. Here’s why // Perfect? No. But Messi is godsend who has exceeded all hopes // Florida’s escalated fight with NFL mirrors larger war on DEI // Stephen Ross takes last big swing to rescue legacy as Dolphins owner // Heat’s Pat Riley still fighting for career finish Shula never got // Sandy shines, Marlins win to launch latest season of budget-ball // Baseball, politics, emotion lift Venezuela past U.S. to WBC championship // Dolphins’ major rebuild is on — and it’s about damned time // Canes title-game loss does not erase success of watershed season // And my latest podcast:
Greg Cote Show #334 is an Emergency Episode on LeBron’s decision. WATCH. LISTEN.
Greg Cote is a Miami Herald sports columnist who in 2025 won a first-place Green Eyeshade award in Sports Commentary and has finished top 10 in column writing by the Associated Press Sports Editors on multiple occasions. Greg also hosts The Greg Cote Show podcast and appears regularly on The Dan LeBatard Show With Stugotz.