Greg Cote's Hot Button Top 10: Messi rides 2-2 Train, PSG-Chelsea, MLB's stage & more
GREG COTE'S HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (JULY 13): 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 110th edition of your HB10:
1. INTER MIAMI: All abooaarrd! Red-hot Messi keeps 2-2 Train goin'!: Lionel Messi scored two goals Saturday night for the fifth straight league game set set an MLS record in a 2-1 home win over Nashville. Inter Miami is now 11-3-5 and fifth in the East but with three fewer games played than the top five. Miami is unbeaten since losing in the FIFA Club World Cup round of 16 to Paris Saint-Germain. next: Team Messi has three more MLS matches starting Wednesday at Cincinnati before a schedule pause to begin Leagues Cup play July 30 vs. Mexican club Atlas.
2. SOCCER: Club World Cup gets mammoth final in PSG, Chelsea: The FIFA Club World Cup's debut as a major 32-team event across the U.S. had its negatives -- notably slashed ticket prices to combat lousy crowds for some matches. But can't argue the bottom line: A bona fide, world-class championship match in favored reigning European king Paris Saint-Germain vs. English power Chelsea. PSG throttled Real Madrid in the semis 4-0 while Chelsea handled Brazil's Fluminense 2-nil, creating a Sunday title match at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium that looks a jewel of a finish.
3. MLB: Now it gets good with Draft, Derby and All-Star Game: With due respect nobody cares about the Futures Game or the dumb Celebrity Softball. But now All-Star Week revs up with the MLB Draft starting Sunday, the Home Run Derby Monday and the ASG itself Tuesday. Sometimes the longball contest steals the spotlight but it-guy slugger Cal Raleigh tops a Derby rather low-watt overall for starpower. For me the All-Star Game shines brighter brighter this year with Shoehei Ohtani and Aaron Judge out front.
4. HEAT: Powell a major add; rookie Jakucionis shines in debut: Miami trading for 21-point scorer Norman Powell from the Clippers while also divesting of dead wood Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love was a win-win for Pat Riley and the Heat in Miami's biggest move of a quiet offseason. Meanwhile Heat's top draft pick Kasparas Jakucionis debuted with 24 points in a loss to Atlanta to open NBA Summer League play in Las Vegas. Heat's back on the summer wood tonight vs. Cleveland.
5. TENNIS: Iga Swiatek wins Wimbledon; Sinner-Alcaraz go today: No. 8-seed Iga Swiatek easily made Wimbledon her sixth career major win Saturday, beating 13th-ranked American Amanda Anisimova from Aventura (near Miami), 6-0, 6-0 -- the tourney's first finals shutout since 1911. Today/Sunday it's No. 1 Jannik Sinner vs. No. 2 Carlos Alvarez in a heavyweight men's final as the U.S. extends its drought of no men's Wimbledon winner since Pete Sampras in 2000 -- though fifth-seed Taylor Fritz gave it a run to the semis. Sinner has three career majors including Wimbledon last year; Alcaraz has five including the recent French Open.
6. MARLINS: Throwin' Junk! Fish ride upswing into All-Star break: Marlins enter All-Star break on a 13-6 run that has lifted them from the NL East cellar to third place after Saturday's 6-0 win in Baltimore on a gem by impossibly named pitcher Janson Junk. Recent upswing included an 11-game road win streak. Low-payroll Miami still is a longshot to get into the wild-card playoff hunt as the July 31 trade deadline nears. Meanwhile the Marlins have the No. 7 overall pick in MLB Draft starting today and seem set on a shortstop. Mark the names Billy Carlson, Eli Willits and JoJo Parker, all straight outta high school at that position.
7. WNBA: Unrivaled league returning to Miami ... but what about WNBA?: Unrivaled the offseason 3-on-3 league made up of WNBA stars, is planning for Year II and keeping Miami as its home base, though it will venture out at least a couple of times to bigger arenas in non-WNBA cities. Now when will the WNBA itself come back to South Florida? The league just announced it will grow to 18 teams by adding Cleveland in 2028, Detroit in '29 and Philadelphia in '30 after first expanding to Portland and Toronto. So where's Miami? The Miami Sol was an early WNBA team in 2000-02. It's past time for Miami 2.0.
8. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: What is wrong with Deion Sanders?: Even celebrities have a right to privacy, and Colorado coach Deion Sanders is exercising his by declining to reveal his current health issue that saw him missing much of the summer away from his team and appearing noticeably thinner at Big 12 media day. Sanders has dealt with persistent health issues with his left food and blood clots, including the amputation of two toes in 2021. In a recent podcast appearance he admitted his current situation is 'at a whole other level.' Sanders is easy to dislike with a persona bordering on arrogance, but we wish him well in whatever he is battling.
9. MEDIA: Panthers a 'Team of Year' finalist at ESPY Awards: ESPN's masterwork in self-promotion marks its 33rd annual ESPY Awards this Wednesday in L.A., with comedian Shane Gillis hosting. Slim pickin's for Miami-area finalists, with only the Florida Panthers for Team of the Year and Coco Gauff for Best Tennis Player repping South Florida among the 19 major categories open for public voting. I'd call both longshots, though a back-to-back Stanley Cup winner is obviously deserving. SoFla last had an ESPY Team of the Year when the Big 3-era Miami Heat won it in 2012 and again in '13.
10. DOLPHINS: Farewell Ndamukong Suh upon his official retirement: Suh was a pretty great NFL defensive tackle for five teams including the Miami Dolphins in 2015-17 in the heart of his career. He last played in 2022 but made his retirement official this week at age 38. Not saying he's a certain Hall of Famer like Aaron Donald, but Suh, with five Pro Bowls (including '16 as a Dolphin) and three times a first-team All-Pro, deserves strong consideration from Canton.
THE LIST: All-time homer-leaders in MLB Home Run Derby: The top five sluggers (plus ties) in history of MLB Home Run Derby, which sees its 39th edition Monday in Atlanta:
Number Player, Team Years
207 Pete Alonso, Mets 2019, 2021-24
163 Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays 2019, '23
142 Julio Rodriguez, Mariners 2022-23
106 Albert Pujols, Cardinals/Angels 2003, '07, '09, '15, '22
99 Joc Pederson, Dodgers 2015, '19
99 Juan Soto, Nationals 2021-22
Notes: Giancarlo Stanton is 8th all-time with 83 homers, all with the Marlins in 2014 and '16-17. Braves' Matt Olson is only one of eight 2025 entrants who has appeared in HRD before, hitting 23 homers while with A's in 2021.
Other select most recent stuff from me: 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 // Previous HB 10 // Poll Dance: Pat Riley // No Durant, but might Miami Heat have summer blockbuster with Giannis? // Panthers celebrate as 1 of 4 South Florida sports dynasties -- with no end near // Champions! Panthers crush Edmonton, McDavid, make history with 2nd straight Stanley Cup // Stanley Cup preview: On Connor 'McOverrated,' dream Cup rematch, Panthers as face of changed NHL // Major news on future of Dan Le Batard Show, Meadowlark Media, DraftKings // Giannis? Durant? Embarrassed Heat need major help after 55-point loss and playoff sweep // Miami Dolphins should be fed up with Tyreek Hill, but team is too desperate to trade him // 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 // 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 // And my latest podcast:
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