Greg Cote’s Hot Button Top 10: No Messi but Inter Miami clinches playoffs, Fins, Canes, LLWS & more

GREG COTE’S HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (AUGUST 25): WHAT IN SPORTS HAS GRABBED US THIS WEEK: Our Sunday Hot Button Top 10 notes column 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 71st edition of your Sunday sports-potpourri notes column, the HB10:

1. INTER MIAMI: No Messi, no problem as Miami clinches MLS playoffs!: Lionel Messi remains out with an ankle injury but Luis Suarez’s two goals beat tough Cincinnati 2-0 at home Saturday night to clinch a spot in the MLS Cup playoffs. Miami becomes the third-fastest team to clinch, with eight matches still left in the regular season, next at Chicago August 31. Herons hope to enter the playoffs with the East’s No. 1 seed and Supporters’ Shield for best season record in search of its first MLS Cup crown. Club says Messi will return before the playoffs but not when.

2. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Countdown 6 days ‘til Hurricanes season; FSU loses: No. 19 Miami opens next Saturday as a small favorite at Florida, while the FIU Pitbulls open at Indiana that day, one day after FAU opens at Michigan State. Canes got an unexpected lift in the ACC race yesterday with Florida State’s 24-21 upset loss to Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland. No. 10 FSU and Clemson are betting picks to reach the ACC Championship Game with UM the usual No. 3 choice, so an early Seminoles stumble out the gate can only help Miami’s outlook.

3. DOLPHINS: On Tua, Le Batard, Flores and Stephen A.: So the Dan Le Batard Show With Stugotz scores an interview in which an uncommonly candid QB Tua Tagovailoa tees off on ex-coach Brian Flores, referring to the “terrible person” who showed no confidence in him -- in stark contrast to Mike McDaniel now. Flores, rather than argue, was contrite and reflective in saying he has since learned and grown. Then ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith opines with a conspiracy theory that Tua and Dan were in cahoots to make Flores look back to sour his lawsuit against the NFL. Final grades: A to Le Batard for interview that made national news, B-plus to Tua for rare (from a pro athlete) honesty, B to Flores for admitting apparent regret, and W for weird to Stephen A. for pooping out nonsense just for the sake of an opinion.

4. DOLPHINS: Preseason wraps, cuts coming -- but who’s the backup QB?: A 24-14 loss in Tampa ended a 2-1 preseason for Miami. None of that matters. This does. With final roster cuts to 53 due by Tuesday a hotly contest battle for backup quarterback got tighter in Tampa with Skylar Thompson clearly outshining favorite Mike White. I still see an edge for White, with Thompson to the practice squad, but the opposite decision would not shock. Most important: Staying healthy, with Odell Beckham Jr. and Bradley Chubb looking unlikely to be ready for the September 8 opener vs. Jacksonville.

5. YOUTH BASEBALL: It’s Florida vs. Taiwan for LLWS crown: It’ll be Florida vs. Taiwan today/Sunday for baseball’s Little League World Series championship, a tradition in Williamsport, Pennsylvania since 1947. In Saturday’s U.S. title game, Southeast (Lake Mary, Florida, near Orlando) defeated Southwest (Bourne, Texas), and for the International title, Taiwan (now Chinese Tapei) beat Venezuela. A Florida team has never won the LLWS crown. Taiwan has won a record 17 times, but not since 1996. Entering Sunday, U.S. and International teams are tied with 38 LLWS titles each, with the American team winning the last five in a row.

6. GOLF: Schantastic! Scheffler, Schauffele lead FedEx Playoffs: Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele are 1-2 in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Playoffs entering today’s final round of the BMW Championship, the second of three events comprising the Playoffs. Hideki Matsuyama is third after winning last week’s St. Jude Championship to open the Playoffs. Only the top 30 golfers in the standings after today will advance to this coming week’s Tour Championship in Atlanta for a chance to play for the FedeEx season crown.

7. TENNIS: Defending champs disrespected as U.S. Open begins: Aging legend Novak Djokovic and rising young star Coco Gauff are reigning U.S. Open champions but neither is the betting favorite as the ‘24 Open unfurls Monday. Djokovic is the third men’s pick (though narrowly) after Carlos Alcaraz and Janik Sinner, while Gauff is the fourth-bet woman after Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and even Elena Rybakina. (Go Coco!) Quick aside: Alcaraz sounds like a federal penitentiary.

8. HALLS OF FAME: Pro Football HOF adopts the ‘Belichick rule’: NFL coaches used to have to wait five years just like players before they could be voted into the hallowed Hall in Canton. No more. Now coaches need wait but one year -- meaning 100 percent-obvious choice Bill Belichick will waltz in in 2026. The fast-track makes sense because Hall-worthy coaches like Belichck (who’s 72) tend to be older. Any wait at all is arguable. Belichick was Hall-headed 10 years ago.

9. MARLINS: Fish can’t win so try desperate marketing to draw fans: Hurtling to 100 losses in a sad season marked by another cost-cutting fire sale and understandably rotten attendance, the poor Marlins marketing folks can do nothing but try desperately to draw crowds. Friday night was awash in pink for “Barbie Night.” September 6 the team is “Calling all Swifties!” to hear “D.J. Swiftie” play Taylor Swift music. Just had a Colombian Heritage Day, with Nicaragua and Japan on deck. Meanwhile the only team in MLB with lower attendance is the one giving a middle finger to Oakland. Dear Marlins: Fans see through the gimmickry. How about you start spending enough on players to put a watchable product on the field?

10. MLB: Baseball history will happen on Monday: MLB traces its roots to 1876 (arguably 1871), so making baseball history with a “first” is rare. So Monday, Boston catcher Danny Jansen will become the first player ever to appear in the same game for both teams. Huh? Whu? Jansen was inthe starting lineup for Toronto in a June 26 game suspended by severe weather and scheduled to be completed August 26. In between, the Blue Jays traded Jansen to the Red Sox, who confirmed he’ll be in the lineup Monday. Two months to play one game. One man playing for both teams. Baseball history, oddball division.

Other most recent stuff from me: Miami Dolphins fans rank No. 6 of 124 pro teams on ‘Misery Index.’ But help’s on the way! // Previous HB10 // Mario Cristobal’s rebuild of Miami Hurricanes has been ‘massive.’ Now it’s time to win big // Messi at 37 has missed more than half of Inter Miami games. Cherish him while you can // U.S. women are back! Soccer team announces return to power with Olympic gold // Pitbull alliance with underdog FIU escalates a turf war with Miami Hurricanes // Tyreek Hill must make Dolphins champions to fulfill his greatness, legacy // Poll Dance: Favorite Olympic Sport // Paris Olympics is one for the ages as golden oldies Biles, Ledecky, James lead U. S. charge // Book it! Miami Hurricanes will vie for ACC title, make playoff in huge return to power // Jazz trade continues Miami Marlins’ losing cycle of talent-for-prospects cost cutting // Dolphins paying Tua like he’s elite with new $212 million extension. Now it’s on him to win like it // The stand-pat Miami Heat must keep up as aggressive NBA East improves all around it // Rain soaks Florida Panthers’ Stanley Cup celebration ... and it was glorious // Blasphemy! Vindication? How ‘McDavid overrated’ took on life of its own in Stanley Cup Final // Willie Mays, 1931-2024: A fond and personal tribute to top-tier baseball legend // And my latest podcast: