Greg Cote’s Hot Button Top 10: Madrid’s Luka Modric to join Messi? Plus Dolphins, Prime stumble, more

GREG COTE’S HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (SEPTEMBER 24): WHAT IN SPORTS HAS GRABBED US LATELY: Our Sunday Hot Button Top 10 feature had been blog-only, but since our blog retired it moved, re-imagined, to online-only. HB10 means what’s on our minds, locally and nationally, but from a Miami perspective and accentuating stuff that’s major, offbeat, damnable, funny or worth needling as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead. Welcome to the 32nd edition of the new HB10:

1. DOLPHINS: Waddle-less Fins face Denver in 58th home opener: Miami will be without WR Jaylen Waddle to a concussion today in the 2-0 team’s home opener vs. the struggling Broncos, a six-point underdog. The good news: Tua Tagovailoa doe not have a concussion and still has Tyreek Hill, a stout ground game (based on last week), and enough defense to continue the woes of Russell Wilson.

2. INTER MIAMI: Team eyes Modric, playoffs, another trophy: Croatia’s Dubrovnik Times is reporting Miami may be angling to pair Real Madrid star and midfield wizard Luka Modric with Lionel Messi next MLS season. Meanwhile Messi will rest and not play in today’s MLS match in Orlando as playoff-chasing Herons try to make up five standings points with six league matches to play. Leo is expected in the lineup Wednesday as Miami hosts Houston for the U.S. Open Cup trophy.

3. HURRICANES: UM 4-0 but ACC games, back-to-back test awaits: Miami should rise from No. 20 at 4-0 after Saturday’s 41-7 rout at Temple behind 323 yards rushing, The U’s best start since 2017. After a bye, ACC games start vs. Georgia Tech. Then it’s the real telling test with games at No.14 North Carolina and vs. still-tough nemesis Clemson in a row. Come out of that 7-0 and then you have America’s attention, Canes.

4. MARLINS: To the frantic finish go the wild card-chasing Fish!: Miami stayed 1 game back in the NL wild card chase after Saturday’s win, with seven games left -- today’s home finale then six on the road at Mets and Pirates. Marlins somehow are five games above .500 despite being outscored by 56 runs thanks to 10 losses by a combined score of 127-18. So strange. And yet here they are, in play for only club’s fourth postseason in 31 years.

5. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Man in need of humility, Coach Prime, gets a large dose: Deion (Coach Prime) Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes took a 4-0 record and No. 19 ranking into No. 10 Oregon Saturday and left 42-6 losers. Thud. Wonder if the media obsession with Prime’s self-promotion will tap brakes just a tad now? To Sanders’ credit, at least, he called it a “butt kicking “and made no excuses. Six Top 25 matchups showed only one minor upset with 21-Washington State over 14-Oregon State. Big game: 6-Ohio State beats 9-Notre Dame,17-14. Big relief: Nick Saban’s 13-Alabama handles 15-Ole Miss.

6. POLITICS: Russian hockey star speak out against country’s invasion: Bravo to Calgary Flames defenseman Nikita Zadorov for speaking out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine when most of his fellow countrymen have stood meekly and weakly silent. Zadorov told reporters he cannot return to Russia as long as Vladimir Putin is president and that his parents in Russia do not share his views. “I think it’s important for me to speak personally,” he said. Its is. And thank you.

7. MLB: Teams under fire for Miguel Cabrera retirement gifts: Miguel Cabrera’s Hall of Fame career is down to its last few games, and some gifts given him on his retirement tour have been criticized. At least three teams -- the A’s, Marlins and Astros -- have given him alcohol. The problem? Cabrera had a DUI charge in 2011 and has gone through alcohol rehab programs. Compounding the faux pas, the booze given him has been somewhat cheapskate-y, such as the A’s bottle of wine to him selling at Total Wine for $79.97.

8. SPORTSWASHING: Saudi prince unrepentant on buying image makeover: Mohammed bin Salman, crown prince of Saudi Arabia, told Fox News about allegations of sportswashing. “If sportswashing [is] going to increase my GDP [gross domestic product], then I will continue doing sportwashing. I don’t care.” The Saudis’ Public Investment Fund uses global sports to try to cleanse its earned lousy image on human rights. The problem is willing co-conspirators who accept the blood money, like soccer stars Ronaldo and Neymar and golfers Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson.

9. NFL: ‘Captain’ Andrew Luck back on sideline: A welcome sight was Andrew Luck, five years retired and still only 34, back on an NFL sideline last Thursday, especially because he came playfully dressed as Capt. Andrew Luck, the Civil War soldier alter-ego made popular in memes and in a Twitter parody account. I miss Luck. Although not nearly as much as the Colts do, granted.

10. COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Promotion/relegation system on the horizon?: Intriguing to say the least -- an English soccer-styled promotion/relegation system perhaps coming to American college football. Imagine Schools moving or down in different divisions based on on-field performance. A proposal for a similar structure in college football has been drafted out of Boise State, now Oregon State AD Scott Barnes has called the idea worth exploring. And it is.

Other most recent stuff from me: Marlins are in playoff chase but with no playoff fever. Where are the crowds? / NFL Week 3 picks / Herald NFL Week 2 NFL QB rankings / Dolphins win at Pats, Tua now 5-0 vs. Belichick’s fading mystique / Dolphins, Hurricanes have football in Miami riding tandem high not felt in nearly 25 years / Previous HB10 / And my latest podcast: