Panthers Beat Habs On New Year's Eve

It was the traditional New Year's Eve game at the Bank Atlantic Center and the Montreal Canadiens disappointed their transplanted fans as they were edged by the Florida Panthers 3-2 on Saturday night. The Habs got on the scoreboard 5:37 into the game. Travis Moen finished off a give-and-go with Lars Eller in the neutral zone and blasted a shot from the top left circle for a 1-0 lead. Florida held Montreal to only two shots on goal after more than 16 minutes into the game, but the Canadiens had the lead after one period. At 3:46 of the second period, Tomas Fleischmann received a drop pass from Stephen Weiss as fired a high shot from the top right circle that grazed off Carey Price's right arm and into the net. The power play goal to tie the game was Fleischmann's 14th tally of the season. Jose Theodore was hurt on a play at 8:04 with a lower body injury and had to leave the game. He was replaced by Scott Clemmensen in net. Florida took their first lead of the game at 3:08 of the third period as Shawn Matthias streaked through the neutral zone and shot the puck from top left circle. It deflected off P.K Subban's stick and went underneath the left arm of Price. The game was not decided until the Canadiens pulled their goalie in the final minute. Fleischmann stripped the puck from Tomas Plekanec in the neutral zone, skated it up the ice and flicked a shot from the left-wing boards into the open net at 19:19 for his second goal of the game. Montreal surprisingly came back just eleven seconds later after the center ice face-off as Eric Cole raced down the right side and lifted a shot that got past Clemmensen. The Florida, now 8-1-2 when tied after two periods, remain in first place in the Southeast Division by four points over the Winnipeg Jets at the end of 2011. The Panthers don't play again until Thursday when they face the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

Hochman Steps Down As WAXY Program Director

Marc Hochman stated to his staff on Friday that he has stepped down as program director at WAXY. He will continue to be the executive producer of the Dan LeBatard Show with Stugotz in afternoon drive. Hochman was promoted to program director at the station in September 2009. He replaced Steve White who is now in the WQAM sales department.

Rangers Easily Win, Head For Winter Classic

The Florida Panthers fell into a first-period buzz saw as they were beat by the New York Rangers 4-1 at the Bank Atlantic Center on Friday night. The blueshirts wasted no time scoring 35 seconds into the game as Carl Hagelin redirected a left-wing shot by Ryan Callahan from the low slot past Scott Clemmensen for an early 1-0 lead. New York followed it up at 5:10 as Brad Richards fired a slap shot from the top right circle into the far side of the net. He received a led pass from Jeff Woywitka from his own blue line. The Rangers picked up their third goal of the opening period as Michael Del Zotto pounded a left point shot at 15:37. The Panthers then pulled Clemmensen from goal and replaced him with Jose Theodore. Florida seems to have a goal 3:57 into the second as Dmitry Kulikov hit a slap shot from the top of the zone that landed on the goal line. Brandon Dubinsky increased the Rangers lead to 4-0 as he went through the left circle and backhanded a shot from the slot area at 7:41. Florida finally got on the scoreboard at 9:28. Following a right point shot by Erik Gudbranson, Matt Bradley found the loose puck in the slot and place a backhand shot above the right shoulder of Henrik Lundqvist for his second goal this season. Neither team scored in the third period. The Rangers are now 18-1-1 when leading after one period. New York heads to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers in the Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Ballpark on Monday. The Panthers will have no time to rest as they host the Montreal Canadiens on New Years Eve.

Amigo Leaves WMEN For WINZ

Larry Milian a.k.a The Amigo has left the morning show at WMEN and will join WINZ as a sports host from 3 to 5 p.m. beginning in January. The announcement came this afternoon during the The Big O Show with Orlando Alzugaray. After a short stint as a WMEN weekend host, Milian joined the morning show as a co-host with Miami Herald sports columnist Armando Salguero in late July 2010. They were known as Armando and The Amigo. He previously worked as a co-host on the late night show and weekend show Dos Amigos with Alan Strauss at WAXY. He won an on-air contest with Stauss in late 2005 to join that station.

Sid Rosenberg Returns To WQAM

Sid Rosenberg will return as afternoon host on WQAM January 3 after a six-week suspension. He was taken off the air on Thanksgiving week and has not been heard on the airwaves ever since. Rosenberg made a brief appearance at 4 p.m. Friday on the afternoon show with fill-in hosts Marc Eisenberg and Channing Crowder stating that he would return to WQAM this Tuesday. He continued at his post as the morning sports anchor at 1010 WINS in New York City while he was suspended. Rosenberg will have a different lead-in show in January as Steve Goldstein and Adam Kuperstein will co-host a show from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and Michael Irvin moves to an earlier shift.

WQAM Changes Midday Lineup

WQAM announced that there would be a change in their weekday schedule as of next Monday. The Gino Torretta Show with sidekick Steve White was being eliminated at the end of the year. Steve Goldstein and Adam Kuperstein would host their own show from 1 to 3 p.m. Goldstein is currently the Florida Panthers television play-by-play announcer and weekend host at WQAM. He was previously the morning sports anchor, weekday talk host and Florida Panthers studio host at the station. Kuperstein was recently moved at WTVJ-TV from a sportscaster position to morning news co-anchor at that station. In addition, he has been hosting weekend shows at WQAM. The Michael Irvin Show will be shifted from 12 to 3 p.m. to an earlier spot from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. White will remain as part of the WQAM sales staff. Torretta joined the station in early September 2010.

Heat Erase 15-Point Deficit At Halftime For Win

The Miami Heat pulled off one of their best comebacks in franchise history on Wednesday as they shocked the Charlotte Bobcats from being down 15 points at halftime for a 96-95 win. Playing in front of the largest crowd to ever attend a Bobcats home game, Charlotte led Miami 60-45 going into the second half. The Heat outscored their opponent 24-10 in the third quarter, which included finishing up the stanza on an 18-4 run. Chris Bosh made a slam dunk to give Miami their first lead of the game 80-79 with 6:35 left in the fourth. With 0:41 left in the game, Bosh hit a 21-foot shot to extend the Heat lead to 94-90. The Bobcats scored on their next two possessions as Gerald Henderson hit a lay-up followed by a three-pointer for a 95-94 Charlotte lead with 0:12 left. Dwyane Wade, who came back into the game in the final quarter after suffering an leg injury in the first half, fired a bank shot from the left of the lane with under three seconds left to give the Heat the eventual victory. For the third time in Heat history, the team came back from more than 15 points at halftime. It had not happen since March 29, 2009. Miami also had never won a game after getting rebounded by more than 20 until tonight. The Heat improved their record to 3-0, only the fourth time in the 24 years that they have done that.

Heat Control Celtics

The Miami Heat raised their Eastern Conference championship banner on Tuesday night and carried that pride throughout the game as they beat the Boston Celtics XXX-XX at the American Airlines Arena. A big surprise was Heat guard Norris Cole, playing in his second NBA, scored 14 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter. The Heat jumped out to a comfortable lead 26-15 midway through the first and were up 69-54 at halftime. It was the most points given up by the Celtics since February 8, 2005. Miami was up 85-65 midway through the third quarter, then Boston went to a 2-3 zone defense to stifle Miami's driving attack. The 17-time NBA champions when on an 18-6 run to close out the third down 91-83. The deficit was cut down to three points with three minutes remaining, then Cole hit several outside shots to put the game away. LeBron James scored 24 points, Dwyane Wade added 24 points and Chris Bosh had 18 points for Miami. The Heat are now 2-0 and travel to Charlotte to play on Wednesday night.

Panthers Sneak By Leafs

The Florida Panthers showed that it does not matter how few amount of shots you have, as long as they go into the net. That proved true as they were victorious over the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3 Tuesday night at the Bank Atlantic Center. The Panthers got up 1-0 just 1:57 into the game as Erik Gudbranson took a right point slap shot after Tim Kennedy beat a Toronto defender for a loose puck on the right-side wall. For Gudbranson it was his second goal in the NHL. In the second period, Mikhail Grabovski tied the game with a shot from the left circle at 2:11. Just 19 seconds later, Bill Thomas scored his first goal of the season on a breakaway and the Panthers regained the lead. Florida scored on their first power play at 4:13 as Michal Repik put in his second goal this year on a redirection from the end of the crease off a Jason Garrison top right circle shot. Kris Vetsteeg picked up his 17th goal on a five-on-three power play at 6:55 as he fired a shot from the left sude of the crease for a Panthers 4-1 lead. After giving up four goals on seven shots, Toronto goalie James Riemer was pulled by coach Ron Wilson for Jonas Gustavsson after that goal. Dion Phaneuf cut the lead at 9:34 with a slap shot from the right circle. Toronto closed the gap to 4-3 when Grabovski put in his second goal of the game on the power play with a deflection in front of the crease. Tomas Fleishmann put the game out of reach with a right circle wrist shot two minutes later. Florida has three days off until they face the surging New York Rangers on Friday.

Heat Destroy NBA Champion Mavericks

It had been a longer time since last season due to the lockout when the NBA Finals were played between the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks. The Heat savored revenge and got it as they dominated the first three quarters of their opening game of the season in Dallas with a 105-94 victory. The game was more one-sided than the final score indicated. LeBron James had a franchise opening-game record 37 points with ten rebounds, six assists and went 15-for-19 from the free throw line. Dwyane Wade added 26 points, eight rebounds and six assists for Miami. The Heat began scoring the first five points of the game and went up 9-3 after four minutes. Dallas would put in their first field goal on its next possession and continue on an 8-2 run capped by a three-pointer by former Heat player Lamar Odom at 6:22 to tie the game at 11-11. Miami would not relinquish the lead for the rest of the game as they responded with 13 unanswered points leading to a 21-6 spurt to end the first quarter ahead 32-17. James had ten points and Wade placed seven points after twelve minutes of play. The Heat continued to roll going on a 21-10 run at the start of the second quarter and extended the lead by 26 points, 53-27 with four minutes left in the first half. James Jones hit three treys from downtown in the second for his only scoring of the game. Dallas was down 62-41 at halftime. Miami continued their dominance after the half getting 14 straight points on their way to a 16-3 run, which gave them their biggest lead of the game at 35 points with 8:20 remaining in the third. After three quarters, James had 33 points and eight rebounds while Wade contributed 22 points and seven rebounds. Over the next 20 minutes, the Mavericks cut the deficit down to 11 points by the end of the contest. The Miami Heat play their home opener on Tuesday night at the American Airlines Arena and will raise their 2010-11 Eastern Conferences championship banner prior to their game against the Boston Celtics.

Stanley Cup Champs Dominate Panthers

The Boston Bruins came out with an avalanche of goals in the first period and blew away the Florida Panthers 8-0 at the TD Garden on Friday night. Twelve seconds into the Panthers first power play, Brad Marchand skated around the Florida net, circled around the zone and then fired a shot from the right circle for a shorthanded goal at 5:56. The Bruins scored on their first power play at 13:40 when a Patrice Bergeron slap shot from top of zone caromed off the back half-wall where Milan Lucic followed with a crease shot. With 1:39 left, Chris Kelly won a defensive zone face-off, then Benoit Pouliot skated the puck to the other end of the rink, went around Dmitry Kulikov and finished with a backhand shot in the slot. Thirty-one seconds later, former Panther Dennis Seidenberg got his first goal of the season on a slap shot from the left point to make it 4-0. Jose Theodore was pulled from goal by Panthers coach Kevin Dineen after the first period ended and was replaced by Scott Clemmensen. It didn't help as Boston scored again less than four minutes into the second as another former Panther Gregory Campbell added to the rout as he went end-to-end and finished with a wrist shot from the high slot. The Bruins increased their lead to 6-0 on the power play at 15:50 as Bergeron skated through the right circle and his pass across the crease was deflected off Ed Jovanovski's skate into the Panthers net. Marchand got his second goal of the game 1:53 into the third period as he took a one-time slap shot from the right circle. He picked up the hat trick at 9:53 following a cross-ice pass by Tyler Seguin to him in the slot. Brad Marchand ended with three goals and two assists for a career-high five points in one game. Florida used a lineup of eleven forwards and seven defensemen for this game due to the recent glut of injuries to the squad. The Panthers will take several days off before playing home and face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.

Coyotes Edge Panthers

The Florida Panthers finished off a four-game home stand on Tuesday night and were held off by the Phoenix Coyotes 2-1 at the Bank Atlantic Center. Former Panther Ray Whitney scored from the left circle on a five-on-three power play with seven seconds left in the first period. Phoenix increased their lead to 2-0 just over nine minutes into the second period when Keith Yandle fed a pass from the top of the zone to Radim Vrbata for a one-timer from the left face-off circle. Whitney also added an assist. The Panthers closed the gap at 17:42 as Brian Campbell fired a shot from the top right circle for his third goal this season. Kris Versteeg and Jason Garrision got the assists on the play. Florida had their best chance to tie the game with 24 seconds left in the third period when the Panthers were rewarded a penalty shot after two Coyotes knocked over their own net. Stephen Weiss represented Florida on the penalty shot, came onto the crease area and fired a shot that went under Coyotes goalie Jason LaBarbera and stopped on the goal line. The Panthers lead in the Southeast Division became closer with the Washington Capitals win tonight at seven points. Florida will play two road games prior to the Christmas break as they travel to Ottawa and Buffalo.

Miramar Loses 8A Title Game To Tampa Plant

The Miramar Patriots were trying to be the first Class 8A state champions in Florida, however they were beaten by the Plant Panthers of Tampa 31-20 on Saturday night at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando. Plant, who won their third state title in four years, lost the Class 5A title to St. Thomas Aquinas last year. Miramar won the 2009 Class 6A state title and returned to Orlando for the second time in three years. The Panthers scored on their opening possession as Wesley Bullock had a 21-yard run at 9:45. It was a six-play 63-yard drive in which Bullock had rushed for 56 yards. Less than two minutes later, the Patriots capitalized on fumbled punt return as D'Vontis Arnold ran in a two-yard touchdown on a one-play drive to tie the game 7-7. Plant retook the lead at 4:03 as James Few scrambled in from eight yards out. In the second quarter, Grant Van Aman kicked a 37-yard field goal with 9:38 left. On the Panthers next possession, Mike Tate scored on a one-yard run with 1:05 remaining in the half to complete a ten-play, 44-yard drive and take a 24-7 lead. The Patriots closed the gap with two touchdowns in the third quarter. Malcolm Lewis caught a 31-yard pass on the left sideline from Camren Hudge at 2:40. Trevor Robinson made a 27-yard touchdown catch just 24 seconds later on a two-play drive and Miramar cut the lead to 24-20. Miramar was bottled near their end zone midway through the final quarter. On third down from their own one-yard line, Hudge fumbled the ball in the end zone and it was recovered by Tate Rogers for a 31-20 Plant lead.

Miami Central Unable To Repeat

The Miami Central Rockets were looking to repeat as Class 6A state champions, however it didn't happen as they lost to the nationally-ranked Seffner-Armwood Hawks 40-31 at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando on Saturday. Armwood(15-0), who lost the 4A state title last year against Tallahassee-Lincoln, won their first state title since 2004. Central had their 27-game winning streak snapped. Even though they were defeated by Camden County of Georgia in 2010, the last time they lost a game against a Florida high school was against Miramar in the state semifinals in 2009. Parkland-Douglas transfer and Central quarterback Austin Stock had a horrible first quarter as his first pass was intercepted by Jarvis McCall and returned 56 yards for a touchdown at 10:47. Armwood followed with a 27-yard field goal by Nick Feeley at 5:23. Three plays later, Stock was picked off again and Leon McQuay brought the ball back 32 yards for the score at 3:51 making it 16-0. Miami Central(13-1) bounced back with 14 points in the second quarter. Dalvin Cook went up the middle with a 63-yard run at 7:14 and Joseph Yearly bowled in on their next possession on a seven-yard run at 1:56. The Hawks capitalized on a Central fumbled turnover on the second play of the third quarter. On their first play, Alvin Bailey found Wade Edwards wide open down the left sideline with a 32-yard touchdown pass. The Rockets responded with a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Cook 14 seconds later. Armwood finished the quarter up 30-21 at 1:41 with a running back pass option by Javonte Sneed who threw the ball across the field 19 yards to Bailey. In the fourth quarter, Central's Emilio Nadelman kicked a 36-yard field goal at 8:04 to close the gap. On the first play of the following drive for Armwood, Matt Jones pulled in an 80-yard touchdown catch from Bailey to increase their lead to 37-24. Yearly put in his second touchdown run for the Rockets with five minutes remaining. Although the Rockets were down 37-31 with under two minutes remaining, they failed on the decisive possession as Central went four-and-out. The final play was a quarterback sack by Oklahoma commitment Eric Striker. The Hawks put the game out of reach on a 43 yard field goal by Nick Feeley with 0:31 remaining. Armwood will most likely finish either second or third in all national high school football prep polls when they are released.

Spoelstra Signs Contract Extension

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has signed a contract extension with the team on Friday. The length and amount of the contract was not released by the organization. He has been the Heat head coach for the past three seasons. Spoelstra led the team to an Eastern Conference championship and an NBA Finals appearance in 2010-11 with Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. The Heat lost to the Dallas Mavericks 4-2 in the finals. Spoelstra joined Miami in 1995 as a video coordinator and was promoted to assistant coach in 1997. He was an assistant under Pat Riley when the Miami Heat won the NBA world championship in 2005-06 over Dallas.

Sparano Out As Dolphins Coach

The Miami Dolphins fired head coach Tony Sparano on Monday. He was hired by the team prior to the 2008 season. Sparano led the team to the AFC East division title in his first season with an 11-5 record. The Dolphins tied an NFL record as they picked up ten wins more than the previous season. Miami would fall to 7-9 and into third place in 2009 and 2010. Sparano, whose team lost their first eight games in 2011, had won four straight until they lost on Sunday at home against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Devils Burn Panthers

The Florida Panthers returned home to begin a four-game stint and lost to the New Jersey Devils 3-2 in a shootout on Tuesday night at the Bank Atlantic Center. In their previous meeting, Martin Brodeur and the Devils were unable to hold a 3-0 lead and lost to the Panthers 4-3 on November 21. It was only the second time in Florida Panthers history that they overcame a three-goal lead. Florida had numerous close-range chances in the first 14 minutes of the game, with Brodeur making brilliant save-after-save. Things changed at 15:10 when Adam Larrson sent a pass from the end-boards through his own left circle. It was intercepted by Stephen Weiss who skated alone into the crease and passed it to the right where the trailer Kris Versteeg placed it into an open-net after Brodeur was committed. Florida took a two-goal lead as Versteeg put in his second goal of the game at 7:29 of the second period in a shorthanded situation. He poke-checked Hendrik Tallinder at the red line and skated in on a one-on-one breakaway where he put a wrist shot over Broduer's glove. The Devils cut the lead to 2-1 just one minute later. Iyla Kovalchuk placed the puck from the left corner to the slot, it grazed off a Panther defender and Patrik Elias finished the play from the right of the crease. The Devils tied the game at 7:40 of the third period. Tallinder took a slap shot from the top of the zone that went wide and rebounded off the back wall. Parise shot the puck from the left of the crease over Jose Theodore for the equalizer. With ten seconds remaining, Petr Sykora redirected Mark Fayne's right-wing shot from the crease, however it went behind Theodore and across the goalmouth for no goal. The Panthers set a season record with only one shot in the third period. The previous mark was two shots in the first period against the Washington Capitals on October 18. There was no scoring in overtime. In the shootout, Kovalchuk scored first with a wrist shot over the left shoudler of Theodore. Elias wrapped up the win on the Devils third attempt as he put the puck between the legs of the goalie. New Jersey improved their record to 7-1 in shootouts. Florida will host the Calgary Flames with former Panther players Olli Jokinen and Jay Bouwmeester on Friday.

Rangers Blow Out Panthers

The Florida Panthers played the final game of their three-game road trip at the newly renovated Madison Square Garden and lost to the New York Rangers 6-1 on Sunday night. Both teams had played their previous game this past weekend in Buffalo. The blueshirts scored on their second power play of the game at 11:40 of the first period. Ed Jovanovski tried to clear the puck out of the Panthers zone, however Ryan Callahan stopped it at the right point and found Brad Richards streaking through the left circle. He waited for Jose Theodore to commit then fired a high shot over the right shoulder of the goalie. New York put in their second power-play goal at 17:27 as Artem Anisimov followed up with a crease shot from the right side after Erik Christensen hit the right post with the initial left-circle shot. Erik Gudbranson put in his first NHL goal from the right point with a slap shot at 18:07. Stephen Weiss and Kris Versteeg scrambled in the left circle to get the puck to the rookie for his first tally and cut the lead to 2-1. The Rangers extended their lead with four second-period goals. At 5:45 Derek Stepan put in an unassisted goal. He stopped the puck in the defensive zone, rumbled down the right side, went by two defenders and wristed a right-wing shot into the top of the cage. New York increased their lead to 4-1 when Steve Eminger burned his former team with a top right circle shot at 10:43. Marian Gaborik added a backhand goal on a rebound shot from the low slot at 16:53 followed by another goal by Stepan in the slot after a Michael Del Zotto shot from the left circle at 17:48. Florida returns home for four straight games at the Bank Atlantic Center beginning with the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.

American Heritage Wins 3A Title

The American Heritage Stallions and head coach Doug Socha redeemed themselves and defeated the Madison County Cowboys 30-3 to win the Class 3A FHSAA state championship at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando on Saturday. The Stallions fell in the 2010 Class 1A state final last year to Trinity Christian. American Heritage(11-2) entered the game on a ten-game win streak following an overtime loss at home against the Glades Central Raiders. Late in the first quarter, the Stallions looked like they were bottled in their own on a third-and-long and short of the first down, however the Cowboys were called for roughing the passer. The Stallions then marched the ball down the field through the second quarter with Greg Bryant scoring from one-yard out with 9:25 left for a 7-0 lead. It was a 16-play, 89-yard drive that took 7:32. Madison County(12-2) rebounded with a 34-yard field goal by Zack Money with 7:10 remaining in the first half. American Heritage scored on their first possession of the second half as Bryant finished a five-play, 44-yard drive with a five-yard touchdown run through the right side with a lead block by Tyler Provo at 8:16. The Stallions followed up on their next drive five minutes later as Greg Joseph kicked a 24-yard field goal for a 17-3 lead. Bryant capped things off with 1:01 left in the contest with a five-yard run, his third touchdown in the game. It was a 19-play, 87-yard drive that lasted ten minutes and nineteen seconds. Heritage extended the lead to 30-3 on the final play of the game. Cameron Posey jarred the ball out of the hands of Deonshay Wells who just received a pass from Charles Brown, then Silmore Dallaway returned the ball 44 yards for the score. Greg Bryant finished with 39 carries for 243 yards, which was 72 yards more than Madison County had in total offense. American Heritage had won the Class 1A state title in 2007 and 2009 under former head coach Willie Bueno.

Panthers Shut Out Bruins

In his 600th NHL career appearance, Florida Panthers goalie Jose Theodore made 40 saves en route to a 2-0 shutout over the Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins at the TD Bankworth Garden on Thursday night. The Panthers jumped the Bruins in the standings and are now tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins for second place in the Eastern Conference with 36 points, one point behind the Philadelphia Flyers. The game was scoreless after two periods and almost had no score after regulation time. It changed with 2:32 left when Tomas Kopecky followed up on a rebound in the crease from a Shawn Matthias shot from the left wing. For Kopecky it was his fourth goal as a Panther. Kris Versteeg capped the victory with an open-net goal, his club-leading 13th goal this season, with 42 seconds remaining. Theodore picked up his second shutout this season and his 32nd in the NHL. Florida continues their three-game trip on the road and take on the Buffalo Sabres Friday night.

Mark Buehrle Signs With Marlins

Former Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle signed a four-year 58 million dollar contract with the Miami Marlins on Wednesday. He rejoins Marlins manager Ozzie Gullien who managed him in Chicago for eight seasons. Buehrle made his major league baseball debut with the White Sox in 2000 and won a world championship in 2005. In 12 seasons with the pale hoses, he went 161-119 with 1,396 strikeouts and a 3.83 ERA. He pitched a no-hitter in April 2007 and a perfect game in July 2009. The Marlins have now signed Buehrle along with Jose Reyes and Heath Bell as free agents in the past week.

Major League Baseball Issues Media Dress Code

Major League Baseball became the first professional league in North America to issue a dress policy to all members of the media on Tuesday. The decision was announced at the baseball winter meetings in Dallas. Media personnel would be dressed in a professional business casual manner in the locker rooms, dugouts, playing field, press box and press lunch room. Starting next season media members will be prohibited from wearing bermuda shorts, flip-flops, tight tee-shirts, short skirts, tank tops, ripped jeans, see-through outfits, sports jerseys and any clothing with a team logo/insignia. One of the reasons for the dress policy was how local television and radio reporters covering the Florida Marlins were dressed during the 2011 season at Sun Life Stadium. In addition nationally, several baseball writers and team broadcasters had been wearing shorts instead of long pants while working games.

Sid Rosenberg Suspended By WQAM

WQAM afternoon talk host Sid Rosenberg has been suspended by the station through the end of 2011. People were aware that he would not work the week of Thanksgiving. It was a surprise that he did not return to the air on Monday after being two weeks away. Rosenberg continues as the morning sports anchor at WINS-AM in New York City. In addition, he appeared on the Tony Bruno midday show on WPEN-AM in Philadelphia on Wednesday as a guest. WQAM producer and weekend host Marc Eisenberg filled in for Rosenberg during the two-week period and Channing Crowder joined him as a co-host for this week. Rosenberg joined WQAM in 2009 for middays and moved to the afternoon post in June 2010.

NHL Announces New Conferences

The National Hockey League announced Monday that they will have realignment for the 2012-13 season. The Florida Panthers will be moved along with the Tampa Bay Lightning from the Southeast Division. They will share a new conference with the Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators. The Panthers have been in the Southeast Division since the 1998-99 season. Prior to that, the team played in the Atlantic Division from their first season in the NHL in 1993-94 until the 1997-98 season. Florida has never won a divisional title and have appeared in the NHL playoffs just three times in their history.

Panthers Increase Division Lead Over Capitals

The Florida Panthers entered Monday's game with a five-point lead over the Washington Capitals in the Southeast Division. They clashed at the Bank Atlantic Center as the Panthers beat the Capitals 5-4 to extend their lead in the division. Florida was playing their only home game in an eight-game stretch. The Panthers picked up two goals in just 13 seconds early in the first period. On Florida's first power play, Brian Campbell sent a pass from the top of the zone to Weiss on the right wing who then fired a shot past Michal Neuvirth with a Tomas Fleischmann screen in front at 6:50. On the following face-off at center, Mike Weaver passed the puck across to Dmitry Kulikov at the Panthers line. He found a streaking Mike Santorelli down the right wing who then blasted a slapshot from the right circle over the right shoulder of Neuvirth at 7:03. The Panthers picked up another power- play goal at 16:31 as Kulikov pounded a slapshot from the top right circle following passes around the defensive umbrella by Weiss and Campbell for a 3-0 lead. The Capitals finally scored at 17:11 as Mike Knuble finished off a three-on-two play from Marcus Johansson with a shot between the pads of Scott Clemmensen from the high slot. Florida picked up their third power-play goal of the game 3:41 into the second period as Sean Bergenheim, his fourth this season, made a wraparound shot following a mad scramble for the puck in the crease. Weiss picked up his second goal of the game at 12:11 putting the puck into an open net after Fleischmann carried it through the slot into the left circle then fed it across to Weiss. Washington closed the second period cutting the deficit to 5-2 with 20 seconds left in the second as Mathieu Perreault fed a pass from behind the Panthers net to Cody Eakin in the crease. The Capitals made it close in the third period. They picked up a goal 12:09 into the third period as Brooks Laich scored from the slot area. With less than two minute remaining, Jason Chimera put one in from close range. The Panthers have three days off before they take on the Stanley Cup champion Bruins in Boston.

Marlins Sign Jose Reyes

The Miami Marlins continued to make a splash in the free-agent market as the team signed all-star shortstop Jose Reyes on Sunday. He agreed to a six-year 106 million dollar contract to come to Miami. Reyes had been with the New York Mets since being signed by the team in 1999. During that time, he led the Mets to the National League Eastern Division title in 2006 and won the batting title in 2011. Reyes joined former San Diego Padres relief pitcher Heath Bell who signed with Miami as a free agent late last week for three years at 27 million dollars.