Heat Slip By Magic

    The Miami Heat finished a four-game road trip with a 112-110 overtime win over the Orlando Magic at Amway Center on New Year's Eve. It was the first game this season between the in-state rivals as the Heat ended their two-game losing streak. Miami had just seven turnovers in the game.
    Orlando(12-19) jumped off to an 8-3 edge in the first three minutes of the game. Miami(21-8) then scored ten straight points en route to a 17-5 streak. The Heat were up 31-22 after one quarter of play. The Magic outscored their opponent 32-17 in the second quarter and led 54-48 at halftime.
    With a one-minute exception, the Magic were up the entire quarter and were ahead 77-70 after three quarters. The Heat fired in nine consecutive points to begin the fourth quarter to regain the lead 79-77 with 9:11 left. Neither team had more than a four-point margin for the rest of regulation as Chris Bosh tied the game at 99-99 on a field goal with 35 seconds remaining.
    LeBron James had 10 of Miami's 13 points in overtime to give them the victory. Dwyane Wade intercepted a cross-court pass and went for an uncontested dunk with under seven seconds to put the game out of reach.
    James had 36 points and 11 assists and eight rebounds in 48 minutes for the Heat. Bosh knocked down 22 points in 38 minutes and Ray Allen had 17 points with four steals in 33 minutes. Wade poured in 21 points in 40 minutes.
    Nikola Vukevic had a double-double by halftime for Orlando and finished with 20 points and 29 rebounds in 47 minutes. It was the most rebounds by an opposing player in a game against the Heat franchise in their 25-year history. Magic reserve J.J Redick contributed 23 points in 36 minutes while Aaron Afflalo scored 28 points in 46 minutes.

Bucks Knock Off Heat

    The Miami Heat lost for the second straight night on the road as they were defeated by the Milwaukee Bucks 104-85 on Saturday night at BMO Harris Bradley Center. The Heat will finish the four-game road trip at Orlando on Monday night.
    Chris Bosh had 12 points and 16 rebounds in 34 minutes of play for Miami. LeBron James contributed 27 points, seven assists and six rebounds in 36 minutes while Dwyane Wade, who came off a one-game suspension, added 24 points in 35 minutes.
    Brandon Jennings led the Bucks with 25 points and seven assists in 42 minutes. Larry Sanders got a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds in 31 minutes. Mike Dunleavy had 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists in 26 minutes as a non-starter.
    Milwaukee(16-12) began the game on a 16-7 spurt and held a 25-20 lead after one quarter. The Bucks held a double-digit margin for most of the second quarter and led 56-44 at halftime.
    Miami(20-8) blasted out on a 27-6 run at the start of the third quarter and had a 71-62 edge at 2:40. They led by the score of 71-69 after three periods. The Bucks scored 16 unanswered points through the second half and were up 78-71 with 9:42 to go in the fourth quarter. The Heat could come no closer than five points back as Milwaukee outscored them 35-14 in the final quarter.

Pistons Defeat Heat

    With Dwyane Wade serving a one-game suspension, the Detroit Pistons took advantage with a 109-99 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night at The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was the second game of a four-game road trip for Miami, who had their six-game win streak snapped.
    LeBron James had 35 points and six rebounds in 44 minutes for the Heat in the loss while Chris Bosh added 28 points along with nine rebounds in 40 minutes. They were the only two Miami players that scored in double digits. Ray Allen, who missed the last game due to an injury, placed nine points in 29 minutes.
    Detroit(10-22) had six players with double-digit scoring. Will Bynum led the way with 25 points coming off the bench along with Charlie Villanueva who had 18 points. Kyle Singler popped in 12 points and Tayshaun Prince poured in 11 points for the Pistons. Pine Crest grad Brandon Knight scored seven points in 20 minutes.
    Miami(20-7) scored the first ten points of the game and had a 32-17 lead after one quarter. The Pistons hit 14 unanswered points to begin the second quarter to pull within one points 32-31 with 8:18 to go. Detroit was up 58-52 at halftime after they outscored Miami 41-20 in the second.
    The Pistons got the first nine points of the second half and held a double-digit lead throughout the third quarter. Miami was down 81-71 at the end of the period. The Heat came as close as a four-point deficit at 81-77 with 10:27 remaining in the final quarter.

Miami/Fort Lauderdale Arbitron Ratings December

    There was a tie for the top sports format radio station in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale region between 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM and Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM during the month of December. The last time two stations tied for the top spot was back in September.
    WQAM had their three-month reign as the solo leader in the area stopped as they dropped from a 0.9 to a 0.7 in December. The station had no momentum from the University of Miami Hurricanes football team as they self-imposed a ban for the second straight season to compete in a bowl game at the end of the year. In addition, the audience has not taken to the midday block since Steve Goldstein was let go in October. The two shows with shaky numbers consist of Dan Sileo followed by Adam Kuperstein and Channing Crowder.
    WAXY remained the same as they stayed at a 0.7 for the second consecutive month. The Miami Heat had their best two-month start in franchise history, however it was a general surprise that the station did not go up in the ratings. Eric Reed along with Ethan Skolnick has kept up the charge in the early afternoon shift since Jason Jackson left in October.
    940 The Sports Animal WINZ-AM took the third spot for the second straight month as they went from a 0.6 to a 0.5. WINZ program director Ken Charles, who flipped the station to a sports format in April 2009, left the station in early December. Syndicated sports talk host Jim Rome completed his run at the end of the month and the Miami Dolphins were coming to the end of an average season. Numerous changes will occur at this station as of January and will have an impact on their ratings.

Jim Rome Show Exits WINZ

    Jim Rome did his final show on 940 The Sports Animal WINZ-AM on December 21 and will join CBS Sports Radio Network on January 2. His show, nicknamed The Jungle, was distributed by Premiere Radio Networks and carried by Fox Sports Radio. Rome was heard locally on Fox Sports Radio 940 WRFX-AM from January 2002 until July 2004 and again on WINZ from April 2009 until December 2012.
    He will be replaced on the midday shift by actor and comedian Jay Mohr as of January 2. Mohr has been a fill-in host for Rome for several years on Fox Sports Radio. His most known acting role was working alongside Tom Cruise as competing sports agent Bob Sugar in the movie Jerry Maguire back in 1996. 

Heat Slam Bobcats

    The Miami Heat paid a visit to Charlotte on Wednesday night and came away with a 105-92 victory over the Bobcats at Time Warner Cable Arena. The Heat were playing the second game of a back-to-back situation, now 4-0 in those circumstances, and won their sixth straight game. It was their first game of a four-game road trip.
    Miami(20-6) rocketed to a 22-9 start in the first nine minutes of the game after they began with a 9-0 spurt. LeBron James had outscored the Bobcats team 11-9 at the time. Charlotte(7-21), who never led in the contest, was down 27-18 after one quarter. The Heat had a double-digit margin for the entire second quarter and were up 55-38 at halftime.
    The Bobcats cut the deficit down to eight points on a 12-3 edge to begin the second half to make it 58-50 at 7:45. Miami held the lead at 78-71 after three quarters. Charlotte got the lead down to two points at 84-82 with 7:16 to go in the final quarter. The Heat followed with a 21-10 run which put the game away.
    James carried the Heat with 27 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists and tied a season-high four steals in 38 minutes. Dwyane Wade contributed 29 points, nine rebounds and five assists in 36 minutes while Chris Bosh nailed 14 points in 30 minutes. Mario Chalmers finished strong with 17 points in 34 minutes.
    Kemba Walker led the Bobcats with 27 points in 38 minutes. Reserve player Ramon Sessions added 19 points and Hakim Warrick dropped in 18 points.

Heat Stroke Thunder

    The Miami Heat had their hands full as they beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-97 on Christmas Day at American Airlines Arena. The Heat went a perfect 19-for-19 on free throw shots. Both teams met each other the NBA Finals last season where the Heat won the series in five games. It was their second NBA championship in franchise history.
    Miami(19-6) streaked out to an 15-3 lead in the first four minutes of the game. They had a 27-24 lead after one quarter. The Heat extended their margin to eight points at 35-26 with 10:03 left in the first half. Oklahoma City(21-6) cut the deficit down to 54-48 by halftime.
    The Thunder went on a 17-7 run to begin the third quarter and were up 65-61 with 4:37 remaining in the period. OKC was behind 74-72 after three quarters. Although they tied the game at 79-79 with 9:32 left, Oklahoma City never led once in the fourth quarter. Miami scored seven straight points to make it 86-79 at 8:15.
    The Heat had a 100-87 lead with 15 seconds left on two foul shots by Ray Allen. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook missed consecutive three-point shots as Chris Bosh got the second rebound and was fouled. Allen made a technical foul shot, which a technical was called on Westbrook on his negative reaction toward the play. Bosh followed with two free throws with one second to go for a Heat 103-97 lead.
    LeBron James led the way for the Heat with a team-high 29 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in 42 minutes. Dwyane Wade added 21 points in 38 minutes and Mario Chalmers contributed 20 points in 37 minutes. Bosh returned to the lineup and poured in 16 points.
    Durant had 33 points and seven rebounds for the Thunder in 39 minutes while Westbook popped in 21 points with 11 rebounds in 43 minutes. Kevin Martin knocked in 15 points and Serge Ibaka got 15 points.

Marlins Sign Placido Polanco

    The Miami Marlins have signed third baseman Placido Polanco to a one-year deal. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies for the last three seasons. He had a .257 batting average with two home runs and 19 runs batted in 90 games last year. He won two National League Eastern Division titles with the team in 2010 and 2011.
    Polanco, a two-time all-star player, won a gold glove at third base with Philadelphia in 2011. He played with the Detroit Tigers from 2005 until 2009 and was part of the American League champions in 2006. Polanco won two gold gloves as a second baseman with them in 2007 and 2009. He began his major league baseball career with the St. Louis Cardinals and was with them for two playoff appearances from 1998 until 2002. Polanco was traded to the Phillies, his first stint with that team, in a five-player deal for Scott Rolen.

Heat Pipe Down Jazz

    The Miami Heat coasted to a 105-89 victory over the Utah Jazz on Saturday night at American Airlines Arena. The Heat improved their home record to 13-2 this season. Miami will take a four-game win streak into Christmas Day against the Oklahoma City Thunder in a rematch of the 2012 NBA Finals.
    After giving up the initial basket, Miami(18-6) scored eight consecutive points. The last time Utah(14-14) held a lead in the game was at 19-17 with 3:03 left in the first quarter. The Heat were up 28-25 after one quarter and could only muster a six-point margin midway through the second quarter. They were ahead 47-43 at halftime.
    Miami went on a tear to begin the third quarter as they went on a 22-6 run to command a 20-point lead 69-49 with 4:20 left in the period. The Jazz slowly climbed back and were behind 73-63 after three quarters. They came within eight points 90-82 with 4:39 to go in the fourth quarter. The Heat knocked down 15 straight points to put the game out of reach 105-82 with 1:48 left.
    LeBron James had 30 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in 38 minutes and Dwyane Wade added 21 points, seven assists and seven rebounds in 34 minutes. Shane Battier popped in 15 points and Ray Allen poured in 13 points for the Heat.
    Marvin Williams led Utah in scoring with 16 points in 27 minutes and Gordon Hayward added 15 points off the bench in 27 minutes. Paul Millsap contributed 11 points in 29 minutes.
   

Heat Rout Mavericks

    The Miami Heat took on a Western Conference nemesis on Thursday night and wiped out the Dallas Mavericks 110-95 at American Airlines Center. It was a matchup between the last two NBA champions. Both teams had a prior history with each other as they met in the NBA Finals in 2006 and 2011. Miami has now won 11 of their last 14 games.
    LeBron James led Miami with 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists in 31 minutes. It was the 23rd consecutive game that he has scored more than 20 points in a game since the start of the season. Dwyane Wade added 19 points in 26 minutes while Chris Bosh had 17 points in 34 minutes. 
    The Mavericks had former Heat player Shawn Marion lead the way with ten points and nine rebounds in 29 minutes. Reserves Jae Crowder had 15 points and Bernard James poured in 12 points.
    Miami(17-6) got on a 27-13 run in the first nine minutes to start the game and led 31-20 after one quarter. James had 13 points after the first quarter for the Heat. Dallas(12-14) went on an 8-2 spurt at the beginning of the second quarter and pulled to within five points 33-28. The Heat ripped out a 19-9 edge midway through the period and led 52-37 with 2:59 to go in the half. The Mavs were down 58-42 at halftime.
    The Heat opened the third quarter on a 26-9 run and had a 30-point margin to lead 84-51 with 3:31 remaining. Wade had 13 points in the stanza as his team was up 91-61 after three quarters. Miami put in their reserves at the beginning of the fourth quarter and Mavs capitalized with a 10-2 spurt.

Steve Goldstein and Jeff DeForrest Reunite

    Steve Goldstein and Jeff DeForrest will host a morning show together on 940 WINZ-AM The Sports Animal as of January 2. Both worked together on The First Team morning show with Joe Rose at 560 WQAM-AM from late 1996 until December 2001.
    DeForrest, a.k.a Defo, moves from the evening shift that he has held since January. He was the late morning host at that station prior to that from late September 2010 until January 2012. He left the morning show on 640 Sports WMEN-AM and joined WINZ in July 2010 as the mid-afternoon host.
    Defo came to Miami in the early 1980's and worked as a sports anchor at WINZ-AM and WINZ-FM. He then became the sports host of the evening show Sportstalk 610 on 610 WIOD-AM and later added sports director duties during his tenure at the station.
    Following his reign at WQAM, DeForrest moved to 850 WFTL-AM in 2002 where he was an afternoon sports host. He then joined 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM as an evening host when the station flipped to a sports talk format in August 2004 and was later promoted to an early morning shift.
    DeForrest, a Syracuse grad, went up to Boca Raton and did an evening sports show on 740 WSBR-AM and 1470 WWNN-AM. He returned to James Crystal Enterprises to begin a second reign at their stations. He was the morning sports anchor on Big Talk 850 WFTL-AM and the morning co-host on 640 Sports WMEN-AM with Lesley Visser. Defo later became the solo host of that show.
    Steve Goldstein, a.k.a. Goldie, recently finished his second run at Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM after a three year tenure. He co-hosted the early afternoon shift with WTVJ-TV Channel 6 news anchor Adam Kuperstein from January until October. He has co-hosted a Saturday sports show with 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM afternoon co-host Jon Weiner, a.k.a Stugotz, on WFOR-TV Channel 4 called Sports Bang since October.
     Goldstein, a Syracuse University grad, came back to WQAM as a temporary midday host when broadcasting legend Neil Rogers retired in June 2009. When Sid Rosenberg was named the new midday host in September 2009. Goldstein moved into a weekend host and fill-in host role.
     His first stint at WQAM was where he was first noticed by local listeners. He came in as the morning sports anchor when Bob Wischusen was promoted to morning co-host with Joe Rose on The First Team in late 1994. After Wischusen was demoted to afternoon sports anchor in September 1995, Goldstein added morning sidekick to his resume with Rose and Andrew Ashwood. He would have the same duties when Jeff DeForrest took over for Ashwood on the show in late 1996.
    Goldstein replaced Jon "Boog" Sciambi as the radio studio host for Florida Panthers game broadcasts in October 1996. He would hold that position for eight seasons through 2004. He was elevated to the radio play-by-play announcer post and took over for Foster Hewitt Memorial Award winner Jiggs McDonald.
    When The First Team broke up to give Jeff DeForrest his ill-fated show that lasted only two weeks in January 2002, Goldstein remained as one of several morning sidekicks. He would eventually become the morning co-host on the Howard David Show from March 2002 to early August 2004. Goldstein jumped across the street for a weekend host spot when 790 The Ticket launched in late August 2004 and lasted one year there. At that time, he was the radio voice of the Florida Panthers during the NHL lockout in 2004 and 2005.
     He has done a stretch of television work in Miami as the play-by-play announcer for the Florida Panthers on Fox Sports Florida since October 2007. In addition, he was a studio co-host on Miccosukee Sports Rap at Fox Sports Net Florida.
    He began his professional career as an intern at Sports Radio 66 WFAN in New York City. He then went across town and joined Westwood One as a producer. He would later be promoted to an on-air role as sports anchor, sports reporter and studio host.

Phil Schoen On beIN Sport

    Former Miami radio sportscaster Phil Schoen is now with beIN Sport as a soccer play-by-play announcer. The Qatar-based organization launched their United States operations in August 2012. He worked at GOL TV, based in Miami, from their inception in 2003 until 2012 as a soccer play-by-play announcer, studio host and producer. In addition, he also announced the 2006 World Cup on XM Radio.
    Schoen was known through the mid-1990's as a sports anchor for Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM. He announced Fort Lauderdale Strikers games in the American Professional Soccer League during the early 1990's until the team folded in 1994.
    He became the lead soccer play-by-play announcer for ABC Sports from 1996 until 1999 and called the first four Major League Soccer championship games in league history. Schoen joined 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM as a sports anchor when the station flipped to a sports talk format in August 2004 and stayed there for over a year. He also was the radio play-by-play voice for Florida International University football from 2003 until 2007.

Anita Marks Goes National

    Former South Florida sports talk host Anita Marks has been named as a new weekend host on NBC Sports Radio Network. She will begin her new position on January 5. Marks will be given a Saturday and Sunday shift from noon until 3 p.m. She is a Miami native that once played quarterback in the Womens Professional Football League from 2000 until 2004.
    Marks started her broadcasting career as a sports intern and sports producer at WFOR-TV Channel 4. She then joined 940 Fox Sports Radio WRFX-AM in 2002 as a morning co-host with Carl Foster. Both of them went to 1400 The Fan WFLL-AM when it flipped to a sports talk format in April 2004. She moved to the afternoon shift in early 2006 and held that spot for several months. Marks left 1400 The Fan in April 2006 one month before the station changed its format again.
    She made a major step and joined ESPN 1300 WJFK-AM in Baltimore as an afternoon host. She gained Scott Garceau as a co-host when the show was moved to sister-station 105.7 The Fan WJZ-FM. It was later picked up as a television simulcast on Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. She was gone from that station in January 2010.
    Marks returned to Miami in February 2010 when she and Curtis Stevenson replaced Jim Mandich as the afternoon co-hosts on Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM. The show just lasted a couple of months and she was let go in June. She got a national platform as a sideline reporter for United Football League telecasts on Versus from 2009 until 2010.
    This led to a career jump into the New York City media market where she has held many positions. She was named a reporter on New York Giants.com and then joined Sirius XM Radio as a sports reporter, NFL channel sportscaster and fantasy football afternoon show co-host. Marks added duties at MSG Network as a studio co-host for the New York Giants weekly football show. She became the studio co-host for the pregame and postgame shows on the New York Giants Radio Network. Over the past year Marks worked occasional weekend and late night shows on Sports Radio 66 WFAN-AM.

Heat Cage Wolves

    The Miami Heat delivered a 103-92 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night at American Airlines Arena. The team concluded a stretch of 10 of their last 11 games at home since November 21. Miami now has a 12-2 home record this season.
    Dwyane Wade made seven of the Heat's first 12 points to begin the game up 12-8 after six minutes. Minnesota(12-11) bounced back with the final seven points of the first quarter to lead 27-21. The Timberwolves had a nine-point lead at 41-32 with 5:16 left in the first half. Miami(16-6) finished the quarter off with a 20-8 spurt and were ahead 52-49 at halftime.
    The Heat extended the margin to double digits with 2:31 remaining in the third as they completed a 16-5 run to make it 78-68. Miami was up 80-72 at the end of the period. Minnesota was outscored 17-6 at the start of the fourth quarter and were behind by 19 points 97-78 with 7:09 to go. They cut the deficit down to eight points with two minutes left, but did not come any closer.
    Wade led the Heat with 24 points in 27 minutes while LeBron James dropped a double-double with 22 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds in 41 minutes. Chris Bosh poured in 15 points and Mario Chalmers added 12 points.
    Andrei Kirilenko made his first appearance with his new team in Miami and had a team-high 22 points in 30 minutes. Kevin Love, a United States Olympic teammate of James during the summer, compiled a double-double with 11 points and 18 rebounds in 33 minutes of play.

WQAM Extends Joe Rose

    Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM has given a three-year contract extension to morning host Joe Rose through 2015. He has held that post since 2007. Rose has also been a sports anchor at WTVJ-TV Channel 6 since the early 1990's. His first stint at WQAM started in 1994 when he replaced Jimmy Cefalo as the morning co-host on The First Team with Dave Lamont and ended in December 2001 as the program with Rose, Jeff DeForrest and Steve Goldstein was eliminated.
    Rose joined 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM when it flipped to a sports format in August 2004 as the morning host. He added duties as the Miami Dolphins radio game analyst alongside Jimmy Cefalo and Jim Mandich in August 2005. Rose left the station for WQAM when they picked up the radio rights to the Miami Dolphins prior to the 2007 season. Sid Rosenberg replaced him as the morning show host on WAXY. Rose began his second stint with WQAM and became the morning show host at that station.
    He was first known in South Florida as a tight end for the Miami Dolphins from 1980 until 1985. Rose once co-hosted the Miccosukee Sports Rap sports show with former teammate Kim Bokamper and Steve Goldstein on Fox Sports Net Florida.

WINZ Promotes Troy Stradford

    Former Miami Dolphins running back Troy Stradford has been elevated from part-time host to full-time host at 940 WINZ-AM The Sports Animal. He will be a permanent co-host of the Amigo and Dizz Show from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. as of January 7. Stradford has been associated with that program since November 12 when he worked just Mondays and Thursdays. He has been a panelist and afternoon co-host on the Finsiders Show for the last two years.
    Stradford was a late morning sports host on 640 Sports WMEN-AM from 2009 until October 2012. He joined that station back in 2008 when it flipped to a sports talk format. Stradford also did an NFL Sunday midday show for two seasons with Orlando Alzugaray.
    He was let go on October 13 when he complained over-the-air that the Sid Rosenberg Show had infringed into his two-hour time slot. This situation had been going on for two months when Rosenberg began his first show on August 13. Stradford, a Boston College grad, is a high school football game analyst for Comcast Xfinity. Keith Sims replaced Stradford at 640 Sports as the late morning host on October 16.
  

St. Thomas Aquinas Captures Class 7A Title

    The St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders won their seventh state football title in school history as they romped the Tallahassee-Lincoln Trojans 41-25 in the Class 7A state final at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando on Friday night. The Raiders had previously won three FHSAA Class 5A titles at the same stadium in 2007, 2008 and 2010. They are now tied for the second most Florida high school football titles in the state along with Glades Day of Belle Glade, University Christian of Jacksonville and North Florida Christian of Tallahassee.
    After kicking off for short distance every time against Bradenton-Manatee last week, STA decided to send the opening kickoff deep. It turned out to be a mistake as John Burt returned the ball 95 yards for a score 15 seconds into the game. Lincoln missed the two-point conversion run and had a 6-0 lead, which was the only time they were ahead in the contest.
    St. Thomas Aquinas(13-2) scored on their final three possessions of the first quarter. Quarterback John O'Korn finished off a three-play, 55-yard drive as rushed up the middle from 51 yards away at 5:40 and Aquinas led 7-6. On the third play of their next possession, O'Korn rifled an 80-yard touchdown pass to Corey Holmes at 2:38 for a Raiders 14-6 margin. STA struck quickly again on the first play of their next drive as Mark Barr had a 71-yard touchdown reception from O'Korn with 18 seconds left in the first quarter.
    Lincoln(12-2) would dominate the second quarter as they handled the ball for almost the entire period and scored on both of their possessions. Quarterback Cameron Joseph would end a 15-play, 68-yard drive with a one-yard spurt for a touchdown at 6:05 and cut the deficit to 21-13. On their following drive, Joseph fired a 50-yard touchdown pass to Taj Williams with 1:16 left in the first half. The Trojans failed on the two-point conversion run to tie the game and were down 21-19.
    Aquinas had enough time to get a 23-yard field goal by Alex Knight with no time remaining in the second quarter and were ahead 24-19. Neither team were able to score in the third quarter.
    The Raiders compiled 17 unanswered points during their first three possessions of the fourth quarter to put the game away. O'Korn culminated an 11-play, 67-yard drive with a run from three yards out at 8:37 and extended their lead to 31-19. Knight followed on their next possession with a 27-yard field goal with 6:04 left. Running back Fred Coppet added another touchdown as he raced through with a 40-yard run at 2:18 to finish a three-play, 64-yard drive for a 41-19 Raiders lead.
    The Trojans scored on their final drive of the game and closed the margin to 41-25 as Edward Gaines had a 15-yard touchdown reception from Joseph with 43 seconds remaining. They missed on the two-point conversion pass.
    O'Korn went 11-26 passing for career-high 339 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in his final game with the Raiders. He also had ten carries for 95 yards and two touchdowns. Coppet, also playing his final game, had 22 carries for 151 yards and one touchdown. Holmes(167 receiving yards) and Barr(132 receiving yards) both had four receptions and one touchdown each. Rocco Casullo won his first state title as a head coach. Former Aquinas head coach George Smith had won the six previous state titles with the school.

      
   
   

St. Thomas Aquinas-Lincoln Preview

    The St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders will look to win their seventh FHSAA football championship on Friday night as they face the Tallahassee-Lincoln Trojans for the Class 7A state title at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando. The Raiders had previously won three titles on that same field since 2007 in Class 5A. They beat the Osceola Kowboys in 2007, Lakeland Dreadnaughts in 2008 and Tampa-Plant Panthers in 2010. Aquinas will play in their seventh championship game in the last nine seasons.
    St. Thomas Aquinas(12-2) got a home victory last week in a state semifinal as they upset quarterback Cord Sandberg and the Bradenton-Manatee Hurricanes 35-18. The Hurricanes entered the game as the defending Class 7A champions and as the number one ranked high school team nationally by several organizations. They also had their 25-game winning streak snapped.
    The Raiders enter the title game on a nine-game win streak after they began the season losing two of their first five games. The team has averaged over 38 points per game during their four home playoff games in 2012. Rocco Casullo will try to capture his first state title as a head coach.
    The Aquinas running attack has several options from the backfield. Fred Coppett, in his final game with the school, will get most of the carries while Mardre London and Deltron Sands are expected to get the remaining rushing attempts. John O'Korn will also make his final appearance at quarterback for the team. He will have numerous targets to throw the ball to which includes Mark Barr, Franklyn Richardson, Chandler Dorrell, Corey Holmes, Dion Collier and Jonathan Boozer.
    The Raiders defense has held their four playoff opponents to an average 14 points per game. Joey Bosa, an Ohio State University commit, his brother Nicholas Bosa and Anthony Moten make up the imposing defensive line. Lance Virgile and Martel Williams will attempt to stop the Trojans running game. Chris Washington and James Crawford are expected to be impact players in the secondary.
    Lincoln(12-1) pulled off a surprising road victory over the Osceola Kowboys last week 24-17. They have averaged 30 points per game on offense and allowed 21 points per game on defense in their four playoff games. Ben Robinson will take charge of the running game while Taj Williams can get open for catches downfield.
    The Trojans won their first eight games of the regular season until they lost to local Tallahassee rival Godby in the season finale. The team has to make a trip over 260 miles for the second straight week. Aquinas has to travel 212 miles from Brian Piccolo Stadium to the Citrus Bowl. It will be their second game that they will play outside of Broward County this season.

Warriors Edge Heat

    The Miami Heat ended their dominance at home against Golden State and were defeated by the Warriors 97-95 at American Airlines Arena on Wednesday night. The Heat had beaten the Warriors 14 of the last 16 times in South Florida prior to this game.
    Golden State(15-7) began the game on a 7-2 push, but both teams stayed in close range of each for the rest of the first half as neither team had more than a seven-point edge. The Warriors led 29-28 after one quarter and 53-52 at halftime.
    Miami(14-6) fell behind 74-69 with 1:25 left in the third and were down 77-74 after three quarters. The Warriors held their biggest lead of the game at 81-74 with 10:56 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Heat tied the game at 87-87 just four minutes later. Draymond Green made a lay-up following a backdoor cut on the baseline with over one second to go to conclude with six straight points.
    LeBron James socked in 31 points in 42 minutes and Chris Bosh accumulated a double-double for the Heat with 21 points and 13 rebounds in 38 minutes. Dwyane Wade and Ray Allen each added 14 points.
    Klay Thompson poured in 27 points, which included 21 in the first half, in 44 minutes for Golden State. David Lee contributed 22 points in 38 minutes and Jarrett Jack came off the bench with 20 points.
  

WMEN Adds Mike Berardino

    Local sportswriter Mike Berardino has been added to the on-air roster at 640 Sports WMEN-AM. He co-hosted a sports show this past Saturday afternoon and will work as a weekend host at that station. He recently was relieved of his writing duties at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on November 29.
    Berardino has been in the South Florida media market since 1998 when he joined the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. He held numerous positions on their sports staff that included baseball columnist, Miami Dolphins beat writer and sports columnist.

Booker T. Washington Wins Class 4A Title

    The Booker T. Washington Tornadoes had revenge on their minds as they entered the FHSAA Class 4A state final against the defending champion Jacksonville-The Bolles School Bulldogs at the Citrus Bowl on Saturday night. Washington showed their dominance with a 35-7 victory to capture the title. Both teams met in the Class 4A final last year as the Bulldogs took their 11th championship, which is a FHSAA record.
    Booker T. Washington(13-1), who finished the season winning their final 12 games, were able to get the early lead and held on to it for the rest of the game. In the first quarter, Nigel Patten intercepted a long pass by Colby Peters at the Tornadoes 13-yard line. On the next play, Treon Harris threw an 87-yard touchdown strike down the left side to Deltron Hopkins for a 7-0 Tornadoes lead at 7:13.
    The Tornadoes scored on their first possession of the second quarter with an 11-play, 63-yard drive. Harris ran the ball in up the middle from 12 yards out at 6:49, but they missed the extra point and increased the margin to 13-0.
    Bolles(12-2), who defeated the national high school all-time rushing leader Derrick Henry and Yulee last week, was able to break the shutout prior to halftime. Peters completed a four-yard pass to Arterrious Mitchell with 22 seconds left to cut down the deficit to 13-7. It would be the Bulldogs only points in the game.
    Washington would shut the door with a 22-point third quarter and put the game away. They scored on all of their three possessions in the quarter. Karim Bryant caught a 30-yard touchdown pass from Harris to cap a five-play, 66-yard drive at 7:34. The Tornadoes got a team safety on the Bulldogs second play of their next drive as Dexter Carter, Jr. fumbled the ball in his own end zone during a running play as it was recovered by Peters at 7:16.
    The Tornado offense capitalized from great field position on their next possession as Harris ended a four-play, 38-yard drive with a three-yard rushing touchdown with 6:30 left. Following a Bolles punt, Booker T. Washington extended their lead to 35-7 on the final play of the third quarter. Harris scored his third touchdown run of the game as he sprinted in from one yard away to finish the nine-play, 68-yard drive.

Heat Fly By Hawks

    The Miami Heat extended their lead in the Southeast Division as they defeated the Atlanta Hawks 101-92 at American Airlines Arena on Monday night. The Heat, second in the Eastern Conference, have now won both meeting this season with the Hawks, third in the Eastern Conference, and lead them by 1 1/2 games. Miami improved to a 10-1 record at home.
    Both teams stayed within striking distance of each other as neither led by more than three points in the first quarter and the Hawks were down by two points after one quarter. Miami's biggest lead in the first half was at 36-31 at 10:14 of the second quarter and they led 56-54 at halftime.
    Miami(14-5) increased the margin to double digits with 2:15 left in the third quarter and led 82-74 at the end of the period. Atlanta(12-6) never came closer than eight points behind in the final quarter and took the loss. The Heat had their biggest lead of the game at 100-86 with a little over two minutes to go.
    Dwyane Wade had 26 points in 34 minutes of play and Chris Bosh contributed a double-double with 14 points and ten rebounds. LeBron James added 27 points, seven rebounds and six assists in 40 minutes for the Heat.
    Josh Smith led the Hawks with a team-high 22 points and six assists in 37 minutes. Al Horford popped in a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds in 40 minutes while DeShawn Stevenson poured in 12 points.

St. Thomas Aquinas Upsets Manatee

    The St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders pulled off one of the biggest shockers in high school football this season on Friday night in a FHSAA Class 7A state semifinal as they beat the number one team in the country and defending Class 7A champion the Bradenton-Manatee Hurricanes 35-18 at Brian Piccolo Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. The Raiders advanced to the Class 7A state championship game and will travel 212 miles to face the Tallahassee-Lincoln Trojans at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando next Friday night.
    Both teams had meet each other in the state semifinals for the fourth time in seven seasons. The same scenario happened tonight as it did back in 2009. The Raiders were the defending national champions and number one team in the nation when they lost in Bradenton to the Hurricanes.
    Manatee(13-1), who had their 25-game winning streak snapped, took their only lead of the game as they put up points on their first possession. Gregory Moss kicked a 35-yard field goal at 6:10 of the first quarter.
    St. Thomas Aquinas(12-2) responded with a score on their first drive of the game. Fred Coppet ran up the middle from seven yards out at 3:13 for a 7-3 lead. The Raiders would not relinquish the lead and stay in front for the remaining three quarters.
    STA scored on their first possession of the second quarter as John O'Korn ran in from three yards away and extended the Raiders lead to 14-3 with 8:29 left in the first half. Coppet got the big play in the ten-play, 80-yard drive with a 50-yard run.
    The Raiders kept up the pressure up in the second half as they scored on their first possession when O'Korn found Dion Collier deep down the left sideline for a 38-yard pass to complete an eight-play, 80-yard drive. The touchdown strike at 8:42 of the third quarter gave Aquinas an 18-point lead.
    The Hurricanes answered back quickly as Cord Sandberg, a Mississippi State University commit, led his team down the field in their first drive of the third quarter. John Cucci capped it as he barreled through the middle for an eight-yard touchdown run at 5:14 and they were down 21-10.
    The scoring from both teams came in a hectic pace in the last couple of minutes of the final quarter. With 4:45 left in the fourth quarter, Mardre London cut around the left end and sprinted through on a 22-yard touchdown run to give the Raiders a 28-10 lead.
    Manatee came back with an 11-yard catch by Ja Juan Pollock from Sandberg on a slant pattern with 2:36 to go. Johnnie Lang caught a two-point conversion pass on the left side to cut the lead down to 28-18.
    The Hurricanes did recover the ensuing on-side kick, but officials declared it was touched by the kicking team just before ten yards. London picked up his second touchdown of the game three plays later as he rumbled up the middle from 22 yards away with 1:18 remaining.
    St. Thomas Aquinas will play in their seventh state championship game since 2004. They lost to the Lakeland Dreadnaughts three consecutive years from 2004 until 2006. The Raiders won state titles in their last three appearances at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando. They beat the Osceola Kowboys in 2007, Lakeland in 2008 and the Tampa-Plant Panthers in 2010.
   
   
   

Knicks Beat Heat Again

    After being trounced by the Knicks in the second game of the season, New York continued the momentum against the Miami Heat with a 112-92 victory on Thursday night at American Airlines Arena. The Heat had their eight-game unbeaten streak at home snapped as they received their first blemish of the regular season in Miami.
     It was the worst home loss for the Heat during The Big Three era that began in 2010. The Knicks now lead the Heat by 1 1/2 games for the best record in the Eastern Conference. Carmelo Anthony did not dress for New York due to a finger injury.
    Miami(12-5) began the game on a 7-2 spurt and led 26-23 after one quarter. Neither team led by more than six points in the second quarter as the game was tied 53-53 at halftime. LeBron James had 18 first-half points and Raymond Felton got 16 first-half points.
    New York(14-4) went on a 11-2 tear in the first two minutes of the second half and continued with a 32-14 run. They had an 18-point lead at 85-67 with three minutes to go in the third quarter. The Heat closed the margin to single digits near the end of the period and were down 90-80 after three quarters. The Knicks scored nine straight points to extend their lead to 102-84 at 6:03.
    James fell short of a triple-double for the Heat with 31 points, ten rebounds and nine assists in 39 minutes. Dwyane Wade poured in 13 points while Chris Bosh had 12 points. Udonis Haslem put in all of his ten points in the first half.
   The Knicks got balanced scoring without Anthony in the lineup as Felton led the team with 27 points and seven assists in 35 minutes. Steve Novak hit a bunch of three-pointers for 18 points and Tyson Chandler added 13 points.
   
   
   

Chris Moore Moves To CBS Sports Radio

    Former Florida Panthers radio play-by-play announcer Chris Moore has been named an evening co-host on the CBS Sports Radio Network. He will begin the position on January 2 and join former Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM hosts Scott Ferrall and Damon Amendolara at that organization.
    Moore, an Ithaca College grad, became the first radio voice of the Florida Panthers in 1993-94 after working as the radio play-by-play announcer of the New Jersey Devils from 1988 until 1993. He was the radio play-by-play announcer for the University of Wisconsin Badgers hockey team prior to that.
    In 1997 he co-hosted a midday show with current ESPN play-by-play announcer Jon "Boog" Sciambi on WQAM. They were replaced by legendary talk show host Neil Rogers at the end of the year when he came over from News Radio 610 WIOD-AM.
    After six seasons with the Florida Panthers, he left the team in 1999 and joined ESPN Radio as an evening co-host with Chuck Wilson along with a slew of play-by-play duties. He then went to Fox Sports Radio and worked weekend mornings there through late 2009. Moore joined Sirius XM Radio as NFL radio channel morning host in 2010 and picked up occasional fill-in host spots at Sports Radio 66 WFAN-AM in New York City.
      

LeBron Sportsman Of The Year

    Miami Heat forward LeBron James has been named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year for 2012. He joins fellow teammate Dwyane Wade who won the award in 2006.
    James helped the Miami Heat win their second NBA championship in franchise history this year. He was named the NBA Most Valuable Player for the third time in four years and the NBA Finals MVP against the Oklahoma City Thunder. In addition, he won his second gold medal with the United States at the London Summer Olympics this past summer.

Ken Charles Exits WINZ

    940 The Sports Animal WINZ-AM program director Ken Charles will transfer from Clear Channel Miami to Clear Channel Sacramento and become vice president of programming. He became program director of WINZ-AM and News Radio 610 WIOD-AM in early 2007 and replaced Peter Bolger. Prior to his move to Miami, Charles was regional vice president of Clear Channel Houston and program director for 790 ESPN Radio KBME-AM, News Radio 740 KTRH-AM, and Talk Radio 950 KPRC-AM.
    Charles flipped WINZ from a liberal talk format to a sports talk format at the start of April 2009. The station had been ranked as the third highest rated sports format station in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale region behind Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM and 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM for over three years. The only exception was recently in October 2012 as they finished in second place barely ahead of WAXY.
     Miami Heat radio broadcasts were switched from WIOD to WINZ after the 2007-08 season. Clear Channel picked the radio rights for Miami Dolphins games as they signed a six-year contract prior to the 2010 season. The games would air on WBGG-FM Big 105.9 and 940 The Sports Animal. Miami Heat broadcasts left the station for 790 The Ticket in November 2010 when there was a same-day, same-time conflict with a Miami Dolphins broadcast.
    Charles added the Jeff DeForrest Show from 640 Sports WMEN-AM in July 2010 and implemented the Finsiders Show with Jesse Agler during afternoon drive in August 2010. He brought in Larry Milian and Phil Dominic as a mid-afternoon show in January 2012. 940 The Sports Animal has used Fox Sports Radio for all other shifts at the station except for morning drive since April 2009

Wizards Shock Heat

    The Miami Heat were stunned on Tuesday night as they lost to the Washington Wizards, who have the worst record in the NBA, 105-101 at Verizon Center. LeBron James picked up his first triple-double of the year for the Heat with 26 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in 43 minutes.
    Dwyane Wade scored 24 points in 34 minutes while Chris Bosh got a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds in 36 minutes. Reserve players Ray Allen and Mike Miller poured in 11 points each. Jordan Crawford led Washington(2-13) with 22 points off the bench in 31 minutes.
    Neither team led by more than five points in the first as the Wizards were ahead 30-25 after one quarter. Washington increased to a double-digit lead at 56-46 with 2:19 left in the second and led 60-54 at halftime.
    Miami(12-4) closed the gap to 82-78 after three quarters. The Heat stayed within five points of taking the lead throughout the fourth quarter, but they were unable to tie game as the Wizards fended them off. James put in a lay-up with eight seconds left to make it 102-101, however Washington made several free throws to win the game.

Yunel Escobar Goes To Rays

    The Miami Marlins traded shortstop Yunel Escobar to the Tampa Bay Rays for minor league shortstop Derek Dietrich on Tuesday. Escobar was slated to be the starting third baseman for The Fish in 2013. He batted .253 with nine home runs and 51 runs batted last season with the Toronto Blue Jays.
    Escobar was picked up in a blockbuster trade from the Toronto just three weeks ago along with Jeff Mathis, Adeiny Hechavarria and four minor league prospects for Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buerhle, John Buck and Emilio Bonifacio. The deal almost did not go through based due to the experience exchanged from one side to the other. Some have thought it was a salary dump for the Marlins to lower their salary cap and overall value of the franchise.

Heat Overtake Nets

    The Miami Heat erased a 14-point second quarter deficit and got a 102-89 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night at American Airlines Arena. The Heat remained unbeaten at home with an 8-0 mark and have scored at least 100 points in all their games in South Florida.
    Brooklyn(11-5) broke out to a 15-4 in the first six minutes of the game and led 24-16 after one quarter. They increased their margin to 14 points at 35-21 with 9:22 left in the second quarter and entered halftime up 59-50.
    After being down 73-65 with five minutes left in the third quarter, Miami(12-3) finished off the period on a 17-5 run and led 82-78 as they headed into the fourth quarter. The Heat outscored the Nets 20-9 in one portion of the final quarter and had their largest lead of the game at 15 points.
    Dwyane Wade produced one of his best games this season for Miami with 34 points and seven assists in 34 minutes of play. LeBron James added 21 points, nine rebounds and six assists in 37 minutes. Ray Allen had 13 points and Norris Cole popped in 12 points as both came off the bench.
    All the starters for the Nets scored in double figures. Deron Williams contributed ten points and 12 rebounds in 39 minutes while Andrey Blatche poured in 20 points. Veteran reserve Jerry Stackhouse played in 24 minutes and scored 11 points.

Jackson Downs Glades Central

    The Miami-Jackson Generals won their third consecutive road playoff game as they upset the Glades Central Raiders 33-24 in a Class 5A regional final on Friday night at Belle Glade. The Raiders were eliminated for the second straight year at home in the third round. Last year they lost to the eventual Class 5A state champion Norland Vikings.
    For the first time since 2002, there will be no FHSAA state football champion from Palm Beach County. In addition, there will be no Palm Beach County high school squad that will appear in a state final game since 1991.
    Glades Central(8-5) had their eight-game win streak snapped after they began the regular season with a four-game losing streak. The Raiders jumped on the Generals for an early lead in the first quarter. Javonte Terry made an interception and returned it to the Generals eight-yard line. Four plays later, Will Likely ran the ball in from three yards out at 3:50 for a 7-0 lead. Giovanni Lugo connected with a 37-yard field goal on the Raiders next possession with ten seconds to go.
    Jackson(8-4) closed the margin to 10-6 at the 3:07 mark of the second quarter as Quinton Flowers found Devondre Powell for an 11-yard touchdown reception. The Generals blocked a punt for a touchdown with 1:22 left in the first half and their first lead in the game at 12-10. Raiders starting quarterback T.J. Abrams was replaced by Lugo as he exited the game before halftime because of an injury and never returned.
    Terrence Rutherford caught an 80-yard touchdown strike from Flowers to extend the Generals gap to 19-10 with 31 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Both teams combined with 28 points in the final quarter.
    The Raiders struck quickly in the fourth quarter as Lugo fired a 13-yard pass to Ronquavion Tarver to close the deficit down to 19-17 with 10:36 left. Chris Williams-Hall returned a fumble for a Jackson score from 41 yards out at 8:47. Glades Central pulled off a three-play drive on their next possession as Aaren Baker ran in a 24-yard touchdown with 7:45 remaining and the Raiders were down 26-24. Powell made a leaping 23-yard touchdown catch, his second score in the contest, to put the game out of reach 33-24 with 3:57 to go. Jackson will play in a state semifinal game next week for the first time since 2000.
   
   

Boyd Anderson-St. Thomas Aquinas Preview

    St. Thomas Aquinas are in the same position that they find themselves every two years as the Raiders will host a third-round game. They will play against the Boyd Anderson Cobras in a Class 7A regional final at Brian Piccolo Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Friday night. The Raiders have make it to the FHSAA regional finals every year since 2004.
    Boyd Anderson(9-2) has lived on the fourth quarter in both of their road playoff wins. They took Atlantic 13-7 at Delray Beach in the first round and beat Dwyer 6-3 in the second round at Palm Beach Gardens. They have responded well since last year after being stripped of the District 14-4A title during the final week of the regular season for using ineligible players.
    The Cobras lost to the Raiders 47-7 in the Class 5A regional final two years ago on the same field. Eddie Jackson and Richard Lopez have been clutch with receptions down the stretch for their team while Gregory Hankerson is a duel threat as a runner and a passer.
    St. Thomas Aquinas(10-2) have been dominant in the first two rounds of the playoffs with home victories over Miami Beach 42-7 and Plantation 38-7. The Raiders currently have a seven-game winning streak after beginning the regular season with a 3-2 record. They have outscored their opponents 178-14 in their last four games and 313-47 in their last seven.
    Ohio State University commit Joey Bosa has led his team on defense as a nose tackle with continuous pressure on the opposing backfield. Fred Coppet will get the bulk of the carries on offense and Deltron Sands has recently been given a more significant role in the backfield. The Raiders have a slew of receivers that includes Mark Barr, Franklyn Richardson, Chandler Dorrell, Jonathan Boozer and Corey Holmes who John O'Korn can throw the ball to. 
   
   

Jackson-Glades Central Preview

    The Glades Central Raiders will receive a gift on Friday night as they host a Class 5A regional final against the Miami-Jackson Generals in Belle Glade. It was expected that if the Raiders made it to the regional final game they would play in Broward or Dade County because the tournament bracket is skewed to the south this year.
    Jackson(7-4) finished as a runner-up in District 16-5A and had to win two playoff road games at Norland in Miami and American Heritage in Plantation to get to this point. The Generals won five of their first six games then lost the final three games of the regular season. They upset the American Heritage Patriots 39-23 and followed it with a 30-21 victory over the defending Class 5A champion Norland Vikings in the playoffs.
    The Generals will play in their first regional final since 2006 and with a win would appear in the state semifinals for the first time since 2000. Quinton Flowers can be deceptive at quarterback as he can run and throw the ball at anytime. He will look for Vincent Hall as his favorite target along with Timothy Bellinger.
    Glades Central(8-4) enter the game on a eight-game winning streak following a four-game losing streak to begin the regular season which was the one of the worst starts in school history. The Raiders will play in the regional final for the fourth consecutive year and were eliminated at home last year against eventual Class 5A champion Norland. The Muck Bowl team last won a state title at Class 3A in 2006.
    The Raiders got home wins in the first two rounds of the playoffs over Rockledge 34-12 and  Merritt Island 26-10. Will Likely will line up both as a running back and wide receiver and is dangerous when he gets the ball. David Bailey, Ranquavion Tarver, Jonathan Istache and Yener Ferdinard are expected to get receptions dowfield from T.J. Abrams.

Heat Beat Depleted Spurs

    The Miami Heat played for the first time since Saturday in an unusual storyline as they got by the San Antonio Spurs 105-100 on Thursday night at American Airlines Arena. Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich had regular starters Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green return home to Texas following their game on Wednesday night in Orlando and rest for an upcoming game on Saturday against the Memphis Grizzlies.
    Miami(11-3) began the game on a 16-6 spurt in the first six minutes. San Antonio(13-4) finished strong at the end of the first with a 13-2 run to lead 27-22 after one quarter. The Heat capped the second quarter on a 11-3 rally to get ahead 47-44 at halftime.
    Neither team led by more than four points in the third quarter as the Spurs pulled ahead 76-73 at the end of the period. San Antonio had an 11-2 spurt midway in the fourth quarter to make it 92-85 with 4:48 left. Miami responded with a 15-6 run to retake the lead 100-98 on a Ray Allen three-point shot with 22 seconds to go. They ended the game on a 20-8 rally.
    The Heat improved their home record to 7-0 which is the best start in franchise history. The Spurs came into this game with the best away record in the NBA and fell to 9-2 on the road. The Miami Heat honored former point guard Sherman Douglas during a halftime ceremony.
    LeBron James came through with 23 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in 39 minutes and Dwyane Wade scored 19 points in 32 minutes. Chris Bosh added a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds while Allen poured in 20 points. Gary Neal led the Spurs with 20 points.

Conference USA Adds FAU

    Florida Atlantic University will leave the Sun Belt Conference and join Conference USA at the start of the 2014-15 academic year. FAU will play one final season in the Sun Belt Conference starting next August.
    The Owls entered the Sun Belt in 2005 as a football member only and added all their sports programs the following year. They were a Division 1-AA athletic program in the Trans Atlantic Athletic Conference/Atlantic Sun Conference from 1993 until 2006.
    FAU will reunite with their local rival Florida International University who will make the switch in the summer of 2013. The two schools will reunite and compete in the Shula Bowl in 2014 as the game will be on hiatus next year because they will play in different conferences. They played each other back on November 16 in Boca Raton in what everyone thought at the time would be the last Shula Bowl.

Miami/Fort Lauderdale Arbitron Ratings November

    For the third consecutive month, Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM was the top sports format radio station in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale region during the month of November. Other competitors 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM and 940 The Sports Animal WINZ-AM were able to narrow the margin.
    WQAM had their ratings drop from a 1.1 to a 0.9 based on several factors. Steve Goldstein was let go by the station as early afternoon co-host with Adam Kuperstein after only nine months and replaced by Channing Crowder. It had an effect on their audience who have been used to listening to Goldstein on that station during his two stints from 1994-2004 and 2009-2012. In addition, the University of Miami Hurricanes football team was lackluster at the time and the Florida Panthers were in an NHL lockout.
    WAXY regained second place and went up from a 0.6 to a 0.7 in November. It was strange that the station did not get a higher bump in the ratings with the start of the regular season for the Miami Heat and that there were no Miami Marlins games. It also increased as Eric Reed replaced Jason Jackson, who departed after eight months, as the early afternoon host and Mia Harris began her second stint at the station as a morning/midday sports anchor.
    WINZ returned back to their regular spot in the region at third place as they slightly fell from a 0.7 to a 0.6 during the month. The Miami Dolphins have played better than what was anticipated for the team. The one-hour loss of their daytime signal in early November did have an effect.
   
     

Jason Pugh Leaves West Palm Beach

    West Palm Beach sportscaster Jason Pugh will leave the local airwaves next week for a job outside of South Florida. He is currently an evening co-host on ESPN Radio 760 WEFL-AM along with being a sports anchor/sports reporter for WPTV-TV Channel 5 and WFLX-TV Channel 29. He will become a sports reporter at WRC-TV Channel 4 in Washington D.C. in early December and will join former WPTV-TV sports anchor Dan Hellie on staff.
    Pugh played college football with the Florida Atlantic University Owls for four years as a linebacker. He interned at ESPN 760 in 2003 when the station flipped to a sports talk format. He permanently joined the organization as a producer in 2006 and became an on-air contributor in 2007. Pugh was promoted to evening co-host with Jerermy Marks-Peltz in 2010 when the Evan Cohen Show was cut by one hour. He also was a game analyst on Palm Beach County high school football games with Ken LaVicka and Marks-Peltz through the 2011 season.
    WPTV-TV made an agreement with ESPN 760 to use some of their staff as on-air personnel with Cohen and Pugh added as sportscasters on their newscasts. Pugh also held the football game analyst post on the Florida Atlantic University Radio Network for several years and will announce his final game on Saturday against Louisiana-Lafayette.

Marc Eisenberg Now WMEN PD

    Marc Eisenberg has been elevated to program director at 640 Sports WMEN-AM and will continue as the executive producer at that station.  He joined 640 Sports in early May as a weekend host and was promoted to the interim morning co-host role with Chris Perkins in early June when Armando Salguero left. It was expected to be a short-term situation until early August as Sid Rosenberg completed his non-compete clause enforced by Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM.
    When Rosenberg became the morning show host on August 13, Eisenberg remained on the morning show as the executive producer. Eisenberg picked up additional duties as morning sports anchor and midday sports anchor at 640 Sports along with a morning sports anchor spot at 850 WFTL-AM. He also hosts a one-hour NFL show on Sunday morning.
    Eisenberg was the afternoon producer, weekend host and fill-in host at WQAM until May. It was his second stint at that station where he mainly produced the Sid Rosenberg Show. Rosenberg was let go by WQAM in early April.
    Eisenberg worked at WQAM from 1999 to 2004. He started as a producer for the afternoon show with Hank Goldberg. It led him to co-host an overnight show with Joe Castello from 2003 to 2004. He joined 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM as a producer and later became a midday co-host with O.J. McDuffie on What's Popping which lasted for over one year. Eisenberg was also a football sideline reporter for Florida Atlantic University on radio. 

Jim Grieshaber In Phoenix

    Former local sports announcer Jim Grieshaber has been given a mixed martial arts Saturday show on Arizona Sports 620 KTAR-AM in Phoenix as of December 1. He has been hosting a weekly high school sports show on Saturdays called Arizona Sports Preps 365 at that same station. He currently works for aia365.com as a studio host.
    Grieshaber had numerous stops while he was employed in South Florida before moving to Phoenix. He began at 850 WFTL-AM and 640 WJNA-AM as a producer, sports anchor and sports director. He then co-hosted a nationally syndicated afternoon show on Sports Byline USA with Marc Benarzyk in 2006.
    Grieshaber held a Sunday night show on 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM for a short time followed by hosting an evening talk show on 1470 WWNN-AM in Boca Raton. He also was on television for several years as a reporter for the University of Miami Hurricanes weekly show on Comcast Sportsnet South.

Heat Late Comeback On Cavs

    The Miami Heat came from behind late in the game on Saturday night as they scored the final nine points for a 110-108 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers at American Airlines Arena. The Cavs held a seven-point lead with 1:58 to go, but they were unable to sustain it. The Heat remained unbeaten at home this season at 6-0 and do not play again until Thursday as they host the San Antonio Spurs.
    Former Cavalier player LeBron James scored 30 points in 40 minutes to spearhead the Heat. Chris Bosh had 23 points and seven rebounds in 37 minutes while Dwyane Wade added 18 points in 34 minutes. Ray Allen came off the bench and added 17 points.
    Cleveland(3-10) had eight players with double-figure scoring in the loss. Alonzo Gee, a William T. Dwyer grad, nailed 12 points in 29 minutes while Jeremy Pargo and Dion Waiters had 16 points each. Anderson Varejao got a double-double with ten points and 15 rebounds.
    The Cavaliers led 29-26 after one quarter and had a double-digit lead at halftime 59-48. Miami(10-3) picked up a 23-10 run at the end of the third quarter as they were down 79-77.
    The Heat took the lead for the first time since the second quarter when Allen popped in a three-point shot with 18 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to make it 109-108. He capped the 9-0 spurt with a free throw with two seconds left.

St. Thomas Aquinas Wrecks Plantation

    For the second time this season, the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders were victorious over the Plantation Colonels with a 38-7 win in a Class 7A regional semifinal at Brian Piccolo Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Friday night. The Raiders had beaten them on October 26 on the same field by the score of 24-20 for the eventual District 15-7A title. Aquinas will host Boyd Anderson in a regional final next week.
    St. Thomas Aquinas(10-2) led the entire game and their dominance showed up early with 16 first-quarter points. On the first possession for Plantation, James Crawford returned a Chris Lammons fumble 13 yards down to the Colonels one-yard line. Fred Coppet ripped through with a one-yard touchdown run on the Raiders first play from scrimmage for a 7-0 lead.
    The Raiders scored on their second possession as John O'Korn found Mark Barr on a 48-yard touchdown pass during the second play of the drive. Aquinas extended the margin to 16-0 on a safety as a bad snap on a Plantation punt went beyond their own end zone.
    Coppet busted through with a seven-yard touchdown run on their following possession just five seconds into the second quarter for a Raiders 23-0 lead. Joey Bosa would give St. Thomas Aquinas another safety as he sacked Lammons in the end zone. Alex Knight kicked a 40-yard field goal later in the quarter to punctuate their 28 unanswered points.
    The only bright spot in the game for Plantation(8-4) was when Sojourn Shelton scored on a 55-yard punt return in the final moments of the first half and the Colonels cut the deficit to 28-7.
    The Raiders struck again on their first possession of the third quarter as O'Korn barreled in from one yard away at 8:10. Franklyn Richardson had a 35-yard reception during that drive to set up the score. Knight added on to the Aquinas rout with a 30-yard field goal with 4:59 to go in the third.
   
   

Boyd Anderson Beats Dwyer

    It turned out to be a defensive battle in this Class 7A regional semifinal on Friday night as the Boyd Anderson Cobras slipped by the Dwyer Panthers 6-3 at Blum Stadium in Palm Beach Gardens. The Cobras advanced to the regional finals and will play their third straight road playoff game next week at St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale.
    Dwyer(9-3) accounted for their only points of the game on a 32-yard field goal by Peyton Shapiro late in the first quarter. It was set up by a 33-yard pass by Daniel Parr to Ezra Saffold. Johnnie Dixon picked off an interception which led to the Panthers scoring possession.
    There was no more scoring in the game until the fourth quarter when Boyd Anderson(9-2) took the lead. Gregory Hankerson connected with Richard Lopez down the left sideline on a 26-yard pass for a 6-3 lead with 5:40 left. The Panthers had one more chance to score in the last three minutes of the game, however Lopez intercepted a Parr pass at the Cobras eight-yard line with no time remaining.
   

Boyd Anderson-Dwyer Preview

    Two teams that finished the regular season as district runner-ups won last week on the road in the first round and will face each other in a Class 7A regional semifinal on Friday night. The Boyd Anderson Cobras will play the Dwyer Panthers at Blum Stadium in Palm Beach Gardens.
    Dwyer(9-2) started off slow in a first-round game last week against Northeast in Oakland Park, but they came through with 22 second-half points for a 25-3 victory. The Panthers have won three of their last four games. After one month of not having a permanent quarterback in place, Daniel Parr has taken over the spot. Alonso Smith, Cortney Lowery and Antonio Knowles will take carries from the backfield. Johnnie Dixon, Ezra Saffold and Clint Stephens will look to get open downfield for receptions.
    During the first round, Boyd Anderson(8-2) upended Atlantic in Delray Beach 13-7 last week on a fourth-quarter touchdown to break a tie game. The Cobras enter the game victorious in six of their last seven games. Gregory Hankerson will lead their offense as he can run or throw the ball anywhere on the field. They have a strong wide receiver crew led by Eddie Jackson along with Richard Lopez, Braylin Sigler, Darren Williams and Raynard Warren. Tevin Hyatt will get an occasional carry for the team.

Plantation-St. Thomas Aquinas Preview

    It will be a rematch between two District 15-7A teams as the Plantation Colonels challenge the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders on Friday night in a Class 7A regional semifinal at Brian Piccolo Stadium. The Raiders barely edged out the Colonels 24-20 for first place back on October 26 in Fort Lauderdale. The winner of this game will host a regional final next week against either Dwyer or Boyd Anderson.
    Plantation(8-3) got a road victory in the first round last week as they beat American 29-8 at Traz Powell Stadium in Miami. Following their loss to the Raiders, the Colonels have won two of their last three games. Jovante Ham and Antonio Williams look to gain yardage from the backfield. Jewison Dawkins and Solomon Loud will try to get open on passes from Chris Lammons.
    St. Thomas Aquinas(9-2) are currently on a six-game winning streak and had no problem last week with a 42-7 home playoff win over Miami Beach. Fred Coppet will lead the running attack for the Raiders along with Deltron Sands and Marquis Magwood. John O'Korn has many receivers to connect with which includes Mark Barr, Corey Holmes, Chandler Dorrell, Jonathan Boozer and Franklyn Richardson.

Udonis Haslem Breaks Record In Heat Win

    Udonis Haslem passed Alonzo Mourning as the all-time leader for rebounds with the Miami Heat as they won 113-106 in overtime over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night at American Airlines Arena. Haslem, in his tenth season with the Heat, became the first undrafted player to lead an NBA franchise in career rebounds. He joined the team at the start of the 2003-04 season along with Dwyane Wade and won two NBA titles with the organization.
    Miami(9-3) returned home after two weeks following a six-game road trip where they went 4-2. The Heat ended the first quarter on a 17-2 spurt to go ahead 29-15. Haslem picked up his second rebound in the game and his 4,808th rebound in his career at 2:36 to get the new franchise record.
    The Heat continued on a 25-6 run during the first half to lead by 18 points 37-19 three minutes into the second quarter. Milwaukee(8-4) center Larry Sanders, a Port St. Lucie High School grad, was ejected from the game during the second quarter after playing for six minutes. His team was able to outscore the Heat 16-2 to end the first half down only two points.
    Neither team had more than a six-point lead in the third as the Bucks led 73-71 after three quarters. Milwaukee was unable to hold a seven-point lead at 91-84 with 4:50 left in regulation as the game went into overtime.
    In their first overtime game this season, the Heat got the first six points in the extra session on the way to an 11-2 run. Miami improved their unbeaten record at home to 5-0 this season.
    LeBron James had his ninth double-double of the season with 28 points and ten rebounds along with eight assists in 42 minutes of play. Dwyane Wade returned back to the court for the Heat after missing the last two games as he contributed 28 points in 32 minutes. Chris Bosh powered inside with 24 points and 18 rebounds in a team-high 43 minutes.

Hurricanes Impose Bowl Ban

    The University of Miami Hurricanes will impose a bowl ban on themselves for the second consecutive season. This will also include not being eligible for the ACC title game in Charlotte on December 1. Administrators at The U thought the actions of being self-imposed would have a good bearing on the upcoming sanctions to be decided by the NCAA.
    The Canes are currently in second place with a 4-3 conference record in the Coastal Division. They are 1/2 game behind Georgia Tech in the standings with a conference game at Duke on Saturday. If Miami would win that game they would tie the Yellow Jackets for first place and win the division due to a head-to-head victory over Georgia Tech earlier this season at Sun Life Stadium.

Keselowski Wins NASCAR Title

    In his third year on the top circuit of auto racing, Brad Keselowski captured the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday. He finished 15th in the race, the spot he needed to at least end up to clinch the title. Keselowski won the second-tier Nationwide Series in 2010.
    Jeff Gordon won the final race of the NASCAR season at Homestead. It was his first career win at that specific track. Five-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson entered the race in second place overall in the chase for the Sprint Cup. His vehicle did not have a good showing and he finished the season in third place one point behind Clint Bowyer.
    Penske Racing, headed by longtime auto racing owner Roger Penske, won its first crown at the highest level of NASCAR. They won the lower Nationwide Series with Keselowski as a driver back in 2010. The organization previously won numerous titles on the Indy Car open-wheel league which included 15 Indianapolis 500 victories.

Heat Edge Suns

    The Miami Heat finished a six-game road string on Saturday night with a 97-88 victory over the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Heat finished the trip with a 4-2 record. They return home, where they unbeaten this season, on Wednesday night against the Milwaukee Bucks.
    Chris Bosh led Miami(8-3) with 24 points and nine rebounds in 37 minutes played while LeBron James added 21 points and seven rebounds in 41 minutes. Shane Battier contributed 12 points and Mario Chalmers had 11 points.
    Several former Heat players had an impact in the game for Phoenix(4-7) as Michael Beasley popped in 14 points and Jermaine O'Neal got ten points. Shannon Brown poured in 14 points and Goran Dragic added 12 points in the loss.
    The Heat scored the first nine points of the game, but the Suns came back to tie the game on a 18-9 spurt during the first quarter. Both teams were tied at 23-23 after one quarter and 52-52 at halftime.
    Miami had a 15-point lead during the third quarter, however Phoenix was able to chop the deficit down to two points 90-88 with 2:12 left in the quarter. The Heat finished up strong as they scored the final seven points of the game.

Dwyer Dominates Northeast

    The Dwyer Panthers put up 22 second-half points as they blew away the Northeast Hurricanes 25-3 in a Class 7A regional quarterfinal at The Black Hole in Oakland Park on Friday night. The Panthers played a first-round game on the road for the first time since 2002. They will host Boyd Anderson in a regional semifinal next week. The Hurricanes had their eight-game winning streak snapped along with an unbeaten record at home.
    Northeast(9-2) recovered the opening kickoff at the Panthers seven-yard line just four seconds in. Luis Rivera would kick a 25-yard field goal at 8:56 to give the Canes their only lead in the game 3-0. 
    Dwyer(9-2) linebacker Anthony Romano intercepted a Brion Sanchious pass with 2:57 left at his own 45-yard line and returned it 15 yards. Peyton Shapiro had his 45-yard field goal blocked by the Canes with 20 seconds to go in the first quarter.
    A controversial call happened with under three minutes to go in the second quarter when Dwyer wide receiver Johnnie Dixon caught a 15-yard pass on the left side of the zone for a touchdown, but the side judge ruled him out of bounds on the play. On the Panthers final possession of the first half, Shapiro blasted a 30-yard field goal with no time remaining to tie the game at 3-3.
    On the third play of the third quarter, Dwyer cornerback Deandre Bozeman intercepted a ball and returned it to the Hurricanes 30-yard line at 10:57. Quarterback Daniel Parr finished the ten-play drive with a one-yard touchdown run on a fourth-and-goal at 5:55.
    Running back Jamal Wallace was stripped of the ball by Bozeman at the Hurricanes 25-yard line with 2:17 to go. Four plays later,  Ezra Saffold caught a 23-yard catch for a score with 28 seconds left in the quarter to extend the Panthers lead to 16-3.
    The Panthers got a safety on a bad punt snap into the back of the Northeast end zone to make it 18-3 at 10:15 of the fourth quarter. Jerrad Ward recovered a fumble by Sanchious in the end zone with 2:40 remaining in the game for a 25-3 lead.

   

D.A. Show Goes National

    Former Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM sports host Damon Amendolara, known as D.A., has been named the overnight host for the CBS Sports Radio Network and will begin there in January. He has worked as the evening host at 98.5 The Sports Hub WBZ-FM in Boston since they changed to a sports talk format in August 2009.
    Amendolara, a 2001 Syracuse University grad, hosted the D.A. Show and held the late night spot at WQAM from 2008 until early August 2009 along with working as a weekend host. He replaced Ed Kaplan who hosted late nights at the station for over ten years. Kevin Rogers took over the slot when Amendolara left.
    Amendolara began his career at as an afternoon host at Sports Radio 770 WWCN-AM in Fort Myers. He moved to Kansas City in 2003 and became an evening host at 610 Sports KCSP-AM. Amendolara was promoted in 2004 to morning host at that station before coming to Miami.

Heat Ends Denver Drought

    Dwyane Wade did not play due to a sprained left foot as the Miami Heat picked up a 98-93 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night at Pepsi Center. The Heat, who entered the game with ten consecutive losses in Denver, last won there on January 29, 2002. Denver trailed throughout the entire game and only tied it up once at 8-8.
    Miami(7-3) jumped on the Nuggets with the first six points and an 8-2 start in the opening three minutes. They would have an eight-point margin after one quarter 28-20. Denver(4-5) fell behind by 12 points halfway through the second quarter and were down 54-42 at halftime.
    The Heat expanded to a 19-point lead 70-51 at 6:16 of the third quarter. They held a 79-66 margin after three quarters. The Nuggets cut the deficit down to one point 85-84 six minutes into the fourth quarter on a 18-6 spurt. It was a 33-15 run through the second half.
    LeBron James nailed another double-double with 27 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds in 42 minutes of play for Miami. Shane Battier added 18 points while Chris Bosh had 14 points. Mike Miller filled in for Wade and got 12 points. 
    Andre Miller contributed 19 points and JaVale McGee made 18 points coming off the Denver bench. Andre Iguodala popped in ten points and Kenneth Faried completed a double-double with 16 points and 20 rebounds.
   

Plantation Upsets American

    The Plantation Colonels pulled a mild surprise on the road as they defeated the American Patriots 29-8 on Thursday night at Traz Powell Stadium in a Class 7A regional quarterfinal. Next week the Colonels will visit the winner of the game between St. Thomas Aquinas and Miami Beach in a regional semifinal.
    Plantation(8-3) entered the contest having lost two of their last three games against the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders 24-20 and last week to the South Plantation Paladins 10-0 while American(7-4) lost last week 26-7 to the Carol City Chiefs.
    Neither team scored in the first quarter, but the Colonels placed 16 points in the second quarter. Running back Jovante Ham scored on a four-yard run seven minutes into the stanza and they made the two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead. Wide receiver Jewison Dawkins caught a 35-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Chris Lammons with 20 seconds left in the first half. The Colonels followed with another two-point conversion for a 16-0 halftime lead.
    Plantation extended their lead to 23-0 at 7:30 of the third quarter as Antwuan Haynes raced in from 11 yards out. The Patriots and the Colonels scored one touchdown each for the rest of the game.

Dwyer-Northeast Preview

    For the first time since 2002, the Dwyer Panthers will open up the playoffs on the road as they challenge the Northeast Hurricanes in Oakland Park on Friday night in a Class 7A regional quarterfinal. This is a rematch from last year when the Panthers defeated the Hurricanes 45-14 in a regional semifinal in Palm Beach Gardens.
    Dwyer(8-2) started their season with six consecutive wins which included an opening-game victory over Glades Central 30-9. It was the Panthers first win over the Raiders after six previous defeats in their heated Palm Beach County rivalry. Dwyer has lost two of their past four games which included a district home loss 28-12 to Atlantic and a non-district road defeat in Delray last week to American Heritage 13-7.
    Panthers coach Jack Daniels will decide who will start at quarterback for his team between Clay Meister, Rob Nittolo and Daniel Parr. Alonso Smith will get the bulk of the handoffs along with Cortney Lowery. They have a strong wide receiver group with Clint Stephens, Johnnie Dixon and Ezra Saffold.
    Northeast(9-1) currently has an eight-game winning streak after a 23-12 road loss at Hallandale during the second week of the season. They have beaten Miramar along with Boyd Anderson this season and defeated Fort Lauderdale 62-24 last week. The Canes are undefeated at home in 2012.  
    Former NFL player Donnell Bennett is the head coach of the team. The Hurricanes bring a powerful backfield with Jamal Wallace and Timonte King as running backs. Wide receiver Stacey Coley has blazing speed and will get open for receptions from quarterback Brion Sanchious.

Jackson-American Heritage Preview

    The Jackson Generals will travel from Miami to Plantation and take on the American Heritage Patriots on Friday night at Heritage Field in a Class 5A regional quarterfinal. The winner of this game will face the Norland-Dillard winner in the next round.
    Jackson(5-4) have played quality opponents throughout their season. The Generals won four of their first five games in the regular season which included victories over Dr. Krop, American and Miami Beach. They are currently on a three-game losing streak with defeats to playoff-bound teams Booker T. Washington, Norland and Northwestern. Jackson lost the Soul Bowl to the Bulls last week 21-13. Quarterback Quinton Flowers can run or pass the ball at anytime on offense for the Generals.
    American Heritage(9-1) has been unstoppable this season as they carry an eight-game winning streak into this game. They beat the other four teams in their own District 15-5A by a combined 221-28 margin. The only loss in the Pats schedule was at defending Class 4A state champion Jacksonville-Bolles in the second week 30-27.
    The Patriots will be led by quarterback Tyler Cogswell, who is a University of Arkansas commit. He is able to throw a pass anywhere on the field and will connect with Isaiah McKenzie as his primary target. Running back Sony Michel can break open on any carry or screen pass when needed.

Clippers Coast By Heat

    The Miami Heat were on the west coast on Wednesday night as they lost to the Los Angeles Clippers 107-100 at Staples Center. The Heat fell to 2-10 in their last 12 tries on the Clippers home court and have not won there in the last five seasons.
    Los Angeles(6-2) made their first four shots of the game and led 8-2 at 10:20 of the first quarter. There were seven ties and seven lead chances in the opening quarter as the Heat were down 25-24 going into the second quarter. Neither team was able to lead by more than five points as Miami(6-3) led 54-52 at halftime.
    The Clippers put the lead up to 67-60 with 7:50 left in the third quarter as they began the second half on a 15-6 spurt. Los Angeles rolled with ten straight points alongside a 13-2 run all by Chris Paul at the end of the quarter for a double-digit margin of 85-74. Things did not get any better for the Heat as they were outscored 10-2 at the start of the fourth quarter and the Clippers increased the deficit to 19 points 95-76. Miami scored the last seven points of the game to cut the lead down from double-digits.
    LeBron James played 41 minutes for the Heat and scored 30 points with seven assists. Chris Bosh and Rashard Lewis added 11 points each while Dwyane Wade had six points.
    Blake Griffin knocked in 20 points for L.A. along with 14 rebounds in 30 minutes and Paul contributed 16 points and 10 assists. Former Heat player Caron Butler pounded in 15 points and Jamal Crawford had 22 points as a non-starter.

Ducis Rodgers In Philly

    Former WSVN-TV sports anchor Ducis Rodgers is now working as a sports anchor at WPVI-TV Channel 6 in Philadelphia. He joined from ESPN in Connecticut where he was a sports anchor from 2009 until August 2012.
    Rodgers came to Miami in 1995 as he replaced Jason Jackson and worked at WSVN-TV Channel 7 as a sports anchor until 2003. He then relocated to New York City and became a sports reporter/sports anchor at WCBS-TV Channel 2. Rodgers later was promoted to sports director at that station and remained there until 2009. He began his career as a sportscaster at WDEF-TV in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Marlins Make Blockbuster Trade

    The Miami Marlins made a major trade with the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday. The Marlins sent Josh Johnson, Mark Buerhle, Jose Reyes, John Buck and Emilio Bonifacio to the Blue Jays for Yunel Escobar, Jeff Mathis, Henderson Alvarez, Adeiny Hechavarria, Jake Marisnick, Justin Nicolino and Anthony DeSclarfani. It was the largest trade the Marlins had made since December 2007 when they sent eventual Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to the Detroit Tigers for five players.
    Four of the five players Miami traded were in the opening day starting lineup on April 4 when the team played their first regular season game at the new Marlins Park. Reyes from the New York Mets and Buerhle from the Chicago White Sox were signed as premium free agents during the off-season last year to improve the Marlins record, content for a playoff spot and bring attendance up in the new stadium. Johnson, Buck and Bonifacio have all been consistent starters for the team since the final season of the Florida Marlins on opening day in 2011 at Sun Life Stadium.   
    Escobar has been a starter in Toronto for almost two seasons while Mathis, Hechavarria and Alvarez got more playing time this season due to numerous injuries to that club. The other three are mainly minor league prospects that new Marlins manager Mike Redmond has looked at while he was a minor league manager in the Blue Jays system for the past two seasons.

   

Guy Rawlings Out At WGCL-TV

    Former Miami sportscaster Guy Rawlings has exited his news anchor post at WGCL-TV Channel 46 in Atlanta. He has been at that station since early January. He was a sports anchor at WESH-TV Channel 2 in Orlando from 2007 until November 2011.
    Rawlings, a University of Florida grad, was known in South Florida as a sports anchor at WTVJ-TV Channel 6 from 1997 until 2007 and replaced Karie Ross in that position. He had previous stops as a sportscaster in Gainesville, Jacksonville, Charleston and Baltimore.

Pavel Bure Hall Of Famer

    Pavel Bure, known as the Russian Rocket, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday night in Toronto. He played for three different teams while in the National Hockey League and led the league in goals three times. Joe Sakic, Adam Oates and Mats Sundin were also inducted.
    Bure started with the Vancouver Canucks in 1991-92 and scored 60 goals in a season twice in 1992-93 and 1993-94. He led his team to the Western Conference title in 1994 before they lost to the New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup Finals four games to three.
    He was traded to the Florida Panthers in January 1999 with Bret Hedican for Ed Jovanovski and Kevin Weekes in a transaction that involved nine players. Bure won the Maurice Richard Trophy as he led the NHL with 58 goals. He led the Cats to their third postseason appearance in franchise history. They were swept in the first round by the New Jersey Devils, who eventually won the Stanley Cup. Bure was the league leader for the second consecutive season with 59 goals in 2000-01.
    He was sent to the New York Rangers in March 2002 and suffered a career-ending knee injury that December. Bure finished his NHL career with 437 goals and 779 points in 702 games.

Heat Blasts Rockets

    The Miami Heat played the second of back-to-back road games on Monday night and got by the Houston Rockets 113-110 at Toyota Center. LeBron James, who tied a franchise record with 32 second-half points, made a driving lay-up down the right baseline with 18 seconds left to give the Heat their only lead of the fourth quarter.
    James accounted with his seventh double-double of the season with 38 points, ten rebounds and six assists in 40 minutes. Chris Bosh also had a double-double with 24 points and ten rebounds while Dwyane Wade added 19 points.
    Chandler Parsons was the Rockets leading scorer with 25 points in 40 minutes. New incoming teammate James Harden popped in 22 points in 40 minutes and Jeremy Lin contributed nine points.
    The Heat scored the first nine points on their way to a 16-2 run to begin the game. Miami(6-2) did not commit any turnovers in the first seven minutes as they extended their lead to 22-5. The Rockets followed with 11 consecutive points and were down 25-19 after one quarter. Houston closed the gap to two points 39-37 at 5:41 and were behind 56-52 at halftime.
    Houston(3-4) outscored the Heat 33-27 in the third quarter and took their first lead of the game 70-69 with 5:03 remaining. Entering the fourth quarter up 85-82, the Rockets increased their lead to 101-93 with 6:13 left. Miami pulled off a comeback with a 20-9 run to end of the game.
   

Kyle Cassandra At WDBO-AM

    Boynton Beach native Kyle Cassandra is now part of the new ESPN radio station at 580 WDBO-AM in Orlando. He began Monday as the afternoon sports anchor and afternoon sports producer of the Scott Anez Show. The radio station flipped their format from news/talk to become the fourth sports radio station in the Orlando area. It has been the flagship station of the Orlando Magic since their inception in 1989.
    Cassandra was an intern at ESPN Radio 760 WEFL-AM in West Palm Beach back in the mid-2000's. He also once worked in the media relations department at Roger Dean Stadium for the Jupiter Hammerheads and the Palm Beach Cardinals.
    Cassandra joined 580 WDBO as an overnight traffic anchor in 2007. He would be promoted to a news reporter position at that station. He later added duties as a sports anchor and an afternoon producer for the Mel Robbins Show.
    
   

Heat Loss In Memphis

    The Miami Heat had their four-game winning streak snapped as they fell to the Memphis Grizzlies 104-86 on Sunday night at FedEx Forum. Miami dropped to 1-2 on the road this season. Dwyane Wade made his return after a one-game absence due to a cold.
    Miami(5-2) trailed the game the entire time, but they tied it up at 12-12 and 14-14 midway through the first quarter. Memphis(5-1) began the contest with a 10-2 spurt until the Heat responded with their own 10-2 edge. The Grizzlies were ahead 22-21 after one quarter.
    Memphis led 42-40 with 2:30 left in the second quarter. They then finished off on a 14-1 run to end the first half and led by 15 points 56-41 at halftime. The Heat were outscored 34-20 in the quarter.
    The margin was cut to five points with 6:45 to go in the third quarter at 63-58. The Grizzlies still held the lead by double-digits 76-66 after three quarters. In the fourth quarter, Miami pulled to within seven points at 82-75 with 8:33 remaining. However, Memphis powered on with a 22-2 run in the later part of the period to put the game away.
    Chris Bosh put up 23 points and eight rebounds in 33 minutes while LeBron James had a double-double with 20 points and ten rebounds in 36 minutes. Wade was Miami's third-leading scorer with eight points and eight rebounds in 33 minutes.
    Rudy Gay poured in 21 points in his 37 minutes for Memphis and Wayne Ellington came off the bench as he scored 25 points. Both Zach Randolph and Mike Conley Jr. contributed 18 points each in the winning cause.