Monday, September 30, 2013

Miami/Fort Lauderdale Ratings August 2013

    There was a tie for the second consecutive month to determine the top sports format station in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale region. 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM and Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM were at the top in the month of August.
    790 The Ticket moved down from a 0.9 to a 0.7 during the month. The drop was expected because the Dan Le Batard Show took several weeks off for vacation as the station replayed interview segments from the past. The Miami Marlins being totally out of contention did not help matters either.
    It was a general surprise that the ratings did not rise at WQAM when afternoon host Jorge Sedano made a commitment and stayed there until the end of the ratings period. He moved on to a national show on ESPN Radio at the end of August. WQAM fell from a 0.9 to a 0.7 in August and remained tied for first place.
    104.3 The Ticket WAXY-FM dropped slightly for the second consecutive period from a 0.5 to a 0.4 in the month of August. The station will most likely get a larger audience in the next ratings period as Lincoln Financial Media has finally put more emphasis and top billing on them during station identification than their sister-station 790 The Ticket.
    940 The Sports Animal WINZ-AM finished with the same rating for the third straight period and the sixth time in the last seven months as they remained flat with a 0.2 in August. It was unexpected that the station did not get a bump in the ratings with the Miami Dolphins preseason beginning. It would also be the final ratings period with Larry Milian, a.k.a. The Amigo, co-hosting the mid-afternoon show with Phil Domanic and Troy Stradford.

Panthers Finalize Roster

    The Florida Panthers finalized their roster on Monday for the start of the 2013-14 regular season. 23 players on the roster will be allowed to participate and take to the ice at the beginning of the upcoming campaign. Their first game to commemorate the Florida Panthers 20th NHL season is on the road against the Dallas Stars on Thursday.
    The club will carry 14 forwards as they enter the season. Tomas Kopecky, Tomas Fleischmann, Kris Versteeg, Jonathan Huberdeau, Shawn Matthias. Scottie Upshall, Marcel Goc and Drew Shore return back to the Cats from last season. They picked up several forwards during the off-season which includes Scott Gomez, Jesse Winchester, Brad Boyes, Krys Barch and Joey Crabb. Aleksander Barkov. the Panthers first round pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, is the only rookie on the roster.
    The defensemen will consist of Brian Campbell, Erik Gudbranson, Dmitry Kulikov. Mike Weaver along with recent free agents Ryan Whitney, Tom Gilbert and Matt Gilroy. The Cats will have newcomer Tim Thomas and Jacob Markstrom as goalies for them.
    Defenseman Ed Jovanovski, goalie Scott Clemmensen, forwards Sean Bergenheim, Nick Bjudstad and Steve Pinizzotto are the five players will begin the season on injured reserve.

Le Batard And Sedano On ESPN Radio

    It is a milestone day for South Florida sportscasting as ESPN Radio rolls out two longtime Miami personalities Dan Le Batard and Jorge Sedano on Monday. They will combine for six hours of programming every weekday on the national network.
    Le Batard, a University of Miami grad, has been part of the Miami media since 1990 when he joined the Miami Herald as a sports writer. It will be the second stint with ESPN Radio for him as he hosted a Sunday morning show there during the early 2000's. Sedano, a Florida International University grad, became a member of the South Florida media in August 1999 when he got his first job as a sports producer for the Jim Berry Show on 1700 The Fan WAFN-AM.
    After LeBatard and his co-host Jon Weiner, a.k.a. Stugotz, work the first hour of their four-hour show on 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM and 104.3 The Ticket WAXY-FM, their program will be simulcast on ESPN Radio from 4 to 7 p.m. Sedano, who has co-hosted an ESPN Radio evening show with former NFL player Mark Schlereth since September 9, will follow and be on-the-air from 7 to 10 p.m.

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Henderson Alvarez Pitches No-Hitter

    Henderson Alvarez pitched the fifth no-hitter in Marlins franchise history on Sunday as Miami beat the Detroit Tigers 1-0 at Marlins Park. The Fish scored the game-winning run in the ninth inning on a walk-off wild pitch. Al Leiter, Kevin Brown, A.J. Burnett and Anibal Sanchez had thrown the previous no-hitters in Marlins history.
    Miami swept Detroit(93-69) in the three-game series and finished the 2013 season with a record of 62-100. The Fish, who won five of their last games, ended up 36-45 at home this year.
    Luke Putkonen was of the mound for Tigers in the bottom of the ninth inning, After Justin Ruggiano grounded out to short, Giancarlo Stanton and Logan Morrison both singled into center field. They both advanced one base on a wild pitch by Putkonen. Adeiny Hechavarria grounded out and Chris Coghlan walked to load the bases with two outs. Greg Dobbs pinched-hit for Koyie Hill then Stanton scored the walk-off winning run on a wild pitch by Putkonen on the first throw to the plate.

Marlins Promote Hill And Jennings

    The Miami Marlins announced Sunday prior to their home game with the Detroit Tigers that Michael Hill has been promoted from vice president and general manager to president of baseball operations while Dan Jennings has been named general manager. Jennings was upped from the assistant general manager and director of player personnel positions. Larry Beinfest was let go by the club as president of baseball operations on Friday afternoon.
    Hill has been the Marlins vice president and general manager with the team since September 2007. He served with the club as assistant general manager prior to that.  

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Marlins Take Tigers In Extra Innings

    The Miami Marlins won their second straight game against the Detroit Tigers with a 2-1 victory in ten innings at Marlins Park on Saturday night. Both clubs are heading into different directions as the Marlins will finish last in the National League East while the Tigers clinched the American League Central Division several days ago and will appear in the 2013 postseason.
    Former Marlins pitcher Anibal Sanchez started for the Tigers as he went five innings, struck out eight and allowed no runs on two hits. Nathan Eovaldi pitched for the Fish and gave up one run on six hits in seven innings. Steve Cishek picked up the win for Miami and improved to 4-6 as he pitched a scoreless tenth inning.
    Detroit(93-68) moved out to a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning. Prince Fielder walked and Jhonny Peralta singled into center field as Fielder went to third. Alex Avila hit a sacrifice fly to left field which brought in Fielder for the run.
    The Tigers would hold on to the lead until the ninth inning when Miami(61-100) tied it against Joaquin Benoit. Christian Yelich got a one-out base hit to center field and then Giancarlo Stanton walked. After Logan Morrison flew out to right, Yelich scored on a single to center field by Ed Lucas with two outs.
    The Marlins played National League ball in the tenth inning to win the game against Evan Reed. Justin Ruggiano walked and then pinch-hitter Juan Pierre sacrificed him to second. Donovan Solano was hit by a pitch and Yelich loaded the bases with a walk. Stanton smacked a one-out single into center field as he drove Ruggiano in with the winning run.

Friday, September 27, 2013

Marlins Roar By Tigers

    The Miami Marlins began their final three-game set of the 2013 regular season with a 3-2 victory over former Marlins manager Jim Leyland and the Detroit Tigers 3-2 at Marlins Park on Friday night. Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria fired president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest prior to the game.
    Tom Koehler got the win for the Fish and improved to 5-10 as he allowed two runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings. Marlins reliever Steve Cishek compiled his 34th save of the year. Tigers starting pitcher Jose Alvarez surrendered three runs on two hits in 2 2/3 innings and fell to 1-5.
    Miami(60-100) put up all of their three runs in the game during the third inning. The Marlins had the bases loaded with two out when Ricky Porcello came in to relieve for Alvarez. Giancarlo Stanton cleared the bases and connected with a three-run double into left field to score Koyie Hill, Placido Polanco and Christian Yelich.
    In the fifth inning, Detroit(93-67) cut the margin down to 3-1. Austin Jackson ripped a two-out single into center field which brought in Alex Avila from third.
    The Tigers got an additional run in the sixth inning. Former Marlin Miguel Cabrera led off with a base hit to right and Matt Tuiasosopo came into the game as a pinch-runner. After Don Kelly flew out to right, Jhonny Peralta drove in Tuiasosopo with a double to deep right-center field to make it 3-2.

Marlins Fire Larry Beinfest

    The Miami Marlins fired president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest on Friday after a 13-year tenure with Jeffrey Loria which consisted of two baseball clubs. Beinfest helped the team capture the 2003 World Series to win their second championship in franchise history. The Fish play their final three games of the 2013 season at home against the Detroit Tigers.
    Beinfest's executive assistant Jim Fleming was also let go after 12 years. Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria did not make an announcement about who would now be in charge of baseball operations.
    Loria hired Beinfest back in 2000 as the assistant general manager when he still owned the Montreal Expos. Beinfest stepped in as interim general manager from October 2001 until February 2002. When Loria purchased the Florida Marlins in February 2002, Beinfest decided to make the shift to South Florida as the new general manager and senior vice president of the team. He was later promoted to president of baseball operations in September 2007.
    During his time with the Marlins, Beinfest had made baseball decisions that have been both great and not so great. He had acquired Dontrelle Willis from the Chicago Cubs along with Hanley Ramirez, Anibal Sanchez and Ricky Nolasco from the Boston Red Sox. He has also been on the wrong side of trades as he sent Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to the Red Sox. Beinfest will probably be best remembered for trading eventual 2012 American League Most Valuable Player and Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera along with Dontrelle Willis to the Tigers in an eight-player deal back in December 2007.

Dwyer Pounds Olympic Heights

    The Dwyer Panthers put up 34 unanswered points in the first half to easily defeat the Olympic Heights Lions 41-7 on Friday night in a District 13-7A game at Corey Lewis Stadium in Boca Raton. The Panthers remained undefeated at 5-0 and have now outscored their opponents 208-20 after five games this season. The Lions dropped to 1-3 as they now ride a three-game losing streak.
    It seemed that it would be a long night when Shawun Lurry returned a punt for a 75-yard touchdown at 7:57 of the first quarter, but it was negated by a block-in-the-back penalty. Panthers running back Alonso Smith advanced the drive to the Lions 33 on a run of 32 yards. Quarterback Daniel Parr threw a pass to slot receiver Ezra Saffold on a slant pattern up the middle for a 20-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead at 5:47.
    Dwyer kicked off and recovered a loose ball at the Olympic Heights 18-yard line. On a fourth down and 12, Smith caught a screen pass on the left side and scored from 20 yards away with 3:26 left in the first. Kicker Peyton Shapiro missed the extra point and the Panthers were up 13-0.
    Things went from bad to worse for Olympic Heights in the second quarter as they fumbled the ball away on a carry by running back Anthony Alejo in his own end. Dwyer capitalized on the first play of the drive as Smith pulled in a reception on the left sideline and raced down the field untouched for a score from 33 yards out at 10:08.
    Later in the second quarter, running back Gerald Hearns scored a three-yard touchdown run around the right end with 4:57 to go in the first half as the Panthers extended their lead to 27-0.
    The Lions turned the ball over again but this time on a bad handoff at their own 39-yard line. Two plays later, wide receiver Clint Stephens made a 12-yard touchdown catch on the left side of the end zone with 2:33 remaining in the second quarter and they increased the margin to 34-0.
    Late in the third quarter, Olympic Heights had their possession end on an interception by Lurry at the Panthers 2, he lateraled the ball to Stephens at the goal line and he fumbled the ball back to the Lions 26 yards later.
    Olympic Heights snapped the shutout at 11:06 of the fourth quarter as running back Richard Thompson streaked around the left end for a one-yard touchdown as the Lions closed the gap to 34-7.
    The Panthers struck quickly just 46 seconds later as wide receiver Johnnie Dixon brought in a 22-yard touchdown reception on the left sideline and they led 41-7.
   

New Owners For Florida Panthers

    The Florida Panthers held a press conference on Friday at BB&T Center in Sunrise with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in attendance to introduce the new owners of the franchise. The new ownership will consist of Vincent Viola as principal owner, chairman and governor along with Douglas Cifu as partner, vice chairman and alternate governor.
    Michael Yormark will remain as president of the team and adds the title of CEO. There will be no changes in hockey operations with executive vice president/general manager Dale Tallon, head  coach Kevin Dineen, director of scouting Scott Luce and director of player development Brian Skrudland staying.
    The National Hockey League Board of Governors approved the sale of the club Friday morning from general partner Cliff Viner and his 13 limited partners which included Wayne Huizenga, Jordan Zimmerman, Michael Maroone, Bernie Kosar and Alan Cohen. Huizenga was the original majority owner of the team when it began in late 1992 and kept a minority share when Cohen became the lead owner in June 2001. Viner moved up to the principal owner and general partner position in 2009 and Cohen was relegated to a limited partner role.
    The Panthers will be celebrating their 20th anniversary during the 2013-14 season. The campaign begins next week on October 3 in Dallas and the Cats will play their first home game on October 11 against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Florida will be playing in the Atlantic Division this season along with the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Tim Thomas Signs Contract With Florida Panthers

    The Florida Panthers have signed goalie Tim Thomas to a one-year deal on Thursday. He agreed to a professional tryout offer with the team back on September 16. He has only practiced with the club and not appeared in any of their preseason games.
    Thomas decided not to play at all during the 2012-13 season. His rights were traded by the Boston Bruins to New York Islanders last season. He last played for the B's during the 2011-12 campaign.
    Thomas captured the Stanley Cup in 2011 as the starting goalie of the Bruins as they defeated the Vancouver Canucks in seven games, which included Game 7 on the road. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy for the most valuable player of the playoffs.
    He played his entire NHL career with the Boston Bruins and made his debut during the 2002-03 season. Thomas has played 378 games and compiled a career record of 191-121-5 along with a 2.48 goals-against average in eight NHL seasons. He won the Vezina Trophy in 2009 and 2011 for being the top goalie in the National Hockey League.

Skolnick Leaves Palm Beach Post

     Miami Heat beat writer Ethan J. Skolnick has left the Palm Beach Post after three years on the job. He is joining Turner Sports in the same position for Bleacher Report and NBA TV.
    Skolnick, a Johns Hopkins University and Columbia University grad, returned for a second stint with the Palm Beach Post in the summer of 2010 when the newspaper decided to go back and cover the Miami Heat on a regular basis. They had eliminated the Miami Heat reporter position one year earlier due to budget cuts.
    He started his journalism career as an agate shift staffer at the Baltimore Sun. Skolnick was employed as a sports writer from 1996 until 2001 during his first stint with the Palm Beach Post.
    He moved on to the Miami Herald as a sports reporter in 2001. Skolnick completed the trifecta of local newspapers when he joined the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in the mid-2000's as a sports columnist and lasted until July 2010.
    Skolnick began to extend his boundaries to radio during the late 2000's as a weekend co-host at 850 WFTL-AM and a morning co-host at 640 Sports WMEN-AM. 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM and 104.3 The Ticket WAXY-FM added him as an early afternoon co-host for several days a week to work alongside Eric Reed in October 2012.

Dwyer At Olympic Heights Preview

    The Dwyer Panthers will make their longest trip south during the regular season as they take on the Olympic Heights Lions in Boca Raton on Friday night in a District 13-7A game. The Panthers have been considered the top team in Palm Beach County throughout this season.
    Dwyer enters the game with a perfect 4-0 record as have outscored their opponents 167-13. They clobbered the Glades Central Raiders 35-0 in Belle Glade, routed the Jupiter Warriors 51-7, shut out crosstown rival the Palm Beach Gardens Gators 33-0 and routed Palm Beach Lakes 50-6 last week at home.
    Panthers quarterback Daniel Parr leads all of Palm Beach County with 892 passing yards and 12 touchdown passes. He will throw to a slew of wide receivers that have impacted their season. Johnnie Dixon has caught four of six catches for touchdowns, Clint Stephens has 16 catches for a big schools county-high 278 yards and Ezra Safford has 11 receptions for 265 yards, fourth overall in the county. Running back Alonso Smith is currently second in Palm Beach County large schools with 427 yards rushing.
    Olympic Heights(1-2) try to bounce back from a 34-14 loss at Lake Worth last week. They did have a victory opening week at home against the Spanish River Sharks 21-13, but were defeated the following week on the road by the Boynton Beach Tigers 19-6. Quarterback Richard Thompson will lead the way for the Lions on offense.

Ric Blackwell Back At WPEC

     Ric Blackwell has returned to WPEC-TV Channel 12 for a second stint at that station as a weekend morning news anchor. He previously joined the organization in 1993 as a sports anchor and was elevated to the morning and midday news anchor positions at WPEC-TV and WFLX-TV Channel 29 in 1995. His contract was not renewed by both stations in December 2010.
    Blackwell, a Central Michigan University grad, will continue as a show host for Good Sports on The Education Network in Palm Beach County. He was the play-by-play announcer for Dwyer Panthers home games in 2011 and 2012 as they were broadcast on Seaview Radio 960 WSVU-AM in North Palm Beach. Blackwell was also a newscaster at that station.
    He began his broadcasting career as a weekend news anchor and news reporter at WCFT-TV in Tuscaloosa, Alabama from 1987 until 1989. Blackwell moved on to Fort Myers where he was a sports anchor and sports reporter at WINK-TV between 1989 and 1993.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Emily Austen In Boston

    Emily Austen has joined Boston Celtics.com as a web reporter for the team. She was a sports reporter at KAMR-TV in Amarillo, Texas from February 2012 until September 2013.
    Austen, a Florida Atlantic University grad, got her first broadcasting opportunity at the Golf Channel as a producer.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Phillies Slip By Marlins

    The Miami Marlins fell short on Tuesday night as they were defeated by the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 at Marlins Park. The Fish picked up their 100th loss of the 2013 season and continue to have the second worst record in Major League Baseball ahead of the Houston Astros.
    Philadelphia(72-85) attacked early with two runs in the first inning off Henderson Alvarez. Jimmy Rollins slapped a one-out double to deep right field then Chase Utley and Domonic Brown walked to load the bases. Darin Ruf followed with a third consecutive walk to score Rollins from third. Utley would score on a ground out by Kevin Frandsen to short for a Phillies 2-0 lead.
    Miami(58-100) chipped at the margin with a run during the second inning against Zack Miner. Giancarlo Stanton led off with a base hit into center field and would cross the plate on a double by Justin Ruggiano to deep center field.
    Alvarez pitched seven innings for the Fish, allowed two runs on five hits and dropped his record to 4-6. Miner was unable to pick up the winning decision because he didn't pitch five innings. He hurled only four innings and gave up one run on four hits. Jonathan Papelbon captured his 29th save of the season for the Phillies.

Monday, September 23, 2013

Marlins Shut Out Phillies

    The Miami Marlins started their final homestand of the season as they blanked the Philadelphia Phillies 4-0 at Marlins Park on Monday night. The Marlins upped their record at home to 32-44.
    Miami(58-99) got on the scoreboard in the first inning. Donovan Solano walked, Ed Lucas struck out and Christian Yelich walked. Philadelphia(72-84) starting pitcher Roy Halladay would leave the game due to right arm fatigue as Luis Garcia replaced him. Giancarlo Stanton loaded the bases for the Fish as he walked. Justin Ruggiano followed with a walk to score Solano for a 1-0 lead.
    The Marlins would add another three runs during the eighth inning. Placido Polanco led off with a double to deep right field. After Adeiny Hechavarria flew out, Jeff Mathis and Greg Dobbs walked to fill the bases full of Marlins. Solano knocked in Polanco with a base hit into center field. Lucas would follow with a single to right field which brought in Mathis. Philadelphia made a pitching change as Carlos Jimenez came in to relieve for B.J. Rosenberg. Christian Yelich hit a sacrifice fly to center field which resulted in Dobbs crossing the plate.

The Amigo Gone From WINZ

    Larry Milian, a.k.a. The Amigo, is no longer with 940 The Sports Animal WINZ-AM. He now writes for StateOfTheU.com which is associated with SB Nation. The mid-afternoon show will still be hosted by Phil Domanic, a.k.a. Dizz, and former Miami Dolphins running back Troy Stradford.
    Milian joined WINZ back in early January 2012 as a mid-afternoon co-host along with Domanic. They added Stradford to the show as a co-host two days a week in November 2012 and he became a permanent co-host of the program this past January.
    Milian started his broadcasting career in an unusual way as he and Alan Strauss won an on-air contest in late 2005 to join 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM. They would be known as Dos Amigos when they hosted a weekend show together and were elevated to the late night shift just one year later. In addition to his work at 790 The Ticket, Milian was a high school football game analyst for 1360 WKAT-AM for several years.
    He moved on to 640 Sports WMEN-AM in late 2009 and co-hosted the afternoon show with Andy Slater for a short time until the end of December 2009 when the station hired Ed Kaplan. Milian continued at that station as a weekend host.
    After Jeff DeForrest left the morning show for WINZ in July 2010, he formed the Armando and The Amigo Show with Miami Herald sports columnist Armando Salguero. They co-hosted the morning show together and added Chris Perkins as a third co-host in August 2011. Milian also started with Domanic in late June 2011 as they were Saturday late morning co-hosts of the New York Sports Report. Both he and Domanic left 640 Sports in late December 2011 for 940 The Sports Animal.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Cosmos Slam Strikers

    The New York Cosmos made their return to Fort Lauderdale for the first time in 30 years and blanked the Strikers 2-0 at Lockhart Stadium on Saturday night. Both teams played against each other in the North American Soccer League from 1977 until 1983. The Strikers lost the previous meeting during the 2013 regular season back on August 5 to the Cosmos 2-1 at Hofstra University in Long Island.
    The last time they met each other for a game in Fort Lauderdale was on May 4, 1983. The 7,653 fans in attendance at Lockhart Stadium was the largest home crowd for the Strikers since they reformed in 2011.
    New York(4-3-1) struck early just nine minutes into the game to take a 1-0 lead. Cosmos midfielder Ayoze crossed the ball from the left side to the middle of the field where forward Diomar Diaz put in a header from nine yards away. Ayoze had an assist on first goal in the prior game between both squads last month.
    The Cosmos extended their lead to 2-0 in the 33rd minute as midfielder Sebastian Guenzatti fired a powerful shot from the left side from 14 yards out that was saved by Strikers goalie Richard Sanchez. Diaz connected with the loose rebound from 11 yards away with the right foot for his second goal of the game.
    Fort Lauderdale(3-3-2) looked like they had cut the margin during the 66th minute. Strikers midfielder Carlos Sanchez received a lead pass and chipped a shot from 17 yards away over the head of Cosmos goalkeeper Kyle Reynish and into the net. However, the sideline referee ruled him offside on the play.

Miramar Shocks Aquinas Again

    The Miramar Patriots remained undefeated as they edged the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders 22-20 on Friday night at Brian Piccolo Stadium. The Patriots have now won the last three meetings between both schools. They were victorious last year at home and won in overtime on the same field two years ago.
    St. Thomas Aquinas(2-1) took advantage in the first quarter as they got out to a 10-0 lead. Walter Jackson partially blocked a punt for good field position. The Raiders could only muster a 24-yard field goal by Charles Courtney and a 3-0 lead at 5:35.
    On the Raiders next possession, wide receiver Corey Holmes caught a 36-yard catch on the left sideline from quarterback Wade Freebeck and took it to the Patriots 8. Running back Mardre London scored on the next play as he rushed around the right end for the score and an Aquinas 10-0 lead with 2:31 left in the first.
    The Miramar(4-0) offense responded quickly on their first play from scrimmage at their own 20-yard line as running back Eric Pittman brought a hook-and-ladder play 79 yards and fell one yard short of the end zone. Quarterback Nick Jeanty sneaked in with a one-yard touchdown carry and cut the margin to 10-7 at 2:04.
    The Patriots scored the only points of the second quarter to erase a 10-point first half deficit. David Campbell kicked a 43-yard field goal with 11:18 remaining in the second. They ran a fast offense in the final minute of the first half and were rewarded with a 33-yard field goal by Campbell as timed expired for a Miramar 13-10 halftime lead.
    The Raiders controlled the third quarter as they piled on ten points during the third quarter and retook the lead. Wide receiver Devante Peete pulled in an eight-yard touchdown reception in the left corner of the end zone to make it 17-13 at 7:34. Courtney connected with a 30-yard field goal at 1:49 which was set up by a 30-yard catch by wide receiver Jawuan Harris to the Patriots 18.
    The Patriots bottled their opponent deep in their own end on a good punt to the Raiders two-yard line. One play later, running back Deltron Sands was stopped in end zone by linebacker David Lee for a safety as Miramar closed the gap to 20-15 with 9:55 left in the final quarter.
    Miramar got the ball back on a punt kickoff and retook the lead on their next possession. Cameron Rigby capped the drive with a four-yard run for a 22-20 lead with 9:20 to go in the game.

Friday, September 20, 2013

John Henry Smith III Moves

    Former Miami television sportscaster John Henry Smith III has joined Al Jazeera America in Washington, D.C. as a sports anchor and sports reporter. He leaves a similar position that he held at Comcast Sportsnet Bay Area in San Francisco from July 2011 to September 2013. He also was a sideline reporter for Golden State Warriors telecasts during the 2011-12 season.
    Smith, a Syracuse University grad, was a sports anchor at WPLG-TV Channel 10 in Miami from May 2004 until July 2009. He then worked for WVUE-TV in New Orleans from October 2009 to July 2011. The first on-air position in his broadcasting career was at News 14 Carolina in Raleigh as a sports reporter and sports anchor from 2002 until 2004.

Marlins Blanked By Nationals

    The Miami Marlins were unable to get any offensive production as they were shut out by the Washington Nationals 8-0 at Nationals Park on Friday night. The Fish could only muster two base hits in the game.
    Miami(56-98) starting pitcher Jacob Turner gave up five runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings and dropped to 3-8. Jordan Zimmermann pitched a two-hit complete-game shutout and struck out nine as he improved to 19-8 this season.
    Washington(83-71) had to wait until the sixth inning to score as they put up seven runs during that frame. Denard Span singled to right and Ryan Zimmerman singled to left. Jayson Werth knocked both of them in on a double into deep left field. Bryce Harper brought in Werth on a double to right-center field. After Ian Desmond grounded out and Adam LaRoche walked, Chris Hatcher replaced Turner on the mound. Wilson Ramos came to bat and picked up an RBI-single to center as Harper scored. Anthony Rendon added to the rout with a base hit to left field as LaRoche crossed the plate for a 5-0 lead. Two batters later, Span got his second hit of the inning on a triple to deep right field to score Rendon and Zimmermann.
    The Nats added another run during the seventh inning against Brad Hand. Jayson Werth walked and two batters later scored on a double by Desmond to center field.

Miramar At St. Thomas Aquinas Preview

    The St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders and the Miramar Patriots will face each other on Friday night in Fort Lauderdale at Brian Piccolo Stadium. The Patriots have won the last two meetings between the schools which included an overtime win two years ago on the same field.
    St. Thomas Aquinas enters the game with a 2-0 record. Following a kickoff classic win at home against the Dillard Panthers 21-10, they blasted the Northwestern Bulls 38-3 at Sun Life Stadium in their first regular season game and then defeated the defending national champions John Curtis of Louisiana 27-13 at the Superdome last week. Look for quarterback Wade Freebeck to hand the ball off to running back Mardre London and throw to wide receiver Devante Peete downfield.
    Miramar comes into this game with a record of 3-0. They cruised to easy victories in their first two weeks as they won on the road 42-7 against the South Plantation Paladins and crushed the Northeast Hurricanes at home with a 57-0 shutout. They got by the Plantation Colonels 28-14 last week at home. Running back Eric Pittman will get the bulk of carries for the Patriots and quarterback Nick Jeanty will create things on offense.

Nats Take Fish

    The Miami Marlins were beat by the Washington Nationals 3-2 on Thursday night at Nationals Park. Miami moved to 25-53 on the road this season and they have lost five of their last six games.
    Miami(56-97) took the initial lead in the first inning against Gio Gonzalez. Donovan Solano led off with a double to right and scored on a base hit by Ed Lucas to right-center field.
    Washington(82-71), who will finish the year with a winning record, scored their only runs with three tallies in the bottom of the frame. After Denard Span flew out to left field, Ryan Zimmerman singled to right and Jayson Werth walked. Bryce Harper followed with a three-run homer to right-center field on a 2-2 pitch thrown by Henderson Alvarez. It was Harper's 20th home run this season.
    The Marlins closed the margin to 3-2 during the sixth inning. Giancarlo Stanton began with a double to left field. He would then cross the plate on a double by Justin Ruggiano into left field.
    Alvarez dropped to 4-5 this season as he pitched five innings and allowed three runs on seven hits. Gonzalez improved to 11-7 as he gave up two runs on seven hits in six innings pitched.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Panthers Sweep Predators

    The Florida Panthers played the second game of a doubleheader on Monday night and beat the Nashville Predators 3-2 in overtime at BB&T Center. The Cats won the first game earlier in the day with a 6-3 comeback victory.
    Both teams combined for two goals during a 13-second span in the first period. Nashville scored first as Craig Smith got on the scoreboard with assists from Taylor Beck and Mike Fisher at 12:57. The Panthers tied it at 1-1 as Jared Gomes intercepted a pass in the slot, spun around and put in a backhand shot for an unassisted goal at 13:10.
    The Predators retook the lead 2-1 at 11:30 of the second period as Gabriel Bourque scored with  assists from David Legwand and Patric Hornqvist.
    In the third period, the Cats evened the game at 2-2 with 9:49 left in the third period. Tomas Kopecky put in a tally on the power play and got assists from rookie Aleksander Barkov and MacKenzie Weegar.
    The game was decided with 46.2 to go in overtime as Tomas Fleischmann blasted a shot from the slot area for the game-winning goal. Brett Clark and Kopecky were able to add the assists on the play.
    Jacob Markstrom started for Florida in net, played in the first two periods and stopped 15 of 17 shots. Michael Houser captured the win as he held Nashville to no goals on 13 shots in the third period and overtime. Predators goalie Carter Hutton took the loss as he played the entire game for the Preds and allowed three goals on 27 shots. The Cats were 1-for-6 on the power play while Nashville finished 0-for-4.

Cats Win First Preseason Game

    The Florida Panthers played the first game of a doubleheader at BB&T Center in Sunrise on Monday afternoon and defeated the Nashville Predators 6-3. Both teams will face each other in the second game tonight.
    Kevin Henderson quickly scored for Nashville just 44 seconds into the first period for a 1-0 lead. Scottie Upshall tied it 1-1 on the power play for the Cats at 6:01. The Predators regained the lead as Filip Forsberg scored at 7:39. They extended their margin to 3-1 as Shea Weber put the puck in the net on a power-play goal with 33 seconds remaining in the first period.
    Panthers defenseman Erik Gudbranson scored the only two goals of the second period by either team. He blasted a right-point shot at 14:14 and then tied the game at 3-3 with 1:47 to go in the frame on a power-play goal.
    The Cats came through with three goals in the third period and shut down the Predators. Newcomer Brad Boyes scored in the crease area at 12:44 as the Panthers took their first lead of the game. Upshall connected with his second game of the game just 39 seconds later. Quinton Howden capped it with a tally with 4:21 left in the game.
    Florida outshot their opponent 41-21 and were 2-for-6 on the power play. Nashville was 1-for-4 with the man advantage. Dov Grumet-Morris stopped 13 of 16 shots for the Cats while Rob Madore held the Preds scoreless on five shots and picked up the win in net. Scott Darling took the loss as he allowed three goals in 20 shots while Marek Mazanec surrendered three goals on 21 shots.

Panthers Sign Tim Thomas

    The Florida Panthers have signed goalie Tim Thomas to a professional tryout offer. He did not play at all during the 2012-13 season. Thomas was traded by the Boston Bruins to New York Islanders last season.
    Thomas captured the Stanley Cup in 2011 as the starting goalie with the Bruins and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff most valuable player. He played his entire NHL career with the B's and made his debut during the 2002-03 season. He has played in 378 games and a career record of 191-121-45 along with a 2.48 goals against average in eight NHL seasons.

Aiyana Cristal Leaves WPLG-TV

    WPLG-TV Channel 10 sportscaster Aiyana Cristal has left the station and joined Comcast Sportsnet Chicago as a sports reporter and sports anchor. She was with WPLG-TV in Miami since September 2012 as a sports reporter.
    Cristal, a Georgia State University grad, began her broadcasting career at WICD-TV in Champaign, Illinois as a morning news reporter and sports reporter from March 2007 until October 2008. She moved on to KTHV-TV in Little Rock, Arkansas from 2008 until 2010. She then worked for Comcast Sports Southeast and Fox Sports South in Atlanta.

Thursday, September 12, 2013

ESPN Radio 760 Flips Format

    ESPN Radio 760 WEFL-AM in West Palm Beach has flipped its format from English-language sports to Spanish-language sports. The station switched from ESPN Radio and will now use the feed of ESPN Radio Deportes.
    Good Karma Broadcasting, who purchased WUUB-FM from Palm Beach Broadcasting in late February, will eliminate their simulcast in Palm Beach County and continue to broadcast the sports format on their FM signal at ESPN 106.3 in Jupiter. WEFL has the second longest tenure with a sports talk format in South Florida of ten years behind the twenty-year run of Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM in Miami.
    ESPN Radio 760 flipped to a sports format in March 2003 after Good Karma Broadcasting acquired the frequency. They began with only one local show in afternoon drive with CEO Craig Karmazin and Vice President Steve Politziner called the Steve and Craig Show. Both grew up as best friends in New Brunswick, New Jersey and would later form their own broadcasting company along with hosting a sports show together. The rest of the schedule had ESPN Radio piped in. They had the Palm Beach County exclusive broadcast rights to the Miami Dolphins, Miami Heat, Florida Marlins, Florida Panthers, University of Miami and University of Florida when it began in 2003.
    The station eventually added an afternoon show with Evan Cohen and moved Steve and Craig to an early evening shift. Cohen, who currently has the longest running sports show in the South Florida market of almost ten years, later added duties as a morning sports co-host at SiriusXM Radio.
    Along with the addition of weekend late morning shows, they began to broadcast a Palm Beach County high school football game on Friday nights. ESPN 760 later picked up a major local property and became the flagship station of Florida Atlantic University football and basketball games.
    WEFL eliminated the Steve and Craig Show and added Jeremy Marks-Peltz and future Washington, D.C. television sports anchor Jason Pugh for an early evening show. They created a concept called High School Hysteria on Friday nights and moved their high school football game of the week to Thursday nights in 2011.

American Heritage Edges Glades Central

    It turned out to be a close game as expected as the American Heritage Stallions slipped by the Glades Central Raiders 21-16 at The Corral in Delray Beach on Thursday night. The Stallions have now won the last two games between both schools.
    Early in the second quarter, Raiders wide receiver Jamarius Way made a 36-yard catch at the Stallions 23-yard line. Two plays later, he caught a 16-yard touchdown pass on the right side from quarterback Jonathan Istache at 10:01.
    American Heritage(2-1) quarterback Kyle Hollender would fumble the ball away on their next possession at the Raiders 42. Glades Central(1-2) responded as Giovanni Lugo kicked a 42-yard field goal with 5:47 left in the second quarter.
    Raiders running back Jerry Jones lost the ball at the Heritage 34-yard line on the Raiders next drive. The Stallions capitalized two plays later as running back Shacorey Foster ripped through the right side on a 64-yard touchdown run with 2:27 to go in the first half. They trailed Glades Central at halftime 10-7.
    American Heritage would take the lead for the first time in the game 14-10 when Foster returned the kickoff 98 yards for a score at 11:45 of the third quarter.
    On the first play of the fourth quarter, running back Devin Singletary sprinted around the right end for a touchdown from seven yards out and a 21-10 lead with 11:50 remaining.
    Glades Central almost pulled off a miracle comeback in the final four minutes of the game. They succeeded on two fourth-down conversions which included a 21-yard run by Istache to the Stallions 10. Three plays later, he found wide receiver Ronquivion Tarver in front of the end zone with a 31-yard pass with 2:33 to go. The two-point pass conversion failed and they were down 21-16.
    The Stallions would go three-and-out and had to punt the ball as the Raiders took over at their own 42 with 1:14 left. Glades Central drove down to the American Heritage five-yard line with five seconds remaining. Istache threw a blind pass as the pocket collapsed and it was intercepted by linebacker Ronnie Bennett on the final play.

Braves Stomp Marlins

    Marlins pitcher Brian Flynn made his second major league career start as Miami fell to the Atlanta Braves 6-1 on Thursday at Marlins Park. The Fish will begin an 11-game road trip on Friday which is the final time this season that the club will be away.
    Atlanta(88-58) jumped out to a 4-0 lead during the third inning. Flynn surrendered three straight walks to Elliot Johnson, Justin Upton and Freddie Freeman as the Bravos loaded the bases. Evan Gattis nailed a double into left field to score Johnson and Upton. Chris Johnson followed with a double to deep left field as Freeman and Gattis scored.
    Rob Brantly begin the bottom of the third for Miami(54-91) against Freddy Garcia with a base hit to center and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Flynn. After Chris Coghlan struck out, Brantly scored on a single by Donovan Solano to left field to make it 4-1.
    The Braves extended their lead in the fourth inning to 6-1. Upton got on base with a two-out walk and Freeman came up and crushed a 2-2 pitch over the right-center field wall for his 20th home run this season.
    Flynn dropped to 0-1 as he gave up six runs on six hits and walked six in four innings. Garcia improved to 4-6 as he allowed one run on five hits in six innings.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Jose Fernandez Stops Braves

    Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez made his final start of the 2013 season and hit his first career home run as the Fish got by the Atlanta Braves 5-2 on Wednesday night at Marlins Park. The Marlins had made a decision to shut down Fernandez when he reached 170 innings pitched this season. He finished the season with a 2.19 E.R.A. and 187 strikeouts in 172 2/3 innings.
    Fernandez gave up one run on five hits in seven innings as he upped his record to 12-6. Mike Minor went six innings for the Bravos and allowed four earned runs on eleven hits as he dropped to 13-7.
    In the first inning for Miami(54-90), Christian Yelich picked up a two-out infield hit and advanced to second on a throwing error. He scored on a single by Giancarlo Stanton to right field.
    The Fish added another run during the fourth inning. Ed Lucas doubled to right-center field with one out. Logan Morrison drove him in on a base hit into left-center field for a 2-0 lead.
    With one out in the bottom of the fifth and Yelich on first, Stanton hit a towering shot to straight center field on a 1-2 pitch for his 20th home run of the season. It was the fourth consecutive year that he had at least 20 home runs in a season.
    Atlanta(87-58) broke the shutout in the sixth inning. Evan Gattis led off with a solo home run to left field on the first pitch. It was his 19th homer in 2013.
    In the bottom of the frame, Fernandez cracked the first homer of his career on a 1-2 pitch to left field with two outs. Both benches emptied after Fernandez crossed the plate and headed toward the Marlins dugout.
    The Braves scored in the ninth inning to close the gap. Andrelton Simmons nailed a one-out triple into deep center field. Elliot Johnson followed and knocked him in with a double to right-center field.

Heat Sign Michael Beasley

    The Miami Heat have signed forward Michael Beasley to a one-year contract. Beasley was selected by the Heat as the number two overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft. He played two years with the club and helped them get into the NBA playoffs. He made 97 starts in 159 games during his two seasons with the Heat and averaged 14.3 points with 5.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists.
    Beasley was traded to Minnesota Timberwolves in July 2010 and played with them for two seasons. He was with the Phoenix Suns in 2012-13 and averaged 10.1 points and 3.8 rebounds in 75 games. Beasley was released by the team last week due to off-the-court problems.

Glades Central At American Heritage Preview

    Two teams that were once classified in the small-schools bracket in Palm Beach County will meet on Thursday night at The Corral as the Glades Central Raiders visit the American Heritage-Delray Stallions. The Raiders were blanked 14-0 last year at home and escaped with a 41-34 overtime win against the Stallions two year ago in Delray Beach.
    Glades Central, who began 2012 with an 0-4 record, played their first two regular season games at home and were blasted in their opening game 35-0 by the Dwyer Panthers. They bounced back last week as they got by the Palm Beach Central Broncos 13-7.
    The Raiders have a balanced running attack with Jerry Jones and Keith Clemones. Giovanni Lugo will control the team on offense as quarterback. He will have a handful of wide receivers to throw the ball to which includes Ronquavion Tarver, Isiah Johnson and Jonathan Istache.
    American Heritage proved last year that they were the best team in Palm Beach County with an undefeated regular season. They began the 2013 season with a 31-12 victory over their crosstown rival the Atlantic Eagles and then lost last week to the American Heritage-Plantation Patriots 28-6.
    The Stallions, who have lost only three games since 2011, will play their first game at home this season. Quarterback Trenard Davis will lead American Heritage on offense with Devin Singletary and Warren Robinson carrying the ball from the backfield. Wide receivers Desmond Cain and Shacorey Foster plan to get open for receptions.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

David Schultz In Louisiana

    Former local sportscaster David Schultz has joined 103.7 The Game KLWB-FM in Lafayette, Louisiana as the new program director and morning host. He leaves his position as a membership manager at Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo which he held for two years.
    Schultz, a SUNY-Oswego grad, was employed at Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM from 2009 until 2011. He was the Florida Marlins and Florida Panthers sports reporter along with being a sports anchor and a fill-in host at that station.
    He made numerous stops as a minor league baseball radio play-by-play announcer between 1992 and 2005. Some of clubs he announced for included the Syracuse Chiefs, Harrisburg Senators, Somerset Patriots, Jacksonville Suns and Peoria Chiefs.
    Schultz worked as a media liaison with PGA Tour events at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Miami from 2006 to 2011. The events involved the World Golf Championship and Ford Championship that were played on the famous Green Monster golf course.

Friday, September 6, 2013

Battle Of American Heritage

    It was a game on Friday night that involved two sister-schools named American Heritage as the Plantation Patriots held on to beat the Delray Stallions 28-6 at Heritage Field. It was the first time that both teams met for a the regular season contest.
    The Patriots compiled the only score of the first quarter as running back Sony Michel ran around the right end from seven yards away for a 7-0 lead.
    The Stallions got on the scoreboard with 4:11 left in the first half as Nick Rabinowitz made a 41-yard field goal and closed the gap to 7-3.
    American Heritage-Plantation(1-1) woke up on offense after Isaiah McKenzie was injured when he brought back a punt return just under five minutes into the second half. They scored three unanswered touchdowns during the third quarter.
    After the McKenzie injury, Michel finished the drive with a five-yard touchdown run around the left end at 6:33 to make it 14-3.
    American Heritage-Delray(1-1) tried to fake a punt deep in their own end as they were stopped by the Patriots defense at the 13-yard line. Following an offside penalty, Brandon Johnson caught an 18-yard reception on the right side of the end zone for a score with 5:26 to go and a 21-3 lead.
    The Patriots scored their final touchdown of the game with 1:56 remaining in the third as backup running back Fillon Dyer dashed up the middle from 12 yards away and increased their lead to 28-3.
    In the fourth quarter, the Stallions could only garner a 24-yard field goal by Rabinowitz with 2:43 left in the game.  

Plantation Pounds Taravella

    The Plantation Colonels had an easier time than expected as they got a 49-21 win over the Taravella Trojans on Friday night at P.A.L. Field. The Colonels improved to 2-0 this season following their victory last week at Dillard while the Trojans dropped to 0-2.
    Midway through the opening quarter, Trojans running back Roderick Miller was stripped of the ball and turned it over at the Plantation 43-yard line. Colonels quarterback Chris Lammons fired a ball down the middle of the field and it was caught by wide receiver Jewison Dawkins for a 40-yard gain to the Trojans 3. They scored as Lammons threw a lob pass to the back of the end zone where wide receiver Kendan Davis made a diving catch at 5:44. Ravion Peevis caught a two-point conversion catch to make it 8-0.
    Taravella responded immediately as Jawanza Evans-Morris ran the kickoff return 87 yards down the right sideline to close the margin to 8-7 just 15 seconds later.
    Plantation extended their lead to 15-7 with 2:28 left in the first quarter as Dawkins pulled in a 17-yard catch in the front of the end zone.
    Early in the second quarter, Colonels running back Clint Sills Jr. had a 51-yard run to the Trojans 30-yard line. Two plays later, Lammons found Peevis in the right side of the end zone with a 20-yard strike at 8:40.
    The Colonels made it 28-7 with 6:36 to go in the first half as Dawkins made a slant pattern toward the middle of the field, caught the ball from Lammons and scored from 35 yards away.
    Plantation capped the second quarter with 3:42 remaining when Xavier Carrithers had a 80-yard punt return for a touchdown and a Colonels 34-7 lead.
    The Trojans picked up two straight touchdowns which included a 12-yard burst by Miller early in the fourth quarter as they closed the gap to 34-21.
    Running back Antwuan Haynes put the game out of reach for Plantation on their next possession as he scored on a run from 11 yards out.

Miami Central vs Booker T Washington Preview

    It is the football game that all of Dade County has been waiting for this year as the defending Class 6A state champion Miami Central Rockets take on the defending Class 4A state champions Booker T. Washington Tornadoes Friday night at Traz Powell Stadium in Miami. Both teams place high on the state and national high school football polls this season.
    Miami Central enters the game with a 1-0 record after they defeated the American Heritage Patriots 42-20 in Plantation last week. They also handled the Dwyer Panthers, who are considered the best team in Palm Beach County, two weeks ago during a kickoff classic 44-13 in Palm Beach Gardens.
    The Rockets, who are ranked first in the state of Florida and in the nation, are led by the most powerful backfield in the country with Joseph Yearby and Dalvin Cook as running backs. Both combined for 380 rushing yards on 28 carries and six touchdowns last week against American Heritage. Keith Reed will call the signals at quarterback and throw to wide receiver Da'vante Phillips down the field.
    Booker T. Washington also comes in with one victory two weeks ago as they went on the road to Georgia and routed Norcross 55-0. Quarterback Treon Harris will be in charge and lead the Torandoes offense.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Dan Le Batard Adds ESPN Radio

    Longtime Miami Herald sports columnist and 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM afternoon host Dan Le Batard will add duties as the afternoon host at ESPN Radio beginning on October 1. He will be joined by co-host Jon Weiner, a.k.a. Stugotz, on the new program which will be based in Miami. They will do a local broadcast from 3 to 4 p.m. on 790 The Ticket and 104.3 The Ticket WAXY-FM and be simulcast nationally on ESPN Radio from 4 to 7 p.m. Both Le Batard and Weiner have co-hosted the afternoon show on 790 The Ticket since the station flipped to a sports format in August 2004.
    Le Batard, a University of Miami grad, has written for the Miami Herald since 1990. He got his first opportunity to host a radio show when he worked Sunday mornings at ESPN Radio back in the early 2000's. He later was a panelist on The Sports Reporters and filled-in as a co-host for Pardon The Interruption on ESPN. He was given the opportunity to host his own television show with his father called Dan Le Batard Is Highly Questionable on ESPN2 in October 2011.
    Weiner began in the Miami market as the afternoon producer for the Hank Goldberg Show and a weekend host at Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM. He moved on to 940 Fox Sports Radio WRFX-AM as a weekend host with Toast from 2003 until early 2004. Weiner joined 790 The Ticket as an afternoon sidekick with Le Batard in August 2004. He later picked up the titles of general manager and vice president at that station. He helped out as a show contributor on Miccosukee Sports Rap at Fox Sports Net Florida during the mid-2000's. Weiner has co-hosted The Sports Bang with Florida Panthers television play-by-play announcer Steve Goldstein on WFOR-TV Channel 4 since October 2012.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Sirius XM Radio Moves Dino Costa

    Former local sports host Dino Costa had his show moved this week at Sirius XM Radio. He did his final evening show on Mad Dog Radio Tuesday night and will become the morning host at the new channel Sports Zone as of September 5. Costa joined Sirius XM Radio back in January 2010.
    After spending several years as a sports host at KLZ-AM in Denver until January 2003, he worked as an afternoon host at WNNR-AM in Jacksonville from June 2003 until February 2004. Costa landed at 1400 The Fan WFLL-AM in Fort Lauderdale when the station launched into a new sports format in April 2004. He was the afternoon host there until July 2004 when he was fired because he would not accept Bruce Warner as a new co-host to his show.
    Costa returned to Colorado and worked as a midday host at KCRN-AM from May 2005 until August 2008. He added duties as a studio sports host on Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain. He then founded DenverSportsRadio.com where he was also the program director/talk host and later became the founder of DinoCosta365.com.

The Finsiders On Television

    The Finsiders show will be simulcast on Fox Sports Florida as of September 9 every weekday from 5 p.m. until 6 p.m. The program hosted by Jesse Agler has been the afternoon show on 940 The Sports Animal WINZ-AM since July 2010.
    Some of the former Miami Dolphins players who will be part of a rotating panel will include Troy Stradford, Sam Madison, Kim Bokamper, O.J. McDuffie, Keith Sims. Twan Russell and Troy Drayton. ESPN college football game analyst John Congemi and Dolphins reporter Tristin Jones will also have additional insight on the team.

Cubs Overcome Marlins

    The Miami Marlins were unable to sweep the Chicago Cubs as they lost 9-7 on Wednesday at Wrigley Field in the final game of a three-game series. The Marlins had their three-game winning streak snapped as they dropped to 23-47 on the road.  
    Brian Flynn made his major league debut for Miami(52-86) as their starting pitcher. He allowed three runs on six hits in four innings pitched. Chicago(59-80) starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija went six innings, struck out nine and gave up six runs on nine hits.
    The Fish got the lead during the second inning against Samardzija. Giancarlo Stanton led off with an infield single and Justin Ruggiano struck out swinging. Logan Morrison came up and hit the first pitch for a homer to right field. It was his fifth home run this season and his first since July 6 in St. Louis.
    The Cubbies scored a run in the bottom of the frame off Flynn with a two-out rally. Junior Lake doubled to left field and then scored on a double by Darnell McDonald into deep left-center field.
    Starlin Castro began the third inning for Chicago with a solo home run to right field on a 2-0 pitch to tie the game. Three batter later, Dioner Navarro added another solo homer to center field on a 2-1 count as the Cubs took their first lead 3-2.
    Miami retook the lead 6-3 in the top of the sixth inning with four runs. Stanton stroked a one-out single to left field, Ruggiano singled to center and Morrison walked to load the bases. Adeiny Hechavarria blasted a grand slam homer to center field on a 1-0 pitch for his third home run this year.
    The Cubs closed the margin in the bottom of the sixth as Ryan Sweeney nailed a one-out solo home run to center field against Arquimedes Caminero on a 3-2 pitch during an at-bat that involved ten pitches.
    Carlos Villanueva relieved for Samardzija in the seventh inning and surrendered a lead-off triple by Ruggiano to deep right field. Navarro was charged with an error when he attempted to pick off Ruggiano following a pitch which resulted in him scoring.
    Chicago mounted a big inning in the seventh with four runs and regained the lead. A.J. Ramos walked Darwin Barney and Anthony Rizzo. Both came home to score as Navarro singled into left field. Donnie Murphy followed with a two-run homer to left off the first pitch thrown by incoming pitcher Ryan Webb.
    In the eighth inning for the Cubs, Brian Bogusevic started with a base hit into center field and was then driven in by Castro on a double to right.    

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Marlins Get By Cubs

    Marlins pitcher Henderson Alvarez got his first major league career home run and picked up the win as the Marlins beat the Chicago Cubs 4-3 at Wrigley Field on Monday night. The Marlins won their second straight game after they dropped their previous six games and 10 of 11 to end the month of August.
    All the scoring in this game happened in the first two innings. Christian Yelich was the second batter of the game for Miami(51-85) during the first inning. He smacked a one-out solo home run on a 3-2 pitch to right field against Travis Wood for his third career homer.
    Chicago(58-79) quickly responded with three runs in the bottom of the frame off Alvarez. Stalin Castro led off with a single to left and advanced to third as Luis Valbuena slashed a base hit to right field. Castro scored on a single into right field by Anthony Rizzo and Dioner Navarro followed with a base hit to right to score Valbuena. Nate Schierholtz brought Rizzo in on a sacrifice fly to center.
    In the second inning, the Fish put up three runs to regain the lead. Ed Lucas started with a double into right field, Donovan Solano struck out and Lucas went to third on a base hit by Jeff Mathis to left. Alvarez connected with the first pitch that Wood threw as he bashed a one-out, three-run homer to left field.
    Alvarez improved to 3-3 as he allowed three runs on seven hits in six innings. Wood fell to 8-11 as he pitched seven innings and surrendered four runs on nine hits.