Thursday, January 31, 2013

Panthers Smoke Jets

    The Florida Panthers snapped a five-game losing streak as they pulled off a third-period rally for a 6-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets at BB&T Center on Thursday night. The Cats begin a four-game road trip on Sunday at Buffalo.
    Neither team were able to score in the first period. Florida(2-5-0) got the first goal of the game on a 5-on-3 power play at 5:14 of the second period. Defenseman Brian Campbell blasted a slapshot from the top slot area by Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec for his third goal this season and a Panthers 1-0 lead. Left wing Tomas Fleischmann made the feed from the right corner.
    Winnipeg(3-3-1) tied the game at 16:11 as defenseman Grant Clitsome nailed a slapshot from the left point by goalie Jose Theodore after he received a pass from the right side by Andrew Ladd.
    Both teams combined for seven goals in the third period. Former Panthers captain and center Olli Jokinen scored on a one-time snapshot from the low right circle at 1:23 following a pass by right wing Blake Wheeler in the right corner.
    The Panthers evened the contest at 3:34 as Kris Versteeg got his first goal of the season. Fleischmann faked a shot from the left circle, put a pass in the low slot and Versteeg finished with a close-range shot.
    The Jets would take their final lead of the game 3-2 at the 7:38 mark. Center Alexander Burmistrov had the puck in the right corner and sent it out to the top left circle. Defenseman Tobias Enstrom ripped a slapshot for the go-ahead goal.
    The Cats would connect on consecutive power plays in the middle of the frame to retake the lead. Center Peter Mueller scored in his third straight game when he flipped a wrist shot from the low slot into the top of the net on a rebound at 11:20. Defenseman Filip Kuba took a slapshot from the top of the zone prior to that.
    Right wing Alex Kovalev would send a wrist shot from the high slot over Pavelec's glove at 12:37. Left wing Tomas Kopecky started the play in the right corner and Fleischmann shoveled the puck from the end wall.
    Left wing Jonathan Huberdeau intercepted a pass into the Panthers line and went down the ice on a two-on-one break. He softly sent a shot from the slot that bounced in at 15:29 for his second NHL tally and extended the Cats lead to 5-3. Kopecky skated alone through the neutral zone and capped the win with an open-net goal with 1:28 left in regulation for his second goal this season.
    The Panthers went 3-for-3 on the power play which included going 2-for-2 in the final period. The Jets faltered on the man advantage as they were held scoreless at 0-for-3. Theodore improved to 2-4-0 as he made 22 saves. Pavelec dropped to 2-3-1 this season and 5-l-0 all-time against the Panthers as he lost for the first time to the Cats.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Heat Rip Nets

    The Miami Heat began the second half of the regular season and played their first game ever in Brooklyn on Wednesday night as they cruised by the Nets 105-85 at Barclays Center. The Nets had played their home games in New Jersey for 35 seasons from 1977 until 2012. The Heat have won 11 straight games over the Nets on the road and 13 consecutive games overall.
    After giving up the opening basket, Miami(29-13) went on an 18-6 spurt to lead by double digits. They would hold on to that margin after one quarter at 30-20. The Heat had a 41-29 lead with 7:30 remaining in the second quarter. New Jersey(27-19) bounced back with a 20-8 run at the end of the first half to tie the game 49-49 at halftime.
    The Nets led 55-53 with 9:18 left in the third quarter, but then Miami went on a 32-8 run. The Heat outscored Brooklyn 36-14 in the period and were ahead 85-63 after three quarters. Brooklyn came no closer than 17 points behind in the fourth quarter.
    LeBron James led Miami, who have won four of their last five games, with 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in 34 minutes. Dwyane Wade came through with 21 points in 34 minutes while Chris Bosh nailed 16 points in 36 minutes. Mario Chalmers added 11 points in 25 minutes.
    Brook Lopez headed Brooklyn with 21 points and seven rebounds in 32 minutes of play. Nets reserve Andray Blatche scored 12 points in 24 minutes and Joe Johnson contributed 16 points with six assists in 37 minutes.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Lightning Crack Panthers

    The Florida Panthers attempted to get out of the NHL basement as they were dismantled by the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-2 at Tampa Bay Times Forum on Tuesday night. The Cats have now lost five straight games since they won on opening night against Carolina and outscored 23-5 in their last five games. Florida right wing Kris Versteeg made his season debut for the club.
    Both teams combined for three goals in a one-minute, forty-second span in the first period. Tampa Bay(5-1-0) scored the first goal of the game on the power play at 11:09. Center Vincent Lecavalier skimmed on a shot from the right point that went into the right corner. Right wing Martin St. Louis feed the puck to left wing Steven Stamkos in the low right circle. He fired one slapshot that was saved, got his own rebound and buried the second slapshot over the left shoulder of Panthers goalie Jose Theodore. It was the fourth goal this season for the defending Maurice Richard Trophy winner.
    Florida(1-5-0) center Peter Mueller recovered a loose puck in the crease area and put a wrist shot by Lightning goalie Anders Lindback 15 seconds later for an unassisted goal. It was the second straight game that Mueller had scored for the Cats.
    The Lightning regained the lead 2-1 at 12:49. Defenseman Victor Hedman sent a long lead pass from inside his own blue line to left wing Cory Conacher who was behind the Panthers defense at the Florida blue line. He skated in and snapped a wrist shot from the low slot beyond Theodore's left arm for the score.
    Tampa Bay extended their lead to 3-1 early in the second period at 3:18. Left wing Dana Tyrell carried the puck down the right wing and backhanded a pass to the middle. It hit the left glove of center Tom Pyatt in the slot area and redirected into the Panthers net.
    Tyrell got his first goal of the season at 15:39 to make it a Lightning 4-1 lead. Pyatt started the play with a backhand from behind the Panthers cage to the crease area.
    The Panthers gave up another power-play goal to Tampa Bay at 14:13 of the third period. Conacher backhanded a pass from the end wall to left wing Benoit Pouliot at the left face-off dot. He slide a cross-ice pass to the low right circle where Lecavalier ripped a shot into a half-empty net.
    Panthers left wing Tomas Fleischmann intercepted a pass in the neutral zone and ran off with a breakaway. He fired a wrist shot that barely squeezed by Lindback for a shorthanded goal at 14:31 and closed the deficit down to 5-2. It was his second goal this season.
    Special teams had an effect in this game as the Lightning went 2-for-5 on the power play while the Cats were 0-for-4. Florida was outshot 11-6 in the first period and 33-28 in the game. Theodore made 28 saves in 33 shots and Lindback stopped 26 of 28 shots. The Panthers come home on Thursday night against the Winnipeg Jets before they return to the road for four straight games.
   

Monday, January 28, 2013

Miami Heat Go To White House

    The Miami Heat visited the White House in Washington D.C. on Monday where they were honored by the President of the United States Barack Obama. The Heat, who are the defending NBA champions, went to the White House to see George W. Bush after they won their other NBA title after the 2005-06 season.
    Miami are currently in the middle of a four-game road swing. They lost in double overtime on Sunday in Boston against the Celtics and will not play again until Wednesday night at the Nets. It will be the first time that the Heat play in Brooklyn at Barclays Center.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Celtics Outlast Heat

    Ray Allen made his return to Boston on Sunday and buried 21 points in 38 minutes as the Miami Heat fell to the Celtics 100-98 in double overtime at TD Garden. Allen signed with the Heat during the summer after he played with the Celtics for five seasons which included one NBA championship in 2007-08. The Heat dropped to 10-10 on the road this season.
    Neither team led by more than five points in the opening quarter as Miami(28-13) was up 26-22 after one quarter. The Heat extended their lead to 33-25 with 8:47 left in the second quarter, but the C's came back with a 20-12 spurt at the end of the first half and went into halftime tied 45-45.
    Both clubs stayed within four points of each other in the third quarter as Miami had a 68-64 lead at the end of the period when they scored the last seven points.
    Boston(21-23) got their biggest lead in regulation when Kevin Garnett nailed an 18-foot shot with 59.9 seconds left to make it 85-81. Allen drained a three-point shot to cut the margin down to one with 25 seconds to go. Jason Terry converted two free throws four seconds later for a Celtics 87-84 lead. LeBron James tied the game on a 26-foot three-point shot from the top of the arc with seven seconds remaining to send the game into overtime.
    The Heat began the extra session with a 6-2 edge, but Boston tied it at 93-93 when Garnett, who scored all of Boston's six points in overtime, hit two straight field goals and moved it into a second overtime. The C's won a double overtime game two days ago in Atlanta against the Hawks.
    In double overtime, Terry made two foul shots at 4:16 then Chris Bosh pounded in a dunk at 2:53 to tie it at 95-95. James drove down the lane for a field goal and a free throw with 1:01 to go. Boston would score the final six points in the sixth stanza. Terry made a driving lay-up at 54 seconds, Paul Pierce hit a go-ahead outside field goal with 30 seconds left and a free throw with five seconds to go.
    James led the way for the Heat with a double-double of 34 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists in  52 minutes. Dwyane Wade knocked down 17 points with seven assists in 47 minutes while Chris Bosh had a double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds in 46 minutes.
    Garnett got a double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds in 45 minutes. Pierce had a triple-double as he contributed 17 points, 10 assists and 13 rebounds in 49 minutes. Terry scored 13 points in 32 minutes and Jeff Green got 11 points in 42 minutes.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Flyers Bomb Panthers

    The Philadelphia Flyers routed the Florida Panthers 7-1 on Saturday night at BB&T Center as the Cats extended their losing streak to four games. It was the only appearance for the Flyers in Sunrise this season. The Panthers have been outscored 18-3 in their last four games.
    Philadelphia(2-3-0) left wing Matt Read, who is in his second NHL season, picked up his first career hat trick. Florida(1-4-0) left wing Quinton Howden played in his first NHL game tonight after being drafted by the team in 2010.
    The Flyers, who scored only five goals in their first four games, quickly got the initial lead on a power play at 3:10 of the first period. Center Claude Giroux passed the puck from the top right circle to defenseman Kimmo Timonen in the high slot. His slapshot was deflected in the crease by right wing Wayne Simmons for his second goal this season.
    Philadelphia went up 2-0 at 7:12 as Read zipped through the left circle by two defensemen and scored on a wrist shot in the low slot. He got a left-outlet pass from Giroux who was in the neutral zone.
    Rookie center Tye McGinn scored his first NHL goal in his third career game at 18:51 as the Flyers led 3-0. He redirected a pass in the low shot from defenseman Braydon Coburn who was by the left-wing boards. The Panthers pulled goalie Jose Theodore at the end of the first period after he allowed three goals on nine shots and was replaced by Scott Clemmensen.
    Both teams combined with three goals in 1:13 during four-on-four situations late in the second period. Coburn skated through the neutral zone as he went by the Panthers line and send a cross-ice pass to Read in the left circle. He hit a volley shot past Clemmensen at 18:34 for his second goal of the game.
    The Panthers got their lone goal of the contest at 19:10 as defenseman Ed Jovanovski sent a long lead pass from his own crease to center Peter Mueller at the Flyers line. He skated in alone on a breakaway and put the puck behind goalie Iyla Bryzgalov.
    Flyers defenseman Luke Schenn got his first goal with his new club which was unassisted with 13 seconds remaining in the period as he blasted a slapshot through traffic from the right point for a 5-1 lead.
    Read completed the hat trick with his third goal of the game 54 seconds into the third period on the power play. He blasted a one-time slapshot in the high slot area from a feed in the right corner by center Brayden Schenn.
    Philly capped the scoresheet to 7-1 at eight minutes of the third when center Ruslan Fedotenko got his first goal in his second stint with team. McGinn ripped the puck around the left corner to left wing Max Talbot behind the Panthers cage, he sent a pass to the left of the crease and Fedotenko put in a wrist shot from close range.
    Florida outshot Philadelphia in all three periods and had a shot advantage of 31-26. Bryzgalov made 30 saves on 31 shots while Clemmensen made 13 saves on 17 shots in two periods of play. The Panthers were held scoreless on the power play at 0-for-4 and Flyers went 2-for-7 on the man advantage. The Cats have off until Tuesday night when they visit the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Friday, January 25, 2013

Heat Drop Pistons

    The Miami Heat took care of business with a 110-88 victory over the Detroit Pistons at American Airlines Arena on Friday night. The Heat have now won four straight games and improved to 18-3 at home this season. They are also 13-0 at home when leading at halftime.
    Dwyane Wade had 29 points, seven assists, five rebounds and three steals in 35 minutes for Miami while LeBron James compiled 23 points, seven assists and seven rebounds in 33 minutes. Chris Bosh contributed 14 points and seven rebounds in 30 minutes. Heat reserve Ray Allen added 11 points in 23 minutes.
    Greg Monroe nailed a double-double for Detroit with 31 points and 12 rebounds in 34 minutes. Former Pine Crest grad Brandon Knight knocked done nine points in with five assists in 28 minutes while Will Bynum came off the bench with 13 points in 22 minutes of play.
    Miami(28-12) scored the first six points of the game, but the Pistons pulled even four minutes into the contest. Neither team led by more than two points for the remainder of the period as the Pistons were up 31-30 after one quarter. Detroit(16-27) got six consecutive points to begin the second quarter, however the Heat went on an 18-6 at the end of the first half and led 60-51 at halftime.
    The Heat had a double-digit lead throughout the third quarter and were ahead 84-68 as they went into the final quarter. The Pistons closed the gap to a 14-point deficit at 93-79 with 6:20 left then fell further behind.

Miami/Fort Lauderdale Arbitron Ratings Holiday

    Lincoln Financial Media had a great celebration as they had the two of the top three sports talk format stations in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale region during December and the holiday season. It was the first time that their simulcast of 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM and 104.3 The Ticket WAXY-FM both appeared separately from each other.
    790 The Ticket was the top station in the area for the first time since August 2012. They went from a 0.7 in early December, which they were tied with WQAM, to a 0.8 in the holiday period. The station continued to get an push of being the flagship station of the Miami Heat and their best start in franchise history this season.
    104.3 The Ticket entered the ratings with a 0.5 and tied for second place. They had the same ratings during the November and December logs. The station has simulcasted Hochman and Zaslow morning show along with the Dan LeBatard Show with Stugotz. They have also played both shows on a tape-delayed basis for middays, overnights and on weekends. Brian "The Beast" London has filled in on the late night shift because they were still unable to simulcast Miami Heat broadcasts.
    Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM dropped down for the third consecutive ratings period and has lost half of their audience since October 2012. They went from tied for first place at a 0.7 in December to a 0.5 in the holiday season and tied for second place. As the flagship station for University of Miami football broadcasts, they have been hurt with no hype to an upcoming bowl game for the team due to their self-imposed ban for the second straight year.
    940 WINZ-AM The Sports Animal fell slightly from a 0.5 to a 0.4 in the holiday season. With the end of the Miami Dolphins season, there would be an end to several shows on that station. The Jim Rome Show on middays was gone at the end of the year to be replaced by Jay Mohr while Mike and Mike In the Morning from ESPN Radio left to be replaced by Jeff DeForrest and Steve Goldstein.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Senators Get By Panthers

    For their second straight game, the Ottawa Senators defeated the Florida Panthers 3-1 on Thursday night. The game this time was played at BB&T Center in Sunrise. The Sens have now beaten the Cats 11 of the last 12 times overall and seven of the last nine times in Florida. The Panthers have lost three straight games since they won on opening night.
    Although they were outshot in the first four minutes of the first period 6-1, Florida(1-3-0) scored on their first power play at 8:24. Right wing Tomas Kopecky won the face-off in the left circle and defenseman Brian Campbell got the puck at the top of the zone. He passed it ahead to left wing Tomas Fleischmann in the left circle and he put a wrist shot by Senators goalie Craig Anderson for a Panthers 1-0 lead.
    Ottawa(3-0-0) evened the game with their own power-play goal at 11:25. Center Zack Smith won the left circle the face-off against Jack Skille, who came in after Jerred Smithson got bounced from the draw by the officials. Defensman Marc Methot sent the puck from the left point to the right point where defenseman Chris Phillips blasted a one-time slapshot by Panthers goalie Jose Theodore. Florida was outshot 16-7 in the first period due to the eight shots Ottawa had during their combined two power plays.
    In the second period, the Senators took the lead 2-1 as Norrris Trophy winner and defenseman Erik Karlsson intercepted a Shawn Matthias pass, brought the puck in from the neutral zone and ripped in a wrist shot from the left circle for an unassisted goal at 8:28. It was his second goal this season.
    Campbell pulled down left wing Guillaume Letandresse from behind to give him a penalty shot at 10:49 of the third period. Theodore made the save when Letandresse took a backhand shot.
    The Senators finished things off when center Jason Speeza fired the puck into an open net from the Panthers blue line at 18:44 and extended their lead to 3-1. Left wing Milan Michalek and Methot both got credited with assists on that play.
    Anderson increased his record against his former team to 9-0-1 as he saved 25 of 26 shots to remain a perfect 3-0-0 this season. Theodore dropped to 1-2-0 as he made 34 saves, but he gave up two goals. Campbell, Fleischmann and Kopecky all extended their point streaks to two games. The Cats went 1-for-5 on the power play while the Sens were 1-3. The Panthers will host the Philadelphia Flyers for the only time this season on Saturday night.
   

Rachel Nichols To CNN/Turner

    ESPN sports reporter Rachel Nichols will join CNN and Turner Sports as of January 28. She will leave ESPN after being there for nine years as a sports reporter. She will first report from the Super Bowl for both organizations and will host a weekend sports show on CNN later this year.
    Nichols was known as Rachel Alexander when she worked at the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel from 1995 until 1996 as a sports writer. She then moved to the Washington Post and was a sports writer there from 1996 until 2004.

Texas Tech To Use Mike Levine

    Texas Tech University will use Mike Levine as a radio baseball play-by-play announcer when they face Florida International University on February 25-26 in Miami. Levine currently works for Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM as an evening sports anchor and executive producer for the Kevin Rogers and Brandon Guzio evening show.
    Levine, a Penn State University grad, joined WQAM as a sports reporter and sports reporter in October 2007 and added duties as a radio play-by-play announcer for the University of Miami Hurricanes baseball team in 2010. He was also a high school football play-by-play announcer on 1360 WKAT-AM in 2010. Levine became the high school football play-by-play announcer at WQAM for the 2011 and 2012 season.
    He hosted a late night baseball show called The Clubhouse at WQAM in 2011. Prior to his move to Miami, he was the sports director, sports anchor and Kalamazoo Kings baseball play-by-play announcer at ESPN 1660 WQSN-AM and WQLR-AM in Kalamazoo, Michigan from March 2005 until September 2007. His first broadcasting job was at WTAJ-AM in State College, Pennsylvania as a high school play-by-play announcer and a sports host from May 2003 until June 2004.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Heat Edge Raptors In Overtime

    The Miami Heat returned home and played their first game in five days as they got by the Toronto Raptors 123-116 in overtime at American Airlines Arena on Wednesday night. The Heat, who were coming off a six-game, 10-day trip on the road, improved to 17-3 at home this season. Miami also extended their overtime record to 4-0.
    Neither team led by more than two points in the first eight minutes of the game as there were numerous lead changes. Toronto(15-27) put up an 10-4 edge at the end of the first quarter and were ahead 28-22. The Raptors had at least a four-point margin throughout the second quarter and hit a 17-5 spurt late in the period and led 57-50 at halftime. They shot 58 percent in the first half and committed only two turnovers.
    Miami(27-12) fought back in the third quarter as they outscored Toronto 38-27 and were up 88-84 after three quarters. Both teams stayed close to each other in the fourth quarter. Chris Bosh put in one free throw with 39 seconds left to tie the game at 109-109 and send it into overtime.
    The Raptors scored four of the first five points in the extra frame to lead 114-110 at 3:57. The Heat then hit 11 consecutive points to go up 121-114 with 38.2 seconds remaining in overtime. It was the Heat's ninth straight victory against Toronto overall and seventh straight win against them in Miami.   
    LeBron James nailed his second triple-double this season and 34th in his career with 31 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in 45 minutes for the Heat. Dwyane Wade added 35 points with seven assists in 40 minutes and Mario Chalmers dropped in 14 points. Bosh contributed a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds in 41 minutes. Miami reserve Ray Allen pumped in 18 points in 29 minutes.
    Amir Johnson led Toronto with 15 points with six rebounds in 32 minutes while Ed Davis scored 13 points in 24 minutes. Jose Calderon piled up 17 points in 31 minutes and DeMar DeRozan had 12 points with seven assists in 32 minutes. Alan Anderson came off the bench and led the Raptors in scoring with 20 points in 36 minutes.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Canadiens Bash Panthers

    Center Jonathan Huberdeau returned to his hometown of Montreal in his third career NHL game on Tuesday night as the Canadiens crushed the Florida Panthers 4-1 at Bell Centre. The Panthers swept the Canadiens last season for the first time in franchise history. It was the only visit by Florida to Montreal in this short 48-game season.
    Montreal(1-1-0) struck early and took the lead at 3:26 of the first period. Center Tomas Plekanec sent a pass to right wing Brian Gionta who streaked into the Panther zone on the right side. He returned the puck to Plekanec in the slot area where he snapped a shot by Florida goalie Scott Clemmensen for a 1-0 lead. The Cats slow start showed as the Habs outshot them 7-1 in the first nine minutes of the game.
    The Canadiens capitalized on a 5-on-3 power play with a goal from defenseman Andrei Markov. He received the puck from left wing Max Pacioretty who was in the right corner and fired a slapshot from the high slot around Clemmensen's blocker at 13:24.
    Florida(1-2-0) cut the lead down to 2-1 at 4:33 of the second period on a power-play goal. Defenseman Brian Campbell advanced a pass from the top of the zone to left wing Tomas Fleischmann at the left circle dot. He then passed off to right wing Tomas Kopecky at the right circle dot and he ripped a one-time slapshot by Montral goalie Carey Price for his first goal this season.
    The Habs responded with their on power-play goal as Markov scored for the second time of the game at 8:31. Markov pounded a one-time slapshot from the top of the zone off a feed from the left side by defensemen Raphael Diaz.
    The Panthers gave up another goal at 14:25 and were down 4-1. In his second NHL game, Montreal center Alex Galchenyuk scored his first NHL goal on a tip-in from the crease area on a shot by right wing Brandon Prust. Neither team scored in the third period.
    Panthers center Drew Shore played in his first NHL game tonight after he spent the lockout at San Antonio, which is the AHL affiliate of Florida. Clemmensen made 29 saves on 33 shots in his first game this season and his counterpart Price stopped 27 of 28 shots. The Cats went 1-for-8 on the power play while the Habs were 2-for-6 with the man advantage. The Panthers return home on Thursday night and take on the Ottawa Senators at BB&T Center.

John O'Connell At WHFS

    Former West Palm Beach radio mainstay John O'Connell became program director at Sports Radio 98.7 The Fan WHFS-FM and CBS Sports Radio 1010 WHFS-AM in Tampa as of Tuesday. He was the operations manager of Palm Beach Broadcasting in West Palm Beach until his position was eliminated in September 2012.
    O'Connell had been involved in the West Palm Beach radio market since 1995 when he joined Infinity Broadcasting as an operations manager. The company was renamed CBS Radio in December 2005 where he worked as the operations manager of the entire cluster. O'Connell would become the program director for WCTQ-FM, WIRK-FM, WEAT-FM and WPBZ-FM. He later added on-air duties as the late morning host at WPBZ-FM. CBS Radio sold their West Palm Beach cluster of radio stations to Palm Beach Broadcasting in April 2012. O'Connell was a program director in Boston with stops at WEEI-AM, WBMX-FM and WXKS-FM before he moved to Florida.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Senators Blank Panthers

    Right wing Alex Kovalev and defenseman Filip Kuba made their returns to Ottawa for the first time in opposing uniforms as the Florida Panthers lost to the Senators 4-0 on Monday night at Scotiabank Place. The Cats tried to win their first two games of the regular season for the first time since 2005-06. Former Panther and current Senators goalie Craig Anderson improved his career record against Florida to 8-0-1 as he shut out the Panthers with 31 saves.
    Ottawa(2-0-0) opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 10:42 of the first period. Center Kyle Turris smacked a one-time slapshot from the low left circle off a cross-ice pass off a feed by defenseman Patrick Wiercioch from the right point. Senators longtime captain and right wing Daniel Alfredsson also got an assist on that play.
    Turris picked up his second goal of the game in the second period at 12:07. He sent a left-outlet pass to left wing Guillaume Latendresse as they crossed the Panthers blue line and he returned the puck back to Turris who redirected a shot from the crease area.
    The Senators scored two goals late in the third period. They extended their lead to 3-0 on an unassisted goal by center Jim O'Brien with a snap shot from the left circle at 17:35. Right wing Erik Condra bumped defenseman Dmitry Kulikov off the puck for the turnover to initiate the play.
    Ottawa left wing Jakob Silfverberg scored first NHL goal in his second game of his NHL career just over one minute later. He blasted a one-time slapshot in the slot area on a pass from center Jason Spezza in the right corner at 18:56.
    Florida(1-1-0) was outshot 18-4 in the first period, but outshot Ottawa 27-19 in the final two periods. The Panthers were 0-for-3 on the power play while the Senators went 1-for-4. The Cats will have no time to rest as they visit Montreal for their only time this season on Tuesday night and face the Canadiens.

Ron Fraser Dead

    Longtime University of Miami Hurricanes baseball coach Ron Fraser passed away on Sunday at the age of 82. Fraser, known as the wizard of college baseball, led the Hurricanes to two national titles in 1982 and 1985. By the time he left his post after the 1992 season, he had accumulated 1,271 wins in his 30 years with the school.
    The University of Miami appeared in 12 College World Series in Omaha from 1973 until 1992. Jim Morris replaced Fraser as the new Hurricanes coach prior to the 1994 season when he left Georgia Tech. Both Fraser and Morris have combined and managed the team to postseason appearances for 39 consecutive years, which stands as an NCAA record.

WQAM Suspends Dan Sileo

    Dan Sileo has been suspended by Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM for twitter remarks about Erin Andrews of Fox Sports he made last week. He will not be on the air for two days as Curtis Stevenson will fill in as midday host. Sileo lost his job as Miami Hurricanes football postgame studio analyst after one season two weeks ago.
    He replaced Sid Rosenberg as the afternoon host on WQAM in April 2012. He was moved to the midday shift at that station in early September 2012 as Jorge Sedano took over the afternoon spot.
    Sileo was the morning host on 620 The Sports Animal WDAE-AM in Tampa Bay until early March 2012. He was fired for making racial comments about several football players. His show was also syndicated to Orlando and Jacksonville.
    He played for the University of Miami Hurricanes football team during the mid-1980's as a defensive lineman. Sileo had a stint as a sports host on Fox Sports Radio. He would host a late morning shift at WFXJ-AM in Jacksonville. He was a sports commentator on WJRR-FM in Orlando. Sileo hosted a morning show on several Clear Channel Orlando stations that included WQTM-AM, WFLF-AM and WYGM-AM.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Dave Hyde And Toast On WMEN

    640 Sports WMEN-AM has added Dave Hyde and Toast as weekend hosts. Hyde has worked at the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and its predecessor the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel since 1990 as a sports columnist. He was employed at the Miami Herald prior to that. Hyde has made numerous appearances for guest segments on most local sports radio stations. In addition, his book Still Perfect: The Untold Story Of The 1972 Miami Dolphins was published in 2012.
    Toast was a weekend co-host with Jon Weiner, a.k.a. Stugotz, at 940 Fox Sports Radio WRFX-AM in 2003 and early 2004. He was also a morning show producer on the Kenny and Footy Show for Y-100 WHYI-FM during the early 2000's. Toast left there and became an early morning co-host with the late Steve Brancik in 2005 at 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM.
    He reunited with Kenny Walker at Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM in 2006 and 2007 where he worked as a morning show producer and morning sports anchor on the Kenny and Bo(Kim Bokamper) Show. Toast then went to Big 105.9 WBGG-FM as a midday disc jockey and a morning producer for the Paul and Young Ron Show. He was a fill-in host at 940 The Sports Animal WINZ-AM for several months in early 2010.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Panthers Blitz Hurricanes

    The Florida Panthers raised their first Southeast Division championship banner prior to the home opener as they charged through the Carolina Hurricanes 5-1 on Saturday night at BB&T Center in Sunrise. The number 93 for Bill Torrey and the 1996 Eastern Conference championship, whose color background was changed from navy blue to red after 16 years, are the other two club banners in the rafters.
    The Panthers shocked everyone as they came up with a four-goal outburst with three power-play goals in the first period. It didn't take long for rookie left wing Jonathan Huberdeau to get noticed as he played in his first NHL game. After recently signed veteran right wing Alex Kovalev pushed the puck behind the Carolina cage, center Peter Mueller sent a pass from behind the net to Huberdeau in the low crease. He hit a one-time shot past Carolina goalie Cam Ward for his first NHL goal at 3:37.
    The Cats converted on their first power play this season at 6:42. Defenseman Brian Campbell stopped a clearing pass at the top of offensive zone, skated with the puck to the top left circle and fired a slapshot into the top right corner of the net by Ward's glove for a 2-0 lead.
    Florida were given a 5-on-3 advantage for 39 seconds later in the first period. They capitalized on it as Campbell scored his second goal of the game with another slapshot from the top left circle at 16:47. Center Stephen Weiss sent a pass to the left point where Campbell played catch on the blue line with Kovalev to set up the goal.
    The power play continued for the Panthers as a 5-on-4 situation. They scored 40 seconds later at 17:27 and extended their lead to 4-0. Left wing Scottie Upshall blasted a one-time slapshot from the low right circle as he got a cross-ice feed from Huberdeau. Left wing Tomas Fleischmann also picked up an assist on the play.
    Kovalev, who played in his first NHL game in two seasons, scored his first goal of the season at 3:35 of the second period for a Panthers 5-0 lead. Huberdeau got his third point of the game and defenseman Filip Kuba, who began his second stint with the Cats, chalked up assist.
    Carolina bottled the Panthers in their end of the ice for a good portion of the second period. The Hurricanes got their lone goal of the game at 9:15 as right wing Patrick Dwyer cut the gap down to 5-1. Defensemen Joni Pitkanen and Justin Faulk were credited with assists.
    Neither team scored in the third period, although the Panthers were outshot 30-13 in the final two periods. Florida goalie Jose Theodore made 41 saves on 42 Carolina shots in his season debut. The Cats were a perfect 6-for-6 on the penalty kill and 3-for-6 on the power play. 
    Several Panthers had multi-point games in the home opener. Brian Campbell scored two goals for only the second time of his NHL career. He previously did it with the Buffalo Sabres on November 17, 2005. Jonathan Huberdeau had a three-point performance with one goal and two assists in his NHL debut. Veteran Alex Kovalev nailed down a three-point game with one goal and two assists. The Cats will try to win back-to-back games to begin a campaign for the first time since the 2005-06 season at Ottawa on Monday.
   
   

Friday, January 18, 2013

Ed Jovanovski New Panthers Captain

    Florida Panthers head coach Kevin Dineen has named defenseman Ed Jovanovski as the new captain of the team for the upcoming 2012-13 season. The Panthers have not had a captain since Bryan McCabe during the 2010-11 season. Center Stephen Weiss and defenseman Brian Campbell will be alternate captains for the club this season. Weiss, Campbell, Jovanovski and forward Tomas Kopecky were alternate captains for the Cats in 2011-12.
    Jovanovski becomes the seventh captain in franchise history for the Florida Panthers. Previous Florida Panther captains include Brian Skrudland, Scott Mellanby, Paul Laus, Pavel Bure, Olli Jokinen and McCabe. Jovanovski began his second stint with Panthers when he signed as a free agent prior to the 2011-12 season.
    He was the first overall pick at the 1994 NHL draft by the Florida Panthers. He debuted with the team in 1995-96 and was usually paired on defense with Gord Murphy. The Florida Panthers made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history that season. The Panthers were the Eastern Conference champions with series victories over the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins. They lost in the Stanley Cup Finals to the Colorado Avalanche in four games.
    Jovanovski was involved in a seven-player trade in January 1999 as he went to the Vancouver Canucks for Pavel Bure and would stay there through the 2005-06 season. He signed as a free agent and played for the Phoenix Coyotes from 2006-07 until 2010-11.   

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Heat Get By Lakers

    The Miami Heat finished their six-game road trip with a 99-90 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on Thursday night. The Heat were 3-3 on the road in the last ten days. Teams led by LeBron James now have a 12-6 all-time regular season record against squads led by Kobe Bryant.
    Miami(26-12) showed off to the L.A. crowd as they powered through with an 8-2 edge on four dunks in the first four minutes of the game. Los Angeles(17-22) took a brief lead on a 11-4 spurt to make it 13-12 at 4:23, but the Heat led 26-22 after one quarter. LeBron James had 12 points and Dwyane Wade dropped 10 points in the opening quarter for Miami. The Lakers retook the lead late in the second quarter and were ahead 45-44 at halftime.
    The Heat concluded the third quarter with a 9-2 rally and led 73-65 after three quarters. Miami was up by nine points 78-69 with 9:49 left the fourth quarter, but L.A. bounced back on a 14-3 run to regain the lead 83-81 at 6:33. Neither team were ahead by more than five points until the final minute. The score was tied at 90-90 with 2:32 remaining, then Miami scored nine straight points and held the Lakers scoreless down the stretch to cap the contest 99-90.
    James carried the Heat with 39 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in 42 minutes of play while Wade, who celebrated his 31st birthday, had 27 points and five assists in 38 minutes. Chris Bosh contributed seven points, six rebounds and six steals in 35 minutes. Ray Allen hit nine points in 31 minutes.
    Bryant, who had just four points at halftime, knocked down 22 points in 43 minutes for Los Angeles. Dwight Howard played Miami for the first time not in an Orlando Magic uniform as he picked up a double-double with 13 points and 16 rebounds in 38 minutes. Metta World Peace added in 16 points in 37 minutes and Lakers reserve Pau Gasol sank 12 points in 25 minutes.

No Panthers For Craig Minervini

    Fox Sports Florida sportscaster Craig Minervini will not be a part of Florida Panthers hockey broadcasts for the 2012-13 season. He has been a studio host for Panthers games since September 2003. Allison Williams and Frank Forte will share duties as studio host and rinkside reporter for all 48 Panthers home games in Sunrise.
    Minervini was the main studio host for Florida Panthers home games from 2003-04 until 2010-11. He made less than ten appearances last season on Panthers home telecasts during their Southeast Division championship run. Minervini will continue to be the main studio host for Miami Marlins games on Fox Sports Florida for the 2013 season.
    Prior to joining Fox Sports Florida and its predecessor Fox Sports Net Florida, he was a sports anchor at WTVJ-TV Channel 6 in Miami. Minervini, a Syracuse University grad, worked as a sports anchor at WPBF-TV Channel 25 in West Palm Beach when he arrived in Florida. He was known as Craig DeGeorge in the World Wrestling Federation as a sideline reporter in the late 1980's.
   

Josh Samuels Leaves WPEC-TV

    West Palm Beach sportscaster Josh Samuels will leave WPEC-TV Channel 12 by the end of January. Samuels has been a weekend sports anchor and a weekday sports reporter. He joined the organization in September 2008 when he replaced Nick Foley.
    Samuels was expected to be elevated to the top sportscaster spot and sports director position during the summer of 2012 when Pat Murphy was to retire. Murphy changed his mind and is still working at WPEC as of today.
    Prior to his move to West Palm Beach, Samuels worked five years as a sports director at WICD-TV in Champaign, Illinois. His first job in broadcasting was as a sports director at KREX-TV in Grand Junction, Colorado for three years.
   

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

LeBron James Gets 20,000th Point

    LeBron James became the youngest player to reach 20,000 points in NBA history as the Miami Heat crushed the Golden State Warriors 92-75 on Wednesday night at Oracle Arena in Oakland. He needed 18 points for the 20,000 mark at his age of 28 years and 17 days. He passed Kobe Bryant who was 29 years and 122 days old when he got to that milestone.
    Along with being the 38th person in NBA history to score 20,000 points, James needed two more assists to reach 5,000 in his career. He accomplished it at 6:41 of the first quarter on a lob pass for a Dwyane Wade dunk. He became the second fastest behind Oscar Robertson to have 20,000 points, 5,000 assists and 5,000 rebounds in an NBA career.
    Golden State(23-14) hustled out to a 8-4 lead three minutes in, but Miami(25-12) blasted back with a 19-4 run to led 23-12 at 2:46. The Heat were up by 28-21 after one quarter as James had 13 points while Wade had 9 points. James hit a jump shot near the foul line to pass the 20,000 point mark at 2:45 of the second quarter. The Warriors were down 52-38 at halftime.
    Miami extended the gap to 27 points as they scored the first 13 points of the second half and led 65-38 at 8:33 of the third quarter. The difference was 34 points as the Heat were up 78-44 with 3:05 remaining. Golden State was outscored 28-12 in the period and were behind 80-50 after three quarters. The Heat, now 2-3 on the current six-game road trip, rested their starting lineup for the final quarter. The Warriors cut the lead down with a 25-12 edge in the fourth quarter.
    James got his 19th double-double this season as he finished with 25 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in 31 minutes for the Heat. Wade got 15 points, eight rebounds, six assists and five steals in 30 minutes of play. Mario Chalmers dropped in 15 points in 27 minutes and Chris Bosh added 11 points and six rebounds in 26 minutes.
    Jarrett Jack sank 16 points in 32 minutes while David Lee contributed a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in 32 minutes for Golden State. Carl Landry also had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds in 23 minutes.

The Beast On The Ticket

    Brian London, a.k.a. The Beast, is working as a late night host and weekend host for 104.3 The Ticket WAXY-AM and 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM. He was originally used as a fill-in host during the fall of 2012 on 104.3 The Ticket while 790 The Ticket piped in ESPN Radio from 10 p.m. until midnight.
    London, a Univerisity of Miami grad, worked at the college radio station WVUM-FM and then joined Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM as an intern in 1997. He added duties as a sports producer, weekday sports anchor and weekend sports host during his reign at WQAM that ended in 2009. London also was part of the University of Miami Hurricanes Radio Network as a football sideline reporter, basketball studio host and baseball play-by-play announcer.
    He joined SoFloRadio.com as an afternoon talk host in September 2009. He had an evening talk show on All Digital Radio in 2010. London has been with All Canes.com since August 2010 as a weekly sports host of All Canes Radio. He also started in 2011 with CBS Sports.com as a Miami Hurricanes reporter.

Marc Trestman Named Chicago Bears Coach

    The Chicago Bears have hired Marc Trestman as their new head coach on Wednesday. He will replace Lovie Smith, who led the team to an NFC title in 2006 and an appearance in Super Bowl 41. Trestman, a University of Miami grad, has bounced around with numerous coaching positions in the last 30 years.
    He was recently the head coach for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League for five seasons from 2008 until 2012. Trestman led the team to two Grey Cup CFL championships in 2009 and 2010. He won four East Division titles and was the only head coach ever to lead Montreal to consecutive CFL titles. He was named the CFL coach of the year in 2009 and left the team with a 59-31 record.
    Trestman began his football coaching career as a volunteer coach under head coach Howard Schnellenberger at the University of Miami in 1981. He was promoted to quarterbacks coach in 1983 where he developed Bernie Kosar and Vinnie Testaverde. The Hurricanes won the national championship in 1983 as they defeated the University of Nebraska at the Orange Bowl. He left The U after the 1984 season and entered the NFL.
    He joined the Minnesota Vikings as a running backs coach from 1985 to 1986 and then joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a quarterbacks coach in 1987. He went to the Cleveland Browns and reunited with Bernie Kosar for two seasons. Trestman was the quarterbacks coach in 1988 and offensive coordinator in 1989 where they made the playoffs both times. He went back to Minnesota from 1990 until 1991 as their quarterbacks coach.
    Trestman returned to coaching as the San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach in 1995 and 1996. He made a one-year stop in 1997 with the Detroit Lions as the quarterbacks coach. He joined the Arizona Cardinals as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 1998 until 2000.
    The Oakland Raiders hired him as a quarterbacks coach in 2001 and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2002. The Raiders lost Super Bowl 37 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He left after the 2003 season and become a part of the Miami Dolphins coaching staff for 2004. He returned to college football as the offensive coordinator for North Carolina State in 2005 and 2006.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Jazz Breeze Through Heat

    The Miami Heat did not foresee an assault from the Utah Jazz as they lost 104-97 at Energy Solutions Arena on Monday night. The Heat dropped to 8-9 away this season and now are 1-3 on the current six-game road trip.
    Miami(24-12) began the game on a 16-8 edge six minutes into the first quarter. Utah finished the period on a 22-9 spurt to lead 30-25 after one quarter. The Jazz continued to roll as they scored 15 of the first 19 points of the second quarter to go up 45-29 at 7:18. The Heat were still behind at halftime 59-44.
    Utah(21-19) extended their margin to 20 points at 75-55 with 4:41 left in the third quarter and led 84-65 after three quarters. Miami closed the gap on a 16-4 run at the start of the fourth quarter and were just two points behind at 93-91 with 3:31 remaining. The Jazz scored the next five points on a 9-2 charge to put the game away.    
    LeBron James, who scored 11 points in the first quarter for the Heat, had 32 points and six assists in 44 minutes. Dwyane Wade sat out the entire fourth quarter, but added 11 points in 29 minutes. Chris Bosh knocked in 16 points in 27 minutes while Mario Chalmers pumped in 12 points and seven assists in 37 minutes.
    The Jazz were led by Al Jefferson who had a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds in 38 minutes. Paul Millsap contributed 17 points and nine rebounds in 33 minutes. Several Utah reserves had double-digit scoring as Gordon Hayward got 22 points in 27 minutes and DeMarre Carroll dropped in 12 points.
   

Bo Mattingly Wins NSSA Award

    Former West Palm Beach sportscaster Bo Mattingly has been named the 2012 winner of the Arkansas sportscaster of the year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. It is the first time that he has received that honor.
    His sports show was moved in November 2012 from KABZ-FM to afternoon drive at KKSP-FM in Little Rock. His program is syndicated statewide to four other radio stations. Mattingly was with News Radio 1290 WJNO-AM as their sports director and morning sports anchor during the early 2000's.
    Mattingly moved to Arkansas and became a sports anchor at KNWA-TV. He added duties at KFAY-AM in Fayetteville as an afternoon sports host. Mattingly would later shift to an early afternoon sports show on KABZ-FM in May 2008.

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Florida Panthers Schedule

    The Florida Panthers have released their schedule for the upcoming 2012-13 season. They will only play teams in the Eastern Conference for a total of 48 regular season games. The Panthers will raise their first Southeast Division Championship banner to the rafters next Saturday on January 19 as they host the Carolina Hurricanes at the BB&T Center.
    Looking at the divisional matchups, the Cats will meet the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes four times with two games at home and two games away. They will face their cross-state rivals the Tampa Bay Lightning with two games home and three games on the road. The Winnipeg Jets will make three appearances in Sunrise and will host the Panthers twice.
    The Panthers will play the other ten teams in the Eastern Conference three times each. They will play all five Northeast Division teams two times at home and one time away. That will include the Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators. They will play all five Atlantic Division teams one time at home and two times away. That will include the New York Rangers, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Heat Dethorne Kings

    In what could be the final time that the Miami Heat play in Sacramento, they blew out the Kings 128-99 on Saturday night at the Sleep Train Arena. The Heat have won 16 of the last 17 games against the Kings and the last six meetings in double-digit victories. Mario Chalmers tied a franchise record with 10 three-pointers in a game that he now shares with Brian Shaw. 
    Chalmers broke out for the Heat in this game with a career-high 34 points in 30 minutes while LeBron James added 20 points and seven assists in 29 minutes. Chris Bosh contributed 16 points in 28 minutes and Dwyane Wade knocked down 11 points with seven assists in 25 minutes.
    Isaiah Thomas led the Kings with a team-high 34 points and five assists in 33 minutes. Thomas Robinson got a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in 24 minutes. DeMarcus Cousins and James Johnson both had 11 points each.
    Miami(24-11), who had a season-high 128 points tonight, led the game from wire-to-wire and were never challenged for the lead. They jumped out to a 14-2 margin just four minutes into the game. The Heat were up 28-17 after one quarter and expanded the lead to 66-44 by halftime.
    Sacramento(13-24) were down by more than double digits for the remainder of the game as they trailed 103-72 after three quarters. The Heat pulled their starters from the contest early in the fourth where they were outscored 27-25 in the final quarter.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Blazers Streak By Heat

    LeBron James failed to score at least 20 points for the first time in 34 games this season as the Miami Heat were defeated by the Portland Trail Blazers 92-90 on Thursday night at Rose Garden. The Heat dropped their record to 7-8 on the road this season and they have lost the first two games of a six-game road trip. In addition, they've lost five of their last eight games overall.
    Neither team had more than a four-point lead throughout most of the first quarter. Miami(23-11) knocked down 10 straight points to lead 18-12 at 3:26 and were up 21-18 after one quarter. Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and James scored the first 23 points for the Heat in the first half. After giving up a Portland(20-15) three-pointer to begin the second quarter, the Heat pounded through with a 18-6 run to go up 39-27 at 5:22. Miami finished the first half on an 8-1 edge to lead 52-39 at halftime.
    The Trail Blazers pulled off a 14-7 spurt at the end of the third quarter and were behind 68-63 after the period. Miami opened the fourth quarter on a 9-3 edge and moved the margin up to double digits. Portland tied the game 82-82 at 4:03 with 10 straight points to complete a 14-2 run. Wesley Matthews stroked in the go-ahead three-point shot from the right side with 26 seconds left for a Blazers 91-90 lead.
    Wade nailed 18 points in 35 minutes for the Heat. James got his 18th double-double this season with 15 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in 43 minutes while Bosh had 29 points in 39 minutes. Ray Allen came off the bench with 15 points in 29 minutes.
    Nicolas Batum led the Blazers with 28 points and seven rebounds in 42 minutes of play. Damian Lillard contributed 10 points and eight assists in 41 minutes while LaMarcus Aldridge added a double-double with 20 points and 15 rebounds in 42 minutes. Matthews, whose father Wes Matthews once played in the NBA, poured in 18 points.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Jets Fire Tony Sparano

    The New York Jets have let go offensive coordinator Tony Sparano after just one season with the team. The Jets finished with a 6-10 record in 2012 and out of the NFL playoffs for the second straight season. The team had a dilemma throughout the entire season about the starting quarterback position between Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow.
    Sparano was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2008 until 2011. He had a record of 29-31 in four seasons with the team. Sparano shocked everyone in his first season as he turned around the Fins from 1-15 in 2007 to 11-5 and an AFC Eastern Division title. The 10-win difference was the biggest increase by a team in NFL history. With the exception of 2008, the Dolphins have not made the NFL playoffs since 2001.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Pacers Avenge Heat

    The Miami Heat began a six-game road string on Tuesday night and had their lowest scoring game this season with a 87-77 loss to the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Field House. Miami beat Indiana in the Eastern Conference Semifinals last season. The Heat moved to 7-7 on the road as they play four of their next five games in the Pacific Time Zone.
    Dwyane Wade knocked down seven of the first 11 points for Miami(23-10) as they were up 11-10 six minutes in. Both teams stayed very close to each other as neither squad had more than a three-point margin in the first quarter. The Pacers were ahead 20-19 after one quarter.
    Indiana(21-14) scored the first six points of the second quarter, ripped off an 11-3 run and led 31-22 with 7:13 remaining. The Heat outscored the Pacers 14-4 in the final four minutes of the first half thanks to 11 unanswered points and were tied 42-42 at halftime. Wade had 23 points in 18 minutes during the first half of play.
    The Heat began the second half on a 9-2 edge while the Pacers returned the favor with an 23-6 spurt as Indiana led 67-57 after three quarters. The Pacers scored 10 of the first 13 points of the fourth quarter and extended their lead to 77-60 with 8:08 left. Miami did not take the lead in the final quarter as they cut the deficit down to seven points.
    Wade led the charge for the Heat with 30 points and five rebounds in 36 minutes. LeBron James added 22 points and 10 rebounds in 43 minutes of play. It was his 33rd straight game this season with at least 20 points. Chris Bosh banged in 14 points with five rebounds in 36 minutes. The Big Three had 66 of Miami's 77 points in the game.
    The Pacers were led by Paul George with his 10th career double-double of 29 points and 11 rebounds in 44 minutes. David West also contributed a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds in 34 minutes. Roy Hibbert had six points and 14 rebounds in 29 minutes of play while Lance Stephenson knocked in 13 points.

Alabama Destroys Notre Dame

    The BCS National Championship Game was played on Monday night at Sun Life Stadium as the University of Alabama Crimson Tide dismantled the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish 42-14. The Crimson Tide picked up their second consecutive national title, their third in the last four seasons and their 15th overall national championship. They became the first school to win three titles in four years since Nebraska from 1994 until 1997.
    The word dynasty was being thrown around after the game as Alabama head coach Nick Saban was rewarded with his fourth title of his college career. He had led LSU to a championship back in 2003 along with the Crimson Tide in 2009, 2011 and 2012. Saban was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins for two seasons in 2005 and 2006.

Johanna Gomez Goes To Radio

    Miami Heat reporter Johanna Gomez has left her position as a news reporter at WPLG-TV Channel 10 and joined DJ 106.7 WRMA-FM as a morning sidekick for the DJ Laz Show. She joined WPLG-TV in 2007 after working as a news reporter at LXTV. She had also hosted television studio shows for MUN2, Fuzion and American Latino TV.
    Gomez will continue as a locker room reporter for Sun Sports on Miami Heat home games at American Airlines Arena. She started at that network during the 2010-11 season. She was a dancer for the Miami Heat and once worked as a cheerleader for the Miami Dolphins. Gomez, an FIU grad, previously was a game operations stadium host for the Florida Marlins.

Monday, January 7, 2013

Rick Sanchez Joins WIOD

    Longtime Miami television news anchor Rick Sanchez began his tenure as the new afternoon talk host at News Radio 610 WIOD-AM on Monday. Sanchez was a radio game analyst for Florida International University Panthers football during the 2011 season. He was heavily critiqued by the local media for his one year in that position based on his lack of football knowledge.
    Sanchez gained recognition locally as a weekday news anchor at WSVN-TV Channel 7 for over a decade. He showed up on the national stage at MSNBC to become a news anchor. Sanchez returned to Miami and worked at WTVJ-TV Channel 6 first as an afternoon talk show host then as a news anchor. He joined CNN as a weekend daytime news anchor and later was promoted to mid-afternoon weekday host at that network.
     

Jacoby Brissett Leaves Florida

    University of Florida quarterback Jacoby Brissett will transfer from the school after two seasons with the team. He will have to sit out one season and be eligible to play a regular season game for any FBS school as of August 2014. Florida head coach Will Muschamp will need to approve Brissett's future college destination.
    Brissett was a true sophomore with the Gators and was beaten this season for the first-string quarterback spot by Jeff Driskel. He played 13 games with the team and was the starting quarterback for four games in his college career. He took the opening snap in the first game of the 2012 season and filled in for Driskel as the starter for one game because he had a sprained ankle.
    He joins former William T. Dwyer high school teammates wide receiver Robert Clark and tight end Gerald Christian who left the Gators in October 2011. Both played for the University of Louisville this past season and finished up several days ago with a victory at the Sugar Bowl. All of them along with Florida State tight end Nick O'Leary helped Dwyer win the 2009 FHSAA Class 4A state championship under coach Jack Daniels.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Heat Rip Wizards

    Although there was an 18-game difference between both teams in the Southeast Division prior to this game, the Miami Heat took care of business as they routed the Washington Wizards 99-71 at American Airlines Arena on Sunday night. The Heat, now 16-3 at home this season, will play their next six games on the road and return home on January 23 against Toronto.
    Miami(23-9) collected 13 of the first 16 points after four minutes into the game as they went a perfect six-for-six shooting from the field. The Heat were ahead 27-19 after one quarter. They held more than a four-point lead throughout the second quarter and led 52-44 at halftime.
    Washington(4-28), who extended their losing streak to five games, were unable to cut the margin as they fell behind 69-60 after third quarters. The Wizards got seven straight points during the fourth quarter and were behind by seven points at 78-71 with 7:07 left. They would not score again for the rest of game as Miami scored 21 consecutive points in the final seven minutes.
    Chris Bosh, who rocked the rim for Miami with 11 points in the first quarter, had 17 points and nine rebounds in 32 minutes. LeBron James knocked down 24 points and seven assists in 35 minutes while Dwyane Wade scored 14 points with seven rebounds in 29 minutes. Mike Miller came from off the bench with 13 points in 22 minutes and Ray Allen poured in 20 points.
    Wizards reserve Kevin Seraphin drove through with 14 points in 31 minutes and Martell Webster added 10 points in 25 minutes. Non-starter Cartier Martin sank 13 points in 26 minutes while Emeka Okafor pulled down nine rebounds in 19 minutes of play.

NHL Lockout Over

    The NHL lockout between the owners and players is at an end as both sides have agreed to a tentative agreement on Sunday. After the NHL Players Association and NHL owners approve the deal, training camp will began next week. The NHL regular season will consist of between 48 to 50 games for each team and is expected to start before January 20.
    The Florida Panthers are the defending Southeast Division champions and will defend the title in the upcoming season. The team will raise a banner to the rafters of the BB&T Center prior to their first home game of the NHL season. The Panthers will face clubs only in the Eastern Conference this coming season.
    The National Hockey League played a 48-game schedule in 1994-95 after a lockout as teams played games in their own conference during the regular season. It is likely that a similar arrangement will happen this season. The NHL did not play and lost a season in 2004-05 due to a lockout.

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Heat Games To WAXY-FM

    104.3 The Ticket WAXY-FM finally were able to broadcast Miami Heat games as of this week. The station was prohibited to air Miami Heat broadcasts because ESPN Radio 760 WEFL-AM had the exclusive rights as the Palm Beach County radio station to transmit the Miami Heat Radio Network.
    Lincoln Financial Media bought the station from Palm Beach Broadcasting in late August 2012 and began simulcasting 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM as on August 29. The transmitter signal was south of Wellington in Palm Beach County and has been moved to Miami Gardens in the Miami market. A similar circumstance happened from August to October when 104.3 The Ticket was not allowed to broadcast games of the Miami Marlins Radio Network in Palm Beach County because ESPN Radio 760 had the exclusive rights.

Bulls Nail Heat

    The Chicago Bulls came into town on Friday night and disposed the Miami Heat 96-89 at American Airlines Arena. The Heat have now lost three of their last five games and dropped to 15-3 at home.
    An ailing LeBron James had 30 points and six rebounds in 41 minutes for the Heat while Dwyane Wade added 22 points in 33 minutes. Chris Bosh contributed 14 points. five rebounds and five assists in 38 minutes of play.
    Carlos Boozer pulled off a double-double for the Bulls with 27 points and 12 rebounds in 42 minutes. Joakim Noah also had a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds in 37 minutes while Kirk Hinrich had 10 points and eight assists in 29 minutes.
    Chicago(18-13) hit the last 10 points of the first quarter and led 26-22. The Heat had a seven-point lead midway through the second quarter, but the Bulls took a one-point lead into halftime at 49=48.
    Miami(22-9) did not hold the lead once in the second half as the Bulls extended their lead to 75-66 after three quarters. The Heat cut the margin down to three points at 75-72 with 9:26 left in the fourth quarter, but Chicago coasted to victory as they moved the deficit up to double digits three minutes later.

Thursday, January 3, 2013

WQAM Adds CBS Sports Radio

    Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM has picked up the CBS Sports Radio Network as of January 2. The station had used Yahoo! Sports Radio as their nationally syndicated programming since August 2011 and its previous incarnation Sporting News Radio prior to that. WQAM will not change their weekday lineup from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. The station will implement programs of CBS Sports Radio on the late night, overnight and weekend shifts.
    Two former WQAM sports hosts will reappear on the station five days a week. Scott Ferrall will work late nights while Damon Amendolara, a.k.a. D.A., will take the overnight shift. Ferrall hosted an evening show at Sirius XM Radio on the Howard Stern Channel from 2006 until December 2012. Prior to that, Ferrall was the mid-morning host on WQAM for less than a year. He was sandwiched between the Howard David Show and the Neil Rogers Show.
     WQAM had twice picked up his show while he was nationally syndicated. He hosted the late night show Ferrall On The Bench on Westwood One from 1995 until 1999. Ferrall was fired after he agreed to become the radio play-by-play announcer of the Atlanta Thrashers in the NHL. He was let go following a one-year tenure with the team. He joined Sportsfan Radio Network in 2000 as a late night host and worked there until he did the network's final show on April 23, 2001.
    Amendolara, a 2001 Syracuse University grad, worked as the evening host at 98.5 The Sports Hub WBZ-FM in Boston when they changed to a sports talk format in August 2009 until December 2012
He 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.
    Former Florida Panthers radio voice and WQAM sports host Chris Moore was also added to the CBS Sports Radio Network as an evening host, but will not be heard locally in South Florida. Moore announced Florida Panthers games from October 1993 until April 1999 and co-hosted a midday show with current ESPN play-by-play announcer Jon "Boog" Sciambi on WQAM in 1997.    

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Heat Beat Mavs Again

    For the second time in two weeks, the Miami Heat faced their old Western Conference nemesis the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won the game in overtime 119-109 over the team they faced at the NBA Finals in 2006 and 2011. Miami dominated on the road against the Mavs 110-95 back on December 20 and at one point had a 36-point lead in that game.
    Even though they began down 5-4, Dallas(13-20) was up 18-7 five minutes into the game. The Mavericks hit ten straight points late in the period and led 30-22 after one quarter. The Heat cut a double-digit deficit as they went on a 16-8 run at the end of the second quarter and were down 52-50 at halftime.
    Miami(22-8) blasted out with a 10-2 spurt at the start of the second half and took their first lead since two minutes into the game. They were ahead 60-54 at 8:52 of the third quarter and up 81-79 after the period. During the final minute of the fourth quarter, Shane Battier hit a go-ahead three-point shot from the right corner with 14.5 seconds left for a Miami 103-101 lead. Dirk Nowitzki put up a fade-away shot from the foul line with 3.9 seconds to go and moved the game into overtime.
    The Heat scored the first seven points of overtime and led 110-103 at 3:21. Miami outscored Dallas 16-6 in the extra session for a double-digit victory 119-109.
    LeBron James reached the 20-point mark for the 30th time in 30 games. It was his 16th double-double this season as he had 32 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in 42 minutes for Miami. Dwyane Wade scored at least 20 points for his sixth consecutive game. He contributed a double-double with 27 points and season-high 10 rebounds in 45 minutes of play for the Heat. Chris Bosh knocked down 17 points in 40 minutes and Ray Allen sank 15 points in 27 minutes.
    Nowitzki, who did not play in the first game for the Mavericks against the Heat two weeks ago, piled home 19 points and six rebounds in 29 minutes as a reserve. O.J. Mayo nailed 30 points and six assists in 46 minutes while Chris Kaman got a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds in 28 minutes for Dallas. Vince Carter, who has always excelled against the Miami Heat, fell short of a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds in 36 minutes.

WINZ New Lineup

    940 WINZ-AM The Sports Animal rolled out their new lineup on Wednesday. The station added three new shows as they picked up two local sports hosts that recently worked at other competing stations.
    Jeff DeForrest and Steve Goldstein debuted in the morning shift from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. with the Wake The @#$@ Up Show. Both co-hosted The First Team with Joe Rose on Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM from late 1996 until December 2001. Goldstein, a.k.a. Goldie, was let go by WQAM as an early afternoon co-host back in October 2012 after a three-year tenure. He remains the television play-by-play announcer of the Florida Panthers. DeForrest, a.k.a. Defo, held the evening shift at WINZ from January 2012 until December 2012. He joined the radio station in July 2010 as a mid-afternoon host and moved to late mornings in September 2010.
     Fomer 640 Sports WMEN-AM late morning host Troy Stradford will join The Amigo and Dizz on the mid-afternoon show as a full-time co-host starting on January 7. He has been a part-time host on that program since November 12 as he worked just Mondays and Thursdays. Stradford worked at 640 Sports from 2008 until October 2012.
    Following the Dan Patrick Show in late mornings, WINZ introduced Jay Mohr as the new midday host on the station as he replaced Jim Rome. Mohr has been a fill-in host for Jim Rome Show for several years on Fox Sports Radio. Jesse Agler will continue to host The Finsiders Show during the afternoon shift.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Florida State Wins Orange Bowl

    It seemed like a home game for the Florida State Seminoles based on the amount of supporters in attendance. They proved themselves and beat the Northern Illinois Huskies 31-10 in the 79th annual Discover Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium on New Year's Day. It was the first appearance by the Seminoles in a BCS bowl game in seven years and their first victory in one since the 2000 Sugar Bowl.
    The Huskies went three-and-out on their first drive and had to punt. FSU drove the ball into NIU territory until sophomore tight end Nick O'Leary. a William T. Dwyer grad, fumbled the ball away at the Huskies 29-yard line. Northern Illinois again went a three-and-out on their next possession and had junior quarterback Jordan Lynch quick-kick the ball to the Seminoles five-yard line.
    Four plays into the Seminoles next possession, senior fullback Lonnie Pryor went around the left end and raced down the sideline for a 60-yard touchdown at 5:28 of the first quarter for a 7-0 lead. Pryor, an Okeechobee grad, was playing his final college game with Florida State.
    Northern Illinois(12-2) pulled off a fake punt on their next possession as freshman tight end Desroy Maxwell rushed for 35 yards into FSU territory. Sophomore wide receiver Tommylee Lewis, a William T. Dwyer grad, made a 25-yard catch two plays later and advanced the ball to the Noles eight-yard line. Junior kicker Mathew Sims kicked a 25-yard field goal to cut the lead down to 7-3 with 1:41 left.
    In the second quarter, the Huskies punted after three plays and Florida State got the ball downfield where senior kicker Dustin Hopkins missed a 50-yard field goal at 11:48. FSU got a touchdown on their final drive of the first half. Sophomore wide receiver Rashad Greene, a St. Thomas Aquinas grad, caught a six-yard pass in the back right corner of the end zone from senior quarterback E.J. Manuel with 11 seconds remaining. It was a 10-play, 82-yard drive that gave the Seminoles a 14-3 lead.
    Florida State(12-2) extended their lead to 17-3 on their first possession of the third quarter as Hopkins kicked a 25-yard field goal to finish an eight-play, 68-yard drive at 11:48. He set a new FBS record for most field goals in a career with his 88th.
    NIU responded on the following possession as Lynch found senior wide receiver Martel Moore on a crossing pattern for a 11-yard touchdown reception at 9:55 and closed the deficit to 17-10. The Huskies scoring drive took six plays and 87 yards. The Huskies recovered the ensuing on-side kick, but could not capitalize as junior defensive back Terrence Brooks intercepted Lynch's pass at the Noles 14-yard line.
    On the first play of the fourth quarter, Manuel scrambled up the middle on a draw play from nine yards out to complete an eight-play, 61-yard drive at 14:56 and FSU increased their lead to 24-10.
    Sophomore wide receiver Da'Ron Brown turned the ball over on a fumble at the Huskies 42-yard line. Two plays later, Pryor exploded through the middle with a 37-yard run for his second touchdown of the game at 10:33 and propelled Florida State to a 31-10 lead.
    Lonnie Pryor was named the Discover Orange Bowl most valuable player with five carries for 134 yards and two touchdowns. E.J. Manuel became the second starting quarterback in FBS history to win four bowl games as he joined Pat White of West Virginia University for that honor.

John DeCandido On WQAM

    Former Miami sports host John DeCandido will fill-in for Dan Sileo during middays on Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM on New Year's Day. DeCandido, a.k.a. Johnny D, worked as the sports director and midday co-host on 1700 The Fan WAFN-AM from September 1999 until December 2000. He gave current WQAM program director Jorge Sedano his first professional radio job as a sports anchor. They both eventually co-hosted the midday show in 2000. Sedano hired another former WAFN sports host John Renshaw, a.k.a. The Freak, in late August 2012 as a weekend host.
    DeCandido began his broadcast career as a morning producer at WGH-AM in Newport News, Virginia. He was later elevated to morning host at that station. He came down to South Florida and was employed at WAFN. He returned to WGH as a weekend sports host. DeCandido then moved to 102.1 The Game WXTG-FM/WXTG-AM in Norfolk, Virginia where he worked as a Saturday midday co-host and Monday evening co-host. He was promoted to afternoon co-host of The 757 Club in June 2010.