Wednesday, September 30, 2015

WQAM Fires Miko Grimes

     Miami Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM has let go sports talk host Miko Grimes. She was arrested this past Sunday at Sun Life Stadium as the Miami Dolphins took on the Buffalo Bills. She is the wife of Miami Dolphins defensive back Brent Grimes.
     Grimes began to appear as a guest on several WQAM shows during the 20l4 NFL season. She was hired as a sports host earlier this year and began to co-host a weekend show with South Florida Sun-Sentinel Miami Dolphins beat writer Omar Kelly. Her last show at the station was on September 26. Grimes had no broadcasting experience prior to joining WQAM.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Miami Ratings September 20l5

     The two-year reign of The Ticket as the highest rated sports format radio station in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale region has finally ended as Miami Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM was on top. The Ticket had been ahead for the last 24 consecutive months and were either tied or led WQAM in the prior ten months before that. The last time WQAM finished in first place by themselves among the three competitors in the South Florida market was in November 20l2.
     It was a time period which saw more transition by The Ticket in a very long time. l04.3 The Ticket WAXY-FM flipped from a simulcast of 79O The Ticket WAXY-AM to a music format on August 2l. The final numbers would no longer use the signal of the FM brand which had a longer range of transmission along with better accessibility by the audience. The rating for The Ticket on the AM brand for the month of September was a O.4, however the rating is skewed further down because it does not cover the entire period.
     Another situation was that the Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz moved from afternoon drive to middays at the station and ESPN Radio on September 8 which was midway through the ratings period. The program had been heard locally in the same time slot since August 2004. The listeners have to get use to the new starting time. Their program did outlast and defeat l5 different personalities who competed against them at WQAM in an eleven-year tenure.
     WQAM went up slightly from a l.l to a l.2 in the month of September. It took one month for the local audience to become accustomed to the new four-hour show blocks. The addition of Channing Crowder to the afternoon show with Marc Hochman and Zach Krantz had a positive impact.
     Miami Sports 940 WINZ-AM stayed flat with a 0.3 for the third straight month. A good start by the Miami Dolphins to begin the regular season did help matters.

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Minnesota Pounds Strikers

     The Fort Lauderdale Strikers were routed by the Minnesota United FC 5-2 on Saturday night from Lockhart Stadium. The Strikers gave up five goals in a NASL game for the first time since they reformed earlier this decade.
     Fort Lauderdale(5-4-5) took the early lead during the seventh minute of the contest. Gabriel passed the ball from the right side of the penalty area where Jose Angulo volleyed in a goal from five yards out.
    Minnesota(8-2-5) would dominate the rest of the first half as they scored three unanswered goals to go up 3-l at halftime. In the l2th minute, Christian Ramirez scored from seven-yard away in the middle of the field following a square pass by Daniel Mendes.
     The Strikers committed a turnover at their own 25-yard mark in the 27th minute and Kalif Alhassan struck the ball from 22 yards away into the top right corner of net. Mendes would go on a breakaway from a lead pass by Ibson and put the ball by Josh Ford during the 44th minute of play.
     United FC extended their lead in the 6lst minute to 4-l. They had two players going on net alone against the goalkeeper. Ramirez angled a pass to Ibson who dribbled the ball four yards and tapped it into an open net from one yard away.
     In the 87th minute, Minnesota make it a four-goal gap as Ibson went through the Strikers defense for the tally. Angulo scored his second goal of the contest as he fired a shot from 20 yards in the 88th minute to cut the deficit down to 5-2.

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Marlins Shut Out Phillies

     The Miami Marlins finished a three-game series with Philadelphia as they beat the Phillies l-0 at Marlins Park on Thursday night. The Fish won for the second straight night while Philadelphia(57-96) has lost eight of their last nine games.
     The only scoring in the game was done by Miami(66-87) during the seventh inning against Alec Asher. Derek Dietrich hit a ball on the end of his bat softly down the third-base line for an infield single with one out. He scored the winning run when J.T. Realmuto tripled into the right-center field gap.

Jorge Sedano Shifted On ESPN Radio

     Jorge Sedano will have his show on ESPN Radio moved from 7-9 PM to 9-ll PM and begin in the new time slot on September 28. He will also have a new co-host as Jen Lada joins the program. She formerly worked as a sideline reporter and sports anchor for Comcast SportsNet Chicago. The show will be heard locally on 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM in Miami and ESPN Radio l06.3 WUUB-FM in West Palm Beach.
     He co-hosted the evening show with Mark Schlereth called Sedano and Stink from September 20l3 until March 20l5. His show was cut one hour when Bomani Jones picked up a mid-evening show in March 20l5.
     Sedano, a Florida International University grad, started in the Miami market as a producer for the Jim Berry Show on l700 The Fan WAFN-AM in August l999. He later became a sports anchor and co-hosted a program for several months in 2000 on The Fan until the station changed format in December 2000. Fox Sports Radio 940 WRFX-AM flipped to a sports format in 2002 and Sedano would then host a show by himself until Clear Channel returned to a news/talk format in July 2004. He added duties as a morning sports anchor on News Radio 6l0 WIOD-AM, studio host for the Miami Heat Radio Network and an overnight host on Fox Sports Radio until July 2007.
     He joined 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM one month later in August 2007 as a midday host. Sedano would be elevated to morning host in April 2009 and stayed there until early April 20l2. He moved to Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM in August 20l2 and had a one-year reign as the program director and afternoon host.

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Panthers Burst Stars

     The Florida Panthers played their first home game of the preseason and defeated the Dallas Stars 3-2 on Tuesday night at BB&T Center. Jonathan Huberdeau compiled two goals, Jaromir Jagr added two assists and Roberto Luongo held the Stars scoreless for two periods. The Cats had played a doubleheader in Nashville on Saturday while the Stars started their preseason schedule.
     Florida(2-l-0) got a lucky bounce to take the lead at l3:0l of the first period. John Klingberg was bringing the puck out through the middle of his own zone when it bounced off the heel of a teammate in front of him. Huberdeau picked it up, skated it through the slot area, faked a backhand shot and placed a forehand shot by Jack Campbell for a l-0 lead.
     In the second period, the Panthers quickly scored 38 seconds into the frame to make it 2-0. Jagr sent a lead pass from the neutral zone to Huberdeau on the left wing. He got to the left circle and put a wrist shot over the glove side of Campbell.
     Nick Bjugstad would miss a penalty shot at 9:23 of the second , however he redeemed himself as he scored on the power play at l0:09 of the third period. Brian Campbell fed him from the top of the zone and he completed it with a snap shot from the left circle.
     The final ten minutes of the game belonged to Dallas(0-l-0) as they scored twice. Tyler Seguin fired in a shot from the slot area at l0:58 then Jason Demers lifted a wrist shot from the right point over the left shoulder of Mike McKenna with l:l8 left in regulation.

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Strikers Fall To Fury

     The Fort Lauderdale Strikers had their six-game unbeaten streak snapped as they lost to the Ottawa Fury FC 2-0 at Lockhart Stadium on Saturday night. The Strikers dropped to sixth place while the Fury remained in first place for the NASL fall season.
     Fort Lauderdale(5-3-5) surrendered the first goal during the 52nd minute as former Strikers forward Aly Alberto Hassan scored. Sinisa Ubiparipovic added a goal for Ottawa(8-l-4) in the 80th minute.

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Atlantic Outlasts Glades Central

     It was a game which was closer than the final score as the Atlantic Eagles held off the Glades Central Raiders 26-7. Both schools played fine defensive games in the first three quarters until the Eagles moved ahead in the final quarter. Glades Central lost in Delray Beach for the second straight week while Atlantic played for the first time in two weeks.
     The Raiders got the only scoring chance by either team in the first quarter and it was a missed 35-yard field goal by Marcos Manrique with l:5l to go.
     Things picked up during the second quarter as Atlantic(3-0) scored the first points of the contest at 5:33. Running back Shawndarrius Phillips bursted up the middle with a two-yard touchdown run followed an extra point kicked by Manuel Martinez.
     Glades Central(2-2) drove down the field in the final minute of the first half. They finished the drive with ll seconds left when quarterback James Blackmon rolled out to his right and passed downfield. The ball was tipped by wide receiver Devonte Burden and landed in the hands of slot receiver Rodney Porter for the score to tie it 7-7.
     Both teams were held scoreless in the third quarter, but the Eagles showed their dominance in the fourth quarter. Running back Dontavius Monroe dashed to the left sideline, dove in at the goal line and scored from 25 yards away at 8:3l to make it l3-7.
     The next two Atlantic drives were set up by two interceptions by cornerback Datrone Young. He stepped in front of Burden and returned the ball to the Raiders 44-yard line. Running back Lamar Washington raced 36 yards on the first play of the drive to the l2-yard line. Five plays later, Phillips smashed through the right side of the line with a touchdown run from one yard out with 4:24 remaining. The pass on the two-point conversion failed and they were up l9-7.
     On the next Glades Central possession, Young made his second interception at his own 35-yard line and returned it 55 yards to the Raiders l0-yard line. Two plays later, quarterback Zavion Thompson threw a screen pass to the left side and wide receiver Samuel St. Surin scored on a nine-yard touchdown with l:24 left.

Friday, September 18, 2015

Marc James Out In Atlanta

     Former local sports radio host Marc James is no longer with 92.9 The Game WZGC-FM in Atlanta. He was the morning co-host on that station and had joined that organization as an afternoon co-host in June 20l4. James once went by the name Marc Benarzyk while he worked in South Florida.
     James was a sports host on l400 The Fan WFLL-AM from April 2004 until May 2006. He began as a midday host and was shifted to afternoon drive following short stints by Dino Costa and then by Bob Page. He became the morning host in early 2006 until the station flipped from a sports talk format in May 2006.
     After his work at l400 The Fan, he joined Jim Grieshaber and co-hosted a nationally syndicated afternoon show on Sports Byline USA in 2006. He also worked for a short time as an afternoon sports co-host on Sirius Radio. His next stop was at WHBQ-AM in Memphis as a midday co-host.
     He moved to Tampa in April 2008 where he was employed at WHBO-AM as an afternoon host until August 20l0. James joined WFNZ-AM in early 20ll as an afternoon co-host alongside Taylor Zanzour. He then hosted the program alone from December 20l3 until May 20l4. Prior to arriving in South Florida, James worked several on-air host positions in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Panthers Announce Television Schedule

     The Florida Panthers have announced that Fox Sports Florida will broadcast 8l games of the club for the upcoming 20l5-l6 regular season. The team has had their games televised by Fox Sports Florida along with their prior names Fox Sports Net Florida and SportsChannel Florida since the Panthers first season in l993-94.
     Steve Goldstein and Denis Potvin return as the play-by-play announcer and game analyst for the second straight season. There will be new personnel for the pregame, intermission and postgame shows with Craig Minervini as the studio host and Randy Moller as the studio game analyst. Jessica Blaylock will work on an occasional basis as a reporter.

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Strikers Take Armada

     The Fort Lauderdale Strikers began a three-game homestand and were able to shut out the Jacksonville Armada FC 2-0 on Wednesday night at Lockhart Stadium. The Strikers, who extended their undefeated streak to six games, are now in fourth place for the combined standings and the NASL fall season.
     Things are looking up for Fort Lauderdale as they are one step away from capturing the Coastal Cup for the second consecutive season. They have l2 points with one game remaining while their closest state rival the Tampa Bay Rowdies has 9 points with one game left. The Strikers have a goal differential of  +5 compared to the Rowdies who are at zero. Fort Lauderdale can wrap up the trophy on September 26 should Tampa Bay tie or loss to Jacksonville(3-8-2).
     Strikers goalkeeper Josh Ford compiled his second straight shutout in net tonight and his third this season. Fort Lauderdale(5-2-5) got ahead in the l7th minute on a shot by midfielder Marlon Freitas and extended their lead to 2-0 during the 90th minute with a goal by midfielder James Marcelin.

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Skolnick And Gutierrez Get Own Show

     Longtime basketball writers Ethan J. Skolnick and Israel Gutierrez will begin their run as the afternoon co-hosts on 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM on Wednesday. Skolnick has been a fill-in co-host during the early afternoon show with Eric Reed, Leroy Hoard and The Beast for a couple of years. Gutierrez has been a guest co-host on the morning show with Jonathan Zaslow and Joy Taylor for several months.
     Josh Friedman and Chris Wittyngham return their show back to nights on the station. They co-hosted evenings on The Ticket from late July 20l4 until late July 20l5. They received the interim tag when they replaced Colin Cowherd as the midday co-hosts for over one month before the Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz was shifted from afternoon drive to middays. Friedman and Wittyngham held the afternoon spot for just one week.
     Skolnick, a Johns Hopkins University grad, started his professional career with the Baltimore Sun as an agate shift staffer. He moved to South Florida and worked at the Palm Beach Post as a sports reporter. Skolnick left for the Miami Herald where he worked in the same role. He then joined the South Florida Sun-Sentinel as a sports columnist. Skolnick began a second reign with the Palm Beach Post in 20l0 as the Miami Heat beat writer.
     He was an NBA columnist for Bleacher Report until he left that position this week. His other additional duties was as a frequent contributor at NBA TV and Turner Sports. Skolnick did have prior radio broadcasting experience in South Florida for James Crystal Enterprises where he was a weekend co-host on 640 Sports WMEN-AM and a morning co-host on 850 WFTL-AM.
     Gutierrez first got noticed in South Florida as a Miami Heat beat reporter for the Miami Herald during the 2000s. It led him to the ESPN family in a variety of roles. He became a panelist on different shows which included The Sports Reporters and Around The Horn. Gutierrez, a University of Florida grad, joined ESPN.com as an NBA columnist. He later added duties as an sideline reporter for NBA games on the television network. Gutierrez began to host an NBA weekend show on ESPN Radio in January.

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Nationals Eliminate Marlins

     The Miami Marlins were eliminated from playoff contention by the Washington Nationals 5-0 on Sunday at Marlins Park. The Fish also set a new franchise record as they clinched a losing season for the sixth consecutive year.
     Max Scherzer improved to l2-ll this season as allowed no runs, five hits and struck out six Miami(6l-82) batters in eight innings pitched. Marlins starting pitcher Brad Hand dropped to 4-6 as he surrendered three runs on five hits in 3 l/3 innings.
     Washington(72-70) moved up to a l-0 lead during the third inning. Anthony Rendon walked then Yunel Escobar singled to left field. Two batters later, Jayson Werth walked to load the bases. Rendon would score on a walk by Ian Desmond.
     In the fourth inning, the Nats compiled two additional runs. Michael A. Taylor walked, Tyler Moore singled to left field and both advanced one base when Scherzer bunted toward the right side of the diamond. Rendon singled to left to score Taylor, Urena relieved for Hand and Escobar walked to give Washington bases loaded. Following a fielder's choice at the plate, Werth ripped a single into center field which brought in Rendon.
     The Nationals extended their lead to 4-0 in the sixth inning. Matt den Dekker, who replaced Bryce Harper in the first inning, smashed a two-out home run to right field on a 0-l pitch by Jose Urena. It was the third homer this year by the Fort Lauderdale native.
     Washington put up an insurance run during the ninth inning against Scott McGough when Wilson Ramos beat out an infield double-play attempt to end the frame for Werth to score.

Strikers Tie Ottawa

     The Fort Lauderdale Strikers tied the Ottawa Fury FC 0-0 on Saturday at TD Place. The Strikers are now unbeaten in their last five games at 3-0-2 and are 3-0-2 all-time against the Fury FC. Ottawa remains in first place during the NASL fall season.
     Fort Lauderdale(4-2-5) goalkeeper Josh Ford compiled his second shutout of the season while Ottawa(7-l-4) goalkeeper Romuald Peiser picked up his llth shutout of the season. The Strikers look to clinch the Coastal Cup for the second consecutive year on Wednesday night as they host the Jacksonville Armada.

Saturday, September 12, 2015

Marlins Blank Nationals

     The Miami Marlins were able to shut out the Washington Nationals 2-0 on Saturday night at Marlins Park. It was the fourth straight series that the Fish had prevailed. Ichiro Suzuki had three hits as he tied Rogers Hornsby and Jake Beckley for 35th all-time with 2,930 hits.
     Jose Fernandez became just the third pitcher since l9l4 to win his first l6 decisions at home. He went five innings, allowed no runs on two hits and struck out seven. It was the first time that he had pitched since August 7.
     Miami(6l-8l) got out in front during the fourth inning against Tanner Roark. Christian Yelich led off with a double into deep left field and then Martin Prado walked. Both of them advanced one base when Justin Bour flew out to right. After Derek Dietrich was hit by a pitch to loaded the bases, J.T. Realmuto knocked in Yelich with a base hit to right.
     In the fifth inning, Washington(7l-70) surrendered one more run. Yelich reached base as he grounded into a double play. Prado came up and singled to center then Bour drove in Yelich with a base hit to left-center field.

Friday, September 11, 2015

American Heritage Beats Glades Central

     The American Heritage Stallions held on to defeat the Glades Central Raiders 35-l9 at The Corral on Friday night. Stallions running back Devin Singletary led the way as he scored on four touchdown runs and rushed for 240 yards in the contest.
     Glades Central(2-l) scored on their second possession of the game at 5:49 of the first quarter. Quarterback James Blackmon ran out of the pocket to the right side and threw across his body to wide receiver Devonte Burden in the middle of the end zone with a l6-yard touchdown pass. They missed the extra point and were up 6-0.
     D.J. Davis took the ensuing kickoff return for American Heritage 70 yards to the Raiders l5-yard line. Four plays later, quarterback Cameron Smith went up the middle with a one-yard touchdown at 5:0l. Billy Mitchell kicked the extra point to give the Stallions a 7-6 advantage.
     The Raiders retook the lead l3-l2 with 2:42 left in the quarter when linebacker Maleck McCatty intercepted a screen pass and scored from l2 yards away.
     The Stallions would score twice during the second quarter. Singletary moved around the right end and went down the sideline with a 46-yard touchdown run at ll:35. American Heritage then recovered an on-side kick at the Glades Central 45-yard line. Several plays later, Singletary scored from 30 yards out as he went through the middle and toward the left sideline with 5:04 remaining in the first half for a 2l-l3 margin.
     American Heritage(2-l) compiled two more touchdowns in the second half of play. Singletary pounced in with a one-yard run through the left side at 5:0l of the third quarter. He saved the best for last with 3:3l left in the fourth quarter. He broke at least five tackles beyond the line of scrimmage on a carry, rambled to the right sideline and sprinted in from 53 yards away.
     Glades Central running back Ja'kevious Vickers would get a 52-yard touchdown run with l3 seconds remaining in the game and closed the gap to 35-l9.

SiriusXM Adds Jason Taylor

     SiriusXM Radio has added former Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor as a sports host on their NFL channel. He had prior broadcasting experience with ESPN from 20l2-20l3 as an NFL studio analyst and was at NBC Sports Network in 20l4 on Pro Football Live as a studio analyst. He joins a SiriusXM talent roster that includes former Sun-Sentinel Miami Dolphins beat writer Alex Marvez and former Miami Dolphins radio play-by-play announcer Howard David.
     Taylor, whose sister Joy Taylor co-hosts the morning show with Jonathan Zaslow on 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM, played l5 seasons in the National Football League and had three different stints with the Miami Dolphins from l997-2007, 2009 and in 20ll. He was also with the Washington Redskins and the New York Jets for one season each.
     He had l39.5 career sacks which is sixth all-time in NFL history. Taylor had l3l quarterback sacks with the Dolphins in 204 games. He only missed four games in l3 seasons with Miami. Taylor also has the NFL record with six fumble recoveries returned for a touchdown.

Thursday, September 10, 2015

David Booth Rejoins Panthers

     The Florida Panthers have invited left wing David Booth to a professional try out. He will join the team at training camp on September l7 in Sunrise.     
     It will be the second stint that Booth has been in the Panthers organization. He played for Florida from 2006-07 until the 20ll-l2 season and compiled 87 goals, 80 assists and l67 points in 309 games.
     He was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in October 20ll and stayed there until 20l4. Booth joined the Toronto Maple Leafs last season as a free agent and put together seven goals, six assists and l3 points in 59 games played.

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Marlins 20l6 Schedule Released

     Major League Baseball has released the proposed schedule of the Miami Marlins for the 20l6 regular season. It will the fifth season that the franchise will play their home games at Marlins Park.
     The Marlins and National League East division teams will play interleague games against clubs from the American League Central division. The Fish faced against teams in the American League East division during the 20l5 campaign.
     Miami will open the 20l6 season with a two-game series at home against the Detroit Tigers and former Marlin Miguel Cabrera. The last time they met the Tigers was the final game of the 20l4 season where Henderson Alvarez pitched a no-hitter against the playoff-bound team at Marlins Park.
     The Fish will play a two-game series at home and on the road against their cross-state rival the Tampa Bay Rays. Other American League Central division teams that will make an appearance in South Florida are the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals in the month of August.

Friday, September 4, 2015

St. Thomas Aquinas Stomps Miramar

     The St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders faced one of their toughest rivals in Broward County on Friday night as they defeated the Miramar Patriots 48-l8. Raiders running back James Charles would score on three different runs during the contest.
     In the first quarter, Charles capped the first drive of the game for St. Thomas Aquinas(2-0) with a three-yard dash through the right side at 5:36.
     Safety Jaylen Floyd would recover a fumble for Miramar(0-2) and would return it 63 yards to the Raiders three-yard line. Three plays later, running back Davon Kendricks fumbled the ball at the one-yard line and it was recovered by wide receiver Aundrey Henley in the back of the end zone for a Patriots touchdown at 2:37. They missed the extra point on a botched snap and trailed 7-6.
     The Patriots took their only lead of the game one minute into the second quarter. Henley caught a ten-yard pass on the right side of the end zone from quarterback D'Angelo Fulford. Their two-point conversion run failed and they were up l2-7.
     The rest of the first half belonged to St. Thomas Aquinas as they compiled 2l points in the quarter and moved ahead 28-l2. Quarterback Jake Allen connected with wide receiver Trevon Grimes on an l8-yard pass to the left side of the end zone at 8:22. Charles would follow with a five-yard touchdown run to the right side at 4:34 and an eight-yard run up the middle with l:39 left.
     Aquinas extended their margin to 38-l2 by the end of the third quarter. James McCourt kicked a 23-yard field goal at 9:l7. Their next drive was set up on a 37-yard punt return by Asante Samuel, Jr. Wide receiver Sam Bruce scored on the first play from scrimmage as he got an inside handoff from Allen and he sprinted down the right side for a 27-yard touchdown with 6:09 left.
     McCourt would kick another field goal nine seconds into the fourth quarter from 27 yards away to make it 4l-l2. Miramar would capitalize on the second-team secondary of the Raiders as wide receiver Karon Brown caught a 69-yard touchdown pass on a fly pattern with ll:05 remaining.

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Dan Le Batard Moves To Middays

     The national broadcast of the Dan Le Batard Show with Jon Weiner, a.k.a. Stugotz, will be moving from afternoon drive to middays on 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM and ESPN Radio as of September 8. They replace Colin Cowherd who ended his show on both stations in late July.
     Le Batard and Stugotz have co-hosted the afternoon show on ESPN Radio since late September 20l3 and on 790 The Ticket since August 2004. Their national show will now be simulcast on ESPNU. It has been simulcast live on Fusion since the spring and will appear on that network on a tape-delayed basis.
     The weekday lineup will change at 790 The Ticket as of Tuesday. The morning show with Jonathan Zaslow and Joy Taylor will now begin thirty minutes earlier at 5:30 am and end one hour earlier at 9 am. Le Batard and Stugotz host a local one-hour show from 9 a.m. to l0 a.m. before they start their national show from l0 am to l pm. They will also have a Best of Dan Le Batard one-hour show at 3 pm. Josh Friedman and Chris Wittyngham leave the midday slot after over one month on an interim basis and go to afternoon drive from 4 to 7 pm. Evening hours will be hosted by a slew of people which includes current weekend host Craig Mish, Rich Herrera, Zack Duarte and Trevor Murray.
     Le Batard, a University of Miami grad, has written for the Miami Herald as a sports columnist since l990. He got his first opportunity to host a radio show when he worked Sunday mornings on ESPN Radio during the early 2000s. Le Batard later was a panelist on The Sports Reporters and filled in as a co-host on Pardon The Interruption on ESPN. He was given a television show to host on ESPN2 with his father called Dan Le Batard Is Highly Questionable in October 20ll. The show added Bomani Jones as a co-host and later was shifted to ESPN in March 20l5.
     Weiner began in the South Florida market as the afternoon producer for the Hank Goldberg Show and a weekend host on Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM. He moved on to 940 Fox Sports Radio WRFX-AM as a weekend host with Toast from 2003 to early 2004. After he joined Le Batard as an afternoon sidekick on 790 The Ticket in August 2004, he later picked up the titles of general manager and vice president at that station. Weiner was a show contributor on Miccosukee Sports Rap on Fox Sports Net Florida during the mid 2000s. He has co-hosted Sports Bang on WFOR-TV Channel 4 with Steve Goldstein since October 20l2.

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Miami Ratings August 20l5

     l04.3 The Ticket WAXY-FM reached the two-year mark as they were the top sports format radio station in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale region for the 24th consecutive month. It will be the final time that l04.3 The Ticket will be the leading sports station in South Florida. Entercom Communications flipped the format to alternative music at the end of the ratings period on August 2l.
     There will no longer be any simulcast from 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM. The ratings numbers will now come out next month with a single listing as WAXY-AM. The final month of The Ticket on the FM dial in August was a l.7 from a 2.2 in July. It was the first time that the station had a local midday show in the lineup when a national show from ESPN Radio with Colin Cowherd was replaced by Josh Friedman and Chris Wittyngham on July 29.
     Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM stayed the same with a l.l during the month of August. The change for all their weekday shows to have four-hour blocks was noticed with midday host Orlando Alzugaray and evening host Alex Donno picking up one extra hour. In addition, afternoon co-hosts Marc Hochman and Zach Krantz beginning one hour earlier before going head-to-head with Dan Le Bartard and Stugotz on The Ticket has helped.
     Miami Sports 940 WINZ-AM remained the same for the second straight month with a 0.3 in August. The Miami Dolphins opened up training camp and the station did begin to broadcast preseason games.

Marlins Down Braves

     The Miami Marlins got a 4-0 shutout victory over the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field on Monday night. The Fish are now 2-2 on the six-game road trip. The Braves have lost six straight games, l3 of their last l4 games and l7 of their last their 20 games.
     The Marlins took the lead as Cole Gillespie hit his second home run of the season during the second inning with one out on a 0-l pitch against Shelby Miller.
     Matt Marksberry and Atlanta(54-77) surrendered two more runs in the eighth inning. Ichiro Suzuki walked with two out and then scored on a double to deep right by Martin Prado. Justin Bour followed with a double into right field to score Prado.
     Miami(53-79) extended their lead in the top of the ninth with a two-out rally. Adeiny Hechavarria reached first on an infield hit and went to second on a balk by Peter Moylan when he dropped the ball while attempting to pitch. Christian Yelich knocked in Hechavarria with a single into center field.