Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Heat Lose To LeBron James And Cavaliers

     The Miami Heat continued their road swing with a 91-89 defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena on Wednesday night. Both clubs were battling it out for third place in the Eastern Conference.
     Cleveland(30-20) stormed out to a 27-21 after one quarter. Miami(29-22) finished the second quarter on a 25-9 run to go up 50-48 at halftime. Both teams were tied 72-72 after the third quarter. The Cavs barely held on down the final stretch of the contest to win the game.
     LeBron James led the Cavaliers with 24 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Isaiah Thomas put in 13 points while Dwyane Wade had nine points along with five rebounds. Goran Dragic dropped in a team-high 18 points for the Heat and Josh Richardson scored 15 points.

Rasual Butler Passes Away

     Former Miami Heat player Rasual Butler passed away on Wednesday along with his wife in a car accident in California. He was only 38 years old.
     Butler was selected by the Heat in the 2002 NBA Draft during the second round with the 53rd overall pick. He was part of the young resurgence of the franchise along with Caron Butler and Dwyane Wade. Together they helped the club get to the 2005 Eastern Conference Finals where they lost to the Detroit Pistons in seven games.
     He was sent to the New Orleans Hornets in a four-team trade after the 2004-05 season and the Heat acquired Jason Williams, Antoine Walker and James Posey. Butler later played for the Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards and San Antonio Spurs in his 13-season NBA career.

Paul Severino New Marlins Television Voice

     Paul Severino has been named the new Miami Marlins television play-by-play announcer on Fox Sports Florida. He replaces Rich Waltz and will work in the broadcast booth with game analyst Todd Hollandsworth.
     Severino leaves his post as a studio host for MLB Network and NHL Network. He recently was the play-by-play announcer for the World Junior Hockey Championship on NHL Network earlier this month. Severino called several games of the World Baseball Classic in March 2017 and the Triple A All-Star Game in July 2017 on MLB Network. Prior to joining MLB Network in 2011, he worked for ESPN as a sports anchor and studio host.

Hochman And Crowder On National List

     Barrett Sports Media selected the Miami Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM afternoon program of Marc Hochman and Channing Crowder among the top 20 afternoon sports talk shows in the United States. The show landed in 19th place in 2017 and did not appear in the top 20 back in 2016.
     Hochman has co-hosted the afternoon shift on WQAM since April 2014. He partnered with Zack Krantz and they added Crowder in August 2015. Krantz left the show in May 2017 and rejoined Joe Rose on the morning shift.

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Bob Rubin Passes Away

     Longtime Miami Herald sports columnist Bob Rubin passed away on Tuesday at the age of 76. Rubin worked for the newspaper from 1976 until he retired in 2002. Prior to arriving in Miami, he was a sportswriter at Newsday where he covered Long Island high school, college and pro sporting events.
     Rubin has been a part of a lineage of sports columnists over the last 50 years at the Miami Herald. People who had a long tenure at that newspaper in a sports columnist role have included Edwin Pope, Dan Le Batard, Greg Cote and Linda Robertson.

Panthers Skate By Islanders

     The Florida Panthers played their first contest following the NHL All-Star Game break and beat the New York Islanders 4-1 at Barclays Center on Tuesday night. Harri Sateri picked up his first NHL win as the Cats ended a three-game losing streak.
     In the first period, Florida(20-22-6) scored to go up 1-0 at the 8:54 mark. Michael Matheson put in a tally on assists from Mark Pysyk and Colton Sceviour. Evgenii Dadonov added an unassisted goal at 14:40 of the second period for a two-goal margin.
     The Panthers extended their lead to 3-0 at 4:40 of the third as Keith Yandle scored his fifth goal of the campaign on an assist by Vincent Trocheck.
     New York(25-21-5) got on the scoreboard less than one minute later at the 5:09 mark. Adam Pelech chalked up his second goal of the year with assists from Josh Bailey and Jason Chimera.    
     Jonathan Huberdeau placed the puck into an empty net for Florida with 1:11 left in the frame to cap it. Trocheck was credited with his second assist in the contest on that play.

Joe Rose Show On National List

     The Joe Rose Show on Miami Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM was listed again as one of the top 20 local morning shows in the United States by Barrett Sports Media. They finished in 16th place in 2017 and moved up from 18th in 2016.
     The show consists of Joe Rose, on-air sidekick Zach Krantz and sports anchor Danny Rabinowitz. Krantz rejoined the program in May 2017 after a run as the afternoon co-host with Marc Hochman and Channing Crowder from April 2014 until May 2017. He took over the role from Captain Curtis Stevenson.
     The Joe Rose Show has been on WQAM since 2007 when the station acquired the radio rights to Miami Dolphins game broadcasts. It previously was on Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM from August 2004 to 2007.

Monday, January 29, 2018

Heat Beat Mavericks

     The Miami Heat stopped the Dallas Mavericks 95-88 at American Airlines Center on Monday night. It was the first game of a four-game road trip for the club.
     Dallas(16-35) moved out to a 26-22 advantage in the first quarter, which was their biggest lead of the contest, and were down 61-46 at halftime. Miami(29-21) stretched their margin to 75-61 after three quarters. The Mavericks outscored the Heat 27-20 in the fourth, however they fell short.
     Hassan Whiteside had a double-double of 25 points and 13 rebounds for the Heat. Josh Richardson dropped in 14 points and Goran Dragic added 13 points. Harrison Barnes led the Mavs with 20 points while Wesley Matthews knocked down 19 points. Dennis Smith Jr. compiled 14 points with 10 assists for a double-double and Dirk Nowitzki scored 10 points.

Miami Marlins On Baseball Magazine Covers

     The annual baseball preview magazine were issued over the past week. Each one of the three major publications had the Miami Marlins finish last in the National League East Division.
     Two Marlins appeared on different magazine covers. Catcher J.T. Realmuto showed up on Street & Smith's while pitcher Jose Urena appeared on both Athlon Sports and Lindy's Sports.

Miami Gets Major League Soccer Franchise

     Major League Soccer officially gave a franchise to the city of Miami on Monday. The team is expected to play their first season in 2020 and move into a future soccer stadium in 2021.
     It has been a long road for this to happen. Former soccer player David Beckham was granted permission to own and control a MLS franchise anywhere after he retired from playing with the Los Angeles Galaxy.
     South Florida previously had a franchise in Major League Soccer. The Miami Fusion played at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale from 1998 until 2001 and was owned by Ken Horowitz.

Sunday, January 28, 2018

2018 NHL All-Star Game

     The Pacific Division defeated the Atlantic Division 5-2 in the final contest of the 2018 NHL All-Star Game at Amalie Arena in Tampa on Sunday. The Pacific won for the second time in the three years in which the 3-on-3 competition was implemented.
     Aleksander Barkov represented the Florida Panthers in the game. He had two assists in the first game as the Atlantic Division topped the Metropolitan Division 7-4 and no points in the championship round.

Saturday, January 27, 2018

Florida Panthers To Play In Finland

     The Florida Panthers will play two regular season games in Finland for the upcoming 2018-19 season. The opponent for both contests will be the Winnipeg Jets in early November. Aleksander Barkov of the Panthers and Patrik Laine of the Jets are both Finland natives.
     The two games are part of the NHL Global Series which began in 2017. The Panthers had opened the 2009-10 season with two games in Finland against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Heat Defeat Hornets

     The Miami Heat topped the Charlotte Hornets 95-91 on Saturday night at American Airlines Arena. The Heat beat the Hornets for the second time in the last eight days.
     Charlotte(20-28) took a 26-22 lead after one quarter and then trailed 54-48 at halftime thanks to a Heat 16-7 spurt. The Hornets rebounded in the third quarter to take a 78-65 lead. Miami(28-21) outscored their opponent 24-13 in the fourth to get the victory.
     Josh Richardson had a team-high 19 points for the Heat and Wayne Ellington downed 17 points.  Kelly Olynyk popped in 16 points while James Johnson compiled a double-double of 10 points along with 10 rebounds. Kemba Walker led the Hornets with a game-high 30 points and Dwight Howard put together a double-double with 20 points and 16 rebounds.

Friday, January 26, 2018

West Palm Beach Holiday Ratings 2017

     The holiday season came in the West Palm Beach region and the ratings were released for sports format radio stations. All three competitors in the market showed no improvement during the final weeks of December.
     640 The Hurricane WMEN-AM dropped from a 0.6 to a 0.3 in the short period. 1230 The Zone WBZT-AM remained the same with a limited audience of a 0.0 during that time. ESPN West Palm 106.3 WUUB-FM does not register to any ratings service for publication.

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Marlins Trade Christian Yelich

     The Miami Marlins traded outfielder Christian Yelich to the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday for four players. The Marlins have traded away their entire starting outfield from the 2017 season. The Fish had sent Giancarlo Stanton to the New York Yankees and Marcell Ozuna to the St. Louis Cardinals in December.
     Yelich had been in Major League Baseball with the Marlins since the 2013 season. He had his best power numbers in 2016 with 21 home runs and 98 runs batted in. Yelich dropped to 18 home runs and 81 RBI last year with Miami.

Kings Cut Off Heat

     The Sacramento Kings scored a last-second basket to beat the Miami Heat 89-88 on Thursday night at American Airlines Arena. The Heat have lost four of their last six games. The Kings entered the contest tied with the worst record in the National Basketball Association.
     Sacramento(15-33) had a 19-17 advantage after one quarter before they were tied with the Heat 47-47 at halftime. Miami(27-21) got ahead 72-71 by the end of the third quarter.
     Goran Dragic led the Heat with 23 points while Wayne Ellington added 20 points. Buddy Hield had a game-high 24 points for the Kings and Zach Randolph compiled a double-double with 10 points along with 10 rebounds.

Capitals Break Down Panthers

     The Florida Panthers played their final contest prior to the NHL All-Star Game break and they were defeated by the Washington Capitals 4-2 at BB&T Center on Thursday night. The Panthers have lost seven of their last nine games while the Capitals snapped a three-game losing streak.
     Florida(19-22-6) was awarded three power plays in the first 11 minutes of play and scored two seconds following the conclusion of their third power play. Jared McCann tipped an outlet pass toward the slot area. Denis Malgin put a wrist shot past Braden Holtby with 8:58 left in the first period.
     Alex Ovechkin picked up his 500th career assist when Washington(29-15-5) was on their first power play with 2:35 remaining in the first. He had the puck on the left point and sent a diagonal pass to Evgeny Kuznetsov in the low right circle. He passed to Nicklas Backstrom, who scored from the top of the crease for his 10th goal of the campaign.
     In the second period, the Panthers regained the lead at the 6:40 mark. Vincent Trocheck carried the puck to the right corner and flicked a centering pass that Jonathan Huberdeau touched. Malgin was on the doorstep and put in the loose puck for his second goal of the contest and seventh goal of the season.
     The Caps answered back just over one minute later at 7:51. Brooks Orpik snapped a shot from the left wing which was redirected in by Ovechkin from the low slot for his NHL-leading 30th goal of the season.
     The Capitals kept the momentum and took their first lead of the contest with 2:22 to go in the frame. Tom Wilson placed a cross-ice pass from the right circle and John Carlson blasted a one-time slap shot from the slot.
     Washington made it a two-goal cushion at 1:52 of the third period on the power play. Andre Burakovsky moved the puck from the top right circle to the top left circle and Brett Connolly smacked a one-time slap shot for the tally. It was his fourth goal in the last five games and fifth goal in his last eight games.

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Miami Holiday Ratings 2017

     Miami Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM was the top sports format radio station during the holiday period in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale region. The holiday period consists of several weeks in December and all three competitors had lower numbers.
     WQAM dropped from a 1.5 to a 1.2 during the holidays. The University of Miami football played in the Orange Bowl against the University of Wisconsin.
     Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM fell from a 0.9 to a 0.8 in the period. The time period mainly happened before the Miami Heat was able to string seven straight victories.
     Miami Sports 940 WINZ-AM slowed down from a 0.3 to a 0.2. It is a slow period with no Marlins baseball and few University of Florida basketball games.

Trevor Hoffman Elected To Baseball Hall Of Fame

     Former Florida Marlins pitcher Trevor Hoffman was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America on Wednesday. Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero and Jim Thome were also elected in and all of them will be inducted in July.
     Hoffman began his Major League Baseball career with the Marlins and spent several months with the club in 1993 after he was selected from the Cincinnati Reds in the 1992 expansion draft. He was traded to the San Diego Padres on June 24, 1993 for Gary Sheffield in a five-player deal. Hoffman helped San Diego win the National League title in 1998.
     He was with the Padres from 1993 until 2008 and played his last two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers. Hoffman finished second all-time in Major League Baseball history with 601 saves. Only Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees compiled more saves than him with 652.
     Hoffman joins several former players in the Baseball Hall of Fame who had played for the Marlins franchise. They include Andre Dawson, Mike Piazza, Pudge Rodriguez and Tim Raines.

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Stars Outshine Panthers

     The Florida Panthers finished a quick two-game road trip with a 6-1 defeat to the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center on Tuesday night. The Panthers, who have fallen in six of their last eight games, have a home game versus the Washington Capitals on Thursday prior to the NHL All-Star Game break.
     Dallas(28-17-4) scored on a a power-play goal with 4:15 left in the first period to go up 1-0. John Klingberg snapped a shot from the right point which was redirected in by Devin Shore past Harri Sateri.
     The Stars made it a two-goal margin at the 6:43 mark of the second period. Jamie Benn compiled his 20th goal of the season on a backhand shot from the low slot on a feed by Alexander Radulov from the right wing. Radulov added his 19th goal of the campaign on the power play at 9:53 for a 3-0 lead.
     Florida(19-21-6) broke the shutout by getting the puck by Ben Bishop with 4:13 left in the frame. Aaron Ekblad scored on the power play with assists from Nick Bjugstad and Denis Malgin.
     In the third period, Dallas extended their lead at 5:16. Mattias Janmark put in a tally from the right of the crease area on an assist from Klingberg, his 42nd of the season. Radulov got his second goal of the contest, which was unassisted, at 12:06 and Tyler Pitlick scored 20 seconds later to make it 6-1.

Monday, January 22, 2018

Rockets Speed Around Heat

     The Miami Heat lost to the Houston Rockets 99-90 at Toyota Center on Monday night. The Heat have been beaten three of their last five games. The Rockets have the second-best record in the Western Conference behind Golden State.
     Miami(27-20) took advantage in the first quarter and led 33-25 and were still ahead 50-46 at halftime. The second half belonged to Houston (33-12) as they pulled ahead 71-68 after three quarters and outscored the Heat 28-22 in the final quarter.
     James Harden led the Rockets with a game-high 28 points while Chris Paul compiled 16 points, six assists and six rebounds. Hassan Whiteside put together a double-double for the Heat with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Wayne Ellington downed 13 points and Josh Richardson dropped in 12 points.

Sunday, January 21, 2018

Predators Avoid Panthers

     Harri Sateri made his first NHL start in goal for the Cats as the Nahsville Preadators topped the Florida Panthers 4-3 at Bridgestone Arena on Saturday night. The Panthers have lost five of their last seven games while the Predators won their fifth consecutive game.
     It took just 36 seconds for Nashville(28-11-6) to score. Kevin Fiala put in the quick tally for the Preds. Florida(19-20-6) rallied back with two goals in the first period. Vincent Trocheck chalked up his 18th goal of the season at 11:16 and Derek MacKenzie scored his second goal of the campaign at 16:33.
     The Predators dominated the second period with three goals in the frame. Nick Bonino powered in a goal at the 1:24 mark, Fiala put in his second goal of the contest midway through at 10:53 and P.K. Subban ripped a slap shot from the top right circle with 3:31 left.
     The Panthers cut the margin to 4-3 with 9:34 remaining in the third. Keith Yandle did something that former Panthers Brent Severyn during the second season in franchise history. He was on the left wing of the neutral zone, angled his body like was he was going to send the puck around the end wall and instead blasted a slap shot by Pekka Rinne.

Saturday, January 20, 2018

Heat Come Back On Hornets

     The Miami Heat overcame a 10-point deficit to begin the fourth quarter and topped the Charlotte Hornets 106-105 on Saturday night at Spectrum Center. The Heat have won nine of their last 11 games and 16 of their last 22. 
     Miami(27-19) dribbled out to a 31-27 lead after one quarter and stayed ahead 57-48 at halftime. Charlotte(18-26) dominated the third quarter as they outscored the Heat 35-16 and took a 83-73 lead. The Heat drove by the Hornets in the final quarter with a 33-22 spurt to win the contest by one point.
     Wayne Ellington dropped a game-high 26 points and two other Miami players compiled double-doubles. Kelly Olynyk compiled 16 points and 10 rebounds while Hassan Whiteside got 10 points and 13 rebounds. Nicolas Batum popped in 26 points. Kemba Walker scored 22 points and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist drained in 14 points for Charlotte. Dwight Howard put together a double-double with 14 points along with 16 rebounds. 

Heat Fall To Nets

     The Miami Heat lost to the Brooklyn Nets 101-95 at Barclays Center on Friday night. The Heat have fallen in two of their last three games and are 15-6 in their last 21 games.
     Miami(26-19) started off fine 24-21 after one quarter and extended the lead 53-43 by halftime. The second half belonged to Brooklyn(17-29) and closed the gap to 69-67 after three quarters. The Nets outscored the Heat 34-26 in the fourth to win the contest.
     Hassan Whiteside led the Heat with a double-double of 22 points and 13 rebounds. Goran Dragic added 17 points while Josh Richardson and Kelly Olynyk both had 12 points each. DeMarre Carroll compiled a game-high 26 points for the Nets and Spencer Dinwiddie dropped in 15 points.

Friday, January 19, 2018

Panthers Retire Huizenga Jersey, Golden Knights

     The Florida Panthers hosted the National Hockey League's newest expansion franchise the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday night at BB&T Center and won 4-3 overtime. The Panthers retired the number 37 jersey for original owner H. Wayne Huizenga in a pre-game ceremony prior to the contest.
     Huizenga was the majority owner of the team from their inception until after the 2001-02 season. He joins Bill Torrey as the only uniform numbers retired by the club. Torrey had number 93 retired for him by the team on October 23, 2010.
     The Golden Knights are on pace to pass Florida for the most points by a first-year expansion franchise in NHL history. The Panthers compiled 83 points in their inaugural season back in 1993-94 and there is a banner currently hanging in the rafters that shows it. Former Panthers head coach Gerard Gallant, right wing Reilly Smith and center Jonathan Marchessault returned to Sunrise for the first time.
     Florida(19-19-6) put in a tally on their first shot of the contest at 3:15 of the first period. Nick Bjugstad softly passed the puck from the left goal line on net and Malcolm Subban paddled it out. Jamie McGinn pounced on the rebound and scored from the top of the crease for his sixth goal of the campaign.
     Vegas(30-11-4) answered back with 5:38 left in the frame. Erik Haula carried the puck down the right wing and stopped at the hash marks. His centering pass glanced off the stick of Brad Hunt in the high slot and David Perron followed with a high one-time slap shot past James Reimer.
     The Golden Knights went on their first power play and surrendered a shorthanded goal with 4:05 remaining in the first. Vincent Trocheck rushed up the right side on a 2-on-1 breakaway and released a shot from the slot area. Aleksander Barkov poked in the rebound from the left of the crease for his 15th goal of the season.
     In the second period, Vegas evened it up 2-2 at the 6:57 mark. Smith sent a lead pass to Shea Theodore on the left wing and he centered it. William Karlsson scored the goal from the right of the crease for his team-leading 25th goal.
     Florida was able to regain the lead 3-2 at 3:35 of the third period. Keith Yandle dropped the puck back to Barkov in the high slot and he snapped a shot that Subban saved. Evgenii Dadonov smacked in the rebound from the low right circle for his 10th goal of the year.
     The Golden Knights tied it up with 2:09 left in the third. James Neal faked a shot from the top right circle, went around one defender and then scored on a wrist shot from the slot area. Neal chalked up his 20th goal of the season.
     The contest went into overtime and the Cats took it 40 second in. Barkov placed a shot on net from close range and then Aaron Ekblad slapped in the rebound from the low slot.

Thursday, January 18, 2018

The Amigo Heading To SiriusXM Radio

     Larry Milian, a.k.a. The Amigo, will become the first morning show host and program director of SLAM Talk Radio which will be launched on SirusXM Radio later on this year in the fall. The new channel on SiriusXM Radio will be run by high school students.
     SLAM stands for Sports Leadership Arts and Management charter school network which is based in Miami. Pop music singer Pitbull is a co-founder and brass ambassador of the organization.
     Milian is currently a writer for CanesInsight.com and has been there since July 2017. He recently hosted a Saturday late morning show on 880 WZAB-AM with former WTVJ-TV sportscaster and current ESPN reporter Stefano Fusaro from August 2016 to February 2017.
     The Amigo has been up and down the South Florida radio dial for over a decade. He was a weekend co-host and late night co-host with Alan Strauss as the Dos Amigos on Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM from late 2005 to 2009. He landed at 640 Sports WMEN-AM in late 2009 as a weekend host afternoon co-host with Andy Slater. He was promoted to mornings and partnered with Armando Salguero followed by Chris Perkins from July 2010 to December 2011.
     He moved to Miami Sports 940 WINZ-AM in January 2012 and worked a mid-afternoon program, first with Phil Domanic and later with Troy Stradford, until August 2013. Milian shifted to the internet as a writer and Wednesday night podcast host on StateOfTheU.com in August 2013. He added duties as a Saturday late morning sports host on SoFloRadio.com in April 2014. Milian later became the morning show host on SportsOvertime.com in 2015.

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Heat Pay Off Bucks Again

     The Miami Heat played their final regular season game ever at BMO Harris Bradley Arena on Wednesday night and stopped the Milwaukee Bucks 106-101. It was the second time in the last four days that both clubs faced each other. The Heat have been victorious in 15 of their last 20 games.
     Miami(26-18) pulled out ahead 30-25 after one quarter. Milwaukee(23-21) responded and had halftime lead of 57-52. The Bucks were still led 79-78 after three quarters of play. The Heat went on a 12-3 run to go up 99-93 with 2:34 left in the fourth quarter.
     Hassan Whiteside racked up a double-double with 27 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks for the Heat. Kelly Olynyk added 15 points, Josh Richardson dropped 14 points and Wayne Ellington had 11 points. The Bucks got a double-double from Giannis Antetokounmpo who had 22 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Khris Middleton had a team-high 25 points and Eric Bledsoe popped in 11 points.

Eric Reid Wins Florida Sportscaster Award

     Miami Heat television play-by-play announcer Eric Reid has been named the winner of the National Sports Media Association Florida Sportscaster of the Year award. It is the first time that Reid had received this honor from that organization that was once known as the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. 
     Reid, an Ithaca College grad, has been with the Miami Heat organization since their inception into the NBA back in 1988. He was the game analyst alongside Sam Smith on the television and radio simulcast during the first three seasons of the Heat. Reid was elevated to the television play-by-play position in 1991 and has held that post since. 
     The NSMA also announced that Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald is the Florida Sportswriter of the Year. Jackson started as a sports media writer for the Miami Herald in the early 1990s. He has broadened his scope in the last couple of years working as the Miami Heat and Miami Dolphins beat writer. 

Dino Costa In New York City

     Former South Florida sports radio host Dino Costa recently joined WNYM-AM in New York City. He is hosting an overnight sports show on that station.
     Costa is best remembered locally as the first afternoon host on 1400 The Fan WFLL-AM in Fort Lauderdale. He hosted the program from April 2004 until July 2004.
     Since leaving South Florida, Costa has worked in several different markets. He worked at several outlets in Denver for the rest of the 2000s. He joined Sirius XM Radio in September 2009 as an afternoon host on Mad Dog Radio and stayed there until October 2013.
     He returned to Florida and worked with Pat Paolini as a mid-afternoon co-host on WAOC-AM in St. Augustine from August 2014 to late 2015. Costa had short stints at KFNS-AM in St. Louis as a morning host from March 2016 to April 2016 and with KXTG-AM in Portland, Oregon as an afternoon host from June 2017 to August 2017.

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Ethan J. Skolnick Returns With Podcast

     Ethan J. Skolnick has returned to the South Florida media with a podcast called Five Reasons on PodBean.com. His co-host is Miami Dolphins pregame studio co-host Chris Wittyngham of Miami Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM.
     Skolnick was last heard on the radio in Miami at Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM on the afternoon show with Chris Perkins in July 2017. He joined The Ticket in September 2015 as an afternoon co-host with Israel Gutierrez and they held that post together for a couple of months. Wittyngham became the permanent afternoon co-host with Skolnick in January 2016 and then he left the program in September 2016.
     Skolnick was a sports reporter previously with the Palm Beach Post, Miami Herald and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He was an NBA video reporter for CBS Sports.com from the middle of 2016 until the end of July 2017.

Monday, January 15, 2018

Bulls End Heat Winning Streak

     The Chicago Bulls ended the Miami Heat seven-game winning streak with a 119-111 victory on Monday at United Center. Miami has won 14 of their last 19 games.
     Chicago(17-27) bounced out to a 32-25 margin after one quarter and remained ahead 55-48 by halftime. Miami(25-18) fell further behind 84-72 after three quarters and were unable to come back.
     Goran Dragic compiled 22 points and eight assists for the Heat while Wayne Ellington dropped in 20 points. Kelly Olynyk fell short of a double-double with 21 points and nine rebounds. Justin Holiday led the Bulls with 25 points and Lauri Markkanen added 17 points with nine rebounds. Nikola Mirotic and Zach LaVine both had 18 points each.

Sunday, January 14, 2018

Heat Blow By Bucks

     The Miami Heat routed the Milwaukee Bucks 97-79 on Sunday at American Airlines Arena. The Heat extended their winning streak to seven games and have won 14 of their last 18 games.
     Milwaukee(22-20) had a 23-21 edge after one quarter and led 43-41 at halftime. Miami(25-17) came out strong early in the second half and moved ahead 71-59 after three quarters. The Heat pulled away and outscored the Bucks 26-20 in the final quarter.
     Goran Dragic led the Heat with 26 points while Hassan Whiteside put together a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Josh Richardson dropped 16 points and Tyler Johnson had 14 points. Giannis Antetokounmpo had a team-high 22 points for the Bucks and Khris Middleton added 16 points.

Saturday, January 13, 2018

Palm Beach County High School All-Star Game

     The annual Palm Beach County High School Senior All-Star Game was held on Saturday at John I. Leonard. Many of the players showed off their talent for the final time to colleges prior to national signing day in early February. The American won the contest 14-0.
     It was a surprise that neither one of the two teams scored in the first three quarters. It was broken by Palm Beach Central quarterback Nick Atkins as he ran to the left side from five yards away to give the American a 7-0 lead with 9:49 left in the fourth quarter.
     The National surrendered another touchdown with no time remaining in the game. Olympic Heights running back Reis Clark went around the left end on a one-yard touchdown run.

Steve Goldstein Not Working Olympics

     Steve Goldstein will not be working the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea next month. He will announce television play-by-play for the Florida Panthers on Fox Sports Florida in February. 
     The National Hockey League won't be sending players to the Olympics this year. The NHL had an Olympic break for he regular-season schedule in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014. 
     Goldstein was the radio hockey play-by-play announcer on Westwood One in the two previous Olympics. He was partnered in the broadcast booth with two former Florida Panthers. John Vanbiesbrouck was the game analyst in 2010 and Bret Hedican was the game analyst in 2014.  

Friday, January 12, 2018

Flames Cool Down Panthers

     The Florida Panthers returned following a four-game road swing and were defeated by the Calgary Flames 4-2 on Friday night at BB&T Center. It was the Panthers fourth loss in their last five games. The Flames extended their winning streak to a season-high six games.
     After no scoring in the first period, Florida(18-19-6) scored on the power play 27 seconds into the second. Jonathan Huberdeau had the puck in the left corner and passed it out to Evgenii Dadonov and he sent a snap shot by David Rittich for his eighth goal of the campaign.
     Calgary(24-16-8) answered back quickly at the one-minute mark to tie the contest 1-1. Mark Giordano made a pass from the left point ahead to Dougie Hamilton. He connected a pass to the high slot where Sean Monahan scored on a slap shot past James Reimer for his 21st goal of the season.
     The Flames broke out to their first lead midway through the second at the 10:38 mark. Matthew Tkachuk dropped the puck back from the low left circle to the high slot. Travis Hamonic fired a slap shot and Tkachuk backhanded in the rebound from the left of the crease.
     Calgary made it 3-1 on a power-play goal with 3:45 left in the second. Monahan connected a cross-ice pass from the right circle and Johnny Gaudreau blasted a slap shot from the top left circle for his 15th tally.
     The Panthers, who will take their league-mandated five days off following the game, closed the gap to 3-2 with 6:37 remaining in the third period. Aleksander Barkov carried the puck through the slot and put a shot on goal. Dadonov swept in the rebound from the right side of the crease with a forehand shot. Mikael Backlund added an empty-net goal for Calgary with 45.1 seconds to go on a feed from Tkachuk.

Thursday, January 11, 2018

Panthers And Bruins Rescheduled For April 8

     The Florida Panthers game in Boston against the Bruins has been rescheduled for April 8 at 7:30 p.m. The contest will be played one day after the end of the NHL regular season.
     The game between both clubs in Boston was postponed on January 4 due to severe weather conditions. The Panthers did the rare emergency circumstance of flying out of Boston the next day and playing that night in Detroit against the Red Wings.

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Heat Jump Past Pacers

     The Miami Heat finished a quick two-game road trip as they topped the Indiana Pacers 114-106 on Wednesday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Heat, who now have a six-game winning streak, were victorious for the 13th time in their last 17 games. The Pacers had not lost a home game to the Heat since February 14, 2012.
     Miami(24-17) exploded out to a 38-26 advantage in the first quarter with no turnovers and stayed ahead 58-47 by halftime. Indiana(21-20) still were behind 84-78 after three quarters and compiled a 14-5 run during the fourth quarter to tie it 97-97 with 5:08 left. The Heat finished off the contest with a 17-9 spurt.
     Goran Dragic fell short of the double-double for the Heat with 20 points along with nine assists and Bam Adebayo dropped in 15 points. Tyler Johnson and Wayne Ellington had 15 points each while Hassan Whiteside hit a double-double of 16 points along with 15 rebounds. Victor Oladipo led the Pacers with 26 points and seven rebounds. Domantas Sabonis powered in 18 points and Thaddeus Young contributed 12 points and nine rebounds.

Aleksander Barkov Named To All-Star Team

     Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov was named as a member of the NHL All-Star Game to be played in Tampa on January 27. He will participate for the Atlantic Division squad.
     Barkov will be playing in his first all-star game. He has compiled 14 goals and 26 assists in 41 games with the Panthers this season. Barkov has been with Florida for the past five seasons.

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Heat Get Buzzer Beater Over Raptors

     Wayne Ellington drove down the right baseline for a game-winning basket with 0.3 seconds left as the Miami Heat edged the Toronto Raptors 90-89 at Air Canada Centre on Tuesday night. The Heat have now won 12 of their last 16 games.
     Miami(23-17) took a 22-21 lead after one quarter and led 51-41 by halftime. Toronto(28-11) cut into the margin and were down 72-64 after three quarters. They outscored the Heat in the fourth quarter and gave up the last-second basket by Ellington, who had 15 points.
     The Heat were led by Goran Dragic with a double-double of 24 points and 12 rebounds. Bam Adebayo also compiled a double-double with 16 points along with 15 rebounds while Hassan Whiteside added 13 points and 15 rebounds. DeMar DeRozan led Toronto with 25 points and Serge Ibaka poured in 11 points.

Panthers Come Back On Blues

     The Florida Panthers started the second half of the regular season and beat the St. Louis Blues 7-4 at Scottrade Center on Tuesday night. The Panthers finished a five-game road swing which included a postponed game in Boston last week.
     St. Louis(26-17-3) moved out to a 1-0 lead early in the first period at 48 seconds on their first shot of the contest. Joel Edmundson  shot the puck from far range on net and Paul Stastny put in the loose puck from the right of the crease past James Reimer.
     The Blues extended their lead to 2-0 during a 4-on-4 situation at 8:05 on just their fourth shot on goal. Brayden Schenn connected a pass from the top of the zone to Vladimir Tarasenko in the right circle. He passed across the slot to Colton Parayko and he scored on a one-timer from the low left circle.
     Florida(18-18-6) answered back quickly and scored at the 9:14 mark to make it 2-1. Denis Malgin skated the puck from behind the Blues net to the left wing and dropped it to Keith Yandle. He zipped a cross-ice pass to Aaron Ekblad in the low slot and he backhanded in a shot by Jake Allen.
     The Panthers climbed out of a two-goal deficit to tied it 2-2 with 3:03 left in the first. Jonathan Huberdeau was on the left goal line and forwarded the puck into the crease area. It went off the left skate of Aleksander Barkov and into the net. He tied with David Booth for 10th in Florida franchise history with his 87th career goal.
     In the second period, St. Louis regained the lead 3-2 at 4:17.  Alexander Steen was at center ice and made a left-outlet pass to Ivan Barbashev at the Panthers blue line. He sent a diagonal pass to the right circle where Tarasenko sailed in a wrist shot for his 19th tally of the season.
     The tide turned as Florida scored three straight goals to end the frame. Vincent Trocheck centered the puck off the body of Connor Brickley and Radim Vrbata raced in to score from the low slot at 12:23 and evened it 3-3.
     Barkov won a draw from the right face-off circle and Huberdeau charged in. He released a forehand shot from the edge of the circle for his 16th goal of the campaign with 4:05 to go.
     The Panthers got a two-goal margin 5-3 with 3:23 remaining. Michael Matheson carried the puck up the left-wing wall and backhanded a pass to Trocheck in the high slot. His snap shot was his 16th goal of the year.
     The Cats added a shorthanded goal, which is the most in the NHL this season, with 6:58 left in the third period. Colton Sceviour scored with an assist from Derek MacKenzie.
     The Blues made it closer 6-4 with 2:41 remaining. Tage Thompson scored from the slot area on a feed from Vladimir Sobotka from the end wall. Florida added an empty-net goal by Trocheck from the right wing with 2:04 to go in the third.

Monday, January 8, 2018

Local Players Win National Championship

     The University of Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the University of Georgia Bulldogs 26-23 in overtime on Monday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. It is the 17th national title for Alabama. Nick Saban tied Bear Bryant with his sixth national title among head coaches in the college football poll era.
     Several former South Florida high school players were on the winning side. They included wide receiver Calvin Ridley of Monarch, wide receiver Jerry Jeudy of Deerfield Beach, defensive back Daniel Wright of Cardinal Gibbons/Boyd Anderson and linebacker VanDarius Cowan of Palm Beach Gardens.

Sunday, January 7, 2018

Heat Drown Jazz

     The Miami Heat held off the Utah Jazz and won 103-102 at American Airlines Arena on Sunday. The Heat, who completed a three-game home stand, have now won 11 of their last 15 games.
     Miami(22-17) pulled out to a 27-22 lead after one quarter and were up 49-47 at halftime. Utah(16-24) overtook them 75-74 after three quarters, however the Heat outscored the Jazz 29-27 in the final quarter.
     Miami had six players with double-digit scoring. Goran Dragic and Tyler Johnson both had 16 points each. Hassan Whiteside compiled a double-double of 14 points along with 11 rebounds while Josh Richardson poured in 14 points. Donovan Mitchell had a team-high 27 points for the Jazz and Rodney Hood dropped in 17 points. Derrick Favors got a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Panthers Fall To Blue Jackets In Long Shootout

     The Florida Panthers had to go eight rounds into a shootout and lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 at Nationwide Arena on Sunday night. The Panthers have reached the midway point of the regular season following the game. The Cats finish their long road trip at St. Louis on Tuesday.
     Columbus(24-16-3) put in a tally halfway through the first period at 9:47. Seth Jones forwarded the puck from the right wing to Pierre-Luc Dubois to the right of the crease. He backhanded it to Nick Foligno in the slot and he powered home a wrist shot by James Reimer.
     Florida(17-18-6) was able to tie it up 1-1 on the power play just 31 seconds into the second period. Aleksander Barkov poked the puck away from Jack Johnson in the right corner. Evgenii Dadonov snapped a cross-ice pass from the boards and Jonathan Huberdeau redirected it in from the top of the crease for his 15th goal of the season.
     The Blue Jackets converted on their own power play with 2:11 left in the second. Jones connected a pass from the right circle to the middle and Dubois pushed it in from the blue paint.
     In the third period, the Panthers added an extra attacker in the final two minutes during a 4-on-4 situation. Keith Yandle was at the top of the zone and found Huberdeau along at the top left circle. His pass bounced off a defender and Barkov lifted the puck into the cage from the left of the crease by Sergei Bobrovsky with 1:34 remaining for his 13th goal of the campaign.
     The shootout went for a while. Artemi Panarin scored on the Blue Jackets first attempt. Barkov matched for the Panthers in the second round. Johnson of Columbus and Michael Matheson of Florida both converted in the sixth round. Josh Anderson decided it with the game-winner during the eighth round.

Saturday, January 6, 2018

Lamar Jackson To Enter NFL Draft

     Former local high school quarterback Lamar Jackson has decided enter the NFL Draft later this year. He had one more year of eligibility left at the University of Louisville.
     Jackson played high school with the Boynton Beach Tigers and helped them reached the FHSAA Class 6A playoffs in 2013 and 2014. He went on to play college football with Louisville and became the youngest person to ever win the Heisman Trophy in 2016. Jackson, who turns 21 on Sunday, was one of the final nominees for the Heisman this past year.

Friday, January 5, 2018

Red Wings Rally By Panthers

     The Detroit Red Wings held on to defeat the Florida Panthers 4-2 at Little Caesars Arena on Friday night. The Panthers did a rare thing by flying to Detroit the day of the game and playing that night. Former Dallas Stars head coach Lindy Ruff had done it with his club for preseason games in 2014 and 2015 by flying to South Florida the day of the game.
     Detroit(17-16-7) struck quickly 42 seconds into the contest. Andreas Athanasiou scored his ninth goal of the year on an assist from Mike Green. Tomas Tatar made it a two-goal margin at 7:08 of the second period.
     Florida(17-18-5) was able to score by the end of the period with 1.5 seconds remaining. Michael Matheson pulled off a great play and put in his fourth tally with an assist from Jared McCann.
     The Panthers tied the game 2-2 at 3:19 of the third period. Aleksander Barkov scored his 12th goal of the season on assists from Jonathan Huberdeau and Evgenii Dadonov.
     The Red Wings regained the lead on a shot by Martin Frk that was deflected in by Anthony Mantha during a power play at 8:03. They go insurance with 4:38 left as Gustav Nyquist compiled his 13th goal of the campaign to make it 4-2.

Heat Slip By Knicks In Overtime

     The Miami Heat took the New York Knicks 107-103 in overtime at American Airlines Arena on Friday night. The Heat have been victorious in 10 of their last 14 games.
     Miami(21-17) had a 26-25 advantage after one quarter and led 51-45 at halftime. New York(18-21) trailed 75-71 after three quarters before tying it and sending the contest into overtime. The Heat outscored the Knicks 10-6 in the extra session.
     Wayne Ellington dropped in a team-high 24 points for Miami and Josh Richardson added 18 points. Goran Dragic compiled 19 points, six assists and six rebounds. Courtney Lee delivered 24 points for the Knicks while former Heat player Michael Beasley put together a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Thursday, January 4, 2018

Panthers Game Postponed In Boston

     The Florida Panthers game against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Thursday night has been postponed. The severe winter storm in the Boston area is the reason.
     No date or time has been announced for the rescheduled contest. That will be decided sometime in the near future. The Panthers will play their next game on Friday night in Detroit as they face the Red Wings.
     The earliest the Panthers and Bruins game can be made up in Boston is January 22. Another day available is January 29 which is one day after the NHL All-Star Game in Tampa Bay. Both teams are in Vancouver to play the Canucks within days of each other and a neutral-site game can be played on February 15. Neither club has a two-game gap at the same time in March or the first week of April for the game to be played. It could be rescheduled one day after the regular season ends on April 8.

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Heat Outdistance Pistons

     The Miami Heat played their first game of the 2018 calendar year and got a 111-104 victory over the Detroit Pistons at American Airlines Arena on Wednesday night. It was the first game of a three-game home stand for Miami. The Heat, who have won nine of their last 13 contests, reached three games over .500 for the first time in the last two seasons.
     Detroit(20-16) began the game ahead 29-14 after one quarter and trailed 56-52 at halftime. Both clubs were tied 81-81 after three quarters. Miami(20-17) was tied with the Pistons 94-94 early in the final quarter before they finished with a 17-10 run to pull ahead.
     Kelly Olynyk compiled a double-double for the Heat with a game-high 25 points and 12 rebounds. Goran Dragic also had a double-double of 24 points and 13 assists while Josh Richardson poured in 22 points. Tobias Harris led the Pistons with 19 points along with seven rebounds and Reggie Bullock contributed 17 points.

Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Wild Ends Panthers Winning Streak

     The Florida Panthers had their season-high, five-game winning streak snapped as they fell to the Minnesota Wild 5-1 at Xcel Energy Center on Tuesday night. It was the first game of a five-game road trip for the Panthers.
     In the first period, Minnesota(21-16-3) drew first blood with 5:39 left. Daniel Winnik passed from the left wing to Jared Spurgeon, he took a slap shot from the right point and James Reimer made a right leg save. Former Panther Matt Cullen connected on the rebound from the inner edge of the left circle to make it 1-0.
     The goal finished a streak that the Cats had not been behind in a game for 210 minutes. The last time the team trailed was against the same Wild squad in Sunrise 12 days ago.
     The Wild extended their lead to 2-0 at the 1:56 of the second period. Cullen scored for the second time on assists from Marcus Foligno and Gustav Olofsson.
     Eric Staal would score twice in less than three minutes later in the frame for a four-goal margin. He put in a tally with 5:29 to go and added another with 2:50 remaining. Tyler Ennis compiled assists on both plays for Minnesota.
     Florida(17-17-5) finally got on the board at 3:40 of the third period. Aleksander Barkov was on the left-wing wall and sent a cross-ice pass to Vincent Trocheck in the low right circle. He quickly passed to the crease area where Jonathan Huberdeau tipped the puck in from the blue paint for his 14th goal of the season. Harri Sateri made his NHL debut in net for the Panthers when he replaced an injured James Reimer during the second period.
     Minnesota got a four-goal lead again with 3:05 left in the third. Charlie Coyle was able to score into an empty net after the Panthers pulled their goalie for an extra attacker.

Channing Crowder Stays With WQAM

     Channing Crowder will remain at Miami Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM as the afternoon co-host with Marc Hochman. Crowder's final day of his previous contract was on December 31 and he did co-host the Miami Dolphins pregame show on the station with Chris Wittyngham on Sunday.
     Crowder, a former Miami Dolphins linebacker from 2005 until 2010, retired from the NFL in August 2011 and joined WQAM as a fill-in host and Miami Dolphins expert.  He became the early afternoon co-host with Adam Kuperstein in October 2012 and was with him until September 2013.
     He then did a short three-month stint as the afternoon co-host with Brandon Guzio for the rest of the year. Crowder was moved back to the early afternoon shift and rejoined Kuperstein in January 2014 and stayed there until he was let go in July 2015.
     Crowder returned to the station in August 2015 and co-hosted the afternoon program with Marc Hochman and Zach Krantz. A decision was made to move Krantz to the morning show with Joe Rose in May 2017.

Dan Sileo Leaves XETRA-AM

     Former South Florida sports talk host Dan Sileo has left the morning show at XEPRS-AM in San Diego. He joined that station back in February 2014 and was a San Diego Padres Radio Network weekday pregame studio host for the 2015 season.
     Sileo made several stops in South Florida prior to his arrival in San Diego. He became the afternoon host at Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM in April 2012 and was moved to the midday shift in September 2012. He was a postgame studio analyst on the Miami Hurricanes Radio Network during the 2012 season. Sileo was fired by WQAM in March 2013.
     He landed at 640 Sports WMEN-AM as a midday host in early August 2013. His reign was short there and was let go in November 2013.
     Sileo worked at several different radio stations before moving to Miami. He was in San Francisco and worked as a sports host at KNBR-AM and KTCT-AM. Sileo made his way to WFXJ-AM in Jacksonville and was the late morning host during the early 2000s. He joined the Clear Channel Orlando in October 2002 and worked the morning shift at several stations which included WQTM-AM, WFLF-AM and WYGM-AM until October 2010. Sileo added duties as the WDAE-AM morning host in Tampa during that time and stayed there until March 2012.

Monday, January 1, 2018

Larry Ridley At CBS Sports Radio Network

     Former Miami television sportscaster Larry Ridley recently joined CBS Sports Radio Network as a weekend sports anchor. He currently is employed as a sports anchor on SportsNite at SNY in New York City.
     Ridley worked as a sports reporter at WSVN-TV Channel 7 in Miami back in the mid 2000s. He moved on to WHDH-TV in Boston and worked there as a sportscaster for five years. Ridley then joined WESH-TV in Orlando as a sports director and sports anchor in February 2012.