Saturday, March 31, 2018

Nets Outscore Heat

     The Brooklyn Nets slipped by the Miami Heat 110-109 in overtime at American Airlines Arena on Saturday night. The Heat had their eight-game home winning streak snapped and they failed to clinch an Eastern Conference playoff spot.
     The first half belonged to Miami(41-36) as they were ahead 32-22 after one quarter and were up 55-48 at halftime. Brooklyn(25-51) caught the Heat and led 80-76 after the third quarter. After the game was tied 101-101 at the end of regulation, the Nets outscored their opponent 9-8 in extra session.
     Goran Dragic had 20 points and eight rebounds while Kelly Olynyk dropped in 16 points for Miami. Dwyane Wade and Josh Richardson both had 13 points each. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson got a double-double with 20 points and 14 rebounds for the Nets. Caris LeVert also put together a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Bruins Rout Panthers

     The Florida Panthers ran into a buzzsaw on Saturday at TD Garden as they were blasted by the Boston Bruins 5-1. Florida dropped to five points behind the New Jersey Devils for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Boston moved ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning for first place in the Atlantic Division.
     It was the final game of a four-game road swing for the Panthers, who have played seven of their last eight games away from home. The Cats return to Sunrise for a four-game home stand on Monday night against Carolina.
     Things started off right for Florida(39-30-8) in the early part of the first period. Keith Yandle put a shot on net that Tuukka Rask saved. Jamie McGinn jammed at the puck several times from the left of the crease until it went in at the 4:59 mark.
      An avalanche of scoring by Boston(49-17-11) would begin for them with 8:45 left in the first. David Krejci made a spinning wrist shot from the right point and Nick Holden redirected it from the top of the crease past James Reimer.
     The Bruins made it 2-1 with 5:54 to go. Ryan Donato took the puck away from Alexander Petrovic behind the Panthers cage and backhanded a pass in front. Jake DeBrusk put in a one-time shot.
     In the second period, Boston continued to roll with three more goals. Krejci feed a pass to Donato and he put in a tally from close range at 1:32. Patrice Bergeron connected with a power-play goal with 6:20 remaining and DeBrusk compiled his second goal of the contest with 3:28 left in the second.

Friday, March 30, 2018

Marlins Edge Cubs In 17 Innings

     The Miami Marlins managed to top the Chicago Cubs 2-1 in 17 innings on Friday night at Marlins Park. It was the second game of a six-game home stand for the Fish.
     In the third inning, Kris Bryant lifted a solo home run to left field on a 1-2 pitch with one out to give Chicago(1-1) a 1-0 lead. It was the first homer of the season for the 2016 National League Most Valuable Player.
     Miami(1-1) would tie the contest in the bottom of the frame. Lewis Brinson singled through the right side of the infield for his first base hit as a Marlin. Two batters later, former Cub Starlin Castro knocked in Brinson with a base hit into left field.
     There was no scoring by either club until the bottom of the 17th inning. Brian Andreson singled to left with two outs and Cameron Maybin followed with a base hit deep in the hole on the left side. Miguel Rojas then lined a single into center field for Anderson to score from second and gave the Marlins a 3-2 victory.

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Panthers Edged By Senators

     The Florida Panthers played in Ottawa for the second time in over a week and lost to the Senators 3-2 in overtime at Canadian Tire Centre. It was the third game of a four-game trip for the Cats.
     The Panthers remained behind the New Jersey Deivls by three points for the second wild-card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Henrik Borgstrom made his NHL debut with the Panthers.
     After no scoring in the first, Ottawa(27-39-11) drew first blood at 1:24 of the second period. Jean-Gabriel Pageau put in a tally on assists from Mike Hoffman and Tom Pyatt.
     Florida(39-29-8) would gain momentum as they scored twice in a 1:31 span. Jared McCann dropped a pass back to Aaron Ekblad in the left circle. He angled to the right circle and snapped a shot from the top right circle by Craig Anderson on the power play at the 5:19 mark. It was a career-best 16th goal of the campaign for Ekblad.
     The Cats took their first lead 2-1 at 6:50. MacKenzie Weegar fed a pass from the right wing across to Evgenii Dadnov and he scored on a wrist shot from the high slot for his 26th goal of the season. He was able to extend his goal streak to three games.
     The Sens once again scored early for the second straight frame. Zack Smith placed a shot on goal and Magnus Paajarvi deflected it in past James Reimer 16 seconds into the third period to make it 2-2.
     It looked like the contest would go into a shootout until Michael Matheson tripped up Pageau as he approached the Panthers cage with 12.4 seconds left. Pageau was awarded a penalty shot and he converted on it with a forehand shot for his second goal of the game.

Heat Ramble By Bulls

     The Miami Heat got by the Chicago Bulls 103-92 at American Airlines Arena on Thursday night. The Heat, who won their eighth straight home game, have been victorious in five of their last seven games.
     The first quarter ended with Miami(41-35) ahead 29-21. The Heat maintained their lead 51-46 at halftime. Chicago(24-51) still were behind 78-68 after three quarters and trailed 91-77 midway through the fourth.
     The Heat were led by Josh Richardson with 22 points and Goran Dragic with 17. Dwyane Wade had eight points against his former team while Justise Winslow fell short of a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds. David Nwaba got a team-high 15 points for Chicago. Bobby Portis, Justin Holiday and Robin Lopez had 13 points each.

Marlins Lose Opener To Cubs

     The Miami Marlins played their season opener against the Chicago Cubs at Marlins Park on Thursday and were defeated 8-4. It was the first game the club played under the new ownership group of Bruce Sherman and Derek Jeter.
     The Marlins wore a patch on their jerseys to celebrate the 25th year of playing in Major League Baseball. Both the Cubs and Marlins wore a MSD patch on their uniforms in memory of the recent tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
     The first pitch of the game Marlins starting pitcher Jose Urena threw was smashed by Ian Happ over the right-field wall for a solo home run to give Chicago(1-0) a 1-0 lead. The Cubs were able to load the bases with two outs. Jason Heyward walked for Kris Bryant to score. Javier Baez then was hit by a pitch and Parkland native Anthony Rizzo scored from third.
     Cubs starting pitcher Jon Lester got the first two batters out in the bottom of the first, but Miami(0-1) mounted a rally. Newcomer Starlin Castro reached base on a ground ball to short and went to second on a fielding error. After Justin Bour walked, Castro scored on a single by Brian Anderson into right-center field.
     The Cubbies added another run in the second inning to make it 4-1. Rizzo belted a solo homer into the right-field upper deck on a 0-0 pitch.
     The Marlins chalked up three runs to tie the contest 4-4 in the bottom of the third inning. Derek Dietrich led off with a triple into deep left field. Following a walk by Castro, Justin Bour grounded out softly to third which brought in Dietrich. Anderson then singled to left-center field, which scored Castro, and the ball went by Kyle Schwarber to the fence. Garrett Cooper knocked in Anderson from third with a base hit up the middle of the diamond to even up the game.
     In the fourth inning, Chicago regained the lead 5-4. Kris Bryant connected with a one-out double to left field and later scored on a double by Wilson Contreras into left field.
     The Cubs broke the game open in the top of the seventh with three runs. Schwarber lifted a 3-1 pitch over the right-center field fence for a home run with one out. Addison Russell singled to shallow center field and Heyward reached base on catcher's interference. Both crossed the plate when pinch-hitter Tommy La Stella doubled into the right-center field gap.

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Maple Leafs Jump On Panthers

     The Florida Panthers continued their four-game road trip and fell to the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 on Wednesday night at Air Canada Centre. The Panthers remain three points behind the New Jersey Devils for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. The Maple Leafs set franchise records with their 46th victory of the season and 27th home win.
     Toronto(46-24-7) blasted out to a 1-0 lead just 3:05 into the contest. Mitch Marner released a wrist shot from the high slot which went off the back glass. He got to the rebound in the right circle and rocketed a slap shot by Roberto Luongo for his 21st goal of the year.
     The Maple Leafs increased the gap to 2-0 midway through the frame at the 9:24 mark. William Nylander carried the puck into the Panthers zone on the right side and angled a pass back to Auston Matthews at the top of the zone. He snapped in a shot from the high slot for his 30th goal of the season.
     The Leafs continued the torrid pace and made it a three-goal margin with 6:05 left in the first. Marner circled around the top of the zone to the top right circle. His shot on goal was redirected in by Patrick Marleau from the top of the crease. It was the 533rd NHL goal which tied Frank Mahovlich for 33rd all-time.
     Florida(39-29-7) would not be held silent and got on the scoreboard with 2:11 remaining. Denis Malgin stripped Zach Hyman of the puck in the Maple Leafs zone and poked it to the middle. Jonathan Huberdeau scored on a wrist shot from the slot area past Frederik Andersen.
     The Panthers closed it to 3-2 at 15:08 of the second period. Mark Pysyk made a drop pass on the right wing to Vincent Trocheck. He connected a pass from the low right circle to the face-off dot and Huberdeau put in his second goal of the game and 25th goal of the campaign.
     In the third period, James van Riemsdyk collected his 35th tally of the season and 200th career goal with 8:12 to go. Tyler Bozak backhanded a pass from the end wall to the middle and van Riemsdyk whacked in a one-time shot from close range.
     The Cats pulled Luongo from the ice for an extra attacker and they scored with 1:26 left. A slap shot from the blue line by Keith Yandle was stopped, however Evgenii Dadonov tipped in the rebound with a backhand swipe.

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Heat Stop Cavaliers

     The Miami Heat hosted the defending Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night at American Airlines Arena and beat them 98-79. The Heat have won four of their last six games overall and seven consecutive home games.
     It was the first time that Dwyane Wade faced LeBron James and his former team since being traded from them in February. The Heat have won their last 13 meetings against the Cavs in Miami.
     Miami(40-35) got ahead 29-18 after the first quarter. They had a 16-8 spurt to begin the second and led by halftime 54-34. Cleveland(44-30) were unable to gain traction late in the third and trailed 75-59 heading into the final quarter.
     Kelly Olynyk got a game-high 19 points while James Johnson and Josh Richardson both had 15 points each. Wade was able to drop in 12 points for the Heat. James put together 18 points, seven assists and five rebounds for the Cavaliers. Rodney Hood poured in 15 points while Jordan Clarkson and Jose Calderon each got 11.

Monday, March 26, 2018

Panthers Shut Out Islanders

     The Florida Panthers picked up a 3-0 shutout victory over the New York Islanders at Barclays Center on Monday night. It was the first game of a four-game road trip for the Cats. The Panthers are now 13-3-1 in their last 17 games and 20-6-1 in their last 27.
     They are now one point behind the New Jersey Devils for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. New York(31-35-10) was officially eliminated from the playoff race. It was the final game in the Islanders five-game home stand.
     The Panthers took a 1-0 lead at the 11:38 mark of the first period. Aleksander Barkov handed the puck to Evgenii Dadonov on the right wing. His pass to the top of the zone went to Keith Yandle and he snapped a shot past Christopher Gibson.
     In the second period, Florida(39-28-7) mounted two more goals to go up 3-0. Nick Bjugtad scored his 18th goal of the campaign from the right circle while on the power play at 1:47. Jamie McGinn connected a cross-ice pass from the left circle to him on the play.
     Dadonov made it a three-goal margin on his 24th goal of the season at the 6:09 mark. A centering pass from the left wing went off the left skate of Brandon Davidson at the top of the crease and into the Islanders cage.
     Panthers goalie James Reimer was able to make 32 saves in the shutout win. It was his 21st shutout in the National Hockey League.

Miami Dolphins Sign Brock Osweiler

     The Miami Dolphins recently signed free agent quarterback Brock Osweiler to a deal. He has spent the last four seasons with four teams.
     Osweiler broke in with the Denver Broncos in 2012 as a backup quarterback to Peyton Manning. Together they helped the Broncos win Super Bowl 50 and two AFC Championships. He appeared in 23 games in four seasons with the team.
     He signed a long-term contract with the Houston Texans in 2016 following winning the Super Bowl. Osweiler was there for one season and then was traded to the Cleveland Browns. He never played one regular season game with them and was released by the club. Osweiler played six games with the Denver Broncos in 2017.

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Pacers Drop Heat In Overtime

     The Miami Heat lost to the Indiana Pacers in overtime 113-107 on Sunday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Heat fell in both games of their road swing and host LeBron James and the defending Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.
     Miami(39-35) raced out 28-14 to begin the contest and were up 30-21 after one quarter. The Heat stayed ahead 53-52 at halftime. Indiana(43-31) got ahead 82-74 after three quarters before Miami came back and put the game into overtime. The Pacers outscored the Heat 17-11 in the extra frame.
     Tyler Johnson led the Heat with 19 points while Dwyane Wade added 13 points. James Johnson fell short of a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds. Victor Oladipo had a game-high 23 points for the Pacers and Thaddeus Young contributed 22 points with nine rebounds.

Saturday, March 24, 2018

Panthers Come Back On Coyotes

     The Florida Panthers played in Sunrise on Saturday night and overcame a two-goal deficit in the third period to top the Arizona Coyotes 4-2 at BB&T Center. It was the lone home game of a two-week stretch where the team will play seven of eight games on the road.
     A moment of silence for Panthers original owner H. Wayne Huizenga was held prior to the contest. Huizenga passed away on Friday at the age of 80.
     In the first period, Arizona(25-39-11) got ahead 1-0 with 5:24 to go. Derek Stepan connected a cross-ice pass fromt he left circle to Richard Panik in the low right circle. His backhand shot was stopped by James Reimer, however Clayton Keller pushed in the rebound from the left of the crease. It was the 22nd goal of the campaign for the rookie Keller.
     The Coyotes moved it to 2-0 on the power play at the 1:33 mark of the second period. A clearing pass up the middle by Keith Yandle was stopped by Stepan at the top of the zone. He blasted a slap shot and it was deflected in by Panik in the crease area.
     The third period belonged to Florida(38-28-7) as they closed the gap. Jamie McGinn banked the puck off the end wall from the left wing and found Trocheck at the right goal line. He lifted a wrist shot from an acute angle by Darcy Kuemper at 6:13.
     The Panthers tied it up 2-2 just over three minutes later at the 9:33 mark as Trocheck compiled his 30th goal of the season. Mark Pysyk snapped a shot from the high slot area that hit the right post and Trocheck banged in the rebound.
     The Cats completed the comeback and took their first lead 3-2 with 3:45 left in the third. Colton Sceviour made a centering pass from the right wing which went off a defender. It bounced to Denis Malgin in the slot and he put in a wrist shot. McGinn added an empty-net power-play goal with 13.2 seconds remaining on a feed from Aleksander Barkov.

Friday, March 23, 2018

Thunder Storm Past Heat

     The Oklahoma City Thunder stopped the Miami Heat 105-99 on Friday night at Chesapeake Energy Center. The Heat had their three-game winning streak snapped.
     Oklahoma City(44-30) had a 24-18 advantage after the first quarter and led 44-40 at halftime. Miami(39-34) eventually took the lead 66-64 after three quarters. The Thunder outscored the Heat 41-33 in the final quarter.
     Russell Westbrook fell short of a triple-double with game highs of 27 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists for Oklahoma City. Steven Adams contributed a double-double of 24 points along with 12 rebounds while Paul George added 14 points. James Johnson had a team-high 23 points for Miami and Goran Dragic dropped in 20 points.

Wayne Huizenga Passes Away

     Original Florida Marlins and Florida Panthers H. Wayne Huizenga passed away on Friday at the age of 80. His last public appearance was on January 19 when the Panthers retired the number 37 jersey in his honor and raised a banner prior to their game against the Vegas Golden Knights.
     Huizenga made Miami a major sports city by bringing Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League to the region. South Florida was awarded a MLB franchise in June 1991. The team played their first regular season game in April 1993 against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Joe Robbie Stadium.
     The club became the fastest to win a World Series as they captured the title in just their fifth season which was in 1997. He sold the team to John Henry in 1999.
     The Panthers came as a general surprise as the National Hockey League awarded Huizenga an expansion franchise at The Breakers in Palm Beach on December 10, 1992. The team played their first regular season game at Chicago Stadium against the Blackhawks and faced the Pittsburgh Penguins in their first home game at Miami Arena in October 1993. The club set a NHL record with the most points by a first-year NHL franchise with 83 points in 1993-94. The team won the Eastern Conference title in 1995-96 as they beat the Penguins in seven games. They fell to the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Finals.
     Florida moved to a new arena in Sunrise to begin the 1998-99 season. Huizenga sold his majority share of the Panthers in 2002 to Alan Cohen and became a silent minority owner for several years.
     Huizenga was also the owner of the Miami Dolphins. He had a minority stake in the team in 1990 when the family of Joe Robbie was the majority owner. Huizenga eventually became the lone owner of the Dolphins in 1993 when he bought the remaining shares of the club from the Robbie family. The Fins did reach the AFC Championship game in 1992 with Dan Marino as quarterback and lost to the Buffalo Bills.
     The Dolphins under Huizenga had Don Shula, Jimmy Johnson, Dave Wandstedt and Nick Saban as head coaches. He sold 50 percent of the team to Stephen Ross in 2008 and another 45 percent to him in 2009.

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Blue Jackets Knock Down Panthers

     The Florida Panthers were blanked by the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-0 at Nationwide Arena on Thursday night. The Cats, who failed to sweep the three-game road trip, have tried to keep up with the Blue Jackets for an Eastern Conference playoff spot for over a month. Columbus won their tenth consecutive game with the victory. Vincent Trocheck played in his 300th NHL game with the Panthers.
     After a scoreless first frame, Columbus(42-28-5) piled on three goals in the first six minutes of the second period. Cam Atkinson broke the tie 59 seconds into the stanza and Sonny Milano added to it at the 3:20 mark.
     Florida(37-28-7) was in a three-goal deficit at 5:42 while Columbus converted on the power play. Pierre-Luc Dubois guided the puck from the right wing to Seth Jones on the right point. He made a back-and-forth pass with Atkinson and then Jones blasted a slap shot from the top of the zone past Roberto Luongo.
     The Panthers pulled their goalie for an extra attacker with several minutes left in the third period. Former Panther Thomas Vanek placed the puck into an empty net with 2:25 remaining.

West Palm Beach Ratings February 2018

     The West Palm Beach ratings were rolled out for sports format radio stations. There seemed to be not much change from the previous month for all three competitors in the market. The numbers for ESPN West Palm 106.3 WUUB-FM were not published.
     640 The Hurricane WMEN-AM remained at a 0.3 for the second straight period. It will be the final month that they will be syndicating Fox Sports Radio throughout the weekdays. Kevin Rolston started his new midday show on the station in the final three days of February.
     1230 The Zone WBZT-AM stayed at a 0.0 for the sixth consecutive month. The station has not had any local game broadcasts during that time and that will change in a couple of months.

Frank Gore Signs With Miami Dolphins

     The Miami Dolphins have signed free agent running back Frank Gore to a one-year contract. He has 14,026 rushing yards and 77 rushing touchdowns in 13 NFL seasons.
     He played high school football with the Coral Gables Cavaliers. Gore later played college football with the University of Miami Hurricanes from 2001 to 2004 and won the 2001 BCS National Championship game over Nebraska at the Rose Bowl.
     Gore was chosen by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played ten seasons with the Niners and helped the club win the 2012 NFC Championship. They lost Super Bowl 47 to the Baltimore Ravens. Gore was selected to the Pro Bowl on five occasions while with the team.
     He spent the last three seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. Gore joined Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders and Curtis Martin as the only NFL players with at least 14,000 career rushing yards.

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Heat Bash Knicks

     The Miami Heat routed the New York Knicks 119-98 at American Airlines Arena on Wednesday night. The Heat increased their winning streak to three games while the Knicks had their two-game win streak snapped.
     Miami(39-33) had a 27-26 edge after the first quarter and put in the first six points of the second quarter to complete a 15-3 run to make it 33-26. The Heat outscored the Knicks 37-21 in the second and led 64-47 at halftime. New York(26-46) fell behind even more and trailed 99-77 after three quarters.
     Tyler Johnson and Kelly Olynyk both had 22 points for the Heat. Wayne Ellington added 16 points, Justise Winslow got 15 points and Goran Dragic poured in 14. Enes Kanter compiled a double-double of  a game-high 23 points along with 13 rebounds and Michael Beasley added 22 points for the Knicks.
   

Caron Butler Joins Fox Sports Radio

     Former Miami Heat player Caron Butler has joined Fox Sports Radio. He will co-host a Sunday midday show with Chris Mannix that starts on March 25.
     Butler began his NBA career with Miami Heat when he was selected by the club at the 2002 NBA Draft in the first round as the 10th overall pick. He played his first two seasons with the Heat. Butler was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers after the 2003-04 season along with Lamar Odom and Brian Grant for Shaquille O'Neal. He later was with the Dallas Mavericks for the 2010-11 season and helped that team win the NBA title over the Miami Heat.

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Panthers Slam Senators

     The Florida Panthers made their first trip to Ottawa this season and smashed the Senators 7-2 at Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday night. The Cats, who have been victorious in three of their last five games, are now 18-5-1 in their last 24 games.
     It all began quickly for Florida(37-27-7) in the first period as they scored at the 2:36 mark. Derek MacKenzie won a right circle face-off draw and Micheal Haley pushed it back to Mark Pysyk at the right point. His wrist shot grazed off the body of Colton Sceviour in the low slot and went by Craig Anderson.
     Patrick Sieloff got his first goal of the year for Ottawa(26-35-11) past James Reimer at 12:48. Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Tom Pyatt were credited with assists on the play.
     The Panthers took the lead again with 4:04 left in the period. Keith Yandle scored his seventh goal of the campaign on an assist from Jonathan Huberdeau.
     In the second period, Florida expanded their gap to 3-1 at 2:15. Evgenii Dadonov chalked up his 23rd tally this season from the low right circle. Aleksander Barkov picked up his 46th assist while Nick Bjugstad got his 28th assist.
     The Cats stretched it to a three-goal margin with 12:41 remaining in the frame. Jamie McGinn lifted a pass out of the Panthers zone to center ice. Jared McCann controlled the bouncing puck at the red line, went on a breakaway and buried a snap shot from the low slot. Mike Condon replaced Anderson in net for the Sens following the goal. The Senators would get an unassisted goal by Marian Gaborik just over six minutes later.
     Florida would add two goals in a 51-second span to make it 6-2. Frank Vatrano got his second goal as a Panthers on a forehand shot from the high slot with 3:47 left in the second. Dadonov made a cross-ice feed across the slot to the left circle and Bjugstad scored his XX goal on a wrist shot with 2:56 to go.
     Another tally by the Panthers increased their lead to 7-2 at the 12:08 mark of the final period. McGinn collected his 11th goal of the year on assists from Vatrano and McCann.

Miami Ratings February 2018

     The Miami/Fort Lauderdale market had Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM as the leader of local sports format radio stations for the second straight month. All three local competitors seemed not to change in the period.
     The Ticket remained at a 0.9 during the period. The acquisition by the Miami Heat of Dwyane Wade certainly created a social buzz even though the team had a bad stretch of losing seven of eight games. The station also added Miami Hurricanes baseball broadcasts.
     Miami Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM stayed the same with a 0.8 in February. The Florida Panthers had one of best records in the National Hockey League during the month as they won nine of 12 games. Ryan Maguire left that station as program director and was replaced by The Ticket program director Len Weiner.
     Miami Sports 940 WINZ-AM dropped to a 0.2 after two months with a 0.3 mark. The end of the NFL season and the loss of syndicated NFL football games from Westwood One did hurt.

Dan Le Batard Show Moving To ESPNEWS

     The television simulcast of the Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz will join ESPNEWS on April 2. It has been on ESPNU since September 2015. The noon-time hour of the show was put on ESPN2 as a temporary replacement for His and Hers in January 2017 and was then replaced later in the year by SportsCenter. The Dan Le Batard Show was first simulcast on television at Fusion in early 2015. 
     The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz first started on the afternoon shift at Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM in August 2004. The program began simulcasting nationally on ESPN Radio in September 2013. The show was shifted by The Ticket and ESPN Radio to middays in September 2015. 

Monday, March 19, 2018

Panthers Blank Habs Again

     The Florida Panthers began a three-game road trip as they shut out the Montreal Canadiens 2-0 at Bell Centre on Monday night. The Cats blanked the Canadiens for the third consecutive time this season. Roberto Luongo went into his hometown and picked up his 76th career shutout which ties Tony Esposito and former Panthers goalie Ed Belfour for ninth all-time.
     The Panthers play seven of their next eight games on the road. Panthers captain Derek MacKenzie played in his 600th NHL game.
     Florida(36-27-7) got out to a 1-0 lead with 1:29 remaining in the first period. Aaron Ekblad was able to get an unassisted goal for his 15th tally of the year. The Canadiens had a Jacob De La Rose goal reversed just 17 seconds later.
     There was no scoring until the third period. The Panthers extended their lead to 2-0 at the 6:23 mark. An intended centering pass by Aleksander Barkov from the left circle deflected off the stick of Montreal(26-35-12) forward Logan Shaw and past Antti Niemi for his 26th goal of the season. Mark Pysyk and Nick Bjugstad were credited with assists on the play.

Heat Slip By Nuggets

     The Miami Heat returned home following a three-game west coast road trip and got a 149-141 double overtime victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night at American Airlines Arena. The Heat have won their last two games. The Nuggets were playing their second game of a seven-game road swing.
     Denver(38-33) started ahead 16-5 in just over three minutes into the game with 11 unanswered points. The Heat were down 37-36 after one quarter and had the advantage 64-63 at halftime. Miami(38-33) still had a one-point lead 92-91 after three quarters.
     Both clubs were tied 118-118 at the end of regulation and 128-128 after the first overtime. The Heat outscored the Nuggets 21-13 in the second overtime.
     The Heat had plenty of scoring at James Johnson had a double-double of 31 points along with 11 rebounds while Kelly Olynyk dropped in 30 points. Wayne Ellington poured in 23 points, Goran Dragic got 20 points and Josh Richardson had 17. Nikola Jokic compiled a game-high 34 points and 14 rebounds for Denver.

Saturday, March 17, 2018

Panthers Fall To Oilers

     The Florida Panthers finished a five-game home stand as they lost to the Edmonton Oilers 4-2 at BB&T Center on Saturday. The Panthers completed a stretch in which they played 11 of the last 12 games at home. The Cats will play seven of their next eight games on the road.
     The Panthers had a record of 23-0-0 when leading after two periods prior to this contest. The Oilers won their ninth consecutive game in Sunrise, a streak that goes back to March 2002.
     After no scoring in the first period, Florida(35-27-7) pulled ahead 1-0 at the 7:58 mark of the second period. A pass back by Edmonton went past Oscar Klefbom and Frank Vatrano picked it up in the inside the Oilers blue line for a breakaway. He steered it away from Cam Talbot, who came all the way from his own crease to the high slot. Vatrano easily went around him and placed the puck into the wide open cage from the left circle for his fourth tally of the year.
     It would be tied 1-1 with 8:51 left in the frame as Edmonton(31-35-5) scored a shorthanded goal. Leon Draisaitl carried the puck into the Panthers zone on the left side and made a drop pass to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. He skated into the left circle and sent a wrist shot through the pads of Roberto Luongo for his 20th goal of the campaign.
     The Panthers regained the lead with 4:06 to go in the period. Derek MacKenzie was on the right side and made a cross-ice pass. Vincent Trocheck received it in the right circle and scored on a snap shot for his 28th goal. Trocheck extended his point streak to six games.
      It took just 38 seconds into the third period for the Oilers to even up the contest 2-2. Nugent-Hopkins put the puck to Ty Rattie in the right corner. He connected a pass to Connor McDavid in the right circle. McDavid curled at the right-circle dot and fired a high wrist shot for his 34th goal of the season.
     The Oilers were able to keep the momentum and moved ahead 3-2 at 6:13 for their first lead of the game. A Darnell Nurse slap shot from the left point went wide and off the back glass. It bounced to Adam Larsson in the low right circle and he centered the puck where it went off a defender and into the net.
     Edmonton added an empty-net goal with 49.4 seconds remaining in the third when the Panthers pulled Luongo for an extra attacker. McDavid broke out of the Oilers zone and handed the puck to his right and Rattie flicked a shot into the empty cage from the red line. McDavid has compiled 23 points in his last 14 games played.

Friday, March 16, 2018

Heat Speed By Lakers

    The Miami Heat halted a nine-game road losing streak and stopped the Los Angeles Lakers 92-91 at Staples Center on Friday night. It was the first road win for the Heat since January 29 in Dallas. The Heat have won 14 of the last 18 meetings between both clubs.
     Miami(37-33) had a 25-24 edge in the first quarter and were tied with the Los Angeles(31-38) at halftime 50-50. The Heat moved slightly ahead 74-71 after three quarters.
     They went on an 11-2 spurt to go up 85-79 midway through the final quarter. The Lakers answered back with a 12-5 run to take a 91-90 lead. Goran Dragic would get the game-winning basket with 7.5 seconds left to make it 92-91.
     The Heat were led by Dragic and his 30 points. Kelly Olynyk added 17 points while James Johnson contributed 12. Julius Randle compiled a double-double of 25 points and 13 rebounds for the Lakers. Brook Lopez dropped in 18 points and Kyle Kuzma put in 11 points.

Miami Dolphins Let Go Mike Pouncey

     The Miami Dolphins have released center Mike Pouncey from his contract. Pouncey joined the Dolphins as a first-round draft pick and 15th overall in 2011. He played 93 games in seven seasons with the club.
     Pouncey was first noticed in the state of Florida as a high school offensive lineman with the Lakeland Dreadnaughts. He and his brother Maurkice helped the school capture three consecutive FHSAA Class 6A state championships from 2004 to 2006. Pouncey attended the University of Florida and won the 2008 BCS National Championship with the Gators.

Thursday, March 15, 2018

Panthers Shut Out Bruins

     James Reimer had a 46-save shutout, his 20th in his NHL career, as the Florida Panthers rolled over the Boston Bruins 3-0 at BB&T Center on Thursday night. The Cats are now 16-4-1 in their last 21 games.    
     The Panthers and Bruins have the best records in the NHL since the All-Star Game. Both clubs will face each other four times in the next three weeks.
     Florida(35-26-7) pulled out to a 1-0 lead at the 6:25 mark of the first period. Evgenii Dadonov snapped a shot that went off Nick Bjugstad in the crease area. Aaron Ekblad was able to bat the puck in from the blue paint for his 14th goal of the year.
     The same line would add on to the lead on their next shift at 9:06. Dadonov skated down the left side of the B's zone. He sent a cross-ice pass from the left wing and Bjugstad guided the puck into the cage from the edge of the crease for his 16th goal.
     In the second period, the Cats converted on the power play for a three-goal margin with 5:53 remaining in the frame. Keith Yandle was at the top of the zone and found Vincent Trocheck on the right wing. He fired a wrist shot by Anton Khudobin for his 27th goal of the season. Barkov was credited with an assist and became the first Panthers player in a decade to reach the 70-point plateau.
     Boston(44-17-8) pulled their goalie for an extra attacker in the final three minutes, however they were unable to score. The Bruins outshot the Panthers 46-28 in the contest.

Kings Get By Heat

     The Miami Heat were edged by the Sacramento Kings 123-119 in overtime on Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center. It was the second game of a three-game road trip for the club. The Heat have lost nine consecutive games on the road and finish their west coast swing against the Lakers in Los Angeles on Friday night.
     Miami(36-33) got out to a 31-24 lead after one quarter. They were outscored 35-21 in the second and trailed 59-52 at halftime. Sacramento(22-47) remained on top 91-79 after three quarters until the Heat closed in on them to bring the contest into overtime at 111-111. The Kings went on a 12-8 run in overtime.
     Goran Dragic led Miami with a game-high 33 points while Wayne Ellington came off the bench with 22 points. James Johnson compiled a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds. Zach Randolph dropped 22 points for the Kings and Buddy Hield poured in 24.

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Dolphins Release Ndamukong Suh

     The Miami Dolphins released defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh on Wednesday. He had three years remaining on his six-year contract with the club.
     Suh had been with the Dolphins since 2015 when he signed the biggest deal for a defensive player in NFL history. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 2016 as he led the Fins to a playoff spot for the first time since 2008.
     He played his first five NFL seasons with the Detroit Lions. He was selected to the Pro Bowl four times which was in 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Dolphins Sign Danny Amendola

     The Miami Dolphins have signed wide receiver and punt returner Danny Amendola to a two-year deal. He had 61 receptions for 659 receiving yards and two touchdowns for the Patriots in 2017 along with 27 punt returns for 231 yards.
     Amendola played the last five seasons with the New England Patriots. He helped the club win two Super Bowls and three AFC Championship titles. Amendola played his first four seasons in the NFL with the St. Louis Rams.

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Cody Parkey Joining Bears

     Miami Dolphins kicker Cody Parkey will be signing as a free agent with the Chicago Bears later this week. Parkey played one season with the Dolphins in 2017 and made 21 of 23 field goals in 16 games. He previously was with  Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns during his five-year NFL career.
     Parkey was a local high school standout as he played with the Jupiter Warriors as a kicker and punter. He attended Auburn University and won a national championship in 2010 over Oregon as a backup kicker. He helped the Tigers make the 2013 BCS National Championship Game in the Rose Bowl as a starting kicker where they lost to Florida State.

Monday, March 12, 2018

Trail Blazers Smash Heat

     The Miami Heat went into Portland and lost to the Trail Blazers 115-99 on Monday night at Moda Center. It was the first game of a three-game road trip to the west coast. Portland is currently third in the Western Conference standings.
     Portland(41-26) exploded out to a 34-25 lead after one quarter and maintained a 59-47 advantage at halftime. Miami(36-32) was down 88-72 after the third quarter and could not gain any traction in the second half.
     The Heat were led by Goran Dragic with 23 points and Tyler Johnson with 17 points. Justise Winslow carried a double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds. Damian Lillard had a game-high 32 points and 10 assists for the Trail Blazers. Jusuf Nurkic compiled a double-double with 27 points and 16 rebounds.

Senators Hold Down Panthers

     The Florida Panthers had their franchise-record, eight-game home winning streak snapped with a 5-3 loss to the Ottawa Sentors at BB&T Center on Monday night. It was the third game of a five-game home stand for the Cats as they lost their first game in regulation since February 20 in Toronto. Keith Yandle played in his 700th consecutive NHL game.
     It took 57 seconds for Ottawa(24-33-11) to get a tally and go up 1-0. Mike Hoffman entered the Panthers zone and curled to the left point. He sent a diagonal pass to Matt Duchene in the right circle and he scored on a slap shot past Roberto Luongo for his 20th goal of the year.
     The Sens added to their lead with 4:44 left in the first period. Fredrik Claesson released a wrist shot from the right point and it was deflected by Magnus Paajarvi at the top of the crease.
     Florida(34-26-7) was able to score with 7:24 remaining in the second period to make it 2-1. Nick Bjugstad found Evgenii Dadonov to his left in the neutral zone. He skated down through the left circle and snapped a high shot by Craig Anderson for his 22nd goal of the season.
     The Panthers evened up the contest with 2:32 to go in the frame. Vincent Trocheck sent a cross-ice pass from the right circle to the middle and Mike Matheson nailed a wrist shot from the high slot. Trocheck got his 200th NHL point on the play.
     The Senators struck within the first minute of the stanza like they did in the first. Thomas Chabot made a long-range shot from the top of the zone and it bounced off a defender. Paajarvi batted in the puck from the low slot for his second goal of the game at the 0:43 mark.
     The Cats brought it to 3-3 at 4:23. Trocheck raced down the right wing and made a centering pass. The puck went off the left skate of Jonathan Huberdeau in the crease and into the cage for his 23rd goal of the campaign.
     The game was decided the 3:00 left in the third period. Hoffman carried the puck around the Panthers net. He connected a pass to Duchene at the top right circle and he scored on a snap shot. The Sens added an insurance goal by Jean-Gabriel Pageau with 1:45 to go.

Sunday, March 11, 2018

Heat Trounce Wizards

     The Miami Heat pounded the Washington Wizards 129-102 on Saturday night at American Airlines Arena. The Heat have won six of their last eight contests.
     Miami(36-31) roared out in the first quarter with a 26-20 lead and were up 60-48 by halftime. Washington(38-29) was outscored 43-28 to begin the second half and trailed 103-76 after three quarters.
     James Johnson had 18 points and Wayne Ellington got 17 points for the Heat. Kelly Olynyk contributed a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds while Tyler Johnson dropped in 15 points. Jodie Meeks led the Wizards with 23 points and Bradley Beal poured in 14 points.

Saturday, March 10, 2018

Panthers Outlast Rangers

     The Florida Panthers played their second game of a five-game home stand and held off the New York Rangers 4-3 in a shootout at BB&T Center on Saturday night. The Panthers, who set a franchise record with their eighth consecutive home win, moved to a 15-3-1 record in their last 19 games. Frank Vatrano made his Panthers debut following his trade from the Boston Bruins.
     The Rangers started the first period with a 7-1 shot advantage in the opening nine minutes. They gave up 17 unanswered shots at Tampa Bay to begin their previous game.
     Florida(34-25-7) were able to score on their first power-play attempt with 14.8 seconds left in the period. Keith Yandle pushed a pass from the top of the zone to Vincent Trocheck in the right circle. His slap shot was stopped by Henrik Lundqvist, however the puck went behind him in the blue paint and Jonathan Huberdeau swept in the rebound for his 22nd goal of the season. It was his third goal in the last three games.
     The Panthers kept the momentum in the second period and extended their lead to 2-0 at the 8:13 mark. Huberdeau made a pass from the left circle that went beyond the reach of Trocheck as he charged the net from the right side. Trocheck recovered the puck at the goal line, backhanded a centering pass and Vatrano put in a forehand shot for his first goal in a Panthers uniform.
     New York(30-32-7) cut the deficit to 2-1 with 6:49 remaining in the frame. Neal Pionk sailed a wrist shot from the right point and it was deflected in by Mats Zuccarello for his 12th goal of the campaign.
     In the third period, the Rangers struck quickly 17 seconds in to tie the contest 2-2. Victor Rask dropped the puck in the high slot to Mika Zibanejad. He curled into the left circle and shoveled a backhand shot by Roberto Luongo for his 20th tally of the year.
     The Cats responded less than one minutes later at 1:02 to break the tie. Jamie McGinn scored the goal on assists from Alexander Petrovic and Jared McCann.
     It took until almost midway through the third for the Blueshirts to make it 3-3 at the 7:35 mark. Zuccarello fed the puck from the right wing to above the top right circle and Kevin Hayes snapped in a shot for his 20th goal.
     The game would be decided in a shootout. The Rangers converted on their first attempt as Zuccarello delayed and then followed with a forehand shot. The Panthers came back and scored on their final two attempts to get the victory. Barkov put in the second attempt and Trocheck clinched it with his tally.

Friday, March 9, 2018

Dolphins Trade Jarvis Landry

     The Miami Dolphins agreed to trade wide receiver Jarvis Landry to the Cleveland Browns on Friday for a 2018 fourth-round draft pick and a 2019 seventh-round draft pick. The Dolphins recently placed the franchise tag on him.
     Landry was drafted in the second round by the Fins back in 2014. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in the last three seasons. Landry led the NFL with 112 receptions during the 2017 season. He had 400 catches for 4,038 yards and 22 receiving touchdowns in 64 games with Miami.

Sid Rosenberg Shifts To WABC-AM Morning Co-Host

     Former South Florida sports host Sid Rosenberg has been promoted to morning co-host on WABC-AM in New York City. He has been the late morning co-host on that station with Bernard McGuirk since January 2016. The new show will begin on April 2.
     They both replace the Imus In The Morning program hosted by Don Imus. Rosenberg added duties as a morning sports anchor on that show in November 2016 and replaced Warner Wolf.
     Rosenberg made several stops in South Florida over a ten-year period. He joined Sports Talk 790 The Ticket in late 2005 as a fill-in host and later co-hosted middays with O.J. McDuffie. He was elevated to the morning host spot in 2007 and held that post until May 2009.
     He moved on to Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM in August 2009 and became the midday host. Rosenberg was promoted to the afternoon shift in June 2010 and stayed there until April 2012.
     His last stop prior to WABC was at 640 Sports WMEN-AM. He was the morning host on that station from August 2012 until December 2015.
     Rosenberg began in broadcasting as a co-host with Scott Kaplan at CBS Sportsline in Fort Lauderdale during 1999 and 2000. The program moved to WNEW-FM in New York City and stayed on the air for one year. Rosenberg was the morning sports anchor on Imus In The Morning at WFAN-AM from 2000 until September 2005. He also co-hosted the midday shift on WFAN with Jody McDonald and later Joe Benigno from 2001 to September 2005. Rosenberg was the morning sports anchor at WINS-AM earlier this decade from December 2010 until January 2012.

Thursday, March 8, 2018

Heat Knock Off 76ers

     The Miami Heat defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 108-99 at American Airlines Arena on Thursday night. It was the second time in the last ten days that both clubs faced each other in Miami. The Heat have won five of their last seven games.
     Miami(35-31) had a 29-28 advantage after one quarter and were up 53-49 at halftime. Philadelphia(35-29) stormed back and took a 74-73 at the end of the third. The Heat bounced back with a 12-3 run and outscored the Sixers 35-25 in the final frame.
     The Heat were led by Hassan Whiteside with a game-high 26 points along with eight rebounds. Dwyane Wade contributed 16 points and Josh Richardson powered in 13 points. Dario Saric fell short of a double-double for the 76ers with 20 points and nine rebounds. J.J. Redick dropped in 18 points while Joel Embiid put together 17 points and seven rebounds.

Panthers Blank Habs

     The Florida Panthers began a five-game home stand and toppled the Montreal Canadiens 5-0 at BB&T Center on Thursday night. The Panthers have won 14 of their last 18 games with a 14-3-1 during that span. It was the fourth game of a six-game road trip for the Habs.
     Roberto Luongo picked up his 75th NHL shutout which is 10th place all-time. He made 40 saves in a shutout, third highest ever in his career.
     Florida(33-25-7) broke out to a 1-0 lead on the power play with 3:44 remaining in the first period. Vincent Trocheck had the puck in the low left circle, connected a pass to Jonathan Huberdeau in the slot and he scored on a wrist shot for his 21st goal of the campaign.
     In the second period, the Panthers increased their gap to 2-0 at the 1:41 mark. Keith Yandle sent a lead pass through the neutral zone to Aleksander Barkov. He noticed Bjugstad alone ahead of him and passed to him in the slot. Bjugstad faked the forehand shot and went to his backhand for the tally. It was his fourth goal in the last two contests and 15th goal of the year.
     Montreal(25-31-11) was then down 3-0 just over a minute later at 2:44. Derek MacKenzie was on the end wall and spotted Micheal Haley in the slot area. Haley snapped a shot by Charlie Lindgren to make it a three-goal margin.
     The momentum stayed with the Panthers to begin the third period as they made it 4-0 at 1:23. Yandle sent a diagonal pass from the left point to the right circle and Dadonov powered in a one-time slap shot for his 21st goal of the season.
     The Canadiens thought that they finally got the puck by Roberto Luongo at the 3:30 mark of the third, however it did not count due to goaltender interference. Jeff Petry threw a shot toward the Panthers net from the top of the zone and Paul Byron scored on a high backhand shot from the low slot. Jacob de la Rose seemed to graze into Luongo on the play.
     The Cats added on to the lead with 5:04 left in the frame and they collected an NHl season-high 10th shorthanded goal. Yandle was in his own zone and banked it off the left-wing boards ahead to Trocheck. He carried it into the Canadiens zone through the left circle and eventually put it into the cage for his 26th tally on the season.

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Kevin Rogers On The Ticket

     Kevin Rogers appeared on Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM for the first time in almost ten years. He filled in for Joe Zagacki, who is covering the ACC Basketball Tournament, to work as the radio play-by-play announcer for a University of Miami baseball game on Wednesday night. Curtis Stevenson had to fill in for Zagacki for a Hurricanes baseball contest two weeks ago.
     Rogers continues to work with Miami Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM as the weekend studio host for the Florida Panthers Radio Network and backup studio host for Miami Hurricanes basketball games on that station.
     He was employed at The Ticket during the mid-2000s in several roles which included late night host, evening host, late morning host and Florida Panthers Radio Network studio host. He reign ended at the station in December 2008.
     Rogers joined WQAM in August 2009 as their evening host. He added duties as the studio host of the Florida Panthers Radio Network in September 2010 and held both positions until August 2014. He was a weekend news anchor at News Radio 610 WIOD-AM and fill-in sports host on Miami Sports 940 WINZ-AM from October 2014 to January 2015. He returned to WQAM in November 2015.

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Wizards Spoil Heat In Overtime

     The Miami Heat were taken into an extra session and lost to the Washington Wizards 117-113 at Capital One Arena on Tuesday night. The Heat still have won four of their last six games.
     Washington(37-28) raced out with a 22-7 run to a 31-26 lead in the first quarter and stayed ahead 59-50 at halftime. The second half belonged to Miami(34-31) as they slowly cut into the gap. They trailed 86-80 after three quarters and outscored the Wizards 25-19 to send it into overtime. The Wizards went on a 12-8 spurt to take the extra quarter.
     Dwyane Wade had a team-high 22 points and Tyler Johnson got 21 points. Josh Richardson and Goran Dragic collected 16 points each while Justice Winslow poured in 15. Bradley Beal lead the Wizards with a game-high 30 points and Markieff Morris contributed a double-double with 16 points along with 13 rebounds.

Lightning Ends Panthers Winning Streak

     The Tampa Bay Lightning ended the Florida Panthers six-game winning streak as they topped the Cats 5-4 in overtime at Amalie Arena on Tuesday night. It was the only game of a three-week, 12-game stretch that the Panthers will not play a home game. The Lightning continue to have the best record in the NHL.
     Tampa Bay(46-17-4) jumped out to a 1-0 lead at 10:24 of the first period as Yanni Gourde scored. Andrej Sustr and Anton Stralman had the assists on the play. The Bolts make it 2-0 on a high backhand shot from the slot by J.T. Miller over Roberto Luongo at the 12:51 mark.
     Florida(32-35-7) climbed out of the hole with 1:37 left in the first. Aaron Ekblad had the puck on the right wing and left it for Nick Bjugstad in the right corner. He released a wrist shot from behind the goal line off Andrei Vasilevskiy and into the net.
     Things remained the same as the Lightning struck early in the second period at 1:27. Gourde put in his second goal of the contest, which was unassisted, and 24th goal of the campaign.
     The Cats got within one goal with 6:25 left in the frame as Bjugstad scored for his sixth multi-goal game in his NHL career. Evgenii Dadonov cycled the puck down the left wing to Bjugstad on the end wall. He pivoted toward the left of the crease and scored from close range.
     The Bolts moved back to a two-goal margin with 3:53 to go. Alex Killorn put in a tally with assists by Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov.
     Bjugstad picked up the hat trick with his third goal of the game 21 seconds into the third period. Mike Matheson and Barkov were credited with assist on the play. It was the 14th goal of the year by Bjugstad.
     The Panthers were able to tie the contest 4-4 on the power play at 5:30. Barkov angled a pass back to Keith Yandle at the top of the zone. He connected a pass to Vincent Trocheck in the right circle and he snapped a shot for his 25th goal of the season.
     The game had to be decided in overtime. Tyler Johnson sent the puck from the left corner to Stralman at the top left circle. He found Brayden Point in the right circle, faked a shot around Dadonov then scored on a top-shelf wrist shot at 2:49 for a Tampa Bay victory.

Ichiro Signs With Seattle Mariners

     Former Miami Marlins outfielder Ichiro Suzuki has signed a contract to play with the Seattle Mariners. The Marlins outfield will be different for the upcoming 2018 season as they have lost him along with trading Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich.
     Ichiro played the past three seasons with the Marlins and passed the 3,000 hit mark with the club. Prior to his stop in Miami, he was with the New York Yankees for three seasons.    
     He began in Major League Baseball with the Mariners in 2001 where he won the American League Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player Awards. Ichiro helped the team to a league-record 116 wins and the American League West Division title. He led the American League with hits seven times in his 12 years with Seattle.

NHL Global Series Set For Panthers

     The National Hockey League announced the dates for the 2018 NHL Global Series. It will be the second year for the event.
     The Florida Panthers and the Winnipeg Jets will play two games in Helsinki, Finland. The dates will be November 1 and November 2, which is three weeks into the 2018-19 regular season. Aleksander Barkov of the Panthers and Patrik Laine of the Jets are both natives from Finland.

Monday, March 5, 2018

Heat Crush Suns

    The Miami Heat concluded a five-game home stand with a 125-103 win over the Phoenix Suns at American Airlines Arena on Monday night. The Heat were victorious in four of their last five games. The Suns now have the worst record in the National Basketball Association.
     It all started with Miami(34-30) going ahead 30-27 after one quarter and extended it to 61-48 at halftime. Phoenix(19-47) stayed with the Heat and were down 93-80 after three quarters before they fell further behind in the fourth.
     Hassan Whiteside compressed a double-double for Miami with a team-high 24 points along with 14 rebounds. Goran Dragic added 17 points and Kelly Olynyk dropped in 15 points. Dwyane Wade and Luke Babbit both contributed 12 points each. Devin Booker poured in a game-high 31 points for the Suns and T.J. Warren knocked down 19 points.

Jordan Sherwood ESPN West Palm Monday Host

     Jordan Sherwood will become the new ESPN West Palm 106.3 WUUB-FM Monday evening host on March 5. He will host The Main Event show which will emphasize mixed martial arts and professional wrestling
     Sherwood had hosted Inside The Cage on Saturday mornings on ESPN West Palm and previously on ESPN Radio 760 WEFL-AM for over a decade. Nolan Murphy will continue to host the evening shift from Tuesday to Friday.

Dan Sileo Lands At KEGY-FM

     Former South Florida sports host Dan Sileo began his new position as the midday host on KEGY-FM in San Diego. He recently was the morning host at crosstown XETRA-AM from February 2014 until December 2017. He also was a pregame studio host for the San Diego Padres Radio Network for just the 2015 season.
     Sileo had a previous run at two local radio stations. He became the afternoon host on Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM in April 2012 and was moved to the midday shift in September 2012. He also was the postgame football analyst on the Miami Hurricanes Radio Network during the 2012 season. Sileo was let go by WQAM in March 2013.
     He ended up at 640 Sports WMEN-AM in early August 2013 as a midday host. He had a short reign there and was gone by November 2013.

Sunday, March 4, 2018

Panthers Drop Flyers

     The Florida Panthers swept a six-game home stand with a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday at BB&T Center. The Panthers with the win jumped the Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets for the second wild-card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Florida has won 13 of their last 16 games played.
     In the first period, Florida(32-25-6) got an early power play and they converted on it at the 2:41 mark. Roberto Luongo stopped the puck in his crease and handed it off to Ketih Yandle. He sent a lead pass from his own end through the neutral zone to Aleksander Barkov on the Flyers blue line. He went in on a breakaway through the slot and scored on a forehand shot past Petr Mrazak for his 25th goal of the season. He extended his goal streak to four games and point streak to six games.
     The Panthers expanded their lead to 2-0 with 5:11 left in the first. A Nick Bjugstad rainbow pass from his own goal line went to Evgenii Dadonov deep in the neutral zone. He skated down the left side into the left circle and released a wrist shot.
     The Cats made it a three-goal margin with 1:54 remaining in the second period. Barkov recovered a loose puck in the Panthers zone at the high slot and moved it into center ice. He connected a lead pass to Dadonov who skated alone into the Flyers zone and snapped in a shot from the low slot for his second goal of the game and 20th tally of the game. It was his 14th point in the last 10 games.
     Philadelphia(34-21-11) surrendered another goal at the 2:47 mark of the third and trailed 4-0. Jamie McCann pushed the puck forward out of the Panthers zone to mid-ice. Jonathan Huberdeau collected it and carried it deep in the slot with Radko Gudas defending him. He shook off Gudas, went to his backhand in the crease area and scored his 20th goal of the season.
     The Flyers broke the shutout with 3:21 to go in the frame. Brandon Manning delayed and then blasted a slap shot from the right point. Luongo made the save and Travis Konecny swept in the rebound for his 17th goal. Claude Giroux was credited with the secondary assist on the play.

Saturday, March 3, 2018

Heat Handle Pistons

     The Miami Heat pulled by the Detroit Pistons 105-96 at American Airlines Arena on Saturday night. The Heat, won have won three of their last four games, ended the contest ahead of the Pistons by four games for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons have lost eight of their last 10 games and are 6-8 since they acquired Blake Griffin.
     Detroit(29-34) got out to a 28-27 lead after one quarter and it would be their last lead of the game. Miami(33-30) hit a 32-18 spurt and moved ahead 59-46 by halftime. The Pistons cut into the deficit and still trailed 74-70 after the third quarter. The Heat got ahead 88-81 early in the fourth and then went on a 16-10 run down the stretch.
     Josh Richardson and Kelly Olynyk both poured in 17 points for the Heat while Dwyane Wade added 11 points. James Johnson dropped in 14 points, Goran Dragic put up 13 points and Hassan Whiteside compiled 18 rebounds with eight points. Detroit was led by Griffin as he had a game-high 31 points. Andre Drummond put together a double-double of 22 points and 18 rebounds.

Dolphins Trade For Robert Quinn

     The Miami Dolphins have acquired linebacker Robert Quinn from the Los Angeles Rams for several draft picks. The deal will become official on March 14.
     Quinn has played the last seven seasons with the Rams franchise and helped the club win the 2017 NFC West Division crown. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2013 and 2014.

Brian White New FAU Athletic Director

     Brian White has been named the new athletic director of Florida Atlantic University. He replaced Pat Chun who left to take the same position at Washington State University.
     White, who signed a five-year contract, comes from the University of Missouri where he was an executive. He previously worked at Army West Point, Tulsa and Louisiana Tech.

Friday, March 2, 2018

Panthers Stuff Sabres

     The Florida Panthers played the fifth contest of a season-high six-game home stand and routed the Buffalo Sabres 4-1 at BB&T Center on Friday. The Panthers, who are on a five-game winning streak, have won 12 of their last 15 games and complete the home stand on Sunday afternoon against the Philadelphia Flyers.
     It took just 1:25 into the first period for Florida(31-25-6) to get on the scoreboard. Jared McCann won a face-off in the left circle and Jamie McGinn pushed the puck back to Mike Matheson. He fired a wrist shot from the high slot by Robin Lehner for his ninth tally of the year.
     A quick response happened by Buffalo(20-34-11) to tie it 1-1 at the 5:34 mark. Victor Antipin shot the puck from the top left circle and it was stopped by Ryan O'Reilly in the low slot. He backhanded it to his right where Sam Reinhart placed in a forehand shot by James Reimer for his 15th goal of the campaign.
     The Panthers regained the lead with 3:19 left in the first. Aleksander Barkov won the left-circle draw and Evgenii Dadonov passed the puck from the left circle to Keith Yandle on the left point. He sent a diagonal pass to Aaron Ekblad in the right circle and he scored on a snap shot for his 13th goal this season.
     The Cats expanded to a two-goal margin at 6:49 of the second period. Nick Bjugstad skated with the puck in the neutral zone and connected a lead pass to Barkov at the Sabres blue line. He split the defense, went through the slot area and shoveled in a backhand shot from the crease for his 24th goal.
     Florida kept the momentum and make it 4-1 with 8:44 remaining in the frame. Bjugstad received a right-outlet pass from Derek MacKenzie on the right point and he stopped at right circle. He backhanded a shot on goal and Colton Sceviour pounced on the rebound for a score.

Thursday, March 1, 2018

Lakers Finally Win In Miami

     The Los Angeles Lakers finally won a game in Miami as they beat the Heat 131-113 on Thursday night at American Airlines Arena. The last time the Lakers were victorious in South Florida was during the 2008-09 season. The Heat fell to the Lakers for just the fourth time in the last 17 meetings.
     Miami(32-30) stretched out to a 36-33 lead after one quarter. It would be the largest margin that the Heat had throughout the contest. Los Angeles(27-34) outscored their opponent 40-26 in the second quarter and had a 73-62 advantage at halftime. The Heat cut the deficit by just one point after three quarters and trailed 104-94. The Lakers pulled away in the final frame with a 27-19 spurt.
     Isaiah Thomas had a game-high 29 points for the Lakers while Julius Randle added 25 points. Dwyane Wade was the Heat's leading scorer for the second straight game with 25 points. Goran Dragic placed in 19 points while Bam Adebayo compiled a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Panthers Stride By Devils

     The Florida Panthers played the fourth game of a six-game homestand and got by the New Jersey Devils 3-2 at BB&T Center on Thursday night. The Panthers have won 11 of their last 14 games and are now three points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.
     Florida(30-25-6) took a 1-0 lead at the 6:51 mark. Evgenii Dadonov stopped with the puck in the left corner. Aleksander Barkov put the puck toward the net which was saved by Cory Schneider. Nico Hischier tried to hinder Nick Bjugstad on the rebound, slid through the crease with him and bumped the puck into his own cage. Barkov was given the goal and now has a four-game point streak.
     New Jersey(33-23-8) waited until 50 seconds into the second period on the power play to tie it up 1-1. Taylor Hall sent a wrist shot from the right wing that went off the stick of Alexander Petrovic and over the left shoulder of Roberto Luongo for a career-high 28th goal of the season. Hall broke a Devils record as he extended his point streak to 16 games which passed Patrik Elias and Brian Gionta. Patrick Maroon was credited with an assist for his first point with New Jersey.
     In the third period, the Panthers regained the lead 2-1 at 8:38. Jared McCann flipped the puck into the right corner from the left point. It bounced off the boards and Maxim Mamin poked it from the right side of the crease past Schneider for his second career goal in the NHL.
     The Cats got some added insurance with 3:34 left in the third for a two-goal margin. Dadonov carried the puck into the Devils zone and made a lead pass to Barkov in the slot. He skated to the crease and shoveled in a backhand shot.
     The Devils would not go quietly as Jesper Bratt scored with 2:07 remaining to make it 3-2. Maroon sent a lead pass through the neutral zone to Bratt at the Panthers blue line. He raced through the right circle and backhanded home a high shot to snap an 18-game goalless streak.