No Local Inter Miami CF Television Announcers

     There was a change in the television landscape for the 2023 Major League Soccer season. There are no local television broadcasts done by any of the 29 MLS clubs. Apple TV became the exclusive television home of Major League Soccer until 2032. Game broadcasts can be accessed through MLS Season Pass. 

     WBFS-TV Channel 33 and WFOR-TV Channel 4 no longer have Inter Miami CF games after three seasons. Several on-air talent who lost their Inter Miami CF television positions included Ray Hudson, Kaylyn Kyle, Fernando Fiore, Chris Wittingham and Andres Cordero. Kyle now works as a studio analyst for Apple TV while Wittyngham will start work as a play-by-play announcer for that same organization on March 11. 

Goran Dragic Put On Waivers

     Former Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic has been placed on waivers by the Chicago Bulls. He is not expected to be retained by that club if he is not claimed by any NBA team. 

     Dragic signed a one-year contract with the Bulls for the minimum amount. He has averaged 6.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in 51 contests this season. Dragic, who played seven seasons in Miami, contributed to the Heat capturing the 2020 Eastern Conference title. 

Panthers Break Lightning

     The Florida Panthers rolled by the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1 at Amalie Arena on Tuesday night. The Panthers return to Sunrise and will play a seven-game homestand next. 

     Casey Fitzgerald made his Panthers debut and is the cousin of Matthew Tkachuk. He had been a healthy scratch in the previous 19 games. Tanner Jeannot appeared in his first Lightning contest since he was acquired from the Nashville Predators. 

     Sergei Bobrovsky set an NHL record with most wins by a Russian-born goalie at 354. He was able to pass Evgeni Nabokov. 

     Florida(30-26-6) speeded out to a 1-0 lead at the 6:19 mark of the first period. Eric Staal got his 12th goal this season on assists from Josh Mahura and Nick Cousins. 

     The Panthers expanded it to 2-0 with 4:04 left in the first period. Marc Staal poked the puck ahead from the neutral zone and was touched by Tkachuk. Anton Lundell skated into the right circle and snapped a shot for his ninth goal this year. 

     The Cats made it 3-0 with 2:23 remaining in the first. Anthony Duclair brought the puck to the right of the crease and passed it. Eetu Luostarinen released a forehand shot from the low slot past Andrei Vasilevskiy for his 14th goal of the campaign. 

     Tampa Bay(37-19-4) cut it to 3-1 on the power play with 9:21 to go in the second period. Brayden Point collected his 37th goal of the season with assists by Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov. 

     Late in the third period, the Lightning pulled their goalie for an extra attacker with 3:36 remaining. Duclair put the puck into an empty net on a feed by Eric Staal with 4.1 seconds left in the third for his first tally of the year. 

Casey Fitzgerald Making Panthers Debut

     Florida Panthers defenseman Casey Fitzgerald will make his team debut tonight as they will challenge the defending three-time Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena. Fitzgerald is the cousin of Matthew Tkachuk and the son of former Florida Panthers center Tom Fitzgerald. 

     Fitzgerald was picked up on waivers by the Panthers on January 11 from the Buffalo Sabres. He has been a healthy scratch for every Florida game, which is a total of 19 contests, since he joined the squad. Fitzgerald had three assists in 23 games with Buffalo this season. 

Miami FC On Local Television

     Miami FC will have their games televised on WBFS-TV Channel 33 for the 2023 season. Their team has been in the USL Championship league since 2020. 

     WBFS-TV did broadcast Inter Miami CF of Major League Soccer from their inaugural season in 2020 until last year. Apple TV became the exclusive holders of Inter Miami CF along with Major League Soccer television rights beginning in 2023 and it will continue until 2032. 

Heat Slay Sixers

     The Miami Heat stayed alive over the Philadelphia 76ers 101-99 at Wells Fargo Center on Monday night. Both teams will meet each other on Wednesday night in Miami to complete a back-to-back set. 

     The Heat snapped a four-game losing streak and finished a four-game road trip going back to February 15. The Sixers lost their second straight home game for the first time since mid-November.

     Miami(33-29) held a 28-22 advantage after one quarter and stayed ahead at halftime 58-50. Philadelphia(39-21) remained in striking distance and were down 84-80 at the end of three quarters. The 76ers went on a 10-1 spurt midway in the fourth quarter, however they fell short in the final minute of play. 

     Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 23 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for a double-double. Bam Adebayo had 13 points and eight rebounds while Gabe Vincent added 14 points.

     Joel Embiid had a double-double of 27 points and 12 rebounds for the 76ers. James Harden compiled a double-double with 20 points, 12 assists and six rebounds. Tyrese Maxey came off the bench and drained in 23 points. 

Evgenii Dadonov Dealt to Stars

     Former Florida Panthers forward Evgenii Dadonov was traded by the Montreal Canadiens to the Dallas Stars for Denis Gurianov. Dadonov has four goals and 14 assists in 50 contests with the Habs this season   

     Dadonov spent two stints in six seasons with the Florida Panthers from 2009-10 until 2019-20. He compiled 91 goals and 111 assists for 202 in 280 games while with Florida. 

Inter Miami CF 2023 Broadcast Rights

     Inter Miami CF have new channels on television and radio for the 2023 Major League Soccer season. Telecasts of the team will be exclusively on Apple TV at MLS Season Pass following the 10-year television rights deal agreed to between them and Major League Soccer.

     There will be an array of new on-air personnel announcing Inter Miami CF contests on television in 2023. WFOR-TV Channel 4 and WBFS-TV Channel 33 no longer have the televised games after three seasons. 

     The Inter Miami CF audio/radio rights will go to a fourth organization since the MLS franchise began in 2020. WSFS-FM-HD2 will have the radio broadcasts for the 2023 campaign with Thomas Rongen as a game analyst. Chris Wittyngham will work the first two Inter Miami CF games this year as play-by-play announcer before he does his slate of Major League Soccer assignments on Apple TV.  The audio rights had previously been heard at the Inter Miami CF.com website, Onside Radio and last year on Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM. 

     Inter Miami CF radio broadcasts can also be heard in another way during 2023. Go to the Apple TV telecasts on MLS Season Pass and click the home radio option or away radio option depending on where Inter Miami CF plays their game. 

Inter Miami CF Wins Season Opener

     Inter Miami CF began their fourth Major League Soccer season with a 2-0 shutout victory over CF Montreal at DRV PNK Stadium on Saturday night. It was the first time in franchise history that Inter Mami CF won their season opener in a four-season span. They did have a 0-2-1 record during MLS season openers going into tonight. Inter Miami CF is now 2-1-1 in home openers. 

     In the first half, Serhiy Kryvtsov put in a goal that glanced off his body from one yard out during the 41st minute. Shanyder Borgelin made it 2-0 in the 76th minute as he booted the ball into the cage with his right foot on a rebound shot from seven yards away in the middle of the box. 

Hornets Hold Off Heat

     The Charlotte Hornets survived the Miami Heat 108-103 at Spectrum Center on Saturday night. The Heat continued their three-game road swing. 

     Charlotte(19-43) rushed out to a 29-16 after one quarter. The Hornets made it 42-22 during the second quarter and had a 54-51 halftime lead. Miami(32-29) was behind 82-72 at the end of third quarters. The Heat closed the gap to two points with three minutes left in the fourth, but the Hornets held them off. 

     Kevin Love played his second game for Miami and composed a double-double of 13 points along with 13 rebounds. Tyler Herro chalked up a game-high 33 points and seven rebounds. Jimmy Butler knocked in 28 points while Bam Adebayo dropped in 14 points. Mark Williams had 18 points and 20 rebounds on a double-double for Charlotte. 

West Palm Beach Ratings January 2023

     The ratings were issued for West Palm Beach sports radio stations. The time period went from the first week of January to the first week of February. 

     It was the first month in several decades that the Good Karma Brands West Palm Beach cluster and ESPN West Palm 106.3 WUUB-FM did not have Evan Cohen on their airwaves. Midday show host Ken LaVicka and evening show host Cyrus Wittig have been able to handle matters. 

     Fox Sports 640 South Florida WMEN-AM saw a rise from a 0.8 to a 0.9 in the period and did set a new all-time record since they flipped to a sports format in March 2008. WMEN chalked up a 1.1 during the holiday season. Florida Atlantic University Owls basketball entering the Top 25 for the first time in school history has increased their audience. WPBF-TV sportscasters Yianni Kourakis and Shayne Wright have worked out well as sports anchors at that radio station. 

     Sports Radio 1230 The Gambler WBZT-AM finished with a 0.2 for the fifth straight month. The continued use of VSIN programming, Florida Panthers broadcasts and University of Florida basketball broadcasts helped them maintain their situation. 

Kyle Sielaff New Miami Marlins Radio Voice

     Kyle Sielaff has been named the new lead radio play-by-play announcer of the Miami Marlins. He was elevated to the position and takes over for Glenn Geffner.

     Sielaff, a Trumansburg, New York native, joined the Miami Marlins in 2013 as an intern and was promoted to broadcast coordinator in 2014. He worked as a radio producer and added on duties as the studio host of the Miami Marlins Radio Network. Sielaff was given more opportunities to fill in as radio play-by-play announcer over the last couple of years. 

Bucks Stomp Heat

     The Milwaukee Bucks blasted the Miami Heat 128-99 on Friday night at Fiserv Forum. It was Miami's first game since February 15 due to the NBA All-Star Game break. Kevin Love participated in his first game in a Heat uniform and had no points with eight rebounds. 

     Milwaukee(42-17) rolled out to a 42-32 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Bucks had a dominant 73-56 lead midway through the contest. Miami(32-28) could not dent into the deficit and trailed 95-74 after three quarters. 

     Jimmy Butler dropped in a team-high 23 points for the Heat. Bam Adebayo contributed 18 points along with seven rebounds. Caleb Martin poured in 17 points coming off the bench. 

     Jrue Holiday ended up with a game-high 24 points for Milwaukee. Bobby Portis compiled a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. 

Sabres Stop Panthers

     The Buffalo Sabres handled the Florida Panthers 3-1 at FLA Live Arena on Friday night. It was the Panthers only game in an eight-day stretch. Buffalo leaped over Florida for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. 

     Anthony Duclair made his 2022-23 season debut with Florida. The Panthers had won six consecutive contests versus the Sabres entering tonight. Former Panthers goalie Craig Anderson made 53 saves in the victory for the Sabres. 

     After a scoreless opening period, Buffalo(30-23-4) scrambled out to a 2-0 lead in the second period.  Jeff Skinner scored at the 3:51 mark and Alex Tuch followed with a power-play tally at 8:44.  

     In the third period, Florida(29-26-6) closed it 2-1 at 8:24/ Carter Verhaeghe collected his 31st goal of the season on assists from Duclair and Eetu Luostarinen. 

     The Sabres extended it to 3-1 with 9:24 left in the third. Skinner got his second goal of the game and 24th goal of the campaign. 

Tony Marino Back In Florida

     Tony Marino has returned back to the state of Florida. He has been named the new NewsMax Daily Podcast host at NewsMaxTV. Marino recently was the morning news anchor at 1110 WBT-AM in Charlotte from January 2022 until early February 2023.  

     Marino was first noticed locally with his long stint as a business talk show host at Money Talk 740 WSBR-AM in Boca Raton. He became a traffic anchor at Metro Networks and Total Traffic Network in Miami.

     He was a weekend sports anchor at Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM in 2012. Marino then worked at Cox Media Group in Orlando from May 2013 until September 2021. His roles during that reign at WDBO-AM included afternoon news anchor, news reporter, evening sports anchor and evening news talk host. 

Chris Wittyngham At MLS Season Pass

     Chris Wittyngham will begin his new position as a television soccer play-by-play announcer on MLS Season Pass at Apple TV this weekend. He will continue to work at Meadowlark Media and contribute toward the Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz and the Shipping Container along with other podcasts. 

     Wittyngham left his position as the lead play-by-play announcer of Inter Miami CF. Their team local broadcasts have been on the Inter Miami CF.com website, Onside Radio, WFOR-TV Channel 4, WBFS-TV Channel 33 and Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM over the last three years. 

     He did announce soccer games on television previously with other organizations. They included beIN Sports, Univision, TUDN and ESPN+. 

     Wittyngham  joined 790 The Ticket in 2012. He was an evening co-host with Josh Friedman from July 2014 to December 2015. Wittyngham did co-host the afternoon show on an interim basis and then on a permanent basis with Ethan Skolnick on 790 The Ticket from January 2016 until December 2016. He eventually co-founded Five Reasons Sports Network with Skolnick and co-hosted their first podcast Five Reasons with him in January 2018. 

Kieran Gibbs New Inter Miami CF Broadcaster

     Kieran Gibbs has been named a broadcaster for Inter Miami CF. He will co-host the Inter Miami Show with former Inter Miami CF radio and television voice Chris Wittyngham. 

     Gibbs joined Inter Miami CF midway into the 2021 campaign and contributed throughout the 2022 Major League Soccer season. He is best remembered playing 229 games with Arsenal in the English Premier League. He helped the Gunners capture three FA Cup titles in 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2016-17. Gibbs made10 appearances with the England national team.

Bruce Silverman Not At Orlando City SC

     Local South Florida sportscaster Bruce Silverman is no longer the radio play-by-play announcer of Orlando City SC. He is now a television soccer play-by-play announcer of Liga MX on TUDN and United Soccer League on ESPN+. 

     Silverman was a Monday evening sports show host on SoFloRadio.com for several years in the early 2010s. He became the radio voice of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers on that website for a couple of years until 2015. Silverman was the radio and television play-by-play announcer of Miami FC from 2016 to 2018. He left for Central Florida and was the lead play-by-play announcer of Orlando City SC from 2019 until 2022. 

Orestes Destrade Out As Rays Analyst

     Former Florida Marlins first baseman Orestes Destrade will not return as the Tampa Bay Rays television studio analyst at Bally Sports Sun. He held that position since the 2012 season. 

     Destrade started in the first game in Marlins franchise history on April 5, 1993. He ended up playing in 153 games during the 1993 season. Destrade participated in 39 games the following season and was released by the club in June 1994. 

     He entered into the broadcasting field as a business partner of Tony Calatayud. Together they launched a sports talk radio format at WAFN-AM named 1700 The Fan in September 1999. The radio station flipped from a sports format in December 2000. Destrade later was an ESPN baseball game analyst and co-hosted a morning baseball Show on XM Radio during the 2000s. 

Habs Claim Chris Tierney

     The Montreal Canadiens have claimed center Chris Tierney off waivers from the Florida Panthers. He returns to Canada after playing 277 contests with the Ottawa Senators from 2018-19 until 2021-22. 

     Tierney joined Florida for the 2022-23 NHL campaign. He ended up with two goals and one assist in 13 games with the Panthers this season. 

Major League Soccer Expands Playoffs

     Major League Soccer has expanded their playoff format for the 2023 season. They will now have nine teams from each conference to make the postseason. There were seven teams per conference who made the MLS Playoffs last year. 

     Inter Miami CF, who will participate in the Eastern Conference with 14 other teams, begin their fourth season in Major League Soccer on Saturday as they host CF Montreal at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. The team made the postseason last year and fell to New York City FC in the first round. 

Willie Taggart Joins Baltimore Ravens

     Former Florida Atlantic University Owls football head coach Willie Taggart has joined the Baltimore Ravens organization. He will work as a running backs coach for his first coaching role in the National Football League. 

     Taggart was the head coach of FAU from 2020 until 2022. He had a 15-18 record with the Owls and reached one bowl game during his tenure. Taggart was fired by the school on November 26. 

     He did have previous head coaching stops in college football prior to his arrival in Boca Raton. Taggart was with Western Kentucky from 2010 to 2012, South Florida from 2013 until 2016, Oregon in 2017 and Florida State from 2018 to 2019. He had 71-80 overall college football head coaching record. 

Miami Ratings January 2023

     The ratings were released for the Miami/Fort Lauderdale sports talk radio stations. The time span went from the first week of January until the first week of February. 

     AM 560 Sports WQAM-AM decreased from a 0.7 to a 0.6 in the period. Joe Rose no longer had Zach Krantz as his co-host on the morning program. The Miami Dolphins reached the postseason and lost to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild-Card Game. The Miami Heat were in contention for an Eastern Conference playoff position while the Florida Panthers were on the outside for a playoff spot. 

     Fox Sports 940 WINZ-AM remained at a 0.2 for the month. WINZ became the new flagship radio station of the Miami Dolphins in late January. They have relied on the entire national lineup of Fox Sports Radio and University of Florida Gators basketball game broadcasts. 

     WQAM streaming dropped to a 0.1 after having a 0.3 for two straight months. WKIS-FM-HD2 had a bunch of Florida Panthers games and moved from a 0.2 to a 0.1. 

Chris Tierney Placed On Waivers

     The Florida Panthers have placed center Chris Tierney on waivers. National Hockey League teams have a day to decide if they want to pick him up. 

     Tierney joined the club prior to the 2022-23 NHL campaign. He has compiled three points in 13 games with the Panthers this season. 

WBZT Lineup Changes

     Sports Radio 1230 The Gambler WBZT-AM in West Palm Beach will have several changes in their weekday lineup as of February 27. They are all associated with VSIN being piped in by that radio station. The Greek, which airs in mid-afternoons from 3 P.M. to 5 P. M., with remain as the only local program host at WBZT. 

     Michael Lombardi will have a new co-host with Stormy Buonantomy during middays from 12 P.M. to 2 P.M. Buonantomy leaves from co-hosting the afternoon shift. Lombardi's former co-host Patrick Meagher will be heard during the 5 P.M. hour with Amal Shah. Matt Youmans and Wes Reynolds will be put together for late nights from 9 P.M. to Midnight. 

Donovan Solano Lands With Twins

     Former Miami Marlins infielder Donovan Solano has signed a major league contract. It is a one-year deal with that club worth $2 million.

     Donovan was with the Cincinnati Reds last season and contributed four home runs, 24 runs batted in and a .284 batting average in 80 contests. He played 361 games for the Marlins from 2012 until 2015. 

Miami Heat Ink Cody Zeller

     The Miami Heat have signed center Cody Zeller to a contract. He completes their 15-player roster along with Kevin Love. 

     Zeller played 27 games this season with the Portland Trail Blazers and averaged 8.5 points per game. He was with the Charlotte Hornets during his first eight seasons in the National Basketball Association. 

Meyers Leonard Going To Bucks

     Former Miami Heat center Meyers Leonard will be joining the Milwaukee Bucks. He is about to sign a 10-day contract with that club. 

     Leonard last played in the National Basketball Association with the Miami Heat from 2019-20 to 2020-21. He participated in 54 games with the Heat during two seasons and averaged 5.9 points per game. 

Panthers Come Back On Ducks

     The Florida Panthers began a stretch of nine of ten games at home with a 4-3 overtime victory over the Anaheim Ducks at FLA Live Arena on Monday. Going into today, the Panthers will play 15 of their remaining 23 regular season games at home. The Ducks entered the contest with a league-worst 40 points so far this season. 

     Eric Staal and Marc Staal became the second sets of brothers to score for the Florida Panthers in a game. Pavel Bure and Valeri Bure accomplished it on February 13, 2002 at the Chicago Blackhawks. It was the 15th time that two Staal brothers scored in the same NHL contest. 

     Anaheim(17-33-7) waited until 7:14 left in the first period to go up 1-0. Dmitry Kulikov centered the puck from behind the cage. Mason McTavish scored on his rebound shot from the crease area for his 13th goal of the season. Max Jones was credited with the secondary assist on the play. 

     The Ducks expanded it to 2-0 on the power play with 4:40 remaining in the first. John Klingberg pushed a cross-ice pass and Kevin Shattenkirk fired a shot from the right circle wide right of the net. Former Panthers player Frank Vatrano put in a one-time slap shot from the low left circle by Sergei Bobrovsky for his 15th goal of the campaign. 

     Florida(29-25-6) closed it to 2-1 at the 2:12 mark of the second period. Radko Gudas released a snap shot from the right point and Eric Staal deflected it in from the top of the crease past John Gibson for his 11th goal this season. 

     The Panthers tied it up 2-2 with 2:37 left in the period. Eetu Luostarinen made a pass from the right point to the middle. Marc Staal had a give-and-go pass play with Matthew Tkachuk and then snapped a shot from the low slot for his second goal of the year. 

     In the third period, Anaheim took a 3-2 lead with 7:09 remaining. Kulikov angled a pass from the top of the zone to Klingberg on the left wing. He returned it and Kulikov scored on a snap shot from the high slot for his third tally this year. 

     The Cats rallied back with 5:51 to go and tied it 3-3. Nick Cousins sent the puck from the top of the zone to the right circle. Gustav Forsling powered a slap shot that was redirected in by Ryan Lomberg in the crease area for his eighth goal. 

     Florida wrapped up the contest at the 1:42 mark of overtime. Luostarinen forwarded a long lead pass from his own blue line. Carter Verhaeghe went on a breakaway and scored his 30th goal of the season on a forehand shot. 

Dolphins Hire Renaldo Hill

     The Miami Dolphins have added to their coaching staff for the 2023 season. Renaldo Hill has been named their defensive passing game coordinator. 

     Hill recently was the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2021 and 2022. He will now work under Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. 

2023 NBA All-Star Game

     Team Giannis toppled Team LeBron 184-175 in the 2023 NBA All-Star Game at Vivent Arena in Salt Lake City. Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics was named the Most Valuable Player with an all-time All-Star Game record of 55 points. 

     There was one player from the Miami Heat that played in the contest. Bam Adebayo had four points and one rebound in 24 minutes of play for Team Giannis. 

Kevin Love Signing With Miami Heat

     Kevin Love has agreed to sign a one-year contract with the Miami Heat worth $3.1 million. His contract was brought out by the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday and had to go through waivers. 

     Love has been with the Cavaliers for the past nine seasons. He helped the club win their only NBA title in 2016. Love played his first six NBA seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Love has averaged a career-low 8.5 points per game in 41 contests this season with the Cavs. 

Tyler Herro Eliminated

     The annual three-point contest was held on Saturday night at Vivent Arena in Salt Lake City. It was part of the 2023 NBA All-Game Star Game weekend festivities. The NBA All-Star Game will be held on Sunday night. 

     Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat was one of the eight participants. He was eliminated in the first round with 16 to finish in sixth place. Damian Lillard of the Porland Trail Blazers won the first round and the three-point final round with a 26 in each session. 

Predators Rout Panthers

     The Nashville Predators outscored the Florida Panthers 7-3 at Bridgestone Arena on Saturday afternoon. The Panthers, who finished off a four-game road trip, will play nine of their next 10 games at home. Nick Cousins participated in his 500th NHL game. 

     Nashville(26-21-6) went ahead 1-0 at 2:36 of the first period in their first shot of the contest. Tommy Novak stole the puck from Aaron Ekblad and Radko Gudas on the right wing. He skated into the right circle and snapped a shot past Sergei Bobrovsky for his fifth goal this year.

     Florida(28-25-6) tied it up 1-1 at the 7:55 mark. Cousins burned his former team as he released a wrist shot from the high slot by Kevin Lankinen for his sixth tally of the campaign. 

     The Panthers made it 2-1 with 7:51 remaining in the first. A clearing pass by Tanner Jeannot was intercepted by Brandon Montour on the right wing. He sent a diagonal pass and Matthew Tkachuk redirected it from the top of the crease. 

     The Predators evened it 2-2 just 47 seconds later. Ryan McDonagh connected a pass from the left corner and Matt Duchene powered in a snap shot from the low right circle for his 17th goal this season. 

     It became 3-2 for the Preds on the power play with 4:59 to go in the period. Roman Josi pushed a slap pass from the top of the zone and Ryan Johansen tipped it in from the right of the crease for his 12th goal. 

     Nashville increased it to 4-2 at the 7:40 mark of the second period. Josi sent a long lead pass from his goal line to Colton Sissons in the neutral zone behind the Panthers defense. He went into the offensive zone on a breakaway, through the slot area and scored on a backhand shot at the top of the crease. 

     The Panthers replaced Bobrovsky in net with Spencer Knight following the goal. Bobrovsky allowed four goals on 12 shots by the Preds. 

     The Predators got their fourth straight tally for a three-goal lead with 3:37 left in the second. Johansen passed from the right wing to McDonagh at the blue line. McDonagh angled a pass to Josi at the top left circle and he blasted a slap shot by Knight for his third point of the contest. 

     In the third period, Nashville converted on the man advantage at 8:58 to make it 6-2. Philip Tomasino forwarded the puck from the right circle. Novak shot it from behind the Panthers cage off Knight and into the net for his second goal of the game. 

     Florida cut it to 6-3 at the 9:58 mark while on the power play. Montour made a square pass from the left point. Barkov snapped a shot from the top of the zone and it was deflected in by Sam Reinhart from the low slot for his 21st goal of the season. 

     The Panthers pulled their goalie for an extra attacker with 7:23 to go in the third. Yakov Trenin slapped a shot from his own left circle into an empty net with 5:46 remaining. 

Noel Acciari Traded To Maple Leafs

     Former Florida Panthers center Noel Acciari was dealt by the St. Louis Blues to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a five-player trade. It was his first season in St. Louis. He was traded along with Ryan O'Reilly to Toronto. 

     Acciari was with the Panthers for three seasons from the 2019-20 until 2021-22 and the club reached the postseason each time. He had 46 points and 127 games with Florida. 

Dwyane Wade Basketball Hall Of Fame Finalist

     Former Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade has been named a finalist for the Basketball Hall of Fame. It is his first year of eligibility to reach the highest basketball honor. 

     Wade played 15 seasons with the Miami Heat. He helped the franchise capture three NBA championships in 2006, 20012 and 2013. 

Marlins Television Deal In Flux

     Diamond Sports Group, which owns Bally Sports Florida and Bally Sports Sun, defaulted on their interest payment toward the television rights on the upcoming 2023 baseball season earlier this week. That organization controls the television rights to 14 Major League Baseball teams. Sinclair Broadcast Group may possibly file chapter 11 bankruptcy for Diamond Sports Group. 

     They have 30 days to pay the money to these 14 baseball clubs which turns out to be March 17. The teams could terminate their broadcast contracts with Diamond Sports Group if they don't pay for the television broadcasts rights this season. 

     The Miami Marlins games are broadcasted on Bally Sports Florida while Tampa Bay Rays contests are on Bally Sports Sun. It is uncertain what Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred will do about the situation. MLB may bring their television rights of the 14 baseball clubs in-house or another corporation could step in to take over the regional sports networks and buy the television rights to the Marlins and the other teams. 

     Diamond Sports Group owns 19 regional sports networks in the United States. Other local sports teams in South Florida, which include the Miami Heat and Florida Panthers, could be affected by these team television broadcast rights circumstances later on this year. 

Panthers Bounce Capitals

     The Florida Panthers defeated the Washington Capitals 6-3 at Captial One Arena on Thursday night. The Capitals and the Panthers were battling for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Both clubs now have a total of 62 points each. 

     The Panthers had not played in that venue since May 13, 2022. Florida was in that arena when they clinched their first postseason series since 1996 winning Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. 

     Florida(28-24-6) got ahead 1-0 at the 9:05 mark of the first period. Carter Verhaeghe passed from the right wing and Eetu Luostarinen placed a cross-ice pass from the top right circle. Gustav Forsling snapped a shot from the top left circle past Darcy Kuemper for his eighth goal of the campaign. 

     In the second period, the Panthers increased it 2-0 at 1:32. Verhaeghe connected a pass from the right corner to Brandon Montour on the left point. He made a square pass and Marc Staal blasted a one-time slap shot from the right point for his first goal in a Panthers jersey. It was Staal's first goal in a 76-game span since last March. 

     It became 3-0 for Florida at the 7:20 mark of the second. Anton Lundell sent a diagonal pass from the left side of the Capitals blue line. Colin White skated through the slot area and shoveled in a backhand shot for his seventh goal this year. 

     Washington(28-23-6) broke the shutout with 4:09 to go in the period and trailed 3-1. T.J. Oshie fired a slap shot from the left point and Dylan Strome deflected it in from the high slot by Sergei Bobrovsky for his 12th goal of the season. 

     The Cats regained a three-goal lead 4-1 with 2:57 remaining in the second. Aleksander Barkov carried the puck into the Caps zone on the right side and then snapped a shot from the right circle for his 16th goal this season. Givani Smith was credited with an assist on the play. 

     The Capitals scored on the power play with 6:56 left in the third period and were down 4-2. Erik Gustafsson stopped a clearing pass on the right point and passed it to his left. Nicklas Backstrom released a forehand shot from top left circle for just his third tally of the year. 

     Washington pulled their goalie on the start of a power play with 3:19 to go. They picked up a goal with 2:32 remaining by Evgeny Kuznetsov from the right of the crease. 

     The Caps added an extra attacker again and it did not work. Lundell found the empty net for his eighth goal with 1:21 left to give Florida a 5-3 lead. 

     Sam Reinhart added an empty-net goal with 14.4 seconds remaining in the contest for a three-goal margin. Reinhart reached the 20-goal mark for the sixth straight season and seventh time in eight seasons. 

Nets Disposes Heat

     The Brooklyn Nets held off the Miami Heat 116-105 at Barclays Center on Wednesday night. It was the final regular season contest for both teams prior to the NBA All-Star Game break. The Nets have gained the tiebreaker as they have won two games in the season series against the Heat. 

     Brooklyn(34-24) had a 26-25 advantage after one quarter. Miami(32-27) was able to get ahead and lead 56-52 at halftime. The Nets had a late spurt and were up 83-80 at the end of three quarters. Brooklyn went on a 20-13 run at the start of the fourth quarter to pull ahead. 

     The Heat were led by Bam Adebayo with a double-double of 24 points and 13 rebounds. Gabe Vincent poured in 21 points and Max Strus added 18 points. Jimmy Butler and Caleb Martin both scored 13 points each. 

     Mikal Bridges had a career-high 45 points along with eight rebounds for the Nets. Cam Thomas came off the bench with 19 points while Cameron Johnson dropped in 18 points in the victory. 

Blues Breeze By Panthers

     The St. Louis Blues powered by the Florida Panthers 6-2 on Tuesday night at Enterprise Center. The Panthers continued their four-game road swing. 

     St. Louis(25-25-3) broke out to a 1-0 lead with 8:33 left in the first period. Brayden Schenn scored a power-play goal on assists from Torey Krug and Robert Thomas. 

     The Blues expanded it to 2-0 just 35 seconds into the second period. Schenn got his second tally of the contest on a feed from Jordan Kyrou. Nick Leddy made it 3-0 with 7:09 to go in the second with his second goal this year. 

     Florida(27-24-6) cut it to 3-1 with 1:36 remaining in the period. Eetu Luostarinen found the net for the 13th time this season with assists by Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe. 

     In the third period, St. Louis added two more goals in a 20-second span and had a four-goal gap 5-1. Ryan O'Reilly scored at the 9:28 mark followed by Kyrou at 9:48. 

     The Panthers answered back with 6:32 left and trailed 5-2. Verhaeghe compiled his 29th goal of the season on assists from Tkachuk and Brandon Montour. 

     The Cats pulled their goalie for extra attacker while on the power play with four minutes to go. Ivan Barbashev eventually scored into an empty net to give the Blues a 6-2 lead with 2:48 remaining. 

Ruthie Polinsky Leaving WTVJ-TV

     Ruthie Polinsky is leaving her position as sports anchor at WTVJ-TV Channel 6 in Miami. She has been with that organization since March 2020. Sportscaster Giselle Espinales, a University of Miami 2013 grad, is also exiting WTVJ. 

     Polinsky, a University of Michigan grad, began her professional broadcasting career as a sportscaster at KFDX-TV in Wichita Falls, Texas. She then worked as a sports anchor and sports reporter at WPRI-TV in Providence for three years before arriving in South Florida. 

Tyler Herro At NBA All-Star Game Weekend

     The National Basketball Association announced the participants of the three-point shooting contest for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game Weekend in Salt Lake City. Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat was one of eight players selected. 

     Herro has averaged 20.6 points per game for the Heat so far this season. He has played his entire four-year NBA career with that organization. 

WQAM On National Sports Radio Stations List

     Barrett Sports Media released the top 25 sports talk radio stations in the United States. AM 560 Sports WQAM-AM finished in 25th place during 2022.

     It has been an adjustment for local audiences recently. WQAM was far in front of the monthly ratings among sports format radio stations in the Miami region last year. Their sister-station Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM flipped from a sports format in early October 2022. 

Panthers Outduel Wild

     The Florida Panthers took the Minnesota Wild 2-1 in a shootout on Monday night at Xcel Energy Center. The Panthers, who began a four-game road trip, were involved just their third shootout of the 2022-23 campaign. 

     Neither team was able to score in the opening frame. Florida(27-23-6) made it 1-0 at the 2:06 mark of the second period. Eetu Luostarinen got his 12th this season with a deflection from the slot area on assists from Gustav Forsling and Nick Cousins. 

     Minnesota(28-20-5) tied it 1-1 at 5:15 of the second as Kirill Kaprizov chalked up his 30th goal of the season with a snap shot from the left circle. Mats Zuccarello and Colen Addison were credited with assists on the play. There was no scoring during the third period.  

     In the shootout, Zuccarello put in a backhand shot on the first attempt for the Wild. The Panthers would win on backhand shots by Anton Lundell on the Panthers first attempt and by Aleksander Barkov on their second attempt. 

Nuggets Unload On Heat

     The Miami Heat fell to the Denver Nuggets 112-108 at Miami-Dade Arena on Monday night. The Heat had their eight-game home winning streak snapped and they played their final home contest prior to the NBA All-Star Game break. 

     Miami(32-26) scored 10 straight points midway in the first quarter to lead 36-27 after the first frame. Denver(40-18) went on a 14-4 spurt to start the second quarter and led 65-62 at halftime. The Nuggets stayed ahead 89-83 at the end of three quarters. The Heat could not get the lead during the final quarter. 

     Jimmy Butler almost had a triple-double for Miami with 24 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Max Strus added 23 points and seven rebounds. Bam Adebayo had 19 points while Gabe Vincent drained in 15 points. 

     Nikola Jokic chalked up a double-double with 27 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists for Denver. Michael Porter Jr. dropped in 17 points and Bruce Brown scored 16 points. 

Dewayne Dedmon Goes To Sixers

     Dewayne Dedmon has signed a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers for the remainder of the 2022-23 season. He was traded by the Miami Heat to the San Antonio Spurs on February 7 and then was released by the Spurs having never been involved in a contest. 

     Dedmon played the past three seasons with the Miami Heat. He had 6.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in 113 games with the Heat. Dedmon participated in 30 games with Miami this season and had 5.7 points per game and 3.6 rebounds per game. 

Chad Henne Announces Retirement

     Former Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne is retiring from the National Football League. He was the backup quarterback behind Patrick Mahomes for the Kansas City Chiefs over the past four seasons and won two Super Bowl titles. He announced his retirement following the Chiefs 38-35 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in LVII. 

     Henne started his NFL career with the Miami Dolphins and played with them from 2008 to 2011. He participated in 36 games with Miami and had 646 pass completions for 7,114 passing yards and 31 touchdowns. 

Derek Jeter Joins Fox Sports

     Former Miami Marlins executive and minority owner Derek Jeter has joined Fox Sports. He will work as a studio game analyst for their Major League Baseball broadcasts. 

     Jeter became a part of the Marlins franchise in October 2017 as chief executive officer and had four percent ownership of the club. He stayed in the organization until February 2022. The Marlins did reach the postseason in 2020 for the first time since winning the World Series in 2003. 

     He spent 20 seasons as a shortstop with the New York Yankees from 1995 until 2014. Jeter ended up capturing five World Series titles in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2009. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020. 

Marlins Trade For A.J. Puk

     The Miami Marlins acquired relief pitcher A.J. Puk from the Oakland A's for outfielder J.J. Bleday. The Marlins continued to improve their bullpen. 

     Puk has pitched his entire three-year career in the majors with the A's. He made 62 relief appearances last season with Oakland and had 76 strikeouts and 66 1/3 innings pitched. Puk finished nine games with the club and had a 4-3 record. 

     Bleday made the Marlins major league roster during the 2022 season. He ended up with five home runs, 16 runs batted in and a .167 batting average in 65 games. 

Heat Snap Magic

     The Miami Heat got by the Orlando Magic 107-103 in overtime on Saturday night at Amway Arena. The Heat made the short trip up to Central Florida and extended their winning streak to three games. 

     Orlando(23-34) rocketed out to a 29-19 lead at the end of the first quarter and remained ahead 54-46 at halftime. The Heat trailed 79-72 after three quarters. Miami(32-25) came back during the fourth quarter as they erased a 12-point deficit and tied it 97-97 to go into overtime. The Heat went on a 7-2 spurt to begin the extra session. 

     Tyler Herro scored a game-high 23 points for the Heat. Jimmy Butler dropped in 22 points and Gabe Vincent added 20 points. Bam Adebayo compiled a double-double with 13 points and 17 rebounds. Markelle Fultz was the leading scorer for the Magic with 17 points. 

Avalanche Pour Over Panthers

     The defending Stanley Cup champions the Colorado Avalanche handled the Florida Panthers 5-3 at FLA Live Arena on Saturday night. The Panthers, who had their season-high three-game win streak stopped, completed a five-game homestand over two weeks that goes back to before the NHL All-Star Game break. 

     Colorado(28-19-4) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period. Logan O'Connor put in a rebound shot past Sergei Bobrovsky for a shorthanded goal at 3:35. Matt Nieto scored on a one-time forehand shot from the low slot on a feed by J.T. Compher behind the Panthers cage at the 8:04 mark. 

     Florida(26-23-6) climbed back into the contest and tied in 2-2 during the second period. The Panthers scored twice in a 65-second span. Aaron Ekblad got his ninth goal of the campaign with a wrist shot from the right point at the 7:03 mark and Sam Bennett nailed his 14th goal of the season at 8:08 on a snap shot from the top right circle. 

     The Avalanche bounced back just 25 seconds later on a goal by Devon Toews for a 3-2 lead. Nathan MacKinnon added a power-play goal from the high slot with 5:59 left in the second and the Avs had a two-goal margin. 

     In the third period, the Panthers closed it to 4-3 with 8:57 remaining. Aleksander Barkov scored his 15th goal this season at the top of the crease on assists from Sam Reinhart and Matthew Tkachuk. 

     The Cats pulled their goalie for an extra skater in the final two minutes. MacKinnon placed the puck into an empty net with 58.5 seconds to go for his second tally of the contest and 16th goal in 2022-23. 

Heat Burn Rockets

     Jimmy Butler slammed the ball in the hoop on an inbound pass from Gabe Vincent with 00.3 seconds left in the fourth quarter as the Miami Heat edged the Houston Rockets 97-95 at Miami-Dade Arena on Friday night. The Heat visit the Orlando Magic tomorrow. 

     Houston(13-43) had a slight 29-28 lead after one quarter. Miami(31-25) moved ahead by the end of the second quarter 58-56. The Heat were still up 75-73 at the end of the third quarter. Both teams were tied 95-95 with seconds remaining until Butler scored on a ally-oop pass from Vincent. 

     Tyler Herro compiled 31 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for Miami in the victory. Bam Adebayo contributed 20 points along with eight rebounds while Butler dropped in 16 points. Jabari Smith Jr. led the Rockets with 22 points. 

Justin Bour Retires

     Former Miami Marlins first baseman Justin Bour has retired baseball. He spent 2020 in Nippon Professional Baseball, 2021 in Korea Baseball Organization and 2022 in the Mexican League. 

     Bour was with the Marlins from 2014 until 2018. He had 83 home runs, 272 runs batted in, .262 batting average and an .816 OPS with Miami in 478 games. Bour later had stints with the Philadelphia Phillies in late 2018 and the Los Angeles Angels in 2019. 

Former Locals On National Program Director List

     Barrett Sports Media released their 2022 top 25 national program director list for smaller media markets. Several program directors who once worked in South Florida did appear on that list. 

     Paul Mason of 104.3 The Zone WGFX-FM in Nashville ended up in fourth place. He was 13th in 2020 and 16th in 2021. Mason was the program director at WMEN-AM and WFTL-AM in West Palm Beach from March 2017 until April 2020. 

     Ryan Maguire returned to the Barrett Sports Media list in 21st place. He has been the program director at ESPN Milwaukee WKTI-FM since February 2022. Maguire was the program director of 560 WQAM-AM from May 2015 to February 2018. He finished 18th place in 2016 and 19th place in 2017 for program directors in major media markets. 

National Program Director List Has Len Weiner

     Len Weiner appeared in the top 25 on the Barrett Sports Media program director list for local sports stations in the United States. He finished in 22nd place in 2022. He previously ranked 25th in 2018, 21st in 2019, 21st in 2020 and 20th in 2021. 

     Weiner is presently the program director of AM 560 Sports WQAM-AM. He was the program director at Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM until their format was flipped from sports in October 2022. 

Caleb Smith Signs With Pirates

     Former Miami Marlins starting pitcher Caleb Smith has signed a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He will try to make their major league roster with an invitation to Pirates spring training camp. 

     Smith was with the Marlins from 2018 until 2020. He made 45 starts with the club and had a 15-17 record with a 4.39 earned run average. 

Zach Thomas In Pro Football Hall Of Fame

     Former Miami Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Thursday night. It was the fourth straight year that he was a finalist. 

     Thomas played with the Miami Dolphins from 1996 until 2007. He participated in 168 games with the Dolphins and had 17 interceptions along with 1,640 combined tackles. 

Nick Bosa Defensive Player Of The Year

     San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Nick Bosa was announced Thursday night as the National Football League Defensive Player of the Year. He led the NFL with 18.5 sacks and helped the 49ers win the NFC West Division. 

     Bosa participated in high school football with the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders. He captured three FHSAA Class 7A state championships in 2012, 2014 and 2015. 

Geno Smith Comeback Player Of The Year

     Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith has been named the National Football League Comeback Player of the Year on Thursday night. He passed for 4,282 yards and 30 touchdowns in 2022 and led the Seahawks to an NFC Wild-Card playoff spot.

     Smith once played high school football locally with the Miramar Patriots. He helped the school reach the FHSAA Class 6A state semifinals in 2008. 

Panthers Escape Sharks

     The Florida Panthers topped the San Jose Sharks 4-1 on Thursday night at FLA Live Arena. The Panthers won three straight games for the first time this season and will complete their three-game homestand versus the Stanley Cup champions the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. The Sharks are in a stretch in which they are away from home for 27 days. 

     Some Panthers players got some new milestone marks. Eric Staal picked up his 450th career goal while Sergei Bobrovsky chalked up his 350th career win to become the 25th NHL goalie to accomplish that feat. 

     San Jose(16-26-11) scored to make it 1-0 at the 5:49 mark. Erik Karlsson fired a slap shot from the top of the zone which was saved by Bobrovsky. Alexander Barabanov backhanded a shot from the slot area for his eighth goal of the campaign. Karlsson became the fourth defenseman in NHL history to have 70 points in 53 games or less in a regular season. 

     Florida(26-22-6) evened it up 1-1 at 4:30 of the second period. Marc Staal fed a pass from the neutral zone. Sam Reinhart skated slowly into the Sharks zone and then snapped a shot from the right-circle dot by Kaapo Kahkonen for his 18th goal this season. It was Staal's sixth assist of the year. 

     The Panthers took their first lead 2-1 with 40.2 seconds left in the second. Anton Lundell sent a cross-ice pass from the left wing and Eetu Luostarinen angled a pass from the right circle while falling down. Reinhart redirected the puck into the cage from the top of the crease for his second tally of the contest and 19th goal of the season. 

     In the third period, Aaron Ekblad was called for a four-minute, double-minor penalty with 4:51 to go. The Sharks pulled their goalie for an extra attacker with 2:15 remaining. 

     Eric Staal scored a shorthanded goal into an empty net off a lead pass from Luostarinen with 1:30 left for a Florida 3-2 lead. Staal added another shorthanded tally with 1:05 remaining for his second goal of the game to give the Cats a three-goal margin. 

     He became the fourth player in Florida Panthers franchise history with two shorthanded goals in one game. It was done by Tom Fitzgerald on October 13, 1995, Radek Dvorak on December 12, 1997 and Olli Jokinen on November 19, 2002. 

Josh Richardson Moves To Pelicans

     Former Miami Heat guard Josh Richardson has been dealt by the San Antonio Spurs to the New Orleans Pelicans for Devonte Graham and four second-round selections. He was be playing for his sixth NBA franchise. 

     Richardson began his NBA career with the Heat in 2015-16 and stayed there until 2018-19. He averaged 12.1 points per game and 2.9 assists per game in 259 contests with the club. Richardson was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for Jimmy Butler in July 2019. 

Jae Crowder Goes To Bucks

     Former Miami Heat forward Jae Crowder is headed to the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-team trade. The Phoenix Suns, the club Crowder was on, and the Brooklyn Nets are involved in the deal. 

     Crowder was with the Heat for 20 regular season games during the 2019-20 season. He helped the team win the Eastern Conference title and reach the NBA Finals against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. 

Sedano And Kaplan On Afternoon Show Host List

     The top 25 afternoon sports shows list for 2022 was announced by Barrett Sports Media. Several former Miami sportscasters did appear as Jorge Sedano and Scott Kaplan from ESPN Los Angeles KSPN-AM finished in 20th place. They have co-hosted an afternoon show since February 2021 and ended up in 19th place in 2021. 

     Sedano was on local radio at 1700 The Fan WAFN-AM, Fox Sports Radio 940 WINZ-AM, News Radio 610 WIOD-AM, Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM and Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM from 1999 until 2013. Kaplan appeared on WQAM and CBS Sportsline in the late 1990s. 

Hochman & Crowder Makes Afternoon Sports Show List

     Barrett Sports Media released the top 25 afternoon sports talk shows in the United States for 2022. Marc Hochman and Channing Crowder from AM 560 Sports WQAM-AM finished in 25th place. 

     Their afternoon show with sports anchor/producer Alejandro Solana lost its simulcast on Sports Talk 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM back in October when it flipped from a sports format. Hochman and Crowder was 19th in 2017, 25th in 2020 and 22nd in 2021. 

Heat Knock Off Pacers

     The Miami Heat began a short stay at home as they raced by the Indiana Pacers 116-111 on Wednesday night at Miami-Dade Arena. The Heat, who have won seven straight home games, will host the Houston Rockets on Friday. 

     Miami(30-25) broke out to a 39-30 advantage at the end of the first quarter. Indiana(25-31) took over in the second quarter and led 63-60 at halftime. The Heat roared back and were ahead 89-83 after three quarters. Miami never trailed after they got an 8-2 spurt to begin the final quarter. 

     Bam Adebayo had 38 points and nine rebounds in the victory for Miami. Jimmy Butler added 25 points and seven assists. Gabe Vincent pumped in 17 points and Tyler Herro dropped in 15 points. Buddy Hield led the Pacers with 29 points. 

LeBron James Sets NBA Scoring Record

     LeBron James set the National Basketball Association record as the all-time leading scorer in league history at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Tuesday night. He broke the record held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who set it back in 1984. 

     James set the record with his 38,388th point on a fadeaway jump shot from the foul line with 10.9 seconds left in the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He needed 36 points to pass Abdul-Jabbar to break the record. James played with the Miami Heat for four seasons and helped them win two NBA championships in 2012 and 2013. 

Miami Heat Trade Dewayne Dedmon

     The Miami Heat have dealt center Dewayne Dedmon and a 2028 second-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs. The Heat will get back cash considerations in return. It will be Dedmon's second stint with the San Antonio. 

     Dedmon has played the last three seasons with the Heat. He scored 6.1 points per game and had 5.2 rebounds per game in 113 contests with Miami. Dedmon has played 30 games this season and averaged 5.7 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. 

Local Morning Sports Show List Has Joe Rose

     The 2022 top 25 local morning sports shows were announced by Barrett Sports Media. South Florida once again had one program on that list. 

     The Joe Rose Show with Zach Krantz along with "Hollywood" Danny Rabinowitz on AM 560 Sports WQAM-AM finished in 21st place. They ended up in 18th in 2016, 16th in 2017, 24th in 2018, 22nd in 2019, 23rd in 2020 and 22nd in 2021. Krantz left the morning show in December.

National Talk Show Host List With Ex Local Talent

     Barrett Sports Media issued their top 20 national sports radio shows of 2022. Several former South Florida on-air talent appeared on that list. 

     The Herd With Colin Cowherd ended up in second place. Joy Taylor was the on-air sidekick and sports anchor on the program until she left in August to co-host Speak on Fox Sports 1. Cowherd was the top national sports show in 2020 and 2021. 

     The D.A. Show starring Damon Amendolara landed in eighth place. Amendolara once was the evening host on 560 WQAM and is currently the morning host on CBS Sports Radio Network. He placed 12th in 2019, 10th in 2020 and eighth in 2021. 

     Evan Cohen finished in 15th place with The Morning Men morning show at Mad Dog Radio on SiriusXM Radio. The program was 19th in 2019, 13th in 2020 and 15th in 2021. Cohen recently left his on-air duties as a sports commentary segment host at ESPN West Palm 106.3 WUUB-FM in December 2022. 

Panthers Pound Lightning

     The Florida Panthers routed the Tampa Bay Lightning 7-1 at FLA Live Arena on Monday night. The Lightning saw their hold slip a little against the Panthers for third place in the Atlantic Division.

     Both teams played their first regular season games since the NHL All-Star Game break. The Panthers last participated in a contest as they hosted the Boston Bruins on January 28. 

     Panthers head coach Paul Maurice picked up his 800th NHL victory behind the bench. He is the sixth head coach in National Hockey League history to reach that mark. 

     Florida(25-22-6) jumped out to a 1-0 lead at the 8:04 mark of the first period. Matthew Tkachuk, who is coming off the 2023 NHL All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award on Saturday, made a cross-ice pass from the low left circle and Carter Verhaeghe snapped a shot from the low right circle past Andrei Vasilevskiy for his 27th goal of the season. It turned out to be the 41st assist for Tkachuk in a Panthers uniform. 

     In the second period, the Cats expanded their lead to 2-0 with the man advantage at 1:42. Aaron Ekblad passed the puck from the right point to Tkachuk behind the Lightning cage. He centered it and Sam Bennett put in a wrist shot from the low slot for his 13th goal of the campaign. 

     Tampa Bay(32-16-1) closed it to 2-1 at 3:02 of the second. Mikhail Sergachev angled a pass back from the left wing and Nikita Kucherov rifled a snap shot by Sergei Bobrovsky for his 20th goal this season. It was the eighth consecutive season that Kucherov has reached the 20-goal mark. Brayden Point was credited with a secondary assist on the play. 

     The Panthers increased it 3-1 at 8:40 of the frame. Bennett made a pass to the middle of the ice. Verhaeghe released a forehand shot from the slot area and Tkachuk batted it in from the right of the crease for his 26th goal of the campaign. 

     Florida had a 4-1 lead with 2:04 remaining in the second. Brandon Montour blasted a slap shot from the right point and it was redirected by Eetu Luostarinen for his 11th tally this year. Verghaeghe chalked up his third assist in the contest. 

     The Cats blow the game open 5-1 at the 2:53 mark of the third period. Vasilevskiy tried to clear the puck from his own left corner around the end wall. It was stopped by Eric Staal behind the net and he stuffed it into a wide-open net for his eighth goal of the year. 

     It became 6-1 for the Panthers at 5:26 of the third. Tkachuk caught a clearing pass at the Lightning blue line and carried it into the high slot. He made a diagonal pass and Verhaeghe powered in a one-time slap shot from the low right circle for his second tally of the game and 28th goal of the season. 

     Florida made it 7-1 on the power play with 5:37 left in the third period. Bennett took a shot from long range and it was deflected in by Tkachuk from the left of the crease for his fifth point and second goal of the contest. Tkachuk had a five-point game for the third time in his NHL career. 

Marlins Ink Johan Quezada

     The Miami Marlins have signed relief pitcher Johan Quezada to a minor league contract. He will be invited to the Marlins spring training camp in Jupiter to make the majors. 

     Quezada spent the last two seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals in their minor league system. He will with the Marlins during the 2020 season in which they made the postseason for the first time in 17 years. He pitched three games that year and allowed three runs in three innings. 

David Schultz Exits WNSP

     Former Miami radio sportscaster David Schultz is no longer the afternoon host at WNSP-FM in Mobile. He also held the role of program director at that radio station. He joined WNSP back in August 2019.

     Schultz worked as the Florida Marlins reporter, Florida Panthers reporter, sports anchor and fill-in host at 560 WQAM-AM from 2009 until 2011. He was a minor league baseball radio play-by-play announcer with the Syracuse Chiefs, Harrisburg Senators, Somerset Patriots, Jacksonville Suns and Peoria Chiefs prior to his arrival to South Florida. 

     After two years away from broadcasting, he landed at KLWB-FM as the morning host and program director at Lafeyette, Louisiana in September 2013. The program was later simulcasted on KXKW-TV. Schultz left both positions in March 2019. 

     Schultz, a SUNY-Oswego grad, launched the Shut Up Dave Podcast in April 2019. He then began to host a Sunday morning show on KPEL-AM in May 2019.

Matthew Tkachuk NHL First Star Of The Week

     The National Hockey League has named Florida Panthers right wing Matthew Tkachuk as the First Star of the Week. Tkachuk scored a combined four goals and three assists in two contests during the 2023 NHL All-Star Game at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise on Saturday. He was given the Most Valuable Player Award for the 2023 NHL All-Star Game as he led the Atlantic Division to two game victories. 

     It is the first season for Tkachuk with the Florida Panthers. He was acquired by the Cats during the summer from the Calgary Flames for Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar. Tkachuk has 25 goals and 41 assists for 66 points in 49 games this season with Florida. 

Emerson Lotzia At DraftKings

     Former West Palm Beach sportscaster Emerson Lotzia is currently with DraftKings. He has been co-hosting The Sweat alongside Jessie Coffield for over a year. 

     Lotzia, a University of Central Florida grad, was noticed locally as a sports anchor at WPTV-TV Channel 5 and WFLX-TV Channel 29 in West Palm Beach from 2013 to December 2015. He relocated to Boston to become a sportscaster and work as an After Hours studio host on NESN. 

     Prior to his arrival in South Florida, he began his professional broadcasting career as a sportscaster at WETM-TV in Elmira, New York. Lotzia moved on to KTVX-TV in Salt Lake City and held the same role. 

Bucks Down Heat

     Giannis Antetokounmpo had a triple-double as the Milwaukee Bucks outscored the Miami Heat 123-115 on Saturday night at Fiserv Forum. The Heat finished off a four-game road swing. 

     Milwaukee(36-17) rushed out to a 34-26 lead at the end of the first quarter. Both clubs ended up being tied 62-62 at halftime. Miami(29-25) kept up with their opponent and were down 94-92 after three quarters. The Bucks stayed ahead as they scored eight straight points to start the fourth quarter. 

     Jimmy Butler chalked up a team-high 32 points and eight rebounds to lead the Heat. Bam Adebayo had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Tyler Herro dropped in 24 points and Caleb Martin added 17 points.

     Antetokounmpo compiled a triple-double with 35 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists for Milwaukee. Those numbers ended up being the game-high in all categories. Khris Middleton came off the bench and poured in 25 points. Grayson Allen scored 19 points while Jrue Holiday placed in 15 points. 

Atlantic Division Takes 2023 NHL All-Star Game

     The Atlantic Division defeated the Central Division 7-5 to win the 2023 NHL All-Star Game at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise on Saturday. Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers was named the Most Valuable Player Award for the contest. He had four goals and three assists in two combined games. 

     In the first period, the Atlantic Division rocketed out to a 2-0 lead. Tkachuk found the net 37 seconds into the contest and Nikita Kucherov made it 2-0 at 4:05. It became 3-0 for them when Dylan Larkin scored with 43 seconds remaining in the frame. 

     The Atlantic extended it to 4-0 at the 2:03 mark of the second period. Mitch Marner passed from behind the cage and Larkin snapped a shot from the high slot. 

     The Central Division finally got on the scoreboard at 4:09. Nathan MacKinnon backhanded a centering pass from the left circle and Mikko Rantanen scored on a snap shot. 

     It became 5-1 for the Atlantic Division with 2:46 left in the second. David Pastrnak went on a breakaway and scored. 

     The Central closed it to 5-2 with 1:13 to go on a goal by Jason Robertson. Larkin got the hat trick with his third goal of the contest to make it 6-2 for the Atlantic just seven seconds later.   

     Both clubs combined for four goals in the final 53 seconds of play and it made no difference. Clayton Keller, MacKinnon and Cale Makar scored for the Central Division while Rasmus Dahlin got a tally for the Atlantic Division. 

Atlantic Gets By Metropolitan

     Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers had a hat trick as the Atlantic Division knocked off the Metropolitan Division 10-6 at FLA Live Arena on Saturday. It was the second semifinal played in the 2023 NHL All-Star Game. 

     The first period started with the Atlantic Division jumping to a 2-0 lead. Matthew Tkachuk made it 1-0 just 36 seconds in and Dylan Larkin extended it to 2-0 at the 4:08 mark. 

     The Metropolitan Division answered back midway in the frame. Johnny Gaudreau put in two goals in a 20-second span at 5:20 and at 5:40. 

     The current NHL legends showed up for the Metropolitan Division. Sidney Crosby connected a cross-ice pass in the crease and Alex Ovechkin scored from close range with 3:41 remaining in the first to give them a 3-2 lead. 

     The Atlantic Division came rolling back with two goals. Matthew Tkachuk passed the puck to his brother Brady Tkachuk for a goal with 3:01 left. Nick Suzuki made it 4-3 for the Atlantic with 2:05 to go on a fed by Mitch Marner

     In the second period, Artemi Panarin sent a long lead pass and Gaudreau scored on a breakaway at 25 seconds for the hat trick to tie it 4-4. 

     It was another give-and-go pass play as Crosby put it in from Ovechkin at the 1:58 mark. The Metropolitan took a 6-4 lead as Ovechkin found the net on assists from Adam Fox and Crosby at 2:21. 

     The Atlantic closed it to 6-5 at 3:49 as Matthew Tkachuk put in a shot from the crease for his second goal of the contest. They tied it 6-6 at the 5:29 mark on a goal by Nikita Kucherov with a feed from Marner.

     The Atlantic Division took a 7-6 lead with 4:09 remaining in the second. David Pastrnak passed it to Suzuki for the score. Tkachuk then had a breakaway goal on a lead pass from Aleksander Barkov with 3:11 to go to make it 8-6. Brady Tkachuk got the secondary assist on the play. Dylan Larkin was able to add an empty-net goal with one minute to go and Pastrnak had a tally with 13 seconds left for a four-goal margin.

Central Beats Pacific

     The Central Division defeated the Pacific Division 6-4 at FLA Live Arena on Saturday. It was the first semifinal contest in the 2023 NHL All-Star Game. 

     The Central Division found the net first. Nathan MacKinnon went on a breakaway and put it in at 3:15 of the first period. Mikko Rantanen made the lead pass to him. 

     The Pacific Division evened it up 1-1 at the 3:48 mark. Erik Karlsson sent a cross-ice pass from the right circle and Connor McDavid scored on a one-time shot from the left of the crease. 

     It became 2-1 for the Central with 3:08 left in the first. Seth Jones put in a wrist shot from the top of the crease on a feed from Vladimir Tarasenko. 

     The Pacific tied it 2-2 with 2:05 to go. Bo Horvat placed a pass from the right circle and Elias Pettersson tapped it in from the crease area.

     MacKinnon compiled his second goal of the contest with 1:21 remaining in the first from the blue paint. Rantanen pushed the puck from the slot area for his second assist of the frame. 

     In the second period, Clayton Keller gave the Central a 4-2 lead at 9:40. Tarasenko was able to send a diagonal feed. 

     The Central increased it to 5-2 with 4:28 to go in the second. Keller released a saucer pass from the right circle and Tarasenko snapped a shot from the left of the crease. 

      The Pacific Division closed it to 5-3 with 3:38 left.  Kevin Fiala connected a long lead pass from his own zone and Pettersson scored on a snap shot from the right circle. Karlsson rifled a shot from the slot area with 2:33 remaining and they trailed 5-4. 

      It became 6-4 for the Central with 1:53 left. Seth Jones made a cross-ice pass and Keller finished off the play. 

Luke Williams Signs With Dodgers

     Former Miami Marlins outfielder Luke Williams has signed a minor league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He will be invited to their spring training camp in Arizona to make their roster. 

     Williams was acquired by the Marlins from the San Francisco Giants on May 27. He had one home runs, three runs batted in and a .235 batting average in 71 games with Miami last season. 

2023 NHL All-Star Game Skills Competition

     The 2023 NHL All-Star Game Weekend had its skills competition at FLA Live Arena on Friday night. The same thing occurred at the same venue 20 years ago for the 2003 NHL All-Star Game. The 2023 NHL All-Star Game will be played tomorrow. 

     The first event of the evening was for the fastest skater. Andrei Svechnikov of the Carolina Hurricanes and Kevin Fiala of the Los Angeles Kings had the two fastest times to make the finals. Svechnikov won the final round in 13.699 seconds. 

     The next thing that happened was the breakaway challenge. Former Florida Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo was the celebrity goalie in the event. Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals teamed together on a breakaway and had a perfect score of 40 points. 

     The tendy tandem occurred next in the skills competition. The Central Division won it with Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators shooting the puck from the end wall down the ice and Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets in net.

     The pitch'n' puck combined golf and hockey by hitting a puck and a golf ball with a hockey stick. Nick Suzuki of the Montreal Canadiens ended up winning the event on three shots for a birdie.  

     The splash shot was filmed earlier in the day at Fort Lauderdale Beach. Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen of the Colorado Avalanche were able to get the victory in 18.7 seconds. 

     The hardest shot is what following that. Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks had the hardest shot on net at 103.2 miles per hour. 

     The final event of the skills competition was accuracy shooting. Brock Nelson of the New York Islanders knocked off Nazem Kadri of the Calgary Flames in the final round as he hit all four targets in 12.419 seconds. 

Cameron Maybin Detroit Tigers Announcer

     Former Florida Marlins and Miami Marlins outfielder Cameron Maybin has joined Bally Sports Detroit. He will work as a game analyst on Detroit Tigers television broadcasts. 

     Maybin had plenty of jobs last year following his retirement from Major League Baseball in 2021. He was a New York Yankees game analyst for YES Network. Maybin also worked as a studio analyst on MLB Network and was a studio analyst of Chicago Cubs broadcasts on Marquee Sports Network. 

     He had two stints in the Marlins organization as a player. Maybin was with the club from 2008 until 2010 and then returned for the 2018 campaign. 

20th Anniversary 2003 NHL All-Star Game

     Today is the 20th anniversary of the 2003 NHL All-Star Game. The 2023 NHL All-Star Game will be held at the same venue in Sunrise on Saturday. 

     The Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference 6-5 back in 2003. It is best remembered for the first time that a shootout was implemented in a National Hockey League contest. The shootout would later become a part of regular season games several years later. 

Panthers In NHL All-Star Skills Competition

     The National Hockey League has named which NHL All-Star players will participate in the NHL Skills Competition on Friday night. Two Florida Panthers players will be involved. 

     Panthers center Aleksander Barkov will be in the accuracy shooting segment as FLA Live Arena in Sunrise. Right wing Matthew Tkachuk will be involved in the splash shot competition at Fort Lauderdale Beach. 

Knicks Run Down Heat

     The New York Knicks defeated the Miami Heat 106-104 at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night. The Heat and the Knicks are now separated by just one game in the Eastern Conference standings. 

     New York(28-25) raced out to a 28-15 lead after nine minutes of play, but the Heat scored seven straight points to close it to 28-22 after one quarter. Miami(29-24) had a 12-4 spurt to begin the second quarter, however the Knicks put in seven unanswered points at the end of the first half and led 51-48. 

     The Knicks extended their lead to 62-48 midway through the third quarter. The Heat came back with a 21-4 run to make it 69-66. New York finished the frame on an 11-3 spurt and were up 77-72 at the end of the frame. The Knicks started the fourth quarter on a 15-9 run for a 92-81 lead and they never looked back. 

     Bam Adebayo, who was named a 2023 NBA All-Star earlier in the night, fell short of a double-double with a game-high 32 points and nine rebounds. Tyler Herro compiled 25 points and eight assists for the Heat. Max Strus was able to contribute 17 points.    

     R.J. Barrett led the Knicks with a team-high 30 points and eight rebounds. Julius Randle composed a double-double with 23 points, 10 rebounds and six assists while Quentin Grimes scored 17 points. 

Bam Adebayo On NBA All-Star Team

     Miami Heat forward Bam Adebayo has been named to a 2023 NBA All-Star for the Eastern Conference. This year's NBA All-Star Game will be held in Salt Lake City on February 19. 

     It will be the second appearance by Adebayo in the NBA All-Star Game. He was in the NBA All-Star Game back in 2020. 

     Adebayo entered Thursday's contest against the New York Knicks with 21.4 points and 10.0 rebounds per game in 47 contests this season. He is currently playing in his sixth season with the Miami Heat. 

Bobby Beathard Passes Away

     Former Miami Dolphins staff member Bobby Beathard passed away on Monday at the age of 86. He later was with the general manager of the Washington Redskins and helped them win two Super Bowl championships. Beathard was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018. 

     Beathard joined the Miami Dolphins as their director of player personnel prior to the 1972 NFL season. The Dolphins won their only Super Bowl titles in franchise history over the next two seasons. Their undefeated perfect 17-0 team topped the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII and then the club defeated the Minnesota Vikings next season in Super Bowl VIII. Beathard left the Miami Dolphins after the 1977 season. 

Anton Levtchi Returns To Finland

     Former Florida Panthers forward Anton Levtchi has returned to Finland. He has signed a contract to begin a second stint with Tappara. 

     Levtchi had his contract terminated by the Florida Panthers. He played two games with the Cats in 2022-23 and had no points. Levtchi put up 17 points in 35 games with the Panthers AHL affiliate the Charlotte Checkers this season. 

National Signing Day Dade County 2023

     It was national signing day for Dade County athletes in Dade County. Many of the top high school players did make their decisions back in December on early national signing day. 

     Miami Northwestern tight end Rhett Lashlee decided on SMU. Miami Norland running back Ja'Vin Simpkins ended up selecting Coastal Carolina. 

National Signing Day Broward County 2023

     Broward County had their national signing day on Wednesday. Some of the top football players had decided where to attend college back in December during early national signing day. 

     Western quarterback Collin Hurst decided on Presbyterian and defensive back Monroe Ingraham selected Limestone. Dillard defensive back David Law-Mortimer choose Edward Waters. 

     Chaminade-Madonna have several players moving on to participate in college football. They include wide receiver Duane Thomas Jr.(UNC-Charlotte), offensive lineman Elvin Harris(Campbell), defensive back Jeno Junius(Western Carolina) and offensive lineman Giovani Marks(Warner). 

     Monarch had some players sign their letters of intent. They are wide receiver Walter Parrish(St. Thomas), defensive back Corey Baugh(West Virgina Wesleyan), defensive back Jahsean Winchester(Edward Waters) and offensive lineman Zian Attawalla(Presbyterian). 

National Signing Day Palm Beach County 2023

     It was national signing day for athletes in Palm Beach County. This region has not been known for high school players to sign their letters of intent during the December early signing period for the past four years. 

     Pahokee had several players that will participate in college football. Defensive end DeeJay Holmes goes to Ole Miss, defensive back James Jackson jumps to Middle Tennessee State and outside linebacker/tight end Bijay Boldin heads to Georgetown. 

     Palm Beach Central wide receiver/defensive back Justin Bostic, brother of Washington Commanders linebacker Jon Bostic, decided on Florida A&M. Spanish River defensive lineman Alex Carrizzo selected Mount St. Joseph. Boynton Beach running back Bobby Smith Jr. picked St. Thomas along with Royal Palm Beach defensive back Amare Spann and Santaluces defensive back Jerome Mitchell.    

     Dwyer wide receiver Elijah Hopkins went with Holy Cross. Boca Raton wide receiver Collin Bender choose St. Thomas. John I. Leonard defensive lineman/offensive lineman Jahmal Covington moves to Florida Memorial. West Boca Raton defensive lineman/tight end Christopher Kelly shifts to Keiser. 

     Southern Illinois University was able to get a couple of Palm Beach County high school football players. They got letters of intent from Cardinal Newman wide receiver Chris Presto and defensive back/running back Vinkevus Pierre. 

     In Delray Beach, Atlantic offensive lineman Desmon Self, running back Jovante Pierre Louis and defensive lineman Damauri Thompson all head to Edward Waters. Defensive lineman Tyler Allen goes to North Carolina A&T while wide receiver/defensive back Martay McClendon and linebacker/tight end Mi'Kel Hendrix travel to Tusculum. American Heritage offensive lineman Dat Nguyen lands at Southwest Baptist,