ESPN Releases Suzy Kolber

     ESPN has let go former Miami television sportscaster Suzy Kolber. She has been at ESPN since 1996 and recently was a NFL studio host on Monday Night Football. 

     Kolber was a sportscaster at WTVJ-TV while in Miami. She moved on to ESPN2 to become a sports co-anchor. Kolber was then elevated to ESPN sports anchor. She left the network for Fox Sports as a studio host. Kolber returned to ESPN as a sports anchor and later held the Monday Night Football sideline reporter position. 

Braves Smoke Marlins

     The Atlanta Braves dismantled the Miami Marlins 16-4 at Truist Park on Friday night. The Marlins continued their six-game road trip. The Braves increased their division lead over the Marlins in the National League East. 

     Atlanta(54-27) rocketed out to a 5-0 lead during the first inning. Miami(48-35) picked up three runs in the top of the third, however the Braves answered back with two runs in the bottom of the third for a 7-3 advantage. 

Marlins Sweep Red Sox

     The Miami Marlins edged the Boston Red Sox 2-0 at Fenway Park on Thursday night. The Marlins swept a three-game series against the BoSox for the first time in franchise history. The Fish had not won a game in Fenway Park since 2009 until this week.

     It is the first time that the Marlins are 14 games over .500 since they were 91-71 at end of the 2003 regular season. The Fish won the World Series later that year. 

     There was no scoring by either club in the first seven innings of the contest. Miami(48-34) broke up a no-hitter of Boston(40-42) starting pitcher Brayan Bello at the start of the top of the eighth. Jean Segura beat out an infield single up the middle. After Bello was pulled, Jon Berti knocked in Segura with a base hit into center field for a 1-0 lead. 

     The Red Sox gave up one more run during the ninth inning. Jazz Chisholm Jr. hammered a solo home run to center field on a 2-0 pitch for his ninth homer of the season. 

Luis Arraez All-Star Game Starter

     Luis Arraez of the Miami Marlins has been voted the National League starting second baseman for the upcoming Major League Baseball All-Star Game on July 11 in Seattle. He soundly defeated Ozzie Albies of the Atlanta Braves in Phase 2 of the All-Star Game voting. 

     Arraez entered Thursday's contest against the Boston Red Sox with a .396 batting average. He has a comfortable lead for the highest batting average among players in Major League Baseball. Arraez also leads the majors in base hits. 

Florida Panthers Complete 2023 NHL Draft

     The 2023 NHL Draft had its second day of selections on Thursday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The Florida Panthers made five picks between the second round to the seventh round. 

     Florida was slated to pick second-to-last in every round because of being a Stanley Cup finalist. The Cats had no first-round picks yesterday.

     The Panthers selected center Gracyn Sawchyn of Seattle Thunderbirds in the Western Hockey Legue with the 63rd overall pick during the second round. He compiled 18 goals and 40 assists for 58 points in 58 games during the 2022-23 campaign. Sawchyn had the second-most points among WHL rookies this season. 

     Florida decided on defenseman Albert Wikman from Farjestad BK of the Swedish Hockey League in the fourth round. The Panthers choose goalie Olof Glifford of HV 71 J20 from Sweden during the fifth round. 

     The Cats went with defenseman Luke Coughlin from Rimouski in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for the sixth round. He had five goals and 14 assists for 19 points in 37 contests. Couglin recorded seven points in nine postseason games during the 2023 QMJHL Playoffs. Florida selected Dinamo Minsk left wing Stepan Zvyagin of the KHL in the seventh round. 

Bill Zito Third For NHL General Manager Award

     Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito finished third in the voting for the 2022-23 Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award. Jim Nill of the Dallas Stars ended up as the winner and Don Sweeney of the Boston Bruins landed in second place. The award was voted following the conclusion of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

     Zito led the Panthers to their fourth consecutive postseason appearance, which is a franchise record. The team ended up in eighth place inside the Eastern Conference. Florida upset the NHL record-breaking Boston Bruins in the first round and defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs during the second round. 

Marlins Defeat Red Sox

     The Miami Marlins got by the Boston Red Sox 6-2 at Fenway Park on Wednesday night. The Marlins and the Red Sox reached the midway point of the 2023 regular season. 

     The Marlins ended their 14-year drought in the previous night and won tonight to get their first series victory in Fenway Park since June 30-July 2, 1997. The last time Miami was 13 games over .500 happened on October 3, 2009 when they had an 87-74 mark.

     Miami(47-34) leaped out to a 1-0 advantage in the top of the second. Garrett Cooper blasted a solo home run to center field on a 0-1 pitch for his 10th homer of the season. 

     Boston(40-41) tied it 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth. Rafael Devers smacked a solo homer to right field on the first pitch for his 19th home run of the year. 

     After a one hour and thirteen minutes rain delay during the top of the sixth, the Fish added three more runs for a 4-1 lead. Jorge Soler was able to score on a wild pitch. Jean Segura got an infield single for Bryan De La Cruz and Cooper to cross the plate. 

     The Marlins picked up another run in the eighth inning. Jazz Chisholm Jr. collected his eighth homer of the 2023 campaign on a 1-1 count to center field. Luis Arraez grounded out to short and Joey Wendle reached home during the ninth inning for a five-run margin. 

New Miami Dolphins Radio Station Affiliates

     The Miami Dolphins Radio Network has new radio station affiliates on the Treasure Coast for their game broadcasts. They are WAVW-FM in Stuart and WCZR-FM in Vero Beach. Fox Sports Radio 940 WINZ-AM and Big 105.9 WBGG-FM in Miami were named as the new flagship radio stations of the Miami Dolphins Radio Network back in January. All four South Florida radio stations are owned by iHeartMedia. 

     It is a shift of Dolphins game broadcasts on terrestrial radio beginning in 2023. Gone are the Dolphins flagship stations AM 560 Sports WQAM-AM and 99.9 Kiss Country WKIS-FM in Miami. ESPN West Palm 106.3 WUUB-FM in West Palm Beach and WPSL-AM in Vero Beach will also no longer carry Miami Dolphins game broadcasts. 

Reilly Smith Traded To Penguins

     Former Florida Panthers left wing Reilly Smith has been dealt by the Vegas Golden Knights to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 2024 third-round draft pick. Smith has been with the Golden Knights during their entire six-season franchise history and helped them win the Stanley Cup over the Florida Panthers two weeks ago. 

     Smith spent 2015-16 and 2016-17 with the Panthers. He chalked up 40 goals and 47 assists for 87 points in 162 games over two seasons. 

Florida Panthers Idle In First Round

     The first round of the 2023 NHL Draft was held at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Wednesday night. The Florida Panthers did not have a first-round pick in the draft this year. The club will not select in the first round for the upcoming 2024 and 2025 NHL Drafts. 

     It was the second straight year that the Panthers did not make a selection in the first round. Florida will have five draft picks from the second round to the seventh round on Thursday. 

Thompson Brothers In The NBA

     Two former Broward County high school basketball players were selected in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft in Brooklyn last Thursday night. Amen Thompson was drafted fourth overall by the Houston Rockets and Ausar Thompson was taken by the Detroit Pistons with the fifth overall pick. They became the first brothers to be chosen in the first five draft picks during the same year. 

     Both Amen Thompson and Ausar Thompson played with the Pine Crest Panthers from eighth grade through their junior years. Pine Crest won the FHSAA Class 4A state championship in 2021. They would play with the Overtime Elite League in Atlanta over the next two years. 

Marlins Breeze By Red Sox

     The Miami Marlins eased by the Boston Red Sox 10-1 at Fenway Park on Tuesday night. The Marlins will visit the New England region once every two seasons for a series due to the new regular season schedule implemented by Major League Baseball. 

     The Marlins snapped a 10-game losing streak at Fenway Park. The last time they won a game in Boston was on June 18, 2009. Miami is now 6-20 all-time at Fenway Park since interleague play began in 1997. Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara hurled seven innings for the winning decision, his first win since May 24.  

     Miami(46-34) sprinted out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. Bryan De La Cruz smacked a two-run homer to right-center field on a 1-2 pitch with Jorge Soler aboard. It was the ninth home run of the season for De La Cruz. Garrett Cooper later knocked in Jazz Chisholm Jr. on a base hit to right field. 

     Boston(40-40) answered back in the bottom of the first and trailed 3-1. Alex Verdugo doubled into the left-field corner which scored Justin Turner. 

     The Marlins added two more runs in the top of the fourth. Soler drove in Joey Wendle on a double off the top of the Green Monster. Two batters later, Chisholm singled up the middle and Luis Arraez crossed the plate. In the fifth inning, Jean Segura powered a solo home run to left-center field on a 1-2 count for his second homer of the year and gave them a 6-1 lead. 

     In the eighth inning, the Fish got four more runs for a nine-run margin. Arraez hit a double off the scoreboard on the left-field wall for Jacob Stallings to reach home. Three batters later, Chisholm singled into right field for Joey Wendle and Arraez to score. Chisholm eventually scored on a double by Cooper to center field. 

Eric Garcia Enters Miami

     Eric Garcia has been named president and general manager of Univision television and radio stations in Miami. Garcia leaves his positions at TelevisaUnivision in New York City, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. that he has held since 2018. 

     He will temporarily program WQBA-AM for their new owner Latino Media Network. It flipped to a Spanish language sports format back in April 2017. 

Florida Panthers 2023-24 Schedule

     The Florida Panthers 2023-24 regular season schedule was released by the National Hockey League on Tuesday. Florida will celebrate their 30th anniversary season in the NHL. 

     Florida will begin their regular season on the road with three games. The Panthers have their season-opening contest at the Minnesota Wild on October 12. They will then play at the Winnipeg Jets on October 14 and at the New Jersey Devils on October 16. 

     The Panthers will have their home opener on October 19 at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise. They will host the Toronto Maple Leafs, who they eliminated in the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Cats get the complete a four-game homestand against the Vancouver Canucks on October 21, the San Jose Sharks on October 24 and the Seattle Kraken on October 28. 

     Florida will play their Atlantic Division opponents four times with two games each at home and two on the road. The exception is one home game against cross-state rivals the Tampa Bay Lightning and one road game versus the Buffalo Sabres. 

     The Cats will challenge their Metropolitan Division foes on three occasions. They will host the New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets twice this season and visit each of those teams once. Florida will head for the New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Eastern Conference Finals opponent Carolina Hurricanes two times and host all of them just once in 2023-24. 

     The Panthers will face each Western Conference team once at home and once on the road. They will host their 2023 Stanley Cup Final opponent the Vegas Golden Knights on December 23. 

Matthew Tkachuk NHL Second Team All-Star

     Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk was named the 2022-23 NHL Second Team All-Star right wing. The announcement was made on Monday. 

     Tkachuk played in his first season with the Panthers after being dealt by the Calgary Flames. He compiled 40 goals along with a career-high 69 assists and 109 points in the 2022-23 season. 

Matthew Tkachuk Third For Hart Trophy

     The National Hockey League awards were announced on Monday night in Nashville. Florida Panthers right wing Matthew Tkachuk finished third in the voting for the Most Valuable Player in the NHL. Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers won the Hart Trophy and David Pastrnak ended up in second. 

     Tkachuk played in the first season with the Panthers. He chalked a personal single-season high with 69 assists and 109 points. Tkachuk found the net for 40 goals during the 2022-23 regular season. It was his second straight campaign with at least 40 goals and 100 points.

     He set a Panthers franchise record with 11 goals and 24 points in a single postseason. Tkachuk tied a Stanley Cup Playoffs all-time record scoring three overtime goals in one postseason. 

Henrik Borgstrom Off To Europe

     Former Florida Panthers center Henrik Borgstrom is leaving hockey in North America. He has signed a two-year contract with HV71 in Sweden. 

     Borgstrom was involved in just one game with the Washington Capitals in 2022-23. He spent the entire season with the Captials AHL affiliate the Hershey Bears. Borgstrom assisted on the series-winning, overtime goal in Game 7 for Hershey to capture the Calder Cup. 

     He was with the Florida Panthers for three seasons from 2017-18 until 2019-20. Borgstrom compiled nine goals and 10 assists for 19 points in 58 games with Florida. 

CBS Sports Adds Jason McCourty

     CBS Sports has added former Miami Dolphins defensive back Jason McCourty as an NFL game analyst. He will work on a few selected games instead of 17 consecutive weeks during the regular season.

     He joined NFL Network as a studio co-host on Good Morning Football prior to the 2022 regular season. McCourty announced several NFL contests last year alongside Ian Eagle on Westwood One. 

     McCourty played for the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland and New England Patriots in his first 12 seasons in the National Football League. He captured a Super Bowl with the Patriots in 2018. McCourty finished his NFL career with the Miami Dolphins in 2021. 

Marlins Swim By Pirates

     The Miami Marlins blanked the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0 at loanDepot park on Sunday. The Marlins won three of the four games in the series against the Bucs. 

     Marlins starting pitcher Eury Perez improved his record in his rookie year to 5-1 as he struck out nine batters. He dropped his earned run average down to 1.34 this season. It is the lowest ERA by a pitcher in his first nine career starts during the last 60 years since Fernando Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 0.91 in 1981 and Steve Rogers of the Montreal Expos with a 1.20 in 1973. 

     The Fish, who have won eight of their last 11 games, will visit the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night in Fenway Park. Pittsburgh(35-41) have fallen in 11 of their last 12 contests. 

     Miami(45-34) got out to a 1-0 advantage in the bottom of the fifth. Jonathan Davis belted a solo home run to left field on a 3-2 pitch for his second homer with his new club.

     The Marlins made it 2-0 in the eighth inning. Yuli Gurriel drove in Bryan De La Cruz on a single through the right side. 

Philadelphia Union Bashes Inter Miami CF

     The Philadelphia Union dominated Inter Miami CF 4-1 at Subaru Park on Saturday night. Inter Miami CF, who had not played a Major League Soccer game in two weeks, have been outscored 7-2 in their last two contests. 

     Philadelphia(10-5-4) broke out to a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute on a goal by Jakob Glesnes. Julian Carranza made it 2-0 in the 39th minute and Leon Flach increased it to a three-goal margin during stoppage time at the end of the first half. 

     Inter Miami CF(5-13-0) cut it to 3-1 as Robert Taylor scored in the 50th minute. The Union extended it to 4-1 on an own goal by David Ruiz during the 68th minute. 

Marlins Pass Pirates

     The Miami Marlins took the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 in 11 innings at loanDepot park on Satruday. The Marlins have been victorious in seven of their last 10 contests. The Pirates have lost 10 of their last 11 games. 

     Miami(44-34) had a 2-0 lead at the end of the fifth inning. Luis Arraez connected with a two-run homer to right field on a 1-0 pitch with Jon Bertl on base. It was just his third homer of the 2023 campaign. 

     Pittsburgh(35-41) closed it to 2-1 in the top of the eighth. Carlos Santana singled through the left side for Andrew McCutchen to score. 

     The Pirates tied it up 2-2 in the ninth inning. Jason Delay doubled to left field for Nick Gonzales to cross the plate. 

     Both clubs scored one run during the 10th inning. Ke'Bryan Hayes knocked in Jose Palacios on a base hit into left field for the Bucs. The Fish evened it up 3-3 on a Yuli Gurriel sacrifice fly to center field which brought in Bryan De La Cruz. 

     The Marlins got the walk-off win in the 11th inning. Berti drove in Joey Wendle on a single into right field. 

Isan Diaz Back In Majors

     Former Miami Marlins second baseman Isan Diaz has returned to the majors. He made his debut with the San Francisco Giants last night against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Diaz ended up going 0-for-4 in the contest. 

     Diaz was with the Miami Marlins from 2019 until 2021. He compiled nine home runs, 41 runs batted in and a .185 batting average in 145 games over three seasons with the club. 

Pirates Come Back On Marlins

     The Pittsburgh Pirates overcame the Miami Marlins 3-1 on Friday night at loanDepot park. The Marlins have lost three of their last five contests. The Pirates were able to snap a 10-game losing streak with the victory. 

     Miami(43-34) raced out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Jesus Sanchez singled through the right side and Luis Arraez scored. Arraez went 3-for-4 in the game and improved his batting average to .402 this season.  

     Pittsburgh(35-40) jumped over the Marlins in the top of the ninth inning with three runs. Connor Joe grounded out to short for Josh Palacios to score. Carlos Santana followed with a base hit up the middle and Andrew McCutchen crossed the plate for a 2-1 lead. Two batters later, Tucupita Marcano singled through the middle and Santana reached home. 

Florida Panthers 2023-24 Preseason Schedule

     The Florida Panthers released their 2023-24 preseason schedule. The Cats will have eight preseason contests prior to their 30th anniversary season. 

     The Panthers will open the preseason at home with their annual doubleheader against the Nashville Predators on September 25. They will travel up to Raleigh to take on 2013 playoff opponent the Carolina Hurricanes on September 27 and will host them on an undetermined date. 

     Florida will visit Sydney, Nova Scotia and face the Ottawa Senators in the annual Kraft Hockeyville game on October 1. The Panthers will challenge the Tampa Bay Lightning three times. They will play at Orlando on October 3, Tampa on October 5 and FLA Live Arena in Sunrise on October 7.

Luis Arraez All-Star Finalist

     Miami Marlins second baseman Luis Arraez has been announced as a National League All-Star finalist. The top two players in each position from each league in the balloting is named a finalist. 

     Arraez, who was the leading vote getter for the second baseman spot in Phase 1, will go head-to-head in the remaining voting with Ozzie Albies of the Atlanta Braves, Phase 2 begins on Monday and will last until next Thursday. Arraez currently leads Major League Baseball with a .397 batting average. 

Miami Heat Select Jaime Jaquez Jr.

     The 2023 NBA Draft happened on Thursday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The Miami Heat had only a first-round draft pick in the two rounds. 

     The Heat choose Jaime Jaquez Jr. with the 18th overall pick. Jaquez played college basketball with the UCLA Bruins and averaged 17.8 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game. 

Marlins Overcome Pirates

     The Miami Marlins came back on the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-4 at loanDepot park on Thursday night. Both clubs are playing each other in a rare four-game weekend series. 

     Miami(43-33) moved out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Joey Wendle hit a sacrifice fly to the warning track in center field to score Garrett Cooper. 

     Pittsburgh(34-40) leaped over the Fish in the fourth inning. Carlos Santana doubled into the right-center field gap and Connor Joe crossed the plate. Santana would steal third and reached home on a throwing error. 

     The Pirates extended it to 4-1 in the top of the eighth. Henry Davis blasted a 1-1 pitch over the left-center field wall for his first home run in the majors. He did it in his fourth game with the Bucs. Three batters later, Ke'Bryan Hayes lifted a solo home run down the left-field line on a 0-2 count for his fifth homer of the season. 

     The Marlins overcame the deficit with five runs in the bottom of the eighth and took 6-4 lead. Bryan De La Cruz singled up the middle for Jonathan Davis and Luis Arraez to score. Two batters later, Cooper capped the frame with a three-run homer to right-center field on the first pitch with Jorge Soler and Bryan De La Cruz aboard. Cooper chalked up his ninth home run of the year. 

Phoenix Suns Add David Fizdale

     The Phoenix Suns have named David Fizdale as an assistant coach. He spent last season as an associate general manager of the Utah Jazz. 

     He will reunite with his former boss and current Suns head coach Frank Vogel. Fizdale was part of his coaching staff with the Los Angeles Lakers back in 2021-22. 

     Fizdale was an assistant coach with the Miami Heat for eight seasons from 2008-09 until 2015-16. The team captured two NBA titles and four Eastern Conference championships. Fizdale left the club for a head coaching position with the Memphis Grizzlies. He later was the head coach of the New York Knicks for parts of two seasons. 

Derek MacKenzie Goes To Nashville

     Former Florida Panthers center and assistant coach Derek MacKenzie has joined the coaching staff of the Nashville Predators as an assistant coach. He spent the 2022-23 campaign as the head coach of the Sudbury Wolves in the Ontario Hockey League. 

     MacKenzie was a player with the Florida Panthers for five seasons from 2014-15 to 2018-19 and compiled 54 points in 304 games. He was an assistant coach with the club from 2019-20 to 2021-22. The Cats made the postseason each season he was behind the bench. He will work under former Panthers interim head coach Andrew Brunette in Nashville. 

Rachel Nichols Joining Monumental Sports Network

     Former local sportswriter Rachel Nichols is joining Monumental Sports Network in Washington D.C. She will host her own show on that regional sports network. Nichols was added by Showtime in April with her own weekly program Headliners With Rachel Nichols. 

     Nichols once was a sportswriter with the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel from 1995 to 1996. She later worked for the Washington Post, ESPN twice, CNN and Turner Sports. 

Sandy Leon Released By Rangers

     The Texas Rangers have let go Sandy Leon. He had a .146 batting average and four runs batted in during 21 games for the Rangers this season. 

     Leon did play one season with the Miami Marlins in 2021. He compiled four home runs, 14 runs batted in and a .183 batting average in 83 contests. 

Mike Vernon Elected To Hockey Hall Of Fame

     Former Florida Panthers goalie Mike Vernon has been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will take place on November 13 in Toronto. 

     Vernon played one season with the Florida Panthers in 1999-2000.  He was acquired during the campaign from the San Jose Sharks for Radek Dvorak. 

     He had an 18-13-2 record with a 2.54 goals-against-average and a .919 save percentage in 34 games that season. It turned out to be his best save percentage in his 19-season NHL career. Vernon helped the Panthers reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs that year. Florida would not get to the postseason again for another 12 years, which is an NHL all-time record for team futility. 

     He had stints with the Calgary Flames and the Detroit Red Wings prior to his arrival in Florida. He captured a Stanley Cup championship with Calgary in 1989 and with Detroit in 1997. 

Blue Jays Rip By Marlins

     The Toronto Blue Jays handled the Miami Marlins 6-3 at loanDepot park on Wednesday and took two contests of the three-game series. The Marlins host the Pittsburgh Pirates for the next four games beginning on Thursday night. 

     Toronto(41-35) rocketed out to a 5-0 lead in the top of the second. The Blue Jays hit back-to-back doubles as Cavan Biggio knocked in Matt Chapman with an extra-base hit to the right-field fence. Two batters later, Kevin Kiermaier singled up the middle to score Biggio. 

     Two batters later, George Springer chopped a single through the left side for Santiago Espinal and Kiermaier to cross the plate. Whit Merrifield followed with a base hit into center field and Springer reached home for a 5-0 lead. 

     Miami(42-33) cut the deficit to 5-2 in the bottom of the fourth. Garrett Cooper doubled to left field for Bryan De La Cruz and Jesus Sanchez to score. 

     The Marlins got another run in the seventh inning to make it 5-3. Garrett Hampson drove in Jonathan Davis with a single through the right side. 

     The Blue Jays extended it to 6-3 in the eighth inning. Chapman smacked a solo home run to left field on the first pitch for his 10th homer of the season. 

Florida Panthers In Kraft Hockeyville Canada

     The Florida Panthers will be involved in the annual Canada Kraft Hockeyville game. It will be held on October 1 against the Ottawa Senators in Sydney, Nova Scotia. The designated 2022 contest was postponed due to COVID-19 guidelines in Canada. 

     It will be the first time ever that the Panthers will participate in a Kraft Hockeyville contest with another NHL team either in the United States or Canada. Kraft Hockeyville in Canada has been held for the past 17 years. A community hockey rink is renovated with up-to-date facility materials to the venue and two National Hockey League clubs play a preseason game for a grand reopening of the place.

Blue Jays Fly Over Marlins

     The Toronto Blue Jays outlasted the Miami Marlins 2-0 on Tuesday night at loanDepot park. The Marlins will finish a three-game series with the Blue Jays tomorrow. 

     Toronto(40-35) waited until the eighth inning to break the scoreless tie. Ernie Clement singled into cente field to score Santiago Espinal. George Springer followed with a base hit to left field and Clement crossed the plate. 

     Miami(42-32) had their five-game winning streak snapped by the Blue Jays. Luis Arraez went 1-for-4 and ended up with a .398 batting average. 

Miguel Cabrera 20th Anniversary Debut

     Today is the 20th anniversary for the Major League Baseball debut of Miguel Cabrera. He made his first Florida Marlins appearance on June 20, 2003 against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in Miami. His first hit in the majors was a walk-off home run during his first MLB contest. 

     Cabrera would help the Marlins win the 2003 World Series later that year for their second championship in franchise history. He was traded by the Marlins to the Detroit Tigers on December 4, 2007. Cabrera won an American League pennant with the Tigers in 2012, hit over 500 career home runs and chalked up over 3,100 career base hits. He is currently playing in his 21st and final MLB season this year.

Sal Licata Shifted At WFAN

     Former WMEN-AM sports host Sal Licata has been elevated at WFAN-AM from overnight host to midday co-host. He will begin his new show alongside Brandon Tierney on July 24. 

     Licata once worked in South Florida at WMEN. He hosted a 30-minute pregame show on that radio station prior to the New York Yankees Radio Network from April 2013 until August 2013. 

Jose Iglesias Leaves Padres

     Jose Iglesias has opted out of his minor league deal with the San Diego Padres. He has not yet played a game in the majors this season. 

     Iglesias did sign a minor league contract with the Miami Marlins back in March during spring training. He was never called up to the majors by the club and left the organization on April 20. 

Sony Michel Returns To Rams

     Former Broward County running back Sony Michel has returned to the Los Angeles Rams for a second stint with that club. He was with the team in 2021 and helped them win Super Bowl LVI. Michel spent last season with the Los Angeles Chargers. 

     Michel played high school football with the American Heritage Patriots and won the FHSAA Class 5A state championship in 2013. He participated with the University of Georgia Bulldogs in college football and reached the CFP National Championship game in 2017. Michel captured Super Bowl LIII with the New England Patriots during his rookie year in 2018. 

Kamren Kinchens On Phil Steele Magazine Cover

     University of Miami Hurricanes safety Kamren Kinchens continues to get noticed throughout college football. He appears on the East Coast front cover of Phil Steele's College Football Preview magazine. 

     Kinchens helped the Miami Northwestern Bulls capture three straight FHSAA state championships in 2017, 2018 and 2019. He will be entering his junior season with the Hurricanes in 2023. 

Marlins Duck Blue Jays

     The Miami Marlins pounded the Toronto Blue Jays 11-0 at loanDepot park on Monday night. It was the beginning of a seven-game homestand for the Marlins, who have won five straight games. Luis Arraez went 5-for-5 and raised his batting average up to .400 for the year. 

     Miami(42-31) jumped to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third. Jorge Soler smashed a two-homer to left-center field on a 2-0 pitch with Arraez aboard. It was the 21st home run for Soler this season. He is now third place in the majors behind Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels and Pete Alonso of the New York Mets. Three batters later, Garrett Cooper knocked in Jesus Sanchez on a base hit into left field. 

     The Marlins loaded the bases twice and increased it to 5-0 in the fourth inning. Soler hit a sacrifice fly to left field and Jacob Stallings reached home. Two batters later, Sanchez followed and grounded out to first and Jonathan Davis crossed the plate. 

     Toronto(39-35) surrendered five more runs in the bottom of the seventh and were down 10-0. Bryan De La Cruz capped the frame as he drove in Stallings with a single up the middle. 

Kyle Barraclough Joins Red Sox

     Former Miami Marlins relief pitcher Kyle Barraclough has signed a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox. He will report to their Triple-A affiliate in Worchester. Barraclough was pitching for the High Point Rockers in the Atlantic League this year. 

     Barraclough was with the Marlins from 2015 until 2018. He had a 3.21 earned run average, 15-12 record and 11 saves during his time in Miami. 

Jonathan Racine Lands In France

     Former Florida Panthers Jonathan Racine has signed a contract in Ligue Magnus with Grenoble in France. He has participated in professional hockey in seven different countries over the past four seasons. 

     Racine was a third-round selection by the Panthers in the 2011 NHL Draft. He only played in one game with Florida during the 2013-14 campaign. 

Tyreek Hill On Magazine Covers

     Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill appears on the front covers of several annual National Football League magazines. Hill completed his first season with the Dolphins in 2022. 

     He is shown on the Athlon Sports AFC East Division magazine cover along with Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets, Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills and Mac Jones of the New England Patriots. Hill is on a specific Miami Dolphins front cover of Lindy's Sports magazine. 

Marlins Sweep Nationals Again

     The Miami Marlins pulled off a three-game series sweep of the Washington with a 4-2 win at Nationals Park on Sunday. Miami swept the Nationals in a series for the second time in 2023. The Marlins completed the three-time zone, nine-game road trip with a 6-3 record. 

     The Marlins are 10 games over the .500 percentage mark for the first time since May 28, 2011 when they were 30-20. The club was known as the Florida Marlins at that time.      

     Miami(41-31) pushed out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. Jacob Araya grounded into a force out for Nick Fortes to score. 

     The Marlins loaded the bases during the top of the third and added one more run. Fortes knocked in Jorge Soler with a sacrifice fly into right field and they extended their lead to 2-0. 

     Washington(30-30) tied it up 2-2 in the bottom of the third. Lane Thomas lifted a two-run homer to left field on a 1-0 pitch with Victor Robles aboard for his 11th home run of the year. It was the second straight games that he collected a home run. 

     In the fourth inning, the Fish doubled up the Nats with two runs for a 4-2 lead. Amaya got his first base hit in the majors earlier in the frame. Bryan De La Cruz followed with a a sacrifice fly to right that brought in Garrett Hampson. Soler came up next and drove in Amaya with a single into center field. 

Kamren Kinchens On Lindy's Sports Magazine Cover

     Former Dade County high school football player Kamren Kinchens is on the Lindy's Sports magazine cover. He is currently a defensive back with the University of Miami Hurricanes. 

     Kinchens played high school football with the Miami Northwestern Bulls. He contributed to the school winning three consecutive FHSAA state championships in 2017, 2018 and 2019. 

Jordan Travis On Athlon Sports Magazine Cover

     Former Palm Beach Central Broncos, Benjamin Buccaneers and current Florida State University Seminoles quarterback Jordan Travis is on the magazine cover of Athlon Sports. He is one of the players on the publication cover that represents the Atlantic Coast Conference. 

     Travis began his college football career with the University of Louisville Cardinals. He would later transfer to Florida State and take the starting quarterback spot. 

Joe Milton III Makes Athlon Sports Magazine Cover

     Palm Beach County native Joe Milton III is on the front cover of the Athlon Sports magazine for the SEC Conference. Milton was born in Pahokee and still has family that lives in the local region. 

     He was the quarterback at Olympia High School in Orlando. Milton originally played for the University of Michigan Wolverines and now is a part of the University of Tennessee Volunteers. 

Marlins Drop Nationals

     The Miami Marlins downed the Washington Nationals 5-2 on Saturday at Nationals Park. The Marlins will complete their nine-game road swing on Sunday before returning home. 

Adeiny Hechavarria Moves To Royals

     Former Miami Marlins infielder Adeiny Hechavarria has signed a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals. He will report to the Royals Triple-A affiliate in Omaha. 

     Hechavarria was with the Miami Marlins from 2013 until 2017. He compiled a .255 batting average along with 13 home runs and 168 runs batted in during 599 games with the club. 

Bally Sports Florida Lose ACC Television Rights

     There will be a change on television for the 2023-24 college athletics school year. Atlantic Coast Conference football, men's basketball and women's basketball will no longer be seen on local regional sports networks Bally Sports Florida and Bally Sports Sun. 

     It will have an effect on the South Florida television audience in college sports. The University of Miami Hurricanes and the Florida State University Seminoles participate in the ACC. 

     Bally Sports and their regional sports networks throughout the United States will not have ACC telecasts. They did carry around 43 men's basketball contests and 25 women's basketball games in 2022-23. Bally Sports and their parent company Diamond Sports Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy back in March and it was expected that they would walk away from their agreement with the ACC for next season. 

Marlins Outwork Nationals

     The Miami Marlins edged the Washington Nationals 6-5 at Nationals Park on Friday night. The Marlins will complete their three-time zone. nine-game road trip by the end of this weekend. 

     Miami(39-31) and Washington(27-41) scored a combined 10 runs in the first four innings of the contest for a 5-5 tie. The Marlins picked up the winning run during the top of the eighth when Garrett Cooper got an infield single up the middle for Yuli Gurriel to score. 

Braves Ink Jesus Aguilar

     The Atlanta Braves have signed former Miami Marlins first baseman Jesus Aguilar to a minor league contract. He played with the Oakland A's earlier this season and compiled five home runs, nine runs batted in along with a .221 batting average in 36 contests. 

     Aguilar was with the Miami Marlins for three seasons from 2020 until 2022. He helped the Marlins reach the postseason in 2020 for the first time in 17 years. 

Ray Lewis III Passes Away

     Former University of Miami Hurricanes player Ray Lewis III has passed away at the age of 28. He is the son of one-time Miami Hurricanes linebacker Ray Lewis.

     Ray Lewis III played high school football with the Lake Mary Rams in Central Florida. He joined the Miami Hurricanes to begin his college football career. Lewis later participated for Coastal Carolina and Virginia Union. 

West Palm Beach Ratings May 2023

     The ratings were issued for the West Palm Beach sports talk radio stations. The time span went from the last week of April until the last week of May.

     Fox Sports 640 South Florida WMEN-AM remained at a 0.5 for the third straight period. They relied on the Fox Sports Radio national feed and had no game broadcasts.

     Sports Radio 1230 The Gambler WBZT-AM stayed at a 0.2 for the ninth consecutive month. The Miami Marlins shared the final National League wild-card spot with the New York Mets. Programming from VSIN was still piped in. 

Delayed Bally Sports Postgame Shows

     Bally Sports Florida has broadcast locally produced Florida Panthers postgame shows while Bally Sports Sun has aired locally produced Miami Heat postgame shows since the second round of the 2022-23 postseason. Panthers and Heat games were only aired by the regional sports networks during the first round of the playoffs. National companies have the exclusive television rights from the second round of the postseason through the league championship round. 

     Something strange occurred on the night that the Miami Heat and the Florida Panthers were eliminated. Both of the South Florida sports teams postgame shows were delayed long after their contests ended. 

     The Heat postgame show following their Game 5 loss to the Denver Nuggets was not broadcast on Bally Sports Sun on Monday night, however it was streamed on the Bally Sports ap. It was because the Tampa Bay Rays were playing on the west coast against the Oakland A's. 

     The Panthers postgame show following their Game 5 defeat to the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night was not aired on Bally Sports Florida until the start of the 1 A.M. hour. It was due to the Miami Marlins being involved in a high-scoring long game versus the Mariners in Seattle. 

Marlins Rob Mariners

     The Miami Marlins knocked down the Seattle Mariners 4-1 on Wednesday night at T-Mobile Park. The Marlins avoided a three-game series sweep by the Mariners. The Marlins next head for Washington D.C. on their nine-game road swing and face the Nationals on Friday night. 

     Miami(39-31) had a 1-0 lead in the top of the third. Jonathan Davis was able to score on wild pitch by Mariners starting pitcher Luis Castillo. 

     The Fish added another run in the seventh inning and were up 2-0. Jorge Soler blasted a solo homer to right-center field on a 1-1 pitch for his 20th home run of the season. 

     The Marlins added two more runs in the top of the eighth for a 4-0 lead. Nick Fortes doubled into the right-field corner to score Jesus Sanchez. Davis came up next and drove in Jean Segura on a sacrifice fly to center field. 

     Seattle(33-34) broke the shutout in the bottom of the ninth. With the bases loaded, Eugenio Suarez hit a ball that was caught by Sanchez as he reached over the wall in right field to prevent a tie game. Ty France scored on the sacrifice fly to make it 4-1. 

WZTU-FM Spanish Language Miami Dolphins Home

     Tu 94.9 WZTU-FM is the new Spanish-language radio flagship station of the Miami Dolphins. The Miami Dolphins English-language radio rights shifted to iHeartMedia Miami sister-stations Big 105.9 WBGG-FM and Fox Sports Radio 940 WINZ-AM back in January. 

     The Miami Dolphins Spanish-language radio game broadcasts moves from TUDN 1140 WQBA-AM. They did own the radio rights from 2017 until 2022. 

     Radio play-by-play announcer Roly Martin and game analyst Eduardo Martell will continue to work as the Spanish-language radio announcing crew. Martin was the radio studio host from 2015 to 2017 and the radio voice since 2018. Martin has held his post as radio game analyst since 1992.  

Florida Panthers Season Equals Miami Heat

     The Florida Panthers 2022-23 season equaled the Miami Heat. The Panthers attempted to have their campaign last longer than the Miami Heat last night for the first time since 1996. Both clubs ended up losing their championship round series in five games during the past two days. 

     Both teams have existed at the same time since the 1993-94 campaign. The Heat have been even or gone further in the postseason than the Panthers in every year from 1994 until 2022. The exceptions were this year and the 1995-96 season. The Panthers won the Eastern Conference title and reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 1996 while the Heat were swept 3-0 in the first round by the Chicago Bulls. 

Mariners Blast Marlins

     The Seattle Mariners canned the Miami Marlins 9-3 at T-Mobile Park on Tuesday night. The Mariners will win the three-game series against the Fish, who are in the middle of an nine-game road trip. 

     Seattle(33-33) got the momentum early in the game. They compiled three runs in the second inning and two runs in the fourth inning for a 5-0 lead. 

     Miami(37-31) tried to get back into the contest with one run in the top of the sixth and they were down 5-1. The Mariners answered back quickly in the bottom of the sixth with three more runs for a seven-run margin. 

Golden Knights Win Stanley Cup Over Panthers

     The Vegas Golden Knights captured their first Stanley Cup in their franchise history as they defeated the Florida Panthers 9-3 in Game 5 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday night. Vegas won the best-of-seven series 4-1. 

     The Golden Knights became the first men's professional sports team in Las Vegas and Nevada to win a league championship in their sport. They ended up being the second fastest National Hockey League expansion franchise to capture the Stanley Cup. The Edmonton Oilers did it in five seasons while Vegas accomplished it in six seasons. 

     The Panthers finished off their second trip to the Stanley Cup Final and are now 0-2 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs championship round. The Cats were swept by the Colorado Avalanche in four games back in 1996. 

     Vegas moved out to a 1-0 lead on a shorthanded goal with 8:08 left in the first period. Mark Stone picked up a drop pass outside the Golden Knights blue line. He skated through the left circle to the top of the crease and put in a forehand shot by Sergei Bobrovsky for his ninth goal of the postseason. It was the first time during the Stanley Cup that Vegas had a shorthanded tally. 

     It became 2-0 for the Golden Knights with 6:19 remaining in the first. Jonathan Marchessault made a touch pass from his own zone. Jack Eichel carried the puck diagonally from the right circle and through the slot area. He flipped a backhanded a shot from the left of the crease which was saved. Nicolas Hague poked in the puck into the cage from the blue paint. 

     Florida closed it to 2-1 at the 2:15 mark of the second period. Nick Cousins stole the puck from Iven Barbashev on the right wing. Aaron Ekblad released a wrist shot from the right point by Adin Hill for his second goal of the playoffs. 

     Vegas made it 3-1 with 9:32 remaining in the period. Alex Pietrangelo connected a long lead pass from his own crease to Eichel at the Florida blue line. He dropped the puck back from the right wing and Alec Martinez took a snap shot from the top right circle for his second tally of the postseason. 

     VGK extended it to 4-1 with 7:47 to go in the second. Shea Theodore sent a forehand shot from the top of the zone which was stopped by traffic. William Karlsson backhanded the puck between his legs in the low slot with a square pass and former Panthers player Reilly Smith snapped a shot from the low slot for his fourth goal of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  

     The Golden Knights made it a four-goal margin 5-1 with 2:45 left in the second. Chandler Stephenson dropped the puck back from the right circle and Brett Howden sent a cross-ice pass. Stone fired a one-time slap shot from the top left circle for his second goal of the game and 10th goal of the playoffs. 

     There was a last-second goal by Vegas with 1.2 seconds to go and they led 6-1. Smith intercepted a clearing pass by Radko Gudas on the right point. He advanced the puck with a backhand pass from above the right circle. Michael Amadio had his deflected shot in the crease area saved, but he scored on the rebound from the blue paint for his fifth goal of the postseason. 

     In the third period, VGK expanded the lead to 6-1 at 8:22. A slap shot by Shea Theodore from the top of the zone was blocked by a defender. Eichel backhanded a shot from the high slot and Barbashev poked in the rebound from the top of the crease for his seventh goal. 

     The Panthers answered back just 25 seconds later and trailed 7-2. Brandon Montour kept the puck in the zone on the right point and Sam Bennett angled a pass to his left. Sam Reinhart rifled a slap shot from the top right circle for his eighth goal in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

     The Cats cut the deficit to 7-3 with 8:21 remaining in the frame. Reinhart cycled the puck around teh boards from the end wall. Gustav Forsling passed across from the left point and Bennett collected his fifth goal of the playoffs on a one-time slap shot from the top of the zone. 

     Florida pulled their goalie for an extra attacker with 6:43 to go. Stone completed a hat trick 49 seconds later as he shot the puck from his own slot area for his 11th goal in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for an 8-3 lead. 

Miami Ratings May 2023

     The ratings were released for Miami/Fort Lauderdale sports talk radio stations. The time span went from the last week of April until the last week of May. 

     AM 560 Sports WQAM-AM rose from a 0.6 to a 1.1 and almost doubled their audience in a month. The Miami Heat knocked off the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals and were on their way to beat the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Florida Panthers upset the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Eastern Conference Semifinals and swept the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals to win the Eastern Conference title and reach the Stanley Cup Final. WQAM did not have a local NFL Draft show on the first night during the event because the Miami Dolphins had no first-round pick. It was the first time that it happened to WQAM since 1992. 

     Fox Sports 940 WINZ-AM stayed at a 0.1 for the third straight period. The Miami Marlins had a 25-25 record and were tied with the New York Mets for the final wild-card spot in the National League. 

     The WQAM stream was at a 0.2 for the third straight month. The postseason performances by the Miami Heat and the Florida Panthers have helped. WKIS-FM-HD2 was a 0.0 for the fourth consecutive month because the audience has found WQAM on another internet stream. 

Udonis Haslem Ends Career

     Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem finished off his National Basketball Association career on Monday night as the Heat were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Haslem concluded his 20-season NBA career playing with one team. 

     He joined the Miami Heat along with Dwyane Wade in 2003. Haslem ended up winning three NBA championships in 2006, 2012 and 2013. He also helped the club capture all seven Eastern Conference titles in franchise history in 2006, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2020 and 2023. It is expected that the Miami Heat will retire his uniform number 40 and put a banner up in the rafters for him sometime in the near future. 

Nuggets Take Heat And NBA Title

     The Denver Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat 94-89 in Game 5 of the 2023 NBA Finals at Ball Arena on Monday night. The Nuggets won their first NBA championship in franchise history as they took the best-of-seven series 4-1. 

     The Heat lost in the NBA Finals for the second time in the last four seasons. Miami now has a 3-4 record in the NBA Finals.

     Miami began the game scoring the first five points, but Denver came back with 12 unanswered points for a 12-5 advantage with 5:57 to go in the first. The Heat had a slight lead 24-22 at the end of the first quarter. Miami had a 13-7 spurt to start the second quarter and led 51-44 at halftime.

     Denver got a 16-9 spurt at the beginning of the second half and tied it 60-60 with 6:44 remaining in the third quarter. Kyle Lowry put in a three-point shot in the final seconds of the third and the Heat were ahead 71-70 heading into the final frame. The Nuggets got the momentum with the first five points of the fourth quarter. Miami went on a 8-0 run to lead 87-86 with 2:47 left in the fourth. Denver outscored the Heat 8-2 in the closing minutes of the contest. 

     Bam Adebayo led the Heat with a double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds. Jimmy Butler added 21 points in the loss. Max Strus and Lowry dropped in 12 points each while Caleb Martin had 10 points. 

     Nikola Jokic, who had a triple-double by the end of the third quarter, finished with 28 points, 16 rebounds and 15 assists for the Nuggets. Michael Porter Jr. contributed 16 points along with 13 rebounds and Jamal Murray drained in 14 points. 

Marlins Jumped By Mariners

     The Miami Marlins visited the Seattle Mariners and lost 8-1 at T-Mobile Park on Monday night. It will be the Marlins only appearance for a three-game series in the Pacific Northwest during the next two seasons. 

     Seattle(32-33) rocketed out to a big 6-0 lead early in the contest. The Mariners scored four runs in the first inning and two runs in the second inning. It was capped by a three-run homer by Ty France to left-center field on a 1-2 count for his sixth home run of the 2023 campaign. 

     Miami(37-30) made it 6-0 in the top of the fifth. Nick Fortes ripped a solo home run to left field on a 2-1 pitch for his fourth homer of the year. It was the Marlins only hit in the ballgame. 

     The Mariners responded in the bottom of the fifth to get back a six-run margin. Eugenio Suarez belted a solo homer to right-center field on the first pitch for his seventh home run of the season. 

Florida Panthers Sign Ludovic Waeber

     The Florida Panthers have signed goalie Ludovic Waeber. It is a one-year, entry-level contract between him and the club. 

     Waeber played the 2022-23 campaign with ZSC Lions in the Swiss National League. He had a .914 save percentage and a 2.50 goals-against-average last season. 

Marlins Get By White Sox

     The Miami Marlins came back on the Chicago White Sox 6-5 at Guaranteed Rate Field on Sunday. The Marlins, who have been victorious in eight of their last nine games, visit the Mariners in Seattle tomorrow. 

     Miami(37-29) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fifth. Chicago(29-38) was able to move by with three runs in the bottom of the sixth and two runs in the top of the seventh for a 5-1 lead. 

     The Marlins overcame a deficit for the second straight contest in the late innings. They compiled two runs in the eighth inning and regained the lead in the ninth inning with two runs. 

Jordan Sherwood In Chicago

     Jordan Sherwood is working at ESPN 1000 WMVP-AM in Chicago for Good Karma Brands. He is co-hosting a mixed martial arts podcast at that radio station. He continued as an advisor for Fat Jack Sports. 

     Sherwood once worked in the West Palm Beach market. He was a longtime Saturday morning mixed martial arts host at ESPN Radio 760 WEFL-AM and ESPN West Palm 106.3 WUUB-FM. He was elevated to Monday evening host in March 2018. 

Jorge Alfaro Inks With Rockies

     Former Miami Marlins catcher Jorge Alfaro has signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies. He participated earlier this season with the Boston Red Sox Triple-A affiliate in Worchester and had a .320 batting average. 

     Alfaro was with the Marlins for three seasons from 2019 until 2021. He had 25 home runs, 103 runs batted in and a .252 batting average in 253 games. 

Panthers Fall To Golden Knights In Game 4

     The Vegas Golden Knights edged the Florida Panthers 3-2 in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday night at FLA Live Arena. The Golden Knights lead the best-of-seven series 3-1 and can capture their first Stanley Cup on Tuesday night in Las Vegas. 

New England Wallops Inter Miami CF

     Inter Miami CF visited the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night and were dominated 3-1. Inter Miami CF have lost six of their last seven Major League Soccer games.

     New England(8-3-6) had a 2-0 lead by halftime. Carles Gil converted on a penalty kick in the 27th minute and Matt Polster made it a 2-0 in the 34th minute. 

     The Revolution increased it to a three-goal margin during the 51st minute as Bobby Wood had a tally. Inter Miami CF(5-12-0) cut it to 3-1 in the 84th minute when Josef Martinez scored on a penalty kick. 

Marlins Drive By White Sox

     The Miami Marlins cruised by the Chicago White Sox 5-1 at Guaranteed Rate Field on Saturday. The Marlins have won seven of their last eight contests.

     Chicago(29-37) got one run in the bottom of the third to take a 1-0 lead. Miami(36-29) made the most of their final chance as they scored five runs in the top of the ninth to get the victory. 

Nuggets Nail Heat In Game 4

     The Denver Nuggets held off the Miami Heat 108-95 in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday night at Kaseya Center. The Nuggets took a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Denver can clinch their first NBA title in franchise history on Monday night in Denver. 

     The Nuggets have been victorious in five consecutive road playoff games. Miami have fallen in four straight home postseason contests. 

     Denver had a 7-2 in the first three minutes of the game. Miami came back with a 10-2 run in the closing minutes of the opening frame and led 21-20 after one quarter. The Nuggets moved in front and had a 55-51 halftime lead.

     In the second half, Denver was ahead by at least a four-point margin during the third quarter and had an 86-73 lead at the end of the third. The Heat scored eight straight points to begin the fourth quarter and trailed 86-81 at the 8:42 mark. The Nuggets had a 19-10 spurt to make it a 14-point gap 105-91 with 1:49 remaining. 

     Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Bam Adebayo compiled 20 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double. Kyle Lowry came off the bench with 13 points. Kevin Love and Duncan Robinson drained in 12 points each. 

     Nikola Jokic helped the Nuggets with a double-double of 23 points and 12 rebounds. Aaron Gordon scored a game-high 27 points and Jamal Murray contributed 15 points along with 12 assists. Former University of Miami Hurricanes player Bruce Brown placed in 21 points. 

White Sox Slip By Marlins

     The Chicago White Sox eased by the Miami Marlins 2-1 on Friday night at Guaranteed Rate Field. The Marlins had their six-game winning streak snapped.

     The Marlins made a rare appearance in the White Sox home ballpark. The Fish will now show up at that venue once every four seasons. Miami does appear yearly at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs because they play in the National League. 

     Chicago(29-36) scored in the second inning to go up 1-0. Yasmani Grandal belted a solo home run to right field for his fifth homer of the year. 

     Miami(35-29) tied it 1-1 in the top of the fifth. Joey Wendle collected his first home run of the season with a homer to right field on a full count. 

     The White Sox picked up the walk-off victory in the bottom of the ninth. Luis Robert Jr. singled through the left side for Elvis Andrus to score. 

Minnesota Vikings Release Dalvin Cook

     Former Dade County high school football player Dalvin Cook has been released by the Minnesota Vikings. He has played his entire six-year National Football League career with the Vikings. Cook had 1,282 carries for 5,993 rushing yards and 47 touchdowns in six seasons with Minnesota. 

     Cook was with the Miami Central Rockets while he participated in high school football. He led that school to two FHSAA Class 6A state championships in 2012 and 2013. Cook later attended and played three seasons with the Florida State University Seminoles. 

Panthers Outlast Golden Knights In Game 3

     The Florida Panthers survived the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 in overtime at FLA Live Areana in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday night. The Golden Nuggets lead the best-of-seven series 2-1. 

     The Panthers are 7-0 in overtime during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs It was the Panthers first home postseason game in over two weeks. 

     The Florida Panthers held their first Stanley Cup Final home game since 1996. The last time was Game 4 of the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals at against the Colorado Avalanche at Miami Arena. The Cats also were victorious in a Stanley Cup Final contest for the first time in franchise history after seven opportunities.  

     Florida broke out to a 1-0 lead at the 4:08 mark of the first period. Matthew Tkachuk backhanded a pass from the left wing. Brandon Montour snapped a shot from above the left circle past Adin Hill for his seventh goal of the playoffs. Eric Staal was credited with a secondary assist on the play. 

     Vegas tied the contest 1-1 on a four-on-three power play with 3:57 left in the first. Shea Theodore angled a pass from the top right circle. Jonathan Marchessault blasted a slap shot from high slot and Mark Stone redirected the puck from the top of the crease by Sergei Bobrovsky for his eighth goal of the postseason. 

     In the second period, the Golden Knights scored again on the power play with 5:01 remaining. Stone backhanded the puck from behind the Cats cage to the right point. Jack Eichel skated forward with the puck and sent a cross-ice pass from the right goal line. Marchessault one-timed a shot from the left-circle dot for his 13th goal in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Marchessault, a former Panthers player, and Eichel tied a Vegas franchise record with their 23rd points each in a single postseason. 

     The Panthers evened it up 2-2 with 2:13 left in the third period just 17 seconds after they pulled Bobrovsky from the net for an extra attacker. Aaron Ekblad connected a cross-ice pass from the left point. Carter Verhaeghe fired a one-time slapshot from the right wing which was saved. Matthew Tkachuk guided the puck in with a forehand shot from the blue paint for his 11th goal of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He set a Panthers single postseason record passing Dave Lowry who had 10 goals back in 1996. 

     It became 3-2 for Florida at 4:27 in overtime. Gustav Forsling delivered a diagonal pass in the neutral zone to the right side. Sam Bennett made a square pass from the right point to the middle. Verhaeghe snapped a shot from the top of the zone for his seventh goal in the playoffs. 

Marlins Trade Joe Rizzo

     The Miami Marlins have traded infielder Joe Rizzo to the Detroit Tigers for cash. He has played in the Marlins minor league system this year with Jacksonville in Triple-A and Pensacola in Double-A. 

     Rizzo has never played a game in Major League Baseball. He participated in the minors with the Seattle Mariners for seven seasons. 

Nuggets Down Heat In Game 3

     The Miami Heat fell to the Denver Nuggets 109-94 on Wednesday night in Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Kaseya Center. The Nuggets moved ahead in the best-of-seven series 2-1. The Heat have lost three straight home games while have won four straight road contests. 

     It was the first time that the Heat hosted a game in the NBA Finals since 2014 during The Big Three era of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. The club did not host an NBA Finals contest because of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The 2020 NBA Finals was held at a centralized location in Orlando. 

     Miami scooted out to a 7-2 advantage in the first two minutes of the game. Both teams were tied 24-24 at the end of the first quarter. Denver scored the first five points of the second quarter and had a 53-48 halftime lead. 

     The Nuggets put in the first six points of the second half for an 11-point margin 59-48. Denver later raised it to a 19-point gap and led 82-68 after three quarters. The Heat could not come closer than nine points 103-94 with 1:22 left in the fourth quarter. 

     Jimmy Butler contributed 28 points for the Heat. Bam Adebayo had 22 points and 17 rebounds for a double-double. Kyle Lowry scored nine points and Caleb Martin drained in 10 points. 

     Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 32 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists for a triple-double. Jamal Murray chalked up a triple-double with 34 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds. Christian Braun dropped in 15 points while Aaron Gordon had 11 points. 

Inter Miami CF Topple Birmingham

     Inter Miami CF squeezed by the Birmingham Legion 1-0 at Protective Stadium on Wednesday night. The victory advanced Inter Miami CF in the U.S. Open Cup to the semifinal round. 

     The only scoring was done during the second half. Nicolas Stefanelli made it 1-0 for Inter Miami CF in the 56th minute. 

Marlins Sweep Royals

     The Miami Marlins defeated the Kansas City Royals 6-1 on Wednesday night at loanDepot park. The Marlins, who have won six consecutive contests, swept a three-game series versus the Royals. 

     The game was started 30 minutes earlier to a 6:10 P.M. start. It was due to the large amount of traffic in the area heading to Kaseya Center for the Miami Heat NBA Finals game and rush-hour traffic.

     Kansas City(18-44) pulled out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the third. Miami(35-28) surpassed them in the bottom of the third and took a 3-1 lead. The Marlins extended their lead to 6-1 with three runs in the eighth inning. 

Lionel Messi To Join Inter Miami CF

     International soccer superstar Lionel Messi is expected to be joining Inter Miami CF in the near future. He may possibly receive an ownership share of the Major League Soccer Team. 

     Messi helped Argentina win the 2022 World Cup back in December. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. Argentina captured their third World Cup title in the country's history. 

     He played most of his professional career with FC Barcelona and brought them numerous UEFA championships along with Spanish League titles. He participated with PSG in France during the 2022-23 campaign. 

Cowboys Let Go Antonio Callaway

     Former South Florida high school wide receiver Antonio Callaway was cut by the Dallas Cowboys. He signed with the Cowboys back in November 2022 and never participated in an NFL game with them. 

     Callaway played high school football with the Booker T. Washington Tornadoes and college football with the University of Florida Gators. After two seasons with the Cleveland Browns in 2018 and 2019, he joined the Miami Dolphins for the 2020 campaign. Callaway had two catches for 20 receiving yards for the Fins that year. 

Kevin Connauton Dealt To Los Angeles Kings

     Former Florida Panthers defenseman Kevin Connauton has been traded by the Philadelphia Flyers. He was dealt twice in one day. The Flyers dealt him to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a couple of future draft picks and then was traded by Columbus to the Los Angeles Kings for Ivan Provorov. 

     Connauton did not play on the Flyers NHL roster during 2022-23. He was involved in 63 contests with the Flyers AHL affiliate at Lehigh Valley and compiled 15 points.  

     Connauton was with the Panthers in 2020-21 and 2021-22. He had one assist in 20 games during his two seasons with Florida. 

Marlins Crown Royals

     The Miami Marlins got a 6-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals at loanDepot park on Tuesday night. The Marlins extended their winning streak to five games and have won nine of their last 11 contests. They can pick up a three-game series sweep of the Royals tomorrow. 

     Miami(34-28) gathered five runs during the bottom of the fifth. Jesus Sanchez lifted a solo home run to left field on the first pitch of the frame for his fifth homer this year. Five batters later, Arraez drove in Joey Wendle with a base hit into left field. Two batters later, Bryan De La Cruz cleared the bases as he tripled to deep right which brought in Jean Segura, Nick Cortes and Arraez. 

     Kansas City(18-43) answered back quickly in the top of the sixth. Marlins starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo threw a wild pitch and Nick Pratto crossed the plate. 

     The Fish regained a five-run cushion in the seventh inning. De La Cruz walked with the bases loaded for Arraez to reach home. 

Luke Williams Heads To Atlanta

     Former Miami Marlins Luke Williams is on his way to the Atlanta Braves. He was claimed by the Braves off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers. He participated in four games with the Dodgers in 2023 and had one hit in 10 at-bats. 

     Williams was on the Miami Marlins roster during the 2022 regular season. He compiled one home run, three runs batted in and a .235 batting average in 71 contests. 

Leo Baldwin Leaves St. Louis

     Former West Palm Beach radio executive Leo Baldwin has left his position as brand manager at KYKY-FM and KEZK-FM in St. Louis. He is joining WOMG-FM and WTCB-FM in Columbia, South Carolina as the program director on June 12. 

     Baldwin entered South Florida as the program director of WRMF-FM and later was the operations manager of Dignity Media in November 2014. He added duties as the program director at WMEN-AM, WFTL-AM and WEAT-FM.

     The cluster of radio stations were sold in February 2017 and he became the operations manager at Alpha Media. They were sold again in January 2019 to Hubbard Broadcasting and he continued his role as operations manager. He stayed in that organization until November 2019.

Golden Knights Stomp Panthers in Game 2

     The Vegas Golden Knights dominated the Florida Panthers 7-2 in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night at T-Mobile Arena. The Golden Knights are now ahead 2-0 in the best-of-seven series. Vegas tied a Stanley Cup Final record with 12 goals in the first two games. 

     Florida will host Game 3 on Thursday night at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise. The Panthers have not participated in a Stanley Cup Final home game since 1996 at Miami Arena. 

     Vegas jumped out to a 1-0 lead with the man advantage at the 7:05 mark of the first period. Jack Eichel passed from the left corner to the left wing and Chandler Stephenson backhanded a cross-ice pass to the right side. Jonathan Marchessault snapped a shot from the top right circle by Sergei Bobrovsky for his 11th goal of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He now has nine goals in his last nine games. 

     The Golden Knights expanded it to 2-0 with 2:01 left in the first. Marchessault banked the puck off the end wall. Ivan Barbashev angled a diagonal pass back from the low right circle. Alec Martinez put in a snap shot from the inner left circle for his first tally this postseason. 

     It became a three-goal margin for Vegas at 2:59 of the second period. William Carrier carried the puck from his own blue line, through the neutral zone and dropped it at the left point. Nicolas Roy carried it through the left circle into the left corner. He came out of there and scored on a wrist shot from the low left circle for his second goal of the playoffs. Zach Whitecloud was credited with a secondary assist on the play. 

     Vegas increased it 4-0 at the 7:10 mark of the second. Stephenson made a square pass at the right point. Mark Stone connected a cross-ice pass from the top left circle to Brett Howden. He skated through the slot area, faked a forehand shot and steered in a backhand shot from the top of the crease for his second goal of the Stanley Cup Final and fourth in the postseason. VGK had scored seven unanswered goals against the Cats at this point of the series. 

     The Panthers pulled Bobrovsky from the game and replaced him with Alex Lyon. Bobrovsky surrendered four goals on just 13 Vegas shots. 

     Florida broke the shutout 14 seconds into the third period. Anthony Duclair fired a shot from close range off the blocker of Adin Hill. Anton Lundell then took a forehand shot from the inner left circle that deflected off two Vegas defender and into the cage for his second goal of the playoffs. 

     The Golden Knights responded and made it 5-1 at 2:10. Eichel sent a cross-ice pass from the left wing. Marchessault raced in from the high slot, went to the low slot and got his second goal and third point of the contest. 

     VGK brought it back to a five-goal gap with 9:27 remaining in the third. William Karlsson skated with the puck down the right side out of the Golden Knights zone, through center ice and to the right of the crease. He backhanded an angled drop pass to the middle and Michael Amadio tapped in the puck from the low slot for his fourth goal. 

     The Panthers cut it to 6-2 with 7:16 to go in the period. Josh Mahura sent a lead diagonal pass in the neutral zone to Sam Bennett on the right side. He entered the Vegas, went to the right faceoff circle and backhanded a shot which was saved. Matthew Tkachuk followed with a forehand shot from the inner left circle for his 10th goal of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

     Vegas extended it to 7-2 with 2:08 left in the third. Carrier centered the puck from the right corner and it was touched by Amadio at the inner right circle. Howden streaked in and fired a snap shot from the high slot by Lyon. 

Marlins Power By Royals

     The Miami Marlins outscored the Kansas City Royals 9-6 at loanDepot park on Monday night. The Marlins have won four straight games. The Fish had back-to-back comeback wins after being down by at least four runs for the first time since June 17-18, 2001.

     The Royals made their first Miami appearance with the three-game set. They will return two seasons from now due to the new scheduling by Major League Baseball. 

     Kansas City(18-42) pushed out to a 4-0 lead early in the contest. They collected two runs in the first inning and two runs in the third inning. 

     Miami(33-28) scored in four consecutive frames in the middle of the game for a total of nine runs. The Marlins got two runs in the third, four runs in the fourth, one run in the fifth and two runs in the sixth. 

Heat Outduel Nuggets In Game 2

     The Miami Heat handled the Denver Nuggets 111-108 in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night at Ball Arena. The best-of-seven series is now tied at 1-1.  

     The Nuggets lost their first home game in this postseason and dropped to 9-1 in Denver. They had not lost a home game since March 30. 

     Game 3 of the NBA Finals will be in Miami at Kaseya Center on Wednesday night. The South Florida region has not held an NBA Finals game since 2014 when the Heat faced the San Antonio Spurs. 

     Miami scored the first seven points of the game and rushed out to a 10-2 lead three minutes into the contest. The Nuggets had a 13-5 spurt at the end of the opening frame. The Heat had a 26-23 lead at the end of the first quarter. Denver went on a 21-6 run to begin the second quarter and had a 42-32 lead at the 7:49 mark. The Nuggets were able to get a 57-51 halftime lead. 

     The Heat had a 15-9 edge at the start of the second half to tie it 66-66 at the 8:15 mark of the third. Denver responded with a 17-9 spurt to lead 83-75 at the end of three quarters. Miami rocketed out to a 15-2 run to begin the fourth quarter and led 90-85 with 9:17 to go. The Heat had a 12-point margin 107-95 with 3:39 remaining in the fourth. The Nuggets closed the gap to three points 111-108 with 35.1 seconds left. 

     Jimmy Butler contributed 21 points and nine assists for the Heat. Gabe Vincent drained in a club-high 23 points while Bam Adebayo had 21 points and nine rebounds. Max Strus bounced back with 14 points in the loss. 

     Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with a game-high 41 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double. Jamal Murray added in 18 points along with 10 assists and Aaron Gordon dropped in 12 points. 

A's Release Jesus Aguilar

     Former Miami Marlins first baseman Jesus Aguilar was released by the Oakland A's. Aguilar signed with the A's in January. He compiled five home runs, nine runs batted in and a .221 batting average in 36 contests this year. 

     Agular played with the Marlins for three seasons from 2020 to 2022. He helped the Marlins get to the postseason in 2020 for the first time since 2003. Aguilar collected 45 home runs, 176 runs batted in, .747 OPS and a .254 batting average in 295 games with Miami. 

A;'s Swept By Marlins

     The Miami Marlins completed a three-game sweep of the Oakland A's 7-5 at loanDepot park on Sunday. The Marlins outscored the A's 23-6 in the three-game set. 

     It may be the final time ever that the A's play in Miami based in Oakland. The Marlins host the Kansas City Royals over the next three days.

     Miami(32-28) moved out to a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Yuli Gurriel doubled to the left-field wall and Garrett Cooper scored. 

     Oakland(12-49) piled on five runs in the top of the third to take a 5-1. Nick Allen pulled off a safety squeeze bunt and Jace Peterson crossed the plate. Esteury Ruiz came up next and singled through the left side for Shea Langeliers to score. 

     Late in the frame, Ramon Laureano knocked in Allen and Ruiz on a double off the left-center field wall. Laureano then stole third and scored on a throwing error by Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara. 

     After the Fish got one run in the fourth, the Marlins tied it 5-5 in the bottom of the fifth. Cooper blasted a three-run homer down the left-field line on a 1-2 pitch for his sixth home run of the season. Luis Arraez and Bryan De La Cruz scored in front of him on the play. 

     It became 7-5 for Miami in the bottom of the eighth. Arraez drove in Joey Wendle on an infield base hit. Nick Fortes later reached home on a passed ball when De La Cruz struck out. 

Panthers Lose To Golden Knights In Game 1

     The Florida Panthers fell to the Vegas Golden Knights 5-2 in Game 1 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night. The Golden Knights lead the best-of-seven series 1-0. 

     It was the first appearance by the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final since 1996. The Golden Knights made their second trip to the championship round for the second time in their six-season franchise history. 

     The Panthers are winless playing at T-Mobile Arena and now have a 0-5-1 all-time record in Las Vegas. The Cats stand at 0-5 in Stanley Cup Final contests. 

     Florida picked up a shorthanded goal at the 9:40 mark of the first period for a 1-0 lead. Anton Lundell intercepted a pass in the neutral zone and brought it into the Golden Knights zone. He then angled a pass from top of the zone to his left. Eric Staal carried the puck from the left circle, around the Vegas cage and put in a wraparound forehand shot by Adin Hill. Staal, who played in his 100th Stanley Cup Playoff game, chalked up his second goal of the postseason. 

     Vegas evened it up 1-1 on the power play with 2:42 left in the first. Shea Theodore flipped a backhand pass from the top of the zone to the right wing. Chandler Stephenson made a backhand centering pass from the end wall and former Panthers player Jonathan Marchessault one-timed a shot from the low slot past Sergei Bobrovsky for his 10th goal of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

     In the second period, the Golden Knights took a 2-1 lead with 9:06 remaining. Brett Howden backhanded a pass from the left corner. Brayden McNabb sent a cross-ice pass from the right point. Theodore skated from the right point and snapped a shot from the high slot for his first goal of the playoffs. 

     The Panthers tied it 2-2 with 10.2 seconds to go in the period. Aleksander Barkov drew the puck back on a right-circle faceoff. Anthony Duclair released a wrist shot for his fourth goal of the postseason. 

     It became 3-2 for Vegas at the 6:59 mark of the third period. Jack Eichel pushed the puck from the left circle to Ivan Barbashev in the left corner He connected a diagonal pass to the high slot and Zach Whitecloud scored on a snap shot for his second goal. 

     Vegas added to their lead to make it 4-2 with 6:19 left in the third. Mark Stone stopped a clearing pass in the high slot and snapped a shot for his seventh goal of the playoffs. 

     Florida pulled their goalie with two minutes to go for an extra attacker. Reilly Smith burned his former team and placed the puck into an empty net from the red line with 1:45 remaining for a power-play goal. Eichel was credited with an assist on the play. 

Inter Miami CF Falls To D.C. United

     Inter Miami CF was defeated by D.C. United 2-1 at DRV PNK Stadium on Saturday night. It turned out to be the fifth loss in the last six games for Inter Miami CF.

     There was no scoring in the first half between both clubs. D.C. United(6-6-5) made it 1-0 during the 76th minute as Donovan Pines scored. They increased it to 2-0 on a goal by Christian Benteke in the 90th minute. Inter Miami CF(5-11-0) closed it to 2-1 when Ian Fray scored in stoppage time. 

Marlins Blitz A's

     The Miami Marlins bombed the Oakland A's 12-1 on Saturday at loanDepot park. Both teams will complete theit three-game series on Sunday. 

     Miami((31-28) piled up the runs in the early part of the contest. They scored four runs in the second inning, three runs in the third and added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth for a 9-0 lead.

     Oakland(12-48) broke the shutout with one run in the top of the eighth and trailed by eight runs. Thr Marlins answered back with three runs in the bottom of the frame. 

New York Red Bulls Sneak By Inter Miami CF

     The New York Red Bulls got by Inter Miami CF 1-0 back on Wednesday night at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. Inter Miami CF(5-10-0) have lost four of their last five games. 

     The only goal of the contest happened during the 52nd minute of play. Tom Barlow was able to score for the New York Red Bulls(4-5-7). 

Marlins Shut Out A's

     The Miami Marlins blanked the Oakland A's 4-0 at loanDepot park on Friday night. It was the start of a three-game weekend series between both clubs. 

     It is uncertain that this will be the last time the A's play in Miami while representing the city of Oakland. The A's will not return to South Florida until 2025 and it is possible that the A's franchise may move to Las Vegas. 

     Miami(30-28) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Jesus Sanchez sliced a two-run homer to left field on the first pitch with Bryan De La Cruz aboard. It was the fourth home run of the season for Sanchez. 

     Oakland(12-47) surrendered two more runs in the bottom of the fifth and trailed 4-0. Jorge Soler knocked in Jacob Stallings on a double into the left-field corner. De La Cruz came up next and singled through the right side which brought in Soler. 

Katie Engleson Theory

     The Florida Panthers have made a tremendous run during the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the past six weeks. They reached the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 1996. 

     One possible significant factor might be called the Katie Engleson Theory. She has been associated with teams through a portion of her life where they went beyond the first two rounds of a playoff tournament. Teams have either won championships, finished in the championship round or reached the tournament semifinals. 

     Engleson, a Parkland native, joined the Florida Panthers telecasts on Bally Sports Florida as a rinkside reporter back in September 2022 for her first season at that post. Her studying and researching of the team figured in her winning the Light The Lamp pregame show contest among the Panthers broadcasters by the largest margin of victory in the five seasons of the segment.  

     She was a baton twirler at high school football games while attending St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale. The Raiders football team had great success in her four years associated with the team. St. Thomas Aquinas won FHSAA Class 5A state championships and national high school football championships in 2008 and 2010. They reached the FHSAA Class 5A state semifinals and fell to Manatee on the road in 2009. STA got past the first two rounds of the FHSAA Class 7A state playoffs and lost in the third round at Dwyer in 2011. 

     Engleson moved on and went to college at the University of Alabama. She also was a baton twirler and appeared at Alabama football games for four years. The Crimson Tide won the BCS National Championship in 2012 and the CFP National Championship in 2015. Alabama was defeated in the Sugar Bowl in 2013 and 2014, the second being a CFP national semifinal game to Ohio State. 

     Away from athletics and school, Engleson put in her hard work, dedication and talent toward other activities and was a participant in several beauty pageants. She was named the winner of the 2011 South Florida's Outstanding Teen, the 2012 Miss Daytona Beach and the 2013 Miss Fort Lauderdale beauty pageants. That resulted in her being a contestant for Miss Florida in 2012 and 2013. 

     The Florida Panthers begin the Stanley Cup Final in Las Vegas against the Vegas Golden Knights with Game 1 on Saturday night. Bally Sports Florida will broadcast a postgame show. Engleson and Jessica Blaylock will report from FLA Live Arena for Panthers fan reactions. Florida Panthers television play-by-play announcer Steve Goldstein and television game analyst Randy Moller will host the program from the Bally Sports Florida studios in Fort Lauderdale. 

AM Radio Listening In Miami

     Radio research has indicated that the Miami/Fort Lauderdale market is tied for 46th place among United States metropolitan areas for the percentage of people that listen to AM Radio. The region was tied with Philadelphia, Phoenix, Sacramento, Reno and Rochester, Minnesota. 

     Research showed that 32 percent of local radio listeners hear the AM band in Miami. The percentage in the West Palm Beach area that listen to the AM band is well below 20 percent of the local population. 

Nuggets Strike Heat In Game 1

     The Miami Heat lost to the Denver Nuggets 104-93 in Game 1 of the 2023 NBA Finals at Ball Arena on Thursday night. The Nuggets lead the best-of-seven series 1-0. 

     The Heat made their second NBA Finals appearance in the last four seasons and their seventh overall in franchise history. The Heat became the second team in NBA history to make the NBA Finals as an eighth seed in the NBA Playoffs since the postseason expanded in 1984. The Nuggets, who entered the NBA in 1976, played in their first NBA Finals contest.

     The Nuggets have a 9-0 home record in tthe postseason this year. The Heat fell in Game 1 for the first time during this year's NBA Playoffs. 

     Denver had a 10-4 spurt in the early part of the opening frame and they had a 29-20 advantage at the end of the first quarter. The Nuggets extended it to a 12-point margin 39-27 at the 8:18 mark of the second quarter. They had a 17-point gap 59-42 by halftime.

     Miami scored the first seven points of the second half and cut the lead down to 10 points. The Nuggets climbed it up to a 19-point margin 74-55 with 5:39 remaining in the third. The Heat trailed 84-63 at the end of the third quarter. Miami broke through with 11 unanswered points to begin the final quarter and were down 84-74 at the 9:29 mark. Denver responded and pushed it back up to a 16-point margin 90-74 with 7:16 to go. 

     Bam Adebayo led the Heat with a team-high 26 points and 13 rebounds for a double-double. Jimmy Butler added 13 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Gabe Vincent contributed 19 points in the defeat. Kyle Lowry was able to score 11 points and Haywood Highsmith nailed 18 points. 

     Nikola Jokic picked up a triple-double with 27 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds. Jamal Murray piled on a double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Michael Porter, Jr. dropped in 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while Aaron Gordon poured in 16 points.

Padres Dominate Marlins

     The San Diego Padres pounded the Miami Marlins 10-1 at loanDepot park on Thursday. The Marlins host the Oakland A's this weekend while the Padres return home to face the Chicago Cubs. 

     Miami(29-28) scored their only run of the contest in the bottom of the third for a 1-0 lead. Luis Arraez hit a sacrifice fly to left field and Jonathan Davis scored. 

     San Diego(26-30) took over for the next three innings. The Padres got two runs in the fourth inning. Fernando Tatis Jr. connected with a ground-rule double to right-center field and Ha-Seong Kim crossed the plate. Three batters later, Brandon Dixon drove in Tatis with a sacrifice fly into center field. 

     They made it 3-1 during the fifth inning. Gary Sanchez bashed a solo home run to left field on a 3-2 pitch for his second home run of the season. It was just his third game with his new team. The Friars piled on seven runs in the top of the sixth and had a comfortable nine-run margin. 

Nic Enright Returns To Cleveland

     The Miami Marlins have returned pitcher Nic Enright back to the Cleveland Guardians. He did participate on the Marlins Major League Baseball roster this year. 

     Enright was selected by the Marlins in the Rule 5 Draft from the Guardians during the offseason. He did pitch seven games for the Marlins Triple-A affiliate in Jacksonville and two games with the Marlins Single-A affiliate in Jupiter. 

Jorge Alfaro Exiting Red Sox

     Former Miami Marlins catcher Jorge Alfaro will soon be opting out of his contract with the Boston Red Sox. He has not participated in the majors this year. Alfaro has a .323 batting average with their Triple-A affiliate in Worchester this season. 
     Alfaro played for the Marlins for three seasons from 2019 until 2021. He contributed to the club making the postseason in 2020 for the first time in 17 years. Alfaro had 25 home runs, 103 runs batted in and a 252 batting average in 253 games with Miami.