Browns Fire Ken Dorsey

     The Cleveland Browns have released offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey. He has been with that organization since 2024. Dorsey previously worked as the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator with the Buffalo Bills from 2019 until 2023. 

     Dorsey is best remembered locally as the starting quarterback for the University of Miami Hurricanes. He led the Canes to their last national championship in 2001. 

Dolphins At Jets

     The Miami Dolphins will conclude their 2024 regular season as they visit the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. The Dolphins are one game behind the Denver Broncos for the final AFC Wild-Card spot. 

Lionel Messi Awarded Presidential Medal Of Freedom

     Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi received the Presidental Medal of Freedom from United States President Joe Biden on Saturday. It is the highest honor for a citizen to be received in the United States. Messi did not attend the ceremony held at The White House in Washington D.C. due to a scheduling conflict. 

     Messi is considered one of the greatest players in the world to ever to play the game of soccer. He played for his national team in Argentina and captured the World Cup in 2022. 

     He has won the Ballon D'or a record eight times for the being the best player of the year. Messi signed with Inter Miami CF in July 2023 and began to play in Major League Soccer. The Herons captured the Leagues Cup in 2023 and received the MLS Supporters' Shield for the best record during the 2024 regular season. 

Mike White Upped To Bills NFL Roster

     Former Miami Dolphins quarterback Mike White has been promoted by the Buffalo Bills from their practice squad to their NFL roster. He also signed a one-year contract extension through 2025. 

     White was with the Dolphins during the 2023 season. He finished with five completions for 74 passing yards and one touchdown in six games. 

Jazz Wallop Heat

     The Utah Jazz ripped by the Miami Heat 136-100 on Saturday night at Kaseya Center. The Heat concluded their homestand before their west coast six-game road trip next week. The Jazz snapped a five-game losing streak. 

     Both teams were tied 22-22 by the conclusion of the first quarter. Utah(8-25) went on a 16-7 spurt to begin the second quarter and outscored the Heat 40-19 in the frame to lead 65-42 at halftime. 

     Miami(17-16) was unable to come closer during the third quarter and trailed by 32 points 98-66 at the end of three quarters. The Heat pulled their starters from the court early in the final quarter. 

     Nikola Jovic pumped in 17 points for the Heat. Tyler Herro contributed 15 points while Duncan Robinson ended up with 16 points. Jaime Jaquez Jr. came off the bench with 13 points. 

     John Collins led the Jazz with 24 points and nine assists. Lauri Markkanen added 15 points and Walker Kessler had 14 points along with 16 rebounds for a double-double. Collin Sexton was able to drain in 17 points. 

Florida Panthers Quarter-Century Team

     The National Hockey League announced the NHL Quarter-Century Team of the Florida Panthers on Friday night. The Panthers players selected participated sometime during the first 25 years of the 21st century from 2000 to 2025. 

     The First Team consisted of center Aleksander Barkov, right wing Matthew Tkachuk, left wing Jonathan Huberdeau, defenseman Aaron Ekblad, defenseman Gustav Forsling and goalie Roberto Luongo. The Second Team had right wing Pavel Bure, center Olli Jokinen, forward Sam Reinhart, defenseman Robert Svehla, defenseman Jay Bouwmeester and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. 

Panthers Freeze Penguins

     The Florida Panthers got by the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 in a shootout at Amerant Bank Arena on Friday night. The Panthers played home contests on consecutive days. The Penguins now have a four-game road losing streak. Florida is 12-5-1 in their past 18 games. 

     The Panthers, who are 7-2-0 in their last nine home games versus the Pens, are now tied for first place in the Atlantic Division with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Cats will have the rest of the weekend off and visit the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night. 
     In the second period, Florida(24-14-2) rocketed out to a 1-0 advantage just 36 seconds into the frame. Gustav Forsling scored his sixth goal of the campaign on a snap shot from above the right circle past Tristan Jarry. 

     Pittsburgh (17-17-6) evened it up 1-1 on the power play with 8:51 remaining in the first. Sidney Crosby fired a slap shot from the high slot for his 11th goal in 2024-25. Crosby has compiled 15 points in the past 10 games. Bryan Rust recorded for 400th NHL point on the play. 

     The Panthers reclaimed the lead 2-1 at 8:48 of the third period. Carter Verhaeghe shot the puck from the high slot and it was deflected in by Matthew Tkachuk from the right of the crease for his 14th goal this season. 

     The Pens scored on a power play which includes an extra attacker with 39.9 seconds left in the third period to tie it up 2-2. Rickard Rakell snapped a shot from the low slot past Spencer Knight for his 18th goal of the season. 

     Florida was able to get the victory in a shootout. Sam Reinhart put in a snap shot on the team's second attempt and Anton Lundell placed in a wrist shot during their third attempt. 

Former Marlins On Hall Of Fame Ballot

     Several former members of the Florida/Miami Marlins franchise are on the 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot. The Baseball Writers Association of America will elect the new members to Cooperstown later in January. 

     The one-time Marlins player that will certainly make the Baseball Hall of Fame is Ichiro Suzuki. He played in Miami for three seasons from 2015 to 2017 and finished with a .256 batting average in 432 contests. Ichiro picked up his 3,000th hit while on the Marlins with a triple in Coors Field against the Colorado Rockies on August 7, 2016.  

     Other players on the ballot are Fernando Rodney, Mark Buehrle and Hanley Ramirez. Rodney was acquired by the Fish in 2016 and had eight saves in 39 relief appearances that year. Buehrle, who was part of the surge by the Marlins when they moved to their new stadium in Miami, pitched one season in 2012 and had a 13-13 record with a 3.74 earned run average. 

     Ramirez was with the Marlins franchise from 2006 until 2012. He had a .300 batting average, .499 slugging percentage, .374 on-base percentage, .873 OPS, 482 runs batted in and 148 home runs in 943 games. Ramirez finished second to Albert Pujols for the 2009 National League Most Valuable Player Award. He ended up representing the team at three MLB All-Star Games in 2008, 2009 and 2010. 

Hurricanes Get By Panthers

     The Carolina Hurricanes edged Florida Panthers 3-1 on Thursday night at Amerant Bank Arena. It is the first contest for the Panthers and the Hurricanes in the 2025 calendar year. 

     Both teams faced each other in the Eastern Conference Finals two seasons ago. Hurricanes left wing Juha Jaaska made his NHL debut. 

     Carolina(23-13-2) came out with a blitz on their opening shift and were up 1-0 just 36 seconds into the first period. Jaccob Slavin cycled the puck around the end wall from the left wing. Brent Burns snapped a shot from the right side by Sergei Bobrovsky for his fourth goal of the year. Seth Jarvis was credited with a secondary assist on the sequence. The Canes had a 14-1 shot advantage on shots in the first 12 minutes of play. 

     In the second period, Florida(23-14-2) fought back to tie it up 1-1 at the 2:17 mark. Evan Rodrigues stole the puck from Dmitry Orlov behind the cage and centered it. Jesper Boqvist backhanded a cross-ice pass from the low right circle and Anton Lundell lifted a backhand shot from the top of the crease past Pyotr Kochetkov for his ninth goal of the campaign. 

     The Hurricanes reclaimed the lead 2-1 with 7:30 left in the third period. Slavin slammed a slap shot from the high slot for his second tally this year. 

     The Canes put the nail in the coffin with 27.7 seconds remaining for a 3-1 lead. Andrei Svechnikov shot the puck from the left wing and it deflected off the stick of Martin Necas in the blue paint into an empty net for his 15th goal of the season. 

Pacers Race By Heat

     The Indiana Pacers bounced by the Miami Heat 128-115 at Kaseya Center on Thursday night. The Heat are playing home games on consecutive nights. 

     After giving up the first basket of the contest, Indiana(17-18) scored 12 consecutive points. They led 38-25 at the conclusion of the first quarter. The Pacers entered halftime with a 66-50 advantage. 

     Miami(17-15) could not make a dent in the lead and were down 107-83 at the end of the third quarter. The Heat went on a 19-9 spurt to begin the fourth quarter. 

     Bam Adebayo led Miami with a club-high 20 points and eight rebounds. Tyler Herro was able to contribute 17 points. 

     Tyrese Haliburton of the Pacers had game-highs of 33 points and 15 assists for a double-double Myles Turner scored 21 points in the victory. 

Florida Panthers Getting Outdoor NHL Game

     National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman mentioned during a studio segment at the 2025 Winter Classic at Wrigley Field in Chicago that the Florida Panthers will be part of an outdoor game during the 2025-26 season. It is unknown when it will be played. 

     The venue that the Panthers will host the contest will be loanDepot Park in Miami. It is the baseball home of the Miami Marlins. It helps that a game can be played with warm conditions in the South Florida region due to a retractable roof on the facility. 

     The Panthers was the only NHL team to still not participate in an outdoor game. The other is the newly branded Utah Hockey Club. The National Hockey League has held game at different Major League Baseball, National Football League and Division 1 football stadiums since 2008. 

Jonathan Ford NFL Debut

     Former Broward County high school football player Jonathan Ford made his National Football League debut on December 16 for the Chicago Bears against the Minnesota Vikings. He has been on the Green Bay Packers practice squad for the last couple of years. 

     Ford was a defensive lineman with the Dillard Panthers while in high school. He later played college football with the University of Miami Hurricanes. 

Heat Breeze By Pelicans

     The Miami Heat knocked off the New Orleans Pelicans 119-108 at Kaseya Center on Wednesday night. It was the first game of the 2025 calendar year for the Heat. 

     Miami(17-14) broke out to a 36-24 lead by the conclusion of the first quarter. The Heat were able to remain in front 56-51 at halftime. 

     New Orleans(5-29) fell more into the hole and trailed 90-76 at the end of three quarters. The Pelicans outscored their opponent in the final quarter. 

     Bam Adebayo had a double-double for the Heat with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Tyler Herro ended up with a team-high 32 points. Duncan Robinson was able to drop in 17 points. 

     Trey Murphy III led the Pelicans with a game-high 34 points in the defeat. CJ McCollum finished with 22 points. 

Nick Gordon Moves To Orioles

     One-time Miami Marlins utility player Nick Gordon has signed a minor league deal with the Baltimore Orioles. He will have the opportunity to make their major league roster during spring training. 

     Gordon was with the Marlins organization in the minors and declared free agency. He compiled eight home runs and 32 runs batted in and a .227 batting average in 95 contests with Miami last season. 

Freddy Tarnok Joins Marlins

     The Miami Marlins signed pitcher Freddy Tarnok to a minor league contract. He will be invited to spring training camp. 

     Tarnok did not participate in the majors last season. He had stints with the Atlanta Braves in 2022 and the Oakland A's in 2023. Tarnok has played in just six games in Major League Baseball.