Featured image for Dolphins Bed GiveawayLuis Sung

Dolphins give away 100 beds during Hope to Dream Sleepover

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Having a good night’s sleep is crucial for any athlete, which is why it’s fitting that the Miami Dolphins partnered with Ashley HomeStore to host their third annual Hope to Dream sleepover. There, they surprised 100 underprivileged with kids with brand new beds that they’ll be getting the best possible sleep with for years to come.

“It’s a big deal,” said Dolphins pass rusher Charles Harris, who was one of the players in attendance for the sleepover. “You can’t sleep, you’re gonna be tired the next day, you’re gonna be restless, you might have aches and pains, everything like that. As a kid, it’s a little less, but as we all know, father time catches up with everybody. So as you get older, you start to see the little aches and pains become a bigger deal, so to have a good bed to come home to is always great.”

Harris was joined by teammates Davon Godchaux, Bobby McCain, and rookie Christian Wilkins, who added clout and a real sense of fun to the evening. With them, the 100 kids in attendance got to enjoy games and other activities with their favorite Dolphins players and cheerleaders, capping the evening off with a movie before going to sleep on their brand new Tempur-Pedic beds.

As the largest furniture retailer in the United States, Ashley HomeStore has made it its mission to give the underprivileged youth of America a good place to rest their heads at night. They dedicate a portion of the proceeds from each mattress sale to its Hope to Dream program, which has donated over 80,000 new beds to children in need since its inception in 2010.

With the Dolphins’ Football Unites program being all about leveling the playing field, that made them the ideal partners to host the sleepover.

“We’ve always been partners in the community, with their charity events, and this was just an idea Ashley’s been doing for a while, and we thought of a perfect partnership with the Dolphins.” President of City Furniture, the South Florida licensee for Ashley HomeStore, Andrew Koenig said. “You’ve got the dome, you’ve got the players, you got the big, cool excitement that kids get to see the locker room. Combine it all together and it’s a really fun night for the kids. They’re sleeping here tonight, and the Dolphins are huge in the community and giving back and so are we, so it’s really a good partnership.”

But the most heartwarming moment of the night was when the kids got to see their beds for the first time, as it’d been kept a secret up until the big reveal. Some kids were shocked into silence, many of them also gave out cries of joy as they rushed towards their beds, elated that they were their property to take home.

“I was like, ‘wait, what?’ I was so surprised that I wanted to jump all the way to, like, the sky, all the way to the sky.” said Martine LaFortune, who will be turning nine years old on June 30. “It means really a lot to me. This is the first company that gave me and my brother a bed. I’m sad that my brother didn’t come, because he would’ve had lots of fun but that’s fine, at least he’s gonna be surprised by the bed that he has.”

Though the team is currently working on becoming a force on the football field again, one thing that has never changed is the franchise’s dedication to making South Florida a better place. Year in and year out, they lead the way and set the example for other NFL (and even non-NFL) teams to follow. Now, as the NFL celebrates its 100th anniversary, the NFL invites fans, players, clubs and employees to join Huddle for 100, an effort to inspire one million people to volunteer 100 minutes of their time to make meaningful contributions to their communities.

So as Miami pushes forth their #DolphinsHuddlefor100, you can be sure that this year, they’ll be kicking their community presence into overdrive. This is only the beginning of what the Dolphins have in store.

Hurricanes’ Paradise Camp Lives up to Hype

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The Miami Hurricanes hosted top flight recruits from across the nation at their fourth annual Paradise Camp this past weekend.

Numerous alumni and NFL greats were present and the scene was intense for a summer workout.

Michael Irvin was among those in attendance and as usual made his presence felt.

 

For the Miami Hurricanes, Paradise Camp is a weekend to showcase the many positives of the program in an atmosphere second to none.

Look at the tight end coaching.

 

For these recruits to be able to learn from Hurricanes legends and NFL stars in a competitive setting has to be special.

A lot of commits from the 2020 and 2021 classes were in attendance, a great sign as these recruits begin to build early comradery.

Manny Diaz and his coaching staff are truly bringing the swagger back, the amount of hype for this Paradise Camp was impressive.

One player who stood out in particular was 2020 commit Tyler Van Dyke, the 6-foot-4 quarterback out of Suffield Academy in Glastonbury, CT.

 

Weekly Recruiting Recruiting Roundup: 6/21/19

 

Van Dyke showcased his talent in 7-on-7 drills according to reports, and found instant chemistry with star tight end target Darnell Washington out of Las Vegas, NV.

Washington is a five-star prospect with multiple scholarship offers on the table, including SEC powers Alabama and Georgia.

A setting like this definitely won’t hurt Miami’s chances in landing the highly regarded Washington, we will update his status as recruiting continues.

Make sure to follow me on Twitter @SportsWaveDave for more Paradise Camp and Miami Hurricanes content.

For more great Miami Hurricanes news and insider access, the 5 Rings Canes podcast is a must listen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Udonis Haslem has had enough of your garbage

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OK, that’s not the word he would use.

 

But this is a family website.

Five Reasons and Miami favorite Udonis Haslem posted on Instagram, to let people know what he thinks of them telling him he shouldn’t play anymore. He might tell you something different in person.

View this post on Instagram

I've never been the one to listen to outside noise. Key word is listen. Doesn't mean I don't hear. See the thing most average minded people don't get is if I let your expectations of me define me then I wouldn't be here today. Problem is majority of this world is average ASF!! Nobody ever expected shit from a young fat kid from liberty city. Hell why would they? But I'm thankful they didn't. I guess I shouldn't own Subways, and Einstein, and Auntie Ann's, and Starbucks, and 800 Degrees Woodfire kitchens either huh? What I've grown to realize in my life is that my obsession with success, my drive to overcome obstacles, and my overall work ethics is way higher than most. And I'm ok with that. It makes sense why most think I should retire at 39. Cause most would. Cause most are average minded. Most don't look like this at 39! Hell they ain't look like this at 19. Lol. So y'all keep worrying about the last spot on the roster while I sit back and stay ready so I don't gotta get ready. I'm not saying I'm playing next year but if u with me then u will support whatever I do!! Not tell me what to do!! And if that ain't good enough for u, in the words of Barbara Wooten f**k ya!! U was never wit me anyway!! Oh and one more thing. You out your 🐰 ass mind if you think I can't still play this game. I'll sleepwalk into a double double cause I'm just built different!! Y'all should know that by now but keep hating. I need y'all!! A chain is only as strong as its weakest link and if I'm the weak link that's a hell of a f**king chain!! ✌🏾️☑️💯 #og

A post shared by Udonis Haslem (@ud40) on

Our view on this:

UD should do whatever the f— he wants.

He takes the 15th roster spot?

So bleeping what.

The Heat have 2 two-way slots now. They can develop young players that way.

If he wants to play, he should play. If he wants to coach, he should coach. If he wants to run his restaurants — I was his Subway in Oakwood Plaza this weekend — you should get a meatball sub and like it. And order another.

And if he wants a podcast on the Five Reasons Sports network, get him a damn sponsor and let’s do it.

Very few athletes in South Florida history have earned this right. He has given himself to the Heat franchise and, more importantly, the community, in every conceivable way. His body. His soul. He is Heat Culture, if that really means anything.

Oh yeah, and he takes a photo with my daughter at every Heat family fest.

She chose that jersey for a reason.

So U do U, UD.

Forever and always.

Yamamoto Wins Again as Marlins Sweep

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The Marlins completed the sweep of NL East rival Philadelphia Phillies by a score of 6-4 with a 16 HIT bombardment off Philadelphia pitching. Yamamoto took the ball for the Fish and he put the Marlins in a position to win. The Marlins outscored the Phillies 13-8 and out hit them 29-20. Very solid series sweep for the Fish.

Offense Produces

The Marlins offense managed to scratch a run off Phillies’ starter Enyel De Los Santos in the first inning. Rojas opened the game with a lead off single, followed by a Garret Cooper single which advanced Rojas to second. A wild pitch pushed Rojas to third and Cooper to second. 

Starlin Castro comes up huge with a single scoring Rojas but Cooper is thrown out at the plate after a Phillies’ challenge on the original safe call. Nonetheless, Miami is on the board early.

After a Cesar Puello single to open the second inning, JT Riddle blasts a two run homer to right field to give the Marlins a 3-2 lead. That is Riddle’s second home run in back to back games and he has now homered in three of his last four games.

More offense followed after the homer by JT Riddle. Garret Cooper and Brian Anderson followed up with homers of their own launching back to back home runs in the fifth inning.

Yamamoto’s Solid Start

Yamamoto got off to a rocky start in the first inning when he walked the bases loaded. He struggled to find the zone with his off speed pitches but minimized the damage to only two runs. A Jean Segura single scored two runs in the inning as they were the only runs the Phillies were gonna scratch off Yamamoto or the rest of the game. 

He managed to bounce back from that rocky start and threw five innings of quality baseball without allowing additional runs. His final stat line for his outing is 5 IP, 2 ER, 2 Hits, 4 Walks, and 7 Strikeouts on 99 pitches. Three of those four walks came in the first inning, so a solid bounce back in the aspect of command for the rookie.

Yamamoto Makes History

After his solid pitching performance and the Marlins securing the win, Yamamoto became the first Marlins’ pitcher in franchise history to win their first three starts to start their career. (via @DuseReport)

His performance also pushed the Marlins rotation to sole possession of the 3rd best rotation ERA in ALL of baseball with a 3.71 ERA. They passed the Cincinnati Reds and the Minnesota Twins and kept their lead of the Houston Astros. The only two teams ahead of the Marlins are the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Tampa Bay Rays, both with sub-3 ERA’s. (via @fishstripes)

Weekly Recruiting Recruiting Roundup: 6/21/19

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So from now on, I will be providing you guys with weekly updates on recruiting such as visits, recruiting events, commitments/decommitments, so on and so forth.

 

Miami hosted two visitors this past weekend, both three-star linebackers: Romello Height from Dublin, Georgia and Corey Flagg from Houston, TX. This was an official visit for Height, who is listed as a linebacker on recruiting services but is being recruited by Miami to play defensive end due to his tall 6’5” frame. He expects to make a commitment in September and Miami is competing with the likes of Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Florida, and South Carolina.

 

Flagg, on the other hand, loved his visit so much that he wasted no time committing to coaches on the spot while in Coral Gables and to say coaches were happy to get his commitment is probably an understatement:

 

Flagg is rated as the 34th-best inside linebacker in the country by the 247Sports Composite and racked up 144 tackles, 33 tackles-for-loss, and four sacks for North Shore High School.  Flagg will be back at the U for his official visit in August and he joins AJ Mathis as the two linebacker commits for the class of 2020.

 

This past weekend, Miami continued its 7-on7 camp featuring many high schools throughout the state of Florida and were able to get a commit out of it in class of 2021 Hialeah WR Fred Eaford. Eaford committed to his dream school over offers from Indiana and Louisville.

 

WELCOME TO PARADISE

 

Miami’s biggest recruiting event of the year is taking place this Saturday from 6-9 PM, closed to the public but open to the media. Thanks to the indoor practice facility, weather will no longer be a factor and this is also provides a lot of recruits their first opportunity at exploring the new state of the art facility. There will be an opening/dinner event at taking place on Friday night at Hard Rock Stadium before the camp on Saturday. 

 

Paradise Camp will also feature a lot of UM legends as speakers, with names ranging from Michael Irvin, Jon Beason, to Jeremy Shockey and even recent alumni with the likes of David Njoku, Jaquan Johnson, and Lamar Miller.

 

The visitor list is below and contains many current 2020 UM commits as well as any notable high-level targets as well as underclassmen targets from 2021 and 2022.

 

2020

 

Commits

 

CB Justin Hodges

RB Don Chaney

QB Tyler Van Dyke

WR Marcus Fleming

WR Xavier Restrepo

TE Dominic Mammarelli

OL Jalen Rivers

OL Antonio Smith

DE Samuel Anaele

DT Willie Moise

DT Trevon Riggins

S Jaiden Francois

S Keshawn Washington

S Daran Branch

LB AJ Mathis

 

Notable Targets

 

DE Donell Harris (Former commit, five-star recruit recently reclassified from Class of 2021 to 2020)

TE Darnell Washington (Five-star recruit from Las Vegas)

S Avantae Williams (former commit)

WR Dazalin Worsham (Alabama commit, official visit)

WR Bryan Robinson (former commit)

WR Leonard Manuel (former commit)

WR Thaiu Jones-Bell

OL Jonathan Denis (former commit)

OL Cayden Baker (on commit watch)

CB Keshawn Lawrence (official visit)

CB Brian George (#1 JUCO CB, hails from Belle Glade, FL)

S Ladarius Tennison (former commit)

DE Jaylen Harrell

DE Elijah Roberts (former commit)

 

2021

 

Commits

 

WR Romello Brinson

WR Fred Eaford

TE Khalil Brantley

OL Laurence Seymore

DT Savion Collins

DT Anthony Hundley

LB Tyler Johnson (brother of former Canes safety Jaquan Johnson)

K Andres Borregales

 

Notable Targets

 

S James Williams (former commit)

RB Amari Daniels

DT Leonard Taylor

WR Jacorey Brooks

LB Terrence Lewis

LB Jonathan Flowe (brother of 2020 LB target Justin Flowe)

CB Corey Collier

CB Jason Marshall

 

Highlights of Heat’s draft night & Riley’s presser

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Alphonse Sidney (@Alf954) and I were at American Airlines Arena for the Miami Heat’s 2019 draft, and stuck around until past 1 a.m. to tape a couple of podcasts and hear from first-round pick Tyler Herro (by conference call) and Heat president Pat Riley.

Here are some of the highlights, tweet by tweet:

 

 

More to come….

 

Zac Gallen Shows Promise in Marlins/MLB Debut

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One of the Marlins’ top pitching prospects in Zac Gallen made his Major League debut last night against the St. Louis Cardinals and he did not disappoint. The Cardinals happen to be his former club that traded him for Marcel Ozuna before the 2018 season and he showed them what they traded.

Gallen Shines

In his five innings of work, Gallen allowed five hits, one earned run, struck out six and walked two. That’s a pretty impressive debut if you ask me. If I’m being honest, that run should’ve never came across to score. Gallen was robbed of strike three call on a pitch that was well inside the zone, but nonetheless, that run came across. Here’s a video of all of Gallen’s six *should’ve been seven* strikeouts. (via @Marlins)

Gallen did get worked into some deep counts against the Cardinals’ hitters which is why he left the game at 99 pitches through his five innings. He did leave with the game tied and when the Marlins came up to bat in the top half of the inning they managed to gain the lead and putting Gallen in line for the win.

Marlins Bullpen Blows Lead… Again.

Unfortunately, the woes of the Marlins’ bullpen continue to spoil the performances of the young pitching staff. Gallen was in line for the win all the way up until the 8th inning when Tayron Guerrero gave up a two-run home run to Tommy Edman. 

That home run happened to be on an 0-2 count and the first of Edman’s career. So good job on that one… Edman couldn’t catch up to the previous four fastballs that Guerrero was throwing to him so why Guerrero threw a center cut slider is beyond me. (via @Cardinals)

Riddle Saves The Day

Despite the bullpen blowing yet another lead, J.T Riddle was the hero the Marlins needed. He blasted a two-run home run off of Cardinals’ reliever Andrew Miller. In a 1-2 count, Miller threw a slider that hung over the middle of the plate and Riddle made him pay with a 400 foot blast to right field. (via @Marlins)

Strange Sequence of Events in the 11th

Things got interesting when the Cardinals got a run across on Sergio Romo and pulled with in one. Yadier Molina is not the fastest guy in the league. It was best that he was pinch ran for by Cardinals’ staring pitcher Jack Flaherty, at least that’s what Cardinals’ manager Mike Shildt thought. 

Flaherty took a standard lead off of second base but wasn’t paying attention. He was then picked off by Sergio Romo to end the threat of the tying run coming across and ended the game in the Marlins’ favor in 11 innings. (via @Marlins)

The Marlins head to Philadelphia to take on the Phillies for tomorrow night’s game. Sandy Alcantara will take the ball for the Marlins and Aaron Nola will take the mound for the Phillies.

Miami Heat draft Tyler Herro, fans not thrilled

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Sekou.

KPJ.

Bol Bol.

Three high upside players, which the Miami Heat need.

Even Brandon Clarke, the so-called safest pick.

Plenty of players thought to be Heat options were available at No. 13.

Pat Riley, however, went back to his alma matter, for a player — swingman Tyler Herro — who was projected in the 20s until recently.

Miami has done good work in the draft the past four years, so maybe this works out.

Herro was certainly happy.

But the initial reaction was mostly skepticism.

Early polling on @5ReasonsSports had about 75 percent of the fans against it.

Nor was there much excitement in the main bowl of AmericanAirlines Arena, where the Heat were hosting a draft party.

 

More on a podcast posting soon, plus comments from Herro and Pat Riley.

David Ortiz y el manto de dudas que cubre su caso

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El caso de David Ortiz ha conmovido a la República Dominica.

El ex toletero zurdo fue herido de bala el pasado 9 de Junio mientras se encontraba con unas amistades en un sitio nocturno en su país natal.

En principio, se descartó de plano la posibilidad de que se tratase de un robo a mano armada común en los países latinoamericanos, y se barajó la posibilidad de que se tratara de algo más.

Algunos reportes incluso hablaban de que podía tratarse de una situación derivada de una posible relación de Ortiz con una modelo dominicana, supuestamente relacionada con un narcotraficante.

La noche de este miércoles, el procurador general de la República, Jean Rodríguez, y el director general de la Policía Nacional, mayor general Ney Aldrin Bautista, identificaron a los prófugos Víctor Hugo Gómez y Alberto Miguel Rodríguez Mota como los autores intelectuales del atentado donde resultaron heridos el expelotero David Ortiz y el comunicador Jhoel López, en horas de la noche del pasado domingo 9 de junio en un centro de diversión de Santo Domingo Este.el produrador general de República Dominicana, ofreció los resultados finales de la investigación en una rueda de prensa.

¿Está conforme el país con los resultados de la investigación del caso David Ortiz?

Conversamos con el periodista dominicano Héctor Gómez, quien ha seguido de cerca este incidente desde el primer día, en el episodio 40 de Cinco Razones Podcast.

Para Gómez, hay un manto de duda sobre el caso de David Ortiz, pues la hipótesis que presentaron las autoridades dominicanas, indicando que el atentado iba dirigido a la persona que acompañana a Ortiz, no termina de convencer al pueblo dominicano.

El periodista dominicano resalta que había preocupación general en el país sobre la posibilidad de que este caso complicara la escogencia de David Ortiz al Salón de la Fama de Cooperstown.

¿Será que esto cambió el rumbo de la investigación? ¿Ustedes qué piensan?

En Cinco Razones Podcast hablamos de diversos temas de actualidad. Visita nuestra página y disfruta de todos nuestros episodios haciendo click aquí. 

Ky Bowman leads list of Heat targets with newly acquired 2nd round pick

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With today’s acquisition by the Miami Heat of the 44th pick in the 2nd round of Thursday’s 2019 NBA Draft, the natural question is – who will the Heat target?

Boston College guard Ky Bowman, an explosive scorer/finisher with a deadly first step and shot creation skills, leads the list of names the Heat is targeting according to a source.

Virginia guard Kyle Guy, Missouri center Jontay Porter, Iowa State combo guard Talen Horton-Tucker, LSU freshman center Naz Reid and Depaul forward Max Strus are all additional speculative options.

With the 13th pick, 44th pick and various trade scenarios (some that could involve shedding salary) all in play, tomorrow night is shaping up to be a potentially active night for the Heat.