Big Story:
Okay, before the sports, watch out for some major story to hit in the next five-six days. I can't explain it, but every year around this time, something major happens. There was Oklahoma City on I think 4/19, Waco was 4/18, Columbine and the Gulf Oil Spill on the 20th, Virginia Tech on the 16th, and a few more past the 20th.

The Panthers took a 2-1 lead last night in a thriller, the Dolphins got no love from the schedule makers, the Marlins came out swinging against the Cubs, and the Heat hit the court again tonight for what should be a guaranteed victory all in the agenda!

Lyrics of the Day:
"I need someone to show me the things in life that I can't find. I can't see the things that make true happiness, I must be blind. Make a joke and I will sigh and you will laugh and I will cry. Happiness I cannot feel and love to me is so unreal." – from the song Paranoid by Black Sabbath. One of the best riffs ever in that song.

Panthers: (off Wednesday)
Yup, I'm starting with the Panthers today.
Why not, they went into New Jersey and came back from a 3-0 deficit in the first period to win 4-3.
That's impressive, especially in hockey.
Not only that, but they knocked Martin Brodeur out of the game because they just wouldn't stop coming.
I will say, I got a little nervous watching it on TV as around the 4 minute mark, I could tell they were just trying to run out the clock, which rarely works.
But the Panthers power play unit is just sick, there' no other way to put it.
Last night they entered the game with an 87 percent success rate and then they went 3-3 on the power play.
(FYI for non-hockey fans: a power play is when your opponent gets a penalty and heads to the penalty box and the other team will have a 5-4 advantage or even 4-3.)
I loved that they brought Clemmensen into the game and he just flat stoned the Devils.
I still think it might be time to give him a look as the starter, but I'm not a hockey expert, so I'll defer to the coaches there.
But here's the funny part about sports….
Brodeur hadn't been pulled from a game in several years…the guy who replaced him when he was last pulled? Scott Clemmensen.
I love sports, have I ever told you?
Anyways, the Cats are off tonight and then get back on the ice Thursday night for game 4.
If the Cats can take both games in New Jersey, they can clinch the series Saturday at the Bank Atlantic Center.
No matter what, the Panthers are showing a lot this year and big things are ahead for this team.
But let's not give up just yet cause these Cats have nine lives this year.

Heat: (vs. Toronto, 7:30 p.m., Sun Sports)
The Heat come back to the court tonight with a chance to improve on their standing in the Eastern Conference with what should be an easy win against the woeful Raptors.
Course, we know about how easy wins can be nightmares.
Nevertheless, here's an interesting stat heading into tonight….Miami is 12-1 without Dwyane Wade on the floor this season.
What does that mean?
Honestly not a lot because most of those games have been against teams that are struggling.
Still, I've noticed Chris Bosh gets a lot more involved without Wade starting.
But, when playoffs come, I want D-Wade on the floor, especially in the fourth quarter.
I think they continue to rest Wade tonight and bring him back the following night against Chicago.
Here's the fun part.
Miami can get within 1.5 games of Chicago if they can win Thursday night.
And with the Heat having a cupcake schedule, with the exception of a game against the Celtics, they could possibly capture the number one seed.
Not that it matters much.
By the way, I go back to a point I made last year about the Heat and the Playoffs…..
Why in the heck do they go for the White Hot Heat deal again?
D-Wade suffers crippling migraines and you're putting him into the bright lights with everyone wearing white.
How about a blackout? Those look cool and can really get a team fired up.
We had them at Mizzou and man, the fans were rocking every time.

Miami Marlins: (vs. Chicago Cubs, Fox Sports Florida)
Yeah, about all of those protests and outrage over the Castro comments….much like I figured, it was much ado about nothing last night when manager Ozzie Guillen returned.
As for the game, if you were like me and flipping over to the Marlins game during commercial breaks of the Panthers game, you saw a heckuva outing by the Fish.
Luckily I had flipped over in the eighth to see Hanley just crush a ball to left-center field.
It was a bomb and it helped give the Marlins a victory.
Kudos to Josh Johnson too for a strong outing giving up just two runs.
And to quote Haray Caray….HOLY COW!!!! Heath Bell picked up a save!
Tonight the Fish head back out on the diamond for a game against the Cubbies and send Mark Buehrle to the mound.
C'mon Fish, give Buehrle his first win of the season over a team from Chicago, his former home!

Miami Dolphins:
If you wondered if the rest of the league had any respect for the Dolphins, it was answered last night.
The schedule makers gave the Dolphins a total of one prime-time game this season on a Thursday night.
Yikes.
To put it in perspective, I believe the Lions have five prime-time games.
That's more than they've had in more than a decade.
You want to know how the mighty have fallen?
When the Detroit Lions pass you in popularity and appeal around the league.
It's great for the Lions who finally started drafting well after canning Matt Millen a few years ago.
But it just goes to show how far Miami has fallen and how much work Joe Philbin and his staff have to do in the Magic City.
Good pickup by the Fins yesterday of Gary Guyton who will provide great linebacker depth.
I'm still thinking the Fins are going to lean more towards a 3-4 defense this year, which may make the need for a pass rusher trump all others.
I think Miami is still sold on Tannehill, and I'm slowly coming around to him being the quarterback.
But not in year one.

All that and more on CBSMiami.com/sports.
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