Citrus Series Produced Interesting Storylines

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Anytime the Miami Marlins face instate rival Tampa Bay, these two squads with the lowest payrolls in baseball always find a way to make each series competitive.

Entering the last series from May 16-18, the “Citrus Series” which is separated by 205 miles, saw the teams 56-56 in 112 games. 

Miami has won a pair of World Series while the Rays have been there but were unable to win the Fall Classic.

The 2025 season has presented new challenges for both teams.

Miami replaced Skip Schumacher with Clayton McCullough as the new skipper. Former Rays executive Peter Bendix is running the show for Miami, as he replaced Kim Ng.

Meanwhile, the Rays had to relocate to George M Steinbrenner Field as on October 9, 2024 as Hurricane Milton destroyed Tropicana Field where much of the fiberglass roof membrane was ripped off. Although the renovation is planned for 2026, its future is uncertain.

The Marlins will face the Rays in Tampa from June 6-8th.

During their recent series with the Rays, the Marlins came away with 9-4 and 5-1 triumphs and lost 4-0.

We attended the Saturday and Sunday contests between the two teams and I asked McCullough what he thought about facing the Rays. My colleague Craig Minervini also added an excellent follow up question which you’re going to see in the story about this topic and much more.

Leave little doubt that there will be speculation about the future of Marlins Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara’s availability as we approach the trade deadline.

On Saturday, Alcantara pitched four clean innings before yielding four runs in the fifth inning. 

He pitched five innings, allowed five hits, had two walks and struck out three. 

But he had difficulty holding runners which led to four stolen bases including a pair to Jose Caballero in the fifth inning that led to the winning run. Tampa Bay won the contest 4-0 and the Rays pitching staff limited Miami to six hits.

Alcantara’s record dropped to 2-6 with a 7.99 ERA.

Sunday’s game featured a pitching match-up between Cal Quantrill for Miami who entered the contest with a 2-4, 7.00 ERA squaring off against Tampa Bay’s Shane Baez 3-2, 5.02 ERA.

It seems like everytime I go to Loan Depot Park there is always a memorable moment and on this day another one occurred. 

I’ve seen a no-hitter, All-Star Game and thanks to Quantrill’s fifth inning, you can add “The Immaculate Inning” to the list. In the fifth inning he struck out Jonathan Aranda, Christopher Morel and Kameron on nine pitches. 

It was truly something worth watching and that was the lead topic on Monday’s edition of 108 Stitches, Baseball Talk which you can see the entire episode by clicking in this story. We broke down all of the facts about Quantrill’s accomplishment.

During the fourth inning, Quantrill worked out of a jam but was fortunate to only yield one run.

The Marlins amassed 10 hits in the contest and had a pair of homers by Otto Lopez and Liam Hicks. 

Hicks had two hits in the game while Eric Wagaman reached base three times with a pair of hits.

Quantrill’s final line was he pitched five innings, gave up two hits, one run walked two and stuck out six to improve to 3-4. After Quantrill’s departure, the team used four pitchers and there was no save credited,

Meanwhile, Baez pitched six innings, gave up nine hits, five runs, walked three, struck out two and yielded the pair of round trippers to fall to 3-3.

Miami came away with a 5-1 win and now lead the all-time series 58-57 with a return trip in early June.

As of 5-29-2025, The Tampa Bay Rays are 28-27 which is good for second place in the AL East behind the New York Yankees.

Miami stands at 22-32 and are in fifth place in the NL East.

This weekend, the San Francisco Giants come to town for a three game series.

Quantrill will return to the hill Friday Night with his 3-4 mark and 6.09 ERA. He’ll face Kyle Harrison (0-1, 9.1 IP, 3.80 ERA).

On Saturday, Edward Cabrera (1-1, 4.73) faces Giants All-Star Robbie Ray (7-0, 2.56 ERA). I had a chance to speak with Ray when he was an All-Star in Miami.

On Sunday, the Marlins throw out Ryan Weathers (1-0, 15.2 IP, 1.15 ERA) against Hayden Birdsong (2-1, 32,2 IP, 2.48 ERA).

The only way the Marlins fans will see Justin Verlander is in the Giants dugout talking to his teammates, as he’s currently on the injured list.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com. You can also follow him on X @TribuneSouth.

To see his broadcasts, there is no charge to subscribe to the South Florida Tribune YouTube Channel.

Finally, he wrote a book, “Lessons From The Microphone” which can be purchased on Amazon/Kindle and Barnes & Noble.

The Iron Man Of Radio Play-By-Play, Atlanta Hawks Steve Holman Sr

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

As I get ready to write my second book, Lessons From The Microphone, Part Two, I use the Motor City Mad Mouth Show as my vehicle to seek the best interviews.

I’ve known this guy for three years, we’re friends on Facebook and we met at the National Sports Media Awards Weekend, in Winston Salem, NC. 

He’s a Man of His Word and will now be in “Lessons From The Media” Part Two that will be released later in 2025. 

His name is Steve Holman Sr. Steve is the radio voice of the Atlanta Hawks.

At the moment, I’m currently battling from the early onset of Alzheimer’s Disease, in addition to the fact that I have suffered four concussions in three years. I’m just on a mission to keep my 45, plus years in this business going and appreciate the run I’ve had!

Despite my head injuries, I was fired up to do our interview on Wednesday, May 7, 2025.

I have a rule that I don’t disclose my medical issues to individuals because I keep those private and like to keep the focus on the task at hand.

You won’t find a nicer and down to earth individual to talk to than Holman Sr. 

This guy is the Ironman of Broadcasting. I made a reference to Lou Gehrig.

He has broadcast 3,083 straight games and is going strong at age 71. This puts him only behind Chick Hearn, whose record stands at 3,338 consecutive games. I actually had the chance to meet Hearn when the Los Angeles Lakers face the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals at the Pontiac Silverdome in the the 1980’s.

Hearn was able to continue broadcasting into his late 80’s. Holman Sr is on a pace to set a record that will never be broken. 

If you haven’t heard much about him, it’s because the Atlanta Hawks have not been able to sustain success to get them in the NBA Playoffs. Also, Holman Sr enjoys being the local guy that thrives on being the trusted voice his fans want to hear.

He enjoys taking photos and signing autographs and he’s not seen on Nationally televised NBA Broadcasts. 

There are lots of broadcasters different sports that enjoy staying out of the spotlight light. 

A few that come to mind are Eric Reid of the Miami Heat, George Blaha of the Detroit Pistons and the late Ernie Harwell, of the Detroit Tigers.

During our interview we talked about his longevity and how he got started. 

Steve worked behind the scenes and had mentors like Johnny Most of the Boston Celtics and Curt Gowdy as his mentors. 

Working behind the scenes is so valuable because you learn all facets of the business. 

The full interview is in this story.

I told him that I had aspirations of being a play-by-play announcer as a kid and if the right opportunity came a long for me at 62, I would strongly consider it. That opportunity could be in minor league baseball in Florida or in college.

But no worries Steve, the only sport I would ever consider is baseball since I played the game for six years and have been covering it for over four decades. 

When I lived in Phoenix, 25 years ago, and covered the Suns vs Pistons, I had aspirations of doing basketball. I interviewed Suns and National Broadcaster Gary Bender and wrote a story on him for the Detroit Monitor.

He sent me a copy of his book. 

I was a fan when Gary Bender announced the 1982 Final Four in New Orleans at the Superdome when North Carolina defeated Georgetown, led by Michael Jordan. Dean Smith won his first title. 

Patrick Ewing, Jordan and James Worthy had Hall of Fame Careers. Georgetown Coach John Thompson had a stellar career behind the bench. He eventually won a National Championship for the Hoyas.

Gary and I stayed in touch. 

He eventually retired and moved to North Carolina and while none of this came to fruition, we always remained friends. He’s truly one of the greatest broadcasters of all time. 

I will be writing columns for the IBWAA which stands for the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America, their newsletter called “Pitch.”

Steve said when I come to town, he’d be more than happy for me to sit alongside of him at courtside to allow me shadow him while he does his job. 

I’ll gain more memories watching him in action and perhaps, we’ll do a Motor City Mad Mouth Show from State Farm Arena providing my health holds up.

During our interview we talked about the current state of the Hawks and he gave young aspiring announcers pointers how to reach their dreams.

What makes Holman Sr so special is he didn’t have a family member that was in the business which meant he had to earn the opportunity by performing and make the rise up the ladder. This was talked about during our interview. 

We also talked about how we both agree that to be a good broadcaster, it’s necessary to be a strong writer and he even taught me that TV Anchors get lost on the air if they don’t have their script.

This interview was about two radio guys just enjoying the opportunity to learn from each other while educating fans, plus aspiring media members, particularly announcers.

When I complete my second book, I plan to market them both together. 

These days, I cover my fair share of events, appear on radio shows, I’m the Executive Producer and host for many podcasts, plus my passion is writing. I thrive on being the best Content Creator that I can and enjoy filling out the line-up card for my podcasts, in addition to doing interviews. 

The content creation takes me back to my younger days in the media when I was a producer for WXYZ in Detroit for Sports Talk and wrote for the Detroit Monitor. 

You had to start somewhere behind the scenes before getting on the air. 

Being a content creator in these times is extremely exciting for me!

I’ve also expanded my reach beyond the sports arena and one of my favorite shows is 60 Minutes. 

I’ve learned that enable to survive in the media, it’s necessary to be different. Don’t be a one trick pony.

I will not do a one-on-one interview unless it fits my criteria. 

The individual has to be in the business for a great period of time and also must be able to tackle my tough direct questions. 

More importantly, they have to be just nice people! 

I’ve turned down many requests from individuals who wanted to come on these shows.

Our shows appear on numerous audio platforms including I-Heart Radio, Spotify and Apple. I post them on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and they’re on The South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel. The link is in this story so please subscribe to see all of our programming.

Moreover, when individuals come on my shows, they get the benefit of invaluable Google Exposure.

I’ve done thousands of interviews over my career. I’ll continue to be active until I can’t do them anymore. My doctors have increased my medications and are extremely proud of me due to my tenacity to keep active in the manners that I mentioned above.

Steve Holman Sr is a Blue Collar individual in every sense of the words. 

He goes to work every day and enjoys doing his job. I doubt if he thinks what he’s doing is a job. 

Radio announcers don’t get the celebrity treatment that TV Announcers receive because they’re not in front of the camera. Until cameras and new media entered the picture, I enjoyed letting my deep voice do the work and let people wonder what I look like on the air.

When you network at National Events, you’ll meet some great people. 

I’ve been fortunate that since November that I had broadcasting icon Kenny Albert and now Steve Holman Sr to come on the Motor City Mad Mouth Show since November. 

I have plenty of other individuals which I’ll invite based on the criteria that I pointed out to you. 

I know that you’re going to enjoy the interview with Steve because he’s a guy that’s paid his dues and doesn’t have an ego where he seeks the national limelight of having to leave for larger markets than Atlanta. 

As I mentioned before, he’s a down to earth individual and exemplifies one of the things that I talk about in my book, relationships are what life is about.

Once we became friends and got to know each other, then the trust was built and, thus this interview was a regular conversation amongst two old school guys that speak the same language in our industry.

Steve Holman Sr is a Basketball Hall of Fame Announcer as well as a person! 

I’m very fortunate and grateful to be your friend and now the whole world knows it!

But no worries Steve, you don’t have to mentor me in making a play-by-play comeback, I’m very comfortable doing what I’m doing and enjoy individuals such as yourself and many others tell their stories. 

After all, that’s what guys like us do is tell stories.

This story and the interview was about letting the whole world know about Steve Holman and there is a broadcasting legend doing his thing in Georgia. I’m confident that we’ve accomplished that objective.

Happy Mothers Day!

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com and you can follow him on X @TribuneSouth. To see his broadcasts, click the provided link and hit the red subscribe button.

Scott’s book Lessons From The Microphone can be purchased on Amazon/Kindle as well as Barnes & Noble. The audio book in on the way. 

This book talks about Old School Media vs New School Media which everyone can learn from, especially students looking to get into the business.

He’s also the Publisher of the South Florida Tribune which also has a Broadcasting Division.

Miami Marlins Vs Athletics

 BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

During the course of the 2025 Season, we’ll be focusing on certain Marlins series with the intent of covering games on Saturday’s and Sunday’s. Our objective is to speak to the manager on Saturday then see what we can come up with on Sunday.

Since I’ve seen every team in MLB team and due to health issues, plus a heavy podcast schedule during the week, this is the best approach. 

The Marlins and the Athletics have a unique history. 

Both are small market teams. They have multiple championships in their history. Going into last weekend’s series, Miami led the all-time series 14-11. The Athletics managed to win this one by topping the Fish twice.

But the games we attended were close.

On Saturday Night, to honor the late ESPN broadcaster Stuart Scott, left-handed hitter Kyle Stowers took out the “whooping stick” and slammed two homers in Saturday Night’s 9-6 win over the A’s. 

Stower’s bomb in the ninth inning was classic. In his previous at bat, Stowers made great contact on a hit but it went foul leading to a strikeout. The rule is is if a hitter gets one good look, it leads to an out.

When Stowers came to the plate in the ninth inning, I had a feeling that he would do something special. Indeed, he did. He hit a grand slam home run to the opposite field over the left field wall and just like that, the Marlins walked off the field with a 9-6 win. 

Stowers came to the Marlins last season in a trade for Trevor Rodgers. This kid looks like he has a brigt future playing for rookie Manager Clayton McCullough.

Int the contest, Marlins rookie pitcher Max Meyer had a no decision and we were able to get some timely comments before the game with McCullough that are in this story that you can click on and listen to them in their entirety.

The A’s are an interesting story. They’ve left Oakland and are playing in Sacramento. 

They’ve called up their top prospect Nick Kurtz. Former Marlins prospect J.J. Bleday is also on the squad which is expected to make its official move to Las Vegas in 2028.

They currently play their home games at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, which is also the AAA home of the San Francisco Giants top farm club, the Sacramento River Cats.

The New York Mets played at Sutter Health Park and it marked the 63rd Stadium the Mets have ever played a regular season game in.

The franchise had four World Series titles, including three in a row from 1972-74, six AL Pennants, seven MVP Awards, seven rookies of the year, five Cy Young Awards, 21 playoff appearances, and multiple generations that supported the Oakland A’s. They played 57 years in Oakland and enjoyed a nice Bay Area rivalry with the San Francisco Giants, including the Earthquake World Series.

The team had 17 American League West Crowns, seven Hall of Famers, seven Rookie of the years, four Managers of the year and over 1,000 players. They played in the Oakland Coliseum from 1968-2024.

When you put the names like Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson, Joe Rudi, Rickey Henderson, Vida Blue, Joe Rudi, Mark McGwire, Tony LaRussa, Billy Martin, this franchise has an amazing history.

In fact, Jackson and a group of investors made an attempt to buy the A’s from Owner John Fisher, but none of that came to fruition.

There is no doubt that the A’s attendance in Sacramento will be scrutinized all season long. 

Their attendance dropped below 10,000 during very first homestand of the season. It’s been a struggle for them to lure free agents because they don’t want to play in a minor league ballpark. Depending on how competitive the team is, they’ll have to face this dilemma for two more years.

With the exception of George Steinbrenner Field, which is the temporary home of the Tampa Bay Rays, the A’s will have to make the most of their current situation as the only major league parks they’ll see is on the road.

I have to say that it was wierd seeing the Athletics across their jersey with a Las Vegas patch.

In the final game of the series, The A’s topped the Marlins 3-2. 

Nick Kurtz was 2-4 in the contest with a triple and a run scored. 

The A’s left Miami with a 19-16 mark while the Marlins took a 13-20 mark into their next home series versus the defending World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Other videos in this story include Marlins Catching Coach Joe Singley and Daniel Alvarez Montes, who appeared on Fire Up Florida Sunday. He’s been covering the Marlins for several years and this is what we got accomplished on Sunday. 

Montes is 28-years old and know the Marlins like the back of his hand. Dan does an outstanding job brining the world of baseball to Latin Baseball. During our interview, he didn’t pull any punches when it came to talking about all the key topics pertaining to the Marlins. He’s been a great friend and help since I’ve been with the club in 2020. 

If you’re a real Marlins fan, you’ll truly enjoy his insights. If you’re a casual baseball fan, this guy is a star on the rise and I’ve already seen him appear nationally covering events like the World Series, World Baseball Classic, etc… 

Who know down the road if the Baseball Hall of Fame will recognize top Latin Media, but Montes, who is from Venezuela, could be a name to watch out for although, I won’t be alive when it happens.

This is what the weekend coverage plans are all about for selective series throughout the summer.

How time flies. On April 5, 1993, the Marlins win their first game ever in franchise history.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com and you can follow him on X @TribuneSouth. Also, there is no cost to subscribe to his broadcasts on South Florida Tribune’s You Tube Channel.

Scott also wrote a book, “Lessons From The Microphone” which can be purchased on Amazon/Kindle and Amazon. It talks about Old School Media vs New School Media. It’s a great read for everyone that wants to know about our industry, especially students getting into it. 

Motor City Mad Mouth Insights: Accomplishments

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

I’ve always been a firm believer if a city has an old sports site, then use it if possible to build a new venue. Washington Commanders Owner Josh Harris will be moving his team to the soon to be demolished Robert R Kennedy site and building a new stadium where the expected cost will range from $3.7-4 Billion.

The Washington Redskins played there from 1961-1996 winning three Super Bowls. Harris will contribute $2.5 Billion towards the project and the team will begin playing in the Nations Capital in 2030. In the meantime, they’ll remain at Fed Ex Field in Landover, MD. 

I truly enjoyed seeing Redskins games at RFK vs the Detroit Lions. Also, Harris said that despite the fans wanting the Redskins name back, it will not happen.

Another footnote, Washington has been selected has the host city for the 2027 NFL Draft.

Other venues on sites that were for Sports include: Turner Field in Atlanta was refurbished for Georgia State Football, Miami tore down the Orange Bowl and the Marlins play in Loan Depot Park, The Omni in Atlanta was demolished and is State Farm Arena for the Hawks, the former home of the Texas Rangers Globe Life Park (Choctaw Stadium) was remodeled for the Arlington Renegades of the UFL, the Metrodome in Minnesota was demolished and replaced by U.S. Bank Stadium and is the home of the Minnesota Vikings.

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Derek Jeter finally graduated from Michigan—-More than 30 years after first enrolling. Jeter has added a new title to his Hall of Fame Resume: college graduate. Over three decades after enrolling at the University of Michigan, the former New York Yankees shortstop returned to Ann Arborio this weekend ton don the cap and gown.

In another development in Ann Arbor, University of Michigan President Santa Ona will take the same position at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Ona had to deal with the Connor Stallions football scandal and despite that, won the National Championship under Coach Jim Harbaugh, now of the San Diego Chargers. Ona goes to the Sunshine State where there will be no state income tax.

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Congratulations to Kenny Albert for landing his dream job as the lead play-by-play announcer for the New York Rangers. Kenny has covered a lot of sports and we’ve been good friends for years. We reconnected at a media convention in Greensboro, NC and he was kind enough to come on the Motor City Mad Mouth Show in November.

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I’m extremely grateful to Kansas City Chiefs Vice President of Communications Brad Gee for his help at Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. When I had some really important questions that I wanted to ask at Press Conferences, he came through in the clutch. I hope our paths cross down the line.

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I like the Words of Wisdom from University of Houston Men’s Basketball Coach Kelvin Sampson. “No one ever loses anything as long as they don’t quite.”  I couldn’t agree with you more coach!

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Deceased comedian Robin Williams asked production to hire at least 10 homeless people in all of his films, helping over 1,500 throughout his career. Entertainment industry insider, Brian Lord revealed a unique clause in Williams’ contract that required the production to hire homeless people to work on the field.

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It was great to see 91-year old Hubie Brown call one more game during the 2024-25 season before retiring from broadcasting after 52 years in the NBA as a coach and one television. I had the opportunity to meet Hubie before the seventh game of a playoff series in Miami as they faced the Detroit Pistons. I wish I would I had a camera phone. But like everyone that hangs around Hubie, you’re always going to learn something. He called his last game between the Philadelphia 76’ers and Milwaukee Bucks on ABC, on February 9, 2025, accompanied by Mike Breen.

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U-Conn Women’s Coach Gene Auriemma went on record  on the state of college basketball with NIL and transfers “How do you coach in an environment where the players feel like they owe you nothing and you owe them everything?” In April, he won his 12th NCAA Championship defeating South Carolina 82-59.

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Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com, You can find him on X @TribuneSouth. To see his broadcasts, there is no cost to subscribe to the South Florida Tribune Yoiu Tube Channel.

He also wrote a book, “Lessons From The Micropone” which can be purchased on Amazon/Kindle and is also available at Barnes & Noble.

 

Miami Hurricanes Pro Day and Spring Game

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

 

From the minute we arrived on the University of Miami Campus, it was apparent that there would be very few places to park when the Canes held their Pro Day at the Indoor Facility in April. We parked in the swimming parking lot.

The reality is there would be 20 football players working out for all 32 teams. The main attraction was QB Cam Ward. The workout was around three hours as the players had to run various drills, demonstrating speed, catching abilities while cornerbacks, and safeties had to show the scouts that they could be able to stop big plays.

It was an intense workout. It helped others draft stock and hampered some players as well.

Ward clearly impressed the Titans and was selected by them as the first overall.

Two players that had great seasons would be signed as undrafted free agents. 

Wide receivers Jacolby George and Xavier Restrepo signed with the Carolina Panthers and Tennessee Titans respectively. 

When I presented a question to Daniel Jeremiah before the NFL Draft in Green Bay, because of Restrepo’s substandard speed, he was a tough evaluation. 

That proved to be the case in the NFL Draft. The NFL evaluators didn’t care that Restrepo is the Canes all-time leader in receiving yards with 2,844, had 200 receptions along with 21 touchdowns. They viewed him as a slot receiver. Being undrafted was a blessing in disguise as he’s being reunited with Ward.

Before the workout got started, I had a chance to speak to NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger and not only did he give his takes about the draft, but praised Miami Coach Mario Cristobal for resurrecting the program. You can see that video in this story.

We also have videos in this story from the players that were made available to us. I hope you enjoy them.

The Hurricanes had seven players selected in the NFL Draft, the most at UM since 2017.

Their top selections included Ward and tight end Elijah Arroyo, who was selected in the second round (No.50 overall) Friday by the Seattle Seahawks.

On the Final Day of the NFL Draft, there were five Hurricanes that heard their names announced.

Offensive lineman Jalen Rivers (fifth round, Cincinnati Bengals), linebacker Francisco Mauigoa (New York Jets, fifth round), defensive end Tyler Baron (fifth round, New York Jets), kicker Andy Borregales (sixth round, New England Patriots) and running back Damien Martinez (seventh round, Seattle Seahawks) were all selected.

I have a feeling that Martinez will be the sleeper in this draft as he’ll be paired in the same backfield as Kenny Walker III.

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As far as the Canes Pro Day a few weeks later, The Hurricanes Communications staff did a smart thing. They didn’t print out rosters and didn’t waste any paper. Starting QB Carson Beck didn’t participate in the workout.

In reality, that’s what it was and on campus for the fans to see since the team plays its home games at Hard Rock Stadium.

When the workout was over, Cristobal was available for questions and one of the questions I asked him was about guardian caps, which the team utilized. 

You’ll find his interview and the other players in this story as well. 

Candy Ebling was extremely busy that day but Mother Nature gave her a comfortable day with a little bit of a breeze to work with.

We’ll see how the transfer portal plays out over the next couple of months and at the end of July, it will be interesting to see what players and coaches will be available before the start of training camp.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gamil.com. He can be found on X @TribuneSouth.

To see his broadcasts, there is no cost to subscribe to the South Florida Tribune YouTube Channel.

Finally, he write a book called “Lessons From The Microphone” which can be purchased on Amazon/Kindle and Barnes & Noble.

NCAA 2025 Women’s Final Four Overview

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

There were a lot of great storylines at the 2025 NCAA Women’s Final Four in Tampa which was played at Amalie Arena.

There was only one that was missing. USC’s JuJu Watkins suffered a severe knee injury and the Trojans were doomed in the tournament.

There were two first timers with the UCLA Bruins and Texas Longhorns. 

There were three No.1 seeds and a No.2. 

The No. 1 seeds were UCLA, Texas, South Carolina while the U-Conn Huskies were the No.2 but definitely didn’t play like it. It’s hard to believe that UCLA was representing the Big Ten.

The true meaning of tough love between a coach and a player does exist as U-Conn Coach Gene Auriemma told guard Paige Beuckers “I love you, that’s all I can say. I love you.” This was after the Huskies thrashed the South Carolina Gamescocks in the Finals 82-59.

The U-Conn Huskies wasted no time extending Auriemma as he is now the highest paid women’s coach earning an $19.7 Million extension.

In January, Scouth Carolina makes Dawn Staley the sport’s new highest-paid coach with a historic 25.5 Million extension,

During the tournament, Sarah Strong set an NCAA record for the most points by a freshman in a single tournament with 114. The future looks bright for U-Conn. In the finals, she dominated with 24 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, three block shots and two steals.

Going into this game, in Auriemma’s 12 previous National Title Appearances, he has won 11 times with the lone loss being to Staley’s Gamecocks. 

This is a good accomplishment for Staley and during her post-game press conference in the video provided, I asked her what it’s like to compete against this coaching icon.

There were a lot of great videos throughout this tournament and we hope you enjoy each and every one of them, 

We’re also including a video of Tampa local Girls/Women’s Basketball Icon, Jackie Eisenhauer , who I covered in the 1980’s for the Tampa Tribune, that was a standout player for Armwood High School and the University of South Florida Bulls as she talks about the rise in women sports especially on the hardcourt. I can only imagine what Jackie would have looked like in a WNBA uniform.

Unfortunately the all three games had lopsided outcomes.

Texas got crushed by South Carolina 74-57. U-Conn rolled by UCLA 85-51 and as forementioned, The Huskies hammered the Gamecocks 82-59.

There were no players drafted into the WNBA from UCLA and Texas. Our main interviews were with Close, Staley and Auriemma, in addition to a couple interviews with Gamecocks players after the final game.

To no surprise, Bueckers was the No.1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft taking her 19.8 PPG to the Dallas. She was the only player in the Final Four to be selected in the first round. Days earlier, she became an investor in Unrivaled, a 3on3 league. With Unrivaled she’ll earn $350,000 for one season, and during her four year deal with the WNBA, she’ll make $348,000 on her rookie deal.

In round No.2 with the sixth pick overall, Te-Hina Paopao was drafted by Atlanta and she averaged 11.4 PPG at South Carolina,

Two picks later in the second round, eight overall, Bree Hall was selected by the Indiana Fever and will have Caitlin Clark as a teammate. The South Carolina guard takes a 39.9 FG % to the Hoosier State.

In round three, fifth overall, U-Conn guard Kaitlyn Chen takes her 11,9 PPG to expansion, Golden State.

Another U-Conn Huskie, forward Aubrey Huskie will take her 7.5 PPG, 5.4 RPG and 53.3 FG% to Minnesota, This was a great move by the Lynx to bolster their front court.

Sn now it’s time to see how these young ladies perform at the next level.

It’s worth noting that Bueckers is the only athlete (male of female) to defeat six No.1 seeds in the NCAA tournament, In 2022, the Huskies downed NC State, and Stanford. In 2024, defeated USC and pulled the trick again versuses the Trojan in 2025. in 2025 it was UCLA and South Carolina in the Final Four, 

If you’re looking to see the first Bueckers vs Clark Math up, it will be on June 27.

ESPN will broadcast it first ever WNBA pre-season game.

I can only imagine what late Tennessee Volunteer head coach Pat Summitt must be thinking right now as Women’s Basketball is hitting unbelievable heights and let’s not forget she led her team to eight National titles.

This was truly an unbelievable experience covering the 2025 NCAA Women’s Final Four in Tampa and I’m grateful to USF Associate Athletic Director Brian Siegriest for making this happen! 

When I woke up on January 1, 2025, this event wasn’t on my radar but it indeed turned out to be quite memeroable down the the final question to Auriemma when I asked him how does it feel to be mentioned in the same question as UCLA’s “Wizard of Westwood” John Wooden. You’ll have to listen to that in the video.

Ironically, 50 years ago in 1975, Wooden won his 10th National Title. A half century later, Auriemma racked up is 12th.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com and you can find us on X @TribuneSouth. To see all of his broadcasts and the company videos, there is no cost to subscribe to the South Florida Tribune YouTube Channel.

Finally, he has a book “Lessons From The Microphone” which can be purchased on Amazon/Kindle and Barnes & Noble. The audio book is coming out soon. This book talks about Old School Media vs New School Media and is extremely beneficial for students learning the business.

Kickers Have Candid Personalities

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

There are certain positions in sports where you get some of the most interesting and candid comments. From my past experiences, I’ve had a blast talking with kickers.

This dates back to my days working as a sportswriter for the Hallandale Digest.

The first NFL team I covered early in the 1980’s was the Miami Dolphins coached by Hall of Fame icon Don Shula.

I would get some of my best interviews during training camp.

The first kicker that I interviewed was with Garo Yepremian, who used his foot to help the Dolphins win a pair of Super Bowl Titles in the early 1970’s. Yepremian is also known for a missed field goal where he attempted to bat a ball out of the bounds but instead batted it up inn the air right into the arms of former Detroit Lions teammate, Redskins cornerback Mike Bass, who returned it for a touchdown. The Dolphins still won the game 14-7 and completed the only undefeated season in NFL History in 1972. 

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The following Dolphins training camp, Shula brought in another kicker named Al Del Greco who competed for the job in 1984.

Del Greco was an undrafted free agent from Auburn University. He caught my attention when the Tigers, thanks to his four field goals defeated the Michigan Wolverines in 12-3 in the 1984 Sugar Bowl. Del Greco was a four year letterman who completed 110 out of 111 PAT’s in his college career. He also set the SEC record for field goal attempts in a single game in a 1982 game versus Kentucky where he made six out of his seven attempts. His 236 career points place him fifth on the Auburn career scoring list.

When I suggested to Digest Editor Dan Bluesten that we write about Del Greco, he was strongly opposed to the idea. I told Dan that since I’m covering training camp, I’m going to do it anyways sighting the fact that if Del Greco performed well, he’d land a job with another team. I spoke to Shula about this and he shared my sentiments.

Del Greco proved me right. He played for the Green Bay Packers from 1984-1987, St. Louis?Phoenix Cardinals 1987-1990, Houston Oilers/Tennessee Oilers/Tennessee Titans 1991-2000. The Coral Gables, Florida native scored 1,584 points in his NFL Career. 

My instincts prevailed again.

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During the past few years, I’ve been fortune enough to cover the Miami Hurricanes and a kicker that I’ve talked to numerous times that you could see in Andres Borregales, who hails from Caracas, Venezuela. It was wierd not seeing him at the Hurricanes Spring Game but his name was mentioned as the event started.

During his career, he was a two-time First Team All-ACC Kicker in 2023, 2025. In the 2023 season, he was 22-26 on field goal attempts and 44 of his 45 extra points. In the 2024 season, he hit a 56-yard career long field goal that resulted in  a win over Virginia Tech. He finished his final collegiate season in 2024 going 18-19 on his field goals, while also making all 62 of his extra point attempts.

Enclosed in this story is the video that we did during the Hurricanes Pro Day a few weeks ago. 

As I said, I’ve interviewed him numerous times and is considered a legitimate prospect. 

How legitimate is he? 

The New England Patriots selected him the sixth round of the NFL Draft Saturday which ensures him one trip to Hardrock Stadium as he looks to make life difficult for the Miami Dolphins.—————————————————————————————————————————-

The final kicker that I’ll talk about is Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs. He was originally drafted by the Carolina Panthers but never played with the cats. He joined the Chiefs in 2017 and has been their kicker since then. He has won three Super Bowls, was the NFL Scoring leader in 2018, made the longest field goal in a Super Bowl:57 yards (LVIII). He has kicked nine field goals in the Super Bowl. 

His Chiefs records include he booted 38 field goals during his 2017 rookie campaign. Points by a rookie with 142, points by a kicker in 2017 with 142. The longest field goal he’s ever made was 62 yards in 2022. His Career field goal percentage (minimum attempts) 89.1 %.

Butker has amassed 992 points during the regular season and 175 more during the playoffs.

When he’s off the field, Butker has been known for come controversial comments which I will not discuss in this story. Feel free to look those up online. 

Butker did visit President Donald Trump at the White House in February.

Before Super Bowl 59 In New Orleans, I interviewed Butker for the Motor City Mad Mouth Show and we talked about his successful career with the Kansas City Chiefs and much more. 

You can see that interview enclosed in this story.

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In the end, kickers are their own breed. They stand around the sidelines waiting for their moments to kick a game winning field goal. When they miss a field goal, they definitely take a brunt share of it. There are times when a team’s offense stumbles, they kick the only points in wins or losses. 

On the big stage, they’re under a larger microscope as the goats or the villains. Teams have been known to go through multiple kickers in a season. Not every kicker has the luxury of kicking in a dome therefore, they have to adjust to all kinds of weather and field conditions, They’ve been known to make touchdown saving tackles on special teams. For the most part they’re isolated and take the least amount of hits of all positions on the field. Their hits are mentally when things go right or badly wrong,

Nevertheless, it’s a key position in football and that’s why I focused on the subject in this story.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com. You can find him on X @TribuneSouth. To see his broadcasts, there is no cost to subscribe to the South Florida Tribune YouTube Tube Channel.

Finally, he wrote a book, “Lessons From The Microphone” which can be purchased on Amazon/Kindle and Barnes and Noble. It’s a book that talks about Old School Media vs New School Media and is extremely useful for students getting into the business. The audio book is coming out soon.