Throwback Saturday: Tim Hardaway

If you don't know Tim, then you don't know Miami Heat history. Number 10 was a special player during a special time in Heat history and is arguably the best Point Guard in the franchise's existence.

He was known for his deadly crossover moves and dangerous three-point shot. Hardaway was a part of the Heat's original elite era and ran the court alongside Alonzo Mourning, P.J. Brown, Dan Majerle, Voshon Lenard and other notables in Heat history.

Hardaway was the reason why the Miami Heat because such an electrifying team during the mid-1990's. His handling skills drew the crowds and the media attention ad it only was magnified by the team's multiple appearances in the NBA playoffs.

Had it not been for the Jordan-era, Tim and Zo would have probably led Miami to an NBA title during their prime. Timmy was just a great overall player that had the confidence to take those late game shots as well as the trust to pass up the ball to an open team mate.

He drove left, crossed right, back left and made his decision - one which was probably a smart choice. Tim Hardaway will always be remembered for his on-the-court magic.

Here's a mix of some of Tim's famous crossover moves. Strap your ankles tight, you might get broken just by lookin' at this video.

Throwback Saturday: O.J. McDuffie

Twenty five picks into the first round of the 1993 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins stared at the card of a Penn State University Wide Receiver by the name of McDuffie. He came to the Miami Dolphins in an effort to sure up the Wide Receiver unit and expand the passing offense under legendary head coach, Don Shula.

After all, 1992 was the last year that the Mark Brothers (Clayton and Duper) played for the Dolphins. O.J. McDuffie had to live up to their level of play and replace what once was a formidable receiving duo.

He did not disappoint.

O.J. was the first and only Dolphins receiver to catch 90 passes in a season, thanks in part to his great hands and a great Quarterback by the name of Dan Marino. He finished his career in Miami with over 5,000 receiving yards, 415 receptions and 29 touchdowns.

The Fins were his first and only NFL team and he lasted with them from 1993 to 2001 – a long, enjoyable 8-year tenure. It was only a toe injury in the 2000-01 season that ended his otherwise lengthy career, but only after he left his mark in Miami.

Through three coaches (Shula, Johnson and Wannstedt), McDuffie made a lasting impression on Dolphins history and is still known by most of today’s Dolphans. It’s a shame that he never was able to compete for a Super Bowl ring as most of his seasons were stunted by first or second round exits.

Either way, McDuffie is still good ole’ number 81 in the memories of the Miami faithful and will forever be a part of a bitter sweet era of Dolphins history; A team good enough to reach the playoffs, but never great enough to win a title.

To see what O.J. McDuffie has been up to recently, check out his blog at Open Sports, where he’s an active blogger and keeps many of his fans up-to-date with the happenings in his life: http://www.opensports.com/community/user/641479

Throwback Saturday: Livan Hernandez

Back in 1995, rumors were swirling about a young pitcher who they called the next phenon. There was only one problem - he lived 90 miles south of the sea border in a Communist country where moving away was not an easy thing to do.

Dreams became reality when Livan Hernandez became one of the first Cuban baseball players to defect and join the Major Leagues.

Plenty of teams casted off to the Dominican Republic to try to reel in players. In the end, the Florida Marlins were the team with the big prize. For $6.5 million a year and a $2.5 million signing bonus, Hernandez became the future of the Franchise.

Livan's lack of literacy in English caused an inability to communicate with coaches, so they put him in the minors under the wing of current Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez.

Livan got his chance to shine in 1997. He was called up from AAA on June 28th to face America's team, the New York Yankees, in front of a sold out crowd of 42,153 in Miami. Hernandez gave up 3 runs in 5 innings and received a no decision. He went on to win his next 6 starts and 9 out of his first 12 Major League apperances. He entered the month of September undefeated before he suffered his first loss against the San Francisco Giants, 1-0. Livan went on to lose his next 2 games and finish the regular season 9-3.

Livan began the playoffs out of the bullpen in a best out of 5 series against the San Francisco Giants. He had three strikeouts in his only inning of work for the series.

Hernandez started the Championship Series against the Atlanta Braves in the bullpen. He made an appearence in Game 3 where he pitched the 6th and 7th innings and earned his first career playoff victory. Manager Jim Leyland was so content with his young rookie that he gave him the starting nod for game 5. Livan did not make Jim regret his decision.

Hernandez pitched a complete game giving up 3 hits, 1 run and striking out 15 batters to earn his second playoff victory. His preformance earned him the NLCS MVP award as he propelled the Marlins to their first World Series.

Livan got the start for game one and five of the World Series. Both games resulting in a win for Hernandez and the Marlins. The Marlins went on to win their first World Series in great part to the strong pitching of their rookie pitcher. Livan became the first and only Major League rookie to be awarded the World Series MVP. He became notorious in the world of baseball as he slid in front of the mound after game seven and proclaimed in front of national television:

"I Love You Miami"

Throwback Saturday: Dan Majerle

The man, Thunder Dan. I remember the wing duo of Dan Majerle and Eddie Jones raining threes on opponents with Sun Sports' announcer, Eric Reid, shouting "Kaboom!" left and right. It was a fun time in Heat history and Dan was a fan favorite. 

Majerle is mostly known for his time in Phoenix, but his five seasons in Miami were well spent and brought the city to new levels of NBA excitement as Mourning, Hardaway, PJ Brown and Eddie Jones were all studs at the time.

From the '96-'97 up to the '00-'01 season, Thunder Dan recorded a total of 444 three-pointers while wearing a Heat jersey. But beyond his perimeter shooting, Dan was just an all around solid basketball player. He could dish out assists, rake in some rebounds and steal a few passes from time to time. In essence, he was a great role player and was an asset to just about any team in the league. 

While Majerle was a part of the Heat, they won no less than 61% of their games each season. Their best showing was in his first year in Miami as they went 61-21, winning 74% of their games. He was part of some of the contender years in Miami, which unfortunately were stunted by a pesky Knicks team or by a highly dominating Bulls squad. Nonetheless, he was part of an intricate time in Miami Heat history.

Since his tenure in Miami, Dan has gone back to Phoenix to pursue a career in sports broadcasting for the Suns. And if you thought he was a great shooter before, you should see his pre-game routine before every Phoenix Suns home game. I'm sure some of you have seen this already, but it's always amazing to watch over-the-back half court shots from a chair. Dan has become an expert at it and we've got the video clip to show it.

  

Throwback Saturday: Larry Csonka

With the eighth pick in the 1968 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins selected Larry Csonka, Running Back out of Syracuse University. The rest is history, and history that included a Perfect Season in the great year of 1972.

Larry Csonka was an oversized Running Back who could combo as a Full Back at any given moment. In fact, when he ran the ball it was as if a Full Back was coming full steam ahead. In the words of John Madden, people would see Csonka run and say, "I never knew a brick wall could run so fast." If you want a better idea of Csonka's running style, just think of the recent retiree Jerome Bettis. He was just a smash mouth runner with just enough speed to break loose for a few long yard gains.

In his eight year career in Miami, Csonka ran for a total of 6,737 rushing yards and 7,425 yards from scrimmage. He was a brutal force in the back field and he had the statistics to show for it. He had never rushed for more than 10 rushing TDs in a season with the Dolphins, that is until he came back in 1979, after a short stint with the New York Giants, and scored a career-high 12 rushing TDs.

Who would've thought that #39 would be back with a vengeance after his glory years in Miami. What is certain is that his performance earned him the AP Comeback Player of the Year that season and e finished his career in the place where it all started.

Not many analysts will point out Csonka as one of the greatest RBs in NFL history, but there is no doubt that he played an intricate role in Miami's success in the 1970's - especially in the '72 and '73 Super Bowl victories. His Super Bowl MVP award in 1973 is a clear indicator of that.

In honor of the underrated underdog Larry Csonka. He will always be remembered in Miami for the contributions he brought to the Miami Dolphins. Some can still see the images of him and the rest of the '72 and '73 team drenched in championship champagne.

For those who want to know what Larry Csonka is up to nowadays, you can visit his official site at http://www.larrycsonka.com/.

Throwback Saturday: Jeff Conine

Jeff Conine had a long-standing career in Major League Baseball, but South Florida will always remember him for his years in the Florida Marlins. Joining the team through the expansion draft in 1993, the Inaugural Season, he was a part of the Marlins organization since day one. Why was he seen in such a bright light by South Floridians? We'll tell you why.

Conine was not your superstar athlete that wooed the crowd with countless home runs and outstanding defensive plays. Conine was a hard-nosed, clutch-hitting, solid all-around baseball player that was there through thick and thin. His lengthy tenure with the Marlins dubbed him the name "Mr. Marlin" - the living, breathing symbol of Marlins success. Jeff was not only there for the 1997 World Championship, he came back in 2003 to be a part of the magical 2003 World Championship run as well.

Conine spent a total of 8 seasons with The Fish and was recognized for each and every on of them. For his career, he recorded 7 out his 8 best batting averages in the south side of the Sunshine State (try and say that 5 times fast). In other words, his best days were played in Joe Robbie/Pro Player Stadium, today's Dolphin Stadium. He hit a total of 120 HRs and 553 RBIs with the Marlins - talk about production.

What solidified Conine as an iconic figure in South Florida sports was his community service beyond the cleats and dirt. He's done everything from hosting golf tournaments to supporting Joe Dimmagio Children's Hospital to running the Ironman Triathalon. He now has a stake in Joe Dimmagio Children's Hospital as they created "Conine's Clubhouse" in order to commemorate his service. Now underprivileged children and families have another place to stay when the times get tough. We honor Mr. Marlin for everything he's done in South Florida.

Any person that observed or met Jeff Conine during his time with the Marlins, will attest to the genuine care he displayed for his fans and the sport. Jeff wasn't the type to shy away from public showings and avoid fans. Jeff was the type that understood that the fans are what fueled his enduring career with the Marlins. In our books, he deserves the utmost respect from the Marlins and the South Florida community - and we think the best way to show that respect is by retiring his number when the new stadium is erected. It will ultimately make Mr. Marlin the symbol of our past success and our model for future glory.

Throwback Saturday: Glen Rice

Glen Rice played for the Miami Heat from 1989-95

In our first edition of "Throwback Saturday" we take a look at a former professional athlete that played a significant role in Miami sports. As a six-year member of the Miami Heat, Glen Rice played a pivotal role in Miami Heat history, emerging as arguably the best scorer in franchise history (until Dwyane Wade came into the picture, of course). In order to appreciate his presence as a memorable athlete in South Florida sports, we will give brief background of his career and highlight some of his accomplishments as a member of the Heat.

G-Money, as local sports commentators liked to call him, was the premier prolific scorer on the Heat squad during the early to mid-1990's. Over his six-year tenure in Miami he averaged 19.3 points per game, and in two of those six seasons he recorded 22.3 points per game. Rice was especially known for his long-range shooting as he knew how to drop buckets from behind the 3-point line. He progressively got better at his 3-pt % as the seasons went by - tallying up a 3-pt % of 41 and setting his place as the 3rd best 3-pt shooter in NBA history. Need I say anymore about his ability to get the ball in the hoop?

Well, I'll tell you what he got in return as the fruits of his labor. He was on the 2nd Team All-Rookie class right off the bat, proving that he was ready to make a splash on the NBA. During his six seasons in South Beach, G-Money racked up enough points to secure the leading scorer in Miami Heat history, until it was recently broken by Alonzo Mourning and Dwyane Wade. After leaving the Heat at the finish of the 1994-95 season , Rice went on to make three straight All-Star game appearances and claimed the MVP of the 1997 All-Star game.

After taking in all this hard data, it's hard to deny that Glenny Boy was key player in Heat history as well as in the greater South Florida sports community. His presence back then is equal to to that of Dwyane Wade's presence is today. Rice was a quick-strike, bucket-scoring, fan favorite that brought crowds to the former day Miami Arena. After all, it was Rice's great performance that ultimately led to the trade between Miami and Charlotte, bringing Alonzo Mourining to the heart of Miami. After that, all else is history. Had it not been for G-Money we may not have ever felt the power of Zo in Miami. Miami thanks Glen for the great moments he brought and the lasting memories he left. To number 41 - Glen Rice.

In order to sum up Glen Rice's career as a Heat swingman we've attached a video that depicts G-Money's unbelievable scoring showcase versus the Orlando Magic back in 1995.