In-town rivalry: Miami Dolphins vs. Miami Heat?

By: Andy Slater

The Dolphins are drawing heat.

During a Dolphins press conference on Monday, Mike Tannenbaum used the San Antonio Spurs as his example of a great organization. That's fine, as long as you don't have an NBA team in your own backyard --- such as the Miami Heat.

Monday evening, Tannenbaum decided to bring it up again. 

"I wanna have the vibe of the San Antonio Spurs," Tannenbaum told Finsiders host Greg Likens when discussing team personnel.

It was previously reported that Tannenbaum had met with Spurs general manager R.C. Buford and "picked his brains," according to the Miami Herald in August 2015. 

While the Spurs are a great organization, there seems to be a rivalry building in-town between the Dolphins and Heat. 

In July 2015, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross told reporters "the Heat is a different organization now that LeBron James isn't there. I think the Dolphins are a team that are capturing the imagination of the whole fan base here in South Florida." 

I'm pretty sure part of Ross' imagination wasn't Heat owner Micky Arison sending out timely tweets promoting his basketball team while the Dolphins would trail in games. 

So after multiple Spurs mentions by Tannenbaum, will Arison respond? His team did with an overtime victory against the Pacers on Monday. We'll see if he's next. 

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(Photo Credit: Dolphins.com)

Johnny Vegas? Exclusive details of Manziel sighting in Sin City

By: Andy Slater

Johnny Manziel pulled his hoodie over his head, got up, and bailed.

That's what happened last night at a Planet Hollywood casino lounge, according to John Hornacek who I spoke with on Sunday morning.

The USA Today reported that Manziel was at the Vegas casino on Saturday night. 

Hornacek, who told the USA Today he saw Manziel, offered me exclusive details.

Manziel was playing at the $25 minimum blackjack table, Hornacek told me. He also added he "didn't take any pictures - no cells allowed at tables." 

The night apparently wasn't over with blackjack, though. 

"Later on we were in the lounge next to the tables and (Manziel) and his girlfriend and her friends were drinking next to us," Hornacek said. "We went over to talk to him and he pulled his hoodie over his head and got up and bailed, but the girls stayed," Hornacek added. 

When I asked him again about the possibility of pictures, Hornacek told me he's "too old to take pictures of some athlete at a casino. I felt like an idiot."

Hornacek clarified to me that he didn't see Manziel drinking alcohol. "He was drinking something, but wasn't a beer or anything. I have no idea if it was alcohol or not."

Meanwhile, Manziel posted an Instagram photo last night tagging the location as Avon, OH. 

So, was Johnny Football really in Vegas?

"It was him 100%," Hornacek said.

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(Photo Credit: USA Today)

Exclusive: Brent Grimes' reaction when Miko is approached

By: Andy Slater

Brent Grimes took off his headphones to say hello to me and then turned back around. 

Never-before-released video may shed some light on how far removed the Miami Dolphins cornerback is from his wife. 

Brent told reporters on Wednesday, "my wife is my wife," after Miko's latest Twitter rant. "We don't speak the same thing," he added.

So, how different is the couple? 

I exclusively met with Miko and Brent at Miami International Airport in Jan. 2014 after yet another Twitter rant of her's. They were on their way back from the Pro Bowl in Arizona.

'We're two different people as you can see," Miko told me while standing at baggage claim. 

Until now, it's quite possible many Dolphins fans haven't actually been able to see that.

As you'll notice: Brent doesn't care much about a reporter approaching his wife at an airport. Not only does he turn away, he only seems to take his headphones off because I wanted to say hi.

Exclusive video of Brent Grimes' reaction to my approach of Miko Grimes after her Twitter rant in Jan. 2014.

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2015: Top 5 Slater Scoops

By: Andy Slater

2015 was the year of the Slater Scoop. On this website, on my Twitter account @AndySlater, and on my weekday radio show on 940-AM WINZ Miami Sports and iHeartRadio.

Here's an inside look at the Top 5 Slater Scoops from 2015:

 

#5 - Scooping national, local reporters on many team draft picks

I was told this one created some waves in the Miami Dolphins media work room. If you wanted to know who the Dolphins and other teams were selecting before it was reported by anyone, you got it on my Twitter timeline during the 2015 Draft. Thanks to multiple league and team sources,  the NFL draft has become an event where I must vigorously multitask for three straight days --- which is great. 

 

#4 - Duke Johnson kicked out of Sun Life Stadium

Initial reports said former Miami Hurricanes great, Duke Johnson, wasn't allowed into the Canes game because he wanted to enter with a backpack --- which is not permitted. I knew there had to be more to this story, so I went straight to my iPhone. I learned via multiple sources that Johnson was kicked out of Sun Life Stadium prior to the game because stadium security and a University of Miami employee didn't know who he was --- the school's all-time leading rusher. He was threatened to be arrested if he didn't leave. This incident turned into one of the hottest stories on my site in 2015.

 

#3 - Rob Konrad's alleged 27-mile swim comes to end with video

This one was so big, my friends who were with me at Joe's Stone Crab devoured all of the jumbo claws while I was sitting at the table replying to emails. The investigation closed on Rob Konrad's "16-hour, 27-mile swim" --- but I was able to exclusively obtain video of the former Dolphins player in the back of a police unit after he told cops he came ashore. Konrad spoke to officers on scene and detailed his supposed time at sea. Once I released the video, every national network and local station wanted permission to use the footage --- something they could have gotten on their own if they didn't shut the door on the case.

 

#2 - Jose Fernandez wants out of the Marlins clubhouse circus

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I knew the Marlins had a bad season on and off the field, but when I got this news and details for multiple player sources , I couldn't believe it. The Marlins clubhouse had circus music playing, clown noses being passed around, and their star pitcher asking when he'd be traded. The information in this article certainly created a stir in the baseball community. It was validating to see former Marlins pitcher Dan Haren confirming multiple parts of my story in a national publication. 

 

#1 - Jason-Pierre Paul blew off his fingers on July 4

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I was having a beach-side breakfast in Costa Rica when the messages and a phone call came in. Vacation was halted for a few hours after I was told that the New York Giants star had a major fireworks incident and was in a South Florida hospital --- this happened on my turf, I knew I had to own this story. Doctors wanted to amputate Jason Pierre-Paul's entire hand after the July 4 incident, which he recently confirmed. The fireworks mishap became a national story that originally was refuted by several prominent writers. Luckily, Pierre-Paul's hand was saved, but is missing a big portion. 

Want more Slater Scoops in 2016? Tune into my radio show weekdays 2-4p on 940-AM WINZ in South Florida and iHeartRadio, plus follow me on Twitter @AndySlater

(Photo Credit: AP, Getty)

Sid Rosenberg let go from 640-AM WMEN in South Florida

By: Andy Slater

Longtime South Florida radio host, friend, and colleague, Sid Rosenberg has been let go from 640-AM WMEN in South Florida, according to a source close to the situation. 

Rosenberg was hired by WMEN in 2012. 

The exact reason as to why Rosenberg was let go is unknown at this moment.

640 Sports website has already removed Rosenberg's name.

Well wishes to one of the biggest New York Giants fans in South Florida, or as he once told me, the country.

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