Small update coming out of Buffalo on the condition of Richard Zednik. The Buffalo News reports...

Florida Panthers winger Richard Zednik, recovering from a severed artery suffered Sunday against the Buffalo Sabres, has been upgraded to good condition and will likely be placed in a private room sometime today.

"They want to watch it carefully to make sure there are no complications," Schatia said by telephone today. "He's going to be in a private room for a couple days. By Thursday, they'll be able to determine if he can travel. He won't be able to travel until Saturday."

The Panthers returned to practice today and tried to get things back to normal. The Caps visit Florida Wednesday night, and forward Rob Globke was summoned from the Panthers' American Hockey League affiliate in Rochester to fill Zednik's roster spot.

I remember catching one of the new ESPN segments where Bill Walton and Screamin A Smith talk back and forth about the current state of the NBA and sometimes actually agree with one another. It's no secret among my friends, I'm a huge Bill Walton fan. Face it, the guy is a character still stuck in the 60's. He speaks his mind, makes up words and always seems to be in the best mood. I'm pretty sure you can take a crap in his lunch and he still will smile, making light of the situation. Most recently, Walton called out Shaq exclaiming that if this works out in Phoenix, it's a huge indictment of Shaq and how he has been dogging it all season in Miami. Essentially he calls it a lose-lose situation with the Big Fella, and I kinda agree. Shaq had the chance to respond to Walton and of course left plenty of quotes for you to chew on. From the East Valley Tribune…

"If I'm faking an injury, then (Walton's) whole injury-plagued career is a fake," O'Neal said. "We're talking about someone who only played one or two seasons injury-free. One thing I really hate is a hypocrite.

"Mr. Walton has broken the big man's ordinance code 225.27 — no big man under should talk about a big man above. It's just not right and it's disrespectful."

I'm a huge Shaq fan but something isn't sitting well with me and the way he left town. I'm sure more will unfold as the season goes on. Oh yeah, if you didn't catch Shaq "trying" to practice with his new team, it's quite humorous.

It appears the Marlins are set on stockpiling 3B talent to replace Miguel Cabrera's power. The Marlins inked Jose Castillo to a contract in December and now have inked Jorge Cantu to a deal as well to compete for the starting gig. MLB is reporting…

MLB.com has learned from a Major League Baseball Players Association source that the Marlins reached agreement on Thursday with Cantu on a one-year contract worth $500,000, plus incentives that could tack on another $100,000 based on plate appearances.

The deal is expected to be announced today. I have no problem with this deal. Why not get as many options as possible to replace one of the greatest hitters in franchise history. No sense settling on a guy like Castillo.

There must be a unwritten rule among NFL owners regarding the hiring and firing of front office guys. Jerry Jones displayed that during the whole process of the Dolphins interviewing of Jeff Ireland…

"First of all the way I feel is that it's great opportunity for Jeff, one I really on a personal basis wanted him to have," Jones said. "My thought has always been and philosophy is that if you want to help people that you're working with advance then that helps you. That doesn't go unnoticed, people see that. It helps when you're sitting down, talking to somebody else about joining in their future, knowing that you'll help them have an opportunity if given the chance. Everyone's aware that I could've put this off until after the draft. I didn't want Jeff to lose this opportunity. I didn't want to do that, plus Wayne (Huizenga) had the same attitude about Jason Garrett, help us get Jason Garrett in here, while he was still under contract. Of course, I've got a good relationship with Bill (Parcells). And all of this fits real well."

Credit Ethan Skolnick from the Sun-Sentinel for digging out those quotes. ESPN's John Clayton reports a decision on Dolphins head coach Cam Cameron is expected to come by Friday. Stay tuned.

All around Dolphin guru The Dude is reporting via Armando "I swear I am the man for the GM position" Salguero that Jeff Ireland will be named as the Dolphins new General Manager to replace Randy Mueller. Here are some details from Dolphins in Depth…

Club owner Wayne Huizenga flew to the team's training facility at 12:20 — yes, I said flew as in aboard his helicopter — to meet the man who will work hand in hand with football czar Bill Parcells.

Although the deal is not yet final, it is believed very little can get in the way of this becoming official. Only a glitch on contract negotiations, or a glitch with the Dallas Cowboys who currently employ Ireland, or perhaps Ireland insults Huizenga's family (kidding) could keep the hiring from happening.

Here's your nice shiny new office with a view of the practice bubble Mr Ireland. Your first job? Fire Cam Cameron. Bummer!

Update: Palm Beach Post reports this as a done deal. Jeff Ireland has reached an agreement to be the new Dolphins general manager and already is helping to decide who will be the team's head coach, an NFL source has told The Palm Beach Post.

Bill Parcells is making his presence felt immediately as the reports from yesterday have been proven true. Randy Mueller is out as Dolphins GM according to Jeff Darlington of the Miami Herald…

Dolphins general manager Randy Mueller was fired Monday morning by Bill Parcells, the new vice president of football operations. The anticipated move paves the way for Parcells to hire his own man to fill the vacancy.

Parcells entered Mueller's office Monday morning and advised him that he had been dismissed. Mueller has since left the Dolphin's training facility. The rest of the staff â€" including Mueller's personnel department â€" has so far been retained.

No problem with this whatsoever. Parcells needs his men. Calling all good men!!

Our good buddy Ryan Parker is back with another gem. This one asks the question can The Tuna save the Dolphins?

Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

The Heat are getting desperate, as they have been stuck in the basement of the Eastern Conference all season long. With Dwyane Wade playing out of his mind and logging out of control minutes, it's time for Pat Riley to make some changes to alleviate the pressure from D-Wade. We all know Shaq isn't doing a damn thing and he's coming close to setting an NBA record for consecutive game disqualifications with 5, the record being 7. Pat Riley has to pull the trigger and he's been talking with the Grizzlies about a deal that would send either Jason Williams or Ricky Davis to Memphis. Here are the details…

The Houston Chronicle reported that the Rockets would have some interest in trading for Heat guard Jason Williams, who has been inconsistent this season but has an attractive expiring contract. Another rumor was mentioned in The (New York) Daily News, which claimed the Heat and Grizzlies are discussing a deal that would bring Mike Miller to Miami and send either Williams or Ricky Davis to Memphis.

The Heat have a number of needs, which include point-guard depth, a long-range shooter and help in the post. Riley recently said he anticipated there would be plenty of misinformation affiliated with the Heat's interest.

"The real stuff, if anything happens, most people don't know about it," Riley said.

I've been reading and hearing from other sources that any Memphis deal would also include Stromile Swift. Regardless, the Heat need help from all around. Hopefully Riley can put together some crafty moves that don't include Udonis Haslem and Daequan Cook.

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While no one is going to come in and replace Miguel Cabrera's offensive production, the Marlins have begun the search of finding his replacement. At this point it looks like any warm body who can somewhat play is going to get a chance. After reading about a rumor of the Marlins signing both Jose Castillo and Jorge Cantu from a reader on MB.com, I became skeptical. As of yesterday, it was official. The Marlins signed ex Pittsburgh Pirate utility infielder Jose Castillo to a one year contract. Here's Rotowold's take…

Castillo is a solid choice for a rebuilding team, as he still has some upside, but the Marlins will want to add one more infield option, perhaps Dallas McPherson or Jorge Cantu, to battle for the starting job at third base. The soon-to-be 27-year-old Castillo is a career .256/.297/.380 hitter. He's currently at .370/.395/.591 in 181 at-bats in the Venezuelan Winter League.

The signing of Castillo places Florida's 40-man roster at 39. Happy Holidays!

Bill Parcells was on NFL Live with Trey Wingo today and gave us some insight into his decision for choosing Miami. No mention of cooking in the kitchen or buying the groceries.

Considering Alonzo Mourning is most likely done for the season, now is the time Shaq needs to shut up all the pundits and show he has what it takes to put a team on his back (along with D-Wade) and actually make his 20 million per season seem acceptable. One thing Shaq has not lost is his sense of humor. After Wednesday's loss to the Hawks, Shaq revealed he has been playing under the influence of PED's…

Less than a week after more than 70 current and former Major League Baseball players landed in hot water when their names landed in the Mitchell Report detailing drug use, Shaquille O'Neal was "confessing" to reporters before Wednesday's game.

"There will be a report coming out and my name will be on it," O'Neal joked.

O'Neal said he was caught using "performance-enhancing cereal," such as Fruit Loops, Frosted Flakes and Wheaties.

Steroids….There Greeeeeat!

If you haven't heard of Ryan Parker by now you have to get to know him. This guy is on point with his songs and videos. He is like the Ken Rosenthal of spoof songs. If a sports story breaks, you can be sure he will write a song about it.

With the news Nick Saban may be on the move again, I figured this was appropriate.

"He's aggressive," Margerum said. "He's a good blocker and he's really fearless out on the field. He has a tremendous passion for the game. He was very coachable and was an enjoyable person to be around. He was a team guy."

"He's fearless going after the ball," boasted Margerum. "He can catch the ball over the middle, and he's got that attitude where he's willing to stick his nose in there."

"He's a great athlete," Margerum said. "You should see the way he can throw and punt the ball all over the field. He can actually punt the ball very well."

You just went down as making one of the most important catches in Miami Dolphins history. Congratulations, this is officially Greg Camarillo week!

On a side note. Yesterday was probably the most emotional win I have ever experienced, even in a season where we are 1-13. The ups and downs of yesterdays game just goes to show you how fun it is to be a fan of your team, even if they suck. At the end of yesterday's game I looked across at my boy and basically felt like we had just sat through a pummeling session by a tennis ball machine. I felt like I was watching our baby Florida Marlins get there first walk off win of the season.

Good stuff Phins, I'm proud to be a Miami Dolphin fan.

Looks like Scott Olsen is ready to step up and be a leader on this squad. Here is a collection of quotes from the various local papers put together by a buddy of mine over on MarlinBaseball.com…

"With Dontrelle being gone, someone has to do it. Whoever it is, obviously, it will be well deserving. But I'm not going to sit here and beat around the bush. I want to start on Opening Day. It's just going to come down to how I pitch in Spring Training, and the shape I show up in, and the shape the other guys show up in. It will come down to the competition to see who gets it."

"That's over, that's in the past and over with," Olsen said about the fallout from the arrest. "On the field-wise, I was throwing a lot of balls, and I was walking a lot of people. I watched a couple of game-tapes, scouting people. You'd see, I'd get two quick outs on nine or 10 pitches, and then the inning turned into 28-30 pitch inning after two outs and nobody on base."

"I think if you are the Opening Day starter, and you replace that No. 1 guy, there might be some more people looking up to you, and more people wanting you to be that guy who steps up every time out," he said. "We knew [Willis] was going to be the Opening Day starter, but at the same time, he was still like, 'Something might happen. I might have a 10-and-a-half ERA in Spring Training. Make sure you go for it, strive to do it. Give your best each day. Even if a position is set and locked, you still have got to go out and do your best.' "

"[Willis] always used to say that he didn't like guys, who when they were winning, they are in the clubhouse, and they're happy," Olsen said. "Then when they are losing, they are down. You've got to be the same guy every day. He was really good about that, to maintain your composure every day, whether you win or lose."

"It can't get any worse than that, with all the stuff that happened last year," he said. "All the bad, I think it's made me probably stronger mentally and more able to handle everything that goes into this job.

"I'm looking forward to next year. It will be interesting, but it could be a lot of fun. I'll be 24 in Spring Training. You've got to grow up eventually."

It should be interesting next year. Especially since Miguel won't be around to smack Olsen into line.

Olsen was at Select a Seat the other day and needless to say not many people were interested in seeing him and Fredi Gonzalez. Fewer than 50 fans showed up in the first two hours of a four-hour event Saturday to pick out their season tickets for next season. One fan at the stadium offered this interesting tidbit on his decision or not to buy tickets for the upcoming season…

"We're thinking about it," said Joe Schillan of Fort Lauderdale, perusing ticket prices with his girlfriend Cori Pasinetti of Boca Raton. "This is Montreal. They develop players for other teams."

Scott Olsen and Fredi Gonzalez are not the fan favorites compared to Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera were. I understand where Joe from Fort Lauderdale is coming from.

I'm starting to get sick of the flip-flopping Pat Riley is doing with in his lineup, when clearly the best option to start at guard right now is the hot shooting Chris Quinn. There has been no consistency this season when it comes to ball control and scoring. It blows my mind (granted I'm not the hall of fame coach) that once we get in a nice groove with a rotation, Riley insists that he inserts Jason Williams back in the starting lineup. It looks like J-Will will hold onto his starting job for now despite the strong play of Chris Quinn according to this mornings Miami Herald. Riley did issue a challenge to his team after the loss to the Washington Wizards on Thursday…

Pat Riley drew an imaginary line in the middle of the floor before Friday's practice.

Then, he left the players with two choices.

"Coach said there's a fine line with this team right now," guard Dwyane Wade said. "We can either take a step to the right and be a great team. Or, we can step to the left and be one of the worst teams in the league."

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