https://www.happyherald.com/articles.sec-8527-1-sports-feature.html Among the great passions American sports fans have, few will ever surpass our love for the underdog.]]> If you were to caption the upcoming baseball season, you might quote the late, great Alfred E. Neuman, he of Mad Magazine fame (and if you don’t what that was, look it up – great stuff), saying “What, me worry?” while hanging perilously over a cliff.]]> A long, long time ago, when the world was younger - much younger - than it is now, an idea sprang up in the head of a very wealthy man. His name was Lamar Hunt, and his family made its fortune in oil, gas and energy;]]> Looking back on the year that was in South Florida, I was struck by how much, or how little, has changed. Sure, there were surprises and triumphs.]]> For years seen as the area’s sports franchise gold-standard for excellence, and led, arguably, by one of the two most influential people in NBA league history]]> Back in 1988, before the internet and social media ever existed, a guy named Pat Riley (yes, that Pat Riley), in the afterglow of having won his fifth title with the Los Angeles Lakers, came up with an idea.]]> Normally when doing a South Florida-based NFL preview, the logical thing to concentrate on is the prospects of the local team, but when 25 (25!) seasons pass without at least a playoff win, one must begin to wonder if attention shouldn’t be turned elsewhere. And that’s what we’re doing this year.]]> As the summer blazes on in South Florida, the yearning mind turns to cooler times accompanied by cooler temperatures, a return to school for many, and the return of football.]]> The recent revelations regarding University of North Carolina head football coach (and NFL legend) Bill Belichick’s relationship with a woman 48 years his junior have raised more than a few eyebrows and concerns.]]> May is always an unusual month in our parts. It’s not yet summer but no longer winter; spring in our state is always a mystery to me, a state of mind rather than a noticeable change.]]> The calendar may say April, but our changing climate is such that April now, at times, feels like August.]]> March in South Florida used to mean something quite different, with sports fans able to enjoy PGA Golf Tournaments, auto racing, horse racing, tennis tournaments and spring training baseball.]]> Most of the time this column tries to speak to an audience both in and outside of South Florida, a reality consistent with how today’s information is consumed]]> Whenever you do a year in review piece, the temptation is to focus on the big picture, at the expense of more modest accomplishments. And to be honest, we’ll probably do the same thing here – but at least we admit it!]]> December already? Where did the year go? Well, for football fans, it starts in the heat of summer, when so much promise abounds – only to be dashed by the harsh winds of November.]]> So, you’re the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, fresh off a thrilling Finals victory over the Edmonton Oilers, after which you left your fans singing in the rain following your victory parade.]]> Two issues ago (or however many months ago it was for you) I predicted the records for the state’s major college football programs (and yes, apologies to UCF, which is undefeated as of this writing) and though it’s early, it’s time for a reset.]]> Quick: what were you doing in the year 2000? (apart from worrying about whether computers were going to be confused by the Millenium changeover, and end up taking over civilization). In school? First job? Unmarried?]]> At some point this fall, assuming we ever get out of the infernal heat wave otherwise known as summer, the average football fan will turn on his or her viewing device to watch their favorite college football team.]]> As we swing into the quiet season for most of our sporting interests (aside from our friends who enthusiastically participate in water sports), there remains one team stuck somewhere between “who cares” and “who are those guys?”]]>