USF’s Mt. Rushmore of Coaches

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

A lot has changed since I graduated from the University of South Florida in 1986.

Back then, I worked for the Tampa Tribune and that’s how I paid my way through college. I went to as many games as I could with my student identification card that allowed me to go to activities. Those fees were included in my tuition.

The athletic department has grown in ways that I never imagined. 

Our Basketball program is where we had our Homecoming Games. The Sun Dome was the venue and I’ve had so many great moments back then. Eighteen months ago, added more memories at the Yuengling Center when USF Men’s Basketball hosted the FAU Owls.

Unlike High School where you attend based on where you live, you can’t choose where you want to go. It’s where your parents set-up shop and proceed from there. 

In my situation, I was looking forward to graduating from Southfield Lathrup High School in Michigan because I had aspirations to play Baseball and enjoyed catching. Unfortunately, my folks opted to follow their passion for horses and bought land and graduated from Lakeland High School in Milford, MI, thus since I didn’t have transportation and there would be no Baseball. 

Turning a negative into a positive, I got involved in Journalism, a 47 years later, I’m in Sports Media.

But in college, I developed a lot of great relationships throughout the years.

The University of South Florida was a commuter school and was the perfect fit for me. I chose to attend this school and created a lot of great memories. I donate to the Alumni Association and now I’m thankful to cover their sports teams from time to time.

When we attended Senior Day on November 29, this was pretty neat. There were 30 seniors recognized before USF thrashed the Rice Owls 52-3 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. 

I did attend a homecoming game years ago when I wrote for the Detroit Monitor vs the Cincinnati Bearcats when the program was in its infancy stages.

I’ve seen many USF Bulls games against the FAU Owls as well. They’re both members of the American Conference so I work hard to plan my schedule to see these two schools face one another. 

I’ve been covering the Owls since 2007 and my football father is the legendary Howard Schnellenberger. I worked my connections in Detroit and FAU got invited to the Motor City Bowl, which Coach and I would talk about a lot and he gave me an autographed copy of his book when he invited me to his house. We always took pictures together.

There was a different feeling covering the Rice contest. All week long, the only thing I kept hearing about was the USF Head Football Coach potentially leaving for another job. Let’s face the reality, until USF lands in a power conference, this will be a stepping stone job.

Knowing this on my drive to Tampa, I had a great idea that it was time for me to implement since I felt the timing was right.

I decided to come up with a Mt. Rushmore of USF Coaches to celebrate the Sports History since the University has its own Hall of Fame which I hope to see at some point. My next visit to campus will likely be when the new Football Stadium opens in 2027.

So here it is, I’m going to release my Mt. Rushmore of USF Coaches. I encourage feedback as to who you would add or subtract.

1. Lee Rose (Men’s Basketball). This is an absolute no brainer! Coach Rose led two teams to the Final Four of the NCAA Division I basketball tournament with the Charlotte 49’ers in 1977 and the Purdue Boilermakers in 1980. How can a guy not be No.1 when he leaves a Big Ten School to coach a young basketball program! He coached at USF from 1980-1986 and was 106-69 during his tenure at USF. He coached the Bulls to their first postseason appearances in team history, reaching the NIT three times before leaving in 1986 for the NBA. His all-time college record was 388-162. Coach Rose and I were close as we spent time at USF and I followed him to the NBA and interviewed him during his stops in the NBA. His first major pro drafted at USF was Charlie Bradley, who was drafted by the Sacramento Kings. Charlie and I are great friends and we still stay in touch on Facebook.

2. Eddie Cardieri (Baseball). This is also a no-brainer! Cardieri, who was Major League Hall of Famer Robin Robert’s top assistant three seasons before assuming control in 1986. He coached the Bulls to tremendous success over the next 21 seasons and compiled a 731-546 (.572) record to become the winningest coach in USF Baseball history, surpassing the next closest coach by more than 460 wins and logging five seasons with 40 plus wins and 16 seasons with 30 or more.

Cardieri led USF Baseball to eight conference titles across three conferences. The Bulls won five regular season and two conference championships and made nine NCAA Regional Appearances, the most for any coach in program history.

He was inducted into the USF Athletics Hall of Fame. 

We’re great friends and I’ve added him to My Media Network as a Baseball Analyst. He’s an outstanding job for us. More importantly, he’s an unbelievable human being!

3. Jim Leavitt (Football). When I was on campus last weekend, I did a video at Gate A showing where the new on campus stadium is and it was neat to the construction in progress. We also saw the new athletics center on the outside adjacent to the stadium.

But there is one man who is responsible for this stadium. Leavitt defines what loyalty is in every sense of the word and I truly hope he gets a statue somewhere in this stadium!

Jim Leavitt was hired as the first coach of the USF Bulls in 1997. He worked at Kansas State from 1990-1995 as an assistant coach in different capacities. He had the dubious task from starting this program from scratch and the football team’s offices were in trailers. But that didn’t stop Jim as he found a way to work through the early obstacles of building the program.

The first time I met Jim was when I covered a Homecoming Game vs the Cincinnati Bearcats as a writer for the Detroit Monitor. I mentioned this earlier in the story. 

USF won the game and afterwards, I approached Jim about doing an interview on the field. He was hesitant but after I told him that being an alumnus, my goal was to promote my alma-mater and used my loud demeanor to get the message across! I had to be loud because of the amount of noise on the field. He definitely agreed to the interview. 

We talked about numerous things and it was a great experience. When the interview was over, we hugged for a few minutes he knew that my heart was in the right place. I’m proud to know Jim Leavitt!

His overall record at USF was 95-57. Unfortunately, Jim is too high strung at times and is an in your face type of person. That demeanor ultimately led to his controversial dismissal at USF. I do believe he is mis understood. Nevertheless, after USF, he never got another head coaching job again. His flamboyant personality wouldn’t be a good fit with today’s student athlete.

Leavitt, was inducted into the USF Hall of Game this past fall. Unfortunately, his high strung personality bit him again as the administration elected not to be present at the ceremony as a result of a recent legal issue. He was cleared of any wrongdoing, therefore both sides wanted to let the other inductees speak about their accomplishments. Both Leavitt and the administration made the right decision.

But when you look at the overall picture, without Jim Leavitt, USF wouldn’t be where it’s at today. He was extremely loyal and with the job he did, there is no doubt he could have used USF as a stepping stone job, earned more money as many coaches do these days. His loyalty counts for something! 

Our paths would cross again as he was a defensive coordinator for FAU in 2020. He deserves to be on My Mt. Rushmore!

4. Alex Golesh (Football). This guy inherited one of the biggest rebuilding jobs on the planet as he succeeded Jeff Scott, who was 4-26 as head coach. Scott worked with legendary Clemson Coach Dabo Swinney and one would think that his background could translate into success in Tampa. It didn’t and as a result, he was employed with South Florida from 2020-2022. 

Enter Alex Golesh, who came to USF from the University of Tennessee after being an assistant coach. Golesh was the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach and he had no head coaching experience. What Golesh does have is an electric personality and great mind.

After the Jeff Scott debacle, the success was evident in the first season as Golesh was 7-6. He followed that season up with another 7-6 mark then battered Syracuse University by humiliating the Orange 45-0 in the Boca Raton Bowl.

Golesh’s third season was a breakout, culminating with a 9-3 record—-USF’s first nine win campaign since 2017 and their best overall mark in eight years. The team ranked third nationally in total offense and fifth in scoring, returning to the AP Top 25, (peaking at No.18) for the first time in seven years. Key early victories included a dominant 34-7 over No. 25 Boise State in Week 1 and an 18-15, road win against No.23 Florida in week two were both signature triumphs that propelled USF to  6-1 start, and secured USF  to bowl eligibility for the third straight year.

Golesh’s offensive brilliance saw USF score 50 points in five games. 

QB Bynum Brown had a breakout out year with Golesh’s up-tempo offense. He became the first USF QB to throw for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a season (joining Jayden Daniel’s as one of only two FBS players to do so), and finished first in the AAC and 7th in FBS in total yards per-game (318.8).

Golesh’s overall record in three campaigns was 23-15! That’s why he’s on this list. One of the questions I asked him during the post-game media session was are you pleased with the fact that the program is in better shape than you found it? The entire interview and all of the others are included in this story.

As much as I enjoyed my time up in Tampa last weekend, there was one incident that led to a bad taste in my mouth with a USF PR Person. 

I will not divulge his name.

But when I see him, he will apologize to me because he didn’t know my intentions for taking a certain action! 

He doesn’t know me as much as I thought he did. 

But, he’ll know more about me soon enough!

If he doesn’t apologize, there will be consequences about future coverage among other things! 

Don’t alienate an alumnus who donates money and supports the program in other ways.

With all the information regarding Golesh’s future, this media session with the coach lasted 21:08 seemed like a swan song. Instead of talking about a convincing victory over Rice, all the talk was about whether the coach was coming or going. This was a topic on Tuesday’s edition of Inside The Pigskin on Tuesday Night. Check it out.

Knowing all of this on my four hour trek on I-75 North, I made a decision on the way up to find a way to get a photo with Golesh. 

There was no opportunity to get one after the Syracuse win in Boca Raton, FL and after the Miami Hurricanes ran USF out of Hard Rock Stadium with a 49-12 thrashing, that wouldn’t have worked.

With that said, I made the bold decision with this on my mind, I needed to get this photo to insert in this story, to get a photo with Golesh after he spoke at the podium. I wish I could have found a way to get the photo. 

All this situation did was raise my blood pressure and stress level. But it is what it is.

I can appreciate the fact that timing may not have been the greatest as the PR guy stated. To his credit, his emotions were in the heat of the moment, thus I accept that.

But where I’m, outraged with this guy is what he told me that I like drawing attention to myself. 

He’s dead wrong and I’ll let him know to his face to make sure he never questions my integrity again! 

Mark my word! My instincts drive me to make decisions! 

I have “No Ego” at all! 

All I do is lead by example and look to make people better around me!

I don’t need to draw attention to myself for a coach that 12 hours later proceeded to land the head coaching job at Auburn University!

My goal is to represent My Media Outlet which I own and have built from scratch which is getting bigger by the day with the editorial and broadcast departments. 

Our You Tube Channel is closing in on 1 Million Views and we’re looking for a big year in 2026!

I don’t have to draw attention to myself! 

I’ve been fortunate to interview so many great personalities across all of sports. I wonder if this guy has ever heard of Muhammad Ali, Tommy Lasorda, George Steinbrenner, Richard Petty, Isiah Thomas, ESPN Legend Bob Ley, Don Mattingly, Howard Schnellenberger, Don Shula, Chuck Daly, and many others that are in My Book “Lessons From The Microphone” and I have every intention of writing the second one in 2026.

I don’t need this or any other coach to draw attention myself. 

I’ve lasted in this industry 47 years and I’m looking to reach 50 years. I might scale things back to work on other projects and partially retire to do some more traveling. 

These days, I mentor all the people that come to me and think of others first!

I’ve heard some boneheaded statements, but drawing attention to myself Takes The Cake! 

This PR Guy will realize it when we meet again! I promise you that! 

These days, I choose the projects that I want to take on and don’t mind spending money if they benefit the platform as a whole!

To be able to write a Mt. Rushmore Story about My Alma-Mater is truly special and I’m deeply proud of connection to the university!

Early in the story, I talked about not choosing my high school. I chose USF! 

Time will tell what the future holds about how much we promote this university.

But the individuals that made the list are well deserving of the recognition!

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

To see his broadcast, you can subscribe to the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel at no charge and hit the notifications button to see the latest.

Also, Scott wrote a book called “Lessons From The Microphone” which can be purchased on Amazon/Kindle and Barnes and Noble. The Audio book is coming up soon.

Don Mattingly Deserves To Be In Hall of Fame!

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

The reason why Baseball is such a true passion of mine is not only have I played the game, but have covered it for over 45 years.

The relationships one makes in this game are truly remarkable. 

I’ve made so many that it would be hard to list all of them.

On Saturday, August 23, 2025, there is one person that I wanted to do an interview with in person. 

We’ve talked so many times at Marlins Media Availabilities, Zoom Calls and privately, but there was some unfinished business to take care of. We worked together through Covid-19.

He was born on April 20, 1961 and is 64 years old in Evansville, Indiana.

He made his MLB debut for the New York Yankees on September 8, 1982 and his last appearance on October 1, 1995 for the Bronx Bombers.

His nickname is “Donnie Baseball” and spent his entire 14-year MLB Career with the New York Yankees, and later managed the Los Angeles Dodgers for five years and the Miami Marlins for seven years.

Don Mattingly has a lot of memorabilia in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but the only thing that’s missing is a plaque. 

He hit .307, amassed 2,153 hits, added 222 home runs and has 1,099 RBI. 

Other players have made it to Cooperstown with similar numbers. 

The reality is a back injury cut Mattingly’s career short, but he still has a chance to be inducted through the veterans committee.

My good friend, Bob Ryan from the Boston Globe definitely believes Mattingly belongs in the Hall of Fame. Ryan is a voter for the Baseball Hall of Fame and is inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in Basketball. I value his opinion immensely!

My interview with Bob is in this story. I hope you enjoy it.

This Baseball Lifer and I go back many years dating back to the 1980’s when we were both in the Yankees farm system. 

I wrote for the Hallandale Digest covering the Fort Lauderdale Yankees and New York in Spring Training. Don played for the Greensboro Hornets and marched his way through the system and landed in the Bronx.

Although he’s not in the Hall of Fame yet, his No. 23 is retired and is in Monument Park as a honoree with the Yankees. 

He’s the only player without a World Series to earn that honor.

But to me, Mattingly is a friend and a brother! 

He’s the older brother that I never had! 

I love this guy!

When we’re not talking baseball on the microphone, we’re talking about life. 

In recent years, I’ve been dealing with head trauma such as concussions and now have Alzheimer’s Disease. 

Don felt bad when he heard this information. Don has always been there to give me moral support. 

The Toronto Blue Jays were in Miami to face the Marlins the weekend of August 22-24. 

We contacted the Blue Jays communication department to see if Don would come on the Motor City Mad Mouth Show for about 10-15 minutes. 

Last year, the Blue Jays did approve us to attend a game in Toronto and we reminisced on the field.

We told the Blue Jays that Don and I have been friends for years dating back to the 1980’s.

We received an email back from the Blue Jays and Don, true to who he is, gladly appeared on my show and our interview lasted nine minutes. 

As my friend and mentor Craig Mish looked on, Don and I did our thing and we talked about the Hall of Fame as well as other Baseball Topics. 

Once again, the interview lasted nine minutes and we covered everything that I had outlined. I knew Don had to take care of his coaching responsibilities on the field and also caught up with other people in Miami where he was very likeable by all.

When the interview was over, we took pictures with each other and exchanged hugs. 

Mish came up to me and said, “Scotty, I thought you were going to go 15 minutes, and you did a good job making it shorter. Short interviews are the way to go.” 

Those kind words by Mish were worth a Kodak moment as Craig is another great friend!

The Blue Jays Communications Department told Candy Ebling that Mattingly rarely grants one-on-one interviews, but he was glad to accommodate me and understood the value of our friendship.

Candy told the traveling Blue Jays Communications Department Representative that we plan on covering the team during Spring Training in Dunedin, Fla. 

They said they’ll be more than happy to accommodate us.

I hope that when that happens, that if it’s meant to be, Mattingly finally gets his due in Cooperstown and will finally have his moment on a bright summer day in Upstate New York. 

Back in the 1990’s when I was in Cooperstown, I spent $350 for a Hydrostone Statue with Mattingly holding a bat in his hand swinging. It’s currently sitting in My Studio.

While he’s comfortable in his own skin, as his accomplishments speak for themselves and is honored by the Yankees in New York, former Dodgers Manger Tom Lasorda once told me, “Because God Delays, Doesn’t Mean that God Denies.” 

The same can be said that he hasn’t been to a World Series yet. 

The Yankees made it in 1981 before he arrived and lost, then won it in 1995 the year he retired. 

My sentimental favorite is to see the Blue Jays at least get and hopefully win the World Series. 

A championship ring on Mattingly’s finger would have true meaning to this Baseball Lifer.

It’s time for Mattingly to get his moment in immortality!

In recent years, the Baseball Hall of Fame has seen many of its members unfortunately pass away.

Words of wisdom from Lasorda, another man that I cherish who has meant a lot to me throughout my lifetime are always things that I keep in my mind!

But Don Mattingly is simply one of a kind! 

I’m truly grateful to the New York Yankees, Miami Marlins and Toronto Blue Jays for giving me one more amazing memory with a person that I view as the older brother that I never had at LoanDepot Park in Miami! 

This was a day where a Detroiter/Midwesterner had the opportunity to hang with a fellow Midwesterner from Evansville, will remember. 

Once upon a time, the Detroit Tigers had a AAA team in Evansville called the Triplets. Mattingly and I once talked about this.

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

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

Scott has a book, “Lessons From The Microphone” that can be purchased on Amazon-Kindle and Barnes & Noble. This book talks about Old School Media vs New School Media.

Marlins Surpass Last Year’s Win Total

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

The Miami Marlins were attempting to take a page from the Florida Panthers.

They were looking to be the next feel good in South Florida. There was a period where the Fish were 8-1-1 in series, had a nine game winning steak and even sent a few players to the All-Star Game in Atlanta.

We did a podcast on the Marlins after they swept the New York Yankees 3-0 and sold out all three games at LoanDepot Park “Are the Marlins Contenders or Pretenders?”  Miami won on the field and at the gate as 101,000 + fans .

Many of us felt that Manager Clayton McCulllough had his young team trending in the right direction.

After the Yankees series, the Houston Astros came to town and the Fish were feeling good.

But it didn’t take long for the series and what took place from August 4-6 for reality to set in.

An August 4, the Astros pounded Miami 10-2 in front of 10,827. The Marlins lost 7-3 to Houston on August 5 as 12,186 saw them lose to the first place Astros. In the finale on August 6, 10,073 saw Houston lose 6-4 win as Miami averted the sweep. The attendance for the three games was 33,086.

At the time of the trade deadline, Miami decided not to sell. 

They kept Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera.

The only player that was moved was outfielder Jesus Sanchez to the Houston Astros for three minor leaguers. The way the Marlins change their roster, these guys can be in the Big Leagues in no time, 

But to be 55-55 after the Yankees series was quite an accomplishment. 

Miami is the only team to have a winning record all-time vs the Bronx Bombers. 

At one point, the Marlins were 16 games under .500 and rolled out six consecutive series wins to reach 55-55.

The 2025 season has had its’ peaks and valleys.

One of the lowest points of the season occurred during a three game series vs the Colorado Rockies. At the time, the Rockies were playing such poor baseball that there was a chance they could challenge the Chicago White Sox futility record last year.

Here is how things shook out during the series that took place from June 2-4.

On June 2, the Rockies defeated Miami 6-4 in front of 5,894 fans. The Rockies won their 10th game of the season.

On June 3, 7,583 attended a 3-2 loss while on June 4, the Colorado won 3-2 in front of 6,261 fans.

For the three game series, 19,738 fans attended in a ballpark that has a capacity of 37,442. The Marlins lost money staffing the ballpark for the Rockies series. What’s embarrassing about this series is Miami averaged 11,649 fans. 

The Athletics average 10,069 at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, as the park’s capacity is 14,000. Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Rays are averaging 9,872 At George M Steinbrenner Field which holds 11,206.

The biggest feel good story of the year has by far has been left-handed hitter Kyle Stowers, who was acquired at the 2024 trade deadline for All-Star Trevor Rogers. 

Before he went on the Injury List, Stowers was hitting .288 with 25 homers and 73 RBI in 457 plate appearances. The injury that sidelined him was a grade one left side strain. On July 13, he hit three home runs and collected six RBI., against his old team the Baltimore Orioles.

As of August 7, the Rogers trade for Stowers was a win-win situation for both sides. Stowers was hitting .294 with 25 homers and 71 RBI. Rogers had a 5-2 record with a 1.44 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP for the Baltimore Orioles.

Stowers and Nick Kurtz of the A’s won the player of the Month honors for July.

Kurtz hit .395, with 11 RR, 27 RBI and a 1.269 OPS.

Stowers hit .364, with 10 HR, 20 RBI and 1.269 OPS.

The Marlins playoff hopes have nose dived especially after the Houston series

Miami hit the road and lost to Atlanta 4-1 in a five game series. The Marlins traveled to Cleveland and lost a three game series to the Guardians 2-1. The road trip continued and so did the losing as Boston took the series 2-1 at Fenway Park.

Would coming home change in terms of winning series? 

No.

The Marlins lost to the St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays and Atlanta Braves 2-1 in these respective series. In the opening game of the Cardinals series, St. Louis snapped a five game losing streak.

There is no question that losing outfielder Stowers has been a difficult blow to the Marlins. 

But injuries are part of the game.

Earlier this season, we saw Cal Quantrill pitch the immaculate inning. He was the only major league signing this off-season.

The right-handed pitcher was placed on outright waivers. He was owed the remainder of his $3.5 Million salary, posting a 5.50 ERA in 24 starts, including a 11.25 ERA in three starts in August.

The Atlanta wasted no time adding Quantrill, whose record stands at 4-12, with a 6.07 ERA and 85 strikeouts. 

In his most recent game, he gave up nine runs, nine hits in 3.1 innings as the Braves we’re shelled by the Philadelphia Phillies 19-4 on Thursday Night in Philly.

In this story, are some videos that I know you will enjoy and these will talk about the peaks and valleys that the Marlins are dealing with in the summer.

A year ago, the Marlins finished with a 62-100 record. 

With the Marlins 7-4 win at New York over the Mets Thursday Night, the Marlins won the 63rd contest surpassing last season’s total. 

It will be interesting to see what the final triumph total becomes.

Manager Clayton McCullough is one of the nicest people I’ve ever worked with. Not only is he pleasant to work with, but he has a good temperament with the fans. 

I hope he has the time to see the fruits of his labor. 

Unfortunately, Don Mattingly, Derek Jeter and Kim Ng weren’t able to complete what vision they had for the franchise.

It’s good that the Marlins have had the opportunity to honor championship managers Jim Leyland and Jack McKeon this season.

Now we’ll see if the Marlins retire those skippers numbers and other players in the future who are inducted into their Hall of Fame, perhaps Miguel Cabrera, Dontrelle Willis and Josh Beckett.

To date, there are no numbers retired in the rafters and a good spot for them would be next to the Championship Banners of 1997 and 2003.

The lesson McCullough has had to covey to his players, these are the dog days of summer. 

Many of these players came from somewhere to get their chance of playing Major League Baseball.

It will be interesting to see if the Marlins can learn enough this season and change the narrative as to how to become contenders thus convincing fans to continue to coming to the ballpark. 

This is a fanbase which has experienced so much losing and when the team becomes consistent winners, aside from the New York Yankees, Mets, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers, it will be a tough sell. 

The Yankees, Red Sox and Tigers come every two years.

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

To see his broadcasts, go to YouTube and Subscribe to South Florida Tribune.

He also wrote a book, “Lessons From The Microphone” which talks about Old School Media vs New School Media. It’s available on Amazon/Kindle and Barnes & Noble.

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Marlins and Giants Make Things Interesting

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

There have always been some interesting moments when the Miami Marlins and San Francisco Giants square off through the years.

In 2003, I attended the Marlins clinching victory when the Florida Marlins defeated the Giants 7-6 in the fourth game to win the series 3-1. But the play that will always be remembered was when J.T. Snow was in scoring position with two men on. 

He tried to score on a single to left by Jeffrey Hammond. Jeff Connie’s throw was on target, and Ivan Rodriguez tagged snow at the plate as Snow barreled into him. Rodriguez fell backwards, and, as he rose, showed that he had held on to the ball, preserving the Marlins win. 

Miami would defeat the Chicago Cubs in the NLCS and went on to win the World Series.

Since that game, I’ve always tried to see these squads face each other and these series’ have always been entertaining. But every time I see these teams, the memories always stand out in my mind watching Barry Bonds lose in the post-season and I was in the Marlins clubhouse getting doused by champagne.

I had no interest in dealing with Bonds because of his arrogant demeanor, plus at the time my Gastonia Rangers colleague Wayne Rosenthal was Miami’s pitching coach and we proceeded to have a blast hanging out.

Earlier this month, we saw a pair of games with these two teams.

On May 31, 2025, a guy, who I interviewed at the All-Star Game in Miami, Robbie Ray, who pitched for the Seattle Mariners at the time, was on the hill for the Giants. 

He entered the game with a 7-0 record with a 2.56 ERA. He faced Edward Cabrera (1-1, 4.73 ERA).

Before the game, I asked Marlins Manager Clayton McCullough his thoughts about facing a hurler who has overcome Tommy John Surgery and is pitching outstanding. 

You can hear that interview in this story, in addition to the fact that the skipper also answered a question that I presented about future Hall of Fame pitcher Justin Verlander.

This contest turned out to be a pitchers duel as Cabrera pitched 5.2 innings of scoreless baseball. The Marlins scored the only run of the game in the second to win the contest 1-0. The bullpen kept to Giants off the scoreboard the rest of the way.

Ray was tremendous as he pitched seven innings, allowed just two hits, walked three and stuck out nine. He is currently 8-2 with a 2.68 ERA with 97 strikeouts.

On Sunday, June 1, the Giants bounced back and won the game 4-2. They scored four runs off of Miami starter and loser Ryan Weathers, who hurled six innings and yielded four runs.

But the bright spot for Miami was the play of Marlins second baseman Xavier Edwards. He had a franchise record setting afternoon by going 5-5 with five hits. He’s just an amazing player and it seems like every time I see him, he plays spectacular. 

When I saw him play last year in Milwaukee, he recorded the first cycle in team history.

Hayden Birdsong earned the win for the Giants and his record improved to 3-1 while Camilo Doval notched his seventh save.

The Marlins lost the first game of the series as Cal Quantrill, the author of a game that we attended when a pitched “The Immaculate Inning” was on the wrong end of a 2-0 decision. He pitched five innings, gave up eight hits, two runs but amassed seven strikeouts with just one walk.

The Giants won the series 2-1.

Since this series, the Giants swung a trade with the Boston Red Sox and acquired Rafael Devers to bolster their offense. 

We talked about this on Monday Night’s Edition of 108 Stitches, Baseball Talk which is included in the story.

To date, the Giants record is 41-32 and they’re 3.5 games back in second place behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Western Division.

Meanwhile, Miami is 29-42 and is in fifth place in the National League East, 15 games behind division leader the New York Mets.

McCullough was named as a coach to the National League All-Star Game in Atlanta joining Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts. Before taking the Miami job, McCullough earned a World Series title with Roberts.

The game will take place on July 15 at Atlanta’s Truist Park.

My next trip to Miami will be the weekend of July 19-20, one of those games as the Fish host the Kansas City Royals. Former Florida Gator Jac Caglianone comes to town. He was the No.6 overall player in the 2024 MLB Draft.

Baseball Expert Harold Reynold describes him “as a player that we’re going to be talking about this guy for years to come.”

I’ll be taking my first trip across the Big Pond, with stops in London, England, Belgium, Netherlands, Norway and Iceland.

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

Finally, Scott wrote a book, “Lessons From The Microphone” which talks about Old School Media Vs New School Media. It’s a good read for everyone especially for students looking to get into the industry. This can be purchased at Amazon/Kindle and Barnes & Noble.

Are The Mets Ready To Seize The Big Apple?

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Could there be another Subway Series in the Fall Classic in October?

The way things are going right now, it’s hard to bet against it.

During the off-season, the Mets landed former Yankee Juan Soto in free agency. 

He’s the latest to play for both New York clubs. 

He’s joins Darryl Strawberry, Gary Sheffield, Rickey Henderson, Curtis Granderson, Doc Gooden, David Cone, Robinson Cano, Bartolo Colon, Yogi Berra, and Carlos Beltran. 

This is quite a list.

There are so many intriguing parts of the Soto signing. 

His 2025 Salary of $61.9 Million is larger than the Miami Marlins Opening Day Payroll of $47.9 Million.

The perks in his 15-year deal worth $765 Million include the following:

1. No.22 Jersey

2. Luxury Suite at Citi-Field

3. Four Premium Seats Per-Game.

4. Award Bonuses.

5. Security For Family.

There is one perk which is missing. 

There is no Yankees slugger Aaron Judge for line-up protection.

On May 20, Juan Soto thought he homered so he stood in the batters box to watch it. 

The play ended up being a long single. 

After the game, Mendoza wasn’t happy with the effort. “You gotta get out of the box. We’ll discuss that..” Mendoza was alluding that Soto didn’t hustle out of the box.

Let’s face the reality, the New York Mets are going to have an eventful year as they battle for the front pages with the New York Yankees. 

The Soto signing is going to add to the intrigue.

On last week’s edition of 108 Stitches, Baseball Talk, My crew included: Eric Katz, George Eichorn, Trent Clark and longtime New York Mets fan Stuart Hack.

The title of the show was “Biting Into Big Apple Baseball” as we talked about should be Hall of Famers on both sides, each team’s revenue sources as well as values, clips from Mets Sports Writer Tim Healy, as well as other storylines. All the videos are in this story.

Clark is a Baseball Lifer that’s worked with the LA Angels, Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians. He’s a regular panelist on our show that airs at 8:30 PM ET Monday Night’s on You Tube. 

The one thing that he said which stood out is the length of Soto’s contract which as we mentioned is 15-years. 

The length is always a concern these days when signing a mega super star. 

We’ll find out down the road if that comes to fruition with Soto. We’ve seen this happen with Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols.

This is why owners are reluctant to had out deals much longer than eight years. 

The smaller markets could do it in order to keep a player in their market for a long time and make them the face of the franchise.

At the moment, Soto is ———————————————————————————. 

The Mets are currently in first place with a record of ———- —- games ahead of second place ——————. 

Time will tell whether Soto was worth the investment or whether he’ll be traded before the end of the contract. 

His signing is another development in the Subway Series and he joins the list mentioned above that has worn both sets of pinstripes.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com and you can follow him on Twitter/X @TribuneSouth. 

To see all of his broadcast, there is no cost to subscribe to the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel.

He also wrote a book “Lessons From The Microphone” which can be purchased on Amazon/Kindle and Barnes & Noble. It’s mainly Old School Media vs New School and is a great read for those learning about the industry or can serve as a hand book for others in the industry.

The Magnitude Of Head Trauma

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

If there is anybody that knows about the damaging effect about head injuries, it’s myself.

During the past three years, I’ve had four concussions. 

I wouldn’t even begin to count how many more that I’ve had throughout the years. 

I sustained my latest concussion during Easter Weekend and was in the hospital for four days.

Unfortunately, my diagnosis has led to Alzheimer’s Disease. It’s a condition that I know that I will succumb to in the next few years. 

I’m currently taking a lot of medication prescribed by my doctors and staying active by writing, covering sporting events, doing podcasts and plan to write a pair of books in the next 12 months. 

My doctors are telling me the more activity the better and they don’t even mind me drinking a lot of caffeine to keep me stimulated. 

In fact, I schedule my appointments on late Friday afternoons, and one of the nurses subscribed to my You Tube Channel loves when I come in. 

I’m so wired with caffeine that I really make her laugh by firing one-liners faster than Indy Cars race around a track. 

She laughs real hard especially when she has patients that are down in the dumps which makes her feel sad. When I’m there it’s a much higher octane energy level!

She uses my shows at home when she needs a good laugh to keep her upbeat.

It’s safe to say that my sleep pattern is totally unpredictable.

When I went to the Super Bowl in New Orleans, I attended a couple of interesting events. 

First, I went to the NFLPA Press Conference and one of the topics the players discussed was whether they would approve of an 18-game season which would reduce the pre-season down to two contests. During this meeting, the players were totally against it due to safety concerns.

After the meeting, I did an interview with Chicago Bears backup QB Case Keenum and we talked about that very subject and helmets. Our interview is in this story, in addition to the NFLPA meeting. Check them out. I know you will learn something from them.

The next event I attended was the day before the Super Bowl. 

It was Super Agent Leigh Steinberg’s annual party. 

It was interesting to see the different vendors and I met a doctor who talked about a jaw protection product called Neurogard +. I actually did an interview with him as well. This is also included in the story.

Player safety has been a concern for years and there was a recent settlement that was handed out to players due to their head injuries and other ailments. These injuries have led to ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), CTE, Parkinson’s Disease, and Dementia among others.

But the reality of the situation is the players can balk at the 18-game season all they want. 

It will eventually get negotiated into the new collective bargaining agreement. 

What will end up happening is there will be an extra bye week, increased roster sizes and the owners will increase their revenue streams. The extra game will end up being an international contest which we know the NFL is working diligently to market the game globally. We all know with extra games, there will be more practice time which also adds hits. The players will make more money per-year.

During the press conference it was very interesting to hear the different viewpoints on these head injuries including one from Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler. If there is anyone prone to get hit high, it’s running backs. 

During the Miami Hurricanes Spring Practice, I noticed the team wearing Guardian Caps. I wasted no time asking Hurricanes Coach Mario Cristobal whether we would see the team wearing Guardian Caps in the Fall. That interview is also included in the story.

This is a subject that will continually be analyzed on all levels from youth, college, professional football as well as all the medical people analyzing the data.

Dealing with Brain Trauma first hand gives me first hand experience as to what these players are facing from migraines to short term memory and maintaining balance when walking with the fear of falling. 

My toughest challenges about head injuries stem from lack of stability in my body, short term memory loss and now I tend to make simple mistakes on the road such as forgetting my location or even missing exits on the highways. 

I struggle going to places with lots of noise and it’s increasingly difficult to be around loud children which sets off my migraine headaches.

I’ve driven over four million miles in my lifetime and I enjoy being on the road to meditate by listening to music. 

Now I spend 24 hours at home working remotely from my computer unless I go out for a quick networking meeting or a restaurant, sporting event with my wife.

In early August, I leased a Honda Odyssey and have 50,000 miles included in my package, and on Memorial Day, I finally surpassed the 1,000 mile mark.

I struggle dealing with this all of the time. I can’t drive more than 15 minutes without my wife and these days, she drives the majority of the time. 

This is the part that’s killing me inside!

Now I have to find other ways to meditate and miss those drives on the ocean looking at the Atlantic Ocean and beaches. Being a resident in Florida, there are tons of beaches on the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.

My recent concussion led to a broken left thumb and being in the protocol took me off the road for six weeks.

One of my closest friends is named Jennifer Lee-Cobb. 

She is a former St. Louis Rams Cheerleader and Jennifer has been on my podcast a few times. She’s dealt with head injuries living through it with family members. She’s currently leading the fight against Parkinson’s Disease.

Legendary fighter Muhammad Ali died of this disease. One of my colleagues former UCLA Broadcaster Chris Roberts recently passed away. 

Actor Michael J. Fox, former Hockey Coach Barry Melrose are also dealing with Parkinson’s Syndrome.

LA Times columnist and former Around The Horn panelist Bill Plaschke reveals he’s been battling Parkinson’s Disease for the last four years.

Former Bears Hall of Famer Steve McMichael recently lost his battler with ALS. The only thing we can be thankful for is he was inducted into the HOF in 2024.

Jennifer and I are very close and although we haven’t met in person yet, she keeps tabs on all of my activity especially content I produce. She’ll appear in the chat room from time to time and she’s also in my book, “Lessons From The Microphone” because of what she does and how we connected. I’m very confident that we will meet down the road.

I know you’ll enjoy her story that’s included in this article. 

Head injuries are about education through all kinds of sources. 

I’m hoping to talk to more players, coaches and medical professionals in the future as I aim to educate others while going through my own battles.

In the end, the next time you watch any heavy contact sport such as Football, Hockey, Boxing, MMA, Wrestling and Bareknuckle Fighting, we have to be conscious of the head gear as well as the impact of the contact for which the blows the head is subjected to.

But no matter what we find out, we must understand that while head injuries are common in sports, anyone can be subjected to them. When they’re subjected to them, the focus then gets placed on the caregivers. It’s a domino effect. 

As I get ready to embark on my first trip overseas which will take my wife and I to London, Belgium, Netherlands, Norway and Iceland, I’ve prioritized my bucket list now so when the time comes and I need more advanced care, I’ll appreciate the things I want to do while I can enjoy them. All of these places will be on a cruise ship.

If my health holds up, the target is to hit Paris, France., Barcelona, Spain., Rome, Switzerland, Portugal and if I’m ambitious, my wife and I will get to Germany. Realistically, I’m not holding my breath on Germany. But if we do this land trip, another book will follow.

The amazing part about my diagnosis is my doctor that told me about this didn’t think I would be able to write another book sighting the early short term memory loss. 

My wife looked at her as we walked out the door and told this female physician let me give you some sound advice, “Don’t put anything past my husband. I’ve seen him do some unbelievable things especially when his back is to the wall as he feeds off of pressure. Bad move because he thrives on proving people wrong!”

So here we have it. I’ve had a chance to give you a glimpse of my story and talk about sports. The videos inside this article will speak volumes since they come from a wide range of sources!

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

Also, he has a book called “Lessons From The Microphone” which can be purchased at Amazon/Kindle, Barnes & Noble. We’re working on getting the Audio Book. 

This book is great for individuals that want to learn about the Media and talks about Old School Media Vs New School Media. Students use it as a handbook to learn about the business.

The Evolution of Spring Football

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

The United Football League’s playoffs start this weekend.

The defending UFL Champions Birmingham Stallions face the Michigan Panthers in one contest while the DC Defenders tackle the St. Louis Battlehawks in the other game.

Aside from college football, the UFL has been a good feeder system for the NFL. 

NBC has been a broadcasting partner in the past while FOX owns the league. 

ESPN is carrying the games this league. 

It’s been a good opportunity to keep their main broadcasters busy during the offseason while others actually got jobs for the networks in the NFL. Greg Olson got his start in Spring Football.

The Birmingham Stallions are the three-time champions and play their games at UAB and they’re seeking a fourth title under Skip Holtz.

The Detroit Lions found their kicker across the building at Ford Field when Jake Bates was kicking bombs for the Michigan Panthers. 

QB A.J. McCarron has enjoyed a nice career with the St. Louis Battlehawks. 

QB’s Luis Perez and Jordan Ta’amu have found themselves on NFL rosters in the summer and this year QB Matt Corral along with wide receivers Hakeem Butler (Battlehawks) and Deon Cain (Panthers) could be playing on Sundays.

The city of St. Louis has been the benefactor of Spring Football as The Dome at America’s Center have seen the Battlehawks draw crowds in the 30-40,000 range. This is another reason why St. Louis shouldn’t have lost the Rams but Owner Stan Kroenke opted to move to Los Angeles and has flourished back in the Rams original home.

I’ve enjoyed covering Spring Football dating back to 1984 when I covered the original United States Football League. In fact, I wrote a story in college and it won an award. I enjoyed watching the Tampa Bay Bandits and saw Steve Spurrier’s coaching career get started. His Bandit Ball was fun to watch. 

I attended the 1984 USFL Championship Game at Tampa Stadium. In fact, that weekend, myself and other reporters were invited to current President Donald Trump’s suite to talk about the USFL. Trump was the owner of the New Jersey Generals and his star was running back Herschel Walker.

I’m not going to go over the demise of that league because it’s not applicable to what we’re doing. But that USFL had stars like Walker, Houston Gambler’s QB Jim Kelly, LA Express QB Steve Young, Memphis Showboats DT Reggie White and many other competing with the NFL for star-studded talent. The teams were privately owned. They had an 18 game schedule and also produced a lot of great coaches.

This version of Spring Football’s teams are not privately owned. The regular season is 10-games with two playoff games including the Championship which takes place on June 14th in St. Louis.

The league is owned by Dwayne “Rock” Johnson and his ex wife Dany Garcia. They’ve done a good job in slowly developing the financial blueprint to keep the league on a sustainable path for gradual growth.

They’ve done some innovative things that the NFL can use to see if those rules could either be added or modified. 

They hired FOX’s Mike Perreira and Dean Blandino to oversee the officiating. These guys analyze replays in the booth and make the changes and all the people can watch the transparency of why the calls were made and changed. 

I’ve seen offensive and defensive coordinators make calls in the booth and relay them to the players on the field. Holtz is a hands on coach and you can see his expertise on offense. 

There are no extra points as they have the one, two and three point conversions. To think that a team can actually tie a game on a nine-point play is totally surreal. But I’ve seen it happen.

I’ve enjoyed the in game interviews with the coaches and players as they are excited for the opportunity to be seen on television with the hopes that these opportunities give them another a chance to play in the NFL. Since I have covered minor league sports through the years, it’s refreshing to see players and coaches have a chance at upward mobility. Keep in mind, the NFL is looking for new officials.

Before the opening game of the year, DC Defenders Head Coach Reggie Barlow took the head coaching job at Tennessee State and succeeded Eddie George, who landed at Bowling Green University. Barlow brought his defensive coordinator Greg Williams to Tennessee with him.

Meanwhile, Shannon Harris succeeded Barlow and guided his team to a playoff berth.

In addition to Holtz, Mike Nolan has done a good job with the Michigan Panthers, Wade Phillips guided the San Antonio Brahmas to the UFL title game a year ago, while former Oklahoma Sooners legendary coach Bob Stoops has transitioned into Pro Football with the Arlington Renegades. His offensive coordinator is former Detroit Lions signal caller Chuck Long.

But let’s make no bones about it, the league is struggling with attendance issues on the field playing inn front of sparse crowds. 

Birmingham has struggled at the gate despite winning championships especially during a time in the spring in a football state which has powerhouses like Alabama and Auburn.

The Houston Roughnecks and Memphis Showboats franchises could be on the move and the league is considering expanding by two next year in addition to relocation. I truly thought Houston made a mistake not going back to its past and using the Gamblers.

In May and April, the following UFL trademarks were updated as live and pending. The Portland Breakers, Orlando Renegades, Jacksonville Bulls, Baltimore Stars, Houston Gamblers, LA Express, Denver Gold, Oakland Invaders, Tampa Bay Bandits, Philadelphia Stars, New Jersey Generals, Arizona Outlaws, (Chicago) The Blitz, New Orleans Breakers and Oklahoma Outlaws.

Who knows what will become of this. But I will say, the league should put a team in San Diego and Oakland and follow the path of the Battlehawks as markets that had NFL teams which would appreciate having Pro Football again. Time will tell if that happens.

Here at the South Florida Tribune, we do provide UFL Feeds thanks to Mark Perry who is in charge of that website. I had him on a podcast which is included in this story. You’ll find it very informative and we hope to have him on again. 

We also did a recent podcast on our which is titled “Is The UFL Any Value To The NFL?” 

You’ll find the opinions and insights quite interesting.

Finally, at Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans, I had an interview with Darryl “Moose” Johnson and he’s the man calling the shots. We all know that he was a legend with the Cowboys and does an outstanding job with FOX, but I truly enjoyed our conversation and I know you will as well.

This story is designed to give you an in-depth perspective of Spring Football, past and present and let’s not lose sight that it’s also beneficial for the television networks to provide programming during the off-season as well. 

In fact, I was pleased with the amount of views that Perry’s appearance provided on our network, then again I shouldn’t have been since we were talking about football.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com and you can see his broadcasts and subscribe to the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel at no charge.

You can follow the South Florida Tribune on Instagram as well as on Twitter/X.

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

He’s the Publisher of The South Florida Tribune,