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Scoreboard Matter

Gov. Charlie Crist, shown in a 2005 photo with Marlins player Miguel Cabrera

Good Morning Matterites! I woke up this morning to some great news! After seven years of last-minute political defeats, the plan to help the Florida Marlins build a new ballpark with the help of state funds got a major boost Wednesday when Gov. Charlie Crist announced he is a fan of using taxpayer money to subsidize sports stadiums. The goal of building a new home for the Florida Marlins is looking much better since Crist took office. Crist is a former Major League Baseball attorney and one-time college quarterback and said stadiums rev up local economies and benefit communities in other ways. The main problem left for the Marlins is finding the site of the new ballpark, and the most sought-after location would require a complicated land deal between the county and the city of Miami to allow the club to tap into a special tax-break system that was originally established for fixing up blighted areas. So in other words we are close, but not close enough. Onto the scores…

There were no games scheduled for South Florida last night unless you consider the massacre in Chapel Hill a game worth talking about as the Hurricanes got worked 105 – 64.

Tonights Games

• 7:30 p.m.: Capitals-Panthers, FSNF; WQAM (560) – Despite Alexander Ovechkin’s play, the Washington Capitals aren’t getting enough scoring to move into the playoff race. The Florida Panthers haven’t fared any better. These Southeast Division rivals, struggling near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, look to turn around their scoring woes when they continue their season series Thursday. Washington (21-23-7) is 12th in the East and Florida (19-23-10) is tied for 13th, standing seven and eight points back, respectively, of the eighth and final playoff spot. Both missed an opportunity to beat a team ahead of them in the standings Tuesday night, with the Capitals losing 3-2 at Ottawa and the Panthers falling 3-0 at Pittsburgh.

• 8 p.m.: Cavs-Heat, TNT; WIOD (610), WAQI (710, Spanish) – The Cleveland Cavaliers have had enough trouble winning in Miami with LeBron James in the lineup. It’s unlikely to be any easier if he’s not available, even if the Heat are missing Shaquille O’Neal on Thursday as these teams meet for the first time this season. James has never won in six trips to Miami despite averaging 28.3 points, and Cleveland (26-19) has lost seven in a row there since Dec. 21, 2001. The Cavaliers have a 5-23 all-time road record against the Heat (20-25).

Enjoy your day.