The Improvement of South Florida Sports

What a difference a year makes. To see how far South Florida sports have come, let's rewind a year.

The Heat were on their way to a last place finish with Pat Riley at the helm. The Dolphins had just finished dead last and Cam Cameron was in search of a new job. The Marlins were getting ready to start a season with the lowest payroll in the league after finishing last in the NL East the previous season. And the Florida Panthers were of course doing what they had done for the better part of the last decade, not winning.

Now, now we are in paradise. A playoff appearance by the Dolphins felt like a Superbowl win a year after fans were forced to celebrate one win against the lowly Ravens. The only downside was that Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas could not be a part of it. The Heat are cruising towards a sure playoff spot, probably as a No. 4 or 5 seed, but everyone who has seen Dwyane Wade play knows that as long as the Heat make the playoffs anything can happen.

The Panthers are the hottest team in the league and, barring another epic collapse, will sneak into the playoffs. Last year the Marlins shocked the league by finishing seven games over .500 in a division dominated by the Mets and World Series champions Phillies.  This year many experts are predicting a second place finish for the young Marlins, shocking considering their payroll and lack of star power.

Its been quite the roller coaster, and the Heat and Panthers should be fun to watch over the coming months. Spring training is right around the corner for the Marlins and we'll see what Fredi Gonzalez can pull off this year. The amazing thing about what all these teams have done is that they have done it with young, inexperienced coaches.

First year coach Erik Spoelstra is the NBA's youngest coach at 38, and he has already managed to more than double the Heat's win total from last year. First year coach Tony Sparano (47 years old) became the first coach to take a one win team to the playoffs the following year which landed him one vote shy of being named coach of the year.

Fredi Gonzalez (45 years old) took an unknown team into the thick of the Wild Card race last season. Pete DeBoer (40 years old) is looking to help the Panthers make the playoffs for the first time since 2000. None of these men held a head coaching job previous to their current one in their respective leagues.

When you think about it, its quite amazing whats going on South Florida. Take note, appreciate it.