South’s sports scene dealing with Frances

MIAMI — The Miami Dolphins returned home early Saturday, much later than expected.

It was the kind of travel delay that concerned many players when they reluctantly played their exhibition finale at New Orleans while Hurricane Frances moved toward Florida’s east coast Friday night.

Frances forced the team’s charter plane to land in Tampa on the west coast of Florida, and the Dolphins had to take a four-hour bus ride to South Florida. Players and coaches arrived at 6 a.m., more than seven hours after beating the Saints 20-19.

“It wasn’t the ideal circumstance to fly into Tampa, but we got everybody back before the real serious weather hit,” team spokesman Harvey Greene said.

The players voted overwhelming not to play the game because they wanted to stay with their families to prepare for the storm. The NFL refused the request, but several players were under the impression the game wasn’t going to be played.

Nine players didn’t make the trip, but the only injury-related absences were fullback Rob Konrad (knee) and defensive tackle Tim Bowens (back).

Receiver Chris Chambers, defensive end Chidi Ahanotu, wide receiver Antonio Freeman and tight ends Donald Lee and John Jones stayed behind without permission.

Chambers told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel he didn’t get the Dolphins’ message on his cell phone about the game being played until after the charter flight left Fort Lauderdale.

“There were a lot of guys complaining,” Chambers said. “The next thing I know, they’re in New Orleans. It was just miscommunication. No one called the house. I was ready to go.”

Left tackle Wade Smith and defensive tackle Larry Chester, both starters, didn’t make the trip because their wives are pregnant.

Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt refused to say what penalties the players might face.

“It will be dealt with,” he said. “Once I decide if and what, I will deal with it in-house and that will be the end of it.”

Wannstedt’s day-after news conference scheduled for Saturday was postponed to today. Players were off until Monday. The Dolphins open the season next Sunday at home against Tennessee.

Forecasters expected the large Category 2 storm with 105 mph top sustained winds to come ashore late Saturday or early today somewhere along the middle of the state’s Atlantic coast.

The arrival was about a day later than earlier predictions, a delay that forced the postponement of dozens of sports events across the state.

The Florida Marlins postponed their entire three-game series against the Chicago Cubs. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays delayed two games against the Detroit Tigers.

“Like I said before, I mean life and death and safety of your team and the people in Florida who live in Florida, that’s No. 1,” Cubs manager Dusty Baker said. “That supersedes baseball every time.”

Several college football games also were postponed, including the opener between No. 5 Florida State and No. 6 Miami.

Anyone fleeing Frances from Florida or south Georgia could get a complimentary ticket to Saturday’s Clemson-Wake Forest football game. Bert Henderson, executive director of Clemson’s booster group, said about 4,000 tickets, priced at $32 each, would be available to those with a valid Florida or south Georgia ID.

“We’re extending our hospitality to them,” Henderson said. “We care about them.”