General: Miami -- Spring Sporting Paradise

It's that frustrating time of the year in many parts of the USA, as sport's fans in the north-east, in particular, are currently freezing their butts off, cooped up in the warmth of their homes to catch the NFL playoffs or watching whatever NBA or NHL game is on that day or night.

How does that song go -- "....Winter in America is cold/and I just keep getting older....".

Of course, the best way to beat the cold as you get a little older is to do what baseball fans do and head for those places that provide a bit of heat, and what better way for sport's fans to escape the cold then heading to Miami where a sporting extravaganza takes place every February and March that is second to none.

For those that haven't been there before, Miami is a melting pot of different cultures that makes it very unique to most other cities in the USA.

This is not surprising considering its closeness to the West Indies and South America. Half of Miami's population is Hispanic, and its various communities, such as Little Haiti and Little Havana, feel more West Indian than American.

This means that Miami is a tourist delight, with the variety of food and music unmatched elsewhere in the States.

Then there are the sports. Oh boy -- just sittin' in the sun and watching sports from sun up to sundown.

Below is a rundown of what's on offer for those fans that want to head down to Miami for a plethora of sun, surf and sport.

* February 6 to 9: Champions Tour Royal Caribbean Golf Classic, Crandon Park Golf Course, Key Biscayne, Florida

This is your chance to catch some to the great names of golf in their twilight years. Unlike the main PGA tour, the crowds aren't big and the walk around this beautiful course is as leisurely as the play of the old golfers on display.

The Crandon Park Golf Course is located on Key Biscayne, the small island about six miles (10 kilometers) south of downtown Miami. It is adjacent to the site of the Tennis Masters Series held in mid-March. Tickets for one day is $15 at the gate or $10 if bought in advance. A tournament pass for all days will cost you $20. You can also buy a ticket called the "Classic Pass" for $59 that gives you several passes to all days of play, as well as passes to play several top courses in the Miami area. Go to www.rcgcforms.com to pre-order your tickets.

* Feb 29: INDY Racing League Toyota 300 Grand Prix of Miami, Homestead- Miami Speedway, 1 Speedway Blvd, Homestead.

For a chance to get an early glimpse of the drivers who will line up later in the year in the Indy 500, take the hike out to the large Homestead-Miami Speedway for the first IndyCar Racing Series of the year. The Homestead-Miami Speedway is located some 37 miles (60 km) southwest of downtown Miami, near the southern entry to the Everglades.

Tickets to the Speedway are usually snapped up very quickly. All tickets for this event are reserved seating, with prices ranging from $25 through to $200. You can also purchase a weekend package for $75, which gets you into general admission tickets to Friday practice/qualifying, Saturday's Nextel GP of Miami, paddock passes and a reserved ticket for Sunday's Toyota Indy 300. Check www.homesteadmiamispeedway.com for further information.

* March 4 to 7: PGA Tour Ford Championship at Doral, Doral Golf Resort and Spa (Blue Course), 4400 NW 87th Ave, Miami, Florida.

One of the premier lead-up tournaments to the US Masters, the Ford Championship at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa has been won by some of the game's premier golfer's, including Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, Nick Faldo and Greg Norman. The "Blue Monster" (because it is one of the longest courses on the tour) is located about nine miles (15 km) west of downtown Miami. The Doral Golf Resort and Spa itself is a mammoth complex that includes five 18-hole golf courses.

Ticket prices for the Thursday and Friday rounds are $20, with the third and final rounds costing $35. You can also buy a Blue Monster pack for $65, which gets you tickets to all the rounds as well as the pro-am, as well as round of golf at the Doral Spa and Resort between May and September.

* March 22 to April 4: ATP and WTA Nasdaq-100 Masters Series, Tennis Center at Crandon Park, 7300 Crandon Blvd, Miami, Florida

This is now one of the top tournaments in the world outside the grand slams, with some calling it the "5th major." The men's tournament has been the domain of Andre Agassi, who has won the title five times, including the last three in a row. The tennis center itself is of grand slam quality and compares favorably with some of the great tennis complexes in the world, with the Stadium Court having a capacity of 14,000. The Tennis Center at Crandon Park is located at Key Biscayne at Crandon Park.

Ticket prices to this Masters series event range from as little as $10 early in the tournament to $45 for the Final. Unlike the grand slam tournaments, tickets also entitle you to a reserved seat in the Stadium, as well as to other courts in the complex. Ticket information is available at http://www.nasdaq-100open.com/

* During February and March: NBA Miami Heat, American Airlines Arena, 601 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, Florida.

The Miami Heat might not be currently setting the world on fire but the team will be hosting several big ticket teams during February and March, including the Detroit Pistons; the new look New York Knicks; the superstar LA Lakers; the Portland Trailblazers; the Jason Kidd led New Jersey Nets; and the Alan Iverson Philadelphia 76'ers.

Opened in 1998, the American Airlines Arena has a capacity of 20,000 people. One of the nicer features of this indoor arena is the night-time view you get of the downtown area from the concourse windows. The new Arena replaced the famous Miami Arena six blocks away. As it is located adjacent to downtown, there is good public transit to the Arena.

Individual game tickets for the Arena range from as little as $10 to $50 for the upper tier and from $33 to $180 for the lower tier. Further information can be found at www.nba.com.

* During February and March: NHL Florida Panthers, Office Depot Center, 2555 Panther Parkway, Sunrise, which is located near Fort Lauderdale, Florida

The Panthers entered the League in 1993 and have made a few NHL playoff series since their entry. Although it is still hard to get used to ice hockey being played in Florida, the Panthers have made a good go of trying to make it work. During February and March, the Panthers will host the likes of the Canadiens; the Penguins; the Maple Leafs; the Senators; and the three New York teams -- the Islanders, the Devils and the Rangers.

Office Depot Center hosts the Panthers and is located at 2555 Panther Parkway, Sunrise, which is located near Fort Lauderdale, some 31 miles (50 km) north of Miami. Opened in 1998 after having been in Miami since 1993, the Center has a capacity of 19,500. The Center is located closer to Fort Lauderdale three miles (5 km) west of the Beach) than Miami but this makes it more accessible to the sprawling Broward County region.

Individual game tickets range from $14 for the nose bleeds to $90 for the premium seats. Further information can be found at the Panthers web site at www.floridapanthers.com

* During February and March: Horse Racing at Gulfstream Park, 901 South Federal Highway, Hallandale, Florida

Gulfstream Park is home to some major horse races in the February and March period, with the top two races being the $500,000 Donn Handicap on February 7 and the $1 million Florida Derby (a major lead-up to the Kentucky Derby) on March 13. Gulfstream Park Race Course is located some 15.5 miles (25 km) north of downtown Miami just into Broward County.

Ticket prices vary depending on what part of the track you want to visit. The general grandstand is $3.00 for most days except the big race days of Saturday and Sunday, which costs $5 but you get a free $2 betting voucher as well. The slightly nicer clubhouse is $ 5.00 and the relatively up-market Turf Club area is $10.00.

* During February and March: Spring Training Major League Baseball

Several MLB teams go down to Florida to set up training camps during February and March before going back home and starting up the marathon season again. The closest within driving vicinity of Miami is the Baltimore Orioles playing in Fort Lauderdale. Other locations are a fair distance from Miami. Information regarding tickets to all Spring Training matches can be found at www.mlb.com.

So there you have it -- a few weeks in Miami at this time of the year will not only provide you with respite from the cold, but could also result in you seeing some of the world's great sports stars in action.