MIAMI -- Somber Miami Marlins players and personnel escorted a hearse carrying the body of star pitcher Jose Fernandez from the teams ballpark Wednesday, as the farewell for their beloved teammate marched on.As players and fans honored Fernandezs memory, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio sought a safety probe into the rock jetty where a boat crash claimed the lives of the baseball star and two friends.Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, manager Don Mattingly, hitting coach Barry Bonds and the players including Marcel Ozuna and Giancarlo Stanton wore white T-shirts emblazoned with Fernandezs image and the letters RIP as they slowly walked the hearse away from Marlins Park in Miamis Little Havana neighborhood. Many in the crowd of about 1,000 chanted Jose! Jose! and some waved Cuban flags in honor of the popular Cuban-American player.Jose Portuondo, 55, came to the event with his dog, Sophie. He said Fernandez, 24, was a shining example for Cubans who often risk their lives at sea to come to the U.S. seeking freedom. Fernandez defected from the communist island at age 15.His is the story of many in South Florida. He brings it home, said Portuondo, who drives a city trolley bus. Being here, the sadness is just thick in the air.Junko Sasaki, 40, who is Japanese but spends a lot of time in South Florida, brought an offering of fruit, rice and water to a makeshift memorial to Fernandez that has sprouted up outside the ballpark. She said it was a traditional Japanese way of ensuring the honored dead have what they need in the afterlife.It is a Japanese custom. Every day he can eat, she said, adding that Fernandez once tossed her a baseball from the field at a game.Hundreds of fans streamed into St. Brendans Catholic Church later Wednesday for a public viewing, which was scheduled to last into the night. Many said they felt compelled to come not only because of Fernandezs popularity as a player but also because he was a hero to many in the Cuban-American community.I have to be here. Im a huge fan, said Rick Gerena, 31, an environmental project manager. He loved everybody. You almost felt like he was one of us out there.Inside the church, mourners filed past a closed casket framed by flower arrangements in the shapes of the U.S. and Cuban flags, with a large family photo of Fernandez off to one side. Many touched the casket lightly and crossed themselves.A private funeral Mass is set Thursday for the Fernandez family and Marlins players and personnel.Rubio, a Florida Republican, sent a letter Wednesday to the Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers asking for a review of the century-old jetty and whether it poses a chronic danger to boaters. The jetty, which extends out from Miamis port, is difficult to see at night especially at high tide, Rubio said.While our hearts are heavy with grief for the numerous lives lost every year on the water, we can do more to save others, Rubio wrote. As a boater myself, I have experienced firsthand the challenges this particular jetty can present to others trying to navigate around it.Shortly after the 32-foot boat owned by Fernandez crashed early Sunday, the Coast Guard said a lighted buoy that marks the channel opening at the end of the jetty was working properly. The jetty itself does not have lights, but officials say routine reviews have concluded the existing navigational aids are adequate for safety.Back at the ballpark, the Marlins still had a game to play Wednesday night against the New York Mets. Mets manager Terry Collins and some Mets players were out on the plaza for the procession of Fernandezs hearse.I thought it was important to be there, Collins said. This is a very large fraternity, and its an exclusive fraternity. Its hard to get in. You need the representation of everybody else out there. We were represented very well and I was proud of that.Mattingly said he would talk to the team about trying to get back to baseball.Ive never been involved in anything like that. I just keep going back to his mom. Its hard to see that. Its hard to imagine that, he said.The cause of the crash is being investigated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. In addition to Fernandez, Emilio Jesus Macias, 27, and 25-year-old Eduardo Rivero also died in the crash.Investigators have said no evidence of alcohol or drug use was found at the scene, but medical examiner toxicology reports are pending. A Miami River bar and restaurant has confirmed that Fernandez was there before the crash, but it is unclear if he was drinking.Fernandez was an emerging baseball star known for his exuberant personality and style of play. He was National League Rookie of the Year in 2013 and was a two-time All-Star. This year he set a single-season Marlins strikeout record with 253.Instead of flowers, the Fernandez family asks for charitable contributions to the JDF16 Foundation, which is online at www.MiamiFoundation.org/jdf16 .-----AP Sports Writer Steve Wine in Miami contributed to this story.-----Follow Curt Anderson on Twitter: http://twitter.com/miamicurt Solomon Thomas Super Bowl Jersey . JOHNS, N. Richard Sherman Super Bowl Jersey . PAUL, Minn. http://www.thesf49ersshoponline.com/Youth-Adrian-Colbert-49ers-Jersey/ . "Thank you for the warm welcome," Beckham said on an 80-degree February morning. In this case, it was soccer weather. The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami. Roger Craig Super Bowl Jersey . Pettersen, winner of last years Evian Championships, had nine birdies and three bogeys, holding off a series of challengers led by Marion Ricordeau of France. The second-ranked Norwegian made her season debut after missing the LPGA Tours opening event last month in the Bahamas because of a shoulder injury. Dante Pettis Super Bowl Jersey . The Australian is competing in his final season in Formula One and still looking for his first win this year. He will look to end Vettels run of six straight race wins on Sunday. Webber, who is fifth in the championship, earned his second pole from the past three races and 13th of his career. Brisbane Lions coach Justin Leppitsch has bemoaned the shifting goalposts on his AFL coaching future as he confronts possible unemployment.The three-time premiership winner with Brisbane has led the club for three years and a total of just 14 wins.The Lions bottomed out in 2016 with three victories, avoiding the wooden spoon by half a percentage point, and recording the worst season in the merged clubs 20-year history.Leppitsch said his assessment of the season was what could go wrong did go wrong including an unprecedented injury run.But he maintains it would be unfair, and against the clubs previous word, to assess him purely on his win-loss record.The messaging (from the club) throughout the year has been long-term ... apart from three weeks ago, he said.(My job) has been to introduce and play young talent which were AFL No.1 at ... that coupled with our injury rate doesnt equate to successful seasons.Every moment before (three weeks ago there) hasnt been a win-loss component to me keeping my job but obviously things have shifted.Leppitsch said he would have coached diffeerently with different goals.ddddddddddddIf it was win-loss this year I would have traded the first pick, he said.We actually traded for future picks this year. I wouldnt have done that either.Furthering his case to stay, he pointed to the emergence of first-year players Eric Hipwood, Josh Schache, Ben Keays and Rhys Matheson.I dont think most clubs can say they could do that in one year and its going to be hard for those boys to get a game next year when the likes of (Allen) Christensen and (Dayne) Beams are back, he said.Leppitsch said he wasnt aware if his side claimed the wooden spoon until he was asked a question in the post-match press conference.It might be better for the club if we did (finish last), he said.It doesnt sound good to say that but you can probably do a few more things at the end of the year.No one even thought about it to be perfectly honest ... weve got some bigger picture things to worry about than that as a football club. ' ' '
