FOREST » whether it poses a chronic danger to boaters. T

MIAMI -- Jose Fernandezs last glorious act as a Miami Marlin was making friends of complete strangers.As several hundred grief-stricken Marlins fans gathered to see the hearse carrying Fernandezs body ride past Wednesday afternoon, they bonded over shared memories and personal observations. As one bearded Marlins fan in a No. 16 Fernandez jersey and teal cap told his neighbor, the pitcher had a smile that lit up a whole city.Early Sunday morning, Fernandez, 24, died in a boating accident along with two companions, Emilio Macias and Eduardo Rivero. Fernandez will be buried Thursday in a private ceremony attended by his family, teammates and Marlins employees. But Wednesday was a day for public mourning, as the fans who embraced him in life flocked to the ballpark to say goodbye.Several hundred brought flowers, waited in line to inscribe messages with black Sharpies on a stadium pillar, and celebrated the qualities that allowed Fernandez to hold South Florida in his grip over four seasons.Ive never seen someone take time out the way he did, signing autographs -- especially on the days when he was pitching, said Rick Gerena, a Marlins fan from Coral Springs, Florida. He was always talking to kids and parents. It almost felt like he was one of us out there. As a fan, losing him is devastating. It really is.At 2 p.m. ET -- right on schedule -- the motorcade carrying Fernandezs body assembled on Felo Ramirez Drive next to West Plaza at Marlins Park. As if on cue, black clouds passed over the stadium, and it began to rain at 2:01. But the rain quickly subsided, and fans lined up with their camera phones to commemorate the occasion. At precisely 2:16 p.m. (in honor of Fernandezs jersey number), the motorcade began to move, and fans chanted Jose! Jose! in unison.Marlins CEO Jeffrey Loria and club president David Samson stood alongside the front of the hearse, and a procession of teammates and club employees walked past. Several Marlins players wore sunglasses, even though the sky was dark.Fernandezs body was taken to a church in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami to receive a blessing, and then to St. Brendan Catholic Church in Miami for a public viewing from 5 to 11 p.m.The opportunity to say farewell to Fernandez was cathartic for many fans.Ralph Lopez, a television production manager from Long Beach, California, took a red-eye, cross-country flight Tuesday night to pay tribute to the pitcher. Lopez first saw Fernandez at Dodger Stadium on May 10, 2013, and was instantly smitten.He just had this swagger and this style, Lopez said. It was captivating. I bought the MLB package so I could follow him. I was jealous of the fans here because they got to see him all the time. I was going to come to a Jose Day to see him, but I never got the chance.After the motorcade left the area -- among the stops it later made was at a Cuban restaurant Fernandez frequently ate at before games -- Marlins pitchers Tom Koehler and David Phelps stopped by to write personal messages at the West Plaza pillar, where hundreds of fans had said goodbye to Fernandez. The other Marlins soon followed and inscribed their goodbyes on a cement surface that had been painted orange.Marlins vice presidents Mike Berger and Jeff McAvoy and scouting director David Keller also came downstairs from their offices to pay their respects.Like so many others, they had come to regard Fernandez as a friend.Thats how Jose was, Keller said. He never met a stranger.It has been an emotionally wrenching week for Miami players since they learned of Fernandezs death, which forced the cancellation of Sundays game against the Atlanta Braves. The Marlins completed a three-game series with a 5-2 loss to the New York Mets on Wednesday and will finish the season this weekend in Washington.Right fielder Giancarlo Stanton estimated that he has slept a total of about six hours in the three days since Fernandez died.Its helped being together and talking about it, Stanton said. Talking about the good times he had with us, the times he pissed us off, everything. It helps to laugh when your emotions let you. Weve talked about how he would go and take batting practice, how he would go out there on the mound, everything.Each day brings another news development in the aftermath of Fernandezs death.On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio sought a safety probe into the rock jetty where a boat crash claimed the lives of Fernandez and his two friends. Rubio, a Florida Republican, sent a letter 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.As events continue to swirl around them, the Marlins are trying to come to grips with the magnitude of what theyve lost. Several Miami players remarked on what an emotional jolt it was to see Fernandezs coffin before the drive to the church.Youve got a 24-year-old whos on top of the world, and [suddenly] were walking behind his hearse, Koehler said. Were watching Miamis hero ride down the street. Unfortunately, everybody in this clubhouse is now connected by a bond that cant be broken.Were being forced to grieve in public. 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Cote helped running back Jon Cornish run for a league-high 1,813 rushing yards en route to being named the leagues most outstanding player.ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes put Vikings starter Christian Ponder on his back on the very first play from scrimmage. Rookie quarterback EJ Manuel then provided the knockout punch to start the second half in leading Buffalo to a 20-16 preseason victory over Minnesota on Friday night. And just like that, the new-look Bills -- coming off a near top-to-bottom off-season transformation -- continue to show signs of shedding their long-losing past by improving to 2-0. "Were breeding an attitude around here," centre Eric Wood said. "And were trying to be the toughest team out there each week. And you dont do that by going out and laying an egg in the preseason." So far so good for a team that has gone 13 seasons without making the playoffs and not enjoyed a winning finish since 2004, when Buffalo went 9-7. Hughes keyed a sturdy defensive effort with two sacks and a forced fumble, and backup linebacker Jamie Blatnick recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. Hughes was starting in place of defensive end Mario Williams, who was held out after complaining of soreness following practice Wednesday. "Thats what weve been practicing for the first few months, since minicamp, weve been practicing being stingy," said Hughes, who was acquired in a trade with Indianapolis in May. "Everybodys flying around to the ball, just creating havoc. So us practicing like that, its great to see it put on game film." And Buffalo finally found its groove on offence when Manuel took over in the second half. Greeted by cheers as he took the field, Manuel hit all six attempts, including a 4-yard touchdown pass to Brad Smith, to cap a 14-play, 80-yard second-half opening drive in putting Buffalo ahead 20-3. Manuel, a first-round draft pick out of Florida State, finished 10 of 12 for 92 yards passing in continuing to inch his way toward securing the starting job after veteran Kevin Kolb struggled in the first half. The Vikings (0-2) again sputtered on offence without their top threat, running back Adrian Peterson, who continues to be rested through the preseason. Starter Christian Ponder went 5 of 12 for 53 yards passing through five series. Backup Matt Cassel wasnt much better in a first half in which the Vikings combined for 74 yards of offence and four first downs. "The only thing I could say to myself while that was happening was, Im glad its the preseason," Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said.dddddddddddd "Lets get this out of the way now. We definitely dont want to be doing this in September." And yet Frazier had to acknowledge having some concerns, even though he wasnt anticipating the Bills to come at them with an exotic blitzing attack. "We couldve done some things better, no matter what they did," he said. "We didnt execute as well as we could have." Ponder certainly didnt see Hughes coming, when he was sacked for a 7-yard loss on the first play. "If this was a game that counted, itd be tough," Ponder said. "But its more practice for us." The Vikings could start by practicing snapping the ball. Backup centre Joe Berger snap the ball over Cassels head and into the end zone, which led to Blatnicks go-ahead touchdown with 8:45 left in the second quarter. The Vikings made the score respectable with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter behind third-string quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson. Running back Joe Banyard scored on a 1-yard plunge, and Bethel-Thompson hit Rodney Smith with a 35-yard touchdown pass with 4:36 left. The Bills have won two preseason games for the first time since finishing 2-2 in 2010. And coming off a 44-20 win at Indianapolis on Sunday, theyve now combined to score 64 points under new coach Doug Marrone. Thats five more than they managed in four preseason games last year under Chan Gailey. Not all they news was positive after Kolb struggled in making his preseason debut. The seventh-year player returned to practice this week after missing eight days because of a death in his family and after twisting his left knee while slipping on a wet rubber mat in practice Aug. 3. Though Kolbs knee looked fine, his accuracy was off. He went 10 of 17 for 66 yards and an interception on his first six possessions. He then hit three of four passes for 45 yards in the final 38 seconds of the first half on a drive that ended with Dustin Hopkins 35-yard field goal that put Buffalo ahead 13-3. NOTES: Bills backup receiver Kevin Elliott was carted off the field during the first half after it appeared he hurt his left leg. ... Vikings WR Jarius Wright sustained an upper body injury and is still being evaluated. ... Hopkins also hit a 35-yard field goal. ... Vikings kicker Blair Walsh hit a 36-yarder, and also missed wide right from 49 yards in the first quarter. ' ' '