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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But the quarterback hopes to stay involved in football after officially calling it quits Tuesday. "Id love to look at those opportunities as they arise," Pierce said in an interview from his Winnipeg eatery. Italys success against South Africa was, of course, one of the most important wins in its rugby history. The Springboks are ranked fourth in the world and had never been beaten by their hosts before.But victory in Florence was also a triumph for all Italians, during a difficult time for the country.Lets start with the first, essential, news -- the team won the rugby game. It may sound na?ve but it is key. In the recent past, Italy have beaten both France and Ireland for the first time, and went close in other big games too.They almost beat Australia in Florence in 2012, losing by just three points. Italy have twice finished within a converted try of England -- in a freezing Rome in 2010 and then at Twickenham three years later -- and lost 20-6 to New Zealand in front of a record crowd at San Siro.So, they got close. They almost did it, yet they were beaten. Close, but no cigar.On Saturday in Florence they got a huge win and that will make a heck of a difference. A terrific performance was built on their play at the breakdown -- Italy were close to perfect at rucks -- on a top-class defence and on their ability to keep the scoreboard moving when they had the chance.They won the game by dominating the fundamentals of the game. How many times could you say that? Never. Even during those celebrated wins against France and Ireland they were not as competent in the basics.Defensive consultant Brendan Venters influence has been displayed in the blitz-oriented defensive approach adopted on Saturday. It was that system that exposed the essence of Simone Favaro in his entire beauty, and made the difference. But mainly Italy won on aggression and intensity.I have never seen an Italian rugby side playing with such a hunger. I have watched the game again and again and it is impossible to ignore the way that every single aspect of the game, from personal battles to more broader line movements, has been turned into a physical battle by Conor OShea and his staff.Against a Springboks side that in their previous outings showed a total lack of its once devastating tactical kicking game, winning every clash was crucial. And thats where Italy won the game.To ensure possession -- not always necessarily of a high quality -- OShea gave solutions to Italys recent lineout problems with variations. And those variations in jump, throw and time did the job.Then there was the coldness of the Italian kickers. Carlo Canna with those huge try conversions and Edoardo Padovani with that halfway-line penalty that kept the Springboks in reach. Again, Italy got the fundamentals absolutely right.A few words should also be said on Sergio Parisses new role.dddddddddddd. Every media outlet highlighted the huge performance by the Italy captain but he was not centerstage as he used to be. And that was another key factor in the overall production of his teammates. He played a solid game, he was inspirational as he always is for the team, yet he played like an international No. 8.Parisse did not overcook plays, he wasnt asked to do extra work as he was made to in the past and from the stands the feeling was that he didnt feel obliged to take responsibility in every aspect of the game. OShea made his contribution a crucial part of a team performance. It happened, with less evidence, in that second win over France but for the first time Italy fans saw a sort of Stade Francais-version of Sergio Parisse.And is not a coincidence that we could admire the rise of Padovani, Canna and Giorgio Bronzini, just to name a few, and the return of Tommaso Benvenuti to his highest standards. That is another interesting aspect of the OShea era -- selection policy was finally at its best.We all know that it wasnt by far the best South Africa side ever to run onto a rugby pitch but that was the best XV Coetzee could pick from his tour squad. Italy were given a chance to make history and they took it, capitalising on that one and only opportunity.Details? Not at all. It was the sign of a different mentality. A huge rise in confidence that OSheas system has brought into a revitalised squad.The historic victory put rugby back on the mainstream media radar, reigniting a flame across the country that seemed to be slowly dying. The Azzurri were back on the national newspapers front page and got a lot of attention from national TV. The entire country celebrated this victory.Now Italy have an immediate maturity test. They must perform against Tonga and record a comfortable win.On Saturday in Padua, the Azzurri will not win with the same recipe the they used to beat the Springboks, though. Patience and composure will be vital. Only methodically absorbing the Islanders aggression at the breakdown and winning from that a probable high number of penalties will guarantee the win. They may well end up doing what top tier rugby nations usually do against Italy: stretch the score in the final quarter of the game.It wont be easy for a team that in the past has never shown the ability to control a rugby match. But after that historical result in Florence there is a chance for Italian fans to celebrate their best ever autumn international campaign. ' ' '