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Dominating Performance by the Canes
2007-12-18 16:48:00
Newly ranked Miami Hurricanes basketball defeated Stetson 89-53 last night in a game that was never in doubt. This despite missing Jimmy Graham who was held out of the game to rest his injury. The win was propelled by a great night from the field, including 11/22 from the 3 point line. The victory leaves the Canes at 10-0 and rolling towards 4 more easy games on paper before playing Georgia Tech in January.Last night's game was a good indicator of how focused this team is by not experiencing a let down against an inferior opponent. That's the mark of a Top 25 ball club. Win the games you are supposed to win. Frank Haith's plan is finally coming to fruition it seems. Unfortunately, despite their efforts the Canes only managed to draw about 1900 fans to the game. Surely this will go up during ACC play, especially vs North Carolina, but it remains as proof that 1) this is a football school and 2) we have some really fair weather fans down here in the Miami area.
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Ugly Win for Wade and the Heat
2007-12-18 04:10:00
It wasn't pretty, but it was a W. However, nobody can feel good about a life or death game against the team with the worst record in the NBA. Wade had a horrible shooting night but did well from the line and had a productive 4th quarter to help assist Miami to a victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves 91-87, only its 3rd home win of the year. Wade's turnover count was only 3 tonight thankfully.Haslem had another monster night with 18 points and 16 boards; I really hope that if the Heat make any trades soon, he isn't involved. He has been a bright spot this season. Shaq had a decent game, about as much as we should expect from him nowadays. Dorell played a lot tonight, but his offense was non existent. Thankfully he was active elsewhere, bringing down a few boards and blocking 4 shots. Pat Riley's promise to play Daequan Cook more isn't fulfilled tonight as he doesn't even get into the game. Baffling.Ricky Davis' reputation as a selfish player doesn't live up tonight as he l...
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Crowder's Season is Over
2007-12-18 00:28:00
As expected, the Dolphins lost another top linebacker for the season as Channing Crowder was shut down due to a right knee injury. Obviously in the short term this means little, seeing as how the season will be over in two weeks. Now that the team has finally won a game, the effect on the team and its future is pretty much zero.However it does take away a chance for Channing to further show what he's got to offer at the MLB position and if he can potentially be Zach Thomas' successor there. If not, then we might have to look at MLB as a position of need in the draft. I'm no Buckeye fan but James Laurinaitis wouldn't be a bad pickup if this team were to trade down in the draft. On the other hand, it does also give us a shot at looking at some young players to see if they are worth a roster spot next season.
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Canes Crack the Top 25
2007-12-17 23:42:00
Miami finally gets the respect they deserve and are ranked 22nd in both major polls today. This is a step up from what I expected as usually it is difficult for voters to rank unfamiliar teams in the top 25 even when they are undefeated. Granted, the Hurricanes definitely needed to beat Mississippi State to prove they were worth it, so I think the time is right for the ranking. Miami remains #1 in the RPI and ESPNRPI Polls.On that note, the Canes play creampuff Stetson tonight at the BankUnited Center and should roll if they play as they have of late. In fact, expect the team to be 14-0 and ranked somewhere between 15-17 by the time they face Georgia Tech in January to open ACC play.Check out the full rankings here.
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Arthur Brown Makes his Decision
2007-12-17 22:41:00
And he will be a Cane. Congrats, Randy Shannon. Not only does Shannon get a commitment and a potential early enrollee from the top player in the country at a position of need (MLB), but also gets the promise of signing Arthur 's younger brother, Bryce. Bryce is a junior running back that is all but assured of being one of the, if not the, most sought after recruits in the entire country next season. Word is he will supposedly move to the city Arthur plays in so he can be with his brother. Things are looking up for the Canes. This increases our chances of landing other blue-chippers like Patrick Johnson and Matt Patchan, as well as Brandon Harris.As excited as this influx of new talent is for Canes fans, it only offsets the recent news that both Kenny Phillips and Calais Campbell will be heading to the pros. Calais made his announcement recently, citing the fact he is a probably top 10 pick for his decision. Personally, I thought Calais struggled mightily this season and needs to wor...
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History Will Have to Wait
2007-12-17 15:36:00
Until next season at least. The Miami Dolphins finally got their long awaited victory over the Baltimore Ravens yesterday, 22-16 in overtime. Greg Camarillo's long touchdown catch erased all fears that the Fins would become the first winless team since the NFL went to a 16 game schedule. The post-game celebration resembled one of a playoff victory, and the cynic inside me would usually laugh at that. However, the win was something the fans, the players, and the organization desperately needed.Now the Dolphins can look to the future. This one win means nothing; it was a win, but the failures in the red zone and late game decisions again highlight what is wrong with this team. It's time to put the Cleo Lemon experiment to rest, he clearly isn't an NFL starter. John Beck needs to prove he is worth keeping around. That is, unless the front office has already given up on him, which I sincerely doubt. Cam Cameron has no reason to leave Lemon in. At this point his fate is probably seale...
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Favre to Break Another Marino Record
2007-12-16 17:54:00
Unless you are John Madden, if you are Dolphin fan you really can't be too happy for Brett Favre right now. Not only has Dan Marino's single season TD record been broken by Peyton Manning and soon to be Tom Brady, and not only has his career TD record been broken by Brett Favre earlier this year, but yet another hallowed mark is about to go down tonight in St. Louis. Favre needs just 184 yards to top Danny boy's career passing yardage of 61,316 and officially own most of Marino's former records.In my opinion, it hurts Marino's argument as the best QB ever if he doesn't have all the stats, seeing as how he never got his ring. It bothers me that Favre came back these past few seasons for the sole purpose of topping these records because nobody in their right mind would have believed this Packers team was any good. He certainly wasn't coming back to win another ring. Somehow the Packers righted the ship and Favre is having a near career year at age 38, so you have to give him hi...
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Dolphins News
2007-12-16 17:47:00
Hank Goldberg has just reported that Jorge Perez is out as a potential buyer for the Miami Dolphins and that Michael Dell is in. This is an interesting development to say the least, as Dell brings in deep pockets. Perez as an owner would also have been interesting because of his position on the UM Board of Trustees.Additionally, seeing as how new ownership is likely next year and most people within the franchise would likely prefer a coaching change, it should be noted that Bill Cowher has rejected overtures from the Atlanta Falcons regarding their head coaching position and will not be returning to coaching for at least another season. If that's true and Cam Cameron really is out, that leaves the Dolphins with only a few high-profile options left in John Fox and Marty Schottenheimer, among others.On my end, I really don't know where to go at this point in terms of a head coach, this team is so bad that any coach would have trouble taking them to the playoffs. It would be funny to...
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Canes Recruiting Update
2007-12-16 17:35:00
Being inspired by last night's performance by future Miami commits from Miami Northwestern, I felt it was time to update the status of some of our potential commits. This weekend we hosted 11 players, notably K Jake Wieclaw (a likely commit any time now), FB Patrick Hill (same), and DE Toby Jackson, currently committed to Georgia. Absent was CB Janoris Jenkins who canceled his trip and instead committed to the Gators.Expect about 7 or 8 of our verbals to enroll early at the U and count towards last seasons total, allowing us to sign about 33 kids this upcoming class (NCAA rules only allow 25 commitments a year). Who those early enrollees will be varies from the source, but I've heard consistently that Forston will be here early. Matt Patchan, son of a former Cane and a 5 star OL plans on enrolling early wherever he signs, so he might be an option.Finally, the two most sought after recruits of this Miami class are soon to let us know where they are going. LB Arthur Brown decides to...
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State Championships for South Florida
2007-12-16 17:26:00
This weekend made many South Florida high-school football fans proud, as for the first time ever, South Florida teams swept the major 4-a, 5-a, and 6-a categories in the finals. Booker T. Washington defeated Nease, Aquinas topped Osceola, and most importantly, the #1 ranked Bulls of Miami Northwestern demolished the outclassed team from Boone.I was lucky enough to catch some of the Boone-Northwestern drubbing and was impressed by the MNW team. It made it difficult to see whether or not Boone was undeserving of being in the title game or if they really were that outclassed. Regardless, the 41-0 score is the largest shutout in state finals history.Several Miami recruits showed their skills all over the field: Marcus Forston was a monster on the inside, Sean Spence delivered some bone-crushing hits and recovered a blocked punt for a TD, Jacory Harris had an efficient game before leaving with a knee injury, and Kendall Thompkins caught a long TD and returned a punt for another. It reall...
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Pacers Top Heat at the AAA
2007-12-16 17:16:00
Yet another loss at home for the Miami Heat , who continue to baffle anyone who watches them with their inconsistency. This time defeat came at the hands of the Indiana Pacers, 106-103 with Dwyane Wade missing his last second 3-point shot to tie.I caught a decent portion of this game live and again saw way too many turnovers by Wade (8 tonight), although it is good to see him including his teammates in the action. Shaq gets in foul trouble way too early and it's about time people stop expecting this to change at some point. Cook had a nice first quarter but cooled off towards the end, and again we got almost nothing from the point guard position.Dorell's much needed contributions have yet again disappeared after showing flashes during the West Coast trip. This game was a big disappointment considering we were in it the entire way until the final shot. Sadly, it wasted a fantastic effort by Udonis Haslem who shot 10-14 in a 24 point, 7 rebound night.The disheartening thing about thi...

Panthers lose; Jokinen Lashes Out
2007-12-16 17:11:00
After a demoralizing 5-2 defeat to the best team in the NHL, the Detroit Red Wings, the Panther s afterwards were not entirely sure the entire team put forth its best effort during the game. Olli Jokinen suggested after the score got to 4-2, some players stopped trying, leading to a whopping 46 shots on goal by the Red Wings.If this is true, I don't really see how it's that huge a deal. You never want your team quitting, especially in sports like soccer or hockey when you are only a few plays away from tying the game, unlike in football where you need several solid drives on offense and defense to mount a comeback. However, it's the Red Wings and the Panthers probably weren't going to win anyhow. Heck, our two goals came thanks to the Red Wings scoring for us. It's early and the Panthers remain just a few wins out of the playoffs, but there is such a logjam between the 6th seed and the 14th seed that they would need to have consistent performances to squeeze in.
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Change of Heart or Just Politics?
2007-12-15 23:34:00
Wayne Huizenga is apparently not "actively selling the team", although he has admitted to have gotten several offers for the franchise. I don't think I buy this. He hasn't refuted anything directly and the news about the sale probably leaked out too early for his liking. Things have to be straightened out, which the original report said would take about a month. Don't expect this latest report to mean much. Wayne has had too much disappointment over the years and is unhappy about the fact fans in South Florida vilify him. Him selling the team is the best path for both parties involved in my opinion. You never know though, he might just decide to hold on a little longer because he is selling real low right now and anyone can see that.
More About: Politics , Change , Heart , Politic

Canes Receiving Lofty Praise
2007-12-15 15:28:00
For those of you with ESPN Insider access, I suggest reading Andy Katz' blog entry about the Canes basketball team. Our undefeated run went mostly unnoticed by the major media outlets, but now that Miami is poised to get to 14-0 and are sitting atop the RPI Poll, people are paying attention. Apparently Frank Haith's former boss at Texas, Rick Barnes, has kept an eye on his protege's team and has high praise for it. The Longhorns are also undefeated at this time by the way. Next time the Top25 Polls get announced, expect Miami to be there at around 23rd or 24th.
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Trade Winds Blowing
2007-12-15 13:18:00
Rumors are swirling about a possible trade in the works for one of Seattle's two point guards: Earl Watson or Luke Ridnour. Honestly I hope nothing comes from those rumors because neither would be the answer to our team and don't present an upgrade over our current point guard Jason Williams. In addition, both have 3 years left on their contracts (including this one) so that limits our spending abilities in the future seeing as how at least J-Will's contract expires this season. Anything else on the Sonics' roster probably is out of reach or would require trading Udonis Haslem as well (Chris Wilcox).Other news is from the Sentinel, reporting that Smush Parker has (thankfully) played his last game in a Heat uniform. He makes about 2.5 million with a player option for next year for about the same amount. I'm not sure what we could get in exchange for him but it's obvious he was a failed experiment.
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Dolphins For Sale?
2007-12-15 01:17:00
Apparently the years of disappointing playoff flops and recent cellar dwelling might have gotten to Wayne Huizenga. The Herald reports that he is potentially asking between 1.1 and 1.2 billion dollars for the franchise and Dolphin Stadium. Read the link to see the details, which I won't get into.Instead I have a few observations. First, I find it extremely telling at how sorry the state of the franchise is that Wayne is willing to part with it. He has invested a HUGE amount of money right now, throwing money at the largest coaching staffs, building practice bubbles, renovating the stadium with HDTV flat screens in every toilet, etc. He lobbied hard enough to get the stadium two Super Bowls in 4 years and even suggested the Super Bowl be permanently played in his stadium.However, him leaving might be best for both parties. He has invested way too much in this franchise to get these kinds of results. However, the reason for the lack of success might just be his fault for not getting ...
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Orange Bowl Deux?
2007-12-14 15:31:00
Further news regarding the near-completed deal for a Marlins stadium at the OB site has been reported by the Sun Sentinel. The stadium is now to be completed by 2011, and should seat 37,000. Seems like overkill, or maybe in their negotiations somebody accidentally added a zero to the capacity. Anyway, as mentioned before, the Marlins will have to put up more up front but less overall. At first glance, that irritates me, but knowing the corruption and incompetence of construction down here in Miami, the Marlins will have to fork over at least another 100 million since they are now responsible for cost overruns.As a sidenote, there are two interesting revelations regarding the deal. First, the team is to be renamed the Miami Marlins, which is a ridiculous idea. Everyone knows they play in Miami and the alliteration just doesn't work here. No doubt they'll come up with some goofy new uniforms too when one of the few things they have going for them is their current unis. And secondly,...
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Disappointing Loss for the Heat (104-91)
2007-12-14 11:15:00
For some reason, the Heat simply can't seem to get on track. After a brutal 6-game 9 day West Coast trip where they showed some signs of life, they come home to face an extremely beatable Washington Wizards team and lay a huge egg. Our leading scorer was Chris Quinn for Christ's sake! I mean, gotta give it up to the guy for a great performance from the 3 point line, but might someone tell me why Wade is only taking 11 shots and Shaq taking only 6?I know Shaq is a crybaby when it comes to getting his touches, but seriously, 6? He's past his prime and probably is closer to a 3rd option and a 2nd option right now, but he still needs to be taking 12-15 shots a game. To do this he needs to stay out of foul trouble, a seemingly impossible task these days.Dwyane Wade worries me with his turnovers. He is averaging a career high in that category and had 8 tonight. Either he is being reckless or is trying to do too much. This is where the jumpshot needs to come into play. We all know his s...
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Canes Remain Undefeated
2007-12-14 11:09:00
The Canes B-Ball team stayed unbeaten last night with probably their toughest game of the year so far by beating Mississippi State 64-58. They trailed late into the game but Jack McClinton absolutely blew up for 29 points, including a flurry of 3's late in the game to put away the Bulldogs. They now face a relatively easy path to 14-0 before ACC play starts, and will be ranked in the Top 25 when the next polls are released.I have to say I'm proud of the effort. The Canes did not shoot well at all from the field (34%) and need better production from their front line (6 for 24 shooting for 17 points). In fact, McClinton was the only player to even sniff double-figures tonight. However, they did keep turnovers down for the most part (can't blame McClinton for his 4 considering he has that injury) and played excellent defense yet again, holding MSU to 37% shooting. Regardless of how ugly the box score may look, this team is tough and are proving they can close games.
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Marlins Stadium Saga
2007-12-14 00:25:00
To continue with the recent line of depressing baseball news, the Marlins are approaching a deal that might finally get them a stadium in Miami. Rather than paying a small portion of their final 155 million dollar contribution up front, now they would be required to pay it in full and cover all cost overruns. The plan is for the stadium to open at the Orange Bowl site by 2010.The idea of giving the Marlins a dime after their recent fire sale disgusts me. As a taxpayer, I don't want any of my money going towards a failing franchise that milks every cent it can out of shared revenue profit. All that money is basically coming from the Yankees since NOBODY goes to Marlins games, and frankly nobody will. I don't care how nice the stadium is, I won't tolerate the hassle to get to the OB site for a minor league baseball team. The Hurricanes had a long standing following and only had 5 or 6 home games a year and even then drew 20k for the typical game. Does anyone really see people trave...
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