The University of Miami, apparently still smarting after dropping their #1 national ranking by losing two of three to end the season at home against UNC, came out on fire and with a vengance against Clemson in their first game of the ACC tourney in Jacksonville. The Tigers were down by four runs early and after that point were never really in the game against the Canes.
The Hurricane's bats came alive again and ACC Freshman of the Year Chris 
Hernandez was absolutely dominant on the mound to propel the Canes to an easy 7-1 victory. Miami's next game is againt the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech Thursday at 5 PM. Canespace will be there to bring you updates, photos and behind the scenes stories of the action on the diamond.
I am not going to give you the game story or box score details and the Canes win. If you watched the game on TV or read Jer's LIVE play-by-play blogging (with an assist from Cane Since 1982) of the game here on The Space you already know what happened, when and by who. Plus that is what newspapers like the Miami Herald and the Sun Sentinel are for. What I want to do is to bring you the fans experience at the game so you feel like you were there. So here we go...
The Facility: Located in dowtown Jacksonville near the St Johns River and next to the NFL Jaguars' Stadium the location is easy to find and accessible from multiple routes. A clean, safe, multi-level parking garage (only $5 bucks!) is directly across the street from the ball park.
That is where I met the first two Canes Fans of the Day (CFODs) Jim from the 954 and Paul from Cocoa Beach. They saw my Canes gear and car ornaments and called me right over to park next to them. We shared a carbonated adult beverage, a few Canes war stories and took this photo before making our way over to the stadium.
This place is a top notch, first class stadium with great views, access and amenities. You can't get any closer to the players or the action than here. You are practically on the field here making for a great fan experience. I talked briefly before the game during warm-ups to Alonso, Bellamy and Weeks and took these shots of Chris Hernandez warming up in the bullpen. Any closer and you could smell his deodorant, or not! Let me say this: The stadium is new, clean and has great food and atmosphere. We'll give it a Canespace Fan Rating (CFR) of 9 on our scale.
The Fans: Throughout the day I met hundreds of Canes fans and spread the word about The Space. Cane fandom was well represented in Jacksonville which was really nice to see in this Gator and 
Seminole infested area of our State. I had the Canespace banner tied up on one of the railings high up in the stands behind home plate and one of the signs that Solar made in his basement print shop advertising Canespace as THE place to be for LIVE Canes chat coast to coast 24/7.
We even met some fans from Clemson who were nice enough gentlemen and also nice enough to have their picture taken for the blog. I think their names are Gary and Charles, but don't make me swear under oath to that! Anyway, we worked the crowd in a way that would have made OcalaCane proud and a good time was had by all, Canes fans and other teams fans alike.
The only drawback was that it was a quiet as a PGA Tour event and there were more polite "golf claps" 
going around than water and peanut vendors who seemed to be everywhere. I tried my best to fix it with the familiar "Got Some Canes Over Here...Whoosh, Whoosh", Let's Go Canes (clap, clap, clap) and De-Fense, (clap, clap), De-Fense but it was to no avail. We'll give it a CFR of 7 (8 minus 1 for lack of enthusiasm).
The Game: The Canes were in the lead and in control of the game from the beginning. Freshman 
pitcher Chris Hernandez played anything but like one in leading the Canes to their first victory of the tourney. He was back up by a stellar defense that turned several solid if not spectacular double plays and the Hurricane offense that awakend early and staked him to an safe 4-0 lead en route to a final seven run tally.
Hernandez is the most composed, controlled and consistent Canes player I have seen in a long, long 
time. Bad news? At this rate he will surely be MLB bound sooner that you can say C-A-N-E-S. Several Canes contributed to the offense in a real team effort on a day when Yonder "Goes The Ball" Alonso was average at best and his partner in crime Jemile Weeks managed to get on base twice. We'll give this game a CFR of 8.
Pictures to follow...
Posted by: SOUP | May 21, 2008 at 09:01 PM
test
Posted by: AlpharettaCane | May 21, 2008 at 09:05 PM
FIRST!!!!!!!
Posted by: towner | May 21, 2008 at 09:09 PM
No Bam
Posted by: Old Skool | May 21, 2008 at 09:10 PM
Sinco!
Posted by: splarfy | May 21, 2008 at 09:12 PM
SIXTH
THAT .. JUST .. HAPPENED
- Ricky Bobby
Posted by: Six | May 21, 2008 at 09:12 PM
Go Canes, great win!
Posted by: JC | May 21, 2008 at 09:14 PM
Who paul?
He lives in cocoa beach?
Thats in Brevard.
Posted by: 321CANES | May 21, 2008 at 09:21 PM
Oh a little birdie @ UM told me that Jermaine Mckenzie is back to running routes again!
Posted by: 321CANES | May 21, 2008 at 09:23 PM
Working on the pics...took too many, editing now and sending to Manny Navarro, Chris Stock and Shandel at the SS in case they want to post on their sites also.
Back in a few...
Posted by: SOUP | May 21, 2008 at 09:26 PM
Awesome online football game. It is more of a simulation type game but is being tested for free. Check it out, you can create players and then run their careers. From training to contract negotiations. Then there is a simmed game every other day.
http://goallineblitz.com/game/signup.pl?ref=353066
Posted by: canegang | May 21, 2008 at 09:40 PM
11th,
soup deals me an intentional walk via typepad spam guard.
peace
Posted by: solarcane | May 21, 2008 at 09:48 PM
soup,
your game day write ups have gotten better with each event you cover.
I know how difficult it is to gather facts while trying to enjoy the game and fans at the same time.
nice job.
peace
Posted by: solarcane | May 21, 2008 at 09:54 PM
Solar...can you please keep the noise down, I'm workin' ova here! Be back soon, photo, technical difficulties are playing havoc with my productivity...
Posted by: SOUP | May 21, 2008 at 09:59 PM
How serious is Bailey's injury? How long is he expected to be out
Posted by: True Cane | May 21, 2008 at 10:11 PM
David Archuleta wuz robbed...
Posted by: pb(CSHOF09) | May 21, 2008 at 10:25 PM
Nah, The Cook was the best man for the job.
Posted by: SOUP | May 21, 2008 at 10:36 PM
I find it very hard to believe you and I disagree on something Soup...
Posted by: pb(CSHOF09) | May 21, 2008 at 10:44 PM
Yamaguchi was a nice fair win.
Where the hell was Tanya Harding when you really needed her?
peace
Posted by: solarcane | May 21, 2008 at 11:04 PM
Solar...I told U so: Yamaguchi rocks!
Posted by: SOUP | May 21, 2008 at 11:08 PM
I loath those Yamaguchis, her, and her little brother on the Partridge Family.
peace
Posted by: solarcane | May 21, 2008 at 11:11 PM
cool pics, I never realized Larry The Cable Guy was Canes fan
peace
Posted by: solarcane | May 21, 2008 at 11:12 PM
Virginia 3 UNC 3 bottom 5
peace
Posted by: solarcane | May 21, 2008 at 11:20 PM
Here is a cool site from back in the day,
Lot of stuff will bring back memories
It's not run by the radio station,its better than they could come up with.
http://www.560.com/wqam.htm
peace
Posted by: solarcane | May 21, 2008 at 11:29 PM
Susan Dey and Valerie Bertinelli. Couldnt wait to get home and turn on Channel 6 to see those two, capped by a little Barbara Eden after dinner...
Posted by: pb(CSHOF09) | May 21, 2008 at 11:38 PM
Susan Dey and Valerie Bertinelli. Couldnt wait to get home and turn on Channel 6 to see those two, capped by a little Barbara Eden after dinner...
What?.. no Marsha??
peace
Posted by: solarcane | May 21, 2008 at 11:43 PM
New pic of a real Canes fan I met from JAX TOP RIGHT...
Posted by: SOUP | May 21, 2008 at 11:46 PM
we have to win tomorrow by more than 8 :-)
Posted by: Loco | May 22, 2008 at 12:24 AM
by the way, does anybody here on the 'Space like to cook? I can hook you up with good deals on the best kitchen stuff... ;-)
Posted by: Loco | May 22, 2008 at 12:25 AM
Can't see the fans in the top right. I'm trying! lol
Posted by: Jer | May 22, 2008 at 12:45 AM
So the best photo of the day!
And no I loved today guess I'm just silly!
http://canespace.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/05/21/acc_tourney_042.jpg
Great job 86! I'm gonna see if I can capture my tivo so I can post when you have been on tv.
Posted by: Jer | May 22, 2008 at 12:56 AM
Nothing like a long legged blonde refreshment at the baseball yard .. one of the many reasons to love the game, all the females that also love being at the game(s) .. looks like you need a wingman though for her friend.
Nice work 86 .. nice write up and great pics. I think if I was there, that close to the Clemson team like you were in the picture, I'd have to talk to them the entire time. Let them know they're playing for 2nd place and no better. I saw that stadium earlier this year when I went to the Gator Bowl and watched Texas Tech beat Virginia. It looks sweet from the outside, now with your pics, I can see how sweet it looks from the inside.
Posted by: Six | May 22, 2008 at 03:57 AM
For such a good team you would think they would have better looking Uniforms!
Posted by: cannon | May 22, 2008 at 05:12 AM
Go Canes... Miami 2001, pulls top spot of Best College Football team for the decade.
MIAMI...#1
........................................
THE 2001 Hurricanes... cream of BCS champions crop.
By Mark Schlabach, ESPN.com
Updated: May 21, 2008, 5:01 PM ET
During the past 10 years, the BCS hasn't always produced the national championship game college football fans wanted to see. But usually it has produced the best national championship team. Seven of the past 10 national champions finished the season unbeaten, and many are considered among the best teams in college football history.
So ranking the 10 BCS champions isn't an easy task, but here goes:
1. 2001 Miami Hurricanes (12-0, 7-0 Big East)
Ken Dorsey directed the dominating Canes to the 2001 title.
The season: The Hurricanes finished 12-0 and beat their opponents by an average of 33.2 points, including a 37-14 rout of Nebraska in the Rose Bowl. Miami opened the season by winning at Penn State 33-7. The Canes beat No. 14 Florida State 49-27, ending the Seminoles' 54-game winning streak in Tallahassee. They blasted No. 14 Syracuse 59-0 and No. 12 Washington 65-7, the most lopsided blowouts of ranked opponents in consecutive games in modern NCAA history.
Signature moment: Miami finished the regular season with a 26-24 victory at No. 14 Virginia Tech, its closest game of the season. The Hurricanes led 24-7 in the fourth quarter, but the Hokies nearly came back after blocking a punt and returning it for a touchdown. Virginia Tech's two-point conversion pass fell incomplete, and Miami's defense held up on two late possessions.
The championship game: For the first time in 56 years, teams from outside the Pac-10 and Big Ten played in the Rose Bowl when Miami met Nebraska for the national championship. Miami dominated the Cornhuskers from start to finish, taking a 34-0 lead at the half. Ken Dorsey and Andre Johnson connected for two touchdowns, and Clinton Portis scored on a 39-yard run. Miami's defense held Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch and Nebraska's vaunted running game to only 259 total yards.
The stars: The Miami roster was littered with future NFL players such as Portis, Johnson, tight end Jeremy Shockey, left tackle Bryant McKinnie, safety Ed Reed and cornerback Phillip Buchanon. McKinnie won the Outland Trophy as college football's best interior lineman, and Reed was named a consensus All-American. Five Hurricanes were selected in the first round of the 2002 NFL draft. Portis, who ran for 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns, was a second-round pick. Dorsey completed 57.9 percent of his passes for 2,652 yards with 23 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Why they're No. 1: Perhaps no team in college football history had as much talent as the 2001 Hurricanes. Ten players who started for Miami during the 2001 season were first-round selections in the next three NFL drafts. In fact, Miami had 16 NFL first-rounders from 2002 to 2005.
....................................
1) Miami 2001
2) USC 2004
3) FSU 1999
4) TEXAS 2005
5) OKLA 2000
6) TENN 1998
7) LSU 2003
8) GATORS 2006
9) OHIO ST 2002
10) LSU 2007
.........................................
To see complete article...
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=schlabach_mark&id=3406050
.........................................
CANES!
Posted by: Cat5 Cane | May 22, 2008 at 06:09 AM
CANES RULE...
GATORS, OHIO STATE, LSU, FSU and USC can kiss my azz... Ohhhh, It's sooooo hard to be humble, when your perfect, in soooo many ways... as the song goes!
Cat
Posted by: Cat5 Cane | May 22, 2008 at 06:17 AM
NC...Losses... Oh Ya!!!
Cavaliers Take Top-Ranked North Carolina to Extra Innings for Thrilling 8-7 Victory
5/22/2008 | Baseball
John Barr scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in the top of the 11th inning, then made a diving catch of a blooper hit to centerfield with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th to end the game and give seventh-seeded Virginia an 8-7 victory over No. 3 seed North Carolina early Thursday morning in the 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Championship at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.
2008 ACC Baseball Championship Site
Posted by: Cat5 Cane | May 22, 2008 at 09:59 AM
Good comeback though. IF we fine tune our pitchers( in other words get them to work) and BATTERS put the ball in play more so we can put more points on the board. We strand quite a few runners and that can be more points for us. We just have to get this pitching back on fire, get hiting up and have BALLS IN PLAY MORE and we will knock anyone out. Only a little more WORK FOR THE CANES and we'll be back for the number #1 spot SOON!! AND I MEAN IN A HURRY!!
Posted by: mr troutman | May 17, 2008 at 05:01 PM
If we do what I suggested that day we are going to win the ACC championship and have the #1 rankings come next week. Whoever wins the Championship out of NC, Miami or Fsu will be the #1 rank team in the country. Miami knows with a NC lost last night they can retain the Top Spot this week. Even with last weeks lost to them the SUN can still shine on Coral Gables.
Canes!!
Posted by: Mr Troutman | May 22, 2008 at 10:08 AM
UF recruit happy to spur Hurricanes
By EDWARD ASCHOFF
Special to The Sun
Published: Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 6:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, May 21, 2008 at 12:25 a.m.
Hallandale is relatively diverse when it comes to fans of different universities.
But when it comes to local talent, it's all Miami talk.
Except for Frankie Hammond Jr.
After his verbal commitment to the University of Florida in November, the Hallandale receiver put to rest any hopes of the locals keeping their hands on him.
“A lot of people wanted him to choose Miami,” said his father, Frankie Hammond, Sr. “A lot of people around town who attended Miami thought he was going to choose Miami.”
When he didn't choose the Hurricanes, chants of "Gators suck" and "You'll only block" rang in the younger Hammond's ears as he walked the halls of his school. His mother, Nida, even said some local newspaper blogs took time to question the receiver's decision to choose UF over UM.
The younger Hammond's allegiance to the Gators began early in his childhood and really materialized when he started competing in the Pepsi Florida Relays in middle school.
The former Junior Olympic high jumper was sold on atmosphere alone.
“The fans there and everybody there is just about the football team and I like to have that attention around me,” said Hammond, a former four-star prospect and the No. 31 player in Florida by Rivals.com. “When that stadium is full it just keeps the players going and going and I love that feeling.”
Making the 325-mile move to Gainesville wasn't an issue for Hammond, but for his mother the transition was a hard to cope with at first.
“As a mom you really want him to stay close to home, but afterwards, when he decided where he wanted to go, I could support him,” she said. “As a mom, personally, you wanted him to stay locally so he could be just a phone call or 15 minutes away from us. But at the same time, that's where he felt more comfortable at.”
The positive she said is that the naysayers could be silenced if UF comes through with a victory when the ’Canes head to Gainesville on Sept. 6.
“I guess for a lot of people locally who are putting UF down it will really give them the opportunity to see what UF is all about,” she said.
There's no doubt that most of the calendars in Hallandale have Sept. 6 circled, but the elder Hammond doesn't expect much love from the surrounding Hurricane fans come game time.
“I don't know about that,” he said. “I know a lot of the Miami fans that are around (Hallandale High) and Seminole fans around the school are cheering for him a little bit because he's from their school. They say, 'We'll root for you as long as you aren't playing our team.' ”
With all the talent the Gators return at receiver, getting a shot to line up against the ’Canes won't be easy.
“They haven't really spoken to me (about his role for the fall),” said Hammond, who is up to 176 pounds and plans to get to 180 before he reports to UF in late June. “A lot of people have been talking to me about redshirting, but when I talk to my coaches they specifically tell me that the spot is here to take and for me to just do what I have to do and if you work hard it's there for the taking.
“If they redshirt me, they redshirt me. I can't argue with that. If I'm not ready and they say I'm not ready, then I won't get mad or anything. I wouldn't say getting a redshirt is anything negative.”
In the meantime, Hammond is just enjoying the thought of seeing the ’Canes in The Swamp this fall.
“It makes it real exciting because we have a couple of teachers who are diehard UM fans and I come in and tell them every day that next year they're not going to win,” he said.
Posted by: Norm | May 22, 2008 at 10:56 AM
at least Hammond didn't get death threats. The pressure put on these kids though is pretty ridiculous.
Posted by: Esteban | May 22, 2008 at 11:08 AM
Dallas,... Just arrived and Happy as hell and then I read your post... $10.00 an gallon gas... means real recession. Think I'l start investing in a moped company.
Posted by: Cat5 Cane | May 21, 2008 at 06:39 PM
Funny U say that Cat5...big story in yesterday's Dallas paper about the increasing popularity of mopeds/scooters.
Posted by: DallasTX Cane | May 22, 2008 at 11:14 AM
DTX motorcycle sales are up for sure - they advertise here about their mpg
Posted by: CanesgirlNC | May 22, 2008 at 11:17 AM
Just read some good news on TOS from a very reliable poster...
Allen Bailey did not tear his pectoral muscle, but instead pulled it away from the bone. He is expected to be in a sling for 3 weeks and then do rehab.
This is great news...
Posted by: Jesse | May 22, 2008 at 11:28 AM
Dallas, I was reading an article saying the same thing online. I don't know if the article you read had the Harley Davidson rep in it or not. He was only one in the story who didn't seem happy. Their sales are down. I think that info made sense considering the people buying scooters or entry motorcycles are doing it for $$ reasons and not cause they want to front in a Harley. I'm considering buying a scooter or entry motorcycle myself at this point - I'm leaning toward the scooter.
Posted by: Esteban | May 22, 2008 at 11:30 AM
M.H., from last blog...I've seen a news story about that trash power producing plant U referred to. I think that is awesome. More communities and municipalities are going to have to push and implement the alternative/"green" power sources available to us, IMHO. In fact, that is probably a much better method than having the Feds mandate something from the top. Who knows what works best for a particular community than the people and local govt?? That used to be the American Way...
Cav, I agree (again from last blog), especially about China & India going "alternative" from the start although their issue being the cost and incredible demand from immense numbers of people wanting just a little bit of a decent life. Re: Iraq, Don't forget that all authoritarian/dictatorship/not-free-market countries maintain artificially low prices for basic items like base food (rice, bread) groups and gas - a population that is maintaining is controllable...a population that is starving is a recipe for revolution. Also, the Sunni-Shiite clashes and insurgency has caused, many times deliberate, much destruction of the infrastructure and refinery/delivery system in Iraq.
I'm no Halliburton/Cheney fan tho. Just saying that the actual situations are much more complex than typically believed and much less controlable than it would seem.
Posted by: DallasTX Cane | May 22, 2008 at 11:30 AM
Anyway......Miami coaches McGriff, Nix and Ice Harris attended the Hallandale-Cardinal Gibbon spring game last night presumably to watch CB Ricardo Dixon.
Posted by: CanesgirlNC | May 22, 2008 at 11:30 AM
Esteban, different article but same theme. Folks buying for the gas savings. I'm not convinced yet tho...way too many idiot rednecks in big trucks driving like arseholes out here. A scooter seems like a decent way to get dead or veggie-ized.
perhaps the future is communities designed with scooter and/or electric (golf) cart "roads" leading to small, local market and parks?? people will still need regular cars for highway commutes (hybrids) but most local stuff like grocery shopping can be done via cart or scooter.
MORE importantly...great news re AB! Now, I can sleep again! LOL Nice that we all kept our cool until the details got out...
Posted by: DallasTX Cane | May 22, 2008 at 11:56 AM
Dallas, I don't blame you. If I still lived in Miami I probably would keep away from anything two wheeled since I drove on highway to get most places. Here I am usually city driving so not too many big trucks going 80 to compete with.
Posted by: Esteban | May 22, 2008 at 12:21 PM
Dallas, CG, Esteban
scooter
//evosales.com/pd_motorcycle_250cc.cfmotters
250cc...18 HP
Cost 2749...
3 gallon gas cap at 70 MPG.
Top speed... 80 MPH
................................
Scooter
http://evosales.com/pd_fast_scooter_250cc.cfm
250cc...19 HP
Cost 1948....
1.8 gal cap...
top speed 85 MPH
Posted by: Cat5 Cane | May 22, 2008 at 12:31 PM
Scooter.
http://evosales.com/pd_motorcycle_250cc.cfm
Posted by: Cat5 Cane | May 22, 2008 at 12:32 PM
LOL Este - can you imagine Bird Road or the 836 on a scooter???
Posted by: CanesgirlNC | May 22, 2008 at 12:34 PM