All I Want For Christmas Is U

Two thousand and eight proved to be a satisfying yet frustrating year for Miami Hurricane fans.

First, the Canes basketball team, the one that beat the then #1 ranked UNC Tar Heels and encouraged Canes fans everywhere to have "Faith in Haith", exceeded even our wildest expectations by reaching the NCAA tourney before bowing out in the second round with a loss to Texas.

Then, the Canes baseball team won Miami's first ever ACC championship in Jacksonville and advanced to the College World Series in Omaha after winning their Super Regional at Mark Light Stadium. 

Jim Morris' talented diamond dogs even eliminated heated rival FSU along the way but they too would eventually fall short of their goal: winning the National Championship. 

Next, the Canes football team played respectably against the highly ranked and much hated Gators in The Swamp, lost a rain deluged slug fest to FSU and then went on a five game winning streak and had a real shot at winning the ACC title.  But it was not to be as Shannon's team of youngins apparently got worn down and proceeded to blow their last two games against the Yellow Jackets and the Wolfpack. 

The season that began as "No Excuses" quickly turned into the season of "We are Too Young and Too Tired".  Now the team wearing orange and green and the U on their helmet find themselves wondering around the City By The Bay freezing their Emerald Nuts off instead of playing a home game in warm, sunny South Florida at Dolphin Stadium site of the Orange Bowl Classic.

So instead of pleasing the national-championship-or-bust 12%ers (12-0), or meeting the high expectations of Cavaleer's 10-2 gang, or simply signing along with 86Cane's "Let it Be 9-3" campaign, or taking a fanciful ride on SolarCane's 8-4 Magical Mystery Tour, the Canes finshed at 7-5 with only Carlos laughing all the way to the bank. 

It was only when he got there that we discovered he was writing a check to the UM Athletic Department in his quest to get the Canes to hire a "real" offensive coordinator!

However 2008 and our various team's seasons turned out, we would not change it for anything; well, except a few more national championships!  But that is what we have reserved 2009 and 2010 for. 

So, in the meantime, get some nuts, keep 'em warm and set your new HDTV up in time for the Emerald Bowl game from San Francisco on December 27.  We will ring out the old year and all of the unfulfilled expectations, slogans, and dreams of 2008. 

It seems that two thousand and nine can't get here soon enough! 

Comments

[86Cane]

Tap, tap...hey, is this thing on?

[hurriphin 09']

Busy around here...

[DZ8]

Merry Christmas!!!

and a Happy New Year!

[solarcane]

Canespace pics rule
peace

[solarcane]

"freezing their Emerald nuts off"

good stuff soup! even if just you and me read the articles

peace

[solarcane]

Miami snapper is fifth Hurricane player suspended for bowl
2 hours ago

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Miami punt snapper Chris Ivory will not play in Saturday's Emerald Bowl because he violated an unspecified team rule. He is the fifth Hurricane suspended for the final game of the season.

Ivory did not accompany the Hurricanes to San Francisco, where Miami (7-5) will face California (8-4) on Saturday.

He also was suspended for the season-opener against Charleston Southern for another rules violation, but won Miami's Albert Bentley Award as the team's most valuable walk-on player.

Jake Byrne, who handles snaps on field goals, will take over Ivory's punt-team duties. Byrne will also be the backup quarterback behind Jacory Harris, who will start after Robert Marve was suspended for missing classes.

Tight ends Richard Gordon and Tervaris Johnson, along with linebacker Jordan Futch, were also suspended last week for the bowl game because of team rule violations.

peace

[solarcane]

Can you imagine Clinton Portis trying to play under Shannon?

peace

[Hurricane Mitch]

Happy Holidays, Canespacers.

[DelrayCane]

Merry Christmas to all and a healthy & happy New Year...and an Emerald Bowl win.

Go Canes!

[roachcane77]

Well, hopefully the "young, tired" Canes are keeping their nuts warm.

I have absolutely NO FEEL for what we will see Saturday night... none. (Usually, I feel something!)

The ONLY thing I know is that I hope JH has a break out performance. I hope he ignores PNix and runs what he KNOWS will work, and I hope the new year brings us a new OC and some BIG, MEAN linemen!

Happy Holidays Canespacers!

[Hurricanedave]

The space works 365 24/7. Merry christmas to all of you Canes!!!!

[Calvin]

Well most people said the team needed discipline, whether it's more than what some bargained for, here's to seeing if it pays dividends on the field. With the long snapper out though, the last thing we need to be doing is relying on fluzzi panuzzi to try and drum up a replacement this quick. That's the last unit that needs a suspended player as if our special teams has been any good against the better teams at blocking them out.

How many teams blocked our kicks this year, i can't rememeber as for oliver vernon, gotta do what he gotta do, he's sees the defensive end depth and realize that guys like marcus robinson, forston, wesley and andrew smith are already balling good early. If he wants to go up to alabama since he thinks they'll be playing for a national championship soon, that's fine, who's their qb next year, their offense is conservative with a senior qb, come next year, we'll see, but saban is puting together a strong team for sure.

I'm not worried about cal, as long as we play physical, we'll be alright, plus guys know jacory spreads the ball around, so run your patterns hard every time. It's going to be fun, the guys on this team coming up got to much pride, and can we get the safeties involved in the secondary for a change, they're always to deep.

[solarcane]

cal,
The dude Byrne that snaps for field goals and extra points is gonna snap for punts so Bosher should be used to him.

Shannon has definitely made it clear your at Miami to study, play football and graduate, anything else you better clear it with him first.

I think Cal will be as good as we faced this year with the exception of Florida and GT.
like you say, we bring it every play on defense we will be OK.

This kind of pre game week drama is stuff Jacory thrives on.
He plays the best when the heat is on.

peace

[CanesgirlNC]

freezing their Emerald nuts off"

good stuff soup! even if just you and me read the articles

peace

Posted by: solarcane | December 25, 2008 at 04:41 PM

LOL, no I read it too

[solarcane]

Merry Christmas CG,
Thanks for the email, that's was tragically funny

peace

[CanesgirlNC]

Merry Christmas Solar! Glad I could make you smile :-D

[86Cane]

good stuff soup! even if just you and me read the articles

Posted by: solarcane | December 25, 2008 at 04:41 PM

LOL, no I read it too

Posted by: CanesgirlNC | December 25, 2008 at 06:34 PM

Well, that makes three of us!

[86Cane]

The space works 365 24/7. Merry christmas to all of you Canes!!!!

Posted by: Hurricanedave | December 25, 2008 at 05:30 PM

The sun NEVER sets on Canespace...

[MaryLouAlumni]

86---What a great week for you, especially I get to wish you a very happy birthday in advance!!! What a week for you and end it all with a win on Saturday.
Freezing their nuts off is so hysterical, but what about us girls, (no nuts!!!) Just kidding!
Love to all of you, "my family"

[orange 'n green in the vein]

My name is OGV, and I'm a recovering 12%er. I will be accepting reality in San Francisco tomorrow around 6 am when I meet my friend (a Semenhole alumni NO LESS) in the Bay Area and we go sightseeing the day before UM's bowl game. At least we stood toe to toe with the national champs this year in their home stadium.

[SOUP]

MaryLou...we missed U while U were away from the blog! We thought the Keoki Mystery Punch might have done U in!!! Thanks again for the well wishes. As for what the women will be feeling, well I'll have to check with the cheerleaders on that one. Remember this:

http://canespace.typepad.com/.a/6a00e008c672588834010535f8c8f9970c-pi

and this:

http://canespace.typepad.com/.a/6a00e008c672588834010535f8e403970c-pi

[Calvin]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vrs9cS64wWE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaJolk2JGPM

[solarcane]

Emerald Bowl gets a gift
By Jon Wilner

Last July, Emerald Bowl executive director Gary Cavalli wrote down the names of the teams he wanted for his game, then stuck the paper in a drawer, and hoped.

The names: Cal and Miami.

"It was less a brilliant prognostication than a wish, but the wish came true," Cavalli said with a laugh. "For us, this is like a Christmas present."

Cavalli has coveted a Bay Area team since the Emerald came into existence in 2002. This year, he got the eight-win Bears and their huge fan base, plus an opponent with one of the biggest names in college football.

Cal and Miami are expected to draw a sellout crowd to AT&T Park on Saturday and generate big ratings on ESPN, which thinks enough of the Emerald to give it a choice broadcast window: prime time on the East Coast on a Saturday.

"A lot of people thought we were crazy back when we started this thing," said Cavalli, who has worked in Bay Area sports for three decades. (He co-founded the now-defunct American Basketball League for women in the 1990s.) "This is not an area widely known as a hotbed of college football. It was a gamble in some respects."

The Emerald lost money its first two years but broke into the black with Navy's participation in Year 3. Now it has a six-figure cash reserve, an ESPN contract that runs through 2017 and a strong partnership with the Pacific-10 Conference, which fills one side of the matchup with its No. 4 or No. 5 team.

"We were attracted to it

immediately," Pac-10 associate commissioner Jim Muldoon said. "San Francisco is a terrific destination; it's smack in the middle of the conference.

"They've been very careful in the way they've built it, step by step, and not trying to overreach out of the gate. And they've done a good job picking opponents."

Long before the first kickoff, Cavalli took care of the bowl basics. He found an attractive venue in AT&T Park. He cut a deal with ESPN, and he lined up Diamond Foods Inc., which owns Emerald Nuts, as the title sponsor.

But at the heart of the bowl's success is his belief that the best matchups are those between teams from different regions whose conferences rarely collide.

Cavalli had a chance to match teams from the Mountain West or Western Athletic against the Pac-10, but those intra-regional games already exist — not only in the regular season but also in the postseason, in the form of the Las Vegas and Hawaii bowls.

Instead, Cavalli used positive recommendations from Boston College and Virginia Tech to secure a partnership with the Atlantic Coast Conference and create the only bowl game between the Pac-10 and the ACC. (Both teams participated in the Emerald as members of the Big East early in the decade.)

The Emerald only pays its ACC participant $750,000 and does not rank high in the league's pecking order, but Cavalli isn't complaining. It's the perfect time to be a middle-tier bowl because the ACC's two biggest names, Florida State and Miami, are middle-tier teams.

Given a choice between seven-win Miami and, say, nine-win Georgia Tech, the Emerald is far better off with the Hurricanes. Cavalli doesn't need the ACC participant to bring 10,000 fans; he needs it to generate TV ratings nationally and spur ticket-buying interest in the Bay Area.

The Pac-10 participant, which receives $850,000, has a different role in Cavalli's business model. Its job is to fill seats. To that extent, the Emerald wants to be as high in the conference's pecking order as possible: The better the team, the more enthusiastic its fan base.

It's not outlandish to think the Emerald could eventually zoom past the Las Vegas Bowl — they are partners in the selection process of the No. 4 and No. 5 teams — and possibly supplant the Sun Bowl as the league's No. 3 game.

It just so happens that the contracts between the Pac-10 and its bowl partners expire after this season. (Negotiations are expected to begin in January.) The timing couldn't be much better for the Emerald, with its marquee matchup and coveted broadcast window, to begin climbing the Pac-10's bowl ladder.

"We still think it's in the growth stage," Muldoon said. "For us, it's an awesome fit."

peace

[solarcane]

Is it me or does the Emerald Bowl logo look a lot like a cigar band wrapped around a couple beach chairs?

peace

[MaryLouAlumni]

Had so much fun at the game. Thanks for posting the link to the pictures.
GO CANES

[Old Skool]

Must be nice to have the budget to entice whomever you want to coach...

New Tennessee football coach Lane Kiffin attempted to lure Denver Broncos quarterbacks coach Jeremey Bates as he assembles a coaching staff.

Bates was said to have seriously considered Kiffin’s offer, but eventually opted to stay in Denver, where the Broncos gave him a raise and an extension.

The 32-year-old Bates has been an assistant with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets.

He was a reserve freshman quarterback at UT in 1995. He later transferred to Rice.

Bates and his brother, James, were standout players at Sevier County High School.

Jim Bates, the father of Jeremey and James, is a former UT linebacker (1964-67), graduate assistant (1968) and linebackers coach (1989). He coached in the NFL for 16 years, including seven games as interim head coach of the Miami Dolphins in 2004.

[LatinCane]

Merry Christmas Canespacers!!! I'm chilling up in Orlando with the fam. I'm actually staying at the same hotel (Rosen Shingle Creek) as the Wisconsin Badgers. They are some big mo fos. Fla St. better be ready. Where can an out of towner like myself watch the Canes game this Saturday amongst fellow brothers and sisters? Happy New Year

[Loco]

good stuff soup! even if just you and me read the articles

Posted by: solarcane | December 25, 2008 at 04:41 PM

LOL, no I read it too

Posted by: CanesgirlNC | December 25, 2008 at 06:34 PM

Well, that makes three of us!

Posted by: 86Cane | December 25, 2008 at 07:14 PM

I read them. That's about all i have time to do these days...

[canechic]

Merry Christmas to all my family bloggers!!!

Been busy but I have no feel for the game either, I just hope we win!!!!

Go Canes beat Cal, how bout those Lakers??

[canechic]

latin cane send me an email at tlwflores@hotmail.com and maybe Angry and I can meet up with you, I think the alumni go to Smokey Bones in Winter Park, I will check with 86.

[LatinCane]

Canechic,
I'll send it now. Don't know how long the wife will let me hang, but I know she'll understand.

[MidWestCane]

Hey Legion,

Here is a nice article on the Seminole Trio that came out today:

"Seminole's terrific trio.

Did you see the Florida Class 6A championship game between Sanford (Fla.) Seminole and Miami Northwestern? How good are Seminole's "big three" and where do you see them going?

-- Ray from Fort Lauderdale
-----
I was at Orlando's Citrus Bowl for the Northwestern-Seminole game, and let's just say the stars shined bright for Seminole with Andre DeBose, Ray Ray Armstrong and Dyron Dye.

Andre Debose scored the game-winning touchdown for Seminole in the state championship.

DeBose, a five-star recruit, lines up everywhere on offense for the Seminoles – quarterback, running back and receiver. He's a jack of all trades, and I really think the coaches did a nice job of finding ways to get him touches and utilizing his talents. DeBose has fantastic speed and quickness, and can be electric with the ball in his hands. He had some nice runs and receptions, and certainly played the part of a five-star recruit. DeBose saved his best play for his last offensive touch, when he made an unbelievable, acrobatic 40-yard touchdown reception with 33 seconds left for the game-winning touchdown in Seminoles' 28-21 victory. He outjumped Northwestern safety Tevin McCaskill for the grab, and that reception has to be one of the best catches this season.

As well as DeBose performed, I thought the player of the game was Ray Ray Armstrong. He has great size and can really run. Armstrong is tough and a playmaker on both sides of the ball. Offensively, he mainly played quarterback. He ran hard and converted on some critical third-down plays. Defensively, he made some big hits playing safety, showing terrific range and excellent closing speed. He reminds me a lot of Jevon Kearse at the same stage. Armstrong, who prefers to play safety, likely will grow into a linebacker, but he could get big enough to play defensive end. He also would make a great tight end.

Defensively, Dye was quiet in the first half, when he basically was neutralized by Northwestern offensive tackle Torian Wilson. But Dye played exceptionally well in the second half. Dye showed good athleticism and speed, and the ability to take over the line of scrimmage when the game was on the line. Offensively he played tight end and caught a few passes. Dye ran hard with the ball in his hands and did a nice job of blocking.

Now the Seminole theme turns to recruiting, where things will really heat up for DeBose, Armstrong and Dye. All indications are that LSU is the team to beat for DeBose. Florida and Miami are right there, and I wouldn't count out Florida State, either. If there's a No. 2 team, I would suspect right now it's Florida. Still, the team to watch for DeBose is Miami because I think, right now, the Hurricanes are the team to beat for Armstrong and Dye."

[hurriphin 09']

FSU game on ESPNU

Pissin' me off......

[orange 'n green in the vein]

I read the articles here. I also look at the pictures. After Photoshopping the Soupster out of the middle of the cheerleaders of course.

[solarcane]

Bowling For Dollars

Jan. 8 BCS Title Miami FOX 8 p.m. No. 1 Oklahoma (12-1) vs. No. 2 Florida (12-1)
Jan. 5 Fiesta Glendale, Ariz. FOX 8 p.m. Ohio State (10-2) vs. Texas (11-1)
Jan. 2 Sugar New Orleans FOX 8 p.m. Utah (12-0) vs. Alabama (12-1)
Jan. 1 Rose Pasadena, Calif. ABC 5 p.m. Penn State (11-1) vs. Southern California (11-1)
Jan. 1 Orange Miami FOX 8:30 p.m. Virginia Tech (9-4) vs. Cincinnati (11-2)
Non-BCS Games
Date Game Location TV Time Matchup/Result
Jan. 6 GMAC Mobile, Ala. ESPN 8 p.m. Tulsa (10-3) vs. Ball State (12-1)
Jan. 3 International Toronto ESPN2 Noon Buffalo (8-5) vs. Connecticut (7-5)
Jan. 2 Liberty Memphis ESPN 5 p.m. Kentucky (6-6) vs. East Carolina (9-4)
Jan. 2 Cotton Dallas FOX 2 p.m. Mississippi (8-4) vs. Texas Tech (11-1)
Jan. 1 Gator Jacksonville CBS 1 p.m. Clemson (7-5) vs. Nebraska (8-4)
Jan. 1 Capital One Orlando ABC 1 p.m. Georgia (9-3) vs. Michigan State (9-3)
Jan. 1 Outback Tampa, Fla. ESPN 11 a.m. South Carolina (7-5) vs. Iowa (8-4)
Dec. 31 Chick-fil-A Atlanta ESPN 7:30 p.m. LSU (7-5) vs. Georgia Tech (9-3)
Dec. 31 Insight Tempe, Ariz. NFL Net. 5:30 p.m. Kansas (7-5) vs. Minnesota (7-5)
Dec. 31 Music City Nashville ESPN 3:30 p.m. Boston College (9-4) vs. Vanderbilt (6-6)
Dec. 31 Sun El Paso, Tex. CBS 2 p.m. Oregon State (8-4) vs. Pittsburgh (9-3)
Dec. 31 Armed Forces Fort Worth, Tex. ESPN 12:30 p.m. Houston (7-5) vs. Air Force (8-4)
Dec. 30 Holiday San Diego ESPN 8 p.m. Oklahoma State (9-3) vs. Oregon (9-3)
Dec. 30 Texas Houston NFL Net. 8 p.m. Rice (9-3) vs. Western Michigan (9-3)
Dec. 30 Humanitarian Boise, Idaho ESPN2 4:30 p.m. Maryland (7-5) vs. Nevada (7-5)
Dec. 29 Alamo San Antonio ESPN 8 p.m. Missouri (9-4) vs. Northwestern (9-3)
Dec. 29 Papajohns.com Birmingham, Ala. ESPN 3 p.m. North Carolina State (6-6) vs. Rutgers (7-5)
Dec. 28 Independence Shreveport, La. ESPN 8 p.m. Northern Illinois (6-6) vs. Louisiana Tech (7-5)
Dec. 27 Emerald San Francisco ESPN 8 p.m. Miami (Fla.) (7-5) vs. California (8-4)
Dec. 27 Champs Sports Orlando ESPN 4:30 p.m. Wisconsin (7-5) vs. Florida State (8-4)
Dec. 27 Meineke Car Care Charlotte ESPN 1 p.m. West Virginia (8-4) vs. North Carolina (8-4)
Dec. 26 Motor City Detroit ESPN 7:30 p.m. Florida Atlantic (6-6) vs. Central Michigan (8-4

peace

[MidWestCane]

"I just don't have confidence the Hurricane O can get in a track meet with Cal's offense. But then again, I may be wrong.

Posted by: macjones de albuquerque | December 23, 2008 at 04:50 PM"

macjones,

I feel ya, beleive me, I do. An effective Offense must be in-sinc first with each other before it can ever be in-sinc on the field. I know that. I am just HOPING again for the best in our upcomming Bowl game. We know, We are just not THERE yet, Right? - GROWING PAINS AND ALL.

I was talking more in terms of the future of our team. I am hoping Randy is prioritizing recruiting in terms of not only on the availability of atheletes that can immediately help our team out, but also in terms of the phase of the game that is most fundamental and has the best chances of getting the Canes back to National Championship status and keeping us there or in likely contention every single year.

I think he is duing just that. He is concentrating on the Offensive front, however, I am concerned with our Defensive Front. When it comes to the D Front, I don't think we are set just yet. We have add some good depth, true; the foudation has been laid but, set? I think not. Remember, we, at least I am looking for Jimmy Johnson depth. So now looking at it through those lenses, tell me, are we set on the D Front?

Many fans are concentrating just on the Offensive needs this year, but "Defense Win Championships". If we ever lose that edge, that "swagger", well my friend, in the future we may look like a Texas Tech team, or a TCU, or a Utah, teams with great Offenses but teams that never win that many games against serious competition. We was not that great in the post 2001 years with Coker at the helm, but our D, with Randy at the helm of it, kept us in contention. This is also shown in the Baltimore Ravens example.

As for right now, well, We may surprise alot of people in Saturday's Bowl Game.

[pb(CSROH09)]

A belated Merry Christmas to the Canespace Nation.

Its a blast interacting with you all throughout the year.

[j.w.]

Feliz Navidad, Happy Chanukah and peace to all of the legion! Can't wait for this game, the Canes make it to my area once in a lifetime! Again, hope to meet some of you at the UMAA party and/or the game! If you're going, let me know and let's figure out a way to drink a beer before/during the game!

[Chinese Punisher aka Cavaleer]

OGV, where the hell have you been??? Have fun at the game. Give us your acute, astute impressions of the our boys.

[Chinese Punisher aka Cavaleer]

Merry Christmas Legion.

[MidWestCane]

Mac,

We cannot afford to sit on what we have right now:

http://floridastate.rivals.com/

[hurriphin 09']

Sam Shields & Hankerson were awful that night....

[MidWestCane]

Yea, Mr. Jones, it seems every site I turn to tends to emphasize that point:

http://florida.rivals.com/

"You snooze, you loose."

[MidWestCane]

Another DT committed to LSue.

http://lsu.rivals.com/

one more we need.

[solarcane]

hurri
yea damn shame, Benjamin was playing like he was Hester with good hands

peace

[MidWestCane]

"A belated Merry Christmas to the Canespace Nation.

Its a blast interacting with you all throughout the year.

Posted by: pb(CSROH09) | December 25, 2008 at 10:25 PM"

pb,

Likewise. Its been a pleasure hearing from you also.

"Merry Christmas Legion.

Posted by: Chinese Punisher aka Cavaleer | December 25, 2008 at 10:33 PM"

And a Happy New Year to you Chinese Punisher aka Cavaleer.

OVG,

On of the originals. It's an honor to say your name.

[MidWestCane]

OVG,

Sorry, I meant "One of the originals. It's an honor to say your name."

I need a designated typer. Bubba lee, Bubba lee. Don't need no more Bubba lee.

[SOUP]

UMAA Game watch is usually here for Orlando:

WINTER PARK O'BOYS BAR-B-Q
565 WEST FAIRBANKS AVE.
WINTER PARK
407-478-6269 Fax 407-478-6271
Manager: Jared Jonhson

[SOUP]

I also look at the pictures. After Photoshopping the Soupster out of the middle of the cheerleaders of course.

Posted by: orange 'n green in the vein | December 25, 2008 at 09:37 PM

After your little Canespace sponsored trip to the UMAA event in SF U will have your own pictures with the cheerleaders! Don't be shy, just walk right up and tell 'em Canespace sent U!!!

[SOUP]

Its a blast interacting with you all throughout the year.

Posted by: pb(CSROH09) | December 25, 2008 at 10:25 PM

pb...you are in already, trust me you are in (CSROH09)!