Canespace

A Serious Bottom Spanking

Many people who live in South Florida refer to that area of the State as "The Bottom". 

The high school players and teams from the area that runs from the sugar cane and muck fields of the 561 (Palm Beach County), and South from the Everglades to the intracoastal through the 954 (Broward), and then through the hard streets and bright lights of the 305 (Miami-Dade), also are referred to as being "from the bottom".

On Friday night at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, St, Thomas Aquinas High School, which happens to be from the 954, showed once again why the best players and teams in the State are from the bottom by beating Lakeland 56-7 in the FHSAA Class 5-A State Championship game.  

The Raiders gave an old fashioned bottom spanking to the Dreadnaughts in a merciless beatdown that was actually worse than the score reflects (if that's possible).   St, Thomas led by 28-0 in the first quarter and 35-7 before taking a break for some milk and cookies and a short relaxing nap at halftime before coming out to finally finish the mauling.  Yawn...

Aquinas, ranked No. 1 in the National Prep Poll, ESPN and USA Today's rankings, will be the first Broward team to be the consensus national champ after beating Lakeland, which was ranked as high as No. 6 in the nation.

Tonight Miami Northwestern High School looks to repeat as Class 6-A champions in a matchup against some other lame team from the 407 (Orlando).  Last year the Bulls beat down another Orlando area based team en route to winning the mythical high school national championship. 

Look for the boys from the bottom to repeat as champs this year. 

Manny, 321 and others...see U at the game!

Who Put The U In The NFL(U)?

The NFL(U) released its 2009 NFL Pro Bowl selections this week and seven former University of Miami standouts made the list. And guess what?  The seven Hurricanes are the most from any school in the nation. 

Gee, what a surprise?

Former Canes and current NFLers who will head to Hawaii this February include wide receivers Andre Johnson (Houston Texans) and Reggie Wayne (Indianapolis Colts), running back Clinton Portis (Washington Redskins), linebackers Ray Lewis (Baltimore Ravens) and Jon Beason (Carolina Panthers), safety Ed Reed (Baltimore Ravens) and punter Jeff Feagles (New York Giants).

Still not impressed?  Get this: Miami has as many or more Pro Bowl players selected than three entire BCS-conferences!

UM's seven former players is tied with the entire Big 10 Conference (7) while it leads the total produced by the Pac-10 (6) and the Big East (4). 

Equally impressive is the fact that the Atlantic Coast Conference tops all leagues with 20 players from current ACC schools. The SEC is a distant second with 13 former players selected. The facts are that former Hurricane greats and other ACC players continue to prove themselves at the professional level.

Offensively, former Cane and recent Canespace interview Andre Johnson leads the NFL in receiving yards (1,408) and receptions (103). His predecessor and current Indianapolis Colt player Reggie Wayne is tied for tenth in receptions (74).

Portis ranks third in the NFL in both rushing yards (1,337) yards and carries (291) for the Redskins this year.

Defensively, former Hurricane star and leader Ed Reed is tied for second in the NFL with five interceptions. Jon Beason, who has truly blossomed as an NFL LB, is second in the league in tackles (122) for the Panthers.

"Ray Ray" is tied for 13th in tackles with 104. 

Jeff Feagles, who is now officially older than dirt, still averages 44-yards per punt for the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants.

Awards Are Us

University of Miami linebacker Sean "Sleepy" Spence and defensive tackle Marcus "Manimal" Forston have been named to the 2008 Sporting News' All-Freshman Second Team. It's the second freshman All-America honor for both Hurricanes.

Spence was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Rookie of the Year. He finished third on the team during the regular season with 62 total tackles and led all Miami linebackers with 7.5 tackles for loss. He started eight of the 12 games he played. Spence returned his first career interception for a touchdown against Florida State and forced a fumble in the final minutes of regulation at Virginia which helped the Hurricanes to an overtime win. He posted a career-high 10 tackles against Florida State and had five or more tackles in eight games. He also registered two sacks with his first career sack coming at Florida.

Forston played in 11 games for the Hurricanes making his first career start at Florida. He recorded 17 tackles (12 solo, five assisted), 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks, which tied for fourth on the team. He had a career-high four tackles at NC State, which included a career-best two sacks. He also had nine quarterback hurries.

Forston and Spence along with defensive end Marcus Robinson were named first team All-Americans by the CollegeFootballNews.com.

And The Award Goes To...

In 2008, OcalaCane's favorite player and soon-to-be best friend Matt Bosher went 17 of 19 on field goal attempts, a perfect 38 of 38 on extra points and was second in the ACC conference in punting with a 41 yard average.  

But much more important than that, Bosher tackled and absolutely crushed a couple of returners along the way almost as hard as Sean Spence hit some running backs and MUCH harder than DVD will ever hit anybody.  As a result, on Sunday night, Matt Bosher won the Canes MVP award for this season. The other winners were: 

Most Versatile Player:  Graig Cooper

Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year: Gavin Hardin

Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year: Damien Berry

Hard Hitter Award: Sean Spence

Special Teams Player of the Year: Sam Shields

Strength Training Athlete of the Year: Khalil Jones

Nick Chickillo Most Improved Player: Chris Rutledge

Walt Kichefski Hurricane Award (commitment, consistency): Khalil Jones

Albert Bentley Most Valuable Walk-On Award: Chris Ivory

Mariutto Scholar Athlete (highest G.P.A.): Xavier Shannon

Plumer Memorial Award (motivation): Glenn Cook

Dale Melching Award (leadership): Glenn Cook

UM Sports Hall of Fame Unsung Hero Award: Patrick Hill

Jack Harding Award (Team MVP): Matt Bosher

Canes Announce 2009 Baseball Schedule

This article courtesy of the UM web site: www.hurricanesports.com:

Home series against Florida State, Georgia Tech and NC State and road trips to Florida, Virginia, Clemson and North Carolina highlight the 2009 UM baseball schedule, as announced Friday by head coach Jim Morris (seen here at the 2008 ACC tourney in Jacksonville).

The Hurricanes, who will play at the newly renovated Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field this season, open the 2009 campaign on Friday, Feb. 20 against Rutgers.

Thirty-eight of UM's 54 regular season games will be played inside the state of Florida, with 35 of those games to be played at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field. UM is also slated to play 22 games against eight different schools that reached the NCAA Tournament in 2008.

After the opener against Rutgers on Feb. 20, the Hurricanes will face the Scarlet Knights three more times over the next two days, with two seven-inning games slated on Feb. 21 before the two teams close out the series with the fourth game on Sunday, Feb. 22.

The following weekend, UM makes its only non-conference weekend road trip when it travels to Gainesville to take on Florida, Feb. 27 to March 1.

The team then returns to Coral Gables for its longest homestand of the year with 12 games in a span of 16 days from March 3 to March 18. During that stretch, the `Canes will take on Rhode Island, Mount St. Mary's, St. Joseph's (Pa.), Pittsburgh, St. Thomas and UMBC in mid-week games, as well as NC State (March 6-8) and Duke (March 13-15) in ACC weekend series.

Miami's first ACC road trip of the year comes March 20-22, when the Hurricanes head to Charlottesville, Va. to battle the University of Virginia. Following that weekend, UM will play a pair of mid-week games against Ohio State at home (March 24) and at FAU (March 25).

Arguably the toughest stretch of the season comes in late March and early April, with home series against Georgia Tech (March 27-29) and Florida State (April 3-5) followed by a road trip to Clemson (April 10-12) all coming in a span of two-and-a-half weeks. The Hurricanes will follow that stretch up with another difficult conference test - a series at North Carolina, April 17-19.

The month of May features Miami's northernmost trip of the season (at Boston College, May 1-3), its final regular season home series (Bethune-Cookman, May 8-10) and its regular-season finale (at Wake Forest, May 14-16).

After closing out the regular season in Winston-Salem, N.C. on May 16, the Hurricanes will make the short trip east to Durham for the 2009 ACC Tournament, May 20-24, at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

The 2009 UM baseball team features 19 returning players from last year's team that reached the College World Series and finished with an overall record of 53-11. Among the players returning this season include sophomore left-hander Chris Hernandez - Collegiate Baseball's National Freshman Pitcher of the Year (pictured here at the ACC tourney in Jacksonville last year) - and junior shortstop Ryan Jackson (seen above), a first-team All-ACC selection in 2008.

Joining the returning group is a 13-member newcomer class that features five players selected in the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft and a total of nine players from the South Florida area.

Miami's television schedule will be announced at a later date. For ticket information for the 2009 season call 1-800-GO-CANES, visit www.hurricanesports.com or email canestix@miami.edu

See U in "Canespace Corner" (main stands, third base side, top row) at the Light!

Help, I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up!

This feature was written by Canespace blogger SolarCane...

 

Remember that sweet, lovable and clumsy lady, Mrs. Fletcher in the TV commercials?  You know the one that has fallen and can’t get up?  Thankfully she always remembered to wear her trusty Life Call pendant. Eventually she got up.

-

Maybe Les Miles and his bayou ballers should trade in their Saint Christopher medals for a box of Life Alert necklaces.  Wasn’t it just about ninety days ago LSU was prancing around in a snit that they were rated ONLY seventh when anyone worth their grits and gumbo knew the Tigers were number one in the land? People were already celebrating the SEC crown at every bait shop in Louisiana.

-

Apparently the Gators missed the fish fry and were busy practicing while the Cajuns were on the dock sucking crawdads.  Florida’s complete and convincing 51-21 thumping of the Tigers was just a prelude to the disastrous season LSU was about to endure.

-

The old timers said a one loss season might have cost them the National Championship, but they would still win the SEC.  After Georgia, Alabama, Ole Miss and Arkansas took turns beating the stuffing out of Louisiana State University, they were beyond even Mrs. Fletcher’s help. LSU fell from a lofty over ranked number seven to the depths of the unranked and clearly they can't get up.

-

Speaking of over ranked, the pre season number one Georgia Bulldogs tripped over their early press clippings and couldn’t get up either.  Long the media darlings the Dawgs thought they were invincible, THIS was THEIR season!

-

The Dawgs started out like they believed the hype pouring out of every radio and TV in Athens.  They beat tiny upstart Georgia Southern, then turned it on against powerhouse Central Michigan putting up 101 points in their first two games. They might just go coast to coast undefeated number one!

-

Alabama came to town.  So much for being number one.  The old timers said a one loss season might cost them the National Championship, but they would still win the SEC.  The Dawgs simmered into Jacksonville determined to rout Florida and embarrass Gator Nation.  Florida kicked Georgia like a d-o-g dog.  The beaten Bulldogs licked their wounds and fell faster than the stock market; they still can't get up!

-

The only way to save the season for the Dawgs would be to brutalize Georgia Tech and their lumbering option game.  GT played their game and before you knew it Richt was grasping at his neck pushing the panic button.

-

Miami was supposed to go 3-9 by a lot of sportswriters across the nation, fortunately we landed on our feet and finished bowl eligible.  They got up.  The questions is, can they get up again in 2009?

Vernon Carey: Doing Good In The Neighborhood

When you think of stars in the game of football, most fans usually focus on the quarterbacks, the running backs, the wide receivers and maybe the occasional linebacker or defensive end.  It is rare that you hear about offensive linemen.  This story is about one of them.  The guy in the trenches.  One of the big guys that get things started, an offensive linemen...

Vernon A. Carey was born in Miami on July 31, 1981.  He grew up in the Liberty City area in the heart of the 305 where he would later attend Miami Northwestern High School.  He was so dominant during his junior and senior seasons at MNWHS that he did not allow a single sack and was named a USA Today first-team All-America pick. 

For his efforts he received first team Class 6A All-State honors and helped guide Northwestern to the Florida Class 6A State Title which earned him a scholarship to attend the University of Miami.

Carey signed with UM in 1999 under then Head Coach Butch Davis.  Vernon, who holds a B.A. degree in Liberal Arts from Miami, was a four-year letterman (2000-03) who started his final two seasons at UM and led the Hurricanes offensive line as both a junior and senior.  

He played both guard and tackle as a junior when he was named as a second-team All-Big East Conference choice.  As a senior at Miami he would be nominated for the Lombardi Award and the Outland Trophy.

Vernon's performance at UM would result in him being a first-round draft choice of the Miami Dolphins in 2004.  As the 19th overall pick, he was the third offensive lineman selected, behind only Iowa T Robert Gallery (2nd, Oakland) and Arkansas T Shawn Andrews (16th, Philadelphia). 

Carey has proven to be one of the most durable offensive lineman in the NFL, playing in 74 straight games and starting 57 games in a row for the Dolphins.  In 2008 he has moved back to his natural position at right tackle, where he played his first two seasons, after making the switch to left tackle in 2007 where he started all 16 games.  This year the Dolphins have rebounded from an embarassing 1-15 season and are currently at 8-5 and tied for the AFC East lead.

In 2007, he and his wife started a mentoring program for 20 youth at Brownsville Middle School.  In addition, Vernon also has taken part in the Dolphins' annual charity fishing tournament, the "Souper Bowl of Caring" and "Rebuilding Together" and has held a turkey giveaway during the holidays at Northwestern High School .

He has participated in the team's annual Fishing Tournament which benefits the Miami Dolphins Foundation and has donated time and money to help buy toys during the holidays for children.  As a result of his community involvement and contributions, he was the co-winner of the Dolphins "Nat Moore Community Service Award" in 2007 and this year is nominated for the Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP Award.

On Tuesday December 9, 2008 Carey and his mentoring group volunteered at "The Home Depot Neighborhood MVP Build" which helped rehabilitate Little River Park in Miami, FL.  I had an opportunity to talk to him by phone while he was on site.

Here is my exclusive interview with Vernon Carey, Hurricane legend and neighborhood hero:

86Cane:  You are currently nominated for the Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP Award.  What has that experience been like for you? 

Vernon Carey: Well, it has been a great honor.  To be recognized for contributing to the community is very special to me.  I wanted to make a contribution because it is something that was important to me.  I feel honored to be involved in this whole process.  It's about being a role model for kids.  So many kids need that in their lives.  Kids look up to professional athletes, we owe them that.

86: In 2007 you started a mentoring program for youth at Brownsville Middle School.  What was your motivation behind that project? 

Carey: Well like I said, it is all about being a role model for kids.  I grew up in Miami and I didn't have a lot of role models outside of my parents.  They were both hard working and living from check to check like a lot of people in my neighborhood.  Kids need positive people in their lives.  My wife and I took kids to Universal Studios last year.  When I was a kid I never traveled much out of Miami. They need to see other places, to get outside of their neighborhoods and see what's happening in other places.

86: You grew up in Miami and attended Miami Northwestern High School. How do you feel about all of those Bulls on the UM roster?  You must be proud?

Carey: Yeah, I am proud of those guys.  Jacory Harris, Forston, Johnson and Sean Spence all played as freshmen.  That right there says a lot.  Spence won the ACC rookie defensive player of the year award, right?  That right there says a whole lot about the talent those guys have.  They won the high school national championship.  Those guys are winners and they are going to turn that program back around again.

86: You were a sophomore on the UM 2001 National Championship team.  What was that team like and what was it that made that team so special?

Carey: We had leadership, Senior leadership.  We had guys like Ed Reed and Bryant McKinnie who took over that team.  We just refused to lose.  I mean, losing was not an option.  It was an interesting time.  Butch Davis left and Larry Coker was the head coach.  There were a lot of changes going on.  The leadership we had from the players made a big difference.

86: The UM offensive line was suposed to be a strength but struggled in 2008.  Are you going to work out with them and maybe coach them up a little during the off-season?

Carey: I'd be willing if they'd have me!  But they have a good offensive line coach there (Stoudtland).  They had some injuries this year and guys rotating in and out.  What they need is some consistency and they will come around.  And they need some work with Swasey to get right.

86: So you are a fan of Swasey and his workouts?

Carey: (laughing) Well yeah, even though it about killed me during my first couple of years at Miami!  My first two years were tough (Carey redshirted in 1999 and played in only two games as a freshman in 2000).  But that's what makes you a man.  You have to fight through it.  You don't quit and you get stronger, you get better.  Swasey is tough but he knows what he is doing.  Yeah, I'm a fan of Swasey.

86: Vernon, thanks for taking the time to talk to us today.  You need to know that all of us Canes fans appreciate what you have accomplished on and off the field.  Congratulations on your nomination for the NFL Neighborhood MVP Award.

Carey: Thanks, I appreciate it.

Wishing, and Hoping, and Dreaming...

In 2008, the University of Miami baseball team won the Hurricanes' first ACC Championship in any sport since joining the conference five years ago.  So what seems to be the problem with the football team?  This was supposed to be easy in a conference that was known for it's basketball dominance more than its football prowess, right?

Well, the 2008 version of the Hurricanes football team actually had the ACC crown in its sights before losing its final two games against the Yellow Jackets and the Wolfpack to end the season at 7-5 (as Carlos predicted) instead of 9-3 (as I predicted).  Dear Coach Shannon, please report to my blog, I need to have a word with you!

On Saturday, despite my Hurricane loyalties, I attended the ACC Championship game between Virginia Tech, who the Canes beat this year, and Boston College who the Canes did not play this year, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.  I went to the game for three reasons: (1) I had never been to RayJa, home of the Bucs; (2) I had never been to an ACC Championship game; and (3) I had purchased six tickets when they first went on sale months ago and Hurricane hopes were high. 

Here is my report from the ACC Championship in Tampa:

The Pre-game: I arrived at the Stadium around noon for the 1 PM game and found little traffic on my way into RayJa.  This was the first sign that attendance was going to be light at best. I wandered alone through the Fan Zone area outside of the south side of the Stadium looking for something to do, something to drink and some Canes fans in the crowd.  I found a few proud orange and green clad fans sporting The U in the crowd and offered them FREE tickets, but they were already ticketed and not in need of a freebie.  They got a Canespace T-shirt instead.

I found this one fan, a tall guy looking around and threw up "The U" and he responded.  So I walked on over and to introduce myself. He asked my name and I told him and then he told me "I'm Kenny Calhoun." At first I was stunned and took a second, then said "Your a legend, your famous for winning the 1983 Orange Bowl game and bringing the Canes their first National Championship!  He responded by saying "Nah, I just saved the game, I didn't win it."

I shook the hand that tipped the ball that won the 1983 Orange Bowl game, I asked to take a picture and his wife was nice enough to snap a quick shot. I handed him a Canespace card and told him about the site.  He said he's check it out and maybe do an interview.  That's why it pays to show up!

The Stadium: Is beautiful!  RayJa, home of the Tampa Bay Bucs is in every way comparable to Dolphin Stadium (aka "The New Place").  It has all the amenities, the eye candy, big screens and even a large pirate ship in the north end zone.  The field, the food, the fans and even the wenches are all right up there with the best stadiums around. I had tickets in the upper deck 300 section but was lucky enough to meet a nice enough young lady who offered me a FREE ticket in the 100 lower level.  The seats were nice, the view was great and the company was fine.  I give it an a plus!

The Game: B O R I N G.  I am told that Virginia Tech won but it was hard to tell given the game, lack of excitiment and the fact that I didn't really care who won.  All I know is the game eventually ended and I left.  VT scored more than BC and by rule they get to go to the Orange Bowl game played at Dolphin Stadium home of the Miami Hurricanes.  That ain't right, it just ain't right.

The Fans: The best part of the experience!  it is funny when the game doesn't matter how seeing the fans and dressed up in their team's gear and all made up in war paint can be really entertaining. Here are some pictures of the fans from Boston College and Viginia Tech who I promised 15 minutes of fame here at Canespace:

    

             

Bouncing Back

NOTE: FOR THOSE LOOKING FOR THE ACC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME PHOTOS THEY WILL BE POSTED HERE ON THE BLOG TONIGHT AT 9 PM.

Your Miami Hurricanes beat the Kentucky Wildcats in roundball on Saturday night 73-67 at Rupp Arena in Lexington. 

The Wildcats, who are the winningest program in NCAA history, were down by 20 at the half, 46-26, before mounting a furious second half come back against a seemingly complacent and constipated Hurricane offense.

The Canes simply could not get anything going in the second half and spent much of it as spectators watching Kentucky climb back into the game behind the play of Kentucky Center Patrick Patterson (19 points) and freshman DeAndre Liggins (18 points). 

After the recent second half collapse against OSU where the Canes blew a 15 point lead, Canes coaches, players and fans alike had to be thinking "oh no, here we go again."  This time the game played out with different results and with the Miami players showing why they are ranked and ready for bigger and better things this season.

"A key thing that we talked about with this team is to have other key guys start making plays," Miami coach Frank Haith said.  Jack McClinton obviously made his plays, but we had other guys step up."

With Jack "McClutch" Mclinton back in the line up after getting ejected from the Ohio State game for slapping an OSU player, the Canes cruised to the comfortable lead in the first half.  McClutch was on fire early, driving the ball to the hoop effectively and hitting several threes. The Jack Attack finished the game as the Canes leading scorer with 23 points. 

"I wanted to come out and start from where I left off in the last game," said McClinton, who again apologized for his actions against Ohio State. "We came out with a victory, and it feels great."

James Dews also played well for the Canes, hitting a career best four 3-pointers en route to a season-high 18 points.  Miami (5-2) matched a season high with eight 3s, while Kentucky (5-3) managed to hit only 2 of 25 attempts from behind the line. The Canes shot a solid 42% from three point range but shot a season low 61% from the free throw line.

Next up for the Canes is a cross town rivalry game against FIU at The BUC on 12/12/08 at 7:30 PM.

The Short List To South Beach: Week 14

Another week of stasis rests over the Shortlist to South Beach as the season wraps up and the bowl bids will all get sorted out after Saturday.  The Shortlist looks the same again this week as the following teams jockey for position in my opinion as follows:

Alabama, Utah, Boise State, Ball State, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Penn State, Southern Cal, Texas Tech.

Florida has one last chance to prove itself the best team in BCS conferences in a showdown of two of the best college coaches in the modern era.  It was just a little while ago that Urban Meyer caught some fortunate breaks against an SEC West Division coaching icon on the way to an improbable National Championship run and now he finds himself ready to surpass even Steve Spurrier in Gainesville, not an easy task to be sure.  Will the reigning kings of the State of Speed find themselves on top of the nation once again?  It's hard for me to really envision anything else at this point in the season.

An expected SEC, Big 12 title game is almost all but assured as the Big 12 South's logjam of one loss teams insulates the conference from the ravages of the mediocre second half of it's member schools from dragging down the other's rankings enough to provide another team a title glimpse.  

The history of non-Big 12 champions in title games is not a promising one.  For my money, this year's best title game would be Florida versus Penn State in a interesting twist of Paterno trying to cement his argument for the title of best coach in the history of the game against yet another upstart Florida football power with shades of the Fiesta Bowl tinting the scene.  Add in Galen Hall coaching against his former school and this match-up provides it all, between the sidelines and outside of it.  

As it is, expect Penn State to end up providing Southern Cal with a real test of non-traditional Rose Bowl competition down to the final gun instead, not a bad consolation prize, but not perhaps what they deserve.

Another intriguing match-up would be Florida versus Utah, but the odds of that happening are just as likely to see a Mormon Church supporting gay marriage any time soon.  Yet Urban Meyer versus the team he introduced the term BCS-crashing with would be a interesting David versus Goliath set-up accented with student versus teacher dressing.  The Utes would have the ability to stand toe-to-toe in the first 22 guys on the bench, but after that, the odds get increasingly longer as the talent depth disparities begin to grow exponentially between the two schools.

Of course, Nick Saban has the second most prestigious school in college football history sitting in the pole position and as fortunate as his team has been in staying healthy and not letting it's still shaky depth hamper his teams performance. If Saban can resuscitate the Tide in only two years he'll be second only to Houndstooth as the Gene Stallings era will be a retroactively defined as a mere blip in an otherwise fallow period of school history in Alabama.  If the man can pull the trick off though, he'll have done something more amazing to me than finding a way to earn a well deserved trumping of Pete Carroll in 2004.

Enjoy the final week of games and join me back here next week as the Shortlist to South Beach wraps up and I tell you who really deserves to get their hands on the prize everybody wants here on the Shortlist to South Beach.

Copyright 2008 by Christopher Whelpton for Canespace.com