Canespace

Hurricanes Sweep Tar Heels

Your Miami Hurricanes, fresh off a rare mid-week loss at home to #14 Central Florida, faced a huge challenge as they matched up against ACC rival and #3 ranked North Carolina in a three game weekend series at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field. 

The Hurricanes were up to that challenge as they sent the Tar Heels home with three consecutive losses as #18 Miami swept the series in convincing and dramatic fashion. 

In the series opener on Friday night Miami completely dominated UNC as they busted loose for eight runs and shutout the Heels in a 8-0 laugher.  UM catcher Peter O'Brien hit what was reported to be one of the longest home runs in Hurricane history as he belted the ball over the left field scoreboard and onto the track behind the left field fence. 

O'Brien, a transfer to Miami this season from Bethune Cookman College, easily leads the team in offense with 10 HRs and a .696 slugging percentage.

In the second game on Saturday night the Hurricanes would win in dramatic fashion in a game that went into extra innings tied at 3-3.  In the bottom of the 14th inning Esteban Tresgallo picked the a great time to hit only his third home run as a 'Cane as he blasted the ball just inside the left field foul pole for a walk-off HR. 

Tresgallo was all smiles as he rounded the bases and jumped into the mosh pit of his worn out but very receptive teammates awaiting him at home plate.

In the series finale on Sunday Miami again dominated play and swept the Tar Heels off of the field and well out to sea in a convincing and series clinching 4-0 victory.  The pitching was once again sensational as it had been all series long against highly ranked UNC. 

The Hurricanes clung to a 2-0 lead until the bottom of the seventh inning when they added two more insurance runs to seal the deal against the Heels.

As a result of sweeping the Tar Heels this past weekend the Hurricanes jumped all they way up to #6 in the USA today/ESPN Coach's poll. 

The Florida State Seminoles are currently ranked #1 in the Nation and will host Miami on April 20-22 in Tallahassee.

Bigger, Stronger, Faster

As every Miami Hurricane fan knows the UM football team has spent the entire off-season trying to get bigger, stronger and faster.

Every player on the 85 man roster has been working on strength and endurance.  Last season Miami did not have a single player who could bench 225 pounds more than 25 times.  Now they have eight.

Running back Mike James who is expected to carry the rock for the 'Canes in 2012 is one of those eight players.  Surprisingly, James has been working with UM Strength and Conditioning coach Andreu Swasey primarily on his speed.

Almost to a man, the entire team has become bigger, stronger and faster.  From a Hurricane fan's point of view it couldn't happen soon enough.

If you are a high school athlete and play organized sports like football, basketball or baseball and you want to become bigger stronger and faster over the Summer then you need to go to one place and one place only: Power Sports Academy's 5th annual Summer Camp at Western high School.

If you are the parent of a current high school athlete and want him or her to earn an athletic scholarship to a major D-1 college then you want to send your son or daughter to one place and one place only: Power Sports Academy.

If you are the current reigning heavyweight wrestling champion of the world in your respective league then you want to head to one place and one place only: Power Sports Academy.

If you are just a couch potato or have been to too many tailgate parties and find yourself seriously out of shape and overweight then you too need to head right on over to Power Sports Academy to get fit.

Current University of Miami offensive lineman Jon Feliciano, who happens to weigh in at 6-5 and 320, went to Power Sports Academy when he was in high school and he now has a full scholarship to play for the Hurricanes. 

Oh, and by the way Jon, or Mr. Feliciano as we refer to him now, has become a starter in only his second year on the team.  So yeah, I guess it works!

In case you were wondering, this is the guy who can and will get it done:

Jeremy Herring, MS, CSCS

954-829-4144

My philosophy has been developed over 10 years of extensive research, and even more so throughout my life of an obsession with strength. I earned my Master's degree in Exercise physiology, but have learned far more through the years in the trenches making mistakes and learning from them. I have used myself as a guinea pig for all my training over the past 15 years. My philosophy is a simple one, "train hard, train smart, and put the body under greater stress in training than it could ever face in competition. Competitions should be fun, the training up to the competition is where the work is done."

So no matter what your current status is, if you are an athlete, couch potato or king of the tailgate, we encourage you to put down the remote, set down the bag of chips and salsa, get your lazy self off the couch and go get fit at Power Sports Academy. 

Call 954-829-4144. And please, do it NOW!

Fisching For Answers

Last year your Miami Hurricanes football team lost as many games as they won and finished the 2011 season with a 6-6 record. The final wave of the highly ranked recruiting class of 2008 went out with a thud instead of a bang in Al Golden's first season at Miami.

More often than not Mark D'Onofrio's seemingly passive, bend but don't break defense was called out by Canes fans as the primary culprit behind Miami's mediocre performance in 2011.

But upon closer inspection we found that Jedd Fisch's offense shared an equal amount of the blame for the team's unsatisfactory effort last year.

Now pay attention, stick with me here and let me try to explain why.

In only four of the Hurricanes' 12 games did the team score more than 24 points.

The UM offense notched a season high 49 points against Duke, posted 45 points against Bethune Cookman and managed to score 30 points against North Carolina. All of these scores were accomplished in winning efforts mainly against outmatched opponents.

The only time UM scored more than 24 points and lost in 2011 was against Virginia Tech on the road in Blackburg. The Hurricanes scored 35 points to the Hokies 38 in a losing effort.

Miami failed to score at least 24 points on four occasions last season resulting in three losses and a meek, lowly win over USF in Tampa by the not so impressive score of 6-3. The Hurricanes scored 21 points against Virginia, 19 against FSU and 17 against Boston college all in losing efforts last season.

Four times last year the Hurricanes scored exactly 24 points. Those efforts produced two wins over Ohio State and Georgia Tech and two losses against Maryland and Kansas State.

There is an unwritten rule that I read somewhere that says that most teams expect to win when they score 24 points or more.

Three times last season the UM defense failed to hold their opponent to less than 24 points when UM scored at least 24 points (MD, KSU and VT) and all led to losses including two of three games against ACC teams.

Three times last season Miami failed to score at least 24 points against their opponents (UVA, FSU and BC) with all leading to losses against ACC teams.

The bottom line is that if your team scores 24 points against quality competition you should expect your defense to play well enough to win the game. And if you fail to score 24 points you can usually expect to lose the game when playing against evenly matched opponents.

So looking at it from that perspective we came up with this summary outcome of the 2011 season:

Three times last season the defense failed to live up to their end of the bargain.

Three times last season the offense failed to produce enough points for a victory.

So when you really break it down it is very possible that with two better performances by both the offense and the defense in separate games that Miami wins four more games in 2011 and finishes at a very respectable 10-2. Maybe most importantly that includes very possibly four more ACC wins.

And that is exactly what we hope for in 2012, don't U?

Go Fish!

First let us have a moment of silence for the once historic and recently demolished and forever gone City of Miami Orange Bowl.

Now let us enjoy a moment of festive celebration for the beautiful, new Miami Marlins Park baseball stadium!

Tonight the Florida, whoops, make that Miami Marlins, will have the grandest of openings as they hold the historic first game ever at Marlins Park as they host the St. Louis Cardinals on opening day of the 2012 Major League Baseball season.

The Cardinals are the defending world champions having won the 2011 World Series. The Cards roster includes former UM player Jon Jay (seen above) who last year became another former Hurricane to wear a professional sports league championship ring.

In 1993 when the Marlins played the first game in franchise history at what is now Sun Life Stadium Mr Marlin Jeff Conine was in left field. He was also on the team when they won their first World Series in 1997. Tonight he is part of the MLB broadcast crew at Marlins Park and may be lucky enough to throw out the historic first pitch, a secret the Marlins are keeping under warps.

New manager Ozzi Guillen will lead The Fish onto the field and hopefully into the MLB playoffs this season. The Marlins have significantly upgraded their roster and have added some serious major league talent to the young talented team they already had in place. 

Even as we weep for the gone but not forgotten Orange Bowl we also celebrate the new Marlins Park and hopefully can look forward to starting a new winning tradition at this historic site in central Miami.

The Birth Of A Man And A Miracle

Every year in April and again in November, in honor of Sean Taylor's birth and tragic death, Canespace will dedicate a memorial feature to recognize his contributions to the University of Miami.

Sean Michael Maurice Taylor was born in Miami on April 1, 1983.

Perhaps by fate, maybe by coincidence, it was later that same year that the University of Miami, behind a quarterback named Kosar and coach named Schnellenberger, would win their first college football National Championship by beating heavily favored Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.

That game, which put the UM program on the big-time college football map, has often been referred to as the "Miracle in Miami". Sean's Taylor's birth in April of that year could also be seen as a miracle for what this young man would soon bring to this team and its fans in his home town.

Sean would grow up in a tough South Dade neighborhood and later attend Gulliver High School where he would help them win the Class 2A State Title and become the #1 ranked prep player in the County by the Miami Herald. Sean was so dominant at this level that he played multiple positions including running back, linebacker and defensive back for that team.

After a spectacular Senior season and a hotly contested recruiting battle for this star athlete, Sean decided to attend the University of Miami. It would prove to be somewhat ironic that Sean would wind up being one of only four true freshmen to play in 2001 on the Hurricanes fifth National Championship team.

Even at this early stage, Sean's life had seemingly come full circle. From being born during the Miracle in Miami season of 1983 to contributing to what was arguably the best UM team ever, the Canes 2001 championship team. Sean Taylor had already become a hometown hero and would soon become a true legend in the 305.

As Junior at UM in 2003, after beating FSU at Doak Campbell Stadium in the pouring rain seemingly all by himself, Sean would win a slew of college football awards.

After that season, Sean decided it was time to take the next step and would opt for the NFL draft.

He would be the first of six Canes selected in the first round that year (an NFL record) when he was drafted fifth overall by the Washington Redskins.

By 2006 there was no doubt that Sean Taylor had become the dominant player at his position and was honored by being selected to the NFL Pro-bowl that year. Nicknamed "Meast" by teammates for being part man, part beast, Sean would become one of the most feared hitters in the NFL.

Entering his third year as a Redskin, Sean seemed to be at the top of his game and the NFL talent pool. By the tenth week of the NFL season he was tied for the league lead in interceptions and was considered an automatic selection for his second straight Pro-Bowl.

Then came the fateful night of November 26, 2007.

Sean Taylor, while at home asleep with his wife and 18 month-old daughter, awoke to a loud noise in his home. In an effort to protect his family, Sean confronted the would-be burglars. He was shot once and would later die from the severe loss of blood as his femoral artery was torn apart by the single bullet.

That night would end the life of a real Hurricane hero.

Sean Taylor's sudden and tragic death shocked his family, friends, teammates and the Hurricane faithful. When he died the day following the shooting, we promised to never forget his contributions to the University of Miami.

This blog article is our simple way of proving that we have not forgotten Sean Taylor, #26, who played at The U and was proud to wear the orange and green.

Some memories and images never fade.

Even now, if you close your eyes, you can probably still see him, #26 back peddaling into open space, picking off another deep pass, splashing through the rain and the mud at the Doak, weaving down the field behind several blockers, refusing to be denied and diving into the end zone for a pick six.

That is how we will remember Sean Taylor.

As a miracle of a man who at times seemed completely capable of beating the other team all by himself.