While most of the college sports world focuses on National Signing Day 2014, we have our focus on a few other sports that are happening and happen to actually matter at this time of the year.
In February, we will celebrate the month that brings us Valentine's Day with some seriously naughty four play.
No, not the kind of foreplay that you may be thinking of, but the kind of clean and fun sports "four play" that brings you an incredible opportunity to support your Miami Hurricanes athletic teams in Coral Gables over a four day period:
Canespace will be on hand and in force with several bloggers who will be in attendance at these events and we hope that many more of you will join us for this exciting gathering of 'Canes fans.
We will also meet and celebrate before and after the games at The Titanic Brewery near Mark Light Field. The Titanic offers great food selections, delicious cold frosty beverages and good times to all who choose to attend this special four day sports extravaganza.
So that leaves only one question: "Are U with us or are U against us?"
The Cavaliers, who were picked by the ACC coaches as the league’s preseason favorite last week, earned the top spot in the poll for the first time in program history. They are joined in the Top 10 by No. 5 NC State and No. 6 Florida State.
With Virginia at No. 1, it marks the second straight season that a team from the ACC has held the preseason top spot after North Carolina last year.
Rounding out the ACC teams in the Top 25 are No. 13 Clemson, No. 16 Miami, and No. 17 North Carolina. The six league representatives are the second most from any conference in the country.
Miami will return its entire starting rotation in 2014, including Louisville Slugger All-American lefthander Bryan Radziewski and USA Baseball Collegiate National Team member Chris Diaz. The duo combined to make 30 starts this past season, and both finished among the top three in the ACC in earned run average.
Both Radziewski (29th round, St. Louis Cardinals) and senior righthander Javi Salas (38th round, Minnesota Twins) decided to return to campus after being selected in the 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, while Freshman All-America David Thompson (.286, six home runs, 46 RBI) will help anchor a Miami lineup that returns seven starters from a year ago.
Joining the returning nucleus is a recruiting class ranked among the best nationwide. The group was rated No. 4 by Collegiate Baseball and No. 6 by Baseball America – its highest ranking from the publication since 2006. The Hurricanes have had two classes ranked among the top 10 by both publications in back-to-back seasons.
The 2014 season gets under way on Feb. 14 with all 14 ACC teams in action. The poll from Baseball America:http://theacc.co/1fhEuP9.
Over the last 5 to 10 years the college football recruiting process of high school athletes has gone beyond the ridiculous, moved right passed the absurd and has graduated into the category of just plain dumb.
The fact that mature, intelligent, stable and otherwise grown men would follow these high school kids' every move, tolerate the constant "flips" of their commitments from one University to another and endure the now infamous "hat game" on National Signing Day is, well for a better word, dumber.
But it is what it is and we all know that the coverage of the recruiting process every Winter has expanded exponentially (Note to recruits: That means "like a whole lot") in recent years to where it has become as important, no make that more important, to many college football fans as the actually football games played on the field each Fall.
Welcome to the world of dumb and dumber.
So, to keep up with the crowd and in our continuing effort to remain relevant on today's college football scene, here at Canespace we too will provide you all of the exciting "wall-to-wall coverage" of National Signing Day once again this year on the first Wednesday in February.
Our recruiting gurus here at Canespace, OhioCane and UMike, will bring you up to the minute updates so you can instantly know which highly ranked recruits Miami head Coach Al Golden "landed" (whoo-hoo, they are great!) and which ones "got away" (Boo, they suck anyway!).
The reasons and rationalization for the 2014 recruiting haul will shortly follow. Then there will most certainly be much angst, joy, anger and gnashing of the teeth that will be punctuated by some really dumb things being said by usually reasonable, generally intelligent people on the Internet about how "dumb some of these kids are" or how "the recruiting process keeps getting dumber".
We think that you will be very encouraged to know that there are only nine days to go until dumb meets dumber and NSD 2014 takes place (Read: Thank God it is finally over).
Then we will wait a year to do it all over again with great predictability.
In between there will be some football games that are played.
At this time of the year, with the beautiful seasonable and usually very reasonable Winter weather in Florida, we highly recommend that if you can, please go outside and play.
That's right, instead of sitting at home on your computer and worrying about college football recruiting and wondering if some 18 year old high school kid is going to change his mind three times before National Signing Day we suggest that you put down the keyboard, step away from the computer and go outside and play.
Now if you live in some God forsaken place like Ohio, or New York, or Wyoming then we completely understand why you might prefer to stay inside and hide. Or maybe get smart and head South to the Sunshine State for some Winter fun in the sun.
Recently my wife and I have started our Winter outdoor activity schedule where we have a planned event each weekend. In case you are not aware, Winter is outdoor festival season in Florida and we take as much advantage of the great outdoors as we can during this time of the year while our Northern friends are locked inside in front of a fire place and hiding under couple of blankets.
Last weekend we went to one of our favorite local parks in Polk County the Circle B Preserve. This bustling wildlife preserve has one of the largest Winter migratory bird population in all of Florida.
There are beautiful, stunning, open vistas everywhere you look and all kinds of water fowl, wild hogs, deer, alligators and lakes at every turn.
There are miles and miles of extensive sunny biking trails, shaded hiking trails and and potential fishing holes throughout the expansive park.
This weekend we went to the Alafia River Rendezvous in Homeland, Florida on Highway 17 just South of Bartow. This festival is a two week long event that includes the largest 1800's period encampment in the entire Southeastern United States.
People from all over the Country arrive, asseble and set up camp. Then they buy, sell and trade antiques from the 1800's and dress up in period clothing.
They cook on open wood fires and sell there goods at various tents along the way. Acoustic music can be heard coming from various places along the way.
There are no cell phones, microwaves, tablets or televisions anywhere to be found across the several hundred acre park along the Alafia River.
And oh, let me tell you just how peaceful, charming and refreshing it is. It is like stepping back in time to when things were much, much simpler.
So you can sit inside at your computer and worry (it's like a rocking chair, it keeps you busy, but gets you nowhere) or you can actually go outside and enjoy the beautful scenery and the sight, smells and sounds of the great outdoors.
It's up to you, but if you want my advice, I would just go outside and play!
Sean Taylor was murdered on November 27, 2007. The former University of Miami and Washington Redskins superstar was shot with a single bullet and killed in his own home during a botched burglary attempt.
It took the legal system over six years to convict his killer, Eric Rivera, of second degree murder. Rivera, a cowardly, worthless thug, was finally sentenced on January 23, 2014 to 57.5 years in prison. He had to wait almost seven years for it, but Sean Taylor finally got his justice yesterday.
It is ironic that just a few days ago I had the opportunity to be in South Florida to attend the UM vs Duke basketball game. As is my tradition when I visit the 305 I take time out of my busy schedule to visit the grave sites of two very important people in my life: my mother and Sean Taylor.
Perhaps by chance, or maybe by fate, both of them happen to be buried a few football fields apart at the Woodlawn South cemetery located off of 117th avenue and 112 street in Kendall.
Sean Taylor is a Miami Hurricane football legend and my mother was always a huge fan of UM football. She worked at the UM medical campus for many years and loved watching games on TV, cheering the Hurricanes on to victory and even giving me a "high five" whenever the 'Canes scored.
It is always an emotional moment when I visit the cemetery to pay my respects to both of them. When I do have the chance to visit I have adopted the custom of pouring out some whisky at the grave sites in their honor.
You see my mother liked a sip of Jameson's Irish whiskey from time to time and I always hoped that Sean would also approve.
Even after all of this time, this visit was no different than the rest.
The tears and the whisky flowed.
And now that justice has been done for Sean, I pray that both of them may finally rest in peace.
This article was written for Canespace by blogger OhioCane...
This year, UM head coach Al Golden is hitting every position of need, and hitting them hard. Let me highlight a couple I think are most important at key positions for the Hurricanes in the 2014 recruiting class.
DT: Four players are currently committed with Travonte Valentine still a very legit possibility. IMO, he is our most important recruit. Not only because of his skill set, but because it comes at our weakest position. We also have a real shot at JUCO DT Lance McDowdell from Nassau CC at this position.
LB: Five players are currently committed (Trent Harris is listed at DE, but will play LB at UM) with a shot at at least 3 more in Kenny Young, Gavin Bryant, Antonio Kinard. This was another position of needed depth, especially with Golden and staff slowly working towards going more 3-4 defense than 4-3, so the number will be high.
Safety: Two players are committed in Marques Gayot and Kiy Hester. This position is severely lacking in depth with AJ Highsmith and KC Rodgers graduating. Getting at least one at this spot was crucial. Two is even better. Three would be amazing if we could somehow pull Arrion Springs away from his Oregon commitment.
OL: I'd be remiss if I didn't mention what is arguably the best OL class in the country. This is a spot where staff would like to have 10-12 guys in the rotation. This class helps that cause. Getting two of them (McDermott, Darling) in early will be big. I think both can contribute early with a Spring and Summer under their belts.
QB: Two players currently committed in Malik Roser and Brad Kaaya. Kaaya, in my opinion is our 2nd most important recruit behind Valentine. Very good measurables (6'4, 215), has really improved his vision and pocket presence, and also possesses what some would call an "NFL arm". Strong, great footwork in the pocket, can throw well on the run. He has a real shot to step in as Ryan Williams' backup in our first game this coming season if he can dig into the playbook and become accustomed to and execute it. Had he been able to be an Early Enrollment and get in that crucial Spring ball and workouts, I would predict him to be #2 on the depth chart. He'd have to jump Kevin Olsen who has been on campus for almost a year now. Olsen, however, has displayed what could be percieved as character issues in the recent past. If these turn into more than "mistakes" or become more prevalent, I'd be very comfortable saying Kaaya will not redshirt and will be our backup in our first game in 2014.
Golden is finally in a position where he can build depth, and build it quicker than before. Soon-to-be Seniors NOT leaving for the NFL will help that tremendously, and will also give this staff the opportunity to redshirt a couple extra guys that need it, instead of burning a year of their eligibility sitting on the sideline for 99% of the snaps.
The contest will take place at the beatiful BankUnited Center (BUC) on the lovely, tropically landscaped campus of the University of Miami. If you have never set foot on the UM campus then you have no idea what you are missing.
Not to mention it is just a short walk down the street to the always inviting and deliciously appealing Titanic Brewery where our serious pre-game preparation (read: hydration) takes place. Any sports physiologist will tell you that whenever participating in or watching sporting events one must always consider properly hydrating prior to competition.
Last year Miami completely dominated then #1 ranked Duke 90-63 in what has to be considered the greatest game ever played by the UM basketball team. Tonight the Hurricanes will look to repeat that feat and recapture the magic of that night when Miami fans stormed the floor at The BUC.
However, the two teams that meet tonight could not be more completely different than last year's matchup. Miami basically has five new starters and Duke also has a changed lineup from the one that the Hurricanes humiliated last season.
Canespace will be hydrating at The Titanic and then at the BUC hanging out with our good friends Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and former Hurricane James Jones who are all rumored to be attending tonight's little soiree.
The Game Miami faces a pair of nationally-ranked opponents this week, matching up with No. 18 Duke on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., then No. 2 Syracuse Saturday at 1 p.m., both at the BankUnited Center.
The Series Miami is 4-16 in the all-time series against Duke, which dates back to the 1962-63 season, but 2-1 since the arrival of Coach Larrañaga. The Canes are 3-6 against the Blue Devils at home, 0-2 at neutral sites and 1-8 on the road. Duke won the last matchup against Miami, defeating the Canes, 79-76, on March 2, 2013 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. UM won the previous two meetings, at Cameron Indoor Stadium in 2012 and in Coral Gables in 2013.
The Broadcasts Catch the game on ESPN2 with Bob Wischusen and Dick Vitale making the call. Also check out the game on 560 WQAM Radio with Joe Zagacki, the Voice of the Hurricanes, and on 90.5 WVUM, Miami’s student station.
The Coach Head coach Jim Larrañaga has a 529-361 overall record in his 30th season as a head coach. He is 59-27 in his third season at the University of Miami.
Coach L vs. The ACC Coach Larrañaga has .500 or above winning percentage against all 11 returning ACC schools, and is 0-1 against the newcomers. Notably, Coach L is 6-3 combined against Duke and North Carolina.
Larrañaga and Krzyzewski Miami coach Jim Larrañaga and Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski are two of four ACC coaches with a Final Four appearance to his credit. At George Mason, Larrañaga took the 2006 Patriots to the Final Four. Larrañaga and Krzyzewski are two of four active ACC coaches with 500 or more wins. Larrañaga and Mike Krzyzewski have both won the following coach of the year awards: Naismith, AP and ACC.
Stifling D by the Hurricanes After playing man-to-man defense 95 percent of the time in his first 40 years of coaching, Jim Larrañaga’s team is now playing zone 95 percent of the game. With the zone, Miami has held its last 11 opponents to less than 70 points, and only two teams overall this season have scored more than 70 points on the Canes (80-Georgia Southern, 71-George Washington). Prior to the game against Florida State, UM held five-straight opponents to fewer than 60 points.
When it comes to Miami Hurricane football recruiting there are no two more knowledgeable and connected bloggers than OhioCane and UMike. They may not often agree but they definitely keep it interesting by always bringing different perspectives on the recruiting issues of the day.
Recently, OhioCane posted the following information about UM's 2014 recruiting class which by all estimates is shaping up to be ranked in the top 10 by all of the major recruiting services.
Where Miami ends up depends on one or two recruits who have wavered from their commitments recently and one or two possible surprises as late additions to this recruiting class.
Here is OhioCane breaking down the 2014 recruiting class "By The Numbers":
Early Enrollees:
1. Joseph Yearby – RB 5'9" 190 - Enrolled, On campus 2. Trevor Darling - OT 6'5" 315 - Enrolled, On campus 3. Kc McDermott - OT 6'6" 285 - Enrolled, On campus 4. Trent Harris - DE 6'2 226 - Enrolled, On campus 5. Juwon Young - OLB 6'2 230 - Enrolled, On campus 6. Braxton Berrios - WR 5'9 185 - Enrolled, On campus 7. Calvin Heurtelou - DT 6'3 305 Enrolling in late January
Michael Whyche (DT) - signed NLI - waiting on appeal to NCAA – Enrolling immediately if granted.
Remaining recruits who are expected to sign with UM on NSD (2/5/14):
8. Anthony Moten - DT 6"4" 265 9. Michael Wyche - DT 6'4 330 - Enrolling in May if ACC appeal is not granted 10. Courtel Jenkins - DT 6'1 300 11. Chad Thomas - DE 6'4" 225 12. Demetrius Jackson - DE 6'5 230 13. Brad Kaaya - QB 6'4" 210 14. Malik Rosier - QB 6'2" 205 15. Nick Linder - C 6'2" 275 16. Reilly Gibbons - OT 6'6" 294 17. Chris Herndon TE 6'4 230 18. Darrell Langham WR 6'5" 190 19. Tyre Brady - WR 6'3" 180 20. Kiy Hester - S 6'0 200 21. Marques Gayot - S 6'1 203 22. Terry McCray - OLB 6'2 215 23. Michael Smith - OLB 6'2 210 24. Darrion Owens - OLB 6'4 222 25. Ryan Mayes - CB 6'2" 180 26. Trayone Gray - ATH 6'2 200
Remaining recruiting targets for UM coaches:
JC Jackson – CB
Arrion Springs - S
David Njoku – WR
Brayden Lenius – WR
Malachi Dupre – WR
Isaiah Ford - WR
Kenny Young – LB
Gavin Bryant – LB
Antonio Kinard – LB
Travonte Valentine – DT
Lance McDowdell - DT
Grant Harris – DE
Devin Godchaux – DE
Olajuwon Tucker - DE
Raymon Minor – ATH
Deiondre Porter – ATH/CB
Damien Prince – OT
Deandre Mann – RB
Daniel Gresham – RB
Kameron McKnight- RB
From among these remaining targets it is likely that Miami will land between 3-5 additonal recruits.
On this Martin Luther King Day let us all take some time to remember and recognize one of the most influential men in the history of the United States.
When Dr. King gave his famous "I Have A Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial back in 1963 there is no doubt that he changed this Country forever, and for the better.
For that he deserves and has earned recognition on this special day of the year.
And while it remains true that the U.S. and many other countries around the world still have along way to go to heal the wounds caused by the past evils of slavery, racial segregation and discrimination, there has been much progress to celebrate in this area over the last 50 years. So much so that we now have a black President who was elected by a white majority not only once but twice in recent years.
Now, we would caution you not to fall into the false belief that simply electing an African American President means that racism is dead in America. Unfortunately, there are some who still cling to old beliefs that are deeply rooted in hatred, prejudice and bigotry.
But today let us take time to focus our attention on a remarkable man, his lasting achievements and our Nation's positive progress over the past 50 years.
In his epic speech Dr. King spoke these famous quotes:
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!
While paling in significance compared to Dr. King's monumental speech for social justice, I too have a dream. My dream is not about a "big picture" issue such as racial equality in the U.S. but simply about the Miami Hurricanes football team.
Here is my dream:
That one day the Miami Hurricanes will rise up once again to the pinnacle of college football.
That one day most of the top high school recruits will flock to Coral Gables once again.