It's easy for a restaurant to claim that they have the best chicken wings in Miami, but on March 8, you will be the judge.
The BankUnited Center will host WingFest -- a sampling of chicken wings from establishments across South Florida -- prior to the men's basketball game vs. Wake Forest. For just $22, fans will receive a game ticket plus the ability to eat wings from the following locations:
- Buffalo Wild Wings - Sports Grill - Bru's Room - Kings Creek Village - Chicks N Wings - Hooters - Carolina Ale House - House of Wings - Bokampers - Plus more establishments to be added later
WingFest will be held in the Multipurpose Room of the BankUnited Center and will begin at Noon. A cash bar will also be available. The game is scheduled to tip off at 2 p.m. To purchase tickets, click the link below and use the promo code,WING.
Former Miami Hurricanes defensive back JoJo Nicolas died Wednesday after suffering injuries from an early Tuesday morning car accident.
"The entire University of Miami family mourns the loss of JoJo Nicolas who passed away earlier this evening," Miami AD Blake James said. "JoJo was a valued member of our community, our school and our football program, and his loss is devastating to everyone he touched. On behalf of the University, I send our condolences and thoughts and prayers to JoJo's family, friends and teammates. He will forever be a part of The U."
A four-year letterwinner for the Miami Hurricanes from 2007-11, he was the recipient of Miami's 2011 Melching Leadership Award at the team's banquet at the end of the season. As a senior in 2011, he recorded 66 tackles and two interceptions.
"The University of Miami community has suffered a deep loss, with the passing of JoJo Nicolas," head coach Al Golden said. "For all of us who were fortunate to know JoJo--to coach him, teach him, play alongside him or simply to befriend him--we will forever carry his memory with us. Our prayers go out to his family and his loved ones, and he will always be a cherished member of our family."
Rion Brown became the 35th member of Miami's 1,000 point club, scoring 22 points in a 69-42 win over visiting Boston College Saturday afternoon.
Brown shot 8 of 14 from the field and made four 3-pointers for Miami (14-13, 5-9 Atlantic Coast Conference). Erik Swoope tied a career high with 14 point, while Manu Lecomte and Garrius Adams had 11 and 10 points, respectively.
The Hurricanes opened the second half with a 14-6 spurt and increased a five-point halftime advantage to 13 for their first double-digit lead. Brown's jumper capped the early second half surge and gave Miami a 41-28 lead.
Patrick Heckmann scored 15 points but was held to two points in the second half for Boston College (7-20, 3-11).
Starting 5: Garrius Adams, Rion Brown, Erik Swoope, Raphael Akpejiori, Donnavan Kirk. Miami’s first points came at the 18:35 mark on a Donnavan Kirk free throw. The Canes shot 47 percent from the field and 50 percent from behind the arc.
Rion Brown’s 22 points against Boston College pushed him into the 1,000 point club. Only 34 previous Canes have scored at least 1,000 points for UM, including Durand Scott and Reggie Johnson from last year’s team, and Malcolm Grant from Coach L’s first season at the U.
Rion Brown scored in double-figures (22) for the ninth straight game and 21st time this season. Rion Brown has also hit multiple threes in nine-straight games, connecting on four against Boston College.
With four 3-pointers against Boston College, Rion Brown is currently No. 9 on Miami’s all-time list of 3-point shots made in a career. His 167 trail No. 8 Kevin Presto (170). Jack McClinton holds the record with 286 made from distance.
Erik Swoope tied his scoring season high with 14 points Saturday. It’s the second time the senior has scored in double figures this season and first time since 1/8/14 against North Carolina.
Garrius Adams scored in double-figures (10) for the eighth straight game and 16th time this season. Manu Lecomte has recorded an assist in 13 straight games (33 during the stretch).
The Miami Hurricanes (2-2, 0-0 ACC) continue their challenging start to the 2014 season with their annual weekend series against in-state rival Florida (4-1, 0-0 SEC). All three games will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
Season tickets to Miami’s 2014 season at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field start for as low as $99, with a Family Plan option (two adult tickets, three youth tickets) covering all home games available for just $199. For more information, visit CanesTix.com or call 1-800-GO-CANES.
GAME INFORMATION – GAMES 5-7 #11/16/17 MIAMI HURRICANES (2-2, 0-0 ACC) vs. #16/20/23 FLORIDA GATORS (4-1, 0-0 SEC) Fri., Feb. 21, 2014 (7 p.m. ET) • Sat., Feb. 22, 2014 (7 p.m. ET) • Sun., Feb 23, 2014 (1 p.m. ET) • ESPN3 • Coral Gables, Fla. • Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field
SERIES HISTORY Miami leads the all-time series 124-109-1 and 77-44-1 at Mark Light Field… Florida has won the two matchups.
BROADCAST INFORMATION ESPN3 • Mike Levine, Play-by-Play • Charles Johnson, Analyst WQAM 560 AM • Joe Zagacki, PXP WVUM 90.5 FM • Friday: Will Gretsky, AJ Ricketts, Jorge Salas • Saturday: Chris Wittyngham, Chip Brierre, Harry Kroll •Sunday: Nate Foy, Oliver Redsten, Ryan Williams
RIVALRY RENEWED
The Miami Hurricanes continue their challenging start to the 2014 season with their annual weekend series against in-state rival Florida.
Miami dropped two of three in Gainesville, Fla., in 2013, winning the series opener 3-2 but dropping the next two games.
Miami holds the all-time advantage over Florida 124-109-1, including a 77-41 lead at Mark Light Field. The Gators carry a 68- 46-1 lead at Alfred McKethan Stadium.
Miami snapped its losing streak to the Gators with a 3-2 win in the 2013 series opener. David Thompson’s RBI single in the top of the ninth put Miami ahead, while AJ Salcines earned the save in relief.
STARTING OUT
Three freshmen were in head coach Jim Morris’ Opening Day lineup: first baseman Zack Collins, designated hitter Willie Abreu and second baseman Johnny Ruiz. Shortstop Laz Rivera and designated hitter Jacob Heyward have also earned starts in the early going.
Three Hurricanes pitchers made their career-first appearances in the team’s series win over Maine: righthander Bryan Garcia, lefthander Danny Garcia and righthander Cooper Hammond.
Four Hurricanes connected on their career-first basehits in Sunday’s finale against the Black Bears: Willie Abreu (double), Edgar Michelangeli (double), Laz Rivera (RBI single) and Brad Zunica (single). Johnny Ruiz connected on his first basehit in the team’s 5-2 loss to FAU Wednesday.
Miami starting pitchers combined to allow just two earned runs over 15 innings against Maine - one each from Chris Diaz and Andrew Suarez. Canes starters threw 27 strikeouts compared to just five walks.
It will end on Saturday some time probably around 3 PM.
Four games in four days will result in some serious four play for UM fans.
And Canespace will be in the 305 to witness all four games in just four days in Coral Gables.
It is the kind of clean and fun sports "four play" that brings you an incredible opportunity to support yourMiami Hurricanesathletic 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.
For those who have enjoyed the great outdoors and know how it works, the way of the wild is: "Sometimes U eat the bear, sometimes the bear eats U."
Your #13 ranked Miami Hurricanes broke out with a big offensive performance Sunday afternoon and powered their way to an 11-2 series-clinching victory over the Maine Black Bears at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field.
After connecting for just two hits Saturday night, the Hurricanes rebounded with their best offensive output of the series Sunday afternoon. The Hurricanes (2-1) struck for eight runs over the game’s first three innings, jumping out to a commanding advantage and cruising to a win in front of a crowd of 2,726.
The way lefthander Andrew Suarez pitched, they might not have needed all the fireworks. The talented southpaw put forth a dominant outing, striking out 10 Maine batters and allowing just four hits and one earned run over five innings. The 10 strikeouts were a career high for Suarez (1-0), whose velocity overpowered the Black Bears (1-2) at the plate.
“I felt like [Maine] wasn’t catching up to my fastball,” Suarez said. “I threw a lot of fastballs, and mixed in some sliders because they have a lot of lefties. I worked on keeping the ball low and trusting my defense.”
Miami finished the game with 12 hits, including six extra-base hits, and rebounded from a disappointing effort Saturday with a convincing victory.
“That’s the way I expected this team to play,” head coach Jim Morris said. “They practice as hard as any team I’ve had at Miami, and we were as well-prepared coming into the season as anyone.”
Four players connected for their career-first hits: freshmen Willie Abreu, Laz Rivera and Brad Zunica, as well as redshirt freshman Edgar Michelangeli.
After striking out in the first inning, Abreu connected on a double to deep left in the third and was rewarded with a standing ovation from the crowd.
“You can definitely feel the pressure a little bit in the first few at bats of your career,” Abreu said. “Finally getting that hit out of the way, the other at bats are a lot more loose.”
Thompson rebounded from a 0-for-4 showing Saturday with his first two hits of the season – a double in a five-run third inning and another double in the fourth. Senior outfielder Dale Carey continued his hot start to the season with a 2-for-3 performance, and finished the series hitting .455 (5-for-11) with a .571 on-base clip.
“We hit the ball real well, drove the ball a lot better than the last two games obviously,” Thompson said. “We just played a lot more of a complete game today.”
The Hurricanes scored runs in each of the first three innings, including the five-run outburst in the third that sent Miami to an 8-1 advantage. Thompson’s connected on a lead-off double, and senior designated hitter Brad Fieger chased Maine starter Jake Marks (0-1) with an RBI single up the middle.
“We talked about scoring early and getting the lead today, and our hitters did a very good job – all of them,” Morris said.
One last little word of advice on bear safety: "Never ever, hike alone. Because remember, U don't have to outrun the bear, just your friends!"
Yesterday, after your Miami Hurricanes beat the Maine Black Bears in baseball, the title of my article here on Canespace was :"Don't Feed The Bears".
I also later tweeted that same message to UM skipper Jim Morris, strongly encouraging him NOT to feed the Bears. Not now, not ever and not in Miami.
I mean everybody knows what happens when you feed the bears right? They become fearless and expect more food and when they don't get it they wind up attacking you, your family or your best friends as they leave your house after a night of listening to, watching or blogging about UM baseball, right?
Well, apparently, and as fate would have it, nobody listens to me.
Morris and his young, fledgling baseball squad fed the big, bad Maine Black Bears a sweet and tasty victory at the ARP (formerly known as Mark Light Stadium) on Saturday night. The Bears' pitching mauled Miami's hitters, rendering them basically limp and helpless in a 3-1 loss to Maine.
Five errors from the seemingly frightened Hurricane hardballers did not help their cause and are unacceptable on their home field even when being chased around by mean, angry Bears.
Now, with the taste of fresh Hurricane still dripping from their mouths, the Bears will most certainly come back for more flesh on Sunday in "The Decider" of the opening three game series of the young 2014 season. Let's hope the Hurricanes can hold them back by bashing them with their big aluminum bats?
Now, please repeat after me when I say: "DON'T FEED 'DA BEARS!"
Powered by a four-run first inning and a solo home run from senior Tyler Palmer in the second, the No. 13 Miami Hurricanes held on for a 6-3 win over visiting Maine on Opening Day at Mark Light Field.
“On our opening night, it’s a big win for us,” said head coach Jim Morris, who guided the Canes to their seventh straight win on Opening Day. “We played five freshmen, got some guys in there, and Tyler Palmer had a big night.”
Junior lefthander Chris Diaz (1-0) threw five strong innings in his season debut for Miami (1-0), striking out seven Black Bears batters and allowing just one earned run. Diaz, who ranked second in the conference with a 1.64 ERA in 2013, scattered six hits and three walks in the outing.
“It’s always nice to start out with a team win, especially on opening night,” Diaz said. “I felt good out there. I could have done a little better. I could have gone after hitters [more]. I’m just ready to come back next week.”
Starting three freshmen from its vaunted recruiting class in the lineup, Miami got its offense going in a hurry – aided by eight walks from Maine pitching on the night. Five of those came in the first, when the Hurricanes (1-0) batted around against Maine junior righthander Tommy Lawrence (0-1) and scored all four of their runs on bases-loaded walks.
“He had great stuff, he just couldn’t get his fast ball over for a strike,” Palmer said. “The umpire had a small zone, we made him pitch, and we took advantage.”
Back-to-back infield hits from outfielders Dale Carey and Palmer opened the action, while Lawrence walked five of the next six batters to give Miami the early 4-0 advantage. David Thompson, Ricky Eusebio, Garrett Kennedy and Alex Hernandez were each credited with RBI in the inning.
After the long layover in the first, Diaz found himself in a jam to start the second by allowing back-to-back singles and a walk. The Florida City, Fla., native worked his way out of the situation, however, yielding just one run by sandwiching two groundouts around a strikeout to maintain a 4-1 lead.
“There were a couple of situations where I had to bear down and throw some good pitches,” Diaz said. “I felt like I did that, and that’s why I was able to get out of it.”
The Hurricanes added a solo shot from Palmer, who finished 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI, in the second inning. The three hits matched a career high for the senior captain.
“I’ve been hitting the ball well, seeing it well, and I took advantage of some of the counts I had,” Palmer said. “He had a 1-1 count when I hit the home run. He missed with a slider, came back with a fastball, and I got a good pitch to hit.”
If you have some extra time on your hands during the down time between now and Spring practice here are some videos of the 26 players that signed with Miami on National Signing Day 2014.
Our good friend and former blogger bg1906 posted this on Twitter and we though highly enough of his excellent research that we decided to give it some equal airtime here at Canespace.
So get out the popcorn, grab a frosty beverage and sit back and enjoy the highlights of the class of 2014:
1. DE Chad Thomas – Miami, Florida (Booker T. Washington) Highlights:
Larry Blustein is widely recognized as the unquestioned expert on high school football recruiting in South Florida. The talented writer can be found at www.sfhighschoolsports.com and also at the Miami Herald commenting about and promoting local high school athletes at every level.
For decades Blustein has been considered as the "go to" guy when it comes to identifying talent in "The Bottom", a three county area in South Florida that includes the highly fertile recruiting grounds of the 305, 954 and 561 area codes of Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Recently, "Blu" as he is known locally, released his Top 100 rankings for the 2015 class. He has Miami Killian S Jaquan Johnson as the top HS player in South Florida in 2015, with St. Thomas Aquinas RB Jordan Scarlett, American Heritage QB Torrance Gibson, Coconut Creek Monarch WR Calvin Ridley, and Coconut Creek Monarch S Shawn Burgess-Becker rounding out his top five.
Here are Blustein's pre-spring Top 20:
1. Jaquan Johnson, S, 5-11, 180, Miami Killian 2. Jordan Scarlett, RB, 5-11, 195, St. Thomas Aquinas (FAU) 3. Torrance Gibson, QB, 6-4, 200, Plantation American Heritage 4. Calvin Ridley, WR, 6-2, 170, Coconut Creek Monarch 5. Shawn Burgess-Becker, S, 6-2, 190, Coconut Creek Monarch 6. Da’Vante Phillips, WR, 6-1, 180, Miami Central 7. Tarvarus McFadden, DB, 6-3, 195, Plantation American Heritage 8. Tyrek Cole, DB, 5-10, 165, Miramar (FSU) 9. Tim Irvin, DB, 5-9, 190, Miami Westminster Christian 10. Kendrell McFadden, S, 6-3, 190, Miramar (WEST VIRGINIA) 11. Calvin Brewton, S, 6-0, 170, Miami Central (FSU) 12. Jordan Cronkite, RB, 5-11, 190, Miami Westminster Christian 13. Gerald Robinson, DB, 5-11, 175, Hialeah Champagnat Catholic 14. Rashard Causey, DB, 6-0, 190, St. Thomas Aquinas 15. Dominic Sheppard, LB, 6-1, 217, Miami Gulliver Prep 16. Jason Strowbridge, DE, 6-4, 245, Deerfield Beach 17. Devante Peete, WR, 6-5, 198, St. Thomas Aquinas 18. Sh’mar Kilby-Lane, LB, 6-2, 220, Hallandale 19. Jovon Durante, WR, 6-1, 175, Miami Northwestern (WEST VIRGINIA) 20. Davante Davis, DB/WR, 6-2, 180, Miami Booker T. Washington
For more information, here is Blustein’s full Pre-Spring 2015 Top 100 List: