Desolation Row

Folk singer/songwriter Bob Dylan wrote the lyrics to his iconic song Desolation Row back in 1965. Today, the song and the lyrics somehow seem incredibly appropriate for University of Miami fans.

Wikipedia justly describes it this way: "Desolation Row" is a 1965 song written and sung by Bob Dylan. It was recorded on August 4, 1965 and released as the closing track of Dylan's sixth studio album, Highway 61 Revisited. It has been noted for its length (11:21) and surreal lyrics in which Dylan weaves characters from history, fiction, the bible and his own invention into a series of vignettes that suggest entropy and urban chaos.

I never imagined that as a Miami Hurricane football fan that I would have to live there for just over 10 years now. Yes, it now seems that Desolation Row runs right through the heart of affluent Coral Gables.

The Hurricanes finished the 2014 season with a losing record and in horrific fashion on Saturday night by losing their fourth game in a row, this time to Steve Spurrier and the South Carolina Gamecocks 24-21 in the Independence Bowl is Shreveport, La. 

So now with no games left and nowhere left to go, I leave you with some lyrics from Desolation Row:

When you asked how I was doing
Was that some kind of joke?
All these people that you mention
Yes, I know them, they’re quite lame
I had to rearrange their faces
And give them all another name
Right now I can’t read too good
Don’t send me no more letters, no
Not unless you mail them
From Desolation Row

Read more: http://www.bobdylan.com/us/songs/desolation-row#ixzz3NFx0WFJn

Comments

[Pompano cane]

First

[WWIN]

So let me ask this question again???????

Which hurts recruiting more now, losing the bowl game and keeping Golden or firing Golden?

[86Cane]

Pompano is in the House!

[WWIN]

So when we have players committed does "committed" mean "committed suicide"???????

[BEERicane]

Golden (and co) as coach(es). By a country mile.

[86Cane]

WWIM...I am not sure, it just hurts right now. It all hurts. Had they fired Golden and lost the bowl game it would have hurt the same.

[NativeCane]

Golden, disguised as Robin Hood
With his memories in a trunk
Passed this way an hour ago
With his friend, a jealous monk
He looked so immaculately frightful
As he bummed a cigarette
Then he went off sniffing drainpipes
And reciting the alphabet
Now you would not think to look at him
But he was famous long ago
For playing fiddle while the ship went down
On Desolation Row

Dem Canes!!!

[WWIN]

Am I still dreaming? Did Terry Porter really throw that flag late last night? How long have I been sleep?

[WWIN]

Had they fired Golden and lost the bowl game it would have hurt the same.

Posted by: 86Cane | December 28, 2014 at 11:23 PM

I beg to differ, had we fired Golden that would have been a sign of hope for 2015 and the future, do we have any hope for 2015 now?

[1mg of Epi]

Posted by: nemo2002 | December 28, 2014 at 11:06 PM

The football team brings in far more than enough to afford a buyout. That thy are cash strapped is a myth.

[Terrance Sullivan]

Last time our Miami Hurricanes were great Jarrett Payton was the Orange Bowl MVP on January 1st 2004 to cap off our Miami Hurricanes finishing 5th in the nation with a 11-2 record, Orange Bowl Champs, Big East Champs, and State Champs. Its been awhile.

[HillViewCane]

Which hurts recruiting more now, losing the bowl game and keeping Golden or firing Golden?

Posted by: WWIM | December 28, 2014 at 11:11 PM

There was a saying that goes you shouldn't remove hope from people because sometimes that's all they have. Well keeping Golden removes hope and thus keeping him hurts more.

In the eyes of a recruit an unknown can be better. The known sucks. So with the firing you make it better by providing possibility. But in keeping Golden you remove hope which is all we have right now.

[VA Cane]

Awesome Native awesome Soup....a little Dylan to soothe ths soul. Keep preaching Golden must go, send letters to the idiots in charge of process, domt send $, forget tics, no new gear.......force their hand
FIRE AL GOLDEN NOW!!!!!!

[WWIN]

Posted by: HillViewCane | December 28, 2014 at 11:30 PM

EXACTLY!

[WWIN]

This is the WORST I've ever felt about UM as a fan! I became a fan during the Butch Davis era.

It got bad with Coker then we fired him, it got bad with Shannon then we fired him,
it got bad with Golden then it got worse and now we're giving him another year??????

[VA Cane]

Coral Gables is Desolation Row. It is tragic how bad the situation has become and how much worse it will become. We have not seen the bottom yet; this is the worse we have been going back to when HS took over. The ignorance (AlPas actual knowledge of the game) and arrogance (AlPas narcissistic attitude, perceived greatness) this regime exhibits is troubling and disgusting. The past 10 years each fall it was FSU and UM are back.....guess they are....and we have reached new lows.

[gene kissane]

AL golden is the ruination of um. Stubborn and plain stupid.

[The Dude]

I turned in my Canecard a while back when the writing was on the wall. Golden should have never gotten more than a 3 year deal. Real football universities make coaching moves when its not working (USC), as many have said Miami is just not in it to win it right now, they are more concerned with the bottom line. The funniest thing to me is the idea that hope is gone for 2015. Newsflash its gone for 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. Have fun with that. I'm sure he'll find a nut one of those years, so there's that to hope for.

[The Dude]

If only Randy had "won more."

[VA Cane]

Fire him now, end the process....

[The Dude]

^^^ Why? He's doing exactly what Miami wants. If you don't accept loser football, move on because there's nothing to see in Coral Gables.

[WWIN]

Did he actually say "Brock Berlin"??? Did that really come out of his mouth??? All the UM greats you could talk to but this mofo talks to Brock??????

😂😂😂😂😂😂

#sayItAintSo

[VA Cane]

Yes the new now where the 6-6 regular season means exactly average yaaaaa everybody equal, everybody gets a trophy for participating. The outlook is that we lost a close hard fought back and forth bowl game to a worthy opponent of cocks....er...uh....um phalluses...yes correct word.
A progressive liberal instituions ideal scenario....we all are equal get along with and play well with others....no domination, no aggression, no big bad dominant fire breathing Canes who hate losing......ugh.....makes me f**king sick!

[VA Cane]

I hate losing I love winning as a TEAM.....don't need to run the score up.....I like to have a lot of low hard clean fast legal hits that require opponents to be assisted to the sidelines....domination Apocalypse Now football.....Tatumizers...Just Win Baby!
That's how its done, not the horseshit we are being served...

Bad football.

[The Dude]

Maybe its a conservative cheap institution that only cares about making money at the expense of its fanbase and student athletes?

[The Dude]

Posted by: WWIM | December 29, 2014 at 12:34 AM

I heard the next guy he wanted to talk to was Kyle Wright.

[Montreal-Cane]

All we can do for now is bombard UM with emails and tell them how mad we all are...

Al Golden email: mkb28@miami.edu

bjames@miami.edu

dshalala@miami.edu

[The Dude]

^^^ sabotage the recruiting class is another option.

[The Dude]

^^^ I kid of course, lol. Miami fans don't have the clout to change Miami's mind. They are smarter than U. They just want to piss on your leg and tell you its raining. ACC gives them so much money that this is a completely acceptable end to the year. Just go bowling. Give the university a winning record most years. Stay out of negative headlines. Graduate players. Winning at a high level is only icing on the cake, it's not something they demand.

[roachcane77]

Great blog SOUP. Sometimes the greatest writing comes when your emotions are the most raw. Well done brother.

Canespace will continue to be the voice of reason, when none else exists... Carry on my wayward friend.

[VA Cane]

It may be that as well Dude, sure sounds like it. Cheap, set in ways, unwilling to change and get real coach who is thinking in the now while still using time tested foundations, think they are right....pun intended!!.....using athletes to increase their salaries tenure stature.....bad shit as well.
Combine these poor characteristics with the average is good and everybody gets a trophy thoughts.....not a compromise in the middle......but a ship sunk on the bottom of the sea.

I would say its all of both wouldn't you?
Bottom line they are not like all of us....well most of us.....(the AlPa lovers worship at his alter say he can do no wrong....the religion called Processism) they really are happy right where they are....they do not want to win big time all the time.

[The Dude]

They are perfectly content VAC. They love them some Al Golden.

[VA Cane]

Agreed Dude
Administration, BOT, AD, Prez, staff......and the blind following the blind.....do not want to win NCs titles dominate.

Sad.

[TonyCane]

I doubt anyone is content in the admin. I doubt Golden or Coley are content. The question is, what do they do about it?

[TonyCane]

They have to realize that they have underperformed. They can't be satisfi d with mediocrity. The question isn't, how do they adjust. What changes are made?

[The Dude]

On the bright side, the 2015 recruits can be the ones that bring back The U, oh I mean 2016, uh 17, 18?

[The Dude]

Blake is happy. He sees progress.

[The Dude]

8 win ceiling next year. 4 game floor.

[The Dude]

I am now a fan of whatever school is playing and outcoaching Al Golden. I will openly root against them, even against the Gators and Noles. I figure this is the only way I can watch the games in 2015. All the while laghing at those that supported this garbage for so long. Basically I'm going to try out trolling Al Golden for a year. I really enjoyed the SC game because it further proved my point that Al should be gone. Real smart people that care about the future of Miami need to befriend Butch Davis and introduce him to the new president. The new president will fire Blake and Al together now.

[The Dude]

Miami starts off with Bethune Cookman and then FAU. I don't know mutch about BC but Miami should sleepwalk to a victory there. I really like the FAU game and I can't wait to see the spread. FAU might give us the first upset. 1-1 or 2-0 to start before Miami plays against Nebraska. This will be an Ugly Golden loss, I can't wait for his stupid presser. Maybe a 1&2 start before an ACC game is played. Al will go 3-5 in the ACC and will lose to Nebraska, so that's 6 losses in my book.

[VA Cane]

Tony I love your stats and numbers....stick with them. Friend you are dead wrong. Read what your AD said.....there's progress not found in the record. He represents the BOT, Prez,
everybody in the administration and their opinion.
Take it from a long time player and coach....progress is found in the record, when you are 13-0 and win titles repeatedly! NCs! Not this miserable excuse of football. This is an insult to HS, JJ, Erickson, all the great coaches and players who put us near the top every year and won 5 NCs.
If you believe the bullshit the morons on the board, Prez, staff, AD, AlPa....you are with them supportwise. You are an enemy of the State....The State of The U. Stop siding with AlPa lovers....they are brainwashed and no nothing about football!

[VA Cane]

Some people love average, mediocre, balance...that's fine. I want to win every game and that how I coach....that we will go out with one goal:WIN! ALWAYS!

[VA Cane]

Really? They seem as content as pigs in shit, a cat on catnip, a dog with a bone, an addict with a full pipe of crack!
They must be on crack to think there has been any progress. Numbers cannot cover their sorry asses, there is nothing to show but dismal failure!

[Go Canes]

@ArmyAllAmerican: adidas hooked us up with the stickiest gloves in football.

Proof: http://t.co/efKrllzeLm

#teamadidas #ArmyBowl http://t.co/WG9n8sOEl1

[nemo2002]

Posted by: nemo2002 | December 28, 2014 at 11:06 PM

The football team brings in far more than enough to afford a buyout. That thy are cash strapped is a myth.

Posted by: 1mg of Epi | December 28, 2014 at 11:29 PM

You seem have missed the point. Whatever "profit" the football program generates for UM is already allocated in the UM budget - to support money losing athletic programs and also UM general education expenses. The AD, like all UM department heads, must live within the annual budget approved by the BOT. A buyout of Coach Golden's contact would be an major, extraordinary expense which is not included in the Athletics Department budget. Hence, the AD doesn't have the luxury of simply firing the coach and hiring another one. That decision would require approval from both the president and probably also the BOT executive committee, because of the fiscal implications.

[86Cane]

The football team brings in far more than enough to afford a buyout. That thy are cash strapped is a myth.

Posted by: 1mg of Epi | December 28, 2014 at 11:29 PM

This statement is false and misleading and simply not based in fact.

Regardless of the details there is a lot of room between being "cash strapped" and choking down a several million dollar buyout of a coach and paying for a significant upgrade/raise for a new coach at the same time. Even if you accept the notion that UM is not "cash strapped" that doesn't mean you can afford those two options at the same time right now.

[86Cane]

A buyout of Coach Golden's contact would be an major, extraordinary expense which is not included in the Athletics Department budget. Hence, the AD doesn't have the luxury of simply firing the coach and hiring another one. That decision would require approval from both the president and probably also the BOT executive committee, because of the fiscal implications.

Posted by: nemo2002 | December 29, 2014 at 07:01 AM

This sounds much more accurate and reasonable.

I agree.

[Go Canes]

Of course he doesn't.

And It's not an $8 million decision anyway. Remember there are millions of dollars and combined salaries owed to an entire staff that will likely go as well.

[1mg of Epi]

Posted by: nemo2002 | December 29, 2014 at 07:01 AM

This statement is false and misleading and simply not based in fact.

Regardless of the details there is a lot of room between being "cash strapped" and choking down a several million dollar buyout of a coach and paying for a significant upgrade/raise for a new coach at the same time. Even if you accept the notion that UM is not "cash strapped" that doesn't mean you can afford those two options at the same time right now.

Posted by: 86Cane | December 29, 2014 at 07:27 AM

Sorry Soup, it is neither false nor misleading. I posted the links a couple weeks ago. That narrative may have been true in 1984, or even but not today.

Miami Hurricanes=Florida Marlins

[1mg of Epi]

This sounds much more accurate and reasonable.
I agree.
Posted by: 86Cane | December 29, 2014 at 07:28 AM

Really? Lol just because its a major expense, and would obviously require approval, does NOT mean they can't afford it.

It's a fools paradise out there gentlemen, and they're just leading you down the primrose path.