State of Miami: February 16th, 2008

My, how things have changed. In the month since I wrote my first State of Miami entry, our beloved teams have undergone huge transition phases. Last month, South Florida sports fans were the quintessential laughingstock of the sports world. Today there is renewed hope.

In January, the Heat were in the midst of a devastating tailspin. Until a January 26th victory versus Indiana, the Heat had lost 15 straight games. That stands as the lone victory of the 2008 calendar year, as Miami has gone on to lose 9 more in a row. One might think all this losing would have the franchise in panic mode.

But fear not, Heat fans. Pat Riley once again has saved the day. In a move that might prove to be as much of a steal as the trade that brought Shaq to Biscayne Boulevard, Riley shipped the Big Diesel to Phoenix for All-Star forward Shawn Marion. Now the Heat have a plethora of options with which to work with.

They can keep Marion and use the lottery pick to help build a "Big 3" of our own in Miami to rival that of the Boston Celtics. Or perhaps Shawn Marion will prove to be a rental and Miami can bring in a marquee free agent. Who knows? Ironically, for a team that sits on the bottom of the standings, things are beginning to look up (though I suppose there is nowhere to go but up after hitting rock bottom).

Likewise, our last-place Dolphins have begun their slow crawl towards relevance. It's been a month to the day since we hired Tony Sparano as our new head coach. The latest regime has begun the cleansing process that Nick Saban and Cam Cameron should have had the guts to do long ago. As of this moment, the Dolphins have $35 million in cap space, the #1 overall pick, and 4 of the first 64 picks in the NFL Draft with which to build a new future.

Of course, progress can't be made without some sort of compromise. This week marked the sad end to Zach Thomas' career as a Miami Dolphin. Though it is a bitter end for many fans, he will forever be remembered as one of the all-time greats to wear the aqua and teal. Hopefully Zach can continue playing at a high level while staying healthy for himself and his family.

Another team of ours poised to rise from the ashes is the proud Miami Hurricanes football program. Left for dead by rival fans and national media pundits, Randy Shannon nailed the #1 recruiting class no more than a week after Sporting News ran a piece on how his class was falling apart. Some real foresight there, guys.

Perhaps it's foolish to proclaim this incoming group of young men as the saviors of the program. We had similarly high ranking classes in the early 2000s that ended up initiating this steep decline on the field. However, there is something to be said about a group of 33 young men who have committed themselves to a team that fielded a 5-7 record and has had high profile deaths of both current and former players within the last 2 years.

These aren't the kids riding the wave of success and 1st round NFL draft picks. That's why Miami began to fall apart. People saw this place as a stepping stone towards the NFL rather than a breeding ground for competition. Kids would come here and go through the motions as they eagerly awaited what they felt would be NFL paydays. Someone forgot to tell them that the U on their helmets alone wasn't going to get them drafted.

The 2008 class is instead a group of young men who want nothing more than to rebuild this program and win a National Title. That's the kind of hunger we need in Coral Gables. Combine that with a stunning level of talent that some of these guys possess, and you've got the right formula for success.

Of course, not all is well in South Florida. It would be too much to ask to see a complete turnaround in just over a month. The Florida Panthers have made a recent surge, but continue to hover around mediocrity. However, the disappointment in the standings quickly became unimportant this week as forward Richard Zednik suffered a terrifying injury that could have potentially ended his life on the ice. Thankfully, he has recovered and the Panthers can rest assured that their teammate will be ok.

Hopefully they can make some sort of push into the postseason. There are only 20 or so games remaining, and the Panthers are only a game out of the division lead. A late surge would mean the first playoff hockey we've seen in South Florida in nearly a decade. With the way everything else has gone of late, Miami might yet find a team to rally around.

Finally, the Florida Marlins. They continue to depress us with their mere existence. Having traded it's only two remaining players from the 2003 World Series, the Marlins have officially become a AAA team. It's only a matter of time before they trade away Hanley Ramirez as well, probably to the Red Sox franchise where he was acquired from. Spring training is coming right around the corner, but I have to admit I couldn't be less excited. I'd challenge even the most loyal of Marlins fans to recognize half of this roster. What a shame it all has become, really.

What's worse is that as I write this, the Marlins have finalized a deal with all parties involved for a $515 million ballpark at the Orange Bowl site. What a sad day it will be when they tear down the Orange Bowl and begun construction on a new park that the Marlins will only be about 1/3rd responsible for financially.

Luckily, the general trend of Miami sports is a far more positive one than that of the Marlins specifically. I have to say I'm excited for the future of our other franchises. It won't be long before we can take the paper bags off our heads and beam with pride about our sports teams.