We did get a verbal from Luther Robinson on Tuesday, but the past couple of days haven't been the best for the Miami football program. Yesterday they lost out on South Dade DE Ed Stinson, who committed to FSU. That's frustrating news because we just made some ground on the 2009 FSU class and then they go and get a verbal from another 4 star defensive player.
And today comes more bad news, this time from Texas. I might have mentioned we were going heavy after Craig Loston, the consensus #1 safety in the 2009 class. The 5 star stud opted to go to Clemson instead. Loston is 6-3 200 pounds and runs a 4.35, so imagine just how much of an impact he could make on a defense that lacks proven safeties such as our own. I still think we have some good depth there, but we need someone to stand out and make a difference now that Kenny Phillips has gone pro.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Canes Miss Out on Pair of Recruits
The Modern Athlete
I love Jason Taylor. I really do. He's consistently been our best defensive player for the better part of this decade and has carried himself with class while a member of this horrible team. However, I can't help but wonder where the stereotype of football players as tough guys has gone.
I watch NFL Films and see guys fighting in the muddy trenches, playing with broken necks and torn muscles. Deacon Jones slapping offensive lineman on the head on the way to the QB. People missing teeth. The old-school football of the 60s is a glorious thing. Tough guys who don't screw around and who don't bitch and moan about playing time or signing bonuses.
Now you see guys like JT on TV, on dancing competitions. Showing up on People's 100 Most Beautiful People. Advertising skin lotion products (Nivea). No offense to Jason, who has made the most of his good looks and celebrity to ensure himself a future after football, but my, how the times have changed. I can see why Parcells hasn't necessarily warmed up to him yet, considering he is missing workouts to be dancing on TV.
This isn't an attack on Jason, nor a defense of Parcells' cold demeanor. It's just interesting to me to see this stuff going on all the time and it's not even viewed as a problem. Modern athletes are doing stuff that the manly men of the 50s and 60s wouldn't dream of wasting their time with. I wonder if this is a good or a bad thing. I haven't decided yet. I for one would make the most of my career, like many athletes are doing today. Then again, there is something special about players who don't fool around, mean business, and play football with a passion so deep that nothing else matters in the world. They'll play hurt, and do so for pennies in comparison to today's pampered athletes.
Does that make modern athletes soft or indifferent towards their profession? I don't think so. There are still guys like Marvin Harrison or Zach Thomas who obsess over their jobs and rarely if ever appear outside of the football spectrum. There are guys like Chad Johnson who love promoting themselves to the point you wonder if they ever bother to study film (though I believe in Chad's case, he does both). But there are also guys like Peyton Manning, who will study more film than any other QB in the NFL, but still appears in countless commercials. Guys who get the best of both worlds. Guys like Jason Taylor.
I guess it just depends on your own personal preferences. I would love to have a team full of guys who play with broken bones and noses, who don't give a damn about endorsements. But I can't help but admit that if I were in their positions, I would exploit my position on the team so as to ensure my financial security well into the future. What do you guys think?
Canes BBall Continue Success
Frank Haith landed his first commitment for the 2009 class today in Donnavan Kirk. The slim PF supposedly has Al Horford's game. Sounds good to me. I'm not big on basketball recruiting, so I can only point you to what other people are saying about him. But extra bodies on the front line will be happily received down here in Coral Gables.
Kirk is rated 3 stars by Scout and is ranked 56th on the Rivals Top 100. Looks like the recent NCAA Tournament success might have swayed the first of many more great players to come to Miami and build a strong basketball program.
How Sweet It Is
Seeing the Mavs and Suns get eliminated yesterday brought a smile to my face. First off, the sniveling crybabies in Dallas deserve their 1st round exit. The team is overrated and made a huge mistake in trading for Jason Kidd. Dirk No-ring-ski is soft and will never win a title as long as he is the primary option on the team. And of course, everybody's favorite owner Mark Cuban gets to stop and realize he spent millions for nothing. Granted, he might have made some profit, but the heartache will be enough to make me happy.
As for the Suns, I never particularly liked them too much. They play an exciting brand of ball, but I personally would have preferred to see Golden State in the playoffs. Steve Nash is excellent but a completely one-dimensional player. But after they traded for Shaq, I openly rooted against them. He can say he was misquoted all he wants, and that he has "apologized" to his former teammates. It still remains that Shaq is a lazy, spoiled child and deserves an early exit from the playoffs. I guess his lack of success with the Heat wasn't all his teammates' fault, huh? Enjoy your time off, big guy, and consider watching reruns of the 2006 Finals. That will probably be the last successful season in your long, illustrious career.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
DT Commits to Canes
It's been a pretty slow couple of months since Signing Day, but UM hasn't exactly been slacking on the recruiting trail. We had already landed 4 commits and were looking to get verbals from a couple of more kids during the summer. Last night, Randy Shannon got his 5th commitment of the 2009 class from Florida DT Luther Robinson.
The Fort Pierce prospect called his commitment a strong one, but that only means so much this early in the game. Regardless, it's great to have Luther on board. He is rated a 4-star prospect by Rivals and is currently unrated by Scout. I haven't seen any video of him so I can't really confirm those ratings, but at the very least it is nice to get another commitment to keep up with the barrage of FSU verbals this spring.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Undrafted Canes
Miami didn't do too well on the second day of the draft this year. Besides Tavares Gooden to the Ravens in the 3rd, nobody else got drafted. I was hoping that someone would take a flier on Darnell Jenkins or Derrick Morse, but I guess neither were seen as draftable prospects. Regardless, a handful of players from UM were signed to free agent contracts.
Kyle Wright to the Vikings. Nice pickup for them. If he gets brainwashed into playing better he isn't much worse than Tarvaris Jackson.
Lance Leggett to the Browns. Don't see why they would go here after they signed Ryan Moore last season with no success.
Darnell Jenkins to the Texans. Nice move by the Texans, who at some point need to find a complement to Andre Johnson.
Glenn Sharpe to the Falcons. Sharpe has many of the physical tools to play at the next level but his injury history is a huge red flag.
The Herald is reporting that Vegas Franklin was invited to a camp by the Bucs.
Dolphins Draft Recap
I wish I could tell you I knew anything about any of our Day 2 picks, but I don't. I had never heard of any of them, and I follow college football pretty closely. Those types of drafts are ones I get apprehensive about, because we are putting our full faith in the front office. Unfortunately it looks like we have no other choice at this point.
From what I've read, it seems like they got some decent value out of the 6th round Guard and the 7th round DT they picked. The 3rd and 4th round picks were viewed as reaches by some. I don't really care either way, as long as 60% of the guys we picked end up being contributers. People don't realize sometimes that the draft is such a crapshoot and that having that sort of success rate is enviable. Hopefully they made the right decisions, because I can't even begin to assign them a grade.
I didn't like the fact we didn't draft a WR or a CB, but I guess they felt that there wasn't much available that would make this team that much better. Building on the lines is as good a place to start as any. That makes the most sense and we just have to pray that it'll work out.
Riley Steps Down
No real surprise here. We could have guessed that this recent season might have taken away Riley's desire to remain as coach. A disastrous last place finish isn't exactly what he had in mind when the season started. Now we have to move on with Erik Spoelstra, who by all accounts was the heir apparent for quite some time.
The move is welcome on this end. I love Pat for all that he's done, but maybe it was time for a change. I feel uncertain with an unproven guy like Erik at the helm, and will certainly miss having that security blanket of knowing Pat Riley is our coach. But it seems like the players have stopped responding to him and that someone new had to be brought in. Who better to lead the team than Dwyane Wade's personal favorite.
The only problem I have with that is that we might be catering to Wade too much. I don't want him to turn into a prima donna. But if he is happy, then that's a relief because everyone wants him to return to Miami after his contract is up in a couple of years. Drafting Derrick Rose would probably do a lot to ensure Wade doesn't go anywhere.
As for Riley, I'm glad he gets to stay onboard as President. It was in this situation that he managed to put together the trade that led to the 2005 title. He had the chance to step back from the situation, look at the team not as a coach, but as a GM. Now he can do the same. Hopefully we get Rose or Beasley and swing some sort of trade that opens up cap space for Elton Brand next summer. Then we will be back in the race.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Dolphins Draft Henne
Looks like I called this one. I don't necessarily love the pick, but you had to bring in a QB at some point in the draft to compete with John Beck. There was a lot of talk of Henne leading up to the draft, so this selection is anything but surprising.
Calais Goes to Arizona
I didn't pick him as one of the guys I wanted because he underperformed here in Miami. But I still wanted him to be picked as high as possible. I feel for him, because he was a Top 10 pick last year. That is a whole lot of guaranteed money lost on the table.
Guys I Want
There are plenty of players available that I would like to take a look at.
Streak Survives...Barely
I have to say I was sweating that one out. The lack of a run on DE's pretty much sealed Calais' fate as a 2nd-3rd round selection, but I was really worried nobody would take Kenny Phillips. Most mocks I saw had him going to the Giants, but I still wanted him to get picked a lot earlier to avoid the waiting.
Booker Traded to Eagles for 4th
I guess the new regime didn't think much of Lorenzo Booker. In order to replace the 4th round pick they traded earlier to the Cowboys, the Dolphins got rid of the 3rd down back for the Eagles' pick.
Dolphins Draft Merling
Well, there was no real suspense with our 1st pick. We've known its been Jake Long for a while now. It was still good to see him out there and officially get drafted though. However, as the picks went by, things got very interesting for the Dolphins and the #32 overall pick.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Dolphins Trade 4th Round Pick to Cowboys
OK, so much for my mock draft. I planned on the Dolphins taking a TE in the 3rd round, but now the Dolphins have traded their 4th round pick for Anthony Fasano and Akin Ayodele from the Cowboys. This gives us the necessary depth at TE and LB. I like the Fasano trade because we weren't likely to get anything much better in the draft. That does rule out my draft picks, and I might consider doing a new mock draft before 3pm tomorrow.
At least I was right about the Fins going after another TE. They may go elsewhere with that 3rd round pick now. Don't be surprised if they go after the best DB available with that pick.
Mock Draft
I don't have the time or expertise to do a 1st round mock draft, but I would like to throw out my opinion of what the Fins will be doing tomorrow and Sunday.
1st round: Jake Long has been drafted.
2nd round: I would like to think they would go with Quentin Groves or Lawrence Jackson. The entire mock draft goes to hell if the Dolphins trade Jason Taylor for an extra pick. Let's just assume here that they don't trade JT. I would still take a DE/OLB over a QB.
2nd round: Now I would consider a QB. If Henne is still available, then count your blessings and take him. If not, I think the pick is Sims the DT from Auburn
3rd round: Fred Davis, TE from USC. We need a dynamic playmaker here. Davis is one of the best prospects at his position. TE might be a luxury, but I still like it.
4th round: Mario Manningham slips a couple of rounds due to poor interviews and a god-awful 6 on the Wonderlic.
6th round: Chad Rinehart, OG Northern Iowa. We need another body on the line to compete. Rinehart has the size Parcells likes, but is from a small school so this could be a project
6th round: Jonathan Zenon, CB LSU. We could also go with Sharpe with this pick, or a smaller guy like Justin Tryon from ASU.
7th round: J (thats his name) Leman, Illinois ILB. Big linebacker who plays football well but isn't a great athlete.
7th round: Tommy Blake, DE, TCU. Supposedly there are some issues with his mental condition, but Blake has the measurables and the motor to take a chance on this late in the draft.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
The Streak
For 13 straight years, a Miami Hurricane has been selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. Some years we've barely made it, like when Kelly Jennings was the 2nd to last pick of the draft a couple of a years ago. This year we've got a projected 1st round pick and a borderline guy in Calais Campbell. Should we be concerned about the streak, and does the streak even really matter?
For one, I think the streak will remain intact for another year. Safety is becoming such an important position in the NFL today that somebody will take Kenny in the 1st round. The Steelers or Giants will probably snatch him up before the 1st round is over. If not, then I would consider taking him with the #32 pick, which while technically not in the 1st round, it would be in the first 32 picks so I would consider the streak alive with an asterisk in that case.
If not Kenny, then our only hope is Calais. And those hopes are dimming by the day. The poor guy should have left last season when he would have easily been a Top 10, maybe Top 5 pick. This season his production fell off substantially and he showed that he has a lot to work on, especially against the run. Calais has no real techniques other than the bull rush and because he is so tall, he gets knocked over easily.
Personally, I would like to see the streak continue as long as possible. We don't have the allure of a college town with a huge fanbase like other schools do. Players come to the U to play football and go to the pros. That's what Miami is: a football factory. So while it is unrealistic to expect the streak to go on forever, and if it ends it doesn't necessarily mean our dominance is over for good, the psychological damage would be done.
Even if the streak were to continue this season (which I expect it shall), I don't like the prospects for the streak go to 15 years in the 2009 draft. I don't see many potential 1st round selections from this current roster. If Jason Fox has a monster year, then he might be our best hope to go in the 1st if he chooses to leave early. Eric Moncur is talented, but would have to blow up for teams to consider drafting him in the first round. Anthony Reddick would have to return to his freshman form to even sniff the first round, and even then his long injury history would probably knock him to Day 2.
Frankly, we need a huge year from somebody if the streak is going to continue next year. Because as of right now, we have a bunch of marginal-solid NFL prospects, but no superstars that will see their names called on Day 1. Pray for a big year from the guys I listed, or something out of the blue, like a ridiculous season by Sam Shields or Colin McCarthy. Otherwise, we will have to start anew in 2010.
Don't Pick Flacco
Word is that the Dolphins are trying to trade JT for a mid-late first round pick to go after either Derrick Harvey, Quentin Groves or Joe Flacco. Groves should be available at the #32 pick but I wouldn't mind selecting him earlier. I'm no fan of Harvey due to him being a Gator, but he has value in the mid-first round. However, I would be seriously pissed if we drafted Joe Flacco.
Some sportswriters have advocated selecting him in the 2nd. Specifically those at the Sun-Sentinel. They are entitled to their opinion, but I'm having a problem with Flacco being a potential selection. He has got a cannon arm, that's for sure. And he's got all the confidence in the world. However, he might have the wrong kind of confidence. We saw a guy with all the physical tools coming out of Washington State a few years ago. He got cocky and ended up failing miserably. I think his name was Ryan Leaf.
I don't want Flacco. I've heard bad things about his interviews at the combine and don't want any part of a prima donna QB. I also don't like the fact he comes from such a small school. Granted, there have been plenty of great QBs from these schools. Most recently you've got Tony Romo from a small Illinois school. But Flacco originally committed to Pittsburgh and ended up transferring after he couldn't get the starting job there. First off, it shows lack of dedication in being able to compete for the starting job. That's making the assumption of course, that he was ever given the chance. If he wasn't, then I apologize.
But more importantly, if you are such a great QB, what are you doing not being able to start at Pittsburgh? It's Wanny for God's sake. If he could have unearthed some more eligibility out of Jay Fiedler, he would have. How can you not be a good enough QB for Dave Wannstedt if you claim to be a 1st round pick? Something is just fishy with that whole deal.
Frankly, I'm not a big fan of any of the QBs coming out of this class. Henne is inconsistent, Brohm played in a funky offense, Ryan is terrible, Flacco is an ass, and Booty had all the talent around him and still didn't perform at a super high level. Then again, I always hate every QB in every class. It's been years since I've said any rookie QB would turn out to be any good so what do I know.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Fins Shopping JT
I guess this was to be expected. At least the Dolphins aren't going to give him up easily. If Chris Chambers can demand a 2nd round pick on the market, then surely Jason Taylor merits a 1st or at least a 2nd and a 4th.
Trading JT would mean the end of the old Dolphins era--- the one that won so many games in the late 90s and early 2000s, but never enjoyed any playoff success. That's fine. He deserves to move on to greener pastures at this point. A 1st round pick in return would be fair and would put the organization in a position to continue to improve this roster.
Jake Long is the first step. A mid-1st round pick could turn into a guy like Brian Brohm (if they are interested) or the Talib kid from Kansas. There are dozens of players that would fill needs for the Dolphins in the late first round. We'll likely scoop one up with the 32nd pick, but getting an additional one would let us play around with our options. Groves in the 2nd, maybe Lawrence Jackson (the guy I really like). Maybe go after Kenny Phillips in the late first if you were to acquire a pick. Who knows? The possibilities are endless, but before we start speculating, we have to find a trading partner.
TO Loves Porn?
Apparently Terrell Owens loves porn? He appeared on a recent photo on the Bangbros website. It got cropped out from the main site, but I do have a copy of the photo here.
That's definitely him. Looks like the dude recognizes him and it's hard to miss the Dallas receiver in the background.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Preston Parker Arrested
Continuing the theme of this site, I am posting something anti-FSU. After this past season for Canes football, and for South Florida sports in general, I need the occasional laugh to keep me going. So tough luck, Noles fans.
Anyway, Preston Parker got arrested for gun and drug charges today. The 21 year old receiver was one of those Bobby Bowden specials I often talk about here. He was all but a Cane but somehow out of the blue committed to FSU at the last second. He's been their best receiver recently, so this is going to hurt big time. Unless of course the Noles manage to sweep this under the rug and not punish him at all. I would hope they know to act quickly especially with the spotlight on them after the recent academic scandal.
Jake Long is the Man
About time. We can finally stop dreaming up fantasy scenarios of trading down or passing on the #1 pick. Forget the "Freudian Slip" that cast the doubt on the possibility of selecting Jake Long. And definitely forget the rumors that Long had no interest in playing for the Dolphins. ESPN and the Sun-Sentinel are reporting that Jake Long has agreed to a contract with the Dolphins and will be the #1 overall selection come Saturday at 3pm.
The press conference should be in about half an hour. I suppose they might release the terms then. For now it's unknown how much the contract is for. I don't really care. It's going to be a huge number that will restrict us financially if Long doesn't produce at a high level. I'm just happy we have our LT and can move on to other pressing needs in the draft.
This makes the Dolphins offensive line one of the finest young lines in the league. For once we'll actually have a good offensive line. I hope. Look for a pass rushing OLB/DE and a QB to be selected in the 2nd rounds. The rest is a crapshoot no matter what draft experts tell you, but I'll still come up with a mock draft later this week.
Marlins Win 3rd Straight, Remain Atop NL East
19 games through the season and somehow the Marlins are still chugging along in first place at 12-7. They currently hold a 1.5 game lead over the Mets, which is impressive for now but is something that could be wiped out in a matter of days. The success is relieving for South Florida sports fans, who literally have had nothing to cheer for but baseball these past few months. Alongside the top-ranked Canes, the Marlins are all we've got now, both literally and figuratively until August.
I'm not entirely sure how they are winning so many games yet. They have been batting relatively well, though much of the team seems to enjoy striking out quite a bit. And the pitching staff is one of the 5 worst in the majors statistically. It's mind-boggling as to how Mark Hendrickson is 4-1 with a 3.86 ERA this season. Mark Hendrickson? Who?
But hey, I'll take it at this point. The Marlins have currently allowed 7 more runs than they've scored, yet are 5 games over 500. Go figure. Whatever it is they're doing to win, keep doing it. I suppose it might have to do with all the games against Washington and Pittsburgh and the sort. We'll see how the Marlins fare with 9 games against Milwaukee and LA coming up soon.
I realize I may sound unappreciative or skeptical, but I can't see this ragtag bunch keeping it up for too much longer. However, if they somehow manage to stay at or around 500 by the time their young pitching staff has had time to heal, then watch out. Sprinkle a little of that old Marlins magic from the 97 and 03 seasons and you might, *might*, have something there.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Jake Long Nearing a Deal?
This is interesting, to say the least. There had been suggestions that Jake Long wasn't interested in playing for the Dolphins. I felt that if this were true, then Miami needed to stop negotiating with the guy and go elsewhere. Then again, it could have been a ploy to confuse other teams. Then we got the "Freudian Slip" that suggested we were going defense with the #1 overall pick. Again, this appeared to be legitimate, but now that also has been twisted into a smokescreen.
Now, there are indication that Jake Long is nearing an agreement to be the Dolphins #1 selection. Hopefully, this is true. I'm not sure Jake has anything against playing for the Dolphins. It might be true, but frankly all the top 5 teams suck and Miami is the best place to play out of any of them. There would be no reason for him not to want to play for the Dolphins. I don't think motivation will be a problem with him. I'm more concerned about his pass blocking ability, which while not suspect, isn't at an elite level yet.
Hopefully a deal gets done. Chris Long is a good player but not worth the #1 pick, and Gholston is all potential. Dorsey is a beast but doesn't fit our scheme. McFadden is an amazing talent but we have running backs. And Matt Ryan is terrible. Jake Long makes the most sense out of all the candidates, so we might as well get him locked up and move on.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Canes Edge FSU for Series
I for one am not a fan of shortened games. If you have travel restrictions, then schedule the damn games earlier or not at all. Ending game after 7 or 8 innings is foolish unless the weather is to blame. One of our 4 losses this season came to a premature finish against NC State. However, today the Canes benefited from the shortened game in a 11-10 victory over FSU in 7 innings.
Topping the #2 team in the country proved difficult. Miami won the series 2-1 but did not prove themselves as the clearly superior team. What they did do was prove to the world that they can play with the very best and still produce at a high level. This indeed is the best baseball team in the country, particularly when they are hitting on all cylinders. The series with FSU proves it and this should give us some more confidence heading into the final stretch of the season.
Today's victory was largely in part to eventual 1st round pick Yonder Alonso, who belted 2 home runs--one a grand slam, in driving 5 runs on 2-3 batting. Sophomore Eric Erickson returned from injury and had a decent outing, allowing 3 earned runs in 4 innings before handing the ball over to relief pitcher David Gutierrez. The bullpen had been solid all year but nearly blew the game by allowing 7 earned runs in 3 innings. It was only closer Carlos Gutierrez's strikeout to close the 7th that saved the Canes from defeat.
The Canes should now retain the #1 ranking and come home for a game against FIU before continuing their ACC schedule with a 3 game series against Virginia. The Cavaliers are ranked 16th, so the Canes can't let up after a successful weekend in Tally.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
JT Wants Out?
Here we go again. Apparently, Jason Taylor has made a quiet and polite request to be traded from the Miami Dolphins.
We heard some of this before, with the Dolphins addressing the rumors as journalistic irresponsibility. This report again comes from Jason Cole, a former Dolphins beat reporter who probably still has some connections down in Davie. Cole was the one who broke the original report that came out a few weeks ago.
I don't know what to make of this really. It could be true that Jason wants out and wants to win a title. Acquiescing to his demands would probably result in the Dolphins going with either Chris Long or Vernon Gholston at #1 in the draft to replace Taylor's pass rushing abilities off the edge. If he does get traded, it definitely has to be done this week before the draft. We also have to get at least a 2nd round pick for him. Maybe a 2nd with a condition to bump it up to a first. If Chambers fetched a 2nd, then JT deserves more value.
It could be another smokescreen coming from the Dolphins organization. They are pretty sneaky and are now using GM Jeff Ireland's slip about the draft against people to try to trade down. They could be orchestrating this as well to throw people off their scent regarding the #1 pick. That seems like a stretch to me. I would hope the Dolphins are spending more time evaluating talent than trying to fool everyone else.
If JT goes, then good luck to him. He has handled the situation with class, unlike Chad Johnson. If he wants out, then please trade him. Nobody wants an unhappy superstar veteran in the locker room. Get as much value as you can for him. Zach Thomas is already gone, so you might as well cut ties with the past and rip it off like a bandaid.
Noles Even Up the Series
The Canes jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 3 game series between the #1 and #2 teams in the country by dropping 10 runs in the 6th inning yesterday. Freshman Chris Hernandez had a tough time with the FSU lineup but still pitched well enough to keep the Canes in the game and pick up the win to go to 6-0 this season.
However, Enrique Garcia again struggled and got rocked today by FSU in a 9-5 loss. His 6 earned runs cost the Canes dearly, especially with a late 5-4 lead. It also gave him his first loss of the season (2-1). Miami did jump on the Noles early with a 4-0 lead but couldn't solve the relief pitching after FSU pulled started Geoff Parker.
Tomorrow is the crucial rubber game that will probably determine who will be ranked #1 next season. Bragging rights would be nice as well. It should be a climactic finale to this series, with sophomore Eric Erickson making his long-awaited return. I'm not sure it's the best idea to throw him in there against such a good team after a month off, but if Jim Morris has confidence in his guy, then so be it.
Playoff Predictions
I couldn't be less interested in the NBA Playoffs this year, now that the Heat are god-awful and aren't participating. In any case, here are my predictions. And yes I'm aware I'm cheating since 4 of the series already started.
East
Boston over Atlanta in 4
Detroit over Philly in 5
Orlando over Toronto in 6
Cleveland over Washington in 7
Boston over Cleveland in 5
Detroit over Orlando in 7
Boston over Detroit in 7
West
Lakers over Denver in 5
Hornets over Mavs in 7
Spurs over Suns in 6
Utah over Houston in 5
Lakers over Utah in 7
Spurs over Hornets in 6
Lakers over Spurs in 7
Final:
Lakers over Boston in 6
I have a feeling that Boston has been overrated for a long time. They have the best record, but I just have a hunch about them.
Position Changes
You might have heard about a few position changes on the UM football team. I'll go over them one by one here.
Luqman Abdallah was moved to offensive line, which is an interesting move. We are already pretty thin at DT, but I suppose with 2 more guys coming in this summer (Regis and Lewis), Abdallah was considered expendable at the position. The guy hasn't really shown all that much yet, but then again he wasn't the most heralded recruit either. It should be interesting to see if he can contribute to our line, which supposedly is looking pretty solid right now.
The Ryan Hill move is one I am grateful for. I personally thought it should have been done last year. Hill hasn't shown any promise at WR and we are hurting pretty bad at corner. The addition of Brandon Harris was crucial, but it should help to have some depth at the position. Hill is a great athlete and should he pick up the defense quickly enough, could contribute. He is probably better off because he wasn't going to see the field with this new stable of WRs coming in from the 2008 class.
As for Damien Berry being moved to running back, that is one move that baffled me. We have a great backfield right now in James, Coopers, McNeal and Chambers. I have no idea when Berry will get a carry. He ran the ball some in high school, but still this is a surprising move considering the fact we don't have a proven safety yet. Reddick should lock down one spot eventually. JoJo looks great in practice, and Ponder will probably get considerable playing time. Still, Berry was looking to contribute more at safety than at RB. Oh well.
Marlins Stumble, Lose Division Lead
1/10th of the way through the new season and the Marlins have pretty much played up to their expectations, and more. This team is probably capable of playing 500 ball for stretches at a time, but ultimately I think their lack of quality starting pitching and a lineup that refuses to bat for average will hurt them. I think I'll stand by my prediction of 68 wins.
A few days ago the surprising Marlins did have the division lead, but lost it late last night after blowing a 4-3 lead to the last-place Nationals. Heralded prospect Andrew Miller pitched an average game against Washington, but the frustrating thing is that it was his best outing of the season. Miller has posted a terrible 9.68 ERA in his first 4 starts. I'm aware that he is a young player, but there are other rookie pitchers out there showing better stuff on the mound. He better pan out after having to trade our best player.
The biggest problem on offense continues to be that nobody is batting for average except Hanley Ramirez. Hanley is batting .377 and is the only regular starter to even have sniffed 300. This early in the season you should have at least 3 guys over .300. We already have 4 guys in double digit strikeouts and have 4 more ready to join that list in the next game or two. Eventually Fredi Gonzalez is going to have to tell them to stop swinging for the fences so much or we won't be winning many more games.
Friday, April 18, 2008
The Slip
Much has been made of Jeff Ireland's "Freudian slip." Some are going to call this a smokescreen. I'm going to go ahead and say that Ireland made a legitimate mistake here. This isn't the first time he has misspoken in front of the media. Don't forget the hoopla he created by effectively admitting that Bill Parcells was the real GM of this team, something that would have prevented the Dolphins from hiring him away from Dallas were it true.
Apparently he needs a refresher course in PR management. That or he is a brilliant actor. In either case, I don't think it matters much for now. Everyone knows the pick is down to one of the Long's or Gholston. Dorsey doesn't seem to fit and I'm repressing the possibility of drafting Matt Ryan for now. Slipping up and telling people you're going after one of the DE/OLB isn't necessarily a huge deal. However, that sort of stuff needs to stop if Ireland wants to be an effective GM. That or Parcells will have to put a leash on him and stash him somewhere in the basement like Saban did to Randy Mueller.
Watch the video for yourself. Maybe I'm gullible but it looks like he screwed up.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Heat Win Finale Against Hawks
And so the 2007-2008 season has come to a merciful end. We've seen every major player on this roster (other than the immortal Ricky Davis) get shelved for the rest of the season due to injury. We traded Shaq in exchange for a future and saw our star player go down yet again. Riley took his hiatus and now his future seems uncertain. All in all, the Heat matched their putrid 15-67 record from their inaugural season.
It takes a pretty big combination of bad luck, bad play, and bad decision making to do as badly as an expansion team. Especially considering we just won an NBA title 2 years ago. It's a little embarrassing to be honest, but thankfully the NBA Lottery might give us a chance to return to form. This year's team, with the addition of a DeSagna Diop and a Derrick Rose easily makes the playoffs next year. Heck, with the way the East has been of late, that might be good enough for a 4 seed. The future isn't so far away.
I really hope Riley returns next year because I do think the team has a chance to succeed. If he doesn't, then I would do everything I could to cater to Dwyane Wade. It's still not certain that he is staying in Miami after his contract expires. We have to surround him with talent and coaching that will make him comfortable. I think putting Spoelstra at the helm will do that, and I wouldn't doubt that everyone in the Heat organization knows that.
Let's just pray for a top 2 pick come May 20th.
Somehow Canes Remain #1
I guess the pollsters were more impressed by our series sweep of #10 GT than I was. Frankly, I was pretty certain that the loss to FAU would drop us out of the top spot in the country, but most polls kept us at #1 with FSU in at #2.
That leads up to this weekend's monster series at Tally against the Noles. Like I said before, this matchup will be Miami's first true test of the season. They've played some very good ballclubs, losing only 3 games all season. However, FSU is an elite team and presents a major challenge for the Canes.
In terms of predictions, I couldn't tell you what I think. I don't follow college baseball all that often outside of the Canes and the CWS, so I don't know how we fare against the Seminoles. What I do know is that the Miami lineup is ridiculously balanced and the pitching staff is excellent when it is at its best. That should be enough to win a series against anybody, even the #2 team in the country.
Before that though, the Canes have to stick it to the Owls. The Noles series is important to me, but I am not comfortable knowing we lost to freaking FAU.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
First Pick Discussion
I think there's a lot of important stuff going on with the Dolphins' #1 overall pick. The draft is only 11 days away and we don't have a deal set with any of the available players yet. Many have suggested we go with Matt Ryan, a ridiculous choice that only a desperate front office would make. Others want to trade down, the most logical option, but definitely not the most realistic.
Some have even suggested passing on the pick to save some money. I've somewhat advocated that. Not necessary condoned it, but I think it was worth looking into. You should read a very good piece by Omar Kelly at the Sun Sentinel, maybe some of the best stuff I've seen him do. He shoots down the idea of letting the pick slide and offers half a dozen very valid points, one of which I have mentioned before: even if we slide to 3 or 4, that guy's agent will want #1 money or close to it.
Now comes the news from Armando Salguero that the Dolphins are pitching a discount deal to Jake Long. They aren't interested in giving him QB money that was given to JaMarcus Russell. Instead they are offering a slight raise from the Mario Williams deal from the prior year. Hopefully this will work out because they do have some leverage in that they can always go with some other guy. And for the good of the league, I hope it starts a trend where everyone starts making less money. These rookies are getting paid way too much nowadays.
Granted, such a move will not be taken well be agents around the league. EVERYONE will hate this move. But it makes fiscal sense as well as being logical. A 55 million dollar deal with 25 million in guarantees is still a huge sum for a player who hasn't done crap. Especially if that player is Jake Long.
Why is that? Because apparently, Jake doesn't want to come here. Word is that he would prefer not to play in Miami (well who would, but come on you're going to a crappy team if you're good) but is still fielding offers due to the honor of being the #1 pick. If that's true, screw him. We'll pick up another guy in the 2nd round and take Long or Gholston instead. I don't want prima donnas on this roster, particularly on the offensive line. Who ever heard of an offensive lineman being a pain in the ass about where he wants to play. Leave that nonsense to the wide receivers.
Some have speculated that this is just a rouse to drive his price up. Who knows at this point. You can't believe anything when it comes to the draft until the guy is selected and isn't traded by the end of draft day.
Fins Prediction...
...They're gonna stink. Today the new schedule was released and it looks alright. Having the worst team last year gave us easy games against last place teams, but we still have a long way to go. I'll make an official prediction game-by-game after the draft. We can't really know what the deal is yet.
Here's the schedule if you guys are interested. We have 5 home games in 6 weeks, but also finish off the season with 4 road games in 5 weeks. Pretty balanced schedule. Thankfully no road game at New England in December.
We also play the Bills in the much-anticipated Toronto game. It would be a shame to see a fanbase lose out on it's franchise (the Sonics situation is pretty depressing), but screw the Bills.
Rose and Beasley Declare for Draft
Shockers of the century there. In any case, it's official that both top prospects for this June's NBA Draft are ready to make the leap to the next level. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that they wouldn't turn pro, but you never know. Beasley had no reason to return to KState, but that national title collapse by Memphis might have convinced Rose to stay and win a championship.
Had either remained in school, then we really would have needed that #1 overall pick. As it stands, I am rooting for the 2nd selection so we won't second guess ourselves in the future. Just take whichever is left over. Save a little bit of cash too I guess.
The final decision between Beasley and Rose would be a tough one. Most of the fans seem to want Rose after seeing his NCAA Tournament play and I would have to agree. Beasley is ridiculous and I would be just as happy with him, but as it's been said many times on this blog, we need someone other than Wade to take the ballhandling duties. Marion/Haslem at PF would do just fine, especially if we plan on getting Brand in 2009.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Haith Secures New Transfer
Could we be looking at Jack McClinton the 2nd? Apparently the Canes will be getting much needed backcourt depth from Villanova in the form of scorer Malcom Grant.
Personally, I've never seen the kid play. So maybe one of you will have to tell me what the deal is. Supposedly he is a streaky shooter that can score in bunches. Sounds an awful lot like Jack. Which frankly, isn't a bad thing. McClinton has helped breathe new life into this program and I'd take a player off a Sweet 16 team any day.
The problem is that he'll have to sit out the next season, so we won't get that instant boost. What we will have is some insurance once Jack leaves, in case DeQuan Jones doesn't pan out. Hopefully he will and that will just mean we'll have that much more depth. In any case, good news continues to stream in for the Miami basketball program. If the Kansas home-and-home goes through as planned, that will be another huge step. Facing the defending national champs would be a huge honor, even if we get blown out of the water.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Canes Sweep Yellow Jackets
Tough weekend to be a Canes fan. Yes, Miami dominated the 10th ranked Georgia Tech team, topping them 10-5, 15-5, and 9-3. However, the victories come with a heavy heart as the series initially had to be postponed due to the premature death of GT pitcher Michael Hutts.
You never want to play teams facing this sort of situation. Either they'll rally around their fallen teammate and beat you, or their heads will understandably not be in the game and the victory means little. There are more important things sometimes than W's and L's. My condolences go out to the GT family.
Game 1 saw the return of freshman Chris Hernandez's excellent form, as the lefty pitched 6 innings and allowed 3 earned runs. Not quite the dominating stuff of earlier this season, but certainly an improvement from his last outing. His outstanding arm was backed up by the Canes bats that had disappeared earlier this week. Five different players managed to collect 3 hits each.
Game 2 was played later that day and produced a fine outing from sometimes-maligned senior Enrique Garcia. The hero of the day was centerfielder Blake Tekotte who went 4-4 with 7 RBIs and 4 runs scored. The junior is the only player to have appeared and started in 34 Canes games this season and as of this morning was batting .390, leading the team in hits, runs and 2nd in on base percentage. He has certainly made a case for this team's offensive MVP.
The series finale saw Yonder Alonso blast his team-leading 9th home run of the season in a 9-3 victory. Miami tallied 16 hits to GT's 6 and once again began to look like the team that took over the top spot in the national rankings.
The loss to FAU will probably drop Miami out of the #1 position, but that sort of stuff is irrelevant in baseball. In football, being #1 is all that matters. Here, we just need to keep playing well heading into the final stretch of the season. Miami will now face FAU in a rematch of this week's upset defeat. The game will be in Boca on Wednesday night if you're interested.
What I'm really looking forward to isn't seeking revenge on the Owls. Instead I'm more interested in the weekend matchup with the probably new #1 ranked Florida State Seminoles. This weekend's series against GT was a good test for a team that hadn't faced all that many great teams, but it was a warmup (the sad situation considered) compared to what Miami will go up against in the Seminoles. Winning that series is crucial to our confidence. A sweep would be fantastic. We'll finally get to see if the Canes are for real (which I think they are). I say Miami wins 2 of 3.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Juggernaut in Trouble
I'll preface the post by saying I really don't give a crap about this situation. I've heard of athletes doing much worse to people who deserved it. Whether or not Reagan Mauia is guilty or not is irrelevant to me. He's a 23 year old who got hot-headed at a bar and made a mistake. Whatever. Sometimes people make too much out of the actions of athletes.
Should he be punished? Yes, of course. We can't have players running around beating people up for looking at them wrong. Let Reagan know this type of behavior is unacceptable and bench him for a game or two once the season starts. Losing a pair of paychecks will certainly get through to the young fullback. But cut him? Come on. If you don't think he's got the talent or skill sets you want at FB on this team, then fine, release him. But how many of us would be out of a job if our employers dumped us after one of our indiscretions on our own time?
There is something to be said for keeping up the image of a quality organization in the Miami Dolphins, but I sincerely doubt too many fans have deluded themselves to thinking NFL teams employ choir boys.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Noles Land 7th 2009 Commitment
Since February's post regarding the CJ Mizell commitment, the Seminoles have gotten verbal commitments from 3 more local recruits. Chris Thompson and Brandon Jenkins committed on consecutive days a little over a month ago and just this week FSU received a commitment from Georgia safety Gerald Demps.
The former two are rated 4 stars each by Rivals, while Demps is unrated for the time being. I don't know much about them specifically, but that now makes 7 total commitments for the 2009 class, all of whom are highly regarded.
What this means is that Randy Shannon and his staff have to increase their recruiting efforts to make sure there isn't a run of talent into FSU. It's extremely early to be panicking, especially considering Miami already has a great foundation set for their own 2009 class. However, kids like jumping on bandwagons and right now FSU's is looking really good.
I don't know that we have any guys who are ready to commit to the Canes anytime soon. Other than TE Orson Charles and RB Lamar Miller, I don't know of many players we are targeting that are rumored to be making their decisions early. We have offered several dozen highly rated recruits by now, many of which have us high on their lists. I don't think we'll be in bad shape even if FSU reels in a top class, but it would help to gain some momentum to keep up with them.
We shouldn't expect too much from the 2009 class anyway because we only have 18-19 scholarships left for next season. We got our bounty this year and should hope they can produce. If the new freshmen can have an impact, then the Canes should be looking at a relatively successful season and start that push towards title contention again.
Mayo Going Pro
A couple of days ago you might have noticed that USC guard OJ Mayo declared his intentions to enter the NBA Draft this June.
The much ballyhooed high schooler would have been a Top 5 pick last year had he been allowed to enter the draft, and not much has changed. The problem with Mayo is that he is a bit undersized for a shooting guard and might have to be moved to the 1 to play in the NBA. That seemingly would be a good thing for the Heat, who I believe are pretty set at the 2 position with some guy named Dwyane Wade.
However, I question Mayo's ability to lead a team at point guard in the NBA. There's no doubt the guy has superior talent and is a great scorer. However, he is nowhere near the rebounder or playmaker that Derrick Rose is. If Miami gets the shaft and is stuck with the 3rd or 4th pick, Mayo will be on the board and Riley will have a serious decision to make. I'm not entirely sure picking Mayo would be the best option in that scenario.
Not that he won't be a productive player at the next level, but there are several problems, including character issues, with risking a Top 5 selection on a guy like Mayo. After the Top 2 selections, there really is no clear-cut #3 guy. If I were the Heat, I would be bribing the hell out of the NBA to get one of those top 2 picks.
Martin Fired as Coach
Jacques Martin will no longer serve as the Florida Panthers' head coach.
The report says he might be retained as the GM and that the decision was made solely out of a need to have a change at head coach. I'll say this much: I don't know whether or not is is Martin's fault the Panthers have continued to miss the playoffs. I really couldn't tell you much about his coaching style or how he connected with players or whatnot. Supposedly things weren't working out in the locker room, but I think that's irrelevant.
The more important issue is that Martin didn't have much to work with. Perhaps there is a better candidate available, one better suited for the job and one who doesn't have to deal with the dual GM-Coach role. That's fine. But firing Martin based on coaching ability might not hold all that much water considering the player personnel the Panthers have right now. That's like firing Fredi Gonzalez after this season if he doesn't take the Marlins to the playoffs.
The fact remains that the Panthers as an organization haven't done enough to win and it has been reflected in the past decade or so. They can't draft worth a damn and haven't signed many marquee free agents. If they aren't willing to put out a top product, then they can't reasonably expect the team to succeed regardless of who the coach is.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Canes Stunned at Home by FAU
We should have seen this coming. Miami struggled against Clemson this past weekend and needed a dramatic Dave DiNatale walkoff HR in extra innings to finish off lowly FGCU last night. The mini-slide culminated in today's loss to the FAU Owls at Mark Light Stadium, 6-3.
The loss was a tough one, but it was well deserved. Miami fell in a hole early as starter John Housey allowed all 6 runs in 5 innings (4 earned) and the offense failed to rally the team. The Canes got a pair of hits from Jemile Weeks and got 3 from shortstop Ryan Jackson, but Jackson managed to leave 5 men on base despite batting 3-5 and an RBI.
When your team needs you, you gotta come through with the hit. It didn't look like the Canes could do that tonight. Credit has to be given to Owls pitcher Michael Obradovich, who threw a ridiculous 152 pitches in 8 innings of 1-run ball. A late mini-rally by the Canes didn't work against relief pitcher Glen Troyanowski.
Now expect the Canes to go into their series at Georgia Tech hungry and prepared. That #1 ranking was undeserved and maybe it got to their heads a bit. Who knows. FSU will likely take over the top spot assuming they don't lose either. The matchup against the Seminoles later this season will be a true test for Hurricanes baseball.
First-Place Marlins Top Nationals 10-4
First place? What?! It may be the first couple weeks of the season, but I fully expected the Marlins to already be out of playoff contention by now. Somehow they've managed to put together a 5-3 record and a 1.5 game lead in the NL East Division.
Obviously there are 154 games left and it means nothing. Florida could just as easily drop 10 straight starting tomorrow. But for now, it's a nice feeling to be on top. We haven't had that in South Florida in months. Heck, both of our baseball teams are making us proud for once.
The run has been largely in part to the power bats (Mike Jacobs comes to mind, with 4 homers in 5 games, including 2 last night against the Nationals) and the bullpen. The offense is appreciated, but I will continue to say I prefer an offense based on average rather than power. Eventually the home runs will stop and then what happens? Jacobs is having a nice little stretch, but he was batting .187 before his barrage last night.
Regardless, it's nice to have some wins in South Florida. Hopefully the return of Jeremy Hermida will further improve this team and they might actually stick around for a while rather than fade into obscurity by May.
Dolphins Negotiating With Jake Long
Many of you have probably seen the Herald story regarding the Dolphins opening up negotiations with Jake Long. This could be a sign of many things.
It could mean the first thing that comes to mind: that the Dolphins like Jake Long and plan on making him their #1 pick. The chatter around the NFL has been that Jake is the newest frontrunner for the selection if Miami cannot trade down. That's fine. We need a LT badly and it would solidify our line with Smiley, Satele and Carey for years to come. The Michigan LT would probably be the best fit for the team right now.
However, it doesn't necessarily mean he is the target. He could just happen to be the first player the Dolphins have contacted. Maybe it's a ploy to drive down someone else's price, namely the guy we are really after. At this point, it's supposedly down to the two Long's and Matt Ryan.
Salguero says Ryan is not an option, and I believe him. Ryan is not a top selection. All the buzz surrounding him and the #1 pick is ridiculous. That means that the negotiations between the Dolphins and Jake Long are the beginning of a bidding war between Jake and Chris Long. Glenn Dorsey has reportedly not been contacted much recently, so that seems out as an option.
Chris is a safe pick, but I don't know about his upside. I wouldn't have any problem with drafting any of the Longs, but I definitely would prefer Jake at this point. I am eager to have a solid offensive line for once and Jake could be the final piece in the puzzle. Chris is a great player and would be a nice addition on the defense, so you can't really go wrong at this point. Just don't take Matt Ryan.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
LeBatard's Blunder
Interesting note I picked up from PFT today, especially considering it was regarding NCAA/NBA basketball and not the NFL. It was regarding comments made between ESPN's Jay Bilas and Dan Le Batard of the Miami Herald on the subject of race in the NBA Draft.
If you read the papers frequently, you probably know Dan is one of the more opinionated writers in the country. He often takes the side of the athlete, imploring the readers to understand the athlete's point of view when faced with issues of celebrity misconduct and contract negotiations. I appreciate his style because it is refreshing; most sportswriters are quick to jump the gun and bemoan professional athletes from their pulpits. I despise that kind of journalism.
However, Dan's opinions are often very controversial. The race card is played frequently, despite the increasing lack of respect for that argument in America today. The comments in question were regarding Tyler Hansborough and his draft status. Le Batard argued that because he is white, and America typically doesn't produce elite white basketball players, Tyler will slip on draft board. Bilas was taken aback and disagreed vehemently enough that he flat out called it "stupid".
It's not often you see that kind of argument between guests on a radio show and their hosts. But it doesn't surprise me that this sort of issue provoked such a reaction. We are living in a PC world, yes, but Le Batard often stretches the boundaries of political correctness when he feels he speaks the truth. In this case, he is right in that American white players aren't exactly lighting it up in the NBA, so his argument is somewhat valid. It doesn't necessarily have to apply to Tyler, but it remains pretty accurate.
Of course, there are plenty of white players from other nations who are successful, so an argument singling out a race as being inferior at basketball might not hold water. The key here is that Dan said "American". Regardless, it's a slippery slope. It's too hard to pigeonhole guys just because of their race. Then again, if a trend shows one thing, then making the argument based on that trend is usually considered a valid process of reasoning. In this case, you'd need more evidence than "lack of good white players" to go out on a limb and say GMs will stay away from Tyler. Then it becomes more of an assumption that Dan isn't quite qualified to make.
Anyway, I thought it was an interesting issue and thought I might bring it up to see what you guys think. I know Le Batard isn't liked (or even respected) by most sports fans, but I do respect his opinions.
Should Zo Retire?
We were all under the impression that this was Alonzo Mourning's final season, and when he went down with that nasty leg injury earlier in the year, we just assumed it was over for Zo. He has his ring and needs to focus on his longterm health for his family. Even Zo was heard saying it was over for him on the court.
However, Alonzo has progressed nicely through his rehab, and is said to be a month ahead of schedule. According to Israel Gutierrez, Mourning has said "time is going to dictate my basketball future." Doesn't sound like he is retired to me.
Personally, he should have retired after the Dallas series. He dominated defensively and defined his legacy on the Heat. It would have been perfect to ride out in a blaze of glory. Instead he returned for this smoldering heap of garbage. That being said, with the right moves, the Heat could be back in contention as soon as next season. If he feels he's still got it, and his health hasn't been negatively affected at all, then I'm all for it.
But I'm greedy. Zo really needs to consider his family and his future above all. Hopefully he will make the best decision.
Dolphins LB Chatter
Just saw that both the Herald and Sentinel Dolphins blogs address the Dolphins' options at linebacker in the upcoming NFL Draft. Both suggest that Chris Long may no longer be the frontrunner as the #1 selection because Miami has been bringing in guys like Quentin Groves and Tavares Gooden for workouts.
I would agree with their assessments. Long is great, but is he that much better than the next level of guys available in rounds 2 or 3? I personally think Lawrence Jackson is a beast and would be a great pickup in the 2nd round. Same for Gator-killer Quentin Groves. I support Tavares as he is a Cane, but I don't think he is an option for this team because he doesn't fit the bill as an outside linebacker in a 3-4. Not big enough.
Assuming this is where the Dolphins are going, I would hope this means they are seriously considering Jake Long or trading down at a bargain price instead of drafting Matt Ryan. At this point I don't care if we get equal value according to some dumb trade value chart. I just want to stockpile picks and fill the holes in our roster. Jake Long would be a fine pick. Nothing special, but a good addition to the line. Matt Ryan would be disastrous. For some reason, I keep seeing a number of mock drafts that have Matt as our #1 selection. I don't know why anyone would think we are interested in an interception machine, especially considering he isn't a consensus 1st-round grade, much less Top 5 material.
Rose Chokes, Memphis Loses
Well, I wouldn't say choked. But Derrick Rose did have a chance to ice the game last night and failed miserably. Without him, Memphis wouldn't have been in the position to win, but it was still disappointing to see him miss a free throw that would have sealed the deal and the title. Eerily reminiscent of the Game 6 free throws that Dwyane Wade missed. Luckily, Miami pulled off the victory anyway. Not so for the unfortunate Tigers, who I felt looked like the better team (but not by much).
It goes to show that one moment doesn't have to make or break a player's career. Rose is one of the top 2 talents in the draft, and most people seem to think he is the logical selection for the Heat if he is available. 18 of the 23 people who voted on the poll on this site preferred Rose over Beasley. I would venture to say that Riley will likely select Rose if we have the option. He just fits a bigger need and is the best option to play with Wade long-term.
I have to say I'm impressed with Rose overall. He looked like he had a killer instinct late in the game, save for the missed free throw. His penetrating ability is excellent and he might be the best rebounding guard I've seen come out in some time. He would be a huge asset to the Heat and even if Michael Beasley ends up being a superstar, I would feel comfortable drafting Derrick Rose.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Canes Ranked #1
As predicted yesterday, Arizona State's loss to Stanford propelled Miami to the top of the polls. Miami is on top of most of the major polls that have been released so far, including Baseball America, USA Today/ESPN, and Rivals. The NCWBA poll should also have Miami #1 (had us #2 last week), but has yet to be released.
It's a great honor for Jim Morris and his boys down in Coral Gables. However, I have to stress that they need to continue to be focused and consistent in order to have a successful season. This #1 ranking means little if the Canes can't at least make it deep into the College World Series. From a roster like this, I would expect nothing less than title contention. So far, they have kept up to their billing.
The Canes will now have a couple of cupcake games against Florida Gulf Coast and FAU before heading to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech in a road ACC series. This should be Miami's first real test in some time. The Yellow Jackets have been ranked as high as 14th as of last week, and recently split a double-header with UNC.
EDIT: The Gators are now ranked 21st and the Yellow Jackets are 19th. NC State is 27th, so our only two losses have come against fringe Top 25 teams. That makes the resume look much better now that UF and NC State are getting some more recognition nationally. As of last week, Miami had played 0 games against the Top 25 at the time.
Riley Selected into Hall of Fame
No-Brainer #2 of the day was the selection of coach Pat Riley into basketball's Hall of Fame today. It's been a tough year, but Riley surely will get some solace from receiving this honor. I can't imagine many people more deserving of the honor than Riley.
He's won 5 titles as coach with 2 different teams, most recently leading our beloved Heat to the 2005-2006 NBA Championship. Riley also holds the NBA record for most victories as a coach, currently with 1208. What makes Riley exceptional is his years of experience handling talented teams and balancing the egos on those rosters. He is a master motivator, with a seemingly endless supply of techniques and ploys to help complacent or indifferent players back on the path to success. Without him, Miami doesn't win the 2005 title. Stan Van Gundy wouldn't have been able to pull those guys together and help spark a comeback in the Finals.
Riley will be inducted along with All-Time greats Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon, two dominant centers that faced off against each other as Riley coached in the 1994 NBA Finals between the Rockets and Knicks. It's good company to have. Also, Dick Vitale, a staple of College Basketball telecasts, will be inducted in the Hall of Fame. Annoying as he may be, that honor is well-deserved as well.
Haith Gets His Extension
Kirby Hocutt has made an impact on UM athletics and he hasn't even officially taken over the AD position yet. It was pretty much a no-brainer, but we have to be happy that Hocutt and President Donna Shalala recognized the need to lock down Frank Haith. Without him, this program would slip back into obscurity. Haith needed a couple of years to bring in his own kids and produce the results we were looking for when we hired him from Texas, but it finally paid off with a nice run in the NCAA Tournament.
The extension runs through the 2012-2013 season, though the contract numbers weren't released. Hopefully they are paying him well, because if Miami continues its rise to the top of the ACC standings, other teams will come looking for Haith to rejuvenate their own programs. It's imperative that we keep him here. With the heralded young kids coming in to replace King and Hicks, this team should be even better next season than they were this year.
That being said, Round of 32 is what we should expect from this team. Until we sign several McDonald's All-Americans, it would be hasty to expect Sweet 16 or above. Sure, there are Cinderella stories, but we can't bank on being a surprise team in the tournament. Haith needs to get Kenny Boynton on this team and establish a trend where the top players will seriously recognize this program. Miami has a lot to offer that other schools don't. The only thing we lack is basketball tradition. A lot of kids couldn't care less about history, they just want to play where they can win. I think we can do that here in Coral Gables.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Canes Complete Sweep of Tigers
Miami didn't have an easy time of it this weekend. Despite the fact they swept the series, all 3 games were competitive until the very end. Last night's game was blown open late by an offensive barrage and tonight's game wasn't very different, as the Canes pulled off a 7-6 victory.
The bats have been there this weekend, but for some reason our pitching staff has been struggling to get it done. Freshman Chris Hernandez turned in a subpar performance on Friday and Enrique Garcia returned to his early season form yesterday. The starting pitching kept Clemson in the games and we were lucky enough to drive in enough runs to come out of the weekend unscathed.
It's nitpicking, but if Miami plans on being a title contender, they have to be consistent against top competition. Clemson is good but nothing special. If you have trouble against their lineup, then how will you fare against UNC or FSU? That's the only downside to Miami's season so far. They haven't really been tested by an elite team yet. Once we see them dominating top talent, then I think it will be fair to make them the favorites to win the CWS.
Speaking of that, #1 ranked Arizona State got blasted earlier this weekend by Stanford, so there's a chance that Miami will become the consensus #1 team in the country. I'm not sure I would drop ASU if I were a voter, considering their schedule hasn't been as easy as ours but they've managed to stay dominant as well. But since I don't have a vote, don't be surprised to see the Canes ranked #1 if they don't stumble before the next polls come out.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Rose Looking Good Tonight
Right now it would be hard to make the case that Miami would be making a mistake by taking Derrick Rose over Michael Beasley. I don't think you can go wrong with either, but Rose is looking very impressive against UCLA tonight. He has excellent driving ability and can finish at the basket. He also is very aggressive on the boards and can find the open man. He really is the perfect point guard to be paired up with Dwyane Wade.
I think I would be leaning towards Rose now because of who Dwyane Wade is. Beasley is a special talent, but he won't be taking any of the ballhandling duties from Wade. We've seen this season that Dwyane desperately needs a good point guard who can get him the ball. When he is forced to create for himself and for his below-average teammates, Wade gets reckless and turns the ball over. Beasley would be a scoring option, but he wouldn't dominate the ball. Rose can handle the point guard duties, letting Wade do his thing.
That's probably the tiebreaker between the two prospects, assuming of course that we get the #1 pick. As you've seen, we aren't guaranteed even a Top 3 selection, something that is required if we want any shot of drafting Derrick Rose. With the news that Eric Gordon, Brook Lopez, and Jerryd Bayless are going pro, Miami will have plenty of solid options at #3 or #4 in that scenario. I don't know if any of those guys will make the immediate impact that either Rose or Beasley could make, and in that case I would consider trading down or packing the pick for something useful.
Marlins and Canes Win on Walk-Offs
Pretty rare coincidence occurred last night, and no it didn't have anything to do with the fact the Marlins actually won a game. Instead, it was how they won. Florida topped the Pittsburgh Pirates on a walkoff home run by Mike Jacobs to put their record back at 500. Likewise, the Canes were in a bitter battle with the Clemson Tigers before Yonder Alonso's 2-run shot in the 9th capped things off.
The Marlins are doing a decent job so far of not getting blown out of the ballpark, but I don't expect them to stay at 500 for too long. Their entire offense consists of home runs. To have a consistently good team you probably need to have more guys who bat for average than for power. We don't have that on this roster.
The Canes had a rare competitive game against an opponent that wasn't about to lay down for them. Miami has been flat out dominant this season and hasn't had to play in too many tight games. Last night proved that they are fully capable of performing when the pressure is on. It's easy to slam 15 runs in when you're up by 10 or more runs, but how good can you be when the game is on the line? I guess we saw last night. Good job guys.
On one last note, I read something about Jemile Weeks supposed to have been suspended for the game for breaking team rules, but later appeared as a pinch hitter. I'm not sure about that situation except that I think the decision to play Weeks was up to Jim Morris and not the ACC. Otherwise we might see some relatively nasty repercussions. I wouldn't make much of it for now, though.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Official Lottery Odds
So much for my bad math. Apparently they do remove the lottery balls of selected teams before the next lottery selection is drawn. These are the official official numbers, per Ira, assuming we don't blow it and win 5 games in the closing stretch.
Top Pick: 25% and our selection is either Beasley or Rose.
Top Two Pick: 46.5% and it's probably Rose.
Top Three Pick: 64.3% and frankly, I don't know. Unless we get lucky and Memphis is ahead of us (they won't need Rose), then we are looking at either D.J. Augustin or Brook Lopez or God knows who.
Should the Dolphins Pass?
Much has been made about the possibility that Miami will simply let the clock expire and let someone else pick #1 overall. I find this an intriguing option. The sheer amount of guaranteed money that we'd have to give to Chris Long or Jake Long or whoever is insane. An unproven rookie instantly becomes one of the Top 25 paid players in the NFL. I think there is something seriously wrong with the way rookies are getting paid right now.
Letting the Rams pick ahead of us would be optimal. I don't believe the Rams are big on Chris Long and they would rather draft Jake Long or Glenn Dorsey. That way, we could still land the guy we seemingly want and pay him less. Heck, the Falcons might take Matt Ryan next and let us slip down to 3. The Raiders might target Darren McFadden. And so on. The reality is that the top 6 prospects in this draft grade out pretty evenly and Miami shouldn't have a strong preference over any of them. At this point I would rather be the Jets with the #5 pick than the Dolphins with the first.
Even if the guy we want is taken by the time we would hypothetically jump back into the draft, there are still players who can make an impact. Someone like Vernon Gholston might fall all the way down to 6 or 7. I sure as hell would rather draft him then and pay him half of what you would have to if he were the top pick.
The only problem I see with this situation has nothing to do with bad PR. What I foresee is a long holdout for whoever we pick. Remember the Philip Rivers/Eli Manning trade? The Chargers had the #1 pick and traded it for the 4th so they could take Rivers. Philip's agent subsequently argued that the Chargers had effectively rated Rivers #1 overall and demanded Rivers get paid like the #1 pick. I don't believe they got the same deal Manning got, but Rivers was compensated more because of the circumstances.
Any guy we draft will argue that we could have had them at #1 and that they were our target all along, therefore they should be paid as a quasi-#1. It would be hard to argue against that thanks to the precedent set by the Rivers trade. We would end up having to overpay a #2-#5 pick instead of overpaying for a #1. It does save us some money in the long run, because there is no way a #2-#5 pick will get paid the same as the top overall selection, but it's still a bit counterproductive because agents are greedy.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Canes Prepare for FIU, Clemson
The nearly consensus 2nd ranked Miami Hurricanes baseball team is about to face off against in-town rival FIU. The Canes are coming off a nice weekend, with a pair of victories over Duke in Durham and a solid thumping of FAU yesterday. The 22-2 Canes have won 9 straight.
Miami opened the series against Duke with an uncharacteristically poor performance by freshman lefty Chris Hernandez. Leave it to me to jinx him by dubbing him the pitching staff's MVP over the first half of the season. Hernandez started off strong but had a rough 5th inning and blew the team's 5-0 lead. He went deep into his pitch count (102) before being relieved in the 7th by Kyle Bellamy and Carlos Gutierrez. Luckily, the Canes' offense is good enough to bail out our young studs when they have off days and Miami rallied to win in extra innings.
Saturday's game was the complete opposite, with Enrique Garcia making me look foolish once again. Garcia shined against the Blue Devils after I had pointed out his season long struggles. Miami topped Duke 8-1 thanks to Garcia's strong performance and a balanced attack throughout the entire lineup. I'm glad Enrique had a good outing, but looking deeper into it, even in his struggles he hadn't lost a game all season. None of our starters have.
Game 3 was canceled due to inclement weather. No biggie there as it gives the Canes' arms an extra day to rest. Miami has been so dominant of late that most of these games have become a formality. I really want to see how they do against FSU and UNC because despite our success, none of the victories have come against teams in the Top 25. #1 ASU in comparison has 6. That's why we haven't been able to crack the top spot.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Marlins Win First of the Season
You can thank Pedro Martinez's strained hamstring for tonight's victory, but hey, I'll take whatever I can get. This team isn't making the playoffs, but it's not like the NFL or NBA where you might want your team to tank the season in hopes of getting a better pick. The baseball draft is such a crapshoot that I prefer the Marlins just win their games rather than hope for a Top 5 selection. What I want is moot really, seeing as how they will probably have a top pick anyhow, but whatever.
In any case, it was nice to see the young guys pull out a win against the NL favorites to go to the World Series. The Marlins won on a 10th inning walk-off HR by 3rd baseman Robert Andino, his first career home run. I was actually expecting Andino to be a major factor at 3rd base this season with Miguel Cabrera gone. I had heard he was a top prospect a couple of years ago and just assumed the Marlins would move Cabrera to 1st and eventually bring Andino up. I'm not sure how he lost the job to Jorge Cantu (a terrible defensive player), but then again I don't know everything about our farm system.
I'm happy that the bullpen managed to hold the tough Mets lineup under control long enough to let the Marlins pull off the victory. That was certainly unexpected. Now we can expect to see Andrew Miller's Marlins debut tomorrow against Oliver Perez.
Crean to IU
Why is this important? The fate of the Indiana University basketball program usually has little to do with South Florida sports (unless you are talking about Devin Ebanks, but he's not coming here), but tonight there is an interesting twist that might make the exception. Marquette coach Tom Crean has been pegged to replace Kelvin Sampson at Indiana next season.
If you remember, it was Crean that coached Dwyane Wade back in 2003 when Marquette went to the Final Four before getting bounced by Kirk Hindrich and the Kansas Jayhawks. It had been suggested somewhere in the media recently that Crean might be an interesting option as the future head coach of the Miami Heat. Pat Riley's status for the next season is still unknown, and catering to your star player might have proven a wise move, considering the fact the team is still in rebuilding mode.
Now that option has been taken away. Not that it was ever a viable choice, but still it makes for a good reminder that it's still up in the air as to who Miami's coach will be next season. I would like Riley to return and fulfill his contract, but eventually the reins have to be handed over to Erik Spoelstra if he really is the prodigy everyone makes him out to be.