Canes Blow Easy Win Vs Tar Heels

This game was a tough one to watch. It's frustrating to see a team with superior talent consistently lose to inferior teams. North Carolina has Brandon Tate and nothing else on offense. I don't care if that sounds like I'm a sore loser. Fact is, UNC has limited talent and still pulled off a victory today in our home stadium after being down 14.

Sadly enough I'm not surprised. I'm disappointed, but not surprised. We seem to be cursed for some reason. Doesn't matter who we play at what position or what coach we have, our boys just fall apart. The defense today was a joke. Where was the tough play against the Gators? Our defensive backs have been just awful. Thank goodness we've been picking up some good DB recruits of late for the 09 class, because guys like Bruce Johnson need to be shown the door.

The defense cost us the game today, and Patrick Nix reverted to the offense we saw in Gainesville. Sure it looked good when Cooper was breaking long runs, but at one point Marve was 12/15 for 80 or so yards. Throw the ball downfield man! Pathetic. Then we got conservative at the end and set ourselves up for the eventual collapse.

We need improved play from the defense. It hurt not having Forston in there today, but it doesn't excuse the fact we got torn up at several intervals during this game. The defensive backs allowed way too many big plays, particularly Johnson, who needs to lose his starting job to Brandon Harris sometime soon. I don't care how young Harris is.

The final INT was just a punch to the gut. Even after blowing the lead, it seemed for a split second we would have a great final drive to be the first of many in Robert Marve lore. Instead it was overthrown by an inch or two, and Kayne simply didn't get the job done. Hate to see the game end like that.

So much for an ACC title. After the defense's performance at UF and the offense's at Texas A&M, I looked at the schedule and realized it was easy enough for this team to go 11-1. Unfortunately, I knew this wouldn't happen. Despite the fact that no team left on the schedule (and this goes for UNC too) has a clearly better team than the Canes, I knew we would have to go through the growing pains of a young squad. This team hasn't built it's killer instinct yet, but there is plenty to look forward to. Expect a 7-5 or 8-4 season, as we will be competitive in most games but will probably blow some more leads or trip over ourselves while trying not to lose the game.

What I've seen from today is that Graig Cooper has finally come around to show his true potential. Robert Marve is the real deal, despite the 2 picks. He'll have some struggles, but I expect him to be a serious contender for ACC player of the year in 2009. I don't mind Shannon keeping his promise to Jacory Harris to give him playing time, but it is clear that Marve is the man and should remain so. The receivers are young but have loads of talent. I just wish Nix would throw it to them in the open field more often.

The defense is erratic. My biggest gripe is the lack of turnovers. Do we even have an interception yet? We are 4 games through the season and I can't remember us forcing any turnovers. I want to say we got some last week, but that seems like so long ago by now. The coaches need to get guys on the field who can make plays. None of this bend but dont break mentality. The front line will need an infusion of youth, we all know that. And the DBs need some big time work.

Really this loss was something we had to expect would happen at some point this season. It's disappointing because I still hold this university's football team to high standards. Scrub teams like UNC shouldn't come within 30 points of our UM teams, much less with a 3rd string QB. But this hasn't been the first such loss and probably won't be the last before this team is back on top. We'll have to take our lumps and let other fan bases have their way with us while we lose to their teams this season. The future is a muddled one. Part of me knows the talent is there and we have much to look forward to, but the mental mistakes and lack of killer instinct is giving me 2nd thoughts about Randy Shannon and has confirmed to me that Patrick Nix is not the answer at OC.

Thoughts During the Bye

Like everyone else, I was absolutely stunned by the 38-13 destruction of the mighty New England Patriots. The Dolphins came out fired up and completely dominated both sides of the ball. Sure, Tom Brady was out, but the NFL MVP doesn't play defense.

I absolutely loved the Wildcat offense. Our Canes tried it against the Aggies last season and it worked well despite not being a frequently used part of our offense. It was pretty surprising to see that sort of formation work so well against such a well-taught defense at the professional level.

I wouldn't take too much from the game, as now it is unlikely that we'll be able to use that formation to that extent, at least successfully, for the rest of the season. I also think the Patriots just got caught in a snowball effect. We aren't 24 points better than anyone, much less the Patriots. Still, it was extremely exciting to see some production out of the offense and some big plays out of Joey Porter and the defense.

Chad Pennington proved that he deserves to stay the starter with a sparkling 17/20 performance. Henne can learn a lot from the veteran. Pennington can keep us competitive in most games. Expect to win 5 or 6 games at most, however. This team is still too young and has too many questions at too many positions to make a run at the postseason, even in the weakened status of the AFC East.

My favorite part of the victory was Ronnie Brown's return to his high form. Last season, Brown was a fantasy superstar, leading the NFL in total yards before getting hurt. He has looked like anything but a guy coming back from a career-threatening ACL injury. Besides his dedication and hard work, I credit the fact his injury came while trying to chase someone down, not getting tackled. It had to help.

Ricky also looked great, coming just 2 yards short of 100. I just hope the front office isn't holding his debt to them against him. I would think he deserves some sort of lenience, and if he continues to do his job and produce, that they would just waive the debt. It never made much sense that he owes the Dolphins 8 million that was paid to him by the Saints anyway.

Miami Schedules Their Favorite Whipping Boys

My personal favorite non-conference opponent to play against is the Nebraska Cornhuskers. 3 of our 6 national titles have come from playing them, including the finishing touch on the greatest team in college football history, the 2001 Canes.

It looks like it won't be that long until we once again have the chance to dominate the boys from the Midwest. The Hurricanes have scheduled a home and home with Nebraska in 2014 and 2015. Once again the series starts on the road, this time in Lincoln.

I really don't understand why recently our Athletic Directors can never get a home and home to start here. UF, Oklahoma, Ohio State, and now Nebraska. Only lower tier programs like USF and Texas A&M have even considered making the trip to Miami the first part of the schedule.

And that's if anyone will play us here at all. USC refused to play down here, asking for only one game, in LA. Michigan was especially bad, asking for both games of the series be played in Ann Arbor. Yeah, ok. And of course, Notre Dame refuses to play us at all. No big surprise there.

Here's to hoping both programs are back on top by the time the series rolls around. Despite my jabs, I have a great deal of respect for the Cornhuskers and they have never quite been the same since that Rose Bowl blasting at the hands of Ken Dorsey and Co. I also hope we get a chance to schedule other major programs to prove that we aren't scared of playing anybody. Bring back UF yearly. Take on Texas. Call up LSU and try to take some revenge for that Peach Bowl embarassment.

Thoughts on the UF Game

So I went up to G-Ville last weekend for the inevitable end of the 23-year streak. My thoughts on the game: (warning this is long)

First off, I was mildly surprised by the lack of hostility by UF fans. I think much of it had to do with the fact none of these students have seen a real UM team in action and that the rivalry has been reduced to trifling between old school fans. New fans (of which UF has many/all) don't know the history between these two teams and simply didn't think much of this underwhelming Canes team.

You could tell that they didn't care from the lack of any hostile environment at the Swamp. It was my first trip to the stadium and while it is certainly a nice enough place to play a game, it was a little overrated in terms of size and certainly didn't feel like the toughest place to play a game in the country. It could have been that the fans didn't care as much (but more likely some combination of that and the fact their team was shockingly one play away from going down in the 4th quarter). But at several points during the 3rd quarter after our defense made a big play our section would start chanting and I guarantee you could hear us on the opposite end zone.

Regarding the UF squad itself. I wasn't impressed at all. The only guy who really impressed me, and this is expected, was Tim Tebow. I hate the guy more than anyone in recent college football history, but he is a slippery fellow. I made a comment that was later confirmed in the telecast that he reminds me of a massive Doug Flutie. Figures he would unknowingly be emulating another hated rival who played 24 years ago. We had him under attack the whole game but he kept slipping out of easy sacks and completing improbable passes. It's pretty clear that without him UF doesn't stand a chance in hell against us or anyone in the SEC.

The rest of the team was blah. Louis Murphy had his words shoved in his mouth until late in the 4th, and Percy Harvin was pretty limited by his injury despite his score. The defense I'd have to give an incomplete, because despite playing very very well, it is difficult to say who is to blame for their success. The front four seemingly played excellently against the run, but Marve's jersey was spotless throughout the game.

But that of course could be because he never threw the damn ball. And here comes my lasting impression of the game. Miami could have won. The score might not indicate that, but I truly believe the Canes had a chance and Patrick Nix refused to take it. The first half gameplan was beautiful. Run the ball and keep Tebow off the field. Keep it close until late in the game where the Gators would start panicking. However, the 2nd part of that plan would be to open up the offense and strike. That never happened.

It is the general consensus that Nix ran the same five or six plays. Shotgun delay run, i-form run, Shotgun delay QB sweep, PA rollout, and the quick screen out of the no-back set. Pathetic. The shotgun delay run for 1 yard had to be the most frustrating thing to see, ever. He must have called it at least 15 times. Could have been two dozen, but I lost track. Nix had to see at some point that it was not working and that they needed to start throwing deep. There is no excuse for your longest play being 14 yards from scrimmage.

I don't care what Randy Shannon says about receivers not getting open, I didn't see a single deep post, slant, curl route. I saw nothing but flares and outs and little dump out plays. Robert Marve is a redshirt freshman, but so was Sam Bradford. If you really have faith in him, let him play and see what happens. I wouldn't blame him for throwing a couple of picks in the Swamp against a great team in his first start. But I do blame Nix for never giving him the chance. If Marve is truly great in adversity, then let him prove it on the field instead of babying him and Jacory Harris through the game.

What did Miami have to lose as a 5-7 team with no shot to win the game? All we care about is titles down here and that wasn't happening. The game has nothing to do with ACC standings, so why not throw caution to the wind? Try to WIN the game, not prevent a loss. I read someone on a board call this offense the "prevent offense," which is exactly what it was. Pathetic. We had a chance to pull off something special and simply didn't bother.

Down 13 in the 4th, they didn't change a thing and ended up getting run out of the building. Down 20 they did the same and ended up punting with 8 minutes to go. Why?! If you have already conceded defeat then so what if you don't convert on 4th and they score again. Screw it. Give us SOMETHING to be excited about. Absolutely terrible decision making by the coaching staff in that situation.

It's sad because they wasted an amazing effort by the defense. They held what was supposed to be the top offense in the country to basically 0 points going into the 4th. UF's first TD was a gift from Matt Bosher, and the special teams was to blame for that safety. Finally UF got rolling in the 4th but by then I wasn't mad. At some point they were going to get their's and the defense had to be tired and demoralized by the lack of offensive production. Regardless of the outcome, this is a Top 10 defense and is good enough to keep us in every game down the road. If Nix can get us to muster 24 points a game, which is reasonable considering the schedule, there is no reason Miami can't go 10-2 or 11-1. Unfortunately we know this won't happen and we'll go 7-5 somehow.

The result is just a sickening reality that we wasted a good chance to pull off the upset and never tried to step on the gas once UF finally solved our defense. However, I was pleased to see how well Harris and Marve played all things considered, and that our young defense is absolutely amazing. Bill Young is just sick. Sean Spence is the real deal and is the next big thing out of the real Linebacker U. He spun Tebow around like a ragdoll for a sack and Tim outweighs him by more than 30 pounds. What a player.

There's so much more for me to say, but this is getting pretty long. My final thoughts are regarding the final field goal and Randy Shannon's reaction. I personally didn't care for the kick, but knew that if they went for it they would be villified anyway. Nobody would kneel in that situation. It was dumb to keep Tebow in and risk injury, but whatever. Losing to the cocky Gators was a tough pill to swallow, whether it be by 1, 20 or 23. But Randy Shannon should have kept his mouth shut.

Don't cry foul about running up the score. If your offense had any semblance of effectiveness the field goal wouldn't have been an issue. We saw teams from BYU, San Diego State, and Ohio show more offensive firepower than we did with all our stud recruits. Pathetic playcalling, because I don't think it had all that much to do with our players (although the OL was a disappointment in run blocking). That aside, we all know Urban Meyer is a slimy scumbag. The field goal doesn't make him any better or worse. Calling him out makes you look like a pansy, and now with Warren Sapp chiming in, the U sounds like a bunch of excuse makers. Take care of business and it won't happen. Simple fact.

Thankfully nobody has complained about refs, which arguably was an issue. SEC refs? Come on. Several plays went wildly in UF's favor, swinging the momentum their way. However, it wasn't so bad that it prevented Miami from doing enough to win the game. If anything it should have amped them up to stick it to everyone. No excuses.

The good news is that things look promising, pending the offense gets opened up. Assuming Nix is gone by years end and we finally break the bank for a real OC, this team will compete for a national title in 2010. No doubt in my mind. Maybe even in 2009 if players develop quickly. So far I haven't seen proof that Shannon can coach, but there is no doubting his recruiting ability. There is some impressive young talent on this squad. We'll see what happens from here. But if we can't beat down Texas A&M, then I will officially give up on the season and maybe the coaching staff.

So Far So Good For Dolphins Draft

It's EXTREMELY early to bring this up, but considering the colossal failures of our recent drafts, I figured why not.

The big optimism with this new regime is the supposed expertise of the guys making personnel decisions. I have to say, so far they have been right on target with many of their decisions. I could go into their free agent pickups, but that's probably for another post. Here, I want to go into a very preliminary grade of their first draft. I'll start with our first 4 picks.

Round 1 Jake Long OT Michigan

This is looking like an A pick right now. We haven't seen him play a down, but so far Jake Long has shown that he belongs on the starting line. Much remains to be see of Long, a fact that remains true for all our rookies, but I am very optimistic about his potential.

Round 2 Phillip Merling DE Clemson

This was an interesting pick when it was made. I have to be honest I had never heard of him, and when we selected him I was skeptical. He was supposed to have 1st round talent, so I approved. So far, I haven't seen much to be impressed about, but it's only been the summer. The loss of Jason Taylor made this pick a good one in hindsight.

Round 2 Chad Henne QB Michigan

To be honest I hated this pick. I knew we needed to take a QB at some point, but I wasn't a fan of any of them. Henne in particular. I followed him out of high school and watched him play 4 years at Michigan and took away the impression that Henne simply wasn't much of a winner in big game situations. He could never manage to beat Ohio State, so how is he going to help us beat the Patriots.

But Henne has gained a lot of respect from me this summer. He has looked very good, even when making the usual rookie mistakes. It's clear that he is a much better value pick than John Beck was in last year's 2nd round. Beck has regressed big time and will be lucky to make the team, so Henne's progression is crucial to the success of this franchise. I'm confident that he can eventually become a pretty good QB. Think of Jay Cutler's peak potential, not Tom Brady's.

Round 3 Kendall Langford DE Hampton

If you were clueless about this pick, join the club. I never like seeing my team pick Div 1AA players, but all you need to know about this pick is that they think enough of Langford to start him over both Randy Starks, a decent veteran, AND Phillip Merling, a player of the same position picked a full round before Langford.

Langford represents the classic boom or bust pick. The fact he is currently starting on the depth chart as a 3rd round pick in a Bill Parcells system that favors wily veterans speaks volumes either about his talent or this team's lack of it. We'll see, but so far so good.

Part 2 will be soon with our lower round picks, including surprising OL Donald Thomas.

Marlins Hopes Fading

Unsurprisingly, the Marlins have finally started to fade out of the playoff picture. All of the weaknesses of their roster have finally caught up to them, leaving fans legitimately disappointed considering the recent resurgence of their young pitching staff.

Considering the fact the Marlins have already surpassed my preseason expectations (69 wins as of writing, when I projected them to win 68), I guess I should be happy that they gave us this much competitive baseball. We also can't forget that they technically aren't out of the hunt, being 7 games back of the surging Mets. It's still highly unlikely, but I suppose they aren't quite dead yet.

And I think it's safe to say that the Marlins' run the first half of this season would have easily been the story of the 2008 MLB season were it not for the Rays up north looking to win the AL East title and maybe locking up the best record in the AL. I was never quite sure how the Fish managed to piece together such a good record despite their poor pitching, poor defense, and lack of contact hitting.

But right now they are sitting at around 500 ball, having seemingly regressed to the mean and not looking to recover. We have to give it up to the players and the front office for producing so much from so little, but it is still hard to ignore the obvious problems this team has. Defense and pitching are a priority in the Bigs and we don't have much of that going for us. Our starters are young and doing well, but the bullpen has struggled at times and Kevin Gregg leads the majors with blown saves.

The biggest problem of course is that our payroll will forever be limited, even with a new stadium. This market just doesn't support having those big 100 million dollar payrolls. And while it is always possible to win without the big stars, it sure helps to be able to afford that big chip to fit in a needed position. It is also nice to be able to keep your homegrown talent after they become ineligible for arbitration and become full fledged free agents. I hate seeing Miguel Cabrera in a Tigers uniform.

What they need to do now is bring up all the young talent they have and give them legitimate shots to earn starting jobs for the 2009 season. Cameron Maybin is a strikeout machine but we have to see at some point what he can do in the major leagues. Try out some of our younger prospects in the infield, seeing as how Hanley has to be moved to the outfield at some point and the front office has made no attempt yet to lock up Dan Uggla.

Whatever they do, it has been a nice run for Marlins fans. They should have some decent enough hopes of breaking 500 next season, and look for this squad to be poised for a playoff run in 2010.

Mario Chalmers Caught Smoking Pot

Well, that was hardly what the Miami Heat needed. Hopefully the franchise overlooks Chalmers' error in judgment, because we can't afford to let go of talent just to stand by our morals.

The funny thing is that the big red flag with Michael Beasley before the draft was the questionable character issues that he came with. The Heat supposedly were trying like crazy to avoid having to draft him because they feared his immature attitude running wild on South Beach. Now they have to deal with Chalmers' issue.

Frankly, I don't see the big deal. I'm tired of the media and major sports leagues going crazy whenever a guy smokes a little pot. I'm no proponent of illegal drugs, but honestly we have bigger things to worry about than what 22 year old millionaires are doing with their cash in their free time. As long as he isn't hurting anybody or abusing the drug to the point he is a detriment to the team, then I don't care.

If you get to the point where you are on cocaine like Josh Hamilton, then it gets scary. And I guess that's what the league fears---players getting out of control with drug problems. So I suppose putting them into a program is a good idea. But vilifying these guys does nothing to solve the problem.

It's sad when the drug problems get out of hand, but to be realistic, there is a huge percentage of guys doing that sort of stuff and it does little to nothing to prevent them from performing on the field or court. Look at Ricky Williams. Lead the NFL in rushing in 2002 while high all the time.

Anyway, I just hope this blows over. Chalmers is a nice talent and will likely be our starting point guard by February if the Heat choose to keep him around. We'll see.

Canes Romp in Opener 52-7

The final score of the Charleston Southern game is an interesting topic. Part of me says thats how badly we should have beaten them. A real Miami squad would always beat a cupcake by the normal 40+ point margin. So we shouldn't be too happy about that kind of result. These guys face tougher competition in practice.

However, we could have said this about many of the scheduled games we've played the past couple of years. Thanks to Coker, poor quarterbacking and general lack of talent, gimme games somehow turned into nail-biters and embarrassing losses. With Kirby or Kyle at the helm, I don't see how Miami could have scored 52 on a blind and deaf team.

So the 52 was a good sign in that regard. But it's still very dangerous to assume the offense is effective after a game like that. I'm not convinced that what I saw was enough to top the hated Gators on September 6. The defense looked good as well, but I can't promise a similar result when they face one of the best 2 or 3 offenses in college football.

Still, it was nice to see so many of our highly touted true freshmen playing. The one absent player that worried me was Arthur Brown. I'm a little concerned he will end up like Willie Williams. Not in the character sense, because Brown is an excellent individual. But because he was so good in high school, his only job was to kill the ballcarrier. Guys who are that good seem to have a lot of trouble making the transition to an organized, complex defense such as Bill Young's. To see him not play was a little disturbing, but I'm sure he'll pick it up at some point. Maybe he should even be redshirted to just learn the playbook and understand the system.

As for our chances next week, things look grim. I'm hoping Tropical Storm Hanna (now projected to graze Northeast Florida around Thursday night as of me writing this) slows down and if it must hit the area, to hit around the scheduled time for the game. If we could get this game postponed towards the end of the season, I would be thrilled. I'm not too confident about tossing in Robert Marve in his first start at UF like that. We did it to Kyle Wright at FSU and look what happened to him, he got shellshocked.

Unfortunately it doesn't look like we have a choice. Harris looked efficient, but efficient probably won't be enough to keep up with UF on the scoreboard. As much as I hate the Gators, and believe me my hatred runs deep, we were unlucky to face them this season. This team is just too young and has too many question marks to have a real shot at anything better than an 8-4 season.

However, it is a rivalry game. We've seen stranger things happen. Remember, that 2003 Gator squad wasn't that good either but it gave us a run for our money in the OB, when we had 6 first round picks on that team. So there's still a chance. I'm praying that the streak will live on, that we can rub it in the Gators face that they haven't beaten us in two decades. But I have prepared for the worst, knowing this day would come for 2 or 3 years now. A loss would hurt like hell, but I expect our boys to show some Cane pride and not let themselves get blown out of the water.

And if we win? Hell I wouldn't mind going 2-10 this season if that 2nd win was a UF victory. We all know this team can't win a title and titles are all that really count here in Coral Gables, so we'll have to settle for moral victories for now. A win at the Swamp would be one hell of a moral victory in my book.

So Much To Cover So Little Time

Obviously I've neglected this blog for a while now, with other priorities taking up all my time. But I still intend on keeping it around, just not on the daily, or maybe even weekly level that I had the first 6 months.

Since my last post over a month ago, a considerable amount of changes have occurred in South Florida sports. I wish all this would have happened a few months ago, when I was struggling to find something to talk about in the dead period after the basketball season was over but still had time to write.

I guess for now I'll try to piece it together a little at a time, mostly about the stuff I really care about.

For starters, the Dolphins seem to be fielding a decent enough squad this season. I know it's only preseason, but Chad Pennington and Chad Henne have looked pretty good as this team's quarterbacks. The offense is effective enough. Not explosive or dangerous yet, but when Ronnie gets healthier and once the receivers have time to develop I'm pretty confident they can score a good 20 points a game.

I've been impressed with the offensive line play. This has to be the best line we've put out in nearly a decade. Not one position on the line can be viewed as a weak point, with rookies Jake Long and Donald Thomas anchoring the missing spots we had in the offseason. Thomas has been a revelation of sorts, being a raw but powerful 6th round pick with little football experience, but was quick to land the starting job at RG.

That being said, I wouldn't be surprised to see if the Dolphins don't take a look at Willie Anderson, who recently cut by the Bengals. We do have first dibs on waivers so it might be a possibility considering our massive cap space. The OT has some red flags, but when healthy he is a Top 5 or 6 offensive tackle in the league.

The defense supposedly has been "flying around", but frankly I see it being the weakest part of this team. Without Zach Thomas or Jason Taylor they simply don't have any playmakers left. Phillip Merling and Kendall Langford need time to develop and Joey Porter looks like his best days are behind him. Still, the team is looking solid enough to win at least 5-6 games and maybe do some damage at the end of the season once the rookies start getting a feel for the pro game.

My hopes are for Ted Ginn to keep the solid consistency he has shown this preseason and develop into a full fledged #1 receiver heading into the 2009 season. I want the OL to jell and stay healthy, giving us a solid group for the next 4 or 5 years. Other than that, it would be nice to just see the rookies develop. Henne looks like he might have some promise, though at this point I'm not sure I can say the same about John Beck, who has regressed since this point last season.

More than anything I'm looking forward to watching the team try to overachieve, but I know now that this squad comes with no expectations. The 2009 Draft will be more important to this franchise than the 2008 season, but we can still enjoy the Dolphins regardless. It's pretty apparent that the team is missing another big threat on offense and pretty much every position on defense, so Parcells has plenty of work to do. I'm sure he will unearth something from the recent cuts (like Anderson or maybe Jerome McDougle).

Anyway, I'll try to write some other thoughts of mine and have them scattered throughout the week so the posts don't all come at once.

So Long, JT

After a considerable pause from writing, I figured I would have to at the very least write my thoughts on the Jason Taylor trade.

Once we all heard Phillip Daniels got hurt, it was pretty inevitable that JT would get traded to the Redskins. Dan Snyder loves big name guys and the Skins have a good enough team to make the playoffs. JT could help them get that extra push.

The big story is that the Fins got a fair price in exchange for their best defensive player. JT didn't want anything to do with the franchise this season and was probably going to retire after the 2008 campaign. Getting a 2nd rounder in the next draft and a 6th in the following year's draft is a very nice package for a guy who was adamant about never wanting to play here again.

I suppose the Skins were pushed to make a move due to the injury. It gave the Dolphins a little bit of leverage where up until now, they had none.

So now Jason is gone and so is the entire Jimmy Johnson era. No players from those teams are around now. Gone is Zach Thomas. Gone is Jason Taylor. Sam Madison, Patrick Surtain, all of them. The teams that won division titles and broke our hearts in the playoffs are officially a memory now.

It's unfortunate, but for the best. Jason needed a new home and we found him one, getting a fair deal in exchange. The 2nd round pick should be in the late teens or mid-20s, but I'll take a top 50 player in the draft for the next 10 years (should we make a wise selection) over a guy who has got a year or two left and no motivation to play for us.

I wish Jason well, even if the last few months here as a Dolphin were a bit rocky.

Baron Davis to Clippers

Seemingly irrelevant news for Heat fans, who had no hope of teaming Davis up with Wade in the backcourt, but it looks like this spells bad news for anyone hoping to make Elton Brand the future C of this squad.

Davis' 65 million dollar deal with the Clippers opens the door for Brand (who is an unrestricted free agent now, thanks to his Monday opt out) to re-sign with the Clippers with the hopes of contending next season. It looks as if the Heat might miss out after all, even with Shawn Marion's expiring contract as a trade chip.

If we can't get Brand, then it's pretty certain that Marion will stick around for the 2008 season and that'll be that. His contract will be allowed to expire and the Heat will either try to re-sign him cheap or pursue Carlos Boozer next season. Boozer is just as good an option as Brand is in my mind, and is a bit younger. He has his flaws, but a tandem of Wade-Beasley-Boozer would be sick.

If not, then the Heat can choose to be frugal again in 2009, risking pissing Wade off, but then opening the door for Wade to be united with a huge superstar like Chris Bosh or even LeBron James in the summer of 2010. Seems like a pipedream, but we'll see.

I was hoping Brand would opt to go to Miami, which is looking unlikely as we can't sign him as an unrestricted free agent. Unless the Clips are looking to sign and trade him for Marion (don't see why they would) then he is pretty much certain to stay in LA.

The blogs at the Sun-Sentinel suggest maybe trying to scoop up Mickael Pietrus and/or Andris Biedrins from the Warriors, who are reeling from losing their best player to the Clippers. Both would fit excellently on this team, and a trade involving Marion that would bring both here would be ridiculously good for the Heat. Too good, it too, seems like a pipedream.

So there you have it, the Heat have a million options, but seem doomed to wait until next year because of the cap restrictions and their recent poor season which must be detrimental to their attempts at wooing free agents.

Best Draft in Heat History?

Tough to say, but I'd have to go with yes. The year we got Caron and Rasual Butler was a very productive draft for us, but Thursday night was the best night in Heat history aside from June 20th, 2006.

Drafting Michael Beasley, and keeping him, was the best move Riley could have made all night. I'm aware of his "character concerns", especially in a town like Miami, but he's a young guy and is a risk anywhere in the country. If he wants to go out on the town, he will. Face it. If the worst thing he does is go to a couple of clubs the night before a game, then I'll take the 25/20 he'll drop on any team in the league.

Granted, if he ends up failing in Miami, he'd be the most colossal bust in Heat history, and one of the biggest busts in NBA draft history. The thing is, the value we could have gotten for him in a trade was minimal. The Heat wanted OJ Mayo, and couldn't have known Minny would trade him to Memphis. He was going to go at 3 and there was nothing we could work out with Minnesota. The best option at that point was to stick with Beasley and go from there.

The funny thing is that I am almost as excited about our 2nd pick, Mario Chalmers, as I am about the Beasley pick. Michael can easily become our best player in time, yes even better than Dwyane Wade. But Chalmers is everything we need in a point guard and more. The guy plays D, shoots from the outside, and is clutch. That last shot against Memphis was a classic and proves he's got the leadership to take on the pressure when the time is right. Landing him for a couple of second rounders (we got one back after trading useless Darnell Thornton, nice player but no room) was a steal.

In a year in a half he should have molded into a starting caliber point guard. He won't be Derrick Rose or Steve Nash, but he can become good enough to run a championship team with Wade in the backcourt and Beasley at the 3 or 4. It really was a great day for the organization and for its fans, and everyone seems to agree we got the best draft in the league. Just hope for the best at this point. Wait out a rocky season that should see us get a 6 seed and maybe bounced in the first or 2nd round. Then 2009 will be our rise back to the top.

Please Draft Beasley

Enough of all the trade talks and speculation. My head is spinning from all the possibilities. Marion, the 2nd pick, Mark Blount, and even Dwyane Wade have all been discussed in rumors involving Miami and the NBA Draft.

As much fun as it would be to play fantasy NBA GM, I just want to draft Beasley tonight and sign him before Pat Riley does something foolish, like trading him. I understand they love OJ Mayo, but it's iffy if he can play the point in the NBA and Beasley is a force on the inside. You have a huge trade chip in Marion's expiring contract. Find someone who needs cap space and move him for an asset.

I still don't understand the problem with just signing Elton Brand this summer. If Brand is indeed interested in playing for Miami, why doesn't he just opt out and sign here? Wouldn't you prefer the 50+ million guaranteed over the next few years than a one year deal worth 16+? This isn't the NFL where you can get cut and lose all that money. If he would just opt out, it would save us a huge headache.

The problem then, of course, is that we would be way over the luxury cap without a way to dump salary. Micky Arison won't allow it. I think he should. I suppose it is a little too late, with our draft pick so close. Had we gotten a chance to sign Brand this summer, then we could have traded Haslem or Marion for a point guard, and draft Beasley, or kept them both and drafted Mayo. Who knows?

At this point, the only way to get Brand is to trade Marion or wait till next year. Instead, it is looking more and more likely that the Heat will just opt to dump salary through Blount and trade Beasley away just so they can sign Brand next season. It's a calculated risk. I'm not saying OJ Mayo isn't a special player, because he is, but Beasley is ridiculous. You'd be putting your job/legacy on the line by passing on him in an attempt to rebuild using other assets. We'll see.

Heat Pursuing Brand?

ESPN's Chris Broussard had an interesting tidbit of info on his blog yesterday.

The Clippers Elton Brand is in the same position as Shawn Marion. He's got one year left on his contract for a bloated 16-17 million bucks, but has the option to opt out if he wishes. Word has been for months that he might opt out to sign with Philadelphia, but Broussard says otherwise.

Apparently, the only way Brand would opt out of his current deal and take a paycut would be if he would be matched up with Dwyane Wade in Miami. That sound like a plan to me. Unfortunately the only way to make sure we get brand would be to trade Marion in a sign-and-trade. Broussard doesn't seem to think that's likely, but I would think that the Clippers would rather have Marion in exchange for Brand instead of seeing their star player walk away for nothing.

And if Brand opts out and is indeed looking to team up with Wade, then wouldn't we be free to sign him as a free agent? Then we would have the ability to trade Marion for some role players and/or picks. Then possibly draft Beasley anyway and march out a front line of Beasley, Haslem, Brand and Alonzo Mourning. Marion could bring us a point guard or a small forward, or both. Problem is matching up contracts and making sure we aren't a billion dollars over the luxury tax.

Or we could draft Rose if he falls to us, keep Marion and trade Haslem for a small forward. Or maybe keep Haslem as a role player, since I think the team could live with Ricky Davis/Dorell Wright at small forward.

Haslem could be moved at any time for a point guard as well, and in a scenario where we get Brand and Beasley, I would be happy to ship Haslem away. The possibilities are endless and my head hurts just trying to think of what the Heat could do if Brand were to force the Clippers' hand and get himself sent to Miami. Let's hope for the best, because the next 4 or 5 days are crucial for the success of this franchise.

Tiger's Dramatic Victory

This is something I really wished I had time to write about on Monday or Tuesday night. How often is it that a single man captivates the entire country to care about something that otherwise ranks among going to the dentist and paying taxes on the list of things people find entertaining?

All I know is that I watched Sunday's final round, invested in Tiger's success as much as I am when one of my hometown teams is in a playoff hunt. I don't have any personal attachment to Tiger. I don't know him. I wasn't born in his hometown. I have no real reason to root for him other than I want to see history made.

But there is something special about a guy who is the best at what he does in the world. Maybe more so than anyone else is at their job. He is that good. Watching him is simply a privilege. I can't stress that enough. When he drained that putt on 18 to send the US Open into a playoff, I exploded. And millions of people around the world did so as well. For golf!

Then on Monday, as I watched online updates show Tiger's 3 shot lead shrink away with only holes to spare, I was legitimately worried. I snuck away from work into the break-room and stood with half a dozen other guys, all neglecting their duties, just to see Tiger somehow pull off yet another miraculous comeback with a birdie on 18. Then we all stuck around, risking our jobs, huddled around a crappy TV, just to watch him clinch his 3rd US Open title on the ensuing sudden death hole.

And if you read the papers or ESPN.com, you would have seen we weren't alone. People everywhere simply stopped what they were doing. Thousands of people who otherwise couldn't give a damn about golf had a vested interest in how the playoff between Mediate and Woods turned out. That's pretty impress. I think pretty soon, Tiger's legend will grow to the point that everyone will know where they were the day he sank that 25 foot birdie putt to win his 19th major.

What makes it all amazing is that he did it on a knee so badly injured, that he won't be able to play the rest of the season. For everyone who assumed he was faking it, you look pretty foolish now. He risked his health and his future for one shot to prove to himself and the world just what he could do. Unfortunately, it cost him a chance to win the British Open and PGA Championship, but Tiger will be back. If Tiger can win the US freaking Open with an injured knee, then a revitalized Tiger will do just fine on a rehabilitated knee next season.

Last weekend's tournament really was one of those special events in sport where you think to yourself "Wow, am I glad that I was a part of that. Even if all I did was witness it live on television, that is something people will talk about for years to come." Those sorts of sporting events come around once a year maybe, but what makes it most impressive is that America collectively celebrated Tiger's win despite having no allegiances to him.

This wasn't the Miracle on Ice, where the country rallied behind a team that stood for something more. It wasn't any single fanbase celebrating a team's first title in decades, or a legion of hometown fans toasting to their hero's success after a long career, like John Elway or Alonzo Mourning. Absolutely none of us had any logical reason to have such undying support for Tiger, so that makes what he does to us that much more special.

Griffey and Joe

I never made much of a statement regarding the situation involving "Joe" and Ken Griffey's 600th home run ball. I myself wanted to be out there to try to catch it, but like I said, Miami sports fans are unsupportive but aren't dumb when it comes to money-making opportunities. The outfield was sold out for the entire series so I couldn't make it. (Some hypocrite I am, seeing as how I too, would only go to catch the ball. But I digress...)

The fan who caught Griffey's ball hasn't given it back, despite pressure to do so from the star outfielder. Is it his right to ask for compensation? Or should he just give it back, which seems like the right thing to do?

Honestly, I would have to say Griffey will need to pay up to get that ball back. It's just way too much money to turn down in an honest situation. It's not like the guy stumbled into an open bank vault and would be breaking the law, or would have the guilt of finding a wallet loaded with cash. He paid money to see a game and he caught a baseball that 99 times out of 100, nobody cares about.

For that ball, he could get 5 figures, easily. Maybe up to 100k if someone were desperate enough. I'm sorry, but I would seriously consider just holding on to it before just handing it back to Ken for free. People work too hard and make too little to turn down overtures of tens of thousands of dollars. I'm sure most people would feel the same way. The self-righteous would say Joe should give it back, but they aren't in his position.

And this is coming from someone who idolized Griffey as a kid. He was my favorite ballplayer. I'm sure many of you felt the same way about The Kid. I feel bad that he is put in this situation, but he makes millions of dollars and could easily afford to give what probably amounts to a year's pay to a guy named Joe for the ball. My heart says Joe should give it back, but the reality of the situation is that he would really be dumb to do it. That or wealthy enough that he can afford to do so.

Where Will Rose Land?

The big news this week was a statement made by point guard Derrick Rose, stating his desire to be drafted by his hometown Bulls #1 overall. Before I say anything, can we all just agree that the Bulls are freakin lucky to have the top pick? 1.7%?! They had no business getting the #1 overall selection when there were teams as bad as Miami and Seattle in the league. I hate the lottery system, and it needs to be fixed.

Anyway, I don't blame the guy for wanting to be picked by his hometown team. And it turns out the claims that he wouldn't meet with the Heat were unfounded, as the Memphis guard is in Miami this weekend to meet with Heat brass.

The interesting part is that despite all the speculation that Rose is our guy and that Riley wants to stay away from Beasley, it seems that Riles might have played us all the whole time. Michael Beasley was the top draft prospect since LeBron James and somehow he's turned into a guy the Heat can't wait to trade away once they draft him 2nd overall. We've all continually heard the Heat express an interest in Rose, and teaming him up with Wade in the backcourt. And all the while, the Bulls have been shifting their interest to Rose as well.

Could it be that Riley was purposefully showing a false interest in Rose, just so the Bulls would pass on Beasley and give us the most talented player in the draft. Sources have said the Heat aren't looking to have two slashers in the backcourt, and Rose is anything but a jump-shooter. And the fact we have yet to extend Shawn Marion (more on that later) suggests there might still be room for Michael Beasley in our front court.

I've said it all along, I really don't give a damn who we get, as long as it is one of those two. Either one would make a huge impact on this team and instantly make the Heat a playoff team again. A couple of moves here and there, with some 2009 cap space, and we're looking at a serious contender for 2009-2010. If we get Rose, excellent. Wade will have the ballhandling duties taken away and can focus on being the star. If not, then Beasley dropping 30/20 every other night will do just fine.

Packers and Jason Taylor

Honestly, I hope it happens. At this point, Taylor seems pretty adamant about either retiring after this season or refusing to play for the Dolphins at all. I love the guy, but the offseason drama has been a pain in the ass, and this team is bad enough without having to deal with all these issues. Losing Zach Thomas hurt, but we might as well rip off the memories of a glorious past (if you can call playoff failures glorious) like a band-aid.

The biggest problem isn't the price tag. I think the Dolphins could legitimately squeeze a 3rd rounder out of the Packers, and maybe even a 2nd. The problem is that Taylor is being a prima donna and sources say that the Green Bay market isn't "big enough" for him. It's possible this is just a smokescreen for the fact that Taylor simply doesn't want to play on a team led by Aaron Rodgers at QB. I would hope it is the latter, and JT doesn't want to insult the quarterback by outright saying it.

Regardless, we need to get rid of Taylor. It's clear that he will serve no use to us in the near future. Even if he plays this year, the chances of us winning a title are slim to none, and slim just left. We might as well get as much value as possible from the talent he has and prepare for the future. It makes sense for all parties involved. I really don't know why it hasn't happened yet.

It could be that the organization just doesn't want to admit to it's fans that it doesn't plan on winning many games this year. Trading your best player for a 2009 draft pick reeks of rebuilding mode. But they need to get over that, if that is the problem. Any fan who thinks a 1-15 team has any chance of making a difference this season is delusional. We all know by now the team sucks. They should just make the best decision possible for the future of the franchise and trust that it won't make a dent in ticket sales.

Recaping the Season

It was a nice run for the Miami Hurricanes, but much like the 1998 season, a talented roster came up empty when it mattered most. I stressed that this team needed to be clicking to win the title, but they never got things together. The pitching stumbled towards the end, both the bullpen and starting rotation failed to live up to our high standards and ultimately cost us a shot at a championship. But what really failed us was the high-powered offense that just couldn't get it done.

Despite the lineup laden with power bats and 1st round picks, Miami simply couldn't get runs on the board. With runners in scoring position, our batters continually struck out. Aside from the home run (much like their pro counterparts, the Marlins) Miami couldn't get anything done offensively. It was a joke, really. A joke, and an absolute shame that such a promising season ended so badly.

Realistically, to ask a title or bust of any team is asking a bit too much. That being said, Miami was taken to the brink and then eliminated by the likes of Arizona, Stanford, or Georgia, none of which strike me as top teams. Had we lost to UNC in the title game, or LSU or Rice, or even the hated Seminoles, I would have understood. However, the Canes played down to their opponents and ended up being sent home packing by inferior squads. Now they'll have to watch on as other teams get a chance to win that ring.

What's sad is that we will have to wait while now before having another shot at a title. Most of our great players got drafted in the first few rounds, so I wouldn't expect guys like Weeks or Alonso back. Chris Hernandez will be back for a couple of seasons, but the class that is leaving will be leaving huge holes to fill.

Then again, the same was said of our 98 team, which featured #1 overall pick Pat Burrell. The Canes then went on to win the title the following season, and then took home the championship in 2001 as well. I'd take that. In any case, despite the disappointing end to the year, congratulations to the team for having a great season. They were the undisputed #1 team for most of the season, but just lost steam towards the end.

Tiger Being Tiger

I know golf is typically seen as the least-possible entertaining thing to watch on TV by sporting enthusiasts, but I have to say my piece about Tiger Woods and his performance this weekend.

Say what you want about the sport, but plain and simple yesterday's back 9 was the Jordan Flu Game of golf. And today's clutch 12 foot putt on the 18th hole was absolutely stunning.

Tiger simply is out of this world good. He finished 2nd in the Masters with a bum knee and had to have surgery to repair the damage. He comes back weeks later, rusty and in pain, and still manages to take hold of the lead entering Sunday's final round thanks to three amazing shots on the final 6 holes of Saturday's 3rd round.

But after going +3 in the first two holes of the final round and in considerable pain, things looked bad for Tiger. His 13-0 record in major tournaments when leading after 54 was in serious jeopardy. I was legitimately concerned he might pull out after the 3rd tee shot, where he was grimacing and doubled over in pain. Everything he had worked for seemed in doubt.

Somehow he stayed the course and things fell in place for a dramatic final hole, needing birdie to force a playoff against fan-favorite Rocco Mediate. Even after making a mistake and putting himself in a tough position, he managed to set himself up for the dramatic tying birdie putt. As if there was any doubt that he would do it, Woods barely made it, as his birdie attempt trickled in just before rolling past the cup.

I can't overstate just how amazing Tiger Woods is. He has continually proven that he is the best in the world at what he does. There is no Rafael Nadal to his Roger Federer. Nobody is better than him, on any field, in any situation, under any circumstances.

What makes his greatness even more amazing is the pressure that he performs under. This wasn't just your run-of-the-mill final round. Not only was he trying to protect his 13-0 streak, but he is fighting the course (a final 3 holes that fit Mediate's style to a tee), history (Jack Nicklaus' 18 majors looming ahead) and his own physical limitations at the same time. Not just that, but Woods certainly had to be thinking about his recently passed father. What a fantastic Father's Day present he gave to his late mentor and friend. Every one of these things had to be weighing on him as he prepared to take the final stroke.

A normal human being would have folded under the pressure. I myself was a wreck, with knots in my stomach turning, hoping Woods would succeed. Instead of caving, Woods ignored all the distractions. The pain, the pressure, the cameras. Calmly he sank the putt and then erupted like we've never seen. It might have been the biggest shot of his career. The mere fact we can't say that for certain is a testament to his illustrious achievements. He's had so many of these shots that we could sit for days arguing which is the best. Anyone else and it would have easily been the pinnacle of their career. That's just how good Tiger Woods is.

If he ends up losing tomorrow, it would definitely be an anticlimactic finale to an otherwise compelling weekend. Regardless, to see the very best in the world perform at such a high level is a privilege. What is amazing is that Woods puts more pressure on himself than what he receives from the media and his fans, and continues to surpass those expectations with every round of golf he plays.

Miami on the Brink

I waited until about 24 hours after the game was over to post because I simply was still fuming over the result of last night's game with the Georgia Bulldogs. I have said time and again that this team needed to be clicking on all facets of the game, and that you need a little bit of luck to win a championship. So far, neither has proven true of the Miami Hurricanes baseball team.

Credit the Bulldogs for sticking around, but don't pretend for a second that they have the superior team. The Canes simply didn't take advantage of the chances they had, and the Bulldogs pounced on their good fortune. The near-home runs of last week (batted down by wind) turned into the dropped strikeout last night. Miami just can't seem to catch a break, and rather than respond with fortitude, they have recently been showing less than championship caliber mental toughness.

In case you don't already know, Miami had the late 4-3 lead, with 2 outs left in the game. Georgia had a man on base, but Gutierrez looked good and just struck out the Bulldog batter for the 2nd out. Instead of being a mere 3 strikes away from the winner's bracket, Yasmani Grandal made a bonehead play, dropped the ball, and then lost it, giving the oblivious batter a chance to recognize the situation and make it to first.

From there, the Bulldogs tied the game and then tried to bunt the runners over. Whereas we saw a poised Chris Hernandez field a tough bunt earlier in the game with success, closer Carlos Gutierrez, a 1st round pick with all the promise in the world, launched the throw well past 1st baseman Yonder Alonso, letting 2 more runs score on the error. The game eventually ended 7-4 and left the hapless Canes stunned.

I honestly don't expect them to bounce back from this. They've had to deal with more than their fair share of bad luck, and right now they aren't playing well enough to make up for it. The pitching has been average at best, and our only reliable starter has already been used up. The defense, which was Top 5 in the nation, has failed us of late. And the star-studded offense has had trouble putting runs on the board when they aren't knocking the ball out of the park. We need more than 4 runs out of this lineup. Especially against hot-hitting FSU tomorrow afternoon.

Things look bad, but I suppose as long as you're alive there is always a chance. Miami would have to win 4 straight games just to make it to the championship series, and I don't think we have the arms to get there. Hopefully we do. I still think when they are at their very best, this team is the best the country has to offer. Unfortunately they haven't been playing like it, and now face elimination against the rival Seminoles, who feature the #1 offense in the country. Hope for the best, but one can't but help fear the worst: the disappointment of not winning a title in what was "our year" to do so.

Wade's Finals Performance

A lot has been made recently on ESPN.com regarding statistician and columnist John Hollinger's rankings of the Greatest Finals Performances by an individual player. The cause for the uproar: Hollinger ranking our very own Dwyane Wade's 2006 Finals performance as the best all time.

I have to say, that was a bold statement by Mr. Hollinger. Wade is my favorite player in the NBA right now, but to put him above Jordan is a stretch. The thing is, Hollinger backs it up with some serious stats and arguments. Wade's PER (a stat Hollinger uses to determine efficiency, basically adds up positive plays and subtracts negative ones) was 6% higher than the next best performance of any player in NBA Finals history. You might remember Wade led the league in PER in 2005, but didn't receive any credit for it in the MVP race. Or was it 2006? Either way, it's a widely accepted stat that people have to respect at this point.

What helped Wade's performance was his constant trips to the free throw line and a well-rounded game the included steals, rebounds and assists to go with the nearly 35 points a game. The former is the reason for contention amongst so many fans. Any Heat fans knows that the 2006 Finals is notorious for non-Miami fans because everyone is convinced that the refs were in our favor. This despite the face the stats show that Dirk got more foul shots than any other player in playoff history that year, and the refs have historically been against us. Notice how we lost Games 2 and 5 in the ECF to Detroit, coincidentally reffed by Dick (Knick) Bavetta, who has a long and negative history with the Miami Heat.

It's frustrating to see nobody give credit to Wade, even 2 years after the fact. Hacks like Bill Simmons keep bringing up the foul shots like it was some conspiracy. Yeah, some of the fouls were ticky-tack. But the foul shots would never have been taken if Dallas didn't play Hack-a-Shaq halfway through every quarter. That was their own damn fault. Shooting 37% in the series didn't help either; it was clear that Miami outplayed them from Games 3-6, foul shooting aside.

I also hate the argument that Shaq was the sole reason we won and that Wade without Shaq is just Penny. These are the same people who call Shaq a fat and slow liability on the court. Pick one, guys. Either Shaq was an asset or a detriment to the team, he can't be both. The truth is that Shaq was a non-factor offensively and defensively in that series. Mourning was the guy who made all the plays. The only thing Shaq did was force Dallas to foul him and rack up the fouls shots. People will never seem to understand, and I just don't get what the problem is.

Even without the foul shots, Wade was clutch in Games 3, 5 and 6. He made some of the toughest shots in Finals history when it mattered most. And yes, maybe he took a lot of free throws, but he didn't choke and miss them either. He made those shots, so he deserves far more respect from the general public than what he gets now. I really wish people would see just how many of his foul shots were intentional fouls at the end of games (I've done the stats, it is impressive), just how many of his foul shots were due to Hack-a-Shaq, and I really wish people would see the following three plays of Game 6:

1) Udonis Haslem being called for traveling in the closing seconds of the game while trying to wrestle a rebound away. I've never seen anything that ridiculous called. He never fully got possession of the ball and the second he did, the refs handed the ball to Dallas.
2) James Posey's "double dribble", again in the final 2 minutes. How can you double dribble when you are hustling to grab a loose ball from going out of bounds. That is yet another iffy call that I have never seen called in that situation in any game in the NBA. Once again, Dallas ball.
3) And finally, up 3 with 10 seconds left, Gary Payton got beat by Jason Terry and purposefully yanked on his jersey as he turned a screen, BEFORE Terry could take a potentially game-tying shot. Rather than give us the foul, forcing Dallas to take foul shots and not allowing them a 3-point shot, the refs held their whistle and allowed the play to continue. Luckily the shot missed and the rest was history.

I challenge anyone to watch those three plays and tell me the refs were so in love with the Miami Heat that they planned on giving them the series. Go ahead. The great part is that it doesn't matter. No matter what anybody says, the Heat won a title. They were champs. We had the parade. I bought the DVD set. Try as they may, nobody can ever take that away from that 2006 team or its fans.

Canes Gear Up For Georgia

FSU just allowed 11 runs in the 9th as I write this, moments after coming back from 3 down in the 8th. Tough luck for Seminole fans, whose team now faces elimination against either Miami or Georgia in a couple of days, barring a miraculous comeback.

Even then, I wouldn't be too worried about the Seminoles, who survived a handful of elimination games in the process leading up the College World Series. I wouldn't be too surprised to see them bounce back. Hopefully they won't and Miami will have an easier time of it on the road to the title game.

What's more important is how the Canes do against a formidable Georgia team today. The Bulldogs have 2 1st round picks on their squad in SS Gordon Beckham and reliever Josh Fields (considered to be a huge stretch in the 1st, like Carlos Gutierrez). They are to be taken seriously in my opinion. I didn't say the same about the Arizona Wildcats and look how much of a challenge that proved to be.

If Hernandez is on his game, the Canes should be fine. Georgia's starters are hittable and we happen to have a Top 3 lineup in the country, if not the best. The problem is that the pitching, hitting, and defense haven't all been on the same page recently. If the Canes don't start running on all cylinders soon, I don't expect them to make it through the CWS as champs with only one starting pitcher who is really throwing well. Hopefully I'm wrong, but I do have faith that Jim Morris knows what he is doing.

Marcus Vick In Trouble Again

Some people you just can't save. After a short career at VT mired by run-ins with the law, Marcus Vick seemingly blew a future in the NFL before the Dolphins gave him a shot as a WR. I actually thought he did pretty well for himself, but things didn't work out. It was unfortunate, but he did his job while he was a Dolphin.

However, Vick has continued following his brother's footsteps by getting himself into trouble. Any chance he had of returning the NFL probably got washed away now with the news of his recent arrest. Marcus was caught driving drunk and evading officers who tried to pull him over. It's just a sad story because both of the Vick brothers had immense physical talents, but could never pull things together in the head.

NFL teams will forever think they can take a chance on a bad apple and hope he turns the corner. Look at what's happening for the Rangers and Milton Bradley. He's been tearing it up. However, for every success story like that, there is a catastrophe laying in wait. Often times it is the success stories themselves that end up falling apart. Bradley has been on his best behavior, but the recent incident where he almost stormed up a flight of steps to confront an announcer who was less than flattering to Bradley shows that he hasn't fixed all his issues quite just yet.

It goes to show some people never change. Then again, some do. Ricky Williams has been given umpteen chances, but he finally seems like he's got it. You really are rolling the dice when you take chances on guys like that, because it is the ultimate boom or bust scenario.

Evaluating the Urbina Trade

During the 2003 season, the Florida Marlins felt they had a chance to win a championship and pulled the trigger on a very risky trade. In exchange for closer Ugueth Urbina, the Marlins sent a trio of players to the Texas Rangers. Among the three was former #1 overall pick 1B Adrian Gonzalez.

Many Marlins fans may not have known that Gonzalez was a product of the Marlins farm system. A wrist injury early in his career heightened concerns that he would not regain his hitting form, so the trade was made. At first glance, it looked like a success. Though Urbina could be shaky at times, he was a key component of a 2003 championship run. That alone suggests the move was a good one.

However, the wrist injury did not hamper Gonzalez's ability to hit the ball. On the contrary, he has excelled for the Padres. Last year he smashed 30 home runs and drove in 100 RBIs. This year he is on pace for even more of each, while still batting nearly 300. That's pretty impressive for a guy the Marlins pretty much gave up on. It looks like he has lived up to his billing as a #1 overall pick.

Seeing how well he is doing, I thought about whether or not the trade was a good one. It's a lot like the Shaquille O'Neal trade back in 2004. I think if you win a title after making a deal, then the deal has been justified no matter what. In the long run, yes I think the Marlins might have been hurt. It's uncharacteristic of their front office to make a long term mistake, but you have to appreciate the fact they won a title. It's not easy to win a championship in any sports, so if you have to forsake the future in order to win now, sometimes you have to make the move.

It would have been nice to see him in this lineup though. Jacobs is a good player, but isn't at the level that Gonzalez is either offensively or defensively. Adrian would be a key piece to a successful playoff caliber squad. Still, I'll take that title from 2003 and be happy with the move that was made. There's no guarantee that keeping Gonzalez would have worked out or resulted in a World Series championship for this franchise.

Ross Saves the Day

In what has been a seesaw couple of weeks for the Marlins, the overachieving Fish rallied from 2 down in the 9th to come away with a victory against the visiting Reds. Cody Ross' walkoff HR off Francisco Cordero helped avoid a 3-game losing streak at a time when the Philadelphia Phillies are starting to run away with the division lead.

Unfortunately for money-grubbing South Florida sports fans, Ken Griffey did not hit his 600th home run. Right field has been pretty full of late, as the left handed slugger tends to pull his long balls to that area of the park. It's amazing how people go to Marlins games more for the opponent than for their home team. People have no idea who Cody Ross is, yet will rush to go see Ken Griffey from the Reds try to hit a home run. It's a little sad, but I have to admit, I wanted to be there today too in case he hit it. It's history, after all.

Still, it's a shame, because guys like Cody Ross have been doing great for the Marlins and nobody bothers to see them. Part of it has to be that the park is so far away from everyone. Sure it's in the center of the South Florida population center, but it's nowhere near any massive concentrations of people. I'd bet a Downtown site would produce a lot more attendance, but I digress. The Marlins are up 4-1 as I write this, so hopefully they can take 2 of 3 from the Reds, who embarrassed us a few weeks ago.

Canes Rally, Force Game 3

You have to admit, even knowing as Canes fan that Miami has the best team in the nation, it was a pretty scary sight seeing the scoreboard with us down 4-0. That 4th inning was absolutely crucial to the survival of our season.

Miami's lineup came up big with 14 runs a day after producing a season low 5 hits in a disappointing 6-3 extra innings loss. Yonder Alonso was one of many to defy the swirling winds at the Light last night, smashing a 3 run shot to break a 4-4 tie in the 4th. Yasmani Grandal added another a few innings later to help solidify the lead and help the Canes hold on another day.

Now we have to rely on Enrique Garcia to pitch the best he has all year, or at least do well enough to keep us in the game so that we can advance to Omaha. Any loss would render this amazing season an utter failure and a complete disappointment. A #1 ranking means nothing without the ring to show for it. I think we're in good shape if we can get to the Arizona starter early. One of their better relief guys will be unavailable, so we have to take advantage if we can.

Canes Facing Elimination

Man, that was a heartbreaker. I don't know how---with our lineup--- your pitching staff can strike out well over a dozen opposing batters and still lose. If any of you didn't catch the game last night, you would understand just why people say you need luck to win a championship.

No matter how good this UM team is, it's still baseball and anyone can beat anybody on any given day. Last night was a great example. A below-par Arizona starting rotation featured a guy who did a nice job keeping UM's offense in check and the game went into the 9th tied at 3.

After Kyle Bellamy held things down for the Canes, the bad luck started. Catcher Yasmani Grandal led off the innings with a shot that easily should have cleared the center field fence. Everyone knew it when it left the bat. Somehow, the wind knocked it down before it could clear the fence for the winning home run and Grandal had to settle for a double.

That's fine, seeing as how the top of the lineup was up. But after a check-swing strikeout by Blake Tekotte, the bad luck continued. On a wild pitch, Jemile Weeks got hit on the foot and advanced to first. Had he just pulled his foot away at the last second, the pinch runner Jonathan Weislow would have been at 3rd on the wild pitch and a sac fly with 1 out would have been more than enough to close the game out. Instead Weislow had to return to 2nd.

It's still good, with our superstar Yonder Alonso up to bat. I remember specifically saying "Come on Yonder, show us why you were a Top 10 pick." Just as those words left my mouth, he absolutely hammered a pitch to deep center field. Without that crazy wind, that ball would have easily cleared 450 feet. There was no doubt in my mind it was a walkoff home run and I celebrated as soon as I heard the smack of the ball. Instead of the ensuing jubilation, however, was the absolute shock of seeing a perfectly hit ball get knocked down by the wind YET AGAIN and get caught by the outfielder. To make matters worse, Weislow had also assumed the pitch was long gone and was halfway to home by the time he realized he hadn't tagged up and the inning ended on a double play.

From there, I knew it was over. You just can't recover from bad luck like that. The game ended on that play, not on the 3 run shot allowed by Carlos Gutierrez in the 11th. Hopefully the Canes can regroup in time for today's game, because if not, the season is over in extreme disappointment. I know for a fact we have one of the top 3, if not the top team in the country. Losing at any point in the College World Series shouldn't be an option for these guys.

Three Canes Drafted in 1st

I have to admit, I was pretty disappointed that the Marlins didn't draft Yonder Alonso with the 6th pick in yesterday's draft. We do have Mike Jacobs, but Alonso presents an upgrade in my opinion. Jacobs has experience at catcher so I thought that possibility might be intriguing enough for the Marlins to consider. Instead they decided to draft high school catcher Kyle Skipworth. Instead, Alonso went to the Reds with the next pick and can join young guys like Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce in what looks like a bright future for Cincinnati.

After Alonso came Jemile Weeks, who I had seen go as early as 12th or as late as the 3rd round. Indeed he went to the A's at 12th, who apparently don't have a whole lot of faith in Mark Ellis. Weeks projects to be a pretty solid player at the next level, but a lot of scouts aren't sold on him as a hitter. Regardless, he should make Oakland and fantasy players alike happy with his stolen bases.

The surprise 1st rounder was Carlos Gutierrez at 27 to the Twins. Carlos is coming off an injury and doesn't have a 2nd pitch, but Minnesota saw his dominance this year and felt he was worth the risk. I'm not entirely sure why they would draft him since they have Joe Nathan, but whatever. It was surprise because the other guy I thought would go in the 1st, Dennis Raben, did not.

Instead, Raben slipped to the mid-2nd to Seattle, which is still pretty good. He and Blake Tekotte (who ended up with the Padres in the 3rd), were projected by some as late 1st round picks. Regardless, both outfielders were drafted pretty high and it goes to show just how much talent is on this Hurricanes roster.

Another draftee of note was Mark Sobolewski who went in the 4th.

Bailey, Harris Hurt

As if we needed more reason to doubt that Miami can make it 7 straight wins against the hated Gators, recent news these past couple of weeks have added fuel to the fire. Allen Bailey will be out the entire summer and possibly part of the season thanks to a pectoral injury (thats the worst...working out to get better and you get hurt). Hopefully he can be back in time to be the Tebow killer we need him to be.

But what's certain is that DE Courtney Harris out of the picture the whole season. That's a big loss, because Harris is a solid contributer. His injured Achilles tendon will mean that we will need huge contributions from the freshmen and from Adewale Ojomo if we plan on having a successful season. I was already skeptical that this team could win 9 games, and now I don't know if they'll make it to 7 or 8. The DL is thin enough as it is without the injuries.

The news on the recruiting front regarding the DE position isn't too great either. Oliver Vernon has gotten several other offers from prominent schools, and it has been well known for some time that he is considered a soft verbal. Nick Saban has offered to play him the in flex position that Jason Taylor does for the Dolphins and that is appealing to Vernon. Hopefully he doesn't change his mind, because people are quickly realizing how good he is despite playing for a relatively small school.

Running back Jamaal Berry is another one of the big names out there, but don't expect to see him in a Canes uniform, unless the NCAA allows schools to start trading players. With our already loaded backfield and a commitment from Bryce Brown (as well as a silent from Lamar Miller, supposedly), we have no need for Berry unless he wants to switch positions. It's a shame because the kid really wants to be a Cane, but will likely end up elsewhere, probably for a rival, and with a chip on his shoulder.

Canes to Meet 'Zona

If you caught any of the Regionals action this weekend you saw the best team in the nation in action. Miami withstood a late Missouri rally before responding in the 8th for a close victory on Saturday. Then they completely dominated an outmatched Ole Miss squad on Sunday night.

Granted, I don't think it's fair that Ole Miss had to beat Missouri and then get an hour of rest before suiting up against the top ranked team on the road. I don't understand the scheduling there, but hey, I'll take it. Eric Erickson allowed an early home run against the Rebels, but regained his composure and the Canes didn't allow a run the rest of the game. Much of that had to do with fantastic shortstop Ryan Jackson, who hasn't received any publicity on this blog, and for that I have to apologize.

Now the Canes host another top seed in Arizona, but I wouldn't be terribly worried. I fully expect Miami to come out strong against a relatively weak pitching staff from the Pac-10 visitors. All the Canes need is to win 2 of 3 and they are heading to Omaha. Perhaps they'll meet FSU there, who barely squeezed into the Super Regionals after having to beat 3-seed Tulane twice to advance.

One thing I was surprised about from this weekend was Jim Morris deciding to go with Enrique Garcia in Game 1 of the Regional. That's fine and dandy until you lose that game and then need to call on your weakest starter to pitch in an elimination game on Sunday night or Monday night. I don't understand why you wouldn't just go with your best guys at the offset. I suppose Morris is thinking that if they win the first two, then they'd have to rely on Enrique to close out the Regional, likely against a better team than 4th seeded Bethune Cookman. Then a loss would kill the momentum. So I see his line of thought there, but it's a risky move. Looks like it paid off though.

Wade Trade Rumors

I apologize for the lack of posts lately. Rather than post every day, which has become difficult recently, I believe that I will post fewer times a week, but with several pieces a day. That way I can still get my thoughts across to you guys.

In any case, I thought the whole Dwyane Wade to Bulls trade rumor should be addressed. I personally have never heard anything dumber in my entire life. Supposedly, the rumor is that Wade would go to the Bulls in exchange for moving up one spot in the draft, where the Heat would then select Derrick Rose. I have to say, only a fan blog could come up with something that ridiculous.

It's one thing to say we would trade Wade for the #1 overall pick and draft Rose and Beasley, planning for the future without Wade, who might opt out soon. That's still absolutely ridiculous. That itself would be stretching the limits of stupidity. So then try to imagine how incredibly dumb the real rumor is.

Wade is the cornerstone of the franchise. Period. I wouldn't trade him for anyone outside of LeBron James or Chris Paul. Maybe Deron Williams or Dwight Howard. Other than that, he is untouchable. And he is bordering on flat-out untouchable simply because he means so much to this community now that Jason Taylor is on his way out and Alonzo Mourning is at the tail end of his career. You can't trade the face of sports in Miami. You just can't.

I'm shocked that such a dumb rumor, and clearly a fabricated wishful thought on the part of a Bulls fan at that, would make it in a local paper and be addressed to Wade himself. Maybe if I say in this space: "LeBron James to the Heat for a 2nd round pick and Mark Blount", the papers up in Cleveland will go ask LeBron how he feels about joining his buddy Dwyane down in Miami.

Marlins Lose Rubber Match to Phillies

In what was a crucial series ending game for the Marlins, the pitching staff blew a 5-1 lead and cost the Marlins the division lead heading into the upcoming series in Atlanta. Instead of being comfortably ahead with a 1.5 game lead over Philly, we head into one of the toughest places to win this season down half a game and reeling from losing two straight NL East series.

It figured that at some point the bottom would start to fall out for this pitching staff. They've done a nice job keeping the Marlins in close games for the most part, but I think they are starting to wear out. The absences of Josh Johnson, Sergio Mitre and Anibal Sanchez have been a killer to the starting rotation, who have had to rely on unproven young players and journeymen to get by.

Still, there is reason to believe the Marlins can keep the pace. The Phillies won the series but have been playing as well as any team in baseball of late, so there is no shame in losing to them. Especially when it just as easily could have been the Marlins coming out of the weekend with a 2-1 record. When their young pitchers return, at least one of them can be counted on to give us a quality start more often than the current guys in the rotation. That means less pressure on the offense. It also means the impact of our crappy defense is minimized.

In any case, tough weekend for Marlins fans, but still it is nice to be following a team that is still in contention 1/3rd of the way through the season.

Playoff Predictions Update

A little over a month ago I posted my predictions for the entire NBA postseason. Usually, I'm way off on these things, case in point my failed NCAA brackets. However, this year I managed to screw myself over in a new way. I didn't bet on my picks.

Sure, I didn't get any of the series lengths correct. And yes, I didn't do much in picking upsets. Regardless, I'm pretty proud of the fact I got every series correct leading up to the much ballyhooed Lakers-Celtics NBA Finals that I would say is going to be over in 5. Expect Kobe and the Lakers to be celebrating on their home court in a couple of weeks. They're that good.

I wonder what kind of payoff I would have gotten from dropping a bet on my entire postseason predictions. It kind of sucks that for once in my life I was right about a sports prediction, but I got nothing from it. Although I suppose these playoffs were relatively predictable aside from the Boston-Detroit ECF, the Spurs-Suns first round series and the Spurs-Hornets 2nd round series. The rest were pretty much easy picks.

Canes Defeat Bethune Cookman

Miami took care of business today in Game 1 of their CWS Regional. Much had been made of the fact the Canes got the #1 overall seed but still somehow received the toughest draw of any of the teams hosting a regional. I still don't understand it, but what can be done? Maybe the hatred of the football team spilled over onto our baseball team, who knows.

Regardless, Miami has to win to prove they are among the elite. It didn't really matter who they were matched up against. Today's game vs Bethune Cookman was key. BC held a 9th inning lead against us earlier this year, and was the regional's 4th seed, so you can imagine just how difficult a draw this was for the hometown Canes.

The 7-4 victory was hard-earned, but still welcome when every win counts and 2 losses sends you packing. Enrique Garcia gave us a good outing, which is good news because we can now send in our aces Chris Hernandez and Eric Erickson out for games 2 and 3 of the regional and give us a good chance of advancing to the Super Regional.

Dorsey, Riley, and the #2 pick

You might have heard about the Joey Dorsey comments regarding his belief that Derrick Rose is the #2 pick in the draft. He has "inside sources", but really, who is to say he isn't full of it. Then again, why would he lie about his teammate falling below the #1 spot. I don't know what to make of the situation. I can only hope the Bulls go and take Beasley (hardly a bad move on their part) so we can rest easy and take Derrick Rose.

Ira's recent blog brings up an interesting point as well. We aren't working out Brook Lopez or Jerryd Bayless, so maybe Riley really has decided on picking Beasley if Rose is taken. It could also mean Mayo is a definite option at #2 or in a trade-down scenario. Because otherwise it would seem odd for Miami not to work out several Top 5 caliber picks to gauge its options.

One scenario would have us trading down to get Mayo, while unloading contracts and getting back a C/PG starter. If we could get Al Jefferson to move down to 3, I might consider bypassing Beasley. Otherwise, no thanks. Even then I'm not entirely sure that would be a wise move, and I seriously doubt the Timberwolves would make such a deal, but hey, I'm allowed to speculate.

Marlins Lose Series to Mets, Cling to Lead

The Mets series was the start of a crucial NL East road trip that would determine whether or not the Marlins belonged on top of the standings.

It started off well enough, but Florida blew two leads in the rubber match and ultimately lost in extra innings to drop to 30-22. It's not really a big deal, despite having our division lead shrink to just half a game. We've shown we can be competitive in the division; all that Florida needs to do is stay consistent and they'll be fine.

It is still way too much to ask of this young ballclub to make the playoffs. Philly has a ridiculous lineup, the Braves have some bats and Tim Hudson, and the Mets were preseason picks by many to make the World Series, having added Johan Santana. Still, the Marlins have managed to piece together a spectacular 1/3rd of a season and by now we can start having hope that they'll keep up the pace.

The Marlins don't play tonight but start a 3 game series at Philly to determine who will be leading the division at the start of the new week. Hopefully our ragtag bunch of starters can keep the Utley-Howard-Burrell combination off the scoreboards. That should be a tough assignment considering the recent offensive surge being made by the Phillies.

2nd Ranked Canes Take Home ACC Crown

The Canes baseball team rebounded from a disappointing season ending loss to the top ranked Tar Heels by beating all comers to win their first ACC title with an 8-4 win over UVA today.

Miami had been given the #1 seed and easily routed Clemson 8-1, before needing a late 9th inning rally to top Georgia Tech 15-12.

The ensuing game was a close 5-2 victory over NC State that featured a refreshing 7 scoreless innings from starter Enrique Garcia and a 3 run shot from 2B Jemile Weeks. The win propelled Miami to what was today's title game against Virginia that was never really in doubt.

Clinching the title should give Miami all the confidence it needs heading into the College World Series, which starts on Friday. They've already been selected to host a regional for the 22nd time in school history, and we will find out who our 3 opponents will be tomorrow afternoon.

It is safe to say that for this team, it is title or bust. They have as much pro-level talent on this team as any other in the country, if not the most. The starting staff has been solid, with freshman Chris Hernandez being spectacular all season. The bullpen has had up and downs but is a strong point of this team and there is no weakness in the lineup. I fully expect Miami to contend for the National Title, if not outright win it.

Gregg, Uggla Highlight DH Sweep of Giants

Maybe the Marlins should be in the NL West? After all, the first place Fish sweep the vaunted Diamondbacks before winning 2 of 3 at home vs the lowly Giants.

Things didn't look good in either game, but the Marlins rallied in both to come out on top 8-6 and 5-4. The opening game of the doubleheader featured 4 home runs by the Florida lineup and a clutch save by closer Kevin Gregg, who has been solid all season.

Gregg appeared later in the doubleheader, keeping a 4-4 tied heading into the bottom of the 9th before eventually picking up the win. His contributions have been key to the Marlins' success this season. It's amazing how Florida always seems to milk saves out of their closers, even when they are nobodies. From Armando Benitez, Urbina, Borowski, Todd Jones, all of these guys are hardly Mariano Rivera's. They still seem to produce career years in the closer role for the Marlins though.

However, the hero of the day was Dan Uggla, who hit his Marlins record 12th home run of the month in the first game of the doubleheader. He then continued his valuable production with the 2 out bases loaded single in the bottom of the 9th that clinched the series. I really hope that Dan will get some recognition if he keeps it up. The announcers mentioned Chase Utley as a shoo-in for the All-Star spot at 2B, but I would think Uggla will make people think twice.

The Marlins are now sitting pretty at 29-20, half a game back of several teams for the best record in baseball. Little by little, the season is ticking away and the Marlins remain on top of the leaderboard. It really is an amazing story, now with almost 1/3rd of the year in the books.

The Jason Taylor Saga

Something I've neglected to give my thoughts on recently has been the Jason Taylor soap opera. After finishing 2nd in the Dancing With the Stars competition, it became public that Taylor will not be attending any of the Dolphin's offseason training activities.

Clearly, the situation has become messy--- far messier than I would have liked to see. Luckily the team is awful so if this is a distraction, it isn't going to make much of a difference on the performance of the football team. I have always been one to defend Jason, especially when he made the decision to start looking at opportunities off the field.

However, I think it's time to start placing some of the blame on his shoulders. I understand that he is unhappy and that he would prefer to play for a contender. The problem is that by publicly distancing himself from the Dolphins, he has screwed them over. His value on the trade market has been greatly decreased because now there is either the threat that he simply retires or the possibility that the Dolphins will outright cut him (won't happen).

The Dolphins organization might not have handled this in the best way, but I wouldn't go so far as to say both sides are completely wrong. They have their priorities, and catering to Jason isn't one of them. It shouldn't be. He should have been traded at the draft for whatever fair deal we were offered. Hell, I would have taken a below-average market offer for Jason, considering the alternative we are faced with now: either a 4th round pick or him never playing for anyone again.

What the situation has shown us is that the NFL is still a business. As much as it hurt to see Zach Thomas leave to Dallas, the departure was amicable enough and handled well. As fans we have a similar attachment to Jason, but this time around the breakup has been ugly. Jason has been showing that he has placed his playing future and his life after football as his priority. Maybe that's being selfish, maybe it's being smart. I wish he would put a little more thought into how he is hurting the team he's played for all these years, but he has stood by the Dolphin's side for years as they churned out awful teams and wasted his career.

Hopefully we'll be able to unload him for a conditional pick at some point in the next month or so. Both parties have much to gain from the split.

Heat Have Offers for Beasley

The rumors continue to swirl about the Bulls being ready to take Derrick Rose with the #1 pick in the draft. Bad news for Heat fans who wanted that Wade-Rose backcourt. But Beasley is hardly a consolation prize, as he is technically the better talent.

However, the Herald reports there is a chance the Heat trade out of this pick. They've gotten offers from several teams ready and willing to trade up to get Beasley and I think they are pretty serious about making a deal. The thought of it terrifies me because I want one of the two elite guys in the draft. I don't want retreads or veterans that will clog up cap space.

What Riley is looking for is to move down a bit in the Top 10, and receive a top point guard or center starter, as well as dumping Mark Blount's salary to boot. That doesn't sound like such a bad deal. You can still draft a guy like DJ Augustin and get back a starter in return, while opening up some cap space for 2009. However, I simply can't shake the fact that Beasley is there for the taking. A deal might help us out in the short run, but I hate passing on once-in-a-decade talent.

Marlins Hand Webb First Loss

Now there's something you don't see every day. It's amazing how the Marlins continue to prove everyone wrong. After a lackluster week or two, the Marlins have rebounded to win the series against baseball's best team. Tonight they squeezed out a win against the Diamondback's ace, the previously undefeated Brandon Webb.

The victory today, coupled with a win over Micah Owings (despite 10k's) yesterday assures the Marlins of the series win and I'm sure some respect in league circles. They hadn't beaten a team with a winning record in May and people were starting to question their hot start (including myself) on a cupcake schedule. Somehow they continue to keep winning. I know it's a line I keep repeating, but I still don't know how they're doing it, especially with Hanley Ramirez slumping.

The win puts the Marlins within 1.5 games of the 'Backs and Cubs for the best record in baseball. Imagine what a sweep of the NL favorite Diamondbacks would do for this young team's confidence. I know I would be impressed, especially because they would have faced the heart of the Arizona rotation. The Marlins are up against ace Danny Haren tomorrow, so it won't be easy to finish off the sweep.

Now That We Have The 2nd Pick

What happens next?

That's probably a good question. No doubt I wasn't the only one relieved as hell to see the Timberwolves' logo on the 3rd envelope. That meant we had assured ourselves of either Beasley or Rose. The problem is that I'm not entirely sure Beasley is our guy and the Bulls present a threat to take Rose.

I personally like the idea of picking 2nd. You take whichever guy is left over and call it a day. No 2nd guessing down the road if the player you missed out on ends up being a superstar or wins a title. I would be ecstatic to have either player. My preference is Rose to team up with Wade in the backcourt, but that's up to Chicago now.

I would hope the Bulls know better than to pick the hometown guy in Rose. They have 2 or 3 solid point guards, and a whole lot of money tied up into that position. They also have no frontcourt scoring ability, so Beasley presents a very enticing option. I don't see why they wouldn't just draft Michael. However, there are rumblings that they like Rose and might end up taking him.

I would be fine with that, if we were to take Beasley that is. I've read rumors that Miami is less than enamored with Beasley and would lean towards trading the pick if it isn't Rose. That scares the hell out of me, to be honest. Only once a decade or so do you get a gift like this. Unless we get a proven, relatively young All-Star and a good backup or two in the trade, then we seriously need to just take Beasley. Figure out what to do with Haslem or Marion later.

I will be very pissed if we trade the pick instead of taking Beasley. I'm tired of Riley's anti-youth personnel decision-making. And speaking of Marion, apparently he is looking to opt out, according to ESPN. So that puts us in a position where drafting Beasley would be a no-brainer. Regardless, I'm a little antsy about the whole thing because it's no longer assured we will get Derrick Rose. I don't want a situation where we pass on a can't-miss prospect in favor of some retreads and cap space. Maybe picking 2nd isn't so great after all. Had we just gotten that first pick it would have been Rose all the way.

Tom Brady Clobbered

I figure since things haven't been too great for us South Florida sports fans I figured I would bring up some good memories of a recent game that made us all smile. Music sucks, but whatever.

Uggla's Future with the Marlins

I read this piece yesterday and I thought it brought up an important issue.

Dan Uggla has certainly been a nice surprise for the Marlins these past couple of seasons. A Rule V selection, nobody saw his emergence as a reliable power hitter coming. The problem is that Uggla doesn't quite fit in with the whole "defense wins championships" mantra. He also strikes out quite a bit, but then again so does the entire Marlins roster.

Does he deserve a long-term extension? I'm not sure yet. It's difficult to find a 2B with his kind of offensive production, but he is still a liability on defense. The article suggested moving him to 3rd, which isn't a bad idea considering Jorge Cantu is a stopgap option at best. The Marlins did just draft Matt Dominguez last year, but he is not an option anytime soon.

If we do offer an extension, I'm not sure he merits one in the 30M dollar range. A 4 year, 20M dollar deal seems fair enough considering his limitations on defense. Considering the fact we just broke the bank for Hanley and expect to have new revenues pouring in once the stadium is built, the Marlins have few excuses to give Uggla. Then again, they could say that the Ramirez's deal took up any excess cap space they felt like giving away. We'll see.

Heck, if anything, maybe the Marlins will take a look at Jemile Weeks from UM at 2nd base in the upcoming MLB Draft. I wouldn't be opposed to that at all.