CUP OF JOEL

The First Ever Podcast

2012-01-16T20:59:00.002-05:00

Listen to the first ever Cup Of Joel podcast! Argue, agree, debate. I'll try and do better next week!

Topics of Discussion:

The Miami Dolphins coaching search continues...

Tim Tebow's future in Denver...

Will the Florida Panthers get their fair share of love?...

Looking back at the NFL divisional weekend and looking ahead to the conference championships...

And some more topics. Click the link below!

CUP OF JOEL Podcast - 1.16.12

The Monday Manic: Tebow Trigger, Marlins Circus, BCS Blunder, and more...

2012-01-09T16:32:00.000-05:00

THE WILD, WILD, WILD CARD: Well, there was only really one wild game. The Texans, Saints and Giants all won fairly handily. But the Wild Card round finale between the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers provided all the drama necessary. Tim Tebow did it again, completing 10 of 21 passes for 316 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Broncos to victory. Add to that 50 yards rushing, including a touchdown run, and you have a record-breaking performance that will be remembered by the Denver faithful for years to come. This win and performance proves that Tebow can in fact throw the football and, with an offseason of further development, can be a potent NFL quarterback. John Elway called on the second-year quarterback to pull the trigger against the Steelers. Consider the Tebow Trigger pulled.

MARLINS CIRCUS JUST GOT CRAZIER: As if Hanley Ramirez's childish tactics and Logan Morrison's eccentricity weren't enough, the Miami Marlins decided to plug in Ozzie Guillen as head coach a few months ago. Add Carlos Zambrano to the mix and now you have a very dangerous mix. No doubt, this team as it stands is improved on paper with the additions of Mark Buehrle, Heath Bell, Jose Reyes and Zambrano. But you have to wonder how much more crazy the Marlins could handle. I just do not see this team keeping all of these potential head cases in check, especially when the man who is supposed to be keeping them check (Guillen) is a potential head case himself. This might be a more talented team, but I give it about four months before the seams start to fall apart.

LSU-BAMA II: The fact that two SEC teams, Alabama and LSU, are going to battle for the BCS Championship tonight is a travesty. And the lack of a playoff system is the main reason. I would have no problem if these two teams worked their way into a championship game via a 16-team playoff. Just like people wouldn't mind seeing division rivals like the Packers and Bears meeting in the NFC Championship Game. Because they played their way to a rematch. Yes, this is a rare occurrence. But it highlights the problems that exist with the system and why it needs to changed quickly. But with that out of the way, I predict Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide will squeak out another win against LSU.

FIU MEN'S BASKETBALL STUMBLES: Isiah Thomas and his boys are flailing. And the season is already at the halfway point. And their latest loss to the one-win Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks at home was truly an embarrassment for the program. The Warhawks lone win came against Nicholls State (!) and shot just 34.8 percent from the field and still beat the Panthers. In two-and-a-half seasons, FIU is still wallowing in mediocrity and you have to wonder how much longer you wait until you pull the plug on the Isiah Experiment. There are some pieces that are in place that could make this team successful, but even then, there is no guarantee that the core of young players could win a conference championship. You have to start thinking that the temperature on Isiah's seat is going to rise in the near future.

Some Playoff Teams Have Something To Prove

2012-01-02T16:03:00.000-05:00

The regular season has finally come to a close and what a season it was. Records were broken. Heroes emerged. Hopes were dashed. And some teams failed to live up to the hype while others surged to prominence unexpectedly.

The dust has now settled after some Week 17 theatrics and the playoff picture is officially set. Half of the teams from last year's playoffs failed to make a repeat appearance, which will make for what will be an interesting few weeks of football.

Some of the teams that managed to make the playoffs will have a definite chip on their shoulder as they hope to silence doubters and critics as it pertains to their viability as playoff teams and Super Bowl contenders.

Denver Broncos: The Tim Tebow-led Broncos stumbled into the playoffs after losing their final three games of the season, but a seven-game winning streak prior to that and some help from the San Diego Chargers yesterday helped the Broncos win the AFC West for the first time since 2005.

Tebow has been awful during the three-game losing skid, and Denver needs him to make plays if they intend to have a prayer of a chance of beating the defending AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers at home in the first round. The last three games of the season have led to doubts as to their viability as playoff contenders and with good reason. The only advantage the Broncos seem to have is playing at home, but even that is not very encouraging with the Broncos finishing the season with a disappointing 3-5 home record.

No doubt, the Broncos, who no one would have guessed were playoff contenders at the beginning of the season, have a lot to prove in this game to show that they are not a flash-in-the-pan success story. I don't see this team making it past Pittsburgh in the first round, but they need to show some signs of life in order to have some momentum going into next year.

San Francisco 49ers: Head Coach Jim Harbaugh transformed the 49ers from NFC afterthought to a valid Super Bowl contender. In one season. It is one of the biggest turnarounds in recent memory and they now have a first round bye with a 13-3 record, finishing second in the NFC. Their defense has been at the heart of the turnaround, finishing first in the league in rush defense and fourth overall in league in total yards allowed.

Despite that, there are still doubts that this team is actually a Super Bowl contender capable of beating teams like New Orleans and their high-powered offense and the defending Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers led by probable league MVP Aaron Rodgers. Will their defense hold against those teams? I think this a team that can definitely surprise some people and I am convinced that they can make battle against Green Bay and they can definitely surprise New Orleans. I would not be surprised if they make the trip to Indianapolis.

Houston Texans: And then there's the injury-plagued Houston Texans. Not only did they lose Matt Schaub, but then they lost backup Matt Leinart for the year in his first game as the new QB. Rookie T.J. Yates emerged as a competent signal caller... and then he gets hurt in the third quarter with a bruised shoulder in the season finale against the Titans. He is, however, expected to start in the first round against Cincinnati. Add injuries to Andre Johnson, Owen Daniels and a laundry list of others and you have what experts call a royal mess.

Still, this is a team that managed to battle through and clinched their first ever playoff appearance just prior to closing their season with a three-game losing skid. Not many are expecting them to seriously compete for a Super Bowl appearance and it is not a guarantee that they will make it past their first round matchup against the Bengals. With all their injuries and recent struggles, I don't see them making it past the divisional round.

New York Giants: A win against the Cowboys in Week 17 earned them the NFC Least - Whoops, I mean East - title, making them the final team to earn a playoff spot in the NFC. This is a team that had many ups and downs in one of the oddest divisional races this season. They had a roller coaster season that included a four-game losing streak, featuring defeats against the San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers and their division rival Philadelphia Eagles (another big disappointment in the NFL this season).

And there's the problem: Can this team keep up with the big dogs?

The Giants had one victory against a team that qualified for the playoffs this season (a 24-20 win against New England on the road). That's it. So can Eli Manning, who has definitely established himself as a top tier QB in this league, and the bi-polar Giants really contend and threaten anybody? Doubtful. These are not the 2007 Giants that shocked the football world and won the Super Bowl against the almost-perfect Patriots. And I don't foresee them beating the Atlanta Falcons in the first round.

Happy Bowl Day: For FIU To Beat Marshall...

2011-12-20T08:46:00.000-05:00

Good morning from St. Petersburg, Florida!

It is gameday and FIU is hoping to defeat the Marshall Thundering Herd in the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl at Tropicana Field.

Marshall was able to gain bowl eligibility in a nail-biter against East Carolina in their season finale while FIU, with an 8-4 record, was able to effectively lobby their way into the vacancy left in the BoB Bowl by the Big East.

This is definitely T.Y. Hilton's last game as a Panther and it just might be Mario Cristobal's last game on the sidelines with PITT seemingly honing in on him to fill their own coaching vacancy.

You can watch the game on ESPN and you can also listen to the game on Radiate FM (88.1 Homestead, 95.3 Miami, 96.9 North Miami and online at FIUSM.com) with Igor Mello and myself on the call. There will be plenty of coverage to go around!

Here are the three things FIU has to do if they are to return to Miami with their second straight bowl win and the trophy displayed on the left:

GET T.Y. HILTON THE BALL

If the Panthers want to bring home their second consecutive bowl trophy, they need to utilize their most dangerous weapon on the field: T.Y. Hilton [right with Coach Mario Cristobal].

There is no doubt that T.Y., in his final game in the blue and gold before entering the NFL Draft, will be looking to dazzle in front of a national audience. Whether it be in the receiving game, the special teams, or even the running game, getting the ball in his hands will ensure that good things happen. Not only that, but doing so will spread the sketchy Marshall defense, which has let up 30 points per game, and will also open up opportunities for other receivers like Wayne Times and Jacob Younger to get open for QB Wesley Carroll.

In last season's Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl, T.Y. made some major plays to help the Panthers pull of the improbable comeback win, including that clutch Hook and Ladder play to convert a first down on a 4th and 17 to keep the game alive. The Panthers are hoping that such heroics are not necessary tonight.

FORCE RAKEEM CATO TO MAKE MISTAKES

Rakeem Cato [left], the true freshman starting quarterback, is returning to his home state for this bowl game and I'm sure he is going to want to make a statement against the other team that tried to recruit him from Miami Central High.

With a very young quarterback, this defense is going to need to get into Cato's head early and often. If they can stuff the run game and establish a persistent pass rush, they could force Cato, who has thrown 10 interceptions so far this season, to make some more untimely mistakes. The biggest weapon the Panthers have to worry about on defense is the 6'3'', 203-pound receiver Aaron Dobson. The Panthers have had some pass defense issues this season and need to make sure Dobson does not add to his 10 receiving TDs so far this season. He is averaging 14 yards per catch and could cause headaches for this secondary. But if Cato is shut down in the backfield, there will not be a need for Dobson damage control.

Marshall is going to find out tonight if Cato will be able to handle the brighter spotlight.

ESTABLISH THE RUN GAME EARLY

FIU running back Kedrick Rhodes [right] has emerged as the undisputed No. 1 rusher on the depth chart this season, averaging 5.0 yards per carry with 1,121 total rushing yards and 8 rushing TDs. Rhodes has been huge for this offense, which was sorely missing a solid run game prior to his arrival on the scene.

Getting him going early will be critical and will help keep the FIU defense off the field. The Panthers will want to eat up clock and wear down this Marshall defense. Opponents have vastly outscored Marshall in the first half this season, particularly in the second quarter (143-75). But it's a different story in the second half, where the Thundering Herd get their juices flowing and usually find a way to squeak out several victories late. The Panthers have struggled late in games, all four of their losses this season coming at the hands of surrendering late leads to Duke, Arkansas State, Western Kentucky and Louisiana.

In order to avoid that, the Panthers have to get on the board quickly and keep the ball away from Marshall late in the game. Having Rhodes rack up running yards will do just that.

CUP OF JOEL GAME PREDICTION - FIU 27, MARSHALL 21: The Panthers will be able to score early and get the momentum early. The Thundering Herd will mount a comeback effort, but will come up short.

Where Do The Dolphins Go From Here?

2011-12-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

The Tony Sparano Era has come to a merciful end.

For a minute there I was getting worried. There were rumors and rumors of rumors of Sparano [right] potentially salvaging his job in Miami for 2012 after a recent stint of impressive performances that have only accomplished one thing: taking the Fins out of the Andrew Luck Sweepstakes.

After a solid first year in which Sparano's Chad Pennington-led Dolphins surprised everyone and made it to the playoffs after that miserable 1-15 season the year before, things have gone from bad to miserable for this flailing franchise that seems aimless. This winter is going to be an important one and could determine whether this team is going to be able to right the ship and get back to the playoffs soon, or continue to wallow in mediocrity.

In the end, Sparano's tenure will be remembered as a failure to return the Dolphins to prominence that did have certain bright spots, including the short-term success of the Wildcat and the intriguing playoff run with the surprisingly efficient Pennington.

In a town where the Miami Heat and Florida Marlins (heck, I'll even throw in the red-hot Florida Panthers) have made, and are currently making, strides to get serious about putting quality products on the hardwood and the diamond (and the ice), the Dolphins have to start doing the same. While Dolphins fans tend to be more loyal than other local sports fans, their patience does not need to be tested.

Miami has failed to reach .500 since 2008, let alone make the playoffs. And things have been nothing short of frustrating as the Chad Henne Experiment failed to pan out.

So where do the Dolphins go from here?

1) Hire an experienced coach with a solid record of winning

Let the search begin. And there are going to be plenty of teams looking for new coaches this offseason, so the Dolphins are going to have to work at luring the kind top tier candidate to South Florida that team owner Stephen Ross says he's going after. And with the way the front office has performed in terms of addressing needs, it has not done a good job at all. Bill Parcells left a mess down here and we are seeing the results of that right before our eyes.

If the Dolphins want a Bill Cowher [left] or a Jeff Fisher, they need to create the kind of environment that will breed success. These kinds of coaches are looking for a job that will allow them to have the most possible success. ESPN analyst and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden and former Baltimore coach Brian Billick have also been mentioned as possibilities.

My dream? The Dolphins lure Tony Dungy out of retirement to revamp the Dolphins and he manages to bring in Tim Tebow as the new franchise quarterback.

Okay, I'm awake. Moving on.

2) Find that elusive franchise quarterback

And speaking of quarterbacks, Miami needs one. Now. This town has been salivating for a Dan Marino-esque gunslinger to embrace. A quarterback that will take the Dolphins to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1984 and maybe even win one for the first time since 1973.

That's ancient history.

This upcoming draft just might hold the answer to the future with plenty quarterbacks to look at whose last name isn't necessary "Luck." Matt Barkley, Landry Jones and Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III all could become franchise quarterbacks and have shown the kind of skill set necessary to be successful in this league. Any one of those three, especially Barkley and Griffin, would be great.

Or maybe the team can find a steal elsewhere via trade or free agency, potentially landing Peyton Manning from the Colts since it looks like he might be displaced by Luck if Indianapolis decides to move towards the future. Manning [right], who would be 36 at the start of next season, would obviously not be a long term solution, but would serve as a very solid and reputable stop gap to the next generation.

As long as Brett Favre never enters the conversation, the Dolphins will be fine.

3) Improve the secondary

On the other side of the football, the Dolphins have a serious issue defending against the pass and that was evident from the very first game of the season when Tom Brady torched the Dolphins defense for 517 yards through the air and four touchdown tosses.

Currently, the Dolphins rank 25th in the league in defending the pass, giving up 244.2 passing yards a game. The days of Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain are long gone, and quarterbacks are going to continue picking on Miami as long as that unit is not addressed. The Fins have a solid linebacking corps and an emerging defensive line. If the secondary gets its act together and the Dolphins can get its offense moving, this team can do some good things.

The foundation is there. This team is not a total disaster, but there is a need for solid leadership. Leadership with a vision that the entire organization can embrace and strive for. I have a feeling it's not very far off.

Where's The Beef?: FIU Earns Second Straight Bowl Bid

2011-12-03T16:00:00.001-05:00

St. Petersburg might me the saddest city in the United States, but don't tell FIU that.

At 5:32 p.m., FIU Executive Director of Sports and Entertainment Pete Garcia announced alongside head coach Mario Cristobal that the Panthers accepted an invite to the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl in St. Petersburg on Dec. 20. The opponent is still TBA, but regardless, these men are more than happy to take a trip upstate to play in their second straight bowl game.

Things were getting a bit tense for FIU football as they waited to see if the pieces would fall in just the right places for the Panthers to just get an invite.

Despite reaching a program record eight wins this season, the Panthers struggled at points in conference play and wound up finishing fourth in the Sun Belt standings. That put their chances of getting invited to their second consecutive bowl game in serious jeopardy.

But thanks to some help from the Cincinnati Bearcats on Dec. 3, FIU will be going bowling yet again.

WALKING ON SUNSHINE

And the way it all went down may in fact be a blessing for FIU.

This is the best possible destination for this program at this stage; having an in-state bowl game to go to is a huge opportunity for this program to build its fan base across the state. It's a much more favorable situation than playing in icy Detroit the day after Christmas last year, a situation that did not sit well for Garcia and left a lot of FIU fans sitting at home to watch that memorable and monumental game.

The mood is much more festive this time around.

When word got out that St. Petersburg was a possible destination, the fans responded by flooding the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl Twitter and Facebook sites with posts and comments and responses, letting the higher ups know that this was the place they wanted to be. Whoever runs the bowl's social media responded favorably, heightening the anticipation and excitement.

Wish granted.

Now it's up to the fans and students to live up to their end of the bargain and start making travel plans and arrangements. Garcia stated that there is no reason that 8,9 or even 10,000 fans shouldn't be present at the game. And I agree. Having 10,000 fans in blue and gold at Tropicana Field in front of a national audience would go a long way towards earning respect.

And that's what this bowl game is all about: respect. With Miami, South Florida, and Central Florida all sitting out this bowl season, the Panthers have a chance to have the spotlight and be a gem in front of recruits, alumni and potential future students.

Can this team, and its fans, capitalize?

Tim Tebow: The Most Important Player of Our Generation

2011-12-02T10:00:00.000-05:00

Tim Tebow is the most important player that has walked onto an NFL football field in our generation.

Crazy, right? Maybe a bit outlandish? Perhaps at this point you think I should check into a mental hospital.

But before you start filling out my paperwork to check me into a psych ward somewhere, think about this: How many athletes have sparked the kind of debate that Tebow has? How many players have polarized media analysts and fans like he has? How many individuals have attracted so much media attention to themselves without some sort of nasty scandal surrounding them?

None. Not that I can think of. Ever.

Let's get one thing straight right off the bat: I think the world of Tim Tebow.

I love the way he approaches the game of football: with tenacity, energy and the ability to lead and inspire a team around him. I love the way he conducts himself off the field: with a selfless attitude, never afraid to give credit to teammates and shaking off constant criticism with class. And most of all, I love the way he stands unashamed for Jesus Christ, thanking the Lord and giving Him all the glory while being a light in the world for so many people through his Tim Tebow Foundation and other charitable functions.

There are many who love him. Others who despise him (or just don't want to like him). Others who don't understand him. But it seems like everyone has an opinion on this 24-year-old, second year quarterback out of the University of Florida.

The truth is, Tim Tebow is revealing more about who we are as football fans and as human beings than we really know. He is a once-in-a-lifetime lighting rod of an athlete that is centered in the midst of a media hurricane that we created. It's amazing how a quarterback who was speculated to be the third string quarterback on the depth chart a few months ago has now reached this point to the dismay of many know-it-all analysts.

We all have an opinion on this guy. Not because he asked for it, but just beacuse Tebow is... well... Tebow. And people like him tend to drive people crazy.

Unlike any other NFL player in history, Tebow is forcing all of us to ask questions about the role of a quaterback both on and off the field: What kind of athlete do we want strutting about in the world of sports?

And that makes him a very important figure right now.

TEBOW THE QUARTERBACK

"All he does is win football games." - Skip Bayless

It's amazing how Tebow's detractors are always shifting their arguments around. First, the argument was that he was not going to be a first round NFL pick. He proved them wrong. Second, he wasn't going to be able to win football games as a starting quarterback in the NFL.

Wrong again. And now they will keep looking and scratching and clawing for something... anything... to keep the doubt alive. And instead of giving him credit, they'll try and explain it away to some other player or unit or whatever.

How long before people learn?

Here's what it is: Analysts just love statistics and Tebow's stat line is not exactly golden at this stage in his career. They love to measure things and crunch numbers and stats and how far they can toss a football and all this other nonsense. But the problem with that is that sports are not all about numbers. There are things that happen in the locker room, in the huddle, on the sidelines that we can't put a stat on. We can't categorize it.

Tebow has certain leadership skills and a certain drive that even players with proper mechanics and a rocket arm wish they had. Some will say that if you can't throw a perfect spiral, you're not a good quarterback. No exceptions.

Problem: Tebow, right now, is that exception. Is he the greatest QB in the league? Not by any stretch of the imagination. But isn't the main job of a quarterback to lead? Aren't they the ones that the other 10 guys in the huddle look to for confidence and assurance when the game is on the line (Hello, Tebow Time)? Isn't it their main job to help their team win football games?

Well, he's done just that. He did it in high school. He did it in college. And now he's doing it in the NFL.

He doesn't make dumb decisions and has an 8-to-1 touchdown to interception ratio in six starts. Those are terrific numbers for a young quarterback. He makes his teammates better, helping to open up the run game for backs like Willis McGahee by effectively running the football and averaging 5.8 yards per carry this season. And when the game is on the line, he delivers by posting a 100.6 QB rating in the 4th quarter and overtime this season.

He has made his teammates believe that they can win and even make the playoffs after people were starting to talk about Andrew Luck in the 2012 NFL Draft. Oh and, by the way, that defense that has been doing so well as of late? Letting up less points per game and all that? The Broncos were ranked 30th in the league in time of possession when the team was under QB Kyle Orton. Since Tebow took over? The Broncos are now fifth in the league in that category, keeping the defense off the field for significantly less time per game.

That makes him a good quarterback in my book.

He is forcing us to reexamine the way we look at the quarterback position and showing us that there is in fact another way to win football games. Some say he is pushing the game back 50 years. So what? You think his teammates care as long as they're winning football games? You think they care as long as they are one game out of the AFC West after being left for dead at this point a month and a half ago?

He scares some people because he plays differently. And because they are too caught up in the long-term questions. Let's enjoy the ride for now, because this is fun. And in the end, isn't that what sports is all about? Let John Elway figure out what to do with him after all this season is said and done. But one thing is certain: Tebow is making his case to be the starter in 2012 despite what Elway's other plans may have been.

TEBOW THE PERSON

"I know that no matter what happens on the football field, that's not what defines my life. It gives me a platform and an opportunity to try and be a great role model for the next generation... If all we're doing is winning and losing football games, then we haven't done a lot with our lives." - Tim Tebow in his interview with Skip Bayless

But it's not just what Tebow does on the field that makes him an intriguing icon. And that's what makes him really interesting.

It's when he changes from a Broncos jersey into a suit and tie that we get to see another dimension of who he really is. You will see him always giving credit to his teammates and showing respect to others. We see him getting out in the community and touching the lives of many. You will see him thanking Jesus Christ after completing yet antoher improbable comeback.

And because of that, he has entered the throngs of a culture war that is swirling around this country. Folks like former QB Jake Plummer would rather he just "shut up" about his faith. Others see him as some self-righteous do-gooder.

But to many others, he is an icon and a symbol of what should be the norm for athletes in professional sports. An unashamed ambassador for Christ using his platform to share his faith to others while never forcing it down anyone's throats. Not that it matters anyway. Some people would rather not have to hear it regardless.

And this is the problem. Tebow wants to be a role model. How about that? After seeing countless athletes try to distance themselves from being examples-to-be-followed by saying it's not their job to do so, going so far to say to everyone that they don't want to be a role model, here comes a young guy who wants to make a difference, a guy who wants to make an impact in the lives of others. And that tends to make the average person feel uncomfortable, because he is raising the standards not only for athletes but on ourselves. So while we praise his actions off the field, may detractors would love to keep that aspect of his life muffled.

So now Tebow presents another question for us: What kind of athletes do we want? Do we want people like Pacman Jones and Terrell Owens running the headlines constantly? Or do we want men of character like Tim Tebow setting an example?

I know for me personally, Tebow has been an encouragement and an inspiration for how to effectively use a platform to positively influence our world. If I had children, I would point to him and say that is the kind of person we should be emulating. And that makes him more of a winner than anything a stat sheet can show in my book.

So yeah, maybe Tim Tebow is a bigger deal than we would like to admit he is. Time to start answering some of these questions for ourselves.

The $500,000 Tweet

2011-11-09T16:20:00.001-05:00

Micky Arison is not a happy camper at the moment.

And why should he be? The owner of the NBA juggernaut Miami Heat would love nothing more than to see the American Airlines filled to capacity to watch LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh lead the team he helped bring together to a potential championship.

Instead, the AAA and 28 other arenas across North America remain empty as a small faction of owners, apparently led by bitter Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert and several others, are essentially holding the 2011-2012 NBA season hostage as the lockout drags on.

The league has pleaded the fifth when it comes to what has been happening beneath the surface, trying to control what info is making its way to the ears of disenfranchised fans. But that hasn't stopped Arison from keeping his fingers busy. Arison, an avid tweeter, made a slip in less than 140 characters that told us more than a dozen or so press releases from the commissioner's office have.

And it cost him. He got slapped with a $500,000 fine by the league, which is chum change for the billionaire owner, but still amounts to probably the most expensive tweet of all time. Sorry, Charlie Sheen.

The tweet? It was a response to a fan who said the owners were greedy for more money. Arison, whose Twitter handle is "@MickyArison", deflected it with this:

"Honestly u r barking at the wrong owner."

As Miami Herald columnist Greg Cote wrote, it was enough to expose the rift between the owners when it comes to this debate and it definitely paints a dark picture when it comes to these talks to salvage some kind of season.

The reason Arison was fined such a hefty amount is due to the fact that owners are normally prohibited from commenting publicly about labor disputes in the league. Twitter has made it difficult for the NBA to keep a lid on the dispute and the frustration has also been expressed be players (who are not subject to NBA fines).

Nazr Mohammed, a center for the Oklahoma City Thunder, was not only concerned about the jobs of players being on the sidelines, but other employees who are being affected by the negotiations: “Dear NBA, You’re not just locking the players out. You’re locking out your fans, venders, arena workers, and more. #StandUnited #LetUsPlay”

And Brian Cardinal, a power forward for the Dallas Mavericks, is just upset about the dynamic of the debate: “#arewereallyrelyingonhashtagnegotiations”

The bottomline is that the NBA is in trouble. And if the owners and players don't get on board with a deal soon, more people better start getting into their hockey.

Albert Pujols: Twitter Sensation

2011-10-31T13:06:00.001-04:00

The St. Louis Cardinals are the 2011 World Series champs. After winning one of the greatest World Series games of all time, St. Louis took Game 7 and won it all for the first time since 2006.

But even before that Game 6 where the Twitterverse exploded with World Series Fever, there were indications that tweeters had been all over this World Series from the get-go. A joint study by IBM and the University of Southern California was following the World Series to see what exactly people were saying. They monitored up to a million tweets about the World Series are were even able to determine whether the discussion was positive or negative on particular players or coaches.

It was a true in-depth view of what kind of discussion was taking place on Twitter about the World Series. And the findings were intriguing to say the last. Although TV ratings decreased from Game 2 to Game 3, there were more tweets in the latter game.

Plus, the first two games of the World Series had more tweets that the American League Championship Series and National League Championship Series combined, which shows how popular the World Series is on Twitter.

But one of the major things that stood out in the series was the buzz that surrounded the Cardinals' superstar first baseman Albert Pujols, who is set to become the most highly sought after free agent this offseason.

Throughout the series, Pujols was a magnet for positive chatter. In Game 3, when Pujols hit three home runs and knocked in six runs to help give the Cardinals the series lead, the slugger accounted for 48 percent of player-related tweets and 81 percent of the tweets about him were positive. Those numbers were even higher in Game 2, when 96 percent of tweets on Pujols struck a happy note.

His performance alone during the World Series will no doubt put pressure on the Cardinals to sign their most marketable and productive player in the last decade, but the overwhelming response from fans and baseball fans alike may also add an interesting twist to those talks as Pujols weighs his options.

Will the Cardinals really be willing to part ways with a player that garnered such popular acclaim? And now the evidence is there in real-time as it happened. Now teams and players (and their money-hungry agents) can know exactly who is being talked about on Twitter and with what regularity. It could change the way negotiations go, especially if certain players are megastars on social media outlets like Twitter, which are becoming very large platforms for sports coverage.

For The Love of Football?

2011-10-23T14:35:00.000-04:00

Professional basketball players are getting pretty anxious with the NBA lockout now in full effect and eating up what could be the entire 2011-2012 season.

Some are looking to play ball overseas in professional leagues in China and throughout Europe. Others are talking about starting an exhibition tour.

And one of the best in the game might be looking to change sports altogether.

Miami Heat superstar LeBron James, who played football in high school in addition to basketball, sparked the curiosity of fans, analysts and even coaches when he tweeted ESPN football analyst John Clayton about when the NFL deadline is to sign a free agent. Clayton's response? That teams can sign players up until the final team is eliminated from playoff contention. He ends the tweet with "Game on."

Game on, indeed.

It didn't end their though. Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and LeBron exchanged some tweets and the story blew up from there. Is LeBron really considering the NFL? Is that 2008 State Farm commercial with LeBron leading the Cleveland Browns to a Super Bowl win maybe-sort-of coming to fruition?

Not so fast, dreamers.

LeBron is almost 100% joking here. This was a result of boredom mixed with just genuine curiosity. The NBA star is a magnet for publicity and exposure and knows how to get it. A week before making this overtures to the NFL, he was practicing in football practice in his home town of Akron, Ohio.

Besides, is a guy like LeBron going to risk millions and millions of dollars to go play for an NFL team at maybe the league minimum salary? Doubtful. But again, there is precedent for dual-sport athletes. Just look at Deion Saunders and Bo Jackson. Even Michael Jordan tried, but failed at making the jump to baseball.

But a football and/or basketball with baseball on the side career is different from a basketball-football career. Would LeBron really be willing to be a part-time basketball player to pursue an extracurricular career in football? How would he manage to split time between both sports without damaging his chance at being one of the most dominant players to ever play in the NBA? Would his career be worn down and shortened by the demands of football added on to his existing duties? Those are questions that may prevent him from jumping in head first.

LeBron is free to do as he pleases with the lockout in play. He is, as many have pointed out, a specimen of an athlete and could fit in surprisingly well as a tight end somewhere. And a team that is either desperate for wins or headlines (or both) might try to lure him in. Shoot, an NFL coach essentially began the recruiting process less than a day after LeBron pressed "Tweet."

There are many reasons why LeBron should seriously consider pursuing an NFL career in his spare time. It would increase his own popularity and the popularity of whatever sport he chooses to enter. Could you imagine the NFL selling and pumping up LeBron James' debut? Whatever he team he plays on could be a magnet for multiple Monday Night Football games. Not to mention jersey sales alone. There's a lot of money that could go around.

Heck, let's get the Dolphins to sign him (next year, not this year.) Hey Dol-fans, how amazing would it be to see Andrew Luck pass the ball to tight end LeBron James on Sundays and then see that same tight end pass the ball to Dwyane Wade on weeknights?

We can dream, right?

Besides, this decade could use a dual-sport athlete or two. Why not LeBron?

The Big Problem

2011-10-22T14:34:00.001-04:00

"FIU fans, we have a problem."

Photo by Kristi Camara (FIUSM)

That seemed to be the message the FIU football team sent Tuesday night when the Golden Panthers imploded against the Arkansas State Red Wolves in what was a critical road conference matchup.

There was plenty on the line and head coach Mario Cristobal came into the game saying that it had "playoff implications."

What happened on Tuesday night revealed that the Golden Panthers have some serious issues that need to be resolved quickly with five games remaining. But there is one problem that the Golden Panthers need to resolve above all else. And it's because of this problem that they don't have a better record: the Golden Panthers tend to be prone to collapse in the fourth quarter.

The Fourth Quarter Problem

It seems like déjà vu all over again. The team had this problem in 2010 with opponents outscoring FIU 120-80 last season, and that bug appears to be plaguing them again in 2011. Even though on paper the Golden Panthers dominate teams they face early on, outscoring their opponents through the first three quarters of play, something changes when we get to the final 15 minutes of play. Opponents this season have outscored FIU 61-27 in the fourth quarter this season. That is a 34-point gap for all you math majors out there. That is very significant. Even more alarming, through seven games this season, FIU averages just under four points scored in the fourth quarter per game. That is a glaring problem for a team that is struggling to finish games well.

Arkansas State, which trailed 16-13 heading into the fourth quarter, put up 21 points easily against the Golden Panthers. The Golden Panthers also gave up a 10-point fourth quarter lead at home against the Duke Blue Devils early this month. Maybe it's a stamina and depth issue due to some key injuries. Maybe it's a loss of focus on the part of the players. Whatever it is, they need to figure it out quick. If not, my preseason prediction of a 6-6 record may actually come to pass.

With the Golden Panthers' prospects of repeating as Sun Belt champs quickly fading away and another key Tuesday night conference matchup against Troy looming, this team can no longer afford anymore fourth quarter miscues.

Does WKU Running Back Deserve Suspension for Tweet?

2011-10-14T11:29:00.001-04:00

If you are a member of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team, you might want to be a little more cautious with your tweeting.

Sophomore running back Antonio Andrews [left] will have to sit out WKU's Oct. 15 away game against Florida Atlantic this weekend for several tweets he made following the team's upset victory over Middle Tennessee, a game in which he didn't even participate due to injury.

He tweeted the following on his personal account, where he bashed on apathetic fans and other team critics:

"One thing I can say bout #UKfans is they loyal. No matter how sorry they team is they always support them. Can't say that bout #WKUfans smh"

"Same ppl who said we suck and will never win a game are the same mf trying party wit us and saying we knew y'all could do it! #FallBac"

"Mike jones back then should be our theme songs."

"Why would I say something bad about my team? Only thing there is to say we ain't reached our peak yet! #BOW"

WKU coach Willie Taggart had this to say about the Hilltopper Twitter policy:

"My policy is don't do anything that's going to bring a negative perspective on our football team. I don't mind those guys using (Twitter), but use it in a positive way, and if you can't then those guys won't be on our football team anymore."

I'm sure players on many Sun Belt teams probably feel the same way about their own fan bases, playing in front of crowds that sometimes would be dwarfed by high school football games on a Thursday night in some places. And with the way WKU has been playing ever since it entered the FBS level, it's not surprising that the patience of fans is running dangerously thin.

But are the tweets above controversial enough to warrant a suspension by head coach Willie Taggart?

While controversial, they did were not directly offensive and were not outright vulgar. They were his thoughts and while maybe he should have shown constraint with his comments and kept them off of cyberspace, he does have a right to express his frustration with a fan base. Yes, they were somewhat distasteful but not worthy of a suspension.

Twitter accounts do amount to free speech and coaches and players do need to be careful with what to allow and what not to allow. In the end, however, it comes down to personal responsibility from the players.

Let It Rain: South Florida's Busy Sports Saturday

2011-10-08T23:22:00.002-04:00

A little rain never hurt anybody. And it definitely didn't do much to dampen what was a big Saturday for sports in South Florida.

There was a lot to cover: FIU and UM going on the road and desperately looking for victories. The Florida Panthers got their season started off in Long Island against the Islanders. And speaking of Islanders, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers hit the road to play the first leg of the NASL Semifinals against rival Puerto Rico. The Big Three took their talents to FIU in the South Florida All-Star Classic. The United States men's national team took on Honduras in a friendly at Sun Life Stadium.

Gotta love October!

FIU Snaps Skid, UM Can't Pull Off Upset

The Golden Panthers traveled to LeBron James' hometown of Akron to try and end a two-game losing streak against the lowly Zips. It wasn't exactly an ideal start, falling behind 10-3 in the first quarter, but FIU was able to come back strong and improve to 4-2 this season with a 27-17 win over the Zips. The FIU pass defense, which has been suspect the past two weeks, was able to keep Akron QB Clayton Moore to just 157 yards through the air. Overall, FIU had 524 yards of total offense with Wesley Carroll throwing for 308 yards. The running back duo of Kedrick Rhodes (126 yards, 1 rushing TD) and Darriet Perry (85 yards, 2 rushing TD) was also sharp in the win.

The Hurricanes, taking on the No. 21 Virginia Tech Hokies, looked like they were doomed after falling behind 21-7 by halftime. But Miami stormed back and made it a ball game and took a 35-31 lead in the final minutes of play and it looked like they were going to come away with a win. That was before Hokie QB Logan Thomas ran 19 yards with 56 seconds to go for the game-winning score. The 38-31 loss is another sting for the Hurricanes, who fall to 2-3 overall and are still winless in ACC play. But there were bright spots: Jacory Harris threw 3 TDs and no picks and Lamar Miller ran for 166 yards. It's an offense that can be really explosive.

Florida Panthers Start Strong On the Road

Oh, Hockey... How I have missed you. And the new-look Florida Panthers were impressive in their 2-0 season opening win against the New York Islanders. New netminder Jose Theodore was perfect, stopping all 27 shots he faced and rightfully earned the first star of the game. I know it's early, but if Theodore can consistently turn in these kind of performances, this team is in business. Stephen Weiss and Jason Garrison scored the two goals and new-kid-on-the-block Brian Campbell assisted both goals. This team looked grittier than past squads and you have to feel good for new coach Kevin Dineen, picking up his first win as an NHL coach in his debut.

There is definitely a lot to be excited about this season and that was clear to see tonight. With a team that is very difficult to predict this year with a lot of new pieces to put together, we got a glimpse of what could be a very dangerous and fun team to watch.

Strikers Stun Islanders in NASL Semifinal First Leg

Before Saturday, the Puerto Rico Islanders had not lost a home game in NASL play since Sept. 18, 2010. Before Saturday, they were 9-0-5 at home this season. Before Saturday, they had outscored opponents at home 26-12 in 2011 home games.

That was before Saturday.

The Strikers marched into Puerto Rico and came out with a 3-1 victory in the first leg of the NASL semifinals. I never thought I would say this, but the Strikers are now 90 minutes away from their first championship game. I don't know what head coach Daryl Shore told his team before the playoffs started, but it worked. Fort Lauderdale is streaking at just the right time and there might be a champion in South Florida very soon.

South Florida All-Star Classic Was Just That: "Classic"

With the NBA Lockout in full effect, it was no surprise that people were lining up hours in advance to score tix for the South Florida All-Star Classic at the U.S. Century Bank Arena on the campus of FIU on Saturday night. The event was sold out in less than two hours and around 4,000 basketball-starved fans filled The Bank to watch Miami's Big 3 of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh join an All-Star cast of NBA stars hit the hardwood.

The event raised $100,000 for a charity named after the mother of FIU coach Isiah Thomas and what a classic this game turned out to be! The game went into overtime and Team Wade defeated Team LeBron 141-140 in front of what was a very happy crowd.

This game really leaves only one question: When will the NBA get its act together and bring back basketball? Even local business is suffering from the lockout. Hopefully, this game will not be the only one we see until next November.

Klinsmann Gets First Win As USMNT Coach

It hasn't been the best start for Jurgen Klinsmann in his tenure as the head coach for U.S. Men's Soccer. But under the driving South Florida rain he found some relief as Clint Dempsey's 36th minute goal was enough to give him his first win in his new job, a 1-0 victory over Honduras at Sun Life Stadium. After a slow start, the team created many more opportunities and looked a bit more comfortable adapting to Klinsmann's style of play. There were definitely good things and bad things to take away from a game like this.

It's too bad Miami had Seattle-type weather today, which dampens any outdoor sporting event down here, but hopefully we'll see the USMNT return to the Magic City again in the near future. These kind of events let the country know that Miami is ready for another crack at top-level soccer.

5 Things We Learned From FIU vs. UCF

2011-09-20T20:34:00.000-04:00

I was a doubter. I admit it.

I had seen this Golden Panthers football team time and time again fall short when it came to big games and rising to the occasion. I needed more than a thrilling bowl win against Toledo and more than a win against an average Louisville team.

This weekend's win over the Knights changed all that. This was far and away the biggest home in win in program history and the argument could be made that this was the most important win in the most important game FIU has ever played in.

After three games, we are getting a clearer picture of what this team really is. Especially after this latest win.

Here are five things we learned from Saturday's win:

1. This team can win without T.Y. Hilton.

This point is probably the most important, since many believe that this team is a one-man show. And while there is no disputing the importance of having Hilton on the field. And there is no doubt that this offense struggled to do much without him after that scary moment when he went down with a hamstring injury. And while he did come back for a couple of plays afterwards, he was really a non-factor.

In all honesty, the offense struggled all night to do much of anything against UCF's tough defense although at times they were able to move the ball. And Wayne Times [right, Photo by Jasen Delgado] did show some promise out there. And if T.Y. is not 100% going into Saturday's game against Louisiana or beyond, having him perform well and giving Wesley Carroll an alternate target will be key.

So what did this team do when the offense couldn't get it going? They found other ways to get around his absence. They took advantage of Knights miscues and quality opportunities, such as a fumble on a punt return in the third quarter that gave FIU prime position for a quick, and back-breaking, touchdown.

And the defense made a statement that UCF's defense wasn't the only dominating force on the field.

Which brings us to our next point...

2. The defense is good... real good.

After losing Anthony Gaitor and Toronto Smith and having a fairly young defensive line, this is a defense that could have easily regressed. But under the new leadership of Jonathan Cyprien, Winston Fraser and Tourek Williams, this defense looks stronger than ever.

In a defensive battle that was Saturday's game [Photo by Kristi Camara], this unit rose up and took charge, making big plays when necessary.

And how about Isame Faciane's delivery of the play of the game, picking up a fumble in the waning moments of the second half and taking it all the way to the house to tie the game just minutes after T.Y. went down. Just what the doctor ordered. And it changed the dynamic of the game.

This defense, for the first time in FIU history, has kept its first three opponents to less than 20 points per game (North Texas: 16, Louisville: 17, UCF: 10). They kept dual-threat quarterback Jeffrey Godfrey was useless in the second half and was not able to do enough damage in the first half to dig FIU into a big enough hole.

This defense, overlooked up to this point in the season, should be getting the credit it rightfully deserves.

BONUS: Here's the call of Faciane's fumble return on the Radiate FM broadcast. I'm on play-by-play and my friend and colleague Igor Mello is the color commentator. Listen to our live game broadcasts for every home game on Radiate FM and online at FIUSM.com!

3. Home-field advantage? You bet.

"The Cage" was definitely rocking on Saturday night. It was great to see the place packed to near capacity on Saturday night. Having UCF fans and FIU fans packed in the same place for the night gave it the feel of a mini-bowl game, and when it got loud, it really got loud.

This team was feeding off the energy of the fans [Photo by Kristi Camara] in the second half and you can tell the players were pumped from the cheers from a standing-room only student section that was loud and rowdy for most of the night.

When the north side of the stadium is enclosed, FIU Stadium will really be an intimidating place to play if it can be filled to capacity like it was Saturday night. It will be interesting to see where attendance goes from here, but hopefully the energy will remain consistent.

For the first time since the USF game in 2008 to open up the place, FIU Stadium really had a college gameday atmosphere.

4. Wesley Carroll needs to find new targets.

Wesley Carroll loves throwing to T.Y. Hilton. That is pretty clear. He says he isn't forcing the issue, but the stat sheet doesn't lie.

The following are the receiving statistics after three games this season according to FIUSports.com:

RECEIVING	GP	No.	Yards	Avg	TD	Long	Avg/G
Hilton, T.Y.	3	17	363	21.4	3	83	121.0
Times, Wayne	3	15	135	9.0	0	34	45.0
Coleman, Glenn	3	4	30	7.5	0	11	10.0
Rhodes, Kedrick	3	3	-4	-1.3	0	0	-1.3
Younger, Jacob	3	2	11	5.5	0	9	3.7
Anderson, Colt	3	1	11	11.0	0	11	3.7
Faucher, Jon	3	1	9	9.0	0	9	3.0
Rhymes, Dominiq	3	1	7	7.0	0	7	2.3
Harris, Joey	2	1	6	6.0	0	6	3.0

It's clear that T.Y. is the favored target and that is understandable; T.Y. Hilton is able to make the big plays and is averaging 121 receiving yards per game and 21.4 yards per catch.

But outside of him and Wayne Times, no FIU receiver has made more than four catches this season. Whether it is a trust issue or simply circumstance, Carroll has to find other receivers to make plays. He needs to start spreading the ball more and utilize his receivers, all of which bring something different to the table. Especially if T.Y. happens to be unavailable due to injury or some other issue.

But to Carroll's credit, he hasn't thrown an interception in three games so far and has been pretty much mistake-free as a caretaker quarterback. The chemistry between Carroll and Hilton is fluid and working in spades. Carroll looked to Hilton on the first play back from his injury in the second half.

But its time to start distributing more.

5. FIU/UCF rivalry is going to be competitive and intense.

Going in to this game, I was not sure what to expect. I figured it was either going to be close or it was going to be a comfortable UCF victory. It ended up being the former, but what we also saw was a glimpse of a what is going to be a great in-state rivalry.

Mario Cristobal [left, Photo by Kristi Camara] and George O'Leary are great coaches that helped two Florida teams begin to get more attention and respect around the country. In a lot of ways, UCF is the kind of school FIU would like to emulate (urban university in a metropolitan area looking to become more of a "city-within-a-city" type of campus).

We saw a UCF fan base that was willing to make the trip down to Miami and (if they didn't before) now respect this Golden Panther team as a rising team in the college football landscape. We saw emotion and smack talk from both fan bases online and at the stadium. We saw two teams that were competitive on the field and play good football.

In-state rivalries are fantastic and I am more than happy that this one is starting up. Rivalries like this should be propping up between the eight FBS schools in the state. Hopefully more can be revived and created.

America Says "Goodbye"

2011-09-14T22:45:00.000-04:00

America just got a dose of explosiveness. And those who were paying attention responded.

When FIU receiver T.Y. "Goodbye" Hilton made his second appearance ever on ESPN against the Louisville Cardinals on Sept. 9, he had the perfect opportunity to display his talents in front of a nationwide audience.

The Athletics Department had been pushing the Hilton4Heisman campaign. At first it seemed like a joke - a far-fetched fantasy that was spawned simply to garner a few more web hits and maybe turn a few heads.

Hilton nearly immediately put that sentiment to rest.

The senior receiver set a school for receiving yards in a game with 201, including two touchdown catches of 74 and 83 yards each. He was a human highlight reel as helped give the Golden Panthers their first victory over a BCS opponent in program history.

And not only were analysts raving about his performance, but the Twitterverse exploded in praise for Hilton, who before this game was barely a blip on the radar screen of the average college football fan.

No more.

ESPN personality Scott Van Pelt tweeted out during the game: "T.Y. Hilton ....America - get familiar." and "I think I was the only human on earth watching FIU torch North Tx last week. It's fun when the little guy (Hilton) shows out on a big stage"

Sports Illustrated sports writer Stewart Mandel was also singing Hilton's praises: "Climb aboard the T.Y. Hilton Heisman bandwagon. Right now its just me and [fellow SI writer Holly Anderson], but room will fill up quickly."

Even former NFL star Desmond Howard was talking about T.Y. Hilton, tweeting that he was the No. 3 performer in the country over the weekend and CBS Sports college football writer Bruce Feldman went a step further, naming T.Y. Hilton the second most exciting player in all of college football.

Social media has definitely played a new role in the way sports are viewed and how athletes are viewed on a wider scale. Hilton was virtually unknown prior to this game and in one night, many analysts and fans knew his name and were exposed to his speed and playmaking ability. What is even more interesting is how fans around the country were able to interact with these analysts and talk about the performance as it was unfolding.

Now will the Hilton's hopes for the Heisman increase because of this performance? Probably not. 1) He's in the Sun Belt Conference and 2) He's a wide receiver. Both points counting against him in the popularity contest that is the Heisman Trophy race. But one thing is certain: that people are talking about and, if nothing more, they are putting "Hilton" and "Heisman" in the same sentence. Or tweet.

Greg Ellingson the Jaguar

2011-07-26T12:31:00.009-04:00

It looks like former FIU wide receiver Greg Ellingson is staying in the state of Florida to pursue a professional career. He announced on his Twitter yesterday that he will be a Jacksonville Jaguar and he is pretty excited about it. Ellingson is a solid wide out with good size and capable hands and will try to make it on to the roster this fall and try and play on Sundays. He joins CB Anthony Gaitor (picked in the draft by the Tampa Bay Bucaneers) in this Golden Panther class to try and make it on to an NFL roster.

At FIU, Ellingson finished his career with 2014 receiving yards on 131 receptions with 14 TDs. In his final season last tear, the Tampa native caught five touchdown passes while picking up 612 receiving yards on 43 receptions. Behind T.Y. Hilton, Ellingson was definitely one of the Golden Panthers most valuable weapons on offense and when opposing defenses were focusing on shutting down T.Y., it was Ellingson who often reaped the benefits.

Whether he will be able to make it on to the roster is yet to be seen, but maybe he can transition into a role on special teams with the Jaguars. The Jags did struggle mightily in pass offense last season, so maybe Ellingson will find a way on to the final roster in September. Not including Ellingson, there are currently 10 receivers on the Jaguars depth chart, including fellow rookie and Sun Belt alumnus Jason Harmon, who just graduated from Florida Atlantic.

So the work for Ellingson is definitely cut out for him. Let's see if he can make it happen in Jacksonville.

LINKS:

ESPN.com - Greg Ellingson Player Profile

ESPN.com - Jacksonville Jaguars

2011 Undrafted Free Agents by Position and Team

The New Top Cats

2011-07-18T11:20:00.010-04:00

We're still about a month and a half away from football season and no one has started practicing for the fall yet, but if one thing is definitely certain, it's that the Golden Panthers are not going to surprise anyone this upcoming season.

They are the new top cats of the Sun Belt Conference.

After finally breaking through last season and earning a share of the Sun Belt Conference championship along with Troy and winning its first bowl game, FIU for the first time is predicted to finish first in the Preseason Sun Belt Football Coaches Poll. Five of the nine coaches in the Sun Belt predict the Golden Panthers to win the conference for the second consecutive year.

This is a talented team returning most of its starters from last season and is looking to really establish itself as a conference power for the long haul. And there isn't really a reason why this team shouldn't be able to do just that.

T.Y. Hilton has his fingerprints all over the Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Team as a wide receiver and on special teams. Along with North Texas RB Lance Dunbar, T.Y. is a Co-Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. In his senior season, he'll be looking to increase his stock for the NFL Draft so this could definitely be his most explosive season at FIU.

Including T.Y., FIU has five representatives on the All-Sun Belt team. On offense it's T.Y. and Caylin Hauptmann and on defense Tourek Williamns, Winston Fraser and Jonathan Cyprien.

The most interesting thing will be seeing how this team responds to raised expectations. FIU is no longer the doormat it once was and will need to prove that they can handle the respect that they are currently getting from the coaches in the conference. And in the end, that's all it really is. In the end, it's just a list that really doesn't carry that much weight.

Quotes from Sun Belt Media Days:

Mario Cristobal:

- "I have learned a lot of football since joining this conference. It's a pioneer conference.

- "Our mentality is that the only way to change is to get hungrier."

- "The experience from last season validates a four-year body of work... whets appetite for more."

- On being picked to win the conference: "No game of football has ever been won on a piece of paper."

T.Y. Hilton:

- "The key is to keep guys focused and understand what we need to do on and off the field."

Fashion Friday: New FIU Football Uniforms

2011-07-15T11:04:00.004-04:00

Looks like sneak peaks of a new FIU uniform were released/leaked on to the FIU Facebook page not too long ago. Addidas was producing new special alternate TECHFIT uniforms for teams to wear this upcoming season, including FIU, Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Tennessee and Texas A&M.

Well, they are out and here they are on the right.

They look very plain and the color of the pants don't even match up to the color of the jersey. I'm no fashionista, but I'm not sure how good of an idea it is to have the pants a different color. But I believe the assumption is that the pants are not ready but that those are the new fitted tops.

The tops are nothing spectacular. They are fairly plain, fairly traditional. There is nothing wrong with them, but they don't exactly stand out. Personally, I think the uniforms they currently have are more than adequate. But having this alternate doesn't hurt. I was just expecting something more... flashy? They just don't stand out much, if at all. It is better to go this route than with what happened with some of the Nike Combat uniforms that were released for some teams last season.

As long as the color of the pants match up to the top or they wear white pants, they're fine.

Here's a video on what the TECHFIT uniforms are supposed to do for athletes and also provides quick glimpses of the uniforms some of the other schools listed:

Seems like some other schools got some more unique designs than FIU did.

FAU Stadium Gets An Interesting Visitor and The Great Stadium Race

2011-07-11T11:04:00.008-04:00

The new FAU Stadium [right] is rapidly rising up in Boca Raton and FAUOwlAccess.com reported that new Miami AD Shawn Eichorst took a tour of the stadium, which is still under construction and is slated to open in October.

Does this mean that the Hurricanes and Owls are on the verge of striking a deal to square the two teams against each other? Probably not. FAU coach Howard Schnellenberger said that the purpose of the meeting/tour was not to schedule a game and said that the "odds are so far against" a meeting in the near future between the two programs. But he did say that Eichorst seemed open to the possibility of a match up, which was a departure from former AD Kirby Hocutt's position.

It seems like the new AD is starting to build bridges with other schools in the state and you have to start wondering if FIU may get into the mix as well. Golden Panther head coach Mario Cristobal played for the Canes during their glory days and FIU AD Pete Garcia was a former Asst. AD there.

Will relations between UM and FIU begin to thaw after relations descended into the Ice Age after "The Brawl" of 2006? Time will tell, but FIU needs to be proactive in reaching out to the new AD.

I think UM, FIU and FAU playing each other regularly is good for football in South Florida and for college football fans across the tri-county area. Teams save on travel costs in a down economy, in-state rivalries develop, and the local economy benefits from college football staying in house. These kind of matchups are marketable and the buzz surrounding them will be substantial as FIU and FAU begin to gain more ground in the recruiting playing field.

And looking at how FAU Stadium is shaping up to be, it looks like it is going to be a very nice facility all around. FIU Stadium [left] needs to hurry up to keep pace. Promises made to complete the phases of stadium construction by 2012 have hit a sudden standstill and unless fans start flocking to the gates, we might not see that north section completed any time soon.

But there are signs of hope. Garcia has said that discussions have begun in terms of closing off the north side of the stadium and that the plan should become more clear in about "six months."

The stadium race is underway, and with FAU (not to mention fellow Sun Belt rival North Texas as well) building what looks to be a very nice facility, the Golden Panthers need to at least close up "The Cage" and work on making it a fully respectable college football stadium.

RELATED LINKS:

FAU's football stadium could produce a profit

FAU's magic number: 12,000 paid tickets per game

Fort Lauderdale Strikers 2011 Preview

2011-03-31T12:54:00.010-04:00

As the month of March comes to a close, we also move closer to the inaugural season of the newly-created NASL, which begins on April 9. And with the new season also comes a new era for soccer in South Florida with the return of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers (formerly the Miami FC Blues).

With just over a week until the beginning of the season, IMSoccer News released this morning a preview for all eight NASL teams for this upcoming season, including a preview on the Strikers compiled by yours truly (see below). To get a glimpse of what to expect for the upcoming season, CLICK HERE.

The Strikers and the NASL as a whole have gone to great lengths to improve their image and have made real efforts to make second division soccer work the right way. There is still a long way to go before stabilizing this level of soccer, but the initial steps look very promising.

Hiring David Downs as the new commissioner of the league is a huge hire and will help give the league credibility in U.S. Soccer circles. It should be an exciting first season for the NASL and the Strikers.

Here is the preview for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers:

Founded 2006 (Formerly Miami FC Blues)
Stadium: Lockhart Stadium: Multi-use – Grass (capacity: 18,500) Last season’s record: 7W-11L-12D (9th Place)
Head coach: Daryl Shore (2nd Year-Took over midseason 2010)
Key players: Zach Kirby, Abe Thompson, Matt Glaeser Team Website
by Joel Delgado - Sports Director FIU Student Media
With a new name, new colors and a new image, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers (formerly Miami FC) are also looking for some new fortunes as they try to make the postseason for the first time in five years.
Head coach Daryl Shore returns at the helm for the Strikers after taking over near the halfway point of the 2010 season.
After a slow start in 2010 the team finished strong, going unbeaten in its last five games of the season and appears to be building its 2011 roster around capitalize on that late season run.
The Strikers retained Abe Thompson, who finished last year as the D-2 Player of the Month in September 2010, and Brian Shriver. Both played major roles in the team’s offensive production towards the latter parts of the season and the addition of Aaron Wheeler, who scored four goals in an injury-shortened season with FC Tampa Bay, should also help add a spark to this front unit.
The Strikers also added some other major pieces, such as former River Plate midfielder Eduardo Coudet, who recently played with the Philadelphia Union. The team also added Christian Arrieta, a defender who played alongside Coudet with the Union in 2010. Both players add valuable depth and experience to the roster for the upcoming season.
Team captain Zach Kirby returns on defense after sitting out most of last season due to injury and the team also brought back Aaron Hohlbein and Martyn Lancaster to provide some continuity to the back line that was very strong with Kirby in the lead. But needs to improve on its 49 goals allowed last season (second highest in USSF D-2) and the addition of Arrieta should help.
One of the interesting things to watch will be the situation at goalkeeper. The team resigned Matt Glaeser, allowing just four goals and posting a shutout in his five starts at the end of last season. The Strikers are hoping that Glaeser can reproduce similar numbers this season.
Overall this is a team with a lot of promise, adding a number of players around a solid core that was successful last season. The key for this team will be getting off to a fast start with a majority of their games during the opening part of the season being played at home. If the team comes out slow out of the gate, they could be in for another long season.

I strongly recommend you go ahead and check out the rest of the previews. It is the most comprehensive preview of the NASL on the web!

The Hilton Hook

2010-12-27T12:31:00.007-05:00

Well... I don't have to tell you all about how exhilarating and monumental last night's Little Caesars Bowl victory was for FIU. As soon as Jack Griffin booted the game-winning field goal that split the uprights and the Golden Panthers stormed the field in jubilation, everyone knew that this was the greatest win in program history.

The play of the game? The 4th-and-17 conversion where Jacob Younger received a pass from Wesley Carroll and then tossed it to T.Y. Hilton (Right, thanks to Jasen Delgado), who dashed to the sideline and by the narrowest of margins picked up the first down. I'm calling it The Hilton Hook. Just when you thought the Hilton Heave couldn't be topped, this goes up there in terms of significance and importance.

Hilton sparked the comeback effort with an 89-yard kickoff return for a TD and then leaped into the end zone later with a receiving touchdown and rightfully earned the Little Caesars Bowl MVP award.

On national television, Hilton definitely showed what he could do continued to impress and deliver in clutch situations. And this was as clutch as it gets.

This win means a lot for FIU, which made a big statement last night in a game that couldn't have been scripted better by Disney. Mario Cristobal has engineered one of the biggest turnarounds in college football history. Now we'll have to wait and see how this affects recruiting and the fan base heading into next season.

Wittels Charged in the Bahamas for Rape, Story Still Developing

From my FIUSM brief:

FIU infielder Garrett Wittels (Left, thanks to Jasen Delgado), along with a group of friends, were arrested and charged in the Bahamas with the rape of two 17-year-old girls last week, according to the Miami Herald.

Wittels and two others involved with the incident, which took place at the Atlantis Resort and Casino, were released on $10,000 bond on Thursday following a court hearing.

"Anyone can accuse anyone of anything at any time," Michael Wittels, Garrett's father, told the Miami Herald Monday morning. "He's not doing well, obviously. He's blown away. He's devastated that someone would accuse him of this."

This is still a developing story. Here is the Miami Herald Story and the FIUSM story. Stay tuned for further updates on this incident...

Oh, The Possibilities!

2010-11-30T12:35:00.006-05:00

For the first time ever in FIU history, it's okay to talk about bowling without fear of a meltdown. It is happening for real this time after a big win against Arkansas State this past weekend to win at least a share of the Sun Belt title.

For the first time in program history, the Golden Panthers are going bowling somewhere besides Bird Bowl. But the question of where is still yet to be determined. There are still a number of options in play for FIU so don't make your travel plans just yet. At this stage, it appears to be coming down to the New Orleans Bowl on Dec. 18, the GoDaddy.com Bowl in Mobile, AL on Jan. 6, or the Little Caesar's Bowl in Detroit, MI on Dec. 26.

It all comes down to the final game of the season against Dwight Dasher and the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, who need a win to become the third bowl-eligible team in the Sun Belt Conference and throw a wrench into the conference bowl picture. If the Golden Panthers win, it appears likely that the Golden Panthers will be heading to New Orleans while Troy will head off to Mobile.

Based on all the statements coming from New Orleans Bowl representatives and with a good showing by MTSU fans at last year's game (that in conjunction with the fact that they have not already extended an invitation to the Golden Panthers), it appears that would jump at the chance to invite the Blue Raiders for an encore appearance in favor of the Golden Panthers, who may not bring the kind of fan support they did. MTSU brought roughly 5,000 fans to last years game on short notice. So if the Blue Raiders do defeat the Sun Belt champs this weekend, and with Mobile all but guaranteed to invite the Trojans, my guess is that the Golden Panthers might be spending Christmas in the Motor City while MTSU parties it up in New Orleans (left).

New Orleans Bowl reps will be in attendance this weekend to see what the fuss is all about. It'll be an audition of sorts for both teams as they try and prove their worth and why they would be worthy of a trip to Louisiana.

Here are a number of different potential matchups for FIU in all three potential destinations and what they might be like:

FIU vs. UTEP (New Orleans Bowl):

This might be the most likely game, especially if FIU wins on Saturday, and it might be a very fun game to watch. The Miners (6-6, 3-5 CUSA) stumbled greatly during the last half of the season despite getting off to a 5-1 start, losing five of their last six games of the season. Senior QB Trevor Vittatoe, who had his worst statistical season in terms of yards (2,511) and passer rating (121.59), still threw 19 touchdown passes to his 10 interceptions. But his nagging ankle injuries could definitely harness his ability to be effective and was a big reason for UTEP's late season drop off. UTEP has a solid run game that averages close to 150 yards a game led by Joseph Banyard and his eight rushing touchdowns.

In their season finale against Tulsa, the Miner defense allowed a whopping 543 yards of total offense (325 through the air and 218 on the ground), but on the season they rank 58th in the FBS in points against, allowing just 25.4 points per game.

If the Golden Panthers can get their ground attack going and their defense can bring the chili against the run game and force an ailing UTEP quarterback to make plays, they might be able to bring in their first bowl trophy.

FIU vs. Northern Illinois (Little Caesar's Bowl):

The only way FIU (or any Sun Belt team for that matter) ends up in Detroit with lots and lots of pizza and Crazy Bread (left) would be if the Golden Panthers lose. Period. This might be the likely match up if FIU loses against the Blue Raiders in The Cage this weekend and No. 24 ranked NIU (10-2, 8-0 MAC) would be a tough game for the Golden Panthers to win. The Huskies boast one of the best running games in the country, averaging a stunning 279 yards on the ground (7th in FBS) led by Chad Spann, who has 1,239 yards to go along with 20 touchdowns. NIU has also scored 39.3 points per game and will play Miami (OH) in the MAC championship game, who they probably will defeat handily.

There is a good chance, however, that the MAC champion will be sent somewhere else in favor of placing a team like Miami (OH) or Toledo into the game, who may be able to put more fans in the seats.

FIU vs. Toledo (Little Caesar's Bowl):

The Rockets (8-4, 7-1 MAC) left a bad taste in the Golden Panthers mouths after beating them at FIU Stadium last season, returning the favor for their embarrassing defeat at home to FIU in 2008, which gave them their first road win over an FBS team and their first out-of-conference win in program history. Both teams would have a chance to settle the score if this scenario occurs in a game that would also see offensive coordinator Scott Satterfield try to outfox and defeat his old employer. It would basically be a home game for the Rockets, however, since the school is located just an hour away from Ford Field.

With a balanced offensive attack that averages 203.5 passing yards and 156 rushing yards per game, the Golden Panther defense would be put to the test. But the FIU offense might be able to find some success against their defense, which has allowed nearly 30 points a game and 369 total yards per game.

This game might end up turning into a high-powered shootout later on in the game.

FIU vs. Miami (OH) (Little Caesar's Bowl/GoDaddy.com Bowl):

Another possible matchup if the Panthers end up in Detroit or in Mobile (which I see as the least likely destination for FIU this postseason) would be Miami. The one from Ohio, not "The U". If they upset NIU in the MAC title game, the Little Caesar's Bowl may end up choosing the RedHawks (8-4, 7-1 MAC). If not, then most bowl projections have them headed to Mobile for the GoDaddy.com Bowl.

The RedHawks have struggled putting points on the board and running the ball, but they make up for it with their passing game and with a staunch defense that has kept opposing offenses to little more than 20 points per game. If these two teams end up pitted against each other, it might end up being a defensive chess match.

Just a year ago, the RedHawks were 1-11 and now they have a chance to become the MAC champions. If these two meet, it would be a great story of two programs turning things around in a very fast period of time.

FIU vs. Tulsa (New Orleans Bowl):

The New Orleans Bowl could turn into the "Golden Bowl" if the Golden Panthers meet up with the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Dec. 18 in the Big Easy. Tulsa (9-3, 6-2 CUSA) has been red hot, finishing its season with six consecutive victories and New Orleans could be a potential destination.

The Golden Hurricane are the very definition of an offensive juggernaut, putting up 39.7 points per game and ranking 15th and 16th in passing and rushing, respectively. Junior QB G.J. Kinne has thrown for 3,307 yards this season and 28 touchdowns and throwing just 10 interceptions on 429 passing attempts. Kinne is also the teams leading rusher with 527 rushing yards, making him a very dangerous dual threat signal caller.

The Golden Panthers would have their hands full just trying to stop Kinne.

FIU vs. SMU (New Orleans Bowl):

Southern Methodist (7-5, 6-2 CUSA) is preparing for a CUSA Championship game against the UCF Knights and if they lost that game, New Orleans may be an option for the Mustangs. QB Kyle Padron has thrown for 3,306 yards this season. They have allowed close to 30 points a contest, however, and the Golden Panthers could take advantage of that and turn things into an interesting contest.

FIU vs. UCF (New Orleans Bowl):

This one might be the long shot, but it would be the most fun for FIU as they prepare to open up an extended home-and-home series with the Knights (9-3, 7-1 CUSA) next season starting at FIU Stadium. What better way to kick start the in-state series/rivalry than with a bowl game in the Bayou? UCF would have to lose the CUSA Championship game against SMU in order to open up a potential meeting, and many other factors and lobbying would need to take place, but it'll still be fun to see if it happens.

The UCF defense would pose a big challenge for the Panthers having allowed just 18.9 points per contest, helping the Knights push one step closer a CUSA championship. Their offense is led by running back Ronnie Weaver, who has rushed for 11 touchdowns on 857 yards. Quarterback Jefferey Godfrey is more of a weapon with his feet, rushing for 527 yards of his own. It could be an intense inaugural meeting for these two teams on neutral ground if it happens.

Goin' Camping

2010-08-03T15:12:00.005-04:00

Football season is just around the corner. It's been a fairly slow summer for sports so it is nice to finally have some more things to look forward to. Student athletes are starting to report on campus for a number of different fall sports and football just got underway today.

Let's focus on what's happening (or what's going to be happening) on the gridiron. Here are the things I'll be looking out for in fall practice:

1) The Battle of the Quarterbacks

With Paul McCall out of the picture, the battle for who takes the snaps for the Golden Panthers comes down to Mississippi State transfer and former St. Thomas Aquinas standout Wesley Carroll [right], who was named All-SEC Freshman of the Year in 2007, and senior Wayne Younger, longly touted as one of the more athletic players on the squad but who was tended to struggle when he has the ball. Younger usually does a fantastic job in spring and that was the case in 2010 as he continues to show signs of improvement and he wasn't abysmal when he was put in games in 2009. But one has to think that Carroll holds the edge. The fact that he hasn't outright won the job yet is cause for some concern and I'm not completely sold on him just yet, but it will be interesting to see how this battle plays out in camp.

2) The Trenches

One of the oldest sayings in football is that games are won in the trenches. And they are absolutely right. And both the OL and DL last season were not where they needed to be for FIU to be successful last season. Paul McCall got bashed around all season long and the running game was stuffed for most of the season. On the other side, opposing quarterbacks had all day to throw the ball last season and running backs had similar free reign. If things are going to change, it starts right here. There is talent on these lines and the young bodies are getting bigger and stronger. But if FIU is going to make a significant jump this season and turn "L"s into "W"s, it's gonna start right here in these trenches. These are the guys that are going to make everyone look better or make everyone look worse.

3) New Bosses

The offense and defense have new guys calling the shots with new Offensive Coordinator Scott Satterfield and Defensive Coordinator Geoff Collins [right]. These two guys have brought in intriguing credentials to FIU. We saw what a Satterfield offense could do last season when Toledo marched all over the Golden Panthers at FIU Stadium in the 2009 home opener. The man knows how to run the spread ans has helped QBs thrive in it everywhere he goes. On the flip side, Collins has a reputation for turning things around and for bringing some intense energy to practice. It will be interesting to see how the players are responding to both of them and how their playcalling will change the pace and style of play.

4) On the Run?

Historically, the Golden Panthers have had plenty of trouble getting the running game going, mostly because of #2. But if the lines can finally get things turned around, then things might be looking up for FIU because of some of the men they have lining up behind the quarterback. Syracuse transfer and St. Thomas Aquinas standout Jeremiah Harden [left] joins the running corps and has brought a spark to the backfield, showing some impressive moves in spring. We can't forget about Darriet Perry, who was expected to burst out in 2009 after showing flashes of brilliance at the end of the 2008 season. With a new coordinator and with seemingly improved lines, both men, along with sophomore Darrian Mallary could be cause for concern for opposing defenses.

5) Locking It Down

Everyone knows how dangerous Anthony Gaitor is in the backfield. That's why quarterbacks on the opposing way often looked in the other direction when looking for an open field. And for the most part, that proved to be a useful startegy as opponents passed for 258.8 yards per game last season against the FIU backfield, which was also depleted by injuries and also plaugued by inexperience. The defensive backs are a young group, and whether or not they can stay healthy could determine whether FIU's pass protection will improve this season.

Adam Beasley Interview Coming Soon

I'm still learning the ropes when it comes to technology... So excuse me as I pull a Detective Dan Stark [left] and keep trying to figure out how to post the interview that aired on last week's Panther Sports Talk Live on here between Miami Herald writer and FIU beat writer Adam Beasley. It will be up in the next couple days as I seek help on the technological end of things.

It was a good interview and if you guys missed it, you'll definitely want to keep your eyes on the blog and listen to it when you get a chance!

One Time, At Band Camp...

Max: I'll do some digging and see what is happening at Band Camp. I have seen posters around campus asking any people who have experience or are interested in joining to sign up. I played a bit of trumpet in middle school but those days are long behind me! I'll find out what's happening on their end.

The 17.6 Million Dollar Question

2010-08-01T14:49:00.006-04:00

Ok, so I'm talking about 'Who Wants To Be a Millionaire' (Sorry, Regis) but I am talking about something dealing with a lot cash. And it is a pretty big deal. And whether this ends up being 'Deal or No Deal' could have a profound affect on the immediate future of FIU football.

When the state budget was announced on May 28th, it marked an interesting day for a number of reasons since a few projects were announced. But it was the $17.6 million allocated for the Student Support Complex that caught the attention of a number of astute FIU athletics supporters and of the Golden Panther community in general.

When the original plans for FIU Stadium [right, shown with the current north side bleachers] were drawn up, it was the Student Support Complex, which would house financial aid offices, advising and other student services, that was designed to be built in as part of the north side of the stadium as part of Phase III. So the initial question had to be asked: Was this what FIU fans had been waiting for? Did this mean the north side of the stadium had the green light?

Since May 28, the answer to those questions remains unclear. And Athletics is currently playing the waiting game, waiting for the process to play itself out. According to Asst. Athletic Director Julie Berg, who was kind enough to speak with me on the subject, said that Athletics was being advised on the situation but nothing more than that. The architect of the building is in the process of handing the university designs for the building and potential locations, with FIU Stadium likely being one of the candidates as a location, but it is unclear what the chances are for the stadium being chosen as the final location.

But one thing can be certain: the university won't be sitting on $17.6 million for long. When that much money is being handled, decisions tend to be made fairly quickly so it is simply a matter of time.

The main reason why FIU Stadium is not a sure lock to house the Student Support Complex is a logistical matter, the argument being that the stadium is too far away from where students usually gather on campus (Graham Center, Green Library, etc.).

But really, where else can a facility like this be built on a campus that already has boomed in terms of new buildings? Space is running out at MMC and putting the facility at FIU Stadium kills two birds with one stone: Gets the school a new facility for student services and finishes contruction of the north side of the stadium, something that is needed to improve the look of the facility. Plus, many schools around the country put buildings like the Student Support Complex as part of the stadium to have students around the stadium more often, building a connection between Athletics and the student body.

If the Student Support Complex winds up not being built at FIU Stadium, a number of new questions will be raised: What happens to Phase III? Will those plans be effectively placed on hold? What does this do to the future designs of the facility as a whole?

Athletics is confident that they will close the bowl and finish the stands on the north side of the stadium, but it is unclear how long this will delay construction on that part of the stadium.

We will try and get in contact with Facilities Management to see where things stand heading into the Fall semester and keep you updated on the progress of this process.

ADAM BEASLEY TOMORROW ON 'PSTL'

I will be hosting Panther Sports Talk Live on Radiate FM (95.3 Miami, 88.1 Homestead and 96.9 Ft. Lauderdale) and online at FIUSM.com tomorrow at 10 a.m. and will have an interview with FIU beat writer Adam Beasley on the Herald situation concerning FIU sports, his view on it, as well as talk about some of the big things to look out for as football is about a week away from preparing for the season opener on Sept. 11 against Rutgers at home.

Isiah Rumors Spurned... Again

2010-07-23T21:23:00.005-04:00

Another day, another Isiah Thomas rumored return to the NBA refuted.

Dan LeBatard stated on his show today and on his twitter account that the NBA Hall-of-Famer was meeting with officials from the New York Knicks in New Jersey today, strongly indicating the Thomas was likely on his way out. This according to a source whose info he trusted, but not personally.

It appears those rumors are false and FIU will be hanging on to Thomas for the time being. It wasn't the first time speculation grew about Isiah potentially leaving FIU and it probably won't be the last.

It is unsettling for fans of the team, having to hold their breathe every time someone comes out saying that Thomas was seen talking to NBA execs. But it is to be expected.

Thomas will continuing recruiting for Rakeem Christmas tomorrow in Orlando and will head out to recruit some more next week for some top talent, including point guard Josiah Turner, the fourth-ranked point guard in the 2011 recruiting class according to ESPN.

UPDATED: There's been a lot of stuff happening and along the way some stories may be "altered", but here's my story on the entire situation and what has so far culminated:

A source close to Isiah Thomas confirmed with FIU Student Media that the NBA hall-of-famer and current FIU head coach will not be leaving the Golden Panther bench after speculation grew Friday about the one-time New York Knicks coach reportedly meeting with officials from the Knicks organization about a job within the organization.

Speculation had grown that Thomas may have been leaving south Florida to return to New York as the general manager for the Knicks, but the source says that those speculations are false.

Thomas will be in Orlando on Saturday morning recruiting Rakeem Christmas, one of the top centers in the 2011 recruiting class, who is playing in a tournament over the weekend and at one point had the Golden Panthers in his top five schools in terms of recruitment.

FIU Athletics spokesman Paul Dodson confirmed Saturday that Thomas will be in Orlando on July 24 for recruiting purposes and will be staying with the team, confirming what the source had said on Friday afternoon.

The source also says that the Golden Panthers head coach will continue recruiting for the 2011 season next week, as FIU increases its efforts for point guard Josiah Turner, an ESPNU Top 100 player and the fourth highest ranked player in the 2011 recruiting class.

The rumors that Thomas may have been leaving for New York began when local radio host Dan LeBatard reported on his show Friday afternoon and on his twitter account around 4 p.m. that a source whose info he trusted “100 percent” but that he “couldn't personally trust less” reported that Thomas had met with Knicks officials in New Jersey about an administrative job within the organization.

Prior to LeBatard’s reports, the New York Post also reported that the New York Knicks denied any job offer being given to Isiah Thomas being given at this time.

Allan Houston has been reported as the front-runner for the general manager position in recent days, but current Knicks president of basketball operations Donnie Walsh has stated repeatedly that he will not be hiring a GM this summer.

After the Heat Wave

2010-07-20T17:10:00.004-04:00

Now that the excitement from the arrival of the "Trinasty" on South Beach [right] has somewhat cooled off and I finally have some downtime, it's time for us to kind of take a quick look at what to expect on campus this fall. There is a general feeling of mystery surrounding a lot of things concerning Golden Panthers athletics this summer heading into the fall. There are plenty of storylines being drawn out that will be followed closely and it will be fun to see how all of it plays out this fall.

It's been a pretty long summer but I'm finally back and it's time to get back into the groove of things since the fall semester is just around the corner and just about ready to kick off.

I've touched base with coaches Danijela Tomic and Munga Eketebi over the summer and they sounded pretty excited about their upcoming seasons in volleyball and men's soccer, respectively. Expect some big changes for this upcoming season in both sports and it will be intriguing to see how those changes translate on the court and on the pitch.

LIFE AFTER YARI

Of course, for volleyball the big white elephant in the room is the issue of replacing Yarimar Rosa [left] after her illustrious career at FIU came to a close late last year. Coach Tomic said quite frankly that there is no replacing a Yarimar Rosa. It's pretty difficult to argue that.

Tomic has gone out and brought in what she believes to be one of the best recruiting classes in the history of the program.

Some of the new athletes who will share the court this fall include Jessica Egan, Renele Ford, Una Trkjula, along with earlier commitments Jessica Gehrke and Briana Spruill.

Of course, the team returns a lot of its talent from the team that came one game away from winning the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in 2009 and defeated UM in the first round of the NCAA tourney.

Natalia Valentin, Jovana Bjelica and Chanel Araujo among others return this season and look to fill the void left behind by Rosa. Whether they will be able to do so will be answered on the court this fall. And it won't be easy with the team spending most of its season on the road, including 12 straight games away from the friendly confines of the The Bank to start the season.

ROSTER SHAKEUP

Meanwhile, the men's soccer program lost a few players of their own this past year as Jair Cabas [left in the blue jersey], who was second on the team in goals in 2009 with six, left to play for Miami FC of the North American Soccer League this spring. Fellow teammate and goalkeeper Phillip Lamarre went off to play for the newly-formed FC Tampa Bay Rowdies, a rival of Miami FC in the NASL.

But Coach Eketebi has been able to bring in some solid talent as it looks to turn its fortunes around this season after struggling mightily against Conference USA opponents over the past several seasons.

Sebastian Frings, who became an instant playmaker for the Golden Panthers as a freshman last season scoring a team-high nine goals (the first player to score that many goals for FIU since John Pulido scored nine goals in 2003), returns and is expected to play an even bigger role this season.

There are three confirmed recruits coming in for the Golden Panthers this fall, including goalkeeper Alex Bolowich from Chapel Hill, N.C. The location is no coincidence. Bolowich is the son of North Carolina Tar Heels soccer coach Elmar Bolowich, and has had plenty of success in the youth soccer system up in the Carolinas, winning the Addidas Golden Glove Award in 2008 and 2009.

Eketebi also scooped up midfielder Edgar Escobar from the North Broward Prep team that made it to the 3A State Championship game earlier this year and defender Jesse Henriquez from Langley, Va. The coach also hinted that there might be a few international players coming in to help add some punch to the roster.

It's expected to be one of the more competitive preseason camps at FIU this summer as a number of spots are up for grabs in what could be a revamped starting lineup going into the season.

Remember the Aggies!

2010-06-03T22:38:00.004-04:00

The time has come.

For the first time in eight years, the Golden Panthers have made it past the Sun Belt Conference tournament. It took Turtle Thomas three years to get this team, this squad, to this point. Steady progress.

But this season is still far from over, and the stage is set for an intriguing regionals featuring four teams that will without a doubt make for an interesting three days of baseball.

The first test for FIU: the Aggies of Texas A&M.

In case you didn't know, they take their baseball serious in Texas. And this Aggies team is no different. There are some interesting similarities between the two clubs: Both have strong hitting, both entered their respective conference tournaments this year as a No. 4 seed and both teams ended up as conference champions.

And both enter this tournament scorching hot.

The Aggies come into Coral Gables having won six straight and have won 18 of their last 21 games. They defeated in-state rival No. 1 Texas to win the Big XII tourney after getting swept by the Longhorns in the middle of the season. Make no mistake about it: Texas A&M is going to give FIU its money's worth.

PITCHING

One of the things that stands out about Texas A&M (and what might give them an edge in this short weekend Regional) is their impressive pitching unit, featuring three extremely capable starters and a lights-out closer.

The Aggies will put Barrett Loux [left] on the mound tomorrow. Loux has a stellar 2.53 ERA and has struck out a staggering 126 batters (A Big XII best) on his way to compiling a 10-2 record on the season.

And if the Golden Panthers offense, the best in the Sun Belt and which has a considerable amount of depth, is unable to get on Loux early and often, it could put FIU in a considerable hole.

If FIU finds themselves behind late in the game, the Aggies might bring out John Stilson to shut the door. And he is good at it. Stilson has been nothing short of remarkable, posting a 0.87 ERA and recording nine saves for Texas A&M.

As a team, the Aggies had the second best pitching staff on the mound with a team ERA of 3.48 and opponents have hit an underwhelming .243 against them.

It will be an intriguing matchup between the Sun Belt's top offense and one of the Big XII's premiere pitching staffs.

OFFENSE

We can't forget about Texas A&M at the plate. Their offense, while not quite as intimidating on paper as their pitching staff, has a number of weapons that make them a dangerous team for any respectable pitcher.

R.J. Fondon, who will get the start for FIU tomorrow, will have his hands full with Brodie Greene [right].

Greene is a threat on nearly all cylinders. He hits for power (12 homers, 16 doubles and a .692 slugging percentage), he hits for average (.392 batting average), he has speed (team-high 23 stolen bases), and he flat out knows how to get on base (96 overall hits was tops in the Big XII this season). Not to mention he has a flair for the heroics, smashing a walk-off home run against Baylor in the Big XII championship game to give the Aggies the automatic bid.

As a team, Texas A&M was seventh in overall offense in the Big XII with a .301 team average. They totaled 57 home runs on the year and knocked in 325 RBI.

It'll be important for Fondon to keep Greene neutralized and to set the tone early. If the Aggies can get to Fondon early and dig into the FIU bullpen, depleted by injury, it could be a very long game for the Golden Panthers.

For more information on tomorrow's matchup, check out a preview writeup by FIUSM Sports Director Jay Ramos. We will both be broadcasting tomorrow's game LIVE on Radiate FM and WRGP.org at noon, so don't miss out!

IN OTHER NEWS...

Garrett Wittels [left] keeps picking up more love, earning a spot on the Louisvill Slugger NCAA Division I All-American First Team. Last year, former Golden Panther Tyler Townsend earned a spot on that squad. For more info, check out my write up on FIUSM.com!

Wittels keeps on receiving love for his accomplishments on the field and he just continues to impress at every turn. With his streak at 54 games, it will be interesting to see if the streak can continue against a pitching staff as strong as Texas A&M's. It'll be Wittels vs. Barrett Loux tomorrow afternoon. We'll see who wins that matchup.

Hurricane Watch and Tourney-Tuvry

2010-06-01T10:48:00.008-04:00

Who would have thought that just a few weeks ago the Golden Panthers would be invited to the Coral Gables regional with UM, Garrett Wittels would be just four games shy of tying the all-time NCAA hit streak record and that FIU would be the 2010 Sun Belt Conference champions?

But lo and behold, that is exactly what has unfolded and now the national media is swarming around Garrett Wittels like John Madden on a turducken [right] on Thanksgiving.

But the thing that is on everyone's mind? A potential matchup against the Hurricanes. It would be the first time the two teams lock horns since the 2008 season when Jim Morris and Co. decided to sever the annual series that dated back several decades.

Now it seems the two are on a crash course to square off against each other and the story lines involved would send everyone even more into a frenzy. Turtle Thomas vs. Jim Morris [left]. Cross-town rivalry renewed. The Canes' attempt to stop Wittels from making history. And putting it on a stage like this only makes it sweeter.

How did FIU manage to get here? Simply by doing what they have been able to do best throughout the season: hit the ball and score a boatload of runs.

The deeper the Golden Panthers advanced into the tournament, the more the odds swung in their favor as pitching staffs began to find themselves depleted. The door was left wide open for the top Sun Belt offensive unit to wreck damage. And thankfully for the offense, the pitching managed to barely hang on.

Jeremy "The General" Patton was without a doubt the best offensive player for the Golden Panthers throughout the tournament and earned the 2010 Sun Belt Tournament Most Oustanding Player award. The versatile infielder hit a whopping .422 in the tourney to go along with his four long balls and 10 RBI to help boost that lineup tremendously in the absence of Tim Jobe and Jabari Henry. The Golden Panthers needed people to step on offense and there was no shortage of people stepping up.

Along with General Patton, Garrett Wittels and Pablo Bermudez were named to the SBC All-Tournament Team for their efforts.

On the mound, the pitching staff could not have been more overworked: Eric Berkowitz pitched in four of the six tournament games, a number of pitchers had to pitch with no rest at all, and it was a miracle that this staff was able to hang on. This staff deserves a lot of credit, but for me the one guy that stood out was Scott Rembisz. After a senior season filled with ups and downs, he comes up big late in the season and here in the tournament bails the Panthers out of a number of close calls and sealed the deal in the championship game after pitching 6+ innings the day before. Talk about rising to the occasion. Rembisz did just that and then some.

We'll have some more info on Texas A&M, who the Golden Panthers face in the first game of Regionals on Friday at noon at Alex Rodriguez Park, later on in the week.

What a ride it has been so far and it looks like it is only going to get crazier as the weekend approaches.

Are You Ready For Some Futbol?

2010-04-08T09:50:00.007-04:00

Miami FC's new season begins on Saturday! It's been a long and interesting off season for the club... as most of you know Miami FC helped spearhead a movement to revive the North American Soccer League (NASL) along with eight other teams, some of which also jumped ship from the struggling USL. Next season, the NASL plans on adding a new franchise in Edmonton and the Atlanta Silverbacks return to the pitch. For this season, both the NASL and USL are together in the USSF Second Division. Next season the USSF will decide which league will act as the true second division.

You can check out more info on the new NASL at their NEW UPDATED SITE and also check out the official Miami FC blog titled "Behind the Blues".

It's exciting times for the squad and the 2010 season seems like a brand new era, especially with a strong team taking the pitch this season filled with a solid core from last year's group plus some extremely valuable MLS experience. The most notable signing for the Blues was 2006 MLS MVP Christian Gomez, an Argentinian midfielder who has had great success. The team also returns fan favorites Zach Kirby, Jarryd Goldberg, Paulo Araujo Jr. and others as they try and make a strong playoff run.

The team will play exclusively at Lockhart Stadium this season, which has quite a history with soccer in South Florida and the team is looking to add to that history and leave their own footprints.

Make no mistake, this is a brand new era for Miami FC and soccer fans in the area, both in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, need to pay close attention and make it out to as many of the 15 home games slated for this season as possible. This is probably the strongest team Traffic has put together since the team began in 2006, up and down the lineup you can tell this team will be extremely competitive from the front lines to the goalkeepers.

The season opener is this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Lockhart. Hope to see some of you guys there!

#19

2010-03-30T18:10:00.001-04:00

It took me a couple days to actually sit down with the right frame of mind to write the following. I wrote this on Saturday morning and it will come out in almost its original form in the March 31 edition of 'The Beacon'. Here is the original version of the column with some modified parts. I have been keeping Kendall's family, friends, teammates and coaches in my prayers and I hope you all will continue to do the same. All pictures in this post were taken by Victoria Lynch. This is how I will always remember Kendall Berry:

I only talked to Kendall Berry one time. A twist of fate I never realized until I heard the heart-wrenching news on March 25.

Called to cover for our football beat, I flew over with the team to Middle Tennessee last season to cover that game for The Beacon up in Mufreesboro, Tennessee. It was a rough night for FIU on the whole, but one guy stood out. One player broke through.

That player was Kendall Berry.

When the Golden Panthers needed a spark in the game, Berry was there to provide it. That night he scored three touchdowns and ran for 103 yards on 19 carries in a loss to the Blue Raiders. In a night where the offense struggled, this redshirt sophomore receiver-turned-running-back who started the season fourth on the depth chart broke through and delivered, arguably, the performance of the season. Berry and the Panthers also debuted their version of the WildCat, dubbed the "WildBerry" since the running back was the one handling the snaps.

We interviewed him after the game, and he talked to us about how they needed to keep working and how they wanted to change things up on offense. And then we said thanks and he walked away. That conversation has played in my mind the last couple days as I have helped contribute to the story coming out Monday's Beacon on Berry... I never thought that would be the last time I talked to him. Never thought he might have his life cut short a few short months later.

He was one of us. He was a Golden Panther. He was a student trying to build a future for himself. He was a brother of seven other siblings and a son to two loving parents.

I only talked to him once, but I wish I could have had a chance to talk to him more. But I was blessed to have gotten that opportunity to talk to him for just a few minutes. In those short moments, I could tell he was a hard worker that would not quit. That despite this great game he just had, after having to fight for playing time on that field, he was not satisfied. He would keep on looking forward, looking for ways to improve.

We forget how fragile life can truly be. Tomorrow is never a guarantee, but it is a gift. Every single day is a gift. And Berry used those gifts to become everything he could be. Many who were in his position, after a missing an entire season due to a serious knee injury and being asked to adjust to a new position where he would be forced to compete for playing time, may have just called it quits or gone on to other things. But he persevered. And when the opportunity came, he seized it without hesitation and took charge. A testimony to the kind of athlete and person he was.

Kendall Berry gave FIU great memories and his life will be celebrated and remembered and cherished. Let's not forget what he accomplished both on and off the field and the person he was outside of it.

We will miss you, #19.

Kendall Berry (1987-2010)

2010-03-27T17:27:00.005-04:00

It's been a rough few days for the FIU community with the loss of Kendall Berry (right, photo courtesy of Victoria Lynch) to an act of senseless violence. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends who must be feeling so much pain. I'll have more thoughts on this in the coming days, but for now let us mourn and remember all that he has done. Thanks for the memories, Kendall. The FIU community will never forget you.

A suspect has been arrested in the case, former walk-on defensive back Quentin Wyche, who has had previous altercations with the law. It has been a horrifying ordeal that we will not soon forget.

Radiate FM Baseball Broadcast Schedule

2010-03-22T14:01:00.006-04:00

Sadly, Spring Break is now over and it's back to work for me and the thousands of other FIU students, but here's a little something for all of you on this Manic and Rainy Monday!

Here is the broadcast schedule for the rest of the season on Radiate FM (95.3, 88.1 and 96.9 FM). Our online stream is currently down, but should be back up soon. When it is, you can also listen to us on WRGP.org. Our next broadcast is for tomorrow's game against Jacksonville. Keep it locked!

BROADCAST SCHEDULE (Subject to Change)

Tues. March 23 vs. Jacksonville - 6 p.m.

Wed. March 24 vs. Jacksonville - 3 p.m.

Fri. April 2 vs. Louisiana - 7 p.m.

Sat. April 3 vs. Louisiana - 6 p.m.

Sun. April 4 vs. Louisiana - 1 p.m.

Wed. April 14 vs. Bethune Cookman - 6 p.m.

Fri. April 16 vs. New Orleans - 7 p.m.

Sat. April 17 vs. New Orleans - 6 p.m.

Sun. April 18 vs. New Orleans - 1 p.m.

Sat. May 1 vs. ULM - 6 p.m.

Sun. May 2 vs. ULM - 1 p.m.

Fri. May 14 vs. South Alabama - 7 p.m.

Sat. May 15 vs. South Alabama - 6 p.m.

Sun. May 16 vs. South Alabama - 1 p.m.

Thurs. May 20 @ Florida Atlantic - 6 p.m.

Fri. May 21 @ Florida Atlantic - 6 p.m.

Sat. May 22 @ Florida Atlantic - 1 p.m.

Trojan Invasion

2010-03-19T12:21:00.006-04:00

The Trojans are coming! And that means that conference play is about to begin for the Golden Panthers. And it will be a telling match up since both of these teams believe that they have what it takes to be contenders in the tough Sun Belt Conference.

Scouting the Trojans

The Trojans are 7-8 (0-3 on the road) so far this season and they are have faced some difficult opponents thus far in the season, getting swept by a ranked Arkansas team. They've also begun conference play with a home series against the Hooters of Florida Atlantic. Interestingly enough, the Dirty Birds managed to steal two of three from the Trojans. It's to early to tell what this means for the Trojans, but the Panthers will find out more tonight.

Pitching has been a question mark for Troy, much like it has been for FIU this season. Their team ERA is 5.91 and opposing teams have hit .280 off Trojan pitching. Trojan ace Andrew Dickinson is 2-1 with a 4.38 ERA in four starts so far this season. Their pitching staff also has a tendency to give the long ball, coughing up 25 home runs in 15 games. FIU has slightly better numbers, coming into tonight's game with a team ERA of 5.51, but teams have hit .303 against Golden Panther pitching this season. The Trojans are more than capable of raising that number.

Expect the scoreboard operator to be the busiest person at FIU Baseball Stadium this weekend. Both of these teams can hit.

As a team, the Trojans are hitting .321 (compared to FIU's .336) and have muscled 27 home runs this season. They have power, and if FIU pitching is not on point then get ready for some serious fireworks. keep an eye out for Adam Bryant (left), who leads the team in the long ball category with six of them to go along with his hefty .350 batting average. Up an down the lineup, their appears to be very few chinks in the Trojans' armor.

In short, if you like offense, you don't want to miss this series. You might want to bring a tent and some sleeping bags also. These are the kind of games that might last for hours on end.

Bottomline, FIU pitching has to find a way of neutralizing and limiting the damage. If FIU plays like they did against Rutgers, bring out the brooms.

Bouncing Back

FIU notched a couple of victories over the week, recovering after their lackluster weekend against Rutgers. With victories over an impressive Florida Gulf Coast team and Southern Utah, which saw pitcher Daniel DeSimone (left) pitch his first complete game in his Golden Panther career. It took him 130 pitches to do it, but DeSimone came through and shut down the Thunderbirds and gave the bullpen a much deserved (and necessary) rest heading into the weekend.

Desimone said afterwards: "It was a great game, felt good. took me five innings to start getting it right. I told Coach [Turtle Thomas] yesterday I would throw a complete game today to save the bullpen. I was just trying to hold my end of the bargain."

TGFSB!

2010-03-13T14:53:00.008-05:00

Thank God For Spring Break (TGFSB)! Days like this make me very happy to be a college student: Now I can sleep, hit the gym and make it out to the ballpark without worrying about exams, projects or any of that other stuff. And now I have time to get back to bloggin'.

It's been a while, but I'm back! A lot has happened in Panther Land since my last post so let's get right to it.

Basketball Season Mercifully Ends

It was a long first season for head coach Isiah Thomas (left), but it has come to an end after a first round exit against the Denver Pioneers. FIU put up a fight, but playing without J.C. Otero after his knee injury on senior day against Western Kentucky and Marvin Roberts and Martavius Kee due to violation of team rules was too much for the short-handed Golden Panthers to overcome.

And with that fans can now look to next season, where Isiah will bring his highly-ranked recruiting class to The Bank this coming fall. Will Dominique Ferguson, Phil Taylor, Richard Pauck and the rest of the 2010 class deliver the same kind of impact that Mike Jarvis's (right) kids had in the Rat's Mouth? Still too early to tell.

It should be an interesting year in the Sun Belt Conference next season. North Texas won the tournament in Hot Springs, signaling what could be a new era in SBC basketball; an era where any team can win the conference in any given year. And with teams like FAU, FIU, Troy and others making strides to compete in The Belt, it should be fun to watch.

Meanwhile, best of luck to North Texas in the NCAA Tournament. Maybe they'll make some waves for the conference.

It's "The Jabari Henry Show"!

It's been an interesting week for FIU baseball, winning two of four games in the Coca-Cola Classic in Surprise, Arizona and splitting a two-game weekday series against Boston College.

Today, FIU dropped both games in a double-header with the Rutgers, a disappointing affair that saw the pitching and defense fail at all levels against a low-tier Big East club.In both games combined, the Golden Panthers gave up 31 runs and 39 hits while committing 10 errors. Not what you want to see heading into conference play.

Three things that really stood out this week:

1. I find it strange that Jabari Henry walks up to the batter's box with "You're a Jerk" by New Boyz, but if he continues to hit home runs than he can play whatever song he wants to and opposing pitchers will never be able to listen to the song without thinking of Mr. Henry. In the 18-14 slugfest victory against Boston College on Wednesday, Mar. 10, Henry smashed a grand slam and a 3-run blast, giving him 7 RBIs on the night. And then he became one of the bright spots in the double header Mar. 13 against Rutgers, smashing three home runs in those two games, including another grand slam. That's right, the freshman from Orlando, FL belted two grand slams in a week now leads the team in RBIs and slugging percentage. He's beginning to make a case for himself as an everyday outfielder.

2. Defense, defense, defense. The Golden Panthers need to bunker down across the diamond. Too many mistakes are forcing the pitching staff to do more than they should be doing. Not only that, but it's giving opposing offense a chance to do some real damage. It looked like things might have been improving early on, but slowly it's becoming more like the defense of old.

3. Pitching could become an issue by the time Sun Belt play rolls around. Lack of depth in the rotation plus some inconsistency in the bullpen could cost FIU some victories. But Bryam Garcia has emerged as a real gem and will most likely get the nod at closer from here on out. No reason to believe otherwise.

After the finale of the Rutgers series on Mar. 14 and a couple of weekday games, FIU kicks off conference play against Troy in a series that will be very telling as to where this team really is this season.

More Baseball Notes...

Centerfielder Lamar Guy was kicked off the team for "violating team rules" and third baseman Garrett Wittels, the team's leading hitter who came in to the weekend with a 12-game hitting streak, was suspended for both of today's games for also violating team rules. The team denied to comment further on either players' situation.

The New Schedule and the Verdict...

2010-03-03T11:27:00.004-05:00

The 2010 FIU football schedule has been released and here it is in all its glory:

Sept. 4 - Open

Sept. 11 - RUTGERS

Sept. 18 - TEXAS A&M

Sept. 25 - MARYLAND

Oct. 2 - PITT

Oct. 9 - WKU*

Oct. 16 - NORTH TEXAS*

Oct. 23 - Open

Oct. 30 - FAU*

Nov. 6 - ULM*

Nov. 13 - TROY*

Nov. 20 - LOUISIANA*

Nov. 27 - ARKANSAS STATE*

Dec. 4 - MIDDLE TENNESSEE*

(BOLD indicates HOME, * indicates conference matchup)

One word describes this schedule: Yikes. An open week in the first week, again, is going to be a killer Especially by the time conference play comes around. The other open date is scheduled nicely the week before the FAU game, which is now in the middle of the season rather than at the end. It's an interesting move, but it would have served both schools well to have the game played right off the bat in the beginning of the season. It would have been a fun start to the season for both and I think would have served well to have the rivalry moved up to the beginning, when both teams are fresh and healthy and ready to go. Looks like a lost opportunity to me.

The first half of that schedule, like in the past, is going to be difficult. Not a killer like last season, but very tough. It's very early, but the best chance FIU has at a victory is against Rutgers at home. Besides an outside chance of surprising Maryland on the road, it looks like another long start of the season for the Golden Panthers.

The best time FIU has a chance of turning things around is back-to-back games against WKU and North Texas, but after that the road is difficult. The two final games of the season are at home which could be of help, but the season finale victory against Middle Tennessee at home is a tall order. FIU needs to take care of business in the middle of the season if there is going to be any talk of "bowling".

But it is way too early to tell.

Spring practice kicks off today at 3:45 and gives fans an opportunity to get a first look at what 2010 may bring for the team. There are a lot of holes that need to be plugged if there is going to be a substantial improvement, especially with this type of schedule.

"Comeback Cats" and Baseball Notes

2010-03-01T14:25:00.009-05:00

After an exciting weekend of baseball at FIU, we get a bit of a better picture of what this team is capable of and where there might be problems going into the rest of the season. Oral Roberts is a solid team that gave the team a fight, especially on Saturday and Sunday. On both of those last games, the Golden Panthers were just outs away from being 4-2 instead of 6-0. But the fact that this young team has shown the ability to come back is impressive and shows that they have a lot of resiliency.

DIAMOND NOTES

Bryam Garcia looks like he is going to be a great pitcher after he finally made his first appearance on Sunday. Looks like he could definitely become the permanent closer in the next couple of weeks. He had some great stuff and looked like that guy that can come in and get the job done. He also showed that he can get himself out of trouble after a bases loaded jam in the ninth in his second inning of work.

And what has gotten into Lamar Guy? He became Mr. Clutch in the last two games of this series with a walk-off single on Saturday night and a walk-off sacrifice fly Sunday afternoon. He also got things going with some nice singles. He did look ugly swinging out off speed pitches, but when he got the pitch he wanted, he made the opposing pitcher pay for it.

Aaron Arboleya had another good start Sunday afternoon and I think it's safe to say that he will remain as the No. 3 starter for the Panthers. Coach Turtle Thomas likes R.J. Fondon coming out of the bullpen, since he would be the only left-hander option to come out of the pen. Look to see Fondon make some mid-week starts as the season progresses.

Someone realized that the white numbers on the white jerseys wasn't exactly a good idea and they stitched blue numbers onto them. An upgrade both fashion-wise and for the eyes, too. The old-school jerseys looked stylish as usual.

And the defense needs to improve... drastically. Pitching was mostly sharp, offense was on point, but it was the defense that nearly killed FIU. The D looked sharp against Maryland for the most part, but against Oral Roberts it was shoddy at times. The team committed five errors on Saturday and Junior Arrojo booted a couple balls during the series that could have been the back-breaker for the Panthers, especially when a potential game-ending double play ball went right through his legs in the ninth on Saturday. On the bright side, Garrett Wittels is playing like a human highlight reel at 3rd base, making diving stops and throwing lasers across the diamond. He has been the most consistent player on the diamond and at the plate this season for FIU.

Going 6-0 is a real confidence booster going into the first road trip of the season, especially as they prepare to face #2 Arizona State in the final game of this tournament in Surprise, AZ. It's going to take a combined effort from the offense to come back from the tournament with a batch of wins.

Five Key Players for FIU Baseball in 2010

2010-02-15T15:39:00.009-05:00

It's that time of the year again!

FIU baseball is about to begin its 2010 season this Friday against Maryland, the same school that tried to lure Coach Turtle Thomas (right) away from the FIU bench. The team is missing many pieces from last season's turnaround campaign, including offensive juggernaut Tyler Townsend (left), starting pitcher Tom Ebert, second baseman Ryan Mollica and Steven Stropp being the most notable loses. And these guys were staples in 14-game turnaround form last season.

Despite these losses, can the Panthers manage to build on last season's success or will they take a big step in the wrong direction? Coaches in the Sun Belt think FIU will be just fine, as they are projected to finish 3rd in the SBC Preseason Coaches' Poll, behind Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky. Coach Thomas says that the burden is going to fall on the entire team to pick up the slack left behind.

Here are five players that will be vital if FIU is going to take the next step and not lose a beat:

1) Tim Jobe: With Tyler Townsend gone, it will be up to several players to fill the gap left in his place. But leading that effort to fill that void will no doubt be 2010 Preseason All-Sun Belt first baseman Tim Jobe (right), who was fourth in batting average (.364) and tied for second in home runs (10). He also added 48 RBIs and 15 doubles in what was one of the strongest offensive performances from last season. No doubt, the strength of this team rests in its ability to generate runs. And much of that will hinge on how well Jobe does.

2) R.J. Fondon: The sophomore southpaw will pick up the starting pitching void left by the departure of Tom Ebert. Since Miguel Mejia, who didn't qualify to play in his freshman year and has now gone pro, will not pitch for the Panthers, it'll be up to Fondon to really step up as FIU's #2 guy. He performed fairly well last season, making seven starts last season and compiling a team-high seven victories overall while only dropping two decisions. He must improve his 5.05 ERA from last season, and if he does that, he could keep FIU in a lot of games last season.

3) Raiko Alfonso: The defense struggled last season, ranking ninth in field percentage in the conference last year while committing close to 100 errors as a team. With Mollica graduating, the Panthers will most likely look to Alfonso, who saw a lot of action at second after Mollica was injured last season, to fill in at second. Offensively, Alfonso batted .300 but also had 28 strikeouts and committed 10 errors on defense. He needs to become more consistent this season if he expects to fill in Mollica's shoes.

4) Bryam Garcia: Coach Thomas thinks very highly of Garcia (left), and is expected to carry a bulk of the closer duties this season. He was unable to play last season, but bullpen needs someone who can come in and seal the deal in the later innings, and Garcia just might be the guy to do the job. He comes in as a junior and could be a valuable addition to a bullpen that struggled mightily to hang on to games last season.

5) Sean Reilly/Doug Joyce: With Stropp graduating, the catcher spot could be a two-headed monster featuring both Reilly and Joyce. They both shared almost equal playing time, but it was Reilly who mustered better numbers at the plate (.387) compared to Joyce (.115) . Still, with catcher being one of the most important positions on the diamond, it'll be interesting to see who steps up in that role. Reilly might win out that position battle, but don't be surprised to see both get playing time early on.

USSF Division 2 Schedule Released

2010-02-09T11:57:00.004-05:00

It's official! Miami FC's schedule for the 2010 regular season has been released. It is a 30-game schedule that kicks off on Apr. 10 at home against the Rochester Rhinos and runs till October. Some of the highlights of the schedule include starting of the season with four consecutive home games and six of the first seven at home before going on the road for most of July and August, four matches against inaugural Tampa Bay FC (the first being on May 1 here in Miami) and finishing up the season on Oct. 2 against Puerto Rico. Also, many of the matches are on Saturdays with eight matches being played during the week, although one of those games is on a Friday.

Here's the complete Miami FC schedule with the home games in bold:

Saturday, Apr 10 Rochester at Miami

Saturday, Apr 17 Vancouver at Miami

Saturday, May 1 Tampa at Miami

Saturday, May 8 Carolina at Miami

Saturday, May 15 Miami at Minnesota

Saturday, May 22 Minnesota at Miami

Wednesday, May 26 Austin at Miami

Wednesday, Jun 2 Miami at Puerto Rico

Sunday, Jun 6 Miami at Montreal

Wednesday, Jun 9 Baltimore at Miami

Saturday, Jun 12 Portland at Miami

Saturday, Jun 19 Miami at Austin

Saturday, Jun 26 Austin at Miami

Sunday, Jul 4 Miami at Tampa

Saturday, Jul 10 Miami at Portland

Wednesday, Jul 14 Miami at Vancouver

Saturday, Jul 17 Puerto Rico at Miami

Sunday, Jul 25 Miami at Tampa

Saturday, Jul 31 Miami at Austin

Wednesday, Aug 4 Miami at Baltimore

Saturday, Aug 7 Miami at Puerto Rico

Saturday, Aug 14 Tampa at Miami

Wednesday, Aug 18 Miami at Carolina

Saturday, Aug 21 Miami at Rochester

Sunday, Sep 5 Miami at St. Louis

Saturday, Sep 11 Montreal at Miami

Friday, Sep 17 Miami at Rochester

Wednesday, Sep 22 St. Louis at Miami

Saturday, Sep 25 Rochester at Miami

Saturday, Oct 2 Puerto Rico at Miami

Here is the official NASL Release link.

What do you think of the schedule? Do you like the way it is set up? The regional scheduling split?

A Few Minutes With Scott Satterfield

2010-02-04T11:13:00.012-05:00

Has FIU found Mr. (W)Right? NSD Thoughts and More...

Yesterday marked another step forward for the FIU football program as they picked up arguably the strongest recruiting class in its young history (at least on paper). The big story of the day was Willis Wright (right) staying home and joining former teammate T.Y. Hilton as a Panther. Mr. Wright became the first FIU recruit to come from the ESPNU Top 150 and made FIU the only non-BCS team to snag a player from that group. Jake Medlock seems to be the quarterback of the future for the Panthers after Wesley Carroll graduates and with seven total linemen signed (5 on the the DL, 2 on the OL) the lines should get bigger. Could have been a couple more offensive linemen, but Coach Cristobal stated that they might look into adding more beef on those lines from the JUCO ranks in the next couple months.

Check out all the FIU signing day coverage to appear in tomorrow's edition of The Beacon. The entire sports section is devoted to in-depth coverage and analysis of this year's recruiting class and much more. So if you're on campus tomorrow, pick one up.

Scott Satterfield Speaks

I had a chance to meet new offensive coordinator Scott Satterfield (left) yesterday and we were able to discuss what kind of future he has in mind for some of FIU's newest additions and his aspirations for this program on offense this year and beyond:

Cup of Joel: Thanks for taking the time to talk to us. I wanted to start with Jake Medlock. How do you expect to implement him into your offense and how do you think that injury he had is going to affect him?

Scott Satterfield: Well the injury remains to be seen. I spoke to him last week he's back to 100%, he's gotta continue to build his strength back into that arm. We'll know about that injury when he gets here over the summertime and comes to start working out with us. He's got good size and has a good arm on him. And his dad's a football coach so he understands the game. Once he gets here we'll figure out what his true strengths are and then we'll utilize those into the offense.

COJ: As a quarterback, you must understand the importance of having an offensive line. What do you think about these incoming offensive linemen?

SS: We lost some of the guys from last year, but we have a good young group coming in. Some guys that were redshirted and some guys that played last season as freshmen and those guys have been doing a great job in the offseason getting stronger, working on their feet. I think those guys going forward give us a good chance to do what we're trying to do. We signed two kids, good size kids, that are tackles and we needed some help outside at tackle. And those guys, whether they can play next year or not remains to be seen. But we feel that we have at least eight good linemen right now on campus that could help us out this year.

COJ: With the incoming receivers, it adds depth to that position with T.Y., Wright and others. How do you plan on getting them the ball next season?

SS: We're gonna use a lot of multiple sets to get these guys on the field and obviously, there's just one football, so we're going to try to install an offense that is an unselfish offense. When these guys get an opportunity to make a play, then they gotta make the play whenever that may be. We're gonna try and spread the wealth around, so they can't key in on one guy. So we'll spread the field with these guys, hopefully we can put four or five of them out there and the defense is gonna have to defend them all. And that's gonna leave a one-on-one match up with guys like T.Y., with the guys we're bringing in. And we're gonna win that battle when its one-on-one.

COJ: The running game had some problems getting going last season. Now you got Jeremiah Harden (right) coming in, you got Kedric Rhodes coming in. How are you going to expand that rush offense?

SS: I think we certainly have to stick with the running game. It becomes a mentality; we have to emphasize it, and practice it throughout the spring, and through two-a-days and throughout the season, and not just give up on it. We gotta stick with it, get those guys up front to get more physical and then when you put someone in the backfield... you may get one yard, or two yards, but eventually they'll spit through. We just have to stick with it and be more patient with the running game.

COJ: At Toledo, in one season there you were able to revamp that offense. With that kind of experience, how do you plan on turning this offense into a better offense?

SS: First of all, once we get in here we see the talent and see what we have. And our whole deal is that we're gonna try and get the 11 best guys on the field, whoever that may be, and get them playing at 100 miles per hour, playing hard from the moment that whistle blows to the time the whistle stops the play. That's the first thing we have to do. When we do that on a consistent basis, the yards and points are going to come. We got to instill that into the kids and once that happens, the guys getting the ball into their hands they'll put points on the board.

Monday Hits!

2010-01-25T10:55:00.008-05:00

SUPER BOWL: Saints vs. Colts? Should be great! Two great quarterbacks leading two highly potent offenses should lead to a high-scoring and tension-raising Super Bowl weekend! I'm telling you, Super Bowl weekend should be turned into a national holiday with people taking the day off the following Monday. Just wait and see, Congress will come around...

FIU MEN'S BASKETBALL: A terrific victory over UALR as a boost of confidence for a team that needs it. Marvin Roberts (left), who was also celebrating his birthday, had himself a terrific day at The Bank, scoring 28 points and dropping bombs from beyond the arc all night. Can the team take this win and build on it next weekend at FAU? FAU has been playing tough, but maybe they can pull a win off. Either way, a solid win that keeps the team within striking distance in the conference.

FLORIDA PANTHERS: Bad news - Horton is out with a broken leg... big blow for the team. Good news - Panthers pick up a nice win over Toronto. And I can't stand the Maple Leafs so it's twice as nice for me.

MIAMI HEAT: A nice win for the bi-polar heat over the Kings. How is it that they get destroyed by Charlotte but then can manhandle Sacramento? It is beyond me...

NASL/USL COMPROMISE: It's an interesting compromise that should be able to pave the way for the NASL in 2011, and Miami FC should be able to live on... for now. Soccer fans in the area, especially in Miami-Dade, need to step up their support if they want to keep the team in Miami... there is a strong possibility of the team moving to Ft. Lauderdale for 2011 or maybe even 2010. We'll just have to wait and see. Plus, a schedule should be coming out sometime this week. Will have thoughts when that comes out. Stay tuned...

GEOFF COLLINS TWITTER: If you haven't heard about new FIU defensive coordinator Geoff Collins's twitter account, you should check it out HERE. His latest tweet: "tBDitN... We 'bout to DOMINATE!!!"

FIU Has a New Offensive Coordinator...

2010-01-16T10:26:00.004-05:00

... and his name is Scott Satterfield. Satterfield was the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Toledo this past season, and did a pretty good job at dismantling our defense when they came over to The Cage this past season in a 41-31 win over FIU.

I'll admit it, I am skeptical about this hire. He doesn't have the longest (or the most impressive) resume in the world or the kind of experience that other candidates in the running have had. And he has never run a COMPLETE offense by himself, although he has called passing plays for a Toledo offense that ranked No. 13 in the country in 2009 (In passing offense they ranked No. 19). To be fair, it was Toledo's defense (ranked No. 95) that struggled and probably kept the Rockets from going bowling last season.

At Appalachian St., he was the receivers coach, then the running backs coach and then from 2003-2008 was the quarterbacks coach, where he helped power one of the best offenses in FCS football due in part to a switch from a power-I formation to a spread offense. That encourages me a bit: Satterfield is familiar with the spread and has been able to be VERY effective whenever his offenses have implemented it.

This hire doesn't look like it's going to help our running game any. It looks like with this hire we just might be a pass heavy team with a guy that is a quarterback running the show. This might not be a bad thing considering that the Golden Panther run game has been non-existent for a very long time. Plus, it might make for an exciting offense that might open up opportunities for the running backs. Who knows? Looks like Wesley Carroll will be able to chuck it a lot.

The big question mark and red flag is his recruiting capabilities... he's only been coaching at the FBS level for one season and didn't have much of a chance to recruit. Will he be able to bring in big, solid linemen from the north? Will he be able to attract well? Or will he leave all that to Cristobal? It's too early to tell.

So I guess we'll wait and see what he is able to do with an entire offense under his command, but I'm not as psyched about this hiring as I was about the Collins hire.

But it looks like we may have an exciting, fast-paced, no-huddle spread offensive attack that will be able to catch defenses off guard and put points on the board in a big way. And I would be all for it. We'll see.

Who Should Be the Offensive Coordinator?

2010-01-08T11:21:00.005-05:00

Geoff Collins is officially the new defensive coordinator, and now it seems appropriate to shift our focus to the other side of the football. The list of potential offensive coordinators is not as impressive as the defensive coordinator list was, but there are some interesting things to look at from some of the candidates. The candidates can be seen HERE and HERE, both per Pete Pelegrin.

But before we go into who should be the offensive coordinator, there is one name on that list that should be scratched off before you are done reading this post: FIU running backs coach Mike Cassano. At this point, NO ONE on this coaching staff should be promoted to anything. The running backs were pretty unspectacular last season and if he wants a coordinator job, he should look elsewhere.

That being said, one candidate on the offensive coordinator list does stand out slightly, and it appears that he might bring the kind of experience with the spread to make it work in The Cage. So, without further delay, the Cup of Joel endorses former Bowling Green OC and Head Coach Gregg Brandon for FIU's vacant offensive coordinator position.

This one was tougher than the DC endorsement, especially with a guy like Rob Spence from Syracuse and Clemson in the mix, but Coach Brandon knows the spread system very well. That means the transition from Legg to Gregg may be an easier one.

If you look at the total offense for Virginia in his only year there last season, it wasn't pretty... 118th in the nation. But we have to realize the spread was something that Coach Brandon was trying to implement over there, and those athletes obviously were not well suited for the switch. We would not have that program.

As the head honcho over at Bowling Green from 2003-2008 (Note: he was the offensive coordinator under Urban Meyer from 2000-2002 when he was the head coach there), Brandon did a pretty good job, compiling a 44-30 overall record and three bowl appearances over that span. The total offense was always solid during his tenure never dropping below 60th in the country and in 2004 was ranked 2nd in the country in total offense.

It just seems like he might be a good fit... I'm not exactly excited about him, but he should suffice. And it could be worse... especially if a guy like Cassano gets it.

Links:
Wikipedia - Gregg Brandon
NCAA Stats from 2000-2008 Gregg Brandon Bio via UVA site

Off the Wall: ESPN Zone in Miami and the Pepsi Outrage

2010-01-05T11:45:00.013-05:00

It's Tuesday. School is back in session. And I'm at FIU's Biscayne Campus thinking about how my visit to the ESPN Club in Disney's BoardWalk a week ago. And then it hit me... maybe Miami should have an ESPN Zone. New York has one. LA has one. Heck, Vegas and Baltimore have one, too! I think it just might be a huge success down here, especially considering all the major sports events this town: frequent Super Bowls, the Orange Bowl and occasionally the National Championship game, a potential World Cup in 2018 or 2022, the World Baseball Classic and others.

Somewhere downtown would make a superb location, maybe somewhere near the American Airlines Arena or perhaps near the old Orange Bowl site where the new Marlins stadium is being built. With all the professional and collegiate sports in the area, an ESPN Zone (or maybe a second ESPN Club like the one they have in Disney World) would be a really successful in Miami. It would just be another great place for locals and tourists alike to enjoy sports.

I mean come on, any place with televisions in the restrooms has gotta be worth having in Miami! Enough said...

The Great Pepsi Debate

The chatter (more accurate: grumblings) around the FIU campus as the semester kicked off on Monday was centered around the invasion of Pepsi, as the beverage became the official soft drink of the university.

My opinion: Relax! It's just a soft drink! If you have such a problem with Pepsi, bring Coca-Cola to school. And if you don't like Pepsi, maybe choose one of their other great products like Gatorade or Mountain Dew.

The point, this is a good move for the university. FIU is now associated with one of the most recognizable brands in the world, getting help in the school's efforts to go green, and is also getting help in funding athletics.

All in all, I'd say it's a great deal.

And maybe we'll see a naming rights deal in our future? Pepsi Field, anyone?

Who Should Be FIU's Next Defensive Coordinator?

2010-01-02T01:33:00.010-05:00

Hope you all had a fantastic new year! It has been an interesting few days in a number of different areas, but today let's focus on FIU's search for a new defensive coordinator. This could be the most first and most important hire FIU makes in 2010, and make no mistake a lot can hinder on how effective the next DC can be. The good news is that most of the seven candidates are extremely qualified and experienced, and a few of them are from BCS conferences. Each one could make a positive impact, but the question has to be which one will fit best at FIU?

A lot went wrong on defense last season and whoever takes over will have their work cut out for them. But I think that the number one area that needs to be addressed in 2010 and beyond is stopping the run, something FIU couldn't do much of last season, giving up an appalling 232.8 rushing yards per game, which ranked 115th out of 120 teams in FBS. In total, the Golden Panther defense allowed 491.6 yards per game (119 out of 120 teams) and gave up 35.3 points per game (111 out of 120 teams). I don't have to tell you these numbers are unacceptable and need to be reversed.

The new guy, whoever it might be, needs to be able to shut down the run. Simple as that. There is no reason why this team should be allowing that many rushing yards a game and that many points per game either. We let up a total of 33 rushing touchdowns this season... horrible.

There are seven candidates for the job according to Pete Pelegrin over at The Herald, and after scouring the Net for information on these seven candidates (the only way we can really evaluate these guys), the Cup of Joel endorses UCF linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator Geoff Collins for FIU's new defensive coordinator.

He's definitely a dark horse candidate in the race, having less coordinator experience at the FBS level, but so far it looks as if he has excelled wherever he has gone, and he just might be what FIU's defense needs for a number of reasons. UCF's defense finished first in the C-USA in overall defense and was THIRD IN THE NATION when it came to stopping the run, allowing just 82.5 yards per game on the ground.

But one of the things that stood out about Coach Collins was his stint as defensive coordinator at the FCS level with Western Carolina from 2002-2005, where he took a team that was a mess defensively and turned it into one of the best defenses at the I-AA (now FCS) level. In his second year at the school, the West Carolina rush defense ranked 14th nationally and then in 2004, his defense allowed 301.91 yards per game, which was the 12th lowest in the country.

When he was the director of player personnel at Alabama before joining the UCF staff, he helped bring in arguably the best recruiting class in the country.

Nick Saban had this to say about Collins when UCF hired him as a linebackers coach: "Geoff did a fantastic job for us during his time at the University of Alabama. This is a great opportunity for him as well as a great hire for UCF. They are getting a guy who knows college football, works hard each and every day, and does it with a tremendous amount of entusiasm and positive energy."

He's young, he's hungry, he has experience at a number of different coaching positions and has had success at each stop. This is a guy that seems ready to be a defensive coordinator at the FBS level, and why not at FIU? He knows how to stop the run and he knows how to recruit. He has connections to Florida (UCF), has been involved at established programs (Alabama, Georgia Tech), and knows how to rebuild a defense (Western Carolina).

From what I've read, and take it for what it's worth, this guy seems to be a perfect fit for FIU. Here are some Geoff Collins links used for this article and to give you all an opportunity to read up some on the candidate:

Geoff Collins UCF Profile
2005 Western Carolina Football Guide - Coaches and Staff
Collins Added to UCF Coaching Staff
Rivals Recruiting Profile - Geoff Collins

A New Year, A New Mission

2009-12-26T15:17:00.007-05:00

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Happy Holidays everybody! Miss me? Well I'm back after a scarring finals week (more like finals month) and I needed a breather. But I'm back just in time for 2010 and ready to keep up my honest commentary on all things FIU and other sports in the general area.

With 2009 over, it's safe to say that FIU Football was disappointing and FIU Basketball is going through some growing pains, although there's still a lot of basketball left to play and a lot can happen. Attendance and overall FIU student support is still pitiful and aggravating. Especially to yours truly. Honestly, I've had it with the apathy. Have you? Things have to change as we enter a new decade. Pete Garcia has changed the culture of FIU Athletics and there is still a lot of work to be done, but the FIU community needs to demand more. They need to get hungry.

FIU needs a Howard Beale in the house to get the faithful riled up. There needs to be a sense of urgency in the air. And what I am going to propose may sound a bit outlandish, but who cares. If it gives alumni and students something to talk about and rally around than its good enough for me. With the Big Ten looking to expand and probably looking at snatching a Big East team, it could open the door for Big East expansion talk. Ladies and gentlemen, we need to be at the CENTER of that expansion talk.

That's right: Add FIU to the Big East.

We need to shout it from the rooftops and whisper it around the water cooler. Will it happen? At least this soon? I don't know and I don't care, because that's not the point of all this. There are several points in this proposed campaign to bring FIU to the Big East:

1) Stir up interest in the program and let students and alumni know that big things are in store for FIU. Get them to invest in improving our facilities (finish stadium construction and tear down/rebuild The Bank) and attending games to make the movement visible (For example: Encourage fans to bring "FIU to Big East" signs when Rutgers rolls in to town next season).

2) Let Pete Garcia know that the fans are engaged and behind the the Athletics Dept. in their efforts to bring FIU to prominence to the NCAA.

3) Get the attention of the media with our efforts and maybe even get FIU some reasonable air time. Plus, the talk of the Big East returning to the Miami market could start a buzz.

4) Get fans hungry for the future of FIU Athletics.

The foundation for FIU to join a major conference is in place. A large student body, a massive alumni presence in the area, our own on-campus facilities and land at our disposal, and one of the best recruiting areas in the nation. It took USF a mere eight years to get into the Big East and UCF fans have organized efforts to get themselves to join them. I think we can start doing the same.

Def. Coordinator Phil Galiano and Off. Coordinator Bill Legg Gone

It looks like FIU will enter the new decade with new showrunners on both the offensive and defensive side of the football. According to FootballScoop.com, the defensive coordinator position is "open" and Bill Legg is leaving to become the offensive line coach at Marshall.

Interesting developments, to say the least. I'm not surprised that Galiano is gone... quite frankly, he just was not cutting it on defense. Legg is a bit more of a surprise. While he was beginning to get more creative as the season progressed, there were numerous times where the offense was flat and predictable. I'm curious to see who will come in to take their place.

We need to be able to adjust on game day and have some creative play calling with the kind of athletes we have. I was shocked not to see one WildPanther formation with Kendall Berry at the helm during the Shula Bowl.

Godspeed to both Galiano and Legg in their future endeavors and thank you for your efforts as part of the FIU family.

UPDATE: Pete Pelegrin of the Miami Herald is confirming on his blog that both will be gone next season and could be the beginning of more changes. He also reports that Caoch Mario Cristobal has some candidates lined up for the offensive coordinator position.

A Weekend to Forget...

2009-11-22T22:13:00.004-05:00

After victories on Friday night by FIU men's basketball and volleyball, one would think that maybe this weekend would be okay for FIU Athletics... but that most certainly was not the case as Saturday and Sunday turned out to be nightmarish days for our beloved programs. Let's be grateful that it's over.

SATURDAY: We all knew the Gators were going to have their way with the Panthers all game long... but this was just plain bad as I am more convinced that Tim Tebow is not a man, but a machine built by UF students in 2028 who also built a time machine in order to improve their football program. As much as I despise the Gators, I gotta give my respect to Tim Tebow, one of the greatest college football players to ever grace a football field anywhere. After the carnage ended, it wound up being a 62-3 mauling... I'm just thankful that Rick Mello is no longer our AD and that this will probably be the last money game we play in a very, very long time. We don't need to take these kind of beatings and risk not only embarrassment, but injury. Our punter (and arguably 2009 team MVP) Carlos Munera has a broken ankle and his college career is now officially over.

After that we all thought our volleyball team, led by Yarimar Rosa (who might also be a machine sent from the future... we might need a QB, future genius FIU students!) would bring back a Sun Belt Conference Championship after coming up just short in the recent past... but Middle Tennessee shocked FIU and the Sun Belt by snapping FIU's 23-game winning streak with a four-set victory in the most important game of the season to date. Needless to say, Coach Tomic and Yari were extremely disappointed as the Blue Raiders managed to spoil their fun. The team had been seemingly invincible going in to the match as they breezed by North Texas and New Orleans, but alas... anything can happen in college sports. On to the last home game and the NCAA Tournament...

SUNDAY: FIU basketball faced off against James Madison, and while the game proved to be a close one for most the match, James Madison bombarded the Golden Panthers with a series of buckets from downtown in the second half to put the Dukes up for good... not the best performance from the Panthers and a tough one to watch. Gotta have better games from Antoine Watson, Phil Gary Jr. and Marvin Roberts if we're going to win more games...

That was basically the weekend at FIU... hopefully better weekends are ahead.

History Starts Tonight

2009-11-17T09:57:00.003-05:00

It's a special day for the FIU community as Isiah Thomas makes his home regular season debut tonight at The Bank (right) against Florida Memorial. It's been a rough start for the Hall-of-Famer as his team has struggled, falling to 0-3 and losing Nikola Gacesa, the closest thing we had to an inside presence, for an indefinite amount of time. That could wind up being costly for the Panthers. Hopefully he'll be back before we know it. We all know this was going to be rough season from the beginning, but tonight should be a good night; a night of celebration and of new beginnings. A sign of good things to come. A win, no matter in what fashion, would go a long way in instilling confidence in this team and its future, if not only for one night for a while. This is still a team that needs to learn to play together and to play good defense, a team that is going to struggle before it gets better.

And this team needs a win, and support from a friendly and large home crowd. So it's now in the hands of the FIU community to stand behind this team tonight and for the long run, through good times and bad. Is that too much to ask for from a fickle student body and alumni association? I don't believe so. It's time for those of us who believe in what this university is and what it will become in the future to stand up and start demanding more from the rest of our fellow classmates and alumni. It's time for us to stand at the forefront and begin to spread the enthusiasm and the pride that we already feel and not let our critics discourage anyone from supporting their school. It's time for all of us to begin to take ownership in our school, because if over 130,000 alumni and 40,000 students stand up in Miami-Dade County, our voices will be heard not only locally, but around the country.

It starts now. It starts tonight.

TOA League Officially a Reality

2009-11-10T12:36:00.007-05:00

After months of speculation and mystery and posturing by both USL-1 and the

Team Owners Association (TOA), the split is finally complete. Miami FC, along with the owners of six other groups, have officially formed a new league. The cities in the new league will include Miami, Carolina, Minnesota, Vancouver, Montreal, St. Louis and Atlanta. Missing from the list is Tampa, and that is a major disappointment. I think a Miami/Tampa rivalry could have been great and would have given the new league a stronger presence in the Southeast. Maybe they will turn around and join us or if not, maybe start talks about a team in Orlando. The thought it is that the new league needs an eighth team, that should be resolved soon. Maybe another team from USL-1 will jump. Personally, I would love to have Puerto Rico on board so that the nice rivalry and the 4th of July tradition we were beginning to build would continue. Another possibility: a PDL team or another lower division team would be able to make the jump and support soccer at the level we want. The league, with the exception of Vancouver and Minnesota, lacks a Western presence. In the short term, this may be good for the teams travel wise, but we may want to look at further expansion out west.

HERE is the official press release from the TOA from the Miami FC website.

This is a great day for Miami FC and soccer in Miami. What will this mean for the team and the fans? Most likely more investment by Traffic Sports, more marketing, more money being spent, hopefully a renewed interest in the team from the local fans. Now that the owners are in control of the league, and with big markets involved, this could be a very successful league that surpasses USL-1.

But we're still some time away from the start of the season. I hope to see some exciting new signings and a loud marketing campaign to spread the word of the league to all the major markets, especially in Miami, Atlanta, Minnesota and Carolina. It's going to be up to the core fans of Miami FC in the past to start spreading the word of this new league to Miamians about the vision of a more competitive league that treats itself like pros.

A new decade. A new league. A new start.

As Miami FC President Aaron Davidson as said, they now control their own destiny, and that is what this league is all about: now they are in control. This can be a good thing, if they are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to make soccer work down here. It's not going to be easy, and I think they know this. Especially after the horrible attendance numbers the team has had throughout its existence. This needs to be the spark that turns it around. It's Miami FC's last hope.

Let's hope it works.

The Dwight Dasher Show, "WildPanther", Cinderella and More...

2009-11-09T09:12:00.008-05:00

Back in Miami after a tough loss for Cristobal and Co. As predicted, the first half was the Dwight Dasher Show. The FIU defense did not have an answer to Dasher's dual-threat capabilities as he tore through them by air and by land. Although the Panthers would dominate the third quarter, forcing three Dasher interceptions and scoring 14 unanswered points to cut the MTSU lead in half, the deficit was too much for the Golden Panthers to handle and the Blue Raiders went on to win 48-21, pulling the plug on any possibility of having a bowl eligible season.

Some things I took from the game at MTSU:

1) It was a tough loss, and having McCall miss the game hurt... definitely better hope McCall is ready to go against North Texas or it might become a dogfight. Younger did an average job, but average just isn't enough. We need McCall back there to finish off his senior season if we are going to have 4 wins this season.

2) Kendall Berry played a fantastic game. 19 carries for 103 yards and 3 touchdowns... when was the last time an FIU running back had those kind of numbers? First time this season a Panther RB ran for 100 yards. He was the bright spot in this game and thank God he is only a sophomore! I think he just might become a deadly weapon for FIU in the next couple seasons and point #3 explains why.

3) An extension of #2, FIU debuted the "WildPanther" this weekend with Kendall Berry taking the snaps. It was only used twice and only for modest gains, but it showed that the Golden Panthers were finally starting to get creative on offense. Berry, a QB in high school and a wide receiver before switching over to running back, could be the ideal person to run that form of offense. Coach Cristobal and Berry said that they wanted to change the pace of the offense and that it still needed work but if McCall does in fact sit out Saturday's homecoming game against North Texas, the WildPanther may become a valuable tool for FIU. And why not try and do everything possible to make this offense work? North Texas would be the ideal team to test the WildPanther on and we are a 2-win team. Let's at least try and set the stage for it for next season.

4) The defense, which looked horrible in the first half, looked terrific in the third quarter... who knows how the game would have turned out if they played even one other quarter the way they played the third? Could have been a completely different ball game. That's basically been the story of the season for this defense... one or two quarters of great play either followed or proceeded by abysmal play. Groundhog day?

5) Middle Tennessee had a great marching band... I actually miss that sound and hopefully the Golden Panther Band will return next season. And they actually played great music over the loud speakers; any stadium that plays Skillet and Hawk Nelson gets the Cup of Joel seal of approval! I love Tennessee! Whoever mixes the music at FIU Stadium needs to take notes.

On to FIU Volleyball, where the ladies clinched the East Division Sun Belt Title on Saturday with a four-set victory over Middle Tennessee. A great win and now the Panthers are one win away from a perfect Sun Belt Conference record. It truly is shaping up to be a dream season for Coach Tomic and her squad and they have made the FIU community very proud this season. There is still a ways to go, but so far they have done an amazing job.

And of course, tonight is the big premiere to the Isiah Thomas era of basketball against defending champion North Carolina at Chapel Hill... let's face it it's probably going to be a slaughter, but that's to be expected. Hopefully this team will gel enough in the OOC schedule to prepare for the Sun Belt. The bulk of the scoring come from Marvin Roberts and Phil Gary, Jr., both of which had 15 points in the exhibition against Northwood, but the whole team needs to be more consistent in shooting and converting on mistakes if they are going to win games... the game against Northwood was not pretty.

Hopefully I'll have pics from the weekend trip on the next post. Hopefully, like Isiah said at the Panther Preview, Cinderella can come in November.

From Nashville With Love...

2009-11-07T13:05:00.005-05:00

It ain't Russia (and that might be a good thing), but hello from the beautiful city of Nashville, where the weather is gorgeous and the air is clean! I have fallen in love with this place and I think I've figured out what I would love to do with the rest of my life over the past 18 hours! This is the kind of stuff I want to do. I thought I would never switch majors, but lo and behold, I just might become a journalism major. All because of a little trip to the Country Music Capital of the World. Go figure!

Yesterday was quite eventful; we arrived in Nashville late in the afternoon, checked into the hotel and then took the bus over to Bowling Green, Kentucky to watch the volleyball team take on the WKU Hilltoppers in an important Sun Belt Conference match up at the phenomenal E.A. Diddle Arena (will have pictures for you all soon). We arrived at the beginning of the second set right after FIU dropped the first set. But the Panthers, with a little support from the nice little FIU section that featured Mark Rosenberg, Pete Garcia, Rick Sanchez and others, took over and were able to win the next three sets to extend their win streak to 18 games. The Hilltoppers gave the Coach Tomic and the team a hard time, refusing to go away despite digging themselves in a hole, but FIU proved to be too much for the team. Now the ladies are just two games away from finishing with a perfect Sun Belt record.

If Yarimar Rosa and the rest of the team play their game and take out the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders tonight, they may have to change the population of Perfectville to 2. It would take a victory over the lowly Owls of FAU away from achieving that 17-0 conference record. But they can't afford to let their focus drift away from the red-hot Blue Raiders.

We are about three hours away from game time, and if the Golden Panthers can pull off a victory this afternoon against the Blue Raiders they may be able to finish the season strong (with the exception of UF). Can the linebackers and defensive lineman manage to stuff Dwight Dasher's rushing attack and force him to throw? Can the O-line and Paul McCall avoid getting crushed by a formidable Blue Raider defensive attack? We'll find out in three hours. You can follow the game live with Pete Pelegrin's blog HERE

I will have more good stuff for you all in the coming hours and days. Till next time!

Everybody's Working for the Weekend!

2009-11-06T09:28:00.007-05:00

I apoloigze for the lack of updates, the life of a student is not easy between papers and midterms among other things. But I have returned, hopefully with a little more consistency. I am making the trip to Tennessee with the football team, my first time covering FIU football for The Beacon (FIU's student nespaper, for those wondering). It's my first trip north of Orlando so I am pretty ecstatic about that!

Anyway, should be an interesting game. The team's bowl hopes are on life support, and the plug might be pulled tomorrow by Middle Tennessee QB Dwight Dasher (right), who can tear it up by land and by air, a true dual threat. FIU's chances, as mentioned pretty much everywhere, may hinge on the defense's ability to stop Dasher. But despite the strong performance by the team last week (I'll probably blog my thoughts on that win at some point in the future), the defense has not shown that they can stop this kind of QB (ala Trey Revell of ULM). We'll have to see tomorrow.

Meanwhile, women's soccer had a great season, finishing at the top of the conference after regular season play concluded. But in the first round of the Sun Belt tourney, a couple of tough and questionable calls allowed UALR to shock FIU in a 1-0 loss to close out the season. It was a great turnaround season for these ladies and should be very proud of how their season went.

Yarimar Rosa and the rest of the volleyball continue to roll, taking their undefeated Sun Belt Conference record to Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee this weekend in what will probably be the most difficult weekend the Panthers have faced all season long. If Coach Tomic can get her team to just play their game, they will return home with victories. But make no mistake, both of these teams (especially Middle Tennessee) will throw everything but the kitchen sink at them to try and win at home. As the ladies take on MTSU, I will probably be ready to board a plane leaving Nashville on the way back to MIA after what will hopefully be an FIU victory.

I will try and give updates and maybe even pictures during my stay in Tennessee, where it will probably be in the 40s... definetly colder than I am used to! Till next time!

There Is Something To Be Happy About

2009-10-26T20:35:00.008-04:00

I'm back! It has been a long week and a half, but things are finally starting to settle down a bit!

It hasn't exactly been rainbows and butterflies in the world of FIU Athletics... the football season is all but dead now that we are 1-6. The loss at Arkansas State basically ended any hopes we had at making reservations for a bowl game come December.

But thankfully, we have Golden Panther volleyball. A 14-game winning streak has them at 21-2 for the season so far, and it has been a great ride. Yarimar Rosa (right) and the rest of the Golden Panthers have been simply tearing up the competition and they seem poised to make a run deep NCAA. They are about to go on a five-game road swing that includes tests against East Division rivals Middle Tennessee and WKU, teams that are hoping to burst our bubble. It should be a good way to prepare for the Sun Belt tournament that is on the not-so-far horizon.

Women's soccer has come around as well, riding a program best six-game winning streak and currently sit atop the Sun Belt standings. The team has finally come around under the leadership of Thomas Chestnutt and they also seem ready to do well in post-season play.

It's been a rough year in football for Panther Nation, but there are other programs that are thriving and deserve the support of the FIU community. I will still attend the remaining home games for the football season, of course. But I am very disappointed in the presentation on the field and by those in charge of running gameday activities at The Cage.

It's going to be fun following our volleyball and women's soccer teams try and make 2009 a season to remember and with basketball season around the corner, there is still hope for Panther fans.

Paint It Black: Blackout Game Might Be the Biggest Game of the Year

2009-10-15T22:47:00.005-04:00

Last weekend's victory of WKU gave the Golden Panthers their first win of the season... I'm not gonna complain; it was a great win and probably the kind of game we needed to get things going in the right direction. Maybe it'll give the team the kind of confidence it will need heading into Saturday's Blackout game against defending-Sun Belt Champion Troy... Maybe.

Fact is, there are still concerns about the FIU defense... which still allowed way too many rushing yards against the Hilltoppers to relieve any doubts... and allowing 20 points against one of the wo

rst teams in FBS doesn't fill me with confidence. But there were some positives from that defense; the linebackers have stepped in a big way, led by Scott Bryant (right). Sadly enough, that defensive line is still as horrible as they have looked all season. Just plain terrible. They keep getting manhandled by whatever O-line they go up against, and that's gotta stop soon.

If the defense can manage to hold a good Troy team down and force them to make mistakes and punt the ball away, we may have a chance to steal this one. I've said it before and I'll say it again: This is the biggest game of the season. If we lose, we might as well start getting ready for next year, because it's going to be difficult or nearly impossible for us to chase down ULM or Troy the rest of the way. This game is an opportunity. Having Troy at home is a huge advantage. This team needs to rise to the occasion and make a statement with this game. If we win, we are right in the thick of the Sun Belt Conference Championship race.

Hopefully the stands are a sea of black and we shock the Trojans and send them back to Alabama wondering what hit them,

FIU Basketball Schedule Is Out

2009-10-14T09:25:00.004-04:00

I'm back... it's been a busy week and a half, a lot has happened and there is a lot to get to. But first let's talk about FIU basketball. We were the last Sun Belt team to release its full schedule, and the wait had me thinking that maybe there were a couple surprises in there. The fact that FIU Athletics was going to release its schedule to the public via Twitter made me a little more curious... but what a letdown the schedule turned out to be. Take a look for yourself:

Date Opponent Site Time (ET)
November
9 (Mon.) at North Carolina (ESPNU) Chapel Hill,N.C. 7:00 pm
13 (Fri.) at Monmouth West Long Branch, N.J. 7:00 pm
15 (Sun.) at Tulsa Tulsa, Okla. 3:00 pm
17 (Tue.) FLORIDA MEMORIAL U.S. Century Bank Arena 8:00 pm

2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer
20 (Fri.) James Madison vs. Murray State U.S. Century Bank Arena 4:00 pm
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL 7:00 pm
22 (Sun.) JAMES MADISON 6:00 pm
Murray State vs. North Carolina to follow
23 (Mon.) North Carolina Central vs. James 4:00 pm
MURRAY STATE 7:00 pm

28 (Sat.) at Eastern Kentucky Richmond, Ky. 7:00 pm
30 (Mon.) at Bowling Green Bowling Green, Ohio 7:00 pm

December
3 (Thu.) at Florida A&M Tallahassee, Fla. 7:30 pm
6 (Sun.) at Florida State Tallahassee, Fla. 1:00 pm
12 (Sat.) at Florida Gulf Coast Fort Myers, Fla. 7:30 pm
17 (Thu.) at Denver* Denver, Colo. 9:00 pm
20 (Sun.) at North Texas* Denton, Texas 4:00 pm
22 (Tue.) at Sam Houston State Huntsville, Texas 8:00 pm
31 (Thu.) SOUTH ALABAMA* U.S. Century Bank Arena Noon

January
2 (Sat.) at New Orleans* New Orleans, La. 5:30 pm
7 (Thu.) ULM* U.S. Century Bank Arena 8:00 pm
9 (Sat.) TROY* U.S. Century Bank Arena 8:00 pm
14 (Thu.) at Middle Tennessee* Murfreesboro, Tenn. 8:00 pm
16 (Sat.) at WKU* Bowling Green, Ky. TBA
21 (Thu.) ARKANSAS STATE* U.S. Century Bank Arena 8:00 pm
23 (Sat.) ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK* U.S. Century Bank Arena 8:00 pm
30 (Sat.) at Florida Atlantic* Boca Raton, Fla. 7:00 pm

February
4 (Thu.) at Louisiana-Lafayette* Lafayette, La. 8:05 pm
6 (Sat.) NORTH TEXAS* U.S. Century Bank Arena 2:00 pm
11 (Thu.) at South Alabama* Mobile, Ala. 8:05 pm
13 (Sat.) at Troy* Troy, Ala. 8:30 pm
18 (Thu.) FLORIDA ATLANTIC* U.S. Century Bank Arena 8:00 pm
25 (Thu.) MIDDLE TENNESSEE* U.S. Century Bank Arena 8:00 pm
27 (Sat.) WKU* U.S. Century Bank Arena 8:00 pm

March
6-9 (Sat.-Tue.) at Sun Belt Conference Tournament Hot Springs, Ark.

Not exactly the kind of schedule that gets the fans excited... 18 games on the road and only 13 at home? An 8-game road trip that leaves The Bank basically empty for more than a month? No worthy out-of-conference opponents coming to Miami this season? Thank God for Isiah Thomas, because there is no way average and passive fans can get excited for home games against Florida Memorial, James Madison, and Murray State.

Looking at it from another perspective, it is a good schedule for what will basically be a brand new team to get its feet wet and ready for conference play. We do get FSU coming back to Miami in 2010... that's good news. And of course there's that interesting opener against defending champion UNC in Chapel Hill on ESPN U, giving us a first look at the new-look Panthers. Because honestly, not many people know what is going with this team and we probably won't know until close to opening night... that's probably how Isiah wants it.

Next up, thoughts on FIU football's first win on the season and this weekend's black out game.

It's Not Looking Good...

2009-10-05T18:41:00.003-04:00

It's bad when you are already looking forward to basketball season in early October... heck, I'm kind of already thinking about FIU baseball season again. This is not the start I anticipated for the Golden Panthers. 0-4. And it's not even pretty.

Well there is no point in looking backwards, all the team can do now is focus on trying to win this weekend against Western Kentucky. This season is not completely lost, but anything short of a dominant performance against WKU and I think it's safe to assume it's going to be a long seven games to close out the season.

Going around the horn a little bit now... FIU basketball set to announce their schedule tomorrow, and all I can say is that it's about time! I'm curious to see if there are any surprises on the schedule, maybe a big-time program coming down to face Isiah Thomas and the new-look Panthers in The Bank. I can dream right? I sure hope this team can perform well in Isiah's first year. Realistically, we shouldn't be expecting results until maybe 2010, 2011... but who knows?

While football has gone MIA, FIU volleyball has been tearing it up, improving to 14-2 and 4-0 in conference play over the weekend as they prepare for tomorrow night's matchup against the Hooters from FAU. In what has been a disappointing start to the FIU athletic season, this team has really stepped up and is winning. Yarimar Rosa, coming back from a dislocated pinky, has won two straight Sun Belt Player of the Week honors and has been dominant in every game she has been able to play in. Hope to see you all come out in support of the team tomorrow!

That'll wrap it up. Probably won't be posting much since I have a busy week ahead of me, but I'll be back soon with some more updates and thoughts. Godspeed!

David Beckham and MLS Miami?

2009-10-01T10:58:00.005-04:00

I'm not a David Beckham fan.

Besides bringing the media circus to Los Angeles and MLS, he's done little on the field and didn't hold the spotlight on the MLS for long. He's just another over-the-hill player getting paid much more than his actual worth. Has he been good for the MLS? It's arguable... but don't expect me to crown him as the savior of the MLS.

My thoughts on the English superstar could change, however, if he can bring Miami the MLS franchise we've been yearning for since the Fusion folded eight years ago. According to soccer blogger and Miami FC fan Uncle Ed, sources say that Beckham's people were talking to investors interested in bringing an MLS team to Miami. The question is who... it could be Traffic, it could be Marcelo Claure or it could be a new group altogether. Read more HERE

Why would a Miami bid with Beckham's name attached to it be genius? It's a sure lock. There is no way that a Miami bid with Beckham involved in it would be rejected by MLS. Never. I would assume MLS wants Beckham attached to the league in anyway they possibly can; as a player and most likely in his post-career as an owner. Plus, Miami would get MLS back in to the Southeast market with a name that everyone knows.

The Barcelona bid, as recognizable as they may be, didn't work because they didn't get the word out in Miami. Not enough push, not enough interest garnered. Beckham wouldn't have that problem as the media, national and local, would be all over it. For some reason, everyone knows who he is and wants to cover his every move. Casual soccer fans and perhaps even the die-hard "soccer snobs" in Miami would probably come out in support of the bid and come out to the games, since there is a huge name attached to the franchise.

Beckham and Miami is the perfect fit, in a city that loves its celebrities and loves soccer it could be the combination that brings soccer fans of all types together to root for the same team. The media frenzy would be blinding and what better place for Beckham to retire than in the glamour of South Beach? Just bring a team here and we'll worry about putting a winning team on the field afterwards, because in order for all this to work, we need a winning product on the field.

Who knows? I might just become a Becks fan after all.

Pressing the Panic Button? FIU loses home opener to Toledo 41-31

2009-09-27T10:55:00.004-04:00

It was so sickening leaving that stadium yesterday... headed straight for a Steak & Shake to drown my sorrows in a vanilla shake with hot fudge. Everything about this game was just horrible. From the attendance, to the play on the field, and everything else in between. Like most of you, I had high hopes for this team this season after the promise that we showed last year. What happened? I don't know. 11,000 for a home opener? For a Division 1 football team? In a school where there are 40,000 students and and a city where there are over 130,000 alumni? One word: UNACCEPTABLE. I blame the athletic department. I blame them for not promoting the game and then taking away the students ability to bring a fan for free. My family had to pay $50 to get in to the game and my non-FIU friends stayed far away when they heard $15 (sad, but a fact of the situation). Fifty dollars to watch THAT? You think anyone who paid individual tickets, probably a few hundred of them since it seemed the majority of the fans were students, are coming back after this? We are in serious trouble if we can't put more fans in the stands IN A HURRY...

On to the field: Paul? Did what he could... probably more hurt than he let on, he played with heart. But he was off on a lot of passes. Let's hope his knee is substantially better by next Saturday, where we need to steal a win against a tough ULM team. Running game? Took a step forward. Mallary and Perry had their moments, couldn't break out for that big run, but they played better than the last two weeks. That's promising. O-Line? Again, improvement there. Paul had a bit more time to throw, created some holes for the running game... it was better, to say the least. Wide recievers and TEs? Are you kidding me? I lost count of the dropped passes... what happened to Greg Ellingson? Ty Frierson and the rest of them? Dudley LaPorte? We wait three weeks for him to play and on his first catch he coughs it up for a turnover? The only guy doing anything productive was, you guessed it, TY Hilton. Come on, man!

Defensive line? Goodness, can they do ANYTHING? Opelt had all day and night to throw, left holes larger than the gran canyon for the running backs to bust through. That line was just garbage tonight. Linebackers? Can you tackle? How many missed tackles? How many big plays did you guys let up? Average play, at best. Defensive backs? Hello? Wide recievers were open on way too many instances. Again, it's tough when the QB has all day to look for them. D-Line should shoulder some of the blame for that. Special teams? Again, Hilton was explosive whenever he had a chance with it. Carlos Munera did a great job as usual punting, the guy right now might be our co-MVP with TY. And Dustin Rivest... if Jack Griffin couldn't win the starting job form him then we are in trouble...

Coaching? Oh boy... I don't know if you prepared your team for this game the right way, but man your team looked bad. On offense, our playbook is so boring and predictable! NOTHING creative! NOTHING to get the Toledo defense guessing! You guys should know, that when the rest of the team is playing like garbage, you have to get the ball in TY's hands as much as possible! Can we have a TY formation? A Wild Hilton, if you will? Because let's face it. At this time, NO ONE is stepping up, and it is killing us. My message and plea, because you don't have to be a coach to figure this out: GET THE BALL IN T.Y. HILTON'S HANDS! Period! End of story!

At 0-3, I am pressing the panic button. We need to win out in conference play. We need to see a HUNGER out there on that field! I DO NOT want to be there at the end of the season on December 5 for the Shula Bowl cheering for a lost season with 5,000 or less fans... The ship needs to be turned around NOW... but we are just so painfully predictable that it seems like everyone can stop us. It's simple for the other team: Contain TY and blitz... that's it. We need to start winning NOW...

Yari Rosa Will Return

2009-09-22T17:08:00.004-04:00

Unlike the mystery surrounding the FIU football QB situation, it appears like there is no mystery when it comes to volleyball standout Yarimar Rosa returning to action this Friday against Troy. She got her stitches removed yesterday and practiced with a splint on her hand today. Coach Tomic said she will definetly play. This is great news for the team, which has done very well despite her absence, going 10-2 overall with nine of those games being played on the road. It's also great to have Yari back just in time for conference play. Let's just hope that she stays off the injury list from now on! With her back in the lineup, you can make a case that this team can not only win the Sun Belt and the Sun Belt Tournament, but can also go farther in the NCAA tournament. Stay tuned...

Weekend Recap

2009-09-21T09:16:00.003-04:00

FIU Sports

It wasn't the way I pictured the game going down, but it happened. The biggest reason why the Panthers lost this past weekend wasn't because we were outmanned or outmatched by Rutgers, but because our O-Line could not block. As a fan, it was frustrating watching McCall and Younger constantly on their backs. If we can block better, everything else will fall into place. The D looked great, our recievers looked pretty sharp, McCall (when he had time) looked good... it seems as if our biggest problem lies in the offensive and defensive lines, but hopefully our team will be able to match up better against Toledo and the rest of the teams in the Belt. The season really begins Saturday for FIU. We have to win this weekend and get off on the right foot on the road against ULM and WKU so we can have a better standing in the Belt. Hope to see a packed stadium this weekend.

Besides football, women's volleyball continues to impress, even without All-American Yarimar Rosa. They won the UCF-Radisson Invitational, beating all three opponents without losing a set. Conference play begins this weekend on the road against Troy and South Alabama. Men's soccer put up a tough fight against No. 8 Indiana before the Hoosiers came up with a goal in double OT to hand the Panthers a 2-1 loss... could this be a sign of an improving FIU soccer team ready to compete in conference play? We will see...

Miami FC

The squad ended their season with a dissapointing 3-1 loss against rival Puerto Rico... wish I could have been out there to show my support. Now that this season is over, an interesting offseason awaits. Will the team be playing in a new league? Will they rebrand? Will they play at FIU or Lockhart or somewhere else? It'll be interesting to see. Will be following this very closely...

There's Something Going Down...

2009-09-14T10:36:00.004-04:00

So lift your hands, move your feet.
Get yourself ready.
Lift your flags, hit the streets and charge.
No, you can never stop it from coming.
Those against me can take off running,
Cause there’s something going down.
Yea, these walls are coming down.
- "Walls" by Manic Drive

It's hard to imagine that three years ago FIU football was rock bottom. NCAA sanctions, a win-less season, a program in shambles and gone rampant... It was a year to forget that included a devastating loss to Alabama from a short-handed team.

Fast forward three years, and all that has changed.

T.Y. Hilton taking it to the house, a 14-13 lead in the 2nd quarter, a team that fought and kept 92,000 Alabama fans (and Coach Nick Saban) nervous for three quarters before team depth finally kicked in. All of this from FIU? From a 33 1/2 point underdog?

This is an indication of how far this program has gone, and where it is headed. Mario Cristobal has turned the ship around quicker than anyone could have expected, and had many people thinking 'upset' at halftime against the No. 4 team in the country. Rutgers fans, if they watched the game, are getting pretty nervous right about now. And fans around the country, and Miami, are wondering what this team will do next. This team, which could have laid down and took its payday, instead fought as hard as it could, and was within striking distance of pulling off the impossible.

Golden Panther fans are smelling it now. We can almost taste it. This could be the year everything changes. With Troy looking downright awful in the first two weeks of the season and FAU getting blown away by Nebraska in Week 1, could FIU be poised to rise to the top of the Sun Belt this year? Three seasons into Cristobal's tenure? Two seasons after FIU snapped a 23-game losing streak?

Something is going down in Miami... the walls of sanctions, of low expectations, of mediocrity and of poor image are crumbling down brick by brick, stone by stone. And they are being chipped away by Cristobal's thundering enthusiasm, by Paul McCall's arm and leadership, by T.Y. Hilton's hands and feet, by Anthony Gaitor's speed and coverage. Step by step.

There are still those who doubt and those who look down and criticize. They don't know what will hit them. Finally, after a long time of settling for second best, FIU is looking for something higher... something bigger. Bigger than Miami, bigger than the Sun Belt. Our legacy is being changed before our very eyes, our name spreading slowly across the nation from our little corner on the U.S. It looks like nothing can stop what is being built here, some can try to slow it down or shut it out, but this monster being groomed here is about to awaken.

For those who believed that it couldn't be done, they are in for a rude awakening.

FIU beats 'The U'... Golden Panther Weekend Preview

2009-09-11T11:24:00.000-04:00

It was a good news/bad news night for FIU Volleyball last night. The good news: FIU swept cross-town rival UM in a thrilling three-set match and Yarimar Rosa made her first start of the season. The bad news: Rosa got injured her finger badly in the third set, and it may be dislocated. A tough break for the senior, playing in her last season at FIU. I hope you all join me in praying for a speedy recovery. She's a hard worker and deserves to enjoy her last season as a Golden Panther...

There was an interesting tidbit from The Herald's recap of the game by Pete Pelegrin, mentioning that FIU and UM are in talks of renewing their rivalry in baseball and possibly in basketball for the 2010-2011 season. I think this is a good development and I am glad that the sides are talking, but I'm skeptical. The school from Coral Gables hasn't really shown that they have been willing to deal with Pete Garcia, not seeing eye-to-eye with his home-and-home approach to scheduling. Garcia has done a tremendous job improving the image and strength of out athletics up until now, and this is arguably his biggest test: can he bring a long-term home-and-home rivalry in all major sports, including football? Baseball and basketball is a great start. But I am sure we have our eye on football as well.

But focusing on this weekend, a lot of exciting things going on in Pantherland! FIU women's volleyball returns to action tonight against Albany and tomorrow against No. 22 Florida State. We have to assume that Yarimar won't be back for the remainder of the weekend. Can a Yari-less Golden Panther team, which has done well thus far, continue their early season success? Those questions will be answered by this weekend's end.

Also on campus tonight is a soccer doubleheader, the women's side going up against Cal Poly and the men's side match up with Stetson. The women's side has struggled to get off to a good start, but it looks like the men have found a rythm, winning two last weekend after losing to Florida Gulf Coast in the opener. Hopefully they can build on that momentum a getting ready to compete in conference play after struggling in that department the last couple seasons.

And, of course, us fans have been waiting a long time for tomorrow, as FIU football finally comes back after a post-season that has felt like a life time, going up to face No. 4 Alabama. Let's not go off expecting to leave Tuscaloosa with an upset that will shake the college football world to its knees, but let's hope this game sharpens our team and they can hopefully compete with Nick Saban's boys.

A couple other quick hits... the Marlins gained a bit of ground on the Phillies (finally) after crushing the Mets yesterday... Miami FC is back in action tonight at Charelston and basically playing for pride at this point... and the Dolphins get started this weekend at Atlanta.

2010 Miami FC Manifesto

2009-09-09T08:30:00.000-04:00

With last night's 2-1 loss to Rochester, Miami FC's playoffs hopes are on life support and could be put to rest by the end of the week. While it is certain that the 2009 season may now be effectively over, the future is anything but certain for the Blues, who have struggled to make themselves known to the South Florida community and to put a winning product on the field.

But big changes are coming, and based on comments made by team president Aaron Davidson, it appears that the team will return in 2010, but in a league that is different from the current USL setup and with one home stadium. I personally wouldn't mind having the team's home games split between FIU Stadium and Lockhart, but I can understand the reasoning behind switching to one home venue. The question now is which one?

So what has to be done in order for Miami FC to get the new decade started the right way? With a recipe of success? The fans have been clamoring for it a long time now: marketing. And if Traffic Sports and the rest of the ownership groups want to start up a new league, they have to put in the dollars and the effort to get the new league's name out to the soccer world and promote their teams to Kingdom Come to get more fans in the seats, at least get their own markets aware of their team's existence.

So let's assume we have a new league, with more money flowing in and more interest in this new league. That leaves us with where Miami FC should play it's home games. And if any of you who know me read my opinions, you know where I stand on this issue: FIU Stadium must be the team's new permanent home.

Located in the heart of the Miami-Dade's soccer community, everyone saw the almost sold-out Gold Cup crowd in July. It is located right off the highway, easy access for those from the north and south, and a built in potential fan base of 38,000 students and 140,000 alumni that have mostly been untapped by the team.

The stadium is new, represents the crown jewel of an FIU program trying to establish itself in a community where the competition is immense and the Miami fanbase is mostly apathetic. This place could be the place where Miami FC sets its own footprints, just like FIU is trying to do, instead of clinging to the past. Miami FC can embrace an ambitious and new attitude, and embrace a facility fit for a professional soccer team. A new league, a new venue, a professional image.

I'm not going to ignore the subpar attendance at FIU during the summer months when students are mostly off-campus, but assuming Miami FC will do more to market in Miami, FIU would draw the maximum number of fans. Plus you have to take in to account that it will take a bit of time for the FIU community to become more aware of this team, since we all know how little the the team spent on marketing for much of the season.

And despite all the complaints of FieldTurf, Miami FC has played extrememly well at FIU, gaining a point in every match played there except for one, compiling a 3-1-3 record. Those 12 points at FIU are what kept Miami FC's chances alive, like it or not.

FIU wants to be the go-to venue in soccer down here, and if Traffic is serious about re-booting this team and this league with a fresh outlook and is willing to put the dollars down to make this team successful and competetive and fun to watch, Pete Garcia and the rest of the FIU Athletic Department will make an effort to team up with Traffic to bring the best product available.

And I still have dreams of a late season double header at FIU Stadium, where FIU's men's soccer team, starting a new season, takes the field at 6 PM on a friday night in September and immediately followed by a Miami FC match with playoff implications. A fusion of the game's future with the game's present.

Miami FC and FIU is a partnership that should be embraced and not ignored and thrown away.

Tuesday Java

2009-09-08T07:47:00.000-04:00

Labor Day weekend is over... but if you were a sports fan, then this was one heckuva weekend! To much of my dismay, UM squeaked by FSU. Gotta hand it to the Canes... when they needed to come through, they did. But everyone seems to be announcing that Miami is 'back' after one game. Seriously? There is still the possibility that UM drops these next three games. A very real possibility. Let's see UM survive the next three before crowning these guys. Other interesting tidbits: Sam Bradford going down with an injury and Oklahoma losing to BYU... you have to believe the Sooners are in panic mode after that nightmare scenario taking place.

Looking ahead to FIU's opponents the next couple weeks, Alabama looked solid against V-Tech... the Panthers are going to need all the help they can get in this one. But on the brightside, Rutgers looked absolutely horrible against Cincinnati. Could FIU possibly squeak out an upset against the Scarlet Knights? Why not... looks like I might have to change my official prediction!

But on to soccer news, Miami FC plays a tough one tonight at Lockhart against the Rochester Rhinos, and every game is a must win. I wasn't there on Saturday, but it sounded like the team, and the newcomers, especially, provided the team with an extra spark on offense that was desperately needed. Looks like we might be able to gain some ground on the Vancouver Whitecaps tonight.

In baseball, the Marlins are still hanging tough... but the end of the season is right around the corner, and if the Fish don't find a way to gain ground fast, they'll find themselves at home watching the playoffs again this year. Huge series against the Mets starts tonight. Let's get it done!

Well for now, that's Tuesday's Java. Till next time!

FIU Predictions

2009-09-06T22:15:00.000-04:00

The season is now less than a week away for FIU! And it has been a long off-season and there are many questions going into the 2009 season: Is this the year we get to a bowl game? Is this the year we win the Sun Belt? Are there any potential upsets up our sleeves? Here's the way I see the 2009 Golden Panther season going down, game by game:

Sept. 12 @ Alabama (L): Too much firepower from 'Bama... they looked real sharp against V-Tech this weekend and it's going to be way too much for FIU to handle from this point. Should be a good learning experience for the team. Final Score: 48-10

Sept. 19 @ Rutgers (L): This is going to be a fun game to watch. I think we're going to compete, but home-field advantage against Rutgers is going to help them out. I think our offense should be able to get some things going. This is going to be a close one, but I think Rutgers is going to come out on top. Final Score: 24-17

Sept. 26 vs. Toledo (W): We took 'em on the road last year, and this year at home it should be an even better game for FIU with all the new weapons we have. Hopefully there will be a sold out crowd watching this game as the team unloads on the Rockets. Final Score: 35-7

Oct. 3 @ ULM (W): Last year was a tough loss, and this year is going to be payback for us. With another year of experience under our belts, we don't make the same mistakes we made on the road and we come out of there with a victory. Final Score: 31-20

Oct. 10 @ WKU (W): We gotta be careful with this one... WKU may be a few years away from being a solid team, but that is no reason to overlook this away game. These are the kind of games we have to go in and win. And I think we take care of business on the road. Final Score: 24-10

Oct. 17 vs. Troy (W): It could be argued that this game is THE biggest game of the year. This mid-season game could change the face of the Sun Belt Conference title race. Both teams will come in ready to go, but I think FIU, riding in on momentum and enjoying a rare home-field advantage takes this one in a thrilling showdown, going down to the wire. This one will turning heads across the conference and the country. Final Score: 33-30

Oct. 24 @ Arkansas State (L): This one is gonna be a tough loss to swallow, but ASU has talent and could be a headache for FIU and the rest of the Sun Belt... after the Hilton Heave spectacle this year, this team is going to relish snapping our 4-game win streak and puting a dent in our SBC crown hopes. Final Score: 30-7

Oct. 31 vs. Louisiana (W): Without their big weapons from last season, we are going to take this one with relative ease. TY is gonna run wild and Paul McCall is gonna tear this one apart. It'll be a happy Halloween for FIU fans. Final Score: 40-14

Nov. 7 @ Middle Tennessee (L): I think this one is going to be a close one, and we showed last season that we can take care of business against them. But I think being on the road so often is going to catch up to us, and I have a feeling MT is going to get the better of us on that day. Final Score: 20-10

Nov. 14 vs. North Texas (W): Riley Dodge looked sharp in his North Texas starting debut. They should come in and give FIU a good game for homecoming... I'm just glad we got them at home this season. We take them, but I think a few FIU fans are gonna get nervous before this one is over. Final Score: 17-10

Nov. 21 @ UF (L): Very few things would make me happier than an upset in Gainseville... but it's nothing more than a distant dream at this point. They are just too good. My hope? We make it a game through three quarters. I think it's a possibility. Final Score: 35-7

Dec. 5 vs. FAU in the Shula Bowl (W): One of those few things that would make me happier is a win over FAU. After last year, there is little doubt as to who our REAL rival is, and it is FAU. THIS is the team we have to take care of business against and THIS is the game we need to win if we are truly going to move forward as a program. With last year in everyone's minds, there is no way we drop this one. With possible bowl game implications on the line again, make no mistake, this one could be the best games in the Belt. We take this one and head for a bowl game. Final Score: 47-42

Bowl Game (??): It all depends on where we go and who we play, but the fact that we make it to a bowl game will show everyone that FIU has arrived and ready to take charge. Hopefully the bowl game will be close to home, preferrably the St. Petersburg Bowl against an in-state opponent like USF or UCF (which Pete Pelegrin of The Herald proposed). Or who knows? Maybe a date with UM can be arranged if the stars align correctly.

The Inaugural Post

2009-09-05T10:57:00.000-04:00

So this is the inaugural blog (hopefully in the near future I'll have a more presentable page), for those of you who managed to somehow stumble upon this page: Welcome and hello from the beautiful country of Costa Rica, where I am spending part of my Labor Day weekend! Truth be told, I'd rather be home... I'm missing FIU soccer and Miami FC's last home game at FIU Stadium, but I digress. FIU women's volleyball won early today against Lipscomb, winning the Jayhawk Invitational in Kansas and now standing at a 5-1 record. Great way to end the season-starting road trip!

Anyway, I guess I might as well say what I'll be doing on this blog. I guess you can see this will be pretty, well, random. If there seems to be something interesting going on in sports in Miami or something that may affect Miami I'll write about it. If there's an issue that grabs my attention, I'll rant about it. If there's a big game, I'll have my thoughts... this'll be the jist of it. I hope you all enjoy it and join in on the discussion, if not... well, there are plenty of other people more qualified and are getting paid to write their opinions! I'm just writing things as I see it, from one fan's perspective.

A good place to start would be the things to look out for the week, things I'll be looking at and things most people are probably going to be looking at, too. I'll probably have a fancy name for this kind of thing, but for now I'll keep it simple. So here are five things to look out for in the next week in no particular order!:

1) College football is back, finally! And both FIU and UM are starting off their seasons with great games. FIU takes on Nick Saban (whom we all know and love...) and UM travels to FSU. There's no secret as to where my loyalties lie; FIU is my team. As much as I can't stand the 'Noles, it doesn't match how much I loathe the Canes. Should be great matchups to watch.

2) Marlins playoff hopes are still alive, but their sloppy play has been a major concern. They better step it up or things could get nasty for the Fish in the final stretch.

3) Miami does, in fact, have a pro soccer team. For how much longer is another story altogether, but Miami FC is here and their playoff hopes are on life support after a dysmal road trip... a loss tonight against Austin at FIU Stadium could effectively seal the 2009 season for good. But maybe a couple of wins and a little help from elsewhere could change all of that. Keep an eye on this one.

4) FIU volleyball, arguably the best athletic program at FIU at the moment, returns home to play UM on Thursday at the U.S. Century Bank Arena (which from now on shall be referred to on this blog by me as "The Bank"). Hopefully Yarimar Rosa, in her senior year and suffering a strained hip muscle right before the season started, will be back to help FIU take on the University of Coral Gables.

5) The Dolphins season is just a week away! I'm cautiously optimistic about the team's chances, but that schedule could prove to be fatal... there are barely any breaks for this team. If they make it to the playoffs, we could be the most battle-tested team in the AFC going into January.

Well that's going to do it for this edition, hopefully you'll stick around. Till next time, God bless and good night!