TRADITION SACKED! 'CANES LEAVING ORANGE BOWL FOR DOLPHIN STADIUM

     The expected sad announcement came officially Tuesday and it's the talk of the town today: UM leaving the Orange Bowl, its football home since 1937, and moving to Dolphin Stadium beginning in 2008.

    The city of Miami must accept most of the blame for UM's unfortunate decision. Click here to find today's column by me. By the way, did anybody see the video they had me do? Click here. Curious what you think. Be gentle. I'm a print guy, not a talking head.

     Inviting comments here on all ranges of emotion, from those who think the Hurricanes leaving the OB absolutely stinks to those who are cheering and welcoming the decision.

Fountains of Wayne on Ricky, Vicky

     Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga, apparently ebullient over luring the Hurricane$ for hi$ $tadium, revealed to The Herald on Tuesday that, much like the 31 other NFL owners, "My expectations are I want to make the playoffs this year." (You get Wayne to betray pessimism and gloomily forecast a sixth straight season out of the playoffs and then you've got a scoop!)

        Huizenga also did not rule out defrocked running back Ricky Williams or even jailbird-to-be Michael Vick as future Dolphins (we touched on the Vick hypothetical a couple of posts below). Don't mistake that for a warm embrace; the owner simply predictably deferred to coach Cam Cameron on such decisions, and Cameron, I suspect, will be seen bungee-jumping nude before welcoming Williams or Vick onto his roster.   

     Still,for the ridiculous sake of argument (blogument?), how would you feel about Ricky and Vicky launching their comebacks with Miami? Easy to dismiss out of hand. Harder (and maybe smarter) to weigh and consider. Unless I've mistaken Miami for a team with way too much talent to need more.

Mr. Marlin ... a Met!

    Oh, the inhumanity! "Mr. Marlin," Jeff Conine, 41, has been traded from the Reds to the division-rival, nemesis Mets. 1. Are you buying that whole "Mr. Marlin" thing in the first place? Should the title go to Conine, to Mike Lowell, to someone else, or should it lay vacated and unearned? 2. You think enough of Conine to care if he ceremonially retires as a Marlin?

Jail Mary: Vick cops plea

     Totally busted Falcons QB Michael Vick accepted a plea agreement on dog-fighting charges today, which all but guarantees he'll do an estimated 12 or more months of jail time and miss at least this coming NFL season.

     He could yet be suspended by the league beyond his incarceration, and perhaps even permanently. NFL still is investigating but issued a pretty harsh statement saying the league "condemns the conduct" to which Vick has pleaded guilty, and noting he previously lied to his team and the league.

     Questions. Does any small part of you feel bad for Vick? Would you guess yes or no on him ever playing in the NFL again? And just for fun: Say it's summer 2010 and John Beck didn't really pan out and now Vick's available. Would you want him in Miami?

Decisions '07: Wright vs. Freeman, Brown vs. Chatman

     Kyle Wright or Kirby Freeman for UM starting quarterback: We've seen what Wright can do. Is he good enough ... or is it time to give Freeman his shot?

 

     Ronnie Brown or Jesse Chatman for Dolphins featured running back: We've seen what Brown can do. Is he good enough ... or is it time to give Chatman the ball?

     [Notice we didn't add Trent Green vs. Cleo Lemon? The official announcement today that the job is Green's surprises nobody who's been paying attention].

Marlins: Losing ugly, and sloppy

     Watching the Marlins can make you wince. Like today's game. Where has the season gone wrong? Let us count the ways. Is it the injuries? Is it that Fredi Gonzalez isn't as good as Joe Girardi? Is it that during spring training they skipped right past the "fundamentals" part? Is it that the Marlins play defense as if wearing the large plastic inflatable gloves pictured here?

     What's been the big problem as you see it?    

Product intended for boobs

     This is true. In Japan, a new product called "F-Cup Cookies" claims to contain 50 milligrams of the miracle "breast-enhancing" herb pueraria mirifica. Eat two cookies a day, and watch your breasts grow. Somewhere, P.T. Barnum is smiling. Somewhere in Tokyo, out-of-shape guys who love cookies are ordering larger man bras.

Ronnie Brown on kick returns: Smart or suicide?

     Are we liking Cam Cameron's deployment of running back Ronnie Brown on kickoff returns? Or has Cam lost his mind by increasing Brown's injury risk?

     The decision -- perhaps not permanent but maybe so; Cam isn't saying for sure -- is another reason to wonder about Ted Ginn, who was supposed to return punts and kickoffs. That's surely not too much to ask of the No. 1 draft pick, especially if he's not to be a major player as a receiver.

     I know there's an easy, predictable outcry against using Brown, chock full of Jason Sehorn references. I'm of the belief you don't play (or practice) football in fear or let the possibility of an injury rule you. But I'd admit this decision is a risky, curious one suggesting either that Ginn isn't all they thought they were getting or that Brown isn't considered all that irreplacable in the backfield.

     Your thoughts?

Bonds in town: Cheer or boo?

    [Refreshing this from last week now that Bonds is in town. I wrote off last night's game -- column here -- and wonder where you fall on the reaction scale when it comes to this polarizing athlete].

     Everybody has an opinion on Barry Bonds. Share yours.

     Do you consider his record tainted because of the strong allegations linking Bonds to past steroid use? I think it is, but not all agree. Some feel Bonds is unfairly villified considering he has never tested positive for the drug. Some would throw race into the debate.

     If you were a fan cheering last night, what would you say to the boo-ers? If you were booing, what would you say to those cheering?

Ask the Blogmaster General (August)

     [Note: The questions window for August has nicked shut. Below-average this time; nevertheless, TBG shall return for another round come mid-September].

     Seems like we just did this; time flies quicker than a defender through the Dolphins' offensive line. So it's time again for our somewhat semipopular mid-month-or-thereabouts feature, in which I directly answer any questions you may have.

    You know by now the daily give-and-take here is your forum. But once a month I invite and reply to your Q's on a variety of topics including but not limited to: Me, this blog, my columns, sports writing, The Miami Herald, other media, local teams, national stories, current events, pop culture, singing on the radio, gourmet cooking and the meaning of a 2-0 NFL preseason record.

     Any questions you've asked of me in the daily blogs that have gone rudely unanswered -- now is the time and this is the place. I'll check back periodically throughout the next couple of days and reply with the exactitude and alacrity you have come to expect.