Marve Transfer Rumors

 

Baby please don't go!

We all know by now how Robert Marve was suspended for supposedly being late to class, he is frustrated, wants to transfer, blah, blah, blah. I just wanted to throw my opinion in here before he makes a final decision. First off, I am not the type who think the following are ever good for a team, in any sport:  

1) addition by subtraction of an extremely talented player  

2) losing a game before a tourney to ‘get it out of them’   

Namely #2, which is complete and total bullshit. But the one important to this discussion is #1, about getting rid of Marve, or not caring that he transfers, because he doesn’t want to be here anymore. Again, total BS. You always, always, always want as much talent as you can get. Any coach worth a damn will always tell you that. They would always have the talent, and deal with the headaches that go with it. You know the only time you hear how it was great so and so left? After the fact, when said team has proven to be successsful without said star player. Competition is always better for a team, at any position. The real problem lies in playing head games with the players, killing their confidence, and forcing them to think they have to make a great play every drive (I’m looking at you Randy and Patty Nix). Terrell Waldon told me as much when he helped me move into my new place. I must say, great guy, extremely nice. Talked Canes shop with me for a solid 20 minutes, and even showed me his 2004 Orange Bowl ring. But as a mover? Fuck. They sucked. I was moving more shit than him and his work mover buddy did. But hey, we’re all fucking soldiers in this together.

Emerald Bowl Preview

I want to get this up now, so I am not internally pressured to hit out a preview post Saturday at 6pm, most likely inebriated out of boredom leading up to the game.

No grass infield, ok guys? Please?

Emerald Bowl

San Francisco, CA

AT&T Park

Miami Hurricanes (7-5) vs. California Golden Bears (8-4)

Cal is a 7.5 point favorite in this contest, and I can’t find a reason to suggest otherwise. Miami went on a relatively great run mid-season, cranking out 5 straight wins after a 2-3 start, but many of those were close contests, and the offense looked abysmal in most of them.

What does Miami need to win? Zero turnovers for starters, some Go Fast Boats, Crockett with a grenade in hand about to paint the wall Jose Yero, and a new OC. In reality, what they need is to jump out to an early lead, and allow their quickly improving D-Line to pin their ears back, and hopefully create more turnovers. The secondary just didn’t have it this year, but the line-backing corps, led by the Lightning on a Stick Sean Spence, can shut down Cal’s pass happy mid-range game. However, it is Jahvid Best I’m worried about.

 

If we all grew badass handlebar mustaches, this one would already be in the bag.

Prior to the debacle at GTech, Miami was notorious for being able to handle option teams of any kind, dating back to the Oklahoma wishbone days (Ja-may-yell……Come out and play-ayyyy!)*. They tore up the fake fullback dive, the quarterback, and pitchman, in perfect succession. Then you hear about Randy telling them to tackle high, to go for turnovers. I was aghast. Randy, randy, randy. You’re telling  your ridiculously young and undisciplined D to go for turnovers against a bigger, more disciplined option attack? Ugh. Regardless, lets hope the fact Cal doesn’t run the option will cease that point moot.

Cal was, on paper, ever so close to winning the Pac-10 and playing in the Rose Bowl. In reality, Cal never beats USC, and loses to in-conference teams it shouldn’t, every year. No wonder Tedford was up for the Michigan job last year! Their offense was very lackluster compared to some recent years, but they beat a good Michigan State team to open the season. In fact, none of their losses look all that bad. USC, Oregon State are the obvious. Arizona doesn’t look so bad anymore, and @ Maryland is debatable, but they were in the running for the division title until the last week of the year.

This game means absolutely nothing to Cal, and hopefully they are lulled to sleep by playing at home. Miami needs this one bad, and Randy needs it even more. The difference between 8-5 and 7-6, this year, after how this team’s O looked, is astronomical. Nix’s job shouldbe on the line, whether that is true is to be determined. There is no excuse this week with Harris having a whole year of experience, and getting 100% of the snaps. Miami should fare better against the more straight forward running style of Best, and can keep it close. I just don’t see a victory emerging. Cal 34, Miami 24. Get out those brooms and torches Soldier Boi’s. We on the hunt for a new OC!

Lets hope I’m wrong, and…..Go Canes!

* Reading Boys Will Be Boys: The Glory Days and Party Nights of the Dallas Cowboys Dynasty. In a word: hilarious. It is a great stand alone about the Cowboys’ debauchery of the time, but with Jimmy Johnson and Michael Irvin all over the book, the great Canes’ stories of the ’80s are relived. For those of you newbies, this is one of the best:

In late September of 1986, top-ranked Oklahoma came to town to play the No. 2 Hurricanes at the Orange Bowl. Switzer’s Sooners were led by linebacker Brian Bosworth, the Sports Illustrated cover boy with the multicolored flattop haircut. The night before kickoff, neither Miami tailback Melvin Bratton nor his roommate, fullback Alonzo Highsmith, could sleep. “It’s five-thirty in the morning and I’m just lying there looking around,” Bratton said. “Me and High are like kids at Christmas. We are so ready to get their ass. Oklahoma’s been getting all the hype. It’s Bosworth this and Bosworth that. I said, ‘High, fuck the Boz and fuck that fade haircut of his. Let’s call that sonofabitch and wake his ass up.’”

Bratton had heard the Sooners were staying at the Fontainebleau Hilton. He called the front desk and was patched through to Bosworth’s room.

     “Hello?”

     “Is this Boz?” Bratton asked.

     “Yeah …”

     “Well, this is Melvin fuckin’ Bratton and Alonzo Highsmith, and this is your fucking wake-up call, motherfucker! And at high noon we’ll see your sorry ass in the Orange Bowl and we’re gonna kick your fucking ass!”

As soon as Bosworth hung up, Bratton and Highsmith told Hurrican defensive lineman Jerome Brown of the “exchange.” Brown summoned the entire defense to his dorm room, from which they called the hotel and asked to be connected to Sooners quarterback Jamelle Holieway. “Ja-may-al, come out and paaa-lay-yay,” Brown taunted, “Come on out, Ja-may-al!”