The Disease of Me

"The Disease of Me leads to the Defeat of Us."

1.        CHRONIC FEELINGS OF UNDER APPRECIATION – FOCUS ON ONESELF.

2.         PARANOIA OVER BEING CHEATED OUT OF ONE’S RIGHTFUL SHARE.

3.         LEADERSHIP VACUUM RESULTING FROM FORMATION OF CLIQUES AND RIVALRIES.

4.         FEELINGS OF FRUSTRATION EVEN WHEN THE TEAM PERFORMS SUCCESSFULLY.

5.         PERSONAL EFFORT MUSTERED SOLELY TO OUTSHINE ONE’S TEAMMATE.

6.         RESENTMENT OF THE COMPETENCE OF ANOTHER – REFUSE TO ADMIT HIS CONTRIBUTION.

I wish I could take credit for saying that, but I am not the genius that is Pat Riley. In his book, The Winner Within, Pat Riley goes in depth in analyzing his years with the Lakers. He tells us how after winning the championship in 1980, the following year players started to gripe about who was getting the attention and credit for being the "reason" they were so successful. Just to keep things in perspective, Magic Johnson was still a kid and this team had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Many were giving the credit to Magic Johnson. So what does Kareem Abdul-Jabbar do? That off-season he worked out harder than ever before and reported to training camp in the best shape of his life. However, his intention was not to show up in better shape to help the team, his intention was to prove he was the best player and the main reason why they were winning. This type of attitude became an issue for the entire team and lead to them falling apart. Additionally, Magic Johnson got a 25 year, $25 million deal which didn't help much.

What really created the rift between the Lakers' players? I say the media. Outsiders who wish to do nothing but harm the core of a team. If you think for one second players are not cognizant of what is being said about them you have not been paying attention to sports for too long. Part of the reason the Bulls' dynasty was dismantled was due to Scottie Pippen griping with management over what he perceived as a slight when they signed Toni Kukoc and low-balled him on a new contract. Jerry Krause also felt Phil Jackson was getting too much credit for winning championships. According to Krause, he was responsible for assembling the team, therefore he should get the credit. Then there was the famous line from Krause: "Michael Jordan doesn't win championships. Teams win championships." Scottie dipped out of town, Phil wasn't resigned, Michael retired.

The reason I am writing this is because I just read Bill Simmons' article about the Miami Heat.ESPN-Simmons article. In the article, Simmons compares Dwyane Wade and Lebron James' relationship to that of Michael Eisner and Frank Wells. Michael Eisner was the CEO of Disney for a while and was responsible for the deal that brought ABC and ESPN to Disney. Simmons argues the Miami Heat will not "come together" until Dwyane Wade has a Frank Wells moment and realizes he is not the Chairman and CEO of the Miami Heat, but rather Lebron James is and Wade should settle for being second in command.

My take on the whole situation? Simmons should shut up. He's jumping to conclusions early in the season, as are the rest of the so called experts. Dwyane Wade and Lebron James are two of the greatest athletes to ever play in the NBA. Both of them are very conscious about their image and their legacies. They understand the decision they made requires them to succeed. Success means multiple championships. One or two will not suffice in the eyes of the sports world. In order to accomplish this, the duo must understand they will need to sacrifice and that on any given night one of them will be the hero, the other the sidekick. There is no need to define the roles now, and the roles can change depending on match-ups or other variables. For example, if Wade is on fire and hitting every shot he takes, I promise you Lebron James is going to keep feeding him. Wade is also aware that there will be times where Lebron wants the ball and he will barrel his way into the lane and either score or draw a foul.  One night one of them can be Superman, the other Batman. (I refuse to use the Batman and Robin analogy because Robin is definitely the side-kick to Batman, whereas in Comic book world Batman and Superman are considered equal). Superman/Batman

I do not feel for one second that these future Hall of Famers will fall into the trap the media has created for them. Feel free to argue they created the trap for themselves, but I don't see it that way. Everyone in the country is writing these "hate" filled articles about this Miami Heat team. Each time they lose someone will try to over-analyze the reason.

Recently, that reason was Chris Bosh. The national media was speculating whether or not it was time to trade Chris Bosh. Bosh was labeled "soft" and was criticized for looking "lost" during the first few games. I shared in this view, however I was not going to start talking about trading him after 8 or 9 games. Tim Legler, Charles Barkley, Jon Barry (he's my favorite one of all) have all publicly made comments about how the Miami Heat doesn't have what it takes, Lebron and Wade look awkward together, Bosh doesn't rebound, etc. I would love to know, just for the record here, how many of them won an NBA championship? Ouch. Guess they didn't have what it took. Ten games is definitely enough to gauge how good this team will be. What world do these people live in? How can you speculate so wildly? What bothers me the most is how no one calls them out on this! All of their comments are generalizations that require no real analysis.

I would like to take an example from Hollywood of how it is possible to take stars, put them all in one movie, and get the desired result. The Departed, directed by Martin Scorsese, starred Leonardo Dicaprio, Jack Nicholson, and Matt Damon. Mark Wahlberg was a nice supporting piece who many would also consider to be a top notch actor. The movie won Best Picture and Martin Scorsese won Best Director. You're probably thinking, "Erik Spoelstra is not Martin Scorsese." You'd be right in saying that, but Pat Riley sure is. Like Riley said, "The Disease of Me will lead to the Defeat of Us." I'm sure Riles will do whatever it takes to make sure this team achieves the success it was built for, even if that means he may have to return to the bench to make it happen.

Oh, and by the way, back to the Michael Eisner reference in Simmons' column: he's also the guy who drove away Jeffery Katzenberg. Anyone know who that is? Heard of Dreamworks? Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen, all got together and founded Dreamworks SKG. All the subtle Disney jokes in Shrek? That's Katzenberg giving the middle finger to Disney. Hopefully the Miami Heat will be doing the same to the critics at the end of this season.

The Disease of Me

A little something from Jorge...enjoy!

Larry Beinfest and David Samson, oh how I love thee![1] A few years ago, I wrote a scathing letter to the editor of the Miami Herald regarding trust and the Florida Marlins. A few years later and a World Series championship ring later, those words still ring true. I complained then and I complain now that these guys cannot be trusted.

First, yes, they got us a stadium. Throw your hands up in appreciation, Miami! David Samson, however, spent the years trying to get a stadium criticizing and alienating anybody that enjoyed the Marlins. He is a patronizing little guy with a Napoleonic complex that should credit the power of nepotism for having any sort of career in this sport (and does anyone other than myself hate that guy’s voice? So smarmy!). Oh yeah, that guy helped lie about the Marlins’ profits and those profits secured the Marlins a stadium (and destroyed the only constant in Miami sports, the Orange Bowl, along with it). If the Marlins were publicly traded we might have some sort of legal action taken against those fraudulent clowns.

 Now onto the good stuff. Why does everyone think that Larry Beinfest is some sort of magician? What has he done for the Marlins? Yes, the Marlins won the world series in 2003 and he made midseason trades that helped seal the deal.  Does anyone not realize how lucky the Marlins were in 2003?  Pudge was signed last minute. Miguel Cabrera blossomed early. Dontrelle Willis was the next coming of Fernando Valenzuela. But were we really expecting Jack McKeon to save us from the disastrous season? He brought in Braden Looper was the game-winning pitcher in Game 4 of the World Series for God’s sake!  Did we really expect Mike Lowell, Alex Gonzalez, Juan Encarnacion, Juan Pierre, D-Lee, and pretty much everybody to have a career year? Really, it was the perfect storm.  But, let’s take a closer look.  Whose players were they? Mostly Dave Dombrowski’s.

Derek Lee was acquired in a trade for Kevin Brown after 1997 World Series. Luis Castillo signed as an amateur free agent in 1992.  Alex Gonzalez signed as an amateur free agent in 1994.  Mike Lowell traded to Marlins from Yankees in 1999. Brad Penny was acquired for Matt Mantei in 1999.  Josh Beckett was drafted in 1999 and Cabrera was signed in 1999.  Mark Redman, Mike Redmond, Carl Pavano, Juan Encarnacion, Chad Fox, Jeff Conine, D-Train, Juan Pierre, and Ugueth Urbina were Larry Beinfest decisions (the list is not exhaustive). That infield I just mentioned was responsible for the third best defense in terms of errors, Beckett was the World Series MVP, and Cabrera provided a much-needed spark in the outfield. The rest is history.

Although that does not seem like such a lopsided matchup, history has since shown that Larry Beinfest is mediocre at best.  Luis Castillo was traded for a pitcher with a dead elbow or was it his dead shoulder? Pudge was replaced by… wait for it… wait for it… the sexual assault king Ramon Castro.  Derek Lee was traded for Hee Sop Choi, the Korean pop enthusiast sensation.  Juan Pierre was traded for Ricky Nolasco, a solid, potential-filled contributor, but not a crazy success.  While Mike Lowell and Josh Beckett netted Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez, many would consider that trade a wash (Boston went out and won some rings, you know). Yes, yes, Beinfest has been known to “resurrect” some bullpen arms, but he has had mixed success. And yes, Dan Uggla was a rule 5 pick (but possibly would have never seen the field if Pokey Reese didn’t go AWOL).  I have saved the best of them all for last.

The Marlins traded perhaps one of the top 5 hitters in baseball in Miguel Cabrera, amid rumors that he was a drunk, a clubhouse cancer, and overweight. That overweight drunk is currently competing for triple crowns in the American League while actually playing some decent first base.  The Marlins got a Rajon Rondo clone without the talent in Cameron Maybin, Andrew Miller, Burke Badenhop, the world’s best horrible catcher in Mike Rabelo, Dallas Trahern, and the coolest name of them all, Eulogio De La Cruz.  Andrew Miller, the suicidal man’s Randy Johnson was recently traded for denture cream to the Boston Red Sox. Mike Rabelo might be catching in someone’s bullpen by now. Burke Badenhop is a mildly successful middle reliever who was semi-ridiculously dubbed captain of the comebacker by the unintentional comedy tag team duo of Tommy Hutton and Rich Waltz.  Eulogio De La Cruz is the best Eulogio in MLB history, I think.  Currently playing first base is the super solid Gaby Sanchez.  Meanwhile, the Marlins are trying to pay Dan Uggla franchise player money despite the fact that he is not as talented as Josh Johnson or Hanley and is severely one-dimensional. But, get this, Uggla is trying to help the free world by rejecting 4 year, 48mil offers. Thank God for Uggla. Maybe we will trade him for more hot dogs.

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[1] The Marlins are my favorite professional sports team.  This column is about my hate for them.

A little something from Jorge...enjoy!

A little late...

Ok, I am late to the party. I promised to write about the Canes game this past weekend and I didn't. But hey, better late than never. I'll start off by telling you I was pleasantly surprised. The stadium was full, which was shocking considering the fact the fan base seems to be up in arms against Randy Shannon. Perhaps it was the fact we had a new starting quarterback in Stephen Morris. Who knows, but let's segue into that.

Stephen Morris. If I am Randy Shannon, the Jacory Harris era is over. The kid led the team down the field with under two minutes left, no timeouts (all due to Randy Shannon's poor clock management), and fired a bullet to Leonard Hankerson for a touchdown to seal the victory. My favorite part about the throw? Morris didn't see it. He was laying on his back. His version of what happened? He was staring into the sky, laying on his back waiting for the crowd to erupt and let him know he had just won the game. As soon as he heard the roars, he knew. What did he do? Pointed to the sky and thanked God. Great story that could just be the beginning of something great for the University of Miami. This is chapter 1 of Stephen Morris' college career. A kid who had no idea he would even be playing this year. A kid who at the same time the year before was playing against Gulliver Prep. All of a sudden he's tossing the game winning touchdown in an ACC game against Maryland. All of a sudden he's the hero, the savior of the season (according to some). Will the end of his book include a national championship? It's fun to dream of the possibilities for now isn't it? That's what happens when your freshman quarterback leads a come from behind victory. Your fan base is rejuvenated. The media lays off a little bit. The audacity to be optimistic is no longer seen as a neurotic break from reality. 

Now Stephen Morris finds himself in the middle of a quarterback controversy, because whether or not Randy Shannon wants to admit it, there is a controversy here. The fans were blowing up the radio stations minutes after the game calling for Jacory Harris' permanent benching. Shannon released a statement hours later saying Jacory would return to the starting lineup once deemed healthy by team doctors. Right move? I don't think so.

If you're Randy Shannon you stick with the freshman. Look at Bill Belichik. Drew Bledsoe goes down, Tom Brady comes in. The rest is history. Who knows what happens to the Patriots if Belichik decided to give Drew Bledsoe his starting job back? Do the Patriots still win multiple Super Bowls? Tough to answer yes to that question. There's no guarantee that Stephen Morris will lead this team to a championship next year or the year after. Here's the thing though. We've all seen what Jacory Harris is capable of. We've seen his best football already. He's an inconsistent quarterback with an average arm. He's prone to throwing interceptions and has not progressed at all in his three years as the starting quarterback. The truth is we've gone as far as we can go with Jacory Harris. Why not find out if Stephen Morris can take you farther? Roll the dice here Randy Shannon.

A little late...

Hurricane's Game this weekend

For the first time all season I will be in attendance at this weekend's Hurricane game. I have been busy with school and work for the past month so I have not been able to devote much attention to the Canes or Dolphins. I have watched a few quarters, maybe a whole half if I am lucky, but now that I have more free time I will be able to fully dissect their ineptitude.

First thing I want to see at the game is how many fans will actually show up. It's pretty sad that the Hurricanes don't draw more fans. Sure we show up for the FSU game in ridiculous numbers, but at this point UM v. FSU has turned into that event where even your grandma shows up. People don't go because they want to see a good football game, or even because they are truly fans of either team. People show up because as is typical in Miami, it is the place to be that given weekend. Case in point: I know girls who never watch football. Never. They know absolutely nothing about who is playing, the names of players on either team, but they will make sure they have tickets to the UM-FSU game simply because they need to take pictures and post it on their Facebook profile so the entire world knows they attended the game. This is the type of person who will walk around the rest of the weekend and ask every soul they cross, "Did you go to the game?" Of course, when you say no, they will respond, "Wow that sucks. I was there! I saw the game! I was so wasted!" Ask them who won, or how the game itself played out, and this person will not be able to give you a single detail. So in reality, the UM-FSU game should not be taken into consideration as a measuring stick for fan attendance at UM games. Look at the rest of the ACC games and you'll find a lot of empty seats.

I don't want to continue analyzing the possible reasons for the poor attendance, so let's move on. The second thing I am looking for is how the team reacts to a new starting quarterback. This is really the only thing I am excited about. Stephen Morris will be making his official debut as the starting quarterback this weekend. Last week Randy Shannon burned his red-shirt year when he through him into the fire against UVA. I think the kid handled things pretty well considering he probably had no clue he would be thrown in there and considering at this point last year he was playing quarterback for Pace High School. I'm going into this game as an optimist. I want to see Morris succeed and I want the team to focus more on running the football. Make no mistake about this. If Mark Whipple does not adjust his gameplan and focus on the ground game, the man needs to be taken to a mental institution. You are starting a young quarterback. You have a stable of running backs available to you who have shown flashes of greatness this season. Yes, they are also young, but the running back position is more instinctual as opposed to the quarterback position. Take the hand off and plow forward. Of course having great field vision helps, and that takes some time to develop, but as a running back you can get by using your pure talents and strength. Lamar Miller runs a 4.3 40-yard dash. Give that kid the ball and let him work. Don't complicate things for Morris by forcing him to throw the ball 30-plus times. Anyway, my hope is simple. Morris plays relatively well and causes the coaching staff a headache: To bench, or not to bench Jacory Harris. I've heard all these reports that Mark Whipple hand-picked Stephen Morris. If the kid has success, why not begin the Stephen Morris era immediately? Why go back to turnover prone Jacory Harris?

Let's talk about loyalty. I am sure some fans will feel that Randy Shannon owes some sort of loyalty to Jacory Harris. Here's what I have to say about that: NO! Randy Shannon, and this fan base for that matter, has shown plenty of support and loyalty for Jacory Harris. We have defended him time and time again even when he throws four interceptions and costs us a win. Shannon gets paid to win games. Some of you feel he should be given the benefit of the doubt because of his off-field record (graduation rates, no crime, etc.), but the harsh truth is Shannon is a football coach. A football coach, although he is responsible for fostering a positive environment and being a role model to his players, gets paid for one ultimate essential job function: Win. Win and make money for the school. Randy Shannon can not get caught up in any promises he may have made to Jacory Harris. I say this because at times I wonder if Shannon sold his soul to the devil when he brought in the Northwestern recruiting class a few years ago. I play these weird scenarios out in my head at times when it comes to sports, and the idea I have of how this all went down goes as follows: Shannon promised Jacory Harris the starting job as long as Harris could deliver the rest of the stud Northwestern kids. It is widely reported that many players hitched their football careers to wherever Jacory chose to play. Surely, at some point, this must have been brought up. I can see it now. Randy Shannon asks Jacory which players he has in his pocket, and Jacory stares into his eyes and says: "I start, I will bring them ALL." You might laugh and find that ridiculous, but I honestly believe that something similar to that occurred. Point I am making is that Randy Shannon needs to make smart, objective decisions. If Stephen Morris plays well and you know he is the future, bail on Jacory Harris now.

Last, I want to see if I can get a feel for the fans. What is the mood in the stadium? I need to know. I listen to the radio shows, I watch ESPN and listen to Herbstreit, and I read all the crap that is being spewed on the internet. Now I will get to see it for myself. If we go down early, will the fans boo? Will there be "Fire Shannon" posters?

I'll make sure to let you all know. Stay tuned to my Twitter account for updates from the game.

Hurricane's Game this weekend

Dan Henning has to go

It's been quite some time since I post, but I have been paying attention to South Florida sports. Have no doubts about that gentlemen (and ladies, if there are any reading). I would like to turn your attention to the Miami Dolphins. Our record says we are 4-3. Bill Parcells is famous for saying, "You are what your record says you are." Halfway through the season, the Miami Dolphins are mediocre. Who's to blame though? Is it Chad Henne's fault? The defense? Since this is my blog I get to attribute blame to whoever I please. I blame Dan Henning.

If you were watching yesterday's Fins game, I am sure you wanted to throw whatever you had in your hand (pizza, burger, beer, cell phone) at your television set at several points throughout the game. My boiling point? Running the wildcat, not once, but twice in the 4th quarter. The wildcat has averaged around 1.6 yards per carry this season. It has clearly lost its element of surprise. Why Dan Henning is taking Chad Henne out of the offense to run two throw away plays in the 4th quarter is a question that causes me to suffer from a temporary bout of Tourette's Syndrome (apologies to anyone who really does suffer from this disease, I do not intend this to be offensive or disparaging in any light whatsoever). I believe Dan Henning was doing his very best to sabotage our team. I believe he wanted to make things interesting for the viewers. I am clearly kidding, but seriously what the hell was he thinking? Chad Henne orchestrates a beautiful 96 yard drive, and we follow that up with....fill in the blank and use your word of choice.

It is this type of play calling that irks me and brings me to the conclusion Dan Henning must go. Too many times this season the wildcat has stalled drives. Too many times Dan Henning calls for a predictable play (draw play anyone?). There was a point in yesterday's game where my brother successfully called three plays in a row. The sequence went as follows: 1) Draw play. 2) Pass to Davone Bess in the flat for a gain of three. 3) Pass to Brian Hartline. 4) Punt. While I found this hysterical, it only showed that Dan Henning's play calling really has become easier to predict than the sun rising each morning.

This team is mediocre. Brandon Marshall said it best this morning: "Put playmakers in position to make plays. Otherwise, we'll be seeing our kicker in the Pro Bowl."

Dan Henning has to go

An apology

To my loyal readers (all 3 of you):

I apologize for the lack of content in the recent months. I have been wrapped up in school work.

Sincerely,

Juan Perez

P.S. I am very happy to say that Mark Sanchez is not clutch. 

An apology

Shannon's attitude is a concern

Randy Shannon was on the Joe Rose Show this morning on 560 WQAM. He said something I find incredibly disturbing. When Joe asked him if it would be a big disappointment if UM didn't end up in the ACC Championship, Shannon responded:

"I don't know if it would be a big disappointment. It'd be disappointing. For anybody, because we are always trying to be the best we can be at Miami and in anything we are trying to get done."

No. It would be disastrous. People are already calling for his head. The witch hunt is only going to grow, especially if the team loses more games. Virginia Tech is still out there, and don't underestimate UNC. We've had trouble against both teams in the past and Butch Davis has had our number for a few years now.  Randy Shannon needs to face reality. Fans are tired of being patient. Fans want to win. Now. The "U" has always been about winning. Win big or go home. Shannon better start delivering.

Shannon's attitude is a concern