Under Siege

The ESPN Hype Machine is doing its best to finish the Miami Program off.

It has been a bad year for the University of Miami Athletic Department. The Football program is under performing and in shambles, the Basketball team failed to meet expectations and the Baseball team was on probabtion. (though the reached the College World Series.) Things however got much worse for the Miami Athletic Department on Saturday Night as the now infamous melee with cross town commuter school Florida International took place on the field of the venerable Orange Bowl.

Florida International's fans and players came into the Orange Bowl Saturday night spoiling for a fight and they certainly caused enough trouble for the cross town Canes to last a lifetime. Many F.I.U. players grew up UM fans and are still bitter that they didn't get an offer to play at UM. Many F.I.U. students are upset they didn't get accepted to UM, and the FIU administration led by President Modesto (Mitch) A. Maidique is bitter that they are in the same town as UM. I am told that when President Maidique stumbles across a student wearing UM merchandise on the West Miami Dade FIU commuter campus, he raises holy heck. Miami never should have played a school full of envious, bitter elements, but alas the damage has now been done.

No question exists that Miami's players acted in a fashion that brings great embarrassment to the University, its alumni and to its fans. In addition, I agree with the media critics who state that while Florida International was clearly the aggressor, Miami bears much of the responsibility because their players did not have the maturity to simply walk away when provoked.

Miami should punish all players involved and revoke the scholarships of Anthony Reddick, and all-American Brandon Merriweather the two most flagrantly misfits the other night. However, Miami should not be subject to any of the inane suggestions and over hype that have floated on the ESPN family of networks in the past few days.

Joe Thiesman who feels his time at Notre Dame gives himself license to act holier than now dubbed Miami, Thug U, even though Miami has had far fewer off the field player incidents over the past five years than his beloved Irish. Thiesman himself played for a Notre Dame team that was involved in a bench clearing brawl with Southern Cal in 1971.

Lou Holtz has been condemning the Miami program for its lack of control. Yet in Holtz's last game as a College coach his South Carolina players not only cleared the bench to attack Clemson, but also were seen hitting police officers and fans. Let us not forget that Holtz himself put a choke hold on an official in a game with BYU in the mid 1990s while coaching that pristine institution, Notre Dame. While Hotlz has expressed regret for what happened at South Carolina he hasn't taken responsibility the way he professes Larry Coker should.

Kirk Herbstreit called the incident disgraceful and said Miami should consider firing Larry Coker for having a lack of control of his players. I am sure Jim Tressel had no idea that Maurice Clarett was a thug who was not attending class. Tressel and the Buckeyes were too busy preparing to play Miami in the Fiesta Bowl! The media now glorifies Troy Smith, but had he gone to Miami or Florida State we would still be hearing what a bad kid he is.

Sean Salsbury indicated that Miami should be subject to the death penalty and banned from all football competition. Salsbury, a graduate of Southern Cal surely needs some other school to be the subject of an NCAA investigation because as we all know, but ESPN has conveniently forgotten during Football season, Southern Cal is in a world of trouble for every sort of alleged violation possible. Lest us not forget the behavior of some Southern Cal players who coach Pete Carroll has never suspended.

Most laughable is Skip Bayless, a graduate of the University of Tennessee. Bayless called for Miami to receive the death penalty because of lack of player control. Obviously Philip Fulmer and the Tennessee staff that had SIXTEEN players arrested during the 2005 offseason is the model of strong institutional control. Miami has had one player arrested in the past 5 years (Antrel Rolle, who was quickly cleared of any wrongdoing) and must accelerate the recruitment of thugs at an astronomical rate to come anywhere close to catching Tennessee.

ESPN has ruined College Football in so many ways. Whether it is over hyping of certain matchups and teams or totally destroying the proud legacy of ABC Sports, which for years was the flagship network of College Football, ESPN has been at the forefront of destroying objective thoughtful coverage of the game. For whatever reason, ESPN has had a chip on its shoulder with regards to the Miami program for a few years now. When ESPN's commentators have useful suggestions about how to make College Football a better game we should listen, but when the excercise selective memory and lack objectivity we should turn them off.