Luke DeBold 1980-2010

Santos Among Group of 7 UM HOF Inductees Tonight

The University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame will induct its 2010 class tonight at a ceremony and dinner tonight at Jungle Island. Among the inductees are Alex Santos (baseball), Bubba Franks (football), Jim Cox (football), Ed Morris (basketball) Jenny Keim Johansen (diving), Sid Schwartz (tennis) and associate Athletic Director Connie Nickel. Jason Michaels (baseball) was inducted earlier this year, as he is currently with the Houston Astros.

Santos (above) was the starting and winning pitcher against FSU in the 1999 College World Series Championship Game. The Palm Beach Post has a story about Santos online today.

Miami Hearld story about the inductees today.

Martinez Leads 'Canes Over UNC

Harold Martinez' three-run homer in the 5th inning highlighted the 13th ranked Hurricanes' 11-1 win over #21 North Carolina at Alex Rodriguez Park last night. The win guarantees the Hurricanes their first series win against the Tar Heels since 2005 and their fifth ACC series win in their first six this season.

The homer was Martinez'11th this season and his fifth in Miami's last 10 games.

Who Is the 'Canes Best Catcher Ever?

Our friend Jorge Milian over at the Palm Beach Post makes his case for current UM catcher Yasmani Grandal over Charles Johnson (above) and Jorge Fabregas as the Hurricanes' best all-time catcher. It also gives us an excuse to run a photo of CJ from our soon to be released scan project from the 1992 season. Read Milian's latest blog here.

Micanor Regis Excels on Another Field

Relays and sprints aren't the only segments of track & field in which Hurricanes football players excel. Defensive lineman Micanor Regis was the leading collegian with a throw of 14.40 meters during last week's Hurricane Alumni Invitational.

In today's shot put competition at the 2010 ACC Track & Field Championships in Clemson, South Carolina, Regis improved his personal best to 14.54 meters.

'Canes 4x100 Relay Team Shines at Hurricanes Alumni Invitational

The 'Canes football program has a long, rich tradition of players who excelled in track, and yesterday's 4x100 relay team was no exception. Cory Nelms, DeMarcus VanDyke, Travis Benjamin and Brandon McGee finished first in the event with a time of 40.15 seconds, the fastest by a Miami relay team since the 1998 season and is the third fastest time in school history.

Graham Headlines Allcanes Autograph Session #2

Jimmy Graham, Eric Moncur and Joe Joseph will appear at Allcanes in Coral Gables next Saturday, April 17th from 12-1pm. A limited number of 8x10 action photos, and 8x10 and 16x20 versions of the composite print of Graham shown above, will be available. For more information, visit Allcanes.com.

Ratcliff's Big Night in Boca

Frankie Ratcliff scored three runs and had four RBI, including a three run HR (above) as the Hurricanes defeated FAU 8-5 last night in Boca Raton.

The Miami Herald story is here.

A more complete game story by FAU Owls Access can be read here.

The FAU beat writer for the Sun-Sentinel has one of the most interesting sports blogs I've ever read. You can access his take on the game here.

Why the 'Canes WNIT Run Matters

The Hurricanes disdain runner-up trophies.

At least that's how the story goes over the years. A College World Series runner-up trophy held a door open for Jim Morris' interview at UM before being hired back in 1994. A Fiesta Bowl runner-up trophy held a door open in the SID office back in 2003.

Don't tell it to Charmaine Clark, who was holding the WNIT runner-up trophy like a teddy bear while touring San Francisco after Saturday's 73-61 loss to the University of California in the WNIT Championship Game.

Even the 1991-92 team, the greatest team in Miami Women's Basketball history, who bookended the season with losses around 30 straight wins, didn't win five straight in the postseason.

The 'Canes made their run after losing 6 of 7 games at the end of the season, including a "one and done" appearance at the ACC Conference Tournament. This team could have called it a season in the WNIT opener against Florida Gulf Coast, a team with a 24-7 record. Instead they took down the Eagles, then the Gators, Aggies, Friars, and Wolverines.

By the time they arrived in Berekely, they were gassed, having spent time in Chicago awaiting their final destination, then having to travel west and play in about 24 hours time. They shot 13% (2 of 15) from the floor to open the game.

The Hurricanes return with all but two players from this year's team, and with the experience of having played in do or die games and championship pressure and disappointment. This runner-up trophy is a stepping stone instead of a door-stop.