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DAT’S A WRAP!

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Going in the Backdoor…
Monday was Backdoor Bamby’s Eight Year anniversary at Crobar. The infamous south beach club has been celebrating Bamby’s promiscuity for a long time now, we’ll see how much longer she lasts.

Just Doesn’t Fit
So how weird is this…Tobacco Road is officially having a Hip-Hop Night. Known for its rock bands and wild debauchery Tobacco Road now offers open mic night every Sunday, combined with Miami’s favorite genre of music, hip-hop.

Another odd combination
So Steven Van Zandt from the Sopranos is teaming up with Dunkin’ Donuts and producing the “Underground Garage Battle of the Bands.” Searching for the next big thing (as everyone says) the competitions will be hosted around the States with the finalist winning a chance to play the main stage at the “Underground Garage” festival for the summer. The competition for Miami will take place at I/O on May 20, 21, and 22. If your still around, hit up this downtown hotspot to watch native Miami rockers battle it out.

And finally…
SAMANTHA RIEPE IS A GODDESS
A big thanks to all our contributers this semester – Shawn, Ross, Linda, Deborah, Matt, Margarita, Marcus, Twiggar, David, Sam and the many others – we couldn’t have done it without y’all.

BOOK REVIEW Don’t cry – break something!

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So break-ups are hard and from a girl’s perspective, often times, the end of the world, but with Alison James’ book I Used to Miss Him…but my Aim is Improving ladies will be turning their tears into bouts of uninhibited laughter. James’ rather opinionated stance on breaking up seems to come from experience, inspiring distraught minions of beauties to turn their feelings to revenge instead of a bag of bite size snickers. The ten chapters cover an array of topics, comically named, including “Blame Him, Keep the Jewelry,” “Be a Social Starlet,” “D

SUMMER CD PREVIEW Wear white. Eat popsicles. Indulge in summer beats.

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Though as an avid music fan I must say that summer is the most enjoyable time to buy new music, the releases stand out in my mind as tied to summer memories. The music means so much to us because it attaches itself to moments in our lives, whether good or bad, they are important and so is the soundtrack. Here are some of the best selections you have to look forward to this summer.

May 4
The Beta Band
Heroes To Zeroes (Astralwerks)
Maybe it was the drugs they were taking or maybe they hadn’t really gotten around much, but finally the Scottish boys have woken up and learned to play loud, distorted guitar. However, many of the tracks still have their essentially boring, sleepy-eyed trademark sound that gets old fast. Songs like the opener, “Assessment” and “Out-Side” are departures from the calm sound found on their former discs. Robin Jones on drums and DJ John Maclean provide a back beat that sounds like the funk of The Happy Mondays.

May 11
Miles Davis
The Complete: Bitches Brew Sessions, Columbia Studio Recordings, Columbia Studio Recordings Of The Miles Davis Quintet January 1965, In A Silent Way Sessions, Miles Davis with John Coltrane (Legacy)
The re-mastering and expanded editions of Miles’ recordings continue with his transition from cool jazz into fusion. While there is something for everyone in Davis’, this here is essentially the best of the best of his work in the 1960s.

May 18
The Streets
A Grand Don’t Come for Free (Vice)
Mike Skinner returns with a cohesive album whose tracks run throughout the days of his life. Although it’s not as confident of an album as Original Pirate Material and he uses two-step garage beats balanced with ballads, which doesn’t make it that accessible to American audiences. However, Mr. Skinner has one of the best voices in hip-hop, while flow obviously might matter more while rapping, the tone and sound of his voice stands out as exemplary. The theme is the course of a relationship – from meet up to break up -all held together by the theme of Mike losing 1000 quid. “Could Well Be In” is a sweet ballad of Mike meeting a girl and rapping, “if she plays with her hair then she’s probably keen.” The closer “Empty Cans” has Mike running through the gambit of emotions after breaking up, ending up finding the money he thought his friends had stole in the first track, and concluding, “something that was not meant to be is done and this is the start of what was.”

Method Man
Tical O: The Prequel (Def Jam)
The good people at Def Jam are calling to you to vote your hip-hop conscious. The ad campaign for Meth’s new album is Method Man for President 2004. His platform on the website is: Presidential Candidate Meth will not be satisfied until every American who wants weed can find it, to make Hip Hop businesses more profitable and until we turn our economic recovery into lasting prosperity that reaches every corner of the hood. If that isn’t a reason to vote, there might not be any hope for the American election system.

June 8
Bad Religion
The Empire Strikes First (Epitaph)
Their return to Epitaph with The Process of Belief was a welcome reminder of how important this band is and resulted in the best Post 9-11 album next to Fugazi’s The Argument and Pulp’s We Love Life. They continue to rekindle their fast tempo hardcore sound with tracks like “Sinister Rouge” and “The Quickening” clocking in at two minutes. They balance it out with their more progressive punk sound based in the use of vocal harmonies on “Live Again: The Fall of Man” and “Los Angeles is Burning.

Beastie Boys
To the 5 Boroughs (Capitol)
They have a political agenda on their mind and a tribute to New York City in their hearts. The question though is do they matter anymore? Hello Nasty came out in 1998 and since then they have re-released their old material, apologized for their misogynistic attitudes when they first started, and compiled all their videos on DVD but left out the songs from License To Ill because they felt they acted politically incorrect. The first single will be “Ch-Check It Out” due to get airplay in May. The social commentary is evident with songs titles like “Time to Build,” “Right Right Now Now,” and “An Open letter To NYC.”

PJ Harvey
Uh Huh Her (Island)
Polly is back with her first album since Stories From the City, Stories From The Sea. As the most creative female artist around the mainstream spectrum, she is here to show people like Courtney Love how to do it right. I’m sure she won’t disappoint. She also announced she will be joining Morrissey and Sonic Youth on the Lollapalooza tour in August, she is easily the sexist rocker around and just makes you drool if you see her live. I fell in love with her back at a show in fall 2001, I suggest you get as close as possible.

Sonic Youth
Nurse (Geffen)
Their experimental era is finally behind them. It began with the magnificent first half of Murray Street, but then of course they just couldn’t help themselves and went back to the noise. It looks like it is totally out of their system now and they return to the hollowed sounds of the days of Daydream Nation and Goo. Songs like “Unmade Bed” and “New Hampshire” are mellow anthems that are vintage Sonic Youth. “Paper Cup Exit” is a hopped up jam that shows a sinister mindset in Thurston’s Mind.

July 13
Mos Def
You Know The Flex, Volume 1 – (TBA)
It’s about time he came out with something, Black On Both Sides came out in 1999. Since then he has been on the stage and the big screen but seemingly nowhere near a recording studio. The album is Mos along with Medina Green, a group consisting of his brother DCQ, Jah Born, and Kash.

Ross Whitsett can be contacted at r.whitsett@umiami.edu.

WAIT… WHAT?

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Having no clothing, naked, nude – just a few key words to describe this obscure and still-unsolved mystery that I found on the windshield of my car in the Dadeland Mall parking lot. Though how the green flyer came into existence will likely always remain unknown, the correlation between the NUDE and a low-carb smoothie “poured at your door” seems to be just as strange. After calling repeatedly for hours and hours and listening to some mystery-guy’s stoned-out drawl over and over, there’s no hope. For anyone who can provide some answers about this damn neon green flyer advertising hand-poured, delivered-to-your-door low-carb smoothies, PLEASE respond to this subtle cry for help.

Joanna Davila can be contacted at j.davila1@umiami.edu.

FEATURE Those Wright bros never did it like this…

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Everyone loves a jackass, and FLUGTAG Miami was happy to bring Bayfront Park over 100 professionals on Saturday. As soon as the gates opened at 12, thousands of fans, some privy to what a FLUGTAG is, others completely lost – in both meaning and pronunciation – got ready to watch almost four hours of 31 teams, dressed in funny costumes and chock full of Red Bull, trying to fly toilets, cod sacs, pregnant animals and many other weird things, off of a 30 foot barge into the Biscayne intercoastal, all in celebration of fun, flight, and the intoxicating magic of the little energy drink that gives you wiiings.

FLUGTAG, which is German for flying day, was supposed to come to South Beach last year, but due to dangerous weather and unsafe flying conditions, it was postponed to a much more gorgeous, lightly breezy day – perfect for flying JIP C Cruzrs and giant Homer Simpsons. The event was overall, hilarious.

Among the celebrity sightings were Kenny and Footy from Y-100, who worked the microphones and the crowds, while Dave Barry, humor columnist for The Miami Herald, stayed out on the deck to greet the brave pilots as they came straight from the water, soaking wet and a little bruised, but full of enthusiasm. I got to meet Dave Barry, thanks to the powers of the press pass, whose wife, a UM alumn, used to write for The Miami Hurricane.

Such celebrity sightings are pretty normal for Miami, but when Al Crespo, the famed photojournalist better known for his coverage of riots and protests in South America and Miami during the FTAA, shows up, you know that trouble is very likely. Was he getting ready for violent outbursts from the crowds, overheated from standing in the sun for over four straight hours? Or would the contestants start fighting amongst themselves, throwing crushed Red Bull cans at their opponent’s aircraft?

There almost was a little bit of trouble, besides the flimsy aircraft being crashed into the water by caffeine-addled college students all day, when one of the crew members from the Empanada Glider got hit by his aircraft shortly after takeoff, or what was instead an instant black flip, with a flight distance that was almost in the negatives. The Latin who had been salsa dancing on the 30 foot barge shortly before his plane landed – not quite flight-like – in the water, was bleeding a little bit and clearly had been shaken up too. A reckless mixture of Red Bull, booze and guayabera shirts was definitely the elixir of life for this event and of course, the very thing to blame for such irresponsibility. Not even whiskey would be right for such an event.

Amazingly, some of the aircrafts actually flew, some even 20 or 30 feet. It wouldn’t have been as much fun without some great crashes though, and many of the teams were willing to wreck months of hard work just to give the crowd that pleasure. None of the planes were salvageable, but the teams didn’t seem to care, some of them smoking celebratory cigars after landing.

Some of the designs were ridiculous and had nothing to do with flight, like a camel, a mother bird, feeding her chicks, and of course, a pregnant cow, but they were all creative and demonstrated what Red Bull is all about. The first place winner was team Resurrector, who, propelling a casket with wings on the barge, flew a distance of something farther than everyone else, but not far enough to break the American record of 70 ft., and also had a very creative act before their takeoff, which was good with the judges. Second place was Team Believe It or Not.

The first place winner got flying lessons for the whole crew or the cash equivalent. The second place got hangliding lessons or the cash equivalent, and the third place team got skydiving lessons or the cash equivalent.

Red Bull was all good, clean fun until a bunch of angry fans, their brains ravaged by Taurine intoxication, yelled out a bunch of profanities to team Flying Gator Bait, as they brought their aircraft to he barge: The UF mascot, the gator, attacking the UM mascot, Sebastian. They didn’t win. Their flying gator was no match for the Miami intercoastal, especially with all of the wind, and it broke in the water, unsalvageable and unwelcome in Hurricane territory.

It’s hard to know if anyone walked away from FLUGTAG with any valuable lessons, but if Red Bull taught us anything, it’s that cows don’t fly, neither do camels or their toes for that matter, but the miracle of bovine life can be imitated by anyone in a red cape with a set of utters strapped to his stomach and a secret recipe for good lube. The crowd agreed, and gave team Joy of Live, the flightless cow in labor, the people’s choice award for most creativity.

Linda Hoffman can be contacted at l.hoffman@umiami.edu.

EDGE TOP 10

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10

The
mystery of NUDE….
’nuff said.

9

The Passion of Perception
In accordance with all the real-life media hype about Gibson’s movie, EDGE received a little of its own, when one of our very own writers wrote a rather lengthy review of the film. Too bad the heat came from a mysterious phone number scribbled on the header of the section, black on black…definitely not readable.

8

Fashion and Funk
Although Miami doesn’t rank too high on the list as a hub for fashion, the city certainly has it’s own flavor. As proof, the photo spread about Funkshion, the weeklong event that featured runway shows of some of the hottest designers in the market, revealed just how haute this city really is. While the main attraction was meant for the catwalk, the audience members grabbed just as much attention with their chic sunglasses, sexy dresses, and GQ style monochromatic suits.

7

Interviews
Out of all the interviews, the phone calls, and the conference calls, Ross Whitsett must be given the highest honor for a) interviewing the Strokes (despite giving their CD Room On Fire a less than glowing review) and b) attending the concert.

6

Debut
Anyone knows that making a grand debut is always the hardest, especially when everyone has such high standards. However, the first issue was definitely the first triumph is this on-going saga.

5

Gettin’ Some Action
What’s better than writing about porn? Writing a feature article about female porn. Hail to Sweet Action for inspiring our Valentine’s issue to embrace the fact that females are just as driven as males when it comes to getting it on. Check out www.sweetactionmag.com in case you need a mental recharge about what we’re talking about.

4

Do and Do Not
So fashion proved once again to cause a stir. Whether on the streets, on the catwalk, or on campus, fashion never seems to cease, especially here in Miami. Admittedly, the incognito style photos taken of fashion faux paus were rather mean-spirited, but hey, no one yells at the plethora of other magazines that go detective style. Plus, at least we rebutted with a feature of fashion dos.

3

West Side Borey
Causing an uprising and having 200 people supposedly “boycotting” The Hurricane due to a rather harsh (okay, pretty damn harsh) theater review of West Side Story, definitely ranks at the top of the list. What other section is able incite such drama among the dramatic?

2

F’n Up
Just to prove the fact that this section is hardly perfect, we have to point to our shortcomings…despite the many disasters that have occurred over the semester, having a Modest Mouse CD Review as the lead feature definitely takes the cake. For future notice, that will never, ever happen again.

10

DUDE, THEY ARE, LIKE, SOOO NOT THE ENEMY…
Yeah, this motley crew graces the top of our chart – how could we IGNORE the previous ring-leaders of the ever-enlightening LIFE&ART section, with their adventures in Hipsterland, greek gozzip, and mockery of CAMPUS LIVING? To these rebels-without-cause (or jobs) and their “war” against the Board of Publications, our Editor in Chief, and this whole staff, we raise our collective glass. Adieu.

To recap, in its debut semester, EDGE has managed to piss off 200 members of a theater production, incite a letter to be sent to the Editor in Chief from President Shalala (among others), use the f-word in a headline (not without complaint), call people out on their trucker-and-gym-clothes uniforms, and finally, to sink as low as to feature a CD review as a main feature. Excellent. Have a good summer everyone.

Men’s tennis preps for last Big East Tourney

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It’s the beginning of a new season at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center this week. The regular season is over for the men’s tennis team and it is time for its final Big East Tournament.

Miami, the host for the tournament, entered its final regular season match against American University in desperate need of a victory. The ‘Canes entered last week’s match on a four-game losing streak, but left with a momentum-builder after a 5-2 victory.

“Anytime we lose four in a row, it’s nice to get a win,” Head Coach Bryan Getz said. “It was great to get back on track and get some of the guys some confidence again.”

The tournament will be the final stop for the Hurricanes before they officially move to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) next season. Their four-game losing streak happened to come against future ACC foes.

As for their current Big East rivals, the Hurricanes’ toughest opponents will be Notre Dame and Virginia Tech, as those two and Miami are the three top teams in the conference. Notre Dame lost to both Miami and Virginia Tech during the regular season, but is ranked nearly 20 spots ahead of both teams.

The Hurricanes finished the season with a record of 12-7. They had a lot of ups and downs throughout the year, which can be attributed to injuries. Sophomore Tim Krebs has been out for three weeks, but is likely to be back for the tournament.

Miami will have a bull’s eye on its backs for obvious reasons. Even if Miami were not deserting the Big East, no one would like it. But Getz says that his guys love it and that there is no added pressure on this tournament than in prior seasons.

“Our guys know what comes with being an athlete at Miami,” Getz said. “It comes with pressure and tradition, which is what we enjoy as a challenge.”

The Hurricanes will be led by their freshman phenom Josh Cohen, who has looked completely dominating at times this year. He was a huge part of why Miami got off to a 9-0 start, with its first loss coming to Florida State 4-3.

The tournament will be held at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center Thursday through Sunday. The match times will be determined depending on the final standings and seeding.

Douglas Kroll can be contacted at d.kroll@umiami.edu.

Briefs Women’s Track and Field

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Women’s Track and Field

University of Miami junior Lauryn Williams continued her breakout season on Saturday by capturing the 100-meter championship at the 2004 Penn Relays at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pa.

Williams posted a time of 11.15 seconds to defeat a talented field including Arkansas’ Veronica Campbell (11.27) and two-time defending Penn Relays Champion Muna Lee of LSU (11.30).

Williams has been nothing short of spectacular this outdoor season. At the Gatorade Classic on April 10 she ran the world’s fastest times this year in both the 100-meters (11.01) and 200-meters (22.46), and in Friday’s 100-meter Penn Relays preliminaries she set the meet record with a time of 11.10 seconds.

In the 4×400-meter relay the University of Miami team of senior Kitoya Carter, sophomore Charlette Greggs, sophomore Dominique Darden and freshman Ginou Etienne finished third in a time of 3:31.85. Miami’s time is a UM season best and the fourth fastest in the nation this season.

Rowing

The University of Miami rowing team will head to Worcester, Mass. this weekend to take part in the fourth annual Big East Women’s Rowing Challenge held on the waters or Lake Quinsigamond Sunday, April 25.

Along with the Hurricanes, eight Big East crews are slated to participate in the challenge, including three-time defending champions Syracuse, Notre Dame, Boston College, Georgetown, Rutgers, Villanova, West Virginia and Connecticut.

The Hurricanes send four boats to this year’s Challenge with the Varsity 8 crew of Laura Comeau (Cox), Karen Wiley, Jenny Krawec, Jacqui Julien, Sarah Conlon, Rachel Clausing, Caroline Stuart, Ananda Chou and Jordanna Heywood, Junior Varsity 8 crew of Jessica Martin (Cox), Rachel Sander, Bridget Gallagher, Anna Cohen, Julie Crane, Ashley Marincsin, Jacqui Heywood, Aoife Forde and Deirdre Curran, Varsity 4 crew of Hannah Bae (Cox), Jenny Dunning, Laura Coltman, Taurii Coyne and Yassi Haririnia and Novice 8 crew of Meghan Leydecker (Cox), Val Webb, Ashley Via, Natasha Lejer, Erin Morris, Sarah Stocks, Noelle Van Ee, Molly Wilson and Marenda Chamberlin each looking to lead UM to their first Big East title.

Hurricanes unfairly labeled cheaters in newspaper column

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Florida State Head Coach Mike Martin accused the Miami Hurricanes of cheating in last week’s baseball series.

What a surprise! A Florida State coach thinking Miami cheats after Miami whooped it on the diamond, taking four out of six games from the Seminoles. Even more alarming is the fact that there is a sportswriter who was actually dumb enough to believe Martin.

Enter Mike Bianchi, who wrote perhaps the most anti-Hurricane column I’ve ever read. Bianchi said that if Martin says that the Hurricanes were stealing signs, then he believes him. How does that work, Mr. Bianchi? What has the ring-less Martin done to deserve the benefit of the doubt over Jim Morris? The answer: Nothing.

Morris runs a classy program from top to bottom. Morris is a great coach who disciplines his players and makes sure that his players do what they are supposed to do on the diamond and in the classroom. How many coaches can we say that about in today’s college athletics?

Bianchi, a writer for the Orlando Sentinel and a guy who obviously has a problem with Miami, said that Martin is one of the classiest guys in college athletics. Joe Paterno, Coach K, Morris – these are guys with class. Martin? I’m not so sure. I know he did not look real classy last Saturday night when he came out of the dugout and threw a temper tantrum on TV after Gaby Sanchez hit a three-run home run on a pitch that my grandmother probably would have hit into the gap.

“The problem in that game was not whether Miami stole signs; it was the FSU pitcher making a terrible pitch that a good hitter took advantage of. If that’s cheating, then I guess any player who ever hit a home run cheats.”

The problem in that game was not whether or not Miami stole signs; it was the FSU pitcher making a terrible pitch that a good hitter took advantage of. If that’s cheating, then I guess any player who ever hit a home run cheats.

Bianchi goes on to say that Miami has been known to cheat in multiple sports. He references the baseball team’s sanctions for illegal recruiting camps. Yet Mr. Bianchi fails to mention that Miami fired people involved with that camp and addressed the problem harshly.

If Miami cheats, then how come Morris kicked pitcher Sean Valdes-Fauli off the team? If the Hurricanes were a squad who only cared about winning, they certainly wouldn’t kick their best set-up man off the team for rule violations.

In questioning Miami’s ethics, Mr. Bianchi brings up Willie Williams. He complains about Miami’s recruitment of Williams and says that ACC schools like Duke and Wake Forest would never consider recruiting a player like that. What a hypocrite! Florida State, an ACC school, was the other school recruiting Williams and if he had chosen Florida State, we all know that hell freezing over would have been a safer bet than the Seminoles revoking his scholarship.

Let me be the first one to remind Mr. Bianchi of that special sale at the department store in Tallahassee. If your name is Peter Warrick or Lavernaeus Coles, you get a special 95 percent savings on all items. Kicker Sebastian Janikowski had several legal problems at Florida State. If we compare lists of problems at Miami to FSU over the last few years, the schools would be pretty close to even.

To me, it sounds like Mr. Bianchi is just another bitter fan of a rival school who is jealous that his favorite team does not have it nearly as good as we do in South Florida.

In conclusion, don’t write about something you didn’t research and know nothing about. I just read his recent column in which he calls the NFL Draft the “biggest scam in TV history.” Some people never learn.

Darren Grossman can be contacted at d.grossman@umiami.edu.

Offense explodes as Hurricanes take two of three from Virginia

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The baseball team discovered that it was indeed human Sunday at Mark Light Field after letting the third game of its series slip away to the Virginia Cavaliers. The ‘Canes were up 3-2 before yielding two runs in the top of the ninth to lose 4-3. The loss is just the ninth of the year for the Hurricanes.

“You always have a bad taste in your mouth after losing the Sunday game,” Head Coach Jim Morris said. “We had a chance for the sweep and to move up in the polls, but the loss sets us back to a point where we probably won’t move up this week.”

Miami played well but a brief mental lapse in the last few innings was all it took for UVA to capitalize and steal one away from the ‘Canes, who had otherwise dominated the entire weekend.

The ‘Canes jumped out on top in the bottom of the first. Following a Jim Burt walk, Brian Barton was hit by a pitch. Third baseman Gaby Sanchez followed with an RBI single to put Miami up 1-0.

The same part of the lineup struck again in the bottom of the third inning when Burt doubled and Barton drove him in with a single to center field to put the ‘Canes up 2-0. Barton filled in at center field in the absence of injured Paco Figueroa.

The Cavaliers mounted a two-out rally in the top of the fifth after scoring a run, but Miami right fielder Richard Giannotti quickly put out the fire with a full-extension diving catch to end the inning.

“We just have to keep picking each other up,” Giannotti said. “We all know what it is like to have a bad day and you just have to go out there the next day and keep focused.”

Starter Brandon Camardese ran into some trouble in the top of the seventh. He loaded the bases before reliever Alex Blanco took over. The Cavaliers then scored the tying run on a sacrifice fly before reliever George Huguet entered the game and promptly picked off shortstop Mark Reynolds at first base to end the inning and stop the bleeding with the score knotted at two.

The ‘Canes team effort was not enough, however, as UVA starter Joe Koshansky was a force on the mound all game long in keeping Miami scoring to a minimum, something his colleagues could not accomplish on Friday and Saturday.

Miami got right down to business Friday night with an 8-0 blanking of the Cavaliers.

Starter J.D. Cockroft was nearly flawless in the win and a team effort on offense put the ‘Canes on cruise control throughout.

The Hurricanes were able to pick up the slack all weekend long despite the lingering injuries of shortstop Ryan Braun and Figueroa.

“Paco [Figueroa] will probably be out another four weeks or so if I had to guess,” said Morris. “Braun’s injury is day to day; we’ll see if he can play next week.”

On Saturday, Miami showed no mercy as it pummeled the Cavs 22-3 with starter Cesar Carrillo pitching five innings to improve to 7-0 on the year with a 2.98 ERA.

A slew of hits led the Miami attack with a myriad of players contributing for the Hurricanes. Junior Brendan Katin went 3-3 with three RBI, which included a three-run bomb that has not landed yet. The home run was his sixth of the year.

Despite the Sunday loss, the ‘Canes improved their season record to 30-9 with the two victories this week.

Miami will face-off against Coastal Carolina next weekend. Games are scheduled for Friday and Saturday nights at 7 p.m. and Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. at Mark Light Field.

Ryan Ellis can be contacted at r.ellis1@umiami.edu.

DRAFTED Wilfork shares draft moment with fans, raises money for charity

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Vince Wilfork has been through so much over the last couple of years that he was compelled to share the biggest moment of his football career with family, friends and fans at the Big Daddy Draft Day Party at GameWorks Saturday.

Wilfork, who lost both of his parents in a six-month span in 2002, invited media members and Hurricane fanatics to watch him get drafted by the New England Patriots in the first round [No. 21 overall] of the N.F.L. Draft. During the event, donations were collected for the Diabetes Research Institute and Wilfork matched all the money raised in a silent auction and raffle to make his own contribution. Several of Wilfork’s teammates were on hand, including Antrel Rolle, Quadtrine Hill, Baraka Atkins and Santonio Thomas, and Head Coach Larry Coker stopped by to wish him well.

Kim Neubecker, the Southeast Region marketing director for GameWorks, said Wilfork’s choice to share the experience of being drafted with loyal fans shows a great deal about his character.

“[The Wilfork family] are absolutely wonderful people,” Neubecker said. “They have been through so much, and to watch him come out and share this with all of his family and fans [is great]. He could have gone to New York but he decided to stay.”

Wilfork was originally projected to be drafted by either the Houston Texans with the 10th pick or the Chicago Bears with the 14th pick, so when he was still unclaimed while the Patriots were on the clock, there was a bit of anxiety within his family.

Wilfork said he was expecting to be chosen earlier but was pleased with how everything worked out.

“I am not disappointed [about sliding to No. 21], but I am a little disappointed about Atlanta and Chicago for not picking me up,” he said. “But I am happy about where I am at right now. The Patriots know a lot about winning, and I know a lot about winning, so hopefully we can win a championship this season.”

Wilfork was one of six Hurricanes to be chosen in the first round, which broke the record for most players taken in Round One, set by Miami in 2002 with five. Sean Taylor went to the Washington Redskins at No. 5, Kellen Winslow II was selected by the Cleveland Browns at No. 6, Jon Vilma was taken by the New York Jets at No. 12, D.J. Williams was chosen by the Denver Broncos at No. 17, and Vernon Carey went to the Miami Dolphins at No. 19.

Wilfork said he was not surprised by the amount of Hurricanes drafted early.

“Getting a lot of players drafted is something that we do a lot,” he said. “It didn’t surprise me that we got six players taken in the first round. Hopefully, the team can break that record next year and get seven drafted in the first round.”

Wilfork may have been chosen a bit lower than he would have liked, but the defensive tackle was all smiles while signing autographs minutes after being taken by the Patriots. When asked about the drastic change in climate between South Florida and New England, the Boynton Beach, Fla., native said he wouldn’t mind having to wear a few more layers of clothing.

“I have never been to Massachusetts, but I love cold weather.”

Eric Kalis can be contacted at e.kalis@umiami.edu.

‘CANES TAKEN IN ROUND 1

A record six UM players were drafted in the first round this year, breaking the record (five) the ‘Canes set in 2002. Here is a list of the Hurricanes that helped accomplish the feat.

Sean Taylor – No. 5

Washington Redskins

The Redskins were debating between Taylor and Kellen Winslow, but decided to go with the Hurricanes’ safety after making several moves in the off season to bolster their offense. Expect Taylor to be one of the best defensive players in the league after a few years.

Kellen Winslow -No. 6

Cleveland Browns (from Detroit)

Cleveland Head Coach Butch Davis, Larry Coker’s predecessor, wanted Winslow so badly that he traded up from No. 7 to No. 6 to lock him up. Winslow could easily become the best tight end in the league over time.

Jon Vilma – No. 12

New York Jets

Vilma’s status was up-and-down throughout the weeks leading up to the draft. Some people thought he would be picked towards the end of the first round, while others thought the Jets would choose him. The fact that South Carolina cornerback Dunta Robinson was already gone when the Jets had to make their pick helped Vilma’s cause.

D.J. Williams-No. 17

Denver Broncos (from Cincinnati):

The Broncos decided to improve their linebacker corps instead of taking a shot at Oregon State running back Stephen Jackson. Williams should flourish as a pass rusher/run stopper for Denver.

Vernon Carey-No. 19

Miami Dolphins (from Minnesota):

The Dolphins were so worried that other teams would trade up and steal Carey that they made a deal to move up one spot in order to secure the offensive lineman. The Dolphins’ beleaguered o-line will be aided tremendously by Carey.

Vince Wilfork-No. 21

New England Patriots:

The Patriots were not expecting Wilfork to be around this late in the first round, so when Big Daddy fell to them at No. 21, the Pats took advantage of what turned out to be one of the steals of the draft. The defending Super Bowl champions were fortunate to get Wilfork, who should provide depth to their d-line.

Who reads the U.S. Constitution anymore, anyway?

The Miami Hurricane
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A lot has been made of this whole pledge of allegiance thing for way too long. I mean, Christ, I was causing a ruckus in my high school over a year ago, and that wasn’t even over the “under God” bit (Republican principal plus not standing for the flag in protest of war equals a funny scene when the fax of the 1943 Supreme Court decision of Board v. Barnette – “If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein.” – pops out).

But hey, we’re not even debating whether a daily-coerced recitation of allegiance that seven-year-olds don’t fully grasp is constitutional or not. We’re talking about God, goddamnit!

At the moment, a good three quarters of the American public thinks Michael Newdow is an idiot (probably an asshole, too). I mean, come on guys, “In God We Trust” is our national motto, for Christ’s sake. Well, you know what? Half of Americans still think Saddam Hussein is responsible for 9/11 – might does not make right. “In God We Trust” has not long been our national motto; indeed, it’s only 48 years old. It replaced the more fitting and curiously less-divisive “E Pluribus Unum” (out of many, one) at the height of the Red Scare. Interestingly, Joe McCarthy had his way and slid “under God” into the pledge too around the same time.

John “I get my facts from Rush Limbaugh” Ashcroft has recently pointed out that our founders mentioned The Deity in such important documents as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution – the one that counts. Well, one out of two ain’t bad. I mean, it’s not like he’s attorney general or anything. While he may win the battle over the presence of the phrase “separation of church and state,” Jefferson doesn’t leave him with much in the way of establishing a religious history to our country. Other than the First Amendment, which is clearly not what he’s looking for in the way of a state endorsement of the Almighty, the only reference to God is in Article VII, when the Constitution dates itself September 17, “the year of the lord” 1787, which is nothing more than an acknowledgement of the Christian calendar. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, is our country really this secular?

When you take away the clockwise spin, it seems what we have is a country in which our founders tried their darndest to avoid any mention of God in our legal documents. Nine out of 10 founding fathers agree: God needs to get his ethereal butt out of our public schools.

Patrick Gibbons can be contacted at p.gibbons@umiami.edu.

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