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All Weekend

The Beyond 2002 Super Festival featuring Outkast, Stone Temple Pilots, Busta Rhymes, Method Man, Less Than Jack, Rabbit in the Moon plus a skate exhibition with Tony Hawk at Bicentennial Park. The festival will also feature professionals in BMX, Moto-X, snowboarding, and paintball. Doors open each day at 12 p.m. and will close at 1 a.m. Tickets are $45 a day or $99 for a three-day pass. For more info and each day’s lineup visit www.shutdownproduction.com.

Tonight

The Remedies and Future Ex perform live at Revolution, 5922 S. Dixie Hwy. Also at Revolver, a CD release party for the new Jon Spencer Blues Explosion album Plastic Fangs.
For more info call 305-661-9099.

The Bouncing Souls, Hot Water Music, The Pietasters and The Curse at Club Ovation, 3637 S. Federal Hwy., Boynton Beach. Doors open at 6 p.m. and tickets are $12. For more info call 561-740-7076.

April 13

Ska legends The Toasters performing live with Corky and Bum Ruckus at Freez, 909 E. Cypress Creek Rd., Fort Lauderdale. Doors open at 7:30 and tickets are $10. For info call 954-771-3008.

April 14

Leftover Crack rocks the 40oz at Freez, 909 E. Cypress Creek Rd., Fort Lauderdale. Doors open at 7 p.m. and tickets are $7. For more info call 954-771-3008 or visit www.leftovercrack.com.

Platinum Party for Busta Rhymes, with the rapper performing at Level, 1235 Washington Ave., Miami Beach. Doors open at 10 p.m. For more info visit www.levelnightclub.com.

Sunday Indie BBQ with live performances by the Owls, Need New Body and Secret Service at Revolver, 5922 S. Dixie Hwy. Doors open at 8 p.m. and there will be $1 drafts all night. For more info call 305-661-9099.

April 17

Dashboard Confessional, The Anniversary, Ben Kweller and the Remedy Session at Club Ovation, 3637 S. Federal Hwy., Boynton Beach. Doors open at 6 p.m. and tickets are $12. For more info call 561-740-7076.

Ben Kweller: Boy Genius

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While most 20-year-olds are holding thankless jobs or going to college, Ben Kweller is on the right path to rock and roll stardom.

The multi-talented solo artist mixes rock, pop, and folk into the beautiful, catchy songs that make up his full-length debut album Sha Sha, released last month under ATO Records. Currently he is on the middle of a cross-country tour with fellow future superstars The Anniversary and Dashboard Confessional, which already have large fan bases.

However, this is not the first time Kweller shares the stage with relatively big names in the music world. Over the past year, he toured with Juliana Hatfield, Evan Dando, Eels, Jeff Tweedy and Creeper Lagoon, among others.

What makes Kweller excel from the crowd of young singer songwriters is his skill and utter control over various instruments, specially the guitar and piano, and the emotional outburst in his voice and lyrics. These are clearly visible in the standout tracks from Sha Sha, Wasted and Ready and In Other Words.

In 1993, the Texas-native lead the grunge-oriented trio Radish, but after touring, recording and creating a name for themselves, they disbanded in 1999. Shortly after the break up, Kweller moved to Brooklyn to work on a solo career.

After releasing Freak Out its Ben Kweller and EP Phone Home, Kweller decided to go into the studio and, with friends backing him in the instruments, record a less acoustic and more rock- focused album. Critics and music fans welcomed Sha Sha warmly because of its creative, eclectic and oddly pleasant sound.

The Dashboard Confessional, Anniversary and Kweller will be performing next Wednesday, April 17 in Boynton Beach, Fla. as part of their U.S. tour.

The Good, the Bad, and the Suave New and Upcoming CDs

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The Herbaliser
Something Wicked
This Way Comes

This is the musical equivalent of Jagermeister- an abundant stash of smooth licorice, straight out of the United Kingdom that sets a smoked -out vibe and then floats off into the night. A few guests drop by, like Raaka Iriscience of Dilated Peoples, playing lyrical Ninja Gaiden on Verbal Anime, and Britain’s Wildflower, who lends her sensuous ragga street smarts to Good Girl Gone Bad, but it’s The Herbaliser’s ambitious production that generates the true funk. Something Wicked begs for an entire listen, so pour down a shot from the dark green bottle, kick back and enjoy.

Eels:
Souljacker

“This is that fresh, that fresh feeling.” Eels just wants to put out a good rock record and the band has, but it doesn’t sound so fresh, at least in the modern sense. The record shares a lot of similarities with some of Beck’s earlier work, especially on Teenage Witch, but then again so did their previous releases Daisies of the Galaxy and Electro-Shock Blues.
E, the mastermind behind the band, gets a lot of props from music critics and has a decent fan base in the independent music scene because his songwriting is rather catchy and clever. His lyrics are written with the same random “for the helluva it” pleasure that Ween is keen on delivering, except he often inserts pop cheesiness in place of that duo’s twisted humor.
Jungle Telegraph is wound up in a colorfully zany soundscape and Woman Driving, Man Sleeping has a calm desperateness that fits perfectly with the song’s theme.
However, by the last track, Souljacker clearly falls short of the band’s potential and leaves your soul in the same place it was before you pressed play.

Anti-Pop Consortium:
Arrhythmia

There aren’t many groups that would try to rhyme over a ping-pong match, and of the ones bold enough to try it, the end result would probably come off like a pretentious hip hop novelty. When Anti-Pop Consortium does it on Arrythmia, they induce severe head nodding. Members Priest, Beans, M. Sayyid slice off some of the excess verbal intelligence they’re renown for, in favor of constructing a slightly more accessible album than last November’s EP.
Artistically, it proves a smart decision, because the brain absorbs the songs like a sponge. Some of the tracks, like Ghostlawns, would even be perfectly comfortable on a dance floor in a galaxy not so far away. Fans of their last full length, Tragic Epilogue, shouldn’t fret because the group still pines for abstract, tripped out innovation.
On Mega, Anti-Pop producer Earl Blaze gets an opera singer to blast out the song’s title and a skit entitled “Tron Man” finds Pimp Bot 5000 from Late Night with Conan O’Brien sampling “static from a Victrola.” Listen to this album on a stay-in night playing video games with your television on mute, the lights off, and the bass turned up to eleven.

Dimitri From Paris:
After the Playboy Mansion

Dimitri From Paris is a suave gentleman- and he has mixed two CDs, one that’s “laid-back” and one that’s “uplifting,” to pass along his etiquette of cool to all the SoBe regulars.
The enclosed booklet reads “After the Playboy Mansion, we’ll meet in the same room and crank up the music too loud. We’ll run a bath, empty the mini-bar, jump on the king-sized bed…we’ll dance until we’re out of breath.”
He is Hugh Hefner’s disc jockey of choice and his newest mix includes everything from disco oldies and new Alexkid to a house-samba track with De la Soul and Chaka Khan.
The dude has it made and he wants to “purify your mind, touch your soul, and give you the eternal joy and happiness you truly deserve.” This music is either “totally” you, your worst nightmare, or what you secretly dream about when you go clubbing in your sleep.
If you’re the latter, listen to it in your loft, staring at December’s Playmate on the ceiling, trying to remember if you locked the door.

Where to go?

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What are you doing this weekend? If you answered a) the Grove, b) the Beach, or c) all of the above, then you’ll probably run into a bunch of students who claim the Grove and the Beach to be favorite nighttime hangouts.

So which of these hot spots is better? It all depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re tight on cash and are just looking for a bar at which you can casually hang out, you’d probably have a good time at the Grove. But if you want more selection for clubs and dining, and feel like dressing up and being seen, then you’d probably bypass the Grove and hit the Beach. What did other students pick?

Here are some of their favorite places:

GROVE: Monty’s

Monty’s is a tropical outdoor restaurant and bar, where live bands play island music at night. The parties are free, and Friday afternoons are busy for happy hour from 5-8 p.m.

“Monty’s is a place to relieve all that pent up weekly stress over some drinks and conversation with all of your friends,” said freshman Chris Nolte.

GROVE: Tavern

The Tavern is a student favorite, where a tight budget can lend itself to a good time. It provides a casual atmosphere and attracts mostly the beer-drinking crowd.

“The Tavern was an emotional rollercoaster. I laughed, I cried, I vomited due to the ridiculous amount of alcohol I consumed,” said junior Matthew Conway. “The Tavern is definitely a Coconut Grove original.”

GROVE: Improv

The Improv Comedy Club is unique to the Grove in that it is Miami’s best place to see famous comedians. Weekend shows are Friday at 8:30 and 10:45 p.m. and Saturday at 7:45 and 10 p.m. and 12 a.m. All shows for crowds 21 and over except for the Saturday midnight show, which is 18 and over.

“I love going to the Improv because it’s something to do where you can just relax and have a good laugh, and it’s a great alternative to the movie,” said sophomore Natalie Rico.

SOBE: Level

1235 Washington Ave.

Level is a South Beach club based on the format of Studio 54. It is for revelers 21 and over and features Latin-Euro sounds on Wednesdays, retro night on Thursdays, and international disc jockeys and live shows on the weekends.

“Level is my favorite South Beach club because the bouncers are really cool,” said freshman Mark Juliano.

SOBE: Honey

645 Washington Ave.

Honey is one of Washington Avenue’s newest tenants, and it is quickly gaining popularity. One thing that attracts club-goers is its sophisticated, posh atmosphere and European-style music.

“I love Honey because it’s somewhere I can get dressed up to go to. It’s more of a lounge than a club, and there is a great crowd,” said freshman Yasmina Abajas.

SOBE: Lincoln Road

Lincoln Road is a South Beach street where one can find everything from excellent restaurants to boutiques to one of Miami’s best movie theatres. It is just as right to dress formally as it is to wear rollerblades and a swimsuit at any time of day. Since it’s leisurely, unlike Ocean Drive, one can enjoy the street performers and craft vendors that line the famous strip.

“I like Lincoln Road because of the amount of interesting people there at the same time. Besides people, there’s tons of restaurants, shops, and eclectic boutiques,” said freshman Cindy Wong.

Fans get glimpse of 2002 ‘Canes

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Fans got a preview of the 2002 defending champion Miami football team Saturday, as the Hurricanes ended spring practice with a full-scale scrimmage at the Orange Bowl highlighted by a strong defensive effort and an efficient passing game.

The offense outscored the defense, 35-16, in front of 14,432 fans at Fox SportsNet’s Canes Fest.

“As a team we can definitely perform better than we did today,” said quarterback Ken Dorsey. “Our team has made a lot of great strides this spring. We have worked really hard.”

The ‘Canes offense totaled 298 yards (3.2 yards per play) and scored two touchdowns (12 points), two extra points (two points), two field goals (six points), and gained 15 first downs (15 points) to amass their 35 points. The defense did not force a turnover and collected 16 points on 16 three-and-out possessions.

“The defensive group is a little ahead of the offensive group, especially in depth,” said head coach Larry Coker. “Our front seven is outstanding. The linebackers are a lot better than last season and the secondary, although young, was impressive.”

Starting quarterback Ken Dorsey played the first three series of the scrimmage, throwing for 86 yards on six-of-10 passing. Dorsey’s lone scoring drive included a 19-yard pass to sophomore tight end Kellen Winslow and was capped by a Todd Sievers 23-yard field goal.

“This is one of the best springs our offense has had in recent years and we played well today against probably the best defense we will have to face,” said Dorsey.

Winslow, who will likely replace Jeremy Shockey as the starting tight end next season, was the Hurricanes’ leading receiver with 57 yards on three catches. Redshirt freshman Roscoe Parris tied Winslow with 57 receiving yards on two catches, including the games’ longest completion of 31 yards.

“We can help our secondary get better due to the fact that we throw great receivers at them everyday in practice,” said Dorsey.

Backup quarterback Derrick Crudup called the plays for seven possessions, completing six-of-11 attempts for 70 yards and one touchdown. Crudup found reserve tight end Brandon Sebald for a 13-yard touchdown early in the second quarter.

“Derrick played well today and made some progress, but he must work more on his consistency,” said Coker.

“I was really pumped up coming into the game,” said Crudup. “After the first couple minutes, I was able to relax and I got comfortable throwing the ball.”

The rushing game struggled to gain positive yardage against the Hurricanes front seven that many believe will be the best in the nation next season. The defense compiled nine quarterback sacks and held the UM running game to just over a yard per carry.

Starting tailback Willis McGahee led all rushers with 40 yards on 14 attempts for an average of only 2.9 yards per carry. Second-team running back Jarrett Payton rushed for 29 yards on 11 carries and fullback reserve fullback Quadtrine Hill racked up 22 yards on eight carries, and scored the only rushing touchdown of the afternoon.

“For us to be a good team we need to run the ball better than we have this spring,” said Coker. “Our inability to consistently run the ball is our biggest problem.”

“After the performance we had today, we need to work on everything that has to do with the run game,” said starting center Brett Romberg. “We’ll just have to go into the film room and try and improve from there.”

New faces on the defense made a name for themselves, as linebacker Leon Williams and defensive lineman Orien Harris, both redshirt freshmen, led the team in tackles with eight stops each. Starting middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma had two sacks and seven tackles.

“As a whole our defense played really well today,” said Vilma. “We got off our blocks with great speed and made some big plays in the backfield.”

Other defensive standouts included Defensive ends Jerome McDougle (seven tackles, one sack), Jamaal Green (five tackles, two sacks), and John Square (four tackles, two sacks).

One of the biggest question marks entering next season will be the performance of the secondary. The Hurricanes lost all four starters in the defensive backfield from their championship run. On Saturday, the secondary prevented big plays, and held the passing game to 238 yards and one touchdown.

“We really wanted to stop the deep ball and we did a fairly good job of that today,” said junior starting strong safety Maurice Sikes (two tackles). “We need to work on our consistency and get better everyday. Last year’s secondary didn’t have many bad days, and we don’t want to change that.”

Sophomore starting free safety Sean Taylor was impressive with five tackles. Taylor understands that the unit has a lot of more work ahead of them, and knows that they can be a force next season.

“We had better technique and had more enthusiasm today than we have had in spring practice,” said Taylor. “We have the ability to produce next year and want to become one of the best units in the nation.”

To no surprise, the kicking game closed spring practice with an outstanding performance. Kicker Todd Sievers made both field goal attempts of 23 and 51 yards. Punter Freddie Capshaw averaged 39.3 yard per punt, with a long of 51.

“Todd Sievers and Freddie Capshaw will be very productive for us next season just as they were in our championship run,” said Coker.

Miami begins fall camp on August 6 and opens the 2002 football season on Saturday, August 31, against Florida A&M at the Orange Bowl.

Men’s tennis falls to state rival

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The No.40 Hurricane men’s tennis team (8-8) lost to state rival, No.34 University of South Florida (13-3) 4-3, on Saturday at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center. The Hurricanes, who were ranked as high as No.18 in the season, are now at risk of being shunned from NCAA postseason tournament play.

“With as many losses as we have, every loss is crucial,” said head coach Jay Berger. “We are trying to fight to get into the tournament.”

Players from both teams were evenly matched, as each one had to grind it out in the brutal humid weather for every point. Emotions also ran high and referees had to hand out several point penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct because of players throwing their racquets in frustration and verbal taunting.

The winner of the match was decided by the No.2 singles game between Tomas Smid and USF’s Paco Antelo. The game was a fast-paced, grueling battle between two evenly talented players. In the end, it came down to who had the most energy left. Smid seemed a step slower as the match progressed into the third set and the energetic Paco Antelo quickly took advantage to seal the victory for USF. Antelo won the match 6-7, 6-3, 6-1.

“I thought we had the match under control, since we won the first four sets, but we couldn’t finish it. But give them (USF) credit, they played well and had a lot of spirit,” said Berger.

No.1 singles, Todd Widom, also had trouble closing out his game. After beating his opponent 6-1 in the first set, the freshman phenom, who is ranked No. 16 in the nation, could not win the second set in the same resounding manner. His opponent, Dan McCain, seemed to become more confident as the game progressed, answering Widom’s volleys with several baseline and crosscourt winners of his own. The two split the first six service points before Widom was able to break the set open. Widom won the game 6-1,6-3 and improved to 14-2 in singles play for the season.

“I didn’t play my best tennis but I found a way to get the job done. He was a good competitor,” said Widom.

USF’s No.4 Nadim Nasser beat Joel Berman 3-6,6-2,6-2 and No.3 Uli Kiendl beat UM’s Andrew Golub 6-2, 6-2. The only other singles victory for the Hurricanes came from No.5 Tarik El-Bassiouni, who beat his opponent 6-3, 6-7, 6-3.

Despite the closely contested singles matches, Miami won all three doubles matches in resounding fashion. No.1 doubles, Widom and Smid, beat their opponent 8-5, while Berman and El Bassiouni won No.2 doubles 8-3, and Jose Lieberman and Golub won No.3 doubles 8-3.

“It’s very disappointing but hopefully we can get something positive out of this,” said Widom.

Miami volleyball hosts tournament

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The women’s volleyball team hosted a spring volleyball tournament on Saturday involving the University of Kansas, Florida Atlantic, Barry, University, and Miami-Dade Community College.

The team went 17-7 overall last season in its first volleyball season since 1981. The Hurricanes will enter the Big East Conference next fall. Saturday’s spring tournament was a good test for the Hurricanes to see what kind of talent they have on the team.

“We have a very young team and we got to get a lot of our young players out there and they contributed a lot,” said head coach Nicole Lantagne.

The Hurricanes have been practicing pretty much everyday since their season ended in the fall. This tournament was a great opportunity to face some competition other than each other.

“Everything went pretty good, we had a lot of good matches. . . We practice everyday so it’s nice to get to play in this tournament,” said senior Marcela Gamarra.

In the final game, the ‘Canes defeated Barry University 2-0. In an earlier game, Lantagne sat Marcela Gamarra, the team’s only senior, for an entire game, and the team rallied to win the game against Kansas.

It will be the Big East teams that the Hurricanes will have to beat if they want to do well this season. Regardless of how they do in the upcoming year, Miami will definitely be tested as a team.

“We have a stronger schedule this coming fall and it will be a good test for us because we will be a better team,” said Lantagne. This team has only one senior returning for the upcoming season in Gamarra, who led the team in kills last season. Also returning is sophomore Jamie Grass, who was very impressive in her first season with the Hurricanes volleyball team.

“We have a group now that is coming back together, growing together as a team with Jamie and Marcela as the leaders,” said Lantagne.

“Jamie and I have more experience than the others so we will try to help each other lead this team,” said Gamarra.

The team’s goal for next season is to earn a spot in the Big East Tournament. The tournament only takes the top few teams, so if the Hurricanes want to play in this tournament, they will have to be at the top of their game from the very start of the season.

“The goal would be to make the Big East tournament,” said Lantagne. “They only take the top four teams and we should strive to get to the conference tournament right from the start.”

The ‘Canes open their season at the Wichita State Tournament on August 30th.

Sports Briefs

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TRACK AND FIELD

University of Miami senior Gus Martin finished 10th in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.28 at the 75th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays in Austin, TX. In the pole vault competition, UM senior Aaron Moser finished sixth with a leap of 5.10 meters (16-08.75) while junior Jabari Ennis took ninth with a vault of 4.95 meters (16-02.75). On the women’s side, University of Miami All-American Kareen Clarke finished second in the triple jump with an NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 13.28 meters (43-07.25). The 4×200-meter relay finished fifth in a time of 1:37.76, while the 4×100-meter relay took seventh with a time of 45.50. The 4×400-meter relay finished eighth with a time of 3:44.02. Miami returns to action on Saturday, April 13 when it hosts the 16th Annual Miami Gatorade Track and Field Classic at Cobb Stadium for Soccer, Track and Field in Coral Gables, FL.

WOMEN’S TENNIS

The No. 27-ranked Miami women’s tennis team fell, 4-3, to No. 66 Michigan in a close match Friday afternoon in Ann Arbor, Mich. Miami falls to 11-5 overall while Michigan improves to 8-8 on the season.
The Wolverines won the doubles point with wins at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles. Marcy Hora and Mari Toro beat Michelle DaCosta and Leanne Rutherford, 9-8 (3) at No. 1 doubles to avoid the sweep. Toro defeated Kavitha Tipirneni, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2, at the No.1 spot, while Staci Stevens beat Chrissie Nolan, 6-4, 6-1, at No. 3 singles. Sara Robbins was the other singles winner for UM, beating Kim Plaushines, 6-4, 6-4, at the No. 6 spot. Sihem Bennacer and Ewelina Skaza both fell in three hard fought sets at No. 4 and No. 5 singles. The Hurricanes play No. 23 Notre Dame Sunday at Noon in South Bend, Indiana

WOMEN’S GOLF

University of Miami sophomore Camilla Hilland recorded her second consecutive 2-under-par 70 on Saturday and shot a 79 on Sunday to win the Ryder/Florida Women’s Collegiate Golf Championship by one stroke with a score of 219. Hilland, who has recorded five top-10’s in eight events this season, is the first Hurricane since Tracy Kerdyk in 1988 to win the state championship. Florida State’s Kristin Tamulis of FSU (71-75-74-220) finished in second place. Florida State (293-300-307-900) won the team competition by eleven strokes over defending champion Florida (305-294-312-911). Miami (311-301-318-930) finished in fourth place.

Intramural basketball showcases All-Stars

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Greek All Star Game

Pi Kappa Alpha 78 All Star Greeks 74

Thursday night featured the Greek champions from Pi Kappa Alpha, in a showdown for supremacy and pride, battling against a squad comprised of All Star Greeks from other fraternities. The first half was a battle, with neither team taking much of an advantage. The All Star Greek team was being led by Dax Pedraza, who finished with 22 points, three assists, and two steals. However, the tides quickly changed as Ray “Heatwave” Guthrie of Pike scorched the nets in the final 1:30 of the half, draining 4-of-4 from behind the arc to pull ahead by 12 heading into the intermission. After regaining their composure, the All Star Greeks made a run to overcome the deficit and take a 1-point lead, with “Buddy” Lee Sutta and Jeremy “The Germ” Goad leading the charge with 19 and 10 points respectively. The size and girth of Pike proved to be too much as the game wore on as the Black & Blue Crew of Brett McCullough and Gerard “Olden” Wise dominating the paint with 22 and 17 points. “The Sandman” Jordan Kaplan gave a valiant effort with 10 points and three assists in a losing cause. Adding an all-around game for the victors was Jeff “Grey Poo” Pon of Pike scoring seven while dishing out six assists and pulling down eight key rebounds.

Women’s Campus

Championship Game

Delta Delta Delta 38, Wahine 30

The first half was close, with Wahine holding an early lead. Nadine Elbadramany scored seven of her 11 points in the first half while Wahine used its quickness to press Tri Delta. But the Tri Delts came back behind Mary Leah Sutton and Katie Van Leuwen to take a 23-18 halftime lead.

Wahine started the second half like they did the first and used their press to regain the lead. Chyana Van Dyke, who ended the game with nine points and six rebounds, led the way for Wahine with tough rebounding and clutch foul shooting. Kim Greene chipped in with five points and two rebounds.

Ultimately, Delta Delta Delta’s overwhelming height advantage wore down Wahine. Sutton (16 points, 10 rebounds) pulled down eight boards in the second half to complete her double-double. Van Leuwen (12 points, 7 rebounds) and Tiffany Erickson (8 points, 8 rebounds) also stepped up in the second half. Officially, Tri Delt forfeited the campus championship a week prior; so, Wahine still holds the title.

Eastern Conference Shows

its Muscle

The Eastern Conference All-Stars were victorious in Thursday night’s All-Star game. For the East, Jason Esteves was the (game high) leading scorer with 18 points, with Jeff Zanotti right behind him with 15. Aaron Johnson finished in double digits with 11. Chris “Mr. Shoe Deal” Stephens and Steve Simmons had six a piece.

For the West, Jerry Glover was the leading scorer with 16 points and the only player in double digits. Albert Amini, Justin Rost finished with eightpoints.

UM loses series against Florida St.

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The Miami Hurricane baseball team continued their inconsistent play losing two of three to the No. 10 Florida St. Semillons last weekend.

In the final game of the series, Seminole freshman shortstop Stephen Drew hit a walk-off three-run home run in the bottom of the 13th inning to hand FSU (30-11) a 9-7 victory over Miami (18-15) in front of 4,096 fans Sunday afternoon at Dick Howser Stadium.

FSU had rallied back twice in the late innings, including George Huguet walking in the tying run in the bottom of the ninth. The Hurricane defense and pitching held the tie the remainder of the ninth and 10th even after the Seminoles had loaded the bases with no outs in each inning.

Miami went ahead in the top of the 13th, 7-6, on Paco Figueroa’s grounder that was misplayed by Drew, allowing Haas Pratt to score from third. Pratt led off the inning with a double to right field.

UM starter Kiki Bengochea took a no-decision going six innings with eight hits, five runs (four earned), two walks and seven strikeouts.

Outfielder Brad Safchik led the Hurricanes offensively with a grand slam (first career homerun) in the second inning.

In Saturday’s game, Miami put an end to Florida State’s 19-game home winning streak with a 5-2 victory. UM starter Dan Touchet (3-1) pitched a team-season-high, as well as career-high, 7.2 innings allowing six hits, two earned runs, two walks, six strikeouts and one hit batter.

Offensively, the Hurricanes were led by freshman centerfielder Danny Figueroa, who went 4-for-4 at the plate with a run scored and two RBI. The two RBI were the only two for Miami, after FSU committed three errors in the game, two of which allowed runs to score. A FSU passed ball in the first also allowed a run to come in.

On Friday night, FSU out-hit Miami 13-8 in the game, while totaling a season-best five home runs off of UM pitching to win 13-3. The Seminoles scored in each inning, before getting held scoreless in the seventh.

UM starter T.J. Prunty (4-2) scored the loss as he went 2.2 innings allowing five hits, seven earned runs, four walks, three strikeouts and one hit batter. Reliever Brandon Camardese came in for 2.1 innings with five hits, four earned runs, one walk, three strikeouts and two hit batters.

FSU leads Miami 117-105-3 in the all-time series that began in the 1951 season. The series is the second oldest on the UM schedule behind the Florida series (1940), but UM and FSU have played the most games (224). Miami leads FSU 33-23 during the Jim Morris era (1994-present), including a 16-14 advantage on the road in Tallahassee.

-HurricaneSports.com

Kudos to ABC for exposing the issue of gay adoptions

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There has been some controversy lately over ABC’s recent Diane Sawyer interview with talk show host Rosie O’Donnell. You know, the one where she finally “came out,” while simultaneously advocating her obvious pro-stance on gay-couple adoption rights, since she is indeed a gay parent.

The interview has been called everything from an infomercial on gay adoption to a revealing celebrity confession, to propaganda. The media have also come under fire, as they have been accused of agenda-setting. I don’t disagree in the slightest.

Here’s why. If you look at why O’Donnell even agreed to do the interview in the first place (so ABC would run a story on gay adoption rights in Florida, where O’Donnell lives) and the surprising lack of coverage on the other side of the debate, it’s pretty clear what ABC had in mind: to suck up to O’Donnell and gay-rights lobbyists.

But I am not here to bash ABC. Rather, I am here to applaud them. At least they are covering an issue that has significant relevance in today’s society, whether it was biased or not. And at least they’re making an attempt to take a stance of some kind on such a hot-button topic that everyone seems to be afraid to discuss. You can chalk that up to bad journalism or propaganda or whatever, but the fact remains it is exposure the issue demands.

Regardless of what anybody thinks, gay adoptions are happening and it is in our faces, and people need to accept that.

Now I can’t talk about the media’s coverage of this issue without adding my own two cents about the matter itself. In response to these so-called credible scientific, legal and religious arguments against gay adoptions that seems to have everyone in a tizzy, I say show me some proof. I mean, come on, besides the ancient, lame excuses of “because God says homosexuality is wrong,” “gay marriages shouldn’t be allowed,” or “the children will grow up to be wrong in some way,” I want to see some believable evidence on how this type of adoption poses any threat to our society.

Granted, these are my personal feelings, but really, how stupid can one be? Do people actually think that it’s a choice and that it might rub off on the kid eventually? Do people think that homosexuals are any less caring or compassionate or human than those who are straight? Have these people ever even met a gay person? Not likely.

The wound-up traditional groups in this country need to drop their ridiculous pretenses and remember their humanity. At least these unfortunate kids have more choices for a home, and that should be the thing that matters most.

I hope ABC gets a positive response about this or at least, has ruffled some feathers. Everyone probably does not agree with me, and frankly I don’t care, but I think it’s unanimous that one major media outlet has finally grown a pair. Propaganda be damned, at least now the issue is getting the attention it deserves.

Derek Bramble is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism and theater.

An ode to alternate transportation

The Miami Hurricane
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My car died. When I say that, I don’t mean she broke down on the side of the road and I had to get her towed to a mechanic’s shop; I mean she died. Gave up the ghost. Went kaput. Keeled over. Kicked the bucket.

This happened two weeks ago. It all started with a grinding sound when I tried to put her in reverse. Then it was a battle to get her in first, then second gear.

I knew the old Subaru’s days were numbered, so I went to the bike shop to pick out the new mode of transportation that would get me around town and strengthen my legs until I get a job.

The wagon croaked on the way home.

I could feel her going into gear for the last time, so I lumbered down Coral Way and Miracle Mile in first, turned onto Segovia, then my street, and I rolled her into the parking spot under the tree, where she has been sitting ever since.

Biking is not so bad. It was at first – the ache in my thighs was like the creaking of a rusty hinge on an old door; the pain of pushing forward tasted like blood in my mouth.

I am not an athletic person. The only sport I did in high school was swimming; I think I chose that one because it didn’t get me sweaty. This lack of desire for physical exertion means that any sweating or hard breathing has to have a point, like getting home from class.

Since I’ve taken up trekking on two wheels everywhere I go, though, I feel like I’ve been given a new city. I see people now. I hear things, too – the sounds of traffic, of birds, of construction and the catcalls of the builders. My only radio is my own thoughts and the repeated song of “Push forward, keep going, you are almost there.”

Two days a week I teach downtown, and much to the disbelief of my friends, I have been following the little path under the Metro, crossing over the highway at Viscaya, riding down the sidewalk on Brickell, and chaining my bike to a street sign outside the SunTrust building. I see it ahead of me tall in the distance and internally calculate how many rises and falls of my calves it will take me to get there.

I feel a new ownership of my body, a new relationship with food and with legs I used to look in the mirror and just see as huge. Now they are my propulsion, my motion, and my own empowerment.

I’m learning to wait: I wait for buses, I wait for the Metro, and I wait for rides. I’d been a driver for almost ten years when things slowed down for me – making me wait for my body to propel me to the next block.

It is good, this new transportation, and it has me thinking about the immediacy and the instant arrival that cars provide. I wonder what our ever more instantaneous travel does for our understanding of the distance of things, the delay of our gratification, and our ability to keep moving when our bodies are weary and our minds impatient to be done.

I appreciate anew the irony and luxury of sitting in front of a computer screen all day using nothing but the muscles in our fingers, and then paying money to go to a place to pick up heavy objects just for the purpose of having sculpted arms.

I am sure that soon these legs that these days push the pedals through intersections and across overpasses will apply brakes and accelerate once again. But for now they will work as they were meant to work and carry me wherever it is I need to go today.

Angie Henderson is a graduate student in the School of International Studies

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