To Dom Starsia, one of the best things about winning two national
championships in five years is that it might dispel, once and for all, some
lingering perceptions about Virginia’s lacrosse program.
Such as: The Cavaliers are more interested in partying than winning. They
aren’t disciplined enough, on or off the field. They lack dedication. They
don’t care about defense. They have oodles of talent but aren’t willing to put
in the hard work or do the little things it takes to become champions. They
choke when it counts.
Those notions took root well before Starsia’s arrival as UVa’s coach 11 years
ago. But if any of those things were once true, they have been outdated for a
long time, and they certainly did not pertain to the 2003 team.
“I joke to myself that, ‘You need to be careful; somebody might actually say
that we’re well-coached or that we play hard,’” Starsia said. “That’s not the
way most people generally think about Virginia.”
If so, the Cavaliers must be making them think again. Over Memorial Day
weekend, they did everything a Virginia team was not supposed to do. They
played tough, stingy defense. They were patient and smart on offense. They
fought for every ground ball. And they came through in the clutch.
Then again, that’s what they did all season.
The result was a fifth national title to go along with ones from 1952, 1970,
1972 and 1999. Monday’s 9-7 victory over Johns Hopkins at M&T Stadium in
Baltimore capped off a season that will go down as one of the finest in the
program’s history.
The Cavaliers (15-2) set a school record for victories and avenged both of
their regular-season losses in the Final Four. They allowed their fewest goals
per game (7.47) in 17 years and finished third nationally in scoring offense
(12.12 goals per game).
More than stats, though, Starsia will remember the team’s intangibles. How the
players suppressed their egos, regulated their off-field behavior and
dedicated themselves fully to team goals.
“This happens because a nice bunch of kids decided to make a commitment to
each other,” Starsia said, “and you can’t really ask for anything more.”
It may have been Virginia’s most complete team. Six players scored at least 23
goals and five had between 42 and 49 points. Jack deVilliers, one year after
struggling as a freshman, established himself as one of the nation’s top
faceoff specialists. Tillman Johnson became UVa’s first All-American goalie
since Peter Sheehan in 1986.
But it wasn’t all about talent. The Cavaliers had two first-team All-Americans
(Johnson and midfielder Chris Rotelli) and four more on the next two teams.
But Johns Hopkins had seven players on the three All-America teams.
As Starsia said, “It’s a running gag in our offices: Hopkins gets all the best
recruits but we’re always the most talented team.”
Some believed the Blue Jays would be too disciplined and smart for Virginia in the final. But the Cavaliers played intelligently after jumping to a 5-0 lead. Despite boos from the crowd, they slowed the tempo at times to keep Hopkins from maintaining momentum. They also were the tougher and scrappier team, as evidenced by a 46-32 advantage in ground balls.
“I don’t think it’s the most talented team I’ve been on,” said Rotelli, who
was a freshman in 2000 when UVa had three first-team All-Americans and lost in
the semifinals. “I’d say it’s the closest team I’ve seen, where everyone was
really dedicated to the same goal and was willing to do whatever it took to
achieve it. That counts more than talent sometimes.”
To senior long-stick midfielder Trey Whitty, the defining moment of Monday’s
game came with about 90 seconds remaining. Down two goals, the Blue Jays had
the ball and a one-man advantage, but Nathan Kenney blasted Hopkins long-stick
middie Corey Harned with a legal check. Harned lost the ball, Whitty picked it
up and drew a pushing foul, and the Cavaliers ran out the final 1:17.
“That was huge. We had a bunch of guys make key plays all day,” Whitty said.
“We weren’t going to let anything stop us.”
Virginia’s seniors said the old notions about the program have not been
accurate during their careers. Still, they acknowledged putting forth a
special effort after losing to Syracuse in the semifinals last year.
“I think we changed the mentality of Virginia lacrosse,” Whitty said. “It was
a conscious effort on our part to be more dedicated. Hopefully the younger
guys will do that from now on.”
Starsia is banking on the same thing. He called it “changing the culture” of
Virginia lacrosse, something this team may have done for the long term.
“Before the championship game, we talked about it during practice, how the
seniors had made sacrifices and really dedicated themselves all year long,”
Starsia said. “I wanted to say it before the game, so it didn’t seem like it
depended on whether we won or lost. I said, ‘No matter what happens, it’s
still worth doing.’ The fact we won just reinforces it even more, I hope.”
Miami Committee to Discuss Move to ACC
By MARK LONG
AP Sports Writer
DAVIE, Fla. (AP) -- The University of Miami is moving closer to a decision on
joining the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The school's executive committee of the board of trustees will meet Wednesday to
discuss moving from the Big East to the ACC. The university also will host the
first of three ACC site visits Friday, the next step in a likely relocation that
could drastically change the landscape of college athletics.
Miami's executive committee will eventually vote on whether to join the ACC, but
university officials don't expect it before the site visit.
Hurricanes football coach Larry Coker said Tuesday he expects a decision "sooner
rather than later."
"I don't know the timeline, but I think it will be relatively soon if it does
come down," Coker said.
Teams of ACC officials including an athletic director, faculty representative
and conference office official will travel to Miami on Thursday and tour the
school's facilities Friday, according to a university source.
They also are expected at Boston College and Syracuse early next week.
ACC presidents voted May 16 to discuss expansion with those schools, making
plans to grow from nine to 12 members. No formal invitations have been offered,
and site visits are required by ACC bylaws.
Miami is reviewing the financial implications of the move and negotiating
details that include divisional alignment and implementation date.
Coker said he would rather be in an opposite division than Florida State -
contradicting reports that Miami wants to be in the same division as the
Seminoles.
"Ideally, you'd love to be opposite Florida State," Coker said. "They've been
down a little bit the last couple years from their standards, but that's not
going to last for long. They're going to be a very good team."
If the Hurricanes and Seminoles are in opposite divisions, they could continue
their annual rivalry, but the loser would still be able to win its division,
advance to the conference championship game and have a shot at earning an
automatic berth in the Bowl Championship Series.
If Miami and Florida State are in the same division, the loser of the annual
rivalry game would need the winner to drop two league games to have a shot at
the conference title.
The downside to being in the opposite division is that the teams might have to
play twice.
"I don't know of anybody if you take a vote that would want to play Florida
State twice," Coker said. "But for us to be in the same side of the bracket, I
don't particularly like that."
COMMENTARY
ACC baseball's
1st Salem voyage choppy
By DOUG DOUGHTY
THE ROANOKE TIMES
Within minutes of the final putout Sunday night, a light rain started to fall at Salem Memorial Baseball Stadium, to be followed one hour later by a downpour.
"Poetic justice," Salem director of facilities Carey Harveycutter said. "We pulled the tarp every night."
As much havoc as the weather played with the ACC baseball tournament last weekend, the situation could have been much worse.
The ACC was determined to get out of Salem on Sunday night, come hell or high water, and it was very nearly the latter.
"We received a call around the sixth inning Sunday and were told to expect rain within a half-hour," Harveycutter said. "Somewhere between here and Blacksburg, the weather system stalled on us."
To be honest, the coaches and players should have been long gone. The committee's decision to postpone four games Wednesday, when it rained three-hundredths of an inch during a six-hour period, was one of the most boneheaded moves I've witnessed in a while.
If committee chairman Ron Wellman had simply said, "We screwed up," maybe I'd let it slide. Whenever one of the coaches praised the committee for its "commitment" to the double-elimination format, I couldn't help rolling my eyes.
Once the Wednesday games were postponed, the original schedule had to be scrapped and it was hard to know who was playing when, even for the dozen or so reporters covering the event.
Nevertheless, the total attendance of 16,517 was in the same ballpark as last year's 20,990 at Florida Power Park in St.Petersburg, Fla., which is a much larger metropolitan area. Moreover, there were nine sessions at the 2002 tournament, compared to eight this year.
"I haven't seen the final figures yet," Harveycutter said. "We don't get into this to make money. If we could break even, we'd be happy, and we should be close."
The one negative involved nearby Kiwanis Field, known as Municipal Stadium when it was home to Salem's Carolina League franchise until 1995.
Kiwanis Field, located six-tenths of a mile from Memorial Stadium, was viewed as an emergency site in case the committee fell behind schedule. However, the coaches vetoed Kiwanis Field because the light poles and scoreboard were inside the park and because there was no full infield tarp. On the other hand, Memorial Stadium drained so well that it could have held up to any conditions, outside of lightning.
Frank Weedon, a longtime North Carolina State official who has been attending the ACC baseball tournament since its inception in 1973, said Memorial Stadium "is the best facility to which we've ever taken the tournament."
The tournament, itself, is unlike few championship events. It's all about pitching depth. The winning pitcher in the final game, Jeff Watchko, had the highest ERA (5.01) on the Georgia Tech staff, and he was opposed during the middle innings by a North Carolina State setup man (Collin Brown) with a 6.59 ERA.
That's like holding the ACC men's basketball final and requiring both teams to start a third-string, walk-on point guard. However, the drama was unmatched, particularly as Georgia Tech went for its third victory in one day.
After covering ACC athletics for 25 years without seeing a single ACC baseball game, I now feel like a veteran observer. Covering six games in two days (and 10 overall) will do that to you, although I found myself wondering at one point, "Have I seen this team before?"
It was disappointing for local baseball fans that Virginia's Tom Hagan was injured and his former Cave Spring teammate, Clemson pitcher Tyler Lumsden, needed relief after 1 2/3 innings and 35 minutes. Year two should be better, but year one wasn't bad.
U.VA. NOTES
May 28, 2003
CHAMPIONS: When the Virginia men's lacrosse team upset top-seeded Johns Hopkins
9-7 at M&T Bank Stadium on Monday, it became the 12th team from U.Va. to win an
NCAA title.
Five titles have come in men's soccer, including a co-championship in 1989;
three in men's lacrosse; two in women's lacrosse; and two in women's cross
country.
U.Va. also has won four national championships outside the NCAA.
Virginia shared top honors in boxing in 1938, school officials said, and in'81
won the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women title in indoor track
and field. In men's lacrosse, the NCAA didn't hold its first tournament until
1971. U.Va. won U.S. Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association titles in 1952 and'70.
ENCORE PERFORMANCE? The NCAA men's lacrosse final four returns to Baltimore next
spring, and don't be surprised if U.Va. is back, too. Among the Cavaliers with
eligibility remaining are four All-Americans: goalie Tillman Johnson, who made
the first team, defenseman Brett Hughes and attackmen John Christmas and Joe
Yevoli.
Hughes, Christmas and Yevoli were second-team All-Americans.
Coach Dom Starsia's biggest losses: midfielders Chris Rotelli, A.J. Shannon and
Billy Glading, long-stick middie Trey Whitty and defensemen David Burman and Ned
Bowen. Rotelli made the All-America first team, and Glading was a third-team
selection. Shannon and Whitty were honorable-mention All-Americans.
Johnson finished the season with 205 saves, a school record.
ON BOARD: U.Va. football recruit Deyon Williams didn't repeat as Maryland's
Class 4A champion in the 300-meter hurdles Saturday, but he finished second in
that event, second in the 110 hurdles, second in the high jump and third in the
long jump.
Williams earned 30 points to help Suitland High capture its second state title
in three years. Even better for the 6-3, 185-pound senior, he recently learned
that he'd met NCAA eligibility standards. Williams will start summer school at
U.Va. next month, Suitland football coach Nick Lynch said.
"He's good to go," Lynch said.
U.Va. football coach Al Groh has described Williams as the prototypical
"size-speed receiver."
GOING FAST: U.Va. officials are confident the school will break its record for
season-ticket sales for football. That was set in 2001, when 34,378 season
tickets were purchased.
As of yesterday, U.Va. had sold 33,343 for 2003, said Assistant Athletic
Director Dick Mathias, who oversees the ticket office. Virginia sold 31,486
season tickets last year.
HOW'BOUT THEM COWBOYS? U.Va. and the University of Wyoming are working out the
details of a two-game football series. The teams are expected to play in
Charlottesville in 2006 and in Laramie, Wyo., in'07. The schools never have met
in football. Wyoming competes in the Mountain West Conference.
SLIGHTED: Steve Smith, basketball coach at national power Oak Hill Academy,
wasn't pleased when his star guard, Virginia-bound J.R. Reynolds, wasn't
selected to play in the April 17 Capital Classic at the MCI Center in
Washington.
"He was a natural," Smith said. "That kind of upset me. J.R. definitely should
have been in that game, being from Roanoke and going to the University of
Virginia." - Jeff White
GREENVILLE, S.C. - Some state lawmakers have their eyes on the ACC expansion plans and wonder if Clemson University leaders are overlooking some negative outcomes.
Sen. Warren Giese, R-Columbia, says he think the expansion will make the conference too big and add unnecessary travel time for teams and fans.
"This spreads it out into a television extravaganza," said Giese, a former South Carolina football coach. "I think it flat reeks of commercialism."
Earlier this month, ACC presidents voted to invite Miami, Syracuse and Boston College to join the nine-team league. There is no timetable for the three Big East Conference schools to decide.
"These three institutions represent and share the values for which the ACC has long been known," James Barker, Clemson University president and chair of the Council of Presidents in the ACC, said at the time.
Barker said the league worked for 18 months on planning for the future. But Rep. Lewis "Gene" Pinson, R-Greenwood, agreed with Giese.
"I don't think it's going to help Clemson football," said Pinson, who went to graduate school at Clemson. "It's just a big money grab."
Bringing Miami and Syracuse may add to TV revenue, but will also likely add to Clemson's losses, Pinson said.
"I just don't see it as something positive," he said. "I know about the big money and big draws from these other schools. But I think Clemson and the ACC can probably draw on anybody. I just think college athletics is getting totally out of control."
Giese was bothered the expansion process hasn't been more open. He says he's waiting for the league to "give us good reasons why this is in the best interests not only for the schools' bank accounts but for the people who have been their supporters."
Giese thinks expansion will take away from the closeness and rivalries the ACC enjoys now.
"I'm afraid the gate receipts and TV and all of those things are being considered before the interests of the students in the conference," he said.
Sen. Larry Martin, R-Pickens, is a Clemson fan and has the worries several fans do about expansion.
"I can't see how getting Miami will help Clemson football," he said. "If the board supports it and the athletic program thinks it's in their best interest, we'll just have to see how it plays out."
State Rep. Harry Cato, R-Travelers Rest, is a 1980 Clemson graduate. He thinks big-time games with Miami and Syracuse might hurt attendance for home games with Duke and Wake Forest.
House Speaker David Wilkins, R-Greenville and a 1968 Clemson graduate, said he has great confidence in Barker and athletic director Terry Don Phillips.
"They're the ones who have to make those decisions, and if they think it's a good idea, that's good enough for me," Wilkins said.
Virginia walls in Hopkins
Johnson's goaltending denies Jays, clears Cavs' path to national title, 9-7; JHU
can't 'get over the hump'; Jumping up 5-0, Virginia wins 2nd crown in 5 years
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Paul McMullen
Sun Staff
Originally published May 27, 2003
On the Johns Hopkins sideline, coach Dave Pietramala crouched and shook his
head.
Bouncing on his toes and pumping a fist in front of the net the Blue Jays had
trouble hitting, Virginia's Tillman Johnson began to celebrate.
For the first time since 1975, the NCAA men's lacrosse championship was decided
in Baltimore, and Johnson put on a show for the ages that made it 16 straight
years without a title for Hopkins. The top-seeded Blue Jays fell, 9-7, before
37,944 yesterday at M&T Bank Stadium, as the No. 2 Cavaliers milked a 5-0 lead
behind the nation's best goalie.
"The way Tillman's been playing, you feel you can defend them all day," said
Virginia's Chris Rotelli. "When Tillman's hot, you feel real confident."
Rotelli, a senior midfielder, is one of the five finalists for national Player
of the Year. Johnson, a junior, is the Cavaliers' other first-team All-American,
and this tournament will bear his stamp. The event's Most Outstanding Player
limited Maryland to four goals in the semifinals, and the 11 he allowed in the
final four are a record for an affair that began in 1971.
Not bad for someone who didn't start at St. Mary's High in Annapolis when he was
a junior.
Virginia's second title in five years for coach Dom Starsia began and ended with
two kids from the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference.
Jack deVilliers, a sophomore out of St. Paul's, controlled 12 of 19 faceoffs on
a field made sloppy by five games in three days and buckets of rain. When he
didn't win the draw, the Cavaliers stuck to their defensive assignments and let
Johnson, who had 13 saves, do the rest.
Hopkins, which led the nation in scoring, averaged 14.9 goals against everyone
else on its schedule, but just 7.5 in two games against Virginia. A.J. Shannon's
fourth goal gave the Cavaliers (15-2) an 8-5 lead with five seconds left in the
third quarter and stood as the game-winner. The Blue Jays (14-2) suffered a
similar letdown in the closing moments of the first quarter, when Billy Glading
made it 4-0.
"If you had told me we would hold them to nine," Pietramala said, "I would have
told you we were going to win."
Adam Doneger was the only Blue Jay to get more than one goal, and both of his
came on extra-man opportunities. Corey Harned scored off a faceoff during a
three-goal run in the second quarter that got Hopkins back into the game, but
when things were settled, Johnson was nearly impossible to beat. The Blue Jays,
who came in shooting 32.3 percent as a team, needed nine attempts to solve
Johnson. A normally patient team played right into the Cavaliers' hand, as
Hopkins took the first look on its first two possessions.
"That was unlike us; we took some stupid shots," said Kevin Boland, a senior
midfielder who had 12 assists in the first three games of the tournament, but
was held to no points yesterday. "That said, you've got to give Tillman credit.
He played a hell of a game."
It was 5-0 after 17 minutes, and it appeared that Johnson was handling beach
balls and Hopkins goalie Rob Scherr was trying to locate golf balls.
Hopkins had been ranked No. 1 in The Sun/Channel 2 rankings since it beat
Virginia, 8-7, at Homewood Field two months ago. The Blue Jays had trailed at
the half only twice all season. They had made up three-goal deficits on Towson
and Syracuse, extending their winning streak to 11 games with a semifinal rout
of the Orangemen, but there was no comeback this time.
Freshman midfielder Greg Peyser used a spin move to beat Glading and pull
Hopkins within 6-5 with 5:41 left in the third quarter. Virginia turned it over,
but Peter LeSueur couldn't create anything. Conor Ford turned it right back and
the Blue Jays never got off a shot to tie. John Christmas and Shannon extended
the difference to three goals, and the 6-foot-1, 192-pound Johnson stood upright
and strong during a memorable sequence with 13 minutes to go.
Kyle Barrie, who led Hopkins with 57 points, wound up from 10 yards out up top.
Johnson made a stick save, but he threw the ball away. The Blue Jays got it to
Boland, whose layup was snuffed. Bobby Benson, who had 41 goals on the year,
grabbed the rebound but couldn't beat Johnson, either.
Three good shots, three marvelous saves, all in 17 seconds.
Virginia, which avenged its only losses in less than 48 hours with wins over
Maryland and Hopkins, attempted only two shots in the final quarter. Doneger
completed the scoring with 1:46 left, then Trey Whitty secured the ensuing
faceoff from the wing for the Cavaliers.
Scherr came out of the goal in a desperate attempt to gain possession, but that
only heightened the frustration for the Blue Jays. They were the first Hopkins
team to get to the final since 1989, but they'll linger over an unsatisfying
ending.
"We spent a lot of time trying to battle back," Pietramala said. "We could never
get over the hump."
Pietramala guides Blue Jays back near top of pecking order
Mike Preston
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally published May 27, 2003
AFTER 16 YEARS of waiting to win an NCAA Division I men's lacrosse championship,
Johns Hopkins players, alumni and fans have to wait at least another year.
And guess what?
They don't mind it. Really.
After Hopkins lost, 9-7, to Virginia in the championship game before a record
crowd of 37,944 at M&T Bank Stadium yesterday, one might figure some of the old
alumni were starting to become antsy and put some pressure on coach Dave
Pietramala.
After all, this was the third straight year the Blue Jays have played in the
tournament, their second straight as the No. 1 seed. And Hopkins still hasn't
won the title that has eluded the school since 1987.
But this is a different time and era. Blue Jays fans, players and alumni still
feel good about Pietramala and the direction of the program.
"You have to crawl before you can walk," Pietramala said. " ... We'll continue
to build because we already have the foundation. Each year, we've taken another
step. Hey, we don't lose a lot of games around here.
"Were we happy just to be in the championship game? No. Is this some kind of
moral victory? No. This is where we should be. We'll be back. We'll be playing
on Mondays again," he said.
Confidence exudes from Pietramala, and that's why he has so much support. Also,
being a former Hopkins player doesn't hurt, either. In his three years as coach,
Pietramala has made it to the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship round.
Does he have to win it all next year?
"No one wants to put more pressure on David than he puts on himself," said Jerry
Smith, 53, who owns P.J.'s Pub near the Hopkins campus and has been a Blue Jays
fan since 1981. "Most of the people think he is doing a great job, and the
program is moving in the right direction. We took the next step this year. We
played on a Monday. Now, we have to learn how to win on Monday.
"I think he has a very good recruiting class coming in. We'll be back, knocking
on the door," he said.
This sounds kind of strange coming from Hopkins supporters. In the past, Blue
Jays fans have been accused of being as meddlesome as Alabama's in football and
North Carolina's in basketball.
But apparently, they have gotten the message that it's harder to dominate
lacrosse like the school used to in the 1960s and 1970s, and they also know that
championship is around the corner.
Last season was about getting there. This season was about being in the serious
hunt. For the next two or three seasons, Hopkins has now become a team, if not
the team, to beat.
"Pietramala has done an incredible job with the program, and I don't know if you
could find an alumni who would say anything different," said Steve Eaddy, 46, a
Hopkins graduate and investment banker. "He has them going all out and has
instilled the discipline that has been missing the last couple of years. He is
able to extract every ounce of effort from this team. They might be disappointed
about today, but the future is bright for the program."
Actually, there isn't much difference between Hopkins and Virginia. The two
biggest differences yesterday were Virginia goalie Tillman Johnson, who finished
with 13 saves, and the Cavaliers' speed. Johnson played well throughout the
final four and was the difference in the fourth period when Hopkins kept trying
to come back.
But the Blue Jays have no control over Johnson.
Speed, though, is a different matter. Pietramala might want to recruit a few
more players with it during the offseason. It was clearly evident yesterday,
especially in the first quarter. Hopkins couldn't keep up with Virginia's
athletes at midfield.
Virginia midfielder Chris Rotelli blew by Hopkins' Matt Feild for the first goal
near the restraining line 1:14 into the game. About two minutes later, Cavaliers
midfielder A.J. Shannon then caught a Hopkins defender sleeping and scored. Once
Shannon beat long-stick midfielder Andrew DiConza for a goal to the right of the
crease with 3:08 left in the first quarter for a 3-0 lead, Pietramala had little
choice except to eventually play zone defense.
The speed was glaring in other areas, even on a sloppy field. Virginia had a
46-32 edge in ground balls, including a 26-16 advantage at the half.
The Blue Jays, though, remained in the game. They showed resiliency and
perseverance and kept the game close. Hopkins learned a lesson from yesterday's
game, and you get the gut feeling the Blue Jays will indeed be back.
And not just once, but for a couple of years as long as Pietramala is around.
"This stinks, there is not much you can say about this," said Hopkins defender
Michael Peyser. "But all this stuff about pressure from alumni on the players
and coaches is not true. We didn't want to win this game for them, we wanted to
win it for the team. But look at this team. We're much better than we were three
years ago.
"Guys are a lot more disciplined," Peyser said. "Three years ago, we were pretty
one-dimensional. Now we have eight guys scoring goals. The coach gets a lot more
out of his players than the previous coaches."
Pietramala said: "I'm going to keep recruiting the same players who have
integrity and class, players like we already have in the program. We're not
finished here. Believe me. We're just getting started."
'Canes scrutiny: Appeal is strictly on the gridiron
BOB LIPPER
TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST May 27, 2003
Contact Bob Lipper at (804) 649-6555 or e-mail blipper@timesdispatch.com
It's been one week since the Ponte Vedre summit adjourned, and we still await
the puff of white smoke from Donna Shalala's chimney. She's the University of
Miami's president. Her school is the grand prize in a bidding war that figures
to alter the landscape of big-time campusball. Maalox sales have skyrocketed in
Blacksburg. The vigil continues.
Just in case you've lost track, the major players in this jockudrama are the
ACC, the Big East and Shalala. The Big East has the 'Canes. The ACC wants them.
The ball's in Shalala's court. It's her party, and she'll fly if she wants to.
We haven't heard much from UM's braintrust since Big East boss Mike Tranghese's
beached wail of an address that punctuated his league's Florida powwow. Faced
with losing Miami and tag-alongs Syracuse and Boston College to the ACC,
Tranghese attempted to throw a massive guilt trip on Shalala and talked of the
"irreparable harm" that would befall his collective should the 'Canes prompt a
wholesale bailout.
As if a one-time stalwart of the Clinton administration would even have a
working definition of guilt.
Money is the root of all upheaval in this case. Money the ACC alleges it would
rake in with a fatter TV contract and football-championship bonanza. Money the
Hurricanes apparently feel they need to balance their unbalanced bottom line.
Except maybe what the'Canes really could use is a fan base that isn't Coppertone
deep.
Most news accounts that deal with finances have stated that Miami's athletics
department lost $1.4 million two years ago despite the fact the football team
nailed down its fifth national championship. This might lead you to suspect UM
is bankrolling the country's most comprehensive athletics program this side of
the Ivy League.
And you'd be wrong.
Miami underwrites only seven sports for men and nine for women. Football, which
is expected to carry that relatively puny load, averaged 47,132 at the gate in
2001. That ranked the'Canes 39th nationally in attendance - just behind
Colorado, just ahead of Arizona State and several tax brackets below state
rivals Florida and Florida State.
So let's do some math: Say the'Canes had lured 20,000 more per outing to the
Orange Bowl - that still would've left some 6,000 empties - at a
below-the-market $20 per ticket. Multiply times six home games, and you've got
an extra $2.4 million - or enough to wipe out the shortfall and provide a hefty
profit.
Does this suggest a more solvent Miami would swiftly reject ACC come-ons? Not
likely. But it does mean this triangle revolves around a curious love interest -
a private school of modest size and no lofty academic clout, with a skimpy
overall sports portfolio and a clientele that's as fickle as tropical wind
currents.
It is, on the other hand, currently da bomb when it comes to football. Which is
what mostly matters to its suitors at this point.
So the ACC will send its emissaries this week on campus tours of Miami (cramped
visitors' locker room), Syracuse (yucky winter weather) and BC (frightening
local traffic), and they'll overlook the shortcomings and rubber-stamp the
invitations. And then it'll all be up to Shalala.
Meanwhile, on another front, Miami has warned tiny Umatilla (Fla.) High to cease
using a trademark-protected capital-U for its logo or fork over $2,000 per month
in rights fees. Gee, maybe these'Canes are hurting worse than we thought.