Miami New Times‘ Ten Most-Read Sports Stories of 2017

All in all, 2017 was not a glorious sports year in South Florida. The Marlins and Panthers were awful, the Heat needed a second-half surge to go from dreadful to mediocre, and the less said about this season’s Dolphins squad the better. The only good news comes from Coral Gables,…

Clemson Destroyed a Turnover Chain in Locker Room After Embarrassing Canes

The Miami Hurricanes got their asses handed to them in Saturday night’s ACC championship game versus the Clemson Tigers. Then, after the game, the Canes caught some serious shade from the South Carolina powerhouse. Miami’s 38-3 loss somehow doesn’t really reflect just how soundly the Canes were outmatched in the biggest game of their season.

Five Reasons It’s Great to Be a Miami Hurricanes Fan

This past weekend’s disappointing loss to Pittsburgh notwithstanding, 2017 has been one helluva storybook joyride for Miami Hurricanes fans. They’ve experienced a worst-to-first swing of emotions this year. Thanks to the new world order installed by head football coach Mark Richt and defensive coordinator Manny Diaz’s ingenious turnover chain, the Canes are back on top of the college football world and the talk of sports fans everywhere.

Miami Hurricanes Turnover Chain Inspires New J. Wakefield Beer

Wynwood brewery J. Wakefield Brewing is working on rushing out its new Turnover IPA in the hopes it will be ready to hit Canes fans’ lips in time for their team’s bowl game. The beer is named for the chunky gold necklace that Canes coaches award players on the sideline after they record turnovers.

Long Live the Fight Doctor, Ferdie Pacheco

Shortly after earning a medical degree from the University of Miami in 1958, Ybor City native Fernando “Ferdie” Pacheco set up a family practice in Overtown, Miami’s historic black neighborhood. Much like it is today, the area was mired in poverty.

Huge Brawl at University of Miami-Notre Dame Game Caught on Film

Perhaps don’t name your football team after a drunk ethnic stereotype hell-bent on violence. Notre Dame’s staggeringly drunk leprechaun mascot doesn’t seem to encourage great behavior. After the University of Miami Hurricanes laid a 41-8 beatdown on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday, two drunk-looking Irish fans decided to…

Former Miami-Dade Baseball Coach Among 500 MLB Vets Blocked From Pension

On September 2, 1963, 18-year-old Stephen Hertz made a decision that changed his life forever when he signed as a third baseman with the Houston Colt 45s (now the World Series-winning Houston Astros). Fresh out of school at Miami Senior High, Hertz couldn’t help but feel starry-eyed as he walked onto the field for Opening Day against the Cincinnati Reds in the spring of ’64.

Five Signs the U Is Back

It’s time to call it: The U is back. For real this time. No hyperbole. No bullshit. Facts only. After the Hurricanes’ 28-10 undressing of the No. 13 Virginia Tech Hokies Saturday night, the rest of the nation is finally in on the open secret that South Florida has known all season: The Hurricanes are true contenders, regardless of whether the talking heads respect the teams that UM has beaten.

Canes Aren’t Getting Respect, but Beating Virginia Tech Would Change That

The College Football Playoff Selection Committee doesn’t respect the Miami Hurricanes. UM fans know this for a fact after the undefeated Canes were slotted only tenth in the committee’s initial playoff rankings. Even though the Canes are one of only five undefeated teams in college football, the decisive championship rankings place Miami behind six one-loss teams. UM will need help to make the four-team playoffs in January.

See Kenny Stills’ Catch of the Year in the Dolphins’ Comeback Win Over the Jets

Early in the first quarter of the Dolphins’ 31-28 comeback win over the Jets, Kenny Stills punched his ticket to the ESPYs with one of the most spectacular catches you’ll ever see. At first, the pass was ruled incomplete, but while the officials were watching the video that proved otherwise, Stills was busy making more headlines as he took off his helmet to unveil a Mad Max look.

Marlins Fan Sues Team for “Deceptive Practices” Over Broken Season Ticket Promises

Jeffrey Loria may be riding off into the sunset with $1.2 billion freshly minted bills stuffed into his pockets, but Derek Jeter’s new ownership group has serious repair work to do with a battered and cynical fan base. One of his most pressing questions will be whether to continue pursuing the lawsuits that Loria’s regime filed against nearly a dozen former season ticketholders who walked away from multiyear packages.

Tropical Storm Nate Could Delay Saturday’s Miami-FSU Game Yet Again UPDATED

Oh, no. Not again. Just when you thought it was safe to stick those Miami Hurricanes flags on your car, fill it with gas, and head north on the Turnpike for this Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. game against the Florida State Seminoles, Mother Nature has once again wagged her dreaded hurricane finger in the general direction of the Sunshine State.