The 2012 Miami Hurricanes football season is upon us, and fans are restless. Their beloved Canes are coming off a horribly mediocre 6-6 last season and are still in the shadows of a looming NCAA investigation. That won't stop Cans fans from packing sports bars every Saturday in support of their beloved U.
No matter where in the country you happen to be rocking the green and orange, the University of Miami Alumni Association has a safe haven for you to go and cheer your beloved Canes. The biggest U party outside of Miami will take place in Boston, where the Canes open the season today playing conference rivals Boston College. Fans start gathering at noon for a 3:30 kickoff on the second floor of Cityside Bar & Tavern (1960 Beacon Street, Cleveland Circle, Brighton, Massachusetts). The Canes are favored on most betting lines despite being on the road with a fairly inexperienced starting quarterback in junior Stephen Morris.
Here in Miami, alumni will be gathering for every game at Sandbar Sports Grill in the heart of Coconut Grove. Brunch will be available until 3:00 and bloody mary's will be on special for just $3.75 each. Sandbar features two gigantic projection screens and 24 plasma televisions, some of which will be playing other big college football games like Notre Dame vs. Navy (12:00 PM) and the only game of the day between two ranked teams, No. 8 Michigan versus No. 2 Alabama (8 p.m.) at Cowboys Stadium. Show the crowd what you got and try conquering the 10-foot funnel (above), which needs a lifeguard chair just to hold the thing.
Elsewhere, perhaps the biggest party will be at North Miami Beach's Duffy's Sports Grill. Duffy's is a sprawling mecca of televisions, alcohol and sports fans. It doesn't get any bigger than this gigantic 700+ seat venue with 200 flat screens, a poolside bar and even dockside service if you want to pull your yacht (or in our case, row boat) up to the back. The menu is your typical sports bar selection of wings, burgers, pasta and salads, but also features a gluten-free section that is popular among diners. If you get hungry while your chugging down mug after mug of cold beer, take advantage of the lobster special. For just $24.99, you get two Florida lobsters cooked to your liking with your choice of two sides.
Those near the downtown area are lucky to be in the vicinity of Finnegan's River, located directly on the Miami River near I-95 off the eastern end of Calle Ocho. If your not taking in the game, you will be admiring the incredible view down the mouth of the river surrounded by Miami's biggest skyscrapers. Bring your bathing suit and take advantage of the 20,000 gallon pool that is usually filled with beautiful people on the weekends. The menu is surprisingly affordable compared to most establishments in the Brickell area, even more so than Duffy's and Sandbar.
If you are like us here at Short Order, you'll be smart and hit the beach with a cooler full of beer around noon to give yourself plenty of time for your own little pre-gaming. That way you'll have a nice little buzz going when you stumble your way up the sand for $10 beers at The Clevelander. Hey , they gotta pay for that extensive renovation they did a couple of years back that added a bunch of areas to catch the game. The sports bar inside on the first floor is perhaps the most comfortable, but you'll have to get there early if you want to beat the obnoxious tourist crowd with their cameras out getting in the way.
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