Hey guys, this is T-Mill from Hammer and Rails [Ed. note: Communists!] doing a little moonlighting for The Seventh Floor.
My wife is a diehard Hurricane alum and we made the journey from Indiana down to the MIA for this weekend’s Florida State series. It certainly looked promising on paper. The Canes were going to welcome the hated Seminoles to the new Mark Light Field at Alex Rodriguez Park (a.k.a. the Lightning Rod) while simultaneously honoring the 1999 National Championship squad. The fact that Miami won that title in a 6-5 championship game victory over the ‘Noles (and that Florida State does not have a single national title in baseball) was only an added bonus.
We were going to the mattresses on this one. My wife is one of Miami’s infamous Loud Girls. She and one of her best friends were the incredibly vocal supporters of the football and baseball teams from 1998-2002. This was their yearly baseball reunion and our first visit to the renovated stadium. Immediately, things did not go well.
First inning:
Tyler Holt –home run on fourth pitch of game (swear)
Stephen Cardullo – walk
Stuart Tapley – 2-run home run on first patch (more profanity)
Jason Stidham – solo home run (stunned silence, FSU fan in front of us proudly proclaim four up and four in).
Starting pitcher David Gutierrez then got a pair of strikeouts, but loaded the bases and was pulled after just 2/3 of an inning for Daniel Miranda. Things just went downhill from there. The Seminoles pounded 7 home runs on the evening, with Holt and Mike McGee hitting two each.
The final score wasn’t even as close as the 14-4 margin indicated. On Harold Martinez (HR and two doubles) really showed up offensively for the Canes. Miami was down 7-2 after two and a half innings and never really threatened.
The Loud Girls were not pleased. I was not pleased as “The Loud Husband,” as I am known at the Light. Florida State came into Miami’s house and made it their own. The only thing missing was the centerfielder pulling a Najeh Davenport on second base.
Saturday night’s game now becomes a must win for the 'Canes. Before the contest, the 1999 National Championship team will be in attendance and will be honored in an on field ceremony. If this year’s edition struggles I am sure that the fans will ask if the ’99 team still has eligibility.