Saying Goodbye To The OB

After months of speculation, the official has word has come down that Orange Bowl will no longer be the home of the Miami Hurricanes after this season. The decision to move to Dolphin Stadium was made by Donna Shalala and the board of trustees in an effort to get the Canes to a more up to date facility that will generate more revenue.

As a lifelong Canes fan, it's a day of mixed emotions. It's going to be weird to see the Canes playing home games anywhere other than the OB. There is really no way that it can be the same. While I can understand to the move to Dolphin Stadium in financial terms, I was personally rooting for a gigantic renovation to the Orange Bowl.

Look, I'll be the first to admit that the Orange Bowl was a rotting hellhole in the worst section of Miami that had locker rooms worse than some junior high teams. But the OB just had an aura to it that cannot be replicated at cookie-cutter Dolphin Stadium. Stewart Mandel was right on the money in his article about the mystique of the Orange Bowl. It was ancient and quiet dangerous, but we loved it. The place was magic, that's about all I can say.

While the Canes will be getting significant updates in terms of facilities at Dolphins Stadium, here are my biggest concerns about the move......

Intimidation Factor: Unless you have been there, you won't understand. The place is downright scary. It's located in an area of down well past its prime, and there literally weeds growing out of the building. The OB was loud, cramped, creaky and helped the Canes win some games that they shouldn't have (FL 03, FSU every year). You are kidding yourself if you don't think that the overall scariness of the OB didn't give the Canes a huge psychological advantage. There is a 0% of recreating that atmosphere at Dolphin Stadium.

The Drive: You think that Miami had a hard time filling up the Orange Bowl, how the hell are they going to fill up Dolphin Stadium against the Duke's of the world? DS is a half hour drive up 95 with no traffic, which is never. How many students are going to make that trip? Get ready to see plenty of orange seats.


Sharing the Stadium: The Canes will now be sharing the stadium with not one, but two pro teams. You want to know what honestly is going to piss me off the most? Seeing the Canes play next September against Oklahoma, on national television, and there is a goddamn baseball diamond on the field. This actually pisses me off more than anything.