This weekend was an amazing display of our camaraderie. I already had plans to host some friends for a wine tour with our apartment complex, so I knew I’d miss the first baseball regional between A&M and UM.

First, here are some little similarities between our schools.

• Aggies “Whoop” | Hurricanes “Whoosh Whoosh” (Though, the ‘Canes do not use it in the same manner.)
• While the Hurricanes use the “U” and Aggies often use the “T”, we both went to “M” schools, too.
• Both schools have a very loyal student following to their sports teams.
• Aggies pass back hand signs.  | Hurricanes hold up four fingers at the beginning of the 4th quarter to signify dominance of that quarter and stamina for the whole game. ‘Canes also have hand signs and chants(not all are family-friendly) we use for certain teams.
• M-I, A-M-I, fight, Fight, FIGHT! | Farmers fight, Farmers fight! Fight! Fight! Farmers, farmers fight!!
• We both have yells/chants during our fight songs.
• Two-name towns with our own zip codes: College Station, TX 77840 and Coral Gables, FL 33146.
• C-A-N-E-S, Canes! | A-G-G-I-E…Gig ‘em, Aggies!
• White is an official color for both schools.
• Hand symbols: Aggies give a thumbs up to show “Gig ‘em”.  | ‘Canes “throw the U” with both hands.
• “It’s great…to be…a Miami Hurricane” | “Squads left! squads right! Farmers, farmers, we’re all right! ….”

While the similarities are small, they are meaningful to us.

So, when Saturday’s game started, Emil texted me his version of a yell for our teams. Stealing from a ‘Cane cheer, he wrote, “We’ve got some Aggies over here; Whoop whoop!” **swoon**; he really is the love of my life.

Miami bested A&M on Saturday, but A&M won on Sunday. So, we’ll see how Monday evening goes to see who gets to go to the Super Regionals. If only we can keep the lightening away from the Miami campus for one whole game!

Gig ‘em, ‘Canes. Whoosh Whoop.

[1] I only had one rule for the Aggie alumni and fans: root/yell FOR your team, not AGAINST mine. I had to explain to one friend that “Beat the Hell Outta…” would not be tolerated and that I considered it bad sportsmanship. She disagreed and I told her she didn’t have to come over. But, in the end, she came to our party and yelled for the Aggies.

The University of Miami takes on the University of Wisconsin, Tuesday, December 29, 2009 at the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium in the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando Florida. #gocanes

Go’ Canes!!!

Miami 38 over FSU 34

Got this in email today (from Rivals.com). You Aggie readers should want Miami to beat FSU next Monday.

History that Correlates

Since 1997, there has been a direct correlation between the winner of the Miami/FSU game and the Texas/OU game.

1997
FSU 47 – Miami 0
Texas 27 OU 24

1998
FSU 26 – Miami 14
Texas 34 – OU 3

1999
FSU 31 – Miami 21
Texas 38 – OU 2

2000
Miami 27- FSU 24
OU 63 – Texas 14

2001
Miami 49 – FSU 27
OU 14 – Texas 3

2002
Miami 28 – FSU 27
OU 35 – Texas 24

2003
Miami 22 – FSU 14
OU 65 – Texas 13

2004
Miami 16 – FSU 10
OU 12 – Texas 0

2005
FSU 10 – Miami 7
Texas 45 – OU 12

2006
FSU 13 – Miami 10
Texas 28 – OU 10

2007
Miami 37 – FSU 29
OU 28 – Texas 21

2008
FSU 41 – Miami 39
Texas 45 – OU 35

Game

Monday, September 7, 2009
7pm CDT (8pm Eastern)
Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, FL
ESPN

So, it’s fun to see Miami in the Top Tier list that everyone uses as a measure. While I’m glad The U made the list, I certainly don’t think it’s the be-all-and-end-all list of good universities. Still, I’m glad Miami can get good press from this.

UM Cracks Top Tier of U.S. News & World Report’s Best College Rankings

The University of Miami Alumni Association would like to thank you, our alumni, for your ongoing commitment to your alma mater. It is only with your support that we are able to be included among the top 50 of the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings. We could not have reached this level of greatness without you, and we anticipate continued progress in the years ahead.

University of Miami students returning to campus for the new academic year will have another source of pride as ’Canes—their university has cracked the top tier of what is annually one of the most anticipated college ranking lists in the nation.

UM has been ranked No. 50 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2010 edition of “America’s Best Colleges,” which hits newsstands on Monday. It rose from No. 51 last year and has moved up 17 slots in the past eight years, making it one of the fastest-rising institutions in the ranking of national universities.

The editors of U.S. News & World Report have ranked the nation’s top universities and colleges for the past 26 years.

“I am delighted with this recognition,” said UM President Donna E. Shalala, who added that she is proud of the University’s significant accomplishments as measured in student achievement, retention, and graduation rates as well as the caliber of faculty and facilities and the living and learning environment the institution provides.

UM continued to improve in four key variables, showing marked increases in the average SAT score of its incoming freshmen (this year’s average score of 1285 is a 10 point increase from last year and a 110 point rise since 2001), the percentage of freshmen who were in the top 10 percent of their high school graduation class, six-year graduation rate, and freshman retention rate, which now stands at 90 percent.

Since 2001, when Shalala became president, UM has steadily improved in those four areas, which make up more than 33 percent of the formula used by the magazine to rank universities.

In addition, the rankings also revealed that the percentage of classes at UM with fewer than 20 students rose to 52 percent, a 5 percent increase over last year, while the University’s student/faculty ratio also improved. The alumni giving rate is 19 percent, up from 12 percent in 2001.

“While the changes from one year to the next in the U.S. News ranking tend to be relatively minor, the improvement in ranking for the University of Miami over the past eight years has been truly remarkable,” said Executive Vice President and Provost Thomas J. LeBlanc. “More than anything else, the ranking reflects UM’s continuous improvement in admissions, retention, and graduation rates.”

UM’s top-tier ranking comes on the heels of the institution’s record-breaking Momentum campaign, which concluded at the end of 2007 and raised more than $1.4 billion for endowed chairs and professorships, scholarships, facilities, academic and medical programs, and other initiatives.

Click here to view UM President Donna E. Shalala’s comments on the top-tier ranking in U.S. News and World Report

Go ‘Canes!!!

This week brings sad news from the campus. The current-resident endangered crocodile was killed.

There is a special place in hell for people who do things like this.

Vote at the below link to have Sebastian on the cover of EA Sports NCAA 2009 Football game.
http://www.easports.com/ncaa09/

You can vote once per day between now and March 14th. Bookmark the page so that you can go back each day. Sebastian is under the Atlantic Coast tab.

The Ibis is the last member of wildlife to take shelter before a hurricane and the first creature to emerge after. The University of Miami mascot was the first college mascot to become nationally famous and paved the way for recognition of many college mascots and the subsequent national recognition of many universities.

In this household, we are guessing that the Aggies’ Reveille is not listed for at least three reasons.

1. The current Collie is retiring at the end of this year. She bit her handler in the groin during football season. He had to have stitches “down there”. It was not a pretty story. She’s never been the friendliest of dogs, but given the way she is pampered, this was crossing any line.
2. The University is reviewing exactly what kind of mascot will replace her (yes, Texas A&M has an entire committee on this very subject)
3. Texas A&M does not have any form of a traditional costumed mascot.

So, since there is not an Aggie option, you should all vote for Sebastian.

Today, for the first time, he notices, admires, and compliments my Miami ring. He seems impressed. I beam a little with pride.

As I’m going to the truck, I notice a moving van parallel parked behind me. The driver is still there, and I’m not in a big hurry, so I don’t worry much about it. He rolls down his window. I think he’s going to say something about being just a minute, but instead, he says he likes the sticker on my truck. I’m a bit thrown; which sticker? Human Rights Campaign? As You Wish? Oh, the little magnet that is the Miami U! I tell him thanks and that I went there. He did a “no! really?” kind of thing and says he lived in Miami for a long time.

It was nice to be around people who are happy about where I went to school.