Nothing. Getting crusty in my old age as I approach 50 in a few years.
Sports doesn't mean to me what it did when I was a kid. Grateful I witnessed four national titles between fourth grade and my senior year of high school—living in Miami, family with season tickets and owning All Sports (allCanes) through the glory years. The Canes were in the bloodline and we appreciated every minute of the era.
I was a month from my 28th birthday for that 2001 national title and started covering the program as a writer during the Butch Davis era.
I still remember almost breaking my hand on a filing cabinet in the garage when Dan Morgan was late rushing the quarterback and Kevin Thompson hit Chafie Fields for the 80-yard bomb—burning Mike Rumph while Ed Reed couldn't get over in time in support—Miami blowing a shot at upsetting #2 Penn State.
I drove back to San Diego from Tempe without saying a word for six hours on January 4th, 2003—the team hotel a morgue that night after the Fiesta Bowl.
People knew not to call me for days after a loss; which was a two-week span in 2003 after losses to Virginia Tech and Tennessee.
Time and irrelevance have left me jaded; as have impatient, moronic fans who **** and moan night and day on social media. Jesus Christ, Twitter has been insufferable all week while people lose their minds of Cormani McClain—not to mention every goddamned Josh Gattis thread here this offseason.
Should the day ever come that Miami is in the Playoffs, I'm sure I'll be ready to cut a thumb off for a win—as old habits die hard—but I refuse to let myself feel any legit pain over losses or to lose sleep over this program until it's warranted.
123-92 since the 2005 Peach Bowl is an average of 7.23 wins and 5.41 losses annually for 17 seasons.
This program was 107-14 with four national titles over a 10-year span—1982-1992—leaving a few championships on the field... 99-9 if you throw out JJ's first season (1984).
A lot of us spent most of our youth never seeing a loss at home. I was in sixth grade when Miami lost to Florida at the Orange Bowl in 1985 and was a a collage junior (a few months before my 21st birthday) when Washington upset Miami in 1994.
I'm done giving after these past 20 years. Just win, baby. We'll settle the score later.