27.12.06

Top 10 baseball free agents

Dayn Perry / Special to FOXSports.com
Names such as Barry Zito and Roger Clemens may still be out there, but otherwise the coils of the Hot Stove are beginning to cool off.

Rosters are taking shape, lineups are beginning to come together, and rotations and bullpens are filling up. Still, at this late hour some "worth mentioning" free agents are still on the market, and there are also teams that could use them. So, laying aside for the moment the aforementioned Zito and Clemens, let's take a look at the 10 best "under the radar" free agents who still have resumes in hand. Onward ...

1. Aubrey Huff, 3B

Huff is something of a commodity: a left-handed power source who can play third, first and either of the flank outfield positions. Huff endured a down season in 2005, but his '06 batting line of .267 AVG/.344 OBP/.469 SLG was more in line with what can be expected from him going forward. Don't forget that this is a guy who tallied 34 homers as recently as 2003, and he's a career .288 AVG/.350 OBP/.498 SLG against righties. Huff could help a number of teams. In particular, the Yankees, who badly need to cosset Jason Giambi away at DH, could use him as their regular first baseman.

2. Jeff Suppan, RHS

When it comes to keeping runs off the board (the point of pitching, after all), Suppan has been an above-average starter over the last three seasons. As well, he hasn't been on the disabled list since 1996, so health isn't a foreseeable concern. Suppan certainly isn't an ace or even an optimal second option; however, he should be an effective mid-rotation guy for the next handful of seasons. Plenty of teams could use him — to wit, his old team in St. Louis.

3. Mark Loretta, 2B

For a middle infielder with a passable glove and solid offensive skills, Loretta certainly isn't drawing much interest. At age 35, he's not a safe bet beyond the upcoming season, but he figures to be a useful player in 2007. Over the last three years, Loretta has a cumulative batting line of .303 AVG/.366 OBP/.407 SLG, while the average second baseman in 2006 hit .276 AVG/.334 OBP/.409 SLG. The Braves would do well to realize that Pete Orr isn't an everyday player and pursue Loretta to be their regular keystoner.

4. Trot Nixon, OF

This lifelong Red Sox vet has been on the DL in each of the last three seasons, but he continues to provide solid production from the left side. In particular, he's batted .297 AVG/.378 OBP/.471 SLG against right-handed pitching since 2004. Nixon requires a platoon partner (as he always has), but he's not a bad guy to have in the lineup three out of every four days or so. He'd be a nice fit in the Oakland outfield.

5. Shea Hillenbrand, 1B

Think of Hillenbrand as a poor man's, right-handed Huff who's likely going to make more money (for some reason). He has occasional attitude problems, and he's not much with the glove at any position. However, he's usually good for 15 to 20 homers per season, and most years his platoon splits aren't severe. Hillenbrand isn't an ideal corner bat, but he can provide league-average production by those positional standards. That has value at this late hour. Ideally, he'd be the right-handed half of a DH platoon.

6. David Wells, LHS

Wells is what he is — a control artist, someone who depends on his defense and an injury risk. He's old, and his disdain for conditioning calls to mind a post-flip-out Marlon Brando. However, Wells was generally healthy from 2002-05, and he's posted a better-than-league-average ERA over the past three seasons. In other words, he's capable of being a nifty fifth starter for someone. The Padres are in talks with him, and that's a sage effort on their part.

7. Jeff Weaver, RHS

Weaver is at times brilliant on the mound, but he's been plagued by inconsistency throughout his career. In the right environment, he can succeed, but he's anything but a known quantity. Weaver, because of his delivery, will probably always have problems with the opposite side. He can get by when he stays low in the zone, so he needs a pitching coach who'll ride him on that point. View him as a stopgap at this point — nothing more.

8. Mark Mulder, LHS

Mulder last season was awful and injured — not an alluring combo, to say the least. However, he does have a strong record of success pre-2006. In all likelihood he won't be ready for opening day, but Mulder, provided he recovers from rotator cuff surgery, could return to something reasonably close to his old self (enough qualifiers in there?). He'll never be the demi-ace of yore, but he's worth a flyer. The Indians have shown some interest, and given their recent success with injured hurlers, that could be a good fit.

9. Craig Wilson, 1B/OF

Um, yeah, there's really not much left ... Wilson can serve as the right-handed half of a left field, right field or first base platoon, and he can be the right-handed pinch hitter of first resort. He's useful provided the team that signs him recognizes his limitations and deploys him accordingly. Wilson's a career .296 AVG/.395 OBP/.543 SLG hitter against lefties, but he's not an every-day talent.

10. Robert Fick, C/1B

A left-handed backup catcher who's not entirely useless at the plate? Sounds good. That Fick is on this list is a testimony to how thin the crop of free agents is at this juncture, but a club looking to shore up the bench should give Fick a look. He's not capable of or good enough to catch every day, but he's a reasonable caddy to have on the roster.

25.12.06

The worst moments for sports fans in 2006

Kevin Hench / Special to FOXSports.com
Bad calls, bad players, bad coaching, bad management, bad teams. You dealt with all.
For all you do, the FOXSports.com Fan of the Year for 2006 is ... you.

You, the Houston Texans fan who watched in stunned horror as your team passed on once-a-generation phenom Reggie Bush and hometown hero Vince Young to select Mario Williams with the No. 1 overall pick.

You, the Dallas Mavericks fan who saw your team lose two games in the NBA Finals on two horrible calls, one impossibly ticky-tack, the other merely unconscionably wrong.

You, the Detroit Tigers fan who got punched in the stomach over and over as your pitchers were constantly confounded by simple comebackers in the team's World Series debacle.

You, the Seattle Seahawks fan, still reeling from the holding call on Sean Locklear, the phantom illegal-block-in-the-back call on a long punt return, the offensive pass interference call on Darrell Jackson and Ben Roethlisberger's non-breaking of the plane.

You, the New York Knicks fan who has watched Isiah Thomas do unspeakable things to your team and then outdo himself with a veiled threat to an opposing player right before a new-low-point-in-his-tenure brawl broke out.

You, the Boston Red Sox fan who watched Hanley Ramirez win NL Rookie of the Year and Anibal Sanchez throw a no-hitter while Josh Beckett got pounded to the tune of a 5.01 ERA.

You, the New York Yankees fan still waiting after three seasons for Alex Rodriguez's first big hit.

You, the Texas Rangers fan who roots for a team that made a deal to pay a huge chunk of A-Rod's salary in exchange for Alfonso Soriano, who now happens to play for the Chicago Cubs.

You, the diehard Phil Mickelson fan whose heart was sliced open by Lefty's slice on the 72nd hole of the U.S. Open.

You, the New York Mets fan whose team was poised for a run at a title when injuries ran though roughly half the pitching staff.

You, the Detroit Lions fan who saw William Clay Ford fire tens of thousands of people without terminating Matt Millen.

You, the Gonzaga basketball fan who watched your team choke away a 17-point lead against UCLA in the Sweet 16 and lose 73-71 as the Bruins scored the game's final 11 points.

You, the Oakland Raiders fan who had your loyalty and passion rewarded with Art Shell, Aaron Brooks and an offensive coordinator whose last job was running a bed and breakfast.

You, the U.S. soccer fan who saw your team's heroic nine-man effort against eventual World Cup champs Italy undone by an atrocious penalty call in the team's subsequent game against Ghana.

You, the Carolina Panthers fan who enjoyed the momentary thrill of being a trendy Super Bowl pick only to see your team fall on its face once the season began.

You, the Pittsburgh Steelers fan who thought your Super Bowl title defense would face stiff challenges from the Bengals and Ravens, only to be blindsided by a windshield and an appendix.

You, the Cincinnati Bengals fan who seems to get an arrest sidebar next to every game story.

You, the University of Michigan fan who can't figure out how the voters passed on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have the Wolverines and Buckeyes meet for the national title.

You, the Kansas City Chiefs fan who watched Damon Huard go 5-3 as a starter with a 97.6 QB rating and then get benched when Trent Green (2-4, 76.0) returned from injury to lead the team right to the outer edge of the playoff bubble.

You, the Los Angeles Lakers fan who watched in horror as the Suns' Tim Thomas drained a 3-pointer to force overtime in Game 6 (and save the Phoenix season) that was eerily reminiscent of Robert Horry's Kings-killer in 2002.

You, the Oklahoma football fan whose Sooners lost out on a possible shot at the national title on a call that defies explanation against Orgeon.

You, the New York Giants fan who witnessed: A) your Captain Bligh coach undermined by his star players (Jeremy Shockey, Tiki Barber) who publicly questioned his coaching; B) a supposed team leader (Michael Strahan) take a public shot at a teammate (Plaxico Burress); and, of course, C) several public embarrassments on the field as the team lost five of six games after starting 6-2.

You, the Chicago Cubs fan who should be enjoying a dynasty right now but instead saw Mark Prior and Kerry Wood throw a combined total of 63 innings last season as your team finished last.

You, the Arizona Cardinals fan who thought this year was going to be different but found out the Cardinals were not what you thought they were but rather what they've always been.

You, the University of Connecticut basketball fan who watched a team for the ages featuring NBA first-rounders Marcus Williams, Rudy Gay, Josh Boone and Hilton Armstrong lose in overtime to George Mason in the Elite Eight.

You, the Houston Astros fan who was tempted and teased and taunted by Roger Clemens for months as your team was treading water, only to see him sign for a huge pile of dough and win a grand total of seven games, one more than he lost.

You, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim fan who watched your team miss the playoffs while 2005 Cy Young winner Bartolo Colon (1-5, 5.11) missed most of the season but never missed the buffet table.

You, the U.S. Olympic hockey fan who saw the spoiled pros complain about the amenities in Turin and get bounced by Finland in the quarterfinals.

You, the St. Louis Rams fan who saw your team burst from the gate 4-1, then get pole-axed by a last-second 54-yard Josh Brown field goal that started a downward spiral of seven losses in eight games.

You, the Washington Nationals fan who must be feeling a lot like a Washington Senators fan after watching the team finish 26 games out and then lose Soriano in free agency.

You, the Cleveland Browns fan who has watched Romeo Crennel go 10-20 in his first 30 games while other Bill Belichick disciples Charlie Weis and Eric Mangini have gotten immediate results with Notre Dame and the Jets.

You, the San Francisco Giants fan whose waning affinity for Barry Bonds will have to carry you through 2007 as the free agent departures of Jason Schmidt and Moises Alou relegate the team to non-contender status.

You, the Pittsburgh Penguins fan who has perhaps the potentially most dynamic duo in NHL history in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and yet may have to wave goodbye to the team, which is now considering a move.

You, the Seattle SuperSonics fan whose team is losing its way through a long goodbye to the city.

You, the Alabama football fan whose team fell to 6-6 one season after going 10-2, whose school fired its coach with five years remaining on his contract and whose program, it turns out, is no longer one of the highly-coveted coaching positions in the country.

You, the Phoenix Coyotes fan — we know you exist — who has watched the Great One endure a gambling scandal and coach the Not-Very-Good Ones to last place in the Pacific Division.

You, the Los Angeles Clippers fan whose team has fallen back to earth and last place after going 47-35 last season and pushing the Suns to the brink in the second round of the playoffs.

You, the Newcastle United supporter who has seen your side decimated by injuries to — get this — Michael Owen, Damien Duff, Kieron Dyer, Scott Parker, Titus Bramble, Emre, Nolberto Solano, Tim Krul, Shola Ameobi, Olivier Bernard, Craig Moore, Stephen Carr, Steve Harper, Charles N'Zogbia and Antoine Sibierski.

You, the Charlotte Bobcats fan who winced with drafter's remorse as No. 3 overall pick Adam Morrison was held to one field goal in four straight games while shooting 4-for-34 from the floor.

You, the Philadelphia 76ers fan who lost Allen Iverson but got to keep Chris Webber.

You, the Philadelphia Flyers fan whose once-proud franchise set a team record for consecutive losses while burrowing its way to the bottom of the NHL.

You, the Philadelphia Phillies fan who saw your team surrender at midseason by giving away Bobby Abreu, then make an astonishing late-season run, only to have the surge halted when a Chase Utley home run was ruled a foul ball, leading to a one-run loss.

You, the Philadelphia Eagles fan who not only had to watch Donovan McNabb go down to injury for the fourth straight season but also had to endure Terrell Owens leading the NFL in touchdown receptions.

You, the Philadelphia sports fan, for enduring a year's worth of calamity (Almost makes you want to boo Santa Claus).

And why are you deserving of the title, Fan of the Year? Because you'll be back for more missed calls, mistreatment and misery in 2007.

20.12.06

Miller wins super-G for 24th world Cup victory

Miller wins super-G for 24th world Cup victory

Associated Press

HINTERSTODER, Austria -- Bode Miller won his third World Cup race this season, taking the super-G on Wednesday.

Miller raced down the 1-mile Wertung course in 1 minute, 9.76 seconds for his 24th career World Cup win.

The 29-year-old American, who switched to Head skis from Atomic in the offseason, is the only man with more than one World Cup victory this season.

Peter Fill of Italy was second in 1:10.55, equaling his best career World Cup result. He was second in a super-G at Kitzbuehel last season.

Hermann Maier placed third on home snow in 1:10.70. The Austrian men have only one World Cup victory this season.

19.12.06

NBA: Anthony among seven brawlers suspended

Associated Press

It was the NBA's scariest scene since the brawl between Pacers players and Pistons fans two years ago. The league is still recovering from that episode, and Stern made it clear the players must learn to control themselves.

"We're going to go after the players who aren't able to stop," he said during a conference call. "We have set up the goal of eliminating fighting from our game. We haven't eliminated it completely."

Anthony's suspension was the sixth longest in NBA history. Mardy Collins, whose hard foul on Smith sparked the fighting, was suspended six games and Knicks teammate Jared Jeffries will miss four. Also, the Knicks' Jerome James and Denver's Nene were both penalized one game for leaving the bench area during the chaos.

Ten players were ejected after the fight, which started with 1:15 left in Denver's 123-100 victory. The punishments were announced before both teams were to play Monday night - New York at home against Utah; Denver at home against Washington.

"I was very disappointed," Stern said. "Clearly, we're not getting through or players in certain circumstances just don't want to be restrained. I would suggest that those players will not have long careers in the NBA."

Stern was especially troubled by the fight between Robinson and Smith that spilled into the stands.

"My concern is actually for the safety of the players and the fans, and when things get out of hand you cannot predict or project where they're going to go," Stern said. "There were certain players who weren't going to allow themselves to be calmed."

There was speculation Thomas would be penalized for his comments to Anthony. Stern acknowledged hearing about it, but said he relied only on "definitive information" when handing out punishments.

But he was clearly annoyed by remarks from Thomas and the Knicks after the game that the problems were caused by the Nuggets still having four starters on the floor late in a blowout. And the fine showed he wants teams to be serious in helping him clean up the game.

The NBA came down hard on the New York Knicks and the Denver Nuggets, and none of the brawlers was spared.

Not Carmelo Anthony, the NBA's leading scorer, who got the harshest punishment, a 15-game suspension. And not the teams themselves, who were fined an unprecedented half-million dollars each Monday.

"I was very disappointed," Commissioner David Stern said. "Clearly, we're not getting through or players in certain circumstances just don't want to be restrained. I would suggest that those players will not have long careers in the NBA."

In all, seven players were suspended for a fight that spilled into the stands at Madison Square Garden with just over a minute left in Saturday night's game. The penalties were without pay, costing Anthony about $641,000 in salary.

Also suspended: New York's Nate Robinson and J.R. Smith of the Nuggets, 10 games; New York's Mardy Collins, six; teammate Jared Jeffries, four. The Knicks' Jerome James and the Nuggets' Nene each were penalized one game for leaving the bench area during the chaos.

Though there was no separate penalty for Knicks coach Isiah Thomas, who warned Anthony not to go into the lane before the mayhem started, Nuggets coach George Karl singled him out for the sharpest criticism, calling his actions "despicable."

"There's no question in my mind it was premeditated," said Karl, whose team now faces an even tougher time making the playoffs. "He made a bad situation worse. He's a jerk for what he's trying to do."

It was the NBA's scariest scene since the brawl between Indiana Pacers players and Detroit Pistons fans two years ago. The league is still recovering from that episode, and Stern made it clear the players needed to control themselves - or else.

"We have set up the goal of eliminating fighting from our game. We haven't eliminated it completely," Stern said.

The record fines were "more general message that I'm going to start holding our teams accountable," he said.

Asked about the previous largest fine for on-court misbehavior, the NBA couldn't find anything remotely close.

NBA players' union director Billy Hunter said he would talk to Anthony and his agent Tuesday before deciding whether to pursue an appeal.

"I think that 15 is a bit heavy," Hunter said. "I don't think 15 games is necessary. I think it's out of whack compared to what been imposed in the past."

If there's any upside to the story, it's that the Knicks and Nuggets won't play again this season.

"The incident was deeply regrettable, unacceptable on every level and I hope and expect to never witness anything like it again. We are all very sorry it happened," Garden chairman James Dolan said.

The fight started just as Denver's 123-100 victory was wrapping up, and 10 players were ejected.

Stern was especially troubled by the fight between Robinson and Smith that landed in the seats.

"My concern is actually for the safety of the players and the fans, and when things get out of hand you cannot predict or project where they're going to go," Stern said. "There were certain players who weren't going to allow themselves to be calmed."

There was speculation Thomas would be penalized for his comments to Anthony. Stern acknowledged hearing about it, but said he relied only on "definitive information" when handing out punishments.

But Stern was clearly annoyed by remarks from Thomas and the Knicks that the Nuggets were somehow responsible because they kept four starters on the floor late in the blowout.

The brawl began when Collins prevented Smith from an easy basket by grabbing him around the neck and taking him to the floor.

Smith got up and immediately started jawing with Collins, and Robinson jumped in to pull Smith away. Anthony shoved Robinson, and Robinson and Smith then tumbled into the front row while fighting.

Just as things appeared to be calming down, Anthony threw a hard punch that floored Collins. Jeffries sprinted from the baseline toward halfcourt in an effort to get at Anthony, but was tackled by a Denver player.

In Denver, Karl was blunt with his criticism of Thomas.

"I think his actions after the game were despicable. He made a bad situation worse. I'll swear on my children's life that I never thought about running up the score. I wanted to get a big win on the road.

"My team has had trouble holding leads at the end of games," he added. "I didn't want the score to get under 10 points because if it would've gotten under 10 points it would've had a negative feeling on my team."

Thomas declined comment on Karl's remarks. His undermanned Knicks upset the Utah Jazz in overtime Monday night, 97-96, on a layup by Stephon Marbury just before the buzzer.

"We are in concurrence with whatever the league has offered us, and whatever the commissioner said we support and will abide by," Thomas said.

Karl has bigger problems now. He'll be without Anthony until the Nuggets' game at Houston on Jan. 20, and Smith will be gone until Jan. 8. That duo combines for more than 48 points a game.

"It's going to be tough," said Nuggets center Marcus Camby, one of the five players ejected who wasn't suspended. "It's already tough being in the Western Conference, and missing guys like J.R. and Carmelo is going to make it even worse."

Anthony's conduct represents a big blow to the All-Star player, team and league. He starred as a captain on the U.S. team at the world championships this summer, and had been getting more marketing opportunities as one of the league's brightest young stars.

Stern took none of that into account when issuing his decision.

"We judged him on his actions on the court, period," Stern said. "And they deserved a harsh penalty."

"It's a more general message that I'm going to start holding our teams accountable," he said.

Collins prevented Smith from an easy basket by grabbing him by the neck and taking him to the floor. Smith rose and immediately started jawing with Collins, and Robinson jumped in to pull Smith away. Anthony shoved Robinson away, and Robinson and Smith then tumbled into the front row while fighting.

Just as things appeared to be calming down, Anthony threw a hard punch that floored Collins, and Jeffries sprinted from the baseline toward halfcourt in an effort to get at Anthony, but was tackled by a Denver player.

Before Stern talked, the Knicks held their morning shootaround, where Thomas didn't back away from the Knicks' postgame assertions that some of the problems were caused by Denver coach George Karl leaving his starters on the floor too long in a blowout.

"I can't speak for him, but he put his players in a tough position," Thomas said. "I think he put his players in a very bad position."

In Denver, Karl was irate with Thomas. Karl accused Thomas of a "premeditated" act, underscoring his disgust with the New York coach with expletives.

"It was directed by Isiah," he said during a shootaround. "I think his actions after the game were despicable. He made a bad situation worse. I'll swear on my children's life that I never thought about running up the score. I wanted to get a big win on the road."

"My team has had trouble holding leads at the end of games," he added. "I didn't want the score to get under 10 points because if it would've gotten under 10 points it would've had a negative feeling on my team."

Karl has bigger problems now. He'll be without Anthony until the Nuggets' game at Houston on Jan. 20, and Smith will be gone until Jan. 8. That duo combines for more than 48 points a game.

"It's going to be tough," said Nuggets center Marcus Camby, one of the five players ejected who wasn't suspended. "It's already tough being in the Western Conference, and missing guys like J.R. and Carmelo is going to make it even worse."

Anthony's conduct represents a big blow to the player, team and league. He starred as a captain on the U.S. team at the world championships this summer, and had been getting more marketing opportunities as one of the league's brightest young stars.

Stern took none of that into account when issuing his decision.

"We judged him on his actions on the court, period," Stern said. "And they deserved a harsh penalty."

14.12.06

Algeria fans cheer Zidane, say head-butt OK

By Lamine Chikhi
Reuters
ALGIERS - Thousands of cheering Algerians turned out in driving rain to watch Zinedine Zidane kick off a soccer match on Thursday, and some waved banners praising the Frenchman's headbutt of an Italian defender in the World Cup.

Security men outnumbered players when Zidane, on day four of five day visit to Algeria, went onto the field to deliver the ceremonial first kick at a game between l'Union Sportive de la Médina d'Alger et la Jeunesse Sportive de Médina de Béjaia.

"A thousand Thank Yous for everything, including for the well done head-butt," read one banner waved by a fan in the crowd of 15,000 at the July 5 stadium in the capital Algiers.

Another read: "A man's dignity is worth more than the World Cup".

Zidane, flanked by up to 50 tracksuit-clad police, went onto the pitch and kissed the players in greeting before the kick-off in front of a crowd of 15,000 -- not a bad turnout in the more than 60,000 capacity stadium in view of the appalling weather.

Widely regarded as the finest footballer of his generation, Zidane retired from soccer after being sent off in July's World Cup final for head-butting Italy's Marco Materazzi. Italy won the final after a penalty shoot-out.

Materazzi has said it was his mention of Zidane's sister which prompted the butt from the France midfielder.

Zidane, visiting the country of his parents' birth to inspect charity projects he has funded, has been warmly welcomed by a nation that sees him as an icon of success.

Zidane said he would like to help Algeria's soccer team, whose fortunes are in the doldrums, and hoped the Algerian and French national soccer teams could play each other in Algeria.

"I'd like Algerian football to recover its sparkle," he told a news conference. "As a friend and brother of the country I'm ready to help. I can give some advice. I'd like to see Algeria in the big competitions."

"I'd also like there to be a match between Algeria and France at the July 5 stadium. I don't know when that would be but I know that in France a lot of people would like that."

Algeria and France have traditionally had uneasy diplomatic relations since the giant north African country won independence from France in 1962 after an eight-year independence war.

Their national sides have rarely played.

The last time they met, World Cup champions France were leading 4-1 with 12 minutes left in Paris, when Algerian fans invaded the pitch. The game was called off.

Algerian football's heyday was over two decades ago when Algeria reached the World Cup finals in 1982.

The idea of Zidane helping restore Algeria's soccer fortunes remains a tantalising possibility for many in Algeria.

"Zidane shouldn't stop playing. In Algeria we need him to put our soccer back on track," said soccer fan Said Halif.

8.12.06

Hurricanes promote Shannon to head coach

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) - Randy Shannon helped the Miami Hurricanes win three national championships. Now he'll try to reverse their decline.

Shannon, a former Hurricanes linebacker and their defensive coordinator since 2001, was chosen to replace Larry Coker as head coach and introduced at a news conference Friday. Miami fired Coker two weeks ago after the team finished the regular season 6-6, its worst record since 1997.

The 40-year-old Shannon will become the sixth black head coach currently at one of the 119 Division I-A schools, joining Mississippi State's Sylvester Croom, UCLA's Karl Dorrell, Buffalo's Turner Gill, Kansas State's Ron Prince and Washington's Tyrone Willingham.

"Randy has the discipline and heart of a champion," university president Donna Shalala said in a statement. "He has been preparing himself for a head coaching position his whole life, and I am very happy that the opportunity came at the University of Miami, his alma mater. We are extremely lucky to have him."

The Miami Herald first reported the hiring Thursday night.

"It's the guy that I wanted. It's the guy a lot of us wanted," Miami quarterback Kirby Freeman said. "Randy's been extremely sincere to this football program. He's been sincere about his feelings toward everyone on this team and the direction he wants this program to go. This is definitely the decision I wanted."

School officials also spoke with Rutgers coach Greg Schiano - a former Miami assistant - and Texas Tech's Mike Leach about replacing Coker, who was fired Nov. 24 with three years remaining on his contract.

Coker was 59-15 in six seasons with one national championship and another appearance in the Bowl Championship Series title game, but lost 12 games the past three seasons - including six this year, when the Hurricanes fell from the national rankings for the first time since 1999, a span of 107 weeks.

Miami athletic director Paul Dee has said repeatedly that Coker will coach Miami in its season finale against Nevada on Dec. 31 at the MPC Computers Bowl in Boise, Idaho. Shannon likely will assume many typical head-coach duties, particularly in the recruiting area, almost immediately.

"Randy is the future of our football team now," Freeman told The AP. "And we're going to have some bright, bright success. I'm excited. I'm really excited."

Most of the Hurricanes' struggles in recent years stemmed from inconsistent play on offense - while the defense put together by Shannon continually ranked among the nation's best, a fact the university obviously took note of during its search for Coker's replacement.

Shannon's 2001 defense at Miami led the nation in turnover margin, scoring defense and pass efficiency defense, plus set school records for turnovers forced (45) and interceptions (27). His defenses also led the nation against the pass in 2002 and 2005, plus have always ranked among the national leaders in total defense.

Even this season, while the Hurricanes struggled, Shannon's defense was the fifth stingiest in the country, yielding only 252 yards per game.

"I love him as a coach," Miami defensive end Calais Campbell said earlier this month when asked about Shannon. "I have the most respect for him of all the people I know. I think he's a great guy. ... He played here. He is a die-hard 'Cane. He wants to be a head coach. He definitely has the qualities."

This season was turbulent at Miami - which reeled from the death of defensive lineman Bryan Pata, who was shot and killed outside his off-campus apartment complex on Nov. 7. The Hurricanes, who entered the season as favorites to win the Atlantic Coast Conference, also were involved in an on-field brawl with Florida International which resulted in the suspension of 31 players - 13 from Miami.

Shannon - whose son, Xavier, plays center at Florida International - was a four-year letterman at Miami, a two-year starter at linebacker and part of the Hurricanes' 1987 national championship squad. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 1989 and became their first rookie starter at outside linebacker in 26 years.

A Miami native and graduate of the school, Shannon has spent most of coaching career with the Hurricanes, first as a graduate assistant in 1991, a defensive line coach in 1992 and then as linebackers coach from 1993-97.

He was with the Miami Dolphins from 1998-00 as a defensive assistant and linebackers coach, then returned to the Hurricanes in 2001 as defensive coordinator - and immediately helped the program win its fifth national championship in his first season back at Coral Gables.