Shalala rocks!

Wow! Who would have thunk it? Dr. Shalala (a former prominent Clinton administration official and the current U. of Miami president) made the right call. But sadly, this sort of things is extraordinarily rare for college presidents and politicians who often subsidize sports stadia (another form of income redistribution)...

The Orange Bowl hosted a dozen games that decided college football's national championship, five Super Bowls and a speech by John F. Kennedy. Miami football called it home for seven decades _ but after this year, no more.

The Hurricanes will play at Dolphin Stadium starting in 2008, leaving the historic but decaying Orange Bowl in what university president Donna Shalala called "a painful and sad decision." University trustees voted to make the move Tuesday, despite the offer of $206 million by city officials to renovate one of Miami's best-known landmarks.

"We really tried and I hope our fans understand that we really tried," Shalala said. "That said, the decision itself, given what our options were, was not that complicated."

Shalala called the city's effort "extraordinary," but wondered if remodeling was worthwhile.

"Is it appropriate for the University of Miami, a private university, to ask the people, the taxpayers of the city, to spend $200 million on six games a year?" Shalala asked.

Ultimately, that answer was no.