Extreme weather already having an effect on 'Canes

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) When the final whistle blew Monday morning, many Miami players hustled off the practice field, quickly shed their pads and jumped into waiting ice baths set up near the locker room door. Others slumped on shady benches near another wall, guzzling water and lapping on Popsicles.<br> <br> Heat is a constant in South Florida, and a regular source of concern for the Hurricanes and virtually all the other teams that train outdoors in the steamy temperatures. Already this season, a handful of Miami players have succumbed to weather-related problems, a reminder that prevention is especially vital.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s not practice that kills you. It&#39;s the sun that drains you,&#39;&#39; said Kareem Brown, the Hurricanes&#39; 6-foot-4, 307-pound defensive lineman and a South Florida native.<br> <br> ``Practice is not a big deal. Everybody here has played football all their life. It&#39;s not hard. The sun&#39;s the problem.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Backup quarterback Kirby Freeman no stranger to heat and humidity, considering he hails from Brownwood, Texas was treated at a hospital on Sunday after suffering from dehydration and other heat-related matters at the end of practice.<br> <br> He was back on Monday, doing extra sprints before practice, leading a series of end-of-practice sprints and then working out with other quarterbacks for an additional 30 minutes.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s all about getting yourself in the shape you need to be in,&#39;&#39; said Freeman, who needed five bags of intravenous fluids Sunday afternoon after losing 13 pounds during that morning&#39;s practice session. ``But you&#39;ve got to work your way into it.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Miami has moved some practices to mornings, trying to both beat the heat and the powerful thunderstorms that develop almost daily.<br> <br> Even the Miami Dolphins, who train about 30 miles north of the Hurricanes&#39; campus, have installed a cooling hut in between the fields at their practice complex. Players huddle in there for extra rest and rejuvenation around the midway point of each workout.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s not fun, but it&#39;s a part of the job,&#39;&#39; Dolphins tight end Randy McMichael said. ``It&#39;s training camp and you are in Miami, Florida. You know what to expect when you are down here ... because it&#39;s going to be there no matter where you go.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Yet nothing is foolproof. The Dolphins have had some serious heat issues this year during camp, most notably offensive lineman Jeno James being taken by helicopter to a hospital after he experienced heat problems and those came at a nighttime workout, long after the sun went down.<br> <br> ``When you see some hydration problems, I think guys get the message more than just talking about it,&#39;&#39; said Hurricanes coach Larry Coker.<br> <br> Awareness of the heat issue has been heightened for several years, following the deaths of some high school players during workouts, plus college players Eraste Autin of Florida, Devaughn Darling of Florida State and Rashidi Wheeler of Northwestern.<br> <br> The matter is especially serious to Coker, who was familiar with Korey Stringer the former Minnesota Vikings standout lineman who died of heatstroke in 2001. Stringer went to Ohio State while Coker worked as an assistant there from 1993 through 1995.<br> <br> ``You drink water, but you really need to force it,&#39;&#39; Coker said. ``And they&#39;ve conditioned during the summer, going out 30, 45 minutes or an hour. Then you&#39;re out for a two-hour practice. It&#39;s a lot different.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> With about 30 minutes left in the Hurricanes&#39; two-hour workout Monday capped in 85-degree heat that felt like 90 when factoring in humidity Brown slumped to one knee next to a water cooler. A trainer squeezed ice water over his head, while Brown sprayed his face repeatedly with cool liquid.<br> <br> After a few minutes of rest, Brown was able to finish the practice, Miami&#39;s first one wearing shells this season but got out of the sun quickly afterward.<br> <br> ``I don&#39;t think you ever get used to it. You just learn to deal with it,&#39;&#39; Brown said. ``It&#39;s hot out here, but we&#39;ve got to use it to our advantage.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Like Freeman, wide receiver Ryan Moore also got intravenous fluids after Sunday&#39;s workout; Moore suffered from severe cramping.<br> <br> ``Now I know how much I have to drink,&#39;&#39; Moore said. ``The first day, I didn&#39;t know.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Moore said he needs more than two gallons of fluids per day to stay properly hydrated. And coaches and trainers have continually stressed the issue, reminding players to keep forcing fluids.<br> <br> Seeing Freeman, Moore and other teammates suffer through cramps and other issues only helped to illustrate the point, Brown said.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s real simple what we have to do,&#39;&#39; Brown said. ``Drink, drink, drink, drink, drink.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)