Daily ND Five - July 29, 2008

The "Hey, It's Shark Week!" Edition.

One: Timeless ND plays - Numbers 10-7. (BlueandGold.com)

Two: Ten out-of-conference games that would be great if they happened - including the actually happening ND-Washington game. (Fox Sports)

Three: Some more love for Chris Zorich. (und.com)

Four: Notre Dame - a team worth hating. (The Bleacher Report)

Five: It's all about hating today. (ESPN)

Daily ND Five - July 29, 2008

The "Up Early and Getting Things Done" Edition.

One: Timing - i.e., when we play them - for the final edition of The Case for Hope. (OC Domer)

Two: The expense of recruiting. Something I never thought about before. (South Bend Tribune)

Three: Another preview of Notre Dame. (The Sporting News)

Four: OK, I am not as upset as some about this scheduling tidbit, but it could be better. (Irish Band of Brothers)

Five: Because I can't leave it alone, guess who is hitting the links these days? (The Seattle Times - Husky Football Blog)

Daily ND Five - July 28, 2008

The "Nothing Related to a Certain Former ND Wide Receiver, Because I Am a White Sox Fan" edition.

One: Subway Domer's first part in a series of predictions for the games this season. (Subway Domer)

Two: Great nicknames in college football...look to Number One for a familiar group of men. (The Bleacher Report)

Three: A list of things to mention (or not to mention) when talking to fans of college football teams. Notre Dame is on there. (The Bleacher Report)

Four: An interview with Tony O'Hara/Roberts. (Post-Tribune)

Five: Robert Hughes is on this list of second year tailbacks to watch. (cfb360.com)

Man Shoots Lawn Mower

Ah, Wisconsin. Land of beer, cheese, and a seemingly endless array of people who manage to get themselves into situations that people elsewhere find amusing.

People such as this fellow:

According to the criminal complaint, Walendowski said he was angry because his Lawn Boy wouldn't start Wednesday morning. He told police quote, "I can do that, it's my lawn mower and my yard so I can shoot it if I want."

Really, though, who hasn't wanted to shoot something that wasn't working properly?

Daily ND Five - July 25, 2008

The "I need to get to work soon!" edition.

One: Updates on ND football players in the NFL. (The Blue-Gray Sky)

Two: I am not linking to the New York Times preview of Notre Dame, but I will link here, and you can read the rest of the article if you want. (Irish Insights)

Three: Some pre-season thoughts on where Gameday will be going - I miss Gameday! (The Bleacher Report)

Four: How about some pre-season thoughts on games to watch? (It's Insider content) (ESPN)

Five: I'm mostly posting this article on the cutting down of the trees because I am still upset that there will be no tailgating in these lots this year - they are all under construction. (South Bend Tribune)

Daily ND Five - July 24, 2008

The "I got caught up in work and an early meeting" edition.

One: Some more information on those pesky ads and the reporting of said ads. (The Rock Report)

Two: A day late, but a highly amusing look at some coaches on the hot seat (as opposed to those who are inevitably gone). P.S. - I want Fire Mark May updates! (Every Day Should Be Saturday)

Three: Speaking of Fire Mark May, here is something I love from the site. (Fire Mark May)

Four: September 20th as a do or die date for teams? (The Bleacher Report)

Five: How about a rebuttal to an article on Washington chances of beating Notre Dame? Someday, we shall give up this obsession...but that day is not today. (Irish Band of Brothers)

Daily ND Five - July 23, 2008

The "I have way too much work that I get paid for to be doing" edition.

One: Scheduling may make for a better season. (The Rock Report)

Two: A quick recap of the last few weeks. (Irish Insights)

Three: Keeping an eye out for potential violations of NCAA rules. (Chicago Sports.com)

Four: Prospects at Top Gun (not the one with Val Kilmer and Rick Rossovich - although the thought of Mr. Rossovich makes me want to watch that one when I should be working). (uhnd.com)

Five: Some info on the new football practice fields. (South Bend Tribune)

Daily ND Five - July 22, 2008

The "I'm off for a swim" edition.

One: Everytime I hear Pepper the Notre Dame Comeback Dolphin, I think of the Flipper theme song, with proper substitutions.

They call him Pepper, Pepper, faster than lightning,
No-one you see, is smarter than he,
And we know Pepper, lives in a world full of wonder,
Flying there-under, under the sea!

If only I could think of a word that rhymes with 'sea' that is appropriate to Notre Dame, it would totally work. (everydayshouldbesaturday.com)

Two: The return of Will Yeatman. (irishbandofbrothers.blogspot.com)

Three: Lou Holtz saved Chris Zorich from having to explain a spray paint incident to the Board of Bar Examiners later in life. (ncaafootball.fanhouse.com)

Four: Someone appears to have drunk the Kool-Aid, and for once, that person isn't me. (uhnd.com)

Five: Remembering a game that did not suck if you were sitting a mere few rows above the end zone where Samardzija scored, and what Coach Weis needs to do this year to not suck. (irishroundtable.com)

Random Hotness

Today's random hotness comes courtesy of College Football Live. Because I am starved for anything and everything college football, here are seven things that I took away from the first program of the season:

One: We start with a montage of intros from around the world, in many different languages. I'm guessing this is to remind us that the World Wide Leader is, indeed, world wide. Unlike, for example, college football.

Two: Brent Musburger introduced Jesse Palmer and Todd Blackledge, but not himself. That's not funny or anything, I just thought I would point out the little tidbit.

Three: Today (and, evidently, for many days to come), we are going to be subject to brackets to decide which helmet is the best in college sports. Is there really nothing better to do on this show than have a bracket to decide which helmet is the best in college sports?* Really? Perhaps actual analysis? Or do I ask too much of the WWL?

Four: During an interview with Tim Tebow, we learn that Tim Tebow is saving the world, one orphan at the time. Which we knew. We also learn that Tim Tebow loves him some Kenny Chesney. Could this end in a fight to the death between Tim Tebow and Peyton Manning for the love of a bald country superstar? A girl can only hope.

Five: Jim Tressel is on the show and he is not wearing a sweater vest! Avert your eyes! Also, just FYI, Jim Tressel does a horrible, horrible Inspector Clouseau impersonation. If ever you find yourself in a situation where Jim Tressel is going to start doing impersonations, consider yourself warned, and avert your ears.

Six: Random comment selected to appear on-screen during the Jim Tressel piece, which requires no comment: "I know the Bucks are going to go unbeaten and win the title. The only question is whether Beanie Wells wins the Heisman."

Seven: Georgia beat Miami in the first of the brackets to choose the best helmet in college football. Because I know you were totally on edge waiting for that result.

*Especially because the obvious answer is the helmet of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. No bracket needed to answer that question.

Non-Preview Preview - Michigan

The obligatory blog preview of the upcoming season, Sarah-style (i.e., the style for someone too lazy to preview teams properly).

Player Name Least Likely to Scare People: Bobby Centlivre. It means 100 books in French. Nothing scary about that (unless you’re a Michigan kinesiology major).

Obligatory Song for the Tailgate Mix: In honor of Appalachian State, I will go with a song best remembered for its video featuring an animated cat/cat-resembling creature:

Sport Michigan Sucked At Last Year: Women’s soccer, with a 3-9-6 record. This record includes such exciting games as a 0-0 tie with Notre Dame. And yet, people still try to convince me that soccer is not boring. To quote King of the Hill, “I’d rather be on a losing football team than a winning soccer team any day.”

If You Come Here, You Can Major In: Kinesiology! Okay, that’s too easy, even for me. How about Jazz and Contemplative Studies? I have visions of people smoking weed, listening to jazz, and having profound thoughts, all for credit (obviously). I also assume that most of those profound thoughts have to do with the complete and utter lack of discipline in the kinesiology department.

Neighbor of Mine Michigan Most Resembles: The dude with the Mustang. It’s his new baby, and he washes the thing at least twice a week. If anything you say or do can be construed as an insult to the Mustang (such as wearing a Corvette tank top out to your own car while he happens to be washing his car), you will get an earful at an abnormally loud level about the superiority of the Mustang to every other car in the world – except some classic Mustang that his dad used to drive. I avoid Mustang dude at all costs.

Mustang = Rich Rodriguez. Old Mustang = Bo Schembechler. It’s an uncanny resemblance, right down to the over-reaction at any perceived slight.

Random Conclusion Unrelated to the Game Itself: This is still one of my all time favorite commercials. Does it have anything to do with Notre Dame? Nope. Do I care? Nope.

Daily ND Five - July 21, 2008

The "I am seriously considering leaving work at 2:00 so that I can watch College Football Live, even though TiVo is already going to record it" edition. And another non-preview preview later (because, really, if I am thinking about leaving work at 2:00 to watch College Football Live before 9:00, it is going to happen).

One: Welcome to ND, Zach Martin! (chicagosports.com)

Two: Reiterating the obvious - the offensive line must improve. (bleacherreport.com)

Three: In anticipation of today's non-preview preview, how about some actual comparison between ND and Michigan. (rakesofmallow.com)

Four: Lessons in Manliness: Knute Rockne. (artofmanliness.com)

Five: Some video of Saturday's Hall of Fame induction. (wndu.com)

Daily ND Five - July 20, 2008

The "I went away for the day and it turned into a weekend" edition. On the plus side, lots of good stuff to pick from today.

One: Some love for Chris Zorich. (und.com)

Two: Sacks, sacks, and more sacks. Not a good thing. (bluegraysky.blogspot.com)

Three: I will take hope. (ocdomer.blogspot.com)

Four: College football and movies...a topic that could extend forever. (sportingnews.com)

Five: For the betting men (and women) out there - some odds for winning the 2009 MNC. (vegasinsider.com)

Out

No Daily ND Five until late today, if at all. I am off to Chicago for the day.

Daily ND Five - July 17, 2008

The "I'll stop doing articles about the new AD soon but not today" edition.

One: The official ND release, with links to video and quotes. (und.com)

Two: Yet another view on Jack Swarbrick. (bluegraysky.blogspot.com)

Three: Five questions with Charlie Weis. (ndtoday.alumni.nd.edu)

Four: Aaron Nagel has officially transferred to Northwestern. (etruth.com)

Five: Notre Dame's (hopefully) improved O-line ranks as a winner in someone's book.

Daily ND Five - July 16, 2008

The "internet was down at my hotel yesterday" edition (which would, of course, happen on the day that everyone finds out we're getting a new Athletic Director):

One: The actual announcement of the new AD will come at 12:30 Eastern (und.com), but everyone knows that it is Jack Swarbrick. (chicagosports.com)

Two: As always, great stuff on Swarbrick from The Blue-Gray Sky. (bluegraysky.blogspot.com)

Three: Advice to Swarbrick for the first 100 days. (ndnation.com)

Four: Other news? Really? How about a list of Notre Dame's top ten athletes. (und.com)

Five: A short piece on Chris Watt. (chicagosports.com)

Daily ND Five - July 14, 2008

The "I should be at work right now" edition.

One: I will try not to get excited about a Miami game, but that's asking a lot of me. (uhnd.com)

Two: On to Opponent #1, San Diego State, where former coaches allegedly drink before games (and not just Communion wine!). (thewizardofodds.blogspot.com)

Three: A list of the Top 25 teams of the 1980s. (sportingnews.com)

Four: Replacing Darrin Walls for the year. (sportingnews.com)

Five: Jimmy Clausen and Dayne Crist should be giving thanks for more help along the O-Line. (bluegraysky.blogspot.com)

Random Hotness

This was forwarded to me via email with the subject "This is why the internet exists." Indeed, it is why the internet exists.

On the other hand, the internet might exist to give Ted Nugent a voice. I will spend great amounts of today wondering why Ted Nugent is not going to host a candidate debate.

Daily ND Five - July 13, 2008

When does football season start so that there is something to read on Sundays? Bleh. I'm raiding YouTube today. And not for the last time, I am sure. Today, I'm going with commercials.

One: What did Joe Montana ever end up doing after college?



Two: No pressure on the kid to go to Notre Dame.



Three: I'll have to get a new job to ever afford the jet for airport tailgating.



Four: Painting the helmets.



Five: A perfect look at my life as an overseas sports fan.

Daily ND Five - July 12, 2008

Ah, Saturday. A good day during the summer, a better day come fall.

One: A leading candidate is out for the AD job. (dallasnews.com)

Two: One take on why Orsini is out of the running. (therockreport.blogspot.com)

Three: Darrin Walls is out of school for the fall semester. (southbendtribune.com)

Four: D.J. Hord is transferring. (bluegraysky.blogspot.com)

Five: A short video on Chinedum Ndukwe. (ndfootballwiki.blogspot.com)

Non-Preview Preview - San Diego State

The obligatory blog preview of the upcoming season, Sarah-style (i.e., the style for someone too lazy to preview teams properly).

Player Name Least Likely to Scare People: Doug Deakin. Different spelling, but the idea is there – a deacon is not going to scare anyone (even if you add ‘demon’ to the front. Take that, Wake Forest!).

Obligatory Song for the Tailgate Mix: Anytime you have a team from California, there are a large number of possible songs. But then, thinking back to my childhood, an obvious choice came to mind. Ladies and gentlemen, I present Rockapella’s greatest hit, Where in the World Is Carmen San Diego:

Sport San Diego State Sucked At Last Year: Women’s cross country, I’m looking at you and your 32-87 overall record (all while ignoring a certain football team’s lower winning percentage – yay denial!). However, the cross country team does get bonus points for Volunteer Assistant Coach Richard Fox, who is both a volunteer coach and a patrol officer with the San Diego Police Department.

If You Come Here, You Can Major In: Gerontology! Per the San Diego State Course Catalog:

Gerontological training and research is an important link in meeting the social, physical, and psychological needs of the elderly. Students of gerontology benefit through the personal understanding of their own aging process.

I hate to break it to the gerontology majors, but given a few years out of college, and they will discover the aging process through personal experience, starting with a liver that no longer works as well when given copious amounts of alcohol.

Neighbor of Mine San Diego State Most Resembles: The really nice girl who introduced herself the first day or two that I moved in. That was nice of her, and when I first lived here, I thought it was really great that there was someone who seemed cool here. I imagined that we would watch Sex and the City and gossip about the boys we were dating and go out for Fajita-Rita Mondays at Chili’s. Then I totally forgot about her. Really, I don’t even know if she still lives here.

Similarly, San Diego State is that school right away on the schedule that ND fans will convince themselves is cooler than they really are. We’re going to go through summer – especially those last few football crazed weeks – slightly obsessed with San Diego State, even though nothing ever comes of the relationship, except that one initial meeting.

Random Conclusion Unrelated to the Game Itself: The Notre Dame Fighting Doberman Pinscher Genitalias say, "Stay classy, San Diego":

Daily ND Five - July 11, 2008

The end-of-the-week Daily ND Five, mostly from the last few days that I missed:

One: TAH-NOO-TAH BLITZ! Behind the scenes of the ND defense. (edsbs.com)

Two: An unscientific look at the results of the ticket lottery. (bluegraysky.blogspot.com)

Three: David Bruton has been named to the Jim Thorpe Award watch list. (und.com)

Four: A pre-season look at the Irish. (foxsports.com)

Five: Too early for bowl predictions? Never! (espn.com)

Back!

Just got in the door from a trip to KC for some baseball - I will have posts (yes, multiple) later today.

Daily ND Five - July 8, 2008

A quick five, as I need to get out and on the road this morning to go see my White Sox in Kansas City.

One: Lottery results are up! (nd.com)

Two: Pollard is Irish! (South Bend Tribune)

Three: There were 2007 highlights? (irishroundtable.com)

Four: Info on some of the incoming Irish freshmen. (cfb360.com)

Five: Number six on the 10 most disliked college football programs of the past twenty-five years? Notre Dame. Number one? Miami. (thebleacherreport.com)

Daily ND Five - July 7, 2008

A thought for today - in less than two months, ND will hopefully be one win into the season. Now, on to the five!

One: Must wins, arrest records, and the Montana/Golic connection – it’s a Notre Dame potpourri! (blueandgold.com)

Two: In case you missed it, Maurice Crum, Jr. is on the Bednarik Award watch list . . . (und.com)

Three: . . . and Jimmy Clausen is on the Maxwell Award watch list. (und.com)

Four: A San Diego State preview. (charliesnasties.blogspot.com)

Five: On tap – an easier schedule for 2008 than 2007. (ocdomer.blogspot.com)

Daily ND Five - July 6, 2008

As it is a slow, slow, slow day on the internet, I'm checking out the wonderful Sports Illustrated Vault for a few classics (don't think this will be the last time I hit up that source):

One: The beginning of the Charlie Weis era.

Two: The beginning of the Lou Holtz era.

Three: Some love for Ara.

Four: Some love for Tim Brown.

Five: The joy (or sorrow) of being a Notre Dame fan overseas - having lived in Asia twice, I know a great deal about the lengths one will go to just to watch or listen to a game.

Daily ND Five - July 5, 2008

One: Without the late Senator Jesse Helms, ND might not have had Lou.

Two: A couple days old. It probably would have been sacrilegious to choose My Head Hurts, My Feet Stink and I Don't Love Jesus, but after the horror that was last season, it seems appropriate. I mean, really, the hangover from last year isn't going to keep me from drinking the Kool-Aid again this year (hopefully with different results).

Three: A little more love for Subway Domer and Wu-Tang.

Four: A little love for Jeff Samardzija (and some hope for him being traded from the Nothing Lovable About Losers).

Five: Checking in with Chinedum.

One Word Review: The Fountainhead

The Book:

The Fountainhead

By Ayn Rand

The One Word Review:

Superlative.