Scary Thoughts on Halloween

OK, so I read this, and it scared me about Pitt:

A multitalented athlete, Cross was recruited by Wannstedt from Fort Scott C.C. as the nation’s second best junior-college quarterback. Fort Scott lost 24 straight games before Cross arrived, then won 16 of 24 games in his two seasons there.

Seriously, I don't want to see this guy tomorrow. Wild card players do not make me happy.

I am off to the Bend - if you see a drunk girl wandering campus and attempting to talk her way out of Excise Police tickets/arrests, it could well be me. Happy Halloween!

Irish Blogger Gathering: Spooky Vision Edition

1. A loss to Washington would have been spooky, but we were able to pull it out. What was your favorite part of the victory?

My favorite part of the victory wasn’t one particular play - rather, it was the almost immediate sense that the game was going to be decidedly one-sided in favor of Notre Dame. Since I started watching ND games with any regularity about six years ago, this feeling has been sorely lacking.

Indeed, this game gave me the hope that sometime in the foreseeable future, there will come a time when I expect all of Notre Dame’s games to be decidedly one-sided in favor of the Irish. I don’t expect to see that this year, but I have hope that this day will come sooner rather than later.

2. Charlie's Nasties does a Duds and Studs segment to reflect on every game. Name one player/coach that could have done better against the Huskies and one player/coach that stepped it up.

Dud: Jimmy Clausen

It’s been said before, but I’m giving my “player that could have done better” award to Jimmy Clausen. Even without looking at the stats, Jimmy seemed to have a bit of over-confidence in his ability. While Jimmy’s increased confidence is a big plus for me (nice not to have the deer in headlights look of last year), there were multiple times during the game when Jimmy seemed to move from a proper level of confidence in his ability to pick the correct receiver and get the ball where he is supposed to territory into “Hi, my name is Jimmy Clausen, and I have figured out everything I need to know about being a college quarterback” territory. It’s a fine distinction, but one that will get Jimmy into trouble against a team that actually shows up to play against Notre Dame.

I will say, though, that it’s nice to give this dubious honor to someone who, had he had this game at this time last year, would have been my Stud.

Stud: Brandon Walker

OK, so he didn’t get asked to do much. And other people had better games than he did. But with new competition breathing down his neck, Brandon went out there and did his job effectively. Sure, he gets the award more because of his improvement from “bad” to “effective,” but I will take that sort of effective play any day over previous form.

My pick was cemented when I saw a highlight of him post-game, telling the press that he is on the team to help the team win. He went on to say that, if he is not the kicker who gives the team the best chance to win, he should not be kicking, and he would be the first person to congratulate whoever could give ND a better chance to win over him.

3. Halloween involves people abandoning reality for awhile to dress up and imitate something that they are not. Pick one Halloween costume with traits you would like to see from the Notre Dame football team the rest of the season.

I’m going with Knute Rockne - the team already has the uniforms, all they need is the attitude and ability to win pretty much all the time. They will have to come up with some of those old-timey helmets, though.

4. When trick-or-treating as a kid, there always seemed to be at least one house that handed out apples. What aspect of the football team this year is the biggest apple in your candy bag (aka biggest disappointment)?

There are people who hand out apples? Man, I appreciate the neighborhood I grew up in even more, where our complaints were saved for people who only gave out one piece of candy if they gave out snack size candies. And the parents could get beers from the neighbors when theirs ran out (seriously, that’s a good reason to snag a friend’s kid and go trick-or-treating back in the old neighborhood. And people wonder why I have such a lax attitude toward drinking...).

Despite just handing out my stud pick to Brandon Walker, I am most disappointed by the kicking game of this team. After the kicking ineptitude of last year, I expected that Coach Weis’s new position with special teams, the open competition for a kicker, and the potential of finding a kicker among the student population would result in an effective, if not above average, kicking game. Obviously, I have been disappointed here.

Hopefully, I will be able to look back on my answer to this question in a few weeks and see that this was the last time that this concern was of concern.

5. This year, October 31st is coincidentally also the opener for ND's Mens Basketball team (preseason against Briar Cliff). Say a few words about one player that will make have the biggest impact on the success of the team this season (apologies to non-bball fans, but I couldn't resist).

This is sort of like my knowledge of recruiting a couple weeks ago - sure, I pay attention to the basketball team, but it’s more in the “I cheer for the team, and can name a couple players, but, um, don’t ask me much else until it gets closer to tournament time, at which point I will start paying attention.” So, like the recruiting questions, I plead lack of knowledge and defer to people who actually know something.

Irish Blogger Gathering: Tailgate Edition

Welcome to Bad Trade, home to this week's Irish Blogger Gathering!

Tempting though it was to devote this week's IBG to a certain Molder of Men, I figured I would give the guy an undeserved break, and go for a topic near and dear to my heart - the tailgate party.

As Homer Simpson once said: "We're not here for the game - the game is nothing, the game is crap, the game makes me sick! The real reason we Americans put up with sports is for this: Behold! The tailgate party! The pinnacle of human achievement! Since the dawn of parking lots, man has sought to stuff his gut with food and alcohol, in anticipation of watching others exercise."

While I may disagree with Homer's opinion on the game (sometimes), I have no quarrels with loving a good tailgate party. Plus, the Notre Dame tailgate experience is on everyone's mind these days. And so, without further ado, this week's questions.

1. You're having some beers and brats outside Notre Dame Stadium, just chilling with friends. If you could have one Notre Dame player or coach drop by to share a drink, a brat and some stories with you, who would it be?

I considered going with someone long dead, but then I realized I wanted to have a chat with someone of a more recent vintage - Lou. You know he would have some great stories from his days as coach that he doesn't normally tell to alumni groups or the like, and he just seems like he would be able to kick back, chill, and fit right in with whoever showed up that day to tailgate. Plus, how cool would it be to say that Lou stopped by your tailgate?

2. What was your best experience ever with a tailgate party?

I forget who said it, but I remember hearing a quotation from someone talking about the perfect sorts of evenings that you can only have at a bar - where everything, for a short moment, is absolutely perfect, and you are keen enough (after a couple drinks) to realize how perfect things are for you. I had one of those moments at the 2005 Notre Dame game at Purdue, during my last year in law school. Having discovered how much the Purdue tailgate scene sucks two years earlier, a few friends and I headed down to West Lafayette early in the morning to snag a spot on someone's front yard, overlooking Ross-Ade. By midday, most of my close law school friends were lounging around the tailgate, drinking, eating, and just enjoying a beautiful day. We watched other games on a neighboring tailgater's television and sold exorbitantly priced cases to some Purdue fans who ran out of beer. There wasn't anything overly special about the tailgate, but it was exactly how I picture a good tailgate in my mind, and that made it perfect.

3. There are lots of great tailgate experiences around the country - what school's tailgate tradition do you most want to experience?

The list of places I want to go and tailgate is about as long as the list of places one can go and tailgate. However, there is one place that I have wanted to experience since a South Carolina fan told me about it a few years ago - the Cockaboose! Sure, it's not the most traditional experience ever. And it's not tailgating in the sense of eating out the back of your car before a traditional rivalry game. But I love the idea of sitting around in a caboose before a game, watching television and sipping a cocktail.

4. Indiana decides that their drinking laws are far too un-draconian (I'm from Wisconsin. I don't understand these things like "kids aren't allowed in bars," "your parents can't give you liquor if they are supervising" and "no alcohol purchases on Sunday"), and drinking is now forbidden on Saturdays. The Excise Police stop by your tailgate, and proceed to dump out the liquor you were attempting to hide from them. What do they pour out?

Well, the Guinness went long before the Excise police showed up. There's at least one bottle of scotch still about half full, my pre-mixed margaritas, that bottle of hurricanes that I have been carrying around for two years that no one has ever drunk, and SoCo punch. And a lot of Miller Lite and High Life, for use in various drinking games.

5. OK, I couldn't leave it alone completely. How do you feel about the impending end of the Coach Willingham era at Washington?

Fine. Just fine.

Irish Blogger Gathering: Bye Week Edition

Welcome to my latest entry in the Irish Blogger Gathering, hosted this week over at UHND.com! As you will see, I copped out on two answers, but I know virtually nothing about recruiting, so I figured my answers to those questions would add absolutely nothing to the conversation.

1. With our beloved Irish on the bye this weekend, how much college football will you be watching Saturday and what games are you most looking forward to
watching?

I really don't know how much football I will be watching on Saturday. My sister (a fellow Domer) is coming to visit me. And yes, she's only coming because neither of us has Notre Dame football to watch, as we do on a typical fall weekend. That said, the chances of us eventually ending up at a bar watching football are probably somewhere in the 90-100% range.

As for other games, I'm looking forward to Purdue at Northwestern, the original alma mater. Northwestern is getting close to bowl eligibility, and the more places I have to go this December and January when it gets cold, the happier I will be, and this one looks winnable for the 'Cats. Other games I will at least check in on while sipping a beer are Pitt-Navy (to keep up a weekly trash talking fest with a Pitt fan) and Michigan-Penn State (mostly to see exactly how many points Penn State can ring up on Michigan). Yes, those are all crappy games to want to watch, but I don't care.

2. Not to look too far ahead… but in looking at the 2009 schedule, do you think the Irish will be set up for a title run if they continue to improve each week as they are doing now?

Definitely. I haven't spent much time looking at it, but the schedule next year alone sets up well for the Irish in terms of wins. The Irish drop games to San Diego State, North Carolina, and Syracuse for games against Nevada, Washington State, and Connecticut - I think the Irish would beat all of the latter teams this year, and that would be the same for an improved 2009 team. The only team that would scare me with regard to an improved Irish team in 2009 is USC. Even that part of the schedule is better next year than this - Notre Dame gets USC after the bye week, which I hope means the Irish will be rested and very ready for USC, much like the 2005 season.

If the Irish keep improving, I personally don't think that there will be any trouble in making a run for the title in terms of players. Sure, the defense might not be to the level I would like, but an even more improved offense would allow the defense to operate at something less than perfect, which would still translate into wins.

3. If you could take 1 recruit we missed on from each of the last 4 years (1 from each year), who would they be and how differently would this team look like right now if we had gotten that 1 player each year? (Note, the players should be players the Irish either led for at one time or were at least a finalist for).

I'm not a recruitnik, so I am not even going to take a stab at answering this question. Sure, I pay a little attention to it (what else am I supposed to do during the offseason?), but it's not something I even pretend to know. And yes, I realize that this is the internet, where lack of knowledge is a great qualification for commenting on anything and everything, so I should answer. But I'm not going to.

4. If Notre Dame could only land 1 more recruit on each side the ball in this recruiting class, who would you like it to be? (Again, it should be someone we have a reasonable chance with).

See my answer to No. 3.

5. If you could take one of Notre Dame’s bowl losses since the 1994 Cotton Bowl win over Texas A&M and turn it into a win, which one would it be? Why? And What if any impact do you think that win would have had on the Irish.

Fiesta Bowl, 2005/2006. On a personal level, I was there, and it would have been GREAT to win, if only to run around Tempe that night in a better mood than the mood I had running around Tempe that evening. But it also would have capped a great year for the Irish, and I think that the Irish were a better team than Ohio State that year, and should have won the game.

Moreover, I think a Fiesta Bowl win would have given the 2006 version of the Irish a boost of confidence that the team seemed to lack much of the time during the 2006 season (if nothing else, I think that Michigan score would have ended up much less lopsided).

Unrelated to College Football

This is absolutely unrelated to college football, but I still feel it is necessary to post it. Seriously, painted over roadkill is important for your Monday viewing (dis)pleasure:

So what was the artist's inspiration, one might ask? It probably centered along this profound thought upon finding the roadside remains: "Ewwww . . . I'm not touching that."

Then again, perhaps if you view it as a metaphor for the season of Notre Dame's upcoming opponent, it is related to college football. Oh yes, the Washington insults start here and now.

Irish Blogger Gathering: Heart of Darkness Edition

The second edition of the Irish Blogger Gathering, this week featuring questions from OC Domer. And here are my responses - enjoy!

1. Who was your first Notre Dame hero?

I didn't grow up with ND football. In my childhood world, the Chicago Bears were the team to watch. In an era of bad/horrible Bears teams, one player stood out - Chris Zorich. He always showed up, played hard, and made Sunday a little more enjoyable. Long before I paid any attention to Notre Dame, I had a favorite player who happened to have gone there.

2. When was the first time the Fighting Irish broke your heart?

I still don't like to think about this one. October 15, 2005. The week before, the mood on campus was incredible - everyone knew ND could beat USC, and it was all anyone could talk about. The pep rally was held at the stadium, Corso couldn't speak from the in-stadium set because his words were drowned out with chants of 0-6 whenever he started, and my friends and I had gone out every night that week (I'm not sure how this made it different than any other week in law school, but it sure felt different). There was no possible way that the game could live up to the hype - and then it did.

I was near the field in the student section, so I didn't have a great view of what happened at the end of the game. All I knew was, the ball came loose at the other end, I looked up at a scoreboard that read 00:00 with ND up 31-28, and I headed for the field. A few seconds and one Bush Push later, I had gone from the greatest elation I have ever felt regarding ND football, to heartbreak.

And I still haven't re-watched the end of that game.

3. Let's suppose for just a moment that for whatever reasons the Notre Dame football program begins to slide into what looks like long term mediocrity, or even long term suckitude:

A. NBC doesn't renew the television deal, and the package offered by the Versus network makes it clear that remaining independent will mean a lot less $$$ than joining a conference and sharing in their TV deal. Should the Irish join a conference? If so, which? Why that one?

I'm going with keep the Irish out of a conference if the only concern is monetary. I just envision lots of backlash from the alumni and fans, not to mention years of bad press ("ND can no longer claim they ever acted out of anything other than greed").

If you change up the equation - for instance, if a college playoff system was implemented, and the only way for Notre Dame to participate would be to join a conference, I would be all in for joining up. In that situation, I would obviously go with whatever conference offered the best possibility for entry into the playoff system on a regular basis. Most likely, that would be the Big Ten (although the Big East or ACC would probably not field as strong a field, I assume that any college playoff system would take polls and strength of schedule into account, and this means the Big Ten is probably a better place to be).

B. Over time, Notre Dame becomes the football peer of Duke and Syracuse, lucky to win four games a year, rarely posting a winning season. What should the University do? Drop football? Join a conference (or a lesser conference)? Drop down to Div-IA (the FCS Division)? Schedule 12 cupcakes each season?

I like the idea of joining the Ivy League, but in my own selfishness, I am going with scheduling 12 cupcakes a season. What can I say? I like wins, and I don't really care who they come against.

C. The Indiana legislature has been taken over by a coalition of tee totalling, non-violent religious groups that outlaw both beer and football, and the University is forced to end the football program. To which college football team do you switch your allegiance, and why?

Easy - Northwestern, because I went there for undergrad. As an undergrad, I went to the games, but football was not a priority in my life at that time (unlike now). In reality, I probably pay more attention to Northwestern football now than I did when I went there, even though my allegiance has been to Notre Dame from pretty much the moment I stepped on campus for law school. Plus, Northwestern can use all the fans it can get, and a tailgate pass for the season is approximately the same cost as a tailgate pass at Notre Dame for one game.

4. While on campus on a football Saturday you stop by the Knights of Columbus building to get your traditional steak and gristle sandwich. You also take the opportunity to pop inside the building to use the restroom before following the band over to the stadium. While waiting in line for the bathroom and watching the endlessly running Rudy on the K of C television you make the acquaintance of an older gentleman with a beard. He's rather short, but very energetic for his obviously advanced age. You allow him to cut in line in front of you. When he comes out of the restroom, obviously relieved, he thanks you and and then steps in really close to you and whispers in your ear. "I'll grant you two wishes. The first - Notre Dame will beat any team you choose for the next ten seasons. The second, the Irish will also lose for ten straight years to any team you name. Quick now, what two teams will they be?!" You blurt out your two answers, and he disappears into the crowd. What two teams did you pick, and why?

First wish? Beat USC for ten years. Second wish? Lose to USC for ten years. Note that the second time, the older gentleman did not qualify my wish with "the next ten seasons." All us lawyers and our loopholes.

5. I'm a terrible predictor. I'm pretty good at analysis, but I'm no good picking games because I almost always pick the Irish. But we need to get on the record here. Notre Dame has games left against North Carolina, Washington, Pitt, Boston College, Navy, Syracuse, and USC. Pick the winner of each of those seven games. Assign each pick points based upon your level of confidence in the pick. Most confident pick gets a 7, least confident pick gets a 1. Each value 1 through 7 must be used once. A perfect score of all picks correct would be worth a total of 28 points. The member of the Irish Blogger Gathering with the highest point total wins a prize of my choosing at the end of the regular season. In case of a tie, the tiebreaker is the member who has the best overall season based on quantity and quality of posts to their blog from now through the end of the season, as voted by the members of the Gathering.

Here they are:

1 - Least Confident - Notre Dame over USC.
2 - Notre Dame over North Carolina.
3 - Notre Dame over Pitt (and if anyone has two tickets they want to sell me, I will love you forever!).
4 - Notre Dame over Boston College.
5 - Notre Dame over Navy.
6 - Notre Dame over Washington.
7 - Most Confident - Notre Dame over Syracuse.

Oh yes, that's right, I just picked Notre Dame to win out the season. Consider that Kool-Aid drunk.

Football Saturday!

Two burning questions this morning, prior to the Stanford game.

1. It's 9:00. Is that too early for a beer?

2. Supposing it is not too early, how does Miller Lite taste with Fruity Pebbles?

The answers?

1. Of course not. If I was at the game, I would have started drinking at least an hour ago. Probably two.

2. Bad. Just bad.

Irish Blogger Gathering: Rivalry Edition

Here's my first entry into the Irish Blogger Gathering - Subway Domer has more details. Today, as you will note, appears to be a day devoted to using as many parentheses as possible. (Edit - I don't know why the formatting is screwed up. It won't be fixed until LATE, as I am going to the Sox game tonight).

1. This is Notre Dame. Notre Dame is the game circled on just about every opposing teams schedule. They hate us and want to destroy us. So, it is safe to say that if ND plays a team every year, that game will become a big game for ND and an even bigger game for the opponent. So, pick any team that ND does not currently play and make that team a rival and create a rivalry trophy to go along with your rival of choice.

My initial thought was to go with my first alma mater - Northwestern. There were a few things going for this beyond the personal - Notre Dame has traditionally played Northwestern (with Notre Dame on top of the series 36-8-1), the schools are both among the best academic colleges in the country (especially among the teams that play D-I football - and yes, I am still referring to it that way and I don't care), and it is short distance between the two schools. Plus, even when they are in a down year (or decade...or several decades), Northwestern is still a Big Ten school.

But then, I realized that a better choice involves a few more miles, a few points lopped off the SAT scores, and a less traditional rival to the north - Wisconsin. First, since the early 1990s, the Badgers can be counted on to be a good to almost great team (although I suspect that Bielema's lax attitude to recruiting may hurt Wisconsin in the not-too-distant future, especially once Alvarez is out of the picture completely, but that's a different topic for a different day). Second, there are lots of small, but important reasons the rivalry would be good - Big Ten, only a few hours from ND in the car, current connections between the schools (Alvarez), recent nasty comments by their coach about Notre Dame and the BCS. Third, and perhaps best of all, is the fun to be had in Madison on road trips. I grew up in Madison, and I meet more people who hear I am from Madison and then start a story with a phrase like, "I went to Madison once. I sort of remember it." Trust me, that's a good thing. If you can make it from one end of State Street (or Regent Street, for that matter) to the other without serious inebriation resulting, you are a better (wo)man than I.

As for a trophy, I think a bratwurst statue is in order - both places love them. Dorky? Yes. Do I care? No.

2. What current rival of ND (Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, Boston College, Stanford, Southern California- all trophy games) would you take off of the schedule and never play again?

You know that High Life commercial where the guys are cooking ostrich burgers at their tailgate? And then the Miller High Life guy comes up and shows them how to tailgate like normal people? When I went to visit Stanford while looking at colleges, they weren't cooking anything. Because, you know, sushi doesn't require cooking. And they were drinking wine.

I'm sorry, any team with fans who think sushi is an appropriate item to eat at a tailgate is not a team we should be playing on a regular basis.

3. What entertainment rival (whether it be TV, movies, or celebrity) would you compare to ND and one of its current rivals?

Anytime I get to compare something to Deadwood, life is good - Boston College vs. ND / Cy Tolliver vs. Al Swearingen. Both Boston College and Cy Tolliver think they are more important to college football/Deadwood than they actually are. Sure, they have had some moments, but at the end of the day, both college football and Deadwood exist without BC and Cy. And because BC and Cy think they are such hot stuff, they end up screwing themselves and everyone around them. Bastards.

Plus, as much as you want to hate ND and Al, at the end of the day, you have to admit to a grudging respect for them, even if you still wish only evil things to befall them from here on foward.

(The worst thing about this comparison? Having to give Boston College the satisfaction of being compared to someone as cool as Powers Booth).

(The best thing about this comparison? I could keep making connections here for hours. I heart Deadwood).

4. List your top 5 historical college football rivalries. After that, list your top 5 college football rivalries as of 2008.

Historical - In no particular order:

Army/Navy
Texas/Oklahoma
Notre Dame/USC
Ohio State/Michigan
South Carolina/Clemson

2008 - Again, in no particular order:

Army/Navy
Alabama/Auburn
Texas/Oklahoma
Florida/Georgia
Missouri/Kansas

5. There are a lot of rivalry games out there. What is a great rivalry game that may not be as well known as the ones in your top 5 and explain why it so fantastic.

Because I'm familiar with it, I'm going to go with a rivalry that has lost some of its luster in recent years - Wisconsin/Iowa. When I was a kid, this game was huge in Madison. The streets would be full of Iowa fans driving erratically (not drunk, it's just a fact that people in Iowa don't know how to drive. This also applies to people from Indiana (really, people, it's not the Indy 500 every day on the roads, and turn signals are not just because we like blinky lights) and me. I could really use a chauffeur). The fans hated each other with a passion Wisconsin fans now seem able to muster for anyone and everyone (but which they traditionally reserved for Iowa and, sometimes, Minnesota). When Wisconsin sucked (it wasn't that long ago, trust me), the stadium only sold out once per year, and it was Iowa. Plus, it's a game ripe for making fun of for people from other states - Corn v. Cows, etc.

Even now, the rivalry is still there, though not as passionately as it once existed. I would love to bring that back (and I have no interest in either team, except to hate on the Badgers).

Apologies

Sorry for the recent lack of posting - work has been taking up many more hours of my days than I expected for the last two weeks. Then again, does anyone really want to rehash the Michigan State game? Yeah, didn't think so.

Back!!!

Back from a wedding this weekend, and work went nuts at about 4:00 - which means this is all I have time to post for the day. Should be better in the next few days, though!

Daily ND Five - September 10, 2008

Tomorrow's adventure: Mowing the lawn with my new electric mower. Bets on whether I mow over the cord? Anyone? Anyone?

At least the neighbors will be happy that the jungle that is currently my yard will be shorter.

One: How about some video from Saturday? And a quick analysis of why we didn't see more sacks, despite Tenuta and 59 pass attempts. (The Blue-Gray Sky)

Two: Speaking of sacks, how about some more on the subject? (Rakes of Mallow)

Three: I'm a believer (it's more fun than being a pessimist, right?). And yes, I only did that because I saw that headline and got The Monkees in my head. (The Rock Report)

Four: This would have been even easier than just watching the 4th quarter on TiVo. (Subway Domer)

Five: Supposedly, Notre Dame and Michigan have only faced off twice when they are unranked. Once, this year. The other time? Last year. (The Observer)

Daily ND Five - September 9, 2008

Surprised that I actually got to this today - I have been running around, spending more money on my car to get it fixed than it might actually be worth...anyway, an abbreviated version now, as it will be until next week. But I tell myself that it's better than nothing...

One: Does anyone ever get enough Lou? Not me. I wish I could be there this weekend! (und.com)

Two: I was not one of these people. Happily. (The Observer)

Three: One more set of thoughts on the San Diego State game. (Section 29, Row 48, Seat 10)

Four: Jimmy Clausen's hair. 'Nuf said. (The House Rock Built)

Five: Checking out what is going on with our upcoming opponents. (Irish Band of Brothers)

Daily ND Five - September 8, 2008

Back! A great weekend in South Bend, followed by amusement on the ride home (if cars now in need of $1000+ of work can be defined as something amusing).

One: I re-watched the game last night. And by "re-watch," I mean that I TiVo'd through everything to get straight to the 4th quarter. If you do that, it was pretty awesome. Or, you know, you could have paid attention to the whole thing, like some people, and have actual thoughts on the game. (The Blue-Gray Sky)

Two: Some more thoughts, mostly to do with specific players during the game. (Subway Domer)

Three: Still more thoughts. (Irish Band of Brothers)

Four: And some more! (OC Domer)

Five: Looking ahead: To hell with Michigan! (Irish Insights)

Glad to be back!

No Daily ND Five Today

Thanks to work and a slight obsession with someone who shares my name from Alaska, I am not going to do the Daily ND Five today (plus, I have some television to watch right now, followed by packing for the trip to Notre Dame tomorrow). Instead, here's my non-preview preview of San Diego State. It involves Rockapella, in case you needed any incentive to read it.

Back!!!

After a week spent in the wilderness that is life without the internet, I am back! I will have a Daily ND Five up tomorrow, and probably an invite to my Saturday tailgate for anyone who wants to come by and take me up on a game of beer pong!

Eeek!

So, due to unforeseen circumstances (as in, I have not closed on my new house, even though I was supposed to yesterday), along with foreseen circumstances (starting new job tomorrow), the blog is probably going to be out of the loop all of this week, until I can get my life back in something resembling order.

On the plus side, as of this weekend, there will be lots of football to talk about!

Daily ND Five - August 22, 2008

Heads up, I will probably not have a Daily ND Five early next week, thanks to the big move to Indiana and a lack of internet until an unknown point in the future.

One: "Around Twenty Questions" with Pat Kuntz, including more than a few hilarious tidbits:

II: What's the weirdest haircut you've gotten? Was it last week?

PK: "I had a rat tail when I was younger, too. I don't know what my parents were thinking, but I liked it."

Oh, it gets better. Much better. Burping, mispronounced last name - it's the kind of interview that I love. (Irish Insights)

Two: Part four of the "Why the Hell Not?" predictions from Subway Domer - this time, Navy, Syracuse and USC:

The Trojans are coming off of a bye week and boy did they need it. The team has had 14 different outbreaks of jock itch this season. The players spent the off week sitting in tubs of ice.

Will jokes about the jock itch outbreak ever get old? I hope not. (Subway Domer)

Three: Notes on some opponents, including notes on a canceled practice out at Washington:

"Rest is always important. We felt like it's the right time to put a little rest in there," Willingham said. "We had some time built into the schedule because we anticipated that we might need it."

Is anyone else's first thought to check the weather to see whether it was conducive to golfing yesterday? (Irish Band of Brothers)

Four: Some lessons in leadership for the incoming leadership committee:

Leader: Admiral Ackbar.
Leadership Attributes: Let his entire team know “It’s a trap!”
Translated to the football field: Always yell out “trap!” if you see a trap.

Yes, that's right. I chose the one related to Star Wars. I am a dork. (Her Loyal Sons)

Five: Notes from Thursday's media session with Coach Weis:

Weis talked about starting the season with the bye week and said it didn’t bother him. Weis did say that he offered one school a chance to move a game to the last weekend in August, but they didn’t bite.

Now I want to know who the team was. (uhnd.com)

Daily ND Five - August 21, 2008

A late Daily ND Five, as I have been trying to get all of my insurance straightened out for next week. And really, having a plan in case the house burns to the ground is probably a good idea.

One: It has been said before, but it bears repeating - the schedule last year did the team no favors:

Last year’s schedule was brutal not just for the quality of the opponents the Irish faced, but the order in which they faced them. The young and inexperienced 2007 Notre Dame squad played road games at two of the biggest and loudest stadiums in all of college football just within their first three games. In fact, four of the first six games of the year were on the road last year for the Irish.

This year, things are much rosier on the schedule front. (uhnd.com)

Two: This just defies explanation. (Irish Band of Brothers)

Three: Lots of updates on the team, including a pretty sunny injury report:

However, Weis said at this point, his team has not had any major injuries. That includes freshman linebacker Anthony McDonald, who hasn't been at practice for the better part of a week.

Never a bad thing when the team is mostly intact. Also, while you're there, check out the piece on Abdel Banda - another great example of the value of a Notre Dame education. (Irish Insights)

Four: More updates on the team:

Polian said the Irish's new punter, Eric Maust, has made strides just this past week in achieving consistency at the position. Maust said it's merely a case of finally getting enough reps -- he backed up Geoff Price last season -- to be comfortable.

Ah, punting. Remind me, how long until the season starts? (Around the Bend - Chicago Sports)

Five: Thoughts on left tackle being key to the Irish season:

To say the least, sophomore signal caller Jimmy Clausen does not want to go through another beat down at the hands of the opposition, both figuratively and literally.

I guess we will know a lot more in a few weeks. (cfb360.com)

Daily ND Five - August 20, 2008

The very late in the morning edition of the Daily ND Five, as sleeping in and getting my apartment ready for a showing got in the way of getting this taken care of.

One: Skywriting over at The Blue-Gray Sky, including this bit on the short-lived, but big, rumor of Darrin Walls transferring to Pitt:

The whole need to clarify the situation arose when the sight of Darrin's father at a Pitt practice -- he's friends with the coaching staff -- turned into an internet wildfire rumor of Darrin being at practice and considering a transfer. The good news is that he's not planning on any transfer and the even better news is that the family expects Darrin to return for the spring 2009 semester.

Ah, the internet, where the barest hint of anything will be a big deal within moments. (The Blue-Gray Sky)

Two: Thoughts on practice from yesterday:

Still impressed, too, with Armando Allen's footwork. Going through the high steps after the gauntlet, he hardly ever seems to hit a rope, which usually means he has good skill at placing his feet.

No word on whether there was any hugging and love yesterday, as there was on Monday. (Irish Insights)

Three: More thoughts on practice yesterday:

And here's something I've never seen during my years covering this team: The trainer calling out one of the players. Freshman defensive end Sean Cwynar wasn't participating fully in the swivel drill, but head athletic trainer Jim Russ shouted across the field: "You can do that! Quit feeling sorry for yourself! Quit being a baby!" That'll get your attention.

I'm not sure if the trainer calling out a player is a good thing or a bad thing. (eTruth)

Four: They aren't our first opponent, but they come up quickly. A bit on the bad luck up at Michigan:

And perhaps seeing the writing on the wall in regards to the season, running back Kevin Grady had a bit too much to drunk earlier in the summer, and has plead guilty to drunk driving. MGo linked to a report about the arrest, and Grady was apparently not just casually drinking and out for a spin, but drunk to the tune of "Thompson said he asked for a number between 12 and 14, and Grady answered '15.'" Of course, you could just potentially say that a sober Wolverine couldn't correctly answer that question. (Again, zing! On fire!)

Some people would feel bad about these bad things happening at Michigan. I am not one of those people. Also, some info on a couple other opponents there. (Rakes of Mallow)

Five: Looking at some of the other opponents, including USC:

With less than two weeks before the Aug. 30 opener against Virginia, the quarterback derby is moving into a pivotal stretch. Aaron Corp and Mitch Mustain are competing to possibly replace injured starter Mark Sanchez, while Sanchez is working to return in time to play against the Cavaliers.

Let me just come out and say it: it's great not to have quarterback issues this year. (Irish Band of Brothers)

Daily ND Five - August 19, 2008

For someone who is moving later this week, my apartment is in surprisingly good order. In other words, I really need to get more packed and watch less television. On the plus side, I managed to wake up at a regular hour (probably because I fell asleep on the couch watching television).

One: Observations on yesterday's practice:

When the team met at midfield for stretching, James Aldridge and Kyle McCarthy met at midfield and hugged. Don't know what that was about.

It's about the love. Or something like that. (Irish Insights)

Two: Less than three weeks to go until the game! A preview of San Diego State that will make you feel good for the first game of the year:

The defense has a slew of starters remaining, but it's debatable whether that is a good thing considering the Swiss cheese-like performance they turned in last season. If trends continue from last season, it'll be a blessing for the much beleaguered Irish offensive line, since the Aztecs ranked 107^th in the country last year in sacks, registering only 1.25 per game.

It's getting me excited - I think I need to start thinking about getting a parking permit for tailgating. (Rakes of Mallow)

Three: Some love for Golden Tate:

The problem for the converted running back was he really only knew one route – the go route. He could use his tremendous speed to run down the field and get behind a defense but that was about it.

Perhaps Tate and Devin Hester can exchange notes on this topic. (UHND.com)

Four: TAH-NOO-TAH BLITZ:

Soon after Tenuta arrived on the Notre Dame campus, he installed the blitzing scheme he used at Georgia Tech. The defense puts pressure on every snap to force chaos and errors.

This whole Daily ND Five is firing me up majorly. (ESPN.com)

Five: Weekend news from Notre Dame's opponents. This on USC's Joe McKnight:

McKnight suffered a hyperextended elbow in the Trojans' scrimmage at the Coliseum the night before Coach Pete Carroll said. McKnight's latest mishap came only a few days after he injured two fingers, including a slight fracture at the tip of one, when a teammate accidentally closed a dormitory door on McKnight's right hand.

Don't forget the "jock itch" that McKnight suffered from prior to both of these other injuries (Irish Band of Brothers)