You Know How I Know It's Almost Football Season? - Part II -

Ran home at lunch today, and actually squealed with delight to see that TiVo had recorded this morning's showing of the Hawaii Bowl. Then, of course, felt obligated to post it to Facebook.

So much for any evening plans...

Lou Holtz, Fellow Kool-Aid Drinker

Lou has most definitely been hitting the Kool-Aid pretty hard:

You Know How I Know It's Almost Football Season?

Conversation at the doctor's office this morning:

Receptionist: We have an appointment for 8:30 on November 10th. Would that work for you?

Sarah: That's the week between the Navy game and the Pitt game...yeah, that would work.

Receptionist: [Looks at me like I'm crazy]

26 Days...

Devil's Advocate on TCU and Tulsa

Popular complaint of the week around the ND world? The rumored scheduling of Tulsa and TCU to fill out the 2010 schedule. There are plenty of comments to be found on this topic, and I am going to say right out front that I would rather see the schedule filled with opponents typically considered to be of a higher caliber, for reasons that don’t need to be explained to someone who is checking out a random ND blog (so long as ND beats them. If not, I am on the record as pro-cupcake. I like wins, what can I say?). The idea of putting Alabama or Miami on the schedule - and then beating them - sends happy tingles up my spine that the scheduling of two rather unremarkable teams does not.

However, let me play devil’s advocate and give some reasons why putting Tulsa and TCU on the 2010 schedule could work out in Notre Dame’s favor. Come 2010, ND is going to be in one of two situations. Either:

(A) ND will have had a record ensuring a BCS bowl game (or close to) in 2009, and Charlie Weis will be coaching a team that will be considered a top team - if not the top team - going into the 2010 season*; or

(B) ND will have had a less-than-stellar 2009 season, meaning that we have a new coach in place, and all the attendant problems that come with this.

In that first situation, so long as ND is not playing a schedule consisting entirely of cupcakes (which, with USC and Michigan three years into the Rich Rod regime, is not going to be the case), ND will be better off playing a schedule that will put the team in the mix to play in the National Championship game. Even with some of the other weak teams on the 2010 schedule, putting Tulsa and TCU on the schedule gives ND a legitimate chance to win out, and thus put ND in the National Championship.** Frankly, I don’t care who ND beats if it means a National Championship.

Moreover, if it’s late in the season and ND has a chance to win out, getting a ticket to those game would be darn near impossible - and I, for one, would be attempting to get one of those tickets no matter what the cost, nor who the opponent.

As to the second situation, having a few easier games on the schedule for a new head coach is not necessarily a bad thing. It would make the adjustment for both coach and the team easier, and provide a chance for a couple wins for a team that might desperately need them for morale (but hopefully not). Do you run the risk of failing to sell out those games? Maybe. But you will also have the residual excitement of the new coach, which could very well make up for this. And if those games have a bunch of empty seats, it will be a very clear message that ND needs to get teams like Alabama and Miami back on the schedule.

Of course, these could all be rumors, and we could all be working ourselves up over nothing. And I sure hope so. Because I would really like to get back to posting crap about tailgating prep for Nevada. Being serious is just not much fun.

* Assuming Jimmy Clausen comes back for his senior season - which even someone playing devil’s advocate would probably have to say screws ND over royally.

** I’m not going to argue the point of whether ND makes it if there are 3 undefeated or one-loss teams. If ND can legitimately be put in the National Championship game, ND will be in that game. Higher ratings + More money = ND in the game, no matter who else those other two teams are.

Back, Boys & Girls!

Well, it has been a long time, but I am back!

Important item of note: fewer than 50 days until Notre Dame takes the field again - and, rest assured, I am already considering the tailgating menu for Nevada (because, really, what else can you do for a game like that?).

Anyway, here's an article completely unrelated to college football, but interesting nonetheless - how sports keep you going in Antarctica. For anyone who appreciates the smell of fresh cut grass from a few rows up and a cool beer in hand on a summer evening, it's a great read.

More to come soon, and Go Irish!!!

Tailgate Report

As usual, I saw very little of the Blue Gold game. If by "very little" you mean "none."

Seriously, people, it was 70 and sunny, and there were beers. I was not leaving that parking lot. Other people can be responsible and do recaps. I will take brats and beer.

Blue Gold Game, Here I Come!

The car is packed, the beers are in the cooler and ready to be iced down, and I will be off to South Bend sometime in the next hour or so for the Blue Gold game, as soon as I feel that my presence at work will no longer be missed (I know it's getting close because I'm already getting mad about the portion of the trip where I have to drive through Kokomo).

Don't expect much recap, because I can't remember the last time I made it to an entire Blue Gold game (and I believe there has only been one time that this has happened). I think the best that can be expected is a tailgate report - which I can guarantee I will see all of.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a good time this weekend, and Go Irish!

Welcome to Baseball Season

Well, major league baseball, at least. The Irish baseball team has been playing now for awhile (racking up a 19-10 record on the season so far, 5-4 in the Big East).

I bring this up for two reasons. One, if you're in Chicago next week, Notre Dame and Northwestern will be playing at Sox Park a week from tomorrow (April 15). Ten bucks and free parking? If I lived less than three and a half hours away, I would be there.

Two, for anyone heading to the Blue Gold game, the Irish baseball team plays West Virginia the evening before. Grab your stuff and do a Friday, warm-up, pre-Blue Gold tailgate (though you have to hide your alcoholic beverages, just a warning - yes, that's experience talking on that one), then head to the baseball game. If I could possibly get off of work next Friday afternoon, I would be right there with you and/or hosting my own tailgate. Sadly, I'll be waiting until Saturday for food and good times.

Mmm...Kool-Aid

I love the taste of Kool-Aid in the morning (even if the Kool-Aid is a day old)...

Non-Football ND Update

So, thanks to a quick trip home this weekend, I have not been able to fully digest the vast amount of material from the start of spring football. Once I have, I'll be answering the IBG questions, but until then, a quick update on some non-football ND sports.

Hockey - The hockey team won the CCHA tournament, and they are going into the Grand Rapids regional as the Number 1 seed. The game will be on ESPNU, and if you haven't watched any ND Hockey this year, I highly recommend it.

Men's Basketball - ND beats New Mexico, in a game that was, if not good, at least thrilling. Next up for ND is the winner of the Kentucky-Creighton game this evening.

Women's Basketball - A first round exit, with a loss to Minnesota.

Elsewhere in ND Sports...

With one day until spring football, this gives me a good chance to see what else is going on in the world of ND sports (as, really, after tomorrow, I get to start my true obsession). It turns out, there is a lost of post-season play going on for ND right now!

Men's Basketball - Yes, it's the NIT. Yes, it was a disappointing season. But there are a lot of teams that are already at home, or are going home soon, and ND still plays on. Tonight's game is against New Mexico, better known in my Bears fan world as Brian Urlacher's alma mater.

Women's Basketball - The ladies start NCAA tournament play on Sunday against Minnesota. This is the 14th straight trip to the tournament for the ND women, but only the second time in history that the ND women's team has played Minnesota (a game ND lost, in case you are wondering).

Men's Hockey - The hockey team is up in Detroit for the CCHA championship, where the Irish Irish take on Northern Michigan. Last weekend, Coach Jackson got his 100th victory as ND's coach.

Fencing - How much do I know about fencing? Not much beyond ND has been pretty darn good at it recently. And it involves things I would classify as swords, but which probably have another name of which I am not aware. The men's and women's fencing teams are at the NCAA championship this weekend.

Women's Swimming & Diving - ND has also sent three members of the women's swimming and diving team to the NCAA championships this weekend.

Go Irish!

Renewing Old Rivalries - Convicts Edition

[Edit - Haha, I just went over to Subway Domer and realized he had already posted almost exactly the same thing, right down to linking to UHND (but seriously, those videos are awesome)! Smooth move on my part - anyway, I'm keeping it up, but I do realize what happened. And I fully admit that I appear to be a plagiarizer.]

Oh, please, please let this happen:

After a nearly two-decade break, Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said the Fighting Irish is ''very interested'' in playing Miami again in football, and the interest is mutual.

If you are like me, and weren't a fan of the Irish yet, here's something to get you fired up about this.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Bad Trade! Here's my new puppy, Choppy, with a St. Patrick's Day message for everyone:



That's right, Sniff my Butt, I'm Irish.

For some of Choppy's swear-filled rants about my inability to properly give her the attention she deserves, visit her website, Choppy's Dog House.

Tomorrow, St. Patrick's Day

I hope that everyone enjoyed the deleted post. No idea how that got put up.

So, while I am currently spending most of my time looking forward to Friday (hockey AND the start of spring football practice? Life is VERY GOOD), I realize that I have neglected my countdown to St. Patrick's Day. So, without further ado, a link to an article on odd St. Patrick's Day celebrations around the world.

Party Like You're at College [Park]

Ah, the College Park apartment complex. As I was not an undergrad at ND, I never got to experience a party there. The only knowledge I had of College Park was the string of incidents at St. Patrick's Day involving people falling off of balconies while I was there. The first year I was at Notre Dame, someone fell off of a balcony at College Park. As the article also shows, it appears that College Park was the place to be on St. Patrick's Day at Notre Dame (at least for the undergrads. Us Lame-O law students were at actual bars).

The next year, there was the infamous fruit throwing incident:

[T]he student was playing catch with fruit on the upper balcony and fell off while trying to catch a piece of fruit.

The lesson? On St. Patrick's Day, avoid balconies at College Park.

St. Patrick's Day - Countdown

A week until St. Patrick's Day - here is something for all of you fans of the Irish, with more to come as we get closer to the day of.



(This post may also be filed in the "why won't spring football just hurry up and get here already" category).

25 Random Facts About Notre Dame Football and Me

So, for those of you who are not obsessed with Facebook, all the cool/bored kids are posting 25 random facts about themselves. As it is the off-season, I don't feel the current need to comment on the numerous changes from the last presser, and I haven't posted in a few days, I figured I would present 25 Random Facts About Notre Dame Football and Me.

1. I have not been a Notre Dame football fan my entire life. I used to live in a world where college football was the horrible television show that came on after my Saturday morning cartoons in the fall, thus disturbing my Shirt Tales and Muppet Babies. After those childhood days, the next time I paid much attention to college football was when Northwestern beat Notre Dame en route to the Rose Bowl. This is what happens when you grow up in a house where your dad went to Northwestern - you end up a pro football fan, solely because the other option is horrible.

2. When I went to college, the two schools I ended up deciding between were Northwestern and Notre Dame. I sometimes wonder whether a different result in that aforementioned game would have resulted in me attending Notre Dame instead of Northwestern as an undergraduate.

3. I managed to get my football priorities straight by law school, and only applied to Notre Dame. I was an early commit to the ND Law Class of 2006.

4. My first year of law school, my football seats were two rows up from the field. The juniors who sat in the row ahead of us were some of the most obnoxious fans ever. Turns out, they were friends of my little sister (also a junior Domer), who was on study abroad that semester and could not inform me of this fact. This obnoxiousness was made up for a couple years ago at Mardi Gras, when one of the obnoxious guys took us to a crawfish boil (we ran into him completely randomly). But I did call the guy out on his obnoxious behavior at the games while at this crawfish boil (which, at this point, were several years in the past). I'm such a great guest!

5. Once it was finished, I used to drive by the Gug every morning on my way to law school in the hopes of running into Charlie. I never did.

6. I did, however, nearly get run over by Ty one morning on my walk into the law school. If I had, at least someone who loves Notre Dame would have been getting some of that salary ND had to keep paying him.

7. I used to make fun of those ND alumni who would wander campus on the Thursdays and Fridays before football games, with goofy, happy smiles on their faces. I am so one of them now.

8. I am psyched about getting to spend Halloween in San Antonio for the Washington State game, because it is going to be great fun. And I don't care what you think about the whole situation, as I'll be enjoying my margarita on the Riverwalk while you bitch and moan on the interwebs from somewhere cold. Guess who will be having a better time?

9. Still haven't watched the end of the 2005 USC game since I saw it in person. At this point, I may never watch it. Of course, if you read this blog with any regularity, you already know that. I'm kind of obsessed with this.

10. I was close enough to the sprinklers at the Pitt game this last year to have to back up to stay dry.

11. The sprinklers were still overshadowed in my mind by Bon Jovi. I have had a crush on him since I was seven years old.

12. I took a guy to the Pitt game. I don't think he appreciated the joy I showed for the appearance of Bon Jovi.

13. I love the Blue Gold game.

14. OK, what I really love about the Blue Gold game is tailgating for it. It's the one time during the year that I get a spot right outside the stadium.

15. I have never actually seen an entire Blue Gold game. See #14 for the reason behind this.

16. I wish I knew more about the history of Notre Dame football.

17. I calendar Charlie's press conferences, because I don't want to miss them.

18. One of my favorite moments at a football game was at the 2006 UCLA game. My seats were on the goal line where Samardzija scored, but that wasn't the best part. The best part was the two UCLA guys behind me, who were gloating about the win prior to the game actually ending. They were much quieter post-Samardzija score.

19. At the Blue Gold game a couple years ago, I changed the ringtone for one of my guy friends to "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias (there was alcohol involved). This friend is not Brady Quinn, nor does he resemble Brady Quinn. Actually, I have no idea why we did this, but it probably has something to do with the aforementioned alcohol consumption.

20. Sometimes I wonder how many times I have seen the movie Rudy. Then I realize that if I knew the number, I would probably be horrified. So I stop wondering.

21. Every time I watch them, I cry at Rudy and Knute Rockne: All American. But I'm a chick, so it's OK.

22. I judge guys on their favorite college football teams. Obviously, fans of Notre Dame football are the gold standard against which all others are judged.

23. Phrase I utter most during professional football games? "Did you know that [insert name of player here] went to Notre Dame?"

24. Sometimes I miss sitting in the student section. Then I remember how little "sitting" was involved in the student section, and appreciate my wooden bench.

25. I love Notre Dame football.

ND License Plates

Rarely do I get excited about a trip to the BMV, but today, I did - I finally got around to getting new license plates, only five months after moving to Indiana.

The best part about the new license plates? This:



Yes, I will soon have Notre Dame plates for my car. This would be exciting if it happened during the season, but it is even better in the off season (OK, maybe not so much during the season. But I'm grasping for anything here, people).

And, in case anyone is wondering, you don't have to move to Indiana to get a Notre Dame license plate, as these other states also have them:

* Indiana
* Illinois
* Pennsylvania
* Delaware
* Maryland
* New Jersey
* Virginia

Also, if you live in Georgia, go here to read about how you can sign up to get on the list of people who are interested in ND plates for Georgia!

Things To Keep Me Occupied in the Long Off Season

Boys and girls, some dates of interest to ND fans for the calendar as we approach the long national nightmare of the college football off-season:

Signing Day: February 4, 2009
Blue-Gold Game: April 18, 2009
NFL Draft: April 25-26, 2009

Plus, a few other bits of excitement before the much-anticipated September 5, 2009 opening game against that football powerhouse, Nevada:

Hiring of a new OC - Unknown
Spring practice - April
Football ticket lottery results - July
Preseason practice - August

They Are the Biters We Thought They Were

After a couple hours at work yesterday, I turned on the radio to the Westwood One coverage of the NFL Playoffs. I can't say that I expected to hear the two very recognizable voices that I heard, but I can say that it was an amusing moment when I heard them: Marv Alberts and Dennis Green.