RUDY - The Red Nose Reindeer Story

Blue/ Gold Game Pictures

Especially for those of us who were unfortunately unable to attend this years Spring game. Here is a reader-submitted photo gallery from the game via

The Blue-Gray Sky .

Just over 4 months until the season kicks off ...

Charlie Weis has Twitter

Uncle Charlie has joined the Twitter bandwagon. GO HERE if you'd like to follow his comments.

ND vs. USC circa 1999 liveblog

I found a condensed version (one more reason to love Hulu) of the '99 ND vs. USC match up. I thought it could be fun to live blog it for kicks...

• Dick Enberg does the broadcast. I wish he still did the games


• Joey Getheral: great to hear that name and watch him play


• Julius Jones is a freshmen here... fast forward 10 years and he may be on the down side of his NFL career already


• commercial reference to Third Watch. I loved that show; 9-11 ruined it; i should see if I can find it in DVD


• I do not miss ND running an option based offense... they look lost and inept


• I am reminded why Bob Davie got fired


• 21-3 Trojans at the Half ... YUCK and POO


• Rocky Boiman ... He was one of the first ND players my boys met. I need to find that photo


• the ND place kicking game was truly bad for about 15 years.


• Paul Hackett trying to pull of the Bo Schembechler look, LOL


• late third quarter: the momentum is definitely changing!


• it's raining pretty hard now


• end of 3 : 24-10 USC ... ND is marching in Trojan territory


• Jarius Jackson was a pure athlete


• missed xtra point ... UGH! 24-16 USC


• 10 yard USC punt ... opportunity is knocking


• 24-19 after field goal ...


• the USC defense looks tired, lots of missed coverages, Jackson not accurate enough in the rain


• Jackson scrambles, runs for 20 yds, fumbles on the 1, ND recovers in the end zone! 2 pts conversion no good 25-24 ND


• 2:30 left


• ND strips the ball and looks to hold on/ run out the clock


• USC recovers fumble with just over a minute ... nail biting time


• turnover on downs ... victory formation !


• biggest comeback since the Montana Cotton Bowl

That was pretty fun. There are a few other ND games and some others available. I may do that again...

Santa Clausen delivers

In a script that could have been written as a fairy tale Jimmy Clausen led the Irish to victory in the 2008 Hawaii Bowl. 22-26 passing (I believe 3 were dropped), 401 yds, 5 TD including 177 yds and 3 TD to Golden Tate. Adding up to a 49-21 Christmas Eve massacre of a Hawaii team that never appeared to get off the bus.
This is the ending to the season that needed to happen. Closure for the seniors, validation that a healthy offense can be dangerous, plenty of building blocks for the upcoming year, most important: the over hyped bowl losing streak is now dead. We don't have to talk about the 1994 Cotton Bowl any more.
Were there some issues? sure. While I like the confidence with which we performed, I found many instances of what appeared pure arrogance distasteful. There is never a reason to act that way, especially when your team lost to Syracuse about a month ago. The offensive line still did not appear to be able to " go downhill" and run at will. We need to be able to gain consistent yards on the ground to become an elite team again. BCS caliber defenses will not allow to you to throw deep every time its 3rd and 9.
We need to take this victory, cherish it for what it is, and look forward to what appears to be a potentially bright 2009 season. GO IRISH!

Christmas in Honolulu ... ND Goes Bowling

After all was said and done the Irish have accepted a bid to play in the Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve. The opponent : The University of Hawaii.
This bowl offered the highest level opponent of the possibilities and after all, could it be so bad to spend Christmas in paradise. The team will get a week less practice than a New Year's bowl, the rush will be on for game prep and travel after finals, and the Warriors are playing on their home field.
All that leads up to the big points:

• ND has not won a bowl game this century
• a win takes the edge off a rough finish to the regular season
• a win shows that Charlie does have the team's attention and is leading them in the right direction
• a loss creates a second consecutive losing season
• the game will be in primetime and not up against other games so everyone (read: recruits) will be watching

Let's hope Santa's not too busy that night to drop a W down the Irish's chimney.

Should he stay or should he go??

I'm working on a few thoughts on the issue. What do you think??

The Irish are who we thought they were…

What a frustrating game to watch. 17-0. not one single point. I think that if we had been told that the Boston College offense would be held to 10 points most of us would have thought that the Irish would have taken the game. Not so fast…
It seemed like it took forever for Notre Dame to get anything going on offense. When they finally did, the consistently found ways to shoot themselves in the foot; sometimes both feet at once. Early on they just could not move. They field position keeping them pinned at their end of the field. But even when they did move the big mistake came EVERY time.
The defense did a commendable job holding back BC , especially in the early stages when it seemed that each time they got the ball it was on the ND side of the field. Yet in the end, they could not hold them back nor make the “big play” that would help change the tide of the game.
The absolute back breaker came at the beginning of the second half. After holding the Eagles to three and out at their own end, Golden Tate fumbled the punt. BC took advantage, driving then to score their only offensive score of the game. Things only continued o unravel for ND from there. Knowing that the Irish were pressing to get back into the game, BC was able to play a soft defense in the secondary that allowed them to be ready to pounce on Jimmy Clausen’s mistakes.
I think that it is time to accept the fact that we fans drank the kool-aid a little early on this squad. The facts are beginning to be clear:

· This IS an improved football team
· This IS NOT a legitimate top 25 football team
· When the season started the most realistic predictions had ND losing 4-5 games
· The future is very bright for this squad
· We are watching the growing pains. One minute they will be world beaters, the next they cannot get out of their own way.
· ANY bowl bid should be considered progress
· A bowl win would kill a monkey that has been on the program’s back and continue to build to the future
· If the Irish can handle the two teams left that they should (Navy and Syracuse) that is a step in the right direction.
· Honestly, the USC game could be a season maker or a true disaster
· We need to continue to cheer these guys on, understanding that rebuilding to an elite level has become a process.

GO IRISH

ND not quite ready for primetime….

The Irish proved on Saturday afternoon that while they ARE vastly improved as a team. They ARE NOT quite ready to move into the top level of college football. After a good drive, a turnover, and another touchdown the Irish went to the locker room with a 17-3 lead on Pitt. Things were looking under control. Only someone didn’t tell Pitt that the game was going to be out of reach.
In the second half Notre Dame had a hard time mustering any consistent offense and the defense wore down. Suddenly, the game was in overtime, where neither team would find the end zone. The game became a battle of field goals and the Irish blinked first. On a kick that appeared from home to go over the upright, the call was “no good”. Pitt converted their FG and the game was over.
There is obvious growth in almost every facet of the game each week. And that is great news. The defense is improving as a unit, Micahel Floyd is amazing, remember that Clausen is just a sophomore, Armando Allen will break a huge run at some time. All that and the inconsistencies of a young team could not be overcome. For the future I am excited, for Saturday I am mad we didn’t take advantage of the opportunity to climb back to the top 25.

GO IRISH... Beat Pitt !!!

The stakes are high on this one. Notre Dame is in need of consistency to show that they are a legit top 25 consideration. On top of that, a win makes us bowl eligable. Which gives you the opportunity to get that terrible bowl loss streak off your back.

Wannstasche is on the ropes and the Irish need to deliver another knock out blow.

Let's get this done boys!!!!

My prediction: ND 34 Pitt 24

GO IRISH ... Beat Huskies (Ty too)

It looks like the Irish should have their way with a largely inept football team Saturday night. That's where I hope there isn;t a problem. The Huskies have nothing to lose and everything to gain with a national audience. That said, I think taht Charlie will have the biys ready to take care of business. My score: ND 45 Washington 17

GO IRISH... Beat Stanford

Michigan Football Yakety Sax Video

GO IRISH!

Irish hire John Tenuta

As you can read about in THIS article. The Fighting Irish have added defensive guru John Tenuta. This is BIG news. This will have an impact on, most importantly, wins but also on future recruiting.

Adding an aggressive play caller will surely be draw to top defensive recruits. The team could be getting shored up for the long haul. It will be exciting to see how this plays out.

Hopless Notre Dame Fan/ Real Men of Genius commercial

I am a die-hard ND fan. I also love the "Men of Genius" commercials and the spin offs that have come as a result. This is the combination of the two; even if it is kind of painful, there is an element of truth here. Here's looking to next season...

Thoughts on Notre Dame...

A few thoughts on the state of the ND football team after this week's loss to Boston College:

1. as painful as it is to watch at times, you can see improvement all around the field
2. opportunity knocked; and whether it was due to inexperience or a superior foe, the Irish failed to kick in the door
3. the quarterback issue is really an issue of a "chance to win this week" vs. preparing to win down the road. This is the choice that Charlie faces; I do not envy him.
4. much is being made of the number of transfers from the sophomore class; it is not that unusual in major programs; some people just do not fit in
5. I only worry a bit that losing is becoming acceptable. Tom Zibikowski said after the game that you can "live with a loss as long as we know everyone played hard for the whole game"
6. take into fact that this team is getting experience against talent in the top of the NCAA pool and it is easier to be hopeful that they have at least become competitive

Time to get back to basics

I'm not sure what else the coach could say or do after a loss like this one. I usually try and think about how I would handle a situation if I were in a coaches shoes. I can think of nothing better than getting them back on the field tomorrow and work. There really is nothing that will be in that game tape that would help the players learn. Will Charlie rally the troops or will the Weis Age begin to thaw????

ND / Michigan in web pictures.

I thought it would be fun to share few pregame thoughts that came to me about the game and attach some pictures to them. In no particular order...

This game doesn't seem to have the same gusto as when these guys were at the helm:

I think that ABC will spend a lot of time focusing on fans of both sides looking a lot like this young lady. It might be no small irony in a few weeks that she is in a Cubs hat but that's another post:

I've seen a lot of questions around the web about whether this guy is actually injured:

This duo will have the most to say about whether ND has improved enough this week to win:

This series has always been won on big plays Manningham last year, the Rocket, Desmond Howard, Woodson, Tim Brown, etc. I for one will be watching in hopes of an ND victory of course but also with an eye to the future as well as the past of this great rivalry. GO IRISH!!!

A fun time of the year.

Football practices have begun. High Schools and the NFL have been at it over a week, Jr High started yesterday, and ND started Monday. In fact, if you go HERE you can watch video from every practice and press conferences, etc. 24 days until the first game against GT.

And it's still baseball season too.

The most important things... NFL Draft Edition

I know a guy that is so worried about what will happen to Brady Quinn in the draft on Saturday that he h as spent extra time this week setting up his cell phone so that he can get to the Internet but also so that the draft results are texted to him live as the picks are made. All because he has to be at work and cannot watch it live on TV. He does not know Brady personally, is not related, and obviously has no stake in the fortune he is about to acquire. The question comes to me; why is this so important to him? There are numerous rabbit trails to take on this but let me also add that this is a guy who is by his own admission struggling in his marriage and with his kids. He is also struggling to see any relation to how God fits into the equation of his life's circumstances.

I love sports and ND football as much as I think many but I am thinking that should I get to this point; I deserve whatever household item my wife deems fit banged off my noggin. I do not bring this up to cast stones in this guy's direction but rather to point out that the dangers of taking our focus off the important things that come in life and focusing on things that have no lasting meaning.

Robert Frost
"The reason why worry kills more people than work is that more people worry than work."

I am afraid that the above is too often true of us. Whether we are talking about our relationships (God, spouse, kids, co-workers, etc...) Or in dealing with ourselves we would rather stand back and analyze the situation than take action. I could say that "I need to lose 20 pounds" but unless I take the actions necessary to make a difference it is nothing more than a good thought. It's time to stop letting all those good thoughts be just that. Things that God is reminding me I need to make a priority:

• letting my wife know how important she is by words AND actions (ie. knock some things off the honey do list)
• tell some people around me how important they are to God
• creating more memories/ experiences for my kids

What is it that you need to focus on?

By the way, I hope Brady is drafted by the Bears in a last minute trade. It's only 4 months until the first ND game!