SubAlumn in Land of the Skunkbear

What Happened to Our National Pastime

2010-01-13T13:22:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe that the commissioner of baseball, Bud Selig, has praised Mark McGwire for admitting what everyone knew already...HE WAS JUICED.

This guy should be banned from the game for wanton and willful cheating in using performance enhancing drugs. Now the Cardinals have hired him as hitting instructor and he is to be employed as a coach...are you kidding me?

HE SHOULD BE BANNED FROM BUYING A TICKET. They should have his picture posted at every ticket office and refuse to allow him in the stadium under any circumstances.

Pete Rose apologized and not only can he not be voted into The Hall of Fame, he cannot come to the ballpark or have any affiliation with a team...and for what? What Pete did, betting on baseball games and at times his own team, had no effect on the game or his performance.

I believe that if we had a commissioner with any cajones whatsoever, McGwire would be banned from the Hall, banned from Employment and all his records erased. I would even be in favor of erasing his name from all statistics...as if he did not exist. We have said, "It's OK to cheat as long as you don't get caught and apologize later."

He has made a sham of the game, the recordbook and integrity.

No Compromise...No Excuses

2009-12-23T17:17:00.000-08:00

This one answer from a recent interview with Coach Kelly says it all...

Jack Swarbrick mentioned that he explained to you that there were some non-negotiable things that would never change about Notre Dame. People said that the new coach would need to request some academic concessions. Can you outline some of the specifics that Jack went over?
KELLY: “I can tell you about our conversation in terms of where we connected and I think that’ll help you more than anything else. First of all, Jack and I and Father John [Jenkins] all believe that you can maintain an academic integrity and still win championships in football. I believe that, Father John believes that and Jack Swarbrick believes that. If I didn’t believe that, that would have been on the list, let’s put it that way. That would have been first on the list if I didn’t believe that. Maybe there were some others that he interviewed that he had to spell out. He didn’t have to spell that out to me because I didn’t want to coach at Notre Dame if we were going to change the direction of achievement in excellence academically.

“There are no five exceptions, but there’s an understanding, a clear understanding that if you can handle the academic rigors of Notre Dame and we can predict you to graduate – there are a number of predictors outside of SAT and ACT scores. There are a number of predictors. I think we can all feel every confident that there are predictors out there that we’ll look for. We all know this, it doesn’t do me any good to go get a kid that can’t graduate from Notre Dame, so we start we that premise. But, are there other predictors that we feel comfortable that will allow a young man to graduate from Notre Dame other than strictly falling on the SAT, ACT, GPA. I think that should give you guys enough to know relative to that end of things, which I think has probably been one of the biggest topics out there.

“Other things that won’t change is this is a faith-based education. We’re going to continue to espouse those same values here. We’re still going to be in the Basilica in pregame, we’re still going to have all of those traditions of what Notre Dame is about. They will be alive here and still part of your experience. We’re not building housing for football players. I think one of the great things about being a Notre Dame athlete is that you don’t become marginalized by being with all just athletes. I know in my experience growing up, my roommate was from San Diego. I had never met anybody from California. My first trip home, I didn’t go home, I went to San Diego.

“That was diversity for me and I love that at Notre Dame. That’s not going to change and I’m good with that. We’re still going to get lake effect snow. The big hot topic items that are out there in recruiting, the academic standards are what they are because of who we are and it’s not going to change. Community is still core to Notre Dame. That will not change. Those things will not change. Jack didn’t have to have that conversation with me, maybe he did with some others.”

Pretty Simple Formula

2009-12-22T05:08:00.000-08:00

Coach Kelly addressed the Notre Dame crowd at the UCLA game last weekend.

“259 days, you know what that is. 259 days, get yourself ready.

“To the students, understand you stand up the whole game, is that right? And isn’t it true that you all do a push up for every point, right? You better use this holiday break to get in shape because you’re going to be doing a lot of pushups.

“It is a great honor for me to be here. Many a time, I’ve watched the great Notre Dame basketball teams play. To be on this floor is just an absolutely dream for me. But the dream is becoming a reality and the reality is that we’re here to do a job and that job is to develop our players and graduate our players and go and win championships.”

“I’m not going to stand here in front of you in this great arena without telling you that we’re here because of the success in the past and because of our fans that we’re going to have for every home game, that’s going to carry us. We’re going to need you for every game we play to continue the support that you’ve given this football team.

“I promise you this, we will play hard for four quarters. You will love the guys that we put on the field because they’re going to give you everything. And at the end of the day, 19 years of being head coach, if you just play hard and you play aggressive, you’re going to win a lot of football games. Thank you very much.”

Memories (Part 2)

2009-12-21T12:49:00.000-08:00

My father took me to my first Notre Dame game in 1962 versus Michigan State. I was 9 years old and didn't remember much about it except it was cold, rainy and there was not much to cheer about.
Michigan State pasted Notre Dame 31-7. It was Joe Kuharich's second to last year and back then, they couldn't give away tickets. They used to beg Catholic churches to bring busses of fans, which is how we got there.
We stayed for the whole game and enjoyed the band afterwards.
I was the oldest of 5 kids, ND tickets got tough to get when Parsegian arrived in 1964, and so we didn't get to another game until I bought us tickets for the Georgia Tech game in 1979.
I actually called Georgia Tech over the summer, faked an drawl and they sold me 4 tickets. So, it was me, Dad, Mom and my wife (7 months pregnant with our first). We piled in the car, went to the game and were quite surprised to find we were actually in the bleachers on the field down in the end zone, not 6 feet from the endline. Vagas Ferguson scored 3 times right in front of us and Notre Dame won 21-13. Dad and I were thrilled...Mom and Anne not so much.
It poured down rain at halftime. Dad and I didn't leave our seats while Mom and Anne spent most of the second half under the stadium where it was dry. Not a real good experience for my wife, especially whe we had to drive home with Mom & Dad smoking in the car and hardly able to roll down the windows because of the rain.
Remember, back then you had to either know someone or have the courage to drive all the way to South Bend and hope to buy from a scalper.
Most of our memories were of the big games on TV...Southern Cal, Michigan State, Purdue, the Cotton Bowl (70 & 71) and Sugar Bowl (73). Win or lose, my Dad enjoyed Notre Dame football...though he preferred winning. My last great memory of Dad was the 1988 Notre Dame - Miami game in South Bend.
More on that later.

Notre Dame Memories (Part 1)

2009-12-17T10:52:00.000-08:00

Subway alumni share their memories with their offspring more than the ND alums do because the son shares the father's status as SubAlum. I have no evidence of this, not even anecdotal; just something I've surmised in talking to sons of ND Alums and comparing it to my experiences with my father and my sons.
My first ND memory actually was my father's memory of the 1961 Notre Dame-Syracuse game in South Bend. I was 8 years old and only remember that I stayed at my grandmothers house while Mom & Dad went to the game. They drove up and back the same day, no easy feat in 1961 before expressways and 80 miles an hour, and got home late that night to pick me up. They brought me a Notre Dame pennant that I still have hanging in my "man-cave."
Anyway, Notre Dame was behind 15-13 to a pretty good Syracuse team featuring Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis (shown above), when they tried an improbable 51 yard field goal in the rain with mere seconds left. Not surprisingly in the era of straight-on kickers, they missed. However, the kicker was "roughed" by the Syracuse rush and so Notre Dame got to try the kick again from 36 yards away with no time on the clock and, you guessed it, made the kick and won the game!
Notre Dame - 17, Syracuse - 15.
(Syracuse fans dispute the referee call and in fact, Syracuse appealed to the NCAA to take away the Notre Dame victory on such an obvious "homer" call...waah, waah, waah. Judge for yourself. It looks pretty blatant to me.)

Anyway, my father threw his hat in the air in celebration of the great Notre Dame victory. Like most of the men of that time, he wore a fedora hat and had his business card tucked into the inside brim. Of course, he couldn't find the hat in the excitement of the aftermath and came home hatless. (A small price to pay for witnessing such a win.)
About 3 weeks to a month later, he received a package in the mail. It was his hat, cleaned and blocked with a simple note enclosed, "Go Irish." He never knew who did it, but that was my first memory of what is means to be a Notre Dame fan.
Dad and I went to 3 Notre Dame games together over the next 26 years and we had some great experiences, but the anonymous return of his hat in 1961 remains my personal favorite Notre Dame story.

Kelly is "One of Us"

2009-12-14T09:06:00.000-08:00

Yeah, CW was an alum and Davie an assistant at ND; but not since Lou Holtz have we had a true Subway Alumnus at the helm at Notre Dame.
(I remember Lou relaying a story about how they sang the ND Fight Song every morning in grade school as they marched from outside into the school building.)
This is a guy who needs no training on history.
* He remembers Lindsay Nelson and ND highlights on Sunday mornings (the only way you saw most ND games back in the 60's).
* He remembers the heartbreak at SC in '64 and the game of the century in '66 and Coley O'Brien.
* He knows why Bud Wilkinson always hated Notre Dame and about "Ara, stop the snow."
These are things that the likes of Stoops, Ferenz and others would have had to catch up on in a book. A SubAlum remembers them (or for you younger ones, read about when you were 10 years old or had your father tell you about them).
Lou Holtz loved and lived ND, and had the coaching skills to make his very positive mark on ND football. Kelly looks like the same type of leader.
I have been reading a number of stories about Coach Kelly's leadership skills these past several days and am more and more impressed by his ability to lead young men.
The people in Cincinnati are sad and angry about his departure, but he had the ND clause in his contract (just like Lou at Minnesota) so it was no secret what would happen if the timing was right for him to go to his "dream job." I have no problem with the way this was done, either by ND or by Coach Kelly.
I had a UC grad say to me, "You'd feel different if he were leaving Notre Dame for another school..." I guess she was right, I would; but since it has never happened, I'll have to wait till it does to know for sure. (I love you, Anne.)

I'm Back!

2009-12-11T08:54:00.000-08:00

I have been so disgusted with ND and their fortunes on the football field that I had no desire to blog about my beloved Irish.
Even when they were 4-1, I wanted to wait until after the USC game and the following "should win" games to make sure they were really back and viable as a major power under Charlie Weis. Alas, they were not as was proven by the season's collapse beginning with the loss to Navy.
Finally they gave up on Charlie and the On the Job Training of a head coach. Charlie is a good egg and we wish him well back in the NFL. He is a great offensive strategist and technician...but not a leader of young men. That was the essential ingredient missing from his skill set and the one which accounted for his downfall. Good Luck, Charlie. We will not speak of you again.
Now, the good news.
We hired a head coach who IS a leader of young men. Any ND fan who watched the Cincinnati-Pittsburgh game last week saw something there we have not seen in South Bend for the longest time...a comeback. Brian Kelly lead those young men, down 31-10 just before halftime, to a 45-44 win. He never lost his composure or his confidence in the face of a huge deficit and his players sensed that attitude and responded.
More on Brian Kelly as we move ahead. Press Conference introducing him is at 1:30pm today and a new era has begun.

2009-02-27T11:53:00.000-08:00

EXERCISE FOR PEOPLE OVER 50

Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side.

With a 5-lb potato sack in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides, and hold them there as long as you can.

Try to reach a full minute, and then relax. Each day you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer.

After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-lb potato sacks.

Then try 50-lb potato sacks, and then eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-lb potato sack in each hand, and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute.

(I'm at this level.)

After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each sack.

What a Great Day for an Irish Fan!

2009-02-09T08:58:00.000-08:00

I took my brother to the ND at OSU Hockey game for his birthday last Friday and what a perfect evening.

First, we started the ND Pep Rally at the Varsity Club at OSU (for any of you unfamiliar, this was a real treat). The only advantage we had was that the Bucknuts are not hockey fans, so that by the time the students from ND and the Columbus, OH Notre Dame Club got there, the Varsity Club was a ND crowd.

Anyway, who do we meet there but the ND leperchaun, Juan, who autographed an official photo for each of us and we got our picture with him in the "Fightin' Irish" pose.

We get to the hockey arena (a short walk across the bridge) and our seats are in Row 2, right behind the goal and in a very nice spot to give the man in the glass cage advice about whether or not the puck crossed the goal. We shared our views with him often and I'm sure he was appreciative.

Now, to top it off...The Irish score with 1.4 seconds left in the Third Period to tie the game at 3, then score the game winner 55 seconds into the OT.

And all 4 ND goals are at our end!

Happy 51st Birthday, Brother Bob!

All is Well in the World!

2009-01-19T12:17:00.001-08:00

Barak H. Obama will be inaugurated first African American President tomorrow.
They are printing free money over at the Fed. (Wish I had the ink or paper contract)
Notre Dame won a Bowl Game.
And the Cardinals have made the Lions one of only 5 teams never to have gone to the Super Bowl.

So Sad...My Fantasy Year is Over

2008-12-12T13:56:00.000-08:00

I am the founder, commissioner and namesake of my Fantasy Football League, the UNCFL.
We have a travelling trophy and everything.

However, i was one of only 2 teams not to make the playoffs this year and was greeted by the rude news when I accessed my team, "Unc in the D."

Well, better luck next year.

'Twas The Night Before The Elections

2008-10-30T08:27:00.000-07:00

I had to put this up now, as the day before the elections might be too late. All of you...Get Out and VOTE. Let's suprise the "pundits!"
(Thanx to Dave P. for forwarding this from Bob H.)

'Twas the night before elections
And all through the town
Tempers were flaring
Emotions all up and down!

I, in my bathrobe
With a cat in my lap
Had cut off the TV
Tired of political crap.

When all of a sudden
There arose such a noise
I peered out of my window
Saw Obama and his boys

They had come for my wallet
They wanted my pay
To give to the others
Who had not worked a day!

He snatched up my money
And quick as a wink
Jumped back on his bandwagon
As I gagged from the stink

He then rallied his henchmen
Who were pulling his cart
I could tell they were out
To tear my country apart!

" On Fannie, on Freddie,
On Biden and Ayers!
On Acorn, On Pelosi"
He screamed at the pairs!

They took off for his cause
And as he flew out of sight
I heard him laugh at the nation
Who wouldn't stand up and fight!

So I leave you to think
On this one final note-
IF YOU DONT WANT SOCIALISM
GET OUT AND VOTE!!!!

A Simple Way to Understand Tax Cuts

2008-10-20T10:14:00.000-07:00

I found this brief dissertation from an enonomics professor at the Unuversity of Georgia that gives us a better understanding of those evil tax cuts.

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes,it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that’s what they decided to do.

The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. ‘Since you are all such good customers,’ he said, ‘I’m going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20.’ Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free.

But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his ‘fair share?’

They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody’s share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man’s bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28% savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.

‘I only got a dollar out of the $20,’declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man,’ but he got $10!’

‘Yeah, that’s right,’ exclaimed the fifth man. ‘I only saved a dollar, too. It’s unfair that he got ten times more than I got’

‘That’s true!!’ shouted the seventh man. ‘Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!’

‘Wait a minute,’ yelled the first four men in unison. ‘We didn’t get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!’

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn’t show up for drinks so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn’t have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, ladies and gentlemen, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works!!

The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

Here's Something to Ponder!

2008-10-15T13:37:00.000-07:00

If Barack Hussein Obama would apply for a job with the FBI or with the Secret Service, he would be disqualified because of his past association with William Ayers, a known terrorist.

If he is elected President, he could not qualify to be his own body guard!

UND vs UNC...and the truth about Ty

2008-10-10T12:33:00.000-07:00

First, a tough road battle this weekend which will tell us where we have and if we have progressed since the trip to East Lansing.
This is a tough Carolina team with a top notch coach. We have to pass well to open up the run, and NOT PLAY SO CONSERVATIVELY to start the game like we did at MSU when we squandered our first 3 possessions. Get off early and shut up the crowd!
With the 4 quality wide outs we have and the emerging tight end, we should be able to score. At some point this defense needs to put together a great game...this one on the road would be a great boost for the team.
A couple field goals are in order as well...he cannot be THAT bad.
UND-27;
UNC-24.

Second, you have to read this link about Ty Willingham. (Copy & Paste in your browser)

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/65809-willinghams-scorched-earth-aftermath-of-bad-recruiting-classes-for-uw

I have always told my Skunkbear and Poisin Nut friends that Ty wasn't fired for 7-5 and 6-6 (his last 2 seasons). He was fired for sloth on the recruiting trail and it looks like history is repeating itself at UW.
Our team owes him for the hell he put them through last year when he left this cupboard SO BARE that we had to play boys against men, and thus 3-9 ensued. I am hoping they run it up on him big time when they visit UW later this month as the men they have become!

Still So Many Questions About the Man Who Would Be President

2008-10-09T13:45:00.000-07:00

I have read the outlines of the memoirs and reseached what I can and there are still a number of lingering questions unanswered about Barack Hussein Obama, the man who would be our President and Commander in Chief.

(There, I said it, "Hussein, Hussein, Hussein")

Around 1979 Obama started college at Occidental in California. He is very open about his two years at Occidental, he tried all kinds of drugs and was wasting his time but, even though he had a brilliant mind, ne did not apply himself to his studies. "Barry", (that was the name he used all his life), during this time had two roommates, Muhammad Hasan Chandoo and Wahid Hamid, both from Pakistan. During the summer of 1981, after his second year in college, he made a "round the world" trip. Stopping to see his mother in Indonesia, next Hyderabad in India, three weeks in Karachi, Pakistan where he stayed with his roommate's family, then off to Africa to visit his father's family. My question - Where did he get the money for this trip?

When he came back he started school at Columbia University in New York.
It is at this time he wants everyone to call him "Barack" - not "Barry". Do you know what the tuition is at Columbia? It's not cheap! to say the least. Where did he get money for tuition? Student Loans?

After Columbia, he went to Chicago to work as a Community Organizer for $12,000. a year. Why Chicago? Why not New York? He was already living in New York. By "chance" he met Antoin "Tony" Rezko, born in Aleppo Syria, and a real estate developer in Chicago. Rezko has been convicted of fraud and bribery this year. Rezko, was named "Entrepreneur of the Decade" by the Arab-American Business and Professional Association".

About two years later, Obama entered Harvard Law School. Do you have any idea what the tuition is for Harvard Law School? Where did he get the money for Law School? Morestudent loans?

After Law school, he went back to Chicago. Rezko offered him a job, which he turned down. But, he did take a job with Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland. Guess what? They represented "Rezar" which Rezko's firm. Rezko was one of Obama's first major financial contributors when he ran for office in Chicago. In 2003, Rezko threw an early fundraiser for Obama which Chicago Tribune reporter David Mendelland claims was instrumental in providing Obama with "seed money" for his U.S. Senate race.

In 2005, Obama purchased a new home in Kenwood District of Chicago for $1.65 million (less than the asking price). With ALL those Student Loans - Where did he get the money for the property?

On the same day Rezko's wife, Rita, purchased the adjoining empty lot for full price. The London Times reported that Nadhmi Auchi, an Iraqi-born Billionaire loaned Rezko $3.5 million three weeks before Obama's new home was purchased. Obama met Nadhmi Auchi many times with Rezko.

Now, we have Obama running for President. Valerie Jarrett was Michele Obama's boss. She is now Obama's chief advisor and he does not make any major decisions without talking to her first. Where was Jarrett born? Ready for this? Shiraz, Iran! Do we see a pattern here? Or am I going crazy?

On May 10, 2008 The Times reported, Robert Malley advisor to Obama was"sacked" after the press found out he was having regular contacts with "Hamas", which controls Gaza and is connected with Iran.

Recently buried in the back part of the papers, Iraqi newspapers reported that during
Obama's visit to Iraq, he asked their leaders to do nothing about the war until after he is elected, and he will "Take care of things".

Oh, and by the way, remember the college roommates that where born in Pakistan? They are in charge of all those "small" Internet campaign contribution for Obama. Where is that money coming from? The poor and middle class in this country? Or could it be from the Middle East?

And the final bit of news. On September 7, 2008, The Washington Times posted a verbal slip that was made on "This Week" with George Stephanapoulos. Obama on talking about his religion said, "My Muslim faith". When questioned, "he make a mistake". Some mistake!

Will we make this big mistake and elect this man because of his great oratory skills while ignoring the questions of his life to this point?

Cardinal Sin?

2008-10-03T13:49:00.000-07:00

That's what it'll be if we lose to Stanford.
Their mascot isn't a person anymore, or even an animal...but a color! How can our leprechaun beat up a color?
Gimme a break.
We can run on these guys and they cannot cover Tate and Floyd.
They can rune the ball and that has been our weakness, stopping the run, so we need to respond this week.
Harbaugh will have them ready...I have always liked him as a player and a coach, but:
ND-31;
Stanford - 10.

ND Season Decided in the Next Two Weeks

2008-09-24T06:09:00.000-07:00

The next 2 weeks will determine if this ND team will merely meet expectations (7-5 or 8-4) or exceed them (9-3 or 10-2 ). We have to defend our home turf against 2 teams we should beat.
I had MSU as a loss in my 9-3 prediction starting the season and they didn't do anything that dissuades me in that prediction.
MSU was just too big and pushed ND around on both sides of the ball. However, ND's 2 turnovers deep turned the tide from what could have been a close game. As Floyd progresses this year, we'll see fewer and fewer mistakes like that and more and more great plays. It is so good to see ND with a couple gamebreakers (Floyd & Tate).
Purdue will try some of the same pushing around, but they don't have the same talent this year as in past years, but ND will need to score points.
That means pass first and set up the run!
ND-31; Purdue-17

Mr. Payments Last Game

2008-09-18T11:22:00.000-07:00

This was shared on Rock's House this week:

"When I was a kid, before the days of the NBC contract, Notre Dame games were on cable more often than they are now. My parents didn't get cable, so I watched all of those games at my neighbor's house, Mr. Payment. He was an Irish-Canadian immigrant and loved Notre Dame football as much as anyone I know. Some of my best memories as a kid were watching those games with Mr. Payment. He would always "send me in" to the game. If there was a big offensive play, he would ask, "can you get in there and throw a block, Joe?" I'd say I could, and if the play worked, he'd congratulate me.

Now, I send my kids in the game.

When I was a teenager, Mr. Payment's son was my confirmation sponsor. I don't remember why, exactly, but Matt couldn't be there on the day of my confirmation, and Mr. Payment stood in for him. We were in the parking lot of the church listening to the ND-Tennessee game on the radio, and the confirmation mass was starting, with ND driving at the end of the game. I asked Mr. Payment what we should do, and he said, "It's Notre Dame. God'll understand." ND missed the kick to win the game, and I missed part of my confirmation. I'm glad I did.

Mr. Payment has been dying of cancer, and I went over to his place this week to watch the Michigan game with him. I asked him if he could get in there and play, and he said he'd run the defense. He did a stellar job. I held his hand during the alma mater, and he cried during it. He new it'd be his last one. He was right. Thank you, team, for winning this game. It means more to me than every other ND game I've seen put together, because it was Mr. Payment's last one.

You sent him out with win."

Posted by The Rock at Thursday, September 18, 2008

Time for the Michigan Sweep

2008-09-17T05:25:00.000-07:00

A very good friend of mine from Rotary, Judge Mike, was an ND grad and always celebrated here in the Land of the Skunkbear when the Irish vanquished both Michigan teams in a 2 week period.
Though I have vowed to carry on the tradition, I have had scant few opportunities as Sparty has had ND's number in South Bend.
Two years ago, my son Charlie and I saw a great ND victory in East Lansing when the Irish came back in a furious 4th quarter rally to beat Sparty.
Sparty was so concerned that the Irish were as classless as them that they had already prepared for defeat and had posted "guards" on the 50 yard line to prevent the Irish players from performing a similar classless ritual as they had performed in South Bend the year prior. Of course, the Irish came directly over to their fans and saluted them, then sang tha alma mater.
This is an image that will always define Sparty for me.
ND-31; Sparty-21.
GO IRISH!

I'm Voting Democrat Because...

2008-09-09T11:45:00.000-07:00

I'm voting Democrat because I believe the government will do a better job of spending the money I earn than I would.

I'm voting Democrat because freedom of speech is fine as long as nobody is offended by it.

I'm voting Democrat because when we pull out of Iraq the bad guys will stop what they're doing because they now think we're good people.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that people who can't tell us if it will rain on Friday CAN tell us that the polar ice caps will melt away in ten years if I don't start driving a Prius.

I'm voting Democrat because I'm not concerned about the slaughter of millions of babies so long as we keep all death row inmates alive.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that business should not be allowed to make profits for themselves. They need to break even and give the rest away to the government for redistribution as they see fit.
I'm voting Democrat because I believe three or four elitist liberals need to rewrite the Constitution every few days to suit some fringe element who would NEVER get their agendas past the voters.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that when the terrorists from over there come over here, I don't want to have any guns in the house to fight them off.

I'm voting Democrat because I love the fact that I can now marry whatever I want. I've decided to marry my horse.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe oil companies' profits of 4% on a gallon of gas are obscene but the government taxing the same gallon of gas at 15% isn't.

Makes you wonder why anyone would ever vote Republican, right?!

You Go, Girl!

2008-09-04T11:12:00.000-07:00

So, the Dems had the first shot last week at their convention and all we heard was, " Evil George Bush and his buddy John McCain" from one speaker after another...including BHO, who really surprised me with how much time in his speech he took to take shots...below his dignity as a Presidential candidate, but I guess that comes with experience (oops, there's that word again). How many days until we get the good old morphing faces commercial from the Dems or Move On . org?

And now, the party of great platitudes and their minions in the press have nothing to say except to spout off half truths about the VP nominee. Harry Reid even referred to her as "shrill," not a word he has used about any man. And questioning whether she has the time to run with children at home...gimme a break, the gender police would skewer a Republican if he/she said that, but Dems get away with it. (Same way JoeB got away with his "clean and articulate" remark)

The Dems are scared to death, especially after she did so well last night and with the teleprompter operator continually screwing up. She actually did better than Rudy under similar circumstances and he's supposed to be a veteran. I loved a number of her quotes and it is worthwhile to watch the speech if you can.

They'll have a tough time connecting her to PRESIDENT (by the way) Bush as she has sued his administration numerous times over 10th Amendment issues.Go, Sarah, Go. She is going to Washington to serve the people. Amen!

ND Opponents Have Mediocre Week One

2008-09-03T09:47:00.000-07:00

Irish opponents had a mediocre week one at 5-6:

Cal Poly 29 – San Diego State 27 (SDS had no running game, but still should beat anyone with Polytechnical in their name for crying oput loud);

Utah 25 – Michigan 23 (It'll be one long year for the skunkbear);

California 38 – Michigan State 31 (MSU actually played a quality opponent tough);

Stanford 36 – Oregon State 28 (Nice start for Harbaugh with a conference win);

North Carolina 35 – McNeese State 27 (NC should beat McNeese State worse than this);

Oregon 44 – Washington 10 (Gee, is there a coaching problem in Seattle?);

Bowling Green 27 – Pittsburgh 17 (Wannstadt will be gone at this rate before we face Pitt);

Boston College 21 – Kent State 0 (Pretty lackluster game and crowd);

Navy 41 – Towson State 13 (Middies show their one dimensional offense is enough for Towson);

Northwestern 30 – Syracuse 10 ('Cuse is bad again this year);

USC 52 – Virginia 7 (SC is loaded and Sanchez looks like the real thing);

Purdue didn't play as the MAC was all tied up with the rest of the Big Ten.

Although some have criticized this schedule as weak, I would point out that 10 of 12 opponents are from BCS Conferences (Navy and SD State are the only non-BCS Conference Opponents). In addition, there are NO Championship Division opponents (that used to be 1-AA).

As a contrast, Skunkbear only plays 9 BCS Conference Teams (their Big Ten schedule and ND) and OSU plays a 1-AA (Youngstown State) and 2 non-BCS opponents. I maintain that a BCS team should be penalized for playing a 1-AA opponent. It is a tainted win at best.

Year in and year out I'd put the ND schedule against any in the country.

Hubba, Hubba, Hubba!

2008-09-02T05:22:00.000-07:00

I can only quote a great American on this brilliant choice of VP:

"Babies, Guns and Jesus...Hubba, Hubba, Hubba!"

On to More Important Things - ND Football

2008-08-28T13:39:00.000-07:00

They're baaack!
With a fury, the Fighting Irish return.
Make no mistake, this is not the National Championship year, but we can see it from here.
The top flight recruits are a year older; the offense and defense have an attitude; there are actually a few upper classmen and the schedule is not the brutal one as a year ago.
I believe this is a 9-3 year and a mid major bowl game. Just the warmup we need for the 2009 Championship run.
Here is how I see it:
Wins - SDS, Skunkbears, Purdue, The Trees , UW, NC, Pitt, Navy & 'Cuse
Losses - MSU, BC, SC
We won't make it look easy as several of these teams are getting better (Stanford and NC come to mind) and a couple cannot get much worse (Pitt and 'Cuse). Michigan will be a strange one only because of the unknowns of RichRod and his offense and we have a chance to beat MSU though it'll be toughter with a coach we cannot depend on to get stupid (see John L). Also, the BC game is no gimme for them with a new QB and not loaded with 5th year seniors like a year ago, but the game is up there and I cannot in good conscience say they're going 11-1 with the only loss to USC.
I'll be at MSU and would love to make one Home game, but we'll see what the cards have in store for me this season.
Meanwhile we get to see a couple good games this weekend (MSU at Cal will tell us alot and Utah at Michigan has got to be interesting) while also tolerating the usual early season blowouts (thank the Lord I can get the Big ten channel now, I'd hate to miss Youngstown State at OSU).
Off we go...say NO to Politics and Yes to Football!

Now THAT Would be CHANGE!

2008-07-22T10:14:00.000-07:00

Let's see if BHO can finish his "World Tour" today without criticizing the U.S. while on foreign soil. THAT used to be the standard for American leaders travelling abroad, but the dems have pretty much trashed that concept over the past 8 years.
Oh, by the way, where is the main street media who criticized President Bush for being rigid and not changing his Iraq policy a couple years ago, now that BHO is doing the same (ie. the fact finding will not change the beliefs, even when the facts get in the way...see his answer on how the surge worked and whether he would have supported it knowing how it turned out).
Anyway, it'll be nice to have him back in the USA as the press hates to kiss his butt in that Jordanian heat.

Liberals and Other Peoples' Money

2008-07-15T05:29:00.001-07:00

One thought for today from a great American who has passed,

“Liberals, it has been said, are generous with other peoples’ money, except when it comes to questions of national survival when they prefer to be generous with other people’s freedom and security.” —William F. Buckley

I'm back

2008-07-14T20:06:00.000-07:00

It's been a year since I started this blog, and this is just my second post.

With the presidential election fast approaching, I thought it was important to talk about important things like Notre Dame football! Since that won't take all of my time, I'll talk about the election, too, and other things not so critical to the survival of mankind.

Go Irish!

Alumn & Student Ticket IDs

2007-07-03T06:01:00.001-07:00

How will any of the millions of subway alumni ever get a chance for tickets if not from scalpers. If ND goes to an ID only ticket, maybe a national lottery for a certain number of tickets. That way, those of us that couldn't get in to ND (I still have my decline letter) and are fans for generations (my boys are 4th generation subway alumns) at least still have a chance at tickets. As it is now, I barter my UM season tickets with MSU fans and local ND fans to get as many home ND games as possible. Couldn't even do that under El Kabongs elitist ticket scheme.