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Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Week 12 (2012): Why not?



"There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It's an area which we call the 'A' Lot... " 



Little Lini shopping on his 1st Black Friday...

Happy, happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  Hey guess what? In between meals on Thanksgiving I re-evaluated my life and came to realize change was in order... and have subsequently begun to embrace a more Eastern spiritual path.  Given my Chinese birth year, I've now assumed my true name 谈的猴子男孩 - unpronounceable by anyone other than kindred spirit, Prince, but loosely translated as "Reckless Monkey Boy".

For the record, most of you are Year of the Rooster born.  (Which, if our 801 housemate, CJ Lick, were around, would almost certainly lead to any number of cock jokes.)

But I digress.

Suffice to say, this new direction lead to a heightened level of pre-game enlightenment driven by a new regime:

-  daily Bikram yoga by practicing my hip turn in the steamer shower. I believe the masters call this move The Downward Facing Furyk.

-  strict Homeopathic Asian diet via Kung Pao Chicken, Moo Shu Pork, Pot Stickers and a steady stream of Tsing Tao.

-  Study of Ninja Tactics, including but not limited to infiltration, camouflage and the strategic use of black pajamas as anytime fashion statement.

-  optimizing my Feng Shui through the strategic manipulation of the pillows to afford easier remote control management.



- Kabuki theatre insight as realized thru the Tao of Hello Kitty

-  Lisa as geisha.  Alas, this proved to be something of a tactical overreach... met with an emphatic, blunt rejection. (I'm paraphrasing here but it was something to the effect of  "Are you high? Go away immediately...")  

Followed by a swift exile to the back bedroom to watch the game.

Nonetheless, the combined result of all this was a powerful pre-game calm, zen-like state. Whatever was to happen was ordained by Fate.

Song of the Week
This win was a long time in coming.  And with it came unbridled exultation and energy!  Not very zen-like.  To hell with the Gregorians - sissies!  Get that sushi rubbish out of here - fetch me a slab of meat with my victory mead!  Kabuki?!  I'm ready for some slam dancing...  

And who better to feed that beast than one of the great, never-got-the-credit-they-deserve LA punkers, Mike Ness (grandson of famous Al Capone nemesis Elliott Ness*) and his band, Social Distortion.  The angels indeed sang Saturday night... we've already spent our time in hell, now's our time. Time to vent!

At least for the next 45 days.

Sometimes I try so hard to understand the things you do
Who am I to question you when it all comes down
When the angels sing

Stand up strong, feel the pain
When the angels sing.
Love and death don't mean a thing
Til the angels sing

There's gotta be a heaven, ‘cause I've already done my time in hell
And a little baby's born, when it all comes down.
  
* Not even remotely true. I totally made this up.

Word of the Week

DENOUEMENT 
  de·noue·ment   noun \ˌ dā-ˌnü-ˈmäⁿ, dā-ˈnü-ˌ\ 


Hey guys - sound pretentious AND 
condescending all at the same time 
with this word… it’s French!

Perfect for use with 
your USC colleagues!


:   the final outcome of the main dramatic complication in a literary work
:   the outcome of a complex sequence of events

Origin of DENOUEMENT
  French dénouement, literally, untying, from Middle French desnouement, from desnouer to untie, from Old French desnoer, from des- de- + noer to tie, from Latin nodare, from nodus knot — more at node
  First Known Use: 1705

Used in a sentence…  Notre Dame’s defeat of USC proved to be a fitting, and dramatic, regular season denouement for a season that defied all expectations.

Random Observations Of The Game


Pre-Game


*  Nice intro.  Especially liked the brief glimpse of the original green jersey game.  And when we rolled out that giant trojan rabbit.
*  USC Song girls looking... spectacular
*  Brent and Herbie on the call again.  And knowing what I know now, somewhere some poor guy is being designated 'pardner' and has already taken his first step toward an ER visit for alcohol poisoning...
*  Quick cut to Lane. Looking his typically affable self, he doesn't appear to be entirely aware of the circumstances he finds himself in. Hmmm.

1st Quarter
*  Riddick for 12.  Nice start.
*  75 yds later, most of it looking pretty easy.  ND 3-0. 
*  USC 1st drive and... running really well.  Until they stopped.  How odd.
*  Brent & Kirk don't seem to understand the 'lose your helmet, leave the game for a play' rule.  They're babbling about Kelly managing his QB's and my mind begins to wander... 
     
When you hear Brent say, "Kirk, my man"
you'll take out the Big Ten commissioner..."
    
How easy it would be, one supposes... 

...to turn the dulcet tones of Brent's voice
into a Manchurian Candidate-like trigger. 





    But I digress. Again. 

    *  Theo scores!  ND 10-0.  For pretty conservative play calling, not bad.
    *  Wittek has quite an arm.  And Lee is really fast. 
    *  I'd be very bummed if I were Lane that the NFL's spot-of-foul is not the pass interference rule of law in college.  

    2nd Quarter


    *  Wittek-to-Woods, TD.  Eek - kinda surgical.  ND 10-7.    
    *  Gotta say, GAIII does not look like the same KR this year.
    *  Screen pass!  By ND!  Wuh?!  
    *  Another steady drive, another red zone flame out.  ND, 13-7.
    *  Flash to Monte Kiffin.  He looks asleep.
    *  Silas Redd, barely even touched. ND defense looking pretty ordinary.
    *  Is anyone else concerned that we're getting no pressure with our normal rush?
    *  One of our best plays all year - the opponent's botched snap - occurs and its ND 13-10
    *  Lane just can't help himself - has gotta go deep again. INT, Russell.  Nice coverage
    *  Brindza, FG!  From 52 yds!  ND, 16-10.

    3rd Quarter
    Brindza?!  Son of beetch. Sheeet.

       *  Interception, Manti!  
       *  And... a Brindza pull.  Almost predictable.  Very disappointing.
       *  Offense seems to have lost it's mojo.
       *  USC, 3rd and 1.  Louis!
       *  And... Davonte Neal with another savvy decision that costs us almost 20 yds.  
       *  Much needed drive.  ND 19-10.  Leaving A LOT of points on the field. 
      *  Despite the obvious tension, Brent's voice - what is he talking about?! - has me wandering to my personal construct of Dante's Inferno and the Nine Circles of Hell.  Worlds, for me, of nothing but... 


    I.       ENDLESS SUPER BOWL SHUFFLE VIDEOS

    II.      PEOPLE WHO BREAK INTO SONG
             SPONTANEOUSLY IN PUBLIC

    III.     TWILIGHT FILMS    

    IV.     BRENT MUSBERGER TELECASTS

    V.      REALITY TV*

    VI.     ANN ARBOR, POST-ND LOSS

    VII.   BRETT EASTON ELLIS BOOKS

    VIII.  DRIVERS WHO DON'T GRASP THAT THE
             PASSING LANE IS FOR GOING FAST

    IX.    SKIP BAYLESS



    *except Survivor which is totally awesome
    4th Quarter

       *  15 minutes to the National Championship game. 
       *  Lane calls a confidence building TO, no TD regardless.  ND 19-13.
       *  We need a drive.   
       *  GAIII!  T-H-E-O! Inside the 10 - wow, that was fast...
       *  And... another Red Zone disappointment.  Still, critical FG. ND 22-13
       * Marqise Lee!  This is feeling like an awful 2005 deja vu...
       *  Brent finally gets one right:  goal-line stand for the ages.

    *  Despite some odd (to me) final clock management, game over.  Time now to watch all the ESPN post-game love*.

           *Of course they love us, we're not a cash cow for them, we're a cash whale. 

    Summary Thoughts


          Not really a lot to add after 12 games but here goes...

    *  Lane really is not very clever. 
      
          *  Kelly plays to win, and with a defense that affords it, achieving victory in the most risk averse fashion possible.

    *  I just don't think that level of 'play it safe' is going to cut it on January 7th.

    *  As worried as I was upfront, Special Teams played really tough - especially punt/kick return coverage.     

          *  It may be a small point but if we're not going to seriously attempt to return a punt, I'd put Goodman back there for the bowl game. Neal just scares me with his decision making. 

    *  Everett's final regular season stats.  Not 'Johnny Football' but then again, Texas A&M isn't 12-0.  

    Year I                            Passing            %       Yds.    TD       INT     QBR
    E. Golson                    166 – 282         58.9     2135    11          5        131.8
    J. Clausen                    138 - 245         56.3     1254     7           6        103.9
    B. Quinn                      157 - 332         47.3     1831     9         15          93.5
    R. Powlus                    119 – 222         53.6    1729    19          9        139.2

    *   It kinda bugs me that Te'o is highly unlikely to win the Heisman - no one seems to remember the mediocre games Manziel put up against LSU and Florida - but on balance, I'd take the 'natty' over the Heisman...

    *   Georgia or Alabama - who do we want?  Already I've heard it both ways: ya don't want to give Saban a month to prepare... Georgia's far more athletic on 'D', way better pass attack.  So what.  We'll play the hand that's dealt us, just like we have all year.  

    *  Another fun fact:  33 out of 51 ND athletes likely to play on the 7th had SEC scholarship offers.  Just sayin'...

          *  Are we a team of destiny?  Why not? 
          *  We're one of the last two standing... why not us?  

    If This Week's Game Were A Movie Poster, It'd Be... 'Days Of Heaven'

    "Your Eyes... Your Ears... Your Senses... Will Be Overwhelmed"

    Auteur Terrence Malick's pastoral 1978 art film has much in common with the ND football program circa 2012:  originally perceived as flawed, took a mind-numbingly long time to finish and ultimately celebrated as one of the most acclaimed films of its era.


    Overwhelming. Just like our Irish.  

    I hope.

    Buddy's buddy

    A more than valid argument could be made for Lane Kiffin receiving this award.  Talk about a triple threat - poor play calling, tragic use of time outs and horrific clock management...  wow.


    Celebrity west coast presenters,
    Murphy & Seamus Flaherty
    And I'll just put this out there - Louis Nix might be my favorite player. Many others get more publicity on the D but on all of those goal line stands, who's invariably at the bottom of those piles?  Irish Chocolate, that's who.  And what other guy his size seems to get better as the game goes on?  

    But this week's shout out was almost predictable in the 1st Quarter:


    Theo Riddick, you are The Man. Last year's enduring image was your flailing away on punt return duty (blissfully relieved of duty early in the year). Talk about not settling. Now you catch everything in your zip code, you're never denied when tough yards are needed most and you've basically come up huge in every important opportunity presented to you. If there's any poetic justice, you'll have a splendid 10 yr. career in the NFL as a dependable 3rd down back... 

    For as much (deserved) publicity as Te'o gets, if you ever want to see an example of The Brian Kelly underrated 'Right Kind of Guy', Theo could be the poster boy.

    Portrait Of The Artist
    As A Young Tool
    Tool Time

    You might've thought, "Ter, this is the happiest college football occasion you've experienced in decades... surely you're filled with love and forgiveness for all of God's creatures, no matter how bereft of Ethics, Morals or Character they might have..."

    And you would be wrong.  Let's start with... 

    1.  Ohio State.   Honoring Jim Tressel at half-time of your final game - a game that's your last one only because he got you put on BCS probation - that doesn't strike you as even a teensy weensy bit inconsistent?  I'd say 'ironic' but I'm not sure you understand that concept...

    2.  Urban Meyer.  Things you learn with watching rivalry games:  coach Meyer demonstrating a profound grasp of geography - he apparently refuses to say their name - referencing tOSU's arch-rivals only as 'that team up north'.  What are we, 6 yrs. old and reading Harry Potter, Urban? They Who Must Not Be Named! Or is the multi-syllabic nature of the name 'Michigan' too daunting for your team?

    3.  Charlie Weis.  Knowing of his prodigious ego, this season must've been terribly hard on Big Chuck.  Watching all his recruits finally play to their potential and restore glory to his alma mater. The same institution who kicked him to the curb and ignored his schematic advantage.  He could've taken the high road and just stayed away from the topic... but when the topic was teed up (by local Kansas reporters), he just couldn't resist taking the bait - saying, in effect, "I don't want to intrude on their big moment.." but by ensuring the press knew Manti & Co. were his recruits, kinda did.


    4.  Cam Newton.  This is what one picks up when one has time to listen to as much talk sports as I do:  Post-Monday night game, Mr. "It's All About Me" kept reporters and his team waiting an hour - guys on deadline, airplanes on tarmacs, families waiting at the other end - for no apparent reason other than... you could.  You're fast becoming the Neidermeyer of your team.


    Speaking of tools, past and present, it bears pointing out that both Colin Cowherd and Rick Reilly have been extraordinarily complimentary about the ND season of late.  One of the things that many of you know about me - I loathe the Notre Dame 'everyone's a hater' persecution complex.  And forever, I've been a big Reilly fan - he's a terrific writer.  The fact is, he wrote a fairly lazy article back in August and now he's owning up that he was wrong.  Have a listen - apparently he's even headed to campus tomorrow to fulfill his promise to polish Notre Dame helmets.  (I sure hope that isn't a euphemism.) 

    Another interesting insight: Cowherd made the point that ND is the one school that when ESPN plans to bring their athletes on the program they don't need to do any pre-interviewing or due diligence - they know the kids are going to be articulate, interesting, responsible.  Pretty neat. 

    Schadenfreude Winner.
    Week 12 - old faves:
    1.  USC.  It just never gets old. One can only hope you truly are stuck with Lane for two more years.
    "How ya like them apples, SEC?!"
          2.  Florida.  What, you thought you had to lose to receive this recognition?  How about having your nose pressed up against the BCS championship window... but no one will let you in.  Boo freakin' hoo.
          3.  FSU.   You're kinda like my personal, east coast USC, imbued with this Florida-based sense of football entitlement without actually having done anything of genuine substance in this century.  And like USC, you were considered a favorite preseason #1 prediction of the pundits.  Oops.

    Recruiting Carousel
    "Have fun storming the West Coast, boys..."
    On the road again. 

    As soon as you finish winning your school's biggest game in 20+ yrs., what's your reward?  You get to wake up the next day and start flying around the country, pandering to a bunch of self-absorbed 18 yr. olds who think they're the greatest thing since the forward pass. 

    The good news is that this time you don't have to answer a bunch of awkward questions about the status of the head coach...   (The bad news is that's one less betting opportunity I get to organize.)

    Even better, there's talk of USC's class imploding as even 18 yr. olds can recognize institutional idiocy if confronted with it on a grand enough stage.  

    Sadly, if ever there was a year to want to take 30 guys, this would be it - it looks like any number of elite athletes are gonna get turned away.  3-4 to watch, based on priority need and likelihood of committing, all (apparently) total studs:
    1. Max Redfield, S, California
    2. Al-Quadin Muhammed, DE, New Jersey
    3. Tarean Folston, RB, Florida
    4. Greg Bryant, RB, Florida
    For once, it should be a fun run up to Signing Day.

    2012 Schedule.
    September
    October
    November
    1    @Navy (Dublin)            W
    8    PURDUE                       W
    15  @MSU                          W
    22  MICHIGAN                  W
    29
    6    MIAMI (Soldier Field)*          W
    13  STANFORD                           W
    20  BYU                                       W
    27 @Oklahoma                            W
    3      PITT                        W
    10    @BC                         W
    17   WAKE FOREST        W
    24    @USC                       W
    *Linipalooza III

    Wager 2012.
    Thank you, team, for putting more distance between you and any prognostications from this group.

    Wouldn't want any 'woulda, coulda, shoulda' hand-ringing.  No predictor's remorse.  We were all wrong, happily so, by several standard deviations.

    A check for $800 went out this morning to The Breezy Point Disaster Fund.  Thanks again, JP, for the recommendation.

    Wins


    ND-Scorsese connection 

    Contestant’s prediction

    Pay-out
    12

    Hugo

    Sweet, compelling mystery that shows the virtues of faith and resilience. Everyone walks away happy and pleasantly surprised.



    11



    10
    JPLiniDave
    $267
    9

    Goodfellas

    Awesome film about fulfilling one’s potential and realizing your dreams… even if it is becoming a gangster.  (Q.  Does ending in Witness Protection qualify as a happy ending?)
    Bryan, Ted, Ray, Tim S, Bob S

    $160
    8
    Jay, John, Peter, Raz, Kevin M, Tim C, Mark

    $115
    7
    Jerry C, Matt, Jerry W, Jim B, Tom, Mike C, Jim T, Mike G
    Garrett R
    $90
    6

    The Departed

    A terrific story about two Boston Irishmen’s different destinies set from childhood. So very close to a happy ending. And yet, so far.
    Terry, Jim S, Jerry P, Brian, Blair 

    $160
    5
    Kevin C, Alvin, Randy

    $267
    4



    3

    Taxi Driver

    Mentally unstable Viet Nam vet w. wildly unrealistic delusions of heroism.  He’s a total loser, albeit an incredibly   dangerous one. Sadly everybody knows it (incl. Rick Reilly) but him.



    2



    1



    0




    Final Thought - USC Post-game
    I know most of you have seen one of these already but I came across an extended version.  Pretty cool.  A couple observations:  a) love Kelly's direction at the end 'to act with class', b) never heard an Our Father said so emphatically and c) could someone please tell Joe Theismann his ND ship has sailed?

    Final Thought - II 
    Again, I don't think he's gonna win.  But if ever there was a year to recognize athletic excellence and character...
    This would be the year. And this would be the guy. 


    Wednesday, November 21, 2012

    Week 11 (2012): In The Land of Hope & Dreams



    "There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It's an area which we call the 'A' Lot... " 







    This is probably nearly 100% accurate:  round about the time that Bruce Springsteen was belting out "this train - dreams will not be thwarted, this train - faith will be rewarded..." at The Sprint Center in Kansas City on Saturday night, Oregon's kicker was plunking an eminently makeable field goal off the left upright.  Minutes later, Stanford's guy was drilling a similar chip shot and it was 'Party on, Wayne! Party on, Garth!' in South Bend.  And, I suspect, in a lot of other places.  



    "Kiffin said what?!"
    What a long strange trip it's been, right?  And in yet another harmonic convergence, we had the opportunity to see "Lincoln" on Friday night (great movie, incredible performance by Daniel Day-Lewis) which also emphatically drove home 
    -  the value of perseverance
    -  the danger of taking your adversaries too lightly 
    -  the benefits that accrue when one creates a single-minded plan to achieve a worthy objective.

    Themes one could apply to ND Football 2012.

    Song of the Week

    This song's for you, Manti.  We have extolled your many legitimate virtues over the past several weeks, sometimes with more irreverence than others.  The excellence of your play on the field has always been undeniable and to see you interviewed is to see a young man ridiculously, and authentically, selfless.  But as your ND career ends, the one thing that jumps out is that you will be The Gift That Keeps On Giving to those that come after.  And what better metaphor for that than a 'ripple in still (some would say 'stagnant') water'.


                                                                            Reach out your hand if your cup be empty.
                                                                            If your cup is full, may it be again.
                                                                            Let it be known there is a fountain,
                                                                           That was not made by the hands of man.

                                                                           Ripple in still water,
                                                                           When there is no pebble tossed,
                                                                           Nor wind to blow.
      
    Awesome when performed by The Dead. And when covered by Jane's Addiction, no less anthemic and inspiring. Just like you, Manti. 

    Word of the Week
    ELYSIAN    

    • ely·sian adjective, often capitalized \i-ˈli-zhən\

    1  : of or relating to Elysium
    2  : blissful, delightful

    First Known Use
    • 1579
    • Ancient Greek paradise reserved for heroes to whom the gods had granted immortality. Homer described it as a land of perfect happiness at the end of the earth, on the banks of the Oceanus River. From the time of Pindar (c. 500 BC) on, Elysium was imagined as a dwelling place for those who had lived a righteous life.
    Synonyms: celestial, empyreal, empyrean, ethereal, heavenly, supernal
    Antonyms: chthonic (also chthonian), hellish, infernal, plutonian, sulfurous, Tartarean

    Used in a sentence... The dream of Notre Dame football returning to #1 ranking at year end was, for many, an elysian fantasy never thought achievable. 

    Random Observations Of The Game
    Pre-Game

    *   Dateline:  Kansas City, MO. Laid out on a couch at Chateau du Ungie.  The prior evening's revelry, capped with a 3am bourbon-fueled conversation with Mark and Matt appears, in hindsight, a tactical error.
    *  But it's Senior Day!  And Phillip Phillips' "Home" is once again in evidence.  That kid must be printing money with all the usage of that one song.
    *  Zeke Motta is carrying a sledge hammer. And I'm not even gonna ask why.  He looks like he knows how to use it.
    *  Kappie's mom is a big girl.
    *  And Tyler's dad is long drink of water!
    *  Manti introduced. And the crowd goes wild.  Rightfully so.

    What would Sigmund Freud think of Manti?  He'd augment his hierarchy of human psyche, that's what!  
    Let's review:

    I.  Id:  the part of the personality that contains a human's basic instinctual drives, often unresponsive to reality. Unconscious by definition.  See Dillon Man.

    II.  Ego:  the rational component of the personality that seeks longer term benefits than the Id. Actions are often semi-conscious.  See Morrissey Man.

    III.  Super-Ego:  the organized part of the personality that includes one's ideals and applies critical judgment to one's actions.  Sometimes appears more conscious than it really is. Utterly contradictory to the Id.  See Sorin Man.

    IV.  Manti:  the fully conscious, inclusive and character-driven part of the psyche, imbued with more integrity than is natural.  Understands it's wholly superior to the other stages of the psyche but hangs with them anyway. 

    1st Quarter

    *  Excitable Boy, Cam McDaniel unwisely takes the kickoff out of the end zone.  And of course there is a penalty. Yet another drive starting from inside our own 10.  At least its familiar territory.
    *  Wake has a player named Nikita!  That's a little intimidating.
    *  4th play, option pitch to Cierre and it's "good night, Irene!" 68 yds., ND 7-0.
    *  Kapow! Carlo - channeling his inner Jersey thug - lays out the Wake RB. 
    *  Kelly is rockin' a classic grey sweatshirt.  While I applaud his pragmatism, it's Senior Day. There are parents here!  Where's your sense of decorum?
    *  Repeating Mayock (as I am want to do):  when Golson sets his feet, he throws a great ball.
    *  Tyler, looking more like a small forward, boxes out his defender on an otherwise fairly mediocre fade.  TD!  ND, 14-0
    *  Manti misses a tackle.  Things you don't often see...
    *  John Godman, "All he does is catch touchdowns..."  ND, 21-0. 
      2nd Quarter

      *  ND confidently running bootleg out of their own end zone, wow how things have improved.  
      *  When once we'd almost hurl seeing our QB's break out of the pocket, now it's kinda cool.
      *  70 yd. drive from inside the 10 (again) and Everett's feeling it.  Perhaps more so than is necessary:  INT on an inexplicably dumb throw.  
      *  Stephon Tuitt. Prime Time.  Sack #12.
      *  Double reverse that goes nowhere.  Why do it?  And why show it?
      *  Theo is a terrific receiver.
      *  Pump fake, TD pass on a rope to TJ.  Might be the best pass he's thrown all year.  ND, 28-0. 
      *  A 7 yd. punt return!  Where'd THAT come from?!
      *  Brindza, FG.  ND, 31-0.

      Half-Time

      *  Hines Ward seems to be loving the marshmallow barrage.  Doug Flutie, less so.  But the objects are probably coming at him with greater pace than Hines'.
      *  Fun fact (you'll certainly hear again on Saturday night):  ND has outscored their opponents in the 2nd half, 134 - 46.

      3rd Quarter

      "Tyler, I knew Ken MacAfee...
      and you're no Ken MacAfee.
      You're waaay better!"
            *  Davonte is making me really nervous.
            *  Tyler Eifert - the new all-time leading TE receiver!  Bravo!
            *  Brindza, wide left.  I kinda knew it wouldn't last. 
            *  Tommy in.  Smart move.
            *  A Jake Golic sighting!  Evidently someone thinks this game is out of reach..
            *  News flash!  Cierre Wood is really good.  And GAIII is really fast.  ND, 38-0.
            *  Nice leather gloves, Tom Hammond.  Could you look any more the weanie boy?

      4th Quarter

            *  13:27 left and the best part of the game occurs. Kelly orchestrates a curtain call for his key seniors on defense.  And that probably tells you everything you need to know about how improved the player - coach relationship has become.
           *  Do I have to watch this last bit?!
           *  A Hendrix sighting!  
           *  That didn't last long. 
           *  Excellent usage of the slo-mo replay on Kelly's Gatorade bath. 
           *  And solid strategy on the player's part - it's not like Kelly is gonna get angry at Te'o...


      Summary Thoughts

            Rome wasn't built in a day, though if it had been a Notre Dame football fan they'd have been ticked off it wasn't. But aren't we all happy now?
        
            If one is a NY Giants or GB Packer fan ("we few, we happy few, we Band of Loons"), one embraces the value of playing your best football at the end of the year. Especially regarding ND's QB, that certainly is looking the case. 

      Year I                            Passing            %       Yds.    TD       INT     QBR
      E. Golson                    151 – 256         59.0     1918    11          5        132.1
      J. Clausen                    138 - 245         56.3     1254     7           6        103.9
      B. Quinn                      157 - 332         47.3     1831     9         15         93.5
      R. Powlus                    119 – 222         53.6    1729    19          9        139.2

      *   Nice to see the defensive 2nd teamers, not let up.  Certainly the 'points allowed' success has become a real source of pride.

      *  If it were me, I'd be having a conversation with Cierre about staying for his 5th year.

      *  Things that concern me going in to The Coliseum: 
          a.  Davonte Neal's decision-making
          b.  Chris Brown's hands
          c.  Kicking off to Marquise Lee
          d.  Kyle in the clutch

            *  I don't especially worry about us giving up the long pass play.  The question, for me, is whether USC / Lane can be patient enough to take advantage of the short stuff that ND is so comfortable giving up.

      If This Week's Game Were A Movie Poster, It'd Be... Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure


      "History Is About To Be Re-Written By Two Guys Who Can't Spell"

      Or maybe this is just the caption for Matt and Terry's excellent adventure in Kansas City this past weekend. No matter.  A couple guys are re-writing history at ND (and I have no idea their spelling prowess).  No one saw this year coming.  And yet, the team stands looking at one very winnable game - no slam dunk to be sure - in order to play for the national championship, in a year where everyone's proven themselves to be flawed.

      Who's Bill and who's Ted? I'd probably nominate Brian & Manti.  It seems to me that without those two guys having some kind of Vulcan mind-meld, none of this happens.

      Buddy's buddy

      Celebrity co-award presenter...
      Nuke Ungashick!
      Record setting day for Everett.  But he's not the call.  Not on Senior Day. This week we're recognizing the guy who a) got the party started with a 68 yd. TD dash and b) may also have played his final game in ND stadium (though apparently there may still be some wiggle room on him coming back for his 5th year).  

      Cierre Wood, come on down! This also gives me the excuse to add another song in his honor.  I, for one, hope you return.  But if you don't, thanks for the memories - including the ones we hope you'll be making in the next two games.



      Portrait Of The Artist
      As A Young Tool
      Tool Time

      I thought - and still do - that we Class of '79'ers were blessed with going to ND during an athletic Golden Age:  a national championship in football, a Final Four in basketball, a quality hockey team (not that any of you who went to the games could actually remember it afterwards). And don't even get me started on The Juggernaut That Was Fencing... 

      But I digress.  I've come to believe that we live in a similar Golden Age of Tools.  So many to document, so little time.  Historians may end up looking back at the early 21st Century as The Power Tool era, kinda like the Industrial Revolution except with immense advances in humans who are total jerks.  Take, for instance, this week:

      "Apologize..." 
      1.  Lane Kiffin.  You are my rock, my "Mr. Dependability".  And when you threw Matt Barkley under the bus after your team was totally outplayed (and one must add, out-coached) by crosstown rival, UCLA, you just demonstrated your full-on commitment to being devoid of even a scintilla of character.  

      2. Chicago Bears.  Getting embarrassed on national TV by the 49'ers is not justification for toolhood.  It's happens.  Although to be fair, it kinda happens to you more than one should reasonably expect.  But when senior management (Ted Phillips?) made Pro Bowl kicker Robbie Gould apologize for reaming the Park District Board for what everyone on earth knows - that the Soldier Field turf is the worst piece of... dirt - well, that was just embarrassing.

      3.  Jeffrie Luire.  I don't follow baseball until September so my general interest level is probably on the lower side.  But what he's doing to the Marlins, gutting the team (and lying to his players in the process) after getting the locals to pony up for a new stadium, is near criminal.

      "You said rape twice."
      "I like rape."
      4.  Jerramy Stevens. There's nothing 'near' about this guy - he's a total criminal. Former Washington Husky star TE and subsequent vagabond NFL'er, in the span of a little over a decade, he's been arrested 10 times, spanning charges of rape, sexual assault, reckless driving, drug possession, DUI, felony battery... the latest being his recent assault of his fiance (the equally psychotic Hope Solo) where they, in perfect poetic symmetry, married later that day.  Wow.

      Schadenfreude Winner.

      Week 11 - who couldn't predict these?
      1.  K-State.  Never was wild about your loading up on JUCO's to begin with, coach Snyder. And Optimus Klein blowing the Heisman was just icing on the cake.
      2.  Oregon.  Now does this accelerate or decelerate Chip Kelly's bailing to the NFL?  And the fact that you lost at home, that's... awesome!
      3.  USC.   Proving that occasionally one can have one's cake and eat it too... I get to celebrate SC losing... AGAIN (!)... and ND still ends up #1.

      Recruiting Carousel
      All's quiet.  Which is probably a good thing.  

      2012 Schedule.
      September
      October
      November
      1    @Navy (Dublin)            W
      8    PURDUE                       W
      15  @MSU                          W
      22  MICHIGAN                  W
      29
      6    MIAMI (Soldier Field)*          W
      13  STANFORD                           W
      20  BYU                                       W
      27 @Oklahoma                            W
      3      PITT                        W
      10    @BC                         W
      17   WAKE FOREST        W
      24    @USC
      *Linipalooza III

      Wager 2012.

      It's official - no one wins.  And everyone wins!  

      I'll be taking any and all suggestions for Sandy-related donations... JP has started the ball rolling with a terrific one, The Breezy Point Disaster Relief Fund, which totally works for me.  If any of you have a strong point of view about an alternative, give me a shout and we'll get this money sent.

      I can't even freakin' believe the pool ended this way!  And I really loved the movie 'Hugo'...


      Wins


      ND-Scorsese connection 

      Contestant’s prediction

      Pay-out
      12

      Hugo

      Sweet, compelling mystery that shows the virtues of faith and resilience. Everyone walks away happy and pleasantly surprised.



      11



      10
      JPLiniDave
      $267
      9

      Goodfellas

      Awesome film about fulfilling one’s potential and realizing your dreams… even if it is becoming a gangster.  (Q.  Does ending in Witness Protection qualify as a happy ending?)
      Bryan, Ted, Ray, Tim S, Bob S

      $160
      8
      Jay, John, Peter, Raz, Kevin M, Tim C, Mark

      $115
      7
      Jerry C, Matt, Jerry W, Jim B, Tom, Mike C, Jim T, Mike G
      Garrett R
      $90
      6

      The Departed

      A terrific story about two Boston Irishmen’s different destinies set from childhood. So very close to a happy ending. And yet, so far.
      Terry, Jim S, Jerry P, Brian, Blair 

      $160
      5
      Kevin C, Alvin, Randy

      $267
      4



      3

      Taxi Driver

      Mentally unstable Viet Nam vet w. wildly unrealistic delusions of heroism.  He’s a total loser, albeit an incredibly   dangerous one. Sadly everybody knows it (incl. Rick Reilly) but him.



      2



      1



      0




      Final Thought - Ode To A Fallen Icon

      As told through haiku...




      Hostess in dire straits? 
      Referendum Sixty-Four.
      Perfect mountain home!





      Final Thought - II 

      Hey SI, I got your jinx right here!  (Oh, and by the way, 'miracle' my ass.  This ain't no Willingham / Weis mirage...)