In the velvet darkness of the blackest night
Burning bright
There's a guiding star
No matter what or who you are...
Dateline: Union Pier, MI
One might think that connecting attendance at the annual Alumni Hall reunion weekend to the cult film, Rocky Horror Picture Show would be something of a stretch.
After all, what does a group of longtime college pals from around the country, gathering annually to reconnect, have anything to do with a young honeymooning couple having their car break down in front of the home of a mad, cross dressing alien -- where hi-jinx subsequently result...
Hello, have you met Brian Ward?
Great guy. Fantastic cook. Maker of possibly the world's best Irish coffee. A bit unstable. More Riff Raff than Frank-N-Furter, a man capable of expressing thought that both excites, challenges societal norms and often confuses.
Tell me that's not an alien super power.
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| With a bit of mind flip, you're into a time slip... |
But you ask, what after all, does any of it have to do with Notre Dame football? Well it's said that Rocky Horror is ultimately about finding -- and being comfortable with -- one's identity... something ND football has struggled with through its first few games.
So with the best RB's in the country, a QB getting more confident every week and a defense that seems to finally be healthy and understanding of the scheme, maybe we now who who we are. And that would seem to bode well for the next seven games...
So to recap: Alumni Hall => Rocky Horror => Notre Dame football 2025.
Q.E.D.
Quote of the Month
"Can't repeat the past? Why, of course you can!"
Jay Gatsby
"The Great Gatsby"
Anybody yet getting feelings of deja vu... seeing Marcus Freeman's program pull a repeat of last year's "let's dig ourselves a really deep hole in September and spend the rest of the season climbing out of it whereby come December, we're actually a legitimate national championship team?"
Asking for a friend.
Word of the Month
He knew that the description of him being 'soft' had followed him his whole life -- he couldn't count the number of times he heard his brothers express that opinion to their parents.
"That boy's not right in the head, mom," they'd say.
Hurtful.
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| Cowboy Jerrence, intimidating... no one. |
Then there was "the kicker in high school" years, an association not exactly linked to being a classic hard guy.
Lastly, there was the ex son-in-law, suggesting that his daughter's lack of acceptance of his spousal abuse was due to "growing up in a household with weak male figures."
Ouch.
Again, the accusation was not without some truth, even if the dipshit failed to recognize that Defarge could kick his boney ass.
So, it was with some surprise that Jerrence found the intensity of anger welling up inside him at the increasingly egregious calls from the officiating.
"Irate" would not be an inaccurate description.
Even as he watched Marcus Freeman excoriate the refs (was the coach actually trying to get ejected from the game?), Jerrence's bile only increased. These guys were hacks and with the offense not being entirely on their game, and Boise State hanging around, the game still had the possibility of swinging in the opponent's favor. Jerrence had seen that movie before.
Thank you, defense.
Game 4 Thoughts
Always look on the bright side of life...
I'm a "glass half full", making lemonade-out-lemons kind of guy.
-- Where people see sh*t, I see fertilizer.
-- Where people see swine, I see breakfast.
-- Where people see psychopaths, I see future Netflix limited series.
So Saturday's performance might've represented, for some, a bit of a worrisome step back for an offense that has recently looked virtually unstoppable.
For Jerrence, the defense stepping up, again, was the far more relevant takeaway.
---------------------------------
Here's what else came to mind watching the game, in super random order:
1. Fun With Numbers! Notre Dame was called for just three penalties against Purdue, while the Irish were flagged five times against Miami, A&M, and Arkansas.
On Saturday, Boise State accepted 11 penalties on the Irish, while Notre Dame accepted 13 from the Broncos. Including the one penalty late that was not accepted (and maybe there were more turned down), we're talking 25 penalties out of a total of 125 plays run by both sides. Or 1 out of every 5 plays a flag came out of a ref's pocket.
Yowzer.
And check out the 19-yard TD to Will Pauling -- the pass was perfect, as was the TD pass to Fields.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner!
And this is no criticism of Love. It's just that one finds oneself barely blinking when Price subs in for Love. He / they are both that good.
Let us hope this is who they really are (and what we expected).
5. Tackling. I am of the strongly held belief that tackling in college is a forgotten skill, probably little emphasized in many programs such that if one were to place a wager on getting one of your better athletes in space, one-on-one, with 90% of the college defenders, the subsequent yards after contact would exceed expectation.
So when I see a tackle like this, I just LOVE it!
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| Rapid deceleration |
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| Happy tailgaters... |
And last weekend was no exception.
Side note that shall never again be repeated: Jerrence did not have a 'Behrens Bloody.' Both shocking and disappointing.
He blames the aforementioned Mr. Ward's evening ending Irish coffee the night before. So good.
Thank you, as always, Jay / Jerry / Bob / Tim / Jim / Peter.
Buddy's Buddy
In a week where the story line rightfully belongs to the defense -- again holding Boise State to only 7 points is not nothing -- one realizes that, only five games in, perhaps we've already gotten numb to the excellence of our running backs..
Jeremiyah Love rushes for 103 yards and no one bats an eye.
Jadarrian Price adds another 83 yards, on half as many carries, and it's 'yep, kinda what we expected...'
In any other game, maybe, we'd be calling them out as critical pieces when our wunderkind QB had only a B- game and points weren't coming on every drive...
Still, the big question going into the game, for this blogger, was the defense's improvement of late and it's sustainability.
Welcome back, Leonard Moore, this week's Bud.
That's gotta be good, right?
And when those receivers are taking longer to get open, if at all, that's gotta be good for the pass rush, yes?
And with each game those freshman DB's get a little more experience, a little more knowledgeable...
Stay healthy, Leonard.
RE-PETE (A shameless, illegal lift of Pete Sampson's weekly mail-bag)
Welcome to October.
Five games in, quantifiably 41% of the season.
One more game and we're at the halfway point -- are we ready to draw some conclusions, or minimally, some hypotheses of future expectations?
I think so.
Here's an easy one to start with...
-----------------------------------
Can we finally give up on the direct snaps to Jeremiyah Love? — Rick D.
I almost thought coach Marcus Freeman was trolling us when he talked about the wildcat this week, just lobbing the thought grenade that maybe Love should pass it to CJ Carr and see how it goes.
Let’s agree on some facts about the wildcat before we go further. It’s a dated offensive formation that went out of fashion about 15 years ago. It’s a gimmick to help an offense make up for a lack of ability in short yardage. And unless you want to play 10-on-11, the quarterback has to be live as part of the package. The quarterback can’t just be a mannequin.
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| That's more like it. |
And that’s on top of the fact that the Irish have bombed in making the wildcat actually work.
Whether it’s a false start by Billy Schrauth after the shift against Boise State or Love hitting the wrong hole against Texas A&M, Notre Dame does this poorly. So when Freeman talks about Boise State giving Notre Dame a funky look on that first drive, and that’s why the play didn’t work … uh … when has the play worked?
The bigger issue is that Notre Dame doesn’t know who it is when it’s third-and-2. A couple of years ago, Gi’Bran Payne was excellent in this look. Love and Jadarian Price have not been since. If you were ever going to go back to that RPO stuff Notre Dame used at Miami, short yardage feels like the moment.
But whatever the short-yardage solution is, direct snaps to Love ain’t it.
Source: The Athletic
October 8, 2025
Cocktail of the Month
It's funny, often surprising and probably a little telling (if not disturbing) when one finds out what people associate with you.
Like when my good friend Jim sends me a text that says "Hey, I thought about you when I saw that there's a new limited series about Ed Gein" -- the prolific 1950's Wisconsin serial killer who inspired such films as Psycho, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Silence of the Lambs.
Hmmm. Why would he say 'I thought about you...'? Never mind the fact that, OF COURSE, I knew about the series and had it on my IMDb Watch List.
So with that as a bit of context, having spent "quality time" with Thomas Feifar, Esq. over the past weekend, when considering a cocktail for the week... I immediately thought about Tom -- and for the life of me, I don't know why -- The Shining and the film's understated bartender.
Hair of the dog, Lloyd.
RED RUM
The Shining
by Stephen King (1977)
Haunted houses are a classic trope in gothic literature, but what if, and this is gonna sound crazy, there was a haunted hotel with all those rooms just brimming with psychic terror?
Frightening!
Unluckily for Jack Torrance and his family, who are hired to be the off-season caretakers of the Overlook Hotel in the Rockies, their new home is just that.
Cabin fever sets in, and ghostly children, forbidden rooms, and animated topiaries topple the Torrance family.
Sip on this fruity cocktail to warm your soul as you read this frigid tale.
Yield: 1 serving
-- 2 oz. light rum
-- ½ oz. raspberry syrup (store-bought syrup or make your own by combining equal parts sugar, water, and fresh raspberries)
-- ½ oz. curaçao
-- ¾ oz. freshly squeezed lime juice
-- orange slice or twist, for garnish
-- raspberry or cherry, for garnish
-----------------------------
1. Add ice cubes to a cocktail shaker to chill the ingredients.
2. Add the light rum, raspberry syrup, and curaçao into the shaker.
3. Squeeze lime juice into the shaker.
4. Shake the ingredients vigorously for about :10 to :15.
5. Strain the contents of the shaker into a rocks glass or a coupe glass filled with ice.
6. Garnish with the orange slice or twist on the rim of the glass with the raspberry or cherry on top of the drink.
Source: The Turn of the Screwdriver
50 Dark & Twisted Literary Cocktails
By Iphigenia Jones
Schedule 202
August
31 @Miami L
September
13 Texas A&M L
20 Purdue W Corrigan brother reunion!
27 @Arkansas W Soooiiieeee!
October
4 Boise St. W Alumni Hall Reunion weekend, Union Pier MI
11 NC State
18 USC "Lincoln, We Hardly Knew Ye" (wussy)
November
1 @BC
9 Navy
16 @Pitt
23 Syracuse
29 @Stanford
December
19-20 PLAYOFF GAME!
Wager 2025
3-2 and head finally above water, with the next two games seemingly looking like the biggest obstacles to running the table to a 10-2 season and a BCS playoff bid...
All in all, it's just another brick in the wall...
Wins | ND Equivalence | Domer |
12  The Joker | "Do I really look like a guy with a plan?" ----- Ledger's Joker is mercurial, charismatic and a complete psychopath. Utterly unforgettable. Just as a Notre Dame undefeated, on-their-way-to-a-national championship-season would be. |
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11  Otto | "Don't call me stupid!" ----- Ex-CIA operative Otto lives at the intersection of dangerous and moronic. An 'Otto season' for ND would be a rollercoaster -- a lot of fun with youth at some key positions, and likely more than it's fair share of 'that wasn't very clever' moments. | Gutsch , Sloane Daryl Jim S. Peter Tim TedBill Jim B Pat B George Alex, Feif Garrett Spit the Elder |
10  | "That's a bingo!" ----- Jew hunter Landa -- equal parts chillingly pathological and pragmatic, this character would probably represent a 10-win regular season that might make you sick to your stomach but ultimately pretty satisfied. | Jerrence, Mike C, Tim C. Mark U. Jerry P. Jerry C. Mike B. Brian W. Jim T. Mike G, Bose Jerry W Lini, Randy Greg Kyle W. |
9  RP McMurphy | "I'm a goddamn marvel of modern science." ----- What's the residual emotion from Cuckoo's Nest? Sadness. RP, a guy who sees things clearly but can't get out of his own way. When it doesn't end well, one is left thinking what could've been. Like a 9-win season.
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8  | "I don't know who I am. Or where I'm going. None of it." ------ An apt summary of an 8-win ND season. A lot of difficult questions ultimately unanswered. Still, the Bourne trilogy rocks and JB is The Man. | |
7  | "I'm thinking I'm back..." ----- For many, ND winning only 7 games would be akin to someone shooting their dog -- and requiring appropriate payback. And like with John Wick, rationale requiring very few words of explanation. | |
6  | "Are you not entertained!" ------Probably not, if ND only won six games... but that's not the point here: it probably says a lot about me that the final ranked character is the most moral, selfless one of the bunch. | |
Sports Imitating Art.
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| Well Hung Lover, by Banksy (2006) |
Schadenfreude of the Week.
In advance of this upcoming week's "Why can't a meteorite just wipe them all out" Bowl (Michigan vs. USC)... the football gods decided to throw Jerrence an early bone.
More than just an amuse bouche, this two-fer was more like a couple courses in a full-on Italian meal, both primo and secondo...
Lion AND Longhorn on the menu. Yum. But save enough for next week's dessert!
So this goes out to Tim C / Graham / Jim T...
Fun fact: UCLA's upset of PSU also marked the first time in 40 years an 0-4 or worse team beat a Top 10 opponent.
Well done, coach Franklin.
Their prize recruit, Arch, his 3rd year in the program and not (yet) fulfilling anywhere near the Manning legacy expectations -- already with two losses and a schedule that still includes Oklahoma, Georgia, A&M and Vandy... rut roh.
I happen to like coach Sark but, man, if they go by the wayside, ND could really use that gift.
And besides if the Miami win came at the expense of the equally detestable FSU, maybe that's like burying said veggies in his mashed potatoes.
4. Vandy. This was difficult for Jerrence to nominate the Commodores. After all, who doesn't like / respect / be impressed by what Clark Lea has done with a perennially doormat of a program where winning has always gone to die...
But at some point, Team ND needed them to get cut down a notch or two. Might as well be now.
Terry's Tools.
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| The few, the proud... |
The more the world changes, the more things appear to stay the same.
Technology advances at an exponential rate, pity that human intelligence, decision making, good taste and common sense are not following at an equal pace.
One man's opinion: idiots still abound.
And I think this blog section shows empirical evidence to support that claim.
-------------------------------------------------
She also has an Instagram page with more than 36,000 followers and a bio that reads: “You’ll either get it or pretend you don’t. I’m a creation. #aiart.”
Let me repeat: Tilly is an AI creation who is now seeking talent representation. That is to say, an agent.
It was there that Norwood announced her “first ever role” in “AI Commissioner,” a comedy sketch from the production company Particle6 that satirizes the future of TV development and can be seen below.
This may be the most terrifying thing you watch all year:
2) Mark Sanchez. File this under "That Can't Be Easy To Do..."
Arrested on felony battery charges Saturday.
For the same incident.
Apparently, a significantly, um, "impaired" Mr. Sanchez took issue with where a 69 year old delivery driver was parking his truck -- the man thought he could, given he was picking up cooking oil -- and hijinx ensured.
Which is to say, Sanchez beat the living you-know-what out of the guy before getting stabbed by the fellow in defense (as one does).
Yikes.
But for Mr. Sanchez who, before last weekend had the Butt Fumble as his most embarrassing public mistake, nothing seems to be impossible. A true Trojan.
What a difference a day makes...
And once again, the points taken off the board proved to be the difference in the player's team losing.
Unbelievable. Even Pee Wee league kids know better.
I would imagine every locker room in America, at any level, is telling their players 'you don't let go of that ball until you get back to the sidelines or the ref takes it from you, which ever comes first.
As an aside. I wonder if you can make a prop bet in Vegas on this happening. It would seem like easy money...
Why can't the teams maintain their historical familiar look?
I blame Oregon and Nike / Phil Knight opening up Pandora's Box with all their wacky uni's...
Kids these days.
In any event, what are we doing here, ND?
The Bend?!
Name of the Week
This week's nominee also draw from next week's opponent roster pool.
And call it an homage to the TV shows we grew up watching...
-- Hogan's Heroes
-- F Troop
-- Gilligan's Island
-- Green Acres
-- Beverly Hillbillies
Each of them weirdly ahead of their time which now, but would probably offend someone.
No less subversive was The Smothers Brothers Show who introduced political satire to the American public -- with the show's anti-establishment stance, particularly on the Vietnam War, and its booking of controversial musical guests leading to frequent conflicts that ultimately ended in the show's cancellation in 1969.
Hollywood Smothers
A running back, NC State's young Mr. Smothers is no comedy act -- six games in, he's averaging over 100 yds/game rushing and has already amassed over 800 yds in total offense. Expect to hear his name often next Saturday.
Trivia
Q. When John Lennon and McCartney held a press conference in 1968 to announce the formation of the Apple label, John was asked to name his favorite American artist. Who did he name?
A) Bob Dylan
B) Harry Nilsson
C) John Prine
D) Brian Wilson
------
Final Thoughts
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| 40 years of respect-based communication... |
Happy 4oth anniversary, Lisa Ann Minnella.
Still can't believe you said 'yes.'
Even if was because you like the ND friends more than me.
I'll still take the 'W.'
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