Bridget McGuire's Filling Station

What I Wore

2012-02-15T13:10:00.015-05:00

I know, I do a lot of sports and music on this blog, but today I am in the need for a little something girlie. So if you are a guy, or you are not into fashion, today may be the day that you need to tune out!

Have you discovered this blog called "What I Wore, by Jessica Quirk?" I probably discovered this a year back, a tip from my friend Kristy, and I love, love, LOVE this blog. Not because I fancy myself as a fashionista, but because I think it is fun to see how someone else takes the same pieces and pairs them differently ... or how someone else uses an unusual piece ... or combine colors/patterns. I think that I have a pretty decent sense of fashion, but I am a very visual person, and so I get a lot of ideas from watching others. (Which is probably why I like Pinterest so much, too!)

Well anyways, don't take my word for it. If you are a fashion lover, like I am ... and a visual learner (or even if you are not a visual learner), take a trip over to Jessica's blog "What I Wore" and let me know what you think!

Here are a few snap shots, so that you can SEE what I am talking about!

One ...

Two ...

Three ...

Cheers!

And don't forget ... I still need votes ... help ... please!! :)

Two Princes

2012-02-10T00:01:00.003-05:00

This week's edition of Retro Friday features the band The Spin Doctors, and the song Two Princes.

The Spin Doctors are an American alternative rock band formed in New York City, best known for their two early 1990s hits, "Two Princes," and "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong," which peaked the Billboard Hot 100 charts at #7 (Two Princes) & #17 (Little Miss Can't Be Wrong).

The current members of the band include Chris Barron on vocals, Eric Schenkman on guitar and vocals, Aaron Comess on drums and percussion, and Mark White on bass guitar.

The Spin Doctors began in the late 1980s in New York City, originally as a band called Trucking Company, which included Canadian guitarist Eric Schenkman, John Popper, and later Chris Barron, who was John Popper's Princeton, New Jersey high school friend. Popper left this side project to focus on his main gig with Blues Traveler full time. With a name change to Spin Doctors, as well as the addition of Aaron Comess and Mark White, the classic lineup was in place by the spring of 1989.

The Spin Doctors' debut studio album, Pocket Full of Kryptonite was released in August of 1991. The band played many live shows, gaining grassroots fans, as the album was mostly ignored commercially. In summer 1992, the band toured with the first lineup of the H.O.R.D.E. festival, sharing the stage with fellow jam bands Widespread Panic, Blues Traveler, and Phish. That summer, commercial popularity finally heated up, as radio and MTV began playing "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" and "Two Princes." The album ended up going Gold in September of 1992, and then received another boost in sales after the band appeared on Saturday Night Live in October of 1992. Additional videos and singles followed for "What Time Is It," "How Could You Want Him (When You Know You Could Have Me?)," and "Jimmy Olsen's Blues." By June 1993, the album went Triple Platinum. In the end the album sold over five million copies in the United States and another five million overseas, and peaked at #3 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart.

"[Their] popularity is based on universal rock & roll virtues," said Rolling Stone Magazine, which put the band on the cover of its January 7, 1993 issue. "The Doctors aren't trying to blaze new trails. They know we've been down this way with the Stones, Curtis Mayfield, and a few of their other touchstones. But the proof—plenty of it—is in the party." The Spin Doctors also made an appearance on Sesame Street, singing a modified version of "Two Princes" that emphasized the importance of sharing.

I really loved this first album from the Spin Doctors. We didn't discover them until the spring of 1993, but this band played a pivotal roll in my memories of "Senior Week" ... the week between finals and Graduation. And so whenever I hear this song, I am immediately taken back to that week and the fun that we had! (Which shall not be mentioned!)

If you've never heard the Spin Doctors before ... here, take a listen! Enjoy!

Two Princes

Little Miss Can't Be Wrong

And a bonus ... Pocket Full of Kryptonite

Cheers!

My Garden 30

2012-02-07T13:21:00.069-05:00

Well, the end of the road is nearing, and we've been given our second to the last challenge for the "Biggest Fan of the Big East" contest. And Challenge #7 is: The Big East wants your opinion for the Garden30 campaign. Please make a blog post about your opinion of the following:

10 Best Big East Basketball Moments of all time
10 Best Big East Basketball Teams of all time
10 Best Big East Basketball Players of all time

Quite a big task in my estimation, but a Volvo S60 is at stake, so I'll give it my college best!

So while I am still dreaming of riding in my Volvo S60 and those awesome heated seats, sit back and read my Garden 30!

Here are my 10 Best Big East Basketball Players of all time:
(For further detail regarding my reasoning behind my 10 Best Big East Basketball Players of all time, read my Big East Dream team blog post!)

(Oh, and by the way, have I asked you to vote lately?
Please ... vote!!)

Here is my list of the best of the best in the Big East. They are an all-star caliber group for sure. They range in skills and talents from highest in scoring points, rebounds, blocks, and steals. All-star players on both sides of the ball, defense & offense. The best players in clutch situations and down the stretch. And of course record setting, championship and MVP winning players, and Rookie of the Year recipients. My list includes the following 10 players:

10. Carmelo Anthony, Forward, Syracuse(2002-2003)

9. Kemba Walker, Guard, Connecticut (2008-2011)

8. Khalid El-Amin, Guard, Connecticut (1998-2000)

7. Rashad Anderson, Guard/Forward, Connecticut (2002-2006)

6. Alonzo Mourning, Center, Georgetown (1988-1992)

5. Chris Mullin, Guard/Forward, St. Johns (1981-1985)

4. Allen Iverson, Guard, Georgetown (1994-1996)

3. Reggie Williams, Forward, Georgetown (1983-1987)

2. David Wingate, Guard, Georgetown (1982-1986)

1. Patrick Ewing, Center, Georgetown (1981-1985)

Next up is my list of Top 10 Teams of all time in Big East Basketball. They are not in order of importance, because they all were outstanding teams. Instead I have them listed chronologically by date!

10. Connecticut (2004); Coach Jim Calhoun; Record 33-6.
Season Finish: National champions; defeated Georgia Tech, 82-73.

9. Syracuse (2003); Coach Jim Boeheim; Record 30-5.
Season Finish: National champions; defeated Kansas, 81-78, in New Orleans.

8. Connecticut (1999); Coach Jim Calhoun; Record 34-2.
Season Finish: National champions; defeated Duke, 77-74.

7. Seton Hall (1989); Coach P.J. Carlesimo; Record 31-7.
Season Finish: National runner up; lost to Michigan, 80-79, in overtime.

6. Syracuse (1987); Coach Jim Boeheim; Record 30-7.
Season Finish: National runner up; lost to Indiana, 74-73.

5. Georgetown (1985); Coach John Thompson Jr.; Record 35-3.
Season Finish: NCAA runner up; lost to Villanova, 66-64, in the championship game.

4. St. John's (1985); Coach Lou Carnesecca; Record 31-4.
Season Finish: National semifinals; lost to Georgetown, 77-59.

3. Villanova (1985); Coach Rollie Massimino; Record 25-10.
Season Finish: National champions; defeated Georgetown, 66-64.

2. Georgetown (1984); Coach John Thompson Jr; Record 34-3.
Season Finish: National champions; defeated Houston, 84-75.

1. Georgetown (1982); Coach John Thompson Jr.; Record 30-7.
Season Finish: National runner up, losing to North Carolina, 63-62, in the title game.

And now my 10 Best Moments in Big East Basketball. This was a bit more challenging, and I'm sure I missed something BIG .. but here's my take at it! And remember, these are also in no particular order, as there is no way to really rank these. Oh, and some of them are WINNING moments, and some are NOT!

(Photo above from 1992 Big East Championship Game)

10. Villanova upsets Georgetown, 1985 National Title Game:
George Mason captured the heart of America in 2006, but there hasn't been a more surprising run through the NCAA tournament than the one by the 1985 Villanova Wildcats. With the expansion of the tournament to 64 teams, Rollie Massimino led his team into the Big Dance as a No. 8 seed. After beating top-seeded Michigan and No. 2 seed North Carolina 'Nova won the Southeast Region, and continued on its way into the final game against Patrick Ewing and the ever-imposing Georgetown Hoyas. But in what would be one of the greatest shooting performances in NCAA history, Villanova made over 75 percent of its shots to shock the Hoyas and capture the national title.

9. Michael Jordan’s shot and Fred Brown’s pass:
After 21 seasons of coaching North Carolina basketball, Dean Smith had yet to win a national championship. That all changed with the help of a star freshman from Wilmington, N.C. As North Carolina trailed by one point in the 1982 national championship game, Michael Jordan knocked down a jumper from the left wing with 17 seconds remaining on the clock to put his team back up by one. But unlike North Carolina, Georgetown decided not to call a timeout, and pushed the ball up court. With the pressure rising and the game clock ticking down, Georgetown point guard Fred Brown mistook James Worthy for a teammate, and passed the ball right to his opponent ... handing the title to Smith and the Tar Heels.

8. Keith Smart’s game-winning shot:
Sometimes a player can become immortalized in college basketball history with just one monumental game. For Keith Smart, it took just one shot. Smart was never highly touted as a high school basketball player or at Indiana, but the 1987 national championship game changed his life forever. With the Hoosiers trailing Syracuse by 1 point, and a mere 10 seconds remaining on the clock, Smart swished a 16-foot jumper along the baseline to lift Indiana to its fifth national title. While Smart’s NBA career was short-lived, “The Shot” would soon become one of March Madness’ most memorable moments.

7. 1990 Connecticut-Clemson:
With precisely one second left (yes, ONE), Connecticut guard Tate George catches a full-court pass from Scott Burrell, and then squares up to shoot a jumper that goes in the basket RIGHT at the buzzer to give the Huskies a miraculous 71-70 win over the Clemson Tigers and send Connecticut to their first ever Elite Eight.

6. 1989 Michigan-Seton Hall:
Assistant coach Steve Fisher took over the head coaching duties at Michigan right before the tournament began in 1989, following the firing of head coach Bill Frieder. Coach Frieder was fired over accepting the head coaching job at Arizona State, and subsequently Steve Fisher leads the Wolverines to the national championship. Michigan point guard Rumeal Robinson nailed the game-winning free throw with a mere three seconds to play in overtime, and after a controversial foul, to give the Wolverines an 80-79 victory over the Seton Hall Pirates.

5. 1981 Second Round:
The craziest single day in NCAA tournament history occurred in the second round of the 1981 NCAA tournament. The top two ranked teams in the country and the defending national champions were all eliminated by last-second shots in the same afternoon. First ... #1 ranked DePaul, who was the Mideast Region’s top seed, was knocked off by St. Joseph’s when John Smith makes the game-winning layup with three seconds left for a 49-48 victory. (Then, #2 ranked Oregon State, the 1 seed in the West Region, was stunned by Kansas State when Rolando Blackmon makes a 16-foot jumper from the right corner with two seconds left on the clock to give the Wildcats a 50-48 win.) But perhaps the most remarkable event of this day occurred in the Midwest Regional match up between Arkansas and Louisville, the defending national champions, when Razorback U.S. Reed makes a buzzer beater from beyond half court, giving Arkansas a 74-73 victory over the Cardinals.

4. 2006 George Mason-Connecticut:
In 2006, #11 seed George Mason completed its Cinderella run to the Final Four as they rallied from a nine-point deficit in the second half of their East Regional Final against Connecticut to hold off the top-seeded Huskies in overtime for a 86-84 win. This win made George Mason only the second #11 seed to reach the Final Four. During their memorable run, George Mason knocked off Michigan State, North Carolina, Wichita State, and Connecticut.

3. 2002 Double Overtime Thriller between Pitt & Connecticut:
In 2002 Pitt and Connecticut face each other in the final game of the Big East Tournament. A double-overtime thriller that was ended when Taliek Brown nailed a 30-foot three-point shot with only 34.8 seconds remaining to lift Connecticut to a 74-65 victory over seventh-ranked Pittsburgh at Madison Square Garden.

2. 1992 - The Most Closely Played Championship:
In 1992, the Big East Conference played its 10th straight postseason championship tournament in a sold-out Madison Square Garden. The 10th tournament also was the most closely played ever. From the quarterfinals through the title game, only one game was won by more than five points. Syracuse won the tournament by defeating Villanova 55-52 in the quarterfinals, Seton Hall 70-66 in the semifinals and Georgetown 56-54 in the championship game.

1. 1996 - Ray Allen's Game Winner:
In one of the most exciting Big East Championship games in the history of the tournament to date, Connecticut captured its second conference tournament title courtesy of Ray Allen's running basket which put the Huskies ahead for good, 75-74 over Georgetown, with just 13 seconds left on the clock. The Huskies put together a 10-0 run, with eight straight coming from Kirk King to come back from an 11-point deficit in the final four minutes. Ray Allen's game-winning shot, guarded by Georgetown's Allen Iverson, was the only field goal he made in the second half. (Video Highlights)

If you want to weigh in and share your Garden 30 ... head on over to the Big East web site where they are celebrating 30 years at Madison Square Gardens, and chime in with YOUR Garden 30! Join the conversation!

Cheers!

Oh, and one more shameless plug for me ... if you have yet to cast your vote for Biggest Fan of the Big East, please head on over to my profile and cast a vote for me! (See cheat sheet below!) Thanks!

Five Questions: Marquette

2012-01-31T13:21:00.015-05:00

The next featured school in my Five Questions series is Marquette University. Joining me for my five questions is fellow "Biggest Fan of the Big East" contestant, blogger and Marquette alum, Brian Moran. Brian's Blog not only features Marquette hoops, but also random thoughts on life and entrepreneurship!

What team are you most looking forward to playing in Big East play?

Notre Dame. LOVE the rivalry.

What is the biggest improvement Marquette has made this year from last year?

Last year we made the Sweet 16 and lost to a very tough North Carolina team. This year, we seem to be faster and more tenacious on defense. We bring 40 minutes of Hell to each and every game. In our last game, Louisville was up 18-2 after five minutes. We won the game by double digits. Those teams that take our work ethic lightly, do so at their own peril.

Who is your favorite player on the team?

Jae Crowder & Darius Johnson-Odom. They are the heart and soul of the Marquette team. We need their senior leadership on the floor if we are going to win games.

(Jae Crowder)

What quiet player will become a standout player before the year is over?

Todd Mayo. He’s OJ Mayo’s younger brother and a helluva freshman player. He’s a 6’3 guard who will be an impact player for us come tournament time.

(Todd Mayo)

What is the best part about playing in the Big East?

Every game is exciting. I feel like we go from 30 mph to 110 mph once the season starts. There are usually 5-7 teams in the top 25 and everyone is gunning for each other. Never a dull moment.

[bonus] What is your prediction for the score of the Notre Dame - Marquette game?

PAIN! (I love that line from Mr. T)

Marquette 77 Notre Dame 65

A big thank you to Brian Moran for stopping by the blog to answer my Five Questions. Why don't you stop by Brian's blog, and show him some Big East love!

And while I've got your undivided attention, please stop by my "Biggest Fan of the Big East" profile and cast a vote my direction!

Cheers!

Closer to Fine

2012-01-27T00:01:00.001-05:00

Today's edition of Retro Friday features the female duo the Indigo Girls, and the song "Closer to Fine."

With all of the time that I've been thinking about Notre Dame and my college days as of late, I found myself singing this classic Indigo Girls song today ... "Closer to Fine."

The Indigo Girls are an American folk rock music duo consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. They met in elementary school and began performing together as high school classmates in Decatur, Georgia, just outside of Atlanta. They started performing with the name “Indigo Girls” as college students at Emory University, performing weekly at The Dugout, a bar in the Emory Village.

Their first major label release came in the late 1980's following the success of The 10,000 Maniacs, Tracy Chapman, and Suzanne Vega. Epic signed the duo in 1988. Their first major-label release, also entitled Indigo Girls, included their first hit song "Closer To Fine" (an unlikely collaboration with Irish band Hothouse Flowers), which topped at #52 on the popular music chart and #26 on the modern rock chart. In 1990, they won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. They were also nominated for Best New Artist (but lost to Milli Vanilli who eventually had that award revoked).

"Closer to Fine" just seems like the perfect college/young adult song to me. A struggle to find out who you are, where you are going, a stop by the bar - plus for me it brings back good memories of hanging out in a dorm room, jamming with good friends and a guitar! Oh, and also memories of hanging out at the old CJ's in South Bend. If you were there back in the day ... you know exactly what I'm talking about! (Cough. You know who you are!)

So here it is, "Closer to Fine" ... take a listen, and I've posted the lyrics below!

I'm trying to tell you something 'bout my life
Maybe give me insight between black and white
And the best thing you ever done for me
Is to help me take my life less seriously
It's only life after all, yeah

Well, darkness has a hunger that's insatiable
And lightness has a call that's hard to hear
And I wrap my fear around me like a blanket
I sailed my ship of safety till I sank it
I'm crawling on your shores

And I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountains
There's more than one answer to these questions
Pointing me in a crooked line
And the less I seek my source for some definitive (The less I seek my source)
Closer I am to fine, yeah
Closer I am to fine, yeah

And I went to see the doctor of philosophy
With a poster of Rasputin and a beard down to his knee
He never did marry or see a B-grade movie
He graded my performance, he said he could see through me
I spent four years prostrate to the higher mind
Got my paper and I was free

And I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountains
There's more than one answer to these questions
Pointing me in a crooked line
And the less I seek my source for some definitive (The less I seek my source)
Closer I am to fine, yeah
Closer I am to fine, yeah

I stopped by the bar at 3 A.M.
To seek solace in a bottle or possibly a friend
And I woke up with a headache like my head against a board
Twice as cloudy as I'd been the night before
And I went in seeking clarity

I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountains

We go to the doctor, we go to the mountains
We look to the children, we drink from the fountain

Yeah, we go to the Bible, we go through the workout
We read up on revival, we stand up for the lookout

There's more than one answer to these questions
Pointing me in a crooked line
And the less I seek my source for some definitive (The less I seek my source)
Closer I am to fine
Closer I am to fine
Closer I am to fine, yeah

Cheers!

Cultivating the Garden

2012-01-26T12:58:00.063-05:00

I can’t believe we’re already on Challenge #6 in the “Biggest Fan of the Big East” contest, but here it is! And the challenge question is: What are your favorite places to watch your team when you can't be at your hometown arena (for me … The Purcell Pavilion)?

This is a tough question for me … because anyone who knows me, my friends, family … my children; know how VOCAL I am when I watch Notre Dame basketball. Or Notre Dame anything for that matter! And I have also been known to hurl things at the TV, jump up and down, and/or storm out of the room; but THAT is neither here nor there!

If I’m in St. Louis, and need a place to watch Notre Dame basketball, my first choice (if I’m not screaming on my couch) would have to be to hop in my brand new Volvo S60 and head on down to a Notre Dame Alumni Club of St. Louis sponsored Game Watch party.

We have a few regular haunts that we have Game Watch parties at, and they are always a good time because you know that there will be fellow alum & fans there to either commiserate or celebrate with. This, of course, is much better when you are winning, as opposed to crying in your beer, but strength in numbers is always good regardless.

When the St. Louis Alumni Club is not sponsoring a Game Watch party, I either go one of two directions. There are two very “college” type bars here in St. Louis, that are wonderful places to watch basketball. One is a St. Louis University establishment: Humphrey's, and one is University of Missouri establishment: Harpo’s (based off the original Harpo’s in Columbia, MO), and they are simply awesome places to watch ND basketball because both St. Louis University and Mizzou alums are also very passionate about basketball … so they make fun game watching pals!

Humphrey's

Humphrey's was established nearly 40 years ago, on June 18, 1976, by Robert "Humphrey" Mangelsdorf and his wife, Janis. Humphrey was a 1969 graduate of Saint Louis University's Cook School of Business, and was an active member of the fraternity Phi Kappa Theta. His original concept was to have a higher end bar, which led to the creation of the still used logo of "The Humphrey Man" in a tuxedo. Today, Humphrey's is known for its reasonably priced food and beverages, and is a favorite hangout for students and alumni alike. Robert and Janis restored the 1904 building that became the first part of the current home of Humphrey's. Robert started the famous tradition of a free libation from a plunger on your birthday (if you are of legal age), which is still carried on today. Humphrey's is an avid supporter of Billiken Athletics, and they have made it a very festive place to watch college basketball.

Harpo's

The original Harpo's was established in Columbia, Missouri, near the campus of Mizzou 40 years ago as well. Harpo’s has been a Columbia landmark for generations and has entertained countless University of Missouri students and Columbia residents. Seeing as there are so many Mizzou alums in both St. Louis and Kansas City, they have opened satellite bars in both cities so that the alums could continue enjoying the Harpo's tradition. It is a great place to watch basketball as it is always filled with spirited Mizzou alum & sports fans!

Secondly … I go the Irish route. They are some great Irish establishments in St. Louis that are also great places to watch basketball. And as a Notre Dame fan, you are always welcome in an Irish bar, especially when your sur name is McGuire or Kelly!

McGurk's Irish Pub

John D. McGurk’s Irish Pub and Garden was established 30 years ago and has risen to the top of the class among the Irish Pubs in St. Louis. In fact, Esquire Magazine, in its June, 2007 Edition, saluting the best bars in America, chose John D. McGurk’s as its only bar so honored in the State of Missouri.

McGurk’s is known throughout the Midwest for its great Irish music, food, drink, and its 8,000 square foot outdoor garden, complete with breathtaking landscaping, a fountain, a waterfall, and two terrific outdoor bars ... plus plenty of TVs to watch your favorite Notre Dame Fighting Irish sporting event. Inside and out, McGurk’s is nearly 20,000 square feet of pure Irish fun.

The inside of McGurks is a series of strung together dining rooms and bars. Its brick and wood décor with wonderful Irish artifacts makes one think they are enjoying a pub in Dublin. The atmosphere is remarkable, the Irish food is second to none, and it is by far one of my favorite places to enjoy a Notre Dame basketball game. Sáinte!

Helen's Fitzgeralds

Helen Fitzgerald's is really an American sports bar and restaurant with a tinge of Irish flavor, but we still claim it as an Irish establishment! Plus it's one of the best sports bars around with walls of flat screen HD TVs to watch the big Notre Dame basketball game. Plus if you need your Emerald Isle fix, the Irish Stew with a side of of Jameson can't be beat!

The Dubliner

The Dubliner is for sure a crowd favorite as far as Irish bars in St. Louis that are great basketball watching places. The Dubliner is an authentic European Gastropub with Irish inspired food that is to die for. Great Irish food, drinks, and basketball ... seriously. How can you go wrong?

BUT … if you really want to know where I’d most like to be watching a Notre Dame basketball game when NOT at the Purcell Pavilion … I’d have to say Madison Square Garden.

Where better to watch a Notre Dame basketball game than at the Garden?

History is made each and every year at the "Mecca of College Hoops!"

Each season, some of the best teams in the nation visit New York City to play on The Garden’s famous hardwood. Since 1934, generations of College Basketball fans have flocked to "The World's Most Famous Arena."

Plus … what could be better than enjoying Notre Dame game, at the garden, with good friends and ice cold BEER. Yep, I said beer. No beer imbibing at the Purcell Pavilion … so that is an added bonus of The Garden for sure. Even if it is more expensive than if I were enjoying it on my couch, it is definitely more fun to be at a game at The Garden!

So there you have it, my top places to watch Notre Dame basketball when NOT at the Purcell Pavilion! Hey, I'm in 7th place in this voting thing, and am getting KILLED by St. John's and Nova. Please tell your friends, family, your Grandma, your boss ... basically ANYONE you can think of, to swing by my "Biggest Fan of the Big East" profile and cast a vote my way! THANKS!

Cheers!

Biggest Fan of the Big East - Notre Dame Video

2012-01-25T23:59:00.001-05:00

Here it is ... my video documenting my Alma Mater trip to Notre Dame to see Notre Dame vs. Syracuse basketball game as a contestant in the "Biggest Fan of the Big East" contest!! Woo hoo!!

Check it out!

Oh, and while I've got you here ... HELP!!! I'm in 7th place in this voting thing, and am getting KILLED by St. John's and Nova. Please tell your friends, family, your Grandma, your boss ... basically ANYONE you can think of, to swing by my "Biggest Fan of the Big East" profile and cast a vote my way! THANKS!

Cheers!

One Shining Moment

2012-01-25T18:14:00.071-05:00

One of my Dad’s favorite Notre Dame games/moments is the Notre Dame 31-30 win over the University of Miami during the 1988 Championship season. He has a poster hanging in his office from that game which is entitled “One Shining Moment.”

I didn’t think that I could actually ever top MY best Notre Dame moment (which was the Notre Dame win over Penn State in 1992 entitled the “Snow Bowl”), but during my Volvo/Big East trip back to Notre Dame, I think I did!

It started out as one of those trips where I didn’t actually think I was going to MAKE it TO Notre Dame. The night before we left, they cancelled our second flight from Chicago to South Bend due to the storm that was predicted to hit the Great Lakes area on Friday. Our first flight was landing in Chicago at 9:00 am and they cancelled our 11:30am flight to South Bend … rebooking us on a 5:00pm flight … which made absolutely NO sense to me if the storm was going to start at 11:00am and snow straight through until MIDNIGHT!

So to avoid being stuck in Chicago, we hedged our bets and rented a car from Chicago to South Bend, figuring that if we left Chicago by car at 9:00am, we would get to South Bend BEFORE the storm even started in Chicago … and we were right. In hindsight, I am SO glad we opted for driving to South Bend, because they ended up closing the airport in South Bend, and we would never have made it!

Our weekend started out on Friday by swinging over to Mishawaka, Indiana and picking up the awesome RED Volvo S60, which, by-the-way is absolutely stunning. And I cannot even begin to tell you how great the heated seats were, with it being in the teens temperature wise all weekend in South Bend! Yep, welcome to winter in South Bend!

(Heated Seats!)

After we took possession of the sassy Red Volvo S60, our next stop was over to the Purcell Pavilion where I had the honor of being interviewed by the video crew of UND.com. Jack Nolan, from the UND.com show Irish Connection, invited me to come down to the Purcell Pavilion and be interviewed by him & the UND.com video crew … giving me a chance to explain what I was doing at Notre Dame and to give some details about myself and Volvo’s “Biggest Fan of the Big East” contest. As a huge fan of the Irish Connection show, it was an honor just to MEET Jack and the UND.com video crew, let alone to be interviewed by them! Not only did they interview me, they let me borrow one of their flip cams so that I could document my weekend at Notre Dame, and so at the end of this post you’ll be able to WATCH and SEE all of the places that I am writing about!

Following my interview, I took some time to tour my husband around the Purcell Pavilion. I showed him all of the basketball trophies, including the Women's Basketball 2001 National Championship Trophy, and the hardwood floor from the Final Four in St. Louis that is now the floor IN the Women's Basketball office! Then we went over and toured the old hockey arena, and hopped on over to the “Goog” Athletic Complex to see & touch (did I mention TOUCH?!) firsthand the Irish HEISMAN TROPHIES! (Wow.)

Notre Dame Women's Basketball 2001 National Championship Trophy

Heisman Trophies

Then, it was time for our next stop, my first visit to the brand new Compton Family Ice Arena. The old hockey arena (when I was at Notre Dame) was basically just an ice rink with bleachers … not really what you would expect from a school like Notre Dame. But at a school where Football & Basketball basically rule the roost, it took some time and convincing of the people who control the purse strings that Notre Dame Hockey really is a force to reckon with. Now that Notre Dame Hockey really IS on the map, they have the ice facility to back it up! This place was absolutely phenomenal. The Compton Family Ice Arena is a facility that is as good as, if not BETTER than, most NHL facilities. It is simply outstanding. So we managed to get in to see Notre Dame face the University of Michigan in the “White Out” game, where they gave all of the Notre Dame fans white shirts so that the arena was a “White Out” … which was quite amusing seeing as it was a “White Out” outside as well with the blizzard going on! It was an awesome game, and the Irish ended up defeating Michigan 3-1.

Compton Family Ice Arena

Jumbo Tron

Our next stop was to Brother’s Pub, to do some mingling and celebrating with the students & fans, and to spread the word about the “swag” that we were going to give away after the big win over Syracuse on Saturday. (Little did we know how EPIC the win would actually be!)

After a restful night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast Saturday morning, we headed out into the frozen tundra of South Bend to visit some of my favorite sites on campus and get hyped up for the big game Saturday night.

(Look at all of the snow we woke up to!)

We hit my top campus spots … the bookstore, the Dome, the Grotto, the Basilica … we even got an up close and personal encounter with one of the crazy Notre Dame squirrels! It was the funniest thing. As I was explaining on camera how the squirrels on campus have absolutely NO fear, and used to walk over our feet as we sat on benches on the “God Quad” … this squirrel literally comes right up to me and puts his front paws ON MY LEG. I swear, we could not have planned that any better if we had tried!! Insane! (Hey, you can follow him on Twitter, too! Apparently he stole a student’s iPhone! @NDSquirrel)

Dome

Grotto

Basilica

ND Squirrel

Once we were completely frozen from walking around campus, we grabbed a bite to eat in the LaFortune Student Center, warmed up with some caramel cider, and then headed on to the few remaining places on my favorite spots on campus tour: St. Mary's Lake, Stonehenge: the war memorial, my old dorm Siegfried Hall, the Hesburgh Library and Touchdown Jesus mosaic, the football stadium and back to the basketball arena.

St. Mary's Lake

Now it was time to head into the Purcell Pavilion for the battle of Notre Dame vs. number 1 Syracuse. Once again we reminded the fans that there would be swag to be given away after the crushing of Syracuse, and headed on in to find our seats. After we found our (awesome) seats, I once again visited with the UND.com video crew to give my final pre-game predictions (Notre Dame to trounce Syracuse of course), and then hunkered in for what would turn out to be my new MOST FAVORITE, Notre Dame, “One Shining Moment.”

Check it out ... I'm on the big screen!

Notre Dame came out of the box, and truly never looked back. Starting the game with an 8-2 lead, the Irish set their tempo, and never let Syracuse get the lead, or any sort of rhythm for that matter. Even with our team captain Atkins having some foul issues and having to sit out a good portion of the first half, the rest of the team took control and never let Syracuse run the high powered scoring game that they are used to running. Of course it also helped that Syracuse’s starting Center Melo had to sit out due to academic issues, but that was neither here nor there. This was Notre Dame’s game, and there was no looking back.

It made me laugh, listening to the two Syracuse fans sitting in front of us. They kept shaking their heads and saying … "What is going on?? Notre Dame ISN’T EVEN THAT GOOD!"

There was no lack of spirited fans at the game either. I snapped a few shots, but there were plenty more where these came from!

GO IRISH

More Body Paint!

The Distraction Wheel (that was behind the basket where Syracuse was shooting)

The Leprechaun!

During the half time break, they put me up on the jumbo tron, announcing that I was in attendance at the game and encouraging people once again to vote for me as the Notre Dame representative of the “Biggest Fan of the Big East” contest. As the second half started, I couldn’t help think that I was witnessing history in the making! As the story continued to unravel, I could not help think about the six other number one teams who had also entered South Bend undefeated, and left with a loss to the Irish. Was this actually happening again? Simply unbelievable!

As the seconds ticked off the clock and we prepared to storm the court, I seriously needed someone to pinch me! I could not even wrap my head around what we had just seen!! Wow.

Storming the Court!
(Photo courtesy of Matt Cashore)

Me and Grant!

As the clock hit zero we rushed the court and celebrated with the team, students, and fellow Notre Dame fans … each and every one of us trying to understand what we really had just witnessed. After Syracuse’s Head Coach, and Notre Dame’s Coach Brey addressed the media, the UND.com video crew interviewed me once more to get my post-game thoughts … and then we headed out to celebrate the big win!

Post Game Interview

Following our post game meal, we headed out to my favorite South Bend establishment, The Linebacker Lounge, to celebrate the win with friends, students, and Notre Dame fans, and gave out some Volvo/Big East swag to an elated Irish crowd!

Me & My Ladies at the Backer!

As we headed back to our hotel for the night, I really didn’t think that I’d ever fall asleep. What an amazing weekend. I saw two Irish wins: basketball and hockey … Got to see all of my favorite campus spots ... Got to enjoy time with some old friends. Really, what more could a fanatical Irish girl want out of a weekend at Notre Dame? Absolutely nothing!

And now it’s time to return the Volvo, and head back home, and all I can think of is just when I think I’ve seen it all … life goes ahead and surprises me!

Once again, a BIG THANK YOU to Volvo and the Big East Conference for the best weekend a fan could EVER wish for, and thank you for giving me the chance to share my experiences with Notre Dame and Big East Fans all over the world!

I hope you have enjoyed this as much as I have … and stayed tune for Challenge Post #6 which I am also working on at this very moment!

Want to see more? Check out the video I made documenting my alma mater weekend at Notre Dame!

And, as always, if you have not had a chance yet, please swing by my “Biggest Fan of the Big East” profile and cast a vote in my direction!

Cheers!

Five Questions: Seton Hall

2012-01-24T13:14:00.013-05:00

The next team in my Five Questions series is Seton Hall University, and features fellow "Biggest Fan of the Big East" contestant and blogger Colleen Murphy!

What team are you most looking forward to playing in Big East play?

It’s a toss between UConn and Rutgers. I am looking forward to the rematch with UConn. This will show our win was not a fluke and that we can beat them with the evil Jim Calhoun on the bench. Rutgers is our backyard rival and always a good game.

What is the biggest improvement Seton Hall has made this year from last year?

I'm trying my hardest to block out the last two losses. But, our biggest improvement has been in the discipline department. In years past, supremely talented players like Herb Pope would take ill-advised three pointers. Now the team, except the 36 attempted threes vs. Nova, has stuck to the game plan.

Who is your favorite player on the team?

Jordan Theodore. He is a leader, plays with heart and intensity. He knows the game and the basic fundamentals to win a game with a team.

What quiet player will become a standout player before the year is over?

Brandon Mobley

What is the best part about playing in the Big East?

It improves the strength of schedule and gives the Pirates the best chance to be dancing. The season is always unpredictable, I usually find myself on the edge of my seat.

[Bonus] What is your prediction for the score of the Notre Dame - Seton Hall game?

SHU 71-ND 70

A big thank you to Colleen Murphy for stopping by the blog to answer my Five Questions. Why don't you stop by Colleen's blog, and show her some Big East love!

And while I've got your undivided attention, please stop by my "Biggest Fan of the Big East" profile and cast a vote my direction!

Also, stay tuned to the blog. The wrap up from my Alma Mater trip to Notre Dame this past weekend (detailing the dethroning of number 1 Syracuse) is coming soon ... and it is NOT to be missed!!

Cheers!

Here Come The Irish

2012-01-20T00:01:00.002-05:00

This week's edition of Retro Friday is not going to be so much of a "Retro Friday" post! In honor of my Volvo Big East Fan trip to Notre Dame this weekend, I am featuring a Notre Dame song today. "Here Come The Irish (of Notre Dame)" by Cathy Richardson.

Catherine E. Richardson, born on February 21, 1969, is a singer/songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. Before starting her music career in 1990, Richardson worked as an auto mechanic and as a cashier at her father's gas station.

Millions of American preschoolers have seen her on Noggin's Jack's Big Music Show, and the Cathy Richardson Band has been voted as the "Best Local Band" in music polls by the Chicago Tribune and Fox News Chicago. She portrayed Janis Joplin in the original cast of the hit Off-Broadway musical "Love, Janis." She also sang Janis' vocal parts for Big Brother and the Holding Company during many of their recent live shows.

But this is my very favorite Cathy Ricardson song, for obvious reasons. And now for your listening pleasure, here is "Here Come The Irish (of Notre Dame)."

Oh, and if you haven't stopped by yet, please stop by my "Biggest Fan of the Big East" profile and (please) send a vote my way!

Cheers!

Five Questions: Syracuse

2012-01-19T22:12:00.011-05:00

The next edition of my "Five Questions" series features the "Biggest Fan of the Big East" fellow contest from Syracuse & fellow blogger Nicole Hering. Here are her answers to my five questions!

What team are you most looking forward to playing in Big East play?

What's great about Syracuse basketball program is every Big East game is something we look forward to, but after last year I think its safe to say that for the current #1 team, UConn has a huge target on their back :)

What is the biggest improvement Syracuse has made this year from last year?

While the Syracuse program and team has clearly shown some serious improvements collectively, I think it all ladders back to one player who gave it his all in the off season: Fab Melo. Seeing Melo this season in comparison last year is a complete transformation and you can see it on the court. His improved athleticism has directly affected the greater teams' performance and we are so excited to see where his next two years are Syracuse bring us!

(Photo, Senior Kris Joseph, One Of 25 Wooden Award Finalists)

Who is your favorite player on the team?

Current, Scoop Jardine; Former, Carmelo Anthony!!!!

What quiet player will become a standout player before the year is over?

Our freshman are having more court time than your average first year player this year. No one ever expects a game changer from them but I think Rakeem Christmas and Michael Carter-Williams have their fair share of cheers ahead of them

What is the best part about playing in the Big East?

I think any Big East alum would say the same: even though the conference is a teenager in the grand scheme of NCAA basketball, the rivalries are without a doubt unparalleled by any other conference in the nation. I'll always have a sweet spot for Syracuse naturally, but the competition is my fuel throughout every winter with each and every conference game.

[bonus] What is your prediction for the score of the Notre Dame - Syracuse game?

Cuse: 83 Notre Dame: 76

A big thank you to Nicole for stopping by the blog and answering my five questions! Please stop by her blog and show her some Big East love!

But don't forget to stop by my "Biggest Fan of the Big East" profile and (please) cast a vote my way!

And watch for me at the game as I (hopefully) cheer, cheer the Irish on to victory!

GO IRISH! BEAT CUSE!

Cheers!

May Today There Be Peace Within

2012-01-19T00:01:00.003-05:00

It's been kind of a turbulent week, so I'm going to share a bit of peace with you all today!

A Prayer from St. Therese of Lisieux

May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise, and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.

(Photo courtesy Matt Cashore, Notre Dame)

Cheers!

Lifetime

2012-01-18T21:22:00.001-05:00

Wordless (sort of) Wednesday

Lifetime (Better Than Ezra)

Allie woke up 8AM
Graduation day.
Got into a car,
And crashed along the way.

When we arrived late to the wake,
Stole the urn while they
Looked away,
And drove to the beach
'Cause I knew you'd want it
That way.

And you were standing
On the hood of the car
Singing out loud
When the sun came up.

And I know I wasn't right,
But it felt so good.
And your mother didn't mind,
Like I thought she would.
And that REM song was playing
In my mind.
And three and a half minutes
Felt like a lifetime

It felt like a lifetime

And you move like water
I could drown in you.
And I fell so deep once,
Till you pulled me through

You would tell me
"No one is allowed to be so proud
They never reach out
When they're giving up."

And I know I wasn't right,
But it felt so good.
And your mother didn't mind,
Like I thought she would.
And that REM song was playing
In my mind.
And three and a half minutes
Felt like a lifetime

Are you sitting in the lights?
Or combing your hair again,
And talking in rhymes?
Are you sitting in the lights?

When I got home, heard the phone,
Your parents had arrived.
And your dad set his jaw
Your mom just smiled and sighed.

But they left soon
And I went to my room.
Played that disc that you'd given me,
And I shut my eyes
Swear I could hear the sea.

When we were standing
On the hood of your car
Singing out loud when the sun came up.

And I know I wasn't right,
But it felt so good.
And your mother didn't mind,
Like I thought she would.
And that REM song was playing
In my mind.
And three and a half minutes,
Three and a half minutes,

Felt like a lifetime.

Cheers!

Win the Swag!

2012-01-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

As a BIG thank you to all of my blog readers and social media folks who have been supporting me in the "Biggest Fan of the Big East" contest, I want to give a little something back!

Volvo and the Big East Conference have sent me some Big East swag that I would like to give back to a few of my lucky blog readers! So in order to make this fair and square, I've come up with an easy contest to win the swag!

I will be up at Notre Dame for my "Biggest Fan of the Big East" alma mater trip the weekend of the Notre Dame vs. Syracuse game. All you have to do is predict the score of the Notre Dame vs. Syracuse game, and the three closest scores will win some Big East swag!

The first place winner will receive a Volvo/Big East sweatshirt and two can koozies.

The second place winner will receive a Volvo/Big East t-shirt and a Big East hat.

And the third place winner will receive a Volvo/Big East t-shirt!

Place your score in a comment on my blog, and I will announce the three lucky winners after the Notre Dame vs Syracuse game.

Good luck & Cheers!

Oh and hey, if you haven't stopped by my "Biggest Fan of the Big East" profile yet, please stop by and cast your vote! Thanks!!

Almost Famous?

2012-01-16T00:01:00.006-05:00

I cannot believe that my Volvo Biggest Fan of the Big East alma mater trip is almost here. I am so thrilled that I have been chosen to participate in this contest, and I am so excited to head back to campus .. and cruise around in my Volvo S60!!

But what I am about to show you absolutely floored me this weekend. I was on a church retreat this weekend when I received this text from a friend who was at the Notre Dame - UConn basketball game on Saturday. The Notre Dame Athletic Department put me and the Volvo Big East contest up on the jumbo tron at the Purcell Pavilion encouraging people to vote for me.

Wow ... I am not often speechless ... but this time I truly was speechless. I am so absolutely grateful to everyone for their support of me, and I cannot wait to head back to campus this weekend! I am very much looking forward to visiting some of my favorite spots on campus, enjoying a some Domer traditions, hanging out with friends, and getting to watch some Notre Dame hoops!

Notre Dame Basketball Highlights

Cheers!

(Hey, if you haven't had a chance to stop by my Biggest Fan of the Big East profile, please stop by and send a vote my way! Many thanks!!)

Five Questions: Rutgers

2012-01-14T22:31:00.000-05:00

As Big East Conference play continues, the next school in my Five Questions series is Notre Dame's next Big East opponent, Rutgers University.

My Rutgers, "Biggest Fan of the Big East" fellow contestant, blogger Zlata Faerman of I Have Zlata Thoughts, has agreed to stop by and answer my five questions!

What team are you most looking forward to playing in Big East play?

Rutgers, right?

What is the biggest improvement Rutgers has made this year from last year?

Having ZlataThoughts represent it this year in Volvo's Biggest Fan of the Big East competition.

Who is your favorite player on the team?

Mike Kuhn

What quiet player will become a standout player before the year is over?

No comment. I don't want to mess up his domination tactics.

What is the best part about playing in the Big East?

Having ZlataThoughts cheer for you.

[Bonus] What is your prediction for the score of the Notre Dame - Rutgers game?

Rutgers will win.

Hey, stop by Zlata's blog, I Have Zlata Thoughts, and show her a little Big East Conference love!

But don't forget to stop by my "Biggest Fan of the Big East" profile and (please) cast a vote my way!

Cheers!

I Want You ... To Want Me

2012-01-13T00:40:00.003-05:00

This week's edition of Retro Friday features the band Cheap Trick, and the song "I Want You To Want Me."

Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. The band consists of Robin Zander on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Rick Nielsen on lead guitar and backing vocals, Tom Petersson on bass guitar and backing vocals, and Bun E. Carlos on drums and percussion.

Their biggest hits included "Surrender", "I Want You to Want Me", "The Flame" and "Dream Police".

In the Japanese press, they are often referred to as the "American Beatles". In October 2007, the Illinois Senate passed a resolution designating April 1 as Cheap Trick Day in the state. (Cheap Trick day in the state ... really?) The band was also ranked #25 in VH1's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.

The song "I Want You to Want Me" first appeared on Cheap Trick's second album, In Color, in 1977. It was the first single released from that album but it didn't chart in the US. However, it was a #1 hit single in Japan. The band's popularity in Japan, as well as the success of their preceding single "Clock Strikes Ten" and their followup single "Surrender", paved the way for Cheap Trick's famous concerts at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo in April 1978 that were recorded for the group's most popular album, Cheap Trick at Budokan.

A live version of "I Want You to Want Me" from the album Cheap Trick at Budokan was released in 1979 and became their all-time biggest selling single, reaching #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, which translates into the sales of one million records. In Canada, it reached #2 in on the RPM national singles chart, remaining there for two weeks. It was also the band's highest charting single in Britain, where it reached #29.

For some reason, this song reminds me a lot of college. I can just picture us at a dance, or a club, or somewhere ... dancing and singing this song at the top of our lungs. It's a very musically fun, danceable tune, and it always makes me want to burst out into song whenever I hear it!

(Yes, here we are in all of our collegiate dancing glory!)

Okay, and here we go, a little Cheap Trick and "I Want You To Want Me." (Oh, and dig what the band is wearing! Oh my. Hello 1978!)

Cheers!

Oh and hey (shameless plug), if you haven't stopped by my "Biggest Fan of the Big East" profile yet, please stop by and cast your vote! Thanks!!

Five Questions: Connecticut

2012-01-10T13:17:00.012-05:00

Moving along through the Big East schedule, the next school in my Five Questions series is Notre Dame's next Big East Conference opponent, the University of Connecticut. My UConn, "Biggest Fan of the Big East" fellow contestant, blogger Chris Hall from Thoughts From a Fat White Guy, has agreed to stop by and answer my five questions!

What team are you most looking forward to playing in Big East play?

That's a tough question. As we can already see, on any given night, any team can win. You can't look at any one team in the Big East and feel 100% confident you're going to walk away with an easy win as you could in years past. If I had to pick just one team, I'd have to go with playing Syracuse twice in 2 weeks. First game is at the Carrier Dome on February 11. They meet shortly thereafter in Storrs, CT for ESPN's College Game day on February 25. We've had some intense battles over the past decade against the Orange and each time we play them, it usually comes down to the final minutes (or 6 overtimes as we saw in 2009). I expect the more or less the same come February.

What is the biggest improvement UConn has made this year from last year?

It's hard to be picky and choose an improvement for the reigning national champions but if I had to pick out one thing, it'd be the improved size we now have with the addition of Center Andre Drummond. A projected 2012 NBA lottery draft this spring, Drummond is an absolute force down low. The scary part is, he hasn't really shown what he can do. He still needs to become comfortable in his body and really start adjusting to the brutal grind of Big East play before I can say he's ELITE, but the pieces are sure there to be special.

Who is your favorite player on the team?

Jeremy Lamb. He was such an instrumental piece to UConn's magical post-season run last year as a freshman that UConn fans throughout fell in love with the sophomore guard from Georgia. He's a shy kid, never showing much emotion, which I think people appreciate. He's got NBA talent and has been pegged as the leader of the team, alongside Junior Forward Alex Oriakhi.

What quiet player will become a standout player before the year is over?

I think rookie Ryan Boatright can be very special. He was co-player of the year in his home state of Illinois and actually changed his commitment to the Huskies after being committed to West Virginia for positioning reasons. He's a small, speedy scorer (better as a freshman than Kemba Walker was as a sophomore), and has already made an impact leading in scoring and assists for a few games. He's got a lot to learn as most freshman do, but once he develops and understands UConn's style more, he can become a standout player not only in the Big East conference, but throughout the entire landscape of college basketball. Remember the name Ryan Boatright. (Watch him have his worst game vs. the Irish knowing my luck!)

What is the best part about playing in the Big East?

The best part of playing hoops in the Big East would be the toughness. As previously mentioned, on any given night, anything can happen. Team's like South Florida, Rutgers and Seton Hall are really starting to impress while former powerhouse team's like Villanova and Pittsburgh have come down to Earth a little bit. Very rarely do you see a blowout in the Big East and that's what makes it so exciting to watch. The other great part about playing in the Big East is the respect you get from opponents. When people hear of Big East basketball they think of bruising, physical match ups. It really prepares your team for the tournaments in March which is always a positive.

[Bonus] What is your prediction for the score of the Notre Dame - UConn game?

UConn usually struggles to win in South Bend so either way it should be a good one. I think it will be close throughout with Huskies winning by 5. Let's say, 63-58.

Hey, stop by Chris's blog, Thoughts From a Fat White Guy, and show him a little Big East Conference love!

But don't forget to stop by my "Biggest Fan of the Big East" profile and (please) cast a vote my way!

Cheers!

Golden Traditions

2012-01-08T22:45:00.012-05:00

There are traditions that everyone knows about ... and then there are the other traditions that really bring a population, such as a student body, together.

We have been given our fifth challenge in Volvo's "Biggest Fan of the Big East" contest, and what we've been asked to do this time around is to delve into "What are the best traditions for your Alma Mater and why?"

There are some major traditions that most fans of Notre Dame are aware of (and I will share a few), but what I'd really like to dig into are the student body traditions that most average fans may not be familiar with.

Some of the most popular Notre Dame traditions, that everyone knows and loves are ...

Trumpets Under the Dome: The trumpet section of the University of Notre Dame Marching Band gathers inside the Administration Building and plays the Fight Song and the Alma Mater under the Dome. It is definitely something not to be missed! Here is a video so that you can check it out!

Irish Guard Inspection: The Notre Dame Band performs a concert on the steps of Bond Hall 90 minutes prior to home football games, followed by a rigorous Irish Guard inspection. Following the inspection, the band then steps off from the Dome, led by the leprechaun and cheerleaders, and marches to the stadium. During the Irish Guard inspection, the "inspectors" do their best to get the guard to crack a smile or laugh. It really is a not-to-be-missed event on home football weekends!

Midnight Drummers Circle: At midnight, the night before home football games, the Notre Dame Drumline congregates at the bottom of the steps of the Main Building for the Midnight Drummer’s Circle. The drumline prepares the student body and fans for football on Saturday. This is an event sure to get your blood pumping and ready to cheer on the Irish to victory!

University of Notre Dame Drumline's Midnight Drummer Circle for the USF game (9/2/2011). This is the first midnight drum circle for the 2011 Football Season. This event marks the official start to game day at Notre Dame.

And finally, the painting of the helmets: One of the weekly responsibilities of the football team student managers is to apply a new layer of golden paint to the football helmets. The helmets are coated with a fresh coat of paint the week before each game, and the paint contains actual 23.9-karat gold flakes from the Golden Dome that sits atop the University's Main Building.

Now, here are some of the Notre Dame traditions that you may not know about.

First off ... the name the "Fighting Irish." Notre Dame was not always known as the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame competed under the nickname the "Catholics" during the 1800s and became more widely known as the "Ramblers" during the early 1920s during the days of the Four Horsemen. University president Rev. Matthew Walsh, C.S.C., officially adopted "Fighting Irish" as the Notre Dame nickname in 1927.

The "Fighting Irish" began as a slur -- a term of opprobrium. But we took it up and made it a badge of honor -- a symbol of fidelity and courage to everyone who suffers from discrimination; to everyone who has an uphill fight for the elemental decencies, and the basic Christian principles woven into the texture of our nation. Preserving this tradition, and this meaning of Irish at Notre Dame does honor to every one of us. -- Why the "Fighting Irish"? Rev. Charles Carey, C.S.C.

The Notre Dame-Navy Tradition: Why do Notre Dame and Navy have such a strong tradition. The below picture gives some insight into the answer.

Naval Training Units, University of Notre Dame, April 29, 1944

The picture was taken in April of 1944. The first group of six rows is the Midshipman School (approx 1200). The second group of one row on the sidewalk is the Naval ROTC unit (approx. 120). The third group of two rows (on the grass between the sidewalks) is the Marine V-12 unit (approx. 200). The fourth group (on the grass in the rear) is the Navy V-12 unit (approx. 700). In the background is the Knute Rockne Memorial building (built about 1938). These approximately 2200 men in the picture constituted about 80% of the "students" on campus. When there were no "students" to keep Notre Dame afloat during World War II, the Navy came in and used Notre Dame as a training facility. This is part of the reason why many of the wood floors in the older dorms are "warped" ... a bi-product of the sailors "swabbing the deck!"

No Greek Life at Notre Dame: Yep, you heard me right. There are no Sororities or Fraternities at Notre Dame. Where the heart is ... With some 80 percent of students living on-campus, many of Notre Dame’s longest standing and most popular traditions center around life in the University’s residence halls.

“It’s a fact that Notre Dame is a place where students go not just to learn how to think, but to learn how to live,” says Patrick McCormick, student body president. “And I think this starts through building community in the residence halls.”

Each of the 29 residence halls offers it's student population not only a tight-knit community and social circle, but also the opportunity to participate in numerous long-standing traditions. The residence halls are designed to make up for what the Greek system offers at other schools, but without the pressure of having to "join." Every hall has a mascot and a nickname, a color scheme, a favorite charity and a signature event, which range from concerts to game shows, casino nights and auctions.

The Keenan Revue: "It started as a dorm event in the basement here in Keenan," said Chase Riddle, a junior in Keenan Hall (2011). The first Revue was a talent show thrown together because the men in the dorm were bored with campus life, he said.

But that first performance didn't show many signs of greatness.

"Turns out Keenan wasn't as talented as they thought they were," said Grayson Duren, a junior in Keenan Hall (2011). The talent show angle soon morphed into a scripted sketch comedy show, similar to "Saturday Night Live," which premiered on NBC the fall before the first "real" Keenan Revue in 1976.

The show has become one of the biggest campus events of the spring semester. After outgrowing Washington Hall by the 1980s, it took up residence in Saint Mary's O'Loughlin Auditorium until last year, when the College's administration did not renew the Revue's contract. It has now been moved to Stepan Center on Notre Dame's campus. Though the Revue comes off as "so college" in its often-obscene humor and bare-bones set design, the Revue staff starts work in October by choosing a theme and sifting through different skit ideas. One of the reasons the Revue is still so popular is because a lot of things at Notre Dame just never change — especially the drudgery of the early spring semester.

The Fisher Regatta: One of Fisher Hall's most notable events is the Fisher Regatta, hosted annually at the end of the Spring semester. Various dorms compete by submitting homemade boat entries in races on Saint Mary's Lake. The Fisher Regatta was recognized by ESPN as one of the "Top 100" college student activities in the United States in 2004.

Pigtostal: Seeing as Notre Dame has no Fraternities or Sororities ... they try their best to feel a little "Greek" with their annual event entitled Pigtostal. Pigtostal is the biggest party of the year at Notre Dame, and is held the same day as the Blue & Gold Game. It's the closest thing to Greek Life a Notre Dame student will ever see. Complete with 80 kegs, two pigs and one ... oh, never mind ... Pigtostal is a spring tailgating tradition that is sure to please.

Bookstore Basketball: The Bookstore Basketball Tournament is the largest outdoor 5-on-5 tournament in the world. Nearly 700 teams comprised of students, faculty, and staff from Notre Dame, Saint Mary's College, and Holy Cross College participate in one of the most exciting sporting events at Notre Dame! However, the best part of this tournament is not really the games themselves, but the team names. Each team tries to out-do the next with the most creative names. It is also fun to see players from the football team on the basketball court as well!

(Matt Cashore image)

Here are the Top 10 Team Names from 2003!

10. You’ll Thank Us When It’s Over
9. Non-Nutritive Cereal Varnish
8. Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkeys
7. The Shroud of Torin
6. 5 Guys Who Know a Guy Who Pooped His Pants
5. Mounds Don’t
4. One Hawaiian & 4 Girls Who Like to Give Leis
3. We Arrgh Pirates
2. Jamaica Me Crazy
1. Stop that dog! It has my gum!

Bengal Bouts: This is definitely one of my most favorite Notre Dame traditions. Legendary football coach Knute Rockne first organized boxing at Notre Dame in 1920. Yet it is the purpose of raising funds for the Holy Cross Missions in Bangladesh that truly gave the Bengal Bouts its identity in 1931. Coach Dominic “Nappy” Napolitano ’32 ’33 solidified this identity of service combined with sportsmanship and safety as Director and Coach of the Bengal Bouts for over 50 years. His words, “Strong bodies fight, that weak bodies may be nourished” became the motto of the Bouts. The tradition of sportsmanship, safety and competitive spirit in amateur sport lives on in today’s Bengal Bouts.

SYR: The first away game of the football season marks the opening of another kind of season on the Notre Dame campus: SYR Dance Season. An SYR dance, which stands for "Screw Your Roommate," is a dance in which your roommate gets to chose your date for you --- a situation which was fantastic if you had a good roommate, but had the potential to get ugly real fast, and in more ways than one.

(SYR circa 1991)

Students were as creative as they liked — picking out gems at the dining hall, from the "Dog Book" or through friends of friends. Some people ended up with the dates of their dream and new significant others, while others endured a painful evening with a purposely awkward date as a joke. (Just imagine opening your door to see who your date was, and being greeted by someone who looked like Cousin It. Oh yes, it happened!)

Also, before an SYR could begin, the boy or girl of the host dorm had to present their date (blind or chosen) with a gift. Serious options included books, flowers or candy, but most people opted for gag gifts.

Each dorm hosted one semi-formal SYR and one more formal dance each semester. The host dorm held the SYR in any large space available within the dorm — decorated hallways, 24-hour lounges, entire floors or whatever was available. Formals were held at various on- or off-campus locations. Most of the time your date walked to your dorm to pick you up. I think I would have fallen over if my date would have picked me up in a shiny new Volvo S60!

Dillon Hall Pep Rally: The Dillon Hall pep rally began approximately 40 years ago. It is traditionally held the Thursday before the first home game (although in 2010 the pep rally was moved from it's traditional Thursday night, to the Friday night of the first home football game weekend). In the early years of the Dillon Hall pep rally, it was held in the Dillon courtyard that faces South Dining Hall. But as it's popularity grew, the stage was moved to accommodate a bigger audience. Now it is held in front of Dillon Hall on South Quad.

The Dillon Hall pep rally featured humorous sketches and skits, some of which (over the years) drew complaints for being offensive. It was held on Thursday nights because it was designed to be a student only pep rally, and not something that the alumni and fans were invited to. It typically had a storyline, including little skits about Notre Dame, and skits about the world at large, that were acted out to entertain the entire campus. Integrated into this basic design, special guest speakers were also invited to speak at the pep rally. These special guests would typically include the football coach, the safety-enthusiast Officer Tim McCarthy, and the football players who resided in Dillon Hall ... including two of my all-time favorites: Tony Rice and Brady Quinn. Typically, there were also appearances made by the drum line, cheerleaders, pom squad and the leprechaun.

Interhall Football: Rudy dreamed of one day playing football in Notre Dame’s storied stadium, but today’s students know that they don’t have to join the varsity team to win playing time in the House that Rockne Built.

Thanks to the intramural tackle football program, Notre Dame students can continue playing a sport they loved in high school and perhaps even make it to the interhall championship game in Notre Dame Stadium.

Only one other university in the country – West Point – offers tackle football as an intramural sport. Notre Dame’s program exists because of Knute Rockne, who encouraged all Notre Dame students to play football, and even installed a program for the residence hall teams to inherit his varsity players’ old jerseys.

And yes, even the girl's dorms have interhall football ... though we played flag, and not tackle, football. When I was a senior, my dorm went to the Interhall Football Championship game, IN Notre Dame Stadium, and yes ... we won. In recognition of our win, we all got letterman jackets JUST like the varsity football players had. How bout that ... I have a letter jacket for playing football AT NOTRE DAME!

Pre-game fierce:

WE WON!!!

The Steam Tunnels: So the heating system at Notre Dame is run via Steam Tunnels underground ... BUT, when the steam tunnels are not in use, it was common practice for students to sneak into them and explore underground. I for one, did not explore the steam tunnels, but one of my friends who did headed into the tunnels with the express purpose of finding her Dad's signature on the wall of said tunnels. And according to my Dad, the steam tunnels were how they got back and forth to see the girls at St. Mary's. (Oh my!)

In my steam tunnel research, I found this letter from someone who did extensive research on the steam tunnels at Notre Dame!

I'm glad to see a page on this addicting acivity. My father was a visiting prof for a year at MIT, and I loved to explore the tunnels every chance I could...MIT, by the way, probably has one of the largest tunnel systems of any College or University in the country, with some of the weirdest and most secretive items either stored or created in the rooms they connect. (One of the ways I knew was by the numerous "radiation hazard", "biohazard" as well as numerous 10 digit keycard locks on all the doors).

Anyway, now that I am up at Notre Dame, I have taken a very strong interest in the steam tunnels. I haven't had a chance to take my first expedition, but I have heard several rumors you might like:

1. Carroll Hall, one of our outlying dorms, has a one lane bowling alley in its side building basement, which, though the building has been remodled, traces can be seen.

2. The extra memoriabilia room in the joyce center's second floor, which reportedly contains various "junk" such as autographed jerseys/footballs/posters of alumni such as Joe Montana, Cotton Bowl trophies, and other priceless stuff.

3. The legendary first floor Joyce Center Spa, which can only be reached by an anonymous first floor door....

4. The tunnel which connects the Morris Inn to the CC, supposedly containing lots of football memorabilia too.

5. The Cryo lab, which is part of IU medical school as south bend...smells like $^#^&...our dorm is right near the building it's in, this is something you can nearly smell at night just by walking by.

I stress again, most of these are just rumors, so there's a high chance they could be total B.S., just like the time when someone told me that they used steam tunnels to shuffle bigwigs around in secret (hah! with the size of those things).

I'd love more info from anyone about the great potential for finding hidden/secret stuff on this campus.

Okay, one more tradition. The last tradition that I am going to share is more on the personal nature.

The dorm that I spent all four years in when I was at Notre Dame, had just opened the year before, and so it really had no traditions. The first year the dorm was open, it was only half full. The year that I moved in (the second year the dorm was open), my class filled the second half of the dorm. The upper classmen decided that it was their duty to establish some "traditions" in the new dorm. The one that sticks out most in my mind took place the first home football game of my freshman year. The upper classmen dragged us out of bed super early on Saturday morning, in our pajama's, threw us into the War Memorial Fountain (AKA "Stonehenge") and tought us the fight song. Not exactly what we were expecting that Saturday morning, but definitely the beginning of a great new tradition.

It's funny, I wasn't sure that I would have enough to write about when I started writing this challenge post, and in the end, I have so much more that I did not even include here ... tradition abounds for sure! I hope you've enjoyed my post on Notre Dame traditions, and I hope you have a little bit more of an insight as to what makes Notre Dame, Notre Dame ... and that it's more than just sports!

Cheers! ... Notre Dame Our Mother!

Oh and hey, if you haven't stopped by my "Biggest Fan of the Big East" profile yet, please stop by and cast your vote! Thanks!!

Five Questions: South Florida

2012-01-08T09:53:00.006-05:00

The next school in my Five Questions series is Notre Dame's next Big East Conference opponent, the University of South Florida. My USF, "Biggest Fan of the Big East" fellow contestant, blogger Matthew Stanton from The Bull Rush, has agreed to stop by and answer my five questions!

What team are you most looking forward to playing in Big East play?

That's a tough question. Playing against UCONN last week was a lot of fun (having courtside seats made it even better). I would have to say the Providence game coming up on the 29th is the game I can't wait for. It will at home in the Tampa Bay Times Forum and will also be my Volvo Weekend, so that game should be a lot of fun and it could be a big win for USF.

What is the biggest improvement USF has made this year from last year?

Simple, point guard. Last year, Anthony Crater led the team and it was rough to watch. He was dismissed last Spring and now true freshman Anthony Collins has taken over and already there is a big difference. He can drive faster to the basket, makes better decisions (had 10 assists in the game against Rutgers), and can score, something Crater never did to save his life. With him running the point, he is picking up the offense.

(Picture courtesy J. Meric)

Who is your favorite player on the team?

It has to be Crater. When I played basketball, I ran the point, so I have a lot of respect for how hard the position is and for a true freshman to take over a team in the Big East is no simple task. Coach Heath has faith in him and so far, he is handling the situation very well.

What quiet player will become a standout player before the year is over?

It could be Victor Rudd. Rudd sat out last season after transferring to USF from Arizona State. At 6'7", he has the size and skill level needed to compete in the Big East and has the faith of the coaching staff behind him as well. Coach Heath said he has the potential to add big time scoring for USF, but so far he has been quiet. He scored just 5 points last game and aside from a 3-point shot at the buzzer vs. UCONN, he has been silent. He has been taken out of the starting lineup and his minutes are low right now, but he was sick for a bit, so hopefully he is working his way back and will find his game soon.

What is the best part about playing in the Big East?

It's the best basketball league in the world, no question about it. Every game is a possible upset, whether your facing Syracuse or DePaul, anyone can beat anyone in the league and that's what makes it so much fun. USF is no basketball powerhouse, but it's getting better, bringing in recruits and upsetting top opponents along the way. If we want to be a power, we are in the best league for it and the players that come here know that.

[Bonus] What is your prediction for the score of the Notre Dame - USF game?

Putting me on the spot, but it's all in good fun. I think it's going to be a close game. USF is one of the better defensive teams in the conference, playing a slow style and really getting after people. Collins will be on the road for his first real taste of Big East action away from home, so it could be a tough game for him to get going. I think ND wins this game, but it will be super close, 68 to 63.

Hey, stop by Matthew's blog, The Bull Rush, and show him a little love!

But don't forget to stop by my "Biggest Fan of the Big East" profile and (please) cast a vote my way!

Cheers!

It's No Myth

2012-01-06T00:00:00.001-05:00

This week's edition of Retro Friday features the artist Michael Penn, and the song "No Myth."

Michael Penn, born August 1, 1958, is an American singer, songwriter and composer. He is the eldest son of actor/director Leo Penn and actress Eileen Ryan, and the brother of actors Sean Penn and the late Chris Penn.

Michael Penn is a critically acclaimed singer/songwriter and film composer. Before he relased his 1989 debut album March, Penn was a member of the Los Angeles band Doll Congress, and had appeared as an extra on a few television series, including St. Elsewhere.

The album March, particularly the first single, "No Myth," brought Penn attention, as well as the 1990 MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist. Penn's follow-up albums Free-for-All (1992), Resigned (1997) MP4: Days Since a Lost Time Accident (2000 ) Mr. Hollywood Jr., 1947 (2005) and Palms and Runes, Tarot and Tea (2007) weren't able to match the commercial success of March, although critics continued to praise his songcraft.

My favorite Michael Penn song, by far, is his first hit single, "No Myth." Released as his debut single in 1989, the song became Penn's first and only top 40 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #13 on the chart.

I'm not sure why I am so completely enamoured with this song, but I really am. Every time I hear it, it brings back warm, fuzzy memories of High School ... wait, were there any warm, fuzzy memories from High School? Anyways, I really like this song. If you've never heard it, give it a listen!

And now your for listening pleasure ... No Myth!

Cheers!

Domer in the Bigs

2012-01-04T20:09:00.010-05:00

Two of my favorite Twitter pals have gotten together for an interview that is not to be missed if you are a fan of the St. Louis Blues or Notre Dame Hockey.

Evan Hicks, writer for The Hockey House, has interviewed my favorite St. Louis Blue and Notre Dame alum, Ian Cole.

Hear Ian's insight into the St. Louis Blues' new head coach, his three game NHL suspension, and what it's like to play in the bigs!

Head on over to The Hockey House to read the complete story!

Cheers! & Go Irish!

Five Questions: Cincinnati

2012-01-04T08:52:00.013-05:00

As Notre Dame's play in the Big East continues tonight against Cincinnati, I've asked my "Biggest Fan of the Big East" counterpart from Cincinnati, Jesse Smith, a few questions about Cincinnati basketball and the Big East!

What team are you most looking forward to playing in Big East?

The team I'm looking forward to playing currently is Syracuse because they are currently ranked #1 in the nation.

What is the biggest improvement Cincinnati has made this year from last year?

The biggest improvement is the team is playing better when they go small, last year I don't think they would have been able to play quality defense without all of their bigs available.

Who is your favorite player on the team?

Cashmere Wright, when he attacks the basket he helps everybody else get easy buckets. I like his game.

What quiet player will become a standout player before the year is over?

Right now if I was a betting man I'd say Jaquon Parker, he can do multiple things on the court and he seems to have more confidence this year. He's been a key since the crosstown shootout brawl.

What is the best part about playing in the Big East?

Best part about playing in the big east is every game is a challenge, you can't have a let down or any team can beat you.

BONUS QUESTION! What is your prediction for the score of the Notre Dame-Cincinnati game?

Lately the Irish have gave us trouble but since it's at 5/3 arena I'm predicting a 70-60 win by the Bearcats.

(Photo from last year's Notre Dame-Cincinnati match up!)

Oh, and if you want to check out Jesse's blog, you can catch him at The Front Office

And of course, don't forget to swing by my "Biggest Fan of the Big East" profile and vote, vote, vote!

Cheers & GO IRISH tonight against the Cincinnati Bear Cats!

1999

2011-12-30T20:57:00.013-05:00

In honor of tomorrow being New Year's Eve, today's Retro Friday features Prince (or the artist formerly KNOWN as Prince), and the song 1999.

Prince Rogers Nelson, born on June 7, 1958, most often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of the instruments on his recordings. In addition, Prince has been a "talent promoter" for the careers of such artists as Sheila E., Carmen Electra, The Time and Vanity 6, and his songs have been recorded by these artists and others (including Chaka Khan, The Bangles, Sinéad O'Connor, and even Kim Basinger). Taken from History of Rock and Roll, Thomas Larsen, page 243.

Prince has a wide vocal range and is popularly known for his flamboyant stage presence and costumes. His releases have sold over 80 million copies worldwide.

Prince joined the band Grand Central while he was attending Minneapolis's Central High School. He played piano and guitar for the band which performed at clubs and parties in the Minneapolis area. Grand Central later changed its name to Champagne and started playing original music influenced by Sly & the Family Stone, James Brown, Earth, Wind & Fire, Miles Davis, Parliament-Funkadelic, Carlos Santana, Jimi Hendrix, and Todd Rundgren.

Oh, and as a contestant in the "Biggest Fan of the Big East Contest" (please vote for me) I have to tell you that Prince also played basketball in High School!

Prince's musical beginnings came in the mid-1970's, but my favorite all time Prince song, 1999, was released on the 1982 double album, also called 1999, which sold over three million copies. The title track was a protest against nuclear proliferation and became his first top ten hit in countries outside the U.S. Prince's "Little Red Corvette" was one of the first two videos by a black artist played in heavy rotation on MTV, right along side Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean". The song "Delirious" also placed in the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

1999 is the fifth studio album by Prince, released on October 27, 1982. It was his first top ten album on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States (topping at number 9) and became the fifth best-selling album of 1983. 1999 was Prince's breakthrough album, but his next album Purple Rain would become his most successful.

According to the Rolling Stone Album Guide, "1999 may be Prince's most influential album: Its synth-and-drum machine-heavy arrangements codified the Minneapolis sound that loomed over mid-'80s R&B and pop, not to mention the next two decades' worth of electro, house, and techno."

And to think back then we thought that 1999 would NEVER come ... and now we're looking at 2012. Wow.

Okay ... and for your listening pleasure ... Prince's 1999!

Cheers! & Happy New Year!!

Onward to Victory

2011-12-27T18:36:00.020-05:00

As a girl who loves hockey, nothing makes me happier than being able to be at Notre Dame, and be able to sit and watch my beloved hockey team play. So when I was given the distinct honor to preview the Versus special "Onward to Victory: Notre Dame Hockey" ... I was like a kid on Christmas.

I've spent this evening watching the hour long special that will air on Versus on New Year's Eve, after the Notre Dame/Boston University hockey game, and I want to share this with you ... (set your TiVo boys and girls!) this is a program not to be missed.

It used to be, if you played in the NHL that you were asked ... "Oh, I didn't know that Notre Dame had hockey" (Dave Poulin). Overshadowed by a football program that is known to all, I am happy to say that the Notre Dame HOCKEY program has more than arrived. They are a program of excellence that is here to stay.

Hockey is such a great fit at Notre Dame. It is made of the same fiber. It's a tough, blue collar kind of sport that matches Notre Dame's roots.

With it's origin during Knute Rockne's time at Notre Dame, the boys of Notre Dame began playing hockey on St. Mary's Lake under the tutelage of Father Cunningham. Even a few of Knute's players tried their hand at hockey!

Now I don't want to give too much of this away, but if you love Notre Dame, and you love hockey ... this is definitely something you will not want to miss!

Cheer, cheer for Ole Notre Dame ... while her loyal sons go marching ONWARD TO VICTORY!

Want to watch the trailer, to get a little sneak peek as to what is in store for you on New Year's Eve? Well, here you go!

Notre Dame hockey fans and college hockey fans in general will want to have their televisions tuned to Versus cable network on Saturday, December 31 at 9:30 p.m. to watch "Onward To Victory -- Notre Dame Hockey," a one-hour feature that gives viewers a look at the Irish hockey program including retrospectives on its early days to its current status as one of the top college hockey programs in the nation.

Cheers!

The Golden Dome Mobile

2011-12-26T20:11:00.070-05:00

Here it is, Challenge Post #4 in the "Biggest Fan of the Big East" Contest! What's the directive we've been given? Create the Ultimate Notre Dame Volvo S60. How would you customize a Volvo S60 to show your school spirit?

Well, back in college days, my Notre Dame school spirit car may have looked a little something like this:

But customizing a Volvo S60 is a whole new ball game!

Maybe you think I would start with a classic Caspian Blue Metallic Volvo S60 ...

... but to truly be a pimped-out Notre Dame car, I'd have to ask the athletic department for some of that special golden flaked paint that they paint the football helmets with, cause what other color would you paint a Notre Dame spirit car ... besides Golden Dome GOLD!! (Oh, and not the "Maryland" 2011 game GOLD football helmets ... but the USC 2011 game GOLD football helmets. No velvet, please, no velvet!)

The wheels would also have GOLD plated rims, complete with the Fighting Leprechaun in the center.

Next, I would change the lovely Soft Beige interior leather to a Notre Dame Navy Blue leather to compliment the Golden Dome GOLD exterior.

Here is an example of the luxurious Volvo S60 leather interior ... just imagine this in Notre Dame BLUE!

Okay ... so now let's talk a little bit more about some of the other key features of the interior. Instead of the standard black leather shifter ... the Notre Dame spirit car would feature a Golden Dome GOLD shifter, with a BIG EAST basketball on the top! And unlike the blue in the dials below, my Notre Dame spirit Volvo S60 would have GREEN dials.

Now let's get to the good stuff. I would have them take the Volvo grill and have it vulcanized with gray rubber, to resemble a Notre Dame football helmet face mask. And I would have the windshield tinted to look like a Notre Dame football helmet visor.

Instead of a moon roof, the Notre Dame spirit car would be fitted with a DOME roof, and the exhaust pipes would plume white when a new coach is chosen! Oh, and my rosary hanging on the rear view mirror ...

And of course, what would a Notre Dame spirit car be without speakers on the OUTSIDE of the car playing Crazy Train ... to get everyone ready for the upcoming Notre Dame game du jour.

The Volvo logo on the front of my GOLD Volvo S60 would of course be wearing it's very own Golden football helmet, and the license plate would read LUV ND.

And don't forget the ever important Notre Dame alumni license plate frame.

The steering wheel would be fitted with a Notre Dame leather steering wheel cover, and would also have a laser cut shamrock in the middle of it.

To protect the interior upholstery of the car, don't forget the custom Notre Dame floor mats. You wouldn't want to get any of that snowy South Bend sludge on the interior of your Volvo S60!!

And of course no Notre Dame spirit car is complete without a few Notre Dame window decals on the back ... on a back window that is the shape of Our Lady's grotto.

I'd like to give some of my Notre Dame Twitter folks a shout out to thank them for truly giving me the inspiration for this post! THANKS guys & gals! @Dear__Chicago @cathyang50 @chawalte @ndrazee @PucktacularOne @Notre_Josh @oates03 @mrstruj @ND_Tog @36beachbabe @HLS-Biscuit

Okay, I guess I had better head on down the road in my Golden Notre Dame spirit Volvo S60! You'll hear me as I head on my way as the horn plans the Notre Dame Fight Song!

I hope you like my tricked out Notre Dame car. And hey, if you've yet to vote for me on my "Biggest Fan of the Big East" profile page, please swing by and vote!! Oh, and tell your friends to vote, too ... please!

Cheers!

By the way, if you have not been to the Volvo web site lately, definitely swing on over there. They have this feature where you can "build your own Volvo S60" which is super, SUPER cool! Cheers!

The Little Drummer Boy

2011-12-23T11:48:00.000-05:00

This edition of Retro Friday features a little holiday cheer with Bing Crosby and David Bowie singing The Little Drummer Boy and Peace on Earth.

Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy, also known as The Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth, is a Christmas song which was performed by David Bowie and Bing Crosby in 1977. The "Little Drummer Boy" is a Christmas song which was written in 1957, and the "Peace on Earth" tune and lyrics were added to the song especially for David Bowie and Bing Crosby's 1977 recording.

The track was recorded on September 11, 1977 for Bing Crosby's then-upcoming television special called "Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas." At the beginning of the piece, Bing Crosby and David Bowie exchanged dialogue about what they do for Christmas, before singing "Little Drummer Boy" with a new counterpoint with original lyrics written for the special, "Peace on Earth." David Bowie's appearance on the show has been described as a "surreal" event, undertaken at the time becuase he was "actively trying to normalise his career."

Bowie has since recalled that he only appeared on the show because "I just knew my mother liked him." Buz Kohan was not sure that Crosby knew who Bowie was, but Ian Fraser claimed, "I'm pretty sure he did. Bing was no idiot. If he didn't, his kids sure did." Crosby died that same year on October 14, just over a month after recording the special. In the U.S., the show aired on November 30, 1977 on CBS.

According to co-writer Ian Fraser, Bowie balked at singing "Little Drummer Boy." "I hate this song. Is there something else I could sing?" Fraser recalls Bowie telling him. Fraser, along with songwriter Larry Grossman and the special's scriptwriter, Buz Kohan, then wrote "Peace on Earth" as a counterpoint to "Little Drummer Boy." Crosby performed "Little Drummer Boy," while Bowie sang the new tune "Peace on Earth," which they reportedly performed after less than an hour of rehearsal.

And here it is, for your holiday listening enjoyment: Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy:

Cheers & Merry Christmas to you & yours!

Christmas Wrapping

2011-12-20T22:23:00.009-05:00

It's hard to believe ... but Christmas is just FIVE DAYS AWAY. Holy cow! Where did the year go? I've been dancing around the house, frantically trying to get everything just perfect, and I have my favorite Christmas song stuck in my head. Christmas Wrapping by the Waitresses.

What, you don't know it? Well then clearly you are a newbie to my blog, because I wrote about it last Christmas. Or, you are like me and have CRS ... Can't Remember ... wait, what does that S stand for?

Anyways, click here to read last year's Christmas Retro Friday post and enjoy a little Christmas Wrapping!!

And most of all ... enjoy yourself and dance a little this Christmas season!!

Cheers!

(Oh, and while I have you here, let me throw in a tiny little shameless plug! Please don’t forget to vote for me as the Notre Dame rep in Volvo's "Biggest Fan of the Big East" contest … Click here to cast your vote!! And ask your friends to vote, too ... because let's face it ... I need some serious voting help!)

A Big East Road Trip: Feels Like Home

2011-12-09T13:57:00.085-05:00

You guessed it! It's time for another "Biggest Fan of the Big East Challenge" post! And challenge number three is: What are your top three Big East road trip towns and why? At first glance, I thought this might be a tough decision. But then after I thought about it for a minute, it was not so difficult after all!

My top three Big East road trip towns feel like home to me because two of them were home to me, and the third town is truly my happy place on earth. Seeing as I spent my last challenge post detailing why I love Notre Dame so much, South Bend, Indiana and Notre Dame are not on today's list!

First things first, it's not a road trip if you don't have your best pals with you. So let me grab my girls, hop into the shiny new Volvo S60, and let's head on out to our first destination ... Marquette University ... Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

As a child, I spent several years living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. My Dad was training to be a brew master at Schlitz Brewing Company, and we spent several years living just eight blocks from Lake Michigan. I have very fond memories of Milwaukee as a child ... mostly of snowy activities ... but I'd love to head back as an adult to check the sites of the city itself, as well as the fine Jesuit institution of Marquette University. Here is my bucket list of things that I would want to see while on my road trip at Marquette University, and in Milwaukee.

First, I would like to visit the Joan of Arc chapel. (Thank you, Brian, for pointing this out to me!) What a beautiful gem set in the heart of Midwestern USA. The St. Joan of Arc Chapel is "the only medieval structure in the entire Western Hemisphere dedicated to its original purpose: Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam." ("For the greater glory of God")

My next stop would be to check out the Church of the Gesu. I will admit, I am kind of a church nerd, so any time I travel somewhere, I make a point to check out any interesting nearby churches, and this would be no exception! The cornerstone laying ceremony for the Church of Gesu was on May 21, 1893, and the church was completed and dedicated on December 16, 1894. Quite a landmark in Milwaukee.

Of course I'd want to catch a game at the Bradley Center, preferably a Notre Dame-Marquette match up, so that we can see who the better Catholic school really is ... wink.

While in Milwaukee, I'd want to take advantage of the great local German food & beverages, so my next stop would be to take the girls in the Volvo S60, and head on over to Gasthaus for some fantastic German eats. Their extensive bar selections include over 55 different kinds of beer, primarily German and Wisconsin beers, including their House Weissgerber Amber. And the menu had me at Walleye ... Friday nights, the Gasthaus offers a fish fry that is spectacular. Icelandic cod, fries, potato pancakes, cole slaw, rye bread and potato salad. All-you-can-eat. Yup, I'm there!

Our final Milwaukee stop would be the Milwaukee Art Museum. I have always wanted to go to the Milwaukee Art Museum. It looks simply stunning from the outside, and I am a sucker for a good Impressionism art collection. Goodness knows my friends won't let me drag them to sporting events for this entire road trip ... some culture must be woven in there, too!

Okay ... on to our next stop ... DePaul University and CHICAGO, Illinois.

Chicago is, by far, one of my happiest places on earth. I don't know what it is about Chicago, but given the opportunity, I would move there in a heart beat. Not only is it practically spitting distance from Notre Dame, there is just SO much to do there. So, without further ado, let me get on to my DePaul/Chicago bucket list!

With as many times as I have been to Chicago, I do not think I've ever caught a DePaul Basketball game. I have wandered around the beautiful DePaul city campus many times, but I'd love to catch a DePaul game at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont.

My other Chicago bucket list items would include the following:

Cruising through Chicago on the Architectural Boat Ride Tour. Especially on a sunny day, but even on a cloudy, misty Chicago day, there is no better way to spend a few hours in Chicago than floating down the river and watching the beautiful city architecture drift by. I've been on this tour on sunny days, as well as on rainy days, and I swear, each time I go I see something different. Truly inspiring!

My next Chicago stop with the girls would be spending the afternoon at the Art Institute of Chicago. The Art Institute of Chicago has to be one of my all time favorite museums. Mostly because it has two of my favorite pieces there ... Georges Seurat's "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte" ... and Georgia O'Keefe's "Cow's Skull with Calico Rose." I just simply adore these two pieces and cannot get enough of them!

When it's time to take a load off our tired feet, I'd take the girls to dinner at Tratoria No. 10. I must say, I have not met a restaurant in Chicago that I have not liked. And there is an endless assortment of restaurant choices in Chicago ... of all ranges of cuisines, atmospheres and price. But I must say that my all time favorite restaurant in Chicago is Tratoria No. 10. They have this Butternut Squash Ravioli that is simply to die for, and like any good authentic Italian Restaurant, you can finish your meal off with a delightful Limoncello. The next time you are in Chicago you MUST. EAT. HERE!

And to round off my Chicago road trip bucket list, a stop at the Hangge-Uppe is definitely a must!! If you, by chance, google the Hangge-Uppe, it will come up as a "dive bar" ... but trust me on this one, you do not want to miss out on this experience. The Hangge-Uppe is located on the near north side of Chicago and has a bar upstairs ... but the fun is in the downstairs bar where there is a dance floor and a DJ playing music from the 70's and 80's. Seriously, this place is full of so much ridiculous fun, it's not even fair!

Okay ... so there is Milwaukee and Chicago. Stop three of my Big East road trip would be my birthplace and hometown, home of the University of Pittsburgh ... Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania!

I know, many of you still equate Pittsburgh with a dirty old steel down, but truly that is not the case any more. Pittsburgh is actually quite clean and vibrant, and there is much to see and do there! All of my family, with the exception of my Dad and I, went to the University of Pittsburgh, "Pitt." I have spent many a weekends on Pitt's campus with my Aunts, Uncles and Cousins showing me their favorite hangouts on campus. Since I have attended many football games at Pitt, but not yet a basketball game ... my first bucket list item in Pittsburgh would be to attend a Pitt-Notre Dame basketball game at the Petersen Events Center.

The other things on my Pittsburgh bucket list are as follows.

First, I'd drag the girls to ride The Duquesne Incline. In my mind, this is one of the most unique things that Pittsburgh has to offer, and no Pittsburgh road trip is complete without a ride on the incline. Take a step back in time on a century-old cable car and see the best views of downtown Pittsburgh while riding one of the few remaining inclines in the country. The Duquesne Incine opened on May 20, 1877, and it was later rescued and restored by a group of local residents in 1963 and still delights residents and visitors with its original, elegant, wooden cable cars. Now you can also visit the interior of the incline and watch the machinery while it operates. When you get to The Duquesne Incline's upper station, there is a museum of Pittsburgh history, including photos and information on inclines from around the world.

Next, after teaching my friends how to speak Pittsburghese (yes, there is an entire set of vocabulary words that you must learn to understand the good people of Pittsburgh), I would take them to the S&D Polish Deli and treat them to one of my favorite Pittsburgh foods ... Pierogi! If you don't know what a pierogi is, here is an explanation for you.

Pierogi are dumplings of unleavened dough - first boiled, then they are baked or fried usually in butter with onions - traditionally stuffed with potato filling, sauerkraut, ground meat, cheese, or fruit. Of central and eastern European provenance, they are usually semicircular, but are rectangular or triangular in some cuisines.

There are some fantastic museums in Pittsburgh, but the next stop that I'd take the girls to is the Andy Warhol Museum. Campbells soup cans anyone? The Andy Warhol Museum is an ultramodern tribute to the founder of pop art. The most comprehensive single artist museum in the world houses more than 4,000 works of art, including paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, films, and videos, from this native Pittsburgh artist. While dedicated to Andy Warhol, the museum also hosts rotating exhibits by artists who push the boundaries of art, just as Warhol did. Oh, and I just saw that there is a comic book exhibit there right now ... Heroes & Villains: The Comic Book Art of Alex Ross. Okay, now I really am super homesick. Sigh.

My final Pittsburgh road trip destinations would include me taking the girls to see where I am from ... the house where my Dad grew up, the church that I was baptised in, and where our family store was located from 1881 until it finally closed in 2010. It was very sad for me when our family store closed. It was such a big part of every visit that we made to see the family back home, and there will forever be a void there, but times have changed and some things just do not survive.

I hope you have enjoyed my Big East road trip, to my three favorite "feels like home" cities in the Big East! I can't wait to head back to Notre Dame in January for my Alma Mater trip, and take a spin around campus in the fancy Volvo S60. If anywhere truly feels like home to me, it is Notre Dame for sure!

Thank you, once again, for supporting me in Volvo's “Biggest Fan of the Big East” competition. Please don’t forget to vote for me … click here to cast your vote. And ask your friends to vote too ... because let's face it ... I need some serious voting help!

Cheers!

A to Z

2011-12-09T08:49:00.004-05:00

This week's edition of Retro Friday features the band ABC, and I'm going to highlight several of their songs!

I can't believe that I've been writing Retro Friday posts for almost three years now, and have yet to cover ABC. The band ABC was one of my ALL-TIME favorite bands in High School. So many great high school memories revolve around ABC songs!

ABC are an English band, that charted ten UK and five US Top 40 singles between the years 1981 and 1990. The band released it's most recent album, Traffic, in 2008.

ABC formed out of the band Vice Versa. Vice Versa was born in 1977 in Sheffield by Stephen Singleton, Mark White and David Sydenham. They founded their own label, Neutron Records, releasing the EP (extended play) Music 4. They had a sound similar to The Human League, whom they supported in 1978. Martin Fry, who wrote the fan magazine Modern Drugs, interviewed the band; and shortly afterwards they asked him to join as synthesizer player. Fry accepted but within a short period of time the band became ABC, he assumed the role of lead vocalist.

My favorite ABC album is How to Be a ...Zillionaire!

How to Be a ... Zillionaire was released in 1985 and four singles were released from this album. "Be Near Me" which reached 26 on the UK singles chart, and number 9 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. "(How to Be a) Millionaire" 49 on the UK singles chart and 20 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. "Vanity Kills" 74 in the UK, and 91 in the U.S. And last, but not least, "Ocean Blue", 54 in the UK. The album topped at 28 on the UK Albums Chart, and at 30 on the Billboard 200.

For some reason, "Be Near Me" was a quintessential High School song for me. In the spring of 1986, my accelerated English class (yes, I was a nerd in High School) went on a weekend trip to Yosemite. It was one of those "trust building" trips where they took us on all of these cool trust walks ... through caves, and blindfolded ... to teach us to trust each other. I'm not sure how successful that aspect of the trip was, but I do have a lot of great memories from that trip, and this album was pretty much the soundtrack for the weekend. I'd post a photo from that weekend ... but, um, no way. I was WAY too much of a dork!

So here are a few of my favorite ABC songs, for your listening pleasure!

A to Z

Be Near Me

Ocean Blue

Vanity Kills

Cheers!

In the Arms of the Angels

2011-12-02T10:59:00.018-05:00

Today's edition of Retro Friday is being sidetracked with some sad news of mine. As I sit here brewing a pot of coffee, I still can't seem to wrap my brain around this.

The brother and wife of a dear friend of mine have been through so much this year in their journey to have a child. After many trials and tribulations, they were finally able to conceive a child, and with much joy they began their journey towards parenthood. The year has been spent wishing and dreaming, and hoping and planning of all this bundle of joy would bring into their lives. And then I get the phone call last night. Apparently she had sudden complications yesterday, and was taken to the hospital and rushed into surgery, and to our shock they were unable to save Mother or baby.

I just can't wrap my head around this at all. Not one bit. Do these things truly happen in 2011? We seem to take motherhood and pregnancy so much for granted. That women get pregnant, and carry to full term, and deliver healthy bouncing babies ... but all too often this is not the case. I guess it seems in my mind that dying in childbirth is such an 1800's thing, and that this should not happen in 2011, but this is a reminder to us all that life is very much a fragile thing.

And so I have two songs for you today, as my heart breaks. First, Angels, by Sarah McLachlin, as these two angels leave this world and join our Father in heaven.

The second song I have is, And So It Goes, by Billy Joel ... as my heart breaks for the husband and father who just lost his best friend, and his glimmer of hope for the future.

Crying is how your body speaks when your mouth can't explain the pain you feel.

Gods speed to Mother and baby as they are welcomed into their Father's loving arms. May they look down on all of us from heaven above.

Blessings to you all.

Cheers,

The Spider and the Fly

2011-11-29T12:58:00.018-05:00

I'm not sure about you, but I am a dreamer. I dream a lot (in my sleep), and I typically remember a lot of them. I used to keep a dream journal to keep track of my dreams, and over the years I've had some crazy dreams. Shrinking rooms ... gun fights ... a snake wearing a tie rolling a donut (Dude, wait ... what?). And this week has been no exception.

I went to sleep the other night and my back was just killing me. I guess a combination of that, and having a lot on my mind, resulted in this dream. I dreamt that I had been bitten by a spider, and that it had laid eggs inside my back (Eeeewwwww gross, right?!). Then, as the lump in my back got bigger, I had to have someone cut my back open, and all I can remember from the dream was hundreds of tiny spiders crawling out of my back and me screaming ... "Get them out, get them out."

Seriously. What the heck?

So I pulled up this dream dictionary and searched "spiders" and "dreams" ... and look at what I found!

(Dream Dictionary: http://www.unclesirbobby.org.uk/dreamessayspider.php)

SPIDERS: Spiders are a little like snakes in that they usually refer to something bad in your life. They will usually refer to some situation where you feel trapped or stuck. Perhaps you dislike your job and wish to move to something more interesting. Perhaps you feel stuck in a relationship. Just think of those emotions about being caught in a spiders web. Where do you feel that same sense in real life or been unable to move.

QUESTIONS: to help you make associations(pick the one that makes most sense to you)
- Do you feel stuck in some relationship?
- Are there some responsibilities that are holding you back?
- Do you feel unable to escape some situation or relationship?
- Are you wanting to make a decision but unable to right now?
- Do you feel trapped right now?

KEY WORDS: Stuck, trapping, depression, lack of freedom, responsibilities holding you back, unable to escape, wary(write down some quotes that capture your key feelings on issues that have been dominating your mind. Then see if any of these words could appear in those quotes)

KEY PHRASES:(Pick a quote which captures your feelings right now. Think especially of the day before the dream) :
- "I feel trapped in depression"
- "My family will just not let me have my freedom"
- "I don’t feel she can ever escape from this situation she has got herself in"
- "This problem is dominating all aspects of my life"
- "I feel trapped in my job"
- "I have not got the freedom to do that because of my responsibilities"
- "I am just stuck here"
- "I feel unable to make a decision"
- "I am trying to entice them"
- "I have finally got my man!"

Wow. This is all so very interesting to me, seeing as I just let go of something in my life, and am in the process of letting go of other things that are associated with it. It is just remarkable to me when you stop and think about how the brain works. That it could associate spiders being released from my body as letting go of something that is holding me back. The mind most certainly works in mysterious ways!

So ... have you had any interesting dreams lately? Do tell! And hopefully they are not as crazy and dramatic as mine seem to be lately!

Cheers!

The Ultimate Notre Dame Weekend

2011-11-28T13:21:00.008-05:00

Volvo's Biggest Fan of the Big East Contest has presented us with our second challenge, and this one is truly a dream blog post for me. "Pick 5 or more things that you HAVE to do when you return to your Alma Mater ... places to see, best bars, best food, cool places on campus, etc." Yup, anyone who knows me, knows this is RIGHT up my alley.

Since I graduated from Notre Dame, there has not been a year when I have not made it back to campus at least once, if not more. We usually make it back for at least one or two sporting event weekends, and then often times head back for conferences or reunions. Being back on Notre Dame's campus reminds me that you really can go home, and so I cannot get back there often enough!

Here is my "Ultimate Notre Dame Weekend" list of places to go, things to do and people to see! Fasten your seat belt in that shiny Volvo S60 (see photo above!!) ... it's gonna be a wild ride!

Let's start out with food. A weekend at Notre Dame typically includes food at the following two establishments ... CJ's and Tippecanoe Place. CJ's is our Friday night dinner place. CJ's is known for their great pub burgers, and has been a student favorite since 1984. When I was in school, CJ's was just a hole in the wall. They recently had a fire and had to rebuild. The new CJ's is bigger and better than ever! Now we not only include CJ's in our Friday night dinner plans ... but also for a little dancing on Saturday night as well, as they now have a dance floor! Go figure!

The second "ultimate weekend" food stop is brunch at Tippecanoe Place. Tippecanoe Place is the former Studebaker mansion. It is one of the premiere landmarks in the heart of South Bend's historic district, and the mansion is teeming with the charm and grace of yesteryear. The gracious spirit of the past still thrives in the mansion's 40 rooms with their wealth of fine antiques, 20 gorgeous fireplaces, and hand-crafted woods. This is definitely a must see experience during a trip to Notre Dame!

Moving on to nightlife, there are two spots that just can't be missed on a weekend to Notre Dame ... The Linebacker Lounge and Corby's.

The Linebacker Lounge is a favorite of students and alumni alike! The Linebacker Lounge was founded in 1962 by former Notre Dame football player Myron Pontios, and local businessman Stan Pisek. They converted the building which had been an old drive inn into the now famous bar. The Linebacker has been featured on the Travel Channel, "College Towns", and in October 2006 was the remote location for the television broadcast of ESPN's "Mike and Mike in the morning" show. I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be on a Notre Dame weekend than at the 'Backer singing "Oh What a Night!"

Corby's Irish Pub would be the next "ultimate weekend" nightlife stop on a weekend at Notre Dame. Corby's Irish Pub is a famous Notre Dame bar. The pub was established in 1990, and the movie "Rudy" was filmed at this location, which sealed the pub's popularity. Corby's is a very spirited Irish establishment and is the perfect place to be on football weekends when droves of alumni flock back to reconnect and relive their glory days!

As far as things that must be seen on campus, the list is long. For starters, no trip to Notre Dame would be complete without a "get your photo taken in front of the famous landmarks" on campus tour. Touchdown Jesus, Fair-Catch Corby, and First Down Moses are definitely must see campus landmarks.

The large mural on the wall of the Hesburgh Library which faces Notre Dame Stadium is lovingly nicknamed “Touchdown Jesus,” because it mirrors the raised arms of a referee signifying a touchdown. The mural is officially titled, “The World of Life,” and was created by Millard Sheets in 1964, and depicts the resurrected Jesus. It is absolutely a must see stop for any visit to campus, and can also be seen from inside the stadium! TOUCHDOWN!!

The next must see place on campus is the Grotto. From the day Rev. Edward F. Sorin, the founder of Notre Dame du Lac, embarked from Le Havre, France, bound for his mission in the New World, Mary, the Mother of God, was his guiding star. The culmination of this early Marian devotion can be seen today in Notre Dame's stone grotto, designed to closely replicate the grotto in Lourdes, France where Our Lady appeared to Bernadette. The Grotto has since become a favorite devotional spot on campus. People of all faiths have found rest and peace in this place of quiet reflection. The beauty of its natural setting, the soft candle glow, bestow a feeling of warmth and welcome upon it's visitors. No tour of Notre Dame would be complete without a visit to this peaceful shrine nestled among the trees in the shadow of the Golden Dome, to light a candle and say a prayer. (Spring at the grotto photo, courtesy of Kathleen Souder)

After your stop at the grotto, take a walk around one of the two lakes on campus, and then continue the spiritual part of your weekend by visiting Badin's Log Cabin Chapel and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Badin's Log Cabin Chapel is one of the oldest landmarks on campus, and it is a must see for any visitor to Notre Dame, new or old.

The one-and-one-half story log chapel-cabin was built by Badin in 1830 and when Sorin arrived a decade later it served as living quarters (ground floor) and a house of worship (attic space) for several months until a larger log house was constructed. With the completion of this second structure (located east of Badin's building), Badin's chapel assumed two secular functions. The first floor was a carpentry shop, while the second story became a crowded dormitory for the brothers who, by 1843, numbered 18 men. Religious services were then held in a chapel in the larger log structure. (Log cabin history taken from: A Spire of Faith: The University of Notre Dame's Sacred Heart Church, by Thomas J. Schlereth. Sunlight over the Badin Log Cabin photo, courtesy of Kathleen Souder)

Your next stop is the Sacred Heart Basilica, which stands in sharp contrast to the simplicity of the Log Cabin chapel. It's majestic blue and gold will literally take your breath away. Our favorite Mass at the Sacred Heart Basilica is the 10:00 a.m. Sunday morning Mass. We have affectionately nicknamed it "Smells and Bells" because you get a healthy dose of incense, and the Notre Dame Liturgical Choir provides the beautiful music.

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Notre Dame, Indiana, is the largest Catholic Church on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. It also serves as the mother church of the Congregation of Holy Cross in the United States. The neo-gothic church features 44 large stained glass windows and majestic murals which were completed over a 17 year period by Vatican painter Luigi Gregori. The basilica bell tower stands 218 feet (66 m) high. The current basilica was preceded by a smaller structure erected in 1848 by Father Edward Sorin, CSC. The current neo-gothic church was begun in 1870 and consecrated by Bishop Joseph Dwenger on August 15, 1888.

Situated right next to the Sacred Heart Basilica, one of the most well known campus sights is The University of Notre Dame's Main Administration Building (known as the Main Building or the "Golden Dome"). The Dome houses various administrative offices, including the Office of the President. Construction of the Main Building began in 1864 and was finished in 1865. The building stood for 14 years before being destroyed by fire in the spring of 1879.

Father Edward Sorin’s unbreakable will was best demonstrated in 1879 after the disastrous fire destroyed the Main Building, which housed virtually the entire University. Father Sorin willed Notre Dame to rebuild the Main Building and continue its growth. "I came here as a young man and dreamed of building a great university in honor of Our Lady," he said. "But I built it too small, and she had to burn it to the ground to make the point. So, tomorrow, as soon as the bricks cool, we will rebuild it, bigger and better than ever."

Immediately after the fire, the University took action, selecting a new design by Willoughby J. Edbrooke and began construction. The current Main Building was completed before the fall semester of 1879. The Golden Dome that caps the Main Building was a gift from the sisters of the adjacent Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame's sister school. The Golden Dome stands 206 feet above ground level, and 125 feet above the roof of the Administration Building. The Dome, gilded in gold leaf, is 139 feet in circumference at its base and is topped by a statue of the Blessed Virgin which is nineteen feet high.

One other tidbit about the Dome, if you happen to be on campus for a football weekend, a must see event at the Dome is "Trumpets Under the Dome." The trumpet section of the University of Notre Dame Marching Band Band gathers inside the Administration Building and plays the Fight Song and the Alma Mater under the Dome. It is definitely something not to be missed! Here is a video so that you can check it out!

Trumpets Under the Dome:

There are two more things that round out my "Ultimate Notre Dame Weekend" list. One is a trip to the bookstore. No matter how many times we head back to campus, a trip to the bookstore to buy more Notre Dame stuff is something that always happens. It's not as though I don't already have an entire closet full of Notre Dame t-shirts, hats, hoodies, and more ... but there is no way I can go home empty handed after a trip to Notre Dame.

And last but not least ,in the people to see category ... look for famous people! Both as a student and an alum, my friends and I have seen, run into, and met many famous people at Notre Dame. Some of the people we have crossed paths with along the way include: Regis Philbin, Dick Vitale (his two daughters lived in my dorm!), Digger Phelps, Lou Holtz, Rudy, Julia Roberts, Vince Vaughn, Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift. However, the most notorious sighting remains O.J. Simpson, sitting three rows in front of us at the 1993 Notre Dame/Florida State game, with Marcus Allen!

I think that list is about as comprehensive as any list you're going to find! My best friend from college and I took four newbies to Notre Dame this fall for a football game. After a jam-packed football weekend at Notre Dame, I was told that I am the "Mayor of Notre Dame" because apparently all I did all weekend, between running them from must-see-stop to must-see-stop, was shake hands and kiss babies!

So there it is ... my "Ultimate Notre Dame Weekend" list. The only thing that I can think of that would make a weekend at Notre Dame even better would be riding around in a new Volvo S60! Well, one can dream at least!!

Hey, if you haven't stopped by my Biggest Fan of the Big East profile page yet, please stop by and show your support and cast your vote for me. I would greatly appreciate it!

Cheers!

Let Me Tell You ...

2011-11-27T20:22:00.001-05:00

My apologies in advance ... tonight's blog post is going to get a bit sappy!

I believe in the healing of story. I think it's good for people to talk it out. There is something clarifying, curative, restorative in the telling; some would call it "therapeutic." Ernest Hemmingway once said, "If he wrote it, he could get rid of it. He had gotten rid of many things by writing them."

The act of sharing is good for the recipient, too. The hand-off from story-teller to listener is an exchange of trust and understanding. And more is imparted in that transaction than the story itself. Storytelling is gift-giving.

One night when I was very little my father sensed my being heavy-hearted. I can't recall the reason for the gloom, but I remember standing in the kitchen while he asked me to tell him about it. "You can't help," I said. "Just tell me," he said. So I finally revealed my burden, and he responded with some inconsequential advice, like "That's too bad, but I'm sure it will all work out."

But what he said next I will never forget: "When you hold something in and carry it by yourself, it can feel really heavy. But when you share it with me, there's two of us carrying it and that makes it lighter." He was right; it was true. I felt lighter, uplifted, liberated even.

Telling stories is in our nature, it makes us human. We tell stories over dinner, with wine, in dorm rooms late at night. It's communal.

Storytelling -- whether in person, over the phone or in a theater, whether fable, parable or myth -- is a way of conveying truths much bigger than words alone can hold. And those stories help define us, remind us who we are -- whether family, culture or institution.

In a story the lost are retrieved, the fallen redeemed, the darkness lit and the tragic laced with humor. And the humanity we have in common can be at once offered up and blessed. (Excerpt from the Autumn 2011 Notre Dame Magazine, inside cover, from Kerry Temple '74)

I love the holidays. I love the holidays because they bring friends and family members together, and allow for many opportunities for all of us ... old and young alike ... to pass on stories. Stories of what is currently going on in our lives, of what our hopes and dreams are, and wonderful stories of moments past.

I love the stories of Christmas past. Or the stories from Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, Mothers and Fathers ... of the things they did when they were young. It makes our lives somehow more connected. And it makes them a little bit more relatable to us when we see that they were not perfect either.

I can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon than sitting with my Grandmother, and listening to her tell stories. Stories of her and her siblings when they were kids. Stories of her first job. Stories of when she and my Grandfather were first married. I simply cannot get enough of them. I wish I had asked my Grandfather to tell us more stories before he passed, and so now I pry stories out of my Grandmother any chance I can get!

I just wanted to take a moment this evening, during this season of thanksgiving, to express how blessed I am to have the family and friends that I have. I hope the next few weeks, during the holiday season, give us all ample opportunities to express to our loved ones how much we care about and appreciate them, and to sit and story tell until our hearts are bursting with love.

"The very act of storytelling, of arranging memory and invention according to the structure of the narrative, is by definition holy. We tell stories because we can't help it. We tell stories because we love to entertain and hope to edify. We tell stories because they fill the silence death imposes. We tell stories because they save us." ~James Carroll

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, and I wish you all the best as we head into this blessed holiday season.

Cheers & God Bless!

Send Me An Angel

2011-11-25T17:53:00.015-05:00

This week's edition of Retro Friday features the band Real Life and the song "Send Me An Angel."

Real Life are a Melbourne-based Australian New Wave/Synthpop band that had hits in the early 1980's with "Send Me an Angel" (1983), which was their debut single, and "Catch Me I'm Falling" (1983). Both of these hits were featured on the band's debut album Heartland (1983).

In it's conception, the band consisted of David Sterry (lead vocals and guitar), Richard Zatorski (violin and keyboard), Alan Johnson (bass) and Danny Simcic (drums). Steve Williams (keyboard) replaced Zatorski in 1986, who was then replaced by George Pappas in 1996 after a long hiatus of band activity.

After very limited success with their second album titled Flame, which was released in 1985, they formed a new band called Zatorski, and recorded an updated version of "Send Me an Angel". In 1989 Real Life released a new version of "Send Me an Angel", titled "Send Me an Angel '89", which fared slightly better than the original in the United States, and reached a peak of #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the summer of 1989. The video for the 1989 version was identical to the original except Zatorski was edited out of all shots. The Australian video of "Send Me An Angel '89" was shot in Ormond College, The University of Melbourne, with Steve Williams on keyboard.

I love the song "Send Me An Angel." The song is about a man who asks himself whether or not he finds true love, and he asks the heavens to send him an answer! The keyboard sounds used in this song were very characteristic of the synthpop songs of the 1980's ... a classic retro song in my mind!

Okay ... here's a little "Send Me An Angel" circa 1983 for your listening pleasure!

Cheers!

Tainted Love

2011-11-18T14:36:00.008-05:00

Today's edition of Retro Friday features Soft Cell and the song "Tainted Love."

Soft Cell are an English synthpop duo who emerged on the music scene in the early 1980s. They consist of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball. The duo is most widely known for their 1981 worldwide hit version of "Tainted Love" and the platinum debut album Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret. In the United Kingdom, they had ten Top 40 hits, including "Bedsitter" which reached the number four spot, "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye" which reached number three, "Torch" which reached number two, and "What!" which reached number three. They also had four Top 20 albums between 1981and 1984. The duo split in 1984, but reformed early in the 2000s to tour and released a new album in 2002. Their songs have been covered by various artists including Nine Inch Nails, David Gray, Nouvelle Vague, Marilyn Manson and A-ha.

Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" was released in 1981 and was a No. 1 hit in 17 countries, including the United Kingdom, as well as a No. 8 single in the United States in 1982. It also went on to set a Guinness World Record at the time for the longest consecutive stay (43 weeks) on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song's popularity developed slowly, needing 19 weeks to enter the U.S. Top 40. The A-side of the 12 inch single of "Tainted Love" actually featured a two-song medley, with "Tainted Love" blending into the Motown classic "Where Did Our Love Go" ( which was originally recorded by The Supremes).

According to Marc Almond's book Tainted Life, when Soft Cell had finished the recording of the "Tainted Love" they only had modest expectations that the track might break into the UK Top 50. Furthermore, Almond wrote that the only significant contribution that he made to the song's instrumentation (besides the vocals) was the suggestion that the song should begin with a characteristic "bink bink" sound which would repeat periodically throughout. Almond also wrote that he dedicated this song to his sometime partner Christian Andrews.

I love the song "Tainted Love" ... especially the mix with "Where Did Our Love Go." Shortly after college we got tickets to see the band Dishwalla play at this local club in St. Louis, and they played their version of "Tainted Love" ... which was amazing ... and made me love Dishwalla even more!

And now ... here's some Soft Cell and "Tainted Love" for your listening pleasure!

Cheers!

Biggest Fan of the Big East - Big East Media Day Video

2011-11-15T13:10:00.006-05:00

Have you seen it yet!? The video they took of the Biggest Fan of the Big East contestants at Big East Media Day in New York City is up on YouTube! I thought I'd share it with you all for your viewing pleasure. Fortunately, there is only a tiny snippet of me in the vid ... I looked like a drowned rat that day! Ahhh, NYC in the rain!

Enjoy ... and don't forget to keep sharing my All-Time Big East Dream Team blog post on Twitter and Facebook ... so that I can fully rep Notre Dame as the Biggest Fan of the Big East!

Cheers! ... and GO IRISH!!

Big East Dream Team

2011-11-12T17:10:00.126-05:00

As a newly elected contestant in the Biggest Fan of the Big East contest, I will be charged with eight challenges. This go round, my mission, should I choose to accept it, is to pick an All-Time Big East Dream team, consisting of current and/or former Big East players. After hours of pouring over the record books and hallowed records of the great scribes, I have my team!

1. Patrick Ewing, Center, Georgetown (1981-1985)

I can't think of a better person to start my list with other than Center, Patrick Ewing. His style of play became the standard for one of the great post traditions in college basketball, and he led his Georgetown Hoyas to three national championship games in his four seasons (winning the crown in 1984). His career numbers are simply mind boggling: 2,184 points (second in school history), 1,316 rebounds (first) and 493 blocks (first, though the stat wasn’t officially kept by the NCAA at the time).

2. David Wingate, Guard, Georgetown (1982-1986)

My starting list is heavy 1980's Georgetown players. They seem to epitomize what Big East Basketball is to me. Guard, David Wingate was not only an elite defensive player, leading his team in steals his sophomore year, but he was also a danger offensively, averaging 11 points per game overall, and a staggering 16 points per game his senior year. He was a key player on the 1984 national championship team, and is sixth in Hoya history with 1,781 points and fifth with 209 steals.

3. Reggie Williams, Forward, Georgetown (1983-1987)

Reggie Williams, a.k.a. "Silk", also had an outstanding collegiate career at Georgetown. In his four seasons, his numbers were amongst career leaders in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals in school history, finishing no lower than seventh in any category. During his freshman year, he scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds against the University of Houston in the 1984 national championship game which the Hoyas won 84–75. As a senior, Williams was the leader of a young team which became a national championship contender. During his senior season he led the Big East in scoring, and led the team in rebounding, steals and blocked shots, and was third in assists. As a result of Williams's success that year, Georgetown's coach John Thompson gave the team the name “Reggie and the Miracles”.

4. Allen Iverson, Guard, Georgetown (1994-1996)

Although he only spent two seasons at Georgetown, Allen Iverson was one of the most overpowering players the Hoyas have ever seen. Iverson holds the single-season records for points (25 per game) and steals (124), and in just two seasons he cracked the career Top 20 in points, steals and assists. He won the Big East Rookie of the year award and two Big East Defensive Player of the Year awards, and was named to the All Rookie Tournament First Team. His short time at Georgetown propelled him into a successful NBA career and eight trips to the playoffs!

5. Chris Mullin, Guard/Forward, St. Johns (1981-1985)

Chris Mullin played shooting guard and small forward at St. John's University from 1981-1985, during which he won Big East Men's Basketball Player of the Year three times.

In his freshman year, Mullin averaged 16.6 points per game (also setting the school freshman record for points scored). In his subsequent three years at St. John's, he would be named Big East Player of the Year each year, AND named to the All-America team three times. He also lead the Redmen to the 1985 Final Four. Mullin finished his career as St. John's all-time leading scorer.

Bench

6. Alonzo Mourning, Center, Georgetown (1988-1992)

If Alonzo Mourning did not have to follow in the footsteps of Patrick Ewing, he would have had an excellent chance at being the best center in the history ... of almost any school. As it is, Mourning sits in fourth place in program history with 2,001 points, third with 1,032 rebounds and second with 453 blocks. He led the nation in blocked shots his freshman year and was an All American his last year there. He is definitely a Big East All-Star Dream Teamer!

I can't think of a better way to show you his blocking skills than by letting you watch them!

7. Rashad Anderson, Guard/Forward, Connecticut (2002-2006)

Anderson averaged 15 points per game during his career at Connecticut and scored in double figures in 50 games, including 11 games with 20 or more points. He scored a career-high 33 points against Morehead State in December of 2005, sinking seven of seven three-pointers. He had a knack for hitting shots at key moments of games, and is known as one of the best clutch three-point shooters in college basketball history. Anderson also finished his career with 276 three pointers, the most in Connecticut history.

Anderson left Connecticut with 1,432 points, ranking No. 18 all-time, an overall record of 109-28, a Big East tournament win and a national championship to his name.

8. Khalid El-Amin, Guard, Connecticut (1998-2000)

El-Amin is one of the most successful point guards in Connecticut history. He averaged 15.3 points, 4.4 assists, 1.7 steals and 2.9 rebounds per game for his career. He was a compact, tough guard, who could ignite at any moment. He scored 24 points in a half, two times. He was a fantastic shooter and hit 195 total three pointers. He was also clutch under pressure, hitting game winners when need be and more importantly, knocking down two free throws at the end of the 1999 national championship game against Duke to give Connecticut the 77-74 win.

El-Amin ranks eighth all-time at Connecticut for total assists with 479, sixth all-time in total steals with 186 and 10th all-time in total points with 1,650. He is Connecticut's fourth all-time leading scorer with 1,922 points, and a career average of 19 per game.

9. Kemba Walker, Guard, Connecticut (2008-2011)

Kemba Walker was Connecticut's savior. He rescued the Huskies, after going 18-16 in 2010, and took them on a continuous tear, through the Big East tournament, and all the way to the 2011 National Championship.

Walker had one of the best individual seasons in NCAA history, averaging 23.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game. He was named a Consensus first team All-American and was also the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player.

He set the Connecticut record for most points in a single season with 965. He finishes his Connecticut collegiate career ranking seventh in scoring with 1,783 points, seventh in steals with 185 and 10th in assists with 460. He has career averages of 15.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

10. Carmelo Anthony, Forward, Syracuse(2002-2003)

Carmelo Anthony displayed the finest single freshman season in Syracuse basketball history, taking his Orangemen to their first NCAA tournament National Championship in 2003. 'Melo' as he is called, played with a constant smile and a low key personality that made him not only a fan favorite, but a teammate favorite, too. The consummate player, he could handle anything that the game threw at him, and handle it well. He was the ultimate team player, improving all those around him.

Anthony was solid that entire season, but in the Final Four, he took his game to a new level. Against Texas, Anthony led all scorers with a career high 33 points, giving the Orangemen a 95-84 victory. In the NCAA Finals, Anthony played a strong first half, both scoring and rebounding. When Kansas decided to focus on him in the second half, he redirected his contributions from scoring points to pulling down more rebounds and providing several key assists. Syracuse would go on to win the National Championship and Anthony would be the tournament's MVP. During his only year at Syracuse, Melo was tops for the Orangemen in scoring and rebounding, was on the Big East first team, Big East Rookie of the Year, and was a first team All-American.

11. John Morton, Guard, Seton Hall (1985-1989)

John Morton was a four-year starter for the Seton Hall Pirates from 1985-1989. Morton scored an outstanding 1,621 points in 131 career games. He averaged 12.8 points in 1987-88 while helping lead Seton Hall to its first NCAA Tournament berth. He led the team in scoring, averaging 17.3 points per game, in 1988-89 and was also named Third Team All-Big East during the Pirates' memorable run to the 1989 national championship game. In the overtime loss to Michigan (and the "Fab Five") in the title game, Morton put up a game-high 35 points, hitting eleven field goals, and four three-pointers. He currently is tied for the career games played record at Seton Hall with 131, ranks fourth in assists (452) and steals (207), seventh in career three-point field goal percentage (.391) and 11th with the 1,621 career points.

12. Chris Thomas, Guard, Notre Dame (2001-2005)

I had every intention of selecting Derrick Coleman from Syracuse for my last spot, but I had to go ahead and fit in my token Notre Dame player!

Chris Thomas was one of four captains of the 2003-04 Notre Dame squad, and currently holds the number eight spot on the Notre Dame career scoring list with 1,783 points. He owns the Irish career record for assists with 638, and his collegiate career scoring average of 18.0 points per game ranks 11th on Notre Dame's all-time list. He is also in second place over all in three-point field goals made (250) and three-point field goals attempted (682), third in steals (184), and 11th in three-point field goal percentage. In 2002, he was named the Big East Conference Rookie of the Year and All-Rookie Team selection, and was selected twice for the Big East All-Conference team. He was also the 2002 National Freshman of the Year, and recorded the only triple-double in Notre Dame history against New Hampshire on 11-16-01 (24 points, 11 assists, 11 steals).

Well, that's all folks. That's my All-Time Big East Dream Team. I'm sure there are some folks on here that you may or may not agree with, and I'd love to hear your two cents worth! Drop me a comment and let's debate!

Cheers! (and GO IRISH!)

You Shook Me All Night Long

2011-11-11T00:00:00.001-05:00

This week's edition of Retro Friday features the band AC/DC and the song "You Shook Me All Night Long."

AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. They are most often classified as hard rock, and they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, even though they themselves have always classified their music as plain old "rock and roll". To date they are one of the highest grossing bands of all time. AC/DC underwent several line-up changes before the release of their first album, High Voltage, on 17 February 1975. Band membership remained stable until bassist Mark Evans was replaced by Cliff Williams in 1977 for the album Powerage. Within months of recording the album Highway to Hell, lead singer and co-songwriter Bon Scott died (February 19, 1980), after a night of heavy alcohol consumption. The group briefly considered disbanding, but Scott's parents urged them to continue and hire a new vocalist. Ex-Geordie singer Brian Johnson was auditioned and was ultimately selected to replace Scott. Later that year, the band released their highest selling album, which was also the second highest-selling album by any artist, Back in Black.

"You Shook Me All Night Long" is one of AC/DC's signature songs from their above mentioned most successful album, Back in Black. The song also reappeared on their later album Who Made Who. It is one of the band's top 40 hit singles, reaching number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart in 1980. The single was re-released internationally in 1986 following the release of the album Who Made Who.

The song's title quite possibly comes from the song "You Shook Me", a Muddy Waters blues song, in which he sings the line "you shook me all night long".

"You Shook Me All Night Long" placed at No. 10 on VH1's list of "The 100 Greatest Songs of the 80s". It was also No. 1 on VH1's "Top Ten AC/DC Songs". In the song, the lead singer Brian Johnson relates the story of a night with a beautiful woman.

The song "You Shook Me All Night Long" has also become a staple of AC/DC concerts, and is almost never excluded from the set list, and it is also widely known as their signature song, competing with "Back in Black" and "Highway to Hell" for the title.

For some reason, this song has Freshman year written all over it, which somehow I find quite amusing. I have this distinct memory of this song being played, at almost every dance Freshman year. Heck, at every dance in college. It, for whatever reason, was one of those anthems that just had to be played at dances!

Okay, and on that random note, here's a little AC/DC and "You Shook Me All Night Long" for your listening pleasure!

AC/DC - You Shook Me All Night Long by hushhush112

Cheers!

Witchcraft

2011-10-28T15:27:00.012-04:00

Today's edition of Retro Friday (in honor of Halloween being on Monday) features the band Book of Love, and the song Witchcraft.

The band Book of Love formed in 1984, and was a popular synth pop and dance music band, alongside Sire Records labelmates Depeche Mode and Erasure. Led by vocalist Susan Ottaviano, the band also included Ted Ottaviano (no relation to Susan), Lauren Roselli and Jade Lee.

The band was formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and later based out of New York City. The band gained its first exposure as the opening act on Depeche Mode's Black Celebration tour.

Book of Love's biggest success came on the US dance charts. Seven of their singles placed in the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart between 1985 and 1993. The group's largest exposure on pop radio was with the song "Pretty Boys and Pretty Girls." The song, which appeared on the Lullaby album, was originally the second half of a medley with the group's house-music version of Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells," a 1973 instrumental that served as the eerie theme music of the classic horror film The Exorcist. Edited down to single length, "Pretty Boys and Pretty Girls" became Book of Love's only Hot 100 entry, peaking at number 90 in 1988.

I completely adore all of the songs on the album Lullaby, but one of my favorite ones is this fun little ditty, Witchcraft, which I thought was perfect for today, the Friday before Halloween. My college friends and I had a lot of fun with this silly little song! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! (Video below lyrics!)

Witchcraft

I've tried and tried
to capture you
what more can one
mere mortal do?

My love potion
boils and bubbles
poison darts
red poison apples
kafe' kasita
non kafela
Gutrune takes Siegfried
from Brunhilde
enula compana
on St. James' eve
a dash of orange
and ambergis
incantate:
Miss Mary Mack
Mack Mack
all dressed in black

My love philtre
will entrance you
it will pomp and
circumstance you
anusin, atelin
amulet
Angelique takes Barnabas
from Josette
with spiders ten
frae lockens blue
eye of newt
will stew and brew
incantate
this magic spell
Miss Lucy's in heaven
and the steamboat's in hell

Enchantra Endora Tabitha
Esmerelda Clara Hagatha

My love potion
boils and bubbles
poof! goes all my
toil and troubles
blueberry wine
and gladiola
Circe takes Glaucus
away from Sylla
coriander, vervain
and ginger root
damiana, henbane
and badger's foot
incantation
with magic black
and silver buttons
all down her back

Enchantra Endora Tabitha
Esmerelda Clara Hagatha

Cheers!

Four Letter Words

2011-10-28T00:52:00.012-04:00

I’m not a big fan of four letter words. That’s not to say that I don’t occasionally use them, because, alas, I do. But I’m still not a big fan of them.

One four letter word as of late is especially offensive to me … QUIT.

So this is a story about a young man who got his feelings hurt. You see, he made a recruiting trip to Notre Dame with his fellow High School comrade Jimmy Clausen, and felt virtually ignored by then-head coach Charlie Weis & company, and can’t seem to let it go. So this past Saturday, after USC beat Notre Dame … after being GIFTED 14 points on two Notre Dame turnovers in the red zone … several of their players decide to tell the media that Notre Dame quit.

“At the end there, when they didn’t call those timeouts, they just quit,” USC linebacker Chris Galippo said. “And that’s what Notre Dame football’s about. They’re not anything like USC.’

Wow.

I may not be overly happy with the performance of the Notre Dame football team this year, but QUIT is not the word that I would use.

So let me get this straight, because we did not call any timeouts in the last 6:43 minutes of the game, suddenly we’re quitters, and THAT is why we lost? Oh no (dripping with sarcasm), how could we not use our timeouts?! That HAS to be why we lost.

Never mind the fact that, hello, we GIFTED USC 14 points. Or that USC came out running up the middle all over us. Or that we just plain seem to be unconditioned compared to the likes of Michigan and USC. But we’re quitters because we did not use our timeouts.

Come on boys … open up the dictionary and find a bigger word than that.

I personally think that this Notre Dame team is WAY more talented than their record shows. They just need to learn to stop beating themselves, and learn to rotate players better (this is for you coaching staff) so that our guys don’t seem so gassed in the 4th quarter. Just think … if Kelly would have given Gary Gray a break in the 4th Quarter of the Michigan game and put in Lo Wood’s fresh legs … maybe we would not have missed that pivotal tackle and would have BEAT Michigan.

Okay, I digress, back to the word quit. So after all of this quitting nonsense is sputtered out by Mr. Galippo, Mr. Mark Tyler, and Mr. Curtis McNeal … Lane Kiffin has to come in and do some back peddling.

“Apologies were flying across social networks and the phone lines Monday as USC linebacker Chris Galippo and Coach Lane Kiffin tried to ease any hurt feelings over comments made after the Trojans’ 31-17 victory over Notre Dame on Saturday.” (Los Angeles Times)

“If I offended anyone with my post game comments Saturday, I do apologize,” Galippo tweeted. “I have great respect for their players and their program. It was a great game by both sides. Time to focus on Stanford.”

“On behalf of our football program, I apologize for Chris Galippo’s statements after the game. I’ve addressed this with Chris and he is remorseful,” Kiffen said in a statement. “I also called Coach (Brian) Kelly to personally apologize. As I said to the media immediately after the game, I thought Notre Dame played extremely hard throughout the game. It was another classic rivalry game and we feel fortunate to have won.”

Okay, now that I’ve gotten THAT off my chest, let’s look ahead to Navy.

Last year we played Navy on the road and got our behind handed to us. After a 35-17 route over the Irish last year, Navy heads to South Bend and Notre Dame is ready to show the world that we will not be beaten again in our house this season. In order to do that, though, our defense is going to have to make a bigger showing this weekend than our offense. With the loss of Kapron Lewis-Moore last weekend, the trio of freshman: Stephon Tuitt, Chase Hounshell and Aaron Lynch will need to step up and handle the Navy run game. We will see on Saturday whether or not the Irish have the mental fortitude to shake off a loss like the one last weekend against USC, and focus on the task at hand.

Okay boys ... LET'S GO IRISH!

Cheers!

Walk On The Ocean

2011-10-21T10:48:00.011-04:00

Today's edition of Retro Friday features Toad the Wet Sprocket and the song "Walk on the Ocean."

I can't believe I've been doing Retro Friday this long and have not gotten to a Toad the Wet Sprocket song yet!!

Toad was one of my absolute favorite bands in college, probably in part because they were from the Santa Barbara area, and one of my best friends was attending UC Santa Barbara and turned me on to them.

Toad the Wet Sprocket is an American alternative rock band that formed in 1986. Toad the Wet Sprocket took its name from a Monty Python comedy sketch called "Rock Notes" (performed by Eric Idle on Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album), in which a journalist delivers a nonsensical music news report:

Rex Stardust, lead electric triangle with Toad the Wet Sprocket, has had to have an elbow removed following their recent successful worldwide tour of Finland. Flamboyant ambidextrous Rex apparently fell off the back of a motorcycle.

As they got closer to their first gig, the band still had not chosen a name. The members adopted "Toad the Wet Sprocket" off-the-cuff because they thought it would be "hilarious". Philips later called it a "joke that went on too long", and their website claimed "it was probably meant to be temporary at the time".

The band consists of singer/guitarist Glen Phillips, guitarist Todd Nichols, bassist Dean Dinning, and drummer Randy Guss. The band enjoyed chart success in the 1990s with singles "Walk on the Ocean," "All I Want," "Something's Always Wrong," and "Fall Down," among others. The band separated in 1998 to pursue other projects but in 2006 began touring the United States as a band in small-venue, short-run tours each summer. In December 2010, the band announced their official reunion as a full-time working band and have started writing songs for their first new studio album since their 1997 Columbia Records release "Coil".

The music from Toad the Wet Sprocket's album "Fear" brings back some fabulous college memories for me! My parents moved from Los Angeles to St. Louis after I was already back at Notre Dame sophomore year, and I never really got a chance to say goodbye to anyone, so for spring break I headed back to Los Angeles to say goodbye to all of my friends. I spent the week at my friend A's house (seeing as I had no parental units any more in Los Angeles) and we had a fantastic week!

One of the week's events included a trip up to UCSB so that I could see where she went to school. We had so much fun walking around and hanging out at UCSB. All I can remember was walking around campus and laughing so hard that I almost peed my pants ... and eating at some totally funky Mexican restaurant in Santa Barbara. And somehow, Toad the Wet Sprocket seemed to be the running soundtrack of this entire trip.

I love all of Toad the Wet Sprocket's songs, but I think my favorite one is Walk on the Ocean. Something about the band being from Santa Barbara, and the ocean/beach being so beautiful there. I remember A showing me her dorm, and literally you walked out the back door of her dorm, and crossed the street, and the beach was RIGHT there. Crazy!! How on earth does one study when the beach is right there?? Which is exactly why I went to school in South Bend, Indiana!

Okay, here are a few lyric from Walk on the Ocean, and the music video for your listening pleasure!

We spotted the ocean at the head of the trail
Where are we going, so far away
And somebody told me that this is the place
Where everything's better, everything's safe

Half and hour later we packed up our things
We said we'd send letters and all those little things
And they knew we were lying but they smiled just the same
It seemed they'd already forgotten we'd came

Now back at the homestead
Where the air makes you choke
And people don't know you
And trust is a joke
We don't even have pictures
Just memories to hold
That grow sweeter each season
As we slowly grow old

Walk on the ocean
Step on the stones
Flesh becomes water
Wood becomes bone

Cheers!

Big East Basketball Media Day

2011-10-19T18:03:00.035-04:00

Today was the day that I officially started my journey towards becoming the Biggest Fan of the Big East (Thank you to the Big East Conference and Volvo Cars)!

This morning at the New York Athletic Club, the Big East Conference held their annual Media Day gathering for Men's College Basketball. The coaches and players of the various teams took turns answering questions from reporters throughout the day, but one of the highlights of media day was the announcement of the preseason poll, as well as all-conference selections and player of the year announcements.

After losing three starters from last season’s 27-7 squad, the Irish received a pre-season ranking of #9, which was not much of a surprise, and Tim Abromaitis was chosen to the Preseason Big East First Team. Abromaitis averaged 15.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game last season. The 6'8" forward also is one of the conference’s best long-range shooters. He completed an impressive 42.9 percent from the 3-point territory.

Follow this link to see complete Big East Media Day interviews from both Tim Abromaitis and Coach Brey.

Connecticut and Syracuse were named co-favorites to win the 2011-12 regular-season crown in the Big East Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The Huskies, who won the 2011 NCAA National Championship, received seven first-place votes and a total of 209 points.

The Orange, who finished the 2010-11 season with a record of 27-8, collected five first-place votes. It is the third tie for first place in the history of the Big East, with the last one coming in 2007-08. The league’s head coaches do not place their own teams on their ballots.

Behind Louisville, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Marquette, West Virginia and Villanova, Notre Dame was chosen ninth. The Irish recorded the second highest win total in school history last year when they finished 27-7 overall and were 14-4 in the Big East. Notre Dame will miss their three key seniors who graduated in the spring, including guard Ben Hansbrough, last year’s Big East Player of the Year; but will transfer leadership responsibilities to Tim Abromaitis who made the 2011-12 Preseason All-Big East First Team. Georgetown, Rutgers, St. John’s, Seton Hall, South Florida, Providence and DePaul round out the preseason conference rankings.

Here is the official list, and their corresponding number of votes:

2011-12 Preseason Coaches’ Poll
T1. Connecticut (7) 209
T1. Syracuse (5) 209
3. Louisville (3) 201
4. Pittsburgh (1) 188
5. Cincinnati 169
6. Marquette 155
7. West Virginia 132
8. Villanova 127
9. Notre Dame 114
10. Georgetown 104
11. Rutgers 75
12. St. John’s 71
13. Seton Hall 56
14. USF 43
15. Providence 40
16. DePaul 27

All-Big East First Team
Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh (Player of the Year), G, Sr., 6-2, 190, Scotch Plains, N.J.
Jeremy Lamb, Connecticut, G/F, So., 6-5, 185, Norcross, Ga.
Darius Johnson-Odom, Marquette, G, Sr., 6-2, 215, Raleigh, N.C.
Tim Abromaitis, Notre Dame, F, Gr., 6-8, 235, Unionville, Conn.
Kris Joseph, Syracuse, F, Sr., 6-7, 210, Montreal, Quebec
Kevin Jones, West Virginia, F, Sr., 6-8, 260, Mount Vernon, N.Y.

I had the pleasure of listening to Head Coach Mike Brey speak this morning at Big East Media Day, and here are a few of the talking points that he went over with the media today (most of which he already covered at Notre Dame Media Day last week … but more specifically he spent time elaborating on all of the changes currently occurring in the Big East Conference).

Coach Brey—

We truly feel that our place is in the Big East Conference, and that we have already earned our stripes, but where ever we land, we'll land on our feet.

(I’ve told Abromaitis) … this is your "time" ... so go do it. Don't take a day off, and make every day count.

We are very happy about starting in the #9 spot. We’ve started in the 7-8-9-10 range before, and see no problems with finishing in the top of the Big East Conference and making another NCAA run.

We are very excited about some early neutral site games this season including facing the University of Missouri in Kansas City, Indiana University in Indianapolis, and Maryland in Washington DC

Obviously out priority is to stay in the Big East Conference

I feel blessed in recruiting that kids are excited to come to Notre Dame regardless of our conference affiliation.

I love coming to the East Coast & playing at Madison Square Garden.

What an amazing 24 hours in the city that never sleeps. (I still think that someone needs to pinch me to prove that this trip actually happened!!) Thank you again to the Big East Conference and Volvo Cars for sending me to New York City for Big East Media Day! What an incredible way to begin my journey towards being named the Biggest Fan of the Big East!

Cheers!

Hoop It Up! Part 2

2011-10-16T13:35:00.013-04:00

Notre Dame Women's Basketball starts the 2011 season with big expectations and high hopes. After making it all the way to the National Championship Game in 2010 and losing to a powerful Texas A&M team, the Irish look to repeat last year's success and take home the championship crown themselves next year! There is a lot to be excited about in regards to this team, and I'm sure they cannot wait to hit the boards and prove that last year's success was not merely a fluke.

Quotes from Muffet McGraw, taken from the Notre Dame Athletics Web Site, www.und.com.

On an overview of the season...
"We're in uncharted territory this year. This is the first time we've had a very successful season, and we returned quite a few of our players. In 2001, we had a big senior class that graduated, so I'm interested to see how this team handles it. I loved the way we played and competed last season. We had a chip on our shoulders the entire season from the summer and preseason and then into practice. This year it's a different attitude. We know where we want to go, and there is a lot of intensity, but there is a big target on our backs that we have not had to handle too much in the past."

On Skylar Diggins' explosive play from the regular season to the tournament last year...
"She really did make a giant step forward in the tournament. It was amazing to see. I think it really started in the BIG EAST Tournament. She had a great year, did a lot of good things. That was the moment when she discovered what she could be as the point guard of our team. She can score, run the team, and pretty much everything she envisioned as her role coming into Notre Dame. She discovered that she was a lot more aggressive with the ball and attacked more. She played her game. She didn't worry about running the offense as much. She just reacted and played."

On using losing in the championship game as a chip on the team's shoulder...
"It definitely still hurts. I think that when we look at the last game, we decided then that we had to get ready for the next year. We've got some unfinished business is the way we're looking at it. It's a different type of chip on our shoulder. For the younger players, you come in as a freshman and make it to the final game, but they don't understand how hard that was for us to get there and what we put into the program for years before that. I think the incoming freshmen definitely don't know what it's going to be. Last year, it was a group all on the same page. We knew where we wanted to go. This year we've got the veterans at the top really pushing things, and the freshmen still wondering what the heck is going on."

On Skylar Diggins' improvement from last year to this year...
"I think the summer, with the (World University Games) Gold Medal game, she was able to play a little bit different role, where she didn't score as much. She did a lot more defensively and running the time. Leadership-wise, she has grown tremendously. It was a great experience for her, and they got to see things from other programs that made them feel better about the way we practice. I think they came back with renewed confidence and a greater incentive to play against others they played with this summer."

On the three returning All-Americans (Skylar Diggins, Natalie Novosel, and Devereaux Peters) losing their edge from collecting accolades...
"I'm not worried about that at all. I think they definitely still have the edge, and they're trying to get the rest of the team to get that edge. Right now, they're really intense at practice. We were intense last year too, but this year it's almost obsessive. You better get up on the same page right now, or you're going to get knocked down. They've really raised the intensity at practice. They know what they want, and they know what we're capable of."

On the impact Devereaux Peters can have this season...
"Devereaux has to be the most improved player in the country from freshman year to now. She has come light years since her injury, which obviously set her back. This is the first full year she has been healthy and what a difference it has made. She's the difference on our team. She's the player every team has to have. Most teams have more than one of her, so we're fortunate she can block shots, play defense, run the floor, and do so many things. She is just an incredible athlete and a potential WNBA draft pick. She is someone who is huge part of helping us making a giant leap to where we are today."

On Kayla McBride's potential...
"Kayla McBride could the most improved player in the BIG EAST this year. She had a tremendous start to her freshman year and is really playing tremendous basketball. It's going to be hard to keep her out of the starting lineup. She's one of the best players at practice. She's got great intensity. She's been scoring the ball incredibly well in so many ways. She could play point for us or really any position besides center. We're really looking to use her versatility in a lot of different ways, so we're expecting very big things from her."

On the goal of the team this year...
"I think you look at what we have, and obviously we want to compete for a national championship. That's got to be our goal. We're not going to win the national championship today. I think it's important for us to communicate to the team that each game is important, and that we need to take it one step at a time. We hope to be better in March. Looking at the way we're practicing right now, we need to be better in March."

On focusing on having fun during the season...
"I just really want to make sure the team enjoys the season. I think it was magical for us during our run last year because we enjoyed everything. I want to have that joy and keep that passion alive in them for us. When it gets to be pressure that we have to win, you can't play as well because you're not relaxed. For us, we've got to have that fun and joy of the game. I'm not sure if it's possible for me, but I think it's really important. You want to get into the season and celebrate the victories instead of being relieved that we won and did our job. I can help with that because I am a perfectionist, and I like to play well, so maybe I won't go into the locker room after games and let them celebrate on our own. That is going to be our challenge as coaches because we know we can be better and we have to balance that with having fun."

On controlling Skylar Diggins' rock star status and media frenzy...
"It's out of control. (laughter) It is something that we're always aware of. We try to talk with her about that. So far it has not been a problem. She handled it well last year, but it was late in the season. It can really be a drain on a person of that age because they're so young. She's probably going to be the face of women's basketball on ESPN. You're going to see her everywhere, and everyone is going to want a piece of her. She's constantly being called for interviews and appearances, so we're trying to keep that to a bare minimum by making her available once a week and not doing too many things outside of basketball. She is a great student, so we really want her to focus on basketball and academics before the other things. We don't have any particular strategy right now in terms of limiting her Facebook and Twitter, but if it gets to be a problem we'll definitely step in. We like to let them handle it and be adults. As long as you're handling it, I'm fine with it."

On the BIG EAST realignment talk and shifting the focus to basketball...
"At this time of the year, you just want to be in the gym with you team and that is all we want to focus on. We have BIG EAST Media Day next week, so we'll see where we're picked to finish, but that is probably the last time we'll talk about the league and where we are. It's definitely always in the back of your mind about what is going to happen, but right now we know we have a great conference and a great schedule."

On dealing with a target on their backs and being named a preseason No. 1...
"I've accepted it, but I don't read anything, so I don't know where everyone has us ranked. I'm sure that'll be announced at some point where we are in the USA Today poll, but I don't put a lot of stock in it. If I had to rank our team right now, I don't think I'd put us in the top 25. We've got a long way to go, and I think (the players) know that. We're trying to keep what the media prints far away from me."

Player quotes, via the Notre Dame Athletics Web Site.

Skylar Diggins • Junior • Guard

On how the team deals with outside factors...
"We can't focus on the outside stuff. The peripheral stuff has to be nipped in the bud when we go on the court. We have to focus on each other. I think the reason why we were so good last year was because not only our bonds on the court, but off the court strengthened our on-court bond. This team knows each other well. I feel like we know each other inside and out so that definitely is going to show on the court."

On Twitter and social media...
"I'm just trying to remain myself. I didn't get a Twitter (account) for notoriety. I got it to keep in touch with friends and now that I have more fans, I feel like it serves as a direct connection between my fans and I. You know, I am not able to talk to everyone, but I can choose who I can respond to."

Kayla McBride • Sophomore • Guard

On returning after a tough first year to help the team this season...
"I have a huge support system. I have my coaches, I have my family, I have all of these people around me; Notre Dame in general. That was a good background I had. I could lean on them whenever things like that did happen. It was a life lesson for me. What I took away from it was just personal things, like personal growth. It's really the only way to look at it."

Devereaux Peters • Fifth-Year Senior • Forward

On her leadership role this season...
"Well I feel as though I can finally have a say in things now that I've actually played an entire season, so I've been more vocal. (Coach McGraw) talked to me about talking a bit more this season since I have a bit more experience than any of the other post players, so I've tried to make that a role of mine."

On the expectations for the team this year...
"We like having these expectations. I think we showed at the end of the year last year that we can handle expectations so we enjoy it. It is definitely better than having zero expectations."

On all of the marquee games on the schedule this year...
"Those are the games that you live for when you play college basketball. You want to play the big games on the big stage, especially coming off of the season we had last year. It is just going to be really fun playing those big games against big time teams."

Natalie Novosel • Senior • Guard

On the team going into the season with a target on its back...
"It's very exciting. There is definitely some anxiety right now because I don't think we are ready yet, but that will take care of itself in practice. We are going to work hard and iron out everything, and make sure that we are ready for the season."

On if the team has talked about the possibility of winning a championship...
"We definitely have, and we are all very motivated to make that happen. It is going to take all of us (giving) a complete team effort every day."

Brittany Mallory • Fifth-Year Senior • Guard

On the team's mentality after coming so close to winning it all last season...
"I think we definitely have a big chip on our shoulder. Obviously our main goal was to win the national championship, and we didn't achieve that goal. We were in the game, but we didn't win it. We are doing everything we can to get back to the championship game and take it home with us this year."

On how Skylar handles the spotlight...
"I can't even tell that she is a big time name in college basketball. She is such a down-to-earth person. She is such a good person and such a good team player because she is always worried about the team, and what we are doing to improve our game. To be a great point guard you have to be unselfish, and that is her."

And there have it! Let's bring on the season and HOOP IT UP!!

Cheers!

Hoop It Up! Part 1

2011-10-16T12:38:00.018-04:00

In preparation for my trip to New York City on Tuesday for the Big East Conference Media Day, I thought I'd fill you in a little bit on what happened at Notre Dame's Media Day in South Bend last week.

As Notre Dame gets ready to kick off another season of Men's & Women's Basketball, they all gathered on Wednesday of last week to talk a little bit about the upcoming season! Here is an early look ahead at this years' squads, including some of the key quotes from the coaches and players about what they expect from the 2011-2012 season!

Men's Basketball

In 2010, a senior-laden Irish squad hit the hardwood with all pistons firing, eventually shocking everyone to earn a No. 2 NCAA Tournament seed and enjoying an extended winter stay among the nation's Top 10 teams. As we enter the 2011 season, things do not look so rosy. Three of the five key pieces to the winning equation from last year's season have graduated, and a series of career-threatening injuries have also entered the mix. 12th-year head coach Mike Brey now faces his biggest challenge to date: attaining another NCAA Tournament bid.

Notre Dame’s traditionally weak non-conference schedule made a move towards the impressive last season, as the Irish defeated Georgia, California, a top 10 Wisconsin team, NCAA qualifier Indiana State, and a most notable NCAA win over Gonzaga prior to the Big East season, while losing to eventual Final Four foe, Kentucky. This season’s non-conference schedule is challenging as well, with solid programs including Missouri, Maryland, Indiana, Gonzaga, and either California or Georgia on tap in November/December.

Quotes via the Notre Dame Athletic Web Site, www.und.com

Head Coach Mike Brey:

On having a less experienced team this year...
"I have to keep reminding myself about patience, especially early. I think we have a lot of really good candidates because only one of them is a freshman. The other ones have been in our program, and usually when we ask those guys to step forward that have been in our program, they've been pretty successful. Never have we counted on so many of them to earn a NCAA tournament bid. I wouldn't say we're younger, I would say we're newer. But I love the fact that (Jerian) Grant, (Alex) Dragicevich, (Tom) Knight, certainly (Joey) Brooks, (Mike) Broghammer, they've all been around and felt it for the last couple years. And they've been around some good stuff. So I'm counting on that for some osmosis to help."

On how the team looks so far...
"We actually have had four one-hour sessions with the whole team. After September 15, you can use those two hours any way you want. We use 60 minutes, so I've been in with them four times. I felt better than I thought I would about how we move as a unit given how many newer guys we're working in. It made me feel like they did really watch and learn. I'm very impressed with where Alex (Dragicevich) and Jerian (Grant) have been as far as understanding how to play in our system. I think playing against and watching those veteran guys in our system last year really helped them. We're going to need them certainly. Right now, the first four games we've got eight (players). After that we've got nine. I don't know if there was ever a team where I could tell on the first day of practice, all right let's start with this fellas ... everybody's playing. I don't know if many coaches can say that. I certainly have never been in a situation like that. There's always a couple guys who are just not going to be in the mix. But all nine of those guys, we're going to need them throughout this season. There's just so many unknowns from four through nine. That could be changing throughout the year, and I would hope that it gives a group really a clear head to go and get better as a team. You can deposit the baggage of, "Am I going to play?" and "How much am I going to play?". We need all of you. We're instilling confidence in some of those younger guys. Certainly (Pat) Connaughton, but the other guys too, to get them to believe that they're really going to be able to help us."

On expectations for this season...
"I think for us, patience is a key word for me with this year's group. Last year's group was a finished product on the first day of practice. They wanted to play right away and they were ready. But to be patient-can we get a little bit better every week? Can we bounce back from taking punches? We're going to take some punches. And can we be in a position to win an NCAA tournament bid? The game plan we've used annually, this group is going to have to scratch and claw to do that in my opinion. Sometime in the summer, we'll be together as a staff, and I'll say, 'Can we fight into the top eight (of the BIG EAST)?' Because obviously our league has been getting eight bids. I feel we can. I feel we can fight our way into that territory again. And if you're into that territory, you're on the board to get an NCAA tournament bid and you take it from there. But I think our non-league schedule is very demanding. We have a lot of new faces that we're going to be figuring out. We've got to be patient and work through it. The good thing about the BIG EAST is there's always enough power in the schedule to play your way into the (NCAA) tournament. We've used that more positively than negatively. It's really helped us. I don't know about Christmas this year for the Brey family because we've got Pitt rolling in December 27. I'll tell you right now, I'm not going to be thinking about Christmas. We might have to do it on the 22nd because by the 25th, Merry Christmas, we've got Pitt coming in. Only in the BIG EAST would they do that. There's a lot of talk about maybe it's the last year of this kind of grouping with all these teams (in the BIG EAST). Maybe it will go out with a bang with some of these team's leaving."

On what he's still evaluating in terms of strengths and weaknesses...
"I think we can really share the ball and we know how to play, which has been the moniker on us. I'm trying to figure out who we will be defensively and how we will play defensively with some of these new guys. Can we extend a little more with an (Eric) Atkins and a (Jerian) Grant on the court, because that's some speed we really haven't had. Do we need to play more zone to keep (Tim) Abromaitis and (Scott) Martin on the floor for a long time? And make sure they don't get in foul trouble. That's probably where I'm going to evaluate us this first week more than anything. I think I have a pretty good feel of us offensively and who we can be. It's how do we defend, and do we change defenses? Those are the things that are my big questions going into Friday."

On using the "burn" offense...
"I think burn is always going to be part of our diet. We'll always use that when we can. I was talking to a coach this morning about it and I said, 'One thing burn has done, it's been a teaching tool on offense because we're just playing.' Certainly you can use it when you have a lead at the end of the game. Sometimes burning is a great way to rest (Tim) Abromaitis and (Scott) Martin and make sure they can finish the game because we need them on the court."

On what they need from Scott Martin...
"He's got to be very aggressive. We talked to him about that. In the four workouts we've had, he's been extremely aggressive. Hunting his shot. It's out there for him to really go out and take. And now he has to do that daily. And he has to do that every game. I think his frame of mind is to do that. I think he's been kind of maybe relishing in this spot. He's certainly talented enough and capable enough to handle a major role on both sides of the floor."

On relying heavily on the starters...
"We've had that a lot. We've had that annually where our key guys are playing a lot. I think we've learned how to pace them throughout the season in terms of how we practice and how long we practice and how much contact there is in practice. End of February, and in March last year, we were probably on the floor maybe 45 minutes (per practice). That group was going to play heavy minutes. I think we have that down. It's a little bit of a different balance, because we need some of those new faces to get reps. Yet, we've got a few of those old guys that I don't want to wear out or get nicked up too bad. I think we know how to pace through it. Now in November, a lot of games come at you quick. So sometimes your practices could be really limited in November as far as reps you're going to get on the practice court."

On Scott Martin's specific role...
"I want him to just go for it. Certainly shoot the ball. I think he spent a lot of time this summer getting reps up shooting the basketball. Because I think he can be a more confident shooter. But his mid-range stuff-we need to post him some. He may be our best low-post scorer. He probably is. So we did some stuff in these workouts where we were four (players) around Scott Martin. So I want to get him in a lot of different places because he can score the ball from a lot of different areas. The way we play offensively is very conducive for him because he knows how to get to the post eventually. He knows how to screen and step back for a three-point shot. Clearing out areas for him to drive. I want him to do a little bit of everything. He and Abro (Tim Abromaitis) certainly have the ability to do that, so we've got to help them get in positions to do things."

On what Jerian Grant is going to do for the team...
"I don't really know. That trends more toward exciting than worry. There's a lot to work with there. I think I told you the story of our practice before the Old Spice Classic, Dan Dakich is down there with the ESPN people and Dakich comes up and says who's number so and so, I said, "Don't. He's ineligible right now, don't screw me up. I want to hold him out." He had moments like that the first month of the season where he and Eric (Atkins) on the blue team gave the white shirts everything they could handle. He had the stress reaction, and like Abro (Tim Abromaitis) was, he's the youngest guy (on the team). Obviously I was really smart and redshirted him in his first year, not his second year. Really got smart on that one. But I'm excited where he could go. As I am with (Alex) Dragicevich. Both of those guys in the four workouts, I left after the first workout and I said, boy those guys have made strides. Now the great thing about them, they're looking and they're excited too. Playing time has been on the table all summer. I told them privately about Abro's situation. Those first four games, we're really going to have you guys in there. Jerian's got a lot to work with. He's come a long way in just a year, and the body's changed. He had to get stronger and older."

On how Jack Cooley and Eric Atkins' experience will help them ...
"If we played tonight, I feel that we have four guys that have been into battle. Atkins and Cooley with my two fifth-year guys (Tim Abromaitis and Scott Martin), they've been there. They've really been a part of things and were a big part of last year's team. Those four guys are a pretty good place to start in college basketball. Four guys that have really been into battles and have had success in it. Atkins, I am so excited to see where he is that he's the quarterback. Eric Atkins is going to be a great leader for us, and I see that happening now that Ben (Hansbrough) and those guys have left, he is starting to become more of that. Certainly Abro and Martin are the elder statesmen here, but Eric will be like a captain by the BIG EAST regular season as far as his voice, his input. I think by February, he's going to be one of the better guards in the league. A little bit of an unknown, he didn't make the All-Rookie team. So I'm excited about him."

From a few of the players...

Player quotes also via the Notre Dame Athletics Web Site.

Tim Abromaitis • Graduate Student • Forward

On playing at the World University Games this summer ...
"It was a great experience basketball wise. Playing with and against a lot of the top players from colleges all around the world was definitely a positive thing for me. It was a fun experience to be able to be around those guys and experience China and travel like that."

On what experiences he will take from this summer and apply to this year...
"We really went hard practicing for a week or two when we were in Colorado and getting to China. The little things like that and the habits that guys on our teams have, like what they do to workout and what they do in their free time. I try to take bits and pieces from everybody's game and hopefully it makes me better."

Scott Martin • Senior • Guard

On his role this year ...
"Our big thing last year was rebounding. Rebounding as a team, rebounding as a unit. We have to do that again this year and that means Abro (Tim Abromaitis) and I have to rebound well. But, it also means everybody else has to rebound. Everyone needs to box out their man and then go get it."

Joey Brooks • Junior • Guard

On his expectations for this season ...
"I really expect for us to pick up where we left off last season. My role is to do whatever it takes for us to win. This year, it's going to be being the best defender, guarding the other team's best player, getting to the paint, making plays for my teammates and getting to the foul line."

Eric Atkins • Sophomore • Guard

On what has prepared him to step into a leadership role ...
"Last year helped me to step into this leadership role a lot. Ben (Hansbrough) especially. The work during the summer has also helped. Every expected me to lead during the workouts and during the pick-up games. Everything from last year and this summer has helped me be ready for this season."

Stay tuned for highlights of the Notre Dame Women's Basketball squad's media day!

Cheers!

Nearly Lost You

2011-10-13T23:53:00.013-04:00

Today's edition of Retro Friday features the band Screaming Trees, and the song "Nearly Lost You."

Screaming Trees ... now how can you not like a band with the name Screaming Trees?!

Screaming Trees was an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington in 1985 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bass player Van Conner and drummer Mark Pickerel. By the time the band reached it's most successful time period, Pickerel had been replaced by drummer Barrett Martin. Although widely associated with the grunge genre, the band's sound incorporated hard rock and psychedelic elements. Since the bands formation, Screaming Trees has released seven studio albums, five EPs and three compilations.

Screaming Trees is often quoted as being one of the "Godfathers of Grunge." Screaming Trees achieved popularity as part of the grunge movement of the early 1990s, along with bands such as Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam, Nirvana and Soundgarden and was one of the most successful and well loved underground music acts of the 1990s. The band only achieved one top ten single on the Modern Rock Tracks charts.

I was introduced to the band Screaming Trees by the guys in the band that we followed in college. They played a cover of the Screaming Trees song, "Nearly Lost You," which subsequently became my favorite Screaming Trees song. "Nearly Lost You" was released in 1992 and the video became an MTV and alternative radio hit in the fall of that year, thanks to its inclusion in the soundtrack for the film Singles. "Nearly Lost You" peaked at #5 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart and #50 in the UK Singles Chart, which made it the band's first single to chart outside the United States. The album that it appeared on, Sweet Oblivion, sold a total of 300,000 copies in the United States.

Did you hear the distant cry
Calling me back to my sin
Like the one you knew before
Calling me back once again
I nearly, I nearly lost you there
And it's taking us somewhere
I nearly lost you there
Let's try to see now
Drag me far enough to know
I'm blind every mile that you burn
There's a rider that's fallen and
It's clear there's no time to return
I nearly, I nearly lost you there
And it's taking us somewhere
I nearly lost you there
Let's try to see now
Did you hear the distant lie
Calling me back to my sin
Like the one you knew before
Calling me back once again
I nearly, I nearly lost you there
And it's taking us somewhere
I nearly lost you there
Well let's try to see now
I nearly lost you there....

And now, here's a little Screaming Trees and "Nearly Lost You" for your listening pleasure!

Cheers!

Week 7 College Football

2011-10-12T20:14:00.034-04:00

Since Notre Dame has a bye this week before they face USC on the 22nd, at least I don't have to worry about a Notre Dame loss this week!

And here is your Week 7 College Football Preview:

Michigan vs. Michigan State. Michigan and Michigan State play for the 104th time on Saturday at East Lansing. The rivalry turns family members and neighbors against each other for nearly a week every autumn, and there are plenty of reasons for their hatred. Michigan State is a land grant university which in its early years prided itself on agriculture (and still has an excellent Veterinary program). Michigan, on the other hand, is an internationally recognized academic institution. According to Michigan folklore, Wolverine graduates practice law in Manhattan, Spartan graduates herd sheep in Fowlerville.

Okay ... back to the game! Michigan State has one of the top defensive units in the country this year, and will be ready for Denard Robinson and company. Michigan State has also won the last three meetings, and has the home field advantage on their side. But I wouldn't count Michigan out of this game. The Wolverines are 6-0, and with Robinson at the helm, he alone has been averaging 126 rushing yards per game. The Wolverines also have a wonderful senior wide receiver in Junior Hemingway, who is very skilled at catching the deep jump balls. He averages over 25 yards per catch, which ranks him No. 4 in the nation. My prediction: Watch for the Wolverines' potent run/pass attack to wear out the Michigan State defense, and avenge the last three losses in a VERY close game on Sparty's home turf!

Kansas State vs. Texas Tech. Kansas State, 5-0, looks to remain undefeated as they travel to Lubbock, Texas to take on a 4-1 Texas Tech. The Wildcats come into this game hot, after winning their first five games of the year, while The Red Raiders came close to upsetting Texas A&M at home last week.

The question of the day is, can Kansas State prove the critics wrong again with another win? The Wildcats seem to be defying the odds this year by starting out 5-0 on the season. However, here is still a lot of disbelief in the strength of the Wildcats' program amongst the oddsmakers, as they are a three point underdog this week. Kansas State will have their hands full trying to stop this high-powered Red Raiders passing attack. Being able to shut down their passing attack will eliminate any chances that Texas Tech has at scoring points. Both of these teams have quarterbacks who are absolutely on fire right now, so this game will be another test of strength battle! My prediction: Even though The Wildcats are on quite a tear right now, I still don't think they have what it takes to shut down The Red Raiders high-octane offense. Look for Texas Tech to win by at least two touchdowns.

South Carolina vs. Mississippi St. What a crazy week to be a South Carolina fan. After an awesome performance by the Gamecocks on Saturday, two big events occurred on Tuesday. One, Steve Spurrier, at his weekly presser, lights into Ron Morris of the State paper (author of such Gamecock classics as "It was just Kentucky" and "Auburn loss was because of bad coaching") due to his overtly negative and false reporting. Two, Stephen Garcia is kicked off the team for failing some form of substance test. Wow. Anyone else ready to play some football?

This week, South Carolina gets to travel to the loud environment and irritating (very irritating) cowbells of Mississippi State, a team that (like South Carolina) had huge expectations at the beginning of the season that have yet to be achieved. Heck, Mississippi State had serious problems beating UAB, 21-3. The score was tied at halftime, and UAB is simply terrible. My prediction: I don't see anything stopping South Carolina from absolutely rolling over Mississippi State.

Oklahoma St. vs. Texas. This is a no brainer. Last week, Texas had absolutely every reason to get annihilated by Oklahoma, and they did. You simply cannot expect a young team with two freshmen quarterbacks, two older outstanding running backs, and a so-so defense to handle a team like Oklahoma. This week, it gets worse! Oklahoma State is loaded with talent on both sides of the ball, and is without a doubt one of the most high powered offenses in the conference. Much too large of a task for Texas. Coming off a very humiliating loss to Oklahoma, it will be literally impossible to stay close, and to do it vs. a team like Oklahoma State, is too much to ask for. Texas will fight to the bitter end, but even home field advantage simply won't be enough to stop the 8 point favored Cowboys of Oklahoma State. Mack Brown is under some major heat right now and this is not a spot to find any relief. My prediction: Oklahoma State, even on the road, should win by at least two touchdowns, as their high powered offense is simply too much for a young Texas team to handle!

That's it for this week ... GO POKES!

Cheers!

NYC Bound!!

2011-10-07T15:25:00.009-04:00

I found out yesterday that I have been selected to participate in "The Biggest Fan of the Big East" contest sponsored by Volvo! I am the Notre Dame representative in this contest and will get to travel to New York City in a few short weeks to cover Big East Basketball Media Day and meet my fellow contestants.

I will then be detailing my journey starting at Big East Basketball Media Day on 10/19 and continuing on until the grand finalist is announced before the Big East Tourney! Hopefully you will follow along with me and vote for me when it comes time to select the Biggest Fan of the Big East!

They will be posting contestant bios and blog posts here, or you can follow my blog directly! Hopefully you all will have as much fun with this as me!

Cheers! and GO IRISH!

Fool in the Rain

2011-10-07T00:01:00.023-04:00

This week's edition of Retro Friday features the Led Zeppelin song, Fool in the Rain.

I most usually pull songs from the 80's and early 90's for Retro Friday, but this week I'm going a bit further back.

Led Zeppelin were an English rock band that formed in 1968 and consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With their heavy, guitar-driven blues and rock sound, Led Zeppelin are regularly cited as being one of the originators of heavy metal and hard rock, even though the band's unique style drew from many sources and truly transcends any single music genre. Led Zeppelin did not release songs from their albums as singles in the United Kingdom, as they preferred to establish the concept of album-orientated rock.

The band parted ways following Bonham's death in 1980, but continue to be held in high regard for their artistic achievements, commercial success, and broad range of influence. The band is widely touted as being one of the most successful, innovative and influential bands in the history of music. Led Zeppelin is said to have sold over 200 million albums worldwide according to some sources, while other sources state sales of more than 300 million records.

Today's featured Retro Friday Song is Fool in the Rain. A bittersweet song for some Zeppelin fans, “Fool in the Rain” was the band’s final U.S. single. It appeared on their 1980 album In Through the Out Door. The song created a strong finish for them though, going all the way to #21 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Surprisingly enough, the song was partially inspired by a soccer tournament. While watching the World Cup in 1978 (which was based in Argentina), Robert Plant and John Paul Jones came up with the idea for a latin-inspired song, specifically one with a samba beat. The lyrics of the song seem to tell a minor tale of woe, about a man who was stood up by a girl he was supposed to meet on a street corner, only to realize by the end that he is standing on the wrong corner, and is just ‘a fool in the rain.’

Original videos of Led Zeppelin playing their classic hits are very closely guarded by the band, although occasionally videos of live performances find their way onto the web. Fool in the Rain, however, doesn’t currently have an easily-accessible performance video associated with it, unless of course you’d like to hear a cover band playing it or some guy trying his hand at the song’s drum licks in his basement.

Here is some audio of Fool in the Rain for your listening pleasure. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Cheers!

Week 6 Football Preview

2011-10-05T22:00:00.038-04:00

Due to a scheduling conflict I was unable to go on Wes & JR's radio show tonight, so I thought I'd go ahead and share a few nuggets with you regarding this week's college football games!

Lets start with LSU and Florida. LSU is very lucky to be facing a shaken up Florida team this week in Baton Rouge. This post-Alabama battered UF team is no match for LSU this week, and LSU should win easily by two or three touchdowns. One can only hope that both of these teams continue winning, leading up to an undefeated match up between Alabama and LSU on November 5th.

Southern Mississippi vs. Navy. Navy is only a 2.5 point favorite in this game, but watch for Navy to come out big this week. They narrowly lost to Air Force last week, in a game which they should have won had their kicker not missed a field goal in the first half, and their wish-bone offense should have no problem overpowering Southern Mississippi's defense. Southern Miss is playing in a very overrated conference this year. Look for Navy to come in to Southern Mississippi's home turf on Saturday and win big. Navy 31 - Southern Miss 21

Oklahoma vs. Texas. The Red River Shoutout is a long standing rivalry between these two teams, and brings with it much tradition. This match up is played in neutral Dallas, at the Cotton Bowl, and ticket sales are split 50-50 between the two schools. The Red River serves as a physical boundary between the states of Texas and Oklahoma and was once the demarcation for the US-Mexico border until the Texas Annexation—the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. There won’t be a treaty signed this Saturday during this most heated rivalry game until the clock strikes zero, if then. The winning university takes home the Golden Hat—a 10 gallon gold-plated Stetson.

It would seem as though both of these teams are very much in contention for a National Championship bid, but I believe that Texas is a bit overrated at #11, and will be be no match for Oklahoma's high powered offense. Look for Oklahoma to win this game by at least 9 points. Boomer Sooner!

Georgia vs. Tennessee. Georgia travels to Tennessee on Saturday evening for their annual border war rivalry game. In classic SEC style, this will be a very physical game, and there is no love lost between these two teams. Both of these teams have defended their home turf for the past two years, but I predict that Georgia will come in to Knoxville on Saturday and overturn this trend. Georgia has won three games in a row now and is looking for number four. Georgia's offense has been averaging 35 points a game, and though I don't predict this to be a blowout game for Georgia, I do see them upsetting Tennessee in Knoxville in a close game.

Notre Dame vs. Air Force. In my Notre Dame Football Preview, I predicted that our second loss of the season would be to Air Force (with our first loss being to Michigan State), and clearly that hasn't gone quite as I had predicted. So I am now changing my mind (as we women often do) and predicting a Notre Dame win over Air Force this weekend. I realize that this week's match up against Air Force brings Notre Dame the unenviable task of containing the triple-option offense, but I think our excellent rush defense is playing very well as a cohesive unit, and will be able to overlook Air Force's gimmicky offense and stay in character. I also think that our offense has steadily improved from week to week, and this week should be no different. Look for Notre Dame to win by 10 points.

And, last but not least ... my upset pick of the week ... Ohio State vs. Nebraska. Both teams are coming off upsets last week ... Nebraska losing at the hands of a brutal Wisconsin team, and Ohio State losing a close one to Michigan State ... but I think that Ohio State will come out on top at Nebraska, and upset the Cornhuskers at home. If Pelini cannot find a way to rally his troops to improve their game, the talented Buckeyes (even minus Wide Receiver Verlon Reed) may just come into Lincoln and steal the win.

Okay ... that's it for this week. Oh, and how about them Clemson Tigers?!

Cheers!

Pure

2011-09-30T12:10:00.012-04:00

Night time slows, raindrops splash rainbows
Perhaps someone you know, could sparkle and shine
As daydreams slide to colour from shadow
Picture the moonglow, that dazzles my eyes
And I love you

Today's edition of Retro Friday features the song Pure, by The Lightning Seeds.

I was in a happy-go-lucky sort of mood today, and was looking for something light and sunny for today's blog post, and this is definitely it. This song came out my senior year in high school and it brings back some wonderful, sunny memories.

The Lightning Seeds are an English alternative rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1989 by Ian Broudie (vocals, guitar, producer), formerly of the Big in Japan band.

The band started out as a studio-based solo project for Broudie, and then the Lightning Seeds expanded into a touring band following the album Jollification in 1994. The group experienced commercial success throughout the 1990s and are well-known for their single "Three Lions", a collaboration with David Baddiel and Frank Skinner which reached No. 1 in the UK in 1996 and 1998.

In 1989 Ian Broudie began recording alone under the name the Lightning Seeds and achieved his first commercial success with the psychedelic sounding synthpop hit "Pure", from the album Cloudcuckooland. Pure reached the UK Top 20. The same year "Joy" and "All I Want" were also released but failed to make much of an impression. "Pure" had some success in the US Billboard Top 40 reaching #32. Both "Pure" and "All I Want" also reached the Modern Rock Tracks top 10, and in 1991 Broudie returned to song-writing and moved labels from Rough Trade to Virgin.

During his time with Virgin records he released the album Sense (1992) which featured the song "The Life of Riley", written by Broudie for his son, that reached #28 in the UK Singles Chart and just registered at #98 in the US Billboard Hot 100.

When Broudie's contract expired with Virgin, Epic agreed to sign him to their label and he was very excited about the new opportunity. Broudie put other projects on hold and embarked on a touring schedule. "I'd been wanting to perform live again for some time and this was the first time I found myself talking to somebody at a record company who believed in Lightning Seeds."

By the end of 1993 Broudie had finished the Jollification (1994) album, which
included contributions from Terry Hall and Simon Rogers as well as Ian McNabb. A promotional tour began in August of 1994 with their lineup consisting of guitarist Paul Hemmings, drummer Chris Sharrock, bassist Martyn Campbell and keyboardist Ali Kane. The tour benefited from the success of the second single from the album "Change", which reached #13 in the UK Singles Charts, becoming Lightning Seeds second top twenty hit in the UK. The album Jollification their best success to date and the singles taken from this album, "Lucky You", "Marvellous" and "Perfect" made noticeable impact. Mark Farrow's album cover featured the use of computer graphics to create an enormous strawberry and depicting seeds with superimposed human faces.

The band still tours live to this date. In October 2010 they performed in Indonesia at the Jakarta Playground festival. After the band's final headline show of 2010 at Leamington Assembly on 12 November, they supported Squeeze on a 22 stop UK tour. On Friday 8 July, The Lightning Seeds headlined the AmpRocks festival in Ampthill Park. They also played at the South Tyneside Summer Festival in South Shields at the end of July 2011.

Okay ... and here is a little Pure for your listening pleasure. Hope you are having a wonderful Friday!

Cheers!

The Snow Man

2011-09-27T21:50:00.013-04:00

Snow was a stoutly built player with wide shoulders, and as one of the few weight-lifters at Notre Dame, he held most of the school records. His neck was bull-like. Based on his physique alone, it was hard to envision Snow as a wide receiver. On team picture day, he was more easily grouped with the likes of linebackers Jim Carroll and Ken Maglicic.

Gut instinct told Parseghian that Snow would excel at the wideout position. He certainly possessed an air of confidence that belied his second-string status. Snow never thought twice about swaggering into Parseghian's office without an appointment and smiling confidently as he shook hands with his new boss. Meanwhile, walking behind him, was slump-shouldered third-string quarterback John Huarte. While Snow radiated self-assuredness, Huarte exuded an air of defeat.

"Coach," Snow began. "You might not know it, but I am the best. Don't look at the films because you'll only find 5 or 6 catches by yours truly, but I can assure you that I am the best receiver on this team. On top of that, this man right here beside me is John Huarte. He is the best damn quarterback on this team."

Huarte looked down and shrugged his shoulders.

As they left the office, Huarte turned to Snow and quietly asked, "Jack, do you think we should have done that?"

Snow laughed. "I don't know, Johnny, but at least he knows who the hell we are." [excerpt from Jim Dent's book, Resurrection]

For years my Dad has been telling me stories about Jack Snow. Stories of their days spent at Notre Dame. Stories of the encounters that they had in the years that followed. And though I never got the chance to meet him in person, I feel as though I've gotten a pretty amazing glimpse into the quiet yet commanding person that was Jack Snow.

A few months ago I got an email from none other than Stephanie Snow, the daughter of Jack Snow. She reached out to me as a member of the Notre Dame community to help her with a cause that is near and dear to her heart ... and now mine. Stephanie explains it much better than I do, so here's her story!

My father, was Jack Snow, an All American, who graduated from the University of Notre Dame. He passed away just months after his granddaughter, Raquel Gebel, who is now 6 years old, was born. Raquel was recently diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder called Wolfram syndrome. Wolfram syndrome typically begins with the diagnosis of juvenile diabetes and further leads to hearing, vision and brain loss. Tragically, 60% of patients with this disease do not make it past their 30th birthday. Born a Snow, I know that my path is to act proactively in order to stop the tragic progression of Wolfram syndrome.

Since Raquel's diagnosis, I have started the Jack & J.T. Snow Fund @ Washington University School of Medicine www.snowmanfund.com. My father is a part of Notre Dame's football history, and he also called St. Louis his home the last 11 years of his life as the "Voice" of the Rams. My brother, J.T. Snow, former 1st baseman with the San Francisco Giants and myself have worked very hard to raise public awareness and money in order to stop this disease. Everything my father did, he did with decency and conviction and I have no doubt that the way he lived his life continues to make a difference each and every day, contributing to the ultimate success of helping Raquel and other children faced with Wolframs.

Currently, Washington University is the only research institution conducting in-depth studies on treatment options and possibly a cure for this rare disorder. Dr. Alan Permutt, the lead doctor, actually discovered the gene responsible for Wolfram syndrome about 11 years ago and he has made great advancements towards helping those affected by the disease. Unfortunately, it all comes down to finances and last year Dr. Permutt’s lab was denied a large grant which would have ensured long-term funding for the much needed clinics. If the Jack & J.T. Snow Fund does not raise the proper funds, the doctors can not get a drug approved by the FDA which could potentially save my daughter's life and many others affected by this insidious disease. So you see, the more we learn about the disease, the better equipped we are to fight it!

On October 17, Axius Financial, J.T. Snow and Steve Savard will be hosting The Snowman Scramble. I have attached the above flyer with information regarding this tournament. Please be reminded that I am a mother of a very sick child who needs all the support she can get, we have about a 3-4 year window before her eyesight, hearing and brain development start to fail. As each day passes, so does the chance of Raquel leading a normal and productive life!

I was so moved by Stephanie's message that I have joined her team to promote the upcoming golf tournament and to help raise funds to help find a cure for Wofram's Syndrom. And now I am reaching out to you ... can you help? If you are in any way interested in golfing, volunteering, or sending some spare change our way, we would be most grateful for your support and help! And if you have any questions or need any more information, please leave me a comment and I will get back with you as soon as I can!

Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart!

Cheers!

Running Up That Hill

2011-09-23T13:20:00.014-04:00

And if I only could,
I'd make a deal with God,
And I'd get him to swap our places,
Be running up that Hill,
With no problems.

Today's edition of Retro Friday features Kate Bush, and the song Running Up That Hill. I have had one of "those" weeks and this song really spoke to me this morning!

Kate Bush, who was born Catherine Bush on July 30, 1958, is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic style of music and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers in the last 30 years. Bush was signed by EMI at the young age of 16 after receiving a recommendation from Pink Floyd's David Gilmour. In 1978, at the age 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single "Wuthering Heights", which made her the first woman to have a UK number-one with a self-written song. She was also the most photographed woman in the United Kingdom during the following year.

After her 1979 tour, which (by the way) was the only concert tour that she did, Bush released the 1980 album Never for Ever, which made her the first British solo female artist to top the UK album charts and the first female artist ever to enter the album chart at No. 1. She has released a total of ten albums, three of which topped the UK Albums Chart, and has had a grand total of twenty-five UK Top 40 hit singles including "Wuthering Heights", "Running Up that Hill", "King of the Mountain", "Babooshka", "The Man with the Child in His Eyes", and "Don't Give Up" (a duet with Peter Gabriel)—all of which reached the Top 10.

There is something about Kate Bush's musical style that is really appealing to me. Many reviewers have used the term "surreal" to describe her music, but there is often something haunting about her sound and song lyrics. Many of her songs have a melodramatic emotional and musical surrealism to them that makes it difficult to categorize her style. It has been observed that even the more joyous pieces are often tinged with traces of melancholy, and the most sorrowful pieces have elements of vitality struggling against all that would oppress them.

Here is "Running Up The Hill" by Kate Bush. Have a listen and see what you think about her musical style!

Cheers!

Don't Stop Believing

2011-09-21T23:30:00.013-04:00

Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world
She took the midnight train goin' anywhere
Just a city boy, born and raised in south Detroit
He took the midnight train goin' anywhere

And not a minute to soon, hockey is back, the Blues had their first pre-season game on Tuesday night, and a check in the win column! I do love college football, but I cannot tell you how very excited I am to have hockey back in the rotation. I am sure you are thinking, what girl likes football and hockey? Yep, that would be me.

On the off chance that you're a new follower to the blog, I'd like to send you back in time for a bit to read my "Girls Love Hockey Too" blog post so that you can see a little bit into my past and why I love hockey so much. And then we'll all be ready to attack the hockey season, full speed ahead, and into the boards!

And without further ado, "Girls Love Hockey Too"

Oh, and one more thing, can someone please tell the Blues that "Don't Stop Believing" is not an original hockey theme song, and to please come up with something else?! I'm just saying.

Cheers!

A Tear of Joy

2011-09-20T20:21:00.023-04:00

There are very few things in this world that bring me to tears, but two of these such things brought me to tears last weekend. And these two things in particular always bring me to tears.

The first of which is the National Anthem. They play it before every sporting event, and rarely a time goes by in which I can actually sing it and not have to stop and catch my breath. I'm not exactly sure when that started, but I know for a fact that since 9/11, not once have I been able to make it through the National Anthem without taking a moment to pull myself together. I can't help but think of all the men and women who have given up their lives for our freedom and protection. Not just military folks, but policemen and firefighters as well. And I cannot possibly, ever express to them just how grateful I truly am.

I saw the most amazing thing while I was at Notre Dame this weekend. A group of guys from the New York Fire Department and the FDNY Fire Family Transport Foundation brought a group of soldiers from the Wounded Warrior project to Notre Dame for the football game. They were the nicest bunch of guys you'd ever want to meet, and the stories that they told (both soldiers and firefighters alike) definitely took our breath away and brought us to tears.

But even more amazing than that, was the gentleman who brought them to town. He is a Notre Dame alum and a New York Firefighter himself, who lost so much on 9/11, and to deal with that he has created the most amazing 9/11 memorial/display in his garage that you'd ever want to see.

The items that he has collected and assembled over the last ten years not only gave me goosebumps and took my breath away, but brought me to tears, and then to smiles again. I can't even put into words how amazing this experience was, and the fact that I am at such a huge loss for words is pretty crazy, but this is something that I wish everyone could see once ... it is just that moving.

The other thing that always brings me to tears is the Notre Dame Alma mater. I know, that must sound crazy to you, but Notre Dame is so much more to me than just a football team. It was four years of learning, amazing friends, and experiences that made me who I am today. Every chance I get to share Notre Dame with my friends and family, I jump on ... because I want them to see first hand that Notre Dame is so much more than brick and mortar. It is a place that nurtures young adults, and makes them the leaders of tomorrow. I would not trade my time at Notre Dame for anything, and the friends that I made there I will have forever ... and that in itself brings me to tears. I wish I could somehow convey that to people, but to some people all they see, or will ever see, is football; and I am sorry for their loss.

Okay ... that's my "pause" for today! May God bless you and yours!

Oh, and one more thing, if you'd like to learn more about the FDNY Fire Family Transport Foundation, please visit their web site. It's a wonderful organization that could really use your help!

Cheers!

Oh What A Night

2011-09-14T22:05:00.009-04:00

In honor of my impending trip to Notre Dame this weekend (boy, does that sound ominous or what?!), this week's edition of Retro Friday will feature my three favorite "Backer Tunes."

The 'Backer ... otherwise known as The Linebacker Lounge, was one of our favorite haunts back in college, and still is a favorite of college students and alumni alike. If you are making a trip to campus this year, this is a must see, but be forewarned. Be sure to pack your "Backer shoes" ... something old and black that won't be phased by the black sludge on the floor of this whole-in-the-wall, shoe box bar. But trust me, it's worth every jam-packed minute.

The other charm of the 'Backer is the music. An eclectic D.J. will mix an awesome blend of current music, country, and 70's favorites. A night at the 'Backer would not be complete without the following three songs.

Sweet Caroline ... da, da, da

Brandy, you're a fine girl ... what a good wife you would be.

And the last song of the (every) night ... Oh What a Night!

Hey ... save me a Long Island at the 'Backer, will ya?!

Cheers!

Mud Football

2011-09-09T08:15:00.007-04:00

Retro Friday will return next Friday, but in honor of MICHIGAN SUCKS WEEK, here is a little Jack Johnson and "Mud Football!"

A little background on Jack Johnson ... he is an American folk rock singer-songwriter, surfer and musician known for his work in the genres of soft rock and acoustic. In 2001, he achieved Top 40 success after the release of his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales. Since then he has released four more albums, a number of EPs and surfing movies/soundtracks. He is also known for organizing an annual event, the Kōkua Festival. Some of the more notable songs from Johnson's repertoire include "Upside Down"; "Flake"; "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing"; "If I Had Eyes"; "You and Your Heart" and the widely-popular fan favorite, "Better Together".

As a football lover though, my favorite Jack Johnson song is "Mud Football." And so without further ado, here's a little Jack Johnson for your listening pleasure!

GO IRISH!
BEAT MICHIGAN!

Cheers!

Into the Eye of the Storm

2011-09-08T07:24:00.002-04:00

It appears that I have struck quite a nerve on Twitter, and since it is very difficult to make your point in 140 characters, I'd like to have a chance to expound on my opinion in a little more detail. I know that many of you will still disagree with me, but I am totally okay with that ... we are all entitled to our opinions. They are just that, our opinions. No one is right or wrong, we are just having a conversation.

Okay ... so here I go.

A few gentlemen on Twitter were discussing some of the dreadful plays from the Notre Dame-USF game, as well as Brian Kelly's actions on the side line, when I decided to throw in my two cents. My opening statement was as follows: In regards to Brian Kelly's sideline antics, how does it look to the players when their fearless leader loses control? And do you think his tantrums on NBC help or hinder recruiting?

I was expecting a few responses ... but I was not at all expecting the firestorm that I got in return.

Some of the responses included the following (all names have been withheld to protect the innocent! haha)

- I honestly don't think they (the players) think twice about it.

- He didn't lose control. Coaches, particularly in football, do this all the time.

- Player's coaches that don't go on tirades are rare.

- IF you play sports, your coach yells. I haven't seen very many effective even-keeled coaches.

- Losing control would be if he hit a player. I'm in complete control when I cuss someone out.

- (I) really hate to pull this card, but if you've never played the sport, it's tough to understand the yelling. But I assume you've never played football. Never wore a helmet. Never experienced the blinders.

- The more physical the sport, the more demanding the coaches tend to be.

- If you're a Mom of a player, you aren't supposed to understand it.

- I think there is a balance .. if you watch tape of last year, Rees got a lot more teaching.

- Kelly really didn't "lose it" until all hell broke lose.

- When I screwed up playing, if a coach didn't yell at me, I thought HE was weak.

- This is the culture of football & we should have known what we signed up for.

- I think it shows he is emotionally invested in his team. Far more than we saw from Charlie.

- Moreoverly we are raising a generation of wusses.

Okay ... let me see if I can now put my thoughts into words. In my humble opnion, I do think Brian Kelly's actions on the sidelines during the game on Saturday were over the top. As multiple players continued to make mistakes, he continued to melt down. Screaming at players, one after another ... Crist ... Gray ... Jones ... Rees.

I do not think a good leader loses control like that. And I do not think the way to teach or instruct kids (and lets face it, they are still kids for the most part) is by screaming at them until your face turns beet red and is about ready to explode. Instead of pulling them aside and making a teaching moment out of the situation, he turned it into a repeated screaming match.

And then what happens is ... as he is screaming and melting down ... he is losing control of the situation at hand. His head is no longer in the game, and instead of making strategy of what needs to be done next, he is stuck in the past.

As the child of a Navy Submariner, I liken this all back to a ship. If there is a fire in one of the compartments on the ship, I do not want the commanding officer yelling and screaming because we are not following protocol perfectly. He can deal with that later. I want a calm leader, instructing us how to solve the problem to prevent future casualties, and then later on he can go back and address any issues he has with specific individuals on a one-on-one basis.

Now that is not to say that I want a leader/coach with no emotion. I do not want a Ty, that is for sure. But I don't think a melting down, head-ready-to-explode Brian Kelly on the sideline is the answer either. There has to be a balance. He seemed pretty balanced to me last year. There were many teachable moments on the sideline last year. On Saturday, all I saw was an adult who had completely lost control.

In regards to TJ walking away from the coach, and really taking the wrath of Kelly ... I completely understand that walking away from your leader is inappropriate. But at the end of the day, Kelly is the ADULT, and TJ is the KID, and as the adult you need to set the example. That is not at all what I saw on Saturday.

Yes, I am a girl. But I am a very smart girl, who played sports from a youth all the way through college, and just because I did not play THE sport of football, absolutely does NOT mean that I do not understand. I still 100 percent feel that you can be an effective leader/coach without yelling and screaming all the time. I do think that a certain amount of yelling is fine as a coach. Trust me, I've been yelled at plenty of times in my day. But I think the yelling is much better served on the practice field, and not during a game when you should be spending your time strategizing what the next play is. The ship is sinking for God's sake, do something to save it instead of harping on what just happend. It's in the past, for the love of Notre Dame, MOVE FORWARD.

Okay, and with this, I am now moving forward myself! Bring on Michigan already!! Is it Saturday yet??

GO IRISH!
BEAT MICHIGAN

MICHIGAN SUCKS WEEK!!

Cheers!

Wordless Wednesday ... Need I Say More?

2011-09-07T13:13:00.001-04:00

Need I Say More?

Cheers!

The Dillon Hall Pep Rally

2011-09-07T00:06:00.003-04:00

On this fine Wednesday of Michigan Sucks Week, I'd like to share one of my favorite football home game weekend traditions!

There are a lot of pep rallies held at Notre Dame, but the Dillon Hall pep rally is not your ordinary pep rally!

Rally photo courtesy of gameday.nd.edu.

The Dillon Hall pep rally began approximately 40 years ago. It is traditionally held the Thursday before the first home game (although in 2010 the pep rally was moved from it's traditional Thursday night, to the Friday night of the first home football game weekend).

In the early years of the Dillon Hall pep rally, it was held in the Dillon courtyard that faces South Dining Hall. But as it's popularity grew, the stage was moved to accommodate a bigger audience. Now it is held in front of Dillon Hall on South Quad.

Historically, the Dillon Hall pep rally was an event primarily designed by the students, for the students. Unlike the other pep rallies, which are usually held in the Joyce Center, the Dillon Hall pep rally was not advertised to the public, and did not include the entire football team and cheerleaders.

Instead, the Dillon Hall pep rally featured humorous sketches and skits, some of which (over the years) drew complaints for being offensive. It was held on Thursday nights because it was designed to be a student only pep rally, and not something that the alumni and fans were invited to. It typically had a storyline, including little skits about Notre Dame, and skits about the world at large, that were acted out to entertain the entire campus. Integrated into this basic design, special guest speakers were also invited to speak at the pep rally. These special guests would typically include the football coach, the safety-enthusiast Officer Tim McCarthy, and the football players who resided in Dillon Hall ... including two of my all-time favorites: Tony Rice and Brady Quinn. There were also usually appearances made by the drum line, cheerleaders, pom squad and the leprechaun.

This particular pep rally was, and still is, used as a bonding tool for the freshmen, because it is only held the first football weekend. It is a fantastic use of the Notre Dame student community, which manages to extend Freshmen Orientation and reinforce the idea of dorm unity and bonding.

In 2010 the pep rally was moved to the Friday night of the first football weekend, and replaced the usual Joyce Center pep rally held on that night. As a result of this, the skits had to be adapted a bit so that they appealed to a much broader audience, but hopefully the new format did not feel any different to the students. The freshmen were still seated in the front row, with the students directly behind them.

The Dillon Hall pep rally just has a special buzz about it. It is a shining example of what the dorm community life at Notre Dame is all about.

If you ever get a chance to catch the Dillon Hall pep rally, I highly recommend it ... it is a fantastic glimpse into the student life at Notre Dame!

Cheers!

A Golden Tradition

2011-09-06T07:22:00.001-04:00

In continuation of Michigan Sucks Week ... I'd like to share one of my favorite traditions of a home football weekend at Notre Dame: the painting of the golden helmets!

I first became exposed to this tradition when my roommate Sophomore year was a Student Manager for the Football team. Now if that isn't the best work-study job, I'm not sure what is!

One of their responsibilities the Friday night before a football game (well, when I was a student it was done on Friday nights for home games, and Thursday nights for away games. Now it is done on Monday nights so that the helmets are completely dry on game day, and to ease away game transportation) was the painting of the Notre Dame football helmets.

The helmets are coated with a fresh coat of paint the week before each game, and the paint carries actual 23.9-karat gold flakes from the Golden Dome that sits atop the University's Main Building.

Ten times in the last 131 years (one of which was when I was a student at Notre Dame), the University has removed and replaced the gold leaf on the Dome -- a process called "regilding." One of the things that they include in this regilding process is to capture some of the gold removed from the Dome to later mix in with the paint used on the helmets.

Every once in a while they do paint the helmets on a Friday night (last year for the Michigan game, they painted the helmets on Friday night and opened it up to public viewing) but mostly it is done on Monday nights. I do prefer it when they paint the helmets on a Friday night ... it's a great kickoff to the football weekend in addition to the Friday night Pep Rally ... but I do understand that Monday nights make football weekends a little less crazy!

Here's a little video that I found that shows the actual gold flakes from the Dome that they use in the second coat of paint. Enjoy!

One more thing of note, if you happen to see photos of Notre Dame football practice and you think that the helmets don't shine quite as much as they do on game day, you'd be correct! They only use the real gold paint on the "game day" helmets, and they have a separate set of helmets that are used during practice.

Cheers!

Monday Morning Quarterback

2011-09-05T10:28:00.025-04:00

Yes, it's here, Michigan Sucks Week ... and I'm going to do a little Monday Morniing Quarterbacking this morning as later today Coach Brian Kelly will announce who his starting Quarterback will be for the Notre Dame-Michigan game on Saturday night.

(Picture from last year's Notre Dame-Michigan game!)

So let's talk a look back at the Notre Dame-USF game for just a moment.

Dayne Crist: 7 of 15 for 85 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
Tommy Rees: 24 of 34 for 296 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Cierre Wood: 21 carries for 104 yards, 1 TD
Michael Floyd: 12 catches for 154 yards, 2 TD
Tyler Eifert: 6 catches for 93 yards

Jonas Gray: Fumble for TD
Floyd: Holding, TD nullified
Crist: INT in End Zone
Riddick: Dropped Punt
Rees: 2 INT, including one at the USF 4

More game fun facts:

Notre Dame's David Ruffer, who was 23-of-24 on field goals in his career, missed a 30-yard attempt later in the third quarter after Rees hit Riddick with a 27-yard pass and Floyd with one of 15. (Final score 23-20 ... three points.)

Notre Dame out gained USF, 152-62 in the first quarter. The Irish had 85 yards passing compared to the Bulls' 20 yards in the air, and yet the Bulls lead 13-0.

Notre Dame totaled 508 yards in the game, exactly twice as many as USF's 254.

Notre Dame's 16 point half time deficit was the largest deficit since November 29, 2008 when the Irish trailed USC 24-0 at half time.

Notre Dame has played three games on September 3 in it's history, and the yare 2-1 all-time on this date.

The Irish are 40-8-1 (.827) in season opener games inside Notre Dame Stadium.

Skip Holtz, a former member of the Notre Dame football team and assistant coach and son of former Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz, returned to Notre Dame on Saturday.

Prior to Holtz on Saturday afternoon, the last Notre Dame graduate to defeat the Irish was Eddie Anderson ('22). His 1939 and 1940 Iowa teams beat Elmer Layden's Irish teams 7-0 both times.

Sigh, okay, enough of the fun facts. Let's get back to the game. There is no one person to point fingers at for the USF loss. It's is a team game, and let's face it, it is also a team loss. This is very clear to us all by looking at the above stats, including interceptions by two Quarterbacks, and fumbles by more than one player. If you take away the mental errors and turnovers in this game, Notre Dame handily defeats the Bulls.

So, how does Brian Kelly fix this going into Michigan Sucks Week? He's got to get these kids to calm down and not rush through these games. They have got to hold on to the rock. And the Quarterback, whomever the starter may be, has GOT to slow down and not make panicked passes.

I have no doubt in my mind that Kelly can fix this and have them ready for Michigan. We had 508 yards on Saturday. 508. If we have a game like that on Saturday night, minus all of the stupid turnovers, Michigan will be no match for the Irish.

Who does Kelly start at Quarterback? That is a tough question for me. Crist really did not have a bad game. He only had one interception ... Rees had two. And the Jonas Gray fumble on the goal line was NOT his fault either. He did make some bad, rushed passes, but Tommy did, too. As much as I like Rees, and think he may perform a bit better under pressure, I'd feel really bad for Crist if he does not get one more shot at this. I don't know? I can't wait to here Kelly's decision today, and his reasoning behind his decision! I'm sure glad I'm not in his shoes!

Okay, and there is my Monday Morning Quarterbacking for Michigan Sucks Week!

Cheers!

The Long Walk On Game Day

2011-09-02T08:36:00.003-04:00

Today's edition of Retro Friday is being interrupted by another Football Week 2011 post ... The Long Walk On Game Day!

One of the most anticipated events on campus at Notre Dame on a football game day is the walk the players take, following Mass, from the Basilica to the stadium. But starting with the 2011 football season, this is all changing. I am not sure who's brilliant idea this was, and who knows ... maybe once I see it I will love it, but at this very moment I am not a big fan of this change.

I know that change in life is inevitable, but a big part of what people love about Notre Dame football is the mystique, lore, and TRADITION. Call me crazy, but why on earth would you want to change one of the most well loved of the Notre Dame traditions?!

Okay. The original football walk consisted of the Notre Dame football players walking out of Mass at the Basilica, and walking through the "God Quad" and onward through campus to the stadium. The fans line up in masses to high five and cheer the players on their journey towards the stadium. It is one of my favorite traditions to share with people who have never been to Notre Dame for a football game. (Below is a pic of the band making the same walk to the stadium)

The new journey to the stadium will involve the following path: Following Mass at the Basilica, the players will exit through the God-Country-Notre Dame doors and then the team will walk back to the buses. They will board the buses and turn left on Holy Cross Drive, towards St. Mary's Lake and the Grotto, and follow Holy Cross Drive all the way to the parking lot south of Notre Dame stadium. They will then drive the buses THROUGH the south parking lot so that the tailgaters get a chance to experience the football team (I don't know ... but a bus driving through the parking lot is not really "experiencing the football team" ... but maybe that's just me?) and then will continue on to "The Gug" where they will finish game day preparations.

After pre-game preparations are completed, the players will walk from the Gug, past the Jordan Hall of Science, and over to the Hesburgh library, which is where the official walk to the stadium will start. For a 3:30pm game time, this will happen about 1:15pm. The team will walk over to the statue of Father Hesburgh and Father Joyce in front of the Hesburgh Library, and then they will turn and make the walk to the stadium, next to the reflecting pool which reflects the mosiac of "Touchdown Jesus." The team will then enter the stadium through the Knute Rockne gate on the North end of the stadium and head into the locker room.

Do you want to actually SEE the walk? Well, you're in luck ... it's on YouTube and here it is!

Here's to a wonderful(?) new tradition!

Cheers!

Five to Remember

2011-09-01T00:05:00.005-04:00

Today's post in my Football Week 2011 series is guest written by another blogging and social media "maven" pal, Susan, a featured writer on GuysGirl.com.

With the National Football and College Football season about to kick off, I thought it might be fun to look back on 5 plays (ok 4 plays and one game) that stick out from my lifetime of watching football. Are these the “5 Best Plays in NFL History”? No. I haven’t been alive nor watched every single game in history. And there are the obvious like the Immaculate Reception (again I wasn’t alive then), or Bill Parcels announcing that he’d like to buy the groceries AND cook dinner (but that isn’t on the field antics, now is it?) that aren’t here. This isn’t a look back on the NFL’s history, as much as a reflection of my history with the NFL. Times when I can honestly (in no particular order), “I remember where I was when…” and what I said. In some cases, I can remember what I threw at the TV.

Leon Lett Thanksgiving and Super Bowl Mishaps – 1993
Oh Leon Lett, will anyone ever forget. Truly it isn’t just the fact that my grandmother knew that you DON’T TOUCH THE BALL. It isn’t that everyone on the Cowboys was yelling to make sure no one touched the ball. It was that Lett not only touched the ball, but then topped touching the ball with his epic fail in the Super Bowl.

Seriously? After what happened during the regular season, you would think someone would have more brains then to try and dance into the end zone, ball hanging down like it was just a sack of groceries. No. Not Lett. He did just that and the Buffalo Bills made him pay. In spades.

Did you laugh? Cry? Or maybe you laughed and cried for Lett? If you were a Cowboys fan, maybe you laughed at Thanksgiving. I’m sure by the Super Bowl, the ability to hold out compassion or see the humorous side to all of it was no longer possible. However, for many of us (myself, an admitted Niners fan, included) it was pure comedy on a very national stage. It is also proof of the human condition. We all have the ability to fail and get up and then follow through when stupidity knocks on the door.

Steve Young trips up and comes up big with Terrell Owens –1998
Before the sharpie. There were plays like these. And again proof that the prevent defense does nothing but prevent a team from winning. The Packers had become the proverbial monkey on the back of the Niners. Coming into the NFC Wild Card game in 1998 the Packers were riding a 11-5 record and ready to roll straight through to the Super Bowl. However, down by four and with just under two minutes to go the Niners started a nine play, 76 yard drive that declared, “You Shall Not Pass”.

Then it happened. With just under ten seconds to play, the ball was snapped. Steve Young trips on the drop back, everyone’s hearts plunge to their stomach and then he regains his footing, finding Terrell Owens in the endzone. Mind you Owens was having the type of game that players have nightmares about, but he didn’t give up. Young stumbled but didn’t give up and it paid off. And yes that is that Terrell Owens crying on the side of the field… What happened to him?

Buffalo Bills comeback vs. Houston Oilers – 1993
Ok this isn’t just one play but who doesn’t remember the Oilers going up on the Bills 35-3 in the third quarter of the 1992 AFC Wild Card Game? That game was over. It was done. Not to mention that in context this was a Bills team that had wiped the NFL the previous two seasons, just to lose in the Super Bowl. This was a humiliation beyond just the game. This was a season plundered and it ended 7-5, just to stumble into the playoffs and into this?!

Starting right off the bat with Al Del Greco’s botched kick (hello mother nature and home field advantage…) Then the “Suicide Onside” OH COME ON! GET OUT… I’m pretty sure I threw something at the field when Steve Christie recovered his own kick. And at that point, did you not find yourself rooting for Buffalo? As they gained momentum… as the tide turned. You could feel it, right? I have goose bumps writing about it. The Bills didn’t even have a touchdown until there were less than 10 minutes to go in the fourth quarter, the Bills should have been dead. It was one of those moments in time when no one could believe it but it happened. It is also a perfect example of why Jim Kelly is a hall of fame quarterback without a ring and why you never ever leave a game early. EVER. NEVER EVER.

Dan Marino fakes the spike for a touchdown. -- 1994
Where were you when you screamed: “THEY DID NOT”! But oh boy they did. Dan Marino executed the trick play to end all trick plays. I’m pretty sure I scared the neighbors with my screams on this one.

Down by three points to the New York Jets, 30 seconds on the clock and the Dolphins rush to the line with Marino making all the classic “I’m gonna spike it” charades. Instead? The Dolphins snap the ball, the Jets just stand there and Marino finds Mark Ingram in the end zone to put the Dolphins up 27-24. Extra point is good and the Dolphins win the game 28-24.

Fun fact? After this game, the Jets went on to win a total TOTAL of six games in five years. It didn’t just confuse one team on one play, it nearly cursed an entire franchise.

The Tom Brady Tuck Rule – 2002
*Please note that I purposely chose this link because of its using the NHL’s award winning “History Will Be Made” Advertising Campaign.

Best part of this whole debacle, no matter what side of the fence you fall in (was he in forward motion- about to throw and so making it an incomplete pass… or no, no fumble… tuck rule!) is that it wasn’t even this play that ultimately decided the game. No, after all that to-do about the play and these massive men battling for 60 minutes, it came down to a tiny kicker, one play in a massive snow storm and one moment in history. It is a moment that might just have launched Tom Brady’s entire career.

Yes the AFC Divisional Playoff game, on that day, in that mess of Mother Nature was decided on a field goal by Adam Vinatieri. Of course, the Patriots went on to win the Super Bowl that year. Some things are just meant to be. It was named the “Tuck Rule” because of the NFL rule book allowing for the forward motion of the passer’s arm to indicate a pass, even if it is recoiled to tuck the ball back into their body. It does go on to say that if the ball has been tucked into the player’s body, it is a fumble. However, it was determined that Brady was somewhere in Tuck Rule gray area where his arm was in forward motion although the ball had not yet been released. No fumble. Patriots drive on. Credit though, if opportunity knocks (deservedly or not) and you don’t open the door and greet it, then what good is the chance to begin with?

If you liked today's post, you can catch Susan on GuysGirl.com and on Twitter at @RuffStough

Cheers!

From Coach Osborne to a man named Suh. My memories of the Huskers.

2011-08-31T07:19:00.005-04:00

Today's post in my Football Week 2011 series is guest written by friend and fellow blogger, J.R. Reed, of Sex & the Single Dad fame! And here we go ...

Now I just say things like, “Bob Stoops may be the actual Anti-Christ.”

Some of my earliest memories include Nebraska football. I had no clue what a Cornhusker was, but I didn’t care. I was a husker. Whatever that was. My posse has its roots in the Cornhusker State. My parents met, conceived and bore myself and, three years later, my brother, in the state of Nebraska. I lived there until I was three, then we blazed a trail for sunny So. Cal.

I remember being four or five years old and spending Saturday afternoons out in the garage or driveway with my dad. What we did varied from week to week, but if it was the fall, my dad had his portable AM radio tuned to “The Game”. That, of course, was the Nebraska football game. I remember the broadcasts were sponsored by some group named Californians for Nebraska. I remember the name because my dad had their bumper sticker on the back of his panel Oldsmobile station wagon. And his Nebraska jacket had the same logo emblazoned on the front.

I don’t know why, but I remember the reverence my dad showed when he spoke of “Coach Osborne”. He told me that Coach Osborne studied under Coach Devaney, and that the young coach showed a lot of promise. “He’s going to win a lot of games,” my dad said. As I grew older, my dad kept saying that. And he was right. Tom Osborne ended his coaching career with a record of 255-49-3. Let me save you from doing the math. He won 83.5% of the games he coached in his 25-year coaching career. Holy shit that’s a lot of games.

My brother has more memories of Tom Osborne than I do. How? He played for Coach Osborne in 1987 as a kicker for the Huskers. Eventually my brother figured he would come back to California and try out for the NFL after training on his own. Somehow that dream faded and the boy who once held the CIF (California’s governing body for high school sports) record for longest field goal ended his football career after a season at Nebraska. I believe his record was 61 yards. I know the first number was a 6, I just cant remember the second digit. But I’m pretty sure it was a 1. Maybe a 2.

The day after Thanksgiving has always been a special day for me. As far back as I can remember that day was for watching Nebraska vs. Oklahoma. What the hell was this Black Friday crap? That day was for wearing red and watching what was always a damn good football game. Why? Mainly because during the Tom Osborne vs. Barry Switzer era, both teams were almost always in the Top 10. For us it was like Good going in to whip Evil’s ass.

I remember one Friday when I was probably in middle school. The TV dude announced the arrival of the University of Oklahoma Sooners, but no one emerged from the tunnel. I turned to my dad (thinking I was very funny), and said, “Sooner or later they’re gonna have to come out and get their butts kicked.” It’s like NEBRASKA FOOTBALL FAN was somehow imprinted in my genes. I was dissin the Oakies from way back in the day. Now I just say things like, “Bob Stoops may be the actual Anti-Christ.”

There were some great games over the years. Coach Osborne was voted ESPN’s Coach of the Decade for the 1990’s and he won his third National Championship in 1997 and ended his coaching career on top. As Devaney begat Osborne, so Osborne begat Solich. Frank Solich played for Coach Devaney and coached under Osborne for 19 seasons. Osborne named Solich his successor, and he remained as head coach for six seasons.

To be brutally honest, there wasn’t a whole lot to cheer about from that point, until a boy named Suh arrived. He was a boy in age, but a man in stature. Dude is immense and scary as hell. If you don’t know who Ndamukong Suh is, please take a moment to peruse some of his highlight reel career. Oh…around the 1:28 point, Suh rag dolls Colt McCoy. He did it again at 3:07. This one was way better than the first.

Hook that on your horn and blow it. Wow. That was really stupid. It sounded so much better in my head than it did on paper. My most sincere apologies. Let me rephrase that. Nah. I meant what I said the first time. Sucked to be you that day Colt McCoy.

Is that dude wicked awesome or what? In case you didn’t catch on, those were highlights from ONE GAME. Not a season. A game. One. Freakin. Game.

These are my memories of the past, but there is a new future for the Huskers in a new conference and with new rivalries. I’m not so sure I like this new dealio. My two favorite teams in college football are Nebraska and Wisconsin. Guess who play Oct. 1 in Nebraska’s first Big 10 Conference matchup? Yeah. I’m so not loving this bullshit.

I know I droned on and on about how much I love the Huskers, but I also have a thing for Wisconsin. I’m not totally sure why, but I have for many, many years. I’m a Badger, yo. I saw them play hockey in the Bradley Center in Milwaukee during two different conference tournaments. I watch them play on TV whenever I can. And I always have them going too far in my Tournament brackets. If that weren’t enough, Drama Queen could recognize Bucky the Badger at a young age.

I’ve thought long and hard about how I want this game to end up. After hours upon hours of soul searching, I have finally come to peace with my decision. Here’s how I want it to go. I want this to be a close game. Hard fought by both teams. I want it close and I want it intense. At the end, someone will come in with a huge last second play and win the game. As long as the game is as I described, I don’t care who wins. Seriously. Both teams will be good. One pre-season poll has Nebraska 10 and Wisconsin 11, while the other poll flips the two schools. You wanna know who rolls in at number one? Oklahoma. Remember what I told you. Bob Stoops may be the actual Anti-Christ.

If you enjoyed this post, please stop by J.R.'s blog at Sex & The Single Dad, or follow him on Twitter at @SxNSingleDad

Cheers!