Will We Hear "The University of Notre Dame?"

Announced from the podium by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, during tonight's "First Round" of the 2010 NFL Draft? I believe Jimmy Clausen and family is counting on it - and Golden Tate and family are hoping for it. Lots of rumors floating around about what the Steelers are going to do with Ben Roethlisberger -- if they trade him away today, some think the Steelers could be looking to draft Clausen. A few "experts" say he'll fall all the way to #30 and the Minnesota Vikings. All I hope for Jimmy is he doesn't get the "Brady Quinn" treatment tonight -- sliding down that Draft Board. The smart decision was to stay home in California - and not face the potential humility of waiting in that room (with all the cameras on you) for your name to be called. I believe Golden Tate has to hope that a team will decide to "trade up" late in the first round to draft him. If he doesn't go in the first round, I believe he'll be among the first ten picks in tomorrow's Second Round. It's going to be "good TV" tonight -- here's the TV Schedule for the 2010 NFL Draft:

Thursday, April 22
11 a.m.-1 p.m.: “Path to the Draft” (NFL Network)
1-7:30 p.m.: “Total Access Pre-Draft” (NFL Network)
3-4 p.m.: “SportsCenter Special: On the Clock” (ESPN)
4-4:30 p.m.: “NFL Live” (ESPN)
4:30-7:30 p.m. “SportsCenter Special: On the Clock” (ESPN)
7:30-11 p.m.: NFL Draft, Round 1, (ESPN / NFL Network)
11 p.m.-midnight: “Total Access Post-Draft” (NFL Network)

Friday, April 23
11 a.m.-1 p.m.: “Path to the Draft” (NFL Network)
1-6 p.m.: “Total Access Pre-Draft” (NFL Network)
3-4 p.m.: “SportsCenter Special: On the Clock” (ESPN)
4-4:30 p.m.: “NFL Live” (ESPN)
4:30-6 p.m. “SportsCenter Special: On the Clock” (ESPN)
6-10:30 p.m.: NFL Draft, Rounds 2-3 (ESPN / NFL Network)
10:30-11:30 p.m.: “Total Access Post-Draft” (NFL Network)

Saturday, April 24
9-10 a.m. “SportsCenter Special: On the Clock” (ESPN)
9-10 a.m.: “Total Access Pre-Draft” (NFL Network)
10 a.m.-6 p.m.: NFL Draft, Rounds 4-7 (ESPN / NFL Network)
6-7:30 p.m.: “Total Access Post-Draft” (NFL Network)

Sunday, April 25
1-3 p.m.: “SportsCenter Draft Wrap-Up Special” (ESPN)
6-7 p.m.: “Path to the Draft” (NFL Network)
7-8 p.m.: “Total Access Draft Recap” (NFL Network)

Notre Dame Announces 2010 Pep Rally Locations

Locations for the first four pep rallies for the 2010 University of Notre Dame football season have been determined – and include multiple locations around the campus. The traditional, season-opening Dillon Hall pep rally will be held on Friday, Sept. 3, in front of Dillon Hall on the South Quad of the University of Notre Dame campus. That rally comes prior to Notre Dame’s first game of the 2010 football season on Sept. 4 at Notre Dame Stadium against Purdue. The Sept. 10 rally prior to the Irish home game against Michigan the following day will be held at Irish Green, south of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center on the very south edge of campus. The Notre Dame-Stanford rally on Sept. 24 will be held indoors at Purcell Pavilion in the Joyce Center. A Notre Dame-Boston College students-only rally Oct. 1, prior to the Irish road game at Boston College, will be held at Stepan Center. The sites for four other Friday home-game pep rallies – Oct. 8 (Pittsburgh), Oct. 15 (Western Michigan), Oct. 29 (Tulsa) and Nov. 12 (Utah) – will be determined at a later date.

BLUE-GOLD WEEKEND -- Official Events

Last year, the University of Notre Dame launched a ND GAMEDAY website -- and it was really well done! Well, they've just updated the ND GAMEDAY site for the BLUE-GOLD WEEKEND on campus. Click on the LINK below:

2010 BLUE-GOLD WEEKEND EVENTS

BLUE-GOLD WEEKEND -- IT'S ALMOST HERE!

For many, this is one of the best weekend's of the year -- and it definitely is for my family. We started the tradition five years ago to make the trek to South Bend for the Blue-Gold Game. The gang has come from as far away as; Florida, Colorado, Tennessee, New York, etc., to join in the festivities. We typically arrive on Friday and stay til' Sunday morning. The oldest to attend would be our Grandma Barb, who attended two years ago, at the age of 93! Here's a shot of Denny Doyle and Kevin Sweeney "running out of the tunnel" into Notre Dame Stadium -- at one of our Blue-Gold Weekend trips. These two Irish fans will be in attendance this weekend along with our "Official Photographer" Mike Doyle -- and a number of others from our Clan. You'll find us at THE SHIRT unveiling on Friday afternoon at the Bookstore -- then on to the Backstage Grille for Irish Sports Daily's "shin dig" (which begins around 6 PM) and then we'll probably head back to campus to see a few Bookstore Basketball Games. Saturday morning means breakfast at South Dining Hall and then you'll see us in the parking lot - tailgating prior to "kick-off." Denny and Kevin have agreed to an "autograph session" at our tailgate from 10 AM to 11 AM. Hope to see a few of you this weekend!

ND Students to Shave Heads Today!

Starting today at 4 PM @ LaFortune (Notre Dame's "Student Union") and running to 10 PM, for the next three days-- Notre Dame students will make a $10 donation to have their HEADS SHAVED to support the St. Baldrick Foundation and it's work with children stricken with cancer. Last year Notre Dame raised $26,500 from this event. Notre Dame QB Dayne Crist announced yesterday that he will be having his head shaved as will a number of his teammates. Crist also challenged other ND athletes to do the same. Here's a link to their website:

THE BALD & THE BEAUTIFUL

Golic To Wear USC Jersey to Pay Off Bet

It was announced this morning that former ND Football Player and Co-Host of ESPN's "Mike & MIKE" -- Mike Golic, will be wearing a USC Trojan Football Jersey at the University of Notre Dame's Blue-Gold Weekend. Each year, hosts Greenberg and Golic, place a fun wager on their NCAA basketball brackets. And, Golic lost. So, if you see Golic on Saturday, walking around campus with a USC jersey on -- you'll know why. Also, Mike Golic will be at the Notre Dame Bookstore at 9:30 AM on Saturday, signing copies of their book: "Mike & Mike's Rules for Sports and Life."

Did Clausen and Tate Leave Too Early?

The 2010 NFL Draft is two days a way and I'm sure the families of Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate are anxiously wondering if their sons names will be called during Thursday night's First Round. I found this article this morning, on the NFL.com site -- and I don't think it's a story Jimmy Clausen will want to read. I don't want to believe Clausen's talent will translate into "out of the First Round." Yet, it begs the question -- did Clausen and Tate both leave too early? See the story:

CLAUSEN SLIDING OUT OF FIRST ROUND?

Recruiting Rankings -- Do They Pan Out?

Found this story yesterday at CNNSI.com and it speaks to a subject I believe is often overlooked. Ever "really listen" to the player introductions on Sunday Night and Monday Night Football? If you do, you'll be surprised at where many of the NFL "starters" played their college ball. You'll hear schools like; Alcorn State, Troy, Idaho State, Western Michigan, etc. -- not schools typically recruiting "five and four star" talent. Yet, these talented athletes, made it to the NFL. Well, with two days to go to this year's NFL Draft -- CNNSI.com looked at the "recruiting rankings" of the top projected players. Click on the link:

RECRUITING RANKINGS OF TOP PLAYERS IN 2010 NFL DRAFT

Robotic Blue-Gold Game This Friday at ND

If you're looking for something 'unique' to do on Friday evening in South Bend -- you should head over to the Stepan Center and attend the second annual "Robotic Blue-Gold Game." Kick-off is set for 7 PM. If you check the PHOTO OF THE DAY on this site -- you can see, Coach Kelly is already looking at whether or not a Robot QB has any eligibility left. Click on this link for more information -- and to see video of last year's game:

ROBOTIC "BLUE-GOLD" GAME

VIDEO COVERAGE OF LAST YEAR'S ROBOTIC BLUE-GOLD GAME

Notre Dame Baseball Players on MLB Rosters

The University of Notre Dame has placed a number of its student athletes onto Major League Baseball rosters over the years. Probably the most successful would be Carl Yastrzemski (even though he attended Notre Dame on a basketball scholarship), who played for the Boston Red Sox and was an 18 time American League All Star. Yaz's best season was in 1967 when he was named the American League's MVP after becoming the last hitter to achieve the "Triple Crown" -- leading the American League in; batting average, home runs and runs batted in that season. He retired with more than 3,000 hits and 400 home runs -- the first to achieve that mark in Major League history. A "first ballot" Hall of Famer, Yastrzemski's uniform #8 was retired by the Red Sox. Of the four former ND student athletes on Major League rosters -- Craig Counsell, infielder for the Milwaukee Brewers -- had the best day yesterday, hitting a GRAND SLAM in the Brewers 11 - 7 win over the Nationals (LINK TO VIDEO BELOW). Here's the list of former Notre Dame student athletes currently in the Major Leagues right now:

-Brad Lidge (Pitcher), Philadelphia Phillies
-Jeff Samardzia (Pitcher), Chicago Cubs
-Craig Counsell (Infielder), Milwaukee Brewers
-Aaron Heilman (Pitcher), Arizona Diamondbacks

VIDEO OF CRAIG COUNSELL'S GRAND SLAM

Terry Hanratty Talks Ara, Recruiting & ND

I find it ironic that next weekend, Conor Hanratty (Conor on right)-- son of former ND All American Terry Hanratty, will be visiting the University of Notre Dame with a scholarship offer in hand. Some believe Conor, one of the top OL on the East Coast, might commit this next weekend (Blue-Gold Game) to his Dad's Alma Mater -- here's hoping he does! Back in 2008, Conor's Dad spoke to a gathering in Milwaukee honoring Ara Parseghian -- and while doing so, he talked about his own recruiting process. Click on the Link:

HANRATTY ON PARSEGHIAN AND RECRUITING

CONOR HANRATTY PROFILE

Coach Kelly "Mic'd Up" at Practice Today

Found this at www.und.com -- it's six minutes long and it's good stuff. Coach Kelly agreed to wear a microphone at today's practice. You'll see him in action working on "footwork drills" with his QB's. Click on the link to the video:

COACH KELLY AT PRACTICE

Blue-Gold Game to be Televised LIVE

It was announced today that next Saturday's Notre Dame Blue-Gold Game -- kickoff at 1:30 PM EST -- will be televised live on the web, for the first time ever. You can find the game at www.und.com. Notre Dame will debut it's "ACTION CAM" -- an overhead camera that will provide a unique perspective "above the field" of the game action. Reggie Brooks, Mirko Jurkovic and Jack Nolan will provide the commentary.

Notre Dame to Test Skycam at Blue-Gold Game

If you're planning on attending the Blue-Gold Game next Saturday you will witness a "first" at Notre Dame Stadium -- a Skycam. ND's Official Athletic Website, www.und.com, will be "testing" the use of a Skycam (photo above) -- a camera suspended by a series of cables over the field -- during the game. NBC is expected to have some technical advisors in attendance -- looking to see if they want to use the camera for their telecasts this fall. Ironically, NBC was the first to use a Skycam for a football broadcast when they had the XFL television contract in 2001.

Notre Dame Releases Hockey Arena Plans

Construction's already started on the University of Notre Dame's (on campus) $53 million dollar Hockey "Cathedral." NOTRE DAME GO IRISH BLOG published an artist rendering of the facility a couple of weeks ago -- now, Notre Dame has released this video that showcases what will become the finest college hockey building in America. Click on the link below -- and then click on the Hockey Video:

NOTRE DAME'S HOCKEY CATHEDRAL

Coach Brian Kelly to Visit a Few ND Clubs

The Notre Dame Alumni Association announced that Brian Kelly would be attending a number of ND Alumni Association Events over the next six weeks. If you're a ND Fan in one of these areas, but not a ND Alum - please contact the respective Notre Dame Alumni Clubs about attending -- they're usually quite accommodating. Here's the schedule:
-April 26th: ND Club of Cleveland - Luncheon
-May 11th: ND Club of St. Louis - Dinner
-May 18th: ND Club of Cedar Rapids/Iowa City - Luncheon
-May 18th: ND Club of Denver - Dinner
-May 19th: ND Club of Fresno(Central CA) - Luncheon
-May 23rd: ND Club of Jersey Shore - Dinner
-May 24th: ND Club of Staten Island - Luncheon
-May 24th: ND Club of Mid-Hudson Valley - Dinner

Clausen Attends "Gruden's QB Camp"

Folks, if you have three minutes, this is worth the look. Jimmy Clausen was one of four QB's that ESPN set up with Jon Gruden to spend a day with him and talk about playing the QB position in the NFL. Gruden, now an Analyst on Monday Night Football, led the Tampa Bay Buccanneers to a victory in Super Bowl XXXVII. A huge fan of Notre Dame, Gruden was generally regarded as one the top developers of QB's in the NFL. Jim, his Dad, was on Dan Devine's coaching staff at ND when Jon was student at South Bend's Clay High School. The other QB's Gruden met with were; Tebow, McCoy and Bradford. Here's a link to the video -- watch it!

CLAUSEN AT GRUDEN'S QB CAMP

ND Valedictorian deftly handles MSNBC "hack"

I'm very proud today of Katie Washington, Notre Dame's Class of 2010 Valedictorian. Katie, who just happens to be the first African American Valedictorian at Notre Dame -- is a 'WORLD CLASS' representative of her family and our Lady's University. Yesterday, MSNBC interviewed Katie in front of the Golden Dome -- and after about 30 seconds of "you must be excited..." -- they go for the "lack of minorities question" at Notre Dame. It was very obvious that MSNBC was looking to create a "news story" out of Katie's moment. As you'll see in the video (link below), Katie didn't take the bait. Shame on MSNBC and that reporter. Unfortunately, our media has turned to the news creation business, not the news reporting business. Katie, that MSNBC reporter could learn a thing or two from you!

MSNBC INTERVIEW OF ND VALEDICTORIAN

Knute Rockne -- Greatest Motivator of All Time

His name is often used to describe the quality of a locker room pre-game speech - a "Knute Rockne Speech." Here's one of Rockne's famous pre-game speeches from the Notre Dame Archives. Click on link to video:

KNUTE ROCKNE AT HIS BEST

Judge Napolitano -- Notre Dame Law Grad

If you watch the Fox News Channel -- you'll often see "Judge" Andrew Napolitano, who just happens to be a graduate of Notre Dame's Law School and a best selling author. He's written five books with the most recent being "Lies the Government Told You: Myth, Power and Deception in American History." Besides his TV gig with Fox, you can also hear Judge Napolitano on Fox News Radio with his daily radio show "Brian and the Judge."

JUDGE NAPOLITANO'S OFFICIAL WEBSITE