ND Lacrosse - Dream Ends in OT

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame lost five seconds into OT to Duke 6 - 5 in today's NCAA Men's Lacrosse National Championship Game. A "see-saw" game that saw no more than a one goal lead for either side -- but, it was Duke who scored the goal to tie the game in the 4th Quarter and the goal off the OT faceoff was the game winner. The eleven total goals is the lowest total for the Championship Game and a testament to the Irish defense and the goaltending of Notre Dame goalie Scott Rodgers. It was a valiant effort by the Irish and a "shot heard round the Lacrosse world!" It's time to thank these young men for giving the Notre Dame Nation some excitement these past two weeks! You brought great honor to your school and the GOLD HELMET!

Happy Memorial Day!

As you enjoy a Memorial Day meal today with family and friends -- please think about the families that aren't together today -- because a family member or two has lost a life -- or, is sitting somewhere in the world today fighting for our freedom. Say a prayer for them. Here's a video you must find time to watch today:

MEMORIAL DAY 2010

IT'S CHAMPIONSHIP MONDAY! -- 3:30 PM EST

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame take on the Duke Blue Devils this afternoon in the biggest game in the history of Notre Dame Lacrosse. To the winners -- the first National Championship in Lacrosse. I can't wait! The game is on ESPN and ESPN 360. I'm betting that ESPN and the NCAA will realize the largest TV audience ever today for a non-football or basketball National Championship telecast. The picture above is from the Notre Dame vs. Cornell Semi-Final Game Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium -- site of today's National Championship Game. Go IRISH!

WASHINGTON POST STORY ON TODAY'S GAME

ND Alum Wins Pro Boxing Debut!

Mike Lee, Notre Dame Class of 2009 -- made his professional boxing debut last night in Chicago, winning a unanimous decision over Emmitt Woods in a Light Heavyweight bout. Lee, a three time Bengal Bouts Champion who signed with Bob Arum and Top Rank Incorporated (photo) this past February, was very impressive in his first pro fight. Congratulations Mike!

LEE'S PRE-FIGHT PRESS CONFERENCE ON FRIDAY

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME - Monday!

The Fighting Irish continue to "shock the Lacrosse world" -- beating Cornell 12 - 7 and advancing to the National Championship game tomorrow at the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championships. The Irish will take on a familiar foe, the Duke Blue Devils in the title game. Duke beat #1 seed Virginia 14 - 13 in their Semi-Final game. Notre Dame played Duke on the Blue Devils home field this past February with the Irish winning 11 - 7. It's going to be ND's defense and "THE WALL" 6'-4" 245 lb. Senior Goal Tender Scott Rodgers (pictured) vs. the offense of Duke -- should be a classic. To the winner goes the first Lacrosse National Championship in each respective school's history. The game will be televised on ESPN at 3:30 PM -- GO IRISH!

ESPN PREVIEW OF LACROSSE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

COACH CORRIGAN'S POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE

Kevin Corrigan -- Talks Irish Lacrosse!

He's in his 22nd season as Head Coach of the University of Notre Dame Men's Lacrosse Team -- and his team is making it's second trip to the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championships Final Four! The Irish take on Cornell in Baltimore tomorrow afternoon in front of the largest crowd ever to see a Notre Dame Lacrosse team play -- as more than 50,000 are expected to be sitting in the seats of M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Here is Coach Corrigan with Jack Nolan talking about tomorrow's game - click on link:

COACH CORRIGAN WITH UND.COM'S JACK NOLAN

Irish Lacrosse Plays Cornell Saturday!

Kevin Corrigan's Notre Dame Fighting Irish Lacrosse Team will play the #7 seed Cornell this Saturday in the first National Semi-Final game of the 2010 NCAA Men's Lacrosse National Championships this weekend in Baltimore. For the 'unseeded' Irish - Cornell will be the lowest seeded team they will have played so far. To date, the Irish have knocked off #6 seeded Princeton and the #3 seed Maryland on their way to the Final Four. The Irish were a controversial pick to even be in the tournament - many lacrosse "experts" were furious that Notre Dame was selected into the sixteen team field. They were so lightly regarded that after the Irish beat Maryland -- the Terrapins Coach resigned the next day. Yet, you can catch the "un-worthy" Fighting Irish on ESPN2 this Saturday afternoon at 4 PM EST -- in THE FINAL FOUR! The second National Semi-Final will pit the #1 seed Virginia against the #5 seed Duke. The winners of these two games will play in the National Championship game on Memorial Day (Monday) at 3:30 PM EST on ESPN. Here's a link to the NCAA's Lacrosse National Championships website. GO IRISH!

2010 NCAA MEN'S LACROSSE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Our Favorite Professional Golfer - Mark Baldwin

Mark Baldwin is a Notre Dame Alum (Class of 2006) and is a member of the Canadian PGA Tour. The NOTRE DAME GO IRISH BLOG is following Mark as he goes about his journey -- pursuing the dream of playing on the PGA Tour. Which is something a Notre Dame grad has never done before. Baldwin heads to British Columbia on Sunday to prepare for next week's Times Colonist Open. You'll find a link to this tournament's website below -- so you can follow how Mark is playing. This past week Mark was in Louisiana participating in a unique Junior Golf program run by a couple of local PGA Pros. Mark produced a video that captured the "magic" these two members of the PGA of America are creating in the New Orleans area. Enjoy!

MARK BALDWIN -- LAKEWOOD JUNIOR GOLF PROGRAM

CANADIAN PGA TOUR - TIMES COLONIST OPEN

Golden Tate Singing!

Former Notre Dame All-American, Golden Tate was in California with a number of NFL Rookies yesterday to promote a NFL Trading Card deal with Panini and he was caught singing on camera. Thank goodness he can catch a football! I don't think American Idol will be calling. You be the judge:

GOLDEN TATE SINGING A TAYLOR SWIFT SONG

Brian Kelly on Live! with Regis & Kelly

University of Notre Dame Head Football Coach, Brian Kelly has been in the New York area the past couple of days visiting with ND Alumni Clubs -- and he found time to meet with Notre Dame Alum Regis Philbin. Here's a link to Coach Kelly's Tuesday appearance on the show:

COACH KELLY WITH REGIS

ND Alum Makes Pro Boxing Debut Saturday!

Mike Lee, a member of the University of Notre Dame's Class of 2009 -- makes his professional boxing debut this Saturday! Lee will be fighting a light heavy weight match in Chicago at the UIC Pavillion. The fight is being promoted by Top Rank and will be televised on FOX. Lee is a three time "Bengal Bouts" champion at Notre Dame -- where he graduated with a 3.8 GPA in finance. I found this interview with Lee at Live Sports Entertainment -- click here to read:

MIKE LEE'S PROFESSIONAL BOXING DEBUT

A Belated Happy Birthday to Father Ted!

University of Notre Dame's "Father Ted" -- Theodore Hesburgh, turned 93 years young yesterday (May 25th)! Or in other words, he's now thirty years old with sixty three years of experience! Father Ted has been a "gift" to Notre Dame and to the world -- one fun fact about Hesburgh is he has more than 150 honorary degrees which I believe is still a Guinness Book World Record. Here's an article in the National Catholic Reporter about Notre Dame's -- Father Ted's 93rd Birthday -- click on link:

FATHER TED TURNS 93

Cole Jacob Barker -- The Fighting Irish Spirit!

University of Notre Dame Alum, Jacob Cole Barker (Class of 2006), went to heaven a few weeks ago as he lost his six-year battle with cancer. His story should be told -- and I'm thankful that the Barker family agreed to sit down with the South Bend Tribune to tell it. That's Cole and his friend and former Notre Dame Head Football Coach, Charlie Weis in the picture. Please read this story -- IT IS A MUST READ -- here's a link:

JACOB COLE BARKER -- THE FIGHTING IRISH SPIRIT

Quinn & Ndukwe -- Speaking June 30th

Former high school buddies, roommates at Notre Dame and now NFL football players; Brady Quinn and Chinedum Ndukwe will be the featured speakers at the College Football Hall of Fame's Gridiron Legend's Luncheon Series -- June 30th in South Bend, IN. Brady, is now with the Denver Broncos and Chinedum is a starting safety with the Cincinnati Bengals. These best friends, led the Irish to "back to back" BCS Bowl Games in their last two years with the Irish. Go to the College Football Hall of Fame website for ticket information. Here's a link:

COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME WEBSITE

Notre Dame Tennis -- FINAL FOUR AGAIN!

The University of Notre Dame's Women's Tennis team beat Tennessee yesterday to advance to the NCAA Women's Tennis Championship's FINAL FOUR -- for the second straight year! Sophomore Kristy Frilling (Sidney, OH - pictured) who's ranked 16th nationally in singles, upset the #11 ranked Whoriskey of Tennessee -- clinching the victory for the Irish. The fifth-seeded Irish will now play eight seed Stanford -- Monday in Athens, GA on the University of Georgia campus. The other Final Four match has the #2 seed North Carolina taking on the #3 seed Florida. Go Irish - beat the Trees!

Notre Dame Lacrosse -- NCAA FINAL FOUR!

The University of Notre Dame's Men's Lacrosse team beat the #3 seeded Maryland Terrapins today 7-5 to advance to the FINAL FOUR of the NCAA Men's Lacrosse National Championship -- for the second time in school history! It's the second straight "upset" of a higher seeded team for the Irish! Last week the Irish beat the number #6 seed Princeton. It's important to note that the Irish were a "controversial pick" to even be in the sixteen team NCAA Championship -- look who's smiling now! The Irish will play the winner of the Cornell vs. Army game next Saturday (May 29th) -- in Baltimore at M&T Bank Stadium -- the 71,000 seat home of the NFL's Baltimore Ravens and the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Final Four. Go Irish!

Lou Holtz -- Indiana Football Hall of Fame

Last night, Lou Holtz became the third football coach from the University of Notre Dame to be inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame -- joining Knute Rockne and Ara Parseghian. WNDU-TV caught up with Holtz while he was in town -- here's a link to two interviews Lou gave to fellow Indiana Football Hall of Famer, Jeff Jeffers:


LOU HOLTZ -- INDIANA FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME

Ethical Stem Cell Research -- That's ND!

University of Notre Dame Professor David Hyde and his team of researchers have been looking for ways to obtain and use stem cells that would be morally acceptable. The prevailing notion is that embryonic stem cells taken from living human embryos (babies), that have been aborted, are necessary for stem cell research. This practice is an obvious conflict for Catholics and all who believe in the dignity of every human life -- from conception to birth -- since human embryos are human beings and their intentional destruction is murder. Scientists have been arguing that adult stem cells are not as adaptable as stem cells from human embryos. Thankfully -- Professor David Hyde disagrees and he points to the research his team at Notre Dame has done that proves these adult stem cells are adapting quite well. They've been taking mature stem cells from more than 100,000 Zebrafish. "All the fish are anesthetized before they're treated and most of the treatments involved the use of extremely bright light, which kills off their rod and cone photoreceptor cells in the retina." Making the Zebrafish blind. They know the Zebrafish are blind because they don't swim away from predatory fish. However, after inserting adult mature stem cells back into the eyes of the Zebrafish -- their VISION IS RESTORED. Hyde says Zebrafish have a similar eye structure to humans. "So, we're ready to start to think about are the processes that we've identified in Zebrafish, are they working properly in humans? Or, is there something that is blocking their ability to function in humans, which would then correlate to the inability in human retina to regenerate," Hyde says. Can you imagine if Notre Dame can restore sight for those who are blind?! Sounds like something this University should be "FIGHTING FOR!!!" Thank you David Hyde! Here's a TV commercial Notre Dame produced to tell this story:

FIGHTING TO RESTORE VISION -- NOTRE DAME

The ND Logo -- Miles Above Earth Today!

Michael Good (ND Class of 1984 & 1986) wore his "heart on his sleeve" today - miles above the Notre Dame campus. Good was conducting his third space walk this week -- as the Space Shuttle Atlantis was docked to the International Space Station. On Good's left wrist -- the famous interlocking Notre Dame logo! Photo courtesy of NASA. Pretty cool!

Coach Kelly Out Visiting ND Alumni Clubs

Notre Dame Head Football Coach, Brian Kelly, was in Iowa and California this week to speak to ND Alumni Clubs. You'll find three links to videos below - the first is a YouTube video of Coach Kelly's talk in Iowa. The second and third links are from his visit to Fresno, CA - where he found time for a quick TV interview with the local ABC and NBC affiliates. (I didn't know he was a "lefty!") Coach Kelly will be on the east coast next week meeting with ND Alumni Clubs in New Jersey and New York. Here are links to the interviews.

COACH KELLY IN IOWA

COACH KELLY IN FRESNO - ABC

COACH KELLY IN FRESNO - NBC

Do You Know Who's Wearing #9?

It's none other than #10 in your hearts and former Domer; Brady Quinn. There hasn't been much fanfare about Quinn and his new uniform number with the Broncos. Here's hoping the change in number and scenery brings much success to this young man. Go Irish!

SHREK's Last Stand -- a ND Story!

The movie character Shrek will be in theater's for the last time -- beginning tomorrow -- as "Shrek Forever After" begins its run. In an April 29th post on NOTRE DAME GO IRISH BLOG - we identified all of the Notre Dame connections to Shrek - and there are many (click on link below). Shrek has been a huge hit for DreamWorks; over $2.2 billion in Box Office revenue worldwide, 8 Tony nominations for Shrek the Musical, 4 Oscar nominations and one Oscar -- winning the first ever statuette for best animated feature. So, Go SHREK and Go Irish!

SHREK & NOTRE DAME

ND Grad "Space Walking" -- Right Now!

Michael Good, a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis is a "Double Domer." The Atlantis Space Shuttle, which is flying its 32 mission and last, left Kennedy Space Center Monday afternoon. Good holds a Bachelors (Class of 84) and Masters (Class of 86) from the University of Notre Dame in Aerospace Engineering. He can be found -- at this very moment -- "circling the earth" in one of the last shuttle missions for NASA as they deliver an Integrated Cargo Carrier and a Russian-built Mini Research Module to the International Space Station. In his role as mission specialist, Good will perform at least three space walks, during this 12 day mission. A year ago (May 2009) Good made his first journey to space and conducted two successful space walks on that trip to make repairs to the Hubbel Space Telescope. He's one of three Notre Dame grads to fly the Space Shuttle. The links below show Good entering the International Space Station this week -- along with a link to a story about Good's May 2009 mission. God Speed and Go Irish!

THIRD SPACEWALK THIS WEEK -- FOR ND ALUM

MICHAEL GOOD -- FIGHTING IRISH ASTRONAUT

NBC's Brian Williams' Commencement Speech

If you have twenty-five minutes, you'll find it time well spent -- if you click on the link below to the video to Brian Williams' speech to the graduates of the University of Notre Dame's Class of 2010. He has a wonderful sense of humor.

NOTRE DAME'S 2010 COMMENCEMENT SPEEECH

2010 Graduation -- Notre Dame Stadium

This is a great view of what graduation looked like inside Notre Dame Stadium yesterday on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. It was the first time since 1959 that Notre Dame held this ceremony in the stadium. Here's a link to a "screensaver" of this photo for your computer. There is also a link to the University of Notre Dame's website - and a video interview with the Class of 2010 Valedictorian; Katie Washington -- it's very well done.

SCREENSAVER - NOTRE DAME 2010 GRADUATION

INTERVIEW WITH KATIE WASHINTON - ND VALEDICTORIAN

Irish Men's Lacrosse Upsets Princeton!

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame beat #6 seed Princeton (on the Tigers home field) yesterday in First Round play of the NCAA Tournament. Junior midfielder, David Earl (pictured), scored a career high five goals in the 8 - 5 win for the Irish! The win puts Notre Dame into the NCAA Championship Quarterfinals for the fifth time in school history. Next up; the third seeded Maryland Terrapins -- this Saturday, May 22nd -- again on Princeton's field. Game time isn't set yet - but, it will be televised live on ESPNU.

LINK TO STORY AND VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

NBC's Brian Williams ND Commencement Speaker

The University of Notre Dame's Class of 2010 will say farewell to the University this morning from historic Notre Dame Stadium. NBC News Anchor; Brian Williams will the the Commencement Speaker. You can watch the ceremony live this morning beginning at 9:30 AM EST on www.nd.edu. Click on the link below. Congratulations Class of 2010!



WATCH ND'S GRADUATION LIVE ON THE WEB -- CLICK HERE!

Notre Dame's Father Ted -- "Change I'd Make"

I was sitting in a hotel room this morning in Olean, NY -- our daughter is graduating from St. Bonaventure University tomorrow -- and the local Buffalo NBC TV affiliate aired an interview with Notre Dame's Father Hesburgh. Never one to shy away from taking on some of the more controversial issues of the day -- Father Ted discusses the change "he'd make before midnight" if he was the Pope. Click on the WNDU-TV interview below.

A CONVERSATION WITH FATHER TED

New Football Jerseys for Notre Dame?

The above photos of a Brian Kelly autographed Notre Dame Footbal jersey were taken at an "on-campus" raffle during Blue-Gold Weekend at Notre Dame. It's obviously not last year's jersey, nor any jersey we've ever seen worn before at Notre Dame. Are these the new football jerseys for Brian Kelly's Irish? The obvious changes; gone are the numbers on the sleeves - they have been replaced by the interlocking ND. I love that! You'll remember that Holtz made this design change to his team's uniforms. A second noticeable change is the interlocking ND behind the neck -- which appear a "little out of place" on this jersey since it looks like this jersey was designed to carry a nameplate. (Note the large space between the ND and the number) Will the Irish have names on their jerseys for the Purdue game? If they do, which I'm guessing they will -- I believe this will look pretty cool with the ND over top of the last name of the player, reminding them who they play for! The last change is the front neckline. Besides the prominent Adidas logo - ND Fans won't like this - you'll note the typical jersey neckline is replaced by more of a "plunging" design. Now, it's been rumored that the Irish will probably we wearing some type of "undershirt" as part of this uniform design and that this may carry a prominent ND or shamrock that will sit "above" the Adidas logo. THIS ALSO MEANS WE'LL HAVE TO BUY THE UNDERSHIRT TO HAVE THE FULL UNIFORM EXPERIENCE! Expect an official announcement from Notre Dame on the uniform in the next few weeks -- so they can begin selling them before the first game. All in all, I will love this uniform design -- if they add the player's last name. What do you think? That's the poll question this week -- "Would you like this jersey design for the Irish?

Sunday's ND Graduation -- Live on the Web!

The University of Notre Dame will celebrate its 164th graduation ceremony from a new campus location this year -- historic Notre Dame Stadium. It's the first time ND has held a graduation in the Stadium since 1959. And, you can watch this event live on the web -- beginning at 9:30 AM this Sunday, May 16th. Here's the link to the webcast:

WATCH NOTRE DAME'S GRADUATION CEREMONY LIVE

ND Football Player -- "All Internet Irish" Honors!

The decision on which University of Notre Dame athlete would be awarded "All Internet Irish" honors for 2010 -- was quite simple. This Irish linebacker was one of the "early adapters" to Twitter and he's become quite a prolific "tweeter" -- with 463 tweets and counting. And he has attracted more than 1,700 followers! Brian Smith is the 2010 recipient of the NOTRE DAME GO IRISH BLOG'S "All Internet Irish" honors for Notre Dame Varsity Athletes. You can find Brian on Twitter with the name; BCSmith58. I'm sure Coach Kelly would rather you find Smith in the "backfield on top of a QB" -- but, it's May -- so give him a follow. Congratulations Brian!

ND Soccer Coach -- "All Internet Irish" Honors!

One would have thought that the NOTRE DAME GO IRISH BLOG would have made the safe choice in awarding Notre Dame Head Football Coach Brian Kelly with "All Internet Irish" honors for 2010 with his 15,695 followers on Twitter and his 1,300 fans on Facebook. But, his 48 "tweets" fell short of this year's honoree -- Notre Dame Women's Soccer Head Coach; Randy Waldrum. Coach Waldrum has tweeted 182 times in the last few months and has displayed an acumen for this social media channel -- that exceeds his peers at Notre Dame. Thus, he's the recipient of the 2010 "All Internet Irish" award for Notre Dame Coaches. Now, we're guessing this honor won't match the excitement of winning the National Championship in 2004 -- or being named the Soccer America National Coach of the Year in 2009 -- but, it might make him smile today! Congratulations Coach Waldrum!

Eleven Receive -- "All Internet Irish" Honors!

In honor of the eleven National Championships in Notre Dame's Football history -- eleven "web stars" of Notre Dame athletics were selected to receive the NOTRE DAME GO IRISH BLOG'S first annual "All Internet Irish" honors for 2010. They were awarded in the following categories: Subscription Sites, Free Web Sites, Blogs, Reporters, YouTube, Fan and Overall. Tomorrow, NOTRE DAME GO IRISH BLOG will announce its winners of the "All Internet Irish" award to a Notre Dame Athlete and a Notre Dame Coach. We're already scouting for the 2011 "All Internet Irish" award winners -- so bring your best game to the web! Next year we're going to add a Facebook and Twitter category, so get going! Here are the 2010 winners by category:

SUBSCRIPTION WEBSITES
-Irish Sports Daily
-Irish Illustrated

FREE WEBSITES
-NDNATION.com
-DOMERDOMAIN.com
-GOLDHELMET.com

BLOGS
-Her Loyal Sons
-Subway Domer

REPORTERS
-Eric Hansen, South Bend Tribune
-Brian Hamilton, Chicago Tribune

YOUTUBE & FAN
-Jerry Kennedy, AKA "DAMEFAN"

OVERALL
-The Subway Alumni Show

Two ND Subscriber Sites -- "All Internet Irish"

The NOTRE DAME GO IRISH BLOG is honoring two of the many subscription based websites that follow Notre Dame athletics with "All Internet Irish" honors for 2010 -- they are; Irish Sports Daily and Irish Illustrated. Mike Frank and his team at Irish Sports Daily have attracted a subscriber base in excess of 10,000 avid ND fans -- in this ESPN partnered venture. The Irish Illustrated team is led by Publisher; Jack Freeman and Editor; Pete Sampson -- they have thousands of subscribers as well. Both sites provide daily reporting on ND Sports -- and keep all of us "crazy about recruiting information," begging for more. Their daily coverage of Notre Dame Football is "flat out" the best you will find on the web. I personally subscribe to both of these sites and encourage those who haven't yet -- to join me. Here's a link to the two subscription based ND sites who've earned "All Internet Irish" honors this year:

IRISH SPORTS DAILY

IRISH ILLUSTRATED

Three Free ND Sites Named -- "All Internet Irish"

Three websites developed by fans and for fans of Notre Dame athletics; NDNATION.com, DOMERDOMAIN.com and GOLDHELMET.com have been awarded "All Internet Irish" honors for 2010 from NOTRE DAME GO IRISH BLOG. All three of these sites offer "free" forums for Notre Dame fans, from all over the world, to participate in. Now, the conversation may not always positive about ND -- but's it's definitely passionate! I encourage everyone to get involved with these sites and join the discussion about Notre Dame! Here are the links to these three "All Internet Irish" sites:

NDNATION.com

DOMERDOMAIN.com

GOLDHELMET.com

Two Writers Receive -- "All Internet Irish" Honors!

Two Notre Dame beat reporters; the Chicago Tribune's Brian Hamilton and the South Bend Tribune's Eric Hansen are being recognized for their fair (but not always friendly) coverage of the Fighting Irish via the web. Both have embraced technology; Hamilton and Hansen have active Twitter accounts, both are "blogging" about Notre Dame (Hamilton with the Chicago Breaking Sports blog and Hansen blogs with ESPN Chicago and South Bend Tribune) -- and can be found on their respective newspaper's websites. In addition, Hansen hosts a weekly podcast interview on the South Bend Tribune's website called SportsBeat and the GameDay SportsBeat show on WSBT-960 AM. It's the quality and quantity of reporting of these two Notre Dame beat writers -- on the web -- that has earned them the "ALL INTERNET IRISH" honors for Notre Dame Beat Reporters! Congratulations!

BRIAN HAMILTON'S BLOG

ERIC HANSEN'S TWITTER PAGE

Two Blogs Receive "All Internet Irish" Honors!

Two Notre Dame blogs; Her Loyal Sons and Subway Domer each received "ALL INTERNET IRISH" honors today! They represent the first two bloggers to receive this "prestigious" award from the NOTRE DAME GO IRISH BLOG - for their excellent coverage and commentary on Notre Dame sports. If you haven't been to their respective sites or haven't been following them on Twitter -- you're missing out! Here's a link to each of their blogs. Congratulations!

HER LOYAL SONS

SUBWAY DOMER

14 ND Sports Teams Earn Academic Honors!

This should come as no surprise to Notre Dame fans! The University of Notre Dame again ranks among the national leaders among all 120 Football Bowl Subdivision institutions as the NCAA today honored Division I sports teams with 2010 public recognition awards for their latest multi-year Academic Progress Rate scores. These teams posted multi-year APR scores in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sports. The public recognition awards are part of the broad Division I academic reform effort. These awards are based on the most recent APR numbers that represent the combination of scores from the 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 academic years. Notre Dame had 14 of its programs honored this year for the multi-year achievement -- men's basketball, men's cross country, men’s football, men's golf, men's ice hockey, men’s lacrosse, men's soccer, men’s tennis, men's indoor track and field, men's outdoor track and field, women's rowing, women's soccer, women's softball and women's tennis. Congratulations Irish!

The Subway Alumni Show - "All Internet Irish"

They are known as "Sprout and Eric" to their loyal Notre Dame fans (photo) and each week during the Irish Football season these two broadcast The Subway Alumni Show on the web. As they like to say, "it is for those who believe in sacred Saturdays of Notre Dame Football and beer. Lots of beer." Neither of them attended Notre Dame -- thus they named their "webishow" THE SUBWAY ALUMNI SHOW, for the millions of fans of Notre Dame who never attended the University. With fifty shows under their belt, Sprout and Eric have gotten better and better each week, in their coverage of Notre Dame Football. And, they're "still undefeated" as the unofficial coaches of Notre Dame football. It's their devotion and passion for Notre Dame Football that has earned them the NOTRE DAME GO IRISH BLOG: "ALL INTERNET IRISH" honors for 2010. It's well earned! Make sure you visit their website and take a look at a few of their archived shows and be sure to tun in this fall. Here's a link:

THE SUBWAY ALUMNI SHOW

ND GO IRISH BLOG - Passed 4,000 Yesterday!

The NOTRE DAME GO IRISH BLOG is only 14 weeks old -- and in that time period more than 4,000 unique Fighting Irish fans have visited this site at least once! Most have visited the site, many, many times. THANKS for making NOTRE DAME GO IRISH BLOG one of your "ND homes" on the internet. Go IRISH!

NDGIB's - "All Internet Irish" Honors

Over the next few days, the NOTRE DAME GO IRISH BLOG is going to be introducing its first ever "ALL INTERNET IRISH" honors. This award recognizes the individuals who have best displayed their passion for the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame on the worldwide web. These Notre Dame fans have gone that "extra mile" for the Irish and would be considered to be among Brian Kelly's; "Right Kind of Guys" on the internet. If you have a nomination for "ALL INTERNET IRISH" - please send me an email at: jim.small@ndgoirish.com

The first to receive NDGIB's "ALL INTERNET IRISH" honors is "DAMEFAN" -- he's a big time fan of Notre Dame football and his unique style of posting on www.irishillustrated.com's Four Horsemen Lounge, have become internet legend. This past season, he took his game up a notch and started posting videos on YOUTUBE. That's him in the photo, it's a "screen grab" of DAMEFAN in action. You can search "damefan1" on YOUTUBE to find all of his videos. Here are a few of my favorites.

DAMEFAN -- NOTRE DAME vs. NEVADA

DAMEFAN -- NOTRE DAME vs. MICHIGAN

DAMEFAN -- NOTRE DAME vs. USC

DAMEFAN -- BRIAN KELLY COMING TO ND!

Golden Tate Interview

Former Notre Dame WR and Biletnikoff Award recipient -- as College Football's top receiver in 2009 -- Golden Tate was in the South Bend area yesterday and he spent a few minutes with the South Bend Tribune's Weekday Sportsbeat Show. Tate was a 2nd Round Draft pick, last month, of the Seattle Seahawks where he joins former Domers; Julius Jones and John Carlson. Here's a link to the interview:

GOLDEN TATE INTERVIEW

ND Men's Lacrosse in NCAA Tournament

Head Coach Kevin Corrigan and his Fighting Irish are heading to Princeton, NJ this weekend for their First Round contest against the 6th seeded Princeton Tigers. The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU at 2:30 PM EST this Sunday. The Irish will be taking on a Princeton team that won the Ivy League Tournament Championship. This will be the second meeting between the Tigers and Irish. It also makes it five straight trips to the NCAA Tournament for Notre Dame. Good Luck Irish!

ND Women's Lacrosse Ranked 14th in the Country!

And, they're headed to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year. The Fighting Irish (11-6) are coming off of a heart breaking loss in FOUR OVERTIMES to Syracuse in the Big East Tournament this past week. Notre Dame will be taking on Northwestern - who's ranked #2 and the winner's of the last five NCAA National Championships. The game will be played this Saturday at Northwestern's Lakeside Field. Good Luck IRISH!

Notre Dame's Chinese Speech Contest

The University of Notre Dame's Department of East Asia Languages and Cultures just completed its 2010 Chinese Speech Contest -- it's an innovative and somewhat entertaining competition. You just have to wonder how difficult it is to learn this language. The photo is the famous ND logo (on a ball cap) in Kanji, which are the Chinese characters used in the modern Japanese logographic writing system. Here's a link to a video of the competition.

ND'S CHINESE SPEECH CONTEST