ESPN's Matchup Report for ND vs USC

Here is how the "experts" at ESPN "matchup" the position groups, special teams and head coach for Saturday night's game between USC and NOTRE DAME:

Mike Lee In Second Subway TV Commercial

Professional boxer (undefeated boxer I might add!) Mike Lee '09 is now starring in his "second" TV commercial for Subway.  Mike and fellow "domer" Justin Tuck (New York Giants) are paid pitchmen for Subway. Just click on the arrow to get it started!

"The Fighting Back" -- Back @ Notre Dame!

Rocky Bleier '68 returned to his alma mater this week to speak at the Rockne Heritage Fund reception.  Bleier's story of his life after Notre Dame has been well documented in a movie, book and countless magazine and newspaper articles.  Rocky is one of the finest public speakers you will ever run across -- this is a MUST SEE SPEECH!  Special thanks to ND GO IRISH BLOG regular Ken Devine for alerting me to this video.  Here's the link:

LINK:  ROCKY BLEIER -- BACK AT ND

They Used the Leprechaun Logo for 45 Years

However, those days are about over...

Chapman High School in Chapman, KS has been using the ND Leprechaun logo since 1967 -- but the University of Notre Dame has said "cease and desist."  This comes on the heels of the school re-opening after a tornado tore down the school in 2008...  Here's a link to the story:

LINK:  CHAPMAN HIGH SCHOOL

USC Week -- Coach Kelly's Tuesday Presser

University of Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly met with the media today at noon to discuss Saturday's game with USC.  Here's a link to UND.COM's coverage:

LINK:  COACH KELLY MEDIA CONFERENCE

A Hole-In-One Story -- Involves a ND Alum

My wife Susan and I were in the Charlotte, NC area yesterday to visit our oldest son, Jimmy.  He's a 2008 graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a former Irish Guard.  Jimmy's employed at NASCAR.

Monday afternoon the three of us headed off to Verdict Ridge Country Club, about a thirty minute drive north of Charlotte -- just west of Lake Norman.  Verdict Ridge -- is the perfect name for a golf club founded by a well known Carolina attorney (Eddie Knox).  It was a beautiful 80 degree day with "Carolina blue sky" everywhere you looked...

Verdict Ridge is a very nice track cut through the woods and hills -- that leaves you feeling "guilty" for enjoying this golf experience too much...  That's their promotional story.

Well, let's just say that the first 12 holes Jimmy was getting a "golf lesson" from his old-man.  At one point I asked Jimmy what ball he was playing so I could "buy stock" in that company before the NYSE's closing bell that day...  He lost at least a dozen balls on the first 12 holes -- NO EXAGGERATION!

So, we arrive to #13 a 141 yard par three.  The pin was located in the front third of the green.  I had the honors and hit an eight iron, just left of the flag, about 30 feet behind the hole -- a good shot.  Jimmy, playing his new "used" NIKE irons he inherited from his Dad that day -- pulled out a wedge -- yeah, he hits it a long way, it just doesn't always land in the correct area code.

Now I must admit, I was watching his left foot during his golf swing on this par three.  Jimmy has a habit of moving his left foot during the down swing -- instead of using it as a firm foundation to swing against.  If you were critiquing a baseball player you would say he's "stepping in the bucket."

So, when I looked up to find the flight of his ball I lost it in the sun...

But, Mom has it in her sights -- and she non-chalantly says "I think it went in..."

Well, I didn't believe it -- nor, did Jimmy.  So, after Mom hits her tee-shot, we hop in the carts and head to the green.  I arrive first at the scene and see only my ball.  Now, I have to admit -- my wife has a very poor track record of knowing where her own golf ball ends up after she hits it -- so I'm not buying the "balls in the hole" story...

Jimmy, is the second to arrive to the green and he's looking everywhere but the hole...  Well, he finally gets up enough nerve to look into the cup -- and THERE WAS HIS PRECEPT ball!  His first hole-in-one!  The USGA places the odds of hitting a hole-in-one at: 1 in 30,000.

But, the story's not over...

So, now we head to the next tee -- a par four dog-leg left.  The group ahead of us was still in the fairway, so we had a few minutes to wait.  We're all excited for Jimmy -- and he's grinning 'ear to ear' at his feat.  He made the comment, "I didn't think I'd ever get a hole-in-one..."  I tell him "hang on to that ball, we'll send it in to Bridgestone for their hole-in-one award..."

The fairway clears and Jimmy has the honors -- for the first and only time that day!!!

Now, most humans would probably have locked up their hole-in-one golf ball for posterity sake -- at least that's what Mom & Dad thought.  Not Jimmy -- he sets that hole-in-one golf ball on the tee and proceeds to hit it straight right -- DEEP -- into the North Carolina forest.

He looks at me and says "that was my hole-in-one ball..."  I couldn't believe it.

Well, my wife and I hit our tee shots and we make a bee-line over to where we think his ball last "left the planet..."

Now to say these wood are thick would be an understatement -- add a few hundred "picker bushes" to the mix and you'll see what we're up against.  All three of us "headed into this battle with nature" with the goal of finding that special ball...

I wish this story had a happy ending -- unfortunately, it does not.

We didn't leave the forest with that golf ball.  I came out of the "battle" with blood on my right hand from two cuts and a stream of blood on my left leg for the effort -- don't mess with Carolina picker bushes!


A SPECIAL NOTE to the members of Verdict Ridge Country Club -- if you're playing #14 in the next few days and you feel the need to take on the forest along the right side of that hole -- please take a look for a PRECEPT golf ball.  If you find it, please put it in your pocket and send me an email at jim.small@ndgoirish.com -- you'll make a Domer happy!


The photo above is the last time this golf ball was seen in captivity...

The Doors Open Friday Night -- It's a Beauty!

A $53 million investment in the hockey program at Notre Dame.

This Friday night, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame will take the ice for the first time in the brand spanking new Compton Family Ice Arena -- AKA "The Hockey Cathedral."

Here's a link to a UND.COM feature.

LINK:  IRISH HOCKEY'S NEW HOME!

ESPN Power Rankings Has Irish at #23

It's a start...

Ever since the ten turnover nightmare, the Irish have been digging themselves out of a self-inflicted hole called 0 and 2.  While still not cracking the Top 25 AP or Coaches Poll -- a Notre Dame win Saturday night and we'll back.  Here's a link to ESPN's "power rankings."

LINK:  ESPN COLLEGE FOOTBALL POWER RANKINGS

Here's Lane Kiffin on 710 AM Talkin' Irish...

University of Southern California head football coach Lane Kiffin was on the radio today in Los Angeles talkin' with Mark Willard about Saturday's game with our IRISH.  Here's a link to the interview on 710 AM:

LINK:  LANE KIFFIN ON THE RADIO

A New Video Feature @ ND -- IRISH UPDATE

The folks at UND.COM have "upped their game" big time over the past twelve months -- knocking out plenty of new content on a consistent basis!  I really like what they're doing.

Here's a new program called IRISH UPDATE -- which will be a weekly effort showcasing the 'olympic' sports at Notre Dame. 

LINK:  IRISH UPDATE

Five Days to USC -- But Who's Counting...

It's the week Notre Dame and USC fans get excited for every season.  Had the Irish not have "given away" their first two games of the season, this would have been THEE GAME in college football.  The boys in Vegas have ND has 8.5 pt. favorites over the Trojans.  Here's a few stories coming out of the "left coast:"

LINK:  SUNDAY PRACTICE AT USC

LINK:  SB NATION -- LOS ANGELES

LINK:  LA TIMES

LINK:  ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

LINK:  ESPN LA

LINK:  NBC SPORTS

Rocket Relives His Two TD Returns @ Michigan

You just got to love Rocket Ismail -- Notre Dame needs to hire him...  He sure can tell a story.

LINK:  IRISH CONNECTION

Notre Dame's Path to #1 All-Time Winning %

Folks, with little to do on a non-ND football weekend, I thought I'd work on a "math problem" for our Irish.  As many of you may know, our football team's woes over the past twenty seasons has dropped us behind that school in Ann Arbor in "ALL-TIME WINNING PERCENTAGE."

We can reclaim that title this season!  Here's how we get that done:

Current All-Time Winning Percentage as of October 16, 2011:

1. Michigan:  .73522%
2. NOTRE DAME:  .73232%

Now, here's what we need to happen yet this season.  Michigan needs to lose 4 of their next 5 games.  Here's how that happens:

• Purdue at Michigan -- Michigan wins
• Michigan at Iowa -- Iowa wins
• Michigan at Illinois -- Illinois wins
• Nebraska at Michigan -- Nebraska wins
• Ohio State at Michigan -- Ohio State wins

And, the Irish win all of their last six games!

Here's what the All-Time Winning % will look like at the end of the 2011 regular season:

1. NOTRE DAME:  .73367%
2. Michigan:  .73306%

Look Who's the Projected #2 Pick in NFL Draft

Looks like Mr. Michael Floyd made a "GREAT DECISION" to hang around for his senior season at Notre Dame.  Here's a look at The Sporting News updated mock 2012 NFL Draft.

LINK:  FLOYD A PROJECTED TOP PICK

Domer Bubba Cunningham to UNC as AD?

There are rumors flying around the internet this evening that Bubba Cunningham '84 & '88 is the top candidate to become the next Athletic Director at the University of North Carolina.  Cunningham, the AD at Tulsa, was also rumored to be moving to Kansas University in the past year...

LINK:  CUNNINGHAM TO CHAPEL HILL

Trick Shot Monday -- ND Football Team Fun!

You can't describe this -- you just have to watch it...

LINK:  TRICK SHOT MONDAY

Lou & Beth Holtz -- Leading the ND Family

ND GO IRISH BLOG regular, Diego Ybarra alerted me to this collaboration between Lou & Beth Holtz and the University of Notre Dame.  It's an effort to raise money to assist Notre Dame researchers in the efforts to find a cure for cancer.  Here's the link:

LINK:  LOU & BETH HOLTZ

Stephon Tuitt -- A Lesson Learned

Notre Dame football freshman Stephon Tuitt "overslept" one morning two weeks ago and it cost him a trip to Purdue to play against the Boilermakers.  Matt Fortuna, ESPN's Notre Dame beat writer caught up with Tuitt to ask him about this learning experience.  Here's a link to the story:

LINK:  LEARNING THE HARD WAY

Coach Kelly With Mike & MIKE -- Friday Morn'

University of Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly was in Bristol CT this evening spending time with Lou Holtz and Mark May on the College Football Live set -- and he'll be back tomorrow morning as a guest 'on-set' at the Mike & MIKE Show in the morning (7:45 AM ET).  Rumor has it that Coach Kelly will stick around and be a guest on Colin Cowherd's show later in the morning.  Be sure to tune in to ESPN RADIO or ESPN2!

LINK:  COACH KELLY ON MIKE & MIKE

Phil Steele Projects Notre Dame to Fiesta Bowl

College football guru Phil Steele came out today with his picks for the upcoming bowl game season.  Steele has the Irish playing Boise State -- won't the folks at ESPN love that! -- in the Fiesta Bowl on January 5th.  Here's a link to his projections:

LINK:  IRISH OFF TO FIESTA?