PHOTO OF THE DAY -- Clausen Goes to Camp

Jimmy Clausen, second round draft pick of the Carolina Panthers, is seen here walking from his car into a dorm at Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC -- home of the Panthers pre-season training camp. Earlier in the day the former Irish star signed his first NFL contract.

Tate gets $3.26 million -- $1.47 Guaranteed!

Former Notre Dame All-American and Biletnikoff Award Winner, Golden Tate, agreed to terms this morning with the Seattle Seahawks on a four-year contract. Tate's deal, with incentives, can reach $3.26 million over the four year period. The contract includes a $1 million signing bonus -- and an additional $470,000 in guaranteed money for the former Irish star. Rookies report to training camp tomorrow for the Seahawks. Here's a link to the Seattle Seahawks blog below. Congratulations Golden!

GOLDEN TATE SIGNS WITH SEATTLE!

Clausen gets $6.3 million -- $2.5 Guaranteed!

Former Notre Dame quarterback, Jimmy Clausen agreed to terms, early this morning, with the Carolina Panthers. It's a four-year deal with incentives that could total $6.3 million. The contract includes a signing bonus of $2.5 million -- a good negotiation for Clausen who surprisingly dropped to the 48th pick of this year's NFL Draft. The great news for both parties is Clausen won't miss any days of the Panthers training camp -- which starts today. Here's a link to the ESPN video:

CLAUSEN SIGNS NFL CONTRACT

Desert to Dome -- 369 Miles So Far!

University of Notre Dame's Dean of the College of Science, Greg Crawford and his wife Renate are four days into their journey from Tucson, AZ to South Bend, IN -- bringing "home" the relationship between the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation and Notre Dame. Their latest update-- came from Las Cruces, New Mexico -- as they wrote about their encounter with a german shepherd (must have been a USC fan!) and dinner with the Notre Dame Club of El Paso. Here's a picture of them taking a quick break from the bikes -- standing next to the chase van and the entrance to a "ghost town" in New Mexico. You'll enjoy keeping track of the Crawford's 2,200 mile journey on their blog -- here's the link:

DESERT TO DOME -- OFFICIAL BLOG

Domer Leads USA to Gold Medal!

Former Notre Dame All American Lacrosse player, D.J. Driscoll, scored a goal in the USA's 12-10 victory over Canada in the title game of the 2010 Federation of International Lacrosse World Championship in Manchester, England. Driscoll, a defenseman for Team USA is a 2006 graduate of Notre Dame and currently a member of the Chicago Machine of Major League Lacrosse. The victory was the seventh world title for the USA. Congratulations D.J.!

More Photos of Grotto Fire...

Here are two more photos taken of last night's fire at the Grotto on the University of Notre Dame campus. It took four members of the University of Notre Dame's Fire Department -- thirty minutes to extinguish the flames.

LATEST UPDATE FROM GROTTO

A Wonderful Story...

Danny Spond (pictured), out of Littleton, Colorado -- is a member of Brian Kelly's first recruiting class. Spond is on campus right now taking a few classes and working out with his teammates and Coach Longo. Irish Sports Daily's Christian McCollum penned this wonderful story about Danny and his journey to Notre Dame. After reading his story -- I believe he'll become one of your favorite players on the Notre Dame roster. It's a "free" story on this subscription site -- enjoy:

DANNY SPOND

Vegas "Over/Under" on Wins for Notre Dame

VegasInsider.com just released its annual "over/under" win totals for the upcoming football season. What this means is you can place a bet with them that a team will either win more (over) or less (under) than the number of wins they've set for the season. The Fighting Irish's number has been placed at 8 wins for the 2010 season. Here's a look at the over/under win totals for a few of Notre Dame's opponents this season -- and a link to the report:
Michigan: 7 wins
Stanford: 7 wins
Pittsburgh: 7.5 wins
Utah: 8 wins
USC: 10 wins

VEGASINSIDER.COM

Notre Dame's Grotto Catches on Fire - Update!

One of the most visited landmarks on the University of Notre Dame campus -- the Grotto -- caught on fire last night. The last time this happened was in 1985. The Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, was completed in 1896 as a replica of the original in Lourdes, France. Construction began in 1895 -- and it was during this period that this little known "miracle" happened: A Notre Dame Priest named Father Maguire nears the end of his letter of correction concerning the 1896 Grotto with this brief description of a little known event that occurred as the Grotto was nearing its completion. "The "spring" actually did appear and old Father Letourneau felt it was a miracle since it appeared almost at the same spot as the one at Lourdes. But wiser people closed it up so as to prevent wild rumors regarding it." This incident at the Notre Dame Grotto paralleled a similar occurrence that happened at the Grotto of Lourdes in France in 1858. When Bernadette scratched a hole in the dirt of the floor of the cave at Lourdes, a spring appeared. It became the origin of the Lourdes water that is still sent all over the world. See the link below titled "Dedication of the Grotto." The cause of the fire is under investigation -- and for now, the entrance into the Grotto is closed until University officials determine the extent of the damage. UPDATE TO ORIGINAL STORY: University of Notre Dame officials report that there were visitors praying at the Grotto when the fire broke out. The latest information is available at the link below to the Chicago Tribune story. The original WNDU-TV news story is also linked below:

GROTTO CATCHES FIRE

CHICAGO TRIBUNE UPDATE FROM NOTRE DAME

DEDICATION OF THE GROTTO

A Great Place To Work -- Notre Dame Honored!

The University of Notre Dame has again earned Honor Roll distinctions in the Chronicle of Higher Education’s Great Colleges to Work For program. The Great Colleges program evaluates universities on the basis of a dozen criteria such as teaching environment, facilities, compensation and benefits, and the faculty and staffs’ sense of respect and appreciation. The program is three years old; Notre Dame has participated in the past two years, earning Honor Roll distinctions both years. The primary factor for awarding the Great Colleges designation is employee feedback on a survey about the workplace environment administered by the Great Colleges program partner, ModernThink L.L.C. The University of Notre Dame was just one of 39 schools to receive this honor. Click on the link below to see the list of schools. Congratulations Notre Dame!

THE GREAT COLLEGES PROGRAM

Here's the Proof -- Can Coach Kelly Sing?

I've seen comments all morning long from those in attendance at the Cub's game that Coach Kelly won't be leaving Notre Dame for America's Got Talent! anytime soon. Here's the link to a video of Coach Kelly's night at Wrigley Field -- you be the judge...enjoy!

COACH KELLY AT WRIGLEY

Nun Takes on USC's John Robinson!

Former USC Football Coach, John Robinson, was in town last week for his enshrinement into the College Football Hall of Fame. During his stay in South Bend he granted an interview with WNDU-TV. One of his stories was a classic. He recalls pulling up in their team bus to Notre Dame Stadium for the 1993 game. Robinson is the first guy off the bus, and he sees a nun standing there waiting to greet his team (so he thinks). Having gone to Catholic grammar and high school, Robinson immediately smiled and said "Hi sister, how are you?" The reaction wasn't what the coach expected. "We're going to beat the hell out of you people today," the nun replied. Well, she was right! The Irish beat the Trojans that day 31 - 13. Sounds like Brian Kelly should track this nun down and have her stand at the Visitor's lockerroom door for every home game! Here's a link to the video interview:

USC COACH ROBINSON'S RUN-IN WITH NUN AT ND

Samardzija: 7 - 1 with Iowa Cubs

After watching the Chicago Cubs play last night on ESPN, hoping to see Coach Kelly conduct "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" (I didn't see him on TV) -- I began wondering how a former Notre Dame All-American football player nicknamed "Shark" was doing with baseball? Well, he's doing quite well! Jeff was sent down by the Cubs to their top minor league team (Iowa Cubs) in April. They had him first come out of the bullpen as a closer -- but have since moved him into a starting role. He's 7 - 1 with the Iowa Cubs winning his last three starts. Samardzija has a ERA of 2.76 in 58.2 innings pitched -- striking out 58 while walking 38. His 2.76 ERA is best on the team among pitchers with more than 50 innings of work. Here's a link to the Iowa Cubs team website:

IOWA CUBS OFFICIAL SITE

Paterno - "Notre Dame would not be..."

Joe Paterno, long time coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions sure is bitter about Notre Dame. In a recent interview he let the world know that he would rather see Rutgers join the Big Ten over Notre Dame. His exact words: "Notre Dame would not be one of my top picks." Paterno feels Rutgers would do more for the Big Ten than Notre Dame. EARTH TO JOE! Joe, please know this -- NOTRE DAME DOES THE PICKING! Here's hoping Notre Dame always remains independent -- and never joins the likes of Paterno's Big Ten!

PATERNO -- OUT OF TOUCH!

Zibby Adds Eight Inches to Vertical Leap!

Just checked in on former Notre Dame safety and now Baltimore Raven, Tom Zbikowski. A story in yesterday's Baltimore Sun speaks to what he's been doing this offseason to make himself better. Well, it appears he's been successful! Zibby added 2 1/2" to his neck size and 8" to his vertical leap. Here's a link to the story:

ZIBBY HARD AT WORK

Reminder -- Coach Kelly at Wrigley Tonight!

Coach Kelly is conducting "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" tonight at the Cubs games against the Cardinals. It's the Sunday Night Baseball game -- meaning it will be televised live on ESPN. The game starts at 8 PM EST.

IRISH IDOL Returns!

It's been a few months since THE ND GO IRISH BLOG's talent scouts have searched the global web for the best performers of the greatest college fight song on the planet. Here's Regis Philbin '53 leading The Band of the Fighting Irish at the world famous Carnegie Hall in New York City this past May:

REGIS & THE BAND OF THE FIGHTING IRISH - CARNEGIE HALL

Kelly Cares Foundation Event -- Chicago

The Kelly's were in Chicago Saturday evening, hosting a Kelly Cares Foundation event in the Windy City. A few reporters caught up with Coach Kelly and here's their story -- along with a video interview. Click on the link below:

KELLY CARES FOUNDATION -- WINDY CITY

Clausen & Tate Still Unsigned

Former Notre Dame quarterback and second round draft pick of the Carolina Panthers - Jimmy Clausen - has yet to sign his first NFL contract. Clausen's surprising drop to the second round -- took millions of "guaranteed" dollars off the table in this negotiation. As a point of reference, Sam Bradford, the first QB taken (and #1 pick overall) is looking at $50 million guaranteed -- while Clausen, the second QB taken in the NFL Draft will be looking at probably $1.5 to $2 million tops in guaranteed money. Meanwhile two of Clausen's teammates; Sam Young (four-year deal, terms not disclosed, with a $110,500 signing bonus) and Eric Olsen (four-year deal starting at $395,000 -- don't know what signing bonus was) signed contracts with the Cowboys and Broncos, respectively, in the past week. Meanwhile, Golden Tate is still negotiating with the Seahawks. Earlier this month, the player drafted the spot before Tate -- signed a $3.25 million dollar four-year contract. Of the $3.25 million -- $1,025,000 was guaranteed. Meaning Tate will probably be looking at a contract totaling $3 million over four years with around $1 million guaranteed. The challenge for Clausen, Tate, Young and Olsen, with NFL contracts, is the only money guaranteed is the signing bonus. So, signing a four-year contract, like Young and Olsen did, doesn't mean you'll be employed -- you have to earn your spot, every day. Your NFL team could cut you tomorrow and all you're owed is the signing bonus. Fortunately, these four are more fortunate than most in the "LEAGUE" -- since they'll always have their Notre Dame education to fall back on. Here's hoping that's many years from now!

"Welcome to Notre Dame..."

The University of Notre Dame introduced its new head baseball coach this week -- Mik Aoki. Aoki is the 20th head baseball coach in the history of Notre Dame baseball. I knew this fact from the press release that Notre Dame sent out to the media. Now, I could have just picked up the phone and called Cappy Gagnon -- who just happens to be the foremost authority on Notre Dame baseball in the world. A 1966 graduate of Notre Dame, Cappy Gagnon returned to his alma mater in March 1996 to assume his current post as coordinator of stadium personnel. In that role, he is responsible for overseeing the 857 ushers who handle crowd management for football games at Notre Dame Stadium. When you hear one of them say "Welcome to Notre Dame" -- that's Cappy's influence. Cappy has had an interesting and distinguished career. Gagnon has previously served as assistant director of training at THE POLICE FOUNDATION, a Washington, D.C.-based police think tank; the executive assistant/director of special programs for the Sheriff of Los Angeles County; and the technical services manager for the Olympia (Wash.) Police Department. While with the L.A. Sheriff's Department, he received the Exemplary Service Award, two commendations from the National Association of Counties, and a commendation from the L.A. Human Rights Commission. Because of his service on the nine-member Los Angeles County "Blue Ribbon Commission on the Homeless," he received a commendation from the L.A. County Board of Supervisors. Gagnon also worked for Gavin de Becker as a security supervisor, providing protective services for more than 30 of the most prominent public figures in the entertainment industry. In that capacity, he supervised security of many of the entertainers who performed at President Ronald Reagan's first inauguration in 1981. Gagnon also was the security escort and provided all the advance work for more than 100 venues for Cher's 1990 world tour. A noted baseball historian, Gagnon served two years (1984-85) as the president of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), a worldwide group of 7,000 baseball historians. He also wrote Notre Dame Baseball Greats (cover above), published by Arcadia Press (2004) -- a link to buy the book online is below. One of my favorite Cappy Gagnon stories is when Bobby Bowden brought his Seminoles into Notre Dame Stadium to play the Irish (not sure of the season). Now, it was well known that the Seminoles had a "grave yard" outside their football practice field in which they ceremoniously 'buried' a clump of grass from every away football field they were victorious. They called these clumps "scalps." Well Cappy wasn't going to allow that to happen at Notre Dame! So, the game is over, the Seminoles had beaten the Irish that day - and one of the Seminoles' star players had just reached down to take a "scalp" out of Notre Dame Stadium. Only to find someone grabbing his wrist -- telling him "politely" to put that grass down -- he did -- that someone was Mr. Cappy Gagnon. The scene was caught by a photographer who later presented the series of photos to Cappy - which you'll find framed on his office wall. The topper was the next day when this athlete was interviewed about the game and he mentioned that the Irish "weren't that tough, but their ushers sure were!" If you ever have the honor of crossing paths with Cappy Gagnon -- and I hope you do -- you'll quickly learn he's a class act, a wonderful representative of his alma mater and a NOTRE DAME MAN! Buy his book!

AMAZON: NOTRE DAME BASEBALL GREATS