Wrigley Field's -- End Zone Malfunction!

This Saturday, two American landmark sports stadiums will be hosting college football games -- Yankee Stadium and Wrigley Field.  Unfortunately - the game being played at Wrigley Field -- will be a ONE WAY ONLY game.  You can't make this up!  Officials have determined that the close proximity of Wrigley's famous ivy covered outfield wall (photo on left) is too close for comfort -- so Northwestern and Illinois will not be allowed to use that end zone.  This will be talked about for years...  (Note how they attached the goal posts to the outfield wall)  There goes the Big Ten's effort to top ND in NYC.   Here's two links to the breaking news on THE END ZONE -- THAT ISN'T:


LINK:  WRIGLEY'S ATTEMPT AT FOOTBALL

LINK:  ESPN'S SPORTS CENTER: BREAKING NEWS STORY

Photo Of The Day: Babe Ruth in a ND Jersey!

Here's a photo of Babe Ruth wearing a Notre Dame football jersey at an event promoting the Notre Dame vs. USC game at Solider Field in 1927.  Thought it was appropriate since the Irish are playing tomorrow in the New York Yankees "New House -- that Ruth Didn't Build."

Lou's Lads Meet in NYC Last Night!

A number of former Notre Dame football players who played for Coach Lou Holtz -- met last night with Coach Holtz at Cipriani's in New York City.  They've formed a foundation back in 2008 called "Lou's Lads" to endow a scholarship at the University of Notre Dame -- and last night's event raised a significant amount of money for the foundation.  Here's a link to "Lou's Lads" website:

LINK:  LOU'S LADS

Today's Media Coverage of ND vs. ARMY

The media capital of the world will be setting its sites on the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame over the next 48 hours -- as the Irish play the Black Knights of Army in the first football game in the new Yankee Stadium.  Here's a few of todays' stories:

LINK:  NEW YORK POST

LINK:  USA TODAY

LINK:  NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

LINK:  ESPN BLOG

LINK:  THE JOURNAL NEWS

LINK:  NEWSDAY

LINK:  NEW YORK DAILY NEWS -- STORY #2

LINK:  JOURNAL GAZETTE

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE

Today's Notre Dame Events In New York City!

Here's what's planned for Notre Dame fans today in New York City -- please note that the gang at UND.COM will be covering these events and will be posting their coverage later.  I will be sure to provide you links -- so please keep checking back to the ND GO IRISH BLOG as the day moves along.

9:00 AM:  Tune in to Live! with Regis & Kelly -- I'm just guessing that Regis will be talking about his Notre Dame weekend!  UPDATE:  Those of you living on the west coast -- you'll want to watch Regis's show this morning.  The Leprechaun, Coach Brian Kelly's wife and a crowd full of Notre Dame fans get in the action.

11:30 AM:  Friday Football Luncheon @ Marriott Marquis in Times Square -- Regis Philbin '53 will be the host and his guests are:  Notre Dame Football Coach Brian Kelly and Heisman Trophy Winners; Johnny Lujack (Notre Dame) and Pete Dawkins (Army).

3:50 PM:  Notre Dame rings NASDAQ's Closing Bell in Times Square -- The Notre Dame Cheerleaders, Leprechaun and ND administration will be in attendance.

5:30 PM:  Notre Dame Pep Rally @ Lincoln Center -- Coach Brian Kelly will be joined by Kyle Rudolph and Ian Williams (who will be representing the team) -- The Band of the Fighting Irish, ND Cheerleaders and Leprechaun -- and I'm guessing a few surprise guests.

WE'LL POST LINKS TO UND.COM'S COVERAGE ASAP!

Brian Kelly Radio Show -- Tonight at 7 PM EST

The Brian Kelly Radio Show is on right now @ 7 PM EST.  When you click on the link, scroll down below the video player to LIVE EVENTS and click on the Brian Kelly Radio Show!

LINK:  BRIAN KELLY RADIO SHOW

Beano Cook & Ivan Maisel -- Talk ND vs. Army

I'm not a big fan of "podcasts" -- but, I'm going to break from tradition and post a "LINK" to a podcast of Beano Cook and Ivan Maisel talking about the history of Notre Dame vs. Army -- here at the ND GO IRISH BLOG.  It's worth your listen!

LINK:  BEANO & IVAN TALKING NOTRE DAME

More Than 50,000 Unique Visitors -- Thank You!

Ten months ago, I launched this blog because I was literally "shamed" into it.  You see, I had just given this advice to my oldest son Jimmy (2008 Notre Dame grad) and my good friend Brian Brady's daughter, Erin (2008 Saint Mary's grad) four weeks earlier: "If I was your age I would;  1) Build a blog about anything you're passionate about and,  2) And, learn how to build an audience for it."  

Well, on January 26, 2010 -- I received an email from my ND grad with a link to a blog he had just created!  My reaction was two-fold, I was excited and proud that he had listened to his Dad (for the first time in his life) -- and I was personally ashamed that I had never followed through on my own advice.  Quite the quandary!

So, believe it or not -- that afternoon I went to work on building a blog about my passion -- the University of Notre Dame.  And, as they say - the rest is history.

Thankfully,  now more than 50,000 of you (we passed that mark this morning) -- who also share a passion for Notre Dame -- have joined me on this journey.  You come from all 50 states and now more than 100 countries around the world.  ALEXA, which ranks the traffic counts for millions of websites around the world, ranks the ND GO IRISH BLOG site among the top 11% in the world -- for web traffic.  Pretty amazing stuff when you think about the story behind this effort!

I want to thank all 50,000 of you for making the ND GO IRISH BLOG part of your daily "Notre Dame fix" on the web.  You inspire me to keep going.


The next goal:  80,795 unique visitors -- so I can say "We filled up Notre Dame Stadium..."

THANK YOU!


Jim Small
Just Like You -- A Notre Dame Fan!

NBC's Video of Yankee Stadium Transformation

I posted a similar video earlier this week of the transformation that took place these past few weeks at Yankee Stadium.  The New York Yankees $1.5 billion home got an "IRISH FACELIFT" -- as they prepared for the first ever football game this Saturday night in PRIMETIME!  Here's a time-lapsed video of what I'm calling the building of; Notre Dame Stadium EAST (don't you love this photo!) -- enjoy!

LINK:  FOOTBALL @ YANKEE STADIUM

If This Doesn't Get You Exicted for Saturday...

Folks, I'm not a big fan of NBC's coverage of Notre Dame Football -- yet, I must give them PROPS for their promotional spot for Saturday night's Notre Dame vs. Army game at Yankee Stadium.  I have to admit it gave me "chills" the first time I saw it -- and every time since.  And, it's a game between two teams who won't be ranked this year -- GO FIGURE!  I've been waiting for NBC to post it online -- so I could share it with you.  Here's the link:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME IN PRIMETIME!

Wednesday's Media Interviews -- ND Football

The gang at UND.COM captured the interviews of Coach Kelly, Tommy Rees, Manti Teo and Michael Floyd after Wednesday's practice -- as the Irish prepare for Saturday's game against Army at Yankee Stadium.  Here's the links:

LINK:  BRIAN KELLY

LINK:  TOMMY REES

LINK:  MANTI TEO & MICHAEL FLOYD 

UPDATED: ND's Offense -- National Rankings

It's time for our weekly look at where Notre Dame Football ranks in certain statistical categories amongst the 120 teams in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision -- AFTER TEN GAMES OF THE 2010 SEASON. In today's analysis you'll see how Notre Dame's Offense & Special Teams currently stand; on a national basis -- as compared to their final ranking for 2009 -- and the top teams in the country in each category.

OFFENSIVE TEAM STATISTICS

First Downs:  2010 Rank - #48 with 20.9 first downs per game -- in 2009 we averaged 24.4 first downs per game for the season, ranking us #4 -- Oklahoma leads the country with 27.3 first downs per game.  

Third Down Conversions:  2010 Rank - #92 with a 35.88% conversion rate -- in 2009 we had a 39.1% conversion rate for the season, ranking us #48 -- Stanford leads the country converting 58.09% of their third downs.  

Passing Yards Per Attempt:  2010 Rank - #74 with 6.8 yards passing per attempt -- in 2009 we averaged 8.7 yards passing per attempt, ranking us #7 in the country.  Boise State leads the country averaging 10.3 yards per attempt.

Passing Yardage:  2010 Rank - #21 with 273 yards per game  (2,726 yards for the season)  -- in 2009 we passed for 323 yards per game (3,882 yards for the season), ranking us #7 -- Hawaii leads the country with 371 yards passing per game (3,710 yards for the season).  

Rushing Yards Per Attempt:  2010 Rank - #83 with 3.9 yards rushing per attempt -- in 2009 we averaged 3.8 yards rushing per attempt, ranking us #76 in the country.  Auburn and Nevada lead the country with an average of 6.5 yards rushing per attempt. 

Rushing Yardage:  2010 Rank - #100 with 115 yards rushing per game (1,148 yards for the season) -- in 2009 we rushed for 127 yards per game  (1,539 yards for the season), ranking us #88 -- Georgia Tech leads the country with 319 yards rushing per game (3,193 yards for the season). 

Most QB Sacks Given Up:  2010 Rank -- #58 giving up 19 QB sacks -- in 2009 we gave up 25 QB sacks for the season, ranking us #66 -- Washington States leads the country in giving up 46 QB sacks this season.  

Fewest Pass Interceptions Thrown:  2010 Rank -- #91 having thrown 12 pass interceptions this season -- in 2009 we threw 5 interceptions for the season, raking us #5 -- Army leads the country having thrown 1 pass interception this season.  

Turnovers Lost:  2010 Rank - #76 with 19 turnovers lost -- in 2009 we had 14 turnovers for the season, ranking us #7 -- Iowa, Wisconsin and Oregon State lead the country with 7 turnovers lost for the season.  

Total Offense:  2010 Rank -- #58 with 387 yards per game of offense -- in 2009 we had 451 yards per game of offense, ranking us #8 -- Oklahoma State leads the country 548 yards per game of offense. 

Points Per Game:  2010 Rank -- #68 with 26.2 points per game -- in 2009 we averaged 30.1 points per game for the season, ranking us #32 -- Oregon leads the country scoring 50.7 points per game.  

.

TEAM STATISTICS

Fewest Penalties:  2010 Rank - #15 with 49 penalties -- in 2009 we had 75 penalties for the season, ranking us #50 -- Wisconsin leads the country in the fewest penalties with 31.  

Fewest Penalty Yards:  2010 Rank -- #24 with 446 yards in penalties -- in 2009 we had 666 yards in penalties, ranking us #60 -- Penn State leads the country in fewest penalty yards with 271 

Net Punting Yards:  2010 Rank -- #64 with an average net of 36.2 yards per punt -- in 2009 we averaged 32.1 yards per punt, ranking us #112 -- Florida leads the country with 42.25 net yards per punt.  

Field Goals -- 2010 Rank -- #30 with 13 field goals made this season.  The Irish are 13 for 13 (100%) -- AND THE ONLY TEAM IN THE FBS THAT HAS NOT MISSED A FIELD GOAL THIS SEASON!  In 2009 we made 19 field goals, ranking us #22 -- while going 19 for 22 in the process.     

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS ON OFFENSE -- Ranked in top 100

Dayne Crist:

-Ranked #49 in the country with 2,033 yards passing

-Ranked #42 in the country with 15 TD passes

-Ranked #61 in the country with a QB rating of 129.3

-Ranked #68 in the country with a 59.2% pass completion percentage

-Ranked #58 in the country for most pass interceptions thrown with 7

-Ranked #3 in the country with a 95 yard pass completion / his 80 yard pass completion to Floyd would be ranked #21 in the country

David Ruffer:

-Ranked #28 in the country in most field goals made with 13

-Ranked #1 in the country with most field goals made without a miss (13)

-Ranked #19 in the country for longest field goal made - 50 yarder

Ben Turk:

-Ranked #87 in the country with an average of 38.67 yards per punt

Michael Floyd:

-Ranked #32 in the country with 767 yards receiving

-Ranked #26 in the country with 59 catches

-Ranked #15 in the country with 9 TD catches

-Ranked #24 in the country with an 80 yard catch

Kyle Rudolph:

-Ranked #3 in the country with a 95 yard catch

The Million Dollar Road Trip

The Million Dollar Road Trip, a national advertising campaign that promotes small businesses and entrepreneurship across America -- founded by Notre Dame alums; Walter and Patrick Hessert (Patrick on the left and Walter on the right, in photo) -- will pass through New York City this week as part of a yearlong cross-country tour.  In addition, the two "Domers" will host a tailgate at the Notre Dame vs. Army game this Saturday at Yankee Stadium.

The mission of the Million Dollar Road Trip is to inspire others to dream big and act boldly despite a poor economy.  The Notre Dame alums are traveling the nation in a bright blue Airstream trailer and sharing the stories of thousands of people from around the country who are continuing to take risk in pursuit of their passions.  Million Dollar Road Trip supports fellow entrepreneurs who the Hessert brothers meet on the road by awarding bi-weekly cash grants.  Recent recipients include: an ex-convict from Houston who started his own printing business using skills learned in prison classes; a high school Senior from Chicago's West Side who started a beverage company to pay for college; and a stay at home father in Iowa City who founded a gym in his garage.  Nominees are posted on their website (link below) where the public can vote for the most inspiring entrepreneur.

Over the course of the year, Walter and Patrick hope to sell $1 million dollars worth of advertising on the exterior of the Airstream and transform it into a mosaic of American businesses. Since the road trip's launch on July 4th, more than 120 businesses have purchased ad space on this traveling billboard. The Million Dollar Road Trip Airstream will cover over 40,000 miles, visit 48 states, pass through 50 of the nation's largest cities, and attend some of the most notable events in the country.  Good luck guys!  Here's a link to their website:

LINK:  THE MILLION DOLLAR ROAD TRIP

Notre Dame Changes Its Name...

The "College of Notre Dame" -- founded in 1895, in Baltimore -- has renamed itself as "Notre Dame of Maryland University."  You'll enjoy the story and especially the University's president's reply to a question regarding the "more famous -- University of Notre Dame, in South Bend, IN."  Here's a link to the story and the school's website:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME CHANGES ITS NAME 

LINK:  NOTRE DAME OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY

UPDATED: ND's Defense -- National Ranking

It's time for our weekly look at where Notre Dame Football ranks in certain statistical categories amongst the 120 teams in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision -- AFTER TEN GAMES OF THE 2010 SEASON.  In today's analysis you'll see how Notre Dame's defense currently stands on a national basis -- as compared to their final ranking for 2009 and against the top team in the country -- in each category this season.

DEFENSE -- TEAM STATISTICS

Quarterback Sacks:  2010 Rank - #17 with 26 QB sacks -- in 2009 we had 19 QB sacks for the season, ranking us #92 -- Florida State leads the country with 39 QB sacks.  

Tackles for Loss:  2010 Rank - #53 with an average of 6.0 tackles for loss per game -- in 2009 we averaged 6.0 tackles for loss per game, ranking us #48 in the country.  Boise State leads the country with an average of 8.89 tackles for loss per game.  

Interceptions:  2010 Rank - #38 with 11 interceptions -- in 2009 we had 12 interceptions for the season, ranking us #50 -- Alabama, Boston College, Florida, Ohio State and Tulsa lead the country with 17 interceptions. 

First Downs:  2010 Rank - #57 allowing an average of 19.5 first downs per game -- in 2009 we gave up an average of 19.67 first downs per game, ranking us #72   -- TCU leads the country giving up an average of 11.55 first downs per game.

Third Down Conversion Rate:  2010 Rank - #22 allowing only 35.44% conversion rate on third down -- in 2009 we allowed a 39.5% conversion rate, ranking us #67 -- West Virginia leads the country allowing only a 22.4%  conversion rate. 

Red Zone Efficiency:  2010 Rank - #36 allowing the team to score 79% of the time -- in 2009 we allowed teams to score 75% of the time, ranking us #15 -- Boise State leads the country allowing teams to score 50% of the time.

Turnovers Gained:  2010 Rank - #50 with 18 turnovers gained -- in 2009 we gained 19 turnovers for the season, ranking us #80 -- Hawaii and Oregon lead the country with 29 turnovers gained this season. 

Rushing Yards:  2010 Rank - #66 giving up an average of 155 yards rushing per game -- in 2009 we gave up an average of 170 yards rushing per game, ranking us #89 -- Boston College leads the country giving up an average of 74 yards rushing per game.  

Passing Yards:  2010 Rank - #76 giving up an average of 225 yards passing per game -- in 2009 we gave up an average of 227 yards passing per game, ranking us #76 in the country.  TCU leads the country giving up an average of 135 yards passing per game.

Total Yards:  2010 Rank - #66 giving up 380 yards per game -- in 2009 we gave up an average of 397 yards per game, ranking us #86 -- TCU leads the country giving up 223 yards per game.  

Points Allowed Per Game:  2010 Rank - #45 giving up 22.70 points per game -- in 2009 we gave up 25.3 points per game, ranking us #63 -- TCU leads the country giving up 10.91 points per game. 

DEFENSE -- INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Tackles Per Game:

• Manti Teo -- averaging 10.9 tackles per game -- ranked #9 in the country

Sacks:

• Darius Fleming -- 5.5 sacks this season -- ranked #55 in the country
• Ethan Johnson --  5.0 sacks this season -- ranked #68 in the country

Interceptions

• Harrison Smith -- 3 interceptions this season -- ranked #81 in the country

TOMORROW AN ANALYSIS OF THE NOTRE DAME OFFENSE

Notre Dame's Defensive Line: Talkin' Army

Three members of the University of Notre Dame's defensive line; Ethan Johnson, Sean Cwynar and Kapron Lewis Moore -- met with UND.COM's Jack Nolan yesterday to talk about Saturday's game against Army's "triple-option."  Here's the link:



LINK:  ND'S FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE!

Notre Dame Takes Over the Big Apple!

Only one school in America could take over Manhattan -- and it's that little school "in the middle of nowhere" -- the University of Notre Dame!  If you're a Notre Dame fan -- and you live in the New York area -- here's a schedule of when and where you can see the Irish in town -- along with a link to Notre Dame's GameDay site:





FRIDAY:

-11:30 AM:  Friday Football Luncheon @ Marriott Marquis, Times Square -- Regis Philbin '53 to host (you need a ticket)

-3:50 PM:  Notre Dame's "ringing of the closing bell" @ NASDAQ in Times Square -- Leprechaun & ND Cheerleaders along with ND administration  (open to the public)

-5:30 PM:  Pep Rally @ Lincoln Center  -- The Band of the Fighting Irish, Coach Kelly, etc. (open to the public)

SATURDAY:

-10:30 AM:  Mass @ St. Patrick's Cathedral  (open to the public)

-12:00 PM to 12:45 PM:  The Band of the Fighting Irish -- "Concert On The Steps"  in Times Square -- they'll be playing from the "steps" in Duffy Square above the TKTS booth  (open to the Public)

-1:30 PM to 6:00 PM:  Game Day in New York -- Tailgate @ Sheraton Hotel & Towers (sold out)

RUMOR HAS IT:  That the Band of the Fighting Irish will be jumping on the Subway to ride "Notre Dame Subway Alumni" designed subway cars -- out to Yankee Stadium.  I'm guessing they'll be doing this from Grand Central -- keep an eye out for this!

-7:00 PM:  Football game vs. Army @ Yankee Stadium -- a few standing room tickets were still available yesterday.

LINK:  NOTRE DAME "GAMEDAY" SITE

Coach Kelly's Press Conference -- Army Week

University of Notre Dame Football Coach, Brian Kelly -- met with the media today to talk about this Saturday's "prime time" game on NBC from Yankee Stadium.  This will be the 50th meeting between Army and Notre Dame, with the Irish holding a 37-8-4 advantage in the series.  Here's a link to the press conference:

LINK:  COACH BRIAN KELLY TALKS ARMY

Squeezing Football Fields Into Landmarks!

This Saturday -- football games will be played inside two of the "landmark" sports stadiums in the world;  Yankee Stadium and Wrigley Field.  Football will be played, for the first time ever, this Saturday in the Yankees new $1.5 billion home -- when the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame host the Black Knights of West Point.  And, football returns to Chicago's Wrigley Field, for the first time in 40 years, when Northwestern hosts Illinois.  Here's the latest photos from each venue -- you'll see how "tight" the endzones and sidelines are.  Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Kelly -- commented at today's press conference that they don't have any concerns about the field's proximity to some of Yankee Stadium's walls.  BREAKING NEWS:  The "proximity" of the infamous ivy covered outfield walls of Wrigley Field (see link below to photo) -- has led to a ONE WAY football game between Illinois and Northwestern tomorrow.  This link will take you to the breaking news story:

LINK:  THE END ZONE -- THAT ISN'T

New York Times History Lesson: ND vs. Army

A sports writer at the New York Times wrote a story today about the historical significance of the Notre Dame vs. Army game.  The photo (courtesy of the New York Times) is from the 1944 game at the old Yankee Stadium between Notre Dame and Army.  Here's a link to the story:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME vs. ARMY