USC vs. NOTRE DAME -- Experts Pick Winner

Took another lap around the world wide web this morning to check in on who the "media experts" are picking to win the USC vs. Notre Dame game tomorrow.  Here's what I've found:

LINK:  ESPN'S -- MATT FORTUNA

LINK:  ESPN'S -- TED MILLER

LINK:  BLEACHER REPORT'S -- ERIC BOWMAN

LINK:  OBSERVER -- STAFF

LINK:  ESPN COLLEGE GAME DAY

LINK:  ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Tom Lemming Calls It One of the Best Ever...

The University of Notre Dame will be hosting some of the top high school football talent in the country today, tomorrow and Sunday -- so says recruiting expert Tom Lemming.  In fact, Lemming is calling it one of the greatest collections of school boy talent ever.  Here's a link to Lemming's story at Max Preps:

LINK:  BIG RECRUITING WEEKEND FOR ND

ESPN Blogger Admits He Was Wrong About ND

Ted Miller has been covering college football since 1997 -- so says his bio at ESPN.COM.  The bio also said he started covering Auburn football and then he moved west to cover Washington and the PAC 12.  Are there any college football fans in that time zone?

Well, Mr. Miller came out with his prediction for tomorrow's game between ND and USC and he made the statement that USC's offense was way better than ND's.  Notre Dame fans know that this isn't true -- so they took him to task...

In the end, Mr. Miller admitted he had not properly done his research on the subject -- and that he was wrong.  You've got to at least give him credit for admitting his mistake...

Ted, I hope you learned this lesson:  If you're going to take on the "BIG BOY" in college football -- you better do your homework first...


LINK:  ESPN BLOGGER ADMITS WRONG

Hey Geno, Stick to Women's Basketball!!!

Geno Auriemma decided to turn today's Big East Women's Basketball Media Day as "bash on Notre Dame football" day.  Auriemma used this platform to blame Notre Dame for the woes facing the Big East Conference.  Here's a link to Mrs. Auriemma -- excuse me, Mr.

LINK:  WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACH CALLING OUT ND FOOTBALL

USC Week: Notre Dame's Thursday Update

Here's what Coach Kelly had to say after practice -- about Saturday's prime time kick-off on NBC!

LINK:  COACH KELLY AFTER PRACTICE

USC Student Newspaper -- Talks ND Rivalry

Thought Notre Dame fans would enjoy reading this story that ran in yesterday's Daily Trojan -- the student newspaper at USC.  It speaks to the long-standing rivalry between Notre Dame and USC and how it got started.

LINK:  THE WIVES MADE IT HAPPEN

Story of the Year -- New ND Helmet Paint!

This is going to pop on TV Saturday night!  The Fighting Irish are going to debut a NEW GOLD football helmet for the USC game.  The NBC cameras should have fun with this!  The new helmet has the 23.9 karat gold flakes in the paint from the DOME -- but, they won't ever have to be painted again -- so that tradition is gone.  But, I'll take this NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL HELMET any day!   WOW!!!

The folks at UND.COM introduced the helmet tonight -- here's the story!  And, Coach Kelly talked about the helmet with the media after practice today...

LINK:  THE NEW GOLD STANDARD FOR FOOTBALL HELMETS!

LINK:  COACH KELLY TALKS ABOUT THE NEW HELMET COLOR! 

LINK:  NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS FACEBOOK PAGE -- PICTURES OF HELMET

USC Week: Notre Dame Player Interviews

Manti Teo, Harrison Smith, Michael Floyd and Tommy Rees met with the media this afternoon to talk about Saturday night's clash with USC.  Here are the links to the interviews:

LINK:  MANTI TEO & HARRISON SMITH

LINK:  TOMMY REES & MICHAEL FLOYD

First Look @ Weekend Weather -- ND vs. USC

Looks like a good weather forecast for the first night kick-off at Notre Dame Stadium in 21 years!  Here's a link to the weather forecast from the gang at WNDU-TV:

LINK:  WEATHER FORECAST ND vs. USC

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