Defining Irrelevance -- Bowl Attendance?

I often have to chuckle when I see "media experts" talking about how Notre Dame football is irrelevant -- especially after seeing this USA TODAY story (linked below) about bowl attendance being down this year.  Then you throw in the fact that the Champs Sports Bowl has been around 22 years (without a sell-out) and the first time Notre Dame is in their bowl -- they SELL-OUT in three days!   

It's important to note that Florida State has been in the Champs Sports Bowl before and they didn't sell the place out.

Do you think there might be a few bowl committee meetings, these next couple of weeks, where the conversation is how they might re-structure an agreement -- with their conference affiliations -- that would offer Notre Dame the opportunity to play in their bowl game?

So, if you define irrelevance as "lack of being important" -- which is how the Webster Dictionary defines this term, I offer up this proof of college football programs who are apparently "not important enough" to sell as many tickets as their Bowl had the year before -- thus, they're irrelevant.

JUST A FEW OF THE TEAMS THAT ARE IRRELEVANT:

• Michigan -- Sugar Bowl ticket sales down (-9,367) from the year before
• Virginia Tech -- Sugar Bowl ticket sales down (-9,367) from the year before
• Florida -- Gator Bowl ticket sales down (-7,013) from the year before
• Ohio State -- Gator Bowl ticket sales down (-7,013) from the year before
• Oregon -- Rose Bowl ticket sales down (-2,873) from the year before
• Wisconsin -- Rose Bowl ticket sales down (-2,873) from the year before
• Georgia -- Outback Bowl ticket sales down (-11,145) from the year before
• Michigan State -- Outback Bowl ticket sales down (11-145) from the year before

RANKINGS OF BOWL ATTENDANCE -- SO FAR THIS BOWL SEASON:

1. BCS ROSE BOWL:   91,245 -- capacity is 92,542
2. CHICK-FIL-A BOWL:  72,919 -- sold out
3. BCS FIESTA BOWL:  69,927 -- capacity is 78,600
4. MEINEKE CAR CARE BOWL:  68,395 -- capacity is 69,500
5. CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL:  68,305 -- FIRST SELL OUT EVER 
6. BCS ORANGE BOWL:  67,563 -- capacity is 75,192
7. ALAMO BOWL:  65,526 -- capacity is 72,000
8. BCS SUGAR BOWL:  64,512 -- capacity is 76,468
9. CAPITAL ONE:  61,351 -- capacity is 65,657
10. GATOR BOWL:  61,312 -- capacity is 67,246

FYI -- the photo above is of Tuesday night's SUGAR BOWL between Michigan and Virginia Tech -- look at all of the empty seats in the Super Dome.

LINK:  BOWL ATTENDANCE DOWN

Under Armour All-America Game -- Tonight!

Irish fans, if you want to catch a glimpse of the "fastest" football recruit to commit to Notre Dame in the last fifteen to twenty years -- you're going to want to set your alarm for 7:30 PM ET and ESPN -- TONIGHT!

Ronald Darby (who will be wearing uniform #25 for the team in the black jerseys and white helmets) will be playing defensive back for Herm Edwards (former NFL head coach) team in the Under Armour All-America Game.  I suspect Herm will also have Ronald running back a kick-off and punt during this game as well.

Darby won the Bronze Medal in the 200 meters at this past summer's World Youth Championships in France. He's also the current US Junior National Indoor Champion in the 200 meters.  He verbally committed to the Fighting Irish back in April this year -- yet schools are still trying to convince him to go elsewhere.

WE NEED AN EARLY SIGNING PERIOD FOR FOOTBALL!

Here's a feature that ran yesterday at ESPN where Herm Edwards met with Darby and a couple of other players to talk about the technique required to play the defensive back position.

LINK:  RONALD DARBY WITH HERM EDWARDS

Irish Football Commit: KeiVare Russell

Irish fans are going to like this young man.  The folks at RIVALS caught up with KeiVare Russell at the Army All-American game in San Antonio -- here's a link to the video:

LINK:  KEIVARE RUSSELL -- YOU'RE GOING TO LIKE HIM

ND Hockey Legend Passed Away Last Night

Long-time Notre Dame hockey coach Charles "Lefty" Smith passed away last night at the age of 82.  Smith, the longest tenured employee in the University of Notre Dame's Athletic Department -- officially retired on December 31st -- just three days earlier.

Lefty was Notre Dame's first varsity hockey coach when he took the job in 1968.  Smith coached the Irish for 19 seasons (1968-87), amassing a 307-320-30 record, including runner-up finishes in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) in 1973 and 1977. He was named the WCHA Coach of the Year in 1973 and turned out numerous All-Americans, including two-time honoree Jack Brownschidle (1976-77), 1976-77 WCHA Most Valuable Player Brian Walsh, 1980 All-American (and 2005 NCAA Silver Anniversary recipient) Greg Meredith, and 1982 Hobey Baker Award finalist (and eventual NHL standout) Dave Poulin. What's more, all 126 players who completed their collegiate eligibility under Smith's tutelage earned their college degrees.

Smith served as the president of the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) for two years and also was the head coach of the at-large team in the first-ever National Sports Festival in 1978. Eight members of that team would go on to be part of the gold-medal winning 1980 United States Olympic hockey team.

43 years at the University of Notre Dame -- Lefty Smith left a wonderful legacy.  In fact, the university's new ice rink in the Compton Family Ice Arena is scheduled to be dedicated as the "Lefty Smith Ice Rink" on February 4th. 

Here's a link to UND.COM's tribute to Lefty Smith:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME'S LEFTY

Tee Shepard Tells the World: "Notre Dame"

After last night's inaugural Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl -- one of the top cornerbacks in the country, Tee Shepard, finally set the record straight on where he'll be attending college on January 18:

THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME!

Six future Notre Dame stars and maybe one or two more, played in this all-star game in Phoenix last night.  The photo above (Shepard #2 and Westerkamp #81) could happen on a practice field next August if Westerkamp decommits from Nebraska and chooses to play for Notre Dame -- which a few suspect could happen.

Here's a link to a South Bend Tribune story about Shepard and a few of his future Irish teammates:

LINK:  SHEPARD IS ALL IRISH

Irish Fianna Tailgate -- Wins Championship!

The 2011 TLG8 TAILGATE TOUR had three Notre Dame "tailgates" competing for the championship -- and I didn't know anything about this!

And the winner...

IRISH FIANNA!

Special thanks to ND GO IRISH BLOG "ND Insider Correspondent" Micki Kidder for alerting me to this story.

The Lost Dunes, Irish Fianna and Irish Daddy "tailgates" were are all competing for the championship.  Just click on the link below to see the video of the IRISH FIANNA's tailgate as well as Lost Dunes and Irish Daddy.  Enjoy!

LINK:  TLG8 TAILGATING TOUR!

Photo of the Day: Creativity At Its Best!

University of Notre Dame's Don Schindler just "re-tweeted" this photo (originally tweeted by Tim O'Connor) from Matt Cashore's vast library of ND photos.  You've got to love the creativity & ingenuity of the Notre Dame student body!

Must See TV: Semper Fidelis Bowl @ 6 PM ET

Notre Dame fans will want to find the CBS SPORTS NETWORK on their cable system this afternoon -- because at 6 PM ET the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl will be televised.

This inaugural all-star game from Phoenix will feature a few future IRISH stars:  Tee Shepard (wearing jersey #2 for the WEST), Deontay Greenberry (wearing jersey #1 for the WEST), Justin Ferguson (wearing jersey #10 for the EAST),  Mark Harrell (wearing jersey #74 for the EAST), Sheldon Day (wearing jersey #91 for the EAST) and Ronnie Stanley (wearing jersey #79 for the WEST).  Five of the six ND commits are in the photo above.

Should be great fun!  Here's the link to the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl website along with a link to the CBS SPORTS NETWORK site -- and a tool to assist you in finding their channel in your area:

LINK:  SEMPER FIDELIS ALL-AMERICAN BOWL

LINK:  WHERE TO FIND THE CBS SPORTS NETWORK WHERE YOU LIVE

OT: Oregon's Helmet for Rose Bowl Game

Folks, the gang at NIKE did not miss an opportunity today to show off their brand at the Rose Bowl.

I have to admit, this Oregon helmet looks pretty awesome -- kind of makes the Wisconsin helmet look like amateur hour...

We'll have to see how they look on TV this afternoon.  I do like how the facemask is painted to match the helmet.  Thought the IRISH should have done the same with its new helmet this year.  Maybe next year?

You have to see the video below.  There are concerns that the "glare" may cause problems for Oregon's receivers.  Stay tuned!

LINK:  VIDEO OF OREGON HELMET 

LINK:  FIRST LOOK OF OREGON GEAR ON FIELD

Live Video of Notre Dame's Snow Storm!

WOW!  Just took a look at the live webcam of the Main Building (Golden Dome) on the University of Notre Dame campus at 10:38 AM.  IT IS SNOWING in the BEND -- as the ol' "lake effect" is in full force!  Here are three links to live webcams:

LINK:  SNOW STORM -- LIVE SHOT OF GOLDEN DOME

LINK:  WEBCAM OF SOUTH QUAD

LINK:  WEBCAM OF NORTH QUAD

30 Notre Dame Football Players On NFL Rosters

Took a lap around the NFL today to see what former Notre Dame football stars were still employed by an NFL team and their playing status for the last weekend of the regular season.  Here's the list of the 30 ex-Irish football stars still receiving an NFL paycheck this morning (Chris Stewart signed with the Arizona Cardinals on January 5th) -- 11 are on teams in the NFL PLAYOFFS:

LINK:  JIMMY CLAUSEN -- INACTIVE -- CAROLINA PANTHERS

LINK:  GOLDEN TATE -- SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

LINK:  BRADY QUINN -- DENVER BRONCOS

LINK:  ANTHONY FASANO -- MIAMI DOLPHINS 

LINK:  JEFF FAINE -- TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

LINK:  BRIAN SMITH -- CLEVELAND BROWNS

LINK:  MARK LEVOIR -- ST. LOUIS RAMS

LINK:  J.J. JANSEN -- CAROLINA PANTHERS

LINK:  TOMMY ZBIKOWSKI -- BALTIMORE RAVENS

LINK:  RYAN GRANT -- GREEN BAY PACKERS

LINK:  JUSTIN TUCK -- NEW YORK GIANTS

LINK:  SAM YOUNG -- INACTIVE -- BUFFALO BILLS

LINK:  KYLE MCCARTHY -- DENVER BRONCOS

LINK:  KYLE RUDOLPH -- MINNESOTA VIKINGS

LINK:  JOHN CARLSON -- INJURED RESERVE -- SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

LINK:  DEREK LANDRI -- PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

LINK:  IAN WILLIAMS -- INACTIVE -- SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

LINK:  TERRAIL LAMBERT -- PRACTICE SQUAD -- OAKLAND RAIDERS

LINK:  DAVID BRUTON -- DENVER BRONCOS

LINK:  JOHN SULLIVAN -- MINNESOTA VIKINGS

LINK:  VICTOR ABIAMIRI -- INJURED RESERVE -- PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

LINK:  TREVOR LAWS -- PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

LINK:  MAURICE STOVALL -- DETROIT LIONS

LINK:  ARNAZ BATTLE -- INACTIVE -- PITTSBURGH STEELERS

LINK:  SERGIO BROWN -- NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

LINK:  ERIC OLSEN -- PRACTICE SQUAD -- WASHINGTON REDSKINS

LINK:  ROBERT HUGHES -- PRACTICE SQUAD -- CHICAGO BEARS

LINK:  DARRIN WALLS -- ATLANTA FALCONS

LINK:  ARMANDO ALLEN -- CHICAGO BEARS

LINK:  CHRIS STEWART -- ARIZONA CARDINALS 

A New Year's Resolution for ND Fans

I've taken the liberty of offering up a New Year's Resolution for the entire Notre Dame Family -- a year we'll have an EXTRA DAY (this is a leap year) OF NOTRE DAME :

• SMILE -- we know we couldn't be as passionate about another school!

LINK:  HAPPY NEW YEAR

ND Hockey on VERSUS Today at 7 PM ET

Jeff Jackson's Fighting Irish will be in action this New Year's Eve at 7:05 PM ET on the VERSUS channel.  The #5 ranked Irish will be taking on the #9 ranked Boston University Terriers.  After the game, VERSUS will air "ONWARD TO VICTORY" an hour long show produced by the gang at UND.COM.  Here's a link to the ONWARD TO VICTORY trailer...

LINK:  ONWARD TO VICTORY

Photo of the Day: "Tee, Dee & ND"

Here's the two cousins from northern California who have had the recruiting world "buzzing" the past couple of weeks.  Both are playing in the Semper Fidelis Bowl. Tee Shepard #2 and Deontay Greenberry #1.  These two will look good in their NOTRE DAME GOLD HELMETS next fall!

Muffet's Irish Put 128 Pts. on Mercer Last Night!

The #3 ranked Fighting Irish had a RECORD SETTING night in Atlanta against Mercer -- scoring 128 points! It was the first appearance for one of Muffet's teams in 15 years in the state of Georgia.  I'm guessing they might not want to wait so long next time!  Here are the records the Irish set last night:

• Most points in the first half:  72 points  (Irish led 72 - 30 at half)
• Most points in a game:  128 points  (previous record was 113) 
• Most points in one half:  72 points 
• Largest margin of victory:  86 points
• Highest Field Goal Percentage:  70.2%  (tied the previous record)
• Most free throws made:  43
• Most free throws attempted:  52

Note:  The 128 points is the 17th most scored in one game ALL-TIME in NCAA history.  The 72 points scored in the first half are the 8th most scored ALL-TIME in NCAA history.  It's the most points scored in a game this season in women's college basketball.

LINK:  IRISH MAUL MERCER

A Look Back @ Notre Dame's 169th Year...

The University of Notre Dame released their 2011: Year In Review, last night.  The report looks back at the previous 364 days of 2011 and a number of the accomplishments of the Notre Dame students, alumni, faculty and staff.  Just click on the link below to see the report:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME'S 2011

Ronald Darby Returns Kick-off for TD!

The Chesapeake Bowl (featuring high school all-stars from; Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, D.C., Virginia and West Virginia) was played tonight in Edgewater, MD -- and University of Notre Dame verbal commit, Ronald Darby followed up the opening play of the game -- a 90 yard kick-off return for a TD by the North's Nate Smith by taking the ensuing kick-off for a 75 yard TD for the South!  Here's a link to the news article -- along with a link to the video:

LINK:  DARBY RETURNS KICK-OFF FOR TD!

LINK:  VIDEO OF DARBY'S KICK-OFF RETURN

Semper Fidelis Bowl -- ND Commits Playing

The University of Notre Dame will be well represented in Tuesday's inaugural Semper Fidelis Bowl in Phoenix.  Here's a list of the high school stars playing in the game who have verbally committed to playing for the IRISH:

LINK:  TEE SHEPARD

LINK:  RONNIE STANLEY

LINK:  JUSTIN FERGUSON

LINK:  DEONTAY GREENBERRY

LINK:  SHELDON DAY 

LINK:  MARK HARRELL

The Notre Dame Family Doing Florida Right

The day before the Irish took on Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl -- fifty members of the Notre Dame Family (alumni, cheerleaders and fans) went to work at the New Image Youth Center (Parramore, FL) painting, sanding, weeding, assembling new furniture and playing with the kids.

This community service project is just one of many -- that the Notre Dame Alumni Association will perform around the world each year.  It's what sets ND apart from most institutions in this country.

Here's a link to the story:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME GIVING BACK

Champs Sports Bowl: Mornin' After...

Have to admit I didn't sleep too well last night.

Yet, I wake up this morning -- once again -- knowing I WOULDN'T WANT TO BE A FAN OF ANY OTHER SCHOOL IN THE WORLD!

Here's what our friends in the media had to say about Florida State's 18 to 14 win over the Irish last night in the Champs Sports Bowl:

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE -- AL LESAR

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE -- ERIC HANSEN

LINK:  ASSOCIATED PRESS

LINK:  TAMPA BAY TIMES

LINK:  NBC SPORTS

LINK:  ESPN BLOG

LINK:  PALM BEACH POST

LINK:  THE OBSERVER

LINK:  CHICAGO TRIBUNE

LINK:  NEWS SENTINEL

LINK:  ORLANDO SENTINEL

LINK:  SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

LINK:  CHICAGO SUN TIMES

LINK:  FORT WAYNE JOURNAL GAZETTE

LINK:  SPORTING NEWS

LINK:  THE LEDGER

LINK:  FLORIDA TIMES UNION

LINK:  TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT