Detroit Free Press' Mitch Albom on Manti Te'o

I have known Mitch Albom for the better part of twenty-five years -- ever since he shared a house with my brother Jay and friend Ken Droz.  However, our paths haven't crossed in the past few years...

Yet, I find myself wanting to track Mitch down today to say THANK YOU -- and I will.

He wrote a column in today's Detroit Free Press on Manti Te'o's situation -- that I believe speaks quite appropriately to the media's reaction this week to the hoax: "Who did Manti hurt...?"

LINK:  MITCH ALBOM COLUMN

Muffet's #2 IRISH on ESPNU at Noon ET Today!

If you're looking for something to keep you occupied before today's NFL football games -- you just might to tune-in to ESPNU at noon today to watch the #2 ranked women's basketball team at Notre Dame.

The IRISH will be taking on St. John's in this nationally televised game.  Here's a link to the game story:

LINK:  WATCH NOTRE DAME AT NOON TODAY!

Dayne Crist '12 Named MVP of All-Star Game

Former Notre Dame QB Dayne Crist '12, played in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl yesterday afternoon in Carson, Ca -- and was named the game's MVP!   Crist, who graduated from Notre Dame in 2012 -- before enrolling at Kansas to play this past season for the Jayhawks -- threw for one TD and ran for another. 

Here's the story:

LINK:  CRIST IS MVP

The Media's Reaction to Manti Teo's Interview

Took my typical lap around the worldwide web this morning to see if the media has changed its tune on the hoax of Manti Te'o story.  You can judge for yourself:

LINK:  NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

LINK:  NEW YORK POST

LINK:  YAHOO SPORTS

LINK:  CNN

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE

LINK:  ESPN NOTRE DAME BLOG

LINK:  HONOLULU CIVIL BEAT

LINK:  HONOLULU STAR ADVERTISER

Notre Dame Has Two Venues in the Top Twenty

Stadium Journey Magazine just released their 2nd annual list of the Top 101 Stadium Experiences (professional, minor leagues and colleges) for 2012 -- and only four college venues were ranked in the top twenty and TWO of them are on the NOTRE DAME CAMPUS!


Coming in at #3, as the highest rated college sports venue in America is the COMPTON FAMILY ICE ARENA!  At #20 is NOTRE DAME STADIUM.  Click on the link below for the rankings.

Stadium Journey utilizes its FANFARE scale for ranking the stadiums on its website and for the purposes of creating this list. The scale takes into account the food & beverage at the stadium, overall atmosphere, the neighborhood in which it resides, the fans, access outside and inside the stadium, return on investment, and allows for room for "bonus points" for unique features.

LINK:  TOP STADIUM EXPERIENCES

Top Ten University for Undergraduate Education

The University of Notre Dame was recently ranked #8 in the country by U.S. News & World Report in their rankings of undergraduate teaching methodology.  Here's the rankings:

LINK:  TOP TEN SCHOOLS

In His Own Words -- Manti Te'o Talks...

Notre Dame All-American linebacker Manti Te'o met with ESPN's Jeremy Schaap last night for two and a half hours to tell his story.  He would not agree to do this interview on camera.

LINK:  SCHAAP NARRATIVE

LINK:  TRANSCRIPT

New Jersey's Governor Christie at Notre Dame

This photo was taken today of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie visiting the Notre Dame women's basketball practice.   He's in town for tomorrow night's game between Rutgers and the IRISH - where the University of Notre Dame will be presenting a check to Governor Christie to assist families in New Jersey impacted by Hurricane Sandy.

A Woman Comes Forward to Defend Manti Te'o

ESPN's Shelley Smith just broke this story in the past hour -- that there were three people involved in the hoax played on Manti Te'o.   And, the informant (who did not want to be identified) said "Manti had no knowledge this was a hoax..."

 You'll want to see watch this:

LINK:  LATEST INFORMATION ON HOAX

Manti's Uncle Defends His Nephew

It's been almost thirty hours since the story broke that Manti Te'o's girlfriend did not exist -- that a cruel hoax had been played on the Notre Dame All-American..

This afternoon -- an Uncle of Manti's granted a radio interview -- you'll find this quite enlightening:

LINK:  MANTI TE'O'S UNCLE -- RADIO INTERVIEW

Notre Dame News Conference -- Manti Te'o

The University of Notre Dame's Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick addressed the media this evening over the Manti Te'o situation. 

LINK:  NOTRE DAME PRESS CONFERENCE 

LINK:  MANTI TE'O -- OFFICIAL STATEMENT

Great Story on the Daily Domer: "ND's Brother"

The young man's name is Sam Grewe -- and his special relationship with the Notre Dame football team has not been shared publicly...

Until now. 

You're going to want to know this story!

LINK:  NOTRE DAME'S SPECIAL PLAYER

LINK:  NEWS STORY

11 Year-Old ND Fan a Guest on Ellen Show

Caroline Pla of Doylestown, PA is an 11 year-old young lady who loves to play football -- who is all over the national news because she's been banned from playing CYO football by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia...

Well, today she was a guest on the Ellen Degeneres Show and she received a huge surprise from her favorite college football team -- the FIGHTING IRISH of NOTRE DAME!

LINK:  VIDEO OF CAROLINE'S APPEARANCE ON ELLEN

LINK:  NOTRE DAME FAN ON ELLEN

"Sad Irish Fan" -- Fighting Leukemia for Charity

His name is Dan Tudesco '06 -- a Notre Dame alum who was caught on camera showing his despair on NATIONAL TV during the BCS National Championship game...

He became YOUTUBE LEGEND as "Sad Irish Fan."

You're going to love what Dan and his friends have done to turn his new found celebrity into a FORCE FOR GOOD -- great story!

LINK:  SAD IRISH FAN

LINK:  OFFICIAL WEBSITE -- MUST SEE!

Former ND Football Player Takes Job With Bills

Former Notre Dame football captain and 2nd round NFL Draft pick -- Anthony Weaver '03, was named the new defensive line coach for the Buffalo Bills -- having served as the assistant defensive line coach the past two seasons with the New York Jets.

Congratulations Anthony!

LINK:  ANTHONY WEAVER TO BILLS

The Domer Behind BLEACHER REPORT...

His name is David Finocchio and he's a 2005 graduate of the University of Notre Dame.  Finocchio (third from left in photo) and two pals created BLEACHER REPORT -- a wildly successful sports storytelling site they sold to Turner Sports for $200 million last year!

Here is David's story:

LINK:  A DOMER'S VIEW FROM THE BLEACHERS

Tommy Rees -- "I'm a Notre Dame Guy..."

The folks at WNDU-TV caught up with Notre Dame QB Tommy Rees to ask him about his future playing plans...

You'll have to watch this interview to find out what he had to say:

LINK:  TOMMY REES

Thank You YP Team for Trip to BCS NC Game!

My son Jimmy '08, was a recipient of a ticket to the BCS National Championship game from the gang at YP.  Jimmy used the YP -- Local Search & Gas Prices App for the eleven hour drive from Charlotte, NC to Miami Beach.  He used the local search feature to find the highest rated places to eat in the South Beach area and the gas prices feature to find the cheapest gas along the way -- both proved to be quite handy...

Here's a last look at some photos Jimmy took on his trip to the BCS National Championship.

Golden Tate Scores NFL Playoff TD Today!

Former Notre Dame All-American wide receiver Golden Tate -- scored a TD this afternoon in the Seattle Seahawks' last second loss to the Atlanta Falcons.  Golden caught six balls for 103 yards including the 29 yard TD catch and run.  Here's a link to the video:

LINK:  GOLDEN TATE'S PLAYOFF TD

Coach Kelly's Walter Camp Award Speech...

The University of Notre Dame's Brian Kelly was honored last night at the annual Walter Camp Awards dinner on the campus of Yale University.  Here's a link to ESPN3's coverage of Brian Kelly's Coach of the Year remarks:

LINK:  COACH OF THE YEAR