Monday, April 13, 2020

Notre Dame Alum's Vatican Replica Build...



Fr. Bob Simon, a diocesan priest at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Moscow, PA -- took ten months and used more than 500,000 LEGO pieces to build this replica of the Vatican...



Thursday, April 9, 2020

Brian Kelly Interviewed by NBC's Mike Tirico


This program was on the NBC Sports Network today...

Coach Kelly's interview begins at the 28:00 minute mark.

You may have to sign in to your cable provider to watch this online show:

LINK:  KELLY INTERVIEW

A Holy Week Rosary with Fr. Jenkins, C.S.C.


Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Heaven's Baseball League's Newest Outfielder


Was caught off guard last night when I learned that my "second favorite Detroit Tiger of all-time" -- Al Kaline -- left for Heaven.  He played the game with such grace and class.

I feel like a just lost a little of my childhood...

The photo above is of Kaline sitting between Harvey Kuehn on the left and my Dad, Jim Small on the right.  It's a photo from Opening Day 1956 in the Tiger's dugout, Kaline was 21 years-old playing right field and my dad was 19, playing center field for the Tigers.  (You can tell who the California kid is in this picture -- all bundled up.)

Both (Kaline and my Dad) were "bonus babies" for the Tigers -- they are among the very few in baseball history who went straight from high school to the big leagues as 18 year-olds. 

Kaline did it in 1953, joining the Tigers immediately after his high school graduation from Southern High School (Baltimore, MD) -- and my Dad did the same thing in 1955, right after his high school graduation from Bellarmine College Preparatory (San Jose, CA).

Saturday, April 4, 2020

Coach Kelly Joins High School AD in Live Chat

A Custom Notre Dame Mask for COVID-19


Sally Naxera Benson '76 -- a former Notre Dame Cheerleader -- made her own custom mask to protect her from the coronavirus.  I'm told that's Sally at the top of the pyramid in the photo over her right shoulder...

Sally -- you might have a business here!

Special thanks to my former colleague Bob Quakenbush '76 for alerting me to Sally's creation!

Friday, April 3, 2020

The Story of the "Notre Dame Teddy Bear..."


Fr. Bob Simon -- a diocesan priest at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Moscow, PA -- has never been shy about letting his parishioners know that he's a proud Notre Dame alum...

Well, recently one of his parishioners started a business making custom teddy bears with a focus on individuals who are grieving.  A friend of Fr. Bob commissioned this woman to make him a Notre Dame Teddy Bear (photo above) as a surprise gift.  The custom bear is wearing a Notre Dame hat, a priest's cleric collar and has the ND Monogram and Fr. Bob's name on its chest.  You'll also find the Notre Dame Leprechaun on its back...

It was delivered to Fr. Bob the very day that they were ordered to "stay inside" because of the coronavirus -- divine timing.

Fr. Bob recently learned that people around the country -- inspired by the book "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" by Michael Rosen -- were putting teddy bears in their front windows so that families taking a walk could play a game with their children searching for bears in the windows.

So, Fr. Bob shared this story in a recent homily that was livestreamed to the parish.  He's since learned that many parishioners have joined in the fun -- including Fr. Bob, who has placed the Notre Dame Teddy Bear in the front window of the parish rectory.

Now, that's the story of the Notre Dame Teddy Bear!