Will Jones Be the Starter?

The first game of the 2007 season is just a few hours away, and the question in the front of everybody’s mind is: Who will be Notre Dame’s starting quarterback? Will it be Demetrious Jones, Evan Sharpley, or Jimmy Clausen? The question is one that many people have speculated about, including Jones’ high school coach, who claims that he knows that his former player will be the starter due to his perception that Jones is taking the most snaps in practice. The accuracy of this assessment is neither here nor their, and rumors are flying around faster than ever.

Said Coach Charlie Weis about the importance of the Notre Dame QB position, “Everybody knows how prestigious the Notre Dame quarterback is. There’s one thing everybody in the country is going to know, they’re going to know who the president of the United States is and they’re going to know who the quarterback of Notre Dame is.” All will be answered tomorrow.

To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish football tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on August 31, 2007 - Post a comment

Notre Dame Message Boards’ Bizarre Fixations

There is a nice little article at Slate Magazine, an online publication that is probably more intellectual and wry than interested in actual sports analysis. Regardless, they have a sports section which has new content up every now and then. It’s one of those places that a sports enthusiast should check bi-weekly for some outsider perspective on the sports they are obsessing about. But I digress. The article is about college football and the fanatical message boards that have been popping up on the internet that focus on the some of the nation’s most popular teams. You can check out all of the latest buzz topics, as deciphered by Slate writer Justin Peters.

But if you have been scouring this very blog, then you are probably more knowledgeable about the current state of affairs at Notre Dame than most of the people who read Slate. They bring up that Quinn’s clear replacement, Jimmy Clausen, got in trouble for transporting alcohol and that he had surgery that might affect Coach Charlie Weis’ decision to start him. The good news for everybody in NCAA football land is that the season is just hours away!

To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish football tickets, you should go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on August 30, 2007 - Post a comment

First ND Game in 2007

The first game for which you can get Notre Dame Fighting Irish tickets is for the home opener at Notre Dame Stadium, where the Irish will take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. The Irish will have a chance to take their new offense out for their first real test drive versus a pretty good team. Of course, if you look at the rest of the schedule, this meeting with the Yellow Jackets appears as though it could be one that the Irish are depending on for a win. The bulk of the teams on the Irish’s schedule will be ranked in the Top 25. You will get to see some quality competition all season long, but the home opener might be one where the Irish have a chance to really do some damage.

As for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, the Irish will have a tough opening match up that they should not take lightly. The Yellow Jackets finished last season 9-5 with a conference record that was the best in the ACC. Most people will mention that the Rambling Wreck lost a lot of players over the off season, but few will tell you about the quality freshmen that they have at their disposal. Largely untested, the new Yellow Jackets will have a lot to prove in a conference with plenty of good teams. Unfortunately for the Irish, Georgia Tech is also eyeing this game as one which can set the tone for the entire season.

To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish football tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on August 29, 2007 - Post a comment

Catholicism and the Irish

There are a lot of good reasons to be a Notre Dame Fighting Irish supporter, but according to Clay Travis of CBS Sportsline, being Catholic is not one of them. In his recent article, which he has dubbed part of ClayNation (a title which deserves about as much criticism as Catholic girls and East Coast bandwaggoners’ arguments in support of Notre Dame… but I digress), Travis contends that if somebody tells you that they are a Notre Dame fan because they are Irish, they clearly do not understand that religion is not a good reason to root for a team. He lays it out pretty clearly, and even though it is obvious that he has some personal experiences with this kind of frustration, he makes a few good points. You should read it if you get a chance.

Of course, there are a few points that he might also want to consider. First of all, I think his frustration is misplaced. He is disgusted by people who don’t know anything about football claiming to be a Notre Dame fan because they are Catholic. But why do their opinions matter all that much. In my own experience, having lived exclusively on the West Coast, the only people who can get away with rooting for Notre Dame without a legit reason are people who don’t end up in sports conversations much. So let them root for (what has become) a symbol of their religion if they want to. At least they don’t root for them because they are Irish.

To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish football tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on August 28, 2007 - Post a comment

Notre Dame Gets “Herbie” Awards

The University of Notre Dame has not been getting enough respect these days as the preseason polls and chatter around the league has everybody in college football fandom thinking that this will be a “rebuilding year” for the Irish. Of course, the Irish did make a few of the lists that Kirk Herbstrelt has put together for ESPN.com called The Nation’s Best, which chronicles, in descending order, the best players, teams, fans and coaches in a variety of different categories. Make sure to check it out when you can, even if you are not a Notre Dame fan.

For people who like Fighting Irish football, the list might be a little disappointing. For one thing, the Irish have a distinct lack of representation in several major categories. One area where they make the best showing is in their atmosphere and fan base. They were selected as the number five best student section, and the number five “Best Damn Bands.” John Carlson made a list as one of the best tight ends in the nation.

If you would like to get Notre Dame Fighting Irish football tickets, then you can go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on August 27, 2007 - Post a comment

Notre Dame QB Has Been Chosen

In a press conference interview that is available to view at UND.com, Charlie Weis gets testy, a little, when an reporter presses for more answers regarding his decision about who the starting QB will be when Notre Dame begins the season. According to Weis he chose who the starter will be “two to three weeks ago” yet he has continued to rep all three of the QB prospects with the first string offense. He has not told the player, either Jimmy Clausen, Demetrious Jones or Evan Sharpley, that he has been picked as the starter, but admitted that if those three are unaware of who it will be at this point, then they “aren’t very smart.”

In other news, the Gridiorn helmet has dropped off of the top sellers list at the Notre Dame Online Store. In previous blog entries I had declared my support for the synthetic leather old-style football helmet, but it seems that its popularity, at least for the time being, has begun to wane. It can be found in the New Items section, and is still out of stock and on backorder.

To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on August 24, 2007 - Post a comment

Top College Football Traditions

Notre Dame made a list of the top five college football traditions on ESPN. If you go to the college football page at ESPN, you can click on a video where Len Robbins describes what, to him, are the top five college football traditions. You might be pleased to hear that Notre Dame’s walk across campus was the number four best tradition. Before every home game the Notre Dame players from past and present walk across the campus of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend through crowds of screaming, cheering fans to the stadium.

There is, perhaps, no team in the nation with the kind of tradition of excellence that Notre Dame has, so it was fairly unsurprising to see them make the list. One team which you might not have suspected to make the list was the Army Black Knights. Fellow independent football school, West Point’s drilling, pushups and marching- plus the kissing after touchdowns- made the top of the list. Notre Dame will play Army this year, so if you would like to see that game…

You can get Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football tickets at StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on August 23, 2007 - Post a comment

ND Helmet Moves Up the List

If you visit the Official Notre Dame Athletics website as much as I do, then you are bound to have checked out the online store. Here you can get all the Notre Dame garb you desire before you go to the game or walk around town. There are plenty of great things to buy, from ceramic dog bowls to shot glasses, all with the Notre Dame leprechaun or ND symbol prominently displayed.

Last week I covered the story—at least I thought it was worthy of a story—about the sale of the “Gridiron Football Helmet,” the leather cap with ear holes that Knute Rockne used to lift up to scream at the third Horseman. Well, this “one size fits most” polyester beanie-helmet commemorating the 1924 season has been on backorder for at least a week now. I do not know how the buzz over this item got started, but I am hereby announcing this blog’s endorsement of the Gridiron Football Helmet as the novelty memorabilia-merchandise must-have fashion statement of the 2007 season. Last week it was the #5 most popular item. Well, look now. Number four.

To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on August 22, 2007 - Post a comment

Irish Soccer Kicks Off Preseason Play

As part of the National Soccer Festival at the Fort Wayne Sport Club, the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish soccer team will play an exhibition game against the University of New Mexico Lobos. The Irish are the number eleventh ranked team heading into the 2007 season, and the Lobos are ranked number ten. The game is set for Thursday, August 23 at 6:30 PM. Event though it is a preseason exhibition game, the Irish will be looking at their players closely, as they enter this year with a talented group of returning veterans. While it is much to early to start thinking about the postseason, the Irish know that there is a lot of optimism surrounding the start of the soccer season.

The Fighting Irish will get a chance to test out their game versus No. 20 Northwestern later in the tournament. If you enjoy Notre Dame soccer, then you will want to pay close attention to how the team this year fares in what is considered to be the premier preseason tournament in the nation.

To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish tickets or soccer tickets go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on August 21, 2007 - Post a comment

Weis Defends Clausen’s Citation

Jimmy Clausen has been attempting to be the Irish’s man at the wheel this upcoming season, but he will not be in the drivers seat for any more off season beer runs. Local police caught Jimmy Clausen driving a friend of his, 23, to a store outside of the Notre Dame campus for the purpose of buying alcohol. Clausen drove the car and waited in the vehicle as his friend made the purchases. Cops in an unmarked car rolled up and caught the conspiracy in the act. In Indiana it is illegal for an underage person to be involved in such a way with regards to the transportation or purchasing of alcohol.

So long as Clausen does not get in any legal trouble in the next year, all he will have to do is pay a fine. The rule seems rather nit-picky to me, and the only reason it is of any concern to anybody is that it involves one of the nation’s top QBs. It is unlikely that any reprimand will be implemented by the Irish coaching staff, as Weis has already gone on record defending Clausen when the media brought it up today. It was probably a case where Clausen was misinformed about Indiana’s rules.

To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on August 20, 2007 - Post a comment


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