Mustache, God Bless You

Having just rejoined the fraternity of proud Mustachios.
I would like to take a minute of your time to revisit some of the better mustaches from our favorite and sometime unfavored athletes from the sports world. Let first tackle the best mustache floating around the MLB.
Jason Giambi has a stache that would make former Yankees first baseman Don Mattingly give a silent nod in affirmation. What can one say about this soup stainer? If you want to get out of a slump or go on a hot streak you grow a mustache. Giambi saw his average drop to a paultry .191 that was almost Andruw Jones esque. Fate stepped in, in the form of outfielder and teammate Johnny Damon. Damon trying to break up the monotony of the season convinced Giambi to grow a Lady Tickler. The Gold Thong didnt work but this seams to be the ticket. Giambi has raised his average 80 points to a respectable .264 with 17 HR and a .945 OPS. This all could be just lip service or the fur above the lip? You Decide? I for one beleive in the power of the mustache.

Of course the mustache is not just relagated to the Baseball Diamond.
The NFL quarteback has had a rich history of nose neighbors. Jake Plummer pulled this doozy while throwing left handed interceptions for the Broncos. But Jake was one of many great 'staches. Jeff George had a fanny duster that was 70's porno eque. One of the best is fronted by Broadway Joe. When he wasn't wearing pantyhose or asking to kiss Suzy Kolber he was rocking this gem. Maybe if he still had his Upper Lip Deal Sealer, Ole Suz would have given him a Monday Night rub and tug.

But there are the few failure out there in the sports world that bring down the awesomeness curve. Case and point Lionel Tyrone Willingham. This is a man that exudes mediocrity and tries to hide it behind stoic stares and nonsensical quips to the media that answer no questions at all. Willingham has made efforts to quell this mustache farce. He has been seen sporting a full goatee. An obvious attempt to thwart his downward spiral at Washington and save his job long enough to get back out on the Links. Word on the street is that Mustaches cure slices and lower your handicap by at least 10 points.

And to close out this diatribe on the Mustache I would like to show off a few more legendary 'staches. The clueless stanger, the gentleman caller and for no good reason not Joe Tiller.

Is there a Draft in here?

Always fun to get a little NBA Draft talk going. One of my favorite events of the year. Looking forward to tonight's festivities.

While I love the draft, I find the Draft coverage to sometimes be less than satisfying. Right around this time of the year, we start getting bombarded with various mock drafts on websites and our local newspaper. Am I the only one who doesn't understand the love affair with mock drafts?? What is the point of doing a mock NBA Draft when there are probably going to be 4-5 trades within first 15 picks?? Isn't the NBA Draft more about the players than it is about the teams?? I'm more intrigued by players and and comparing them to former NBA guys and trying to figure out how they are going to fit into the league during their careers. I'd rather just read Chad Ford's unplugged takes on various draft prospects than whether he thinks the Sonics are going to take Brook Lopez or Russell Westbrook. Plus, I'm more of a college guy than an NBA guy, so I'd rather hear about the players than the teams.

So in the spirit of that idea, I figured that I would just throw out some thoughts on the 2008 draft class.

Derrick Rose - In my mind, the only picks tonight where the team is more intriguing than the players are the Bulls and the Knicks. More importantly, assuming that the Bulls draft Derrick Rose tonight, does that pick make the Bulls the team to beat for the next decade in the East?? Do they need to do anything else or can they just ride a core of Rose, Gordon, Deng, Nocioni, Noah, Ty Thomas to the Finals?? Are the Bulls going to trade Hinrich?? I love the Rose pick for the Bulls, but I'm not sure where this move ultimately takes them. It definitely makes them a contender, but do they need anything else?? Seems like they need to package some things together to get a low post scorer.

Michael Beasley - Here was Matt's take on Michael Beasley:

"He seems like the guy who is putting up 20 and 10 for a team that is going 24-58"

Doesn't that pretty much sum up everyone's feelings on Michael Beasley?? Isn't that exactly why Pat Riley wants no part of Michael Beasley?? Beasley would have been a perfect fit in the late 90s when all these "stats first" type guys were going in the top 5. I know Beasley has the physical skills (and admittedly Beasley is a rebounding machine and finishes well around the bucket) to put up numbers in the league, but I can't see making that guy the face of my franchise. Nothing about him screams out "winner" to me, and isn't that what it's all about??Beasley has been pointing out that the "bad character" label is unfair, but haven't we seen so many Michael Beasleys in the past that we kind of know what to expect out of this guy?? He's only 19 years old, and he was already showing visible signs of the typical "bad character" guy during the college season. Sullen demeanor, gets upset at his teammates, lazy approach to defense. He's one of those guys who will be spending the next ten years playing for contracts. That's not the kind of guy I would want on my team.

OJ Mayo - Probably the most controversial player in the draft, and the one player that everyone disagrees on. Some people love him and insist that he's a star in the making, and other people aren't high on him at all. I'm officially torn on OJ Mayo. My first instinct on OJ Mayo was that he's inherently a selfish player and not a natural point guard. I had him pegged for the Steve Francis/Stephon Marbury/Dejuan Wanger/Larry Hughes category of shoot first guys that put up stats but don't make their teammates better and ultimately don't play for winning teams.

Starting to come around on him a little bit though. The talk from people who know the game would be to put him in this "super two" position where he can be a playmaker from the wing and get to the bucket, shoot from the perimeter, and lock people up. That seems like a potentially great fit for his game.

I'm admittedly a little biased against OJ Mayo from knowing too much about his history in high school in Cincinnati and all the shady stuff he has pulled, so I'm not inclined to root for OJ Mayo in the league. I could see him being successful from a pure basketball standpoint, but it would be one of those Stackhouse/Spreewell type careers where he bounces around the league putting up numbers and then eventually falls into a key role on a good team. That would be a good career for Mayo, but would that be a good scenario for the T-wolves picking at #3?? He doesn't seem like he's going to be one of those "12 year career with the same team" kinda guys, which is one of the biggest reasons why I'd shy away from him. If you're the Wolves (or even Seattle/OKC), aren't you looking for a long term guy with your #3/#4 pick?? Simmons and Chad Ford love him for Seattle, but is OJ Mayo going to be able to deal with not being the man there?? Plus, with all his handlers and posse members, you just KNOW that OJ Mayo is going to break the record for most "NBA player wants a new contract" Sportscenter stories. I'd put the over/under on his career at 75,000 "OJ Mayo wants a new deal" or "OJ Mayo unhappy with his contract" lead headlines on ESPN.com. I'm already dreading the idea of seeing those stories, and it hasn't even happened yet!! I agree that Mayo might be the most talented player in the draft, but I just wouldn't want any part of drafting him.

Kevin Love - Here's another guy who is sparking a considerable amount of debate among basketball fans. I'll be the first to admit that white big men usually get a "guilty until proven innocent" reaction out of me. My first instinct with all white big men is that they are a bust unless they prove to me that they are for real. How many white big men get drafted in the lottery every year?? At least 1 or 2, right?? And how many of those guys have actually panned out?? Maybe a half dozen at the most?? Go through some of the names. Spencer Hawes, Luke Jackson, Robert Swift, Kris Humphries (I'm counting him as white), Nick Collison, Michael Bradley, Chris Mihm, Joel Przybilla, Jason Collier and on and on. The white big man has like a 90% bust rate. It's one of the safest bet in sports.

If that's what we're working with here, why do I like Kevin Love?? Not sure. He just seems like a different brand than your typical stiff white big man who comes out of college with like two basic skills (rebound, layups). Love has all kinds of abilities. He can shoot from the perimeter, he has moves in the low post, he crashes the boards like crazy, he's an elite passer for a big man, and he has a high basketball IQ. Matt started throwing out the "white Elton Brand" talk, which could be a good comparison.

I'm a little concerned that Love got neutralized by Joey Dorsey in the Final Four game, but I'd rather have him over a lot of guys in this draft. You know that you're a getting a productive player. There are a lot of busts out there this year, so give me a Brad Miller type player in the late part of the top 10.

Eric Gordon - Now would be a great time to bring in Ravi for a 5,000 word post on Eric Gordon followed by two walks around the block, but I'll just shoot from the hip here. If you look up his comparisons, the names "Mitch Richmond" and "rich man's Ben Gordon" are what you'll see. Interesting.

I agree with Ravi and others that Gordon is going to score points in the NBA. He doesn't look like a freak athlete, but you could make a case that he is. He just finds ways to bulldoze into the lane and draw contact (often finding a way to finish on the way to the free throw line).

My biggest concern about Gordon is that he doesn't have a natural position in the NBA. Can he play the point?? He had the ball in his hands a lot last year, but it wasn't like he was in charge of getting the team into the offense. He's probably not a 1, but can he be a 2?? Is Gordon going to be able to guard 2 guards at 6'3"? I'm a little concerned about that.

Can't get myself to pull the trigger either way on Gordon. I see him putting up numbers, but I don't see him as a franchise guy. This draft is nuts. I could go either way on just about every guy.


Brook Lopez - Keeping with the theme of the draft, some people love this guy (Jay Bilas), and other do not like him at all (Chad Ford apparently). I can't get excited about Brook Lopez. Maybe he'll turn out to be a nice player, but he's a Stanford guy! Cmon, you KNOW he's soft and that he's going to get abused defensively. Even if he turns out ok, Lopez isn't making your team any better. He's just a pick for the sake of taking a pick. Honestly, I actually like the other Lopez (Robin) a little more in some ways. He'll be an Anderson Varejao energy guy in the league. He's not as polished, but I could see him being one of those guys who comes off the bench for a good team to give them boards and putbacks.

The Kansas guys (Arthur, Chalmers, Rush) - Figured I would address all the Kansas guys collectively since they have always sort of been synonomous with one another. I personally like Brandon Rush the most out of the three, and I would love to see him fall to the Cavs in this draft. As long as he has his head on straight, he seems like a perfect fit for the new NBA - someone who can hit shots, run the floor, and lock people up. He seems like one of those Ron Harper type guys who will be a good fit on the wing.

I agree with Simmons on Chalmers. I like Chalmers, but not in the lottery. Isn't he your classic tweener?? Those guys rarely go on to flourish in the NBA. If you're going to be an NBA point guard, you better be a great ballhandler. He doesn't fit in that category for me.

Don't like Arthur at all. Just go back and look at his scoring numbers in the NCAAs, and that's all you need to know. 17, 9, 7, 7, 6, 20. When he brings it, he can be a stud. But if a guy is inconsistent in college, what do you think he's going to be in the NBA when he's making big dollars?? I wouldn't touch him.

Roy Hibbert - As a Big East fan, I feel like I had a lot of opportunities to watch Roy Hibbert play through the years. I watched him dominate Notre Dame many times, and he did have a good career at Georgetown. But do I like him as an NBA prospect?? Ehh.

To be honest, I liked him more last year than I do this year. It seemed like he regressed or something this year. Hibbert has some qualities that you like (pretty good halfcourt defender, good low post moves, great size, intelligent), but he's a stiff!! He has practically zero athleticism. If he was white, he'd be a 2nd rounder. People are romanticizing Roy Hibbert a little bit because he's a Georgetown center, but this guy is not Mourning or Ewing. He's not even Mutombo. Hibbert doesn't have the athleticism to be a good NBA rebounder, and he's not a good fit in the new up-tempo NBA.

People are talking about Hibbert for the Cavs, which makes absolutely no sense to me. Isn't his best case scenario to be another Zydrunas Ilgauskas?? Why do the Cavs want another Big Z?? I could understand taking Hibbert if the Cavs' only need was a backup center, but it's clearly not their only need. The Cavs need a complete overhaul of their backcourt, and taking Hibbert doesn't help them at all.

I think Hibbert has value in this draft and you obviously can't teach size, but I really don't see him as anything other than a backup center. That's not a bad piece to have, but I'm not that excited about Hibbert.

Joe Alexander - Bob Huggins apologist alert! I don't know what to make of Alexander as a pro prospect, but I do like that he spent a year working with Huggins. Huggins was probably a good fit for Alexander because he toughened him up and probably made him a better overall defender. If Alexander wants to succeed in the league, he'll need both those elements.

I watched Alexander probably 5-6 times last year and still don't know what to make of him. The first time I watched him was against ND last season, and I didn't like the guy at all. We totally took him out of the game, he was forcing up bad shots, and he seemed like sort of a selfish player. I sort of wrote him off until watching him late in the year. By then, he was like a completely different player. Suddenly, he was unguardable and could get his shot off from anywhere. I don't know if Alexander is for real, but check out his stats in his last 10 games or so last year. Pretty impressive.

Alexander is another one of those guys who I could go either way on. I feel like he'll probably be a bust or at least an overvalued player, but he has enough talent and production in his history to make me intrigued by him. And like it or not, Huggins has a pretty good track record of developing people into decent NBA players. The fact that Jason Maxiell is currently in the Pistons' 8 man rotation is remarkable to me. I felt like Maxiell could make it in the NBA, but it's still hard to believe that a 6'5" guy with no ballhandling skills is doing as well as he is.

Kosta Koufos - On a scale of 1 to 10 for biggest shockers, the sentence "Kosta Koufos is moving into lottery consideration" ranks at around a 60. I watched this guy for 30+ games last year, and I can tell you point blank that Kosta Koufos is not even close to ready for the NBA. I think he's got bust written all over him, but I'll give a fair breakdown of his game. Koufos has an array of post moves that can make him look impressive at times, but he's so soft that he's hardly ever in position to score down low. As soon as you put him up against the big guys in the Big 10, he'd shy away from the paint and rely on his perimeter game. For a guy with his size, it's remarkable that Koufos almost never got to the free throw line. Koufos is highly skilled, a good shooter, and actually not as bad a passer as people think he is (it doesn't help when no one can catch your passes), but I can't shake the fact that he's too much of a European style player to make it in the NBA. You gotta be able to defend a position in the league, and there isn't one that he will be able to defend at any point in his career.

He has upside, but I just don't see him as a "safe" lottery pick at all. His ceiling as an NBA player is probably as a Toni Kukoc type guy, but he also has major bust potential if he's too soft to hang in the league. I also wonder about his competitiveness in general. He has kind of a blank demeanor, and gives off a "need to get mine first" vibe on the court. Even though he was often the most skilled player on the court last year, he very rarely had much interest in dominating a game.

With that said, I think I'm a little harsh on him because I'm a Thad Matta fan and was a little stung that Koufos left early. I don't blame him for leaving one bit (what person is going to turn down millions of dollars??), but I would have loved to have seen him in a Buckeye uniform for another year.

In Koufos' defense, he really came on towards the end of the year and was arguably dominant in the NIT Tournament. If you look at some of his stats down the stretch, there is reason to think that he was starting to "get it" and use his size to score in bunches. Every time OSU needed a big bucket, he was knocking down a shot.

Chris Douglas-Roberts - You know who I like and I don't understand why he's so low: CHRIS DOUGLAS-ROBERTS!! I love CDR. I think he's the biggest steal in the draft. I don't care what his shooting stats are or his "measurables". He's one of those guys who just knows how to score and do things to help his team win and has a great basketball IQ. Rose was great, but CDR was always the guy who was quietly scoring points and getting boards for Memphis. Is there any doubt that he'll be a top 8 guy on agood team in 5 years?? I think he's going to have a Tayshaun Prince/Rip Hamilton type career. Maybe not quite that good, but a good player. I'd take him in the top 20 and feel great about it.

Sleepers - Donte Greene, Josh Duncan, DJ White - Just a quick comment on these guys. Greene got out of Syracuse at the right time as far as I'm concerned for one reason: no more Jim Boeheim. Jim Boeheim has quietly jumped the shark as a college coach, and it's becoming obvious that he really doesn't have the best system for making players better any more. The media hasn't caught onto the fact that teams routinely shred the "vaunted' Syracuse zone. The Syracuse style of basketball breeds laziness, and I think it actually would have hurt Greene to stick around at Syracuse. He definitely has some ability, and could be a big time sleeper in the Thaddeus Young mold. Get to the league and start learning how to play man to man defense. The NBA has become much more of a professional league in recent years in terms of guys playing hard and playing defense, and it wouldn't have benefited Greene to stick around in a program that doesn't teach those concepts any more.

I figure this blog has to throw in a plug for Cincinnati Moeller High School graduate and Xavier University graduate Josh Duncan. Xavier is a big man pipeline!! Brian Grant, David West, James Posey, Aaron Williams, Tyrone Hill. Pretty much every good forward to come out of Xavier has had a good NBA career. I think Duncan can make it in the NBA.

And call me a Big Ten homer (I swear, Steve Lavin and Brent Musberger are not ghost writing this post), but I also like DJ White as a second round sleeper. White is a competitor, and there's always a few underrated second round guys that stick around in the league. He's probably a little undersized, but half the battle in the NBA is just playing hard. If you give a darn, you'll probably turn out ok in the NBA. White plays hard and he's a good rebounder/interior scorer. He can have a decent career in the league if you ask me.

Ok, that's all I got. Enjoy the draft. Those mustard colored suits are always great.

The Future - Tommy Hanson!

It's shaping up to be a long summer for Braves fans, especially when the realization sinks in that the last act of John Montgomery Schuerholz was to trade away the farm for Mark Teixeira, who will not be leading the Braves to the playoffs as hoped. Despite the quest for .400 from Chipper and the All-Star season being put in by McCann, too many injuries have sabotaged this season. Well, that and the transformation of Jeff Francouer into Jason Michaels.



But the future looks a lot brighter this morning after Tommy Hanson threw a 14 K no hitter in AA last night. The kid is only 21, is 6'6 and has 98 strikeouts in 90 innings this year. Suddenly a rotation next year of Hudson, Jurrjens, Morton, Reyes and Hanson doesn't look so bad. (Note to Frank Wren: please please please do not trade Hanson + prospects to Pittsburgh for Jason Bay). I wouldn't be upset if the Braves trade Tex before the deadline and restock the farm system, maybe get a legit corner bat, and then let's start clearing space at Turner Field for that 2009 NL East banner (maybe right next to the ridiculous cow they just installed).

Back From the Dead

I would like to take this opportunity to try and rekindle the flame that once was We is Notre Dame. A trip to Vegas less than a month ago really got me thinking and a few others that we should revive the blog and continue to share the thoughts of our sick minds. If you like long winded diatribes about Big East basketball and insane ramblings about the Atlanta Braves we will be bringing them back to you all.
I lay down the gauntlet to my fellow We is NDers to help me in reviving the blog and bringing her back to her former glory.

Are You Ready For Some Football?!

If you're like me and can't wait two more days for the most anticipated Irish football campaign in more than a decade, then you're in luck.

The intro for Saturday's Prime Time "ESPN on ABC" event surfaced on the web. Brent Musberger leads us out of the gate, revving the hype machine one last time before the players back up the expectations on the field.

Lingering questions since walking out of Rula Bula's January 3rd with a clean slate, fresh outlook and a minor buzz:

Will the Offense According to Weis v.2 ascend to comical levels of effeciency and production?

Can a RB switch to starting LB without ever playing a college defensive down and have an impact, preferably positive?

How much has the secondary learned from their past indiscretions of biting on ball fakes and miscommunication?

How much will the forgotten one, Rhema, blow up in the mastermind's grand scheme? McKnight and the Shark will be option 1 and 1A for Brady as he rewrites every school record imaginable.

What will supplant "Same Old Jesus" in the parking lot T-shirt sweepstakes? I'm talking to you enterprising freshmen. Dazzle us.

Will Brady and the rest of this cast of characters etch their place in Irish legendary status with a championship season?

Game On. Let's Go Irish!

NFL Thoughts

Am I the only one who mises the Sunday Night NFL ESPN guys? I'm as big a Tony Kornheiser fan as anyone, but I sort of miss the silliness of the Joe, Paul, and Mike team. Can we get at least one "HOLY COW, How good is Peyton Manning?!" this year in honor of those guys?

What on God's Earth are the Raiders doing as an organization? Art Shell? Aaron Brooks? You gotta be kidding me! How could the Raiders possibly think that Art Shell and Aaron Brooks are going to provide long term solutions at Head Coach and QB? I'm surprised Al Davis didn't just hire himself to complete the mess. Granny Davis has been clueless for about 15 years, but it's amazing that there isn't more outrage from the Raider Nation about the direction of that franchise. Instead of demanding change, Raider fans have just stopped going. Just more fuel to the fire for the argument that there isn't the same level of passion for sports on the West Coast as there is in the East.

Not that I'm all that surprised about it, but Reggie Bush is incredible. I really have no idea what to expect of Reggie Bush as far as stats go this year. Would love to see the Saints just get him 25-30 touches a game to see what kind of numbers he could put up. Sky is the limit. The league is THAT much more exciting with Reggie in the league.

Jay Cutler! How good did he look in the preseason opener?! Bronco fans have to be pretty excited about their future at QB. How long before Tennessee Titan fans start wondering why they drafted Vince Young (who has bust written all over him) over Jay Cutler?

I know the Arizona Cardinals are super cheap as an organzation, but I think Matt Leinart really blew it by holding out. How many times have we seen QBs come late to camp, lose credibility in the locker room, and have trouble adjusting to the league? It seems to happen every year. Leinart has no leg to stand on here by asking for top 5 money. Just take what you can get, get into camp, prove yourself on the field, and then load up on a huge contract extension in a few years.

Speaking of quarterbacks, if Alex Smith ends up becoming a good quarterback, I am personally writing an apology letter to that guy and ordering up an extra large bowl of crow. He is supposedly looking great in the preseason. I'll believe it when I see it, but I'm a little more nervous about the "Bust" label that I've gleefully pasted on him since the day he was drafted.

On the Bengals front, if Carson Palmer wasn't out with this injury, I'd be legitimately thinking about the Super Bowl this year. This is the most talented Bengal team I have seen, and there is depth everywhere. Very excited about some of the new young DBs and LBs. And if anyone is looking for a big time fantasy sleeper, keep an eye on Chris Henry. I know he's a thug and a menace to society and that I probably shouldn't like him, but the guy is an absolute STUD. As good as Chad Johnson was early in his career, I actually think Chris Henry is better. If the guy isn't suspended or in jail, he could become one of the top receivers in the league.

Not sure what to make of the Bengals this year, but I have a feeling that they'll dig themselves into a hole early in the year without Palmer. The toughest games of the year are in the beginning of the season, and I'm not ready to trust Anthony Wright for any extended period of time. With Palmer in limbo, I think this team is going to have trouble making the playoffs this year.

By the way, the story of the preseason so far is this Bill Cowher retirement scenario. If this season is really the last for The Chin in Pittsburgh, AFC North fans across America are quietly pumping their fists. I have as much respect for Cowher as a coach as I do for any coach in any sport. Remarkable consistency, phenomenal motivator, and one of the all-time great characters of the NFL. He will be missed (but not by me).

Is it me or is fantasy football almost getting TOO big? I feel like everyone and their grandma is signed up for fantasy football this year. Might be time for some sort of football IQ test that you have to pass to be eligible for a fantasy football team.

Great to see Maurice Stovall looking good in camp. If you watched the guy play at Notre Dame, you knew he would turn himself into a good pro. Great size, underrated hands, good blocker, great playmaking ability on the deep ball. I couldn't believe he fell all the way to the 3rd round, but the Bucs got a steal with MoSto. There are going to be some teams that regret not drafting him. Still think he will be missed more up in South Bend than we are willing to admit.

Overrated NFC team: Dallas. I don't really buy into the Dallas hype this year. Drew Bledsoe is still wildly inconsistent, T.O. is showing his true colors as a team cancer, and they weren't all that sound in the running game last year. That team has major questions on offense. Pretty good defensive team, but I am skeptical about them as a Super Bowl contender.

Underrated NFC team: Philadelphia. I thought about going with Tampa Bay, but I'll go with the Eagles in this category. The Eagles have been looking good in the preseason, and I think they have their mojo back. I could see the Eagles getting back to the playoffs this year and maybe even winning the NFC East.

Overrated AFC team: New England. Call me crazy, but I think New England is going to take a step back this year. There's only so many years that you can contend for a title before you start to lose pieces, and I feel like New England has lost a ton of talent in the last couple years. Their only playmaker at WR is Deion Branch, Corey Dillon is getting older, and they've lost a ton of players on defense in recent years. If it wasn't for Bellichick and Brady, I'd be predicting a 7-9 type season.

Underrated AFC team: Don't really know. Maybe Miami (although they might be in the "so underrated that they might be overrated" category), maybe San Diego. Seems like there are a lot of AFC teams that are weaker this year than they were last year. I have a feeling that the AFC is going to take a step back this year. I could see the balance of power shifting back to the NFC.

Best. Party. Ever.

September 9, 2006. The party convenes yet again. It really doesn't get much better than postgame tailgating with these guys.

http://www.bachelorsbounty.com/

Go Irish.

Can't wait.

Football Season is Here!!! Virtually

NCAA Football 2007 is Here

While the season is still a month and a half away the Saturday Afternoon football fans can now get their fix. NCAA Football 2007 from EA sports is that fix. I went to Best Buy this afternoon with visions of National Championships dancing in my head. I rushed home to find out just how good the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish Varsity Travel Tackle Football Squad is. I was pleasantly surprised at how good the offense is. Brady Quinn and Jeff Samardzija are the best Touchdown Duo in the game. Everything thrown by Brady is on the money and Jeff makes catches that would make a Chinese acrobat jealous.

Darius does what he does best just run down hill and gain yards. The offensive line makes holes and protects Brady. But as a whole, the offense is as solid as a Brick Shit House.

Defense is where the season could be derailed. It seems every player on the team forgot how to wrap up when they tackle. I was ashamed to have given up a touchdown to The Gentleman Caller Joe Tiller and his Mustached Men from West Lafayette, because the secondary cant seem to tackle a running back on a sweep. I hope that isn’t a sign of things to come for the season.

NCAA 2007 fills the much-needed void that has existed since the National Championship Game until the first kick off of the new season. Since then there has been a top five recruiting class, a spring game, and a bunch of recruits that have committed before they even take a snap of their senior seasons. All of this is trying to fill the emptiness that is the off-season.

Weekend Warriors rejoice in that fact that football season is around the corner and NCAA Football 2007 gives the fanatics a chance to live out their hopes and dreams of a National Championship in their living room. So teams like Boise State can use this time to get your National Championship out of the way. So you don’t have to complain later when you are undefeated in the WAC and claim to have a stake of the National Title.

So take solace football fans and gamers alike. NCAA 2007 is here to save you from yourself and going nuts refreshing NDNation and Irish Eyes every 5 minutes to see if Arrelious Benn has committed or if Gary Gray has spurned South Carolina for the Irish.

Get ready for the season in the virtual world then get ready to strap it up for the real thing on September 2nd at 8:00pm down in Atlanta.

Dancin' with Expansion

Came across this article in the Columbus Dispatch yesterday about a possible NCAA Tournament expansion.

Quick flash poll. Any thoughts on this? I am curious to hear some perspective from ND fans on this one because we are one of the schools that could have benefited from a few extra slots in the Big Dance over the last few years. It puts our fanbase in a unique position to gauge this idea because, unlike UConn and Carolina fans, we have actually been sweating it out on that bubble.

Personally, even as a Notre Dame fan, I’m completely opposed to the idea. And I have my reasons.

1. Expansion would devalue the regular season

Yea, I know this argument gets brought up by college football and basketball “purists” all the time, and people are tired of hearing these doomsday projections about how regular seasons won’t matter anymore if changes are made to the postseason formats. With that said, isn’t there some truth to the argument?

I think so. The best part of the college hoops season is during that late February and early March period when every night there are big games with tournament implications. I love following all the “Bubble Watch” and “Bracketology” stuff on the internet, arguing with friends about mid-majors vs. power teams, and all the other buildup leading to Selection Sunday. It’s one of my two or three favorite sports seasons of the year. I’d be bummed to see that go away. If you expand the tournament, the bubble essentially goes away. Let’s say a mediocre Alabama team beats LSU on the road on a Tuesday night in late February. With the present format, that is a huge statement win for them and means a lot for their NCAA Tournament chances. After expansion? Alabama is probably already dancing, so the game loses a little luster. It’s still a big win for Alabama and their fans, but the regular season suddenly becomes a little less interesting for college hoops fans in general.

2. Tournament Dilution

Let’s say this expansion idea goes down. Who are we really adding here? 17-12 teams with bad strength of schedules and losing conference records? Small conference schools that are already overrepresented as it is? Why on Earth does anyone want to see those teams in the Big Dance?

In the end, that’s the biggest reason I am not in favor of this thing. As it stands now, making the NCAA Tournament is a big deal. The small schools have truly accomplished something, and the big schools have distinguished themselves by getting the invite. If you expand this thing any further, it cheapens the whole thing. I know that ND has been squeezed a few times recently, but did we really “deserve” to be dancing? The 2005 team lost to Rutgers in the first round of the BET and looked like it could care less about continuing the season. The 2004 team was an average team at best. Those teams could have made a case for being in the tournament, but I sure as heck didn’t consider it some sort of injustice that they were left out.

Maybe I’m just a patient type, but I’d rather it mean something when ND gets back to the Big Dance and not just be some charity case. If we get in now, it's a source of pride. It should remain that way in the future.

3. Coaches in favor of this proposal just want a safety net

If you manage to wade through all the rhetoric being bandied about by college basketball coaches championing this idea, you get to the heart of the matter. Coaches want expansion because they are pissing down their leg about missing the NCAA Tournament and want a guaranteed safety net. They want to be able to say that they’ve been to the NCAA Tournament 7 times in the last 9 years. By expanding the tournament, it makes their job a whole lot easier. Coach (Insert mediocre big conference head coach) doesn’t have that “failed to make the NCAAs 3 out of the last 4 years” tag hanging over him anymore because pretty much everyone with a pulse is getting in.

I understand where those guys are coming from, but I still don’t support the idea. Notice how the idea is only getting support from the “bubble” coaches. You don’t see Calhoun, Roy, and Kryskewski jumping on this proposal. They sure as heck don’t want to have to play an additional tournament game against some undeserving run-of-the-mill squad. Adding another round strikes me as unnecessary. It would drag along the tournament, and dilute the field.

The tournament is perfect as it stands. Buildup in the regular season, meaningful conference tournaments, 65 teams, 6 rounds, one champion. It’s the best tournament in the world (yes World Cup fans, read that last sentence again.). Leave it alone.

"You're with me, leather"

I know this blurb from Deadspin has already made its way around the internet a million times, but I just couldn't sit and let this thing slide by without it making an appearance on this site.

It just never gets old. Chris freaking Berman. If that story is actually true (and I'm 99.999% convinced that it is), doesn't it completely change your perception of Berman? We're talking about the Swami. The man who loves to say Jake "Daylight comes and I wanna" Delhomme. You're with me, leather? Can you even picture Chris Berman waddling around the local watering hole working the singles scene? Does he bust out the ESPN catchphrases for the ladies as well?

Oh and by the way, there are now shirts commemorating the "You're with me, leather" line from the Swami himself. Pretty sure I'll be hitting "Add to Cart" for that beauty as soon as I finish this post. You gotta love capitalism.

If you're out at the bars this weekend, PLEASE pull out the "You're with me, leather" line. Just once. It worked for Berman, and it might even work for you. For all we know, "You're with me, leather" as a pickup line is batting 1.000.

Utley of the Week

Introducing a new award to the We is ND pages, The Utley. This fine distinction has no parameters, qualifications or requirements necessary and carries absolutely no East or West Coast bias. Dedicated to the indomitable spirit of Mike Utley and his thumb-up acknowledgment to Detroit Lions fans, an Utley is conferred upon an individual/team/organization/movement for a deserving bit of sportsmanship, good play, or meritorious acclaim that might not find its way into Stuart Scott's Boo-Yah roll call. Basically, it rewards the unremarkably remarkable, the "stop to smell the roses" stuff that gets lost amidst the bling and hoopla that tends to consume big time sports.

Remember the Jason McElwain story? His accomplishments are certainly worthy of at least a double Utley and would be a fitting first bestowal, but that story's been played out. We gotta start with something fresh and original, something distinct with flavor. That said, the inaugural Utley of the Week is a touch off the wall, but, then again, so is this site.

I came across this article (and it's accompanying gallery) during a recent surf and was smitten. You mean to tell me there's people who care enough to rally public opinion to bring the 'stache back into our culture's good graces? That is Good News.

You may be asking yourself- what possible relevance does facial growth have to sports? Unbeknownst until recently, I discovered a subculture, much like professional eating and the Great Outdoor Games, where the growing gets a little competitive. We all have a friend who beats everyone to the 5 o'clock shadow by noon, but can they do this? And if you need inspiration, here's a celebrity montage of well-coiffed mustachios from some of our most beloved characters.

Believe it or not, there's serious follicle festivities at work at the New York City Beard & Mustache Championships. And if your mane is the main event domestically, you just might be a contender for the World Beard Championships.

If you think you've got what it takes, perhaps you should get in touch with the founder and self-appointed captain of the Beard Team USA, Phil Olsen. I'm awe-struck that a national circuit for this sort of thing even exists. His blog offers as in-depth a look into competitive beard growing as you'll find. And what's more American than growing your God-given hair to the length of your choice and "splitting hairs" over it?

For that, the "Americans For More Mustaches And Beards" movement gets an Utley.

Milligan Minute - Where have you gone Sid Bream?

And we've reached a new low. The Atlanta Braves are now in Last place in the NL East a place they have not seen since the Miracle season in 1991. When they went from worst to first. Where have you gone mister Sid Bream? During their decent into last place the Braves have lost 17 of their last 20. The last time we won a series was Memorial Day weekend when there was a solid sweep of the Chicago Cubs. I think the Braves caught a solid case of suck from the Cub when they made their holiday stop. I am not only one disheartened by the fact that they are 14 game out and got swept by the Florida Marlins. A team that has given away any player that was a part of their World Championship Team in '03.

The thing that is wrong with the Braves is I think are expecting to lose. They have their roster issues like no Bullpen and no lead off hitter. But they have lost their will to win. They need some serious therapy, they also need to look into making some trades. What good is having the best farm system in the game if you never use it for anything? They all need to get together and listen to some rocking tunes by Peter Gammons and grow a set of balls.

Where is the camaraderie that helped them win the last 14 NL East titles? Where is the pitching that has been the staple of the Braves organization? Where is the Wizard John Schuerholz making deals to fix the problems? Where is the owner of the team?

Where are you Jeff Francoeur? Where are you Brian McCann? Where are you Chipper Jones? Where are you Andruw Jones?
Where were you when Sid slid???

Gammons comes alive

Get out your credit cards, folks! The long-awaited debut album from the Hall of Famer himself, Peter Gammons! Album is titled "Never Slow Down, Never Grow Old." Wait, this is Peter Gammons we're talking about? The Peter Gammons who can barely walk and allegedly wears an adult diaper?

Album features vocals from Theo Epstein, Bronson Arroyo, Trot Nixon, Tim Wakefield, and the rookie sensation himself, Jonathon Papelbon. I'm just shocked to see Gammons line up some current and former Red Sox for this thing. Shocked I tell you. I mean, when does Gammons ever talk about the Red Sox?

Laugh all you want, but tell me you aren't a little curious to hear what Gammons sounds like. Here's an article about the process of making the album.

Close your eyes and picture these lyrics coming out of the mouth of the man who loves to discuss the Double A prospects of the Milwaukee Brewers:

''She fell from heaven.
She fell from heaven.
She fell from heaven.
And landed . . . on her face."

I'm having a hard time refraining from laughing every time I look at the picture of Gammons on the album cover trying to rock out. At the very least, if the rock star thing doesn't work out, he can always go back to posing for the $20 bill.

Playing Catch [up]

Apologies for the brief hiatus. I was sent on assignment to the Galapagos Islands to study the evolution of Fitches in the NBA. In a nutshell, the genus Bill Fitch adapted to its surrounding environment and evolved into the genus Gerald Fitch, and the NBA game became better. A fleshed out thesis is pending.

In my absence, the sporting world certainly kept turning, chock full of compelling stories and developing situations. A quick recap of some highlights to catch up on what's transpired.

-The NFL found a new way to stir the pot this spring, stealing headlines for weeks with Draft coverage. In a bold, and most would agree, stupid move, the Houston Texans passed on the unparalleled Reggie Bush to snatch a DE from a 7-5 NC State team. This reeks of the 1983 Bowie-Jordan NBA draft mulligan. Time always tells, but that is one ginormous silverback gorilla placed on Mario Williams' back.

Always encouraging to see Irish names pop up on draft boards, especially 1st Day draftees Fasano and Mo Sto. The talent cupboard is being replenished. More under the radar, it's quite obvious that Charlie's willing to reach out to his NFL frat brothers in securing jobs for his graduating seniors. All the more reason for players to buy into his system. Charlie will get you to Sunday.

- Barry Bonds "cleared" and "creamed" his way past the Babe, yet only San Franciscans gave a hoot. Meanwhile, Albert Pujols started as hot as Hansel, well ahead of pace to break Bonds' single season home run mark, a fitting parting gift to the sullied slugger. The Cardinals could roll Pujols out in a wheelchair and he'd still knock a few out of the park. Don't call it a conspiracy theory yet, but anyone else perplexed at teams' insistence on pitching to Prince Albert? The guy is the game's best hitter and he hardly gets a free pass. He has two more (12) intentional walks than Raul Ibanez (10) for god's sake. Is there a silent understanding in the league to supplant Bonds' records ASAP? Would anyone be opposed to this?

-Cowboy Dirk and the Dallas Mavericks keep trucking through this snails pace playoffs. It appears Mark Cuban's insanity will pay off with a title. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge Cuban fan and think his ownership mentality is great for sports. His blog is quality, too. It's nice to finally see some new blood in the NBA Finals. It's hard to believe only 5 cities have brought home a championship since 1987. Can you name them? Answer at the bottom.

-Rafael Nadal continued his clay court mastery, fending off Roger Federer to defend his French Open crown. His unbeaten streak on the red clay is now a record 60 matches long. There's a rivalry brewing in ATP-land. It appears Federer has finally found a worthy adversary in the 20-year old Nadal, a perfect foil to keep his supremacy in check.

-The World Cup kicked off last week in Deutschland, sending myriads of futbol fans into a frenzy. Nothing really tops the Copa Mundial. Olympian in its four-year intervals, the world's best athletes grab center stage, showcasing their dazzling array of tricks. Critics (read: Americans) cry that there's not enough scoring. Whatever happened to that virtue called patience? Whaa whaa all you want, but the wait is almost always worth it, as the best goals of World Cup 2002 prove. There's a magnetism inherent in every game. Just listening to the omnipresent drone of the crowds chanting and cheering for their country is intoxicating. It's truly pure sport at its finest.

You want to know the origins of the endzone celebration? Look no further than soccer goal celebrations. It's a showman's dream come true for that brief moment before your teammates mob you. Liverpool's Robbie Fowler makes T.O.'s antics look childish as he sniffs a white line after a goal. (Add your own subtitles). England's got a new dance craze- The Crouch- which is a notch above The Sprain. Thankfully, this dumb luck can't happen to you amidst celebration on the gridiron.

-Last but not least, ND Football made plenty of headlines of their own this off-season. The Blue-Gold game affirmed that Charlie Mania is in full bloom. A record number of Weisaholics turned out to watch the ho-hum affair. The game was icing on the cake after the #1 QB in the country committed to Notre Dame earlier that morning. Boy Wonder Jimmy Claussen plans to enroll in January, 2007 to fully immerse himself in Weis’ regimen for success. Top recruits are following his lead, making sure not to be left out of a bumper crop. Charlie has piqued the country's best and so far 7 commitments have fallen like dominos with a predestined goal – dynasty.

One certainty this fall will be the full-blown media overkill hyping Brady Quinn's Heisman campaign. He can try and evade the attention like a blitzing safety, but if he puts up comparable numbers to last year, the Debate for Eight will rage all season.

The player that may have the biggest hand(s) in making Quinn's Heisman hype a reality is creating a mystique onto his own. Jeff Samardzija, 5th round draft pick of the Chicago Cubs, has agreed on a contract and should test the waters of summer ball in Boise, Idaho. Don't be calling him Bo just yet, despite this clever allusion.

The Shark’s not the only one with a high-profile summer job. Roommate Tommy Z stepped into the ring at Madison Square Garden and punished the stiff who dared don a Buckeye jersey (Justin Zwick, of all players!). If those 49 seconds don't strike fear in every wide receiver crossing the middle this fall, I don't know what will. Not a bad gig, paying ~$510 per second.

Trivia Answer: Chicago, Detroit, Houston, LA and San Antonio.

Milligan Minute

For all those unaware, the Milligan Minute is a place to read the thoughts of a Mad Man. So lets get started.

Baseball is in full swing and everything that is wrong with Baseball is taking center stage. Barry Bonds just hit homerun 714 to tie Babe Ruth. The New York Yankees and Mets and their purchased teams are in first place in their respective divisions. That is what I hate about baseball, teams in the smaller markets can not compete and get left behind and this makes for no revenue in these markets during the later months of the season. They can never recover. Baseball needs to take a long look in the mirror and step up and ratify a salary cap. I know this will mean some of the great old time players will get run out of town when they get to expensive, but this will make George Steinbrenner stop holding a fire sale on his farm team. The farm system is what keeps fans interested in the game. I don’t like watching a team of a bunch of guys purchased to play one or two seasons. They don’t have anything vested in the franchise. Fans want to watch a player rise up from the ranks and have some vested interest on how this kid develops. They want to see him become the super star for their team. They don’t want to see an aging star that cant play every day because his knees cant handle jogging to first base.
Until baseball levels the playing field and makes everyone competitive, baseball will never be America's game. It will be the game of the fans in a few select cities and everyone else is thinking football season cant get here soon enough.

A Good Omen

This Classic Peanuts turned up in the Chicago Tribune yesterday. Being a wee bit superstitious, it's hard not to buy into Lucy's optimism this season, especially after winning last night's home opener against the playoff contending Oakland A's on an evening dedicated to Kirby Puckett's lasting influence on Minnesota Twins baseball.

Cheers to Mr. Charles Schulz, a native Minnesotan, for steadfastly believing in the team's fortunes, even from the grave. Go Twins!

Taking the Bus to the Hall of Fame

Put Jerome Bettis and Hall of Fame in the same sentence and you start picturing that cozy Ohio football mecca, Canton. Alas, the Bus must wait in the depot a few years before that inevitable call.

But thanks to the PBA, a bust will be enshrined this summer to the ring-toting Notre Dame star, inducting Jerome as the very first Celebrity Bowling Hall of Famer.

Unbeknownst to many, Bettis has been an avid bowler since childhood. Those Campbell Chunky Soup commercials in the bowling alley weren't a coincidence.

Football was his profession, but bowling remains his past time, and he happens to be pretty damned good. He maintains a 200+ average on the greased lanes, even laying claim to a perfect 300 game, a turkey party John Madden would have been proud of.

All hail the Bus. Hopefully his athletic career is reincarnated on the PBA Tour. You're telling me you wouldn't be glued to the set watching the drama unfold between Bettis and bowling royalty like bad boy Pete Weber, horseshoe champion Walter Ray Williams and the inspiration for the Bohn Zone, Parker Bohn III? Sign me up!

Spring Hopes Eternal - ND Spring Football Preview

Well, it's about time weisnd.blogspot.com threw in some commentary on ND football. You didn't think we were going the whole spring without one post on spring ball, did you?

Ok, show of hands. As much as you enjoyed last season, did any of you start to daydream a little bit about 2006? How could you not? Brady Quinn returning as a senior, most of the o-line back, Samardzija coming off an All-American season, Darius Walker, Derek Landri, Trevor Laws, and tons of stud recruits coming on board. Throw in a schedule that looks very manageable with most of the traditional powers at home, and it was hard not to start thinking about a #1 ND team heading into the LA Coliseum to play a #2 USC team for a Fiesta Bowl birth.

Well folks, 2006 has arrived. Spring ball is finally here, and we are ready to get the ball rolling on some ND spring football discussion. I would love nothing further than to be partying it up next January after a national title victory in the Fiesta Bowl, but we have some things that need to get done in order to make it happen.

I’m going to call this little discussion the “Spring Buffet.” Lots of different stuff to discuss, and hopefully something in here for everybody to enjoy.

Here are the ten things on my mind as we head into the Blue-Gold game:

1. Maurice Stovall

Look, I think the offense will be fine and might even be better than it was last year, but is anyone else mildly concerned about the loss of Maurice Stovall? You get the vibe that ND fans feel that Rhema McKnight and company will keep the passing game rolling along without any type of transition. I have been in this camp for the most part, but now I’m starting to wonder if I’ve underestimated the impact of losing Stovall. If you haven’t watched some of those individual game highlight videos on NDNation.com, do yourself a favor and check them out. They are PHENOMENAL. Anyway, I watched most of the videos, and was in awe of Maurice Stovall. I completely forgot how much of a stud the guy was last year. Good god, talk about a man-child! The Terrell Owens of college football. Pretty much unguaradable on those jump ball throws, and always found a way to get open in the endzone. If you threw him that sideline stop route, he could bull his way to an 8 or 9 yard gain with ease. Stovall’s performance in the MSU game was beyond belief. It was positively Puckett-esque in the second half. Having Stovall was such a luxury because we always had the threat of a quick score on the deep ball with him. The buzz in camp is that Rhema has looked great, but our offense might be a little more tailored to the mid-range passing game with McKnight and Grimes in the mix. Might be something to keep an eye on this year. I have faith that Weis will maximize the talent on the roster, but it will be interesting to see if our offense has a slightly different look this year. Also curious to see how DJ Hord looks this year. You can tell that DJ has loads of ability. I am hoping for a promising sophomore year out of him with a potential breakout junior year in 2007.

2. Anthony Fasano

Another personnel loss that ND fans will want to keep an eye on. Fasano is another guy who had an incredible year last year. I can’t even count how many times Fasano had a clutch catch in a big situation over the last couple years. I really enjoyed watching him. Pretty sure my dad has already inducted him into his personal “white ND tight ends with great hands” Hall of Fame along with founding member Dan O’Leary. I will miss that paisan tremendously. How do you replace a guy like Fasano? Well, we’ve been hearing Charlie Weis rave about John Carlson as the “best athlete on the team” for a couple years, but we’ve only seen the guy in small doses. All the spring articles have been raving about Marcus Freeman, so that is a nice surprise. Marcus Freeman’s recruiting video highlights are right up there with the most impressive high school highlights that you will ever see. Glad to see him putting it together. Those two guys need to give us production in the passing game and in the running game for this offense to keep trucking along.

3. Charlie “The Mind” Weis

Ok, enough with the concerns. Think about how much Charlie Weis accomplished with this team in one year. The team literally turned into an offensive juggernaut overnight. ND has great players and great athletes, but there’s no denying that Weis’ schemes and playcalling were a huge catalyst for the offensive explosion last season. Weis is not one of those coaches who is only successful with the right personnel. He has been a master in New England and at ND in creating an offensive scheme to match his personnel by taking advantage of the strengths of his roster.

I can’t wait to see what Weis has in store for this season. I really wouldn’t be surprised by anything at this point. More reverses and screens to McKnight? Done. Increased emphasis on the running game? Sounds good. More play action? Works for me.

Bottom line, ND is going to put up a ton of points. Might be a little different than last year, but the offense will be a consistent force throughout the season. As long as the offense is rolling this year, you have to like our chances to run the table.

4. Offensive line

4 starters back, one or two All-American candidates, 5 stud recruits coming in. Have to be really excited about the progress of this unit. There wasn’t an area of the team more improved than the offensive line last year, but I’ll be curious to see if there is more of an emphasis on straight run blocking out of this group. Most of our success running the ball came through draw plays and misdirections, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see more of a power running game with James Aldridge on board. With Penn State and Michigan coming up early in the schedule, I wouldn’t mind seeing ND try to match their physical play with a little flexing of our own.

O-line could be trouble after this year though. We have very little depth from the upperclasmen and will be relying on youth in 2007. Honestly, how bad was Ty Willingham? Could he have possibly done a worse job at ND than he did? How hard is it to recruit o-linemen to Notre freaking Dame? Linemen are usually foaming at the mouth to play for ND, and yet he couldn't bring in more than two linemen in that second recruiting class. What an absolute joke that man was.

5. Defensive line

Returning: Trevor Laws, Derek Landri, Victor Abiamiri, “Play like a” Ronald Talley today, and Chris Frome. Derrell Hand, Dwight Stephenson and Justin Brown as backups.

Strengths: Laws and Landri. If there is a better combo in the middle than Landri and Laws, I would be stunned. Landri has been a force for three years now, and I expect an All-American type year out of him. I love how active both those guys are. They both make plays behind the line of scrimmage, which is all I can really ask out of a defensive tackle. Abiamiri has been a solid player at ND, Talley has some ability to get up the field, and Frome was somewhat underrated while healthy.

Concerns: The D-line is probably the strength of the defense, but I’m still not in love with this defensive line. Abiamiri has his moments as “The Manimal,” but I wouldn’t call him a disruptive force on that d-line. Talley got shoved around a lot last year, and no one really knows how Frome will look coming off the injury. There is absolutely no depth with this unit. If Laws or Landri go down, we are staring at a virtual unknown like Derrell Hand.

Outlook: We have to get some more consistent pass rush this year. Those 3rd and 10 conversions late in the OSU game fall squarely on the D-line if you ask me. Abiamiri needs to step up and become a Justin Tuck type dominator on the end. No real word yet on Frome’s health. Would like to see him return healthy and give us some production at end. Might be nice to see Hand take a step up with an eye toward a starting job in 2007. This unit looks ok now, but will be a major question mark in 2007. Could be staring at a Talley, Brown, Hand, Stephenson front four or something along those lines. Yikes.


6. Linebackers

Probably the biggest concern on the team right now. I think there are some sleepers at LB, but it doesn’t help that we’ll be breaking those guys in against some heavy hitters like Penn State and Michigan. Is anyone else a little concerned about a linebacker trio of Anthony Vernaglia, Maurice Crum, and Mitchell Thomas with a little Joe Brockington and Steve Quinn sprinkled in? Umm..me too. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been apologizing to their recruiting profiles for about 3 years, but we’ve never seen them on the field.

Is Vernaglia the real deal or the next Mike McNair? Is he big enough to play LB? Is Mitchell Thomas ever going to make a contribution after all the recruiting promise? What about guys like Joe Brockington and Nick Borseti that have flown under the radar but haven’t really played? Where do the young guys like Steve Quinn, Toryan Smith, and Mo Richardson fit into this picture? Will Ndukwe see any time at the Apache spot?

Lots of question marks. On the bright side, there is talent and possibly a little more speed than we’ve had in the past. Nothing against Brandon Hoyte or Curry or Goolsby, but those guys were a bit on the slow side. If your linebackers are running 4.9 40 times, you are susceptible to some big plays and might have some trouble on the sidelines. Vernaglia and Thomas have some speed, and the young guys look promising. ND has always had solid linebacker units, so I’m not too worried about finding guys that can play. Whether or not there are any standouts in this group is something that we will have to find out. Hope a couple of them break out next year. LBs could be a strength of this team in 2007 with so many young guys expected to get time this year.

7. Defensive Backs

Did I just say that the linebackers were the biggest concern on the team? Scratch that. Unless you’ve chosen to eliminate the Stanford and OSU games from memory (I wouldn’t blame you), you are probably thinking that the DB situation needs to be improved this year.

Let’s breakdown the starters and throw out some potential backups to ponder:

Corners:

Ambrose Wooden – I know there are a lot of people who are really high on Wooden, but is he really good enough to be starting on a top 10 team? Ehh. Not a bad player, but not even close to an elite player. He’s got some speed, and made some huge plays for us last year. Still, do you think Ambrose Wooden will be playing on Sundays some day? Me neither.

Mike Richardson – Currently in his 12th year at ND (at least it seems that way), the elder statesman of the defense. Again, not a terrible player, but hardly the lockdown guy that this team needs.

Leo Ferrine – Uncle Leo rose onto the scene last year with a great offseason, but his debut last year was scary. My heart shot up into my throat every time the ball was thrown in his direction. Made a big play on the td return in the Syracuse game, but left a lot to be desired in other games (namely Tennessee). Need Leo to step up this year.

Terrail Lambert – The story of the camp so far! I like Lambert. He’s the one corner on this team who looks like he has played the position before. I’ve been impressed with this guy in limited playing time, and am somewhat perplexed as to why he hasn’t played more. Supposedly has had a great camp, and will be starting in the BG game. I think Lambert has a bright future, and like his cover skills.

Raeshon McNeil/Darrin Walls – The young phenom freshmen. See me in August. I will say this right now. If these guys are better than the upperclassmen, you have to get them on the field right away. With Dwayne Jarrett, Calvin Johnson, Mario Manningham, Derrick Williams, and Matt Trannon on the schedule, we need some corners who can lock guys down.

Safeties:

Tommy Zbibkowski – Not much to worry about. Zibby is the one guy on this defense that makes plays. Just throw him out there and watch him make some plays. Not the best coverage guy in the world, but you have to love his aggressiveness.

Chinedum Ndukwe – No knock on the Duke, but I’m not sure that he’s a strong safety. How many times did we get beat on deep balls last year with no safety in sight? Ndukwe has a knack for the big play, but I’d really prefer a Glenn Earl type safety out there to defend the pass.

David Bruton/Ray Herring – Word out of camp has been that these guys have both looked great. I’m excited to hear that. If they are better than the players above them, Lewis/Minter have got to get them on the field. Between UCLA, Stanford, USC, G. Tech, MSU, and a potential major bowl game, we will face some big time aerial attacks this year. Can’t afford to have weak coverage from the safeties.

Outlook: Spring reports indicate that the DBs will be much improved. I hope so. Big plays killed us in all 3 losses. Take away the big plays, and the pass defense should be better.

8. Special Teams

You didn’t think we were going through a spring preview without any mention of the special teams, did you? I really believe in the importance of special teams. Love him or hate him, Bob Davie always had a good special teams unit, and it kept us in a lot of games during his tenure. Would like to see us playing special teams at a high level in the near future.

Three most important issues:

1. Who is kicking the field goals? - Well, looks like Goia has the inside track, but that could change when Ryan Burkhart shows up on campus. Would like to see someone emerge with a great summer camp to take this job.

2. Who is kicking off? - After watching OSU’s kicker bomb every kickoff out of the end zone, I’ve realized more than ever how critical it is to find a kicker who can boot the ball deep on the kickoff. Nothing against DJ Fitzpatrick, but his kickoffs were routinely being fielded at the 10 yard line. Doesn’t help your defense when the other team is starting at the 35 on every possession.

3. Who is returning kickoffs? - I thought our kickoff return unit was much better last year, but would like to see someone emerge as a legitimate home run threat in this spot. Never hurts to have a Julius Jones type returner back there.

On a sidenote, how bad was our kickoff return unit under Ty Willingham? I hate to make people do this, but do you all remember those returns where Chase Anastasio would catch the ball at the one, look around, run it out of the endzone at about 1 mph, and get snowed under at the 11? The other team would be chest bumping while poor Chase limped off the field with the “I wish I was dead” look going. Absolutely infuriating to watch. Willingham was bad on so many levels, but this area might have been the worst. Or was it the pass defense? Or was it the running game? Oh, what about the blowout losses? How about the ridiculous nonspeak at his press conferences? What about the "last time I checked, we've won 4 out of our last 6" comments? Or the John Saunders interview?

Ok, I'm getting fired up. Let's move on.

9. The schedule

I’ve been pointing to this schedule for about three years now as a “national championship run” type schedule. It sets up really favorably with a lot of tough home games in the beginning to pump up the ranking followed by a string of easier games before heading to USC. Some of the better programs on the schedule appear to be down (PSU and UCLA), and we have owned Michigan at home over the last decade.

Book those tickets to Tempe, right? Well, I still think the schedule sets up well for us, but I get more and more nervous the more that I look at it. We’ll break it down more in depth as the season gets closer, but let’s take a quick look now. I think this schedule is going to be significantly tougher than last year’s schedule when it’s all said and done. We should be favored in all those first four games, but that’s still a pretty tough slate. I’m not all that worried about G. Tech because I know Weis will have us running and gunning for the opener. PSU looks like a 7-4 type team, but you know that JoePa will have them cranked up for that game. Michigan is starting to worry me a lot more than I thought they would because of the motivation factor. You know Lloyd Carr has been barking at them about the ND game all offseason. MSU is still MSU. In a vacuum, we win all those games. But over the course of 4 straight, it will be tough.

Unless Ben Howland or Roy Williams show up on the sidelines, I’m not too worried about UCLA or UNC. That leaves USC with Fiesta Bowl birth on the line. Wowsers. I’m sure those bandwagon SC fans will be firing up the shrimp cocktails and cosmopolitans for that one! Somebody pass me an umbrella straw!

Is USC still a top 5 team after all those personnel losses? Umm..have you seen their recruiting classes of late? I think they’ll be just fine. I really wish we were playing SC earlier in the year. If Sanchez is as good as advertised, that is going to be a brutal game at the end of the year.

If we survive that slate unscathed, we undoubtedly head into the Fiesta Bowl at 12-0 against some form of Texas/Oklahoma/SEC champ with the title on the line. If you want to dream big dreams, imagine going 13-0 with wins over Michigan, Penn State, USC, and Texas. That would be incredible!

Is the schedule tough? Oh yea. But let’s not get crazy here. We can run the table with that schedule. It’s not like we’re stuck in the middle of the SEC East or anything with a seemingly unwinnable road game in a crazy, hostile environment (think Auburn).

10. To go or not to go

That is the question. Figured I would end the Buffet with some thoughts on this “go for it on 4th down” debate. Wouldn’t mind seeing some discussion in the comments area.

Look, I LOVE Charlie Weis, but I personally wouldn’t mind seeing him cut back on the “go for it on 4th and 4 from the 15 yard line” stuff. That’s why you have a kicker. That won’t kill us against Navy or Purdue, but I don’t want to lose a bowl game or the SC game by 3 because of a failed 4th down conversion. Last year, we left points on the board at the end of the MSU game, and killed our momentum in the OSU game with a bad 4th down play.

I hate to sound so old-fashioned. I love that Weis has so much confidence in our offense to convert, but I just don’t think it’s worth it to go for it as much as Weis does. I’ve never been a big “go for it on 4th down” guy, so maybe I’m biased. I understand the argument for going for it. Weis loves to stay aggressive, and he isn’t afraid to go against conventional wisdom in those 4th down situations. For all I know, Weis has done some Moneyball statistical analysis on this exact issue, and has figured out that it’s always worth trying to go for it on 4th down. Maybe he’s on to something that I haven’t thought about. The guys like Weis, Belichick, Billy Beane and Peter Gammons who aren’t afraid to buck the conventional wisdom are usually highly successful, so I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. I favor the sure three points, but I would be curious to hear Weis’ ideas on this issue.

Feel free to comment. I think I could be persuaded in the other direction. And yes I just compared Weis to Peter Gammons. I consider it a compliment. Yea, yea, I worship at the altar of Gammons. I’m just biding my time until I write a 10,000 word post on this blog about how Peter Gammons has revolutionized the game of baseball and should be made commissioner for life.

Finally...Four

Here's guessing your tuning in this weekend less with a chance to cash in on your bracket and more eager to watch four fantastic stories pen the final chapter in their storybook stomp to Indianapolis.

In a span of 12 games, as 16 contenders were whittled to 4, The Tournament (there is no equal) treated us to bracket-busting upsets, Maalox sponsored overtimes, gripping comebacks galore, breathtaking buzzer beaters, incredulous turnovers and a game-changing goaltending call that will haunt my bank account for tournaments to come.

You want historical significance? For the first time since 1980, not a single #1 seed advanced to the Final Four and George Mason's #11 seed is the lowest since Villanova's remarkable romp in 1986.

This is the same George Mason, mind you, that barely cracked the field of 65 and survived their 1st round with their starting point guard suspended (I'm taking the high road on that can of worms).

That, my friends, is March Madness in its purest form.

Without fail, the tournament lived up to its maddening ways as the gripping saga of hardwood dreams unfolded, some realized, others shattered.

The farewell of scoring machines J.J. Redick and Adam Morrison, the regular season's feel-good story, launched us into a wild weekend of tourney unpredictability every turn along the way.

The beauty of the Final Four is at work with the emergence of four teams dedicated to the Norman Dale ideals of team basketball, passing and defense, and none have been caught watching the paint dry.

Though not the usual suspects as we enter "One Shining Moment" territory, each knocked off the #1 seed in their regional, seizing the opportunity to shine on basketball's biggest stage, proving to bracketmaniacs that it's the hungriest teams that feast in Indy this weekend.

It's anybody's guess who will surf their tidal wave of momentum to the laddertop of Monday night's climax. Here's each school's permission slip to run with scissors.

Florida
No, football hasn't instituted the playoff system just yet. But these Gator hoopsters are every bit as Fun N' Gun as their gridiron counterparts. They cruised through the Minneapolis Regional like a spring vacationer in the Sunshine State, dictating the tempo with their athleticism and play-making abilities. Watching Joakim Noah quarterback the full-throttle attack is a spectacle to behold. If he continues to dismantle the opposition at both ends of the court, it will be party time in Gainesville and bon voyage for the son of Hall of Fame tennis player Yannick Noah, the inspiration for his diggable hairdo. Billy Donovan's experience leading Florida to a runner-up finish in 2000 only helps their cause, .

George Mason
You'd think the hard part was done after toppling the defending champ Tar Heels, another 2005 Final Four participant in Michigan State, and easily the country's most talented team and odds-on favorite, Connecticut Huskies. Unfortunately, the road has just begun for the Virginia darlings. Their biggest advantage? Underdog factor. They've ridden it this far, what's another two games? They wear their small-school chip on the shoulder like a badge of honor. Why couldn't history repeat itself as George Mason mimics the small school that could, Milan High School, and win one for mid-majors everywhere? These Patriots don't need Adam Vinatieri to chip in game-winning 3-pointers. If they play the loose, team-oriented basketball that trumped the traditional powers, we could be privvy to the ultimate shocker in college sports history. Regardless of the outcome, George Mason's epic run will be cherished in tourney lore forever.

LSU
Another SEC football powerhouse making a splash in the tourney, the Bayou brand of basketball has overwhelmed the likes of Duke and Texas with unbridled athleticism and unmatched intensity. Glen "Big Baby" Davis is the Tigers poster child, an ex-running back who's as hard to stop in the paint as Jerome Bettis on the goal line. Along with the lightning quick instincts of Darrel Mitchell and the long-armed freak of nature Tyrus Thomas, LSU defends its goal like a tigress guarding her cubs. As long as they keep exploiting their mismatches and wreaking havoc on the glass, we could be in for a Mardi Gras redux.

UCLA
College basketball's most storied program finds itself in a familiar setting as the Bruins aim to bump their banner total to an even dozen. Granted, they'll have to aim a little better than they did in eeking by Memphis to win the Oakland Regional. But Ben Howland's boys have bought in to their defense first mentality, harrassing their opponents beyond frustration. With such emphasis on keeping the score to a minimum, any offensive rhythm established is icing on the cake. UCLA knows this trip to Indy means nothing without any hardware. Call it a hunch, but the powder blue and gold seem to be saving their best for last, poised to add their name to the legendary list of Westwood wonders.

Sweet 16 Swell Picks Contest

Jimmy the Greek we're not. More like Zorba the Greek, but what's March Madness without a little competitive blood running through We Is ND's veins? The contributors are offering their Sweet 16 choices and picking out to the eventual champ. Winner gets a TBA prize involving a mad props shout out, major respect, a special post dedicated to the champ (and maybe even a champion's beer). We're opening the doors to our readers to join in the picking frenzy so if you post your picks BEFORE games begin Thursday, you stand to win the aforementioned TBA immaterial yet glorious acclaim of Inaugural Champ of WeIsND's Sweet 16 Swell Picks Contest.

The scoring system is easy. For each team that advances to the given round, you get the designated point value. Add them up to determine a winner, with the tiebreaker being closest guess to the total points scored in the Championship game.
Sweet 16: 2 points
Elite 8: 4 points
Final 4: 6 points
Finals: 8 points
Champ: 10 points

On to the picks! (which can be viewed in the comments section below)

Let the Madness Begin

The sporting world's greatest single elimination tournament unveiled its brackets today, which means it's time to lace up the Sunday shoes and practice some moves for the Big Dance. Each team showcases its own Dance "steps", if you will, from UAB's up-tempo harassing cha-cha to Iowa's plodding beat-you-to-submission slow dance to West Virginia's backdoor cutting and 3-point strutting tango. Just as "One Shining Moment" is synonymous with the title game, Wilson Pickett's "Land of 1,000 Dances" may as well be the soundtrack for the first 2 rounds as the nation gladly experiences ADD anxiety trying to keep tabs on multiple games at once.

Reports claim that more than $3 billion in production will be lost at workplaces with extended "lunch breaks" and refreshing of websites ad nauseum. That'd be more of a problem if bosses weren't side-by-side with their employees rooting on their brackets. Water cooler bragging rights are at stake in office pools, where someone invariably wins basing their picks on jersey color or meaner mascot. The ritual of filling out a bracket(s) stands unmatched by any other sporting event as the 63 game slate captivates the nation for 19 days. There's a communal vibe that draws us all together, owing to the vested interest in the outcome of every game.

Storylines run as thick as Rick Majerus' clogged arteries, spotlighting senior leaders, emerging stars, deserving coaches and unheralded schools. Auditions begin Thursday for the lead role of Cinderella in this year's dramatic exposition. Fanbases making their first trip to the tournament will be as excited as Dickie V. courtside at Cameron Indoor. And there's no greater joy than witnessing the elation of Small School U. realizing its dreams with an upset victory.

Miracle endings etch their place in tourney folklore with relative unknowns becoming household names come tournament time. Who will become the next Bryce Drew or Lorenzo Charles is anybody's guess. Mid-majors, rightly or wrongly, snared more bids than ever, a subplot with long-term ramifications if the middies can back up their selections. Nearly all of the top teams had weaknesses exposed down the stretch with clear cut favorites lagging close to the pack - a parity proponent's dream.

Cue the 6:41 pm tip-offs and get on with the show. Anything is possible from now until April 3rd, when the smooth sound of Luther Vandross "The ball is tipped..." anoints a new champion, signaling the end of another maddening march to the Final Four.

The Day Our Hero Died

Monday March 6, 2006. The cruel Chicago wind wasn't my only greeting walking out of the house. I stared at the cold black newsprint stating Kirby Puckett was in critical condition after suffering a stroke. The reality of the message took a few moments to sink in...

Puck doesn't lose this way, does he?

A day of uneasy speculation unfolded, refreshing webpages compulsively looking for reassurance that Kirby would deliver his late inning heroics once again. The prospect that the world would wake Tuesday without our beloved Puck refused to burrow its way into my consciousness.

Couldn't he jump on his own back in this time of need just as he prophetically told his teammates to do before rescuing the 1991 World Series? For someone who overcame long odds ever since emerging from Chicago's Robert Taylor Homes as a 5'8'' dynamo with a heart as big as his smile, what was one last wall to scale? Unfortunately, this hurdle proved too high for the portly Puck to surmount.

The consummate teammate played the game he loved with a contagious enthusiasm, infecting all lucky enough to cross his path. A rare breed in this primadonna age of sports, Kirby affected games with his bat, glove and clubhouse zeal while winning everyone over with his signature charismatic charm. Even during the dark days that followed his retirement, it seemed inevitable Puck would find the light and make things right, like busting out of a rare batting slump.

The day the Twins retired #34, Kirby echoed the historic words of Lou Gehrig, declaring on that day to be the luckiest man on the planet. Those same exuberant words personifying Kirby's magnetic aura have a haunting effect now that he follows The Iron Horse as the second youngest player to die already enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

Losing the athlete who captured my imagination as a child and inspired my athletic ambitions has left me a blubbering mess several times in the wake of the news. His impact will long be remembered and his legacy preserved by those touched by Puck's joie de vivre.

The roly-poly wunderkind waxed poetic from time to time, bestowing life lessons that defined the way he played and conducted himself. As he said during his Hall of Fame speech, "It doesn't matter what your height is, it's what's in your heart." His legacy and spirit will carry on.

We're all luckier to have jumped on his back for the ride. We'll miss you #34. You were our hero.