Your weekly dose of Notre Dame news, opinion, and other stuff.
In the News
Notre Dame has only played Florida once in football. That will change next decade as the school’s agreed to a home-and-home deal this week.
Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell signed a new deal that added 3 more years on his previous contract. He’s now signed with the Cyclones through the 2028 season.
The Packers tried to hire Wisconsin DC Jim Leonard and he said no thank you.
Bill Connelly already has his SP+ Pre-Season rankings. Notre Dame is ranked behind several of its 2021 opponents.
CBS released its 5-year recruiting rankings where Notre Dame places 12th in the nation.
EA Sports is expecting to add up to 300 new jobs at its Orlando studio where the recently announced college football video game will begin to be developed (Madden is developed at this Florida studio too).
Throwback Article
Last May, I looked at the best skill position seasons in Notre Dame history. Would you add Kyren Williams’ 2020 to that list?
The Portal
Long thought to be moving on, Irish receiver Micah Jones officially entered the transfer market this week. The former low 4-star recruit out of Illinois leaves Notre Dame without making a catch over 3 seasons in South Bend.
Jack Lamb left Notre Dame recently and has decided to transfer to Colorado.
Former Clemson linebacker Mike Jones has decided to join LSU. That’s a good pick up for the Tigers.
Helmet Talk
Akron football doesn’t get a lot of publicity. They’ve never finished ranked, ever. They’ve only won 10 games once and that was before I was born. Can I just say that I think this helmet is really sharp?
As a Notre Dame fan of course I’m partial to the colors. There’s something really unique about the “Z” logo which isn’t used much in sports and the white really pops outlined by the blue. If Akron was a better program I think this helmet would be talked about as one of the best in the country. It just has zero history attached it which is too bad.
Recruiting
Notre Dame dipped into the Fairfax, Virginia area to gain the commitment of lanky defensive end Aiden Gobaira (0.883) and you can read our commit post HERE. The Irish continue to liberally pour out offers in recent days, too.
One of the top running backs in the country Raleek Brown (0.987) from Mater Dei committed to Oklahoma. Georgia picked up defensive tackle Bear Alexander (0.942) out of Texas. Elsewhere, Texas A&M snatched up quarterback Conner Weigman (0.960) while Michigan picked up a pair of commitments from athlete Kody Jones (0.902) and safety Taylor Groves (0.912). Also, Florida dipped into the Miami market and have a verbal from defensive end Francois Nolton (0.920).
House of the Week
Our first 2 homes in the Rambler kept us in California, now we head across the coast to the Bridgehampton neighborhood of the Hamptons on Long Island, New York.
The real estate company also has a tremendous magazine for this home HERE.
12 acres of land, with its own baseball field! Field of Dreams! This is a big rental property for celebs for a cool $300,000 per week. Sure, why not?
I’m not a big foyer, guy. Or a guy into big foyers as it were. Lots of wasted space.
The ATM machine cracks me up. You can’t beat the basement in this house, for kids or adults.
I love how the guy is like, “Yeah, we built an additional kitchen right over there so our chef doesn’t have to be around us.”
“When you live in a house this big, your legs get tired from walking so much.” I think we’re done here.
Tunes
One thing I don’t like about the Rolling Stones is how they largely ignore their 2 albums from 1967. Granted, the music from this period doesn’t reproduce itself terribly well on stage and it wasn’t a super happy time for the band as they were slowly losing Brian Jones.
Still, I stan for Their Satanic Majesties Request and especially their preceding album Between the Buttons. This is the album used in The Royal Tenenbaums from the emotional tent scene. The 8th track of the US edition version of that album “My Obsession” is one of my favorite baroque pop songs from the 1960’s.
Ugly Apparel
Here’s my question. How many Irish fans out there went out, with the Alabama matchup looming, and decided to buy any 2021 College Football Playoff apparel? I can maybe see a tee-shirt or something if you can get it on the cheap. Or, a small pin.
Not these:
I refuse to believe there’s a single Notre Dame fan that owns these socks. If you’re reading this and you bought these, take a lesson from KG, and you burn them.
On This Day in Sports
In 1909, American James Clark sets the world record running the Brooklyn Marathon with a time of 2:46:52. The current world record was set by Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge back in 2016 in Berlin with a time of 2:01:39 while he also ran an unofficial 1:59:40 in October 2019 during the Ineos 1:59 Challenge in Vienna.
At the Cinema
Remember when we could go to movie theaters? What’s your experience with falling asleep at the movie theater? It has happened to me twice:
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest – This was the second edition from this franchise and I recall it being really slow and boring with very little light on screen.
Dick – The reimagined story of Watergate released in August 2009 starring Kirsten Dunst. I went to see it late that summer with a buddy and completely missed the last 45 minutes after dozing off.
Hot Take
You’re a psychopath if you drive with your windows down A) When there’s precipitation B) You’re not smoking or C) On the highway. As someone who has a long commute to work I’ve picked up on all the worst driving behaviors and I will never, ever understand driving with a window down, or multiple windows down, under these conditions.
Why do people do it? If it’s a temperature thing you have controls within your car to deal with that issue. If you like the noise factor on the highway you’re a sick person. There’s nothing worse on a road trip than someone trying to put a window down at 75 mph on a highway.
Trivia
Back in his playing career, Tommy Rees threw 3 interceptions in a single game on 3 separate occasions. Can you name those games? Hint: The Irish did win one of the games.
Really interested to see where recruiting goes. 12th over the last 5 years seems about right and I guess consider me a sucker for believing the staff is interested in changing that. Recruiting Marcus freeman to notre dame if only for 2 years makes me think maybe. How they approach DE recruiting, qb recruiting this year I think will say a lot. Do they go all in and fight to add Cyrus moss and a top 100 qb or do they settle for a project as third DE and Steve angeli at QB? It’s been the latter the last 5 years
Falling asleep at the movies. I too fell asleep during the first pirates of the Caribbean. Was like a 9 or 10 o’clock show and it was just so damn long. Second instance wasn’t falling asleep but went to see the Christian bale terminator movie at like 10am immediately after a big test or final during pharmacy school. Took in a bottle of whiskey and got hammered during the movie. Didn’t pass out or anything but when I rewatched the movie a year later I didn’t realize Arnold showed up at the end. Apparently got a little hazy for me watching the movie.
For Rees, honestly no idea. Have to think Tulsa south Florida and 2011 Michigan are all candidates given how many turnovers they had but honestly don’t remember. Pitt 13 was a disaster. No idea what the win was, Michigan state?
Tulsa 2010 is one of the games.
Driving to ND from Cleveland in my cousin’s SVU.
“Dave where are your ND flags you had in the back windows?”
“Um, I forgot and put the windows down going to last weeks game.” We laughed at that one.
In the summer I love driving with the windows down. I don’t see the problem. I suggest you don’t ever buy a convertible.
Do you drive with the windows down in the summer on the highway or when it’s raining?
Yes, windows down on the highway in the summer — loud-ass music and wind was particularly useful to stay awake in Iowa/Illinois in hour 15 of the drive back to MI from CO.
And because I like it.
Not when it’s raining but on the highway ? Absolutely!
I love driving with my windows down! I definitely do it less on the highway, and try not to if someone is in the backseat. When I was HS/college aged, I used to drive around in the winter (in Maine and South Bend), with the windows down and the heat turned up. I just love me some fresh air. I fully accept the psychopath label for that.
Same here. And now I’m going to make Murtaugh’s brain explode by telling everyone the dirty little secret that if you’re driving in the rain at a reasonable clip in a convertible with the top down, the inside of the car won’t get wet. This doesn’t apply if (a) you’re stopping at lights, etc, or (b) if it’s a seriously torrential rain. Found this out accidentally while driving down I-85 through Alabama and a couple of high-humidity pop-up storms. But it’s real and it’s fantastic.
I understand why some people prefer for their driving experience to closely replicate them being a comfortable, temperature-controlled office setting. But for a drive of any sort of duration, I have no interest in that whatsoever. I want my road trip to feel like a road trip. I want the fresh air and the wind and feeling the passage of the mileage.
Trivia: I’m pretty certain 2013 Stanford was one of his 3-pick games. Other than that I would just be wildly guessing. Maybe 2011 Stanford and, for the one we won, 2011 Pitt?
I looked this up and I was wrong on all 3. My memory ain’t what it used to be.
It’s a tricky question!
Those socks…the only possible time they might be acceptable is if they were worn by a long distance runner who was dressing up in ND swag for a marathon or half, and that’s only if they were compression socks
Rees interceptions: Oklahoma 2013?
Also I would totally wear those socks. But I love ugly socks.
That is the 2nd Rees game. We’ve got both losses listed in the comments but missing the one win.
The fact there are so many even potential options is not exactly a ringing endorsement of Rees career
I looked it up, I wouldn’t have come up with that win. The USF game had 3 int, just not all by Rees. Also 2010 had 3 different games with at least 3 picks. Man that’s rough
Kyren’s season was without a doubt better than any season Darius Walker ever had. Since you’ve got Walker at the 29th best skill position season in ND history, then I guess Kyren’s was at worst the 28th best skill position season in ND history.
Those two Stones albums, yes, much neglected by the lads. But it bears noting that at their 2019 Rose Bowl concert (of my 33 shows that was one of the top 5) they played She’s A Rainbow. Fan choice or something, but well done, and well received. Mick made a throwaway comment in his intro to the song which reinforced that idea of their aversion to much of that album. Part of the problem was indeed Brian. You can hear it on the song above, Keith has always been about two guitars and actually in his autobio he talks about that void Brian’s deliquescence was leaving.
You’ve seen the Stones 33 times ?
Sure have! Met them once, actually, backstage, Tuscaloosa Alabama (!), on that crazy ’72 tour. Bobby Keys was playing sax for the first time, and after the opening act (Stevie Wonder) he was checking out the audience, and I was the only guy who recognized him, so we got talking. He invited me back stage to tell Mick how their cover of “You Can Make It If You Try” had kept me going in Vietnam fighting through those B52 craters, and I still have the beer can Mick gave me. Keith rolled by clearly on something other than beer. Got to talk to the Bill the bass player, me being a bass player that was also very memorable. Also a very fun part was yelling Go Irish when I walked out of the Bama auditorium 🙂
I don’t think I’ve seen any major band more than three times. 33 that’s crazy. The Stones in 81 played at a local club(Sir Morgan’s Cove) in Worcester. They had been practicing nearby for the Tattoo You tour. Two hour show at a tiny RR bar.
Any other bands that you’ve seen more than a few times ?
Joan Jett. Caressed her leather boot from in front of the stage once, she gave me her guitar pick…Bob Dylan in various incarnations. Blues giants, seen em all, started with Muddy Waters in a South Bend West Side club, but BB King and Lightning Hopkins were the most times. Daft Punk maybe 6 times, here in Paris. Couple French hip hop groups you would never have heard of. And a French soul singer Ben L’Oncle Soul, also 5-6 times. ZZ Top.
That’s amazing.
Why thank you, Eric. Your feel for an eclectic blend of modern American culture is also amazing.
I have another item:
I am completing a move (about 100 meters from my old house but like the French say, a moving carton is a moving carton and I “slimmed down” to 360 of them). I found cassette tapes of every single ND game from 1996 (when we moved here) to about 2000. So basically the Davie years. (I met him actually, working on the crowd noise issue.) Do you think anyone in the 18 Stripes universe would like any?
Trivia Answers:
2010 Tulsa
2010 USC
2013 Oklahoma