Uncle Choo-Choo

Ava may have only met me twice, but with luck and repetition hopefully I can live forever as Uncle Choo-Choo (Ted and Ali - make sure Ava watches this a minimum of 14 times a day):

Take Him, Please!

I read a rumor today that Boston College was seriously considering hiring Bob Davie as head football coach to replace Tom O'Brien who recently left to accept the same position at NC State. Personally, I can't think of a better candidate, for two(2) reasons:

1. It would spare us the agony of his "color" commentary on ABC ("That's some big-time foot-baw there, Brent").
2. It would pretty much guarantee that Notre Dame would not lose to Boston College for the foreseeable future.

It's really a win-win as far as I'm concerned - unless you're a Boston College fan...

ND Wins the Close One

Notre Dame Students storm the court after a big win against #5 Alabama

Last year Notre Dame men's basketball lost 12 games by six points or less, and lost 5 times by shots in the last 2 seconds. They finished up last year with a 16-14 mark, nearly costing Mike Brey his job in the process.

Notre Dame pulled off two very large upsets this week. The first was against #19 Maryland, a perennial power in the ACC who frequents the Big Dance. The second was last night, against #5 Alabama, a team of very large and talented inside players. The Notre Dame squad's tallest player is Luke Zeller, is listed at 6'11", but I doubt he actually is that tall. In all, ND's reputation is an outside-shooting team - they live and die by the 3-pointer. But I watched last night's game, and while it's true, this team is different from the 1-and-done 3-point shooting teams of the past.

Russell Carter had a career night last night again 'Bama, making shots from every point on the floor. He was laughing after some of his makes. Alabama couldn't stop him. Kyle McAlarney and Carter were also driving to the basket and then either dishing it to a big guy, or kicking it out to Colin Falls for an open look at the basket. ND played nearly flawlessly for twenty minutes to end the first half and begin the second. At the end of the game they wavered, but a big shot by Carter sealed the deal for the Irish.

I loved watching ND last night. Teresa and I stayed up and held our breath at the end, and while ND came close to collapse, the pulled together and won a big victory. I'm not saying ND is #1, not by a long shot. But it's nice to see us play as well as we did against a Crimson Tide team with a reputation for 1) tough defense - no other team this year has scored over 70 points on 'Bama, and 2) strong inside play from 3 very good big men. Those big teams were our bane last season, so it nice to see ND get a resume building win. If we can win 10 games or so in the Ultra-Big East, the wins over 'Bama and Maryland should be enough to get us in the tourny.

Looks Like We Got Our Man?

Remember soccer? It's that sport that we were all obsessed with, oh, six months ago before the USA crashed out of the World Cup and college football began. Well, after the dismal showing in Germany, US Soccer fired head coach Bruce Arena and all has been quiet on the western front since. Until now. According to this article at Fox Sports, US Soccer will name Jurgen Klinsmann the next head coach of the US Men's National Soccer Team within two weeks. Ever since the World Cup ended, Arena was fired, and Klinsmann (who lives in the US and is married to an American) stepped down as head coach of the German team, most US soccer fans have been hoping for Klinsmann's appointment. Looks like we got our wish. Now we'll find out if Germany taking 3rd in WC '06 was a fluke or if Klinsmann is the real deal. That January friendly with Denmark just got a lot more interesting...

UPDATE: Looks like the penny-pinchers in the USSF have reneged on the deal with Klinsmann and will name Bob Bradley as an interim coach, with the possibility of making his appointment permanent. Good grief, you've got to spend some money to make some money...

Final Words on College Football

This is all I'm saying after the BCS bowl match-ups were announced last night - it's very difficult to get it right. Is Florida better than Michigan? Is Florida more deserving than Michigan? Who knows. What I do know is this - if Michigan had gotten the nod and then beat Ohio State then who's the national champion? How can you declare Michigan the national champion when Ohio State beat them 1 month ago?

Several other thoughts...

• ESPN.com is running a poll about the BCS match-ups. With about 100,000 votes tallied 54.7% think Notre Dame is the worst team in a BCS game. Really? Worse than a Boise State team who's toughest game was San Jose State? Worse than a Wake Forest team that snuck away with an ACC title because Miami and Florida State both had awful seasons. Worse than an Oklahoma team that won the worst Big 12 in history? Worse than a Louisville team that lost to Rutgers? Rutgers! Additionally, 64.9% think that LSU is going to blow Notre Dame out. Say what you will about Notre Dame, but remember they lost to #2 Michigan and #2 USC, not exactly chumps. This will be a great game.
  
• I am hearby declaring the Fiesta Bowl (Oklahome v. Boise State) this year's BCS snoozefest. No, wait, I mean the Orange Bowl (Louisville v. Wake Forest)! Oh, screw it, both games will be terrible and have a combined viewing audience of 16.
• The Rose Bowl (USC v. Michigan) has the potential to draw better ratings than the national championship game - especially since the AP will be chomping to give Michigan a split of the title should Florida upset Ohio State.

Christmas in (Early) December...

UCLA 13 - USC 9

I don't care about rankings and all this "we need to root for so-and-so to win so we look better" nonsense. If Notre Dame wins and USC, Michigan, Boston College, and the Sunshine State Triumvirate lose, then I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth - much like Lou Gehrig, less the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis...

The Folks Are All Right

Mom and I know you are all concerned about our financial well-being after we can no longer earn a living. What with Social Security in the tank, globalization eroding our standard of living, and the imminent collapse of social services across the nation (when was the last time you voted for a tax levy?) it's no surprise adult children fret about their parents' future. Until very recently, Mom and I had been counting on a nice little in-law suite above Ted's 4-car garage - in exchange, of course, for various domestic services rendered. However, we have hit upon a plan that will get us ever so closer to lifelong solvency.

This 21st century digital technology creates a lot of possibilities. Have you seen those Orville Redenbacher popcorn commercials - featuring Orville himself making a posthumous appearance? Marlon Brando continues to contribute, vocally at least, to the latest Superman movies, and the Empire Carpet guy will probably work forever in computer animation. So, we decided to apply our PC's time machine capabilities to the wonderful world of advertising, not so much for fun as for profit. A little edit here, some cropping there, and viola!

I'm not sure who the young lady is, but everyone should recognize that jovial mop-top in front. It's a little difficult to see, but I do believe he is wearing his famous cowboy boots, too.

Considering that we have 30+ years worth of photos, and visions of royalty checks start to dance in my head. We probably wouldn't even have to use any of the really embarrassing material. Unless, of course, it was for a truly unique opportunity like Apple iPods or Fanny Mae Candy. Anyway, kids, I think we're going to be fine. Just fine.