The first sign of unrest was a great Raghib Ismail speech at the pep rally last week where he called out ND fans for their "unbelief". It's so true. And I've been doing it for years. It's not until this year where I've tried - tried - to remain more upbeat throughout the course of games. Part of the reason I couldn't stand watching games is because I'd always get that "oh shit" feeling in the pit of my stomach whenever something bad happened. Fighting that feeling is hard. Really, really hard. But if you can do it, it makes a game watch much more enjoyable. And you know what? I never had that feeling growing up. I knew Notre Dame was going to beat Miami in '88. I knew they were going to smash Florida in the Sugar Bowl in the early '90s. Feeling confident and positive is good.
The second sign is the creation of a new website - http://www.thenewndnation.com/ - and its adoption by many current and former ND football players. This site is a direct stab at another Irish fan site, ndnation.com, that I used to follow before I got sick of the negativity and poo-pooing of all things Notre Dame by the maintainers of that site, who proclaim to be ND supporters. The sole purpose of the new site is to support Notre Dame football unflinchingly and with positivity. I like that message. I can buy into that.
I guess my point is this - it's been a disappointing season, but I'm seeing the signs. Brian Kelly is going to turn this thing around. I believe that. Are we going to lose games? Yes. Are we going to lose some games badly? Yes. But I'm going to go into every game thinking we have a puncher's chance. And when we face our first 4th and short against Southern Cal I'm going to pray that Kelly goes for it. And I'm going to believe that we're going to shove it down their f**king throats, that we're going to pick up the first down and more, and then head-butt Lane Kiffin as we're tackled out of bounds by 9 Southern Cal players. Then I will shotgun a beer, punch Kevin, and take a bite out of a turkey leg like a caveman.
Go Irish!
I guess my point is this - it's been a disappointing season, but I'm seeing the signs. Brian Kelly is going to turn this thing around. I believe that. Are we going to lose games? Yes. Are we going to lose some games badly? Yes. But I'm going to go into every game thinking we have a puncher's chance. And when we face our first 4th and short against Southern Cal I'm going to pray that Kelly goes for it. And I'm going to believe that we're going to shove it down their f**king throats, that we're going to pick up the first down and more, and then head-butt Lane Kiffin as we're tackled out of bounds by 9 Southern Cal players. Then I will shotgun a beer, punch Kevin, and take a bite out of a turkey leg like a caveman.
Go Irish!
5 comments:
I remember the good old days well. I remember the feeling that no matter how much of an underdog we were, somehow Lou would pull a rabbit out of the hat and figure out a way to win. The more praise he would heap on the opponent, the more I knew he had something cooked up! Most of the time, he did and we had a ton of big upsets. That hasn't happened in a LONG TIME!
On the other hand, when we were at the top, we also lost a lot of games that we shouldn't have. Oh, those losses were heart wrenching!!! It hurts so much more when you lose a game and you end up losing a national title or a spot in a major bowl. I haven't had one of those heart wrenching defeats in awhile either. Last time was 2005 USC. I literally did not speak for 2 days.
Hey, why am I getting punched? Can't I just go stand out in the yard with a tennis racquet and garbage can lid and have bottle-rockets and roman candles shot at me instead?
I am the creator of the website you mention. Just to be clear, we started as a Twitter movement @thenewNDNation I built the site two days later based on response and the need for a central hub for members. This was not a stab at NDNation as much as it may appear to be. I actually did not ever read NDN or know of them until it was mentioned to me. I usually read domerdomain, rakes of mallow and subway domer.
We were sick of all the negativity as well and this why we started this. Thanks for the mention, other than the NBC article we have been getting flamed!
Hey, would you look at that! A comment from a non-Heffernan that isn't a response to a perceived insult and that I don't feel an overwhelming urge to mock! Something new every day on the interwebs.
Jason -
Keep up the good work! I'm following you guys on Twitter now, but I'm not much for forums - too many a**holes. Clean up that site of yours with some links to decent Irish articles, e.g. Keith, Brian Hamilton, really, any non-blogger not named Pat Forde. Like it or not, you're going to be getting a lot of eyeballs in the near future.
And use any influence you have to order a code red on Jason Whitlock - A Few Good Men style!!!
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