Filthy Hobbitses

Peter Jackson's The Hobbit opened this weekend. For me, The Hobbit was not one of those movies that I was dying to see and would stay up late to see it on opening night (Prometheus). Don't get me wrong, I was totally pumped to see it, but it would normally be a movie I wait until a day off and see. One thing totally changed that. They were showing the first 9 minutes of Star Trek: Into Darkness on December 14th only, months before the movie is released. That was enough for me. I was there at 11pm Friday night to watch in IMAX 3D.

I have 3 comments about the night. First, Star Trek. I have never seen a resurrected franchise kick so much ass. The most recent film is absolutely unbelievable. Contrary to prior Trek films, every character is fully developed and has one or more uniquely heroic moments. This is a cast that is more fun to watch than any before. The new movie looks amazing, and who are they kidding. It's Khaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!!!

Second, The Hobbit itself. In a nutshell, satisfying. You knew when PJ decided to stretch this 350 page book into three 3-hour films that there would be added layers, and the raucous adventure that the book was would be a bit more plodding, and ominous. That's exactly the case here. I remember first reading The Hobbit. I think the first 40 pages are spent in Bilbo's house. BORING! The movie is the same. Although not boring, this movie takes a while to get going. I guess my biggest complaint is the similarity to TFOTR movie. Slow start in Hobbiton, trip to Rivendell, dangerous mountain pass, and Goblin halls = Moria. The movie was great fun, but the Smaug teases were cruel. Bring on the dragon! I suspect the next 2 will be absolutely awe-inspiring.

Finally, I was fortunate to have one of the few IMAX 3D theaters projecting the movie at 48 fps. Throughout the history of film, movies were shot and projected at 24 fps. This is the first feature film to shoot at 48 fps. There are tons of debates online about the pros and cons of 48 fps. On the pro side, they say double the frames reduces blur, creates a lifelike picture and improves 3D. On the con side, they say it looks like video or not a film. I'm gonna be honest. Not a big deal. I am a radiologist, so my eyes are my career. Did 48 fps eliminate blur? No. In mega action scenes with thousands of orcs chasing the dwarves through the caverns with panning cameras, I still saw plenty of blur. Was the 3D better? Yes. Much of the film is rather dark, and the 3D normally would suffer. Not at 48 fps. It was a pretty picture. As for "the look", give me a break. This whole cinophile argument that it "doesn't look like a film" is a joke. Film is an outdated convention. When you go for a hike and look at a waterfall with your own eyes, do you see film grain? Of course not. So why would it be a bad thing to eliminate film grain and make movies more lifelike? It's not. This is like audiophiles clinging to their LPs, mechanics holding onto their 60's muscle cars or IT morons clinging to Windows XP. Not once did I think what I was watching looked like a cheap TV show or soap opera. Technology evolves, and in this case for the better. Movies are being shot digitally, and we need to readjust our brains to enjoy the higher quality we are now privileged to enjoy.

Go see it. It's a fun movie.

Reds Update

I know most of us have been focusing on NCAA football and the end of the Fantasy Football season, so it might come as a surprise that there's been some news from the Cincinnati Reds organization.  The Reds have completed a few trades, some minor, one a bit bigger, in the last few days and have made some pitching changes:

• Re-signed Jonathan Broxton (Closer) for three (3) years
• Assigned Aroldis Chapman to the starting rotation
• In a 3-team trade, obtained Shin Soo Choo (RF) and Jason Donald (IF)
• In the same deal, got rid of Drew Stubbs and Didi Gregorious
• Re-signed Ryan Ludwick to a 2-year deal
• Reportedly signed Jack Hannahan (IF)

These signings go a long way to shoring up some difficult spots in the Reds roster.  The biggest problem for the Reds in 2012 was the lead-off spot in the batting order.  Drew Stubbs typically held down this spot, but his OBP was .277 - the worst of any Reds regular hitter in 2012.  Choo will likely be replacing Stubbs in center field next year, which, while a slight drop-off in defense, is a HUGE gain in offense.  Choo batted .310 and had a .389 OBP from the lead-off spot in 2012 for a pretty bad Indians team.   Overall, he hit .273 with 16 HRs and 21 SBs - so he's got a little pop to his bat and will also steal a base or two throughout the year.  He's also a lefty hitter, so if he hits lead-off, it plays into Dusty's L-R-L-R batting order, since you know Votto (a lefty) will be hitting third).  He may play a little worse defense than Stubbs did, but let's face it, most balls over his head are going out of GABP, so I'm not too concerned.  Besides, pitchers need to pitch better.

Donald and Hannahan will be utility infielders, with maybe a spell or two in the OF.  Votto, Phillips, Cozart, and Frazier will be holding down the infield next year.  I just hope that Rolen calls it a career, or that we don't re-sign him.  Dude is old.

Finally, re-signing Broxton is exciting because we have a proven closer and can move Chapman back to the rotation.  Chapman did solid work in the closer role last year, but he was also the best SP in spring training, and if he can hold that form throughout the season, Cueto, Chapman, Arroyo, Latos, and Bailey will be a fabulous rotation.  Since it's unlikely they all stay healthy, maybe we can keep Leake around - but I wouldn't be heartbroken if we got a couple of young prospects for him. 

My personal feelings are that Jocketty is improving the club with these moves.  I don't know how well Ludwick will do in 2013 - I see him being like Johnny Gomes in 2010 and 2011.  However, the addition of Choo and re-signing of Broxton are really good moves that allow this lineup to be much more consistent in terms of batting order and pitching order in late innings. 

Finally, I'd just like to say that it was time for Stubbs to go, and I'm glad he's gone.  Projected batting order for 2013:  Choo, Frazier, Votto, Phillips, Bruce, Ludwick, Cozart, Hanigan, Pitcher. 

We are stacked!

SEC Overrated - Redux

As a follow-up to Ian's post, I wanted to throw another shovel of dirt onto SEC superiority. I had quite an original thought that I wanted to share.

The SEC almost universally refuse to travel, and only rarely takes on a top out-of-conference opponent. As a result, their teams' schedules almost always include 8 conference games, 2 FCS games, 1 mid-major FBS game and sometimes a rivalry. So how are we to judge the might of such a conference?

Bowl games would be a good start. Since 1992, the SEC's record in Bowl games is 89-57. That's a .640 winning percentage. Not the picture of dominance when you look past the current BCS title streak. What this tells me is that the conference is woefully top-heavy.

Another way to judge? How about looking at the bottom half. When people talk about the weekly gauntlet, that should include ALL the SEC teams on the schedule. This year, the bottom 7 would be Miss State (4-4/8-4), Ole Miss (3-5/6-6), Missouri (2-6/5-7), Arkansas (2-6/4-8), Tennessee (1-7/5-7), Auburn (0-8/3-9) and Kentucky (0-8/2-10). So 5 teams are NOT Bowl eligible. Take a closer look. Kentucky's only wins were Kent State and Samford. Auburn beat LA-Monroe, NM State and Alabama A&M. Look at some of the other victories in this group. Bottom line, these 7 teams would STRUGGLE to win games in the MAC, or MWC.

Now here's my original thought. A constant critique of Notre Dame by idiotic SEC fans is that we would be the 7th best team in the SEC. Oh really? So let's do a mental exercise and see what happens when you take a Notre Dame team fresh off back to back 8-5 seasons, with a 3rd year coach and a redshirt freshman starting at QB and put them smack in the middle of the SEC in 2012. Wait a minute, WE DON'T HAVE TO IMAGINE THIS SCENARIO! This is almost EXACTLY the Texas A&M Aggies in 2012!!!

The Aggies are coming off of 9-4 and 7-6 records. Almost identical to ND. They have a 1st year coach, a disadvantage to ND. They also have a redshirt freshman QB. And how did they do? They went 10-2, lost 2 games to mighty Florida and LSU by a combined 8 points, upset the unbeatable Alabama in Tuscaloosa, got player of the year for the redshirt freshman QB and coach of the year for the 1st year coach.

If this doesn't expose the myth of SEC dominance, then I just can't argue with you anymore.

So the next time you hear some redneck hillbilly from SEC-country tell you ND would be the 7th best team in the SEC, bring up A&M and how they ROLLED through the mightly SEC in only their 1st season in the conference.

Super-Conferences

The recent expansion of the B1G to 14 by poaching Rutgers and Maryland, as well as the quick ACC response to poach Louisville has cemented it:

The future of college football is four 16-team super-conferences.

If anyone denies this at this point, they are delusional. Academics are an afterthought now that the B1G has thrown away it's academic standards for a geographic footprint. Reality check, the Big East is already dead. Moving on, right now the SEC, B1G and ACC have 14. The Pac-12 has 12, and the Big-12 has 10. What do you think is going to happen? I also wonder if they split from the NCAA and set up their own rules, as they do with the BCS and upcoming playoff.

This is going to happen. The big question I have: Can Notre Dame exist alone with 64 super-conference teams?

My gut, my heart and my brain all tell me NO. These conferences would likely break into 2 8-team divisions, playing 7 division games. You would have to play a few teams in the other division, otherwise you may never face them in the regular season. I think 3 would be the minimum. That would include 1 annual rivalry and 2 games that rotate. That leavs only a couple games that would probably be inter-conference tie-ins. Even if ND could schedule a couple of these, how would they get a game every week? Also, why would a 16-team conference take a 17th member in all sports except football. It's getting cutthroat out there, and I think the conferences will force ND to join or cut-bait.

I am 1 million percent certain that the end game in conference realignment is Notre Dame. The B1G and ACC are reluctant to go to 16 now, hoping ND will pick them. So I see the future playing out in 1 of 2 ways.

1) ND commits to fully join the ACC
If we committed to the ACC, the conference is secure, and a 16th member would quickly be added. This would start a chaotic cascade of events. The Pac-12, B1G and SEC would scramble to get to 16. The only way for the Pac-12 to get to 16 is to rob the Big-12. The Big-12 is then toast. It almost happened a year ago, so you can bet it's on the table in Pac-12 meetings as the other guys have been aggressively expanding. There just aren't enough major football programs to support a 5th super-conference.

2) ND sticks on it's own, and is forced to join a conference
This would be a slower, more painful process for us. This is already happening. I think the next domino to fall would be either the Pac-12 or SEC going to 16. Like I said, the Pac-12 has already tried to do this, so the plan is there. There would then be a mad dash to grab the best of the ACC and Big-12, and one of those conferences would be mortally wounded. This could very well be the ACC, which could lose it's football powers to the B1G, SEC or Big-12. That could leave our olympic sports homeless. On the other hand, the Big-12 could crumble, which I think is more likely. Either way, ND will be forced to pick between the B1G and the ACC for all sports.

Here's how I see the super-conferences filling out:

Pac-12: adds Texas, Oklahoma, BYU and either Baylor/Texas Tech
B1G: adds Kansas and Oklahoma State
ACC: adds Notre Dame and UConn
SEC: adds Kansas State State and West Virginia

That's it. Everyone else is left out in the cold. If ND were to hold out, I think the ACC would be in trouble. However, while a lot of Big-12 schools are pretty undesirable, all the ACC schools would be desirable additions to other conferences. I just can't see EVERY ACC school finding a place in the other 4 super-conferences. Why would BC want to join a Big-12 devoid of Texas and Oklahoma?

One way or another, I think the day is soon approaching when we will have to decide to go all-in with the ACC or run to the B1G with our tail between our legs.

SEC

It's begun. In fact, it began as soon as the last second ticked off the clock in Southern California with Notre Dame 12-0 and headed to the BCS National Championship Game...

• "Whoever wins the SEC championship game will destroy Notre Dame."
• "Notre Dame would be a .500 team if it played in the SEC."
• "Notre Dame is the sixth best team in the SEC."
• "Let's see Notre Dame go 12-0 if they have to play Alabama, LSU, and Georgia every year."

First of all, I'm think Notre Dame's chances of beating an SEC team are pretty solid. Notre Dame plays like an SEC team - great defense, ball control offense.

I won't even touch items two and three. Complete speculation.

I will comment on item four. Everyone thinks the SEC is such a rough schedule, but the reality is not even Alabama, Georgia, and LSU had to play Alabama, Georgia, and LSU - and they're all in the SEC! And none of them are 12-0.

Alabama did play LSU in the regular season, but avoided Georgia (until this weekend), Florida, and South Carolina. In what I would consider their only "competitive" SEC games, they went 1-1, with a home lost to Texas A&M.

Georgia played Florida in the regular season, but avoided Alabama (until this weekend), LSU, and Texas A&M. They were routed by South Carolina, 35-7, to go 1-1 in "competitive" SEC games.

LSU had the most difficult path of the three, playing Florida, South Carolina, Texas A&M, and Alabama in the regular season. They avoided Georgia. They went 2-2 in "competitive" SEC games.

The SEC isn't stupid. It knows that if it schedules all its big dogs against each other every season the odds of one (or two) coming out unscathed are slim. So it balances the schedules to ensure that the big clashes are offset with plenty of Kentucky's, Ole Miss's, and Tennessee's.

Take a gander at the SEC conference standings when you have a minute. Seven of the 14 teams in the conference finished the season at or below .500. Two teams, Kentucky and Auburn won zero - ZERO! - conference games and another, Tennessee, won only 1. The SEC, like all other conferences, is one of have's and have-not's.

So before you start touting the merits of the SEC (or any other conference) take a step back and really look at both the separation of powers and the results. Oh, and every SEC team - Every. Single. One. - padded their schedule with FCS and/or lower-tier FBS opponents. Not so for Notre Dame.

And don't give me any crap about Notre Dame not playing in a championship game. It's not ND's fault that the SEC wanted a money grab at the possible expense of a representative in a BCS game.

Of course, this is all a moot point if the SEC opponent whips Notre Dame. But I don't see that happening. Go Irish!

BCS National Championship

The original...                                               and my GLORIOUS reproduction!!!

So here we are. Since the season started, I see no less than 16 blog posts talking Notre Dame football. I reread them, and it really offers great insight into the mind of long-suffering Irish fans.

The official kick off to the Notre Dame season was unfortunately the Rick Reilly hack job. The now irrelevant sportswriter refused to budge all year, even up to USC. Now he will be shining up the helmets. I have to say, this is just a ploy for him to try to get more clicks on a mea culpa article he is planning. He's not truly sorry, and no way he really thinks he was wrong. He doesn't deserve to step foot on campus, and he should not be allowed anywhere near our helmets!

From there, you can see the cautious optimism building, until November 1, when I posted it was time to go all on and asked, "If not now, when?" From that point onward, we worried about BCS rankings, respect, style points and Heismans. Everything has continued to fall into place. Even Skip Bayless, whom I consider the worst "journalist" in America, has jumped on board. His headline article, This Is Your Man, on why Manti should win the Heisman today is actually well thought out and presents the best argument to date for Manti.

After we completed a 12-0 regular season and punched our ticket to Miami, it felt surreal. So many years of futility and heartache, finally turned around. At last, for real, a Return to Glory. After so much hope this season, it was just a sense of relief.

So there is only one place left to go, Miami and the BCS National Championship Game! If we can score tickets, (and I am cautiously optimistic that the 16 alumni in our family and their various contacts will come through) Colin, Ian and I will be there representing the Royal Heffernans as Notre Dame seeks to ascend to the throne of college football. You can be assured that the trip and game will be thoroughly documented on this site, and perhaps in real time using Twitter, Facebook or some other interweb device. (Advice for live blogging an event using an iPhone would be much appreciated).

There's plenty of room at the bottom of those signs for a few more years!!!

Numero Uno

   The path to the BCS Championship opens for the Irish!

I cannot believe it. Notre Dame was seemingly on the outside looking in to the BCS Championship. Needing help to get a shot at National Championship #12, the unthinkable happened on Saturday.

#1 Kansas State lost was completely exposed by Baylor, who before this weekend was ranked #120 out of 120 FBS teams in total defense. Yeah, that's a Heisman trophy QB on a national championship team.

#2 Oregon finally played a team whose defense was ranked above 80, and managed only 14 points. Tell me, with all the talk about how amazing Oregon was, why did I never hear even once that their FG kicker had kicked 1, that's ONE, FG all season? Do you think being able to kick a FG would be important in trying to win a national championship? I guess they realize it now!

What does this tell us? It's clear that "THE EYE TEST" is total BS!!! Any method by which you objectively compared Notre Dame to KSU or Oregon showed that ND had a better resume. I'm not saying a better team, but we had played a stronger schedule with a dominating defense and an offense that tried to not get in the way. Missouri State, North Texas, Arkansas State, Fresno State, Tennessee Tech. These are some of the juggernauts that the Wildcats and Ducks padded their stats against.

We still have to get the job done next weekend against USC. Do you need any more motivation than a shot at a National Championship? Sure you do:

"At the end there, when they didn't call those timeouts, they just quit. And that's what Notre Dame football's about. They're not anything like USC."

That's USC senior Chris Gallipo last year. Did Matt Barkley agree?

"It seemed from our sideline and our perspective that they did give up. It seemed uncharacteristic of Notre Dame. I wouldn't have wanted to have been on that sideline."

Oh yeah. I've been waiting a year to get payback for that crap. I hope we crush them 42-0. The Heffernan family will celebrate with the game watch party to end all game watch parties. Then, and only then, we can talk 'Bama. Until then...

The Ultimate Double Standard

As a perfect compliment to Ian's prior post, I wanted to talk about one of those college football phrases that make me want to PUKE, style points, also known as "the eye test".

From previous posts, it's obvious the two big fish Notre Dame and it's fans are chasing this year, a National Championship and a Heisman. We need help to get into the BCS Championship game. We also seem to be on the outside looking in in the Heisman race for Manti Te'o. A look at why will show the hypocrisy that is college football.  

Stats vs. Style Points

Let's look first at the BCS Championship. We currently sit at #3 with no possible hope to overtake Oregon or Kansas State. One of them has to lose. This is an absolute joke. The "eye test"? Who's eyes are we talking about? Is it every media member in America who said ND would get demolished by first Michigan State, then Michigan, then Stanford then especially Oklahoma? How about the college football experts who pick games each week? Corso has a 64% record picking winners. Herbstreet is about the same at 62%. Most other "experts" are around that same area, assuming they pick a wide range of games. Check for yourself. So I guess they are around 63% correct in assuming ND is no one of the top 2 teams? Look, it's clear that "the eye test" is a joke. It is meaningless. Instead, look at the cold hard facts. The stats and records of Notre Dame compared to Oregon and KSU. Brian Kelly summarized it best. Ian's post needs repeating:

"If you want style points, look at our defense, look at the schedule we played, 10 FBS teams."

Scoreboard!

Now let's look at the Heisman and see the absolute hypocrisy. While the announcers go absolutely out of their way to say why the style points supersede the schedule, the stats and quite simply LOGIC to define the BCS race, it's the ABSOLUTE OPPOSITE for the Heisman race. Here, it's all about stats. The best player with the best stats on the best team. So let's look at the candidates. 3 undefeated teams. 3 front runners.

Collin Klein
A QB who handles the ball every offensive play. He scores tons of TDs, passing and rushing. Have you heard his name before this season? A name which he even spells wrong!

Kenjon Barner
A RB on a pinball offense with some gaudy rushing numbers. Was he even a candidate before rushing for 300+ against USC? See I take issue with this because he wasn't a candidate before that. Also, he is just a cog in the wheel. Remove him, and Oregon is the EXACT SAME TEAM.

Manti Te'o
The best player on the team. He leads in tackles, interceptions and heart. He imposes fear into the opposing team, while being universally loved by opponents as well. Without Manti, Notre Dame has 2 or 3 losses this year. That's just a fact. He has literally transformed Notre Dame, and his off-the-field actions are now legendary. There are so many stories, articles and posts to support this, I can't even start to list them here.

So here, "the eye test" is 100% clear. Manti IS college football. However, the media decides instead to use a statistical test to rule him out. It just makes me sick.

I give up. All I want is 12-0. Let the rest of this crap take care of itself. I'll be pissed when we get passed over for the BCS Title and Heisman, but I know something else. Notre Dame will be ranked in the Top 5 next year, and be an even better team. The morons who are holding the BCS and Heisman away from us won't be able to do it for much longer!

Style Points

As of the latest BCS rankings released last night, Notre Dame sits at #3. There are a lot of arguments for and against each remaining unranked team for claiming the top two spots and, thus, places in the BCS national championship game. I don't like getting pulled into that conversation, but Brian Kelly said something in his weekly press conference yesterday that really caught my attention.

A lot of the arguments against Notre Dame have included the phrase "style points." Sure, Notre Dame is 10-0, but they only eked by Purdue and they needed three overtimes to beat Pittsburgh! They just don't have the "style points." Well, here was Kelly's quote when asked about those "style points":

If you want style points, look at our defense, look at the schedule we played, 10 FBS teams.

It's a fantastic quote because it dismisses this bullshit subjective metric while at the same time reminding people of the hypocrisy of dismissing Notre Dame's defense.

Teams from the SEC have won the past six (6) national championships. They have done so with defense. All those low-scoring SEC games between LSU and Alabama are spoken of in reverent tones as defensive masterpieces. "Oregon is a joke!" they say,  "Let's see how effective that blur offense is against a decent SEC defense!" Teams from the SEC have no style points. What they have are crazy good defenses and, sadly and more importantly, they have a reputation. They came into the season with high rankings.

Notre Dame does not have those luxuries. They have 20 years of futility and incredibly low expectations coming into the season because of their impossible schedule (which is now, ironically but not surprisingly, being downplayed). So now all of a sudden Notre Dame is fielding a defense that is every bit as good as those lauded SEC defenses - both statistically and through the "eyeball test." Notre Dame's defense is led by Manti Te'o, who many consider not only the best defensive player in the country, but the best player in the country. Yet now, because it's Notre Dame with that crazy good defense they're being dismissed for the very same reasons that Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and South Carolina are still in the top 10, despite all of those teams having at least 1 loss and two of them (LSU and South Carolina) having 2 losses.

So this is nothing new. The media is changing their song to suit their Notre Dame bias. As I said in a comment to Ted's post the other day, I'm fine with that. I just want to see Notre Dame go undefeated. I'll root like hell along the way for Kansas State and Oregon to get upset, but at the end of the day I'll be content not having to see Notre Dame lose. It's just disappointing that such a blatantly flawed metric is still perpetuated and the upcoming playoff format will do nothing to change this - it will just leave it to a selection cabal and push the frustration a few slots down in the rankings. Go Irish!

You Are Looking LIVE!

Alumni Stadium, Chestnut Hill, MA

It's clear, Notre Dame does not control it's own destiny. So we as loyal sons and daughters are split as fans. We have to root for the Irish to win, and root for other teams to lose (or in some cases win as well). For the rest of the season, I will present a weekly post on important games that we should keep an eye on. The ultimate goal, a BCS Championship victory!!!

Notre Dame @ BC || 8pm || ABC
Of course us taking care of business is always priority #1. Our 5th (with one more to go) primetime night game of the season. Let's put the nail in Spaz's coffin.

Teams We Need to Lose
This will always always include the 3 teams ahead of us in the BCS standings.

Texas A&M @ Alabama || 3:30pm || CBS minor upset potential
Oregon @ Cal || 10:30pm || ESPN no chance
KSU @ TCU || 7pm || FOX moderate upset potential

Strength of Schedule Games
These are the incidental, meaningless games that we need to watch, hoping they help our SOS and hurt that of the teams ahead of us. Stupid BCS! Of course, we need every team on our schedule to win! That's a given. These are some possible games with BCS implications.

Oregon State @ Stanford || 3pm || FOX need a Stanford win, which also diminishes the OSU/Oregon matchup
Iowa State @ Texas || 12pm || LHN similar to above, a Texas loss diminishes the KSU/Texas matchup
Louisville @ Syracuse || 12pm || ABC gotta root for the Orange; they lost to USC and this would improve our SOS
UCLA @ WSU || 10:30pm || ESPN2 we need USC to get another shot at Oregon in Pac-12 Championship
Northwestern @ Michigan || 12pm || ESPN Blue can still win the B1G, helping our SOS a ton!

Scraps
To nab a few extra votes, we need some 1-loss SEC teams to lose. There are a handful of idiot voters out there who still put Georgia and Florida ahead of us. Root against them! We want Alabama facing a tough 2-loss team in the SEC Championship!

What Though The Odds

Manti reacts to Colin not watching!!!

Be honest. Did you watch it all? Did you stay positive, or turn it off in disgust?

I have a cop out: Ryan's birthday party was at 3pm in Columbus, and we had to drive home. I watched until the late 3rd quarter, then we had to hit the road. I tuned it in on the Catholic Channel on Sirius. I actually switched the radio twice. Once when Golson threw that awful INT in the endzone. The second time when Cierre fumbled into the endzone. Both times, I steamed for a song or two then quickly tuned back in.

So has Notre Dame avoided a late season catastrophe? So many times in the past, we were on track for a title, only to drop a late game that we should have easily won. There was something different about this game. There is something different about this team. My weekly blog posts haven't jinxed it. It's DESTINY!

Am I worried about USC? Hell yeah! I am also very nervous about BC and Wake Forest, although for different reasons. We need to pound these teams to try and steal some votes. As I posted last week, it's clear we don't control our our destiny. We need help to get a shot at the National Championship. I thought we might get it last weekend. Les Miles is an idiot and gave Alabama chance after chance to come back. Klein goes down with a concussion, but he'll be back without missing a game. Oregon has ZERO defense, but they can score 70, so voters love them. We need 2 of them to fall. Can it happen?

Alabama
They have played their mighty 4 (yes four) road games. Here's what's left, all at home.

• Texas A&M: I like A&M a lot, but too much for a freshman QB on the road. They keep it close early, but it will not be close.
• W Carolina: Seriously?
• Auburn: Chzik's swan song. Auburn might lose by 70.
• SEC Championship (Georgia): If the real Georgia comes to play, this is a potential upset. Since Mark Richt is the coach, you know that won't be the case!

Kansas State
Snyder isn't dumb enough to paint himself into a corner like Kelly. Klein will play next week even if he doesn't remember his own name.

• @ TCU: TCU has a lot of confidence after a big win at WVU. Minor upset potential. I don't see it happening unless Klein is out.
• @ Baylor: Baylor can score. I'm talking Oregon score. I think this is a tough one that will test the KSU D. I see a shootout, with KSU likely pulling away.
• Texas: Major upset potential. Texas is coming around. I really like Texas to spoil things here.

Oregon
The meat of their schedule continues with 4 decent games that could help them jump KSU in the BCS rankings.

• @ Cal: Tedford in trouble. Cal is awful this year. No shot.
• Stanford: Major upset potential. The only team in the Pac-12 with any defense is Stanford. It will be put to the test. The perfect style of play to foil Oregon's high flying attack.
• @ Oregon State: Minor upset potential. Rivalry game on the road. OSU is overrated, but it will be a HUGE matchup for the Beavers.
• Pac-12 Championship (USC): Another potential upset. It's hard to beat a team twice. Just ask LSU last year.

So the way I see it, Alabama will likely not lose. Not because they are sooooo good, but because their schedule is awful (I'm talking to you SEC). So who will they meet in the BCS Championship?

I think Oregon has a very tough time winning out. After this weekend, they have 3 tests, all very different. I think they get a loss at some point.

Similar to my previous post, it then all comes down to Kansas State. We REALLY need them to lose. It would help us get to the Championship, and potentially win a Heisman for Manti Te'o. They have the softest remaining schedule, but I also think they are the weakest of the remaining undefeateds. I think we have to really root for Texas in their final game.

As an interesting aside, I have stated multiple times this year and in years prior that the three worst coaches in college football are Mark Richt, Mack Brown and Lane Kiffin. All three have so much talent on their teams, but routinely waste it. I can't believe I have to rely on each one of them as my BEST SHOT at putting Notre Dame into a National Championship game!!! I'm not holding my breath.

What Will It Take

Plenty of room at the bottom of that sign!

The dream season. A National Championship coupled with a Heisman trophy. Notre Dame has done it 3 times (1943, 1947 and 1949). More recently, Alabama and Auburn have pulled off this awesome combo.

Before this season began, this was not even on the horizon for the 2012 Fighting Irish. Now, after an incredible 8-0 start to the season, both are within the realm of possibility. Should we get our hopes up? Are we just setting ourselves up to be crushed? What will it take for the Irish to achieve these lofty goals?

All of these questions will be answered by the man who successfully analyzed the ND - Oklahoma game and predicted the outcome based upon stats and factual evidence, despite EVERY national media person ignoring these facts and picking the Sooners. If I hear someone use the "eye test" to judge a football team again, I will immediately tune them out.

The Heisman
Manti Te'o is almost a lock for an invite to New York as a Heisman finalist. Most informal polls of Heisman voters have him at #2 right now. However, I have not seen anyone put him #1 yet. You can see that everyone acknowledges his excellence, but nobody is willing to actually give it to a defensive player. That creates a problem. I think 3 things must happen for Manti to win the Heisman.

1) Notre Dame must go undefeated
Even a single loss would eliminate him from contention.

2) Kansas State has to lose
Collin Klein is the Heisman leader on just about every ranking I have seen. For Manti to win, the leaders ahead of him must fall.

3) Attitude change
Even if Klein goes down, I see another offensive player from a top team leapfrogging Manti - unless the Heisman voters make a conscious decision to change their past voting habits. I think this is a big leap. If Manti can create a few Heisman worthy highlights, that may be enough to make this happen. A big PR push by the ND athletic department is in order as well.

BCS Championship
We can't win a title unless we get there. Obviously, we have to win that game. However, getting there may prove more challenging than winning a potential championship game! Right now, I see 2 scenarios by which we get into the BCS Championship game. Both require a few things to happen, and clearly Notre Dame does not control its own destiny.

1) 2 of the other 3 remaining undefeated teams must lose
Clearly, if we are one of only 2 undefeated teams, we get in. I think Alabama, KSU and Oregon will all end the season ranked ahead of us if we all remain undefeated. The reason for this is that the human polls have us at #4. We cannot leapfrog Alabama or KSU with our remaining schedule compared to theirs. Also, Oregon will likely pass us in the BCS rankings after this weekend with their improved strength of schedule coming up.

2) Notre Dame passes KSU in the Coaches and Harris polls
My joy over defeating Oklahoma was tempered last weekend when the polls came out. I really thought we would leapfrog KSU, based on a head to head comparison of our mutual games against the Sooners. Our victory was much more decisive, and came at a time when OU was rolling. Right now, we are a bit behind them, and it is nearly impossible to overtake them in the BCS rankings. The computer polls love them (as they do us). We need to somehow convince the poll voters to leapfrog us. That will be very difficult. Our only chance is that our upcoming victories look better than theirs. We have to score MAJOR style points and crush Pitt, BC and Wake. The offense needs to progress and show that the Oklahoma game was the START of something big, not an aberration. Considering how we handled Navy and Miami (the worst 2 defensive teams we have played) I like our chances there. I also think we have to really root for USC. We know they are good, but we need our finale against them to really matter. KSU doesn't have much left. their finale against Texas should be a cakewalk considering Texas' awful defense.

So let's get down to the big question. Should we get our hopes up? My simple answer:  

IF NOT NOW, WHEN?

We have all been ND fans our whole lives. That means 2 years of joy and X years of disappointment and soul-crushing losses (X is defined as your age - 2). 1987 gave us a Heisman and 1988 gave us a Championship. Is it likely we get crushed again this year? Yes. However, it's time to get on the bandwagon (if you were ever off). Wear your gear. Watch the games (I'm talking to you Colin and Dad). Make plans for a HUGE Thanksgiving weekend party to watch USC. Make some hotel reservations in Miami, just in case!

Someday, Notre Dame will win it all again. I want to ride the train to the title and savor every moment of it. The train has left the station this year. I'm on board. Are you?

Boom Goes Sooner

ND erased the smiles on these faces by snapping a 47-game win streak in 1957.

November 16, 1957. Notre Dame rolls into Norman as a 19 point underdog to Oklahoma. The Sooners were riding an all-time best 47 game win streak, and were supremely confident. After a legendary game, the Irish won 7-0.

Terry Brennan carried off the field after the game.

Oklahoma will surely be using this as motivation going into this weekend's top NCAA game. #5 Notre Dame goes into Norman as an 11 point underdog to the #8 Sooners. I have read numerous articles and listened to many interviews this week. The consensus is nearly unanimous: Notre Dame is not worthy of its ranking, and we will be totally exposed by Oklahoma Saturday.

Although, I agree that we are underdogs, I think the talking heads are being hypnotized by Oklahoma's big scoring outputs against Texas and Kansas. I would like to do a small preview to let us know what to really expect Saturday. Do we have any chance? Three interesting comparisons seem to suggest a possible outcome.

1) I think you first have to look at the overall stats of Notre Dame and Oklahoma.
Notre Dame
Total Offense: 387 yds (#74) || Rushing 193 (#38) || Passing 194 (#98)
Total Defense: 280 (#6) || Scoring 9 (#2)
Oklahoma
Total Offense: 488 yds (#17) || Rushing 199 (#34) || Passing 288 (#26)
Total Defense: 302 (#15) || Scoring 15 (#12)

On the surface, that suggests that Notre Dame has an average offense which is rather balanced. It is supported by an elite defense. Oklahoma seems to have an above average (not elite) offense and defense. The offense seems to rely on the pass.

2) Next, I think you need to look at the strength of the defenses the two teams have faced. While Notre Dame's schedule continues to be poo pooed by the media, the numbers don't lie. Here are the total defense rankings of teams played:
Notre Dame 
BYU - 4th
Michigan State - 5th
Michigan - 10th
Stanford - 34th
Navy - 48th
Purdue - 72nd
Miami - 114th
Oklahoma 
Texas Tech - 7th
Kansas State - 23rd
Kansas - 85th
UTEP - 94th
Texas - 107th
Florida A&M - FCS

If we throw out the worst defense each team has played, ND has faced an average D ranked #28, while Oklahoma has faced an average #63. Do you think these may have effected the stats in item 1) above???

3) Finally, Kansas State offers an excellent comparison of Notre Dame to Oklahoma via common opponent.
KSU vs. Miami: 52-13
ND vs. Miami: 41-3
KSU vs. OU: 24-19

KSU has the #42 ranked offense and the #23 ranked defense. I think the numbers show that KSU has a slightly better offense than us, mainly due to Klein at QB. However, our defense is far superior to KSU. Both of these facts are proven statistically and by how we handled Miami as a common opponent.

So what does all of this mean for Saturday? I'll try to summarize. Oklahoma's offense has an edge on us, but I think the stats show it is a slight edge, perhaps based on a weak set of opponents. I also think our defense is unlike any they have faced. I think it fair to assume that Oklahoma will probably put up somewhere between 17 and 28 points on us. I also think we should be able to expect a similar output. Of course these projections cannot account for intangibles. Turnovers and penalties will most assuredly decide this game.

I think the matchup is FAR closer than the "experts" are predicting. You have to assume Golson will be improved, and you have to assume Kelly will have a few wrinkles in the gameplan to try and manufacture a few big plays. I think the keys to the game are:

1. The success of those wrinkles
2. Being even or + in turnovers
3. Punishing the lines of Oklahoma with physical play on offense and defense

My prediction:

Notre Dame: 27
Oklahoma: 24

Manti For Heisman

"The Heisman Memorial Trophy annually recognizes the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work."

- Heisman Trust Mission Statement

There has been a lot of talk about Manti Te'o as a Heisman candidate. At first, I dismissed it as mere hope. When you have a highly ranked team, you always look to its best players as possible Heisman candidates. As recently as this week, I thought that a perfect storm would have to occur for Manti to have a shot: ND undefeated, QBs ahead of him falter, and Manti makes a defining play to win a game.

Today I have officially changed my mind. I am officially campaigning for Manti to win the Heisman. I don't think it's a long-shot anymore. I think it may be a real possibility. I'm going to explain why. Reread that mission statement above. Nowhere does it say the best player, the most stats, the most wins or the best team. It talks about excellence, integrity, diligence, perseverance and hard work.

Manti wears the C on his jersey (the 1st time in decades) and is the team captain in every way. He is the physical, spiritual and emotional leader. We all know he is a once in a generation defensive player. He is a 1st team All-American and a top 10 draft pick. He controls the game from the defensive side of the ball. Not only that, but he continues to improve every season and every week. The legend wrote another chapter last weekend against Stanford. 1st and goal from the 4 in OT. The Irish needed to stop Stanford. Manti lined up on the goal line with his defense, looked up and down the line, and told his teammates, "I love you". Game over.

We also know about his tragic double loss on September 12. When he broke down and couldn't lead, his teammates picked up the slack and were there for him. He responded with dominant performances against Michigan State and Michigan. If this isn't the very essence of integrity and perseverance, I don't know what is.

But it's just a dream, right? I don't think so anymore. I have recently read articles about how Manti is viewed in Hawaii. I am not mincing words when I say this, he is a god. He is the most revered athlete in Hawaii. I think that is spreading as well. He received thousands of letters after his tragedy, showing his national presence. I also would like you to watch the postgame after Stanford. Although they lost a heartbreaker in OT, their players were swearing, and their coach was whining about phantom whistles and such, almost every Stanford player and coach lined up to shake hands, speak with or hug Manti. It's not just Stanford either. He is revered by other players and coaches.

Yeah, but that's Hawaii and a bunch of football guys. It's not enough for the Heisman, right? Well listen to this, and see if you think Manti has enough momentum to carry him to the award:


Jim Rome has literally done tens of thousands of interviews, probably more. After that interview, he wrote on his website, "That may have been the most inspirational conversation I've ever had with an athlete." His radio show blew up with callers admiring Manti, ND fans and ND haters alike. Twitter exploded. I think the more people that listen to this, they will realize that Manti exhibits what the Heisman was created to symbolize.

The more I learn about Manti, the more I see him play, he is quickly becoming my favorite football player ever. He is the perfect representation of not only Notre Dame football, but college football - as it was meant to be. In this day and age when so many things seem wrong with college football, I call on the Heisman Trust and Heisman voters to vote for Manti Te'o. Use the Heisman to promote the good in college football. College football isn't just about stats and wins. It's about guys like Manti, it's about legends.

2002 vs. 2012

Another glorious victory. Undefeated. Riding high. A top 5 ranking. Our defeat of Stanford has us all on an emotional high. However, I refuse to get ahead of where we are right now. That's 6-0.

This is our best start since 2002. A look back at 2002 shows some eery similarities, and I hope some lessons going forward this year.

8-31-02	KICKOFF CLASSIC vs. Maryland @East Rutherford, NJ	WON 22-0
9-7-02	PURDUE	WON 24-17
9-14-02	MICHIGAN	WON 25-23
9-21-02	at Michigan State	WON 21-17
10-5-02	STANFORD	WON 31-7
10-12-02	PITTSBURGH	WON 14-6
10-19-02	at Air Force	WON 21-14
10-26-02	at Florida State	WON 34-24
11-2-02	BOSTON COLLEGE	LOST 7-14
11-9-02	at Navy @Baltimore, MD	WON 30-23
11-23-02	RUTGERS	WON 42-0
11-30-02	at Southern Cal	LOST 13-44
GATOR BOWL @Jacksonville, FL
1-1-03	North Carolina State	LOST 6-28

9-1-12	Navy @Dublin, Ireland	WON 50-10
9-8-12	PURDUE	WON 20-17
9-15-12	at Michigan State	WON 20-3
9-22-12	MICHIGAN	WON 13-6
10-6-12	Miami FL @Chicago, IL	WON 41-3
10-13-12	STANFORD	WON 20-13
10-20-12	BRIGHAM YOUNG
10-27-12	at Oklahoma
11-3-12	PITTSBURGH
11-10-12	at Boston College
11-17-12	WAKE FOREST
11-24-12	at Southern California

Seriously? You can't make this stuff up. Both seasons started out with minimal expectations. A neutral site road game with a big victory opened things up. Close wins against Purdue, MSU and UM were next. A big win against a decent opponent came next. That was followed by a close game against a solid opponent. That put both teams at 6-0.

Think the similarities stop there? Look ahead. An OK opponent (Air Force vs. BYU), a road game against an NCAA powerhouse (FSU vs. Oklahoma) followed by a "guaranteed" victory (BC vs. Pitt). A doormat or two then lead to an end of the season trip to play USC.

So what does this tell us? Well, these are two different teams, for sure. However, the 2012 Irish can certainly heed the lessons of the past. First, we need to treat BYU like they are the #1 team in the country. Don't look ahead to Oklahoma. Second, Oklahoma is beatable. It will take our best game of the year, but if our defense rises to the occasion, and our offense continues to improve, we have a shot. We'll be double digit underdogs, but we have a shot. Most importantly, we cannot let up against the ACC stretch of our schedule!!! No let down no matter what happens in Norman. Finally, USC is weakened. They appear beatable. However, they will be playing for a BCS bowl, a Heisman trophy, and for pride against their traditional archenemy. They could easily spoil every other good thing that has happened this season!

Something tells me Brian Kelly is well aware of the lessons of the past. Time for cautious optimism is over. This is it. We are on a championship run. Like it or not, Notre Dame is in the hunt for a National Title. Might as well enjoy the ride. I have a feeling this season is the turning point for Notre Dame football. Whether we go all the way or come up short, we're back.

Manning/Brady conflict

If you're looking for a laugh, check out this Facebook conversation between Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.  It's pretty freaking hilarious. 

Put me in, Coach!

Just read that Brady Quinn finished the game for the Chiefs last Sunday after a Matt Cassell injury. Quinn took them down the field and threw a potentially game-winning TD pass that was nullified on a penalty. KC settled for a FG but couldn't get the ball back before time ran out. Word is Quinn will start next Sunday at Tampa Bay. I always thought Brady Quinn got a raw deal in the NFL. Cleveland (as usual) managed to screw things up (remember Derek Anderson?) and then for some reason they dumped Quinn to make way for Dolt McBoy. How'd that work out, Brownies? I would just like to see Quinn get a fair shot as a starter over a reasonable stretch of games. If he bombs, so be it. But I think he could be good. He gave us a lot to cheer about at ND.

Political Ramifications

No, I'm not going to talk politics to you. Heck, I didn't even watch the debate, and for the 15 seconds it was on in my house, all I wanted to do was puke. I did, however, find great humor in the fact that each candidate for president was wearing either a red tie (Romney), or a blue tie (Obama). Apparently they think they need to stick to their party colors.

My favorite thing about debates is finding out how each candidate spun the facts, worked the statistics, and generally exaggerated, embellished, or outright lied to the folks listening in at home. I saw a good article this morning doing fact checking on the presidential candidates positions. It brings to light a lot of the nuances that each candidate highlights to make his opponent look worse than he actually is, and to make their own ideas/policies sound better than they really are/were. And it is is not partisan, mostly.

The most eye-opening thing to me was the following statement: "It's true that China is the largest foreign holder of U.S. debt, but it only represents about an 8 percent stake. Some two-thirds of the $16 trillion national debt is owed to the federal government, with the largest single stake the Federal Reserve, as well as American investors and the Social Security Trust Fund."

Men in Blazers

I don't know if you guys are into podcasts or not.  I happen to love them.  They are great to listen to while driving or working out.  My new favorite is the following:

http://meninblazers.buzzsprout.com/


These guys are hilarious and have some serious soccer football knowledge.  They are also British, so they got that going for them, which is nice.  I truly fell in love when they mocked Brad Friedel and John Harkes for acquiring English accents after spending only a few years in Europe.

Jinxed!!!

It seems that Notre Dame just can't catch a break. Big win against Michigan, 4-0 for the first time in 10 years, a top 10 ranking. And then this...

Oh well, it was fun while it lasted!

The well known SI cover jinx has been pulled out to derail yet another Notre Dame season. Here is a recent history of Notre Dame on the cover of SI. You can't make this stuff up!!!

8/21/2006

2006 College Preview: Yeah, after a #2 preseason ranking, that season was a bit of a letdown.I have the Sugar Bowl scars to prove it.

9/30/2002

Another "Return to Glory" derailed by SI. We managed to extend the 4-0 start to 8-0 before the season (and Ty Willingham) came crashing down.

9/23/1996

A great 3-0 start, immediately followed by a loss at Ohio State, a miserable game Ian and I had the misfortune of attending.

11/22/1993

10-0, fresh off an upset against #1 FSU. The highlight of  Notre Dame football during my days on campus. We all know what happened next...

11/29/1993

But we won the Bowl Game, so maybe the cover jinx is reversed if you go back to back covers!!! Can someone get SI on the phone for next week before we play Miami?

9/24/1990

The jinx in fact goes further. In 1990 this cover proceeded a loss to Stanford. we actually had a shot at a title until later losing to Penn State, earning another cover.

9/25/1989

The last jinx cover. #1, 11-0, away at Miami. We lose. No repeat championship.

1/9/1989

You have to go all the way back to the 1988 season to break the jinx. We had 2 covers that year, and held on to go 12-0 leading to this GEM!

8/31/1987

Of note, the last time a Notre Dame player won the Heisman...

Just sayin'!!!!!!!!!

Adios Skunkbears

It was reported today that Notre Dame has opted-out of its series with Michigan. Anyone with half a brain knew this series was toast as soon as the ACC move was announced. It really couldn't last. Playing 3 B1G teams is a bit overkill, and Purdue (Shillelagh) and MSU (Megaphone) are our true rivals. I have no doubt that Michigan is not wiping away tears at this either. They will happily move on. While I'm not surprised, two thoughts after reading the article did raise my eyebrow:

1) Swarbrick notified Michigan AD Brandon by sealed letter on the field prior to the game Saturday.
Seems rather classless of Swarbrick.This surely would merit a discussion face to face prior to the game or at least a phone call. Sounds rather out of character for Swarbrick, and I question the veracity of Brandon's account.

2) Our new ACC inspired schedule is going to be awesome!
We can start to project a future ND schedule:

(Purdue)
ACC Tier 2 (Maryland)
(Michigan State)
ACC Tier 3 (Duke)
Shamrock Series neutral site (Big East or lesser BCS opponent)
USC
Navy
ACC Tier 1 (FSU)
ACC Tier 2 (North Carolina)
ACC Tier 2 (Virginia)
(Texas, BYU, SEC school)
Stanford

8 opponents are locked.
5 ACC: I suspect a tiered ACC schedule will be used. That means the top 3 teams will not all be on our schedule in the same year. We won't get all doormats in Tier 3 either.
USC and Navy: traditional rivals.
Stanford: ensures a west coast game when USC is a home game.

Now it gets fun. We have a Shamrock Series neutral site game. That will likely continue to be a lesser opponent from a BCS school near the game site. We could use it to play an SEC school, as they typically refuse home/home series not wanting to travel out of the south.

That leaves us 3 more games. I would like to see our traditional B1G rivals MSU and Purdue remain. That would leave us 1 more to play with. We currently have deals for series with Texas and BYU on the books. That would be a nice couple of options. I would imagine we would look to have a Big 12 or Texas school on the schedule every year. I also imagine we will continue to schedule an occasional Big East school. I also hope we start playing some SEC schools again.  In the past, Tennessee and LSU have been good SEC partners.

Any way you slice it, it is now clear that the ACC move has significantly upgraded our football schedule, and created stability in scheduling. We will have some nice future opponents, while playing ALL OVER the nation. As RoboCop would say, "I LIKE IT!"

Man On Wire

Brian Kelly walking the tightrope this season.

I've figured it out. I've been trying to figure out what the heck Brian Kelly has been doing with his QB situation since Spring practices. After last nights defeat of Michigan, I finally see what is going on.

We have a BCS caliber defense. Plain and simple. We have thoroughly dominated 4 opponents, including 2 ranked teams. For the first time since 1909, we held UM and MSU without a TD. For the fist time since 1943, we held back-to-back Top 20 opponents to 6 points or less. We have perhaps the best defensive player in the country, who is already a hero in Hawaii, and soon will be an NFL star. This is the type of defense that wins championships.

The problem is, we have a redshirt freshman QB. With tons of athletic ability, Golson won the starting job over Rees. However, Golson will struggle. We have already seen that. Rees has the knowledge to run Kelly's offense, but his lack of athleticism limits his ceiling. 2012 looked like the year we would be suffering growing pains through Golson's development. With the historically tough schedule, that seemed to be an okay choice, to build for next year.

Then our defense blew up that plan, just as they did the O-Lines of every team we have faced thus far. It's clear now that Kelly realizes the potential for this team. He cannot afford to let Golson go through a "trial by fire." He has to make gut-wrenching calls to try to maximize our chances to win every game. So while he will push on with Golson's development, Rees is available at a moment's notice to get the offense back on track.

I don't know if the plan is possible. 2 QB systems almost never work. The only example I can recall is Florida with Leak and Tebow. I think pushing things as they are now is doomed to fail. Instead, myself and every other ND fan are waiting for that game when everything just "clicks" for Golson. The game in which he emerges as a star.With 2 weeks to prepare, it could be against Miami. Their defense should give us a little more breathing room than our last 3 opponents.

In either case, our defense has given us hope. At the outset of this season, I saw 8 wins as a likely outcome. Now, looking at the rest of our schedule, I see only 3 games in which we will be underdogs. We will have Stanford at home, so I like our chances. Oklahoma proved it is mortal in Norman losing to KSU this weekend. USC has also proven it is not the juggernaut the polls anointed them, with Stanford providing the blueprint. I think I have to revise my prediction up to 10 wins and a BCS bowl.

Notre Dame to ACC

Wow.

And it appears that they won't even have to cave-in on football.

Credit Where It's Due

 Dusty bringing his lineup card out to the umpire.

I have been rather critical of Dusty Baker's borderline idiotic lineups all season long. I'm not the only one, as Dusty routinely takes any chance he can get to rip the fans and media for discussing his lineups - as if they were handed to him on stone tablets from a burning bush.

So I will happily apologize today as I see that Dusty has seen the light. No longer are Stubbs (OBP .287) and Cozart (OBP .287) hitting #1 and #2. Phillips is back at #1 doing what needs to be done for this team. Furthermore, it looks like Heisey will spell Stubbs in CF, and that puts his bat into the lineup as a solid #2. It seems all is well now that Votto is back. The lineup looks formidable, and the rotation is still chugging along. Granted, we did drop 2 of 3 to a minor league team over the weekend, but you can't win 'em all.