Monday and Tuesday of this week were strange sports nights as a Notre Dame fan.
Watching Wisconsin and Duke square off in the men’s basketball final threw my brain into a “what if” spiral. Notre Dame had beaten Duke, twice, the last two losses they had suffered this season. Wisconsin managed to do what Notre Dame came so close to doing: knocking off Kentucky. So what if Notre Dame had pulled off the upset first. Would they then have beaten Wisconsin to face a team they had already beaten twice? Or what if Notre Dame hadn’t received a seeding shaft from the tournament committee would Notre Dame have taken Duke’s spot in the title game?
As much as I felt immense pride for the run that Mike Brey’s team graced us with, I couldn’t help but feel a swelling of disappointment that it was cut short.
The following day the ladies took the court in a position that is starting to feel quite familiar to them, facing off against UCONN for it all. In fact, the Irish and Huskies have crossed paths in each of their last five trips to the Final Four, three times in the semifinals and twice in the finals. But much like the last two tournament bouts against UCONN, Notre Dame feel short. It was another season of so close, yet so far, clearly beaten by a superior team.
If I were to shift to football, I could add 2012 to this list of pain. The joy of an undefeated season unceremoniously crushed by the Alabama Crimson Tide delivered one hell of a gut-punch; however, getting back to that level of success placed the bar back to such a high level that every loss in 2013 was gut wrenching, especially knowing that Everett Golson wasn’t on the sidelines. And then, upon his return, the undefeated start followed by turnover fest sent many of us to a maddening edge.
It’s awesome that the major sports have all found their way back on the map (and we shouldn’t forget the non-revenue sports finding success either). Lofty expectations have turned into reality, even if it is bittersweet at the end.
Sometimes being a sports fan ends in picking the poison to consume. After all, there’s only one winner, so the odds aren’t exactly in your favor at any point in time. So give me the hemlock that is only served when your team fails on the verge of ultimate victory over the Windex colada that is funneled down your throat as your team takes a rapid nose-dive to the bottom.
/convulses upon the memory of Nelson Cruz screwing up a fly ball in Game 6 that would’ve won the 2011 World Series for the Rangers
/dies
The Roundup
Remember the curious case of Salsa Nacho? Well, his final verdict is in and the once homeless Baylor running back is officially ineligible for the remainder of his college career; however, his story is more than a single eligibility decision.
Morgantown just passed the most Morgantown law ever. Forget couches on fire, no more couches outside, period.
But if someone pays him in tattoos, we have a problem. Braxon Miller’s annoying Instagram Advocare ad resulted in nothing more than a minor slap on the wrist.
Gary Patterson is still salty. The TCU head coach made his feelings on missing the playoff well known once again. Considering the #4 seed won the whole thing, I’m incredibly disappointed he didn’t just start blasting Florida State and go complete scorched earth.
Somewhat related, conference championships could be changing. The Big XII and ACC have pushed to have the 12 team requirement removed and, by 2016, that could be a reality.
Yes, that is Lou Holtz wearing our next opponent’s gear. But it still Lou Holtz talking (and doing magic tricks) so you are watching.
Let’s help out the ND Dance-a-thon. The goal is to raise $10,000 for Memorial Children’s Hospital of South Bend and the event is tonight. You can donate and learn more about the event here.
And now your moment of Nix… Pure. Michigan.
https://twitter.com/MarktheNomad/status/584163528631812096
https://twitter.com/MarktheNomad/status/584350923520139264
The Booze
Baseball season is underway once again. And, while I know we have a large contingent of Cubs fans in the ND fanbase enjoying their Old Style (and cups full of piss due to no bathrooms), this Texas boy will be dipping into the Shiner and hoping no more UCL tears happen (miss you, Yu).
Texan by birth, Irish by choice.
First-generation Domer and a former student manager, HLS podcast host, HLS Sim creator, Extra Life streamer, and technical problem haver. You can find more non-Notre Dame related writing on his Patreon.
- Epilogue - January 3, 2022
- HLS Podcast Finale - January 2, 2022
- The Final Fiesta: Notre Dame vs Oklahoma State NCAA ’14 Sim - December 31, 2021
Lou broke my heart right there. Ugh. Most of that stuff was straight outta his book “Wins, Losses, and Lessons” except he ended that last one with “you wanna be happy for a lifetime, win a championship for Notre Dame”
Sweet magic trick though.
Crazy Uncle Lou has his stock bag of motivational speeches. They’re all good/true, which is why he doesn’t deviate from them.
Yep, he’s done the “eat a steak” line before on ESPN before and the Solid Verbal uses it in their intro.
I mean, when you got it, don’t deviate from the script.