The other night, my mind wracked with night terrors, I lay in bed, watching the blades of the ceiling fan thump around in their perpetual circle, somehow keeping time with the distant drumming of a paddlewheel. Sweat ran down my brow, mimicking the gathering dew on the Spanish moss draping the live oaks outside. Unable to sleep, my stomach churning in battle with the remains of a marvelous Sancerre and what was perhaps a one-day-too-old helping of shrimp creole, I did what New Orleanians have ...
Stepping Into History: the Dublin Cleats and the Fighting Irish
When the Irish take the field in Dublin against Navy on 1 September 2012, they will wear these beauties for the game: While these are obviously the greatest cleats ever worn, this piece is not about the cleats qua cleats. It is about what the cleats, and more properly, the colors, mean. For, when the Fighting Irish walk out onto the pitch at Aviva Stadium, they will write another chapter in the history of the F/fighting Irish in Dublin. The last time Notre Dame and Navy squared off in ...
No Time for Tommy
An old saw about leadership is that "with authority comes responsibility" or words to that effect. As a young reserve officer candidate, some such phrase was beaten into my brain and, in later years, I did my best to remember it as I explained myself to my CO for the sins of a non-rate in my division. As you progress up the ranks, you gain more authority, but also more responsibility. This basic fact of leadership, to me, explains the now tortured path on which Tommy Rees walks and, perhaps, ...
Hold Tight to Your Anchor
I KNOW what the official lyrics say the line is: "hold tight to your anger." I think it should be "hold tight to your anchor." When you live in New Orleans and you are surrounded by water, water that has fertilized America's amber waves of grain and its literary fecundity, your mind readily connects to things nautical. As I watched Bruce Springsteen blast through "Wrecking Ball" during his Jazz Fest 2012 set, I swore he sang "hold on to your anchor" and I thought it so appropriate, ...
Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Michael Heuerman for Your Viewing Pleasure…
Notre Dame's got something going on at Tight End, and the latest round in the chamber is Mike Heuerman, a four star recruit who just verbally committed to Notre Dame. Here's the good: he's ranked number ten at the position by Rivals.com. He's 6'4", 220 pounds. Here's the better: he's from a little-known football state called FLORIDA and held offers from some piddling programs LSU, Miami and tOSU. Clearly, the departure of Aaron Lynch has not closed the door to big time recruits leaving the ...
All Aboard: The Subway Alumni
Leo and Michael never attended the University of Notre Dame, but they are among the Notre Dame Alumni Club of New Orleans' most dedicated game watch attendees. Fresh on the heels of the Blue Gold Game weekend and The Shirt's unveiling, I wanted to explore with them why they cheer for Notre Dame. I know you've heard it before, but New Orleans is not like the rest of America, for better and for worse. What you may not believe, is that it's not even like the rest of Louisiana. New ...
You Can’t Stop Brittney Griner, You Can Only Hope to Contain Her
Down here on "da Bayou," amid all the crawfish pie and file gumbo, one's usual reaction to encountering something of Brittney Griner's size, presence and skill is to, in the words of any one of the Swamp People, "'choot it!" Last night, Notre Dame took the floor against a woman who may one day be remembered as the most dominant female basketplayer ever. In a game that saw the Irish spring to an early lead but ultimately yield to a machine-like foe, and thus play out a seasonal homage on parquet ...
Sunday Night Madness
Last night's ND v. UConn game had more turnovers than a bakery, worse defense than the Ardennes Forest in 1940 and the overall feel of two talented teams who have played each other so many times and know each other so well that neither wanted to win for fear of causing hurt feelings. Still, in the end, ND pulled out a victory that was as exciting as any finish could be. When it matter, Mallory mattered. Diggins dominated. And Notre Dame is one tough Baylor squad away from a ...
Debate THIS: Toodle-oo, Tommy.
Tommy Rees cannot be the starting quarterback this season because we're still "talking about this stuff." He has not made the strides he needed to in order to establish himself as the Number One. Because questions remain, we need to move on from Tommy, as sad and painful as that might be. Remember, they had to shoot Old Yeller, too. On a gut level, I really, really, really wanted Tommy to work out. Tommy was, to my eye, the honey badger before Tyrann Mathieu burst on the scene. Tommy threw ...