In this season of giving, in what I’m told is now a Year of Mercy, the Alumni Association is giving away lanterns to people who “Be the Light.” I’m not sure if this is a command, a wish, or slang. But vague grammar aside, it is a very nice idea to send lanterns to those who light up your days and nights. I would have loved it if someone had sent me a lantern or two around Christmas of 1842 – my log cabin was quite dark and things growled outside the door at night, seeking entry and food. I have ...
Irish
Pre-Friday w/Padre: Book Report
It may be cool and cloudy here in beautiful Notre Dame, Indiana; but there is warmth and sunshine to be found at the Bookstore in the piece of light reading which I have written for students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and friends of Our Lady’s University. The book is called Father Sorin Says. I didn’t select the title, the publisher did (though, to be honest, “Sorin Says” was a game students and I played on the quadrangle…and in the dormitories…and in the classroom...and in ...
Good Fridays w/Padre: The Best of Times
I don’t watch a lot of television, primarily because I have yet to be convinced that it’s not largely the work of the devil. But every now and then I pass by a working television machine and something catches my eye. Most recently, I saw a promotion for some carnival-esque sideshow called “Best Time Ever.” Well, Freshmen, let me tell you that NBC is blatantly lying. THAT is not ‘the best time ever’. You are now experiencing The Best Time Ever – brought to you by ND. If you don’t believe ...
Good Fridays w/Padre: Break-Its
So much excitement at this time of year about the Grand Tournament! Especially this year since our team is, indeed, so grand! Yet, I am always disturbed by the fixation with these so-called “Brackets.” In that they are gambling, I remind you all that this is illegal – unless you’re an Alum in the stock market who makes lots of money and donates most to the University. In that case, gamble away. In another regard, these brackets somehow seek to make an academic science out of what is merely ...
So Why Go? The Importance of Going Bowling
Last week, one of our newest writers, Moons, wrote a solid and well-received piece on whether or not bowl games serve as a "springboard" for success the following season. Moons suggested that a bit of micro-analysis or team-specific inquiry could flesh out his general theory and add a little nuance. In today's piece, I decided to look specifically at the Irish. What I found was that while there was no correlation between a bowl appearance, much less a win, for that matter, and a better record ...
L-S-WHO? Irish Defeat Tigers 31-28
If the 2012 championship game against Alabama was a yardstick applied with gusto to the backside of Coach Brian Kelly's Irish, the 2014 Music City Bowl victory over 23rd-ranked LSU was yet another sort of measure in Notre Dame's journey from relevance to validation. Trading gaudy, gash-y runs and kick returns for shattering, clock-consuming drives, the unranked and injury-riddled Irish bested a ranked-SEC squad for the first time since 1992, unless you count back-to-back wins over A&M in ...
Good Fridays w/Padre: A Tale of Two Teams
It was the best of seasons, it was the worst of seasons; it was a game of touchdowns, it was a game of turnovers; it was the inspiration for belief, it was the cause of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the autumn of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had a playoff berth before us, we had a second-tier bowl before us; we were in Heaven on earth, we were in a cold, wet Stadium of defeat. Since 1887, we’ve had worse seasons, but few as ...
Tim Brown Podcast!
Note: This podcast was recorded on Tuesday, October 7, 2014. You can listen right now below, download in iTunes, or even load an mp3 on our BlogTalkRadio site. Enjoy! We also utilize this show to spread more awareness about Savin' Aven fundraiser on GoFundMe. Read more here on HerLoyalSons or hit the Fundraising Page. Check Out Sports Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with TNNDN on BlogTalkRadio Legendary Notre Dame alum and 1987 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown joined the show this week. The ...
Good Fridays w/Padre: Childs’ Play
I am hailed as the Founder of Notre Dame; also the first Postmaster (go figure). These are great honorifics of which I am proud. But the title closest to my heart has always been Father. I consider all of you to be my loyal sons – and thanks to Ted’s innovations, loyal daughters. Indeed, you are all my children. I’m told there was a beautiful opera by that title, though I don’t recall it in Verdi’s or Wagner’s repertoire. However, though I am called Father, I have never had children of ...
Irish Baseball: Opening Weekend and What’s to Come
http://youtu.be/ReuOZ7SjOqM Baseball is tradition-rich and quirky and democratic. No other sport encourages to keep your own score and expects you not to jinx the perfect game going on in front of you. It's one in which fans collect cards and obsess over trivia like no other. It's a game of poetry and literature and, as you can see, music. http://youtu.be/bE1dz6_u2JI But for Irish fans, baseball is a game that tends to fall into the gaps in our calendars and consciences, between the ...