Half of the setup at Table 11. The other iPad is hidden and propped behind the centerpiece.

The bride and groom had long since finished their first dance, toasts delivered, and the cake cut. The DJ did his level-best to fire up the dance floor, but the only dance at Table 11 was the setup of iPads and a WiFi hotspot.

Such is life at a Domer wedding when one of the major sports just happens to take center stage on your big day. But honestly, who could have seen this interruption coming, especially if you make the conscious decision to avoid scheduling the dreaded fall wedding?

Plus, if you want to plan a Texas wedding, as a native Texan (which the bride was), you certainly know that the summer is borderline crazy and the late spring is seriously pushing your luck with the Texas sun. March and April are the ideal months and late March should be a time of no conflicts with sporting events.

St. Patrick’s Day is well in the rear view and Notre Dame hasn’t been to the Sweet Sixteen since 2003 and the Elite Eight since 1979. Neither of those years are even in your mind when looking at potential March wedding dates, especially after last season.

But now, just off to the side of the dance floor Table 11 continues their dance. Chairs slide into position. Bodies in the front row hunch over to gain optimal viewing angles while additional interested alumni and parents find themselves slowly drawn to the glowing screens.

We are so sorry. We all love you, but we also know you understand.

2-0 Kentucky, 1st Half, 19:51 Remaining

As Trey Lyles throws down a dunk for the opening points of the game, my mind immediately begins to think of two things going on right now:

1) How excited and terrified that everyone is for this game and how cool it is that we get to experience this ride together and not through text, Twitter, or Facebook.

2) Thank God there is an open bar because we’re gonna need it.

Speaking of said open bar, we made the conscious decision to ban all Kentucky spirits for the evening. There was Maker’s Mark available. This was no small sacrifice.

4-3 Notre Dame, 1st Half, 15:53 Remaining

ND has managed to score on two layups and my mind is just not sure how to accept a world in which the Irish have scored all their points in the paint against Kentucky. At first glance, the size difference in the two teams makes it seem like a NBA team decided to pick on a college team for shits and giggles. Hilariously/sadly enough, this isn’t too far from the truth.

Still the Irish ball movement allowed for two easy layups and a lead by the first media timeout. My brain starts to go to places of joy that I do not want it to go for fear of the ultimate disappointment later.

But still, if the Irish can keep this up…just maybe…

11-10 Notre Dame, 1st Half, 12:54 Remaining

Pat Connaughton drills the first three of the game and creates the first huge cheer from Table 11 and Friends.

It is at this point that we realize the joy of on-demand streaming technology: the delay. My side of the table is now spoiling the game for the other side of the table.

Through various freezes and buffering oddities, this switches throughout the night, but never stops being hilarious.

19-19 Notre Dame, 1st Half, 6:33 Remaining

Zach Auguste picks up his second foul after just having gone full #DunksDulac at the other end. The entire table is loudly cursing the level of officiating by this point.

Sure, the game is still tied, but everyone in attendance knows that Kentucky living at the free throw line will kill any upset hopes. And those hopes are still certainly there at this point. The conversation around the table buzzes during the commercial break of just how well the Irish are playing right now.

No one has really moved from the table either, but the wedding reception is still living on without us. And really so, is the rest of life.

I’m not sure when it happened, but at breakfast the next day, I had a rather hilarious story relayed to me. At some point during the gamewatch, one of my friends looked over at me and stated “holy shit, Ritter’s going to be a dad in a couple months.”

I can only imagine it happened during of these TV timeouts in which I’m furiously drinking whiskey and coke like it’s water and cursing officiating incompetence. Life certainly does move on regardless of sports and somehow I’m going to be entrusted with another human life.

21-19 Kentucky, 1st Half, 6:33 Remaining

But right now, I’m screaming “THAT MOTHERFUCKIN’ BALL IS LYING” in between gulps of booze at the top of my lungs after Karl-Anthony Towns drains his two free throws.

Future father of the year. Book it.

31-31, Halftime

As soon as the halftime buzzer sounds, by what has to be instinctive habit for us, our entire table gets up and takes either a much-needed trip to the bathroom or to the bar. The only difference between this and a game at the stadium or even a gamewatch at the bar is that we also find our way to the dance floor.

Any halftime “analysis” of the game is limited to conversations while waiting for alcohol or the walk to/from the bathroom. But once feet hit the dance floor, all of that fades into the background with our iPads in the distance.

We can compartmentalize. The game is great and we are all loving what Notre Dame is doing to this point, but we all wouldn’t be in the same place if it weren’t for the bride and groom to begin with.

You bet your ass we are going to dance with them just as they continue to stop by our table to watch the game with us.

38-33 Kentucky, 2nd Half, 17:38 Remaining

Jerian Grant is about to shoot a pair of free throws, but the DJ rolls out a slow dance, something my wife was hoping would happen during halftime.

Before she even looked at me, I was out of the chair and taking her to the dance floor. I don’t pretend to be an expert at this marriage thing, but I know better than to disappoint the pregnant wife, especially a pregnant wife that offered to keep my iPad in her purse just so I didn’t have to carry it so I could watch the game.

I make sure I don’t dart my eyes behind her to the iPads at Table 11 either. The road from awesome husband to asshole is short and filled with too much regret to quantify. I’m definitely steering clear of that detour tonight.

As we dance, cheers from Table 11 continue to erupt in the background. I ensure my gaze goes nowhere besides my wife even though she too is taunting me and asking if it’s hard to not look over. I stay strong, with the hope that I will see some replays and that Notre Dame will have the lead when I sit back down.

46-42 Notre Dame, 2nd Half, 14:24 Remaining

I arrive back at Table 11 in the middle of a timeout. Half the table is excitedly telling me about Auguste and Connaughton dunking with a Steve Vasturia three in between.

The other half is telling me to go back to the dance floor because we went on a run while I was out there.

I love my friends.

48-44 Notre Dame, 2nd Half, 11:15 Remaining

The anatomy of a major upset is an interesting beast. For most of the game, the reality of a win is nothing more than a fleeting thought and fantasy. At some point though, you start to realize that it could happen. Eventually you start to buy in.

TBS shows a graphic that Notre Dame is beating Kentucky soundly in points in the paint, turnovers, and assists. I’m starting to believe an Irish victory is a very, very real possibility.

However, you don’t vocalize this. You aren’t all-in quite yet. There is still some doubt because you know the other shoe can drop. Because there is another point in the potential upset in which you actually go all-in. We aren’t quite there yet.

59-53 Notre Dame, 2nd Half, 6:16 Remaining

Vasturia hits a three. Kentucky calls timeout. They look shell-shocked, exhausted, and you can see that they see a potential future in which their undefeated season could end tonight.

There’s a great scene from Rounders that describes where I am mentally right now:

I could be completely satisfied how everything has played out and take that to the bank. It’s clear Kentucky is getting pushed to the limit, a result a certainly would be more than happy with before the game started.

Mike (Matt Damon) eventually can’t shake the thought of not just shutting up a taunting KGB (John Malcovich), but being the guy that takes him down. Mike wants to avenge his past loss, and prove to both KGB and himself that he’s good enough to win and dance with the big boys at the table.

Much like Mike, I know I can’t win much if I don’t put it all in the middle.

I’m all-in.

64-63 Kentucky, 2nd Half, 3:18 Remaining

Want to know what one of the worst feelings in poker is? Going all-in with pocket kings only to watch your opponent call with pocket aces. Sure, you have a couple of outs to survive, but all you want to do is grab you bet back immediately.

Aaron Harrison hits a three to give Kentucky the lead back and I’m diving across the table to get my emotional investment back, but it’s too late.

66-64 Notre Dame, 2nd Half, 2:36 Remaining

Jerian Grant gives me one of the few outs left in the deck with a three of his own and I can breathe again. I need another drink, but I’m not moving and neither is anyone else save for the bride who had to leave the table to toss her bouquet.

66-64 Notre Dame, 2nd Half, 1:53 Remaining

The DJ decides to play “Living on a Prayer”. I have no idea if it was any kind of intentional, but the group of 30-40 people at our table are now screaming the song in hopes we somehow will the Irish to victory.

The moment is equal parts incredible and heart-attack inducing terror.

66-66, 2nd Half, 1:14 Remaining

We try to scream Bon Jovi’s lyrics even louder as Karl-Anthony Towns ties the game.

We have now entered #NDMensBBallIsDeterminedToKillMe territory.

66-66, 2nd Half, 0:36 Remaining

It’s ND Ball, with 1 second on shot clock after one of the worst possessions that we’ve had all game.

I’m pretty sure I’m almost dead.

66-66, 2nd Half, 0:34 Remaining

Notre Dame turns the ball over for the first time in nearly 30 minutes on a shot clock violation. Kentucky can now take the last shot.

My mind is screaming at itself with “THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING” and “JUST STOP THEM!”

The DJ calls for the garter toss. The groom is at the table and isn’t moving. The DJ then sheepishly then asks for permission to do the garter toss and then follows up with “is now not a good time?”

NOT GREAT, BOB!

68-66 Kentucky, 2nd Half, 0:06 Remaining

So, uh, can we get “Livin’ on a Prayer” going again?

68-66 Kentucky, Final

Jerian Grant’s prayer of a corner three falls harmlessly to the ground. My all-in bet of emotions is quickly scooped up by Coach Calipari and an overjoyed Kentucky Wildcats team.

I’m proud of my team, but I’m crushed. There are no moral victories in sports. I firmly believe that ND and her fans should hold their heads up high, but, in the end, the scoreboard is a cruel reminder of the reality that the Irish were two points short. You can’t shake that cold, hard fact regardless of how well-fought the game was.

The dance to put away the iPads is a collection of long sighs, random four-letter outbursts, and a shaking of heads. With the technology put away, we head to the bar, reminisce on what could have been and hit the dance floor for the remainder of the evening.

Because, as one wise Texan sage said, “the road goes on forever and the party never ends.” Life continued on its course, uninterrupted by Irish defeat, but altered with the memories of a wedding and the rare opportunity for a group of friends to cheer for the Irish together just as they had done in college.

The post Wedding and Wake: A Tale of Notre Dame vs. Kentucky appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

This year has been a bit different. Just go take a look at this week’s IBG, the questions and answers are full of more “wait and see” themes than usual. Perhaps some of that is due to the bye being so early. Perhaps that is because there’s been only one opponent and game we’ve really been excited about and next week’s opponent isn’t USC or Stanford, but Syracuse.

So the more I thought about Notre Dame and their place in the college football world this week, the more my thoughts started to flow outward to the rest of that world.

While the game against Purdue caused some concern (and rightly so), take a look at how the rest of the week went. Virginia Tech, after convincingly defeating Ohio State, had their doors blown off by ECU. Georgia fell apart against South Carolina. Florida nearly lost to Kentucky in OT, in The Swamp no less. Iowa State took out Iowa. And, of course, Boston College upset Southern Cal.

Perhaps you had a feeling about some of these games. There is no way in hell you saw all of that coming. This past week was proof that no matter how hard we try, college football will remind us that we simply cannot predict everything.

College football is a crazy, illogical world. Its season is scattered with statistical outliers and results that make little to no sense. Emotions and other intangibles can reign supreme on any even Saturday and set fire to the expected paper result.

Compare this game to the NFL. Through much work, the pros have created a league of parity. Sure, you have good teams and bad, but the tiers are so well structured that the expectations stay reasonable. An upset will happen here and there, but you never see anything resembling this past week in the NFL. More often than not, you know what to expect: competitive games in which the known better teams will come out on top.

It’s almost a sterile environment for football in comparison to the college game. Give me the crazy, emotional investment with the potential for devastating, unexpected results any day.

Sure, this may mean that Notre Dame may inexplicably forget how to play football for a half against Purdue, leading to additional liver damage by way of increased alcohol intake. However, it also means that the joy of being able to find success in this crazy landscape is simply unparalleled.

The Roundup

Michigan fans are still trying to figure out their offense. Pay special attention to the play action pattern they uncovered here.

Famous Jameis being infamous. Poor meme usage leads to the question of whether or not he gets it at all.

Wait, stealing signs is a story? So last night, K-State mentioned Auburn was stealing their signs, leading to memories of Arkansas and Florida State claiming the same previously. Isn’t that, I don’t know, part of the game? I mean, that’s kind of the reason why people use signs in the first place instead of holding a big sign saying “Hey, play action is coming!” right?

File this under “Only at Notre Dame”. I won’t have proper words to describe this, just read it.

File this under “wait, really?!” So Washington fans knew Sark was a fraud and warned Southern Cal about it, apparently. Queue the “I told you so” column and I can’t help but wonder why they hate the guy that drug them out of the Ty Willingham abyss.

And now your moment of Nix… This is the only time BC has given me joy:

The Booze

I’ve been in Portland all week for work. This means all the IPAs, right?

The post Friday Roundup: The “Crazy World of College Football” Edition appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Oh, sure, it was a work trip to Vegas; however, since I learned how to run a much smoother trade show, I actually got to hang out with my coworkers and they are just as much a bunch of gambling/drunk degenerates as I am. The most painful of these nights was spurred by one of my bosses leading the way to terrible decisions.

Needless to say, I had a blast.

Now, by the time you read this, I will be boozing in NOLA with practically no recovery time. I never claimed to be smart, but here I am ready to absolutely destroy myself as my groomsmen happily lead me down the path to a liver transplant.

To put it mildly, if I don’t die/pass out on Bourbon Street/get stabbed/thrown in jail, I will consider the weekend a smashing success. Yes, I’m all about tripping over low bars.

My imminent demise aside, if this is my last Roundup, I’m going out with a bang because we have loads of links for you this week. So let’s get to the stuff you actually care about.

The Roundup

I hear Athens is great in the fall. Georgia that is. Please let this happen.

Happy trails, Digger. The former Notre Dame coach will be leaving the Worldwide Leader.

It doesn’t look like Nix is missing that Pinstripe Bowl PS4. He might be missing the joy of a sandwich, but not the next-gen entertainment.

Looks like a “Where Are They Now?” waiting to happen. Christ Stewart is winning awards at the ND Law School.

One of our sponsors is up for a Webby. Do us a favor and give the ND alumni-run Bouqs a vote.

The 21st century version of the “big one that got away.” The save button is a very, very important feature.

I think this guy is lucky this is the worst that happened to him. Flying rival colors in your dorm room? That’s either serious cajones or insanity.

Speaking of dumb Kentucky fan decisions… Not only was this tattoo a stupid idea, but apparently the guy is more than willing to keep it.

I’ve always known ref rage is a real thing. Seeing it so scientifically quantified though is a thing of beauty.

Looks like UCONN won three titles. This little flub is beyond hilarious.

Hope you had fun a prom, bro. Because I think Chizik is going to kill you.

Law & Order: Missouri. Star wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham has found himself suspended indefinitely after being being involved with an assault.

Brent Musburger must be beside himself. AJ McCarron and his bride to be, Katherine Webb, are about to be reality stars.

New recruiting tactic: winking at mom. Coach GQ has found himself quite a nice recruiting advantage.

Michigan’s spring game is in the book. Things in Ann Arbor are going…well, not so great.

And now your moment of Nix… Yes, we have a Roundup that features Big Lou and he didn’t make his namesake. That honor goes to the ND and Florida State baseball teams for their rain delay antics.

The Booze

As much as I’m loathe to admit it, I’m sure, at some point, a Liquid Cocaine shot is happening. This shot is now a long running joke between my best man and I because, in our younger years, when this was consumed either willingly or unknowingly (he gave me a shot and said it was Jager on my 22nd birthday), bad things happened. Granted, “bad things” is better translated to “stupid, embarrassing shit” that we did when the inevitable blackout happened. It probably didn’t help that these shots also happened after we had already been drinking as well.

Everyone’s favorite moment of me on this shot: a picture of me being bottle fed beer while I’m flipping off the camera. No, I am not posting that picture here.

I’m still hopeful that I can avoid this, but I am resigned to my fate if it does. If you want to know why I fear this, I suggest finding a safe location, taking this shot first, and trying this out for yourself. You have been warned:

Mix 1 part Jager, 1 part 151, and 1 part Goldschlager (or Rumple Minze) over ice. Pour into shot glass. Kiss your ass goodbye.

The post Friday Roundup: The “RIP, Tex” Edition appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

On November 29, the Notre Dame men’s basketball team hosted Kentucky, defending national champions and ranked #8 nationally. The game was televised on ESPN.

http://storify.com/IrishElvis/notre-dame-basketball-vs-kentucky-a-twitter-summar

The post Notre Dame vs. Kentucky: A Twitter Summary appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.