We talk about those other Tuesday night results–you know, the college football playoff rankings–and take a hard turn into as many of the fun and hilarious stories that we could find in the world of college football.

But what to do about a bad Notre Dame football team playing a not very exciting game? Well, the preview is largely tossed to the side to discuss a couple storylines heading into the game as well as our feelings on the Shamrock Series, uniforms and all.

And while there may not be a whole lot of interesting games to pick with Eddie this week, if blowouts and shootouts are your thing, we got you covered.

Come get ready for the weekend with us and let’s have some fun.

The Roundup

There was one really not fun headline we had to cover. No it wasn’t Baylor either. Kent State enters the picture with a case of felony kidnapping. Yeah…

ROUNDUP INCEPTION: QB Shoulder Injury edition. Sad news for Aggie fans (hate you so much, 2016 CFB season) as Trevor Knight is out for the season, but could potentially return for a bowl. Josh Rosen got some good news after his surgery as the words “nerve damage” are no longer linked to his throwing arm.

I knew Saban and Alabama were already at another level, but not like this. When you can field a scout team that features former Tide stars that saw time in the NFL, and still find a way to squeeze it in NCAA rules, you’re operating in what I call “Cut Play” level (listen to the pod for the backstory to this).

Remember when we talked about Aggie fans destroying opposing helmets? TexAgs had found the Aggie peak: blowing one up with a tank. BONUS: read the comments on that link as TexAgs may have faked a moon landing here.

This is the best field storming story ever. Charging the field solo, getting banned from your own student section, having your dad buy you a ticket to the next game, channeling your inner Bobby Valentine–this story has it all.

Eddie had one of the best weeks of picks ever. Let’s see how we follow that up.

The post Friday Roundup: The “Shamrockin’ It” Episode appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

It seems fitting, to me at least, that this episode ended up being a complete episode of randomness. This college football/Notre Dame podcast ended up being invaded with video games and baseball talk. For me, the Friday Roundup was always a medium for randomness and this episode absolutely hit that bullseye.

The video game invasion occurred due to my rather last minute decision to take part in Extra Life tomorrow starting at 8am CT. I have a more detailed explanation in the podcast, but the tl;dr is that I am doing this in memory of Aven. You may remember that two years ago, I asked for help in raising money for him and his family and y’all came through big. He may have lost his battle, but I will be Gamin’ for Aven and hope to raise $1,000 for the Children’s Hospital Network of Oklahoma in his memory. So make sure to stop on by during your football Saturday and toss in a couple of bucks for the children.

The Roundup

Time for a few links that were discussed in the recap earlier this week. I got lazy and forgot to link them in the post (oops). Here are the stories about Jalen Hurd bolting Tennessee and Jimbo Fisher ranting on refs.

I would really love to stop talking about Baylor. But the new details that come out are simply too hard to ignore and serve as a reminder as to why Baylor basically needed to burn the whole thing to the ground.

Tom Arnold: college football insider. Y’all he has the super inside information that Nick Saban was just this close to taking the New York Giants job. It totally doesn’t read like a generic forum post. Nope, not at all. Totally believable.

Things aren’t looking so good for Bobby. Diaco had to demote his offensive coordinator as things are not going well over at UCONN. Look, I’m not saying that he’s going to get fired and that he should come back home to his old job, but I am saying that there is a job opening in the Midwest for a football team looking to take a 3-4 scheme and make their defense great again. Maybe Tom Arnold knows more about this. We shall see.

This is how baseball talk invaded the show. Auburn fans rolled Toomer’s corner in celebration of the Cubs winning the World Series. Holy shit, that’s a thing I just typed and it isn’t April 1.

I never want a beat reporter’s job. As 18 Stripes explores, live tweeting pressers can leave out quite a bit of detail, leaving loads of room for all kinds of hot take interpretation.

The post Friday Roundup: The “Grab Bag” Episode appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Cowherd likened the differing punishments handed down by Brian Kelly – the dismissal of Max Redfield and indefinitely suspended Devin Butler juxtaposed to the internal discipline of Te’von Coney, Kevin Stepherson, Dexter Williams, and Ashton White – to the way Nick Saban and Alabama generally handle disciplinary actions. Essentially, Cowherd attempts to draw the conclusion that players of less value are often scapegoated in regards to discipline, whereas players of value are treated and disciplined differently. Cowherd’s direct comments are as follows:

Remember when Alabama’s left tackle got in trouble in Louisiana – pot, guns, whatevs. What did I say on the air that day? I didn’t react. I was proactive, I said no way in hell he’ll miss game one. Oh, he didn’t, because ‘Bama was thin at left tackle and I knew it. What they use is the old, ‘We will punish him internally, we’re not worried about the optics.’ But yet, Alabama is loaded at guard – Alphonse Taylor got in trouble and they suspended him indefinitely. Oh, you guys are tough there. Why don’t you suspend the left tackle? Because you’re thin at left tackle.

Notre Dame kicked Max Redfield off the team – a senior who has massively underachieved and been in trouble before. For the record during spring practice, freshman Devon* Studstill replaced him anyway. Brian Kelly was tired of him. Devin Butler – we will suspend him! He’s already got a broken foot – wasn’t going to play the first month anyway. What you will find is, the underachieving senior, ‘You’re outta here!’ Guy that can’t stay outta trouble at a bowl game, Max Redfield, underachiever, you’re outta here. The guard at Alabama, Alphonse Taylor, who kept putting on weight, frustrating Nick Saban, deep at the position, you are suspended indefinitely. Left tackle at Alabama, young players at Notre Dame, we’ll take care of it internally. C’mon guys, don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining.

Notre Dame taking a page right out of Nick Saban's playbook https://t.co/KNvnwfADjR

— Colin Cowherd (@ColinCowherd) August 23, 2016

In the name of full disclosure, I personally agree with Cowherd just as much as I disagree. If you are unfamiliar with Colin Cowherd, it is important to note that his “hot takes” are rarely middle of the road in nature. He continually finds himself at the margins of issues, which, to his credit, is one of the reasons he hosts one of the most popular sports radio shows in the country.

On this specific comparison, I disagree. Cowherd is wrong to liken Notre Dame and Brian Kelly to Alabama and Nick Saban. Yes, Alabama and Saban habitually slap players on the wrist for wrongdoings that range from violations of team rules to breaking laws. Yes, Alabama does this in favor of preserving talent and in favor of future potential wins. Brian Kelly’s decision to dismiss Max Redfield was despite future potential wins. Cowherd conveniently neglects to mention that Redfield logged 64 tackles in 2015 – most of any returner on the 2016 defense. He has 143 career tackles and played in 27 games. This experience is invaluable to a young defense such as the 2016 group the Irish will be fielding.

I don’t believe it is farfetched to make the conclusion that there is no way Nick Saban and Alabama would dismiss a player of Redfield’s caliber and experience, especially when you consider that the Notre Dame defense is remarkably thin at the safety position. Cowherd himself would agree with this notion when he concludes that Saban was quick to suspend a guard, a position they are deep at, yet go easy on a tackle, a position they are thin at. Cowherd, however, contradicts his own logic, neglecting to mention how thin Notre Dame is at safety. Instead he inaccurately pronounces true freshman Devin* Studstill’s name and inaccurately implies that Studstill was slated as the starter for the opener. If Cowherd had done his research he would know what we (Domers) all know: Studstill has been cited as very talented and has shared time with the 1’s in practice, but has also been victim of a nagging hamstring injury. Make no mistake, Redfield was the starter and Kelly dismissed him regardless of talent, experience and wins.

I concede the fact that the disciplinary actions between Redfield and Butler differ with their peers – no doubt about that. However, Cowherd also neglected to reference Brian Kelly’s statement where Kelly addresses these differences, “The expectations we set for the members of our team are high, but they are especially so for the upperclassmen who are expected to provide leadership and a positive example to the other members of the team. Max and, at least at this stage in the review of his case, Devin, have failed in that regard and so have lost the privilege of continuing to be part of our team.”

Yes, Max has had issues in the past which also contributed to Kelly’s dismissal decision. Shouldn’t a repeat offender be treated as such? In regards to Butler, the prosecutor in the case has formally charged him with two felony counts. Per ND’s representative, any student faced with felony charges is subject to dismissal from the university, let alone the football team.

To conclude, Cowherd misrepresents the intentions of Brian Kelly and disingenuously correlates them to the purposely low standards set by Nick Saban and Alabama for the preservation of wins.

The full clip of the above transcription from The Herd can be found here.

Cheers and Go Irish!

The post Cowherd: In punishments, ND & Bama no different appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Kelly was ranked in the top 10 of all 128 FBS coaches in two separate publications Tuesday. Athlon Sports, which boasts an online readership in excess of 1 million readers annually, chose Kelly as the 10th best coach. The Sporting News, which has covered college football since before the second World War, put Kelly at #9.

Here’s what Athlon said:

The Fighting Irish just missed out an appearance in the College Football Playoff last season, but Kelly has the program on stable ground and poised for another run at the top four in 2016. Since taking over in South Bend in 2010, Kelly is 55-23 at Notre Dame, including an appearance in the BCS National Championship game in 2012. The Fighting Irish have won at least eight games in each of Kelly’s seasons at the helm and finished No. 11 in the Associated Press poll last year. Winning at a high level at different programs is nothing new for Kelly.

From 1991-03, Kelly went 118-35-2 at Grand Valley State, including back-to-back Division II titles (2002-03). Additionally, he went 19-16 in three years at Central Michigan (2004-06) and 34-6 at Cincinnati from 2004-06. Kelly is a proven winner at four different jobs and clearly has a place among the top 15 coaches in the nation.

Here’s what the Sporting News said:

Last Year: 11
Record: 55-23 (108-45)
Lowdown: Give Kelly credit. He’s the steadiest presence the Irish have had on the sideline since Lou Holtz, and he’s coming off his second double-digit win season. He’s still just 11-12 against ranked teams. He’ll test that against the same tough schedule in 2016.

Athlon and The Sporting News both considered Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher, TCU’s Gary Patterson, Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops, Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio, Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh, Ohio State’s Urban Meyer and Alabama’s Nick Saban to be better than Kelly. Athlon also ranked David Shaw ahead of Kelly, while the Sporting News had Stanford’s head coach at #11 – behind LSU’s Les Miles. (Miles was #25 at Athlon, so there’s quite a discrepancy there.)

Here are the coaches Kelly will face in 2016 and their respective rankings:

The post Experts: Brian Kelly is Among Ten Best College Coaches appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

I’m told this fellow attended no fewer than three colleges. Though he learned about criminal justice at one of them, he obviously did not major in communication studies at any of them.

I understand that newspapermen can be a tough crowd. Plenty of Notre Dame officials and student-athletes have had to face the glare of the bright lights and the shouted questions of the rabble, defended by nothing more than a podium and their wits. As an educator, I will take this opportunity to show how one should handle the loyal opposition…er…I mean the media. I present to you a hypothetical press conference.

[We enter in medias res.*]

Coach Kelly’s contract was just renewed for another five years. Since he hasn’t won a championship, hasn’t produced a Heisman winner, and lost his most recent bowl game to a far superior coach whom you couldn’t lure to Notre Dame, isn’t it clear that you’ve settled for annual mediocrity and given up on Irish football greatness?

You must have graduated from the University in the 1960s. Brian Kelly is an excellent coach. He has over 200 victories, 55 of them with the Fighting Irish. We competed for the National Championship in 2012, a season in which we were ranked first on the football field and first in graduation success rate. That had never been done before. He is a good family man, a pillar of the community, and a snappy dresser with a dazzling array of tartan sport coats. Though in the past he may have toyed with the idea of coaching a professional football team, he has come to appreciate what Ara Parseghian knew, Dan Devine experienced, and Lou Holtz learned the hard way – it’s far more rewarding to stay at Notre Dame than to go anywhere else. The NFL isn’t for everyone…just ask Nick Saban.

I have a follow-up screed. But Kelly obviously can’t recruit. He had a lackluster class this year, falling far behind the likes of Alabama, Florida State, and even Michigan. By the way, did you see the glory and majesty that was Michigan’s “Signing of the Stars?” You must admit that Jim Harbaugh is indeed touched with the purest magic.

Since there was no interrogative sentence in there, I can’t really answer a question. But I can reflect on your flight of fancy. Coach Kelly recruits what he needs, and develops what he recruits. Isn’t that the goal? Coach Kelly does not oversign, does not revoke scholarships, and does not deceive his players. They will have to work as hard in the classroom as on the field, and graduation is their ultimate goal. After all, this is Notre Dame, not Alabama.

Since I’m fixated and rude, I’ll continue my panegyric to The Harbaugh, blessed be he. How could Notre Dame have fallen so far, that no less than Lou Holtz joined The Harbaugh on stage to serenade the Michigan recruits and fans with a ballad to the greatness of Big Blue? Clearly Notre Dame’s shameless and dastardly cancellation of the series with Michigan caused one of its most devoted acolytes to convert to the one true faith in The Harbaugh, all praise and honor to him.

While you befoul yourself in ecstasy, let me point out once again, that scheduling difficulties on both sides of the Notre Dame-Michigan series necessitated a temporary hiatus. It is out of the ordinary that Notre Dame initiated this pause in the action, since it was Michigan that created the original 33-year rift after Fielding Yost became inconsolable in the face of his first defeat by Notre Dame. But Michigan fans really need to have some self-respect and stop acting like jilted lovers who hate their former paramours so much that they can’t stop thinking and talking about them. Harbaugh should be happy that he has had the opportunity to get his (clay) feet under him without having to fight the Irish. The series will commence again, and Harbaugh will have his shot, since his electronic leash doesn’t allow him to be farther than 50 feet from his Michigan keepers.

As for Lou Holtz, he was returning a favor as any man of integrity is expected to do. Michigan had him for a day, but since Holtz has a reservation in Cedar Grove, we have him for eternity. Besides which, Holtz was talking about his experience coaching against the Wolverines; he had no part in recruiting players for Michigan. He remains loyal to Notre Dame, but he is free to participate in events of his choosing. That said, I will not be joining in Jesuit Vocation Awareness Week.

Since my colleague from Ann Arbor has collapsed in a spittle-flecked trance, I’d like to redirect our focus to Notre Dame’s real rival, USC. Pat Haden is stepping down as athletic director, meaning that the momentary stumble before Notre Dame in football will immediately return to a decade of Trojan victories. Ready?

Allow me to wish Pat Haden well. He is a gentleman and a scholar. For several years he called Notre Dame games from our press box along with that older Hammond lady who, I presume, is his wife. May they both have a happy retirement together. Pat did the best he could at USC, but he was truly like Daniel in the Liars’ Den. I would need medical attention, too, if I tried to do that job. As for a replacement, I understand the Manziel fellow is looking for work these days. I know he doesn’t have a college degree, but let’s face it – USC athletics has never been about education. And Manziel’s lifestyle would fit quite nicely with the USC campus ethos. In the alternative, Urban Meyer could take over as USC’s athletic director, since he’s been at Ohio State for four years, and that’s far too long for him to remain at any dream job. Besides, if Urban left the Big Ten, Harbaugh would sleep better…in whichever recruit’s bunk bed he is camping out.

A junior on the football team has just been elected Student Body President. How can he do both?

If Knute Rockne could teach chemistry; serve as athletic director; run the business office and the ticket office; coach track and football; design football equipment, uniforms, and the Stadium; write newspaper columns and books; broker stock and sell Studebakers, all while raising four children, I think our Robinson lad can make the Dean’s List, make the catches to score the touchdowns, and faithfully execute the office of Student Body President all at once. That’s why we recruit scholar-athletes – they’re just more interesting.

Back to Harbaugh. Michigan will be holding football practice over Spring Break in Florida. Isn’t that a hoot! How brilliant of them! But the University of Florida is saying that’s not fair. What’s their problem, and why is Notre Dame so backward?

After a long and cold first half of the semester studying and keeping themselves fit, our scholar-athletes have earned a week’s respite. The University of Florida is angry because it is school policy that Spring Break is for lewd and lascivious behavior, hospitalizations, and arrests, not football practice. And Harbaugh needs to get a life and let his players have their own – one of them is going to take out a restraining order against him sooner or later.

At a recent basketball game, your students stormed the court after defeating top-ranked North Carolina. But don’t Notre Dame students rush the field and storm the court too much? Isn’t it too dangerous?

It’s a game, it’s excitement – deal with it. If we have rules for when and how to spontaneously express emotion, we’ve really gone way too far (though I wouldn’t put it past the Oberkommando der Student Affairs). Games are for cheering, yelling, and when you come from behind to win, running onto the court to celebrate. If you don’t like that, betake yourself up to that quaint little club overlooking the court where you can enjoy a genteel aperitif and canapés without those obnoxious students and fans. And just wait until we open the Decadence Boxes in the Stadium addition – fainting couches and intravenous booze delivery will make it more silent that a church on Good Friday.

How can a supposedly Catholic school permit an event like the Keenan Revue which annually manages to insult everybody and crosses every boundary of taste and decorum?

It’s vulgar, obscene, and bawdy. It’s just what this place needs. For those offended, I have extra Holy Water to use as eye-wash and ear-rinse. I would make the Holy Oils available, but the dancing lads would just grease themselves up for that smutty kick-line. It’s filth…but it’s our kind of filth.

That’s all the time I have for now. Your questions have been patronizing, condescending, and offensive. I have tried to respond in kind.

And now I’m going to drink a lot of Budweis cheap red wine.

EFS CSC

* This is Latin, students. You would be able to translate it if we still required you to study the great Classical Languages. If you don’t think it’s cool to study Classics, I would remind you that the Englishman who sang at halftime of the Super Bowl graduated with a degree in Latin and Greek…trusa illud in fistulam tuam et id fuma!

Padre’s book Father Sorin Says: The Founder Comments on Today’s Notre Dame, is available from the Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore and Amazon. Don’t give it to a Michigan or USC fan…or may be you should…

The post Good Fridays w/Padre: Bad Question appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

So the Freemasons have won.  Or the Illuminati, Rosicrucians, Elders of the Priory of Sion – let’s just call them the E-lders of the S-ion P-riory freemasoNs.  They and their Rodent Overlord enjoy a complete victory; they have taken over college football and forced the creation of the playoff system that they have long wanted, and will long broadcast, for lots of money.  I mourn the passing of an era.  Gone are the days when the leading teams from regional affiliations of colleges would compete in the top bowl games.  This year they forced us to watch a Midwestern school, a Pacific coastal school, an Atlantic coastal school, and a school from the Deep South.  It was so very different.

One is compelled to ask who are these teams and how did they get here.  We know Florida State slithered into the system like an Everglades python thanks to a little yellow hankie thrown after Everett Golson’s pass was caught.  We know Ohio State made it into the mix because Urban Meyer, wearing his earring and turban, playing his fiddle, and driving his mule and wagon, settled his caravan for a while in Columbus, where he has found his fourth and possibly final Dream Job.  Alabama returned to the fore of competition after Crimson Tide fans sacrificed sufficient numbers of vermin and unfortunate livestock to that lurching cult object known as Saban.  But I always thought Oregon was a trail.

Unlike in the past, when these teams would have to be conference champions, this year a secretive group of selectors, meeting is seclusion, using inscrutable criteria, began deciding the fate of the entire college football system half-way through the season.  I suppose this is marginally better than the BCS which left decisions to a heartless, soulless machine; but I understand Willingham was one of the selectors, so what’s the difference.  In any event, we should all instinctively bristle at the notion of a mysterious and relatively unknown group meeting behind closed doors to make weighty decisions.  Unless it’s the College of Cardinals electing a Pope.  But we all know very well that they can make mistakes, too.

The Elders gave us four teams in a playoff, of which we shall now watch the two victors fight for the Championship.  The Elders’ winged-monkeys at ESPN have been emoting so effusively about this being the “First True National Champion” that one would hope they invested in some extra-absorbent loincloths.  One must also ask if this ludicrous First-True declaration somehow invalidates the last century-or-so of so-called College National Champions.  In the case of Alabama, I heartily hope some of their self-awarded crowns are removed.  But for every other team never graced by this miracle of a playoff system, some allowances should be made.

For Notre Dame, certainly.  Do not misinterpret me: the Fighting Irish had no place in the playoff this year – not after our original team was taken up in a temporary rapture and replaced with Notre Dame High School.  (Thank goodness an astute coaching staff and an additional quarterback were returned to corporeal form in time to defeat Louisiana State in something other than a Spelling Bee.)  Certainly the Irish have suffered grave injustices at the hands of championship awarders in the past.  But who would ever trust sports writers to vote without bearing long-standing grudges against colleges that either beat their alma maters, or never admitted them in the first place.  And who could ever say coaches voting on other teams was anything less than asking the Germans to choose which country to fight and in which order.

Ultimately, every system will be flawed.  Yes, even this playoff system is flawed, though the ESPN chatterboxes adamantly refuse to admit this as they sit in their own lukewarm pools.  How do I know every system will be flawed – because any system depends on humans, who since Eden, live in a fallen state, and who sin.  Also, because there is a small Christian school in Texas that should very well have been included in the playoff, yet was not.  “But they would have taken Ohio State’s place, and Ohio State won,” say they Elders as they sip their fine vintages and eat their delicate canapés in the luxatorium overlooking the field at Jerry Jones’ Temple to Mamon.  “But we’ll never know if Texas Christian also could have beaten Alabama,” say I, as I sit contemplating this mystery in my frozen office under Our Lady’s Golden Dome, wondering simultaneously whether my tongue would become permanently affixed to said Dome if I licked it when the temperature is this far below zero.

So come Monday, I will be cheering for neither Ohio State nor Oregon, and certainly not for the Elders.  I will be saying a prayer for small Christian schools everywhere that they may never again be unjustly excluded from this playoff system with which we are now yoked.  And by small Christian schools, I mean that Jesuit colleges are specifically NOT included.

EFS CSC 

The post Good Fridays w/Padre: Era’s End appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

A song of wins and losses shall resume its tune next week. The weekly battles shall resume as shall the feasts, drinking, joy, and pain. Brace yourselves, football is coming.

Lord Brian Kelly is looking to lead his once proud house back to its former glory. The house of DuLac was once an undisputed king of the north and their influence extended across the realm. The game has changed and Lord Kelly is trying to change with it in the face of a new king of football that has risen from the south.

Jameis Winston lords over the realm. The young lord found success unlike any that had ever been seen for someone his age. While much has been made of some young, rash, and possibly terrible decisions, there is no disputing that the path to the title will run through Lord Winston.

It was once thought that Lord Kelly would reclaim that throne. He was close, thought he had reached the pinnacle, until he ran into another ruthless lord that left many of his northern men a bloody, murdered army. That battle is now forever known as the the Red Bowl in which Lord Saban took no prisoners.

As if those challenges weren’t enough, Lord Kelly still has to deal with another northern house looking to wrest power away in his northern territory: House Ann Arbor.

That house is known to hold some ruthless, and possibly insane, members of its own. Although Kelly’s eyes are trained to the south, the northern threat remains ever present. The crazed Brady Hoke has found a way to get the best of the DuLac house in recent history, but Lord Kelly has one more chance to eradicate the threat for good.

But north and south aren’t the only directions of concern. The House Troy from the west, clad in their cardinal and gold, are looking to worm their way to the title by any means necessary.

With so many threats to face, it would seem the goals of house DuLac are folly. But fear not, loyal bannermen, for recent history has shown us that, even in the depths of great despair, an unlikely hero can emerge and slay a powerful foe. In fact, such an unlikely hero from the west rose up and delivered a might blow to Troy from which they have yet to fully recover.

So let the games begin once again with renewed hope. Even if dragons could be lurking around the corner.

Brace yourself…the Irish are coming.

The Roundup

This week, I am going to provide only one link. Because SBNation put together a huge pre-season guide with multiple features that you could (and should) spend an entire day or two reading. However, if you can only pick one thing to read, check out Bob Diaco discussing on how to rebuild UCONN.

And now your moment of Nix… Featuring the namesake of the this feature with a hearty h/t to @tricerapops for bringing this Vine of Nix looking deliciously evil into my life:

https://vine.co/v/h6HLL7qBpb3

The Booze

While the drinks of Westeros typically consist of wine and ale, I decided to have some fun and dig up a GoT themed cocktail for our final weekend without college football. I found one that includes whiskey, fire, and is a nod to Tyiron so we have a winner!

Wildfire on Blackwater Bay

Mix and strain the following into a small glass: 2.5 oz. rye whiskey, 0.5 oz. simple syrup, and 5 dashes angostura bitters.

Next, take a lime peel and float it on your drink. Pour about 0.5 oz. of 151-proof rum and light that sucker up. Protip: blow out the fire before you consume.

The post Friday Roundup: The “Game of Titles” Edition appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

He trotted in front of his South Bend squad before which another practice would be held in the friendly confines of the Culver Academies as a handful of Fighting Irish Digital Media employees peered through their camera lenses and over their Twitter devices at the bewildering sight prancing on the synthetic field before them.

The mare cannot be confined. It may be stabled, but some time it must be let out to keep on going. When this animal canters out from the equestrian center, where the whistles of the practice field fill the air, it is time for another practice to begin.

So sound the cannon:

Sheldon Day & Nick Martin got to wake up their teammates in @CulverAcademies tradition this morning…with a cannon! https://t.co/BdRobdoTbQ

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) August 8, 2014

And marvel at the Lone Horseman:

(If you don’t recognize the muse, I pity you)

The Roundup

One advantage to doing the Roundup so late, is being able to include some gigantic news like the NCAA losing the O’Bannon case. Much more to come on this soon at HLS.

And another NCAA topic that we will have much more coverage on is the new “Power 5 Autonomy” structure that the NCAA passed this week.

As people start cheering about the victory over the NCAA exploitation of student athletes, I’m going to think of the story of Patrick Amara at Pitt.

I understand though the student-athlete life isn’t for everyone. After all, sometimes you just gotta chase that rap dream.

I’m so glad we are no longer at the mercy of Adidas. Enjoy being the featured program, Michigan. That’s working out great isn’t it?

Oregon made scratch and sniff tickets. Seriously. The best part of that though was Stanford’s response.

And now your moment of Nix… Alabama fans really want Saban’s autograph. But thanks to the internet, we can splice it with their worst memory from last season:

The Booze

I don’t care how hot it is, this week has been super terrible and I need that sweet, sweet bourbon in my life right now.

The post Friday Roundup: The “Horseman” Edition appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

But if you think that announcement caused an uproar, you should see one of the design finalists that was rejected in favor of what was announced this week. That design was…well, it was certainly different:

And yes, Notre Dame was very close to going with this option. I was able to speak to Swarbrick, or at least someone that I believe might be Swarbrick, and he emailed me the press release that was to accompany this announcement.

The press release and justifications for the field might just be more shocking than the design itself. Let’s just FJM our way through this:

I’m pleased to talk about the new concept field at Notre Dame. After years of listening to people complain about FieldTurf and jumbotrons, we have decided to take an aggressive expansion and renovation posture that is sure to, well, probably piss of most of the fan base. Those guys are never happy.

Well, that’s certainly an aggressive way to handle the situation. I mean, I get frustrated with all the hair-pulling over something as silly as a field and am always happy to troll those folks.

This, however, is basically a declaration of war.

First, I could not be more proud of our association with Under Armour. Their dedication to excellence matches our own, and it is entirely appropriate to place their logo prominently on the field. This will start what I hope is a long tradition of highlighting our corporate sponsors’ logos and making the field look more cluttered than Dale Earnhardt’s race car.

Well so much for that promise.

And I tell you what, he wasn’t joking about prominent placement of the Under Armour logos. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a kickoff marker that large before.

I guess the benefit to this is that Adidas must be really pissed, but I think we’re a bit overzealous in the whole “Protect the House” thing.

Second, you’ll also notice the dog at midfield.  I was really excited to put Eddie from the hit NBC sitcom “Frasier” on there. It’s part of my continuing campaign to have NBC bring back the show. Someone also pointed out that it’s a nod to the days of Clashmore Mike, and I guess that’s kind of neat too.

When I first saw this design, I figured the inclusion of Clashmore Mike was a nice nod to Notre Dame’s history and traditions.

It was also the only thing on the field that could at least use that kind of logic.

However, I’m shocked that Swarbrick really didn’t recognize it. A campaign for Frasier?! Really?!

Hey, Jack, why don’t you use your NBC powers for good and get Community back on the air forever? That show deserves prime-time exposure and not streaming relegation.

Third, it’s no secret that I’ve embraced social media to the fullest extent. Not only does it promote our brand to a younger audience, it’s also a great way to meet girls. That’s why you’ll now see hashtags in our end zones in hopes of getting Notre Dame….what’s that term again?  “Trending.” Yes, trending on Saturdays.

Jack either didn’t notice FIGTHING or is just sitting back, smiling, and watching people explode over a dyslexic typo once again.

I suppose we’re just going to ignore the Comic Sans font too? Did Dan Gilbert consult on this design?

I mean, I appreciate the social media efforts. FIDM is awesome, WatchND is one of the best things ever, and it’s great to see ND reach out to Twitter and Facebook even if it results in a big, heaping dish of stupid.

I love Twitter myself, but holy crap the last thing I ever wanted to see was a hashtag on the field.

Go home, Jack, you’re drunk.

Finally, in response to everyone who asked for FieldTurf–have we got a surprise for you. We took it one step further and installed gold colored turf.  I don’t know how this is going to look on television and frankly I don’t care. People naturally assume I drew inspiration from the Dome, or perhaps our helmets. I actually came up with this idea while eating an entire box of Cheez-Its during a recent trip to Colorado.

Nevermind, you’re high–actually, come to think of it, just what kind of “Irish grass” are you putting by the mums this season?

Perhaps the Colorado trip explains how this design got so out of control. I’m glad cooler/sober heads prevailed in this matter. I could only imagine how hard the FieldTurf folks would struggle actually making the field look gold considering how we’ve been trying to get our pants to look gold on TV for quite a while now.

This entire concept is proof that no matter how bad you think something is, it can always get much, much worse.

The Roundup

Michigan men take their Michigan football seriously. Even during fake games.

So, you mean backing up the Brink’s truck doesn’t guarantee you a coach? Perhaps we can finally put that talking point to rest with this revelation regarding Alabama head coach Nick Saban and his flirtation with Texas (Saban, of course, is denying everything).

Teams struggling with attendance are looking to MLS for answers. I wonder if “lower the ticket prices and stop playing terrible teams” is a part of the advice they got.

And now your moment of Nix… Les Miles being Les Miles and talking about soccer of all things

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXnVn_NhP10

The Booze

It’s going to be a rainy weekend here in Dallas. I was trying to think of a rain themed cocktail for the weekend and I couldn’t get (blurry) memories of Purple Rains from the ‘Backer off my mind. So what the hell, I’m going with it.

In a highball glass filled with ice, pour in 1.5 oz gin and fill with cranberry juice. Add in a splash of blue curacao, sour mix, and soda water. Add in more blue curacao until you get the purple color desired.

For a true ‘Backer-like experience, spill a little on yourself and your friends and/or add in more gin than needed with Toto cranked up as high as possible.

The post Friday Roundup: The “Rejected Notre Dame FieldTurf Proposal” Edition appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

The attention given to this little announcement, and the debates/angst/celebration that have followed, pale in comparison to what I would consider far bigger announcements made by ND this week. On the football side, a “Football Ambassador” group has been announced. This paid position, open to both Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s students, is more or less a response to the area of the recruiting arms-race that has spawned recruiting hostess groups. On the academic side, Notre Dame has bid farewell to the swim test and all other PE requirements for first year students. I actually feel bad for the next incoming class on that one. I got to call Latin dance, working out, and racquetball actual ND course work.

The later two announcements caused minor ripples in comparison to the nuclear response that occurred when Swarbrick announced the fake grass. Even the University’s attention to the field turf announcement is world’s different than the other two. Swarbrick had an on-field interview during Blue/Gold, had a separate interview with Jack Nolan, and ND of course had the usual press release…and that’s really just the start. The other two announcements? Just a simple post on the web.

I find it rather hilarious, personally. How ND approaches the Football Ambassador program I think is a fascinating debate (does ND treat it like another Student Manager program or go full SEC?) and the First Year program changes are a pretty big change from what most of us have known as a rather unique part of the Notre Dame experience. Yet, the focus is on fake grass.

And sure, we’ve played on it here a little bit at HLS. It basically took over the #HLSRecap for Blue/Gold and I even used the news to have a little fun with a sponsored post. Despite that though, the changes that we’ve placed focus on this past week have been things that have occurred on the field rather than the field itself.

Change itself is a part of natural progression of anything. If you don’t change, you will fall behind. The trick though is to pick the battles of what’s worrying about and what isn’t. ND could play on gold field turf for all I care. I might not be a huge fan of the change, but I won’t be burning my diploma or withholding donations because the playing surface simply isn’t that important. Now, say ND’s new Football Ambassador program strives to be a pure hostess program, I might have a bit more of an issue. That would be an actual departure from the way ND usually operates and what they proclaim their mission to be.

But fake grass? Hardly worth the internet ink.

The Roundup

Looks like Florida State and the Tallahassee PD could use some changes of their own. Like, probably actually trying to investigate rape accusations instead of doing next to nothing.

The NCAA made some changes of their own. One was a rule change that brings us one step closer to not being able to hit a QB and allowing schools to provide unlimited food to their athletes. Time for the food recruiting arms-race to begin.

Only Nick Saban would want to blow it all up after two losses. I mean, I get striving for perfection, but I think he’s inching ever closer to insanity.

And now your moment of Nix… Brought to you by Bo Pelini…let’s get a little bit of background first. There exists a Twitter account, @FauxPelini, which might just have the best avatar of all time. Well, the real Pelini is well aware of this and has even interacted with the account in the past. However, Bo decided to escalate the joke to amazing levels during Nebraska’s spring game by leading his team out with his cat and going full @FauxPelini:

Well. Freakin’. Done.

The Booze

In honor of the last few times that anyone will be able to mow the lawn in the House That Rock Build, I give you Fancy Lawnmower by St. Arnold Brewing Company.

The post Friday Roundup: The “Changes” Edition appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.