"High. My name is Mitch Mustain, and I sniff my mom's panties. Don't I look cool and super suave with this killer stache man? This is why I transferred to U$C. I wanted to grow a stache, become a 3rd string quarterback, and be closer to my future profession as a smut dealer. Life is GREAT!!!"
Southern Cal quarterback, Mark Sanchez, made his announcement that he would forgo his final year of eligibility and enter the NFL Draft. I guess the Poodle didn't take it so well...
USC coach Pete Carroll was extremely ungracious during the Mark Sanchez press conference. He stormed out of the room and did not even sit at the table before Sanchez addressed the media. Something he never did when Matt Leinart, etc., announced their decisions.
Carroll never sat down at the table but stood with his palms on the table. His anger was clear if you spend time around him.
Not a great moment. - Scott Wolf, The Daily Trojan
What a dick.
As we head full steam into the later stages of the recruiting wars, I sit here at my computer with a level 5 migraine, a pregnant wife, and bracing for a blizzard- that just doesn't want to start. There are many, many topics to cover and I'm sure we have many, many opinions on these topics, but right now I have just a few random points to put out there. Welcome to the discussion. And if you don't think that this post is a random thing of beauty, then what is that picture of Tom Lopienski doing on the left hand side? Hmm? That's what I thought...
Recruiting is at a fevered pitch right now. As it stands, the Fighting Irish have 17 commitments and are ranked #18 by Scout.com in the recruiting rankings. Not exactly what we are used to, but this class has the same feel as the 2006 class. That class was ranked 5th in the team rankings and had a whopping 28 players. But, since then the 2006 class has lost 10 players due to transfers, medicals, and being a douche bag. So, as long as the 2009 class stays their 3 or 4 years, they should collectively be as good or even better than the 2006 class.
Don't jump over the edge just yet. Weis is not done with the 2009 class by any stretch of the imagination. Along with some current offers that the staff has been actively pursuing they are looking at offering more kids as well, and have done so already. The current offer list has 
these recruits offered that are looking at Notre Dame and the Irish have at least a shot at gaining a commitment:
There are, of course, other prospects that Notre Dame has offered that are uncommitted, but these are the ones that they still have a shot with signing. Pollard, although a recent decommitment from the Irish, is still being heavily pursued by the Irish. It ain't over yet, but is probably unlikely that Pollard changes his mind again- although I've seen weirder. The other committed prospect is Byron Moore, who most people on the inside think that his commitment to U$C is very soft. Buchanan is the most recent offer and I suspect that ND may have a couple more in mind before the end of next week. Just a hunch. I think Notre Dame will land 2 or 3 more prospects before it is all over with.
The coaching search is still quiet. No new hires have been made for any of the coaching 
vacancies. This is a slow and excruciating process for Irish fans, but one that has to take its course. A lot of names have been thrown out, but nothing of real substance has really been put out in front just yet. Also, there has been reports of Latina being fired, but that has been denied by the University. And when in the hell is Weis going to show Mendoza the line to the unemployment office? The Mendoza and Latina jobs ( Strength and Offensive line jobs) are probably the two that most need a change. Notre Dame passes the eye test with their lineman... until some guy that weighs 40 pounds less blasts them on their ass.
I don't expect anything to surface too soon, but I'm not sure if that is good news or bad news. The fact remains that these staff assignments are of vital importance and if Notre Dame is going to take that next step as an improving team, these hires need to be of a first class nature. Weis knows this and I am sure he is doing all that he can to make the best possible hires from a pool of candidates that meets the criteria that both he and the administration have set out in front of them. Tenuta was a late hire last year, and I'm pretty sure that he has worked out well for the Irish- and for wildlife everywhere.
A few notes on the enemy. A mini-Link-O-Rama if you will...
Subway Domer News...
Despite pleas to my employer that National Signing Day is in all actuality a national holiday and worthy of a paid holiday, they have made no effort to pay me to stay at home to check message boards for information on the stream of Letters of Intent that will be coming over the fax machines at Notre Dame. So, it remains to be seen if I will be posting on that glorious day. If i do, I will have a Live Blog up and running for you to vent and boast.
Shortly after that beautiful holiday, I will post the Subway Domer Recruiting Spectacular: 2009. And by shortly, I mean a day or two or three after. Please take the time to check it out as I try hard not to swear. Here are the links to the 2007 & 2008 versions.
Then kids, after the Recruiting Spectacular has been out for a few days, I will post my State of Recruiting: 2009. This isn't quite what you may think it is. You have to take it literally. Here are the links to the 2007 & 2008 versions.
This is all subject to me not dieing in this blizzard or my wife not giving birth before February 17th.
Congratulations are in order to OC Domer. That SOB won the Subway Domer Bowl Pick-Em for the 2nd year in a row. Last year he asked me to make a donation at the Grotto in lieu of the T-Shirt prize. Those regular alumni must really like not having to put the word "subway" as a prefix to their alumni status. So what's it going to be this year OC, saint or shirt?
I sat in the Notre Dame student body for 3 years, and never saw any of this shit- even when Demetrius Jones made an appearance. This guy looks a lot like Eric from The Subway Alumni Show.
Welcome to the last Anti-Preview for the Fighting Irish in this regular season. It has been a very up and down year for the Irish, and they are looking to salvage a season with an improbable victory against our greatest rival. With most of the talk this week being about Coach Weis and his future with the program, the team is probably looking forward to getting away from South Bend and all of those type of distractions.
Speaking of distractions, I apologize to all of you who enjoy reading these Anti-Previews. This is going to be a very short and sweet version. I have had more on my plate than usual these past few days and I just don't have it in me for a full dose. Excuses, excuses- whatever.
Southern Cal. These guys are pretty fucking good and have only got better as the season has progressed. The defense is littered with future first round picks for the NFL and the offense has been extremely efficient. Plus, they have this for a distraction. I hate them.
What should you be drinking? I don't know. The real answer is "Yes. A lot." You better get wasted and you should have plenty of time to do it with a prime time game. Prime Time. Go for the shamrocks, and try not to end up as butch as this chick:
What should you be eating? They are out in LA, so anything is going to be possible. But instead of going the fine dining route, get something quick and easy. In-N-Out Burger. Or, maybe something as simple as a nice watermelon:
What freshman will have the biggest impact? I wish to Christ I could say Floyd, but we all know that ain't happening. Darius Flemming. He has been playing very well for the defense as of late. The Irish will need to create some type of pass rush and Flemming could use his quickness to his advantage.
What offensive player needs to step it up? I'm calling you out. The ENTIRE offensive line. SC is talking a lot of shit, and they are looking to fucking destroy Clausen. So the entire line has to pull up their skirts and get to work . Sam Young, Trevor Robinson, Chris Stewart, Dan Wenger, Eric Olsen, and Mike Turkovich. All of these guys have to step up and perform. If the Irish could somehow keep Clausen on his feet and maintain some kind of consistency in the ground game, than the Irish will be able to have a legitimate shot.
What defensive player needs to step it up? Steve Quinn. With Brian Smith out and a huge void on the defensive side, look for Quinn to see a majority of the snaps over Toryan Smith. Smith is a step slower than Quinn and with the speed the Irish will see against the Trojans. Quinn has the savvy to make an impact, but will he be able to keep up? The entire defensive unit will be going against an onslaught from a USC offense that will mix up the play calling and use multiple personnel groups. Sanchez must be on his ass to have any chance.. Quinn might be able to get there and do it.
What special teams player needs to step it up? Brandon Walker. Continue the consistency and nail those 45 yard and less field goals. Notre Dame could find itself in the middle of the fight if they are getting the job done on both sides, the field goal team could put them over the edge- either way.
Is there a rivalry trophy at stake? As a matter of fact, yes. (I wouldn't have asked 
otherwise) Here is an excerpt from an old Subway Domer post on all of ND's rivalry trophy games...
The Jeweled Shillelagh is the hardware given to the
winner of the annual contest of the Trojans and The Fighting Irish. Legend
states that Howard Hughes' pilot brought this Gaelic Warclub, made of blackthorn
oak, over from Ireland in 1952. The Notre Dame Alumni Club of Los Angeles
created the award. The winner of the contest is awarded the trophy with a new
medallion to mark the victor. ND has emerald shamrocks while USC has ruby
encrusted Trojan heads. Although the trophy was created in 1952, the entire
series is recorded back to 1926. There have been 5 ties and those games are
represented with a combo medallion. The original shillelagh was retired after
the 1995 season. There was simply no more room for anymore shamrocks or heads.
It now resides at Notre Dame because the Irish won more games up to that point.
(We still do even after losses for 5 straight seasons with a 42-31-5 mark).
There is a new trophy that is a little longer than the original. It was
purchased by Jim Gillis, a former baseball player for ND and USC. It is the same
kind of oak and hails from the County Leitrim in Ireland. It was introduced in
1996.
So who's going to win? Most people will say that this game is a sure bet. Notre Dame is a 30 point underdog and has virtually no chance to win this game or even have the delusional thought of keeping this game close. What the hell. Irish win 29-27. Somehow, someway. 
Despite reports to the contrary, USC is just another football team. Just another Trojan that got choked out by a beaver. Happens in L.A. all the time.
Orsen has more at EDSBS. Headlines! Headlines! Read all about it! The Poodle shits himself!
The season is drawing closer and closer to the opening kickoff for our beloved Irish. Notre Dame stands at 8-1 and just a few votes away from being in the top 10. The Fighting Irish feel as if they are being overlooked and under ranked with only one blemish on their record. Three teams stand in their way for a BCS berth and possibly a shot at the National Title.
ND (8-1) @ Navy (5-4) 42-14 IRISH
Navy comes into this game needing only one more win to be bowl eligible. They are coming off of a much needed bye week as their starting QB Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada (or simply: Kaipo) was out for most of the game versus Temple with a hamstring injury that has bothered him since fall camp. Notre Dame and its legion of alums and fans are eagerly looking forward to this game and are ready to dish out some revenge after last season's 3OT loss to end the 43 year losing streak by Navy.
The game was never really close. The Irish took their first three drive of the game for a TD. The first was on a 8o yard drive that ended with a 4 yard TD run from Robert Hughes. It was his 6th carry of the drive. The second TD drive was considerably shorter on both yards and plays. One play was all it took and Luke Schmidt took a screen pass out of his H-Back position with a convoy 47 yards for a TD. The third drive was after Navy slotback Shun White broke a long run, but was stripped of the ball at the Irish 22 by a hustling Gary Gray. Kyle McCarthy fell on it for the recovery. 12 plays later Michael Floyd caught a 17 yard crossing route in front of the goalline and fell back into the endzone for the score. Navy finally scored on a wicked triple reverse that put Tyree Barnes in the endzone. Notre Dame led at the half 21-7.
The Irish jumped all over the Middies in the second half to continue the onslaught. They put up two touchdowns in the third quarter (8 yard run by Aldridge and a 12 yard pass to Ragone). This put the Irish at a comfortable 35-7 lead going into the 4th. Navy scored a TD on a very well choreographed drive of 76 yards. The Irish took the ball on the kickoff and ate up the next 8 minutes of clock by running the ball and running it some more. Jonas Gray finally punched it in for the TD with about 1:19 on the clock.
MVP- Brian Smith: 18 Tackles. 5TFL. 3 Sacks. Beast
ND (9-1) VS. Syracuse (2-8) 49-0 IRISH
It was surprising that Greg Robinson lasted as long as he did. He was finally fired after Syracuse lost its 6th straight and 8th overall for the season versus UConn. They lost that game 38-0 while Zach Frazer threw for over 300 yards and 5 TD's for the Huskies.
This was a killing. Jimmy Clausen threw for a career high 397 yards and 5 TD's ( Grimes 15yd, Schmidt 17yd, Grimes 29yd, Floyd 44yd, Kamara 22yd) as he is getting better and better as the season winds down. Robert Hughes topped the 100 yard mark with 112 yards and scored a TD on a52 yard run. Asaph Schwaap scored the first TD in his 4 years on a dive from the one.
Syracuse was dismal and only had 138 yards of offense, three turnovers (2 fumbles, 1 INT) and was sacked 6 times. three of those sacks were via Kerry Neal.
After the game, Syracuse called Cincinnati and forfeited the next game. Two hours later, Syracuse announced the cancellation of the entire football program.
Troy Nunes continues to blog.
MVP- Jimmy Clausen: 31-40 397yds 5 TDs.
ND (10-1) @ U$C (9-1) 3-0 IRISH
The Trojans are coming off of a bye week and boy did they need it. The team has had 14 different outbreaks of jock itch this season. The players spent the off week sitting in tubs of ice. When Fighting Irish Assistant Head Coach Jon Tenuta was asked by a reporter if he "felt that this jock problem would translate into a positive for ND", Tenuta calmly grabbed a a dead caribou carcass from under the desk and gnawed on it. I take that as a no comment.
The game itself turned into a disaster for both teams as a killer storm attacked Los Angeles. By killer, I mean that Brittany Spears, Tom Cruise, Paula Abdul, and Keanu Reeves are no longer with us. DUUUDE. The officials delayed the game for 2 hours waiting on the lightning to pass. When it finally did, the crap hole known as the Coliseum was now a real crap hole.
Recently, my friends over at 11 Warriors published a post about their Buckeyes and their forthcoming matchup versus the Condoms of U$C. And quite frankly, I'm a little disturbed. Where is the cockiness my friends? Where is the bravado to just say... "FUCK U$C!"?
Normally I root for any team on Notre Dame's schedule to win as many games as they can. However, when it comes to U$C and Michigan, I just don't give a fuck and find myself wishing for tremendously bad things to happen to them. Sometimes I find a wandering gypsy and pay $8.oo for a curse to be unloaded on these two teams, and sometimes it works. (See Stanford and Appalachian State). Well I just so happened to find a gypsy outside of Hicksville, Ohio and I dropped $17.42 to ensure a victory for SweaterVest and company.
I might have wasted my money. I think the Bucks win and here's why...
1 & 2) Taylor Mays, Brian Cushing, and Rey Mauluga. Yes. Mays, Cushing, and Maualuga are very big. And in fact, their defense looks to be one of the very best in the country. But, I think the Trojan D-Line might be a little overrated and that should be the key. The running game. Feed the rock to your boy Beanie and Saine and control the tempo of the game.
3) Those Running Backs. Hey. These guys aren't Reggie Bush or even LenDale White. They're good. But, they aren't even close to the superstar tag team duo of Bush and White. The Trojan O-Line is going to be young and still mostly green for the season before the Buckeyes get into L.A. McNight may be the real deal, but he is not as fast as advertised. Illinois DB Vontae Davis tracked him down like an injured elk.
4) Pete Carroll & His Gigantic Big Game Gonads. WTF? "Pete's the one coach that's pretty hard to hate." Not so fast my friend. He's a cock smoker. Ask any Irish, Bruin, or decent human being, "Do you like Pete Carroll?" There response will always be, "I fucking hate him. He's a poodle bitch." He is, however, a great big game coach. I understand your fear and provide stats to back it up... In the last 5 seasons U$C has lost a total of 6 games. 4 of those 6 losses came to unranked teams. They only have 1 loss at home in the last 5 seasons to unranked and irish patsy, Stanford. So there is no doubt he will be ready for the Buckeyes because OSU will be a ranked, non-Pac-10 team , playing in the hellhole known as The Coliseum. Streaks are dying everywhere. Ask Navy.
5) Will Ferrell. I'll one up ya. How about Snoop Dogg?
Just take a deep breath friends of the mighty poisonous nut. You are in great shape to make a statement early this year. My prediction: OSU 17 U$C 14. Should be a good game and I'll be sure to watch all if I can make it without stabbing my eyeballs with a steak knife and stuffing my ears with silly putty.
If you really want to piss off the Condom faithful, wear these around L.A. and tell them you bought them from a Fighting Irish blog.
Groin Kicks
In what is turning out to be a whirlwind recruiting class for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, another top prospect has committed to Our Lady Of The Lake. Ethan Johnson, a 6'4" 265 lbs. defensive end from Lincoln High in Portland Oregon, made the decision final Wednesday night and became the 17th prospect to commit for the incoming 2008 class. Johnson is rated as a 5 star by scout and is the 48th overall player by Rivals.
Ethan turned down offers from UCLA, Oregon, Skunkbears (what else did you expect), and wait for it......U$C. Apparently, Snoop Dogg and Will Ferrell are not high on Johnson's priorities.
This is a HUGE pickup for the Irish, which needed to shore up its front 7 this year. That makes it 3 DEs, 2 DTs (NG), and 3 LBs. Expect at least another LB, if not 2.
I would add more, but I am in "shock mode" with 17 commits before July. Please do not attempt to wake me!
In case you missed the news, Notre Dame and its jersey partner Adidas, announced in a press release that the October 20th meeting versus U$C will take on a retro feel. Notre Dame will "honor" the 1977 squad by donning the green jerseys. Of course, these are the uber fabulous uniform colors that helped make Joe Montana a god.
This announcement has come with some mixed results from the Irish faithful. Most of the Domers, would like to see us "honor" the '77 team with these colors versus the likes of Duke. Some do not want this at all and some seem O.K. with the retro day. Here is some advice from me, The Emporer of the Subway Alumni Nation... suck it up and deal with it! As it goes with a lot of things in life, this is just another detail that can not be controlled by us. So, to help the Domers out there who may be miffed or unsure about all this, here is some advice on what to do on October 20th, 2007.
This may seem a little much for some of you, but so will trying to pull off an upset with those yellow pants.
Dayne Crist is the top quarterback in the state of California. Dayne Crist is coming to Notre Dame to play for the Irish. Sound familiar? For the 2nd year in a row ND is stealing one from the Poodle's backyard. The news leaked out from the LA Times today. Crist chose the Irish over U$C, LSU, and Stanford.He becomes the 8th verbal commit for the Irish's 2008 incoming class. The announcement was taped the other day and is prepared to run tonight on FSN at 10:30 Pacific time, but the LA Times in an eerily timed move, let the cat out of the bag today. (Mitch Mustain announced today that he will transfer to U$C).
Obviously, this is fantastic news. Now ND MUST go hard after the top-flight WRs. It's not that the Irish haven't been gunning for these kids, it's just that they haven't been pulling the trigger just yet. But with the cupboard full for at least another 4-5 years, it may make the decision easier for a few of the recruits out there.
This also adds some momentum heading into the Blue-Gold Game. There is going to be a lot of talent visiting ND this weekend, although not as much as last year, and I like the fact they are going to see some slots filling up. Rumors are flying around about Darius Flemming(LB) and Brandon Newman (NT) possibly committing this weekend as well. Is there a game going on?
Sorry about the lack of info everyone! I will have some pieces put together soon however. The recruiting news and spring game stuff should keep me busy for at least a month or so.
There is one little blurb that I recently uncovered. It is a UCLA site, but their hatred of Trojan assbags is very insightful. Follow the link below and check them out. (There is one little jab at Digger Phelps, but an 88 game winning streak is a lot to let go).
Subway Domer
I'm sure by now most of you have realized that Notre Dame has a few rivalries. In fact, they may have more than most teams. And some of you may have even figured out that there are trophies that go along with some of these games. Seriously, they do. Why don't we know them more? With a school steeped in tradition as much as Notre Dame, it seems to get lost in all the other hoopla surrounding these games. Subway Domer is here to educate you in these fine pieces of hardware.
There are truly 5 games that are considered Rivalry Trophy games. Southern California, Purdue, Michigan State, Boston College, and Standford. One of these games has 2 trophies on the line each game... but I'll get to that further down the post. 
USC
The Jeweled Shillelagh is the hardware given to the winner of the annual contest of the Trojans and The Fighting Irish. Legend states that Howard Hughes' pilot brought this Gaelic Warclub, made of blackthorn oak, over from Ireland in 1952. The Notre Dame Alumni Club of Los Angeles created the award. The winner of the contest is awarded the trophy with a new medallion to mark the victor. ND has emerald shamrocks while USC has ruby encrusted Trojan heads. Although the trophy was created in 1952, the entire series is recorded back to 1926. There have been 5 ties and those games are represented with a combo medallion. The original shillelagh was retired after the 1995 season. There was simply no more room for anymore shamrocks or heads. It now resides at Notre Dame because the Irish won more games up to that point. (We still do even after losses for 5 straight seasons with a 42-31-5 mark). There is a new trophy that is a little longer than the original. It was purchased by Jim Gillis, a former baseball player for ND and USC. It is the same kind of oak and hails from the County Leitrim in Ireland. It was introduced in 1996.
Purdue
In continuing with the shillelagh theme we next look at the Purdue game. It is simply called The Shillelagh Trophy. It was donated by a merchant seaman and Fighting Irish fan, Joe McLaughlin. He purchased the blackthorn oak club while in Ireland. The winner of the game has received this trophy since the 1957 game. The winner has its initials put on a football medallion, along with the score, and that is placed on the oak stand the Shillelagh sit upon.
Michigan State
Known only as The Megaphone Trophy, this trophy may now be the most famous of the ND trophies...or should I say infamous. Introduced in 1949, it is a joint sponsorship by the Alumni Clubs of ND and MSU in Detroit. Half of the megaphone is painted blue with an ND monogram and the other side is white with a green MSU. The score from each year is painted on it. The current trophy is the third one in use since it has run out of room for scores twice before. This award became nationally known after the 2005 and 2006 games. The Spartans were outraged when ND did not present them with the trophy after they were victorious at ND in 2005. ND stated that it has been the custom all along to give the trophy to the opposing team after a defeat away from the field. This might have been the starting point for Johnelle to become crazy as a bat. Most of the ND players and Coach Weis himself, admitted to not even knowing the trophy existed. This is probably true since the picture you see is from the video game NCAA 2007 by EA sports. I could not find a pic of it anywhere else.
There seems to be a continuing theme amongst all the trophies. Notre Dame Alumni ,or in one case a fan, were the originators of the hardware. So why the secrecy? Why are there no presentations? Why don't the players get to hoist these bad boys up after a victory and yell "Take that Stanford! You stupid trees. Check out this sweet crystal wood thingy"? Maybe ND has too much tradition to be able to squeeze another ounce of tangible lore. ND is an Independent. All or nothing, and that is the way we like it. But wouldn't be nice to have a little more to celebrate. Or a more emotional rallying call such as " Let's kill those Trojans and take the Shillelagh back!" Maybe you're thinking I'm insane or a little to preoccupied with hardware. But what about all the Heisman talk? That is an individual award (or so it is supposed to be). These rivalry trophies represent the TEAM and in doing so should take precedence over all others, excluding bowl games. I leave you with this thought. Remember the Minnesota-Wisconsin game when the kicker made the game winner and ran straight over to grab the ax? That was a great moment. Can't we as the GREATEST University in the land have something as similar? No jumbo trons, just Pride and exuberance.
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