The boys are back in town...
Dateline: Davenport, IA
"Trigger" being the operative word.
On one hand, there's the sibling bond of shared past experiences -- some of which being less positive, if no less formative, than others. (For those of you at the tailgate who were regaled with some of those stories, let me tell you that playing 'Rodeo Round Up' is far less enjoyable when one's role is that of the object to be brought down and roped.)
If only child therapy didn't have such a stigma in the 1960's.
But I digress.
Cruel and inhuman, you cry? Where was Child Protective Services, you ask!
First, this was the 1950's. A different era. (I'm pretty sure mom cocktailed through all her pregnancies.)
Second, mom grew up on a farm -- you did what you had to do to get the job done.
And third, have you met Tim?
Back to nostalgia... one couldn't but help to recall similar warm emotions watching ND dismantle Stanford. Wasn't that like it always used to be? Wasn't that level of assured superiority a given, a part of our college tuition, baked in along with our student tickets?
Oh to return to those days.
Quote of the Week
The Wolf
"Pulp Fiction"
I hate to be all Mr. Glass Half Empty but with the season halfway completed, it would seem safe to safe that this ND team has not yet earned our trust. So while Saturday's effort was pretty impressive (save that first series on both sides of the ball) we know ND can play down to anybody.
Which is to say, lose to anyone. Thus, talk to me after the Ga. Tech - Navy - FSU stretch. If we go 3-0...
Until then, taking it one game at a time.
Word of the Week.
... he had a chance to consider the roller coaster ride that was the first six games of ND's season: exuberance coming out of the initial A&M game, immediately followed by the dystopian bitch slap of the NIU performance, then dominating Purdue but taking a while to get going against another MAC team... on and on.
Each week seemed to bring a completely different, and seemingly weirdly random variable -- Cracker Jack boxes had less surprises in them.
And yet, with the Bye week and (a possibly understandable) shaky 1st Quarter, the Stanford game felt like a fitting and hopefully) optimistic coda to the close of the season's first half.
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| Cause for optimism, no? |
The question that rolled around in Jerrence's head was this: was the Stanford performance a re-set to the post-A&M vibe like a cruel Groundhog's Day experience where one gets their hopes up, only to be crushed -- or a more legitimate, positive turning point?
If the team could stop resembling a M*A*S*H unit, Jerrence liked their chances for the latter.
Game 6 Thoughts
Looking for a certain ratio...
Someone must have left it underneath the carpet!
Much has been written, of late, about the relationship between Denbrock and Leonard.
Was Leonard the QB that the former expected? And (or) was Denbrock calling a game plan that the latter was never comfortable - or unable - executing.
Six games into the season, it looks like they're finally getting on the same page.
Can I get a huzzah?!
Other blinding glimpses of the obvious...
1. Slow starts . The way game started was not fun. I was not sitting there thinking, gee isn't this great. On 'O', dropped passes, critical penalties putting ND way behind the chains, shanked punt. Ugh. On 'D', a half step behind on every play that first series. Wake the f*ck up!
Yes, they ultimately righted the ship but waiting until the 2nd quarter for the team to get it in gear does not feel like a recipe for success. And it strikes me this is not a team built to come from behind.
For me, something to watch for in the 2nd half of the year.
It would appear Cross III is finally healthy. (Not sure what Mills' excuse is (was).
Nonetheless, long may it last.
And given Ga. Tech's commitment to running the ball, we're gonna need a second helping of this performance.
We've got Clan Corrigan!
As well as having Hudson, OH's favorite M.D., Bob Spittler! (One man's opinion: there ought be a TV show about him and his wacky family.
I'm thinking "dramedy" -- during the daytime, Dr. Bob would solve serious cases enriching the lives of the common folk in his community (think Marcus Welby, M.D. Meets Dr. House except without the latter's wretched attitude and the Vicodin addiction).
But at night he'd go home to a chaotic household involving a variety of unexpected quirky characters ("Bob, Corrigan just showed up at the front door, did you invite him?") and hijinx would invariably ensue as our protagonist sips his adult beverage while his superhuman wife makes everything right.
Probably an Apple+ vehicle.
And Jerry Perez, the Class of '79's true Renaissance Man: marketer extraordinaire, raconteur (who else among us can say they elected to say 'no thanks' to Robert Downey, Jr.'s invitation to party back in his I'm Completely Off The Rails late 1980's days), hugely underrated screenwriter and master mixologist! Peter may own the Bloody Mary territory but Jerry's got pretty much every other craft cocktail covered...
And of course, we had the required Dillon Tool representative, Tom Feifar! (I think there actually may be a rule that there should always be a Tool at every tailgate. Which I happen to think -- and I can't believe I'm saying this -- is a wise, if counter intuitive, idea.)
So why? It would seem the result of good coaching. Price had a bad fumble against Louisville and was immediately exiled to the bench. (For the record, not an uncommon move by a coaching staff.)
But in order to not let the kid go into the tank, attitudinally, for the season, they get him back on the horse immediately in the next game. We still believe in you, they seem to be saying.
And the faith gets repaid. Well played, coaches McCullough and Freeman.
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| Next man up... |
His season ending hip injury (kinda odd we've heard exactly ZERO as to how / when it occurred) puts a major strain on the CB depth as well as the odds for competing against the other playoff teams, should ND make it that far.
But I continue to re-post the newbies that have shown they can MUST now play at this level:
Freshmen Sophomores
K. Viliamu-Asa Drayk Bowen
Bryce Young Jaiden Ausberry
Leonard Moore Adon Shuler
Anthonie Knapp Jaden Greathouse
Aneyas Williams Christian Grey
Kennedy Urlacher Jerimiyah Love
Loghan Thomas Cooper Flanagan
But there ain't a lot behind those guys.
They'd probably say, 'satisfactory' and that there's still a lot of season left to play (and they wouldn't be incorrect) but it seems reasonable to throw out a few mid-term grades:
-- R. Leonard C Below average passing, above average running. Net, average.
-- B. Collins B- He was the only guy catching things in Sept., now less so.
-- K. Mitchell C Too generous? But when your QB can't throw or find you...
-- J. Harrison I Wasn't he brought in for his KR expertise?
-- J. Clark A By all accounts has far exceeded expectations. Hugely valuable.
-- R. Heard C- Don't know what was expected but so far, kind of a cypher.
-- RJ Oben F When you're about to get passed on the depth chart by a freshman...
-- B. Collins B- He was the only guy catching things in Sept., now less so.
-- K. Mitchell C Too generous? But when your QB can't throw or find you...
-- J. Harrison I Wasn't he brought in for his KR expertise?
-- J. Clark A By all accounts has far exceeded expectations. Hugely valuable.
-- R. Heard C- Don't know what was expected but so far, kind of a cypher.
-- RJ Oben F When you're about to get passed on the depth chart by a freshman...
On balance, without knowing the $ amounts involved (presumably not obscene) the return so far is not terrible, but not a Scott Malpass-esque return either.
But then again, I wonder how Ohio St. is feeling about their (reported) $10 - 20M transfer portal investment.
Buddy's Buddy
Once again, there seemed to be any number of truly viable candidates for The Buddy -- and that's without even taking the actual football game into consideration (sorry, Riley, this would've been a week where you genuinely deserved consideration).
But no, this week's candidates are all non-football folks;
1) Stayer tailgate leaders. Recognizing this past week might be the last party in really nice weather - and it was spectacular - gotta give it up the hosts. It's easy to take consistent excellence for granted -- still doesn't mean we shouldn't remind ourselves how special it is. Thank you (as always), Jay / Bob / Jerry / Tim / Jim / Peter.
2) Kay Corrigan. We put mom through the wringer this past week, making her stay up later than she'd wanted -- forgetting that, oh yeah you're 99 maybe you're not quite the party girl you used to be, but she hung tough and we were all the better for it. Thanks, mom - hang in there, we've got that 100th b-day party in the works...
3) New Orleans Saints. There's a team (and a city) that knows a little something about dealing with natural disasters that devastate entire communities... so it wasn't wholly surprising (yet still nonetheless impressive) when seeing the alert below.
Bravo, NOLA.
Who, you ask? Jim is class of '77 and a longtime Chicago friend of a few of us Quaker Oats alums from the 1980's (incl. Jerry Perez, Jim Thompson).
La tee dah, you say. Well, handle this coleslaw: he and I share a membership in a very select, quietly secretive society, albeit not as powerful as, say, The Freemasons or Skull & Bones:
The One Kidney Club
The significant difference being that while one of us (Jerrence) was genetically drafted into the organization, Jim's membership was voluntary: by donating a kidney to his Notre Dame roommate.
Think about that. Your roommate, 40 years on, is now in tough shape -- needs a kidney. Would you give him one of yours? You probably think you might. Jim actually did.
And remember, it's not like giving blood - i.e., popping down to the medical center for 30 minutes and getting juice and a cookie afterwards.
Now tell me he's not a charter member of Buddy's Buddies.
Plus, he's also just a phenomenal guy. That alone would get him short-listed.
RE-PETE (A shameless, illegal lift of Pete Sampson's weekly mail-bag)
This being the halfway point in the season for the Irish, it would seem that everyone is pausing, processing, taking stock of what they've witnessed and are offering thoughts as to what may lay in store for the rest of schedule.
Mr. Sampson is no different.
On the advice of counsel, I'll limit my repurposing of Pete's thoughts to a single topic. All the while trying to remain balanced, attitudinally... neither yet a Pollyanna or a negative Nelly.
There'll be time for that in November...
Five (necessary) second-half risers
1. Bryce Young: There’s a need at DE. There’s Pro Football Hall of Fame DNA waiting to fill it in the son of Bryant Young. “We knew he was a special player when he first got here, but he is developing faster, probably, than we all thought,” Freeman said. “Physically ahead of most people his age. He plays the game with an effort that is uncommon at times.” Notre Dame has tried to be measured with Young through six games. Now it’s time to go for it.
2. Leonard Moore: When Christian Gray missed the Louisville game with shoulder soreness, Moore got his first start and finished one off the defensive team lead in snaps played with 76. It’s hard to see him coming off the field from here with Morrison done. Collins compared Moore to former Clemson teammate Nate Wiggins, a 1st round pick of the Baltimore Ravens. The biggest reason Jaden Mickey is no longer on the roster might be how much the staff likes Moore.
3. Riley Leonard: One great game doesn’t mean Leonard will start ripping them off week after week. But, it at least means there’s more in the QB’s bag than what he showed in September. “I loved the confidence that he played with on Saturday,” Denbrock said. “I thought he let himself be the player that he can be. Hopefully, maybe, we’ve kind of broken through a little bit and we’re ready to bust this thing loose.”
4. Billy Schrauth: The junior might be the most physically gifted of Notre Dame’s O-linemen, even if he’s still developing. For the Irish to keep the run game going and win in short-yardage against better teams, it needs Schrauth back from the ankle sprain suffered at Purdue. After five weeks to heal, can Schrauth get back into the lineup? Per PFF, Schrauth is the best of Notre Dame’s opening day starters on the line.
5. Mitchell Evans: Evans has been a shell of himself in the pass game since coming back from the ACL injury suffered almost exactly a year ago. That’s not a criticism as much as an acknowledgement the TE just needed the full year to recover. If Evans can flash the ability he showed in dominating Duke and Ohio State last season, it could take the offense to another level.
Source: The Athletic
October 16, 2024
Cocktail of the Month
Hanging with your siblings, people you have known for almost 70 years, is rarely revelatory. There's just too much shared history and if one sees / speaks with them even periodically, nothing much surprises.
Though I'd imagine the Bundy, Dahmer, Kaczynski families would beg to differ.
And yet, when my brother Mike made me a martini (with two blue cheese olives) last week, I thought, "Wow! Surprise! That bad boy sure is tasty!" I also thought, does my liver really need yet another cocktail in its portfolio?
Why not! Jerrence's journey to true Renaissance Manhood continues!
Editor's note: the masses will know this author by his book, "Charlotte's Web" (I think it was on the Accounting dept.'s Arts & Letter required reading syllabus). English majors will know him for the writing style guide noted below.
E.B. White's Martini
1899-1985
Children's author, essayist and Pulitzer Prize winner E. B. White is still the authority on The Elements of Style.
Though his take on a martini lacks the austerity and dry bite of the classic version, his idiosyncratic recipe is still smooth, unfussy and perfectly clear - just like the prose he championed.
* 2 oz. gin
* 1 1/2 tspns. apricot brandy
* 1 1/2 tspns. dry vermouth
* 1 1/2 tspns. lime juice
* 1 1/2 tspns. honey
In a cocktail mixing glass, stir together apricot brandy, vermouth, lime juice and honey. Add ice and gin, stir, and strain into a chilled coupe glass.
Source: How To Drink Like A Writer
Writing by Margaret Kaplan
Schedule 2024
August
31 @Texas A&M W
September
7 Northern Illinois L
14 @Purdue W
21 Miami (OH) W
28 Louisville W
October
12 Stanford W
19 @Georgia Tech
26 Navy
November
9 Florida State Night game - accepting couch viewing bookings
16 Virginia
23 @Army (Yankee Stadium) McSorley's anyone?
30 @USC
December
20 1st round playoff game at ND Stadium -- see you there.
Wager 2024
Six down, six to go. Anything remains possible.
Wins | Director - ND Equivalence | Domer |
12  Christopher Nolan | The Nick Saban of the film world - Nolan is Mr. Swing For The Fences Big Idea Guy, even if every effort isn't always a home run. But they are undeniably ... epic. Just like a 12-0 season. |
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11  Martin McDonagh | Hello, he's Irish! Solidly predictable for always being really, really good. And as his reputation has been burnished, the star talent in his cast has followed. Sound familiar? | Jerrence, Daryl Jim S, Tim C. Jerry C, Mike C. Greg R., Bob S. George, Raz, Ted, Bob J. Peter, Tim S., Dave M |
10  David Fincher |
Pretty much a stud in both film and TV formats. Always interesting, albeit with palpably dark undertones... one is never sure how the story is going to end up. Much like a 10 win season will feel like. | Pat B, Mike B. Bill, Jim B. Sloane, Alex Phillip, Randy Mike G., Jerry P Gutsch, Mark Jim T., Brian W |
9  Yorgos Lanthimos | Do I always understand what's going on his films? Nope. | Alvin, Garrett |
8  Richard Linklater | Perhaps the product of recency bias - I quite liked 'Hit Man' - Linklater's films fall for this blogger into the "nice-fun-I see an interesting insight" category. They just don't feel especially memorable. Like we'd view an 8 win season. | |
7  Wes Anderson | When does quirky/idiosyncratic become tiresome? When you feel like you're watching - again - an inside joke that you're not included in. Anderson attracts an an all-star cast that no longer seems to add up to the sum of their parts. In a word, disappointing. | |
6  Lars Von Trier | Uncomfortable. Unpleasant. Disturbing. Often off the rails, his films might be 'art' but it's tough to call it many people's definition of entertainment. | |
Schadenfreude of the Week.
With the benefit of the bye week and therefore, two weeks of games to mine for nominees, it's allowed one to ponder the question that's been on this blogger's mind for quite some time: could one actually overdose on pure, undiluted schadenfreude -- the kind of lab-created, military grade euphoria that should never make it to the street?
Answer: it was close. But with a roll call that saw USC, Alabama, Michigan, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Missouri all go down... whoa.
Never was the expression, "Moderation in everything, including moderation" more relevant.
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This fortnight's honor roll:
USC. I swear, this never gets old.
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| How ya like the Big 10 now, Lincoln?! |
And I think we're now waaaaay past the point of an end-of-season victory over the Trojans doing much for ND's BCS playoff resume.
So what! Fight Lose On, SC!
Fun fact: Coach Riley has now lost his last five games against top 5 teams. He is 0-3 against AP Top 10 opponents and 4-9 against ranked teams during his time at USC. The Trojans last win over a Top 5 opponent came in the 2017 Rose Bowl against Penn St.
BTW, you won't convince me that once Dan Lanning admitted to the press about his clever - and not without some risk - use of the 12th man penalty, that Day wasn't on the phone to the NCAA whining, "no fair!"
Michigan. The 2024 Wolverines appear to be a thoroughly average team, trending toward an 8-4'ish record. Amazing what happens to one's performance when you don't know what the opponents' plays are ahead of time.
Their mediocrity doesn't make their loss to Washington any less sweet. And the fact that their QB play makes ours look competent...
And giving up 40 points to a team that loss to Georgia St. -- not UGA -- Georgia St... call it icing on the cake.
Conventional wisdom suggests that you never want to be the guy that follows a legend... and yet there's always someone who'll take it, no matter how consistent history is regarding the subsequent lack of success.
Hubris or stupidity, coach DeBoer?
And a quick look at your schedule over the next month:
- @ Tennessee
- Missouri
- @ LSU
Hmmm. That sound you hear is the tightening of sphincters across the state.
Roll Tide, indeed.
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| Stay classy, A-A-Ron |
Terry's Tools.
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| The few, the proud... |
One asks oneself, what could I have done differently?
And when the answer doesn't provide any satisfaction, the recriminations begin, like "...you brought this Evil into our house!"
Not pretty. No wonder Defarge buggered off to France last week.
Mean Girls. I hate bullies, whether they come in the form of the homo sapien species or gallus gallus domesticus...
Context: For many years, Defarge has kept chickens and if one visited Maison du Jerrencé you could be treated to fresh eggs as a part of her breakfast casserole.
Unfortunately, those chickens periodically get exposed to attack -- requiring the purchase of new, baby chicks, which take several months to grow and become egg layers (i.e., productive members of society).
As it turns out, a couple roosters ended up in her latest procurement -- such is the difficulty of determining gender when acquiring the newbies.
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| OK, here's the plan: we peck the sh*t out of the new kid... |
Which is to say, it seems chickens have a similar, almost Darwinian social hierarchy to that of middle school girls -- and are just as nasty.
You don't want to be the new kid in school.
So the new chicken hides, perched up high in a variety of different places in the coop, still laying her egg almost daily -- while the three bitches downstairs run the lunch room like Italian mafia family heads.
And it's pissing me off. As champion of the downtrodden, I wonder if the mafia dons will change their attitude when I nominate one of 'em for Chick-fil-a Employee of the Month.
If you catch my drift.
Could you please stop being so mean?
He didn't stumble, mind you - the kid was fully right in front of him with coach Smart moving at the lad with some pace... 90% of the world's WR's put less aggression into their blocks than Kirby did.
Yet the reaction: "No big deal. Much ado about nothing. A nothing burger."
Huh. We already know Kirby will never be leading any Driver's Ed classes but surely his sideline behavior should've elicited some kind of reaction -- a penalty? At least a warning?
Given that the Bulldogs seem to be coming down, at least a little bit, off their elite ground, one wonders if the reaction would've been different if / when they're not winning so consistently...
NCAA. Perhaps y'all saw this coming out of the Oregon - Ohio St game...
Just not a big fan of any rule being amended mid-season, in large part surely because a blue blood program complains about it after they lose.
"Mr. Baker, we have coach Day on Line 1 and he's whining more than usual..."
Coach Day, you got a free play out of it. (Which you didn't take advantage of.) Can we recognize that there was some risk for Oregon doing this?
Weenies to the very end.
USC. I understand that you might be looking under all the school's couch cushions for money, given the number of law suits I think you're involved in (or have already lost)... but, geez, have some pride.
Name of the Month
England and Germany, for sure. The Deep South, probably not.
And that same fascination extends to names as well -- and while meaning no disrespect, I continually find myself wondering, "Where did that name come from? How'd they come up with that? That's an interesting, if unexpected, extension of that word..."
And realizing it could go in any number of directions, like was mom a Francophile? Was dad really into condiments?
Dijon Lee
Pass the Grey Poupon and Roll Tide!
Final Thought
College football is a violent sport played by athletes who are still kids. kids who have families, families that love their children.
I wish more people would remember than before getting unhinged over a kid whiffing on a tackle, dropping a ball, missing a kick.
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