(I'm pretty savvy, just a little slow. - SB)
Campus News:
More on the specifics of the development south of campus...
What is left of Notre Dame Woods will ultimately be gone. The Eddy Street Commons will replace the woods, but trees and landscaping will be incorporated throughout the development. Green space will also be available. A park area will be created south of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. The Notre Dame Woods used to be farmland and the oldest trees are 60 to 80 years old. The new project will have hundreds of new trees.
The development area is 25 acres. It is very complex and packed. If the development were planned for a suburban site it would likely spread over 170 acres.
Notre Dame owns everything and will transfer management of the retail and hotel areas to the developer under a long-term lease. The developer will also handle the sales of individual homes. The University retains the right of final approval over tenants and types of businesses that may locate in the retail area. Notre Dame also has final architectural approval.
South of the Eddy Street Commons area is the "Triangle" neighborhood. The South Bend Heritage Foundation is planning to redevelop the area into new family housing. A developer has yet to be chosen for that project.
Campus Watch by Me:
So'd you hear about Clausen's elbow? Thank goodness for the internet. We can know everything immediately. ESPN.com ran a piece saying Jimmy recently had elbow surgery. There were no comments from Charlie, the Clausesn or the University. The South Bend Tribune ran a story, but it was mainly about the rumors. Various people made comments about the elbow this spring. Is this why Evan Sharpley is still in the QB mix? Charlie still has yet to comment. The rumor said Jimmy was done for the year. If it's true Charlie will have to say something soon.
Hall Notes:
Part 3: The Birth of Elsie’s Promise
Before I headed back to Carroll, I inquired as to whom Elsie was, and whether her so-called promise was a broken one that left one of my new bandmates loveless, alone, and forever bitter. To my surprise, it was not at all quite that romantic. You see, Andy had worked in a dairy warehouse over the summer, and had handled thousands of packages of Borden products. If you’ve ever seen a Borden product, or even if you haven’t, they used to have a little logo on the back explaining "Elsie’s Promise." Elsie the cow is the Borden’s "spokescow," and her promise is "Guaranteed Fresh." (Check out http://www.elsie.com for more information on Elsie than you could ever possibly want.) There may be a photo of a vintage Elsie’s Promise door sticker following this segment, depending on the technical savvy of the webmaster.
--From the San Fransisco Tribune, Feb. 19, 2003--
Elsie the Cow was voted one of the 10 top icons of all time by Advertising Age magazine and was so famous that marketing surveys in the 1940s found that 98 percent of the American public recognized Elsie. At one time, she was better known than such imaginary figures as Mickey Mouse, and a 1952 poll found that Elsie was better known than such real life celebrities as Robert Taft, a candidate for president that year, and Van Johnson, the actor. Elsie's image appeared in 107 countries, and Elsie helped sell $10 million in war bonds during World War II, appeared in a movie with Jack Oakie and Kay Francis, received several tongue-in-cheek college degrees (doctor of bovinity was one) and received the key to over 200 cities. ------
I suppose that over the two years that Elsie’s Promise (the band) was in existence, we were guilty of several instances of some sort of copyright infringement. Our posters and flyers always had cows on them-silly, upside-down, psychedelic or colorful cows. I even stole a plastic yard ornament cow and affixed it to my drums, such was our obsession with the bovine mascot. But I digress...
(I'm pretty savvy, just a little slow. - SB)
More next week.
NDSportscenter:
Defensive tackle Hafis Williams is our 11th recruit. Hafis attends Elizabeth (N.J.) High School and is our fifth defensive commitment. The 6'3", 275 lb tackle had 106 tackles and six sacks last year. Tom Lemming rates him a five-star prospect and a top 100 recruit. He considers Williams the best defensive lineman in Jersey. Hafis is praised for his motor. The kid just will not stop or quit. Williams also considered Rutgers, Florida, Penn State, and Michigan.
After the second set of spring sports, we were 18th in the Directors' Cup. Last year we finished 6th, our best ever and our only top 10 finish.
Chris Zorich will be a member of the 2007 class of the College Football Hall of Fame. He will be enshrined in August 2008. The Irish defensive tackle was a two-time All American and the 1990 Lombardi Trophy winner. He was a sophomore on the 1988 National Championship team. Zorich is the 42nd Domer to go into the Hall of Fame. He is in select company. The only other two Irish defensive linemen in the Hall are Alan Page and Ross Browner.
It was a rough year for the baseball team. New coach Dave Schrage had a young team and we were roughed up in the Big East. Our conference record was only 11-15. We barely qualified for the Big East Tournament and lost in it right away. It ended our streak of five consecutive Big East Championships. No way were we going to get an NCAA bid with a record of 28-28. One bright spot was sophomore pitcher David Phelps. His record was only 8-5 but he had 102 strikeouts and a 1.88 ERA.
Campus News:
More on the Eddy Street Commons project...
If the zoning is cleared, construction could begin this fall. The parking garage will be built first and then the hotels. The residential area will consist of 52 condominiums, 63 three-story townhouses with two-car garages, 49 four-story townhouses with one-car garages, and 22 - 2 and one half story "courtyard" townhomes with two-car garages and small outdoor courtyards.
The retail area will be a mix of local, regional, and national tenants. Likely tenants include clothing stores, restaurants, a bookstore, a bank, hair salon, a neighborhood market, and a coffee shop. Walking paths and sidewalks will be planned throughout the development which is being based on "New Urbanism." Such a development encourages mixed-use environments and walkable communities. The goal is to create a "live, work and play" community where residents will live in close proximity to jobs, shops, and restaurants. The developer has not built a college town project before but is developing similar projects in North Carolina and Florida.
The development demographic is not undergrads, but young professionals, dual income with no kids, and some retirees. Likely buyers are University employees, graduate students, downtown workers, and local hospital employees. All housing units will be sold as maintenance free. There will be a mandatory monthly maintenance fee and a homeowners association. The units will range from 1,100 to more than 3,000 square feet.
More next week.
Campus Watch by Me:
Good more or bad move? Apparently we have already announced that we will wear green jerseys for this year's USC game. In conjunction with adidas the authentic green jerseys and gold pants will honor the 30th anniversary of the 1977 National Champions. The throwback uniforms will be designed to replicate those worn by the '77 team. Again I ask...good move or bad move? USC will likely start the year #1 or #2. Meanwhile, we start an untested beginner QB. Green jersey games aren't supposed to be blowouts against the good guys. Corwin needs to unleash the defense and our diaper dandies need to shock college football and get a cover on Sports Illustrated touting "The Young Guns." Otherwise that game could get crazy ugly. Methinks adidas is releasing this news now to maximize their marketing before we possibly open the season 1-5 and the viewing public turns elsewhere. Charlie, you've got your work cut out for you.
Hall Notes:
Part 2: The Birth of Elsie’s Promise
It is now the end of our sophomore year-May, 1995- Dave Lillis, a fellow Vermin, also a state champion wrestler from Iowa (not relevant to this story, but an interesting bit of trivia for Bob Fincutter, as Bob was routinely put into various painful wrestling holds, and ordered to squeal like a pig and profess that "Dave is the best"), and also a guitarist, asked me if I’d like to play drums for a band that he and fellow Iowan, Andy Snook, were putting together. I said "sure," and returned to campus in the fall of 1995 with a car full of drums.
When I arrived at the Hill Street house (the off-campus home of some former Vermin, and the future site of Hillstock-more on that later) to drop off my drums in the garage that would become our practice studio, I met the other members of the band that would become Elsie’s Promise: Dave Lillis-guitar, Andy Snook-bass, Ryan Schwartz-guitar, T.J. Bogdewic-vocals/harmonica, and Mike Gilleece-guitar. What’s that? Mike Gilleece-guitar? Yep. Unbeknownst to me, my former sort-of-bandmate was invited to join the new band. Well, I don’t know if you can count, but that’s three guitarists, which is just about one too many (more on that later, also). Nevertheless, we proceeded to jam for about two hours, learning each others’ styles and musical preferences, and we had quite a good time.
Part 3 next week.
NDSportscenter:
Our tenth recruit was guided to use by his uncle. Joseph Fauria's uncle, Christian, was an NFL tight end who played under Weis. Joseph is also a tight end, our second of this class. Fauria is 6'8", 242 lbs and is from Encino (Calif.) Crespi. Last year he snagged 22 balls for 329 yards and 4 touchdowns. The four-star recruit was sought by Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, Arizona State, LSU, Colorado, and Nebraska.
More football news...the spring GPA for the football team was 3.04. The team has been over 3.0 for the last four semesters, or the entire Weis era.
Our women's crew team went to the NCAA Championships for the second straight year. We were one of twelve teams in the field. This was on the heels of our 4th straight Big East crown. At the Big East Championships we won three of six races and for the second
straight year we had the Coaching Staff of the Year. But back to the NCAAs. We came in 12th. Last year we were 9th.
The softball team had a down year. We were only the #4 seed in the Big East tournament. But we knocked off #1 seed DePaul and faced Louisville in the final. The ladies lost 3-2 but played well enough to get into the NCAA tournament. The women made their 9th consecutive NCAA field and went in with a record of 31-22 (13-7 in the Big East). They faced #21 Illinois State first. We fell 2-1 but then beat Wright State 3-0. Due to the double elimination format, we faced Illinois State again. They defeated us 3-1 and our season ended.
Campus News:
More information has been revealed about the Eddy Street Commons development to the south of campus.
Phase I is expected to have a total project cost of $160 million to $180 million. The original plans called for a 150-room hotel. Now a second hotel has been planned. A 248-unit full-service hotel will be built south of Edison Road in line with Notre Dame Stadium. As of now the hotel will be six stories high with an 8,000 square foot ballroom and 4,000 square feet of meeting rooms. The hotel may grow taller. There could be three stories of condominiums on top. According to the developer, the hotel "will be the signature building in the development." To the east of that hotel will be a smaller 123-room (instead of 150) limited-service hotel. The hotels will be commercially operated.
The original plans had a parking garage for 270 to 400 vehicles. A new garage design will be able to accommodate 1,043 vehicles. It will have four floors, including one underground. And originally there were only 100 rental apartments. That number has jumped to 268. All will be above retail storefronts which will be mixed with 75,000 square feet of rental office space. There will also be 82,600 square feet of shops and restaurants along both sides of Eddy Street. And the retail area will feature four-story buildings.
The scope of the project has grown overall. Marketing research completed since the first plan was released supports a greater density to the project.
More information will be revealed next week.
Campus Watch by Me:
So sophomore-to-be Demetrius Jones weathered a marijuana charge and made the cut for a possible shot at the starting QB job. Jones athleticism will probably take him from the final three QBs to the final two. I saw Jones play some Bookstore basketball. The kid is a hell of a baller and very athletic. He could shoot the three or take it to the rack. Jones was easily the top scorer for his team. And the lad isn't lacking for confidence. Last fall he was #4 but with the departure of Darius has obtained #3. He is well aware of what #3 means to Irish QBs. In fact during Bookstore everyone could see his love of #3. On the back of his head was a shaved shamrock with a shaved "3" in the center. He does not seem intimidated by Jimmy Clausen at all.
Hall Notes:
So Vermin Dean Busack '97 was and is a drummer. He was Carroll's John Bonham. Let him tell his tale...
The winding, intertwining, synchronistic history of Elsie’s Promise and The Florida Evans Showband and Revue.
It all started during the end of Freshman year in 1994. I had put in a year of playing the cymbals in the Band of the Fighting Irish. Now, some people aspired to play the cymbals-don’t ask me why, but I wanted to play the drums, so for me, this was basically like sitting the bench for the drumline. I needed to play the drums, and soon.
Enter a guitarist named Mike Gillece who was in my freshman seminar class. We both liked Van Halen type rock music, and he knew a bass player in Keenan, so we decided to get something together in the following school year. In the fall of 1994, we practiced in the basement of Keenan, using the equipment of the at-the-time-eminently-popular-ND-band, The Roadapples. It’s all a bit hazy, but I believe we called ourselves "Dazed and Confused," and we may have played one public gig, but I cannot confirm that. A couple of the songs that I do remember playing were "Sunday Bloody Sunday" by U2 and "Mother" by Danzig-strange, considering I just said we both liked Van Halen, and neither of these are particularly Van Halen-like songs. Also strange is that we didn’t play any Led Zeppelin songs, even though our band name was the name of a Led Zeppelin song. Perhaps, this disconnect in our logic is the reason that we never made it much further than the basement of Keenan. At any rate, I had entered the seedy underworld of the Notre Dame campus band scene, and it was about to get interesting.
NDSportscenter:
Our 9th recruit is 6'3", 230 lb Darius Fleming of Chicago St. Rita. Fleming had received scholarship offers from Oklahoma, Purdue, USC, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Minnesota. As a junior he made 105 tackles (15 of them for a loss), had 9 sacks, forced four fumbles, and recovered three fumbles. Darius will play either defensive end or linebacker. Scout rates him a four-star prospect with agility, athleticism, and speed. If he plays LB he will need to work on his coverage skills. Expect him to be rushing the passer with his 4.57 - 40 speed from the d-line.
So much for the Big Ten. Charlie announced that our home games will be officiated by crews from the Big East. No more ridiculous holding calls against the Irish.
Weis also stated that early recruit Gary Gray had shoulder surgery after finals. The young cornerback is likely out for all of next season.
Basketball news: Both Muffet and Brey have signed contract extensions that will keep them at the helm through at least the 2012-13 season....Coquese Washington, an assistant coach for eight years, has left to become the head coach at Penn State. She played for the Irish from '89 to '93 and received her ND law degree in '97. Coquese played seven seasons in the WNBA and won a title in '00 with the Houston Comets. She is the 6th Muffet assistant to get a head coaching position....Muffet's coaching vacancy has been filled by Domer Niele Ivey, point guard from the 2001 National Championship team. Ivey played five seasons in the WNBA and had been on the Xavier staff prior to this job....Senior Charel Allen is 1 of 14 finalists for the USA Under-21 National Team. Sophomore Melissa Lechlitner is 1 of 16 finalists for the USA Under-19 National Team.
Campus News:
Nine members of the Board of Trustees were re-elected by the Fellows of the University to new three-year terms. The Fellows also elected two members to their own body and re-elected another member. The Fellows consist of six lay members and six priests of the Congregation of Holy Cross. They are the ultimate governing body and elect trustees, adopt and amend the by-laws, and maintain the University's Catholic character. Amongst those being re-elected was the Rev. E. William Beauchamp. Beauchamp was a campus leader who left to become president of the University of Portland. He was re-elected a Notre Dame Fellow. Kathleen W. Andrews was elected a trustee emeritus. She has been a Trustee since '93 and a Fellow since '96. Andrews was the first woman to serve as a Fellow.
Some University food service workers sent a petition to administrators listing demands for increased pay. They desire to be paid time-and-a-half with mandatory breaks on the Saturdays of home football games. As of early May, 38 of 41 workers in LaFortune had signed the petition. The workers are supported by the Campus Labor Action Project, a group of student activists who are pushing for higher wages and better working conditions. About 60 students accompanied three workers as they delivered copies of the petition to Jenkins, Affleck-Graves (exec. V.P.), and Robert McQuade (human resources).
Campus Watch by Me:
Can't get enough of that doobie. Sophomore-to-be quarterback Demetrius Jones was recently busted for marijuana possession. He was booked and charged at the LaPorte County Jail. The next day he posted a $150 bond. The car was stopped on its way from Chicago to South Bend. A call had been put out to officers that night that a car was spotted throwing trash out its windows. Jones' car was pulled over and the officer detected an odor in the vehicle. Marijuana was found in the ashtray. The misdemeanor charge, though, was later dismissed. It turns out the car was not Jones'. A Chicago man had let Jones use it to return to South Bend. The Chicago man told the authorities the illegal drug was his. Jones was let off the hook. The University, though, will conduct its own investigation. They would not comment on the issue.
Hall Notes:
Battle of the Bands. Nah. That's not really appropriate. Sharing of the Bands. When you are a drummer on campus and you happen to have your drum kit with you, your services are sought by many an amateur musician. Now I'm not talking about drummers in the marching band. I'm talking about drummers of the rock n roll band variety. Carroll just happened to have one during my stay on campus. Dean Busack '97 got around. Dude was in three bands during his four years. Everybody needs a drummer. And Mr. Busack could hit the skins. Over the next few weeks, stories will be told of the Carroll music scene from the mid '90s. Nationwide it was the era of grunge. It was also the era of Vermin.
NDSportscenter:
So Charlie had an official release this week that said the quarterback competition is down from four to three. Three? Thought it was supposed to be two. Zach Frazer is the odd man out. Evan Sharpley, Demetrius Jones, and Jimmy Clausen are all vying for the top spot. Butimmediate attention turned to Frazer. What will he do now?
Speaking of quarterbacks, our 8th recruit is Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (Calif.) QB Dayne Crist. The 6'5", 220 lb passer had interest from Oregon, USC, Stanford, Cal, Florida State, Iowa, LSU, Michigan, and Nebraska. Last year he threw for 1200 yards with 17 TDs and 3 INTs. He also ran for 500 yards in the 7 games he played. The four-star recruit (by Scout and Rivals) is the top passer in the nation according to Tom Lemming. Scout has him as the 4th best QB. Crist has good arm strength, quickness and speed. He's built like a college junior and has solid mobility but needs to become more consistent. Dayne has a 3.6 GPA and scored 1710 on the SAT.
More quarterback news. Darrin Bragg first came here as a QB. He was then moved to receiver. Well, he has left the team. He is the 11th (of 17) of Willingham's last class to leave.
The men's lacrosse team finished the regular season 11-3 and won the Great Western Lacrosse League. They received an automatic NCAA berth and were 1 of 16 in the final tournament. The team took an 8-game win streak in against #3 Johns Hopkins. We took Hopkins into overtime after we tied the score at 10 with nine seconds left. But we lost 11-10 and finished the year 11-4.
Unbeknownst to them, Russell Carter and Colin Falls were drafted in the United States Basketball League Draft. Carter was selected in the 3rd round by the New Jersey Meteors. Falls went to the Gary Steelheads in the 4th round. Neither is concerned. They are both shooting for the NBA. Carter has been invited to a NBA pre-draft camp. During a recent tournament Carter had stats of 19.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 4.6 apg, and 3.0 spg.
Campus News:
Tornados don't just hit trailer parks. Strong storms hit the Bend a week and a half ago and funnel touchdowns were reported in the area. The campus was not officially hit by a tornado but vicious swirling gusts did plenty of damage. The most significant destruction was to a spire atop the Basilica. Four large spires surround the uppermost part of Sacred Heart. The southeast spire was blown free and toppled some sixty feet to the ground. The spire was not merely a metallic fixture. The solidly three-dimensional fixture was approximately ten to fifteen feet in height. It shattered on the ground and, fortunately, no one was nearby. In addition to the Basilica damage, trees all around campus were damaged and knocked down. The winds were strongest around Stonehenge. Nearly all the trees in the vicinity of the fountain were wiped out. Some of the trees were as large as a foot and a half in diameter at the trunk where they snapped. One enormous tree was downed and nearly struck Cavanaugh with full force. The eastern edge of campus was struck as well. The outdoor Eck tennis courts near Loftus sustained extensive damage to the perimeter fencing. Fences were torn free, twisted, bent, and even nearly flattened. Some interior stands and bleachers were damaged as well. Some resourceful students hopped took video of the destruction and posted it on YouTube. You can search on YouTube for "Notre Dame Storm" or "Nature" or "Tornado". There are a few postings.
Campus Watch by the Gipper from Scholastic:
Part 2 of the drinking competition between three lads who were going head-to-head-to- head for 18 straight hours, only to be interrupted by the rest of their dorm.... The original three were slightly frustrated that none of them would become lord of the mountain or champion of the clique that evening, but nonetheless, the party seemed a success. Parties don't often occur in singles, but this one did. As the sole occupant of the room ventured into the hall, most likely for a bathroom break, a bottle of spray paint materialized. Don't ask why, don't ask how. The tenant of said "room" couldn't believe his eyes as what used to be a beautiful blank wall had transformed in a gluttony of graffiti ranging from ND logos to profanity. There's one word that's fun to say aloud and flawlessly describes his emotional status upon re-entering his room: discombobulated. But that did not stop him from defacing his own dorm room wall as he giggled and drew stick figures. The next morning he awoke on a mattress with no sheets, the sounds of Enya roaring from his computer and red paint clogging his nostrils (someone forgot to read the warning label and remind him that the window should have been opened, as paint typically needs a well-ventilated area to dry properly and to prevent causing severe brain damage to those sleeping in a closed room). Just remember, there's always next weekend to become legends in your own minds.
Hall Notes:
I was finally able to read William J. Bauer Jr.'s (Vermin '98) chapter in the book "Native Athletes in Sport and Society." William wrote one of the eleven chapters in the book. His subject was Tommy Yarr, a Fighting Irish football player from the Rockne-era who was an Irish Indian. Yarr was a center and member of the '29 and '30 National Championship teams. Bauer's chapter was quite informative about Notre Dame at the time in history. Not all Domers and fans embraced an Indian player, but his skill eventually earned him respect and admiration from many. Yarr was so impactful that he was selected team captain. William, congratulations on having an excellent essay published. The book is available at Amazon.com.
NDSportscenter:
Linebacker Anthony McDonald is our 7th verbal commitment. The Sherman Oaks (Calif.) star is 6'3", 220 lbs and benches 350 lbs while running a 4.55 - 40. Other schools in the running for his services were Oregon, USC, boston college, Mississippi, North Carolina State and Nebraska. The California boy flew in for some Irish spring practices with his parents, grandparents, high school coach, and teammate quarterback. (With that entourage he basically HAD to commit.) McDonald is considered the best linebacker in California and top 3 on the west coast. Last year he made 101 tackles (30 of those for a loss), had 9.5 sacks, and forced five fumbles. He is considered a four- or five-star recruit at strongside inside linebacker. Anthony's father played at USC and in the NFL. Now the family blood is Irish.
After all the winter sports were completed, we were 14th in the Directors' Cup. We are a bit off from our top ten pace of last year.
Austin Carr was elected to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. It's just the second class for the new hall. Carr averaged 34.6 ppg for the Irish and is our all-time leading scorer (2560 points). Austin was the 1971 Player of the Year. He holds NCAA records for tournament points in one game (61) and tournament average (41.3). Carr was the #1 pick of the NBA Draft in 1971 by Cleveland. Austin spent 10 years in the NBA.
Our women's swimming and diving team sent eight swimmers to the NCAAs. Katie Carroll was an honorable mention All American in the 200 butterfly. As a team the Irish placed 27th.
Campus News:
In late April senior Daniel Negret was in New York City for the showing of his film, "Towards Darkness (Hacia la oscuridad)," at the Tribeca Film Festival. The 94-minute film is an official 2007 selection in the World Narrative Feature competition. The film stars America Ferrera, the star of ABC's "Ugly Betty." Negret was born in Columbia and founded a production company, Negret Films, with his brother. The company is headquartered in Panama and his parents serve as officers. The brother, Antonio, wrote and directed the film. Daniel, a double major in film and finance, used his business background with investors and actors during the pre-production stages.
"Towards Darkness" was one of 4,500 submissions to Tribeca. Only 18 were chosen to compete. The movie's production took two and a half years. The concept began even earlier when the elder brother was still in college. The bilingual film follows the kidnapping of a young man in Columbia and what his family must go through. The "Ugly Betty" star was snagged before she hit it big. The filming took place in Panama and lasted 24 days. Because of classes, Daniel was not able to be on location. But he flew to Los Angeles various times during production. The film's premiere sold out. The brothers hoped a studio would pick up the film. As of The Observer article covering the film, they had not yet made a deal. Expect it to be picked up, though. According to Daniel, the audience reaction was "fabulous and very emotional" and was "as good as it gets and everything we have ever wanted."
Campus Watch by the Gipper from Scholastic:
Three unnamed fellas in an unnamed dorm living three skips and a hop from HWY 31 (Carroll!!!) all made a pact to lose their virginity before prom. All right, wrong movie. BUT these three virgins did make a bet - they set aside an 18-hour time slot, and each purchased their own 24-pack of inebriants with the intention of....well.... drinking it all. The competition involved imbibing as much of that magical aqua vitae as possible by noon the next day and not leaving the room (although the truth was withheld, I pray these misfits would have left for bathroom breaks, for no self-respecting man would release bodily fluids into the very sink in which he gargles water). The winner, of course, would receive nothing (as pride hardly seems an appropriate reward for such tomfoolery). With time constraints in place and the knots of friendship firmly secured, the naughtiness began, and, for Jenkins knows what reason, they started out drinking beer from paper bowls, because cups are apparently overrated. As these bright-eyed futures- of-America began their downward sprial from sobriety, word got out, as it tends to do. What began as a pleasant evening of peaceful individual debauchery turned into an all-out party - this clandestine bet and locked door were both unlocked and the cases of brew went from being individual to being community. The whole floor got involved, and with the law of BYOB instituted, people and booze were flowing in and out like Fabio's beautiful blond hair on a magical rollercoaster ride.
(To be continued.)
Hall Notes:
So Carroll was mentioned in the "Campus Watch" section. Why am I not surprised the tale involved alcohol? Certainly there are stories to tell that involve sloppy Vermin. But how about some quick hits? Let's see.... there was the blitzed Vermin running up and down the hall with the American flag. I believe Springsteen was being blared or, better yet, being sung at full blast. Nothing beats patriotic intoxication....I believe there was the time the fire alarm had to be pulled and fire extinguisher unleashed in the stairwell. Apparently an after-effect of Budweiser is hallucinatory flames....Anybody remember the drunken friend trying to join his sober friend? In the shower. Both unclothed. Both in need of cleaning. One in need of a twelve-step program....And then there was the hammered Vermin who found his way into other rooms and climbed into the beds of others. While they were in them. If only parietals extended to the inebriated.
NDSportscenter:
Bookstore was very different this year. First, the final was not held on the same weekend as the Blue-Gold game. It was bumped to the following weekend. Why? I'm not exactly sure. I'm thinking they needed more days because three courts were lost near McGlinn because construction was underway on a new dorm. The additional week kept football players in the lineup since spring ball was done. And the weather was just unbearable. The first two weeks of Bookstore had to have had the worst continuous weather I can remember in fourteen years of tournaments. The cold and snow tested the fortitude of outdoor ballers. The Championship featured #3 Castle Point versus #4 Mean Girls. Tight End Konrad Rueland was on Mean Girls while defensive tackle Pat Kuntz, receiver Robby Parris, and safety Sergio Brown were on Castle Point. Castle Point took the title 21-18. Parris was named MVP. The game attendance seemed down more than usual. The Observer coverage was once again lame. The tourney was fairly tame and, unfortunately, rather uneventful.
Our 6th recruit is David Posluszny, a linebacker from Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. The 6'2", 215 lb Hopewell High School product is the brother of All-American Penn State linebacker Paul Posluszny, a recent NFL draftee. David benches 300 lbs and carries a 3.5 GPA. Tom Lemming rates him at four stars. (I believe his brother was originally rated only at three stars.) David was contacted by and had contact with Georgia Tech, Louisville, Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.
The men's swimming and diving team came in second at the Big East Championships. We were denied a third straight title by West Virginia. We did not send any competitors to the NCAAs.
Campus News:
So what's the story behind Old College? Most of us know that the residents are potential priests. But what's the full story?
Old College was built in 1843 by the Rev. Edward Sorin, C.S.C. It is home to undergrads who are considering the priesthood. The number of students living in Old College vary. In 2004-05 only seven students resided there. But it can hold as many as 21 students. First-year students live in doubles. Upperclassmen have their own rooms. The residents attend Mass daily and pray together on Mondays to help build community.
Old College rules are similar to dorms but a bit more restrictive. Women are never allowed in the bedrooms and must remain in one of two social spaces. Parietals begin at 11pm on weekdays and 1 am on the weekends. Students must also notify the Old College director if they plan to sleep somewhere else for a night.
Should a student ultimately decide to pursue a religious vocation, he will spend three years living in Old College before moving into the Moreau Seminary for his senior year. After graduation it is on to a one-year Novitiate, or "boot camp for priests," which consists of time for intense prayer and reflection. Then he returns for three years of graduate study and a one-year Pastoral internship. It's a total of nine years. The program is tough. One Old College student called it "religious ROTC." Onward Christian soldier.
Campus Watch by the Gipper from Scholastic:
Have you ever been tickled so hard you wet yourself? What about during the night, when you were sleeping somewhere you shouldn't be...with someone you shouldn't be with...at a certain time after which both Jesus and duLac agree the mixing of genders is impermissible? Well, a young squire who experienced the demise of a relationship befitting a knight went out this week with a bang...or, more accurately, a putter, trickle and thump. It's not everyday that we Notre Dame men experience gratification following a period of intense pining and Facebook harassment of a gorgeous Notre Dame fem. It's also not everyday or characteristic of the Notre Dame fem to invite the doting freshman male to stay next to her post-parietals. And by next to, I mean literally: She was to sleep on the futon, and he got sleep on the floor next to her.
Long story short, fourth floors of women's dorms do not have men's toilets, and the sink is not an option, so homeboy holds it - I mean, hey, he's done it before. He just has never done it while breaking parietals, next to his potential wife, while sleeping on the floor. Two hours into his peaceful slumber, he awakes soaked to the bone, a victim of his own golden shower. Frantic, understandably, for it wasn't just his pants that were wet: There was a soggy stain about the size of Texas on the floor. He's wet, smelly and about to be the laughingstock of all mankind, so he hysterically uncaps the Febreeze bottle and douses the entire room, waking up his fair maiden. He escaped back to his room as the sun rose and ritualistically dipped his band in boiling water as a form of corporal mortification and controlled conditioning - he has not peed to this day.
Hall Notes:
Back in 2004, Scholastic did a small piece on "The Censored List." The journalist and interviewer was Vermin. Now a non-Carroll writer contacted me about the list this year. She was the girlfriend of a team captain whose team was censored. She asked for an interview for an article she wished to write for her final. Her final? Yeah, her final. Could she possibly want her last grade to be dependent upon a loudmouth jackass? You bet. Her decision for a "censored" final was quite impromptu. She had yet to pick a topic. Her professor asked the class to name their subject. He inquired with her first. Put on the spot, she went to her first thought: a recent discussion with her boyfriend and a reading of the list. Others were choosing professors and such. She wanted to do something that involved a modern-day jester, apparently. We'll see how it turns out. If her professor doesn't have a sense of humor, I pity her.
NDSportscenter:
Brady Quinn is off to Cleveland. The Browns selected him with the 22nd pick in the first round after trading with Dallas for the pick. The Browns gave up their second round pick and their first pick in 2008. After Quinn wasn't taken with the 9th pick, Cleveland was on the phone trying to make a deal. They finally got one with Dallas.
Other Domers made their way to NFL teams. Victor Abiamiri went to Philadelphia in the 2nd round, 57th overall. The other first day selection was tackle Ryan Harris to the Denver Broncos with the 70th pick in round 3. DT Derek Landri went to Jacksonville in the 5th round. Cornerback Mike Richardson became a New England Patriot in the 6th (#202 overall). Finally, guard Dan Santucci and safety Chinedum Ndukwe were choosen by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 7th round.
Still others were picked up as free agents. DE Chris Frome and RB Darius Walker were signed by Chicago. WR Rhema McKnight is off to New Orleans. And TE Marcus Freeman and DT Travis Leitko will try to make the Baltimore Ravens roster.
Some final hockey news: Goalie David Brown was named a 1st Team All American. He's the first Domer to be named such since 1983....Jeff Jackson was named the national Coach of the Year. It was our first honor and (believe it or not) HIS first honor. We were a best ever 32-7-3 this year and 21-4-3 in the CCHA. From Feb. 5 to Mar. 19 we were #1. We won the CCHA regular season and tournament and were a #1 seed in the NCAAs. Jackson has the #1 winning percentage amongst active coaches and has a record of 227-78-32. Just this past week we offered Jackson a contract extension. He will be with us until 2012-13 and maybe longer. He says he plans to retire with us.
Recruiting and Bookstore news next week.
Campus News:
This year over 14,500 high school seniors applied for admittance to our University. That includes the Early Action applicants as well. Because of the increased pool size, the selectivity rate will be dropping from 27 percent to 23 percent. The projected class size will be about 1,985. In early April the University heard from the students that were denied. The Admissions Office was flooded with phone calls and emails. Check this out... approximately 870 of the applicants were first in their high school class. That could have comprised more than 40 percent of the freshman class. But only 427 of them were offered spots. Ouch.
For the 14,500 students, the average SAT score was 1414 and the ACT average was 32.5. The average high school rank was in the top 4.2 percent. A total of 484 students scored above 1500 on the SAT and 23 percent of them were children of alumni. Also, fifty-two applicants had perfect test scores. The University is shooting for a class that will consist of 25 percent ethnic minorities and three to four percent international students. Admissions is hoping to bring in students from 29 other countries. Enrolling international students is more difficult because of our limited financial aid to them. It's a different story for Americans. The director of Admissions declares that we are "still meeting every need of all domestic students by 100 percent." The class will be about 85 percent Catholic and 23 percent the children of alumni. While the midwest seems to make up a large chunk of each class, the most highly represented states in the group of 14,500 were Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, Texas, Florida, and New Jersey.
Campus Watch by Me:
Are you proud of the Notre Dame Family? Here is another reason to beam over a fellow Domer....
Senior safety Tom Zbikowski recently wrote a check for $20,000 and presented it to Charlie for the benefit of the Hannah & Friends charity. The charity is a nonprofit foundation dedicated to providing a better quality of life for children and adults with special needs. The money Zibby gave was raised through a March 6 boxing event in South Bend. In all, around $50,000 raised from the event was donated to various charities. And last year Tom gave $2,000 to Hannah & Friends from his purse winnings from his bout at Madison Square Garden. Again I ask, are you proud of the Notre Dame Family?
Hall Notes:
Classes end on Wednesday. But I believe this past weekend was when the dorm cleanout took place. And when I say "cleanout" I mean "hall storage." Raise your hand if you miss doing hall storage? No elevator. Fifteen foot floors (give or take). Even more stairs down to the road. Then the liftup to the semi-trailer. But it's not all negatives. Our stairwells were plenty wide and sturdy to easily turn a couch. We didn't have to deal with a funky shaped dorm with snaking hallways. Hall storage was not for the faint of heart in Carroll. Sucking it up and moving furniture was all about separting the Vermin from the boys.
NDSportscenter:
The Blue-Gold game was last weekend. The Holtz-led Gold was victorius 10-6. Almost 52,000 took in the game. Charlie evenly divided the teams so the talent wasn't one-sided. The starting quarterbacks were decided by coin toss and they rotated each series. Jimmy Clausen was a pedestrian 3 for 7 in his first action. No quarterback stood out from the others. Charlie will announce his top two quarterbacks in late May. The Blue-Gold game was very vanilla and was heavy on rushing. The Offensive MVP was little-seen senior running back Junior Jabbie who amassed 87 yards on 13 carries. The Defensive MVP was safety David Bruton who picked off a Demetrius Jones pass and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown.
The recruiting gains continue. We have ten verbal commitments as of this writing. The first four have been detailed. The remaining commitments will be covered over the following weeks. Our fifth commitment is our biggest so far. Tight end Kyle Rudolph is a five-star player according to Tom Lemming and Scout. Rudolph is out of Elder High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is 6'7", 225 lbs and carries a 3.4 GPA. Last year he caught 30 balls for 400 yards and 7 touchdowns. Kyle's strengths are his blocking, hands, concentration and size. He is considered the top tight end in the country. Rudolph's services were sought by Ohio State, Michigan, Miami, West Virginia, Louisville, and boston college.
More recruiting news next week.
Charlie's medical malpractice lawsuit against his gastric bypass surgeons has been re-scheduled. It is slated to begin on July 16.
The Censored List (2007)
Welcome back, friends. It's time again for everyone's favorite list of campus decadence. Bookstore XXXVI featured 643 teams. Of that total, 157 (or about 25 percent) were stripped of their names and bestowed with numbers. Not all 157 original names are here. Roughly 70 percent were kind enough to share their debauchery. It's obvious to see why some names were striken. These teams were busted quicker than an Irish point guard with a doobie on a routine traffic stop. OH! It's gonna be like that? Getting laughs off a suspended student? Yip. It's real simple: Don't do the toke if you can't take the joke. And, no, I'm not worried about him tracking me down and trying to kick my ass. That's what probation is for. On with the show...
Let the name revelation begin. For the record, none of the following teams are captained by McHempy....
Air Bud
Can't Smoke These Jays
Smokin' Trees and Strokin' Threes
High-Men Globetrotters
To Put it Bluntly We're Going to Smoke You
Opium for the Masses
Jailblazers
Here's the collection of names that really are harmless. How could they get axed? They censor everything! Do you realize that if the Bookstore censors worked on "The Family Guy," the show would be approximately five seconds long? And four of those seconds would be bleeped. There would be one second available for Peter Griffin to say the word "flatulence"....
NDToGo
Irish Explosion
This Won't Take Long
Jonathan People's Court
2SA
0?0
Cat in a Beard
Bro Alpha Satch
David Palmer, Curtis Manning & 3 Other Guys Who Can't Take a Shot (no love for "24"?)
B.B.M.F.I.C.
Ballas and Shot Callas
Three the Hard Way
Rainbow Warriors
Navarre Street Naggers
Farmer John and His Barnyard Pals
I Blued Myself (no love for "Arrested Development"?)
The Rainbowing Warriors
The ButterCream Gang
The Yellow Darts
Slippery When Wet
Dead Rabbits
Charles Manson Strikes Back (no love for psychotic murders?)
We Stick Together
I Can't Believe I Hooked Up With Brendan Krueger
We Know We Suck... It's Cool
Puppies and Kitties
Backcourt Violation
Straight Up Ignunt
Uranus and the Four Moons
Pontius Pilate & the Nail Drivers (no love for the crucifiers of Christ?)
Current events. I love it when Domers stay on top of the news. Know Pac-Man Jones? Suspended NFL player? Let's just say he likes to shower currency on ladies at establishments where they are sometimes known to do away with their garments. So Pac-Man is being censored in Bookstore. Hey, don't have the player, hate the game. (I don't know what that means. I just felt it appropriate to say something hip at this time.)
We Make It Rain
We Make It Rain Like Fat Joe and Lil' Wayne
We Make It Rain Like Pacman Jones
Team Make It Rain, Presented by Montgomery Flea Market - It's Just Like a Mini-Mall
Pac-Man and the Rainmakers
Any reference to drinking was banished. Aw, come on. What if the team is 21 or older? Players could be carded at the court. After verifying their age, the team could grandly announce: "We are 'The Boozehounds!' WOO HOO!...Our team motto: You score, we drink....WOO HOO!...Your ball. Oh, and if you can't already tell...WOO HOOOOO!!!...we've already spotted you 10 points!" Why do I need to think of these things? It's like I'm the mediator between the alcoholics and the teetotalers. The drunks and the goody-two-shoes need to get together and settle this for themselves. Over drinks....
Poor Old Grandday and the Billy Slaps (supposedly there's a beer name in there somewhere)
Team Falstaff (a bar in France)
Blackout Bandits
We Get Drunk Off Hall Fine Money
Super Super Smashed...And a Yosh
Air Bud (Again? Same team. Maybe they like booze with their haze)
Better D Than a Drunk Girl's Roommate
The next grouping comes courtesy of UrbanDictionary.com. The internet tool has been used by censors past to rob teams of their rightful names. However, I am very suspect of this site. I believe most of the teams below had no randy intentions at all. Twas pure coincidence for some and lucky word choice for others. These teams really aren't this vile. Their mothers and fathers need not fret. These students are fine, upstanding, incorruptible deviants....
Birdman
BTFU
Los Huevos
The Honkers (Ask Your Mom)
The One See Deez
BAMFs
Plan B
Blue Ballers
Old Kent's Clan
Sexy Harold & the Fishbowl
Bagger's Boyz
Manwich
Tone Shots
Five Guys Who Love to Thump
Damn Good Handle
We Offered You Our Nanners
The Beef Sandwiches
General Tso's Firing Squad
The Sticky Bandits
sHooters Girls
The Sleeping Bag Club
Team Fotch
Team Tiger Claw
Tadeuz Grundulus
The Brown Line
The Reverse Slam Dunks
Mexican Avalanche
The Hot Pink Tacos
Harvey and the Taco Blasters
Cunning Linguists
6 More for Bukkake
Team Full Chub
Get Double Teamed (women's team...awesome)
Tip Drill
Purple Headed Basketball Slingers
More current events. And these topics are basketball related. Former pro player Don Amaechi recently came out of the closet. Former pro player Tim Hardaway recently stated his great displeasure with the closeted and uncloseted. Together they form "The Odd Couple." Hardaway has been spurned by the NBA and, apparently, by Bookstore. No opposite orientation jokes are allowed. We will not officially recognize their groups on campus, but we will come to their aid and not allow jokes in Bookstore. Look how far we've come! We are San Francisco East! (exclaimed while an Indigo Girls song plays in the background)....
The Hardaways
4 Guys Tim Hardaway Likes and 1 He Doesn't
Tim Hardaway Hates Your Team
Don Amaechi Loves Your Team
John Amaechi and the Second Coming
Taking It To the Hole with John Amaechi
5 Guys That Love Tim Hardaway...But in a Totally Hetero Way
Now for some names that were apparently too suggestive for Bookstore. But before I get to them, it has come to my attention that in addition to providing a team name, team captain, and means of contact, each team is asked to provide an explanation of their team name. What the??? We didn't do that back in the day. I'm guessing the following teams didn't bother to provide an explanation. I sorta wish at least one would have had the moxie to enter their filthy name and then - when asked for the reason - simply stated: "We're perverts." That is something I could respect and admire....
The Torch (South Bend's finest)
Strumpetology
Off Constantly (as in, they were "beat")
Step 1: Put a Hole in the Box (no love for Timberlake on SNL)
The Statutory 5
5 Guys, 9 Balls
Stroke It
Balls Deep
Boxout - I'm So Glad You Said Out
Carl's Unbelievable New Team (acronyms get busted too)
H2Hoes Remixed
Whale Oil Beef Hooked (say it with an Irish accent)
Not Four, But Five-Skins
Big Cock and a Couple Ballers
Do You Have Any Puerto Rican in You? You Want Some?
Dribble Between Your Legs
Return of the PE-ness (It left? I hate it when that happens)
Exploded Interface
Next is the team name I have ranked #2 this year. Hold on to your hats...
....And Then I Killed a Prostitute (OH SNAP! And that's a FEMALE team! Dude, I wanna party with those chicks)
The #1 team name is as classic as classic gets. I don't even need a setup for this one...
The Parietal-Breaking Queer Film Monologues from SMC Who Support Meat on Fridays (another women's team)
Censors, did you feel that one? Kinda like a swift kick to the groin, wasn't it? Excellent way to end the list: writhing in agony and pondering whether there is still an ability to bear children. Happy endings all around. See ya next year.
Hall Notes:
For the fifth year I have put together "The Censored List" for the amusement of the Vermin. Well, it has sort of gone beyond just the Vermin. I hear they enter the Domer pipeline and go coast to coast. Apparently it's amusing enough to be forwarded. Glad you like it. Lists from years past have been catalogued. If you missed a year, have forgotten a year, or want to share them with others, they are under "The Censored Lists" link in the VerminNet.com menu. Hopefully the passed lists still stand the test of time.
Campus News:
This year's undergraduate commencement keynote address will be given by Jeffrey Immelt, the CEO of General Electric. In addition to Mr. Immelt, nine people will receive honorary degrees. Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus will receive an honorary doctorate of laws. Adamkus served as president from 1998 to 2003. He lost the next election but his opponent was impeached 14 months later. So Adamkus went back to his post. Mary Sue Coleman, the president of the University of Michigan, will receive a doctor of science and she will be the commencement speaker for the doctoral and master's degree graduates. One other honorary receipt of note is Domer Robert Kiely. He will receive a doctor of laws degree for 50 years of public service. From 1983-90 Kiely was chair and CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York City. He was the commissioner of transport in London from 2001-06.
The U.S. News and World Report recently released its law school rankings. The Notre Dame Law School dropped to 28th. Last year we were 22nd. This is our lowest ranking in six years. We were hurt mainly in one area. According to records, 5.2 percent of the graduates failed to earn legal employment within nine months of graduating. That doesn't mean much to me but apparently that's bad news. And U.S. News and World Report gave us a beatdown because of it.
Campus Watch by the Gipper from Scholastic:
The next story explores the confusion of birthday wishes, bi-curiosity and misplaced affection. Since we only toast Solo cups after our 21st birthdays, this setting, of course, takes place at a party celebrating that particular occasion for our victim. In summary, the night digressed from educational board games to heavy drinking, and by "heavy drinking" I mean the reversal of shots and chasers to shots of chasers chased by gulps of liquor. It ended badly as our crowd turned OFF "Fergalicious" and turned ON the famous musical scores of John Williams. Shirtless and dancing to the "Jurassic Park" theme song, the birthday boy and his roommate embraced and wandered into an "I love you, man," "No, I love you" confabulation. Following the awkward-for-everyone-else moment, the two engaged in a celebratory dance-off, acknowledging that the morning-after recap would involve remembering the near bi-curious moment. This horny hoedown resulted in bouncing off of each other, stumbling and colliding with a desk corner. Six stitches and no regrets later, ResLife punished them accordingly as duLac condemned their mixing of alcohol and orchestral scores. Their mothers, whose decision to toss their babies from the nest is debatable, can still view evidence of this night on several college Web sites. Search for "idiots."
Hall Notes:
"HEADS UP!" Remember yelling that to your fellow Vermin as you flushed while they showered? It seemed very odd that one flush could affect as many as three showers. Never underestimate the power of poor plumbing. But not all Vermin would give a "HEADS UP!" Some did it as a joke. Some didn't say it because they didn't care. That's no good. Bad Vermin. Bad Vermin. I wonder if it's still said today or if the plumbing has been improved. If I go back for a visit I hope I remember to yell it. I don't want to be the Vermin who doesn't give a rat's ass.
NDSportscenter:
Football news: Spring ball has resulted in more position switches. John Ryan is going from defensive line to linebacker. Pat Kuntz is expected to be our starting nose tackle in our new defensive scheme with three down linemen and four linebackers....Tampa Bay Buccaneer coach and Super Bowl Champion coach John Gruden was the guest speaker at the ND Coaches Clinic which was held on April 13 and 14....Our fourth verbal commitment for next year is Sean Cwynar. The defensive lineman is from Marian Central Catholic in Marian, Ill. The Chicago hertiage of our new defensive coordinator is having an effect in the neighboring state. Cwynar is 6'3" and 285 lbs. He was sought by Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Oklahoma State, and Purdue. He has great size, intensity, and disengaging skills. As a junior Sean made 102 tackles and 17 sacks from his defensive end position.
The men's track and field team took first at the Big East Indoor Championships. The women were second. The men's staff was named Big East Coaching Staff of the Year. Senior Thomas Chamney of Tipperary, Ireland won the Big East 800 m in a time of 1:51.76. He was one of six that went on to the NCAAs. The six were the most even sent by the men's team. Chamney finished 8th in the 800 m in 1:50.74. He overcame the flu to get our only point and his third indoor All American honor. Junior miler Jake Watson was 10th with 4:03.97. But he was the 8th fastest American and earned All country honors. Our women's team did not send any participants to the NCAAs this year.
Campus News:
Patrick McCartan, the outgoing chair of the Board of Trustees, will be the 131st recipient of the University's Laetare Medal. He will receive the medal during the May 20 commencement. The Laetare was first award in 1883. It is regarded as the most prestigious award given to American Catholicss. The medal is the compliment to the Golden Rose, a papal award that has existed since the 11th century.
The National Law Journal has cited McCartan as one of the most respected and influential lawyers. He first became a Board member in 1989. He was elected chair and became a fellow in 2000. McCartan is a '56 Domer and earned his ND law degree in '59. He was a law clerk for former Supreme Court Justice Charles Evans Whittaker. Then McCartan became a senior partner at Jones Day, an international law firm with 30 offices worldwide. In 1999 he received an honorary degree from the University.
In other news, BusinessWeek has rated the Mendoza College of Business the 7th best in the nation (out of 93). Last year we were third. We dropped due to a rules change in regard to faculty ratio. We were graded A+ in teaching quality, facilities, services and job placement.
Campus Watch by the Gipper from Scholastic:
As we all know, the Gipp tends to honor those who devote their lives to Venus (god of love) and Bacchus (god of drinking), and this next farce involves the intense idolatry of both. Two of our very own Domers and one of our beloved pubs establish the setting. What began as a lovely evening out on the town resulted in bartender.com's newest drinking game. A devoted couple unknowingly seized the attention of AN ENTIRE BAR as what should have been private festivities made their way into public scrutiny. Onlookers, some disgusted, some amused, some aroused and an ingenious few motivated, all stared as these two took PDA to a new level. Fair game in the bedroom became fair game in public, and it all became fair game for the crowds as a few brilliantly inspired imbibers capitalized on the happenings and created a drinking sport loosely based on duration and location of kisses AND duration and location of hand placement. As will all games of this sort, there were winners and losers. The harshest penalty involved the downing of an entire drink once a canoodler's touch wandered downtown for a lengthy period of time. One lucky player was holding a newly-purchased giant drink as the two frolickers took their friendliness to the point of no return. YES, the entire bar got involved. YES, the interactive component of the game was unbeknownst to the violators who needed no more alcohol anyway. And YES, the young lovers were bewildered by the mixed reaction of applause and boos as they quietly stumbled from the bar to go home and take the game into overtime.
Hall Notes:
The summer reunion session is coming up. Guess which dorm is available to house alums? Not Carroll. Where's the love? Welsh. Keough. McGlinn. BP. Farley. Morrissey. O'Neill. Knott. Dillon. Cavanaugh. Stanford. Walsh. No Carroll. Come on, the more recent graduates can make the walk. My class, '97, is interned in Stanford. No dice. Carroll or bust. If only I had my old dorm and room keys...
NDSportscenter:
The third recruit we secured for next year is a local boy. Center Braxton Cave attends Mishawaka Penn. The 6'4", 290 lb lineman is powerful with quick feet. He had an offer from Michigan and was talking to Indiana, Purdue, Iowa, and Florida. Braxton actually had scheduled a trip to Floriday but canceled after Charlie made an offer and he accepted. Rivals and Scout had yet to fully rate juniors but Cave is expected to rate at least four stars.
Juniors continue to visit campus. On one Junior Day we had about 40 prospects with some from Texas, California and Nebraska. Others came in on weekends to watch spring practice. Recently a top defensive end recruit out of Chicago was seen on the sidelines of our practice in Irish gear. The new defensive coordinator has hit the ground running.
For the 12th straight year the women's basketball team made the NCAA tournament. The finished the year tied for fifth in the Big East after being ranked 11th in the pre-season. The ladies were a #9 seed in the NCAAs and faced #8 Cal. For the 11th time in 12 years the women won their first round game. Cal fell 62-59. The ladies then faced #1 North Carolina. We were up 41-33 in the second half but then the wheels came off. The Irish lost 60-51 and they finished the season 20-12.
We qualified 11 of 12 (maximum) fencers for the NCAAs. We could have used 12. The team placed 4th. The Irish medaled in all three women's weapons but scored no individual champions for the men or women.
Campus News:
Approximately 1,340 high school seniors were accepted to the University prior to the beginning of this semester. That represents about 35 percent of 3,812 applications that were considered for Early Action Admission. For Early Action admissions, the applications had to be in before November 1. Students were admitted, deferred, or denied by December 1. Of the 3,812 who applied early, 41 percent were denied. About 680 were deferred to the regular decision round. The application total of 3,812 represented a huge surge from the previous year when the total was only about 2,600. Because of this the selectivity rate dropped from one-half to one-third.
The accepted applicant group had an average class rank in the top 3 percent (3.7 percent last year), an average SAT score of 1442 (1420 last year), and an average ACT score of 32.7 (32.4 last year). Approximately 190 valedictorians and 70 salutatorians were admitted. And 22 students with perfect test scores were accepted. Legacy students comprised 20 percent of the admitted. The minority percentage accepted rose by 9. Twenty-two international students were offered as well.
Now, not all of the accepted students will chose ND, obviously. The Early Action candidates, though, are expected to make up around 25 percent of the next incoming freshman class. Early applicants have until May 1 to decide on their college choice.
Campus Watch by Me:
So is recruit Jimmy Clausen injured or not? First, fellow recruit Armando Allen said to a Florida newspaper that the California quarterback had bone spurs in his elbow and wasn't throwing. Then Charlie squelched that by saying that Clausen was merely instructed to rest his arm. Some time passed and then Clausen's father supposedly told a reporter that his son's arm was injured. Charlie again said that wasn't the case. So what's the real story? Well, don't expect to hear anything out of Jimmy. The early enrollees are off limits to the press. Charlie is exclusively working with the quarterbacks and, as far as anyone knows, all four are competing. The Blue-Gold game is coming up so we shall see if Clausen is good to go or not.
Hall Notes:
There is an update on Vermin and former Irish hoopster Rick Cornett. He has played 24 games for Boulazac Basket Dordogne, a mid level team in France. Rick is third on the team in scoring at 10.5 ppg. He also snags 5.8 rpg. Cornett's season wraps on May 9.
NDSportscenter:
The hockey team finished 32-7-3, our best year ever. Senior goaltender David Brown is off to join the Pittsburgh Peguins. Next year's Irish team returns its top five scorers. We also have a top notch goaltender coming in who some say will possibly wipe out all of Brown's records. We may not contend next year, but we will be near the top the next three years.
Spring football practice news: early enrollee cornerback Gary Gray is already out. He suffered a broken right arm....Freshman Munir Prince has asked to switch from running back to cornerback. As a junior in high school, Prince was All State at corner. As a senior he was exclusively on offense....Travis Thomas is at running back for the spring....Trevor Laws is moving from defensive tackle to defensive end....freshman guard Chris Stewart has moved to nose tackle....All nine players who applied for fifth years were granted them. Chase Anastasio decided to not apply for a fifth year....Charlie has named four captains: Travis Thomas, Tom Zbikowski, John Carlson, and Maurice Crum.
Our second recruit for next year is Fort Wayne receiver John Goodman. The 6'4", 185 lb receiver was sought by Michigan, Purdue, Kentucky, Indiana, Iowa, and Minnesota. The Bishop Dwenger High School product has been compared to Jeff Samardzija. Last year he caught 44 passses for 815 yards and scored 16 touchdowns. He returned two punts and two kickoffs for TDs.
The senior leprechaun, Kevin Braun, recently competed on Spike TV's "Pros vs. Joes 2." He competed with the Penn State mascot and the Wisconsin mascot against Darryl Strawberry, Andre Reed, Spud Webb, and Cobi Jones. The all-expenses-paid trip was last December. Braun missed class to compete at the Home Depot Center, the home of the L.A. Galaxy soccer team. How'd he do? Oh, he won. Wisconsin came in second.