Andy

i hope they all die in a plane crash. i didn't even think of this angle. beautiful. I hope youre on the plane too. What a horrible post. i used to love those ucla vs. arizona games. so much good guard play Basketball didn't exist outside of the Big Ten to me until about 8 years ago. Didn't? I'm pretty sure it still wouldn't if the conference was worth paying attention to. Lord knows I don't really pay attention to non-Big East games very often, a few regional games like Purdue and IU being exceptions.

I was at a bar tonight and got scared crapless when I saw his injury on the TV. Hopefully he'll be ready for Tuesday.

Agreed. I don't think the Ty hate would be nearly as strong if the national media hadn't spent that entire off-season - and occasional unprovoked potshots since - blasting Notre Dame for being racist and blatantly fabricating facts like 'he's the first coach to be fired before his contract was up'. Not true, since Bob Davie was fired one year into a five-year contract extension. Or 'booted him out with no warning'. Not true, there were buyout terms after 3 years in the contract, and in fact last year ND paid Willingham more not to coach for them than they did Charlie Weis. Or 'he cleaned up a program in scandal'. There was no scandal, unless you count Notre Dame finding a resume falsification that had escaped George O'Leary's previous three employers as 'scandal', and Willingham did absolutely nothing in the academics department since ND has always been a good academic football school - and in fact has posted its best team GPAs ever under Weis. And the whole 'Charlie was winning with Ty's players' ridiculousness, which looks even more hypocritical since Charlie is now winning with his own players while Ty is getting absolutely destroyed with his at UW. There's little doubt that Willingham deserves better than what he's getting from Notre Dame fans, but he probably deserves worse than what he's getting from everybody else, so it all evens out nicely. I'm just happy that after we pound him again tomorrow and he gets the axe after this year (I'm convinced the only reason UW didn't fire him last year was to avoid a possible media onslaught for dumping him after 3 years like we did) that this story might possibly have a chance of dying.

UW doesn't even have to "destroy' ND for it to be a feel good story. I would love nothing else to see Ty stick it to ND. Unfortunately, Ty is coaching the other team, so he can't stick it to ND in any way besides perhaps to float more ridiculous racism accusations. But maybe he can go interview for another job while still employed at UW, like he did when he zipped off during the bye week before his last game as the ND coach and interviewed at UW. You know, instead of recruiting. dude come on, you can dislike willingham for the job he did at notre dame, but how can you rip on him for talking to another school rather than staying in south bend to recruit for a school that everyone knew was going to fire him? Because you don't quit on the team it's your job to coach during the season and go out looking for other work. I'm all for people looking for other work after the season, and especially so if you're a small-time coach looking for a big-time job, i.e. the offers Brady Hoke is probably going to get once Ball State finishes the season. I'm fine with all of that. But during the season is a big breach of ethics to me.

I wish our game were earlier so I could watch - that should be a fun one.

UW doesn't even have to "destroy' ND for it to be a feel good story. I would love nothing else to see Ty stick it to ND. Unfortunately, Ty is coaching the other team, so he can't stick it to ND in any way besides perhaps to float more ridiculous racism accusations. But maybe he can go interview for another job while still employed at UW, like he did when he zipped off during the bye week before his last game as the ND coach and interviewed at UW. You know, instead of recruiting. Yeah well, that's good and all but if Ty knew he was going to get fired from ND why should he help them with recruiting? I mean they fired Ty after three seasons, and according to this logic Weiss should be fired after this yr, or perhaps even last yr. So I don't blame Ty for interviewing for another job instead of recruiting for your now ex-school. ND take the majority blame in the Ty Willingham situation because Ty is a good coach and he would have gotten them to where they want to be, but they refused to be patient. I'm not saying Ty is innocent, but ND was clearly looking for the hot new name of coaches and they dumped Ty at their first sign of adversity. And that ain't right, IMO. Ty is going to end his career as the worst coach percentage-wise in Washington football history. He replaced a guy who got fired after 20 games. But he's not black, so nobody cares. Ty is not a good coach. That's simple fact. He won a few games at Stanford, I'm not sure how. Then he got a smoke-and-mirrors 8-0 start at ND (with Bob Davie's recruits) that was predicated mostly on a bunch of turnovers. But he recruited pathetically at Notre Dame, didn't know how to use the few good guys he did recruit (Samardzija barely used for two years, Darius Walker not even on the plane to the first game of his freshman season), and made some dumbfounding decisions (punting from BC's 30 yard line in one memorable game, then later sending out our kicker for a 57-yard field goal to try to win it - you figure that one out). Then he cut bait and ran for another job as soon as he realized he might actually be held accountable for his poor performance. And before ND clobbered his team in 2005, he reprehensibly allowed John Saunders to float racism accusations in an interview when he knew damn well why he'd been fired. Tyrone Willingham is scum. Recently, Dave Mahler, a Seattle sports radio personality who was an enthusiastic Ty supporter early in his Huskies career, went on a 20+ minute rant about his needing to be fired after learning that Ty did not allow players from the 1978 Washington Rose Bowl team to address the Huskies before a recent game. My favorite quote from it was "Everything Notre Dame [fans] warned us about this guy, everything they said has turned out to be true". The casual observer hasn't seen him destroy a football program to know any better, unfortunately. I apologize for the length of this post and the spate of ND discussion it will no doubt perpetuate, but my ability to take ND jibes in stride does not and will never extend to the Tyrone Willingham era.

UW doesn't even have to "destroy' ND for it to be a feel good story. I would love nothing else to see Ty stick it to ND. Unfortunately, Ty is coaching the other team, so he can't stick it to ND in any way besides perhaps to float more ridiculous racism accusations. But maybe he can go interview for another job while still employed at UW, like he did when he zipped off during the bye week before his last game as the ND coach and interviewed at UW. You know, instead of recruiting.

Was wondering when you would show up and as I told you last year no one who refuses to join a conference fully should be allowed to brag about said conference. If this is how ND fans would be in every sport then I am glad ND stays out of a conference in football. This doesn't make any sense. So because Notre Dame isn't in the Big East in football means a Notre Dame fan can't brag about the Big East in basketball? That's a pretty stupid opinion. I'm bitter because I think its ridiculous for teams to be allowed to join a conference in one sport but not the others (except for the sports that don't have enough teams in the normal conference and have to create a different one). That and I had to hear his crap all last year. Actually, it is the complete opposite - ND is in the Big East in every single other sport besides football (except hockey, in which there is no Big East).

Seattle's been through enough in the last year what with the Sonics being stolen from them. Anything that might lead to another year of crappy recruiting and horrible coaching upon the poor UW fans should be the opposite of what anyone wants.

24 hours, 43 minutes till we bury the Willingham Era. Right now I'm like Raisin if UCLA football and basketball both played against Dorrell and Lavin-coached teams on the same day, multiplied by about 20. I want to drop 60 on that punk.

Maybe, although ND really hasn't been very good the last 20 or so years until recently. Last year's team was probably the best one I've followed, and other than that only the 2003 team (which if you ask me overachieved a bit, as well as caught a ridiculous seeding break to get a 5/4 game in Indy vs your Illini, to reach the Sweet 16) was really eye-catching. This team is coming off a 14-4 Big East season and returns everybody but Rob Kurz. They should be pretty darn good. Nonleague road games at Loyola Marymount and UCLA as well as Maui should help their OOC schedule a little this year too. The last couple of years have been a joke in that regard.

I'm not Grace's biggest fan, but it could be much worse than if he comes into the booth.

We should stop talking about these JV conferences and talk about the biggest and best conference in America. Harangody and K-Mac both on the all-Big East preseason first team. Luke - with Sam Young of Pitt - was one of the only unanimous choices and was picked to repeat as Big East Player of the Year. ND is projected by the coaches to finish fourth, which sounds about right since I can't believe we're going to manage to run the table at home for a third straight year. Even though this will/should be the best ND's been in my lifetime, the odds are stacked against it, especially with Georgetown, UConn, Marquette and Louisville coming to the Joyce this year. ND faces possibly the most difficult league schedule in the conference, with two of their three two-fers coming against UConn and Louisville. 2008-09 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll 1. Connecticut (9) 2. Louisville (3) 3. Pittsburgh (3) 4. Notre Dame (1) 5. Villanova 6. Marquette 7. Georgetown 8. Syracuse 9. West Virginia 10. Providence 11. Cincinnati 12. Rutgers 13. Seton Hall 14. St. John's 15. DePaul 16. USF

Nice to see ND relatively high by that measure, though I'm sure once an SOS is thrown in that will change.

I'd be bummed if Wood left, but I'd be even more bummed if Marmol got moved into the borderline-useless closer role instead of being the fireman. Keep Wood unless the demands are completely ridiculous.

Tim McCarver told us today on PTI that he had "lost decibels of his hearing" doing the 1987 and 1991 World Series in Minnesota's dome. I decided right there that I wouldn't allow myself to listen to any of his talking during this Series.

I've been to Notre Dame and Ball State football and basketball games probably upwards of 80 times between them and have yet to lose the excitement out of any of them... I do think 81 Cubs games would probably make it slightly less exciting though.

Question answered: http://gocubsgo.today.com/files/2008/10/1224507968425954.jpg Good lord, that's depressing.

Could be that, but one of my friends from school wrote for the team and talked to him and I guess he never really blended with the other 3 guys. He for some reason was homesick even though he was only 45min away. He's probably going to play for Valpo or Indiana State so he'll play more and in the Valpo case cause it's where he's from Scott Martin transferred to Notre Dame. So did Ben Hansbrough, while I'm on the subject. Ok I never knew where he went.....The rumor was he was going to Valpo, but haven't really heard anything about it since I graduated It got finalized around mid-May I think. Pretty quietly. I probably wouldn't know myself if I wasn't an ND fan. Both of those guys will play in 09-10, so we'll have a ready-made replacement for Kyle McAlarney.

His arms look much bigger than I remember. Offseason workouts? Whatever it is, the kid looks like he can handle the NBA pounding.

Could be that, but one of my friends from school wrote for the team and talked to him and I guess he never really blended with the other 3 guys. He for some reason was homesick even though he was only 45min away. He's probably going to play for Valpo or Indiana State so he'll play more and in the Valpo case cause it's where he's from Scott Martin transferred to Notre Dame. So did Ben Hansbrough, while I'm on the subject.

30 and 7 for D-Rose...my lord. I can't wait to watch this kid in games that matter.

6-2 going into the bye week would be absolutely sexy. Make it happen, Panthers. And please remember you're supposed to be good this week, Cowboys...I don't feel the least bit comfortable if Tampa Bay is still keeping pace with us.

If the Bulls are that bad, the team needs to be blown up. It does kind of feel like we're heading for that type of season. I hope my "feelings" are wrong. IMO a lot would have to go wrong for the Bulls to be THAT bad. I don't expect a great season by any means, but I find it very hard to believe they can be worse than last year having not lost a whole heck of a lot from 07-08, if only because there's no way Deng, Nocioni and Noah/Thomas are going to be as underwhelming (and injury-prone in Lu's case) as they were last season.

I'm going to lose to an 0-6 team in fantasy this week because of New England's defense. I quit.