Tag: College Sports

Notre Dame Releases “The Shirt” for 2020

Usually a former star player or the current head coach helps unveil “The Shirt” on the Friday night before the spring game as part of something that has almost become a ceremony.  With the spring game cancelled on the world taking countless precautions in the fight against Coronavirus, this years unveiling was held just like the vast majority of our work meetings anymore:  online.

One of Notre Dame’s unique football traditions happens each spring.  Each Friday before the annual Blue-Gold Spring Game, the release of “The Shirt” is made as the tens of thousands that flock to campus to treat their football fever.  Each year thousands upon thousands of “The Shirt” are sold in all ages and sizes as proceeds benefit Notre Dame students in a few different ways.

Usually a former star player or the current head coach helps unveil “The Shirt” on the Friday night before the spring game as part of something that has almost become a ceremony.  With the spring game cancelled on the world taking countless precautions in the fight against Coronavirus, this years unveiling was held just like the vast majority of our work meetings anymore:  online.

See the shirt below and if you want you can purchase it here.

Version 31 of “The Shirt” is now available for all to purchase.  Here’s to hoping the 2020 football season will get here soon and we’ll all be packed in the Joyce Lot on a Saturday morning enjoying brats, libations and some college football while watching thousands of folks in “The Shirt 31” walk by.

Brian Kelly Updates Latest on Notre Dame vs. Navy in Ireland

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly met the media Wednesday and gave the latest on the status of ND vs Navy in Ireland this August.

Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly met the media in a very non-traditional way Wednesday as he updated the world on everything related to the Notre Dame football program.  If you’d like, you can check out that entire press conference that took place over Zoom, here.

One of the several things Kelly was asked and spoke about was the status of the season-opener that is supposed to take place in Ireland the last Saturday of August.  Will Notre Dame and Navy be making the trip?

“We’re having discussions with that,” Kelly said. “Clearly, we can’t just wait until May 15 to have the first discussion about going overseas, so those discussions are taking place.”

“We’re looking at all options at this time. We’d like to play the game in Ireland; whether we can or not, that it still a topic that’s being discussed.”

Clearly there are more trying events going on and more pressing issues than if a football game ends up being played or not.  Hearing Kelly say that though and perhaps because I’ve been watching too much news lately (don’t do that, it will literally drive you insane) but compared to a week ago I’m not gaining confidence about the chances of football going off as regularly scheduled.

And I wasn’t exactly the most-optimistic about it a week ago, here’s to hoping I’m wrong.

 

Notre Dame Watch Party This Saturday – 1992 “The Snow Bowl” vs. Penn State

Senior Day for Rick Mirer, Jerome Bettis and Reggie Brooks ended with each of them having a hand in the final outcome as the clock wound down on a Notre Dame victory.

I’ve been talking to Fighting Irish Wire’s own Nick Shepkowski on and off for about a year about Notre Dame Football.

You’d be hard-pressed to find any conversation we’ve had where the 1992 “Snow Bowl” game between No. 8 Notre Dame and No. 22 Penn State is not mentioned.

In our Irish Wire Greatest Games Tournament, we both had a hard time not placing this as a one seed.

“Catholics vs. Convicts” was a blood bath filled with palace intrigue and the game which eventually catapulted the Irish toward a national title.

“The Game of the Century” was a blockbuster movie on a picturesque fall afternoon with David slaying Goliath.

Both had more “stakes” than Notre Dame and Penn State playing for spots in better bowl games and pride.

But “The Snow Bowl” was a whimsical, fairy-tale of a contest. It looked more like a Norman Rockwell painting than a college football game. It was simply two teams going out on a snowy afternoon and playing football the way it was meant to be played.

And for this nine-year old transfixed on the screen at the time, the only thing that mattered was the beauty in front of him. It didn’t matter there was no hope for a championship for either team.  It was football in the snow and truly, as a kid, there are few things better. Maybe that’s why it’s imprinted on my brain the most memorable game in my fandom.

And thankfully for all of you Irish fans, you’ll have a chance to see the re-broadcast in all of its glory this Saturday night as the next in the #NDWatchParty series.

Senior Day for Rick Mirer, Jerome Bettis and Reggie Brooks ended with each of them having a hand in the final outcome as the clock wound down on a Notre Dame victory.

Will we have a live simultaneous commentary broadcast during this game? Well…I’m getting a new dog and it’s my wife’s birthday Saturday, but this is a game worth burning some bridges on the home front.

Watch: Notre Dame’s Top Ten Plays of the Year

The second edition of the #NDTop10 was released by Notre Dame Athletics on Thursday night and highlights some of the most memorable plays from the 2019-2020 academic year.  Football, baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, basketball and others are all represented on it.

The second edition of the #NDTop10 was released by Notre Dame Athletics on Thursday night and highlights some of the most memorable plays from the 2019-2020 academic year.  Football, baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, basketball and others are all represented on it.

Before I share my one critique of the list I’ll let you watch and enjoy the ten plays they chose.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urX05qOrRJQ&w=560&h=315]

Alright since you’ve seen it here are my couple of thoughts.

The game-winner against North Carolina by Laszewski was robbed.  It could have gone in the top three and I wouldn’t have batted an eye.  Kept the very small post season dreams alive while beating a blue-blood, even if North Carolina was bad.

Corner kick going in without being touched is absurd on the slow-motion replay.  Could argue that one go way up.

Stealing home is the second most exciting play you can have in a baseball game (trying to score from first on a ball in the gap for me) but in highlight form it really does leave a lot to be desired when you watch it back.  Not that it takes anything away from the play itself.

Did the volleyball highlight that saw the ball kicked up to be saved happen against Missouri by chance?

Ian Book’s touchdown run against Virginia Tech was awesome and capped a comeback win.  It also wouldn’t have happened had Chase Claypool not been there to convert a huge fourth down moments earlier.

The game-winning goal against Wake Forest is great and it’s the difference in upsetting the second-ranked team in the nation and it’s a pretty one at that.  Very worthy of the top spot.

2020 FIW Tournament: Basilica Region First Round Voting

Vote for the first round match-ups of the FIW Tournament in the Basilica Region here.

Voting for the Basilica Region’s first round is open from 6 p.m. ET, Sunday, March 15 until Wednesday night, March 18 at 6 p.m. ET.  Be sure to vote for all eight regional match-ups here and see the bottom to click links and vote for the other three regions as well.

Round One Matchups:
An all-time win as Pat Terrell knocked away Steve Walsh’s attempt at a would-be game-winning two-point conversion in the classic “Catholics vs. Convicts” match-up takes on Tyrone Willingham’s Notre Dame debut win over Maryland.
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A couple of regular season finale victories at USC to secure a spot in a College Football Playoff and BCS National Championship Game.
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History perhaps doesn’t remember the 1993 win at Michigan for being as big of upset as it was while it also may not recall 1999 giving Notre Dame fans a pair of absurd comeback wins over blue-blood programs in an otherwise forgettable season.
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A win over defending champion Michigan and Tom Brady takes on a thrilling, last-second win at Virginia thanks to DeShone Kizer and Will Fuller’s heroics.
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A prime-time win at Michigan State just days after Lennay Kekua’s passing gives Brian Kelly his first huge win at Notre Dame while the 2019 season comes to anti-climactic, yet successful end with a dominating win in the Camping World Bowl.
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A season-opening win over a highly-touted Michigan team sets the tone for what would be an unbeaten regular season while the undefeated start to 2014 continues in a last-second win over Stanford.
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A couple of thrilling, last-second wins over LSU in bowl games gave Notre Dame fans a positive to take into the off-season.  Which one was better?  Now you get to decide.
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A Sugar Bowl upset over Florida in what remains the only-ever meeting between Notre Dame and the Gators as Jerome Bettis went off matches up with a fourth quarter for the ages in the 1995 home victory over Texas.
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Links to vote for the other three regions first round match-ups:

Hesburgh Region
Grotto Region
Golden Dome Region

New Jersey sports betting hurt by loss of NCAA Tournament, Masters, NBA, MLB, NHL

As sports leagues continue to cancel and suspend events, the sports betting world is one of many areas being hurt

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The dominos fell with stunning speed over a 48-hour period this week as fear of spread of the coronavirus forced the suspension of the NBA, NHL and MLB seasons, while while the NCAA Tournament, one of gambling’s Holy Grails, was canceled altogether.

The 2020 Masters golf tournament has also been postponed, Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley announced Friday.

So while there’s bitter disappointment among players and fans, it’s also  crushing blow to New Jersey’s sports betting industry at a time when revenue records could have been shattered.

In what would have been one of the two busiest times of the year – some $540 million was wagered in the state in January in the buildup to Super Bowl LIV – the industry is on hold indefinitely during the COVID-19 outbreak around the country.

In the 21 months sports betting has been legal, the additional revenue stream has provided a much-needed lifeline to New Jersey’s horse racing industry at the Meadowlands and Monmouth Park, with their respective sports books and online operations generating over $277 million in gross revenues during that time.

The Meadowlands has also canceled live harness racing through the weekend, with no decision made of the immediate future of racing.

“The ripple effect to sports betting will be profound because this extends so far beyond the sports wagering bubble,” said Daniel Wallach, a South Florida-based attorney who specializes in the sports betting industry. “This is just one subset of a broader impact across every segments of American life, and that is going to have a continued impact.

“These are unprecedented times and the gambling industry will take a huge hit. As will so many industries. So there will be an immediate impact and a trickle-down impact over time.”

HELLO FRIENDS: Augusta National postpones the Masters

NEED A FIX? A guide to the sports events still taking place

How significant will the impact be?

Last March, the first time New Jersey gamblers were able to legally wager on the NCAA Tournament, some $372 million was bet during the month around the state, producing gross revenues of $31.7 million. The Meadowlands, which partners with FanDuel on sports betting, accounted for $17.5 million of that revenue, including $13.3 online. Monmouth Park, which has William Hill as its partner, did $2.7 million.

But the market has expanded dramatically in the state over the past 12 months as New Jersey challenges Nevada for leadership in the industry.

In January, the $53.6 million in gross revenues for the state represented a 185.2 percent increase year-over-year. And with the market continuing to mature, the handle could have topped the record handle of $562.7 million set last December, when $32.9 million in revenue was generated.

A closer look at the numbers New Jersey sports books produced in February show a 54.4 percent increase from a year earlier, with $494.8 million wagered, compared with $320.4 million in 2019.

“New Jersey’s year-over-year gains remained impressive in February, but we are in uncharted territory now,” said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for the website PlayNJ.com. “Obviously there are bigger concerns with coronavirus, but the NBA is a major revenue driver for New Jersey’s sportsbooks. So the suspension of the season, in addition to suspensions of other sports, will undoubtedly have a significant effect.”

It’s not just New Jersey, with legal sports betting sweeping across the country after the 2018 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that the law that banned it in all but a few jurisdictions was unconstitutional.

The No. 1 sports betting state is Nevada. Sixteen states have legalized sports betting. All other states have imminent or long-range plays to make sports betting legal, except Idaho, Wisconsin and Utah.

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Irish in MLB: Trey Mancini Undergoes Successful Surgery

A surprise last week in MLB’s spring training came from Baltimore Orioles camp where veteran Trey Mancini left camp, taking an unexpected leave.  Today we found out why exactly the former Notre Dame baseball player had to step away from the game.

A surprise last week in MLB’s spring training came from Baltimore Orioles camp where veteran Trey Mancini left camp, taking an unexpected leave.  Today we found out why exactly the former Notre Dame baseball player had to step away from the game.

After discovering a malignant tumor during a colonoscopy last week, Mancini had successful surgery to remove the tumor today.

In a statement released by the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday, Mancini was thankful for the support from the team, fans, and supporters.

“The outpouring of love and support I have received has made an extremely tough week so much better,” Mancini said. “I have the best family, friends, fans and teammates imaginable. I am also eternally thankful for the Orioles front office, our athletic trainers and the entire medical staff for everything they have done to help me during this time. Finally, I would like to thank everyone for their prayers and kind words, which have furthered my excitement to get back to playing the game I love.”

There is no timetable set for Mancini to return to the club and with MLB suspending spring training operations as of Thursday afternoon, it’s hard to have any idea when play may resume.  The good news is Mancini was aware something was amiss and all was handled well by all parties.

Mancini played at Notre Dame from 2011-2013, hitting .297 and 28 home runs in that time.  The Orioles selected him in the eighth round of the 2013 MLB Draft.  Mancini led the Orioles in doubles, home runs, RBI, OBP, slugging percentage and total bases.

ACC Suspends All Athletic Competitions

It’s not just spring football or the NCAA Tournament but now the ACC has suspended all athletic-related activities.  The conference released the following statement Thursday afternoon:

It’s not just spring football or the NCAA Tournament but now the ACC has suspended all athletic-related activities.  The conference released the following statement Thursday afternoon:

“The Atlantic Coast Conference has suspended all athletic-related activities including all competition, formal and organized practice, recruiting and participation in NCAA championships until further notice. The decision was made following consultation with the league’s presidents and athletic directors to mitigate the further spread of COVID-19.”

ACC Commissioner John Swofford added the following:

“This is uncharted territory and the health and safety of our student-athletes and institutions remain our top priority. This decision is aimed to protect from the further spread of COVID-19.” 

It’s not surprising but I know I’m not the only one wondering right now, how long?  Will it be a couple weeks, a couple months or will it be something that goes all the way until football season and beyond?

I don’t know.

You don’t know.

The guy yelling on your TV doesn’t know either.

Take care of yourselves and each other in the meantime.  If you haven’t taken Coronavirus seriously yet, I’m not saying go into panic mode but it’s time to give it more thought.  Beyond just washing your hands take the time to learn more about how even if you’ll be fine, how you may put others at risk.

We’ll have plenty of content in the meantime at Fighting Irish Wire and as it appears there will no NCAA Tournament to watch, we’ll have a tournament of our own to track in the coming weeks.

ACC Tournament Canceled – NCAA Tournament Next?

Wow. What a couple of days in sports. The NCAA announcing yesterday that it’d play its tournament without fans in attendance and then the bombshell of the NBA suspending its season last night. It seemed like a matter of time until the ACC canceled …

Wow. What a couple of days in sports. The NCAA announcing yesterday that it’d play its tournament without fans in attendance and then the bombshell of the NBA suspending its season last night. It seemed like a matter of time until the ACC canceled their tournament and well, that time has officially come.

Notre Dame was scheduled to play Virginia tonight and now that goes to the wayside, not that it’s necessarily that important in the wake of these events.

I’m hardly a successful gambler but my money would be on the NCAA to announce the cancellation of their tournament in a matter of days.

Stay safe out there.

Notre Dame Football: Where Did the Experts Rank 2020 Irish Recruiting Class?

When people say recruiting doesn’t matter, they’re lying.  It does.  Maybe it doesn’t always play out on the field but you aren’t a regular powerhouse if your team’s name isn’t at or towards the top of these lists with regularity.

The second and final national signing day has come and gone with no movement for Notre Dame, who had all of their eventual signees known back in December during the early signing period.

Now the grades and rankings start to come out from those who are much smarter than myself on such things.  Where did the three big outlets rank Notre Dame’s class and how many elite prospects were they able to bring in?

247 Sports:  17th
Of Notre Dame’s 19 signees, 247 ranks just one as a five-star talent (TE, Michael Mayer) and eight players as four-stars and eight more as three-stars.

ESPN:  14th
ESPN doesn’t give away their information or thoughts on recruiting for free but they do reveal their team rankings without cost.  This is however the highest ranking any of the three services gave Brian Kelly’s Fighting Irish.

Rivals:  21st
Rivals, like 247, has Mayer ranked as a five-star recruit.  However, Rivals lists nine players as four-star talents but just six as three-star caliber.  This is the lowest of any of the three major outlets ranked the Fighting Irish.

Listen, you see the rankings and they leave you far from thrilled.  I get that.

Clemson is ranked atop all of these and your usual super powers of Alabama, LSU, Georgia and the other regulars are right there as well.

The loss of Landen Bartleson hurts as depth at corner takes an obvious hit.  I think it’s important to remember how high folks were on Chris Tyree just a few short weeks ago in these same rankings, yet his overall ranking went down the closer to national signing day we got.

When people say recruiting doesn’t matter, they’re lying.  It does.  Maybe it doesn’t always play out on the field but you aren’t a regular powerhouse if your team’s name isn’t at or towards the top of these lists with regularity.

That doesn’t mean you can’t still be bad or disappointing if your name does appear high.  See Notre Dame under Charlie Weis or what our friends over at USC are going through right now.

It’s a class with a lot of potential, just few certain future stars.  Here’s to hoping we look back on this class four years from now and are discussing how much it shocked the college football world for all the right reasons.