Tag: St. Joseph County

Former Notre Dame star Niko Kavadas hits 3-run homer for first MLB hit

Talk about a big way to announce your arrival?

Former Notre Dame infielder [autotag]Niko Kavadas[/autotag] made his MLB debut with the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 16.

Entering the ninth inning of Thursday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays, he was hitless in his first 14 big-league at-bats. It turned out he merely was lying in the weeds waiting for the right moment to say he’d arrived.

The Angels were trailing, 5-0, with two outs in the ninth innings and runners on first and second. Kavadas, who only has been a designated hitter so far in the bigs, stepped up to the plate. After working a 1-2 count and getting down to the Angels’ final strike, Kavadas swung and, well, look what happened:

This also was a big moment for St. Joseph County according to local sportscaster Chuck Freeby:

The Angels wound up losing, 5-3, but it was a night Kavadas never will forget. Let this be the first of many big moments for him at baseball’s highest level.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Watch: Former Notre Dame player was fired as NFL coach at halftime

Bet you haven’t heard this story.

The Los Angeles Chargers’ putrid performance against the Las Vegas Raiders cost coach Brandon Staley his job.

In fact, during Amazon’s halftime report, Richard Sherman wondered out loud if Staley should still have a job in the second half. While it turned out to be Staley’s final half coaching the Chargers, a halftime dismissal would have put him in extremely rare company.

YouTuber JaguarGator9 tracked down the only time a coach didn’t survive a game. It was [autotag]Frank Coughlin[/autotag], the captain of Notre Dame’s 1920 squad after [autotag]George Gipp[/autotag]’s withdrawal from the university. He was named coach of the Rock Island Independents, one of the NFL’s founding franchises, for 1921. The problem was he also was a practicing lawyer in South Bend and refused to move to Rock Island, so he was barely around for practices.

JaguarGator9 explains it all here starting at 5:55:

So, yeah, it was clear Coughlin was not cut out for coaching. To his credit, he went on to a very successful legal career as a St. Joseph County prosecutor and Indiana’s assistant attorney general under two governors. When it comes to pro football though, he is notorious for all the wrong reasons.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame roster for 2021-22 season

Who will be hooping it up for the Irish this season?

It feels like college basketball remains far away, but Midnight Madness just happened, so it’s closer than you think. To that end, we should look at who makes up Notre Dame’s roster for the upcoming season. Many believe this is the team that can get the program out of the doldrums and back on track towards respectability. A major step in getting people to believe that would be the Irish’s first NCAA Tournament selection since 2017, which also was the last year they finished above .500 against ACC opponents.

This will be the 22nd iteration of the Irish with Mike Brey as coach. Despite having more wins than anyone in program history, he has two losing seasons in the past three and three losing conference records over the past four years. If he isn’t able to get this group to reach its full potential, questions about his future in South Bend certainly will arise. Here are the players who could determine where both Brey and the program headed going forward:

COVID vaccine can get you free Notre Dame tickets

Free ticket opportunity.

In 1977 Eddie Money sang about having “Two Tickets to Paradise” with a hit single that reached as high as number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100.

I don’t know if tickets to see Notre Dame host Navy or Georgia Tech later this fall would qualify as paradise but in an effort to get people vaccinated, Notre Dame and the St. Joseph County Department of Health (SJCDH) are giving county residents two free tickets to either of those home contests if they get their first COVID-19 vaccine shot in the SJCDH.

In a release, Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick stated:

“Notre Dame continues to look for ways to encourage members of our community — including our local fans — to get vaccinated against COVID-19,” said University Vice President and James E. Rohr Director of Athletics Jack Swarbrick. “We hope that the opportunity to secure complimentary tickets to a Notre Dame football game will provide an additional reason for residents of our broader community to become vaccinated.”

If someone hasn’t gotten the vaccine yet I’m not sure college football tickets to rather non-marquee games will do the trick but I certainly appreciate the effort on both Notre Dame and St. Joseph County’s parts.

If interested in participating in this opportunity, individuals must receive their vaccine at the St. Joseph County Department of Health supported clinic in the main lobby of the County-City Building (227 W. Jefferson Blvd., South Bend, IN 46601). Hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-3:20 p.m. and Saturdays, 8:30-11:20 a.m. Walk-ins are welcome. Individuals can also schedule a time at www.ourshot.in.gov.

Related:

Latest bowl projections have Notre Dame facing several different blue bloods

Exit Light: Best photos from Notre Dame-Virginia Tech thriller

Douglas Farmer: Fans at Notre Dame Stadium should be fully vaccinated

What do you make of this?

Like many other states, all of Indiana is experiencing high transmission of COVID-19 as the U.S. weathers the spread of the Delta variant. In St. Joseph County, both cases and hospitalizations have continued to rise. With Notre Dame’s home opener two-and-a-half weeks away and full houses expected to return to Notre Dame Stadium, this isn’t exactly what many people hoping to take in the game-day experience in South Bend want to hear. For Douglas Farmer, Notre Dame’s NBC beat reporter, only one solution will do:

Farmer’s position hardly is a radical one. LSU, Oregon and Oregon State already have announced similar measures for fans planning to come to their games. With the Pfizer vaccine receiving full approval from the FDA earlier this week, it’s possible other schools will follow suit.

Do you believe a requirement for proof of vaccination or recent negative COVID test would be justified? Are the schools that already have implemented it overstepping their boundaries? Ultimately, Notre Dame has the final say on what it wants its fans to do. If it does anything, we should hear soon.

South Bend Bracing for Economic Impact Without Notre Dame Football

We’re looking at a situation without Notre Dame football until the spring or maybe even next year.

We’re looking at a situation without Notre Dame football until the spring or maybe even next year. For most of us, we’d only lose a small part of our autumn lives. However, South Bend’s economy stands to lose a lot more if there’s no football at all.

A story by WNDU-TV sheds light on the situation. This community already lost a healthy dose of revenue when Notre Dame’s 2020 commencement went virtual. If Rob Decleene, Executive Director for Visit South Bend/Mishawaka, is correct, a lost football season would be devastating. One football weekend bring in $17 million from visitors to St. Joseph County and $22 million to the South Bend/Elkhart region.

All told, $102 million in economic impact is at risk. The bars, restaurants, stores and hotels that rely heavily on fans who spend all or part of their weekends in South Bend in the fall will need to start thinking of ways to keep going without that annual revenue. That might not be easy in a world where COVID-19 reigns supreme and keeps people away during times of year that football isn’t played. As we all know by now, this virus doesn’t discriminate.

Notre Dame Withdraws From Hosting First Presidential Debate

On Monday, the same day Indiana’s mask mandate went into effect, Notre Dame had its own news related to COVID-19.

On Monday, the same day Indiana’s mask mandate went into effect, Notre Dame had its own news related to COVID-19. The Rev. John Jenkins, the university’s president, announced that Notre Dame is withdrawing as the host site of this year’s initial presidential debate. The debate, which was scheduled for Sept. 29, would have been the first in the university’s history. Notre Dame has welcomed six Presidents at commencements, more than any other nonmilitary school.

The decision to pull out of hosting the presidential debate was made after consulting with St. Joseph County deputy health officer Dr. Mark Fox. The executive committee of the university’s board of trustees expressed unanimous support. Jenkins called it a “difficult decision because the necessary health precautions would have greatly diminished the educational value of hosting the debate on our campus.” He further added that “the inevitable reduction in student attendance in the debate hall, volunteer opportunities and ancillary educational events undermined the primary benefit of hosting — to provide our students with a meaningful opportunity to engage in the American political process.”

The times we in have undermined everything. In the big picture, this only is one plot line in the crazy academic year Notre Dame faces. Still, it doesn’t make any of this easier to take. 2020 can go straight to Hell.