When Irish Eyes Are Blinded

full.getty-72678981rb099_2007_allstate_1_22_03_am, originally uploaded by FT (Bob).

I've been a die-hard Notre Dame fan my whole life. The year of my birth (1966), the Fighting Irish won the National Championship, followed by one 11 years later (1977) and 11 years after that (1988). There haven't been any since, and other than the 1994 robbery by the pollsters and the phantom clip vs. Colorado a few years prior, they haven't even been close.

Charlie Weis was supposed to change all that, bringing a Super Bowl pedigree that immediately turned what had been a mediocre underclass QB into a two-time Heisman candidate destined for the 1st round of the NFL draft. But unlike his first Brady, this one would prove ill-equipped to handle the glare of the big game spotlight.

So, here we sit after Charlie's first two years at the helm of ND, and they are no better today than the day he first waddled onto campus. In fact, they're even more of a national laughingstock now than they ever were -- even in the Gerry Faust era -- because this team actually fooled people (even the media) into thinking they were a legitimate Top 10 and even National Championship contender.

The truth is much, much bleaker than that. Most of the post-mortems today, following yet another big game loss exceeding 20 points (that's four straight against Top 10 teams, for those scoring at home), point to the fact that they simply need more talent. Once last year's and this year's crop of recruits mature, WATCH OUT!

Well, I'm here to tell you that's just not gonna happen. There are a myriad of reasons why ND can't pull it off anymore -- stringent academic requirements, lack of a major conference membership -- but the truth is they've simply lost their mystique. And once it's gone, it can't be recaptured, because you're talking about decades upon decades of tradition and heroic exploits actually worthy of legend.

The only thing Weis is going to accomplish will be to increase the number of ND players drafted by the NFL in the first 2-3 rounds each year by a player or two. Well, whoop-de-freakin'-doo! I guess the only hope I have for a return to the glory days would be for ND to drop to I-AA, where they belong. But short of that, there are dozens more BCS blowouts in their future.

Nice work, Charlie!

Interesting Wardrobe Choice

Screen capture #3 of FT as an extra in "Piranha", originally uploaded by FT (Bob).

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders worked much better as a poster than a powder blue t-shirt, don't you think?

Another 'Piranha' Screen Cap

Screen capture #1 of FT as an extra in "Piranha", originally uploaded by FT (Bob).

Look at my shoulder blades jutting through my back like some sort of orphan refugee. Who knew that stringbean would eventually hit 350 lbs.? Metabolism is a cruel mistress...

I Was a B-Movie Extra

Screen capture #2 of FT as an extra in "Piranha", originally uploaded by FT (Bob).

Back in 1978, I got to spend three days on the set of "Piranha" as an extra. This is the most embarrassing of all the screen caps.

Revving it Back Up for 2007

I really need to make a concerted effort to blog more this year. Even if it's nothing more than inane filler, just like this.