Posts tagged rants
This is the last week of the year kids. We’ve got 4 conference title games and one de facto title game. An important song before we get to work. Since the Pac 12 game is tomorrow we won’t be picking it, but let’s be serious. Oregon -ALL THE POINTS. Before we get to the picks, this goes out to all you lovely people who have been joining me on this journey throughout the year:
Notre Dame just lost to Stanford 28-14. A late TD made it look better than it was. The 1st half was absolutely miserable. Penalties, turnovers, inability to get plays off, everything that has happened bad during ND games happened in full form. Rees got banged up on a big hit, leading to Kelly putting Hendrix in. This led to some questions from folks, but whatever, if that’s who he wanted to go with, fine.
The main issue is when Rees came back, Kelly decided to start flip flopping the two qb’s play for play. Unsurprisingly, turnovers happened. This of course is after Rees couldn’t get snaps off and we had multiple false starts. In the last week of the year, that shit is just unacceptable. I’m done defending Kelly after this game. At some point you have to show something. This many dumb mistakes at this point in the year is insane. Are there mitigating factors? Sure. Having Braxton Cave out is painful. And I guess you can argue it’s a road game, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen Palo Alto listed as a dangerous place to play.
The good news is, there were some bright points. The D played pretty well in the 2nd half. As bad as the 1st was, they stepped up big time in the 2nd. Aaron Lynch is an absolute monster on the Defensive Line. His classmate Stephon Tuitt has shown huge strides this year as well, but missed the game due to some mystery illness that’s been floating around this week. Once Hendrix came in full time during the 2nd half, he showed flashes of success. Yes there was a pick on a ball that was tipped due to being overthrown, but he at least had some success, unlike Rees today.
Odds are, we end up in the Champs Sports Bowl. Am I happy, clearly no, but you take the opportunity and make the most of the extra practice time. Plus, whoever runs their twitter account is awesome. I’ve said this before tonight, but then I had a little exchange with them (here) which was quite amusing. Before the year, I predicted ND going 10-2 in the regular season (read all the idiocy here) with a non BCS bowl win. I always expected to lose to Stanford. The loss tonight is not what’s demoralizing. Just like against USF and Michigan, is was the way we lost that is so damned frustrating. Moreover, the fact that it was ANOTHER time in which sloppy execution, stupid penalties, and ridiculous strategy played such a big part. But it seems like a given we will play FSU in Orlando, and so that will happen. Whatever, I’m done with this year.
So where do we go from here? Lots of people keep saying that this team is on the way up, Kelly will right the ship, etc. I want Kelly to be the guy, but I dont see next year being better. In fact, I see next year being far, far worse. ND’s schedule gets much tougher. The usual suspects appear, with USC and Michigan a year better and further into their new outfits. Add in Miami and Oklahoma in Norman? Plus, the first week of the year ND plays in Dublin against Navy. Navy is a strange enough opponent, but following what is sure to be tons of pomp and circumstance in a different country? That’s a strange opener at the very least.
Now let’s look at what ND loses talent wise. 3 Offensive line starters. Arguably (yes I will argue it) the best WR in the land in Michael Floyd, all 4 starters in your secondary….Sure, the Irish have a lot of young talent, but come on man, you think you will be better with all those guys gone?? I have a hard time believing there wont be a huge drop off.
Maybe I’m being overly dramatic. It wouldn’t be the first time. But I’m yet to see anything leading me to believe that A) Brian Kelly can be the guy and B) we will be any better next year. I hope like hell I’m wrong. I love what Kelly’s done in his career and thought it was a great hire. But how are you having the same issues in the last week of the year that you had at the beginning? How can your team come out so flat in big games so frequently? We’ll just have to see next year. At least I’ll always have my chat with a bowl game.
The 2005 USC game is on Versus right now. Watching this is a miserable idea. I go back and forth between this game and the .4 Spurs WCF game as the worst sporting moments of my life, both of which I was in attendance for mind you. This is honestly one of the greatest football games I ever saw, but the ending left such a bad taste in my mouth I’ve never been able to go back.
While it sounds completely bitchmade, I will go to my grave saying we won this game. I mean, I was on the field as we all charged because the clock said 0:00 with us winning 
Everyone points to the Bush Push, but I still say the play before where Leinart fumbled out of bounds and the refs gave not only the forward progress spot, but stopped the clock, was the true injustice. Either way, as if my hate level wasn’t high enough yet, this game may just do it. I love you Colin, you’re my boy, but I wish nothing but pain and sorrow upon yours until Sunday.
During trivia/dinner tonight during game 1 of the NBA Finals, a Mavs fan with me could not understand why I wouldn’t root for the Mavericks. I just laughed and couldn’t believe he was surprised. In my mind, the Spurs and Mavs are huge rivals, I hate the Mavericks with a passion. Why would I put all that hate and rivalry aside to jump on a bandwagon?
I’ve had this conversation before with college football fans. The way I see it, if you hate a team, you should always hate that team. If I ever heard a Notre Dame fan rooting for Michigan or USC, for any reason aside from it somehow aids our BCS rank because we already crushed them, I’d want to take their ring off their hand. I hate that the setup of college football makes you need to root for a rival to do well, but I can understand it in that limited context. Maybe it’s because ND is an independent, but I’ve never understood the SEC SEC SEC folks. There are plenty from every conference, but clearly the SEC bros are the loudest/most prevalent. I can’t remember who it was, but I remember a long twitter battle between two Alabama fans on whether it was ok to root for Auburn. NO. In no way shape or form. A rival is a rival is a rival. This bends for nothing. Hate is eternal.
If you are of the camp that this is ok, I’d love to hear your logic behind it, because I honestly can’t fathom it. Thank you, that’s all in Eddie’s Nonsensical Sports Rants for today.
I went to bed at about 1:45. I keep waking up. I’m fucking terrified right now. I will most likely get the results of the bar exam tomorrow. I didn’t talk about it a ton, but the first time around I failed. It was a 1000 point scale, and I was off by 10 points…10 goddamn points. Mind you this includes 40% essay. So needless to say I was pissed. It was only the affirmation of what I’ve pretty much grown up to do. Tack on the fact I was the only one of my group of friend to not pass. I literally couldn’t face the people I went to law school with for months. I felt horrible about it, but when they were all down here for their swearing in, I lied to all of them that I was out of town because I just couldn’t face them. But now it’s D-Day2.0. I’m lucky though. I have an awesome job, they let me take time off to take the test the 2nd time and couldn’t have been more supportive…
That being said, pretty sure that was a 1 time deal. I can’t get fired. I have no marketable skills outside of law. But hoooooly shit if I fail the bar again, I mean, that’s gotta mean something right? I felt a lot better this time around, but I just don’t know. I’m crazy rattled, and it’s 4 am. I’ve been trying to go to sleep for a few hours but am striking out, hence inexplicable rant. As always, feel free to ignore my bullshit.
If I somehow didn’t pass this time around though…fuck, I mean, that’s gotta mean I’m in the wrong biz right? Fuck that noise, I crushed that shit…i hope….
The Spurs-Grizzlies game, well, 2nd half tonight has me livid. The Spurs just didn’t come to play. It seemed like a race to commit turnovers between the boys in black tonight. Couple that with shoddy defense in the 2nd half, and then just purely giving up (see Steve Novak and Denny Green in a playoff game) and it was infuriating to watch. I’ve gotta give Memphis credit, they’ve played fantastically this entire series. They tanked to get a 1st round matchup with the Spurs because they have a big advantage down low, which they’ve taken full advantage of. Not only that, but Tony Allen and OJ Mayo have played lights out in this series. Manu was out game 1 and it hurt, clearly. Game 3 was insane, I mean Z-Bo hit a dagger 3…what are you gonna do. Tony Parker’s inability to shoot the 1st 3 games was painful, but tonight he was finally hitting shots. Parker remembering how to hit a bucket was quickly negated by his 97 turnovers. Now the series is 3-1 Memphis and I hate basketball…Stupid terrible performances during the playoffs.
It’s not the proliferation of absurdly fake stories. It’s the fact that people make stuff up thinking they are funny when it’s, 90% of the time, painfully unfunny. Why must you destroy humor April 1?
I’m one of the “relentless Bond nerds” I guess. Sure, the old ones are formulaic, but you know what, IT’S AN AWESOME FUCKING FORMULA!!! Bond movies are fun, sure they can be hokey at times, but they’re a good time. I did enjoy Casino Royale. Quantum of Solace was only a “Bond Movie” in the sense that there was a guy named James Bond in them. I thought I was watching a British version of a Bourne movie quite honestly. I know there are some out there that like the newer style, but I’m not one of them. You can keep your parkour and gratuitous fight quick cuts, I want Q and Moneypenny and a fucking Aston Martin DB9 that can fly and shoot rockets out of the headlights.
Brian Kelly’s first season in South Bend has been a roller coaster ride to say the least. There’s been upsets w/ Utah, pathetic losses with Tulsa and Navy, heartbreak with MSU and of course plenty of off the field tragedy as well. ND has lost their top QB, RB and TE (arguably the best in the country) over the course of the year and put Kelly’s “Next Man In” theory to the test.
Fans have been angry at some of the losses, as well they should be. I was willing to overlook UM, MSU and the curbstomp we received from Stanford. But the Navy and Tulsa losses were both unacceptable. Luckily the team has since bounced back, and will go to a bowl regardless of tonight’s outcome. That being said, ND must win this game. The USC streak over the Irish has reached an embarrassing length. They are on probation, in the 1st year of a new regime, and without their starting QB. ND should’ve had them last year and can not let the opportunity pass them by. The Irish must step up tonight, otherwise Brian Kelly will find a very unforgiving fanbase tired of excuses.
GO IRISH! FUSC!
Fuck your hippie state, fuck your Colosseum, fuck your double murdering, illegal benefit taking Heisman winners, fuck your stupid ass horse, fuck your fruity ass 300 wannabe mascot, fuck your horse, fuck your song girls (I will), fuck calling red and yellow scarlet and gold, fuck Kiffykins, fuck Barkley, fuck Mustain, fuck the bush push, fuck Leinart, fuck your ghetto ass campus location, fuck everything you stand for
FUCK USC
I will never let this go. We were screwed in 2005. Sure the Bush push happened, but everything the play before: the fumble forward, bad spot AND clock running… all pure and utter bullshit. I will never forgive this day
FUSC
But rushing the fucking field? Really!??!?!?! Is that what it’s come to? Beating a team ranked #14 gets a field storm?!? Absolutely pathetic.
So so so so so angry. The 3 previous ND losses were all understandable. MSU and UM are solid teams, and I didn’t even mind the beatdown by Stanford cause they have a solid football team this year. But come the hell on, 35-17 to freaking Navy?!?!?!?!?! 
Awkward Penguin is correct and makes me sad. Matt Hinton said it best on the fantastic Dr. Saturday blog here, Kelly has exhausted all of his free shots and good will he had coming in with this loss. Completely inexcusable.
To the results
I’m really hoping that ND pulls off a win tonight. This is obvious. But my senior year, ND pulled off a ridiculous comeback at Michigan State in what was practically a typhoon. This led to one of the greatest radio meltdowns I’ve ever heard. It’s long, but what else do you have to do today? Enjoy. Go Irish!
Part 1:
Part 2:
Let’s make this crazy bastard angry again. GO IRISH!
I think it’s bush league what he did. I don’t blame LeBron for going to Miami. You get the chance to play with two of your good buddies, you get an insane amount of money with the least amount of taxes possible, and all in an insanely fun city. I don’t think that means it was the best basketball decision. I think Chicago was a better bet by far. You have a top 3 PG in Rose, add in Boozer to an already solid lineup, and you have a good team already that becomes great. I think Cleveland, you know, the team that had the best record in the league 2 years running, would also be a better play. Sure, those 3 guys together in Miami is insane. But you now have to fill the rest of your roster with what, $2-6 Million depending on the Beasley deal/rookie contracts, and then exceptions, minimums, and luxury tax fodder? We all know the salary cap in the NBA is not the end all be all, but it’s also not the cellophane wrap of baseball.
All of that aside though, LeBron has turned himself into one of the biggest sports villains out there. The worst thing is, most people don’t even realize that he made over $2 Million for charity tonight. Why not announce your pick and do an exclusive interview on ESPN and pull off the same thing? Why rub your home through the mud on national TV? You say that you gave it your all for Cleveland over the last 7 years. The problem is, players have been afraid to sign on to the Cavs for the last 2 because they had no clue what you were going to do, because you and your “entourage” of no-experience, yes-men, relatives and buddies that were given run of the barn by a franchise terrified of angering you never had the bright idea of telling you to commit so they could actually build a team. At any point in these playoffs did you really see anyone on Cleveland try to step up on their own? Of course not, it’s Bron’s team. When you always defer, it happens all the time.
But even with all of that, No one could really blame the kid. Sure, the last few years he could have assuaged the fears of Gilbert and Cleveland fans everywhere, but there was no obligation. But to drag the decision out the way he did? To agree to this televised circle jerk? To not even have the common decency to give Gilbert a call before this whole damn thing went on air like a man? The entire thing is utterly stupefying. Sure, it’s almost become passe to make fun of ESPN these days. I mean, it’s not like they make themselves a tough target with stuff like this. But they deserve a decent amount of the blame for the way this has been handled. At what point are you a news delivering organization, and at what point are you just a stage? It’s fine to be the latter, so long as you don’t pass yourself off as the best option as the former. Again, it needs to be noted, tonight’s thing had a major philanthropic component for the Boys and Girls Club of America, and I applaud James for that. The problem is there were so many better ways to do everything in this timeline. I mean hell, he’s made Kobe Bryant look like someone worth rooting for in all of this. That’s an amazing feet in and of itself.
To close this rambling nonsense, contrast all of this with Kevin Durant. Yesterday KD signed a max, 5 year extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder. There wasn’t this crazy lead up, hell, he announced it on his Twitter account. What’s even better, after people all over twitter and the NBA Blogosphere (the best covered sport on the interwebs on the whole mind you) praised how he handled things, here’s his response: “I really don’t deserve this praise for handling my deal the way I did…plenty of guys did it the way I did…” The kid is a hard worker, likeable, selfless, hell, he’s spending his offseason right now in Orlando on the bench helping to coach and getting to know the Orlando Summer League team. Only 8 teams are in Orlando right now, this is like pre-Spring Training right now. The contrast between the two is impossible to deny.
The other thing that keeps being so frustrating about LeBron is he keeps saying how humbling this all is. None of this has anything to do with humility, clearly. He can talk about all the stuff he did for Cleveland, and he did a lot: he reinvigorated a useless franchise and put them on the map as a contender. But at the same time, success is measured in team terms, not personal accolades. At the end of the day, you got swept in one NBA Finals, and your closing performance was a terrible showing against Boston where anyone who saw it would say you literally quit on them in game 5. If you wanna leave Cleveland, feel free. But don’t burn down their house and tell them they should thank you….especially on national TV in a contrived made for ESPN event.
