photo friday: nerves

On Monday night, Notre Dame will play in their first national championship game in a really, really long time.

Like, really long time.

To say I’m excited is an understatement.

But I’d like to know whose big idea it was to have the national championship game on a Monday night? Because it is. At 7 pm CST. And do you know what time I get home from work? Not 7 pm, but damn near close, which means one very, very important thing.

I’m going to have to make my stop for fried chicken a quick one, lest I miss kickoff. And so help my God if the trains are delayed.

Go Irish.

photo friday: traditions, part 1

Interwebers, I have to tell you something that might make you either love me (more than you already do) or dislike me greatly (more than you already do).

I’m a Notre Dame fan.

(In case you didn’t know.)

I come from one big Irish/Polish Notre Dame-loving family.

So I would very much be telling you the truth when I say I’ve been to my fair share of Notre Dame athletic events. Since when? Age 3? Age 4? In utero? Hard to say.

And we continue this tradition of starting the fandom early with the Chicken Nugget.

But due to his young age, Chicken Nugget isn’t allowed to tailgate as heartily as he would like.

That’s okay, Chicken Nugget. Grandpa wouldn’t let me tailgate as heartily as I would have liked until I was actually 21, either.

The Chicken Nugget has a very good attitude about all of this, though. Instead of pouting, he just decides that if he can’t tailgate, neither can Grandpa.

And so he will take Grandpa for a walk.

Chicken Nugget, if you play your cards right, I bet Grandpa will buy you a box of popcorn.

 

coach in bronze

I hadn’t visited Notre Dame’s campus in a couple years. In fact, the last time I was there it was covered in two feet of snow.

(About which I didn’t care for two reasons: A) We got seats in the press box, and 2) I was leaving for Maui the next day.)

(And yes, please feel free to reach through your computer and punch me in the ovary right now. Rereading the above parentheses I realize how, just…WOW…snooty? Full of first-world problems? Like an asshat? Like you want to roll your eyes and chant, “Wah, wah, wah, poor little middle class white girl” at me? that sounds.)

ANYWAY, the point is campus has changed a lot since I last went to a game. There’s a whole new bookstore and Eddy Street complex that wasn’t there before (and to those of you who aren’t familiar with the Dirty B, I may as well have just said, “Kerflerganstaagen Bop!” for all that makes sense.) The interlocked ND made out of flowers is gone. There are more buildings.

And statues.

New statues.

And not just statues of saints!

I like this one the best of all the statues they’ve added over the years. Probably because Lou has always been my favorite coach.

And because I think the artist got a terrific likeness of Lou. Though it’s hard to really duplicate the magnitude of awesomeness that are Lou Holtz’s coke bottle-like glasses into statue form.

I wonder if these little guys are rubbing Lou’s foot for good luck? Or maybe they are just patting him on the foot to say, “Someday I’M going to have a bronze likeness out of Notre Dame stadium, too.”

Yeah, it’s gotta be that. God knows the Irish have got very little luck this season.

photo friday: part one: whatever makes your skirt fly up

As I’ve mentioned, I love going to football games. I’ve harbored this love for as long as I can remember, and in college, the love intensified.

Partially because of the Irish Guard.

Oh, how I love thee, Irish Guard. And how I lusted after thee while I was a college student. You were strapping young men, and most importantly, you were tall! I’ve always loved strapping, tall men!

Plus, there was a rumor that you really didn’t wear chonies under those kilts. SCANDALOUS! And I remember junior year of college, when our seats were in the fourth row, prime spots in front of the cheerleaders (because we liked to cheer along with them and mimic their cheering moves) and prime spots for watching the Guard do their signature spins, their kilts flying up for all to see that yes. That rumor?

No rumor.

It’s all true.

And to this day, when caught in mid-spin, we can see that some traditions never die.

as close to live blogging I will get

As I type this, I am participating in my first Fantasy Football draft.

I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing.

I wasn’t so much one for research, even though my fellow participants urged us to mock draft once or twice or obsessively and another friend of mine said, “get one of those magazines.” And there is a lot of talk about charts and sheets and cards and lions and tigers and bears and whatnot. I mock-drafted once, earlier today, during which one of the other participants in the mock draft got so fed up with my draft picks s/he (it’s the interwebs! Cloak of sexual anonymity!) left the draft room. I believe what s/he typed into the conversation box at the bottom was, “what? devin hester? this is a waste of my mock-time!” Whatever, dude, I’m still high on Hester’s catch and return for a touchdown in the Super Bowl a few years ago. Suck it.

Why is everyone picking running backs? Huh. Maybe my first pick should be a running back. I was going to make my first pick Peyton Manning. He’s consistently good. Plus, I really like his commercials. They crack me up!

Whoops…my turn. Peyton Manning it is! He is my first round draft pick!

We’re doing a snake draft, and since I’m the 9^th slot I don’t get a lot of time in between my first two picks. So for pick #2, let me just check my Fantasy Football cheat sheets, here….hmmm….let’s go with a running back this time. Looks like #3 on the list, Steven Jackson, has not yet been picked, so guess what, Steve-O, you’re on the McPolish Posse now! Woop! Woop!

OMG…I can’t believe I’m actually jotting down notes. But I have to! I don’t want all my players to have the same bye week, do I? That can’t be good!

Running backs and wide receivers….Christ, there are just so many of them! How am I supposed to keep them all straight? At this point (Round #….umm….I have no idea…) all I want is that the little note next to their name doesn’t tell me they have some sort of injury. Is that too much to ask?

…..this is at least somewhat more logical than how I pick my Derby horses, which is by name only…..

Sweet! I now have the Manning brothers as my #1 and #2 QBs. This will be a high-LAR-ious season….

I should totally be looking at my next picks. Instead, I am balancing my checkbook.

I think I still need more running backs. Or maybe wide receivers. Hmmm….according to this thing DeSean Jackson looks…..shit.  Someone else just drafted him. CURSE YOU!

I’m trying to draft as few people from teams that are my nemeses/archrivals as I possibly can. Which means I’m staying away from Packers, Ravens, and Redskins. The Packers because they are the archrivals of my Bears, and the Ravens and the Redskins because OH MY GOD THEY ALWAYS SCREW UP TRAFFIC ON THE BELTWAY. And you know how much I detest sitting in traffic. Plus their fans are just obnoxious. Despite my careful planning, however, I think a couple of GBers and Skins have landed on my roster.

Cass just asked me if I have a thing for the Manning boys. My response: “Duh.”

I seem to remember guy friends of mine getting really super drunk for their Fantasy Football drafts. Does that help them pick better? Because now we’re in round #712, and are picking through the lesser-knowns. Jesus Christ Almighty, how many guys ARE there in the NFL? And where is some water and can you turn it into wine for me?

Trent Edwards? John Carlson? WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE I JUST DRAFTED?

Last pick, D/ST….which I’m told has something to do with Special Teams, yes? Yes. I have New England. Fine, I’ll take them. DON’T LET ME DOWN, YOU G-D PATSIES.

I just realized I only have one kicker. I really, really hope he doesn’t get injured. Otherwise I will be fuuuuuuuuccccked.

Well, shit. It’s over. Here’s how my roster landed:

McPolish Posse Starters
QB Peyton Manning

RB Steven Jackson

RB Derrick Ward

RB/WR Ahmad Bradshaw

WR TJ Houshmandzadeh

WR Donald Driver

TE Sean Ryan

D/ST Patriots

K Stephen Gostkowski

Bench

QB Eli Manning

WR Devin Hester

WR Derrick Mason

WR Josh Morgan

TE John Carlson

QB Trent Edwards

WR Joey Galloway

Are you ready for some football? I am ready for some football.