Ramble OnAnd now's the time, the time is now

• Olympic announcers, Wikipedia is your friend.
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slovakian
  "Slovak (Redirected from Slovakian)"
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechoslovakia
  "On January 1, 1993, Czechoslovakia peacefully split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia."
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slovakia
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slovenia
  Not the same.
  
  Bob Costas, you're on The List already.


• Speaking of Slovakia, after watching the Opening Ceremonies, I went online to see if I could find one of the hats the Slovak Olympic Team was wearing. I couldn't, but I did find this masterpiece. Further searching turned up your basic I Heart Slovakia shirt, and this beauty that I may have to get for my grandpa. If I choose to celebrate my own heritage on St. Patrick's day, I could wear this shirt. Or, if I'm feeling brave, I could go with one of these three choices.



• So, there's this new song out: "I'm in Love With a Stripper." If my ear serves me, the song samples Barry Manilow's "Mandy." Now, could you imagine the conversation that led to Barry agreeing to let his song be sampled in this way?
  Random rappers: "Excuse me, Mr. Manilow. Do you mind if we sample your song 'Mandy' for our new track?"
  Barry Manilow: "Why sure. What's the name of your song?"
  Random rappers: "'I'm in Love With a Stripper.'"
  Barry: "Great! I love strippers, too!"


• One of my new favorite TV shows has to be MTV's "Wild and Out," starring Nick Cannon. He's hilarious.


• For a period of several years during grade school, our english textbooks would devote entire chapters to the difference between fact and opinion. Apparently, the textbooks in Bristol didn't. I know that hatred of ESPN is well documented in the blogging community, but this really got to me. The Worldwide Leader is starting to pass opinion off as fact, and that's just dumb. The "Cold Hard Facts" segment is always analyst opinion, and usually nearsighted opinion at that. Then there was the ND-Rutgers game the other night on ESPN Classic. The ticker at the bottom of the screen was showing facts about both of the schools, which I thought was very cool. Until it mentioned retired numbers. "Notre Dame does not retire numbers, but if they did, the number 34 worn by Austin Carr would be the first risen into the rafters." Really? All the greats from the pre-cable era like Mr. Notre Dame, Moose Krause (who earned ND a national championship in basketball) wouldn't be first? Or is that just your opinion?


• Not gonna lie: 10 Things I Hate About You is just a good movie. But did you realize how may people in this movie had successful post-10 Things careers? There's Heath and Julia, of course. But there's also those two from 3rd Rock. And the best friend is that guy from Numb3rs! (Just found that out today.) You probably know that the principal is also the press secretary from West Wing, but did you realize that the english teacher went on to play Eli on Ed? Oh, and I could have sworn I saw the red-haired girl from Clueless during the party scene.


• KankaNation consensus best Super Bowl commercials: MacGyver (video), Magic Fridge, the American Insurance commercial where the fly is killed with a defibrillator, and the Nextel commercial about getting sports scores on your cell phone. "Whatever happenede to getting scores the old fashioned way - on the Internet? By the way, what's the Browns' score?" Isn't that me?


• KankaNation consensus worst Super Bowl commercials: Brown and Bubbly, Gillette.


• ND Women's Basketball alumni update: Niele Ivey, still a member of the Phoenix Mercury, is an administrative assistant for Xavier's women's team during the offseason. Alicia Ratay appears to still be with Saarlouis of the German league. Kelley Siemon Deyo is still an assistant for Liberty College's women's team. Minnesota's Jackie Batteast is playing with Esperides of the Greek league during the WNBA offseason. Ruth Riley broke her right thumb while playing with her offseason team, the Colorado Chill. Oh, and Ruth also has a very nice website. (Thanks to reader Tara for her help compiling this information.)



• For those who haven't heard yet, Darrell Campbell signed with the Cleveland Browns as a free agent.


• Public Service Announcement #1: For those of you playing KankaMatic Baseball, start thinking about who on your team you'd like to keep. I'm going to ask that you cut your rosters down to 10 keepers by the end of this month. We'll start the draft in March. If anyone would like to join KankaMatic Fantasy Baseball, please let me know.


• Public Service Announcement #2: Don't hook up on February 13.

World Baseball Classic

Pool A

The provisional 60-man rosters have been announced. Everyone on a country's final roster of 25 will come from their provisional list of 60. For more, see Baseball America's roster projections from last May, and my own from July.

China

Lineup
C Wei Wang
1B Qi Chen
2B Fei Feng
3B ?
SS ?
LF Yaging Liu
CF Sun Lingfeng
RF Shuo Yang
DH Hongbo Zhang

Bench
C Yi Feng
C Tao Li
C Zhenwang Zhang
Zhe Chen
Tao Guo
Fenglian Hou
Lei Li
Guangbiao Liu
Wenbin Pan
Jingchao Wang
Guogang Yang
Yufeng Zhang

Rotation
SP Nan Wang
SP Quansheng Zhao

Bullpen
RP Tao Bu
RP Kun Chen
RP Chenhao Li
RP Hongrui Li
RP Shuai Li
RP Jiangang Lu
RP Zheng Xu
RP Minfeng Yin
RP Jun Zhang
RP Li Zhang
RP Bo Zhao

Chinese Taipei

Lineup
C Chun-Chang Ye
1B Chia-Hsien Hsieh
2B Yung Chi Chen
3B Tai-San Chang
SS Ching-lung Hu (Dodgers)
LF Chin-Feng Chen (Dodgers)
CF Chih-Yuan Chen
RF Long-Yu Huang
DH Cheng-Ming Peng

Bench
C Fong-Ming Chen
C Chin-Shou Hsih
C Cheng-Hua Kao
C Chih-Kang Kao
C Yi-Wei Lee
C Chao Kuan Wu
C Kuan-Yi Yang
IF Chia-Hao Chang
IF Chia-Hung Chen
IF Chiang-Ho Chen
IF Chih-Hung Chen
IF Chang-Ming Cheng
IF Kuo-Ching Kao
IF Chih-Shen Lin
IF Yi-Chuan Lin
IF Shi-Yang Teng
IF Shen-Wei Wang
IF Chung-Shou Yang
IF Shen Yang
IF Chung-Han Yu
OF Chih-Yao Chan
OF Chien-Ming Chang
OF Chen-Yu Chong
OF Chun-Yu Kuo
OF Ying-Chieh Liao
OF Wei-Chu Lin
OF Kuo-Hui Lo

Rotation
SP Chien-Ming Wang (Yankees)
SP Chi-Hung Cheng (Blue Jays)


Bullpen
RP Hong-Chih Kuo (Dodgers)
RP Wei-Ying Chen
RP Chien-Ming Chiang
RP Wei-Ming Chu
RP Chu-Chien Hsu
RP Wen-Hsiung Hsu
RP Chia-An Huang
RP Chun-Chung Huang
RP Yi-Che Huang
RP Min-Ching Kao
RP Po-Hsuan Keng
RP En-Yu Lin
RP Ying-Chieh Lin
RP Ching-Lung Lo
RP Wei-Lun Pan
RP Ying-Feng Tsai
RP Sung-Wei Tseng
RP Pao-Hsien Wu
RP Chien-Fu Yang
RP Yao-Hsun Yang

Japan

Lineup
RF Ichiro Suzuki (Mariners)
C Ryoji Aikawa
1B Nobuhiko Matsunaka
2B ?
3B Michihiro Ogasawara
SS ?
LF Kosuke Fukudome
CF Tatsuhiko Kinjoh
DH Hiroyuki Nakajima

Bench
C Tory Hosokawa
C Tetsuya Matoyama
C Tomoya Satozaki
C Motonoby Tanishige
IF Takahiro Arai
IF Atsuhi Fujimoto
IF Kazuya Fukuura
IF Toshiaki Imae
IF Akinori Iwamura
IF Munenori Kawasaki
IF Shinya Miyamoto
IF Shuichi Murata
IF Tomohiro Nioka
IF Toshihisa Nishi
IF Tsuyoshi Nishioka
IF Takashi Toritani
IF Yasuhiko Yabuta
OF Shogo Akada
OF Norichika Aoki
OF Atsunori Inaba
OF Saburo Ohmura
OF Shigenobu Shima
OF Takayuki Simizu
OF Hitoshi Tamura
OF Kazuhiro Wada

Rotation
SP Daisuke Matsuzaka
SP Koji Uehara

Bullpen
RP Akinori Otsuka
RP Yuya Ando
RP Shugo Fujii
RP Kyuji Fujikawa
RP Soichi Fujita
RP Masanori Hayashi
RP Hirotoshi Ishii
RP Hiroyuki Kobayashi
RP Masahide Kobayashi
RP Tomoyuki Kubota
RP Hiroki Kuroda
RP Takahiro Mahara
RP Daisuke Miura
RP Fumiya Nishiguchi
RP Masanobu Okubo
RP Toshiya Sugiuchi
RP Kiyoshi Toyoda
RP Tsuyoshi Wada
RP Shunsuke Watanabe

Oddly enough, of all the Major Leaguers available, only two will play for the Japanese team (Ichiro and Otsuka). On the plus side, Japan will be managed by Sadaharu Oh, the country's legend who holds the record for most home runs (well over 800).

Korea

Lineup
CF Shin-Soo Choo (Mariners)
C Sung Heon Hong
DH Hee-seop Choi (Dodgers)
1B Seung Yeop Lee
2B Kyung Hyun An
3B Dong Joo Kim
SS Seo Owan Hong
LF Jong Beom Lee
RF Soo Keun Jung

Bench
C In Sung Cho
C Kab Yong Jin
C Sang Hoon Kim
C Kyung Oan Park
C Kyung Hyun Shin
IF Dong Chan Cho
IF Kyoung Bae Chung
IF Sung Ho Jang
IF Seong Hoon Jeong
IF Jae Gul Kim
IF Jong Kook Kim
IF Min Jae Kim
IF Tae Kyun Kim
IF Bum Ho Lee
IF Dae Ho Lee
IF Jin Man Park
IF Jong Ho Park
IF Si Hun Son
OF Jae Hyun Kim
OF Jong Hoon Kim
OF Oh Joon Kwon
OF Byung Kyu Lee
OF Jin Young Lee
OF Han Yi Park
OF Yong Taik Park
OF Ji Man Song

Rotation
SP Jae Seo (Dodgers)
SP Chan Ho Park (Padres)
SP Jung Bong (Reds)
RP Byung-yung Kim (Rockies)
SP Myung Hwan Park

Bullpen
RP Sunny Kim (Rockies)
RP Dae-Sung Koo (Mets)
RP Young Soo Bae
RP Won Ho Choi
RP Young Pil Choi
RP Tae Hyun Chong
RP Jae Hun Chung
RP Doo Sung Hwang
RP Moon Seok Jang
RP Byung Doo Jun
RP Jin Woo Kim
RP Won Hyong Kim
RP Hei Chun Lee
RP Seung Ho Lee
RP Dong Hwan Mun
RP Jang Jin Noh
RP Seung Hwan Oh
RP Seung Hyoun Sin
RP Min Han Son
RP Jae Woung Wee

They're not starts, but they're all Major League caliber players. If this pitching staff clicks, it may be just enough to upset the mighty Japanese.

Villanova 69, Notre Dame 65

Women's Basketball

Anyone who likes to go out of their way to complain about women's basketball should have watched this game. Villanova runs a Princeton-style ball movement offense, and they execute it beautifully. You can't tell me that the NBA's "stand around a force up a bad jump shot" offenses of the late 90s are more exciting to watch than the Nova women's offense. Of course, Notre Dame ran a decent offense in their own right. Unfortunately, they just settled for too many jump shots.
The Irish women started out well, then suddenly turned into their male counterparts. With Megan Duffy blanketed, her teammates began forcing bad shots early in the shotclock. Villanova continued to run their defense to perfection, eventually building a 21 point lead. Then, for some reason, the Wildcats backed off. They stopped running their spectacular offense, and ND came all the way back. The game was tied with 22 seconds left, a Villanova layup put the Cats up 2. Following a timeout, Duffy drove around a pick for an easy layup with 11 seconds left. I'm guessing this was by design - Nova let the Irish score early so they themselves could have the last shot. Well, as it turns out, that last shot never went, and it was on to overtime.
Unfortunately, as the Notre Dame women were immitating the men in this game, they went on to lose in overtime. They came within seconds of the second biggest comeback in women's history (22 by Oregon over Arizona in 2000), but in the end it's just another loss.
I liked what I saw from a couple of the underclassmen. Lindsay Schrader got off to a very good start, scoring the team's first 7 points. True to her freshman status, she's had an up and down year. She's also shooting a whopping 45% from the free throw line. Charel Allen surprised me. I know she could drive to the basket and score that way. Or, she could at least before her knee ligaments were torn. But, it looks like she has most of her speed and confidence back, and she can again take it to the basket. The thing that impressed me, though, was her range. Three pointers are a little too much for her - she was 0 for 4 in this game. But she was absolutely money from 17 feet in. If Allen and Schrader can put this team on their shoulders next year, they should do a decent job of replacing Duffy.

Transaction Wire

Darrell Campbell signed with the Browns as a free agent. No, I'm not going to start stalking him. At 290 pounds (officially), I would assume that he moves to defensive end in the Browns 3-4. As mentioned several times before the 2004 draft, the 3-4 favors largers defensive ends, as they will line up directly against an offensive lineman, instead of in a gap.

Offensive guru Tom Clements, who had been fired by the Bills, was recently named Packers quarterbacks coach. I'm presuming he'll be working with Aaron Rodgers a lot more than Brett Favre.

MLB Preview 3: NL East

Atlanta Braves

Lineup
Marcus Giles 2B
Edgar Renteria SS
Chipper Jones 3B
Andruw Jones CF
Adam LaRoche 1B
Jeff Francoeur RF
Ryan Langerhans LF
Brian McCann/Todd Pratt C

Rotation
John Smoltz
Tim Hudson
John Thomson
Mike Hampton
Jorge Sosa
Horacio Ramirez
Kyle Davies
Roman Colon

A lot of questions with this lineup. Can Giles handle the leadoff spot full time (or when he's not hurt)? Where will Renteria be used? He's ideally a 2 or a 6, but realistically he can hit anywhere except cleanup. Can LaRoche and Francoeur put up the numbers they did last year? If not, who can produce at the bottom of the lineup? Atlanta's key bench player is 3B Wilson Betemit. 2B Pete Orr hit .300 in 150 at bats last year.
There's not much change in the rotation, and it's still a good one. The bullpen is the question. Chris Reitsma moves into the closer role after picking up 15 saves last year. The rest of the group is a bunch of young no-names. I give a lot of credit to Atlanta's minor league pitching coaches and talent scouts over the past 20 years. But how will this young group fare without Major League pitching coach Leo Mazzone?

Philadelphia Phillies

Lineup
Jimmy Rollins SS
Aaron Rowand CF
Bobby Abreu RF
Pat Burrell LF
Chase Utley 2B
Ryan Howard 1B
David Bell 3B
Mike Lieberthal C

Rotation
Jon Lieber
Brett Myers
Corey Lidle
Randy Wolf
Ryan Franklin
Ryan Madson
Gavin Floyd
Ricardo Rodriguez
Robinson Tejada
Eude Brito

Last year, Philadelphia's normal lineup had Abreu hitting 3rd, Burrell 4th, and Utley 5th. That order relied heavily on Burrell's career year. If Pat the Bat goes back to his old ways, the Phils may have to move Utley to 3rd and slide the other two down. Could Abreu, often accused of lacking passion, handle the cleanup spot? There's a good chance Howard will hit a sophomore slump, which could be trouble for the bottom of the lineup. The top of the lineup is set. Rollins is a more than capable leadoff hitter when he's healthy, and Roward will settle into the 2nd spot well in this lineup. The bench features a trio of very talented utility infielders - Matt Kata, Abraham Nunez, and Tomas Perez - and little else.
This is a decent rotation, but far from spectacular. Lieber revived his career last year; one wonders if he can repeat that performance. Myers, Madson, and Floyd are talented and young. Wolf is vastly underrated when healthy, and Lidle and Franklin are veterans innings eaters. The bullpen lost two big names in Billy Wagner (presumably) Ugueth Urbina. But, they still have Rheal Cormier, and they added Tom Gordon and Arthur Rhodes. Gordon returns to the closer role after a few years as a setup man in the Bronx. Cormier and Rhodes are two of the best LOOGies in the game, and veteran lefty Aaron Fultz is good in his own right.

New York Mets

Lineup
Jose Reyes SS
Paul LoDuca C
Carlos Beltran CF
Carlos Delgado 1B
Clifford Floyd LF
David Wright 3B
Xavier Nady/Victor Diaz RF
Kaz Matsui 2B

Rotation
Pedro Martinez
Tom Glavine
Steve Trachsel
Victor Zambrano
Aaron Heilman
Alay Soler
John Maine

It may not be obvious, but this is a much better lineup than last year's. LoDuca is a veteran "baseball guy" who has good bat control and a knack for getting on base. Delgado obviously steps right into the middle of the lineup. Wright put up a very good 2005 after an equally good, albeit abbreviated, 2004. I'd personally be surprised if he slumps this year. Nady, a former super prospect for the Padres, may not be the answer in right field, but he's at least an answer in right, and a solid one at that. The bench features a host of names that you probably recognize, but who may or may not actually do anything this year. Those names include: Ramon Castro, Jose Valentin, Julio Franco, Chris Woodward, and Endy Chavez.
The Mets went from about 25 starters to 5. Zambrano and Heilman are competent enough to be 4th and 5th starters. The only question is the age at the top of the rotation, and who else can step in when that age starts to show. The bullpen, a major source of frustration in 2005, has added closer Billy Wagner. He should have a good year this year, but it will be interesting to see how he does towards the end of his contract. Again, it's that age thing. Duaner Sanchez and Chad Bradford return from solid seasons, and they're joined by former Baltimore closer Jorge Julio. For more Mets insight, I'll defer to Dave on the message board.

Florida Marlins

Lineup
Pokey Reese 2B
Alfredo Amezaga/Hanley Ramirez SS
Mike Jacobs 1B
Miguel Cabrera 3B
Jeremy Hermida RF
Miguel Olivo C
Chris Aguila LF
Eric Reed CF

Rotation
Dontrelle Willis
Sergio Mitre
Brian Moehler
Jason Vargas
Josh Johnson
Scott Olsen
Logan Kensing
Nate Bump

It's two years too late, but the Marlins have once again performed their post-championship fire sale. Really, I have no clue what to do with this lineup. The entire outfield is new. I want to say Hanley Ramirez is a top prospect, but I honestly can't remember. No, Reese probably doesn't belong in the leadoff spot. But, he brings a spectacular glove, and I'm happy to see him back in someone's starting lineup again. Jacobs is actually a rather good young player, and Hermida is decent in his own right. The bench is headlined by 3B/1B Wes Helms, once a young up-and-comer in the Atlanta system, and C Matt Treanor, better known as the husband of Olympic beach volleyball star Misty May.
"Sergio Mitre is the #2 starter?!" Yeah, I said the exact same thing. I really don't know what else to say about this rotation. Willis and Mitre should both make the World Baseball Classic (Mitre for the Mexican team. And, um, I really hope Willis' arm doesn't fall off. That's about it. Former Cubs closer Joe Borowski will get a second chance in Florida. He'll need help, but I'm afraid he may not get any. Look for a basement finish in the NL East for the Marlins.

Washington Nationals

Lineup
Ryan Church CF
Nick Johnson 1B
Jose Guillen RF
Jose Vidro 2B
Alfonso Soriano LF
Ryan Zimmerman 3B
Brian Schneider C
Christian Guzman SS

Rotation
Livan Hernandez
John Patterson
Ramon Ortiz
Brian Lawrence
Tony Armas
Ryan Drese

What this lineup should not look like ever: 1. Soriano, 2. Guzman, 3. Johnson. Plain and simple, Soriano is not an on-base guy. Guzman belongs no where near the top of the lineup. He probably doesn't belong near the middle or the bottom, either. (I'd probably give the "fundamentally sound" Jamey Carroll a shot somewhere in the infield in Guzman's stead.) And Johnson may have had a breakout season, but he's still not the star he was predicted to be. I like this lineup the way it is, for the most part. No one stands out as a leadoff hitter, though. Church wins by default. If Zimmerman has a good season, he could move up to leadoff, or flip-flop with Johnson in this order. Schneider is underrated as a catcher, but not great. The bench features a cavalcade of "names": both Marlons (Byrd and Anderson), C/1B/OF and former token All Star Robert Fick (who looks like the backup catcher with no one besides Schneider listed at that position), OF Michael "I wear #24 because I think I'm as good as Ken Griffey, Jr." Tucker (I'm not making that up), and UT Damian Jackson.
Last year's rotation relied on career years/resurgencies from Hernandez and Patterson, and from Drese to some extent. Lawrence is a good young talent, overshadowed in San Diego by Jake Peavy. Together, this group can be surprisingly good or surprisingly mediocre. The bullpen actually looks decent. Chad Cordero, coming off a very good season, is supported by Luis Ayala, Joey Eischen, Gary Majewski, Jon Rauch, and newcomer Mike Stanton.

MLB Preview 2: AL West

The Angels

Lineup
Chone Figgins 3B
Orlando Cabrera SS
Vlad Guerrero RF
Garret Anderson LF
Juan Rivera DH
Darin Erstad CF
Casey Kotchman 1B
Jose Molina C
Adam Kennedy 2B

Rotation
Bartolo Colon
John Lackey
Ervin Santana
Kelvim Escobar
Hector Carrasco
Esteban Yan
Kevin Gregg
Chris Bootcheck
Joe Saunders

Not much change at the top of this lineup. The shakeup comes comes at the bottom. Adam Kennedy continues to be an overly qualified #9 hitter. Darin Erstad, a great top-of-the-lineup guy, will have to anchor the bottom four, including new starters Kotchman and Molina. Jose steps in for his brother Bengie. Bengie wasn't a superstar hitter, but he was decent for a catcher. This team is deep in the infield, with Dallas McPherson and Rob Quinlan backing up at first, third, and DH, and former Rule V guy Macier Izturis backing up Kennedy and Cabrera. Otherwise, it's a bunch of no-names on the bench. Of course, since Figgins and Rivera are both more than adequate in the outfield, maybe it won't be that much of a problem.
The rotation takes a big hit with the loss of Jarrod Washburn. Ervin Santana will have to avoid a sophomore slump for this group of starters and this team to do well. The bullpen is one of the best in baseball with Brendan Donnelly, Scot Shields, and new addition JC Romero setting up Frankie Rodriguez. Shields and Romero could easily close on some teams. But, if the starters can't hold up their end of the bargain, look for some sore arms in the pen later this season.

Oakland Athletics

Lineup
Mark Kotsay CF
Jason Kendall C
Milton Bradley RF
Eric Chavez 3B
Frank Thomas/Jay Payton DH
Bobby Crosby SS
Dan Johnson 1B
Nick Swisher LF
Mark Ellis 2B

Rotation
Barry Zito
Rich Harden
Danny Haren
Esteban Loaiza
Joe Blanton
Kirk Saarloos
Joe Kennedy
Juan Cruz
Justin Duchscherer

You know what the problem with this lineup is? Two many #2 hitters. Kotsay, Kendall, Bradley, Crosby, and Ellis could all easily fill that role. I'd love to move Ellis to leadoff and drop Kotsay to second, but Kendall hit all of 0 home runs last year, so one wonders if he really belongs later in the lineup. (Hey, I take the same approach to hitting as he does, so I'm not knocking it or anything.) This lineup is Super-Moneyball, but they'll need Chavez to return his 2004 form. Thomas, Johnson, and/or Swisher will also have to step up for this to be a good year. The offense does have decent depth, at least. Infielder Marco Scutaro has plenty of experience after filling in for an injured Mark Ellis. Payton, Bobby Kielty, and Charles Thomas (no, not that Charles Thomas) all have experience starting in the outfield.
Loaiza was added to a stable of young arms in the rotation. He's not an overly impressive starter. But, his experience as a staff ace will help him mentor a young staff. Plus, as an innings eater (217 IP last year), he can take pressure of a bullpen that is also relatively young. Huston Street lived up to the hype when he was thrust into the closer role last year. He's supported by a bullpen that I'll call "Team Upside" - young talent gleaned from other organizations: Kiko Calero, Juan Cruz, Chad Gaudin, Dan Meyer, and Kirk Saarloos to name a few.

Texas Rangers

Lineup
Dave Dellucci LF
Brad Wilkerson CF
Michael Young SS
Mark Teixeira 1B
Hank Blalock 3B
Kevin Mench RF
Phil Nevin DH
Rod Barajas C
Ian Kinsler/Mark DeRosa 2B

Rotation
Kevin Millwood
Adam Eaton
Vincente Padilla
Kameron Loe
Juan Dominguez
Joaquin Benoit
RA Dickey
John Wasdin
CJ Wilson
Edison Volquez

Gone is Alfonso Soriano, but it doesn't look like Texas will miss him all that much. Wilkerson is an upgrade in center. He hit only .248 last year, but did manage a .351 OBP. I'm tentatively sticking him second, assuming his numbers will improve this year in the Texas heat. That moves Young to third. The kid can flat out hit, so I think he'll be up to the task. Speaking of poor averages versus good on-base percentages (as I did somewhere up there), Dellucci will look to continue his surprising success from last year while making the move from DH to a full time outfielder. If he does flounder, I assume Wilkerson becomes the backup plan at leadoff. Anything Nevin does this year is a plus. The same goes for rookie second baseman Ian Kinsler. Kinsler did have 20+ HR and 90+ RBI in AAA last year, so he has the potential to be a good one. The backup plan for Kinsler is DeRosa, a capable utility infielder during his time in Atlanta. Gary Matthews and Laynce Nix, both former starters, highlight the Texas bench.
As of late, Texas hasn't been known for its pitching. So, they just went out and got new pitchers. Millwood was perhaps the best starter on the market. Eaton is a solid talent who until recently was playing in Jake Peavy's shadow in San Diego. Padilla was a cult hero in Philadelphia (the Padilla Flotilla rowed through the bleachers of Citizen's Bank Park) who earned his keep. Loe, Dominguez, and a slew of decent young talent round out the rotation. Closer Francisco Cordero and new acquisition Akinori Otsuka highlight a thin bullpen.

Seattle Mariners

Lineup
Ichiro! RF
Raul Ibanez/Matt Lawton LF
Carl Everett DH
Richie Sexson 1B
Adrian Beltre 3B
Jeremy Reed CF
Kenji Johjima C
Yuniesky Betancourt SS
Jose Lopez 2B

Rotation
Jamie Moyer
Jarrod Washburn
Joel Pineiro
Felix Hernandez
Gil Meche
Travis Blackley
Clint Nageotte
Jesse Foppert

Slowly but surely - very slowly, but very surely - Seattle is starting to fill its holes. Ichiro, Sexson, and Beltre are set. Ibanez did surprisingly well with 20 HR and 89 RBI in 2005. Like Dellucci, he makes the move from DH to starting outfielder, so it will be interesting to see how he fares. Reed, brilliant defensively, comes back for a second season. Betancourt will be playing in his first full season. Betancourt and Lopez, like Reed, are said to be good defensively. Johjima is coming over from Japan for the first time. Now, there's normally some drop off between Japanese numbers and MLB numbers. Considering Johjima hit .330 with 30+ HR in each of his past two seasons, I'm sure no one will mind a small step down from those numbers. Everett, of course, is the DH. Matt Lawton, after his 10-day suspension to start the season, will be the key piece coming off the bench. He can DH and play all three outfield position at a starter's level, plus he can competently hit anywhere in the lineup except cleanup. Also on the bench is Mike Morse, a good young hitter who will also be tried in the outfield this season.
Washburn is obviously the key addition to the rotation. But Jamie Moyer keeps doing it well at the top of the rotation. Pineiro had his worst year yet as a full-time starter, going 7-11 with a 5.62 ERA. He's gotten progressively worse in the past three seasons. Meche is still looking to fully bounce back from injury problems a few years back. He was 10-8, but with a 5.08 ERA. Hernandez did very well in limited time last season; he'll look to avoid a sophomore slump. (Oh, and be sure to wish Felix a happy 20th birthday on April 8. Yeah, you read that right. And Dave, I know you're wondering: he was born in Venezuela. You're right, he probably is about 26.) Everyday Eddie Guardado closes behind what is basically a bullpen of no-names.

Notre Dame Alumni in the NFL Playoffs

Players

Jerome Bettis, RB - Pittsburgh: 3 games, 42 rush, 37 yds, 3 TD, 1 lost fumble.

Deke Cooper, S - Jacksonville: 1 game, 0 tackles.

Darrell Campbell, DT - Chicago: Practice squad.

David Givens, WR - New England: 2 games, 6 catches, 57 yds, 2 TD.

Ryan Grant, RB - New York Giants: Practice squad.

Jim Jones, OL - Washington: Practice squad.

Sean Mahan, OG - Tampa Bay: Starting RG in 1 game; team rushed for 75 yards and Chris Simms was sacked three times.

Jim Molinaro, OT - Washington: Reserve OL for 1 game; team rushed for 95 yards and Mark Brunell was sacked twice.

Luke Petitgout, OT - New York Giants: Starting LT for one game; team rushed for 41 yards and Eli Manning was sacked four times.

Gerome Sapp, S - Indianapolis: 1 game, 0 tackles.

Hunter Smith, P - Indianapolis: 1 game, 6 punts, 45.3 average, 52 yd long, 1 inside 20.

Justin Tuck, DE - New York Giants: 1 game, 1 tackles.

Kurt Vollers, OT - Indianapolis: Inactive.

Renaldo Wynn, DE - Washington: DNP - broken arm.

Coaches

Greg Blanche, Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line - Washington (ND Defensive Assistant 1968-71 (while an undergrad; a leg injury ended his playing career), Asst Jr Varsity 1973-74, Jr Varsity 1975, Offensive Backs 1981, Defensive Line 1982-83): Defense yielded 30 points and 607 yards in two games.

John DeFillipo, Offensive Quality Control - New York Giants (Former ND Graduate Assistant): Team had 154 yards of offense and 0 points in 1 game.

Kirk Doll, Special Teams - Denver (ND Special Teams 1994-97, Linebackers 1994-2001, Kickers 2000, Assistant Head Coach 1997-2001): Denver averaged 21.6 yards per kick return and 10.0 yards per punt return in two games. They gave up 24.0 yards per kick return and 10.0 yards per punt return. Jason Elam converted all three field goal attempts and all five extra point attempts. Todd Sauerbrun averaged 45.2 yards per punt with a long of 58.

Andy Heck, Asst. Offensive Line - Jacksonville (ND TE/OT '85-'88 (player)): Team rushed for 87 yards and was sacked 6 times in one game.

Jay Hayes, Defensive Line - Cincinnati (ND Defensive Ends 1989, Outside Linebackers 1990-91): Line had 8 tackles in one game.

Dean Pees, Linebackers - New England (ND Secondary 1994): Linebackers had 56 tackles and 6.5 sacks in two games. Pees was also named the Patriots defensive coordinator when Eric Mangini became head coach of the Jets.

Bill Sherida, Linebackers, New York Giants (ND Safeties/Special Teams 2001): Linebackers had 28 tackles and 1 sack in 1 game.

Mike Trgovac, Defensive Coordinator - Carolina (ND Defensive Line 1992-94, Assistant Head Coach 1993-94): Team yielded 55 points and 852 total yards in 3 games.

In addition, the following players and coaches are a degree of separation from ND:

Shaun Alexander, RB - Seattle: Older brother was a drummer in the Band of the Fighting Irish.

Russ Grimm, Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line - Pittsburgh: Younger brother Donn was a linebacker for ND from 1987-90.

Jon (Head Coach - Tampa Bay) and Jay (Offensive Assistant Coach, Tampa Bay) Gruden: Father, Jim, was Offensive Backs/Special Teams coach from 1978-80. Jon was a ball boy for men's basketball.

The Weekend in Review

Senior All Star Games

East-West Shrine Game

Dan Stevenson put on a very impressive performance. He often had the opposing lineman pushed five yards downfield. The ESPN announcers praised him for being one of the main reasons why Arkansas running bak De'Arrius Howard had three rushing touchdowns on the day. On the last play of the game, Stevenson pushed his man into the end zone, but other defenders flooded the hole he created to stuff Howard for the West win.

Brandon Hoyte participated on defense and special teams and had two tackles.

Hula Bowl

Corey Mays, a team captain for the East, shared the team lead with six tackles.

DJ Fitzpatrick was the East kicker, but also got in on one punt. He scored four of the East's ten points, with a 36 yard field goal and an extra point. His three kickoffs averaged 61.7 yards. It actually looked like he was kicking off farther, if not lower, than he did during the regular season. On his one punt, a defender came in untouched. Non-chalantly, DJ stepped to the side, then stepped up and booted the ball 51 yards. But wait, rushing the punter wasn't allowed in this game. So, DJ got a second chance to kick without any pressure, and that punt went 45 yards.

Senior Bowl

Mo Stovall, coming off of a great week of practice, caught one of two balls thrown to him; the completion went for nine yards. Of course, both teams combined to complete only 25 passes on the day.

Georgetown 82, Notre Dame 82 / Villanova 72, Notre Dame 70

Men's Basketball

Is it even worth separating these games? These games were both typical of the men's losses this year. In the Georgetown game, an ND comeback was capped by a four point play at the buzzer by Colin Falls. The first overtime ended on a missed layup by Chris Quinn. "Oh well," right? Nope. "The Little Team That Almost Could" couldn't hold a lead throughout the 10 minutes of bonus basketball, and in the end Georgetown showed the heart to put the game away. The Villanova game was similar. Notre Dame played the first half even. Villanova built a huge lead only to see the Irish come charging back. Quinn tied the game on a brilliant pass to Torin Francis with 13 seconds left. Following a time out, Nova drove inside and missed a layup. But, no one boxed out Chris Quinn's man, and that guard came flying in from the wing to tip in the winning basket.
It may be too little, too late, but this team may finally be starting to figure things out. Over the past few games, they've played well when they worked the ball inside and took high percentage shots. (Go figure!) However, they haven't done it for 40 minutes yet. In the Georgetown game, they only worked inside after they were down big. In the Villanova game, they played the inside game in the first half. In the second half, they only went back to it after they were down 17. This team needs to learn how to play hard for a full game, build a lead, and keep that lead.

Rutgers 69, Notre Dame 43

Women's Basketball

This wasn't a pretty game by any measure. Notre Dame's first field goal came 11 minutes into the game, at which point the game was 20-1 in favor of Rutgers. Notre Dame then went on a run to cut the lead to 20-14. The closest they got was early in the second half when Rutgers led 28-24. The next thing you know, Rutgers is up 48-26. The Scarlet Knight radio announcers said that Notre Dame looked confused facing Rutgers' physical defense. It sounded like they were flat-out scared as well. This has been the story for the past few years when Notre Dame played Rutgers, but the results have never been this bad. Next up for the Irish is Syracuse. The Orange don't quite have the talent of Rutgers, but they play ND with an equally physical approach. They may in fact be a more physical and, to some, thuggish than Rutgers.

South Florida 68, Notre Dame 64

Women's Basketball

I didn't get a chance to see or listen to this game, and I normally don't like to comment on a game when that is the case. But, it looked to be the same old story. An Irish cold streak allowed South Florida to grow a 15 point lead, before the Irish came all the way back. Notre Dame held a slim margin until USF's Ezria Parson's hit a three with 2 second left to force OT. In the extra period, Megan Duffy had a chance to return the favor, but missed a potential tying three with 3 seconds left.

Breaking Down the Latest Baseball Trades

Phillies Get

Arthur Rhodes: Rhodes is a LOOGY (Lefty One Out GuY) who had a very good 2005 before leaving the Indians to attend to family issues. Oddly enough, for a lefty specialist, he was very good against righties and average against lefties. Of course, many of the righties he faced were switch hitters, and they're facing him because they're worse hitters from the right side. The lefties, meanwhile, would have all been natural lefties. Rhodes joins fellow lefties Rheal Cormier and Aaron Fultz in the Philadelphia pen. The only remaining lefties in Cleveland's bullpen are Scott Sauerbeck and Jason Stanford. Sauerbeck, who had an inconsistent 2005 after a year out of baseball, is more of a long reliever than a shut down guy. Stanford did not play in the majors in 2005.

Red Sox Get

Coco Crisp: Defensively, Crisp appears to be a similar player to the guy he's replacing, Johnny Damon. Crisp has good range and a decent glove, but like Damon has a very below average arm. Crisp actually started as a second baseman in the Cardinals farm system before being moved to the outfield. (Allegedly because he once did an Ozzie Smith backflip on the way out to his position; realistically, it was likely because of his athleticism and speed.) Crisp settled into the second spot in Cleveland's order after struggling in the leadoff spot at the beginning of 2005. It will be interesting to see how he handles a move back to leadoff in the spotlight that is Boston. He was strong enough to line drive 16 home runs last season. He should enjoy lining balls into Boston's short right field corner, peppering balls off the Monster, or finding some grass in center and running for days.

David Riske: Riske had an up and down career in Cleveland. He looked to be the Indians future closer, then struggled in that role. He started 2005 with the best scoreless streak in baseball. Then, it seemed like he gave up a home run every time he went in - for a total of 11 on the year. Still, he is an established and serviceable reliever.

Josh Bard: Bard is young, but he's already an established backup catcher. He broke into the majors a year before Victor Martinez, because Bard was believed to be better defensively and more experienced handling pitching staffs. Bard will compete with John Flaherty to replace Doug Mirabelli as Boston's backup catcher. Mirabelli left for San Diego as a free agent. I would be rather surprised if Bard doesn't beat out Flaherty for the job.

Indians Get

Jason Michaels: Michaels comes over from Philadelphia. He's never played full time, but he looks to be a very similar player to Crisp. Like Crisp, Michaels plays left and center fields, and is said to be decent in both spots. Last year, Michaels hit .304 with a .399 OBP in 289 at bats. Actually, it looks like Michaels is a poor man's Crisp, with slightly less power and speed. That being said, in 2004 Michaels did have 10 HR and 40 RBI in 299 at bats, which is about half a season's work for a full time player.

Andy Marte: Marte was the top prospect in the Braves organziation, until he was traded to Boston for Edgar Renteria, straight up. He immediately became Boston's top prospect. Now, he's the future at third base for Cleveland. Marte is already major league quality defensively, but is perhaps a year away as a hitter. (Of course, the same was true of Brandon Phillips, and he's still trying to figure out his swing.) This was a needed trade for the Indians, who didn't have a major league quality third base prospect anywhere in the organization. Aaron Boone has one year left on his contract. Unless Marte hits really well in spring training and the minors, and/or Boone flounders offensively again, Boone will be Cleveland's 2006 third baseman and Marte their 2007 third baseman.

Guillermo Mota: I have to apologize, as I've been confusing Mota with Yhency Brazoban. It was Brazoban who filled in as LA's closer last year, picking up 21 saves. Mota has 7 saves for his career. Mota also has a career ERA of 3.61. This will be Mota's first season in the American League, so he should benefit from hitters being unfamiliar with him.

Kelly Shoppach: Shoppach, a catcher, is in a similar situation to Marte's. He's not as big of a prospect, but he still has the potential to be a solid player. And, like Marte, he's probably ready for the majors defensively, but needs just a little more work on his hitting. The arrival of Shoppach is a good thing for the Tribe's farm system. Cleveland's previous top catching prospect, Ryan Garko, may be made into a full time first baseman, as he wasn't developing defensively as a catcher. In fact, Garko played first exclusively this past winter. If Shoppach's hitting develops this year, he may see playing time at catcher with Victor Martinez playing some first. Martinez also occassionally played first base in the minors so his bat could be kept in the lineup. On top of that, Martinez is considered a below-average catcher defensively (he is a converted third baseman), so Shoppach's glove and arm would be a good complement. I wouldn't be surprised if non-roster invitee Einar Diaz broke camp as the Tribe's backup catcher, but I also wouldn't be surprised if Shoppach was "in the show" soon thereafter.

A PTBNL (Player to Be Named Later) and $1 million.

MLB Preview 1: NL West

San Diego Padres

Lineup
Dave Roberts LF
Vinny Castilla/Geoff Blum 3B
Brian Giles RF
Mike Cameron CF
Ryan Klesko 1B
Doug Mirabelli C
Khalil Greene SS
Josh Barfield/Mark Bellhorn 2B

Rotation
Jake Peavy
Woody Williams
Chris Young
Chan Ho Park
Tim Stauffer
Clay Hensley
Shawn Estes
Dewon Brazelton

Yeah, I have Vinny Castilla batting second. Wanna fight about it? Actually, I do. This lineup needs two things. One, Greene, Barfield (Jesse's son), or Bellhorn need to step up and hit well enough to fill the number 2 spot. Two, they need Cameron out of the cleanup spot. I had to go righty/lefty there, but I didn't want to. Maybe someone else can step up into the 3rd spot, bumping Giles down to cleanup. Or maybe Giles can put on a fake mustache and bat twice. Bench players for the Padres include Canadian standout Pete Laforest (C), former super-prospect Adrian Gonzalez (1B), and the unfortunately named Bobby Hill.
The Padres rotation lost some good, young talent in Adam Eaton and Brian Lawrence, but they gain some in 6'10 Chris Young. Woody Williams is a solid 2/3 starter, and Estes and Park are serviceable parts. The person to watch here is Brazelton, the troubled former Tampa Bay prospect. In the bullpen, the return of Trevor Hoffman is the big news. Estes will likely start the season in the bullpen, and he's probably the only other San Diego reliever you've heard of before.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Lineup
Craig Counsell SS
Chad Tracy 3B
Luis Gonzalez LF
Shawn Green RF
Conor Jackson/Tony Clark 1B
Johnny Estrada C
Eric Byrnes CF
Orlando Hudson 2B

Rotation
Brandon Webb
Orlando Hernandez
Brad Halsey
Russ Ortiz
Miguel Batista
Claudio Vargas
Mike Gosling
Dustin Nippert
Edgar Gonzalez

I'm starting this lineup with four lefties. Sue me; Tracy had a .358 OBP last year. Green had good numbers last season, can he repeat that performance? Barring a huge breakout from Dioner Navarro, Estrada is the best hitting catcher in this division. He'll greatly help the bottom of this lineup. Byrnes and O-Dog bring speed and hustle behind Estrada. The bench features former rookie star Alex Cintron and the versatile Damion Easley.
The rotation is an interesting mix. Arizona has turned out more than its fair share of good, young starters over the past few years. They'll be joined by the experience of Hernandez and Ortiz. Batista reunites with with his World Champion teammates Counsell and Gonzalez after a few years as Toronto's closer. Due to injuries, Arizona's bullpen is full of players with closer experience. That will help "shorten the game." Jose Valverde is listed as the closer on the depth chart, and he'll be joined by Brandon Lyon, Luis Vizcaino, and Claudio Vargas.

San Francisco Giants

Lineup
Randy Winn CF
Omar Vizquel SS
Barry Bonds LF
Moises Alou RF
Ray Durham 2B
Lance Niekro 1B
Pedro Feliz 3B
Mike Matheny C

Rotation
Jason Schmidt
Matt Morris
Noah Lowry
Matt Cain
Brad Hennessey
Kevin Correia
Jeff Fassero

Look at that lineup. If everyone can stay healthy, and I can basically guarantee that won't happen, that is an amazing lineup. I like the idea of batting Ray Durham fifth, as he often did last year. After the #1 hitter, the position in the batting order that leads off the most innings is the #5 hitter. Why not put a leadoff-style hitter in that spot? What makes this lineup great is the bottom half. As you know, there's essentially one less spot in a National League lineup than there is in an AL lineup. Most #7 hitters in the AL are good hitters. But, most #7 hitters in the NL wouldn't be #7 hitters in the AL; they'd be #8 hitters. Pedro Feliz may be one of the few exceptions. Before him is Lance Niekro, who spent most of 2005 batting third. One good judge of a batting order is how good the "heart of the order" is. The normal heart is considered to be the 3-5 spots. For San Diego, it's 3-5. For Arizona, it's 3-4. For the Giants, it's 3-7. That's a good lineup. The Giants have a solid bench as well. Steve Finley will back up all outfield positions (and hopefully not start over Winn in center), and Jose Vizcaino will back up all infield positions. Mark Sweeney and Jason Ellison, who both had solid 2005 seasons, are also on the depth chart.
Morris is a huge pickup for San Fran. He may be the help that Jason Schmidt has needed all these years. Of course, after these two, there's not much. Noah Lowry is decent, but you still need more than three starters. Fortunately, the bullpen is solid... until the playoffs, at least. Armando Benitez will be set up by Steve Kline, Jeff Fassero, and Tim Worrell.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Lineup
Kenny Lofton CF
Rafael Furcal/Cesar Izturis SS
JD Drew RF
Jeff Kent 2B
Nomar Garciaparra 1B
Jose Cruz, Jr. LF
Bill Mueller 3B
Dioner Navarro C

Rotation
Derek Lowe
Brad Penny
Odalis Perez
Brett Tomko
JAE SEO! JAE SEO! AHHH!
DJ Houlton

Nine players for eight positions. That's the kind of problem a manager wants to have... until ego gets in the way. Furcal will start at short and Kent at second until Izturis returns from injury. When he does, he will likely take over at second and move Kent to first. Both Furcal and Izturis have experience at short and second, and Izturis has a Gold Glove there, but that's not my decision to make. Surprisingly, I think Lofton leading off and Furcal second is the right way to go. Lofton had an OBP close to .400 last year. Furcal's was much lower, but he has more pop. Drew and Cruz have decent speed. Put them together with Lofton, Furcal, and Izturis when he comes back, and opposing outfielders will become very familiar with the spacious gaps of Chavez Ravine. Ideally, this lineup's "heart" stretches all the way from 2-8. Realistically, it's probably closer to 3-6. The bench features outfielders Ricky Ledee, Jason Repko, and Jayson Werth, all of whom had the talent to start last year. Hee-Seop Choi, Olmedo Saenz, and Willy Aybar also have starter-level talent. Navarro's backup is Sandy Alomar, who is possibly the best mentor the young catcher could have.
LA's rotation looks set as well. The top five are all proven starters. Eric Gagne will be supported by two former AllStarClosersasterisk. Danys Baez and Lance Carter both made the Mid-Summer Classic as Tampa Bay's obligatory selection, but that should take nothing away from their skills as relievers, especially when they're out of the closer's spotlight.

Colorado Rockies

Lineup
Clint Barmes SS
Luis A Gonzalez 2B
Matt Holliday LF
Todd Helton 1B
Garrett Adkins 3B
Brad Hawpe RF
Cory Sullivan CF
Yorvit Torrealba/JD Closser/Danny Ardoin C

Rotation
Jason Jennings
Aaron Cook
Jeff Francis
Byung-Hyun Kim
Zach Day
Sunny Kim
Mike Esposito

Pop quiz: What's type of hitter is best suited for Coors Field? If you answered a power hitter, you may be wrong. Coors has a giant outfield, so it may in fact be better suited for guys who can hit the gaps and run. That's what this team can do. This group of nobodies all got on base at least once in every three plate appearances last year. That being said, who are these guys? Barmes broke out last year before a freak injury. This Luis Gonzalez is doing well for a Rule V draftee (out of Cleveland). Holliday's 2005 numbers remind me of what the young Cleveland stars did right before they broke out. And Helton is Helton. But still, Yorvit Torrealba is the big offseason position player acquisition? If you've never heard of the starters, you surely haven't heard of the bench players. Except, pehaps, for Raphael Desepition "Choo" Freeman.
The rotation features a few bright spots. Cook went 7-2 last year. Francis is the token "young talent who would be great if he ever got out of Colorado." Day is known for having one great pitch: his sinker. Great... except for the fact that the high altitude greatly reduces break on pitches. So, now Day's best pitch is a belt-high BP fastball. Good good. Brian Fuentes, who had 31 saves in 34 opportunities last year, returns as Colorado's closer. He'll be supported by big name free agent acquisitions Ray King and... drumroll please... Jose Mesa. Chiropractors in the Denver area are drooling over the chance to treat Mesa's repeated neck injuries this coming season.

Quick Hits

Throwing this out there a few minutes before the start of the ND-Georgetown game.


The only way to bag a classy lady is to give her two tickets to the gun show. (Courtesy Lori Young/ESPN.com)

• Against Marquette, the men's team looked like they were taking honors classes from the Bob Davie School of Clock Management. Twice under two minutes they came down the court with a two point lead, only to throw up a long jumper with 15 seconds left on the shot clock. Ugh.


• I didn't get a chance to see the women play Georgetown, but I heard the end wasn't pretty. A win's a win, though. Tuesday night they play at Rutgers, which is never an easy task.


• Much baseball on this site in the coming weeks. The World Baseball Classic's "provisional rosters" have been announced, and I'll compare those to the lineups I projected a few months back. Also, it's almost time for my yearly game of predict-the-lineups. Always way too much fun for me.


• Mo Stovall will be wearing his familiar #21 for the North squad in this Saturday's Senior Bowl (4 PM Eastern, ESPN). If you have ESPN Insider, first of all let me ask you why you're paying money for something like that. But, if you are paying for it, you might as well check out all the "inside" information they have on Mo. For those of you sans Insider, be sure to check out Mo's comments from this chat wrap before it ESPN starts charging for it. Mo shows up around the 3:37 mark (hoo hoo!). He sure loves his exclamation marks! And can someone get this guy an XBox 360?

Transaction Wire - Notre Dame in the NFL Edition

12/13 Cardinals activate WRCarlyle Holiday from the practice squad. Holiday was listed as inactive for the Houston and Philadelphia games on 12/18 and 12/24, respectively. He played on New Year's Day against the Colts, but did not touch the football.

12/18 Rams activate TE Jerome Collins from the practice squad. Collins played in the last three games of St Louis' season, but he did not have a catch.

12/20 Redskins sign OL Jim Jones. Jones had been on the San Francisco pratice squad.

12/28 Browns sign TE John Owens. Owens was signed as an emergency plan after all three of Cleveland's top tight ends were battling injury at the end of the season. Owens did not see game action in the final contest of the season.

12/31 Bears activate DT Darrell Campbell from the practice squad. Campbell was added to the Bears travel roster, but he was inactive for the Bears final regular season game and their lone playoff game.

01/02 Patriots sign OL Brennan Curtin to the practice squad. A week later, Curtin was released.

01/06 Bills fire offensive coordinator Tom Clements. Clements, a finalist for the Notre Dame job last year, started as a quarterbacks coach under Lou Holtz. After a year as Lou's assistant head coach, Clements took a job as Bill Cowher's QB coach in Pittsburgh. He is complex and creative in his playcalling, but Clements could only muster 271.8 yards and 15.2 poinst per game out of Willis McGahee and the two-headed QB monster that was JP Losman and Kelly Holcomb. Both numbers ranked 30th out of 32 teams. I doubt anyone can get much out of Losman and Holcomb. Clements will surely find a job somewhere, even if he has to once again step down to quarterbacks coach.

01/17 Patriots promote linebackers coach Dean Pees to defensive coordinator. Pees was the Notre Dame secondary coach in 1994. 2006 will be Pees' 34th season as a college or pro coach.

01/17 Giants sign CB/PR Vontez Duff. This comes on the heels of the news that the Giants also re-signed Ryan Grant through next season.

01/19 Bills sign K Nick Setta. Originally signed by the Saints, Setta has also spent time in the camps of Chicago, Tampa Bay, and Cleveland. He spent a season in Europe with the Rhein Fire.

01/20 Buccaneers sign CB Dwight Ellick. Earlier this season, Ellick was on the Redskins practice squad.

...and one baseball rumor.

Boston papers report that the Indians and Red Sox have agreed in principle to a deal that would send OF Coco Crisp to Boston for 3B Andy Marte and RP Guillermo Mota. Rumors have it that the trade would be contingent on the Tribe being able to land OF Jason Michaels from the Phillies. Those rumors have Philadelphia asking for RP Rafael Betancourt, Arthur Rhodes, or David Riske.
Marte is a great 3B prospect acquired by Boston from Atlanta in the Edgar Renteria trade. Last June (scroll down a little), I mentioned that I was a fan of Marte's glove but not his bat. But, he's only 22 and has potential written all over him. With no one in the third base cupboard at any level for the Tribe, he's definitely a great pickup. Mota is a solid reliever that is often said to have closer ability. Coco Crisp is a very popular player here in Cleveland, but Marte and Mota are far too much to pass up.
Of course, with Crisp gone, the Indians are left with just Grady Sizemore, Casey Blake, Jason DuBois, and Franklin Gutierrez in the outfield. Blake and DuBois struggled with the Mendoze line last year. Blake is a very unselfish player who will do whatever asked (during the 2004-05 offseason, he was rumored to move from third to second, then to first, then to left, then finally to right). But, he looked very replaceable last year. It's hard to tell if DuBois is a year away or a total bust. Gutierrez has all the physical skills, but you don't want to rush him. What's my point? The Indians need another outfielder. Michaels looks like a natural to replace Crisp. Like Crisp, Michaels can play LF and CF. He doesn't have outstanding power or speed, but he does have a great knack for getting on base. This could make him perfect to take over Crisp's #2 spot in the batting order. If a deal for Michaels doesn't work out, there are other options. Free agent Jeff DaVanon was a fourth outfielder during his time in Anaheim. But, when he did play, it looked like he could start for most teams. Another possibility is young Ryan Langerhans from Atlanta. The name of Texas' Kevin Mench has come across Cleveland's lips many times over the past few years, as their biggest need is a right handed power-hitting corner outfielder.
As mentioned above, the Phillies are asking for a relief pitcher in return for Michaels. This is likely the reason why Mota was "thrown in" the Crisp deal. Arthur Rhodes is a veteran lefty who had an ERA of 2.08 in 2005. He's obviously the best of the three relievers Philadephia is asking for. Righty Rafael Betancourt has been a pleasant surprise for the Indians over the past few years. David Riske has had an inconsistent career. He played well enough to earn the closer's role a few years back, then struggled. In 2005, there were periods when he was unhittable, and then there were periods when everything he threw was a home run. I'd definitely give Riske for Michaels. Considering the quantity of young bullpen talent waiting in the wings for Cleveland, I'd also be willing to give up Betancourt for Michaels, especially knowing it could get me Mota. I'd also be willing to give up Rhodes if only the Indians had another lefty in the bullpen besides the wild Scott Sauerbeck.

Notre Dame 78, DePaul 75

Women's Basketball

A while back, I promised to be a better source of Notre Dame women's basketball coverage. Finally, I'm getting around to it.
If you didn't catch tuesday night's game against #10 DePaul, you missed a wild game. As I mentioned in my sports update, the #24 Irish have been struggling as of late. After losing four of their last five, and standing 1-3 in the conference, this was a game that could essentially define the season.
The entire first half was even. The biggest lead by either team was five, when DePaul went up 16-11. At the half, Notre Dame led 37-33.
I picked up the game in the second half, after I got back from our local National Slovak Society's annual dinner (ooh, look at me). Notre Dame scored the first basket of the second period to go up 39-33. Then things went crazy-go-nuts. DePaul went on a 18-0 run, highlighed by three threes from Jenna Rubino. The score now stood at DePaul 51, Notre Dame 39. During this run, I was scrambling to get DePaul's radio feed running on my Linux box. It didn't work out too well. So, I scrambled upstairs to try it on a Windows machine. During that time, Notre Dame went on an 18-0 run of their own to go back up 57-51. The Irish lead got up to seven several times before the Blue Demons started to crawl back.
Before I go on to the end of the game, allow me to enter a tangent on the DePaul radio broadcast. I'm assuming this was an Internet-only broadcast. There was only one person doing the game. Instead of going to commercial during timeouts, the announcer was forced to kill time. My favorite late-game timeout filling monologue went like this:
"And the leprechaun is trying to get the the crowd into it. I... can tell you from experience that this is the backup leprechaun.... The 'real' leprechaun does the men's game. Meanwhile, the band is rocking and rolling all night... and partying every day."
Down 69-68 with 1:34 left, DePaul began to foul. Tulyah Gaines hit both freebies for the Irish, but DePaul came right back with a three to tie the score. Predictably, the Blue Demons... fouled Gaines again. Wait, what? Gaines again converted twice from the charity stripe. A pair of missed shots by DePaul led to two more trips to the free throw line, and Notre Dame converted three of four to go up 76-71. After a basket by DePaul, two free throws by Megan Duffy made the lead 78-73. But, two missed free throws and another basket by DePaul made the game interesting with just 1.5 seconds left.
Leading 78-75, all inbounder Courtney Lavere had to do was get the ball to a teammate and the game would be over. But, it wasn't simple. Blue Demon Allie Quigley stole the inbound pass and put up a half-court shot, but it hit back rim and bounced away. It was a madcap finish to a madcap game.

Notes

• Hampered by poor shooting this season, the Irish shot 47% from the field (28-60), including 50% from 3-point range (5-10). They also converted 17 of 24 free throws, compared to just 6 of 8 for DePaul.
• Duffy nearly had a triple double Tuesday night. She finished with 23 points, 8 rebounds (not bad for a player eligible for the Frances Wooden Award, given to the best senior 5'8 and under), and 9 assists.
• After the game, Coach Muffet McGraw took the PA microphone and thanked the crowd for sticking with the team despite their recent struggles.
• Want a visual representation of that crazy start to the second half? Pull up the Gametracker here and click on the "Game Flow" tab. (WARNING: a VERY LOUD ad for MVP 06 plays when you first open the link.)
• Box Score

Giants Sign Duff

Per Daddy Fitzgerald, per Ellen on the message board, the Giants have signed free agent Vontez Duff for 2006.

Notre Dame Sports Update

Baseball 22 Collegiate Baseball The team, which is set to begin play on February 23, was predicted by Big East coaches to win the conference this year. (The home opener is March 21.) SP Jeff Samardzija, 3B Brett Lilley, and LF Matt Bransfield made the preseason all-Big East team. ND's out-of-conference schedule features Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Arizona. The team's annual Opening Night Dinner, held on February 6, will be keynoted by Charlie Weis and Aaron Heilman.

Men's Basketball 10-5/1-3 Big East The men have struggled in the new, stronger Big East so far, dropping three straight conference games before blowing out a Providence team whose best player is a poor man's Luke Zeller. The team normally plays well enough to hang in close games, with only one loss by more than six points, but they seem to lack that killer instinct when it matters most. It looks like the men are starting to put together the pieces for something good - hustling, getting rebounds, not always settling for threes. Chris Quinn and Russell Carter have the ability to create their own shots. Colin Falls has broken out of an early season slump. Torin Francis is showing flashes of playing with a purpose. Zeller, Rob Kurz, and Kyle McAlarney have contributed well. But it will be a long year unless the Irish can start playing well in crunch time. For their next game, the Irish travel to Marquette for a 9 PM tipoff on ESPNU.

Women's Basketball 10-5/1-3 Big East/20 AP/19 USA Today It hasn't exactly been a storybook season for the women's cagers. Muffet McGraw picked up her 500th career victory early in the season, but later had to leave the team for medical reasons. She is back now, but the team isn't necessarily playing like it. The Irish have lost four of their last five, with the lone win coming in overtime against a decent Marquette team. At first glance, the problem appears to be shooting percentage - both from the field (42.1%/31.2% 3PT) and the free throw line (65.8%). Other than Megan Duffy, the team lacks an outside threat. Melissa D'Amico and Lindsay Schrader have played well, but they have also shown their inexperience at times. The "Lady Irish" face DePaul at home on Tuesday night.

Men's Cross Country 5 MONDO/5 USCCCA The men finished 3rd overall at the NCAA Championships in November, led by Kurt Benninger's individual 8th place finish. Benninger, Tim Moore, and Kaleb Van Ort were named All-Americans.

Women's Cross Country 4 FinishLynx/4 WICCCA The women finished 7th at the same NCAA Championships, paced by Stephanie Madia's 3rd place showing. Madia and Molly Huddle were named All-Americans.

Fencing Olympic Gold Medalist Mariel Zagunis (how many gold medals do you have?) was named to the US World Championship team and helped her country win the sabre title. The Irish continue to prepare their NCAA championship defense by participating the NYU duals on January 22.

Football 9-3/9 AP/11 USA Today Five seniors will be playing in all-star bowls this month. Brandon Hoyte and Dan Stevenson will play in the East-West Shrine Game, Saturday, January 21, at 4 PM eastern. Hoyte will wear #44 and Stevenson #74 for Houston Nutt's East squad against Dennis Franchione's West. DJ Fitzpatrick and Corey Mays will play in the Hula Bowl, Saturday, January 21, at 7 PM eastern. Both Fitzpatrick and Mays will be in their familiar numbers (19 and 46, respectively) for the Tommy Tuberville's East team against Ty Willingham and the West. Mo Stovall will play in the Senior Bowl, Saturday, January 28, at 4 PM eastern. The complete Senior Bowl roster and coaching staffs will not be announced until next week. Coaches are normally taken from the NFL for this game. The Senior Bowl will be televised by ESPN, and I'm assuming the other two will be as well.

Men's Golf The men golfers finished no higher than 5th and no lower than 8th in eight matches this fall, not counting a DQ from their final match. The spring season starts on February 27 in Naples, FL.

Women's Golf The women golfers started strong, finishing no lower than 4th until they reached the Las Vegas Invitational. At Las Vegas, the finished 9th, 8th, and 10th. The semester ended with the Irish finishing 2nd at the Lady Jaguar Invitational. The spring season starts the weekend of February 19 in Parrish, FL.

Hockey 7-12-3/5-8-3 CCHA The icers have been playing well as of late, posting a 3-1-1 record in a stretch that includes a 2-2 tie and a 3-2 loss against #3 Miami University. The Irish next travel to Northern Michigan for games on Friday and Saturday.

Men's Lacrosse 10 Lacrosse Mag/12 Inside Lacrosse/12 Face-Off Yearbook The men lax-ers begin their spring season on February 26 with a home game against Penn State.

Women's Lacrosse Following a 2005 season that saw only 3 wins, the women begin their 2006 campaign at Cal on February 24. Attacker Crysti Foote returns from the Canadian national team to lead the Irish this spring.

Women's Rowing The women rowers competed in four events this fall. At least one Irish boat finished in the top 5 in all races competed in.

Men's Soccer 12-8-3/6-4-1 Big East In what was perhaps the highlight of the season, the Irish knocked of the defending champs from Indiana 2-0 in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The season ended days later with a 1-0 loss to Clemson. Midfielder/defender Greg Dalby was named a first team All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, College Soccer News, and SoccerTimes.com.

Women's Soccer 22-3-0/10-1-0 Big East/5 NSCAA/5 Soccer America The women advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals, losing 3-1 to the eventual champions from Portland. Forward Katie Thorlakson was named a finalist for the Hermann Trophy, the player-of-the-year award for women's soccer.

Softball The softball team begins the season on February 18 with a doubleheader against Colorado State and BYU in Las Vegas.

Men's Swimming & Diving 5-1/19 CSCAA Besides their 5-1 record, the Irish have finished 1st in two events and 5th in one. The swimmers and divers next hit the pool this Friday at Northwestern.

Women's Swimming & Diving 2-2/20 CSCAA The women swimmers and divers are only 2-2 this year, but they have finished first or second in all tournaments and invitationals participated in this season. The team swims again versus Michigan State this Saturday.

Men's Tennis 26 ITA The tennis season continues this Saturday at Northwestern.

Women's Tennis 22 ITA The 22nd ranked Irish women's tennis team is led by Catrina and Christian Thompson, the #1 rated doubles team. The team next plays Ohio State on January 28 at the Eck Tennis Pavillion.

Track & Field The Irish began the spring on January 14 in a non-scored meet at Purdue. The Notre Dame Opener starts this Friday at the Loftus Center.

Volleyball 30-4/13-1 Big East/12 AVCA/11 Volleyball The Irish volleyball team fell three games to two against Wisconsin in the NCAA round of 16, a year after the same Wisconsin team ended the Irish season in the second round. MB Lauren Brewster was named a second-team All-American, while OHs Lauren Kelbley and Adrianna Stasiuk were given honorable mentions.

KankaNation Top 15How They Voted

	Andy	Dave	Kanka
1	Texas	Texas (+1)	Texas (+1)
2	USC	USC (-1)	USC (-1)
3	Penn St	Penn St (+1)	Penn St
4	Ohio St	Ohio St (+1)	Ohio St
5	Va Tech (+5)	WVU (+4)	WVU (+7)
6	WVU (+5)	Georgia (+2)	LSU (+3)
7	Georgia (+1)	LSU (+3)	Notre Dame (-2)
8	LSU (+6)	Notre Dame (-5)	Va Tech (+2)
9	Notre Dame (-4)	Va Tech (+3)	Alabama (+5)
10	Alabama (+5)	Alabama (+3)	Georgia (-3)
11	TCU (+1)	Florida (NR)	Oregon (-5)
12	Florida (NR)	Wisconsin (NR)	Florida (NR)
13	Wisconsin (NR)	Oregon (-6)	Wisconsin (NR)
14	Auburn (-8)	Texas Tech (NR)	Auburn (-3)
15	Texas Tech (NR)	Auburn (NR)	TCU

Who's Your Daddy?

Congratulations to Mike Hatton, winner of the 2005 KankaNation Championship!

View Complete Results

2006 Baseball Hall of Fame Nominees

Here are the players who were on this year's baseball Hall of Fame ballot. Voting results were announced on Tuesday - boy did that sneak up on me. I really wish I had a calendar or something so I could keep track of that. Oh well, you'll just get this a day late.

In italics is each player's number of votes, and the percentage of the 520 total votes they recieve. 75% puts you in the hall, and 5% means you're good enough to come back on next year's ballot.

As you probably know, the NFL has an "inclusive" hall of fame, and the MLB has an "exclusive" Hall of Fame. Which system is better? I'll let you decide.

Elected

Bruce Sutter 400/76.9% Sutter retired in 1988, making him first eligible for the hall of fame in 1988. He is the first hall of fame pitcher to never start a single game in his entire Major League career. His 300 saves are 19th all time, and he led the league in saves five times. Not overly impressive numbers, but it wasn't exactly a strong year. Does that mean writers should vote for people they normally wouldn't? No. Does that mean Sutter doesn't deserve this? I don't know. Retiring in 1988 (and not playing for Cleveland), I never really got to see him play. On a positive note, he did average 1 2/3 IP per appearance over his entire career, something you won't see from closers these days.

Also-Rans

Jim Rice 337/64.8% The great debate. Is a .298 average, 382 HR, and 1451 RBI in a hitter's park hall worthy? Did Rice only finish so high because this was an off year? Oh yeah, almost forgot: "337! Hoo hoo!"

Rich "Goose" Gossage 336/64.6% Sixteenth all time in saves with 310. Why is Sutter in the HOF and not Gossage? Gossage played for 22 seasons to Sutter's 12, so some argue his numbers are simply a produce of longevity. Gossage was in the top 10 in saves 11 times, but he led the league only three times. I'd still probably vote for him.

Andre Dawson 317/61.0% Another borderline guy. After 21 seasons, he finished with 438 home runs (32nd all time) and 1591 RBI (28th all time). Considering 11 seasons were spent in two hitter-unkind ballparks in Montreal, I would have to consider voting for him.

Bert Blyleven 277/53.3% 287 wins (25th overall). 3701 strikeouts (5th overall). 685 starts (9th overall). 60 shutouts (9th overall). A solid ERA and WHIP year after year. That's the good news. Thirteenth overall in innings pitched: again, is longevity good or bad? Now, the bad news: seventh all time in home runs allowed, 29th in walks allowed, 10th in losses and earned runs allowed. Are those the numbers keeping voters away? I'd sure vote for him.

Lee Smith 234/45.0% Now that it's acceptable to vote for relief pitchers, will the career saves leader (478) become a hall of famer? Smith led the leage in saves four times asnd finished second four times. His career ERA is a hair over 3. He's a seven time all star. He'd also get my vote.

Jack Morris 214/41.2% Dave is convinced that he's a hall of famer. He's got 254 wins and several notable dominating performances. I'll let you decide.

Tommy John 154/29.6% 288 wins, but he was most notably remembered for being the guinea pig on elbow ligament surgery that is now commonplace among young pitchers. Does he deserve to get in as an "innovator" like Roger Bresnahan, a guy who hit only .279 with 682 runs scored, but who did have 202 steals and pioneered the use of protective gear for catchers?

Steve Garvey 135/26.0% A solid player, but not spectacular. Career .294 average. 1308 RBI. A few home runs. Just not the best of the best.

Alan Trammell 92/17.7% Like Garvey, he played very well for very many years. Won Gold Gloves and Silver Slugger awards. But he wasn't particularly spectacular.

Dave Parker 76/14.4% Parker may actually have a resume slightly better than Garvey or Trammell's. He has 2712 hits and is 44th all time with 1493 RBI. The fact he led the league in intentional walks twice and is 23rd overall gives some indication as to how he was viewed as a hitter. Again, I'd put him ahead of Trammell and Garvey based on numbers (not particularly seeing any of them play that much), but still no cigar here.

Dave Concepcion 65/12.5% His offensive numbers look mediocre, but he played shortstop in a time when big numbers weren't expected from that position. He played it well, too, earning five Gold Gloves. He deserves some mention, but maybe not Hall of Fame mention.

Don Mattingly 64/12.3% No. Next. (Yes Ellen, I am kidding. No I'm not.)

Orel Hershiser 58/11.2% Only 58 votes? Wasn't "Bulldog" a dominating pitcher? What about the streak of 59 scoreless innings? Well, I looked at his overall numbers, and they tell a different story: 204-150 with an ERA of 3.48.

Dale Murphy 56/10.8% What Rice is to Red Sox fans, Concepcion is to Reds fans, and Mattingly is to Yankees fans (and Ron Santo is to Cubs fans), Murphy is to Braves fans. Those who watched him play every day think he belongs in the hall. Murphy does have 398 HR, 2 NL MVPs, and a few Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers. But relatively low numbers in other categories (.267 BA, 1266 RBI, 1197 R) are holding him back.

Albert Belle 40/7.7% Belle, to put it mildly, wasn't a fan of the spotlight. He's battled alcoholism, trick or treaters, Internet posters, and accusations from the don't-put-up-with-any-crap-from-teammates Omar Vizquel. When you look at it, though, while Belle had many "good" seasons, he only had four "great" seasons over a course of five years. In 1994, he hit .357. 1995 was his famous 50/50 year, when he finished with 50 HR and 52 doubles. In 1996 he had 48 HR and 148 RBI. In 1998, it was 49 and 152. But is four seasons good enough for the hall of fame? Definitely not when the voting is done by the writers, a group of people that Belle definitely did not get along with.

No Love

Will Clark 23/4.4% Solid, not spectacular.

Dwight "Doc" Gooden 17/3.3% Hall of fame potential. 44th all time in strikeouts. A ROY, a Cy, and a Silver Slugger. But so much talent gone to waste.

Willie McGee 12/2.3% 2254 hits, .295 average. Good, but not great.

Hal Morris 5/1.0% Predictably, Morris took two steps toward the hall, the swung and missed.

Ozzie Guillen 5/1.0% Ugh. Still not a good time for me to comment on Ozzie Guillen.

Gary Gaetti 4/0.8% Another member of the 2200 hit club. Thanks for playing.

John Wetteland 4/0.8% 330 saves. He was considered dominant for a few years, but obviously not dominant enough.

Rick Aguilera 3/0.6% Wait, Rick Aguilera retired 5 years ago.

Doug Jones 2/0.4% This is why I'm not a HOF voter. Jones was Cleveland's closer when I first started following the Tribe. He does have 303 saves, but never finished higher than 3rd in that category. Good, sure. Dominant, no.

Greg Jefferies 2/0.4% Yeah, sorry, I'm honestly having trouble remembering who Gregg Jefferies is.

Walt Weiss 1/0.2% A decent player, but other than a Rookie of the Year award, he didn't even make it to the stat leaderboard too often.

Gary DiSarcina 0/0.0% Yet another guy who rarely made it to the stat leaderboards.

Alex Fernandez 0/0.0% Sorry, 107 wins and an ERA of 3.74 isn't going to cut it.

Even Less Love

Tim Belcher, Stan Belinda, Lance Johnson, Roberto Kelly, Mickey Morandini, Luis Polonia, Jeff Reed, Heathcliff Slocumb, and Mike Stanley we technically eligible for the first time this year, but were not included on the ballot.

The Class of 2006

Dick Lynch: (6 votes) Who is Dick Lynch? The Notre Dame standout DB went on to play eight seasons for the New York Giants. He is currently a commentator for WFAN's broadcasts of Giants football. Plus, Ellen LOOOVES him.


Charlie Weis: (5 votes) Um, if you read this site, you may have heard of this guy before.


Hal Lebovitz: Mr. Lebovitz is the first ever Veteran's Committee inductee for the KankaNation Hall of Fame. And by "Veteran's Committee," I mean "this is my site and I can put whomever I want in the Hall of Fame." The legendary Cleveland sportswriter, an inspiration to many, passed away in the fall of 2005.

We had a record 10 people submit ballots this year. Here's how the voting broke down, and some comments provided by the voters:

Dick Lynch	6	You know, I have no idea who this is. I went for the funny name factor.
Charlie Weis	5	There is not so much for his coaching as for the man he is. He does amazing work with his daughter's charity, he let a dying boy call a play and followed through even when it seemed a little crazy, he met with kids in Tempe just ahead of the Fiesta Bowl and signed autographs and made his players do that too...he even let a little kid wear his Super Bowl ring and watched the kid throw a few passes. He also made sure those kids knew his players were students too, not just athletes. He's a great man. God Bless him.
Charlie Weis, Jr.	3
Jeff Samardzija	3	I like the name. Amazing athlete...may go down as one of ND's all-time greats.
Lou Holtz	3	For verbally kicking Mark May in the nyuts everytime I watch.
Catholic Packer Fan	2	Because any guy that is Catholic and also roots for the Packers and Irish has to be an OK guy. Plus he reads Kanka faithfully, which should garner a few key votes of support sealing his induction into the Kanka hall of fame. Can't a guy nominate himself?
Dave	2	Besides Kanka (and maybe Ellen), the most fired up KankaManiac.
Ellen's face	2	The face of Kankanation. Dah.
Fr. Ted	2	Do I really have to explain this one?
Jerome Bettis	2
Julius Jones	2	Hell yeah.
Loyal KankaManiacs	2
Montana Mazurkiewicz	2	God bless him and his family.
Mo Stovall	2
The Pope	2	Can't argue with the voice of God on earth.
Rose the cadaver	2	Click here.
Aflac duck	1
Brady Quinn	1
Bratwurst	1	what's a football game without one?
Brett Favre	1	No hall of fame is worth its weight in salt without the grittiest QB this side of the 1960's. A competitor, through and through, and a likable guy from all news reports, too. Plus he plays for the greatest team ever to walk the football fields of the NFL.
Count Chocula	1
Darius Walker	1
Dave Wannstedt	1	For deciding to coach Pitt, this insures many Irish victories against Pitt in the years to come. Plus any guy that wears a mustache like that for as long as he has deserves to be in a hall of fame somewhere, why not in cyberspace?
The dog from My Dog Skip
Fr. Joyce	1
Fr. Sorin	1	He started it all.
Hal Lebovitz	1
Harry Dog	1
John Krasinski as Jim Halpert (The Office)	1	Um, he pretty much makes the show, plus he's Polish.
Kanka's Infamous Cousin	1
Kanye West	1	"Golddigger" rocks my world.
Leo Ferrine	1
Lisa Guerrero	1	For deciding to pose nude in Playboy next month...'old chicks' look good, too.
mini-Kanka	1
Niele Ivey	1
Notre Dame women's sports	1
Owners of CJ's	1	For reopening their bar after having bricks dumped through their roof. I revisited the joint this year after it reopened, it is still essentially the same.
Regis Philbin	1
Ricky Gervais	1	For bringing The Office to America.
Rugby fan who cut his nuts off	1	His story is here. Any guy who cuts his 'tackle' off belongs in a hall of fame somewhere, too.
Ruth Riley	1
Sandra Oh as Cristina Yang (Grey's Anatomy)	1	She's a totally kick-ass chick in medicine--gotta love her.
Stephen Colbert	1	The Colbert Report is obviously the best new show of 2005.
Superman	1

They Link Me

I've thrown up a few more links in my sidebar. They're all people who were kind enough to link to me, so please check them out.

4INFO Mobile Search: If cell phones weren't entirely evil, I'd definitely use this often. Text a team name to 44636, and this service will return sports scores for you. Or, text a league name, or a search term....

CJ's Happy Hour: No, not that CJ's. Just a girl who likes auto racing and ND football. (And the Stillers....)

The Courtmaster Rules on College Sports: A sports blogger who's also a freelance writer and has made radio appearances. Wait a minute, this guy may actually know what he's talking about!

Heavyweight Football Champs: An interesting new approach to removing the M from "MNC." Go hard or go home.

Ohio State 34, Notre Dame 20

Quarterback: My how far we've come. Brady Quinn missed on 16 passes, no thanks to several drops. Yet, he still completed 64% of his passes for 286. In the first half, he had a tendency to hold on to the ball for too long, and coupled with good coverage by the Buckeye secondary, Quinn was sacked a season-high five times. This was also the first time Quinn failed to throw a touchdown pass all year.

Running Back:

Courtesy AP/Lenny Ignelzi

Coming into this game, it was likely that Ohio State would be without starting linebacker Bobby Carpenter. In his place, OSU had two options: play their experienced nickelback, or play a freshman linebacker. In either situation, wouldn't it have been favorable for Notre Dame to go with two tight ends and run at Carpenter's replacement? Darius Walker had one of his finest games of the season, finishing with 90 yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground. He had been criticized for not being able to break big runs, but Walker did average 5.6 yards per carry with a long of 20 against one of the better run defenses in the country. If only Notre Dame hadn't gotten behind so early, perhaps Walker could have had an even better day. Walker also finished with 7 receptions (second most on the team) for 37 yards, and several times put a nice block on a blitzing AJ Hawk. Most of those catches came late in the game, as Ohio State shut off all options downfield. Travis Thomas did not see any action in this game.

Fullback: Asaph Schwapp, counterpart of Ohio State's Stan White, Jr., only carred twice for 4 yards.

Receiver: Jeff Samardzija's case of the dropsies carried over from the Syracuse game. He did still finish with 6 catches for 59 yards. Mo Stovall fairly quietly ended up with 9 catches for 126 yards, both tops among Irish receivers. Matt Shelton, benefitting from lack of depth in the Buckeye secondary, had by far his best game of 2005 with 5 catches for 52 yards. For a period in the middle of the game, it seemed like Shelton was Brady Quinn's only reliable option. (There are some who would say that he was also the only one playing with heart in the middle of the game.)

Tight End: If Anthony Fasano's career with the Irish is over, he ended it on a very quiet note. Fasano grabbed two passes for 12 yards.

O-Line: On the plus side, Darius Walker ran for 90 yards against a great rush defense. On the other side, Brady Quinn was sacked a season high five times. But, how many of those can be attributed to Ohio State's secondary?

D-Line: Sadly, it was another quiet day for the Notre Dame defensive line. Derek Landri played hard, as he has all season, and ended with six tackles. Ronald Talley had three tackles and a fumble recovery, Victor Abiamiri had two tackles, and Trevor Laws had one. As much as I've praised this young line's potential, it appears that much of it is still just that - potential.

Linebacker: Corey Mays led the team with 12 tackles. He also had the lone Irish sack, forcing a fumble. Mays and Stovall quite easily could be the MVPs of the second half of the season. Brandon Hoyte added 10 tackles, including one in the backfield. Maurice Crum had 7.

Safety: Tom Zbikowski played hard. He had 9 tackles, and probably should have been credited with a fumble return for a touchdown. (I've only seen one camera angle to this point.) However, my statement that Zbikowski and Chinedum Ndukwe are really both strong safeties held true in this game. Yes, Santonio Holmes and Ted Ginn have tremendous speed. But, you can at least limit speed by keeping ahead of them and taking proper angles. Zbikowski and Ndukwe often failed to do both. The worst moment, though, was when Ndukwe (who finished with 2 tackles) let Holmes get past him, then made a half-hearted swipe at the receiver's shoulder. If that was full speed for Ndukwe, then a position change to linebacker is definitely in order. I don't really see Zbikowski moving to linebacker. Charlie Weis asked Mo Stovall to lose weight to become a better receiver. I don't see Coach Weis asking his All-American punt returner to put on weight to play linebacker. If David Bruton, or someone else perhaps, can play free safety properly, Zbikowski should do well settling in at the strong safety position.

Cornerback: Well, I've been talking about Ambrose Wooden's "let them catch it and then make the sure tackle" approach all season. In the Fiesta Bowl, that approach finally came back to haunt him. Wooden did finish with 7 tackles, but left in single coverage Holmes and Ginn often were able to put the moves on him. Mike Richardson, who had been having a solid season, was very quiet in this game. Leo Ferrine, despite only recording two tackles, played a decent game - especially considering he was often left covering Ted Ginn in the nickel formation.

Kicker: DJ Fitzpatrick appeared to be back in full health. He averaged 61 yards per kickoff. He did not attempt a field goal, but he did miss one of his three extra point attempts.

Punter: Fitzpatrick had a decent game punting, averaging 42.3 yards per kick. Two of his season high 6 punts landed inside the 20.

Kick Returner: Only two of Josh Houston's kickoffs were returnable. The opening kick, on which Houston slipped, was returned by Asaph Schwapp for 10 yards. DJ Hord had a return for 13 yards.

Punt Returner: The only return that counted for Tom Zbikowski wasn't that impressive: 0 yards.

Special Teams: While Chinedum Ndukwe and Trevor Laws had poor days on defense, they made up for it on special teams, each blocking a field goal. The Irish coverage teams did a respectable job against Ohio State's dangerous return men, giving up 17 yards per kick return and 10 yards per punt return.

Well, that sucked.

by Dave Schmitt, KankaNation Columnist

Very disappointing game. I guess our incredible offense was hiding a sub-par defense all along. We ran into a great defense that was able to slow us down some, and their balanced offense put it out of reach. The young guys on defense hurt us - Wooden had a brutal game (although he's been better than anticipated all year), Crum had some dumb penalties and looked lost on that crucial 3rd down coversion, and OSU ran at Talley all day long. Hopefully, by next season, the defense will be coached up some more. We really could have used a serious pass-rusher like Tuck, also.

But when you're not generating a pass rush with your front four, why not try blitzing? When I saw we were not blitzing early, I knew it was a mistake - letting Smith find a rhythm was the worst possible scenario. Minter's chicken-shit schemes were beaten like a drum all night long. I understand that when you're going up against tremendous speed at WR, you don't want to blitz because it leaves your corners on an island - but sitting back in coverage clearly was not working anyway! We failed to get to the quaterback in any conceivable fashion, and then we didn't keep contain on him. I'm still trying to understand how our linebackers fit into the gameplan. Minter has a very big year next year, and I have a feeling Charlie will be spending more time on that side of the ball.

Offensively, Quinn did all he could - he was hit a lot and there were many unusual dropped balls. The offensive line was truly awful, which is odd since they've done a nice job of blitz pickup. Really, the only guy who stepped up big on offense was Walker. He was extremely impressive. It reminded me of his debut in the Michigan game last year, where he took it upon himself to be the offense, whether the offensive line was there or not. Walker, and Landri and Zbikowski on defense (who were in on every tackle, no matter where on the field) were the only guys to play really well. That's not gonna beat too many top-5 teams.

Still, a lot of progress was made this year, virtually all of it offensively. If the defense can improve by a decent margin in the offseason (possibly aided by a few key recruits?), with almost the whole offense back, there's no excuse for not being in the the BCS again, if not the national title picture. The schedule really isn't that hard. Let's make Brady's final year a special one.