ND vs. USF 2011 Intro

Greetings Notre Dame friends and fans. Welcome to the 2011 season and our Fighting Irish!

We were all very encouraged how the 2010 team matured and won throughout November. And beating the Miami Hurricanes in the Sun Bowl in El Paso or in Soldier Field in Chicago next season (October 6) is always sweet.

We begin Head Coach Brian Kelly “2.0”  this weekend  vs. the University of South Florida Bulls. There is a history of former ND coaches excelling in their second seasons and everyone hopes the same for BK.

(BTW–has anyone else noted that the USF campus in is in Tampa which looks a lot more like central Florida on a map?  But it is still south of something, I guess.)

This is the youngest D-1 college football team in the country travelling to the home of one of the oldest and most revered program in the history of college football. The story-line here of course is the young head coach—“Skip” Holtz—a former student and Monogram winner at ND. You may have heard of his famous mother, Beth.

You are reading the very first “real” blog submission in my reporting career. Previously, I sent e-mail updates to several different groups of ND pals and called it a “blog”. My Editor (daughter Katie) re-formatted those crude e-mail submissions into blog format below for posterity where you can re-live the “blog” highlights of last season,

But this is actually now a real blog. I am not sure for the interest or viability. And this could be futile comparing the effort expended against the value or utility…but here we go.

This Thursday morning began as usual at 6:30am at Martin’s Market Cafe for coffee, the South Bend Tribune and my “pre-game.”  That is in preparation to the return to Armando’s for a well-needed cut and to catch-up with the namesake and styling legend.

I contend that no stylist (barber) in the country has fashioned the follicles of more illustrious coaches, All-Americans, athletes, students and appreciative Alums than Armando Femia.

I had not expected to see Brian Kelly since he was in for a cut with his young son last week. But Head Hoops Coach Mike Brey was just finishing-up. He had just returned from vacation at the family beach house in Delaware. He said he was eager to meet with new players and the full team. He was remarkably out-of-character since he was “mock-less”.

Remember: “Fear the mock”

 Also, simply as a point of perspective for those detractors of the “Brey mock”…just imagine he had instead selected the “dickie” as his signature fashion mark. So there.

Coach Brey is always outgoing and approachable. We can name every Big East coach that he is cleaner than.

Armando said that as ND football players filter in for their new season haircuts, each sounds extremely positive and confident–not boastful in  way…,just focused and excited to begin a new season.

For the record, I will repeat, for every All-American, every everyday player and walk-on…Armando has never awarded a free (“it’s on me”) haircut. Everyone forks over ‘da monee.

Overall, a it has been a fairly quiet pre-Labor Day holiday Thursday. Campus is not percolating like a usual Thursday (wait for MSU). But there is a lot of anticipation here.

More to report as I let the game come to me…

Abe