Troy Smith wins the Heisman

GO BUCKS!!!

That is all.

Funny

The BCS computers have deemed that no team is worthy of facing the OSU Buckeyes in the National Championship. So sayeth The Onion.

Some of my favorite quotes from the article:

"No team in America deserves to even step on the same field as Ohio State, let alone actually play in a game against them."

From Lloyd Carr: "[Q]uite frankly, I'd be afraid for our guys' safety if we had to go up against that defense again..."

Urban Meyer admitted that "being the SEC champion was not the same thing as being Ohio State."

Anyway, funny article. Gotta love The Onion.

It's official

VS.

The Ohio State Buckeyes will face the Florida Gators in the National Championship, to be held in Glendale, Arizona.

And while I'm a fan of Florida's mascot, I'm 100% behind my alma mater. GO BUCKS!

(Maybe the Gators will be crushed by this Giant Buckeye of Doom. Ha ha.)

My friends are AWESOME

It's been a really good day. Notre Dame crushed Army, and it was a lot of fun watching my last home game as a student here at ND. The Irish broke out the green jerseys - an interesting call. I like them, but they're thought to be cursed. When Notre Dame has used the green jerseys in the past - often in big games - the Irish tend to lose. But this game was supposed to be a sure thing, so we figured this was a way to break the curse and improve the green jerseys' record. But when the Irish started the game looking sluggish and Army jumped out to a 3-0 lead, we were worried. Luckily the team got their act together and ultimately prevailed 41-9.

And Ohio State won The Game - defeating archrival Michigan and clinching a spot in the National Championship. But the big news of the day is that I got to see the entire OSU-Michigan game today despite going to the ND-Army game. How you ask?

Because I have AWESOME friends. Right around the end of the first quarter of today's ND game, Brooke, Adam, Meghan, and Alina (in absentia) surprised me with an incredible gift - a pocket TV to watch The Game with. I wasn't the only person in the stadium watching a portable TV, but I became pretty popular with people seeking updates on the college football duel of the year. (Strangely enough, the ND game announcers didn't give very many updates on the OSU-Michigan game.*)

After the ND game, we headed back to Brooke's for Tortilla Soup (delicious, especially after a long day of standing in the cold) and to watch the end of The Game. Despite an explosive opening (Ohio State led 28-14 at halftime), it was a nail biter of an ending. Michigan played much better in the second half, and OSU had three turnovers. The Wolverines managed to pull within three points, but the Buckeyes held on for the win, 42-39.

So it's been a great day of college football, made even greater by my friends. So here's to Brooke, Meghan, Adam, and Alina - you rock.

* UPDATE: Apparently it was ND coach Weis's decision to not announce the OSU-Michigan score during the game:

"To make sure the Irish weren't focusing on anything else, Weis ordered that the Michigan-Ohio State score not be announced during the game."

But I think they did give at least one score update during the game... so who knows.

"We have Troy Smith. You don't."

For an entertaining preview of this season's biggest match up in college football (aka The Game), check out this story. It's a fun debate between an Ohio State alum and Michigan alum. They cover a lot of ground: rowdy fans, the Toledo War, Woody Hayes' infamous 1968 2-pt conversion attempt (OSU was leading 50-14), and even what game plans to expect from each team come Saturday. And don't worry, there's plenty of trash talk.

OSU-Michigan is a big game every year. This time around it's huge. And apparently it's the first time the two teams have met as 1 vs 2. I'm going to miss the beginning of The Game because I'll be in the Notre Dame stands watching the Irish pulverize Army. But after that I'm definitely catching the end of this one.

And as always... GO BUCKS!

A big day for OSU

Yesterday, one OSU team trounced Minnesota 44-0. Another OSU knocked off USC. It was a good day for both Buckeye and Beaver fans. Oh, and ND beat Navy. The Irish definitely had more momentum (that's mass times velocity, by the way) than the Midshipmen in the second half.

Geeking up football

Okay, just a quick rant here. Navy is doing really well this year and looks to win the "Commander in Chief trophy" (best record of the service academies) for the fourth straight year. This is all fine and well. But I have to take exception to a quote from one of the Navy players to the AP:

Ballard, who was named the game's MVP, gained the tough yards inside. Afterward, the economics major had a simple explanation for his success.

"A lot of it is just momentum," he said. "You know, mass times acceleration. It comes down to that." (emphasis added)

Okay, I know the guy is an econ major, but if he's going to talk like this someone has to sit down and teach him some physics. Momentum is NOT mass times acceleration - it's mass times velocity (p = mv); Force is mass times acceleration (F = ma). Seriously, what are they teaching these kids at Annapolis?

Ouch

Michigan trounced Notre Dame, 47-21.
It was an ugly, painful game. Let us never speak of it again.

In other news, Ohio State cruised to another victory against Cincinnati, 37-7. At least one of my teams did something right today. GO BUCKS!

Bradley comes to South Bend

This past weekend, my friend Brad came to visit. Brad's currently relaxing after finishing law school and sitting for the Ohio bar, so he had a little free time to drive to South Bend and take in the sights.


Bradley is less than impressed with his South Bend accommodations.

On Friday afternoon we played some golf on the Notre Dame 9-hole course.


Bradley hits a nice shot out of the bunker.

Saturday was a day of football. We kicked things off with Brooke's "Tailgate Without a Tailgate"(TM) cookout. After some food and beer, we headed to the stadium to watch Notre Dame crush Penn State, 41-7. Then it was back to Brooke's for pizza and the Ohio State-Texas game. This hotly anticipated game had been preceded with a week's worth of good-natured smack talk between Brooke and me. Best of the week:

Setting: Law school lounge, approximately 9:45am. Brooke has just walked up to our table.

Me: So Brooke, how do you like your steaks cooked?
Brooke: (pause) Um, medium rare. Why?
Me: Well, I figured there'll be plenty of beef to go around after the Buckeyes slaughter the Longhorns this weekend!
Onlookers: Oh, snap!

In spite of this buildup, the banter during the game was a bit anti-climactic. We were all pretty tired at this point and it was all we could do to muster the appropriate cheers for good plays by our respective teams. When it was all over, Brad and I were psyched that OSU prevailed.

Before Brad took off on Sunday, we went out for breakfast at the American Pancake House. The food was great, and I have to go back if for no other reason than to pick up the placemat with an ad for the ultimate miracle concoction, an all-natural panacea for all that ails ya. I'd tell you more about it, but I can't remember what it's called. (You know, because I didn't get a placemat and therefore have to go back.)

All in all, it was a fun weekend and it was good to see Brad again. If you're interested in planning an exciting destination vacation to exotic South Bend, contact your travel agent. And once s/he finishes laughing at you, send me an email.

(NOTE: It probably goes without saying, but the pictures posted above are not actually of Brad, but are instead actors in dramatic reenactments of actual-ish events.)

Alex on XL commercials

Yes, I went to a Superbowl party. Susan and David hosted a fine shindig in the clubhouse of their apartment complex. Five TVs, a pool table, ping-pong table, cards, plenty of snacks and even a pinata. All in all, quite festive. Good times.

I didn't really watch much of the game. I spent most of my time playing pool and euchre. But I did catch some of the famed commercials. (For a complete recap on advertising's holy day, see Derek's recaps here and here.) But of the commercials I did see, here are my thoughts.

My five favorites:
1. Mastercard's MacGyver commercial - Because Richard Dean Anderson can save the world on a shoestring budget (pun intended). The final scene of the commercial with MacGyver at the checkout lane: priceless. I suggest a sequel in which a captured MacGyver uses his credit card to cut himself loose, unlock a door, and disarm a nuclear warhead.
2. Prehistoric FedEx commercial - Okay, the anachronism of dinosaurs and cavemen bothered me at first, but the commercial redeemed itself with the whole "But FedEx doesn't even exist yet!"/"Not my problem." exchange.
3. Diet Pepsi, The Client commercials - I liked both of these commercials, but particularly the stunt double commercial featuring Jackie Chan. Swapping out the Diet Pepsi for Diet Coke was amusing. I wonder if Diet Coke could run with this though -- "Diet Coke: Tougher than Diet Pepsi."
4. Careerbuilder Monkey commercial - Monkeys are funny. Monkeys dressed up in business attire and partying in a conference room are funnier. Monkeys in business attire partying because the company growth chart is purposefully rotated 90 degrees? Hilarious.
5. NFL Dr. Seuss commercial - Ah, the places you'll go. I think this football-themed commercial was more interesting than the game itself. And it had Harrison Ford.

Least favorite:
Monster Hummer commercial - Okay, maybe I just don't like their ginormous gas-guzzling SUVs. Maybe I'd rather not think about the love child of a city-rampaging robot and Godzilla's kid sister.

Most bizarre:
Emerald Nuts commercial - Um, say again???
Runner up:
Burger King Musical Number commercial - Women dressed up as burger ingredients? Ooookaay. "Springtime for Whoppers and Burger King..."

Get those Tostitos ready...

It's official: Ohio State and Notre dame will head to Tempe, Arizona to duke it out in the Fiesta Bowl. It's a can't-miss game for an "Irish Buckeye." It'll be an interesting matchup, and one I didn't expect to see for a while.

In anticipation of the occasion, here are links to each school's fight song:

First, Cheer, cheer for Old Notre Dame...
Then hear the Buckeye Battle Cry!

For more news on the BCS bowls and the impending OSU-ND Fiesta matchup, check out Brendan's blog.

Irish-Buckeye Fiesta?

Ohio State and Notre Dame both had good seasons this year, and both ended with 9-2 records. Both are BCS eligible, and could end up facing each other in a bowl game this year -- the Fiesta Bowl. That would be quite the matchup for an "Irish Buckeye."

Should OSU and ND duke it out in the Fiesta Bowl, my loyalties would be divided between my alma mater (OSU) and my current school (ND). I didn't expect such a situation to arise, since the two schools weren't scheduled to play each other (during the regular season, which schools have some control over) for any of the three years I'm here in South Bend. But the general rule is that your alma mater trumps all. [Of course, I feel that there should be some exceptions to this; if OSU and ND were scheduled to play during the regular season, and ND was on a possible national championship run whereas OSU wasn't, I think I'd have to root for ND.] So if Ohio State and Notre Dame are selected to play in the Fiesta Bowl, I'll be sporting scarlet and gray. Although I may wear some Notre Dame apparel as well. Fortunately for my ND friends, I'll be at home during the Fiesta Bowl and not around to harrass them when OSU wins. :) Although I'll have to make a note to avoid wearing my OSU shirts and sweatshirts for a while at the beginning of next semester if the two teams do play over break.

Despite the divided loyalties thing, I'd actually look forward to such a pairing. It's sure to be an interesting and exciting game between two very good teams with different playing styles. But perhaps the biggest benefit of an OSU-ND matchup is not having to switch channels during the game to check up on both teams.

For those interested in sports stat stuff: The Fiesta Bowl has been kind to OSU in recent years; they've been to Tempe twice in the past five years (2003, vs. Miami; 2004, vs. Kansas St.), winning both times. One of those wins was for the 2002 National Championship, where the Buckeyes bested Miami in double overtime. Notre Dame's last two trips to the Fiesta Bowl (1995, vs. Colorado; 2001, vs. Oregon St.) were considerably less successful: both were losses for the Irish.

Update snack

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, but alas the drought will last a little while longer. Consider this post a little tidbit to hold you over. Of course if you get bored with checking for new posts here, feel free to peruse some of the blogs over on the right. Brendan and Derek tend to be far more prolific in their updates.

Now for a quick whirlwind tour over what's been going on:

Callback interview - I enjoyed the trip out to D.C. I really liked the firm. That's all I'll say here; if you want more details, be sure to contact me via email, IM, or in person.
"Thanks, Danny. I love Washington." -- Col. Nathan Jessup (A Few Good Men)

College football - Ohio State got off to a rocky start but ultimately prevailed over Michigan State. Notre Dame played its heart out against USC but lost in the final seconds. The hardest part of swallowing the defeat was the fact that the officials let the clock run out, so ND fans thought we'd actually won the game. Side Rant: I'm tired of hearing USC fans saying that ND played its best and was still beaten by a USC team that wasn't playing its best. Even if I buy the argument that USC isn't playing up to its potential, so what? Let's face it, USC has been scraping by. At best, they're (lazily) doing just enough to get by the teams they face (with the help of a few lucky breaks here and there); at worst, USC just isn't the team USC fans keep saying it is. My take is that USC is no longer the powerhouse team they were last year, and they are definitely beatable. We're halfway through the season, and frankly I'm not all that impressed. USC will get its comeuppance soon.

Chillicothe, OH - Still boring. But sudoku is pretty cool.

Skating - Yesterday I returned to the ice after a nearly two month absence. Luckily, I can still skate, and even remember my dances. I need to work on stamina though... maybe I can hit a few sessions during the second half of the semester. If I feel bold, I might even try jumping. I just have to put 911 on speed dial first.

Boston, MA - In a few hours I'll be boarding a train headed to Boston, via Albany, NY. It'll be a very long trip (I won't arrive until tomorrow night), but it'll be more than worth it. And I have plenty of work to keep me busy along the way. I'll get to check out Beantown, stroll through Harvard, and most importantly, see Honor. Fortunately the Red Sox are done for the season, so there won't be any baseball craziness in Boston this year. Look for a Boston recap when I get back next week.

Football, friends, and fun

Last night ND won big over Purdue, 49-28. I watched the game in the Community Center, where again (alas!) there was no food. Where exactly is my $20 activities fee going, if not to free food at the games?? The best part about watching the game there, though, was getting to hang out with John and Julie who came over to watch the game. (Apparently, Hooters was too crowded. Heh.)
Ohio State had the week off, so they should be fresh for their first away game, against Penn State. It looks like Joe Pa's managed to scrape together a decent team this year, so that should be an interesting game to watch.

In other randomness, here is a good reason not to blog about work.

And mostly for Derek, this is an excellent example of an instance where one really needs to put down the shovel.

When Irish (Buck)eyes are smiling

It was another good day in college football. First, Ohio State crushed Iowa 33-6, then ND beat Washington 36-17.

Unfortunately, there was no free food at the community center for the game (what gives, people?).
But there will be food tomorrow night at a Cyberlaw makeup class.

And now it's back to incredible amounts of moot court and trial ad. Fun, fun.

P.S. ...and Michigan loses! The trifecta is complete.

Irish Football

Well, tomorrow is the first ND home game, and after winning two games on the road against (arguably) respectable opponents, the atmosphere here is bound to be high spirited and all-around crazy. I skipped out on the big pep rally this afternoon, but I did get to see the ND band perform and rally the cheers of students and visiting alums alike. Emily regaled me with stories of the band (she's a band alum from her undergrad days at ND), and we discussed everything from the personality traits associated with various instruments to why all the tuba players are named Hank.

It'll also be my first time attending a game here at ND (Unlike last year, this time around I bought season tickets. All the cool kids were doing it. I decided to draw the line when they started talking about some bridge off of which they were planning on jumping. I'm not that much of a lemming.) ND is playing Michigan State, so all the fans who have balked against the new "The Shirt" (because it's yellow) will show up in green. Granted it's probably a different shade of green as compared to Michigan State's colors, but it's still going to be a bit weird.

Hopefully Michigan State will put up a good but ultimately futile fight. After the game, one of my 2L classmates, Dmytro, is hosting a big party. Apparently jello wrestling is to be one of the featured events. Since Brendan will undoubtedly be there, camera in tow, to document the festivities, I strongly encourage anyone contemplating a future in public office not to participate.

Mixed results

It's been a day of highs and lows for an Irish Buckeye.

First, the Irish pulled off a 17-10 victory over that team up north. ND's proving to be quite a team this year, winning its first two games, both on the road. The Irish defense looked particularly good today. After this game, all I needed was for my alma mater to win to seal a very nice college football trifecta.

But Ohio State just lost a very close game to #2 Texas. A record crowd turned out to see the night game at the 'Shoe, and the Buckeyes led for most of the game. But the team seemed to self-destruct in the last few minutes of play, allowing OSU to, as Derek might say, snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. OSU's defense played very well, but the offense struggled. Still, with just over two minutes to play, all OSU needed was to get down the field and score a field goal. But it wasn't to be as OSU's one turnover of the game, a fumble by Zwick, pretty much sealed the game's fate. OSU's tough loss, combined with losses by Michigan and Iowa today, made it a rough day for the Big Ten.

Still, it was a great day of football. ND won, and even though OSU lost, it was a good, close game.

A long overdue post

I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth, I promise. But my first semester of 2L has picked up a bit, and I've been pretty busy with that. And when I'm done working, it's been difficult to muster the energy to think of something interesting to write here.

A couple of big events warrant mentioning, though. First off, a little bit of college football. Last weekend was the season opener for both ND and OSU. And as those of you who follow such things already know, both teams won. Though he doesn't have a recap of the game, Derek was there. For an interesting description of the trials and tribulations of attending a game at the 'Shoe, see this recap from a recent alum (worth a read even if you're not a football fan). I didn't watch the OSU game, but I did get together with a few friends to watch ND beat Pitt. Although it got off to a rough start, ND ultimately prevailed with a whopping 42-21 victory. Both OSU and ND have tough games tomorrow: ND faces Michigan (boo, hiss), while OSU faces #2 Texas. Brooke is throwing a little get-together for the game tomorrow, so we'll be rooting for the Irish. Hopefully I'll be able to catch some of the OSU game later.

On Thursday, Brooke, Kristine, Meghan, and I joined Professor Dutile and his wife for dinner at the University Club. We had bid on this dinner last spring at the Women's Legal Forum auction, and finally got around to scheduling it. I had a blast. Prof. Dutile was his typical hysterical self. His wife is a wonderful woman and very engaging. The food was really good too. We talked about everything from Hurricane Katrina to Crim Law (albeit sparingly) to each of our respective backgrounds. It was a lot of fun, and I'll be looking to bid for the dinner again if it's offered this year.

As for a few more mundane matters... classes are going well. Trial Ad remains fairly intensive, as we've now received our cases for the trials next month. Kristine and I will be working together on a criminal case, for the prosecution (that sound you hear is Derek's jaw dropping open in disbelief). It's an interesting case, but we've been busy rewriting portions of it to conform to a gender switch between the perpetrator and the victim. (I'll leave the "alleged" tag to the defense attorneys.) Cyberlaw remains very interesting, and I've started to do a little background research into topics on which I might write my paper. Evidence hasn't been quite as thrilling as I expected, though I'm sure it'll pick up soon. It is interesting to see how things really are, and just how bad some of the evidentiary objections/arguments were back in mock trial (though I'm still a big fan of 404(b) -- prior wrongs/acts not admissible to show conformity of action therewith -- what can I say, I'm a dork). And then there's Moot Court Appellate. It's a big class, much bigger than I anticipated. It's a one credit pass/fail class, but it's also a competition for ten spots on next year's Moot Court teams. It looks like an interesting case, though I'll be representing the side that I don't really agree with at the moment.

Beyond classes, OCIs have been progressing along. I've had a few interviews and some more coming up, but that's all I'm going to say here.