Controversy turns to "Fighting Irish" nickname and mascot

Notre Dame's Fighting Irish nickname is now under fire from a few prominent Sports TV personalities. This was predictable as the silly leprechaun has always been a straw man during debates about sports nicknames. As someone who is of Irish decent and a Notre Dame hater, I can't claim that I've ever been offended by either the name or cartoon. I don't see it as offensive and not even in the same ballpark as controversial names or mascots within the rest of the sports world. 

I have met a few BC fans over the years who dislike Notre Dame's use of "Irish" but not for the reasons you would think. They claim we are the true "Irish" school given our history and population. I've never taken that argument seriously either. 

As with the debate about Crusaders at Holy Cross, I think it all comes down to common sense. If either school was picking a nickname now in 2018, would they dare pick anything with any negative connotation? Of course not. But that modern sensitivity doesn't mean they should drop ties to their history. I don't even think this compares to the Yawkey controversy from the fall, since Yawkey was an actual person with clear positions that were controversial in his time.

Usually I would enjoy Notre Dame twisting in the wind, but I can't even appreciate the schadenfreude of the moment. This debate is a waste of time and energy and a distraction from the real issues facing colleges, sports and certainly our country. If you are truly offended by the name or the mascot, I can't say I share your pain or even understand it. 

[Full Disclosure: my kids attend a school named Notre Dame and the sports team are the "Irish." However, there is no use of the tough guy leprechaun and the school doesn't use "fighting" in any official communications or branding.]

BC-centric takeaways from Tourney Teams

While we dream of even being near a bubble, there are still plenty of BC-related storylines and takeaways from the NCAA Tournament teams. Hindsight on these things is always 20/20, but overall I still believe BC's future is bright.

Coen and Cooley

Both of Al Skinner's former assistants made the Tournament. As much as I love Al and wish we had hired one of his proteges, I understand why we passed on both guys twice. Steve Donahue turned out to be the wrong coach, but he wasn't the wrong hire. I didn't love the Christian hire last year, but Coen's uneven track record at Northeastern didn't help his candidacy. Cooley's resume was arguably better than Christian's but I can rationalize Christian over Cooley. In the end, I am happy for both and don't think there success speaks to BC's mistakes. BC might not be better off right now, but I don't think there is anything either are doing at their current school that Christian cannot do at BC.

Notre Dame

The Irish just won the ACC Tournament and secured a 3 seed with a Massachusetts-heavy roster. As frustrating as that might be to BC fans, it gives me hope. There is more than enough local talent for us to compete in the ACC. We just need to identify the right kids and get them to commit. We haven't recruited well locally since the JOB days. Despite ruffling a few feathers, I think Christian will change that. 

The Big East vs the ACC

The smaller, refocused Big East earned six selections from a ten-team conference. The mighty ACC also got six. As the teams were announced, I was convinced that Mike Tranghese was still on the committee. But it seems it was just a good year for the old basketball schools. Good for them. As much as they screwed up the conference, I never begrudged their demands. It was the UConns and West Virginias of the world that always upset me. In most years the ACC will lead the nation and our former home when it comes to tournament teams.

Power 5 prevailed
When it came to the bubble, the committee went with bigger schools and traditional powers over the mid majors. That's great news for BC. One season doesn't always set a precedent, but it is good for BC that the benefit of the doubt seems to be shifting to the Power 5 teams.

Playing Notre Dame at Fenway is a good thing

The Globe reported that Fenway Sports Group is in talks with BC about moving our 2015 Notre Dame game from Alumni to Fenway Park. There are some sensible objections and BC fan complaints, but I think BC should make this happen.

As soon as Notre Dame agreed to partial ACC membership, our relationship with them changed. While still the only other Catholic university playing FBS football, we were no longer going to be an annual opponent for the Irish. Going forward we are just part of their ACC rotation and will play them six out of every ten years. That's nice, but it is not longer special. We can still view them as a rival, but we will play them less often and they will just view us as another ACC team. Our chance (other than winning) to keep this series unique and passionate is to do special things. A game in Ireland has been tossed around for more than five years. But the logistics of that game are always a little daunting, especially given the ho-hum payout. Moving just one of our Notre Dame games from Alumni to Fenway spices things up. It would certainly generate local interest and media attention. Considering how hard we fight for attention now, playing at Fenway once seems like a no brainer. While Fenway has fewer seats, BC could still assure season ticket holders of tickets to the Fenway game and let the general public scramble for the remaining tickets.

We've had masses at Fenway and played plenty of hockey games there. Most BC fans in the area have probably been to the old park for multiple Sox games. I understand if the novelty has worn off. But a football game would be different. It would mark a return to our history and would bring out a big Irish and casual crowd who just want to say they were there. If the teams are decent, Gameday might cover it too. If the crowd is more divided than it might be for a traditional Notre Dame game at Alumni, so be it. The trade-off is worth it.

We've discussed all sorts of neutral site games with Notre Dame. We've also looked at bringing a game to Fenway. This solves both of those desires. If the only reasons not to do it are due to the politics of giving into the Irish or giving up a game, I say don't worry about it. We need to try new things and there is always risk in that. I think this would be a huge success home run.

ESPN saved the ACC, but can kill it again via a Notre Dame TV deal

The ACC is basically saved and we can mostly thank ESPN. The network didn't break the bank on the Big XII TV deal nor pay a premium for a Big XII Championship game, making Clemson and FSU less desirable.   ESPN also signaled to the ACC that adding Notre Dame would generate additional TV money (bringing us closer to revenue parity with the other major conferences). Now we have football stability, added prestige and a significant exit fee preventing future defections. Everything seems great. But there is still a looming crisis with Notre Dame at the center.

NBC and Notre Dame
As part of the ACC deal, Notre Dame gets to keep its football revenue. The Irish home games are currently broadcast on NBC and the average fan assumes that relationship will carry on in perpetuity. That's not the case. NBC is not happy with Notre Dame right now. NBC/Comcast planned on bidding for the Big East TV deal for its NBC Sports Network. Notre Dame's move just devalued and destabilized that potential property. The deal also strengthened NBC Sports' biggest rival in ESPN. While Notre Dame is still an important draw for NBC, will they pay a premium for the TV rights when their current deal expires? I don't think that is a given anymore. CBS, Fox and ESPN will also be eager to cut a deal with Notre Dame. If it becomes a bidding war, I don't know if NBC will still want to partner with Notre Dame. And if they do, will they still allow Notre Dame to dictate so many terms. NBC wants to build its cable network. The Irish so far are hesitant to play their games there. Also, Notre Dame wants the majority of their home days during the day. NBC would rather have them at night.

ESPN and the ACC
Although ESPN is the ACC's exclusive partner, they are not precluded from bidding on Notre Dame's football rights. Think about that conflict for a second. When the NBC deal comes up, ESPN could conceivably give Notre Dame $50 million a year. They could enrich one member of the conference far above all the others. They could give one member of the conference all their preferred time slots and create special programming. While the Irish are independent, they will be playing five ACC teams a year and taking a portion of our non-football money. How fair will this partnership feel if this situation plays out? Notre Dame would be dumb not to take the money and favoritism. It has always worked towards their advantage.

My advice to ESPN
Playing favorites with Texas nearly unraveled all of college football. No matter how enticing it might be to finally bring Notre Dame into the fold, do not do it at the expense of the ACC. Any ND football deal should have the same payout the Irish would get as if they were a member of the ACC. Who knows, that is more than NBC is paying now and may be enough to close the deal. Branding is important to Notre Dame and so is association. They might prefer to be with ESPN at the expense of more money from NBC/Comcast.

The ACC teams are currently powerless, so if ESPN gave Notre Dame a huge TV deal, there isn't much we could do initially. But the bad blood would undermine the league, ESPN's relationship with the ACC, and conference stability for years to come. These sorts of dominoes combined with the new playoff and NCAA frustration could lead to a football mega-conference split. If ESPN does value college sports and values its ACC deal, hopefully it will think big picture when it comes to dealing with Notre Dame.

Notre Dame to ACC as non-football member

ESPN reported that Notre Dame will join the ACC as a non-football member. Rumblings started this morning but there has been plenty of speculation for months. According to ESPN the Irish will commit to playing five ACC teams annually in football. Given that Pitt and BC are regular opponents, adding three more ACC teams is not much of a hardship on Notre Dame. I assume the deal also allows Notre Dame to keep its NBC deal for football.

The good news
In the changing landscape of college football this gives the ACC one of the few remaining chess pieces. I assume there will be some sort of bowl partnership in the relationship. While the politics of the new playoff are still to be determined, you would have to imagine Notre Dame's vote and interests will now be more closely aligned with the ACC. Adding the Irish for also is probably enough of a trigger to reopen our ESPN deal again to get some more money.

The bad news
It is partial membership with no rumored transition date to full membership. We only need to look back to our Big East days to know that the Irish will do everything in their power to keep their football independence. The other issue is this probably means the ACC will add a 16th team to balance things out. That means were are probably back in a conference with Rutgers or UConn again.

Notre Dame using gimmick helmet, why can't BC?

No team takes themselves more seriously than Notre Dame. If the Irish can allow their uniform to be altered like this for one game, why can't BC? Take a look at what Notre Dame will wear as a special look this fall.

I know we have the white stripe look, but I want to take it a step further. Let's do the wings helmet. The time has come!

Would BC, ACC throw Notre Dame a lifeline?

It looks like the conference shuffle will happen again and Notre Dame is finally on the hot seat. The fork in the Irish road is stay independent in Football and watch the Big East collapse and undermine all their non-football sports currently playing in the Big East. Or join the Big Ten in all sports, reap huge financial gains, yet lose the independence so critical to the Irish aura. Notre Dame fans are up in arms at the thought of joining the hated Big Ten. But Notre Dame's leadership is too smart to let the school get dragged down with the Big East 3.0 (which might include underfunded Catholic programs and some less than desirable fill ins like ECU or Memphis).

From my perspective it seems like Notre Dame needs three things. 1. Non football stability, 2. Continued revenue growth, 3. The flexibility to play football outside the Midwest. They want their current Big East setup but with a little more money and prestige. The only conference that I think could offer them that would be the ACC.

The Pac 10 needs two full-time football members to get their championship game. The Big XII is in danger of being raided and would also need full-time football members to replace any defections. The SEC could "add" Notre Dame in non football sports, but culturally and geographically the Irish would be a huge fish out of water. And I don't know if they would bring that much to the table to justify say the Ole Miss softball team traveling up to South Bend in late April.

The ACC on the other hand with its mix of public and private schools is more inline with Notre Dame. Like the Irish, many of the ACC's biggest programs have strong followings in the North East corridor. The ACC already has championship game so they don't need ND for football. However, the ACC could create a bowl agreement with the Irish and create a partial ACC schedule for them (similar to the old Big East deal). While many BC and ACC fans would be outraged about making special accommodations for Notre Dame, if structured well, the deal could improve our bowl slots and increase the value of the TV contract.

I don't think this will happen. I think the Big Ten money will prove too enticing and Notre Dame will finally join the conference they've dreaded for decades. However, and despite the protest I am sure most BC fans would have, the ACC needs to at least reach out to Notre Dame.

Brian Kelly from a BC perspective

Prior to our 2006 game against Central Michigan, I wrote the following:

This could serve as Brian Kelly’s audition for the BC job. Yes it is the longest of long shots, since TOB is not leaving Chestnut Hill any time soon. But if CMU were to hang with us and go on to a winning season, people would take notice. We will search a conference like the MAC for our next coach. With a few winning seasons, a Mass native like Kelly would certainly be on the short list. And if (God forbid) CMU beats BC, look for some BC fans to try to hire Kelly on Friday.

Little did I know we would make a coaching change after the season. Kelly wasn't in the mix of candidates to replace TOB though...because he had already moved on to Cincinnati. If Kelly hadn't taken the Cincy job, he certainly would have earned an interview with Gene.

Now, three years later, the Massachusetts native has ascended to the highest profile position in college football. Will he be the one to finally turn around our Catholic rival? I don't know. At the time of their respective hires, I thought Davie, O'Leary, Willingham and Weis would all be good fits for the Irish.

While I have no love for Notre Dame, I am not naive or myopic when it comes to their potential. Despite what most college football fans and talking heads say, Notre Dame is not irrelevant. A good coach can win there. Kelly might be that guy. If he's not, the Irish will be making a change again in three or four years.

As for BC, Kelly and what could have been, I don't have any envy of the Irish. Kelly could have done good things at BC, but there are plenty of very good coaches out there. Right now I wish him luck right up until we play them.

Guest Blogger: Blue-Gray Sky

Charlie Weis is in year 5 but do any of us have a good feel of what to expect. The Irish have improved from the past two years, but are they for real? To get a better feel of what we will face, I've asked Jay from Blue-Gray Sky a few questions about the Irish. His answers are below.

ATLeagle: Jimmy Clausen is playing very well and living up to the hype. Last year BC played a lot of zone and forced him to make tight throws. Do you see a similar scheme working this year? When the Notre Dame has bogged down this year, what have been the causes?

BGS: I think the BC game last year was sort of an emblematic event for Jimmy in 2008, in that he threw a few terrible interceptions into coverage that were just plain mis-reads on his part. He's really cleaned that up this year, to the extent that there's really only been one "terrible" throw all year (the ill-advised swing to Allen -- a lateral, really -- that got returned for a touchdown by Washington). He's reading coverages very well, and his two interceptions weren't really his fault: one bounced off of Allen's hands and to a defender, and the other was a half-ending heave on a Hail Mary to the end zone.

I'm sure your defense will disguise coverages and try to duplicate the success you had last year against him, but he has really grown in his ability to read and make the right decision. And let's not forget that a big part of your defensive gameplan last year involved Brace and Raji blowing up our OL; those guys are gone, and our OL seems much improved anyway. So I think you'll have your hands full on defense.

ATLeagle: I am sort of amazed how everyone but Nevada has been able to move the ball on the Irish. There's talent there and Tenuta has a good track record. What has been the problem with the defense?

BGS: poor tackling, missed assignments, "no" assignments (in the case of USC tight end Anthony McCoy, who seemed to run around all day unhindered), and a seeming backslide in production by our defensive backs. The secondary was supposed to be the strength of the D, but they've allowed many a "quarterback of the week" performances from opposing signalcallers this year. It's a mystery; in fact, it's probably the biggest mystery being discussed by Irish fans all over. I will say that the poor performance is not for lack of trying to find the right mix on defense; Tenuta and Corwin Brown have been shuttling such a high number of players in and out of position as the year has gone on, sometimes it looks like a hockey shift change. This week, for instance, expect to see Harrison Smith start splitting time at free safety for the first time all year. The DL rotation has been hot and heavy. And Manti Teo supplanted Toryan Smith at starting linebacker four games into the season. They're trying everything, but I suspect it is scheme-related as much as personnel-related. And back to tackling for a second: it's been piss poor. That, at least, is something they can improve on with practice and focus.

ATLeagle: Although there has clearly been progress and improvement from 2007 and 2008, to outside observers, it still seems like Notre Dame fans are divided on Charlie Weis' tenure and future in Notre Dame. I also know how much of your
fanbase strongly dislikes BC. Does that make this game a "must win" for him to keep his job?

BGS: I don't think it's overstating it to say that every game for the rest of the regular season is a "must win" for Charlie. A close loss to an 8-1 Pitt team might be forgiven, but any other is a hanging offense, including this Saturday.

What is your prediction for the game?

BGS: After winning and losing five games in a row by a touchdown or less, we're officially out of the prediction business for this Irish team. I think it could be another heart-stopper, though. We shall see.

Hulu is ignoring BC's Notre Dame history

Hulu is a great service. They are growing their library daily and have many classic TV shows. They also have an extensive library of Notre Dame games via the Irish's relationship with NBC. However, the Irish focus means that they haven't released or posted many of the best BC-ND games. Take a look. As of this weekend, the only BC-ND game available is 1995. It was a fairly uneventful game as the Irish beat a mediocre Henning team 20-10.

How can you include 1995 in the library and not 1993? Where is the 2002 game that saw BC knock off an undefeated Irish team? Where is the comeback game from 2004? Why not include Matt Ryan's 2007 game where he showed signs of the NFL QB he'd become. Does Hulu think only ND fans use their service? Does Notre Dame not want to release losses?

Being the shit stirrer that I am, I sent a note to Hulu asking when they will be adding other Boston College-Notre Dame content. I will let you know how they respond. Feel free to reach out too (feedback@hulu.com). If they realize there is interest, we could soon have access to the whole BC-ND library!

BC-ND set for prime time

The game will be on ESPN or ABC at 8 pm. Do you think the fans will be fired up a bit?

We haven't played the Irish in prime time since 2001.

South Bend blogger takes shot at BC and other links

In Ivan Maisel's new book, he calls BC underrated. This South Bend blogger disagrees. I am surprised Kelly even took the time to write about BC since most ND fans don't care about us and surely don't consider us a rival. (Thanks to Brian for the link.)

Here is a look at Georgia Tech. Same narrative as before: "It will take time for Tech to adjust to Johnson's scheme."

A Texas QB BC targeted is headed to Nebraska.

Here is ESPN's preview of the football team.

The Red Zone Report also produced a BC preview. (Thanks to Nick for the link.)

The Hancock hat mystery is solved and it is not our Eagle:

Mr. Smith’s hat is a dingy gray with maroon stripes, bearing an embroidered eagle in attack mode. Some have questioned whether the aggressive bird was a nod to those logos of American Eagle Outfitters, American Living at J. C. Penney, Boston College or Anheuser-Busch, but it was actually the creation of Louise Mingenbach, a veteran costume designer.

Phil Steele’s Cliffs Notes: Notre Dame

Steele loves the Irish. I know most fans think the gushing is a pure play to sell more magazines, but I actually agree with him on this one. Like Steele, I believe a soft schedule and a jelling group of young talent will spark another Notre Dame “return to glory.”

Here are some of the reasons Steele is high on the Irish.

Nuggets and notes of interest
-- The Irish have nine offensive starters returning and seven defensive starters returning. They also have 37 lettermen coming back.
-- Charlie Weis is 17-13 vs BCS teams
-- Weis is 10-4 as the away team.
-- Last year Notre Dame was neutral in the turnover margin
-- They have the 67th most difficult schedule
-- Notre Dame average 75 yards rushing per game. Statistically it was the worse rushing game in Notre Dame history.
-- Steele ranks their running backs as the 23rd best group in the country.
-- He predicts they’ll play Florida State in the Gator Bowl.
-- Notre Dame is No. 1 on his most improved list
-- Notre Dame is No. 19 in his rankings
-- According to Steele, the Irish have the No. 1 group of incoming freshman
-- They finished 93rd in his special indexing in 2007
-- They are 24th in his power poll
-- He projects them to have the 9th best pass defense in 2008
-- They are expected to be the most improved in scoring offense this year.

Irish infighting: Getting to the bottom of the rivalry Notre Dame fans dismiss

I think there are three views of the BC-Notre Dame game:

BC fans: Our main rival. Huge circle your calendar, pack up the RV and get ready to beat ND…again
Notre Dame fans: BC fans are trash. BC players are trash. They are not and will never be our rival.
Casual college football fans: The two Catholic schools hate each other. How cute. Not Michigan-Ohio State, but certainly a rivalry game.

I had a big windy post about the rivalry and what it means and what it doesn’t. I decided to scrap it after reading Charlie Weis’ press conference transcript. He's the smartest guy in football so if he thinks it is a rivalry it must be. Right? [Ed. note: I added the bold]

BC has beaten us four times in a row, and the obvious rivalry comes from being the two Catholic universities in America that play Division I football.

And then he added this

Q. What are some of your thoughts on this rivalry and this game?

COACH WEIS: Well, I think that growing up on the East Coast, a Catholic kid on the East Coast, and you were looking at universities, the two universities that were involved in Division I football that you knew very much about were Notre Dame and Boston College. I think the stereotype or the chemistry of the kids are very similar type of kids.


Q. Can you talk also about the football aspect of it? It seems like there's a history of one team ruining another season.

COACH WEIS: Well, they're not going to ruin our season. (laughter)

This game is a rivalry. The two-year break was great for BC. It gives some freshness to this year’s game and the break changed BC fans’ perspective. More fans realize that ACC wins are more important than beating the Irish.

I would like to see the series continue but not on ND’s terms. We want a home and home series. They want lopsided ones. I know we considered a 4-3 arrangement. They wanted four in South Bend, two in Chestnut Hill and one neutral site game (although not Ireland or Foxboro). Sorry, but that is bullshit. If Notre Dame feels that series against Rutgers or Washington State generate the same amount of program momentum, TV ratings and revenue that a series with the only other DIA catholic school, than that is their right. We’ll see if they come back to BC if the Big Ten continues to force the Irish to front load their schedule. We’ll fill their slot with USC and other BCS teams. It’s too bad.

Finally for a moment of levity. There are some great ND fans but that doesn't make it less fun to poke at the condescending and boorish ones.

A tale of two offensive lines

Despite the penalties on Saturday night, BC’s rebuilt offensive line deserves credit. They took on the most aggressive front seven in the ACC and held their own. Watching the BC line improve each week and absorbing all of the problems the Notre Dame Oline is having, I thought I would use the two units as an example of how inexact recruiting rankings can be and how important coaching (and position coaching) can be.

For those BC fans who are unfamiliar with the recent Irish struggles, you can get a good overview at Blue-Gray Sky. In summary, their line is porous, seemingly lacking in basic fundamentals and the main reason the Irish cannot move the ball.

I am shocked on two fronts: one the Irish line is stocked with kids who snubbed BC and two, I grew up watching the Parcells’ Giants and actually like Charlie Weis. How can he let this happen?

Weis apologists are blaming Willingham and saying the Oline is very green, very young and not that talented. I don’t buy it. Look at Notre Dame’s Oline starters and then compare it to BC’s Oline. (note: I used “year” because BC and ND classify redshirts differently.)

Notre Dame Starters	Recruited by BC	Rivals Recruiting Stars	Career Starts	Year
Wegner	NA*	4	3	2
Sullivan	Yes	4	36	5
Young	Yes	5	16	2
Turkovich	Yes	3	3	3
Duncan	No	3	3	3

*BC was not listed in his final four, but I believe we did offer

Boston College Starters	Recruited by ND	Rivals Recruiting Stars	Career Starts	Year
Castonzo	No	2	3	1
Tennant	No	3	3	3
Ramsey	No	2	3	4
Poles	No	4	16	5
Cherilus	No	3	40	5

For non-BC fans who might read this, let me give you a little background. Cherilus has been a very good four year starter. Poles started last year, but was yo-yoed in and out of the games and has been very inconsistent prior to this year. His early play has been one of the bright spots of the season and new staff. Tennant, Ramsey, and Castonzo were all Midwest kids with MAC and/or lower BCS offers.

The Notre Dame line has had the same position and head coach for three seasons. The BC line has learned a new scheme, gone through two position coaches and a new head coach all in the last nine months.

Notre Dame’s green line has a combined 61 starts (through Saturday) and averages three years in their program. BC’s line, which handled the same Georgia Tech team that walloped ND’s line, has 65 starts and averages 3.6 years in the program.

I will grant the ND fans that Matt Ryan can make everyone around him look better, while ND has rotated QBs all season. In the end, this proves that recruiting rankings are only part of the equation. You also have to coach kids up and give them schemes in which they can succeed. Hats off to Jags and their most recent position coach Jack Bicknell for bringing this unit together and making the transition relatively seamless despite all the hurdles.


For those of you who like OLine play, here are few shots from Saturday courtesy of TokenMom.

Look what's been added to YouTube

Jags as OC: Season 2, Notre Dame

Think the Notre Dame game is a big deal now? When we were at one of our low points and they were the No. 13 team in the country, it was an even bigger deal. In 1998, TOB and Co had the Irish on the ropes and were about to pull off a huge upset only to come up short in the most frustrating manner. You can read about the 31-26 loss here or just watch the end below.



Stat Line
First downs 26
Rushes-yards 40-173
Passing 318
Punt Returns 1-13
Kickoff Returns 5-103
Interceptions Ret. 0-0
Comp-Att-Int 22-35-1
Sacked-Yards Lost 2-14
Punts 3-29
Fumbles-Lost 0-0
Penalties-Yards 6-47
Time of Possession 31:25


What can we learn from the game? Before I get into the lessons learned, did you guys notice the young kid with the headset and dejected look? That was Jags. As I mentioned in the very beginning of the coaching search, Jags was a key figure in that loss. But I’ve moved on in a major way and hold no grudge against our new coach. In fact, I think the stubborn way TOB dealt with the team over the next eight years leads me to believe it was TOB’s call to go for it four straight times. Enough about the final series, let’s focus on the offense. (Nah, those four downs should be our lesson!) What does this game tell us about Jags? With the game on the line, our current coach went with our best player behind his best unit (the offensive line) four times. Hindsight is 20/20 and he looks like a chump for not mixing it up. I don’t blame Jags for what happened. Everything you do in that situation takes guts. If his style is to go man to man for the win, I think I’ll be happy. However, if after ten years he never mixes it up and becomes more rigid than TOB, I’ll be pissed.

Although it is all under the bridge, if I ever get a chance to interview Jags I will ask him about that game.