Five Wide Fullbacks makes an appearance for the second week in a row. I think we might be re-establishing a pattern here. Spring seems to have finally arrived now that the calendar has turned to April.
April is probably the second best sports month of the year after October in my opinion. October is the best because you are into the better (i.e. conference) schedule in football, the NFL season is in full swing, baseball playoffs have started, and basketball and hockey seasons are right around the corner. April offers the start of the baseball season, the NCAA basketball championships, the push for the NBA playoffs and the NFL draft.
With the spring comes some spring cleaning. This week, I look to address some questions that have been bothering me and even make a potentially embarrassing admission inspired by the true meaning of Run CMC.
On to the questions:
1. The football staff is hosting the annual coaches clinic next week. Guest speakers include Mark Trestman, Marvin Lewis, Chris Ault, and Bill Belichick. Which of the speakers do you find the most intriguing?
Word on the street is that CBK was trying to get Larz as a late addition after his OFD debut this week. The two sides are still negotiating, but Larz keeps wanting to draw up plays with 12 guys on the field instead of 11.
In all seriousness, I think the answer here is pretty clear-Belichick. But not for the reasons you might think.
It pains me to pick BB, because he is probably the least likeable personality in football.
Most people look at the Patriot's offense now and how TE-centric it has become and assume that the Notre Dame staff wants to head in a similar direction. While that may be true (to an extent), Belichick has made his name as a defensive coach (you can read some of Smart Football's offerings on him here).
If you read The Essential Smart Football, you are familiar with the chapter on BB's hybrid defense-essentially a split 3-4/4-3 look. Based on the way that Bob Diaco's defense has evolved over his three years in South Bend, I imagine that he wants to pick Belichick's brain about the finer points of this approach and start to implement more of that look into his base defense.
2. Opening Day was Monday. Any bold predictions for the baseball season?
I realize that baseball isn't the most popular sport on OFD, so I will keep it brief. As Cubsfansince1957 would probably agree, the Cubs are likely a year or two away from competing for a playoff spot.
Unfortunately for me and Cubs fans everywhere, I don't think that predicting that they will miss the playoffs constitutes a bold prediction. And I blame Bud Selig for baseball's declining popularity. I pretty much blame him for everything baseball related.
3. Mark Emmert is under fire at the NCAA for the poor handling of the Miami/Shapiro investigation among other things. His days appear to be numbered. In addition to Emmert, who would qualify as the worst sports commissioner/president?
While there are many candidates, I will just focus on the professional sports for my answer. Pro sports should have top notch leadership, right? Right?
The candidates are Roger Goodell, David Stern, Bud Selig and Gary Bettman.
NFL fans will say that Goodell is ruining football and runs a dictatorship, slowly turning it into the No Fun League. He is judge, jury and executioner. Oh, and he also hears the appeals too.
Stern has marketed the NBA as players and personalities over teams and is rumored to have fixed multiple draft lotteries.
Selig has made several controversial moves in the eyes of baseball purists, including interleague play, calling a tie in an All-Star game (but it counts now, so it's all good) and moving the start time of the World Series games to beyond prime time.
While each offer various feats of infamy in the eyes of players and fans, Bettman has to take the cake. How many league commissioners can say they oversaw the cancellation of an entire season? Just one. You win Gary.
4. Several sports expressions have gone from unique to ubiquitous over the years. Which do you find the most annoying?
I am glad that this question finally came up for discussion. There is one that really, really annoys me now.
Quite simply, it is when fans of a team start referring to themselves as "[Insert team or school] Nation."
I hate to break it to you fan of a team that no one cares about, but there are very few teams with a level of national following that would allow for that kind of status. I blame Bill Simmons (aka "The Sports Guy") for the proliferation of this overused terminology.
I think the term needs to be retired as soon as possible. Do we have people that can work on that?
In fact, at OFD we like to think outside of the box borders. Why limit yourself to just one nation? Why not international? It's kind of like we are just one big happy family, loving the same lady and her football team.
5. For the second straight week, we wrap this edition of 5WF up with a non-sports question. OFD regular (and campus mainstay) FirstDownMoses uncovered a little-known knowledge nugget about alternative meanings to Run CMC-namely a singing trio from the popular (especially among college age males) television show "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic."
Revelation time. What TV show do you love that you wouldn't be real eager to tell your friends about?
When this question was first raised behind the scenes, it reminded me of a television show that was popular among hallmates of mine back in college-Golden Girls.
I personally never understood the allure, but then Mouth of the South and CW set me straight. Apparently Estelle Getty is a National treasure and the show is hilarious. Who knew? Also, there were rumors of young MotS having developed a crush on one of the ladies. How very "Harold and Maude" of him.
But in all honesty, there is something that I watch from time to time that might be considered a bit...unusual.
Infomercials.
Now, let me get this straight-I have never, nor intend to purchase anything from an infomercial. I just find them entertaining and offer some interesting insight to our society as a whole. They have a way of drawing my attention in immediately. It is almost like one of those movies you own on DVD (or Blu Ray) and never watch, except when it is on television.
After all, who doesn't want a set of knives that will cut through steel and still slice a tomato effortlessly?