How Notre Dame Became the “Fighting Irish,” 1924 Beatdown of the KKK Largely Contributed

December 29, 2018 By 2 Comments

notre-dame-football

In just 12 days time, the #3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish will play in the Cotton Bowl, one of this season’s two national semifinal contests, against the #2 Clemson Tigers. If the Fighting Irish, double digit underdogs, manage to pull off the massive upset they will play the winner of Alabama-Oklahoma for the national title.

It’s a historic moment for Notre Dame, their first College Football Playoff appearance. “Oh, it’s going to decide a true national champion, there’s no doubt about that,” Notre Dame Coach Brian Kelly said at the on-campus Playoff Media Day this past Saturday.

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Filed Under: College Football, History, Notre Dame, Politics, Social Issues, The Fight Games

In Die Hard, What Christmas Eve Bowl Game has Notre Dame vs USC?

December 23, 2018 By Leave a Comment

die hard christmas movie

This weekend begins the bowl season, and with it the crappy bowl games that very few of us care about. Saturday brings us a cadre of bowl games that are just as awful as whatever bowl game hosted Notre Dame and USC in the classic Christmas film “Die Hard.”

The total number of bowl games has multiplied at an absurd rate these past few decades, but one truth still remains- real bowl games don’t start until after Christmas, and for the most part well after Christmas. Genuinely desirable bowl games still adhere to tradition, and take place on New Year’s. (For a preview of #14 Notre Dame vs #17 LSU go to this link)

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Filed Under: College Football, Entertainment/Media, History, Notre Dame

Rube Waddell: Story of the Most Heroic, Egregious Idiot in Cubs History

December 21, 2018 By Leave a Comment

rube waddell

George Edward Waddell, or as history as called him Rube Waddell, was born on a Friday the 13th and passed away on an April Fool’s Day. In between he lived a life that was well, covered just about everything one could hope to do. Like so many great American heroes he was taken from us too young; passing at the age of 37.

As my co-host on “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” Travis Miller said- we like to think that the reason he died so young was because he really had nothing else left to do. Here at this link, as well as in the embedded file below, we recap the highlights of Rube Waddell’s life in LGWS 7, on the Hammer & Rails podcast network.

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Filed Under: Chicago Cubs, History, MLB

Ryan Leaf EXCLUSIVE: Former QB Opens Up About His Addiction and Recovery

November 29, 2018 By Leave a Comment

In the first college football game I attended as a student, the visiting team scored an 80-yard touchdown pass on the very first play from scrimmage. The visitors, Washington State, would go on to win and play in the Rose Bowl against that year’s eventual national champions, Michigan. The home team, my alma mater of Illinois, wouldn’t even win a single game that year.

More than 20 years later, I’m sitting in a Cadillac Escalade, rolling down Chicago’s Michigan Avenue and the quarterback who threw that 80-yard TD pass, Ryan Leaf, is now granting me an exclusive interview; and the topic of football is ancillary to the purpose of our discourse.

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Filed Under: College Football, History, News and Current Events, NFL, NFL Draft, Social Issues

Michigan and Ohio’s Toledo War of 1835, and the Frostbitten Convention

November 19, 2018 By 11 Comments

toldeo-war

This week is rivalry week in college football. Which conjures up memories of the Toledo War and the Frostbitten Convention.

This weekend brings awesome games with cool names like “The Iron Bowl” (Alabama-Auburn) and “The Holy War” (BYU-Utah). But only one of these rivalry games can claim an actual war in the history of its geographic region. That’s the Michigan Wolverines vs. the Ohio State Buckeyes, or “The Game,” as it’s called.

The Toledo War is one of the many reasons ESPN Classic is running a marathon of past tOSU-UM games today.

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Filed Under: College Football, History, Michigan Wolverines, Ohio State Buckeyes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Xherdan Shaqiri Not Playing in UCL Match Due to Sociopolitical Concerns

November 5, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Liverpool FC has decided not to travel attacking midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri to their UEFA Champions League group stage clash tomorrow night at Red Star Belgrade. The decision was made due to off-the-pitch, not on-the-pitch concerns with reports circulating that the Swiss international, due to his Kosvan-Albanian heritage, would be the subject of political protests in Belgrade this week.

LFC posted the following statement on their website, attributed to manager Jurgen Klopp:

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Filed Under: Football/Soccer, History, Liverpool, News and Current Events, Politics, Social Issues

Nemanja Matic Reveals Why He Won’t Wear a Poppy on his Shirt

November 5, 2018 By Leave a Comment

nemanja matic

Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic took a lot of heat on social media over the weekend due to his controversial stance on the poppy emblem. Matic was the only United player not to wear the poppy emblem on his kit during Saturday’s 2-1 win at AFC Bournemouth, and this decision drew a lot of ire from football fans.

The remembrance poppy is an artificial flower that has been used since 1921 to commemorate military personnel who have died in war, and represents a common or field poppy. Matic wore the symbol on his jersey last year, but has since reversed course on the practice. He took to Instagram to explain why.

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Filed Under: Football/Soccer, History, Manchester United, News and Current Events, Politics, Social Issues

What Made the 1918 Red Sox-Cubs World Series Weird and Scary (Podcast)

October 24, 2018 By Leave a Comment

september 1918

Editor’s Note: This post originally ran on September 18th, but we have now updated it to include the podcast we did on the book last night (October 23rd)

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Filed Under: Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, History, MLB, Politics, Social Issues

Revisiting Disco Demolition Night in Let’s Get Weird, Sports Episode III

September 16, 2018 By Leave a Comment

“Disco Stu does not advertise,” but I do. The Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast is back with episode number three, centering on Disco Demolition night. Part of the Hammer & Rails Podcast Network, which is under the SB Nation umbrella, the latest edition of LGWS is the most popular episode yet, with 4,150+ listens and counting!

And why not? It is a classic tale of a baseball promotion that worked “too well.” The Chicago White Sox drew too many people, and the event got too much “notoriety” as it was an absolutely cataclysmic night at the old ballpark back in 1979.

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Filed Under: Entertainment/Media, History, MLB

WORST (or BEST) of the Indianapolis 500 Infield People Watching

May 27, 2018 By 1 Comment

racing-fan

The Indianapolis 500 is the world’s highest attended single day event. Its total capacity is approximately 400,000 with about 125,000 located in the cheapest and most “festive” seats of the infield.

All newbies marvel at the sheer size of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway upon entering it the first time. The modern day answer to Circus Maximus is large enough to hypothetically house the Vatican, Churchill Downs, Yankee Stadium and the Rose Bowl all at the same time.

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Filed Under: Entertainment/Media, History, Social Issues, Tech, Travel Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Marcus Rashford Pays Tribute to Manchester Arena Bombing Victims

May 22, 2018 By Leave a Comment

marcus rashford

On the one year anniversary of the Manchester Arena bombing, Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford provided a message for the families of the victims, and his hometown. On May 22, 2017, 22 lives were lost and hundreds were injured when a terrorist detonated a bomb at the arena during an Ariana Grande concert.

On Tuesday morning, Rashford posted a message to his official Instagram account, which has approximately 4.6 million followers. It listed the names and ages of every victim, below the “worker bee” symbol that is synonymous with paying tribute to those who were lost in the bombing.

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Filed Under: Football/Soccer, History, Manchester United, News and Current Events, Politics, Social Issues

Roman Abramovich in Limbo as Chelsea Owner’s UK Visa Renewal Delayed

May 20, 2018 By Leave a Comment

roman abramovich

In case you were wondering why Chelsea Owner Roman Abramovich did not attend Chelsea’s FA Cup final win over Manchester United in London yesterday, it’s because he cannot legally enter the country right now. His United Kingdom visa expired in April, and according to multiple reports, he’s experiencing a delay in renewal.

It is the policy of the government agency that handles processing visas to not comment on reasons for delay. However, given that Abramovich is now based in London, is Britain’s 13th richest man according to the Sunday Times with £9.3bn, and tensions escalating between Great Britain and Ambramovich’s native Russia, this is obviously a major news development.

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Filed Under: Business, Chelsea, Football/Soccer, History, News and Current Events, Politics
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