:idea: Bill Walton (or Bill Russell) may have been the greatest college player...ever... and his Bruins team was the greatest college team that I ever saw. What the Irish did that night was a true miracle...
I agree Jim. I was a huge Bill Walton fan. Except the night they beat my Dayton a Flyers in triple OT ! Against Memphis State Walton played perhaps the perfect BB game. Have you ever watched the HBO documentary on John Wooden? An excellent piece on the greatest sports coach who ever lived as well as UCLA basketball. His players revered him.
I have the original Sports Illustrateds' that had the two UCLA v Houston Cougars basketball games from the late 60's Big E v Big Lew. Remember the first one was held at the Astrodome. Houston won by one point and Alcindor played with one eye covered with a patch. They met again in the Tournament and Lew was 100%. I think the final score was 100-69 and Elvin Hayes had OD'ed on a steady diet of skyhooks.
What is so amazing about John Wooden, was that it took him awhile to get the UCLA program where it became the scourge of college basketball...I wonder if in today's world would fans be patient enough to allow that to happen?
I enjoyed reading through this topic you guys keep active. Isaiah McKenzie is a kid that the Gators are really interested in also. He is in Gainesville this weekend on an official visit and my understanding is that he won't make a decision until signing day.
McKenzie by everything I read is a real playmaker Bill, he supposedly wanted to commit to ND way back in the fall but he didn't have a good enough Test Score and had GPA problems so they wouldn't accept his verbal or allow him to make an offical visit. Now that he apparently has a good test score and did well in the classroom this fall, he's opened up his recruiting and I think will even go out and visit Oregon.
Incredibile win tonight for the Irish Women in Knoxville. They were down 46-41 at halftime, tied it 5 minutes into the 2nd half and just pulled away from the Lady Vols and won 86-70. Very good win for the Irish. Lot of games left to play including some very tough competition in the ACC, but this team looks to be very good.
I've never heard of these people/website before but they have a top 100 list. In this case it's the Top 100 Stadium experiences, not just football but all sports. #1 Amsoil Areana, home of the Minn. Dulth Bulldogs. Maybe Corey can tell us why a hockey arena iin the Iron Range is #1. #2 Daytona Speedway #3 Compton Family Ice Arena at Notre Dame..never been there but more than a little shocked at this high ranking. #8 Notre Dame Stadium, not shocked at this at all. Top 100 Stadium Experiences Kind of a weird list, IMHO.
Couple of comments/questions: The Staples Center? If it is because of star gazing why not MSG? You can see as many celebs at a Knicks game as you see at an awards show. And the Knicks suck! Where is Yankee Stadium. Monument Park, the retired numbers, a museum, 27 WS banners, the Roll Call in the first inning, the grounds crew in tuxedos doing the YMCA during the mid game cleanup, celebs all over the place. Go fish!
#4 Lucas Oil Stadium It's a pretty cool place with excellent sight lines from anywhere in the stadium, but frankly I'm surprised to see it at #4. Happy, but surprised.
Swarbrick had a Press Conf today to announce the new Under Armour deal for ND. From the internet reaction, ND Fans liked what the Under Armour CEO had to say and liked the look of the basketball uniform that they showed. I never really had any problem with Addias myself, but these uniform deals are more about money than anything else.
Well when a minor league field in Myrtle Beach is better than Yankee stadium...I have to wonder about the criteria and who is doing the list.
Oddly enough, I was in that ballpark in Myrtle Beach on a Thursday night in May, 2012. We were golfed out and decided to do something quiet that night so we went to the Pelicans game. You could have heard a mouse fart. Counting the four of us I think there were seven people in the park.
I will ruffle some feathers here. I love the University of Notre Dame and its campus which is a must-see for true college football fans. But the Stadium is the least of the reasons to go. As I've said before, it seats 80,000..... Somali pirates. So if you weigh more than 120lbs, as 95% of the crowd does, you will learn what "cramped" really is all about. You will leave with bruised kidneys. There is more grass on the quad than on the playing field and you will find yourself looking skyward for a jumbotron at key moments. Denied! Concessions are so-so. Urinal says "Rockne pissed here" and I believe them. ( I made that up ) I love everything about the game day expeience except inside the Stadium. I have been to six of them. If you have ever been to The Shoe, you know what I'm talking about.
Yeah don't post that any place but here, as you will be quickly hoisted on rack and roasted. But the game day experience as a whole is awesome. I love ND stadium though, it's not a modern NFL stadium for sure and you are correct about the seating. The grass will be fixed one way or the other this year, my money is that they will go with Field Turf and that will upset a lot of people...not me I'd prefer grass but it's not a deal breaker for me. Concessions again when I go to Reliant I get modern 1st class and expensive concessions with lots of choices. Bathrooms on the upper deck in ND stadium are better than on the lower deck but even those were improved when the renovated the stadium in the late '90's. I don't expect the upcoming renovations to change much for the fan, ok video boards, but truly I don't care if there are video boards. But seating isn't going to change.
The Under Armour Deal: http://espn.go.com/college-football...e-most-valuable-apparel-contract-ncaa-history Some key excerpts from the above article: