It's Friday

Which means we are less than a week from Opening Day, and only 3 days away from the exhibition game with Notre Dame.

Monday's game with Notre Dame is at 5:30 PM, will be a 7-inning contest, and a portion of the proceeds will once again benefit the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation for Niemann-Pick Type C Disease.

Thursday's regular season opener is at 6:30 PM against the Great Lakes Loons (Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate). For $12, you can be a part of our Dyngus Day Buffet in the Upper Deck. More details at www.silverhawks.com.

All games, including the exhibition, will be broadcast locally on 1620 ESPN Radio. They will also be streamed online. More details to follow on radio broadcasts!

Swoop vs. The Leprechaun

I'll post Pete's report from Spring Training a bit later on today, but first I wanted to put up a few pictures that were taken yesterday to promote the Silver vs. Gold Exhibition game on April 5th. Remember, that game is on a Monday this year, and first pitch is scheduled for 5:30 PM. Tickets are on sale now, and if you can't make it to the game, we'll have it for you live on ESPN Radio 1620 AM.

Something Other than Tiger

The whole world is abuzz about Tiger Woods press conference today (although if he's not taking questions, it's not really a conference, now is it?).

Honestly, I really don't care. He doesn't owe me an apology, nor does he owe you one. But he's a public figure, needs to save face, so whatever.

Let's focus on the more important stuff: BASEBALL. Here are some links for you:

-Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly is a Silver Hawks fan: http://nwitimes.com/sports/college/article_f073a046-0b74-5682-8fa1-3f78acdc97d4.html

-ESPN has spring capsules for every team, here's the National League and here's the American League.

-CBS Sportsline has a ridiculously early Power Rankings column.

Breaking News!!!

I don't know if you've heard this or not, but Notre Dame has a new football coach.

(Sarcasm heavily implied)

Official Statement Regarding My Candidacy for the Notre Dame Job

While I am honored that many of you have voted for me as the person who should be the next head football coach at the University of Notre Dame (see poll on right), I am respectfully withdrawing my name from consideration for the position.

While the honor and prestige that comes with this position is second to none, I do not feel that it is a good fit for me at this time. While some may think that my three years as team statistician for the Covington Catholic Colonels (class of 2000) and my years of getting run over on the sidelines while filming University of Dayton Flyers (class of 2004) football games is enough experience, I'm just not sure I'm ready for this leap.

My concern is not in developing good players, as my track record speaks for itself. Lifelong friend and quarterback star Brett Dietz will attest that he would not be where he is today without me running horrible routes and dropping passes for years in his backyard.

However, at this time, I'm completely focused on maintaining the best baseball blog on the internet, and the time commitment that I put into this blog would certainly be damaged by trying to balance the responsibilities of a head football coach at the University of Notre Dame.

I wish Notre Dame the best of luck in their search, and I hope that there are no hard feelings.

Go Irish and Go Silver Hawks!

Notre Dame/South Bend Exhibition Game

The date of the annual Silver vs. Gold Exhibition Game has been changed. Instead of Tuesday evening as it has been the last few years, it will now be Monday, April 5th, at 5:30 PM.

For those of you unfamiliar with this game, it's an exhibition game between the South Bend Silver Hawks and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. It's been a great game for the community the last couple of years, with the Silver Hawks owning a 2-0 record.

Opening Day of the Midwest League season is still Thursday, April 8th, at 6:30 PM against the Great Lakes Loons.

Heilman Trade: A Link to some Links

Want to know the various reactions to the Diamondbacks acquiring Aaron Heilman? I'll link you to MLB Trade Rumors, and allow them to link you to the reactions from across the country.

Also, as Pete pointed out in the comments of the last post, I neglected to mention where Aaron Heilman went to college. Most are aware, but some aren't, that Heilman is indeed a former star for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

So between Heilman playing at Notre Dame and having been on the Cubs, Ryne White playing for the Silver Hawks and having gone to school at Purdue, and of course, the Diamondbacks being the other team involved in the trade, this story has an angle for just about everyone who reads this blog.

Owen's Football Blog?

A few football thoughts today, since there wasn't anything that happened over the weekend in baseball that I feel compelled to write about:

-How about my Bengals? 7-2 overall, 5-0 in the division, season sweeps of the Ravens and the Steelers. I'm clearly excited, but being a lifelong Cincinnati fan, I can't help but think "how will they screw this up?" Hopefully, they won't.

-For all you Colts fans out there, congrats on the 9-0 start. The Colts found a way to win again, even though Bill Belichick made one of the dumbest decisions of all time (you can argue with me if you want, but there is no way you go for it on 4th and 2 from your own 29 with two minutes to play). Peyton Manning is fun to watch.

-I don't know if firing Charlie Weis is the answer for Notre Dame, but I feel strongly it's going to happen now. Losing @ Pitt is not the crushing loss either. However, losing @ Pitt AFTER losing to both Michigan and Navy (not to mention USC) is what is going to cost him. Well, that, and the fact that he doesn't ever seem to win big games.

-Since we're talking about sports other than baseball, I couldn't be more excited about the start of college basketball season. Should be a good year for Notre Dame, but hopefully it'll be an even bigger year for my beloved Kentucky Wildcats.

That's all for now. Sorry for drifting away from baseball, but we all need that every once in a while.

Notre Dame vs. Michigan State

I realize this is a baseball blog, but I got to do something on Saturday for the first time in my life: attend a Notre Dame football game. I grew up Irish Catholic, so obviously, it's in my DNA to be a Notre Dame fan, but I had never had a chance to make it to a game until this weekend. And boy, what a game it turned out to be. Notre Dame defeated Michigan State by 3 points, quieting the "Fire Charlie Weis" talks for the next few days.

I didn't have my camera with me (I didn't think I was going to the game until I happened into a ticket on Saturday morning), but I was able to snap a few photos with my camera phone. I apologize for the quality, but this gives you an idea of the environment and where I was sitting at Notre Dame Stadium.



This is at the end of the game, when the players gathered in front of the student section for the Notre Dame anthem.


It's my stated goal in life to watch a Notre Dame football game from the press box. Can you tell I'm a media dork?


I went into the stadium about an hour before game time. This is the view as people started to make their way to their seats.



Same basic shot as above, only with a full stadium this time.