TAKING SIDES WITH JIMMIE CLAUSEN

 

By Sir John

 

Jimmie I never thought I would say this before you are in uniform but I am on your side in this current mess.

 

First of all let me get some negatives out of the way here. I am old school and cannot be any other way then I am. I didn’t like your haircut, your limp wrist of four rings and the showboat production at the HOF. I didn’t think then, nor now was that it TEAM or Notre Dame. Turns out your Dad says it was what you wanted. Well, you got it in spades in publicity. Fortunately it was not done on Notre Dame Turf but South Bend.

 

Let me explain that Notre Dame is bigger then you are or USC, OSU anything you will be or can name. We did well, and bad, before you and we will do the same in the future.

I knew instantly way, way back when that this glitz was not Notre Dame and would cause trouble. In my own sites I was jumped on for being anti Clausen and sometimes anti Notre Dame. In our world there is only Notre Dame or Anti Notre Dame. The media boys pumping out pro Notre Dame now are the same ones kicking our asses around just a year ago with glee. They fool no one least of all me.

 

Enter Charlie. Notre Dame with the deepest respect, helmets off going to the Navy side of the field after we beat them for our service people. Notre Dame is Hannah, bookmarks, Charlie Jr. shirts, Pass Right and so many things I can’t quite keep up with them all.

 

Notre Dame is Coach Weis, Holtz, and Ara in New York together raising $1,000,000 to split between their three charitable foundations recently. Notre Dame is Coach Weis giving a set program to Bon Jovi to a girl in a wheel chair. It’s but two news items swept under the rug, by the South Bend Tribunes recent half dozen articles on you. But hey, it sells newspapers.

 

Jimmie, I read you brought your team some steak dinners or rather your Dad did. That’s great son but you know I kind of prefer reading about this southern kid that verbed. His church, evidently not Catholic, had a chicken dinner so that they could raise money for he and his Mom could drive to South Bend.

 

That’s where I came from in this war of words going off like a pop corn machine. I knew it was trouble for ND and trouble I tried to warn against. I was therefore labeled anti. Let me give you a context “Support our troops and President Bush.” I do support our troops why should I link that to Bush or any one man? I didn’t support Ty and was among the first voices to scream dump him.

 

It was not TEAM that you did back then in South Bend and we are paying for it now. ND Fans even want to take potshots at Paddy who is on our team. I well know from other team members he is only speaking the truth. Perhaps, in the fold now, Weis will tell him to shut up? But whose fault was all of this?

 

Everything was shut down until in a dead month weeks before we practice, the South Bend Tribune decided to stir the pot. They can’t find stories to make South Bend so inviting one can’t tell where the ND campus leaves off and South Bend starts. No, it looks like they want to compare you to Godzilla. They dragged up all kinds of side issues to compare them with you. That hack Lemming feels this glitz is the coming thing but forgets how many can afford that while himself whining ESPN ruined his own exclu$ive interview$.

 

This is Notre Dame and welcome to the big Goldfish Bowl. I think you made a big mistake back then; you seemed to have learned from it as all the PR hype is shut down now. I also think you and that crowd learned a lesson. Lots of our kids make mistakes along the way. Thanks.

 

Welcome to TEAM and Notre Dame, bring your best because honestly you will need it and all expect it. Right now I want you to stay focused on your High School team.

 

Me? I want to ask why SBT dragged all this out now and just worry about my team. Coach has a Presser August 6th and since he can’t speak out on all this SBT items without NCAA troubles, he has a situation. I know there is already a situation on the team he must deal with which is not you. I am not at liberty to say what it is about.

 

My concerns are these practices, how well Mendoza prepared them, injuries past and incurred on the way and then Georgia Tech. I want to know who is #2 QB in 2006 and therefore has a sort of inside track. I hope it’s Zach.

 

I want to know which guys the TEAM chose for co-captains and leaders for 2006. I want to see what the Calvary does, those forgotten guys from 2005 recruiting. However, these SBT people wish to drag out old news and recycle it.

 

Jimmie, thank you for finally understanding Notre Dame is different. Again welcome. When the cheers stopped for you I want you to realize that’s the way it is. They stopped for Notre Dame once recently picked up but will stop again some day. Crowds and fans are always fickle.

what does a kids hair style has to do with football,who cares? DW has corn rows. do you not like him? is that not notre dame? the only people that have a problem with him are jealous of him and his accomlishments. anyone who die to be that good, that noticed, that highly touted, that athletic if you dissaree you are lying to yourself. get over yourself and be happy that the number 1 recruit is on board trying to help get a #1 class on board, read the article about the interview on the people THAT ACTUALLY KNOW HIM. not the people who he seen or heard sound bytes of him. they say that he is actually modest down to earth kid, that feels uncomfortable about talking about himself. a kid that is always picking up his teammates, never getting on them for dropping a pass. PRECEPTION IS NOT REALITY! i think some people need to open their minds a little.

im with you forever

 

this jimmy stuff is getting ridiculous

 

by the way i know its not this thread but i dont feel like going over there and putting

 

paddy mullen shut your mouth and be happy you will get to play and be lead by such a talent

 

all of you got on DJ when he made comments bashing the team, well clausen is the future of this team and you are hypocrits if you don't bash paddy for the same garbage...paddy if you ever read this shut your damn mouth!

Well said TD I expressed the same thoughts in the Mullen thread. Why are our own guys bashing/questioning Clausen? Without Jimmy do you know what our chances of landing Benn, Kamara, or Little would be?.....NOT VERY GOOD!! So to the idiots bashing Clausen you seriously need to evaluate your position.

well said fellas!

Lets see, one is the top player in the nation from one of the top football states in the nation, has offers from almost every big time program in the country, has been called the "Lebron James" of high school football, and is having a huge influence on ND's recruits and the other is a 3 star TE from St. Louis, best offer other than ND was Mich St., and wasn't even the best player at his position in his class. I think its pretty easy to figure out who means more to ND, thus making your decision on who to side with much, much easier.

Side with? I don't understand?? JC made a major error, if he was Joe Krocnowski and stopped the stupidity I would accept him. He verbed his record means nothing to me. Coach wants him I want him.

JC made a major error?

 

you have to be kidding me, this kid has done nothing wrong

 

i can guarantee you this if charlie cared none of this would happen, the publicity is great and we could not ask for a bigger star to come to ND

 

i know alot of people are old sticks in the mud and see things certain ways but come on, does anything happen at or involving ND anymore with out charlies approval? NO! this is the biggest get in along time, and you know why he won't fail and why he will lead, on top of all his talent, charlie, have faith and embrace him

 

and again my slogan for the rest of the month, Paddy shut your mouth

Where exactly is the source for Paddy's quote or is this just hear say?

Paddy could have prefaced his remark with superlatives about JC that were cut out to make the story more controversial; some journalists really don't care for context. Learning experience for all on how to deal with the press.

JC did NOT make a major error and all this mess is in the newspapers?

 

What the heck?

oh brother

 

where art thou?

 

hell, we need some pizzazz

 

do we really want thos players that enjoy the limelight

like say Austin?

thinking

gee, I can't be myself there?

 

for cryin' in a can

 

ever hear of Ricky Watters?

Paul Hornung?

George Gipp?

 

geez, stop with the hand wringing

already

 

do we want him to change his mind?

 

thank god

for charlie

 

he gets it

JC made a major error?

 

you have to be kidding me, this kid has done nothing wrong

 

i can guarantee you this if charlie cared none of this would happen, the publicity is great and we could not ask for a bigger star to come to ND

 

i know alot of people are old sticks in the mud and see things certain ways but come on, does anything happen at or involving ND anymore with out charlies approval? NO! this is the biggest get in along time, and you know why he won't fail and why he will lead, on top of all his talent, charlie, have faith and embrace him

 

and again my slogan for the rest of the month, Paddy shut your mouth

 

Wow TD, I couldn't have said that better myself. I agree 100%

Is all the crap an error or are you guys sweeping it under the rug?

Look below.

 

Guys calm down: Here we go again.

 

I sat out every negative printed in my article. I admit most of which got blown way out of proportion. I knew this crap would come given our fish bowl at ND. There is a mess now not of Notre Dames creation. Let's not focus on the hair but the total "production" which was a mistake. If it were not a mistake none of those links below would be out there.

 

I wish no war on this I want peace and to concentrate on the upcoming practices and Georgia Tech. But some people put an eliphant in our living room and it is stupid to pretend it is not there

 

Is all this an error?

 

http://therockreport.blogspot.com/

 

http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060723/NDSports02/607230438/-1/NDSports

 

http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060723/NDSports15/607230431/-1/NDSports

 

http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060725/NDSports02/607250443/-1/SPORTS/CAT=NDSports02

 

http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060725/NDSports02/607250443/-1/SPORTS/CAT=NDSports02

 

http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060725/NDSports02/607250445/-1/NDSPORTS

 

http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060725/NDSports15/607250442/-1/NDSPORTS

 

Please print that Peoples about JC, if there are "positive" stories out their not dealing with yards thrown, print them. Few have seen it.

 

My article stated this was a mistake by the JC-PR machine and welcomed the shut down. I knew way back at the start no good will come of this and looking at the links above, I was correct.

 

Re read. I felt SBT was out of line. I have no control over SBT and it's time to leave the kid alone I have a 2006 team I want to worry about.

 

However, I don't give a fig newton for a baby just out of Junior High. This is Notre Dame. Coach Charlie Weis runs Notre Dame. He is the General and don't make yourself bigger then life.

I think it is kinda funny that everyone made such a big deal... Clearly he wanted to commit before the B & G game and he could not do it on the campus... Where else in South Bend could you do it?

 

They talk about how he staged this media circus... Reality is he did not involve nearly as much media as most. For example, many top recruits commit on national TV. ESPN TV was not even there for the commitment... I know I tried to watch it. As a matter of fact he did not even announce he was going to commit... It was leaked and I'm sure JC family had something to do with it but it was announced that a "national recruit" was having a press conference.

 

If they had wanted to they could have annonced live on ESPN sports center. As for his comments, what do people want him to say, "I'm excited to go to ND to sit on the Bench for a couple of years and then when I get a chance to start I hope to lead ND to a winning season." Let it rest... Let him play ball.

Sir you are way off on this and so is the SBT

 

this is what charlie wanted or it wouldn't have happened

 

all this negative crap is people taking there shots to try to make a name for themselves, this is what ND is, the QB at ND should always be bigger than life, this his how you win heismans, this is how you build hype, this is how you set high expectations, high expectations lead to big results

 

the major universities set high expectations and they all wish they were big enough to pull this off

 

ND matters it will always matter now that charlie is here, negative articles only mean people are thinking about us. We are the university of college football! get used to it!

 

if you don't like JC, or kids with personality, or kids with different hair cuts then start rooting for army, i hear they all got the same haircut, seriously this is big boy football and kids want to be apart of something big and important, ND is becoming big again, we are taking back our rightful place on the cover of magazines and on the front page of every newspaper in america

 

im sorry if you don't get it but this is what it is supposed to be like at ND, this is how legends are born

 

please stop with the negativity, jimmy is a big thing, if lebron james would have gone to college it would have been a big deal, Oden is a huge deal for OSU basketball, no one doubts he will live up to the hype, no one bashes him, so stop it, this kid is very important to our future and you all should embrace what he brings, just like we all embrace what charlie brings and trust me it doesnt happen without charlie's approval, nothing happens at ND anymore without charlie's approval

 

the SBT and everyone else better get used to it because we are here to stay!

it's only a mess

if we allow it to be so

 

for pity's sake

it was only an announcement

 

that most of us

were dying to hear

 

crap, it felt like i was

in a hummer limo

for over a week

I think it is kinda funny that everyone made such a big deal... Clearly he wanted to commit before the B & G game and he could not do it on the campus... Where else in South Bend could you do it?

 

what about the backer?

gUYS (NO NAMES) these stories are what Charlie wanted to happen? If that were so that PR machine on the west coast would be going full blast.

 

You say they are negatives I say they are negatives and so now Charlie wants negatives?

 

OK, there is this big thing in your living room. Smelly bleeding something negative lying in the room now after all this time.

 

Who dragged it in? Weis? Me? I'm negative because I pointed out this was not Notre Dame? The kid has cooled his act. He changed and I said if Weis wants him I want him, what more can I do as a fan? Your over looking that group connected with him did shut down. If it were Ok again full blast. I guess keep pumping all this out it's what Weis wants what you fans want let's go do the dog and pony

 

This surely wasn't Notre Dames way mayby Lemmings, maybe some fans but not ND.

 

Can we get off the hair now? He buzzed it. If this was done at USC by him you guys would be tearing him to shreads and you know it. I do not have a double standard. I have this Notre Dame thing which dioesn't really change for anyone on this earth

 

OK, I can surrender..... if I want it all wasn't JC, his Dad or PR machine it was my Coach Weis, me and a bunch of others. JC is the Teflon Don. It's all my fault.

 

The act is shut down, but the bad hype remains as I said it would happen, we prefer to gut each other and forget about a season coming and the teamates on it. This was the best job I ever saw of playing right into Anti Notre Dame hands.

Please remember that Mullen is a player on the Notre Dame Football TEAM! He is also just out of high school and could have been lead into his answer by a reporter. Look what they are doing with Clausen and now they are doing the same to Mullen. Coach Weis wanted him on the team and he does not care what his rating is. We are thin at DT, so it appears he will be working toward that, which the lack of depth is major concern to most of us at the DD.

 

I agree with the comment about what does his hair do with football? He showed up to his announcement in a very nice suit, which is a great representation of ND. He did not show up looking like a bum. He did not start to put on a hat, just to change it to anther team. If we should bash anyone, it should be his pr firm and not him. He was just a junior in high school and who would not think it would be cool to announce that at the College Football Hall of Fame? So what if he showed up in a limo. I go to the airport in a limo over a taxi since they are cheaper and more reliable. Does South Bend have enough taxi’s to take him, his family and 2 friends, plus their families? If they do, I am sure it would be a lot more then renting a limo.

 

About the rings, it was only 3 and a report asked about them. A report or two then asked if they could get a picture, so he showed it to them. Once again this is taken out of context and the South Bend Tribune should know that. I am sure they were there along with a few of us on this board.

 

The media (South Bend Tribune and others) are doing this to sell papers. We should support ND players and let the media and other teams do the bashing. When you are on top, everyone takes a shot.

I don't understand the SBT motivation in publishing these recent articles... they're rehashing stuff.

 

Certainly, I can't see them gaining in more or special access to the team because of the press.

 

If these articles are any indication, I expect a lot of negative spew from SBT over the fall campaign.