Stockpiling Jersey talent can only mean one thing.....Weis really wants Springsteen at the opening pep rally in 2007!
Andy | Email | Homepage | 05.11.06 - 1:45 am | #

I'm glad we're getting top flight talent, but it'd be comforting if we started landing some more defensive players, especially along the line
andrew | Email | Homepage | 05.11.06 - 2:58 am | #

I was searching around a couple of days ago looking for who Kamara might be committing to and an old article from Irish Eyes popped up mentioning Ragone, Kamara, and Benn. It basically said the Irish should be very comfortable with the position they hold with these players, so its quite possible that Benn may be the next to commit if this was really just a way of saying that these players are just waiting in line to commit. I guess its sort of a way they can have their own private media circus and everything, plus keeping ND in the news helps with other recruits too.
John | Email | Homepage | 05.11.06 - 8:11 am | #

All I need now is for Charlie to back a DT and I can die happily.
Brad | Email | Homepage | 05.11.06 - 8:35 am | #

Why the slam on Kevin Smith?

Smith:Jersey::Fellini:Italy.

seriously.
Wooderson | Email | Homepage | 05.11.06 - 9:19 am | #

It's not a slam on Kevin Smith, wooderson. Not sure why you think it is.
Pat | Email | Homepage | 05.11.06 - 10:23 am | #

But are we allowed to make fun of those stupid Jughandles and the 45mph freeways with families' driveways on them?
Kelley Cook | Email | Homepage | 05.11.06 - 10:27 am | #

My personal favorite excerpt from NJGUIDO:
NJ Anthem

This is the weekend that we show the rest of the world what we are made of. It's time to show the New Jersey haters out there, how we party. They don't know what it's like to be part of the energy of Temptations on a Saturday and Sunday night. They don't know what it's like to be on the Surf Club beach on Saturday and Sunday with the world's best looking people.
They don't know what it's like to hear Denny Tsettos rip "Shiny Disco Balls" for an hour to the point where the crowd erupts in energy. They don't know what it's like to party like we do. We don't care about a big, beautiful, shore house. We don't need an exotic club, full of wanna be rich boys and snotty women. We don't want a city lounge, or a fancy dinner.
We don't want to dress up, we want to dress less. We want to show off the fact that New Jersey men and women are in the best shape. It's time to put all of the petty bullshit behind us. Turn off the damn t.v. Get off your ass, and get to the Jersey Shore. It's weekends like this that last forever. There are no excuses. Party like a rockstar.
Tony "The Ant" Spilotro | Email | Homepage | 05.11.06 - 10:45 am | #

Is there anyway to see his press conference? I missed it yesterday, I was on my way home from work.
Peter | Email | Homepage | 05.11.06 - 11:01 am | #

If we got a bitchin' Kamara does that mean that purdue's recruiting class will be like taking retards to the zoo?
Tnirshfan | Email | Homepage | 05.11.06 - 11:11 am | #

Nice headline -- you really milked it for all it was worth, man.
Billy Shakespeare | Email | Homepage | 05.11.06 - 11:12 am | #

I love the Bitchin' Kamara title. That song has been in my head for weeks every time I thought about ND recruiting him.
Ted | Email | Homepage | 05.11.06 - 11:13 am | #

Kevin Smith as Fellini? Holy balls.
Jay | Email | Homepage | 05.11.06 - 12:06 pm | #

As a lifelong New Jerseyan, I must admit that you guys forgot to include any mention the zubaz pants and the Jersey shore.

I'll let it slide this time, but next time, expect a visit from Silvio and Paulie.
The Contrarian | Email | Homepage | 05.11.06 - 2:33 pm | #

I think the commits from Ragone and Kumara are less a sign of USC weakening than a sign of Notre Dame getting stronger.

New Jersey is a natural Irish constituency for recruits. The recent success of USC there was due more to the decline of PSU and ND in recent years than to USC's relative strength.

Notre Dame getting good again is just returning things to their natural order. USC will now have to go elsewhere (the South maybe?) for out-of-staters.
Heismanpundit | Email | Homepage | 05.11.06 - 2:59 pm | #

I agree HP. As I wrote, it really shouldn't be that big a surprise that ND is able to get good players out of New Jersey. The references to USC are to frame the general talent level of Kamara and Ragone. To me, recruiting cohort is much more telling than recruiting site star rankings.
Pat | Email | Homepage | 05.11.06 - 3:50 pm | #

Excellent Dead Milkmen reference with the title to the post. Clever.
Jim | Email | Homepage | 05.11.06 - 5:30 pm | #

I live at the Jersey Shore and have to deal with the guido idiots...please refrain from referencing them in the future.
clashmore | Email | Homepage | 05.11.06 - 7:56 pm | #

Kevin Smith is to New Jersey as Fellini is to Italy? That's a big slam on Fellini.

I think it's more like Kevin Smith is NJ as John Hughes is to Chicagoland.

Smith cites Hughes as a huge inspiration.
Dave | Email | Homepage | 05.12.06 - 11:11 am | #

I'm sorry, I don't care what anybody says. Fellini is shit. Weird shit. I've tried to be open minded, and understand the artistic statements, but its just weird shit.
Brad | Email | Homepage | 05.12.06 - 11:29 am | #

Word, Brad. I saw that 8 1/2 thing a few times, thinking I was missing something. All I'm missing are those 6 hours I invested in trying to figure it out.
Hal | Email | Homepage | 05.12.06 - 1:31 pm | #

I just noticed an interesting coincidence:

2 major subjects of this post have been Fellini and the Dead Milkmen...which led me to remember owning The Dead Milkmen tape entitled "Bucky Fellini". Thought it was worth a mention...
Tony "The Ant" Spilotro | Email | Homepage | 05.12.06 - 2:34 pm | #

Clashmore, I agree. I live about a mile from Belmar and about this time every year all the "Gotti-bes" from Staten Island and Brooklyn begin their annual descent like a swarm of greasy locusts.

The only downside to summer at the Shore (well, and jams on the GSP)
Domer95 | Email | Homepage | 05.12.06 - 3:51 pm | #

Brad and Hal,

No doubt, Fellini is an acquired taste. Check out his film Juliet of the Spirits. It's still weird but not nearly as circuitous as 81/2 or La Dolce Vita. I was an English major at ND, so that explains some things.

But I'm glad we can agree on ND football.
Dave | Email | Homepage | 05.12.06 - 4:13 pm | #

Love the use of 'Southern Cal'. Keep using it,
Newt | Email | Homepage | 05.12.06 - 4:27 pm | #

Newt,

Thanks. We try to maintain a "Southern Cal"-only purity here. Sometimes we slip up.
Jay | Email | Homepage | 05.12.06 - 5:16 pm | #

Finally someone has come up with a video that compares favorably to the MBA tailgate: http://www.deadspin.com/sports/o...gged- 173428.php

Kind of a telling ND-USC contrast, don't you think?
Phil K. | Email | Homepage | 05.12.06 - 5:17 pm | #

I'm skeptical of Kamara. Not his talent. His personality. This kid's myspace screams "thug". Not to mention, look what he is wearing in front of a national audience. Sport jacket over a polo shirt? Are you kidding me?
Skeptical | Email | Homepage | 05.13.06 - 3:16 pm | #

charlie weis > skeptical's evaluation of kamara's myspace
skepticism noted.
mike | Email | Homepage | 05.13.06 - 5:57 pm | #

No offense, but checking a recruit's myspace is going too far. How much interest could you possibly have in this kid's life? One of the stories on his commitment to ND said he goes to middle school and talks to inner-city kids about getting an education. To me, your post smacks of the stereotypical assumption that all black athletes are thugs.
Phil | Email | Homepage | 05.13.06 - 11:16 pm | #

I agree w/you Phil. I don't see how this kid's posturing on some stupid trendy website (does my myspace-disdain betray my over-30 age group?) deserves knee-jerk condemnations of his character. Maybe I'm not the only one, but I found the whole Clausen spectacle to be much more disturbing, from the standpoint of contradicting all the great things that ND stands for.
scott | Email | Homepage | 05.14.06 - 10:26 am | #

I don't think the Clausen thing contradicted an institutional standard. It was a PR stunt for Charlie's recruiting effort, that's all. What's even better is it appears to have worked. Every top recruit we've bagged since has directly spoken about the fact that they'll get to play with Clausen.
Brad | Email | Homepage | 05.15.06 - 8:26 am | #

I'm all for CW routinely pulling in top 5 recruiting classes. And I'm certainly not some annoying traditionalist who insists our players adhere to some outdated standard of conduct from the 1950's. That said, I just hope we don't make a habit out of shuttling every 5-star (and totally unproven) recruit in a stretch Hummer to a glammed-up presser at the CFB Hall of Fame. I know I would've had a field day mocking Cheaty McSweatervest or Poodle if they'd pulled a similar stunt, so I can't pretend it's suddenly different when we do it.
scott | Email | Homepage | 05.15.06 - 9:44 am | #

Scott, ND really didn't have anything to do with Clausen's announcement. It was set up by the Clausen family. ND, or any school really, can't have involvement in stuff like that.

We can argue over what Weis thought about the whole thing, but we probably won't find out what he really thought until Signing Day when he can officially answer specific recruiting questions.
Pat | Email | Homepage | 05.15.06 - 9:56 am | #

It looks like Kamara showed up in a polo shirt and then someone at the studio decided to let him borrow his jacket for the interview. Not that big of a deal...especially for an announcement on Espen the News.
tc | Email | Homepage | 05.15.06 - 11:00 am | #

Ooops, my bad! I should have known better that CW and ND had nothing to do w/it before getting up on my high horse. But what would the internet be good for if I couldn't use it to present my generally baseless and ignorant opinions as unquestionable fact?
scott | Email | Homepage | 05.15.06 - 11:14 am | #

Well put Scott.
Brad | Email | Homepage | 05.15.06 - 12:02 pm | #

Write this down. Clausen may not see the ball until he's a junior if at all.

Of course, if I am right, you all will marvel at my premonition. If I am wrong, you'll never remember this post.

While I am at it, top QB drafted this year -- come 3 years from now? Not Young... Not Leinart... Vandy.
Yago | Email | Homepage | 05.15.06 - 12:15 pm | #

I will agree with you almost completely Yago. Clausen is an amazing talent, but the guy who is gonna be starting for Charlie will be whoever can understand the game the best and sees the field the way Charlie wants him to see it, an extension of Charlie on the field if you will, and for all we know Sharpley could wind up starting over Frazier, Jones, and Clausen.

As far as the best QB, I couldn't agree more. That Vandy kid has the best deep ball skills, as well as the prettiest throwing motion. More importantly, though, he's in the best position. The Titans and Cardinals will expect, at the very least, to see their guys starting next year if not before. At Denver, this kid will get to sit and learn the next few years under Plummer while being coached by one of the great Offensive minds in the game in Shanahan. I expect big things from him. Plus he's from Santa Claus, IN. Can't go wrong with that.
Brad | Email | Homepage | 05.15.06 - 1:07 pm | #