Tuesday, January 8, 2013

The Morning After and Wishes


      It’s the morning after the big game and I have to admit, I am still in complete utter shock.  Before I go any further, I will say that the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame had one hell of a fabulous season.  They were undefeated.  They proved time and again all season long that they had not only come to play, they had come to win.   Maybe that is why I, like probably a lot of other Irish fans sat in utter silence and disbelief as the Alabama Crimson tide pulverized Notre Dame last night.  The thousands of dollars that changed hands so Irish fans could travel to Florida to see last night’s diabolical loss is even more astounding.  It is sickening and devastating and in the aftermath, my heart bleeds and my mind still attempts to make sense of it all.

 


      It was pretty obvious Notre Dame left their game in South Bend last night.  It was painful to watch and the Crimson Tide showed no mercy.  By the time the Irish finally woke up in the second half to score a measly two touchdowns, the fans in attendance could only stare silently open mouthed.  Even I didn’t have the energy to cheer when they finally scored.  It was too little too late.
Even today my mind struggles to understand how a team that went undefeated all season long could have fared so poorly in this final game.  How is that possible?    It was hard to miss the fact that even Coach Kelly stood stoically by and watched as his team gave the National Championship title to Alabama.  There was none of the frantic yelling that was present in other games.  There was no attempt to light a fire under the player’s asses.  There was only the comment at halftime that it was Alabama’s ballgame.  No kidding, it surely was.  The handwriting was on the wall.  Notre Dame didn’t stand a chance.  It wasn’t their night.




       The Alabama Crimson Tide rocked Miami last night plain and simple.  They didn’t let up even when they had an overwhelming lead.  They continued to score touchdowns frantically until the bitter end.  They won, and they won big.  They played flawlessly, even if the referees had their heads up their asses on more than one occasion.    What about Notre Dame?  They still had an amazing undefeated season.  They still did Irish fans proud.  They still entered the season unranked and ended the season ranked number one in the country.  They earned their place in the National Championship game even if the dream of a national title ended long before the minutes counted down to zero.  It was a devastating loss against an unbelievably good Alabama team. If only the victorious football team that sparkled and shone all season long had made the trip to Miami.  The team that showed up already celebrated their undefeated season and unfortunately had moved on to other things.  Their hearts simply were not in it. 




       At the end of the day, I like many others am still a devoted Irish fan.  I have loved Notre Dame my whole life and last night didn’t change a thing.  I still will cheer the Irish on and proudly declare myself a fan.  I will still don my Notre Dame jacket and hat with pride.  There will be other games and other National Championships.  This team did great things.  I wish things could have been different.  They had one hell of a run.  Unfortunately winning the National Championship was not to be. 



26 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Brenda, I am so pleased you enjoyed it. This loss really weighed on my heart so I felt I must vent. Thank you for stopping by to read and for your kind comments! ♥

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  2. Sorry they lost Kathy but it sure is nice to read "graceful commentary" about the game! I didn't have a stake in it either way, but I've had other games where it meant something to me and went the way this game did. It's so painful...

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    1. Amy, they had an amazing season. It was just so disappointing how this game turned out. Thank you for stopping by to read and for your kind comments! ♥

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  3. Yeah that was tough to watch last night....I hung with it till about 11 pm and finally went to bed.

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    1. JoJo, that was about when I gave up the ghost. The kids had to go to school the next day and we all had to be up at 7 so I didn't bother watching it till the end. Thank you for stopping by to read and for your kind comments! ♥

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  4. Look at it this way. At least your home team isn't the Detroit Lions.. :/ I was shocked at the Irish as well but they played a great season, can't take that away from them. :)

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    1. Mimi, it was one hell of a season and a lot of fun to cheer on the Irish this year. Thank you for stopping by to read and for your kind comments!♥

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  5. I caught the interviews after the game and the Irish coach and players looked shell shocked. But he said something that was really true, they learned from this game that they need to get better. They need to get stronger. They need to work harder.

    When I caught a few minutes of Mike and Mike In the Morning they were discussing that it was good for college football to have a team as good as Alabama so there was something to shoot for.

    No whining and complaining (like some fans of teams that "could" have been in the championship game that I have heard from). They got beat by a better team and need to get better.

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    1. Audrey, I agree and they will learn a lot from the experience no matter how heart breaking the loss was. I think fans and players alike were shell shocked. No one can take away from how well Alabama played. They were perfection. There was no stopping them. The fighting Irish of Notre Dame will come back even stronger from this loss and better next season. Thank you for stopping by to read and for your comments! Go Irish! ♥

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  6. I'm BACK! he he As you know, I am no football fan and I don't care a hoot about the college games, BUT I do love how devoted you are to your team and this is a nice tribute.

    I am also liking this very clean and easy to navigate page. Good job!

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    1. Jo, the only football I care about is Notre Dame, period. Thank you for stopping by to read and for your kind comments! ♥

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    1. Jo, the dog is still there doing his dance. Thank you for stopping by to read and for your kind comments! ♥

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    2. I have been using my iPad and apparently I'm not able to see the whole page. That never entered my mind!

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    3. Jo, I have my blog set to a simplified version specifically for cell phones which may show up on your iPad instead of what you are used to seeing online. I did it so it would load faster on phones and be easier to read. Thank you for stopping in and for your comments! ♥

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  8. My family are Penn State fans, and both my brother and his wife are Alumni. For us as a family in pro football, we all root for the Steelers (except one brother is a Jet fan) .. Yes we all live in NY, but my dad was raised in PA so it was instilled in us. We have our terrible towels and all. This Super Bowl will not be exciting for us, but a great time will be had by all. Wait until next year, maybe it will be your teams year!

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    1. Winnie, I think people tend to root for their "home" team. For me, it is Notre Dame. I am not really into sports much but love Notre Dame football and never fail to tune in for a game. I love visiting campus and I wear my Notre Dame memorabilia with pride. Thank you for stopping by to read and for your kind comments! ♥

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  9. I can't say that I follow football, but I am sorry that your team lost. Sometimes it is nice to read about a passion that you do not share, and it makes me interested in it.

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    1. Rennata, mind you I really don't follow any other sport or team, just Notre Dame football. It was instilled in me at a young age to love Notre Dame football and tune in each week for the game. Thank you for stopping by to read and for your kind comments! ♥

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  10. I'm not much of a football fan but you're one awesome fan, if this post is any evidence of that! Sorry they lost though...

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    1. Anne, me either. Just love Notre Dame football. LOL I am too, but it is what it is. Alabama didn't make any mistakes. They played a great game. Notre Dame had a great season and it was fun. Thank you for stopping by to read and for your kind comments! ♥

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  11. Kathy, I'm not a college football fan, but I do love the Celtics and Red Sox and I know how bitter it is when they lose (the Celtics lost Game 7 of the championship to the Lakers by 4 points a couple of years ago and it still stings). Other commenters are right in that you're being very gracious about it--I know I'm not when my teams lose! Sorry about the loss, but you're absolutely right to celebrate their terrific season! Congratulations and well done to the Irish!

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    1. ElaineLK, it is sure fun to cheer your team on! Especially in person. The game weighed heavy on my mind and I felt I just had to let my thoughts flow freely here. Thank you for stopping by and for your kind comments. ♥

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  12. I think the Notre Dame's lack of showing up that first half stunned the country--because I think we expected a good match up--not a blow out by Alabama. I didn't watch the game but I was shocked when I saw a score that had Alabama on top just after the half and zero points for Notre Dame.

    If it is any consolation, Ohio State had it happen two years in a row to them. We went both seasons ranked pretty high up -landed at the National Championship and both times we got a good ole fashioned spanking. Nothing more devastating than seeing your team just fail to show up :(

    Sorry it wasn't Notre Dame's night.

    Cheers, Jenn.

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    1. Jenn, that was the big shocker. I thought it would be close and a nail biter not a blow out. Doesn't it suck when it works out that way? Sometimes a team gets over confident, but I don't think that was the case for Notre Dame. I just think they had an off night and Alabama performed flawlessly. Thank you for stopping by to read and for your kind comments! After the season they had, Notre Dame has nothing to be ashamed of. Go Irish!! ♥

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