Music Of The Season

Here are a few little Christmas tunes for ya':

http://www.haroldleyes.com/mp3/2009%20-%20HL%20-%20What%20Child%20Is%20This.mp3

http://www.haroldleyes.com/mp3/2009%20-%20HL%20-%20Joy%20To%20The%20World.mp3

The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

It's not just a cliche, it's the truth. There's an FM radio station down here in Fort Myers that starts their Christmas music programming early. That day was November 16th, last Monday. But earlier than that, we started our rehearsing of Christmas music at Riverside. We will be doing those songs throughout December including an extra service on Sunday, December 20th, and also two Christmas Eve services. What a blessing it is to play my guitar on all of that music right next to Joyce on piano. She also is responsible for choir and music selection, soloist selection, and choir rehearsal. It all brings home the true "reason for the season": "For unto us is born this day a Savior, which is Christ the Lord". Without the Savior, there would be no hope of heaven for anyone...He's the only ticket.

Fall Vacation Back Home In Indiana

It's almost over, but it was a great time up here in South Bend! It was a time for football, family, friends, fall, and a bunch of other stuff.

Joyce and I attended the USC game on the 17th. As with many ND games this year, it came down to the final minute. Our seats are at the goal line to the right of the pressbox, and the final drive took place at our end of the field. We couldn't quite punch it in for the tying score that would have sent the game into overtime, but it was exciting nevertheless. ND had a second chance after a review showed that :01 was left on the clock. The intended receiver slipped, and the pass dropped incomplete. It brought back memories of the 2005 USC game here in the stadium where USC drove from inside their own 10-yard line to the exact same spot in our end zone. The difference was that they were able to score to win the game. It was great to attend another game in the stadium!

The game on October 24th was against Boston College, a university similar to Notre Dame. One speaker called them ND's "Little Brother". They had a winning streak of winning against ND. Joyce and I saw the 1993 game in person here in the stadium where BC kicked a last-minute field goal to win the game and knock ND out of the #1 spot in the rankings. The game this year was not a high-scoring game, but the final drive for BC recalled to me the 1993 game where they won at the end.

The ND defense stepped up, though, and caused a fumble and two interceptions in the last quarter. BC's final drive was killed by an ND interception, and that ended the game! Whew, but it was great to see ND win that game.

Love those stadium hot dogs in both games! We'll make a stop in Sevierville/Pigeon Forge, TN on the way home, then it'll be back in town on Wednesday. A restful vacation was had by all.

ND Squeaks Out Another One

It ended up being 37-30 after one overtime period, Notre Dame beating Washington. It was another nail-biter, not knowing if the Irish were going to lose it at the very end of the game. ND stopped Washington in three goal line stands - that's a miracle in itself that the Huskies couldn't score. Now Jimmy Clausen's name is being mentioned for the Heisman award later in the year. Tim Tebow has been out for a few weeks recovering from a concussion, and Colt McCoy from Texas is #2 on the list. That's a longshot for Jimmy, especially considering that ND isn't in the Top 25. I say "let it fly" to Jimmy to rack up all the yardage and victories that he can to give him the best shot. Both ND and USC are off this Saturday, October 10th, and then they both meet in South Bend the next Saturday, the 17th. Hot dog - we'll be there for that one, and the ND-BC game the following week. We were lucky enough to be at the ND-USC game in 2005 (the "Bush-Push" game where USC won at the very end)...talk about having heart attacks at the finish of a game! Below is the 2007 game where ND wore the throwback colors from 30 years ago. See if you can find the ball and the receiver.

A Visit To Michigan State University

On a business trip to Lansing, MI, I was able to walk through the MSU campus. After six MSU wins in Notre Dame stadium, ND finally beat them last Saturday in South Bend. This campus is beautiful, and it looks like ND or IU-Bloomington. I followed the music, and it was the marching band practicing next to the stadium. Here's a clip of the sounds of the band:

ND Loses To Michigan In Last Minute

Thanks, Danny, for the comments you entered on the previous post of ND vs. Nevada. That sure was a great start to a new season, but the Irish lost to Michigan last Saturday in the last minute. Every source that I see blames it on the play-calling in the last minute when all ND had to do was to run out the clock. Pass plays were called which gave Michigan more time to move down the field for the eventual go-ahead score.

The ND-Michigan rivalry has been a great one through all the years. As a matter of fact, it was Michigan that taught this little school in South Bend the game of football. Notre Dame stadium is modeled after the "Big House" in Ann Arbor. Michigan is always a quality opponent even when their program is down. A loss to them isn't quite as painful as one to Navy or Syracuse.

Michigan and ND used to be neck-and-neck as to who had the winningest percentage in college football. With all of the games that ND has been losing in the last ten years, Michigan has pulled far ahead with the #1 ranking. Texas has sneaked in there as #2, and ND is #3:

Michigan: 872 wins
Texas: 832 wins
Notre Dame: 831 wins

Notre Dame Football Season Has Begun!

On Saturday, September 5, 2009, the Irish started out the new football season with a nice 35-0 shutout of Nevada. It's the first time that the two teams have ever played each other. There were those in the sports media (Mark May on ESPN) that were predicting that Nevada would win, but it didn't turn out that way. Lou Holtz has even gone so far to say that it will be Florida and Notre Dame in the national championship game. We'll have to wait and see about that. The Irish look like a very different team in the Hawaii bowl game and the Nevada game than they did all during the 2008 season.

Next up: a trip to the Big House to play Michigan this coming Saturday. UM beat Western Michigan 31-7.