Opening the mailbag: Responding to unhappy Notre Dame fans
October, 16, 2009
Oct 16
6:26
PM ET
Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller
Gonna be on the road to Tucson in a bit.
But first your notes!
I hope this first one doesn't become a trendy name for newborns.
Ted Miller Hater from Philadelphia writes: After reading your one sided article I know why you have a one sided opinion...you wrote for the PAC-10...looks like you have a man crush for Pete Carroll. ND will beat USC Saturday...And if Barkley views Jesus number one, then why didn't he go to ND? Maybe because he didn't want to be behind #7. I also love how you put Barkley's GPA in the article. Whats USC's team GPA?? Compare that to ND! Also compare graduation rates of the football players. Its a joke and not even close!
Matt from New Jersey writes: Ted, Are you sure you aren't a graduate of USC? Its a shame I am taking a lunch break from my stress-filled job, and I go to read an article about an intriguing "behind the lines" story, and I get this biased non-article. You should probably let up on Clausen a little bit, as you probably made some mistakes due to immaturity as a younger man yourself. I know I have.
Troy from Warren, Mich., writes: Ted, must be tough waking up with so much hatred for a college kid whose done nothing to you personally. Your article about Jimmy Clausen is absolutely ridiculous and completely uncalled for. Maybe you are just a closet USC fan and just never got over the fact that a blue-chipper didn't want to attend the mighty USC. Either way, congratulations, you have stooped to a whole new level with your hatred over all things ND. Dying to hear what you have to say when ND wins this Saturday.Troy
Ted Miller: Got a lot of these, some with colorful language.
I didn't anticipate this reaction because I thought these two paragraphs summed up the entire point of my story.
In other words, the public perception doesn't appear to match the private reality. And even if it did at one point, maybe he's grown up since then and deserves a break.
My intentions with the story's tone from the get-go -- from my purposefully windy and hyperbolic first paragraph to noting Barkley turned down an invitation to join the X-Men -- were to be playful with the general perceptions of Clausen and Barkley and the media hyperventilating (yes, hello Mr. Black Kettle, I'm Pot) over two young men who became famous for throwing the football well as teenagers.
Clausen is widely seen as cocky and self-aggrandizing. That perception is longstanding. It's not hard to find negative takes on him. The perception of Barkley is the complete opposite. Feel free to introduce evidence to the contrary, but I couldn't find any.
Operative word in both cases: perception.
Part of the disconnect, I suspect, comes from Notre Dame fans who don't want to acknowledge what Clausen's public image is outside the fanbase and who are annoyed at any revisiting of the look-at-me show he put together when he committed to Notre Dame.
So, running with the perception contrast, I felt quotes from Clausen, Barkley and USC LB Chris Galippo did a fairly good job of saying, 1. Clausen has grown up; 2. He's a good dude.
Anthony from Pittsburgh writes: I just wanted to let you know that the ND students and Alumni are attempting to plan an impromptu "Green Out". Since its not an official one run by the University they haven't sent out an official press release and will not be handing out green shirts at the door. I was hoping you could help give the cause a little publicity in your blog.
Ted Miller: Only if you promise to get Notre Dame fans to be nice to me.
JC from Eugene, Ore., writes: I'm a little nervous about Oregon's trip to the Husky Homecoming game. After this weekend Oregon will have played 3 conference teams with a combined Pac-10 record of 1 and 10!!! Add what amounted to essentially last second victories over Purdue and Utah. How many more wins does the defense have left?
Ted Miller: You should be nervous. Got a feeling that will be an intense atmosphere at Husky Stadium -- just like the good ole days of hate between Oregon and Washington -- particularly if the Huskies win at Arizona State on Saturday.
Not sure, however, if I buy your numbers. UCLA was good enough to win at Tennessee, which whipped Georgia. Neither of those teams would finish in the top-half of the Pac-10, but they are respectable programs.
Utah is 4-1 and ranked 24th. California won at 4-2 Minnesota by two touchdowns, and the Bears may be 0-2 in the Pac-10 because they played USC and Oregon. Purdue is clearly struggling, but it took a last-play comeback for Notre Dame to beat it.
Don't think Oregon's D is the problem. The Ducks need to get quarterback Jeremiah Masoli back and healthy.
Darrell from Portland writes: I'm frustrated. I understand that the PAC teams have been beating each other up but I still feel slighted in the rankings. I think everyone can agree that the PAC is better top to bottom than it was last year. I mean, all but 2 of their nonconference losses so far were to teams that will likely, or could possibly, win their conference. The average margin of loss in all of those games combined is just over 9 points. If you take the Washington schools out of play then it looks really good. I just can't believe that only 2 of the PAC's teams are worthy of the top 25. Last year we had more teams but were a weaker conference.
Ted Miller: Let's lay blame here where it belongs: On the Pac-10 teams that lost last weekend.
If UCLA, Arizona or Stanford won last week, it -- or they -- probably would have been ranked. All three lost. That they did had little to do with East Coast bias.
So when pollsters looked at the results Saturday night, who deserved to enter the top-25?
The conference is stronger, top-to-bottom, than last year. My guess by the end of the year is at least three or perhaps four teams will be in the top-25.
Alex from Corvallis, Ore., writes: Do you think things are starting to look good for Oregon State? What do you think the chances are that they could at the very least give USC a run for their money? They do have a bye week before they play them, and in the past, the Beavers have played very well after a bye week.
Ted Miller: The short answer is yes.
The Beavers appear to be making their annual turnaround after a mediocre start, only this year they are ahead of schedule, seeing that they didn't fall to 2-3 for the fourth consecutive year.
As for the visit to USC: I will not pick the Beavers to win. The Trojans have won 11 in a row and 35 of 36 in the Coliseum. Even though they will be returning from a long, hyped trip to Notre Dame, my guess is the Beavers will have their attention, based on a little matter from 2008.
Of course, my not picking the Beavers might be a good thing, as some of you might recall.
The biggest obstacle for Oregon State making a big run, however, is the schedule: Starting with USC on Oct. 24, four of the Beavers final six games are on the road.
Peter from San Jose writes: Noooooooooooooooooooo! Why, why, why did you pick my Sun Devils to beat Washington? Are you trying to punish Sun Devil fans? You have been on a cold streak with your picks and that might have been the kiss of death versus a talented Washington team. Although, you did pick Arizona to beat Stanford, so hopefully that will end up being one of your (or your only) incorrect picks this week.Keep up the great work.
Ted Miller: Now that is just mean. Have you been talking to Oregon State fans?
Spencer from Baton Rouge, La., writes: I am a Pac-10 fan living in SEC country. My curiosity is piqued and you may be able to answer this question for me. For all last season, and every week so far this season, there has been someone in the crowd behind ESPN's College Gameday every Saturday morning waving a Washington State flag (sometimes 2). How is this pulled off! Are there one or two extremely loyal Cougar fans following Gameday across the nation every season or is there a network of WSU-flag-owning/waving cougar fans pulling this off? Am I the only one to notice this? Any insight on this curious phenomenon is appreciated.
Ted Miller: It's a network and it's been going on for a while.
It's almost the first thing I look for every time I watch. Love it. This is kind of neat, too.
Alex from Miami writes: UCLA started off great and then lost Prince and was hit hard by two quick losses. Will UCLA find it in them to win 6 games and make a bowl game?
Ted Miller: I believe UCLA will win six games and qualify for a bowl.
If I were to guess a critical schedule juncture: The Bruins only need to win one of their next three: California this weekend, then at Arizona and at Oregon State.
Not easy, but doable.
Brad from Hillsboro, Ore., writes: What do you think on this Jacquizz Rodgers vs LaMichael James debate? I hear a lot of comparisons from a few duck fans already saying James is better based on his (YPC) and that if he had as many caries as Quizz he would have way more yards. Also i hear that he is better because he is more "dynamic". Through my biased view i do not see how James is better. Although his YPC is higher it is a common known fact that RBs with more carries have usually have less YPC. Also a lot of people fail to mention the fact that one of the reasons Quizz is not getting many 100-YD games is the fact he plays a even bigger role in the receiving game. Do not get me wrong James is a great player but this year i do not see how in any way James is better than Quizz.
Ted Miller: There's a debate on this? Why wasn't I invited!
Not sure if James, a redshirt freshman, has the body of work to compare to the defending Pac-10 offensive player of the year.
No slight on James, but at this point Jacquizz is the better player.
If you want to be a wiseacre about it you might say something like this: "Look, I'm busy. As soon as LaMichael has half as many touchdowns as Jacquizz we can talk."
Raymond from Tucson writes: You've got to let it go. You can't hold onto it or it will devastate you,"Lets see if this helps.I am ready to let go of my frustration.I'm ready to plan the tailgate party for Saturday.I'm ready to put on my AZ shirt and find my ticket.I'm ready toooooOH, WHO AM I KIDDING?I'M READY TO KICK THAT REPLAY OFFICIAL IN...Sorry. AZ wins, each and every single ONE win means so much for the AZ program. Why does there have to be THAT GAME when you look back in every season.Someday AZ will eliminate THAT GAME from their season and which will make it much easier to look forward.It would have been easier to get our butts kicked.But for now AZ is a team that will always haveTHAT GAME!
Ted Miller: Raymond is a frequent mailbag contributor, so he gets to speak for Arizona fans, who by my estimation were a grumpy group this week.
Blowchesi from Portland writes: Knowing you are somewhat of a literary lion as well as our own resident Pac 10 expert I'm curious to know if you've read the new John Krakauer book on former ASU linebacker turned Army Ranger Pat Tillman? And if so what's your take on it?
Ted Miller: A new trend in the mailbag: Call me a "literary lion" and your note gets published.
I have a cool job, but one of the drags during the football season is my outside reading trickles to zero because there's no down time. So, no, I haven't read this book.
But I am a huge Krakauer fan. "Into the Wild" may be my favorite nonfiction book.
I am also a huge Pat Tillman fan.
So you can guess that this book is on my list.
Santa Claus from Lake Tahoe, Nev., writes: Hey, Ted:Perhaps, you should do a little homework before including my name again in one of your articles. Can you spell C-O-A-L?My legal name is Santa Claus, and I'm a full-time volunteer advocate for the 2 million children in the U.S. annually who are abused, neglected, exploited, abandoned, homeless, and institutionalized through no fault of their own. That's 1 out of 37 children in our great nation.I'm also a Christian Monk, as St. Nicholas was, and took a vow of poverty years ago. I believe that Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ, not the crass, commercial, secular spectacle it has become in many places, and that the greatest gift one can give is love, not presents.Casting aspersions about an individual whom you know absolutely nothing about is not only unwarranted but shameful on your part. Visit TheSantaClausFoundation dot org and become better informed. Blessings to all, Santa Claus
Ted Miller: Santa... please forgive me! I have a 10-month old and he's not going to be happy if I get on your bad side.
I lead off my daily links post with a random quote every day. That one was from the movie, "Fred Claus." As you probably know, your brother has issues with you.
By the way, my annual wish list, er, Christmas card is coming soon!
Gonna be on the road to Tucson in a bit.
But first your notes!
I hope this first one doesn't become a trendy name for newborns.
Ted Miller Hater from Philadelphia writes: After reading your one sided article I know why you have a one sided opinion...you wrote for the PAC-10...looks like you have a man crush for Pete Carroll. ND will beat USC Saturday...And if Barkley views Jesus number one, then why didn't he go to ND? Maybe because he didn't want to be behind #7. I also love how you put Barkley's GPA in the article. Whats USC's team GPA?? Compare that to ND! Also compare graduation rates of the football players. Its a joke and not even close!
Matt from New Jersey writes: Ted, Are you sure you aren't a graduate of USC? Its a shame I am taking a lunch break from my stress-filled job, and I go to read an article about an intriguing "behind the lines" story, and I get this biased non-article. You should probably let up on Clausen a little bit, as you probably made some mistakes due to immaturity as a younger man yourself. I know I have.
Troy from Warren, Mich., writes: Ted, must be tough waking up with so much hatred for a college kid whose done nothing to you personally. Your article about Jimmy Clausen is absolutely ridiculous and completely uncalled for. Maybe you are just a closet USC fan and just never got over the fact that a blue-chipper didn't want to attend the mighty USC. Either way, congratulations, you have stooped to a whole new level with your hatred over all things ND. Dying to hear what you have to say when ND wins this Saturday.Troy
Ted Miller: Got a lot of these, some with colorful language.
I didn't anticipate this reaction because I thought these two paragraphs summed up the entire point of my story.
So, clearly we have a good guy -- a West Coast Tebow -- and a self-absorbed brat.
Great news. It's more complicated that that, more nuanced. To spoil the potential cliffhanger: The folks who actually know Clausen seem to like him. And, you know, maybe he got some bad advice on how to handle his commitment and that one moment shouldn't entirely define him as a person.
In other words, the public perception doesn't appear to match the private reality. And even if it did at one point, maybe he's grown up since then and deserves a break.
My intentions with the story's tone from the get-go -- from my purposefully windy and hyperbolic first paragraph to noting Barkley turned down an invitation to join the X-Men -- were to be playful with the general perceptions of Clausen and Barkley and the media hyperventilating (yes, hello Mr. Black Kettle, I'm Pot) over two young men who became famous for throwing the football well as teenagers.
Clausen is widely seen as cocky and self-aggrandizing. That perception is longstanding. It's not hard to find negative takes on him. The perception of Barkley is the complete opposite. Feel free to introduce evidence to the contrary, but I couldn't find any.
Operative word in both cases: perception.
Part of the disconnect, I suspect, comes from Notre Dame fans who don't want to acknowledge what Clausen's public image is outside the fanbase and who are annoyed at any revisiting of the look-at-me show he put together when he committed to Notre Dame.
So, running with the perception contrast, I felt quotes from Clausen, Barkley and USC LB Chris Galippo did a fairly good job of saying, 1. Clausen has grown up; 2. He's a good dude.
Is Clausen cocky? The question didn't irritate Galippo so much as arouse a linebackery defense.
"No, not at all," Galippo said. "If anything, he's an extreme competitor, which we all are. Regardless of the vibe he gives people, the guy is an awesome football player. He's a guy who goes out and works his tail off. He's easily the best quarterback in the nation right now."
Anthony from Pittsburgh writes: I just wanted to let you know that the ND students and Alumni are attempting to plan an impromptu "Green Out". Since its not an official one run by the University they haven't sent out an official press release and will not be handing out green shirts at the door. I was hoping you could help give the cause a little publicity in your blog.
Ted Miller: Only if you promise to get Notre Dame fans to be nice to me.
JC from Eugene, Ore., writes: I'm a little nervous about Oregon's trip to the Husky Homecoming game. After this weekend Oregon will have played 3 conference teams with a combined Pac-10 record of 1 and 10!!! Add what amounted to essentially last second victories over Purdue and Utah. How many more wins does the defense have left?
Ted Miller: You should be nervous. Got a feeling that will be an intense atmosphere at Husky Stadium -- just like the good ole days of hate between Oregon and Washington -- particularly if the Huskies win at Arizona State on Saturday.
Not sure, however, if I buy your numbers. UCLA was good enough to win at Tennessee, which whipped Georgia. Neither of those teams would finish in the top-half of the Pac-10, but they are respectable programs.
Utah is 4-1 and ranked 24th. California won at 4-2 Minnesota by two touchdowns, and the Bears may be 0-2 in the Pac-10 because they played USC and Oregon. Purdue is clearly struggling, but it took a last-play comeback for Notre Dame to beat it.
Don't think Oregon's D is the problem. The Ducks need to get quarterback Jeremiah Masoli back and healthy.
Darrell from Portland writes: I'm frustrated. I understand that the PAC teams have been beating each other up but I still feel slighted in the rankings. I think everyone can agree that the PAC is better top to bottom than it was last year. I mean, all but 2 of their nonconference losses so far were to teams that will likely, or could possibly, win their conference. The average margin of loss in all of those games combined is just over 9 points. If you take the Washington schools out of play then it looks really good. I just can't believe that only 2 of the PAC's teams are worthy of the top 25. Last year we had more teams but were a weaker conference.
Ted Miller: Let's lay blame here where it belongs: On the Pac-10 teams that lost last weekend.
If UCLA, Arizona or Stanford won last week, it -- or they -- probably would have been ranked. All three lost. That they did had little to do with East Coast bias.
So when pollsters looked at the results Saturday night, who deserved to enter the top-25?
The conference is stronger, top-to-bottom, than last year. My guess by the end of the year is at least three or perhaps four teams will be in the top-25.
Alex from Corvallis, Ore., writes: Do you think things are starting to look good for Oregon State? What do you think the chances are that they could at the very least give USC a run for their money? They do have a bye week before they play them, and in the past, the Beavers have played very well after a bye week.
Ted Miller: The short answer is yes.
The Beavers appear to be making their annual turnaround after a mediocre start, only this year they are ahead of schedule, seeing that they didn't fall to 2-3 for the fourth consecutive year.
As for the visit to USC: I will not pick the Beavers to win. The Trojans have won 11 in a row and 35 of 36 in the Coliseum. Even though they will be returning from a long, hyped trip to Notre Dame, my guess is the Beavers will have their attention, based on a little matter from 2008.
Of course, my not picking the Beavers might be a good thing, as some of you might recall.
The biggest obstacle for Oregon State making a big run, however, is the schedule: Starting with USC on Oct. 24, four of the Beavers final six games are on the road.
Peter from San Jose writes: Noooooooooooooooooooo! Why, why, why did you pick my Sun Devils to beat Washington? Are you trying to punish Sun Devil fans? You have been on a cold streak with your picks and that might have been the kiss of death versus a talented Washington team. Although, you did pick Arizona to beat Stanford, so hopefully that will end up being one of your (or your only) incorrect picks this week.Keep up the great work.
Ted Miller: Now that is just mean. Have you been talking to Oregon State fans?
Spencer from Baton Rouge, La., writes: I am a Pac-10 fan living in SEC country. My curiosity is piqued and you may be able to answer this question for me. For all last season, and every week so far this season, there has been someone in the crowd behind ESPN's College Gameday every Saturday morning waving a Washington State flag (sometimes 2). How is this pulled off! Are there one or two extremely loyal Cougar fans following Gameday across the nation every season or is there a network of WSU-flag-owning/waving cougar fans pulling this off? Am I the only one to notice this? Any insight on this curious phenomenon is appreciated.
Ted Miller: It's a network and it's been going on for a while.
It's almost the first thing I look for every time I watch. Love it. This is kind of neat, too.
Alex from Miami writes: UCLA started off great and then lost Prince and was hit hard by two quick losses. Will UCLA find it in them to win 6 games and make a bowl game?
Ted Miller: I believe UCLA will win six games and qualify for a bowl.
If I were to guess a critical schedule juncture: The Bruins only need to win one of their next three: California this weekend, then at Arizona and at Oregon State.
Not easy, but doable.
Brad from Hillsboro, Ore., writes: What do you think on this Jacquizz Rodgers vs LaMichael James debate? I hear a lot of comparisons from a few duck fans already saying James is better based on his (YPC) and that if he had as many caries as Quizz he would have way more yards. Also i hear that he is better because he is more "dynamic". Through my biased view i do not see how James is better. Although his YPC is higher it is a common known fact that RBs with more carries have usually have less YPC. Also a lot of people fail to mention the fact that one of the reasons Quizz is not getting many 100-YD games is the fact he plays a even bigger role in the receiving game. Do not get me wrong James is a great player but this year i do not see how in any way James is better than Quizz.
Ted Miller: There's a debate on this? Why wasn't I invited!
Not sure if James, a redshirt freshman, has the body of work to compare to the defending Pac-10 offensive player of the year.
No slight on James, but at this point Jacquizz is the better player.
If you want to be a wiseacre about it you might say something like this: "Look, I'm busy. As soon as LaMichael has half as many touchdowns as Jacquizz we can talk."
Raymond from Tucson writes: You've got to let it go. You can't hold onto it or it will devastate you,"Lets see if this helps.I am ready to let go of my frustration.I'm ready to plan the tailgate party for Saturday.I'm ready to put on my AZ shirt and find my ticket.I'm ready toooooOH, WHO AM I KIDDING?I'M READY TO KICK THAT REPLAY OFFICIAL IN...Sorry. AZ wins, each and every single ONE win means so much for the AZ program. Why does there have to be THAT GAME when you look back in every season.Someday AZ will eliminate THAT GAME from their season and which will make it much easier to look forward.It would have been easier to get our butts kicked.But for now AZ is a team that will always haveTHAT GAME!
Ted Miller: Raymond is a frequent mailbag contributor, so he gets to speak for Arizona fans, who by my estimation were a grumpy group this week.
Blowchesi from Portland writes: Knowing you are somewhat of a literary lion as well as our own resident Pac 10 expert I'm curious to know if you've read the new John Krakauer book on former ASU linebacker turned Army Ranger Pat Tillman? And if so what's your take on it?
Ted Miller: A new trend in the mailbag: Call me a "literary lion" and your note gets published.
I have a cool job, but one of the drags during the football season is my outside reading trickles to zero because there's no down time. So, no, I haven't read this book.
But I am a huge Krakauer fan. "Into the Wild" may be my favorite nonfiction book.
I am also a huge Pat Tillman fan.
So you can guess that this book is on my list.
Santa Claus from Lake Tahoe, Nev., writes: Hey, Ted:Perhaps, you should do a little homework before including my name again in one of your articles. Can you spell C-O-A-L?My legal name is Santa Claus, and I'm a full-time volunteer advocate for the 2 million children in the U.S. annually who are abused, neglected, exploited, abandoned, homeless, and institutionalized through no fault of their own. That's 1 out of 37 children in our great nation.I'm also a Christian Monk, as St. Nicholas was, and took a vow of poverty years ago. I believe that Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Christ, not the crass, commercial, secular spectacle it has become in many places, and that the greatest gift one can give is love, not presents.Casting aspersions about an individual whom you know absolutely nothing about is not only unwarranted but shameful on your part. Visit TheSantaClausFoundation dot org and become better informed. Blessings to all, Santa Claus
Ted Miller: Santa... please forgive me! I have a 10-month old and he's not going to be happy if I get on your bad side.
I lead off my daily links post with a random quote every day. That one was from the movie, "Fred Claus." As you probably know, your brother has issues with you.
By the way, my annual wish list, er, Christmas card is coming soon!
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Ted Miller
Miller has been covering college football since 1997, starting with Auburn and then heading West to Washington and the Pac-10. His columns for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer won first place in 2007 APSE Best Writing contest. The Atlanta native and University of Richmond graduate presently lives with his wife in Scottsdale, Ariz.
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