ND's Talking Heads ... The good, bad & ugly

Some Irish Bloke

Some Irish Bloke

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ColinKSU said:
No problem whatsoever with dogs. Sad he died. His dog always felt like a thing he started doing to take heat off himself because who wants to get pissed at the guy with the cute dog? A cute dog was never part of his act until multiple fanbases started hating his guts.
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This is so strange to me. His job is to analyze and talk about football programs and their games on Saturdays, and to ultimately predict results purely for our entertainment. How is he supposed to do that without upsetting fan bases? If they're so soft as to take it personally when he picks against their team or points out how they could improve, there's no helping them.

I've never had a problem with Kirk. For someone who played the sport, I actually think he does a pretty good job of masking his OSU bias, much better than others (Desmond, Klatt, Mark May, even Lou).
IrishLion said:
Pretty sure Ben was a legit emotional support animal for some shit Kirk was dealing with.

Kirk had some serious stuff going on with one of his kids for a few years, didn’t he?
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Idk about most recently, but I know his twins were born premature and had heart issues. Their pediatrician told him and his wife they would never play football or do "normal" activities, both went on to be PWO at Clemson. He detailed it in his book. Great read.

He's always been a big dog person, particularly goldens. Can't imagine a better way to cope with the struggles of life than with the perfect companion, which dogs are.
 
IRISHDODGER

IRISHDODGER

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Some Irish Bloke said:
This is so strange to me. His job is to analyze and talk about football programs and their games on Saturdays, and to ultimately predict results purely for our entertainment. How is he supposed to do that without upsetting fan bases? If they're so soft as to take it personally when he picks against their team or points out how they could improve, there's no helping them.

I've never had a problem with Kirk. For someone who played the sport, I actually think he does a pretty good job of masking his OSU bias, much better than others (Desmond, Klatt, Mark May, even Lou).

Idk about most recently, but I know his twins were born premature and had heart issues. Their pediatrician told him and his wife they would never play football or do "normal" activities, both went on to be PWO at Clemson. He detailed it in his book. Great read.

He's always been a big dog person, particularly goldens. Can't imagine a better way to cope with the struggles of life than with the perfect companion, which dogs are.
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I agree, Kirk is the best in the business IMO. He seems to respect his role at ESPN/ABC but can then let his hair down & be himself on podcasts which shows his personal side. Just seems like a good dude. No one will always agree w/ his takes because that shouldn’t be his job. For instance, when ND knocked off scUM in the opener in ‘18 but by the end of the season, he & others were claiming that game would end differently if played again. I suspect we’ll hear a lot of that in regards to the aTm game should ND avoid another loss & be in the final 12. Maybe Kirk will share that sentiment. Doesn’t mean I don’t respect him as an analyst & a person.
 
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TheGhostofGregHudson

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Sampson and Fortuna having on a tech sales executive to analyze football and then justifying it with repeated references to his net worth over the course of two episodes is....something.
 
SDIrishFan

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TheGhostofGregHudson said:
Sampson and Fortuna having on a tech sales executive to analyze football and then justifying it with repeated references to his net worth over the course of two episodes is....something.
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I mean, I see where you're coming from.

But, you also have to recognize Mendoza's a huge advocate for the football program, and the university. And, he brings his checkbook, which gets the attention of those people making decisions at ND. Also, I thought it interesting how he quantified the idea of what the ND network means.
 
dublinirish

dublinirish

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Have a pet peeve now on the II podcast, I presume its Prister but somebodys jewellery is jingling all through every episode and its really grating on the ears
 
IrishSpartan

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What the heck is going on with ej holland on twitter he’s getting roasted (which has been hilarious btw)
 
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Some Irish Bloke

Some Irish Bloke

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Weird seeing skunkbear and Irish fans united on an issue, go figure it's that chump
 
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TheGhostofGregHudson

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SDIrishFan said:
I mean, I see where you're coming from.

But, you also have to recognize Mendoza's a huge advocate for the football program, and the university. And, he brings his checkbook, which gets the attention of those people making decisions at ND. Also, I thought it interesting how he quantified the idea of what the ND network means.
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I'm all for coaches playing to the donor base, but you would think these supposed journalists wouldn't feel the need to kowtow to him. I admittedly didn't listen after Sampson explained it away by referencing their salary disparities, but it's hard to expect these guys to ever pose hard questions or give critical analysis when they act in such an obsequious manner towards anyone affiliated with the program

I like Sampson more on the II podcast. The Independent just feels very trite with its fixation on Clark Lea and baldness to the point of shilling t shirts with lame plays on words.
 
stlnd01

stlnd01

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TheGhostofGregHudson said:
I'm all for coaches playing to the donor base, but you would think these supposed journalists wouldn't feel the need to kowtow to him. I admittedly didn't listen after Sampson explained it away by referencing their salary disparities, but it's hard to expect these guys to ever pose hard questions or give critical analysis when they act in such an obsequious manner towards anyone affiliated with the program

I like Sampson more on the II podcast. The Independent just feels very trite with its fixation on Clark Lea and baldness to the point of shilling t shirts with lame plays on words.
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Didn't catch the Mendoza interview, but the vibe on The Independent lately is very much Sampson mailing it in, mainly doing it as a favor to an underemployed Fortuna... who brings very little to the show.
 
SDIrishFan

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stlnd01 said:
Didn't catch the Mendoza interview, but the vibe on The Independent lately is very much Sampson mailing it in, mainly doing it as a favor to an underemployed Fortuna... who brings very little to the show.
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Yeah, not sure what Fortuna offers. Pete has been around and still has connections. Fortuna knows less about the program than most on this board. I guess that puts him right in line with his alma mater this year, riding on others coat tails to relevancy…
 
stlnd01

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SDIrishFan said:
Yeah, not sure what Fortuna offers. Pete has been around and still has connections. Fortuna knows less about the program than most on this board. I guess that puts him right in line with his alma mater this year, riding on others coat tails to relevancy…
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Fortuna's last season covering Notre Dame full-time was 2016, when ESPN must've let him go in solidarity with half our coaching staff.
Then I think he mostly covered the ACC (from Chicago?) for The Athletic, which would at least keep him in the Notre Dame orbit, but then he was let go there before last season as they've cut back.
Now he mostly looks to have a Substack? Which can't afford him very much of a travel budget...
 
T-Boone

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Do any of the talking heads have any goss or info on Onya?
He is pretty important for next season. It would be good to get some idea if he is gone for good or not.
 
SeekNDestroy

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T-Boone said:
Do any of the talking heads have any goss or info on Onya?
He is pretty important for next season. It would be good to get some idea if he is gone for good or not.
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Driscoll accidentally revealed he was suspended and the rumor is he won’t be back…ever.
 
FWIrish4

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Fbolt said:
Always liked Fortuna. Just thought he seemed like a decent guy.
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I’d like to add, since I sparked the Fortuna convo, that I don’t have anything against him. I don’t root against any of the beat guys and try to support when I can since they’re trying to support their families, ya know?

But, him crowning USC to own ND for the next decade after one game where USC had the Heisman at QB and we had Drew Pyne, is still too funny.
 
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