NBC Sports: FBS 1992- Pennsylvania Nittany Lions @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Full Game

Source:Notre Dame Fighting Irish playing the Pennsylvania Nittany Lions in 1992.

Source:The Daily Press

“On Nov. 14, 1992, the Fighting Irish met the Penn State Nittany Lions on a snowy Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium. Trailing 16-9 with 25 seconds remaining, Notre Dame quarterback Rick Mirer (‘93) threw a touchdown pass to Jerome Bettis to pull the Irish within one point. In the days before overtime, head coach Lou Holtz elected to go for the win. He drew up a two-point conversion play on the sidelines, and as they say, the rest is history. Mirer found Reggie Brooks (’93) in the back of the end zone, lifting Notre Dame to a 17-16 victory.”

From the Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Penn State-Notre Dame, was one of the better college football rivalries in the 1980s and early 1990s. And it’s just a shame that they still aren’t playing. And I believe one of the weakness’ of Notre Dame not being part of a conference because a lot of their big rivalries wouldn’t have to end, because of where they are located, if they could’ve been in the Big Ten or Big East. And never have to stop playing Michigan or Purdue or Penn State or West Virginia, Syracuse, Boston, because they would likely be in the same conference as most if not all of these teams.

The Big East, would make a great comeback in football if Notre Dame was part of it. And they bring back Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Syracuse. Add Penn State and perhaps Buffalo and you would have a great conference with Notre Dame as perhaps the top program in it.

For President: Jimmy Carter 1980 TV Ad- Commander

Source:For President- James E. Carter (Democrat, Georgia) 39th President of the United States (1977-81)

Source:FRS FreeState

“Commander, Jimmy Carter 1980 Presidential Campaign TV Ad, Courtesy Jimmy Carter Presidential Library... 

From For President

You do not see Jimmy Carter running on the economy here and telling people about how great the economy is. With inflation not being much of a factor or with low-interest rates, or plenty of energy, oil and gas to go around. With low unemployment and high economic growth, with no American hostages around the world, or without Russia on the march in the Middle East, or anything like that. Because the Carter Campaign knew all of that wouldn’t be true and that actually all the opposites to those things were true.

The country was in bad shape in 1980 and back in recession with the American hostages still in Iran. A country that did not want Americans or other Westerners in their country at all. So what the Carter Campaign is trying to do here in this ad campaign is run on what they could and what was left to run on. That the military was stronger, that America was at peace in the world for the most part not involved in any foreign wars. And that even Egypt and Israel were at peace with each other as well. And all of that is true.

NBC Sports: FBS 1993- Pittsburgh Panthers @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Full Game

Source:NBC Sports- WR Lake Dawson would go on to play for the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL.

Source:The Daily Press

“Notre Dame handed Pittsburgh a stinging defeat as the Irish marched to a 44-0 victory.

The full game is available for a limited time only exclusively on The Fighting Irish Youtube channel. For more games check out the full “The Vault: ND on NBC” playlist.”

From the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 

Talk about your total mismatches: the Pittsburgh Panthers have a great football tradition, at least until went downhill in the early 1990s and were no longer a winning program, let alone a consistent bowl team or national championship contender. Perhaps the main reason why head coach Johnny Majors left the Tennessee Volunteers, where he built a consistent Southeast Conference contender there in the 1980s, was to rebuild the Pittsburgh Panthers football program.

And then you look at the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, where they were a bowl team every year under head coach Lou Holtz, except his first season in 1986, won the national championship in 1988, contended for the national championship in 1989 and were looking to win another championship in 1993, and are playing the Pittsburgh Panthers who entered this game at 1-3. It’s hard to see how the Panthers can even compete with the undefeated Irish, especially at Notre Dame.

Miss Malevolent: Marilyn Monroe- Happy Birthday Mr. President (1962)

Source:Miss Malevolent- Hollywood Goddess and Babydoll Marilyn Monroe, singing Happy Birthday to President John F. Kennedy in 1962. 

Source:The Daily Press

"Marilyn Monroe sings Happy Birthday to the President."

From Miss Malevolent

President Kennedy had the line of the night, at least from what I heard saying that after hearing Marilyn Monroe sing Happy Birthday to him, he could now retire from politics. I mean after hearing a goddess like that with that voice sing Happy Birthday to you, what is the point of going on, what else could you even hope to accomplish at that point after hearing Marilyn sing Happy Birthday to you. It’s not just the President of the United States being the only politician that may be lucky enough to get Happy Birthday sung to you by Marilyn Monroe, but that Jack Kennedy might have been the only politician lucky enough to have Happy Birthday sung to them.

Source:National Post- Robert F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe & John F. Kennedy, at JFK's 1962 birthday party. 

Jack Kennedy was certainly ahead of his time as far as how he related to Americans. Because he wasn’t just judged by the job he did as President, which of course all President’s are and he wasn’t just judged by how he related to Americans personally, which of course all President’s are. But he was also judged by how he related to people in a social way, he was our first hip President, someone who related well the entertainment community, including Hollywood. Which is a big reason why he had so many friends out there. Like Peter Lawford, who also happened to be his brother-in-law, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra and many others. That is how this event happened

CBS Sports: FBS 1977- Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ Clemson Tigers

Source:Sop Ibaga- with this 1977 Irish-Tigers game.

Source:The Daily Press

“Game played November 12, 1977. Notre Dame won the national championship that year. Thanks to MyBloodRunnethOrange for this video. The 1979 game: .

In a classic showdown in 1977 between two top 15 teams, Notre Dame’s Joe Montana leads the Fighting Irish back from a 10-point 4th quarter deficit against .

The Catch Game, played November 19, 1977. Thanks to MyBloodRunnethOrange for the video copy. The Catch at 2:14:56.” 

From Sop Ibaga

A classic matchup between two great football programs. The Fighting Irish have been one of the premier college football programs in the entire history of NCAA football. The Tigers were just starting emerge as a national, college football, power, in the late 1970s.

Foreign Affairs: Jal Mehta: 'Why American Education Fails'

Source:Foreign Affairs Magazine with a look at American education.

Source:FRS FreeState

“In his landmark 1973 book, The Coming of Post-industrial Society, the sociologist Daniel Bell heralded the United States’ transition from a labor-intensive economy that produced goods to a knowledge-based one geared toward providing services. No longer could success be achieved through manual, assembly-line work; it would require advanced skills and creativity. At least since then, American politicians and pundits have regularly stressed that education holds the key to the country’s future. Everyone seems to agree that good schools are prerequisites for broad economic prosperity, individual social mobility, and a healthy civil society in which informed voters engage in the public issues." 

From Foreign Affairs 

For the United States to succeed long-term and for us to ever get our poverty rate down to at least a more competitive level with our developed competitors, instead of twice as high, or to get our level of poverty down to where our normal rate of unemployment is, we simply are going to have to have better public education in this country. And get back to being in the top ten in education in the world where we were twenty thirty years ago instead of 39th. And being towards the middle of the pack with our competitors. Being ranked with small developing countries like the Baltic Republics.

For this to happen we simply our going to have to stop sending our students to school based on where they live. And instead send them to school based on what’s the best school for them. And that means things like public school choice and charter schools especially for our low-income students and even empowering their parents to go back to school, to finish their education so they can get good jobs as well. Stop paying teachers based on how long they’ve been teaching and instead pay them based on how well their students are learning.

And hold our teachers and their students accountable for the jobs that they are doing. Like we do in practically every other profession.

And stop promoting kids to the next grade level based on their age and instead based on how well they are learning and what they know. Can they read and write and so-forth at the next grade level.

And we need to stop funding schools based on where they are located and instead fund based on what they need to serve their students and staff well and do a good job. That means another revenue sources to go along with the property tax or replace the property tax.

I’m not in favor of private school choice at least that’s funded by taxpayers. Because it diverts money that otherwise could be going to things that fund public school choice. Which would give parents the option to send their kids to any school in that public school system that they want. So basically that would have an opening for their kid. Or money that could be used to fund charter schools. Which are public schools that are run independent of the public school bureaucracy. Or money that could be used to fund low-performing schools in low-income neighborhoods.

We need to assist low-income schools so they can have the resources that they need to be more competitive with let’s say middle class schools. Or money that could be used to pay good teachers more. And retrain low-performing teachers.

But what public school choice and charter schools do is give parents and students the choice to go to what’s the best school for the student. And not based on where they live. And that means if a school is not doing very, well they are going to lose students. And forces public schools to compete with each other to make the public school system as effective as it can be.

There’s not a lot of things I would spend more money on at the Federal level. But public education, job training and public infrastructure would be the areas I would spend more money. But not to fund a failing system. But I would reform the system to improve and then invest more in an improving system. So we have all the resources that we need to see that everyone in the country has access to life long education.Not just K-12 or even just through college, but as working adults as well. No matter their income levels. So we all have the opportunities that we need to be successful and live in freedom in life. And not be dependent on government, because we didn’t have access to a good education.

This is what education reform looks like from me. And the liberal way to reform education and job training in this country.

NFL Films: The 1979 Los Angeles Rams: ‘A Tale of Two Seasons’

Source:NFL Films- Los Angeles Rams head coach Ray Malavasi.

Source:The Daily Press 

“It was the Rams’ weakest divisional winner (an aging 1979 team that only achieved a 9–7 record) that achieved the team’s greatest success in that period. Led by third-year quarterback Vince Ferragamo, the Rams shocked the heavily favored and two-time defending NFC champion Dallas Cowboys 21–19 in the divisional playoffs, then shut out the upstart Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9–0 in the conference championship game to win the NFC and reach their first Super Bowl. Along with Ferragamo, key players for the Rams were halfback Wendell Tyler, offensive lineman Jackie Slater, and Pro Bowl defenders Jack Youngblood and Jack “Hacksaw” Reynolds.

The Rams’ opponent in their first Super Bowl was the defending champion Pittsburgh Steelers. The game was a virtual home game for the Rams as it was played in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl. Although some oddsmakers set the Rams as a 10½-point underdog, the Rams played Pittsburgh very tough, leading at halftime 13–10 and at the end of the third quarter 19–17. In the end, however, the Steelers asserted themselves, scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and shutting down the Rams offense to win their fourth Super Bowl, 31–19.” 

From Wikipedia 

“This video is a telecast, broadcast, and production of NFL Films. I claim no ownership of this material, and do not profit from it in anyway. This video is intended for historical and educational viewing purposes.” 

From Grey Beard 

“NFL Films: 79 Rams” 

Source:NFL Films- the Los Angeles Rams playing their divisional rival Atlanta Falcons, in 1979.

From Lafayette Catfey 

This photo is also from the 1980 NFL Films about the 1979 Los Angeles Rams called: A Tale of Two Seasons. But the video that this photo is from is not currently available online right now. 

Source:NFL Films- hopefully not the best looking Los Angeles Rams cheerleader.

NFL Films likes to dramatize (if not overdramatize their films) and when their doing a team’s season highlights and year and review, they tend to make their shots look more important than they actually are, like the team is going into battle or something, instead of playing a football game.

Source:NFL Films documentary about the 1979 Los Angeles Rams.

A Tale of Two Seasons is the perfect way to describe the 1979 Los Angeles Rams because they were essentially a 500 team or worst in the first half of 1979. The traditionally lowly and last place New Orleans Saints were poised to not only record their first winning season in 1979, make their first playoff appearance and win their first divisional title, in 1979.

The Saints had a pretty solid team and with a better coaching staff and avoiding key injuries, maybe the Saints make the NFC Playoffs in 79. But all of these things happening weren’t because they were real good, but the Rams weren’t in the first half of 79. Because they were real beat up in 1979 with all sorts of key injuries in the backfield, offensive line, receivers, and on defense as well.

The second half of the 79 Rams season were the real Los Angeles Rams that year. Because they got their players back and found their starting quarterback in Vince Feragamo. Who not only got healthy, but took over the starting QB position. They figured out who they were offensively with Feragamo: a running, ball control team, with both short, middle and vertical threats in the passing game.

With the Rams becoming balanced on offense, it meant defenses including the great Pittsburg Steelers in Super Bowl 14, had to adjust, because the Rams could run the ball with either Wendell Tyler or Cullen Bryant, but could also beat you deep with Vince Feragamo in the passing game. And had a defense that only the great Steel Curtain Steelers were better than in 79.

The 79 Rams were a 12-4 or 13-3 team on paper that were even better than the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC. But with all of their injuries, we didn’t see the great Rams team until the second half of 79 and in the playoffs.