Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/123805
murphy's Law dan murphy Tens of thousands of shamrock-clad spectators trudged into the Miami night muttering the same sentiments. They sought refuge in the promising beginnings of several other Irish sports. The hits, the unfulfilled promises, continued to come. The Irish basketball team started the season 16-1. They played one dramatic stretch of four games that included seven overtime periods and three wins. The highlight was a 65-minute battle against eventual national champion Louisville, widely considered among the top three college hoops games all year. Maybe this was the year they could reach the Big East Championship final or at least win an NCAA Tournament game. But Notre Dame fizzled down the stretch, checking out by halftime of its 76‑58 loss to underdog Iowa State in the opening round. The hockey team went through two full cycles of raising and crashing hopes for a national title. Jeff Jackson's team looked dominant in its unbeaten run through the last CCHA Tournament. The Irish were a top seed in their region. Then No. 4 seed St. Cloud State rolled over them like a speed bump. The men's soccer team was the No. 1 overall seed in the country for its tournament. The Irish managed one win before they were bounced by Indiana. Then, of course, came Skylar Diggins and the Lady Irish. They won the last Big East crown. They won a programrecord 30 consecutive games. When mighty Baylor fell, it looked like Notre Dame would finally have its championship after back-to-back runner-up performances. But how will Diggins' four-year stretch as the hometown hero be remembered? There's a statue outside Purcell Pavilion of legendary athletic director Moose Krause. He sits eternally on a bench, trying in vain to pull the bronze cigar in his hand the last few feet to his lips. That about sums it up. I know, I know. And here I am painfully piecing the whole year back together again. At least those rides were fun while they lasted. It was a once in a lifetime run. That takes the sting away, doesn't it Bennett? "People say now, well, at least you got there. That's a bunch of B.S. to me really," Jackson said. And here's where it gets really sticky. At least in years past the Notre Dame faithful could fall back on their misery. The past eight months, though, have exceeded too many expectations for fans to find solace in pitchforks and torches. There were no "Fire Brian Kelly" T-shirts or websites through which to channel their frustrations. So, here stands Notre Dame nation — unsure whether to give a hand or wring them, mired in what the kids would call "first world problems." In other words, the rest of fankind isn't going to have much pity on a group that has had so many reasons to cheer. I don't envy you, Irish fans. Like your teams this year on the big stage, this is a situation where you can't win. ✦ Dan Murphy has been a writer for Blue & Gold Illustrated since August 2011. He can be reached at dmurphy@blueandgold.com