fan forum
Sophomore defensive end Sheldon Day aggravated his high ankle sprain in the 38-34 win over Navy
Nov. 2. Head coach Brian Kelly attributed the injury — as well as those to senior defensive lineman Kona
Schwenke — to cut blocks by the Midshipmen.
photo by Bill Panzica
Keep The Turf; Lose Navy
Can we please stop blaming every
Notre Dame turnover on the state of
the playing surface? Yes, it's bad at
times, but the way in which your publication has become Brian Kelly's little
lapdog is disturbing. Your job is to
report on Notre Dame football, not to
dutifully publicize the head coach's
proclamations.
Brian Kelly has wanted an artificial
surface since he was hired at Notre
Dame. He spoke about this before he
had even coached a game, and it has
come up again and again. It looks increasingly as if we'll have FieldTurf
very soon, and that's unfortunate.
Notre Dame isn't some sort of geographic anomaly. There are many institutions with similar climates that
have grass playing surfaces. The
reason most places prefer artificial
turf is that it's easier and cheaper to
maintain. The Green Bay Packers play
on natural grass, and the weather in
northern Wisconsin is much worse
than the weather in northern Indiana.
You can blame the turf all you want
for TJ Jones slipping (versus Navy),
but receivers slip in every football
game, no matter what the playing surface or weather conditions.
Moreover, FieldTurf is worse for
players' health, as it spreads antibiotics-resistant staph infections. Natural
be heard!
Send your letters to:
Letters
Blue & Gold Illustrated
P. O. Box 1007
Notre Dame, IN 46556
or e-mail to: lsomogyi@blueandgold.com
