Seinfeld

Last night I saw Jerry Seinfeld give his stand up comedy routine in East Lansing. He was fantastic. I had been wanting to catch his act for quite a while so when the opportunity for tickets came around I grabbed them quickly and despite the price I am glad I did. I took my friend Joni and we had a lot of fun. We were laughing so hard that are throats were dry and our stomach muscles were sore.

His act covers a lot of subjects and it boggles my mind that someone could find something witty to say about all those things and then link them together in an hour and a half routine. What I liked most about the show was that it relatively clean compared to other stand ups that I have heard in the past. He did swear occasionally but it wasn't as offensive as I thought it might have been. A the very end he does a great bit about bathroom stalls and why the doors don't go all the way to the floor. To me that was by far his best material.

Another comic named Mario Joyner was his opening act and his bit on Home Depot might have been the funniest thing I have ever heard. He said they should change their name to you're on your own and that the employees wear the aprons to keep work off of them. I would pay to see his act again all on his own.

It's too bad the Seinfeld isn't still making TV shows. His ability to find humor in everyday scenarios trumps all the other so called comedies on prime time combined. At least his show is still on syndication.

Why don't we all run for President?

Over the weekend three new candidates jumped into the presidential race. Hillary Clinton got all the coverage but Sam Brownback and Bill Richardson both all announced respectively. Brownback is a Republican senator from Kansas and Richardson is the Democratic Governor of New Mexico. Both could be interesting characters in the presidential storyline. It was interesting to watch how all three decided to announce.

Hillary launched her campaign on-line with a warm fire side chat kind of feel. I thought hers was the best of the three as it shows she understands the role the internet will play during the election. She also had a soft appeal to her announcement that I think will resonate with voters. This softness is in direct contrast to the hit job she has contracted against Obama. Over the weekend, Obama's cocaine addiction and his enrollment in Muslim schools were reported and I have no doubt that both came from Hillary's camp to bloody him up.

Brownback's announcement was more old fashioned or should we say conservative as he announced at a campaign rally in Topeka. Brownback is a great guy and I agree with him on several issues especially abortion and our involvement in helping Africa. But his event was too conventional and he didn't offer anything with flare that the media could report on. Plus the fact that he announced the same weekend as Hillary shows he may not be ready for prime time.

Richardson appearance was more statesmen like as he announced on This Week with George Stephanopolis. His announcement was better than Brownback's but he should have chosen a more watched show than This Week. When Brinkley was host it was a must watch but since he retired does anybody watch that show anymore. The compelling thing about Richardson, other than his being the only Hispanic in the race, was that he seems to want to push the race towards more policy debates as opposed to personality and soundbites. I welcome that.

These three entries make a total of 17 candidates between the two major parties that have already announced. Another 5-10 could still announce in the coming months. Pretty soon there will be people lining up outside convention halls just for the chance to be president. Oh wait that's American Idol.

Who is Mike Tomlin?

Well the Steelers surprised me over the weekend and hired new coach Mike Tomlin. He is the former defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings. To be honest I had never heard of him until the Steelers began their coaching search. As part of the NFL rules all teams must interview at least one minority candidate and I guess I just assumed that Tomlin's interview was a courtesy to comply with the NFL rules. It was all but assured that the Steelers would hire one of the assistant coaches. Tomlin supposedly interviewed very well and he is an up and comer as they say and he blew away the Rooney family.

I for one am excited about the hire. Yes Tomlin is an unknown commodity but then again so was Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher and they turned out well. I am relieved as well that they didn't hire Russ Grimm. As the search went on I thought all signs pointed to going with Grimm who would have been the safe choice. Grimm is a fine man but I don't think he would have been a great coach. His specialty was the offensive line and well let's just say that the line was a big part of Pittsburgh's problems and so why reward him. Plus I think the city and the team needed a shake up and the charismatic Tomlin will do just that.

My friend CJ

My good friend CJ is having a very difficult week. His 2 year old son Aidan has been in the hospital following a seizure. He has since been diagnosed with epilepsy but while being checked out by the doctors they also noticed irregular sounds in his heart. The tests came back and Aidan is in need of a heart transplant. It's not clear what the next step is but they sent him home this afternoon.

CJ is pretty shaken by the news and since many of you who read this blog know him, I wanted to pass along the information. I would also encourage you to pray for him and his family. The following is his email address. I am sure he would appreciate hearing from you as well. goods_us@yahoo.com

Romney and the Right

Much has been discussed about the vacuum in the Republican presidential race created by the lack of true conservative. Gov. Romney has been avidly trying to fill that void and it is working to some avail even in the midst of his changing his mind on certain cultural issues. At first I thought Romney's strategy was a very good one as he could stake out his ground in contrast to McCain and Guiliani who are both seen as moderates. Lately, I wonder if staying in the middle would not have been a better fit for him.

Last week's New Hampshire poll has McCain slipping among independent voters. He is down almost 20 percent since the last poll was taken. The obvious reason for this is his firm support of President Bush and Iraq war. While I agree with McCain on this point, it is not smart politics to tie yourself to a drowning president and a seemingly hopeless war. Thus the door has been opened for those precious independent voters. Romney may have missed his chance to go after these voters. Afterall he was a popular governor from a Democratic Northeastern state. Add that to the problems he is facing with evangelicals because of mormonism and it looks like he may have taken the wrong path. Rudy on the other hand is filling that moderate independent void very nicely which says he may have more staying power in this race than people give him credit for.

Most pundits argue that you go for your base during the primary and then to the middle during the general election. This thinking is old school and does not recognize the power of the new media. Whatever you say or do in the primary will be well documented during the general and makes it very difficult to moderate or change one's positions. People want authenticity and one clip on youtube of a candidate pandering to the right can ruin any attempt to try and get back to the center without looking like an opportunist politician. This old school thinking also fails to recognize that even Republicans are willing to look above ideology in pursuit of a winner. Given the choice between nominating a moderate who can win and a conservative who will lose, the party is leaning towards choosing the former. Instead of compassionate conservatism, let's call it pragmatic conservativism.

This mindset is what makes John McCain the current front runner. Whether or not you agree with him he has drawn independent voters in the past and that makes him look like a winner. But now that McCain is losing those independent voters there is a new dynamic that might lead other candidates to run toward the middle instead of to the right. Romney however has already hitched his candidacy to the conservatives. For his sake let's hope he made the right decision.

Dobson's Decision

Yesterday James Dobson told reporters that he will not support John McCain for President because of his position on gay marriage and because he wrote the campaign finance law that tried to muzzle groups like Focus on the Family from participating in politics. Dobson also made comments recently that he had concerns about Mitt Romney presumably because of his being a Mormon. Who does that leave to support?

I think Dobson is backing himself into a corner. Unless there a last minute alternative the race looks to be shaping up between McCain and Romney and Guilani. Will Dobson support Giulani? No chance as he is more liberal than McCain. Dobson needs a conservative but there are very few strong conservative challengers out there and if they haven't started yet they will never have time to catch up.

Here is my bold prediction. Dobson is setting himself up to run as the conservative candidate. He already has the name ID, at least among Republican primary voters, and he has a good grass roots base to raise money and volunteers. If he doesn't get behind another candidate shortly, look for him to throw his hat into the ring. Hey if Pat Robertson could do it in 1988 why not James Dobson today? If nothing else it would be interesting to watch.

Obama is In

Well Obama made it official today that he is running for President. And really how could he not run? The media loves him and he will never be more popular than he is today. However there is one story that is being overlooked and it is his relationship with the so called leaders in the black community. I watched Al Sharpton last night on hardball and he was less than supportive of Obama.

At first I thought the reason for Obama's lukewarm reception was because many of the black leaders have invested their time and efforts into Clinton's campaign. But I have begun to think that maybe the real reason they are nervous about Obama is because they are jealous of him and fear they will lose their influence and power over the black community if he is elected president. You will never hear any of them say that but how do you think Jesse Jackson feels after he has led that community for years and he never once got the same favorable coverage that Obama gets. Now Obama shows up late to the party and he gets all the attention.

Watch this story as it unfolds. My guess is that unless Obama gives them the signals that he can be bought or controlled by the traditional black leadership, they will turn on him very quickly. Depending on how he responds to those attacks, Obama could end up coming out ahead and be seen as a new black leader that appeals to the white middle class. I am anxious to see what happens.

Risk

While in Pittsburgh last weekend I watched a movie on the Omnimax called Adrenaline Rush. It follows the lives of several skydivers and cliff divers. Watching them jump was amazing if not nauseating. During the movie they discuss why people jump and they suggests that it is because all people are born to take risks. What's more, they go on to claim that humans are the only animal that seeks recreational risk that puts their lives on the line for pleasure. I find that point fascinating.

I agree that we are all made to take risks. It makes us feel alive. But many of us do not embrace the dangerous and in fact most people I know run from risk. Myself included. My observation is that most of us live lives of comfortable mediocrity and are terrified of giving up our security. Sometimes I think our eagerness to avoid risks reveals our limited faith in God and in ourselves.

But the deep urge to take risks still exists within us yearning to come out. This is what causes some people to jump out of planes. Others sneak around participating in immoral behavior because they love taking the risk of getting caught. Some love the risk of experimenting with drugs and alcohol thinking they can control it. Lazy people even experience risk vicariously through watching characters on TV and movies.

But we were not born to use our risky nature to simply indulge our passions. Our desire to take risks should be what drives us to achievement and success. Risk taking is the common thread among all great leaders. Many leaders placed their ideas and lives on the line only to achieve failure but they persevered and their ideas and inventions live on today. The movie discussed how Da Vinci actually designed the first working parachute. In his day, people must have thought his idea was crazy. How many of our ideas today are as crazy? Without trying them we will never know.

Without taking a chance and risking failure, there can be no change and without change how are we supposed to improve our lives and our communities. If we avoid taking risks at all costs or if we channel our risk taking into absurd or unhealthy hobbies we are merely settling for the status quo life. While that life is safe, it is also boring and not deserving of our souls.

Family Part 3

I just returned from Pittsburgh. My nephew David and I took a short road trip to visit my Grandpa and my Aunt Nancy. Earlier this summer when my Grandpa came to Michigan he did not look very healthy and he reminded me of how my Grandpa Cobb looked shortly before he died of a heart attack. I was prepared to see him in poor health again but he really surprised me. He was upbeat and relatively energetic for an 82 year old. He took us out to eat and to the Carnegie Science Center.

One of the big changes in his life is that he recently started a part time job at a car auction. I was worried that working would be hard on him but I think having a job has been very good for him. He spoke about it constantly and for the first time in several years I got the impression that he had renewed purpose for living. Sometimes I think the lure of retirement is overstated and that not working actually hinders older men more than it helps them. Yes our bodies slow down but men are created to work and without a job many men lose interest in life.

Sunday morning he and I got up early and shared breakfast and the morning paper. It was one of those memories that I knew I wanted to remember even as it was unfolding. We talked about family, Pittsburgh sports and politics. At one point he told me he was worried about Wednesday's weather and how cold it would be to work that day. My aunt suggested he take the day off but he told me that he wanted to honor his obligation because his employer was counting on him. This old fashion notion is so contrary to what I see everyday at work. I hope that some of his work ethic has rubbed off on me over the years.

Minimum Wage

I see that the Democrats in Congress started out the year by voting to raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour. While this a very popular proposal it is not particularly sound economic policy.

The main argument for raising the minimum wage is that it helps lift people out of poverty. This is a spurious argument at best and cynical at worst. If this argument were true we could go to all those poor countries in Africa where poverty runs rampant and simply have their governments pass laws establishing a fair living wage. According to the proponents of such laws this would end poverty in those countries but we all now that such a law would not work. Fighting poverty is much more complex than setting a floor for wages. The reality is that raising the minimum wage does very little to lower poverty rates.

Another argument I often hear is that nobody could raise a family making minimum wage. The problem with this argument is that the facts do not suggest that many people are raising their family on $5.25 an hour. The truth is that less than 5 percent of all US workers make the current minimum wage and a majority of those workers are high school and college age. These students are unlikely to be in the position of having to raise a family. And even for those older workers who are earning minimum wage, almost all of them will eventually either earn a raise or take their acquired job skills and work somewhere else for more money. Virtually no workers start at minimum wage and end there.

The truth behind minimum wage laws is that they hurt the people that they claim to help. Low skilled workers are only worth a certain amount of money to a job provider. If a worker at McDonald's is worth 6 dollars an hour in terms of productivity it makes sense for McDonald's to hire that worker at $5.25 an hour. But what happens if McDonald's has to pay them $7.25 an hour. Now it makes no sense for them to hire that person and instead of making $5.25 an hour and learning job skills to make him more productive that worker is now unemployed. This trend has a disproportionately higher impact of young black males who are trying to enter the workforce for the first time. This is also why proponents do not set the minimum wage higher because they don't want to potentially put their own jobs at risk. They assume they are worth more than $7.25 an hour but what if minimum wage were $20 an hour. If the goal is to raise people out of poverty wouldn't that make more sense because who can get by on $7.25 an hour? But under that scenario many middle class workers who were only worth say $15 hour would lose their jobs.

Let me address another problem with raising the minimum wage; increased prices. Here in Michigan we raised the minimum wage to $6.95 an hour last October. Since then I have noticed a hike in prices in every industry that hires entry level workers. So while minimum wage workers may have more money to spend the cost of living has gone up for every Michigan worker. One small example: before the wage increase you could buy a bottle of soda for roughly $1.29. Today it is sold for $1.79. Fifty cents doesn't seem like much but then that cost is added to multiple products the costs add up quickly for low and middle class workers.

To sum up; minimum wage laws do not decrease poverty, they lead to higher unemployment and raise prices for the consumer. Somebody please tell me why these proposals are so popular.

Questions for Obama

Here are some questions I have for Senator Barack Obama:

How do you define winning the war in Iraq?

Is it possible to still win the war and if so what specific steps would you take to achieve victory?

Do you agree with the recent military action in Somalia? Would you support ground troops in Somalia to track down Al Queda members? What makes our action in Somalia different from our mission in Iraq?

What action (if any) taken by another country warrants our military intervention?

Is there any scenario where unilateral military action is appropriate? If you were President would you ever act militarily without the backing of the United Nations?

What is your overall strategy to win the broader war on terror?

Do you believe that democracy can take hold in the middle east? If so how should our country help that type of government spread in that region?

Would you use military force to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon?

Is securing our borders a national security issue? If so, how would you deter illegal immigrants from entering the country?

The media often confers upon you the image of being a centrist. Your voting record suggests you are as liberal as Sen. Kennedy. How do you reconcile those differences? Are you a liberal or a centrist?

Name one policy initiative supported by Republicans that you agree with?

Your mother was Christian and your father was Muslim. What religion do you consider yourself today? What role does your religion have on your public life? What specific policy areas are effected by it?

What is the greatest moral issue facing our country and what can government do to address that problem?

Your book talks about your history of drug and alcohol abuse during college. Are you actively engaged in helping fight drug and alcohol abuse on college campuses? What advice do you have for young people who are tempted to go down the same path you went?

What is the greatest economic problem facing our country and what can government do to address that problem?

Without spending more money on the problem, how would you improve our public educational system?

Do you share Al Gore's view that global warming is occurring? If so what is the appropriate government response?

Besides getting elected to public office what is your life's greatest achievement?

What other jobs besides holding elected office have you had in the past?

Of all the legislation that you have sponsored and passed into law, which bill are you most proud of?

If elected President what would be your first public policy priority?

Show me the money

Mitt Romney announced that he raised over $6.5 million yesterday in his first day of fundraising for the upcoming presidential race. That is a very good start but should not be overestimated as he will need to raise 15 to 20 times that amount over the next twelve months. You also have to take into account that he used alot of his top contacts on day one and that each day forward will be harder and harder to raise money. He has successfully lined up a stellar fundraising team and he has a huge advantage of raising money in the Mormon community. All I know is that raising this much money in one day is a sign that he is definitely going to be a serious contender for the nomination.

A couple questions remain about Gov. Romney. Can he keep the support of the conservative movement with tales of moderating his positions on abortion and gay marriage? Personally, I don't care that he has changed his mind on these issues as I think many people re-evaluate their political positions as they get older. But these charges do allow McCain to call him a flip flopper and question his credibility. They also open the door for a lifelong conservative to outflank him on the right. Sen. Brownback would like to be that person but he has not proven up to the task just yet.

The larger question still remains is whether or not Americans are ready to vote for Mormon candidate. A recent survey suggested that 37 percent of the public is not willing to even consider voting for a Mormon. This is a really bad sign for Romney as more people are willing or least say they are willing to vote for a woman or black person for President. About the only thing worse than being a Mormom might be running as a Muslim.

Having laid out both barriers, I think there is still time for Romney to overcome them and win the nomination. In fact a leading Michigan pollster predicted this morning that Romney will be the nominee. The key will be defining himself before the other candidates define him. The race is already on as I constantly get annoying emails from the McCain campaign disguised as GOP updates that highlight all of Romney's problems. The emails are working as many conservatives who were on the Romney bandwagon in Michigan are beginning to fall off. Michigan a key state for Romney as his Dad was a popular Governor here, and he needs to win this state to have any chance of winning the nomination. I would hate to see his candidacy derailed before he even gets started. Hopefully he can spend some of that $6.5 million here and help get his message out.

End of an Era

Last week Bill Cowher resigned as coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. I was a sad day but entirely expected as word began to leak out month's ago that he wanted to spend more time with his family. Cowher is one tough SOB and he was a great fit for Steeler football. His personality epitomizes what Pittsburgh is all about and the city may miss him more than the team does.

One short anecdote about Coach Cowher. His daughters went to school with cousins in Fox Chapel. Apparently he was just as passionate about watching his girls play basketball as he was about coaching football and would make his opinions known at the games. I guess he couldn't seperate his competitiveness from the rest of his life.

With his resignation, the Steelers begin only their second coaching search since 1969. It's great that my team has only had two coaches my entire life and both Chuck Noll and Cowher have been hugely successful. It is an of an era in Pittsburgh as they look for a new coach but it also signals the end of an era when one coach would stick with his team for a long period of time. Since Cowher was hired just under 100 other coaches have come and gone in the NFL. Shoot the lions have had half a dozen coaches all by themselves. With free agency players change teams frequently and it makes it tough to find the face of a franchise. Coaches can fill that void but now they seem to switch allegiance more than the players do. I call this trend the Nick Sabanization of football.

Cowher was a great coach. He has more wins than any other team in the league during his tenure. He ranks 13th all time in coaching victories. He also had his team play in 6 AFC championship games and 2 Superbowls including winning last year's championship. He can proudly walk away from the team because he has nothing left to prove.

The next coach has big shoes to fill. I am a little nervous about who they will select. The two in house candidates are current assistant coaches Russ Grimm and Ken Whisenhunt. Both are highly respected but neither one are proven head coaches. I guess I have to trust the Rooney family as they hired an untested 34 year old coach named Bill Cowher to replace the legenday Chuck Noll and that turned out okay.

MASH

TV land has begun showing old Mash episodes and I have been staying up late each night to get my fix. Growing up MASH was my favorite show and to this day I still enjoy watching it even though Ihave seen almost every episode three or four times. For some reason this particular show has stood up to the test of time.

My Co-worker and I were discussing MASH earlier today and having the usual discussions over who are favorite characters were or if we liked the Trapper John/Henry Blake era or the BJ/Col. Potter era. Both have their good points but I think I liked the earlier ones better as they were a little less preachy or more comedic. Although I do like Col. Potter as he is the kind of man most boys would love to have as a father. Plus Harry Morgan is from Muskegon, MI.

Some of my favorite episodes are Adam's Ribs where Hawkeye orders ribs to be delivered from Chicago and the Long John Flap where the camp trades hawkeye's long johns to each other. Tuttle is a great episode as well. And of course who could forget the episode when Col. Blake dies.

What I like most about the show is how multilayered the show was. There was laughter, sadness, anger, romance, politics, competition, envy and friendships all wrapped together as one. That's hard to write and even harder to act and they nailed that balance very well. That's what makes MASH the best TV show of all time.

Family Part 2

Saturday my nephew Jacob celebrated his 17th Birthday. To commemorate the occasion my Mom invited the family over for dinner and cake on Friday night. While it's strange for me to realize I am old enough to have a nephew that is 17, it was fun to celebrate with him and the family. What we lacked at Christmas we shared Friday as everyone was more relaxed and engaging.

One thing that cracked me up is a relatively new family tradition that we happened to stumble upon. A few years ago at my Brother's birthday party my step dad Mike forgot Vince's name during the middle of the prayer. In the dead silence Jacob whispered out Vince's name to remind him and we all broke out laughter. Now at each birthday party at the beginning of the prayer both my nephews remind Mike who we are praying for. I laugh out loud every time. It's not much as far as family traditions go but it's unique and it's ours.

Family

Over the holidays I was able to spend quite a bit of time with my family. It was nice to see them but somehow something was missing this year. I am not sure if it was my attitude or what but my expectations fell short during Christmas. I sense that my Mom had the same feelings. My Brother's divorce played a role I think and I was reminded that divorces impact the entire family. This was our first year without his wife and step children and while it was cheaper to not have to buy them gifts I missed having a big group of people around. But more than that I can tell Vince is not doing well being on his own. Unlike myself, he has never had to live very long without a women in his life. (I think maybe he and I overcompensate for each other in this area.) Anyways, I worry about him and my Mom worries about him. Compound that with the fact that my nephews are making poor choices lately and it makes it difficult to have the Thomas Kincaid family Christmas. Both Jacob and David are immensely talented and smart and primed to rise above the status quo and it is frustrating to watch them make mistakes. I so want them to see the big picture and realize the consequences of their actions but my words seem to fall flat. It's like they live and think in an entirely different worldview; one that scares me but apparently doesn't raise any alarms with them at all. Then add to the list my Stepsister Tina who is struggling to find a job and having a tough time coping and the weight of my family's misfortune took it's toll on celebrating Christmas.

Finally after Christmas, I was able to relax and enjoy the family a little more. My Stepdad and I were able to go to Michigan basketball game which was fun. When he and I go the games we get a chance to talk the whole way there and I enjoy that. Then my nephew David came to watch the U of M game with me in Lansing which was a terrible game but a great time hanging out with him. He likes coming to Lansing and I always try to make it a resting place away from the rest of things in life. A couple nights ago my Mom and I met downtown to view President Ford's body. But once we were down there, we realized it was a 6 hour wait in line and decided we needed to sleep that night more than we needed to stand in line. It was the right decision but I wish I could have had that time to talk with her and catch up one on one. Maybe later this month. I guess I write all this to say that even though my family doesn't always seem to function like I wish it would, they are still family and that's enough for me.

Friends

Over the past two weeks, I was fortunate to have some time off from work as we moved into a new office. I took that time and was able to visit several friends of mine in the west Michigan area. It was great to catch up with all of them. Sometimes I get frustrated that I don't yet have the level of friendship here in Lansing that I do with my longer friendships. But then I realize that many people don't have either the number or depth of friends that I have. I easily have a dozen people in my life that I would consider a close friend. Occasionally, I wish they lived in town or that they knew each other so my relationships were less one on one but more community based. Having said that, I do appreciate each and every one of them. I find that each brings something different to my life. Sometimes it is wisdom, sometimes it is laughter, sometimes it is encouragement, sometimes it is intimacy and often times is it just somebody to listen to me bitch about my dating life. I need all these things and my friends help fill that role for me.

The myth of Notre Dame

I hate Notre Dame. That's why last night's game was so enjoyable to watch. Last night's loss points out yet again just how overrated and overhyped Notre Dame has become. Yes I will grant that back in the Lou Holtz era, even while I hated them then, at least they were somewhat worthy of the special treatment they receive from college football. But now? Please. They are at best a top 20 program and many years that status is only based on past reputations.

I thought Robert Smith had it right yesterday when he explained Notre Dame's pitiful bowl record of losing 9 straight games and not winning a bowl since 1994. He noted that because they are overrated each year, they end up being picked for bowl games that they do not belong in. This year is no exception. They did not deserve to play in a BCS game. Rutgers should have been the team selected but they don't carry the same weight as Notre Dame does. So I say keep putting them in the BCS and that way I will get to keep watching them get their butt kicked year after year after year.

One other stat I heard this morning was that since Lou Holtz retired, they have not beaten one team that has ended the season in the top 10. They are 0-16 against those teams. Does that sound like a top tier team to you? If they were named anything other than Notre Dame there is no way they would be ranked so high and given their ridiculously unfair TV contract year after year.

A final note, Charlie Wiess is way overrated as a coach. I listened to Mike and Mike this morning on the radio and they tried to make excuses for him but he got out coached by Les Miles last night and even by Lloyd Carr earlier this season. So far in his first two seasons, his best game was a loss to USC. He doesn't have a big win under his resume so why do people think he is such a good coach. Ty Willingham's tenure at Notre Dame is beginning to look awfully familiar to the current regime. But I bet they won't fire Weiss. Hmmm?