Former Notre Dame All American wide receiver Jeff Samardzija was sharp in his 2012 season debut for the Chicago Cubs tossing 8 2/3 innings before giving way to Carlos Marmol for the final in the Cub’s first win of the season.
Samardzija, once the owner of many of the Notre Dame receiving records that Michael Floyd has since staked claim to, made the Cubs rotation out of spring training for the first time in his career and he rewarded the Cubs with the best start of his career. In fact, had it not been for a fielding error with two outs in the 9th inning, Samardzija would have notched his first career shutout.
With two outs and a three run lead in the top of the 9th, a Starlin Castro error preceded a two run home run surrendered by Samardzija to Adam LaRoche. Shortly after Cubs manager Dale Sveum visited the mound for the two time in the inning to get the ball from Samardzija and turn it over to closer Carlos Marmol.
Sveum’s first trip to the mound came immediately following the error by Castro and enacted a round of boos from the Cubs faithful who wanted to see the local product finish off the game to get his first career complete game.
While Samardzija’s first career complete game will have to wait for at least another start, his 2012 season still got off to an absolutely fantastic start. He finished with a stat line of 8 2/3 innings, 1 earned run, and 8 strikeouts all while not surrendering a single walk.
Before Sunday’s start, Samardzija had started five games over the course of his career, but never made it past the 6th inning.
Samardzija is coming off the most successful season of his career this season after appearing in 75 games out of the bullpen and recording a 2.97 ERA through 88 innings pitched. His 2011 breakout came on the heels of back to back rough seasons in 2009 and 2010 where the former wide receiver recorded ERA’s of 7.53 and 8.23.
Next up for Samardzija will be a Friday matinee start against the defending World Series champion Cardinals on the road in St. Louis. He’ll be squaring off against St. Louis ace Adam Wainwright who is coming back from missing the entire 2011 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
While we’re at it. How about ND’s Women’s Basketball Team. They are the best all women team in the NCAA. No stand up urinals in that locker room. No one with an adam’s apple or a manly voice. Frankly I didn’t know Dennis Rodman still had NCAA elgibility.
Muffet’s team really did inspire. Diggins, Peters, and company should be proud of themselves. The juniors and underclassmen should be hungry for a trophy next year.
Hahahahah C-Dog,
Are you trashing a 6′-8″ player?
Yes, Muffet is outstanding and her teams! One thing about Muffet, she needs no motivational course, she is indeed, our most competitive coach at ND for the last 20+ years!
As I stated above, the Girls Basketball Team has more fire in the belly than the football team! With good reason thanks to Muffet!
Absolutely, JC.
Muffet doesn’t waste her time trying to impress the reporters. In fact she sounds almost understated. But then you see the killer look in her eyes during a game. You see she always has players with fire. You see a team that plays with sportsmanship, but with just the right amount of nasty. Her teams take you out if they can. It is inpsiring. I dare say she and her team will figure out how to beat the team with a player that Donald Trump wouldn’t allow in his pageant. They’ll leave nothing on the floor that’s for sure.
I wish the football team had that fire.
Amen Rob,
On the Fighting Irish Spirit!
Yeah, the QB pick will make us or break us this year. To be honest, I’m completely perplexed who BK will pick? Rees the safe 7 win pick or high risk introduce the spread picks Golson or Hendrix? However, the unforseeable outcome will certainly define BK’s career at ND!
Kudos on staying healthy, in the game of football you get a 5×5 warranty five feet or five seconds which ever comes first. Moreover, depth is a big issue as well as experience. Albeit, Team chemistry will be the biggest challenge of year with a top five schedule.
Man, what about it on Petrino? Undoubtedly on top of his game at Arkansas and NOW has to be at his lowest ebb!
You know, I am not sure what it’s going to take to win a national football title again at ND. Picking new Head Football Coaches that don’t deliver are killing us. Not to mention who is available and would fit at ND? Always a neophobic of rolling the dice. I hope we are not at that point again. It’s anything but fun. If the runway guys are restless who knows what will happen?
its time for kelly to make it happen or move on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
8-5 is bs
bj the eternal optimist has returned!!
All hail!!
OK, I suppose I should weigh in on the “How many will they win” topic.
My desire is for ND to win all of their games. My expectation is that they show a fighting spirit that inspires.
My guess is that Kelly will not learn how to adjust his game plan to respond his opponent. He’ll either have the opponent licked before the game starts or won’t have a real answer to an opponenet who scouts him out and devises something crafty.
Therefore I will guess that ND will win 8 or 9 games in the fall.
I hate to say it but I don’t think this staff is capable of whiteboarding adjustments after the first kickoff.
I hope I am wrong. Enjoy great plays by great kids. I do like the group of players they have now.
maybe the rocket can show kelly how its done
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yq1PXq2egMg&feature=relmfu
Notre Dame has not been ranked #1 since November 1993
JC,
Drunk with the Fighting Irish spirit! (Not to be confused with the Holy Spirit!)
I really believe that with the right QB (i.e., anyone but TR!) and some luck (for a change!), ND can win 9-10 games. Of course, as you point out, JC, Bk will also have to step up his game. He’s been out-coached in every big game so far.
So, stay healthy, have some breaks go our way, have BK coach like we all hope he can, and get better QB play and I believe 10 wins is doable. I concede that that’s a lot of “ifs,” though.
Now, look at Arkansas. Petrino improved his record there every season. He had the Hogs back in the top ten. But at what price? What a scumbag! BK may not prove to be the answer. But I hope we never have to hire a Saban, Petrino, or Tressel.
Shaz,
Excellent point with Kentucky Basketball. Kentucky has maintained their winning culture all the way back from the days of Joe B. Hall. They have never lost sight of who they are!
ND on the other hand, has lost their winning culture with Davies, Faust, Willingham, Weis and ? I’ll leave this one to your imagination.
Also concerning freshman playing at the highest level depends on who the coach is? Remember the fab-four from Michigan? Another example of SUPERIOR COACHING!
Kentucky has had 20 year stretches where they haven’t won it all. From 1958 to 1978 and then again in 1996. I’m sure their blogs have been on fire during those stretches.
And it was the Fab Five from Michigan.
Well the point is they are a relevant primary sport winning culture and we are not at the moment.
Kentucky all time wins: 2090 (NCAA RANK #1) Kentucky all time winning percentage .763 (NCAA Rank #1)
8 NCAA Championships (NCAA Rank #2)
I could go on and on with a vadmecum of stats.
Definately a highly successful and relevant winning culture!
OK so I forgot Chris Weber. I stand corrected. Fab Five it is. My sometimers kicked in!
You look at the saleries and dollars that so many of today’s head coaches command and you had better produce in the first two or three years.
Just watched Kentucky win the national championship in basketball with a team full of freshmen.
How does this relate to football? Todays high school seniors are much more developed and prepared then ever before.
Just because you have freshmen starting on your team, even at QB, doesn’t necessarilly mean you can’t be really good or win at the highest level.
If your team is capable of 11 wins, what makes the difference from them winning 13?
Health? Bit of good Luck? Conditioning? Confidence?
Pete from the movie “Rudy”… like my dad always said… having dreams is what makes life tolerable”
It’s OK to have visions of grandeur.
If you can’t dream of being the best, you probably never will be.
Irish Chan,
Your right, it’s not going to happen! Sorry, I was having fun ribbing Shaz (Old timer) and was a little over zealous. My intent was not to throw stones, satirical yes.
On tangible realities, I couldn’t agree with you more on your “blue print” vision. Kelly will need a minimum of 5 years to assemble the elite depth required to compete with Meyer and Saban. However, this year’s recruiting did not end as anticipated and will have a deleterious effect on Kelly’s time table.
I also agree 1st year starting QB’s will not win against the Big Boy’s. As much as I like the concept of Golson, Rees will probably start due to that fact. Kelly really has no other choice from a real experience perspective pertaining to who starts. He failed to develop the back-up QB’s last year. Now he’s really in a pickle!
Believe me when I tell you, I don’t have high expectations for ND football since Lou left. Why? The passing of 23 years since our last title coupled with the ND administration now living a charmed life! Girls basketball has more fire in the belly than the football team!
Ara was probably the only contemporary winning coach who could walk in the room and set at the same table with Rockne. Yes indeed, those days will never return again.
Further, I would agree with Shaz on the new dynamic winning standard set by Urban and Saban. You get one year to prepare for a National Championship or your gone by year 3 or 4!
Finally, I have no visions of grandeur about ND in the football world as long as Urban and Saban are around! They have the validated resumes and are without question the hungry boys of the 21st Century!
Shaz,
I agree with JTRAIN! It’s your fault, you started it!
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
Oh Hell yeah!
I have no problem getting this party started!
I want to go into every game-day like the days of old, thinking about who we are going to take down or who’s bubble we are going to burst this week.
I remember undefeated seaons, and one loss seasons.
National Champion seasons.
The party started in September and didn’t stop until January.
It was great!
The best of times!
You should have been there!
See what you did shaz! you went and got jc all worked up. Now go stick your nose in the corner!
Now, Now, Now, Shaz,
The “Next Year” crowd wants us to wait until “Next Year” before we’re relevant?? So we must have a kinder, gentler football attitude!
Sorry: “shove the ball down their throats!” is unacceptable to the “Next Year” crowd! And certainly is not in vogue today with these wimpy- mediocre-candy-striper-fanboys-9 wins good enough, come on you know better! Please settled down or they may issue a time out for you!
Where’s Arron Lynch and his yellow flags when you need him?
Ah what the heck, kudos on shoving the ball down USC’s throat this Yeaaaaaaaaar!!!! Oooooooh that felt sooooooooo gooooooooood! Thank you Shaz for this RARE inspirational moment!!!
Come on Irish let’s destroy the schedule and destroy USC on their own grass this YEAR!
Go Irish! ERRRRRRRRR!
Not gonna happen. Like your enthusiasm and all but its just not gonna happen. Lol
Y’all can cast stones at “us” who believe a 8-9-10 win season will be a momentous victory this fall. I for one will not be expecting a team led led by a 1st year starter at qb1 to whip a title contender on their turf in L.A.
I will also not commit 3-4 true sophomores on our defensive front 7 & 4 new DB’s with zero starts to leading us back to relevance this year.
It’s not gonna happen. 8-10 wins with this young team at key…..key position with limited depth will not provide you with the upsets over teams like USC. Let these kids develop.
IC,
I’m not going cast stones.
You’re points certainly hold merit and are based on recent history.
But I can guarentee you this,
Those USC comments are hanging in the locker rooms at Oregon, Stanford, and UCLA.
And they sure as hell should be hanging in our locker room as well!
Let’s remember that USC is still operating under reduced scholarships.
They aren’t without limited depth issues themselves.
A number of their players who would be juniors, and seniors transfered when the opertunity to do so without penilty was presented, so they too will have a numer of new faces as well.
They already lost one of their top running backs for the season due to injury.
And they are just one key injury / suspension away from becoming an average team.
I’m not even convinced that USC is the best team in their own conference.
I like our talent. Kelly has added speed, size, and versitility.
If we can get off to a good start, build some early confedence and momentum, stay healthy,then anything can happen.
I’m in agreement with you Shaz. Perhaps the ultimate vision of my comment was to reinforce my personal expectations of ND football this year. Kelly is using a blueprint to build this team from top to bottom that will take us to where we all want it to go. Personally I will begin to expect signature wins & BCS victories when our elite talent are juniors & seniors. This year however I’m looking for the upset against teams like USC & the Sooners.
I don’t think USC will be able to hang toe to toe with Bama & the SEC powers this year. But, they will be a hell of a tough team to beat. Defensively they lack some depth that we’re used to as well.
Kelly needs a strong year this year against a very tough schedule to show these jrs’ & sr’s in high school that ND can hang with the big boys again. We have to bring in more top tier talent for depth.
Personally I like to hear people talk a little shit…be it at my place of work or an athlete. It brings out competivness & fight. I’m sure Manti would love nothing more than to lead his team against USC in their backyard and whip them.
It wasn’t all that long ago I had similar personal exspectations.
“Give Kelly time to install his system.
Time to recruite his players, and develop that talent.
Give time for that talent to gain experience.”
I think there is a definite level of honesty and realism with those expectations.
But then I read some statements from coaches like Urban Meyer, Nick Saban, and Brady Hoke(to name just a few)
They all say about the same thing.
That in todays college game there is a high turnover rate in players due to graduation, early departure to the NFL, transfers, injuries, and suspensions.
The 4 year plan is gone.
You have to get it done now… today… if you want to survive!
JC, Shaz, IC:
I think 10 wins is the compromise position. 1) It shows improvement over last year. 2) Will probably get ND in the top 15 and a possible BCS bowl. 3) Builds recruiting momentum. 4) Provides the bar to be SURPASSED the following season. Plus, ND needs to hang in against USC and OK. Close defeats in these games is further evidence of growth. And they need to win the bowl game. Finish 11-2 (with the bowl win) and in the top 10 and I think we’ll all be happy!
Happy? I would be drunk with euphoria. Well, euphoria and Jack Daniels.
Small world!
I got drunk with Euphoria back in the seventies.
Her and her twin sister Miphoria down on Bourban St on St Patrick’s day. 79′
It’s kind of a blurr, but
Man them girls could party!
Does she still do that breating fire, limbo dance thing?
Rob,
Have you been drinking Delta’s Jack Daniels? It’s the Bronco’s Peyton Manning with 10 wins this year!
USC saftey T.J. McDonald:
(Now that USC is bowl eligible agian)
“Now we can win every game and get to a bowl game. Hopefully a big one. We have big hopes. It’s not a sense of urgency. But a sense that it’s our time. It’s a hunger.”
To come out on ESPN and spout off about winning every game is a slap in the face to every team on their schedule… including ND!
Only USC players are this arrogant.
Hunger Huh… How about we go into Trojan Town this year and shove the ball down their throats!
Arrogance or competivness? Hate to say it but they very well could be at the top of the pack by the end of the year.
To answer your question, JC: That he’s not making those acrobatic endzone catches or late-game TD scrambles on Sundays that he used to make on Saturdays for the Irish.
Robert,
True, we definately miss that skill set of Jeff. Atleast he’s playing professional baseball. I would have loved to seen him in the NFL. But, I am also alarmed about so called NFL “hit squads” injuring “STAR” players. Not good! A tough mess to clean up. Baseball seems to look a lot safer right now.
What’s not to like about Jeff? Go White Sox!