Duke's Day in Court

Five years ago, Duke and Louisville entered into a contract to play four football games together over the next decade. After a 40-3 drubbing in September 2002, the Duke Athletic Department decided to renege on the deal, canceling the last three games. Part of the contract called for either team to pay a penalty of $150K per game if a "team of similar stature" could not be found to fill the date. Louisville sued Duke for $450K plus any and all applicable ancillary costs.

The trial hinged on the meaning of a "team of similar stature". In my opinion, a top-tier program like Louisville schedules a Duke to be a cupcake on their relatively hard Big East slate. Duke however, made the opposite argument. They stated that since the program is 6-45 over the past five years, literally any team in Division 1 would be a "team of similar stature". After arguments from the Duke lawyers laying the case that its team was the worst program in Division 1, the judge agreed:

"At oral argument, Duke (with a candor perhaps more attributable to good legal strategy than to institutional modesty) persuasively asserted that this is a threshold that could not be any lower. Duke's argument on this point cannot be reasonably disputed by Louisville."

Say what you will (and we can) about the big money issues of college football scheduling, I find it hilarious that Duke went to court to prove that their football team is horrible. I would love to see the transcript on this one.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3455278

Out With a Knee...

Two of my good friends from Duke donned the ole sweaty mascot suit and they both were involved in coming up with this very stunt five years ago. I don't think that I've ever heard Cameron as loud as it was when, for the first time ever, Mac as the Blue Devil traveled the length of the court to "Wipeout" and then jumped upon press row.

Looks like the new crop they recruited just doesn't measure up.

Perhaps Mac, if you are out there, can add some insight in the comments?

Slip of the Tongue

Duke Alum Jim Spanarkel, a classmate of Magister from MHS, had an unfortunate slip of the tongue when interviewing the Seton Hall coach. Good stuff!

The Roof Has Caved In

It's official. The Roof era is over at Duke University.

With the 20-14 OT loss to rival North Carolina on Saturday, Duke AD Joe Alleva decided to part ways with embattled head coach Ted Roof. Roof's tenure with the Blue Devils concludes with a 6-45 record over 4+ seasons, including winning only 1 of his final 32 games.

Now, we move on to the ignominious task of searching for a new head coach for arguably the worst program in the BCS conferences.

Four years ago, I argued loudly and publicly to anyone who would listen that the Devils should make their move for a former Duke coach, one who was struggling in the NFL and looking for a return to college. I stated that Joe Alleva should have driven straight to Washington and make the ole ball coach Steve Spurrier the highest paid coach in college football history. Alas, this did not happen, as Duke went in-house and hired the retread defensive coordinator. Spurrier, on the other hand, went to South Carolina, a program with nearly as much futility as Duke, and built it into a national program in three short years.

Now, Duke stands at another crossroads. There is momentum to hire either the offensive or defensive coordinator as to not shake up the current chemistry and players. I dare them to do this. Tired ideas get you nowhere.

Here's an idea. How about the hottest coach in the country, one with NFL experience, and a unique mindset towards running an offense. Duke should make a move for Hawaii's June Jones.

While it may be tough to lure Jones from Hawaii to North Carolina, Jones is losing star QB Colt Brennan after this season and is itching for a chance to prove that his system can work at a major level. Moreover, I think Jones could take an athletic QB like sophomore Thaddeus Lewis and work wonders.

Will Duke make the bold decision? Or will they make the 'safe' choice?

If You Have a Free Weekend in November...

Contributors Dav and Hankles recently completed the first official field trip for The Norwood House. Let’s break down the trip, by the numbers:

46: Pictures taken by TNH’s photographer

1/3: Fraction of flyers on our flight enroute to Dallas for the Skins-Boys game dressed in jerseys, performing cheers at 7:00am.

80: Number of sent and received texts by Hankles

4: Tollbooths on the Indy Turnpike

75: Minutes spent in the ND Bookstore

1987: Jimmy Clausen's Birth Year

3-0: Final Score of the Notre Dame-Loyola Women’s NCAA Soccer Game

$5: Price for a Pitcher at Corby’s Irish Pub

2-0: Dav’s record over Hankles on the Felt at Corby’s

10: Miller Lites

4: Old Styles

10: Size (in ounces) of the sirloin steak sandwich sold by the Knights of Columbus

43: Temperature at Kickoff

38: Temperature at Final Whistle

5: Hankles' Lower Body Layers

6: Hankles' Upper Body Layers

11: Times hearing the Notre Dame Victory March (approx.)

80,975: Attendance at the Stadium

1: Wabash Knit Caps

115: Robert Hughes Rushing Yards

3: Irish Passing TD’s

3: Duke Fumbles

28-7: Final Score

5: Time Changes by TNH crew (East to Central to East to Central to East)

4: Wrong Turns leading to Poor Directions and Being Lost

3: Real Celebrity Sightings (Mike Scioscia, Mike Golic, Tim Hardaway)

2: Celebrity Dead-Ringers (Curt Schilling; Dusty Baker)

2: Irish football season wins

1: Touchdown Jesus

Countless: Memories shared between great buddies