Crusader

If you hate me, you'll be delighted to hear what happened last week.

First, I guaranteed undefeated Notre Dame wouldn't beat USC on Nov. 24 in Los Angeles. I was sure of it. Flying across the country. Trojans with zero to lose. I was so sure, I tweeted:

Rick Reilly
✔@ReillyRick No way Notre Dame beats USC tonight. If I'm wrong, I'll come to South Bend + polish every freaking helmet. I can't be wrong ALL year, can I?
25 Nov 12 Reply Retweet Favorite

Then USC coach Lane Kiffin decided to run approximately 473 halfback dives at the goal line straight into the Notre Dame line. Just to repeat: USC, a team whose best two players were wide receivers, kept trying to ram it through Notre Dame, a team with the best front seven in the country. Wished he'd have checked with Dad on that idea. The Irish won 22-13.

Minutes afterward, in the bedlam of the Irish locker room, Notre Dame co-captain DE Kapron Lewis-Moore couldn't wait to get to his phone so he could tweet this:

Kapron Lewis-Moore
@KLM_89

@ReillyRick ILL SEE YOU IN SOUTH BEND POLISHING OUR HELMETS!!! #EXTRASHINY

24 Nov 12
Reply Retweet Favorite


Me and my big mouth.

Which is how I happened to land in Chicago on Wednesday, which was inconvenient for my bag, which landed someplace else, which made me an hour behind schedule, which is why I drove like Brad Keselowski on 11 Rockstars up the Indiana Toll Road, which is why I suddenly had red-and-white state patrol lights in my rearview mirror.

Patrolman: License and registration.

Me: Yeah, sorry, officer. I was in such a hurry. See, I'm that ESPN guy that lost the bet? And has to come polish all the helmets at Notre Dame?

Patrolman: Oh, yeah! I heard of you!


Me (relieved): Right, right!

Cop: License and registration.

It wasn't just the tweet that made Domers so torqued. It was a column I'd written just before the season insisting Notre Dame's reputation far outkicked its performance ("it hasn't been a factor in almost 20 years,") and how Notre Dame gets far more hype and perks than it deserves ("Somebody needs to stick a pin in the still-inflated Golden Dome") and how Notre Dame should save itself the weekly NBC embarrassment ("Do the right thing and don't renew").

Oops.

They wound up 12-0, No. 1 in the nation, and will now play Alabama in the BCS title game Jan. 7 in Miami.

When I finally got to the equipment room, a bunch of gleeful players were waiting for me, especially Lewis-Moore, who opened his arms wide and hollered, "EXTRA SHINY!"

Notre Dame fooled us all - ESPN

I think its pretty nice that he actually went there and did it. persons of less character would have just made excuses to get away from it.

W.T. Sherman is my favorite General. After all he did order Atlanta to be burned to the ground.

SloMotion

, too funny ... it is nice to see one of these guys make a statement like that & then actually live up to it. It wouldn't even bother me if he only shined say, the starter's helmets & not every freakin' helmet, .

QBREES9

Very Funny !

mutineer10

Hope he polished all their helmets with dog poop.

QBREES9

LOL