As most of the PAX may be aware, YHC is a wee bit of an ND fan. And today’s a big day – #1 Clemson coming to town. As most of the PAX are also aware, and happy to remind YHC, Notre Dame does not exactly have a stellar record in these kinds of games. But perhaps the PAX don’t know just how abysmal the record is. They will soon learn.
Good crowd of 16 at the Mothership. Weather is delightful – summer heat is definitely gone. Just a few orange shirts in the group (looking at you Sogo and Pop Tart). Not sure if they did that just to spite me, but I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. No other green to be seen among the PAX. I will not forget that.
The Thang
Mosey to the lawn in front of NOMA. Start with SSH x27. Why x27? Because 27 years ago was the last Irish victory against a #1 ranked team (ND 31 – FSU 24 in 1993).
A few other warm ups, then lets introduce the game of “Burps or Merks”. YHC will call on a PAX to answer a question. Answer it correctly? 5 Merks for the PAX. Answer it wrong? 5 Burpees for the PAX.
And the theme? Notre Dame’s record in the last 20 games against Top 5 competition.
- How many wins does ND have? Lots of burpees (including doubling up b/c Side Effects repeated a previous incorrect answer) before YHC had to provide the answer: 1 win. Yes, we are 1-19 in our last 20 games. Sigh.
- Who beat us the most in that span? More burpees until Catfish saved the day – USC has beat us 5 times.
- Who is the 1 win against? More burpees – until Snooze tossses out the correct answer of Michigan.
- YHC now tries to end the game to move on, but PAX keep throwing out more teams that beat us. More Merks for right answers, and more Burpees for wrong answers (no, Oklahoma has not had their way against us in this particular streak)
Finally – enough of those burpees.
So lets do some more burpees.
The Current 11 Game Losing Streak
Yes, ND is currently on an 11 game losing streak against top 5 teams. What else goes with 11? That’s right – the Route 66. 11 Lightposts with burpees. 1 at the first, 2 at the second, etc… (SOGO seemed unclear on the concept so YHC took the time to help by explaining all the way up to 11).
The Overall Deficit in those 11 Games
Partner up, for some modified Dora. The total score in that 11 game losing streak? YHC now forgets the actual number but its roughly Bad Guys 380, ND 160. Yes, we are more than doubled up over those 11 games. So lets Dora. 160 Monkey Humpers, 380 LBCs. The other PAX bear crawl 3 trees and run back.
Then back to the Great Lawn.
Something Else
Change of Pace. This week, Sean Connery – the original 007 – passed away. A quick round of Burp or Merk to guess how many James Bond films he was in. 5 Burpees for a wrong guess, then the right answer of “7”.
- Home Base – Dr. No, the first flick. After each other exercise, return home for 7 Dr. Ws. Thanks Side Effects for the demonstration.
- The Exercises – around the great lawn, 6 stations for his other six JB flicks. Multiples of 7 for Diamond Merks (Diamonds are Forever), Russian Twists (From Russia with Love) and others.
- Another quick Burp or Merk for guessing who was 2nd and 3rd in most JB appearances.
Finally – one of YHC’s favorite time-wasting flicks: The Rock. Sean Connery crawling around under Alcatraz with Nicholas Cage. Lets bear crawl across the lawn.
Mosey back to the flag. Its 7:30.
NMM
Thanks, everyone, for putting up with my never-ending ND drivel. Just hope that ND doesn’t actually win one of these games, as I may become insufferable if that were to happen.
Its quite humbling, and inspiring to watch this group. You guys are STRONG. Thank you for pushing. SOGO: I heard the “Way To Go Rudy” as you ran back to the center after the Diamond Merks. Those little encouraging words and pushes are what keep me going. I’d encourage all of the PAX to remember that – push, and ENCOURAGE. Remember – leave no man behind, but LEAVE NO MAN WHERE YOU FOUND HIM.
Prayers especially for Hokie’s Mom. May God be with her, with the whole family, as they start this next journey.
