It's A Mailbag -- 4/22/07

Welcome back, the day after Notre Dame's spring game and we're still kind of stunned at both the turnout in South Bend and the 92,000-plus that showed up in Tuscaloosa for the Alabama spring game. Them Bama folks sure do love their Nick Saban.

Before we get to your questions, we just wanted to take a minute to thank you all again for making the live blog a success yesterday. It was one of the more trafficked days on our site and we hope if you were a first time visitor that you'll stick around more often. Welcome to the community.

As far as mailbags go, this one might be the last for a little while, but that depends on you. If you have questions, send them over and when we get a good amount, we'll take time to answer them. As a reminder, you can e-mail us at mrothstein@jg.net or drop a comment in any of the posts. We see it. We read it. We answer it, most times. And remember, you can ask about almost anything, including what to get and what to avoid at Chipotle and if you are summering in almost any major city on the east or west coasts.

We're here to please. And on to your questions...

Do you know what's up with Jashaad Gaines, the other freshman safety?
-Moose Krause

Moose --
Glad to see you're back from the dead. As for Gaines, it would appear to us that he's caught in a logjam right now with the emergence of David Bruton and Ray Herring. Gaines had a tackle Saturday, but between those two and Tom Zbikowski, it'd be tough to see him get playing time this year anywhere other than special teams.

Any buzz there about the (Darius) Fleming commitment?
-Donald Kennedy

Donald --
It was tough to tell, but from what we've read on various recruiting Web sites, it seems like there could be some more recruits committing soon. Fleming had been to Notre Dame a couple times during the spring, so we think people kind of knew it was going to happen. That said, he is a good get for Notre Dame.

How does the O-Line look? Three-and-out (during yesterday's game) doesn't sound promising.
-Felipe

Felipe --
We wouldn't read too much into it, which is the same advice we'd give for a lot of the goings on yesterday. The offensive line was on the field a lot during the game, plus with the rotating personnel everywhere else, it is tough to get a really good idea. The best news they received, though, was that center John Sullivan's ankle injury wasn't serious.

Is Luke Schmidt in (Saturday's) game or doing anything worth noting up to this point?
-Mike

Mike --
Schmidt was a non-factor Saturday, receiving one carry. His competition with Asaph Schwapp might be one of the last ones decided in the fall.

If you had to guess now, who would be the top two QBs?
-Chris

Chris --
The question everyone wants answered. To be honest, we're really not sure. Based on the VERY limited amount we've seen, we're going to guess it might be Evan Sharpley and Jimmy Clausen. Nothing but a gut feeling on it there, so take that for what its worth. The only person who knows for sure is Charlie Weis, and he's not saying anything until after Memorial Day.

We're you the "Mike" that (Charlie Weis) referred to in his post-game comments?
-Jim Masterson

Jim --
Yep. That was me. Although, for the record, I didn't apologize for asking the question like the transcript said. It's good to know Weis knows who we are.

What did Chris Stewart look like?
-Larry Keating

Larry --
Stewart, much like Schmidt, didn't do anything to stand out. He was nowhere to be found on the final statistical sheet. But again, remember that with the bland defenses both teams were forced to play, it is tough to gauge. That said, Pat Kuntz would appear to be the front runner at defensive tackle, especially after recording a sack Saturday.

Hey Michael! What's happening with Konrad (Reuland), the tight end from California?
-John Hrycko

John --
Reuland looked pretty good yesterday in the spring game from the limited amount he was thrown to. In part because of Will Yeatman's dual-sport commitment Reuland probably has an advantage heading into the fall, but Notre Dame's coaches seem impressed with both of them behind John Carlson.

Today's final question comes from an anonymous reader:
Mike:
Did you graduate from Notre Dame? Year?  Do you live in South Bend or Fort Wayne? If not  (ND), what school and year? Any other details on your life that would be of interest for your readers to know about you?
-BillianAA@aol.com

Well, we're hoping you're not a stalker. But to answer your question...No, I didn't graduate from Notre Dame. Despite some e-mails to the contrary in August, I never applied to the school. It just wouldn't have been a good fit for me. I grew up in East Meadow, N.Y., home of basketball luminaries Matt Doherty and Bob McKillop as well as former Cy Young winner Frank Viola, actor Adam Busch ("Warren" from Buffy The Vampire Slayer. We had lockers next to each other. He now sings with the band Common Rotation. Check 'em out.).  After high school, I went to Syracuse and graduated in 2002.
As for now, I live in Fort Wayne and commute anywhere from once to four times a week to South Bend. So essentially I live in my car more than anything with the soothing sounds of Sirius Satellite radio taking me on the all-too-familiar drive.
As for other stuff, since I graduated I worked at the Daily Press in Victorville, Calif., the Daily News-Record in Harrisonburg, Va., and now here. I also do some work on the side for Inside Lacrosse magazine. Outside of work, I'm a big proponent of getting to a beach when I can (tough in Indiana), playing some hoops and running. I also enjoy traveling, especially since I feel like I know people in almost every major city in the country. I try to get around.

Thanks again for all the questions. E-mail here if you have any more. Just because football season is over doesn't mean we're going anywhere. We'll keep blogging and experimenting with new features and blog items in the offseason and after all, less than four months until fall camp starts.

-By Michael Rothstein of The Journal Gazette

Comments

[Gabe - Columbus, OH]

What do you mean Chris Stewert didn't do anything to stand out? I believe it was his giant body falling on Sully that caused the ankle sprain. And although he may not have recorded any tackles, he was doing a good job of taking up 2 blockers every play.