First Post of 2010

Sadly, this is the first post of 2010 here at Vatican Smoke. Happy New Years I guess? The Pope took a sabbatical of sorts, taking time off to handle moving from Memphis, TN to Pittsburgh, PA, starting a new job, buying a house, and getting married. On top of all that, I've been decompressing from the heart break of the Charlie Weis era. It's been a busy 6 months, but I'm back with a new focus, and some hopefully entertaining takes on the upcoming 2010 Notre Dame football season.


Since the blog is starting up after a layover, now's a good time to define what Vatican Smoke is. The blog is not a reporting outlet with any inside knowledge or information; nor am I someone who is in the mainstream media (or media at all). I don't know more than the next guy, and I am certainly biased in my opinions (despite my burning desire to be objective). My writing skills are average, and I have no journalism pedigree. Why should you read this blog? Passionate sports fans need to commiserate with one another after a loss, celebrate with someone after a win, and work through a process of understanding why something incredible or terrible happened to their team. ESPN can't give you the community you need - (hopefully) Vatican Smoke can help. Especially after the last few years, every Notre Dame fan needs a bit of therapy. So enjoy some free, unlicensed treatment, here at Vatican Smoke.


In addition to a renewed purpose for the blog, here are a few specific goals & improvements for Vatican Smoke this season:

• Shorter posts  -  I'm not an expert and this is not must read material for anyone. I appreciate the readers' time, and will be challenging myself to deliver something entertaining or at least stimulating in fewer words.
• Minimal usage of bullet points and numbering  -  Damn. Of course this is delivered via a bullet point. Numbering and bullet pointed are writer's crutch, more appropriate for communicating facts, not opinions on a blog.
• More relevant outside articles  -  The Fighting Irish have a lot of great beat reporters that follow the team closely with well written analysis. These guys provide great coverage, which is a great starting point for more blog posts. 

So thats the plan for the 2010 season. As always, I'd love to hear what you think, positive or not. With practice starting 11 days from today, not to mention an exciting new coach, get ready for plenty of "therapy".