Finding Surpisingly Little (e.g. Zero) Joy in Weis's Dismissal

The conclusion was foregone -- Weis had to go. Despite the "breaking news" tags every sports site hustled to affix to their reports, the dismissal of Charlie Weis from the Land of the Irish was not surprising in any way. Only one thing has thrown me off even a little bit about yet another high profile firing in the increasingly win-now-at-all-costs world of big-time college football. Namely, with regard to the canning of Weis from an institution I'd largely relished rooting against for decades, I find myself giving a sh*t.

No joke. Not in the same sense I care about social issues or family or anything truly important mind you. However, I actually paused for a few minutes this afternoon and felt a bit sorry for Coach Weis, in that unique way a fan can be empathetic for someone they've never met. Suffice to say, I am not advocating that anyone should light a candle for a man who was earning several million dollars a year to coach football at his alma mater -- one of college football's most storied programs no less.

Yet, for someone who had generally despised Notre Dame for decades...for the same fan who was disgusted by any member of the Patriots and the Belichick regime...for a college football nut that took offense to arrogance above most head coaching traits...Coach Weis has(d) somehow grown on me (easy now, people).

Part of it is that Notre Dame itself has changed. It's an age-old debate but, in my mind, the Irish helped answer the question. The fact is it's much easier to hate the perennial winner. And while it might be a stretch to call the boys from South Bend lovable losers, the teams of the past few years have been anything but dominant. So, as it goes, they've been beaten down by pundits, hammered by fans and mocked by the media. Part of me feels that's deserved comeuppance for a team and fan base whose uninhibited and often completely illiogical smugness always made me nauseous. Regardless, with their (relative) struggles have tempered my view of the Irish.

On a parallel path, so to has my sentiment shifted towards Weis. Upon his arrival, he was everything you loved to hate about Notre Dame. He was an insider (given his alumni status) who drank -- hell, chugged -- the golden dome-flavored Kool-Aid just as much as the ultimate fanatics. He came to South Bend following four seasons in New England with three Super Bowl rings to show for it. And Weis's claims and predictions were just as bold, brash and arrogant as you'd expect from Notre Dame football.

Yet, over the years, the tide has turned for me. Maybe it's clouded by the last few weeks, seeing a dead man walking and all. Moreover, I think my softening is more about starting to see the man behind the job. This John Walters Fanhouse story starts to get at it. The combination of knowing all the reasons why Weis was right for the job at the time. Understanding how badly he wanted to succeed and how much it hurt him to lose. Seeing and hearing how these kids wanted to win for him (and this is not always the case). Listening and reading about the hours, the devotion and the real belief he always had in the program and his goals.

Something about it is sad. Sure, many will clamor the items isted above are pre-requisites of the job, things that "come with the territory." They'd be right. Regardless, I find myself today thinking something I'd never thought would enter into my head: here's to hoping Charlie Weis experiences success again soon (as the NFL already comes calling).

posted at 6:53 PM