The lineup for the Notre Dame baseball team’s 2005 Opening Night Dinner included former Irish pitcher Brad Lidge, now a reliever with the Houston Astros, and current Astros starter Roger Clemens.
But the loudest applause was reserved for a crew-cut man in a black turtleneck, one whose only connection to baseball was the fact he grew up in New Jersey a New York Yankees fan.
Charlie Weis has yet to coach a game at Notre Dame. But the new Irish football coach is already a superstar. Fresh off a Super Bowl victory over Philadelphia, the former New England Patriots offensive coordinator was glowing as he greeted a new group of fans.
Before Weis and his wife Maura head back to Massachusetts on Friday, they will visit their new home in South Bend. Weis will return Monday, this time to stay.
Baseball coach Paul Manieri asked Weis to attend Thursday.
“Football is the straw that stirs the drink here at Notre Dame,” Manieri said. “There’s a lot of optimism that revolves around him. When the football team is successful, everybody just feels very good walking around the hallways.”
Expectations clearly run high in South Bend. Even Clemens called out to Weis as he took the podium.
This wasn’t Clemens’ first association with Notre Dame. He had spoken to the baseball team “six or seven years ago” and once attended a Cotton Bowl as a guest of former coach Lou Holtz.
“Charlie, what a treat for you to be here tonight,” Clemens said. “Thank you for being here.”
Weis kept his message short and simple.
“I’m here for good now, and hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, you’ll be very proud that I’m your coach,” Weis said.
Most of the audience, it seems, already is.
