The Big Keasey

Grant Desme, a 23-year-old minor league outfielder in Oakland's system, is retiring from baseball to follow a calling into the Catholic priesthood.  Definitely not something you hear about very often with professional athletes, but good for him.

I came across an article on Yahoo this morning about the world's most amazing views.  I haven't really been anywhere since Italy, but i think the travel bug has bitten me once again.  I'd love to go to all 8 of the places mentioned in this article, but I need to save some money up first.  I really need a better, higher-paying job.  I like the freedom it affords, but I wish it made me more money.  Fat chance finding something in this economy; I'm lucky to be working.

When people say coffee makes them feel "perky," this probably isn't what they mean.

On Thursday, a South Side man was charged with public indecency for allegedly fondling himself at a North Side Starbucks.

Puts new meaning to "grinding your beans," doesn't it?

Reginald Ray, 42, was arrested at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Starbucks at N Clybourn Avenue and W Division Street after the—ahem—"incident."

A (unfortunate) witness recorded the exhibition on a cell phone video camera, said police.

Hopefully, it won't be the next YouTube sensation.

According to police, Ray was charged with two counts of public indecency and one count of possession of cannabis.

Former Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly is the new Notre Dame coach, and I'm feeling pretty good about the appointment. Evidently, I am not alone. A lot of the players seem pretty amped up about the hire, and if the players are happy about it, it's gotta be a good sign for the program. A strong Irish football team would be really nice to see again. I liked Charlie Weis, but he just wasn't getting it done anymore. Time to move on. Kelly has done amazing things with Cincinnati's program this season, and I can't wait to see what he does for Notre Dame.

Went out with the family for brunch at Boundary today.  Bananas foster?  Simply delicious.  That just might be my favorite breakfast dish in the world.  I need to learn how to make it.

Notre Dame got their second loss today. Not a surprise, seeing that they were playing the 6th-ranked USC Trojans, but disappointing still. At least it wasn't embarrassing.

Big win today for the fighting Irish against Michigan State.  I was really happy about that one.  It's the first time they've beaten Michigan State at home since 1993, so it was about time they won.  It ended up being a really close, exciting game.  Tons of fun to watch.

The Roman Catholic church wants you to come "home."

With roughly 66 percent of Roman Catholics in the Archdiocese of Chicago considered "lapse" or "non-practicing" because they don't attend mass regularly, the Church will be taking to the airwaves with a television campaign blitz during the holiday season, according to a report out Wednesday on ChicagoCatholicNews.com.

The time is right for this type of evangelization effort because "we see a larger number of people inactive in their faith," a spokeswoman for the campaign, Nancy Polacek, is quoted as saying.
 

A similar campaign last year in Arizona and Texas yielded a 12 percent increase in Catholics "coming home," according to Ryan Hanning, the coordinator of adult evangelization for the Diocese of Phoenix.

The Chicago Archdiocese hopes for similar results among its 2.3 million members.

"This is not about money or numbers, it's about souls," said Penny Wiegert of the Rockford diocese, which is pairing with the dioceses of Chicago and Joliet in the ad campaign.

The campaign -- called Catholics Come Home -- will include television commercials produced by a non-profit of the same name.

 

A source close to the situation confirmed to ESPN.com Friday that Army and Notre Dame will play the first football game at the new Yankee Stadium in 2010.

Army issued a release Friday afternoon touting a "major college football announcement" Monday at the stadium. The announcement will be a game against the Fighting Irish, said the source, renewing a once-vibrant New York City tradition.

Notre Dame senior associate athletic director John Heisler could not confirm that the game is a go but did not dispute it, either.

 

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A suburban Catholic school football team near Chicago that won seven consecutive state football titles won't win another - but it won't be because of anything that has happened on the field.

Driscoll Catholic High School in Addison, Ill., is closing its doors, the Christian Brothers of the Midwest announced Thursday, because of falling enrollment and finances. The school, which opened in 1966, had seen its enrollment drop from 465 students in 2003-04 to 303 this year. A student body of 270 was projected for next year.

The Christian Brothers of the Midwest is a religious order with schools around the world. Brother Kevin Convey, director of education, characterized the decision as "very, very difficult," particularly given the school's success on the field.

The Highlanders won seven consecutive Class 4A state championships under two different coaches before losing Nov. 15 in the quarterfinals to undefeated Aurora Christian, which lost in the state final. Driscoll finished 9-3 this season after going 92-6 during its seven-year run.

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