Her Loyal Sons Podcast

While we may not have actual Notre Dame football this weekend, the HLS Sim, safe in its COVID-free virtual reality, is here to provide. The 1-1 virtual Irish hits the road to take on 0-2 Wake Forest in an attempt to bounce back after an embarrassing home non-conference loss to USF. Can ND get back on track? Or will the Sim troll us all and kill all virtual ACC Championship dreams in week 3? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/herloyalsons/message

The only thing that Eddie and can guarantee is that whether you love to ride or fade us, we have you covered. Also, our audio actually sounds great for a change?! Sadly, we don't get to pick a Notre Dame game, but we do get to enjoy the SEC coming back to this glorious mess. Here's to an unplanned double-bye in which everyone gets healthy, has no long-lasting COVID issues, and we can actually see some more football this season. Oh, and #HAILGAMBLOR --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/herloyalsons/message

That. Felt. GOOD. Sure, not a soul on the active Notre Dame roster was around when South Florida kicked 2011 off into hell, but Brian Kelly, Tommy Rees, and all of us sure were. 52-0 heals a lot of wounds. We reminisce about the Irish blowout and also discuss the Big Ten finding new "medical data", Navy finding their mojo, FSU finding COVID, Miami finding their swagger, and Phil Jurkovec finding his game. Oh, and the ACC Sim came for blood, y'all. It was not messing around this week! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/herloyalsons/message

Our drunkest sim ever. That's the description for this. There are no other words. Well, save for that the audio quality is a little below what I'd like because I tried to tinker with things. But it doesn't matter. It matches this perfectly. We apologize for nothing. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/herloyalsons/message

Fresh off a very successful week one of--well, whatever this season will be--Eddie and I head back to the altar of GAMBLOR to keep the hot hand going. We have more ACC, more Big XII, and some kind of weird non-conference game for Notre Dame. It's the last week before the SEC joins the fray, so come get a taste of this weekend's dual power conference slate with us! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/herloyalsons/message

Notre Dame fans have been constantly told that the Irish should just join the conference and play real football. Well, ND did and we've yet to lose a conference game. Wear it. Seriously, what's so hard about this?  No, Big XII, you can sit down after getting trounced by the Sun Belt and the powerhouse that is *checks notes* Houston Baptist. FSU can take a seat as well after blessing us with a hilarious ACC opening loss to Georgia Tech. Oh, we talk a bunch of ND football against Duke too. Actually, we spend the majority of this episode doing so (much less talk of other games this year, so I gotta keep throwing the jokes in where I can).  Finally, we take a quick look into sim-land to see how the rest of our virtual ACC counterparts fared as well. Oh, and enjoy the cold open where I talk about the audio issues that I create for myself. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/herloyalsons/message

As we mentioned earlier in the week, the 2020 HLS Sim season will be in its own universe. Fans are in the stands, Notre Dame Stadium still has grass, and Kevin Austin magically has no injuries to speak off. Virtual Notre Dame begins their road to the virtual ACC title against Duke in an opening tilt in the rain. Y'all know the drill by now and if you don't...well, prepare for an experience unlike anything else. (Also, if you hear occasional pops/clipping on my audio, that isn't your speakers. Not sure what happened, but for whatever reason my recorded audio feed went to hell. Was able to mute/lessen it, but it's not the HLS podcast without some kind of issue.) --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/herloyalsons/message

Honestly, if it weren't for the $100 gentlemen's wager, aka a donation to Extra Life to fight pediatric cancer, between Eddie and I, the picks might have gotten canned this year. In fact, the headaches began 24 hours before recording in which a game on our original slate got cancelled. This is going to be fun... Anyways, every week Eddie and I will attempt to bring you our "expert" opinions on Notre Dame's matchup, six games from around the country, and one bonus game picked by Eddie since he's been at my mercy of picking the games for years. Let's get weird(er). #HAILGAMBLOR --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/herloyalsons/message

Much like the ACC, SEC, and Big 12, the HLS podcast is charging ahead with the 2020 season. We have no idea what to expect, how to feel, and even how to schedule a podcast around this. The only thing that we know for certain is that the sim will exist in its own separate, COVID-free world and we will freely talk about any and everything that is on our minds this season. Y'all know the drill at this point, and if you are new here, welcome aboard, stay a while, and hopefully we can provide you with some entertainment to complement whatever this 2020 season will be. You can catch these podcasts live over on Twitch if you so choose, which is highly advised for the gong-show that is the HLS Sim on Thursday nights. But be sure to download the podcast too if for nothing else than to enjoy the cold open that accompanies most of our shows. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/herloyalsons/message

Just because the actual 2020 Notre Dame Blue-Gold game was cancelled doesn't mean we still can't enjoy spring football virtually. Enjoy our annual spring game sim...as only HLS can deliver... (Seriously, we have a peanut gallery piped-in via Zoom, #LittleTex interrupts repeatedly, we have a technical meltdown right off the bat, the sim graced us with over 1,000 yards of offense, and the game came down to the wire!) --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/herloyalsons/message

Shane and I weren't planning on doing any podcasts until the Blue/Gold game came near in April. That decision seems like decades ago rather than a couple of months. COVID-19, aka the Cornoavirus, wasn't even a blip on the radar. When it was clear spring football would be cancelled last week, we made plans to find a time to get back on the podcasting devices. Not even a full week has passed and it already seems like that was a year ago. And now, on night of St. Patrick's Day, we hit the Twitch streaming airwaves to talk about all that had transpired in the world of sports. As the conversation progressed, it quickly turned into a discussion of how we are dealing with our new reality. Hopefully, it can provide a bit of comfort and/or entertainment to our loyal readers and listeners who are dealing with these adjustments as well. We will find some more ways to entertain during this void. The Blue/Gold sim will be an absolute, must-happen event. We are cooking up some other things as well. In the meantime, if you

Shane and I thought we'd have a nice, short relaxing show about the national title game to cap off our 2019 season podcasts. Then all hell broke loose before the offseason aged 24 hours. Notre Dame promoted Tommy Rees to offensive coordinator. Penn State found their way into a brand new scandal. Southern Cal fired everyone in the athletic department besides their football coaches. Joe Brady bolted to the NFL after extinguishing his victory cigar with LSU. Phil Jurkovec saved me from having to memorize the spelling of his name by transferring to Boston College. Hilariously, that's all only scratching the surface. Enjoy a longer than usual episode (if you're looking for the ND stuff, head to the 49 minute mark) as we take our long winter podcast nap. 2020 is going to be one hell of a ride. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/herloyalsons/message

The 2019 Sim Season has come down to this. One final fever dream from my XBox, victimizing two teams that, thankfully, Shane and I do not care about. I think I now have no choice but to check my XBox into rehab after this one. Enjoy! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/herloyalsons/message

All good things must come to an end. Our weekly trips to the altar of Gamblor are no different. Come join Eddie and I as we look back at our pre-season futures picks. Come enjoy how wrong we were as well as discovering that I may just have a Madden Curse-like superpower. Plus, will Eddie and I join the fake bandwagon of Clemson disrespect that lives in Dabo Swiney's head? Come join us and find out! #HAILGAMBLOR --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/herloyalsons/message

It's hard to believe, but, with this podcast now in the books, there will be only one more game to pick: the National Championship. Before that happens, Eddie and I still have a rather large slate to get you through the end of the year and to kick off your 2020. So come join us at the altar of GAMBLOR before it's too late and the clutches of the offseason ensnares us all. #HAILGAMBLOR --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/herloyalsons/message

The last real college football Saturday went out with one hell of a bang, kicking off with a convincing Notre Dame victory in the Camping World Bowl, and follow up with a great run of three New Year's Six games. The evening was capped with what was, easily, one of the better semifinal matchups that we've had the pleasure of witnessing in the young history of the college football playoff. Shane and I hopped on the mics shortly after the final whistle of Clemson's defeat of Ohio State to recap the entire wonderful day. Come join us and savor the final Irish victory of 2019. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/herloyalsons/message

Shane and I often say that our NCAA Sim is constantly on drugs, but I feel like a special delivery was made over the holiday. I'm not even sure how to describe this one beyond the fact that, as seems to be tradition, all your worst "Hold Me, I'm Irish" fears come through in this virtual mayhem. It's the last Notre Dame Sim of 2019, so buckle up and join us one last time as Notre Dame takes on Iowa State in the Russel Ath--err, Camping World Bowl. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/herloyalsons/message

Post-Christmas and pre-New Year's would, generally sound like a time in which non-major bowl games would take place. College football, however, is a weird place. Half of the New Years Six, including both semifinal games, will take place in this period, plus Notre Dame's foray into the Camping World Bowl. There are some awesome matchups to dive into, so, after you are done with your holiday cheer, come join Eddie and I at the altar of GAMBLOR once again. #HAILGAMBLOR --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/herloyalsons/message

It's been a while, but Eddie and I are back! Bowl season is upon us and we are ready to head back to the altar of GAMBLOR. Come join us as Eddie and I pick every game up to the Hawaii bowl on Christmas Eve. Also, be sure to join the HLS Bowl pick 'em for your chance at some HLS swag via herloyalsons.com/pickem. #HAILGAMBLOR --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/herloyalsons/message

I wasn't planning on releasing a podcast. In fact, the interviews that you are about to hear were initially planned to debut during my 24-hour Extra Life marathon. But then Chip Long and Notre Dame decided to break up. In a happy accident, one of my guests, Ty Hildenbrandt of The Solid Verbal, already had a scheduled interview just a mere 24 hours after the news broke. So it seemed rather appropriate to get our thoughts on the situation in your podcast feeds ASAP with the added benefit of promoting my pediatric cancer fighting efforts. Along with Ty, I am joined by Vicki Lews-Enrst from the Children's Hospital Foundation of Oklahoma City, the Children's Miracle Network I raise money for and where my inspiration for all this, Aven was treated before he passed from leukemia. I can think of no better person to bring on to give everyone insight on where they money goes and also shed some light on the other awesome Extra Lifers that raise money for the CHF of OKC. My marathon kicks off at 7pm CT on my personal Twi