However the defense has been in dire straits for quite some time

He doesn't really look a day under it either, as well, Happy Birthday Mike! . RC2's The First Years(R) Brand Introduces Aggressive New Line-up of Productsfor Baby and MotherConsumer Insights Drive New Product InnovationsOAK BROOK, Ill., Jan. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ RC2 Corporation,(Nasdaq: RCRC) a leader in mother, infant and toddler products, will continueto focus on development in the feeding and care categories in 2009 through itsaward-winning The First Years brand. Innovative products, expanded digitalmarketing programs and a clean, contemporary new look for packaging aredesigned to reinforce The First Years leadership position.Highlighting the 2009 introductions is the new The First Years miPump(TM)Breast Pump. Sleek, affordable, comfortable, quiet and compact enough to carryin a purse, miPump is 60 lighter than comparable pumps on the market.The First Years will introduce a premium version of its True Fit(TM)Convertible Car Seat, the C670. This version of the True Fit convertible carseat features an Anti-Rebound bar for extra protection in the case of afrontal or rear collision."Happy feet, healthy baby" describes Kickin' Coaster(TM), the first of itskind seat that keeps baby active with a kick plate at the base, creating anatural back-and-forth glide exercise.The Colic Massage Pad is a natural solution for helping babies withsymptoms of colic.A battery-operated soft pad helps calm babies with acircular massaging motion, gentle vibration, and soothing white noise.The First Years is also expanding its American Red Cross wellness andsafety line with a full compliment of products which includes the new AmericanRed Cross Soothing Baby Scale with large digital readout, memory recall andsoothing music option.Additionally, RC2 will expand its personal body care product lines thisyear with Lamaze(R) Body Care and Bella B(R) Baby Bee lotions and creams."We spend a good deal of time listening to expectant and new mothers tobetter understand their parenting needs," states Pete Henseler, President ofRC2 Corporation.

With moms'insights as our guideposts, we are pleased to deliver products that cutthrough the clutter and provide product enhancements designed to address theneeds of today's families."About RC2 CorporationRC2 Corporation (NASDAQ: RCRC, http://) is a leading designer,producer and marketer of innovative, high-quality toys, collectibles andinfant products. RC2's infant, toddler and preschool products are marketedunder its Learning Curve(R) ( http://) family of brandswhich includes The First Years(R) and Lamaze(R) brands, as well as popular andclassic licensed properties such as Thomas & Friends, Bob the Builder, Winniethe Pooh, John Deere, Nickelodeon and Sesame Street. RC2 markets its youth andadult products under the Johnny Lightning ( http://) andERTL(R) ( http://) brands. RC2 reaches its target consumers throughmultiple channels of distribution supporting more than 25,000 retail outletsthroughout North America, Europe, Australia and Asia Pacific.SOURCERC2 CorporationCurt Stoelting, CEO, or Peter Nicholson, CFO, both of RC2 Corporation,1-630-573-7200. If you are an Irish fan you have to be irate at the articles and blog posts out there regarding Notre Dame's inability to recruit and bring in a big time coach.I really would love the opportunity to talk to some of the folks out there that say not joining a conference is a mistake for the University.

I would love the opportunity to talk to folks out there that claim Notre Dame cannot recruit top players from around the nation due to academic standards and the landscape in South Bend.Well, I will take advantage of this opportunity to educate some of you on just how relevant Notre Dame is and what the Irish will be able to achieve when the right pieces of the puzzle are put in to place.First of all lets get into recruiting.Even after the announcement that Charlie Weis had been fired the university has had a verbal commit from a fourstar recruit in Louis Nix from Florida. This must really irritate all of you Florida fans that assume that if they play in your backyard they are automatically going to sign with one of your schools. Within this group of verbal commits there is only two from Indiana, the rest come from a number of places across the nation, including, Ohio, California, North Carolina, Georgia. You cannot tell me that Notre Dame's offense has been inept or lacked an ability to make plays. However, the defense has been in dire straits for quite some time.

Notre Dame had no problem winning a national championship in 1988. The schedule was an extremely tough one and Lou "The Saint" Holtz had no problem defeating his foes with a team that will remain as one of the greatest in college football history. Holtz led his team to victories over 9 Michigan, 1 Miami (Catholics vs Convicts), 2 USC and 3 West Virginia. With a defense that included AllAmericans such as Frank Stams, Michael Stonebreaker, Chris Zorich and Ricky Watters ND couldn't be stopped. Notre Dame had 28 players from the NC team that were drafted into the NFL!Apparently to many people across the college football landscape, Notre Dame will not be able to return to glory without joining a major conference.