Now, it just wouldn’t a Chess Mind blog without the occasional striking up the band to cheer, cheer for old Notre Dame, now would it? It’s not football season, but that’s okay: Notre Dame is excellent in many sports.

The most recent case in point: baseball. By virtue of their upset victory over the top-seeded Tennessee Volunteers, the Fighting Irish have qualified for the College World Series. Unlike the better-known Major League Baseball World Series, this is an eight-team affair; they haven’t yet made it to the final two. That will take some doing, starting with a battle against Texas this coming Friday. The full bracket is here; we shall see!