Someone finally sticks up for Notre Dame

If you're anything like me, THE major question you've had on your mind during the inexorable build-up to the college football season is "Why is everyone picking on Notre Dame?" I understand that this football program has a history of being an underdog, never getting the respect they richly deserve until they go out there and absolutely snatch it from the unwilling media, and that said unwilling media probably still has a mental complex wherein they automatically assume the worst about the Irish until they are presented with uncontroverted proof to the contrary. Because of this, the 2006 college football preseason was just like all the others I can remember: blatant attack after blatant, baseless attack leveled at the Domers by stubborn media folk who clearly have an axe to grind against the program and their uber-genius head coach. I found myself wondering on many an occasion "Will someone PLEASE set these people stright?"

Well, fear not, dear reader.

Thankfully, CNNSI's Stewart Mandel had the balls to step up to the heretofore deserted plate and defend Notre Dame. Hallelujah! Echoes waking, and all that shit.

And because you can never get too much Irish (and, I'm sure, because coverage on them is so, so lacking), the site is also offering up possible answers to the much-debated question of Who is Brady Quinn's backup? And - AND! - a listing of the 10 Best Players in Notre Dame history! Huzzah!

It looks like the media MIGHT finally be coming around. And if you ask me, it's about damn time.