CubsFan1908

http://www.sportsline.com/mcc/authors/reviews-by/47001

Look at this.  Then look at his recent posts.  Why do people think Pats fans are hated?  Here's reason numero uno.  It's people like this that completely ruin it for the few decent Pats fans.

"Notre Dame is dead."

"Notre Dame is no longer a great program."

"Nine straight bowl losses...  Notre Dame is terrible."

Yes, for the past couple years, Notre Dame fans have heard a lot of comments like these.  And with the Irish's performance the past couple years, especially last year, most understand why.  But all the "Notre Dame will never return to prominence" comments, the stats are actually piled against them.  The successes and failures of teams usually go through a rollercoaster like progression.  Teams are good, then go through a rough period.  Then a player will come along that catapults them to center stage.  Then the player retires, and again they sink to the cellar of the league.  Or the team could get a great front office guy or owner, and the team goes through their golden years.  Then the exec gets a better job and a ton more pay, or the owner sells the team, and again, the team suffers.  It's like the U.S.'s economy.  It goes through depressions, but it always gets better.

One prime example of this is the Celtics.  The Celtics were a losing team in the beginning, until the arrival of Red Auerbach.  Then they got Cousy and Bill Russell, and they were dominant.  Then Russell retired, and they went through their first losing season.  For the next eight years, the Celtics were out of the playoffs earlier than they were accustomed to.  Then came the Larry Bird days.  ANd after again being a prominent team, Bird retired and the team was again back to losing until 07-08.

Another example is the Patriots.  They were up and down, making only three championship games in their history until hiring Belicheck in 2000.  That's only three championships, which the Pats lost, in 40 years.  Now, they've been in four in eight years.  And when Tom Brady retires, chances are they will again sink to be a mediocre team at best.

A third example is the "Evil Empire," the New York Yankees.  They were a great team from the 20's all the way to the mid-60's.  Then they declined until a breif stint at the top in the late 70's.  Then of course, they became a bottom dweller in the 80's, and were revived in the late-90's the again become a dominant team, and again are beginning to slowly decline.

I know one team some Notre Dame hater will bring up is SMU.  I don't consider this legit, because Notre Dame never had a NCAA infraction, and didn't suffer a "death penalty."

So, all these patterns match with Notre Dame's.  They were good in the early years with Knute Rockne, then were mediocre until the Leahy era.  Then they were mediocre and at times just terrible, and them came the Parseghian era, which promoted Notre Dame to prominence until the 80's, when they again slipped to mediocrity until the Lou Holtz era.  After Lou Holtz, Notre Dame slipped into the depression they are in now.

In conclusion, the rollercoaster that is sports in unpredictable, and you never know when a drop is coming, or when you'll come around a bend and find your climbing a huge hill.