Tuesday (punching Notre Dame while it's down) edition: Wha' Happened?

Let's start with the latest news from Notre Dame. We'll take the version served forth in the Chicago Tribune by former Twin Cities journalist Brian Hamilton:

Starting quarterback and team captain Jimmy Clausen was involved in an altercation outside a South Bend, Ind., bar in the hours after a double-overtime loss to Connecticut on Saturday, taking a punch to the face in the incident, sources told the Tribune. Clausen suffered at least one black eye as a result of the punch, according to a source. A spokesman for Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis said he could not reach Weis for comment Monday night.

Note: That is eye black he is sporting in the picture, not a black eye. That said, sweet mercy what more could go wrong in South Bend? And how much more delighted could 80-90 percent of the sporting public be about it?

Seriously, Charlie Weis has been a flop, and his buyout plus whatever the school would have to pay a new coach is absurd. If it's really $18 million if they can him after this year, and they bring in a new guy to the tune of, what $4-5 million a year? Wow. And that coach won't be Urban Meyer, if the Florida head man is to be believed. And really, why would Meyer or another similar coach leave a program like Florida? They get all the recruits they want and aren't burdened with some of the other things that go with the Notre Dame job.

That said, Notre Dame coaches should get a premium recruiting haul every year -- which is why it's so stunning that the Irish are probably going to finish 6-6 this season with losses to Connecticut, a bad Michigan squad and Navy. Irate fans are punching players. The coach is a national punching bag.

The question, though, is this: it is accepted that there are teams in sports that most people love to hate: Notre Dame football, Duke basketball, the Yankees ... those are the first three that spring to mind (Stu's vendetta against the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers aside). Does this large segment of society prefer when these teams are very good but then take some sort of grand loss on the biggest stage? (Say, Yankees losing the ALCS in 2004). Or is it preferred when these teams are SO BAD that they almost lose relevance?

Part of us thinks it's the former -- that fans secretly like it when the "enemy" team is a factor because it makes rooting against that team more meaningful. But we'll accept your thoughts in the comments.