Rapaire ~ can you make those letters any smaller?

Notre Dame has a long history of close association with the service academies. Until the 1970s, they shared the disctinction of being among the last surviving all-male post-secondary schools, and there has always been a feeling among these institutions that they share a common dedication to discipline and values-orientation.

The Army-Notre Dame rivalry was very important years ago, because it was through those games that Notre Dame first established itself in the national consicousness. But the university's relationship with the US Navy ~ and, by extension, with the Naval Academy ~ became closer and even more important during World War II, when the university provided classroom space and housing for huge Naval training programs. Since then, Notre Dame and Navy have met on the football field every year, while at the same time the Irish have played both Army and the Air Force Academy fairly regularly, but not annually.

While Navy had not (until this past weekend) won a single one of those annually meetings since Roger Staubach was an undergrad back in the early 1960s, they seemed always to put up a good fight, even an occasionally serious scare, before being finally overpowered sometime late in each year's game.

None of the three services academies is ever likely to attract any high-school athletes who feel they have a serious chance at striking it rich in professional fottbal, or indeed any pro sport. While they lack any such "blue-chip" players, the academies do enroll plenty of good athletes with highly positive "intangibles," e.g., very strong work ethics.

I didn't watch the game (was driving all day at the time), but I certainly saw the highlights Saturday night. Notre Dame would probably have pulled out a last-minute win to extend that ridiculous winning streak were it not for an absolutely incredible individual effort by a blitzing Navy defender who leapt into the air and flew over the heads of a couple of ND blockers to sack the quarterback. I've never seen anything like it, probably never will, and can only congratulate the kid and his teammates, all of whom undoubtedly performed at their very best, literally as well as metaphorically "over their heads."

And also, oh by the way, how 'bout them Saints?