[See also other articles by Gustavo Arellano.]

In honor of the Mater Dei boys' basketball team flaming out after a season in which they were ranked #1 in the nation most of this year, let me offer a temporary truce to the Monarchs family: get over your knee-jerk defense of anything that besmirches the evilest high school since Westerburg, and let's pile on coach Gary McKnight's former assistant, Jeff Andrade. I bring him up today because I decided to take another look at the lawsuit Andrade filed against the Diocese of Orange in 2004 while stuck in Superior Court researching another case this morning.

Andrade in a 1995 Mater Dei yearbook shot. Probably fatter now, but still evil as fuck /td>

Faithful readers will recall that Andrade sued his former employers for invasion of privacy after they admitted to an Orange County Register reporter that they dismissed Andrade for abuse allegations. Instead of telling Andrade to go to hell, they settled for $100,000. The Andrade affair also brought in the decrepitude of McKnight (who tried to sue me), the ignorance of church officials, and is one of the most illustrative examples of why the Diocese of Orange is rotten to its core. Nevertheless, I've come to the conclusion that the true villain in this case is Andrade.

Need proof? In a March 4 opposition to a motion filed by the diocese, Andrade's lawyer had the gall to write that his client's reputation "may well have been ruined forever. The Catholic Church's handling of its notorious sex scandal has claimed another victim...Jeff Andrade and his family."

THE BALLS of Andrade to maintain he was the victim! And the stupidity of diocesan lawyers to hand over $100,000 to this cretin who they knew had repeatedly molested a girl. God does have a wonderful sense of humor, though. Google "Jeff Andrade," and my stories on this bastard pop up. How's that for your reputation, Jeff?

Now, for the Mater Dei apologists who will inevitably whine that I'm bringing up the past: stop it. Remember: I'm offering a temporary truce. Last we heard, he's still a fundraiser for Varsity Gold even though he has admitted to repeatedly molesting a teenage girl during the mid-1990s . Alright, Monarchs: if you want to start rehabilitating your reputation, make sure this man never gets near teenagers again.

E-mail: GARELLANO@OCWEEKLY.COM