Patrick Sparks Travellin' Redux...

Hey, DON'T SWEAT IT. Another curious flag that gave the Cats the game. Just like when Patrick Sparks travelled Jason Bourne-like before he made his miracle free throws.  THEY CAN'T BEAT US ON THE FIELD/COURT!   Seriously, for all the bravado, they got nothin.  They need ZEBRA help every time.  Am I whining? Absolutely. Is it justified? Absolutely. I mean every word of this sentence with every fiber of every atom of my being until I am dust. FUCK UK. 

**NOTE--this rant is in response to the blocked punt that was cancelled at the end of the game.  This apparently pissed off yours truly, and yours truly only, because it didn't even make it into the paper the next day and even my most die-hard Cards friends could only feign understanding.  Whatever, I stand by it.

Go Cards!!!!

If you're reading this, you can get our predictions here and here. Now turn off the computer and cheer. God knows we need it.

Disagreement between Bozich and Crawford

Kudos to Eric Crawford on this one. Seems that he saw something that was blatantly false -- Rick Bozich's column that Bobby Petrino left the cupboard bare -- and, with the grace necessary to dispute your fellow columnist, disputed it on his blog. The facts laid out by Crawford complement the facts already laid out by a Razorback blog, reiterated by Cardinal Laws... that the shortcomings of today's football program should not be blamed on Bobby Petrino's final recruiting class.

I saw, in the comments section below another blog post concerning the Bozich article, it written, "Bozich gets paid to write controversy." I disagree. Rick Bozich is not Howard Stern. He's a person whom Louisvillians trust to be in touch with the Cards fan base. That's not to say he can't disagree. But it must be understood that for Cards fans, the Orange Bowl team of 2007 -- and the coaches and players who were a part of it -- represents our hey-day, the greatest period of Cardinals football. And so no writers or bloggers should be surprised when Cards fans react negatively to an article purporting that this year's woes should be blamed on Bobby Petrino and his final recruiting class -- especially when the facts supporting the argument are amateur at best. That's not to excuse the hyper-negativity that some fans use to portray the program... and on this blog, I'm confident that we've struck the appropriate balance.

Most of all -- and this was my main point from before -- I just can't understand why Bozich felt the need to publish this unnecessarily provocative column during Louisville-Kentucky rivalry week. Poor taste at best, media sensationalism at worst.

Go Cards!

We're in Hell right now. Believe me.

Scrap the pregame speech Krags and just blare this instead. Come on Cards.  Let's crawl our way back to the light. One inch at a time.

...and predictions

The Cards will play better than expected, while the Cats may come out flat. After he settles down (and maybe gets a few more floaters out of his system), Justin Burke will direct the offense capably and even make a few plays rolling out of the pocket. Both teams will have no trouble moving the ball, but will be unable to put it in the end zone from inside the 20. At this point, it is cliche to predict that Victor Anderson must have a huge game, so let's just say that Long or Guy will make a big play late in the first half. The Cards will try to hold on from there.

For me, defense is the biggest question mark for both teams. How each unit holds together in the third quarter could decide the game.

I call it for the Cards 19 - 16... if Louisville can get up early. Go Cards!

Brooks on us: Cards will be better

I hope this doesn't apply to his players, but suffice it to say that Rich Brooks is not overlooking the Louisville Cardinals.

Good luck Cards!

Predictions, predictions...

I won't waste your time Merrill Hoge-ing with "I'll tell ya, if the Cards can manage the game, guys, they've got a real shot at winnin' this football game."  I'm more interested in history, luck, and karma.

I can't shake the feeling.  It feels like one of those years.  The spread is bigger than it has been in recent memory.  UK basketball is on the rise.  The most insufferable fans in college basketball have finally been paired with the most insufferable coaching personality.  They feel confident. They border on hubris.  The phrase "decade of dominance" is being thrown around.  Their crowd will be hyped.  Their players will be hyped.  Their players will be suceptible to giving up the big play. 

We have a coach with nothing to lose.  We've got some playmakers.  And I've got just enough stupidity to think it can happen.  23-20 Cards.  Book it.

Bozich's column on Petrino

Cardinal Laws has already commented on Rick Bozich's tired anthem, written in his column Tuesday, that former coach Bobby Petrino is partly responsible for the demise of Louisville football... according to Bozich, Petrino left the cupboard bare. But lest we forget, Petrino is coach at Arkansas now. They too were "intrigued" by Bozich's claims, and I appreciated this rational response offered by Brandon Marcello of a Razorback blog. I list this passage in particular:

"Here are the national recruiting rankings [for Louisville], according to Rivals.com:

- 34th in 2006

- 45th in 2005

- 64th in 2004

- 35th in 2003

"So, the recruiting class (2006) viewed as one of the reasons for the Cardinals' downfall was also one of the school's highest rated in its history. But with players from recruiting classes ranked as low as 64th, Petrino managed to win a BCS bowl game in 2006.

Sounds to me like Petrino is a good coach."

To this, I would only add: why is Rick Bozich making this ridiculous, recycled, endlessly frustrating argument during, of all times, Louisville-Kentucky rivalry week?

Cards fans are sick of this argument. It doesn't hold up against facts. It's a convenient excuse. We went to the Orange Bowl with many of those same players; we should NEVER be ashamed of those guys. And besides all that, this just isn't the week for the senior sports columnist of the Courier Journal to be revising history or debating with the ghost of Bobby Petrino.

Louisville Legend Kerry Rhodes

Yes I know, even though he dropped "The INT". But he took it like a man (his favorite memory) and had a hell of a career.  Here he is, sporting a Kentucky Derby tee, in a taped demo to protest his Madden ranking.  I had forgotten that the 6'3'' Rhodes was originally recruited as a QB.  Rhodes is also the perfect Rivalry Week feature, making news yesterday for brashly calling out the Patriots before their big matchup.  Attaboy Kerry.  When in doubt, act as if.    

He calls his house the "Burke Complex"?

Here's another profile on Justin Burke, this one in the Cincinnati Enquirer. Got to root for a guy who describes himself as the "unathletic nerd" on the team. He used to wear orange to Kentucky home games, too, so he wouldn't piss off his old man. Red would have been better.

(Hat tip: Card Chronicle)

Oh my God I agree with Dave Ragone

The former UofL QB and radio personality best known for routinely making Scott Padgett sound smart, acutally gave a pretty cogent assessment of what the Cards need to do on Saturday:

Ragone said the key to the game for the Cards will be to run the ball well on first down and stay out of second and long situations. Ragone said a winning formula for the Cards was running the ball 30 times and passing it no more than 23 times. He believes that Louisville has the running attack to succeed against the Kentucky defense.

Keep the ball moving through a running attack and short, quick passes seems the right formula to me.  Unfortunately, all indications are that Kragthorpe is busily preparing the second coming of the greatest show on turf.

Still not buying it Rick...

First, kudos to the UofL women's v-ball team; they extended their dominance over the Cats to nine straight last night. A fine lead in to Saturday.

Second, Rick Bozich tries to spin some blame for the current state of Cardinals football towards Bobby Petrino. We've all heard the tall tales of a rogue program before, but now Rick's trying to add a "he left the cupboard bare" component to the legend.  Underneath all the verbage, Bozich's only real statistic is that of the final 23 players Petrino recruited, 7 of them never saw a game.  Oh, and that UKs twin class that year produced 8 starters, while UofL's produced only 3.  Consider me underwhelmed. None of that really comes close to comparing to the fact that Kragthorpe inherited the vast majority of the 2007 Orange Bowl Cards, a team the produced 5 NFL draft picks. That's like being given a Porsche and complaining that the tank was only three-quarters full.  Had that team won the 10 (at least) games it should have, recruiting would have taken care of itself.

Hey remember how dumb UK is?

Read Eric Crawford's article yesterday on the lack of buzz surrounding the Governor's Cup and you can't help but get re-pissed off at UK for demanding the game be moved from the first game of the season. None of this is new, but bears repeating now that what everyone invariably knew was going to happen has. Does it favor the Cards this year? Absolutely, you never wanna give Kragthorpe two weeks to cook up a D-Day like offensive against your team.  But anyone with half a brain could see that having the featured game on a holiday weekend was better for both teams in the long run.  Now we're kicking off at noon, carried by a station no one watches. It was a stupid, short-sighted, petulant move by UK. In other words, fitting.

Louisville Legend Sam Madison

After Roman Oben made us all feel badly about ourselves yesterday with all his "accomplishments", here's one that's a little more Cardinal Laws speed.  This is Louisville great Sam Madison reacting to some, um, unpleasantness in the locker room after a Giants game.

Links from the Unholy Land...

I've gone behind enemy lines to bring you the latest out of Lexington.  John Clay lists the reasons to fear, yes, FEAR the Cards on Saturday.  UK President Lee Todd says nothing to see here, Coach Cal is clean.  Thanks for your unbiased opinion Lee.  Ridge Wilson, UK linebacker has been formally charged with assault and officially suspended from the team.  (Notice how every story about Wilson is careful to note that Ridge is out of Central high school in Louisville).  The UofL-UK womens' volleyball rivalry is back on, which is good.  We're a volleyball school, always have been, always will be.

**One more. Solely out of its desire for principled media, it appears the UK school of journalism will be hosting a conference on the Sypher scandal and the media reaction. This is really just asinine. In unrelated news I'll be playing host to a hastily-put-together but unbiased panel on ticket scandals involving former players and the impact on the national sports landscape. Admission is free. BYOB.

Quick hits

AP article on Steve Kragthorpe pre-Kentucky press conference here. Amusing "convo" about Louisville vs. Kentucky here.

The house that Steve Kragthorpe built?

In addition to having its basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden every year, the Big East may start sending one of its teams to New York to play a bowl game at new Yankee Stadium -- the Yankee Bowl! Sure, it wouldn't offer the ideal wintertime retreats, beaches and sunshine of the Orange Bowl or Gator Bowl, but who wouldn't mind a few days in New York, even in the dead of winter? Choosing between postseason settings is, of course, way down on the list of Cardinal football priorities at the moment. Still, one can dream, and for the fan base that used to celebrate its football pinnacles in the cold, sterile confines of the Liberty Bowl, a game at Yankee Stadium, especially if representing a return to competitiveness, could be a dream come true... or, at the least, a nice stepping stone on our way back to the warm-weather bowls. But now I'm really dreaming.
(Hat tip: Charlie Springer at Cards Game)

“We have enough guys to do it right”

I'll give the Cards credit, they've managed to roll out a pregame media strategy that's got me seriously thinking about not cutting grass at noon Saturday. Here's a CJ article on the importance of the return of depth on the defensive line this week: featured veteran L.T. Walker, Tyler Jessen, Joe Townsend and Tim High all will suit up and see playing time against the Cats. Some fairly big news considering departed D coordinator Ron English felt the Cards one major problem on defense was simply the lack of bodies you need to be successful in college football. We'll see.

Sources for optimism against Kentucky: the amorphous moving pocket (and Trent Guy)

Lexington Herald Reader football columnist John Clay had some telling observations about Kentucky's football luncheon. It seems that Kentucky coach Rich Brooks might have a slightly more analytical take on Louisville's offense than was voiced by his defensive coordinator the other day. According to Clay:

"Asked about changes in the Louisville offense, UK coach Rich Brooks remarked on the Cardinals’ use of a 'moving pocket' during U of L’s less-than-stellar 30-10 win over a putrid Indiana State on Sept. 5. (Indiana State lost 31-0 to Eastern Illinois this past Saturday.) In other words, U of L quarterback Justin Burke executed quite a few roll-out passes in the Louisville win. The idea there is to avoid the rush, a smart tactic considering the inexperience of the Louisville offensive line. The strategy works if Burke can throw the ball on the run. Meanwhile, Kentucky’s pass rush was nothing to write home about in the Cats’ 42-0 win over Miami on the same day. A moving pocket might make it tougher for the home team to pressure the Louisville quarterback."

I think Clay's right on the money; look for Burke to be constantly on the move and out of the pocket come Saturday. Another potential source of strength for Louisville could be special teams, given Kentucky's off-season loss on special teams (noted by Clay) and that Trent Guy and Doug Beaumont's kickoff and punt returns were one of the few impressive features from Indiana State.

Louisville Legend Roman Oben

Here's to Roman still showing he's in unbelievable shape after retiring from a Superbowl career!



Here's to Roman for being named Democratic party chairman for a key New Jersey county!

Here's to Roman for being honored as a hero in his home country of Cameroon!

Here's to Roman for highlighting the paltriness of my own achievements!

So you're saying there's a chance.

13 points. That's the morning line, and it seems about right to me. We'll do final predictions later on Friday, but if I were a betting man I'd take the Cards +13 action. I don't know why.  Perhaps it's because the Cards are in the enviable position of having no expectation of victory, but maybe because I don't think UK's very good either. So there's one small nugget of optimism deep down that must be supressed at all costs. That's where I'm at right now. I mean: Vic Anderson, Bilal Batley, Darius "Smiles" Ashley, Scott Long, Doug Beaumont, and Trent Guy. There's too much skill there to not put up some points. Right? Right?!? Bueller?

Youtube video of glories past

Cards Chronicle dug up some awesome videos of Louisville's dominance over Kentucky during the Petrino era. At the least, watch the first video from 2006, posted below, which juxtaposes several Kentucky fans' pregame comments about our eventual Orange Bowl team with the Cards' total destruction of the Cats that followed. God, we were good.

A sonnet by Steve Brown

Here's Kentucky defensive coordinator Steve Brown's comments to Kentucky blogger Larry Vaught. Only one direct answer concerning Louisville, in which he offers a respectful, if generic, opinion of the Cards:

"Q: Will Louisville's offense present a lot more problems than Miami's did? A: Louisville presents a lot of problems. We have to continue to get better and hone in on them. They are solid and have good skilled athletes. They have a lot of good players. They have talent and they are very physical in the offensive line. They are a good football team. It's just a matter of us preparing to play the best we can because it will be a tough game."

"solid"... "skilled athletes"... "good players"... "talent"... Hmph. Don't patronize us, Brownie. Either Steve Brown fears us, fears the embarrassment of losing to us, or keeps in reserve the same bland analysis (fill in the blank name of team) whenever he's robbed of insightful opinion.

"Make sure Kentucky hears that..."

Steve Kragthorpe is feeling a little frisky lately. Here's a link to yesterday's presser where he plays coy about everyhing from QB Justin Burke's starting job status, to getting play tips from Barry Switzer, to playing three quarterbacks at once. Have fun dissecting this one, I'm not sure what my thoughts are yet, but I'm glad Steve is finally finding the humorous side of destroying a top 10 football program.

Also, KSR reporting that UK linebacker Ridge Wilson has been charged with assault after punching a woman on campus.  One down!

Don't tease me Steve...

Morning. Here's our head coach being sorta funny/intriguing/lame all at the same time. Piques my interest for a couple of reasons, most importantly because we here at Cardinal Laws are realistic enough not to expect miracles, but at least want some fun back in Cardinal football. Let's see it high noon on Saturday. I'm stupidly optimistic all the sudden.

Quick hits

Paul Rogers and Al Parrish are inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Sportmen’s Supper Club. For those of you who don't know, the Sportsmen's Supper Club is a membership-by-invitation club that eats/meets monthly, invites high-profile speakers, and discusses all sports related to Louisville. Sort of like a Council of Elders cross-bred with a Rotary Club, a church picnic, and Skull & Bones. And sports. Speaking of Al Parrish (who helped spearhead funding for Papa John's Cardinal Stadium), did you know that since 1994, Louisville is the only school to build a new on-campus football stadium? Unless I am mistaken, it also has the only stadium in college football named after pizza.

Reason to hate UK number 400,225,181

Here's part of a featured question from a UK fan on the CJ: "UK's defense was stellar last season and looked impregnable against the Redhawks..."  So says you and Stevie Wonder mi amigo.  Any time you're tempted to use the word "impregnable" when referring to your own defense, don't. It angers The Gods. Hey, remember that time UK thought they beat LSU but prematurely celebrated in embarrassing fashion?  That was fun.

Cards-Orange football...Battle for the Keg of Strychnine

In what's rapidly evolving into a heated rivalry of ineptitude, Brian Bennett pours some more gasoline on the Louisville-Orange inferno and gives the Cards the nod this week.  At this rate I'm going to be arrested for throwing a brick at Greg Paulus when the Orange come to Papa John's on November 14th. For now, back to the Cats.

Cold Chills. Really?

That's what big time recruit Dylan Curry says he got watching the Cards take the field against Indiana State. Kinda inspires me to drop my Kragthorpian-induced cynicism for a moment and just bask in the warmth that comes from not being a UK fan.

Behind enemy lines

Welcome to Louisville-Kentucky rivalry week! This is the week when all Kentuckians must openly state their allegiance to the Cards or the Cats; only then does one know who is alike in mind and spirit, and who is, well, one of them. It is especially intriguing when the rivalry, like the Civil war before it, is able to rupture the harmony of family, pitting brother against brother -- or in Cards quarterback Justin Burke's case, mother against father. As detailed in the Lexington Herald Reader, Justin's father Greg grew up in Louisville and went to St. X, and has always been an avid Cards fan. Justin's mother Jennifer is from Paintsville and... well, enough said.

So according to the article, it turns out that Greg Burke has been attending UK football games since Justin was a kid. I admit to arched eyebrows at first... kind of an odd environment for a Cards fan to endure, mind you. But after reading the facts, I'm convinced that Greg Burke was planted in Lexington -- deep behind enemy lines -- as some kind of sleeper agent. His mission? Maybe a hearts and minds campaign -- the article reports that Justin's grandfather (on his mom's side, from Paintsville!) donned a Louisville hat the other day. Or maybe it's intelligence-related -- all those UK games attended over the years could have been reconnaissance. Since his son unexpectedly ended up at Louisville -- and not at Kentucky where your average Louisville double agent might have guessed his Lexington-native son would have dreamt of attending -- let's hope that sabotage wasn't part of the plan.

Sunday Night Book Review

Just finished reading The Cold Six Thousand by James Ellroy. What does it have to do with Cardinal sports you ask? Well...one of the peripheral characters in the Vegas underworld is Sonny Liston, the boxing champion and feared Mob enforcer.  Liston is known in non-fiction for being bested by a young pugilist named Cassius Clay.  Clay would go on to committ certain deeds of some note, and hails from Louisville. So there.

First things first. Read American Tabloid, the equally impressive prequel. Flat out the coolest books I've ever read.  Crime-noir fiction at it's finest. Not for the faint-hearted, this gritty story will blow your hair back. Three protaganists.  Ward Littell, a rogue FBI agent turned cynical Mob lawyer. Pete Bondurant, hit-man/enforcer/drug runner and ultimate badass. Wayne Tedrow Jr., a principled Las Vegas cop with a powerful father that doesn't share his ideals. Follow these three through a labyrinthine political underworld of the 1960s that makes Oliver Stone look like Dr. Seuss.

JFK. Oswald. Cuba. The Mob. Prostitutes. Howard Hughes. RFK. Bay of Pigs. Guy Bannister. The White House. Sinatra. Jack Ruby. Jay Edgar Hoover. Hot lounge singers. Castro. Jimmy Hoffa. New Orleans. MLK Jr., Teamsters. Sammy Davis. Vietnam. Jackie O. And Vegas baby, Vegas.

It's all here, and told in Ellroy's trademark staccato rhythm. Check it out here first, then library.
      

From CHAPTER 13: 

     Barb said, "The catch. Don't tell me there isn't one. And don't tell me those tickets to Vegas aren't part of it."
     Pete stashed his piece. "Are you saying that two tickets was being optimistic?"
     "No. You know I'll never leave you."
     Pete smiled. "There's some fuck-ups I wouldn't have made, if I'd known you better."
     Barb smiled. "The catch? Vegas? And don't make eyes at me when we have to run for a plane."
     Pete shut his suitcase. "The Outfit has plans for Mr. Hughes. Ward's putting some things together."
     "It's about staying useful, then."
     "Yeah. Stay useful, stay healthy. If I can get them to bend a certain rule, I'd call it a lock."
     Barb said, "What rule?"
     "Come on, you know what I do."
     Barb shook her head. "You're versatile. You run shakedowns and you sell guns and dope. You killed the President of the United States once, but I'd have to call that a one-time opportunity."
     Pete laughed. Pete made his sides hurt. Pete leaked some wiiiiild tears. Barb tossed a towel up. Pete wiped his eyes and de-teared.
     "You can't move heroin there. It's a set policy, but it's probably the best way I can make the Boys some real money. They might go for it, if I only sell to the spooks of West Vegas. Mr. Hughes hates jigs. He thinks they should all be doped up, like he is. The Boys might decide to humor him."
     Barb got This Look. Pete knew the gestalt. I fucked JFK. You killed him. My craaazy life.
     She said, "Useful."
     "Yeah, that's it."
     Barb grabbed her Twist gowns. Barb dropped them out the window. Pete looked out. A kid looked up. The blue gown hit a ledge.
     Barb waved. The kid waved back.
     "The Twist is dead, but I'll bet you could get me some lounge gigs."
     "We'll be useful."
     "I'm still scared"
     Pete said, "That's the catch."

Quick hits

Buried in this post about Syracuse's season outlook, you find the following statement from this Orange blogger: "Louisville? Come on, we own those guys now." Add to the list of Syracuse slights... I don't care what our record (or theirs) is by the time we face off on Nov. 14. That's going to be a big game, a showdown to save pride or sink it. Bring it, Orange. By November, we'll either have played better than expected, or will have had the type of season that there will be nothing left to lose.

Former defensive coordinator Ron English is profiled as he begins his first season as Eastern Michigan's head coach (and one of only six black coaches in college football). Best of luck Ron.

Toward the end of this article in the Salt Lake Tribune, Utah linebacker Stevenson Sylvester recalls, a little too fondly, his last experience playing at Papa John's, a 44-35 victory over the Cards in 2007:

"I personally like going into other people's houses and hearing the boos," linebacker Stevenson Sylvester said. "When you make a play, then it's quiet, or like when we went to Louisville and the fans were getting on their team. We'd make a play and they'd get on them bad. I live for that, going to other people's houses and shutting them up."

This only reiterates a theme sounded on this blog, Cards fans: Don't boo. You only play into the opponents' hands when you do.

But it turns out we're not all that bad. A blogger for Big East rival University of Connecticut lists Louisville as one of his favorite away-game destinations, given that we have the "friendliest people you'll ever meet." Awww.

Look for Louisville-Kentucky preview coverage all this week.