How awesome is the Boogie-cam guy?

Really awesome. Favorite player of all time? LaBradford Smith. Old school, baby. Check us out Monday morning for what will be a big week in Cardinals history. Go Cards.

Some goosebumps to go with your coffee...

Morning Cards fans. Our offense isn't the only production with jarring mistakes in continuity...

* When Rudy goes to speak to Coach Ara to beg him to play, the only blemish on his face was a cut above his right eye. But that night when Rudy calls home, the cut is above his left eye.

* In the scene where #75 Matteus (the one that says "Just ain't right" when he discovers Rudy isn't playing) starts chanting "Ru-dy" on the sidelines, the next scene shows him out on the field blocking. Then, the very next scene he is chanting "Ru-dy" on the sidelines again.

* Right before the game with Georgia Tech (the game Rudy plays in), the stadium shows the Penn State Blue Band on the field playing the Penn State fight song. The game then starts and Notre Dame is playing Georgia Tech.

* In that final game, Coach Dan Devine uses all his timeouts in the third quarter, and is unable to stop the clock in the final minute to get Rudy on the field.

OK. That last one's a lie. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh C! A! R! D! S! CARDS!!!

Syracuse beats North Carolina

The good news: a Big East team knocked off the defending champs. The bad news: having defeated the 6th and 13th ranked teams in the nation successively, previously unranked Syracuse may be the real deal this year. Not only will the Cards face them in Big East play, but we play them twice, Feb. 14 at Syracuse and then on Mar. 6... the last game at Freedom Hall.

...and predictions

I'm done with qualitative forecasting... for me, strength is in the numbers. If you look at Louisville's schedule to date, the losing team has twice scored 9, twice scored 10, once scored 13 and once scored 14. So let's say that the losing team this Saturday scores... 12. Meanwhile, over the last four games, the winner's score has decreased from 41, to 21, 17, and 10. So let's say that the winning score this week will be... 7. Since South Florida's favored, we'll give them the predicted winning score of 7, and Louisville the predicted losing score of 12. However, since 12 beats 7, then call this one for the Cards, 12 - 7. It's a statistical certainty, according to my calculations.

Bootch

Charlie Springer at UofL Card Game expresses his interest in Central Michigan coach Butch Jones; specifically highlighting his familiarity with the Big East. It's a shared interest. I tuned into Central Michigan's game on Wednesday against Ball State, and I must say I was impressed with the offensive ingenuity. Plays that work! Granted it's a lesser conference, but from what I saw, I have little doubt Central Michigan would beat the Cards right now. I still remain fully entralled with Charlie Strong, but would have no problem if Jones' name is on the proverbial short list. I know the popular line of thinking at the moment is "anyone's better than Kragthorpe". True, but a coaching change is a watershed moment, as we have painfully seen. We need to take time and get it right.

Predictions, predictions...

Quite a few planets are going to have to align for the Cards to pull off this upset on the road. South Florida simply has faster, better athletes at nearly every position. For the Cards to win, they are going to have to out-execute the Bulls; also not our strong suit. The most important battle, in my opinion, is how the offensive line performs against their vaunted pass rush. The O-line has to give Froman time to hit receivers, but also spring off the line to get something positive from those off-tackle runs that Kragthorpe calls with metronome-like predictablility. Adam Froman must be much sharper, both in recognizing pressure and in accuracy, to have any chance.

The Cards also have to get help from the headsets. The Bulls defense is going to come after Froman in waves; the Cards have to be resourceful to keep them on their heels. Screen passes, slant passes, quarterback draws, or that one trick-play reverse to Trent Guy that Kragthorpe is so proud of. Whatever it is, the offense must be crisp and clever to put points on the board.

If Trent Guy keeps his hot hand on special teams, if the Bulls come out flat and the Cards score first, if Adam Froman plays his best game of the season, if the defense can keep B.J. Daniels from scrambling, and if Kragthorpe steals a playbook from a different coach, then the Cards come out on top. 20-17 Cards. Book it.

Picking up the pieces of my broken heart

Well, I've had awhile to recover from missing out on the Tobias Harris sweepstakes. Harris is likely a one-and-done player, but the thought of him playing alongside Peyton Siva (with whom he struck an immediate friendship) was tantalizing enough to raise my hopes. Harris seems like a nice kid, but truth be told, I was getting a little sick of the 50 tweets a day about his workout routine. Let's just say it took me about 30 seconds to "unfriend" him following his announcement. So where do the Cards stand recruiting wise?

It was expected to be a quiet signing period for UofL, but nevertheless, I'm slightly concerned looking forward. We missed on Harris and J.J. Moore, while adding only 3-star guard Russ Smith and plucky walk-on Elisha Justice. Nice additions, but certainly nothing that will blow you away. Next season I think Siva will become a more traditional, close to 40 minutes a game, point guard. But still, the Cards need to add another guard if they want to continue the relentless backcourt pressure for which they're known. I'd also like to see Pitino scour the JUCO ranks for a reliable wingman to fill in senior Reginald Delk's spot. Unless Samuels has a monster year, I think he will return for his junior season, giving the Cards plenty of depth in the post looking forward. For now, it's back to savoring the present.

**UPDATE**
Coach Pitino spoke on many of these issues at today's press conference, and eased my concerns. He said the Cards stumbled upon Russ Smith while scouting JJ Moore, and were impressed with his versatility. He can play both guard positions, and will therefore be valuable next year backing up either Siva or Knowles. He acknowleged that the Cards are laying low this year, putting all their eggs in the 2011 basket. He has not ruled out adding another player to the 2010 class, but stressed that the Cards will be careful before doing so; the signee must be an impact freshman player or a more mature, proven JUCO player. I feel better.

Oh no you did ent...

This from the ETSU media guide about last year's season:

The Bucs went on to capture the interest of the entire nation, taking No. 1 seed and Big East Champion Pittsburgh to the wire...

Big East Champion Pitt? Big East Champion Pitt?!? Aww hell no. In the words of legendary a-hole Jim Calhoun, "get some facts, and then come back and see me."

But just in case that bulletin board material isn't enough to ensure victory tomorrow against East Tennessee State, here's a breakdown of their roster, and analysis of the Bucs' strengths:

Much of the offensive load will fall to senior guard Mike Smith, while returning players such as sophomore forward Isiah Brown (Miami), junior guard Micah Williams (Manchester), senior guard Jocolby Davis (Meridian, Miss.), sophomore point guard Adam Sollazzo (Tampa, Fla.), sophomore guard Jarvis Jones (Memphis) and junior forward Tommy Hubbard (Boston) will be asked to pick up their offensive production ... The Bucs will add several talented players to the mix in 2009-10, including University of Alabama transfer Justin Tubbs (Trussville,Ala.), who brings an athletic body and SEC experience to Johnson City.

ETSU’s swarming “Pack” defense and fullcourt pressure were keys to the Bucs’ success a year ago, and the squad returns many of its best defenders ... Smith and Hubbard lead that core group, with the return of Davis giving the team another solid defender on the perimeter... Brown is also a shot blocker, while Tubbs can be a lock down defender ... On the boards and on the defensive end of the fl oor, look for the Bucs to once again be among the league leaders in defensive shooting percentage, steals and forced turnovers.

Gulp

With all due respect to Tim Tebow, USF defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul is the real, raw, less pre-packaged legendary figure of college football. The son of Haitian immigrants, he first caught the attention of his coaches by doing a standing backflip in full pads and helmet. Then there's the story of how the JUCO transfer was once injured in a game, left on a stretcher, was taken by ambulance to a hospital, then got a doctor's note to return to the field, and recorded more sacks. Here's how Pierre-Paul has been described by the Tampa Herald Tribune:

Before he arrived on the USF campus, Jason Pierre-Paul had become somewhat of a folk hero. Paul Bunyan-like stories about his feats and freakish physique were floating around the football team's practice field.  There were tales of how his long arms could stretch across the football field and blanket an entire team. They said he was a running back hiding in a defensive lineman's body; that he could run a 4.4 second 40-yard dash and either leap over defenders or knock them off their feet. USF head football coach Jim Leavitt first saw Pierre-Paul doing sprints at Deerfield Beach High and still hasn't forgotten how he was running past everyone. "The first thing coach Patrick said to me is that I had the longest arms he had ever seen," Pierre-Paul says.

And he has not disappointed. He has racked up 33 total tackles, 4 sacks, and is the only USF defensive lineman with an interception, which he returned for a touchdown. Combined with NFL-level end George Selvie, they form perhaps the most feared pair of pass rushers in college football. Big deal. We have a freakish physical specimen too. His name is Will Stein.

Bring me the head of one Kragthorpe

Yesterday Rick Bozich officially called for the removal of Coach Steve, or at least wrote that he's run out of chances. In the old days, the local newspaper turning on the coach was an enormous deal, now it just seems like Mr. Bozich is late to the party. Either way, it's a well-written wrapup of the problems that plagued the Kragthorpe administration. I agree with nearly every sentiment, except for a little understatement when he writes, "Some responsibility goes to Kragthorpe." I also felt this paragraph was muddled:

But Jurich has also erred. He leaned on Kragthorpe to keep several Petrino assistants. He pushed the recruitment of junior-college linebacker Willie Williams, a proven troublemaker. Williams quickly became the public face of the string of players Kragthorpe asked to leave.

The Williams' saga always seemed overblown to me. Certainly a blip on the radar of UofL's decline. And while I agree that coaching turnover has been a problem, I hardly blame Jurich for wanting to retain proven assistant coaches. Furthermore, if we could point to a slew of excellent coaches from Kragthorpe's krew that were forced to wait, I think the argument would be more persuasive. Sometimes it's Occam's razor; Steve Kragthorpe has been an extremely poor coach at Louisville.

Rocky Tob, officially

Tobias Harris will be a Volunteer. Don't let him see you cry, old boy, don't let him see you cry.

Looks handsome in it, right?

Have no idea if this means anything, but we shall know soon enough. Announcement at 6:00! I gotta get a life.

Mangino the Terrible

We've been clear at Cardinal Laws in our desire for our next coach to be an abrupt departure from the "players' coach" formula as practiced by Steve Kragthorpe (click here for a chilling example). But let's not go this far in search of an authoritarian. The University of Kansas is investigating head coach Mark Mangino for physical and verbal abuse of players. Former receiver Raymond Brown gives some examples:

* Once, Brown's younger brother had been shot in the arm in St. Louis. Then came a game. "I dropped a pass and [Mangino] was mad," Brown said. The yelling didn't bother me. But then he said, 'Shut up!' He said, 'If you don't shut up, I'm going to send you back to St. Louis so you can get shot with your homies.'

* Brown said another teammate had confided in him that his father was an alcoholic and the player dreamed of becoming a lawyer. "One day, [Mangino] said in front of the entire team, 'Are you going to be a lawyer or do you want to become an alcoholic like your Dad?'"

* Another former receiver Marcus Herford said "I remember that. Very vividly. [Mangino] would take your personal business and he would attack you with it." "He'd say things like, 'I'll send you back to the street corner where you came from.'"

There are also allegations of physical abuse, shoving and poking players in the chest. I don't know what Mangino's problem is, but you sure can't blame it on Little Man Syndrome.

Brohm to Bills

The Buffalo Bills have signed Brian Brohm from the Green Bay Packers, after some strange finagling where the Packers moved to activate Brohm from their practice squad to the 53 man roster to keep him, but didn't do it quickly enough, so Brohm seized the Bills offer. I think this is great for Brian, who got off to a poor start in the NFL (first pass was an INT) and was outshone by former LSU QB Matt Flynn for the Pack's backup role. He was desperate for a change of scenery, and is reunited with his former center Eric Wood, the Bills 2nd round pick in the same draft. The Bills are a mess, but Brohm is too good not to get the opportunity to hit the reset button on his career. Here's some humorous reactions from Packers fans to the end of the Brian Brohm era in Green Bay, where they treat failed draft picks as social pariahs.

* Turn down the Packers to play with the Bills??? Good luck with that Brohm.

* Brohm is one of the worst rookie QB's I ever saw.

* Good luck with your arm and that wind in Buffalo, Brian.

* Yeah, Brohm's main problem is his confidence. Everyone knew he had the talent, but nobody knew he was going to have such shaky confidence in the NFL.

* What a waste of a #2 pick.

* Goodbye Brian and don't let the door hit you in the behind on your way out.

* I hope he does well.

* Brohm has no chance.

Tobias Harris knows, next the World

Tune in at 5:30 6:00 on ESPNU to watch Tobias Harris announce his final decision, which according to his father, was made at 11:56 last evening. However this turns out, kudos to the Harris family for raising the bar when it comes to pre-college self promotion. They've got 7 major fan bases buzzing, and miraculously, Tobias has somehow remained likeable throughout the whole process. According to allkyhoops.com, who spoke with the 6'8'' forward last night after the decision was made, Harris said, "it's a weight lifted off my shoulders!". So dissect that one for all its worth. The blog also asks the various fans to show class after Harris' decision is announced, which makes me think the choice is not UK.

Impact Player Alert

USF's top receiver Cartlon Mitchell is likely OUT for Saturday's game with a high ankle sprain. Right guard Zach Hermann is definitely OUT with a neck injury. Can you smell that upset brewing? Yea, me neither.

Stroke of Genius

According to Crawford, Pitino inserting Reginald Delk into the game early against Arkansas came at the urging of new assistant coach Ralph Willard. Is luring the veteran coach from Holy Cross already paying off with headier floor-coaching? Here's the passage from Crawford's article:

And there was one behind-the-scenes element of note, and that was Willard's gentle nudge to Pitino to play Delk early, and Pitino's decision to heed the advice, which he said made the difference in a key player continuing to struggle and being the MVP of the opening game.

Willard said, “Rick putting him in early was a stroke of genius, because that said to Reggie, ‘Hey, he trusts me.'”

Did you catch that? The cagey veteran calling Pitino's acceptance of his advice “a stroke of genius?” Willard has game.

While we're getting these monkeys off our back...

How about we steal a win in South Florida? The Cards are yet to win a game in Raymond James Stadium, and yes, once again, it's a homecoming game. But it's not all bad news, the USF Bulls are reeling from the beatdown they took against Rutgers, and the pressure on Jim Leavitt is mounting. It's possible the Bulls might be overlooking the Cards a bit, if this audio game preview from St. Petersburg-Times is any indication. I tuned in hoping for a breakdown of the game, but all I got was a "Bulls should win this one" and then a look ahead to bowl season. The line is 12 points, but I think this could be a close one if our defense plays the way they did in the first half of the WVU game, and the offense plays the way they did against...umm...if the offense does something good. I really, really want this game if only because if the Cards somehow manage to pull this one off, the 11AM Friday finale against Rutgers will undoubtedly be one of the most bizarre gameday atmosphere's in Cardinal history. A fitting way for the curtain to close on the Kragthorpe Era, if the gods be willing.

Marra me, please

There needs to be a word for an alleged sharpshooter that isn't. Right now all I've got is dullpopper and triggersloppy. Take your pick, but I think it's fair to say that Mike Marra's shooting prowess has been a tad oversold thus far. Rick Pitino said that Marra's nerves have gotten the best of him as he transitions to the college game and gets used to playing in front of large crowds. I suppose. But last night's attendance looked to be in the low thousands, and UofL was working with a 20+ comfortable lead there at the end. And those were some badly missed shots. I know there's no need to rush him, but Marra's going to have to find a way to calm himself down in the next month if he hopes to see the floor once the Cards reach the meat of their schedule. The team isn't lacking for perimeter shooters anyways, and Marra's defense is a liability.

Ummm... Denny?

I happened across this Denny Crum promo uploaded just this morning, and though I'm always happy to see him, well, I'm a little concerned what he's getting himself into these days. I followed the link shown in the video, and Candi May's web site is all about making money on the internet. The web site has its own video where Candi May herself (the one and only!) talks about combining her love of internet money-making with her love of shoes. What does all this has to do with Denny Crum? I have no idea, but one deduces that Denny is either trying to make money on the internet or improve his sense of shoe fashion... and here I thought that's why he kept Joe B. around.

Kragthorpe Kwote of the Day

“I've done it. In 2007 I went for it on fourth-and-one from our own 25 in the fourth quarter against Cincinnati, and we won the game.”

--Coach Steve, defending Bill Belichick's infamous decision to go for it on 4th and 2 on Sunday. Having received Krag's blessing, Belichick can now be at peace with that one.

Rocky Tob?

It's been confirmed that Tobias Harris was in attendance yesterday to watch Tennessee's domination of UNC-Ashville 124-49. I know Knoxville is famous for inspiring one-day getaways for the hopeless romantic, but even so, it's not looking good for the rest of us. Harris denies that he has already committed to Tennessee, or that he's secretly indicated his intention to, saying, "I just felt like watching them play and it was only two hours from Georgia Tech". If you're wondering if he has reason to sidestep the truth a tad on this one, he does. He's scheduled to make a dramatic televised announcement on Thursday on ESPNU. Let's just hope that running up the score is one of Tobias' turnoffs.

Win #1...brought to you by Reese's! Bud Lite! Reginald Delk!

In what was a strange game played on a strange court, we saw glimpses of how good things can look when they're clicking, and how ugly it can get when they're not. The game in a word? Shooting. It can cover a number of our sins, but the flaws sure stand out when they're not falling. It's going to be a frenetic month as Pitino experiments with different lineups before paring down the rotation. I'm not sure how much you can take from this one other than it's really great to have college basketball back. Other random thoughts...

* Rick Pitino's teams, at UofL anyways, have always toed the line between solid aggressive defense and, well, mugging. Last night the Cards tended towards the latter. The dumb fouls seemed to go hand in hand with a lack of offensive rhythm too.

* Reginald Delk. Well, hello there. He certainly had the hot hand from behind the arc, but he also showed some silky drives and forced at least two turnovers. You'd think he would have answered the starting swingman question with that 20-point performance, but...

* Jared Swopshire. Well, hello there. Flashing some impressive range, confidence, and most
importantly...rebounding. Almost a double-double in the first half, 13 boards total. With the number of shots the Cards are going to put up, Swopshire has to continue to be a glass-eater.

* Bobby Knight is a great commentator.

* At this rate Peyton Siva's going to match T-Will's highlight reel by month's end. OK, that's not true. But how awesome was that reverse?!?

* I've heard nothing but good things about Samardo Samuels and his work ethic, but his on-court body language could use some work. That incredulous grimace of his isn't pretty.

* Umm, when will it not be considered premature to worry about Mike Marra's shooting? Let me know, I'll be waiting.

1-0. Go Cards.

Hoop-la

The next chapter of Louisville basketball tips off in a little over three hours. Maybe it's my own anticipation, maybe it's our embattled coach, maybe it's the upped ante in Lexington, but I don't think I'm alone in sensing an added urgency surrounding the 2009 season. And that's a good thing. This squad doesn't have the lottery-level talent of last year's team, so the Cards must play smart, focused basketball from the opening tip.

And it's always a good idea to honor the past before stepping into the future. I'm ashamed to admit I'd never seen the clip below. Fast forward to the :59 mark to witness sheer awesomeness. Go Cards.

Offensive

On his blog today Rick Bozich confirms my worst fears that UofL may be fixated on finding the most gaudy offensive mind available in a futile attempt to resurrect the Petrino years. Bozich states that Texas Tech's Mike Leach has been buzzing around certain circles lately. He may run an exciting offense, but he's also a boorish, abrasive, toad of a man (see his recent "fat little girlfriends" rant for one of many examples). Even his offensive prowess is greatly exaggerated, most of his stat averages are inflated by running up the score against inferior opponents while their offense is held in check against the solid Big 12 teams. He is grossly overpaid at 2.7 million a season, and still reeks of UK from his years there as an assistant coach. There are far better, classier, non-former UK coaches out there to lead the Cardinals into the future. Keep his fat little ass out of the Ville.

Fugetaboudit

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that coach John Pelphrey is relying on his experience from his playing days on UK's "Unforgettables" squad to guide his similarly undermanned team. The Razorbacks will dress only six scholarship players tonight after an alleged rape of a young woman at a frat party led to the suspension of five players. Here's a smattering of sentiment from the Arkansas side of things, from a pregame fan discussion:

* With a short bench, I don’t see the Hogs hanging with the Cards until the end. Washington is going to have to stay on the floor, as Clarke will have someone in his face all night long. PEL is rebuilding the program and the new kids coming on board next year will be solid. This game would be more competitive later in the year, but should nonetheless be a good experience for a very young team. Louisville 92, Arkansas 80.

* I hope we’re their Dayton. Haven’t the Flyers beat them 2 years in a row?

* Louisville will take an early lead but Pitino will leave the bench during the second half to hit on some good looking women in the stands and Clarke will hit a three pointer at the buzzer for a 80-79 victory.
 
* The ‘Ville has a deep bench. They run the floor as well as anyone in the country. They can shoot 3s fairly well. Their D is good and their coach knows the game. Louisville 88, RAZORBACKS 71. GO HOGS GO! make me wrong & beat louis touie!

* I have to go against the norm and pick Arkansas. Maybe wishful thinking, but this depleted teams seems to have chemistry. Arakansas – 90, Louisville – 88.
 
* The Cardinals have more talent and a deeper bench. It’s a road game, which has been bad news for the last seven years. We’re relying on, at least, four newcomers and three true freshmen. My money says Pitino will call off the dogs if the game is well in hand. So, unfortunately, I think Louisville gets up 20-25 and ends up winning by about 15. Louisville 80, Arkansas 65.

The Labyrinth

The biggest obstacle facing UofL athletics is not Kragthorpe's playcalling, it's not the looming Sypher trial, nor is it how to fill the prodigious shoes of Terrence Williams and Earl Clark. It's how to navigate the maze of one-way streets to get 22,000 fans to and from our Downtown Palace. Early signs aren't promising, the Arena Authority has pushed back its scheduled unveiling of a traffic management plan till next month. We need to spare no expense hiring urban planners for this one, cause it's common knowledge that Cardinal fans hate sitting in traffic more than Marcus Vick and Travis Deiner combined. At the moment I'm thinking of decking out a UofL skiff to attack this ornery bastard by sea.

Arkansas ESPN commercial

Beware the Razorbacks and their pig cries.

Peyton Siva's new tat!

I think it's the neck chain. That had to hurt.

Meet the newest Cahd-nul

Versatile guard Russell Smith has committed to the Cardinals. I know most all recruits sound good on paper, but the more I read about Smith the more I think he's a good fit for the Cards. I'm also encouraged that Pitino still has his NYC connections working. Edgar Sosa, another Big Apple recruit, tweeted about Smith:

"Dinner with the coaches and recruit. Young Russ. New York City product, trying to get him to come to the ville. Great player."

Players choose schools for a variety of reasons, whether it's Rick Pitino's up-tempo style, Roy Williams track record for producing lottery picks, or John Calipari's amazing SAT prep. An underated aspect of recruiting, in my opinion, is a player's sincere desire to play for that school, in that uniform. From all indications Smith really wanted to be a Cardinal. It's something that should be celebrated. Hell, one could even make a movie about it. Following his decision, Smith's father said: “He’s very happy and comfortable with the whole situation. He loved the atmosphere...He loved the city. He toured the town, toured the new arena. He got a a feel for the players.”

One thing's for sure. If you're going to have success with Pitino, you've got to be a gym rat. And Smith fits the bill. Tom Konchalski, an NYC recruiting expert familiar with his game, said of Smith: “He loves the game. He’d rather play than breathe. He has a very high skill level. He’s just got to get stronger physically." I'm excited, I think Russell Smith will be sneaky-good. Basketball junkies and ballhandling skills like his are always welcome in my book. Welcome aboard, Mr. Smith. He chose us over Wake Forest, Arizona, Houston and Baylor.

24 24 hours to go oh oh...I need to be sedated

Unlike my esteemed colleague, who chooses to spend precious column inches pining away for former Wildcats like some school-boy bitch, (on Tipoff Eve no less, for shame, Mr. Black) I choose to step confidently into the future.

Basketball that counts is so close I can smell whatever that smell is when you walk into Freedom Hall. Not the manure, the smell once you get inside. There's no shortage of storylines heading into this season, and we'll touch on them all at some point. But first I'd like to note that this season hinges on the performance of our senior guards, Edgar Sosa and Jerry Smith. Obvious point? Perhaps. But sometimes I feel like the cagey vets get lost amidst the Siva buzz and Samardo love. But think about it. For the first time in almost a decade the Cards are entering the season without a dominant wing. There's going to be a sea change in offensive functioning, and it's going to fall upon the senior captains to see that it's a smooth one. Both are going to have to walk a fine line between being unselfish, and picking spots to step up and get theirs. I won't delve into the bipolar nature of Sosa's play, it's tired and it is what it is, but I will say that Jerry can suffer from the same syndrome. Unlike Sosa who tries to do too much, Smith becomes passive and tries to do too little. We all know you're more than a shooter, Jerry, but remind us of your range every once in awhile. Having said that, I fully expect both players to have memorable senior seasons. Pitino was shrewd in choosing them as co-captains. I think both will take their roles seriously and step up to fill the leadership void. Lots of things are going to have to happen for these Cards to become great, but if you need a barometer for how the season is going, the number of Jerry fist pumps and Sosa camera poses we witness will be a good indication.

It won't be Gruden

Jon Gruden has signed a multi-year contract extension with ESPN. This should end his (speculated) candidacy for Louisville (if it was ever realistic to begin with), unless, of course, he possesses the Bobby Petrino philosophy to recently-signed multi-year contracts.

Look's like Steve Kragthorpe's going to have to come up with a new joke.

(Hat tip: Card Chronicle)

Regretting Rondo

The Boston Globe featured Boston Celtic and Louisville native Rajon Rondo (alma mater undisclosed on this blog) as the cover story in its magazine edition this weekend. It's a shame that Rondo never wore Cardinal red for Rick Pitino, though as the article details, Pitino would have had his hands full. Rondo grew up in Louisville rooting for the Cards and wanting to play in Freedom Hall. Instead of signing him, Rick Pitino instead famously pursued Sebastian Telfair, who committed but turned pro before ever playing for the Cards. The Globe piece discusses at some length Rondo's childhood in Louisville and experience playing for Doug Bibby at Eastern High School. From the article:

Amber Rondo worked the third shift, 11 at night until 8 in the morning, making cigarettes for Philip Morris at the company’s plant in Louisville. Each day, she left her three sons with one unbreakable rule. Once the street lights came on in the neighborhood of College Court, the outer boundary of their world became the front porch of the house. So the front porch of the house at Seventh and Kentucky became the de facto recreation center for Rajon, his two brothers, their cousin Jermaine Bentley, and all their friends.

Check out the rest of the story if you can... good read on a Louisvillian who, if at times has acted immature, has nevertheless persevered.

I dig the trenches

Lost amid the hoopla of UofL's flashy dominance of its formidable archrival, the Cardinals received a verbal commitment from offensive tackle Chase Petersen. The 6'4'', 280lbs Petersen is one of the top O-lineman from the state of Arkansas, and had been courted by Oklahoma State, North Texas, Arkansas, Tulane, and Southern Miss before choosing the Cards. He joins the beefy Zach Hundtertmark as the next generation of unsung heroes in the trenches. This is the 17th commitment to the 2010 class. I'm not blowing smoke here, the next Man at the Helm will have tools to build with. It's not chock full of gaudy names, but there's a small army of 3-star talent, meshed with local athletes, to serve as a solid foundation for the future. The same formula Bobby Petrino employed to some success. Welcome aboard, Mr. Petersen.

Rowdy Rotnei Piper

Cards fans, meet Rotnei Clarke. He may not look like much, and I may not know how to pronounce his first name, but I guarantee our basketball team can after Clarke's headturning 51 point game against Alcorn State last week. The b-ball Razorbacks were desperate for some positive vibes following the suspension of five players, and Clarke delivered, making 13 threes in a record-breaking performance. After the game Coach John Pelphrey said, “I haven’t seen a better shooting performance than that, coaching or playing, with anybody...It was really, really remarkable.”

The 6'0 guard from Verdigris, Oklahoma was a high school legend, packing gyms wherever he played, and once scored 65 points in a game. High school legends terrify me, as did high school in general, so I'll be eyeing Clarke tomorrow with the same nervous wariness.

A couple morning videos...

The first is Cardinal favorite Terrence Williams showing he hasn't lost his flair for the dramatic. The second is the reason that T-Will is unlikely to take Rookie of the Year honors, despite putting up solid stats for the sorry Nets. Last week we commented on the struggles of former Cardinal recruit Jeremy Tyler, who bypassed college to play professionally overseas. Well, Milwaukee Bucks rookie point guard Brandon Jennings made the same decision, and isn't showing the same ill-effects...

Recitation of the sweet taste of glorious victory

We won the game. We won the game. We won the... oh, hello there, Cards fans. Sorry to be mumbling to myself while shaking violently, but I have to be constantly reminded why it was worth submitting ourselves to Saturday's brain-scarring, eye-gouging, sorry excuse for a football game, lest I start foaming again at the mouth. And I do contend that it was worth it, if you are willing to narrow your focus to specific, short-term objectives. We won the game... and in so doing, we crawled out of the conference cellar, ensured that ours won't be a winless season in the Big East, and ended that insufferable losing streak to Syracuse. As far as tangible objectives for this year, it's as much as we can accomplish.

Most importantly, the win provided a brief respite -- in fact, the briefest -- from the interminable sorrows of a lost season. The players deserved a victory. I hope the way they came from behind to pull it out in the final minutes only sweetened its taste. Though he may have proven on Saturday that he is the worst play-caller in college football, Steve Kragthorpe needed a victory too. I'm glad he got one, at home no less. In the months following his (near) certain departure from Derbytown, it is my wish that he will look back on Louisville-Syracuse and find something worth savoring.

As for us, Cards fans? We won the game. We won the game. We won the game...

The horror...the horror

I can't be the only Louisvillian that had this nightmare Saturday night:

Darius Ashley off-tackle run left. One yard gain. Darius Ashley off-tackle run right. One yard gain. Froman drops back, pocket collapses, he steps up and over/underthrows receiver. Wakeup with cold sweat.

At least the nightmare won't become recurring. Had the Cards lost, I don't think Krags would have survived the weekend. Even with the win, I was wondering if there was precedent for firing a coach immediately following a victory, when the team was still bowl eligible, mathematically at least. I also had a heated discussion with my Dad, who believes that Kragthorpe has known that he's a goner and has therefore been mailing-in his gameplan for weeks (especially irksome for him once he was reminded how much Krags makes per season). I disagree. I think he is honestly still giving it his all, and his all is, well, what we saw on Saturday. The Cards proved that they may not be the worst team in the Big East, but I can't imagine that there's a team in all of college football that gets less production from the talent on its roster. Other random thoughts...

* Hey, remember when our coach rambled about his "quarterback luxury" of 3 capable starters, then plays coy about who's going to start each game, then stubbornly sticks with one guy for the entire game despite that guy's inability to produce a tiny amount of offensive rhythm? Oh Steve, you're incorrigible.

* Congrats to Greg Scruggs, who was able to live out the fantasy of millions when he absolutely crushed Greg Paulus, forcing a fumble in the first quarter.

* Josh Chichester, welcome to the offense. Who knew a 6'9'' receiver with basketball agility could be such a red-zone weapon?

* Low moment of the season? Knowing that Josh Chichester's amazing first touchdown snag was coming back for offensive pass interference (the refs' mics were on), then hearing the inept referree (who seemed nervous all day) make the wrong call, setting off the immediate fireworks at Papa Johns, then having the crowd groan after the call was corrected, mostly because everyone knew there was no way Krags could produce two scoring plays on the same drive. Not good times.

* There's not much I wouldn't give to have been a fly on the wall in Tom Jurich's suite during the game.

* Play most symbolic of the Kragthorpe Era? Trent Guy's nullified return where he simultaneously displayed his blazing speed and big-play instinct, but also how poorly coached he is. A returner should NEVER try to field a punt over his shoulder, within the five-yard line. Fittingly, the play was called back and all was for naught.

What a game. Battle for the Keg of Strychnine, captivating as ever.