Pitiful

We STINK. We're terrible. We're every negative adjective you can think of. There's no excuse, no injuries to point to...nothing. Awful, awful basketball. And yes, I am a reactionary fan, but nonetheless, I'm hurling 98% of this criticism towards Rick (the other 2% to Samardo). Rick's got a  lifetime ticket at UofL, and for the first time I'm thinking that's not such a good thing. No one's bigger than the game; Rick gets the same treatment as Krags. What label do you slap on a talented team that underperforms? POOR COACHING POOR COACHING POOR COACHING. This may be my final post, I'm off to test the limit of the human liver for bourbon. FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Guards Up

A long week off has built a not insignificant amount of anticipation for today's matchup against Western Carolina. We've got Siva and Knowles back in the lineup, and desperately need to get the losing taste out of our mouths. Check out a great post about Darrell Griffith post over at hellinthehall. Go Cards.

Goode Update

Kent Taylor at Wave3 is reporting George Goode's injury is a bone bruise, not a meniscus tear as was originally feared, and will only miss a couple of games. If it's confirmed, it's certainly great news.

On other fronts, here was John Wall's twitter update after the Cat's narrow victory over the Huskies:

Hey, UCONN, How you like me now !!!

Just something to keep in mind if you find yourself defending T-Will's "classlessness" tonight.

I'm with T-Will

Yesterday I expressed dismay over the hagiography of John Wall, which seems premature even with his early season clutchness. It's as if Big Blue realizes he's only there for one year, and therefore has to overcompensate by rushing the myth-making process. Leave it to Terrence Williams to up the ante. Here's one of his autograph's from yesterday. (Hat tip: KSR) Listen, you can treat this however you want when mingling with your UK acquaintances this weekend, but I'm fine with it. It's common practice for UK to claim it's all fun and games when denigrating rivals but then explode in faux outrage when someone dare disrespect them. Remember after the logo stomp when asked if he was concerned about how UofL would react, Patterson responded "If they do they do. That's on them." The funny thing is, if the Nets continue their losing ways there's a good chance they draft Wall with the #1 pick next year. Glad to see that T-Will is still speaking from his heart rather than his head. Down with the Evil Empire! If you're reading this, you are the resistance.

"This is a place and a city here that's ready to explode."

That's head coach Charlie Strong on our fan base at his media briefing today. Check it out if you can. Frankly, I can't get enough of the guy at the moment. Whether it's an alignment of the stars, or an intuitive grasp of what this program needs right now, almost everything he says rings genuine, ensuring of progress to come through sheer will. Again, no bluster, no over-the-top promises, just straight talk on winning football. Some other thoughts...

* Recruiting, recruiting, recruiting. He mentioned it early and often throughout the interview. He knows what he's doing, and talks unembarassed about recruiting against the heavyweights. You're going to have to play them when we get back to where we want to be, he reasoned, why wouldn't we recruit against them?

* "You don't want your friends as assistant coaches."--Strong on what he's looking for in his staff. He was ready for this position, and you can sense the lessons he's learned through his years as an assistant.

* "I like to work with special teams, and I know defense. I will be involved in the defense." Strong seems like a  very hands on coach, and if he knows defense, he should coach defense. A team with solid fundamentals in tackling? Pinch me. Also, special teams and kicking woes became symbolic of a team that couldn't seem to do anything right; efficient special teams will be a good start.

* "To lose a game? It burns." The way he said that, calm but impassioned, gave me fan-chills.

* "We're going to teach them how to win". That was Strong's message towards the team. That's also the most lingering message I take after hearing him speak. He's used to winning, he knows what it takes, he has no desire to entertain anything otherwise. When Kragthorpe stepped up to a press conference sounding peppy after another loss, it grated the ears because losing had become acceptable. "Somone's gotta lose, right? We just came up short." Strong is cut from an entirely different mold.

Goode out for season

In today's press briefing, Pitino revealed that big man George Goode is out for the season with a meniscus tear. This in addition to the two concussions suffered recently, reported in the CJ this morning. A significant loss to our thin front court.

Twofer

Here's a link to Coach Pitino's media briefing at noon, followed by toast of the town Charlie Strong's media session at 12:45.

Impact Player Alert

If we lose to this kid I'm packing it in this season. Okay, that's a lie, but I won't be a happy camper. Meet Jake Robinson, the Catamounts 6'8'' senior forward. He entered his senior season with 194 career 3-pointers, ranking 2nd all-time in school history. The Catamounts have won 8 straight, much of that due to Robinson's efforts. He had 21 points in their recent W over Bradley.

Newest Cardinal

Four-star quarterback Demarcus Smith committed to the Cards yesterday. Here's what he had to say about our head coach:

"I could tell he was just as good as advertised, maybe better. He let me know he was going to do whatever it was going to take to keep me here. He seems like a very cool guy. I told him I was his guy...Louisville had a bad season and everything, but I let them know if they could get Charlie Strong then I would be in for that. They got him and it's just been crazy. I went to his office and I was star-struck seeing him."

Smith is the top prospect in the state in the class of 2011. Welcome aboard, Mr. Smith.

T-Will back in the Ville

Come on out to Angio's tonight where Terrence Williams, Louisville's favorite Net, will be signing autographs. A signature is $8 (which I hope is going to charity, but fear is not). But if you think a mere 8 bones and a frigid temperature are going to keep me from meeting the most electrifying Cardinal hoopster in recent memory...you'd be incorrect.

Edsall to coach Rudy?

I'm glad we've gotten hitched to our coaching partner, cause it's scary out there in the dating world. The latest is that UConn's Randy Edsall is riding a wave of support and may clip Cinci's Brian Kelly for the open Notre Dame position. Edsall earned my respect for his moving leadership in the wake of the Jasper Howard tragedy, but this one seems out there. He's just not a big splash guy; I would have been disappointed if Edsall was in the running for the Cardinal position. He was even dealing with discontent within his own fanbase earlier this season. Strange times in South Bend.

In unrelated news, here's a thoroughly enjoyable smackdown of Drew Deener over at Card Game.

**UPDATE**
It's Kelly.

Scruggs on Strong

When our head coach choked up during the press conference yesterday, it was Greg Scruggs, Adam Froman, and Troy Pascley that began the applause of support.

January 2

We're not overlooking the Catamounts, we'll preview them tomorrow, and they're not a pushover. But today I've got January 2nd on the brain after watching the Cats take down UConn last night, and seeing Coach Cal narrowly edge Jim Calhoun as the biggest douche on the sideline. UK's really good, John Wall is amazing etc. etc., but I see a beatable team, and a picture is developing of how. Don't run with them, make them run halfcourt sets, don't panic after taking their best punch, get their big men in foul trouble. Can the Cards do those things? Yes. Will they? That's another story. After the Charlotte disaster, the Cardinal basketball season mirrors the football program, in that it feels like we need to start from square one. Starting this Saturday, the Cards can take the first step. One way or another, January 2nd will be epic.

***ADDENDUM***
Also, I know he's a great player, but doesn't the "Legend of John Wall" seem a tad premature? I know he's only there for one year, and he has been clutch in a couple of early games, but to write folk songs about him already seems wrong.

Catamount History

First the Stetson Hatters, now the Western Carolina Catamounts. The one good thing about scheduling obscure nonconference opponents is you get to learn about the dregs of mascotdom. So what exactly is a catamount? Glad you asked, according to their website...

Webster's Dictionary defines "catamount" as "any of various wild cats such as a cougar or lynx." Cats of the catamount variety, including the bobcat, have roamed the southern Appalachian Mountains, where Western Carolina University is located, for years.

The nickname evolved from a contest that was held on the Cullowhee campus in 1933. At the time, the school was called "Western Carolina Teachers College" and its teams were known as "the Teachers."

Everyone on campus was invited to participate in the naming of the teams. The usual names were suggested -- Bears, Indians, Panthers. However, the college wanted an unusual name, a name that few others had and that everyone would not copy.

The contest came down to Mountain Boomers, a small ground squirrel that scampers about the woods and is extremely difficult to catch, and Catamounts. The latter was the favorite of Head Football Coach C.C. Poindexter and was the nickname chosen. Poindexter wanted his players to be Catamounts with "fierce spirit, savage attacks, and lightning quick moves.

Notable Reactions

Kerry Rhodes:

charlie strong is a good pick for head coach of louisville i think.

Michael Wilbon:

Here here. No, it's not a good move. It's a GREAT move.

Jerry Smith:

Welcome and Congrats to Charlie Strong... New Mens Football coach at UL...

Chris Brickley:

Practice was a good one...happy we hired Charlie Strong as football coach!!! Saw him earlier walking around the Yum Center

QB commit Luke Woodley:

It makes it really exciting for us (prospects) that he's coming off a national championship. A championship coach makes a big difference.

Central wideout Stephan Robinson:

I am very excited, I have heard nothing but good things about him and can't wait to get a chance to meet him.

Justin Burke:

He seems extremely determined and competitive. That's what you have to have. You have to be a little afraid of your head coach. It's not always a complete friendship.

That last one speaks volumes, doesn't it?

Thoughts on the press conference

It was a promising day for Cardinal football. Charlie Strong demonstrated many qualities at his press conference announcing him as head coach: honesty, humility, seriousness. He reflected on lessons learned working with Lou Holtz, Steve Spurrier, and Urban Meyer. His answers to reporters' questions were thoughtful but brief; several responses were single-sentence. He did not smile much except a little toward the end. Perhaps he realized the difficulty of the task ahead. But make no mistake: Charlie Strong wanted this job.

That much was apparent early on (13:10 in the video), when Strong silently choked back tears while answering a question about his long wait to become head coach. What struck me in that poignant moment was his display of quiet will. An entire city watching on television or online, the sound of cameras shuttering, a room of reporters bearing witness, Charlie Strong, a proud man, unexpectedly grew emotional, then stared downward and focused intensely, patiently, without embarrassment. He held like this for a long moment, so long that I wondered aloud if he would resume. When he did, it was without apology. No explanation or further comment. He completed his thought. In this powerful moment, with both his intensity and his restraint, Strong communicated to the fan base something indeliably "real" about himself and what he will bring to the program. Expect directness and candor. Do not expect a salesman's pitch, PR or BS. In his words, it's about "getting a degree and winning football games" -- it's that simple. Expect focus. Expect the life of the program to take on his quiet intensity.

No one should interpret this press conference or even Strong's hiring to mean that our return to respectability is assured. There is much work to be done. I have no doubt there will be struggle. Yet, everything we know about him, and what we saw today, suggests that we will have at the helm a football coach who knows how to lead young men, how to teach them, and how to win.

Welcome to Louisville Coach Strong.

Screensaver of the Moment

Wow

That's pretty much the depth of my analysis right now. Any fears over head coach Charlie Strong's label as a "players coach" quickly evaporated; he's no pushover, just disarmingly honest and direct. It's easy to see how he can garner both the respect and adoration of his players.

He hit all the right notes. He appeared a little nervous at first as he went through the formulaic, prepared statements, becoming more at ease when the questions turned to football. His warmth and genuine affection for the young men he coaches was readily apparent; he had no trouble recalling the name of a former player from 10 years ago when mentioned in a question. Again, no phoniness, no put on. And all in addition to an obvious wealth of football knowledge. I'm still bumfuzzled at the moment, so I'll post more once I get over the Cardinal birds swirling around my head. But to say this was an impressive introduction would be a bit of an understatement.

Presser

Link to the to a live stream of the press conference. Our coach (!!!) is addressing the players first, then the media.

Ricky meet Ricardo

Even amidst the football festival taking place in Derby City, there's always time to talk basketball. The Cards are hot on the trail of top JUCO player Ricardo Ratliffe, he of the gaudy statistics. In a new interview, however, Ratliffe says that the Wildcats are also trying to get their paws in on the action, though it's uncertain if Big Blue is still interested after Ratliffe had the audacity to say, "I don't know much about them yet." For you fans tired of the Cards dainty post play, try not to drool on your keyboard; the 6'8'' bruiser describes his game thusly:

"My game is aggressive. I like to bang around inside and I like contact. I feel that my strengths are going to my left, offensive rebounding, good positioning and outside shooting. I also have the ability to dribble in the open court, if needed."

He'll make his decision in the spring.

Winds of Change

What's the over-under on tomorrow's Rick Bozich column starting with the line: "Christmas came early this year for Cards fans at the Brown and Williamson club yesterday...etc. etc."?

Football fan event at 3:45 at Papa Johns! You feel those 55 mile per hour winds? They're blowing away three years of drudgery. Come join the party.

What's in a name

Speaking of names, Charlie Strong may have been bested for the Broyles award yesterday, but he narrowly edges Washington St. coach Ken Bone for the moniker that sprang a thousand headline puns. I don't care what anyone says, names matter. Take Kragthorpe for instance. It's a strange name and it's fun to say. It can be a past tense verb (i.e. we got Kragthorped) or an adjective ( i.e. disaster of Kragthorpian proportions). Early on in his tenure when criticism was hurled and Kragthorpe retreated into his "I take full responsibility" shell, fans were left with nothing else than to craft their own doofy image of a poor coach with a bizarre name. It certainly wasn't the cause of his downfall, but it wasn't helping him either.

Anonymity

With a recent coach firing and a spike in viewership (thanks for reading, tell your friends!) a question has arisen as to the appropriateness of continuing to write under our nom de plumes. We do this as a hobby, and because we occassionally dip into the off-color, our UofL personas allow us to focus on the Cards and indulge in our true immaturity. There's no greater mystery than that. But we do take our fandom seriously, and with a modicum of power comes a modicum of responsibility. If we ever feel we've crossed the amorphous line to where writing under a pen name seems an act a cowardice, we'll proceed with what will certainly be the least riveting unveiling in recent memory. Enough of that, back to the Cards...

You say goodbye, and I say hello

Here's a smattering of sentiment from Gator fans from column comments and message boards on the (now certain) loss of their defensive coordinator...

*  In other news, the (USF) Bulls annual beatdown of the Cardinals is about to come to an end...darn.

* Great hire by Louisville. Should help the Big East not be such an afterthought in the BCS picture anymore.

* Well as long as Louisville doesnt play Alabama Charlie should do well...

* A great opportunity for a class act!

* GatorNation will miss Charlie Strong, but this is great opportunity. Louisville fans will be very happy with Strong.

* This is another big hit to meyer. If ND still wants him i think he will head to South Bend. His lover boy is gone. Now the glue that held his D together is leaving, i think Charlie is a great coach and will do a great job for the big L. Spikes the eye gouger is gone. IF ND wants meyer he is OUT of UF. Good Luck Charlie.

* Charlie's a good coach. I dare say he's the biggest reason for UFelons' recent success. Now he will finally get a chance to lead his own team. Good Luck Charlie.

* Brilliant move by Louisville.

* Bad job for him because if he doesn't have success in 3 years those racist people will be calling for his job fast.

* Florida has all the athletes they want on defense, I believe almost anyone could have succeeded coaching
all those athletes. When he was at Notre Dame, he didn't have as much to work with and his coaching didnt appear outstanding. I'm not so sure he's that great of a coach to be excited about.

* I definitely like this hire for Louisville on two grounds. First, they are getting a pretty darn good defensive coach, which can help make that team stronger overall. They have always had a pretty good offense, now, they can become more well rounded. Secondly, it is good to see a truly qualified african-american a legit head coaching job in the NCAA...
 
* I wish Strong luck. Wonder where Kragthorpe went wrong? Only 3 years ago he was the hottest hire in the country. Took ridiculous Tulsa to unknown heights. A real up and comer. What happened?

The OC

It's The Big Day. I. AM. GIDDY.

We enter into the sports equivalent of a marriage today. And as the saying goes, something old, something new, somthing borrowed, fuck Big Blue. We all know who's new. Something borrowed can be a bit of that Florida-grown talent. Something old? I'd like to throw out the possibility of Jeff Brohm for offensive coordinator. Obviously, Strong should choose someone he's comfortable with, someone with whom he has a good rapport. Tom Jurich said last week that he would never make the mistake again of dictating how assistant coaches should be chosen.

But I hope Jeff Brohm gets a look. Charlie Strong is a defensive-minded guy, and offensive coordinator is going to be an important position on his staff. It would be a symbolic gesture to legions of old UofL fans, and would heal wounds opened during the Kragthorpe years between the Brohm family and UofL. And let's not forget, the guy can coach, and was once coveted by Nick Saban to run Alabama's offense. Again, having a head coach in place is the most important piece of the puzzle moving forward; Strong can take his time to find his guy. But taking a look at Jeff Brohm would show an immediate savvy and civic awareness, and Strong can bridge two eras of Cardinal football to cross into the future.

Strong Dreams

I think I'm going to start writing "strong puns" that don't even make sense like "strong press conference" and "strong contract provision" . The Big Bad Bristol Machine is citing a source restating the obvious; that Charlie Strong will be introduced as the head coach of our Louisville Cardinals tomorrow.

Today, we got a little cold feet (evidenced below) upon learning that Charlie Strong has been referred to, by some, as a "players' coach". But that's only natural, even when staring at your coaching soul mate. There's just WAY too much to like about this guy to let anything get in the way of the promise that tomorrow brings. There's a lot of work to do, but tomorrow we start the process of getting better. A new era! Strong dreams everyone.

Wait for it...wait for it...

CJ reporting that a meeting has been scheduled for 3:30 at Papa Johns tomorrow to discuss "personnel matters".

First the wrist sprain, now this...

What's a Cards fan to do on a rainy Tuesday while awaiting news about Charlie Strong? Well, watch DeJuan Wheat tapeup his ankle of course! I have no idea why this was recorded, but I can't say it's false advertising. It is what it claims; a video of Wheat demostrating to his Mexican teammates how to tape an ankle. Listen at 2:19 mark to hear someone callout "Kobe" in the background. High comedy.

Brains over Brawn

Keith Smart has bested Charlie Strong for the Broyles Award, given to the top assistant coach. Insidetheville is reporting that Florida has offerred Strong a considerable raise to stay on at the Gators.

No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Part III

Okay, I need to temporarily suspend my self-imposed hibernation and comment on the disturbing news delivered by Mr. Red. As he has already made clear, the words "player's coach," whenever and wherever heard, send a chill down our spine. When Kragthorpe was hired and the CJ ran the same perfunctory feel-good articles about him, they called him a player's coach, which became our earliest premonition of the disaster to come.

When we heard those words, it immediately took us back to the end of John L. Smith's tenure, that original Louisville "player's coach" (I have no memory of Ron Cooper's relationships with his players, but since he didn't meet the fans' definition of "head coach," he doesn't qualify for the title of "player's coach"). In those final few seasons with John L. at the helm but after Petrino had left as offensive coordinator, the product on the field experienced significant decline -- penalties, personal fouls, bad tackling, fights. Even at the visceral level, things fell apart, our guys playing the latter quarters of every game with their shirt-tails hanging out... I only know that because my dad pointed it out to me every time it happened.

During Petrino's tenure, penalties and personal fouls declined and tackling became crisp. Mistakes were kept to a minimum. The shirts went tucked back in. Doubtless there were many causes for our success, but it stands to reason that one of them was that players knew they would be held accountable for their performance. I've been told that players were afraid of failure, on the field or off, because Petrino would cut their playing time without thinking twice. Among the many colorful nicknames with which Petrino has been adorned, no one ever called him a "player's coach."

I need not rehash what we thought of the indiscipline of the Kragthorpe era, so that brings us to the present... this morning's article casting Charlie Strong as another father figure, a man with empathy, a player's coach. Look, I'm not cold-blooded. I want our players to have that guy. But does it work at the level of head coach? You tell me, because all I know is, it hasn't worked here. Our loyal readers will know that we've been behind Charlie's Strong candidacy for head coach from the beginning, going back months. Nevertheless, nothing terrifies us more than the warm-hearted advance of a player's coach.

No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, continued

I'm nothing if not reactionary, but even so, I'm suppressing my instinct to jump off the Charlie Strong Bandwagon upon the terrible news that our prospective head coach is actually a decent human being. I'm chalking it up to the fact that he has been a coordinator, who typically have warmer relationships with the players than the more distant head coach. Here's hoping that when he graduates to the Big Headset he'll assume the proper, Petrino-level of dickishness towards his players. Mr. Black, however, is catatonic.

Umm...okay

If anyone can explain/decipher/translate Sharphead Jennings video message below, it'd be greatly appreciated (NSFW language, but he mumbles so it's probably okay)

No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The CJ takes a closer look at Charlie Strong today, and gives him the dreaded label of "players' coach". It took Mr. Black about 40 seconds after the Kragthorpe hire to read those words and diagnose the impending trainwreck, and was the ONE quality we did not want in the next coach. I can't even write about this at the moment. My head's about to explode.

Cardinal Enemy #1

Hate is more potent if you focus it collectively. So I propose directing all your mental voodoo pins towards Wildcat Demarcus Cousins. The cocky, mouthy UK big man gripes after every foul called, and if you saw the UK-UNC game, is not beyond backtalking Coach Cal, who must run a real tight ship. He's also a documented Cardinal-logo stomper. Two minutes hate. Starrrrrrrrrrting. Now.

Case of the Mondays

Cards are OUT of the top 25, but thankfully, not the top 50. Still no word on Charlie Strong. This must be what Dr. Ellie Sattler felt like when Samuel L. was taking too long to get the power back on in Jurrassic Park. Cardinal target Wayne Blackshear is killing it this season, reports Jody Demling. He had 28 points, 10 boards, 4 blocks, 4 steals in his last game.

By the numbers

Louisville's loss is a little puzzling when you look at the statistical breakdown. Again, rebounding was the Cardinals' glaring deficiency (other than the pesky scoreboard). The 49ers shot 41.7% from behind the arc, a really good number, but not the blazing shooting it seemed to be. The Cards had 10 steals and only 11 turnovers, which aren't abysmal numbers. UofL definitely needs to pass more, though, earning only 9 assists. Kudos to Jared Swopshire for 8 points 8 boards in limited minutes. A quiet performance, but we're grasping at straws at this point.

Mark May, tool

I don't know if you caught Sportcenter this morning, but if not, you missed college football analyst Mark May give one of the most vigorous and ridiculous defenses of the current BCS system on record. Debating an incredulous Josh Elliot, May brought no facts or figures to his argument, relying simply on the winning line, "C'mon Josh! They got it right!" When pressed to explain why a playoff was not a better option, May countered, "Because that would be boring! That would be like the NFL playoffs!" Huh? I know he's a college "expert", so I guess he's unaware that the NFL is the most successful model in sports. He also stated that fans of Boise State should be doing backflips for being rewarded a BCS bowl, before going on in disbelief, wondering why all the critics of the system are coming out "all of the sudden". First of all, I'm not sure where May's been, but the BCS has been widely panned for nearly a decade. Second, yes Mark, having 5 worthy teams complete undefeated seasons does tend to expose some of the inadequacies of the system.

May was mercifully let off the hook after awhile, and Elliot gave him a chance to hype the "perfect" national championship matchup between Texas-Alabama. He exclaimed, "It's going to be GREAT! David versus Goliath! But which one's David and which one's Goliath?!?" You really did have to see it; May made Woody Paige sound like Cicero. Advice for proponents of a playoff system: get Mark May on camera as much as possible.

Board to death

I know no one is eager to talk about b-ball at the moment, but ignoring the problem is not going to make it go away. The flippant, "we always do this", attitude after the UNLV loss has been replaced with doom and gloom after the Cards laid a turd at home on Saturday. There's really no silver-lining, except for the fact that it can't get much worse. The Cards will get healthy, they'll improve on defense, and begin to make the extra pass to get better shots. I'm not (overly) concerned about those areas, but I am worried about rebounding. The Cards got whollopped on the glass against a small Charlotte team coached by a munchkin. Samuels seems to have no interest or instinct for rebounding, Swop and Jennings are capable but are often out of position. Buckles is the only player that seems to have a nose for the ball, but he's still a work in progress. Most worrisome, it's the area most unlikely to improve. I knew we were going to miss T-Will, but I didn't think it would be watching him sky through the air to snag a one-handed rebound that would be the sight I miss most.

It will certainly be a long week for the players, coaches, and fans eager to get this acrid taste out of our mouths. After the last dismal performance, I'll just take a victory at this point. But unfortunately, the Cards do not have a true measuring stick game until Kentucky on January 2nd. The epic game that Cards fans were looking forward to with quiet confidence a mere 10 days ago now looms like an execution. Somehow, someway, we gotta get better.

The Waiting Game

Still awaiting word on how negotiations are developing between Strong and Jurich. Either that, or a deal was reached Saturday, and our AD just loves golfing in the sunshine state. Am I nervous? Not exactly. Anxious, but not nervous. For one thing, the Steve Kragthorpe hiring felt rushed. Even if it was well-thought out, even if Kragthorpe was a good "get" at the time, it still had the appearance of being rushed. That had a negative effect down the road when things went south. I think it's a good thing that both sides are taking their time and seeking advice before entering into this sacred union. Eric Crawford provides some random facts in the Charlie Strong File to keep the wolves at bay while we wait.

Also, was anyone else disgusted by the BCS selection show last night? Like any sane person I'm a proponent of a playoff system in some form. But I've never really had a visceral reaction to the BCS system until last night. The manufactured "who's it gonna be drama" before announcing the inevitable matchup, lauding the Texas Longhorns who back into the title game with their tail between their legs, and treating TCU, Boise State, and Cinci with condecension; plucky programs that should be ecstatic just to have a seat at the table, but not a chance to sit at the head. Most galling...matching up Boise State and TCU, therefore preventing a scenario when one or both of those schools would beat up on a traditional BCS power, and further embarass the committee. It really is just a farce at this point.

Jurich could hire Strong today

CJ reports that Jurich has been in Florida all week, has received permission to interview Strong and could make an offer by the end of the day. Which. Is. Awesome.

If it happens today, Strong's first gesture to the fan base will already be done: help us get our mind off yesterday's shellacking at the hands of Charlotte. Jeez... what is going on with those guys?! Story here.

Somber video

Rick Bozich has uploaded some nice, if depressing, videos surveying the post-apocalyptic post-game scene from last night. Click here to view an acerbic Coach Pitino call out a reporter and a dejected Edgar Sosa use the word embarassing four times in one minute.