Bumfuzzled

I owe an apology to Edgar Sosa. Eight assists? That's quite a number, one that went unappreciated in my amateurish first go around. There were some bad decisions in there, I stick by that, but if he can post these kind of numbers for the rest of the season, jerks like me can sit on our hands. Cards fans love ya Edgar, we really do, and I am sorry. Keep it up.

Pitino: "Swop, Jerry and Samardo played a really intelligent basketball game."

Follow the link to see tape of Pitino's postgame press conference.

Sosa, Smith, Samardo, Swop, Siva...

With a few bumps along the way, Louisville took care of business by knocking down Rutgers 76-60. Sosa notches 13 points and an impressive 8 assists. Still trying to erase the memory of some of his late-game play last month, Sosa hit critical shots down the stretch including a long three pointer with the shot clock winding down. Nonetheless, he should have sent some of those possessions into the post... Samardo was begging. Samardo posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards, while Swop looked good with 13 points and 8 rebounds. Siva showed flashes of brilliance (finishing that drive with his left hand!) but also made some poor decisions. Typical of a freshman, the kid shines one possession then falters the next. But, encouragingly, he never gets his head down. Turnover stats were atrocious (Sosa 6, Swopshire 4, several with 2), but we'll save that for another day. Above all, let's hope this game against Rutgers will be remembered as the moment when Jerry Smith snapped out of his season-long funk: 16 points, 4-7 from three point land, 7 rebounds, 3 steals. Sosa and Smith led the way... it feels good to say that. Go Cards!

Cards Win

A hard-fought victory, harder perhaps than it should have been. But most importantly, the Cards took care of business. Initials...

* Bad Sosa. Bad, bad Sosa. We had this team overmatched, but Sosa wasn't capable of exploiting it. He jacked from long range, drove and popped too early, had suspect turnovers. Listen, there's nothing that can be said that hasn't been said, and nothing's going to change at this point. This team can take, and perhaps needs, some bad Edgar. But it cannot take really bad Edgar. Against a mediocre opponent, Sosa's ups-and-downs were just absorbed into the greater context of the game. But against a quality opponent, we cannot afford that style of play.

* Samuels is doin' work! We still can't feed him appropriately. No player has gone from bust to boom in such a short period, but this team needs to get on board quick.

Patronizing Papa

Papa John's has been good to our city, and UofL athletics. Dastardly Dominos, in its latest attempt to fend off the dreaded "cardboard" label, is meekly fighting back during the Super Bowl tomorrow. I can't say I completely follow this blurb, but here's the latest on the war from the CJ....

Domino's Pizza is taking on Louisville-based Papa John's International and its "Better Ingredients. Better Pizza," tagline in an advertisement slated to run ahead of the Super Bowl.

In a sneak peek, Dow Jones Newswires reported that Domino's cites a recent taste test in which it beat Papa John's.

Domino's head chef Brandon Solano digs up a 10-year-old legal battle of Papa John's, where a court ruled the chain could continue using the slogan, calling it "puffery" but not misleading.

Solano's retort: "Our pizzas taste better and that's not puffery. That's proven."

I don't know who this Brandon Solano clown is, but frankly, he sounds made up. If you're ordering tomorrow, know that the Papa has the highly-coveted Cardinal Laws endorsement.

Some goosebumps to go with your coffee...

In the spirit of the New Orleans Saints' trek to the Super Bowl, did you know that the part of uber-annoying sidekick, Captain Jimmy "Raven" Wilder, played by native son Harry Connick Jr., was supposed to go to Matthew Perry? Perry had to back out due to scheduling conflicts (though his father got a bit part as a Secret Service agent). Not enough, say you? Very well...

* Did you know that Harry Connick Jr. is also an inventor. He holds the patent for an electronic sheet music distribution system, sort of a notes teleprompter for entertainers. It's not known how much he has made from the invention, but it's assumed to be a considerable fortune.

* Did you know his mother was a Louisiana Supreme Court justice? She passed away when Harry was 13.

* Did you know that his father won election to serve as New Orleans Parish district attorney in 1973, beating out then-sitting DA Jim Garrison. The latter name is familiar to conspiracy and film buffs, the same Jim Garrison that launched an investigation into the JFK assassination, and was dramatized in Oliver Stone's award-winning film "JFK".

Get this win, Cards. As Jimmy "Raven" Wilder said (before tragically dying): "Let's kick the tires and light the fires big daddy!" Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh C! A! R! D! S! CARDS!!!!

Well, hello there!

Seems like reports of the demise of Rick Pitino's recruiting prowess have been greatly exaggerated (yes, I know, some from me). Justin Coleman, a 6'4'', 215lbs guard, a top 25 talent, has committed to UofL. That's for next season, FYI. Much more to come, this changes the landscape. Welcome aboard, young man!

On Building and Bellamy

Kudos to Jody Demling at the CJ for excellent coverage of Signing Day. Thanks to his reporting, what we know from the aftermath is that Coach Strong is working towards building a program, keeping an eye on the present and the future. He filled immediate needs with the class, but also picked up players who won't pay dividends till much later. Players like Dylan Curry and Quan Weaver have been asked to redshirt (or grayshirt, the new term de jure); to get stronger and healthier before coming in to contribute.

Others will be asked to produce immediately. JUCO transfer Josh Bellamy, a former 3-star athlete from Florida, has been a journeyman; once committed to South Florida before struggling with academic issues, then transferring to Butte Community College, then taking online courses and staying in shape to get back into major college football. He came on board after Strong's hiring, and said of his future...

I didn't know a whole lot about Louisville but I knew coach Strong before. I went up there after I talked to him and it's a cool place, I loved the town. I can't wait to finally get into school and get going. Now, I have just been working out a lot. I am faster and stronger.

At 20-years old, he has the physical maturity to step in and play immediately. as you can see below, he's got some game.

Watch out for that trap door...

Short clip of Rutgers fans doing it their way. Bad mojo to post a short video taken from Rutgers' slaughter of the Cards in football two years ago? Maybe, but I'm hoping that the basketball-playing Scarlet Knights are about as graceful as their fan base, especially that Knight on the left. P.S. Don't miss the guy playing air guitar, that's a nice touch at the end.

No Quan

Think the biggest disappointment from Signing Day was losing Torrian Wilson? Think again. Frankfort running back Quan Weaver signed with Kentucky State.

But all is not lost. Essentially Weaver is spending his redshirt season at State, and still plans on enrolling at UofL next season. Weird, I know, but there must be scholarship math involved. He said of the situation...

"I am just ready to make it official and get on board. They told me when I get there they want me to come in and play running back and nothing else.

"(Waiting until next season) will be good for me because my knee is good and everything but when I flex it you can tell the muscle is smaller. So, this will give me more time to get stronger and faster and make sure everything is good."

And good it shall be. The love, respect, the community, and the dollars too. The package. The Quan.

Col' beer up here!

In spirit of the football craze and excitement gathering around the program this week, here's a link to the latest video and imagery of the Papa John's renovation, brought to you by Charlie Springer of Card Game. I think I can finally make out my future season ticket up there in the rafters... will beer vendors be able to make it up that high, or can they shoot them up using one of those t-shirt guns?

If you haven't seen it yet, be sure to also check out his film of the endzone walkway.

Quarterback luxury

Last season Steve Kragthorpe famously claimed that with the trio of Adam Froman, Justin Burke, and Will Stein, he had a "quarterback luxury" when deciding who to play. He used this as maddening justification for playing coy about which one would be leading the offense from week to week. Though each showed flashes of capability, none of the three was able to move the offense effectively, and things officially bottomed out during the Syracuse game...The horror...the horror. It became clear quickly that a "quarterback luxury" was just code for "not one is significantly better than the others".

I don't think this will be the case next year. To this uncertain mix, add three more names. Dominique Brown, Marcus Smith, and Luke Woodley have aspirations of leading the offense next year. Charlie Strong indicated that it would be a true competition (a coaching staple) but hinted that our experienced QBs will certainly garner strong attention from the coaches.

I hate it when a team doesn't have an established quarterback. Though the offense next season seems primed to be run-dominated, I still buy into the Hollywood mystique of quarterbacks, cliche as it may be, that they are the general on the field. Cardinals fans have been spoiled in this regard; despite some LeFors-Brohm overlap, last season was the first true ambiguity at the quarterback position for many seasons.

Next year is rebuilding, and most fans simply want to see improvement in all areas, from tackling to playcalling to the kicking game. The QB situation will become much clearer as the season approaches, obviously. But even so I expect Coach Sanford and Strong to utilize the unique skills of the many QBs. I think we'll see more Wildcat formation, double QB sets where one spreads out to slot receiver, and designed rollouts with the option to run or pass. But if the Cards harbor dreams of going bowling in Coach Strong's first year, one of these six QBs must seperate himself from the pack and take the reins of the team.

Rosario D'awesome

Beware Mike Rosario and the suddenly frisky Rutgers basketball team. They've won two straight, one an upset over Notre Dame, and the 6'3'' sophomore guard is leading the way. Last game Rosario had 33 points, 21 in the first half, and did it shooting a remarkably efficient 13-22 from the field.

Last year the Cards had more than enough firepower to handle the Scarlet Knights, but don't forget that Rosario had a strong game against UofL that night, scoring 21 points and knocking down 4 three pointers.  Be wary of the hot hand.

He's a Caracter!

I've been casually rooting for Derrick Caracter's success since he has landed at UTEP, but sometimes he really makes it difficult. This is Caracter on his time at Louisville, from a new ESPN article on his rollercoaster career...

"It seemed like I had a certain leadership on the team," he said. "A lot of guys would follow me, do what I did, even dress like me. In some ways that hurt us and in some ways that was a good thing. But if I felt like I was better than David Padgett and I was not playing, I would be negative. Coach (Rick) Pitino felt it was like a cancer, that it would spread."

The author also raises the ultimate"what if", reminding us how deadly last year's #1 ranked team would have been if you factor in a motivated and fit Derrick Caracter.

Van Wilder

You can pretty much break Cards fans into two groups. On one hand, you have the group that thinks Stephan Van Treese played marvelously on Monday against UConn, that he was surprisingly athletic and tenacious on defense. Why doesn't he play more? On the other hand you have those that think him a well-made manequin who was woefully overmatched by quality Big East bigs, but managed not to fall down too much in his meager 6 minutes of play.

So which was he? Probably somewhere in between. In truth, I've found the one's that are in the Van Treese-camp tend to have been present on Monday, and may have had their opinion tainted by the goodwill of the crowd.

One thing everyone agrees upon, Van Treese hustles when he's on the floor, and it shows. Samuels and Jennings will be playing major minutes together the rest of the season, and with no George Goode return in sight, Van Treese will have to be ready to step in.

With their backs against the NCAA Tourney wall, the maturation process for this team has hit fast forward. Samuels is improving by the game, Delk too exponentially. Stephan Van Treese will have to keep pace when his number is called.

The day that was

The bad news first. The unmitigated disappointment of the day was not landing offensive lineman Torrian Wilson, the big fat greatness from Miami. But the rumor mill is churning, and word is that Mr. Wilson has a young wife and a baby on the way in his hometown, so staying close was paramount (hence, the #2 lineman nationally goes to Central Florida). So let's not take it too personally, but this outcome does confirm, yet again, Cardinal Laws longstanding antipathy towards women and babies.

This was a great day for Cardinal football, nonetheless. Lest we forget, the groundwork was laid by Steve Kragthorpe and his staff. I know, I know, but it's true. From Randy Salmon and Lacy Coleman, to Stephan Robinson and Harris Bivin, much of the legwork for this class was done by Krags and Greg Nord, may they rest in peace. He may have destroyed much and contributed little, but Krags performed a somewhat notable feat in keeping the cupboard unbare, the bottom undropped. He left talent behind, and contacts with solid recruits to build upon.

And Coach Strong took that support, and added the sizzle. Gamebreakers like Michaelee Harris and Corvin Lamb on the offensive side. B.J. Butler and Deon Rogers on the defensive side. These are the names that will become widely known very soon. Go Cards.

The Once and Future King

Click here for a live-stream of Louisville coach Charlie Strong speaking about his first recruiting class...begins at 4:00.

Tim Patterson

Having never been a jock, or wanted, or recruited, or loved, I've long since given up understanding what makes young athletes tick. But even so, Tim Patterson's decision to play for the Wildcats is a headscratcher to me. He's a lifelong Cardinals fan, admits he dreamed of playing for UofL as a kid, and has Central teammate Stephan Robinson on the team (and likely to join him on the defense as a DB). I could understand bolting a Kragthorpe-led city, I considered it many times myself. But to shy away from being coached by one of the best defensive minds in college football, for your hometown school as it goes through a football Renaissance? Why wouldn't you want to be a part of that?

I don't get it, and I won't try and sugarcoat it and say it's no big deal. Joker and his staff did a masterful job wooing him. I love hometown heros, Patterson surely would have been one, and seeing UofL breakthrough to the talent reservoir at Central high school would have been major.

Buuuuut, it's not the end of the world. There's no such thing as too much talent, yet as mentioned below, the Cards likely got a better linebacker when Preston Brown decided to follow Dominique Brown, teammate out of Ohio, to the Cards. Patterson has eligibility issues to hurdle, and still has to rehab from major knee surgery, never a good thing for an 18 year old. It's dispiriting, but more of a "darn it" moment, not a "No, DAMMIT!!! NO!!!!" moment reserved for learning you lost the #2 offensive lineman in the country to Central Florida. Sigh.

Preston!

Though he'll have to wait awhile to be the favorite Preston in a UofL jersey, the Cards got a late boost to their class with the signing of Preston Brown, highly regarded athlete and teammate of Dominique Brown. Expect him to fill in nicely at the linebacker position that may have been Tim Patterson's.

Wallflowered

Things are happening very quickly, it feels like a West Wing episode with everyone bustling around busily as if the fate of the world hinges, except that I have nothing of consequence to do.

Anyways, the big news of the day is Torrian Wilson, highly rated OL out of Miami, spurned the Cards last minute for Central Florida. But that's what happens when you start going after the bigger fish. With names like Dominique Brown, Michaelee Harris, Corvin Lamb, and Stephan Robinson already having signed the dotted line (is it dotted? why would it be dotted?) Cards fans can rest easy. I'm sidelined by real world duties for the next few hours, but'll be back at the end of the day to recap what all transpired. Go Cards.

The Joker strikes back

Central linebacker Tim Patterson, best player in the state, to the Wildcats. That boy ain't right. Also, Michaelee Harris and Corvin Lamb are officially Cardinals.

Sprint to the finish...

Tomorrow we'll see the first, tangible results of the work coach Strong has done in his brief time at Louisville. It's Signing Day, and it's expected to go well. Spectacularly well, really, with a few question marks and surprises still out there to up the ante even more. College football recruiting is a mercurial, frustrating business, but for the first time in 3 years it's the Cards that are gumming up the works for other schools, landing top talent and toe-to-toeing with the likes of Georgia, Florida, Tennessee. Hopefully, in the years to come, when writing the anthology of UofL football's resurrection, tomorrow will serve as the fulcrum. 

Delk Stuff

Once coach Pitino made the audacious and unfathomable decision to play both Terrence Jennings and Samardo Samuels together, the biggest beneficiary has been swingman Reginald Delk. Of course, he's not the dominant wing that Garcia or T-Will was for the Cards, but what does he do well?

Delk stuff. Slipping through the lane for clutch runners, tip in dunks, burying 3s from his favorite spot in the corner. He plays solid defense with those long arms, and seems to have a knack for finding the right spot to be at on the court. Every good team needs one of those guys. And with Samardo and Jennings distracting and creating contact in the post, Reginald Delk is making the most of his new found freedom.

Jerry provides the jolt

If I could have picked a team less likely for Jerry Smith to break out of his slump against, it would be UConn. Quick guards, a flurry of big men, and a defensive scheme that led the nation in blocks for twenty thousand years. But breakout he did, slashing to the basket and coming up with 14 big points and 5 rebounds. In addition to his aggressive defense, he looked like the player Cards fans were hoping they were getting before the season started. I couldn't have been happier for him, I was hooting and hollering throughout the room like I was, well, Jerry Smith.

A (temporary) alliance of convenience

Jay Bilas is the ACC-loving ESPN commentator that college basketball fans this side of Durham love to hate. (though Louisville fans may still cherish fond memories of Denny Crum and Pervis Ellison dominating him and his Dukies in 1986) So it wasn't with a little discomfort that I found myself nodding in agreement with several things he said last night while commentating Louisville-UConn. Disgusting? Yes. I don't feel myself anymore. But if there's anything that Bilas despises more than the Big 10, it's poor officiating, and on that note he struck a chord last night sure to resonate with Cards fans, given what we've been through these past few.

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Take, for example, his reaction at about the 12 minute mark in the video, when ESPN's play-by-play Dave Pasch relayed the Big East's official explanation ("procedural and communication errors"), issued yesterday, of the blown call at West Virginia. According to the Big East, the refs apparently did see the play and ruled that Louisville had knocked the ball out of bounds, but chose not to communicate it to either head coach... to which Bilas responded, with no trace of amusement, "That's so absurd it's hard to believe," and "it doesn't even pass the laugh test." As for the UConn game itself, Bilas was several times critical of the officiating, calling one foul attributed to Samardo Samuels "questionable," and another "a bad call." About a missed goal-tending call on UConn (1:37:05): "That's goal-tending! That wasn't even close! How do you miss that?!" (Bonus feature: watch Pitino's reaction on the sideline after the goal-tend)

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So there, I confess: for a night, I danced with Jay Bilas. Does this make me any less a Card fan? Yes, you say? Well, at least one could follow and make sense of everything Bilas was saying. At one point (46:50 in the video), ESPN's third commentator, Bill Rafterty, who tends to get a little too excited about things, gleefully blurts out, "I was just going to take a quickie! Goodness!" I guess we all have our weaknesses.

Cards beat UConn 82-69

Solid win by U of L tonight. Sosa stepped up his game and passed the ball beautifully. Jerry Smith got aggressive and willed home his baskets. Samardo got screwed by the refs, but even in limited time his jump hook is automatic. (no comment on those attempted dunks) Rebounding could have been better, but defense was energetic and the TJ-Samardo duo is patrolling the paint ably. Best of all, the Cards were raining down threes in the first half, but figured out a way to maintain a comfortable lead when the long shots stopped hitting. The image I'll remember is of the bench late in the game, everybody on their feet, cheering, smiling... looking alive.

Some goosebumps to go with your, errr, beer...

Whoa, close one. This 48 hour turnaround is wearing on me. Did you know that the final sentence of this speech ("Today, we celebrate, our INDEPENDENCE DAY!") was not in the original script, but was added in the final hour for dramatic effect, all part of an effort to convince 20th Century Fox to fight to use the term (usage of "Independence Day" was long a sticking point in the movie's production). In a Hollywood sorta way, that's kind of inspiring. Let's do this! Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh C! A! R! D! S! CARDS!!!

 

Bearcat blather

It's official, 4-star quarterback Dominique Brown has committed to the Cards. He was once headed to Cincinnati, but opened up his prospects in wake of Brian Kelly's departure. Here's some reactions from Bearcat fans to losing a superstar in their own backyard to a conference rival. You guessed it, they're not too pleased...

* Charlie Strong at Louisville = Shady.

* UC, UL and GT were recruiting him as a QB. OSU recruited him as an athlete. With the addition of Brown, UL/Strong has put together a top 30 recruiting class in less than 2 months
 
* Good athlete, but not recruited as a qb by anybody. Strong is in a big hurry to fill spots on an emaciated roster.

* Big recruiting blow to UC. No reason why UC should lose local/former commits to a rival school from the same conference (esp if the school has a new HC that has never coached a game yet)
 
* The kid wanted to play QB....UC was going to move him to another position and UL promised him they'd keep him at QB. Simple as that. Though it smells like Strong would tell the kid anything to get him in the door and then worry about the position change later, especially since noone else wanted him at QB
 
* Brown has the talent to play QB, it will just take a few years to groom him into an actual QB and not just a runningback lining up under center like he did in high school. A rebuilding program like UL can afford to take that risk on him, UC cant

Paw knows best

I watched the WVU game with my Dad, who takes losses about as well as I do (he wants to fire Pitino, says he can't coach close games; he has a point, but a subject for a later post). Anywho, his theory on the struggles of Edgar Sosa and Jerry Smith, at least in terms of leadership, is from a psychological perspective.

Imagine you live your whole life playing basketball. You live it, you breathe it, you excel at it. All your life you've been told you'll make millions in the NBA one day. Then you realize that you won't. That there are better, quicker players out there, and that your future is likely playing ball in a foreign country. In your senior year, your last year...wouldn't you force a little? Try and make one last "wow" play for the scouts?

Edgar Sosa and Jerry Smith, our seniors linked at the hip since arrival. They've experienced the highs and lows of college basketball. They have 10 games remaining in their Cardinal careers to place a stamp and define their legacy.

An embedded video is worth a thousand words

I linked it earlier, but watch it again, it's just too appropriate...

Running the table

It's in the back of the mind of UofL fans everywhere, we may as well get it out on the table. Yes, the Cards have opportunities to get key wins and still snag an at large. But...it's February, and we have only one win over a team in the RPI top 50. It's looking increasingly likely that our road to The Dance has to come from running the table in the Big East tournament. In the toughest conference in college basketball, it's a monumental task.

But does anyone doubt the Cards ability to do so? We've haven't shown much, but we've shown there's no squad in the country that can outclass us from a talent perspective. Once the Cards learn to win, if the lesson sinks, the aspirations we had at the beginning of the season are still attainable.

But I'm concerned about our team's confidence level. There's only so many times you can pick yourself up off the mat. The frustration we feel is underscored by the this team's potential; an entire city thinking like Nick Nolte in Blue Chips: "Don't you know how bad I want to see this team play?!? I want to see this team play so fucking bad I can taste it!!!".

Do not give up on this team. Go Cards.

Three pointers and leadership

I've suggested it before and I'm nothing short of begging now: we are chucking up too many threes at the end of ballgames, and it's costing us dearly. If I had to guess about the team's psychology, I would say that they're forcing unneeded three balls because they are desperate to put away the opponent, as rapidly as they can, lest they face another final-minute scenario with the game on the line, which by now we all recognize has completely spooked the Cards. But playing long-ball is not the right way to protect a lead or battle down the stretch, even when you're shooting it as well as the Cards did last Saturday. In absence of veteran players who should know this, the coaching staff has to impress it upon our younger guns.

The threes are most alluring as a climactic dagger to the heart, breaking the spirit and back of an opponent trying to rally. And the Cards are desperate to deliver. Maybe too desperate. Had Peyton Siva's or Jared Swopshire's late three point attempts gone down against West Virginia, we might now be talking about sweet victory over a constipated-looking coach and 12,000 Mountaineer dimwits. But Siva forced his shot that rimmed in and out. Swopshire found himself too wide open in the corner and he missed too. One after another, time left on the shot clock, the Cards started chucking it up from the perimeter, leaving the Mountaineers with ample time to crawl back from 11 down with 6:46 to play.

Edgar Sosa and Jerry Smith are the veterans; they're the ones that should be asserting control in these late-game situations. That it hasn't worked out that way is, unfortunately, the most obvious running theme of our entire year. Sosa and Smith have left in their college careers 10 regular season games, including tonight against Connecticut, to try and rewrite the script. Good luck guys. Go Cards.

Willard: "The final thing is you have to make some shots"

For all my admiration of the man, this is the first time I've actually heard or seen Ralph Willard speak as Louisville assistant coach. See the short post-game video here. Regarding the now infamous out of bounds call on Louisville, Willard notes that the refs originally made no call, only to head to the scorer's table to review tape in reference to the shot clock, then out of that conference claim they saw Louisville knock the ball out of bounds. Otherwise, Willard diagnoses the Cards' many ills during the game's final minutes.