Reality Check

Cards fall in Pittsburgh, 20 to 3, bringing this team and our fanbase back down to earth. We still have a ways to go.

A gutsy effort from the D, who went toe to toe against some hefty talent and held their own. But they got no support from the offense, 3 points isn't going to beat anyone. Except Memphis.

Froman took a huge step back, though Justin Burke did his best with one throw to remind us why Froman is still our guy. Froman looked out of sorts for 5/6ths of the game, over and underthrowing receivers (when the ball is sailing 5 feet over Josh Chichester's head, that's a concern). He also takes the lion's share of the blame for the fumble that changed the game. The lineman missed his assignment, but that wasn't Froman's blind side, he needs to be more pocket-aware. Step up and run the ball!

Tough game, tough loss. Charlie Strong was as animated on the sidelines as I've ever seen him, he wanted this game badly. He looked ready to chew out some guys as he was walking off the field. I hope he does.

...and predictions

I see lots of turnovers tomorrow. Whoever wins turnover margin wins the game. Encouraging thing is that we performed well in this department last week -- 3-nil turnover advantage against Connecticut. Meanwhile, Pitt in an otherwise dominant performance last week against Rutgers fumbled the ball three times, losing it once. So this is how we win tomorrow and neutralize their size advantage -- because Pitt has got some big boys -- though lucky for us, Greg Romeus won't be one of them.

If our defense can step up big again to rescue our offense that will flounder at times, the offense will finally put something together in the fourth quarter to pull this one out in a slopfest. Cards over Pitt 27-20. Player of the Game: Darius Ashley, on the strength of those madhouse blindside blitzes.

The truth can make hypocrites of us all

A quick nit. If you've been taking any guff from UK fans over the recruitment of woman-kicker Tony Woods or Preston Knowles' hair brush melee, just remember that their chivalry only extends towards players of other programs.

Sophomore linebacker Ridge Wilson has been promoted to starter and UK's defensive hopes lie largely in his playmaking ability. Wilson, if you recall, has also had run-ins with the law in the past over his hostility towards women.

This is not meant to condone the actions of any of these players, just a friendly reminder in case some fans are getting too comfortable on their high horse.

Predictions, predictions...

I don't think this will be high scoring affair. Pitt has a strong D and I believe the Cards unit will give their offense enough problems to stall drives and force field goals.

For the Cards to win, however, they have to break out of their red zone funk. Scoring opportunities will not be as prevalent, so sustained drives need to be cashed in for 7. I think they'll do so on the strength of an Andrell Smith TD reception and a gutsy Froman scramble.

The defense will give up yards, but not many points, and will win the turnover battle once again. Bilal Powell will be held just shy of 100 yards, but the attention he garners will open it up for others to make plays.

I predict a tense, hard-fought battle that will turn more than a few hairs white with the amount of "almost" plays. The game will be won when a Cardinal steps up and seizes the moment. The Cards are feeling good right now, and are just inexperienced enough not to know that they have no business winning this game. Make sense?

20-13 Cards. Player of the game, Doug Beaumont. Book it.

Angel Rodriguez to visit Louisville

If you're hanging around the Kayefseum tomorrow, keep an eye out for Angel Rodriguez, the 5'11'' point guard out of Miami-Dade, Florida, who will be making his official visit this weekend.

Rodriguez is an intriguing prospect. He's not highly-touted, most services have him ranked as a 2 or 3 star, but some of that stems from being off the radar, moving to Florida from Puerto Rico in 2008 to focus on basketball.

The word that consistently pops up from those evaluating him is toughness. Shaky Rodriguez, his high school coach and legend in his own right, has coached some fine players in his time and puts Rodriguez up there with the best of them...

Angel is a bulldog. When the game's on the line, he's not going to let you lose. Not every great player has that quality. But Angel does.

The thing that is beautiful about Angel is that he's uninterested in the individual side of the game. He's so conscious of the team concept, but he'll go out and get 39 against Columbus because he has to. Then, he'll go have seven points and 10 assists in the next game. He's a special kid with special qualities. It's all about his basketball team. That's the greatest thing a player can have. All his teammates love playing with him.

Haiku against ESPN3

Three, foul and foolish

Blows as a fall wind decays

Pathetic greed, a flask cures

It had to be yoouuu...

Preston Knowles has been named team captain. It didn't take a Nostradamus, but I did forsee this move over the summer; Pitino's tough-love was designed to forge himself a leader.

And it's the right choice. Siva may be the face of the program (to borrow from Coach Strong) but he's still just a sophomore, and at no where outside of Lexington are sophomores expected to be the wise elders of the team.

The Cardinals will have to overachieve this season to become a dangerous basketball team. Every W will have to be earned through sheer effort and toughness. No one knows more about this than Preston Knowles.

Blogidarity

A noun. Meaning a show of support for fellow blogs that you respect and admire. As in, Mr. Red refuses to engage in respectful blogidarity with Kentucky Sports Radio.

But you can show some Cardinal blogidarity by voting Louisville HERE. Steve Springer, I take it, is kin to Charlie Springer, head observer over at Card Game.

I'm sick of seeing other schools win these kind of things. Forget next Tuesday, vote today!

Wherefore art thou Romeus?

Pitt standout defensive end, Greg Romeus, will NOT play against the Cards on Saturday, still suffering effects from a back injury incurred in their season opener. Romeus is a surefire pro, so this news has to thrill Adam Froman.

Also, the Wannstache is very concerned about UofL's running attack.

The New LeBron Commercial, cont'd

Mr. Black came away mildly impressed with the new LeBron ad, and Drew Diener on the Early Birds Morning show won't shut up about it, as if it's a great addition to human art and achievement.

Gag me. I don't like LeBron, and didn't long before the disastrous "Decision". I'm all for company on the anti-Bronwagon, but anyone that is swayed between like and dislike based on this ad is a moron.

Why? Because it's an ad! LeBron didn't write it or produce it, he showed up and read his lines. And the depiction of himself as a tortured and complex athlete-individual being spun through a media/marketing web is nauseating because it's just an extension of that web itself. It only reminds me of the reasons I didn't like LeBron to begin with; he's a self-serious athlete who's chief concern is conveying to the public the trials and tribulations that come from being LeBron James.

Which is fine, sports is better with villains.  But I can't stomach the sports media going gaga over the ad, describing it as "edgy" and "powerful". That's an insult to guys like Ali or Jim Brown, who's actions were actually edgy and powerful, and did not stem from a desire to sell shoes.

So, to answer the question LeBron poses in the ad, what should you do? Just shut up and play basketball. Rant over.

theHoff's Top 25 Breakdown

So this one might be a little less long-winded that past posts (trying saying that three times fast Lou Holtz!!). I'm going to start looking at the BCS standings instead of the AP since they finally start to matter more and more. Well whatdyaknow, the #1 team in the country took another loss!? As of now the top spot has been nothing but a curse. With that said, let's take a look:

BCS Standings:

RK	TEAM	RECORD
1	Auburn	8-0
2	Oregon	7-0
3	Boise State	6-0
4	TCU	8-0
5	Michigan State	8-0
6	Missouri	7-0
7	Alabama	7-1
8	Utah	7-0
9	Oklahoma	6-1
10	Wisconsin	7-1
11	Ohio State	7-1
12	LSU	7-1
13	Stanford	6-1
14	Nebraska	6-1
15	Arizona	6-1
16	Florida State	6-1
17	Oklahoma State	6-1
18	Iowa	5-2
19	Arkansas	5-2
20	South Carolina	5-2
21	Mississippi State	6-2
22	Miami (FL)	5-2
23	Virginia Tech	6-2
24	Nevada	6-1
25	Baylor	6-2

1- Auburn- In probably last week's best game the Tigers took out the Bayou Bengals and crazy uncle Les. Will the curse of #1 bite them?? @ Ole Miss it's doubtful, but I'm always leery of a team that has played two tough opponents in a row (especially when they were both at home). I'm not saying they lose to Ole Miss, but I wouldn't totally throw it out the window. Sometimes when you look at a schedule it's not the big games that scare you as much as the sneaky ones that bite ya in the ass. Just throwing that turd out there. We'll see if it sticks.

2- Oregon- Watching the Ducks play is fun, like peeing in public fun. It's a rush!! Except I'm totally willing to be caught watching Oregon with all my friends, unlike peeing outside. Well maybe with my guy friends.... anyway, I digress. The Ducks play the Fighting Layla Kiffins this week in a game that should be entertaining to say the least. As much as I hate USC I still watch. They're still a talented bunch even if depleted. The fact that it is played at USC makes it a bit more of a ball game, but I think the Ducks take them out by two touchdowns.

3- Boise State- Great , last night you beat a 3-5 WAC team by 29 at home in your cheater jerseys. November 6th you play Hawaii at home. The Rainbows have been a bit of a surprise this year standing at 6-2, and the #1 passing offense in the nation. I've never been to Hawaii, I hear it's nice. Boise ?? Meh, hold the chips...

4- TCU- After Beating Air Force 38-7 they play @ 1-6 UNLV. Go play some craps after the game and wake me when you get ready to play #8 Utah. Then I'll tune in, unless it's not on national TV like the rest of your games. Maybe you can send me a score via the PonyFreakinExpress!

5-Michigan State- The Spartans have passed all their tests so far. Coming off a close win at Northwestern they go to #18 Iowa this weekend. The Spartans have a pretty balanced attack and reality is that this should be their last solid opponent until the Big Ten Championship game*. Michigan State might be undefeated going into the bowl games and have a chance at the BCS title game.

* Quick Google research shows that the Big Ten hasn't had a championship game for football. The first Championship will be next year in early December. Now we might think you're somewhat legitimate. Who says things in the mid west happen slowwww......???? Big Ten Football: Get Excited!!

no, seriously... try to get a little excited...

#6-25 - Look them up yourselves .... I'm kinda busy today. No one really reads this blog anyway...

What to Watch:

Noon: Louisville @ Pitt- ESPN3.com, Which I'm told isn't too terrible. What is terrible is the fact that we were convinced 3-5 years ago that ESPNU would be the place to catch all these games that don't get national coverage, so people got it. Now you're stuck with College Coed Billiards and crap like that....

-Other than Miami (FL) @ UVA I don't see a damn thing I wanna watch.

3:30: #5 Michigan St @ #18 Iowa- Am I the only one out there that thinks whatever head coach beats MSU will spontaneously collapse on the field... anyone?

-#6 Mizzou @ #14 Nebraska- Nebraska might make the Tigers celebration a short lived one after last week's big win.

-Florida vs. Georgia- Neither team is ranked, but I think there's supposed to be a stock the bar party or something.

8:00: #2 Oregon @ USC- Best game of the night, unless you're unlucky enough to have ABC decide to show Ohio St / Minnesota in your area. I hate Ohio St. And the Big Ten.... damn you ABC, don't do this to me!!

Alrighty Boys and Girls, do your part. Get out there, drink some beer, and watch some football!!

He's not a savior, but...

...he helps. Here's a video we posted last spring after the Kentucky Derby Classic of Gorgui Dieng finishing on the fast break and making a mean block.

Gorgui Dieng cleared to play

...at least that's what Eric Crawford just tweeted. If true, the NCAA does have a heartbeat. Great news. Are we allowed to report great news about Louisville basketball? It's been so long...

Highlights from Louisville-UConn

Windy day out there Cards fans? Seek shelter, stay indoors, watch highlights of how we destroyed the Huskies, get pumped up about the weekend's pivotal battle against Pitt.

Recappin

Thumbs UP: Getting our pound of punt return flesh. After Saturday, I'm finally at peace with the un-fair catch. The Cards recovered a muffed punt when the returner admitted post-game that he should have signaled a fair catch, and Doug Beaumont shrugged off a bogus penalty that negated a return TD only to take another one to the house. I think we can finally put that baby to bed.

Thumbs DOWN: The Gatorade bath for Charlie Strong, his second in 4 wins. I'm thrilled with this team's progress too, but please cease this practice until bowl season.

Thumbs UP: Defense, defense, defense. I know UConn is bad, but they're not that bad. Like I said last week, much credit to Vance Bedford for turning this unit into something more than the sum of its parts. The D bends but doesn't break, it ballhawks and swarms tackles, and the mistakes they make they make because of effort, trying too hard to make a play, which is always more forgivable. Seeing Darius Ashley dart full speed on a corner blitz is fun to watch.

Thumbs DOWN: Charlie Strong freaking me out. Full disclosure, I was out of town last Saturday (though my ticket in the UPS FLIGHT DECK was dutifully used) and had to watch the action on a computer. Several times when the announcers were going off on a riff about Strong and his coaching, the camera would pan in on Strong. Even during the game, seeming to sense something, Strong would suddenly look right up and stare into the camera, scaring the hell out of me. It was like he caught me peeping into his bathroom window, which I've been court-ordered not to do anymore.

Thumb UP: The frosh, particularly Hakeem Smith and Deon Rogers. These guys are fully aware of their roles, and are responding to the challenge to step in and immediately make plays.

Thumbs DOWN: Kickoff coverage, which has been a problem all season. Philpott had a great day going 4 for 4 from the field, but he also made two saving tackles on kickoffs. A fine effort, but it's never good for your kicker to be such an accomplished member of your coverage unit.

Thumbs UP: Falling in love with your football team. And, so long as the effort is there, I'll feel the same way even if we lose our last 5 games. Though I disapproved of the Gatorade bath, I still got goosebumps watching the good vibes on display as the last seconds ticked off the clock and the team marched into the locker room. Charlie Strong was keeping his professional bearing, but couldn't keep an irrepressible smile off his face, his players were bouncing by him, good-naturedly ribbing him...it all felt good.

The mix of personalities is there for a memorable squad. Bilal Powell's silent mystique, Josh Bellamy's brashness, Doug Beaumont's work ethic, and Adam Froman scrapping to get every ounce out of his ability.

When you read in the paper about Doug Beaumont beating the training staff to the facilities each morning to bust his ass rehabbing so he could get back on the field as soon as possible, and then watch him single-handedly break the game open, you can't help but sit back in admiration. I love watching this team play.

New LeBron commercial

Unfortunate as it is that the pros always seem to take their stab at conveying remorse in shoe and equipment ads these days, you gotta hand it to his execs at Nike. This is exactly the type of message LeBron James needs to send as the new season gets underway: some regret, a little introspection, and timely dashes of humor.



I first saw this here, if you're interested in the accompanying article. As you might expect, I still side with Cleveland. Pushing back against any revisions to history, here's native Mike Polk's tribute to the Lebron Departure. (hat tip on that one goes to straightpinkie)

First look at these running Cardinals of basketball lore

Highlights from the red-white scrimmage, played at the Yum KFC Chicken Center, interspersed with comments from Pitino's post scrimmage press conference. I guess you know you're in Kentucky/Indiana when scrimmages get press conferences. In addition, C.L. Brown's scrimmage notes can be found on his blog. Charlie Springer wrote up his experience and included a small bit of his own video here.

Philpott!

Chris Philpott probably deserved even greater recognition than our postgame write-up provided. I hadn't thought much about the entirety of Philpott's contributions. This passage from Straightpinkie helped to clarify:

Chris Philpott was critical to the win Saturday. Clearly, going 4-4 on field goal attempts when the offense could not finish drives with touchdowns was important. If the Cards do not get any points on those drives, the outcome of the game could have been much different. However, Philpott also made a couple tackles on long kickoff returns by Connecticut to preserve not only field position, but the UofL lead.

I didn't make the connection about the tackles in addition to the school-record-tying four field goals. But thinking back on the game now, the Pinkie, which is unveiling a new look to its home page this week, is absolutely right. Still wish our red zone offense could give Philpott the day off.Straightpinkie's full account of the game can be found here.