Mr. Black ties the knot

Yes, it's been another quiet week on Cardinal Laws. What do you want from me? I'm following Louisville baseball closely, things hopefully will be getting even more exciting very soon. UofL softball had a season for the ages and laid the foundation for a bright future, but saw its season end disappointingly early. Recruiting rankings continue to shuffle (yawn) but many future Cards are trending upwards, and we're all waiting with bated breath to learn from which hands potential target Montrezl Harrell's scholarship is coming from.

So the wheels continue to turn, but they are turning slowly. Right now my attention is most focused on Mr. Black, you may remember him, he used to write on this site from time to time.

Well, he's gettin' all hitched tomorrey, so I've been busy pressing my tux and practicing my toast that confusingly parallels his life to that of B.J. Flynn. It's clocking in at 16 mins and 38 secs right now, so I'm looking to trim words but really can't find any to spare to explain the extended metaphor properly.

Anywho, send your thoughts and well wishes towards Mr. Black tomorrow, perhaps the most insightful UofL fan I've ever known.

Let's approach this Cardinal summer like those listening to my toast. Somehow, someway, we'll suffer through it.

Big 12 or busted?

The other news/hints/allegations/things left unsaid (Collective Soul anyone? c'mon) while I was gone was that as the conference tectonics continue to shift, they may not be shifting in UofL's favor.

For a long time it was presumed UofL was on-deck for the Big 12 after the battle with West Virginia last year left us on the outside looking in.

Now, the buzz seems to be swarming that if, and that's still a big if, the Big 12 conference chooses to expand, that Florida State and Clemson will be the two added, leaving the Cards in the cold once again.

And I'm starting to develop a frickin' complex here. Akin to the "Seinfeld" episode where Jerry was dating the beautiful Christine Taylor (Ben Stiller's wife, Melody from "Heyyy Dude") and he viewed her perfectly, yet George and Kramer and everyone else saw some hidden flaw that escaped him.

That's how I feel. I mean, I can get some perspective and can see how us or West Virginia was a close call, but Clemson? Frickin' Clemson?

We all know this is being driven by athletics and namely football. But the Cards are at least on par with those Tigers with a trajectory and head coach heading far more skyward.

Our only football drawback is in conference security. Put the Cards securely in the Big 12 and just think what Charlie & Co. could accomplish on the recruiting trail.

Not to mention our basketball and the star power and intrigue that UofL brings to that equation (again, compared with Clemson), and the overall competitiveness and competence from top to bottom our athletic department brings to the equation under Tom Jurich, and once again, I'm stuck staring at a mirror and wondering where my double-chin is than the rest of the world seems to see but I cannot.

I know it's s'posed to do with TV markets and number crunching stats done somewhere in the great beyond, but fuck that. Maybe it should be, but it's not. There's no way in the world that the Clemson Tigers are more attractive than the Louisville Cardinals.

Not with these facilities, not with Charlie Strong engineering The Train, not with Tom Jurich's vision and the way UofL is raking in dough, and not with a fanbase that believes in a Prophecy of a Collision Course more fervently than many hold their own religious beliefs.

Nevertheless, UofL again is in Limbo, and a Big East future seems to be the way the winds are blowing. And the Cardinal faithful perhaps need to start getting jazzed for a future rivalry against Boise State (maybe) for Big East conference supremacy.

I'm worried. But I still hold on to that innate faith, the same spoken of amongst old-timers when the Cards were still playing under the roofed stadium at Old Cardinal. The idea that patience is a virtue, our will undeniable, our future (and sense of humor in pursuit) limitless, and our trajectory still on the Collision Course.

Big 12 or not. That is the question.

Back to work

A full week off and you have my deepest apologies. I hate it when the "real" world interferes, but you don't need my reasons, you need results. So let's get back to it.

The biggest news of the past week was that Louisville basketball is in the market for a new '12 player despite having zero scholarships available. First came news that freshly-released from his VA Tech commitment Montrezl Harrell will be visiting Louisville first among the others he is considering, and that his father even called the Cards the "frontrunner".

And recently the news broke that small forward Dorian Finney-Smith is also transferring from the Hokies and lists Louisville as a possible destination and that point guard Stevie Clark is seeking one of those magical "reclassifications" to become a senior overnight, and that UofL has indicated it would sign him right away.

Now what to make out of all this confusion is anyone's guess. But a few things are clear. One, Swop got screwed. I'm sorry, but if Rick Pitino wants to get on his high horse about his #L1C4 mantra and dedication to running a high character program, then what happened to Swopshire is basically indefensible.

That much at least has to be said or acknowledged by UofL fans if we wish to maintain perspective and intellectual honesty.

Two, it appears Terry Rozier's academic status is much worse than previously thought if Pitino is ready to sign another point guard. I have no idea how the nuts and bolts of this situation can work, since presumably Rozier will still be working to get his grades up over summer. I don't know how his scholarship can be dangled when there's still the possibility he will qualify.

So either the coaching staff has been informed there is zero possibility he will qualify, or others are leaving the program. Rakeem Buckles, again, would be the most likely candidate and rumors have floated he will be going to FIU to finish his career. But if Pitino's ambitions are as grand as is being reported, then there is the possibility that two (or more) may be leaving. Perhaps Kevin Ware's omission from Rick's last blog post on everyone's "To Do" list over the summer was more than just an oversight.

Three, it's difficult to get really excited about any of this, despite the fact the three targets named above are really good players that deserve a lot of excitement when there is this much smoke and mirrors going on.

I don't expect an old coach like Pitino to start learning new tricks at this stage, but one thing on my wish list for whomever takes the helm after him will be a greater degree of transparency, straight talk, and communication with the fans.

No coach needs to be an open book, nor should he be. But geez, after awhile the spin and obfuscation becomes downright insulting to your intelligence. UofL fans can add scholarship numbers, it's not that difficult.

Anyways, sorry my return post is a downer. But it's good to be back. Keep on checking in. Go Cards.