Tag Archives: Kentucky Wildcats

Louisville CardFile: Kentucky

Basketball, ,

At the 11:54 media timeout of the opening half, the Louisville Cardinals had not scored for 5:45, missed their last eight field goal attempts, had given up an 0-5 run to Kentucky, and were behind 6-9.

But something eerily telling about the game’s outcome had already become evident.

The Wildcats had committed 6 fouls. Louisville would be in the bonus the rest of the half.

Because I am a diehard Cardinal fan as well as a conscientious reporter of the action, along with copious game notes on a legal pad, I also jot down in all caps along the margin, admonitions and exhortations.

Here’s what I wrote at the early juncture of the rivalry tussle: “MAKE FTS WIN GAME.”

In my mind, I was invoking a personal spirit force I call the Two Arts. That would be Arthur Kaplan, my father who introduced me to Cardinal hoops, and with whom I sat at games for the last 11 years of his life. And Art Zubrod, who had the seats right behind us in Freedom Hall.

They were obsessive about the importance of accepting the charity of freebies.

“Make the first one” still rings in my ears whenever a Cardinal steps to the stripe.

And so, sigh, it came to pass. Or, actually, didn’t.

Though it is a somewhat simplistic breakdown of how UK’s 78-70 win evolved — there were obviously other factors including the Wildcats tougher play and execution during critical moments — had U of L made its free throws, it would have won the game. Continue reading Louisville CardFile: Kentucky →

Contemplating the Cardinals Trip to Rupp

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The holiday joyeux dissipated when, in the middle of last night, it struck me that it was big game week.

I awakened from slumber to relieve myself sometime in the early a.m..

From out of the blue — Literally? Figuratively? — I was humming the Chiffons’ “He’s So Fine” in my mind. But, instead of “Doo lang/ Doo lang/ Doo lang” it was “Juzang/ Juzang/ Juzang.”

Not that I haven’t started obsessing consciously and unconsciously about Arch Rival and will be for the next few days, or anything like that.

So, yeah it’s not just big game week, it’s Big Game Week.

No matter how much levity and maturity I’ve tried to muster through the years about this annual affair, no matter that I really don’t interact with any fervent members of the BBN on a regular basis, no matter how long it’s been clear to me that the outcome does not in the long run affect a season’s success, I. Still. Get. Too. Nervous. Too. Soon.

Especially in years like this, when U of L has to travel to Lexington for the game, but has a justifiably legitimate chance to prevail.

So, what I’ve done is gone back and taken a peak at the Cardinals’ victories in Rupp, since the annual series began after the one and only Dream Game in ’83. Which W is known to most Louisville fans simply as “Knoxville.”

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Saturday’s tilt in Rupp will be the 18th in the series. Of the previous 17, U of L has conquered the Wildcats only 4 times. Against 13 Ls. Uh, not so good. Continue reading Contemplating the Cardinals Trip to Rupp →

Louisville CardFile: Kentucky

Football, ,

Saturday evening, with the sting of the Cardinals’ loss still in need of some prescriptive to lessen the pain, with the cloud of the defeat at the hands and feet and speed and strength and dominance of Arch Rival still hovering, I got a message from the person I’ve known longer than anybody else in my life.

RVY and I met when when we were 6 or 7 years old, and our older brothers were playing football at Atherton HS. We’d pitch and catch the pigskin and play along the edges of practice, when our dad’s took us. Which was often.

He went to Belknap. I went to Longfellow. But our paths crossed again at Highland Jr. High, and we schooled together through our own years at Atherton, then again when we were law school classmates.

Through the years, we hooped in alleyways, and, as adults, played racquet ball.

As his older brothers were, so was RVY a football player. His father always reminded me of Bear Bryant, his carriage, his demeanor. A man’s man. A football guy.

RVY moved to SEC Country a few years back. Which makes sense.

He always loved the Cats. As I have always loved the Cards. Continue reading Louisville CardFile: Kentucky →

Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week IX

Football, Gaming, ,

I remember being at some party back in the day, and there was a fellow I didn’t know who had obviously been trying to hook up to no avail with an attractive lady, whom I also didn’t know, but very much intended to try and meet.

“I’ve been trying to get in touch with you,” he told her as I eavesdropped. “But you never return my calls.”

“Listen,” she replied, “if your phone doesn’t ring, it’s me on the line.”

She turned and walked away.

Which is how I felt — kinda — after another perfecto weekend, my second in the last three weeks, third of the season.

Did I hear from either of my arch nemeses, Badger Billy or Doppelgänger Boris, offering some props?

Of course not. Mum was obviously the word.

(And, should I deign to mention the latter’s name again, it will simply be Boris. The rest is too unwieldy and umlautian.)

I was laying in wait for Badger Billy, had he reached out. He would have given me shit as usual for picking another slate of easy games. Even though Oregon was an underdog at UDub, and Michigan really needed a W in State College, and almost came back and got it.

Then I’d have said, “Hmmm, yeah, I guess I could have picked your Badgers, the biggest sure thing on the board over the Fightin’ Illini.”

Mic I didn’t get a chance to drop.

So, yeah, 5-0 pushes me to 28-14 for the season, a hefty 67% on the correctitude meter.

This week’s winners: Continue reading Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week IX →

Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week VIII

Football, Gaming, ,

Realizing that much of the time — some would say most all the time — my predictions are less than estimable, I try to keep this weekly exercise you are reading as entertaining as my feeble wordsmithery can provide.

So, about sundown last Saturday, an idea for this lede came to mind.

The week got off to a less than auspicious beginning, on Wednesday no less, when App State two-stepped out of my beloved bayou country with a W in Lafayette. Boomer Sooner confirmed it presently holds title to the Red River, and that it has some D to go with that O, and it was Horns Down in Dallas.

I had a feeling after those two miscues that my projection of Khalil Tate into the Heisman discussion with an Arizona W later over UDub was delusional. And so, it came to pass.

Kentucky was down at the half to the Razorbacks, and it looked like my only hope for a W on the weekend was my Cardinals, in whom I had full faith they’d indeed down Wake Forest.

So I would have been 1-4 had Woooooo Pig Sooey held on, and a noted Harry Nilsson tune came to mind, and how I could riff on how one isn’t the loneliest number when the 1(one) is your favorite squad. (FYI, Three Dog Night didn’t write it, they just had a big hit with it.)

Buuuuut, even that didn’t work out. Kentucky prevailed, causing the entire membership of the Little Rock QB Club to call an emergency session to figure out a way to provide one Robert Petrino in Exile a second second chance.

So, 2-3 it was but a few days after a perfecto. 23-14 on the season is 62% correct. Not bad, but, as is always the case, I expect to be back totally on track this weekend, after a slight careening off the rails.

This week’s winners: Continue reading Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week VIII →

Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week VII

Football, Gaming, ,

Before moving on to this coming weekend’s predictionary proclamations, let’s take the traditional one last look, shall we, at last week’s results?

I believe it would be prudent and informative.

Cincinnati ✔︎

Nebraska ✔︎

Florida ✔︎

Liberty ✔︎

Louisville ✔︎

Pulling out the slide rule — I remain old school in some regards, most regards actually — let’s do the math. Five predictions. Five winners.

My oh my, seems after all the tabulations have been calculated that I was 5 for 5, which is, no rounding up necessary, 100%.

As the U of L Cardinal broadcaster of my youth Uncle Ed Kallay would say, “You can’t get much better than that.”

Which brings my season stats to 21-11, and, rounding up, that means I’ve been 66% correct for the campaign. 65.625% if you’re picking nits.

Just sayin’.

This weekend’s winners: Continue reading Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week VII →

Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week IV

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Quick recap: Purdue’s defense played like they’d been drinking boilermakers instead of engineering and building them. The Tar Heels came back to earth. Florida State self destructed. Again. Kentucky did what Kentucky has traditionally done. And the University of Louisville Cardinals continue to show improvement, but that they still have a way to go.

Which is to, in an oh so subtle manner, advise that the kid was a perfect 5-0 last weekend.

Not bad for someone who believes the shtick is more important than the predictions.

12-5 for the year rounds out to 70% correctitude. I’ll take it.

No reason then to prattle on verbosely.

Hear me now and believe me later, here are this week’s winners: Continue reading Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week IV →

Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week III

Football,

Because of its overtime rules, one team always wins in college football, and one team always loses. It’s the essence of the game. (Don’t get me started on the NFL’s stupid and illogical OT process.)

But there are teams and coaches that not only lose — or every so often prevail — which still have regrettable weekends.

Like Chip Kelly, one time offensive savant, who has gone from Quackus Maximus in Eugene to Bruinius Minimus in Westwood. His offensive prowess has been apparently lost along the way and his punchless UCLA squad fell for the first time in forever to San Diego State.

Like Louisiana Monroe’s placekicker, who shall remain nameless, who missed that conversion in OT that would have kept the Warhawks alive against Florida State. And, for that matter, the peripatetic Willie Taggert — three schools in the last four years — who may very well be on the move yet again if his Seminoles keep blowing big leads. Keep the moving vans on speed dial, dude, your old office at South Florida might be vacant soon.

Like the under-suicide-watch whole sovereign state of Rocky Top, which has turned Felice and Boudleaux Bryant’s bluegrass classic into the most incessant and reviled fight song in sports.

And, like yours truly, whose picks of Texas (So much for turning off the visitor’s locker room AC), and Nebraska (Perhaps Scott Frost should never have claimed that national crown at UCF), and Syracuse (Is Maryland the yang to Tennessee’s yin, or vice versa?), all were ill advised.

(And, to those negatitudinists who contacted me personally for besmirchment — I’m talking about you Badger Billy and Doppelgänger Boris — let’s see how this plays out over the course of the entire season.)

But the locals came through as predicted. 2-3 for the weekend, leaving me on the plus side for the season at 7-5.

This week’s winners: Continue reading Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week III →

The Brackets are Coming, The Brackets are Coming, Part I

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I’ve double checked my algorithms, hacked into the ACC database, perused the conference standings, studied the league tourney bracket, invoked the spirit of Billy Packer, crunched the numbers, consulted Madame Ruth at 34th and Vine, and thus make this prognostication:

The University of Louisville Cardinals will be the #7 seed in next week’s Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. Which, if said prediction is correct, means the Cards will play at 7:00 PM next Wednesday at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, and on your telly at Spectrum Channel 924.

They’ll play the victor of the 1st round matchup between the #10 and #15 seeds. Which could be any of the six bottom feeders of the league. When I tried to calculate which schools are more likely to settle into those spots, my computer said, “No Mas!”

 * * * * *

As long as we are looking and longing toward the horizon, let’s talk about Sunday a week, and the week that follows. Continue reading The Brackets are Coming, The Brackets are Coming, Part I →

Tuesday’s Hoop Dee Doo

Announcing, Basketball, ,

Late on weekday afternoons during hoops season on ESPNU, they show replays. Sometimes from games the night before, or from the previous weekend. Sometimes classics from the past.

On Monday, in advance of UVa’s bounceback W in Chapel Hill, the station showed a couple of Cavalier/ Tar Heels battles from yesteryear. Which I found both fascinating and telling, fostering memories.

The first was an ACC tourney semi from ’91.

Kentuckian Jeff Jones, then the youngest coach in the land, was leading the Wahoos. Rick Fox and King Rice were ballin’ for Dean Smith. The three point line was that short one they used in its early days.

They cut to the studio for an update from the SEC tourney. John Saunders sidekick was a fella named Rick Pitino with a full head of hair between coaching stops. They chatted briefly about whether Allen Houston, then playing for his dad at Tennessee, would leave early for the NBA.

The play by play and color guys were Mike Patrick and Dick Vitale.  Continue reading Tuesday’s Hoop Dee Doo →