Having watched too much hoops, the other night I went surfing for a movie to stream.
I saw that one of the ’21 flicks I didn’t see in a movie house was online.
“Nightmare Alley.”
I clicked Play.
Literally, no more than five minutes in, I said to myself, “This is going to be way too depressing, too dark. Life’s too out of sorts already. I’m not going to put myself through this.”
Instead I watched a couple episodes of always enjoyable and light “Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee.”
* * * * *
Thought it is no less dark, no less depressing, I still can’t not watch U of L basketball.
But, to somewhat assuage my guilt, I’ll own I didn’t go to the Yum!. Instead endured the increasingly insufferable Corey Alexander, watching on the telly.
I have no legit excuse. I get in free. There would have been plenty of available media seats by the court, instead of my usual spot in the corner. Fair weather.
It wasn’t that I’ve given up on the team or the program. I’m a lifer.
But. so despondent am I about the state of Cardinal basketball, I just couldn’t endure live and in person what I was absolutely certain the whole experience would be like.
Shame on me.
Before the game, Smart Guy kept texting photos of the empty stands. One with 30 minutes until tip. One at ten minutes. During the national anthem.
“Enough,” I wrote, “I get the point.”
Not that I’m any more hopeful of a different outcome, my intention is to be there Saturday.
Just couldn’t do it tonight.
* * * * *
Here’s the U of L season in microcosm.
Down ten at intermission, U of L hit its first seven field goals of the 2d.
And were still down 8 at 40-48. D was less than tenacious. Considerably so.
Down 54-60, with the delusion of a chance faintly glimmering, Mike Pegues called timeout to set up a play.
The Cards frittered away the possession. Shot Clock violation.
On Miami’s ensuing set, Isaiah Wong nailed a triple. While being fouled by Jae’Lyn Withers. Four point play. 54-64.
Down three with 1:06 to play, U of L’s endemic bad defense allowed a Hurricane deuce. El Ellis then air balled a trey.
Cardinal defense is, to be generous, porous.
* * * * *
This is now the worst Louisville Cardinal basketball team of my lifetime.
Literally.
It’s Nightmare Alley.
After the game I got a text from The Professor, with whom I’ve watched hundreds of U of L games home and away since the early 60s. He too, but for legitimate health reasons, was not in the Yum!.
“Well at least they battled.”
I responded that “battling is no longer cutting it for me,” mentioning the nadir this edition of the Cards has reached.
Prof: “I agree with you on that but we were at least able to continue watching.”
Insert long, lingering, extensive, guttural F-Bomb!!!!!!!!!!!!
— c d kaplan
I was there, and the 1st half was as bad as I have ever seen( from Cards B Ball), no life, no direction, no promise. A non hustling 25 pts was the result….2nd half was at least a touch more entertaining, Ellis, Locke, and Davis at least made it competitive, god only knows what might have happened if Curry showed up tonight. It’s a long way back, we can do it, maybe not in my lifetime. I do know this, hire goes like this, President, AD, Coach… any variation will culminate in another Mack…. Go Cards…. Go Krogering
It took two years and two interim presidents to hire Neeli Bendapudi. We can’t wait another two months to hire a basketball coach.
Not sure but I think these are the most consecutive loses by a Cardinal basketball team since 1940-41 season. 81 years? Say it ain’t so, Joe.😥
I thought all day about reaching out to my two reliable ticket connections, they always have tickets not being used. I had no reason not to go but kept thinking of reasons not to call my ticket guys. Got to be 6:00 and I thought its too late now. I don’t get whatever they call that channel so I went down to my neighborhood watering hole to watch. Nearly as many empty seats there as in the Yum. I had a round table for 8 to myself in front of a big screen. I can’t quit watching.
Seedy, I remember in Autumn saying to you in an email Louisville would be lucky to win 18 games before the season. Then 15. 13. Now? It’s a foregone conclusion they will not win another game this season. It’s been said ad ad nauseam by myself and others.
Chemistry is non-existent. Players in and out of rotations, unused, overused, “punished.” No “coachability.” It is jaw dropping how this collection of cagers is misread and misused. And when your defense is nonexistent and the offense, putrid, what a nasty ol’ slum gullion stew you’ve got on your hands, cher! It doesn’t get better. It gets worse. Our eyes daren’t lying.
The question now is how long before the program crawls from the wreckage, and sets things right? Or do they end up like Georgetown or, until recently, Indiana. (Hat’s off Mike Woodson! Helluva job.) It’s not just the coach. Time to cut ties with adidas, too.
Last I read, we had a 10 year deal with Adidas. How much would it cost us to get out of that deal and sign with one of their competitors?
Jordan brand, I promise, the recruits will come
CD – I feel your winter of discontent…. Sorry it’s come to this.