Because it’s how we roll here, let’s start this shoutout to the Cardinal 9, returning to a Quest for Omaha for first time in three seasons, with a concert last Saturday evening.

Music informs sports, one might say. Me. Or, vice versa?

“This is It”, right? What legit U of L fan doesn’t identify that ditty with a most special moment.

Mandolin maestro Sam Bush played that sweet little festival in Paristown over the weekend.

He who sort of invented newgrass music, and sort of adopted our burg as his hometown after growing up in Bowling Green, appropriately opened his ever energetic set with Grandpa Jones’ “Eight More Miles to Louisville.”

Then did Tim Krekel’s “All Night Radio.” Which could very well be the anthem for those of us who were 12 year old insecure chubbies, but found succor listening to WLAC through an earplug on his transistor radio beside his pillow.*

*God bless Mom and Dad, who never minded. 

Where was I when the lights went out?/ Up in my room listening to twist and shout
Hot summer nights by the window fan/ Out on the airwave, a big dance band/ On the all night radio…/ I gotta hear the new sound/ From across the ocean/ All strange and soulful,/ Full of new emotion

Now to the point — Louisville baseball is in need of a restart. Too many late season meltdowns in recent years.

Bush’s third tune was a reggae-inspired rave up Peter Rowan wrote for Newgrass Revival, titled “Revival.”

Cause we’re gonna have a revival/ Gonna have a revival/ Everybody to the revival/ Yeah, we’re gonna have a revival/ Yes, we’re going to have a revival/ …revival/ A revival/ …revival/ Oh yeah

So, yeah, Cardinal fans be hoping that when the smoke clears in NashVegas this weekend, it’ll be like Easter Sunday in the JazzFest Gospel Tent. Where I’ve been when the spirit force was such it felt like we were levitating.

U of L is the #2 seed in the region with overall numero uno, Vanderbilt. Which, if the S Curve is actually used, means the selection committee has dubbed the Cards the 32d best squad in the land.

But, hey, it’s baseball. NCAA tourney baseball. Where strangeness ensues. Dare I mention how the Burdi brothers melted down in consecutive seasons? Which I did in hopes that those remembrances are buried forever.

So here’s what the 35-21 Cards do have going for them, proving they are capable of making a run. 12 Quad 1 victories. 7-4 against Top Ten schools. Including 2 of 3 over Florida State, a season opening W over SEC regular season champ Texas.

And that mid-week dub over this weekend’s host, the Commodores. That 5-4 eight hurler bullpen win was led by Lucas Moore’s two hits and three RBIs.

But, hey, it’s the post season, and we must remember Rule #1. You only play whom you play.

That would be damn good 41-15 Southern Conference champion East Tennessee State at 2:00 pm on Friday. In a game considered so nationally relevant, it shall show on ESPN+.

Beat the Buccaneers.

It’s time for a revival. Oh yeah.

— c d kaplan