A 2 nil lead notwithstanding, worry wort that he is, your inveterate chronicler Seedy was seriously stressed after the top of the 1st Sunday night, when the Louisville Cardinals were facing surging Wright State.

Two plate crossings on the scoreboard, and the Cards still had the proverbial three ducks on the pond. With three outs left to work with.

Strike out swinging.

Inning ending 1 > 2 > 3 double play.

Coulda woulda shoulda been a Rocky Marciano first round knock out over Jersey Joe Walcott in ’53.

But nooooooooooo!

Then in the 2d, U of L could have had runners on first and second with rejuvenating slugger Matt Klein at the plate with a couple of outs to work with. But the lead runner was tagged out at third, on a routine not very deep hit to left.

Though the Cards’ aggressiveness on the base paths is a winning stylistic signature, the move seemed  — to silly me anyhow — ill advised then.

Little did I know — my usual default character trait — that Ethan Eberle was going to continue Louisville’s darn remarkable weekend on the mound.

6.1 shutout innings. 11Ks. No real threats.

The proverbial tall drink of water with his side arm stealth — let’s call him The Big Sweep — sealed the Cards hand us the brooms weekend in NashVegas.

Wyatt Danilowicz kept the door shut for the then tired and fading Raiders.

As he and Justin West and Jake Schweitzer had done in relief in the Cardinals’ 3-2 W over the vaunted VandyBoys on Saturday.*

*Guess that midweek 5-4 eight hurler bullpen W over the ‘Dores on May 6 was no fluke.

Like Brennyn Cutts had done on Friday in relief to Patrick Forbes.

What an out of who knows where boffo weekend of baseball for the Cardinal 9. Who frankly came into the NCAA less than steady on their feet.

Throw in timely hitting from the usual suspects — Klein, Lucas Moore, Zion Rose, Eddie King Jr., Kamau Neighbors, Alex Alicea, et al — and it was a sublime 48 hours for Cardinal fans hither and yon.

And, should ACC mate Miami upend Southern Miss tonight in Hattiesburg, the Super this weekend will be at the Jim.

Pitching and hitting pearls on the diamond. These are a few of my favorite things.

 * * * * *

Given my hoopaholism I wondered absurdly whether Wright State’s first time ever defeat of an overall #1 seed before the Regional Final Sunday afternoon would be greeted with the same snarky enthusiasm as UMBC’s takedown of UVa?

Whether, as was the case back then, the Wright State bookstore would be inundated with requests for Raider merch?*

Of course not. But that’s where my wacko mind went.

*I joined the crowd that year. Ordering a Retriever ballcap. I should have known it was a silly move. The UMBC campus store site already had a notice posted as to how they’d been inundated with requests, and it might take weeks to fill the orders. About a month later, I finally received a package. Containing a women’s t-shirt. True.

 * * * * *

Because Florida State’s advancement to the second weekend ran over, and was on the ACC Network, the U of L game last night started out on the +.

I chose to listen to Sean Moth’s call instead.

Because, among its many quirks and eccentricities, baseball lends itself to radio.

Should you want to hear such at its most brilliant, go to youtube and bring up Vin Scully’s call of the final inning of Sandy Koufax’s perfecto.

Elegant is the word that comes to mind.

— c d kaplan