All posts by seedyk

Hoopaholic’s Gazette: The Silence Screams

Basketball, ,

Is it the lies?/ Is it the style?/ It’s a mercenary territory/ I wish you knew the story/ I’ve been out here so long dreamin’ up songs/ I’m temporarily qualmless and sinking

Ignoring my own admonition, that what I see while staring relentlessly into the weltschmertz of the Portal.

Mercenary territory.

Wish I knew the story.

Lots of ballers, thousands of them — 3,500 according to Seth Davis, only 500 committed — scurrying about, hands out.*

*Before we go any further, I want to explain something. I do not wish to come across as some cranky old guy, objectifying how much better it was in the good old days, two hand set shot and all. How loyalty mattered. Yes, I’m cranky. And old. But I accept the new reality, as mondo bizzaro as it is getting. 

It’s just driving this hoopaholic nuts.

The silence is deafening. Continue reading Hoopaholic’s Gazette: The Silence Screams →

Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Pryor & the Portal & the Carousel

Basketball,

Kasean Pryor, you’re on the clock.

Will you stay? Or will you go?

The Cardinal Nation turns its wondering eyes to you.

By all accounts, including somewhat prevaricating statements by Pat Kelsey, the Cardinal big is trying to negotiate a bigger NIL deal from the university and 502Circle.

It is hard not to think of the analogous situation to that of former Tennessee Volunteer QB Nico Iamaleava. Which is all the buzz among those of us who can’t get enough of the turmoil enveloping the world of commerce vs. college sports.

He had a deal with Rocky Top for $2mill a year for 4 years. So it is reported. Which is actually more than the $8mill, since he started getting stipends while still a prepster. Seems he feels he’s now worth $4mill per season.

Given his good but far from top shelf stats, it appears he and his financial team are misoverestimating his value. Vols coach Josh Heupel certainly thinks so.

Sayonara, dude, best of luck to ya. Continue reading Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Pryor & the Portal & the Carousel →

Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Withdrawal >> Anticipation

Basketball

In the 70s I was a sorta hippie*, masquerading as a counselor-at-law** at Legal Aid.

*I was fully immersed in the stoner, sex, drugs & rock & roll part, but never went full patchouli.

**I have classmates to this day who have never quite figured out how I scored enough points to pass the bar exam. Given that I spent the evening before the last day in Cincy at a concert by The Who and The James Gang. More than surprised myself actually.

During the holidays our office abided by the Schuetze plan. Half the staff would have off Christmas week, the rest New Year’s week. I’d always take the latter.

My propensity for a life of frolic cranked to 11 would come to a screeching, depressing road block New Year’s night, right about halftime of the Orange Bowl. The grind returned with the morning’s dawn. A pall ensued.

These days my life is more subdued. Understatement that.

But that same feeling of emptiness arrives on the morning after the final Monday of the hoops season. Continue reading Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Withdrawal >> Anticipation →

Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Saturday Night Alright Alright!!!

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Gonna set this Dance alight/ Cause Saturday night’s the night I like/ Saturday night’s alright alright

During a full immersion into the hoops extravaganza that stands among the greatest since Sir Charles busted Naismith’s last peach basket, I thought of an eve in the iconic summer of ’70.

The Mailman and I were sitting on my back stoop, deciding to smoke one joint after another, in perpetuity or until we ran out, to see where it took us.

Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’.

At one point along the way I wondered aloud, “What if in the future, they discover this stuff’s really healthy for you?”

To which my less sanguine, less romantic, more practical partner in crime deadpanned, “I don’t believe that’s the discovery they’ll make.”

We did not OD. Although we might have visited an alternative reality. Or two.

Nor did I last night after the Houston comeback over Duke somehow bested the bloodbath of Gators chomping Tigers. But if the Blue Devils had somehow tied on that last possession, I’ve no doubt I would have had to check myself back into treatment this morning.

No mas, fully sated, I pleaded. Continue reading Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Saturday Night Alright Alright!!! →

P(ortal) K(iller), Qu’est-ce que c’est?

Basketball, ,

What is this?

This is . . .

. . . Fa fa fa fa, fa fa fa fa fa fantastic.

I happened upon a videocast yesterday from Field of 68, on which insider’s insider Jeff Goodman and another fellow were interviewing new UVa coach Ryan Odom and Pat Kelsey.

When the subject of the week’s transfer portal haul came up, PK was all PK.

With that frat boy/ fan boy kind of enthusiasm, he said something to the effect, “Last year this time, we had zero stinkin’ recruits.”

As I recall, it was well into May, or later, when some announcements came. Like this year, in a flurry.

In 2025 starting on April Fool’s Day — joke not on Cardinal Nation . . .

. . . Pat Kelsey = Portal Kelsey = P(ortal) K(iller).

That’s what it is what it is. Continue reading P(ortal) K(iller), Qu’est-ce que c’est? →

Diagnosis: Portal Stress Syndrome

Basketball, , ,

It seemed a fascinating, obviously delusional comment to one of the many articles about Kevin Willard’s Week of Waffling. After it became obvious he was Mainline bound, jumping ship in College Park. (To be replaced with peripatetic Buzz Williams, late of Texas Aggies.)

A number of Terrapin fans weighed in. Invective reigned.

The specific comment was something to the effect of “Maryland has the most dedicated basketball fans of any school in the country.”

Unable to help myself, I immediately replied, “Really? You heard of Kentucky? Kansas? Indiana?” To name but a few.

Some fan bases are bigger. More vocal. Travel better. More obnoxious, if only to their opposites at arch rival.

But fans are fans.

Fan is derived from “fanatic.” Or so I’d surmise.

From the Latin fanaticus. “Mad, enthusiastic, inspired by a god.” At least according to one etymology site. Other “theories.” From the 1520s, “zealous person.” From the 1640s, “a furious person.”

“A fanatic is someone who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject.” Attributed to Winston Churchill.

You get the point. Continue reading Diagnosis: Portal Stress Syndrome →

Chalk Talk: Last Four on the Floor & More

Basketball,

Yeah, chalk talk . . .

. . . . because, obviously, the four #1 seeds are the quartet that remain in play. Chalk.

And, because it reminded me that my first foray into sports punditry was titled “Chuck’s Chalk Talk.” In the early 60s for the Atherton Aerial. Indeed that’s the actual logo above.

Not only is this foursome this year’s best, they each rank in Ken Pomeroy’s Top 10 for all the seasons he’s been at it. Since ’96-’97. They all have adjusted O and adjusted D in the top ten this campaign, factoring in of course their Dance moves.

Plus, and it may be of interest only to me, yet something that simply makes me smile. Three of the coaches are of the Hebrew Persuasion. Bruce Pearl. Todd Golden. Jon Scheyer. The latter two of which have dual citizenship with Israel.

Not to be left out, Houston Cougar Emmanual Sharp is also an Israeli citizen.

A Star of David Final Four.

 * * * * *

Those of us who live beyond the Mason Dixon Line, figuratively if not literally, and outside the Confederate States of America are grateful the uberheralded SEC only has a couple still standing, one of which will battle Monday night. Continue reading Chalk Talk: Last Four on the Floor & More →

The Cardinals: Who’s Got Next?

Basketball, ,

Been rereading what I along with many others consider among the best primers on the process of writing.

Anne Lamott’s “Bird by Bird.”

It’s aimed at those wanting to write fiction, novels, short stories. But, there are more than a few observers believe fiction is what appears in this space a lot of the time.

One of her bits of wisdom is to follow where the story, plot development and flushing out of characters take the writer. Don’t be stubborn, locked in to what you thought might happen when you started typing.

On occasion in advance of a Cardinal game, a GameCap lede will come to me in advance, be it peripheral or pertinent. Sometimes it works win or lose. Like that I used for the Cal game the final week of the season.

Other times, it is victory specific. Which, for superstitious reasons, I’ll never write in advance.

Such as what was swirling around in my my hippocampus and amygdala  before the Creighton tilt.

The whole bird thing. Cardinals vs. Blue Jays. Which bird was tougher, meaner? If that could be researched? I had in mind throwing  in some college board lingo, the French term oiseaux, along with probably the term ornithological.

Well, given the result that wasn’t going to happen.

In the car the day after, a tune by a group called Futurebirds came on Sirius XM’s Jam Band site. Continue reading The Cardinals: Who’s Got Next? →

U of L GameCap: Creighton

Basketball, ,

Louisville 75, Creighton 89.

This is not the way a magical turnaround season for the Louisville Cardinals “should” have ended.

But it is how it did come to a close.

I am sad.

I am disappointed.

Every Cardinal fan is going to have their own take on what broke down for the Cards on Thursday afternoon. To be honest, I’m not sure I even wish to peek down that rabbit hole.

And, at some point or another, I might. Or maybe not. Probably not.

The year was simply too  surprisingly joyous a reinstatement of Louisville Basketball to dwell on what may have just been inevitable, all things considered.

There is but a singular statistic that I am choosing to wrap my arms around this gray, too cold beginning-of-spring afternoon.

2,191. Continue reading U of L GameCap: Creighton →

Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Seeding Tsuris

Basketball, ,

“This song, a girl took it away from me. A friend of mine. This girl just took this song. I’m gonna do it anyway.”

After which intro at Monterey Pop in ’67, Otis Redding, backed by Duck Dunn, Steve Cropper, Al Jackson Jr., Booker T. Jones, along with the Memphis Horns — Wayne Jackson and Andrew Love — ripped the joint with an incendiary version of “Respect.”

Aretha’s take was righteous, but My Man Otis, he was something else entirely. The best of them all, y’all.

R*E*S*P*E*C*T.

He took his tune back and proved to be the rightful owner at the hippy gathering.

As, he did when I heard him live at Louisville Gardens a few months before his plane crash.

One more analogy. Then we’ll get to the Cardinals. Continue reading Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Seeding Tsuris →