Tag Archives: Louisville Cardinals

A Chronicler’s Mea Culpa

Baseball, Sportswriting,

“Or, so it seemed.”

If only I’d read the tip from a wiser scribe than myself, you my ostensibly loyal readers might have read something here about the Louisville Cardinal Nine’s loss on Saturday.

But . . . well . . . I didn’t hear the advice . . . and you didn’t get a gamecap. Which you probably wouldn’t have read anyway, because the Cards lost, which generally is the proximate cause of fewer views among the fan base.

So here as Paul Harvey would intone is the rest of the story.

For some inexplicable reason, I wrote a lede to my planned Saturday game recap in advance. In which I used the term “CWS-bound Cards” even though the game had not been played yet. Continue reading A Chronicler’s Mea Culpa →

Super Duper: Cards Omaha Bound

Baseball,

The easy take, one arguably misinformed, is that the now once-streaking-until-they-weren’t CWS-bound Louisville Cardinals limped into the NCAA.

Uh, guilty.

The harsher view, the Stephen A-ish knee jerk bloviational rant: The Cards backed into the tourney. Hard, but one that got a few clicks, given how nastiness is a default character trait in these social media days. Negativitude seems to be an aspiration for many.

U of L lost 6 of its last 7. The coup de grace, a 13-11 L to lowly Pitt in the squad’s one and done appearance in the ACC tourney.

The promise of those two Ws (out of 3) in that season opening showcase near JerryWorld, kickstarting six and eight game winning skeins, seemed to have died on the vine.

Taking of season series against Super Regional participants North Carolina and Florida State were just, who knows. baseball luck. That the win over #1 seed VandyBoys in May was simply a midweek aberration.

Recent late season meltdowns fueled the dismay among fans of the Cardinal Nine.

Now, looking back with fresh eyes, and documentation that those takes were if not illformed at least of zero consequence, there might have been a hint of what was to come from that loss to the Panthers in Durham. Continue reading Super Duper: Cards Omaha Bound →

Seedy K’s GameCap: Cards 8, Canes 1.

Baseball,

The cleaning crews were scurrying about on Thursday (Practice/ Media Day) at the Jim. It was obvious the Cards from nowhere sweep of the Regional had caught the powers that be off guard.

The place was getting hosed down from stem to stern.

Snack bars were swabbed down and replenished with Cracker Jack and brewski in advance of crowds that bought out the joint within hours of when tickets went on sale.

It appeared that the effort had been going on for awhile.

Some tasks take time.

Like getting the interweb connection to Miami to work for the visitor’s meet and greet.

Some tasks turn in the proverbial blink of an eye.

The Cards fashioned the latter in the twice rain delayed Super Regional opener against Miami Friday. Continue reading Seedy K’s GameCap: Cards 8, Canes 1. →

GRC: The New Now: Hoopaholic’s Gazette

Basketball,

In my already sports-obsessed yout, I tried to emulate a few years older similarly addled neighbor friend across the street.

He collected game programs.*

*For those readers who might not understand. Once before the dawn of time in a world long ago far away, they’d sell programs at games. Rosters. Scorecards. Bios. Stories. Ads from the local dairy. Often a very cool cover graphic. Hence the origin of a no longer heard huckster cry, “You can’t tell the players without a program.”

His vast collection was pretty robust.

Mine, meager.

Somewhere along the way, a relative got me program from a Michigan football game. Underneath the roster list there was a pronunciation guide.*

*Not unique to the Wolverine squad — most schools, even today in media guides, provide such info if there might be a name hard to pronounce. 

Michigan football, at least back then, had more than a fair share. And not just players from nearby Hamtramck, then an enclave for Polish Americans. Evashevski. Oosterbaan. Skrepenak. Lazetich.

Which peripheral, actually legitimately related to the topic at hand meandering leads me to this, the rebirth of an era in college hoops when pronunciation guides are not only de rigueur but mandatory.

Which has led me to coin a new acronym, which has received the approval of fellow hoopaholic Smarts. Continue reading GRC: The New Now: Hoopaholic’s Gazette →

Diamonds and Pearls: Cards Sweep

Baseball, College Sports,

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! Continue reading Diamonds and Pearls: Cards Sweep →

Seedy K GameCap: Louisville 8 , ETSU 3

Baseball, ,

Transparency here is imperative.

I have not paid as much attention to Cardinal baseball this season as I wished, as I have in years past.

It happens. Too often real life gets in the way.

Which is to say, I harbor zero belief that anything you read in this recap is anything approaching astute. Much of it many readers will already know, say “Duh” to themselves wondering why I’d dare to even comment. Others who watched the telecast on ESPN+ will go, “Hold on, Seedy’s just parroting stuff they mentioned during the game.”

Guilty. As. Charged.

If you decide to bail on the rest of this “insight” here and now, have at it. I might were I not actually writing to fulfill my contractual obligations with Glorious Editor.

 * * * * *

This first oddity I noted to myself, which wasn’t odd at all really, is that Dan McDonnell started the Cards quest for Omaha with Patrick Forbes on the mound. 4-4. A period of arm trouble kinda recently. And less than 40 innings of experience hurling at the collegiate level.

Well, as Seedy learned, Forbes was the Cards opening day starter. During which outing, he Ked 12 Texas Longhorns in an eventual 4-3 10 inning W over the SEC regular season champs. Though he didn’t have any Ws since March. Continue reading Seedy K GameCap: Louisville 8 , ETSU 3 →

Revival for Cardinal 9?

Baseball,

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. Continue reading Revival for Cardinal 9? →

Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Back to the Day

Basketball,

If there was any doubt that Pat Kelsey (with Josh Heird holding the ladder) gets it — and frankly there should not have been any whatsoever were you paying attention — fuhgeddatboutit now.

The notion that PK might not fully understand Louisville Cardinal Basketball can be tossed in the trash with that old rotary phone, that Flowbee haircutter you bought one night when stoned watching horror flicks, buggy whips, three on the tree gear shifters, slide rules, that basement full of nutritional powder you bought when taking a flyer on multi level marketing, and your Bed Bath & Beyond discount postcards.

Rivalries ‘r’ Us.

Back to where we once belonged.

Before UK was forced into an annual series with U of L, thanks to a gubernatorial edict and that OT setback in Stokely, the Cards had two main rivals.

Fierce antagonists.

Memphis State.

Cincinnati.

And, in a whirlwind of announcements, we’ve learned that both are back on the schedule. Continue reading Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Back to the Day →

Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Monday Morning PG

Basketball, ,

This opening bit is for The Professor.

Who was indeed a real prof, and an eminent one at that at the Law School.

But, as is par for the course here, it’s a serpentine route to get to the point.*

*Some call if filler. Some call it shtick. I dunno. 

Anyhow, I’m not a betting guy.

Those incessant adverts for betyourentire401kothisabsurdprop.com promising $500 in bonus moolah if your first buck down on Steph Curry to net 11 triples against the Rockets wins, those lures roll over me. The bait stays on the hook. I’m a many of many chronic obsessions, betting thankfully has never been one.

But . . . were I bettin’ dude . . . there’s one I’d be mighty sure of winning.

It would be that new Louisville sharpshooting guard Ryan Conwell has never heard of Ricky Nelson.*

*Warned you this would be circuitous.  Continue reading Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Monday Morning PG →

Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Commotion, Relegation>Elevation

Basketball, ,

Come on Baby, do the Loco-Commotion

Skewed lyric to fit. With apologies to Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Little Eva and Mark Farner.

“What’s the commotion,” Kasean Pryor inquired via social media?

You mean, Kasean, like why were Cardinal fans fretting when you waited to (almost) the last minute to reveal you’d cut the deal with 502Circle to pledge your unwavering troth for another campaign at U of L?

That commotion?

C’mon, dude.

Speaking of almost waiting until deadline, how ’bout James Scott?

On the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride, give or take a day or two, the (former) Cardinal pivot bid his verily unanticipated adieu to the Ville, hitching a ride on that carriage of Cinderella before it turned into a pumpkin.

Commotion begat Loco-Commotion. Continue reading Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Commotion, Relegation>Elevation →