Tag Archives: NCAA Tournament

Cardinal CWS Chatter

Baseball,

The Louisville Cardinal Nine has jammed their way to college baseball’s Final Four.

This is the equivalent of making it to the last Saturday of Hoops with Ian, Grant and Bill on the call.

Like ascending to the CFP semis with Chris and Herbie in the booth.

It’s way cool.

Which is why even I, Mr. Throw Up Some Diversionary Smoke Screen in the Lede, knows better.

And, which meandering I declined the propensity to do after hearing a live version this morning of Bob Marley’s “Jammin'” with a reference to Zion I could have play around with.

The Cards are jammin’.

And hope the fans are jammin’ too.

And hoping the jam is going to last. Continue reading Cardinal CWS Chatter →

U of L CardFile: Oregon State II

Baseball,

In a game as fuhrcackta* as U of L’s 7-6 walk off over Oregon State to stay alive in the CWS, it seems here not as obvious as it may seem to designate the key factor for the victory.

*It’s a Yiddish word, probably misspelled, but I doubt I need to define it for you, if you were tuned into the 9th inning. (If not, shame on ya.)

Of course, slugger Eddie King Jr.’s gotta have RBI sac fly was the clincher.

But in an exciting game in which the Cards’ blunders in the top of the last allowed the Beavers to catch up, and a couple of miscues by OSU in the bottom set the stage for the good guys to steal it back, there have to be some small moments along the way which informed how these schools got there.

Or so I would opine.

Consider how it all ended for Alex Alicia. Continue reading U of L CardFile: Oregon State II →

U of L CardFile: Arizona

Baseball,

There’s a reason why this deep dive into the Cardinals survival W over Arizona won’t be so deep, or such a dive into the nuances. A reason why it will be scattershot.

Because the manner of how U of L extended its stay in Omaha was so dipsy doodle, so whirly twirly, so psychedelic.

Back in the day, we who imbibed were advised that in the years, decades to come we would experience flashbacks.

Few and far between they’ve been, but cherished nonetheless.

The bottom of the 8th was the latest, psychedelic. I can think of no more appropriate descriptor.

The Cardinals, down 2-3 with six outs to play with, plated a half dozen.

A sixburger.

Actually three double cheeseburgers, one with everything, one with mayo and pickles no onions, one with lettuce and tomato and Savannah Banana peppers. Continue reading U of L CardFile: Arizona →

U of L CardFile: Oregon State

Baseball,

Carpe Momentum.

Translation (Thank you interweb interpreter): Seize the Moment.

In U of L’s CWS opener Friday evening against Oregon State, one team did, the other didn’t.

The nine that did, Beavers.

The squad that didn’t, Cardinals.

When the top of the 4th rolled around, which school would strike first was still lurking in the twilight shadows in Omaha.

Literally, as there were dark and light and dark shadows alternating between the bump and the plate. Neither side’s batters could clearly read the hurling of Dax Whitney and Patrick Forbes. Continue reading U of L CardFile: Oregon State →

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. →

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? →