CARDINAL LAWS

How are things going, Mr. Red?

2010-07-30T02:35:00.020-04:00

Things could be better, Lloyd. Things could be a whole lot better.

A brutal 24 hours for Rick Pitino and all of the Cardinal Universe. Seeing your coach, and by extension, our program, become a national punch line is enough to drive a fan insane.

I believe Tom Jurich showed principle and made the best long-term decision for Cardinal basketball when he decided to stick by Rick Pitino. But I still wonder, if Jurich had a crystal ball and could have forseen all what transpired yesterday, I wonder if his decision would have been the same.

I feel horrible for Pitino's family, and Rick himself, despite his own personal failings that led to this debacle. It's painful to watch anyone's life be splayed in such a manner.

But, as is its wont, the sun will come up. We'll move on. I do not believe a person should be judged by the worst, or most embarrassing, moment of one's life. Rick Pitino is still a man of accomplishment and pride. If he carries himself forward as such, Cardinal Universe should follow.

There's no going back, however, no pretending yesterday's testimony didn't happen. Rest assured, our rivals will never let us forget. Good. I hope Pitino remembers it well. I hope it heightens his desire to strike back against the smirkers and the self-righteous. To paraphrase an adage, the best revenge is kicking ass and winning games.

But we should all brace ourselves. This stain, err, stigma isn't going anywhere. I'm ready for the onslaught, at least I think I am. But if I finally do snap, which let's face it, was only a matter of time, you'll find me seated alone at the locale below, the new bar at the Kayefsseum, pulling my hair, downing shots of whiskey, and talking to the impeccably-dressed ghost of BJ Flynn.

Good and Evil

2010-07-29T17:17:00.001-04:00

The new helmets are pretty slick. So long as they burned those "The Ville" jerseys we should be looking sharp this season. Photo via the CJ...

The third criterion: conference landscape

2010-07-29T11:23:00.004-04:00

Note: This is the third of seven interrelated posts on how Louisville can keep Charlie Strong.

Simply put, for Charlie Strong to want to stay at Louisville, the Big East has to maintain its BCS bid. It looks like things on that front are stable at least for the near future, though if we learned anything from the most recent round of conference realignment shenanigans, it's how fast the stars can realign. In the worst case scenario, Louisville would have to perform its own realignment gymnastics in order to safeguard the future of the football program. But for now, as long as the Big East can hold on to its nucleus of schools (or adequately replace those that depart), Charlie Strong can compete for BCS bid and a national championship at Louisville. As Red has pointed out often, the fact that the Big East is not the most prestigious football conference in the land should be used to its advantage. In the Big East, Charlie Strong's Louisville teams can dominate; and if they do, they compete at the national level.

Note on the Sypher trial

2010-07-28T17:34:00.001-04:00

Reading this blog the past few days, one could be forgiven for thinking that we're oblivious to the fact that one of the most locally hyped trials in years is currently underway. In fact, like all Cards fans, we're paying very close attention; just now I was hitting the refresh button on my browser, waiting for news updates on Rick Pitino's testimony. But yes, we haven't said much about it, I think in part because like everyone else, we're just trying to make sense out of all the details rapidly being released each day. Or maybe legal play-by-play is even more out of our league than its sporting equivalent. (My entire understanding of legal jurisprudence is shaped from John Grisham novels/movies. For my money, all the defense/prosecution need do to win the case is make the jury close their eyes at the end of the trial and tell them a sad story and then end it by saying "now imagine she's white"). Thoughts on the outcome might be due when the trial is ended, but for now I suspect we'll simply keep watching and reading and waiting. If you are looking for more info/analysis, the CJ has an entire web page committed to the trial.

The second criterion: recruiting

2010-07-28T12:00:00.005-04:00

Note: This post is the second of seven interrelated posts on how Louisville can keep Charlie Strong.

Strong has to be somewhere where he can attract the type of thoroughbreds necessary to win at the national level. Will the top recruits -- those that are NFL early-round caliber, those for whom the national powers compete -- consider coming to Louisville?

So far, the evidence suggests that Strong is quite capable of bringing in top prospects. Since his hiring in December, big-time recruits such as Michaelee Harris, Corvin Lamb, and Dominique Brown committed to the Cards, to say nothing of potential commit Demar Dorsey. The quality of these players has rapidly boosted the program's national pedigree. Even outside of Strong's quick recruiting pickups, Louisville shouldn't feel insecure. We are the alma mater of Brian Brohm, Michael Bush, Chris Redman, Dave Ragone, Roman Oben, Deion Branch and so many others who went on to play in the big leagues. Some were highly touted recruits (Brohm, Bush), some not (Ragone). But with alumni like this, Louisville has no reason to feel shy about recruiting top-flight talent.

Louisville boasts the most excellent facilities in the country, a recently expanded stadium that is first-rate, a conference BCS bid. It is still only a few years removed from its last (and only) BCS birth. There are so many critical pieces in place. So I think of the Louisville football program during the past few years, if not as a sleeping giant, then as a sports utility vehicle equipped with all the necessary horsepower, if only the right driver could be found.

In just a few short months, Charlie Strong has taken the resources he was given and used it to bring in a higher tier of talent, a level that we haven't seen since the Petrino era. As he continues to find his footing and puts his mark on this program, recruiting will only get better. Of course, if it doesn't go without saying: the Big East Conference has to hold on to that BCS bid for all this calculus to work out..

The first criterion: compete for the national championship

2010-07-26T12:00:00.010-04:00

Note: This post is the first of seven interrelated posts on how Louisville can keep Charlie Strong.

Charlie Strong's dream always was to be a successful head coach. He wants to prove wrong all the doubters who passed him over because he didn't "interview well." Over a 26 year coaching career, he's worked for Lou Holtz, Steve Spurrier, and Urban Meyer. He's spent the last seven years coaching at Florida, where any team that doesn't end up in the national title picture is considered a collosal failure. In short, Strong's DNA is geared toward competing for the national title.

(I have no doubt that Strong values equally his ability to mold young minds, help players earn their degree and help them mature into responsible grown men, but I think it's clear he would keep that end of the deal no matter where he goes).

Whether Cards fans (and foes) realize it or not, he brings this mindset with him to Louisville. He's 51 49 years old, a bit older than many realize, and he has to be eager to get started on the road to a championship. While saying it outright might seem like stating the obvious about any head coach (so Coach Strong wants to win all his games, huh? Shocker...), the background and talent of this particular head coach -- his age, ambition, previous experience -- increases the urgency of addressing the issue head-on. For Louisville to keep Strong, he has to be convinced that the Cards can compete on the national radar.

This might be the most important aspiration for keeping Strong long-term. It will also lead to the greatest number of eye-rolls among those unable to countenance the thought of Louisville competing for a national championship (perhaps not completely undeserved, given the damage done by the Kragthorpe era if for no other reason).

In the overall context however, skepticism as a snap-reaction is misplaced. The fact remains that if you dominate the Big East, then you're at least in the hunt for the national championship, like Cincinnati last year, like West Virginia in 2007, like Louisville the year before that.

Keeping Charlie Strong a Cardinal: seven criteria

2010-07-26T07:00:00.017-04:00

My last blog post examined the question haunting all Cardinal football fans who anticipate improvement this season (or shortly thereafter) but dread a possible consequence: if Charlie Strong succeeds at Louisville, can we keep him or does he leave? Mostly detailed were Louisville's efforts in the past ten years to mold itself into a "destination" program; unfortunately, along the way we've also had to endure the spectacle of our coaches departing unexpectedly for higher-profile jobs, therein reinforcing our worst fears and self-doubts.

There is no getting around that other programs will prove attractive, be it for exposure or establishment, tradition or the perceived chance of championship glory (but not financial compensation -- I don't see that as a major factor. Tom Jurich has a track record for richly rewarding a deserving head coach, and at any rate money is not why either John L. or Petrino departed, in my opinion). There's no disillusion here about how hard it will be to keep Strong long-term. However, fans should also recognize that Louisville's football program has several things going for it that -- if harnessed correctly -- could help persuade Strong to stay here.

We're starting over with a new head coach now. And the pertinent long-term question on so many of our minds is that should he be successful (always that qualifier), what possible factors could motivate Charlie Strong to make Louisville his permanent base, his career?

Thanks to the Punjabi parasite that nested itself in my stomach and declared itself lord of the manor a few weeks ago, I've had some extra time away from the daily grind to mull over the possible factors that could help keep Strong at Louisville. From my vantage point, there are at least seven criteria to consider. I'll roll out these points over the next several days -- starting this afternoon -- because hey, I know how much these pondering thoughts from (sweltering) India can help provide relief in (apparently even more sweltering) Kentucky. Why let it all go to spoil in a single day? Unlike my tiny carnivorous microbe ruler, the welfare of my home community means something to me.

For each point, please follow the link: 1, 2, 3.

Underworld

2010-07-23T17:57:00.016-04:00

A fascinating piece by Dana O'Neil at ESPN, she interviewed 20 high-profile college basketball coaches, under the promise of absolute anonymity, about the state of college recruiting and what takes place in the shady shadows. Yes, that's an oxymoron, I know, but I liked it.

And the thing is, while a terrific read, it's not all that "enlightening" to most fans of college sport. And that's sad. Most fans don't know, and don't want to know what it takes to produce a winning product to prop up our own fan identity. Perhaps the NCAA has been mandated a fool's errand; trying to police young citizens, that are the age of majority, that may be worth millions of dollars. Especially when the "victims" don't even care.

The occassional hypocrisy of the NCAA isn't lost on me. But it was said best by Nick Nolte in Blue Chips: "The rules don't make much sense some times. But I believe in the rules."

And let's not kid ourselves, it's the subject of daily debate in the Commonwealth because of one word: Calipari.

Without accusation, Cal is the posterboy, the vanguard for those that embrace the mogul culture of young athletes rather than resist. Whether he's a con-man or a visionary remains to be be seen.

The rules don't make sense sometimes, but I believe in the rules. I hope all fans of college basketball in the Commonwealth can maintain some intellectual honesty in this landscape, and be willing to call out our own colors when impropriety is spotted.

I will.

Duuuuuuuumervil

2010-07-23T11:56:00.000-04:00

Elvis just signed a whopping contract extension with the Denver Brocos, 61.5 million dollars. Louisville fans know very well, but here's a reminder of what they're buying...

Samardo lands with Cavs

2010-07-22T10:23:00.001-04:00

The former UofL big man has agreed in principal to a multi-year contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Considering the rebuilding that franchise is staring at, it's not a bad place for an undrafted rookie to land. Best of luck, Mardo.

If you haven't already

2010-07-21T15:30:00.021-04:00

Take a few clicks around the UofL block...

Card Game has a piece on the defensive indentity of former point Andre McGee, especially topical since he's now on staff, and his d-first philosophy must become infectious for the Cards to have success next season.

CardChronicle surveys the buzz around local/future/would-be-king DaMarcus Smith. And while you're at it vote on the Least Cool Poll. I voted for Cal with exceedingly more conviction than I voted for Obama in '08.

Cardinal Couple sums up the scene of the Lady B-ball Cards, including 5 things to look for in the coming months.

And the much-maligned Tom Heiser at the CJ offers his thoughts on our triple-headed QB battle heading into next season. Easy on Heiser, everybody. There's room in Cardinal Universe for even the most magniloquent of die-hards.

Good Vibes

2010-07-21T12:52:00.004-04:00

Excellent article in the CJ today on the maturation of linebacker Brandon Heath. Not to beat a dead horse, but the story is as much about Coach Strong as it is about Heath.

We fretted for so long here at Cardinal Laws over the dichotomy between "player's coach" and "disciplinarian". The choice we had to make between Asshole and Pushover; good guy or good football. Petrino's way versus Kragthorpe's.

But Coach Strong is showing us a third way, one characterized by instilling self-respect and the drive to maximize one's potential. It feels as if the players don't fear Strong as much as they fear not living up to his expectations of them.

It feels like something special is happening to this program.

More on Mack

2010-07-19T13:31:00.001-04:00

Here's a little more info on the big fella that committed to the Cards last week. Despite his massive frame, he was somewhat overlooked early in the recruiting process, but started gaining interest from the major programs after a stellar showing at a combine earlier this spring. Money quote...

"I would like to get faster. I'm not a big, slow, fat boy or sloppy, whatever they say. I'm looking to improve my pass protection and run blocking and get my (offensive) line better."

Samardo dunks on Cousins

2010-07-19T10:28:00.002-04:00

Channeling George Noory...

2010-07-17T00:01:00.013-04:00

Loyal readers are aware of my fascination with all things paranormal. Look, I'm no UK fan, I like to think I'm still grounded in objective reality, but even so, CAN SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT THE HELL THIS THING IS???

Eastern China has been abuzz for the last week, this is the second well-documented, yet unexplained recent sighting.

How does it relate to UofL sports, you ask? Well, I recall reading an editorial in the CJ from a disgruntled local a few months ago (that they love to publish) complaining that the new downtown arena was an abomination that looks like a spaceship landed on the Waterfront.

So there.

Here's hoping we can hang a banner in The New Gal before this whole ship goes down in 2012.

Now, where did I put my tin foil?

I'm not joking.

I got a little bit of somethin, god it's better than nothin

2010-07-16T15:07:00.019-04:00

Another slow, sweaty week as we count down to September 4th. Here's a few tidbits to help pass the time...

* Charlie Strong has his own sandwich at Champion's Bar & Grill. Sounds pretty tasty, but I prefer the "Charlie Strong Burger" served at Shenanigans in the Highlands. Two beef patties, grilled onions, pepperjack cheese...a fine product.

By the way, the "Kragthorpe Burger" jokes never get old. From my understanding it was made from top-ten sirloin, had all the condiments returning, and was poised to be a burger of national prominence. But then the waiter drops it in the urinal and covers it with hair before serving it to you.

* I love Jody Demling's work, but I think I would blow my head off if I had to cover recruiting for a living. I tuned in to his live blog today to be treated to 900 iterations of, "Does Quincy Miller like us? But does he like like us??"

Wake me when we have a commit.

* Speaking of, the football Cards got a big one today, literally. Ryan Mack, the 6'6'' 320lbs offensive tackle has given his verbal to Louisville. Click here to see him in action. Pretty impressive clips as far as offensive tackles go.

* And finally, the conventional wisdom about the 2010 Football Cards is hardening quicker than concrete. Roughly, it seems to be that the Cards will stink, but not as bad as last year, the team will play hard and show signs of improvement, and the fans will rally and reunite.

I'd like to buck the trend for a minute and propose that these Cards will be good. Like, winning many games good. Like, going to a bowl good.

Maybe I've just seen too many episodes of "Friday Night Lights" lately (a terrific show, I'm watching them nonstop to fill the hole that "Lost" left in my life) and therefore am delusional about how quickly a team can turn around.

But, as painful as last season was, I can't shake the memory that we weren't that far from a winning season, we were competitive in almost every contest. So I find it somewhat baffling how tempered most fans' expectations are.

We have the skill players to win now. Guys like Darius Ashley and Vic Anderson are top-flight talents, and there's a talented group of frosh that will battle for the reward of immediate playing time. Throw in some competence in the headset, a new team attitude, and actual fans in the seats, and there's no reason why dividends should not be reaped immediately.

The Governors' Cup sets the tone for the season, and we match up well against the Cats. We have the backfield speed that can expose their weakened defensive line, and they lack the true quarterback to exploit our, how to put it, mercurial secondary.

Win that game and all bets are off. So get hyped Cards fans, dream big. No one ever got anywhere on this marble through meekness, and life's too short to talk 10-year rebuilding plans. I'm calling for 8-4 next season and a bowl in temperate weather. You heard it here first.

Go Cards.

Ladies and gentleman, we have a jury!

2010-07-14T14:36:00.002-04:00

Despite all odds, the U.S. District Court was able to find 16 local men and women unbiased enough to sit in judgment on one Karen Cunagin Sypher. Her two-week trial commences July 26th.

This has always struck me as a flaw in our judicial system, at least when it comes to well-publicized cases. Sure, unbiased members of the jury are a virtue, but shouldn't minimum levels of engagement with community be one as well? I cannot fathom the Louisvillian that doesn't have some preconceived notions about the case.

Samardo's debut...

2010-07-14T11:11:00.001-04:00

In the Bulls losing effort last night was so-so, one of those B- efforts those that followed his college career got used to. In 16 minutes of play he scored 8 points, was only 1/2 from the field, but he continued his penchant for getting whistles and went 6/10 from the free throw line. Perhaps most importantly, he turned the ball over 4 times. Not a disastrous performance, but not close to the type of play he'll need to showcase in order to make the team.

For shame

2010-07-12T18:30:00.020-04:00

Just because the newly announced NCAA tournament format isn't as disastrous as doubling the whole field doesn't mean it shouldn't be derided for what it is. Stupid.

Under the new guidelines, a new round, the "First Four" round, will be played early in the week between the last four "at-large teams" against the final four "automatic qualifiers". The greed works thusly...

The "First Four" will be played either the Tuesday or Wednesday after Selection Sunday. The winners of the four games will advance to what will now be called the "second round" on either Thursday or Friday. The newly named third round -- with 16 games -- will be Saturday and Sunday.

It's just dumb. No matter how hard they try to redefine a lexicon that has arisen organically, the new "first round" will be recognized for what it is, a stupid gimmick to maximize revenue.

It's not a "round" if only eight teams have to play. And you're no longer an "automatic qualifier" if you must jump through another hoop than the rest of the field to join the Big Dance.

The Selection Committee's task is an unscientific endeavor, but at least it's a line in the sand.

To throw another subjective rung in the mix, this one covered by thinly-veiled greed, it flirts with permanently scarring our March Love Affair.

And, without a doubt, that is the end game. This is the initial push down the slippery slope to the expanded field that every CBS and ESPN suit wants to see. It further devalues our terminology and paves the way for the "expanded field" to be more palatable...

"Wow! Did you watch last night? What a great game! Look how many quality teams are out there! How can we deny these young athletes a chance at March glory? Let's expand the whole tournament! Huh? Huh?!?"

The Big Dance should be the great equalizer. You punch your ticket, you win 6 games, you reap the glory. Adding qualifiers bastardizes the process and muddles our March language, except for one word. Greed.

Brian Bennett back and talkin' Red and Black!

2010-07-12T15:26:00.001-04:00

The former CJ writer, now ESPN's Big East beat reporter, Brian Bennett is looking ahead to the 2010 season. Speaking from a bizarrely nondescript location, Bennett offers some fairly generic observations about Louisville's prospects moving forward. But I don't care, it's good to be talking football and it's good to have him back in my life. I mean that in the creepiest way possible.

Tweets of note

2010-07-12T13:04:00.001-04:00

The "No Fly Zone" broke the news today that would-be Cardinal tackle DeAntre Rhodes will not be eligible to play next season. Here's what he wrote, also updating us on his own status...

Dang! My main man DeAntre Rhodes aint gonna make it to Da Ville dis year. I am prayin I can play sum ball dis year there!

To All My Fans: I am goin 2 do watever is needed of me to play ball @ Da Ville! Trust me on dat, it wont b cuz I didnt try. Count on dat

Viva Sosa

2010-07-12T00:01:00.004-04:00

Edgar Sosa has landed with the Detroit Pistons, and was largely credited with sparking their comeback in a summer league game on Saturday. Edgar scored six points, dished five assists, and ably commanded the offense. After the game, Detroit assistant coach Pat Sullivan said, "It's no secret. You guys saw who changed the game, at least in my eyes, was Sosa." Watch the highlights below to see him score on a slick corkscrew layup and make a beautiful bounce pass on the fastbreak...

I'm boooooored

2010-07-08T00:01:00.008-04:00

Really bored. LeBron to the Heat, Spain vs. Holland/Dutch/Netherlands, whatever. The Cinci Reds, frisky though they are, none of these stories stir my prodigious loins.

And in the words of Col. Nathan Jessup, "This fucking heat is driving me absolutely crazy!"

I want pads hitting pads. I want a crisp breeze. I want the Rudy music.

I need football. College football. Cardinal football.

I've followed Louisville football recruiting pretty closely the last few years, but even so, seeing some of these names in print on THE OFFICIAL UofL ROSTER hits things home a tad more.

Michaelee Harris. Corvin Lamb. Dominique Brown. Senorise Perry. These names shall be known and widely known soon.

Summer is vastly overrated.

Hold your horses

2010-07-07T09:07:00.001-04:00

As excited as I am for new assistant coach Tim Fuller, I'm a little skeptical of the "immediate impact" article found in today's CJ. It just seems to fit a little too easily into the "arms race" narrative between Pitino-Calipari that so many are eager to promote.

I have no doubt that Fuller does have good relationships with Quincy Miller, Deuce Bello, etc., but we shouldn't misconstrue a few leading questions from reporters and some off the cuff comments made by some 17 year olds. Keep up the good work Coach Fuller, and if we do land one of the two mentioned above, I'll be "feelin you" big time.

Would he stay?

2010-07-06T07:00:00.014-04:00

Cards fans: hope everyone back home had a safe and happy Fourth of July. My isolation, meditation and beer starvation here in India has granted me the clairvoyance to begin considering the most urgent of questions confronting the Louisville football program, one so obvious that even the man himself felt compelled to address it albeit indirectly: Should he prove successful, can Louisville hold on to Charlie Strong?

Sure, he hasn't won a single game as a college head coach yet. Sure, the graveyard of head coaches overflows with the corpses of many a promising head coach hyped as the one who would turn it around. And yes, his overall record as the Cardinals' head coach is 0-0, his overall head coaching record 0-1 (Florida's 2004 Peach Bowl loss to Miami). That just doesn't matter right now. It's the offseason and inflated expectations untampered by reality are free to reign. More to the point, genuine optimism about the football program is filling the air for the first time since the Petrino era.

The single and total reason for this, earned or not, is Strong. Cards fans adore him, are impressed by the mark he has made so swiftly on and off the field, are delighted by the sudden influx of quality recruits into the program. We are grateful that he has allowed us all to dream again of conference championships, BCS births, national prominence, and top-flight quality football.

Unfortunately, given our recent history with our head coaches before Kragthorpe, Louisville fans are conditioned to anticipate as a consequence of success the head coach's departure to supposedly brighter and better and greener pastures. It's how we lost John L. and how we lost Bobby Petrino, both of whom took flight from Louisville in a manner somewhere between "unceremonious" and "jumping out of the airplane with the last parachute and all women and children still on board."

For more than a decade Tom Jurich has sought to upgrade the program to the tier of its national competitors, therein nullifying the reasons a head coach wouldn't want to spend his career here. We now have the most excellent facilities in the country, a newly expanded stadium, a BCS conference bowl bid. The landscape now is such that if Louisville (or any other team) can dominate the Big East, it can legitimately compete for the national championship. In short, Louisville is a premier head coaching job now; Cards fans should start thinking that way. But we have been burned before, and so the question lingers: IF Charlie Strong proves successful, could we keep him?