Bleacher Report - Articles by straitpinkie

2009 Louisville Football Positional Preview: Wide Receivers

straitpinkie — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:08:33 -0400

If Louisville Cardinal Football fans are looking for some hope in a team with low expectations, this is it. The wide receiver position is by far the position with the most experience and most depth.

Louisville returns all of its starters at wide out, and this veteran group will be looked upon as leaders of this Cardinal football team.

Overall I would give this group a B, and they will need to play well and stay healthy if Louisville is to have any success. Here is a breakdown of who we can expect to see on the field catching touchdowns:

Starters

No. 27 Douglas Beaumont (5'9" 183 lb, Jr.)

A local product and my former basketball teammate from Louisville Male High School. Last season Beaumont was Louisville’s leading receiver. He finished the year with a team high 62 receptions for 750 yards. He also ranked fourth in the Big East in catches and yards per game average.

Beaumont averaged 12.1 yards per catch and 62.5 yards per game receiving. Douglas also recorded back-to-back 100 yard receiving games last season against the Kansas State Wildcats and Uconn Huskies. He started all 12 games as a Sophomore and became the go to guy for quarterback Hunter Cantwell.

He is a sure handed receiver who comes up big in key situations such as third downs. He will be the go to guy for the Cardinal quarterbacks. He is a tough kid for his size and does not shy away from contact.

He will deliver a blow when he has to and looks to get the tough yards after catch. Look for Beaumont to be the leader of the receiving corp again this season and put up big numbers for the Cardinal offense.

No. 84 Scott Long (6'2" 214 lb, Sr.)

Scott Long looks to have a monster season in his final year at Louisville. He is coming off of a promising yet disappointing year in 2008 in which he showed flashes of dominance. Long’s 2008 campaign started late as he missed the first four games of the season due to a broken bone in his foot.

He finally returned to action against Memphis and tied for a team high with three receptions in that game. In just his third game back, Long had a career best day against South Florida. He registered five catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns in leading the Cards to an upset victory over the ranked Bulls.

Long’s season was cut short however as less than a week later he would tear his ACL in practice, ending his season. He finished the year with 11 receptions for 201 yards in just three games of action.

In 2007, Long made an appearance in all 12 games including seven as a starter. He finished his junior year with 27 receptions for 358 yards which ranked fourth on the team.

Long has proven that when healthy he is a tremendous offensive threat. He has great size and speed and will be used in deep ball situations.

He has improved his ball catching ability since his freshman and sophomore seasons, and has really turned into a great receiver. Look for Scott Long to put up some career high numbers this season which will be huge for this Louisville football team.

Others Who Will See Some Major PT

No. 3 Trent Guy (5'9" 165 lb, Sr.)

Trent Guy had a courageous 2008 season as he recovered from being shot in the back during the summer. Guy is a triple threat receiver who can run routes, catch passes, run the end around, get some big yards, and also return kickoffs.

Guy finished the season with 14 receptions for 216 yards and one touchdown. His 216 yards receiving was good for fourth on the team. He also had nine rushing attempts for 104 yards which is good for 11.4 yards per carry.

His yards per carry average was the highest on the team, and his 104 yards ranked third. Guy led the team in kickoff returns as he fielded 13 of them for 324 yards. He averaged 24.9 yards per return and ran back a 95-yarder against Memphis for his only score of the season. He appeared in just nine games due to various injuries.

Guy also saw action as a Sophomore in 2007 appearing in all 12 games. He recorded 11 catches for 177 yards and two scores. He also rushed four times for 49 yards, returned 13 punts for 93 yards with a TD, and returned 30 kickoffs for 671 yards and a score.

As a freshman in 2006, Guy returned 10 punts for 74 yards and a touchdown, as well as five kickoffs for 71 yards.

Guy is a speedster that will be used in a variety of situations. His presence on the field keeps the defense on its toes because he is so versatile.

He is a sure handed pass catcher and a very smart player that knows how to find the open space. Look for Guy to have his best season as a Cardinal and it will be needed if Louisville is going to put points on the board.

No. 11 Josh Chichester (6'8" 240 lb, So.)

Last season Chichester saw his first action in a Cardinal uniform after red-shirting the 2007 season. He finished second on the team in receiving with 30 receptions for 341 yards and two touchdowns. He had a career high with 64 yards receiving on five catches and a touchdown against West Virginia.

Before coming to Louisville, Chichester was ranked as the 36th best wide receiver in high school.

Josh has some improvements to make coming into his sophomore season. He had a hard time catching the football last year as he had numerous drops. He is a very athletic receiver with tremendous size and speed.

He will be used in jump ball situations where the quarterback will throw it up and let Chichester go get it. He has the ability to be a big play deep threat if he can just hang on to the ball.

Those Seeing Limited Action

No. 21 Troy Pascley (6'2" 198 lb, Jr.)

Pascley saw his first major action in a Louisville uniform last season due to the injuries of Scott Long and Trent Guy. Troy finished the year with 12 receptions for 252 yards and four touchdowns. His four scores ranked first among Cardinal receivers as did his 21.0 yards per catch average.

In 2008, Pascley recorded his first career catch and touchdown. He missed four games in the season due to injury.

Pascley should see a diminished role this season as long as Scott Long and Trent Guy stay healthy. He will be used as a fifth option at receiver and has a lot of improvement to make.

He had some issues with dropped passes and miscommunication on routes during last season that he needs to work on. Pascley has the potential to become a solid receiver if he works at it.

No. 88 Andrew Robinson (5'9" 191 lb, Sr.)

Robinson is a local kid from Louisville’s Manual High School. He has not seen much playing time in his four years as a Cardinal. Last year he recorded his first reception and finished the year with seven catches for 71 yards.

He is very undersized and just cannot measure up well enough to defensive backs in order to make an impact. He has decent speed and if he is in the open has the ability to turn in a big play. Robinson will see limited action again this season as he looks to improve in his last year.

2009 Louisville Football Positional Preview: Running Backs

straitpinkie — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:05:28 -0400

There is little doubt the strength of the 2009 Louisville Cardinals football team is the running backs.

Featuring the 2008 Big East Rookie of the Year Vic Anderson, the Cardinals have a stable of backs who posses great speed, good pass blocking ability, and fantastic hands which allows them to catch the ball out of the backfield.

The featured back will be Louisville St. Xavier alum Victor Anderson.

In 2008, Anderson rushed for 1,047 yards, the first Louisville running back to do so since some guy named Michael Bush accomplished that in 2005.

Anderson did not just pile up yards, he also found the endzone on eight occasions, including a highlight reel juke of a UCONN defender on a TD reception.

Vic breaking for daylight, which I expect to see many times

Even though Anderson is not the biggest back, only 5-9 190 lbs, he showed his willingness to take on a blitzing linebacker and stop him from sacking the quarterback.

A lot of running backs just try to get in the way of a rushing defender, Anderson attempts to hit the rushing defender and with authority.

The Louisville coaching staff plans on Anderson being the primary ball handler, with the hopes he can carry the ball 20-25 times a game, but if not, the coaching staff has complete confidence in Vic’s counterparts on the roster.

The other running back I’m very excited about is redshirt freshman Darius Ashley.

Ashley, no. 8, could be the big breakout star for the Cardinals

The Cincinnati St. X product was the “big get” of Kragthorpe’s 2008 recruiting class and after sitting out a year, Darius will now get the chance to show what he can do.

The talk out of the football building is Ashley will be one of those special players before he leaves, and there are many things to like about him.

While only 5-8 and in the 185-190 lbs range, Ashley is built like a rock.

The man has around 5% body fat, at worst.

He does not posses blazing speed, but he has good speed and great feet. Like all the Louisville running backs, he is very skilled at catching the ball out of the backfield, which is a necessary option for the quarterback if the receivers fail to get open.

I am very excited about Darius Ashley, but that’s not to say he won’t struggle at times.

As a redshirt freshman, Ashley has not played a single down of Division 1 college football, therefore there will be an adjustment period.

With not having played a singe down yet, we do not know how he will handle live, in game situations involving pass blocking.

From everything I have heard out of the football offices, Ashley’s pass blocking is not a concern, but it is still different when a 240 lb linebacker is bearing down on you at full speed.

The other primary backup to Vic Anderson will be junior Bilal Powell.

Powell is the biggest Louisville tailback at 6-0 and around 220 lbs.

During an injury plagued 2008 season, Powell rushed for 354 yards and 2 TDs. Powell, when healthy, has the special ability to make defenders miss in tight space.

Besides health, the main concern for Powell is sometimes it appears it takes him a few steps to hit full speed, therefore he is susceptible to getting stopped behind the line or for no gain.

Another result of not being full speed upon receipt of the football is he does not hit the hole in the line very hard and again, that leads to getting stopped behind the line or for no gain. However, there is no doubt Powell has the ability and he will definitely see carries this season.

Bilal diving over the line for a TD against West Virginia

At the fullback position, Louisville is set with Louisville St. Xavier product Joe Tronzo.

Its very simple with Tronzo, he has no neck and will hit you, hard.

Tronzo is a tough son of a gun and one of the leaders of this football team.

Like most fullbacks, he does not get a lot of carries, but he gets a lot of pleasure out of knocking the snot out of a defender while his tailback carries the ball into the endzone.

Tronzo is one of those guys you cannot help but like on the football field.

For more from the Pinkie, go to www.straitpinkie.com.

2009 Kentucky Football Positional Outlook: Wide Receivers

straitpinkie — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:03:15 -0400

When I think back to the 2007 season, when the University of Kentucky fielded the most balanced offensive team that the school had put together, well, ever, I think about a running game and passing game that kept opposing defenses on their heels no matter the situation. In a third and short situation, there was really no way anybody could predict what Andre Woodson and company would run.

They could run Raphael Little, Derrick Locke or Tony Dixon for a simple first down. They could take a play-action shot deep to Steve Johnson or Keenan Burton. They could play the possession passing game to Dicky Lyons or Jacob Tamme. They could even throw some option at you.

Particulary in the passing game, UK had a wealth of versatile options that had to be accounted for. You don’t need to look any further than the final receiving stats for last year’s squad to conclude that UK just did have the same variety of options in the passing game.

Granted, Mike Hartline is not Andre Woodson (though he is looking better), but the quality of his targets last season had a lot to do with the ‘Cats inability to keep defenses on the defensive.

The 2007 ‘Cats had three wide receivers (that’s not even counting Jacob Tamme) who caught at least 655 yards worth of balls. Last year’s edition had one—count ‘em, one—receiver who even reach 200 yards on the season (Dicky Lyons with 264). In case you forgot, Lyons played in only the first six games of 2008.

That kind of production, unless you’re Nebraska circa 1995, is not going to get you very far. For that reason, wide receiver has been, along with quarterback, the most talked about position this offseason.

Rich Brooks's offense works best when he can readily go to a three wide receiver set and have all three be legitimate threats. If UK can have three receivers step up to fulfill that, UK could have a very successful season. If only two receivers can be effective, the attack will be limited, but still improved from last year. If UK only has one threat at wideout, it’s going to be tough sledding just like last year. If UK gets no consistent presence from a wide receiver…well, let’s not even consider that possibility.

The Assumed Contributors

Randall Cobb

Cobb, despite the fact that he devoted much of his freshman year to the QB position and played in only nine games, ended last season as the second-most productive wide receiver (21 catches for 197 yards). Before the Liberty Bowl last year, the staff made a very important decision to move Cobb permanently to wide receiver.

Almost everyone surrounding the program is assuming that Cobb will be successful, and rightfully so. He did everything that was asked of him last year and did it pretty well. It is, however, no guarantee, at least in the short term. Cobb is likely UK’s best athlete on the offensive side. He needs to have the ball in his hands regularly for UK to be at it’s best. The QB has the ball in his hands every snap. At wide receiver, there’s no assurance he will get his touches. Even so, with the talent coming in at quarterback this year, it’s best for Cobb’s and UK’s future for him to make the fulltime switch.

Chris Matthews

Matthews is a player whose name any fan who follows UK football knows by now. Outside of John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins, he is likely the UK newcomer that fans expect the most out of, across all sports.

He’s a junior college transfer from Los Angeles Harbor College, where he caught 80 balls for 1235 yards and 10 touchdowns in only nine games, leading Rivals to rank him as the second best junior college wide receiver prospect. Compare that with the 77 catches for 746 yards and three touchdowns that returning wide receivers Cobb, Kyrus Lanxter, Gene McCaskill, Eric Adeyemi, Aaron Boyd, Matt Roark, and Ross Bogue accounted for last season.

At 6'5", Matthews has the size and speed (he ran a 4.5 in the 40 yard dash) to give UK the kind of weapon that not even Keenan Burton or Stevie Johnson were. Matthews is really a walking mismatch. If he can live up to the hype, which he is doing so far, according to early reports, he is going to immediately give UK a huge upgrade at wide out.

Possible Third Options

People are assuming contributions, and big ones at that, from Cobb and Matthews, but this is where things get a little more uncertain. But, as I said earlier, having a viable third option could be the difference between UK eking out another bowl appearance and taking the leap forward that Brooks has been looking for.

One thing that I haven’t yet mentioned is that if a third guy is able to step up, that would really allow Randall Cobb to shift into the Dicky Lyons slot role, where I believe he would be best suited. Having Cobb in the slot would give Hartline (or anyone else under center) a great security blanket like Lyons, but with game breaking skills that can turn a five-yard first down into a 25 yard gain in a split second.

Gene McCaskill

Based on early accounts, Mean Gene is the most likely guy to step up. The Courier-Journal recently published an article about UK’s wide open wide receiver competition, saying that of UK’s second year wide receivers (Adeyemi, Boyd, Roark, RS freshman EJ Fields), McCaskill has stepped up:

“When he was out here, I thought he and Cobb were our two best receivers,” said Joker Phillips, UK’s offensive head coach and wide receivers coach. “McCaskill’s probably improved more than any of the young guys. Randall’s a playmaker, we all know that, but I thought McCaskill was our best route runner.”

Kyrus Lanxter

Lanxter, a 6'2" junior, is UK’s most experienced option at wide receiver. He had his best performance of the season in the Liberty Bowl, catching five balls for 46 yards and his first touchdown. He is assured to see the field this year, but it appears that he is at best fourth in line at this point.

Battling for Time

Eric Adeyemi

Adeyemi played in all 13 games last year, including three starts, but Rich Brooks now says that he is "battling to even be in the rotation." Eric has the kind of speed that can break a game (he was a high school track star), but he has not adjusted as well to the demands of his position as some of his competitors. A redshirt is not out of the question for him.

EJ Fields

Fields is a second-year wideout from Frankfort who was redshirted last season and now is fighting to get some balls thrown his way. Just before last season, he sustained a hamstring injury, which made it easy for the coaches to use his redshirt since he was already on the border.

He played QB and corner in high school, so the past year has been an adjustment for him as he has lined up away from the ball for the first time. He has the kind of size (6'1", 198 lbs.) and speed that you look from a wide receiver.

Redshirt Possibilities

Matt Roark

Roark is another guy who moved to wide receiver when he came on campus. He played in all 13 games last year, but caught only one ball for 16 yards. He does bring value on special teams due to his size (6'5"), and blocked a kick last year.

Aaron Boyd

Boyd was the most highly touted of UK’s incoming wide receivers, but struggled to adjust to the college game, which prompted attitude issues and problems with the staff. He is suspended from practice right now due to a violation of team rules.

He has been a disappointment so far, but the staff obviously still has high hopes for him. They may see a redshirt as the best path to fulfilling his potential.

La’Rod King

La’Rod is a freshman and yet another player moving to wide receiver. He doesn’t figure to see much time, so a redshirt is a definite possibility.

The Conclusion

Everything I have heard so far about Cobb, Matthews, and McCaskill has been positive and I believe UK is going to see these three players step up and demand the ball on a regular basis. They bring a diverse set of skills: Cobb is a gamebreaker with the ball in his hands, Matthews is a mismatch for anybody, and if McCaskill can bring the progress he has made as a route runner from practice to games, UK could well have solved it’s problems at the position.

2009 Kentucky Positional Football Outlook: Tight Ends

straitpinkie — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:59:20 -0400

Following in the footsteps of Jacob Tamme, last season was really the first time that T.C. Drake, Maurice Grinter and Ross Bogue got to see the field consistently. As the offense struggled in the 2008, so did the tight ends.

Their run blocking execution was not where it needed to be and is one reason why a running game, which was supposed to be a strength, never took off.

The passing game last year was so inexperienced that it was tough for anyone to step up, especially the tight ends that didn’t have much experience running routes in game atmosphere.

With a year of experience under their belt now, look for all three seniors (Drake, Grinter, Bogue) to be better this season. Both in the passing game and on the ground.

The Combo: T.C. Drake (SR, 6′6″, 242)

Drake started eight games last season and appeared in all 13 games, catching 12 passes for 204 yards, which was good for 17 yards-per-catch. He best game was against Middle Tennessee, where he caught four balls for 82 yards.

At 6′6″, Drake has excellent size and decent speed. He is not really a breakaway threat in the passing game but as seen from last year, he can get you that 15-yard completion over the middle.

Sitting behind Tamme for his first two years, last year was really his first chance to shine and the passing game struggled all around. He will get the majority of the starts because of his ability to block and to catch balls.

The Athlete: Maurice Grinter (SR, 6′3″, 253)

Mo Grinter got three starts at tight end last season, in what was his first season playing the position. He played fullback as a freshman and sophomore, and even got a look at linebacker and safety in spring practice before his freshman season.

In 12 games at tight end last season, he made 12 catches for 162 yards and two touchdowns. He also scored the game-winning three-yard touchdown at Mississippi State.

Grinter is the most athletic of the three senior tight ends. If not for being moved around so much earlier in his career, he could have possibly already been an accomplished tight end.

He has big play ability and could lead tight ends in catches and yards despite Drake getting the starts.

The Blocker: Ross Bogue (SR, 6′5″, 244)

Many reported that Bogue played the best football of his life during spring practice. Still, do not expect for him to be much of a threat in the passing game. He is strictly a blocking end and will be in there, by himself, in a lot of run situations.

The Watchout: Nick Melillo (SO, 6′2″, 225)

Melillo moved from wide receiver to tight end in fall camp after playing wideout all spring. In spring play he impressed, scoring two touchdowns.

Because of his move to tight end, the transfer from Lindenwood needs to add more size and strength, but he has the best hands of the group that will see the field. Drake, Grinter and Bogue will get the majority of the snaps this season, but if given a chance, Melillo could be a threat in the passing game.

The Future: Anthony Kendrick (FR, 6′3″, 220)

Kendrick is an all-around athlete, who was a two-sport star (football, basketball) at Seven Lakes High School in Texas. He is strictly a receiving tight end, in the mold of former UK greats James Whalen and Jacob Tamme.

Look for Kendrick to redshirt this season, simply because there are three seniors at the top of the rotation. But, there is no doubt that Anthony Kendrick is the tight end of the future for the Wildcats.

Another possibility is that Brooks and Co. will decide to redshirt one of the seniors to ensure that they have some experience at the position in 2010. However, this situation is not very likely.

Calipari Forced to Vacate Two Final Fours? Thoughts from UK Perspective.

straitpinkie — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:57:11 -0400

If Memphis are forced to vacate their final four appearance in 2008, it will be the second time that Calipari has been forced to vacate a final four. He also was forced to do so in 1996 with Massachusetts. This is not good and does not reflect well on a coach’s reputation.

After Tubby Smith left for Minnesota, Mitch Barnhart and company did not even interview Calipari for the position. Reason being, he had sort of a shady past and they felt they could bring in someone else with a cleaner record and the program would carry the coach.

However, in came the fiasco that was Billy Clyde Gillispie. After two years of smirks, hard-headedness, and downright stupidity, they had enough of Gillispie and handed him his walking papers.

Now the situation was different. It didn’t look like the Kentucky Basketball Program could stand on it’s own with just any ole’ coach. Now all of a sudden John Calipari WAS a candidate for the UK job.

When Calipari was officially hired as the next head basketball coach at the University of Kentucky in April, some were skeptical about his past. I am sure Barnhart and Lee Todd shared some of that skepticism. The mere fact that they didn’t consider him as a candidate for the job just two years ago indicates this.

Anytime a coach is forced to negate any type of accomplishment because of violations, it reflects badly on that coach. When it happens twice, you are trudging muddy waters.

As a head coach of a program, you are the face of the program, and are responsible for anything that happens under your watch. I don’t want to hear any of the, “he didn’t know” or “it isn’t his fault” crap.

If something happened while he was at the helm, it is his fault.

However, John Calipari is now the head coach at the University of Kentucky. He will be the head coach at UK whether or not he is forced to vacate his second final four appearance.

When he was hired, I was excited. The proposition of Calipari and the Kentucky program together was a scary one. And his first five months on the job have proven that the Calipari-UK combo is to be feared for a reason. But, still the question lingered: “Will he run a clean program?”

You can only hope.

At UMass and Memphis, it appears that Calipari may have bent the rules a little bit to get players to commit to his program. I do not know everything that went down at UMass or Memphis, I only know of the Marcus Camby and Derrick Rose situation. It is my hope that they played for Calipari, not because of money or fake SAT scores, but because of his style of play and his track record of getting players to the next level.

At the University of Kentucky those two traits alone should be enough to get players to dress in blue and white. I also hope that these two traits are the reason that UK decided to hire Calipari.

Still, it is tough to overlook his past troubles. Also, the concern that he built his reputation by bending the rules at smaller schools in order to make himself a coaching candidate at a historical basketball power like Kentucky remains.

Look, the last thing that Barnhart wanted when he hired Calipari was to end up on probation in five years. He hired him because he thought he could and would run a clean program at UK.

His past digressions may have helped build his reputation. A reputation that got him the job as the head coach at the University of Kentucky. But, now he is at UK and there is nothing we can do about his past.

Let’s just hope that he puts those issues behind him, realizes that he doesn’t have to do that to be successful at UK and runs a clean, successful program.

For more from the Pinkie, go to www.straitpinkie.com.

2009 Kentucky Football Positional Outlook: Running Backs

straitpinkie — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 11:28:44 -0400

Entering the 2008 season, the perceived strength of the Kentucky offense was its running game.

Sure, they lost Rafael Little to the Tennessee Titans, but Derrick Locke had showed signs of brilliance during his freshman campaign and the team was also returning Tony Dixon and Alphonso Smith.

To be successful, Kentucky needed the ground game to step up because of its unproven air attack. That running game never really emerged.

The Wildcats went the entire season without a 100-yard rusher, the season-high being a 96-yard performance by Locke against Norfolk State.

At times, the best running threat was a true freshman wide receiver (Randall Cobb) who was forced to play quarterback simply because they couldn’t get the ball moving on the ground or through the air.

Then, just seven games into the season against Arkansas, Locke went down with a season-ending knee injury.

Will Kentucky be able to rely on a rehabbing Locke or the speedy Smith in 2009?

The Favorite: Alphonso Smith

Smith, the 6-foot-1, 213-pound redshirt senior out of Waggener High School, has fought through position battles and injuries throughout his career in Lexington. Now in his senior season, it looks as if he will be the feature back, at least early on.

Last season—despite dealing with nagging injuries—marked the first time he appeared in every game. He finished the season with 313 rushing yards and 204 receiving yards, while spending most of his time as a backup to Locke and Tony Dixon.

His 204 receiving yards were second on the team on only 16 catches. When he caught the ball out of the backfield, he averaged an impressive 12 yards a pop.

In his senior season, he has not only taken over the comedic duties of the departing Dicky Lyons Jr., but he is also showing a more mature, team-oriented side. He realizes that for the team to have success, he must be successful as well.

He has also realized the importance of teaching everything he has learned to the incoming backs, as Little and Dixon did.

Smith has always had the speed to be a dynamic back but his desire to initiate contact at the end of runs often leads him to the sideline. He realizes he needs to stay healthy and on the field, but will he be able to alter his running style to do so?

The Contender I: Derrick Locke

If not for the knee injury last season, Locke, the 5-foot-9, 190-pound junior, would probably be the feature back for the Cats and a 1,000-yard rushing season would be a possibility. Rafael Little is the only player to have a 1,000-yard season in Rich Brooks’ tenure, and he did it in 2005 and 2007.

After missing action in spring practice, he returned to workouts in early June and proclaimed he would be ready for the opener against Miami (OH) on Sept. 5. Despite this, expect the Kentucky coaching staff to be careful with Locke, as he is just now expected to start making cuts this week.

Not big in size, Locke just keeps trudging and is not weary at all about running between the tackles. Once he gets through the first and second line of defense, the high school track star has the speed to take it to the house.

Like Smith, he also has the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. In just seven games of action last year he had 23 receptions, which was good for third on the team.

With their receiving corps still being relatively young and inexperienced, expect whoever is quarterbacking the Cats to look for Locke and Smith in the flat consistently.

If healthy, Smith and Locke, can provide an explosive 1-2 punch.

The Contender II: Moncell Allen

Turtle Power! Moncell Allen, aka Turtle Man, is a 5-foot-7, 225-pound running back that looks more like a bowling ball than a football player. If Smith and Locke both prove healthy, Allen could still contribute and provide the thunder to their lightning.

To say he is powerful and compact is a little bit of an understatement. The Turtle is a beast, and despite his bulk, he also has the quickness to break away after getting through the line. A workhorse, he needs multiple carries to be successful as he wears down defenses.

He has been held back by injury and academic questions, and is sometimes out of shape, but he showed up slimmed down to 225. He could be a breakout candidate and will compete with fullback John Connor for short yardage and goal-line carries.

Also, look for the Kentucky coaching staff to give Connor more carries this season. I know his slogan is, “He Will Block You,” but it appears they want him to get more touches.

The Dark Horse: CoShik Williams

Williams, the red-shirt freshman walk-on from Hiram, Ga. (same high school as Trevard Lindley) made a name for himself in the spring with 29 carries for 140 yards and a TD in two scrimmages. In the spring game, he ran eight times for 56 yards and a TD.

He is on the smaller side at 5-foot-9, 180-pounds, but showed good speed and quickness in the spring game.

The True Freshman I: Donald Russell

One of three true freshman RBs, of which definitely one and maybe two will play, depending how Locke comes along.

At 5-foot-11, 205-pounds, from Palm Beach City, Fla., Russell mainly played cornerback with spot duty as tailback in high school. He still managed almost 1,900 yards and 21 TDs combined during his junior and senior season.

He also ran track in high school, with his best time in the 100-meter a 10.7, which is absolutely moving for a guy of his size.

The True Freshman II: Dakotah Tyler

Tyler is 5-foot-11, 205-pounds from Indy, and is hopefully the beginning of a Indy pipeline, along with Morgan Newton. He attended high school with Newton at Pike before Newton transferred to Carmel.

He committed to Cincy as a DB but wanted a chance to play RB, which UK obliged. He played strong safety as a junior, then QB as a senior, rushing for more than 1,300 yards and 18 TDs, while throwing for 800 yards and eight more TDs.

At the scout.com combine before his senior season, he ran a 4.38, with a 36-inch vertical leap and had a 500-pound squat lift.

The True Freshman III: Jonathan George

At 5-foot-10, 196 pounds out of Lincoln, Ala., George accounted for almost 3,300 all-purpose yards and 26 TDs as a senior, including five kickoff returns and four punt returns—all of this after missing most of his junior year due to injury.

George is an all-around athlete. He won the wrestling state championship his junior and senior year, along with being state champion in the 200-meter as a senior and the 400-meter and the 4×400 as a junior.

For more from the Pinkie, go to www.straitpinkie.com.

Both Sides of the Rick Pitino Mess

straitpinkie — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:34:38 -0400

The This Thing Is a Big Deal, Now What? Side

Pitino Steps In It Big Time; What Happens Next?

Rick Pitino has really stepped in it. The man is the biggest celebrity here in this city and until recently had a stellar reputation during his tenure as Louisville basketball coach. Let’s review just what has come out and what we think is fact (I’m not going to address any rumors):

-In 2003, Rick Pitino had sex in with Karen Sypher in Porcini’s restaurant.
-As a result of that encounter, Pitino impregnated Sypher.
-Sypher and Pitino met to discuss how to handle the situation.
-Sypher said she was going to have an abortion.
-Pitino gave her the money to cover the procedure.
-Sypher divorces her husband, Louisville equipment manager Tim Sypher.
-Sypher attempts to extort $10 million from Pitino.
-Pitino reports the attempted extortion to the authorities.
-After being charged with extortion, Sypher alleges Pitino raped her twice in 2003.
-Sypher claims one of the encounters was on a day when Pitino was proven to be in California.
-No one believes Sypher’s claims of rape.

Here is what we know, or at least what we think we know: Pitino is a sleazebag and Sypher engaged in criminal activity. While I am not trying to debate the merits of Pitino versus Sypher, I am trying to say Pitino is not a criminal for his involvement in this ordeal. However, Pitino takes a huge PR hit in this thing.

If the story was simply Pitino had sex with Sypher, then I think this thing goes away quickly without much publicity. However, the story being what it is, I think it may be too much for athletic director Tom Jurich to stand idly by and ignore.

As of right now, I have not heard any plans for a press conference by either Jurich or Pitino, and with the upcoming trial involving Sypher I doubt there will be one soon because of the legalities.

Rick Pitino has been the University of Louisville head basketball coach for eight seasons. In his time here, he’s rebuilt the basketball program, spearheaded financing for the YUM! Center, drove the push for the new basketball arena, and been a great ambassador for the university.

And those things cannot be ignored, but the bottom line is, this thing will harm the Louisville basketball program, the only question is how much.

Athletic director Tom Jurich is in a very tough spot. Up until two years ago, Jurich was infallible, but with the disappointment that has been the Steve Kragthorpe era, Jurich has seen his invincibility questioned. And during the two years of sub-par football, Jurich has consistently lauded the efforts of Kragthorpe to clean up the football program (and rightfully so in my opinion).

However, with this Pitino thing, it does beg the question: Do you keep your basketball coach, a legendary and still successful one, after cheating on his wife, impregnating the woman, and financing her abortion,while doing nothing wrong legally?

Or do you say: I appreciate all you’ve done for our program and university, but this is such a big thing we cannot overlook it. We are committed to doing things the right way, we cannot have this distract our current team, and we cannot have it negatively affect our program as a whole and the direction we are trying to go as an athletic department. Therefore, we think it’s best if you step down.

If I am Tom Jurich (and for the record I am not), I choose the latter. Here’s why: This entire thing will hurt the program too much in my opinion to just ride it out. If Pitino stays on for the 2009-2010 season, he will face constant questioning about this, the player’s will face constant questioning, and the road games will be borderline unbearable for all associated with Louisville.

While I don’t think it will hurt recruiting too much, at least right now, I do believe it will hinder Pitino’s ability to recruit effectively at the highest level down the road.

Having said that, if the decision is made to ask Pitino to step down, there must be a replacement plan. While I have no idea what Tom Jurich or the UofL administration is thinking, and quite honestly it is way too early to speculate, I know what I would do.

After Pitino steps down, I would have Ralph Willard coach the team on an interim basis for the upcoming season. The man has won over 300 games as a head coach and for a brief period, he can get the job done.

However, the main benefit to having Willard coach is there will be a minimal amount of questioning regarding the Pitino ordeal as the story will follow Pitino and not the program. If Pitino removes himself from the situation, he will spare the team of having to deal with HIS issue.

Plus, there will be a full season to narrow the coaching search, pinpoint the top candidates, and make overtures towards the candidates in order to expedite the process.

I believe Rick Pitino is one of the top five coaches in college basketball and he has done a great deal for the University of Louisville. However, this Karen Sypher deal can hurt the program too much in my opinion. I am not saying this cannot be overcome, it probably can, but I think it is time to start the process on his replacement.

The This Thing Isn't That Big of Deal, Let's Move On Side

Karen Sypher Takes a Ride on The Slick Rick Disco Stick (sans Rubber)

Now I’ve been forced to write a post about this. I wanted to leave it at the seven sentences I originally addendumed to Guy’s post on the facts coming out. Those were:

“Rick Pitino likes women. I don’t blame him. They are stunning inventions. This story has zero effect on Rick Pitino’s coaching abilities. I don’t think there was anyone out there that didn’t think Slick Rick railed Sypher. I’ve said all along I don’t care about this because it is his personal life and I have no business bein’ ‘all up in it’. That said, hopefully now that the facts are out this can all go away.”

However, to everyone who cares waaaay to much about this I say:
WHY DO YOU CARE??????!!!!!!!!

Can you all please GET OUT OF MY BEDROOM!?!?

Pitino has done nothing wrong, nothing illegal. NOTHING. In response to my colleague Miller’s post about this I say:

Why does Pitino no longer have a stellar reputation??

Since when does who you have consensual sex with do damage to your reputation???

Why is Pitino a sleazebag??? HE. DID. NOTHING. Except get him some in a Porcini’s restaurant. Given the chance, if there was a broad I found hot that wanted to bump uglies in a restaurant, I’m fairly certain there would be zero hesitation on my part.

So Sypher said she was going to have an abortion (her choice) and Pitino paid for it. Again, nothing illegal and THEIR PRIVATE BUSINESS.

Miller correctly points out that Jurich now has two questions to consider: 1. “Do you keep your basketball coach, a legendary and still successful one, after cheating on his wife, impregnating the woman, and financing her abortion, while doing nothing wrong legally?” Or 2. “….We are committed to doing things the right way….it’s best if you step down…”

First of all, question No. 1 should end at “..and still successful one.” Cheating on his wife, impregnating the woman, and financing her abortion are irrelevant and inconsequential. AND HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.

Secondly, my esteemed colleague chose the latter…. SAY WHA?? What is “the right way”??? All those who are throwin’ stones at Pitino and judging him based on what they presume to be the right way because it is their way and their moral standards are the sleazebags. And hypocritical ones at that.

Why do we need to remove Pitino so he can deal with HIS issue? Why not leave him alone, and let him deal with HIS personal issue on HIS own personal time? Besides, this isn’t even an issue, never was.

****Just had a mid-post change of heart****

Actually, I think we should care and do have a right to know.

I demand Slick Rick release the times and dates of every sexual encounter he’s ever had, along with the girls’ names and photos.

I think the public deserves to know in what position did Sypher take the Slick Rick Disco Stick?? Standing up?? From behind??

Who was the first to teach Rick that the Dove is the bird of peace and love, but the bird of true love is the ’swallow’??

Who was the first girl that he finger-banged??

And why stop there? Why was he cheating on his wife? Was it cuz she refused to groom her cooch and he demanded she trim it into, at the maximum, a landing strip? Was it because she refused to take it in the butt?

WE NEED TO KNOW EVERY DETAIL OF HIS PERSONAL LIFE BEHIND CLOSED DOORS DAMMIT!!!!!!!

THESE ARE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS PEOPLE!!!!! AND WE DESERVE TO KNOW!!!

For more from the Pinkie, go to www.straitpinkie.com.

2009 Kentucky Football Positional Outlook: Quarterbacks

straitpinkie — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:28:15 -0400

Over the past few months, we’ve been focusing intently on Kentucky basketball after the hiring of John Calipari. We’ve done so for a few reasons: 1) Kentucky fans appetite for basketball information has been utterly insatiable lately, so we’ve obliged 2) It’s been really fun to write about basketball with Calipari at the helm and 3) basketball has always been my prime area of interest in Kentucky sports.

With that said, football season is upon us and there is reason to be excited about something other than a John Wall highlight.

Rich Brooks has done so much work to make Kentucky football as much fun to follow as UK basketball (and frankly, over the past couple years, it has been more fun), and even though John Calipari’s arrival has put football on the back burner, we have a season coming up that I know I can’t wait for.

Anytime Rich Brooks has spoken about his team for the 2009-2010 (hopefully it runs into 2010), he has not hesitated to show optimism about the upcoming year.

For that reason, we won’t wait any longer to we begin our series of positional previews for the Kentucky Wildcats and Louisville Cardinals. We will alternate between UK and UofL each day. Keep an eye out for the first UofL preview Wednesday morning.

They say that quarterback is the most important position on the football field. Last year’s Kentucky Wildcats were really the epitome of that cliche. The defense (or as we here at the Pinkie call them, the Whomp Squad) last year was phenomenal. There was serious talent at the running back position, but there were never really enough holes to run through.

There were times when UK was very effectively quarterbacked. When that happened, you got a glimpse into UK’s potential. UK’s two most exciting wins were marked by an extended stretch of excellent play by Mike Hartline in games against Arkansas and East Carolina.

There were times when UK was quarterbacked very poorly. When that happened, it seemed like the team was always going to be held back. The South Carolina and Florida games come to mind here.

Most of the time, Mike Hartline, who opened the season as the starter, was mediocre, could not stretch the field deep and seemed to lack the confidence to succeed in the SEC. For that reason, UK decided to experiment with freshman Randall Cobb at the position, even though his future was not at quarterback. A good atlete at the position added a different dimension to the team, but Randall Cobb lost all of his games as a starter.

In the end, partially thanks to an injury to Randall Cobb, it was redshirt sophomore Hartline leading UK to its third consecutive bowl win.

Even during the stretches of good play, it just felt like UK had a limited ceiling as a team because of the quarterback position. UK’s passing game ranked 96th in the nation last season.

UK entered practice leading up to the upcoming season committed to playing Randall Cobb at wide receiver. Even though Cobb will line up wide the majority of the time, he will still see time under center situationally. With a player like Cobb, you have to find ways to get the ball in his hands.

Even so, Cobb will not return to starting this season, so let’s take a look at the guys who have a shot at seeing time.

The Options

Mike Hartline RS Junior 6-6 204
2008 Stats: 172-311 (55.3%) 9 TD’s 8 INT 104.7 rating

In case you’re not familiar with the QB rating system, a 104.7 rating by Mike Hartline is not like a 104.7 rating by Peyton Manning in the NFL.

Hartline was the most talked about Cat on last year’s roster, and also the most maligned. In other words, he was Michael Porter during the 2008-2009 season before Michael Porter was. A lot of the flak that Hartline caught was undeserved and even more of it was unduely harsh, but that does not change the fact that Hartline has some holes in his game.

If I had to pinpoint Hartline’s three biggest flaws from last season, I would say arm strength, decision making, and lack of confidence. The three are all very intertwined. Hartline recognized he lacked a bit in arm strength, but I think he in turn underestimated his own ability, and therefore made some poor check down decisions. It’s much more common to see a QB try to fit too many balls into spaces too tight, not be woefully unwilling to push the ball downfield.

In order for Hartline to make the leap from game manager and nothing more to quarterback who can win you a game when he needs to, he’s got to improve in these three areas.

Hartline, as I mentioned earlier, finished last season with his best play of the season in the Liberty Bowl, even showing the ability to stretch the field. Hopefully that game will buoy his confidence.

Will Fidler RS Junior 6-4 229
2008 Stats: 3-4 (75%) 26 yards 0 TD 0 INT 91.7 rating

Fidler saw mop up action in only 3 games last season, but he is still being overlooked a bit in my mind. Fidler is without a doubt number 2 on the depth chart right now, and according to Rick Brooks, it could stay that way even with the high profile freshman knocking on the door: “Will Fidler right now is our number two and he’ll stay there as long as he earns the right to stay there. It is conceivable that one of the freshmen could move up to number two. It is conceivable that Will could keep them at number three.”

Fidler has played well this offseason when given the opportunity, including in the Blue-White game this spring when he led his team to the victory. “Will at times looked better than I have ever seen in spring practice and one of those times was his opening drive in the Blue/White scrimmage,” said Brooks.

Morgan Newton Freshman 6-4 217
2008 Stats (HS): 1938 yards passing 22 TD’s, 1664 rushing yards 26 TD’s

Newton is the most highly rated incoming freshman UK has had at QB in a VERY long time, so logically, after a season of mediocre QB play, many UK fans see him as the answer at the position. If only it were that simple.

Newton is going to be tremendous at this level, it really is just a matter of time. He’s a true pocket passer who possesses the athletic tools to break out of the pocket and make a big play. Even so, talent does not immediately translate to results, especially at quarterback and especially as a freshman.

Newton has the deep ball in his repertoire that UK fans so desperately longer for last season, and he throws it beautifully. He’s also very accurate, and would give Rich Brooks the ability to mix in some option looks and actually have a QB who’s a threat to keep the ball.

If you go on skills and skills alone, he’s the answer, but again, it’s not that simple.

Ryan Mossakowski Freshman 6-4 208
2007 Stats (HS Junior): 2963 yards passing 19 TD’s

Moss was nearly as highly rated as Newton, but he suffered a shoulder injury that derailed the second half of his senior year.

Mossakowski is also a natural pocket passer, but does not give UK the running threat that Newton does. He requires some time in the pocket to make his throws due to a slower than average release, but when he gets set he can put the ball where ever he wants. He’s the kind of guy who could be absolutely tremendous with a solid offensive line and receiving corps.

The Outcome

Rich Brooks has made it abundantly clear that Mike Hartline will be the starter when the season opens in Cincinnati: “right now, in my mind, there is no question who our starting quarterback is for the Miami of Ohio game.”

Incumbents, particularly at QB, are difficult to unseat, and when you consider how difficult UK’s schedule is to start the season, experience will be highly valuable.

As bad as the quarterback play was last season, the play at wide receiver was arguably worse, especially after Dicky Lyons went down and UK’s second best option, Randall Cobb, moved to quarterback. UK lost only Lyons from the receiving corps, and gains Cobb, who will play receiver full time, and JUCO transfer Chris Matthews. We will fully preview the position next Monday, but it will be better, which will significantly improve the passing game, regardless who’s taking the snaps.

In the end though, I believe Mike Hartline, health permitting, will man the quarterback position for the vast majority of the season. There will be times when UK brings in a change of pace at the position, whether it’s Cobb or Newton, but I believe Hartline will do enough to earn starts all year.

Whoever plays in the early season will take his lumps at QB. UK will open as favorites in the first two games against Miami (OH) and UofL, but then plays two of the more difficult home games that you will ever find against top 5 Florida and Alabama. UK then hits the road against South Carolina and Auburn. All SEC road games are tough.

I would be absolutely shocked if anyone not named Hartline starts any of the first four games. The idea of giving a kid like Morgan Newton his first start against Florida or Alabama is not something that Rich Brooks will be too crazy about.

The first potential serious QB controversy could come after the Alabama game if UK gets poor play at the position. However, a first career start in Columbia or the Loveliest Village on the Plains is not much better than against Florida or Alabama.

No one can reasonably much better than a 1-3 record in that stretch of 4 games, but it’s going to be pretty important for Mike Hartline to at least show some signs in those games. An 0-4 stretch with poor passing performances is going to seriously turn up the volume on the call-in shows, particularly with a weak Louisiana-Monroe up next.

I’m far from sure about this, but I believe that Hartline will remain the starter, mostly because I think UK is going to sneak out of USC or Auburn with a win.

I think you will see much more consistent play out of Mike Hartline this season for a few reasons: 1) he’s got a year of experience and an offseason under his belt 2) he will play behind a more experienced offensive line 3) the play at wide receiver will be much improved.

I look for Hartline to start all 12 games this year and boost his numbers across all categories, particularly completion percentage, yards per attempt, and TD-INT ratio. Morgan Newton is his biggest threat, and if he pushes Hartline while Mike struggles, his leash could go from short to yanked by game 6. I say Hartline holds off Newton, at least for 2009.

For more from the Pinkie, go to www.straitpinkie.com.

2009 Louisville Football Positional Outlook: Quarterbacks

straitpinkie — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:25:26 -0400

Chris Redman. Dave Ragone. Stefan LeFors. Brian Brohm. Hunter Cantwell. The depth of the University of Louisville quarterbacks over the last 13 seasons has arguably been the most consistent in all of college football.

Those five were not only a part of nine consecutive bowl appearances (remember that Cantwell played admirably as a walk-on freshman against Virginia Tech in the 2006 Gator Bowl), but also included a string of eight consecutive first team all-conference selections (Redman 2, Ragone 3, LeFors 2, Brohm 1), and an unprecedented five conference offensive player of the year awards.

A quarterback competition is not something Cardinal fans have been used to. The closest we saw in that time frame was a compromise in 2004, when LeFors was the starter, while Brohm would come in for one series and in blowouts (effectively killing Stefan’s chance for Big East Player of the Year honors that season). For the most part, the lineage has been predetermined with expectations just as high for the newcomer as his predecessor.

Not this season. Case in point: During this past April’s Spring Game, four different quarterbacks played significant minutes, with redshirt freshman Zack Stoudt winding up on top, going 5-for-7 for 84 yards and a touchdown.

For head coach and self-appointed offensive coordinator Steve Kragthorpe’s make-or-break season, developing and maintaining a strong quarterback for the future could quiet the roar of the frustrated Cardinal faithful. Here is a quick look at the candidates. Check back Friday for Miller’s breakdown of the Cardinal rushing attack.

The favorite: Adam Froman
The 6-4, 220-pound junior college transfer from Santa Rosa, California, has been making the most of his opportunities in the open race, especially with a tremendous showing in the Fan Fest practice last weekend. With full contact practices starting this week, look for the veteran to assume more of a leadership role and hopefully put a positive end to the contest.

The contender: Justin Burke
The 6-3, 229-pound junior transfer from North Carolina State may have the best chance at dethroning Froman for the top spot. Hailing from Lexington, he was the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state as a senior at Lexington Catholic. He appeared in three contests for the Wolfpack in 2007, and knows the system after being forced to redshirt in 2008.

The dark horse: Zach Stoudt
Stoudt is a 6-4, 215-pound redshirt freshman out of Columbus, Ohio. As a high school senior, he led his Dublin-Coffman squad to a 13-1 record. His father Cliff is best known as being a backup quarterback for Terry Bradshaw on the Super Bowl XIII and Super Bowl XIV winning teams. Zach showed promise in the Spring Game, and will likely be a strong backup for Froman in case of injury.

The others: Will Stein and Alan Castro
Stein, the local standout from Trinity High School, played well in the Spring Game, and knows the system after taking the redshirt as a freshman. His size (5-10, 185 pounds) does leave some wondering whether or not he can be effective in the Big East.
Like Stein, Castro is also quite small for the signal-calling position. At 5-10, 170 pounds, the true freshman out of Hidden Valley High School in Roanoke, Virginia may be best served by redshirting this season, but that has not been determined.

For more from the Pinkie, go to www.straitpinkie.com.

Kragthorpe's Last Stand? 2009 Louisville Football Preview

straitpinkie — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:57:58 -0400

The Louisville football program enters the 2009 season with a bunch of questions on the field, but the biggest question mark involves embattled head coach Steve Kragthorpe.

The 2009 season for Louisville is more about making a determination regarding Kragthorpe than strictly wins and losses. For that reason, 2009 could be Steve Kragthorpe's last stand, or it could be his finest moment.

As we roll into summer, we get closer and closer to the start of football season. The Louisville football program faces a challenging and pivotal season in 2009. With a tough schedule and unproven talent, Steve Kragthorpe must not only try to put a competitive team on the field, he must do so with his job status very much in jeopardy.

I am going to go through some scenarios in which I believe will determine whether or not Krags stays or is let go.

Let's take a look at the 2009 schedule:

9/05/09 vs. Indiana State
9/19/09 at Kentucky
9/26/09 at Utah
10/02/09 vs. Pittsburgh
10/10/09 vs. Southern Mississippi
10/17/09 at Connecticut
10/24/09 at Cincinnati
10/31/09 vs. Arkansas State
11/07/09 at West Virginia
11/14/09 vs. Syracuse
11/21/09 at South Florida
11/27/09 vs. Rutgers

Just looking at the schedule right now, I count two wins, six losses, and four TBD. The two wins are Indiana St. and Arkansas St., both schools I was not aware had football programs. The six losses are Utah, Pitt, Cincinnati, West Virginia, South Florida, and Rutgers. That leaves the four TBD games, and those are Kentucky, Southern Mississippi, Connecticut, and Syracuse.

To be clear, I am not saying those four games are toss ups and the teams are evenly matched. What I am saying is, at this point, those four teams do not appear to be strong enough to overwhelm Louisville like the games I have marked as losses. Here are the scenarios:

Three or Fewer Wins—If Krags goes 3-9, that will put him at a 14-22 in three years at Louisville and with that record he cannot be brought back for a fourth year. Looking at Louisville's team and schedule, three wins could be a stretch. That is quite sad for a program who did not go on probation and is only three years removed from winning the FedEx Orange Bowl. Therefore, three wins, or less, HE'S GONE.

Four Wins, Several Blowout Losses—Here's where it gets interesting. Looking at the schedule, four wins means Krags has to win at least two games against teams he should not beat. However, if he does that, but also gets completely blown out of the water in other games, I do not see how that could be viewed as adequate enough progress to retain him. Four wins with several blow outs, HE'S GONE.

Four Wins, Several Close Losses—This is where I think the borderline stands. If Krags ends up 4-8, as I mentioned earlier, he will have won two games he was not supposed to win. Those wins, coupled with several close losses against teams they were supposed to lose to, I think a reasonable person can take that as progress and make a case for him returning. However, a case for retaining Krags at four wins can be made only if Louisville has a good recruiting class for 2010.

Currently, coach Kragthorpe has received five commitments for the class of 2010. This is a big deal because the Louisville program has never had this many football commitments this early. In previous years, the staffs at Louisville have taken the philosophy of closing late which resulted in securing commitments later in the process.

This year, perhaps because he knows he needs to score a good recruiting class to bolster his job status, Krags has gone out and closed on kids early. As a Louisville fan, it is exciting because it appears kids are buying into the message coach Kragthorpe and his staff are selling. While nailing down a good 2010 recruiting class is important, it becomes much bigger if Kragthorpe can land Tim Patterson and Stephan Robinson, two highly touted players from Louisville Central.

Patterson, a linebacker and No. 1 football recruit in Kentucky, is a Louisville fan. Kragthorpe needs to get him. Landing him can only help in landing his teammate, receiver Stephan Robinson, who is also heavily interested in Louisville. Securing commitments from these two will be huge for Krags when the time comes to determine whether or not he's the guy for the job at Louisville. Therefore, four wins with several close losses and a good recruiting class, HE STAYS.

Five Wins or More—This one is easy. Louisville won five games last season with a more experienced and talented group. If Krags pulls out five wins or more in 2009, that alone signifies progress and therefore, HE STAYS.

While Louisville does have a potential college football superstar in running back Victor Anderson, a quarterback battle that will not conclude until late in fall practice, and question marks on both the offensive and defensive lines, the main issue for this team is who the head coach will be going forward. 2009 will be a pivotal year for the Louisville football program.

How Is UK's Momentum Affecting UofL Fans' Outlook?

straitpinkie — Thu, 21 May 2009 09:00:51 -0400

As the University of Kentucky dominates the headlines with their hiring of John Calipari, the return of star big man Patrick Patterson, and inking the top recruiting class of 2009, a side issue to those stories is often lost in the shuffle: how does the recent surge by the University of Kentucky affect the University of Louisville?

In most states, the actions of one basketball program has little, to no affect whatsoever on another program. However, we do not live in most states. We live in Kentucky, and our basketball programs, specifically the Universities of Louisville and Kentucky, are sacred. With the hiring of John Calipari and his recent success on the recruiting trail, the University of Kentucky is now poised to re-emerge on the national scene of college basketball as a perennial force. As a result, it begs the question: where does that leave Louisville?

Before I get into all of that, I would like to provide some context. I am a huge Louisville fan and have been all my life. I attend the University of Louisville and regularly attend football and basketball games. I have also been to many Kentucky basketball games in recent years, especially when provided a free ticket. I have no deep seeded hatred for Kentucky and do not actively root against them.

However, as soon as that day rolls around when Louisville and Kentucky line up against each other, whether it be on the football field or basketball court, I would like nothing more than for Louisville to absolutely humiliate Kentucky. I am a firm advocate for defeating them and unnecessarily running up the score if possible, which I’m fairly confident is the reason I do not completely despise Bobby Petrino.

In recent years, there is no doubt the University of Louisville became a more relevant and successful program than Kentucky. Since the hiring of Rick Pitino, Louisville went from the brink of NCAA violations to the Final Four, and now are a perennial top 10 team. While the performance on the court improved drastically, the other aspects of building or rebuilding a program were undertaken and completed.

Louisville returned to playing on national television starting during the latter years of Conference USA, but skyrocketed once they joined the Big East conference. Anytime a Louisville assistant coach walks into a gym to watch a recruit, every player takes notice because of the stature of Louisville’s program. And quite frankly, Louisville has been the sexier program. What I mean is, to a recruit, the brand of Louisville basketball has been more appealing than Kentucky.

However, that is no longer the case. John Calipari has already brought back the brand of Kentucky basketball without having coached a single contest. He will consistently bring in top talent and put out a highly formidable team year after year. Having said all of that, I will now get to the point. From a Louisville fans’ perspective, how does the current/impending re-emergence of the Kentucky program affect my outlook of the Louisville program? The answer: NOT. ONE. BIT. Here’s why.

The common concern I hear among Louisville fans is that Calipari is now going to kill the Cardinals in recruiting because he will take every top player. Calipari’s recruiting philosophy is different than Pitino’s, and I do not believe it will be a problem simply because Louisville and Kentucky do not play in the same conference.

Louisville plays in the powerhouse Big East while Kentucky plays in the weaker South Eastern Conference. Just so no one misunderstands, I am not saying the SEC is weak, but I am saying it is not as strong as the Big East. Why does the conference that the two schools play in matter? Conference affiliation matters because it affects Louisville’s recruiting. Why?

Since joining the Big East, Louisville goes after players from point guards to centers, who can compete in physical conference play. Rick Pitino also has a method to his recruiting in that he tries to alternate every other year between superstar class and a depth class (meaning loading up on 3-4 year players). Louisville recruits to their conference more than simply going after the top players at each position.

On the other hand, Calipari has the philosophy of accumulating, or stockpiling as Guy says, the best talent possible each year at each position of need. Will that overlap and result in some recruiting battles? Absolutely, but I’m not convinced it will happen every year with every recruit the teams go after. I’m even less convinced Calipari will completely dominate Pitino in that area as some of my Louisville brethren fear.

Another reason I am not concerned with Kentucky re-emerging is also related to conference affiliation. WE PLAY THEM ONCE A YEAR!!!! If Louisville loses, yes it sucks, especially if you have direct contact with an obnoxious Kentucky fan, but it only counts as one loss. If we win, great, I love it. In that case, I can go strait over to the aforementioned obnoxious Kentucky fan and run my mouth. But in the end, it only counts as one win.

I very much believe Kentucky being a top program helps Louisville. For starters, playing a good Kentucky team every year is a built in boost to strength of schedule, particularly if played in Rupp Arena. I generally think the RPI is garbage and makes no sense, but Louisville’s RPI goes up dramatically by playing a good Kentucky squad.

However, in my opinion, Kentucky being a top program helps Louisville in a less obvious way. This view point is based on the notion that a coach like Rick Pitino, who is as good as it gets regardless of whether Kentucky is great or terrible, will work so much harder to make sure he doesn’t get surpassed by Calipari. Pitino will not be sending Calipari a Christmas card anytime soon, unless it involves a picture of Pitino flipping Cal the bird, which would be hilarious. The point is, they don’t like each other and I’ll bet good money Pitino will not just sit by and let Calipari overtake him without a fight.

In short, I believe this has/will fire Slick Rick up. Naturally in public, Pitino will do his usual coach speak and downplay any skepticism. But I firmly believe he will do everything in his power to stay ahead or keep Louisville on no less than equal standing with Kentucky.

The notion of Rick Pitino being scared of Calipari is laughable to me, and is an indication that people grossly misunderstands the mindset of Pitino. Does Pitino like Calipari being an hour away? Nope.

Is Pitino excited about hearing or reading, on a much more frequent basis, things Calipari does or says? No way, Jose.

And most of all, does Pitino like the fact that he will no longer be the only slick talking Italian, former NBA head basketball coach who now coaches a top national powerhouse in the state of Kentucky? No chance, Lance.

But the thought of Pitino actually being scared, so scared that he would try to leave Louisville and take another job is ridiculous. Pitino will work harder, arrive earlier, stay later, and work his players harder now that he has stiff competition just an hour away.

So I say to all my Louisville brethren, do not fear Kentucky being good, but rather embrace it, man up, and accept the challenge. If Kentucky’s a top five team every year starting in 2009, good for them. But I implore you, do not take the attitude of, “well, our run’s over” or “guess we’re second best again”. Do not take this attitude because Rick Pitino will not.

Why Kentucky 2009-10 Is the Most Marketable Team in America

straitpinkie — Wed, 20 May 2009 18:21:42 -0400

Optimism regarding the 2009-2010 Kentucky basketball team could not be more abundant at the moment. People are throwing around “preseason No. 1″ about as frequently as John Calipari tweets.

Not to rain on the statewide parade, but frankly, that may be a little premature.

The ‘Cats will have as talented a team as any in America but will feature a roster that will be made up nearly 50 percent by newcomers (six of 13). The young Wildcats, as Coach Cal has been quick to remind us, may take their lumps early in the season, but if they can get their chemistry in order and effectively implement the dribble drive, they will be a force to be reckoned with.

Even so, there is good reason for the excitement among the UK fanbase, but I can think of another group of people who may be even giddier—ESPN.

Why, you say? ESPN just lucked into the most marketable commodity in the college game: the John Calipari-led Kentucky Wildcats.

In August of 2008, ESPN paid dearly for the right to broadcast SEC sports over the next 15 years (to the tune of some $2 billion). The crown jewel of the contract is obviously SEC football. SEC football is probably the biggest rating certainty in regular season sports this side of the NFL, and now ESPN will get its pick of the litter each weekend in the fall.

Almost an afterthought in the treasure trove of a deal was SEC basketball, especially given that this past season was the weakest in recent memory for the conference.

The one thing ESPN knew it would get out of SEC basketball is UK. UK is one of the elite programs in the game, and even when the team is not up to par and really is pretty terrible to watch, like they were last year, Big Blue Nation is still going to tune in.

However, with the way things have shaken out over the past two months, I’m pretty sure more than just Big Blue Nation will be watching as UK basketball takes over the Worldwide Leader.

Let’s just think about the product that UK is going to be running out on the floor 25-plus times on ESPN.

Even before Billy Gillispie got the boot, UK was going to feature two of the more high-profile players in the nation next year in Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson, assuming they returned to school.

Meeks became a fixture in living rooms nationwide with his season-long scoring explosion, highlighted by his 54-point outburst in Knoxville. (By the way, I just got a Witness shirt for my birthday last week.) Patterson has familiarized himself with college basketball fans over the past two years with his remarkably consistent play.

Needless to say, now Meeks and Patterson will not be the only thing people will watch when UK basketball is on.

John Calipari was already a media darling, even though he had never coached at a BCS school—which is quite an accomplishment in itself.

He’s always available, quick-witted, and loves promoting himself and his program. He’s a sideline reporter’s dream. Calipari has now walked into a situation where he will quickly ascend to the level of the highest profile coaches in the land; Coach K, Rick Pitino, and Roy Williams are about the only three that I think fall in this category.

It’s very difficult for a college coach to become a truly national figure, but Coach Cal will have no trouble pulling that off.

So, that covers established, experienced talent and a face of the program-type coach. What else could you add to the mix to create a perfect storm for the ESPN hype machine?

Answer: the recruiting class John Calipari has put together over the past 39 days.

UK was already going to enjoy an infusion of dynamic young talent with the arrival of the top recruiting class in the land, comprised of DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, Daniel Orton, Jon Hood, and Darnell Dodson.

Then John Wall happened.

John Wall is arguably the most high-profile high school senior since LeBron James. His commitment to UK today was such big news that it even stole headlines from Michael Vick’s pending release from prison and the insufferable Brett Favre.

The drama surrounding his recruitment alone would be enough to make him known, but his talent may even outpace his hype.

He could jump to the NBA right now and be the best athlete at the point guard position in the league. I know that sounds like hyperbole, but I really believe it.

Wall possesses that "wow" factor that so few do. His blend of speed, leaping ability, and violent quickness is going to allow him to make plays that will stop opposing players in their tracks and create that gasping sound in the crowd that is reserved for guys who are usually known by only first names or nicknames (think LeBron or D-Wade).

Combine the fact that guards dominate the college game with the talent demonstrated in the below video, and I have a hunch that John Wall might be famous come March.

So, let’s recap. Well-known veterans, check. Superstar coach, check. Ridiculous incoming talent headlined by a once in a generation type athlete, check.

Vince Doria and ESPN, contain yourselves.

For more from the Pinkie, go to www.straitpinkie.com.

From That to This: A Whirlwind Month-and-a-Half For Kentucky Basketball

straitpinkie — Wed, 20 May 2009 18:18:41 -0400

Following the loss to Notre Dame in the N.I.T. Quarterfinals, many wondered what would transpire with the University of Kentucky basketball program. Something had to happen, right?

After starting the season 16-4, they appeared destined for a SEC Championship. Then the wheels came off.

They lost eight of their last 11 to end the regular season, fell to LSU in the second round of the SEC tournament and, in doing so, ended any remaining hope that they would be invited to play in the NCAA tournament.

Kentucky was absent from the NCAA tournament for the first time in 18 years. But, that wasn’t the only thing that was absent.

Absent from UK basketball was a simple three-letter word, F-U-N. The players were not having fun. The coaching staff was not having fun. The administration was not having fun. The fans were not having fun.

Seeing a player in a Kentucky uniform smile was about as rare as seeing them set up in a 2-3 zone. And, by now, we all know Billy Gillispie’s stance on zone defense.

Something had to be done, but could Mitch Barnhart and the rest of the administration admit they made a mistake after just two seasons? Remember it was perceived by much of the sports nation that Kentucky had just run Tubby Smith out of town. A head coach who brought a championship, six Sweet Sixteen appearances and ten 20-win seasons to the bluegrass in his ten years as head coach.

Despite the abuse that they were bound to receive, Mitch Barnhart and Lee Todd dismissed Billy Gillispie of his duties on March 28, 2008, a mere three days after the loss to Notre Dame ended their season. It wasn’t just the losing. The losing certainly did not help matters, but it was a combination of things to led to his dismissal.

They admitted their mistake, but now they had to avoid making another one. This hire had to be a home run.

Immediately, rumors swirled around Billy Donovan. The two-time National Champion and protégé of Rick Pitino had already turned down Kentucky once, would he reject the opportunity to coach in Lexington again?

Donovan then announced that he was staying in Gainesville and would remain the head coach at the University of Florida. Donovan had shot down Kentucky again.

Now what? Attention then turned to John Calipari, Tom Izzo and even former Kentucky guard Travis Ford. In 2007, when looking for a head coach, Barnhart admittedly did not pursue Calipari. This time it was different, as both sides showed mutual interest.

Once the ball got rolling, it didn’t take long. John Calipari was announced as the 22nd head coach of the University of Kentucky Men’s basketball team, and just the seventh in the last 79 years, on April 1, 2009.

Immediately, everything appeared different. Gone was Gillsipie’s smirks and snide comments. In their place was a man who enjoyed speaking with the media and even embraced the opportunity of being the face of Kentucky.

John Calipari was adamant that he was not the “Grand Poobah” but he was also adamant in his belief that they could bring a banner to Rupp Arena in a short amount of time. It would not happen overnight, but the University of Kentucky basketball program would return to where it belonged, in the spotlight.

We are now a mere month-and-a-half into the Calipari era and he has yet to even coach a game at Rupp. Yet, fans and journalists across the nation are crowning Calipari exactly what he said he wasn’t, the Grand Poobah. Sure, no one really knows who, or what, the Grand Poobah is, but his first six weeks on the job have been nothing short of remarkable.

He made appearances on P.T.I. and on SportsCenter, was interviewed at the NCAA Final Four and then by Jeannine Edwards at the Kentucky Derby. The same Jeannine Edwards that Billy Gillispie had made famous with his awkward and uninspiring encounters. When Calipari spoke with Edwards, he actually seemed congenial and even poked fun at the Gillispie interviews.

Everything had spun full-circle and the Jeannine Edwards’ interviews embodied that transition. Calipari was anywhere and everywhere, promoting Kentucky basketball, something the previous head coach shied away from.

He wasn’t just everywhere on your television screen, he was everywhere on the recruiting trail as well. Bringing in DeMarcus Cousins, Darnell Dodson and Eric Bledsoe. All the while, maintaining the previous commitments of Jon Hood and Daniel Orton.

How could the off season go any better for Kentucky?

Then Patrick Patterson, who many believed was destined for the NBA, decided to return for his junior season. The opportunity to get his degree, a renewed sense of excitement and a chance for a National Title were all just too much to pass up.

A National Championship that seemed so far away, just seven weeks ago. Now all of a sudden, it is a definite possibility.

Then today came the arrival of John Wall. The number one prospect in the land.

Without Wall, Kentucky’s 2009 class was probably the best in the country. With the addition of Wall, you are foreseeably looking at one of the best classes in the history of college basketball.

This all from a coach who has yet to coach a game.

And we are not even sure if Jodie Meeks, a second team All-American from a year ago, is returning. If he comes back, you are staring an off-season square in the face that Kentucky fans could not have scripted any better.

When Calipari arrived in Lexington, he called the University of Kentucky his “dream job”. Now, whether right or wrong, Kentucky fans are dreaming of (expecting?) a Final Four in 2009. All of this in just a little over six weeks!

Sure, Kentucky fans are probably a little over-excited, but after two years of dealing with Billy Gillispie and his “No Fun” policy, fans deserve to smile and they deserve to see the players wearing the Kentucky uniform do the same.

Win or lose, next season is going to be F-U-N!

For more from the Pinkie, go to www.straitpinkie.com.

Game 12 Recap: Chicago Cubs 7, Cincinnati Reds 2

straitpinkie — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 23:50:20 -0400

Jay Bruce returned to the Reds lineup with a YAK EM!!! to put Cincinnati up 1-0 in the second inning. Micah Hoffpauir immediately answered with a bomb of his own to lead off the Cubs half of the inning and tie it right up at one run a piece.

Aramis Ramirez then ripped the cover off the ball, and a nice play by Dickerson in left held him to a single.

Mike Fontenot drew a walk and after Soto hit a deep fly to right center allowing Ramirez to take third, the scorching hot Ryan Theriot (trailing only Ryan Ludwick in batting average thus far) singled up the middle, sending Aramis home and the Cubs up 2-1.

Rich Harden then showed his blazing Canadian speed and beat out a sac bunt attempt to load the bases.

This sent Dick Pole to the mound before Owings would face Alfonso Soriano, who flied out in the first. Soriano left, despite his monster start, what seems like his 98th, 99th, and 100th men on base by striking out ahead of Kosuke Fukudome’s laser beam flyout to center to end the inning.

The fourth inning saw a couple of strange happenings…First a calico cat streaked across the outfield, finally removed by a groundscrew member, in quite the hilarious fashion.

Then Joey Votto walked and stole second base, and with two outs Jay Bruce drove a ball opposite field to the the near exact spot of 2003’s Bartman incident.

The fan caught the ball this time, and it seemed to be clearly uncatchable, but that didn’t stop the Wrigley faithful from raining down a chorus of boos directed at the fan. Alfie stared down the moron for a moment before Bruce singled Votto home on the next pitch to tie it at two, bringing about more boos from the stands.

Of course George Grande and “The Cowboy” couldn’t shut their mouths about the Bartman play for the rest of the inning, and Fox Sports Ohio even cued up the play immediately, and again in the bottom of the sixth so “The Cowboy” and Grande could cackle some more about it. So. Much. Hate.

Reds starter Micah Owings (0-2) lasted only 4 2/3 innings, allowing five hits, four walks and four earned runs, before giving way to Mike Lincoln with runners on the corners and two outs.

The Cubs got three runs in the fifth, the first on a Hoffpauir sac fly and the second on a Ramirez single to right. Following Ramirez’s single, Owings was lifted and Lincoln promptly hit Mike Fontenot to load the bases.

The Cubs then benefited yet again from a bases loaded walk, as Geovany Soto drew the RBI free-pass to make it 5-2 Chicago.

Ramirez, who finished 3-for-5, added a two-out two-run single in the bottom of the sixth for the final 7-2 margin.

Rich Harden (1-1) worked six innings for the win, giving up two earned runs, striking out eight batters, allowing three hits and walking two on 92 pitches.

Aaron Heilman worked the seventh around a one out double by Ramon Hernandez. Neil Cotts struck out Taveras to start the eighth before giving up a single to Chris Dickerson and walking Joey Votto, forcing Piniella to make the call for Marmol. Carlos got Phillips to fly out to center and then struck out Jay Bruce to end the inning.

Luis Vizcaino got the first two outs in the ninth before giving up an off-the-wall double to Alex Gonzalez. Jerry Hairston Jr. then pinch-hit in the pitchers spot and looked at strike three to cue “Go Cubs Go”.

The Cubs move to 8-4 on the season and drop the Reds to 7-6.

Cubs-Cardinals: Chicago's Game 11 Recap

straitpinkie — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 14:50:45 -0400

For the second consecutive game, the Chicago Cubs used a late home run to take down the rival St. Louis Cardinals. In both games, the Cubs didn’t play all that well, having control issues all night from pretty much every pitcher, but they found a way to get it done, helping them move percentage points ahead of the Redbirds for first in the NL Central.

The hero this afternoon for the Cubbies was the guy who has come to be known as Mr. Clutch over the past couple years: Aramis Ramirez. Ramirez was about as tough of an out as a player can be in late innings last year, getting big hit after big hit in big situation after big situation.

“It seems like every time there is a big moment in the game and Rammy is up he is winning the game for us,” Cubs shortstop Ryan Theriot said, “He definitely has the flare for the dramatics and a knack to win games.”

This time, the big situation was with two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning against Cardinals pitcher Dennys Reyes, who, by the way, is very generously listed at 250 pounds. Aramis watched ball one go by before getting a pitch he could handle with a 1-0 count, driving it into the left-center bleachers for a two-run homer, launching Wrigley into a chorus of “Go Cubs, Go."

Ramirez, like Alfonso Soriano on Friday, was hitless on the day before doing his damage. All was forgotten after the big hit, though.

The parallels between Friday and Saturday don’t end there. Just like Carlos Zambrano on Friday, starter Ryan Dempster had to battle through the six innings he lasted—giving up four runs and walking four.

The Cubs ‘pen again bested the Cardinals, this time doing so in spite of repeatedly falling behind hitters and walking leadoff batters.

After the seventh inning, it looked like Carlos Marmol was going to be the hero. Marmol came in with men on first and second and no outs after Neal Cotts failed to throw a strike to the two batters he faced—no doubt drawing the ire of Lou Piniella.

Marmol coaxed harmless pop outs from Rick Ankiel and Ryan Ludwick and a measly ground out from Albert Pujols after falling behind him 3-0.

The pitcher was brought back out in the eighth inning, still clinging to the 5-4 lead that Aaron Miles had given the Cubs in the bottom of the sixth by driving in Geovany Soto. Marmol quickly gave up consecutive doubles to Chris Duncan and Yadier Molina, before walking Khalil Greene.

Cubs reliever Kevin Gregg then came in to fix the same situation that Marmol had fixed just an inning earlier

Gregg looked better than he had in any of his previous appearances wearing Cubbie blue. He not only pitched his way out of the eighth inning jam, but also tossed a perfect ninth inning.

Aaron Heilman and Angel Guzman both pitched scoreless innings in spite of issuing lead-off free passes, with Guzman getting his first career victory.

Outside of Ramirez, the top performers at the plate were Ryan Theriot (3-for-5 with a run and a triple) and Kosuke Fukudome (2-for-5 with a double, 2 runs, and an RBI). These two guys looked to be possibly the weak spots in the Cubs lineup this year, but both are absolutely on fire, batting .400 and .375 respectively.

Reed Johnson, who is a quality outfielder, has been relegated to defensive replacement and pinch hitter status by Fukudome’s stellar play.

Lou Piniella entered this series saying he would NOT let Albert Pujols beat his team. Ryan Ludwick made the Cubs pay so far to the tune of seven RBI in the series, but Pujols is only 1-for-9 with four walks and no homers or RBI during the Cards' visit to the Windy City.

This bears watching tomorrow night, as the Cubs and Cards wrap up the four-game set under the bright lights of Sunday Night Baseball. Ted Lilly figures to challenge Pujols tomorrow (well, at least if the bases are empty), will Pujols stay quiet again on Sunday?

Cubs-Cardinals: Cubs 8, Cardinals 7

straitpinkie — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 18:39:25 -0400

Well, that was the most frustrating Cubs win I can ever remember watching.

Chicago jumped on the hated Cardinals early with two runs in the first courtesy of a Hoffpauir double and Ramirez single. The Cubs added another in the second via a Fukudome sac fly to score Mike Fontenot. However, it was the second inning when the frustration started building.

The Cubs, seemingly inept at situational hitting so far this year, loaded the bases with nobody out. Soriano promptly struck out swinging at a slider so far off the plate Paul Bunyan couldn’t have made contact with his gigantic lumber. Dome then hit his sac-fly and Derrek Lee struck out to end the inning, plating only one and giving the Cubs a 3-0 lead.

Next came the top of the third. Zambrano who had dominated the first two innings, striking out four, fell apart. He walked Barden to lead off the inning, and then got PJ Walters, making his major league debut on the mound for St. Louis in place of the injured Chris Carpenter, to strike out trying to bunt Barden over.

Back-to-back singles by Schumaker and Rasmus loaded the bases for Albert Pujols. Zambrano slammed his glove to the ground following Schumaker’s shot up the middle and Derrek Lee nearly made a spectacular play to get Rasmus, but couldn’t hold on to the ball and everyone was safe.

Pujols then hit a sac-fly to bring up Ryan Ludwick, who sent a drive deep and gone, extending his hitting streak to 20 games, and giving the Cardinals a 4-3 lead.

St. Louis tacked on another run in the top of the fifth, before the Cubs tied it up at five with a Aramis double and Soto single. Then Zambrano gave the lead right back by letting BRIAN BARDEN lead off the sixth with a jack.

Then after getting Pujols to groundout to lead off the seventh, Zambrano served up Ludwick’s second bomb of the day, putting the Cardinals up 7-5.

To Zambrano’s credit he was a horse today, eating innings and seemingly keeping his emotions in check.

Following Robbie Gould’s seventh inning stretch performance, Fukudome led off the home half of the inning with a double to deep center. Kosuke has been tearing the cover off the ball to start the year; let’s hope he can sustain this for a full season unlike last year.

More frustration followed as D-Lee flied out and Hoffpauir struck out before Ramirez got him his third hit and third RBI of the game, cutting the lead to 7-6.

Aaron Heilman (2-0) pitched a scoreless eighth and then gave way to Aaron Miles, who drew a pinch-hit, one-out walk ahead of Alfonso Soriano. Soriano, who up to this point looked like a five year old trying to hit a major league slider, blasted a two-run YAK EM! off a Chris Perez (0-1) slider to give the Cubs the 8-7 lead.

What happened next is sure to bring a bevy of questions from Kingdom Cub and the media aimed directly at Lou Piniella and who exactly his closer is. Carlos Marmol, who was warming up due to the Cubs being behind on the scoreboard before Alfie’s bomb, came on to close out the ninth.

After four strait balls to Rasmus, and hitting Pujols on the next pitch to put two on with no one out, Piniella was forced to get Gregg up and going in the 'pen. But he would not be needed on this day. Marmol went 1-0 on Ludwick before blowing three strait fastballs by him for the first out.

Carlos then got Khalil Greene to ground to Theriot, who threw to Fontenot, who turned to Lee for the game ending 6-4-3 double play.

Marmol picked up his second save of the season and the Cubs move to 6-4, pulling even with the 8-4 Cardinals in the loss column.

Game 7 Recap: Cubs 4, Rockies 0

straitpinkie — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 19:28:42 -0400

Theodore Roosevelt Lilly III.

That about sums up Opening Day 2009 at Wrigley Field.

Rain delayed the start of today’s game for an hour and 12 minutes, but couldn’t put on a damper on the Cubs home opener or the mood of the 40,077 fans that showed up to spite it.

Ted Lilly walked catcher Chris Iannetta in the third inning and didn’t allow another Rockie to reach base until Garrett Atkins singled with two outs in the seventh to end the no-hit bid.

Lilly then walked the next batter, outfielder Seth Smith, before being removed after 104 pitches and the tying run, in the form of Troy Tulowitzki, coming to the plate. Angel Guzman relieved Lilly, and immediately threw a wild pitch to move both runners into scoring position. He then got Tulo to fly out to center and end the Rockies only threat of the day.

Aaron Heilman and Kevin Gregg worked around one out walks to pitch the 8th and 9th innings respectively and preserve the one-hit shutout for Chicago.

With the wind blowing in, Lilly looked nothing like the pitcher who struggled through spring training and his opening start in Houston. He served up five home runs in 11 innings in spring training, and gave up four more last Tuesday night at Minute Maid Park.

However, on this cold, blustery day at Wrigley Field, Lilly threw 6 2/3 innings of one hit ball, walking two and allowing zero runs while striking out eight Rockies to earn his second win in as many starts here in 2009.

The Cubs, or should I say Ubaldo Jimenez and the Rockies, gave Lilly his first lead on yet another bases loaded walk drawn by Chicago hitters. Koyie Hill drew the RBI-walk to score Derrek Lee, who was batting in the clean-up spot for today’s game.

Lee was moved to fourth in the lineup due to Milton Bradley being out with a tweaked groin, and Aramis Ramirez getting the day off with a stiff back. Bob Brenly said on a talk show this morning that it would seem like an obvious move to use Ramirez in the three-hole and move Lee to the 5-hole; and ESPN “analyst” Joe Morgan also campaigned for Ramirez to bat in the three-hole during Sunday night’s telecast.

How did Derrek respond? Lee reached base in four of his five plate appearances, going 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI single to go with two walks.

And Piniella’s response to the grumbles? “It’s just today’s lineup,” he said. “My (fourth) and fifth hitters are out of there, so we just made some adjustments with our lineup today. We’d like to get Derrek going, no question. He’s been working and I’m confident he’ll start swinging the bat the way he’s capable of. He’s working though.”

Soriano continued his hot start, going 2-for-4 with a walk though he struckout with the bases loaded to end the second, and again with two runners on and nobody out in the fourth. Fukudome also continued to shine, going 1-of-2 with an RBI to go along with his three walks.

Rockies’ starter Ubaldo Jimenez (1-1) needed 104 pitches to last just 3 2/3 innings, walking six and giving up three earned runs.

Colorado falls to 3-4 while Chicago moves to a season high three games over .500 at 5-2.

Colorado Rockies-Chicago Cubs: Series Preview

straitpinkie — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:41:33 -0400

The Chicago Cubs (4-2) will host the Colorado Rockies (3-3) today at 2:20pm ET in their 2009 home opener.

After winning their first two series against the Astros and Brewers, the Cubs will look to do the same against the Rockies. This time, to win the series, it will have to be a sweep as for some reason the two clubs will only be playing a two game series, with an off-day in between. I guess the Rockies requested a day off in between because, honestly, who wouldn’t want to spend a day in Chi-Town?

Rockies Lineup

1. Dexter Fowler CF
2. Ryan Spilborghs LF
3. Todd Helton 1B
4. Garrett Atkins 3B
5. Brad Hawpe RF
6. Troy Tulowitzki SS
7. Ian Stewart 2B
8. Chris Iannetta C

Chicago will most likely be without two starters, Geovany Soto and Milton Bradley. Soto, who has been out since being hit by a pitch in the second game of the season at Houston, is expected to return to the lineup on Wednesday. And Bradley, who left last night’s game in the fourth inning with a right groin injury, is day-to-day (and with a cold/wet forecast for today’s game I’m gonna go ahead and go out on a limb and announce he isn’t playing).

Milton was batting .059 as the Cubs cleanup hitter before leaving last night, but with an .333 OBP and a consistently patient approach at the plate. Bradley isn’t the only Cub struggling early.

Derrek Lee is two for his first 25 at bats, good for an .080 average and with one hit being a double and three walks drawn, Lee is sporting a nifty .292 OPS. Pathetic. He is not making good contact, and it seems like he hasn’t hit the ball out of the infield all season. I defended Lee’s critics before the season, and am hoping he can get this thing turned around quick. Derrek has always been a slow starter, but this is ridiculous!

The Cubs have won eight straight over the Rockies in Wrigley. Now let’s take a look at the pitching matchups:

Probable Pitchers

Game 1 - Monday, April 13th, 2:20 ET, TV-WGN

Chicago Cubs - Ted Lilly (1-0, 9.00 ERA)

Lilly struck out three and didn’t walk a batter in his first start of the year against Houston. And as Guy pointed out, the home runs Lilly gave up were more a product of situational pitching more than anything.

Last year, Lilly was 7–5 with a 4.50 ERA in 15 games started at Wrigley. He held opponents to a .234 batting average, surrendering just 81 hits in 90.0 innings pitched.

In his only meeting with the Rockies in ‘08, Theodore lasted just 3.0 innings, giving up seven runs (four of them earned) on eight hits (two of them YAK EM!s). Also lefty’s batted .307 against Lilly last year, and the Rockies have four viable lefty bats in Helton, Hawpe, Stewart, and Seth Smith. Omar Quintannilla could also see some AB's if Clint Hurdle decides to play the percentages and stack his lineup lefty-heavy.

As goes the Cubbies and Ubaldo, the Rockies haven’t really seen much of Lilly either. When they have seen him though, they have rocked him. This group is batting a combined .366 against Ted, but Lilly is still 2-1 in four career games vs. the Rockies with an unsightly 7.56 earned run average.

Colorado Rockies - Ubaldo Jimenez (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

Jimenez cruised through seven shutout innings on Tuesday in Arizona, giving up four hits, three walks, and collecting eight strikeouts and the win. Jimenez is a promising young arm whose raw stuff can at times be as filthy as anyone out there. He has steadily improved with each outing of his career and with a couple more starts like last Tuesday will indisputably be the ace of this Rockies’ staff.

Jimenez went 12-12 last year, posting a 3.99 ERA. This makes sense as Ubaldo will either dominate you or pull his best Rick “The Wild Thing” Vaughn from Major League, unable to find the strike zone. In 13 of his 34 starts in 2008 Jimenez walked four batters or more.

Amazingly Jimenez was a much better pitcher at Coors Field last year than on the road. Ubaldo could only manage a 5-8 record with a 4.72 ERA in 18 road starts in 2008. One of those starts was his only matchup with the Cubs, a 5.0 inning, seven hit three-walk three-run loss. In two career games at Wrigley Jimenez is 0-1 with a 4.63 ERA.

Again, while they haven’t seen much of Ubaldo, Aramis Ramirez and Aaron Miles (5 AB’s each) are both batting .600 off him, with Ramirez sporting an OPS of 1.867.

Advantage: Cubs - moderate

Game 2 - Wednesday, April 15th, 2:20 ET, TV-CSN

Cubs - Rich Harden (0-0, 1.50 ERA)

After going six innings, striking out 10 and allowing just two runs on three hits in a no-decision against the Brewers on Friday, the concern over Rich getting knocked around and not pitching much in the Spring appears to be irrelevant.

Harden has simply been one of the elite pitchers in baseball when he is healthy and takes the mound. After joining the Cubs last year, Rich went 5-1 in 12 starts, with 89 strikeouts in 71 innings, compiling a 1.77 ERA to go with a 0.97 WHIP and allowing NL hitters to bat just .157 off him.

Rockies - Jason Marquis (1-0, 2.57 ERA)

Over the last two years, despite his marginal success (2007: 12-9, 4.60 ERA and 2008: 11-9, 4.53 ERA), I never granted Marquis name privileges, only referring to him as “That Guy Who Stole Sammy’s Number.” Now that he is finally gone, I can lose some of that animosity and be more objective.

As a fifth starter for two years, Marquis did what he was asked to do. Along with providing an extra bat and pair of legs when needed, he went out and ate up innings.

However his start-me-or-trade-me arrogance was just too much to overcome for me, and I could never, or will never give him a fair shake.

After efforts to change his delivery this spring (which did not go well), Marquis allowed just two earned runs and five hits over seven innings in this past Friday’s win over the Phillies.

Marquis can pitch well, but he can also pitch horribly. I am rooting for the latter on Wednesday.

Advantage: Cubs - strong

Game Six Recap: Cubs 8, Brewers 5

straitpinkie — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:39:49 -0400

There are really two things that defined the Cubs 8-5 victory over the Brewers on Easter Sunday to win their second series in a row to start 2009: 1) Reed Johnson’s catch, 2) Brewer walks.

I think it goes without saying that Reed’s catch is going to be remembered a little bit more than the fact that the Brewer pitchers decided they would rather put batters on base instead of running the risk of giving up a hit.

If the 202 times they showed a replay of the catch that kept the Cubs lead intact in the 5th inning wasn’t enough for you, don’t fear, you’ll be able to watch it the rest of the season.

In that fifth inning, the bases were loaded for the Brewers portly first baseman, Prince Fielder, when he hit a towering fly ball over Reed Johnson’s head in right field, who had just come in as a replacement for the injured Milton Bradley (groin tightness).

Reed sprinted back and timed his wall-scaling lead perfectly to snag the would be grand slam. What a play it was.

The other defining part of the game was the wildness of the Brewer pitchers. Jeff Suppan lasted only 3.2 innings even though he gave up only two hits. The Cubs squeezed five runs out of those two hits, mostly due to the fact that Suppan and his replacement, Jorge Julio, combined to walk in four Cubs in a big fourth inning.

For the game, the Cubs mustered just five hits, but scored eight runs. The two big stars at the dish for Cubs today were Alfonso Soriano and Ryan Theriot. Soriano hit yet another leadoff home run to instantly give the Cubs a lead.

Alfonso already has four homers and seven RBI in six games, so he is clearly out to improve on his weak starts the last two years. Even hotter out of the gate is Ryan Theriot. The Riot went 2-for-4 today with two runs, and RBI, and a double, actually lowering his average for the season to a scalding .550.

Unfortunately, Lou Piniella is already having to deal with injuries when putting together lineups. Catcher Geovany Soto did not play an inning behind the plate this series, but did make a cameo pinch hitting appearance in the ninth inning.

I was a little worried the Cubs would have to retroactively DL Geo, but clearly that’s not in their plans. Piniella says that Geo is planning to start on Wednesday.

Also, not surprisingly, Milton Bradley is already dinged up. Running the bases in the big 4th inning, Milton complained of groin tightness and came out for Reed Johnson. We’ll keep you posted on his status.

On the mound, Ryan Dempster got the win, going six innings, giving up six hits, three walks, and four runs while striking out six. Dempster was pretty pedestrian today, but he did what he had to to get a win, even though it was ugly (and assisted by Reed Johnson).

When Dempster came out, Sean Marshall and Carlos Marmol handcuffed the Brewer lineup in the seventh and eighth. Allowing no baserunners and throwing only 24 pitches between them. Carlos Marmol, especially, was very sharp.

He had not looked as unhittable as he was last year at times so far this season, but tonight guys didn’t have a chance against him. He struck out two and made every Cub fan wish he could throw every bullpen inning.

Then Mr. Adventure, Kevin Gregg, toed the rubber. He retired the first two guys uneventfully, looking like he was going to make a statement saying “there’s no closer controversy here”, then Rickie Weeks jacked a home run to left field, then Craig Counsell laced a double, then he walked Ryan Braun.

It’s one thing to give up hits, but if you’re out there walking batters with a three-run ninth inning lead, you’re risking a Lou Piniella heart attack. Gregg eventually ended things with a strikeout of Prince Fielder.

There is no debating who the better pitcher is between Marmol and Gregg. In fact, Kevin Gregg himself probably wouldn’t even take his own side. The question is “where is Marmol’s value maximized?” I think the answer is in the role he fills now.

It’s tough to sell Carlos Marmol on that when you consider that the way closers get paid is by getting saves. For that reason, Marmol will eventually be a closer, I just don’t know when.

Game 4 Recap: Brewers 4, Cubs 3

straitpinkie — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 19:41:46 -0400

The Chicago Cubs opened a three-game homestand in Wrigley North with a 4-3 loss to last year’s Wild Card squad, the Milwaukee Brewers.

With one swing of the lumber, Koyie Hill provided Rich Harden with his first lead of the game via a two-run, sixth-inning bomb.

Milton Bradley got his first hit of the season, a solo jack to lead off the fourth inning. While Bradley has gotten off to a slow start hitting wise, it hasn’t been for lack of good at-bats.

Milton takes a lot of pitches and works pitchers deep into the count. Bradley finished 1-for-3 with a walk and now has drawn five walks in 13 plate appearances, good for a .462 on-base percentage.

Rich Harden was phenomenal in the no-decision, going six innings and striking out 10 while allowing only three hits and two runs, only one earned via Corey Hart’s solo shot in the 3rd.

The Brewers got their first run when Ryan Theriot, who so far this season is doing his best Rafael Furcal impression, made his second error of the year, airmailing a routine grounder over Derrek Lee’s head allowing Rickie Weeks to reach second base.

Corey Hart then sacrificed him to third and Ryan Braun singled him home.

Aaron Heilman came in to start the seventh, and promptly walked Bill Hall and allowed Jason Kendall to sacrifice him to second.

Lou Piniella then went to Neal Cotts to face the left-handed pinch hitter, Craig Counsell. Counsell, dealing with a torn meniscus in his right knee (probably due to the weirdest batting stance in history), has lowered his hands in his stance and doesn’t look nearly as odd.

Cotts nailed Counsell on the hands, putting runners on first and second and prompting Piniella back out of the dugout to bring in Carlos Marmol.

Carlos got Weeks to line out hard to Fontenot and then Hart, quickly down 0-2, worked the count full before taking a third strike (called a ball by home plate umpire Jim Reynolds) to load the bases for Ryan Braun.

Marmol again got ahead 0-2, and then got Braun to fly out to Bradley in right, ending the threat.

Sean Marshall and Luis Vizcaino both made their season debuts in the eighth, Marshall walking the only batter he faced to lead off the inning, and then Vizcaino retired the only two men he faced before giving way to Kevin Gregg.

Gregg struck out Bill Hall to end the eighth. Pinch hitter Chris Duffy was walked to lead off the ninth with a 55-foot curveball, and Gregg then allowed Rickie Weeks to double over Soriano’s head in left to tie the game and earn Gregg his first blown save of the season.

A wild pitch moved Weeks to third, and Hart then walked to bring up Ryan Braun.

Braun grounded to Theriot, who instead of trying for the double play to send it to extras, went home with the throw and Weeks slid in just under the tag of Koyie Hill…. Weeks was called safe, much to his delight and Hill’s dismay.

Hill raised his hands to the sky, then as Weeks slammed his helmet in celebration, Hill slammed the baseball in disgust.

Chicago falls to 2-2 on the young season while Milwaukee moves up to 2-2.

Cubs-Brewers: Series Preview

straitpinkie — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:06:59 -0400

In 2008, the Chicago Cubs' mindset was about winning series.

It seemed every interview with a Cubs player included the phrase, “We’re just trying to win the series and go from there.”

Well, the 2009 Cubs appear to have the same mindset and followed through with that plan after taking two of three from the Houston Astros.

The Cubs will now look to do the same this weekend as they travel north to face division-rival Milwaukee Brewers.

The Brewers are currently 1-1 on the very young season with one game remaining in their opening series against the San Francisco Giants. After facing the Giants at 7:05 EST tonight, the Brewers will fly back to Milwaukee for their home opening on Friday afternoon.

These two teams faced each other sixteen times last season, and the Cubs managed a 9-7 record against the Beermakers. In 2008, the Cubs won the National League Central for the second strait year and the Brewers made the playoffs as well, by winning the National League Wild Card. While the 2009 version of the Brewers may have many familiar names to Cub fans, don’t think this is the same team as a year ago.

The Brewers hired former Oakland A's manager Ken Macha to lead this club after Ned Yost’s meltdown during the stretch run last season. Macha guided the A's to two AL West titles while at the helm in Oakland, and the Brewers are obviously hoping he brings the same to Milwaukee.

Offensively, the Brewers can be very explosive. Here’s their lineup:

1. Rickie Weeks 2B
2. Corey Hart RF
3. Ryan Braun LF
4. Prince Fielder 1B
5. J.J. Hardy SS
6. Mike Cameron CF
7. Bill Hall 3B
8. Jason Kendall C

The Brewers will no doubt get production from Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, and Corey Hart to a lesser extent. To me, the key to the Brewers offense will be how much Rickie Weeks and Mike Cameron produce.

In 2008, Weeks batted .234 with 14 HRs, 46 RBIs, and a .740 OPS from the leadoff spot. Cameron batted .243 with 25 HRs, 70 RBIs, and a .809 OPS. The Brew Crew will need those two to have good years to score enough runs to help out their suspect pitching staff.

C.C. Sabathia and Ben Sheets are not walking though that door. The 2009 Milwaukee starting staff consists of Yovani Gallardo, Jeff Suppan, Braden Looper, Manny Parra, and Dave Bush.

Quite honestly, none of them concern you if your team faces them. Gallardo is the ace and clearly possesses the best stuff. He was injured for most of last season, but dazzled during his 2007 season by going 9-5 in 17 starts with a 3.67 ERA.

The Milwaukee bullpen received a bit of a makeover as well. The dreadful Eric Gagne is gone, as is Solomon Torres. The Brewers did sign all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman during the offseason, but he is currently on the disabled list with a strained oblique.

Signing Hoffman should bring stability to the end of games, but the Brewers must get the ball to him with a lead first. Their pen is full of question marks, with the likes of Todd Coffey, Jorge Julio, and Mitch Stetter.

Milwaukee will hit enough to win some games, but whether or not their pitching will come through is the best question. I’ve got them finishing fourth in the NL Central this year because I don’t believe their pitching will deliver, but that’s why they play the games.

Let’s take a look at the probables:

Game One - 4:05 pm EST, TV - WGN

Rich Harden (2008 5-1, 1.77 ERA with the Cubs) vs. Braden Looper (2008 12-14, 4.16 ERA)

Rich Harden gets the ball for the first time this year for what is hoped to be as healthy a season as possible. We all know Harden’s shaky health history, but he feels good and plans on making 20-25 starts this season. When he’s out there, he’s typically one of the best in the game.

He has not showed much velocity this spring, but has worked on location and changing speeds. We’ll see if the work has payed off on Friday afternoon.

Braden Looper signed a one-year deal with the Brewers during the off season after starting for the Cardinals in 2008. Looper is admittedly behind schedule, as he pulled a muscle near his rib cage and did not make a start in Spring until March 26. His role for the Brewers is to be around .500 and eat innings.

Advantage: Cubs (strong)

Game Two - 7:05 pm EST, TV - CSN Chicago

Carlos Zambrano (1-0 1.50 ERA) vs. Dave Bush (0-0 18.00 ERA)

The Cubs chose not to go withNno. 5 starter Sean Marshall due to today’s offday and the desire to keep Big Z on schedule. Zambrano pitched very well on Opening Day and got his first win of 2009.

The last time Zambrano pitched in Miller Park, he no-hit the Astros. I’m sure the Cubs will take a similar result from Big Z on Saturday.

Dave Bush pitched an inning of relief on Opening Day and gave up two runs on three hits against the San Francisco Giants. He’ll make his first start of 2009 on Saturday. He doesn’t have great stuff and relys solely on location and changing speeds.

Advantage - Cubs (strong)

Game Three - 8:05 EST, TV - ESPN

Ryan Dempster (0-0 3.00 ERA) vs. Jeff Suppan (0-1 13.50 ERA)

Ryan Dempster will look to get his first win of 2009 on Sunday Night Baseball on the four letter network. Dempster pitched well in a no-decision on Tuesday, giving up two runs over six innings.

Jeff Suppan got rocked on Opening Day and will definitely look to rebound while making his first home start. Suppan gave up six earned runs on six hits over four innings. He’ll obviously need to be better against a solid Cubs lineup.

Advantage - Cubs (strong)

Game Three Recap: Cubs 11, Astros 6

straitpinkie — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 00:15:03 -0400

That’s the idea, just keep winning series.

Going undefeated is obviously ridiculous, as is winning every series, but taking two out of three from opponents on a consistent basis is the best way to prepare for playoff baseball. The Cubs took their first series of the season, beating the Houston Astros 11-6 on Wednesday night.

The Cubbies didn’t get much going offensively against Roy Oswalt, Wandy Rodriguez, and the Astros bullpen, but they immediately set the tone tonight. The first seven batters reached base (six on base hits), as the Cubs lit up starter Brian Moehler up for four runs in the first inning.

There was no letting up in the second inning, as the Cubs mounted a two out rally that chased Moehler with runners on first and third and a 5-0 deficit. Mike Fontenot knocked Russ Ortiz’s first pitch over the right field fence for an eight run lead, and the Cubs were comfortable the rest of the way.

The offensive attack was led by the aforementioned Fontenot and third baseman Aramis Ramirez. Each had four RBI and combined to go 6-11. I’m telling you, if Mike Fontenot is available in your fantasy league, pick the man up.

He’s going to get the start probably 75 percent of the time. He’s hit every chance he’s had at the big league level, and he’s in a lineup that’s going to protect him and give him ample RBI chances all year long.

The most encouraging performance at the plate was by center fielder Kosuke Fukudome. Fukudome reached base in five out of six plate appearances, had four hits, a double, a homerun, and a steal. No one is expecting him to carry this club, but if he can provide a viable bat in the two hole against righties, he could be huge for this club.

The only troublesome spots in the lineup in this series were the three and four hole. Derrek Lee managed only 2 hits in 13 AB, but he did knock in two runs. Lee is one guy I will be watching early this year for any further decline.

He’s no spring chicken, and the last two years have seen his power numbers fall. Lefty Micah Hoffpauir is begging for some at bats, and if Lee struggles, we could see significantly more off days for him, especially against righties.

The only Cub regular not to notch a hit in the first series is freshly signed Milton Bradley. I’m not too concerned about his hitting coming around, though, as long as he’s in the lineup.

On the mound, it was a unique kind of game for the Cubs pitchers. Starter Ted Lilly was bestowed with a big 8-0 lead after an inning and a half, so there was no reason for him to try to make perfect pitches. He attacked the zone and was willing to let guys hit the solo homerun rather than clog up the base paths.

The Astros certainly did take Ted Lilly up on that. They hit four homers off of him, all but one of which were solo efforts. Lilly only lasted five innings, giving up five earned runs on eight hits, picking up the win. Rookie David Patton replaced him, and promptly gave up a homerun to the first batter he faced in the majors, Kazuo Matsui.

After that, though, Astros batters managed only two hits off of Patton, Carlos Marmol (who I wish had pitched the 10th inning last night instead of tonight), and Angel Guzman.

The Cubs pitchers pitched the way you are supposed to with a big lead: aggressively. They did not fear the solo jack, and they did not walk an Astro all night, which I was very pleased to see.

The Cubs now travel to Wisconsin to play the Milwaukee Brewers, and Bobby E will have you covered with a full preview before first pitch on Friday. The Cubs will continue their tour of very mediocre starting pitching from opposition, facing Braden Looper, Dave Bush, and Jeff Suppan.

Like Brian Moehler, they don’t exactly strike fear in your heart, especially when you consider the Cubs will counter with fourth starter Rich Harden, Carlos Zambrano, and Ryan Dempster.

Cubs Drop Game Two To Astros 3-2 In 10 Innings

straitpinkie — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:42:55 -0400

The Chicago Cubs' dream of a perfect season ended last night as they dropped their first contest, losing 3-2 to Houston in 10 innings.

The Cubs jumped out to an early lead thanks to a two-out RBI single by Derrek Lee in the third inning.

The Astros would tie it up in the fifth on a Hunter Pence home run. Then, in the sixth, Michael Bourn gave the Astros the lead with an RBI single. After six innings from starter Wandy Rodriguez and a scoreless frame from Chris Sampson, the Astros brought in former Cub LaTroy Hawkins in the eighth.

Hawkins, who in his time in Chicago had a propensity for blown saves and drew the ire of Kingdom Cub, had to deal with old demons as he promptly gave up a mammoth home run to Alfonso Soriano. Soriano launched a 1-2 pitch from Hawkins nearly out of the stadium to tie the game at 2-2.

After a fine start from Ryan Dempster (six innings and two ER), the Cubs' bullpen continued to show positive signs until the 10th. Angel Guzman pitched a perfect seventh inning and struck out two. Aaron Heilman pitched an inning and induced another double play to get out of a jam. However, in the 10th, relievers Neal Cotts and Kevin Gregg could not extend the game any longer.

Cotts gave up back-to-back hits to Ivan Rodriguez and Lance Berkman to lead off the 10th and was replaced by closer Kevin Gregg. Gregg got Jason Michaels to fly out, but Pudge advanced to third. The Cubs walked Miguel Tejada in order to load the bases for Jeff Keppinger. Gregg made a good pitch to break Keppinger’s bat, but the ball found the hole between Theriot and Aramis Ramirez and the game was over.

While the outcome of the game itself should not give the Cubs great concern, they will be concerned with the health of catcher Geovany Soto. Soto removed himself from last night’s contest with “right shoulder discomfort.” As of now, it appears to be purely precautionary, and Soto’s status is day to day. We’ll obviously be monitoring the situation and report any updates.

Starter Ryan Dempster threw the ball very well last night. He had good velocity, hitting 94 mph on the gun multiple times. He showed that good splitter we saw all last season. Dempster finished with six innings pitched, two ER, and five Ks. All in all, a fine outing by Dempster.

Neal Cotts took the loss for the Cubs, who fall to 1-1 on the year. With the win, the Astros improve to 1-1 as well. So as you can see, this one’s going to go right down to the wire…well, perhaps I’m getting a bit ahead of myself. There are still 160 games to go.

2009-2010 Louisville Cardinals Outlook

straitpinkie — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 09:46:54 -0400

Now that the 2008-2009 college basketball season is over, let us take a peek at what the 2009-2010 version of the Louisville Cardinals will look like.

Louisville did everything this year, but reach the Final Four and win a National Championship. That turned what could have been the greatest season in Cardinal history, into a disappointment. Louisville still accomplished things no other Cardinal team has (Big East regular season and tournament championship, schools first ever No. 1 ranking), and should be proud of these accomplishments.

Coming off a 31-6 season and a second straight Elite Eight appearance, the Cardinals will be losing three starters. They will once again need to discover a new personality as their top two scorers and leaders, Twill and Earl, are gone and their senior defensive leader McGee departs as well.

Louisville’s recruiting class is currently ranked among the top 12 teams by ESPN.com, 12th in the nation by Rivals.com and 19th by Scout.com.

My starting five for next year is Sosa, Smith, Swopshire, Samuels, and Jennings, with Siva eventually replacing Sosa.

No. Player Pos Ht Wt Yr Hometown

11 Brickley, Chris G 6′ 4″ 175 Jr Manchester, NH (Southern New Hampshire U)

12 Delk, Reginald G 6′ 4″ 200 Sr Jackson, TN (Mississippi State University)

22 Goode, George F 6′ 8″ 230 So Raytown, MO (Raytown South HS)

23 Jennings, Terrence F 6′ 9″ 220 So Sacramento, CA (Notre Dame Prep)

2 Knowles, Preston G 6′ 1″ 190 Jr Winchester, KY (George Rogers Clark HS)

14 Kuric, Kyle G 6′ 4″ 195 So Evansville, IN (Memorial HS)

24 Samuels, Samardo F 6′ 9″ 260 So Trelawny, Jamaica (St. Benedict Prep)

34 Smith, Jerry G 6′ 2″ 202 Sr Wauwatosa, WI (Wauwatosa East HS)

10 Sosa, Edgar G 6′ 2″ 175 Sr New York, NY (Rice HS)

25 Steiden, Lee F 6′ 4″ 190 Jr Louisville, KY (St. Xavier HS)

21 Swopshire, Jared F 6′ 8″ 205 So St. Louis, MO (IMG Academy)

DEPARTURES

1 Williams, Terrence F 6′ 6″ 220 Sr Seattle, WA (Rainier Beach HS)

5 Clark, Earl F 6′ 9″ 225 Jr Plainfield, NJ (Rahway HS)

33 McGee, Andre G 5′ 10″ 180 Sr Moreno Valley, CA (Canyon Springs HS)

20 Scott, Will G 6′ 4″ 185 Sr New York, NY (Cornell University)

ARRIVALS

Rakeem Buckles F 6′ 8″ 200 Fr Miami, FL (Monsignor Pace HS)

Mike Marra G 6′ 4″ 200 Fr Smithfield, RI (Northfield (Mass.) Mt. Hermon)

Peyton Siva G 5′ 11″ 165 Fr Seattle, WA (Franklin HS)

Stephan Van Treese F 6′ 9″ 220 Fr Indianapolis, IN (Lawrence North HS)

A quick look at the newcomers:

Rakeem Buckles

Averaged 12.6 points and 9.7 rebounds in leading team to second strait Florida 4-A championship. More of an Earl Clark type forward, he has the ability to create his own shot and score off the dribble with ease. He can take on larger defenders off the dribble and post up smaller ones, scoring easily. The same goes for Rakeem on the defensive end though, as that is where the majority of his improvement needs to happen.

Mike Marra

Mike has nearly unlimited range and does a great job of curling off screens for jumpers, effectively squaring his body to the rim and making good use of his lightning quick release. He averaged 19.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.4 steals and is ranked in Top 50 shooting guards by ESPN.com. In the 2008 National Prep Showcase, he went 9-for-17 from deep. “He’s the best high school shooter I have seen in my life,” said Rick Pitino. “I know that’s quite a statement.”

Peyton Siva

The biggest name of the group and a pure point guard with unbelievable speed and quickness. Siva averaged 19.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.3 steals this year and is ranked as the 8th PG in the nation by Rivals.com. He had six points and nine assists in the McDonald’s All-American game.

Stephan Van Treese

Van Treese is a strong and physical power forward. He averaged 11.6 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists. He also runs the floor well and is a monster on the offensive glass. He will need to improve his post game and footwork to score consistently deep in the post with his back to the basket.

Game 1 Recap: Cubs 4, Astros 2

straitpinkie — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 22:47:49 -0400

Alfonso Soriano set the tone early, really early. In both his, and the Chicago Cubs’ first at-bat of the season, Soriano connected off Houston starter Roy Oswalt (0-1) for his 50th career lead-off home run.

Aramis Ramirez then promptly led off the second inning with a solo blast of his own to give Carlos Zambrano (1-0) and the Cubs a 2-0 lead.

That is all the support Zambrano would need as he cruised, for the most part, through six innings before being lifted for Aaron Heilman in the seventh after allowing a single to Tejada to lead things off, followed by a walk to Geoff Blum.

Heilman promptly got Hunter Pence to ground into a double-play but then allowed Michael Bourn to knock in Tejada from third and reach base pretty much the only way he can, by chopping a ball off the ground and then using his wheels to beat out an infield single.

Neal Cotts came in and got Jason Michaels to ground out to Theriot to end the seventh.

The common perception with this Cubs team is get to the eighth inning with a lead and it’s over. Marmol came in, and sans a 2-out walk to Berkman, took care of business.

Enter Kevin Gregg. I have read a lot of flack from Marlins’ fans on Cubs’ message boards about how they hope we enjoy Gregg’s adventurous outings. The man didn’t accumulate 15 decisions last season by being boring, and tonight was no different.

Tejada led off the ninth with another single, followed by what was ruled a Geoff Blum single, though was clearly a ball Milton Bradley misplayed in right.

Bradley looked sharp in the field in the first inning, making a nice charging play to hold a runner at second and then making a great catch through the Minute Maid shadows and doubling off Kaz Matsui at second.

Gregg then got Pence (sac fly-RBI) and Bourn to fly out to Gathright in center, and pinch hitter Jason Smith to ground to Derrek Lee for the Cubs first win of the 2009 season.

Gregg picked up his first save for the Cubs and gave Zambrano his first Opening Day win in five tries.

Ryan Theriot went 1-for-2 with a sac fly in the fourth, and Micah Hoffpauir had a pinch-hit RBI single in the ninth for the Cubs’ other two runs.

Kentucky Basketball Recruiting/Roster Update: Current Roster

straitpinkie — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:44:04 -0400

It’s pretty much understood that there is going to be some significant turnover from last year’s Kentucky roster, even though only Jared Carter is the only player that we can be sure will not return.

Let’s take a look at the players who are scheduled to return to UK next year and how they are impacted by the arrival of John Calipari in order of their certainty to survive “try-outs”.

Roster Locks

Patrick Patterson, Jr., PF/C-This guy is a fit for any college roster. If he decides to return to school (which, by all indications, he seems likely to do), he will be a major part of what UK does next year. You can go ahead and pencil him for a double-double most nights next year.

I think Patterson has perhaps the most to gain from playing under Calipari. Out of necessity, he has played the 5 for UK since he arrived on campus, but next year, UK figures to get at least one other post presence which will allow him to move to his natural position (and the one he’ll play at the next level), the 4.

Coach Cal’s offense calls for four guys with the ability to take the ball to the basket and hit shots from the outside. If Patterson can grow into a 4 that has that inside-outside ability, his NBA stock will soar. I can’t wait to see Patterson play on next year’s team.

Jodie Meeks, Sr., SG-Obviously, the Second Team All-American has a ride and a starting spot if he makes the decision to return. The spacing that Calipari’s offense (as well as the help he should get from newcomers) should generate a lot easier looks for Jodie next year.

He may not get the chance to score 24 a night like he did in 2008-2009, but I think he stands to have a much better all around season.

I also look for Jodie to show some significant improvement in taking the ball to the basket in Calipari’s dribble drive offense, simply because he will need to. Jodie, last year, even though he was tremendous, was still not strong with the ball in traffic. He needs to get better to thrive next year and for the next level.

Darius Miller, So., SF-There is no doubt Darius will be on next year’s roster, barring some unforeseen occurrence. I can’t wait to see how Darius plays with the weight of Billy Gillispie of his shoulders. He seemed encumbered by him all year. He was the best guy on last year’s team off the dribble, which bodes well for his role next year.

Also boding well for Darius is the fact that when Rob Bromley asked Coach Cal in his interview with him after the presser on Wednesday what he knew about the players he was inheriting, the only other player besides Jodie and Patrick was Darius. I look for Darius to win a starting spot next year, even if UK brings Xavier Henry.

Perry Stevenson, Sr., PF-Perry is the one guy besides the above three that I would be SHOCKED not to see on the roster next year. He’s certainly earned the chance by dealing with three coaches in four years and always acting with class.

I don’t expect Perry to start, but he will be a moderate contributor off the bench who can find some space on offense, grab a board, and block a shot.

On the Bubble

Matt Pilgrim, RS Jr., PF-I have heard raves about Pilgrim in terms of rebounding and athleticism. I have also heard he can face up a little bit, which is a must if he wants to play next year.

Transferring is not an option, because he has but two years of eligibility left and has already burned his redshirt. I’m not completely sure what to expect out of him, but expect to see him on the team.

Kevin Galloway, Sr., PG, SF-Kevin has only one year of eligibility left, so transferring is not an option for him. Really the only way I think he is absent from the roster next year is if he fails to qualify academically, which, given his past, is not out of the question. We know Kevin has talent.

He’s a big time athlete and he pretty much took over the Florida game in Rupp. His game seems pretty well suited for the dribble drive motion, provided he improves his decision-making. I also look for some improvement simply because I expect him to have a more defined role.

DeAndre Liggins, So., PG/SF-I think Calipari is a much better coach for DeAndre than Gillispie, and he has a much better chance to be a success at UK because of him. However, I do not think it is out of the question that he decides to transfer.

If he does not show Coach Cal what he wants to see out of him, you can be sure Calipari will recommend a transfer.

Ramon Harris, Sr., SF-This is another guy who has probably earned his spot for his senior year, and it would be a shame if he does not get a chance to play it out. I would put him in the “lock” category, but with his medical issues, I think it could go either way for Ramon.

If he does play, I think his role will be significantly diminished from last year. His ball-handling is mediocre at best, his shooting is mediocre at best, and while he has shown the ability to be a solid rebounder and glue guy, he wasn’t the same after his injuries.

He played well during the NIT, but then had another setback against Notre Dame.

Michael Porter, Sr., PG/SG-The last of the UK seniors, and, in my opinion, the least likely to return. He is married with a child on the way, so life is moving on past playing basketball for him, not to mention the fact that he is on track to graduate in May.

The prospect of a merely playing a role next year, mixed with the fact that he has coaching aspirations, may drive him to seek a graduate assistant role next season. It’s also possible that he could find an academic scholarship or aid, because that process is much easier as a grad student.

Likely Gone

Josh Harrellson, Jr., PF/C-I don’t think Jorts fits in the dribble drive at all. Also, UK looks to be deep (and getting deeper) in the front court next year, and Harrellson doesn’t figure to see the floor much. I think he can be a nice player somewhere, but I don’t think that place is UK.

AJ Stewart, JR., SF/PF-AJ could be better suited for Calipari’s style of play, but I don’t see him sticking under Calipari. He needs to go to a smaller school where he can showcase some of his offensive skills (which have developed nicely) and play a bunch his last two years of school. AJ is a likable kid, but I think he’s out the door.

For more from the Pinkie, go to www.straitpinkie.com.

Kentucky Basketball Recruiting/Roster Update: Possible John Calipari Additions

straitpinkie — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 22:17:19 -0400

These are the high school seniors who are either unsigned or former Memphis commitments and signees who will likely be pursued by John Calipari to come to UK. BIG time players and would likely contribute immediately.

It really is amazing that hiring Coach Cal has moved UK to the top of each of these players’ lists after being an afterthought.

-John Wall(#2 overall according to Scout.com, #1 point guard)—This is a guy who was a Memphis lean before Calipari. He fits perfectly into Calipari’s dribble drive philosophy and Calipari has two huge selling points (Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans) that he can point to since Wall is likely eyeing the NBA in the 2010 Draft. Bob Gibbons reported at the McDonald’s game last night that Wall is a UK lean and is expected to make a decision next week (beware, this link is to Kentucky Sports Radio…there’s maybe a 50/50 shot the site is up right now). Remember that UK was involved with Wall before seeming to back off, in fact, he was on campus for Midnight Madness, so he likely knows enough about UK to make a decision.

This is the guy I really, really want. If he comes on campus, he’s starting right away at the point. Besides, it’s always nice to steal a kid from out of North Carolina. Duke, Baylor, Miami, and NC State are involved, and they probably thought their chances were boosted by Cal bolting to UK, but will Wall follow Calipari? I think chances are pretty good.

-Xavier Henry(#4 overall, #1 shooting guard)—Xavier plays on the AAU team Athletes First in Oklahoma, and it’s likely coming down to Kansas or Kentucky, for both. Henry’s dad is a former Jayhawk, and his brother, CJ, is a former Yankees minor leaguer who walked on at Memphis. He spoke Tuesday at the McDonald’s All-American game, and he represents himself very well.

He signed with Memphis, but his LOI had an addendum that freed him if Calipari left, so he can go anywhere he wants. The scholarship situation is tough, but this is a kid that you make room for. A lot of UK fans are getting visions of Ron Mercer watching him. He’s more of a scorer than a shooter, and would look REALLY good splitting time with Meeks, Hood, and Miller at the 2 and 3. Wow. In the end though, I think he ends up at Kansas, but if UK gets him on campus (which is a possibility) look out.

-DeMarcus Cousins (#6 overall, #2 center)—The Mobile, Alabama native committed to Coach Cal at Memphis, but had not yet signed a Letter of Intent. If you saw the McDonald’s game you saw what kind of player he is. He’ll make an immediate impact wherever he goes. He is listed as a center, but I see him as more of a power forward at the college level. He has ball skills and can play with facing basket or with his back to the hoop. He is not the defensive presence that Daniel Orton is, but he likely fits better into Calipari’s offense. Part of me thinks that it’s going to be one or the other between Orton and Cousins, not both, but we’ll see.

He said during the McDonald’s game that he would think about college after enjoying the game and had not yet spoken with Calipari. He previously committed to home state UAB, and could entirely reopen his recruitment now (Kansas State and Washington have been mentioned…random). I don’t think Coach Cal’s decision has really sunk in for him, and we’ll know more next week once he has some time to think.

-Nolan Dennis(#46 overall, #10 shooting guard)—This is another kid who was a Memphis signee, who now can look elsewhere. He’s coming to the Derby Festival Classic and his name was the first, to be brought up as possibly following Coach Cal. However, I would be very surprised to see him at UK next year. Like I said, roster spots are hard to come by, and I just don’t think the space is there. He’s a nice player, but he’ll likely end up elsewhere.

For more from the Pinkie, go to www.straitpinkie.com.

John Calipari Calls Kentucky His "Dream Job"

straitpinkie — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 12:42:19 -0400

What a day! No, forget what a day..What a week!

First we learned on Friday that Billy Clyde Gillespie is gone from Lexington. Most people anticipated it, and most embraced it.

Some were confused by it, but to those few who were confused, I can’t help but think that you are now excited.

On that same Friday, Louisville absolutely rolled an Arizona team that played so little defense that it is very possible that they do not allow big giant “D” signs or “fence” signs into the McKale Center ever again.

Still, the Cardinals rolled and looked destined for a trip to the Final Four.

Meanwhile, the Wildcats were busy getting snubbed, again by Rick Pitino’s mentor Billy Donovan.

Some panicked, but UK Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart didn’t.

Then, on Sunday afternoon, Tom Izzo continued his domination of Kentucky schools in the Elite Eight. Remember, in 1999 and 2005 when he halted UK’s bid for a Final Four?. He did the same to Louisville.

Izzo’s Spartans made Louisville look like a one-on-one team.

In frustration, for the first time all season, Terrence Williams was looking to shoot first instead of distributing to his teammates.

The Louisville defense also allowed Goran Suton to chill in the middle of the 2-3 match-up zone. In the first half he killed them by knocking down shots, and in the second half, when they collapsed on him, he found open shooters.

Louisville was stunned and fell short of the Final Four that everyone expected.

Later that afternoon, the Calipari Facebook page was found on the Internet, and it was reported that he was to meet with Kentucky officials, and finally, mutual interest between the two parties was evident.

When we reported the news on mutual interest, there were 50 people hitting our site every four seconds. We are not a huge site, (not yet anyway), but it proves the passion that Kentucky fans have about their basketball program.

There was smoke, but, the UK athletic department and the Kentucky fan base were not sure if there was fire.

For the next day and a half, the rumors continued to swirl, and every indication that Calipari was to be the next UK head coach was quickly refuted.

Last night, the Memphis Commercial Appeal’s Dan Wolken reported that it was a done deal live on ESPN. It was the first time that ESPN had reported it to be official.

Minutes later, Dick Vitale appeared on SportsCenter and discussed the scary proposition of Calipari at Kentucky.

And it is a scary proposition.

And then today, Calipari appeared at his press conference wearing Kentucky blue, proclaiming that this was his "dream job," and that coming to Kentucky was "easy"”.

But, what makes the decision difficult is leaving something that you love behind. In the end, he couldn’t pass up the lure of Kentucky basketball.

The most telling story, to me, in Calipari’s press conference was the fact that he appeared to immediately embrace the history of the UK program. He is aware that there is history there.

It is obvious to me that he wants to become more knowledgeable about that history, and he also wants everyone who has ever been a part of the program to feel as if they are a part of it again.

He mentioned many times how this whole thing is not about him. It is about everyone. The players, former players, the administration, the staff, the educators, the fans—Everyone.

When UK puts up that next National Championship banner, and they will soon enough, he said that 10,000 people will feel responsible.

Kentucky got their coach. The swagger is back.

It is Final Four week and all of the talk on the national scene has been about UK’s head coaching search. The sports nation needs to get used to it. Kentucky is once again a national story. Right there with North Carolina, Duke and UCLA.

And it isn’t going to take a couple of years for this Kentucky program to get back on the National stage. They will be competitive next year.

In fact, they could be really, really good.

After two years of never really getting over the mutual separation of Tubby Smith and the Kentucky Wildcats, I am excited about Kentucky basketball once again. After two years of trying my hardest to embrace Gillispie, I now get to embrace John Calipari.

I am excited. The state of Kentucky is excited.

Heck, even Dirk Nowitzki is excited.

Dallas, TX- Nobody was more excited that John Calipari signed on to be the University of Kentucky basketball coach than Mavericks’ basketball-communications manager Scott Tomlin.

A proud Wildcat alum from 2002, Tomlin was bouncing off the walls after news leaked out of Calipari’s signing.

Actually, there may have been one Maverick who was more excited: Dirk Nowitzki.

“We’re back baby,” Nowitzki yelled in the locker room before the game against Minnesota. “Kentucky is back on the map.”

Kentucky, of course, was where Nowitzki was going to attend college had he not bypassed college to go straight from Germany to the NBA.

Of course, the best line came from a Maverick who shall remain unnamed, who said: “Dirk was only at Kentucky long enough to pick up the envelope with the payment inside.”

Courtesy of the Dallas Morning News

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Is John Calipari Destined for Kentucky?

straitpinkie — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:32:41 -0400

Andy Katz is reporting that John Calipari is meeting with University of Memphis officials to discuss what a Memphis radio station is calling a $7 million offer from the University of Kentucky.

This comes a day after Calipari met with UK officials to discuss the possibility of replacing Billy Gillispie, who was released from his duties on Friday afternoon.

Also, Dan Wolken, of the Memphis Commercial Appeal, is reporting that Calipari has already met with his players, and they are convinced he is destined for Lexington after he referred to Kentucky as the Notre Dame of basketball.

Calipari has had tremendous success at both UMass and Memphis. While he did have some problems in his stint at UMass with recruiting violations, his slate has been clean as the head coach of the Tigers.

While at Memphis, he has often taken advantage of David Stern’s provision that disallows high schoolers to enter the NBA Draft. Last season, Derrick Rose led Memphis to the National Championship game and then bolted for the NBA after one season. He was drafted No. 1 overall by the Chicago Bulls.

It appears that Tyreke Evans will do the same this year.

His longtime rivalry with now Louisville head coach Rick Pitino makes the possible hiring of Calipari doubly interesting. Both are quick-witted coaches of Italian descent who recruit well and love to get the ball up and down the court.

But, unlike a lot of teams who prefer to play fast, both Pitino and Calipari focus on strong half-court defense when teams do get the ball across the time-line.

Rumors are already floating around the Bluegrass State that Calipari has accepted UK’s offer. Although, there have been plenty of rumors over the last couple of weeks, so I am not sure if they hold a lot of weight.

But Calipari would most definitely be the home run hire that the University of Kentucky needs.

Source: ESPN

For more from the Pinkie and constant updates on the UK Coaching search, go to www.straitpinkie.com.

Spartans 64, Cards 52: Gray Skies in Naptown; Tomarken's Tabulation

straitpinkie — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:22:49 -0400

The sun did not shine on Sunday in Naptown. The gray skies that hovered around downtown Indianapolis all day made their way indoors to Lucas Oil Stadium, and the Louisville Cardinals were defeated 64-52 in the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship by second-seeded Michigan State.

It was not supposed to end this way, not in the Elite Eight. Not in Indianapolis. Not against a Big Ten team. And certainly, not with this group of Cardinal basketball players.

The Cardinals’ performance was a stark contrast to their 103-64 domination over Arizona on Friday night. That high-flying, “Showtime” style the nation witnessed two days prior, looked like a fluke against the Spartans, as green and white defenders filled in every passing lane, scrapped for loose rebounds and tip-ins, and royally dominated the Cards.

Terrence Williams was unbelievably a non-factor in this one, scoring five points to go with six rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes. Samardo Samuels was plagued with foul trouble and ultimately shutdown and shutout by Michigan State’s Goran Suton. Samuels tallied seven rebounds and four turnovers to close the book on his freshman season.

Suton was a beast for the Spartans. Louisville had no answer at any point of the game for his prowess. The Cards played loose on him outside during the first frame, but the 6'10" Lansing native was able to drain a trio of three-point shots. In the second half, U of L collapsed on him, oftentimes double-teaming Suton on the baseline, which led to four assists on the night to open outside shooters. He finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds.

The Cardinals were able to only make 18 of their 47 shots from the field. Of those 18 shots made for the game, Earl Clark (8-17, 19 pts) and Preston Knowles (4-7, 11 pts) made 12 of them and combined for 30 of the 52 points.

A big key for Michigan State in the win included not allowing Louisville to get into the open court. The Spartans were more than willing to foul Louisville whenever a Cardinal breakaway presented itself. As a result, State allowed U of L to score zero fast break points. In turn, when the Cardinals did score, old Sparty did a tremendous job of quickly inbounding the ball, mostly to the free throw line extended, and having the big men handle the ball up the court, forcing Louisville back into their half-court defense.

The Cards, and the 25,000-plus red clad fans in the arena, were shocked about what they were witnessing throughout the game. The rhythm and flow Cardinal fans had come to expect ever since the Notre Dame game never existed, leading to one of the most frustrating and relatively boring games for Louisville fans in a long time.

With such an abrupt and blindsiding end to a season, we’re suspending the honors for this one. Later in the week, we’ll take a look back down memory lane with a recap of the Pinkie crew’s crazy visit to Indianapolis for the game, and Rolf and I will try to summarize this version of the Louisville basketball team. But for now, all Cardinal fans can do is try and make sense of what they witnessed on Sunday afternoon. The sun will still rise again...we think.

For more from the Pinkie, go to www.straitpinkie.com.