Inside The Cards

WE HAVE A NEW HOME!!!!

2010-03-04T06:08:00.000-08:00

We have moved the home of our blog from Blogger to Wordpress, we hope you enjoy the switch...So if you are looking to read new, updated UofL news and notes, go here -

INSIDE THE CARDS BLOG

UofL vs. UK Preview

2010-01-02T08:58:00.000-08:00

University of Louisville Cardinals vs. University of Kentucky Wildcats

Rupp Arena

Quick Notes

UK leads the all-time series 26-14 (with Louisville being 6-11 at Louisville, 6-13 in Lexington, and 2-2 on neutral courts).
In the last meeting (how could any of us forget?), UofL won 74-71 on a game-winning deep 3 by Edgar Sosa (see beautiful artwork to the right).
Louisville is coming off of a 73-52 victory in their Big East opener, while UK is coming off of a 104-61 victory over Hartford. UK is 14-0, their best start since the 1977-78 season, while UofL stands at 10-3, having 5 straight victories though.
The winner of the football game between the two schools has gone on to lose the basketball game in all but one year since the rivalry was continued in 1994. The only exception was in 2003 when UofL won both games...This could be our good luck charm thanks to The Krag.

Projected Starting Lineups

Louisville Cardinals

F 12 Reginald Delk

F 21 Jared Swopshire

C 15 Samardo Samuels

G 34 Jerry Smith

G 10 Edgar Sosa

Kentucky Wildcats

F 15 DeMarcus Cousins

F 54 Patrick Patterson

G 1 Darius Miller

G 11 John Wall

G 24 Eric Bledsoe

Game Preview

Truth be told, I am scared to death about this game. UK is good, in fact, they are real good; I think UofL is good as well, I just don't know if we can hang with that much talent for a full game. Now, that all being said, if the Cards lose today, I will be crushed and will probably drink myself out of the depression.

UofL vs. UK is the best rivalry in college basketball, I don't care what the worldwide leader says, Duke/UNC has nothing on this rivalry (don't believe me, ask the fine folks over at Card Chronicle). Bragging rights for a whole entire year, and I don't want to give up 24 straight months of trash talk victories against UK fans today. This is pure hatred between two fanbases, and don't doubt for a second that UK fans haven't waited all year for this game.

To the game itself, a lot of hype will be built around the fact that this is Pitino vs. Calipari, which let's face it, that is an exciting selling point to the face-value fan. The real story is about the players and the rivalry between the two schools. For those of you who would like to talk Pitino/Calipari though, allow me to remind you of what occured the last time the two coaches faced off. Ouch, poor Memphis. One last photo for good measure though, it never gets old, ~~and it will cheer me up in the event that we lose~~ ...

Enough about that though, this is going to be a tough game just based off of matchups. My biggest concern is not John Wall, it is the combo of Patterson & Cousins. I think we have enough talent at guard to consistently keep a fresh guy on Wall and contain him somewhat; where we lack is in the post. Samardo and Jennings will have to play the game of their lives to contain Cousins and Orton, I'm not certain they can do it for a full game. Then I look at the situation at PF, who can cover Patterson? Swop is good, but he's not nearly good enough to keep Patterson under control (that's not a knock on Swop, I think we would all agree that Patterson is much better than him). The we have Buckles, who in my opinion, is too young to play on Patterson consistently well. The combo of Swop and Buckles will have to have a hell of a day for us to stay in contention to win the game; strong defense, rebounding, and being a presence on the offensive side of the ball are all crucial.

Another concern I have is that we are a young team and we have only had one true road game this season. The UNLV game was a crazy atmosphere, but UNLV only hates us because we are playing UNLV, UK hates us because we are UofL. The atmosphere at today's game will be unlike anything the freshmen and sophomores have played in before. If we get behind we have to be sure not to get rattled, if this occurs, there is no way we keep it respectable.

My opinion, is that we'll either get blown out or it will be a close game; I'm not 100% sure we can win a close game against a team this talented, but regardless, at approximately 6 o'clock tonight we will know a lot more about this Cardinal team. My prediction, and I'm a complete homer, is UofL 87 UK 81.

Gameday Links

Official Game Notes from UofL

Official Game Notes from UK

Today is a Big Game, Even By Dream Game Standards

Speaking of The Dream Game, Hell in the Hall with Another Great Retrospective Piece

Eric Crawford's Preview

Courier-Journal's Keys to Victory

GO CARDS, BEAT UK!

And the Tickets Go To -

2009-12-31T10:49:00.000-08:00

For everybody wondering who the winner of our tickets was, a lucky young (or middle aged, depending on how you look at it) man from the South End named James has a pair of tickets to the UK/UofL basketball game.

Could we ask for more than a Dixie Hwy resident being decked out in red in the upper deck of ~~Corrupt Arena~~ Rupp Arena?

James, represent us well...GO CARDS

Festivus News & Views

2009-12-23T09:58:00.000-08:00

Before I get to some news and notes for today, I'd like to let you all know that today is Festivus, and if you have to ask what Festivus is, you don't deserve to celebrate it. With this holiday for the rest of us, there is a time honored tradition of airing your grievances; I would like to take this opportunity to air some of mine -

Tom Izzo - I hate you, and since you ruined my March, and subsequently my April, you need to pay. By not only beating my beloved UofL Cardinals, but by embarrasing them, you ended my season of hope and crushed my dreams of a Final Four. After that, I blame you and you alone for me having the worst 2 1/2 hour car ride of the year right after that game.
Samardo Samuels - I love you, I really do...but, you have made me very angry with your presence (or lack thereof) in the post over the past year. Really starting with how soft you were against UCONN last season, and the fact that against Charlotte & Western Carolina this season you only out-rebounded me by 4.
Freedom Hall - We've had a great relationship for the 22 years I've been on this earth, but how will I ever enjoy a hot dog or any other food purchased at your concession stands again? My Freedom Hall diet will now only consist beer, more beer, and perhaps some German Roasted Nuts if they ever decide to sell them for less than $10/pound.
Steve Kragthorpe - You make the list for the simple fact that you ruined football season for 3 straight years, nothing you could ever do (including a positive press conference after you were fired) will repay this debt to myself and the city.
John Calipari, John Wall, and anybody else affiliated with UK Basketball - If you take a short stroll down memory lane to over the summer, it was the worst summer ever to be a UofL fan. You had the Pitino saga, but on top of that, there was the hiring of John Calipari at UK and the subsequent bringing in of a mega recruiting class. This brought all of the ignorant UK fans who had fallen to the wayside during the Gillispie ~~failure~~ experiment out of the woodwork. As for John Wall, I love to watch him play, but at the same time I hate to watch him play, for the simple fact that he is putting out the flame of resurgence at UK with kerosene. (ed. note...My January 2nd John Wall quote predicion for myself - "DAMN YOU JOHN WALL!!!" while shaking my fist towards the sky).

Enough airing of the grievances, time to get to some news, views, and things to know...

Terrence Jennings has been suspended for tonight's game against Louisiana-Lafayette, taking away what would have been his first regular season start for the Cards. Jennings was suspended for an unspecified violation of team rules (standard issue), and could possibly return after one game. This, of course, now leaves us limited at the Center position against the Ragin' Cajuns; here's what Pitino had to say about that -

“We'll make some changes, but I'm not sure how we're going to go right now, because all we've been doing the last two days is working with T.J. starting.."

Stephan Van Treese, please make me happy, that's all I ask of you. Same goes for you, Samardo.
Charlie Strong has announced who his offensive coordinator will be - Mike Sanford, former UNLV head coach. Sanford was the OC at Utah under now Florida head coach Urban Meyer. Known for his spread offense, in his last season at Utah as OC his offense averaged 43.5 points per game, & 499.75 yards per game (both were third best in the nation). Special thanks to Mike at CardChronicle for the following link, but as head coach at UNLV, Mike Sanford was best known for not allowing his team to leave the field, view the footage here. Along with a (hopefully) high powered offense, Mike Sanford brings the look of a politician with him -

This guy looks like he would come to your door asking for your vote, or he'd do your taxes, take your pick.

Speaking of Charlie Strong, follow this man on Twitter...It makes my day when I see a new tweet from my good friend Charlie, I'm sure it'd make your's too...Follow him here.

I'll try to have a Louisiana-Lafayette preview up later today, enjoy the holidays and be sure to sign up last minute for our UK/UofL Basketball tickets which we will be raffling off on Christmas night. Sign up in the comment box at http://www.insidethecards.com/ and leave your email address or phone number as well as your name. 2 tickets, upper level, John Wall v. Peyton Siva, Preston v. anybody in blue, Pitino v. Calipari; You need to be there, we're your connection.

Tuesday News

2009-12-15T14:24:00.000-08:00

Okay, a new gameplan here at Inside the Cards, everyday we will have a news & views post. I know posts have been a bit spotty for the past month or so, but all of that is sure to change starting today. The best part of it, we want your help in making this a success; if you have UofL news, or would like to share your opinions send me an email here and we'll use the best one's and feature them on the blog.

Also, some things to look forward to for the end of the year from us here at Inside the Cards - We will have a post up next week of our All-Decade Team for both Football & Basketball as well as our Athlete of the Decade for UofL Sports. If you haven't seen Mike at Card Chronicle's take on the All-Decade Team for , check it out here.

Charlie Strong, New Louisville Head Football Coach

First order of business, Charlie Strong was officially introduced as the head coach of our Louisville Cardinals. All I can say about the press conference, and meeting with the fans afterward, is that Charlie Strong impressed the hell out of me and everybody I've spoken to since. Knowing that we will finally get back to hard-nosed, tough football is enough to bring a smile to my face. This man has success written all over him, and if not, well I'm not going to be the one to tell him. Have you ever seen a 49 year old man that looks younger than most of the 25 year old men that you know? Better yet, our coach is in better physical condition that 3/4 of the team he'll be coaching next year.

My favorite quote of the day -

(in reference to how the team will perform next year) "...we'll be alright, we'll be alright, when do we play the Cats? September 5th? Yeah, we'll be alright..."

Illinois Football - The New UofL

Dear Ron Zook, I hate you more now than I ever have in the past...Sincerely, Inside the Cards. News broke yesterday, and again today, that Illinois football is aiming to put an offense on the field exactly like the offenses at UofL during the Petrino era. How do they plan on doing this? By first hiring Paul Petrino as Offensive Coordinator, Greg Nord as Tight End Coach, and now hiring Jeff Brohm as the Quarterbacks Coach. I swear if Illinois has success I'm driving to Champagne and vandalizing something.

Can anybody remember a situation like this occuring anywhere when there wasn't a head coaching change to bring it on? I certainly cannot; but what I can figure out, is that the Big Ten conference finally has an intimidating offense (on paper) to prepare for.

That's all for today, remember to sign up for UofL/UK basketball tickets to be raffled off on December 25th.

Also, any feedback is welcome in our comment section below, or by emailing me (justin@insidethecards.com), thank you for your support of our site.

Charlie Strong to Louisville...Officially

2009-12-09T09:56:00.000-08:00

Today the Kragthorpe nightmare is officially 100% over, a new era of UofL football begins when Charlie Strong is announced as head coach. A press conference is being held at 4 o'clock today.

Also, come out to the Brown & Williamson room at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium at 4 and watch the press conference followed by more things at 5.

We'll have more posted after the press conference, but follow us on Twitter @insidethecards for some live tweets during the press conference and from the events at the Brown & Williamson room.

We leave you with this quote from Charlie Strong on the Louisville position -

"It's a great opportunity for me,'' he said. "I think I'm going into a situation where I have great support and great resources to win. And it's also a good chance to build a program.''

Charlie Strong the Ladies Man Tuesday News & Views

2009-12-08T12:58:00.000-08:00

Alright, so that was a rough weekend to say the least, luckily we were able to find this picture of ~~future UofL head football coach~~ Charlie Strong being a ladies man. Now we can continue with some news and views on this damp, cold Tuesday -

* Tom Jurich needs to cheer us all up, after the previous 3 football seasons and an unexpectedly below-standard start to the basketball season. I, for one, love following the coaching search news and rumors; reading about Charlie Strong's recommendation from Tony Dungy made me ~~cry a little bit~~ as excited as I have been over football news in years. Check out the article here.

* Having Jon Gruden withdrawals? Well, our friends over at Card Game are, check out this post. It took me a while to get the link posted on our site, but it's still a great read from a very good site.

* While we're mentioning UofL blogs, I'd be out of line not to mention Hell in the Hall and the great post on Preston Knowles. While you are at the site, be sure to check out the Card Fan Hall of Fame, some great interviews and insight with some legendary fans.

* The Charlotte game is one I think we would all like to forget, but there is a lot to say about a game in which we play so poorly, despite our injuries.

Preston, Siva, and Jerry Smith all being out due to injury hurt us in a big way, and I don't think we lose that game with those 3 in the lineup. That being said, our presence in the post was supposed to be dominant, and so far this season we haven't shown any signs of dominance in the paint. I think Mike at Card Chronicle said it best, "...Samardo Samuels' start has been, to put it mildly, a disappointment...", and following that were a few very good points about Jennings I'd recommend you all read.
Marra has been jinxed by Pitino, what other explanation can there possibly be to his shooting ~~failure~~ slump.
We are huge Swop fans, as evidenced by past posts, but my he has to step up to the plate in games like that.
How can we look so

* BCS announcements were made on Sunday, and Cincinnati was a blown playclock decision away from playing in Pasadena for the National Championship. That all being said, Cincinnati does have the best bowl game, a Sugar Bowl matchup with Florida. On paper this game looks to be great, we'll cover more of it as the time approaches...Despite being a UofL blog, we are pro-Big East as well and will fully support the Bearcats only on this one occasion.

Charlotte Preview

2009-12-05T07:33:00.000-08:00

Louisville Cardinals vs. Charlotte 49ers

Saturday, December 5th, 2009

7:00 PM

Freedom Hall

Louisville leads the all-time series 16-15 (10-5 in Louisville, 6-7 in Charlotte, 0-3 at neutral sites)

Why You Should Hate the Charlotte 49ers

Clay Aiken - Upon me viewing the list of alumi, I'm fairly certain that it is an open competition between Clay & Matt Hardy for most famous graduate from UNC-Charlotte. Aside from that, why would you not hate this university for giving us the gifted voice of Mr. Aiken?

The Former 49ers Logo - Tell me this creepy old logo doesn't scare you a little bit (in the mix of the Leprechaun movie and Deliverence). I kid you not, I see this and I get incredibly disturbed and I'm already in fear of having nightmares. Thanks 49ers, thanks a lot. On a side note though, the team nickname is derived from the year 1949 as a pivotal year in the history of the school. The university could've been shut down, but it was saved.

Best Name on the Team

An'Juan Wilderness - Upon searching in An'Juan's player bio here, I could find nothing really abnormal about him, seems like a good kid who plays well on the road and against big teams. Don't let that stop us though, insert any "wilderness" jokes here (creativity is at an all-time low on a Saturday morning).

GameDay Notes

* Preston Knowles, Jerry Smith, & Peyton Siva will be out for today's game. We are testing our depth early in the season, like that never happens around here. My fingers are crossed that we can play well and get past tonight with a win, despite injuries.

The storyline tonight will be our lack of depth at guard, and the previous history from the Metro Conference & C-USA; so if you're looking for a drinking game to play, everytime any of those are mentioned take a drink, guarantee you'll be face down in the front yard by halftime.

Kragthorpe's Long Awaited Goodbye

2009-12-01T14:21:00.000-08:00

I think we can all agree that we had waited for Saturday's events for probably the last two years (some have waited the entire three years), so when the inevitable occured following the season nobody was surprised or really saddened. Then, news came out on Sunday night, that Kragthorpe would be holding a press conference of his own on Monday; immediately I wondered why he would do this? Hearing nothing bad about the man himself in three years, I didn't necessarily expect him to speak poorly on the program or the fans, but after the fan reaction to him over the past three years I didn't think he would want to offer a goodbye.

Mr. Kragthorpe took the high road on Monday, offering up only good things to say about UofL, the fans, the administration, and the players whom he ran out on the field with weekly. Some highlights of the press conference -

"I don't leave here bitter, I leave here better"
Krag said he'd been offered 3 different coaching jobs, including an offensive coordinator position for a BCS conference team.
"I'll always be a resource for them" - referring to how he'll still be there for the players, in any way they need him to be.
Kragthorpe did mention that his best moments at Louisville were moments that nobody got to see; the practices, one on one relationships with the players, etc.
A highlight for him was the South Florida victory last year
Losses to UK will haunt him forever
"I wish I would have won more games"
Krag also mentioned that he thought 3 years wasn't enough time for a coach building a program, but that he completely understood.
Made mention again to the "microwave society" and the fact that fans want to win now, and there is little patience.
He also mentioned his wife was diagnosed recently with an unspecified illness, our thoughts and prayers are with her and the rest of the Kragthorpe family.
Family will be moving back to Tulsa on Sunday.

In case you want to watch the full press conference, and I'm sure I missed a few things, check it out here on the Courier-Journal website.

Overall I was pleased to see Kragthorpe take the high road, leaving on a good note, and not taking any shots at the fans, university, or administration. Not that I expected him to do any of those things, but you never know. I still couldn't help but wonder why schedule the press conference, it was pointless and unnecessary. I get it, he wanted to say goodbye and get his side of the story across, but did any of us really care to hear it? I know I didn't, and most of the people I spoke with didn't care to hear his opinions either.

Now a press conference I would've liked to have seen - Krag getting up in front of a group of fans (not media) and fielding questions. This would never happen, but you can't fault a man for having a dream, can you? Anybody close to Krag who would like to help make this happen, contact me immediately.

You Will Never See This Man in Louisville Again, Finally

2009-11-28T09:37:00.000-08:00

It is official, Steve Kragthorpe is out as head coach of the Louisville Cardinals. I have waited three years to hear that, as have many of you. Athletic Director Tom Jurich made the news official at a noon press conference after much speculation. Some highlights -

Decision was made "probably mid-week"
The new head coach will not need previous head coaching experience
"I thought he'd be a great fit here, but, it didn't fit. It really wasn't a good fit from day one"
Jurich - "This is 100% my responsibility"
Kragthorpe will be paid the remainder of his contract
New head coaching search will not interfere with anybody's regular season

This really is a day to celebrate for UofL football, and a part of me wishes it would have happened at the beginning of the week so that the seniors could've had a real senior day. The focus too much the past two seasons has been on Koach, and not the players, and not in a good way either. Some player reaction -

Doug Beaumont - "If you would have told me 3 years ago the team would be like this, I wouldn't have believed it."
Doug Beaumont on the future of UofL football - "...strive to get Louisville football back on the map"
Vic Anderson on fans booing - "It really took a toll on the team"
Vic Anderson on the future of UofL football - "I have the confidence that we can get to where we were (pre-Kragthorpe)"

More updates as more information comes in, stay posted and celebrate! This news is as good as making a BCS bowl.

Black Friday & Return to Frequent Blogging

2009-11-27T07:17:00.000-08:00

You may have noticed the lack of posting lately here at Inside the Cards, well, today that all ends. The build-up to Thanksgiving was hectic as far as work and family goes; we have now quit our jobs and disowned our families to cover Kragthorpe's ~~hopeful~~ firing, and devote our full time to eating Cheeto's and watching sports. You're welcome...

So where do we start?

1. Since we last spoke UofL's basketball team rattled off 3 straight wins in consecutive days, leading to our first 4-0 start in several years. The team shot poorly in the first two games, we all know the reliability on our offense that this young team has, and so it was no surprise that along with poor shooting came a close game. This team will not rely as much on our defense (as we have in the past) to create our offense, instead it will be the opposite. My only concern is that, and many have pointed this out, Samardo looks exactly the same as he did at this point last season. This needs to change for us to be a success, or TJ and Goode need to step up a lot.

2. It is football senior day, and all I can think to say to the seniors is "I'm sorry". Here are some links you might enjoy reading about ~~while preparing to lose~~ for game preparation -

Senior Pride

We All Remember Last Year

Official Game Preview

3. My take on the game and our current situation is not positive at all. I think there is no way we are competitive, despite Rutgers losing to Syracuse last week. It hink the crowd will probably be around 20,000 if we are lucky, and this is a true shame to all of our seniors, but the focus isn't on them because of Koach. Simply put, this game had better be an end to the Krag era, but I'm hearing too much about him possibly being brought back to feel comfortable.

4. That being said about Koach, here is our short list of names we hear, discuss amongst yourselves (or email us here if you have heard of anybody else)

Charlie Strong (OC at Florida)

Kyle Shanahan (son of Mike, OC with Houston Texans)

Tommy Tuberville (former Auburn HC)

Turner Gill (HC at Buffalo)

Philip Fulmer (former Tennessee HC)

Of course everything is a rumor until next week (fingers crossed and a prayer sent to baby Jesus), but these are some names we have heard tossed around.

5. Back to basketball, the Cards take on UNLV on Saturday (aka tomorrow), a preview to come shortly.

Happy Black Friday and Happy (Belated) Thanksgiving

Tuesday Afternoon Updates

2009-11-17T12:04:00.000-08:00

Today we are more than making up for lack of posting over the past week, apologies are again in order for that. I figured we'd take this opportunity to hit on some news and give some updates that we may have missed in the past few days.

Bag Krag was succesful in a few ways this past Saturday at the Syracuse game, with several students taking part, and a lot of fan reaction. We filled about 20 rows of seats in the actual student section with bags, and most were put to use in one way or another. The main highlight for myself, however, was the reaction before the game, at halftime, and after the game; if Krag thinks he can come back next year he is sorely mistaken based off of the response we received. Time for photos -

These were some lovely Syracuse fans I met right after the Card March, even when they should love The Krag, they were more than willing to all pose with me while Bagging Krag.

A personal favorite, the Texas Roadhouse armadillo mascot loves to Bag Krag. He even attempted to put on a bag, that big armadillo head got in the way though, sorry big fella.

I'm sure you've all seen this on Bag Krag, but it's so good I think it needs to go here as well. Nice group of guys who are obviously against our 15-19 Koach. In fact, I'm pretty sure they could arrest Krag for murdering a BCS program.

Walking around during halftime (as well as pre & post game) holding a sign that read Cooper: 13-20 Krag: 14-19, definetely felt the Krag hatred.

Damn you, Jon Gruden, damn you straight to hell! Unless of course this is just a trick you are playing on us and would love to coach at UofL, in which case, my love for you is still as high as the Eiffel Tower. I know it probably wasn't/isn't realistic to think Jon Gruden would come to be the head coach at UofL, but you can't fault me for being hopeful.
Koach Kragthorpe isn't going anywhere "voluntarily". Then I guess involuntarily it is, which is actually a lot more fun to us here at Inside The Cards. Words really cannot describe how much I hate this man, as unfortunate as that is to say, it really will be fun running him out of town and moving the football program in a brighter direction.

Become a Follower & Post Your Comments Today

2009-11-17T11:38:00.000-08:00

Follow the blog, sign up on our sidebar today, let your voice and opinion be heard.

Arkansas Basketball Preview

2009-11-17T11:28:00.000-08:00

Louisville Cardinals vs. Arkansas Razorbacks

Scott Trade Center, St. Louis, MO

7:35 pm

Louisville Projected Starting Lineup

F Jared Swopshire #21

C Samardo Samuels #15

G Preston Knowles #2

G Jerry Smith #34

G Edgar Sosa #10

Arkansas Projected Starting Lineup

F Jemal Farmer #2

F Marshawn Powell #33

C Mike Washington #00

G Rotnei Clarke #15

G Julysses Nobles #23

News & Notes

Last Meeting: Arkansas 100 - Louisville 83 (December 9, 1997)
Series History: 3-3 (Louisville has won 3 of the last 4)
Probably the most talked about story leading into this game is the suspension of five players, one of which may have been the star of the team, Courtney Fortson. Another starter, Stefan Walsh, was suspended as well. This leaves the team lacking in depth, and turning to a member of the golf team, as well as a former football player to fill space.
Even with the suspensions, Arkansas won their first game against Alcorn State 130-68. Granted it was Alcorn State, but that is an impressive point total and margin of victory for a team so lacking in depth. In that game, guard Rotnei Clarke set an SEC record by draining 13 three-pointers on the way to putting up 51 points.
For the Cards, what should be an exciting season starts tonight. After losing 2 starters to the NBA (lottery picks at that), some players have to step up (Jerry & Edgar I'm talking to you). We are deep at the guard and center positions, and will probably play a lot of 3 guard lineups until we see some improvement at the SF position.
Wait! John Pelphrey played for Rick Pitino at UK!?! Thankfully the media will be sure to tell us more about this breaking news event that is sure to have a huge impact on tonight's game.

Tonight should be an exciting beginning to a great season (hopefully). Containing Rotnei Clarke should will be a good test to our defense, and of course seeing the young guys against better talent is never a bad thing. How deep are we? How will our big men look? Will we see Good or Bad Edgar tonight? Will Preston Knowles make it impossible for us to get up from our seat multiple times throughout the game? These questions and more are up to be answered tonight. Our prediction -

Louisville 89 - Arkansas 76

WE WANT YOU

2009-11-12T10:45:00.000-08:00

Are you a UofL student and sit in the student section at football games? If so, WE WANT YOU! What do we want you for? Help us Bag Krag as a large group, be a part of unanimous Krag Bagging.

The gameplan as of now is to have students either bring their own bags, or get them from us (whichever you prefer, but the more bags the merrier), and at a point in the game to be determined soon we will all put our bags on. Sounds cheesy and generic, well it is, but it sends a message.

Join us as we Bag Krag at the Card March as well, and for tailgating. We'll post a tailgating location on here shortly, and more plans for a unanimous Krag Bagging.

Contact justin@insidethecards.com for questions or ideas, or check back for more information as the game approaches.

Apologies for Lack of Posting the Past Few Days

2009-11-11T11:51:00.000-08:00

My apologies for the lack of posting the past few days, my good health was Kragged and I have been down for the count ever since. A busy few days in the world of UofL athletics, let's see what I've missed -

Another Big East loss under the lead of Koach Steve Kragthorpe. The team did play with heart, and it was our game to win as it came down to the wire, but once again, Koach did not play to win the game. Will Stein "played his tail off" against WVU and earned our respect as a starting QB, and almost led us to victory. We here at Inside the Cards could not feel more sorry for the players on this team for having to play for such an incompetent Koach, these guys play hard and do not give up when so many of us would. The Krag had this to say this week -

“They may be upset with the things that I've done or they may not like me — and that's OK,” Kragthorpe said Monday on the Big East teleconference. “Everybody can have an opinion. They're entitled to an opinion, but what I would like our fans to do is come support these players.”

Koach, there is a huge difference in supporting the players (which I think we can all agree, we are supporting this team more than some previous UofL squads), and being upset with you. Bagging Krag is not a slap in the player's faces, it is nothing against them, if anything it is a show of support for them.
Arkansas basketball is suspending multiple players (including some big names) for the UofL game coming up next week.
Mike, of Card Chronicle fame, posted the best Big East basketball preview that I've seen this season. Check it out here. While you're there be sure to check out The Best Louisville Game of the Decade tournament, great stuff and a great site.
I've been meaning to mention this for a while, but Elvis Dumervil is making a huge name for himself in the NFL. Those of us who remember him from his days as a Card are not surprised by his career so far, but we certainly are proud.

Look forward to more posts now that the sickness is gone (knock on wood), and get ready to Bag Krag again this Saturday against Syracuse.

*Also don't forget to sign up for the UofL/UK basketball tickets we are raffling off, go to our site, InsideTheCards and leave your name and email address in our comment box. Sign up as many times as you'd like, and if you can get on the air during Krag's call-in show and give him a "real question" and a shout out to us, we'll give you 20 extra sign up's in the raffle.

Thanks for supporting us

West Virginia Preview

2009-11-06T14:55:00.000-08:00

Let's get straight to the point, my hope of winning is at an all-time low, and there is no such thing as a moral victory in my book. That leaves me with no positive feelings, and zero excitement, so let's get this depressing game preview over with.

Why You Should Hate WVU

1. "Take Me Home, Country Roads" - For those of you who are unfamiliar with John Denver, watch this and get sick to your stomach. If you had to watch that to realize who John Denver was, because you have never heard the song, get out from under your rock and join civilization. Back to the point, as you can see from the video, WVU fans sing this after all victories. How can you not hate this?

2. Idiot Kickers & Pacman - Mike Vanderjagt and Adam "Pacman" Jones are some notable past football players who took the field in Morgantown. My opinion on Mr. Vanderjagt is much the same as Peyton Manning's -

"I'm about to go in and throw a touchdown to Jerry Rice, we're honoring the Hall of Fame, and we're talking about our idiot kicker who got liquored up and ran his mouth off."

Those comments were made at the Pro Bowl after Mr. Vanderjagt made some statements about Mr. Manning. This comment about a so-called idiot kicker may or may not be true, but saying somebody from West Virginia got liquored up and ran their mouth, and that they are an idiot doesn't seem like a far stretch to me.

Pacman on the other hand is famous for his love of strip clubs and squandering a professional career. Or perhaps you would like to remember Adam as I do - being hurdled by Tyler Palko. Either way, both of these men are hated, they are WVU alumni members, therefore as Card fans we can hate them a little bit more this week.

3. 2005 - Do I even need to add to what that says?

Why We ~~Will~~ Might Win

1. Victor Anderson, Darius Ashley, & Bilal Powell - These three players are form a great trio in the backfield. Vic being the all out force, Powell being the power back, and Ashley being the big speedster reserve. We have to be able to use these three, this sets up the pass and burns the clock to keep WVU's offense off the field. Big running game for us = better chance at victory.

Aside from that far fetched reason why we will win, I have no reason to believe we have a shot at victory. Let's face it, the next section on why we will lose could go on for days, and it took me an hour to come up with that reason why we might win.

Why We ~~Might~~ Will Lose

1. Our Offense is Terrible - The Cards rank 106th in Scoring Offense, and 68th in Total Offense. This, if nothing else, is offensive to all fans, and speaks volumes for Koach's decision to call every play. Really working out, Koach, really working out.

2. Noel Devine - I am scared that he can hang 300 total yards on us after watching that tape, rest assured that Mr. Devine will be featured in our nightmares (again).

3. Steve Kragthorpe - Koach cannot coach big games, small games, meaningless games, or any game for that matter. I have no faith in our gameplan, and I am fairly certain that we will be out of timeouts while still in the 3rd Quarter (I'm looking at you Cincinnati game).

Okay, I'm depressed and plan on being as drunk as a WVU fan by the time the 2nd Quarter starts. Thanks Koach for taking all of the excitement away from UofL football. To all of the Card fans driving to Morgantown, heed this signs advice -

GO CARDS!

Peyton Siva, Will You Marry Us?

2009-11-05T09:45:00.000-08:00

This is not a joke, Peyton, so don't laugh at us. Preston Knowles still has our heart, but Peyton is teaching us to share the love one spectacularly fast play after another.

In case you missed it, Siva (and the Cards) were featured in not one, but two of the plays in Sportscenters Top Ten for last night. Don't believe me? Watch and be amazed.

We are probably the last blog to get to this today, but better late than never as far as I'm concerned. Siva is amazing, the team looked great, and starting off with 3 guards and the twin towers down in the post had my excitement level maxed out. Nobody disappointed last night, and I'm actually building confidence going into the season.

The Krag

2009-11-03T12:35:00.000-08:00

My One and Only Enjoyable Krag Moment

Yesterday, our beloved Koach did something I actually enjoyed, gave me a quote to laugh at because it was funny and not sad. Allow me to give you the full quote, in all of it's glory -

"Sorry I'm late. I was actually on the phone with Jon Gruden. He wanted to know how tall Will Stein was."

View the full press conference to see more weird quotes, and un-Krag-like behavoir here. Something that shocks be about this quote, is that I think Koach is accepting of what the future for him at UofL holds, and he doesn't care. The season is over, his career here is over, and he has nothing to do but ride out the season and collect a check at the end of it all.

Think about it, has a coach ever openly made a joke referring to the guy rumored to be the number one candidate for his job? It is borderline disturbing, and all at the same time, it is the best thing Koach has done in his three years here at Louisville.

Krag's Call-In Show

It has become a goal of mine to get the real questions, as well as fan outrage brought directly to Koach himself. He fields softball questions weekly, and hears relatively none of the fan comments or thoughts. The call-in show is no doubt screened very well, but I want to prompt as many fans to call in, give false (positive) reasons for calling, and once on the air, let Koach have it. He has defintely earned this treatment.

Join us here at Inside the Cards on Thursday, and call in to his show and let him hear your thoughts, and have to actually answer the tough questions. All of the information on the call-in show is here. Or the highlights are below -

Steve Kragthorpe Shows

Affiliates on the Louisville Radio Network carry the
Steve Kragthorpe Show each Thursday night at 7:00
p.m. Th e show originates from the Tumbleweed Restaurant
on the River and is open to the public with
a reservation.

Either join us at the restaurant itself, or call in, we'd love to make an impact in every way possible.

T Will in the NY Times

2009-11-02T20:01:00.000-08:00

An All Time Great Cardinal

A great article in the NY Times about T Will and his new living conditions as an NBA rookie for the Nets, it also goes back into his childhood. The man truly deserves everything good that comes to him, a hard worker who will be looked at as one of the greatest to put on the Cardinal uniform. Thanks to Eric Crawford's blog for originally linking to this story. Find it here.

Actually, the new 3,575-square-foot town house he is renting on a rocky perch above River Road (for about $7,000 a month with an option to buy at $1.3 million) has two oversized closets to go along with three bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, a high-end kitchen, a finished basement, an elevator and the roof deck that Mr. Williams better appreciated after experiencing the grueling training camp workouts leading up to the Nets’ season opener Wednesday night.

A Sad State of Affairs

2009-11-02T18:29:00.000-08:00

Record Breaking Day in More Than One Way

Saturday was a sad, sad day for University of Louisville football. As evidenced by the picture above, attendance was the lowest in PJCS history, a crowd of 21,497. That low of a number only became smaller as the game went along, finally ending at an estimated 3,000. How did this happen? Blame Halloween if you'd like, but we all know that is not the truth, The Krag has brought our program to this low of an attendance. We cannot lie to ourselves any longer, the fan base is so outraged that there is no reason to attend the games anymore. Walking from our tailgate to the stadium on Saturday, you could feel the anger towards the Koach, and the sympathy towards the players.

The following picture is the sole reason my weekend was ruined

Did you ever, and seriously think about this, ever think you'd see a crowd like this at PJCS for a close game? During fairly decent weather? With a team that has guys you want to see succeed? I'll answer it for you, no, I never thought I'd see this.

What cheered me up? A lovely sign that a fan made.

Many fans let their voices be heard at the game on Saturday, the one's who showed up that is. Support for the players was there, but it is very clear, there is pure hatred for our beloved Koach. How can a man be so incompetent and keep his job for 3 seasons? On top of that, how can Tom Jurich (a bright man, and a man who we here at Inside the Cards deeply respect) not pull the plug on this train wreck sooner. The damage has been done, but we as a fan base are going to speak our while we can.

Bag Krag World Record

A huge thank you to anybody and everybody who helped out with setting a world record for most people Bagging Krag. To those of you who opted not to participate but showed your support to us anyways, thank you as well. At least 400 bags were given out and worn at the game, not a failure in our minds. Hell, we even made the Courier-Journal's photo gallery with this picture -

If you are the man in the above picture, contact me immediately, you are officially an Inside the Cards celebrity, you are owed a debt of gratitude. What that debt is will be figured out shortly, and you will be notified.

Don't let this be the end of Bag Krag, keep your bags, bring them back for the Syracuse game. Let the word out early, the Syracuse game will be the site of Bag Krag II. Breaking our original world record, and getting thousands more supporters. Help us help the Cards.

If you would like to help us plan or get publicity for Bag Krag II, contact me here. We welcome any and all of the help we can get. Preliminary plans are to have our tailgate at the lot across from the Whip Mix lot on Central, the same place as the Arkansas State game.

A huge thanks to the guys at Bag Krag for getting the word our and having a great site, and great ways to spread the anti-Krag movement. More thanks for Card Chronicle for links to us and Bag Krag, also a huge thanks to everybody else who helped spread the word.

Keep Bagging Krag in your daily life (send all of those images here), and get ready for Bag Krag II.

Today Will Be a Great Day

2009-10-31T07:52:00.000-07:00

Bag Krag News & Info

2009-10-30T11:13:00.000-07:00

http://www.bagkrag.com/

"I'm the Captain of this ship, and it's my job to get the ship righted..."

- Steve Kragthorpe

Koach, let's look at some of the highlights of your time here at UofL -

Players and coaches leaving the program in mass (either at their own will, or because they were forced to leave).
13-18 record as head coach at UofL
4-13 record against Big East opponents

During a season where everything was on the Koach's shoulders, let's look at some telling statistics -

105th in scoring offense, 71st in total offense
78th in total defense
110th in turnover margin
Last place in the Big East Conference at this point of the season

Koach nothing has changed for the better in your three seasons as head coach of our beloved Cardinal football team, it's time for the fans to showcase our displeasure. A world record Krag Bagging is only a day away from us.

For those of you planning on participating in the Bag Krag world record, here is some information for you -

We have an official tailgating spot before the game, the grassy lot on Central Ave. across from Whip Mix will be the location. We'll be there tailgating and preparing in style to Bag Krag. Join us and pick up your bags...The idea of a Thousand Bag March is a possibility. Again, as always, offerings of beer or other alcohol will not be turned down, but are not required.
The fine folks over at Bag Krag have put together a Facebook event page that can be found here. Much more detail about the tailgating including times and such can be found there.
If you do not have a Facebook account and would still like to get information such as times, well, ask and you shall receive -

12:00 - 3:30

Grassy lot on Central across from Whip Mix

1000 bags will be there on a first come first serve basis

Follow us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/insidethecards) for updates from our world record day, and be sure to send in pictures of your Bag Krag parties (justin@insidethcards or sidearm@thespottedbass.com).

We're looking to have as big of a crowd as possible tomorrow, lots of bagged heads and Krag hate. If you know anybody heading to the game, inform them of Bag Krag and the world record (which I have now mentioned enough times to qualify that for a record), the more the merrier.

Look forward to seeing everybody out there tomorrow, I'll leave you with this plethora of songs -

Krag Hate Song Numero Uno

Krag Hate Song Numero Dos

Krag Hate Song Numero Tres

UofL v. Georgetown College

2009-10-29T13:59:00.000-07:00

Finally we have something to take our minds off of football, ladies and gentlemen, basketball season for the University of Louisville Fightin' Cardinals is upon us. That trademark smell of Freedom Hall is still there, and the fans that packed it for the final season opener in it's history were lively as usual. Coach Pitino said before the game that this would be a learning experience for the team, and it most certainly was. Nothing that we saw was necessarily unexpected, and Georgetown College came in with a team ready to play.

Notes

Happy Osborne always brings in a team that is tough, a perfect exhibition opponent, this team was no different. Georgetown College is a great basketball school, and Osborne is a hell of a coach. Playing them every year makes us a much better team, no doubt.
Samardo is going to have a great year, he is playing hard already, this is great news for the team and the fans.
Obviously the weakness on the team is at the 3 & 4 positions. Delk is really going to have to step up and so is Swop. We have talent at these positions, it's just going to have to come together on the court.
Preston Knowles does more and more each time he steps on the court to validate our man-crush (ed. note - I will type a variation of this sentence after every game, this is the lock of the year).
Siva, you are winning us over one hustle play at a time, keep it up and we'll be taking you out to dinner very soon. On a serious note, have we had a quicker more athletic pure point guard in recent memory?
Sosa still has the itch to pull the trigger, and surprisingly I don't have as big of a problem with this as I have in previous years. Obviously the main goal for Edgar is to pass first, shoot second, but he isn't afraid to take a shot when called upon.
Jerry Smith = Red Flags...Come on, Jerry, you are better than what we've seen in the scrimmage and exhibition last night.
Mike Marra will find his shot and be a crucial member of this team, last night was rough, but not a sign of things to come. ~~Tattooed~~ Talented young kid.
No Stephan Van Treese, why?
Rock Buckles is going to make an impact, as is Kyle Kuric...write this down, you saw it here first.

Stats

Samardo Samuels led all scorers with 20 points
Samardo also led all rebounders with 11 boards
Kyle Kuric was the second leading scorer with 15 points and played the most minutes (29)

In the end we learned a lot about the Cards last night, we have a lot of improving to do, but we have a ton of talent on this squad that are sure to improve quickly. Shooting and defense are primary concerns, but our second half offense showed drastic improvements. Defense on the other hand, that may take some time. The Cards take the court against Bellarmine next week, another exhibition that should be a good test.

Bag Krag cont.

2009-10-28T08:37:00.000-07:00

More Bag Krag Information

This week is a huge week here at Inside the Cards, in fact, it's a big week for UofL athletics. The basketball team kicks off exhibition play tonight, and then there's some fan mutiny type of thing against Koach this Saturday for the football game; anybody heard about that? Something about people wearing bags over their heads, hmmm...

A few things to note while planning to Bag Krag -

Along with us, the fine folks over at Bag Krag are planning on an official tailgating area to be at before the game. We'll have more on the exact location later, but if you don't have a bag or you just want to meet up and Bag Krag as a group before the game, join us.
At the tailgating location we'll have bags for those who were unable to bring their own, and markers with which to decorate the bags. Basically, bring your own bag if you can, if not we'll have 1000 on hand to give out.
I'm probably beating this into the ground, but if you won't be at the game, plan your Bag Krag party at your house. You can be a part of the record in the comfort of your own home, of course we'd love to have you at the game with us, but that is always an alternate idea. Send pictures of your Bag Krag party to sidearm@thespottedbass.com or justin@insidethecards.com.
If you will be attending the game, bring a bag of your own to wear, from the sound of things the 1000 we are bringing might run out fairly quickly. But our goal is to have a bag for anybody and everybody who wants one, so bring your own, use our's, share with friends; it's time to take a stand against The Krag.

A big thank you to everybody in advance, the reaction so far has been great. Saturday should be a great day for UofL fans to Bag Krag. Dare I say a World Record day?

Inside The Cards Raffle

2009-10-28T06:40:00.000-07:00

UK vs. UofL Basketball Tickets

We are going to raffle off 2 tickets to the UofL v. UK basketball game at Rupp Arena on January 2nd. The raffle will occur on December 25th (that's right, we are giving out a Christmas gift), and is open to anybody. There is no limit to how many times you can enter, so feel free to come back daily and sign up.

To enter, just go to the actual site, here, visit our comment box and enter your email address & phone number.

Good luck, and thanks for visiting Inside The Cards

Yes, Basketball Season is Here

2009-10-27T14:09:00.000-07:00

UofL Red/White Game

Finally basketball season has arrived in the city of Louisville. The Krag can only take away so much optimism before Rick Pitino shows up with his outlandish claims, statements, and optimism (sometimes pessimism). Basketball is a fresh start for UofL fans that have been crushed by the football season. Anybody who followed last year's team at all has been waiting for this moment since late March.

We finally have our first glimpse of a team that is flying under the radar despite being the reigning Big East regular season and conference tournament champions. The returning players we all know, but the new impact players are sure to be just that.

Stats

RED 89 – Delk 2-5 4-6 10, Swopshire 1-5 2-4 4, Samuels 9-12 2-5 20, Sosa 8-12 3-4 25, J. Smith 3-10 1-2 8, Marra 5-8 0-0 14, Van Treese 3-4 2-2 8. Totals 31-56 14-23 89.

WHITE 93 – Buckles 7-13 2-2 17, Kuric 8-15 0-0 18, Goode 3-8 1-2 8, Knowles 8-14 0-0 21, Siva 6-10 8-8 21, C. Smith 1-3 0-0 2, Brickley 0-0 0-2 0, Jennings 3-8 0-0 6. Totals 36-71 11-14 93.

Halftime––Red 50-35. 3-point goals––Red 13-27 (Delk 2-5, Swopshire 0-1, Sosa 6-9, J. Smith 1-5, Marra 4-7), White 10-25 (Buckles 1-2, Kuric 2-5, Goode 1-4, Knowles 5-8, Siva 1-4, C. Smith 0-2). Rebounds––Red 32 (Samuels 13), White 34 (Buckles 10). Assists––Red 24 (J. Smith 6), White 24 (Knowles 8). Total Fouls––Red 13, White 20. Fouled Out––Kuric, Goode. A––10,247.

Notes

Preston Knowles did nothing to damage the man-crush we have on him here at Inside the Cards, in fact, he probably made it much worse. Anybody who leaves it all on the floor in a intrasquad scrimmage should be applauded, and PK did just that. Cramping up at the very end, and being an emotional leader from the bench as time expired. Not only that, he played a huge part in leading the White team back from a rather large deficit to win the game. Preston will no doubt be the best sixth man in the country, and I'm willing to put my money on him being the starter at the 2 sooner rather than later.
Edgar has changed his game, but he still has the same fire and spirit as always. Don't be fooled though, when the game is on the line and he's needed, he will not hesitate to pull the trigger.
Jerry Smith makes me nervous with every pump fake and lack of taking the open shot. I hope he gets off to a good start this season, but after seeing him in the scrimmage I saw a lot of what opened up last season. Jerry, you are a huge asset to the team, a leader in every way, this is your time.
Samardo, TJ, and Goode are going to be a force in the post this year. We are deep at guard and center this season, I just hope the forwards can pick up the slack of missing Clark and T Will.
Inside the Cards Prediction - Buckles will work his way into the starting five very soon, nothing against Swop, but Buckles looked like a man-child at times. If he can avoid as many freshman mistakes, then this prediction will come true. (ed. note - could this be the most obvious prediction ever? Possibly so)
TJ dunking on Samardo, and then Samardo trying to cram in as many token dunks of his as possible was a personal highlight, just wanted to mention it.
Peyton Siva, you might get flowers from us as the season progresses, we need to start planning ahead to two years from now when PK leaves.
Optimism, meet reality, Pitino style.

Bag Krag

2009-10-26T13:46:00.000-07:00

What is the Exact Opposite of Winning?

The best answer for this question would be what the UofL football program has been consistently doing over the past three seasons. Of course, the other answer would be losing. Either way you have a very solid answer to the question. The UofL football program has been losing in a way that you can't even be proud of (not that those of us here at Inside the Cards are fans of moral victories, but we would settle at this point), we are embarrased on a regular basis, we are homecoming fodder, we are back to where we were more than ten years ago.

The saddest example of how far we have fallen as a program is the fact that many UofL fans would openly be happy about a bid to the Liberty Bowl, or even the International Bowl at this point. Three years ago this would be the worst statement you could make, now it is considered a lofty goal. Mediocrity is here for the short term, and unless we as fans make an impact, it could be here for a longer period of time.

This team is well on it's way to UofL's first consecutive losing seasons since the Ron Cooper era. How has this happened? Surely the conference we play in must be strong? No! And yes, that exclamation point was joined with a clinched fist and a loud tone. We are in, arguably, the weakest BCS conference; a conference where we should be competetive always. We haven't been competetive (seriously) since The Krag took over. Hell, at this point, we aren't even competetive against non-BCS schools, so really the Big East is the least of our concerns.

How Can We Right the Ship?

By making a statement on Saturday against Arkansas State. We here at Inside the Cards, with an assist from the fine people at BagKrag.com are making Saturday the Official Bag Krag Game.

Think about it, do you even want to leave it up to chance that The Krag can march into PJCS next year? Do you want him to leave without knowing the anger of a fanbase? Do you want to voice your displeasure and force him to answer the tough questions after the game?

We have purchased 1000 brown paper bags and will be writing Bag Krag on them in red marker. We will be handing them out to whoever wants one, and we urge all other fans to bring their own and do the same. We've had blackouts, whiteouts, & redouts, it is now time for a bagout. Buy Bag Krag shirts if you would like, as much anti-Krag sentiment as we can get at this game the better.

Why Would You Humiliate Steve Like This?

The Krag is not a concern of ours, in fact, he deserves this. Better yet, how can you even ask of this question? Watch all of the games from before The Krag, and then watch all of the games after he became the Koach. Look at his record, see how dismal he has been in his time here and at Tulsa. Relatively successful at Tulsa, and a complete flop at UofL. You still want to defend him? Read his quotes, listen to his interviews, or our personal favorite, listen to the call-in show. How can you be this bad and not take responsibility or change things? If you do all of these, and you still want to ask this question, do us all a favor put a plastic bag over your face this Saturday.

Why Do This to the Players?

The players of this team have played their hearts out all season long, they haven't given up the way most of us would given the circumstances with these coaches. Here at Inside the Cards we have the utmost respect for every player on this team, we want a brighter future for the underclassmen and we want to apologize to the seniors for what they have been put through. There is a brighter future for UofL football, we need to make an impact to make sure The Krag is never seen again in Louisville.

Make your impact today, email Tom Jurich at jurich@louisville.edu

This Saturday we want this to be a success, and it will take each and every one of you to make it possible. Be outraged, be angry, and express it with us this Saturday.

If you can't make it to the game, have a Bag Krag Party, take pictures and send them to sidearm@thespottedbass.com or justin@insidethecards.com and you will be featured on our sites. Better yet, mail them to The Krag so that he can see this too.

Help UofL football come out of The Krag's grasp and back into the BCS spotlight, DO YOUR PART!

Scandal Appears To Be the Item of the Day

2009-10-22T09:57:00.000-07:00

Big East Media Day

Big East Media Day has come and gone, for us UofL fans, basketball is finally upon us. With the scrimmage this weekend being our official first look at the team on the court. Yesterday, in New York, was our first preview of what is to come.

Follow these links to read up on what you need to know about our season, be warned that most of the talk is Pitino based. We'll cover some quotes and notable information below the links.

New York Daily News

Herald Leader - It's All About Pitino in New York

FanHouse - "Blinders" discussion

USA Today - "No More Distractions"

Some notable quotes and information that came out of yesterday's media day -

* It doesn't look like we'll see Samardo and TJ on the court at the same time, our Twin Towers dream ended before we ever saw it materialize.

“It will hurt their scoring potential if they do (play together),” he said. “I think it could hurt the team if both of them, in the final five minutes, are in foul trouble. We can't stretch the defense with both of them in the game. … It hasn't made us better defensively if I play them together.”

Who will play the 4?

Pitino added that sophomore Jared Swopshire's ability to play power forward helped sway his decision. He said Swopshire is a good passer and can put the ball on the floor.

SWOP! Part of me is excited, but then that part is put to shame by memories of myself yelling at Swop from my seat or from my couch. Swop was the most hated man on a much loved team last season (Earl Clark would've taken that crown, but his productivity negated the anger towards him), let's hope he is ready to fill a huge role.

* Reggie Delk is going to have to come out of that shell this season. First sign that he is doing this, Pitino calling him the most improved -

"Reggie seems like he's a totally different person," Pitino said. "I think T-Will kicked his butt so much in practice every day that he didn't know how good he was. I think that turned out to be a good experience for him and made him a much better player."

* The Big East gets tougher and tougher with each passing season. I am anticipating a good year out of us, and I love the fact that we are flying under the radar. That being said, when Rick Pitino makes quotes like this one, I get nervous -

“Now I think the top teams like us, Syracuse, Pittsburgh come to the middle,” said UofL coach Rick Pitino, whose Cardinals were picked fourth. “And the bottom teams like St. John's, Cincinnati and South Florida are going to come to the middle, and we're all going to meet somewhere in the middle and compete.”

* Gear up and follow the Cards by following the team on Twitter -

Edgar Sosa

Jerry Smith

Chris Brickley

Terence Jennings

Peyton Siva

Stephan Van Treese

Samardo Samuels

Some Compelling Krag Information

2009-10-19T14:09:00.000-07:00

Krag By The Numbers

Instead of doing a game review of whatever you call that sport played in Hartford on Saturday, we here at Inside The Cards will choose to look at The Krag a little closer than normal. What can we even say about the UCONN game anyways, did we look any different than we have for the past year and a half? No, it is unacceptable and let's face it, UofL football has been lowered to a level few of us thought we'd see ever again.

Not since the Ron Cooper era has UofL been in the dire of a situation. Want proof, allow me to show you -

Ron Cooper, 1995-1997 = 13-20

Steve Kragthorpe, 2007-present = 13-17

What does that tell you? The program hasn't seen mediocrity like this since the Cooper era, and remember the uproar at that time? Of course you do, did anybody defend Ron Cooper (exceptions to Louis Coleman & Al Sharpton after the firing) to the extent that some still defend Kragthorpe? No. If that's not enough of for you to see my point, allow me to bring this to the table -

UofL has not had back to back losing seasons since the 1996 & 1997 seasons. At this time Ron Cooper was the head coach (his next to last, and last, season's)

Want more? Let's take a look at Krag by the numbers, because when it comes to coaching it is about win's and losses.

Big East Record = 4-12

Coming Off a Loss = 7-8

Coming Off a Win = 4-8

Nationally Televised Games

On ESPN = 1-6

On ESPN2 = 3-3

Nationally Televised When We Are The Only Game On

Thursday = 3-2

Friday = 1-4

Sunday = 0-1

The proof is in the record - UofL is no longer a nationally relevent. We built a program off of playing when nobody else would play (ie. Thursday & Friday night games), the eyes of the nation were upon us, and we would look good. As you can see by the current record on nationally televised games, weeknight games, etc. we are not looking good and we are losing more than we are winning.

Next point, do we see this changing anytime soon? Let's take a look at the rest of the season and give an honest view of how we see things going -

@Cincinnati - Do we realistically see victory in this game? No chance, in fact, I'm expecting being embarrased.

Arkansas State - This is a possible victory, and I'm hopeful. Something that makes me doubtful is that Arkansas State looked pretty good against an Iowa team that would beat us by 40 (for the record, I think Iowa is overrated).

@West Virginia - WVU is in a down year, and they are still very impressive. Morgantown has never been kind to us, and this year will be no different; another blowout loss at the hands of the Mountaineers.

Syracuse - I am getting more and more nervous about this game. Being 0-2 against much worse Syracuse team's, while our team's have been much better, helps nothing. I am going to say we win, mainly for the reason that I can't wrap my mind around going 0-3 under The Krag against the Orangemen.

@South Florida - Blowout loss, now chance of victory. I am getting more and more upset typing this many losses in this article.

Rutgers - I don't see us winning this game, but again, I am hopeful the senior's can pull it out. Still will call this a loss.

I am very sad after typing that up, but honestly, it really is a best case scenario. This puts us at 2-4 for the rest of this season, assuming we can beat Syracuse (big assumption). A 4-8 season would solidify the first back to back losing seasons since Cooper, and a third declining season under The Krag. What more do you need?

The program is in dire need of rebuilding, we are not a good football team, we aren't even close to average at this point. This needs to end, and it needs to end soon.

UCONN Preview

2009-10-17T08:06:00.000-07:00

Why Should You Hate UCONN?

1. This - One of, if not the, worst blown call's in college football history. Had this play not occured, we probably win that game. Watching it again made me irate, how can you not hate UCONN after watching this? Here at Inside The Cards, we wish nothing but the worst for the UCONN Football team, this whole thought is based off of one not called fair catch.

2. Jim Calhoun & Geno Auriemma - Is there any fanbase that can stand these two coaches besides the UCONN fanbase? I am willing to bet the farm on answering no to that question. They win, they whine, they drive you crazy. Hate them for this, if today's game goes like I imagine it will, hate these two guy's along with The Krag (spreading your hatred around makes it easier to cope, it is a fact). This and this, should be thought of in case thoughts of the coaches themselves don't do the trick.

3. Moby - Moby is a douche, if you like Moby you are a douche, and more importantly - if you accepted Moby at your University and graduated him from your University, you are a douche. UCONN, you are a douche.

Why UofL Will Win

1. ...

Why UofL Could Lose

1. The Krag is 0-2 against UCONN

2. UofL is traveling to Hartford...Under Kragthorpe, UofL has a record of 3-9 on the road, and has dropped five in a row. I cried as I typed that.

3. UCONN's defense is ranked #20 in the NCAA. Our offense, #70. UCONN relies heavily on their defense, as their offense is worse than our's, what does that tell you?

My optimism is low for the game today, but that will not stop us here at Inside The Cards from rooting whole-heartedly for UofL. Adam Froman is looking for his first Big East win today, UofL is looking for their first Big East win of the season, and UCONN football holds a dark corner of my soul that I would like to reclaim some small part of today.

It's Getting Close to Basketball Season

2009-10-17T06:45:00.000-07:00

Actual basketball games will be starting up in a little over a month in the city of Louisville, meaning the final season at Freedom Hall, and a distraction from whatever you call the sport being played at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, is upon us. Wanna be amped up for the season? Check out some of these articles and links -

Dana O'Neill has a great article on ESPN.com talking about the offseason distractions for the Cards. Some great quotes from Pitino, Preston, Edgar, and Samardo. Definetely worth a read, here's an excerpt of what Preston Knowles had to say:

"No, I didn't lose respect for him,'' junior Preston Knowles said. "Everybody makes mistakes. If we talked about all the mistakes I've made, we'd never get up from here. The only thing that matters is you don't bring that into the Yum! Center [the team's practice facility]. His personal life is his personal life. It's not about me, and he didn't make it about me.''

When I read a quote like that, I automatically start feeling better about the basketball season. My thoughts on us slipping due to the distractions and missing 2 lottery picks + McGee all don't seem so negative. Thanks, Preston, our official man-crush.

The team had their first official practice this past week, and according to Rick Pitino, it was a three hour practice. Any doubt that we'll be the most well conditioned team in the nation? A non-stop three hour practice makes me tired just thinking about it, these guys will be ready by the time the season starts. Hearing about their drive to excel and succeed, as well as their toughness puts me in my happy place. Check out the article from RickPitino.com here.

Speaking of RickPitino.com, what's up with the music on the site? If you thought he was anything but a stone cold pimp, check out track 2 on the radio at the bottom of the screen and second guess yourself.

Since these are the worst mug shots ever, for UofL fans at least, we have to show them and put good news beside them. Yes, Rick Pitino confirmed it, Terrence Jennings & Jerry Smith will not miss any game time due to the arrests. This is huge for the Cards, missing 2 projected starters for any period of time would hurt the team tremendously. A case of wrong place, wrong time, two good kids who made a mistake.

It's the return of the Swop - Great article by The Courier Journal's C.L. Brown about Swop. I'm calling it, Swop is going to have a huge impact on the team this season, you heard it here fifteenth. But how can we talk Swop without some proof of his brilliance? Boom!

Finally, the Red & White Scrimmage is just a week away (from Sunday). Be ready, get your tickets, let's get this season started off right.

Hey, Inside The Cards, Why Are Your Pants Off?

2009-10-16T13:38:00.000-07:00

Oh, for no reason in particular, except for this -

AOL FanHouse caught up with Gruden at the South Florida-Louisville Cincinnati game last night and got the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach to comment on the situation. While he refused to confirm any type of interest in the job if it became available, he added a whole helluva lot of fuel to the fire by what he didn't say.

"I'm just here to support the Bulls," Gruden told the website when asked about the rumors/reports.

Boom! Outta here...

The Case for Jon Gruden

2009-10-15T12:36:00.000-07:00

We can call it a dream, and perhaps that is really what the Jon Gruden rumors truly are, but as fans we have the right to fully dive into this speculated story. Over the past three years we have dropped from a top ten team, to a bottom ten team. We need hope, as a program, in fact all we really have left is hope. Hope that Tom Jurich will do the right thing and end the Kragthorpe era; hope that our program can be led back to greatness under a new, top notch head coach. Since speculation began, I have been hoping that Jon Gruden made the list of potential coaches. Better yet, I hoped he would be number one on the list.

I must confess, I have been a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan since I watched them lose to the St. Louis Rams in the NFC Championship game; and I have followed their every move since that day. Seeing Gruden get hired and lead them to the Super Bowl was like watching a son succeed to me. I was along for the whole ride, and felt like a member of the team (as cliche as that is to say). At the end of last season when Gruden was fired, I felt betrayed in a way, but I felt excitement in another - What if UofL could do the unthinkable and lure Jon Gruden to the college game?

As soon as that thought entered my mind I have been compiling reasons to give myself hope.

He has ties to the UofL program - Jay Gruden could be the biggest asset we have in this situation. Jay QB'd for the Cards from 1985-1988. According to Wikipedia (which is always correct) -

Gruden was a four-year letterman at Louisville (1985-1988). He finished his collegiate career with 7,024 passing yards, completing 572 of 1049 passes for 44 touchdowns. All four stats still rank in the top five in Cardinals' history. As a senior, Gruden led the team to an 8-3 mark, their first winning season in 10 years.

"Gruden has never been a college head coach, and I am hopeful that this is appealing to him (I'll go into detail why I think it will be later), so having a connection to a university surely isn't hurting our odds."

National publicity - Let's face it, this was a rumor that we had all hoped had some proof behind it, but did we ever really think it was a possibility. Now, I don't know how you all feel, but once I hear it in the mainstream media, I am more inclined to believe it is a possibility. Last night, all of my hopes and dreams came true. Thanks to Michael Lombardi of the NFL Network -

"The University of Louisville has pegged Jon Gruden as its No. 1 candidate should the school decide to fire coach Steve Kragthorpe, sources told NFL Network’s Michael Lombardi."

Upon reading this, my first thought was that maybe some of the rumors have validity now. I am fully aware that this is lofty, and probably very far fetched, but I am going away from my usual pessimistic ways and staying hopeful.

NFL Coaching situation - The coaching situation in the NFL will be very competetive towards the end of the season and after the season ends. Let's look at who is available -

Mike Shanahan

Mike Holmgren

Bill Cowher

Gruden would arguably be the 4th best coach on the market, at the highest, this is all assuming some teams don't decide that an up and coming coordinator isn't a better fit. Let's go out on a limb and say maybe 5 NFL coaching positions open up this offseason, would Gruden want to have the last option out of those? I don't see it happening if there are quality college positions open. UofL could potentially offer a competetive salary, and give him an opt out in a few years if he would want to pursue a position in the NFL again.

His interest in college gameplanning - After he was fired he looked into the spread offense, and actually set up shop in an office and studied Florida gametape. He has a man-crush on Tim Tebow, and showed interest in a potential college coaching career. See this article -

"The man has a new mission (and it's not to lower his golf handicap).

"I want to learn the spread offense," Gruden said. "This is exciting for me."

Whether that means Gruden's next job — and he'll definitely have one — will be in college or the NFL is anyone's guess. And don't make the assumption that a crash course in the sexy spread means Gruden has his sights set on coaching Saturdays."

All of this being said, I would be lying if I said it wasn't a dream to see Gruden in UofL gear walking the sidelines next season; I'm just having hope, and so should you.

The Ten Commandments

2009-10-14T18:42:00.000-07:00

Inside the Cards

Ten Commandments

Let this be our informally formal introduction, we saw you from across the room, all decked out in red and black; how could we not say hi? Here in the blogosphere, this is the equivalent of the "feeling out" conversation before we ask for you phone number. Except we have no way of finding out about you yet. So first, a few things about us -

* Contrary to popular belief, we do not live in our parent's basement.

* We do eat, sleep, and breathe all things Fightin' Cardinal related.

*Our goal is to be the most interactive, complete, and informative UofL blog out there...all the while not taking ourselves too seriously.

Hopefully after we give you our number, we get a call back...

Now on to more important topics, how will we operate? Here at Inside The Cards, we will use a few rules to determine how we conduct ourselves, a list of ten commandments. The rules we will abide by are as follows -

I. Thou shalt not make a comment or statement about our football program without first considering the following quote -

"We're on a collision course with the national championship. The only variable is time." - Howard Shnellenberger

II. Thou shalt always keep clean the name and poor fashion sense of a one Denzil E. "Denny" Crum.

III. Thou shalt only reference Porcini's when speaking of their fantastic pasta.

IV. Thou shalt consider the following locations as holy grounds, these areas shall be treated with the utmost respect and held in the highest regards -

Freedom Hall

The Old Cardinal Stadium

V. Thou shalt hate any and all opponents and opposing fans on game day. (ed. note - this commandment may very well be the most important of all)

VI. Thou shalt only refer to Steve Kragthorpe by his alter-ego, The Krag. The Krag survives by devouring BCS winning football programs, and drinking the collective tears of a fan base.

VII. Thou shalt not call themselves a true fan of the Cardinals unless they have a man-crush on a member of the team. This blogs man-crush's -

Basketball - Preston Knowles

Football - Victor Anderson or Chris Campa

VIII. Thou shalt allow your significant other the option to carry Rick Pitino's lovechild, then ye shall entrust Tom Jurich to be the Godfather of said child.

IX. Thou shalt never allow jokes on how our logo is the only known bird with teeth, instead ye shall take pride in this fact, and defend the logo at all times.

X. Thou shalt remember that our little blog, like fine wine, will only get better with time. Bear with us as we work out any kinks and fix any issues. If you have any questions, comments, or issues contact any of the following -

Chris@insidethecards.com

Justin@insidethecards.com

Aaron@insidethecards.com

info@insidethecards.com

Southern Miss Game Notes

2009-10-12T09:19:00.000-07:00

This Is Winning Football at UofL Now

For those of you lucky enough to be in attendence at Saturday's ~~scrimmage between two intramural teams~~ football game, you witnessed something that is hard to come by at UofL, a Division-1 football victory. 8 straight losses to Division-1 opponents, a sad state of affairs, that was ended with Ryan Payne's game winning field goal. Gone are the days of 40 point beatdowns, impressive victories, statistically unbelievable games; in their place has come happiness over beating a below average C-USA team who was starting their backup QB.

Maybe it was just my vantage point, but the stadium didn't look like it had 37,000 people in it, as the official recording stated. I saw a lot of empty seats, and some sections were nearly a quarter of the way empty in the top of the end zone.

The excitement level during the pregame was at a 0...The volume of the fans was as low as I've heard during the players coming out and the video they play beforehand.
What can you say about guys like Vic Anderson & Scott Long besides how much they have given to the football program. Both of those guys have earned a spot in the hearts of Card fans everywhere, when they are healthy they are hard to beat. I wish we could have hope to get them both some postseason play again before their time's at UofL are up, but that might be a lofty goal.
Take nothing away from Bilal Powell, his scoring run was just what we needed at exactly the right time. Here at Inside The Cards you will probably see us be critical of Powell, but when he breaks plays like that (which he has potential to do every time he touches the ball), it helps you forget the fumbles or lossed yardage.
For God's sake, Krag, quit calling deep pass plays for Froman! That's not his game, he is good on the intermediate passes, but his accuracy is JaMarcus Russell-esque on the deep ball.

Does anybody else feel like the real turnaround point of the game, for the crowd at least, was when the guy won the Punt Pass & Kick contest at halftime? This was amazing. I'm sure this guy probably has some eligibility left to play football, no way he is any worse than any current players on our roster. The field goal he made was unbelievable, far hashmark, from a solid distance out. Things like this always impress me, if for the only fact that after the pass and punt I would probably still be at the 45 yard line (on the beginning side).

Questionable Play Call of the Game - This play call had no real effect on the outcome of the game, but it made not sense whatsoever. Why did we go for 2 to make it a six point game instead of a four point game? I understand that it doesn't really matter at all, but what is his thought process? Either way we are still trying to hold them to a field goal. Is The Krag really putting enough though into the fact that we can hold them to two field goals, and technically based off of that make it a two score game? Why go for two when it doesn't matter here, when against Utah we opted against it when it was actually a necessary decision? Too many situations like this in 3 years.
Our defense played lights out...Johnny Patrick stepped up again and left it all on the field. He came up with some clutch tackles in crucial situations. Campa, defensive MVP, week in and week out he is the best player on that side of the ball.
Can we have a safety lay a hit on a receiver and not be injured afterwards?
In the section where I sat, we were all in agreement before the kickoff that led to our game-winning drive, that Southern Miss would surely not kick to Trent Guy. As the ball was in the air, happiness came over us, and Trent delivered as we had hoped he would. Trent Guy deserved to be the one responsible for a victory, not blamed for a loss. This was perfect redemption for the UK fumble.
That being said, why is Southern Miss kicking to Trent Guy! I'm happy they did, but if us fans can see it, surely their coaching staff can see not to kick to him. A guy looking for redemption, and who is a real threat everytime he touches the ball anyways. No way UofL pulls out a victory without that return, Trent Guy is the hero for the week.
My heart and stomach were somewhere in my throat before Ryan Payne's kick. I would be lying if I said I had faith, in fact, I was hoping we could get the guy who won the car back out there to attempt this field goal, he had nerves of steel. Payne won me over though, that guy is clutch, at least for now.

Postgame Krag Quote of the Week -

(On whether it's been difficult for him to block out off-the-field distractions) "It's actually not real difficult for me. I think it's more difficult for my family than it is for me because I come to work every day at 6:30 and I leave here at about 10 o'clock at night. By the time I get home, I go to bed before all the newscasts come on at 11:30 or 11:20 or whatever it is, so it's a lot easier for me. It's hard for my wife too. She calls me and says 'what the heck is going on?' I say 'I don't know.' She says 'have you talked to Tom.' I say 'no, I haven't talked to Tom.' She says 'well, everybody thinks you've talked to Tom.' I say 'well, I haven't talked to Tom.' It's not easy for me and it's not easy for anybody, but I'll be at work tomorrow."

Be sure to register for the UK v. UofL basketball game tickets that we are raffling off.

No Way This Is Good For Business...

2009-10-12T07:58:00.000-07:00

Just when you thought things might be turning around for the basketball program, and we are ready to focus on actual games and practice, this comes out.

Jerry Smith & Terrence Jennings Arrested

Southern Miss Preview

2009-10-09T15:40:00.000-07:00

Southern Miss Game Preview

It's time to face facts, Cardinal fans, this season has officially gotten ugly. The team is 1-3 and we are the 2 point underdog at home to an unranked Conference USA opponent. Oh, and did somebody start some rumors about our coach? Yes, we are now that program. We aren't here to discuss that issue yet, but we will surely get there.

Why are we a 2 point underdog you might ask? Well, allow me to throw some stats at you to help us all understand -

UofL's Total Offense Ranking - 85th out of 120

Southern Miss's Total Offense Ranking - 28th out of 120

The playcalling against Southern Miss has to improve, this is a must-win game for the Cards. In order to pull of this "upset", we have to play to win the game. So far this season the playcalling has not showcased that need. Get the ball in the hands of your playmakers (ie. Victor Anderson, Scott Long, Trent Guy), keep the other team on their heels, all things that The Krag has failed to consistently do. If I hear one more player, or The Krag himself say after this game that we were "just a few plays away" I will shoot myself!

UofL's Total Defense Ranking - 39th out of 120

Southern Miss's Total Defense Ranking - 22nd out of 120

However, the Cards are 69th against the rush, and with a battered secondary, our pass defense will surely be put to the test as well...On a side note, is anybody else completely shocked our Total Defense ranking is this high?

UofL Sack's Allowed - 109th out of 120

Southern Miss Sack's Per Game - t-11th out of 120

No doubt this statistic will be a huge factor in the game. Southern Miss knows how to get to the QB, and it just so happens that UofL's offensive line is terrible at protecting the QB.

UofL's Penalty Average @ Home This Season - 12.0 penalties per game

UofL's Penalties For The Season - 35 penalties for 311 (77.8 ypg) yards

This statistic is enough to make me sick. We give up so much yardage on poor penalties, how is this anything but a coaching problem? Southern Miss is our 4th game of the season, and if there is no improvement shown then how can we expect to have a somewhat less embarrassing season?

For those of you out there hoping that The Krag can hold on to any remaining streaks that UofL has, here is one that we can watch for on Saturday - UofL has won 3 straight against Southern Miss. While Southern Miss holds the all-time record against that the Cards (18-8-1), we can stake claim to the previous 3. Keep us somewhat optimistic Krag, leave us with just one streak that is positive, please? Is that too much to ask?

_________________________________________________________________________

To anybody planning on attending the game, look for 2 somewhat goofy looking gentleman walking around in InsideTheCards.com shirts (offering us beer or free food is not required but will not be turned down), we will be taking pictures and meeting with whoever will have us. Check back with us Sunday for a full game recap as well as winners of a few contests we will be having pertaining to the best fan & the best tailgate at the game.

In case you missed it, we will be raffling off a pair of tickets to the UK v. UofL basketball game. Leave your name, phone number, and email address in our comment box to sign up.

In conclusion, I will leave you with a happier time in UofL football history - Hopefully we get back to this soon.