All Entries Tagged With: "Rick Pitino"

Louisville versus Kentucky much more than just another football game

Serious Louisville and Kentucky fans have one thing on their minds today.

The U of L-UK football game is a huge deal. Even though most analysts agree UK will never be a football power. And few people outside the Commonwealth, except for Big East and Southeastern conference fans, pay little attention to the football rivalry.

The game of the year for both teams for more reasons than be cited here. Just a few of them:

• UK fans are concerned that Charlie Strong will restore the Louisville football program to the level it enjoyed under Bobby Petrino. UK fans are also concerned that under Joker Phillips, their own program won’t be making it back to Nashville bowl games.

• U of L and UK fans have to tolerate one another every day, especially in Louisville. People who agree on everything else are unable to discuss rivalry without getting into arguments and turf battles. Many a social occasion has been spoiled by insensitivity and petty bickering

• For decades, the University of Kentucky and its fans did their best to pretend the University of Louisville did not exist, refused to even consider scheduling U of L in football or basketball. The Kentucky General Assembly had to pass legislation forcing UK into the series.

• U of L and Louisville often get short shrift in Frankfort, where the state capital is dominated by blue fanatics. UK legislators, led by Larry Clark from Louisville, attempted to force an undesirable location for the new basketball arena. They also caused the delay of the expansion of Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. For no good reason. Just because they could.

• UK fans refused for many years after the series began to admit that Louisville was a rival, much less an arch rival. Now they openly admit that U of L is a bitter rival, the school they hate the most. One UK web site, run by Matt Jones, a Louisville ambulance chaser, even declared a “Hate Louisville Day” earlier this week.

• The world of the UK fan was turned upside down when Louisville defeated the Lexington football team four consecutive seasons. A typical response was that they cared more about basketball anyway. Of course, U of L fans are now reeling from three straight losses to a mediocre SEC team.

• For most U of L and UK fans, their favorite team is their own and whoever is playing the other rival team. They get just as much joy out of the other team losing as their own team winning.

• Whoever wins this game gets a jump on recruiting in a state where blue chip football players are rare. The inability of Steve Kragthorpe to recruit in his own city gave Lexington a major “in” with the best Louisville high school players, many now lining up on the other side of the line from U of L.

• UK in recent years has become a basketball recruiting mecca again with a coach U of L fans consider less than savory. U of L hired former UK idol Rick Pitino after he left the professional ranks. They will never forgive him for that.

• Kentucky fans, for the most part, have relatively few diversions, making their university a primary focus of their lives. The UK logo is plastered everywhere from their personal cavities to the roofs of their barns. They’re unable to tolerate anyone or anything who doesn’t feel the same way about their school. Louisville fans, meanwhile, see only a blue puddle when they think about UK, and their fondest wish is that UK would go away.

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Groundhog day once more for Louisville basketball

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As football season nears, distraction is inevitable

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Sypher ensnared in her own net

Karen Sypher just couldn’t help herself. The woman believed she could manipulate the male species indefinitely, having her way with so many men in her life.

A sexual machine, a source of gratification for many.

Two documented cases of shakedowns, unconfirmed reports of others. Using people her sense of normalcy.

Decides to add Rick Pitino, the University of Louisville basketball coach, among the used. After thinking about it for six years.

Big mistake. The beginning of the end.

• Causing threatening telephone calls to Pitino with intent to extort.

• Causing delivery of communications of demands to Pitino with intent to extort.

• Causing a letter to be mailed with threat of exposure.

• Making a false statement to FBI about telephone calls.

• Making a false statement about nature of relationship with a fellow suspect.

• Retaliating against a victim, accusing Pitino of rape.

Guilty of all counts. Game over.

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So who’s really on trial in U.S. vs. Sypher

Karen Sypher is the one on trial, officially.

But other than a prison sentence, she doesn’t have much to lose. Her reputation was soiled a long time ago. Even people who blame her accuser for allowing himself to be seduced have a difficult time giving Sypher any respect.

The allegations against Sypher and the activities in which Rick Pitino was involved have been hashed and rehashed. Time had softened the initial shock of having a University of Louisville coach involved in the sordid affair.

As the trial nears the halfway point, the wounds have been re-opened, exposing the raw and sensitive nerve endings.

While the federal government portrays Pitino as the victim, he is very much on trial in the arena of public opinion. All the ugliness came spewing out during the first week. The details of how Pitino reacted to her demands are not gaining him much sympathy.

There will be no happy ending, whether Sypher is convicted or not. She may want to be the leading lady, but she will always play only a supporting role in the retelling of this drama.

Pitino has already apologized once to his family, the university, the community and his team. But that was a year ago — a long, long time ago, with all these new details staring us in the face. He will be compelled to apologize all over again when this trial finally concludes.

That’s unfortunate because Karen Sypher will never apologize to anyone.

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U of L connections at Jtown

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Sypher hopes to set a precedent,
force Pitino’s attorney to testify

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