Coach Calipari famously neglected to mention the Louisville Cardinals the other day in some comments to KSR at the Big Blue Madness camp-out, and it has not only generated indignation from Louisville fans, but from a bunch of other corners of the Blogosphere as well. Witness first Larry Brown Sports:
I know there are a few guys out there who wear black and red that have a different perspective on the state of Kentucky’s geography. Those guys happen to play pretty good ball and are considered an annual powerhouse. Honest mistake or pig-headed comment delivered to perfection?
Pig-headed? Well, I'd say more of a beautiful, well-deserved slap against a bitter foe who's fans spend all their time hating Calipari and Kentucky. Like my dad used to tell me when I was acting like a little beeyoch, "I'll give you something to whine about!" All Cal did was give Louisville, (and apparently LBS too) something to whine about, and they have responded in a most satisfactorily petulant manner.
Who else can we mock? Well, how about Deadspin? Nah, let's not mock them, even though I really wanted to. They actually apologized for the error they made, and where I come from, that puts mocking off limits. Kudos to them for being honest and taking responsibility for their unfounded criticism, it is refreshing to see.
Jeff Eisenberg from Yahoo! sports:
Calipari is obviously overlooking the large pocket of Louisville supporters throughout the state, but credit the man for knowing exactly how to stoke the fires of a rivalry. Louisville fans are already plotting retaliation or counting down the days until the Cards and 'Cats go at it again on Dec. 31.
I wonder if Jeff realizes that plotting retaliation is something you do when the game is on your turf, not on the opponents'? Apparently not. Anyway, Cardinal fans can plot all they want. It won't save them from their third straight butt-whipping. Yes, I just went there.
ESPN's Eamonn Brennan gets it exactly right, then asks this question:
My only question: If Calipari's counterfactual were true, would that mean Louisville is actually in Indiana? Or does it merely cease to exist, swallowed up in the time-space continuum? If there is a parallel dimension to our world, do UK fans wear red and UL fans blue? Where does the plot device from "Source Code" fit in?
Eamonn, Louisville thinks 1+1=7, and that places them firmly in an alternate reality. I think Louisville is really inside the Matrix, because I see all kinds of things here that I don't see in the saner areas outside the Louisville reality. Neo is not walking across the Sherman Minton bridge.
Finally, Matt Norlander of CBS Sports:
Of all the veiled shots John Calipari has taken at Louisville basketball and Rick Pitino, this might be my favorite.
Because Calipari doesn't mention either. He simply refuse to acknowledge that Louisville has a basketball program, and that basketball program is located within the defined borders of the state of Kentucky.
Heh. I think we should start a movement to make Louisville a principality like Monaco, and excise it from the rest of the state. Nah, where would we be without little brother to freak out at Calipari's every jibe?