Governor's Cup 2011: Love On Hate Day

Kentucky Sports Radio has declared this "Hate Day" toward the Louisville Cardinals, and  Card Chronicle responded with similar loathing.  Myself, I'm not much of a hater.  So instead of hate, I'm going to spread around a little love.  They say love is what makes the world go 'round, right?

I love how the Cardinals lose.  They lose like Mike Tyson -- with excuses and brave talk that belies their collectively diminutive intellect and athletic skill.

You've got to love how Louisville talks a big game, but delivers a little bitty one.  They play in the Big East, and at least for football, you just have to love how they play with all the other cute little teams there.  No disrespect to West Virginia or Pittsburgh intended, they need to come on over to a real conference.

I love how Cardinal fans hate Kentucky.  There is nothing sweeter than being hated by your inferiors.

I love how Cardinal fans beclown themselves by attempting to condescend to Kentucky fans.  Many Kentucky fans may be salt-of-the-earth folks and relatively inurbane, but watching vainglorious, self-important Cardinal fans put down UK fans with poor humor and worse manners makes me chuckle.

I love how Cardinal fans accuse Kentucky fans of wanting to win at any cost, then defend Bobby Petrino.

I love the Fulmer Cup, and how Louisville couldn't wait to go there.  Going there with an Uzi just made it extra awesome.

I love 85-51 in Freedom Hall, and I really love Rex Chapman.

I love watching UK players have career days versus the Cardinals (I'm looking at you, Josh Harrellson).

I love how all of  health-conscious, urbane Louisville's major sports venues are named after fast food.

I love four in a row, and six out of the last eight major sports contests.

I love the fifteen seconds of shame.

I love the Cardinal mascot.  I prefer my Cardinal Kentucky fried, but the 'Cat in me makes me want to try it more ... ah, shall we say, tartare:

I love that the Cardinals employ a University of Kentucky retread as basketball coach, and I especially love that he was much more successful at UK than he has been at Louisville.

I love that Louisville mocks Kentucky for criticizing Calipari when he was at Memphis, conveniently forgetting what they said about Slick Rick when he was at Kentucky.

I love how Louisville's football stadium built in 1996 holds 55,000 whole people (after expansion), and how Commonwealth Stadium built in 1973 holds 67,600.

I love how Louisville's football stadium is nestled amongst some of the rattiest buildings in the city.

I love how when you burn a Louisville jersey or flag, the colors blend right in with the fire and smoke.

I love the "loser "symbol the Cardinals use as a hand gesture, thinking the extra finger really makes a difference.  It makes them so proud, and it gives me belly laughs.

I love how Louisville fans are so proud of their two NCAA Tournament titles, and somehow think that makes them equal to Kentucky.  It makes them equal to Florida, Oklahoma State, and San Francisco. Louisville math:  1+1=7.

I love that Louisville really is "little brother," just like Eddie Sutton said.

I love how John Calipari has as many Final Fours in two years at Kentucky as Rick Pitino has in 10 years at Louisville.

There are lots more reasons to love Louisville, but I don't want to go on and on forever.  Suffice it to say that the Cardinals, and their fans, have provided me many hours of amusement, laughter, and best of all, schadenfreude.

How can you hate that?