Cardinal Hall of Fame Cafe

This weekend took me to Louisville to take part in my best friend's wedding and the bride and groom, being the hardcore Cardinal fans they are, it was only natural to have the rehearsal dinner at the Cardinal Hall of Fame Cafe. It was a unique atmosphere scattered with Cardinals memorabilia throughout the dining area and hallway that would peak the interest of any Ville fan or a Hilltopper fan like me.

Bathroom runs took 10 minutes for me to complete as the walkway to was full of trophy cases with replica championship trophies, autographed jerseys, team photographs of great teams past, and Denny Crum's red sports coat that was so old it favored the color violet.

We dined under huge action photographs of Johnny Unitas as a Cardinal, Paul Hornung as a high school standout, and Wes Unseld was staring down my fish and chips with his large frame and huge pythons. It was a great place to visit since I am a fan of sports in general, especially the history of sports and the pioneers and legends that have paved the way and would destroy a lot of the babies that play today. Fish and chips, beer, and sports history...a perfect combination for any wedding occasion!

Rafferty's Bowl Preview

With the high school football season upon us, I figured it is time to preview the Rafferty's Bowl 2010. The Southwestern Warriors and Christian County Colonels will return to L.T. Smith Stadium to take on Bowling Green and Warren Central. This time Warren Central will be looking for payback against the Colonels, who knocked the Dragons out of the second round of the playoffs last year in a close 13-7 contest. Ironically, the Colonels got bounced in the next round against the Purples. This should shape up to be a good, close game as the Dragons look to keep their momentum going from last season.

Southwestern posted a nice 7-4 record with a win coming against Warren Central in last year's bowl. The Warriors got ousted in the opening round of the playoffs against Harlan County. Bowling Green is...well, Bowling Green...always solid in the regular season and make deep runs in the playoffs consistently every year. However, I feel they will both be intriguing games because it is the first game of the year.

At the beginning of the year teams are still trying to figure things out and get used to game competition so things could get sloppy with turnovers, confusion on receiver routes, and broken plays. It may not be pretty, but its football and that is all that matters!

Conference Expansion Aftermath

Well, the dust has settled in the college football expansion battle and the big boys that was the main focus of all this remains where they were when it all started. Texas and Notre Dame did not move, the Big Ten has 12 teams, the Big 12 has 10 teams, the Pac-10 did not become the Pac-16 but is now the Pac-12, and the SEC remained the same.

Nebraska moving to the Big Ten conference is odd geographically in my opinion but understandable due to the Huskers wanting to get out of a conference that is heavily influenced by Texas. The Big 12 losing two teams and its conference championship game is not as devastating as some may think. Every team gets to play each other in conference play and that will help hype, build, and increase rivalries within the Big 12 or 10 or whatever.

Utah moving to the Pac-10 is a great move placing them in a major conference to establish new rivalries, matchups, and tv exposure. Boise State jumping to the Mountain West keeps that conference relevant as Utah departs and adds a new grudge match for conference domination with TCU.

So, what does all this mean? MO' MONEY, MO' MONEY!! The Big Ten and Pac-10 now have conference championship games, the Big 12 loses their title game (which is what they...errr, Texas wanted), and SEC remains the same. Conferences have shifted before and the we are all aware that the world of college athletics is run on money, all I ask is that you keep providing us with great games on Thursdays and Saturdays and keep me happy in the fall!

Greenwood/South Warren Split

http://www.bgdailynews.com/articles/2010/06/13/sports/sports2.txt

Above is a nice article by Chad Bishop of the Bowling Green Daily News about the specifics of the new South Warren High School and the affects of Greenwood High School's athletics.

Oregon's Masoli Dismissed

You would think a talented athlete for a major college football program in the most high profile position would appreciate the opportunity he has and want to act like a leader. Last time I checked leaders do not steal a laptop and a guitar from another college student. Masoli got suspended for the entire 2010 season by coach Chip Kelly after pleading guilty to the charges. A huge lesson in maturity learned right? WRONG!!

Mr. Masoli has now been dismissed from the team after a routine traffic stop that included driving with a suspended license and possessing less than an ounce of marijuana. You would think someone in his position with a rational thought process would want to stay away from any kind of trouble after committing burglary and being suspended from football for the year. It is clear that he has displayed irresponsible behavior since this past offseason and the dismissal is well warranted, you can't keep giving athletes second chances that keep showing immaturity.

Hilltopper Losing Streak, When Will It End???

The Hilltoppers come into this season with a new head coach, a revamped coaching staff, and the #1 recruiting class in the Sun Belt Conference according to Rivals. Things are looking up in Hilltopper country and I am excited to see how we play this season. We have some major obstacles to overcome like coming off a 0-12 season and breaking that horrible 20 game losing streak. Let's examine the upcoming schedule and see how much longer that streak will last and when it will be broken!

Sat, Sep 04 at Nebraska Loss
Sat, Sep 11 at Kentucky Loss
Sat, Sep 18 Indiana Loss
Sat, Sep 25 at South Florida Loss
Sat, Oct 09 at Florida International Win
Sat, Oct 16 Louisiana-Monroe Win
Sat, Oct 23 at Louisiana-Lafayette Win
Sat, Oct 30 North Texas Loss/Over 100 points
Sat, Nov 06 Florida Atlantic Win
Sat, Nov 13 at Arkansas State Win
Sat, Nov 20 Middle Tennessee Loss
Sat, Nov 27 at Troy Loss

Now, my 5-7 season prediction sounds pretty good considering the losing streak might have to go four more games. Winning 5 games or more is very conceivable for this team with Coach Taggart emphasizing the north/south running style and being able to improve time of possession. With that said, I hope we can be able to win the close games this season. I look for a lot of improvement in the offensive and defensive schemes and for the Hilltoppers to be tougher this season. END THE STREAK! END THE STREAK!

Pac 10 In The Mix

In the midst of all the conference expansion talk the Big Ten has been the center of attention, attempting to lure teams like Notre Dame, Nebraska, Missouri, and Rutgers in order to become the first super conference. Since that rumor has dropped people have been talking about the domino effect that will happen, the SEC possibly adding Florida State or Georgia Tech or the Pac 10 possibly adding Boise State, Utah, or Colorado.

Now reports are that instead of the Pac 10 throwing a stiff jab in the super conference battle royal, they are throwing a left hook to the body, followed by a right cross! Attempting to add half of the Big 12 conference would be a huge move if they could pull that off. Adding the big boys from the conference like Texas and Oklahoma will no doubt make the Pac 10 the Dr. Evil of all super conferences and they would be well on their way to achieving 1 trillion dollars every bowl season.

Expanding football conferences is inevitable, the game is early, we don't know where the cards will fall, but in the end money will be won and all super conferences that form will be winners.