Dribs and Drabs from Card Country

Having finally wrung out my poncho and gloves from Saturday night’s rain-soaked Louisville win over Cincinnati, I thought I’d open the tap and drip out a few last thoughts on the thrilling overtime victory.

No more fair weather fans. Cardinal fans tend to be self-loathing. We complain about the lack of support. We say fans come too late, wander from their seats too much and leave too early. All are legitimate complaints. But here’s one thing you can’t say about U of L fans: They aren’t the fair-weather sort. Saturday’s crowd was 50,000 strong (coaching pun intended) from beginning to end on a rainy, cold October evening.

The good hands people. Louisville’s wide receivers are among the finest ensemble cast since Seinfeld. Eli Rogers, DeVante Parker and Damian Copeland have all made fantastic catches. By comparison, the Washington Redskins’ receivers dropped more passes on Sunday than the Cardinals have all season.

A Strong decision. In overtime, with the Cards needing only a score to win, U of L head coach Charlie Strong put quarterback Teddy Bridgewater’s golden arm on ice to set up a game-winning 30-yard field goal That proved to be the right call, but it sure worried me, particularly in adverse conditions. I would have had Teddy take at least one shot at the end zone, which the Bearcats wouldn’t have expected. Congrats to kicker John Wallace for hitting the field goal and silencing any second guesses by hacks like me.
 

The defense is getting better, by George. With three interceptions, U of L’s defense seems to be finding some playmakers. Among them is George Durant who deflected a pass and rushed from the edge like a heat-seeking missile.

A kick in the keister. U of L’s kick coverage continues to be a pain in the behind. The kick is typically low and short. As a result, returners get a good head of steam going and are rarely stopped before reaching midfield. Cincinnati’s game-tying drive late in regulation benefitted from yet another poor effort on kick coverage. At this point, it might be better to just routinely kick the ball out of bounds.

A fragrant flag. Strong drew a flag for arguing an official’s call about whether a muffed punt should’ve been or touchback or a safety. Despite being the dumbest rule I’ve never heard of, the official was apparently correct on the touchback call. I’m more suspect on the flag. South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier and Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops both pitched similar fits over the weekend with nary a yellow a hanky in sight.

Plus, that ref’s yellow towel could’ve been used for something far more practical, such as wiping the water off my seat.

Maybe He Amazed

I went to Cincinnati with one Paul McCartney manic and returned with three.

No, I didn’t pick anybody up along the way. Instead, Sir Paul won over a couple of new converts through the sheer force of his performance.

My 14-year-old son is a fledgling bassist who is a huge fan of The Beatles in general and McCartney specifically. Kim and I went to Cincinnati for his benefit, but ended up benefitting, too.

It was simply one of the best concerts we’ve ever seen. Despite being 69 years old, McCartney played joyfully for nearly three hours, ala Bruce Springsteen. He covered a lot of ground from The Beatles to Wings to his solo career. All the while, he interacted with the audience and displayed a keen sense of humor.

For instance, McCartney opened with “Hello, Goodbye” and said it was good to be back, even though he last played Cincinnati 18 years ago. The kindly and talkative older gentleman in front of me claimed to have seen McCartney even before that, in 1964, for a mere $5 when the The Beatles played at Cincinnati Gardens.

I enjoyed more Wings songs than I thought I would, including “Nineteen Hundred and Eighthy Five,” “Jet,” “Band on the Run,” and the pyrotechnic-filled “Live and Let Die.” Of McCartney’s solo stuff, “Maybe I’m Amazed” took the prize. Of the Beatles stuff, I loved “Day in the Life,” which transitioned into “Give Peace a Chance,” “Lady Madonna,” and “Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight / The End,” which closed the show.

The set included tributes to John Lennon, George Harrison and Jimi Hendrix. (Sorry, Ringo, I guess you have to die first).

Somewhere between “Hello” and “The End,” McCartney signed a fan’s shoulder. She left immediately after the show to make it permanent with a tattoo. I wouldn’t go that far for Sir Paul, but at least I understand why she did.