I’ve written about it before, but do so again.
Charles Pierce’s still-in-print collection of sports essays, “Sports Guy,” is must reading for anybody who loves sports and writing at the highest level.
The first essay is “A Big Game.”
I am a sucker for a Big Game. Which is not necessarily the same as a Championship Game. It is not necessarily the same as an Important Game, as defined by television hucksters. A Big Game is more than that. It is a piece of living history, a theater of the generations with
an outcome more compelling than theater of any other kind.
Louisville vs. Memphis State Sunday afternoon is a Big Game.
I suppose one must be of a certain age to truly understand the depth of U of L’s rivalry with the Tigers.
Beyond Coach Cal and the glorious Darius Washington meltdown.
To Milt’s FTs and Keith Lee and Elliott Perry and Baskerville Holmes and that glorious playoff game in Nashville and Vincent Askew and Dana Kirk using up his final timeout way before he should have.
Hell, I go back to Win Wilfong, a Tiger in the mid 50s.
I have felt the wrath of State fans.
In a concession line at Mid South Coliseum. I was having some fun with a young Tiger fan, when his mother grabbed him by the collar and shrieked, “How many times have I told you, NEVER talk to a Louisville fan.”
Yes, the annual affair with Kentucky is ever a Big Game in the Piercean sense.
So too, any battle with Memphis State.
Though they came way less often than back in the day.
Given the Tigers’ surprising start, Sunday’s affair means more than it might have.
State has already upset Iowa State and beaten VCU.
In advance of their encounter with the Cards, they journey to Nashville to face Vandy tonight.
A must watch scout.
A tantalizing appetizer ahead of Louisville’s first significant tilt of the campaign.
* * * * *
That ain’t all on Sunday.
Jeff Walz’s women’s team faces evil empire UConn at the Yum! and on ESPN.
* * * * *
Speaking of hors d’oeuvres, whatta night Tuesday’s is for hoopaholics.
None are Big Games.
But, gosh amighty, for November 10, what more could a junkie in need of a fix ask for?
Yes, the Tigers vs. the Commodores, and . . .
Illinois vs. Texas Tech.
Florida vs Florida State.
Virginia Tech vs. Iowa.
Plus the “television hucksters” double dip: Michigan State vs. Duke. Kentucky vs. Kansas.
* * * * *
I just read about a new metric the NCAA is using now that the Dance has 76 invites.
W.A.B.
Wins Against Bubble.
Which one must assume is akin to the baseball thing, WAR.
Which I frankly have never understood.
Anyhow, Joe Lunardi, the inventor of Bracketology, mentioned it in his latest update.
And, to bring this around to where we started, he advises the school with the best W.A.R. so far this season is that team U of L faces Sunday.
In a Big Game.
Beat Memphis State.
— c d kaplan
