Big Lead Sports Bar

11/02/2006

Loyvull Delivers at Papa John's

There was a college football game played Thursday night in Kentucky. The name of that city is spelled "Louisville". How that word is pronounced, however, is a completely different debate. ESPN has raised the pronunciation variations to an art form, with announcers bouncing back and forth from a phonetic "Lu-e-vill" to "Loyvull" for all four quarters. By the end of the game, I was more confused than ever with how to pronounce it. One thing ESPN did manage to do, as they are very proficient at: annoy me "at a very high level" (and thanks for that line, Coach Cowher).
Phonetics aside, a few facts cannot be debated about this game:
1. Louisville plays in a stadium named after the famous Kentuckian, Papa John. You get free garlic dipping sauce and pepperoncinis with every order of nachos you buy.
Better ingriedients, better facilities, Papa John's.

2. Louisville was calling this game "The Blackout" and asked fans to dress in all black. In the third quarter, half of the stadium lights went out. WVU had turnovers on two plays after this happened. Coincidence?
3. ESPN, in keeping with their new tradition of cramming as many non-announcers into the booth as possible, managed to get both Louisville hoops coach Rick Pitino and NFL analyst Tom Jackson on air this evening. However, during his appearance in the booth, Jackson blew a perfect opportunity to say, "West Virginia's national title chances just got...JACKED UP!"
4. One thing this game showed: neither of these teams has much of a defense. WVU racked up 547 yards, with 325 on the ground. Louisville managed a paltry 467, with the bulk of that (355) coming from future NFL QB Brian Brohm. With that kind of work, maybe the Steelers would've won on Sunday if Petrino took the Raiders job.
5. As cute as WVU's offense is, they cannot throw to get themselves back into the ballgame. Especially when their QB is hurt.
6. Breaking news...ESPN now loves the Big East. So much that they even sent Rutgers coach Greg Schiano to Bristol to sit in on the halftime show. What I would have paid to see Wanny on set!
7. Speaking of love, Pitt got some major love themselves tonight. Any reference to the Team That Wanny Built (or Is Building) was in a positive light. By the way, Walt Harris is 0-8 at Stanford.
8. Michael Bush, who has been rumored to be drafted by the Steelers for two seasons now, was seen roaming the Louisville sidelines. He was not waving a Terrible Towel...yet.
9. As a Pitt fan, the prospect of playing both of these teams terrifies me. The only strategy Pitt would have is the old "injure Slaton" defense that Bobby Petrino tried tonight.
10. Did you ever notice...
WVU Coach Rich Rodriguez looks just like "Russell" from Wayne's World, Kurt Fuller?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Rich Rodriguez understand that plutonic love can, in fact, exist between two grown men.

And he hangs out at Noah's Arcade.

Great call, Mondesi.

Cate Morrison said...

as a native louisvillian, i can attest that it is pronounced luahvuhl. imagine your tongue has been injected with muscle relaxants before attempting.

Anonymous said...

Wasn't that guy from Wayne's World also the bad guy in that Hulk Hogan movie that came out when I was little where he fought Zeus?

Oh c'mon, don't act like you guys didn't see the Hulk Hogan movie!

Anonymous said...

Come-on-down

To where the games are played.

It's hip, it's fresh

It's Noah's Arcade.

(ASIDE: I live in Chicago about 4 blocks north of the Leo Burnett Bldg, the building that posed as Oliver Communications in WAYNE'S WORLD.)

Anonymous said...

May I be the first to say...
Schwing!