Kentucky Sports Radio
[Moderated by Matt Jones]
[Moderated by Matt Jones]
Most people who know me know one truth that is almost always the case about my opinions. I tend to enjoy going against the mainstream. When everyone else says I hate Steve Spurrier, I find some good in the guy. When others are telling me Lil Wayne’s a genius, I hear absurd drivel and see tattoos that are beyond reason. Anyone can ride on top of the waves, but it takes a man to look the wave in the face and potentially get knocked down. So with that as a backdrop, I rise today to defend Steve Kragthorpe, arguably the worst coach since the invention of the forward pass.
Think back just a minute UK fans to the days before the 2007 UK-UL game. It was a simpler time. We had a President who was from Texas, a basketball coach who was forom Texas and I dated a girl who was from Texas. At that time, Texas was all the rage and in that cloudied state of confusion, the Louisville Cardinals were coming into Commonwealth for one of the biggest games in recent memory. Kentucky was potentially very good…we had the Apostrophe, Keenan and Rafy as potential weapons. But Louisville looked to be a team on a mission. Most of the best players from an Orange Bowl team were back and the Louisville fans’ spin (which I used to hear daily on the radio) was now they had a true COACH, who could take the players from the previous regime and mold them into a national champion. Louisville fans were making the claim (with a straight face) that they were now a top 10 program and it would only be a couple of years until they were mentioned in the same breath as Florida, Texas and USC. It was a heady time for our little brothers.
But then, Stevie got Loose, Kentucky got a victory and Louisville officially got Kragthorped. The dramatic fall over the last two years has been astounding. Under Kragthorpe, UL has gone from a program with national relevance to a team that takes a deep sigh of relief when Indiana State (losers of 51 of 52 in I-AA) has to punt. The Cards saw a Quarterback that some thought could win the Heisman, get picked outside of the first round and now is out of the league. The talent level has decreased exponentially and only continues to get worse. Whereas just a couple of years ago, 6 Cards were taken in the NFL Draft, now only a couple are contenders for the UFL Draft. Recruiting has gone from attempting to take top kids from Florida, to hoping to beat MTSU and Western for second tier kids in Kentucky. And the fans…oh the poor fans. Whereas they once used to crow about being a new program for a new generation, now the only debate is whether they should fire their coach after the Kentucky game or at the end of the season. The same people who talked of Jurich making the Card football program “the jewel of the Big East”, now are waiting for basketball season and hoping that Porcini’s signs dont dominate every arena they attend. It truly is a sad state.
And what is the cause of this change? Oh some will say it is the players that Petrino left behind, bad luck in a couple of games, or a natural coming back to earth after a couple of heady years. But we all know what is really at the heart of this movement….the brilliance of Steve Kragthorpe. As if created by the most die-hard UK fan in Manchester, Kentucky, Kragthorpe has come in and taken down the Cardinal program from the inside. Whereas UK fans can throw shots, buy billboards or write blog posts only so much, we can never do the damage that an infilitrated spy can. And that is why we must praise Steve Kragthorpe. Louisville football looked like it could be a worry that we would have to deal with for years to come. But now they are simply the guys up the road in Red, who are hoping Syracuse is down this year so they can steal a victory. Thats all Steve Kragthorpe, and it truly is magical to behold.
All programs make coaching mistakes. Heck, the Billy Clyde years will not be given their own special wing in the Craft Center anytime soon. But rarely is a coach able to dismantle a program so thoroughly in two years that it doesnt even seem like the same entity. Steve Kragthorpe has done it, and it is a pleasure to behold. So as we get ready for Saturday, make all the “Crapthorpe” jokes you want to your Louisville friends. I am going against the grain. You make fun of Steve, I will praise him. His football prowess, or specifically the lack thereof, has made my life much happier and my football fanhood much more complete. Go get em’ Steve Kragthorpe and I hope you retain the job for man years to come!
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Bill Keightley Report : Never to be forgotten.
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September 16th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Contract extension for Krag!
September 16th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Three cheers for a truly magical man!
September 16th, 2009 at 11:05 am
thumbs up to you brother!
September 16th, 2009 at 11:07 am
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=40564228259&ref=ts
September 16th, 2009 at 11:08 am
well hell ………
September 16th, 2009 at 11:11 am
I love MJ’s take. We should embrace Krags for the hero that he truly is. UK should host a “Kragthorpe Appreciation Day” and hand the man to key to the city.
September 16th, 2009 at 11:20 am
“As if created by the most die-hard Cat fan in Manchester, KY…” Ha!
I wonder when UK fans will be given credit for predicting the downfall of UL’s “house of cards” FB program. Really, who among us didn’t see this coming 4 years ago? Petrino wanted out, their players had umm, sketchy character, at best, they were built on the shoulders of 2 supremely talented local boys, and on and on and on. It was just a matter of time before this thing came crashing down. Now let’s just kick them in the teeth on Saturday for good measure.
September 16th, 2009 at 11:21 am
ZING! Awesome writing.
September 16th, 2009 at 11:26 am
If (and when) Krag’s goes, should U of L land Tubberfill (sp?) of Auburn fame, we all may be laughing out the other side of our mouths.
September 16th, 2009 at 11:28 am
Don’t give Krags all of the credit. #7 points out that the house of cards was tettering before he arrived, and Petrino knew it.
September 16th, 2009 at 11:29 am
10 - trust me, Petrino would have taken that Orange Bowl team to BCS again.
September 16th, 2009 at 11:35 am
All Hail King Crapthorpe!!
Hip Hip Horray!!!
September 16th, 2009 at 11:37 am
Louisville can take solice in the fact that when UK puts a butt whoooopin on ‘em. It won’t be in primetime.
September 16th, 2009 at 11:39 am
HEaring that Tuberville is in line to take over and may have already been offered the job.
September 16th, 2009 at 11:40 am
Shouldn’t some accolades be given to Tom Jurich too?
Let’s share the credit.
Also what about the Louisville sign in Frankfort that says “Were miles ahead” (few years old). Whould it be changed to “Lightyears behind”?
September 16th, 2009 at 11:45 am
Krags will be around another year. Jurich has been practically apologizing for making him keep some of Petrino’s staff…ut I also said something similar about BCG.
September 16th, 2009 at 11:45 am
#14–I was talking this morning to two attorney friends who said the same thing. We’ll see. As my mom used to say, “The sun don’t always shine on one dog’s ass all the time.” But, I guess that what makes all the baiting so much fun…
September 16th, 2009 at 11:49 am
Who the hell is calling Lil Wayne a genius? They should be shot.
September 16th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
15) I hate Louisville, but as an athletic program as a whole they are powerhouses in most everything. However, none of those sports other than football, basketball, and sort of baseball mean squat.
My family is good friends with a big time UL booster, and I haven’t heard anything regarding Tuberville.
That being said, I think I’m going to bet the spread this weekend against the Cards! By 3 TD’s we win I say! Those Cards are praying they still had Petrino.
September 16th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
I keep hearing about how great Lil Wayne is too. WTF has he ever done?
September 16th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
As a Falcon’s fan and as a human being, I cringe when I hear the name Bobby Petrino.
September 16th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
16 - I hope so. I’m actually pulling for them to win 6 this year so their misery continues for another year…or two. Krags will keep them a middle-of-the-pack team at best and that’s cause for celebration.
I believe it’s fair compensation for all the ‘dynasty’ crap they were feeding UK fans a few years ago.
September 16th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
Change coaches and schools in this write up, and you would have 95% of the fanbase’s opinion of Tubby Smith in his last few years.
September 16th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Thanks Matt for giving Manchester, KY a shout out!! We Clay Countians love us some KSR!! And, I truly don’t know if I could have succeeded in
destroying L-ville the way Kragthorpe has. He’s done an excellent job! GO BIG BLUE!! Richie Farmer for President!
September 16th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Petrino was a turd!!
Pitino is a womaniser that bangs skanks in restaraunts!!
Kragthorp is a whiff!!
UofL SUCKS!!!
I hope we drop a deuce on UofL this saturday!!
CATS BY 35!!!
September 16th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
“the most die-hard UK fan in Manchester, Kentucky”
Sorry, that’s me, and my name isn’t Kragthorpe. I couldn’t have done it any better myself, though!
September 16th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
geez Matt
i hope you bought them dinner first
September 16th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
15) I can’t stand the U of L Billboard on South Broadway. Its blue and white and it says “Its Happening Here” with U of L under it with their logo.
Someone needs to put a billboard up above it that says “U of L’s Ass Whippin”. Then their own billboard can finish the rest.
September 16th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
20.) Are you serious? He is the son of a single mom on welfare, who was a self made millionaire at age 16…. that should be enough…
And dont give me this crap about hes a thug rapper, I don’t care if you invented the snuggie, if you can become a millionaire at 16 and its not from inheritance, youve done something….
Plus he is a lyrical genious, you should listen to his words sometime…
September 16th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
26- I don’t know, I’m from Manchester as well. You can have #2. lol
September 16th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
26 & 30 - Hey guys, why don’t you two just take #2 and #3, since I posted first (#24) and I’m still in Manchester. LOL! Go Cats!
September 16th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
29 - well said
September 16th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
31- Lol, you got me there, I have moved away…but I was home Labor Day for my Family Reunion.
September 16th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Manchester, KY in the house!
September 16th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
29- I’m a big fan of Wayne, but I don’t know about the self-made part. His mentor (Birdman), since he was 8, started the Label and was rich long before Wayne was.
September 18th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
35.) Actually none were millionaire’s until they came up with the hot boyz which Wayne was an original member, not to mention that when you sign with a company you don’t make money off of everyone else, Wayne was not a millionaire until his debut album which I believe was “The Block is Hot.” Not arguing …. just sayin