Orange Slices: Sharing the Bowl Experience

Here Comes 2007

It's less than two hours before we bring 2007 and I am furiously trying to finish one more post before heading off into the madness of Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino (or as my boss John Drees has dubbed it: "Fourth Street Live on Steroids") to cover the UofL Alumni Association New Year's Eve Party. The private--and thankfully casual affair--is being held at the Bluepoint Ocean Grill. The Alumni Association has really been offering some cool events this weekend. Next door at Renegade Barbecue, President James Ramsey is hosting a more formal affair. The resort is filling up for New Year's Eve. The Cardinal fans are out in full force. Should be an excellent way to ring in the 2007. Happy New Year everybody. Cheers!

Old Friends

This afternoon was "UofL Day at the Races" at Calder Race Course, located less than a mile from the Orange Bowl site, Dolphin Stadium. Calder's parking lot will be the site of the Alumni Association's big tailgate party before the game on Tuesday night.

The racing event today was sponsored by the Alumni Association and the South Florida Alumni Club. I spent most of my time chatting with long-time UofL fans Al and Chris Corbin, close friends for a long time and two of the most gracious people I know. I imagine several Cardinal fans are having the pleasure of running into old friends down here in Florida. And I guess we're all making plenty of new friends as well.

More on the Calder event later. I jotted down all my notes on a racing form, which I promptly left back at the hotel room. Professional journalism at its best. I definitely want to talk in more detail about the event because I got to spend some time with President James Ramsey, his wife Jane Ramsey, Chester Porter and group of students. Renowned horse trainer Nick Zito even paid a visit to the Cardinal fans at the track.

My favorite moment was when Mrs. Ramsey very graciously asked a horse, who was being trotted to the starting line, to please "come in 1st, 2nd or 3rd." Unfortunately, she didn't win her across-the-board bet. But I appreciated how she encouraged the horse.

Morning Exodus

Those following along with the blog might remember an early report about our accommodations upon arriving in Miami. My description of the hotel, which is nestled in the middle of a spaghetti junction of highway and interstate ramps and located conveniently across the street from a bail bondsman/chiropractic office, might have been a tad harsh. I really think that the stain was only reddish-brown mud not blood,  the oil slick on the drapes was probably just unfortunate discoloration and the strong antiseptic smell that pervades the dwelling likely won't cause too much brain damage. The pool--located less than 10 yards from an exit ramp--actually was quite refreshing, but we decided to relocate anyway.

This morning we bolted east to the coast and found a delightful little beach-front motel in Hollywood to spend the rest of our stay. It was a good move. During a brief moment of downtime late this afternoon, I sat on a beach chair and watched the waves roll in and the cruise ships float out of Fort Lauderdale in the distance. We counted seven in less than two hours. I guess there are plenty of people ringing in the New Year out at sea tonight.

Don't get me wrong. Our previous hotel had its charms. It certainly has been a conversation starter ... and I'm looking forward to bringing this whole bail bondsman/chiropractic combination back to Louisville. I might have to run the idea by our entrepreneurship experts at the College of Business. This idea has got potential.

Party Like A 'Hard Rock' Star

When you find yourself at a loss for words, it's best to use photos. So,I'll be brief.

The UofL Fan Appreciation Party hosted by President James Ramsey and Vice President for Athletics Tom Jurich at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino more than lived up to its promise and hype. The party itself has become an unlikely UofL tradition--a tradition that we probably shouldn't take for granted. The university started throwing this party in the late 90s when the football team began making a habit of going to bowl games. This habit fortunately has not been broken. In fact, it has only been increased by the team's ascent into big time college football.

Have I mentioned that we're playing in the Orange Bowl on Tuesday? How cool is that?

Cards fans here in Florida certainly knew about the big party. Between 4,000 and 5,000 showed up. Some even started lining up to get into the casino ballroom nearly four hours before the 7 p.m. start time--a time that had to be bumped up to 6:40 because things were getting pretty crowded. It was a fantastic event. As the local band Third Rail played Reggae music in front of a sign that read "Big East Champions," I met the likes of Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson and UofL basketball great Valerie Combs, who was the first great star of UofL women's basketball. The party easily filled the giant ballroom and the smaller side room.

Probably the highlight of the night for me was getting my picture taken with Coach Denny Crum. As many times as I see him on campus or around town, I never cease to be a bit starstruck. I'm a child of the early 1980s. Incredible things were happening with the basketball team at that time. And Darrell Griffith, my first bona fide sports hero, was with Coach Crum. They entered the party at the same time. What incredible ambassadors for the university they've become--perfect links from the glory days of the past to the glory days of the now. They posed for photos with so many eager fans. Their patience ... and endurance was fantastic.

The Cards fans have arrived. We've got the photos to prove it. Click the link to the left.

Game Listen Party

You know all that stuff I said in the previous post about knowing what you're going to get when you go to something called a "Game Watch Party?" I take it back. I just returned from The Park, where UofL fans were treated to a "Game Listen Party."

It seems the venue couldn't pick up the satellite feed from Louisville. Forty minutes before the game, the manager came over the sound system and announced that they would only be able to get the satellite radio feed. The news was received with muted groans from the Cardinal fans who were slowly filtering into the sports bar and restaurant. To throw a little salt on the wound, someone requested that they put on the Kentucky/EKU game. In no time, we were faced with images of the Rupp Arena court on two gigantic screens.

"Are they trying to run us off?" one fan joked.

But it wasn't so bad. Cardinal fans are hearty souls and can make the most of any situation. It also gave me a great opportunity to walk around and chat with some of the several hundred who stayed for the game despite it not being shown. I sat down next to Danny and Janice Jenkins at the bar. They quickly are becoming veterans of the UofL bowl scene.

"This is our third bowl in three years," Danny says. "We saw the Boise State game in Memphis a couple of years ago. And we were in Jacksonville last year for the Gator Bowl. We're getting pretty used to this. We love it."

Kenny Blair and his four fellow travelers arrived in Miami yesterday after driving in from Louisville. They made pretty amazing time--15 hours and 15 minutes. These guys are getting good at this kind of thing. This is UofL's ninth straight bowl appearance. By the end of Tuesday's Orange Bowl, Kenny and his buddies will have gone to eight of them.

"We didn't go out to Boise," says Kenny, who was leading fans in cheers from his second-floor table. "The only way I would go there is if we were in the National Championship ... and they were playing it in Boise."

During halftime of the UK game, The Park briefly beamed in the North Carolina State game. UofL photographer Tom Fougerousse was able to find the bright side to a Game Watch turned Game Listen party.

"At least we have the Wolf Pack on. They kind of look like Louisville. And they're playing UNC-Wilmington. That's kind of like UNC-Asheville."

Everybody seems pretty excited about the UofL Fan Appreciation Party. As I write this, it's 4:30 p.m.,a solid two and half hours before the party's scheduled start time. People are already starting to gather and lineup outside the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Ballroom.

Preview: UofL vs. UNC Asheville Game Watch Party

Ah yes, the famous UofL game watch parties. I love the name "game watch party." It's kind of like the movie title, "Snakes On a Plane." Very specific. You know what you're going to get at a game watch party.

Anyway, Coach Rick Pitino has been trying several different things to get the Cardinal basketball team headed in the right direction. After the shooting meltdown against UK in Freedom Hall a couple of weeks ago (I shall not speak of it again), the Cards have run off four straight home wins against "manageable" competition. Except for some sharp shooting against Miami last week, the Cards have still been struggling with their touch, especially in closer-than-expected wins over Northeastern and San Francisco. I'm convinced our guys are better shooters than this. It seems like it's kind of in their head right now--too much willing the ball to the goal and hoping for the best. Bit this UofL team is all upside. I'm a notoriously and often blindly optimistic Cards fan, but I really think this squad is going to surprise folks in the Big East this year. I think Rick Pitino agrees with me. Or I guess I agree with him.

Now it's time to take care of business at home against the University of North Carolina-Asheville before heading to Notre Dame for the conference opener. This afternoon scores of Cardinal fans here in Florida will be converging on The Park, a sports bar and restaurant on the grounds of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. In the spirit of "specific names," The Park looks like what you would expect--a ball park. There is a wall of huge TV screens in front of gently rising rows of tables, chairs and bars. Should be a great place to watch the game. Cards fans will get that place rockin', especially if our guys can scorch the nets like they did last weekend.

The game watch party is being hosted by the South Florida Alumni Club. We're four days away from the Orange Bowl, so much of the Cardinal contingent is still making their way down to Miami today. Many will find their way to The Park for "the thrill and excitement of college basketball as your University of Louisville Fighting Cardinals take on UNC Asheville."

I'll be posting after the game with photos. Stay tuned.

Calm Before the Storm

After landing at Fort Lauderdale's airport we headed south on I-95 to our hotel. We've been told that there's an area of North Miami where you should not stay. That's where we're staying. Oh well. I'm not here to stew in a hotel room--fighting off cockroaches, trying to identify various stains (Is that blood!?!?) and wondering why the parking lot is surrounded by a tall iron-barred fence.

We fled our quarters to do some recon at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, site of tomorrow's UofL vs. UNC Asheville basketball game watch party at 1 p.m. and the big UofL Fan Appreciation Party at 7 p.m. More on this place later. Let's just say it's huge, with all kinds of restaurants, watering holes, outdoor live music, a sea of slot machines and gambling tables, and probably the nicest pool area I've ever seen. The Fan Appreciation Party might be in that area, but a manager said a 60 percent chance of rain might move the event indoors. No matter the weather, there will be plenty to do for Cardinal fans here at the Hard Rock resort. It will soon echo with the sound of "C-A-R-D-S ... CARDS!"

I also was able to touch base via cell phone with Damon Stinson, a 2003 grad and president of the South Florida Alumni Club. He was having dinner with the club officers and Jimmy Ford, assistant vice president for alumni affairs or as he is more commonly known, "the alumni guy." Stinson called it a quiet dinner, "the calm before the storm."

Tomorrow ... the storm begins.

Flying South

Much is made of the weather when you find yourself flying to the Deep South in late December. Just when you get used to layers of dark clothes and letting your complexion turn a whiter shade of pasty, you're faced with the tropics. And Christmas usually doesn't bring a wardrobe of summerwear. Those new sweaters and corduroys will do you no service in Miami. So yesterday I raided the back of my closet for crumpled tee shirts, shorts and stuffed them into a suitcase. I also packed a vat of sun block. Like Woody Allen said, "I don't tan. I stroke."

But UofL fans flying to Florida for the Orange Bowl are not exactly escaping a tundry winterland. After a dreary, rainy Christmas Day in Louisville, the weather has turned downright pleasant in Derby town, with sunny, clear blue skies and temperatures creeping close to 60 degrees. According to the Courier, the weather in Miami has been similar. But that's about to change. The forecast for South Florida is for highs in the 80s, lows in the 70s and UofL by three touchdowns.

Actually, we'll save game predictions for later.

I'm writing this from the Charlotte airport, sitting in a sports bar watching UK get an early 7-0 lead over Clemson in the Music City Bowl. Purely for the sake of state unity and good bluegrass vibrations, I'm pulling for the Cats. My travel companions on the other hand ...

It's a travel day. So no news is good news. Next stop Miami.

Envy Makes Me Stronger

Hello? Is this thing on? Testing, testing  … Check one, check two. Are you reading me? So this is blogging. Far out. It kind of feels like email—with stage fright. I’ve been told it’s time to introduce myself.

My name is Kevin Hyde. It’s Wednesday night. I just watched the basketball Cards finish off Northeastern 61-41. It wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win. For the past five years, I have been editor of “UofL,” the quarterly magazine of the University of Louisville that goes out to nearly 140,000 alumni, faculty, staff, friends and the occasional student who happens upon a copy. But for the next five days, my job title has been changed to “Lucky Freak.” Actually, most of my friends and family have been replacing the word “freak” with any number of different colorful terms. Sometimes they’ve even implied that I’m a lucky person whose folks weren’t hitched when I was born. But that’s OK. Their envy only makes me stronger.

Yes, I am flying south to Miami, Fla., on Friday to—for all intents and purposes—document fun. Tough gig, huh? If Cardinal fans in South Florida are having fun in preparation for the Orange Bowl, I must be there with them—experiencing, understanding and hopefully remembering—so I can report back to the Cardinal faithful who couldn’t make the trip. For those of you staying home, let me be your guide. I’m here for you. Actually, I’m not HERE for you. I’m in Florida for you. It’s the least I could do. For those who will be there in Florida, look out for me. I’m the chatty guy with the laptop asking a lot of questions and probably bumming beers. If you stop to talk, you’ll probably see your name in print … blog print!

So, keep checking back for the next week or so. I'm going to have fun with this. I hope you do too. 

Stay Tuned

Stay tuned for Kevin Hyde, editor of UofL magazine and a HUGE Cards fan, on his experiences in covering the Orange Bowl experience, including all the events surrounding this exciting event.

GO CARDS!