Louisville Blogs

As presidents go, Barack Obama is probably our best-informed chief executive when it comes to sports. And especially basketball. Let's just say he's the first national leader to fill out his own NCAA tournament bracket. Of course, the anti-Barack faction of Kentucky voters still blame him for the Cats' loss at South Carolina this year, especially after he congratulated the team by phone after its fund-raising efforts for Haiti. He then gave the team a bit of a pep talk, after which the Cats went out and got their butts kicked in Columbia. Is he making it up to Wildcat fans by putting the Big Blue in the final? Will he actually be pulling for UK, as a way of making up for the mid-season slight? And could the Cats become Obama's team, to the chagrin of all the rural Kentuckians who didn't vote for him. At least he didn't go to Duke, like Rand Paul, whose brackets haven't been made public, and who would have to choose between his alma mater and the teams from the state where he wants to win an election. Kentuckians, of course, have made voting decision for less important issues. Obama doesn't pick many upsets in the early rounds, but one is #13 seed Murray State over Vanderbilt. But he pretty much goes with higher seeds, picking 2 #1s and 2 #2s in his Final Four. And he's got Louisville winning over Cal but falling to Duke. But this president knows his hoops, so don't be surprised if his bracket beats yours.

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	rob   wed mar 17 2010 at 3:31 pm         ·  He loves Kentucky's freshmen, and said the UK-WVU game could be the best match-up of the tournament. He also said UL would be Duke's toughest game in the region. I think he's angling and wants our commonwealth to be a blue state in 2012.
	Steve Coomes   wed mar 17 2010 at 4:42 pm         ·  <>All hail the demi-god Barack Obama. Not only is he the savior of the world in the minds of many, he's the ONLY president who can fill out his own NCAA bracket. You've convinced me 2.5 years in advance to vote to re-elect him. He no more filled out his brackets than W. reviewed Cheney's evidence for WMD.
	rob   wed mar 17 2010 at 4:52 pm         ·  Steve- Don't forget the $500,000 he gave to support abortion in Africa.
	Steve Coomes   wed mar 17 2010 at 4:53 pm         ·  Hooray for B.O.! Hoops genius, promoter of abortion. What a guy.
	rob   wed mar 17 2010 at 4:58 pm         ·  So you're voting for him?
	Steve Coomes   wed mar 17 2010 at 5:29 pm         ·  You bet. Finger on the lever (guess which one). Registering Independent soon.
	rob   wed mar 17 2010 at 6:18 pm         ·  Ok, I can read between the lines. And I agree. Steve is sitting in front of his computer doing the John Wall dance. As am I.
	Steve Coomes   wed mar 17 2010 at 6:51 pm         ·  Even as a Card fan, I likes me some John "one and done" Wall. Since my Cards will surely do something goofy and blow it, let's hope the Cats bring their A game this tourney.
	rob   wed mar 17 2010 at 7:34 pm         ·  I'm glad we can both be moderates when it comes to basketball. I'll be pulling for the Cards if they win Thursday, and will be screaming bloody murder on their behalf on Sunday.
	king35   wed mar 17 2010 at 8:40 pm         ·  look im a die hard kentucky fan hell i bleed blue but kentucky will go out in the second round when they play texas, they CANT hadle the zone!
	Steve Coomes   wed mar 17 2010 at 10:01 pm         ·  King, you might be right. Kentucky is clearly beatable--not as beatable as freakin' Syracuse--but they're young and inconsistent. Talent may cover that in the regular season, but it doesn't last that long in the tourney. But, man, Texas is playing crappy ball. Maybe you're like some others I've heard who believe the Longhorns will snap out of it and perform to their potential? Certainly possible. But I think they're rattled beyond repair, yet I'd advise no one to risk a nickel on my hoops forecasts.
	DavidsonDuke   wed mar 17 2010 at 10:36 pm         ·  Barack Obama is usually the smartest guy in the room . . . until he picks Villanova over Duke. Boo Hiss.

I'm not sure where the Men's Journal writer was when he wrote this, but I don't think he was observing anything on Bardstown Road: To some, Louisville is just bourbon, baseball bats, and a famous horse race; to those who know better, it's artistic funk and gentlemanly class. Packed with eclectic coffee shops, thrift stores, skate punks, and bluegrass street musicians, Bardstown Road is a slice of weirdness in the midst of an upscale neighborhood. Bourbon's re-emergence as a sophisticated beverage rather than redneck swill parallels the city's cultural renaissance. I was polling my Mojo colleagues, and we haven't seen many "bluegrass street musicians" around here. Or skate punks, for that matter, though I did spot one there today. At least Men's Journal magazine thought we deserved a spot in its "Best Places to Live" feature.

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	J.S. Holland   wed mar 17 2010 at 3:04 pm         ·  I think he's operating on old data. I dimly recall, about 10 years ago, there was a city-sponsored effort to plant street musicians at various points around the city. I remember reading about it and thinking about getting in on the action, but I was living in Berea at the time.
	davilledude   wed mar 17 2010 at 4:24 pm         ·  There's a guy playing sax by Jack Frys a lot of nights and some guitar/grunge guys across Eastern Parkway by DooWhop...and there's always always skateboarders but blues? Nope, not happening. Been walking my dog at night on Bardstown/Baxter and haven't heard da blues yet.
	Steve Coomes   wed mar 17 2010 at 4:26 pm         ·  Street musicians? Where? Skate punks? Everywhere.
	davilledude   wed mar 17 2010 at 4:29 pm         ·  There's a guy playing sax by Jack Frys a lot of nights and some guitar/grunge guys across Eastern Parkway by DooWhop...and there's always always skateboarders but bluesgrass? Nope, not happening. Been walking my dog at night on Bardstown/Baxter for 25 years and haven't heard bluegrass yet.
	J.S. Holland   wed mar 17 2010 at 4:44 pm         ·  And then there's the guy with a portable amp who would plug in an electric guitar near Fourth Street Live last summer and blast some really whacked-out atonal crude space-metal, like someone trying to play Eddie Van Halen's "Eruption" while wearing oven mitts.

On the outside of the census form I got yesterday, it says I'm required by law to fill it out. Nothing about what happens if I don't. So we'll see. And it's St. Patrick's Day. If you forgot to wear something green, you may get pinched. It's actually a celebration of all things Irish, not just an excuse to drink, even though it actually feels like it's become a business development exercise for Irish pubs. I suggest Molly Malone's or the Irish Rover. Hoops at the Hall: There's plenty of women's basketball this week at Freedom Hall, starting with tonight's game featuring the U of L women against Bradley in the Women's Basketball Invitational. First-round games in the Women's NCAA Tournament, featuring UK, will be played Friday and Sunday at the Hall. Live with Hal, Chris, Shannon: You can really pick up some insight into the Mayoral candidates at these C-J Editorial Board interviews, today featuring Republicans Hal Heiner and Chris Thieneman, and Democrat Shannon White. Tomorrow it's Jim King and Greg Fischer. Watch them online. Compromise on Rainy Day Fund: A key Metro Council Budget committee meeting was held yesterday to debate how to pay the $29 million still owed for the firefighter settlement. The question -- borrow the money or use Rainy Day funds. Option 2 could affect the city's credit rating. Jim King suggested a combination, saying using $20 million would not affect the rating. I Like Them All: The Today's Woman ballot is out for its Most Admired Woman contest in various fields. Who do you like in Media -- Candyce Clifft, Angie Fenton, Lynda Lambert, Carissa Lawson, Janelle Macdonald or Mindy Peterson? I'm going to keep my choice a secret. Vote here. We'd Vote for This Image, For Some Reason: Yes, that's Fox 41's Jennifer Baileys brandishing a BB gun, explaining how that 11-year-old boy was killed after getting shot with one. Toyota Backlash: It turns out people who drive Toyotas, all over the U.S., are trying to take advantage by falsely claiming their cars are accelerating. And a lot of the claims are from people in the midst of personal financial crises. Human nature at work, as Bill Lamb noticed. No Brainer - Student Journalism: The C-J is right to support House Bill 367, which simply allows students freedom to comment freely on policies at their schools, or anything else they damn well please to, in school-backed media.

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	Candizzle   wed mar 17 2010 at 9:40 am         ·  If you don't fill out your census form, then that means they will call and come knocking and just aggravate you by any means possible. Have fun :)
	Beverly Bartlett   wed mar 17 2010 at 9:43 am         ·  Why don't you want to fill out your census form? It's kind of the highlight of my week!
	Steve Magruder   wed mar 17 2010 at 2:36 pm         ·  It should be noticed that this is Bill Lamb's "Point of View", commonly referred to as an opinion, and you all know what they say about opinions and backsides. Lamb has definitely formed a hypothesis, but he is far from having proved it.

When it comes to college basketball around here, WLKY-TV is out to prove that too much is not enough. It's also showcasing new technology that allows it to send multiple feeds into the market, and it will be pre-empting a bunch of regular programming to air four specials. And that's just this weekend. When the tourney gets going on Thursday, WLKY will air two feeds -- one on its regular outlet (on Insight, that's channels 5 and 912). A second feed will be available to viewers on Insight channels 502 and 913 (the higher number is the HD broadcast). But first, the station is sending crews to Jacksonville (Rick Van Hoose) and New Orleans (Fred Cowgill) to produce special broadcasts around CBS' coverage. The first is Wednesday night, an hour-long special from 7-8 (sorry, Jeopardy fans). On Thursday and Friday, the station is pre-empting the CBS national news broadcast to air basketball specials. And Saturday, provided Kentucky wins its first round game against East Tennessee State and plays at 8 Saturday night, it will air a post-game special before its 11 p.m. newscast. From WLKY, here's Thursday's schedule: Channel 32.1 (Insight 5 in SD, 912 in HD, Please check the WLKY.com web site for other cable systems) 12:25pm Old Dominion/Notre Dame 2:30pm Murray State/Vanderbilt 7:15pm East Tennessee State/Kentucky 9:35pm San Diego State/Tennessee Channel 32.2 (Insight 502 in SD, 913 in HD, Please check the WLKY.com web site for other cable systems) 12:30pm Robert Morris/Villanova 2:50pm St. Mary's/Richmond 4:45pm UTEP/Butler 7:25pm Ohio/Georgetown 9:45pm Wake Forest/Texas And here's Friday's schedule: CBS broadcasts 12:10pm to 5:00pm and 7:00pm to Midnight – Times listed below are tip times for each game. Channel 32.1 (Insight 5 in SD, 912 in HD, Please check the WLKY.com web site for other cable systems) 12:25pm Minnesota/Xavier 2:30pm Sienna/Purdue 7:25pm AP Bluff or Winthrop/Duke 9:45pm Louisville/California Channel 32.2 (Insight 502 in SD, 913 in HD, Please check the WLKY.com web site for other cable systems) 12:30pm Cornell/Temple 2:45pm Oakland/Pittsburg 4:45pm Utah State/Texas A&M 7:10pm Florida State/Gonzaga 9:35pm UC Santa Barbara/Ohio State

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	rob   tue mar 16 2010 at 2:45 pm         ·  I'm freaking out!
	Gojera   tue mar 16 2010 at 2:58 pm         ·  Multiple channels for the stations is one of the great features of the digital tv transition: I love having dozens of channels free over the air, including multiple local 24-hour weather channels...!
	FuNkY CaPrIcOrN   tue mar 16 2010 at 3:32 pm         ·  You have been able to watch any game you want of the tournament for a few years now online for free.
	Media Man   tue mar 16 2010 at 3:50 pm         ·  You have on a PC monitor. But now...I can watch the second game in broadcast quality HD on my 95" screen!
	rob   tue mar 16 2010 at 3:57 pm         ·  DirecTV Mega March Madness is better than sliced bread.
	Media Man   tue mar 16 2010 at 4:00 pm         ·  ...and FREE TV over the air beter than FREE sliced bread
	Media Man   tue mar 16 2010 at 4:00 pm         ·  and better, too!
	Bragi   wed mar 17 2010 at 8:13 am         ·  Thanks for the head's up, I won't be turning on WLKY for a few weeks now... I agree with my dad who works for their competitor who say he's happy when Louisville, Kentucky and IU all lose. (Mostly because he hates sports and it means nothing but more work for him.)