Vacation.
On Tuesday I heard the NCAA ruled that the Louisville Cardinals would vacate the 2013 National Championship, because an investigation uncovered members of the coaching staff hired prostitutes and strippers for players and recruits. I always thought that was standard stuff.
Normally I wouldn't care about corruption and malfeasance in some bouncy-ball sport. Cycling has enough of that sort of thing to saturate my interest in such things. However, this particular instance is different.
This time it's Luke.
Luke is my cousin, my father's brother's kid. Because of the twisted nature of families and marital relationships and generations and military careers keeping me on the other side of the continent for the vast majority of his life, I think I've talked to him three or four times, and from what I can tell, he's pretty tall. I like to say I've had a profound impact on his life. I'm much closer to his younger brother, who skis and rides bikes.
So, when it turned out he was playing in the NCAA Final Four of hoopy ball, my extended family rallied round the Cardinals. They bought tickets when they could and watched every second of televised coverage when they couldn't. Even my wife and children watched, and they probably had never watched a televised basketball game before- certainly not a college game. It was an event. I think even I may have watched a few minutes. Don't get me wrong, I'd catch the articles online about the previous night's game, but I just don't have the patience to watch the sport anymore. I mean, where are the bicycles?
Luke, by all accounts, had a pretty decent postseason.
Now, the NCAA has pretty much wiped it off the record books.
I don't know if those coaches did any of that stuff, but to be honest, I'm inclined to believe the NCAA on this one. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a Division I school that doesn't do this for their major ball sports, although just about every other college feigned the "vapors" when the news first hit, as if they couldn't imagine such a thing happening in the world of collegiate slavery... I mean athletics. Still, I figure the NCAA had Rick Pitino's coaching staff dead to rights, and were justified in their actions.
Luke has publicly stated, "I never saw anything, heard anything, wasn't involved in anything." You know what? I believe him too. Not because of my close, close relationship or years of mentorship of the young lad. Seriously, I know my bike racing frenemies better than I know Luke. Maybe it's because he's a Hancock. We were raised to understand the very nature of our superiority over all forms of life on this planet from birth, so for him to be wrong... well, that's just impossible. Also, I know Luke, as a transfer from George Mason, wasn't the kind of prospect you'd throw hookers at. If he was at parties where hookers were present, I'm not sure he would have necessarily known. He was doing more than fine with co-eds, thank you.
How much Pitino knew or didn't know is up for debate. Ultimately it was his show, and he was axed when the investigation got rolling. I know Luke admires the hell out of the guy, but I've found over the years that nobody is perfect. Except Hancocks. We're fucking awesome.
That championship game was the last time my dying uncle had all of his kids together under one roof. It meant the world to him to see Luke succeed on such a grand stage, showing talent, grace, and true leadership. The NCAA will never take that away from Luke and the rest of the family. That was a special and pure.
I'm sure every other Cardinal player's family has some sort of connection to the game. There are more than a few people out there not related to anyone in the organization that live and die with the Cardinals. College bouncy ball is a big deal, I guess, even without bikes.
Looking at the other side, I guess this means Syracuse gets the 2013 title. They don't get the confetti and yelling and parades and lucrative contracts, but I guess they get a hunk of metal and a banner to hang in the gym. In this regard, I guess they were cheated just as much as anyone racing Chris Froome since the Vuelta. I can't help but feel bad for all sides here, because nobody won. A few idiots made a bunch of stupid mistakes, and a whole lot of people are paying for it five years down the road.
I guess as imperfect as it is, that's justice.
Normally I wouldn't care about corruption and malfeasance in some bouncy-ball sport. Cycling has enough of that sort of thing to saturate my interest in such things. However, this particular instance is different.
This time it's Luke.
Luke is my cousin, my father's brother's kid. Because of the twisted nature of families and marital relationships and generations and military careers keeping me on the other side of the continent for the vast majority of his life, I think I've talked to him three or four times, and from what I can tell, he's pretty tall. I like to say I've had a profound impact on his life. I'm much closer to his younger brother, who skis and rides bikes.
So, when it turned out he was playing in the NCAA Final Four of hoopy ball, my extended family rallied round the Cardinals. They bought tickets when they could and watched every second of televised coverage when they couldn't. Even my wife and children watched, and they probably had never watched a televised basketball game before- certainly not a college game. It was an event. I think even I may have watched a few minutes. Don't get me wrong, I'd catch the articles online about the previous night's game, but I just don't have the patience to watch the sport anymore. I mean, where are the bicycles?
Luke, by all accounts, had a pretty decent postseason.
Now, the NCAA has pretty much wiped it off the record books.
I don't know if those coaches did any of that stuff, but to be honest, I'm inclined to believe the NCAA on this one. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a Division I school that doesn't do this for their major ball sports, although just about every other college feigned the "vapors" when the news first hit, as if they couldn't imagine such a thing happening in the world of collegiate slavery... I mean athletics. Still, I figure the NCAA had Rick Pitino's coaching staff dead to rights, and were justified in their actions.
Luke has publicly stated, "I never saw anything, heard anything, wasn't involved in anything." You know what? I believe him too. Not because of my close, close relationship or years of mentorship of the young lad. Seriously, I know my bike racing frenemies better than I know Luke. Maybe it's because he's a Hancock. We were raised to understand the very nature of our superiority over all forms of life on this planet from birth, so for him to be wrong... well, that's just impossible. Also, I know Luke, as a transfer from George Mason, wasn't the kind of prospect you'd throw hookers at. If he was at parties where hookers were present, I'm not sure he would have necessarily known. He was doing more than fine with co-eds, thank you.
How much Pitino knew or didn't know is up for debate. Ultimately it was his show, and he was axed when the investigation got rolling. I know Luke admires the hell out of the guy, but I've found over the years that nobody is perfect. Except Hancocks. We're fucking awesome.
That championship game was the last time my dying uncle had all of his kids together under one roof. It meant the world to him to see Luke succeed on such a grand stage, showing talent, grace, and true leadership. The NCAA will never take that away from Luke and the rest of the family. That was a special and pure.
I'm sure every other Cardinal player's family has some sort of connection to the game. There are more than a few people out there not related to anyone in the organization that live and die with the Cardinals. College bouncy ball is a big deal, I guess, even without bikes.
Looking at the other side, I guess this means Syracuse gets the 2013 title. They don't get the confetti and yelling and parades and lucrative contracts, but I guess they get a hunk of metal and a banner to hang in the gym. In this regard, I guess they were cheated just as much as anyone racing Chris Froome since the Vuelta. I can't help but feel bad for all sides here, because nobody won. A few idiots made a bunch of stupid mistakes, and a whole lot of people are paying for it five years down the road.
I guess as imperfect as it is, that's justice.
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