The Coming Game Of The Season

The next game between the University of Louisville Cardinals and the Kentucky Wildcats will probably be one of the most anticipated, most closely watched, and the most discussed basketball game of the year-possibly of any year. Not because of interest in how the two historic rival Kentucky teams perform against each other this basketball season, but because of the very serious accusations leveled against Louisville Coach Rick Pitino, who also happens to have been at one time the coach of the Kentucky Wildcats, where he was at that juncture of his career as much loved and admired as he is now bitterly despised by the more fanatical Big Blue fans. After all, after having built up the team to where it won one National Championship, played in another championship, and appeared in the Final Four in yet another, he abruptly resigned his position as head coach for a chance to coach the Boston Celtics.

Now he is in real hot water. A woman named Karen Sypher has accused him of rape-twice. One of these times supposedly transpired in a public place, a restaurant in Louisville where, strangely, one of Pitino's assistants was allegedly present as well. He actually claims to have hid and watched the whole encounter, which he and Pitino insist was consensual. Sypher also says Pitino paid her three thousand dollars for an abortion.

In addition to these charges, Sypher claims Pitino paid one of his close friends, Tim Sypher, the University of Louisville equipment coach, to marry the woman. All of this became public after Pitino went to the police to file charges against Sypher, claiming that she was attempting to extort him to the tune of ten million dollars.

Sypher did not come out with the rape allegations until she was arrested, interrogated, and charged by the police, and so her story is met with a great deal of skepticism. As such, the police have not charged Pitino. Yet, as crazy as it sounds, a part of me believes Sypher. True, Sypher might well be bi-polar or schizophrenic. She certainly seems crazy enough on the surface. Still, what in the world would make someone, even a relatively crazy someone, think that having a brief fling would afford the slightest chance of blackmailing someone for such an exorbitant sum of money?

True, Pitino is married. True, as the head coach of Louisville, he would stand to lose a lot in the way of social standing within the community, as well as his many lucrative endorsements and speaking fees-to say nothing of possibly even his career.

But where is the proof? The abortion, which Pitino has now admitted, transpired years ago. No one was in the restaurant when the sexual conduct took place but Sypher, Pitino, and his conveniently hidden associate. Apparently, even the owner had left for the night. What exactly does he know about this? Surely he knew Pitino and Sypher were there when he left. What might he say that might possibly illuminate Sypher's state of mind on the night in question, assuming she was conscious at the time.

I know it sounds like I'm making a lot of fanciful leaps here, and I don't want to come across as a rabid Wildcat fan anxious to put the screws to the once loved coach that deserted the community and team than once held him in such high regard. That is not me at all. But you can be sure many Wildcat fans will share these views, albeit they will be more adamantly and vocally certain of them. After all, to their way of thinking, Rick Pitino has already proven himself to be just the sort of cad who is by no means above suspicion as to anything.

Kentucky Coach John Caliperi has warned that if the UK fans get out of line during the next University of Louisville versus University of Kentucky match-up, he will refuse to coach the game. He will, he warned, walk out.

What a spoilsport. John Caliperi, who is just now beginning to start his first season as the Wildcat coach, might well learn that there are some things that are just bigger than he or any one person will ever be.

Pitino has already learned one hard lesson. No one is too big to be taken down a peg or two.