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Benedict Arnold was different: a military hero for both sides in the same war. He began his career as an American Patriot in May 1775, when he and Ethan Allen led the brigade that captured Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain. Arnold's heroics continued when he led an expedition of 1,150 riflemen against Quebec, the capital of British Canada. The American commander drove his men hard through the Maine wilderness, overcoming leaky boats, spoiled provisions, treacherous rivers, and near starvation to arrive at Quebec in November, his force reduced to 650 men.
Yet Arnold has gone down in history not as a hero but as a villain, a military traitor who, as commander of the American fort at West Point, New York, in 1780, schemed to hand it over to the British.
Like Benedict Arnold, Rick Pitino is poised to do down in history as a villain rather than a hero in the state of Kentucky. What began as innocent flirtation between Benedict Rick and Loserville, has emerged as a full-fledged orgy. The sweet nothings that Pitino and Jurich are tossing one another through various media outlets has already irreparably damaged Pitino's image within the state. Only the final act of treachery -- the acceptance of the offer from Loserville -- remains to seal his fate in history.
To understand how Pitino stands to betray the fans of University of Kentucky basketball (who outnumber Loserville fans 4 to 1 in the Commonwealth) you must first understand the nature of the Kentucky-Loserville rivalry.
First, because UK and Loserville are only 70 miles apart and within the same state, the two universities are natural rivals. The fans of each of these programs are fiercely loyal to their respective teams. Obviously, this is not uncommon in sports. Duke-North Carolina, Indiana-Purdue, Michigan-Michigan State are all representative examples of the nature of the UK-Loserville rivalry. The proximity of the schools, combined with the fervor with which Kentuckians support college basketball, makes for an intense rivalry.
Second, as with any rivalry there comes "bad blood" between the fans. For years, Loserville fans have perpetuated the notion that all UK fans are racist rednecks who marry their relatives and eat possum stew for Sunday dinner. Likewise, UK fans notoriously view the Cards as a whiny "Little Brother" who strives to reach but never can attain the sustained success of the UK men's basketball program.
Third, since the rivalry was renewed in 1983, UK lead the series 13-6 and leads the overall series 22-10. But those numbers are somewhat deceptive. Over the past four years, the series is tied 2-2. Loserville's most notable recent win in the series was a 83-74 victory in 1998 over Tubby Smith's first UK team that would go on to become National Champions. UK would avenge that loss the following year by thrashing Loserville in Rupp Arena by 30 points. As with any rivalry, you can typically dismiss the respective standing and record of the teams when UK and Loserville hook-up.
Fourth, UK and Loserville are in direct competition for recruits -- particularly in-state recruits. Recently, Loserville has recruited miserably and their pitiful record reflects that. However, a resurgent UL program would challenge UK directly for recruits.
Finally, UK and Loserville are not only in direct competition on the basketball court, they are also competing from an economic standpoint. Marketing, fan support, sports merchandising, ticket sales, and numerous other economic factors are in play between UK and Loserville.
So after eight years as head coach at UK, one would think that Pitino developed an understanding of the nature of the rivalry. In fact, he could not have coached the Wildcats without having an understanding of the above enumerated contributing factors to the UK-Loserville rivalry. And yet, even understanding these factors, Slick Rick appears to be willing to defect to UK's most bitter rival thereby acting against the interests of the UK basketball program. Even though Pitino would revise history to say that he did more for UK then it did for him, I dare say that the stature of the program which Pitino resurrected and the personal exposure that came therefrom, radically enhanced his career and led to his becoming a multi-millionaire. And it must be considered that the UK fanatics bathed Pitino in adoration during his tenure in Lexington. He was quite literally treated like a King in the Commonwealth because of his quick repair of the UK program. It is not unreasonable for UK fans to expect the same showing of loyalty in return from Pitino. Perhaps, like Benedict Arnold, Pitino doesn't understand (or doesn't care) that a soldier who defects to the opposition in war, is betraying his country.
At the time of the publishing of this commentary, Pitino has not accepted the Loserville coaching position. Hopefully Pitino is giving careful consideration to the impact his coaching in Loserville would have on his private and professional life. In a recent interview with ESPN Radio, Pitino stated that the state was divided "80% to 20%" in favor of UK in terms of state-wide fan support. That is probably an accurate estimate of the division of allegiance within the Commonwealth. He followed up his analysis by stating that he believed that only 20% of UK fans would feel negatively about his going to Loserville. One has to believe that Pitino was "spinning" when he made the "20%" comment, because the number is significantly higher -- probably more in the 70% to 80% range of UK fans who would have strong negative feelings towards Pitino if he returns to the state to coach Loserville.
As coach of the Loserville Cards, Pitino would find that he would be largely unwelcome in most areas of the state. Unlike his previous tenure in Kentucky when Pitino was welcomed by large crowds across the state, Pitino's speaking engagements would be confined to Jefferson County and even there, in the county where Loserville is located, UK fans outnumber Card fans by a large margin. Instead of the recipient of accolades from across the state, Pitino would immediately become the target of ridicule across the state. Businesses would have to carefully consider whether or not to ask him to endorse their products, because no UK fan would purchase any product endorsed by the coach of Loserville. Some have even suggested that Pitino's banner hanging in Rupp Arena should be removed and delivered to him prior to the first UK-UL match-up of his tenure if he accepts the Loserville coaching position. Literally millions of UK fans across the Commonwealth would view him as Public Enemy Number One, and they would rejoice in any and all of his failures and harass and hawk his every move. It is doubtful that Pitino's ego, which requires an hourly feeding of love and adoration, could survive on the lean diet of praise which could be offered by the small number of Loserville fans.
Pitino has said that "Success is a Choice". If he chooses to coach the Loserville Cards, it can only be said that he has "chosen to lose" -- both professionally and personally. (3/12/01)
"Love to my country actuates my present conduct, however it may appear inconsistent to the world, who very seldom judge right of any man's actions."
...Benedict Arnold
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