Thursday, March 11, 2010

Edgar Sosa, Can't win for losing...


The Louisville Cardinals dropped yet another close game after choking away a sizable lead Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden in the Big East Tournament. Edgar Sosa appeared unstoppable if you check the stat-line with 28 points on 5/6 from the 3 Point line, 6 rebounds and 3 assists with 2 turnovers. Even though the offense basically went through Sosa and Samardo Samuels in the 2nd half, Sosa still struggled in key moments of the game, missing IMMENSELY IMPORTANT free throws (3-8 from the line.) Then again, if anyone has watched Louisville this season you might know they are ranked almost dead last in free throw percentage as a team.

This game was almost a microcosm of Sosa's entire career at the University of Louisville. He played decent enough, at times it was almost surreal how well he played. Fans cheered for him, almost falling in love. Just as the lovefest was going in full effect, he'd find a way to draw the ire of both his coach and the Cardinal faithful, be it missing a key shot, turning the ball over at JUST the point when the Cards needed a boost, or fouling with only a minute to go, down just 2 points.

Sosa never seems to get a break, unless of course you count crucial gamewinners against the likes of Kentucky in 2009 (Who can forget that?! That is 93% of the reason BoogieWoogie can't stand teh kid!) or against UConn on the road this season. The kid has amazing skills, yet much like the rest of the team this season, he has been stunningly in-consistent throughout his career as a Cardinal. For years it seemed he didn't want to play any defense at all, and wanted to either drive to the basket amidst a crowded up lane or jack up a heavily defended three.



Who can forget his EPIC game against Texas A&M at Freedom Hall in the NCAA's against Billy Gillespie. That may still be the game of his career as he is what kept Louisville in the game, yet with the game on the line he narrowly missed the 3 to send the Cards to the next round.

The kid can't see to catch a break with the fans and it's really sad. Actually he reminds me a lot of one of my all-time favorite athletes, Brett Favre. (Hold your horses people, just because I made a VERY vague comparison don't act like I'm even remotely saying he compares, Sosa probably isn't even close to top 25 all time CARDINALS, let alone NCAA players.) I'm talking about the risks he takes and his decision making. Sosa isn't afraid to take a gamble and risk the game. I think Favre came out on the winning end more times than not, but Sosa definitely has a few epic shots under his belt in big games. Unlike Favre, he tends to struggle in the spotlight for a game (free throws ESPECIALLY). Favre would usually put up an AMAZING game, only to have a game killing turnover at the end (See: NFC Championship 2010.)

Whatever happens in the NCAA's--and as I've said before, your guess is as good as mine--I wish Sosa and Smith the best in their lives. Love 'em or hate 'em, they've both left us Card (and Cat) fans some good (or bad) memories!

8 comments:

  1. Did you really just compare the careers of Brett Favre and Edgar Sosa? Really? You will be lucky to see Lil' Eddie on an NBA bench much less on the floor for an NBA team. Favre is the ideal guy you would want leading your team. Sosa is the ideal douche bag you wouldn't want taking shots down the stretch.

    And yes I hate Edgar Sosa. I hate him and Jerry Smith with every fiber of my being.

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  2. I'll just copy and paste from my article in response because you CLEARLY posses the reading comprehension of a 4th grader (i.e. most UK fans). Here it is: "(Hold your horses people, just because I made a VERY vague comparison don't act like I'm even remotely saying he compares, Sosa probably isn't even close to top 25 all time CARDINALS, let alone NCAA players.)"

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  4. You just never know what type of game they are going to play. Its just been that kind of season. They can go and get beat in the 1st round or go to the sweet 16 after knocking out a 1 or 2 seed in the second. I dont see them going farther, because they just can't put more than 3 games together for 40 minutes.

    http://sportsthat.blogspot.com/2010/03/chris-gaines-review-of-cards.html

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  5. You should not have used the two names in the same sentence.

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  6. And by comparing the two you made a compraison. I read the "Hold your horses" part, but you STILL COMPARED the two :)

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  7. Boogie, Favre has obviously lost his mind. He's the one that lacks any reading comprehension. I do agree with the comparison though, when the game is on the line, they both choke (9 out of 10 times that is)!

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