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Around SBN: 2011 In Extreme Home Runs

Freedom Hall Has an Attic?

I have hazy childhood memories of cheering for the Colonels. Then there is a game where the cards overcame yet another seemingly impossible deficit in an epically short time. The details are gone, but "that Bradley Game..." remains in the family lexicon as a reminder to never give up.

My favorite memory of Freedom Hall is when a friend and I left St. X and headed straight over to the Hall to "WAVE the Cards Home" after the 1980 championship. We had a half day or something because I remember getting there very early to get in line We were so pumped because there was no one there yet and we were sure to get some prime seats. Of course we got bored waiting and started walking around the building and discovered the back loading dock was wide open. Being teenagers, we walked right in.

We knew we weren't really supposed to be inside, so we looked for a place to lay low until they opened the doors to the public. We found this ramp that we thought led up to the upper level, but ended up in what turned out to be Freedom Hall's attic. We found all kinds of dusty equipment, lights, and other stuff that looked like no one had touched for years. I distinctly remember finding a cache of yellowed papers with stage layouts and lighting diagrams for a Beach Boys concert from 1965. We got so engrossed in all this stuff that we completely lost track of time, and the ramp we used to get up there in the first place! We finally found a door that turned out to be one of the spotlight bays and came out at the top row of seats into a jammed packed Freedom Hall. We didn't get the seats we wanted, but we did have a pretty fun adventure. I have tried to find that ramp again several times over the years but like Brigadoon, it must show up only on certain days when the moon is just right.

I'll miss the smell, the sticky concrete, and the fact that the games were great to watch whether you were down on the floor, or up in 330.

And the last thing I'll leave you guys with is my best approximation of the sounds that still bounce around Freedom Hall if you listen carefully enough. Sean Moth is well on his way to creating his own legacy, but no voice rang like a bell over the cheering crowd of Cardinal faithful like that of John Tong.

"At Guard... a 6'4" SOPH-o-MORE from LOOUEY-ville Male High School... "

GOWAAAL byyyye ....!"

"STEPS called."

"Tiiiime is OUT... on the floor."  

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As goofy as it sounds

considering we had already snuck in and were in a place we knew we shouldn’t be,
snagging a souvenir would have just been… wrong. I guess that’s the mind of a teenager, especially one who went to a catholic high school!

by ptichenor1 on Mar 5, 2010 8:01 AM EST up reply actions  

What a cool adventure!

I love teenagers! Adults would never have gone up there.

I never attended a U of L game at Freedom Hall until this year, but I used to go to the state high school basketball tournament every year back in the sixties (until they moved it to Rupp – it was never the same afterwards; Rupp’s seating is terrible). Do you know if it was John Tong who announced those high school games in Freedom Hall? I distinctly remember a grave and sonorous voice announcing “GOAL by KING,” and “STEPS called.” I loved that announcer, but never knew his name.

by Loouhvul on Mar 4, 2010 8:26 PM EST reply actions  

am i the only one who didn't like john tong?

that guy liked hearing his own voice so much that he could increase the syllables in any word by 50%. moth’s schtick has worn a little thin at this point, but he’s 100x better than tong was.

by davidson07 on Mar 5, 2010 9:54 AM EST reply actions  

yes you are

the man was original and a classic. we were lucky to have him

by allcards on Mar 5, 2010 12:13 PM EST up reply actions  

i'll give you that

but still could never enjoy “time is uhhhhooouuuut on the flooruh”

by davidson07 on Mar 5, 2010 2:59 PM EST up reply actions  

Yes

LAAAAA-BRADFORD SMITHAAAA

Will never forget Tong announcing my absolute favorite Card growing up. Great post.

by centrecard on Mar 5, 2010 12:50 PM EST up reply actions  

Me?

I was nmh as in “yes, you are likely the only one”

by UL is my hot hot sex on Mar 5, 2010 2:56 PM EST up reply actions  

hate's strong

he was annoying, but you can’t hate john tong anymore than you can hate the sticky concrete in freedom hall. it’s part of the legacy.

by davidson07 on Mar 5, 2010 3:00 PM EST up reply actions  

annoying is in the ear of the listener, I guess

I’m finally getting used to the new guy, but he reminds me too much of the uber-annoying LLLLLLLLLLET’S GET READY TO RUMBLLLLLLLLLLLLE dude.

by rickmbari on Mar 6, 2010 1:06 PM EST up reply actions  

seriously! when i was little, my brother always used to take whatever i was holding, throw it in the trash and celebrate like he hit a buzzer-beating 3… then do the whole “goal by , assist to” thing. STILL love john tong.

by mp502 on Mar 5, 2010 4:04 PM EST up reply actions  

That's awesome about your brother.

And any blasphemy toward John Tong should result in an automatic ejection… or something. That’s just something you don’t do!

by tarabelle17 on Mar 5, 2010 9:52 PM EST up reply actions  

Yes you are.

Not liking John Tong is like not liking Wes Unseld. You should never admit it in the company of Louisville fans.

by rickmbari on Mar 5, 2010 9:52 PM EST up reply actions  

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