I thought it was important to get a Bobby-Petrino related poll up given all of the controversy regarding the way in which he left the program, but what that meant was that there wasn't ample time to discuss the results from the highly interesting previous poll in which I asked for your thoughts on Rick Pitino.
Here's what you all said:
48% (67 votes): "I'm starting to get upset with him"
33% (46 votes): "I hope he stays forever"
18% (25 votes): "I want him gone now"
I kind of wish we could have left this poll up for the entire season to see how much things shifted or stayed the same, but such is life.
The poll basically shows what everyone already knew; that Cardinal fans are extremely concerned about the direction of the basketball program. For all the criticism he faced in the 1990's, Denny Crum never missed the NCAA tournament in consecutive seasons, a distinction that Rick Pitino is struggling to avoid right now. If the Cardinals do miss the tournament, a strong case can be made that this is the worst two-year stretch for Louisville basketball in 35 years. This won't sit well with the fans or the alumni, and it won't sit well with Tom Jurich.
Of course with the Cardinals just two-days removed from the program's first win away from Freedom Hall in over a year, Pitino is momentarily off the hot seat and is actually being praised (appopriately we think) for his decision to start four guards and let the guys on the floor play through their mistakes. This praise comes just a week after there was
serious talk of booing Pitino after his introduction before this Saturday's home game against Providence. You truly can go from hero to Hitler in a week these days, and that's why I would have liked to have seen the poll live for another month or two.
Thanks to all the tiny drops from heaven that voted.