35S: Uplifting and Informative.

THE STORY EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT
And Sometimes You Get Lucky

After yesterday’s legal-heavy day, we thought we would take the roundup into the weekend with the happier stories from this week. Odd though it may be, the happiest story broke last night, as incoming Louisville center Clarence Holloway found out he would never suit up for the Cardinals.

UK fans likely would this was good news on its face – hardy har har Rick Pitino sux har har – but in this case, Holloway’s basketball career was brought to an end by a series of medical problems, including a leak in his aortic valve and a rare muscle condition known as Marfan Syndrome:

“God works in mysterious ways,” said U of L Coach Rick Pitino. “Clarence developed a stress fracture his senior year [of high school], which kept him sidelined and probably saved his life. Detecting his heart condition and the subsequent surgery when he arrived at U of L was also a life-saving measure. Now, after this special testing, we know that the condition he has will make him unable to play basketball for the rest of his life. He will now begin a new journey, which will hopefully lead him to gaining a very strong education here at U of L and to prosper in a different walk of life. We’re behind him 100 percent.”

(HT: Fanhouse.) Obviously rough news for young Clarence, but obviously good news that they caught both conditions early so treatment and monitoring can begin before something terrible happens. Good on you, Mr. Holloway, and best wishes as you begin a non-basketball life.

And now, some requisite rock to get pumped for the remainder of the roundup.

FOUR STORIES WORTH THREE LINES APIECE

Playing Up to the Competition, For Once – Reggie Love, infamous for being a bench-whooper for the Blue Devils and certain other indiscretions a few years back, now plays Charlie to Barack Obama’s Jed Bartlett. If that ain’t a story of redemption, we don’t know what is. Yes we can!

Emily, You Can Wheel Over Our Toes Anytime – Emily Seelenfreund recently signed to play basketball for Alabama next. Wheelchair basketball. We were unaware this was a scholarship sport in any manner, but we are pleased by the news and wish the Jersey girl luck dealing with the Tuscaloosa natives. (Free advice – when someone asks you if you are a fan of the Crimson Tide, you needn’t think they are being crude. You should, however, get away as fast as possible, as they are likely to spontaneously combust at any moment. That’s Alabama man for ya.) Also, for being a scholarship athlete despite a debilitating genetic disorder, Emily makes us feel approximately 437% less worthy of breathing the air as her.

This Hadn’t Happened Already? – Bobby Knight joins nine other former West Point denizens as members of the Class of 2008 for the Army Sports Hall of Fame. I guess they were waiting on him to retire, but if that’s the case, they may have jumped the gun. With his coaching career in the rearview, we fully expect Knight to enlist so as to put his chair-throwing skills to use in urban warfare.

Sometimes You Applaud Just Being Able to Reboot – Lute and Christine Olson finally reached a divorce settlement yesterday. Sad as it is to celebrate the end of a public shitstorm sacramental bond, we hope both these crazy kids can move on with their lives. Lute, welcome back to the court – Christine, good luck returning to your life as an oil baroness.