Kentucky Wildcat Basketball: Doom’s Day Preppers – Louisville Cardinals’ Men and Women could both be National Champions

Apr 7, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Louisville Cardinals head coach Rick Pitino during a press conference the day before the championship game of the 2013 Final Four of the NCAA men

I helped my mom move from Charlotte to Louisville 10 days ago. With her that early Saturday morning were boxes stacked in a rental truck stacked 8 feet tall by 8 feet wide by 17 feet deep. Everything from table saws to bedroom suits to photographs marking my and my sister’s childhood.

From the truck to the garage bay where these items would be kept until her new residence was ready, we unloaded these items. On occasion, the others and I would be instructed to move some boxes off to the side.

“That box, yeah, the one there, that’s going to your grandma’s,” my mom would say. Her bark indicating that the item one of the three people actually moving boxes had in his hand needed to be placed to the side. Those boxes to the side were perishable.

As we finished, I took a mental inventory of the stuffed garage door, nearly bursting through the wooden supports. I then glanced at the pile of supplies held to the side.

I, like the others, made the assumption that these items held off were necessary. Perhaps clothes, hair/makeup products, fragile glass wear, or even items that might not keep in the humid, hot, untemperature controlled garage.

As we loaded the side items into a smaller truck bed, someone asked what the boxes marked “Food Insurance” were.

“Those boxes, well that’s food. MREs. You know, Just In Case…”

“That one has bullets.”

“That one has my gun.”

The later of the three items pointed out being something that, while still slightly shocking, wasn’t altogether a new surprise. The first item, food – MRE’s (Meals Ready to Eat – aka military food) to be specific – that was a surprise.

Doom’s Day Prepper – a person that prepares for the world as they know it to end, due to zombies, nuclear disaster, tsunami’s, vampires, frogs, disease, etc. and in their preparations they try to figure out how to endure that new world for a period of time.

It was several years ago that I classified my mom as a survival hoarder. It wasn’t until last summer that I was able to classify my mom as a “Doom’s Day Prepper”. It wasn’t until 10 days ago that I realized to what extent she was ready for. My guess, about 20 days worth of food. Not exactly ready for North Korea to figure out how to shoot a nuke to Kentucky, but definitely ready for some short term break in the supply chain.

When I confronted my mom, a woman near 55, why she had the food, she says “Just In Case”. She isn’t preparing for anything in particular I found, just the event that something catastrophic happens and she can’t leave her house for some long period of time.

After this weekend, I figured out what exactly that event just may be and I, the man who sarcastically calls my lovable mother out for her “eccentricities” every chance I get, have even identified the event that makes me want to ensure I watch the game with my dear mom tonight in order to enjoy her company – but more likely to enjoy the safety of her MRE’s, tonight’s national championship game of Louisville vs Michigan.

If the University of Louisville’s Men basketball team wins the National Championship tonight, there will surely be shots fired, couches set on fire, and Sean Kingston’s fire burning on the dance floor being played in the city.

What I, a Kentucky fan who has seen 3 National Championships in my lifetime realizes is that sure, Louisville fans haven’t seen a championship in 27 years. That means many fans that are alive have never witnessed a trophy being hoisted by their favorite team. That also means that I, a Kentucky fan, have never (in a memory that I can remember as I was 3 years old) seen my rival fan base hoist a trophy.

I, a Kentucky fan, see what a fan base that goes 10 years does after a huge moment in their history – tip cars, set couches on fire, etc. Imagine what this city that is nearly 3 decades in will do in a win. Then it dawns on me that this team and their fans are so far ahead of themselves, crowning the national championship Saturday evening and celebrating before the ball is even off the court of the Final Four – how disappointed will they will be in a loss. What exactly will they burn?

Stories at my office surfaced of people setting piano’s on fire and jumping them with motorcycles on Saturday… what exactly is next?

And if the University of Louisville Women’s basketball team wins tomorrow, well… what is left of the city will be used to celebrate.

All I know is that my mom may just be right. Doom’s Day could be approaching – rather because of the tangible items with things being destoryed or intangible of a Kentucky fan realizing that their biggest rival school could possibly win a BCS Bowl, a Men’s Basketball NCAA National Title and a Women’s Basketball NCAA National Title in the same season… pass the MRE’s please, I’ll see you all in October.