Imagine, a dollar for every occasion Rick Pitino has gone big-eyed and resorted to hyperbole. For instance, “I have never seen anything like this in my life!” or “this is the greatest injustice I’ve ever seen.”

Da Coach is 63 and still seeing new stuff. Impressive.

Reaching for my own hyperbole, it is Pitino’s mastery of the curve ball that fascinates, separates him from competition. To throw one, “imparts forward spin (and) essentially translates to introducing a significant deviation to a preceding concept,” Wikipedia says.

Pitino’s deviations last week were Hall of Fame-worthy.

• First, a straight fast ball – “The NCAA system is broken,” he said. Period.

• Next, a circle-change. Using fan sympathy for Damian Lee and Trey Lewis “and this team being punished” with no NCAA Tournament, sets off our this-ain’t-fair meters.

• Then, Pitino changed speeds (and subject) away from root-cause – shenanigans gone on at Billy Minardi Hall.

The high curve (hyperbole). Pander to bosses James Ramsey (“doesn’t deserve the heat,”) and Tom Jurich, (“is the best director of athletics in all of college sports.”)

UofL’s post-season ban is Jurich’s idea.

So, fastball, circle change and curves, all quality pitches, uh, deviations.

But best ways to success don’t change – location, location, location. From his castle, UofL’s six million-a-year ball coach could not see Minardi Hall and so handed keys to an ambitious kid who had a novel pitch-or-two of his own to try.

√ Today, UofL’s demise is not the NCAA’s fault. If, its system is broken as Pitino says, then he should read more. Maybe Walt Kelly who wrote, “we have met the enemy and he is us!”

√ The real broken part of the NCAA is a system that lets universities make ball coaches filthy rich and players look into forming a union. Formula for corruption.

√ This isn’t Jurich’s fault either. He’s much too busy being best AD in America to visit a dorm. C’mon.

√ Villains? Clearly, McGee and Katina Powell.

√ Responsibility for Louisville’s problem, including loss of millions from NCAA Tournament pay-out, belongs to the man who handed over the dorm keys and his boss.

Pitino got too big, too rich, too important and much too famous to be bothered with a stop-by at a college dormitory now-and-then, unannounced.

This was as preventable as that. Like many gone before him, Pitino has lost the meaning.

Pitino is right about this part: “Louisville should be penalized, not these kids.”

He should forfeit a year’s pay, Tom Jurich should do likewise. Cardinal faithful by way of a poll could decide allocation of monies to Louisville charities.

SUPER STAR? BALONEY

Whitney Creech is quite a points-producer for Jenkins High School’s basketball team. Averaging 50 points a game is noteworthy, even praise-worthy. But super star?

To put super star in front of a teenager’s name is unfair to Creech and insulting to her teammates. Editors at the Lexington and Louisville newspapers ought to better monitor the gush factor of its sports writers.

Creech averages 50 points on a team that had an 11-12 record last time I looked. She takes more than 60 percent of her team’s shots.

In splashy articles about Creech from both metro newspapers, names of teammates who set screens, defend, pass, breathe the same air, and shoot once in awhile, were missing.

REGRESSION AT KENTUCKY?

Veterans Alex Poythress and Marcus Lee have not improved in three years. An argument can be made both have regressed. Maybe John Calipari’s coaching effectiveness has a ceiling, one and done.

Kentucky frittered away a 21 point lead and lost at Tennessee. Poor play inside was blamed. Arriving at post game to explain to fans what happened, Calipari instructed the media “let’s make this quick.” Another free pass?

Four days later Tennessee (11-12) lost by 18 to Arkansas. In Lexington, Issac Humphries, who played zero minutes in Knoxville, played 15 minutes against Florida. Who took the bows? Calipari.

READERS (RIGHT) WRITE

About UK basketball and John Calipari.

“… perhaps you did not think through everything you wrote and the damage it might do to fans, parents, and all the players (who) I hope did not read your article. The pressure that players face is unreal. I am 82 years old and a long-time (UK) fan and have seen a lot. I felt some of your commentary was unwarranted.”

WORTH REPEATING DEPT.

Louisville’s self-imposed no-NCAA-Tournament-this-year news prompted ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser to warn viewers of Pardon The Interruption, “this is a cheap shot alert.”

Kornheiser proposes “an alternate Final Four that includes scandal-ridden programs with Hall of Fame coaches. Louisville, SMU, Syracuse and Kentucky, “because we know at some point they’re going to be accused of something.”

COMMENT: A more intriguing (deserving?) candidate for this Final Four: North Carolina.

And so it goes.