Bears wait for Cards...Veterans day

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FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Missouri State 3-0 in exhibition games...awaits Louisville

-Just say "Thank you."

The Louisville women's basketball team will open their 2011-12 regular season in Springfield, MO. against the Missouri State Bears. These Bears haven't been hibernating, either...going 3-0 so far in their exhibition schedule and facing LA. Tech tonight.

Casey Garrison is a deadly long range shooter for the Bears

The Bears started their exhibition schedule with a 88-56 romping of Harding. Jaleshia Roberson and Casey Garrison had 23 points each for Missouri State and Christiana Shorter logged a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Next up was N.E. Oklahoma State and the Bears turned up the defensive intensity in this one...winning 71-39. Garrison led the way with 21 points and Shorter contributed 10. The Missouri State squad won their third exhibition against Missouri Southern, on the road, 91-58. Garrison was the leader again with 22 points and Whitney Edie added 18.

Missouri State travels to play Louisiana Tech Friday night and then will host the #7 Louisville Cardinals on Sunday afternoon.

The Bears are a veteran, guard oriented squad. None of their starters are over 6'1" and Garrison (5'11" senior guard) gets plenty of back court support from Roberson (5'8" senior guard) and Edie (6'1" junior guard/forward). Shorter is the muscle in the paint (6'1" junior forward).

Missouri State plays in the Missouri Valley Conference and went 24-11 last year. They lost to Northern Iowa by 28 points in the third round of the MVC Conference Tournament. They accepted a bid to play in the WNIT postseason tournament...where they bowed out to Arkansas 65-64 in the second round.

The Cards recently got a letter of intent from Megan Deines, who plays her high school ball in Springfield. The Bears play their home games in JQH Arena. The Louisville game is set for 3:05 p.m.

(We like the obvious height advantage that Louisville has here and if the Cards can get the ball early to Cierra Warren like they did against Lindsey Wilson...they should be in good shape. Missouri State has proven they can put big time points on the board with 88 and 91 totals and also play defense by limiting N.E. Okla State to 39. Expect Walz to use heavy rotation and substitution against the Bears and try to force the defense and wear them out. Louisville wins here...but maybe not by the biggest of margins.)

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My neighbor and boyhood pal Herbie wasn't the brightest or most popular kid you would ever meet. He was almost painfully slow at times in decision making and motivation...but was likable and had a big grin that lit up a room. He graduated from high school several years before me and with no prospects of college in the future and a low draft lottery number...it wasn't long until "Uncle Sam" summoned him and he was inducted into the Army.

WE didn't hear much about him from his family...they were a tight-knit and closed mouth bunch for the most part...but bits and pieces revealed that he had a rough basic training, broke his arm falling out of a transport and was designated for the infantry after completing basic training.

That meant one thing. Vietnam.

He came home briefly before being deployed. The skinny kid with a bushy Afro had turned into a buzz cut, solid as a rock soldier. He and I, with a few other neighborhood guys in our "gang" spent a night drinking beer purchased with a fake ID at the old ball fields and listening to his stories of basic training. It was the last time we saw him alive.

Herbie died in heavy combat action in 1972 outside the city of Hue. It was a closed casket funeral.

To Herbie, and all who have served our country, a simple comment:

Thank You.

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tohonoransservearenotjustwordstheyarethewordsthatdriveourtroopsthatdefendournationandthefreedomsweenjoy.