Monday Cardinal Couple -- Watson wonders

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MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


-Watson wonders...


( The Monday edition of Cardinal Couple is hosted by special correspondent David Watson. As usual, he looks at sports in only the way he can. )


First off the bat, tough going for the Atlanta Dream with Angel sidelined with a sprained MCL. The L.A. Sparks turned the Saturday night game into a nightmare. 

How important is Angel to Atlanta? They beat L.A. back on 6/13 -- with Ms. McCoughtry in the lineup -- 92-58. They lost Saturday night 79-63. 


Kinda like Crosby, Stills and Nash without Nash and Stills. 


Two more games before the Olympic break for the WNBA. Heal quickly #35.


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Hadn't seen mention of it yet here on the mighty C.C. but hats off and a round of applause for the Cardinal Softball coaching staff! They were named Great Lakes Region Coaching Staff of the Year. 

Having watched Sandy Pearsall on Cards TV and other sources, she runs the Cardinal squad in the same cool, calm and stoic manner as one of my favorite baseball coaches of all time. Walter Alston skippered my L.A. Dodgers for 23 years and won seven National League pennants. He demanded and deserved respect but wasn't a hot-head about it. 


Alston always had that perpetual smile, too like we see Sandy flashing. He was asked about that once and replied.


"I'm  making a good living doing something I wouldn't trade for the world. Do you think I should go around frowning all the time?"


As you as excited as I am to see this Cardinal Softball team take the field next season? Sure, they lose a few key players to graduation -- but with who they have coming back and the skill levels there -- the BIG EAST is in trouble again. 


One thing I don't wonder about is Pearsall's ablilty to pick assistants...as evidenced by the award for the whole staff in the Great Lakes region. Coach "Carol" and the crew provide the teaching and mentoring that reaches the level we've come to expect at UofL.


Excellence.


And UK can't diminish that by sticking a couple of billboards up around the UofL campus. 


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In the "nobody asked me, but" category:

-- Shouldn't they just hand the Wimbledon Trophy to one of the Williams sisters each year and just forego the week of playing when we already know who's going to win? Since 2000, one of the two have won singles all but three years. 

-- Are the Connecticut Sun looking like the team to beat in the WNBA this year? Of course, about half the squad went to UConn and the rest of them are from Tennessee or the SEC it seems. They also have Kara Lawson, who I consider a much improved college basketball analyst from when she first started. Who knew she could play basketball too? 


"The Sun shines bright in my ol' Connecticut home" just doesn't have the same ring, though, does it?


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Some cheap quips...


Did you hear the one about the football player who didn't get a touchdown because his flight was stuck in a holding pattern? 


How about a shorter word for monosyllable? 


Oceans never go out of style. They're always current. 

The guys on the battleship couldn't play cards because they were standing on the deck. 


My son ate his homework because the teacher told him it would be a "piece of cake".


OK, I'm done. I can only take so much booing. I'll be glad when college women's sports start up again.


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(L to R) Tim Conway, Ernest Borgnine and Joe Flynn

Finally, adieu to actor Ernest Borgnine. He made it to the ripe old age of 95. The youngsters today probably are scratching their heads and going 'who is Ernest Borgnine?' but he was a talented comedian who probably got his most popularity for playing the cunning and one-step-ahead-of-the boss skipper on the television show "McHale's Navy".

It was ABC's attempt to make American's involvement in World War II in the Pacific seem funny. Probably not as popular as "Hogan's Heroes" was but they did feature a young Tim Conway and -- never mind. Just go 'Google' it.  


I guess you had to be there. 


I'm glad I was and I'm glad you were here today to read Cardinal Couple. The site returns to sanity tomorrow with serious writers and all the UofL womens' sports info you crave.  


( Not only do we remember 'McHale's Navy' but Ernie Borgnine also had a great role in 'The Dirty Dozen'...a great WWII movie. RIP, E.B. and thanks, David, for today musings.)
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