MONDAY Cardinal Couple: Softball the BIG EAST CHAMPS!

.
MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


-Softball defeats St. John's 3-1 to sweep series


-Women's track wins 5th straight BIG EAST outdoor title


-Some final Derby Week comments


-Marinatto steps down as BIG EAST COMMISH. 

Whitney Arion's two run blast was the key for UofL.

Whitney Arion's two run blast in the fifth inning was the difference maker in Louisville Softball's 3-1 win over St. John's Sunday in Queens, NY. With the victory, Louisville sweeps the regular season-ending series against the Red Storm, finishes 50-3 on the season an 20-2 in the BIG EAST and will get the #1 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament. Louisville will open up tournament play on Thursday, May 11th against #8 seed Connecticut at 12:30 p.m. The BIG EAST tournament will take place in South Bend, IN.

CARALISA Connell
started for UofL

Sunday's game was a scoreless affair for four innings matching Cards pitcher Caralisa Connell (18-1) and St. John's thrower Ashley Beza. With two outs in the top of the fifth, Arion took a Beza pitch over the left field fence to score her and Kayla Sloes, who had reached base on a Red Storm fielding error.


St. John's got a run in the bottom of the sixth off reliever Chelsea Leonard but Louisville pushed the margin to 3-1 in the top of the seventh when sophomore Jordan Trimble doubled and scored on a Maggie Ruckenbrod single.

Chelsea Leonard
picked up the save.

Leonard pitched her way out of trouble in the bottom of the seventh.  A single, walk and Leonard's second wild pitch of the game gave St. John's runners on second and third with two outs...but Leonard got Erin Burner to strike out and end the threat and the game.


It was Leonard's 10th save of the year, tops in the nation. 


A great regular season for the softball team and the road now leads to the BIG EAST Tournament and NCAA Regionals. 


*******************************************

Abdullah won the
discus today

Louisville women's track and field won their fifth straight BIG EAST Championship Sunday in Tampa, FL...getting a big boost from field events for the second day in a row. Khadija Abdullah won the discus and Amashi Kendall finished third.


Michelle Theophille won her first BIG EAST high jump title and teammate Megan Schubert grabbed fourth place. Charachesicia Lockhart finished fifth in the triple jump and Ahlivia Spencer set a school record and ran sixth in the 800m. 


Final point totals:


Louisville  -  104
Notre Dame  - 99.50
South Florida - 84
Cincinnati - 81
West Virginia - 72


*******************************************


The 138th Kentucky Derby is in the books now and it did answer a few questions for us but also left a few remaining questions. 

-- No doubt, the West Coast horses made a strong showing this year. Santa Anita Derby I'll Have Another won the race and Creative Cause wasn't too far back. Bob Baffert's Bodemeister set a wicked pace...maybe too fast...but was there until the final few steps. 


-- Will this be the last Derby where horses can run on Lasix? Racing commissions in Kentucky, New York and many other states are looking at a ban on the diuretic and bleeding-prevention medication. 


-- Who will come back for the Preakness? We'll know that soon enough...but unless there's injury or an owner looking to rest a horse, we expect the top five finishers from the Derby to contest the 1 3/16th event at Pimilco in two weeks. 

-- Will Hansen's owner's finally "get it" and let "Big Whitey" run in races he has a chance in...namely  anything a mile and eight or shorter? The horse looked washed out and just plain wore out after the Derby distance. 


-- Will the increases in attendance on Wednesday and Thursday during Derby week convince Churchill to offer a few stakes or Graded races those days? Honestly, the card on Thursday was just awful when it
came to feature and quality races. 


-- Does the lack of casino gambling in Kentucky kill the thoroughbred horse tracks at Churchill, Ellis Park, Turfway? Name trainers, owner and jockeys are splitting right after Derby Week and headed to higher paydays in New York and California. Wake up, Kentucky state Senate. Give the people the right to vote on it.

-- Could next year's Derby Week get any more exciting or embarrassing for media events and sensational journalism? You had Robby Albarado resurrecting his boxing career, Cyndi Lauper dropping
nasty words in front of little girls, Richie Farmer getting more print that he wanted (and not basketball-related) and a death in the barns the day after Derby. 


In all fairness, you also had one of the most exciting Derby's in the past few years...a female jockey winning the Oaks for the first time ever and a first-time jockey to Kentucky and Churchill winning the Derby. Record crowds and (mostly) great weather. 


-- The owner, trainer and jockey of I'll Have Another discuss the win at the link below


We'll have a few words about I'll Have Another 

-- Finally, we will continue our quest to be granted official media credentials to Churchill. A formal letter of request has been mailed to Darren Rogers at Churchill (per his verbal suggestion) now that Derby 138 is in the books. 


As we pointed out, we've provided 11 straight days of horse-racing articles to you...the readers. We'll go the Andy DuFresne route from the movie Shawshank Redemption. We'll mail a letter a week if we have to. 


We thank you for your e-mails and calls of support on this issue. Rogers seems to think we don't get enough "play" in our comments section. We can't control that.
No one is forcing a single reader here to make comments. We get plenty of e-mails, though...and that is proof enough to us that you're reading, have opinions and care. 


A noted writer here locally told me, in reference to his website:


"Paul, I'd do away with a message board and comments section if I could. It's the haven of flamers, idiots and mal-contents." 


They can't ignore us forever. We're not going anywhere. The gorilla in the corner is not staying quiet. Hand the ball to the girl out of bounds and drop back into the zone coverage. Game far from over. 


*******************************************


John Marinatto has resigned as BIG EAST Commish. There is a God, after all. How many teams left the BIG EAST during his watch? And who came in? Bye, bye...now. See ya later. Don't let the door slam you in the back as you leave. 

A league that sorely needs direction, guidance and "out of the box thinking" was being run by a lost hippo in the rain-forest looking for a place to take a nap and a dump. Not necessarily in that order, either. 


It's nothing personal, John. I'm sure you're a great guy, super dad, wonderful hubby and a lot of fun to be around on poker night or a day at the races. 


You're just not a very good commish. 

Louisville, here's your sign for the umpteenth time. Get out. Run while you can. Go independent, BIG 12 or Bill and Ted's Excellent Conference (dude) but break the chains and run away from the small, non-football playing Catholic Universities that control the landscape of the BIG EAST. Let Providence, Villanova, St John's and Seton Hall wallow in their own self-importance. Replace your divot and drive on down the fairway, Cards. 


And, we're not religion-bashing here either. It's a matter of recent relativity relevance. And the four schools above haven't been relevant in a long time in athletics. 


Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Boston College, Miami, Virginia Tech, West Virginia...uh...we're beginning to see a trend here. Get us in the truck, Tom Jurich...and let's go.
.
..
...

Two Volleyball Cards selected for AVCA honors...BIG EAST to expand?

.
WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Arslanbekova, Brauneis named to All-Northeast Regional 1st team

-BIG EAST GETTING READY TO ADD FIVE?

Lola Arslanbekova and Taylor Brauneis have been selected for America Volleyball Coaches Association honors by being named to the Northeast Region's All-Star 1st team. Emily Juhl received honorable mention status.

Taylor Brauneis is one of the best
setters in the BIG EAST.

Lola is a junior and both Taylor and Emily are sophomores, so the future bodes well for Anne Kordes' squad. The Cards lose just two from this year's squad to graduation and Anne Kordes had been recruiting well...so the power and strength for Louisville return virtually intact for next year.

Emily Juhl a
definite scoring
threat.

Lola may just be the best volleyball player to ever don the red and black. Consistently the leading kill shot artist on the Cardinal squad, opponents scheme to stop her and few are rarely successful. Juhl compliments the Cards offensive attack from the outside hitter post and is a threat to post double-digit kills anytime she walks onto the court. Brauneis has been the set and assist "go-to" for the Cards and a valuable part of the modes of the defense and attack sets of the Cards. Along with Caitlin Welch's excellent ability to dig and Kaitlynn James on the front line...the Louisville volleyball team returns a strong nucleus for the 2012-13 season. If the Cards go for and get an extra year for middle hitter/blocker Gwen Rucker...all the better.

Congratulations to all three girls for their outstanding efforts and award this season. And, to Anne Kordes, good job in your first year as Cardinal skipper. The future looks very bright for the wide net sport at Louisville and the dominance that the Cards have had in BIG EAST Volleyball over the past several years shows no signs of slowing down...

******************************************************************

Marinetto has lost more teams to rival
conferences than any other BIG EAST
commissioner.

BIG EAST commish John Marinetto could announce, as early as today, the addition of five new schools to the BIG EAST. It's been speculated that Houston, Central Florida and SMU are coming on board for all sports and Boise State and San Diego State will join for football only.

What does it mean for women's sports in the BIG EAST down the road? None of the three all-sports additions play field hockey or lacrosse. None of the three are shaking up the NCAA in women's basketball or women's soccer. The three schools are a combined 7-16 in ladies hoops this season...Houston with a woeful 0-8 record...so the BIG EAST isn't gaining any Notre Dame or UConn type powerhouses here...Softball might benefit slightly with the addition of these three...Syracuse was a strong member of the diamond powers in the BIG EAST, Pitt an also-ran and WVU didn't field a softball team.  


Hugo the Hippo is no relation to the
Big East commissioner.


Let's face it. This is all about football. Are the five schools equal to...or better that the eventual departees (West Virginia, Syracuse and Pittsburgh?) in the gridiron game? We'd have to say "No" at this point and time. But, the markets are large (Dallas, Houston and Orlando) and it gives the BIG EAST some notoriety in the high school rich football tradition of Texas.

One thing that Cardinal football fans will probably grumble about is, when completed and set in place, the re-alignment will probably see Louisville in the western division of the BIG EAST with SMU, Houston, Boise St. and S.D. State.

The eastern division will probably have Rutgers, Cincinnati, South Florida, Central Florida and Connecticut. That's a whole lot of travel and new playmates for the Cards.

As far as women's basketball goes, who knows? A divisional split would be a tough one to figure out and the Cards would most likely end up not playing UConn, Rutgers and the east coast schools as often.

Interesting times ahead. With BYU thumbing their nose at the BIG EAST because of unwillingness to share or give up their television contract, the service academies not ready to sign on...and the woeful, regrettable decision not to bring in Memphis and East Carolina into the mix...one has to wonder if Marinetto and the BIG EAST decision-making conglomerate is seeing with 20/20 vision.

And, get ready for Saturday afternoon tailgating in....San Diego and Boise? Yikes...
.
..
...