Nobody asked us...but

Memphis fans practice their "happy dance" in anticipation that the Big East might come calling. Elvis must be spinning in his tomb.

With all the conference mumbo-jumbo on the back burner for a brief respite, one wonders if the BIG EAST is thinking about adding a few members to its shaky football coalition? We've said it before and will say it again...Memphis and East Carolina would be quite acceptable additions to the fold. They wouldn't immediately add much to the already strong womens' basketball, softball and volleyball landscape but the potential for growth is very positive and we enjoy our trips to Memphis every two years. ECU fans are fanatical about their football and we can see that spreading to womens' sports when you're going up against the Connecticut's, Rutgers' and Louisville's of the sports world instead of Marshall, UAB or UTEP.

Is Ron Mann the hardest working coach down on the Belknap Campus? He coaches both the men and womens' track and field squads and both teams had their highest finishes ever in the recent NCAA Championships. You the man...Mann!

Why are they playing World Cup Soccer in winter conditions? We've always associated the sport with pleasant spring, summer or fall afternoons. Temperatures in the low 40's face the athletes on the biggest stage for what the rest of the world calls football? No wonder the fans keep blowing those annoying horns...they're trying to keep their lips from freezing.

How happy is Pam Bustin...UofL Field Hockey head coach...these days? Her returning goalie, Heather Bustanoby was named to the All-American 2nd squad in preseason voting. Offensive brings in the fans but defense wins games and the Cards have a solid stopper in the net with Bustanoby.

Isn't it time for Louisville to get a WNBA franchise? The "yummy" facility downtown is rapidly taking shape...no other competing events in the city during that time of year except minor league baseball and catholic picnics and we are the national hotbed of hoops here in Louisville, right? I'd even be OK with a couple of games being played in Rupp Arena...provided that Calipari is denied admission and UK fans are forced to leave their farm animals and implements back on the acreage for these events.

Don't look now...but the back court for Jeff Walz's UofL Lady Cards looks like the Watterson Expressway during rush hour. No less than nine players could compete for starting jobs and playing time. Competition is good...and much better to have multiple options than having to play Becky Burke and Shelby Harper 40 minutes a game. No offense to Becky or Shelby...but you know they had to be exhausted out there after 40 minutes against BIG EAST competition.

(Bonus points if you can name all nine potential participants for the spots.)

Finally, shouldn't something be done about the format for the Ky. State Softball Tournament? Is it really fair to have one team play five games in one day? Couldn't this thing be spread out to a three day affair instead of two? This isn't cart golf or throwing a few balls down the lanes...it's competitive softball in 90 degree heat.
A third day of action for, let's say the final four teams, would increase the attendance numbers, hotel lodging and revenue dollars for host city and give fans of the final four a chance to show up for the finals if they have to work on Saturday.
Start it on Friday and play it thru Sunday.

Sermon ended...go in peace and drink plenty of water...

Kentucky defeats Indiana in Girls All-Star Game 94-87

University of Louisville signee Antonita Slaughter had 20 points, six steals and three threes against the Hoosiers in Conseco Fieldhouse in the come from behind overtime win for Kentucky Saturday night. Slaughter's layup with 13 seconds remaining tied the score in regulation.

"This means a lot," Slaughter commented after the game. Every shot counts. Last night's game (a 93-83 loss to Indiana at Bellarmine)gave us fire to come out here and beat Indiana on their home court."

The Kentucky team got a big boost from Bellarmine signee and Mercy grad Therese Montano in the extra session. She hit four free throws in the final 13 seconds to preserve the win afer Indiana had fought back to get within three at 90-87. The Kentucky squad forced Indiana into 29 turnovers Saturday.

UK signees Samantha Drake and Sarah Beth Barnette helped the cause for the Commonwealth. Drake totalled 16 points and 11 boards. Barnette added 12 points and seven carombs. The Kentucky squad was led by Middle Tennessee signee Ebony Rowe with 26 points and 13 rebounds.

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Marion County sophomore-to-be Kyvin Goodin-Rogers is a long way from hitting college but she already has a leading choice on where she's thinking about matriculation.

Louisville.

"I'm liking Louisville a lot right now. They would be the leader. I like Jeff Walz a lot." Goodin-Rogers recently told the Courier-Journal. She and fellow sophomore Makalya Epps are considered to be two of the top 100 players in the Class of 2013 nationwide.

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Louisville's Mercy Academy made it to the final game in the Kentucky State Girls Softball Tournament in Owensboro yesterday but fell to Reidland 8-6 in the championship. The Jags came out of the losers bracket in the double elimination format...defeating Green County 3-2 , knocking off Christian County 3-1 and sending Allen County-Scottsville home 4-1.

They advanced to the championships and had to beat Reidland twice for the title. After knocking off Reidland in the first game 8-4...they lost the nightcap.They didn't go down without a fight, though. Down 8-5 in their last at bat, they led off the inning with four straight singles and had the bases loaded with no outs. A line out to the Reidland pitcher Cassee Layne led to a double play and Layne struck out the final Mercy batter to get out of the jam. Layne was selected tournament MVP.

If Mercy had prevailed, they would have become the first school in Kentucky history to win the state basketball, volleyball and softball championships in the same year.


Five games in 90 degree weather. Hats off to the Jags for the effort.

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RACHEL ALEXANDRA destroyed four competitors yesterday in the Fluer De Lis Handicap at Churchill Downs. She dusted the rivals by 10 lengths in the 1 1/8 mile contest...coming within one second of the track record. RACHEL engaged JESSICA IS BACK for seven furlongs on the lead, put that one away as they turned into the stretch and romped home with Calvin Borel aboard to a roaring grandstand and clubhouse crowd.

Welcome back, oh ye Queen of Churchill Downs...

Not going to brag about it...but if you had followed our advice in Saturday's blog about the Stephen Foster Handicap...you would have made a handsome profit. BLAME put away BATTLE PLAN in the stretch to win by about a length and GENERAL QUARTERS held on for third.

How great it was yesterday to hear Churchill Downs bugler Steve Buttelman play the Stephen Foster classic songs like "Camptown Races", "Oh, Susannah" and "Sewannee River". He also does a fine job on "My Old Kentucky Home."

ZENYATTA, the other top female thoroughobred in the nation runs today in the Vanity Handicap at Hollywood Park. ZENYATTA has won her last 16 races in a row and with a win today would claim the modern day record for victories by a thoroughbred in non-restricted races.

Good luck, big girl. Hope to see you at the Breeders Cup at Churchill Downs this November. Everyone is wanting a RACHEL vs. ZENYATTA matchup and let's hope it will happen this fall at Churchill.

Mercy survives in State Softball Tournament

Louisville Mercy went 2-1 yesterday in the State Softball Tournament in Owensboro...beating Scott County 7-1 and Clark County 11-1. They reached the winners' bracket semifinals but lost to Reidland 11-6 to drop back down to the losers bracket in the double elimination format. They face Green County today.

For PRP, the results weren't as good. They won their first game of the day 13-9 over Ryle but lost to Christian County 6-1 and Green County 4-0 to be eliminated from the tournament.

If Mercy advances, they'd play winner of the North Laurel vs. Christian County losers braacket game. A win there would put them against the loser of the Reidland vs. Allen County-Scottsville winners bracket game. Then, they'd have to beat the winner of that game twice to claim the title.

Sounds like a long afternoon of softball for the Jags if they want to bring the trophy and title back to Fegenbush Lane.


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Kentucky All-Star High School girls with a tough loss Friday night to Indiana at Bellarmine. The Hoosier prevail 93-83 despite 18 points from UofL signee Antonita Slaughter. UK signee Samantha Drake led the Kentucky squad with 21. They'll try again Saturday night up in Indy at the Conseco Fieldhouse.

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RACHEL ALEXANDRA returns to the track today at Churchill Downs...facing four competitors in the $200,000 Fleur de Lis handicap. Track the track conditions today...if it's raining and the going is sloppy...she could be vunerable to JESSICA IS BACK. If it's dry and fast....they're not gonna get her today.

The $600,000 Stephen Foster Handicap is the main event on the card today. 11 runners will try the 1 1/8 mile race. CARDINAL COUPLE is hearing very, very good things about BATTLE PLAN...the Todd Pletcher trained stud. He'll probably go off as the favorite and there is a whole lot to like about this one. Javier Castellano gets the ride. Our buddy Paul McGee has DEMARCATION entered...30-1 morning line but those odds will mean nothing if the conditions are sloppy. Be forewarned...they scratched this horse out of the Opening Verse Stakes last night to run him today. A very live longshot. Paco Lopez flies in to ride Richard Dutrow's ARSON SQUAD. BLAME gets a horrible post draw but has the services of Garrett Gomez. I'll use these four in an exacta. We'll also try a tri wheel with BLAME and BATTLE PLAN on top, add the four above in second and toss in GENERAL QUARTERS and MACHO AGAIN with these for the 3rd spot.

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Last night's Friday Under the Lights at Churchill Downs was a 70's theme and it was wall to wall people. I heard at least 25,000 in attendance...and the music was just as good the racing. Boogie fever...

Ky. Softball Sweet Sixteen set

(Your co-owner and managing editor of CARDINAL COUPLE enjoys a photo op recently. Not sure what the photog told her...maybe that Paul had learned to load the dishwasher by himself or weather was going to be in the low eighties in Louisville today)

The field has been set for the 2010 Kentucky State Softball Sweet Sixteen. Double elimination actions begins Friday, June 11th. in Owensboro, KY.

Two Louisville area teams made the cut. 7th region champ Mercy will face Scott County in first round play and 6th region winner Pleasure Ridge Park gets Ryle to face off against. Other first round matchups:

Lawrence County vs. Shelby County
Green County vs. Reidland
Ashland Blazer vs. Clark County.
North Laurel vs. Allen County-Scottsville
Jenkins vs. Somerset
Christian County vs. Owensboro Catholic

The championship game is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday.

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Looks like an all Pac-10 final for the NCAA Division 1 Womens' Softball World Series. UCLA eliminated Georgia by winning 5-2 yesterday and Arizona defeated Tennessee twice to make the finals 8-0 and 5-2. This is the seventh time that these two teams have faced each other in the championships. Arizona has won four of the previous six.

The best of three series starts next Monday in Oklahoma City.

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We'll root on the home team this evening out at Jim Patterson Stadium and Louisville and Vanderbilt square off in the deciding game of the NCAA Baseball Regional. The Cards could have eliminated the Commodores yeserday with a win...but fell 7-0 to the two hit pitching of seldom used Richie Goodenow.

Game time is 6 p.m. Tickets are available on a walk up basis at Patterson. If you can't make the action...the broadcast can be heard locally on 1570 AM WNDA. Good luck with that...we listened as best we could yesterday for awhile and the feed sounded like a room full of sewing machines outside a Indy qualifying heat in a thunderstorm. Play by play announcer Sean Moth deserves better than that.