THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE...SOFTBALL GOES TO 28-0

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THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


-Austin's blast gives CARDS 1-0 win over UK


-BECKY BURKE to participate in 3-point challenge tonight


-"One Shining Moment" 


-How crazy is the UofL vs. UK rivalry?

Kristin Austin's first home run of the season couldn't have come at a better time. The senior right fielder from Hartsburg, MO. led off the top of the fourth inning by planting a 3-2 pitch from UK pitcher Chandra Bell over the left center fence for a solo home run that proved to be the only run of the game. It was the most important of the six hits UofL managed against Bell and UK reliever Rachel Riley Wednesday night in Lexington and only the second career home run for Austin in her four seasons as a Cardinal. 

It was also the first hit of the game for the CARDS off Bell in the game. She and UofL's Tori Collins had produced a pitchers duel through three innings...Collins allowing just a double to Brittany Cervantes in the first and single by Lauren Combess in  the home half of the second while striking out two Wildcats.

The CARDS staved off a seventh inning rally by UK to notch their 28th. win with no defeats. Chelsea Leonard, on the pitching stripe in relief Collins, got Griffin Joiner to pop up for the first out of the inning. UK's Ginny Carroll worked Leonard for a base on balls, though. Leonard looked like she was working her way out of the jam by striking out Ellen Weaver...but Combess reached first on a UofL fielding error and Carroll went to third on the play. That brought Gaines to the plate...who had entered the game in the bottom of the fifth as a pinch hitter for Krystal Smith...and Leonard got the save by getting Gaines to strike out swinging.


Another exemplary pitching performance by Collins and Leonard...allowing just two UK hits and none after the 2nd inning. 


And, for the Cardinal bats, a home run blast by a singles hitter. 

The Cards head to the Windy City this weekend to take on their BIG EAST foes DePaul for three games. The Blue Demons are one of the favorites to capture the BIG EAST regular season title. It'll be the first home game of the season for the Blue Demons (16-10) and their first BIG EAST game of the year as well. Two on Saturday and one on Sunday for these two squads...first pitch at noon. 


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UofL women's basketball standout senior Becky Burke will participate in the 24th annual State Farm College Slam Dunk and 3-point Championship tonight in Fogelman Arena on the Tulane University campus. The event will be shown on ESPN at 9 p.m. EDT.


(Just in case you wondered...Burke WILL be popping threes and not trying to do a Brittany Griner impression)


Besides Burke, seven other WBB seniors will be playing string music in the shootout. They are:


Brittany Rayburn (Purdue) -  Jess Jenkins (St. Bonnie)
Ashley Corral (USC) - Taylor Alton (Michigan State)
Courtney Ingersoll (Toledo) - Alyssa Shoji (S. Clara)
Markeisha Grant (South Carolina)


(Thanks to Commish Mark for the player roster) 

If you're already down in "Nawlins" and are reading this, admission is just $8 for UofL alumni. How you prove you are an alumnus is beyond us...but belting out the UofL Fight Song for the ticket sellers might do the trick...


Burke is the first UofL women's basketball player ever to take part in this contest, to the best of our knowledge. She finished her career third on the all-time 3-pointers made at UofL with 249. Kristin Maddox made 271 (1992-96) and Sara Nord had 260 (2000-04)


Square, set, release and follow through...double B!!


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We all know the poignant "One Shining Moment" song that is played at the conclusion of the final game in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Here's a glance at the first ever showing of it...from 1987. A great article that accompanies the video goes into the writing, discovery and history of the song. Notice how young Rick Pitino looks on the Providence sidelines and what a meanie Bobby Knight is during the clip. 


WE always loved the way Luther Vandross did this song and wish CBS would return to that version of it. Lose the Jennifer Hudson version, please...CBS.


Who hasn't daydreamed that they were in this thing...cutting down the nets and celebrating your buzzer beater to win the championship game?


And, wouldn't it be great if someone could come up with such a dramatic and popular accompaniment for the end of the NCAA women's basketball tournament? 


We hope that this year's version of it has plenty of Cardinal clips...including a final shot of UofL players celebrating the National Championship. 


Enjoy the clip. And, it's OK if you get a little misty eyed. We did. The Syracuse cheerleader's expression at the 3:54 mark...priceless! Almost looks like a young Geena Davis.


One Shining Moment


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Finally, we give you this article link about the rivalry between UofL and UK. It's by Gregg Doyel..who WE go hot and cold on as far as his journalistic reports. 


Heaven help the loser 


56 hours to tip-off and counting here at mission (out of) control @ Cardinal Couple. The annual chimp UK vs. UofL banana creme pie fight is today at 1 p.m.


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Cards sweep Ball State in Volleyball, Purdue next...More UofL vs.UK WBB analysis.

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SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Lola leads Cards over Cards

-More UofL vs. UK breakdown

-Men's hoops wins and soccer plays tonight

>>>>>Just in...9:27 p.m. Cards lose to Purdue in 4 sets in Volleyball. Purdue took  the first game 25-14, Louisville fought back to win game two 28-26...but Purdue swept the Cards out of the gym 25-11 and 25-16 in the final two games. Lots of wide hits and getting blocked at the net for the Volley Cards tonight. WE'LL have a full recap in the Sunday Edition of CARDINAL COUPLE. <<<<<

The University of Louisville Volleyball team swept first round opponent Ball State in NCAA Tournament action last night in West Lafayette, IN. The Cards won in straight sets 25-22, 25-15, 25-20. Lola Arslanbekova stepped up with 19 kills for the Cards, who improve to 24-8 on the season.

"We were able to move the ball around and spread out their defense and try to attack their smaller blockers because their middles were big. One big factor tonight was our passing. It was crisp and we were able to stay in system. We stayed in our game plan and that was a key for us." -Anne Kordes, UofL head volleyball coach.

The Cards started out the first game with a 4-0 run and led 14-9 before the Ball State Cardinals tied it up at 15-15. They never could grab the lead, however and Louisville got four straight points out of Kaitlynn James en route to a 24-18 lead. Ball State hung tough, running four point in a row to climb within two before Lola ended the game with a slam to give the Lady Cards a three point decision.

Louisville started out hot in game two...jumping out to a 6-0 advantage. They never were seriously challenged and Lola produced another slam with the score 25-15...advantage Louisville. Louisville hit for an outstanding .414 in the second contest and Emily Juhl gave the Cards five kills en route to the win.

After the halftime break, Louisville struggled early and trailed 8-7. They regained control of the final game behind Juhl again, soaring out to a 18-13 lead. The Cards couldn't shake the Ball State squad, though, and called a timeout, clinging on to a 23-20 lead. They sent the BSU squad home with blocks from James and Brooke Mattingly on the next two plays to secure game and match. 

 Anne Kordes' squad advances to play Purdue tonight at 7:30 p.m. The Boilermakers knocked off OVC champion Morehead State in the second game of the evening in Holloway Gymnasium. The contest will be televised by the BIG TEN Network. The two schools met early in the season in the BIG EAST/BIG TEN challenge at Illinois...the Boilermakers taking a 3-2 win.

Congratulations to Lola and the girls...and keep it going tonight!

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With the UofL vs. UK women's basketball game a day away...it's time for Paul and Sonja's look at the contest. We'll be in attendance Sunday, watching the contest from media row. A special thanks to Susan Lax, women's basketball sports information director, for securing the chairs for us. She even sent us information on how to get to Memorial Coliseum from Louisville and directions for media parking. Tip of the hat and a "job well done!" to Susan...

Paul:  I'm looking at this game from a statistical standpoint.

1) Rebounding - Louisville 47.8 - Kentucky 47.7 a game  Advantage: Cards

2) Shooting % - Louisville .449 - Kentucky .414 a game  Advantage: Cards

3) Free throw % - Louisville .716 - Kentucky .640 a game Advantage: Cards

4) Fouls - Louisville 146 - Kentucky 135. Advantage : Cats

5) Three point % - Louisville .338 - Kentucky .294. Advantage : Cards

I feel these are five important statistics. The Cards win four out of the five. Other things to consider are home court advantage (Kentucky's), experience (Louisville-with two players who have been to the final four and nine to a Sweet Sixteen) and depth (Louisville -who plays ten players 12 minutes or more a game, compared to UK - who plays eight.)

Strength of schedule goes to Louisville so far also, having faced two top 25 opponents so far this year, compared to 0 for UK.

I pick Louisville to win this game by eight points. I expect a medium range on the score...maybe 68-60.  

SONJA

Bitter are the memories of Louisville's last appearance in Memorial two years ago. Paul and I sat there with my mom in the bleachers and watched a trouncing of epic proportions. Matthew Mitchell could have taken the foot off the accelerator in the second half against the diminished and over-matched Cardinals...but he didn't. That's got to be in the mindset of Shelby, Asia, Mo, Becky and Coach Walz and staff. Memorial can get loud. The sightlines are tough at times in the box-like configuration. They have ceiling fans above the court (no, I'm not kidding) which can affect the trajectory of a shot, if they're running too fast. Too slow, and the place becomes a boiler room. 

The Cards come back with a powerhouse and juggernaut this year, though. Depth galore at each position, a team on a mission and prolific scorers in Monique Reid, Becky Burke, Shoni Schimmel, Cierra Warren and Bria Smith. The Cards are stronger on the front line and should control the paint. However, unforced turnovers and foul troubles have plagued the Cards at times. Slow starts and defensive lapses more than once.

Weighing in all these factors brings me to the conclusion at first that Louisville might lose this game by the narrowest of margins. But, I'm impressed with the togetherness, unity, desire and ability of this flock of Birds this year. Shoni Schimmel won't allow this one to get away and Mo inside and Becky outside will provide the Cards with a slim win. Make it 79-78 Cards.  

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Congratulations to Rick Pitino's men for the overtime win over Vandy. Nice comebacks after being down a few points and Peyton Siva gets the game winner on one of is "Oh, no..there he goes again.." drives down the middle. Never should have gone to overtime, though...freshman Chane Behanan missing a easy layup at the end regulation that could have won it.

We're still not sure what to think of this version of the men' team this year except that they do play top-notch defense and they've got an injury list that could fill up a legal pad. Still, they keep winning. Gotta admire that.

And, while struggling to stay awake in the second half of this 9:15 p.m.start, I came to the conclusion that this team just might give the mighty All-American, McDonald's laden, dribble-driving Cats a game on New Year's Eve day. Maybe I was woozy...

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Men's Soccer with a re-match against UCLA for the umpteenth time tonight in Cardinal Park in NCAA Tournament action. No snow this year. Go get 'em, kickers! Hoping Donnie might read this and send a few words about the match for Sunday. Earth to Donnie, Earth to Donnie....

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Lady Cards rule UK in Governor's Cup...We look back at...Churchill Downs to race tonight.

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FRIDAY @ CARDINAL COUPLE:

-Cardinal women sweep Wildcats in Governor's Cup

-We look back at.....UofL 85- Xavier 75

-Churchill Downs to race this evening

The University of Louisvile and the University of Kentucky's women's sports programs went head to head in nine different sports over the 2010-11 athletic season. The clear winner? Louisville who won seven of the events straight up, split one and lost one. The recaps:

Basketball

Louisville got 26 points from freshman Shoni Schimmel and 21 from guard Becky Burke in a 78-52 romp over the Cats in the KFC YUM! Center. Victoria Dunlap may have been the best player on the court going into the contest...but the game belonged to the Louisville defense. LOUISVILLE

Cross Country

The women's squads matched up in the NCAA Southeast Regional and it was close...the Cards finishing in 13th. place and UK running to a 14th. place finish.  LOUISVILLE

Soccer
The Cards blanked UK 2-0 in Cardinal Park on Sept. 9th....getting goals from Angelika Uremovich and Catlin Rehder. Goalie Taylor Vancil had seven saves in the whitewash. LOUISVILLE

Track and Field

The teams met four times during the season...at the Kentucky Invitational, the Rod McCravy Invitational in Lexington and in the NCAA Indoor Championships. Team totals were not kept for the first two events, so we'll go the the NCAA event...where Louisville finished 30th.with six points and UK failed to score. LOUISVILLE. The teams met again later in the season during the outdoor season at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and Louisville finished 44th. , UK 60th, LOUISVILLE

Swimming/Diving

The squads met in Lexington in a dual meet and the Cardinal women swimmers splashed their way to a convincing 186-114 victory. Therese Bergstrom won the 100m and 200m breaststroke and Raine Thompson the 100m and 200m butterfly. LOUISVILLE

Softball

The Cards blanked the Cats 6-0 at Ulmer Stadium in the first of two meet ups this past season. UK took the second in Lexington, though... a slug fest that ended 14-8 in favor of the Cats. TIE

Volleyball
This one went down to the wire in Lexington...UK defeating the Cards in five sets 14-25, 25-19, 25-22, 25-27, 15-10. UofL was on the verge of elimination in the fourth game but forced the fifth match before a rowdy UK crowd of almost 3,000 in quaint Memorial Coliseum. KENTUCKY

Golf
The two teams were up against each other in the NCAA East Regional and Louisville finished 12th...28 strokes better than UK, who ended up 20th. LOUISVILLE.

As you can see by the recaps above, there is no doubt about which school had the superior women's athletic program in 2010-11. Congratulations to ALL the hard working Cardinal athletes and go for back-to- back wins in the upcoming season, girls.

(Thanks to LSR for the data)

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The mood in the Cintas Center before the UofL vs. Xavier game was a study in two different mindsets. I watched the teams warm up and the Cardinal players were loose, relaxed...joking around and smiling. On the other end of the court, the Lady Musketeers were all business, grimly going through their drills and dead serious. They knew they had a lot to either gain or lose in the upcoming game and... as the favorites...the pressure was on.

The Xavier personnel that were manning the media break rooms and security were a friendly bunch of folks two nights earlier when Louisville defeated Vanderbilt and Xavier rolled by South Dakota State. There was a little more intensity for this one...they were anxious about the upcoming show.

Did someone say "Show"? Yes, there was quite a show that night and it came from the dead-eye shooting of Shoni Schimmel, who chalked up 33 points on the, at times, bewildered Xavier defense. This was not the same Louisville tea that had lost to Xavier by a dozen in November.

The Cards contained twin towers Amber Harris and TaShia Phillips early and zipped out to and early 18-11 lead...Schimmel hitting her first four shots of the game.Xavier wasn't about to see their 25 home game win streak go down without a fight, though...and responded with a 13-0 run to take a 30-23 lead. The twin towers found their touch late in the half and Xavier took at 40-37 lead into the locker room after 20 minutes of action.

The teams battled on and were tied in the second half 42-42 when Xavier three point specialist Katie Rutan got hot and nailed three long range bombers...part of an Xavier run that had them up 67-58. Louisville fans were getting very nervous.

Time for "the Show" again. Louisville went on a 13-4 run and tied the contest at 71-71 on a Schimmel three. Undaunted, she came down court again and nailed a spectacular three in front of me on press row to give Louisville a 74-71 lead. The Cintas Center was filled with screaming Cardinal fans and Xavier never challenged the rest of the way....Louisville getting some clutch play and free throw shooting from freshman guard Charmaine Tay to seal the victory. Final: Louisville 85 - Xavier 75.

Schimmel was modest after the contest about her performance.

"I don't think it was about me. I think it was about our team. All the way, we were like 'OK, we've got this.'"

And the Cards did have it, stunning the #2 seed in the regional and earning the Sweet Sixteen berth. Head Xavier coach Kevin McGuff summed it up this way:

"Shoni Schimmel was amazing tonight. Probably the most impressive thing was the poise she had down the stretch for a freshman. Not just because she made shots, but she kept her team together to execute."

Or as Tia Gibbs said:

'That's why we call her "Show". When it's a big stage and a big crowd, she's going to put on a show just like she did tonight."

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Despite storms and tornadoes that damaged five barns on the backside of Churchill Downs Wednesday night, Friday night racing will go on as scheduled. First race is scheduled for 6 p.m. and gates open at 4 p.m. Still shaking my head over the fact that no horses or humans were injured in the blast from Mother Nature. Still a lot of clean up to do back in the barn area.

Our favorite trainer at the track, Paul McGee commented on the wild Wednesday night.

"It's unreal. I got real lucky. It (the tornado) bounced right over the top of my barn."

A large section of the roof from Jinx Fires barn landed in front of McGee's barn. About 100 horses were displaced from the tornado and about 70 remained on the facilities...the other being shipped to stable at Keeneland.

Cards and Cats Softball

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Follow us live!

as Louisville and Kentucky play in the Battle of the Bluegrass softball tilt!

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CARDS BLANK CATS 6-0 BEHIND COLLINS FIVE HIT MOUND PERFORMANCE

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Bright skies and a stiff wind blowing out of Ulmer Stadium greeted the teams as pre-game introductions at 5:50 p.m. Jerry Newby, pictured here, did a bang-up job on the National Anthem (without Sonja beside him).

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Cardinal pitcher Tori Collins (pictured right) sent UK to the dugout in the top of the first in order...fanning Megan Yocke and Kara Dill and getting Meagan Aull on a long fly to right-center that speedy center fielder Kristin Austin ran down. A near capacity Ulmer Stadium crowd greeted the Cards to bat in the bottom of the first.

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UK pitcher Chanda Bell got Katie Keller to pop out to the catcher and Jennifer Esteban popped out to first to begin the inning and Bell got Chelsea Bemis on a called third strike to end the Cardinals' bottom of the first.

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UK's Brittany Cervantes started the top of the second looking at a called third strike. Rachel Riley waited Collins out to draw a walk and Ginny Carroll came in to run for her. Alice O'Brien went down swinging for the second Wildcat out but Samantha DeMartine got hit by Collins pitch. The Cards trapped Carroll on a pick-off play, though, at second to end the top of the second.

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Colby Wherry grounded out to short to begin the Cardinal second but Alicja Wolny smacked a homer over the right field fence to put the Cards up 1-0. Taner Fowler sent a long fly to left for the second out and Kristin Austin grounded out to Bell at the mound to finish the bottom of the second

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UK menaced in the top of the third when Emily Jolly banged a deep fly to left center...but Austin once again flew to the ball and hauled it down for the catch. Annie Rowlands sent a shot off the glove of the Cards Keller for a single next. Yocke found the gap next between short and third for the second UK hit of the inning. Dill's fielder's choice advanced the runners but Aull ended the inning with a sharp ground out to Cardinal first baseman Wolny.

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Maggie Ruckenbrod began the bottom of the third for Louisville by drawing a walk and Hannah Kiyohara send her to second with a blooper single to short left field. Chelsea Jordan came in to pinch run for Ruckenbrod. The runners advanced when Bell was charged with a wild pitch. Jordan scored UofL's second run on a sacrifice fly by Esteban but Bemis ended any other Cardinal chances for scoring with a long foul out to right field.

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As the shadows started to set over the 3rd base line at Ulmer, the Cats' Cervantes began the top of the fourth with a similiar deep fly...foul down the right field line that Kiyohara tracked down for out one. Riley walked on a full count next and UK sent pinch hitter Lauren Cumbess up but she returned to the dugout after striking out. So did DeMartine and Collins got out of the inning unscathed.

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Alicja Wolny began the bottom of the fourth with a walk and advanced on Fowler's sacrifice bunt. The Cards could not advance the runner, though, and it was still 2-0 after four innings.

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Collins began the top of the fifth by fanning Jolly and Rowlands. Yocke flied out to left to end the inning.

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UK's Bell got rocked by a Ruckenbrod double to start the bottom of the fifth and after Kiyohara sacrifice bunted Ruckenbrod to second...Keller flied out to deep left. Esteban beat out a bunt to put runners on the corners. The stage was set for Bemis to perform but before she could... Ruckenbrod stole home to make it 3-0 on a double steal maneuver. Bemis reached safely on a mishandled throw on her grounder to score Esteban and increase the lead to 4-0. Wherry grounded out to end the inning.

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UK 's Dill grounded out to start the sixth. Aull popped a blooper over Wherry's head to reach safely for UK's third hit of the game. Next, Cervantes advanced Aull and reached on a bunt. Riley flied out to deep center and Austin came up with a running catch, turned and threw the ball to second for a double play...getting out Aull who took off around the bases...thinking it was a hit.

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Ellen Weaver came in to pitch for UK to start the bottom of the sixth. Alicja Wolny greeted her with a single up the middle. Katelyn Mann came in to run for Wolny as Fowler batted next and reached on a sharp single to right. Tesha Paysen came in to run for Fowler and Austin, batting next, beat out an infield single to fill the bases with Cardinals. Ruckenbrod's single plated Mann and the Cards led 5-0. Kiyohara's sacrifice fly sent home Paysen and increased the Cardinal lead to 6-0. Austin was tagged out at home on a failed Keller bunt attempt for the second out of the inning. Weaver finally got out of the inning when Esteban struck out with runners on the corners.

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Collins got Cumbess to pop up to begin the top of the seventh. Macy Allen singled over a drawn in Louisville infield to keep the Cats chances alive...but was picked off at first for the second out. Weaver went to the plate to bat and struck out to end the game.

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Collins went the distance...allowing five hits and fanning nine in the win for Louisville. WE caught up with her after the game:

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CARDINAL COUPLE: Tell us about the win tonight.

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COLLINS: My defense is incredible and Kristin Austin had an incredible game. I've just been working really hard and staying focused, trying to win each pitch and putting my focus on attacking each batter. Doing what I'm supposed to do.

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CARDINAL COUPLE: Villanova comes to town this weekend to begin BIG EAST play. What are you looking for out of the 'Nova bats?

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COLLINS: Haven't even looked at them yet. We've been so focused on looking at the immediate game before us this season...so tomorrow I'll ...we'll...begin the focus on them.

We're ready for BIG EAST.We're ready to take down the competition. Some of the other teams in conference don't have it as hard as we do this year, so we're ready to attack it and show them what we're made of.

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CARDINAL COUPLE also saw Lady Cards hoopster Becky Burke and Shoni Schimmel at the softball game tonight. Both were mobbed by appreciative Cardinal fans and Schimmell chuckled when I told her we had renamed her "the Judge" here at CARDINAL COUPLE. Coach Pearsall was all smiles after the game and reminded me as I congratulated her on the win that the Cards were in action this weekend. We're going to try and get out there. A special thanks to Louisville assistant S.I.D. Lori Korte for the accomodations in the press box and the wireless hookup. Also got to sit with Courier-Journal writer J.J.Hysell...which made it a fun and enjoyable two hours.

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The Cards drew 908 fans to the game this evening, which featured free t-shirts to the first 300 through the gate. Looks like some of you folks are going to have to share...Nice black t-shirt that read...'Peace, love, softball.' Inppropriate for UK fans...however... because the Wildcats got no love tonight on the scoreboard and got no peace from the Cardinal bats or Collins' fastball...

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