Thursday Cardinal Couple -- Angel soars over Turks for USA basketball win

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THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


-McCoughtry magic on display as USA carves Turkey 89-58


The Olympic women's basketball television announcers marvel and fawn over the way Angel McCoughtry comes in and takes over a game. 


Old hat stuff to Cardinal womens' basketball fans or Atlanta Dream followers...who've seen #35 do that for the last 7-8 years. 

Wednesday against undefeated Turkey followed a predictable pattern. USA falls behind early. Trails the Turks 10-6 with five minutes left in the first quarter. 


Geno does a five player substitution at the 4:12 mark and Angel scores seven out of the USA's next nine points to give USA a 19-16 lead at the end of the first quarter. 


It was a demonstration of basketball excellence. 


3:19 -- McCoughtry fouled driving to the basket. Hits a free throw.
2:12 --  McCoughtry muscling inside for a putback and two.
  .55 -- McCoughtry fouled again on the way for two. Free throws fall through the net. 
  .02 --  McCoughtry steals a pass and breaks away for a layup and score.


Production figures the guys out at the Ford Plant on Fern Valley would be proud of. 


Scenarios Cardinal fans have seen time and time again. All we need is Louie the Cardinal Bird, Al Greener's Pep Band and Sean Moth crooning...


"Angelllllll MC Coughtry !!" 


This time, it's on the world's stage. Intensity, drive, desire. A spark, a dominant player. 


Yeah. That's our girl. 

Four more McCoughtry points in the second quarter gave her 11 at the half in just eight minutes of first half action. USA 41-26 at the half.


Give the Turks credit. They didn't roll over and play dead until the fourth quarter. Actually trimmed the USA lead to 50-45 with 2:40 remaining in the third quarter. A crowd buzzing with excitement and the anticipation of the underdog attempting to slay Goliath. 


It was Angel time again. A putback for two and a free throw. Missed three but a rebound and pass to Maya Moore for a gimme. A 13-2 run and the scoreboard reads USA 63-Turkey 47 at the end of the third. 


There will be no David today.

Two free throws at the 8:00 minute mark in the fourth quarter give Angel 18 for the game. 69-50 USA. Turkey, with tired legs and sagging spirits, submits to the beat-down. How do you like her now, Geno?


"From the minute she (Angel) stepped on the floor to when the game ended she was the dominant player. That's something that I think we have that very few, if any, teams in this tournament have...so I'm fortunate to have that option." Aureimma commented after the game. 


Yes you are. Just use the force, Luke. It may have been the most intelligent thing you've said since you landed in London. Yoda, you ain't...but even a programmed droid can figure this one out. 


The reserve role had feted Angel well. Not really a new concept for her. She didn't start her freshman year at UofL but Tom Collen was playing mind games with her that he'd eventually lose. This is the same guy who abandoned Louisville to "Whoo, Pig, Suey" in the bottom half of the SEC West Division at Arkansas. 


Sometimes career moves don't compute. 


Sometimes you just have to take the Maserati out of the garage and drive it.


Sometimes a door closes and a window opens. Collen's departure cleared the way for a young, hungry and driven coach named Jeff Walz.  

"Honestly, not starting has been the best thing for my career. I've gained discipline and I think before I didn't have the discipline. This took my game to another level." McCoughtry confessed after the rout.


Kind words? Backing up the boss? Maybe. Not starting the leading scorer in the WNBA is puzzling but when half your roster consists of ex-UConn players and the head coach is...well, you get the picture. 


McCoughtry knows her game will be there whether she's the first or last player to step on the court. She can also be a diplomat on the world stage. 

You just gotta wonder if these slow USA starts would disappear if it was Angel, Tamika, Candace, Lindsey Whalen and just one of the UConn twins out there shaking hands with the opponent before the opening tip-off. 


As long as the wins keep coming by 30 or so, I guess it's crying about small beer. This team has twelve excellent players (actually, 11 until "Big Syl" and her tendon feel better) and the Czech Republic and China aren't going to pull off the upset of the century in the next four days and beat USA.


A USA team that will go through pool play 5-0 and then see what Australia, Brazil, Canada and France have to offer. A USA team averaging almost 87 points a game for 40 minutes. 


The queens of the playground, standing at half-court, ball on hip...asking "who's next?" 

Team Angel returns to action Friday against the 1-2 Czech Republic, who beat Croatia earlier today. 


-Paul
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Tuesday CARDINAL COUPLE -- What say you, Geno?

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TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


-Geno Auriemma faces lawsuit over alleged advances.


We're used to reading about the Connecticut Huskies and Geno Auriemma when it comes to college women's basketball. They've been the most successful team in the BIG EAST since formation of the league. They're usually sitting atop the league standings when the BIG EAST Tournament rolls around. They've placed enough players in the WNBA to field a separate division fueled by just former Husky players. 

Auriemma in contemplation mode

A new headline grabber, though, is associated with the program. The UConn head coach and U.S. Women's Olympic Basketball skipper has been named in an employment discrimination suit filed by a security official for the Olympic team who claims she was removed from her assignment after she rebuffed Auriemma's advances after leaving an elevator.


Wonder if Aerosmith's "Love in an Elevator" was the background music? 


Kelley Hardwick claims that Geno followed her and another woman into an hotel elevator after leaving a hotel bar and talking to them in the lobby of the same hotel in Yekaterinburg, Russia during October 2009. 


He then, according to Hardwick, "came up behind her, took hold of her left arm, and...as she turned...he forcibly tried to kiss her on the mouth" after she left the elevator and as she was inserting her key into her hotel room door. 

Geno goes for Angel's left
arm. Note the look of surprise
on Ms. McCoughtry's face.

Hardwick claims she stopped the advances, shoving him away and saying:


"What are you doing? You better check yourself before you get hurt!" 


She then, reportedly 'grabbed his face and mushed him'.


We're not sure what mushing is, in terms of that incident. We do know that mushing is common up in the northern regions of our planet and huskies are often used on sleighs where mushing takes place. We can only assume that Hardwick tried to ride Geno down the hotel hallway, mushing his face as a means of getting him to mush? 


Somehow, that just doesn't make sense.   

The winters in Connecticut probably allow mushing
to take place. 

If there had been any BIG EAST women's basketball referees present (especially Bonita Spence or Dennis DeMayo) the whistle would have come out and Auriemma would have been called for a foul. We're guessing the scenario (if it actually happened) was that Geno was trying to prevent Hardwick from making a spin move and driving to his left. Grabbing the arm will get you a whistle every time. We briefly thought about contacting UofL Assistant SID Kim Pemberton and asking if we could talk to Shoni, Bria or any of the Lady Cards guards about avoiding grabs while playing defense. 

Shoni indicates that she may have been
grabbed on the right arm. They're always
fouling Shoni, aren't they? Call 'em, ref !!

We didn't make the call to Kim. Those girls are busy enough and so is Kim. We watched, instead, some highlights of the 2011-12 BIG EAST Tournament. Sure enough, you grab another player and you get the whistle. If the refs see it, of course. Sometimes, they don't.  


Concerning the alleged hallway incident...Auriemma denies Hardwick's claim:


"This claim is beyond false. I will defend myself to the fullest, and I'm confident that the truth will ultimately prevail. In the meantime, I remain focused on representing the United States this summer and getting our team ready to compete for the gold medal."

How you get 'beyond false' is also an area we're not clear about. It might be like the 'strenuously object' scene from the movie A Few Good Men..where Demi Moore stridently tries to block testimony. We're not sure if we want to drag her, Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson into this quite yet, though...so we'll let that go for the time being.  


So, it's a case of 'He Said, She Said' and there are no witnesses that saw the supposed hotel hallway hub-bub. 

Jimmy Cagney prefers to mush with grapefruits

We get the general 'drift' (also associated with mushing and huskies) here: 


1) Hardwick loses job. 2) Hardwick thinks Geno had something to do with it. 3) Hardwick spills the beans on a incident that may or may not have happened. 4) Geno denies. 5) Laywers get rich. 6) UConn, Geno and mushing get drug through the mud.
7) Mushing now has several definitions.


Of course, we're no strangers to coaches involved with ladies here in Louisville. Google 'Pitino and Sypher'. 

Kelley Hardwick...did she
mush or not?

If it happened, Geno needs to 'face up' ( no pun intended ) and admit it. If it didn't, Hardwick needs to recant and apologize for trying to slander one of the most successful basketball coaches of all-time. 


All of a sudden, the 2012 Summer Olympic basketball events have picked up an issue that the "talking heads" who will broadcast the events can chew on. 


We "mush on"...wondering if they have or will eventually check the hallway security cameras and see if the alleged event was recorded or not. If they have hallway security cameras in the Yekaterinburg hotel in question, of course.


They can, then, do a booth review. 


As they say in the NFL...indisputable evidence is what we're looking for here. And if the hand doesn't hit, you must acquit...


(A call to CARDINAL COUPLE legal counsel Miranda Wright got the terse reply..."Innocent until proven guilty and I'm billing you for legal advice." ) Great...


Link below for the New York Times report:


Geno
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SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE covers Softball, FINAL FOUR and FLORIDA DERBY

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SATURDAY WITH THE COUPLE


-Softball in Chicago for two today


-Angel McCoughtry named to 2012 U.S. Olympic Team


-Florida Derby could be a key to Kentucky Derby


-FINAL FOUR TONITE!  Are you ready?


The University of Louisville Softball team takes their 28-0 record to the Windy City this weekend to face the DePaul Blue Demons in two games today and one on Sunday. The #11 Cards travel north after going east and defeating UK Wednesday 1-0 in Lexington. 


This is the BIG EAST opener for DePaul. They are 16-10 on the season and just recently dropped out of the top 25. Last time out, the Blue Demons participated in the Alabama Challenge and went 1-3...losing twice to 'Bama and going 1-1 against Longwood. 

Dodd leads DPU in hitting

The noise-makers in the DePaul line up are Samantha Dodd and Kirsten Verdun. Dodd bats .408 and Verdun leads the Chicago school with six fence-clearers. Dodd...a junior outfielder...has fared well against Cardinal pitching in the past. Verdun alternates between pitching and first base. On the stripe, she is 9-5 this year and has 71 strike-outs in 81 innings pitched. 


Louisville is getting powerful pitching from the trio of Tori Collins, Caralisa Connell and Chelsea Leonard. They sport a collective ERA of 1.08 for the season, have had 13 shutouts and punched out 215 batters this season...which is almost eight per game. 

Austin's solo blast at UK proved to be
the game winner.

At the bat, Louisville has two players batting over .400 (Alicja Wolny and Kristin Austin) and Katie Keller, Taner Fowler, Jordan Trimble and recently returned Maggie Ruckenbrod lead a squad that has a combined batting average of .337. Louisville has out-scored the opposition 156-33 this season. 


Louisville did sweep the meeting last year with 2-1 and 13-2 wins at Ulmer Stadium. The schools have been playing each other since Louisville started softball in 2000 and DePaul holds the series lead 23-15. 


Good luck to Sandy Pearsall's gang this weekend in Chicago!


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What do you get when you combine Geno Auriemma and the 2012 U.S. Olympic Women's Basketball team? A Connecticut coach and a bunch of former Connecticut players.

One exception, though, is the selection of former CARDS great Angel McCoughtry to the squad. Geno has decided on 11 of the 12 players that'll compete for the Gold Medal. We're pretty sure he's saving a spot for Baylor swat and dunk specialist Brittany Griner...but CARDINAL COUPLE'S Sonja is waiting by the phone...just in case. (After all, she did hit double figures several times her senior year in high school.)


The roster, comprised of all current WNBA players, is below with college team affiliation as well:


Semoine Augustus - LSU                  Sylvia Fowles - LSU
Sue Bird - UConn                             Maya Moore - UConn
Swin Cash - UConn                          Angel McCoughtry - UL
Tamika Catchings - Tenn                Candace Parker - Tenn
Tina Charles - UConn                      Diana Taurasi - UConn
Lindsey Whalen - Minnesota


While we have CARDINALS on the brain, here's a great read on Becky Burke. Thanks to Commish Mark for the fins and link:


Becky Burke 


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Today's FLORIDA DERBY at Gulfstream Park will pit three solid Kentucky Derby contenders against each other at a mile and one-eighth distance. UNION RAGS, EL PADRINO and TAKE CHARGE INDY have all been top five choices by many race analysts and handicappers. 

We're going to toss a fourth horse into the mix and suggest that NEWS PENDING, trained by Dale Romans, has a shot to upset at a price today. He did lose to Union Rags by four lengths in the Fountain of Youth this winter in Florida, but the pace that day was brutal and jockey Rajiv Maragh has learned that keeping him just off the lead is a better tactic for this runner. If he can keep "Rags" and El Padrino in his sight as they turn for the stretch, he could surprise. 


Also keep an eye out for REVERON to contest the early speed and if he can get a clear lead with Elvis Trujillo on board, he might have something to say about the win, place and show payouts. You'll be rewarded well if this one can spring the upset...he'll go off around 20-1. 


This one goes to post at 5:40 p.m. today, so it'll be right before the UofL v UK tip-off. The NBC crew has the coverage, which means there will be plenty of sensationalism and innuendo over the airwaves... 


Paul's Picks                                             Sonja's Selections


1. News Pending                                     1. Union Rags
2. Union Rags                                         2. Take Charge Indy
3. El Padrino                                          3. El Padrino
4. Reveron                                             4. Neck N Neck


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Rick saves the specs for post-game. Thankfully...
(Photo by Charlie Springer-Card Game)

Finally, the CIVIL WAR, THE BATTLE OF THE BLUEGRASS...or whatever moniker you choose to put on it goes down today around 6 p.m. in the Superdome. Can the CARDS pull off the upset? Will it be a game that Cardinal fans might contemplate turning off at half-time? Who will get more camera shots...Ricky or Cal? 


Where will you watch it? 


We're going to view it with a couple of UofL friends at their house instead of taking it to the bar scene. Too important a contest to get messed with by waitress drama, unruly UK fans and elbow-to-elbow insanity. 

Might be open to a little post-game troubadouring, though...if the result turns out positive. Shoot us an e-mail or leave a comment about your game-day viewing plans if you'd like to share or if you're looking for ideas. If UofL wins, we're guessing that the Belknap Campus could get crazy and it might be fun to drive down and watch the celebrators. 

In case you're looking for something to do
before the big game. (Photo courtesy of Charlie Springer- Card Game)

We looked back at the 1983 match-up the other night and recalled where we were for that afternoon show-down. Sonja and I watched it from the living room couch and she remembers that I was miserable with sinus problems that day and she couldn't tell if I was sneezing or cheering. David Watson writes that...


"I was clanging off my fraternity room walls at Notre Dame. Me and a few buddies that were UofL fans had started "celebrating" way too early before tip-off and the four of us gathered in my third floor frat room to view it on my large Zenith TV. By the second half, we had about 10 people in there. When Louisville ripped it wide open in the overtime, it started a chain of events that eventually culminated with me rambling around the campus screaming 'UofL !' at 1 a.m. Not many 'got it' -- especially campus security -- who not-so-gleefully escorted me back to the frat house and advised the graduate resident assistant to 'keep me indoors' for the rest of the early morning." 


GO YOU UofL CARDINALS!!! L1C4, baby
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