Greenwell Co-MVP as USA wins FIBA Americans U 16 Championship...Lyttle to miis six games

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HAPPY FATHERS DAY @ SUNDAY WITH THE COUPLE

-USA routs Brazil 73-40 to take the Gold

-Atlanta's Sancho Lyttle out for six games.

USA wins in Merida and will move on to the World
Championships next.

Owensboro's Becca Greenwell was named co-MVP of the FIBA Americas U16 Tournament that the USA won convincingly in Merida, Mexico yesterday by 33 points over Brazil. She shared the honor with Brazil's Izabella Fredrico Sangali. USA came out strong in the final game and aided by a record setting seven steals by guard Jannah Tucker...was never seriously challenged. Four USA players hit double figures in the win...Lianne Harper led the way with 12 points and Tucker added eleven. Mercedes Russell (10 points, 12 grabs) and Greenwell (10 points, 3 assists) did the most damage for Team USA, who led 40-18 at halftime and 63-27 after the third quarter.

"I thought it was a great game." Mercedes Russell spoke after the contest. "We let them have a little run at the end of the second quarter and then we came back after halftime and picked it up and finished it."  

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Atlanta Dream's Sancho Lyttle will miss the next six games to compete for Spain in the EuroBasket Women 2011. She will not play today against the Minnesota Lynx and won't be back in a Dream uniform until July 9th...when the Dream play Chicago.

Lyttle is currently the Dream's second leading scorer and rebounder...averaging 12.5 a game and 7.8 rebounds.

Sometimes, when it rains...it pours.

Atlanta is 1-4 so far this season.

Lyttle is a native of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines but obtained Spanish citizenship in 2010. She played her college ball at Houston.

The Dream has signed former Oklahoma front liner Courtney Paris to replace her while she's gone.
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We leave you today with three great father's day quotes:

"A new father quickly realizes that his child invariably comes to the bathroom at precisely the times he is in there, as if he needed company. The only way for this father to be certain of bathroom privacy is to shave at the gas station."  -Bill Cosby.

"Every mother knows that the man her daughter marries will be better than the father of this daughter but insists that the wife her son takes won't match up to his mother's status." -Cal Rieger

"I realized after my daughter turned 16 that the terms DAD and ATM Machine were interchangeable."  -Mark Thompson.
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Greenwell leads Team USA again...

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SATURDAY FROM THE CHIMPS DEPARTMENT AT CARDINAL COUPLE:

We've turned the Saturday Edition of C.C. over to chimps.

-Lala writes: I wish I could play hoops like Becca Greenwell

-Co Co tells us: Atlanta Dream falls to Lynx 96-85

Gearing up for another Cardinal Couple
weekend. Keep 'em coming, boyz!

-Jojo sends us pictures from Downs After Dark.

It's almost getting to be predictable news. Another Team USA game, another 30-40 point romp and Becca Greenwell leading the team again in scoring. Happened again last night in Mexico. 99-51 destruction of the Puerto Ricans and onto the Saturday title game against Brazil...who topped Canada yesterday.

Greenwell had 20 points, 6 boards in the USA win. She offers:

"Now that we are all in a groove and we've played a couple of games, I think we all have the confidence to share the ball and knock down shots."

(Hopefully basketball shots and not the house tequila from the hotel
bar.)

The USA squad benefited from a 23-0 run in the second half. In Brazil tonight, they face a team that actually gave them a brief challenge for a half earlier in the week. Bring the gold home, ladies.

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Angel is back but her teammates aren't
on the bus yet...

The Atlanta Dream fell to 1-4 last night, losing to the Minnesota Lynx 96-85 in Minneapolis. Angel is definitely back on her game...scoring 27 in the loss...but the Dream couldn't contain Rebekkah Brunson (18 points, 14 grabs), Lindsay Whalen (16 points, eight assists) and Maya Moore (13 points).

The Dream hung close for a half, but a 13-0 Minnesota run early in the third quarter put the Lynx up 54-43. The Lynx pushed that out to 78-64 and Atlanta could get no closer that six points the rest of the way.

Erika de Souza scored 18 for the Dream and Izianne Castro Marquez ended with 12.

Nobody expected this poor of a start for the defending Eastern Division champs from 2010 and one has to wonder where the magic and cohesion that took the Dream to the finals went. With only one major lineup change...bringing Lindsey Harding in at point guard...it's the same Dream attack.

A long season to go still. We'll just look at it as a work-in-progress.

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The paddock area at Churchill around 11 p.m. or so...

Raindrops didn't dampen the spirits of the Downs After Dark crowd at Churchill Downs last night. A large turnout for the event...which featured eleven races and live music. The crowd was still going strong when this guy left after midnight...dancing to the sounds of DMC down in the paddock area.

Greta Kuntzweiler doesn't get a lot of riding opportunities at Churchill Downs, so to see her in five races yesterday was a bit intriguing. She's Sonja's favorite jockey, so I dutifully put $2 across the board on her horses. She didn't disappoint..winning the 2nd race at 7-1 and the third race at 15-1. Must have worn the poor girl out...she didn't hit the board in any of her final three rides...but the $30 invested turned into $73. Yes, I gave Sonja the winnings. She was last reported being seen at a local area nurseries' plant sale...

Paul unofficial axioms of racing at Churchill have been:

1) You must include Freddy Lenclud in your wagering
2) Gotta use Manny Cruz. Doesn't like to lose.
3) Those in the know choose Julian Leparoux

We add another one:
4) You better "betta" Greta.

In the background watching Peb paint is CARDINAL
COUPLE Director of Wagering and nonsense Tommy Boy
who is waiting for a chance to do some painting. His
request was denied.

If you've been to the Downs, you may have seen the murals on the 2nd floor clubhouse wall near the food court. Wonderfully character-painted stars of horse racing from yesterday to current. Last night, I got the opportunity to watch the creator of these murals at work. PEB BULLOCQ is pictured at work here adding the trainer of Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom...H. Graham Motion... to the mural.

Peb is lively and talkative artist and cheerfully answered questions while he added Motion to the mural (center right). He chuckled when I mentioned that the caricature looked like Donny Osmond. Unfortunately, it looks like the mural is out of room to add any more offerings. Here's hoping that the Churchill guys give him a blank canvas to create a new montage of personalities...
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Volleyball to play six games in KFC YUM! Center...Downs after Dark...USA U16 gets Puerto Rico next.

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FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Volleyball schedule released...six home games at the downtown arena

-Downs After Dark tonight

-USA Women's U16 today at 4 p.m. vs. Puerto Rico.

-Final Cardinal Caravan a big success in Jeffersonville.

The University of Louisville's volleyball team will play six of their home matches in the KFC YUM! Center this upcoming season. Cardinal Arena, the other home venue for the Volleyball Cards, often sells out and standing room only is available. Head coach of the volleyball team, Anne Kordes, talks about the upgrade in facilities move:

Gwen Rucker is a senior on the
volleyball team. She also played
basketball her first two years at UofL

"We are extremely excited to be playing in the new arena downtown. One of the amazing things our fans provide for us is a great home court advantage by selling out Cardinal Arena time after time. Hopefully we can expand our amazing fan base by packing the YUM!. There is no other team in the country which gets to play in a more gorgeous, state-of-the-art arena than we do. It is a privledge for us to have a place like that to call home."

The Cards will start the season in late August on the road at the Georgia Tech Invitational. They return home to host the Crowne Plaza Cardinal Classic Sept 2-3 in Cardinal Arena. First game in the YUM! will be against St. John's on Sept 23rd. Other matches in the KFC YUM! are against Connecticut (Sept.25th.), Pittsburgh (Oct. 23rd.), Tennessee (Nov 2nd.), Syracuse (Nov. 5th.) and Marquette (Nov. 6th.).

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A view of the Churchill Downs finish line from the roof
of Churchill Downs...Don't ask, don't tell...

Churchill Downs will have the first of their Downs After Dark racing nights Friday. The eleven race card begins at 6 p.m. and admission is $10. Live music, food, beverages and DJ's rock the paddock area and the event drew well last year with over 35,000 attending.  Tonight's theme is "hot, summer nights" at the track and hot pink and hot orange is the color theme "with a 60's flair".

This old horse player will stick to his button down striped shirt and slacks. Gates open at 4 p.m. If you're looking to avoid the $10 charge, get there before 4 p.m. and take in a few of the simulcast broadcasts from tracks in New York, Chicago and Florida.

Tip to first time attendees: Be patient, be prepared to wait for food, beverages and betting if you hang out in the paddock area. For a less hectic experience...we recommend the second floor clubhouse area near Silks and Champions bars. There is air-conditioning, a food court and several restrooms. You just might run into the ol' P. himself there, menacingly strolling the area...muttering to himself and trying to figure out what went wrong in the previous race...or arguing with a trash can.


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The USA Women's U16 National Team begins semifinal play today at 4 p.m. against Puerto Rico. USA is 3-0 so far and faces a Puerto Rican team that embarrassed Guatemala 62-5 last time out. (No, it's not a mis-type) The standings for Group A and Group B below:

GROUP A                                                                          GROUP B

Canada 3-0                                                                         USA 3-0

Puerto Rico 2-1                                                                  Brazil 2-1

Mexico 1-2                                                                         Venezuela 1-2

Guatemala 0-3                                                                    Argentina 0-3

If the USA can defeat Puerto Rico, they would advance to the championship game Saturday at 8 p.m. We're predicting they get there easily and face off against Canada for the 2011 FIBA Americas title.

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The final Cardinal Caravan was held yesterday in the Buckhead's parking lot in Jeffersonville. Charlie Sprnger recaps the event over at his fine site: http://www.uoflcardgame.com/

Charlie Springer caught Tia Gibbs, Shawnta Dyer and Monique Reid  for a
photo at the Cardinal Caravan in Jeffersonville, IN. Be careful, Charlie..
Gibbs will steal the camera, throw it to Reid, who will feed Dyer for a dunk.

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