Ord leaving Lady Cards to take Weber State head coaching position

It's that time of year when the coaching carousel
gets cranking. Realtors love it...

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THURSDAY at C.C.

-Bethann Ord headed to Weber State

-Former Lady Cards coach out at Winthrop

-Softball vs. IU

Bethann Ord, assistant women's basketball coach for Jeff Walz the last four years at UofL, has been named head basketball coach at Weber State University. The Ogden, Utah school competes in the Big Sky Conference.

Bethann at Colorado with Whitney Houston. Not the Whitney Houston you're thinking of...Bobby Brown with the photo? No, probably not... 

"I am very excited to be a part of the Weber State family and I am grateful for this tremendous opportunity" Ord said.

This is Ord's first head coaching job. She was an assistant for 21 years at Colorado, Tulsa, Dayton, Pittsburgh, Wagner and Nazareth.  Pictured here with former Colorado point guard Whitney Houston (no, not the singer...) Ord came to Louisville from the Buffaloes...where she had been an assistant for two years. Brittany Spears ( not the one you're thinking of) was on the 2006-2007 team, too...and is considered a possible WNBA candidate.

Jeff Walz commented on the new position for Ord.

"Bethann is ready for this new challenge and Weber State is getting a wonderful coach. She is an extremely hard worker and a tremendous recruiter. She is tireless when it comes to recruiting. She will be fantastic in the community with the fans and supporters. I couldn't be happier for her and for this opportunity."

There's no doubt that Louisville has had some top notch, highly ranked and impressive recruiting classes since Walz and Ord came to Louisville. Leaving the BIG EAST for the Big Sky is a pretty interesting move...but if a head coaching job is the end game result, then it's a advancement in one's career. If Ord can dazzle them in Ogden like she did in Louisville, she'll do well there. Just don't get any ideas about taking Sara Hammond or Jude Schimmel with you, coach...

Before you get to feeling sorry for Coach Walz, let the record show that he still has assistant coaches Michelle Clark-Heard and Stephanie Norman, graduate assistant Liz Sherwood and director of Basketball operations Becky Bonner around the basketball offices. Just who Walz will peg to replace Ord isn't known yet, except possibly by him. We're pretty sure it won't be Sonja.

Uncle Jed and Jethro favor Sonja joining the UofL coaching staff but can't
talk Mr. Drysdale into donating enough  of Jed's money to the WBB program to get her an job interview 

If she can get top flight players to Ogden ,Utah and have success there, we fully expect that Ord will be packing her bags again down the road and being introduced as the new head coach at a larger program. Ord hasn't let sand settle in her shoes, in her recruiting or career, and Weber State is getting a good hire. Ord has NCAA Tournament experience, has learned the Walz philosophy of basketball and if she can apply that to her WSU players...we could be seeing her and Weber State on future Selection Mondays when tournament time rolls around. Good luck, Bethann!

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Former UofL head coach Bud Childers is out at Winthrop after seven years as the head women's basketball coach at the Rock Hill, SC school....that we knew about a month ago. What we can't seem to find any information on is the events that led to Childers being reprimanded by the Big South conference for "actions following the regular season final game against Charleston Southern that were violations of the leagues' ethical conduct policy."

Childers agreed to step down as head coach after the Big South Tournament. In seven years at Winthrop, Childers was 83-130.

Bud Childers coached many talented players at UofL, including Gwen Doyle, Nell Knox and Jody Martin

At Louisville, his record was 152-88 in eight years. He succeeded Peggy Fiehrer as the Lady Cards skipper in 1989...and the Cards went from 4-24 in 1988-89 to 17-12 in his first season...1989-90. Childers left the Cards after the 1996-97 season to go to James Madison University. At the time, the JMU program was considered a step up from coaching at Louisville.

Those were some hardship times for Lady Cards hoops. We attended home games everywhere it seemed...Louisville was in the Metro Conference for six of the eight years Childers was here. He led Louisville to three trips to the NCAA Tournament. Attendance for Lady Cardinal hoops was nowhere near what it is these days and... in those pre-Jurich days...news even more scarce to come up with about the team. It wasn't till the 1998-99 season that the Lady Cards began playing their entire home schedule in Freedom Hall without playing before the men's game....like they did off and on from 1976-77 to 1982-83.

As a student at UofL back during those early days, several of my frat brothers and I would go early to watch the Lady Cards play, sit down near or behind the Cards bench and then wait to get shooed out by the ushers when the crowd started to fill in for the men's contest. They sat the students in Section 335 back in those days...just off half court in Freedom Hall..for men's hoops and we'd make a mad dash from the floor to up there to get good seats for the men's game.

We tried to recall all the different places that we've attended Lady Cards home games over the years and came up with 10 venues... Ballard, Manual, Butler and Thomas Jefferson High Schools, Bellarmine College/University, Cardinal Arena, Commonwealth Convention Center, Freedom Hall, Spalding University and the KFC YUM Center. We're probably missing or fogetting a couple places in this list...but it goes to show the 'nomad nature' of the early years of WBB at Louisville. Manual always had the best popcorn...I remember that...and Tuonisia Turner (1988-1992) had a cross-over move with the ball that was an opponent's ankle breaker.

We're not sure what happened, Bud...but here's hoping you land on your feet and find success elsewhere. You were an integral part of Lady Cards hoops growth after the dismal Peggy Fiehrer reign and your (.633) win percentage at UofL is third all time behind Tom Collen and Jeff Walz.

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Louisville softball extended the winning streak to eight straight games with a 1-0 win over Indiana Wednesday night in Ulmer Stadium. This one was a pitchers duel. no doubt...with Cardinal starter Caralisa Connell (14-4) allowing just four hits and fanning eight and IU's Morgan Melloh allowing six hits and striking out six.

The Cards had runners in scoring position in the first, fifth and sixth innings but couldn't get anyone past home plate. After Connell retired the Hoosiers 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh...Louisville opened the home half of the seventh with Jennifer Esteban reaching base on an error and then scoring on a one out Katie Keller single to give the Cards the game.

Up next, Louisville heads to Pittsburgh to face the Pirates...oops, the Panthers... in a three game BIG EAST Conference series that will take place April 9th and 10th. Wish there was radio coverage of this trip..Pitt is 4-0 in the BIG EAST and has just recently begun play at the newly created Softball field in the Peterson Athletic Complex. It will be only the second time the Panthers have played at home in a series this season.
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Catching up on....softball, women's golf and track. Plus a "thank you!"

WEDNESDAY @ CARDINAL COUPLE

Bill the Goat likes softball but doesn't have opposable thumbs,
so he can't bat. You should see him run the bases, though!

-Softball hosts the Hoosiers

-Golf wins in Indiana

-McCarty named BIG EAST Field Athlete of the Week

-The Aggies down Notre Dame

-Oliver upsets Andrews...

-Thanks, readers!

The University of Louisville softball team takes on Indiana University tonight at Ulmer Stadium. Game time is 5:30 p.m. Looks like a great night to be at the ballpark!

Caralisa Connell is expected to get the start against IU (20-14) for tonight's contest. Louisville (26-10, 5-1) defeated the Hoosiers 11-0 in the last meeting between the team in Bloomington on March 24th, 2010. The Cards have won their last seven in a row and are tied for third in the BIG EAST. USF (4-0) leads the conference and Pitt and Notre Dame are 3-0. The Cards are getting great offensive production from Chelsea Bemis, who is batting .362 and has five home runs this season. Alicja Wolny is hitting .385 and leads Louisville with 35 runs batted in. Sophomore Jennifer Esteban has touched home plate 33 times and is batting .378 on the season.

The Cards have been getting a yeoman effort from Connell since the other two pitchers that started the season, Tori Collins and Chelsea Leonard, are out with injuries. She's 13-4 on the season and has struck out 92 batters in 117 innings. The true freshman has a 2.37 ERA and won nine out of her last ten games on the mound.

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The Cardinal women's golf team won the Indiana Invitational yesterday by 22 strokes in the rain delayed event. Maria Castellanos took first place with a two day total of 145. Sara Maude-Juneau and Anna-Karin Lljungstrom tied for second with 147's.

The medalist title is the first ever for Castellanos at UofL and the third time this season that a Lady Cards golfer has claimed top honors.

UofL heads to Palm Harbor, FL. next...to compete in the BIG EAST Championships. They tee it up for first round action on April 17th. GOOD LUCK, Ladies...bring home the title!

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D'Ana McCarty has been named BIG EAST Field Athlete of the Week for her outstanding tosses in the Florida Invitational. She won the shot put down in Gainesville and finished fifth in the discus. McCarty has the top throws in the shot and discus in the BIG EAST this season.

The Cards will have their first home outdoor meet at Cardinal Park...the Texas Roadhouse Border Battle on Saturday, April 9th. The field events are slated to begin around 10:30 a.m. You owe it to yourself to go early and see the incredible women's throwers...McCarty and Khadija Abdullah are two of the best in the nation and teammates Hannah Baker, Patrice Gates and Chinwe Okoro, among others, are also top flight competitors as well.

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Give it up for the Texas A&M Aggies, who took the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship last night over Notre Dame 76-70. Massive center Danielle Adams pounded the paint for 30 points in the Aggies first ever women's basketball title. They trailed the Irish by two at the half, but rode the sturdy shoulders of Adams to the victory.

Adams spent two years at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, MO...a junior college...before heading to A&M and College Station, TX. While at Jefferson, she was on the team with Louisville's LaToya Johnson and both were targets of Jeff Walz's attempts to get them to come to Louisville.

LaToya was a first team WBCA/State Farm JC/CC All-American at Jefferson and the Cards had high hopes for her on the court when she arrived at Louisville in 2009. Injuries, however, plagued her during her two year stay...participating in only 10 games her junior year and just five contests this season.

Adams was the ju-co Player of the Year when she came to visit Louisville in April 2009. She chose A&M over Louisville, Mississippi State and Auburn. WE'VE always felt she was the second best center in the BIG 12...behind Baylor's Brittany Griner...but she was definitely the best center on the court last night.

All in all, a good season of women's college basketball. We were disappointed that the much ballyhooed match-up between Tennessee and Connecticut never materialized in the NCAA Tournament and a bit disappointed that Louisville's furious rally against Gonzaga fell a bit short...but enjoyed following the action in the BIG EAST and saw some great games this year. We've said it before and we'll say it again...the BIG EAST is the best conference in college women's basketball. Two participants in the FINAL FOUR. As John Calipari said, a few days back...paraphrazing..."They want to be us."

Had a recent conversation with someone who was disappointed that the none of the four #1 seeds made the final game. Like I told him, the favorites don't win every race...and the Aggies and Irish both won and advance...which is what you have to do this time of year. They both defeated teams that defeated them three times during the regular season to get to Indy's final game and deserve the kudos. On any given night...you know the rest.

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Pam Oliver sprang the upset on Erin Andrews in the final match up of the Sideline Reporters Championship here at Cardinal Couple. Oliver received a strong blast of votes at the beginning of Tuesday and was able to hold off a furious Andrews rally late Tuesday evening. We did close the voting at midnight. If we had let it run until Wednesday morning, Andrews would have been the winner..since several e-mail in he favor arrived after midnight. OK. It's over. Thanks for participating and we'll send Bill the Goat over to the Oliver's household to perform landscaping and trash disposal duties, in the way only Bill can do them, as a reward.

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We would like to thank our readers for the overwhelming hit count we received Tuesday. We received 5 times the number of average daily hits..and we're  guessing that it had nothing to do with the Sideline Announcers Championship. We're glad you chose CARDINAL COUPLE and invite you back as regular readers. We got tons of e-mails yesterday, too and almost all of them were positive, enjoyable to read and enlightening. We were proud to announce and detail the news of Jude Schimmel's comments. We think she'll like Louisville and Louisville is definitely going to like her.

We must make one thing perfectly clear, though. We are an independent site and not affiliated with the University of Louisville in any way, shape or form We are NOT a UofL run site and we are not paid by the University of Louisville. (They are nice enough to let us dine at the media buffet, though, at selected sporting events.) We very much appreciate all the things that the University does for us though...media access to sporting events, e-mails on specific sports from sports information directors and chances for player and coach interviews. We provide this coverage as a non-profit, unbiased entity. We haven't quit our chosen professions, though...we need no 'thank you's' or 'attaboys'. We also don't need any kibbutzing or back seat drivers.

CARDINAL COUPLE tries to express UofL women's sports for a fan's perspective. And, that's what we are... fans. We've got a combined 100+ years of following and attending events and games for women's athletics at UofL between Paul, (46) Sonja (31) and David Watson (26). We were Cardinals, when Cardinals weren't cool. We've seen changes in coaches, staff, administrative and support personnel. We've been told we should drop the format and cover "sports people care about..like football and men's basketball". We didn't listen. We were there and in the stands way before Jurich, Pitino, Walz, Ramsey or McCoughtry arrived. And, We are still there.

Make no mistake on this next part and read it carefully if you need to. A lot of the opinions and comments made here are those of the staff of CARDINAL COUPLE. We sometimes have to temper, change and alter what we say, how we say it and decide if we can say it or not because of deferrence to those who are involved for pay with UofL women's athletics. We gladly do this. But, we are nobody's "boy" and won't be imtimidated by entities or threats. We will shut this sucker down before that happens. We gladly take and appeciate advice and comments. We don't take dictation, though. Other blogs and websites out there may be more popular and receive more readers...but they will never control or decide what we report on and how we do it.  You run your site(s), we'll run ours. You're legal threats don't scare us, and you have no idea who we have retained as legal counsel...and you don't want to find out.

Freedom of speech, press and the rights to discuss topics and events are inalienable. Ours will never be silenced or controlled by other parties under duress or means of intimidation. We will not be intimidated by bully tactics and we'll battle like hell to defend our rights and freedoms. No puppets on a string here...dancing for "the man". We aren't "a pay for" or suscriber site. We will never be...and we'll defend that right and privledge. This little dog isn't going to stop barking.

After all, it's you... the reader, that ultimately decides whether CARDINAL COUPLE is a site you want to visit or not. We've gotten praise for this site from sources and people we never, ever thought or imagined would read it. We've also gotten slanderous threats, attempts to control and dictate formatting and hateful e-mails like you wouldn't believe. It's all part of it. Opinions are opinions. You say "tomato" We say "ketchup".

Sometimes, we wonder if it's all worth it. Then, we think of a solidary figure, running and sweating in the hot summer sun, striving to be a little better at what they do. Doesn't matter if it's non-revenue or not. Doesn't matter if there are 23,000 people or 23 watching. It's the effort. The personal acheivment. The dream of bettering a performance by a second...practicing a shot,  perfecting a kick and working on a pass, throw, draw or fielding opportunity. Doesn't that person deserve a little press, a little praise and print, too? We, as fans, applaud the effort and we'll spread the news about it.

We're still here. We're growing daily and have to shake our heads in wonder and amazement over how much we've grown in popularity and internet traffic since we started this site (basically on a dare and challenge) and we're not changing. Not trying to brag or be boastful. Just stating the actual and factual.

Sorry for the seriousness of tone involved in the above section, but we'll be damned if we're going to be considered as "controllable" and "questionable". You don't like what you read here? Then, don't click on the site. If you do, tell a friend or fellow fan. And don't stop believing. We aren't bullies, we don't like bullies and we'll defend the innocent from them...if we have to. To paraphraze and borrow fron the legendary musician/entertainer Charlie Daniels...

"We ain't askin' nobody for nothing
If we can't get it on our own...
If you don't like the things we're saying
You just leave this Cardinal couple alone..."

Good... now that we've gotten a little housekeeping out of the way...who's up for Chinese takeout?
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Jude Schimmel says she's Louisville bound.

TUESDAY @ CARDINAL COUPLE




JUDE SCHIMMEL HEADED TO THE 'VILLE

Jude ready to be a Lard Card?

Portland (OR) Franklin High School star Jude Schimmel is headed to the Louisville Cardinals to join her sister Shoni on the Lady Cards basketball team. Jude confirmed the selection when talking with an OREGON LIVE reporter after the Oregon vs. Washington All-Star Game.

When asked how things were going in the college selection process, Jude replied:



"I'm pretty sure I'm going to Louisville with my sister. I really like the coaches there and it's a plus that my sister is there and I think it's the best decision for me."

 (On the family connection with Shoni at Louisville)

"It's just a plus. The coaches were really nice and the girls were really nice when I got to meet them.

(On watching the NCAA Women's Tournament)

"I got to see my sister and Louisville play in Gonzaga. Other than that..no."

Jeff Walz swishes another three pointer with the seemingly iron-clad commitment from Jude Schimmel. The true point guard can drill deep range threes and also drive and penetrate the lane, using her quickness to blow by defending guards. Like Shoni, she's also proficient in passing..willing to give up the orb to set a teammate up for a score.

Her LOI isn't in the Louisville recruits folder yet, but her words give credence to what we've been saying since the start of the basketball season...that Jude would follow Shoni to Louisville when her high school days were over. Her addition to the Louisville roster gives the Lady Cards one of the strongest and deepest back courts in women's college basketball. Many Cardinal fans have expected this move for quite some time 

The Cards have had several sibling combinations in basketball over the years but this would be the first time sisters have competed on the same team that we can remember for the Lady Cards. Men's hoops followers will remember Scooter and Rodney McCray and Charlie and Kent Jones.

The Lady Cards currently return Tia Gibbs, Becky Burke, Shelby Harper, Charmaine Tay, Rachel Story and Nikki Burton at guards...along with Shoni. Whether Burton will be able to come off a groin and hip injury that sidelined her this season and compete remains to be seen.

WE'VE learned over the years that it's never official until the fax is sent and signed...but for right now, it looks like Louisville public address announcer Sean Moth will have another new name to intone after made baskets and dished out assists. Schimmel would join All-American Sara Hammond on campus as a freshman and the Cards fans are still hoping that All-American guard Bria Smith will turn their way as well, after receiving a release from her letter of  intent to Virginia. .

This acknowledgement of her desire to be a Lady Cards hoopster verifies what Jude said shortly after Shoni committed to Louisville last June...that she'd like to play college ball with her older sister. On court, the two have almost a psychic, fifth dimension awareness and recognition of where and what the other up to. Plus, Jude is quite capable and knowledgable of the fact that Shoni will potentially attempt any move, shot or pass  at any time...an aspect of her game that this current bunch of Lady Cards learned as the season progressed. The "surprise" factor is a non-entity when the two are on the court together. We're not automatically handing her the point guard spot, mind you. Chances are she'll be developed, progress and be groomed for playing time much in the way Charmaine Tay was this season...without the melodrama.  And, Tay probably isn't ready to turn over the keys to the Cardinal offense without a bit of "come take it from me" competition.

The "get" is huge for the Cards in terms of Walz establishing his mark as a top flight recruiter. We have no doubt that Jude could have shown up on any major campus in women's college basketball and become an impact player as a freshman...but, as she said, she liked the coaches at Louisville. Liking your coaches. That would seem to be a pretty important part in making a college basketball decision...

We'll go with one of Sonja's infamous poems here to celebrate the event...(to the tune of The Beatles' HEY, JUDE.)

Hey Jude.
You make us glad
That you're going to be a Cardinal
Remember...to listen to coach Walz
You'll love "Walz Ball"..
and the brand new YUM Center.

Hey Jude
We love your game
Take your sister 's lead on how to win here.
The minute you step onto Crum Court
You will exhort
"There is nothing better!"

Ringo, Paul, George and John might have written a song about Jude Schimmel if they were
still recording as the Beatles. Of course, John and George would need to be alive...
The original "Hey, Jude" was written by Paul McCartney about
John Lennon's son Julian...

And any time you touch the ball
Shots fall, fans call
Your name along with all of your teammates'
So, pass it out and work it in
Hey Jude, begin
To help the Cards advance past the GREAT EIGHT.

NA na na na na...na na na...

Hey Jude, don't be afraid..
You were born to make teammates better
Remember the team is always the key
With them, you'll be
A bottom of netter...

Na na na na na na na
Na na na na...Hey Jude

You can hear Jude's comments and see a video of her highlights against the Washington All-Star team at Oregonlive.com or on the CARDINAL COUPLE Facebook page. Our buddy Charlie "the observer" has it linked up over at the UofL Card Game site... http://www.uoflcardgame.com/ as well.



Cards sweep the Pirates, Lacrosse loses and Final Four recap

MONDAY at CARDINAL COUPLE


Cards improve to 5-1 in BIG EAST



-Louisville wins 9-3 over Seton Hall

-Lacrosse falls to Ohio State

-Women's Tennis drops match to VCU

-Who'da thunk it? Notre Dame and A&M?

-Andrews and Oliver reach the final

-Dialed In catches Shackleford in Fla. Derby

Sandy Pearsall's University of Louisville Softball team got a big effort out of Katie Keller yesterday in a romp of visiting Seton Hall. The freshman went 3 for 4 and drove in five runs in the Cardinal 9-3 win. Caralisa Connell added 10 strikeouts in the victory for the Cards.

Louisville took a lead they never relinquished in the bottom of the third when Keller singled home Jennifer Esteban and then scored on a booming Chelsea Bemis double. The Cards added to the 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth thanks to Keller, who popped a pitch over the left field fence that scored her, Hannah Kiyohara and Esteban. The Cards plated five runs total in the fourth and had a commanding 7-0 lead.

Louisville inserted Katie Petrino on the mound to start the fifth but it didn't go too well for the newest member of the Birds...Petrino walked two and gave up a single to fill the bags. A two run double and RBI single gave the Pirates three runs on board and Connell re-entered the game to pitch the Cards out of the jam. Louisville got two of the runs back in the sixth when Keller singled home Esteban and then scored on a Alicja Wolny double. Louisville led 9-3 and that ended up being the final score.

Connell was credited with seven innings of work...fanning 10 Pirates and allowing only two hits.

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Louisville Lacrosse rallied in the second half but dropped a match at Louisville Lacrosse Stadium to Ohio State 16-11. Trailing 9-4 early in the second half, the Cards rallied to cut the lead to 9-8 but could never gain the lead. #20 Louisville falls to 8-2 on the season.

The Cards got 4 scores from Liz Lovejoy in the match, Katie Oliverio, Emily Dashiell and Bergan Foley added two goals each in the defeat. Jamie Redding added one goal for the Cards. Redding is a perfect five shots for five goals in the season.  After Louisville cut the margin to one...the Buckeyes rallied for five straight goals and led 14-8...a margin Louisville couldn't overcome.

The Cards hit the road next for a Friday tilt again BIG EAST opponent Loyola (MD).

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Women's tennis got ran by VCU yesterday 6-1 with first team doubles partners Julie Fellerhoff and Rebecca Shine picking up the only win of the day. The Cards lost all the singles matches in two sets except for Fellerhoff's three set defeat as the #1 seed. The Cards are 11-8 on the year in dual matches and end the season with competition on the road at Tulsa, Rice and Houston before the BIG EAST Tournament.

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The NCAA Final Four Semifinals didn't go the way most experts predicted (including the 'so-called' experts here at CARDINAL COUPLE) with #1 seed Stanford falling to #2 seed Texas A&M Aggies and #1 seed Connecticut bowing to #2 seed Notre Dame. All season long we heard about how predictable the upcoming FINAL FOUR would be..with Tennessee, Baylor, Stanford and Connecticut the expected participants. Goes to show that upsets can and do happen  in the ladies's game as well and that the mighty Connecticut is beatable.

WE like it here at CARDINAL COUPLE. Both winners last trailed at halftime but never gave up. The Aggies vs. Trees game was especially exciting at the end..a wild finish that saw the Aggies' Tyra White score on a pass from Sydney Colson with 3.3 seconds left to win 63-62. Hats off to senior Stanford star Nnemkadi Ogwumike for 31 points and a go-ahead Stanford score with 9.2 seconds remaining...but A&M would not be denied their first trip in school history to the title. The Aggies center Danielle Adams reminds us so much of former Lady Card Tise Wright and Louisville was one of the final schools that Adams considered coming out of junior college before coming to College Station.

Notre Dame got a huge effort from sophomore Skylar Diggins to defeat the Huskies for the first time in four attempts this year. Maya Moore was spectacular in defeat with 36 of Connecticut's 63 points and leading the charge to cut a sizable Irish lead to three late in the game...but depth prevailed here and the Irish led by 12 with six minutes to go. Forget the rhetoric that all coaches pare down their lineups to 6-7 players at tournament time. A&M played 10 last night. Stanford nine. Notre Dame eight players and Geno would have used more than seven if he'd had the bench and talent available to do it.

Quite often this year, the "Fab Four" of UConn, Tennessee, Baylor and Stanford have held the national headlines concerning women's basketball captive and it's refreshing to see two teams that haven't been in the national title talk advance to the final game. Granted #2 seeds making the National Women's Championship game isn't as big a underdog story as what has transpired on the men's side of college hoops, but how many of you had a Final Four women's bracket that had UND and Texas A&M advancing to the final game? Thought so. We didn't either. We know that Maya Moore is the best college women's hoopster. Brittany Griner is the best post player in the women's college game. But, it goes to show that basketball is a team game and anything can happen on any given night...We like the affable Aggie coach Gary Blair and his positive approach to the game. Muffett McGraw and her wild fashion statements and the famous sideline squat during game action. They paint a contrasting picture to the austere Tara Vanderveer and smirking, quizzical Geno Auriemma. We realize that Geno and Tara are two of the top coaches in all-time history...but sometimes the sun shines on someone else besides the lead dogs. Tuesday night's game should be a doozy.

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Erin Andrews romped Allison Williams and Pam Oliver squeaked out a narrow win over Andrea Kremer in the Sideline Announcers' Final Four here a CARDINAL COUPLE. WE'LL have the final match Tuesday. Place your votes in the comments section here or at cardinalcouple@insightbb.com

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A major prep race leading up to the Kentucky Derby was held yesterday at Gulfstream Park in Hallendale, Florida and DIALED IN made a claim to be a horse that needs to be considered when making those Derby picks. His late running style prevailed yesterday in the mile and eighth race on the dirt...catching longshot SHACKLEFORD at the wire and winning by a head. The efforts of SHACKLEFORD last time out in the Fountain of Youth gave no indication that he'd be a front runner and almost pull the upset...especially against a field that contained other Derby hopefuls Soldat, Stay Thirsty and To Honor and Serve. He finished a dismal fifth in the Fountain of Youth but trainer Dale Romans felt the 3 yr. old had a big race in him based on workouts leading up to the Florida Derby. He got a perfect ride from Jesus Castanon, led down the stretch and narrowly missed at 69-1. Churchill Downs based Romans also got a big win in the Appleton Stakes earlier in the card when 4 yr. old Little Mike went wire to wire and won by a length.

WE were rewarded for our efforts from tossing the Romans/Castanon entry into our wager for the Florida Derby . A simple $1 exacta box with Dialied In, To Honor and Serve, Shackleford, Stay Thirsty and Soldat cost $20 and returned $169.80. That, and a nice exacta score in the previous race with SS Stone and Jackson Bend, easily covered the afternoon's wagering and returned a tidy profit.

Whether Dialed In can turn the tables on Kentucky Derby Future Wager favorite Uncle Mo or upstart Premier Pegasus remains to be seen...but the Churchill Downs stretch is a long one and Dilaed In loves to fly from last or far back. We got down $5 on him...along with Uncle Mo...just in case.

Churchill Downs simulcasting when the horses aren't running at the 'most legendary track' in the world can be hit or miss...Despite the profitable day yesterday, long lines and a lack of tellers at the windows nearly caused us to miss several eventual winning wagers. We finally started using the automatic betting machines...but people who have no idea how to work these things need to refrain from the temptation of trying to use them and watch and observe a few times before attempting. Paul watched one befuddled guy spend three minutes trying to figure out how to place a $10 show bet...and then he forgot his cash voucher  when he finally accomplished the feat. A honest person waiting paitently behind him recalled him to the scene to point out his $40 balance. Stick to betting with live tellers, rookies...
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Softball sweeps Seton Hall, Lacrosse vs. Ohio State today

CARDINAL COUPLE SUNDAY

-Cards improve to 4-1 in BIG EAST with sweep

-Katie Petrino joins softball squad

-Lacrosse against Ohio State today

-The Final Four...some thoughts and picks

-Sidelne Announcers Final Four

Louisville softball relied on the arm of Caralisa Connell yesterday and powerful hitting as the Cards sunk the Pirates 7-2 and 10-2 in BIG EAST softball action at Ulmer Stadium.

It's a Louisville team that is without the services of 2/3rds the pitching staff. Last year's #2 and #3 pitchers Tori Collins and Chelsea Leonard, who figured prominently in Sandy Pearsall's plans for the 2011 season are sidelined...Leonard most likely for the season with a knee injury and Collins with a fractured foot. Collins could possibily return in a couple of weeks. The pitching job has been turned over to true freshman Caralisa Connell and she's responded with six straight wins...since last Saturday...all complete games...and a 12-4 record on the year.

Louisville took the fight early to the Pirates in the first game, a Maggie Ruckenbrod double scored Chelsea Bemis in the 2nd inning to make it 1-0. Louisville added two in the third when Ruckenbrod singled to score Alicja Wolny and Kristin Austin's single brought home Chelsea Bemis. Katie Keller's solo shot in the 4th. increased the Cards lead to 4-0 and they ended the inning ahead 6-0, thanks to a timely triple from Alicja Wolny.

After the Pirates plated two runs in the top of the fifth, the Cards added their final run in the bottom of the inning when Hannah Kiyohara singled home Keller for the 7-2 win. Connell struck out eight in the victory and scattered seven hits.

In game two, the Cards gave up an early run to Seton Hall in the first but tied it in the bottom half on the inning when Keller reached on a fielder's choice and scored on an error. Louisville broke it open in the home half of the second with five runs on five hits and an error. Taner Fowler's double and Keller's single were key in the the outburst.

After Seton Hall got one back in the third, to make it 6-2...Louisville (25-10) went wild in the fifth with four runs for the final 10-2 margin. Singles from Austin, Fowler and Kiyohara produced two runs, Esteban double put runners on second and third and she and Kiyohara scored on a Keller double to end it.

The teams match up for the final game in the series today at 11 a.m.

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The Cards added backup pitching relief to the roster when Katie Petrino walked on the team before action on Saturday. If the name sounds familiar, it is. Her father Bobby Petrino was head football coach at Louisville for five years before accepting the job with the Atlanta Falcons NFL franchise. Katie is a redshirt freshman at Louisville who came here to compete on golf team. She was the starting pitcher on two Fayetteville, Arkansas state championship high school softball teams, though...and won several regional and local awards while on the mound...including two First Team All-Arkansas roster selecions. Ms. Petrino can "wail it a ton off the tee" according to Louisville women's golf coach Kelly Meyers Rothberg. Let's hope she carries the right ball to the mound if she toes the strip for the softball Cards...

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Lacrosse brings in Ohio State for a 1 p.m. match today at the Louisville Lacrosse Stadium. The wicket Cards are ranked #20 in the nation and are coming off a 12-6 win over Vanderbilt in their last outing. The 8-1 Cards have scored in double digits in the last 19 games. Liz Lovejoy had four goals in the recent win and Bergan Foley added the final two scores i the win over #13 ranked Vandy.

This is "Friends of Jaclyn" day at the stadium and donations will be accepted for the foundation that strives to improve the quality of life for children who have pediatric brain tumors.

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The Final Four is set in Indy and Connecticut, Notre Dame, Texas A&M and Stanford fight today for the right to play in Tuesday night's title game at the Conseco Fieldhouse. The Irish and Huskies are no strangers to each other, having met twice before this year. Connecticut defeated the Irish 79-76 in South Bend and 73-64 in the finals of the BIG EAST Tournament. The Huskies haven't loss since a 71-59 defeat to Stanford on Dec.30th. in the Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto, CA.

WE see UConn surviving a close battle against the Irish in the 9:30 p.m. game tonight. The Huskies will have to win the battle of the boards against Bruiser Bruszewski  and Devereaux Peters. They'll also need to shut down guards Skylar Diggins and Brittany Mallory. WE'RE impressed with the improvement of Huskies' freshman center Stefanie Dolson throughout the season, though...and there's the Maya Moore factor, as well. A key could be the play of freshman Bria Hartley at point for UConn. 

The evening of hoops begins at 7:30 with the Texas A&M Aggies squaring off against the Stanford Cardinal. The Aggies surprised most by punching a ticket to 'Naptown' with a win over Baylor...a team that had beaten them three times in the regular season. Danielle Adams is a powerful center and prolific scorer. Stanford cruised through the PAC 10 schedule and then ousted Cinderella story Gonzaga in Spokane without much trouble. Coached by Tara VanDerveer and featuring the powerful Ogwumike sisters in the paint, Stanford can hurt you several ways...younger sis Chiney was named to the First Team Freshman All-American team and big sis Nnemkadi to the State Farm All Coaches First Team. Hmmm...Ogwumike must translate into "basketball" in Nigeria. They also have two younger sisters and older sis Gabe has played professionally in Europe and the WNBA. WE'RE betting those back yard battles in Texas are something to see...

WE'LL be pretty obvious here and selected the Stanford squad to slip into the Finals over A&M. Seniors Kayla Pederson and Jeanette Pohlen give the Trees a couple of more scoring options and Stanford is the only team to hang a "L" on UConn this year...that's enough to convince us that they're the shining star on the west coast. 

Is college basketball ready, though...for the possibility of BOTH title holders being from Storrs, Connecticut? Do the people in Connecticut need their egos inflated anymore? Are Jim Calhoun and Geno Auriemma actually the same person? How flooded was the Lexington. KY crisis hotline last night after "dem Kats" bowed out to the Huskies? Yeah...looks like a beautiful Sunday on tap today.

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Erin Andrews takes on Allison Williams in one of the semifinals today in the Sideline Annoucers Final Four. Is she the UConn of microphone holders?





The FINAL FOUR in our sideline announcers contest takes place today also. We've got Erin Andrews takng on newcomer Allison Williams and Pam Oliver matched up against Andrea Kremer. You can vote in the comments section here, or at cardinalcouple@insightbb.com



Does the veteran Kremer have what it takes to hold off Pam Oliver?

We'll announce the results in the Monday edition of CARDINAL COUPLE...

How do you do...TCU... & Schimmel named First Team Freshman All-American

- A look at what TCU will bring to BIG EAST women's sports...
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-Shoni Schimmel named to Freshman All-American First Team !!!
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-Khadija Abdullah wins discus toss
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Texas Christian University (TCU) is slated to become the newest member of the BIG EAST. The Horned Frogs, currently members of the Mountain West Conference (MWC) will compete with BIG EAST schools beginning in the 2012-13 season. Although that's over a year away, WE thought WE'D take a look at what women's sports TCU participates in and how they are doing. They currently have 10 women's sports programs.
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Basketball. The Horned Frogs went 22-11 in the 2010-11 season. They accepted a bid to the WNIT and lost to Oral Roberts. They're entering the best conference in women's basketball with their admission to the BIG EAST. WE can't see them making much of an impact against the Connecticut's, Norte Dame's, DePaul's and Louisville's of the conference and they'll most likely be down in the cellar of BIG EAST standings...with teams such as South Florida and Villanova.
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Volleyball. They finished the current season 15-16 and went 5-11 in conference play. No postseason play. MWC isn't considered a conference powerhouse in  Volleyball and TCU's seventh place MWC finish indicates to us that they won't be one of the teams challenging Cincinnati, Notre Dame and Louisville for conference superiority.
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Golf. They are currently ranked 33rd in the country. Their finishes in several tournaments and invitational has been impressive, although they haven't won any of the events. They are led by junior Brooke Beeler and freshman Sanna Nuutinen, from Sweden. There isn't much organization to the BIG EAST when it comes to golf..so it's hard to say how they'll matchup with Louisville, South Florida and Notre Dame in regional and BIG EAST Tournament events...
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Soccer. They finished the past season with a 7-10-2 record and had an eighth place finish in the MWC with a 1-5-1 record. They probably won't fare much better than that in the BIG EAST.
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Swimming/Diving. They were 4-4 in dual meets in the 2010-11 season. TCU recorded a fifth place regular season finish in the MWC and sixth in the MWC Championship Tournament. That won't hold much water against Notre Dame, Louisville and the other BIG EAST teams...
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Tennis. They are 6-6 so far this season. They are competing in the MWC against powerhouse BYU and the Horned Frogs are ranked 75th. in the nation. Not much there in term of competition against the BIG EAST schools.
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Track and Field. They recently competed in the MWC Championships and Jessica Young won the 60 and 200 meter dashes. Kristal Juarez took the 400m title. The BIG EAST isn't a very strong conference i track and field...TCU could be a contender when they make the move eastward.
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Cross Country. They have participated in six events this year, winning the UT-Arlington Invitational and gathering second in the Baylor Bear Run Invitational. Hard to say, really, how they'll fare in the BIG EAST Championships down the road..as the times of the runners are the only comparison...but their good finishes in the above mentioned events indicate that their program isn't too bad...
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TCU also competes in Equestrian and Rifle on the women's side of the sports ledger. Louisville doesn't...although you would think the Cards probably should...given we are in horse country and the thoroughbred capital of the world. Better get to work on that one, Mr. Jurich. Jump that fence...As far as rifle goes...we don't know how many BIG EAST school participate in this sport. We know WVU is pretty good. It figures....
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What stands out here the most to us is that they don't play softball, field hockey or lacrosse...three of the more popular sports in the BIG EAST...after basketball. Softball is surprising, but it may have to do with the size of the school..8799 students. Given the probable, close to 50/50 split of male/female...a student base of 4400 or so females is comparable to some of the smaller schools in the BIG EAST, but nowhere near the large campus populations of schools such as WVU, USF, or UofL. Then again, WVU doesn't play softball either...so who really knows? The state of Texas produces a wealth of good high school talent each year and the University of Texas seems to be consistently ranked it the top 10 each year. Whether the Horned Frogs will add sports when they join the BIG EAST is unclear and unknown at the time of this article.
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They are affiliated, but not governed by the Christian church (Disciples of Christ). That will be an interesting contrast to the BIG EAST's Catholic dominated member makeup. DePaul, Marquette, Villanova, Providence, St John's, Notre Dame, Seton Hall, and Georgetown  ...8 of the 16 current members of the BIG EAST are Catholic affiliated.
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Obviously, the move to the BIG EAST is totally centered around football. The impact of the move on BIG EAST women's sports is negligible at best and with their being the westernmost school in the BIG EAST...a traveling headache for the east coast schools in non revenue sports like tennis, soccer and swimming.
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Louisiville women's basketball freshman guard Shoni Schimmel has been selected to the All-American Freshman First team by Full Court Press. She joins Bria Hartley (Connecticut), Odyssey Sims (Baylor) Meighan Simmons (Tennessee) and Chiney Ogwumike (Stanford).  Schimmel was the Lady Cards second leading scorer on the season with 15.1 ppg. In NCAA Tournament play, she led the Cards with 23.3 ppg in three contests. She was also named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week four times. Schimmel was also selected for the BIG EAST Freshman First team.
Her 33 point performance against Xavier in NCAA Second Round action led the Cards to an upset win  and the NCAA Regionals.
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Schimmel's jersey will hang from the rafters in the KFC YUM Center someday...most likely immediately after she finishes her four years at Louisville. The debate is already beginning on who will be the best Cardinal women's basketball player of all-time...Schimmel or Angel McCoughtry? WE think it's way too early to get into such conjecture and comparision yet....but Schimmel's impact on the Louisville team, Louisville fans and the national media has been huge and rightly justified. WE can't wait for "the Sho" to begin this fall...
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CONGRATS, SHOTIME!!! Just a preview of what's to come from  "The Judge".
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Khadija Abdullah took first in the Florida Relays with a discus toss of 157-10. Then, D'Ana McCarty took fifth in the invitational discus toss with a hurl of 166-5. WE know...D'Ana threw better but finished fifth. The events were different, though and congratulations to both Cardinals...
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Walz, Strong switch jobs....Cards drop baseball...Hoops move out of YUM!

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HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY FRIDAY @ C.C.

(TODAY'S CARDINAL COUPLE IS THE ANNUAL PARODY BLOG. WE'LL RETURN TO SERIOUSNESS ON SATURDAY)



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-Walz,  Strong change jobs

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-Louisville drops baseball, adds rifle

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-Softball team builds dome

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-Mann changes track practice routine
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-Men's hoops move out of the KFC YUM! Center.
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In a stunning coaching swap, Jeff Walz and Charlie Strong have changed jobs at the University of Louisville. Beginning Saturday, Jeff Walz will guide the UofL football team and Charlie Strong takes over the Lady Cards basketball squad. The news was announced at midnight in a packed Beef O' Brady's...across from Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.

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"Jeff and I were talking about how much we liked attending each other's games...and we decided to take it one step further and start coaching each other's sports." Strong enthusiastically rambled while hoisting a shot of tequila over his head at the popular Central Ave.restaurant. "I've got daughters, so this should be a snap for me and Walz...he's excited as all heck to be able and play in front of 50,000 beer soaked and indifferent fans."

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Walz was more tactical above the move. "You know what...? We can't kick the ball in hoops. There's been plenty of times I've wanted to...but it usually draws a technical. Now, I can order a kick any old time I want. And helmets...can't talk enough about those. I've been a helmet fan since the days of Bart Starr strapping on the Green Bay yellow and green and handing the ball to Paul Hornung. Now I get to watch 100's of guys run around in them. We tried Asia Taylor in one this year in practice, just to see how it would relate to the women's basketball game...but she knocked out two of our practice guys, assistant coach Norman and then she kept spiking the basketball every time we got the ball in the paint to her." 

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Player reaction was mixed.

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"Yeah, sure...whatever." Shoni Schimmel growled while slamming in to a practice dummy. "I came here to play for Coach Walz...so if switching sports is what I have to do...there you go. It'll give me a chance to grow and bond with some new teammates and wait till the fans see my behind the back sideline toss to Josh Chichester."

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"Whaddya mean they can't tackle in hoops?"






Incoming QB hopeful Teddy Bridgewater was more to the point. "The only reason they're doing this is because in order for Damarcus Smith to get out of his LOI with UCF, he's undergoing a sex change operation. He's now DaMama Smith and  no way O'Leary holds him to that letter after that. Smith can come to UofL...play four years for Strong as a shooting guard and explore a whole new world of relationships. I don't care who is coaching football. Just give me a offensive line that can give me five seconds to get a pass off and I'm cool."



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Tom Jurich beamed in approval as we watched the two coaches exchange playbooks and recruit lists. "At first, I though they were crazy." Jurich confided. "But the more I talked to them..and the more Miller Lite I belted back...it began to make sense. We are "possibility city" here in Louisville, after all. ESPN, CBS, Turner Sports, ICN2...all the major sports media giants will be here giving the Louisville teams mass coverage. And that is sweet, dude!" 

"You will shoot straight freshman Joker and you WILL beat Kentucky tomorrow!"

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Because of plans to convert Jim Patterson Stadium into a outdoor roller skating rink, the University of Louisville has decided to drop baseball from men's sports and add rifle as a collegiate sport. Heading up the Cardinals new squad will be no other than actor R. Lee Ermey.

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Ermey's introductory remarks delighted a collection of reporters and rednecks gathered at the Louisville Sports Report parking lot...After spraying several rounds from an assault rifle over the spectator's heads, slightly injuring Howie Lindsey...who was parking his ice cream truck, Ermey addressed the crowd:

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"We will shoot straight, we will hit our intended targets...before they hit us and we will not lose. These guys are no longer with their mothers.I'm going to make killing machines out of them and they will proudly represent the University of Louisville with guns, bullets, superior strategy and fire power." Ermey assured the listeners... while standing on a dumpster. "We will fill Floyd Street with the blood of our enemy."

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When the sport of rifling was explained to Ermey...he seemed a bit crestfallen, but continued. " Aw, hell...it's a start, I guess. We'll petition the NCAA for some rules changes."

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Former baseball coach Dan McDonnell was diplomatic about the news. "Look, it's too cold up here to play baseball till May anyway and I won't miss those 30 or below degree practices at 10 a.m. I will miss the trips to California and Florida, though...so I've decided to become a semi-driver and still be able to go to spots like that. The players? Sure, they're disappointed. Means they got to transfer and impress a new coach. I'd be bent out of shape, too. But, if they want to join me in the big rig as I motor down I-75...they're more than welcome. We can listen to baseball games on the radio and maybe stop off in places like Atlanta, or Tampa Bay and see major leaguers play..."

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Tom Jurich was evasive about the switch. "Let's just say the Louisville Metro planning commission made me an offer I couldn't refuse. We're petitioning the NCAA to get Roller Derby sanctioned as a sport. That's about the only thing I can figure out to do with what's coming. Ice rink, yeah...I get that but, roller? Whatever..."

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Karen Sypher leaves the UofL administrative offices after being denied an application for the men's basketball coaching job.

Softball remains at Louisville and head coach Sandy Pearsall is taking every advantage of it. Recently, she undertook the massive project of building a dome over Ulmer Stadium. The catch is, it isn't being funded by the University or state.

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"I've got the girls selling brownies, holding car washes, playing the ponies, scratching lottery tickets and standing at busy intersections with collection buckets...any idea I can think of making money for the dome, I've considered and probably tried." Pearsall told court-ordered attorneys before she was led away in shackles. "They finish study hall at night and it's off to the University Club kitchen to bake and slice. Then, it's four hours of construction each morning before classes. Chelsea Bemis can lay bricks as good as any guy in a hard hat and you ought to see how high Taner Fowler can jump when painting drywall. We're tired of having to shovel the field clear of snow before games. A dome is long overdue and if Jurich won't fork over the bucks for it...I'll handle it my own way."

The project was put briefly on hold when Pearsall was arrested by campus police for building and staffing a toll booth at the intersection of Brandies and the I-65 South off ramp. "Hey, it was optional. They didn't have to pay us. We just told them that it cost a dollar to access campus this way and if they didn't like it they could get back on the Interstate and get off at the Eastern Parkway exit."  Pearsall explained.

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A spokesman for nearby Kentucky-Indiana Building and Lumber refused to comment on possible kickbacks on softball season tickets in exchange for preferred pricing on building materials. "We have no idea what those girls were up to...but we're missing a bunch of concrete blocks...I can tell you that." supplies manager Plank Longhammer told members of the CARDINAL COUPLE staff shortly before running them off the property for sticking bricks into their pants...FREE PEARSALL! FREE ENES! FREE BEER!!!

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Louisville track and field coach Ron Mann is expecting great success with his newest and most innovative training routine for the track athletes at UofL yet. He's having them practice and run at Churchill Downs with the thoroughbreds stabled there. WE asked Mann about the tactic:

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"They call Churchill Downs 'the most legendary track in the world', so where could be a better place to train track athletes? The dirt's pretty soft, so if the hurdlers fall down, they don't get all bruised up and  it's a mile oval..perfect for our distance runners. Long stretch, too, which is great for the sprinters.

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What about the interaction with the horses in training?

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"What great competition! I tell our kids, if you can outrun a horse, then you're really accomplishing something! Sure,we've had a few miscues...D'Ana McCarty knocked a jockey off a horse one morning when throwing the shot put and one of our sprinters got hung up in the starting gate...but, other than that, it's been a blast. Plus, the kids love to pet the horses and share the stalls with them at night. Just like camping, without the campfire. They frown on that back in the barns. Scares the horses, the flames do."

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What will he do when the live meet begins in May?

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"Well, there's 25-30 minutes in between races...plenty of time to get some laps and sprints in. And, we can always move them to the infield if need be. Nothing much goes on out there, right? I just gotta make sure the discus and javelin throwers don't get too close to the grandstands.."

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Citing annoyance with downtown traffic and outrage over concession stand pricing, Rick Pitino has announced that the UofL men's basketball team will play their 2011-12 home games in the on-campus Cardinal Arena facility in the Student Activities Center instead of the KFC YUM! Downtown Arena.
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"I've had it with trying to negotiate the traffic patterns, stop lights and the exit ramp off of I-64 at Third Street. We're playing our home schedule on campus. I originally wanted to move the games to the YUM practice facility over by Papa John's...but Lacrosse raised all kinds of objections about that...and they're really a bunch of mean babes when you piss 'em off...so we'll play in Cardinal Arena."
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"Another thing...have you purchased anything to eat or drink in the KFC YUM Center? Ridiculous! $7 for a beer, $11 for some chicken strips and french fries...and $8 for a Philly Cheesesteak that you can pick up on any corner in Philly or Trenton for about four bucks...Look, I'm pulling down about $7.5 million a year and even I think those prices are crazy. I can belt back merlot at Gulfstream for $3 a glass and they even give me complementary popcorn and a real glass to drink out of...not a plastic cup."
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When asked what would become of the downtown facility, expressly built for UofL men's and women's basketball...Pitino adjusted his reading glasses and glanced up from his Daily Racing Form...
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"No one is saying the dames still can't play there. They fill the lower level and that's a good thing...because the seats in the 300 level are horrible. I snuck in there when Walz's bunch played Tennessee...I've always had a thing for Pat Summitt...I was disguised as a Peruvian goat herder and no one was the wiser to my get up. I had Steve Mass put on a orange t-shirt and day-glo orange wig and no one recognized him either. We sat in section 303, pounded back Budweisers and nachos and couldn't see a thing down on the court. Had to watch the halfcourt video screen to figure out what was going on. And those steps! No way I'm doing those ever again. I feel bad for the fans who have to sit up there. Jurich should refund their money. Look, the city of Louisville can bring in concerts, host the circus, Disney on Ice, and play indoor major league soccer in there...but they aren't getting my guys anymore. Lost revenue? Not so fast....Cardinal Arena seats about 1000 or so. Sell season tickets at $1,000,000 a pop and...presto...revenue crisis solved. And, there are people out there who will pay that for 15-16 home games. I've got them on my rolodex in case C.A.F. or UofL Marketing needs any help. Plus, I've always wanted to get back to playing in front of fans in wooden bleachers and hard plastic chairs. No fancy,schmancy cloth and cushioned seats, no cupholders or bourbon bars...hoops the way it used to be. When dunks and three pointers didn't rule the game. Gladiators, those guys were. Warriors..."
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Pitino then abruptly left, saying..." I got this thing..across town...where's my driver?" All four reporters at the press conference remained...and played poker....jokers wild. And that sums up today's CARDINAL COUPLE. The joker was wild and the parodies were intended for humor, nothing else. (And, no...we're not switching to covering UK women's sports. Ain't enough money out there to bring that about...)
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(We'll return to regular programming on Saturday. Happy April Fools Day Readers!)

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