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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Greenwell, USA U16 women continue to roll...Coaches gather to "Raise the Bar".

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THURSDAY...as presented by CARDINAL COUPLE

-Greenwell with 22 against Argentina

-Area coaches help raise money

-Danielle Kom...simply the bomb!

The USA 16U team continues to have their way with Central and South American competition...rolling to two big wins in the last couple of days and going in as the #1 seed with a 3-0 record in the semifinals of the FIBA Americas U16 Championship. Tuesday it was Becca Greenwell's turn to pilot the boat and her 22 points and 11 rebounds led the way for USA's 82-46 win over Argentina. Greenwell set USA U16 records for three point field goals attempted (4-10) and total field goals attempted (8-21).

Greenwell has led Team USA in
scoring the last two games.

The USA squad took the game over in the second quarter and then got the job done from the foul line late (17-32) to secure the win. Team USA tied the existing mark for steals in a game with 22 against the Argentina squad.

If Tuesday's game was a blowout, then Wednesday's contest against Venezuela was a powder keg of dynamite going off...Team USA winning 114-32. Greenwell led the squad in scoring again on Wednesday...with 18 points. Five USA players hit double figures in the rout...USA led 59-13 at the half. Mercedes Russell had eight points and eight boards in 13 minutes of action. Only Erica McCall (DNP-knee) failed to score for Jill Rankin's USA squad.

As #1 seed out of Group B, the USA squad advances to the medal semifinals and will play the #2 seed from Group A (still undetermined) on Friday, June 17th.

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L to R in the photo...Denny Crum, Tom Crean, Joker Phillips,
Jeff Walz, Scott Davenport, Wiley Brown and Chad Gilbert.

So...what do you get when you put Denny Crum, Tom Crean, Scotty Davenport, Jeff Walz, Joker Phillips, Wiley Brown and Chad Gilbert in the same room? Besides more sports knowledge that most encyclopedias...a group of coaches dedicated to raising money for kids education and initiative. The Clark County Raising the Bar for Kids Fundraiser brought in over $28,000 in ticket sales alone to help fund the ACT testing initiative. This allows students from the sixth grade and on to take the college entrance exam and improve their scores before they become seniors.

The coaches recalled favorite sports memories over the years and took questions from the crowd in attendance. WE wonder if anyone asked Coach Walz about a starting lineup for the 2011-12 Lady Cards and how he handled the response if they did...

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Danielle is still an avid golfer and
is long off the tee...

CARDINAL COUPLE ran into to Wazoo Sports personality Danielle Kom recently and caught up with her on her future plans. Kom will be headed to Mississippi in July to head up the marketing and communications for an auto dealership in Tupelo. We checked to make sure she wasn't going down there to keep vigil over Elvis's boyhood home...but she's exciting about the career move. Danielle looks to gain additional experience in the corporate world but hasn't ruled out any return to television in the future.

Kom was part of the UofL women's golf team and a member of FCA at UofL. She was also a fixture on the sidelines for UofL women's basketball games the last couple of years and assisted Drew Deener and the guys at Wazoo with live telecasts of sporting events.

She also co-hosts Sunday Sports Buzz with Greg Brohm at 11 p.m. on Channel 21 in the Louisville area. The show is a favorite of CARDINAL COUPLE'S (yes, Paul does stay up past 9 p.m.sometimes) and Kom's presence on the broadcast will be missed.

Good luck down south, Danielle....keep 'em straight and long and avoid the water. We're going to miss you.
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Angel gets her groove back...Greenwell, Russell key USA over Brazil

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Wednesday Edition: CARDINAL COUPLE

-Angel McCoughtry, Atlanta beat New York 79-58

-Opening FIBA game features Russell, Greenwell in USA win.



A healthy Angel is the key to
Atlanta Dream success.



The Atlanta Dream captured their first win of the WNBA season...a 79-58 rout of the New York Liberty in Newark, NJ yesterday. Angel McCoughtry poured in 18 points for the Dream (1-3)...exacting revenge for the opening game of the season loss to the Liberty in Atlanta. The Dream put together runs of 11-0 and 9-0 in the first half and led the Liberty by 12 at halftime.

McCoughtry did the majority of her work in the first half, with 16 of her 18 in the first half. The Dream also got 12 points from front liner Erika DeSouza and Sancho Lyttle added 10. The Dream stretched the lead to 73-50 with five minutes to go in the fourth quarter and coasted in from there.

Former BIG EAST and Rutgers stars Essence Carson and Kia Vaughn led the way for the Liberty (2-2)...Carson scoring 21 points and Vaughn contributing 16. It is the second straight loss for New York at the Prudential Center...after opening the season with two road wins.

Carson had a big first half for the Liberty, with 17 points...but New York could never trim the deficit margin to under ten after the first quarter. Cappie Pondexter, formerly from Rutgers, plays for the Liberty also.

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Mercedes Russell's size advantage proved to
be too much for Brazil in the second half. She's 6'5".

Mercedes Russell had her way with the Brazilian U16 team in first round action in the FIBA Americas U16 Championships in Merita, Mexico...scoring 21 points and grabbing 15 rebound in 31 minutes of play. The USA squad rallied from a 34-31 deficit at halftime to regain the lead...largely due to the play of Rebecca Greenwell, a soon-to-be-junior at Owensboro (KY) Catholic. Greenwell scored the first four points of the second half for USA and ended up with eight points and six rebounds in 30 minutes in the 71-54 win over Brazil.

Greenwell talked about her team's focus in the opener:

"Brazil came out very aggressive and maybe played like they wanted it a little more than us in the first half. But we came down here to win the gold medal. We refocused a little bit at halftime, then came out and really got after it in the second half. Brazil plays a fast-paced game, which is fine with us...it's the way we like to play also."

Greenwell had 27 points in an exhibition game Sunday in the USA's 108-32 win over Mexico. USA will also play Venezuela and Argentina in games this week before the semi-finals and final games this weekend.

Way to represent, Becca! We can help but think that both Greenwell and Russell would look awfully good in Cardinal Red and Black in the KFC YUM! Center... 

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UofL to face DePaul twice in 2011-12 Women's Basketball...we look back at: UofL v. UK

TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE:

-Big East releases 2011-12 matchups in WBB

Doug Bruno, DePaul's WBB head coach
has a rowdy home games fan base for the team.

-We look back at UofL vs. UK in WBB

The format for Big East women's basketball has changed a little bit for the University of Louisville women's basketball season.Instead of playing Cincinnati twice next year...as the Cards have for the past couple of seasons...Louisville will now face DePaul on a home and away basis next season.

Louisville is one of ten teams who will face changes in their repeat opponent. Only three repeat matchups remain the same for 2011-12:

-UConn vs. Notre Dame
-Pittsburgh vs. WVU
-Providence vs. Villanova

According to information released from the BIG EAST conference, the determining factors involved in deciding just who repeat opponents are comes from minimizing travel costs, geographical rivalries, television inventory, RPI implications and competitive issues.

We understand the RPI implications part. Both DePaul and Louisville will most likely be ranked in the NCAA Preseason top 20. Cincinnati won't. This would also cover the competitive issues and possible television interest. As far as travel costs...I'm  guessing it is less expensive to get to Cincinnati than Chicago. Call me crazy. The geographical rivalry part is another question mark. Cardinal fans have always travelled well to watch the Lady Cards play in Cincy. It seemed like Louisville had more people in the seats in Cincy last year than the Bearcats did for the game up there in the 2010-11 season. Will the travel to Chicago draw the same amount of Cardinal fans? 

Cincinnati ended up with Marquette as their doubles partner. Elliott vs. Mitchell in the coaches box. Once again, the geographical and travel costs items don't make sense here...but the good news for fourteen BIG EAST team is that they didn't end up with either UConn or Notre Dame twice.

Louisville's home games in the BIG EAST will be against:
Connecticut
DePaul
Marquette
Notre Dame
Providence
USF
Syracuse
Villanova

Away games:
Cincinnati
DePaul
Georgetown
Pittsburgh
Rutgers
St.John's
Seton Hall
West Virginia

No times, dates or television coverage has officially been released yet.

WE think that the Cards could have beaten Cincinnati twice in the upcoming season and every potential win in the BIG EAST is huge...when you look at the night in - night out level of competition in the NCAA's strongest women's conference. Cincinnati will improve this year over last year's marks...Janelle Elliott is a good coach and has recruiting well...but the talent level in the Queen City still isn't what Louisville has. Against DePaul, the Cards face a team that has some questions marks now that Felicia Chester, Sam Quigley, Deidre Naughton and China Threatt have graduated...but Keisha Hampton, Anna Martin and Katherine Harry return for Bruno's team...who made it to the third round of the NCAA Tournament in 2011 before bowing out to Duke.

Bruno has signed four players for the 2011-12 season, point guards Chanise Jenkins and Brittany Hrynko...both ESPN Top 100 ranked. Wing Alexa Gallagher and shooting guard Negan Rogowski complete the signing class.
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WE LOOK BACK AT:

Sunday, December 5th. Kentucky vs. Louisville in the KFC YUM! Center



Becky Burke and Shoni Schimmel combined for twelve
3-pointers in the 26- point win over Kentucky last season.

 A sold out arena saw the Louisville Cardinals gain a measure of revenge against in-state rival Kentucky with a 78-52 win. Louisville was led by Shoni Schimmel's 26 points and Becky Burke added 21. Both girls hit six three-pointers each in the contest. Louisville held Kentucky to 28% shooting. Louisville came out on fire in the first half and a 11-0 run over a three minute stretch in the first half saw the Cards stretch a 17-12 lead to 28-12 with seven minutes remaining in the first twenty minutes. The Cards led by as many as 19 in that first half and looked in control over the 5-0 Wildcats. UK never led in the contest.

UK would manage to get within 10 points of the lead midway thru the final half...closing the gap to 55-45 with nine minutes remaining but the Cards went on another run...13-3...and closed the door on UK, leading 68-48 with six minutes to go.

Becky Burke commented on the win:

"It feels really good. They didn't let up on us last year and we didn't let up today."

Freshman Schimmel knew that her upperclassmen teammates were still smarting from last season's 101-67 loss to UK in Memorial and reflected on the mindset going into Sunday's game.

"Everybody kind of made it a big deal, so I'm thinking maybe it is a big deal. I understood what happened last year. We weren't going to let it happen again."

Defensive pressure was a key element in the 26 point Cardinal win. Intensity on the Cardinal side and lack of defensive hustle from the Cats.The Cats turned the ball over a season high 22 times and time-after-time failed to check the long range efforts of Schimmel and Burke.

"It's the worst day we've had trapping and rotating since we've implemented this defensive style. If you don't hustle...you can look silly out there. Today was a bad day to look silly, but we did." UK head coach Matthew Mitchell commented after the game. "We just did not get pressure on the basketball. Things we normally do, we didn't do."

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Greenwell, USA U16 start today...McCarty, UofL throwers...Basketball still busy in June

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MONDAY @ CARDINAL COUPLE

-Owensboro's Becca Greenwell 'south of the border'.

-Cardinal shot putters results in NCAA Championships

-June a busy month for hoops? .

-Atlanta Dream off to a rocky start

(Nice to be back with our Cardinal Couple readers after a couple of days away from the site. Thanks to David Watson for filling in for us during our absence.)

Becca Greenwell is a member of the U16 team.

Rebecca Greenwell is one of 12 players selected for the USA Women's U16 team that is in Merida, Mexico to go through preliminary pool play to qualify for the 2012 FIBA World Championships. The soon-to-be-junior from Owensboro Catholic will take part in five games this week...when the US girls play Brazil today, Argentina on Tuesday and Venezuela Wednesday. The semi-finals are Saturday and finals Sunday.

Greenwell is teammates with 6'5" sensation Mercedes Russell, out of Springfield, Oregon. Russell is a Louisville target down the road. Greenwell is being pursued by virtually all the major DI schools..Louisville, Kentucky, Duke, Notre Dame, North Carolina and Tennessee in the hunt to get her to visit.

The U16 team also lists two players from Indiana...Stephanie Mavunga from Brownsburg, IN. and Taya Reimer out of Fishers, IN.

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D'Ana McCarty finished 11th in the
shot put at the NCAA Championships.

D'Ana McCarty led three UofL participants in the shot put finals of the NCAA Outdoor Championships over the weekend, finishing 11th. in the competition. Teammates Khadija Abdullah (13th.) and Chinwe Okoro (20th.) also took part in the finals.

The big news surrounded Cardinal 3000 meter steeplechase winner Matt Hughes from UofL. He also won the event last year.

Rachel Gehret finished 5th in the high jump for the Lady Cards.

With McCarty and Okoro finishing their careers at UofL with the weekend events, we'd like to congratulate them on their fine achievements and accomplishments during their academic and athletic pursuits while students at Louisville.
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June isn't usually known as a busy month as far as Lady Cards basketball goes...the players are out of school and are working individually on their games...but UofL head women's basketball coach Jeff Walz is spending lots of time in Cardinal Arena with Lady Cards Camps and Clinics. The Girls' Day Camp ran from June 6-9th. and the ELITE camp finished up Sunday after three days. A Team Camp will take place from June 17-19th.

Summer sports camps continue to grow
in popularity.

Summer activities for fall/winter sports goes on in other sports besides basketball as well. We have friends from Louisville who are spending the week in Orlando, FL. for a volleyball camp/tournament with their daughters and families.

This is just one of  many camps that their children will participate in this summer. We talked to a couple of parents about the summer camp situations and got these responses:

CARDINAL COUPLE:  What is the main thing your daughters are hoping to get out of these summer camps?

TOM: My daughter has learned a lot of skills and got to play in some very competitive games with her regular season teammates in the basketball camp she just completed. She and her teammates won their division also, which was very exciting for them and us parents.

CHRIS: These camps allow them to get better at their sports and their positions. They also allow the players the chance to see how they stack up against similar teams across the nation. Your kids also get great instruction from coaches and older players that know the sport and pass on their knowledge to the younger ones.
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Angel appears to be her old self...scoring
19 against San Antonio.

The start of the WNBA season hasn't been the most productive for the Atlanta Dream and Angel McCoughtry. The Dream sit at 0-3 and Angel sat out the first game of the year, played scant minutes in the second because of a sprained knee. Looks like she is on the mend, however...getting 19 points against the San Antonio squad. The Eastern Division champs of 2010...Atlanta is staying competitive but unable so far this year to seal the deal at the end. The first two games saw Atlanta leading near the end of regulation...but being forced to overtime. In the San Antonio game, they ran into a buzz saw in rookie Danielle Adams, who poured in 32 points, including three straight three-pointers in less than a minute, to lead her team to the win. San Antonio is a surprising 3-0 to start the season.

Is it too early to panic? Absolutely. Angel will find her rhythm and touch as the season progresses. Keep in mind also that the Dream is also using a new point guard in Lindsey Harding and it takes time to learn the system and your teammates.

We can't see the combination of Harding and Castro-Marquez at guards...Angel, Sancho Lyttle and Erika deSouza on the front line being stymied many more times this season. The Dream is also deep on the bench and should overcome this sputtering start and vie for another division title.

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Finally, thanks to all of you who e-mailed during our two day absence on the site. David Watson came in fresh off a vacation and stepped up for us when we needed him. One of the things about family, friends and situations is that you try to be there for them when they need you and we answered the call. And, David stepped up for us.

We're not in the "going behind the back" business.

There are those out there who try to read certain things into situations and urge us to pursue them that simply don't belong on our site. We deal with it every day here at Cardinal Couple. Cardinal Couple was started on the premise of being a fan voice for University of Louisville women's sports. We stay primarily with that theme. Sometimes we explore and comment on other things. We get a significant interest from our readers on horse racing and delve into that sport from time to time. Some people don't care for that sport/activity and let us know about it. Some people want dirt, gossip and innuendo. We aren't TMZ or Entertainment Tonight. We don't deal in it.

We also get e-mails. Tons of them. E-mails that sometimes push the button on subjects controversial and unknown previously to us. As owners and fans, we try to determine what is hearsay and factual. Damage control is a priority here...we're not a scandal site or rumor monger sheet. We try to "go directly to the well or the water attendant" for confirmations and advice on how to handle things. Sometimes, we're not sure about direct access..or availibility. We still try.

Sometimes, that doesn't go so well...but sometimes life itself doesn't go so well. We try to keep in focus and remind ourselves that this site is about athletics and entertainment. We're not discussing the economy, environment, or terrorism here. It's sports.

If something is deemed to be questionable to cover and doesn't fall into our mission statement, we don't pursue it. No matter how many times you e-mail us about it. And that, as they say, is the bottom line. If it's something we can do with confidence, clarity, confirmation and approval, we'll share it with you.

The internet is full of sites that push gossip. We are not one of them.
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Hoosier girls get revenge...Allen County-Scottsville the State Champs...The Belmont Stakes provides upsets

SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Indiana all-stars defeat Kentucky 69-56

-Allen County-Scottsville wins softball title over Ballard

-The Belmont Stakes: Big upsets in the slop

Bria Goss was back in her element. Saturday Night in Conseco Fieldouse, the Kentucky signee tossed in 25 points to lead the Hoosier over Kentucky. Despite shooting just 25% from the field, Indiana used a 34-7 advantage from the free throw line to take the win.

"She was much more under control tonight." Indiana coach David Miller commented after the game. "She's got that explosiveness and did get to the rim successfully and drew a lot of fouls. Goss had six rebounds in the win also.

One of the key components in the Indiana win was shutting down Kentucky Miss Basketball Sara Hammond on Saturday night. After a 21 point, 14 rebound performance Friday against Indiana...Hammond tallied just four points Saturday and was plagued by early foul trouble.

"Indiana really double-teamed Sara a lot more tonight." Kentucky coach Chris Stalling related. "They were more aggressive, especially Goss. She played with a sense of urgency."

Indiana never trailed in the game and got 12 points and seven rebounds from Kalia Hulls and 12 points and six boards from Akyah Taylor. Carla Booth led Kentucky with 12 points. Chastity Gooch finished with eight points.

"You can always bring your defense every single game and we all know that." Goss said after the contest. 

Call me crazy...but a 34-7 disparity in fouls, in an all-star game, with Indiana referees seems to be the biggest factor in Saturday night's showdown. The Hoosier did not make a basket in the final five minutes of the game, scoring all their points from the free throw line.

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Quite a difference from Friday for the Indiana Girls team, when their bus broke down en route to Louisville and they had to complete the ride to Bellarmine University on the same bus with the boys' team - on a bus with no air conditioning. 

Have to wonder why the Louisville version of this annual contest remains at Bellarmine when the KFC YUM! Center or Freedom Hall are potential places to play. The Hoosiers let them go at it in Conseco Fieldhouse. They drew 5600 for the games on Saturday. Only been there a couple of times but I don't think Bellarmine's gym can seat that many. 


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Allen County-Scottsville won their first Kentucky State Girls Softball title Saturday in Owensboro...defeating Louisville Ballard in the championship game 3-2. The Patriots had defeated Ballard 9-4 Saturday morning to send them to the consolation bracket. Ballard, though, beat Calloway County 10-0 to set up the rematch.

Big pitching performance by Kelsi Pardue in the final game...fanning eight Bruin batters and giving up only three hits. Allen County-Scottsville led 3-0 after three innings but Ballard got two back in the top of the fifth when Meghan McCauley scored on a fielding error and Jordan Wise singled in Jessica Adell. The Bruins couldn't tie it, though and Pardue retired the Ballard batters "three up and three down" in the sixth and seventh.

Kayla Fairley went the distance for Ballard...allowing six hits. Ballard finished the season at 39-6 and Allen County-Scottsville at 41-4-1.

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Sloppy conditions at Belmont Race Track provided a huge upset in the Belmont Stakes...as Jose Valdivia guided 25-1 longshot RULER ON ICE to a narrow win over fellow longshot STAY THIRSTY. Favorite ANIMAL KINGDOM was well back in the pack, after a collision at the start of the race that nearly tossed jockey John Velazquez off the horse.

As they turned for the stretch, SHACKLEFORD appeared to be the one to beat, but Jesus Castanon n board the 3 yr. old could not maintain the pace and faded to fifth. BRILLIANT SPEED gained enough to take third, finishing ahead of late closer NEHRO.

The exacta paid $928 on a two dollar wager. I checked Paul and Sonja's comments from earlier this week. They wouldn't have had it. I'm guessing not many did at that price.

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Since yesterday was a pretty big horseracing day and Paul has told me in the past that horseracing is a popular item amongst the Cardinal Couple readers - here is a story about a trainer. We get this from CARDINAL COUPLE reader and respected handicapper Tom, who reports that his Belmont Stakes Day attempts at wagering came from Churchill Downs. He did well at the Louisville local track races but not so well in selections at Belmont. Here is Tom's commentary:

There is a horse trainer out there that I'm going to offer comment about. This trainer was an assistant trainer in a well respected and successful barn and recognized as a valuable asset to this barn. Another group of horse owners decided to go after this trainer when their head trainer left to accept a postition for another barn. This trainer accepted, and had a pretty successful first year working for the new barn. His second year was incredible, he was the second best trainer around and, although no match for the best trainer, finished a lot higher in results than quite a few other well known trainers. He became the darling, the golden boy of the industry. His third year of training turned into a disappointment, though. He lost a couple of his best runners and injuries to a few other in his stable led to a racing season to forget. The trainer regrouped, though, and brought in some other horses that helped him regain a high status, great results and some major upsets over that fourth season as head trainer. He continues to work hard and as he competes in his fifth season as trainer...has acquired some excellent new horses to add to an already strong stable.

The trainer has always been outspoken. He has the best training facilities available, a strong group of racing fans who love to follow his runners and the respect of other trainers in the industry. Sometimes, his remarks hurt and damage, though. The trainer needs to realize that no trainer, no horse, and no barn is bigger than the industry. In lieu of recent events that have surfaced about the trainer and some very uncalled for reactionary responses from the trainer - actions that the vast majority of the sports have no knowledge of - we hope the trainer isn't headed toward a direction that will affect his popularity with the fans of the industry, his ability to train his stable and that stable's results. Humility and performance outshine sensationalism and innuendo every time. I hope this trainer will remember this. He can be so good and get so much out of what he has. The industry needs young trainers that are good at what they do and handle their successes (and failures) with professionalism. That is how legendary trainers are created. That is how the industry benefits and grows.

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Have a great Sunday everyone! Paul and Sonja will be back with you on Monday.

-David Watson

No slurpees on third base

First of all, "Good Morning!" to Cardinal Couple readers! My name is David Watson and I'll be guest hosting the site for a couple of days while Paul and Sonja take a few days off. Paul needs it. I talked to him last night to see what exactly he wanted me to cover for you readers as he was at a Louisville area Catholic picnic and he started out by telling me that he had won a cake at the cake wheel on his first dime. He also then told me it was the best thing that had happened to him all week. 

"I've got one coach ready to beat me up, one that wants more coverage for her sport, my sinuses have kicked into full bloom, my next door neighbors haven't cut their grass in a month and I'm sitting on two stories I'd could run but can't and won't. I've been dealing with two idiots from Lexington who keep sending me disgusting, photo-shopped pictures and nasty comments about a particular UofL men's coach. I'm missing a buddy's third wedding Saturday and I'm full of food and sleepy. You write about whatever in the heck you want to, David. CARDINAL COUPLE is yours for the next couple of days. I might just give the whole damn site to you." he told me while, in the background, the sounds of picnic goers and clicking of gaming wheels roared.

So, let's talk baseball.

I didn't originally plan on being a little league coach. My son wanted to play, though and came home from his first practice and told me that the team needed base coaches. He asked me if I would be one. No problem, I figured. Stand there and tell a youngster to run or not run sounded pretty easy. I accompanied him to his next practice and offered my services. Another dad showed up also. The head coach, Charlie, was beaming from ear-to-ear. He asked me to hit fly balls to the kids who played outfield. Taken aback a bit, I started to explain that I was here to stand by either first or third and give instructions. The words never got out of my mouth. He pointed to a pile of bats by the dugout and a bag of baseballs.

"Go get 'em, David!" he exhorted. I went and got 'em.

Not having swung a bat in 20 years, I was a little rusty. The first several attempts had me hitting weak grounders that stopped before they reached the kids standing in the outfield. Finally, I lofted one. Three kids converged on it, all three missed it and then started shoving each other in a dispute over whose ball it was.

"You guys need to call it!" I heard Charlie yell from the sidelines, where he was catching tosses from a pitcher.

"Yeah, call it!" I echoed. I heard the response from the outfield.

"Why don't you hit it to us, then?"

I had no reply. It eventually got better. After nightly treatments of Ben-Gay and ice packs to my left shoulder and strong gin and tonics, I was coming around. I was learning the baseball lingo/chatter and the kids had affectionately named me "Big Stork." My son was turning into a pretty good first baseman who was hitting the ball well and my outfielders weren't running into each other anymore or throwing rocks at each other. Charlie was micro-managing everything that crossed his path and was having long strategy meetings with me and Phil (the other coach) after practice on such detailed topics on player positions, batting order, practice sequence and morale. Our first game was approaching and I found myself a bit nervous. Did Tony LaRussa get his start this way?

We showed up to the sports complex a couple of hours early on our first game. My son Robbie couldn't find him glove before we left, which rapidly deployed into a panicked, heated search before it was discovered in our beagle Bonzo's doghouse. A few teeth marks but nothing serious. Charlie showed up with the team's t-shirts. Our nickname- THE TERMINATORS-on the front of the jersey and a number on the back, along with the name of our sponsor-a local auto dealership. My jersey had no number on the back, just COACH, and was two sizes too big for me.

We finally took the field after an extensive pitch-and-catch warm up out in the football field. We were designated the "home" team and would take the field first. Charlie announced the starting lineups and posted the sheet on the wall in the dugout. Nine young boys trotted out to their respective positions and six glumly went to the bench. We reminded them that everybody plays and not to be discouraged or mad. 

That first inning was magical. Our pitcher, Bryce, struck out the first two batters he faced. The third kid lofted a fly ball to left field. This was the moment of truth. Would my hard work as the outfield coach, those long hours of practice fly balls and encouragement pay off? My left fielder Cassidy loudly called "I got it!" and the ball plopped safely into his glove. I was bursting at the seams. Mission accomplished. 

It was our turn to bat. By extensive pre-arrangement and discussion, I was assigned to coach third base. I trotted out of the dugout to assume the role and Cassidy ran past me on his way to the dugout and tossed me a "high five". Yes, sir. Taught him every thing he knows.

Our game turned into a pitcher's duel. I got no visitors over at third base until the fifth inning. Dajuan started the inning off by beating out an infield hit. My Robbie smashed a pitch to right center that fell in between the outfielders. I motioned for Dajuan to come to third base, gave him the "stop" and "stand up" signals as he approached and we had runners on second and third. No outs.

The other team's head coach came out of the dugout and called for a timeout to go talk to his pitcher. I instructed Dajuan to listen to me on when to run. I gave the "thumbs up" to my son on second, who was grinning broadly.

"Hey, coach?" Dajuan asked. "You mind if I go to the dugout and get my slurpee? I'm thirsty."

"No slurpees on third base." I firmly responded.

After a prolonged discussion at the mound, the coach retreated to the dugout and our next batter approached the plate. Several pitches later, Kenny sent a high fly to right field.

"Stay on the bag. Go when I tell you to!" I shouted at Dajuan. The right fielder made the catch and I shouted "Go,go, go!" to Dajuan. He dashed toward home. I was so engrossed in the chance to score that I didn't notice Robbie running toward third until he was halfway there. The second baseman took the cutoff throw and looked to third. 

"Slide, slide!" I bellowed at Robbie. The throw was coming. The throw was...way too high and sailed into the 3rd base sideline fence. Robbie ignored my pleas to slide, touched the bag and headed toward home plate. He slid into home, beating the throw from the third baseman and we were up 2-0. I just shook my head in comic exasperation as our players left the dugout and mobbed Robbie and Dajuan outside the dugout. 

We won the game 3-0. One of our substitute players, a boy named Vance, who the other kids had nicknamed "no hit" got a measure of revenge by plowing a pitch way over the centerfielder's head and getting an inside-the-park home run. Vance quit the team a couple of weeks later so he could spend more time at the pool. The tribulations of coaching. As that first season went on, we didn't win many more games. Dajuan and I had a running joke going on the rest of that season. Whenever he would reach third base, I's remind him about the "no slurpee" rule. He'd roll his eyes and usually respond "You crazy, Stork." 
  
I guess you never forget your first game as a coach. Robbie has since moved on, done with little league a couple of years now and trying his skills at football. I still coach for the Terminators. Charlie is still the head coach but Phil retired and Benny, a college kid with Brad Pitt-type handsome looks, supervises first base. The nickname "Big Stork" has hung with me, passed on from year to year. We won the title last year. We're doing pretty good this season, off to a 2-0 start. Dajuan's little brother, Dashawn,  plays for us and is a decent shortstop. Dajuan comes to the games, now accompanied by two or three giggling, pretty young girls. He's gone baggy pants, sunglasses and laid back, cool demeanor. He's a pretty decent basketball player as a freshman. Runs track and my son tells me he's got a great arm but isn't interested in playing football.  He's a young man full of quiet confidence and walks with a swagger. Dajuan and I talk before games sometimes. He told me at the start of the season:

"I got Dashawn up on what's down. Told him to listen to the stork and no slurpees on third." 

Absolutely.

Have a great Saturday, CARDINAL COUPLE readers and we'll see you tomorrow.

David Watson
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