More Fall Sports Cancellations -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Patriot League Cancels Fall Sports

The Patriot League made the decision yesterday to cancel all fall sports due to the coronavirus pandemic.  However, they will wait until a later date to make the decision regarding winter sports.

The U.S. Military Academy (Army) and Naval Academy (Navy) are exempt from the decision.  That responsibility will fall under each school's superintendent.

The Patriot League consists of (10) schools:  American, Army, Boston U. Bucknell, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh, Loyola (MD) and Navy

Louisville historically has not scheduled Patriot League opponents in the regular season for most sports, but have often met opponents in post-season.  It should not directly affect anything for UofL sports as of right now.

SEC Delays Decision


SEC officials met yesterday in person to decide the fate of fall sports.  They elected to delay their decision until the end of July, which is roughly two and a half weeks away.

Although their main focus was on the football season they did show concerns for all fall sports, but made no mention of winter sports.

It is uncertain whether they will follow the intra-conference only style that the Big Ten and PAC-12 are implementing or whether they are looking at cancelling the season altogether.

What About the ACC?

The ACC still has no decision on fall sports other than delaying competition until Sept. 1, for Olympic sports.  Football is still currently scheduled for normal.

ACC officials are expected to make a decision at the end of July.

With how things are going with other conferences and the recent uptick in confirmed cases around the country things are not looking hot.  Florida and South Carolina have been some of the worst states recently.  Those two states house three ACC schools: Clemson, Florida State, Miami.

We have been a little more fortunate in Kentucky with fewer confirmed cases.  Outside of the two confirmed cases among the men's basketball program UofL has not released any news on other sports.  Hopefully that is a sign things are going smooth, but there could also be restrictions due to HIPAA, which is why names from the men's basketball program were never released.  So perhaps there are cases we do not know about?

Let's just hope for the best.

I don't think we will have a fall sports season, nor do I believe we should have one in the best interest of fans, staff, and student-athletes alike.


Manatee Win 8-2 Over Pioneers

Taylor Johnson had four RBI's and the Manatee Squeeze used a six-run fifth inning to defeat the
SUA Pioneers last night 8-2.

People have asked, what is SUA? It's an abbreviation for Square Up Academy, a sports-performance training academy in Bradenton, FL.

Louisville softball student-athletes Jordyn Wolfe and Paige Schindler started for Manatee -- Wolfe in right field and Schindler as the designated hitter. Wolfe went 1-3 from the plate (a single) and scored a run. Schindler also went 1-3 (a single), scored a run and drove in a run.

Manatee is 12-5 on the season, good for second place in the FGCL, and 4-1/2 games behind league-leading Myakka City River Mocs (18-1)

You can follow Wolfe and Schindler's pursuits in Florida at the link below:

LINK:

FGCL Softball

Please continue to stay safe and healthy, and we will get through this together!

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!


Jared

ACC watching and waiting -- Manatee Rocked by River Mocs -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

WILL ACC FOLLOW BIG 10's CANCELLATION PLAYING OF NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS? 

This is one of those watching and waiting days.

In purely "noir" terms and scenario, the car is parked outside the house. It's foggy outside and our heroines (Louisville women's sports student-athletes) go out to meet the stranger. 

Inside the occupants of the house wait to see who is coming and going to happen.  The occupants are mostly fearing the worst from the tall stranger in the hat (raincoat optional) and the news he possesses.  The car door slowly opens and steps are heard heading up the sidewalk. Tense, edgy music plays in the background. The group inside is waiting. What news does the stranger bring? 

Sorry to make a melodrama moment here, I've been watching a lot of old movies lately. 

With the BIG10 Conference cancelling all games against non-conference foes, can the ACC be far behind? 

Looking at the Louisville women's sports non-conference schedule for 2020 that's been posted, only Volleyball has put out a 2020 official-type schedule and Purdue, a Big 10 member, looks to definitely be off the schedule.

(Maybe the other women's sports were wise in not doing so yet...)

In terms of Volleyball non-conference matches, the VolleyCards are still (as of 8:38 a.m. this morning) are headed to Dayton for a tournament on August 22nd. Going to NKU for a tournament after that and playing either Xavier or Lipscomb in Cincinnati and then have a home and away match planned against UK. A 18-game, ACC Conference slate awaits after that. 

We know not (officially) how Field Hockey, Women's Soccer, Women's basketball, golf, tennis and the others will be affected by the Big 10 move or the impending, probable ACC move that walks up the sidewalk of the Belknap Campus.

Right now, though...it doesn't look good for the Cardinal house-dwellers. My guess is the ACC will follow suit and that it's the first step toward the cancellation of fall sports.

Sorry to be a "downer-deliverer" here, but, to use a horse-racing description -- our horse isn't making up any ground on the leaders as they make the turn and head for the stretch. Naturally, I'm hoping for the best here...but I'm also looking at our current situation and, in the words of Bob Dylan...."you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows". 


That's a great Dylan song, by the way....and is eerie accurate on how things are today, desite being recorded over 50 years ago.  I've got it linked up below: 


SUBTERRANEAN HOMESICK BLUES -- BOB DYLAN


You're going to find tons of speculation about football and the Cards at other sites. We won't go there, we'll leave that to the "experts" in that area. 

Right now, we watch, we wait and wonder what is going to happen within the ACC. It's the seventh inning and we don't know the final-at bat possibilities yet for the opponent. 

(Case prepares for his Saturday column) 

I expect Case will report on the news we're all waiting for in his column tomorrow. I'm not expecting a bouquet of flowers to be delivered at the UofL women's sports front door. 

Just a sign of the times, friends. 

We'll discuss what we know on Saturday's Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast.

The broadcast begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday mornings. We'd love to have you listen in. You can access the show on YouTube. Case will have the link for you tomorrow, so be sure to check out his column tomorrow. You can hear any and all of the previous shows by going to Google (or the search engine you use) and popping YouTube Cardinal Couple Radio Hour in the search bar, or clicking the picture at the top of our website page of me and Jared in masks with Sonya and Katie. 

We cover the week in UofL women's sports in our podcasts and present a quiz for you and the panel each week in the second half of the show. Jeff and Jared lock horns this week again after tying last week in our quiz, so the tension and drama is building there for the impending showdown. 



MANATEE FALL LATE TO RIVER MOCS. 

In a showdown between the first and second place teams in Softball's FGCL league, the Myakka City River Mocs visited the Manatee Squeeze last night and broke open a close contest with four runs in the final two innings to take the 8-2 win. 

Cardinal Jordan Wolfe made three plate appearances for Manatee and delivered a single, plus scored one of Manatee's runs. The Squeeze's right-fielder singled to right-center in the first inning and came home on Nikki Cuchran's two-RBI, fence clearing blast to center. 

Manatee used three pitchers in the loss (none of them Cardinal Paige Schindler) and slips to 10-4 on the season. Myakka City improves to 14-1 on the schedule. 

Have an interesting Friday! Stay safe and make good decisions. Hope for the best but be prepared for the actual. 

paulie
xxxxx

Asia Durr Tests Positive -- Squeeze Win In Walkoff -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

ASIA DURR TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19

This news, revealed yesterday in a Tweet from the Cardinal great and WNBA New York Liberty guard Asia Durr is a another gut-punch to all of us that have taken a considerable amount of those in 2020. 

We try to bring you the joy and excitement of UofL women's sports here at Cardinal Couple. Asia Durr has certainly brought a lot of those moments over the years for us to write about.  So, it is with sadness we come to grips with the reality that she will not play in the 2020 WNBA season and is sick. 

Sadly, it won't be the last time that we, as Cardinal fans, will hear news of someone we've covered, exulted and praised coming down with COVID-19. 

All we can do is point to the fighting spirit, remarkable accomplishments and tons of hope, joy and inspiration that Asia has brought Cardinal and Liberty fans over the past and feel confident that she'll --  once again -- in her life take on a foe, an adversary and come out on top. 

Asia Durr is a winner. Asia Durr is a leader. She is one of the most incredible athletes I've had the pleasure to cover in my years here at Cardinal Couple.

I have no doubts she'll beat this foe, too.

And, in that statement of reality, I'll try to find some aspects of keeping hope, joy and excitement alive. She won't quit, she won't surrender or give up in this battle. 

Asia will win. 

As the debate rages in our society over what is right and wrong, acceptable and just, needed and un-needed...one thing we all can count on is that, despite this setback, Asia Durr will be back. The words of Deepak Chopra, pictured above, hold true. 

We must go beyond the pain and find love. 

In her story, her book... her temporary pain -- is far from the final chapter or last segment in the book of Asia Durr. . 


MANATEE DO IT AGAIN

It wasn't a slug fest or one-sided romp, but the Manatee Squeeze found another way to win again last night. The 3-2 victory, in eight innings, over the Bradenton Lynx, came in a bit of dramatic fashion. 

Scoreless for six innings, the Squeeze staged a rally in the bottom of the seventh to tie the contest. Stormy Kotzelnick began the inning with a triple. Louisville's Jordyn Wolfe brought her home with a perfectly placed RBI ground-out to the pitcher that scored Kotzelnick -- drawing Manatee within one run. Next up, Taylor Johnson tied the contest with a four-bagger that cleared the center field fence. 2-2. 

After holding the Lynx scoreless in the top of the eighth, Manatee wasted no time in ending the contest. Alexis Johns was placed on second to begin the Manatee at-bat. Jordyn Kadlub laid down a bunt that was mishandled and a throwing error brought Johns to the plate and Kadlub was safe at first for the game-winner RBI. 

Kenna Wilkey went the distance in the circle for the Squeeze and got her third win of the season. 

The Manatee improve to 10-3 on the season. That's good for second place in the FGCL, 
The Myakka City River Mocs are in first with a 13-1 record. 


Have a wonderful Wednesday and keep #25 in your thoughts,


paulie
xxxxx