Saturday in Cardinal Park

Saturday night at Cardinal Park featured both the women's field hockey and soccer teams in exhibition action. Haley Jurich (pictured to the right) had 3 goals in the 8-1 win for Pam Bustin's squad against the alumnae. Caitlin Rehder (pictured to the left) scored the UofL women's soccer teams' only goal in a 2-1 loss to Tennessee.

The field hockey Cards scored 4 goals in each half in a highly competitive game against the alumnae. Nicole Youman added 2 scores for Louisville. Over 40 alumnae turned out for the event. Field hockey continues the preseason schedule next Saturday...with a 1 p.m. scrimmage at Trager Field against Kent State.

On the soccer field, Louisville rallied back from a 2-0 deficit to get within 1 against the Vols and had several late scoring chances but couldn't find the net.

Louisville head coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes take on the exhibition:

"Obviously, you never like to lose and this game exposed some weaknesses where we must get better, but we're certainly an improved team. I liked out heart as the game moved forward and we're absolutely moving in the right direction."

The Louisville women's soccer season gets its official start Friday, August 20th at 7 p.m. when the Cards host Eastern Kentucky.

(Thanks to UofL Sports.com for the photos and recap)

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The Atlanta Dream ended a four game losing streak and clinched a WNBA playoff berth with a dominating 98-74 win over the Chicago Sky yesterday in the Windy City. This one was over at the half...as Atlanta outscored the Sky 31-11 in the second quarter and took a 57-32 lead into the locker room.

Five Dream players hit for double figures in the contest. Erika DeSouza led the way with 17 points. Iziane Castro Maquez added 15, Angel Mccoughtry 13 and Alison Bales and Armintie Price with 10 each. The Dream hosts Chicago and Washington to end the regular season next week.

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Big fun at the CARDINAL DOMINANCE pre-season tailgate party yesterday. Over 40 people showed up to engage in conversation, delicious food and games. Despite the heavy rainfall that roared thru the Louisville area around 5 p.m., the attendees were still able to enjoy a deluxe cookout...with Cardinal Dominance founder Shannon Ruffra and your own Paul Sykes manning the grill and several hours of fun bean bag (cornhole) tossing.

Paul and Eddie won the championship division of the cornhole event, upsetting the highly favored Shannon and party host Terry Jackson. Terry's posted some great photos and video of the gala affair over at:

www.cardinaldominance.ning.com

Yeah, I'm the guy in the Jim Beam t-shirt and the lovely and talented Sonja thrilled the crowd by ripping her shorts wide open early in the afternoon when attempting to climb a fence. (don't ask...). It was a great time and we got to meet a bunch of knowledgeable and fun Cardinal Football fans. A special thanks to "Ter" who hosted the event and all those who braved the weather and showed up.

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Manual High School won the Gold Division of the Chase Marketing/Shively Sporting Goods Jefferson County Public Schools Volleyball Championships with over Eastern 25-18, 27-29, 25-14. Mechael Guess led the Crimsons with 14 kills.

In the Silver Division, Fern Creek swept Seneca in the the match 25-16, 25-21. Moore took the honors in the Bronze Division...besting Central 25-22, 25-21.

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Nice work from BIG TALL PAUL in the 8th race at Ellis Park yesterday...wiring the field to win at odds of 11-1. He covered the one mile turf in 1:38.19 and set up a sweet exacta for $624.60 on the $2 payout.

Catching up on the Cards

In Saturday's CARDINAL COUPLE, we catch up on current events concerning women's' sports activities on campus. Captain Picard, pictured here, is obviously quite excited about the upcoming soccer and field hockey. Also, a tough loss for the Atlanta Dream and big win for trainer Paul McGee!

Two Cardinal events taking place this evening down on the Belknap Campus. Women's soccer in an exhibition match against Tennessee at 7 p.m. at Cardinal Park. A free soccer clinic from 5-6 p.m. for boys and girls ages 5 to 13.

Louisville returns nine starters from the 2009 team, plus an exciting group of freshmen that will challenge for playing time. Not to be outdone, the Vols have ten starters back from a 2009 squad that went 8-9-3 overall last year. The regular season begins Friday, August 20th against Eastern Kentucky at Cardinal Park.

Also tonight, the annual field hockey alumnae vs. current players game will be held at Trager Stadium at 7 p.m. Pam Bustin expects around 40 former Cardinal field hockey stars to show up for the event against the current Cards. Louisville looks loaded for the 2010 season, with nine starters and 15 letterwinners returning. Tuli Yim, Nicole Youman and Hayley Turner have been named for the 2010 All-BIG EAST preseason team and seniors Jenna Ahern, Simone Attles, Nikki Auker, Rachel Hollenbach, and Karah Nall will make the Cards a tough opponent this year. Bustin's squad will also host Kent State in another preseason match on Saturday, August 21st. at 1 p.m. The Cards are picked to finish 3rd in the BIG EAST preseason poll, behind Syracuse and Connecticut.

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UofL golfer Sara-Maude Juneau fared well in the U.S. Women's Amateur tournament, held at the Charlotte (NC) Country Club. Juneau made it to the round of 16 before bowing out to fellow Canadian Jennifer Kiby. Juneau also fired a 143 in the stroke play part of the tournament...good for 8th place.

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We told you about Paul McGee's three year old filly MYHEART'SRESERVED in yesterday's column and she romped the field yesterday in the Ellis Park 1st race...winning by an easy 8 lengths. Although TWILIGHT BAY, another runner we were high on didn't win in the 2nd...we got a late tip on DUAL FORECAST in the 2nd at Ellis and Jamie Theriot guided that one to a close win over TWILIGHT BAY.

McGee's horse rated off the early speed and found another gear when the runners hit the stretch. She could have stopped for a soda and hot dog and still won this one.

A good day out at Churchill simulcasting...watching Ellis Park, Saratoga, Arlington and Del Mar. Always nice to walk out of there with considerably more than you went in with.

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Tough loss last night for Angel and the Atlanta Dream..falling to New York 90-83. McCoughtry led the Dream (18-13) with 22 points and Erika DeSouza added 21. They had no answer for Cappie Poindexter, though...the former Rutgers star lit up home standing Atlanta for 31. The Dream fell to 4th place in the Eastern Conference, 2 1/2 games back of Indiana...New York climbed up to 2nd place...1 1/2 back in the topsy turvy East.

It doesn't get any easier for the Dream, they travel to Chicago tonight to take on the Sky. Three games left in the regular season. After Saturday, they host Chicago and then Washington to finish the season.

Showtime, girls.

Cardinal Volleyball picked 2nd in BIG EAST

FRIDAY'S CARDINAL COUPLE LOOKS AT:

Louisville Volleyball: A repeat happening?
Local high school sports: A busy weekend!
A fly in UConn's ointment?
A brief word with someone "in the know"

(Just a reminder...today is Friday the 13th. If you are a believer in trypanophobia...take care out there today.)

Leonard Yelin's University of Louisville women's volleyball team won the BIG EAST tournament last year and went to the NCAA Tournament. That success made an impression on the league coaches...as the Cards are picked to finish second behind Cincinnati in the preseason coaches poll.

The Bearcats received all but one vote to finish first...and since coaches couldn't vote for their own team...it looks like the Bearcats are the prohibitive favorite for the conference title. Louisville garnered second place honors...followed by Notre Dame and Marquette.

Cards' sophomore outside hitter Lola Arslanbekova was selected for the preseason All BIG EAST
team unanimously.

Louisville defeated the Bearcats in the BIG EAST tournament last year here in Louisville.

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A busy weekend for high school girls sports here in Louisville. The Shively Sporting Goods/Chase Marketing Jefferson County Public Schools Volleyball Championships will be held Friday and Saturday at the Basketball Academy. 19 area high schools will participate...including four top 25 teams...#11 DuPont Manual, #14 Eastern, #15 Butler and #24 Male.

Manual has won the event the last three years. It might be considered a rebuilding year for them since they lost three top seniors to graduation. Expected to lead the Crimson are senior Mechael Guess and sophomore Maya McClendon.

In the preseason poll, Louisville Catholic schools hold the top three ranking...#1 Mercy, #2 Sacred Heart and #3 Assumption.

The Apple Tournament for high school girls field hockey kicks off Saturday. All action will take place at Sacred Heart. The home standing Valkyries have won the Apple six years in a row.
Also participating is Assumption...last year's state champions. Mercy, Eastern, Butler, Collegiate, Presentation, Manual, KCD, Holy Cross, Christian Academy and Male round out the field of 12.

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News out of Connecticut that starting UConn womens' basketball guard Caroline Doty is out for the season with a torn ACL in her left knee. The junior is scheduled for surgery in the next week or so. UConn has won their last 78 games...but with Tina Charles graduated and Doty on the shelf...the Huskies suddenly look vulnerable. How much game have you got, Maya Moore?

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Our "person in the know" down at Ellis Park tells us that MYHEART'SRESERVED is a lock in the first race today at the Henderson, KY track. We love hearing good news about our favorite trainer Paul McGee's horses...and lights out apprentice jockey Orlandi Rossi is on board for the ride. We're also hearing great things about TWILIGHT BOY in the 2nd race at Ellis. Daily Double, anyone?

The track with the soybeans in the infield continues to hang in there, despite racing only three days a week. Ellis manages to offer high purses for claiming, maiden special weight and allowance races despite not having the financial windfall of casino money. Track owner Ron Geary continues to defy the trends and odds by making Ellis a viable summer racing option for horses and trainers who ran at Churchill's Spring Meet.

Congratulations go out to our buddies Richard and Patricia Lenihan, part owners of SEA ROAD. The 3 year old filly beat the competition Saturday at Saratoga in the $70,000 Hattie Moseley States...and paid a sweet $25.00 to win as a 12-1 longshot. Rich and Patty were in attendance for the race and both looked good in the winner's circle for the presentation. Seeing Rich in a three piece black suit seemed a little weird, though. I prefer to remember him in a t-shirt and shorts, struggling vainly to keep up with me in high school cross country. Rich is one of the good guys in horse racing...and a fervent supporter of saving racing-finished thoroughbreds from mistreatment and slaughter. Keep it up, buddy...and I bet I could still beat you on the two mile course at Seneca Park. (Walking...not running.)

Byrd ready to fly again for Lady Cards?

THURSDAY'S CARDINAL COUPLE


-Will Dez Byrd fly high for UofL this season?

-Cardinal soccer ready to take to the grass

-Fern Creek in the Babe Ruth Girls 16U World Series

-Lady Kats lose two.



She was the point guard on the 2009 Final Four team and the emotional and vocal leader of the group that went to St. Louis. She also possesses a good mid range jumper and can take it to the hoop. The question on many UofL womens' basketball fans minds, though...is whether she has recovered from the leg injury that sidelined her after only 6 games in the 2009-2010 season.

If healthy and ready to go, Dez Byrd gives Jeff Walz's basketball team an experienced and determined leader at point guard. A player not afraid of mixing it up on the court or making the difficult pass. Byrd made the difficult choice a couple of years ago to switch from shooting guard to the point because of the needs of the team. It paid huge dividends for her and the Lady Cards in that magical 2008-2009 season. Byrd presented a major problem to opponents who faced the Cards...leave her alone and she'd take it to the hoop or pop the mid-range jumper. Concentrate on stopping her and she'd find McCoughtry, Bingham or Hines for an easy two. Who knows how close the Cards would have gotten to beating UConn in the final game of the tournament with a fully healthy Byrd directing from the point?

Fast forward to the 2009-2010 season. Byrd, still hobbled by the injury, appears in only six games for the Cards before going out on a medical redshirt. She averaged 8 points a game but it was very noticeable that she hadn't fully recovered from the off season surgery and rehab. Without her at the point, Louisville dropped to a 14-18 record and despite her encouragement and participation from the bench...could never really establish a productive or efficient point guard.

Byrd has finely developed skills and could be the catalyst and floor leader for this flock of Cardinal this year provided she's healed and in shape. We'll know soon enough and here's hoping that she makes it back to the hardwood and picks up where she left off.

PROGNOSIS: Dez Byrd is a floor leader, something that the Lady Cards lacked last year after she went out with the injury. She'll be a great point guard and contribute with scoring, passing and defense if she's ready to go. Some cause for worry that we haven't heard too much about her in the voluntary summer workouts on campus...but we're predicting that if she has recovered from her injury, she'll nail down the starting point guard slot.


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Fern Creek's 16U Girls softball team was eliminated from the Babe Ruth 16U World Series last night by Luzerne County 5-1. The Creekers won their first game of the evening by romping Lodi 12-4 but couldn't find the bats in the nightcap against the Chaos.

Luzerne County scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth to break open a 1-1 tie. Sarah Bertoni pitched a 4 hit complete game for the Chaos...striking out seven. They move on to the finals, where they will have to beat Henderson, NC twice to take the title. Luzerne County made the finals in last year's tournament also.

Still, a good effort by the Fern Creekers, a squad made up of local high school softballers from the Jefferson County area. Tim McGinty did a great job of getting this prime time squad together and now...a few days rest for the sluggers before returning to school.

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UK point guard Amber Smith could be done for the upcoming season after tearing her left ACL during a pickup game. The senior started all 36 games for UK last year, averaging 9.2 points and dishing out 4.4 assists.

Anna Cole, a 6'7" sophomore center has decided to transfer, citing a desire to play at a school closer to her hometown of Mondovi, WI. Cole, hampered by stress fractures in her right foot, played in only nine games for UK last year, averaging 1 point a game.

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Big things coming up for UofL women's soccer this weekend. Friday brings the Kickoff Dinner at the Hyatt Regency hotel, with guest speaker Brandi Chastain. Chastain was an Olympic goal medalist and was also on the 1999 World Cup team. Tickets are $35 for adults and $25 for the kids and can be purchased by calling (502)852-0101. Chastain will sign autographs, there will be a silent auction and attendees will get to play soccer in the hallways and grand ballroom of the Hyatt (just kidding on the last one.)

Chastain may be best remembered for ripping off her jersey and running around the field in just her sports bra after a U.S. victory in the 1999 World Cup. A repeat of the controversy this Friday night isn't likely...but it would no doubt increase attendance. Don't try this at schools, kids.

On Saturday, the Cards host Tennessee in an exhibition game at Cardinal Park. Admission is free and there will be a clinic (also free) from 5-6 p.m. game time is 7 p.m.

We've posted up articles about the men's soccer team over at UofL Card Game and Cardinal Dominance. The guys are ranked as high as 20th in the nation and picked to finish second in the BIG EAST. Check them out at http://www.cardinaldominance.ning.com/ or http://www.uolfcardgame.com/

Trunk Monkey Compilation

Don't we all wish we had one of these from time to time?

Shelby Harper not short on skills

IN THE WEDNESDAY EDITION OF CARDINAL
COUPLE:

-Shelby Harper's hustle a key for Lady Cards

-Fern Creek wins in Softball World Series

-Angel and Atlanta fall out of first place

She may be only 5'4"..but there is no shortness of hustle in Shelby Harper's game. The Scottsville, KY. point guard walked on the University of Louisville women's basketball team last year, recommended by Monique Reid..based on AAU ball the two had played together..and ended up playing in 29 games for the Cards...starting in 17 of those.

Cardinal fans quickly fell in love with her breakneck, frantic style of play and she also showed she could punish a zone...nailing five three-pointers against Utah. Harper ran Jeff Walz's offense from the point guard position for most of the second half of the 2009-10 season and led the Cardinals in assists for the season. Sharing time at the point with Rachel Story, Harper's tenancity on defense was one of the bright spots in an otherwise disappointing Lady Cards season.

She averaged 3.2 point per game for Louisville and shot 33% from beyond the arc. When injuries had Louisville down to a bare bones compliment of 6-7 healthy players, Harper and Burke would often put in 38-40 minutes per game at the guard positions.

If there is a knock on Harper, it would be her size. How effective a 5'4" point guard can be in the tough, physical BIG EAST is certainly a matter of debate and there were times that she was overmatched and outskilled against some of the leagues top performers. No one, though...had a bigger heart and sense of determination than Harper, though...and with a year of experience and wisdom behind her, she'll be a key component in the 2010-11 Lady Cards.

PROGNOSIS: Shelby Harper will be deep into the battle for starting point guard this year for Jeff Walz's Louisville Cardinals. Although she probably won't win the starting role, you can expect her to be a valuable 'off the bench' contributor and emotional spark plug for the Cards. She quickly became a crowd favorite during her first year at Louisville and could see time as the designated "three shooter" for Louisville if Burke or Schimmel are having a rough night.

(Most of the Lady Cards have gone home for a few days before the Fall semester begins at UofL. When they return, it'll be just a short peroid of before the team can officially begin practices. We'll wrap up our review of returning Lady Cards next week with articles on LaToya Johnson and Dez Byrd.)

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Fern Creek 16U softball won their first game in the losers bracket of the Babe Ruth girls' World Series yesterday, easily defeating Herndon, VA 7-1. They remain alive in the double elimination format and face Lodi, CA. today in their first game. The Creekers beat Lodi in pool play earlier in the tournament and if they win, they advance to play Luzerne County, PA. Lodi knocked host Varina, VA. out of the competition yesterday with a 4-1 victory.

Keep winning and advancing is the only option here for Fern Creek. One game at a time, girls.

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Seattle went on a decisive 8-0 run late in the fourth quarter to defeat the Atlanta Dream 80-70 last night in WNBA action in Atlanta. The Dream stymied the Storm early in the contest...jumping out to a 12-4 lead...causing Seattle coach Rick Agler to bench his starting lineup and play his bench the remainder of the first half. The strategy worked and Seattle led 32-31 at the half.

Atlanta actually led the contest with 4 minutes to go but veteran Lauren Jackson keyed a Storm rally to get the win for the league's top team. The Storm (25-4) clinched home court advantage for the playoffs with the win.

Fox Sports South televised the contest and from what we could determine by watching, Atlanta needs an extended session of scoring in the paint practice. The Dream missed over 40 shots in the paint last night, many of them lightly contested...and was also baffled by Seattle's switching defense. One also has to question why McCoughtry was on the bench when Seattle made their late fourth quarter run. Not knocking Dream coach Marynell Meadows, mind you...but shouldn't you have your best out there during crunch time? At times this season, it has appeared that Meadows is punishing McCoughtry by placing her on the bench for extended periods of time during key parts of the game. Maybe there is a reason behind it, but if I've got the third leading scorer in the league on my roster...I want her out there when it's a close contest.

Angel McCoughtry led Atlanta in scoring with 16 points but produced a sub-par 3-19 shooting night. The Dream falls to third place in the Eastern Conference, in a tie with the Washington Mystics and one and one half games behind Indiana....who defeated L.A. 80-76 in Los Angeles last night.

Happy Birthday, C.B,

Tuesday's CARDINAL COUPLE presents:
-A Happy Birthday to #13 Candyce Bingham
-Fern Creek in the Softball World Series
-Commentary on the NCAA

Happy Birthday wishes to former Cardinal women's' basketball great Candyce Bingham. We share with you our memories on one of our favorite Lady Cards games of all times and Bingham's role in it.

We take you back to March 9th, 2008. The University of Louisville women's' basketball team has advanced to the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST Tournament but has dangerous Rutgers to face off against. It is a late Sunday afternoon and several of us have gathered to watch the game at a local establishment. We're wishing we were in Hartford watching the event live...but happy the Cards have advanced this far.

Rutgers is to be feared. The defending BIG EAST tournament champions. Piph Prince, Matee Ajavon and Kia Vaughn. C Viv Springer coaching. 24-5 on the season and seemingly headed to a Tuesday Night final game against UConn.

The Cardinals, though..had different plans. Hanging tough against the Scarlet Knights. Rebounding well and if only Angel was shooting better...this could be a win.

It comes down to less than a minute to go and Rutgers...with just eight players suited up...is clinging to a 56-55 lead. No one at our table of six is sitting down anymore. We've even got the people at the bar, many dressed in UK blue, cheering for Walz and the Cards. The clock is nearing 30 seconds to go...and then it happens.

McCoughtry is working the ball toward the basket. Everyone is expecting her to take the potential go-ahead shot and she's double teamed. A third Rutgers defender switches over to stop her and McCoughtry soars into the air, we hold our breath and instead of shooting, she spots a wide open Bingham near the basket and dumps a pass to her. Bingham makes the layup.

57-56 UofL. I hug everyone around me, including the startled waitress. There is no more scoring in the frantic half minute that remains. CARDS WIN! CARDS WIN! A stunned Kia Vaughn stands on the court, hands on hips in disbelief and then quickly walks to the locker room. Piph Prince later recalls that she can't even recall what happened, she just knew the game was over.

Bingham has a clear and bright memory of it, though:

"She (Angel) had three people on her and she saw me under the basket to put it in. They were getting confused because Angel was coming off screens. I was able to break free and she was able to find me."

Happy Birthday, Candyce. And, thanks for making the shot heard around the world.

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The Fern Creek 16U softball team lost their first game yesterday in the double elimination World Series tournament in Varina, VA. to Henderson/Vance NC. by the score of 3-2. The Creekers had received a first round bye after going 4-0 in tournament pool play. They'll take on Herndon, VA in the loser's bracket today.

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Word circulating around that the women's NCAA college basketball tournament is seriously considering expanding the format to include more teams. We here at CARDINAL COUPLE are against it. The 64 team format works and there hasn't been a team reach the Final Four from the #9 thru #16 seeds in the Regions since Alexander Franklin flew a kite and ran into a electrical disturbance.

You know what's behind it...money. A few more chances to draw WBB fans out of Hooterville and Bugtussle to watch the directionally challenged state school lose by thirty to UConn or Stanford.

"Despite 13 points by Holly Halfcourt, the Raccoons of Northeastern Southwest State fell to Rutgers 88-31 in the first round of the NCAA."

OK. Like we need that nonsense. The tournament works with 64 teams. Not 68, 96 or 128. Don't mess with something that isn't broken. Another case of the NCAA seeing an postseason offshoot (like last years WBI Invitational) and getting greedy. Hey, gurus...it wasn't all that. Only 500 people (a generous estimate) to watch Louisville play Bradley in the first round of the event last year in Freedom Hall. You want to do something constructive and helpful? Schedule more first and second round games where highly seeded teams don't have to travel 12 hours to play. (Yes, I'm still peeved about Louisville getting shipped off to Baton Rouge in 2009 when WKU and Bowling Green were 90 minutes away.)

Burton's 'hipness' a question for Lady Cards

MONDAY'S CARDINAL COUPLE PRESENTS:

-The rundown on Lady Card guard Nikki Burton
-Fern Creek Softball sweeps pool play
-Dream drops to 2nd place in WNBA
-Your weekly PANERA winner

For Nikki Burton (pictured to the right)..it's all about whether she's recovered from the hip surgery last month enough to be a factor for Jeff Walz's University of Louisville basketball team. Cardinal fans got to see just enough of her last season to realize that the talented combo guard can be a force and factor in the back court. Unfortunately, like several other of the ladies on last year's team, a season ending injury put her on the shelf. (We understand that her personality
'hipness' is just fine...she's very popular among her teammates.)

Burton played in 18 games for Louisville last year, drawing the starting assignment in 11 of them. She proved to be an aggressive, ball-hawking guard on defense and averaged 5.9 points per game for Louisville....good enough for sixth place in the Cardinals point per game average. Although we really didn't see much out of her from three point range, her game is more centered around transition and driving to the hoop...which fits in well with Jeff Walz's style of basketball.

The big question about her is how she'll come back from her surgeries on her hip. We saw Dez Byrd come back probably too early after her injuries and it basically cost her a season. We're hoping that the same thing doesn't happen with Burton. Fortunately, the UofL squad is deep in guards this year and Walz has the luxury of choosing from healthy players to fill the back court slots.

PROGNOSIS:
Burton has talent...scary good talent when she's able to motor. She can stop and burn opponents with the mid-range jumper and isn't afraid to take it the the hoop if the opportunity presents itself. The question is, when and how effectively will she be able to do this in 2010-11? If ready to go, she'll challenge for a "first off the bench" position and see plenty of court time in the KFC YUM center. Here's hoping she heals well and can show the flashes on a consistent basis that gave UofL fans promise and hope for her career last year.

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Fern Creek's 16 and under girls' softball team knocked off host Varina, VA in pool play yesterday to go 4-0 in pool competition and advance from the National Division to double elimination tournament play next week. They whitewashed Varina 2-0 yesterday, allowing just 3 hits. Fern Creek scored a run in the fifth and sixth to secure the victory.

By winning the division, they draw a first round bye in tournament competition and will play their next game next Monday.

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The Atlanta Dream fell 1/2 game behind Indiana by doing absolutely nothing. They had an off day Sunday but Indiana blew out Phoenix 104-82 to grab the Eastern Conference lead. It's a close race in the East...with New York only 1 game back and Washington 2 games behind Indy.

Things don't get any easier for Angel and the Dream (18-11). They face off against Western Division leader Seattle in Atlanta on Tuesday night. Seattle is a runaway leader in the Western Conference with a 24-4 record and 10 games ahead of Phoenix.

The question is...how can this NOT be the Tuesday ESPN 2 televised game? Instead, the 4 letter network will show Indiana at L.A....and that one doesn't tip off until 10 p.m. L.A. has the second worst record in the league at 10-18...suffering from the injury that sat down Candace Parker for the season. Guess we'll have time to watch both of the NCIS summer reruns Tuesday night before remoting in this one...and it could be a toss up between the WNBA and The Good Wife on CBS Tuesday.

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Congratulations to Barbara Hancock for winning the weekly PANERA gift card contest! WE had a lot of good entries last week but Barbara nailed down the prize with a short but sweet reason why she and her husband choose PANERA.

"We like PANERA BREAD because of the wide variety available there. I especially like the whole grain taste of their breads. It is satisfying."

Couldn't agree more, Barbara! You still have 3 chances to win PANERA gift cards...all you have to do is send us a short e-mail telling us why you choose PANERA. If the Yorkie drags your essay out of the pile that we've downloaded and spread out on the kitchen floor, you're a winner!
(Just kidding...we let an independent panel of judges read and select each week's winner. No, Paula Abdul and Simon aren't the judges.) Send those entries to cardinalcouple@insightbb.com

A great day for the ladies and fillies....

IN SUNDAY'S CARDINAL COUPLE:
-Greta and Oriana riding well
-ZENYATTA survives a close one
-Fern Creek softball keeps winning
-The Reds get the plug pulled
-WXVW...some fond memories
-Your Sunday sermon



We did a feature article on Greta Kuntzweiler a while back. Looks like she is rounding
back into form as a 'can't be ignored' jockey.

Yesterday at Ellis Park she rode two winners and now has 5 wins at the track...good for 8th place in the jockey standings. BOONDOCK ROMEO paid $14.40 to win and GRAN LIONESS $9.40. Kuntzweiler has been in the money 14 times in 53 starts at the Henderson, KY track and won $92,776 so far in prize money.

Oriana Rossi has been the surprise jockey of the meet so far,with 13 wins in 87 starts. She's hit the board 36 times during the Ellis meet and totaled $216,640 for the owners and trainers. Those of us who followed her progress during the Churchill Spring Meet aren't shocked by her impressive totals. Veteran rider Corey Lanerie leads the jockey colony at Ellis with 17 wins. Lanerie and Rossi have seven mounts on Sunday's card at Ellis and Kuntzweiler will be on five starters.

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ZENYATTA won her 18th straight race at Del Mar in the $300,000 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes yesterday...but she had to work for it. RINTERVAL, with Rafael Bejarano in the saddle, took the early lead and prevailed to mid stretch before ZENYATTA roared out of last place and took the lead. RINERVAL refused to quit, though and ZENYATTA could only hit the finish line a neck in front of RINERVAL. Winning jockey Mike Smith wasn't worried though and told television interviewers that he timed the ride perfectly...because ZENYATTA tends to be a bit of a showboat when she gets to the lead and sometimes eases up a bit.

CARDINAL COUPLE sponsor and PANERA BREAD managing partner Archie Karel was in attendance for the race and promises some great pictures for us here at the site when he returns from California. We did see him on TV applauding ZENYATTA...nice seats in the Director's Box directly across from the finish line and winner's circle. A true Cardinal fan, Karel was in a red shirt Saturday.

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Fern Creek 16U girls softball won both games yesterday in the World Series at Varina, VA. yesterday. The Creekers used a 4 run 5th inning to break away from a 3-3 tie against Lodi, CA. and win 7-3. (Didn't Creedence Clearwater Revival write a song about Lodi?) In the second game, Fern Creek fell behind early 2-0 to N. Olympic, WA. but rallied for four runs in the top of the sixth and an insurance run in the seventh to get the win 5-2.

Fern Creek faces host Varina, VA. today in the final game of pool play.

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Local Cincinnati Reds baseball radio fans have gone from feast to famine since the Reds broadcasts are no longer aired locally. Two stations, WQKC 1450-AM and WLCL 93.9-FM have gone off the air. Both were owned by Cumulus Media Inc. Reminds me of the days when we used to have to listen to Reds broadcasts on WMPI 103.5-FM out of Scottsburg, IN. Reds broadcasts can still be heard on WLW 700-AM in Cincinnati until another local affiliate can be found. Let's hope and pray CARDS RADIO 790-AM doesn't take the broadcasts over.

I have fond memories of 1450. Back in the day, they went under the call letters of WXVW and Charlie Jenkins was "Mr. Everything" when it came to sports on the Jeffersonville, IN station. He also gave a young, aspiring college wannabe broadcaster a break into the business and he kept close tabs on the young roustabout, created an "on-air" name for him and gave him 3 steady years of part-time employment before he graduated and went to serve his nation. Two things learned from the experience...dead air is not a good thing and there are certain words that you can't say while on the air.

Few people know that Jenkins was a finalist for the Cincinnati Reds broadcasting job to replace Al Michaels back in 1974. Instead, they hired some guy named Marty Brennaman. Last I heard, Charlie was working for Clear Channel Communicatons in Louisville in sales.

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Now, for the sermon part of today's column:

Women's sports at UofL deserve more air-time. Sure, women's basketball gets broadcasted and Kelch and Johnson do a wonderful job with the games. Hopefully Kelch will come back and do them again for the upcoming season...he's now a Cincinnati Reds broadcaster.

How about volleyball, softball and field hockey, though? All are nationally recognized programs and have big fan support. The University of Lousville has a groundbreaking opportunity here to lead the way in women's sports and get these games on the air. UofL has CARDS RADIO (although owned by Clear Channel)...how hard would it be to get away from the syndicated stuff at night and on the weekends and get some play by play coverage of these other deserving sports? I know, it's a money thing and an Arbitron Ratings game...but if the AFTERNOON UNDERDOGS can beat out Terry Meiners (so I've heard) in the afternoon drive time spot...maybe live broadcasts of volleyball or softball would fare well, too.

I'm ready even to dust off the golden pipes here and put back on the headset...OK, bad idea...but the concept of broadcasting the local University's women's sports an idea that has merit, local appeal and needs to be explored. Make it so. The folks down on the Belknap Campus refer to Louisville as the "best college sports town in America." This is a logical next step.

Sermon ended, go in peace and be nice to your family and friends today.

For Rachel Story...the best is yet to come

IN SATURDAY'S CARDINAL COUPLE:

- Rachel Story looks to the future
-Fern Creek Softball advances in World Series
-Dream drops a close one
-ZENYATTA returns to the track

For Rachel Story, hope begins anew. Last year, the freshman from Milwaukee played in 28 of Louisville's 32 games...all coming off the bench. She was part of a 4 guard Cardinal rotation but didn't see the minutes of the other three in the back court. We didn't really see the best of the Story until the end of the season...when she started to see more than the 3-5 minutes of court time Walz was giving her. She responded to the increased playing time and despite the Cards less than stellar season, observers were mentioning that she could be a key factor in the Lady Cards 2010-11 season.

Sometimes, it takes awhile for players to develop into what the team's needs are. Such looks to be the case with Story. She can run the offense from the point and isn't afraid to pull up and take the mid range jumper. Like most freshmen, her defense was a liability for Louisville last year, but she possesses the quickness and knowledge of the game to improve dramatically in this aspect of roundball.

Story averaged 2.4 points a game for Louisville in a reserve role. She'll be part of a nine player guard compliment that Walz will have to choose from when the Cards take to the court this fall. How high she'll rank in the mix will depend on how well she performs in practice...but reports from campus this summer indicate that she has been working hard with her teammates and her game 'has improved 100%' according to a Cardinal insider.

In what appears to be a wide open, free for all for the guard positions on this 2010-11 Louisville team, we look forward to "getting the full Story" as the season progresses.

PROGNOSIS:

Story has one year's experience and that will give her a slight advantage over some of the newer players Jeff Walz has available. We'd like to see her develop an accurate three point shot and pick up her defensive skills. She can be a valuable asset to the Cards with her ability to be a combo guard and she'll most likely see valuable court time minutes coming off the bench for the Lady Cards.

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The Fern Creek 16 and under women's softball team advanced in their first game of the Babe Ruth World Series...knocking off Pittsfield, MA 6-0.

Kelci Flener got the win for Fern Creek...allowing only three hits in seven innings of work. Fern Creek rocked Pittsfield for seven hits, including a double by Morgan Foley and triples by Alex Ginter and Caroline Peck. The Creekers scored one run in the fifth, two run in the sixth and three in the seventh to secure the victory.

They move on to play Lodi, CA this morning at 11 a.m. and North Olympic, WA at 3 p.m. and will wrap up National Division pool play with a game against host Varina, VA.

The team, coached by Tim McGinty, is made up of local high school softball players from Fern Creek, Mercy, Male and other area schools.

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Tough beat for Angel and the Atlanta Dream last night, falling to the Indiana Fever 95-93 in Indianapolis. The two teams are now tied for first place in the WNBA's Eastern Conference.

Atlanta (18-11) roared out to an early 10 point lead in the first quarter against the Fever but fell behind in the second quarter and trailed 45-39 at the half. Indiana led by ten midway thru the third quarter but saw Atlanta fight back several times and the Dream used a 8-0 run in the 4th quarter to gain a 82-80 lead. The team traded leads and possessions the remainder of the game.

Atlanta went up 93-92 after two Alison Bales free throws but the Fever got a free throw from Ebony Hoffman and two from Tamika Catchings to tie it with 3.5 seconds left. Alison Bales was fouled by Indy as the clock expired, but missed both of her free throw attempts...giving Indiana the win.

Angel McCoughtry was spectacular in defeat with 31 points and Iziane Castro Marquez added 28 for Atlanta. Tamika Catchings led the Fever with 30 points.

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ZENYATTA returns to racing today in the $300,000 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes for 3yr. old and up fillies and mares at Del Mar Racetrack in California, She'll face 5 competitors going a mile and one sixteenth and will mostly likely be a 1/5 or better favorite against weak competition.

Have to wonder why trainer John Sheriffs continues to keep the superstar on the West Coast and on the artifical polytrack surface when there is much more money out there for her across the nation. For example, she could be in the $750,000 Whitney Handicap today at Saratoga and face two of the best horses in the nation in QUALITY ROAD and BLAME.

If ZENYATTA is headed to Churchill Downs this fall to run in the Breeders Cup, wouldn't it be wise to get her a race on the dirt instead of the polytrack? She could even have been entered in the $750,000 West Virginia Derby today at Mountaineer Race Track in Chester, WV....where nine lesser 3 yr. olds will compete over the 1 1/8 mile dirt. A $ 750,000 race in West Virginia? OH, YEAH...we definitely need casino gambling at the Kentucky tracks. Mountaineer isn't exactly one of the top tracks in the nation...but increased purses fueled by casino money have made the venue popular for trainers and owners looking to increase their cash flow.

Time to quit hiding, John. Get the big girl a little road experience and let's see how she handles either the dirt or grass. You've been beating up on a bunch of has beens. Time to prove ZENYATTA has game. Put her up against the cream of the crop.