Saturday Cardinal Couple -- Cards two-hit JU to start tournament

SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- Jones continues hot streak as Louisville wins 5-0

- Paulie makes a campus visit

- Radio today

- Shoni interview 




If the University of Louisville softball team has been watching the women's basketball team as of late, they did a good impression of the hoopster Cards slow starts. Jacksonville and Louisville went through four innings of scoreless softball Friday afternoon before Louisville broke through for two runs in the fifth inning en route to a 5-0 whitewash of the Dolphins.

Seniors 'Carl' Connell and Rachel LeCoq combined for a two-hit shutout and junior Kelsi Jones went 2 for 3 in Louisville's fourth win of the season.

Jones got the Cards started in the top of the fifth with a single up the middle and reached home later in the inning when Brittany Duncan also singled. Morgan Meyer took to the basepaths for Duncan and also reached home on a Katie Keller single.

Le Coq pitched her way out of a bases-loaded dilemma in the bottom of the sixth...it took that long for Jacksonville to get their first hit of the game...to keep the Dolphins scoreless.

Louisville added three more runs in the top of the seventh. Jones walked, Whitney Arion got her first hit of the season...a bunt single and once again...Duncan drove Jones home with a hit. Maggie Ruckenbrod sent both Arion and Duncan to the plate with a booming double. 5-0. Cards win, Cards win !!!

Louisville takes on Notre Dame at 9:30 this morning. We may even have a final for you on this one if you listen to the radio show today. Unfortunately (for us) it's a studio broadcast and we are not on site to do live coverage of the Irish and Cards. Warm sounds good these days...

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Speaking of radio "daze", I headed down to campus yesterday to get a little interview time in with Coach Walz and Coach Young. I should have known things were going amiss when I realized that I had left my main digital voice recording voice on the counter at home after arriving. I carry a backup, though...which had two dead batteries.

(Memo to me: ALWAYS carry backup batteries...)

Undaunted, I sought out the counsel of Kathy Tronzo, the affable sports information program assistant who sits in front of Kenny Klien's office.

She's also the keeper of batteries. I owed her a couple of AA from a previous "dead air" issue and had dropped them off earlier. This time, I needed AAA and she came through again. After a brief chat, I headed back to Walz's office. Director of operations Mary Beth Whittaker informed me he was in a meeting on the third floor. I was on the second floor. She told me I could wait in his office and I did just that.

On the way, I did see Jude Schimmel walking down the hallway. At a brisk pace...and a perfunctory 'hello' was about all I could get in.

I also stuck my head in Coach Karen's soccer office and we chatted amicably for several minutes. I should have turned my recorder on.


Coach's office has a playpen (for either Lola or Jude...I wasn't able to ask), some great pictures of his older children and trophies and such. He's got a cup full of coins on his desk that is overflowing and a coffee table with a lot of Max Lucado books on it. The chairs are quite comfortable (I tried both) and almost snuck over and sat in his...thinking it might be great fun if he came into his office, I was behind his desk and if I tersely told him...

"Got some bad news, Jeff...there's been a change. This is my program now. I hear UT might be looking at options..." 

I didn't use the chair, though. I waited. I thumbed through one of the books. I answered a text from a reader. I rearranged the order of my credit cards in my wallet. Recalled and pondered the rise and fall of the disco era. No Walz.

Finally, I had to beg leave to get to my interview with Coach Young. Ms. Whittaker was most apologetic and told me she had texted him twice that I was there. That was probably the noises I heard on his desk. She invited me to stop back by after my lacrosse interview. I nodded.

I ended up texting coach a couple of times to see if he had returned. No reply. I went to work after stuffing my face with pizza. It's a comfort food. I was inconsolable. Was Coach in imminent danger...lost in the maze of third floor hallways without a GPS or his cell phone? Did he sneak off into the night like Charlie Strong did when he left the university and, if so, why did he leave all that change on his desk?

I do hope Coach eventually got out of the third floor meeting and will be able to go to Memphis.  I guess I should have known something was up (although I never found out what was up) when I saw a couple of local TV sportscasters headed into the SAC. I suspect they ended up on the third floor also. Or in Lola/Jude's playpen. I didn't stick around.

Fortunately, Coach Young was in and we had a great six minute chat that I'll play on the radio show this morning. Coach Young is always a great interview. I still have it on my "to do" list to punch Adam Himmelsbach for body-slamming her in a yellow journalistic piece earlier this year in our "one great newspaper". Or birdcage liner. Yep, a real tough guy. Dissin' the lady.

I also thought about asking the questions I had prepared for Walz to Coach Young. Or her oldest daughter...who was also present. She's a bit big for a playpen. And it's across campus as well. Maybe Jude could babysit her....in case Coach Young ends up on the third floor.

Just another interesting Paulie experience on the campus of the university in the greatest college sports town in the world. It is good to get reinforcement from time to time to remind me just how insignificant this independent, non-profit website is in the entire scheme of things. And, rightfully so.

I get it. Priorities take place. A man is at the top of one of the most successful women's basketball programs in the college landscape. The fortunes of 15 young women and a career and a philosophy are daily tasks. We know quite well where we are in the pecking order.

Stuff happens.

I did get to see Jeremy Yates, though, and tease him about his gray sweater that the girls were dissing in the post-game Temple press conference. He didn't have it on.  I think he sold it to the Temple Owl mascot.

And...I'm looking into adding a third floor to our humble abode.  It seems to be the way to go these days.


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Radio today will feature hoops, softball, lacrosse and other sports talk and we'll play the Young interview. A quiz, Paulie's Picks and it is rumored Don Paulie may stop by. All that and a bag of chips from a basement on a hill. 11 a.m. Join us, won't you? Link below.

HEAR JEFF MCADAMS ON CRESCENT HILL RADIO !!


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Here's an interesting piece sent to me by reader Kenny S. that features Shoni and a guy in a suit. Enjoy!

http://mycn2.com/cn2-sports/talking-with-shoni-schimmel-about-basketball-and-life

paulie
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