BATTLE OF BLUEGRASS A BLOWOUT
Sandy Pearsall explains:
"We started out the game giving up some walks and committing errors and that didn't help us. We brought Becker in and she just didn't pitch well for us today... This is over, it's past and we've got a lot more games to play"
And, such is the game of softball...where a disappointing loss on a Wednesday can't be dwelled upon too long...the weekend brings an important ACC series against Virginia Tech.
UK touched Cards starter Megan Hensley for a run each in the first and second innings. Wearing a protective mask on her face because of a broken nose...and suffering from a lingering shoulder injury...Hensley was pulled from the circle after two innings, which Pearsall had planned to do before the game, and Becker took the ball. And the Cats greeted her with four runs to blow the contest wide open.
Hensley did return to the circle to start the fourth inning...due to Becker's ineffectiveness...and finished the game in the circle for the Cards...allowing four more runs in the final three innings.
Hensley had a hand in the Cards lone score. Her double to left-center in the fifth inning set up a Jenna Jordan RBI single that scored pinch-running Celine Funke. Jordan had two hits, half the Cards game total, in the contest.
A good crowd, almost a 1000 on hand for this one under perfect weather conditions. A scattering of blue in the seats who had the chance to celebrate the majority of the contest.
Quite a few Cardinal student-athletes on hand for the game. Mariya Moore , Taylor Johnson, Kylee Shook and Bionca Dunham all spotted in attendance from UofL basketball. Inger Katrine Bjerke (K.B.)...women's soccer standout defender...and her always big smile graced the seats as well.
The 10-1 win is the largest margin of victory by UK in the series...surpassing a 9-1 win back in 2001.
You shake it off, get in a little extra hitting practice move onto the next one. Pearsall seemed confident that there wouldn't be any problem with the team's motivation attitude for the crucial weekend series in Blacksburg. You can catch her post-game interview with Paulie and THE CARDINAL sports editor Dalton Ray below.
SANDY PEARSALL POST GAME KENTUCKY
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PAPA JOHN TURNS UP THE HEAT ON CARDINAL ATHLETICS LEADERSHIP
"Papa" John Schnatter...Papa John's Pizza founder and CEO...has questions about visibility, it seems. Not in his own situation...he often is the main actor in his pizza commercials...but in terms of the UofL Athletic Department. Schnatter, who is also a member of the UofL Board of Trustees used the Wednesday meeting to express his viewpoints. Schnatter says that the leadership of the UofL Athletics Department is "invisible" to the University's governing board. Tom Jurich, of course, is at the top of the Athletics department as Athletics Director. He also said:
"The athletics thing scares me...until you fix athletics, you cannot fix this university."
Whoa, Nellie! Let's get a few things straight here, pizza man.
Tom Jurich did not comment on Papa's remarks. Kenny Klein, a spokesman for the athletics association did issue a statement via e-mail.
"Tom's leadership of our athletic department is well documented, has been highly successful, is fiscally sound, transparent and speaks for itself. The UofL Athletics board of directors has governed our department and been involved in all decisions."
Tom Jurich is quite accessible, in my opinion. I'm sure he'd be glad to appear before the university's governing board and show the incredible successes of and answer any questions about UofL Athletics.
John has been, and will continue to be, a very large financial donor to University of Louisville athletics. A lot of the things that Louisville athletics have been able to build and create were backed with dollars by John. The UofL Athletics community is very grateful for his financial generosity. Maybe John needs to stick to what he knows, though. Sauce, toppings, funding and making TV commercials, instead of attacking and questioning one of the most successful, if not the most successful athletic departments in the nation and their leader. Don't confuse pepperonis for black olives, Mr Schnatter. Athletic expenditures do not increase the cost of a student attending college. They're two separate areas. Breadsticks and garlic sauce.
Just smile and sign a check, John. Keep using better ingredients but stop busting the best A.D. in the business. Tom and his crew know what their doing. Trust in Tom. Smile when you walk by those booths in the football stadium and the KFC YUM! Center that sell your pies.
And, thanks for all you do with your dollars and donations. Just leave the opinions off this product.
paulie
xxxxx
Call me crazy but I'm thinking Papa may be referring to the mother that offered her daughters up to ULMBB recruiting efforts and then shamelessly decided to make a national story about it.
ReplyDeleteSome small slights can be overlooked. This guy gives millions of dollars to UofL. Expecting a bit of accountability isn't unreasonable. You can't just act like it didn't happen and expect him to keep writing checks. As you should know although it's pretty easy to say his dollars don't directly support men's athletics it's pretty clear these dollars are fungible. Acting like he should have no input is just looking a gift horse in the mouth. With the Derby coming up everyone should understand that analogy.
He was clear that his comments were referring to the financial situation. He discussed the expansion of the football stadium while UofL is in the middle of budget allocation discussions and how he believed it to be irresponsible. Personally, I don't think he has any place to be on the governing board of the University, and he definitely shouldn't be using his platform to blindside a fellow member of UofL's brass.
DeleteHe later threw a fit and stormed out of yesterday's executive session early, refused media questions, and didn't return. The athletic department often returns more money to the University's general fund than they are obligated to share and ask for little from the general fund in return. For him to call athletics a "drain" on UofL's money is misinformed and irresponsible.
I'm more than happy to see him write checks to the University. I'm less than pleased with him getting lovey dovey on the UK football sideline and taking cheap shots at a great AD from a position he shouldn't have.
/rant
That's fine but folks should remember that he runs an international company. Situations that might be conveniently overlooked in Louisville aren't so easily ignored by someone running a multi-national organization with a corporate image that he has also spent millions of dollars to build and maintain.
DeleteFurther, part of the responsibility of any organization accepting funds from some one like this guy is the obviously unstated position that no one associated with the U of L should be doing shady, disgusting or potential illegal things. Jeez. Give me a break. You folks need to wake up and look in the mirror.
Case, I agree with you and you said it much more diplomatically than I would have. His big checkbook does not give him any extra say and if he can't act like a responsible adult then he should resign from any connection with UofL.
DeleteSome great points, for sure, Burn. The thing is, it seemed pretty personal against Jurich...who pulled this athletic program back from the abyss in the late nineties and continues to be the best college athletic director out there.
ReplyDeleteMr and Mrs Lynn devoted a lot of money toward soccer, they run a very successful eye company and they aren't trying to dictate policy or bring anyone down.
I'm sure that Tom would be more than happy to sit down with the board, as he has done many times in the past and provide full details, disclosure and answer all questions whenever they want. There's no need for Papa John to slander or try and shame him.
Paulie
Listen...I've been a big fan of ULMBB since the McCray days...and subsequent to that I got back on board with ULWBB when the Schimmels came around. I'm a big Card fan even though I should be a big Sun Devil fan. So that's on me.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I'm not local I try to keep up to speed on the UL Board drama. I guess it should be obvious but I'm thinking they brought Papa on board because they were looking for different perspectives vs. the unsuccessful Board mixes from the past.
Unlike almost all of the other UL Board members Papa actually built something from the ground up and in the process successfully employed a bunch of people and made many stockholders a bunch of money with his good character and business judgement. I know many folks don't think that's a big deal but actually it matters. By his efforts he made things better. It's not some theoretical academic exercise, he did it in the real world.
So when he takes issue with painfully obvious issues and then gets hammered for it that doesn't fly. I know you folks understand this but do you think for a second when Jurich's marketing people pitched Papa on writing a huge check to sponsor the stadium they didn't make a major part of it about the positive impact his investment would have on Papa John's image? Do you think Jurich & Pitino, in spite of the millions of dollars they personally make have any responsibility for this fiasco? Or do you just think this is a big game of liar's poker and whoever is stupid enough to buy the pitch and write the check and gets suckered its then their problem when they react like any person of reasonable character would?
Jurich and Pitino own this. Period. Further it's a total head scratcher to me that this mother pimping out her daughters to ULMBB recruiting efforts didn't get a huge negative pushback from UL Women's Sports. Seriously, are you folks trying to empower women via women's sports or not? If so then maybe you should have been screaming when this thing came down. I didn't hear it or see it. In any case it is what it is. I doubt I'll change anyone's mind but I said my piece.
On a more positive note my niece just signed her full ride volleyball letter of intent with Louisiana Tech. This may now be the end my adventure into women's athletics.
To be clear I've never owned Papa John's stock. I do real estate.
No matter how much money you make or have at the end of your life the only thing that matters is character and the kind of person you were. You can't buy or steal character...you have to earn it by what you do every day.
Burn
Hey, Burn. Here in Louisville, we love what Tom Jurich has done for Louisville Athletics. Pitino and prostitutes have nothing to do with women's sports. And, no one ever talks about Papa John getting thrown out of his suite for snorting coke with underage girls. That got covered up.
DeleteYour hero isn't all that. Also, you go after Paulie a lot. A lot of us appreciate what he does. The Deb Factor
Deb. All is cool with Burn Brother and me. Let's just let this cease and celebrate that the Softball Cards went to Blacksburg and took two from the Hokies today!
DeletePaulie
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ReplyDeleteTom Jurich seems like a good guy
ReplyDeleteHey Deb - No one is arguing that Jurich hasn't been a great AD. The point is that Jurich & Pitino are responsible for what happens on their watch. Only in academia or government could Pitino still be employed making his five million plus dollars a year after this. In the private sector he would have been history immediately after that disaster. Either the Board of Directors or the Stockholders would have fired him in a New York minute.
ReplyDeleteIf you think the mommy prostitution thingy on the U of L Campus being overseen by one of Pitino's employees has nothing to do with the entire Women's Sports/ Feminism / Female Empowerment thingy then I can't help you with your logic. Maybe the UofL Gender Studies Department will let you sit in on some classes.
I find folks that are willing to poor mouth successful entrepreneurs have rarely worked in the private sector and likely would have trouble succeeding if their compensation was tied to their effectiveness in their jobs. Burn
Deb - Also your willingness to compartmentalize these actions is amazing and frightening at the same time. It's a package deal. Burn
ReplyDeleteLast I checked, Walz wasn't hiring male strippers. And, we're done here. The Deb Factor
DeleteWhen you're in a hole quit digging.
Delete(Using stern mother voice) Don't make me up come there and separate you two! Let's move on...how about Emmonnie Henderson setting a new personal and aschool outdoor record with a 17.50m toss of the shot~!
ReplyDeletePaulie
Yeah u both uofl fans act like it
DeleteThanks Mom...I'm done
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