Good to be back -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 

A RETURN TO THESE PAGES

ok, maybe not but, Hello again..

Hello, and GoCards to you. This is your faithful editor and co-owner of Cardinal Couple  (Paulie) and..can you believe...it's been almost a month since I have turned in an article here? Seems longer than that to me...and, no, I wasn't under the commisioner's suspension. 

Open heart surgery will tend to delay a lot of things in one's life, and, in my case, I was faced with the arduous decision to "get rid of the blockage" or start breathing dry air.  (No, it doesn't mean I ran a quarterback scramble option..but I do feel as if I have been issued a new set of downs.)

First and foremost, I thank this wondeful crew of knuckleheads I have here for keeping the boat on a straight and steady course. It may read "Cardinal Couple" on the name, but...it's Jared, it's Jeff, it's Case and Daryl who are the best damn crew any fella could ever ask to write with and be friends with. Hey, they're the lead guitarists...I'm just glad to be on stage banging a tamborine and singing off-key. My dear Sonja, keeping the gang informed and reporting on my progress. She's my  MVP...no doubt. 

The crew that did the heart work are a great bunch of physicians and staff and I'd recommend them to anyone. I won't give such high marks to the hospital and it's staff, though, and I'll choose to never return there again, if at all possibe. (enough on that).There are some very good hospitlsi n our fair city...I wasn't in one of them. 

When I put on the gown and let them shave my chest...Louisville WBB had recently defeaed Washington and was getting ready to take on Miami. The Walz led group had just two losses and we were seein that the Walzian experiment of putting five, new to each other starters on the court was, actually going quite well. 

Today, i look at this team,fresh off a almost predictable loss at Ralrigh to NCST, and I still love the product on the showroom floor. They seem to have found a place in you, the reader's hearts too...,from what I can gather, too. I won't call them the "Cardiac Cards"...that brings a bit too close reminder to my personal sitution s...but  "no name Cards" has a nice ring to it. 

And, I've been to Raleigh as a visiting fan in WBB . That place is a snake pit for visiting, ranked teams. The Wolfpack Fans love their women's product and they let you know it the entire game. If, for some readon, I could no longer be a UofL fan, it probably wouldn't take much for me to don the Wolfpack sweatshirt and cheer for them. 

There isn't a Durr, McCoughtry, Evans, Hammond, Bingham or Fuehring on this UofL squad...but you have 11 gals who will fight you till the final buzzer and aren't afraid of anyone or anybody. My kind of squad. . 

Maybe that's why I like them as much as I do. They came here, just for a year in some cases, to see what playing with the bird on their chest and the love of 8,0090-10,00 fan each in their hearts was like. They felt a coach like Walz could help them acheive future goals. I think the best is yet to come for them, I hope to make a home game or two before they head to the ACC Tournament. With medical cleaarance, of course. 

(Hey, ma...your little guy is still kicking..). 

So, I go through the physical therapy, the cardiac diet ,and health and exercise scrutiny to make me better. I think this WBB team is going to get better, too. I don't know if they are Final Four quality yet...but, if you can pick the Final Four on this mid-Feburary day...I'll hand over the keys to the Cardinal Couple offices and marvel at your wisdom. 

I look forwrad to the spring schedule for Cardinal women's athletics, too. The "ping" of the bat at Ulmer and the hard-charging lacrosse gals storming up and down the L.L.S. Field. 

Shall we continue the journey together? It feels like a team made it possible for me to get this far and that team is ALL-AMERICAN in my book. Let's see how things continue. It's gonna be fun and I'll never take my health for granted again. 

Yeah...I missed y'all, so to speak... and glad I am able to be back profliferating on these pages. A big "thanks? to all who reached out to check on me, console, advise, suggest, make me smile and keep me abreast on things

I'll see ya at the game....

paulie