Summer hobbies -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Hello readers! No, you didnt get your days mixed up.  It's only Thursday.. and it's Daryl here with you.  Jared and I switched our days this week since today is my boyfriends birthday, so we have dinner plans this evening, he just doesn't know it yet. 

Photo taken by Jared Anderson 
Paulie gave Thomas and I his football tix for UofL vs Clemson 2021 (it did not go our way)

As the guys have been getting us ready for the squads we get to watch on their particular fields or courts, I can help but catch myself often looking for the real things all around me.   I've mentioned it before but it's one of my favorite hobbies to watch cardinal birds near me.  I could be stopped at a red light with the windows down and hear the call of a Cardinal bird and trying to locate the red beauty while stuck in traffic on Third Street near Belknap campus.   Which some could equate to the feeling of a long volley and score at L&N Arena or the pass inside the box and into the back of the net at Lynn Stadium. 

In true Louisville Cardinal fan fashion..  I made a TikTok to share :) Give it a view! 

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRkgC3j2/?k=1 

Thomas and I also came across an informative video into the lives of Cardinal birds.  It had some interesting facts I didn't know about our beloved mascot.  Check it out in the link below and let us know if you learned anything new about the birds!

https://youtu.be/JPDKqpkEULI

Here are 4 interesting facts about our favorite bird!!

Fact #1:

Cardinals are typically the first bird to visit feeders in the morning and the last to visit in the evenings.  Early bird gets the best pick of the seeds! 


Fact #2:

The Northern Cardinal’s name dates back to the time of the United States founding colonists, stemming from the similarity of the males’ vibrant red plumage to the red biretta and vestments of distinguishable Catholic cardinals.

Fact #3:

Northern Cardinals are classified as granivorous animals because they live on a diet consisting of mostly seeds. Their short, stout, cone-shaped beaks are specially designed to crack open the hulls on seeds and shells on nuts.  I'll refrain from making a sports related joke on that note.  Sunflower seeds are the Cardinals' favorite so load up those feeders! 

Fact #4:

The Northern Cardinal is the official state bird of 7 eastern states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia.

As we get ready for the 2022 season, I thought you might like a little background knowledge on the mascot. We always like to know how many goals a player has scored or blocks a player has created, today....you get Louie's family's stats. 

As Always, Go Cards!   Our great STATE Bird!!! 

~Daryl 

Volleyball Showdown Day -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Clash of the ACC Volleyball Titans

OK, maybe the heading is a little overblown, but today is finally game day for the volleyball match that the whole conference has been waiting for.  The story lines have developed as expected, with the offensive juggernaut, and the scrappy, balanced squad meeting up to see if specialization can win out over generalism.

Pitt plays a high power offense, much like last year, that about sums up the team.  They swing hard, and they usually find the floor with their hits.  UofL has put together a bit of a rag-tag bunch of players that are, but perhaps not spectacular, at all aspects of the game, defense and digging, serving, blocking, hitting (both middle and outside).  It's an all-around game played by UofL, vs a very offensive focused Pitt team.

Pitt is sitting just outside of the top 5 nationally, at number 6, while the scrappy Cardinals are creeping up the lower parts of the poll, currently sitting at 21st.  Pitt is undefeated, overall, not just in conference, and have yet to play a 5th set in a match this season.  The Cards are undefeated in conference, but have dropped 4 matches in non-conference against some very good teams, and have played in 5 5th sets this season.

The Cards have a lot to play for.

This game likely decides the conference championship, and by way of that, the awarding of the automatic qualifier to the NCAA tournament (remember that the ACC does not host a conference volleyball tournament, the AQ goes to the regular season champion).  Here's a bit more about how that breaks down.  Assuming that both teams win out the rest of the conference schedule (not much of a stretch of a possibility), the winner of this match ends up undefeated, and the loser ends up 1 loss.  That scenario is easy.

It is a little more nuanced than that, however, as the winner of this match would then potentially have the luxury of losing another match.  If the loser of this match wins out the rest of the way, then the two would end up being co-champions, again.  Florida State does play a potential spoiler (at 8-1 in conference) and confuser of this scenario with matches still to go against both Louisville and Pitt.  In the co-champion scenario, the winner of this match would get the AQ (again, caveat confusion that could potentially be caused by FSU) win the head to head victory over the other.

With another co-championship, Dani Busboom Kelly's squad gets to hang another red banner in Cardinal Arena.  Coach, and the team, even their intro video, have built the season theme around the color black, though.  The volleyball banners in Cardinal Arena are colored coded.  Red banners are for conference successes (usually championships, both regular season and tournaments from previous conferences).  The black banners, though...the black banners are for NCAA tournament successes, at least a Sweet 16 berth (the NCAA volleyball tournament is 64 teams).  This team wants to hang a black banner this year, and it's not much of a stretch to say it's a possibility.

Another motivator for NCAA tournament prospects is hosting the first two rounds of play.  The top 16 teams get to host first and second round games.  UofL currently sits in 21st in the national coach's poll.  A win over #6 Pitt would go a long way towards lifting them into that Top 15 region where hosting teams hang out.  A little help from some Top 15 teams (ie, if they lose some games) also helps that along.  A hosting slot is still a possibility with a lose to Pitt, but the odds get pretty long in that case.

In a more abstract terms, the Cards need to win this one to really take the next step in competitive play.  If they play like they did Friday against UVA, it won't happen (well, except for that 5th set, but Pitt won't roll over like UVA did, this is a certainty).

This game is hyped, it is hyped here in Pittsburgh, and it promises to be a loud and live arena.  I will be in attendance at 1pm, but for those who aren't here, it will be streamed on the ACC Network Extra.

A Quick Note on Men's Soccer

In what seems to be a developing theme, another UofL team won a game in double-sudden-victory-overtime last night.  This time it was the Men's Soccer team's turn.  The foe was Clemson, and the venue was Lynn Stadium on Floyd Street.  There's one more game in the regular season for Men's Soccer, but it's a doozy, with #1 ranked Wake Forest waiting on their home pitch for this one on Friday evening.

Sunday Schedule

There's a lot of Cardinals teams in competition today.  In addition to Volleyball at 1pm, Field Hockey and Women's Soccer both get their games underway, also on the road, at 1pm.  Field Hockey is at Albany, and apparently no video stream is available for this one, but Women's Soccer can be picked up on the ACC Network Extra in their tilt against NC State in Raleigh.

WSOC needs this win. Last road game of the regular season and second-to-last game of the regular season. ACC Tournament qualification status and points on the line. 

Rowing is in action this afternoon on the Charles River in Cambridge, MA at the prestigious Head of the Charles competition.  There is streaming available for this on a Vimeo livestream from The Rowing Channel at https://livestream.com/row.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

We had two knuckleheads in the studio, Paulie and myself, yesterday for the Cardinal Couple Radio
Hour.  We also were graced with the presence of Daryl Foust, who can in no way be said to be a knucklehead.

Much merriment was had, maybe slightly less informative than usual, but we had fun, and we did get to discuss topics of importance to UofL Women's Sports.  We covered Volleyball, Field Hockey, Soccer, and touched on Men's Basketball.  If you're in the Boston area to watch the Head of the Charles, tune in to learn about an idiosyncratic unit of measurement used on the Harvard Bridge over the Charles River.  You can also read some about it at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_Bridge#Smoots.

I particularly love this statement from that Wikipedia article, "Officials' original determination to omit the smoot markings from the reconstructed bridge, and to scrupulously prevent the fraternity from repainting them, evaporated when it was realized that police routinely used the smoot marks as reference points in accident reports."

Paulie plans on  presenting the UofL WBB team in terms of smoots status this year. He, Daryl and anyone else they can convince will be using the comparison.


"Get her the ball! She's three smoots open!  Not quite smoot height. She nailed that three from about 5 smoots out!"   

You can hear and watch the CCRH replay at:

https://www.facebook.com/WCHQfm/videos/1844082199041793/

-- 

JMcA

Early Bird Story....Riggle to transfer...--MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

BEFORE LOUIE...

The modern-day Louie the Cardinal Bird has undergone quite a few changes since the early version of him in the 1960's. I ran into Lloyd Collins recently...who was the third Cardinal Bird in Cardinal history. This is how it was...back then. 

Lloyd didn't grow up wanting to be the Louisville mascot. The son of a farming family in upstate New York, he came to the University of Louisville to play the trumpet in the University of Louisville band. His band director in high school was getting his Master's degree at Louisville and told the UofL director Leon Raper that he knew of a pretty good trumpet player. Lloyd auditioned, was accepted and received a small scholarship to come to Louisville in 1961. 

The Cardinal Bird originated out of the UofL Marching Band. The first two wearers of the outfit (Dick Dyson and Sam Badgett) were students in the Speed School of Engineering. When Sam was ready to graduate, Lloyd asked Leon if he could take over the "bird role". Leon said yes, but on the contingent that Lloyd would still continue to play in the marching band at half-time home games. 

Lloyd would perform as the Cardinal Bird...run into the locker room to change into his band uniform shortly before halftime, play with the band and then change back into his costume and resume being the bird in the second half. 

As the Cardinal Bird, Lloyd would go to perform at basketball games as well. The marching band didn't go to away games...but Lloyd would load up his 1956 Dodge with cheerleaders, scrape up enough money for gasoline and do road games with them. He also made appearances at Freedom Hall. His routine on the court often entailed him performing with a Hula Hoop. A crowd favorite was when the Cardinal Bird would lay a Cardinal Bird egg. 

Times were tough for a struggling college student and finances. Lloyd worked as a dishwasher in the school cafeteria in exchange for meals. For lodging exchange, he was the dorm counselor and resident manager at the old Stevenson Hall. For extra money he gave trumpet lessons at a downtown music center. He even worked out a deal with Spalding's Dry Cleaners to get his uniform cleaned at no cost. 

The costume consisted of white pants, white "spats" and black shoes. He wore a black, long-tailed colonel's coat pulled over a big pillow. The head piece was made out of paper-mache. It was attached to a pith helmet. Lloyd could only see out of one eye on the costume. It was a very hot costume. Lloyd estimates he lost anywhere from 5-10 pounds per game. The helmet and head piece were very top heavy and Lloyd had to be careful that it didn't fall off while performing. 

In 1963, a female student on campus decided she wanted to be a lady Cardinal Bird mascot. Lloyd recalls they had great fun with that...including a "marriage" at half-court in Freedom Hall during a game. Rival schools...fans of Memphis, Western and Cincy would get aggressive and actually try to steal the helmet off his head at away games. More than once, Lloyd and the cheerleaders would get into scrapes and shoving matches with fans trying to take his head. 

In preparing for the role, Lloyd recalls: 



"There was no special preparation. No dance routines, no gymnastics. I just went out and tried to have a good time, lead cheers. I would arrive really early to games to get into the costume...I would change in the same locker room and the coaches and players. After the game, they'd say...'Here comes the bird.' I'd shower after the game and walk out in street clothes...the costume put away. We wanted to keep the bird's identity a big secret. Fans would ask who I was. I'd just drop my bird arms and shrug...like I didn't know. It was such a great experience, one I would never trade. I never get tired of telling the story." 


On today's Louie: 


"He's so big and puffed up with those muscular features. Like he's on steroids or something. Like an action hero. Maybe that's want the kids want." 

After graduation, Lloyd worked as a high school band director for several years in Bowling Green. He met his wife there and went into the banking business in Louisville and Florida. Now retired, he works part-time in Guest Services at Churchill Downs during the racing season and also does data entry at the University of Louisville Medical School Continuing Education once a week. 

A special "thank you!" to Lloyd for the photos and back-story. Also, to Orthopaedic Specialist for additional information. 



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SOFTBALL'S RIGGLE TO TRANSFER

Louisville Softball is losing a player...not to graduation...but via the transfer route. Michala Riggle is leaving the Cards to pursue her dream of becoming a youth minister and heading to Liberty University to get her degree in that field. 

The sophomore first baseman/catcher played sparingly for the Cards in her two years on campus...primarily as a pinch-runner. As a freshman, she played in 13 games and scored three runs. This season, she saw action in 15 games and scored six runs. 

Riggle has been heavily involved in the Louisville community as a fundraiser for autism. She has raised over $500,000 to combat the syndrome. Her brother Evan has autism. Michala began at an early age beading bracelets and selling them at craft fairs and festivals to donate to autism. She had the dream from an early age to play for the softball Cards. 

Now, she has the chance to pursue her next dream. 

Michala Riggle‏ @MichalaRiggle  10h10 hours ago

Life update!!! These past two years as a Cardinal have been a dream come true, full of life… https://www.instagram.com/p/BUYJc6dgS8p/ 

So often, with transfers...we wonder the reasoning and motive behind them. This one makes perfect sense, though. "Riggs" was a popular and fully invested Cardinal for two years. Now, she'll make a move toward a life goal and continue the outreach and involvement that has been a staple in her life.

We congratulate and admire her for going after her dream here at Cardinal Couple and wish her the best of luck in her studies and pursuits as a Flame! Make a difference, Michala !!


paulie
xxxxx

Let's Not Go There For Women's Sports at UofL -- Adidas Design...Friday Cardinal Couple

DON'T MESS WITH LOUIE...

This is ridiculous

The University of Louisville has aligned their sportswear with Adidas...as most of us know. Nike...who is the most popular of the sportswear clothiers...would probably love to see the Cardinals fly over to their camp. It'll never happen as long as Rick Pitino patrols the Denny Crum Court sidelines and Tom Jurich has Athletic Director next to his name.

Adidas has designed new football uniforms for Bobby Petrino's football team. Of particular scrutiny is the stern looking bird in the helmet.

Dear sirs...what in the heck are you doing with Louie the Cardinal Bird? 

I get that football is a mean, tough and tumble sport. You don't get points for niceness. This disturbed looking avian, though....that looks like he is getting ready to take a peck at this football players eye...is too over the top.

If I saw a bird like this in my backyard...I'd head back in the house and call Animal Control Services. Or Alfred Hitchcock.

This rendition of the Cardinal Bird has to go. Or, at the very least, have its progression stopped and limited just to football.

Louie the Barbarian. 

Affixing Louie the Barbarian to this uniform would be
the only possible reason not to give Katie George a hug.

I don't want to interview Mariya Moore, Marissa Becker, Katie George or Chile Garcia after a game and have to stare at this obviously rabid and dangerous predator. I just might borrow my neighbor J.D.'s shotgun and keep the beast at a respectable distance. Or put it out of its misery and deranged state of existence. 

And...if they decide to give Louie the Mascot an overhaul and include this hideous facial portrayal of our university symbol and state bird...kids will be running out of the KFC YUM! Center is fear and trepidation instead of running to Louie for hugs and high fives. 

Adidas, you've crossed the line.

This is our bird. Don't mess with it
(Uhh...the one on the left...)

Dump this psychopathic-looking disaster and don't mess with our bird. Send this Louie the Barbarian to Ball State, Iowa State or any other college or university that has Cardinals after their name. 

If Daryl from The Walking Dead saw this thing in the woods...there'd be no hesitation in arching a arrow right through the cranium.

Walker Texas Ranger would lock it up immediately. Arnold Schwarzenegger would terminate it. Ralphie from Christmas Story would refuse to wear it and Clark Griswold would give it to his Cousin Eddie. Donald Trump would fire it. If it ever appeared as a logo on the Papa John Stadium Football carper, I'd encourage and applaud the opposing team to stomp on it. 

No bueno, Adidas. This does nothing to promote the joy and excitement of Cardinal Athletics. 

If our football team walks out on the field wearing these asinine, preposterous helmets (and shoes) down in Atlanta against Auburn...I hope we lose by 40.

(OK, maybe that's a bit over the top...but...please, dear God...don't take this nightmare to Atlanta..)

  

This Ball State Cardinal is bad enough. The new
Louisville Adidas Bird makes the Ball State logo
look benign and wholesome.

Can you imagine Louie the Barbarian sitting in the Stanford Cardinal Tree?

Stephen King might nod approvingly...but that'd just be an abomination.

What's next...a change of the saying "Louisville First, Cards Forever" to "Total Degradation and Nightmares for my Five Year Old"? 

Big Red, the lovable WKU mascot with an evil grimace and blood dripping from his rotund, red body? The Florida Gator with a disembodied senior citizen dangling from his jaws?  

Somewhere Hunter Thompson is smiling. Fear and loathing has finally come to Louisville. 

Leave our bird alone. And bury this mistake in the sandpit for the long jump over at Cardinal Park or underneath the Johnny Unitas statue in Papa John's.

paulie 

SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE -- The Buffs got Schimmeled

SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- Shoni goes for 30 in Louisville's 69-62 win

- Jenny wins prediction and quiz events

Photo courtesy of Charlie Springer - UofLCardGame.com

On an afternoon when the Cardinals had a terrible day shooting, a first half of play with terrible calls from the refs, and a technical on Coach Jeff Walz, the Cards found a way to get the win.  The final score was 69-62 , Shoni Schimmel with 30 of those points. 

The question going into this game was if Brittany Wilson of Colorado could shut Shoni Schimmel down again this year.   Last year, in Colorado, Shoni was held scoreless in the first half and held to 4 for the day.  We talked about it on the radio on Saturday morning, and we all agreed, Shoni would not be shut down again.  Shoni responded loud and clear with 30 points, only one trey on the day, and going 13-16 from the free throw line, all with only one turnover.   The Cardinals needed every one of her points today to secure the win. It was more free throws attempted and made than Shoni had on the books for the season. She, Tia and Asia were 19-23 from the line. The others? 5-17. Ugh... 

The game was much closer than I anticipated.  The greatest lead for either team was 6 points, in what would be a back and forth game that was very intense during the first half. 

While I believe refs do not win or lose games for a team, they certainly can affect a game.  The first half was terribly officiated with the bigger Buffs all over the backs of the rebounding Cards.  Coach Walz was hot and in the ear of the female ref constantly.  That Coach did not get T’d up until late in the first half is the real surprise here.  I believe the technical on Walz was certainly warranted, but the refs left him no choice with the lack of calls.  The technical worked. The crowd went wild and was the loudest I can remember it in a long time, and the Cardinals closed the half on a 9-0 run after the technical. 

Bria Smith had a very good first half of play having huge success with her mid range jumper.  Heading in to the second half, we saw the Bria we are used to,  slashing towards the basket, and ending up on the free throw line.  Her first half was much more successful.   Bria shot an abysmal 5-12 from the line. 

Tia Gibbs found a way to contribute mightily for her team, even though she could not get her offense going.   Tia had great effort on the boards pulling down 8 rebounds.   She contributed on the defensive end when she could not get her shots to fall, getting 1 blocked shot and 2 steals. Her performance is an excellent example of finding ways to contribute other than with points.  She, however, was also a bright spot at the free throw line hitting all 3 attempts. 

Louie's mascot pals showed up to celebrate his birthday

While the Cardinals continued to outwork their opponent on the boards, two very recent successful areas for the Cards were not present today.  Ball movement and passing has been talked about a lot recently here at Cardinal Couple.  We have been lauding the team for their excellent passing, especially from the post players.  That was not as evident today.  Which brings me to my next point, which is assists, only 5 on the day.  Of course, it is hard to get an assist when shots aren’t falling.   The Cardinals shot a season low 33.8% for the day. 

I am proud of the Cardinals for getting the win today.  However, I think they are lucky this one ended up in the win column.  Anytime you leave 16 points on the floor (free throw shooting), you are going to be lucky to get the win.  It was a terrible day at the line for many of the Cardinals today.  Absolutely terrible.  I know Coach Walz talks about it all the time.  I am not sure when it will change for this team.  It is embarrassingly bad. 

The Cardinals close the out of conference slate of the schedule 12-1.  They are 4-1 against ranked opponents.  While there have been a couple of nail biters and overtime games, the Cardinals have found ways to win in tough situations.  It is a great start to a season of Unfinished Business, but there is much work to do. 



The team has time off until Dec. 26.  Many were catching flights home by days end on Saturday.   We here at Cardinal Couple wish the players and coaches safe travels and a very happy holiday season.

The Cardinals will open AAC play next week against SMU.   They will be back at it again on Sunday, Dec. 29 at 3:00 pm at The YUM Center.   We hope to see you there. 
 

In the meantime, Happy Holidays!

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In a preseason write up, I predicted a lone loss going in to conference play.  Looks like I did a fine job in those picks, the only loss coming to Kentucky (as predicted).  How did you do?  Let us know in the comment section. 

Jenny O'Bryan

editor's notes...

- I predicted the cards would fall three times, so i was out of the running. i don't recall what Worldwide came up with...but jenny is on a streak lately...defeating Worldwide in the radio show quiz yesterday also. 

- 1-10 from three-point range was distressing... but Colorado didn't fare much better, going 3-12 from the deep. Stellar defense? Nah...just poor shooting.

- Party foul!  The mascots DID NOT play their annual mascot game at halftime. Zumba instead. Really? On Louie's Birthday? Sticks and coal in Louisville Marketing's stocking for this Homer Simpson move. 

- I did ask coach Walz what he said to draw the "T". He responded with..."What? Paul, you didn't hear me? I thought I was plenty loud." Based on how the team responded, I think Walz should continue to get "teed" up in all close games. Just a thought...

- The other highlight of the presser came from the incomparable Bob Domine, who point blank asked Walz about the lack of any top 25 schools left on the Cards schedule. Walz got a puzzled look on his face and then mentioned to Bob that he thought UConn was a fairly good team. The room erupted in laughter. Yep...


- Paulie


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The latest CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR broadcast is now up on the SOUNDCLOUD and you can give it a listen at the link below!

WHO LIVES CLOSEST TO SANTA CLAUS?

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A great weekend for you to follow UofL women's sports! Beginning tonight at 6 p.m., the Field Hockey team does battle with conference rival Georgetown. An hour later, the UofL women's soccer team takes to the Cardinal Park field to engage Syracuse. 

If the bright lights of downtown are your thing, #10 Volleyball fires up the KFC YUM! Center for a match with DePaul at 7 p.m.

Go Cards GO! 
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Thursday Cardinal Couple -- Common Myths About Bull Riding

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THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


-No bull about bullriding here...


-Cardinal Caravan in Louisville today!


-A busy fifteen minutes


(CARDINAL COUPLE writer Mark "The Commish" Schneider continues his look at the PBR today. We feature an article that dispels several myths about Bull riding and the participants. We've got him scheduled next to investigate Area 54, Elvis's death and why the Cubs are the worst team in baseball. The "Commish" is on top of it!)

Most people love animals.  Dogs, Cats, Horses, and even BULLS.  However, sometimes animal rights groups seem to go too far.  Nothing wrong with wanting to protect animals from cruelty.  I'm all for that.  But to distribute false information without getting all the facts in order to advance their cause is another story.  At first glance when watching a Bull Riding event some may think, "How cruel" or  "The animals are being hurt."  (Watch more closely and more often than not the riders are the ones getting hurt).  Maybe there should be an organization called AETH. ("Animals for the Ethical Treatment of Humans").  All kidding aside:

PETA has been touting two myths about Bull Riding/Rodeos in general.

Myth #1

"Electric prods, spurs, and bucking straps are used to irritate and enrage animals used in rodeos. Before entering the ring, cows and horses are often prodded with an electrical "hotshot" so that the pain will rile them."

This is simply not true.  Especially in the PBR. That is not to say it has never happened in a small town rodeo, but as far as the PBR?  I do not think so.

During countless events broadcasted on TV the cameras are directly in the chutes.  Every move anyone makes is shown up close.  The bulls are not coerced into bucking.  It is simply what they like to do.  A bull bucks because it is in their blood. Just as race horses are "born to run", bucking bulls are "born to buck".

As far as the spurs hurting the animal, the fact is the spurs are "dulled" and are not sharp.  Also, a bulls skin is 7 times thicker than a humans and when a bull is "spurred",  it does not harm the animal.  No marks are left and no blood is drawn. Does one think the owner of a bull worth $35,000 or more (A bull named Little Yellow Jacket was worth $150,000) would allow a cowboy to "spur" it if he thought for one moment it would harm it? Owning and raising bucking bulls is an expensive proposition. Just like our pets, a stock contractor treats every bull like one of his family.  For example, when World Champion bull MOSSYOAK MUDSLINGER recently died, his owner H.D.Page had this to say: "He's irreplaceable, there's no doubt about it.  I missed him a bunch when I had to retire him from the arena, and now I'm going to miss him even more as a sire. He was part of our family. He's done more for our family than any person."

Myth #2

"The flank (or "bucking") strap is tightly cinched around the animals' abdomens, causing them to buck vigorously in an attempt to escape the pain. The flank strap can cause open wounds and burns when the hair is rubbed off and the skin is chafed raw. Former animal control officers have found burrs and other irritants placed under the flank strap."

Again--not in the PBR. The flank strap is tied loosely around the flank, usually by the stock contractor/owner. Again, if this hurt the bull, would he be doing this? As a matter of fact there are times it will fall off during the ride.  The flank strap is a rope made out of cotton which is tied around the bull's flank. Contrary to popular belief, the flank strap is not tied around the bull's testicles. Without being too graphic--this is a family friendly website--this point must be made:  If a rope is tied around the bulls testicles, I do not think it would encourage him to buck. As one stock contractor said," What would a human do if it was tied around theirs?"  I don't think it would encourage "bucking".  I believe one would see a human lying on the ground crying in a fetal position.  And when a bull is bucking, one can actually see that the strap is nowhere near or tied around it's "privates".  This rope is to encourage the bull to use its hind legs more in a bucking motion.  If tied too tight, the bull would not buck very well.  It has to be loose to cause the bull to want to buck it off.  Sometimes the strap falls off during a ride. When that happens, the bull will usually quit bucking. 

Former CEO of the PBR Randy Benard (now CEO of The INDY Racing League) had this to say about Animal Welfare and the PBR:

"In the 1970s and '80s, PETA did a pretty good job of informing people that bull riding hurt bulls in all kinds of different ways. All those are completely false. We encourage and welcome any animal rights groups to come in and look at how we treat our animals. It's very important to the sport and to the industry that our animals are taken good care of. The other thing is, people are so surprised when they come to an event and see the type of fan base that's there. It's so much more than a western sport."

Here are the PBR's Animal Welfare Facts:

Bulls receive 25-30 lbs of a special blend of mixed grain per day. Blend varies depending on the bull’s needs and the stock contractor.

Bulls receive 20 lbs of Alfalfa or Alfalfa-grass blend per day.

Bulls receive a B-12 complex vitamin shot every two weeks.

Bulls receive a health inspection any time they have to cross state lines.

Bulls are only allowed to travel a maximum of 8 hours per day. After 10 hours, the bulls are rested for 12-14 hours.

Bulls are standing in 6-10 inches of sawdust shavings during transport.

Each stock contractor has a local veterinarian on call for their bulls.

To be fair, as with any sport there are injuries.  This includes the bulls.

According to the PBR these are the facts about bull injuries:

There are approximately 60 bulls at a one-day event, 90 bulls at a two-day event and 110 bulls at a three-day event. A bull bucks only one time per day and no more than two times at a typical event. Approximately 30-40 of the bulls at a typical two-day event will buck only once at that event.

One bull will suffer a minor injury (muscle pull, scratch) every 8 events or 786 outs.

Bulls that are determined to have an injury are not allowed to compete again until fully recovered, which is generally one to four weeks.

One bull will suffer a career-ending injury every 100 events or 9,833 outs.

Bulls that suffer a career-ending injury are retired to stud and live the balance of their lives as healthy, fully capable breeding bulls. Their injuries do not impede the quality of life or ability to function, but do prevent them from competing at the PBR level as a bucking athlete.

Four bulls have been euthanized as a result of injuries sustained over the 960 PBR events held since 1992, which translates to 1 out of every 23,735 outs.

The bulls that have sustained life-threatening injuries at PBR events have been taken to large animal hospitals for treatment and care. Three of the animal athletes that have sustained life- threatening injuries received hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical treatment and lived for extended periods of time (up to two years) before the injuries required euthanization.

A bucking bull has a .004% chance of sustaining a life-threatening injury at a PBR event.

Raising and owning bucking bulls is a full time job.  It is very expensive and time consuming.  Because of this, I seriously doubt a stock contractor would want any harm to come to his bulls.   The following video Breeding and raising bulls for the PBR will drive these points home. Watch as PBR stock contractor, Greg Simano, explains the various aspects of being a stock contractor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7HwzWA6fRE

Commish Mark 


( From the look of things, these bulls are leading a better life than the CARDINAL COUPLE Co-Owners. Good job, today!)


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Thursday brings the CARDINAL CARAVAN to Louisville with an appearance at Captain's Quarters on River Road. Meet the owners and writers of CARDINAL COUPLE at the event...which begins at 5:30. 


You'll get a chance to meet with coaches, players and Cardinal Fans at the annual event...the final stop of a three-day whirlwind tour that takes the participants to Owensboro, Bowling Green and other stops in the state. 


I know, it's supposed to be another scorcher outside on Thursday, but the event is a great chance to hear about the upcoming teams and events for UofL sports and have a little fun in the process. 

Softball coach Sandy Pearsall, women's basketball coach Jeff Walz, the LadyBirds, UofL Cheerleaders, Louie the Cardinal Bird and the pep band under the direction of "Iowa" Al Greener will also be in attendance. We're trying to arrange a three-point contest between our staff chimp Co-Co and Shoni, but UofL isn't responding favorably to the premise...so far. 


Fish, cold beverages and Cardinal Nation! Sounds like a pretty good Thursday! See you there.  No rain, no rain, no rain, no rain...(we hope).

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The stat line for Angel McCoughtry against Great Britain made us do a double take. Talk about a busy fifteen minutes!


--  Two for three on shots
--  Three for four from the foul line
--  Seven points
--  Six rebounds
--  Three assists
--  Five steals
--  Three fouls
--  One turnover


Obviously, she wasn't standing over in the corner signing autographs during her time on the court. #35 representing! 
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