Jurich ceremony a good start...now lets get him reinvolved in the athletic program --SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 It'sTime To Bring Tom Home

While the Saturday ceremony on campus for Tom Jurich was long overdue and a wonderful sight to see, let's hope it is just the start of his re-introduction to Cardinals Athletics. 

The Tom Jurrich Ceremony

We were a powerhouse in athletics during the Jurich reign, and he certainly would be a huge help to Josh on campus in restoring the Cards to the top of the heap. 

True, we are in the ACC now, and the conference isn't going to roll over and play dead to Louisville athletics to establish superiority...but Jurich always had a knack of getting coaches who could get the best players and this coaching tree that women's athletics has now would no doubt be thrilled to have him back sharing ideas and helping Josh Heird continue to build this program. 

The federal investigation that eventually led to Jurich's termination was a witch hunt...there are so many program who have done far worse, and the board of trustees were idiots for getting rid of the architect of what we see today on campus. 

CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR PODCAST

We have much more on this on our weekly Cardinal Couple podcast. Give it a listen below: 

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast 6/28/15

paulie

 

Tom Jurich Ceremony Today -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Ceremony Celebrating Jurich on Campus Today

We talked last week about UofL's announcement of Tom Jurich Way coming on a random weekday and how there should be more pomp around it. I'm sure that it's not because of that conversation, but UofL is having a ceremony to honor Jurich today. It's not a curtain call at a football game, but it's still a great celebration. 

Today's ceremony will begin at 10am, so there's still time to get down to campus if you're reading this early. Tom Jurich will speak, and he'll be preceded by John Ramsey and Mayor Craig Greenberg. The event will be held at the Lenny Lyles Plaza between Cardinal Park and Ulmer Stadium. The event is open to the public and fans are encouraged to attend free of charge. 

I spoke last week on the show about how Jurich was Louisville athletics to me growing up. I'm thrilled to see that the relationship between him and the University appears to be on the mend, and I hope that he can act as a somewhat of an advisor to Josh Heird going forward to continue to propel the program in the right direction. 

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

We're back again this week with another threesome on the teebox. Jared, Paulie, and I will talk mostly about the schedules this week as we try to make our way through the summer slump. We'll be off next week for the July 4th holiday weekend, so tune in this week to stay up on the news before the break. Check out the show after it posts around 1PM, and be sure to subscribe so that it comes to your feed automatically. 

Cardinal Couple YouTube: Link

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Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Honoring Tom Jurich Long Overdue -- SUNDAY CARDNAL COUPLE

 CEREMONY TO TAKE PLACE SAT. JUNE 28TH ON CAMPUS

The architect of the successes we see in Louisville women's athletics these days can be traced back to the hiring of Tom Jurich, back in 1997. 

Coming in from Colorado St., Jurich took a look at the sleepy UofL Belknap campus and affected change. A drive down Floyd Street is a testimony to that. Starting at Soccer's Lynn Stadium, across the street at football's Cardinal Stadium and headed northbound all the way to Softball's Ulmer Stadium, the facilities that stand there today are almost all Jurich planned and pushed through into reality. When I was an undergrad at UofL, once you got past the Eastern Parkway overpass, the was a small bar where students could occasionally get away with under age of 21 drinking , if the right bartender was on duty. That spot, today... is Denny Crum Hall, a facility where the dormitory sits for mostly college scholarship athletes. Each room has a fully furnished kitchen, washer /dryer and living room. It's a far cry from the old Threlkeld Hall, where I lived for a couple years, before moving in the fraternity complex that are now renovated and no longer houses the Delta Upsilon, Lambda Chi Alpha, Phi Kappa Tau and Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternities. I even spent one night locked in a sorority house on campus, but that is a different story for a another time. 

And, let's not forget the KFC YUM Center

He also stressed the academic excellence that changed the program's attractiveness in athletics...increasing the graduation rate to 63%.

Under his leadership, the Cards won 87 conference championships and 43 conference tournaments. He took the Cards for Conference USA to the ACC. 

And...the coaches. On the women's side, Jeff Walz, Justine Sowry, Karen Ferguson Dayes and Sandy Pearsall are just a few of the coaches that Jurich brought to campus. Coaches that have shaped their programs during their time at UofL.

 

Arguably, Jurich has been the most significant figure in college sports this century. 

The recognition for Jurich is long overdue. The man was treated very unfairly in his firing back in 2017  and it took eight years for UofL to finally realize what he did and, now, finally he is being honored for what her did here. 

On a personal note, when I decided to start a website about UofL women's sports, Tom Jurich was one of the first two people I talked to get an opinion on how it might be perceived. He gave me a enthusiastic  "thumbs up" on the idea...and without his confidence and encouragement on doing a site about women's sports, I probably never would have made the leap. That was way back in 2009. 

It's been long overdue, Tom, but congratulations and... thank you.

paulie

Jared's Weekly Edition of the history of UofL women's sports -- USA U 19 over Canada 81-46 -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

SOFTBALL -- A HISTORY OF -- by JARED ANDERSON

Louisville Softball was founded in 2000 as part of a mass addition of sports programs shortly after Tom Jurich took over as athletic director in 1997. They prepare to enter their 20th season this upcoming school year.

Sandy Pearsall had been a head coach at Miami (OH) for the previous six seasons and was brought in to build the program from the ground up. And she did just that. Pearsall built a strong program that saw plenty of time nationally ranked and commonly appeared in NCAA Tournaments. The Cards won several championships during her reign and spent time in the Big East, AAC, and ACC. Pearsall recently retired following the end of the 2018 season. She finished her time at UofL with 718 wins.

Holly Aprile came in from Pittsburgh for the start of the 2018 season. She is only the second head coach for the softball team. During her first year as head coach the Cards upset rival Kentucky and took down Florida State twice in a three-game series. She prepares for her second season as head coach.

Softball has had one home in it’s entire history. Ulmer Stadium is part of Cardinal Park and was constructed solely for softball. When the Cards played their first home game it was the first UofL event at any part of Cardinal Park. The stadium has a capacity of approximately 2500 people and has been the host site for conference and NCAA Tournament games. Ulmer Stadium has also played host to high school softball events as well.

There have been seven All-American selection at UofL. Alicja Wolny and Katie Keller are the most recent with their selections in 2013. Wolny is a favorite to make the Great Britain Olympic team.

Louisville’s first win was a 1-0 victory against Western Illinois in their second ever game. They got wrecked 10-2 by Alabama in their very first game but finished the year with a winning record. 2002 and 2003 would end up being the only losing seasons in program history. The 55-5 record in 2012 has been the best season to date.

The Cards return a solid lineup for the 2020 season, despite graduation of "do-it-all" star Megan Hensley and Sidney Melton at "the hot corner". They return the NCAA leader in triples last season -- Celene Funke -- and eight starters. The pitching staff loses just Hensley and the incoming freshmen and transfers will create a  spirited competition to gain playing time. 

Even in their short history the Cards have faced a great deal of opponents. Their 27 wins against USF is the most against an individual opponent while their 25 losses against DePaul is the most losses. Their head-to-head record with rival Kentucky is even.

You can catch Paulie and Worldwide in the press box, often accompanied by Cardinal Couple friend Daryl Foust. You can find myself somewhere near the field taking pictures or cheering in the stands. Admission is usually free to softball games....the UK matchup  and NCAA Regional play would be exceptions to that. 

USA 81 - CANADA 46

Jeff Walz has always placed great emphasis on the squads he has coached playing solid defense. He got that early this morning when his FIBA USA U 19 squad crushed Canada 81-46 to advance to the semifinals in World Cup action.

USA held the Canadians to 16 first-half points.

"We did exactly what we have to do in order to win" Walz commented after the win.

After falling behind early 4-2, Walz's squad took control of the action and led 26-9 after the first quarter. They continued the defensive pressure and took the next ten minutes 24-7 over Canada. The Canadians shot just 30% from the floor for the game -- USA went 36-72 for 50%. Walz's squad had 13 steals and forced 22 Canadian turnovers.

Rhyne Howard rediscovered her shooting touch after an off-night against Germany with 14 points on 6-8 shooting. She hit two of her three trifecta attempts. Queen Egbo recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. USA out-rebounded Canada 52-29.

The USA U 19 squad advances to play Belgium...who knocked off Japan this morning 63-43. The other two semifinalist squads are Spain and Australia .  

Happy Friday and Go Cards!

Jared

Thoughts on Vince Tyra -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

VINCE HIT THE GROUND RUNNING...AND HE HASN'T SLOWED UP YET. 

The question was a simple and innocuous one. 

While my dear wife and I were at dinner the other night with a couple of friends, I was asked "So, what do you think of Vince Tyra and the job he's done so far?" 

(In case you aren't aware of this, Vince Tyra is the athletic director at the University of Louisville. He was appointed permanent director on March 26, 2018 -- replacing Tom Jurich. Welcome to the 21st. century...by the way...dear reader...if you didn't know. You're gonna love Asia Durr, GPS on your phone and Twitter. So glad to see you've come out of your coma...my unaware compadre). 

I thought about my response a moment and replied (to the effect of): 

"My thoughts about Vince Tyra are pretty irrelevant in the scheme of things. It's the opinions of the board of trustees, coaches and well-heeled donor that matter. I like Vince. He's always been kind to me. So was Tom Jurich. Let's face it...Vince was tossed into a viper pit and emerged unbitten. That, in itself, says a lot." 

Our dining partners nodded in agreement. The next question was a bit more difficult. 

"What do you think about all the coaches he's fired or have resigned"? 

I took sometime before I responded. My response was something like: 

"I don't think you can lump all the reasons for these changes into one category. Different circumstances were involved. Some of these coaches, I hated to see go, honestly, but I will say that, when in a position of power and authority...you have to make some tough decisions and accept actions that are out of your control." 

Fortunately, our server arrived with our meals right after that and the topic changed to culinary talk. 

We deal with Louisville women's sports here at CARDINAL COUPLE. In that vein, I will speak, now, of the changes on that side of the mountain. I can understand the reasoning behind the reasons of departure of each of the four coaches who were at their respective helms "pre-Vince". 

One was the center of a lot of allegations and controversy. One wanted to spend more time with her husband. One decided that private business was the next chapter in her life and pursued it. One chose to retire after a long and successful career in college athletics. The four replacements have great promise and are likable, have their players respect and admiration and were good hires.  

One of the seven departed ACC WBB Coaches since 2015

Here's the thing about college athletics. Change is inevitable. I looked back at the head coaches of the 14  ACC Women's Basketball squads (besides Louisville) that were in place in 2015. Seven are still at their schools, seven have been replaced, resigned or retired. 

I also realize there is a contingent out there that still laments the departure of former athletic director Tom Jurich. And, yes, Tom changed the campus, it's facilities and many programs successes in many ways. We owe him a hearty handshake and a huge "Thank you!" for all he did while at Louisville. He was accused and recommended for termination, in part, because of accusations from then-UofL President Greg Postel of "ineffective management, divisive leadership and unprofessional conduct that caused substantial damage to the school"...but the board of trustees gave no reason for the actual firing except for the nebulous term..."for cause".  

Things change. For example, when I was at Louisville as an undergraduate, the athletic director was Dave Hart. He left Louisville for the same position at Missouri. 

Understand this, also. No one ever has 100% of the population's approval of a job they are doing. That's the beauty of a free-thinking society. The adage "You can't please all the people all of the time" is so true. 

One thing about Tyra is that he is a huge supporter of the programs under his watch. 

He's been seen in Omaha, on the lacrosse, field hockey, baseball and softball field...just to name a few, in his time here. A friend of mine usually tells me (without any request or prompting), in e-mail form, whenever she sees him at a sporting event.


Vince usually makes a point of saying "Hi" to me whenever our paths cross at a UofL athletic event. I celebrated with him on the floor in Greensboro when the Cards women's basketball squad won the 2018 ACC Tournament. 

In this first year, plus a few months, of Tyra's tenure as athletic director he's had to make quite a few tough decisions (along with the board of trustees) about Louisville Athletics. Respect him for that, readers, and know that his first and prime concern in his role as Athletic Director is the well-being of Cardinal Athletics. He's weathered the rumors about the most successful coach on campus being recruited by other schools, the head coaching replacement of the two largest revenue-producing programs on campus and, now, the chatter currently going on about a long-time coach who has been placed on paid leave amid investigation.  

Ultimately,  Vince has done what needed to be done. 

In the final analysis, of course, it matters not what I think of Vince. Believe me, I've heard it from all sides about him. Our mission here is to cover the joy and excitement of Louisville women's sports. Vince has done nothing to deter with that coverage, so that's a good thing. And, it's also all about the student-athletes in the final analysis, as well. The story begins with them and ends with them.

Jeff Walz will tell you he's never made a basket or grabbed a rebound in his time as the Cards WBB skipper (although his shooting choices have been bad selections...from the sidelines in front of the UofL bench). Neither has Vince.

College sports are about the student-athletes. Yes, they needed guidance, coaching and encouragement during their relatively short stay on a college campus. I'd like to think that Vince remembers the days when he was a student-athlete and some of the things he went through when he thinks about the players and the coaches. 


So, I suppose we'll include him in our list of possible "alternates" on the 4 Man Cardinal Couple Bobsled Team (with other proposed alternate in Jeff Walz, Scott Teeter, Donovan Mitchell, Jerry Abramson and Curtis Franklin) for now. Sadly, practices haven't gone so well and we probably won't get a qualifying team or time. Too much arthritis and weight involved. 

I'd like your thoughts on Vince if you'd like to share them. Feel free to leave them in the comments section below or e-mail them to me.

cardinalcouple@wtwc.com   

Have a terrific Tuesday! 

paulie
xxxxx

Jurich/Tyra Emails -- Volleyball Heads to Gainesville -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Mark Jurich Sends Unwarranted Email to Vince Tyra

EDITOR NOTE: THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN TODAY'S COMMENTARY ON THE TYRA/JURICH E-MAIL EXCHANGE DO NOT NECESSARILY EXPRESS THE VIEWPOINTS OF THE STAFF OR MANAGEMENT OF CARDINAL COUPLE, WCHQ 100.9 FM OR ANY OF THE EMPLOYEES OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS. 

In school we all grew up being taught to stop and think before you act.  It appears that life lesson did not carry into adulthood for Mark Jurich, son of former athletic director Tom Jurich.  On August 22, Mark Jurich sent an email to current athletic director Vince Tyra claiming that Tyra has been attacking his family, not physically, of course.

One of the reasons for the email?  The season tickets for the Jurich family to men's basketball and football have been moved from where they have been located since back when Tom Jurich was athletic director.  Although exact location was not noted we do know that the seats have been moved closer towards the baselines at Cardinal Stadium and the KFC Yum! Center.  All eight seats that the Jurich family receives are still free of charge, per the settlement between the University of Louisville.  WDRB's Eric Crawford brought to the attention of the public that Vince Tyra pays full price for his seats, which are not as nice as where the Jurich family's seats were located, for men's basketball and football games. The area where the Jurich's sat are also generally considered to be where the current athletic director and family are placed.

Mark Jurich's email is too long to copy and paste here, although the first paragraph is provided below:

"In writing this email, I hope to be clear.  It has been my goal to move on - yet you continue to attack my family which gives me no other option than to respond.  This email is not about tickets.  It is about you and the University dishonoring my father and your blatant disrespect for my family," writes Mark Jurich.

Tyra did not immediately respond, but rather took some time to think about the email and discuss it with his colleagues.  His response consisted of one sentence.

"I received your email and it is clear that we disagree on all fronts," said Tyra.

Before I respond to the situation I would like to disclose that my views may not reflect the views by the rest of the Cardinal Couple staff and are my own.

This is the point where I would bring in Cris Carter and the ESPN staff to give us a "C'mon Man" to Mark Jurich.  Vince Tyra nor the University of Louisville are trying to humiliate the Jurich family or defame what is left of their reputation.

Tom Jurich did some remarkable things as athletic director of UofL, including a never-born-seen growth and expansion of an athletics program.  He brought it top notch facilities for all sports and heavily emphasized the importance of Title IX.

Not all that glitters is gold.  And that is the case of what happened here.  There is still a small portion of the Louisville fan base unhappy with how Tom Jurich handled the transition between Denny Crum and Rick Pitino.  The black mark around the university involving Rick Pitino also included blood on the hands of Tom Jurich, figuratively.

Tyra has praised Tom Jurich for everything he has done for this university on several occasions.  Even Jeff Walz made sure to take a moment to thank Tom when the women's basketball team reached the Final Four this year.  It appears the only attack made was Mark Jurich's aggression towards Tyra in the email.

Tyra, the athletics department, and the university handled it well.  Instead of stooping down to the level of pettiness Mark Jurich showed they brushed it off and let it go.  If anything, it shows maturity among the current administration and also shows that they still have respect for Tom Jurich.

Here is a link that has the entire e-mail sent on Aug. 22nd from Mark to Vince:

https://www.courier-journal.com/story/sports/college/louisville/2018/08/29/mark-jurich-email-louisville-athletic-director-vince-tyra/1131109002/



Volleyball Visits Gainesville for Bubly Tournament

On another note, we move away from an unhappy email and enter the realm of the 'VolleyCards'.  Louisville's first road trip of the season is to Gator Country in good ole Gainesville, Fla.  The University of Florida is hosting the Bubly Tournament featuring Louisville, USC, UCF, and Florida.

Louisville will face all three opponents over the weekend in Exactech Arena at the Stephen O'Connell Center, where Florida's men and women's basketball, gymnastics, swimming and diving, and volleyball teams all compete.  Originally, the Cards were to take on the Knights in Orlando, but perhaps UCF's 2018 Championship trophy for football is currently MIA.


-UCF Knights (Friday at 4:00 p.m.)

Sitting at 2-1 on the year, Central Florida appears to be the easiest foe for the Cards.  Their two wins came against Florida Atlantic and Florida Gulf Coast while their sole loss was a sweep (25-22, 25-20, 25-20) in favor of the Miami Hurricanes.  Miami will visit Cardinal Arena in early November.

-Florida (Saturday at 5:00 p.m.)

Ranked 4th in the country heading into the weekend Florida is coming off a 2017 National Runner-Up appearance.  They fell in four sets to Nebraska in the National Championship.  The Gators (1-1) got revenge against the #2 Cornhuskers in their season opener this year, winning in a four-set thriller.  Florida then fell to #3 Texas in a five-set nail-biter to get to where they currently are.  Playing at home, Florida will be a force to be reckoned with.

-USC (Sunday at 1:00 p.m.)

UofL's weekend doesn't get easier as they'll face the #7 Trojans.  Southern California holds a 3-0 record, like Louisville.  They downed Kentucky, who the Cards will face on Sept. 14, in a tight four-set match.  Neither team won a set by more than three points.  They then swept Northern Iowa before holding off Creighton in five sets.  The Trojans fell to Florida in the quarterfinals (Elite Eight) last year.



This weekend will be the toughest 48 hours of volleyball Coach Dani Busboom Kelly will have had to face with UofL.  The weekend could easily end poorly, resulting in the Cards dropping to 3-3.  We could also be surprised and watch Louisville come out of it 6-0.  My prediction is that UofL will defeat UCF before falling to Florida and USC.

What if the Cards get beat by Florida and USC?  Oh well.  The season is young and there is a lot of volleyball to be played.  Besides, this is just Coach Kelly's second season at the reins so we are still looking at a program in a rebuilding phase.

The only link currently provided by UofL is the one for Louisville vs UCF.  With the high quality opponents in Florida and USC I would be surprised if there isn't a live stream somewhere.  We will keep an eye out for that information and pass it along once we find out.


Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

It may still be two days away, but half of the "A Team" will be out of office this Saturday morning.  Case will not make it in the studio and I am currently on the way to Walt Disney World for a few days with my parents and will meet up with my precious Katy.  We will then head to the football game vs Alabama to watch my brother perform in his first game with the Cardinal Marching Band (CMB).

In our stead, Mike Gilpatrick (River City Cards) and Daryl Foust (The Crunch Zone/ Kentucky Women Talk Sports) will accompany Paulie and Worldwide.  Cardinal Couple covers women's sports at UofL and that will be the main focus on Saturday's show.  There are four women's teams playing this weekend.  There will be a little bit of football coverage and I will try to call in and report the sights and sounds of Orlando.
Mike and Daryl are no strangers to The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour and we always gladly welcome either or both when they join in to interact with whatever "knuckleheads" we have on-air.

If any of our loyal readers are headed to the football game look for me and don't be shy, say "hi"!  It brings me joy meeting the real backbone of Cardinal Couple.

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

- Jared -

An outsider looks at Tyra -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

DAVID WATSON WEIGHS IN ON LOUISVILLE A.D.

Hey-Ho and Good Morning! Dave O with you today while Paulie and the Miss Sonya take a few days away from the fray to vacation. When I talked with "the big guy" on Tuesday to discuss the article, one thing we kept coming back to were "coaches". Louisville has brought in some very good ones. They've sweetened the pot for a few more. 

When I refer to "Louisville" and "they", I am alluding to the job that Vince Tyra has done in the eight months since Tom Jurich was let go. October 18, 2017.

These are views from someone (namely me) who does not live in Louisville but has relatives in the area and has been fascinated with Louisville Athletics since the days of Darrell Griffith and the Doctors of Dunk. I'll admit it, my first love was Notre Dame. It's tough being a Cardinal supporter in South Bend. Much easier in Bradenton, my current locale. It's possible I may have been the only Cardinal fan in Medford, N.J., where I spent those "formative years" and where I met my wife. 

I have seen the good and the bad associated with the Cards. My oldest daughter dreamed of playing field hockey at UofL but the Cards didn't show the same interest, her skill sets weren't quite ACC proficient and she went to, and prospered, at a northeastern United States university. When I lived in Muncie, we'd drive down to watch women's and men's basketball and the occasional football game. I met Paulie at WBB, random circumstances where I just happened to end up sitting next to him in those magical Freedom Hall days. Those days before he eventually descended to his current spot in the YUM! where he keeps Jerry Abramson and Al Benninger awake and informed.

I sat through Cooper and Crum. Strong and Krags. Bustin and Sowry. I've said words while listening to Cardinal radio broadcasts that would make a drunken sailor on shore leave blush. I've yelled so loud from my garage about good things that the neighbors have come over to see if I was OK. Your typical Cards fan, right? 

I'll start here on Vince. It has got to be one of the toughest things in the world to "come in" after a legend departs. 

Especially under the circumstances that existed at the time. There was a strong "pro-Tom" movement from what I heard, a strong "anti-board" movement as well. Vince accepted a job where he was, basically, tossed into a red-hot skillet and expected not to scorch or burn. 

He was also faced with decisions and speculation. As Bob Valvano and others have said, when A.D.'s leave, coaches do too. It was not a smooth and controversy-free transition. I liken it to pulling in to restaurant for a small snack and getting a plate of food a foot high. A basketball coach was needed. The NCAA and FBI were monitoring Louisville Athletics. Something had to be done about a lacrosse coach out-of-control. 

Welcome to college athletics, Vince. 

Step by step, deliberately and with care, he moved forward. Padgett and Teeter joined the fold. Lolla and Ferguson-Dayes were given assurances and enhancements. A university President was hired. Walz and McDonnell received the type of extensions and support needed to keep them on campus. A surprise but totally understandable retirement in softball. Working with a board that most consider a detriment to Louisville Athletics. A governor that is solidly in UK's camp. Vince was climbing Mt. Everest in a speedo and swimming trunks. But, he's still smiling and making progress.   

One-by-one, the mountains were turned into molehills. And, Vince's long-term love and support for the program became obvious. Standing in the snow at lacrosse, watching softball, basketball, volleyball and all other sports...being there, being seen and finding out what was needed and how he could help. The doomsayers and naysayers were hushed. The University was starting to crawl out of the abyss and striding toward daylight. 

I watched this with intrigue and interest 900 miles and 14 hours away from the Belknap campus. One by one, Vince "got a grip" on an issue and carried it to completion. 

Paulie and I had a few conversations along the way. At times, the Cardinal Couple co-owner was disillusioned and almost apathetic. I think he mirrored a lot of Cardinal fans' feelings. Today, on this first day of summer, Paulie is now optimistic and confident about the 2018-19 season and Cardinal Athletics. In this "myoptic" void...or "summer doldrums" as he calls it, there is faith and pride. Confidence in his voice. Interviews ahead with coaches and players. He shows excitement. 

As there is with me. 

Would I feel this way if it had been another choice for A.D? That, of course, is very hard to say -- but, despite my undying admiration for what Tom Jurich did in 20 years at UofL -- I think the UofL Athletics program is standing on solid ground now. 

I fully hope, believe and pray that it remains that way. 

It's Thursday. The sun is out here and shining shortly before 9 a.m. The golf course is calling in the distance, I can hear it, and it's asking me to come out and play, to lose balls in the woods, to three-putt greens, to completely duff fairway irons. So -- I'm off.

Thanks for letting me share these pages today. Have a great Thursday and, following Jared's lead, I'll remind you that today is the first day of Summer, National Selfie Day and National Seashell Day. Why not send Cardinal Couple a selfie of yourself holding a seashell? 

All comments appreciated on my article.  




Your friend, 

Dave O.

Louisville Women's Basketball, Volleyball as seen by Jared Anderson -- Paulie on Jurich v. Board WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

HOOPS ARE COMING! 

Two months until Christmas! That means women's basketball is that much sooner. For you Facebook-ers, the UofL women's basketball official Facebook site has started creating events for all of their games. Friend them up, there will be a lot of good stuff there in the months to come. 

If you haven't read Tuesday's post here yet, Paulie went into great detail about their annual luncheon from Monday. There are quite a few interviews to listen to, including the always interesting "takes" from Coach Jeff Walz. He has complete confidence in this team's ability and their chances to be successful. How do you define success for them. Tell us in the comments section.

Also listen to Paulie's zany chat with the lovable Sam Purcell. I want to see this proposed "best out of ten" free throw showdown. My money's on Purcell. 

     *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

VOLLEY UP! 


Volleyball's Tess Clark and her magical ways of 1,000 kills take the "serve and block" Cards up to South Bend tonight for a midweek match against Notre Dame. No Touchdown Jesus involved in this contest but perhaps Ace Jesus will be sitting on the Cardinal bench. Anything to help clean up the service errors we saw when Dani Busboom Kelly's wide-netters visited the Sunshine State. 

The Fighting Irish enter the contest at 16-5 while barely clinging onto a conference record above .500 at 6-4. That ACC mark ties them with Duke for sixth place in the standings. Notre Dame has 224 blocks on the year, which could provide the Cards some trouble. In recent years tall teams that block well have been Louisville's Achilles heel, including last year's matchup. 

Each team defended their home turf well and the Cards were led by a stat sheet filled by Morgan Miller. Besides the 224 blocks, the Irish also have recorded 123 aces on the year. The Cards back row of Molly Sauer, Gabby Wiley and a hopefully healthy Alexis Hamilton (how about that tongue twister) that should be off concussion protocol should be able to hold down the fort just fine. 

Louisville has some nice numbers of their own, including Tess's thousand kills. Jasmine Bennett and Maggie DeJong have teamed up in the middle blocker position quite well, recording 40 and 41 blocks apiece. 

This past week the Cards (8-2 in conference) were listed as having the 36th. toughest schedule in DI -- which is something I fully concur with. Those darn Big 10 games from early in the season at least look good for this stat. Also, UofL received some votes in the latest polls, but have not reached a top 25 ranking yet. A win tonight and a win against ACC #1 ranked Pittsburgh on Friday could boost the Cards into the rarefied air of top 25. 

Notre Dame leads the all-time series 20-15 against UofL but tonight is a wonderful opportunity to close the gap an make the win streak against the blue and gold two games. A win would also give the Cards a two game win streak since they foiled  FSU in Tallahassee on Sunday. 

Both contests will be shown on the ACC Network Extra. 7:00 tonight. You might want to catch the Friday match at Cardinal Arena to cheer on these gals. 

Go Cards! 
Jared Anderson 

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WORDS AND MORE WORDS

(Some thoughts from Paulie on Star Wars XII: The Jurich Strikes Back) 

Put your hands in the air like you just don't care! 

Dr. Greg Postel's letter to Tom Jurich outlining the reasons for his firing and Jurich's response have been released because of the Freedom of Information mandates and neither appear to be happy campers. 

Postel alleges that Jurich promoted zero tolerance for infractions, failed to supervise head coaches, demonstrated ineffective management responsibilities and exhibited a lack of collegiality. 

Jurich, through his legal counsel, claims that Postel and the University's board are smearing his reputation and Jurich unequivocally denies the allegations and implications. 

This donnybrook is far from over. I can't wait to see if Jurich will write a book about his life and times at UofL. Hey, if Colin Kapernick can...why not T.J.???

Can we work Muffet McGraw into
the mix? 

So, the mudslinging, pie-in-the-face proceedings are underway. Grab some popcorn and have a seat Cardinal fans. This one could be a extra-innings affair. Forget that several UofL athletic teams are battling for conference titles and have key games ahead. The public wants blood and it looks like they're gonna get it. Claws out, kittens! 

Maybe we could add a few hookers, some bogus on-line classes, mad NFL stars charging from the sidelines to confront befuddled officials, Abbott and Costello's classic "Who's On First?" and some Led Zeppelin live to make this another nation-wide headline grabbing embarrassment for our dear and beloved alma mater UofL.  Go to your corners, boys and come out swinging when you hear the bell...this pi---ng contest is on, who's got the fuller bladder? 

 -Paulie

Tom Jurich Fired...Women's Soccer tonight -- Asia Durr Honored -- Thursday CARDINAL COUPLE

BOARD OF TRUSTEES TERMINATES TOM JURICH

(Photo by Charlie Springer -- UofL Card Game)

Wednesday afternoon, by a vote of 10-3, the UofL Board of Trustees fired Tom Jurich...with cause. Just what the "just cause" is...is anyone's guess. 

Insubordination? 
Sticking by Rick Pitino? Inability to get along with interim President Greg Postel? 

Postal wasn't talking about the ramifications yesterday after the board meeting ended. 

He did reference to the hope that the UofL students and community would "rise to the occasion"... a phrase that adidas, ironically enough, has on Cardinal t-shirts...but his refusal to explain just what the "just cause" sure seems like an absence of accountability. 

Saying it's about the legal proceedings...when a man has spent almost 20 years building the athletic program to unfathomable heights...is a lame and unacceptable answer. 

The other shoe has dropped.

 Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, Jim Patterson Stadium, Lynn Stadium, The Louisville Lacrosse Stadium, The "Little" YUM!, The big Yum, The Bass-Rudd Tennis Center, The Ralph Wright Natatorium, Trager Stadium, Cardinal Park, Cardinal Arena and Ulmer Stadium all became realities and Cardinal venues during Jurich's reign. 

Every coach in the UofL Athletic Department...save Rex Ecarma...was hired by Tom Jurich. Jeff Walz, Bobby Petrino, Sandy Pearsall, Dan McDonnell, Rick Pitino, Bobby Petrino, Ken Lolla, Arthur Albiero, Kelly Young, Karen Ferguson Dayes, Dani Busboom Kelly, Anne Kordes, Rick Pitino, Kenny Klein, Justine Sowry, Mark Crabtree, Courtney Trimble, Derek Copeland, Dale Cowper and Mark Beckham all were hired by Tom Jurich. Even Steve Kragthorpe. 

A current coach, who wished to remain anonymous, told me Wednesday: 

"We all are a little nervous now. Tom is all we've known. All we can do now is try to work as hard as we can to make our student-athletes successful, in sports and life, because that was what Tom was all about. We'll work with Vince [Tyra] because that is who we have now. As far as staying here at Louisville? I'll see. This was a destination job but with Tom gone, the next moves are going to weigh a lot with me. There's a lot of questions." 

This was a bad move. The wrong decision. You don't throw out the baby with the bath water. Tom Jurich will have no problems finding another job. And Louisville? Time will tell who ascend those stairs and becomes the new A.D. up there on the 3rd floor of the S.A.C. 

Chairman David Grissom and Interim President Greg Postel were able to finally breathe a collective sigh of relief. They’ve been plotting behind the scenes for quite a while now, wanting to remove Tom Jurich from his job at the University of Louisville.

Rally around the student-athletes. They and the coaches need you more than ever now. Don't boycott games. Show righteous rage if you must. Be dis-satisfied with this blunder by the board but don't back off your love and support for these kids and their coaches. 

It's still UofL. It's still the ACC. It's still the red and the black. 

But, it's a sadder day and a inconceivable move. And, if you think politics had nothing to do with this...wake up and look at the landscape. 


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#15 WAKE FOREST TO FACE WSOC TONIGHT

The Demon Deacons from Winston Salem...those Wake Forest kickers...will be in Lynn Stadium tonight for a 7 p.m. math on the pitch against the Louisville Cardinal women's soccer squad. 

Louisville needs this one badly. In eighth place in the ACC and hoping to make the ACC Tournament (which accepts eight teams)...a Cardinal win in their final home game of the regular season is greatly needed. The Cards have 9 points in the standings (a win gets you three points and a tie gets you one). The Cards are 3-4 in conference. N.C.State, Boston College and Notre Dame have 10 points. Clemson has 8. Wake Forest has 13 and is in third place in the standings. 

The Cards could go a long way in securing a bid tonight with a win. They end the season in North Carolina with games against UNC and NC State. Difficult, but not impossible. 

Do this, WSOC. GIve the beleaguered UofL fans a bright spot in what has been a really tough week.  

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DURR HONORED

UofL junior guard Asia Durr has been selected as the 2017-18 ACC preseason Player of the Year, as voted on by the league's coaches.

In addition to the award, Durr, senior Myisha Hines-Allen and freshman Dana Evans earned All-ACC preseason honor from both the league coaches and the Blue Ribbon Panel, the conferences media and sports information directors

Durr and Hines-Allen were named Preseason All-ACC, while Evans was one of five players named to the Newcomer Watch List. 

This is the second straight season that a Louisville student-athlete has earned ACC Player of the Year honors. Myisha Hines-Allen got the 2016-17 nod. 

The Cards were picked to finish second in the league by the 15 coaches...getting one first place vote, while the Blue Ribbon Panel also put Louisville second. Notre Dame was picked first in both polls. Duke was selected third. Florida State came in fourth and Virginia rounded out the top five in the coaches poll. The Blue Ribbon Panel agreed on 1-4 with Miami getting fifth in their poll. 

The preseason All-ACC teams were: 

BLUE RIBBON

Lexie Brown - Duke
Rebecca Greenwell - Duke
Shakayla Thomas - FSU
Myisha Hines-Allen - UofL
Asia Durr - UofL
Stephanie Watts - UNC
Paris Kea - UNC
Arike Ogunbowale - Notre Dame
Marina Mabrey - Notre Dame
Chanette Hicks - Va.Tech

COACHES

Lexie Brown
Rebecca Greenwell
Shakayla Thomas
Francesca Pan (Georgia Tech)
Asia Durr
Myisha Hines-Allen
Paris Kea
Arike Ogunbowale
Marina Mabrey
Elisa Penna (Wake Forest) 


Congratulations to these three Cardinals! The season begins


paulie
xxxxx