UofL Drama -- Volleyball -- Kelsi Worrell Dahlia -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

what's next?

Louisville's spaghetti junction featuring I-65, I-64, and I-71

Ever looked at spaghetti junction from an aerial view? Trying to follow what's going on at Louisville between the president Dr. Neeli Bendapudi, athletic director Vince Tyra, and football coach Scott Satterfield has felt like that.

We don't cover football here at Cardinal Couple but the happenings of Tyra and Dr. Bendapudi certainly impact UofL women's athletics. That being said, we've kept our eyes on these recent events including a Board of Trustees meeting last night that was behind closed doors (and some media challenged the BOT's authority on that) and a meeting with UofL Athletics this morning at 9:00. All we heard from the Board of Trustees meeting is that the BOT is taking no action.

Something big is happening. Usually something like this involves personnel issues at a high level that could range form bringing someone new on board to a higher-up departing. If you've been on social media lately, you've probably seen 100 theories and assumptions with many involving certain personnel packing their bags. Because none of these have proven true at this moment in time we won't share those here. We're here to give you the truth.

It is important to remember that our primary objective here at Cardinal Couple is to bring you the joy and excitement of UofL women's sports. That'll never change.

We will bring you more on this as it happens and how it may affect UofL women's sports.

Volleyball

Louisville's old basketball arena- Freedom Hall

So let's talk volleyball instead. 1-seed Louisville Volleyball is still dancing. They'll host one of the NCAA Regionals this weekend and here's what you need to know:

Location: Freedom Hall, Louisville Fair and Exposition Center

Date/Time: Thursday Dec. 9 and Saturday Dec. 11

Teams: 1-seed Louisville, 16-seed Florida, 8-seed Georgia Tech, 9-seed Ohio State

TV: ESPNU or ESPN+ depending on match

Freedom Hall during the Kentucky State Fair guarded by Freddy Farm Bureau

Louisville will face Florida on Thursday in one of the first matches of the NCAA Regional semifinals at 1:00 p.m. As the 1-seed, Louisville did not get any favors from the NCAA since the last match of this round starts at 7:30 p.m. Unlike the opening two rounds, this one will be aired on tv. You can catch the entirety of this match on ESPNU as well as streaming on the ESPN app.

Georgia Tech and Ohio State, which will begin approximately 30 minutes following the conclusion of the former match, was not given justice as this is one of two matches on the day aired at ESPN+. 

We will break the Louisville vs Florida match down later this week, but we'll go on and start discussing this match some. Louisville is 0-8 all-time against Florida (1985, 1988, 1991, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2018, 2019). Florida went a combined 53-12 with a pair of Sweet Sixteen appearances in 2018 and 2019.

The Gators are 22-8 this season and finished third in the SEC with a 14-4 conference mark.

Kelsi Worrell Dahlia

Photo courtesy of @minekasapoglu

In the mix of all the craziness yesterday we saw a familiar face with some exciting news. Kelsi Worrell Dahlia is now a world record holder! The Cardinal alum recently set the world record for the 100m butterfly with a time of 54.59. Her record time happened at the Pieter van den Hoogenband Zwemstadion in Eindhoven, Netherlands. The Olympic gold medalist did great things at UofL and continues to do great things!

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

Give Me (a 3-1 win over) Liberty -- Vince offers an apology -- MONDAY CARINAL COUPLE

 CARDS FIELD HOCKEY REMAINS UNBEATEN WITH LIBERTY WIN. 

Another top 15 opponent, another Louisville Field Hockey win Sunday, as the Cards defend Trager Stadium Sunday by putting out the Flames 3-1. 

Louisville Field Hockey is now 6-0 and got goals from three different student-athletes on a bright, clear and warm day down on Floyd Street. 

The two squad engaged in a score first quarter, both getting a shot on goal but no score. Both defenses were getting the job done and Louisville freshman goalkeeper was turning any Flames attempts away -- she ended up registering a career-high seven saves in the contest. 

Louisville struck first in the first minute of the second quarter. A stolen Liberty pass attempt by Mattie Tabor resulted in a shot across the circle and into the goal. It was the third goal of the season for the Louisville Sacred Heart junior midfielder and the Cards increased the lead a few minutes later to 2-0 when Mackenzie Karl followed up on a Aimee Plumb shot attempt and sent the rebound into the net for the senior midfielder's first career goal. 

The 2-0 lead held up to halftime...the Cards holding a 5-1 shot advantage. 

A defensive third quarter ensued with Liberty trying six shots but not finding any success.

 

The fourth quarter proved a little more successful for the visitors, as they capitalized on a Cardinals error in the attacking circle and the Flames cut the Cardinals lead to 2-1. Louisville had the response, though, midway through the final session when they earned a penalty corner and Plumb added a score for her first goal of the season. That concluded the scoring for the match. 

Jared Anderson was there representing Cardinal Couple and got these great photos you see here thoday, plus catching up with Louisville Field Hockey head coach Justine Sowry after the match for comments. You can hear them below: 

JUSTINE SOWRY POST GAME -- LIBERTY

Jared also got the opportunity to interview Mackenzie Karl after the match as well, and you can hear those comments at the link below: 

MACKENZIE KARL POST GAME -- LIBERTY

Sunday's effort was a hard-earned win for the Cards and leads way now to an upcoming weekend that will be one of the toughest that the Cards will face this season. A pair of top ten ranked opponents visit Trager, starting with #10 ACC Conference foe Virginia on Friday. It doesn't get any easier for the Cards, as #2 Iowa visits on Sunday. 

(Today's photos from Jared Anderson) 

VINCE ADDRESS THE FANBASE

Yes, we are a Louisville women's sports website and 95% of our coverage falls into that category. We do realize, though, that some of our readers follow other Cardinals sports, including Football. 

If you attended Saturday night's game vs. EKU, you may have experienced some concession stand or other difficulties. I know that it took my wife a half hour to get two bottles of water and a system malfunction failed to accept her debit card three times. 

She wasn't alone, according to other fans' comments at other websites.

Vince Tyra address the issue with a Monday morning e-mail. Here it is: 

Dear Cards Fans,
 
I want to apologize to you directly for the profoundly unacceptable issues we experienced last night at Cardinal Stadium, in particular, excessive concessions wait times and ticket scanning. 
 
Simply put, last night did not meet your standard or expectation, and certainly did not meet ours.
 
We share your frustration and are working with immediacy to address these issues within our department and with our operational partners, Centerplate and CSC. We are actively working thorough operational solutions today regarding everything from technical device failure to labor voids. 
 
You will hear from me again within the next 48 hours to communicate those outcomes and changes to ensure a much-improved, aligned and positive in-venue fan experience for this Friday’s game.
 
Thank you for candor, your passion and continued support of Louisville Football. 

I'll be back in touch soon.

(We'll let the words stand as is, with hopes that the assurances come to fruition Friday if you attend football.)   

paulie
  

NIL Compensation -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 Kentucky Approves NIL Compensation

Friday's With Daryl have been put on hold again as Daryl spent last evening commanding the video camera crew at Louisville Slugger Field. The Bats started their home series against Indianapolis, which, coincidentally, Louisville City FC hosts Indy 11 this weekend. I-65 is sure to be busy the next few days.

The Commonwealth of Kentucky created all kinds of commotion yesterday. What started off as a day to discuss the possible NIL bills floating around different states quickly turned into Governor Andy Beshear signing an executive order making Kentucky the first state to allow NIL compensation by an executive order decision. Six states have already approved NIL compensation through their respective legislation. This will take effect July 1.

Several University of Louisville coaches and notables in the Athletic Department took to social media to express their thoughts on the matter, all seeming to be in approval of the decision.

Vince Tyra: "On behalf of our student athletes at the University of Louisville and other Kentucky institutions, we are incredibly grateful for Governor Beshear's Executive Order allowing them to earn additional compensation on behalf of their Name, Image, and Likeliness. Bringing the state of Kentucky into competitive balance with other across the country, and more specifically, the Atlantic Coast Conference was critical. His leadership, in collaboration with our universities and legislators in Frankfort, was welcomed and needed in leveling the playing field for our institutions and, more important, for our student-athletes."

Jeff Walz: "We applaud Governor Beshear on this ground breaking decision. This is the right thing to do. This allows our student-athletes to enhance their profile in the profession of their choice. This is about opportunity, and we are all for it."

Scott Teeter: "We commend Governor Beshear and the state of Kentucky on this thoughtful decision regarding Name, Image, and Likeliness. The success of our student-athletes has always been our highest priority and this decision provides them with even more opportunities moving forward."

Karen Ferguson-Dayes: "I'm very happy to hear that Governor Beshear issued an executive order on Name, Image, and Likeliness for the state of Kentucky. I fully support our student-athletes having an opportunity to advance themselves forward and this is a very positive step."

Mark Beckham: "I'm happy  and excited for my athletes to have the opportunity. The things they can do are limitless, which is a good thing. This is a new day in college athletics though; they can legally make money. We will see how it works, hopefully it is for the best."

Derek Copeland: "It makes sense that people should benefit from their own Name, Image, and Likeliness. These student-athletes work very hard to build and maintain their personal brand and should be rewarded when they do it so well. I am glad that our governor has taken these steps to allow for this to happen."

Arthur Albiero: "Kudos to Governor Andy Beshear by recognizing the importance of NIL to all student-athletes in our state and for the urgency with which he is treating this matter. I support the changes related to NIL as a path for our student-athletes to maximize their opportunities. It also keeps our state on a level playing field with the rest of the country. I am grateful to Governor Beshear's leadership."

Many of the men's coaches, including Scott Satterfield and Chris Mack, provided statements on the matter, all in favor.

There are still plenty of questions to be asked in regards to the NIL approval as well as how much different student-athletes will make. On the women's side, we expect to see Hailey Van Lith to be one of the players being able to do well with NIL based on her following. Women's basketball in general gets a lot more exposure than many other women's sports so those players have a good chance at doing well. Someone like Anna DeBeer, who has had an excellent career so far, could also benefit well. Mercedes (Mechi) Pastor is one of the most well-known collegiate field hockey players and has an international presence and may do well too.

What does that mean for places that cover UofL athletics, or collegiate athletics in general?

Well, first, we are one of those. The answer is plain and simple: we don't know. Cardinal Couple does not generate profit and does not make money by using different players' NIL. We do report the joy and excitement of UofL women's athletics. Will this even affect our normal operations here? Paulie is looking into this more and working with the terrific SIDs so we know how this will directly affect us.

Our Cardinal Couple Hour is back again tomorrow. We never know for sure who is going to pop in on the broadcast, but we can pretty much ensure Paulie, Jeff and Jared will be there.  We will dig into the Name, Image, and Likeliness more, but we will not have an answer to the question in the previous paragraph yet. However, the world famous CC Quiz will happen tomorrow. We always welcome you to join at home. Hint: study up your mascots.

Happy Friday, have a good weekend, and Go Cards!

Jared

UofL Begins Testing -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

TESTING, TESTING...

Yesterday marked the beginning of COVID-19 testing for student-athlete, coaches, and other staff associated with UofL athletics.  Each individual, including many who were self-quarantining after traveling back in town, went through a drive-in testing facility at Cardinal Stadium. Vince Tyra was reportedly first to go through.

The individuals included those from football, women's basketball, men's basketball, women's swimming and diving, and men's swimming and diving. Some staff, administrators and coaches also were tested.  It's unclear how many individuals from each sport went through or when the other sports will join them, but approximately 120 individuals were tested. In addition to the testing, individuals were given hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes and masks.

Following testing and health educational advising, individuals will be able to begin individual
workouts without coaches involved.

Although there is a long way to go we have seen the first steps to possibly having a fall sports season.

There has been no official statement or information on the testing results and --will, or if they will -- be released from UofL. Also,no information on when the results of the testing will be announced. There are, of course, HIPAA rules to observe, where patient privacy guards against certain uses and disclosures of health information and the prohibition of this information with the tested's knowledge or contest.


LOBBYING 

In other news, bank lobbies reopen today.  With a limited number of people allowed inside at a time and cutting the number of stations we can assist people in half,  it's possible we may be backed up all day- something most of us are a little nervous about.

We also sustained quite a bit of damage to one of our virtual drive thru lanes earlier in the week, as someone attempted to break into the machine and steal money unsuccessfully.

Wish us the best of luck on a smooth transposition.




NOT SO SHARP

Former University of Louisville dance coach Todd Sharp has been arrested for fleeing New Albany police.

According to an arrest report, Sharp was swerving on State Street when he crashed his truck head-on into another vehicle. Police said Sharp nearly rear-ended a parked car, then sped off when an officer turned on his lights and sirens

A New Albany police spokesman says Sharp drove through two red lights, onto the sidewalk, and hit a cable that anchor a street light pole. He did not stop until his car was trapped between a light pole and a curb.

Sharp faces resisting law enforcement, criminal recklessness, and leaving the scene of an accident.

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!


Jared

Louisville announce some student-athletes back to campus -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

FOOTBALL, MBB and WBB SLATED TO RETURN

You may have seen this yesterday, but the NCAA has given universities permission to bring student athletes for football, men's and women's basketball back on campus in a limited basis for voluntary workouts. UofL Athletics announced a plan yesterday. The return is scheduled for May 27th  It's a phased plan, 12 days ahead of any volunteer physical activity.  A limited number of student-athletes are in Phase I. 

It's a good first sign for football fans that hopefully we have football this fall.  No one knows for sure what the season is going to look like but let's stay positive that come Thursday night September 3rd, the Football Cards will welcome NC State to Cardinal Stadium.

We are a women's sports site, so seeing the news that WBB will also be allowed to return for "open gym" caught my attention as well. I also wonder about other UofL women's fall sports, like Field Hockey and Women's Soccer. 

Under the first phase, a limited group of student-athletes, around 30 in football and 15 in MBB and WBB, would arrive on the 27th. to receive education on protocols. Testing and physical examinations start June 3rd and voluntary physical training, not directed by coaching staffs could begin June 8th. 

Three facilities in phase one would be open with limited occupancy. The Schnellenberger Football Complex, the Trager Center and the Planet Fitness Kueber Center. Louisville is the first ACC school to make a move like this. 

It is not required participation. 

If all goes well, in this Phase I, and if the NCAA gives a "go ahead" more football players and around 60 other Olympic sport student-athletes could arrive on campus on June 10th. This is Phase II.

During Phase II, additional facilities would be opened. Limited occupancy, staggered workout sessions and voluntary participation are the standards. 

A Phase III and Phase IIII are planned for July and August. We'll hold off here on detailing those, because they are over a month away and plans can always be altered or modified due to results. Especially if the NCAA is involved. Trying to predict what they'll do is akin to having a conversation with a horse about winning a race.  

The UofL Athletic administrators and health officials have these goals for the phased re-openings:

-- Provide a phased progression into athletic activity to promote mental and physical well being.

-- Provide a phased approach of opening and use of athletic facilities

-- Provide a safe environment that allows transitioning into supervised activity to improve the student-athletes strength and conditioning

-- Implement and adhere to operational guidelines to minimize the risk of virus transmission among student-athletes and staff.  

-- Creating an environment tthat generates a change in personal hygiene practices so that the best practices are bring used in individual life. 

Vince Tyra, UofL Vice-President/Director of Athletics, outlined the plan yesterday in a teleconference. You can here the entire teleconference at the link below. Be advised, it is a long teleconference, about 45 minutes, so plan accordingly. 

LINK:  https://gocards.com/news/2020/5/21/general-uofl-student-athletes-will-return-to-campus-soon.aspx

Personally, I have so many questions and thoughts about this. But, since no one really knows the answers yet, I'll look at this declaration as being "what it is" and see how it plays out. It's really all any of us can do, we've never been in this situation before. It's painting in broad strokes, so to speak, and the detailing is being worked out. A surge in cases and deaths could belay these plans, obviously. 

There is no specific date for the rest of the fall sports or student-athletes to return to campus. There is only proposed and phased plans. It is a train light at the end of the tunnel, I suppose, but this train is also being driven by an economic engine. 

My main hope and wish is that the student-athletes are able to stay safe, healthy and are well taken care of. I trust our University will provide these things. Yes, we all want sports, but human lives and safety far out-weigh our entertainment wishes. 



Have a fortunate Friday!


paulie
xxxxx

The Louies -- FH Announces Signees -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

The Louies

Last night, Louisville Athletics held their annual Louie Awards.  Vince Tyra kicked off the night and was preceded by Sean Moth.  Then, Celene Funke (Cards Softball), Jazmine Jones (Cards WBB) and "Fresh" Kimble (Cards MBB) took over.

Tyra provided us with some positive updates.

 UofL had the highest GPA in the ACC.  Of course, with how often we talk about academic accomplishments, this comes as no surprise, but still a good reason to be proud of our student-athletes.  Also, UofL was on pace for the highest finish in school history in the College Cup standings.

Here is a list of the awards and their recipients:

Female Freshman of the Year: Aiko Jones, volleyball

Male Freshman of the Year: Alex Binelas, baseball

Male Sophomore of the Year: Matthias Schmid, golf

Female Sophomore of the Year: Makenli Forrest, track and field

Record Breaking Performance: Nicolas Albiero, swimming and diving

Breakthrough Athlete: Tutu Atwell, football

Comeback Athlete of the Year: Andrej Barna, swimming and diving

CardsCare Community Service Team: Lacrosse (women) / Baseball (men)

CardsCare Community Service Individual: McKenzie Kelley, ladybirds

Humble and Hungry: Sarah Hernandez, soccer

Pep Band Member of the Year: Allison Doimer

Cheerleader of the Year: Kristen Wells

Ladybird of the Year: Sarah Parker

Men's Cardinal Cup: Baseball

Women's Cardinal Cup: Lacrosse

Male Junior of the Year: Jordan Nwora, basketball

Female Junior of the Year: Mercedes "Mechi" Pastor, field hockey

Female Senior of the Year: Jazmine Jones, basketball

Male Senior of the Year: Dwayne Sutton, basketball

Male Leadership Award: Cody Cochran, soccer

Female Leadership Award: Meghan Nay, golf

Moment of the Year: Volleyball Upsets #2 Texas to Advance to Elite Eight

Inspiration Award: Football

Female Adidas High Performance Athlete of the Year: Dana Evans, basketball

Male Adidas High Performance Athlete of the Year: Reid Detmers, baseball

L1C4 Louie Award: Blanton Creque, football

A huge round of "well done" and congratulations to these recipients. And, to all the hard-working student athletes at UofL, for setting the bar, achieving it and making a difference.


Field Hockey Announces Three Signees

A bright spot to the week was field hockey announcing three new players to join the Cards for the 2021 season.  All three join us from across the Atlantic Ocean.

Paulina Mayer joins the Cards from Manheim, Germany.

Charlie Van Oirschot hails from Haarlem, The Netherlands.

Aimee Plumb, comes to Louisville from Canterbury, England.

Cardinal Couple will reach out to see if we can hear from Justine Sowry in the next few days regarding the three commits.

Field Hockey posted a 16-6 record in 2019 and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.


Maybe, maybe not.

On a side note, Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu had a discussion on who would have won the NCAA Championship this year.  Both agreed it would have been Oregon.  My thoughts?  Not so much.

More like a team that wears Red and Black.

Let's not forget that UofL WBB defeated Oregon, on a neutral court, 72-62 to win the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands. Louisville won the regular season ACC Title and Kylee Shook went for 18 points and 15 rebounds against the Ducks. Dana Evans delivered two huge, three-point daggers against the Oregon defense and had 17 points and six assists.

What's your thoughts?



Welcome to May

It is the first day of May, in case social quarantining has you a bit nebulous and confused as to the who, what, where, when and why's of daily life.

A Friday, and a huge day here in the city of Louisville, as the Kentucky Oaks would have been run at Churchill Downs. The first Friday in May is the second most attended day of the year at Churchill Downs...in normal times...and features the best three-year-old fillies in the world "running for the lilies".

It's also Breast Cancer Survivor Day and those brave individuals/survivors of this terrible disease would normally be honored at the track with a walk down the stretch -- as a predominately pink-dress crowd gives them some love and encouragement as they parade in front of the gtandstands and clubhouse. 

Happy Friday, Happy Original Oaks Day, stay safe, and Go Cards!

Jared

Furloughs, What We Know -- Muffet Retires -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

What We Know on UofL Furloughs

It was already announced that UofL planned on eliminating positions and having furloughs with other positions.  Yesterday was 'The Day' for those in Athletics to find out.

UofL has kept this one under wraps pretty tight.  They did not release a list of those affected but a few of them posted about it or reached out to one of us.

I can confirm three folks in the photographer/videography area that had their positions completely eliminated.  There is one position with football I can confirm got let go.

Jeff Reinking was the senior photographer.  Fred Reynolds was the senior videographer/multimedia content producer.  Clay "Point" Barnes was a videographer/multimedia content producer.

Assistant director of marketing, Chelsea Bemis was an assistant director of marketing.

Rachel Harris, who was with recruiting for football, was let go.

No coaching staff personnel have been furloughed yet, that we can tell. The furloughs saved UofL Athletics around $5 million dollars, according to reports.

There is also talk that an SID or two may have been let go.  Marketing is also rumored to have taken
a big hit.

There are plenty more people who may have been let go or had their positions furloughed that we will hear about in the upcoming weeks.

I scoured through the GoCards staff directory but it has not been updated.

Some of these people were good friends of mine, Paulie and the Cardinal Couple staff and we will miss them. We hope we can say "further down the road, my friends" instead of "goodbye".

I do know that the money owed to Bobby Petrino played a factor in the decision with budget cuts.

Our hearts go out to all who have been affected by the COVID-19, budget cuts, and layoffs.



Muffet Retires

Muffet McGraw announced on Twitter yesterday that she is retiring.  She had been the head women's basketball coach at Notre Dame for 33 years.

"It has been my great honor to represent the University of Notre Dame these past 33 years, but the time has come for me to step down as your head basketball coach," McGraw said in her Twitter statement.

Many UofL fans, like myself, expressed joy at the news.  Muffet was notorious among UofL fans for several reasons, including not recognizing Asia Durr as the ACC Player of the Year a couple years ago.

Notre Dame was coming off a 13-18 record in the 2019-2020 season and was not going to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

Notre Dame quickly announced the hiring of Nicole Ivey within an hour of Muffet's statement, meaning that this was not a spur of the moment decision, and all parties had known for quite some time.  Ivey is a former player and assistant coach for Notre Dame, and was most recently an assistant coach for the Memphis Grizzlies.


McGraw had a base salary of $1 million, but had the potential to make up to $2 million with bonuses
and incentives.  Budget cuts among athletic departments may have played a part in her departure, as Notre Dame Athletics is most likely trying to find ways to save money.

Or, as I like to think of it, Muffet McGraw couldn't handle a losing season and constantly finishing behind UofL and called it quits.  She is worthy of her Hall of Fame honors based on her accomplishments over her 33 years.

The "new" era for Notre Dame women's basketball has begun.

Below: the three-minute, final interview she did in the KFC YUM! Center back in Feb. after UofL WBB put a 33-point drubbing on them.

MUFFET'S LAST STAND IN THE KFC YUM! CENTER

Continue to do your best to stay safe and healthy.  Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared

Will Fall Sports Move to Spring? -- Tyra Talks Furloughs -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

WHAT WILL BECOME OF FALL SPORTS? 

Will we see crowds like this again anytime soon? 

The subject of Fall Sports at colleges and Universities is a hot one in message boards, general sports chatter and starting to be addresses by a few of these entities.

A lot of the decisions, obviously, are going to hinge on how well the nation recovers from the COVID-19 Pandemic. And, will their be a "second front" of the virus escalating as cooler weather returns this fall? When will the nation "flatten the curve" we hear so much about? 

(Just thinking about a "flat curve" brought a random thought to mind. When will we see Celene Funke jump on a "flat curve" from an opposing pitcher and take it to the fence in Ulmer for a triple? 

We cover women's sports, as you undoubtedly know, here at Cardinal Couple. Me and the other three writers here spend our fall, during normal circumstances, covering women's soccer, field hockey, golf, track and field, swimming, the start of volleyball and several other DI activities that UofL participates in. 

The ACC has not yet issues any official policy on fall 2020 sports. A lot of that, obviously, has to do with students being able to return to campus in the fall. Social distancing requirements in the fall are unknown yet, also. Fan attendance is a big question mark, too. 

Will Jared be able to get pictures like this anytime soon? 

As columnist, reporters and photographers...we spend a lot of time in the fall in press boxes covering events and on the field with photography and post-game interviews. Press boxes can be crowded venues. Women's soccer, for example, usually has about a dozen staffers and sports information people "in the box", plus a public address announcer. Score-keeping, scoreboard management, statistics, social media and other activities essential with the efficient running of an event are needed. Add in a few reporters and social distancing spacing becomes almost impossible with that many people "in the box". 

Television broadcasting for soccer isn't affected as much, they have an adjacent room next to the main press box. 

Will Paulie be tweeting from press boxes this fall? 

Field Hockey is a bit different. The same amount of staffers and sports information people are needed, plus a few journalists are usually on hand. The broadcasts for Field Hockey are emanated out of the main press box, too -- not a separate facility or adjacent room. I suppose the announcers could be relocated to the roof of the press box or the stands -- this has been done in past seasons -- but the Field Hockey press box is smaller, at Louisville, than the soccer press box and social distancing could pose quite the dilemma.  

I would hope that the several photographers at these two events would still have access to the sidelines to get their pictures. 

One University president has already discussed the matter, and then walked back on his original statement. 

Tom Katsouleas, the president at UConn, got the pressure cooker steaming when he addressed the possibility pf fall sports being cancelled due to the coronavirus, while speaking to a university class, via NTI. 

Will this scenario be the new normal for sports attendance? 

"Current thinking is that likely fall sports will be cancelled -- with the exception of those sports that an be played at a safe distance." Katsouleas told a journalism class he teaches on Tuesday. 

UConn and Katsouleas both quickly pulled a "reverse" on the statement, though. A spokesperson for the University said:  "It was a misunderstanding about the phrasing of what he sai. Fall sports are still on". 

So, if they did consider allowing sports that don't involve close distances, would tennis and golf compete? 

Also, moving fall sports to the spring, as has been suggested, create an overload of athletic events for campuses? Let's say you have football, lacrosse, soccer, field hockey, softball, baseball, volleyball and women's basketball all scheduled, at UofL on a spring Sunday. All without a fan base. 

Will Touchdown Squirrel scenarios happen this fall? 

The big stir and public reaction over the misguided UConn presidential statement was obviously centered around Football.

Given UConn 2-10 football record for 2019, with wins over Wagner and UMass, it might be an act of kindness if they cancelled football at UConn to prevent any melancholy and depression for Husky Football fans. 

So, we wait and see. How will our nation's sports enthusiasts be by August? How will the Covid-19 virus be affecting our society? Time will tell...


VINCE TYRA TO IMPLEMENT FURLOUGHS FOR LOUISVILLE ATHLETIC EMPLOYEES


Fresh off the heels of Vince Tyra announcing cost-cutting measures within the athletic department (coaches taking 10% pay cuts, budget cuts to individual sports of 15% and the freezing of non-essential travel and hiring), the next step in trimming the athletic department budget will be furloughs or other employee-based reductions. 

These will go into effect today. Tyra met with  announced sometime this week. In a meeting with with UofL athletics association board Monday, via video conference, the measures the athletic department is taking to deal with COVID-19 closures and cancellation was discussed -- although no specific information has been released yet. 

A look at the UofL athletic staff directory shows around 325 individuals associated with Louisville Athletics -- ranging from athletic administration to Volleyball (in alphabetical order)...covering 40 different categories. 

We get it, we understand it. Jobs are disappearing everywhere. Just look at the unemployment numbers. 


UofL Athletics anticipates generating less revenue than originally projected. Through March, UofL athletic expenses were $1.5 million more than this time last March.

Our hearts and thoughts go out to the Athletic Department employees who will be affected by the upcoming furloughs. 

It would certainly appear that those huge buyout packages to Jurich, Pitino and Petrino are taking a toll. 


paulie
xxxxx  

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