Friday Cardinal Couple - Cards advance to BIG EAST Softball Semis.

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FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


CARDS DEFEAT DEPAUL 2-0


More tomorrow...but Louisville gets a two-hit shutout out of torrid Tori Collins and beats DePaul to advance to the Big East finals. Kayla Soles delivers a two run double for the runs. L1C4 !!


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-Softball downs UConn 8-0...DePaul next


-Cardinal Twilight in track and field today


-Cletus qualifies for State in Discus and Shotput


-Twilight racing at Churchill Friday

The University of Louisville softball team improved to 51-3 on the season with a first-round blanking of Connecticut 8-0 in BIG EAST Tournament play at Notre Dame yesterday. The Cards "run-ruled" the Huskies and the game was stopped after five complete innings. 


The win is a testament to the teamwork, motivation and never-say-die attitude this softball team has displayed all year along. Louisville, as they've done most of the season, jumped out to an early lead with two runs in the bottom of the first. Kristin Austin and Katie Keller scored on hits from Alicja Wolny and Taner Fowler.

In the bottom of the third, Wolny made it 3-0 with a bomb to left-center that bounced off the scoreboard. Let's hope there was no damage and Jurich doesn't get a repair bill. NASA was able to track the moon-shot by the junior first-baseman briefly from Houston. She crushed it ! 


Caralisa Connell got the start and had no trouble with the Huskies through three innings. The top of the fourth, though...found her in a bit of a jam. With one out...a fielder's choice, single and hit batter filled the bases with Huskies. Sandy Pearsall and Courtney Scott decided to go to the bullpen and bring in super-reliever Chelsea Leonard. She donned the cape, stepped inside the circle and got the first batter she faced to weakly pop up to her. She struck the next Husky out to end the inning. Threat over, no runs and the skies over South Bend were safe again. 

Louisville was tired of toying with the Connecticut pups...so they decided to end it early. 


In the bottom of the fifth, the Cards started the game-ending assault with two outs in the inning. Katie Keller drilled a shot back at starting UConn pitcher Kiki Saveriano that was mis-handled and Keller was safe at first...foiling UConn's attempt to get out of the inning unscathed.  Wolny worked Kiki for a walk. UConn's coach had seen enough and went to his bullpen. 


Sometimes, you just shouldn't go there. 

Taner Fowler greeted UConn's new hurler Ali Adelman with a single...scoring Keller. Jordy Trimble singled to load the bases. Kayla Soles drew a walk, scoring Wolny to make it 5-0 Louisville. Maggie Ruckenbrod stepped to the plate and ripped a drive down the right field line that scored Wolny and Trimble. UConn tried to throw out Soles as she went to third on the hit, threw badly and Soles just kept going...getting home safely and ending the game with the Cards fifth run of the inning and eighth of the game. 


Bye-bye Huskies. Thanks for playing. Pick up your parting gifts at customer service. 

Today is DePaul for the Cards. They surprised South Florida by pounding USF ace hurler Sara Nevins for four runs yesterday in a 6-0 win. #5 seed beats #4. 


Another upset later in the day, too...as #3 seed Syracuse fell to #6 seed St. John's 2-1. It's single-elimination...Orange and Bulls. Be safe on the way home and bye-bye, farewell, adios Syracuse. No three-peat for you in the BIG EAST Tournament. Enjoy the ACC. You deserve each other. #2 seed Notre Dame handled #7 Rutgers without any trouble in the night-cap 5-0. 

Back to DePaul...they are the demons that dealt Louisville their only two conference losses of the regular season. It was a out-of-sync weekend for the Cards in Chicago in late March and April Fools Day. They dropped two out of three on that trip to the home of the Bears, Bulls and Cubbies and got pounded for seven runs in their first loss of the year. 

We're guessing the Blue Demons will have to deal with the wrath of Louisville's Tori Collins today...but we guessed wrong on the starting pitcher yesterday...so who knows? 


Collins would probably like to forget March 31st, 2012. 


DePaul rocked her for four runs and four hits in four innings. Blue Demon left fielder Katelyn Braget sent two over the fence against Tori. 


Time to settle old scores today, Cards. It's survive and advance time. 


Louisville plays at 4 p.m. and BIG EAST TV will show it free again today. No TV commercials...gotta love that. 


You can catch it at the link below:


Cards vs. DePaul 4 p.m.


We'll drop in with an update after the game. Be sure to check back tonight and...thank you for reading CARDINAL COUPLE. 


Go Tori
Go Taner
Go Maggie
Get that Banner! 


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Track and field hosts the Cardinal Twilight at Cardinal Park today. It's a last-chance meet for athletes to achieve national qualifying standards and try to get in the NCAA Championships. 


Louisville will have quite a few ladies trying to better their season marks today. The Cardinal throwers will be out in full-force...Amashi Kendall in the shot put, discus and hammer throws. She's going to need a shoulder massage after all that. Khadija Abdullah, Patrice Gates and Hannah Baker will also be out there tossing heavy and flat things around. 


Field events go at 10 a.m. Go CARDS! 


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Speaking of throwers...a big congratulations to our folk hero and all-around good guy Michael "Cletus" Stewart. He competed in the Kentucky Track and Field Class 3-A, Region Four Regionals at North Oldham High School Thursday and won the shot put. He also finished second in the discus (by two inches). 


That gets him into the State Championships in both events that will be held at Cardinal Park next Saturday. 


Michael's tosses were 44-10 in the shot put and 128-06 in the discus. He'll attend the University of Louisville in the fall and be a preferred walk-on with the football team. 

Sounds like UofL head track and field coach Ron Mann might also want to introduce himself to the 6'5", 280 Seneca strongman, too. Stewart has participated in discus and shot for just two years and was "self-taught" in both events. Some recent training, coaching and adjustment on his throwing styles has paid dividends and he's really just beginning to reach his full potential. 


Also, Fern Creek's Billy Reid (Monique's little brother) won the 110 and 300 hurdles at the North Oldham events. Well done, Billy! 


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Churchill Downs offers Twilight Racing today for you thoroughbred fans. First post is 2:45 p.m. Live music in the paddock area and 11 chances to pick winners. We love Henny's Hurricane in the featured 10th. race along with Street Storm for the exacta play of the day. 


We'll try and catch a couple races before heading home to watch Softball on-line. Great weather for today, skip out of work a couple of hours early (it's Friday!) and take advantage of the food and drink specials available during Happy Hour. Gates open at 1:30 p.m. and Happy Hour is actually three hours, starting at 4 p.m.


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Wednesday Cardinal Couple - BIG EAST Tournament next for Louisville Softball

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WEDNESDAY WITH THE COUPLE


-Louisville softball BIG EAST Tournament preview


-Taner Fowler


-Our choices for next BIG EAST Commish.


-Go Bode Go

The 2012 BIG EAST Softball Tournament begins at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 10th. Louisville will play in the second game of the day at 12:30 p.m. against the Connecticut Huskies. The Cards are the #1 seed and take a #8 national ranking and 50-3, 20-2 record into action at South Bend, IN and Notre Dame Stadium. 


The Huskies enter the tournament with a 21-26 overall record and went 9-13 in the BIG EAST. Last time out, UConn was swept in a three game series by Syracuse.

Amy Vaughan, senior OF/catcher for UConn.

Offensively, Amy Vaughan leads the charge for UConn. She carries a .306 average and has 13 home runs and 42 RBI's. Jennifer Ward has scored 29 runs and has a team-leading 25 stolen bases. Connecticut pitching is led by Kiki Saveriano, who tossed 135 strike-outs in 157 innings. Her record is 11-15 and her ERA is 3.25.


The teams did not meet during the regular season. Last time they squared off was in 2011 at Ulmer Stadium in Louisville. They split a double-header with Louisville taking the first game 5-1 and UConn returning the favor with a nightcap 5-1 win. Louisville leads the all-time series 9-5. 

The Cards have advanced to the semi-final round of the BIG EAST Tournament each year since joining the conference in 2006. Louisville last won the tourney in 2007. Syracuse was won the last two years and did it at Ulmer Stadium. 


When at bat, the Cards are led by senior Kristin Austin, who finished the regular season with a .401 batting average. She scored 43 runs and had a nation-high eight triples. Junior Alicja Wolny hit .374 with 13 doubles, seven home runs and 35 RBI's. Sophomore Taner Fowler checks in with a .370 batting average, a team best 11 home runs and 46 RBI's. 

On the mound, Louisville has three threats. Tori Collins is the ace of the staff at 23-1. Her ERA is 1.25 and she's recorded 171 strike outs. Just because Collins isn't on the mound doesn't mean opposing batters get a break. Caralisa Connell and Chelsea Leonard are a combined 27-2 on the season and the trio of Cardinal pitchers have combined for a 1.33 ERA, 357 strikeouts and are holding the competition to a meager .183 batting average. Louisville has tossed 22 shutouts this year. 


The Cards face very stiff competition if they get by UConn. Next would be either South Florida or DePaul on Friday. DePaul dealt Louisville two losses in the three game series in Chicago back in late March-early April. Louisville swept South Florida in mid April at Ulmer but the Bulls have one of the best pitchers in the league in Sara Nevins. 

Three games in three days. Win the tournament and virtually guarantee that you'll host a NCAA Tournament Regional site next week at Ulmer Stadium. Increase on the most wins in a season in Cardinal history. 

Exciting times ahead for Cardinal softball. The quarter-finals and semi-finals will be shown free and live on Big East TV. We originally thought the BIG EAST Championship game was to be shown on ESPN 2...but we've also heard ESPN U was having the broadcast recently. 


Good luck and best wishes to the Cards as they travel to South Bend for the tournament. Bring back the trophy, ladies and teach them what L1C4 is all about...


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Louisville sophomore Taner Fowler leads the Cards in home runs this season. The sophomore from Morganfield, KY. goes where ever Sandy Pearsall needs her. When Maggie Ruckenbrod was out with an arm injury at the start of the season, Taner took up residence behind the plate. She can also "cover the corners" by playing first or third base if needed. 


Need a strong bat in the lineup? Taner can DH. Very well, in fact. Her .370 average is third on the team. 


She also wears #11 when on the field. This makes her a favorite of CARDINAL COUPLE Co-Owner Sonja's...since that was Sonja's number in field hockey. 


Like Sonja, sometimes Taner will just burst out in laughter or a giggle spontaneously. No particular reason, some thought or memory flashed by and brought back a good feeling....a warm remembrance...a happy time.


Like Sonja, she lost her father unexpectedly while she was in college.

Taner's story is amazing. We've provided a link below that chronicles her journey. 


http://espn.go.com/espnw/college-sports/7900807/louisville-cardinals-sophomore-taner-fowler-swinging-missing-dad

We wish all the Cardinal softball players great success in the post-season. 


Excuse us if we cheer maybe just a little bit louder for #11...


The Courier-Journal ran this article on #11 
a few days back. It's a good read also.


http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20120505/SPORTS02/305050197/Taner-Fowler-louisville-softball


A tip of the hat and hearty handshake for CARDINAL COUPLE writer Jenny for providing the links. We should probably give her a raise. Two rations of banana pudding a day? We'll get back to you.... 



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Joseph A. Bailey will assume the duties of BIG EAST commish until a new one can be hired. We're guessing they couldn't contact Beetle Bailey, ex-jockey Jerry Bailey was busy, defense attorney F.Lee Bailey wanted too much money and Bill Bailey wouldn't come home. 


There is no specific time-frame set for a new hire. It could take some time for the hiring committee of Moe, Larry, Curly, David Spade, Jerry Springer, Andy Dick and Jon Stewart to get together all in the same place and at the same time. Here is our TOP TEN list of candidates to replace Johnny: 

10) Charlie Sheen. Talk about "out of the box" thinking! And, he'd be sure to attend a lot of women's sporting events and gala BIG EAST party affairs. And, he could dress like he did in Platoon. That'll make sure no one else tries to raid the BIG EAST. Drawback is his relative in-experience in sports. Even though he was in a major league baseball movie, his Wall Street past might comeback to haunt the BIG EAST coffers.  

9) Terry Meiners. Local radio and television funny guy would add a sense of triviality and nonsense to a conference that takes itself way too seriously. The weekly tele-conferences would be "must see" TV and when it comes to lampooning note-worthy figures...no one does it better than 'Larry Miners'. They'd probably have to hire a chauffeur for him, though. No problem. Take the funding for a driver out of the St John's football budget.   

8) Paul McCartney. The Beatle would ensure great attendance at any BIG EAST sporting event he might attend. And, he could change up a few tunes to liven things up. Imagine him singing a re-worked version of Hey, Jude to UofL WBB sophomore guard Jude Schimmel. Or, Mean Mr. Mustard to UConn coach Geno Auriemma. Beatle wigs for everyone! 


7) Richie Farmer. Lil' Richie knows hoops! And, he's adept at adapting circumstances to fit the needs of the one, not the many. Perfect for a conference that has been raided more often than a prohibition speakeasy. Hit 'em with the "bro-stash", Wildcat! 


6) Commish Mark. We felt our very own Mark did a fine job running the CARDINAL COUPLE NCAA TOURNAMENT Women's Basketball Pick 'Em Bracket contest. The BIG EAST Commish job might be a step down for him...but sometimes, you take one for the team. We'd chip in Bill the Goat and Co-Co, too...if the BIG EAST hires him. 

5) Joe B.Hall/Denny Crum. We like the easy banter that Joe and Denny have on their radio show. We feel it would translate easily to a BIG EAST job.


JOE: "Doggone it, Denny. We've got to stop teams from leavin' the dad-gum conference!" 
DENNY: "You're right, Joe. Let's take them fishing." 


4) John Calipari. Wouldn't have to worry about playing Indiana in this slot and he could learn all about football from "World Wide Wes"...whose taught him everything else he's ever learned about sports. 


3) Dr. Phil. The BIG EAST has a ton of troubles going on. Dr. Phil solves problems. Enough said.

2) Sgt. Schultz. The affable Hogan's Heroes actor is the best we've seen at non-information.


"I know nothing about conference expansion, Col. Hogan. I know nothing about lucrative television contracts!" Truly, a match made in heaven with a conference that doesn't have a clue.

1) Bobby Petrino. The BIG EAST has football woes. Bobby Petrino knows football. He can also tell BIG EAST athletic directors exactly what they want to hear. The drawback? Ol' Bob changes jobs every few hours or so...it might be a lead-in for him taking the head football coaching job at UK.  


Whoever the BIG EAST decides on, we hope that the winner keeps one important thing in mind...


They gotta live in Providence, RI. Line up, boys! 


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Finally, for today's horse racing fix...a video of Bodemeister's journey to his second place Ky. Derby finish...along with the preparation for the race. Good stuff, link below... Thanks to Jen Jade, from In the Money for passing it on! 


Go Bode Go
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Tuesday Cardinal Couple : Cards Wolny takes BIG EAST honors

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TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


-Amanda Zahui to Minnesota


-Alicja Wolny named BIG EAST Player of the Week


-BIG EAST Softball Tournament pairings


-UNC pulls off verbal coup in WBB


-Post-Derby ennui


LATE BREAKING UPDATE:


Amanda Zahui to Minnesota. 


Swedish center Amanda Zahui visited the United States recently to decide on where she wanted to attend college and play basketball. Louisville, Minnesota and Washington were the schools she was considering. She has chosen, and the choice is Minnesota. 


Zahui revealed that her final two were the Cards and the Gophers but picked Minnesota because she felt her playing time would come more quickly and be more

"gonna be a Gopher"


significant with the Gophers....instead of with the "more talented Louisville players." 

 She also indicated that "she felt at home right away with the surroundings and players at Minnesota and they accepted her as one of them immediately." 


Back to the drawing board for Coach Walz.


(Thanks to Jenny who broke the story and confirmed the information with her Swedish journalist contact.) 


Here is the translated link...but it reads like something the Swedish Chef from SESAME STREET might have come up with. Original is at:


http://lt.se/sport/basket/1.1649757-amanda-till-minnesota


Teige's center star Amanda Zahui has made its choice. In August, she goes to Minnesota to continue his basketball career. 


After SM-Gold went Amanda Zahui to the U.S. to visit the three schools - Minnesota, Louisville and Washington - that she was considering to start playing for the fall.


Now she has decided to Minnesota.


- It feels great. I'm happy with my choice. I velade bit between Minnesota and Louisville, but both have Louisville more great players so it would be tougher to get some playing time there. And above all I felt really that one of the girls on the team in Minnesota, right from the first minute I was there, says Amanda Zahui.


Amanda expects to move to the U.S. in late August. 


Robert Tate
rickard.pettersson@lt.se


(Whew, I think I need a drink after that one...)




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Louisville junior first baseman/designated hitter Alicja Wolny has been named the BIG EAST Softball Player of the Week after the 13th week of softball action. 


Wolny's numbers were impressive for the Cards 3-1 record last week:


-Batted .462 in 4 games


-Had a .533 on base average


-Registered six hits, scored four runs and had six RBI's


-Two home runs and a 1.000 slugging percentage


It's the second time Wolny has been named BIG EAST Player of the Week this season. Louisville swept St. John's on Saturday and Sunday to clinch the #1 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament. 


USF, who had been just a game behind the Cards, faltered at Syracuse over the weekend and dropped to a #4 seed. 


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The BIG EAST Softball Tournament pairings are set for the three days of action that'll take place beginning Thursday, May 10th in South Bend, IN. Louisville, as a #1 seed will face #8 seed UConn at 12:30 p.m. in the second game of the day. Louisville finished conference regular season play 20-2. The Huskies were 9-13 in the BIG EAST. Here's the rest of the first day games:


10 a.m. -- #4 USF (17-5) vs.#5 DePaul (14-8)


4 p.m. -- #3 Syracuse (17-5) vs. #6 St. John's (10-12)


6:30 p.m. -- #2 Notre Dame (16-3) vs. #7 Rutgers (9-13)

All first and second round games can be seen on BIG EAST TV.  


It's the second time since joining the BIG EAST that the Cards have won the regular season title. Louisville also gave head coach Sandy Pearsall her 500th win since taking the head coaching job and starting the softball program from ground up back in 2000. 


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UNC women's basketball pulled off a recruiting coup Saturday when four of the top 2013 recruiting targets called on the same day to verbal to Tar Heel head coach Sylvia Hatchell. One of them was Brownsburg, IN. native Stephanie Mavunga...who Louisville was courting. Mercedes Russell, the #1 prospect for 2013 has not verballed anywhere yet, despite pressure from Mavunga to do so. 


Here's a link from CARDINAL COUPLE writers Jenny and Sandy about the Mercedes timeline:


Mercedes Russell isn't close to making choice


The roster of 2013-14 at Chapel Hill has nineteen potential players if all the verbals hold up and the returning players come back. With the addition of these four, UNC actually has seven verbals for the class of 2013. 


Credit the hard work of UNC associate coach Trisha Stafford-Odom here. She left Duke in August of last year and obviously brought a lot of phone numbers and contacts with here. She did get Elizabeth Williams, the #1 recruit in the class of 2011 according to many, to Duke before her differences with Blue Devils head coach Joanne P. McCauley reached boiling point. Coach "P" must have a way with assistants, Samantha Williams left Cameron Indoor Stadium to hook up with Walz at Louisville.  


Thanks to CARDINAL COUPLE writer Jenny for the find and additional information on this subject. 


Here's a link to the verbal commits: 


Another FAB FIVE?



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Baffert finished second in the Derby

-- We all know that Union Rags was the Derby favorite, right? Not so fast, my friend...as Lee Corso would say. A late influx of money in the final minutes before the race actually made Bodemeister the post time favorite. A million dollars plus poured in during the last minute of wagering on the Bob Baffert trained 3 yr. old to edge him past "Ragsie".  


-- Bodemeister went off at $4.20 -1 odds to win. It sure looked like there was going to be a payout, too. Can you imagine the feeling the person or syndicate that threw down the massive amount of money had after seeing the "almost" win? 

-- The winner I'll Have Another was actually named because of owner J. Paul Reddam's fondness for a certain kind of cookie, not a request for another beverage at a local pub. 


-- Gotta love the fact that Derby winner I'll Have Another has already hopped a plane and flown to Pimilco Race Track, where the Preakness will be held on May 19th. Horses aren't usually shipped out so quickly after a major win like that. Less than 48 hours after receiving the roses, he's looking for Black-Eyed Susans. We like the "arrive early" theory. 

"Security? Sonja's in the lot five hours before kickoff!" 

Been doing it for years when it comes to Cardinal Football tailgating. Not 12 days in advance, mind you...but several hours before kickoff. Sometimes, you just got nothing else to do and people that you want to see...


-- Found this scary prediction at a website about horse-racing:


"The 138th running of the Kentucky Derby will have a longshot winner and I'm going with I'll Have Another. He'll come flying down the stretch to overtake the leader -- which will probably be Bodemeister. Finishing third, another late closer in Dullahan."

Nostradamus predictions...

This prophetic and exact order of the top-three finishers was written and posted on May 3rd, two
days before the Derby. 


Nostradamus, have you returned? 


And, if you have...whaddya thinking about the Preakness? 
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MONDAY Cardinal Couple: Softball the BIG EAST CHAMPS!

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MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


-Softball defeats St. John's 3-1 to sweep series


-Women's track wins 5th straight BIG EAST outdoor title


-Some final Derby Week comments


-Marinatto steps down as BIG EAST COMMISH. 

Whitney Arion's two run blast was the key for UofL.

Whitney Arion's two run blast in the fifth inning was the difference maker in Louisville Softball's 3-1 win over St. John's Sunday in Queens, NY. With the victory, Louisville sweeps the regular season-ending series against the Red Storm, finishes 50-3 on the season an 20-2 in the BIG EAST and will get the #1 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament. Louisville will open up tournament play on Thursday, May 11th against #8 seed Connecticut at 12:30 p.m. The BIG EAST tournament will take place in South Bend, IN.

CARALISA Connell
started for UofL

Sunday's game was a scoreless affair for four innings matching Cards pitcher Caralisa Connell (18-1) and St. John's thrower Ashley Beza. With two outs in the top of the fifth, Arion took a Beza pitch over the left field fence to score her and Kayla Sloes, who had reached base on a Red Storm fielding error.


St. John's got a run in the bottom of the sixth off reliever Chelsea Leonard but Louisville pushed the margin to 3-1 in the top of the seventh when sophomore Jordan Trimble doubled and scored on a Maggie Ruckenbrod single.

Chelsea Leonard
picked up the save.

Leonard pitched her way out of trouble in the bottom of the seventh.  A single, walk and Leonard's second wild pitch of the game gave St. John's runners on second and third with two outs...but Leonard got Erin Burner to strike out and end the threat and the game.


It was Leonard's 10th save of the year, tops in the nation. 


A great regular season for the softball team and the road now leads to the BIG EAST Tournament and NCAA Regionals. 


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Abdullah won the
discus today

Louisville women's track and field won their fifth straight BIG EAST Championship Sunday in Tampa, FL...getting a big boost from field events for the second day in a row. Khadija Abdullah won the discus and Amashi Kendall finished third.


Michelle Theophille won her first BIG EAST high jump title and teammate Megan Schubert grabbed fourth place. Charachesicia Lockhart finished fifth in the triple jump and Ahlivia Spencer set a school record and ran sixth in the 800m. 


Final point totals:


Louisville  -  104
Notre Dame  - 99.50
South Florida - 84
Cincinnati - 81
West Virginia - 72


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The 138th Kentucky Derby is in the books now and it did answer a few questions for us but also left a few remaining questions. 

-- No doubt, the West Coast horses made a strong showing this year. Santa Anita Derby I'll Have Another won the race and Creative Cause wasn't too far back. Bob Baffert's Bodemeister set a wicked pace...maybe too fast...but was there until the final few steps. 


-- Will this be the last Derby where horses can run on Lasix? Racing commissions in Kentucky, New York and many other states are looking at a ban on the diuretic and bleeding-prevention medication. 


-- Who will come back for the Preakness? We'll know that soon enough...but unless there's injury or an owner looking to rest a horse, we expect the top five finishers from the Derby to contest the 1 3/16th event at Pimilco in two weeks. 

-- Will Hansen's owner's finally "get it" and let "Big Whitey" run in races he has a chance in...namely  anything a mile and eight or shorter? The horse looked washed out and just plain wore out after the Derby distance. 


-- Will the increases in attendance on Wednesday and Thursday during Derby week convince Churchill to offer a few stakes or Graded races those days? Honestly, the card on Thursday was just awful when it
came to feature and quality races. 


-- Does the lack of casino gambling in Kentucky kill the thoroughbred horse tracks at Churchill, Ellis Park, Turfway? Name trainers, owner and jockeys are splitting right after Derby Week and headed to higher paydays in New York and California. Wake up, Kentucky state Senate. Give the people the right to vote on it.

-- Could next year's Derby Week get any more exciting or embarrassing for media events and sensational journalism? You had Robby Albarado resurrecting his boxing career, Cyndi Lauper dropping
nasty words in front of little girls, Richie Farmer getting more print that he wanted (and not basketball-related) and a death in the barns the day after Derby. 


In all fairness, you also had one of the most exciting Derby's in the past few years...a female jockey winning the Oaks for the first time ever and a first-time jockey to Kentucky and Churchill winning the Derby. Record crowds and (mostly) great weather. 


-- The owner, trainer and jockey of I'll Have Another discuss the win at the link below


We'll have a few words about I'll Have Another 

-- Finally, we will continue our quest to be granted official media credentials to Churchill. A formal letter of request has been mailed to Darren Rogers at Churchill (per his verbal suggestion) now that Derby 138 is in the books. 


As we pointed out, we've provided 11 straight days of horse-racing articles to you...the readers. We'll go the Andy DuFresne route from the movie Shawshank Redemption. We'll mail a letter a week if we have to. 


We thank you for your e-mails and calls of support on this issue. Rogers seems to think we don't get enough "play" in our comments section. We can't control that.
No one is forcing a single reader here to make comments. We get plenty of e-mails, though...and that is proof enough to us that you're reading, have opinions and care. 


A noted writer here locally told me, in reference to his website:


"Paul, I'd do away with a message board and comments section if I could. It's the haven of flamers, idiots and mal-contents." 


They can't ignore us forever. We're not going anywhere. The gorilla in the corner is not staying quiet. Hand the ball to the girl out of bounds and drop back into the zone coverage. Game far from over. 


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John Marinatto has resigned as BIG EAST Commish. There is a God, after all. How many teams left the BIG EAST during his watch? And who came in? Bye, bye...now. See ya later. Don't let the door slam you in the back as you leave. 

A league that sorely needs direction, guidance and "out of the box thinking" was being run by a lost hippo in the rain-forest looking for a place to take a nap and a dump. Not necessarily in that order, either. 


It's nothing personal, John. I'm sure you're a great guy, super dad, wonderful hubby and a lot of fun to be around on poker night or a day at the races. 


You're just not a very good commish. 

Louisville, here's your sign for the umpteenth time. Get out. Run while you can. Go independent, BIG 12 or Bill and Ted's Excellent Conference (dude) but break the chains and run away from the small, non-football playing Catholic Universities that control the landscape of the BIG EAST. Let Providence, Villanova, St John's and Seton Hall wallow in their own self-importance. Replace your divot and drive on down the fairway, Cards. 


And, we're not religion-bashing here either. It's a matter of recent relativity relevance. And the four schools above haven't been relevant in a long time in athletics. 


Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Boston College, Miami, Virginia Tech, West Virginia...uh...we're beginning to see a trend here. Get us in the truck, Tom Jurich...and let's go.
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SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


-Softball clinches the BIG EAST title with doubleheader win over St. John's


-Track leads after Day Two of BIG EAST Championships


-Watson on the Kentucky Derby 138.


The University of Louisville softball team captured the regular season BIG EAST title with a doubleheader sweep of St John's Saturday. The Cards defeated the Red Storm 15-4 and 8-4. With the wins, Louisville is now 49-3 on the season.


The bats that had been a little quiet lately showed up Saturday at Metallica levels.  

Louisville plated ten runs in the final two innings of game one to break wide open the contest. Caralisa Connell (17-1) got the win...going 6.1 innings. Tori Collins came in to get the final two batters out in the bottom of the seventh. 


Louisville had 17 hits. Kayla Soles went 3 for 4 and Taner Fowler joined Alicja Wolny at 2 for 4...each hitting a home run. 


In the second game, Wolny continued the hot streak with 3 for 4 hitting and another homer. Fowler also sent another one over the fence. The Cards jumped out to a 2-0 lead and were never tested. Chelsea Leonard gets the "W" and goes to 9-1 on the season. She pitched five innings of five-hit softball and allowed two unearned runs. Tori Collins pitched two innings of relief.   

This is the first BIG EAST regular season title for Louisville since 2006 and the second overall. With Saturday's wins...Sandy Pearsall has now won 500 games at Louisville. 

They'll conclude the regular season with a noon start today. 


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Thanks to the throwers, Louisville's women's track and field team leads the BIG EAST Championships with 53 points (a 12 point lead) after two days of competition.

Stepping up big for the Cards were the shot-put throwers. Chinwe Okoro finished first, Khadija Abdullah took second and Amashi Kendall grabbed fourth. The 1-2-4 finished netted Louisville 23 points.


Action concludes today down in Tampa...beginning at 10 a.m.


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(David Watson is a special correspondent for CARDINAL COUPLE. He watched the 138th running of the Kentucky Derby and files this commentary. It's David...so be ready for anything...) 

My wife and I settled down in front of the television in the "man cave" shortly before 6 p.m. to watch the annual Run for the Roses with a pizza and beverages. Store bought pizza, but not bad -- and when she asked me if I'd like another slice, my reply was:


"Yes, I'll have another." 


She chuckled. "That's one of the horses in the Derby. I'll Have Another." 


"I hope he hasn't been eating pizza before the race." I countered. 


I would imagine that anything he wants to consume would be on the menu today. A 1 1/2 length win over a Bodemeister that looked so tired and spent in the final few yards that I thought the Churchill Downs tractors were going to have to roll up and give him a ride to the finish line. 

Winning rider and owner of I'll Have Another

Rookie jockey on a horse that was an after-thought to most of the 160,000 plus out getting baked in the 85 degree, muggy Louisville weather at Churchill. A feel-good story for a horse and rider that went off at 15-1. 


My pick, OPTIMIZER, must have taken a wrong turn when they hit the Churchill stretch. The official report is that he finished 11th. I think he jumped the fence and went over to party with the gang in the Infield. He's probably over at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium right now trying to impress Charlie Strong with his speed in the "40". 


Our illustrious co-owners of CARDINAL COUPLE were attending a Derby Party that they go to each year. I called Paul about five minutes before the race and discreetly asked if there were "pari-mutual" options available there. He chuckled and said that he was that "option" and having a pretty good day discussing "long and short term investment strategies" with the party goers. I asked if I could participate. I asked my wife if she'd like to participate as well. For entertainment purposes only, of course.


"I'll have another." she flatly stated. 


I'm headed down to Louisville next week to file a missing horse report on Optimizer. While I'm there, I'll hook up with Paul and offer to by him lunch...collecting $32.60 from (as he called it) the "Richie Farmer Defense Slush Fund." 

I'll Have Another pulls away.

Major jockeys and trainers are griping today about getting slammed into, checked, bumped and crowded in "the greatest two minutes of sports" yesterday. Somewhere, though, back in the Churchill Downs barns, a brown three-year old is looking out of his stall and is probably amused at the throngs of people walking by, staring and pointing out that he is the 2012 Kentucky Derby winner. If horses could talk, I'm guessing he'd comment:


"Where were all you guys when I was here the last couple of days?" 


I'll give myself a pat on the back and point out that I did pick I'll Have Another as my third pick in Saturday's selections here at CARDINAL COUPLE. That would have been worth $9.00 at the track after the race. Don't worry, I'm not quitting my day job and spending my time and efforts on horse race handicapping. 


The Preakness is in two weeks. I'll watch it with my wife again I'll HAVE ANOTHER store-bought pizza and see if we have a Triple Crown contender or not. Meanwhile, I think I'll head into the kitchen and get out the refrigerated, left-over slices of pizza from yesterday. 


Yes, I think that "I'll Have Another." slice or two.

Then, it's time to don the Columbo raincoat, get out the Kojak lollipop and gather up Gibbs, Ziva, DiNozzo and McGee and see if we can track down Optimizer. 


( For the record, I do not recall...Mr. Senator and members of the fact-finding committee...ever receiving a phone call from David Watson and there is, in no way, shape or form...any type of written or collaborating evidence to verify his claims in today's column. 


But, we are BIG fans of the Richie Farmer Defense Slush Fund. For entertainment purposes only, of course).


Paul   
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