Golf and Baseball Result - Sunday Cardinal Couple

Golf Leaderboard

After two days of play, Louisville Women's Golf sits in 10th place of the preliminary rounds.  The initial winnowing of the field, which will happen after today's action, will take the top 15 teams on for another day of play.  The top 9 individuals not on advancing teams will advance as well.

Molly Skapik had a good day of golf, leading the Cards in the clubhouse with a 1 under par for the day, for a total 3 over for her two days.  Lauren Hartlage stuggled through much of the teeing off on 18 for +5, but hopefully pulled herself out of the doldrums with the eagle that she got on the last hole of the day.  While the other members of the team, Delaney Shah, Olivia Cason, and Kristin Engle all ended up back in the clubhouse with +5s for the day.

Again, the consistency across the team is serving the Cards well, putting them in solid position to be able to advance to at least another day of play on Monday with a solid round today.  The squad will also be looking to put themselves in the best possible position to advance beyond Monday's play.  They will need to at least maintain the status quo to do so as a team, as the top 10 teams advance beyond Monday.

Baseball Rounds Out the Season With a Win

Louisville Baseball has Notre Dame's number, winning the last 16 meetings between the teams, but
sometimes the wins are a bit nerve-wracking.  Yesterday's come from behind win wasn't the soothing romp we would've like it to be, but the Cards got the job done, finally taking the lead in the bottom of the 8th with 4 runs in the frame for the 10-7 win.

The Cards were powered largely by Josh Stowers, with 2 touch-em-alls in the game with 6 RBIs, including a 3-run shot in the bottom of the 8th.

The win to close out the season lands UofL in the 5th "seed" for the ACC tournament, putting them in the D pool with #4 Duke and #9 Wake Forest.  The Cards will have to win both games in the pool play to advance to the four team single-elimination bracket for the championship.

The other accomplishment with the finale game win was to reach 40 wins on the season for the Dan McDonnell squad.  That is now 7 consecutive seasons with 40 wins, and for the last 6 of those, they reached the mark during the regular season.

The Diamond Dwellers will not just be looking to advance from pool play in order to win the ACC championship, there will also be an eye towards their rankings as they have made a late season run up the ladder.  If they can, with potentially 4 games in the ACC tournament, climb to the Top 16 vicinity (they're currently 25th ranked, so this is a long-shot), they then stand a chance to host a Regional in the NCAA tournament.

A Moment of Commentary

Who, on earth, could possibly think this ACC Baseball tournament format is a good one?  First you have a pool play format that results in many of the 2nd games for teams being played with no mathematical chance of advancing.  You have to go 2-0 in pool play to advance, unless you're the top seeded team in the pool, in which case you can potentially drop one of the games.

OK, I'm not a huge baseball fan, in general, but I enjoy following Dan McDonnell's squad late in the season after other UofL Athletics have wrapped up...and then every year, this monstrosity of a tournament format is foisted upon us.

Ultimately, this is a week that I have to figuratively grit my teeth and get through, to get to the more sane NCAA tournament format.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

 The four knuckleheads were all re-united in the studio for the first time in...months?  Merriment was
had, and I think we even managed to convey some useful information for those listening.

A special "Thanks!" to Arica Carter for the interview with us.

Check out the fun with the Facebook Live video at https://www.facebook.com/WCHQfm/videos/2038248432865096/

--
JMcA

Women's Golf Opens Championship Play; WNBA Rosters Finalized -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Women's Golf Tied for 7th After Day 1

Louisville opened their second ever NCAA Championship run with a respectable first round, finishing the day with a team total 13 over par. That mark ties them with Arizona and Florida State for 7th place, and keeps them only 10 shots off of the lead held by USC. Lauren Hartlage led the Cardinals with a final card of 1 over par for the first round, good for a tie at 19th in the individual standings. While the top of the leaderboard is jam packed, the tournament's opening round was a very close one. Working in Louisville's favor was team consistency. A 13 over wasn't the best team mark out there, but in addition to Hartlage's +1, everyone else on the team shot the same +4 for the day. The +4 mark for the team's lowest golfer ties Louisville with both USC and Alabama, the top two teams of the tournament, in that category. If Louisville can maintain a floor of +4 and get some improvement out of a couple of golfers, they can position themselves very nicely to continue their run in this tournament. 

The Cards will look to continue a good start to the weekend when they tee off in the afternoon session today. Louisville takes to the course at 1:21 according to the tournament site, which I can only assume is local time based on available context clues. Louisville is paired up with Virginia and Baylor, both teams that did not have very good days. Hopefully, the Cards can avoid a commiserating style of play in which their performance is pulled down by that of golfers around them. Tune into the NCAA site for live stat tracking information regarding the tournament all weekend.

Three Cardinals Named to WNBA Rosters

After sitting out the 2017 season, Angel McCoughtry returns to the roster for the Atlanta Dream, a move that really comes as a surprise to no one. Everyone here is familiar with what Angel has done since being selected as the number 1 overall pick in the 2009 WNBA Draft. McCoughtry has won two Olympic gold medals, earned the WNBA scoring title twice, and has been named an All-Defensive first team selection five times, a WNBA All Star selection four times, and All WNBA first team twice. McCoughtry has had a storied career in the WNBA thus far, and it was widely expected that there would be no issues about the 31 year old returning to the team this season.

From a WNBA vet to a WNBA rookie, we next go to the Washington Mystics, where Myisha Hines-Allen was named to the final roster. Hines-Allen is one of two rookies to make the team, and seems to have her position cemented. The Mystics cut their roster to twelve players for their announcement, and maintained two players that are currently disabled, due to illness and injury. With only 10 players available, and one of the unavailable players being a forward, Hines-Allen should get ample minutes to prove herself early in the season. After concerns about her ability to transition to the WNBA game due to size issues, Hines-Allen will need to do extra work to compete at her preferred position or work on additional skills to carve out a different role.

One of the more surprising roster makes comes from Shoni Schimmel's spot on the Las Vegas Aces roster. The Aces roster currently sits at 11, with the expectation that they will sign a 12th player before tomorrow. Schimmel is listed on the roster, but has not been assigned a number. The difference between Schimmel and Hines-Allen's current situations, though, is that the Aces named three players to the temporarily suspended list. These three players are not included in the roster of 11 (12) and are expected to return to the team shortly. Two of the three are Kayla McBride, an all-star guard, and Kelsey Plum, the 2017 first overall pick and a guard on the all-rookie team. Once those two return, there will be a log-jam at guard, and it seems clear that Schimmel would need to make herself irreplaceable in the next couple of weeks to avoid being one of the players that gets bumped to make room.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

For the first time in a long time, we'll have "the A Team" back in the studio on Mellwood for the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour. Jared is off of work this week and I'm getting more mobile by the day. We'll talk season wrap-up for a couple of teams, and likely hear some of the audio from Paulie's excellent interview with Arica Carter. Regardless of the topic, it is sure to be a great show. The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour airs at 11AM on WCHQ FM. It's available on FM radio at 100.9, the WCHQ App in the app store, and online at wchqfm.com and Facebook. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Golf Begins Championship -- Softball Awards -- Track and Field to Prelims -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Women's Golf Begins NCAA Championship Play Today

The big day has arrived and the Louisville women's golf team begins their first day of NCAA Championship play in Stillwater, Okla.  UofL is one of 24 schools competing for the trophy and is the sixth-lowest ranked team in the bunch.

The three-day first round event begins bright and early at 8:30 a.m., with the Cards teeing off precisely at 9:36 a.m., with the top 15 advancing to Monday.  Molly Skapik, Olivia Cason, Delaney Shah, Lauren Hartlage, and Kristin Engle will suit up for the Red and Black.

This is Louisville's second trip to the NCAA Championships.

The entire field (NCAA ranking) is listed below:

1. Alabama
2. Arkansas
3. UCLA
4. Duke
5. Stanford
6. USC
7. Furman
8. Texas
9. Arizona
10. Arizona State
12. Florida
13. Northwestern
15. Washington
16. Kent State
18. Wake Forest
19. Auburn
20. Oklahoma
21. Florida State
25. LOUISVILLE
26. Baylor
27. Virginia
28. Colorado
34. Ole Miss
38. Ohio State

*All times are EST

Ferguson and Hensley Earn Regional Honors

Megan Hensley continues to rake in awards.  She is joined by teammate Caitlin Ferguson in earning National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Southeast Region Honors.  Ferguson was named to the second team while Hensley made the third team.

Ferguson was named as a utility player after playing third base, shortstop, first base, and right field this year.  She finished with a .317 batting average, 40 RBIs, four home runs, 10 doubles, and scored 31 times.

Hensley has broken into Louisville's career Top Ten in several categories as a junior: RBIs (batting), home runs (batting), wins (pitching), saves (pitching), appearances (pitching), innings pitched (pitching), strikeouts (pitching), and complete games (pitching).


Track and Field Sends 23 to Prelims

Louisville is sending 23 athletes to compete in 24 categories in the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Track and Field East Preliminary Rounds hosted by the University of South Florida from May 24-26.  The Cards will compete for a chance to head to the NCAA Championships held in Eugene, Ore. from June 6-9.

The women sent 11 athletes to compete in 12 events while the men sent 11 to compete in 11 events with a 12th competing in the decathlon, which is an automatic qualifier for the NCAA Championships.  Makenli Forrest is the only Cardinal competing in multiple events- the hammer throw and discus throw.

Other News and Notes

Louisville baseball won in walk-off fashion against Notre Dame last night 5-4.  Game two of the series has been moved up to 2:00 p.m., today with the series finale set to begin Saturday at 1:00 p.m., shortly after the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour concludes.  I know they aren't a women's sport, but they are the last UofL team still playing at home.

The most hated woman in Louisville, Katina Powell, found herself in some trouble and is headed behind bars.  After causing the men's basketball team quite a bit of pain and stress it appears karma has caught up to her.

The Spring Cleaning Yard Sale hosted by Louisville Athletics is tomorrow from 9:00-2:00 on the south side of the football stadium up against Central Ave.  This giant tent sale is a great place to get all of that expensive Adidas Louisville gear for a fraction of the price.

Happy NASCAR Day, Bike to Work Day, and Pizza Party Day, Endangered Species Day!

You should be able to catch the entire "A-Team" in the studio tomorrow.  Between my Saturday banking and Case's injury and studying it seems as if we all haven't been together since shortly after Christmas.  Tune in to see what us four knuckleheads will be up to.

Happy Friday and Go Cards!

- Jared -

Legalized Sports Betting -- Arica Carter Interview -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

IT'S COMING...LEGALIZED SPORTS BETTING

The Supreme Court of the United States made an important ruling on Monday and, in some circles, questionable ruling when they cleared the way for a bunch of individual states to legalize sports betting. They overturned the PASPA...which was a 1992 law designed to protect professional and amateur sports from gambling in most states. The ruling clears the way for sports bettors to be able to go to places beside Nevada or offshore online sports books to put down money on college and professional sporting events. 

Led by New Jersey, other casinos and sportsbooks will legally be able to accept wagers on pro baseball, football, midweek college basketball games and college football....plus more. Will women's sports be involved? The real question is how soon and where will the revenues go?

New Jersey's main concern is the rapid demise of east coast gambling mecca Atlantic City.
Corporations that deal in casino gambling are on the verge of bankruptcy there. There would be some rules in place, for example, bettors would not be able to wager on in-state colleges and universities...like Rutgers... or collegiate events held in the state. The pro teams, though, would be fair game...like the New Jersey Devils, New York Giants or the Jets. It is proposed that these betting options would be available also at New Jersey horse racing facilities...like Monmouth Race Track.   

Some say that as many as 12 states could have wagering for events in place within two years if those states choose to sanction it. An interesting concept comes from West Virginia, where they would give the state's two major universities....WVU and Marshall a cut of the sports betting profits. Pro sports are griping about a "integrity" pay out to them from this, as well. 

Aren't they making enough money already? Have you looked at what they're paying players lately?

It'll be up to each state that has an interest in sports gambling to design and try to ratify their own model. Over 30 states have some form of gambling already in their borders...whether it's horse racing or casinos. 

New Jersey gaming officials can't wait to get started. Reports are they could be in place to offer the service as soon as June at racetracks and casinos in the state. 

So, how about Kentucky? What are the prospects of going to, let's say Churchill Downs or Keeneland and getting a bet down on the Cubs as well as on the fourth race? 

I truly believe it'll take a bit longer than a couple of years to get such a proposal through Kentucky legislature and past the populace. We're more likely to see it first over in the casinos in Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia and other gambling states than here. You know how slow things come to fruition in Kentucky. They'll officially recognize we're in the 21st. Century by 2021. 

Is expanded gaming good for college athletics? I have to wonder about that. The West Virginia idea has merit, but there are more than just two major colleges or universities in the commonwealth of Kentucky. And, will there be the temptations there for bribing or "payola" to a college kid to miss an extra point or miss a tackle so some high profile gamblers can "beat the spread" or "cover the points"? Look out clothing apparel companies. You just might have a new roommate ready to dole out cash. Organized crime is ready to slip between the sheets with you.  

How'd Don's Dad get $30,000 in his checking account overnight? Why, he must have bet the Packers! Or, someone "got to" Don and that pass he dropped in the fourth quarter helped State cover the spread against Tech. Hey, he took his eyes off the ball. Was starting to run already. It happens all the time. The plausible deniability is there.  

And, more importantly...what's it going to do for me...average Joe citizen? I don't want to hear the litany of how money will go to improve the state finances, education and roads. They tried that song and dance when lottery sales began and our state is still struggling to meet bills, pay income tax refunds and the roads are still deplorable. Education is still substandard here in Kentucky. Don't try to sneak that one past the goalie again. I want to see it parlayed somehow into something I can benefit from. A reduction in some taxes, maybe? Credits or reductions in some fees or licensing for certain things? A yearly check, maybe, to me...the resident of the state. 

Interesting times ahead indeed. And, don't expect the NCAA to be on top of things and have all the bases covered. They can barely slap bunt to try and get on base. Unless, of course, there is a piece of pie for them in all this. They promote amateurism and make billions each year. No hypocrisy there. Move along, nothing to see.  

We'll see...but I think it'll be awhile before a patron can walk into a sports book or track here locally and bet a horse across the board and then bet on the Cards to cover the spread. Maybe that's good. It needs to be set up very carefully and have safeguards. You know the saying...you can't buy a Kentucky Lottery ticket at the track and you can't bet the Preakness at your local gas and grocery outlet. Take some time and think this thing through, legislators. 

I have been to Nevada and bet on sporting events. Years ago, a good friend was getting married and decided to fly the best man and the groomsmen out to Tahoe for his "bachelor's weekend". Being a part of that party, I went. The best man got us together and suggested our wedding gift to the groom would be to pay our own way. We agreed. When we told the groom this, he resisted at first. Then, he came up with a plan. He asked us to take that money and bet it on the upcoming Kentucky vs. Tennessee football game. He liked the Vols to cover the spread. He proposed that if we did and won the bet, just give him the profit and we could keep the original amount of the bet. If they didn't cover...no hard feelings. So we did. Tennessee slaughtered the Cats, easily covered the spread and all of us were happy about that. We basically had paid for our trip. 

One thing we know. Expanded sports gambling is here. The Supreme Court paved the way for that.

You'll get no argument from our President Donald Trump. His group owns gambling casino Trump Taj Mahal. Let's hope gambling can be structured and set up in a way that the student-athletes can be protected. And these organizations can find a way where it helps the residents of the state, not just the organization or state projects. 

Here we go. 


ARICA CARTER INTERVIEW

As part of our "Catching Up" series here at the Couple, we're getting with student-athletes and letting them catch you up with them. Today we have Arica Carter's interview. You will find a link to the interview at the bottom of this article and we will play it on Saturday's Cardinal Couple Radio Hour broadcast, which airs at 11 a.m. this week. 

I asked A.C a variety of questions and she came through like a champion with her answers. Some teasers: 

-- What is one of her memories of Myisha Hines-Allen?

-- What do the student-athletes do in the summer? 

-- Who is one of the teachers that has impacted A.C. life?

-- Who would play Arica in the movie "The Arica Carter Story"? 

-- How would A.C. like to be remembered by the UofL WBB fan base? 

A throughly delightful time talking with her and we hope you enjoy it! 

A big thanks to WBB SID Nick Evans for helping me set the interviews and making the contacts, and, of course to the players that'll be answering the questions and sharing their viewpoints. We'll try to have some fun with it, also, in true Cardinal Couple fashion. 

LINK TO INTERVIEW: 

INTERVIEW WITH A.C. Arica Carter. 5/17/18


Everyone have a great Thursday!

paulie
xxxxx 

UofL Announces Yard Sale -- Women's Golf Leaves for Stillwater -- Days Without a President? ZERO -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

UofL Announces Yard Sale

A college having a yard sale?  You heard that right!  Well, sort of.  Athletics has announced that their annual spring cleaning yard sale will be this Saturday.  The event will be hosted from 9:00 a.m., to 2:00 p.m. in the Bronze Lot of the Papa John's Cardinal Stadium football parking lot.

Folks looking to find some nice UofL gear can find them at extremely discounted rates.  There will be also sorts of gear available to purchase ranging from shirts, to shoes, the whole galore.  If you want to look like the players, coaches, or me on a daily basis this is the place to go!

For me, this has always been a good place to go to find my size 15 shoes.  And who can say "no" to an extra shirt repping the Cards?  Swing by before or after the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour to see if they have anything that might suit you.

Women's Golf Departs for Stillwater, Oklahoma

Women's golf at UofL baseball vs Indiana

If you're looking to get away from the allergen-ripe city of Louisville then I suggest you head out west for a little golf action.  After their big day three rally in the San Francisco Regional, Louisville women's golf placed high enough to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Stillwater, OK is the venue.

They will begin action on Friday for a three-day first round.  The Top 15 teams out of the 24-team field will advance to Monday's action and possibly see themselves still playing next Tuesday and Wednesday.

Molly Skapik (senior), Olivia Cason (junior), Lauren Hartlage (sophomore), Delaney Shah (sophomore), and Kristin Engle (freshman) will accompany Coach Courtney Trimble in the program's second NCAA Championships appearance.

We wish the women's golf team a safe travels and good luck! Let's hope the Cards can stay "out of the water" in Stillwater!

Dr. Neeli Bendapudi Starts Day One

Hensley and Bendapudi

Louisville has a president!  Dr. Bendapudi's first day was full of action, starting with quite a crowd at Grawemeyer Hall, awaiting her arrival to work.  She gave a speech in front of the student faculty, and media as she tried to contain her excitement.

Dr. Bendapudi then joined the crowd at the baseball game.  Originally scheduled to throw out the opening pitch, our motivated president was battling a rotator cuff injury from unpacking.  In her stead, Megan Hensley threw a strike in front of the roar crowd.  The duo exchanged laughs and smiles as they walked off the field to see Coach McDonnell.

I had the opportunity Louisville's newest star last week when she found herself walking in the front door at my work.  Believe me when I say that she is going to fix Louisville and make this university one of the best in the country.

Other News and Notes

Worldwide posing for an album cover?

Congratulations to our very own Worldwide.  Mr. Jeff McAdams has accepted a new job and will begin here in a few weeks.  If you follow him on social media you've probably already heard, but if not then you will have to wait on Worldwide to give us his own update. We're lobbying the station we broadcast from (WCHQ FM) to get his smash CD "The Best of Worldwide: Vol. 1" regular air time on the playlist.

It may not be the type of music you hear on WCHQ FM 100.9 , but if you want to hear some local music come check out the Louisville Winds in their spring concert at Iroquois Amphitheater this Saturday at 7:30 p.m.  It'll feature songs from the 1930's and 1940's including songs such as The Wizard of Oz medley, Disney medley, 76 Trombones (from The Music Man), Sing, Sing, Sing, and more!

Today's holidays include loving trees (the do help us breathe) and nickel day (very fitting for us bankers).  It's also a great day to enjoy a mimosa or two without feeling guilty.

Paulie wrote a great article on veteran race horse W.B.Smudge over at his other site...HANDICAPPING HEROES...that is a great read on a horse and his refusal to retire. You should go check it out at

HANDICAPPING HEROES

Go back for his Preakness picks also, they should be available on Thursday. Our misguided leader made you a lot of money on Oaks and Derby if you followed the site.

Happy Wednesday and Go Cards!

- Jared -

Mail bag time -- On Shoni, On Myisha, on Asia and Walz -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

WE LOOK AT WHAT YOU ARE SAYING AND OFFER SOPHOMORIC ANSWERS

We get your e-mails and comments. Oh, yes, we do.

Our specially trained staff of chimpanzees carefully sort through your correspondence, decide what Paulie needs to see and every once in a great moon, the ol' defensive end emerges from his lair and goes public with them. The others end up in Bill The Goat's stomach. 

We do change the names (if we use them) to protect the innocent, galatically stupid and our own rear ends. People do prefer to talk basketball in the majority of them, which is no surprise to us at all. It is our readers' most popular sport here at the C.C. and we're pretty big fans ourselves. Some folks like to rant, others observe...none of them offer to trim and edge Paulie's taxus bushes, though...or cut the lawn. If you've ever considered e-mailing Cardinal Couple, we highly advise against it and can't guaranteed you'll get a response that makes any sense whatsoever...but the letters you need to type in are: 

cardinalcouple@twc.com


OK! To the lumberyard! 

Jeanie writes: How come there aren't more UofL Women's Basketball players in the WNBA? The men have had success with "Scary" Terry Rozier and Donovan Mitchell lately.

PAULIE: That's a real good question and I'm not sure I know the answer. Maybe it's part talent level, part club decisions and part never getting a shot. With Shoni's recent cut from the Liberty, three Cards are still dribblin'. Angel will definitely be on the roster in Atlanta and, in my humble opinion, both Asia and Myisha are on the bubble in Washington. The Mystics have, like the other WNBA teams, 12 spots on the roster. Emma Meesserman won't play this year but is on a guaranteed contract (which means she will get paid no matter what and is "on" the roster) and with players Elena Della Donne, Tayler Hill, Kristi Tolliver, Tierra Ruffin-Pratt, Krystal Thomas and Monique Curry pretty much assured of a spot, the competition gets tougher. Especially when Hines-Allen and Taylor are basically competing for the same spot. I'll venture a guess and say one of the two make the Mystics and one doesn't. My guess is Taylor and I absolutely hate that. They should keep both. 

I do think the Cards WBB program has a few future WNBA stars in the offing, though. Asia Durr, Sam Fuehring, Arica Carter and Jazzie Jones all have the skills, plus transfer Yacine Diop. 

Kenneth asks: How much longer until we hear about a Walz contract extension? 

PAULIE:  The latest speculation is that UofL might be waiting until the next quarterly

board meeting to approve a contract that Vince Tyra and Jeff Walz have already worked out. It's pretty simple. Walz wants to retire here. Vince wants him to retire here. He has a contract already in place. The issue is an extension and Louisville will do what is needed to make it a lucrative one for Coach. I know, it feels like we're kids waiting for Christmas at times...but it'll happen. In the meantime, Coach is busy. Get out of the way and let the man do his thing. The days of the "Jurich rubber stamp approval" are no longer in play. Trust the new process and it'll work. 

Megan inquires: What was the thinking behind recruiting Diop to the roster? 

PAULIE: I love it when they lob them in and I can go fence with them! Experience and performance. Look at her Pitt numbers. Look at what she did to Louisville, who had one of, if not the best defenses in the ACC. Put her in a situation where she's surrounded by better (and more) talent and it'll be beneficial to her and the team. You're going to love her and she'll have a great season here. She might not get all of Myisha's departed minutes...not with the talent on the Cards roster that's already here and is coming in, but she'll win you over with her incredible intensity, ability and proficiency. And, it'll give Cards radio play-by-play guy Nick Curran the chance to say: 

"Diop hops to the top. She stops. She pops. It drops and they can't stop her." 

Corky wants to know: Can you provide a brief background on you and your writers? I love the site! 

PAULIE: Yes, for a small fee.  We are a non-profit, ya know. 

Actually, we've got a great staff on tap currently, the best I can ever remember here. Worldwide Jeff has been with CC the longest, next to me. He secretly wants to be the first man sent to Mars. We've petitioned NASA to make it a one-way ticket. When he's not busy fixing server, Internet and PC issues, he likes watching building demolitions, driving his electric ride, watching Volleyball and practicing his curling skills for the WCHQ International team.

Case, I've known since he was knee-high to a tadpole. When he's not out injuring his Achilles...he's engineering the choo-choo train and going through the incredible experience of planning a marriage with Lindsey, following the Seattle Seahawks and designing a better mousetrap. He's the brains of this bunch and we're lucky to have him.
Every Larry and Curly need a Moe. He's ours. Keeper of the knuckleheads. 

Mr. Anderson Jared never sleeps. If he's not turning nickles into quarters...he's photographing a variety of things, attending athletic events, practicing his Seminole war chant with Katie or drumming with the Louligans. He's skilled at the art of playing the Euphonium. We share him with another site as well, which leads me to believe there are actually two Jared Anderson's...I just haven't figured out how to tell the difference between then yet. 

As for me, I like to chase kids out of my front yard, figure out possible Pick 4 combinations, walk on the (or in the) water and devise methods to drive UofL coaches and staffers bonkers. My Sonja has a vast surveillance network in place to track me...seems I sometimes forget where I'm at, what I'm doing, who I am and laughingly ignore some slight civil ordinances and statures. But, I'm easily entertained and persuaded. 13 going on 60. Usually the last to know. 

All in all, a great group that gets along well and does it all for love of sport. Can't ask for much more than that. 


Skip closes today's mailbag with...I thought it was a bit of a disappointing Spring performance for the UofL women's squads. Your take? 

PAULIE: Au contraire, mon frere! 

I would say quite the opposite. Let's take a look. Lacrosse has a new and excellent coach in place who is and will build a squad that will be ACC excellent in a few years. Scott Teeter came in here, gathered what was left of a program in shambles, brought in some immediate help and put in place a plan that the women believe in and that will work. This collection of abandoned pups, ill-fitting Tinkertoys and broken Legos was transformed into a unit that played their hearts out despite lack of numbers and mass exodus. He's my UofL Coach of the Year. Look at Casey Madura, Emily Howell, Julia Wood, Lexie Ball, Madison Hoover, Jill Balog, "da Blalock sistahs" and many more on the roster. All class acts and a preview of what's to come and what can be overcome.   

Softball continues to build for the ACC. Players just don't fall out of the sky and land in the diamond. It takes development and time. Sandy Pearsall and the staff will get there with these ballers. Women's golf is going to the NCAA Championships. Louisville Rowing had a strong ACC performance. Track and Field and Swimming have great success stories from this season as well. Tennis competes well in conference and out. If I've left anyone out...I apologize, but this collection of student-athletes works hard all year, not just in the spring. We take off our Cardinal Couple hats to them. We thank them. 

The spring was a good one for UofL women's programs. No, we may not have any team NCAA Championship Banners to hang at the venues or in the buildings, but I'd venture to say, overall, that the UofL women's spring sports squads easily finished overall in the top half of the ACC for Spring Sports and high up the national ranks. 

OK! Thanks for reading!  Mr. Jared climbs into the driver's seat tomorrow. WE appreciate ALL the e-mail and comments we get here at Cardinal Couple...even the less than complimentary ones. Any measuring device, via e-mail, in the comments section...however you choose to do it, helps us get better and tells us what you want to see. Don't be shy. Talk to us! 


paulie
xxxxx

Louisville Rows to 5th in ACC Championships -- No NCAA Softball for Cards -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

CARDS FINISH FIFTH IN ACC CHAMPIONSHIPS

After a strong morning of preliminary and heat performances to qualify all boats to the finals, the Cards rowed to a fifth place finish in the ACC Championships on Lake Hartwell near Clemson Sunday. It's the third year in a row that Louisville has finished fifth in the competition...an event traditionally dominated by Virginia each year. 

And, this year was no exception for the Cavalier boaters. They took their ninth consecutive ACC title and won all five ACC finals events. 

Louisville did grab a third place finish in the 1V8 (First Varsity Eights) final..behind Virginia and Syracuse, who beat the Cards for the runner-up spot by less than two seconds. 

UofL placed two rowers on the All-ACC Tournament squads...Sophie Schulz made the first team and Violette LeGrand, a freshman from France, got second team accolades. Nine ACC schools compete in women's rowing. 

CARDS FINALS FINISHES

IV8 - 3rd
2V4 - 4th
2V8 - 5th
3V8 - 5th
1V4 - 5th

FINALS TOTALS

VIRGINIA        99 
SYRACUSE     77
DUKE               72
N. DAME         65
LOUISVILLE 64
CLEMSON      41
UNC                 29
BC                    22
MIAMI            22


22 teams will compete in the NCAA Championships, which will be held in Sarasota, FL May 25-27. Eleven conference champions and eleven at-large team will make up the Division I finals. Virginia, via their conference championships win, get the automatic and, if I had to make a guess...Syracuse and maybe Duke will get invites as at-large.

Virginia continues to be the team the rest of the ACC tries to catch...the Cavs won each final event by a minimum for four seconds....pretty much the length of one of the sculls used to compete in. 

It would take a minor miracle for the Cards to be selected for the NCAA Tournament, but, nevertheless...another strong season for the "Stroke" Cards...who have no local, home "water" of their own and have their practices and facilities off-campus on Beargrass Creek, near the Ohio River on River Road. 


NO SOFTBALL FOR YOU...

The NCAA Softball Tournament field was announced last night and the "Hit and Pitch" Cards were not included in the field of 64. 

Only two ACC schools made the tournament, Florida State -- the conference's automatic qualifier and Notre Dame, an at-large selection. FSU will host a regional and the Irish will head to Lexington in UK's regional. 

13 schools from the SEC, basically the entire conference except Vanderbilt, was included in the field and seven PAC 12 teams will also participate. 

The Cards last NCAA appearance was in 2016. 

Softball was the eighth seed in the ACC Tournament and advanced past Syracuse
to face FSU in the quarterfinals but could not get past the #1 seed Noles...losing 7-4. It's a bit surprising that Pittsburgh, who advanced to the ACC final game against FSU but lost, did not get a bid to the NCAA Championship. 

"Maybe we could rev up the General Lee
to get the Cards around the bases faster." 

The Cards do return plenty of talent next season, including pitchers Megan Hensley, Danielle Watson and Kyra Snyder...starters Celene Funke, Blaire Bass and a talented group of underclassmen that should make next year's competition for starting roles intense. The Cards have had some bumps and potholes in the ACC since their indoctrination into conference softball and post-season play, but that's to be expected when climbing up the competition level. 

Sandy Pearsall and her staff are committed to bringing in the best in local and regional talent and we, at Cardinal Couple, fully expect and hope to see a strong "starting nine" for Louisville in 2019. 

paulie
xxxxx   

Mother's Day and Graduation Celebration -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Mother's Day and Commencement

Today is Mother's Day.  Yesterday was UofL's Commencement.  These are really unconnected events, but they both are a reason for us to stop, take a step back, and do some reflection.

In the past, I have posted about the need to understand the diversity of what the role of "mother" is in our society.  Regardless of your thoughts on what constitutes "motherhood", it's good to take a step back and honor those who fill that role.

Today, we're celebrating Mother's Day, and in the attitude of celebration and honoring, it's a good time to celebrate the accomplishment of 3,000+ now-former UofL students.

Yesterday was UofL's commencement and more than 3,000 students crossed the stage, in various ceremonies, and all of them will be going on to hopefully bigger and better things.  For some, that will involve more education, while for others, it will involve venturing out into the "real" world.

Here at Cardinal Couple, we tend to focus on the women that compete for UofL varsity athletics, and
there were a number of those that were amongst those 3,000+.  We celebrate "Senior Day"'s and we tend to think of those student athletes "graduating" at that point, but it's far from the case academically.  Some student-athletes have more coursework to do, and this is particularly relevant when celebrating a Senior Day for, say, Volleyball, in November.  Those student athletes are still finishing out the fall semester, and a number of them will be enrolled in the spring semester classes as well.  Maggie DeJong, for example, participated in UofL's commencement yesterday after being honored by UofL Volleyball's Senior Day back in November.  (The other volleyball seniors, Tess Clark, Gabbie Wiley, and Colene Coussens, all graduated in December)  On the other hand, some student-athletes, whether through hard work, or having a year of red-shirting in their experience, may have already "graduated" with their undergraduate degree, and be working on a graduate program.

Tia Gibbs, that many of us remember from Women's Basketball, was granted a rare 6th year of eligibility by the NCAA due to injuries, and consequently was nearly finished with her Master's degree by the time she finished her last semester.

So congratulations to all of newly minted graduates of the University of Louisville, student-athlete and non alike.

Your achievements in your field of study are something that will remain with you as you go through life. You have "the paper", you have the knowledge. Go forth and make a difference in whatever your choosing is after college.

Track&Field and other

A quick catch up on athletics events...

Track&Field finished up the ACC Outdoor Championships.  The Men finished in 4th place, while the
Women closed out a 5th place finish.  These represent best ever finishes for the Track&Field teams in the ACC championships.

Baseball won game two of the weekend series against Pitt, 6-5.  Kelly Dickey pointed out that this is the 4th straight come-from-behind win for the Cardinals, which while technically true, does include a come-from-behind win over Cincinnati that they won 24-6, so that stat may not have the same sort of impact that you might normally think.

What will have more impact is that the Cards have climbed 23 spots in the RPI to #26 in less than 2 weeks.  With a few more wins, it's conceivable that UofL will climb into NCAA Regional hosting contention.

Rowing takes part in the ACC Championships today. As of this writing, the Cards were capturing seconds and thirds in their preliminary heats...always tough Virginia dominating everything in the boats so far.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

Paulie using some of those "nickles changed into quarters" to
invest in his picks from Handicapping Heroes. The Orange Crush!

OK, now that we're done celebrating, we can bring you some bad news.  The knuckleheads were back on the air yesterday...

No, in all seriousness, even CCRH was able to celebrate some yesterday with the return of Case Hoskins to our midst.  Recovery from tearing his Achilles tendon continues, but he is able to get out and about some, wearing a boot on his foot, and we were happy to have him, and his insights, back in the studio.  Jared was, according to Paulie, "turning nickles into quarters", which really makes me want to go do my banking with Mr. Anderson.

If you missed the show yesterday, you can check it out at least what was able to be salvaged of it. The Gremlins living in the WCHQ Studios ate 42 minutes of the broadcast yesterday:

https://www.facebook.com/WCHQfm/videos/2031250936898179/

It was good fun, and covered a variety of material.  Do check it out.

--
JMcA

Summer Draws Nearer -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Onset of the Summer Slump

If you're familiar with Cardinal Couple, or with college sports in general, you'll be familiar with the dreaded summer slump. This comes as all spring sports wrap up their post seasons and we're left with season recaps and previews along with checking in on former Cards in various professional atmospheres for a few months. It isn't as bad if you're a follower of men's sports. By the time baseball ends, people are already gearing up for the opening weekend of football season. If you keep up with professional sports at all, you've got baseball to keep you company, soon to be followed by the NBA draft and Summer League. Here at Cardinal Couple, when that last result comes in for whichever team happens to be holding on the longest, we change focus and await our fall sports to arrive.

If you're living in the Ohio River Valley, you'll recognize that summer is nearly upon us. As happens sometimes, Mother Nature has decided to skip the season formerly known as "Spring," as we're seeing mornings in the mid 60s followed by days with highs in the 90s. This is coming after a less than entirely pleasant March and April. Of course, despite "skipping" spring, we're still left with the abysmal pollen count as is the norm here. It's not the heat that bothers me, though, it's what the changing of the seasons signifies. As much as we'd like to deny it, the Summer Slump is almost here.

Track and Field in Second

After two days of competition at the ACC Outdoor Championships, Louisville finds themselves in 2nd place on both the men's and women's side of competition. While the standings look exciting, it is important to note that only 8 of 21 competitions have been scored so far. Today, the final day of competition, will be filled with final results, which the Cardinals will look to use to maintain, or improve upon, their standings. Although yesterday was a great day of results for the men, the women could have fared better. Outside of a silver in the heptathalon by Holly Hankenson, Louisville did not make much noise. The only other top five finishes for the Cardinal women yesterday came from 4th and 5th place finishes by Alexis Gibbons and Renate van Tonder in the long jump. If you'd like to keep up with the final day of the ACC Championship meet, field events begin at 11 AM and running events will get underway at 5 PM.

Louisville Laxxers Earn Region Honors

After being named to the All-ACC Second Team, Caroline Blalock and Emily Howell have continued to pick up hardware following the end of the Louisville Lacrosse season. Both players were named to the IWLCA D1 All-Region Second Team. Being named to a regional team makes a player eligible to be named an All-American, which is an honor regardless of the "level" of team to which the player is assigned. Per the Louisville athletics site, this is the 9th consecutive year that multiple Cardinals have been named to an All-Region team.

While Louisville will miss Emily Howell next year, as she is a senior, they're in for more Caroline Blalock. Blalock was a team leader in numerous categories, and is a particularly apt goal scorer. Scott Teeter did not come in and magically turn the program around, and I think it would be completely unfair to have expected him to do so. However, with players like Blalock and some of the surprising results that the team turned in this year, I think that it will be only a short time before this team is competing with the best of the best in the ACC and the nation. Louisville has shown in the past that it can succeed in women's lacrosse, and I think they're on the cusp of continuing that success.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

After a week off due to Derby festivities, the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour is back on the air this week. After dumping crutches this week (I'm still in a boot and have to use crutches when I'm not wearing it), I'll be returning to the studio for the first time since my injury. I'm excited to be back and help the other guys bring you the joy and excitement of UofL Women's Sports. Tune in at 11AM to WCHQ FM. There are many ways to listen to the show, including your FM radio programmed to 100.9, the WCHQ website, the WCHQ app, and the WCHQ Facebook page. If you aren't able to catch the show live, the rebroadcast is (nearly) always available online the day following the show.

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Softball Falls to FSU -- Track & Field Posts Two ACC Champions -- Casey Madura Interview -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Louisville Falters in Loss to FSU

Louisville softball collapsed and a 3-0 lead turned into a 7-4 loss as the Cards bowed out of the second round of the ACC Tournament to Florida State.  The loss is their third in four games.

Sidney Melton led off the game with a solo shot over the left field wall for the early lead.  They added two runs in the second when a fielder's choice drove a run home and Melton walked with the bases loaded to add an easy RBI.  The only other run came in the sixth when Alison Szydlowski reached base on a fielder's choice and drove in a run, almost exactly like the second inning play.

The Seminoles scored all of their runs in the middle three innings, relying on four Louisville errors and a pair of home runs to ignite the offense.  Megan Hensley and Danielle Watson split time in the circle with three innings apiece.  The duo only surrendered six hits, but walked four and the defense had four infield errors.  Hensley (17-8) took the loss.

Coach Pearsall heavily emphasized the impact the errors had on a game where Louisville had an early shot at winning, "If we dont make those mistakes, we have a chance at winning that game, but the errors set us back and we just couldn't overcome that."

With a record of 33-20 and an RPI hovering around 44 the Cards are a bubble team for the NCAA Tournament.  Unfortunately, the ACC is weak at softball and FSU is the only school inside the Top 40 in RPI.  The Cards will need some help in receiving a bid to the "Big Dance" and hope the top seeds win their respective conference tournaments.

Track and Field Takes Home Two ACC Championships on Day One

Dorcas Wasike ran away with the gold in the women's 10,000 m, running a personal best and setting a new meet record.  Damar Robinson leapt his way to the podium with a personal best on the men's high jump.

The Championships are still young and there's plenty more Cardinals hoping to make their mark in history and bring home the gold.

Casey Madura Sits Down with Cardinal Couple

Casey Madura (left) and Emily Howell

The lacrosse alum will graduate from UofL this Saturday, but she found some time to sit down for an interview.  We were fortunate that she still has field access and made our way to the Louisville Lacrosse Stadium to enjoy a beautiful day that was tortured by the pollen invasion.

Madura has battled injuries and a cancer scare in her career at Louisville and spent almost all of her time on the bench as a supporter, teammate, and helping coach.  The senior captain talked about what brought her to Louisville, her experiences and memories here, and future plans that involve a trip to the Big Apple.

We talked about what her walk-up song would be, a secondary sport she might play, and deciding the style of wave she will perform as she walks across stage at commencement.

You can view the entirety of the lengthy interview

here.

The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

Don't forget to tune in to your favorite knuckleheads this Saturday at 11 am on WCHQ 100.9 fm.  I will be "enjoying" my new role of putting in credit card and personal loan applications while also doing my normal breaking change.  With Case past his exam and having recovered for a few weeks there is a slight chance he may find his way back down to Melwood Ave.  We'll have to wait on the Vegas odds to come out before making our bets on that.  Either way, make sure to continue keeping him in your thoughts as he works his way back to 100%.




What Day is it?

Well, besides Friday it's also a day to celebrate a couple favorites, so kick back and Eat Whatever You Want while you watch The Twilight Zone, a personal favorite of mine in terms of throwback TV shows.

Make sure to take you medicine as allergy season is in full force in the second-worst allergen city in the United States only behind McAllen, TX, per Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

Happy Friday and Go Cards!

- Jared -