Archive for April, 2008

Spring Day At Belknap

Cardinal Bird rocks at Jim Patterson Stadium as the Cards manhandle Villanova 12-5, their sixth win in the last seven games raising their record to 22-14 and the conference mark to 7-6.

U of L’s John Dao slashes a base hit over the Villanova shortstop, driving in Stewart Ijames and Jeff Arnold in a three-run eighth to put the game out of reach.

Next it’s on to Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium for the annual spring football scrimmage.

Parking was at a premium in the Green Lot.

Fans just kept coming, hungry after being deprived of football for the last five months. The crowd was estimated at 17,200.

Somewhere in there is a lighter and faster Brock Bolen, a fullback shredding tacklers.

U of L Weekend

The “L” cap and the Nikon will be busy this weekend, taking in U of L versus Villanova in baseball at 4 p.m. at Jim Patterson Stadium, the spring football scrimmage tonight at 7:30 at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium, and the Derby Festival All-Star Game at Freedom Hall Saturday at 7.

So what does that mean to readers? Well, the first person to recognize this blogger (excluding John Wieland who sits to the left of me at PJCS) at any of these events will get a $5 bill. Check the “About” page for a photo. Just try to imagine that guy wearing a black baseball cap.

Football Shakes Winter Doldrums

Ah, the spring football game, a sure sign that the pigskin season will return in all its splendor to college campuses in a few months. Say goodbye to the cramped arenas and the flu season, get outside to enjoy the outdoors again, and get reacquainted with the neighbors.

This spring in particular brought a much-needed new beginning for the University of Louisville football team. The offense includes a lot of new talent blessed with proven potential and speed and a new coordinator in Card favorite Jeff Brohm. The defense is badly seeking respect under its new coordinator, Ron English, whose continuing tirades kept defensive players warm under the shoulder pads on those cold, rainy days.

Defense, of course, remains the primary concern, especially after last season’s numerous disappointing showings. Indications this spring are that the situation will get better, as Mike McCammon over at Ditchball, observes:

However, while the lack of experience on the defensive side of the ball is a clear reason for concern, I believe there is no reason to hit the panic button. According to one of my most trusted sources, this Louisville defense will play much more fundamentally sound football compared to what the world of college football saw from U of L last fall. Head coach Steve Kragthorpe assembled one heck of a defensive staff during the off season and it’s going to pay off.

Still, defensive improvement is a work in progress. Keep this in mind when Hunter Cantwell is throwing touchdown passes at will during the scrimmage.  Enjoy the warm weather, celebrate the return of college football.

He’s Coming Back, He’s Gone, He’s Back …

The continuing drama with the basketball program is preventing University of Louisville fans from turning their attention to football, the king of college sports everywhere outside of Kentucky and Indiana.

Earl Clark is apparently going to delay his venture into professional basketball. That’s the latest from Jeff Goodman, the reporter at Fox Sports who apparently serves as Rick Pitino’s personal media outlet:

According to sources close to the situation, the talented 6-foot-9 forward called Cardinals coach Rick Pitino on Tuesday night to inform him of the decision.

“He’s definitely coming back,” the source said.

Clark, who averaged 11.1 points and 8.1 rebounds this season, is not expected to go through the process and attend NBA team workouts or the Orlando Pre-Draft Camp next month.

Good. Now Clark has until October to work on his perimeter shooting, his passing and, most important, his decision making ability, which has already improved dramatically this week.

* * *

Message to Kyle Draper at WHAS-TV — Hey, Kyle, when your only source at the University of Louisville is the Sports Information Director, you’ve obviously got a lot of work to do in developing contacts. Draper on Tuesday told viewers there was no substance to reports that Clark would return next season.

* * *

Baseball Cards Edge Buckeyes — Dan McDonnell said the magic words to reliever B. J. Rosenberg with the potential tying run on second base in the bottom of the ninth. Don’t know what the coach said but Rosenberg proceeded to strike out the final two batters, giving U of L a 13-12 win over Ohio State in Columbus Wednesday evening.

The Cards, now 21-13, host conference foe Villanova in a three-game series this weekend at Jim Patterson Stadium, 4 p.m. on Friday, 4 on Saturday and 1 on Sunday.

Doubleheader for Cards fan on Friday — baseball in the afternoon, spring football scrimmage at night.

Andre McGee Appreciation Day

Before the basketball season becomes a distant memory, need to throw some beads Andre McGee’s way:

McGee will never be an All-American, never make All-Conference, and will never see his basketball jersey hanging from the rafters. But he’s the kind of individual you want to have playing basketball at the University of Louisville, what his coach would call a Louisville man.

His good qualities abound. He enjoys playing the game, enjoys seeing other players succeed, thrives on seeing his school do well. He respects the rules and recognizes that Rick Pitino is one of the best coaches around, does everything he can “to become the best player I know I can be.”

He also has a great sense of humor, a quick smile, and has no problem being the straight man for Terrence Williams’ comedic efforts during news conferences. The co-captaincy is in good hands with these two players.

A native of Moreno Valley, Calif., McGee is the son of Anthony McGee (and Jackie), who played basketball at Long Beach State. Wears 33 on his jersey because that was the number on his dad’s jersey. His oldest brother, Tony, played at Eastern Washington and older brother, Antoine, played at Colorado.

Offensively, he’s not flashy, not a slasher, rarely ever dunks the ball. But he’s not timid either, getting several lay up attempts blocked during his first two seasons — but rarely during his junior year. He was one of U of L’s best three-pointer shooters behind Jerry Smith last season, hitting 52 of 132 attempts and a 39.4 percentage.

He often gets overlooked when it comes to the box score. But he’s always contributing, even when he’s on the bench. You know he’s always got his mind on the game and not himself, setting the best kind of example for his teammates.

Appreciate Andre McGee: he’s good for U of L basketball.