Author Archive for Sonja Sykes

Dream Game At The Sykes

By Sonja Sykes

I’ve slowly come to the realization that I am the only Cardinal fan over 45 that wasn’t in Knoxville Coliseum back in 1983. Maybe I can get some props for my attendance in 1980 at Market Square Arena to see the Cards win it all. I was eight months pregnant at the time, had to pee the entire second half and almost marched down several rows with full intent to cuff a loudmouth UCLA fan whose mama would have been very upset about the language he was using.

We were there in Nashville in 1982, to see the ‘almost’ dream game between the University of Louisville and Middle Tennessee.  Way before cell phones, I-PODS and laptops…I stood in line at halftime to call my mom and see how my two year old Angela was feeling, talked to her and got a incoherent lecture from a drunk Cardinal fan behind me in line that pay phones were for people who had pressing business and not to coo over the phone to their daughter.  If I’d had a gun, I would have shot him. Instead, I looked him squarely in the eyes and told him to place a certain part of his anatomy in a very unnatural and probably uncomfortable part of his body. Even Paul was shocked.

‘I still believe to this day
that it was that
evening/early morning
that was the conception date
of my youngest daughter …’

When it was determined that the Cards would, in fact, actually meet the Cats in Knoxville in 1983…we went to work to obtain tickets.  That search ended a day later when Paul informed me he had to work a half day that day, no way to get out of it and he encouraged me to make the trip anyway.  I declined. Back then, I was less inclined to enter into away and neutral venues without the big guy riding shotgun.  We accepted an invitation to attend a “Dream Game” party and kids were welcome, too.

I made a dish to take to the party that morning, don’t remember what I concocted…but I used to make a pretty tasty lima bean casserole back then. Paul’s buddy Bob phoned from his apartment, from the party waiting for us to arrive. Angela and I were waiting impatiently on the couch when the big guy got home. Practically changed his clothes for him and shooed him out to the car.  He revealed to me on the drive over that he’d stopped briefly after work to have a pregame drink with a few co-workers. If looks were daggers, he’d been terminated on the spot.

The party was warming up when we arrived. It seemed Cardinal fans were gravitating to the basement TV, and the Cat clan had dibs on the living room console. Fair enough, we had the keg. They had the food. Paul’s buddy Bob..who had hair back then and resembled a young Jimmy Buffett, was already more than tipsy and planted a kiss on me that would have had us legally engaged in some areas.  He then proceeded to sit in my lap and bemoan the fact he couldn’t find the “right” woman.

Paul was nowhere to be found (He told me later he had been upstairs antagonizing the Big Blue faithful and sampling without consent a Big Blue backer’s bourbon from the kitchen.) We watched the pregame hoopla, and Bob fell asleep on my shoulder, drooling just like my daughter. Somewhere the photos probably still exist of a dozing Bob wearing a UK cap and hastily scrawled sign across his chest reading: “GO WILDCATS!! DENNY IS A BUM.”

Finally, tip off.  Most of you know how the game went, Master’s lucky basket and the incredible Cardinal overtime domination. We shouted, groaned, exchanged cheers with the folks upstairs and Bob and Paul danced around the room as if they were on the court themselves. My daughter Angela played contentedly with a couple of Big Blue kids in one of the bedrooms…unaware of the war that raged outside that door.

When the Cards went up by six, Bob and Paul exchanged flying ‘high fives’ that sent both of them sprawling back to the seats of their pants on the carpeted basement floor. If only You Tube had been around back then. Our hosts, with mixed school loyalties, cracked bottles of champagne for us right after the final buzzer. She beamed happily and he forced a rueful grin.

After the contest, the Cards fans celebrated with giddy glee and we eventually extended good sportsmanship condolences to the UK fans that were still there. The afternoon eventually drifted into a calm, laid back evening…a happy ride home and I still believe to this day that it was that evening/early morning that was the conception date of my youngest daughter Rachel.

And, I’m pretty sure Bob wasn’t there.

Welcoming A New Year

By Sonja Sykes

Another year has come and gone. We roll into 2009 with a lot hopes and expectations. The men and women’s basketball teams are top 25 nationally and in just a couple of months, the football team begins spring practice. Dan McDonnell is getting the baseball Cards poised and ready for a big season, and the softball team returns a solid group of sluggers and fielders.

As I type this on New Year’s Eve day, a light snow is beginning to fall and the several Cardinal birds that make our Norfolk pines their home are busily zipping about in the cold, windy conditions.  Like them, the Cardinal athletic teams are hard at work also, and I hope their brilliance matches the beauty of our winter friends in the front yard.

Have you got that list of New Year’s resolutions made? I came up with several for 2009 and I’ll share them with you. Can’t say they’ll be successful, but someone once said that any effort is better than no effort at all. Even if you fail, the lessons learned and the opportunities available in defeat are the first steps to success the next time around.

-  I propose to be a little kinder and more understanding of my UK friends and co-workers. Despite our differences and rivalries, we share the common bonds of hope, support and loyalty to the schools for which we root. Blue or red, it is the passion and expectations that define us and motivate us, whether it is sports or life in general.  Being understanding and open minded are two virtues we all could use a little more in our lives.

-  I pledge to “trust in Tom” and hope that our football team can make great strides in the building and rebuilding process.  It’s easy to criticize from the 14th row, I’m going to try and let patience and optimism be my guideposts this fall. Support for the guys in the helmets, always.

-  I will endeavor to bring you the best possible coverage on the Lady Cards basketball team I can. Although my work conditions may be changing soon, and my time for research and reporting could dwindle, I’ve got the support and promise from my husband to help me carry the ball and keep you up on Angel and the gang. Here’s hoping we have a lot of great things to report.

-  Finally, I hope to devote more time to those who need it. Family, friends and neighbors. The way we react with them help define who and what we are in this world.  It’s said that you never really miss someone until they’re gone, so I plan on making some great memories with those around me for future reflection and remembrance while celebrating the “now”.

To you, the readers, I hope for better days, more smiles and positive things to blog about.  Try to walk more and eat less. Attempt to listen more and criticize less.  Keep your faith and beliefs close at hand and always remember that there is someone upstairs who cares.

Thank you for your wonderful comments, ideas and dialogue in 2008. Let’s do it again this year, and have a lot of fun with it. Happy New Year and much love!

No Field Goals For Angel

But Lady Cards Spank Central Michigan

By Sonja Sykes

Normally, if Angel McCoughtry went 0-9 from the field, played 15 minutes and ended up with only four points, the next several paragraphs would be spent analyzing a disappointing loss for the University of Louisville women’s basketball team.

Not so Monday evening, however. UofL got 17 points from Becky Burke, 14 from Brandie Radde and a game high 18 from Keisha Hines as the Lady Cards spanked Central Michigan, 95-72  A lot of good things happened for the Lady Cards, among them:

- Radde broke out of a season long shooting slump by canning three trifectas in the second half during a three-minute blitz that carried the Cards from a 48-35 lead to a 64-42 advantage. She looked comfortable, in the zone and back to her sophomore form.

- Freshman guard Burke rung up three three-pointers, playing very aggressive defense. Burke finding a hot hand is an important confidence builder.

- Dez Byrd passed out eight assists and knocked down the first shot of the game, part of her seven points tonight. A big improvement over last night’s scoreless game.

- Hines went to war against the Chippewas inside, putting 18 points on the scoreboard after coming off the bench. Her tag team partner in the middle Gwen Rucker added six points and nine boards.

- Candyce Bingham’s 10 first half points helped lead the Cards from a 31-29 squeaker with 4:34 left in the first half to a 46-31 intermission lead. As usual, the senior goes to another level when Angel is on the bench and leadership is needed.

The beautiful thing about the win was the big time step up by Angel’s teammates while she was hampered by foul trouble. Too many times last year, the Cards would go into the tank when McCoughtry was forced to the bench.  They went on a 15-2 run to end the first half with Angel sitting down.

Angel’s four point performance is only the second time in her 113-game career that she hasn’t made a field goal. Initially despondent and upset about the early foul trouble, she became a vocal leader from the bench late in the game, as the freshmen kept the paint penetrating, hard charging Chippewas at bay. The Cards kept the turnovers way down this evening, too…with only 13 for the game.

The Marriott Cardinal Classic ends Tuesday night with UofL facing New Hampshire in the 7 p.m. game. The Wildcats lost to Morehead State in the 4:30 contest this evening. CMU will take on the Morehead Eagles in the 4:30 p.m. opener, a game that should be a knock down, rumble on the wood.

A Story of Hope

By Sonja and Paul Sykes

In this season of bright lights, family get-togethers and holiday spirit, sometimes stories of hope and determination help us realize just how lucky and fortunate we truly are. I was moved to write this story about Phil, a friend and acquaintance of my husband, because of the message it brings. The words are pretty much Paul’s, the feelings and sentiment I do hope belong to all of us.

Paul first met Phil when they were kids. Phil suddenly showed up one day in his third grade class…a tall, gangly, uncoordinated boy with stringy blond hair and (as Paul describes it) a dull expression about him. As playground politics sometimes go, the popular and talented rule on and off the gravel…Phil was neither and the kids struck up a nickname for him…”Ill Phil”, because he always seemed to be coughing or wiping a runny nose. Rumors circulated around the class that Phil didn’t have a mom or dad and was a foster child. Things came to a head one afternoon around the outdoor basketball goals, a couple of the “bullies” were targeted in on Phil, and he was losing badly at defending himself.

Paul and his buddy Donald decided it wasn’t right…strictly no contest going on here and intervened. They had “priors” in terms of conflicts with the bullies, and never hesitated to seize an opportunity to bring them down a notch or two.  Coats were shed, fists were thrown, noses were bloodied and all five ended up in the principal’s office. The boys were reprimanded for fighting. It seemed the principal didn’t want to hear the reason why and all were sent home with notes about the incident.

The next day Phil was a no-show. A week later, no Phil in the classroom.

Rumors were started. Paul went to his teacher to get an explanation and was told that Phil had been moved to another family, in another part of the city. Paul spent a lot of time thinking about how his world would be so different if he didn’t have a loving mother and father, brothers to play with and teach. Mostly, Paul wondered about Phil and if the fight had been the cause of Phil’s removal.

Years went by and the thoughts of Phil moved to the back recesses of Paul’s mind. Life moves on, as it does, and Paul found himself married, working and trying to deal with all the things that young couples encounter.  Then, one day…Paul was on the job and noticed a tall, lanky young man with long blonde hair working behind a counter in the store Paul was in.  Paul wondered, was this Phil? He went up to the young man, and asked the question. It was. Phil didn’t recognize Paul at first, it was the “eighties”, and Paul looked much different than he did as a child.
But Phil remembered and they chatted for a long time.

Phil eventually grew out of his clumsiness and awkwardness, graduated from high school, worked his way thru college and met a girl and married her. Phil was considered one of the young, rising manager trainees with the chain…soon he’d receive his own store, probably have to relocate and pay the company “dues” that many do when we are young and learning.

As Paul got ready to leave, Phil told him that he had never forgot that day in the playground. For the first time, it seemed … someone had actually stood up for him…helped him fight his battle and was on his side. He thanked Paul , they exchanged contact info and Paul went out into that morning with a renewed sense of pride and dignity.

Now, we reside in middle age.  Phil lives in Washington D.C., an executive with a consumer watch organization. A grandfather. The blonde hair is turning grayish-white. No longer lanky. He and Paul haven’t spoken in years…but each Christmas a card arrives thru the mail. It simply says “Thanks” and usually has a picture inside of Phil and his wife and kids.

The lesson to be learned here is that we all need to “be the watchdog”. We all need to count our blessings and many joys. And, most importantly, never hesitate to be a friend or help someone in need.  Sometimes, it pays very rich and rewarding dividends.  Our lives are a cornucopia of memories and experiences. Enrich them whenever you can.

A Christmas Wish List

By Sonja Sykes

Dear Santa Claus,

I hope you’ve noticed I’ve been a really good girl this year (Okay, forget the Pittsburgh trip and the infield on Oaks Day) and I’d like for you to grant some wishes for me and my buddies down at the University of Louisville. I’ll leave a big plate of white macadamia nut cookies and egg nog under the tree, and something to “spike” it up a bit, if you want. Say “Hi” to Mrs. Claus and the reindeer, and the cute elves for me, and stay warm Christmas Eve!

For the UofL football team: A winning season and a bowl trip next season. An injury-free season for Vic, Doug, Trent and Scott and maybe a few moments of peace and quiet for Mr. Kragthorpe.

For the UofL men’s basketball team: A Big East title (regular season and conference) and a trip to the NCAA Final Four. Maybe a national title, too? Maybe tickets for me and friends to attend? Give T-Will lots of chances to dunk, Earl a ton of “Mississippi-like” games, Samardo the freshman of the Year award and give me two guards that will get it done.

For the Lady Cards basketball team: A Player of the Year award for Angel McCoughtry, a Big East title, a trip to the NCAA Final Four and maybe they could win it all, too? Tickets for that, too…if you will.  Give Tise a healthy knee, the frosh a great first year, and Jeff Walz Coach of the year. See you at Pack The House?

For the UofL baseball team: Another trip to the Omaha World Series, a batting title for Chris Dominguez, full stands for every home game and strong pitching and great hitting!

For the men’s soccer team: Make Ken Lolla’s prediction of an NCAA title come true.

For the women’s field hockey team: A ton of wins and titles, too. For Pam Bustin, the best record ever and lots of good freshmen to continue the success she’s had. I’d ask for just one more year of eligibility for me, but
I’d need those twenty-year-old legs and stamina again, if that were possible.

For Leonard Yelin and his volleyball team: Lots of tall girls who can spike, dig, serve and block.  Maybe an NCAA Championship game or two or three, and a full arena for each home game.

For Tom Jurich: Unprecdented success for all his teams, more donors and funding and less whiners and gripers. Successful completion of the football stadium expansion and basketball arena would be nice, too.  For his staff and coaches, raises across the board!

I know I’m asking for a lot here, Mr. Claus but I believe in the magic of Christmas and that if you wish upon a star all your dreams can come true.  I hope I’m on your “nice” list, and you can deliver all the things on my list. If not, I won’t complain. Just do everything you can, and keep wearing that Cardinal Red.

PS: Could you leave switches in all UK fans stockings?  They’ve been awfully naughty to UofL fans this year. Honest!  Okay, I guess they should get a few gifts; it is Christmas, after all. Maybe some autographed Rick Pitino pictures? …Tee hee!

Your pal,
Sonja