All Entries in the "Downtown Arena" Category

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!

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

Neutral Zone’s Holiday Spirit

If you’re among the last-minute shoppers, Neutral Zone has a deal for you: Everything in the store is 20% off through Christmas Eve day. They appear to have many new items in the store on Blankenbaker Parkway, including a huge University of Louisville flag, neon signs, hats, and lots of other items. The owner saw the snow falling on Card Game and asked if we had any graphics of the sky falling on UofL teams. Not funny.

If you stop by, tell ‘em Card Game sent you.

Getting It Started

The stadium stalker may have discovered clear evidence that things are going to start happening soon at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. The backhoe’s big brothers will be along shortly to handle the heavy lifting. The observer has heard estimates of upward expansion of between 53,000 and 57,000 for the first phase. Nobody seems to know for sure, possibly depending on how low steel and oil prices go — the lower the better. The best news of all may be that interest rates are at historic lows. Hey, Tom, if the economy keeps dumping, maybe only one phase would be needed to get it to 63,000 seats.

Name The Downtown Arena

The chairman of the Louisville Arena Authority reports that the group is closing in on naming rights for the new downtown arena, with three companies currently vying for the honor. Jim Host expressed confidence after Monday’s meeting that the authority can get $40 million over 20 years for the rights.

The parties involved in those negotiations have been a closely guarded secret. This allows for a lot of idle speculation on the part of greatly interested fans. Which company will have its name on the University of Louisville basketball palace, the future crown jewel of college basketball kingdom? On what will be the most prominent feature in the city’s skyline, their identity becoming an integral part of the community’s identity, featured indefinitely in pictorial atlases around the world? A few guesses:

United Parcel Service — The UPS folks love Louisville and especially the University of Louisville for creating tailored educational opportunities for their employees. Executives of the city’s largest employer also say they think the city is the ideal location for its major shipping hub. The company has already indicated that it will make a major contribution to the football stadium expansion, the extent of which has yet to be announced. The only drawback is the company’s corporate color is brown. Much creativity would be required to mesh brown with red and black.

YUM — Yum is the world’s largest restaurant company with nearly 36,000 establishments in 110 countries and territories. The corporate headquarters are based in Louisville. They have good relations with UofL, having already ponied up millions for Rick Pitino’s luxury-laden basketball practice facility on Floyd Street. One would hope, however, that the idea for a Kentucky Fried Chicken Bucket has been put on the back burner and relegated to the trash heap. There should be no confusion about whether this is a Louisville or Kentucky facility. We can live with Yum.

Papa John’s — Yeah, Papa John Schnatter withdrew his money for a downtown arena a while back but he could be having second thoughts. He could probably see the new arena from the location in Jeffersonville where he started his pizza empire as a young entrepreneur in a broom closet. Having the company’s name on the university’s two most prominent athletic facilities would make him one of the community’s most beloved civic leaders. We hear he’s back as the CEO, and he could make a little extra money in one of the world’s largest pizza houses.

Brown-Forman — A better name would be the Owsley Brown Frazier Arena for the former chairman of the company which has invested heavily in the community for decades. Frazier has probably personally donated almost as much as the company has over the years. Companies usually like to promote themselves or their products so he would probably demur.  But if anyone deserves to have their name featured so prominently on the city’s skyline, it is Owsley Brown Frazier.

Which companies do you think are negotiating for the rights? What name would you like to see on the new downtown arena?