By Sonja Sykes

I counted up the other night and realized that I’ve been to the Liberty Bowl in Memphis 17 times over the years to watch football, and will be in attendance again this Friday. The University of Louisville football team faces the Tigers again in a series that has offered some exciting (and forgettable) games over the years.

My most memorable game? It would have to be the 1999 win, which featured “the catch” and “the punch.”  I’ll explain. We had made the trip to Memphis with several couples and arrived the day before the contest. The guys played golf that first day, and the girls made a trip to Tunica, memorable because I won $550 on a dollar slot machine as we were getting ready to leave.

“One of the guys told Bob to make him shut up, and before I knew it, this guy had shoved Bob to the concrete.”

After several hours of tailgating on game day, we entered the stadium wondering how our 3-3 Cardinals would do against our arch-rivals. It didn’t take long to find out. Louisville jumped on the Tigers early, scoring 19 points in the first quarter.

Quarterback Chris Redman was on fire early, and a disillusioned Memphis crowd watched glumly as the small but vocal Cardinal cheering section celebrated in the corner of the Liberty Bowl. Louisville slowed down a bit in the second quarter, but still took a 19-12 lead to the locker room at halftime. My dutiful husband went to fetch me a soft drink at halftime, and his buddy Bob tagged along to do the same for his wife..

As he tells the story…

“We were standing in line, waiting to place our orders and getting a lot of flack from a couple of obviously drunk Memphis State fans. It just kept getting louder and cruder, and finally Bob turned around and told them to put an end to it. One of the guys told Bob to make him shut up, and before I knew it, this guy had shoved Bob to the concrete. He turned to me and without hesitation, I fired a right cross to his chin, planting him on the concrete next to Bob. Then, people started restraining me…the police came over and after a long discussion with all of us and a few fans…Bob, me and the two Memphis State fans were escorted to the exit and thrown out of the game.”

“Then, I formulated a plan to get back in the Liberty Bowl. We walked around to the other side of the stadium, and found a “scalper” who was leaving and gave us two tickets for $10 each.”

Word got back to me about the incident from a friend who witnessed the whole thing, and I debated whether I should leave or not…but I decided to stay …there was nothing I could do about it, and Paul had the car keys anyway. The second half had started, the Tigers were scoring and Cardinal fans were nervous.

“After Bob and I were tossed out of the game, we went back to the car and had an “adult beverage”. Then, I formulated a plan to get back in the Liberty Bowl. We walked around to the other side of the stadium, and found a “scalper” who was leaving and gave us two tickets for $10 each.” Paul continues.

“We decided that we’d need a little disguise, in case we ran into the officers again…so we bought two Memphis jerseys and a couple of Tiger ballcaps, put them on. We walked back around to our seats…in fact we walked right by the group of officers that had thrown us out, and they didn’t even recognize us! We got back to our seats with about 8 minutes left in the game, to the cheers and applause of out friends and other Cardinal fans.”

By then, the Tigers had scored 31 straight points and led 31-19. It looked bad for UofL but Redman rallied the Cards for a long drive and hit Arnold Jackson with a pass to get us back within 5. All the fans started going crazy then, and when we got the ball back and started driving again, the Louisville fans went nuts.

With 11 seconds on the clock, and the Cards at the Memphis 18 yard line, the Cards took a time out and we discussed what they might do in this situation. The consensus was try to get the ball to Jackson in the end zone.  Maybe we would  have time for one more play if the pass failed. Redman took the snap, dropped back and fired the ball to a diving Lavell Boyd, who made a flying catch…wrapped it up and the Cards regained the lead with six seconds left.

Bob and my husband kept their Memphis jerseys and hats as a reminder of that wacky evening in Memphis…Paul got his signed by Lavelle Boyd and it rests this day in a picture frame in our basement, with a placard on it simply saying “the Catch”.

Here’s to another exciting, but less stressful trip to Memphis this Friday…

October 6th, 2008 | Category: Louisville football, University of Louisville | Comments (4)

With all the hubbub over a couple of losses locally, is anyone surprised by what some fans will do to try to get their team back on the winning track? Losing is not fun but common sense should be the guiding principle.

A former group of former Syracuse players, including fullback Ron Konrad, has petitioned Syracuse University to have Coach Greg Robinson fired and replaced by Florida offensive line coach Steve Addazio. The group sent an e-mail to the school’s president and athletic director recommending Addazio, an assistant at Syracuse from 1995-98. Some excerpts:

“Greg is a quality individual with a deep understanding of defensive football. Should he be relieved of his position with the University, I’m certain that he will continue his coaching career with success. It’s my contention the failings of the program are due more directly to a general lack of understanding of the environment in which to operate a successful program at Syracuse University …

“During our group discussions regarding coaching candidates, we have consistently arrived at one individual who as a head coach at Syracuse would fill the critical needs of the program addressed above. Steve Addazio is currently the Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Line Coach of the University of Florida … Besides coaching at the pinnacle of college football, local knowledge and motivational attributes, considering his past ties to the University, he may come a reasonable price tag …”

The problem was that Konrad made the mistake of sending a copy of the e-mail to The Axman, a Syracuse blog which, of course, made the note public. It might have been a constructive approach had they not gone overboard in wanting credit for the move.

By seeking the public notoriety, they have embarrassed the current coach, the university and the individual they wanted to be their next head coach. These things are better done in private. Addazio may wind up as the next coach, but Konrad’s group won’t get much of the credit.

October 5th, 2008 | Category: University of Louisville | Comments (1)

University of Louisville followers are being challenged to step forward for one of their own. Justin Bowen is just another fan but, with his technical skills, he has enriched the lives of other Card fans.

Under the user name of “Jerb,” he has posted many highlights of UofL football and basketball games at Inside The Ville and on YouTube, making it possible to relive some exhilarating moments over and over.  Dozens of them are available at Jerb’s Louisville Videos.

Jerb’s 5-year-old son, Shawn, has just been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a cancer afflicting the white blood cells. The family is dealing with some very tough times, now and in the future.   You can learn more about Shawn and make a donation at this web site . 

Card Game is joining with the Hell In The Hall, Cardinal Empire and Ditchball blogs and the BBC Tavern in St. Matthews to co-sponsor a fundraiser for the Bowens on Saturday, Nov. 8. That could very well coincide with the Pittsburgh football game, the time for which has yet to be announced. If the two things do come together so much the better, watching a Card game and helping the family.  The event will definitely include a silent auction and other opportunities to help.

Some fans at Inside The Ville are tentatively planning a golf scramble at Oxmoor Country Club on the same date.

More details on these events as they become available. Get on board.

October 2nd, 2008 | Category: University of Louisville | Leave a comment

Do University of Louisville fans have a stake in the financial rescue legislation being considered by Congress? This observer doesn’t claim to be a financial analyst, but the answer is a resounding yes – for us as individuals and family members and, collectively, as a fan base.

Wall Street is us.

Wall Street is us.

You, me, our kids, our kin, our friends, our employers, our co-workers, our customers, and our university.

The companies that make up the Dow Jones and Nasdaq indexes are the source of our salaries and pensions, not some disconnected hypothetical entities. Their success or failure directly impacts our paychecks, our savings, our investments and our U of L donations and ticket purchases.

Last time the observer checked, the price tags for the basketball arena construction and football stadium expansion were in the neighborhoods of $238 million and $73 million, respectively. No one connected with the projects has said anything but you can bet there are some furrowed brows at U of L as Washington debates this issue.

Yes, the money for those projects is in a bank somewhere. But there’s a huge demand for those funds. No bank has that much money just sitting around, and the FDIC only insures bank balances up to $100,000. The strain on bond-insurer, Assured Guaranty, would be enormous if everything else is failing.

Unless those funds are paid directly to the construction managers and their subcontractors, the construction companies must find somewhere to borrow the cash. Good luck finding that money for employees, equipment, seats and scoreboards if the economy is allowed to fail. Good luck finding fans to buy seats if their choice is between season tickets and putting food on the table.

All of the elements between Wall Street, Main Street and the street we live on are interconnected. Remove any of them from the equation and you get economic chaos.

The observer believes in limited government and is active in combating overreaching government on a daily basis. In this situation, however, there is no workable alternative. Socialism? Yeah, maybe, but only if your ox isn’t getting gored.

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U of L Role in DC: Two U of L graduates –- Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) — played key roles in helping assure a bi-partisan effort that led to passage of the financial rescue package in the Senate Wednesday evening.

Senator McConnell is the Minority Leader and Senator Dodd is Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee. But it’s only half done and far from done. Now it’s up to the House of Representatives where anything goes and the fate is unpredictable.

October 1st, 2008 | Tags: Mitch McConnell | Category: Bailout, Chris Dodd, Mitch McConnell, University of Louisville | Comments (5)