Not sure how the decision was arrived at but the University of Louisville’s last home football game against West Virginia has been declared a “Black Out” game. Couldn’t have been a whole lot of thought put into the planning process. No way this works out, even among hard core fans who will show up for what many consider inevitable.

Asking them to wear black is not quite the ultimate test for fans already in a dark mood. But it does pose a dilemma for many. Temperatures are expected to range between 29 and 41 degrees Saturday, and warm clothing will be a necessity. This observer has a black baseball cap but there’s not a single black coat in sight.

Maybe someone thought it would be a good way to stimulate the economy, envisioning fans rushing out to buy black outerwear. Our friends at J.D. Becker are apparently in the spirit, e-mailing an offer of long sleeve T-shirts for $16.98, and they’re probably available at the Neutral Zone as well. The prices for black jackets with logos start at $49. But they are the lightweight variety and won’t begin to do the job Saturday.

Sorry, guys, can’t see buying a black jacket for one game, not this season anyway.

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UofL fan favorite Francisco Garcia has missed the last three weeks of National Basketball Association action with the Sacramento Kings with a leg injury (right calf strain). He has been recuperating, and will attempt to resume practice later this week. Last season, his third in Sacramento, Garcia averaged 12.3 points and 3.3 rebounds.

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The Louisville vs. Xavier women’s basketball game at Noon this Saturday will be part a special online pay-per-view event. The game will be available live and on-demand via Internet video streaming for one-time payment of $9.95. The game will also be broadcast nationally on CBS College Sports, available via satellite on DirecTV channel 610 and Dish Network channel 152.

Current subscribers to Cards All-Access TV will receive the broadcast free inside of Cards TV All-Access as part of their Annual package. Monthly subscribers will have to purchase the pay-per-view. You can subscribe by clicking here. Sonja?

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By Charlie Springer

Charlie Springer is a former Louisville editor and sportswriter, a public affairs consultant, a UofL grad and longtime fan.

One thought on “A Black Saturday Lift For Local Retailers?”
  1. As intriguing and fun as the All-Access program sounds, I do prefer to listen to my Lady Cards on the radio when they are on the road (and if I’m not there). Jim Kelch gives a very concise and descriptive play by play of the action, and Adrienne Johnson provides in the depth knowledge of color commentary that can only come from one whose “been there” on the college and WNBA levels. Also, she just flat cracks me up with her comments at times, if the Cards aren’t playing up to her (and Walz’s) expectations.

    Listeners on Cards radio can sometimes here Coach Walz in the background during the broadcast. I’m sure the package plan is a great one, I just prefer listening to people I know and respect, instead of a couple of guys named Bob.

    Also, the radio brings back some great memories for me. When I was a little girl, my father would listen to Cards and Cats broadcasts on the radio in his den, and us kids would gather around on the carpet and couch and listen with him, until other interests drew us away. There were two rules
    when listening with “Pops”…no rough-housing and no loud conversations that weren’t relevant to the game. Those were some pretty great days of radio…Ed Kalley did the UofL broadcasts on WAVE 970. His madcap, fill in the blanks broadcasts would often have Dad chuckling one moment and shaking his head in confusion the next. The “God”, though…was Cawood Ledford on WHAS 840. Dad said he was the best to ever call play by play on the radio. Although not a big Cats fan, Dad would listen so he could discuss the game intelligently with his co-workers the next day. The names of that era don’t mean a lot to the fans these days probably, but we sat there and heard the exploits of Cotton Nash, Louie Dampier, Pat Riley…and Wes Unseld, Butch Beard and the Reuther brothers…The post game show with Adolph Rupp was always a favorite, too…and Dad would mimick Rupp’s nasal Kansas twang while the Baron would recap the action.

    So…radio works for me. I do hope 790 is carrying the Lady Cards contest in Dayton while I’m freezing and shivering in Papa John’s Saturday. I rarely like to live to the live broadcast of a game while I’m actually there watching it, but it would be nice to keep track of the Lady Cards while Krag’s krew is chasing Pat White around the sportsgrass.

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