Birthday wishes for Charlie Strong

A belated happy birthday to Charlie Strong, making the age of 50 on Monday.

Can’t quite see him sitting still for a birthday cake while making the rounds during the Big East meeting in Newport, R.I. But if he did, one wonders what the University of Louisville football coach was wishing for was he was blowing out all those candles.

A few guesses:

• That at least a couple of sportswriters are able to recognize that a change in coaching personnel can make a difference in how a team performs. Most of the analysts are simply going with the flow, picking U of L to finish last in the league.

• Packed house every home game. The real test of fan allegiance always begins in mid- to late-October. The good thing is that Louisville isn’t playing a home game on Halloween. What a disaster that was last season.

• Patience and perseverance. The program, remember, was in reverse gear for three whole seasons. His challenge is to build a new foundation from the tattered remnants of the Kragthorpe era.

• Some of the highly-touted recruits who gained him notoriety as a super recruiter make it to practice at 6 a.m. on Thursday. Do the names Dominique Brown, Demar Dorsey or Jordan Campbell ring any bells?

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Season ticket holders from last year’s U of L women’s basketball team are picking out their new seats this week at the Yum Practice Center, the observer among them.

Fans wishing to join the ranks are being invited out on Monday. Aug. 9 to make their selections, from 3 to 5 p.m., also at the practice facility.

The deal: $80 for adults, $25 for youth, $75 for faculty and students. An $50 additional donation in Section 106/116 as well as rows A-F in Sections 105, 107, 115, & 117. Family plans are $160 in Sections 103, 104, 108, 109, 113, 114, 118 ,& 119.

The closest thing to a seating chart is here.