DFWCards

Fans Turn Out To Celebrate the Cardinals Final Four Run

From the Louisville Courier-Journal:

That 4th Street Live was painted red was evident from blocks away — by the large inflatable Louisville Cardinals logo that greeted people at the gate, by the red T-shirts, red jackets, red hats.

And by the cheers that emanated from a city street filled with fans: “C-A-R-D-S, go Cards go.”

Fans packed the downtown entertainment district Tuesday to celebrate the Louisville Cardinals men’s basketball team’s NCAA Final Four appearance and Big East Tournament championship, with Coach Rick Pitino and the players thanking the crowd for their support.

Brothers Brock and Bryan Rogers, both of Jeffersontown, showed up as quickly as they could after work but still couldn’t wade through the crowd for a good vantage point. They were relegated to the rear of the stage.

It didn’t matter, the brothers said, because they got to see the team get off a bus and onto the stage.

“You’ve got to support the Cards,” Brock Rogers said. “You never know when you’re going to get a Final Four.”

“Hopefully, next year,” Bryan Rogers chimed in.

Read the remainder of the article on the Courier-Journal website.

Louisville Athletic Revenues Rank 16th in NCAA, Exceed Those of UK

Talk about eye-opening. 

This is an excerpt from a much larger article that is definitely worth a read. It includes a 10-minute video interview with UofL Athletic Director Tom Jurich, the architect of much of this success.

From last Sunday's Louisville Courier-Journal:

When the U.S. Department of Education released its annual revenue and expense figures for college sports last month, the University of Louisville’s totals lit up the scoreboard.

For the fiscal year that ended in June, U of L reported $87.74 million in athletic revenue, ranking 16th in NCAA Division I, the organization's classification for its largest schools. And for the first time in this government index, which was created to monitor gender equity statistics among schools, U of L’s revenue exceeded that of the University of Kentucky.

More surprising, perhaps, was that U of L’s $40.89 million in reported men’s basketball revenue was nearly $12 million more than the next-closest competitor, Duke, and surpassed the revenues of all but 19 major football programs.

The numbers, which got a minor boost from one-time donations related to the new KFC YUM! Center and Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium expansion, are testimony to the earning potential of new facilities and luxury suites, and clearly put the program into a new financial neighborhood.

In fact, U of L is one of only two programs in the top 20 in revenue that are not a part of the Southeastern, Big 12, Pac-12, Big Ten or Atlantic Coast conferences. The other is Notre Dame, which is independent in football.

 

Cardinal Great Lenny Lyles Has Died

Last summer, University of Louisville football coach Charlie Strong brought some former U of L players to Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. One alumnus, Lenny Lyles, was surprised to see his image on a mural. Strong told Lyles that he deserved to be there for “what he’s done for this program.”

Lyles, the former U of L football and track star, died on Sunday at the age of 75.

On Monday, many who knew him recalled him as a leader, a mentor, a role model and an influential figure in Louisville athletics. Strong described Lyles as “an unbelievable person.” A statue of Lyles stands in Cardinal Park.

Lyles, a Central High School graduate, paved the way for integration by being one of the first African-Americans to play for U of L (1954-57). Known as “The Fastest Man in Football,” he rushed for a school-record 43 touchdowns and scored 50 overall. He remains the program’s all-time scoring leader for a non-kicker with 300 points.

Lyles, a four-year starter, became the first U of L player to surpass 1,000 yards rushing in a season and left as the program's all-time rushing leader (2,786 yards). He is currently third behind Walter Peacock (3,204) and Nathan Poole (2,903).

via www.courier-journal.com

I-65 construction south of Louisville to hamper travel into the city

Any former Louisvillians now living in Dallas-Ft. Worth who are planning driving trips back home for Thanksgiving should take note of this item.

As reported by WAVE3, some of the federal stimulus money is being used to resurface the portion of Interstate 65 between between Fern Valley Road and the Watterson Expressway (I-264). Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear officially announced the beginning of the project on Wednesday.

From the article:

The resurfacing project, the first in 21 years, will be funded in part by federal stimulus dollars, according to Beshear. "Actual construction cost is estimated at $28.7 million and some $18 million of that is coming from the Reinvestment and Recovery Act."

The $28.7 million project involves replacement of concrete pavement with asphalt on the 3-mile section of interstate between the I-264 interchange and Fern Valley Road. It's among a dozen road and bridge projects in Jefferson County totaling more than $195 million, either currently underway or soon to be planned for the Louisville area.

Drivers can expect lane closures along the construction route which will probably cause additional backups even during non-rush hour times.

The project is due to start on Monday night (September 21) with the northbound lanes being resurfaced first. Work will be underway 24 hours a day until its completion, sometime in mid-December. The speed limit will also be reduced to 45 M.P.H. in the construction zone with a double fine for speeders.

Rick Pitino is not happy with the Louisville media

It appears that UofL basketball coach Rick Pitino is getting a little testy about the Louisville media’s continued interest in the Karen Sypher story.

As reported in The ‘Ville Voice, in a news conference held Wednesday, Pitino laid into the media, saying “Enough is enough” and “We need to move on.”

“It’s a pretty sad day. I understand your business very well. I understand the competitiveness of it. What I don’t understand why you keep fostering this behavior.

“On the day where Ted Kennedy died, we broke in the news here in Louisville with Karen Sypher and audio and tapes she gave to detectives, and it's already been put out. That's a pretty sad commentary on us.

“I need this thing to go to trial.

“Wait for the trial and the truth will come out.

“This is someone who lies inconsistently to get their way.

“Everything that’s been reported is 100 percent a lie. All of this has been a lie, a total fabrication of the truth, except what I’ve told you. Tim Sypher has not come forward to tell the truth, because he’s in a custody battle for his child. The university and the authorities said, don’t say anything.

“It hasn’t hurt recruiting one bit. We will still bring in Top Ten players. Our fans are the greatest in college basketball. We will run the program with great integrity.

“You shouldn’t be reporting the lies.”

Pitino said that his advisers have told him not to discuss details of the case but that the truth would come out at trial.

Early Wednesday Louisville police released audio and video recordings of phone calls and an interview with Sypher, who is facing counts of extortion and lying to the FBI.

If Pitino is already this crossways with the local media, the mind boggles as to how he’ll react when the Cardinals hit the road this winter and encounter a much more combative press than you’ll find in Louisville.

UofL plans to create archive of flood records

From WAVE3.com, the Associated Press, and the University of Louisville web site:

The University of Louisville wants to create a record of the recent flood in the city and on much of the campus.

The university's libraries are asking for digital photos, videos and narratives of the August 4 floods that damaged Louisville homes and cars, buildings on the university's campus, and items at the Kentucky Derby Museum.

In addition to creating the collection, some of the images will be shared on an August 2009 Flood website that the libraries’ Digital Collection will host, according to Rachel Howard, digital initiatives librarian.

University Libraries, a member of the MetaArchive Cooperative, also will have the digital files replicated and stored at six different geographic locations so they are not lost due to natural disasters or other problems. The cooperative previously has documented the disasters in New Orleans and at Virginia Tech.

Pitino apologizes; pledges to coach as long as UofL will have him

Following a standard public relations template for putting undesirable news in the rear-view mirror, Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino apologized on Wednesday afternoon at a press conference to his family and to his players for what he referred to as an “indiscretion” six years ago. He insisted that he would continue to coach at the University for “as long as they will have me.”

As reported in the Louisville Courier-Journal, he did not specifically address the police report made public yesterday in his statement, but said he'd already apologized to his family months ago and now wants to apologize to his extended family at the university.

Prepared statements from UofL President James Ramsey and Athletic Director Tom Jurich were also distributed.

Ramsey said that “regardless of the truth or falsehood of specific actions that have been attributed to the coach, he's clearly made errors in judgment that have come under intense public scrutiny. We can't ignore these errors in judgment, and they have saddened and disappointed me.

"As we try to teach our students, when you make a mistake, you admit it and right it as best you can. Coach has done that today. We hope this closes this chapter; we're all ready to move on.”

That may be easier said than done.

Many think that even if the University and the community rallies behind Pitino - who has a morals clause in his current contract with UofL - opposing coaches will use the sordid details of the story as leverage against him during the annual battle to convince blue-chip basketball recruits to come to Louisville.

Early reactions to the Rick Pitino bombshell

Here are some of the blog posts today regarding the news about University of Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino having had an intimate encounter with Karen Sypher, resulting in a pregnancy which Pitino paid to terminate; rest assured that this is the tip of the iceberg.

In particular, I’m looking forward to what ESPN’s Pat Forde (a Pitino friend who co-wrote a book with him a couple of years back) has to say on the matter:

Pitino Bombshell Confirms What Everybody Knew (The ‘Ville Voice)

There is no bigger story. Ever.

This is the news Sypher was using in her extortion attempt against Pitino — it’s the accusation local media’s been keeping secret even though Sypher was willing to talk about it to anyone who would listen. The most credible rumor — about Pitino paying for Sypher to get the abortion in Cincinnati — is true.

So here comes the reaction, headed by the questionable one from Pitino’s boss, Dr. James Ramsey, who said his thoughts were with the Pitino family.  As if some tragic event had occurred, a quote more appropriate for the death of a loved one.

Pitino has a morals clause in his contract. It addresses this sort of thing. U of L has cause to fire him. But the question comes down to how public opinion will come down on Pitino and whether he’ll be able to continue in his job as the Louisville basketball coach.

Even John Calipari Thinks This Is Sleazy (The Buzz)

If the game of life were a pinball machine, abortion would be a flashing tilt sign. All of the sudden, we’ve stepped in the religious/political world where the issue is routinely used to wedge the electorate. Ain’t nothing Pitino, or anyone for that matter, can say to change the way people feel about it. This story has all sorts of weird stuff, from getting it on in a restaurant to Pitino’s assistant marrying her 6 months later. The word “abortion” is the shiny object. Will he survive the backlash?

Let’s All Watch The Media Fumble Helplessly On The Pitino Story (Deadspin)

This was a tough one for the media. There have been so many rumors flying around that we felt like we knew all of this before it got confirmed last night.

So now that we do, why is it the abortion aspect of this story that's jumping out at people? It's the one part of this story that's a real surprise. We're accustomed to our athletes cheating on their wives. It's nothing new to see them accused of rape. And, almost as often, we see the cases against them fall apart.

But abortion's a new one. I can't remember a single story where it played a major role, and make no mistake, Kentucky's a part of the country where this is a BIG deal to many people. It's a novelty to sportswriters, and one they're not entirely prepared to deal with. So in the days and weeks ahead, expect to see that dominating the ledes even though, not coincidentally, it's the one part of this that Pitino least wanted to get out.

Keeping Louisville Weird (Card Game)

Lots of people doing weird things in connection with the Rick Pitino-Karen Sypher affair. An unpredictable mix of local luminaries and loonies caught up in the soap opera, sometimes making it difficult to identify the good guys from the bad one day to the next.

The release of the police interview with Pitino confirms what many wanted to deny, that it was indeed a sex scandal, and it will continue to tarnish and embarrass anyone even remotely involved.

The observer doesn’t believe this is the scenario the Keep Louisville Weird promoters had in mind when they launched the marketing program.

Details of Pitino-Sypher relationship made public by Louisville newspaper

What began as a typically quiet summer evening in Louisville changed radically Tuesday when the Courier-Journal published the lurid details of the relationship between Cardinals basketball coach Rick Pitino and Karen Sypher.

In statements made earlier this year to Louisville Metro Police and obtained through a Kentucky Open Records Act request, Pitino acknowledged having had consensual sexual relations on August 1, 2003 with Sypher at Porcini, an Italian restaurant in the Crescent Hill section of the city. He also admitted to later paying for Sypher to obtain an abortion. However, he denied Sypher's allegations that he raped her at the restaurant and then again later at a different location.

Sypher’s credibility has been challenged on numerous fronts and Louisville Commonwealth’s Attorney David Stengel declined to prosecute the case in July.

Louisville is a predominantly Catholic city in which Pitino’s success with the Cardinal basketball program has been widely celebrated. It will be interesting to observe whether the news that he paid for an abortion will affect his standing in the city and perhaps ultimately impact his position at the University.

Steven Pence, Pitino's lawyer, told ESPN.com Tuesday night that there is no reason why Pitino would take a leave of absence from the school in light of the information from his client's police interview being made public.

Kenny Klein, Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations at Louisville, added that Pitino hasn't made any suggestion that he would leave the program. He said that athletic director Tom Jurich and the administration are behind Pitino.

University of Louisville President James Ramsey spoke obliquely about today’s news in a statement released to the press.

"Several months ago Coach Pitino informed me about the alleged extortion attempt. I've now been informed that there may be other details which, if true, I find surprising," he said.

President Ramsey and Provost Willihnganz update University on flood damage recovery efforts

University of Louisville President James Ramsey and Provost Shirley Willihnganz updated the University Friday on the status of the school’s flood recovery efforts:

Colleagues,

As we continue to clean up after this week's flood, we want to take time out to thank everyone for your hard work under difficult circumstances.

This is the most significant damage our campus ever has sustained, and it will take some time to get back to normal.

It is difficult to believe the destructive power of water and how much damage can happen in a very short time.

Some of you had to evacuate your buildings – some even by rescue boats – and streets flooded with several feet of water.

Water entered many buildings around the north and east sides of Belknap Campus. Some still are closed while we clean the mud and remaining water from floors and other surfaces and remove water-soaked carpets, ruined wallboard and baseboard. At the Health Sciences Center the School of Public Health and Information Sciences was hardest hit with a foot or more of water in its basement.

Still, despite the daunting task ahead of us, we are making progress.

Physical Plant again is doing an amazing job restoring buildings and grounds in our third weather emergency in less than a year's time.

A lot of you have been on campus this week helping to clean up flood damage and move displaced offices to new locations – all while doing your normal jobs of helping students prepare for the coming semester.

You are doing a great job and doing it with a great "can-do" attitude. We have accomplished a lot in a short time and appreciate your dedication.

We also are encouraged by the number of people who have called to offer help and who have said they are keeping us in their thoughts. We appreciate their support in these difficult days.

The flood affected more than UofL buildings and property. We realize that many of you suffered losses at your homes. We are in the process of organizing an internal effort to help our campus family. You’ll hear more details about this next week.

Again, we thank all of you for everything you bring to UofL. The work and attitude you've shown over the last four days reminds us why we love this university.

James Ramsey, president
Shirley Willihnganz, provost