Louisville's unexpected run to the NCAA Baseball Super Regional has produced new U of L sports heroes, new nicknames and new demands on the staff at the University of Louisville. On Saturday, Coach Dan McDonnell and his squad take on Oklahoma State in Game 2 of their best-of-three series. The Cards won the first contest 9-0 on Friday in front of a stadium record crowd of 4,023.
BOO-BIRDS: Redshirt-freshman third baseman Chris Dominguez (Miami, Fla.) is now greeted before every at-bat by a chorus of boos from his own fans. It’s a response to the booing he received during regional play at Missouri. Mizzou fans thought Dominguez hot-dogged his way around the bases after a home run, so they hooted and hollered at him repeatedly during the final game between the Cards and Missouri in Columbia. Dominguez responded with an MVP performance. Dominguez was 8 for 19 (.421) with two doubles, a triple, four home runs and 11 RBI to go with three walks, two HBPs, a steal and 12 flawless chances in the field to earn Most Outstanding Player honors. Now, even Dominguez teammates boo when he comes to the plate. Why mess with success? Perhaps he’ll go by the moniker of “Boo” Dominguez from now on.
FEW VACANCIES – If the Cards are fortunate enough to advance to the College World Series, their fans may have to become a bit creative when it comes to travel plans since the event taxes the resources in Omaha, particularly hotel rooms. Here’s a tip: There are a number of first-class casinos located across the Missouri River from Omaha in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Here are a few examples: Harrah’s (712) 329-6000, Horseshoe Casino (712) 323-2500 and Ameristar Casino (712) 328-8888.
COLLECTOR’S ITEM – Lexington-based Host Communications publishes the game programs for every one of the NCAA’s 130-plus events, including this week’s Super Regional Baseball series being played at U of L. Since the programs have to be printed before the Super Regionals are awarded, there can be problems with the final allocation. Due to circumstances, only about 500 printed programs were available for this weekend’s Louisville vs. Oklahoma series. If the Cards win on Saturday, those publications should become instant classics.
SPECIAL GUESTS – As Louisville’s baseball players glanced around the record crowd at Friday’s game with OSU, they couldn’t help but notice that Mayor Jerry Abramson, football coach Steve Kragthorpe and basketball coach Rick Pitino were in attendance.
“That was cool, that was really something to see,” said U of L outfielder Isaiah Howes (Pleasure Ridge Park, Louisville), who homered in the first inning of the Cards’ 9-0 win. Overall, the Game 1 atmosphere was remarkable, according to Louisville head coach Dan McDonnell.
“That’s as good as it gets in college baseball,” said McDonnell. “It’s a great thing for our seniors to experience, but it’s also nice for the future. I think fans will be excited for our season to begin next year.”
At one point, the crowd shouted a hearty version of the C-A-R-D-S cheer, prompting several U of L players to say it sounded “like a Freedom Hall cheer.”
QUICK ADDITIONS – The demand for tickets for this weekend’s Super Regional in Louisville called for quick action by U of L officials to add about 1,500 bleacher sets. Workers from around the region were summoned to “drop what you’re doing and get to Louisville now.”
In just two days, the crew set up the seating, which was arranged to look like it was part of the original stadium design.
Credit U of L assistant athletic director Rob Brawner, computer/facilities assistant Ray Bronger and their staff with directing the project. The result of their work was a first-class impression presented nationwide during ESPN2’s live telecast.
“They did a terrific job,” said U of L vice president for athletics Tom Jurich. “Some folks at our convention in Orlando asked me how I did it – getting set up so quickly for a Super Regional. I told them I didn’t do a thing. Rob and Ray and the staff did it all. I’m very proud of them.”
PERMANENT CHANGES – If Louisville’s baseball program can continue to build on this year’s 45-win season, don’t be surprised if U of L begins serious planning for a permanent expansion of Jim Patterson Stadium. The original design called for 1,500 chairback seats. Another 1,500 could be added if needed, and this weekend’s event may provide the spark U of L officials need to justify expansion even as the Cards prepare to add 20,000 seats at the adjacent Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium.
NOTE: Daily columnist Ron Steiner also appears on the Red & Blue Review, a weekly statewide TV sports show (Insight Ch. 2), is published weekly in the Voice-Tribune and is a guest each Friday (5:45 p.m.) on the Cardinal Insider radio program (KRDS, 790AM). He can be reached by e-mail at r.steiner@insightbb.com.
