We'll be Okay!

I got out of bed at 6:15 to see that the sun came up this morning..... last night around 9:45, I wasn't so certain that it would.

It was a tough loss. But a few hours later, the fans of Louisville football should be inspired by their team's play.  Let's be honest, losing a talented group of athletes from last year's squad cast a huge shadow over the 2008 Lions. People didn't know what to expect from the 17 largely unknown athletes that suited up last night.

But what was neat was that so many stepped up and put the Lions in position to win the game. Gone are the Ficklers, Ronnfeldts and Johnsons of the past four years.... but ready to replace them are a new group who have waited in the wings, eager to show what they could do. 

I'm excited about the opportunity to cheer for a new group of Lions... Pat McAndrew, Ryan Burnison, Avery Hopkins have worked hard to put themselves on the field, representing Louisville High School. And they can be every bit as successful.

It's a new day.

Successful Debut for the Crush

It was a great night for girls' athletics at Ash Grove Field this evening.

Cass County Central Crush opened with a win but I was just as pleased to see the girls having fun playing a sport that they love.... lots of smiles, many pats on the backs, very positive coaching. 

A tremendous crowd estimated at 150 with an over-flowing parking lot were treated to a great experience.

Now for my confession.... I was so excited after the game, I took pictures of the jayvee scorebook rather then the varsity book!  No stats means the game story in The Lions Den will be completed Friday morning.  My error, I dropped the ball...... fortunately, the girls did not.

Something Very Good is Happening Here

I had a busy day and just now had the opportunity to read the World-Herald, one of my favorite things to do any day but especially the Sunday edition... lots to read, lots of info.  If you get a chance, read the Metro guide magazine in today's paper, a special section of the newspaper espousing all the good things about the city of Omaha from its recreation advancements to its new structures both for the arts and for entertainment.

The introduction on page 7 ("Something Very Good is Happening Here") was written by one of my favorites, former sports editor and current columnist, Michael Kelly.  I could tell it was done with an enormous sense of pride in Omaha.

While reading the article, I found myself noting similarities between Omaha and Louisville.  Please don't laugh, but in its own way, Louisville has many items of interest and things to boast about, just like our larger neighbor to the north.

Louisville is so fortunate to have an active business district.  The city has over two blocks of businesses on both sides of main street busy with shoppers and, it you look at the license plates of the parked cars, not just from our community.

Louisville has done well in attracting visitors to our town. This past weekend's town BBQ was another example of Louisville pitching in, along with this spring's "Air Your Art in Louisville" and the always popular "Ringing in the Season" in December.... there's community pride on display.  The recent "Last Hot Sunday in July" car show was a great example of the town putting its best foot forward with many out-of-towners having a chance to see why we have chosen to reside in Louisville.

You want recreation? The Louisville area can boast of the Louisville SRA, Schram State Park, Platte River State Park and Mahoney State Park.  Name another small town that has this many nearby outdoor activities to experience.

Just as Kelly noted Omaha being in the middle of the country as a strong point, Louisville's location between the two largest cities in the state is a distinct asset. Both Omaha and Lincoln offer those in the area a chance to take advantage of entertainment possibilities that only cities can attract.  I enjoy attending Omaha Royals baseball games but look forward to cheering on local baseball and softball teams just as much.  I've attended shows at the Omaha Playhouse but have to rate productions at The Lofte featuring local talent just as entertaining.  The Louisville High School Pops concert is the one musical event I will not miss yet I've passed on every concert at the Qwest.  Granted, Lincoln has the Huskers but attending the Lions' football games are just as much fun.

Just as Michael Kelly has lived his adult life in Omaha, I've lived my adult life in Louisville and can say that I'm proud to be from this town and look forward to its continued growth while maintaining a small town atmosphere.  There's definitely something very good happening here.

Championships for 10 Year Olds

Congratulations to all the ball teams in Louisville as they enter the final days of their seasons.
Special kudos to two teams that ended the year with championships, the U10 Softball team coached by Dean Mason and the Louisville #2 WeeWee baseball team made up of 10 year olds headed by Doyle Stohlmann.
Both squads, besides facing their local opponents on the diamond, had to square off against mother nature to complete tournament play. While the strong winds and heavy rainfall during the past two weeks made re-scheduling difficult, we certainly can’t complain with so much property damage and loss of life as witnessed by our neighbors to the north.
The WeeWee tournament, which was shortened to single elimination after three days of rain outs, featured the locals against the team from Elmwood-Murdock South in the final match-up. The championship contest featured good defensive play and solid pitching by both teams.
Besides the rainfall, the only negative to the week-long affair was the lack of a trophy presentation and the awarding of Cass County Tournament medals upon completion of the title game. Apparently, the hardware didn’t make it from league officials to Louisville for the final day of tournament play. It’s ironic that after a game highlighted by nearly error-free baseball by both teams, when it came to finishing the tournament in style, it was the adults who dropped the ball.

Oh well.... the memories from a 12-0 season will be with these boys for a long time, well after the medals and trophy begin to tarnish.

Thanks to the White Family

Just happened to drive by the school ball field around 9:30 last night and wasn't surprised to see Kevin White and one of his sons working to drain the pools that had accumulated due to the afternoon downpour.  This is not the first time early or late hours have been put in by the Whites.

There's a reason why Louisville's ball fields are in such great shape and coaches need not worry about field preparations.  Sure, this is a paid proposition, but I don't believe the extra hours are part of the deal.

The next time your son or daughter takes the field, make note of its condition and thank the White family.

Charlie Cover

Sorry to see Charlie Cover leaving the coaching ranks at Louisville High School. Charlie was a great promoter of the wrestling and track programs, supplying information and statistics that made writing stories for The Lions Den easy to do.

Coach Cover always had the best interest of the individual athlete as his number one concern which invariably aided the team.

Best of luck at Elmwood-Murdock!

Ash Grove Field Upgrade

Referring to the previous entry below, perhaps the Ball Parents Association could revive the thought of installing an agrilime playing surface at Ash Grove Field.  The need is especially obvious during the rainy season that we are currently going through but agrilime fields will also assist when the next phase comes along..... when the fields that are played on while damp and sticky become as hard as Louisville's Main Street once the sun returns. 

Agrilime was considered two years ago but the idea fell through. I realize there are concerns about sprinklers since agrilime thrives on moisture but let's get a plan in place, a goal to strive toward. 

The City of Louisville needs to step to the plate to assist in this project.  The fact that the town mows the outfield and provides water for AG Field is appreciated.  But outside of that, the city does very little for youth activities.  Louisville is fortunate to have the SRA and Platte River State Park so very close so there isn't a pressing need for park provisions. The Ball Parents Association foots the bill for the summer ball program.... could the city help out with this project?