CommentaryBy Charlie Leffler

Nearly a century and a half ago Charles Dickens wrote the famous line, “it was the best of times…” in A Tale of Two Cities. But little did l Chuck Dickens realize that he could very easily been talking about this year at the University of Louisville.

For sports fans of U of L this is truly the best of times. This year the Cardinals will possess unprecedented excitement in nearly every sport on campus. From the opening kickoff in Papa John’s this Thursday until the final pitch of the baseball in Cardinal Stadium next spring, the electricity surrounding Cardinal athletics should not ease.

The year will provide its share of oddities as well as its moments of thrills. The weirdness of the schedules include a football game named after a basketball coach and a basketball tournament named after a football player. ThereÍs football in August and basketball in October so don’t be surprised if you soon see baseball in November.

The U of L football team returns as the defending C-USA champions and are just short of the top-25 in nearly every poll.

The men’s soccer team looks to be very competitive once again this season. Meanwhile the women’s soccer team, under second year head coach Karen Ferguson, has a group of ambitious young players added to this year’s roster. Both men’s and women’s will be exciting to watch as they compete on campus on the new Cardinal Park field.

The Field Hockey team returns from posting its best record ever last year, plus has the added bonus of they will host the conference championships on Trager Field in November. The rowing team made great strides last season when they jumped to varsity competition and should improve on that mark this year.

Both men’s and women’s Cross Country teams will be hosting their first home meet in years.The women’s golf team made it to the NCAA Regionals last season after only their second year of competition and have a load of talent returning. Meanwhile the men’s golf team can look forward to the return of its leading scorer, Grant Sturgeon, and a group of highly touted recruits.

As an added bonus, both teams will soon be playing at the new Cardinal Club. The swimming and diving teams are both brimming with excitement over the anticipation of the new multi-million dollar natatorium which will soon be built on campus.

Men’s Tennis will be playing one of its usually tough schedules, has a top-notch recruiting class coming in, and is thrilled to be host to this year’s C-USA tournament next spring. Meanwhile the women’s team will be returning four starters from last year’s squad.

As far as the Cardinal Volleyball team, what can one say but “awesome.” This year’s team, with the loss of only one player from last season, may end up being one of the best in U of L history. They also have the added bonus of a preseason ranking.

The women’s basketball team returns every starter from last year’s young squad that won the C-USA regular season title. And ironically, one of the teams that fell far short of its goals last season is generating the most excitement. MenÍs Basketball + Pitino = excitement. Need I say more.