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Dec. 12, 2008

2009 Louisville Baseball Leadoff Dinner Sign-Up Form in PDF Format

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Three-time World Series champion and current New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi is scheduled to headline the 2009 Louisville Baseball Leadoff Dinner sponsored by Republic Bank on Jan. 30, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. ET, in the South Wing of the Kentucky Exposition Center.

Tickets for the event can be purchased for $50 each by calling (502) 852-2015 or by completing this form and emailing it to specialevents@louisville.edu. The deadline to register is Jan. 23, 2009. The annual dinner is the primary fund-raising event for the U of L baseball team, and has previously featured Derek Jeter, Don Mattingly, Alex Rodriguez, Tino Martinez, Scott Rolen, Tommy Lasorda, Sean Green, Nick Swisher and Chris Burke among others.

Girardi played 15 seasons for four MLB teams, including the Yankees, Cubs, Rockies and Cardinals. As a Yankee catcher, he won three World Series rings (1996, 1998, 1999) and was a National League All-Star selection in 2000 for the Cubs.

He began his managing career in 2006 with the Florida Marlins, where he earned National League Manager of the Year honors. Girardi is entering his second season as the Yankees manager and his sixth season overall with organization as a player or manager.

The 2009 Leadoff Dinner will be the third under the leadership of head coach Dan McDonnell, who led the Cards to their second straight NCAA Championship appearance in 2008 after winning their first ever BIG EAST Tournament title. The Cards finished 41-21 overall last season after being eliminated from the Athens Regional by eventual College World Series runner-up Georgia.

The Cardinals return All-American third baseman Chris Dominguez and All-American pitcher Justin Marks for the 2009 season. Dominguez was named 2008 BIG EAST Co-Player of the Year after hitting .365 with a team-leading 21 home runs and 75 RBI to go with 13 doubles, while Marks earned First Team All-BIG EAST honors last season with a 9-2 record, a 2.37 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 91 innings of work.

The Cards will open the 2009 season with a three-game series at SEC foe Florida on Feb. 20-22, while the home-opener is set for Feb. 25 against Eastern Kentucky.