This is an act of shameless self promotion, but I did a follow up to Mark Story's article about Bear Bryant and his time at UK today. For some of you historians, you might like the info, and some of it you probably already know. My Stepfather is an old Bama guy and he knew some of the history surrounding Bear's move from the bluegrass back to his Alma Mater. I know this is going to be a bitter pill for some of us to swallow, but we have no one to blame but ourselves for the state of UK Football.

Story's article is here.

Mine is here.


Enjoy.....and feel free to comment either here or there. This doing a lot of football stories has really got me reaching for material. Who knew someone in my own family knew some stuff about it.....lol

No, not us silly......Morehead State University has been sanctioned for booster activity by the NCAA. Penalties include a loss of scholarship as well as reductions in recruiting days and contacts. The specifics were not provided, but it was labeled as "booster activity". Sorry to hear it for the Eagles. Tyndall has been working hard there to get that program moving. Sorry, Kent Sterling, not us I am afraid for you. Better luck next time with all of your hyperbole and nonsense.

GOTCHA!!!!!!

Will Barton has been now declared eligible by the NCAA after additional information was provided to the NCAA by Memphis. This is a real coup for Memphis, and I am glad to see that Barton is going to get to play college basketball. What I question is what changed so much in such a short time? I mean no inference to any wrongdoing, but that maybe this is another indicator of the fact that the NCAA is far behind in it's work that they are in serious need of a change in the way they do business. We sit idly by and wait for the Kanter business to clear, not because there is something there, but because the NCAA will not get off it's duff and get down here and interview the kid, make their determinations and move on.

Continue reading this post »

Morning gans. While we are waiting anxiously on DeAndre Daniels to decide how soon he is coming to join the Cats, I have a little game for us all to play. Screen names vs. real names. Which is better??

Is the anonymity more important? Does the ability to remain completely removed from your opinions override the openness of someone knowing who is really writing or commenting what they are saying?

Continue reading this post »

Rivals broke the 2010 Preseason All-American teams yesterday and Randall Cobb's name is not among the players anywhere. There is no way anyone is telling me that Randall Cobb is not one of the 78 best players in the country in collegiate football. Maybe it is because they don't know what to do with him, maybe they don't have a clue what they are doing. But Cobb not even making the third team AA is a joke, or a travesty, whichever way you want to look at it.

Continue reading this post »

This post is going to stir up a few things, like I always do, but I am going to make a case for the fact that John Calipari has not yet done his best coaching. In as much as I would love to say so about last year, it was not his best effort. Yes, it was a wonderful,magical first season here at UK, but it was not what we will remember John Calipari for, because that is yet to come.

Continue reading this post »

I posted something new over at WildcatBlueNation concerning just how much longer the SEC is going to put up with the behavior of it's players, coaches, and staffs that have been displayed over the last few years. The problem is much more far-reaching than the SEC, but I am only addressing those issues at present, and specifically football. The time has come for the SEC to lead the way and adopt codes of conduct for everyone surrounding their athletic programs from the top to the bottom. Feel free to post comments there or here.

Continue reading this post »

This week has been full of a whole boatload of nonsense and I just decided to put a few things down and vent just a little

Continue reading this post »

Karen Sypher has been found guilty by a jury of her peers in Louisville, Kentucky today on all 6 counts she was charged with by the Federal Government. The problem with that verdict is that she is not the only one guilty here. Yes, Karen Sypher broke the law, and she should be punished for it, and she will, as the judge sees fit to do so. Hopefully, somewhere along the way, she gets the help that she really needs, to deal with a multitude of issues that I am not even going to try to analyze in this article. What concerns me is that the testimony that was brought out in the trial has placed a multitude of issues under  a microscope involving all of the parties to this fiasco, and their behavior as well.

Continue reading this post »

So now Enes Kanter cannot make the Canada trip, along with Eloy Vargas. Terrence Jones is hurt, and Dodson is out. Who is Cal going to play and for how much? Are last year's folks going to see some serious playing time? Looks like a pretty safe bet since a good portion of the team is not either eligible or healthy or wanted. This should be an interesting few games for the Cats. I guess Cal isn't afraid to play shorthanded after all.

First and foremost I want to say that this is NOT intended to be a "troll post" nor is it intended to stir up anymore bad blood between UK and UL.I have made a post over at ASOB, and I welcome any of you to put your opinions on it over there, or if you are more comfortable, over here. I am asking a simple question in this post. Has your opinion of Rick Pitino changed after what testimonies have been heard this week in the Sypher case?

I put a warning on the post over there about not making any rude or obscene comments, as this is simply a fact finding mission for a later article I would like to do. So if you can find it in your hearts to post your feelings on the matter over at ASOB, please do so without fear of reprisals. If not, and you like home cooking, feel free to post here. This is not a slam of Pitino, nor UL, simply a chance to gauge people's feelings on the matter. I appreciate your participation.

I am going to try this, somewhat against my better judgement, because I am interested in the reactions for another piece I want to try later. I am asking if anyone has either changed or modified in any way their opinion of Coach Rick Pitino after the last few days of testimony. We have heard form him, his cronies, and the staff at Porcini's as to what occurred that night, and other than a few details which I don't believe we will ever know for sure, they all seem to be painting a fairly clear picture of the prosecution's side of the case. This IS NOT a" I HATE LOUISVILLE" post, and I intend on making a link over on Card Chronicle so they can come over here and comment or there either one, so no one get the idea it is open season on UL and Pitino. This is simply asking a question of how to see him now after the last week.


Let's be calm and show some decorum in this.No hassling the UL folks just for posting.

Continue reading this post »

So the NCAA has decided to step up it's enforcement programs, and start rattling it's sabres across the country in some new places, and some not-so-new places. They want the world to know that there is a new sheriff in town, and his name is the NCAA, not Reggie Hammond. They have put USC in their place, placed the infamous Pump brothers in the penalty box by warning coaches to stay away from them AND their charities, and have even had the temerity to tell coaches to stay away from a dinner honoring that most sacred of all cows in the world of college basketball, Sonny Vaccaro, because the cost of dinner ( upwards of $600 a plate) might be funneled into a new summer basketball league. As it was, some still attended including Bill Self (why he would go in light of what Kansas has going on right now is beyond me) . Why is this happening? Who is responsible? And how in the name of all that we in the world of collegiate sports hold dear is this going to make a difference?

Continue reading this post »

Well, as anyone with a TV, computer, or newspaper can tell from the last few weeks, we have had as far as my memory can go the most exciting off-season in UK Basketball in a very long time. Combine that with the daily reaffirmation of John Calipari's vision for the Cats that seems to become more and more impressive every day ( sorry Dan Issel, I think the guy may turn out to be right), and more and more of our personnel once again being purloined to start their own visions for other schools, I feel as if we are branching out into new territory the likes of which we have not seen since the days when a much younger Rick Pitino drove himself and everyone around him like a freight train across the country. Relevance does not even begin to describe the "Calipari Effect" that Coach Cal has had on the bluegrass, UK, and the fan base in general.

Continue reading this post »

Random thoughts of sports issues and beyond. It's a slow day.

Continue reading this post »

No, Coach Cal has not done anything wrong. But we are at that most wonderful of places in collegiate sports where we can start the coaching mill rumors long before it is necessary, just to see where everyone stands going into this year. I was going to limit this to the SEC, then I thought, since Cal's recruiting prowess seems to know no bounds, could his work have some effect on the coaching ranks nationwide?

Continue reading this post »

Continuing my incessant harassment of that so-called bastion of fair play and ethics also known as the NCAA, I read this morning a piece by Jay Bilas on ESPN's Insider series concerning calling John Wooden a cheater.That's right folks, Bilas points out that if you are going to use literal logic when dealing with the NCAA and it's so-called "standards" that John Wooden cheated at UCLA.  This is a pay article which really bothered me, but I will give you a few blurbs to show you the gist of what he says.

Continue reading this post »

This is never going to be over. Well, maybe it is, then again, maybe it isn't. No one really knows. But it looks as though the dust is not going to settle anytime soon anyway. Arkansas leaving the SEC?

Continue reading this post »

A funny thing happened on the way to the Forum.......only one person showed up. The Pac-10 and it's grandiose move to make itself into the world of collegiate athletics first superconference has been stopped dead in it's tracks by the very thing that almost got it everything it wanted. Money. The Big XII ( someone HAS to rename all of these conferences, this is getting ridiculous) has now been reduced to 10 with the departure of Nebraska and Colorado. Honestly I never saw Colorado's fit in the Big XII but hey, to each his own. At the 11th hour, people from all over the world of college athletics got together and managed to hand Texas, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M enough cash to get them to stay, and also somehow doubled the other conference teams revenues overnight.

Continue reading this post »

Well folks, it appears that there are some "experts" out there in the world of sport (and quite a few bloggers) who have some heavy duty back-stepping to do. You see there have been a few revelations in the sports-world in the last 24 hours, and guess what? John Calipari is not Satan, he is not going to the NBA, World Wide Wes is not as influential as you were led to believe, LeBron James is not God, the Bulls and the Cavaliers were talking to another college coach, and it was Darnell Dodson's grades that had him in the doghouse with Coach Cal, so it appears that Cal really does care about these kids getting an education.

Continue reading this post »

Guess what gang? Conference Realignment is for real and the SEC better stay on their toes here or we are going to be a second rate conference overnight. But that cannot happen, right? We have all of the National Titles, we have all the best contracts. Grab your seat-belts and hold on, because that won't be enough.

Continue reading this post »

So we now know who is the "Man" who is in charge in the Eric Bledsoe clearinghouse situation. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Chuck Wynne, excuse-maker extraordinaire in charge of the National Clearinghouse, and all around fair guy. If you don't believe me, just ask him.

Continue reading this post »

In past wars, the usual and customary rules of formal engagement allow for both sides to bury and honor their dead after a battle or a campaign. This is meant as a practice of honoring the soldier's commitment to battle in wars that they neither have any say so in, nor possibly even believe in. They simply do their duty, and fight as ordered, with no thought or concern of the underlying issues that are the cause of the battle. In the past, being a "good soldier" meant just doing what you were ordered to do. Today, in the world of modern warfare, guerrilla actions, in both jungle and desert battles
have changed this practice somewhat. Now a soldier is taught never to lose sight of an opportunity to gain the advantage or upper hand. Attack where the weaknesses lie, exploit them, make the opponents weaknesses your strengths and never cease to attack until the battle is over. Gen. George S.Patton was one of the most effective at applying the technique of "never surrender, never dig in, always advance", but he did it in an honorable way. And today folks, I am afraid we should have followed his example, if for no other reason than to keep the dishonorable at bay. They have come scratching and clawing at the door, trying once again to gnaw on our bones and render us crippled and impotent.

Continue reading this post »

So, the University of Kentucky and it's elite basketball program are the bane of existence in the world of collegiate athletics. Coach John Calipari is the scum of the earth, our players are paid handsomely for their efforts, and LeBron James is using us for building himself an empire in the NBA. We are obviously crooked, completely evil, and should be banned from participation in any type of NCAA program. But, wait, UK is clean you say? Calipari and Co. are not doing anything wrong? There are others out there who are doing wrong? Well, gang, believe it or not it is true. And some of this would make the point shaving scandals of the 1950's sit up and take notice.

Continue reading this post »

This is not going to set well with a lot of folks out there, so feel free to blast away. But we need to address something that is not being discussed in this whole GPA nonsense. I say nonsense not because I think that the GPA is insignificant. In fact, it is quite the opposite. We are the University of Kentucky. With that title comes certain obligations for not only the university but the players who play there. And blowing off your last semester is not one of those obligations.

Continue reading this post »

This is for everyone who believes that Congress would not get involved in the "one-and-done" rule affecting basketball. While common sense and logic should dictate that it should be handled by the schools and the participants in the process, Congress will not hesitate to flex their muscles when it come to anything that they see as an attention getter for their positions. The BCS wants Congress to stay out of the BCS......Congress does not completely agree. Paris, this one is for you......a little football to break up the monotony of all of this amazing basketball news.

Continue reading this post »

I have finally decoded the secret to John Calipari's recruiting prowess. He does not go after one guy for one spot.

Continue reading this post »

Turns out that the John Calipari/LeBron James package rumors were true. At least in some sense. It seems that there has been a lot of behind-the-scenes manuvering on the behalf of LeBron James in the last week. Little known to the fans and GM's alike, when LeBron joined the Cavs he did so because he couldn't get into college, or so he thought. LeBron tested to get into college as soon as his senior year started. It seems that World Wide Wes had those test scores invalidated to force LeBron into going to the NBA instead of playing for the college coach he wanted to play for more than anyone else in the world, that's right, you guessed it, John Calipari. Shortly before his death, Myles Brand had the matter investigated after former Indiana coach Bobby Knight called up his old boss to give him a heads up about the matter. Brand hired former Attorney General Janet Reno to investigate and low and behold the malfeasance was found. In his will Brand made the information available to the new president of the NCAA Mark Emmert who was so moved by Brand's and Knight's gestures that he personally contacted LeBron and told him of what had occurred.

Continue reading this post »