SB Nation User Blog: JL Blue

Turning Blue -- 'Prickly'

JL Blue — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:31:52 -0000

Turning Blue: Worship

JL Blue — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:14:22 -0000

Kentucky producing MLB pitchers

JL Blue — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:57:35 -0000

Great piece in the WSJ about how hard it is to prognosticate Major League talent at the college level, and that Kentucky has excelled at getting productive pitchers to the big leagues ...

U. of Kentucky producing at MLB level

What Could Have Been

JL Blue — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:57:35 -0000

Anyone else pooped from recruiting (non)news? Me, too.

While I don't show up as often as I once did, some of you folks may recall that I built this here place from the ground up -- from picking the name to the color palette to the logo. It truly was a labor of love, and I couldn't be prouder of what the site has become: a real community.

Thinking on this recently, I dug into the ole gmail archives and dug out some real gems. Here's a list of my original proposed names.

ASEAOFBLUE.COM - A Sea of Blue

GHOSTOFRUPP.COM - The Ghost of Rupp

KINGSOFTHECOMMONWEALTH.COM - Kings of the Commonwealth

RUPPSGHOST.COM - Rupp's Ghost

UNCOMMONBLUE.COM - Uncommon Blue

BIGBLUEETERNAL.COM - Big Blue Eternal

COMMONWEALTHKINGS.COM - Commonwealth Kings

KINGSOFTHEBLUEGRASS.COM - Kings of the Bluegrass

Did I pick the best one?

You are all the people that drive this site. What are some things you would like to see, or see more of, as we head into a slower season here? Are there features you'd like to see expanded or done away with?

Use this as an open thread to talk NON-RECRUITING.

Poll

Which of these potential names would have been best for A Sea of Blue?

Ghost of Rupp

46 votes

Kings of the Commonwealth

32 votes

Rupp's Ghost

17 votes

Uncommon Blue

29 votes

Big Blue Eternal

41 votes

Commonwealth's Kings

7 votes

Kings of the Bluegrass

47 votes

I think you did just fine ...

595 votes

814 votes | Poll has closed

RIVALS: Calipari to UK:UPDATE

JL Blue — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:57:28 -0000

[UPDATE]

THE STORY ORIGINALLY LINKED HAS BEEN REMOVED AND THERE ARE REPORTS THAT PERHAPS THIS IS NOT A SURE THING ... CONSIDER THIS A HICCUP UNTIL WE HEAR MORE ...

Memphis' Rivals.com site has posted a story saying that John Calipari has rejected the last offer from Memphis and he will take the head coaching position at Kentucky. Memphis has received permission to contact Missouri's Mike Anderson.

A Memphis-area television report, broadcast over the oddly entrancing live feed of the Memphis Athletics Department door,said that according to his sources several players were considering transferring to Kentucky to follow Calipari, including NCAA tournament freshman star and onetime UK target Roburt Sallie and fellow freshman Wesley Witherspoon. This is in addition to any potential recruits who might choose to follow Calipari from Memphis.

More as it comes.

via i.tsn.com

Gillispie Era Over at UK

JL Blue — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 18:57:01 -0000

ESPN, multiple local sources reporting Billy Gillispie will not be back as the coach at Kentucky.

The Herald-Leader reporting an 18-minute meeting took place between Gillispie, UK President Lee Todd and others at the President's mansion on campus, after which Gillispie was seen getting into a vehicle with Texas A&M tags and leaving.

More as it comes...

Orestes Meeks, Jodie's father, shares some surprising and interesting comments that make it seem like this was coming for some time, or at least has more behind it than we maybe realized.

Moderation and The Fringe

JL Blue — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:23:13 -0000

One of the principal reasons I started this blog, and its predecessor on Blogspot, was to give voice to the thoughtful Kentucky contingent I was sure was out there lurking silently, reading and posting reasoned accounts of truth to fanaticism in the era of the Great Tubby Debate.

For the most part, my experiment has been a rousing success. Today this community boasts the most intellectually vibrant and consistently reasoned debate within the Big Blue Nation, and it's not even close. This heartens me, and I thank the stars that I stuck it out when times were tough (and when Tru was the only one responding to my drivel).

But in the last few days, I have been struck by the responses I have seen to the ongoing Gillispie debacle. I have seen more than a few commenters talking about the Athletic Director and school President as if they were leading the pitchfork-wielding mob toward the castle, Memorandum of Understanding aflame atop their red-fire torches.

The gist of the disagreement was that the Kentucky program was being unreasonable, that it was an embarrasing situation that, as fans of the program, and therefore of the coach, was an affront to those who saw the fringe taking the helm.

But times are very different now, and the Coach in the crosshairs now is neither the same as the one before, nor comparable in most ways. Tubby Smith was a victim as much of time and circumstance as anything. Ten years is an eternity anymore for a college coach in one locale, especially one as fervent as Lexington. And even Tubby has since admitted that it was time for a change. In some ways, for many of us UK "moderates," the Tubby Smith Debate was humbling. We lost, insomuch as there were winners and losers. And yet, in retrospect, while we kept our dignity, we may have been holding on too tightly to something that was approaching its fateful end. The Tubby energized in his coaching and recruiting up North is not the same guy who was trudging to work each day in 2006-2007.

We were trying, however nobly, to stem to tide of what we saw as a dangerous encroachment of true fanaticism into our beloved Wildcat Nation. It was as if, for a while, the Ron Paul crew had the inside track and it was we who would suffer. Things didn't work out exactly that way -- Tubby was already ready for his move, having looked into it as early as the December before -- and he was rewarded, rightly, for his overall good work on his way out door. The fringe claimed victory, but really it was just the forward momentum of things that won out in the end.

Now, though, I am not convinced that moderation is the answer. Big Blue Nation is again facing a crisis, but this time one with very visible differences.

It is entirely reasonable to say that two years is not enough time to accurately judge the coaching success of a new coach. From recruiting to establishing a new atmosphere, any coach usually deserves more time to make his mark. But there are greater things at play here, this time around, than simply coaching the game of basketball, and I'm not referring to the rumors, innuendo and outright lies of "off the court" shenanigans.

Billy Clyde Gillispie is what he is. He admitted as much last night, in a call-in radio show that displayed a very chastened Kentucky coach.

"I'm a hard-core guy," Gillispie said during his radio show on Thursday night. "I'm a very, very honest guy. Sometimes that comes across great. Sometimes it doesn't."

Whether the outside world wants to accept it or not, the Kentucky basketball coach is indeed a position greater than the sum of its parts. Part coach, part idol, part object of derision and scorn, for right and wrong the position is one that requires an outsized personality and a rare combination of skills. Adolph Rupp set the standard, Joe B. Hall found his stride, Eddie Sutton wilted, Rick Pitino thrived and Tubby Smith endured. But Gillispie has bristled, bent under the weight of giant expectations. There exists a very real chance that he is, quite simply, not up to the overall job of being the leader of the program. This doesn't make him a bad person, a loser, or some sort of martyr. It just makes him a man ill-suited to a particular place and time.

But these are very real parts of the job, parts that Gillispie steadfastly (and stubbornly) maintained he was not obligated to fulfill, much to the surprise, I am guessing, of his bosses.

As the Herald-Leader reported three weeks ago just before the SEC tournament, when a reporter suggested that the UK basketball coach has greater public responsibilities than just coaching, Gillispie responded:

"That wasn't on the job description. ...You can be as public as you want to be and not win enough games. ... It makes no difference.
"You start trying to be a celebrity ... you definitely are going to lose focus. That's just not going to be a very good solution to the problem."

While the coach has a point on winning games, he remains steadfastly wrong if he thinks that somehow he can avoid those other parts of the job.

Herald-Leader columnist Mark Story penned a good piece today about the reality of the non-basketball factors leading up to this moment. Among his comments, Story noted that the national media -- which seemingly loves to stick the knife in a little deeper on UK than it does on similarly blue-blood programs -- will inevitably write the "win-at-all-costs" story, perpetuating the myth it still believes and promulgates about Tubby Smith being "forced out" (to the tune of over a million dollars in a bonus honored, it should be noted...):

Which is why, my national media colleagues, if UK is about to make a coaching change, there's more going on here than just hoops-crazy Kentucky and its win-at-all-costs mentality.

All of this is not to say that keeping Gillispie would be a mistake. I think given the personnel set to return and arrive next season, things would look much rosier this offseason than each of the last two.

But if the man sometimes referred to simply as Clyde still believes that media savvy is not part of his job description, or that representing the school in many small and distracting ways is not going to be a major part of his life for as long as he is coach -- wins or no -- then what will have changed except his overall win-loss total? What would continuing with a man who refuses to accept the undeniable elements of his position truly set the program, the university and the man himself up for except eventual collapse?

As a fan very adamant (and outspoken) in my belief that Kentucky fans are, however loyal and true, often wrong-headed in their overzealous nature, I often cringe at the fringe as they make their petitions and sell their motto-emblazoned mesh novelty hats. But there comes a time when moderation for moderation's sake is simply trying to play nice, and potentially being wishful and even naive in the face of clear evidence.

I am reminded, as I often am, of a famous quote, and one which I generally disagree with, but which seems oddly applicable, or at least educational at this time.

"I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue!"

Those were the words of Barry Goldwater accepting the Republican nomination opposite Lyndon Johnson in 1964 in advance of an election that would come to be one of the largest blowouts in electoral history. And yet, he and his supporters eventually shaped the face of modern politics from that ash heap, culminating in the Reagan revolution.

Ignoring the political debate entirely, are we, the Big Blue Nation, now faced with a situation where moderation in pursuit of protecting an embattled man is no virtue?

And if we choose extremism, and change coaches, do we stand the chance of suffering the inevitable round boo-ing from the punditry and even our more cautious selves, but with the chance to shape a new destiny?

Question abound. And answers are forever the domain of history.

Turning Blue: The Savior

JL Blue — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 14:43:46 -0000

2009 recruit Orton's TEAM falls short

JL Blue — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:05:04 -0000

Returning to his Bishop McGuinness team in time for the playoffs stretch run, Kentucky signee and 2009 Jordan All-American Daniel Orton wasn't able to push his team to a fourth consecutive Oklahoma state title.

Saddled by foul trouble in the first half, Orton poured in 10 fourth quarter points -- finishing with 14 -- to keep it close, but McGuinness fell to Star Spencer 67-61 in the 4A state title game.

RECAP HERE

Orton had posted 10 points and 3 blocks in the semifinals.

RECAP HERE

The Perils of Profligacy

JL Blue — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 13:12:40 -0000

I openly admit to being overly harsh at times on the Big Blue Nation. Unrealistic, even. Maybe it's that I expect more from my brethren, the way an older brother always does to his younger siblings. Pretension, too? Sure, I'd buy that.

But without excusing the miserable season we are witnessing the end of, it seems that a decade of wild excess and gift has left the Kentucky fanbase in an untenable position.

One of my favorite thinkers is a man named Andrew Bacevich. A retired colonel and military historian, Bacevich has emerged of late as a strong critic of the way in which America has been conducting itself. Far from a left-wing screed, his most recent work, The Limits of Power, takes the United States to task for an epoch of unfettered greed and blindness to her own limits. A self-described moderate Republican, Bacevich has as much criticism of a populace unwilling to live within its means as he does for any politician.

In one sentence, he sums up his critique, and it's something I've been kicking around over the last few days as the inevitable demise of this Kentucky basketball season has progressed. Critiquing the Bush Administration's Iraq War postwar plan of limited boots on the ground, Bacevich writes:

A generation of profligacy had produced strategic insolvency. The administration had counted on the qualitative superiority of U.S. forces compensating for their limited numbers. The enemy had not cooperated.

I am in no way equating the game of basketball, even with its passions within the Big Blue Nation, with war, nation-building or anything as serious as all that. I am merely using his theme as a guide for looking at the collective id of our beloved Kentucky program. But Bacevich's point is an interesting one when applied to the UK sphere.

In 1993, the UK fanbase was treated to a well-oiled machine in the Mashburn-led Kentucky squad that fell to Michigan in the Final Four. We celebrated our return to the sport's final weekend with fervor and a little extra appreciation for having been just two years prior banned from even competing for it. We were chastened and giddy at our good fortune.

But whether from an excess of pride or a lack of humility, things changed rather quickly. After a young team's surprise but not unthinkable second-round exit at the hands of a veteran Marquette team in 1994, from 1995-1999 the UK program, and its fans, were treated to an historic run of success, even by Kentucky's blue blooded standards. Well documented, this five years saw five elite eight finishes, three Final Fours and two national championships, under a pair of elite coaches. After a few years rebuilding and retooling, the 2003-05 teams again established the Kentucky brand as a blue chipper. In 10 seasons, Kentucky reached the Elite Eight 7 times and was awarded a #1 or #2 seed 7 times as well.

I don't mean to suggest that we didn't deserve such a run, nor that we shouldn't have reveled in it. We did, and we certainly did. Rather, what we took from the era of Kentucky dominance was the wrong lesson. Instead of seeing it as a rare and cherished decade of success, we took it as a birthright, a given.

As a consequence, we have come to treat the program much as the populace has come to treat the United States. Without attending to her needs, and focused on intercine battles, we have collectively (and with certainly many individual exceptinos) shirked our duties to nation and friend alike, preferring to bicker and spend without care as if there were no limits to anything, to live beyond our means, to fritter away goodwill and bounty while accepting without question failing and even absent leadership.

I was talking about Kentucky basketball, could you tell?

In many ways, we are reaping now what we have sown for years. Tubby Smith is not to blame for the current state of the program any more than Rick Pitino or Billy Gillispie. Ramon Harris and Sheray Thomas are not to blame. Rather, we, the true stewards of the HMS Kentucky, have been asleep at the wheel. When Tubby Smith's precocious freshmen nearly reached the Final Four in 2005, we didn't enjoy it. We thought it a fluke, and immediately we set about tearing down the individual pillars of that success; first by never truly forgiving Randolph Morris' dalliance with the NBA and then by deciding that Rajon Rondo was some sort of boil to be removed.

Smith didn't forget how to coach, he stopped enjoying it. And it wasn't because of his players, it was because it was never good enough. When was the last time the Kentucky players looked like they were playing freely and without heavy shoulders? When was the last time the team appeared to be trying to win instead of trying not to lose? Four years? Five? Probably for moments since, but it certainly seems like years.

I can hear the responses already. That fans are not to blame for performance, that talent begets winning and that, at Kentucky, the simple act of winning is not enough. Opinions are free, and plenty.

And I will agree that there is nothing wrong with expecting success at the highest levels. It's called ambition and we laud it in this country. But there is something wrong with losing sight of what it is you were once rooting for. The plucky Kentucky kid leaving it all on the floor. The raw talent harnessing his skills for one glorious game. The sound of "My Old Kentucky Home" echoing off the Rupp Arena walls, producing tears in a battle hardened senior. The pleasure of watching a game played with joy and finesse.

We would be wise, and happier, to remember with more than a passing thought why it is we love this program, and this game. Otherwise, we stand to lose it amidst the full-throated screech of our collective protests. Let's refocus, regroup and learn to appreciate what we have come to almost hate for its hold on us.

As Reinhold Niehbuhr once wrote:

Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we are saved by love."