The Big Blue Daily Mail -- "Last Time We Had a Leak Like This Noah Built Himself a Boat."

I'm sure you all recognize that classic line in the lede as coming from Wilford Brimley's scene-stealing portrayal of Asst. U.S. Attorney General James A. Wells in the 1980's film classic, Absence of Malice.  The reason I chose it is because today the sky sprang a rather large leak not dissimilar from what I imagine happened in Noah's day, and in the space of only an hour dumped over six inches of rain on a very large part of Jefferson County, Kentucky.  There has never been a rain like that on this part of the country in recorded history.  Needless to say, things around here got a little dicey.

Fortunately, your humble correspondent somehow managed to escape the deluge, getting only a mild soaking and going about his daily routine much as he usually does.  Ultimately, it was my father who called me from 30 miles away and alerted me to the catastrophe, and when I saw the extent of the flooding, I was aghast.  Of course, the normal places were flooded downtown -- heck, downtown is only a few feet above the level of the Ohio river, so flooding in a rainstorm is expected.

What was unexpected was seeing Churchill Downs under two feet of water, and the lower level of the Louisville International Airport (!!) flooded so badly that some travelers will be coming home to vehicles that are rather worse for the wear.  Never, ever, have I heard of the airport flooding.  Nor Churchill Downs.  We are talking about a major leak here, folks -- cow-urinating-on-a-flat-rock kind of leak for over an hour. 

We at A Sea of Blue hope fervently that all the families displaced by this gruesome event are able to recover quickly and return safely to their homes.  Thankfully, there was no loss of life despite a few close calls, due mainly to a few apparent Darwin Award nominees trying to discover if motor vehicles can double as submarines.  Here is a clue to those so inclined to discover the obvious through trial and error -- they don't, and it's an error to try.

But now, we must move on to the Wildcats

Today's top Wildcat story is John Calipari's comments via television news tonight that players won't be playing based on whether they think they should or on their reputation, but based on how well they perform.

Aren't you impressed by this delicious insight?  I know I am.  I have been waiting with bated breath to hear Coach Cal produce a version of, "Them that earns it gits it."  I am fairly giddy with joy at having him reassure me that John Wall will not stroll casually onto the floor like Jesse James in the Old West that everyone feared because of his reputation.  Saints (and Cal) preserve us from a swelled-headed Patrick Patterson, or a dismissively cocky Daniel Orton.  Finally, I can sleep.

Sarcasm aside, it's always good to see the UK coach say something on TV, and he did offer one thing I fervently agree with -- an, "I wish we could start right now!"  Me too, coach, me too.  And I have a ton of company here on A Sea of Blue, I assure you.  If we could just for a moment experience the "Fast Forward" flashes like the cast of the upcoming TV series, it would be all the way to March where we could remember a very successful season with satisfaction.  Alas, there is no TV magic scriptwriter who will assuage our suffering, so for now we must continue to trudge through the Summer of Desire with no succor for our desperate passion, no respite for our yearning.

Okay, so I got a little carried away there, just a bit.  Now, for some news of Wildcat intererest:

UK Basketball News

• Bluegrass State Basketball: Is Calipari the Perfect Fit at UK Or Is It Just Me?
  Heh. Well, yeah.

• "I just feel badly for Nimrod the first time he takes the floor at Rupp Arena and the UK fans let him have it."
  Bite me, Goodman.  Anyone named Nimrod deserves to be made fun of.

• Robic says big changes coming to UK

• Beaver County Times & Allegheny Times Online - Steelers
  That John Calipari, he do get around.

• Extra Onions: Karen Sypher's new lawyer, UK video, and more - The Dagger - NCAA Hoops - Rivals.com
  Eamonn Brennan has some tidbits, including video of a UK pick up game. It's hard to tell who is who, but its fairly easy to recognize Wall, Cousins and Jon Hood. The guy who took the video really should try to point the camera at the action, such as it was. This game is so casual and so lazy that even I could have sustained this pace.

• Golden Spikes of Rupp Arena Era Nominations Continues
  Well? Do you agree with this list? If not, who would you add/take away?

• Calipari interested in Maurice Harkless
  No surprise there.

UK Football News

• UK FOOTBALL PREVIEW: The Linebackers
  Nice preview by Wildcat Blue in a Sea of Orange. UK's linebacking corps looks solid this year, and I think Maxwell and Tevathan will fill in nicely.

• Staying low-key is UK's key this week
  Last year Rich Brooks didn't have to wait for the season for his first loss. The University of Kentucky football coach announced on the first day of practice last season that quarterback Curtis Pulley was dismissed from the team, costing the Wildcats a potential starter.
  
  Well, I guess if you look at it that way ...

• WAR EAGLE EXTRA: Opponent preview: Kentucky
  Auburn Football takes a look at the UK-Auburn game. I do take umbrage with their "schedule easy and you'll make a bowl game," comment. There is no qualitative difference between Auburn's non-conference schedule and Kentucky's, but it seems that the meme will be forever repeated even if factually bankrupt. And just to avoid the "what about last year?" question, let's look at Auburn's NC schedule last year:
  
  Auburn: 1 FCS, 3 FBS and 1 BCS
  UK: 1 FCS, 3 FBS and 1 BCS *Western Kentucky was transitioning to FBS
  
  So other than the fact that Western was transitioning to FBS, you have a push there. Not only that, but in overall schedule strength, Kentucky's was 11th in the league, and Auburn was 9th. I suppose they can therefore claim we have a weaker schedule, but just barely. But other than that quibble, it's a good preview and they interview Chip Cosby of the Herald Leader.

• THE MICHIGAN FOOTBALL BLOG: UK Makes Derrick Bryant's Final Three....Who Are the Other Two?
  Could we dare hope to beat out Michigan for a recruit? In football?  I wouldn't bet on it.

• Vandy, UK football a lot alike
  Great. Just great. We are like Vanderbilt. If we were talking about academics, I would be proud, but ...

• Brooks’ book a must read for UK fans
  Nice review of Tom Leach's new book by Larry Vaught.

• Cats pick up third commitment
  Perhaps a diamond in the rough here. He's short and fast and unrated, but that beats short, slow and unrated any day.

• Odds and Ends: Kentucky Football Edition
  Some useful and interesting notes about Kentucky football.

• Fans question Calipari on definition of "real pizza" John Clay’s Sidelines
  Heh. Pizza is so subjective. Some like thin, New York style, and others like Chicago style deep dish. Most like something in-between.
  
  Papa Johns is not my choice, though. I prefer Papa Murphy's take home and bake pizza. That's pretty much all we eat, and speaking of that, I think I have some left over for lunch today. Mmmmm.

• Calipari says all the right things
  "I am more excited to be your coach than you are to have me." Calipari said at the Big Brothers and Big Sisters luncheon Tuesday in Lexington.
  
  Yep. That's saying the right things, all right.

• Calipari headed back to China John Clay’s Sidelines
  Maybe he should buy a condo over there. I think he could afford one. He could rent it out during basketball season.

Other UK Sports News

• None today
  

NCAA Sports News

• SLAM ONLINE | " College Basketball Preseason Top 25 Countdown
  Teams 25-21. Some good team reviews here. Florida makes an appearance.

• Florida pays Urban Meyer in Calipari bucks John Clay’s Sidelines
  Feh. Well, good for Meyer, I guess. We know where the Gators' hearts are at.

• July recruiting viewed slightly different from top - NCAA Division I Mens Basketball - CBSSports.com News, Fantasy, Video
  Calipari is at a big school (Kentucky) with unique resources (private jets) and in possession of great relationships that aid in the process of securing players. So of course he wants to eliminate summer recruiting! Even without it, he can still recruit off his own name and his school's name, and it's not a problem if he needs to go see a prospect in Oklahoma on a January night because he can finish practice by 4:30, hop a private plane by 5:15, fly across a few states, watch the game, get back on the private plane, fly home and get in bed by midnight.
  
  Did you know UK had a private jets (plural)? I didn't. In fact, I thought they were talking about leasing one aircraft for use by the athletic department, but the idea that there are more than one is news to me. In fact, I'm not even sure they've actually leased a plane, as I certainly don't recall that news item. But since they did budget the money, you have to assume they used it.
  
  Still, plural? But Parrish does make a point that will resonate with the little guys. I don't see the July period going away anytime soon.

Other News of Interest

• Catch of a lifetime: Kentucky auto worker reels in $1 million FLW Fantasy Fishing grand prize - FLW Outdoors
  PITTSBURGH — Terry Moberly, an auto production worker from Berea, Ky, claimed first place in the 2009 FLW Fantasy Fishing season and its $1 million grand prize. Moberly was awarded his $1 million grand prize at Pittsburgh’s Mellon Arena during the weigh-in ceremonies on Saturday of the Forrest Wood Cup.

• Rocky Top Talk compares Kiffin to Coach --Cal John Clay’s Sidelines
  Heh.

• Dicky Lyons Signs With the Falcons
  Matt Jones is repeating an Alan Cutler report that Dicky Lyons Jr has signed with the Atlanta Falcons. I expect to get more on this from Dicky himself at some point.

• UK Coach Rich Brooks and Coach John Calipari book signings

The Daily Schadenfreude

• Basketball Recruiting: 2004-09: Part 2
  Hard to believe Self would get criticized, but KU fans have found a way.