The Big Blue Daily Mail -- Independence Day Edition

Happy Independence Day, Big Blue Nation.  I hope everyone enjoys their Fourth of July activities, and remember the risk our Founders ran when they wrote it.  I offer this remembrance:

"We must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately."

    -Benjamin Franklin in the Continental Congress just before signing the Declaration of Independence, 1776.

Now, for the news:

• RealClearSports - Calipari: The Devil Wears Zegna

  Four freshmen and a junior are heading to the pros from the Kentucky campus, having learned the vital lesson that nothing will be expected of them beyond the sidelines. Calipari believes that young people will flock to his program, looking to add their names to the school's glorious list of first-round draft choices.
  
  He's probably right. The devil has always been able to tempt the unwary by appealing to their vanity.

  Well, what can I say?  RCP does a good job with politics, but they are out of their depth in sports coverage.  This is just the sort of thing I mocked in this piece.  Kathy Bates in her role as The Waterboy's mama could have written this missive -- "Calipari is THE DEVIL!"

  Heh.

• Kentucky walk-on Krebs' mom dies after 9 years of fighting cancer | courier-journal.com | The Courier-Journal

  All our prayers go out to the family.

• Voice Tribune

  If John Calipari wanted to cut expenses and give the savings for scholarships for poor kids, he could trim his UK staff and forget about spending money on recruiting.

  All he will have to do is send ESPN’s tape of the NBA draft and newspaper clippings to the six or seven recruits he wants. The Wildcats’ coach certainly won’t have to twist any arms because the finest high school seniors in the United States of America will be lining up outside his office, begging to play for the Big Blue.

  Heh.  I think maybe that's the message he was sending on draft night.  Message received, I'm sure.

• Rockets' Patterson ready to launch NBA career " Evansville Courier & Press

  "This was the guy [Patrick Patterson] we really wanted," general manager Daryl Morey said. "He’s going to be a fan favorite. There’s really no limit, given his work ethic and his ability, for what he can do over his career."

  I think he's absolutely right.

• Tony Wroten Jr. Narrows to Kentucky and Washington

  Interesting.  Who to choose between him and Quincy Miller?

  Can you imagine the apoplexy in Seattle if he comes here along with Jones and Kanter?

• NCAA recruiting questions -- Jody Demling

• The Williamson Daily News - 122 participate in Pike Shoot Hoops Not Drugs camps

  Former University of Kentucky basketball star Jeff Sheppard told participants that fundamental skills used to play basketball – or any other sport – can be applied to the rest of your life.

  Awesome work, Jeff.  Hat tip:  John Clay.

• USA continues dominance at U17 World Championships - MaxPreps News

• Football coach from Ky. fought BP oil spill - Mark Story - Kentucky.com

  "Every morning, we get on a crew boat, go out and put booms in areas that may be impacted by the spill," Cunningham said Thursday. "You're talking about 10-, 12-hour days, seven days a week, jumping into some really nasty water."

• BBL: Supreme Court and Kentucky basketball? John Clay’s Sidelines

  John Clay's Big Blue Links.

• Kentucky Sports Radio " Blog Archive " Ten Questions with Mike Pratt

  Matt Jones asks Mike Pratt 10 questions.

• Local reaction to report that NCAA is investigating UK basketball players | WHAS11.com | Basketball News, NBA News, Stats, Schedules and Scores | WHAS11.com | News for Louisville, Kentucky

• COLLEGES: NCAA picks format for 68-team tournament - College Sports - The Olympian - Olympia, Washington

  The NCAA has settled on the format for the new 68-team men's basketball tournament, but details won't be announced until next week.

• UK Notebook: Nord coming home to join football staff: AMNews.com