The Big Blue Daily Mail -- Midsummer Edition

Kentucky Sports Radio has announced an actual radio show in the mornings on 1080 AM in Louisville.  Check out the details here.

Now, for the news:

• Tom Izzo's recruiting explosion - College Basketball Nation Blog - ESPN

  Good for Izzo.  He is a great coach and I wish him well.  Just not too well. :-)

• Laney: Rule, not coaches to blame — Baton Rouge, LA

  This argument is completely bogus.  These two things are not similar enough to use one as an example for the other.

  When Calipari's kids go to the NBA nobody gets hurt.  When Les Miles fires some of his recruits due to oversigning, the same thing cannot be said.

• Rivals.com Basketball Recruiting - Meyer's Mailbag: Who's the best in Texas?

  I addressed this question around this time last year, but it is worth addressing again because I'm even more convinced about the answer to the question. It has definitely helped Duke in recruiting to have Coach K coaching the national team.

  Wasn't it Coach K who was saying that he would never do anything that gave him an advantage in coaching?  Yes, I believe it was.

  Some dare call it hypocrisy.

• Sifting through the UNC mess | The-Dispatch.com

  Every day it seems like there is another story regarding agents, under-the-table money or lavish gifts in football and men's basketball, the two bread winners of college athletics. University of Kentucky coach John Calipari has been alleged in the press to offer a six-figure sum to the parents of a recruit, but the report used anonymous sources and has been decried as unreliable. (Not that Calipari has a squeaky clean record.) On the gridiron, Alabama football coach Nick Saban has recently compared agents to pimps and closed his practices to NFL scouts. Florida coach Urban Meyer has similarly shuttered practices to the public, notably agents, runners and autograph-seekers.

  No, he hasn't.  "Someone who wanted Davis to commit to Kentucky" was alleged to have made that offer, and that description potentially fits hundreds if not thousands of people.

  This is why so many sportswriters suck.  Because they can't be bothered to get the facts right.  All he had to do was read the first paragraph of the article he referred to.

• Joker Phillips Not Happy With Practice
• Wilson knows what it will take to be a starter | Vaught's Views
• Did Chane Behanan receive an offer from UK? Plus Dick Vitale comes to the aid of Calipari ...again

• A Foul Free Canada

  Canada has already given up and the Big Blue Nation has not invaded yet. Well it may not be that they have given up, but more of the they are "giving up". At the request of UK, the Canadians have agreed that no player will foul out of any games.

  Read the whole thing.

• Calipari, Cats will wash feet of Detroit children | Vaught's Views

  "Good Cal" strikes again.

• UK notes: New players, new uniform numbers | KentuckySports.com

  Former UK player Ramel Bradley has signed to play the 2010-11 season for a team in Israel.
  
  In announcing his plans, Bradley said he still hopes to play in the NBA someday.

  Congrats to Ramel!  I'm glad to hear he's back on the court.

• Kentucky Sports Radio " Blog Archive " Deandre Liggins: The Surprise of 2010-2011?

  As we get ready for the Cats excursion to Canada, the buzz all around the UK world is the marked improvement of one Deandre Liggins. I had heard going into this summer that the coaches expected Liggins to be significantly improved and that he would "open some eyes" when the new season started.

  It is time for Liggins to show off his tremendous talent, step up and lead the team.  I know he can.

• Don't let UL fans fool you! - Kentucky Sports Network

  Recruiting is all about relationships and Tim Fuller's relationships are with agents. Say what you will about his Nike connections and other connections; but it's his agent relationships that got him the Louisville position.

  Interesting.  I'm not sure I buy this line of thinking, though.  It sounds too easy to me.

• Rush The Court " Blog Archive " Morning Five: 08.12.10 Edition

  Nothing is ever easy with this guy, who now may hold the honor for the longest short consultancy in the history of professional basketball.  Isiah Thomas announced on Wednesday that he would rescind his new contract with the New York Knicks, largely to avoid the conflict of interest inherent in coaching collegiate players while working for an NBA franchise.  Getting bored yet, Isiah?

  Good news.  This was never a good idea.

• Rush The Court " Blog Archive " Morning Five: 08.13.10 Edition

  An NCAA proposal would require incoming NCAA freshmen to essentially prove their academic worthiness through summer school prior to their first season if their academic credentials were found lacking.  Upperclassmen would also have their academic records reviewed at the end of each school year and determine whether summer classes were needed; if they were, coaches could use part of the players’ summer terms for strength/conditioning and some skill development.  How long until every coach figures out that all of his players (including the 3.0 students) miraculously require the additional summer classwork?

  Heh.  Sounds like a winner to me.

• Tiger submits major bounce-back round at PGA Championship - Golf, PGA Tour - CBSSports.com PGA

  There's no way Tiger Woods would replicate last week's debacle in a major. Despite some hiccups, Woods shoots a 1-under 71 in the first round of the PGA Championship to reclaim some of his lost mojo, Steve Elling says.

  I'm glad to see the wheels haven't completely fallen off.

• MVP LeBron, All-Stars 'Melo, Wade, Paul attend labor talks - NBA - CBSSports.com Basketball

  LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul were among the players who attended a negotiating session between the NBA and the union Thursday.

  I wonder if that makes any difference to the NBA?

• Sprints Agrees With Nick Saban on Making Sure Players Don't Skate // 08.13.10 - Team Speed Kills

  All the news that's fit to make fun of.

• Besides QB, other position battles ongoing in Wildcats' camp | KentuckySports.com

• Barkely critical of James - NBA News - FOX Sports on MSN

  "I heard about LeBron's little tweet today that he's remembering everybody who said anything bad about him," Barkley said Thursday on ESPN Radio 103.3 Dallas/Fort Worth. "And he said 'everybody.' Well, I want him to make sure that he puts my name on that [list]."

  Barkley is crazy.  He's also fearless.

• Competition keen for Kentucky quarterbacks - WAVE 3 - Louisville, KY