Big Blue Nation Linkapalooza: President's Day Edition
by Glenn Logan on Feb 20, 2012 2:32 PM EST
in Kentucky Wildcats News
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PrintI hope everyone is enjoying their President's Day. The Kentucky Wildcats are still at #1 in the AP poll with the same two holdouts voting for Syracuse. They are a unanimous #1 in the Coaches Poll.
Now, for the rest of the news:
What do you think of this? Remember, this is not in order, so don't quibble about that. What do you think of the selections?
Book Review: Duke, Kentucky And The Last Great Game // Aaron Torres
Very good review of "The Last Great Game." I don't really do book reviews, but if I were doing one, it would be very similar to this one.
UK basketball notebook: Rick Stansbury needs straitjacket against UK // Kentucky.com
The NCAA won't bother with UK practices on television. A precedent was set with the Longhorn Network showing Texas football practices twice a week last season.
So apparently I was wrong about this. Good.
Kennedy: Cats reminiscent of UNLV
To Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy, watching Miller and his Kentucky teammates run roughshod over the Southeastern Conference this season is like seeing ghosts. The former UAB star and honorable mention All-American laced up his high tops opposite those Runnin' Rebels and sees so many of the same characteristics in John Calipari's 2011-12 squad.
Interesting comparison. I'd say this team is more like the 2007 Ohio St. Buckeyes, only more talented and better overall.
SEC Realignment: Progressive Scheduling And Preserving Rivalries // SBNation.com
This gives me a headache just reading it.
Rick Bozich // Ole Miss' Andy Kennedy a Wildcat believer // courier-journal.com
"They don’t half-step at any position," Ole Miss forward Terrance Henry said. "They have, I’d say, a pro at every position. They have good bench play. Overall they’re the best team in the country."
Kyle Wiltjer gives Kentucky a big lift // bellinghamherald.com
"The reason we had a lead at halftime was because of Kyle Wiltjer," said UK Coach John Calipari after the Cats' 77-62 victory.
No doubt. Wiltjer is such a threat from outside that you can't really wrap your head around it. He just keeps getting better and better.
Everything Kentucky // HD Version Video of Darius Miller Dunk
Just in case you'd like to relive that monster jam in HD quality.
UK teammates loved Darius Miller’s throwdown dunk // vaughtsviews
"I like to keep calm, but you can’t after that," Wiltjer said. "It was a great dunk. I just hope I was close enough that I am in the clip on (ESPN) SportsCenter tonight because that has to be the top play. Coach drew up that play and he really hammered it down."
BBL: All the links you need from UK’s win over the Rebels // John Clay's Sidelines
Just in case I missed a few.
Calipari has his own motivation for Rupp Arena fans to cheer for wins // vaughtsviews
Kentucky Sports Radio // The Maturation of Boogie
We have all known DeMarcus Cousins could/would be good at both the collegiate and NBA level. Yet what DeMarcus has done lately has been impressive indeed. As of right now, Cousins is playing like one of the best big men in the entire league, with his numbers up there with NBA elites like Dwight Howard, Andrew Bynum, Kevin Love, and Blake Griffin (I still have to double check Love’s numbers to make sure they aren’t some sort of hoax sometimes).
That's great to see. We knew the Big Cuz could be a very good NBA player, and now, it seems like he is beginning to tap that marvelous potential.
Scratch depth from shrinking list of UK weaknesses // CoachCal.com
Kennedy said UK doesn’t have a particularly deep bench, pointing to the production his team got when Anthony Davis went out of the game in the first half with two fouls, but with each passing game, the depth issue is becoming like the rest of the Wildcats’ supposed weaknesses: hollow and overrated.
Depth sure didn't look like a problem yesterday.
Mike Humes, a spokesman for the company, said he was told Wednesday’s practice was the second-highest rated program of the day on ESPNU, the channel that broadcast UK’s workout live from 3-5 p.m. Only an actual game between Notre Dame and Rutgers rated higher — apparently, although Humes said they don’t track official ratings for ESPNU programming.
Amazing.
Poppin' Bubbles: Winners and Losers // CBSSports.com
Bubble talk will really be increasing from now on.
No. 16 Murray State turns away No. 21 Saint Mary's (Cal) // FOX Sports on MSN
Murray State jumped out to a 10-2 lead and never trailed, building a double-digit advantage early in the second half and cruising from there.
ESPN fires writer of offensive headline about Jeremy Lin // CNN.com
The headline read "Chink in the Armor," referencing the New York Knicks' 89- 85 loss Friday night to the New Orleans Hornets that ended the team's season-high winning streak.
Miller's dunk sparks barrage of 3-point bombs, win over Ole Miss // CoachCal.com
It was just one play, just one dunk. It only counted for two points and one field goal in the stat sheet.
But oh did Darius Miller’s dunk change the complexion of Saturday’s game against Ole Miss.
Illinois Illini should stand by coach Bruce Weber through rest of season // ESPN
It's a shame that his tenure at Illinois has come to this, since he's someone that has been good for the game. If this does end up being his final season with the Illini, he would be a perfect fit for a school in a conference like the Missouri Valley, where he coached at Southern Illinois before arriving at Illinois.
Nerlens' Notebook: Kentucky, 'Cuse visits // ESPNHS
Reading between the lines of a young man's post is fraught with danger. Still, if you are a UK fan, you have to love what you read here.
Via Nation of Blue.
Calipari Compares UK's Three Point Shooting To "Linsanity" // LEX18.com
So then they came back and said, ‘no, we are not letting him score, and he had 13 assists.' That's basically this. You just whatever they are giving you, you've got to take."
Exactly right.
Link: Peeling back the layers, Cousins laid back and humble // CoachCal.com
If you’re looking to pass a little time tonight, take 10 minutes out of your evening to read this fantastic, in-depth story on the misunderstood DeMarcus Cousins. Written by Alejandro Danois of The Sporting News, the feature takes us through a journey of Cousins’ basketball career to illustrate there is more than meets the eye with the former Wildcat and John Calipari player.
John Calipari’s Success in the One-and-Done Era // Alec Difrawi
Few coaches have had a run like Kentucky Wildcats coach John Calipari in the last few years. Calipari has always been a polarizing figure in college basketball, and as a result his fans have to be happy, even if his critics are not. Whether a fan or a critic, it’s hard to deny the success he has had in his 20 seasons of coaching.
Pretty nice piece. Worth the five minute investment.
Mississippi State guard can see "why guys want to play" for John Calipari // vaughtsviews
"From what I see, he [Calipari] is a great coach. He uses players to their max potential. I can see why guys want to play for him. He puts guys in the pros and lets them make plays. Who wouldn’t like that? " Bost said.
List of ways to beat UK dwindling // The Kentucky Kernel
The Rebels played well. They honestly did. Not a good shooting team, Ole Miss decided to abandon the perimeter (where it was shooting under 30 percent for the season) and attack the inside, and it worked.
Unfortunately for the Rebels, even when you play well against the Wildcats, it's hard to play well enough.
Jim Boeheim and John Calipari Have a History of Choking in March // The Big Lead
The guys on this blog are notoriously anti-Calipari.
NC State Wolfpack not happy about ejections of Tom Gugliotta and Chris Corchiani // ESPN
NC State athletic director Debbie Yow and more importantly Corchiani and Gugliotta would like to know why they were ejected.
One former official told ESPN.com Monday that this is a consistent failure of the current system. You can debate whether it was right or wrong to toss Corchiani and Gugliotta, but publicly stating a reason would certainly lessen the noise.
All Hess or at least the ACC had to say is that they were ejected for saying "blank." Instead, the answer is crickets.
If I were NC State, I wouldn't let this go. But I'm not, and they will. Too bad.
Bracketology 2012: Michigan State Conquers The Top Line // SBNation.com
My question is this: If Louisville is 4, can you see any way they don't wind up in Kentucky's region? The NCAA claims not to seed that way, but I'm not buying.
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ESPN fires writer.....
How in the world could that person think that a headline about an asian-american player titled “Chink in the Armor” would be ok? It is mind boggling and idiotic.
Dee Bost
I love the quote from Dee Bost about Coach Cal and how he could see why players would want to play for him. It is honest and refreshing.
One little request for these linkapalooza’s, when you have a headline/link like this – No. 6 Kentucky Drops 4-3 Heartbreaker to No. 3 Ohio State // Kentucky Wildcats Official Athletic Site, could you maybe put a little blurb underneath that mentions what sport it is referencing? Thanks
Slower Traffic Keep Right!
UNLV comparison....
Yeah, that is an interesting comparison. I was big fan of those teams (still have some shirts and hats from that era). The one comparison I hope they live up to is a 30-point blowout in the national championship game. :)
Slower Traffic Keep Right!
Oh for a return to the 50’s and 60’s. A time when people of all ethnic backgrounds laughed at themselves and each other. Now we live in a more “enlightened” era, where one can be charged with discrimination and being a racist, simply for saying what this writer said.
And yet ESPN allows Chigger Phelps to keep his job even after he usurps authority that he doesn’t have. But that’s ok because Chigger was only deriding that small southern hick state.
What a society. My opinion.
You can't be serious about the 50's and 60's??
You know the days of segregation, water hoses, church bombings, freedom riders, attack dogs etc.
Slower Traffic Keep Right!
Yes, I’m serious. I lived through it and had many African American friends. I was a HS Sophmore in 1956 when the Supreme Court finally forced integration in all public activities and places, which they were right to do. None of my black friends were ever beat with chains, hung from trees, water hosed or attacked by dogs.
Of course it happened. I’m not blind. I lived through it. But if Old “Honest” Abe had done what was right in 1865, there would more than likely be no ghettos.
I have slept beside both Mexican Americans,African Americans and Native Americans in the military from 1957-1964. I have eaten at the same table with them and shared the same turret of an M-48 tank with these my friends and compatriots.
I respect and am open to your opinion because you did not attack me. You posted a pertinent and sensible question. I have fond memories of black friends who called me a “white peck, cracker” and numerous other funny names.
They also were just as apt to poke fun at each other as they were at me. I often muse over those days when we would visit each others homes for a soft drink or iced tea. I miss those days a lot but not the injustices that many people of all races suffered. Even whites.
we need to lay off the racism stuff, kay?
This isn’t the first time this has come up in the last few days. This isn’t the place for it. Thanks.
by BigSkyCat on Feb 20, 2012 6:29 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
I don't understand.
Society isn’t stopping you from poking fun at your friends, or from visiting anyone’s home for a soft drink. That’s all good and healthy. But there is a distinction to be made between what we do in the privacy of our own homes or say when we’re amongst good friends, and what we say on the public stage. Journalists aren’t free to joke around like that, and certainly didn’t in the ’50s and ’60s.
Journalists are held to a level of discourse that you and I don’t have to observe when we have a laugh with our buddies. That hasn’t changed. If anything, we are much freer today in our public discourse than we were back then, thanks to Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor and SNL, who opened this weekend with a smart piece on the Jeremy Lin controversy. “I hope [Carmelo Anthony] likes Chinese in his MSG [Madison Square Garden].” Now that’s funny.
a) Mount Rushmore & b) Bruce Weber
No disagreement with the coaches. I really, really have a hard time putting in Christian Laetner and leaving off George Mikan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson and Elvin Hayes. They’re out of their minds on that one. That’s just plain stupid.
I’m good with the coaches, but putting in Christian Laetner and leaving off George Mikan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson and Elvin Hayes is just plain stupid and shows a complete ignorance of the history of college basketball.
Bruce Weber inherited Bill Self’s players at U of I and has done nothing since. He seems like a nice enough guy, but coaching at the main state university in a state with one of the biggest pools of talent and getting such lackluster results is enough proof that the guy should have stayed at SIU, otherwise he should have been canned six years ago.
Add Bill Walton to that group - Laettner on this list is beyond being a joke - just nuts
A man is nothing more than a summation of his scars!
We still have two AP holdouts
Makes me wonder if Phelps and Knight have votes?
And while we’re at it Pete Rose belongs in the Hall of Fame. Gimme a vote. ;-)
by sweasyf on Feb 20, 2012 3:19 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Baseball HOF is a joke without Rose, plain and simple
I’m guessing the holdouts have to be east coast writers who regularly see SU. As long as we keep a #1 seed in the Atlanta region, I could really care less what the poll voters think.
11 12 32 34 3/28/92 Kentucky's Pride
by BeachBubbaTex on Feb 20, 2012 4:03 PM EST up reply actions
The two holdouts are actually out west
One writes for the Idaho Statesman covering Boise St. basketball and the other is out in Washington somewhere. My guess is they see neither UK nor SU very often. I’d bet they are giving the nod to SU because their only loss occurred while Melo was suspended. Or maybe its based on perceived conference strength. I don’t know. They’re wrong. I shan’t consider them any longer.
TJ and Kyle
I think they are still mad about UK getting two of Washington’s players. I hope so.
"SPORTS"--Not interested----"CATS"--Pull up a chair,I've got all night.
Actually, it is not President's Day
To the US Federal Government, this holiday is Washington’s Birthday. No kidding!
This (mostly) irrelevant post is brought to you be a member of your Federal workforce. :D
Laettner?
Strange. Very strange.
I looked up the “Chink in the Armor” thing this weekend and LOL. I thought it was a great pun, but I am in the minority. If one takes the time to look up the word, I don’t even know if the origin is offensive. Now to shock everyone under the age of 30 or so, Pekin Illinois HIgh School was for years the Pekin Chinks. So the 1964 Illinois High School Basketball Champions were, well, The Chinks.
Sure Rose should go into the Hall of Fame, right after every other player, pro and amateur, who played the game honestly goes in.
by darkandbloody@gmail.com on Feb 20, 2012 5:06 PM EST reply actions
He bet on it while involved with it.
And please don’t draw a distinction between playing and managing and betting for or against your team.
by darkandbloody@gmail.com on Feb 20, 2012 8:40 PM EST up reply actions
It was my understanding that he never bet on his own games.
While it was poor judgement and against the rules, he did nothing along the lines of throwing games or cheating.
Making waves in a sea of blue.
Oh he bet on his own games...see link below
by darkandbloody@gmail.com on Feb 21, 2012 9:51 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah, Pete admitted betting on the Reds.
He did say, and I believe this, that he never bet against them. I just don’t see that in his character. He is too hardheaded and prideful.
However, what that opens up is, if he didn’t bet on the Reds on a certain night, it would appear he was not too excited about his chances.
I am the world’s biggest Rose fan. I met him, he was extremely fan friendly to me, and he always played the game the way I wanted to see it played. But he did wrong as a manager, and it has destroyed what should have been the single greatest career in the game. It’s really a shame. I do wish everyone could get past the betting and see the way clear to put him in the hall as a player.
it also kills me that performance enhancers weren’t banned from the game on the same basis.
I am now and shall forever be the Cat in The Hat, The Artist Formerly Known As ABC!!!
by Greg Alan Edwards on Feb 21, 2012 12:46 PM EST via Android app up reply actions
Hmmm,
Odd view.
So are you fine with point shaving? After all, shavers are still trying to win, just by a certain number of points. Which I suppose, one could argue, is the sign of superior skill since it is hard enough to win, without achieving a predetermined spread.
by darkandbloody@gmail.com on Feb 21, 2012 2:19 PM EST up reply actions
I am not sure where you got that out of what I said, but no, I am not ok with that.
let me be clear, I don’t agree with or condone what Rose did. But I do make a distinction between Rose the player, and Rose the manager.
Some may see that as odd, but I do not.
I am now and shall forever be the Cat in The Hat, The Artist Formerly Known As ABC!!!
by Greg Alan Edwards on Feb 21, 2012 3:15 PM EST via Android app up reply actions
What?
I didn’t get that from what you wrote. I wanted to know your view on it. Which is why I asked a question. To be understood, first seek to understand and all that stuff.
by darkandbloody@gmail.com on Feb 21, 2012 3:30 PM EST up reply actions
just wanted to make sure I didn't give that impression by mistake
my bad.
I am now and shall forever be the Cat in The Hat, The Artist Formerly Known As ABC!!!
by Greg Alan Edwards on Feb 21, 2012 3:59 PM EST via Android app up reply actions
So did Jordan
That’s why he played two years of baseball.
"SPORTS"--Not interested----"CATS"--Pull up a chair,I've got all night.
Further to my post...
I attach this list of unusual mascot names..
http://gaijinass.com/2010/07/24/pekin-chinks-windsor-swastikas-atlanta-black-crackers/
The Atlanta Black Crackers? The Wahpeton Wops?
Of course, my favorite remains the Brush, CO Beatdiggers or maybe the Polka, WV Dots
by darkandbloody@gmail.com on Feb 20, 2012 5:14 PM EST reply actions
This thread is going downhill like a snowball headed for the tropics.............
I am now and shall forever be the Cat in The Hat, The Artist Formerly Known As ABC!!!
by Greg Alan Edwards on Feb 20, 2012 5:16 PM EST reply actions
You’re right but at least it will melt down. If you understand my meaning of melting down. Over and out.
It may very well "melt down" but that does not make some of this commentary proper or pertinent. No matter what era anyone lived in.
Being witness to a tragedy doesn’t imply permission to translate the event any way we like.
I wonder what would be said of anyone who watched jews being rounded up in Europe in the late 30’s and early 40’s, and made the statement that it looked like they were loading up to go to synagogue.
I am now and shall forever be the Cat in The Hat, The Artist Formerly Known As ABC!!!
by Greg Alan Edwards on Feb 20, 2012 5:29 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
If it will make you feel better, Greg, I respectfully submit that your attempted connection isn’t even pertinent. I lived through what I lived through. That is a fact. You are a very educated man. But you are not the end to all knowledge. IMO.
It doesn't take being the "end to all knowledge" to know what I read.........call it anything you like and rationalize it any way you like
but don’t try and tell me it’s just the way it is…….I can respect anyone having to live through difficult times, and I can appreciate what you say you have seen and been through, but your tone of “telling it like it is” just doesn’t wash……and it has no place in this blog.
If anyone at ESPN proofread that copy before it went to air, and didn’t see that coming…….then you two need to sit down and have a chat about the “good old days”. You will probably have a lot to talk about.
I am now and shall forever be the Cat in The Hat, The Artist Formerly Known As ABC!!!
by Greg Alan Edwards on Feb 20, 2012 5:48 PM EST up reply actions
Man I don't even get
what you guys are talking about. Jews? Dogs? Round ups? Goodness. Someone was trying to be funny and went too far. There is nothing more to it than that.
Did you like the link I provided?
by darkandbloody@gmail.com on Feb 20, 2012 6:00 PM EST up reply actions
not really.....but I did find a good explanation for it when I got to the bottom and read this line:
Read more Nonsense from GaijinAss
And that did lead to more nonsense
I am now and shall forever be the Cat in The Hat, The Artist Formerly Known As ABC!!!
by Greg Alan Edwards on Feb 20, 2012 6:15 PM EST up reply actions
Good for you, Greg
That needs to be green.
"SPORTS"--Not interested----"CATS"--Pull up a chair,I've got all night.
Here, here
But I got a good laugh from it.
by sweasyf on Feb 20, 2012 5:28 PM EST via Android app up reply actions
Wiltjer said
“Coach drew up that play and he really hammered it down.” Explains why Darius looked at the bench and said, “Like that?” Don’t take Darius’ comment out of context…..now we know!!
Weber just didn’t get the job done, all that talent in-state and Illinois has mostly underachieved.
Dee Bost gave Coach Cal an outstanding compliment, doesn’t get much better than an opposing player talking “good” about our coach!
Laettner? Yeah, right LOL!
Glenn…..I enjoyed this particular Linkapalooza!!!!
Go BIG BLUE!!
"Adapt, Improvise, and Overcome." Gunny Highway, "Heartbreak Ridge"
Same difference !!!!
It was a great play.
When Darius “wants” to play bsketball…….the young man is almost unstoppable.
"Adapt, Improvise, and Overcome." Gunny Highway, "Heartbreak Ridge"
I really liked him when he came here as a freshman. I know he always wanted to play for UK, but I have to admit that BG did us proud with DM.
I don't think it matter one iota with Darius who the coach was - he signed to play for UK
A man is nothing more than a summation of his scars!
New NCAA Season Rankings and Stats
I am now and shall forever be the Cat in The Hat, The Artist Formerly Known As ABC!!!
by Greg Alan Edwards on Feb 20, 2012 5:49 PM EST reply actions
Your'e welcome....
I am now and shall forever be the Cat in The Hat, The Artist Formerly Known As ABC!!!
by Greg Alan Edwards on Feb 20, 2012 6:32 PM EST up reply actions
Somewhere I saw that
Noel was going to make his Florida visit when the Cats are in town. Now we GOTTA win that one – big.
War is God's way of teaching Americans geography. - Ambrose Bierce
On the DM dunk,
I just noticed that, following the UM turnover, Lamb slapped Teague on the stomach as if to say, “Did you see what Darius did?”. Neat!!
Two things don't last: dogs chasing cars and pros putting for pars.
by oldcat'69 on Feb 20, 2012 6:03 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Nerlens Noel drops Duke
from Jason Jordan, HS b-ball editor of ESPN
https://twitter.com/#!/JayJayESPN/status/171472463983673344
Nerlens Noel tells me that after Duke reached out he informed them that he didn’t have any interest in them so he won’t be visiting Durham.
Man I lived in Irving and Ft. Worth for 24 1/2 years. Nice to hear from somebody down there. We get A&M next year.
I keep hoping they get invited to one play in the classics in Arlington
by DallasCatsFan on Feb 20, 2012 6:51 PM EST up reply actions
hmmm...
2 thoughts
1.) Laettner anywhere near a mount Rushmore of influential college basketball people? really? I guess if they have a dirty player wing of the statue …ha!
2.) reading Noel’s blog….his thoughts on Kentucky definately seemed louder than his thoughts on Syracuse, which we all hace to love. Of course him telling Coach K thanks but no thanks makes him awesome in my book regardless of where he ends up.
by drc928 on Feb 20, 2012 7:31 PM EST via Android app reply actions
Rondo suspended 2 games for throwing ball at ref....
This is the first I had heard there was even an incident like this.
Slower Traffic Keep Right!
I have mixed emotions on this one.....Rondo can't do that.....you just can't.
But the referee could have handled it differently, but if they do that, then the next one wonder what they can do……I guess you want to establish a precedent, but it seems a bit extreme. I would have never questioned one game, two? I dunno……
I am now and shall forever be the Cat in The Hat, The Artist Formerly Known As ABC!!!
by Greg Alan Edwards on Feb 20, 2012 7:46 PM EST up reply actions
I like our chances-
If this bracketology were to hold up. After the gauntlet we ran last year, I just like our chances period…
"You are what you are and you ain't what you ain't"
ACC Reprimands Hess
SI reports Official Karl Hess was taken to task for not following conference protocol.
"In times of universal deceit, telling the truth will be a revolutionary act." - George Orwell
He tossed them not for what they said,
but for “excessive demonstration on several calls”? Hess shan’t recover from that. This is going to stay with him for a very long time.
I can’t wait to see what the fans do at his next game. Should be fun.
Weasel
Do you have any desire to do a fanpost on the LadyCats? Maybe go into detail on what you see as their weaknesses (minor and major). I read a couple of your comments and got the impression that you weren’t impressed with them.
"SPORTS"--Not interested----"CATS"--Pull up a chair,I've got all night.
Goodness
The list is funny and ironic. I’d say loosen the collar a bit.
I actually knew the story on the Fighting Whites since it happened up the road in Greeley. Some Indians on campus at UNC wanted to protest the use of Indian names as mascots. So they came up with the Fighting Whites for their intramural basketball team. (In case you don’t know basketball is huge on the reservations out west.)
As it turned out, the joke was on the Indians. You see no one cared that Indians were mocking whites. Well, no one, except for the usual suspects. IE the media and campus officials. The man in street surveys were , Now that is funny. Where can I buy one? And they were a huge commercial success. I recall one article in the Denver Post where the writer simply couldn’t get his head around that white people simply didn’t care. Chuckled all day about it.
bigboyblue, you are much nicer than I am. Of course my wife always says that is easy to achieve.
by darkandbloody@gmail.com on Feb 20, 2012 9:04 PM EST reply actions
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