The Preakness Stakes is today, and I'm hoping for an Orb win. It would be so nice to get this Triple Crown monkey off horse racing's back.
Also, a couple of administrative notes:
- SB Nation has fixed the hardware problems responsible for all the errors we have been experiencing over most of the last week. Performance should return to normal very quickly.
- I will be on a golf holiday from Sunday until Wednesday, so the quickies are probably on hiatus until midweek. I'll try to post a morning open thread for the news, at minimum, but no promises.
Tweet of the Morning:
twitpic.com/crhk3u - Umm. RT @cardsallday26: If John Calipari told bbn that french fries had vitamin C they would believe it
— A Sea of Blue (@ASeaOfBlue) May 18, 2013
I've never featured one of mine, because I do them so rarely. Today was one of those rare days, and a chance to victimize a Louisville fan.
Your Quickies:
Kentucky football
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Did you know that if Max Smith isn't the quarterback, Mark Stoops might lose his job as head coach? Neither did I, but that's what this guy thinks:
While many believe that Towles is the quarterback of the future, Smith has more experience, better numbers and a brighter future. Smith can run better than Towles, which is a huge factor given the instability of Kentucky’s offensive line. Smith also has started games in 2011 and 2012 even though he remains a redshirt sophomore with three seasons of eligibility. Experience and upside are on Smith’s side as the quarterback battle rages on, and not naming Smith the starter could lead to Stoops’ early exit.
This is one of the most clueless things I have ever read, truly worthy of the Bleacher Report. Psycho.
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It's been a busy offseason for the Stoops Brothers. Brother Mike, Oklahoma's defensive coordinator, implied Heisman winner Johnny Manziel will be in jail someday. Brother Mark is hard at work making Kentucky into a football school. And Brother Bob ... oh, Brother Bob.
You need to read this. It's a quarter-cup of coffee, but it's worth the investment of your time.
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Can Neal Brown's version of the Air Raid do what Hal Mumme's did back in 1997? Here's a sobering reminder:
Stoops and Brown in 2013 are not inheriting five returning offensive line starters nor a Tim Couch. They will have three starting offensive linemen back and should get quality QB play.
That and the very tough schedule Kentucky is facing make it hard to see a repeat, but you never know till the pigskin is put in play.
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Mark Stoops thinks he gets high school coaches, and that gives him an edge.
Kentucky basketball
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Mike Rutherford at Card Chronicle takes a shot at Calipari, but I liked this point, and think it's right:
As much as I dislike just about everything that's happening in Lexington right now, I couldn't love it more for the state of the rivalry. But the thing is, it can't stay this hot forever. You get the feeling that one day we're going to be looking back and pulling the "you just can't understand it if you weren't around" card when talking about the intensity of these past few years. And there's a very large chance that it all comes to a head next season.
I could have written that same paragraph, and it actually falls under the rubric of, "All good things must come to an end," or, "This too, shall pass" if you find the instant state of the rivalry too caliente for your preference.
I don't quite agree, though, that the heat of the rivalry right now makes fans go into "Wait until March" mode after a loss in the rivalry game. That does happen, of course, but the December game matters no less, and maybe even more, in my view. Your mileage may vary on that, though.
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John Calipari on Archie Goodwin:
"We gave him the information, what was out there, what we were told," Calipari said. "We sat down and talked to him and he came back and said he wanted to put his name in the draft, and we said, ‘Great, let’s go for it.’"
I think that's all you can do. Calipari is not going to try to convince a player to stay unless it is overwhelmingly obvious that it isn't in his best interests. Some may say that about Goodwin, but not me. I think he will be fine in the NBA, eventually. We'll see.
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Nerlens Noel a bit underweightt at the NBA Draft Combine. Hat tip: Aaron's blog.
Other UK sports
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Nikki Sagerman drives in the winning run for a walk-off RBI single vs Marshall, 'Cats advance in the Lexington regional. Living the dream.
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Missouri takes series off Bat Cats, struggles with hitting continue.
Links posts
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Saturday Wildcat Links [The Leach Report]
College football
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This is just WRONG in so many ways. "Turrible" grammar to boot. I hate Twitter (Hank).
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Georgia Tech's commits - Good for a Rivals Ranking of # 66! Yeah, buddy! (Hank)
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Why would Oklahoma St. bar one of their players from transferring to SEC schools? This practice has to stop. I can see intraconference bans, but this makes no sense.
College basketball
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Andy Glockner is worried that theater tickets might cost him some good basketball games:
The offer came to me via email a few weeks ago after it was announced that the highly acclaimed musical The Book of Mormon was having a return engagement in Denver. A select few tickets were available through a local theater group. My wife enjoys theater, and that show is supposed to be incredibly funny, so I was game for a nice surprise for my better half. The date: Nov. 12. Gulp. [...] That’s the night of the Champions Classic in Chicago, when Kansas (with Andrew Wiggins) will face Duke (with Jabari Parker) and Kentucky (with everyone else in the freshman class) will square off with loaded, experienced Michigan State. That day also includes Florida at Wisconsin, assumedly along with the rest of the annual ESPN 24-hour marathon. Needless to say, that’s not the evening you want to have theater tickets.
I hear that. The other night, my wife bought season tickets to the Kentucky Center for the Arts, and Book of Mormon is among the plays to be there. I hope I'm not in the same boat.
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Update on the Ben McLemore scandal. He's doing the Sergent Schultz ... "I know nothing!" Can't blame him, really, and maybe he doesn't.
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Mike Krzyzewski broke the bank in 2011. Can we get off Calipari now, he's a piker compared to this.
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Tennessee hemorrhaging players.
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Western Kentucky gets a former Memphis big guard.
Other sports news
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Early Preakness odds via John Clay. Orb is getting any money I put on the race, but maybe not all of it.
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SB Nation's GGolden State of Mind looks at Nerlens Noel.
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Don't try to catch a foul ball with a full beer. Just don't.
Speaking of things that you just don't want to do, never photograph the CIA headquarters, even if you're a professional sports star. Paranoia, much? Uh huh.
Other news
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Wanna see an asteroid hit the moon? Just remember, one day WE could be the target.
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I don't know what to make of this, but it made me laugh:
Stripped of the bras that decorated the tavern's ceiling for nearly half a century, the Holler House looked mighty naked.
But on Thursday, justice was restored to the universe. A ridiculous city order to ban the bras as a fire hazard was rescinded.
Hat tip: Althouse