UK started conference season against South Carolina and now they will start the second half of the season against the Gamecocks. The last time UK went into Columbia ranked #1 things didn't go so well, I expect this time will be different: Devan Downey is not walking through that door.

Continue reading this post »

I didn't know the NCAA had it in them. Hat tip: Rush The Court

No matter what anyone thinks of the NCAA, the one-man jihad that NY Times columnist Joe Nocera has been waging against the organization passed the bounds of journalism and into bloviation several columns back, and has now escalated into a full-blown war of words.

The NCAA isn't threatening legal action, and it would be near-impossible to pull off since Nocera is writing opinion columns, and the threshold for any kind of defamation suit against a newspaper columnist is almost impossibly high (actual malice) but not completely unreachable in this case. Even so, the NCAA is not sitting back and taking it, either, and I welcome that debate. It is refreshing to see the NCAA shed some light on their activities, even if it is a relatively small amount.

Crusades like Noceras often degenerate into mud-wrestling, and that's where this is headed. At some point, he should just take his additional fame, put it in the bank, and move on. It appears, as time goes on, that he is running out of factual arguments and further into invalid conclusions and unethical comments, which will only damage his credibility.

As for the NCAA, they have a ton of work to do PR-wise with the sporting public anyway, and continuing to engage Nocera will only help for a while unless he goes completely off the reservation. Even though he has flirted with the border, he's still in the neutral zone, so perhaps it's time for both to dial it back and return to base.

Related FanPosts by Wild Weasel here, here, and here.

We have all heard of the term "trap game" . Sandwich a somewhat lesser opponent between two really good opponents and you have to be careful to avoid the letdown in the game between. Don't let your players take any opponent lightly, and don't stop doing what got you where you are.

So when Coach Matthew Mitchell looked at the schedule for this month, he had to see the game against Ole Miss as a trap game. Fortunately for him, the Hoops squad doesn't believe in underestimating anyone. Of course they won't play different for anyone either. The end result was an 82-41 shellacking of the Ole Miss Lady Rebels at Memorial tonight.

More after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

Gameday Information

Kentucky vs. Ole Miss

Thurs., Feb. 2 - 7:00 p.m. ET

Memorial Coliseum

Coverage

Radio: UK IMG

When the UK Hoops Squad hits the floor in Memorial Coliseum tonight, there will be a lot riding on them and their 20-2 record. And Matthew Mitchell knows it. The Hoops squad has started their SEC season 9-0, and it will not be easy to get that 10th straight win to start conference play.

"We have another tough opponent coming into Memorial. We're happy to have a chance to play at home and Ole Miss has a good team and we'll have to be ready to earn a victory. We're looking for a good practice today and we're excited to have another chance to play."

More after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

[If it helps put this post in perspective, imagine I'm channeling my 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Hoeback, bless her soul, and have manifested a stern though entirely false British accent as you read this. ‘;-)]

Yesterday, Glenn posted a good article (Click Here) about Calipari not getting his just accolades for his ability to successfully coach up the carousel of one-n-done freshman who annually dominate the teams he puts on Kentucky’s court. And, not surprisingly, I agree.

The idea promulgated by his hecklers that Cal may be a great recruiter but not a supremely talented coach is a clear injustice. The concept that he merely rolls the ball onto the court and lets them have at it is just ridiculous and says more about the people who voice such rhetorical garbage than it impugns Calipari. By itself, this type of defamation constitutes a part of the low level derisive background jeering that all public figures must breast. One of our roles as Kentucky’s fans is to correct the public record and constantly counter this type of micro-slur in the public debate to assure Cal’s image (as well as that of the Kentucky program) does not suffer the burden of a metaphorical death by a thousand tiny malignant cuts. And, as can be attested to by the vast majority of both local and national sports media, we’re darn good at it!

One of the problems I’ve noticed, however, is that we Kentucky fans sometimes inadvertently validate some portion of this rhetoric of small slights that Cal is heir to by allowing some of the mocking vocabulary to leak into our descriptive discussion of our own coach. An example of this is how Cal is routinely depreciated as more of a "salesman" than a great coach. Clearly this portrayal is in the exact same vein as the libel Glenn seeks to debunk in his post, but in the comments section of that same post, I noticed a couple of our fans fell into a semantics trap by using the term "Salesman" to label Calipari.

In the fullest and strictest sense, he is not a "salesman." And, when we fans use that term to label him, you’re shortchanging Cal by adopting and disseminating the pejorative characterization used by his detractors who seek to portray him in a shady and thereby less than savory fashion. Encarta Dictionary defines ‘Salesman’ as - "A man who sells goods or services, either in a store or by contacting potential customers" – In a stereotypical cultural context, often subliminally paired with the loaded adjective ‘Slick,’ the term ‘salesman’ frequently has a negative connotation, as in the individual who preys on a naïve individual by convincing them to buy something they don’t need and wouldn’t normally want, often at an exorbitant price they can’t afford, e.g., "He could sell ice to Eskimos."

Individuals who attempt to defend their use of the term ‘Salesman’ point to the recruiting component of a college coach’s job, but they are wrong, imo. To ‘sell’ implies the reciprocal action ‘buy or purchase’ and when someone buys something they are taking possession/ownership and, in effect, separating the purchase from the seller in some manner – and that’s not what happens in the college recruiting process. What college recruiters, in general, and Calipari, in particular, does is to ‘Promote’ UK’s athletic program to the prospect and invite him to join with Cal in becoming a member of the team, rather like an evangelist seeking converts, though Lord knows, in the secular castes of our society, the term ‘Missionary’ carries no small amount of its own baggage.

So, imo, if you have to use a term other than ‘Recruiter,’ the appropriate term is ‘Promoter.’ In addition to abjuring the negative connotations of an inappropriate label, using the term ‘Promoter’ has the added benefit of allowing his wildly successful recruiting activities to be seen as just another aspect of what makes John Calipari so tremendously successful in general - He is a consummate promoter. He’s constantly promoting - promoting himself, the University of Kentucky, its athletic programs, his coaching staff, the team, his players, his opponents, the SEC, his friends, his wife, his charities, Orange Leaf frozen yogurt, etc., etc., etcetera.

Encarta Dictionary defines ‘Promoter’ as: "1. someone who arranges and advertises events. Someone whose job is to arrange and advertise concerts and sports events; 2. Someone who tries to get support for an issue. Someone who tries to make people support an idea or issue; 3. Someone who tries to make a product popular. Someone who tries to make a product or institution more popular; 4. Someone who helps to start a new company. Someone who helps to start a new company or project."

But the best way to see how appropriate the term ‘Promoter’ fits what Calipari does is to read Encarta’s list of synonyms for the word: "Organizer, Agent, Sponsor, Advocate, Supporter, Publicist, Marketer, Developer, Backer, Advertiser, PR person." – Not "Salesman." ';-)

New York Times columnist Joe Nocera says he had hoped to be through commenting on the actions of the NCAA but the recent decision on UConn freshman Ryan Boatright's eligibility was so egregious that it deserved a few hundred more words Including:

Longtime watchers of the N.C.A.A. tell me that they have never seen an athlete and his mother thrown under the bus the way Ryan and Tanesha Boatright were on Saturday. One rarely gets so clear a glimpse of moral bankruptcy.

Take a look at this picture:

via onlineticketmall.com

Continue reading this post »

Had a pleasant Southwest flight to Nashville and picked up my Enterprise Rental. A brand new Ford Focus. Nice looking and nice driving style. Oh 90 mph on I24 was a bit much for its handling and weight in the wind that night, but it handled 75 well. Only downer on the drive to Kentucky was a federal licensed car tried to slow me down, speed up, pass, and slow down from Cheatam to Clarksville. Dadgum government always messing with you...stopped at the Cracker Barrel in Hoptown for a light dinner of beans and greens washed down with sweat tea. Ah, sweet tea the pop of my youth. I don't drink much sweet tea at home and very rarely drink pop, but when back in the JP I enjoy my sweet tea. Unless of course the wife is with me.BTW, when did the state police decide to stop enforcing speed limits on I24? I am very happy they don't but remain surprised that I never see any troopers. The purpose of the trip was simply to see how mother and father are doing. Dad has had a couple of brain injuries and mother is the primary care giver so you don't want too much time to pass without checking in and evaluating the situation. Given it was basketball season I also thought I would go to some local games. So on Tuesday morning I checked and the Murray State game Saturday was sold out. SOLD OUT! WOW. That is just great. Then I learned my high school was playing in the State A Classic tournament, so I wouldn't see them. I settled on a Mid Continent University game scheduled on Thursday night. Mid Continent is the old Mayfield Bible College which is really the old Clinton Bible College founded in 1947. I actually had forgot it existed until sometime in the 80's when I drove by their new campus in Hickory. Very nice. Very nice indeed and the skylight that shoots up to the heavens is a nice touch as well. So Thursday night rolls around and I time the drive from Concord to Hickory to arrive just at tip off. When I got there, this is what the gym looked like.
Sorry, but because of how Sea of Blue handles photos, you must go to my site to read the rest. Go Here There are lots of photos!

Freshman year stats:

PG #1

Min/G = 32
FG % = 41%
3 Pt % = 32%
FT % = 69%
Asst/G = 4.4
Reb/G = 2.6
St/G = 1.0
TO/G = 2.9
Pts/G = 9.9

PG #2

Min/G = 23
FG % = 39%
3 Pt % = 22%
FT % = 87%
Asst/G = 3.3
Reb/G = 1.9
St/G = 0.8
TO/G = 1.8
Pts/G = 9.3

When you make your choice (#1 or #2), please share how strongly you want the PG you selected.

The University of Kentucky men's basketball team is the all-time winningest team with an incredible 2060-646-1 record and this season are 21-1 so far and are ranked #1.

But John Calipari and Co. are not the only team dominating SEC college basketball this season. Matthew Mitchell and the UK women's team are also having a fantastic year. The Wildcat women are 20-2 so far and are ranked #6 in the polls.

For many years, the UK women have been an afterthought trying to get out of the shadow of their male counterparts. This year, the Wildcats have been getting up with the ranks of top teams like UConn, Notre Dame, Baylor, and Tennessee. A'Dia Mathies is a candidate for player of the year and Crystal Riley and Keyla Snowden are also top players.

So, watch out for the Kentucky women's basketball team come March Madness.