Deconstructing Pat Forde

by Truzenzuzex on Jan 5, 2008 12:18 AM EST in Media

Pat Forde has a new article up today, and purports to be an analysis of the Kentucky and Louisville seasons so far. Essentially, Forde spends most of his time smacking mostly Kentucky (but also throwing in a bit of Louisville) around for their disappointing seasons so far. Forde posits four theories as to why both schools have started so poorly:

Injuries - Both teams have had significant contributors injured.
Recruiting - All about Tubby Smith, and he even goes so far as to resurrect Chris Lofton for the 1,546,297,254 time.
Indecipherable player rotations - Both teams get a few questions here.
Point guard play - both teams get questions here, as well.

I think Pat and I can agree on injuries and point guard play for both teams. Sosa has been extremely temperamental, inconsistent, and has not played good defense. I don't need to tell you about Ramel Bradley -- suffice it to say that Ramel simply isn't a point guard.

As to recruiting, I have commented on that enough. Player rotations may be hard to understand right now, but I think Gillispie deserves the benefit of the doubt on those. I just wish he would be a little more forthcoming on his reasoning, but no matter what, I see that as something that is beyond contestation.

But this:

Some Kentucky fans have begun publicly wondering if the school shouldn't capitalize on Gillispie's curiously unsigned contract and cut its losses. Now. Or, at the very least, in the spring.

(It seriously would behoove the man to sign the deal, because he has a shot at losing 20 games this season. And that can get anyone fired at Kentucky.)

is seriously baffling. Yes, 20 losses could get you fired anywhere, but not in your first year, even at Kentucky. The number of people suggesting it would be a good idea to cut our losses and lose Gillispie is vanishingly small, too small to merit discussion unless it be a few words of derision. Surely, it isn't enough to seriously suggest that there is some kind of groundswell for throwing our newly-minted coach under the bus.

Forde has increasingly lost touch with reality at ESPN, and this is just one more example of how far he has fallen when it comes to writing about the two teams he used to cover for the Courier-Journal. I suppose that the last few years of dwelling in Barad Dûr have had a predictable effect on him.

I think Erica Jong said it best: "No one ever found wisdom without also being a fool. Writers, alas, have to be fools in public, while the rest of the human race can cover its tracks." Alas, indeed.

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Correction

Truz, I joined SB today because I enjoyed reading several of your articles and wanted to say thanks. I found a good mix of informativeness and entertainment. A couple of small points I would add to your thoughts are:

Technically speaking, Forde was correct that 'some' UK fans have been calling for BG's ouster, and being technically correct is more than a shock jock needs. Forde might be reaching for shock to offset any ratings envy he has.
Also, I find your writing about the 'true root of the bitter part of the rivalry' to be on target. At first I disagreed. I realize now what was disagreeable to me was how you downplayed what Forde overplayed: the racial aspects. I could be wrong, but I think you are white. I am, and so I deem myself unqualified to speak for those who are, what they think of that history and whether for them it relates to any bitterness in the rivalry. It seems more responsible to me to have full disclosure and avoid downplaying things for which we haven't true empathy. It's not totally unlike Mymood Isin-a-jihad (or whatever Iran's president's name is) downplaying the plight of Jews. Ok, maybe not on such a scale, but the point being everyone's views are to be respected, not deflected or denied.

I'm one of those people you termed a rare find: a Cards first and Wildcats second fan. I used to hate the Cats until I grew up and realized it was rudeness and disrespect that repelled me. Now I enjoy two great programs.
I enjoyed your place and will be back now that it's in my favorites. Thanks for listening!

by CarolnDave on Jan 5, 2008 11:21 AM EST 0 recs

Thanks for coming by ...

and we absolutely welcome Kentucky fans of all stripes.

Your point about Gillispie vis a vis being technically correct is a good one. But I am a well-known sports media scold, and as such, ignore such detail in order to get a lick in on ESPN writers. :-)

One notes -- the article I was discussing in that earlier post was Mike's at Card Chronicle, not Pat Forde vis a vis the racial aspect. I think you knew that, but I wanted to make sure you were aware.

While I am perfectly comfortable discussing race, the tone of Mike's piece, to me, seemed "Kentucky is a white-bread school and used to be racist." I simply reject that, and there are a lot of reasons why, but much of that is due to the politicization of race. I simply refuse to discuss, or allow the discussion, of politics on this site. Sports, to me, are where people of all political persuasions go to get away from politics. :-)

I am a white male, but unlike many in rural Kentucky, I went to a city school back before the rash of mergers and before bussing. Shelbyville High School, at the time I attended, was at least 20% black, while Shelby County was almost totally white. We all played ball together, and yes, we couldn't totally ignore the racialism of our fathers and mothers, but most of us found a way through on both sides of the divide. We simply rejected it while outside the home and lived with our black brothers, both on the field or court and off.

Shelbyville was as redneck a place as there was in Kentucky at the time, and yet, we all pulled for both the Cats and the Cardinals. I continued to do so up until sometime in the 1990's, when frustration over Pitino's success pushed Cardinal fans over the edge of sanity into madness, a dark place from which relatively few have returned, at least so far.

The racial makeup of Louisville and Kentucky teams never made any impact on me -- I had lived with it all my life. Our basketball team in high school started five black players, and even in a majority white school, none of us had any problem with that, or thought it in any way remarkable. I spent lots of time on the court with Bo Jones, Ricky Jones, Donny Mason, Dean and Vince Chambers among others, and they were the best players and therefore started. It was simple, logical, and my memory is that race never entered into the equation whatever. We beat Shelby County in a barnburner regional final at their gym to earn a trip to the State Tournament my senior year. When we lost to Flenoil Crook's Louisville Central team in the second round of the 1975 Sweet Sixteen (Central ultimately lost to Darrel Griffith and Bobby Turner's Male squad in the final), I was as proud of our team as anyone could have been.

But I am pleased to have a such a rare fan take the time to read us -- it is gratifying and welcome. Thanks for coming by and I hope you continue to do so, for you are most welcome here.

by Truzenzuzex on Jan 5, 2008 12:00 PM EST up 0 recs

ESPN Gameday just did a segment on UK's woes..

And at the end, Jay Bilas ADAMENTLY echoed Forde's call (it was almost a plea) for BCG to sign the contract TODAY. They were looking at the upcoming schedule and were saying that things could get REALLY ugly before they start to get better.

Bilas also said that while BCG may well be a better recruiter than OTS, he is not a better coach.

Very frank comments from the Gameday crew all around. Anyone else see this and have thoughts?

by vickster3 on Jan 5, 2008 11:37 AM EST 0 recs

Eh...

And if UK were to win today, I am sure they'll talk about how UK fans were overreacting in calling for the coach to shape up and how his contract status is a "non-issue."

Such is the state of punditry.

The Online home of Big Blue Nation ...

by JL Blue on Jan 5, 2008 12:01 PM EST up 0 recs

Of course I have thoughts ...

:-)

I think both Forde and Bilas are right, but for the wrong reason. Gillispie will not be fired this year, and that is a fact. They have evidently not watched much UK basketball this year, or they wouldn't be so concerned. I respect Bilas' opinion more than Forde's, but in this instance, I think Bilas is letting the stories about insane Kentucky fans creep into his consciousness when he really aught to know better. Gillispie should get the contract issue out of the way because it is a distraction to the national media, and takes away from what happens on the court.

But Bilas is correct that Gillispie is not a better coach than Smith, in my opinion. Smith has much more experienced and was always a great bench coach. Gillispie has not shown to be as adept at reading game situations and adjusting to them, which is one of the things that concerned me when we hired him. Still, Kentucky fans have to keep the long view in mind, and in the long view, you can do more with average coaching and great players than you can with average players and great coaching. Texas is the perfect example of how that works.

It will take Gillispie a while to become what Tubby Smith is, coaching wise. But he is more than capable of getting there as long as he sticks to his knitting and keeps working as hard at his craft as he seems to demand of his charges.

by Truzenzuzex on Jan 5, 2008 12:08 PM EST up 0 recs

Bilas

"Bilas also said that while BCG may well be a better recruiter than OTS, he is not a better coach."

Well, to me that statement is undoubtedly, uncontroverisally true. I feel like Tubby could have won more games with this group than BCG has--and that's okay, I'm not slamming our coach at all. Recruiting is pretty damn important. We already HAD a coach who was great with the x's and o's, and I think he proved you can get pretty far with good-but-not-great talent and GREAT coaching. But to go all the way? Looks like you really need not-good-but-GREAT talent...and hopefully good-enough coaching will cut it : ) Hopefully BCG's got us on track for that in the long term.

I'd appreciate ANY morsels y'all can toss out about what's being said on Gameday, because I'm inexcusably at WORK today.

by blue kentucky girl on Jan 5, 2008 12:19 PM EST up 0 recs

cart and horse

I for one have been of the opinion that there is more to this contract question than folks @ asob want to admit. Forde and now Bilas are urging BCG to sign the contract for there may be 20 losses on the horizon and the fan base may get restless. IMO it has little to do with losses. I have "heard rumors" that the pres and AD are having second thoughts about BCG and it has nothing to do with on the court issues. I have it on better authority that BCG is absolutely not the darling of the local media. They don't like him. He is rude and seldom on time for anything. I hope everyone makes nice nice and we get on with the program. I fear a summer of discontent.

by modcpa on Jan 5, 2008 12:26 PM EST 0 recs