In my opinion, his statements were designed to compel Tubby to consider other employment options.

Your statement that Barnhart "is not a very good AD" is a bit off-base in my view. Regardless of his public statements, the man has put together a rather impressive list of hires, and has overseen the construction of the absolute best practice facility in the history of college basketball. On top of the fact that he stuck with Rich Brooks when everyone and their grandmothers, and their grandmothers sportswriters, were calling for his head.

He's hired Brooks, Gillispie, DeMoss, Cohen, and Brian Craig, all who have experienced great success. I think his hiring of Matthew Mitchell was a solid hire. He hired a softball coach who had the best year in recent memory last year, and the women's golf coach will do a great job.

The importance of him sticking with Brooks cannot be overstated. It allowed for a bit of continuity, and paid huge dividends on the field, and in the coverage of the national press. This fact alone is reason to admire, and respect his decision-making. Plus, he loves to stick it to Jurich and UL. This alone makes his an adored figure in my household :)

The handling of the Joker Phillips as Head Coach in Waiting was perfection. Phillips should, and thankfully will, be the next football coach at UK. Another great call.

I thought Barnhart's quotes in the Vaught piece were extraordinary. He obviously loves the job Gillispie has done, and at times, he seemed to be talking directly to his Head Coach. I think he wants Gillispie to sign the contract, and this may be a ploy to encourage Gillispie to "revisit" the issue.

Whatever is going on, it needs to be resolved. I am on record on this site as writing that I wasn't concerned about the contract not being signed, but that was back in December. At this point, nearly a year after Clyde took the job, it's time to put this issue to bed.

It will be used by competing head coaches against Gillispie, actually, it has more than likely already been used, and will continue to be used against UK in recruiting wars.

The lifeblood of any program is recruiting. Not having a signed contract is equivalent to wading in very dangerous waters. Some coaches will lie, cheat, and steal to sign a recruit. Does anyone think those coaches wouldn't tell a recruit, "hey, Gillispie doesn't even have a contract, he could leave tomorrow with no recriminations. Do you really think he's going to be there for 4 more years"? Now, I don't think a coach can use that tactic with every recruit and his parents, but these coaches know who will, and won't respond to negative recruiting.

The Kelvin Sampsons and Bruce Pearls of the world will stop at nothing.....

It can't be made "Not a problem" by saying so, or ignoring it.  And just because the press is not hyping it now, they will be if it doesn't get solved soon.  There is a limit to how long this can go on without getting media attention.  I don't know what it is, but if Gillispie starts next season without a formal contract, it will be a very big issue.

Let's hope they work on it during the off-season.

There are a good number of people in Lexington who are still angry and feel that the last administration was run off or mistreated, and my feeling is that a number of these misguided souls are behind much of these sensational rumors.

I am convinced that the fact we don't have a contract in place now is the product of a disagreement in the terms, and I doubt seriously if the inclusion of a morals clause is the issue.  Most likely, it is the wording of several clauses combined with some uncertainty between the two camps as to the other's ultimate intentions.

It is in the interest of both parties to resolve this uncertainty, and I believe they will.  As much as anything, I think the fact that Gillispie wanted to get started fast and the whirlwind of a season that saw him have to put a lot of things in place in a short time are the biggest contributor to the delay. The unfounded rumors of moral turpitude are exactly that, and the absence of a contract is the only tangible thing that gives the rumormongers something to point at in support of their nonsense.  

I expect that to change now that Gillispie has a season under his belt and has time to attend to these matters.  The contract needs attending to if for no other reason than to stop the rampant speculation that some kind of unsavory behavior is the reason behind the delay.

Maybe you don't agree.  I could not possibly care less.

I agree that it is likely getting attention, but I would hate for this to be the next big issue, and it annoys me that Barnhart left everybody with the impression that he would be fine if there never was a contract.  That just isn't professional, in my view.  I feel sure that isn't the impression he intended to leave, but that's just what he did.

And I still don't get the "I hope everything is OK" statement.  What is that all about?  I would expect that he is in a position to know, if anyone is, and surely something a bit less tentative would be nice to see.

And like you, I would like to see us get a little inside help for next year.

With due respect, this is a blatant logical fallacy.  

The main thing we want here is conversation that is respectful of others.  You are welcome, even if I don't agree with much of what you have said.

What am I going to do about it?  Verify.  Next time I'm in Lexington, I'm going to make a point of going to brave post-game traffic and make my way to Sal's or wherever the rumored BCG watering hole is at the time, and see what's really going on with my own eyes.  I bet I won't see any sign of him at all.

And honestly, if he wants to go enjoy a few drinks, more power to him.  Kentucky exports every variety of liquor known to man, from Gilbey's London Dry Gin to Puerto Rican Rum.  It is hypocrital of Kentuckians to deny him the enjoyment of some social drinking.

If he's a sloppy drunk getting DUI's and endangering people, that's different.  But I don't believe that.  Yes, he has some DUI's on his record, but he said he is done with that behavior, and I believe him until the police say otherwise.

And as far as the "womanizing" goes, as long as it's consensual, he can do whatever he wants.  He's the most important person in the state of Kentucky, and a bachelor.  If he wants to do some casual dating, who are we to tell him or his (alleged) ladies how to behave?  I know I'd be living the vida Bruce Pearl if I were he.

Lexingtonians need to understand that when they hire a basketball coach, that's what they're getting.  There is nothing in the contract, nor should there be, about how the coach can and can't spend his personal life.  What would you do if your employer tried to regulate how many dates you needed to have with a member of the opposite sex (and/or marriage) before having carnal relations?  I would laugh in the face of anyone who put such a document in front of me.

Lexingtonians really need to realize that they live in a municipality that services a million people and get over their small-town voyeurism and do their best to look the other way.  Just let the coach live his private life as long as he isn't hurting anyone.

Of course everyone in Lexington isn't this way, so my apologies to privacy-respecting Lexingtonians, but there's a huge contingent that really need to relax, IMHO.

My point is that there are clearly issues that must be resolved.  Gillispie is, in my opinion at least, the right man for this job.  I think he wants to be here, but I am less than convinced that the Administration and he are on the same page.  Barnhart's comments that I dealt with in my piece did nothing to dispel those concerns.

When I see a grainy picture of BCG with his hand down the shorts of a co-ed (a al Larry Eustachy) I'll believe it.

It sells papers.

I have written about this before, and may do so again:  The Big Blue Nation has not healed from the days of the Tubby Smith wars.

What we have are a certain group of Wildcat fans willing to go to extremes to defend Gillispie against any hint of criticism.  Then, you have another, smaller group, including (but not limited to) many former Smith supporters, who tend to gobble up anything that could be seen as criticism of Gillispie, and reinforce it.  

Why?  I don't really know.  I think as much as anything, it is hard feelings remaining from all the combat prior to Smith's departure.  There are still message boards out there who spend as much time bashing Smith as praising Gillispie.

I have said this before, and I will say it again -- this rift in the fan base has not gone away, and will not go away until Gillispie has significant success.  As much as I loved the results of his effort this year, you cannot point to that in the context of Kentucky's tradition and call last season a successful one.  That is just reality.

Now, some may come in and say, "But wait, he's only had one year!"  They would be right, but since when did logic and reason trump emotion and hurt feelings?  Never.  And it won't happen in this case, either.

Don't let it get you down.  This is all part of the healing experience and is the dark side of being a Kentucky fan.  No fan base is without its warts, and this is but one of ours.