Matt Jones just wrote this post dealing with the mechanism and his thoughts behind the much-commented on fact that Ramel Bradley and perhaps some teammates as well felt "disrespected" by the fact some Tennessee players wore some of their bling on the court during warmups, namely earrings.
So what you're telling me, Ramel, is that players taking you lightly is what gets you fired up enough to play lock-down defense on Lofton and just generally play the best basketball game of your UK career? Is that it? So this whole "Kentucky" across your chest is really not that motivating, and the fact that Kentucky is off to its worst start in, like, 80+ years means less than Tyler Smith's jaunty studs? Am I to infer from those remarks that a respectful, un-bejeweled opponent has no chance at all of getting your best?!?
Well. I find that more than a bit mind-boggling, but it's not hard to understand that a New Yorker like Ramel Bradley might never fully assimilate what it means to be a Wildcat, nor I what it's like to grow up on the mean streets of Brooklyn. If a little ear-frippery means more to a player than a 7-9 record, I'm quite sure my outrage won't find a mark. So perhaps coach Gillispie can use this new knowledge to the team's advantage. From now on, Gillispie should pull Ramel (and perhaps others) aside and tell them that he heard (__fill in opposing player's name here__) is making moves on his girlfriend, or he made a reference to his mother's marital fidelity, footwear, girth, or some other similarly imperious insult. But given the incomprehensible attitudes of today's youth, perhaps that would only make them laugh. Maybe it would be better if he told him they were wearing gold chains under their uniforms.
My, how times have changed. We used to make fun of guys with earrings in the submarine service, but now simply wearing one on the court in warm-ups can get you your hind parts handed to you on a silver platter. Who knew?
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