That's right, Big Blue Nation. You can't handle the truth, or so that's what Seth Davis thinks.
TheFakeGimelMartines (yes, the one that blogs here, can there really be more than one?) writes over at FireBilly.com about an article by Seth Davis where he regrets to inform us that he is hearing from some unnamed person that Pattrick Patterson might be considering going pro.
Well, I suppose we'll have to hear from these unnamed sources (probably the same ones who were doing the rumormongering about Gillispie earlier) until the end of the season. I suppose it comes with the territory, and if Patterson went into the ranks of the professionals, we could hardly blame him. I frankly think he isn't ready for that yet, but maybe the scouts, who get paid the big bucks to know, think different. At this point in the season, I guess we just have to smile and say, "Up yours, Seth Davis. You can't even get the facts corect when they are right in front of you, and we are supposed to trust you about this?" Bugger off.
Jerry Tipton is says on his blog that UK got a mock bid from CollegeRPI.com. Here is a little bit more about that particular fact, and we even had 3 AP voters pick UK for the most recent top 25, which is as many votes as Florida got and 2 more than UAB. I would guess, at the moment, we are firming up a real shot at an at-large bid, and a win over Ole Miss at home may not help a lot, but it will help a little.
I think Arkansas sports writers are just nuts. After one article whining about the officiating last week, here comes another. But this one goes much further, assuring us that Gillispie is just a crush, and won't be around long at UK:
Many point to the fact that he has not signed a contract, but the reason for that is he got exactly what he wanted in the two-page employment agreement.
That outlined his money and perks.
There was nothing in it that discussed reasons for termination without future consideration, no morals clauses, just what was good for Gillispie.
The sentences about termination and morals clauses were not constructed until a contract was offered, and Gillispie has refused to sign it. Who could blame him ? He got the gold mine, and Kentucky gave itself the shaft.
However, that does not guarantee Gillispie will be around for the long term.
He likes his role as fixer, which is what he did for the programs at Texas-El Paso and Texas A&M.
He also cherishes his privacy and guards it fervently.
But I wonder where the author thinks Gillispie is going to take his act after UK? I mean, there is no "up" from here, unless you are talking about the NBA. But the tricks he uses to "fix" programs in college will not work whatever in the professional environment. We have had numerous disciplinarians try to succeed in the pros, and every one without any exception has failed utterly. The pros just don't have to put up with it. College kids do, or they get to take their act elsewhere. Levers can only move large objects when you have something to act as a fulcrum, and in the pros, there is precious little. I just knew we would hear about this dumb contract ad infinitum, and fortunately, Matt Jones addresses it in detail on his blog today. Maybe some of the MSMers writing this tripe will take a minute away from their "opinion" and try to read it.
Finally, I don't know if you saw this article by Rick Bozich at the Courier-Journal this morning, but he accuses ESPN of falling in love with the ACC, and I think rightly so. I won't go in to all the depth he does, but suffice it to say that Barad Dûr's list of the 25 greatest players in college basketball history are conspicuously missing several players from UK and U of L who were arguably better than many of the ones they chose. Color me shocked.