There are two big news items this morning in the sports world. One is that Tiger Woods has proclaimed his surgically repaired knee healthy and is ready to rejoin the PGA tour. Good news for the Tour, bad news for the other tour players.
The other news is that Kevin Garnett injured his knee last night against the Utah Jazz. They don't know the extent of that injury right now. Check out the SBNation's CelticsBlog for more on this story.
Now, for the rest of the news.
Kentucky Basketball News
- Four-way tie sets up a frantic finish.
- Possible new Wildcat on the way? More on Darius Smith here.
- More angst about Gillispie's lineups. Get over it, people, let the man coach. If he fails, he fails, and we'll get another one.
- Good news for Patterson and UK. Bad news for everyone else. Unfortunately, he still isn't a sure thing for Saturday.
- "Everyone has to pay a great deal of attention to Jodie." Indeed. Now, if we could only get other players to pick up that slack ...
- The Vols will be playing Meeks a little differently this time. That game in Knoxville was Meeks' coming out party, and I'd be shocked if he goes off like that in Rupp. UT will have learned from last time, and several teams have proven that you can reduce Meeks' effectiveness by face-guarding him and using shadow defenders. I expect that UT will try to let everyone else beat them this time, and that strategy has worked to perfection a couple of times this year.
Will Kentucky be able to overcome it this time? Stay tuned ... - The SEC East -- Does anybody want it? Entertaining, yes, but I could use a little less entertainment and a little more separation where the 'Cats are concerned.
- Seth Davis to chat over at KSR today. Should be interesting in a lamb-to-the-slaughter kind of way.
- Meeks grows into a mighty force. Is it possible to be any more humble without looking ridiculous?
- Josh Harrellson -- not hot.
- Jared Powell makes an argument.
Kentucky Football/Other Sports News
- The Lady Wildcats get the job done against Pat Summit, the first UK victory over the Lady Volunteers in Memorial since -- 1986? Wow. Does this mean that karma is finally catching up with the Vols? Can we look forward to finally taking them down in football next year? One can only hope.
- Rich Brooks changed the landscape for college coaches. This article pretty much explains my recent comments in the threads about why Gillispie will be here for at least four years, regardless of his record of success, absent some kind of moral turpitude or NCAA investigation.
Barnhart already has an example to point to in Rich Brooks, and regardless of whether you think Brooks has done a good job or not, 98% of the UK fan base does (OK, I made that up, but consider it a euphemism for "vast majority"). Barnhart will have no motivation at all to roll over for fan demands that Gillispie be replaced, and Lee Todd will back him. Bottom line -- this story just buttresses my earlier argument, so I encourage all 'Cat fans to stop calling for Gillispie's head in the comments. It is counterproductive and utterly futile.
One thing I will take issue with -- Story's assertion that Gillispie's personality is not a "good fit." It may not be ideal, like Rick Pitino was, but I think Gillispie is still in a learning curve, and we will see that public persona gradually change. To me, Story's comment looks incredibly elitist and snooty -- it's as though he is saying that anyone without the communication skills of Traitor Rick isn't a good fit. Baloney. - Wildcats now unranked in the latest Baseball America poll. Team Speed Kills has more on the SEC baseball race here.
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Heh.
NCAA Basketball News
- Does Auburn still have a shot at the Dance? I'm thinking ... yes, maybe.
- A discussion about the 3-point line move. I haven't noticed any difference, and to the extent there is one, it seems very small.
- Roy Williams drops the F-bomb in a news conference. Pretty funny. [Hat tip: Mike Miller]
- I disagreed with Yoni Cohen yesterday. It's only fair that I agree with him today.
- Alabama could do far worse than this guy for their new head coach.
NCAA Football News
- Finally. More at DoubleTNation.
- More BCS political shenanigans.
- Another article suggesting Kiffin is smarter than the rest of us. How could we have missed his genius?
Other News of Interest
- Gas tax decrease in Kentucky? Nah.
- Jerry Hinnen makes a really sound point. Bloggers like to make fun of the MSM, but without them, where would we be?