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Kentucky Basketball: John Clay Exposes Media Hypocrisy On Calipari

By Glenn Logan

This article is John Clay's finest work in a long time, and as such, it deserves its own post -- our way of putting a frame around the piece and hanging it on our wall to admire.  Clay is sort of the anti-Jerry Tipton for the Lexington Herald-Leader, and that comparison has never been placed in more stark relief than with this article.

Keep in mind that as a general proposition, Tipton and Clay approach their jobs very differently, and I am not knocking Tipton.  He does what he does his way.  Clay is different, but his approach makes him a much more likable figure to the Big Blue Nation.

But I digress.  Clay's article asks the simple question (without ever actually asking it): "Why are Calipari's sins worse than other coaches with similar pasts?"  Many of the coaches in question were in the tournament this year, and nary a single mention was made about their NCAA problems.  For example:

Never mind that Calipari wasn't implicated in either case. Never mind that, at last count, 34 coaches have fallen victim to having their NCAA Tournament appearances "vacated."

Lute Olson is on that "vacated" list. Jim Valvano is on that list. So is Larry Brown, Gene Keady, Steve Lavin and, yes, Jim Calhoun.

There is much more here that I'm not going to quote, but if you think this paragraph is damning, it gets very much worse.  All of it real.  All of it unquestionable.  All of it facts.  All of it pointing to a double standard that transcends reason and fixes itself squarely on the kind of prejudice that arises from "common sense" and "conventional wisdom," two of the most destructive oxymorons in the English language.

I won't go on and on about it, but give it a read, and to any opposing fan who directs the "Your Final Four will just be vacated" pap at you, point them here.  But make sure they can read English first.

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