Kentucky Wildcats Evening Quickies: Labor Day Edition

I hope everyone had a happy Labor Day. It was a busy one for me, as I spent most of the morning updating my operating system and most of the afternoon on the "honeydo" list. Now it's time for grilled, barbecue chicken.  Mmmm.

Tweet of the Day:

Spoke to one elite 2015 recruit that said of UK's loss to Western Kentucky: "That's actually a positive. That's opportunity."

— J.Rowland (@RowlandRIVALS) September 2, 2013

Well, I certainly like the sound of this.

Your Quickies:

Kentucky football

• Maxwell Smith is your new starting quarterback. I think this is wise.

• Mark Stoops' press conference. He hits the high points, says the right things.

• Week 2 two-deep depth chart. The good news is, no significant injuries other than the long snapper, who's going to have to have surgery.

• I have a major man-crush on Drew Barker. This kid is a leader, and he's not even on the team yet.

• Speaking of Barker, here's video of how he did on Saturday.

• Is George Blanda the best player ever at Kentucky? I say, "yes," because Blanda was still playing for the Oakland Raiders when I was a kid, and Oakland was my favorite team. So I'm biased. What about you?

• John Clay searches for the silver lining. I'm unconvinced about the offense either way. Yes, they gained a lot of yards, but running-wise, it was mostly confined to three big plays. Passing was a lot more convincing after Smith came in. He also notes Demarco Robinson's fine returns, and I think the special teams as a whole, with the exception of Joe Mansoor, were really good. Excellent coverage on kickoffs and punts, and good blocking on returns.

Kentucky basketball

• Willie Cauley-Stein is ready to lead Kentucky;

  [Cauley-Stein] returns [to Kentucky], eager to delve into his studio art major and lead a team that includes six incoming McDonald's All-Americans into the forest of towering expectations. Credentials aside, Cauley-Stein has been impressed by the focus newcomers have shown in summer workouts. "You can tell they're on a mission," he says. "Especially after watching us last year, they know this is a business. We're not here to mess around."

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-basketball/news/20130902/kentucky-willie-cauley-stein/#ixzz2dmKZ9s4H

Links posts

• The Leach Report — Monday Wildcat Links

College football

• Louisville easily dispatches Ohio, 49-7.

• Tennessee is paying attention to Western. Good idea, dudes.

College basketball

• Rick Pitino prepares for induction into the Hall of Fame. I think having Hubie Brown introduce him is a great move. Dick Vitale less so, but Dickie V. is a good guy, just a touch too ebullient for me

Other sports news

• Phonenix continues to be impressed with Archie Goodwin, and now the Bright Side of the Sun wonders if he is ready for prime time. Consider:

  Archie was still learning to play the game at the college level last season, so Suns' fans may do well to temper their expectations for him this year. Goodwin will have to make a huge adjustment to the fast pace and level of talent in the NBA, and for a 19 year old kid who is still so young in not only his age, but in his development as a basketball player, it may be unrealistic to expect much more than the minimum while treating anything else as just a bonus at this point.

• DeAndre Liggins is out of jail on bail. [via Aaron's blog]

• Is the NBA Development League coming to a TV near you? Ridiculous Upside examines the question.