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Folks, today is a day that is more important than any single sports day we are going to experience. We could be 39-0 and playing 39-0 Duke in the National Championship and it would pale in comparison to today. Today is a day we honor those that are fighting for our freedom, those serving this nation so that we can enjoy the hypothetical scenario I just mentioned.
"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave" - Elmer Davis
The men and women who serve this great nation are a thankless lot who deserve more honor and recognition than will ever be bestowed upon them. The reason people can get up in arms over a red Starbucks cup is because of the freedom that we have been given as an under appreciated gift by those before us.
"Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die." - G.K. Chesterton
To make the decision to lay your life on the line on a daily basis for this country is the definition of selflessness. That level of altruism is foreign to the vast majority of people. Rather than try and understand it, it is better to just shake the hand of a current or former serviceman or servicewoman and thank them genuinely and profusely for their willing sacrifice.
"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself." - Joseph Campbell
TWEET(S) OF THE DAY
I’m a fan of the military 365 days/year. Help me honor them on #VeteransDay by joining the @USAA salute: https://t.co/44fjGpgiSD
— Jared Allen (@JaredAllen69) November 10, 2015
Saying thanks is a start. Showing thanks is a must. #VeteransDay pic.twitter.com/Ua7GcZ24NT
— Marshall Ramsey (@MarshallRamsey) November 10, 2015
When you invite Aroldis Chapman over for a pillow fight https://t.co/26fkSUWo8l
— MLB Memes (@MLBMeme) November 10, 2015
YOUR QUICKIES
- Shannon Dawson said that Kentucky does have a plan for the QB position for Saturday. He did not say what that plan was, but that they firmly had a plan. The good news is if it works we will think he is a genius, I guess.
"Yeah, I know. You want to know? We're evaluating it through the week. We got a plan, put it that way, and we'll stick to the plan.
"I think it's the right one, I think it's a good one. We've got one more practice this week and obviously we'll evaluate that one, but we got a plan."
- Kentucky Football has lost a 2018 commitment in 4/5 star WR Jermaine Eskridge. He has officially decommitted from UK. On the surface it is a big loss for UK, but the fact of the matter is hardly any commitments that are three years from reaching campus actually stay that way.
- Kentucky Basketball will likely be picking up a 5-star commitment tomorrow when the overall #1 PG in America for 2016, De'Aaron Fox, announces his commitment tomorrow evening. The announcement will come sometime after 6:00 tomorrow on ESPNU. Fox has been compared to John Wall, but with a jumper, yikes.
- Dominique Hawkins has returned from his injury and should be full go by Friday. Unfortunately he is behind the rest of the people competing for those final few rotation spots, but I am sure he will make up ground fast.
- Also returning from injury is Boom Williams, today was the first day he fully practiced and should be 100% in Nashville Saturday. He is sorely needed and welcome back, the times he has been missing form the offense, we have been really putrid.
- Malik Monk released a recruiting teaser on his instagram page, the picture below has UK, Kansas, and Arkansas represented.
- UK Hoops junior Makayla Epps was named first team all-SEC for the second time this pre-season. Epps is a key figure in coach Mitchell's lineup and must backup those expectations if the 'Cats are to have a chance to break through.
- The UK Rifle team is up to #1 in America after beating #2 Alaska-Fairbanks on Sunday
- Sophomore Tyler Ulis has been named as one of 30 candidates for the Lute Olson Award. The award itself is interesting, it is awarding to the top Division I player that has played for two years or more. No transfers are eligible nor are freshman.
- Jacob Tamme is just awesome, both on the field and off the field. ESPN did a story on his connection to a veteran and how he continues to give back.
OTHER QUICKIES
- The updated College Football Playoff rankings came out last night and if the season ended today it would be #1 Clemson vs. #4 Notre Dame to play the winner of #2 Alabama vs. #3 Ohio State
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- The State of New York has declared that Draft Kings and Fan Duel are illegal gambling sites. The have been sent a cease and desist order by the state. FanDuel is actually headquartered in New York and recently moved into a 40,000 square foot office building. Draft Kings is headquartered in Boston, but they also have a large 21,000 square foot office in Manhattan. They are both being asked to discontinue operations in the state.
- Trey Lyles had 3 points and 2 rebounds in six minutes of action last night for Utah
- Enes Kanter had 9 points and 6 rebounds for Oklahoma City last night
- John Wall had 9 points, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 2 rebounds for the Wizards
- Julius Randle had 7 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists for the Lakers. He was also a first hand witness to this sequence of events, keep in mind this is in the NBA.
- Karl Anthony-Towns continues his world domination scoring 19 points, getting 13 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 assists in a losing effort
- Anthony Davis continues getting into his groove with 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists in the win.
- The guy leading the NFL in Touchdown catches is a tight end with 9 touchdowns. Surely this is Rob Gronkowski, or a resurgent Antonio Gates, right? No, maybe it is Jimmy Graham, or surely it is Julius Thomas? The answer is Cincinnati's Tyler Eifert, pretty impressive considering he has more TDs than his own teammate A.J. Green.
- Sports Illustrated got their writers together to talk College Basketball and predict the Final Four, a National Champion, Player of the year, and various other honors. Oddly, Kentucky carries very little of the conversation. Nobody picks them to win the National Title, and only Jamal Murray (Freshman of the year - Luke Winn), Tyler Ulis (Breakthrough Player - Brian Hamilton), and Alex Poythress (Impact Defender - Lindsay Schnell) get mentioned.
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- Current Michigan player De'Veon Smith said former Michigan coach Brady Hoke actually fell asleep on his couch during a recruiting visit, ha.
- The jersey the NCAA finally allowed Leonard Fournette to auction for flood relief, raised 101,000 in the auction, all going to the victims.
- Speaking of Fournette, his family is being investigated for possible rules violations. They set up a website that sold items holding Fournette's signature catchphrase "BUGA Nation."
- The Missouri campus is an absolute mess right now, between the racist events, the student protests, and the president resigning, it has been hectic. To add to the chaos there are a lot of threats coming to the Campus YIk Yak social media account warning students not to come to campus today, and that it will be day the school really makes news. Very sad stuff and prayers to all there that this ship gets righted soon.
- Rex Ryan is returning to New York to face the Jets this weekend, do we really think it is a coincidence that he has named I.K. Enemkpali as a game captain. If the name does not ring a bell, it should, he is the one who broke Jets QB Geno Smith's jaw this summer before being released. A Superior Troll Move by Ryan.
- Apparently is a felony to taunt a police dog in Pennsylvania. Yes, a Felony... Raiders Linebacker Ray-Ray Anderson is learning this the hard way.
- Dabo Swinney decided to make long snapper Jim Brown the captain for the game vs. Syracuse this weekend as a playful joke. When he told the players, they did not get it... they have no clue who the Running Back Jim Brown is. How is that for feeling old?
RANDOM QUICKIES
- A Deputy in Florida was slated to earn the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) award for making more than 100 arrests, there was just one problem... he was too drunk to go into the ceremony and accept the award.
- Blackberry, the tech company, not the fruit actually has a pretty impressive phone coming out. Unfortunately they are about 10 years late in adjusting to the Apple and Android phones out there. I used to be a Blackberry fanboy, but I cannot fathom ever going back in time 10 years to their technology.
- I will bet you did not know that in 1983 we were on a 'hair trigger' alert for a nuclear war with the Soviet Union... by accident, yikes.
- Using an old school technology (FM Radio) to improve the Wi-Fi speed for people who are in apartments or buildings with large amounts of people sharing the bandwidth.
- This holiday season is going to be chock full of Televisions, not much different than any other holiday. The difference is there are actually much better TVs out there for more affordable price points than in the past. Chances you are you can actually upgrade your TV for a significant improvement.