Outside the Huddle

how about you mister commish....

2007-07-10T17:53:00.000-04:00

Forever our Commish of MLB turned his head. In the 80's, 90's and now. (Sounds like a CD 106.3 plug) But now SI is reporting that the commish will be there when Bonds hits the home run. Good for you. Other than inter league and the wild card, the commish has sucked. I don't even want to say his name. Tonight is the All-Star game and home field is on the line. WOW! What's next? Spring training stats in the Hall of Fame???

Who says Cubs fans are the worst???

2007-06-29T11:30:00.001-04:00

I am a baseball guy. I love the Cubbies!!! I love the fact the even though they are 7 1/2 games out of first place I can scoreboard watch! I am a rare breed for Lexington. I like baseball. In fact, there is the NFL and then the Cubs. I like the numbers. I like who's hot and who's not. I like the ups and downs of 162 games. I was in Chicago to see the Cubs play two weeks ago. I don't know if there is a better place to watch a baseball game than the friendly confines. Oh the sweet air, the beauty that is Wrigley Field. Most fans think the Cubs fans are the worst in baseball. I guess they just go to Wrigley Field to check out chicks and get drunk. Not that there is anything at all wrong with this, but lets take a step back for a second....

Ask yourself these few simple questions...

1. Are you a Cubs fan? If you say yes, keep reading although you no longer have to answer the questions. If you say no, you definitely need to keep reading, cause I am talking to you.

2. This one is important, very important. Since I am no longer talking to the Cubs nation, let me ask you this: Do you think Cubs fans just go to Wrigley Field to get drunk and hit on chicks? Do you think the Cubs fans are the worst fans in baseball? If you say no to either question, stop reading. Again, I am not talking to you. If you were 50/50, or said yes to both, please go to the next question.

3. Have you been to Wrigley Field? If you say no to this question and still feel the Cubs fans are the worse fans in baseball... Please see 4a. If you have been to Wrigley Field and told yourself yes, go ahead and skip down to 4b.

4a. To you, Mister "I have never been to a Cubs game in Chicago." Don't be upset that Cubs fans take over your home ballpark and make it our own. Yeah, we may get out of hand when we are yelling, "Lets go Cubbies!!!" But i have never been to a Cincinnati sporting event in which I did not see a fight. Until I was 20 years old, I thought that was suppose to be a part of the between inning entertainment. Just because we have a super station to pick up our games and a very loyal fan base that follows are team does not make us the "Worst fans in baseball!" Here is my advice, go support the home team and do not let us in the door!

4b. Oh the person(s) I have been waiting to talk to. You have made it. If you are reading this, you are telling me that you are not a Cubs fan. That you think the Cubs fan is the worst in baseball. You are telling me that you have been to Wrigley Field. If I am wrong, then stop reading. This is your last chance. However, if what you are telling me is true... we need to talk.
Your not a Cubs fan. You are a fan of another team. You think Cubs fans are poor. They have no jobs cause they take in afternoon baseball. You think people hang in the bleachers to get drunk and get phone numbers. You have been to Wrigley Field. You have done this. However, you are not a Cubs fan. First of all, to say The Cubs fan has no job and they are poor is inaccurate. Tickets cost a pretty penny and last time I checked, beer isn't free. Next, when is the last time you were at your ballpark, saw a good looking lady and didn't turn your head. I thought so. I am not going to lie, Chicks wearing Cubs appearel are hot. Most importantly, you have came to our park, got drunk, hit on women, did not care about the outcome, wore a Cubs shirt cause you wanted to fit in, threw up, and then went home. The problem with this is you are not a Cubs fan. You are a poser Cubs fan. You are the reason the Cubs fan get the reputation they have. You come to Wrigley because to you it is a party. For Cubs nation, YOU MAKE US LOOK BAD! Think about this next time you say, "Cubs fan goes to Wrigley Field for beer and broads," You go to Wrigley for beer and broads. We go to cheer on our home team!!!

Whats next...

2007-04-24T13:29:00.000-04:00

Summer has began...

With the new UK coaches being hired, and the football team improved, very improved... what do we do this summer??? I don't know if Roger is coming back... no one does... I asked Koby, he did not know. So what is there to do. I know most people have recruiting to get them through the day. I don't. I hate it. It only lasts so long. So what are you doing? Whats next in the sports world for central Kentucky???

2007-02-28T09:47:00.000-05:00

Something's rotten in the state of Denmark...

Okay, maybe it's in Lexington, Kentucky but same difference. The state of Kentucky's basketball program is in question, yet again. Doesn't it seem like this happens over and over again. Rumors are circling around the program and thus consuming the thoughts and conversations of every UK basketball fan in the Big Blue Nation.

If Tubby is no longer going to remain the coach, Mitch Barnhart did a good thing by not mentioning it in his statement. A vote of no confidence right now would kill the season right before tournament time.

However, if the plan is to keep Tubby Smith here in Lexington, then Mitch Barnhart's statement should have reflected those sentiments. I truly believe that his statement has brought about more questions surrounding the validity of the rumors floating around.

Speaking of confusion... It's time for UK fans to decide what they truly look for in a coach. Is it victories all around (regular season and tournament), or is it final fours? Sometimes, I believe that UK fans get caught up more in the race to get to the final four rather than the championship itself. What is the basic level of excellence that a coach must be expected to maintain at Kentucky? I honestly think that it needs to be laid out. When a coach takes a job here, why don't the fans just say:

"we expect you to do x by __. We also expect you to repeat x goal by _____. The means to which you achieve this goal we will live with. However, you must do this for us or we will put pressure on you until either you look elsewhere or UK decides to find someone else."

Tubby Smith spoke yesterday of the need for his team to find their identity. Well I think that goes the same for the UK fan base. What are the expectations for the UK basketball coach? Can we all agree upon something?

It is hard for me to hide my objectivity in this matter. I went to UK. I've been a UK fan since I was young. But we have to figure out what we want.

Everyone thought they wanted better recruiting, Tubby brought in the #1 recruiting class... We know what that did.

Is it just final fours and championships?

Let's all get together on this.

As for Tubby, I can't possibly understand how he can go through it every year. He knew what it was like here in Lexington when he became coach, but I think he honestly feels like he's tried everything with this team and with the fans. He's running out of options.

Now I'm not going to be one of those guys who blames the internet (because every team has message boards. They've been around for a while...) But the negativity has been around him since the beginning. So everyone can either decide to fix the relationship here, or it's time for the divorce.

But it would be premature to make the decision now. Mitch Barnhart was right to wait until the end of the season. Can the fans do the same?

2007-02-26T13:50:00.000-05:00

“Kentucky Finds New Way To Loose”
Wildcats Start Strong, Finish Weakly

NASHVILLE, TN - The University of Kentucky Wildcats found a new way this season to lose a closeSEC East game this season, falling today to the 17th ranked Vanderbilt Commodores 67-65. The Wildcats who had lost three of their previous four games due much in part to slow starts and falling behind by double digit margins early in the game. But today Kentucky started off in good form but ended up giving the game away late when the Wildcats couldn’t find offensive continuity.Over a span of approximately 13 minutes late in the game, UK had twelve turnovers after having at least a 10 point lead over the home standing Commodores. Kentucky shot 58.1% for the game from the floor compared to Vandy’s 41.4%. UK had a better free throw percentage than the Commodores at 81.8% compared to VU’s 69.2%. UK had two more team rebounds than the Commodores. So why didn’t Kentucky win? Several reasons.Vandy had eight more steals than Kentucky because of 19 Wildcat team turnovers. The afore mentioned 12 during a crucial portion of the game when momentum was swinging in the Commodores favor. At this point in the game I got that “OH NO” feeling in my stomach and I knew we were in trouble.Another reason the Wildcats lost? Lack of leadership from the starters. Over the past few games even the television media continue to notice and comment about Kentucky’s character. Case in point. Joe Crawford made a great defensive play at the end of the first half by making a steal and instead of passing the ball forward to a wide open and all alone under the basket Jodie Meeks, Crawford drove and dunked over his teammate. This, in my opinion, was an embarrassment to the school and showed all the sports world just how far Kentucky basketball has slipped this year.When personal highlight reels outweigh the team concept, your program is in trouble.
Another reason the Wildcats lost? Starters Ramel Bradley and Crawford, the two outspoken leaders who constantly want to shoulder the game and take the last second winning shots, were a combined 17 points. Randolph Morris was outscored by his relief Lukasz Obrzut. Obrzut had nine points to Morris’ four points. Morris looked lost and confused much of the game and was outplayed by Obrzut, yet Obrzut played less minutes. Bradley, Kentucky’s point guard, had four turnovers leading the team on the floor and was a non-factor in the game. Today’s Wildcat leader was of all players, Bobby Perry with 18 points.How do these players expect to make the next level when they can’t play as an unit? It seems to me that’s what is wrong with these guys. They are concerned about making big plays, highlight reels, ect, to impress some scout somewhere. Morris opted out of the NBA, and has since looked like he didn’t belong in the starting rotation for a major college like Kentucky. Wonder how far his NBA stock has fallen? Dick Vitale should hold a ESPN Monday segment of stock up stock down on Kentucky players and its coach Tubby Smith.I looked into Webster’s Dictionary for the definition of loyal. It means “Faithful to government, plighted love, duty; constant to friends or associates.” I consider myself a loyal Kentucky fan of the team and coach. But at some point, we have to look beyond players making or not making the plays on the floor. I’m not calling for Smith’s job or head. Smith looks lost and confused himself at times on television. I’m beginning to think he has lost grip on this team for a second season.I’ve heard all year from Mike Cameron how he was glad Kentucky lost it’s point guard from last year because he was a problem player. What was his name Mike? Yet here we are again, this year, same problems different shades of color. Tubby does not have control of this team."

Another reason the Wildcats lost? Starters Ramel Bradley and Crawford, the two outspoken leaders who constantly want to shoulder the game and take the last second winning shots, were a combined 17 points. Randolph Morris was outscored by his relief Lukasz Obrzut. Obrzut had nine points to Morris’ four points. Morris looked lost and confused much of the game and was outplayed by Obrzut, yet Obrzut played less minutes. Bradley, Kentucky’s point guard, had four turnovers leading the team on the floor and was a non-factor in the game. Today’s Wildcat leader was of all players, Bobby Perry with 18 points.How do these players expect to make the next level when they can’t play as an unit? It seems to me that’s what is wrong with these guys. They are concerned about making big plays, highlight reels, ect, to impress some scout somewhere. Morris opted out of the NBA, and has since looked like he didn’t belong in the starting rotation for a major college like Kentucky. Wonder how far his NBA stock has fallen? Dick Vitale should hold a ESPN Monday segment of stock up stock down on Kentucky players and its coach Tubby Smith.I looked into Webster’s Dictionary for the definition of loyal. It means “Faithful to government, plighted love, duty; constant to friends or associates.” I consider myself a loyal Kentucky fan of the team and coach. But at some point, we have to look beyond players making or not making the plays on the floor. I’m not calling for Smith’s job or head. Smith looks lost and confused himself at times on television. I’m beginning to think he has lost grip on this team for a second season.I’ve heard all year from Mike Cameron how he was glad Kentucky lost it’s point guard from last year because he was a problem player. What was his name Mike? Yet here we are again, this year, same problems different shades of color. Tubby does not have control of this team.
Kentucky already will play a first round SEC Tournament game for the second year in a row, and may fall ever further in the standings with a home game against Georgia and a road game in Gainesville.I am already dreadful for Wednesday nights game in Rupp Arena against the Bulldogs. Reason? Earlier this month there was talk about Kentucky fans storming the court if UK beat Florida. I am afraid fans my boo two of the three seniors on Senior Night. Whether the fans boo Sheray Thomas and Perry or not, I predict Obrzut will get a standing ovation.

Signing off from Richmond,
Glen

2007-02-22T14:18:00.000-05:00

“Will Revolutionizing The Cap Ensure MLB Players Better Performance?”
BUFFALO, N.Y. - In an effort to boost player performance, if homerun records, a “juiced” baseball and towering upperdeck shots of over 450 feet aren’t enough, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig has teamed up with New Era CEO Christopher Koch to develop a new polyester blend cap to replace the six-panel wool model adopted by MLB back in 1954. Koch said, “By revolutionizing the cap, we’re ensuring the players headwear provides the best performance while they play.”
Under the agreement, New Era will provide all MLB players with the new polyester blend cap by Opening Day 2007. New Era Vice President of Brand Communications said, “There’s a lot of tradition in baseball and we couldn’t completely go against that tradition so we always had that as a parameter, but we wanted to take as open-minded a look at this as possible.”
The new material wicks away moisture, is designed to shrink less, fade less, not allow colors to bleed into each other, and resist sweat stains. The material under the bill has changed from gray to black to reduce reflection from sun glare and stadium lights. The caps sweatband has changed from white to black to hide dirt better.
MLB is willing to prove the cap in the heat of the diamond fields of Major League ballparks; hopefully their experiment will go better than the now defunct new NBA basketball.
Personally, I like the old wool ballcaps that bare the scars, rips, sweat, and smell that occurred during the season. I think it adds flavor to the October pennant runs when a pitcher looks down from the mound wearing a tar-covered sweat stained cap. I guess fashion and comfort outweigh the old ways today. For the oldschool fan like myself, New Era plans to continue to produce retail wool caps, though of the fashion variety, in non-authentic colors and styles. Sign me up for one oldschool please. The team logo pictured for web models you might ask? Just for Criss Cross, you guessed it, the Boston Red Sox.

Signing off from Richmond in my old sweaty 100 % wool ballcap,
Glen

2007-02-21T16:52:00.000-05:00

“Cure For Kentucky Ills Not Found,
LSU Medicine Treats Symptoms”
Lexington, KY-With the cure still not found for the Wildcat’s Basketball illness, what Kentucky fans can only define as February Offensive blahs, LSU provided just the pill to treat the immediate symptoms of what appears to be a much larger problem. The Wildcats for the fourth straight game spotted its opponent a large first half lead. At home against Florida, the Wildcats trailed 16. Then UK trailed in Knoxville 16. At Alabama UK got behind 14. After trailing 16 to LSU in the first half, Kentucky rallied again for the fourth straight game. Instead of losing a close one the Wildcats won the game 70-63.
Similar to three consecutive recent loses to the Gators, Volunteers, and Crimson Tide, Kentucky came out of the gates as cold as February wind chill factors. UK made one of its first 12 shots covering the first 8 minutes of the game. With 6:48 left in the first half, the Tigers lead over Kentucky grew to 28-12.
Having the score doubled twice on Kentucky during its last two home games in February, Florida and LSU, has got the Blue Big Faithful headed for their own medicine cabinet. UK Coach Tubby Smith has been trying different concoctions in the form of mixing lineups over the past four games to no avail. Some sicknesses you just have to ride out. Fitting was last night’s game that ESPN called “Judgement Week”.
Kentucky is certainly facing judgement time.
At a crucial time, Kentucky got its direct line intravenous in the form of, among other things, a bench technical. Tiger Coach Brady got T’ed up while sitting in his seat complaining about a call. During the final stretch of 6:38 in the first half Kentucky went on a traditional Wildcat run outscoring LSU 18-3 to pull within 31-30 at halftime.
\n\nDuring the second half traditionally Kentucky would KO and opponent. But with the recent offensive illness the Wildcats have been unable to put away opponents. With the score tied at 58-58 at the 4:58 mark, Kentucky closed out the game on a 12-5 run to win 70-63.\n\nThe win can be attributed to the play of Randolph Morris and Criss Cross’ “Pick to click” Freshman Jodie Meeks. Morris finished with 20 points. Meeks played 27 minutes shot 60% from the floor, 3 of 3 from the free throw line and 3 of 5 from three-point land. Meeks also had one assist, one rebound, one steal, 0 turnovers, and 18 points.\n\nMeeks’ play has to be encouraging, but Kentucky has to be concerned about slow starts at the beginning of each half’s over the past four games. Concerning also is the fact that of Kentucky’s eight SEC wins, three came against teams without their stars. Those games included wins over Tennessee without Chris Lofton, Arkansas, and LSU without Glen Davis. Kentucky needs more than a temporary pill to treat symptoms. It needs a deep healing within. Come March when the SEC and NCAA Tournaments begin, Kentucky will not be able to spot any opponent double digit leads while suffering a February blah.

Signing off from Richmond,
Glen

2007-02-21T10:12:00.000-05:00

What were your thoughts on the UK v. LSU game?

Do you think the Cats have straightened the ship?

2007-02-19T17:43:00.000-05:00

With only four games left in the Cats' regular season, they seem to be a team that's lost. Their mental mistakes on both sides of the court are causing them to fall short in close cames.

Tubby Smith admits that his team is struggling, but feels that this team can return to their earlier season form. "We have to believe in each other and the system," he said in his press conference earlier today.

So what is it that this team needs to do to bounce back?

"It's the little things," Tubby said.

Although it sounds simple, those little things can add up to a big problem for these Kentucky Wildcats. Breakdowns in defensive coverage, missed shots, bad shot selections, lack of killer instinct, and slow starts have been the story of the Cats for the past three games.

"We need to be more disciplined," Tubby explained in his press conference.

Discipline is certainly a good start for these Wildcats, that still have a tough schedule ahead of them with games against LSU, Vandy, Georgia, and Florida still on their schedule.

This Kentucky team has been a victim of their own doing. In trying to do too much, they have forgotten the basics and in turn have defeated themselves in the past three games.

These mental breakdowns have been the undoing for the Cats.

With four games left in the regular season, they must work on the little things before tournament time.

They'll have a tough challenge with LSU. Glen "Big Baby" Davis is a presence in the middle, and will test the Cats down low. To make matters worse, Davis is the type of big guy that can pound you in the paint one possession, but can step out and hit the three on the next. Terry Martin is shooting well for the Tigers, he has 23 three-pointers in SEC play. With three players on their team scoring double digits a game (Davis 18.1, Mitchell 14.1, and Martin 10.4), defense is going to be key for the Cats in this game. Unfortunately, that's been the one thing that Kentucky seems to be lacking in their past three games.

By no means do I feel that three games determines a season, but I honestly feel that this game against LSU will set the tone for the Cats for the rest of the season and into the tournament. A loss against LSU could potentially send the team into a mental hole that could be too big to crawl out of. A win against LSU could restore confidence in the team that could make them dangerous in both tournaments. For now, it seems like this team is on the edge. Whether or not they fall off the cliff or ascend to the top of the mountain is to be seen.

Kentucky v. LSU 9pm Tuesday @ Rupp Arena

Keys to the game:
1. Kentucky by no means cannot have a slow start to this game
-They must press more and come up with more quick baskets. The small lineup has
allowed the Cats to push the ball up and down the court more. Maybe they need to go to
that lineup sooner.
2. They must have a presence down low
-In other words: Randolph Morris must show up. He admitted himself that his head
wasn't in the game against Alabama. Whatever he has to do to get there mentally, he
needs to figure it out before tomorrow night.
3. Mentally, everyone needs to get on the same page
-I hope I haven't said it too much, but they're beating themselves. Over the course of this
season we have seen flickers of greatness from them. Whatever they need to do,
whatever they need to find within themselves, they have until tomorrow to find it.

Key stat of the game:
There are so many... But I'm going to say that it's going to be 1st half points for the Cats. If they get off to a slow start, they will beat themselves trying to catch up.

Key player of the game:
It's been overdone, but Randolph Morris. He needs to have a good game against Davis.

I think Cats pull this one off 74-69.

2007-02-19T08:49:00.000-05:00

“LOST AND FOUND: ONE UK BASKETBALL HEAD”

TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - After suffering it’s third straight SEC loss in a row, Kentucky is in a search to regain its winning ways and the APB is out on the head formally belonging to the Wildcats big man Randolph Morris. After a 72-61 setback Saturday to the Alabama Crimson Tide, Morris said after the game, “My head wasn’t in the game.” When asked where his head was Morris responded, “If I knew where it was I’d have an idea where to find it.”Kentucky has now lost three SEC games in back-to-back February seasons, something not done since the 1922-1923 season. The loss at Alabama leaves Kentucky with a 7-5 record in SEC play. Another SEC loss or Florida win and the Wildcats are eliminated from any chance of winning the East.You have to know the Nation of Blue faithful are in a stir after the performance of their beloved team in the past three losses. Kentucky is sitting in a third place tie with Georgia in the East, 0-5 against ranked teams, and has had problems getting their games off to a good start. And if this is not enough, Morris is searching for his head.Apparently, as Morris’ head goes so does his game. After the Tennessee loss, Morris was quoted as saying he “didn’t defend well” by allowing so many in the paint points most of which were lay-ups or dunks. Morris was benched by UK Coach Tubby Smith early in the second half at home against the Gators. So one would deduce from the evidence that Morris lost his head somewhere along the game with Florida. Hopefully a Rupp Arena janitor has found Morris' head and not sold it on EBay. Morris needs his head badly. Kentucky opened the Alabama game going 1 of 9 from the floor with Morris committing two turnovers. He finished the game with eight. This problem has enveloped into a pattern. Kentucky fell behind to Florida by 16. Fell behind Tennessee by 16. Fell Alabama by 14. The last time Kentucky led a game was back on February 13, 2007 at Knoxville. Kentucky led the Vols 21-19 with 6:38 left in the first half. The Wildcats have been playing catch up ever since.
The Wildcats opened up the second half against the Crimson Tide by going 3 of 11 from the floor.And as in the past two games, with the game on the line, Kentucky’s Ramel Bradley took it upon himself to try to win the game. I keep reading and hearing quotes from either Bradley or Joe Crawford that they need to “step up” or “put the game upon their shoulders”. I’m not sure if this is Tubby’s call in the huddle or self imposed by each player. Where ever its coming from it is not working.Bradley finished the game shooting 4-15 from the floor of which he was 1 of 10 from the three point line. Bradley shot six of UK’s shots in the final two minutes and shot the last four. Typically a team wants the ball in the hands of its clutch shooter or whoever has the hot hand. Unfortunately, the Wildcats currently don’t have that clutch, hot handed shooter.Hopefully, over the next few games UK can work out whatever is wrong. I would hate to be Smith. With the Wildcat Blue Nation scratching its head, you have to wonder what Smith will do to get this turned around before the SEC Tournament and hopefully, dare I say it, the NCAA Tournament. Smith has LSU and Georgia at home, Vandy and Florida on the road, in which to figure out this puzzle. And what a puzzle it is.

Signing off from Richmond,
Glen

2007-02-16T10:23:00.000-05:00

John Amaechi: "The Man (No Longer) In The Middle"
This story has more frayed nerves attached to it than a Kentucky Basketball team on a two game skid headed into Tuscolousa, Alabama in late February. The former NBA player who is most notable for playing with the Orlando Magic, was in his playing days the only British player in the NBA. Oddly enough, he wore the number #13. A number phobic players stay away from because of superstition. After a stint of retirement, Amaechi came out with some personal bio in his new book "Man In The Middle". More specifically, information about his personal sexual selection/preference. I have not read the book nor do I intend to check it out, not because I have hatred toward Amaechi but because I'm just not interested.The sudden release of the book long after his hayday in the NBA has caught alot of people off guard. Just ask Le Batard of Radio 790 "The Ticket". Le Batard was interviewing Tim Hardaway about the Amaechi book because they were former teammates. Hardaway without warning began to speak displeasure with the books revelation and quite frankly said, "I hate gay people".Hardaway continued by saying that he felt Amaechi should not have been allowed in the locker room, if the world had known it back then. Le Batard informed Hardaway that his quotes made him a Homophobic and a biggot. Hardaway later apologized.On ESPN's Cold Pizza, Amaechi said the response was "overwhelming positive" the "emails were rewarding" and that there was a small minority of hate being spoken. Mark Cuban the true entrepanuer and Dallas Maverick that he is was quoted as saying if their were any NBA players that wanted to come out they could be rich.
As a former football and basketball player in a much more innocent era, I have to admit I don\'t know how I would have handled the situation.Sports has evolved in a big way. It was so protected and isolated from what could be found in the world. Every so often it seems sports takes a quantum leap. Jackie Robinson broke a barrier. Magic Johnson broke a barrier. The night the Pistons hosted the melee in the stands at the Palace broke a barrier. Floyd Landis broke a barrier. And now this.What do you think will be next?

Signing off from Richmond
Glen

As a former football and basketball player in a much more innocent era, I have to admit I don't know how I would have handled the situation. Sports has evolved in a big way. It was so protected and isolated from what could be found in the world. Every so often it seems sports takes a quantum leap. Jackie Robinson broke a barrier. Magic Johnson broke a barrier. The night the Pistons hosted the melee in the stands at the Palace broke a barrier. Floyd Landis broke a barrier. And now this.What do you think will be next?

Signing off from Richmond
Glen

2007-02-14T11:48:00.000-05:00

Having put behind them lost opportunities, more specifically Saturday's release of Florida after Kentucky had the Gators on the rope late in the game, the Wildcats look to make the most of opportunities tonight in Knoxville against the Tennessee Volunteers in sea of orange and white in Thompson-Boling Arena.
The Vols seem to be gearing up for a big night by pulling out all the stops. Mike Cameron reported earlier the unicycle will be out, and God only knows what else might surface, possibly a dog and pony show. Who knows? Bruce Pearl, clad in his orange blazer, does.
Local authorities are urging Tennessee fans to declare an orange out by wearing all orange to the game. Halftime ceremonies include the retiring of the jersey of Bernard King. Who might be King and his significance at this time?
King, a Vol alum from 1974-1977, played for Tennessee when the boys in orange beat the boys in blue five consecutive times. A feat not repeated until this past week when the disliked, alright in the nation of blue its hated, Gators. You can't help but believe this is nothing more than timely advertising by Pearl as he tries to pump up the citizens of Knox County in sticking it just a little bit deeper into Kentucky's ribs.
Pearl has the crowd on his side. It's well documented how he stripped chest naked and pounded his pectorals in the student body, of all things rooting for the Lady Vols. You can call it Orange Favor, but I think Pearl is lost in obscurity trying desperately to find identity for the men's team. After all, Football in Knoxville takes precedence and Pearl is resting in third place behind Pat Summit and her Lady Vol legacy. Is not the floor the men play on called Summit Floor?
Pearl in his wiley ways understands packing Thompson-Boling with the Tennessee faithful, the women's fan base, the legacy of King's play and the short-lived dominance over UK in the middle 70's, stirs the spirit of all tonight's contest. Pearl is looking for a big upset. Expect the house to be rocking. Similar to Saturday's Rupp Arena, only the fans will be sweating Kentucky dead.
\n\nWhen I look for proof Kentucky will win, I look at stats. In my profession, on the average people do the same thing over and over. Once you learn a persons habits, profiles, you know what to expect.\n\nTennessee is 13-0 at home this year. Five of those wins were SEC wins. On the road Tennessee is 0-5 in the SEC. Kentucky is 3-1 on the road in the SEC. For me I have to look closer than this.\n\nUK scores on average 73.2 ppg. UT allows 74.44 ppg. It would be safe to say Kentucky will score around 74 points tonight. The Vols score on average 80.8 ppg, but, the all important but, is the Wildcats only allow 64.9 ppg. That is a 16 point difference swing into Kentucky's favor. I'll split the difference and say UT will score 72. Final score, a close one 74-72 Wildcats win.\n\nThe only other factor left decided in the this storied 203rd meeting. The Chris Lofton factor. Recovered from his injury, Lofton scored eight points against LSU and then 16 against Vanderbilt. If Lofton averages his 20 UK wins. If Lofton breaks out big in front of the Orange faithful, it could get even more interesting.\n\nEither way it should be a shootout tonight in Knoxville.\n\n\nSigning off from Richmond, \n\nGlen\n\n \n\n\n\n\n",0]
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When I look for proof Kentucky will win, I look at stats. In my profession, on the average people do the same thing over and over. Once you learn a persons habits, profiles, you know what to expect.
Tennessee is 13-0 at home this year. Five of those wins were SEC wins. On the road Tennessee is 0-5 in the SEC. Kentucky is 3-1 on the road in the SEC. For me I have to look closer than this.
UK scores on average 73.2 ppg. UT allows 74.44 ppg. It would be safe to say Kentucky will score around 74 points tonight. The Vols score on average 80.8 ppg, but, the all important but, is the Wildcats only allow 64.9 ppg. That is a 16 point difference swing into Kentucky's favor. I'll split the difference and say UT will score 72. Final score, a close one 74-72 Wildcats win.
The only other factor left decided in the this storied 203rd meeting. The Chris Lofton factor. Recovered from his injury, Lofton scored eight points against LSU and then 16 against Vanderbilt. If Lofton averages his 20 UK wins. If Lofton breaks out big in front of the Orange faithful, it could get even more interesting.
Either way it should be a shootout tonight in Knoxville.
Signing off from Richmond,
Glen

Another Post from Glen

2007-02-12T11:10:00.001-05:00

The Great Heist. The previous sanctum known as Punk & Wagnell's front porch has been ramsacked by what can only be described as a well known current movie title. "Failure to Launch." It's all gone. The mayonnaise jar, lid and everything inside it. The hopes, promises, and all the guarantees of a University of Kentucky win over visiting defending champion Florida U Saturday night in Rupp Arena. Instead of a victory, with the dilemma of fans rushing the court, Kentucky fell to the Gators 64-61 with fans rushing to beat the traffic. The once safe area on the porch now violated, polluted, where are we to place our most treasured dreams? Before you call the Sheriff, the likely suspects, the Gators of the Swamp are not the culprits. Not directly anyway. The Modus Operandi? The thieves of Kentucky's win can only be found in the Wildcats inability to hit the basket. It was one of those nights Cawood Ledford would have called over the radio, "Kentucky can't hit the barn tonight." Three of 22 beyond the three point line. A dismal 13.6% against the number one team in the land. Inside at the charity stripe things were a little better but still not good. Twelve of 21 for 57%. With the recent new found offensive scoring betraying the 'Cats, Kentucky turned to the old faithful game we Kentuckian's know as Tubby Smith Basketball. Defense. And what a defensive effort it was. Tubby's gameplan was one for the ages. Kentucky's 35 seconds of constant pressure on every possession got to the Gators. Joakim Noah and Al Horford only played a combined 14 minutes in the first half because of foul trouble. Noah fouled out and finished with six points and six rebounds. That's trademark Tubbyball. Coupled with the fact Kentucky only turned over the ball 10 times for the game, the Wildcats were on pace for another blowout except the offense faltered and the wheels fell off their chariots. Kentucky missed all nine of their three pointers in the first half, were down by as many as 16, and at one point had the score doubled on them. With about six to go in the first, the record 24,465 Nation of Blue and White got behind their team, and the spirits of Rupp Arena began to stir. And like all other good UK teams do, Kentucky made a trademark Rupp Run. Florida, who normally scores around 82 a game, broke at the half with only 36 points to show, their big men in foul trouble all thanks to a gritty Kentucky defense. The upset was a brewing. Kinda of odd is it not? Talking about Kentucky at Rupp sizing up to upset someone. Kentucky actually outshot Florida scoring 34 points in the second half compared to the Gators' 28. But three for 13 second half shooting behind the arc won't win games whether your playing the Sisters Church of the Poor or the Gators of Billy don't call me kid any longer. I know somewhere today in Winchester Criss Cross is feeling the pain of a failed once secure place. Like me he'll probably avoid the water cooler on Monday. If I do it won't be because I was ashamed of our Wildcats effort. I know we will play them again in Gainseville, and again possibly in the SEC Tourney. Florida be warned. Punk & Wagnell installed a security system and I seen Cross carrying another mayo jar filled with all the hopes, dreams, promises of another Kentucky win. All this talk of Florida replacing Kentucky as the East power is only a figment of someone's imagination. Enough of that. I hear in the background talk of Lofton, Knoxville, and Tuesday night. Don't you just love being the Kentucky Wildcats?
Signing off from Richmond,
Glen

2007-02-10T14:42:00.000-05:00

Well... What can I say about this game that hasn't already been said.

6 hours until the big game.

6 hours until the showdown between the Cats and the Gators. 6 hours before the #1 team in the country takes to the court in Rupp Arena (something that has only happened 2 other times before).

I don't have to breakdown their starters. You all know the lineup: Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer, Al Horford, Lee Humphrey, and Taurean Green.

So what do the Cats have to do to win this game?

1. Rebounding - Rebounding is key for the Cats. They've had problems rebounding all year. They hardly ever get offensive boards (see second chance points) and it's a big problem. Maybe some of that is due to the fact that they take long shots, but they need those boards.

2. They have to be physical - Florida is a very physical team. The only way that they can do well is if they play physical too. Enough said.

3. Limiting turnovers - UK has been doing a good job lately limiting their turnovers. Today would be a good day to keep that going.

4. Randolph Morris - he's GOT to get involved in this game if UK is going to have a chance.

5. Joe Crawford - His matchup against Brewer is probably the most important matchup of all.

I'll have my adventures with ESPN Gameday later...

2007-02-08T11:59:00.000-05:00

Cats over South Carolina 95-89

For those of you that missed last night's break out first half, don't worry, I'm sure we'll see it again. Let's recap what happened last night (there was a lot):

The first thing that obviously pops into my mind is the fact that Woo started over Randolph Morris. Hopefully this got Morris angry for the game on Saturday against Florida. This also was a good wake up call to all the players; Tubby isn't afraid to bench anyone. It doesn't matter who you are. Well, as far as last night went, it worked for Morris. He ended up with 17pts and 8 rebounds. He also had 3 huge dunks in the first half.

I know that you can never really predict Tubby's substitution habits, but I think that he subbed well in the first half. There were almost two waves for the first 10 minutes. The first wave consisted of Bradley, Crawford, Jasper, Perry, and Woo. The second wave (done in a mass substitution) was Porter, Thomas, Meeks, Stevenson, and Morris. Finally, after 10 minutes, Morris was allowed to go back to the first wave, and Woo returned to the second wave.

At the end of the first half, UK had scored 50 points. In their last two halves combined (the 2nd half of Arkansas and the 1st half of South Carolina) the Cats scored 102 points. How about this offense?

Have you noticed that the Cats have been pushing the court more (thanks to Crawford, Meeks, and Bradley)?

If they let up like they did in this game, they will not beat Florida.

Honestly, I think that after they went up 28, they just felt like that was enough to coast through the rest of the game. I think at halftime they started to look towards Florida.

We'll see what happens on Saturday.

I'll have a preview of the game on Friday.

2007-02-07T12:26:00.000-05:00

I never like to let anything die... Especially the blog. I may not be able to do it every day, but I'll definitely get it done around game days. Glen, call me down at the station when you get a chance.

Tonight, the Kentucky Wildcats take on the South Carolina Gamecocks at Rupp Arena.

Here's what you should know about South Carolina (in case you forgot since the first time UK played them this season):

G - Tre' Kelley 6'0" 190lb Sr.
-He's averaging 16.8 ppg and is SC's leading scorer. Last game he played against
UK he wasn't 100%. He's a physical point guard who can shoot the 3 and will be
a tough matchup for Jasper since he is so small and quick. Look for Jasper to use his
height and reach advantage in this one.
G - Bryce Sheldon 6'4" 196lb Sr.
-Sheldon has picked it up during his SEC play and is now averaging 8.1 ppg. He's
shooting 86% from the charity stripe, so when crunch time comes, he's not the one
to foul
F - Dominique Archie 6'7" 208lb RS-Fr.
-He's second on the team in rebounding, averaging around 5 per game.
F - Evaldas Baniulis 6'7" 209lb Fr.
-A freshman role player who has okay production averaging 4.6ppg and 2.7rpg
C - Brandon Wallace 6'9" 203lb Sr.
-Although he could stand to gain some weight, he's a force down low with 60 blocks
so far this season. To make matters worse, he's averaging around 10.5ppg and 9.6rpg

So, where are the Cats at right now. Well, besides being 17-5 (6-2) SEC, they've moved up to 20th in the AP polls and 18th in the Coaches poll. Right now, they're 2nd in the SEC East behind Florida who is a perfect 8-0 in SEC play.

What do the Cats have to do to win this game?
1. Rebounding is key. Wallace is a force down low, and the Cats need to work on their rebounding (for those of you that forget, Arkansas beat them on the boards).
2. Randolph Morris must be more aggressive before his man gets the ball. This in turn will keep his fouls down. Going along with this thought, he can't play not to foul. His game is a lot better when he is aggressive.
3. Crawford, Bradley, and Morris have to put it together. They're all productive, but it seems like they each pick it up at different times of the game/week/season. If they can put it all together in the same game they will be dangerous.

My prediction... Kentucky 77 South Carolina 69

More on this after the game...

A Post From Glen

2007-01-30T19:32:00.001-05:00

MEMORIAL

Tonight I sit before the blank space that has a blinking curser and I ponder what might have been.It seems just like yesterday I remember that beautiful first Saturday in May, when a champion shined before the world while he held their attention for almost two minutes.Like a stout stallion riding into a battlefield to inact his power upon a preiously strong foe.From the gates he exited with a purpose and galloped around the Churchill Downs homefront for the first time lost in the obscurity of a modge of thorobreds.Each in his own right, bred, trained, disciplined, to hold position and when the time was right, to release a fury that would carry them to the wire.From the backstretch, I remeber well, a champion made his move. Along the backstretch and its final turns the heart of a champion began to pound.And when the time came to release the homestretch push, the jockey without much whip, asked of a champion what most horses could not produce. But this was no ordinary horse.I'm sure many a jockey has asked his horse down the stretch for more than could be found. But this champion, with nostils flared, head held high, lengthened his stride, and what a stride it was.With each stride the dusty space between number one and the obscurity of the hord grew to insurmountable lengths.As I watched this beast of strength, speed, and heart I could feel my own heart climb the staircase of my throat. Cold chills covered over my arms.And from my own piece of obscurity that I call home, I cheered a champion down the final straight stretch. That's what he did for us all. He made us feel like we were champions with him.And when he crossed the finish line, no photo examination would be needed and I knew I had just witnessed something special.This was no ordianry Kentucky Derby. This Running for the Roses had produced a bouque much more fragrant than the roses draped over this champions neck.No time records were broken that day. But you just knew the spirit of past champions like Seattle Slew, John Henry, Man O' War had just surfaced once again in the great Bluegrass State.As I look out my window tonight I'm taken away from that warm Saturday of a Spring Day by winters chill, accompanied with light snow. The cold has replaced all the glamour, pomp, glory of that day.I now know how big the heart of this champion really was. For some eight months, held by a sling at times. Many surgeries, and countless times of pain and agony. My champion lost a race.A race most other horses would have given over to much earlier.Deep down though, I know that somewhere in a far off distant pasture. Man O' War, and a host of other champions have welcomed a new kid on the back forty.A youngster removed before his time. A champion with a heart bigger than any sun that ever shone over the Bluegrass for any Kentucky Derby.A champion named Barbaro.I love you kid. And I'll always wonder what might have been.

Signing off from Richmond,
Glen

2007-01-25T17:42:00.000-05:00

The game last night leaves me with many things on my mind... Many of which I'm going to have to think long and hard about before I put them up on this blog. Since I'm out on site with Mike and Chris right now at the Ketch, and since I'm typing on Chris Cross' computer, I cannot give enough time that a response to this game deserves. Know that I will type out a great response to this game when I get some time tonight.

Glen and J-Delicious, keep your heads up. At least we have the blog for group therapy. Glen, do you think you could get more of your friends to post on the blog? If more people get involved with it, I'm sure I could get Chris and Mike to use it on the show more.

Just an idea. If you all have any ideas on how to improve the blog, let me know.

-John

UK v. Georgia

2007-01-24T13:37:00.000-05:00

Tonight the University of Kentucky basketball team will travel to Athens to take on the Georgia Bulldogs. This is the first of two games that UK will play against Georgia this year. UK is coming off of a 67-72 loss to Vanderbilt on Saturday in Rupp Arena. Georgia is coming off of a 78-76 loss to Alabama.

Here's what you need to know about Georgia:

Sundiata Gaines a 6'1" 205 lb Jr is averaging 9.3 ppg and he's the team leader with 4.5 apg
Levi Stukes a 6'1" 205 lb Jr is averaging 12.5 ppg and is one of the SEC leaders in 3pters
Mike Mercer a 6'4" 185b Soph is the Georgia's leading scorer with 15.1 ppg
Takais Brown a 6'8" 250 lb Jr is averaging 14.2 ppg
Dave Bliss a 6'10" Jr is averaging 4.4 ppg and 3.7 rebounds per game

So what does that mean?

Georgia is a very physical team that doesn't make many defensive mistakes. Sundiata Gaines has improved since the Cats saw him last year. UK matches up against them pretty well height wise. It is going to be more important for UK to mantain control of the ball in this game and limit their turnovers. Georgia is the type of team that can get you with their defense. Their coach, George Felton, coaches his team very much like Tubby Smith coaches UK.

Some keys for UK in this game:
1. UK needs to have defensive stops in order for them to win. Georgia cannot come down the court and score every time.
2. Randolph Morris absolutely needs more than 8 shots. With the inside out game that Tubby likes to run, the Cats must have Morris touch the ball on almost every possession. Whether or not he shoots it or kicks it back out.
3. UK needs more bench production.
4. Fatigue cannot be a factor. The Cats were a little winded at the end of the Vandy game. Hopefully substitution patterns can work in their favor tonight.

For more analysis make sure you tune into the pre/post game tonight with me, Jim Tirey, and Ryan Lemond. We'll be on from 6-7 and for an hour after the game. You can get in on the action by calling 381-1313 or #1300 on your T-Mobile phone!

2007-01-20T19:03:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't been posting this week. My mom's in town and I only see her twice a year.

Instead of posting all my thoughts (which I'll be sure to do soon), I want to know what you all thought about the UK Vanderbilt game.

Hope to hear from you all soon.

While UK Was Drilling South Carolina

2007-01-17T11:34:00.000-05:00

I'm sure most of the Bluegrass was catching the UK vs. USC action on ESPN. But, if you didn't turn the channel to ESPN2, you missed what was possibly the most exicting basketball game in the several years.

Oklahoma State vs. Texas at the Hallowed Halls of Historic Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, OK.

This was a classic struggle, a 3OT 105-103 win for the Cowboys.

(Let me say that I work for OSU's Radio Broadcast and used to do the same for Texas a few years ago. One of my other jobs is working for Host Communications, the people that bring you the Big Blue Network.)

UK/USC and UT/OSU tipped off at the same time last night, 9pm. If you stayed with the Blowout UK win and you are a TRUE basketball fan, you really missed a show.

Kevin Durant, the Freshman sensation for the young Longhorns, leading the Big 12 in Scoring and Rebounding, plays 52 minutes and matches his career high for Points with 37. Rick Barnes' Freshman and Sophomore loaded team was back in the Top 25, just like Kentucky, for the first time since November.

On the Cowboys side, there's just 7 scholarship players and 1 walk-on. Thier Freshman sensation, Obi Muonello, a Guard who helped the Cowboys win in the early part of the year with HUGE games, broke his leg in one of Sean Sutton's PRACTICES and is unavailable for the duration of the season. Terrell Harris had his eye socket busted in a game a few weeks ago and had to wear a protective mask. He took it off to play THIS GAME!

Texas rolls out to a 9-point lead early, only be pushed by the Cowboys, who wind up leading at the Half, 38-36.

Out of the Half, The Longhorns go on another 9 point surge and OSU answers.

In the 2nd half, possibly the shot of the Season, with the Shot Clock squeezing out the final seconds on an OSU possession, Byron Eaton tosses a wild shot from the Sideline, near half court, A BASEBALL PASS that drains!

Durrant logs 52 minutes in the game. Equals HIS Big 12 Freshman record 37 points in this game.

Both teams slug it out like prize fighters. Texas' D. J. Augustin tied the game with a 3 at 13 seconds left in regulation... They start the OT with OSU down to just 6 players as Eaton and F Marcus Dove foul out near the end of regulation. One of those 6, Kenny Cooper, had strep throat and tried to go but couldn't, he played 6 minutes early and sat out the rest of the game. The OTHER of the 6 (who are now just 5 with Cooper out for illness.) is walk-on Tyler Hatch, who was doing his best Wolverine impersonation with the Hair. Hatch books 33 minutes in the game including ALL of the 3OT periods.

As we wind down regulation and head to the first OT, we find out that Sean Sutton had slipped on ICE after his Radio Show Monday Night and had back spasms througout the game, including a scary incident with :13 to play in regulation where he almost fainted on the Sidelines.

First OT: Tied at 81 with 7.8 to play, David Monds hits a 2 to go up 83-81. Augustin hits a reverse layup @ :2.9 and it's tied at 83 at the end of OT #1.

Second OT: with :8.8 to play, Boggan gets blocked by Durrant with OSU up 93-91. Durrant goes coast to coast with the slam to tie it at 93 with :06 to play. Later, Durrant tries a 3 at the Buzzer but it doesn't go in.

Third OT: One for the Ages... Texas, down 100-97 gets a 3 from Conner Atchley to go ahead by 1 with 1:47 left. OSU edges ahead 102-100 as the clock winds down again to :12.7.

Kevin Durant gets the Hoop and the Harm to lead the game for the Longhorns with 10.5 to play in OT #3. Texas is up 103-102 with the clock expiring.

Then, the improbable... Mario Boggan, who has played all but 1 minute in this 55 minute masterpiece, and is 5-33 on the season from 3-point land, with a man hanging on him, buries a 3 and the Cowboys go ahead 105-103 with 3.2 left.

Texas brings the ball down in hopes of tying it and sending it to a 4th overtime but, you can't do that when you WALK while bringing up-court.

Game over, Durant ties a career high with 37 and 12 boards. Going 13-31 from the field. Boggan trumps Durant with a 37 point, 20 rebound game.

WHEW! Now, your job: See if it's an Instant Classic no ESPN Classic and TIVO it, never erasing it. It was magic!

Did you see the game or did you stay with the UK Blowout win? What's the greatest game YOU ever saw? The Bayou Miracle? Tubby Beating Duke in the NCAA's? The Christian Lattener game? Let us know!

Sound Off on UK Game

2007-01-16T18:54:00.000-05:00

UK takes on South Carolina tonight at 9pm on ESPN

Here's your chance to sound off before, during, and after the game.

We'll be checking the blog throughout the pregame show (from 8pm to 9pm) to see if you have anything to say, you can always feel free to comment during the game, and of course we'll be checking it after the game during the post game show (for one hour after the game).

UK on 11 Game Winning Streak

2007-01-15T11:29:00.000-05:00

The University of Kentucky basketball team has now stretched it's winning streak out to 11. They are a perfect 13 and 0 when leading at the half. They are 1 -3 when trailing at the half. Their only losses so far have been to North Carolina, Memphis, and UCLA. But that's not what this blog is about today...

This is a different team; a special team. Unlike the team of last year, this year's Kentucky basketball squad just finds a way to win. If it's close or not, UK is always in the game. It may be a close game, but they always have a shot. What do you think is so different about this team?

Do you think it's the team dynamic? Obviously, this team has a different relationship with each other compared to last year's team. When it comes down to crunch time, it doesn't even look like they feel any pressure. A couple of huge blocks by Morris, a block by Jasper, and huge free throws from Bradley down the stretch proved this. They just find a way to win.

That being said, I cannot help but be a little worried. So far in 3 SEC games, UK has won a game in which a smaller, quicker Todd Abernathy gave them problems, they won a game in which they had 19 turnovers and the opposing team tried 35 3's, and won a game in which they only shot 36% from the field and had hardly any bench points.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be negative. I'm just honestly and truly trying to evaluate where the team is at right now. If UK plays the way that they played against these SEC West teams against some of these other big teams, there could be some tough games ahead. Honestly, do you think some of these things would fly against Florida, Alabama, LSU, or Tennessee? Not to mention the fact that Arkansas and South Carolina look good. Even VANDY upset Tennessee this week!

In a world of college basketball full of balance and parody, I'm glad UK has heart. It's going to get them far this season. And unlike last year, I truly believe UK is in every game they play. We'll have to wait and see what happens.

By the way, we'll be on the air with the ESPN Sports Radio 1300 pre and post game show for the South Carolina game. Make sure you tune in to listen to me, Jim Tirey, and Ryan Lemond, as we give YOU the opportunity to be the star of the show. We'll be on from 8pm-9pm with the pregame and for an hour after the game for post game. Give us a call at 381-1313 to get your voice heard!

2007-01-12T11:32:00.000-05:00

I'm wondering if there's any loyalty or integrity left in sports anymore. If anyone knows where it's hiding, please let me know. I understand there's plenty of good people left in this world, but somehow the bad apples have made the whole basket of fruit bad. Let's recap some of the biggest losers in sports today.

And in no particular order...

1. Terrell Owens (this used to be Keyshawn Johnson)
Terrell, or should I say "T.O." has become a "team destroyer" and his next victim has become the Dallas Cowboys. Never have I ever seen or heard a bigger drama queen. It's as if he carries around a personal spotlight in his back pocket in case we forget to put it on him. By the way, have you all noticed his skill, or lack thereof, of catching this year?

T.O. is like that friend you put up with because every once in a while they come through for you. Like that friend that is annoying and tags around with you but every once in a while he buys a round so it's okay.

2. Floyd Landis (See all olympic starts that doped... you know secondary sports)
I failed a drug test because I drank too much Jack Daniels. Wow... I know that the whole Tennessee whiskey is behind Kentucky Bourbon, but I didn't know it was that far behind.

3. Nick Saban (See No. 4)
Hey, money runs the world doesn't it? There was a better way to go about this situation. I understand he wants to be back in college...

4. Bobby Petrino (See No. 3)
This guy had one foot out the door the whole time he was at Louisville. Way to sign the 10 year deal and leave 10 months later.

5. Barry Bonds (See McGuire, Sosa, Palmero)
I'm sick of even talking about this guy. He's gotta come clean. And to rat out your teammates in the process! The saddest thing about this whole situation is the fact that Canseco comes out looking like a model for honesty.

Allright everyone, I'm off to the Keenan Burton and Tubby Smith press conferences. I'm sure I'll have a post about them when I come back.

I'm Sorry For the Delay...

2007-01-11T14:01:00.000-05:00

As you can tell from Skip's post, we're both very sorry about the delay of the return of the blog. But if you haven't noticed, it's back and better than ever. Now the blog has links and all sorts of fun stuff on it.

Anyway, let's get back to business. What have we missed since our old blog posts...

1. The Kentucky Football team had a great season and ended up winning the Music City Bowl! Rich Brooks' contract has been extended for an undisclosed amount of time, Mike Archer has left to take the defensive coordinator position at N.C. State, and recruiting coordinator/running backs Coach Caragher has left to take the head coaching position at San Diego University.

2. The UK Basketball team has got itself to 13-3 and their only losses have come to Memphis, UCLA, and North Carolina which are all respectable teams. They have started off their SEC season strong winning 2 in a row against SEC opponents, including a 27 point victory last night against Auburn. However, starting at the end of January, UK faces an extremely tough 8 game stretch starting with Georgia on January 24th. What are your feelings about the season so far?

Is there anything else that is on any of your minds? I'm sure I'll get to coaching and all that fun stuff later. How's everyone been? Hope you all had a great holiday season. It's good to be back on the blog.

If you all have any comments about ESPN Sports Radio 1300, ways we can improve, or ways that we can make your listening experience more enjoyable, please let me know. Thanks again!

We forgot and Tirey's Tirade!

2007-01-11T13:00:00.000-05:00

Well, how stupid we've been. After the New Year, and all of the brain cells we've killed, no one alerted us that we, apparently NOW have to pre-approve the posts you send us. (Except for that one guy who kept leaving comments on the blog that would not show up, saying that we have to 'approve' posts before they show up... UH, DUH! HOW WERE WE SUPPOSED TO KNOW IF WE DIDN'T KNOW WE WERE SUPPOSED TO APPROVE THE POSTS BEFORE THEY SHOWED UP!
(Venting... capacitor... melting... down...)

SPEAKING of Venting! Have you heard "Tirey's Tirade", yet? I asked our resident UK Pre and Post Game triumverate to let me publish the rants that Jim Tirey does after UK Games on SportsRadio 1300 on our website.
The first deals with the UK vs. Auburn game from Wed 1/10. It's posted on the website at http://www.wlxg.com. We'll update it as we get new ones but, if you haven't heard anyone dogging a team after beating thier opponent by 27!!!!!! You need to click there.

Hope everyone had a great Holiday, especially the guys who are waiting for thier posts to be approved so we can post them. (I'm still confused!)

Go CATS!
Skip

2006-12-05T11:45:00.000-05:00

Our UK basketball pre/post game show will now be for EVERY GAME!

Join Jim Tirey, Ryan Lemond, and myself every game night for one hour before the game and for one hour after the game for a show that's centered around YOU the listener.

You'll hear our take on things, but we want to know what you have to think. This is the show where you can call in and be part of the show! Call 381-1313 or hit #1300 on your T-Moble Wireless Phone to get on the show.

We will be broadcasting from our downtown studio tonight for a pre/post game as UK takes on the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. We'll then be there Saturday for the game against Indiana.

2006-12-01T12:40:00.000-05:00

Where has everyone been?

Well today's your chance to sound off. ANYTHING you want to talk about, we're all ears. Do you want to talk about UK travelling to play North Carolina tomorrow? Do you want to talk about what bowl Kentucky will be in for football? Do you wanna talk about NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB? Whatever it is, give us your best shot.

2006-11-29T09:38:00.000-05:00

Allright, so the Cats are 4-2 now. After a tough going in Maui, the Kentucky Basketball team pulled out a win against the College of Charleston Cougars Tuesday night 77-61.

Kentucky held the Cougars to 37% from the field in the 1st half, which allowed them to go on a run that College of Charleston could not overcome.

Junior Randolph Morris scored 17 for the Cats, while Joe Crawford threw in 15, and Perry Stevenson contributed with 14.

Which brings me to my question...

What lineup would you like to see for the Cats this year? Does Perry Stevenson have to be in the game? Are there other areas that you think need to be addressed?

Let us know what you think!

2006-11-27T14:52:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone,

How about leaving some of your Christmas wishes. We would like it in the mode of the man laws.

Give us some ideas that you would like to talk about on the Huddle.

Thanks

Mike

2006-11-27T14:44:00.000-05:00

Outside the Huddle

I have never been more excited at the prospect of a place opening in a long time. Right here in victorian square is going to be the best sports grille and pizzeria in town. Brooklyn sports grille will be open this Saturday dec 2nd what a great place to eat and watch the games.

2006-11-22T16:21:00.000-05:00

Live Game Blog:

Are you watching the UK Memphis game on TV right now during the Huddle? If so, what do you think about the game? What do you think about the team in general? What do you want us to know? You guys make the blog today...

2006-11-20T09:56:00.000-05:00

Weekend Recap:

The basketball team returns to form as Ramel Bradley contributes with 21 pts, 5 assists, and only 2 turnovers.

The football team eeeks out a close one 42-40 over Louisiana Monroe. Let's just be glad that they got this one out of their system before Tennessee and the bowl game.

The basketball team takes on DePaul tonight at 9pm in the start of the Maui Tournament.

Here are my questions to you all:
1. What did you think about the basketball game Friday? Did this reassure you after the Miami of OH game?
2. What did you think about the football game on Saturday?
3. What do you think about the upcoming game against Tennessee?
4. What do you think the Cats chances are of winning the Maui Tourney?

2006-11-16T08:34:00.000-05:00

Cats 57 Miami University 46. UK is 1-0 (that's the important thing).

Sure, it wasn't the prettiest thing in the whole entire world, but that doesn't matter on paper. It matters when we analyze it, but years down the line when we look back at it, a win is a win is a win.

On our post game show, Jim Tirey, Ryan Lemond, and I, went in to depth about the game (by the way you can listen to us an hour before the game and an hour after the game). Here's what we came up with:

1. Stevenson is amazing. He had 7 blocks! Tubby has no choice but to play Stevenson because of his defense. Woo only had 8 minutes in this game because of the way Stevenson played.

2. Morris needs to be worked into the game more. He only had 7 shots the whole game. Stevenson maybe had 1 shot the whole first half. Where's the inside game? When Morris touches the ball at least once a possession, the offense runs much more smoothly.

3. Cut back on the turnovers

4. What happened to the uptempo game?

5. Jodie Meeks is going to be amazing.

Personally, I tend to side on the belief that this was the first real game. The freshmen were probably a little nervous. Rupp Arena has a different feeling from exhibition to regular season game... Wait until they've played a little bit before we jump all over them. Like I said before, a win is a win is a win.

2006-11-15T16:46:00.000-05:00

Outside the Huddle

OK OK--- THROUGH MANY MANY DAYS OF BEGGING BY JOHN I WILL NOW POST MY FIRST BLOGGING EXPERIENCE.

I REALLY DON'T UNDERSTAND ALL FUSS ABOUT THE BCS STANDINGS. AFTER ALL IN ANY SYSTEM YOU CAN PLAY THE WHAT IFS. ARGUABLY, IF THE WORLD SERIES WAS PLAYED AGAIN THE OUTCOME COULD BE "AND I SAY COULD BE" DIFFERENT. NCAA BASKETBALL IS EXCITING BECAUSE ON ANY GIVEN NIGHT A TEAM OF LESSER NOTABILITY CAN AND DOES WIN. NOW HOW IS THAT BEING SURE THE BEST TEAM IS THE NATIONAL CHAMPION. SEEMS TO ME IT IS THE BEST TEAM AT THE TIME. I THINK PROBABLY BECAUSE OF MY PSYCHOLOGY DEGREE AND THE COUTLESS HOURS YOU SPEND ON STATISTICAL PROBABILITY I AM IN TOTAL AGREEMENT WITH THE BCS. BASED ON ALL NUMBERS ABOUT WHO PLAYED WHO AND THE WON LOSS COLUMN THE STATISTICS ARE A BETTER GUAGE OF WHO REALLY DESERVES THE CHANCE TO PLAY FOR THE TITLE THAN ANY PLAYOFF SYSTEM COULD MUSTER. AFTER ALL THE FIGURES NEVER LIE BUT LIERS ALWAYS FIGURE. GOOD DAY

2006-11-15T09:08:00.000-05:00

The UK men's basketball season officially starts today... THE WAIT IS OVER.

No more, last year they lost 10 games...
No more, there was no chemistry...
No more...
No more...

Before the season starts, and after you've seen them play a couple of exhibition games. I'm curious where you think the Cats will end up this season. Give me a prediction of their W-L, where they'll finish in the SEC tournament, and where they'll finish in the NCAA tournament.

As far as Miami of OH goes, how do you think they'll do tonight?

Their tallest starter is 6-9, but they have some bruisers that are 200+ lbs.

The starting lineup is looking to be:
Morris
Stevenson
Perry
Crawford
Bradley

By the way, I know it's getting way overblown by the media, but do you think what Bobby Knight did was wrong?

2006-11-13T09:21:00.000-05:00

UK has officially turned themselves around; they are in a bowl for the first time since 1999. Even better, is that the team is starting to come together even more late in the season. Rafael Little is back, Keenan Burton had his best game ever, Alfonso Smith, Tony Dixon, and Dicky Lyons Jr remain solid in their positions... And of course, there's Andre Woodson. The player that was involved in a quarterback "controversy" in the beginning of the season. What happened to Curtis Pulley in all of this?

Anyway, what bowl do you think UK will end up in?

What have you been most pleased with this season?

Do you think UK can win out?

By the way, how about the NFL? What a crazy weekend.

2006-11-08T19:21:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow, Louisville will play Rutgers in one of the biggest games ever for both teams. Rutgers has typically never been this high in the rankings and Louisville has the chance to play for the BCS championship.

Do you think Louisville should play for the championship if they win out?

If you don't think they should, who should take their place?

What would fix the BCS rankings? (I know it's the big question every year)

2006-11-07T13:15:00.000-05:00

Pre-season's over...

Whatever happened before doesn't mean anything now. The only thing the Cats can do is focus on Miami of Ohio coming up next Wednesday.

Here's what I took from last night's game:

Stevenson is going to be a force to be reckoned with. The Big Blue Network said he had 8 blocks, the official box score said 5. Anyway you cut it, he's a defensive presence early. He is going to play and play soon. I could potentially see him breaking the starting lineup (depending on how Sheray Thomas plays when he comes back).

Meeks is another guy who will play soon. He's proven himself as a scorer (which is something UK needs after the loss of Rondo). He's also shown that he's one of the quickest guys on the floor at all times.

Morris... What can you say about him? He's one of the keys to the season. He HAS to stay out of foul trouble and he has to be in the game.

I'm still waiting for Crawford to break out.

Perry did some really good things and some bad things last night. He did a great job guarding someone a lot quicker than he was, but he shouldn't be trying to shoot when he beats someone off the dribble. He's typicially someone who works better when he gets an open look.

Bradley is unquestionably the leader of the team. I know that Perry is the "senior leader" but this team is going to live and breathe on the shoulders of Ramel Bradley. He still had a solid game (despite the turnovers). This team will go as far as he can carry them.

Woo and Carter will lose playing time due to Stevenson and the return of Sheray Thomas. Look for them to go in to pick up fouls (along with Coury) and to give Morris a rest.

Porter and Jasper will be solid contributors to the Cats this year, but not to the level of Meeks and Stevenson.

I think this will be a better team than most people think...

2006-11-05T18:40:00.000-05:00

Did you ever think this would happen? Only one day ago UK took a huge step to becoming bowl elgible. In fact, they could even get to 7-5 this year with a win over Vandy and Louisiana-Monroe. What would happen if the Cats went 8-4 with a huge last game win over Tennessee? Would Kentucky fans tear down the school?

There are a few scenarios that I can take from this season...

1. Rich Brooks comes back to continue the rebuilding of Kentucky's football program. He has built the foundation, it's time for him to build the rest of the house.

2. Rich Brooks hands over the reigns to another coach and retires.

3. Rich Brooks hands over the reigns to another coach and becomes the AD of Oregon (brought up in our UK Football Pregame show).

Whichever way you slice it, Rich Brooks is not going anywhere for a while nor do I blame UK for keeping him.

The question I have to ask though, is does this take any of the spotlight away from the basketball team? In Kentucky, basketball is king. However, with the way Louisville and Kentucky are playing, will the focus remain on football for longer than usual?

2006-11-04T19:04:00.000-05:00

The goalposts came down...
The fans cheered...
One of the biggest wins EVER at UK...

That's right, I'll say it. This had to be one of the biggest wins ever at UK. The Kentucky Football team finally beat someone that they weren't supposed to beat. I know I said it earlier in the week, but this was THE MOST IMPORTANT game of the season for UK. The game that really counts now will be Louisiana-Monroe (unless UK beats Vandy next week at home).

(I also called that this was a winnable game by the way)

What does this mean for the UK Football Team and it's coaching staff?

Do you think the goalposts should have come down?

I'll have more on this tomorrow...

2006-11-03T09:07:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone,

So for those of you that were lucky enough to go to the UK game last night, I was suprised at the lack of people in the seats. But, that's not the real story. Yes, I understand it's Lindsey Wilson, but those freshmen looked pretty good. He played 3 of them (Meeks, Jasper, and Stevenson) for over 20 minutes and played Porter for 17. Meeks even had 28 minutes! It wasn't Meeks point scoring ability that impressed me the most (although he did go 3-4 from 3 point land), but it was Stevenson's defense.

Everyone went in talking about Meeks and Jasper and overlooked the tall and lanky Stevenson. We know Meeks is good. We know that he'll play a lot right away. Stevenson is someone that has that ability as well; he looked like he could jump twice before anyone else could jump once.

Tubby definitely used this game to get a good look at his freshmen, and if he's like me, he liked what he saw. Lindsey Wilson may not be an SEC team, but they're still ranked 8th in the NAIA.

So what are we looking at now:

Morris: 4/5
??????: 4/5 (Maybe Stevenson or Thomas when he gets back)
Perry: 3
Crawford: 2
Bradley: 1

Meeks: 1st sub

For his starting role, Woo only played 10 minutes. The only player that got less minutes than him was Mark Coury.

What did you guys think of this game?

Rob-I will do my best to post more blogs. I had hoped that more people would join in, but if you guys have something you want to talk about, post it in a comment and I'll move it to the main topic.

2006-10-30T09:12:00.001-05:00

Okay, so UK beat Mississippi St. 34-31. We're all happy that they got out of that one. The story of the game was Smith emerging as an option as running back. Andre Woodson turned in another solid performance, as did Dicky Lyons Jr. and Keenan Burton. The defense held the Bulldogs to ONLY 24 yards rushing! Unfortunately, they did let them throw the ball all over the field.

Here's the debate though:

With 4 games left (3 against SEC opponents), what games are winnable to you? There is one gimme game in Louisiana-Monroe, a game that would be a HUGE upset in Tennessee, and then the middle of the road games against Georgia and Vandy. I think Vandy is better than we all give them credit for, which in my mind only leaves Georgia. Georgia is the game standing between UK and their bowl game. Which again would make this week the biggest week in Rich Brooks' career. What do you think about all this? Which game does UK HAVE to win?

2006-10-23T13:22:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone,

Chris Cross is on vacation this week so Mike and I were wondering what sorts of things you all would like us to talk about this week on the Sports Huddle.

What sorts of things have you all been dying to talk about but couldn't because Chris Cross would tell you to "get off his phone"

There will be lots of special guests this week to look forward to... And, you might even get to hear me on the show too.

Come hang out with us while we do the show this week:
Monday - The Grapevine (Tates Creek Center)
Tuesday - Downtown Studio
Wednesday - Jack Kain Ford (Versailles Rd.)
Thursday - The Ketch
Friday - Downtown Studio

2006-10-16T23:27:00.000-04:00

Just when you thought things were looking up, a team like LSU comes and brings us back down to reality. I'm not surprised that UK lost this game; I'm just surprised the way it happened... 49-0

For those of you that want it spelled out (I know I don't), that means that UK let LSU score 7 touchdowns and they couldn't even score one themselves.

What happened to the improved offense this year?

The fact that UK couldn't even score a field goal let alone a touchdown is what disappoints me the most. The high flying offense only put up around a whopping 220 yards; 84 of which were taken back by penalties. So let's look at this for what it is. UK got beat by the better team. We knew it was going to happen, but no one thought it would happen like this.

What needs to be done in order for UK to be successful?

Is the defense not letting Kentucky get into the game, or is the offense that needs to come up with more drives to help the defense? Do you think that it's both sides fault?

What has to happen?

2006-10-14T11:31:00.000-04:00

The Life of ESPN Sports Radio 1300's Operations Manager

Hey everyone,

I bet you're wondering where I've been lately and wondering why the blog has suffered. I know I apologize, but there's a lot to talk about now so I suppose I'll make up for it. I'll try and run you through the week as best as possible.

Monday

Went to Keeneland for the morning broadcast of "Live From the Backstretch" with Mike Penna and Pete Kules. This show is always fun because you get to run into a lot of people in the horse industry and you get to see the horses working out in the morning. I almost got a bunch of jockeys mad at me with my rolling equipment bag with all the remote stuff in it because the noise was getting the horses excited. Once I realized what I was doing, I picked the bag up instead of rolling it. Finished broadcast at 10am and rushed back to WLXG.

I then got ready for Brooks' Monday press conference. Here's the thing about this one that got me. It seemed as if the media focused more on the offense than the defense. Honestly, I think the defense has been what's hurt them the whole year. It seems to me that there are always a handful of guys that come to play on defense every game, but in order for them to win, they need to get everyone on the same boat. Sometimes, defense cannot be taught, coached, etc. Sometimes, defense comes down to pride and who has it. You need to take pride in what you do to wrap up and make the tackle, pride in what you do to take on the double team so that someone can make a tackle, and pride in what you do to cover the wide reciever that may be faster than you. It seemed to me that everyone was very concerned with the fact that Little is out for a month, etc. etc. I think the issue with the running game comes down to the simple fact that UK hasn't had a set offensive line all year. Although the injury bug hasn't been as bad as it was last year, it's affected key positions that don't always get all the press. The offensive line, in my honest opinion, is the most important part of the offense. Without a solid offensive line, there is no passing or running game. The biggest surprise to me on defense is the fact that they haven't been able to stop the run as good as we thought they would. Here's a front 7 that we thought was going to eat up the run in the preseason. However, the injury bug has plagued them in those key areas and now they're looking for more D Tackles and have had to move some offensive tackles to defense. By the way, if you're still in school and can play DT, talk to Coach.

Tuesday

Live from the Backstretch in the morning and Sports Huddle at night.

Wednesday

Live from the Backstretch in the morning, back to WLXG to book guests for the Sports Huddle and to make promos, and back to Keeneland for the feature race at night.

Thursday

Live from the Backstretch in the morning, booking and promos, Keeneland for the feature race at night.

On a side note. I love Keeneland. The changes that they made to the track in the off-season have been spectacular. The new tote boards are amazing. I think the coolest thing about going to Keeneland is where we do the broadcast from. There's a balcony in between Kurt Becker's announcer booth and Mike Bettaglia's office. I have to say that it has the best view of the track in the whole place. Also, after sitting in the booth while Kurt Becker does his call, I have to say that I am amazed at what he can do. For those of you that missed him being a guest on the Sports Huddle, this guy has 20 minutes before each race to memorize every horse so that he can do his call. It's amazing to watch him at work.

Friday

Live from the backstretch in the morning. I noticed that both Bob Baffert and Nick Zito made their appearances at Keeneland today. Back to WLXG for the Sports Huddle which turned into the decision to cover the baseball championship series. So, Mike Cameron and I decided to get some lunch. Then back to Keeneland for the feature race. I have to tell you there are some tense moments when you're trying to fit a race into 15 minutes and there's a horse that has an equipment delay the race before. We did get the race call in though.

Allright, here's the one you've all been waiting for. I fought through the Keeneland traffic after the races to get down to Rupp Arena for Big Blue Madness. Just so you all know, Tubby was sporting his new glasses in the press conference before. I was excited to see the freshmen though. I think they're going to have to get more playing time than we think. Here's how I see the breakdown going right now.

Morris: Needs 30 minutes (which means he has to stay out of foul trouble)

Bradley: 30-35 minutes

Crawford: 30-35 minutes

Perry: 30-35 minutes

Thomas/Carter/Woo: All sharing 30-35 minutes

The freshmen will probably pick up the slack. Look for Stevenson, Meeks, and Jasper to fill in the gaps in the minutes. A lot of this team is going to depend on whether or not Morris stays out of foul trouble. Thomas, Carter, and Woo may have to take fouls for Morris so that he can stay in the game. The simple fact of having Morris on the court means that teams have to watch for him in the post. If he's not in, teams can double team the outside players that need some good looks at the 3.

Saturday

Lexus Equine Forum in the morning from the Sales Pavillion at Keeneland. The coolest thing about this morning was seeing Kenny Mayne from ESPN out there.

This afternoon I will be returning to Keeneland for the broadcast of the stakes races (most notably the Queen Elizabeth II and the First Lady).

Tonight: Kentucky v. LSU. Hopefully there won't be anyone dressed up like a cow this year. If UK's defense can help out it's offense, look for Kentucky to have a shot in this one. I think they HAVE to win one of these games that people don't think they're going to. LSU is coming off of a loss last week, this may be the week for the Cats. I'm looking forward to seeing how Kentucky responds after losing one of those toss up games. We all know the games that they were supposed to win and lose, but last week was one of those "it could go either way" weeks. How they respond tonight could dictate the tone for the rest of the season.

For all of you betting out at Keeneland:

The new polytrack has taken the bias away from the speed horses. Look for horses that run well on turf and closers to run well on this surface. To be honest, it has been hard to handicap these races. A lot of 10-1, 14-1 horses have been getting in the money and messing up all my exotic bets. The good news for Keeneland though is that there have been full fields in these races. The Darley Alcibides had 14 horses in it! A lot of trainers/owners used last weekend as a prep for the Breeders Cup (Nov 4th at Churchill Downs). However, there are still quality horses going for the rest of the meet.

I'll check in again soon.

2006-10-10T17:44:00.000-04:00

Where has everyone been lately? Are you all still alive out there?

2006-10-08T01:21:00.001-04:00

SOUND OFF

Here's your chance to vent after the South Carolina game...

What did you think?

2006-10-03T14:47:00.000-04:00

Meet South Carolina

Alright folks, here's the skinny on the Spurrier lead South Carolina Gamecocks

What's in a name anyway? It seems like South Carolina banks more on the "Spurrier" factor than anything else. "It's going to be tough to beat _____, they've got Spurrier" is what people tend say when they play Spurrier led teams. Here's the thing though: Spurrier DOES NOT play the game; he only coaches it. You could sit here and tell me all day that Spurrier is 152-47-2 lifetime and I'd say that's a great resume, but the players play. So now that we got the Spurrier factor out of the way, here's who to look for on South Carolina.

Offense:

QB - Well it's a toss up between Syvelle Newton (6'0" 210 Sr) and Blake Mitchell (6'3" 212 Jr). Mitchell started the first two games and Newton went 21 for 35 against Auburn and threw 5 TD passes against FAU. Right now, Newton's got the edge. Look for him to take snaps on Saturday for the Gamecocks.

RB - It's a mixture of 3 different people. Look for Mike Davis (5'9" 207 So), Cory Boyd (6'1". 201 Jr), and Taylor Rank (6'0" 206 RS Fr) to take turns with the running duties on Saturday.

WR - Sidney Rice (6-4" 202 So) leads the team with 360 yards recieving in the last 3 games. Besides him, Moe Brown (6'0" 173 FR), Kenny McKinely (5'11" 174) and Chris Hall (5'11" 186 Fr) will be the targets in the air. Kentucky's secondary has a shot to have a really good game on defense with this recieving crew.

The offensive line has been strong for South Carolina so far this season. Led by Eckerson, Coleman, White, Anderson, Meredith, and their tight end Pavlovic, the O-Line is going to be tough to crack. The linebackers HAVE to blitz that O-Line and create some chaos right at the line of scrimmage if UK is going to be strong on defense.

UK Key to the game: stay strong and take away the running game. Although they have a decent passing game, they'll hurt you on the ground.

Offense to come later....

2006-10-02T08:18:00.000-04:00

Well, they did it. UK is now 3-2 overall (1-1 SEC). They're halfway to a bowl!

What did you all think of the game on Saturday?

More to come on this later today...

2006-09-29T14:23:00.000-04:00

I'll be the first to admit it... I've failed you all this week. I'm sorry. The pressures of moving have stopped me from blogging. Don't worry though, I'm back.

Mike Cameron and I are sitting in the studio right now having a conversation about UK's new 7 foot recruit, Mike Williams. Honestly, this would be a great addition to the Cats if they can get him to come next year. It seems like this next year's recruiting class has the potential to be really great or there's just been a lot of buzz around the recruiting.

Kentucky is favored by 8 over Central Michigan this week... Are you excited for this game?

Who do you take in the Patriots v. Bengals game?

What else is going on that you all want to talk about?

2006-09-25T17:19:00.000-04:00

Sorry, I haven't had a lot of time to post over the past couple of days. I'm moving, and we all know what your life is life when you're moving (even if you're moving in the same city).

What did you all think of the Cats/Gators game that happened over the weekend?

There were some good positives that I took from this game:
Andre Woodson looked good (no fumbles, no interceptions, good yardage, etc.)
Pulley played a hell of a game
Williams was a good replacement for McCutchan on the O-Line (there were no botched snaps)

The first half the Cats really showed they can compete with the big teams. I think the calls on the field and the Florida touchdown really demoralized the Cats going into the half. They didn't seem like they were the same team in the 2nd half.

Is this a moral victory for the Cats?

There were still missed assginments on defense, the o-line let Woodson get sacked 6 times, etc.

What do you think this game means for Kentucky?

Are you happy with how the season has been going so far?

What else is going on that you all want to talk about?

2006-09-22T11:52:00.000-04:00

What Would You Give Up If Kentucky Defeats Florida?

Listeners:

Judson - will give away free Domino's pizzas

Clay from Claiborne - will shave his head

Rusty - One Giovanni's pizza a week for a year to one lucky fan

Dale - a bunch of Butternut Bread

J-Delicious - will shave his head

Lee - Will DIVORCE HIS WIFE!!!!!

Ole Jim - will cut the churcg's lawn

Paul - will shave off all his facial hair; eyebrows, moustache, goatee (already has head shaved)

Glen - will listen to his wife talk to him about something he doesn't want to hear (he'll also do a bunch of other stuff)

The ESPN Sports Radio 1300 Staff:

Chris Cross - will shave his head

Mike Cameron - will dress up like a cheerleader

John Edwards - will shave his head

Ressie Dukes - will be tazered

Jim Tirey - will shave his legs

Jeremy Tschiderer - will shave his head

We're still looking for more sacrifices. Are any of you willing to give up anything if Kentucky wins?

2006-09-21T21:27:00.000-04:00

Meet Florida

What can I say, this team UK is going to meet on Saturday night is going to be a tough one. Florida is 3-0 (1-0 SEC). Their offense is a spread option brought over from Utah from Urban Meyer who is in his second year coaching at Florida. Traditionally, Meyer's teams have been significantly better in their second year of running his offense. This trend has continued with Florida.

Fast facts about Florida in their first 3 games:

Florida has outscored their opponents 97 to 27.

Opponents have averaged 43 yards rushing against them a game.

Opponents have averaged 180 yards passing against them a game.

They average 449 yards of offense a game.

People to look for on offense:

QB - Chris Leak - Leak, a senior, has done a great job behind center for the Gators. He's been so good, that he is actually projected third in the Heisman standings right now. This is his third year at QB for Florida. Look for his experience to help him. He's on the preseason watch for the Manning award and was voted 1st team all-SEC during SEC media days. A plus for the Cats though was the last time he threw 3 interceptions was against Kentucky in 2004.

QB - Tim Tebow - Some of you may remember all the hype around Tebow last year. They actually ran an ESPN special on him while he determined which college he was going to go to. Although a "controversy" almost formed around him and Leak for the starting job, Leak (an all-SEC player) obviously beat him out. Tebow has size 6-3 229 and Florida knows how to use it. Look for Leak to come in during short yardage, 3rd down, and goal line situations.

Baker, Caldwell, Harvin, and Cornelius will be catching the passes down in the swamp. They all have good production thus far this season.

People to look for on defense.

Their defense will be extremely tough.

Watch out for Brandon Siler 6-2 235 Jr. at linebacker

Reggie Nelson 6-1 195 Jr. will be strong for them in the secondary

Ray McDonald 6-3 280 Sr. and Jarvis Moss Florida 6-6 255 Jr. will anchor their front line on defense.

UK has a chance in this game if they can catch Florida off guard. The Gators are probably still mentally and physically drained from their game last week with Tennessee. If UK comes out with their normal first quarter lull, this game will not be pretty. UK has shown that they have the weapons to hang with the big boys, but they need to have a great game right from the beginning.

The game will be at 7:45pm Saturday night on ESPN.

What do you think will happen?

2006-09-20T13:45:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone,

Chris and I would like to hear from you about what sacrifice you would make in order to overturn the curse on UK football. Don't be shy the chances of Kentucky upsetting Florida or very slim.
But, we can all dream.

2006-09-20T09:04:00.000-04:00

Is this the Bengals year?

Seriously, how good do they look?

Carson Palmer came back from his surgery without missing a beat, Rudi Johnson is one of the top running backs in the league, the additions to the defense have made them one of the strongest Ds in the league, and the absence of T.J. Houshmandzadeh hasn't hurt them one bit.

If things continue the way they are, I don't think that anyone will be able to challenge them in their division. The Steelers looked terrible in their game against Jacksonville, McNair will not challenge them with the Ravens, and the Browns fell easily to the Bengals.

If Palmer can stay healthy, this may be the year for the Who Dey.

2006-09-18T19:07:00.000-04:00

Is College Football fair?

That's what I've been asking myself all day after the aftermath of the weekend of "Separation Saturday."

In this day and age in college football every game counts. If you lose just one game, you can kiss your national championship hopes goodbye. In the NFL, teams that have lost 2, 3, 4, or 5 games can still win the Superbowl, but not when it comes to the NCAA. Many people have done enough complaining about the BCS system but let me complain a little bit more...

Texas falls to Ohio State last weekend. The #2 team fell to the #1 team and they drop out of the top five. As far as I'm concerned, nobody from #3 down proved that they can beat you, so why the drop?

Notre Dame, Tennessee, and LSU all dropped in the polls after their losses this past weekend and their National Championship hopes were lost in the process.

Is this unfair to those teams that book big games (that obviously get a lot of press & hype) lose their national championship hopes?

I know that we (the media and the fans) enjoy these games and would miss not having them on the schedule. So how do we compromise? The last thing we want to see is all the teams having cupcake games all season.

It's also unfair to these students who have the pressures of school and football, but yet also have the pressure to be perfect every time they step on the field because their NC hopes depend on it.

The question remains though: how do you fix college football?

2006-09-17T23:33:00.000-04:00

The Day After Post

What can I say that hasn't already been said... UK gets their first SEC opening victory since 1987. That's 19 years since they last accomplished the feat against, you guessed it, Ole Miss. Here are the thoughts that I have after the game from yesterday:

Offense:

The offense looked good. Andre Woodson threw for 290 yards and 3 TDs WITH NO TURNOVERS, Rafael Little did some good things both by catching the ball out of the backfield and running the ball, Tony Dixon turned in another solid performance at running back, and HOW ABOUT DICKY LYONS JR?!?!?!? Dicky Lyons Jr. is turning himself into a superstar here at UK. He now has 6 touchdowns in 3 games. That's incredible. He's getting good coverage on him due to the fact that defenses are keying on Keenan Burton and Jacob Tamme. It's a very thankless role what Tamme and Burton are doing but it has been integral to the success of the passing game for UK this year. As teams start to focus their attention on Lyons, look for Burton and Tamme to make some noise. It seems to be Woodson's MO that he takes a little while to warm up. He overthrew some recievers in the 1st and early 2nd quarters but when he calmed down he seemed to get in a zone. His recievers bailed him out when he was off though, they made some great athletic catches.

It was interesting to see the versitility of the UK offense this game. They ran all sorts of sets including a spread option. Being able to change their offensive looks will keep defenses guessing and the spread option can be helpful in slowing down blitzing defenses. This could work in their advantage against a strong defense like Florida.

Defense:

The defense still scares me but the difference in this game is the fact that they came through when it counted. Myron Prior came through with a huge fumble recovery and interception in this one that really helped to thwart any chances Ole Miss had of coming back in this game. Wesley Woodyard also turned in another solid performance at linebacker. It was really good to see people like Trevard Lindley (who broke up some passes) and Marcus McClinton (who forced a fumble after a reverse from Ole Miss threatened to gain 20+ yards). If the secondary continues to improve, UK could make some more waves in the SEC. There were still some missed assignments in this one but the bottom line is when the defense had to make a big play they did. This is the second game in a row that they have stopped a team trying to go for it on fourth down in their territory. That is a HUGE confidence booster for the Cats. It's also good to see that Brooks and Archer can plug in multiple people at linebacker and defensive line and still get the same productivity. It helps keep the defense fresh and it also helps if coaches have to make adjustments during the game. They can take time to talk to a player without worrying about their replacement's productivity.

Special Teams

Sieber looks like he's going to be the one taking the kicks for UK. He looked good hitting his PATs (as every kicker should) and he also looked good kicking a 41 yard field goal. Hopefully he can stay consistent. The return game was also strong for the Cats as it's been all year. Little and Burton have done a great job returning kicks.

General game notes:

These teams were very evenly matched. The offensive production for both teams was nearly the same. The difference in this one was the fact that Ole Miss shot themselves in the foot with penalties and turnovers. That proved to be the difference maker in this one. A good sign for UK was that they were able to capitalize on these Ole Miss mistakes. The only concern that I had was that there were chances for UK to put the game away in the 2nd quarter that they messed up. One was after UK stopped Ole Miss on a fourth down attempt (the following drive was a punt) and UK also had a blocked field goal attempt in the last play before halftime. I'd like to see them do a better job closing out teams in those early opportunities. However, I can't complain too much, they played a good game.

This week it's off to the Swamp.

2006-09-14T17:10:00.000-04:00

The weekend is approaching quickly and it's shaping up to be one of the best college football weekends ever.

Saturday's Big Games...
#11 Michigan v. #2 Notre Dame
#6 LSU v. #3 Auburn
#19 Nebraska v. #4 USC
#7 Florida v. #13 Tennessee
#17 Miami (FL) v. #12 Louisville

etc. etc.

This is the weekend that will separate the men from the boys in college football. Dreams of a national championship will be lost this weekend; you can't win a NC with a loss anymore in college football.

Just as the teams at the top will be defining themselves with a win or loss, so will Kentucky in their game against Ole Miss. Two teams both struggling to bring themselves up from the bottom of the SEC will need a win to do anything the rest of this season.

Ole Miss hasn't been the same since Eli Manning left... Kentucky hasn't been the same since Bear Bryant left...

No one needs to ask Rich Brooks how big this game is; he knows how big it is. Everyone knows how big this game is. Every game is big for Kentucky this season. If it isn't this game, it's next game, or the next one. Every word, every movement, every play, every substitution, every win, and every loss will be talked about and analyzed by every media outlet and every UK fan.

The way I see it, there's 3 groups of teams in the SEC:
You have the teams at the top - LSU, Auburn, Florida, Georgia
The teams in the middle - Tennessee, S. Carolina, Alabama, and Arkansas
and the teams on the bottom - Miss State, Ole Miss, Vandy, and Kentucky

Keep in mind that this rotates all the time but this is how I see things this year. Here's the catch though. A win against Ole Miss would be crucial for the Cats to step up into the middle of the pack in the SEC. I'm not saying that they would be able to jump right to the top, but they'd be a lot closer than they were before.

That's what the Cats need to strive for this year. I'd like to see them do well but I understand it's a process. They NEED to strive to be in the middle of the pack before they get to the top of the pack. What do I consider to be the middle of the pack? Well, there are some qualifications that I think teams need to have to be there...
1. Team ____ needs to make it to a bowl game
2. If ______ does not make it to a bowl game they need an upset victory that kills the bowl chances/national championship for another team
3. Teams must play one tough out of conference game against a big team

Are there any other qualifications that you think need to be present for a team to be in the middle of the pack? Obviously the lead pack contends for BCS games and/or National Championship game, has heisman candidates, etc. How long do you think it will be before Kentucky reaches this middle of the pack status?

Of course, we're still looking for University of Kentucky bumper sticker slogans if you have them...

2006-09-12T15:03:00.000-04:00

What happened to all the comments? We need more man laws and we need invitations to tailgates this Saturday so that we critique them. Chris, John-Boy, and myself will all be attending your tailgate if you invite us.

2006-09-12T10:06:00.000-04:00

I am the best fantasy football player that has ever lived. I'm confident enough to say it. Of course I'd be confident enough to say it after winning every game in each of my five leagues on opening weekend. The fantasy football gods surely had to be on my side on this one.

All of this has got me thinking though... I read an article that ESPN's Bill Simmons wrote on fantasy football and about rules concerning playing in a co-ed league.

Do you think there are rules in general to fantasy football?

(edit)
Here are the top five rules that I believe that should govern fantasy football...

1. Anything that the computer or another player does not catch is fair game.
This involves all actions concerning putting players in past deadlines, picking up players from waivers, picking up free agents, etc... If the computer lets you pick up a player or change a player past deadline then so be it.

2. Any smack talk that comes out of your mouth can and will be used against you.
That's right... That guy who always opens his mouth after week one (see the above post) will ALWAYS end up eating crow by week 6. Unless his or her team is incredibly stacked, shut your mouth until around the playoffs.

3. In conjunction with #2... if you can't take it don't dish it out
If you can't handle the smack talk then you better not talk smack to other people. Just sit there, shut up, and change your players each week...

4. Don't be "that guy"
This rule extends to life as much as it does to fantasy football... In fact, this rule encompasses every other rule that was ever concieved in any other venue anywhere... You know... Don't be that guy who picks Reggie Bush in the first round. Don't be that guy who shows up to the draft unprepared. Don't be that guy who picks the guy who's on IR for the whole season. Don't be that guy who passes out at 9pm while Sunday night football is on.

In fact I think "don't be that guy" is the best advice I've ever recieved in life... Thanks Dad.

5. If you lose pay up
No one will ever want to invite you back to the league if you're this person. If you don't win, take your lumps and move on. There's always next year (or one of the other leagues you're in this year).

2006-09-10T23:44:00.000-04:00

The Day After Post...

Every once in a while we fall victim to that attractive member of the opposite sex that looks great the night that you hook up with them, but then you wake up the next morning and you have mixed feelings. Thats the way I feel about this game against Texas State.

Yeah there were a lot of good things that I can take from this game, but there are some bad things too. I liked the way that the offense looked in this game. It was good to see them put together scoring drives and use the running game to do so. The usual suspects showed up to bring the Cats to victory in this one: Keenan Burton, Dicky Lyons Jr. The punting game looked great and that's always a plus considering that it's crucial to field position. It was great to see Rafael Little back to his old self; he put up over 200 all purpose yards. Andre Woodson looked confident behind center, and besides his one interception, played good, intelligent football. I also really liked the fact that Kentucky had a goal line stand on defense. It's one of those things that could really be a confidence booster for the Cats. Finally, it was great to see many players get involved. Brooks said himself that he knows he can substitute players now and still be competitive.

Here are the problems though... UK played Texas State. It's not like they played this well against an SEC opponent. I'm not trying to take anything away from Texas State, but they are a D1 AA school (I know they went to the championships but still...) There were some defensive breakdowns that an SEC team would have capitalized on. One play in particular was the fake field goal in the end of the 2nd quarter. The Texas State recievers had the UK defense beat, an SEC school more than likely would have capitalized. I think the running game is still iffy due to the fact that the offensive line keeps changing. I'd like to see the Cats stick with a line that consistantly plays with each other. The kicking game needs a lot of work. Only on a freak play should a PAT ever be missed. It'll be interesting to see how that competition goes. I guess Taylor Begley left some huge shoes to fill.

Honestly, the big test will come against Ole Miss this week. Yup, I said it, Ole Miss is going to be a HUGE test for this Kentucky team. A win against Ole Miss would definitely prove that Kentucky has moved up in the SEC instead of being thrown on the bottom with Vanderbilt and it's a game that Kentucky has a good chance of winning. I want to believe that everything from the Texas State game is true, but I need to see it against an SEC team.

The game against Texas State was almost a double edged sword for Kentucky. If they lost, they would have lost to a D1AA school... If they won, well of couse they should have won it's a D1AA school. But I think the win did more for the Cats confidence than anything. If they can take some momentum from this game, then it was worth it. I'll be watching to see if they can take that momentum into Saturday with Ole Miss.

Stay tuned this week for a breakdown of Ole Miss and for all our other shenanagians.

2006-09-09T22:58:00.000-04:00

UK 41 TEXAS STATE 7

The rain that delayed the game 45 minutes didn't seem to wash out the hopes of Kentucky Football fans everywhere as the Cats rolled over Texas State today by the score of 41-7 while a crowd of 57,000 watched.

Although the game started out slow, the tides were turned when Wesley Woodyard forced a fumble on a fourth down goal-line attempt by Texas State with 8 minutes to go in the 1st quarter. Unfortunately, the Cats could not capitalize due to an Andre Woodson interception. Two plays later, Marcus McClinton and Kentucky struck back by picking off a pass of their own. On the drive following the interception, the Cats took full advantage and put the first points on the board when Andre Woodson connected with Dicky Lyons Jr. for a 10 yard touchdown pass with 1 minute left in the 1st quarter.

The second quarter belonged to the Cats as they scored 3 more touchdowns; an 8 yard Tony Dixon run, a 35 yard pass to Dicky Lyons Jr. and a 17 yard pass to John Conner.

Andre Woodson ended up 13 for 20 with 195 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception.

Rafael Little gained 96 yards on 12 carries with 1 td. He also pitched in with 148 return yards.

The third quarter saw another Kentucky touchdown and was the beginning of the rotation into 2nd and 3rd teams.

Texas State finally got on the scoreboard in the 4th quarter but it was too late.

GAME NOTES

Micah Johnson looked good at linebacker for Kentucky.

I really enjoyed the UPS game ball delivery. They made some UPS dude put the game ball in a box and deliver it to the refs to start the game. He even made them sign the keypad. It was priceless. They should make Chris and Mike get their microphones delivered each show and sign for them.

The Wildcat Marching Band has moved from the endzone to the student section on the sideline (but still in the stands). It's great because it's right behind the opposing team's bench.

J.J. Housley was relieved of his place kicking duties after he missed a PAT and a 31 yard field goal. Brian Scott took over in the second quarter. Brooks mentioned that this competition is open again.

Curtis Pulley led the Cats to a score on 13 plays when he entered the game in the 3rd quarter. He looked better running than passing although he had a 14 yard pass to Keenan Burton.

In his post game press conference, Coach Brooks was in a good mood but spoke of problems with the kicking game, some penalties on kick returns, and some negative running plays that he hopes to fix before Ole Miss. He felt that Woodson handled the offense well, Tim Masty did a good job punting

Brooks said "It was a game we had to win, we should have won, but we won it the right way."

Stay tuned to ESPN Sports Radio 1300 for more Kentucky Football coverage...

What did you all think of the game?

I'll have a more editorial type post tomorrow.

2006-09-08T16:31:00.000-04:00

What makes for the best tailgates?

Chris, Mike, and I will be roaming around K-Lot tomorrow in search of the greatest tailgaters in Kentucky...

Do you want to invite us to your tailgate?

Stay tuned to the blog for some tales of our explorations.

2006-09-06T23:13:00.000-04:00

MEET TEXAS STATE

I hope you are all ready to meet the Texas State Fighting Armadillos... Oops I mean the Texas State Bobcats (congrats for all of you that got the 'Necessary Roughness' reference). You all know Kentucky by now, so I won't bore you by going through their lineup again. Also, to be honest, with all the changes Coach Brooks told us he's going to make at the press conference, there are some spots that I will be unsure of until the game on Saturday.

Offense

QB - #14 Chase Wasson 5-11 180 Jr - he made his 5th career start last week

RB - #8 Daniel Jolly 6-1 237 Sr (Scored 2 TDs and ran for 37 yards on 13 carries last week)

FB - #18 Blake Burton 6-0 237 Sr

WR - #4 Ronnie Miller 6-0 180 Sr

WR - # 5 Tyrone Scott 6-0 185 Jr

Slot - #21 Morris Crosby 5-9 184 So

LT - #79 Matt Pardon 6-5 277 Sr

LG - #72 Crawford May 6-1 292 Jr (Transfer)

C - #59 Ryne Miller 6-3 309 Sr

RG - #56 Adrian Dayse 6-4 300 Jr (Transfer)

RT - #53 Calvin Gore 6-5 296 Fr (Red Shirt)

TE - #88 Galen Dunk 6-5 222 Fr (Red Shirt)

Defense

DE - #50 Nick Clark 6-0 253 Jr (51 Tackles in 2005)

DT - #77 Clifford Gardner 6-1 314 Fr (Red Shirt)

NG - #60 Ramel Borner 6-0 304 Jr

DE -#46 Nate Langford 6-1 248 Jr

SLB - #37 Jeremy Castillo 5-11 220 Sr (246 career tackles, 10 last week)

MLB - #12 Shola Obafemi 6-1 208 Sr (1st start last week)

CB - #24 Jamarqus O'Neal 6-1 192 Sr (4 tackles and ff last week)

SS - #41 Jameil Turner 6-0 202 So

FS - #13 Daniel Varvel 6-3 216 Sr (50 tackles last year, transfer from Arizona St.)

KAT - #48 Epsilon Williams 5-10 209 Sr.

CB - # 15 Walter Musgrove 5-9 190 Sr (1st team All-Southland Conference)

Special Teams

P - #34 Chris MacDonald 6-4 215 Jr (Transfer, avg 44 yds per punt last week)

PK - #93 Kyle Bronson (Transfer, was 11 of 16 for FG last year at South Florida)

PR and KR - #21 Morris Crosby 5-9 184 So

Okay... So here's the deal. It would be a waste of time for me to rank these compared to each other because on paper, Kentucky is far better than Texas State. I mean faaaaaaaaaarrrrrr better. It would be a waste of mine and your time. But, as was seen last week by Montana St. beating Colorado, anything can happen.

Let's go over what I do know. Defensively, Texas state runs a 4-2-5. For those of you that don't know, that's four down linemen, two linebackers, and five defensive backs. Obviously, this means they're stacked for the pass. They play to defend the pass. For Kentucky, that's the one thing that was working for them against Louisville. On paper, Texas State shouldn't be able to take away the air from UK, but you never know. If it was before last week, I would have said that it wouldn't have mattered because Kentucky is just going to beat them both ways... The running game HAS to show up in order for Kentucky to keep them honest. Otherwise, they'll just put everyone back in pass defenses.

On offense, Texas State runs a spread option from the gun. Kinda reminds me of Florida, but I'm sure Urban Meyer runs it better. I'm concerned about runs to the outside if the cornerbacks can't step up to defend the run. The defensive ends are EXTREMELY important in this game. They MUST contain in order for the UK defense to be able to stop the Bobcats. What that means, is that they're responsible for anything that is outside the tackles. When preparing for the option, the DEs understand that they have to make contact with the quarterback when he moves outside. By hitting the quarterback, #1 you're hitting the quarterback which is always good, and #2 you're making the QB make a decision. The QB must then decide to hold onto the ball or pitch it to his back. If he pitches it to his back, the DE is hoping that a linebacker will be there to make the tackle. The defensive line's job is to bascially create havok on the line. Offensive linemen on Texas State will be pulling and trying to kick out or log off so that the backs can run outside. The DTs must knock those linemen on their butt so that they can't make their blocks. If those things happen, Texas State's offense will be unsuccessful.

(Sorry I love preparing for option teams. As a former defensive lineman, it was one of my favorite weeks whenever I knew I just had to create a mess for the OL.)

So that's Texas State and some keys to the game. Keep coming to the blog this week for more keys to the game against the Texas State Bobcats. Feel free to let everyone know what you think about this game coming up.

2006-09-06T13:59:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! I'm on the BLOG!

Can't get Chris Cross on there but we're still trying. Check out the Sports Huddle with me and Chris Cross weekday afternoons at 4 on ESPN Sports Radio 1300 (In John Boy's voice).

-Mike

WE STILL NEED MORE MAN LAWS

2006-09-05T13:34:00.000-04:00

This One Takes The Cake! Nicknames

This one's NOT for the Kids...

Hope everyone's recovered from that 'thing that happened on Sunday' that didn't resemble a Football Game. Usually, after the first pounding, thoughts turn to Basketball (How many days until 'Midnight Madness'?), or other things.
One of the other things happened to me on Saturday Night.
Away from being the Mid-Day Host on 96.9 KISS FM, our 'Hippie Station' says Chris Cross, being Webmaster for the wlxg.com site and lead guru at the company, I have worked for Host Communications here in Lexington. I do the scoreboard segments on the radio networks of Florida State and Oklahoma State Football and Basketball.
As you can tell, there's probably some down time during our 6 hour Football broadcasts. One of my co-workers asked me to see if there was a team with a certain nickname and where they were.
I fired up Google and did a search, coming across THIS LINK http://www.smargon.net/nicknames/. It has a comprehensive list of team nicknames, including schools that use the name and, occasionally a link to the school's site.
Yup, I found the 'Banana Slugs' (University of Cal-Santa Cruz), Black Flies (College of the Atlantic), The Blue Hose (Presbyterian College). We giggled a bit about the funny names. Then I scrolled down, to my horror and yelled out. "We Have A Winner!"
Did you know that The Rhode Island School of Design has 2 teams? Probably Club teams like the UK Hockey team. RISD plays Basketball and Ice Hockey. They have a nickname for each team as well as cheerleaders and fans.
The Basketball team is called 'The Balls"... The Hockey Team is called "The Nads"!!!

Here's a quote ripped off of a site called collegeprowler.com about RISD... (Here's the link to the page http://www.collegeprowler.com/guide.asp/1427401187/index.html)

And is there any athletics scene at all?“While serious athletics are pretty much out of the question at RISD, students definitely have fun with what they’ve got. Imagine during parents’ weekend, half the campus drunk and yelling obscenities at a team of completely bewildered ice-hockey players while a giant penis in a cape leads cheers from the sidelines. Often, the Jockstraps (cheerleading team) will rouse the RISD crowd into heckling some players so badly that fights ensue. Another rallying move is when Scrotie tries to ram the goalposts tip-first. (Some images really are worth 1,000 words.) Once in a while, there will be a scandal during which Scrotie has been kidnapped by an unnamed group. The ransom demands that all Nads players skate around the rink after the game in their underwear in order to retrieve their precious mascot.”Find out if RISD truly has something for you, straight from the students’ mouths.

Here's a link to the 'Campus Life Section of the School's official website. See 'athletics' section. http://www.risd.edu/orientation_campus_life.cfm

IS THIS school COOL with itself or what!

Upon further examination of the RISD site on Google, I found that they have a daily web newspaper, called the Daily Jolt... They even have fun on that site too! If you don't believe me, take a look at these picture pages. (NOT FOR THE KIDDIES!!!) http://risd.dailyjolt.com/pictures/album.html?album_id=354 The preceeding section is of a game that RISD had against Clark U. You'll see several pictures of thier mascot, along with comments from either students or people like me that happened on the site.

I'll also post some links that I think are cute, related to the Nads below... Go! Nads!
http://www.deadspin.com/sports/top/your-alltime-best-mascot-winner-176616.php Deadspin's take on it.
http://www.maximonline.com/articles/index.aspx?a_id=7254 Maxim's story about the 10 Worst Coaches, along with commentary, near the bottom of the page, about the worst mascots.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhode_Island_School_of_Design Wikipedia link anyone?

Have fun with it... Remember, this is NOT FOR THE KIDDIES!!!!

Skip

2006-09-04T12:04:00.000-04:00

Everything we were afraid of and more happened last night.

Kentucky was not ready to play last night. It was more than evident from their performance. Andre Woodson had no completions in his first nine attempts. Eventually, he went 9 for 23. What happened last night? Let's try to break it down from the beginning.

No matter how hard a team tries to prepare for Michael Bush and Brian Brohm, it's near impossible to account for both. The defense almost looked confused out there. What do we try and stop, the pass or the run? Michael Bush ended up solving that question when he busted out his first touchdown with 13 minutes left in the 1st quarter.

The offense didn't help the defense; they didn't have a drive that lasted more than 5 plays for a good part of the 1st and 2nd quarter. The defense was gassing from the beginning because they were on the field the whole game. They had no break. It was Touchdown Louisville then a kickoff and 3 plays later they were back on the field. In the beginning of the game the offense didn't help the defense one bit and that's what ultimately lost them the game. I don't push blame off the defense. Yes, the defense let the touchdowns happen, but they had no help from their offense. No time to recover. No time to adjust.

There were times that the defense looked lost out there. Defensive ends were covering wide recievers, assignments were missed, tackles were being broken through, poor throws by Brohm were passing through two Kentucky defenders before it was an incomplete pass, and Louisville was taking advantage of every opportunity.

The offense didn't even get into the game until the 2nd quarter. A 73 yard bomb to Keenan Burton was when Kentucky finally looked like they were going to start playing. Then on a drive with less than a minute to play in the 2nd quarter, a pass interference call, a botched play turned good, and a pass to Dicky Lyons Jr. later and Kentucky scored again.

Let's recap here.

Score at halftime: 31-14 Louisville

IF and that's a big if... If the Cats could have come out and scored on their opening posession of the second half, it could have been different. But, that's why it's an if. Louisville went on to dominate the second half as well and finally took down UK 58-29.

What do I know from this? The offense needs A LOT of work. The two bright spots for Kentucky were Keenan Burton 127 recieving yards and 1 rec TD (he also added 185 return yards and another TD) and Dicky Lyons Jr. 84 recieving yards and 2 rec TDs.

Where was Rafael Little when all of this was happening? HE ONLY HAD 7 CARRIES FOR 21 YARDS?!?!?! Tony Dixon only had 2 carries for 5 yards. Where was the running game? I understand that Kentucky couldn't run once they were down, but it was never there to begin with.

There are more things that need to be addressed on both sides of the ball.

The honeymoon is over.

2006-08-31T20:49:00.000-04:00

All You Need to Know about the Cats and Cards

The battle for the Governors' Cup is rapidly approaching. Who would have guessed that the dog days of summer are over. It's time to get down to football. Let's look at who the Cats are facing this week. I will try to do this every week for each game. Most times I'll have this done earlier in the week. Let me know if this is something you want me to continue doing...

Offensive Line:

The University of Louisville's offensive line stacks up like this:
LT George Bussey 6-4 298 So.
LG Danny Barlowe 6-4 287 So.
C Eric Wood 6-4 297 So.
RG Kurt Quarterman 6-5 328 Sr.
RT Renardo Foster 6-6 325 Sr.

The University of Kentucky's offensive line is looking like this:
LT James Alexander 6-5 281 So.
LG Christian Johnson 6-4 325 So.
C Matt McCutchan 6-3 310 Sr.
RG Michael Aitcheson 6-3 300 Sr.
RT Hayden Lane 6-6 275 Sr.

I would give this advantage to Kentucky. The line is bigger, older, and has a proven leader in Matt McCutchan. However, Louisville's right side is stacked with Quarterman and Foster.

Tight End:

Louisville
Gary Barridge 6-6 294 Jr.

Kentucky
Jacob Tamme 6-5 240 Jr.

I would give this advantage to Kentucky. Tamme is one of Kentucky's all SEC players however he is coming off of two shoulder surgeries in the offseason. If Kentucky is going to have any shot in this one Tamme has to have a big game.

Wide Recievers

Louisville
Mario Urrutia 6-6 228 So.
Harry Douglas 5-11 170 Jr.
Patrick Carter 6-3 200 Jr.

Kentucky
Keenan Burton 6-2 195 Jr.
Dicky Lyons Jr. 5-11 190 So.

This advantage goes to Louisville. Burton is a great WR but has been plagued with injury and the rest of the WR crew is young.

Running Backs

Louisville
Michael Bush 6-3 250 Sr.

Kentucky
Rafael Little 5-10 188 Jr.

This one has to go to Bush and Louisville. I expect to see Little do great things in the game, but he's going against a Heisman candidate. The sheer size and speed of Bush alone set Bush apart from any other running back in college football.

Fullbacks

Louisville
Brock Bolen 6-0 237 So.

Kentucky
John Conner 5-11 233 RS Fr.

Again, this one has to go to Louisville. Bolen is used to blocking for Bush and Kentucky is terribly inexperienced at this position.

Quarterback

Louisville
Brian Brohm 6-4 226 Jr.

Kentucky
Andre Woodson 6-5 232 Jr.

I shouldn't have to get into this one but I will... Advantage U of L. Brohm is a proven quarterback and Woodson is an experienced quarterback but one that has been plagued with fumblitis. Woodson could have won the game last year for the Cats. If he can hold onto the ball, he could have the possibility make up for last year. Until that happens, I'm going with the Heisman candidate.

Defensive Line

Louisville

DE Zach Anderson 6-4 262 Sr.
DT Amobi Okoye 6-1 305 Sr.
DT Earl Heyman 6-3 285 So.
DE Brandon Cox 6-4 250 Jr.

Kentucky

DE Durrell White 6-3 260 Sr.
DT Lamar Mills 6-1 285 Sr.
DT Myron Prior 6-1 307 So.
DE Dominic Lewis 6-3 258 Jr.

The experience level of this position is equal for both teams, but I'm going to have to go with Kentucky for White and Prior. I believe that those two are going to be forces on the D-Line for the Cats this year.

Linebackers

Louisville
SLB Malik Jackson 6-2 231 Jr.
MLB Nate Harris 6-1 235 Sr.
WLB Abe Brown 6-4 230 Sr.

Kentucky
SLB Johnny Williams 6-3 235 So.
MLB Braxton Kelley 6-0 226 So.
WLB Wesley Woodyard 6-1 212 Jr.

I would give this one a push. I like both the teams linebackers. Louisville's are a little bit more experienced, but with Kelley and Woodyard having played against SEC teams, I think they can hold their own. Look for Micah Johnson to get some playing time as well if he can get the mental part down.

Secondary

Louisville
CB Rod Council 5-11 189 So.
SS Jon Russell 6-2 194 So.
FS Brandon Sharp 5-11 195 Sr.
CB William Gay 5-11 184 Sr.

Kentucky
CB Karl Booker 6-1 190 Sr.
SS Roger Williams 6-0 200 Jr.
FS Marcus McClinton 6-1 210 So.
CB Trevard Lindley 5-11 195 RS Fr.

Because of the cornerbacks, this one goes to Louisville.

At 5-3-1 I would give the advantage to Louisville for this game. What it all could end up coming down to would be the special teams.

I would give the returning advantage to Kentucky. Little (PR) and Burton (KR) will steal the show over Carter (PR) and Council (KR). With the kicking tee being shorter, look for some great returns in this one.

The kicking advantage would go to Louisville. Carmody a Jr. has much more experience than the Housley the So. (who is trying to replace Begley).

I look for this game to be a lot closer than the spread suggests (barring a breakout game from both Bush and Brohm).

It feels good to be talking about football again.

Let me know if you thought this was helpful.

By the way, keep your man laws coming. We're almost to 10! Don't miss out on your chance to be a part of the sports huddle man laws!

2006-08-31T13:30:00.000-04:00

UPDATE ON MAN LAWS

You all have been great with helping us come up with the Sports Huddle Man Laws. Just so you all have a refresher as to what we've done so far here they are:

1. No one can interrupt a man during the 2nd half of a UK Basketball game. (Will)
2. No one may schedule any important event thatconflicts with a UK Football or Basketball rivalry game. (Patrick)
3. All radio stations must be tuned to ESPN Sports Radio 1300 from the hours of 4pm to 7pm NO EXCEPTIONS. (Clay)
4. The beverage notifcation law. (Phillip)
5. While watching a movie with men at a theater, men must separate themsevles by a buffer seat. (Steve)
6. A significant other must never ask a man questions about the sport during pivotal points in the game. (Glen)

Remember... These laws will be rewritten after we get four more. They will be permanently set in "stone" on www.wlxg.com and maybe in another way as well. Don't miss out on your chance for Sports Huddle Man Law history!

By the way... For all of you who really want a breakdown between Kentucky and Louisville, I'll be posting a position by position breakdown later on today.

Keep your comments coming on the Blog!

2006-08-30T13:05:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone,

I hope you've liked the changes that have been taking place on WLXG.com. Are there any other improvements that you'd like us put into practice on the web?

I'd like to focus more on the QB "controversy" today.

Here's the problem. I mentioned it in a comment before, but if Woodson plays to keep his job, there's no way the Cats are going to be winning a lot of games. When you play to keep your job and not to win, that's when mistakes happen. He's going to be more worried about holding onto the ball rather than winning. I truly believe that things like holding onto the ball, making good solid tackles, and those other intangibles cannot be taught.

Don't get me wrong... You can teach technique. But there's no way that you can teach someone how to hold onto the ball. They have to want to hold onto the ball. They have to have enough mental toughness to hold onto the ball. They have to want to tackle a person. They have to want to jump straight up in the air to catch a pass. Some players have these intangibles, some don't. These intangibles can be aquired if a player has an ephiphany (which I hope happened to Woodson after last year). Players can start out slow and can eventually become studs.

But, you have to WANT to excel. You have to will yourself to do all those extra things that make the difference in games. Those things can't be taught.

In much of the preseason, Coach Brooks stressed the mental toughness. From all other accounts, it seems like this team is more confident than it has been in a while. I certainly hope that it is.

They'll need that confidence to win this year.

HEY WE STILL NEED MORE MAN LAWS! KEEP THEM COMING!

2006-08-29T00:06:00.000-04:00

Man Laws

We still need your help... That's right as of right now we have four man laws. Don't miss out on your chance to permanently make your mark on ESPN Sports Radio 1300. The top 10 man laws will eventually be posted on www.wlxg.com and talked about for years to come.

These laws could include things such as...
When recieving free beer, a man cannot complain about the brand of beer, BUT can complain about the temperature
When going to a chick flick with a significant other, a man CAN enjoy the movie, but never can speak of the enjoyment
If a buddy takes one for the team and is your wingman for the night, if he happens to take her unattractive friend home so that you can have a good night, you can never speak of this to anyone. Remember, he did YOU a favor...
Two men must never share an umbrella under any circumstances

Keep your Man Laws coming and keep tuning into the Sports Huddle...

2006-08-28T13:50:00.000-04:00

I promised all of you a look at the special teams on Monday so here it is:

The special teams are an interesting area for the Cats. There are some young guys in this group. Obviously it's hard to replace a Taylor Begley, but here's how things are shaping up.

Tim Masthay (6-2, 200, Soph) will be punting and kicking off for the Cats. Brooks said he has shown improvement in both his punting and kickoffs. However, kickoffs this year will be more difficut due to the rule change which has lowered the kicking tee. Look for the rest of the kickoff team to have to step up to stop some big returns.

The long snapper will be Jason Dickerson, a 6-1, 254lb Senior. The starting center, Matt McCutchan will be backing him up in case anything goes wrong.

As of today, J.J. Housley a 5-10, 186lb Sophomore will be kicking field goals and extra points for Kentucky. However, there is competition with Brian Scott a 5-11, 190lb Junior and Lones Seiber a 5-8, 180lb Freshman. This is going to be the most important position for the special teams. Not only are you trying to replace Taylor Begley, but if you are trying to play the spoiler teams, you HAVE to win some games by field goals. Therefore, Housley will have to make sure that he is ice cold mentally and is ready for those pressure situations. His foot could make or break a bowl for the Wildcats.

As for the rest of the players on special teams, look for freshmen to make an impact here at special teams. Until he starts, you might see Micah Johnson playing in many different positions in the special teams.

One more thing to note from today's press conference. Joe Schuler is no longer the starting strongside linebacker. He was out of preseason camp for 6 days due to a concussion and Johnny Williams a 6-3, 235lb sophomore took those days off to his advantage. Brooks said that Williams brings a different dynamic to the linebackers with his size and definitely looks for him to make an impact.

2006-08-28T13:47:00.000-04:00

ANDRE WOODSON GETS THE NOD

I am just returning to the station after attending Coach Brooks' Monday press conference at Commonwealth Stadium where he officially said that Andre Woodson would be the man behind center for the Cats.

To listen to all of Coach Brooks' press conference, make sure you tune into the Sports Huddle tonight at 6:30.

I'll have more on this later...

2006-08-25T09:47:00.000-04:00

I certainly hope that Marvin Lewis knows what he's doing. On Monday, Carson Palmer will take his first in game snaps behind center since absolutely destroying his knee seven months ago in a playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Don't get me wrong, I fully understand the importance of getting game snaps in. However, there's still another preseason game after this one. I know it's only a week, but wouldn't you want to save Palmer as much as you could before the season. Since the Bengals got rid of John Kitna, if anything happens to Palmer... Doug Johnson will be taking snaps?!?!?!? Is that what they really want the season to come down to?

The hit to Palmer's knee almost destroyed his whole entire knee. I hope they're sure of the brace he's wearing and I hope they're sure that his knee will hold up. I almost hate to say it, but the whole Bengals season is dependent on Carson Palmer staying healthy. Yes I know that they have a great running back in Rudi Johnson, great recievers in Houshmandzadeh and Chad Johnson, and a great defense, but someone has to get the ball to the recievers and hand the ball off to Johnson. I feel like a huge security blanket was taken away with the absense of Kitna.

Save Palmer for one more game.

In other news (that I called a couple of days ago), the jail watch has shifted from the Bengals to the Titans. Yes, that's right Bengals fans, the police have found a new team to focus on. Titans cornerback Pacman Jones was arrested early this morning for disorderly conduct and public intoxication after police witnessed an argument involving Jones and a woman outside a nightclub where a rap concert was being held.

ESPN.com reports that Jones, 22, was described as slurring his speech, having bloodshot eyes and smelling strongly of alcohol.

Pacman argued that the woman stole his wallet and passed it to another woman.

Here's the kicker... Police asked him to leave several times and he just stood there cussing. If I'm drunk outside of a bar and the police come and ask me to leave, I don't care how drunk I am... I just say "Thank you very much officer, I'll be leaving now."

The NFL tries to help younger players with money, how about the NCAA and NFL teach players how to act when a policeman approaches them. Phrases like "Yes officer," "No officer," and "thank you officer" would be great places to start. The advanced classes would move onto things like "Please officer, I'll go quietly, you don't have to tazer me."

In UK news, I'll break down the special teams on Monday (or over the weekend). Look for matchups next week. I'll break down who will be covering who, and give you all a look at the Cardinals besides Bush and Brohm (since everyone already knows those two).

2006-08-24T12:45:00.000-04:00

9 days until opening kickoff for UK...

But there's one problem that still remains.

Who will be taking snaps for the Cats this season?

Is it Curtis Pulley? The 6-4 200lb Sophomore who specializes in making things happen by his feet?

Or, is it Andre Woodson? The 6-5 232lb Junior who prefers to make things happen in the air.

It's simply a question of preference now. Does Brooks prefer an offense centered around the run, or the air? Most of all, it comes down to who can hold onto the ball. Whatever it is, he has to stick by his decision. There can't be flip flopping for quarterback this year (think of what happened to Tennessee last year). The offense needs to be able to rally around its signal caller. Not having a decision at quarterback is hurting the Cats more than it's helping them.

The decision time is flirting dangerously with a possible distraction. The offense needs a full week of working together before the Louisville game and they need to be confident in who is going to be leading them into battle.

I guess we're all going to have to wait and see what that decision is.

But I'd like to know who you think should be taking the snaps on the field for Kentucky.

2006-08-23T23:36:00.000-04:00

Wow... Slow news days are fun. I wish I could put a great blog in here tonight but there's not much going on. So, in celebration of one of the last dog days of summer, I figured I'd give you all a rundown of the most pertinent news.

Pat Riley is going to return as coach of the Miami Heat.
Wow, I didn't see that one coming. Pat Riley has the chance to come back and coach Shaq, D-Wade, and the rest for one more year and make a bunch of money to do it... I'm shocked. The guy is coaching in Miami. His off days consist of golfing and laying out on the beach. Tough life.

The PGA Tour says they won't drug test until they see a pattern.
Yeah the last thing you have to worry about is golfers taking a minute to put down their beers so that they can take some roids. (We all had the discussion about Tiger and the shape he's in...) However, the majority of the golfers are not in shape like Tiger is. Wow this one makes me laugh. Did they feel like they had to comment on this one too since everyone else is. Looks like someone feels left out of the steroid party. In their defense, I wouldn't put it past ANYONE anymore to take steroids.

Again with the steroids...
Sprinter Justin Gatlin has taken responsiblity for his drug test although he still doesn't know how they got into his system. That's kind of a half hearted attempt at coming clean. But it is the closest we've had since Giambi. Unlike Giambi he actually admitted to having them in his system. The one thing I don't get though is how he was suspended in college for his ADD medicine. Isn't there a medical waiver they can fill out with their medications? I thought there was. Can't fault the guy for trying to do well in school while he was there.

The World Series of Poker Champion is being sued for half of his winnings
A television guy for the WSOP says that this year's champion promised him half of the winnings if he won. If I've said it before I'll say it again. Any comments made to another man about money in Vegas cannot be valid unless he says it outside of Vegas as well. I swear those lights do something to people. Make it a man law.

Some of the biggest news in the NFL is that Vince Young slapped his hand on a helmet accidentally in practice.
We're talking about practice here... By the way, what's up with the Titans and their camp. It seems like it's a tougher place to be than out on the town with the Bengals. Whats the over under on the number of days before a player gets tazed in practice?

Louisville is building a new facility which will hold the Cards basketball games
It's cool for them but I don't see why such a big deal is made about it. Good for them that they need a bigger place to play games. Don't get me wrong, I went to UK and all, but it'll just make for games at Louisville even better and more fans from both schools will get to go see the games. I don't see any harm in that. I guess I'm the type of person that wants to play the team when they're the best that they can be in the harshest of venues, just so I can beat them in front of their massive home crowd. It must be the athlete in me.

Almost one week until the UK vs. U of L game... Any predictions?

2006-08-21T23:35:00.000-04:00

Tiger Woods could possibly be the greatest golfer that ever lived. At 30 years old he is only 6 majors away from Jack Nickalus who has 18. He's doing it faster than the Golden Bear could have ever dreamed of. The only major that he has ever missed the cut in (this year's US Open) almost lit a fire in Tiger; he has since won the next two majors (British Open, PGA Championship). However, I've heard a lot of people today trying to say that he could possibly be the best athlete ever. I'm not saying that he couldn't be, I'm just saying that we'll never know.

1. Tiger Plays an Individual Sport
How can we EVER compare an individual to a team. Tiger is the only one out there. If he has a bad day, he's the only one that suffers. If you are the star of your team, you either need to rely on other players to help or suffer the consequences. He has never had help, but he also hasn't had to work with multiple players to achive a common goal. Think about it, if all Michael Jordan had to do was play people 1 on 1, he would have won a lot more than he already had.

2. Golf is NOT a Contact Sport
Tiger never had to shoot a jumper with the game on the line while someone was fouling him. He never had to rush through the defense for a game winning touchdown run, or throw the touchdown pass while someone was tacking him. Tiger has never been slashed while skating on a breakaway and has never been hit by a 90 mile an hour fastball. All he's had to do is hit a golf ball (which believe me is hard... I golf. We all know how it is). But he's never had anyone legitimately challenge him. Golf is not a sport where someone else's play could effect your play. The only one on the course he has to worry about is himself. No one is going to be tackling him while he's hitting his 2nd shot on the 11th. The amount of pressure put on a golfer is not half as much as the pressure that someone is in when they're trying to find a reciever while standing in the pocket with a left tackle who has a knee injury. You don't know who might come and blindside you. Is it a Defensive End? Is it a Linebacker? Is it a Safety? Oh wait, here comes Phil Mickleson's Caddie... OUCH! What a hit! Tiger is down for the count and his approach shot only went 20 yards.
Even other individual sports like Boxing and the very popular Mixed Martial Arts like the UFC rely on one person competing against another in battle. I used to wrestle. I knew that my match depended on what the other person did and how I reacted to it. The only thing Tiger has to react to is the course.

3. The Greatest Athletes Weren't Golfers and We Don't Know What Else Tiger Can Do
We don't know what other players could have done if they had golfed instead of doing what they did. What if with practice MJ could have challenged Tiger. What if Teddy Ballgame's swing translated perfectly on the golf course as well? How would Tiger fare bottom of the 9th, full count, bases loaded, down by two? Could he hit the base hit to send in the tying run? We'll never know. I've never been too big on comparing athletes from other sports. Think of track and field... If you look at some of the 40 times of NFL athletes, don't you think that some of them would have been great sprinters? I do... But they chose to play in the NFL so we'll never know. A great athlete pretty much has their choice to play whatever sport they want (unless you're MJ trying to play baseball), but what makes us think that they couldn't have been great athletes in other sports as well. Yes this argument could play towards Tiger's favor, but the point I'm trying to make is that Tiger didn't play another sport, MJ didn't play another sport, Jim Brown didn't play another sport. Barry Sanders played football and did not run track. Michael Vick is the quarterback of the Falcons not the sprinter in the 100 yard dash.

I'm not trying to downplay the greatness that is Tiger Woods. I'm just saying that we can only speculate to his greatness in other sports arenas. Could you picture Tiger kicking the winning penalty kick in the World Cup? Tiger is in a league of his own, an athlete amongst a sport that has many of its elite with beer bellies. How can one measure the two? Tiger isn't running, hitting, kicking, punching, grappling... There's no blood in golf (unless you happen to trip coming out of a sandtrap). Until I see the greatest athletes compete in a wide variety of games (kind of like the olympics), I will never know for sure. I will say that I believe that Tiger will go down as the greatest golfer ever, but not the greatest athlete. Just like I believe that MJ will go down as the greatest basketball player ever, but not the greatest athlete.

2006-08-18T16:23:00.000-04:00

Today on Mike and Mike, Deion Sanders came to the defense of Terrell Owens saying something to the effect of "Parcells needs TO more than TO needs Parcells."

I cannot tell you how much of a load of crap I think this is.

They both need each other equally. TO needed a team that was going to play him and pay him. The Cowboys needed a wide reciever.

Sanders claimed that TO makes everyone better from the offense that lines up with him to the defenses that line up against him on the practice field. One problem though, HE HASN'T BEEN PRACTICING.

There is one big reason why I would say that TO almost needs the Cowboys more than the Cowboys need TO... If TO fails with both the Cowboys and Eagles, what other team would want to pick him up? Wouldn't that solidify his status as a cancer to the team? I don't think he'd even be able to get a job in the CFL. He'd be outcast like a lepor. He'd have the plague. Wait, scratch that... He is the plague.

Honestly, you'd think that by now Owens would realize that he's getting older and he can't afford to miss half the season anymore. He's losing years that he can play, and money that he can make. That's the one thing he's focused on, isn't it?

But isn't that money the same thing that the Cowboys are focused on as well? If the Cowboys have good players, they'll win, if they win, they'll sell more merchandise, they'll sell more tickets, and in turn make more money.

Then I guess they both need each other. Either that or they both need money.

2006-08-17T15:10:00.000-04:00

I'm oozing with anticipation. It's Christmas in August for me. That's because the Red Sox will take on the Yankees in a summer showdown this weekend.

That's right... Jeter, A-Rod, Johnson taking on Ortiz, Ramirez, Schilling and whoever else is still healthy for the Sox.

Let me tell you that I believe that this is the BIGGEST rivalry in sports and I believe that it will continue to be the biggest rivalry EVER in sports. If you have a better rivalry, please let me know.

Here are some reasons as to why the Sox/Yanks is the biggest and best rivalry in all of sports:

Both teams compete equally.
Yes, for many years the Red Sox were always the bridesmaid and never the bride, but they always made a run for the playoff spot or the American League pennant. Like clockwork, fans know that they can count on a showdown between the two teams every August and September. Right now, the Red Sox are 69-50 and the Yanks are 70-47. The Sox are only two games back... If there's a good series for Boston here, the AL East is tied and it's a horse race until October.

They meet 19 times.
Both teams and the MLB set this one up so that they HAVE to meet many times over the course of the season. It is set up that it comes down to how many times they beat each other determines who goes to the playoffs. It's just the way it is...

The fans.
Trust me, you'll never find two groups of fans that are more fanatical about their teams than the Yankees and Red Sox. I should know, I grew up 15 minutes outside of Boston. I remember going to a Yankees and Red Sox game in Boston on Easter one year and you'd be surprised as to how many people were cussing at each other, throwing peanuts at each others, fist fighting, etc. There is nothing else like it. It can only be experienced to be understood.

If you can think of another rivalry that is better than the Sox/Yanks please let me know cuz I'm honestly interested to find a better one. It's tough being a Red Sox fan.

Bt the way, pictures of Mike Cameron and Chris Cross will be on the website soon. Other pics and bios will follow.

MAKE SURE YOU ALL TELL CHRIS CROSS HOW THE RED SOX ARE GOING TO BEAT THE YANKEES THIS WEEKEND!!!

2006-08-15T18:10:00.000-04:00

The Reds season is nearing its end. Can they hold on to make the playoffs? We have added many pitchers to the bullpen. I think, we still lack an ace to make the push. This coming week includes a three game series with the Cardinals. The Reds lead the wildcard by a game and trail the cardinals by a game and half. Upcoming in the final weeks include games against wildcard contenders. Houston, Philadelphia, LA Dodgers, Florida, San Francisco, and San Diego stand in the way with 44 games left. The Reds are 21st in ERA in the majors. This will have to improve. The GM Krivsky has been aggressive adding pitching. The Krivsky bunch added since the allstar break are Bill Bray, Eddie Guardado, Ryan Franklin, Gary Majewski, Kyle Lohse, Chris Michalak, and Rheal Cormier. Everyone knows pitching wins championships. Will Krivsky's pitching moves prove to work out. Hold ON! GO REDS!!!!!

2006-08-14T23:16:00.000-04:00

Today, the Courier-Journal explored a common practice that's done by many college football programs: closing off their practices to the public. They examined many different programs, some opened 4 practices, some opened them until a week before the game, some are available by sign in only, and some are only open to the media... Kentucky only opens one practice to the public and media: fan day.

I'm curious, do you think that practices should be open to the public, or at least to the media so that they can cover these practices for you?

Honestly, I'm still on the fence on this issue. I understand completely why they would close the practices off. Programs are afraid that people will go, take pictures, discuss aspects of the practice on the internet, and could potentially cause the team harm if an opposing team. What would happen if an opposing team found out that a player was limping, hurt, etc. What if the team is planning on using a new offensive scheme against a team and someone goes on the internet and says "I saw Kentucky and they were running the option this week! It's gonna be amazing!" Yes they could be saying it because they are excited for their team, but if an opposing team wasn't prepared for the option, but found out with 3 practices left that the team they're playing is going to be running it... They can key their defense on it.

What do you think?

2006-08-11T14:36:00.000-04:00

Whats the Worst Insult?!?!

Miguel Tejada flipped the bird to the Blue Jays fans, Titans are spitting on each other, Danica ran out of gas, what's next?!?!?!?

This is an age old question but it still needs to be answered... What is the worst insult that one person can give another person? Is it the finger? Is it punching them in the face? Is it spitting on them?

Personally, I tend to think that spitting on someone is the ultimate insult (more on that later tonight).

What do you think?

2006-08-10T20:11:00.000-04:00

Kentucky's Defense

All right, so we've gone after the offense, it's time now to discuss Kentucky's defense. Today on the show, we had defensive coordinator Mike Archer. If you didn't get a chance to listen, I'll break down the whole defense for you.

Defensive Line:
The defensive line is looking strong with many returning starters. The way it looks right now, Durrell White will start at Left End, Jason Leger will start at Left Tackle, and Myron Prior will start at Right Tackle. The fight will be for Right End between Nii Adjei Oninku and Dominic Lewis. The defensive line HAS to be strong. Maybe it's because this is the position I played in college, but sometimes the D-Line is overlooked. In order for Kentucky's defense to be strong, the D-Line has to take on double teams so that the linebackers are free to blitz and cover if need be. Myron Prior came off of a great summer and is looking to be a force there. He had a great summer in the weight room. He needs to translate that to the field. With young cornerbacks, look for the defensive line to be one of the key positions for the defense.

Linebacker:
This is shaping up to be the strongest position on the defense for the Cats. Anchoring this crew will be Junior weakside linebacker Wesley Woodyard. Look for him to take charge this year. At middle linebacker, Braxton Kelley is coming back after an injury derailed him his freshman year. If he can bounce back, look for him to be a force. At strongside linebacker, returning starter Joe Schuler is looking to make some noise for the Wildcats.
Here is the catch... Freshman linebacker and top prospect Micah Johnson will be fighting for a spot. If he's going to go anywhere, my guess is that he'll slip in at the strongside linebacker spot eventually. He probably won't start the first couple of games but will still get time. He's as confident as I've ever seen an incoming frosh be. This guy will DEFINITELY be a force.
The linebackers look great, but they're going to have to pick up some slack from a young cornerback crew. Look for the linebackers to drop back into coverage sometimes and look for the defense to call a lot of zone in the first few games while the corners get comfortable.

Safety:
Roger Williams will be returning at strong safety. Free safety will be a battle between Dallas Greer and Marcus McClinton. While the corners are getting comfortable, look for the safeties to have to step up in coverage as well.

Cornerback:
This is THE BIGGEST question mark for me on the team. Although Brooks is confident that everyone has had experience, this is the area on the field that has NO returning starters (although many got playing time last year). Trevard Lindley and Karl Booker are looking to be the two starters right now, but that could always change. This is the position that is going to have to catch up to the team the fastest. Look for teams like Louisville, Texas State, and Ole Miss to try and exploit this weakness in the first few games for the Cats. If they are up to the challenge, the defense will be solid. If they take some time to get acustomed to SEC football, UK will get burned deep for a while. From what I've heard from Coach Brooks, these guys are up to the challenge, but it will be a wait and see game.

Overall, the defense will be solid with a few exceptions. The D-Line and Linebackers should anchor a good run defense, it'll be the pass defense that we'll all be watching for.

2006-08-07T21:41:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone,

Sorry for the delay in getting the next post up. Honestly, I'd like to do it every day, but that can't always happen.

Let's run down everything that's happened in the last week.

Floyd Landis has failed his second drug test. I know that I should really care about this but part of me doesn't. I guess I'm still stuck on the fact that the dude competed in the Tour de France when he needed a hip replacement. That alone sent red flags up for me. In related news though, someone actually confessed to using steroids when they were caught today. Isn't that what we're all looking for anyway? I mean, I know it's bad to use them, but we're really looking for someone to say "You know, I really wanted to win and I did everything possible to compete at the highest level and win." I guess when it comes down to it, it doesn't lessen the severity of doping, but at least they get some points in my book for being honest about it. Bottom line is: you're still a cheater.

In UK foootball news, the Governors Cup press conference came and went, and so did UK Media Day. Here's what I think of the offense so far. Tomorrow I'll take a look at the defense.

The offense is going to be dangerous. Regardless of the question marks at wide reciever, there will be three (yes that's right three) running backs that can step in and compete in the SEC. You have returning all-purpose yards leader Rafael Little and then of course Tony Dixon, the former starter that was sidelined last year due to injury. If I were a betting man, I would say that the majority of the carries will come from these two men.

The offensive line is coming back strong and they are experienced. It is ALWAYS a good thing to have an experienced center (which they do with McCutchen) and a great tight end (Tamme) who can both catch and block. From what I've heard, they're ready to go.

The position that supposively has a controversy: quarterback. I honestly and truly believe that there is no controversy to be had here. Woodson has that confidence about him that screams that he is ready to play. He also worked hard in the weight room and came back as one of the strongest players on the team. During media day, you could tell a real difference in him. He seemed very confident and ready to be the signal caller for the Cats this year.

Which brings us to the last position on offense: Wide Reciever
This is the position with the most question marks on the whole team. But, let's try and clear up these questions. Burton is back and will definitely make his presence known. However, I think that the x factor at wide reciever will be how much we see Curtis Pulley line up there. Since I don't believe he will be quarterback, I definitely believe that he HAS to see playing time on the field. It would just be dumb not to use him. When I talked to him during SEC media day, he said that if he wasn't at quarterback, he'd like to see time at reciever. He's such a talented athlete that I believe Brooks knows that he can't waste him. Look for him and Burton to do some great things at reciever this year.

There were a few things that Coach Brooks stressed during his press conference: mental toughness and execution. Mental toughness is needed for all aspects of college football, especially in the SEC. If you are mentally tough, you will be able to will yourself through the 4th quarter if you're tired and you will be able to execute your plays better.

I think the Cats realize the pressure put on them and the coaches this year. They realize that they HAVE to produce. It's a young team, but it's a team that's experienced due to all the injuries from last year. Look for this to be the year that they upset someone. I'm not sure if they'll make it to a bowl (I'd sure like it to happen because I could probably get a press pass haha), but I believe that they will at least play spoiler to someone. I said before that Brooks needs a bowl to stay around here. But honestly, what everyone is looking for is progress. If he gets a big win, people will start to see that the program is coming around. If the bowl doesn't happen this year, it will DEFINITELY happen next year. That's right I said it. You can quote me on it too. I truly hope that I don't have to put my foot in my mouth.

Look for my take on the defense tomorrow and feel free to comment with your thoughts.

-John

2006-08-03T07:23:00.000-04:00

Coming soon....

A breakdown of the SEC

Let me know if there's anything else you would like to see covered on the blog.

Soon, we will have more faces from ESPN Sports Radio 1300 posting on the blog

Hope you're enjoying it so far

2006-08-01T23:43:00.000-04:00

Derek Jeter to Launch Cologne in November

Remember the days when you didn't have to worry about an athlete trying to market themselves too much? Oh wait I can't remember a time when they didn't do that. I guess I'm too young. I'm sure Mike Cameron remembers.

Anyway, all the fun stuff aside, Derek Jeter is going to be launching his cologne in the fall called, Driven. This scent will be made of everything from pinapple to oak moss. Wow, I can't wait to put some oak moss on my neck. I'm sure that's really attractive. This marks the first time an athlete has put out a fragrance since Michael Jordan... although everyone tried to BE like Mike, no one wanted to SMELL like Mike. I believe they put actual grass in the fragrance for a more "manlier" scent.

Well, for those of you that didn't call in today or didn't get on the show... I'd like to know what fragrance you would like to see for any athlete for every sport. Don't be shy, I'm sure you all have some great ones.

Here are some examples to get your mind going:
A cologne for UK student athletes - Purrfection
Floyd Landis' - Cologne de Victory (a mixture of Cortizone and Jack Daniels)
Tiger Woods' - Dominance (for those men that can bounce back after missing a cut)
Ricky Williams' - Fire on the Mountain (a mixture of natural herbs)
David Ortiz' - Ode de Clutch (for those that know when to step up when it counts)

If I think of any other funny ones I'll let you all know. Until then, I'd like to know what YOU all think.

On a side note, I thought Mike and Mike's cologne for A-Rod was hilarious. In case you missed it, it's running as a promo for ESPN Sports Radio 1300.

2006-08-01T13:45:00.000-04:00

TONIGHT ON THE SPORTS HUDDLE

IT'S THE FIRST DAY OF OUR 2006 SEC FOOTBALL PREVIEW!!!!!!!

That's right everyone!

Tune into the Sports Huddle tonight at 6:30 for our 1st installment of the 2006 SEC football preview. All this week we will have clips from interviews with each coach, important games, impact players, etc. Tonight on the huddle we will break down South Carolina, Ole Miss, and Tennessee.

Stay tuned Wed night at 6:00pm for our breakdown of Georgia and Vandy.

And of course, we will have a more in depth look at each team here on the ESPN Sports Radio 1300 Blog!

-John

2006-07-31T12:46:00.000-04:00

THIS WEEK: SEC Football Preview on the Sports Huddle

Hey everyone,

SEC football is almost upon us and starting on Tuesday night, the Sports Huddle will be starting it's SEC football preview. I will give a rundown of each team's strengths and weaknesses which will be followed by clips from SEC Media Day from the coach of each school. Don't miss out on our analysis of the best college football conference in the country, SEC. Tuesday night's preview will start at 6:30 pm! Wed-Fri's previews will start at 6:00pm.

Please give comments if there is anything in particular that you would like to hear or know about!

2006-07-30T17:55:00.000-04:00

The Evil Empire Strikes Again

In this day and age we're told that the Yankees and George Steinbrenner can no longer steal players away from other teams due to the fact that teams are more financially competitive and due to the fact that the Yankees have NO players in their farm system that they're willing to give up. Obiviously who ever told us that was full of crap.

Today the Yankees struck again and stole Bobby Abreu from the Phillies and brought him into the Evil Empire.

Yes that's right, in their attempt for MLB domination the Yankees yet again paid a player a huge amount of money to join their squad. Abreu was paid 1.5 million dollas to waive his no-trade clause so that he could go to New York. Does anyone think that this is fishy? I do. I know that I'd probably be a hypocrite and say that if Abreu came to the Red Sox I probably wouldn't mind. However, this has gone on way too long. I truly believe that is deals like this one that has accounted for the drop of in popularity of baseball (well that and steroids). Do you think this is why people like college sports better? Once someone is at a college people can't lure the player away with money (unless they go to the pros). But to make it truly simple, college is the one venue where all colleges are on the same playing field with who they can bring in (when it comes to recruiting).

We all know that their is an unfair advantage to teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, etc. when it comes to player salaries. Is the gap between those upper tier teams and the lower counterparts growing larger and larger? I almost feel like there's a class system when it comes to baseball teams. It's almost like capitalism at it's best. The rich get richer and the poorer get poorer. The poorer clubs always just bank on their farm system but the richer teams end up stealing them away when they realize they have talent. What can be done to make the Kansas Cities and Tampa Bays more competitive?

I don't know. It's times like these that make me frustrated about baseball. What do you all think?

2006-07-30T00:12:00.000-04:00

Sports Huddle July 29th 2006

Hey everyone,

Today on the Sports Huddle we had Mark Crunette from the Cincinatti Enquirer. He is the Enquirer's beat writer for the Bengals and he gave us his insight on how they would do this season. It will be interesting to see how they will do this year considering the injury to Carson Palmer from last year and all the off the field infractions. Some players might get confused and think that they could use a taser on the field... I hope someone lets them know that they can't. Palmer looked good on his first day of training camp (Saturday) and as long as his knee holds up, the Bengals will remain competitive. The only concern is their schedule. The Bengals have one of the hardest schedules in the NFL this year. Do you all think they will be able to hold up?

We also had Jennifer Greathouse from "Made From Scratch" in Georgetown. Her and her mother own the business that is responsible for making all the food for the Bengals training camp. The amount of food they need is insane. I think she told us that someone gets paid to scramble eggs for 2 hours!!!!!! Must be nice having your food made for you all the time.

We also touched upon Kentucky Football again. It is coming on fast and sometimes we forget with all the basketball recruiting going on. Now that basketball camps have finished, we can focus on the gridiron once again. I know I touched upon it in an eariler post, but what are your expectations/hopes for this year's football team?

In other news...
The Big Papi, David Ortiz hit another walk off hit for the Red Sox today (Saturday) to propel the Sox over the Angels 7-6 in the 11th inning. He has to be one of the most clutch players I have EVER seen. He now has countless walk off hits/home runs and has helped to solidify his position as one of the greatest assets to the Red Sox. I hate to go back to this debate, but with all of the times he has helped the Sox win, don't you think he should have been named MVP last year? I understand he doesn't play much in the field, but his contributions to the team are very apparent both in the locker room and through his hitting. I believe that he is THE MOST IMPORTANT player on his team. You may think that I'm crazy for saying this, but here's why. First of all, the fact that he bats third and Manny Ramirez bats fouth means that you have to pitch to one of them. Both of them are dangerous hitters, but the fact that he's there means that the opposing pitchers can only take away one of the two bats for the Sox with an intentional walk. Also, he's a left handed batter that can hit just as well against left handed pitching as he does against right handed pitching. Finally, he IS the best clutch player in the game today. I wonder if A-Rod could say that.

Who do you think is the most clutch player in any sport?

2006-07-28T13:23:00.000-04:00

It was a Good Sale, but You Should Have Forced Him to Buy the Matching Shirt, Moron!

Just for a moment or 2, put yourself in your favorite (or LEAST favorite) head coaches shoes. Tubby Smith, Mack Brown, Steve Superior, even ol' Hal Mumme or Guy Morrisssssssss...
Could YOU stand the kind of pressure and the scrutiny that comes with their positions? Take your job for instance...
From hiring to firing people (Recruiting), design of your store or shop (New Practice facility or Arena), Salespeople, support, your standing with other companies your size (Rankings), former bosses (comparing Tubby to you know who in Red over by the River.) Your EVERY MOVE gets scrutinized.
EVERYTHING YOU DO, SAY, THINK AND BELIEVE IS SCRUTINIZED...
Read the sentence again before you say you wouldn't have a problem with it...

Part of the fun of watching our favorite teams is second guessing the moves that get us all to the end of the game/final result. "I would have moved him to Point Guard...', 'What is he thinking putting THAT GUY into the game, NOW?', Why hasn't he been FIRED yet?

Remember the commercial that had Peyton Manning asking for autographs in the store? 'YOU'RE MY FAVORITE!!!!'. I loved that commercial because it put the shoe on the other foot for a change. It wasn't a perfect corollary to what athletes and their coaches go through because Peyton didn't go to the Store Manager and ask WHY would you put THAT HEAD OF LETTUCE on display when you had a 3lb head of lettuce that has been groomed for years to handle the pressure of being on an End Cap in Kroger!

Oh, and by the way: Who'dathunk that Brent Schaffer, former SEC Starter and the first Freshman EVER in the SEC to start an SEC opener (Tennessee), who transferred to Ole Miss would have to go to Summer School before he became re-eligible to play football. Schaffer transffered to that football powerhouse 'College of the Sequoias' then transferred to Ole Miss when Ed Orgeron made him the starter. Schaffer has been so ensconsed in learning at the School of the Big Trees that he had to enroll in summer school to become eligible to get on the field for the Rebels...

Skip

2006-07-28T07:29:00.000-04:00

1st Tests Back: Landis Tests Positive

On Thursday, everyone was shocked to find out that recent American Tour de France winner, Floyd Landis, tested positive for high testosterone levels during the Tour de France. Not only is this a blow for doping in sports in general, but also a blow towards Americans in the Tour de France since the French were just waiting and hoping to find an American that tested positive in their tour.

Here are the 3 reasons that Landis said might have caused the higher levels of testosterone in his system:
1. The medicine he needs for his thyroid disease
2. The cortisone he took for his injured hip (that needs to be replaced)
3. The Jack Daniel's he drank before Stage 17

I would understand that he needs to take medicine for his thyroid disease. Since the thyroid gland is responsible for the production hormones in our bodies, this could work. However, I would assume that the medicine he takes for this has been documented with doctors and hopefully cleared by the Tour.

He then mentioned it could have been the cortisone that he took for his injured hip. First of all, this guy needs a hip replacement, yet he still won the Tour de France?!?!?!? Did anyone stop to think about this for a second. How many times did they have to shoot this guy up with cortisone? I mean, in cycling your hip is one of the main things you need. That puts up red flags for me right there.

Finally, he said it could have been the Jack Daniels he drank before Stage 17. Why is this guy drinking Jack Daniels in the first place? Wasn't someone there to tell him that he should have been drinking bourbon? Maybe Woodford Reseve would have been in order for such a big race, or at least Makers.

Whatever it might have been, Landis is going to have to be able to explain himself with proof of what caused it if his second test comes back positive. None of this, "it could have been ______" will work. He has to know exactly what did it.

Am I surprised that he tested positive? No. Cheating is something that has gone on forever in sports. What I am surprised at is how shocked the fans and media are when something like this happens. I'm not saying that everyone is out there taking illegal substances, but there are some that do. Just like how pitchers used to grease the ball, some batters put cork in their bats, etc. Nobody questions them until they get caught, until now. This generation of sports fans, myself included, will be taught to scrutinize every single great achievement in sports. Are we right in doing so? Absolutely. But the bigger question is: do we even care?

The first and foremost reason that we watch sports is to be entertained. Leagues, teams, and even individual teams produce a product, that we the fans consume. If the owners and players feel like the fans demand more home runs, then they will do their best to supply them for us. This is capitalism at its best folks. What is going to make us more popular? Well then let's do it. If the coolest thing to do in baseball was to hit a double, you'd see a heck of a lot of players doing whatever they could to hit doubles. The bottom line is: did we get what we paid for? Were we satsfied with the product given to us? If the answer is yes, then we have no grounds for complaint. If the answer is no, then we have no ground to stand on when it comes to complaining.

Sometimes you can't have your cake and eat it too.

2006-07-27T23:27:00.000-04:00

Sports Huddle July 27th 2006

Although we had a guest on tonight from the Kentucky Horse Park promoting the World Equestrian Games that are coming to Kentucky in 2010, I'd like to focus more on Kentucky Football which dominated our discussion today.

Today, Chris and Mike asked you all whether or not you felt the same, worse, or better about Kentucky Football going into this season.

To be completely honest with you, I'm not sure how I feel. I truly believe that this is a HUGE year for Kentucky Football and most importantly Coach Brooks. The pressure is now on for UK to go to a bowl, and this is the first year that it is all of Coach Brooks' players. The schedule is set up for him to win 6 games, and he brought in his players to do just that. Whether or not it happens remains to be seen.

This is what I do know: there are three games on Kentucky's schedule that they MUST win. If they do not win in their games against Texas State, Central Michigan, and Louisiana-Monroe, all hell will break loose here in Lexington. There are always the toss up games that go in there too: South Carolina, Mississippi State, and Vandy. However, I truly believe that in order to go to a bowl, UK will HAVE to upset one of the following teams: Louisville, Ole Miss, Georgia, Florida, LSU, or Tennessee.

That's right, it has come down to this every year. Kentucky remains competitive in many of these games, but in order for UK to go to a bowl they are going to HAVE to win one of them. The difference between a team that goes to a bowl and a team that doesn't is that mental edge that allows them to play the spoiler every once in a while. This year might be the year that it happens.

What do you all think about this?

Check out Rich Brooks' quotes from SEC Media Day at http://www.ukathletics.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=39&url_article_id=18096&change_well_id=2

2006-07-26T18:20:00.000-04:00

Sports Huddle July 26th, 2006

On the Sports Huddle today we had Danny Hope, the head football coach at Eastern Kentucky University. What do you think about Eastern being the early favorites to win their conference?

Kyle Macy also joined us around 6:00 to let us know what he thought about the Fifth Third Tennis Tournament and his thoughts about other things Kentucky.

Chuck Arnold joined us to give us the legal perspective on the Barry Bonds situation. Chris believes this will be the biggest sports story of our lifetimes; do you agree? What are your thoughts on Barry Bonds?

Mike Schmaltz from the Kentucky Speedway joined us to weigh in on Danica Patrick staying in an Indy Car instead of making the move to NASCAR. Do you think she made the right decision? What would you have done in her shoes?

Leave your comments on these questions or anything else you feel like talking about!

Is there anything else going on in sports that you wished we had talked about or did you want to comment on something different? Well leave a comment and maybe we'll spark a conversation on the air based on what you had to say!

2006-07-26T16:30:00.000-04:00

Boston Gets "Pittsnogled"

Just when I was starting to worry, I'm relieved to know that our favorite new verb of the last year's college basketball season season will still be alive in the NBA. Kevin Pittsnogle, a tattoo-clad former F/C for the West Virginia Mountaineers is headed to Boston. My only question is, WHY WASN'T HE DRAFTED?!?!?! AND WHY DIDN'T ANYONE ELSE MAKE A BIG DEAL ABOUT IT?!?!?!?! Remember, this was a player who had a multi-page feature about him in Sports Illustrated. He is the all-time 3 point leader at West Virginia with 253! ESPN Sportscenter anchors couldn't get enough of his name and it therefore became a staple of last year's college basketball season! Boston quickly realized that Pittsnogled was forgotten about almost like Macaulay Culkin in "Home Alone." It's like all of a sudden the NBA realized, "We left Kevin at home!" (It's ironic that Culkin's character in "Home Alone" was also named Kevin). This was a great pickup for Boston due to the fact that Pittsnogle is a 6-11 F/C who can shoot the 3 and knows how to use his body to get rebounds. Pittsnogle will join former Kentucky Wildcat Rajon Rondo and Sebastian Telfair as new additions to the Boston lineup. I'm still befuddled as to why this guy slipped through the draft. Did I miss something? Whatever, I'm looking forward to seeing Boston "Pittsnogle" the competition.

2006-07-26T16:06:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone,

For those of you that don't know me, I'm John Edwards, the new Operations Manager here at ESPN Sports Radio 1300. With this blog, you'll be able to give us comments on programming, our comments/news on Kentucky sports and sports around the globe, and you'll find links to interviews with guests that appeared on the Sports Huddle. Feel free to comment after we post something! Make sure you stay tuned to all programming on ESPN Sports Radio 1300 and the Sports Huddle weekday afternoons at 4 with Chris Cross and Mike Cameron!

As a test of how much you guys are going to use this, Mike Cameron would like to know your feelings on the UK Basketball Schedule that was released last week.

Hope you all enjoy this blog,
John

2006-07-26T11:21:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the SportsRadio 1300 WLXG Blog- Ovah Heah!
I'm Skip, the 'web dude' for the station. I was on with Chris Cross and Mike Cameron yesterday and they were talking about Patrick Patterson (A desired UK recuit for 2007 who had some avid UK Fans post pictures of the UK Dance Team on his myspace account that were apparently an NCAA Violation because they 'promised' Patterson he'd 'have fun', for lack of a more descriptive term, if he came to sign with the Wildcats.) and how UK and any other school for that matter, can police the internet.
Cross asked what I thought of 'myspace.com' and I told him I hated it.
THEN, he said he wanted us to start our own page.
NOT ON MY SPACE! But right Ovah Heah!

You'll get comments from all sorts of people that work at ESPN SportsRadio 1300 and the cool thing is you'll get to post your comments as well!
Please remember, this is a PUBLIC FORUM... The rules of protocol apply here, no cussing! Be Nice to each other and speak your mind!

Enjoy!
Skip