Bill Livingston: Cleveland.com's Mistake By The Lake

Kentucky fans branch far and wide, but it seems the haters reach just as far and, especially in Bill Livingston of the Cleveland Plain Dealer case, much wider. Bill Livingston wrote an article for the cleveland.com about his thoughts on the NCAA Tournament. Here's my take.

Bill, I'll start by saying that I'm not a Cleveland fan. I don't really like the city. It's usually cold, snowy, and full of bums (Bums: see Browns, Indians and the Foreclosure Rate). Bill Livingston, you don't help the feeling.

I'd feel safe to say nothing successful has come from Cleveland in 30 years other than Lebron James and A Christmas Story... OK maybe Major League. Yes, like Bill Livingston, not even the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum is worth its massive space (or price).

Here's what you said today Bill:

"10. I know it was a joke, but John Calipari, the ethically challenged Kentucky coach, ought to put a sock in it. .. Calipari said, 'I think it's important to college basketball that Kentucky is good. I think it's important to college basketball that Indiana is good. I'm not sure it's important that Ohio State is good -- I'm just kidding.'

But why is it important for Kentucky to be good, after hiring a cheater like Calipari, who somehow danced between the raindrops while his UMass and Memphis teams had their Final Four appearances expunged from the record books for rules violations?

Meanwhile, Indiana is way down only because mega-cheater Kelvin Sampson dynamited the program when he was coach.

Sometimes, you have to pay the piper. Although Coach Cal never has had to."

I'm not sure what Cleveland and you, Livingston, know about college basketball (Ohio State is in Columbus, Dayton is in Dayton, Cincy is, well, you get it). You're in Cleveland and you have Cleveland State. I'm going to guess you know nothing, so get off it, go back to your lake effect snow, cold bowl of Cheerios, and lonely overweight cat.

I realize you don't have anything to be passionate about in your city but it just shows that your front row Direct TV seat of good basketball obviously doesn't exemplify the passion IU and Kentucky fans have for the sport.

Maybe your bitter comments come from the fact that Kentucky beat mighty Cleveland State 73-49 in a Cancun ballroom in December. Maybe you're just upset that you talked the editor into flying you down for what you thought was a different type of "Mexican Ball-Room," and all you saw was a basketball game.

To answer your question, here are 4 good reason why Kentucky and Indiana are important to college basketball and people in Cleveland Bill:

1) Kentucky Basketball easily draws in the largest attendance to see college basketball played and IU fans show up in droves for a 10 game winning team, imagine if they were good.

2) Behind Duke, Kentucky draws in the largest ratings for TV games.

3) To put it simple and in a manner Northern Ohio people understand, Kentucky and IU is to basketball tradition as what Florida and Michigan are to SEC and Big 10 football.

4) Ask Indianapolis how much more they would like to have had Kentucky or IU in the Final Four vs West Virginia or Butler. Butler's awesome and WVU earned their way, but so is the all-mighty dollar Hoosiers and Cat fans wave to support their team.

5) With Kentucky and their talent in two years, you won't have a consensus #1 draft pick to choose from when the Cavs go to Hell after Lebron leaves.

Bill, I realize your hometown sports are going down faster than the newspaper industry and you see the Browns lineup, the AAA-Indians shipping off ace after ace to MLB Yanks and Phillies, and Lebron lacing up his summer walking shoes for a Jersey shore people care about, but leave the Cats, Calipari and our northern Hoosier neighbors alone.