Tuesday, April 6, 2010

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.

3 comments:

  1. Speaking of dirty coaches and dirty programs, I guess that this idiot forgot about this:http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=1919059

    For some reason Jim Tressel and Ohio State got away scott free even though they provived Maurice Clarett with tons of improper benefits. Were any games vacated? Were there any fines levied? Did they have to give up the national championship they won with Clarett? No to all.

    I still don't get how Tressel and Ohio State got away with everything that they did. So before this guy slings anymore mud he needs to look at his own program. And, like you said, it's not like Ohio State is in in the Cleve. Douche of the year nominee.

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  2. Interesting, but very uninformed;

    While CLE has not taken a team title, they do have their fair share of Heisman trophy winners, great HS sport's programs, winning teams, All Pros in all sports, and some of the most loyal fans in all of the sports' world. So check your comment on nothing successful from CLE the past 30 years!

    Nice putting MI over OSU in FB; Which state produces more HS talent? What about the last 10 or 50 years, which Big Ten Program has carried the conference? Then please share with us in the last 20 years, what exaclty IN has done in BBall that OSU hasn't? No offense, should you know much about SEC FB, AL is the banner bearer, look beyond the last 10 years before you speak! Finally, CLE is still an OSU town, not that fans don't care about CLE ST., wasn't it CLE ST that beat the mighty Hoosiers in the '86 NCAA?

    **Boogie Woogie, Please list your sources for the MC OSU, improper benefits, send it to the NCAA.
    2.

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  3. Anonymous - Livingston talks about how 1) Cal is a cheater and 2) "why should Kentucky be good". 1 - John Calipari has never been accused of cheating, players did things that were out of his control. This caused him, the school, and all the other innocent players to have their Final Fours vacated.

    2 - Kentucky along with the Dukes, North Carolinas, and Indiana's of basketball (like Florida, Alabama, OSU in football) carry the sport - while the NFL doesnt need the Brows (see 1995 Browns to Baltimore), NCAA basketball needs Kentucky.

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