This is How Bad the Big East Is and a Wildcat Prediction

Let's not kid ourselves. #1 Pitt is terrible; #2 They are coached by the Stache; #3 They are undefeated in the conference and #1 in the Big East. Do the Math: Big East=Garbage

As I am eagerly awaiting the Cats game in Starkville, I thought I would share my thoughts on the Louisville/Pitt game. Here is what is sad: They were playing for first place in the Big East. The teams were both 4-3 going into the game but their combined non conference record was 5-5. The two "best" teams in the Big East lost to every decent Division I team they faced including Utah, Kentucky, Notre Dame, Oregon State, and Miami.

Neither team had a win against a ranked opponent. The wins were against EKU, Florida International, New Hampshire, Rutgers (Big Least), UConn (Big Least), Syracuse (Big Least), and Arkansas State. This is what we like to call Charmin Soft.

Long story short, the Big East is the worst "Big Time" FBS automatic BCS bowl conference there is and nobody can dispute that. I am not just writing this post to trash the Cards, they have actually outperformed what many had predicted, I am writing this post trashing the entire conference. The Foul Fowl (haha, you like that?) now sit 4-4, 1-2 in the worst conference in the land, but can take solace in the fact that they don't have to play against tough compeition like other teams do in the SEC, the Big 12, the Big 10, the Pac 10 and I would even put the Mountain West over the Big East.

Side note: UK Prediction Time: As disappointing as this season has been I still have hope. Will this FINALLY be the game the Cats come out and look like they want to play in the first half? Or will a very tough 6-2 #23 ranked Mississippi State team come in and shut the Cats down early? Their only losses? Auburn and LSU, two top 10 BCS teams. UK has proven that they can play with anybody sticking in there against #1 Auburn and beating then #10 South Carolina.

Mississippi State has a very good defense but only a mediocre offense. Which is great because the Cats have a very good offense and, let's be honest here, the last place defense in the SEC.

The Bulldogs have a tradition of being really bad but beating UK when they are good. Let's reverse it and upset them in the armpit that is Starkville.

Cats-35, Miss. St. 27

Go Cats

Free Enes

Thats what I thought.

This will be short but sweet.

Go on and brag about your dominating wins over powerhouses like Memphis and UConn football.

When you play decent teams like UK & Pitt you get exposed as the frauds you are. That stellar offense = poop. Dominating defense = garbage. Thanks for playing.

Pitt just bent you over and pounded you with their Thunderstick.

#Where'sBilal #Where'sBilal #Where'sBilal

No its not Herpes... its Viral Halloween Videos!

It's Halloween! I have yet to gain interest in the NBA, other than the NBA Cats (Cousins fouled out last night with 3 mins to play, 22 mins, 14 points, 4 rebounds) and the World Series is shaping up to be WORSE than I expected. Thus, I have turned my attention towards my Halloween costume... I've decided to dress up, yes it is very last minute.

So I turn it over to some last minute costume ideas via video:

Nerd Alert 1: Probably not a last minute idea but...


Nerd Alert 2: Another idea that would take many hours of preplanning...


Last Minute Idea 1: HIDE YA KIDS HIDE YA WIFE... I mean, it's a red bandana and black wife-abuser tee shirt... how easy is that???


Weirdo Idea: Seriously, I'd heard of people dressing up their cat/dog for Halloween, but their Hampster??? There were THOUSANDS of these videos!!!


Weirdo Idea 2/Last Minute Idea 2: This little kid is one thing, but I choose not to make fun of kids. However, the grown man that runs behind the kid wearing t a thong... pull it off (no pun intended) if you can.

Predictions

Game Predictions:
Kentucky has to come into this game a little bit on the angry side after narrowly missing a chance to upset Auburn two weeks ago, then getting blown out of the tub vs. Georgia last week. MSU is breathing a sigh of relief after almost getting supplanted by UAB on its home field. Coach Dan Mullen hopes to find that confidence that his team showed in the win at Florida. Because last week, though it was a win, was an awful performance that brought out the boo-birds from the stands at times.

What’s At Stake:
Both teams are still in the hunt for solid bowl destinations. The losing team has to worry about having their season go into the tank and missing out on the post-season altogether.

Three Things That Kentucky Must Do:
1- Play ball control.
Mike Hartline and Co. are way better offensively than State and can move the ball on anyone. If they can keep sustained drives all game long, it will wear down the Dogs D and lead to some easy scores.
2- Go big.
WR Randall Cobb and RB Derrick Locke (scratched from the game--- ugh, but Raymond Sanders is pretty good) are great talents, but against MSU’s smallish corners, UK needs to utilize 6’6″ Chris Matthews and 6’4″ La’Rod King to open up the offense even more and get some big plays.
3- Gotta lock down the run.
MSU is 15th in the country in running the ball and UK is 89th in defending it. That’s not a good formula for the Cats. D-Coordinator Steve Brown has an experienced front four to work with and will need to have their best game yet.

Wanna win some green?
Kentucky has gone “over” on the over-under line in seven straight games.
Three Things That Mississippi State Must Do:
1- Use your brains man.
The Bulldogs made some awful mental blunders against the Blazers, including some needless penalties and poor decisions that kept the game close. Must clean that up guys, because this is SEC play again.
2- Use your playmakers.
LaDarius Perkins, Brandon Heavens and Chad Bumphis 9stupidest name ever) are two of the lesser-known yet more exciting players in the SEC. They’ll need to be difference-makers here against Kentucky’s questionable defense, especially in the running game.
3- Play with more confidence.
The UAB game was awful. The body language of the Bulldogs was obvious and the team looked defeated most of the time. The coaching staff needs to get their team to do a 180 in preparation for this game.
Wanna win some more green?
The Dogs have failed to cover in three of the last four games with Kentucky that have been played in Starkville.

The Pick:
MSU’s tenuous trip in the Top 25 will come to an end here.
Kentucky 41-31.

As always!
#GoCats
#FreeEnes

Cardnials Wings Clipped Further: Swopshire out Indefinitely

A familiar ailment struck the Cardinal faithful this summer, when Jared Swopshire pulled his groin. Unlike Rick Pitino, Swopshire was not at an Italian restaurant when it happened, but was attending while working out on a track with his family. However, like his coach, Swopshire's groin pull has had long lasting consequences (8 weeks) as Rick Pitino announced earlier today that "Swamp" will be out indefinitely.

He averaged 7.5 points and 6.1 rebounds last season and is expected to be replaced in the lineup by Kyle Kuric.

Jules Camara - Sianara?

Earlier this week we posted that the former UK Wildcat basketball player, Jules Camara, had been arrested for his second DUI. In case your week was as crazy as mine, here's a reminder per Lex18.com:

Lexington police say they arrested Camara, 31, early Monday morning at the intersection of New Circle Road and Alumni Drive and charged him with DUI. The police report says Camara's was unconcious in his car, which was still running and was stopped in the grass median. It also says that there was a cup of vodka in the console of his Ford Taurus.

Today, the immigration and customs enforcement recommended that Camara be deported from the United States and forced to return to his native Africa and placed him on a detainer. He will have the right to go before an immigration judge to have the facts presented before a decision is made.
 
Doesn't look like this Cat will land on his feet... in the US at least.

NCAA Looks into Louisville Red and White Game

I read about this yesterday but didn't write about it because I didn't think it was a big deal. It still may not be a big deal but it's a slow day and I find it kind of interesting. The story is that former UofL player Perrin Johnson was able to participate in the Red and White game Sunday night because Gorgui Dieng was not eligible and two UofL players are hurt.

UK wanted to use Mark Krebs, Perry Stevenson or Wayne Turner because they had only 10 players due to Enes Kanter waiting on the NCAA's decision. Well, the Almighty NCAA told the Cats no because they have a rule that states that using nonscholarship players cannot participate because they are considered "outside competition".

The UofL scrimmage is being looked at by the NCAA for the time being because the Cards may not have informed the NCAA that they were going to use Johnson. What will happen? It may affect one of Louisville's exhibition games but that is about it. I doubt much more will happen but we shall see. Read the full story and the rules here.

I find it strange that UofL was able to skirt the rule but UK was denied. I am guessing that it had to do with numbers. Louisville only used one player while UK wanted to use three.

But you can bet your bottom dollar that if UK was being investigated by the NCAA for something as petty as this the Dirty Bird Fan Base would be hooping and hollering, calling Cal a cheater and screaming for the Cats entire season to be forfeited before it even starts. But since it is UofL A). Nobody cares and B). Nobody cares.

The Boogie Debut is a Winning One

DeMarcus Cousins made his NBA debut with the Sacramento Kings last night and is already making his case for Rookie of the Year. Cousins had 14 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists against the Timberwolves in Minnesota and earned rave reviews from his teammates and coaches.

Let's look a little closer at what made his performance so good. The team leaned on him, a rookie, in the fourth quarter to come back and win the game. The Kings were down by two when Cousins hit two free throws to tie the game. You read that right. Boogie made clutch free throws. He scored five points in one minute to give the Kings the lead.

His coach had this to say about him, "The tougher it gets, the more faith I have in him." That's lofty praise for a rookie. No signs of the "bad attitude" that he has been labeled with so far.

Cousins had help from former Cardinal Francisco Garcia, who added 22 points in the Kings victory. With Tyreke Evans coming back (1 game suspension for reckless driving charge) these young Kings should be fun to watch. I and the rest of the UK faithful will no doubt be following our man Boogie throughout the season. It makes me a little sad that one of our most charismatic and fun players won't be wearing the Blue and White this year but I am going to support him all the same.

Next up tonight: John Wall makes his debut with the Wizards. Be ready for some fireworks. It will be fun watching Boogie and Wall, former teammates and close friends, battle for Rookie of the Year this season.

#FreeEnes

HUH????

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around, does it make a sound?

How about if a basketball scrimmage takes place and no one is there to witness it, does it really even count?

You may have heard the first question in elementary school when discussing how sound travels and requires an object to bounce off of in order to actually be heard. The second one however, may not be as familiar to the average person.

I ask the second question strictly out of curiosity. Can anyone explain to me how a team that has the #1 recruiting class for 2010, has an overly obsessive fan-base that camps out for weeks on end for a Midnight practice, and has the "Almighty" (LOL) John Calipari as coach only get a measly 10,000 fans out for the Blue-White scrimmage? I mean this is a team that had an amazing run to the Final Fou...oh wait, only Elite 8 (but it's not celebrated), and had 5 First round NBA draft picks this past June. This is also a team that is waiting on pins and needles for word that their big Turkish professional will be granted access to play in the US for free.

In contrast, the so-called "Little Brother" in Louisville had over 21,000 fans show up for the Red-White scrimmage. For you math pros out there, that is a solid 10,000 MORE fans than the greatest team in college basketball got.

So to Boogiewoogie and his partner-in-crime Ryan Shooter, let me hear your reasoning here. Better yet, let's turn this around and make fun of U of L for something completely unrelated to this topic. Because it just wouldn't be right if either of you stayed on topic with your comments.

By the way, Dieng is officially eligible, and no grades had to be changed for this to happen. #Where'sEnes #Where'sEnes #Where'sEnes #Where'sEnes #Where'sEnes

A BigTyme Goodbye

As a follow up to Boogiewoogie's article stating Josh Harrellson would have his Twitter privledges revoked, everyone's favorite Kentucky player above 6'9 has had his account removed completely. If you go to his page, http://twitter.com/BigTyme55 you'll see it is no longer there. *sigh

Cal said he wouldn't let Jorts tweet, but come on, did you have to make him take his whole account down?

While Harrellson will be missed on the Twittersphere, I'd rather see his next 26 rebound effort than his updates on his hunting and fishing trips.

Joker Cracks jokes... will his wifey be happy?

Per the LHL, Joker Phillips talks to the media about the recent DUI of Matt Roark and Derrick Locke's availability for Saturday. He even goes so far as to perhaps he makes his bed in the dog house.

Another 5 Star Loss for the Cards

And yet another recruit gone for Rick Pitino and the Dirty Cards. 5 star power forward Rodney Hood has committed to Mississippi State over Louisville. The #21 ranked Rivals player no doubt has heard of all of the missteps of the Louisville program recently and decided to go elsewhere.

By my count, these players have shown interest in Louisville and committed somewhere else:

Rodney Hood, Duece Bello, Quincy Miller Tony Wroten Jr, Michael Chandler and Marquis Teague. That last one makes me feel happy inside.

Don't fret Cards! You still have #23, #32, #72 and #102. It's not like every team can get #2, #3, #6 and #25.

Twitter Troubles for Jorts

Josh Harrelson, aka Jorts, aka BigTyme55, aka Big Britain, has been banned from tweeting by John Calipari. Why? Jorts was a little critical of some of Cal's comments after the Blue and White game last night and wanted credit for getting 26 rebounds. This is what he tweeted:

"Either we are the worst offensive rebounding team or he had gotten better"!!! Just amazing to me I can't get a good job or way to go

The first line in Harrelsons tweet to a quote made by Cal about Josh's performance. It didn't take Cal long to respond from his own twitter account:

He won't be tweeting until he's responsible enough to handle success or failure

Uh-oh! It's not all bad though. Cal went on to praise Harrelson a little bit on his work ethic. It just goes to show how this technology can be used for good and evil.

Speaking of twitter, Louisville is having it's own twitter wars with journalist Jeff Goodman. Goodman has been critical of the Cardinal fan reaction to Gorgui Dieng's eligibility. Goodman had this to say:

It's truly sad when Louisville fans are celebrating the eligibility of Gorgui Dieng. It's Gorgui Dieng. The again, Pitino needs bodies.

And this:

Louisville fans: I am Happy Gorgui Dieng; just meant that it's sad what it's come down to that fans are celebrating as if it's a superstar,

Couldn't agree more with you Jeff. On both statements.

Blue and White Game: News and Notes

It's difficult to get pumped up for a scrimmage game but this is UK we are talking about here, so the BBN is plenty excited. 10,000 fans came to watch the new look Cats go head to head last night in a fast paced practice game. Here are some highlights:

-Brandon Knight continues to impress as he put up 37 points and was super efficient going 14-20 from the field. He was quick with the ball, made good decisions and put up some exciting oops to Terrence Jones. He had only 2 turnovers and is a superstar in the making.

-Another phenom in the making is fellow freshman Terrence Jones. Jones had 29 points and may prove to be THE acquisition on the team. He is super fast for his size and athletic to boot. He popped some three's and ran the court pace for pace with Knight. I tweeted last night that those two will be a force to be reckoned with the more time they have together. Sorry Washington.

-Eloy Vargas had a double-double and looked good in the beginning but was fatigued in the second half. I am guessing that this won't be a problem as they continue to condition and practice. He is big and has a decent perimeter shot.

-Jorts grabbed 26 boards but there was little defense in the end of the game. Hate to downplay it but I think all in all he was impressive.

-Jon Hood started slow but picked it up later. That was the most aggressive that I have seen him since he has been at UK.

-Liggins and Miller both looked good. Liggins struggled on the offensive side of things but was big time on defense and earned major hustle points.

-Doron Lamb had a nice game with 14 points and hisonfidence came along near the end of the game. He developed a late chemistry with Knight. Look for him to be the sixth man off the bench.

-The crowd in Rupp was chanting Free Enes as Kanter was sitting in the front row with an Undertaker shirt on. It brought a tear to my eye.

Again, this is just a scrimmage game. The first exhibition is Monday night against Pikeville. Te start of the actual season is only a few weeks away I hope the NCAA decides the fate of Kanter soon. It's not fair to him or his team to just let him sit around and twittle his thumbs. The team needs to know, one way or the other, before actual games begin. I am interested to see what Cal's rotation will be Monday night and what they intend to do with the only 10 players. Calipari said he plans on a 7 player rotation. These Cats better be in shape.

Onto other news:

• The Heat got beat by the Celtics right out of the shoot. I thought this would happen. The Celtics are bigger, deeper and more experienced together. LeBron scored 31 in his Heat debut, DWade had 13 and Bosh had 8 points. The Celtics looked very good and led the entire game. Garnett looked healthy and years younger and had a double-double, Pierce had 19 points, Allen had 20, Rondo had an eye popping 17 assists and Shaq put up 9 points and 7 rebounds. The Heat will get better as the team meshes but their lack of size will hurt them going against Celtics and the Magic all season.


• The Lakers struggled beating the Rockets in the other NBA game last night winning 112-110. Jerk Face Bryant had 27 but Pau Gasol was the star with 29 points and 11 rebound. Yao Ming had only 9 points in his return and will be working to get back into shape as the season continues.


• UofL basketball FINALLY got some good news after months of bad luck. Most was self inflicted with the horrible press from Syphergate, Tony Woods and Rick Pitno's all around Jack Assery. But one thing I will say is that the Gorgui Dieng ruling is fair. He speaks 5 languages, got a 31 on his ACT and seems to be a good kid. I'm glad the NCAA reversed and did the right thing. Now we need to find out if he can actually play. Word on Dieng is that he has a lot of potential but is unpolished. Hopefully he will be able to show more heart and interest thanTerrence Jennings has shown his entire career.

That's all for now! As always: Free Enes!!!!

Iverson for Kanter trade Complete

A deal went down where former All-Star, future hall of famer and NBA great Allen Iverson went to Turkey to play professional for $4 million dollars. With the deal Enes Kanter gets to come over to the U.S. and play for the University of Kentucky.

What does Turkey get out of the deal? A washed up malcontent that is probably still playing basketball in order to pay off lone sharks for his gambling debts as well as paying child supports to his baby mama. And whatever you do, do not criticize him for poor practice play. But don't fret Turkey! There was one point in his career when Iverson was truly great and he has a legacy of playing hard. Just don't expect that now. He has pretty much given up and just wants to cash checks.

Let me speak directly to Turkey for a moment:

Thanks for getting the deal done with Kanter. It has been a long, hard road but I am glad we are finally at the end of it. And you're welcome for us giving you AI at such a low price. We probably could've went lower but let's give the guy a break. And please be nice to him. The last thing we want to see is one of our former stars in a Turkish prison addicted to heroin and man love.

We will take good care of Enes. He gets to watch professional wrestling whenever he wants and I am willing to bet that the Undertaker may even surprise young Enes by being the "Y" at a UK home game this year. And we will even throw in a replica of our championship ring for you just to show how much we appreciate it.

Thanks,

Boogiewoogie and the Big Blue Nation

This of course is entirely fabricated. Well, some of it is fabricated. Allen Iverson really is playing for Turkey for only $4 million dollars. Why Allen? Why?

NBA Tip Off: News and Notes

As we all know the NBA is starting tonight with a match up between LeBron, DWade, Chris Bosh and the Heat against KG, Ray Allen, Rondo, Paul Pierce, the Big Leprechaun in Boston. I want Boston to win because; A). I'm a Celtics fan; B). Rondo went to UK; C). I think Shaq is hilarious. But I also now enjoy the Heat because everybody else hates them for absolutely no reason.

They all took less money to play together. And what should the #1 priority of a professional athlete be? Winning a championship. I personally hope that LeBron James averages 50 points a game, wins another MVP and a title so those crybabies in Cleveland can cry some more.

To the News!

• Herm Edwards will be calling the UK/ Mississippi State game on ESPNU Saturday. My hope is that he is better than that awful Mark Schlereth. And Cats, take notice of Herm's most famous words: WE PLAY TO WIN THE GAME! HELLO!
• Brett Favre fractured his ankle in two places and is in a walking boot after the Green Bay game Sunday Night. His streak of NFL starts may come to an end. His streak of making really poor decisions based on his ego is safe.
• Tony Romo was knocked out of the game on Monday night and has a broken collar bone. The 'Boys are now 1-5. I hope their season ends well. I am saying this because two linemen from the Dallas Cowboys follow me on Twitter and if I piss them off I may end up dead somewhere.
• Random NBA season predictions: John Wall or Boogie will win Rookie of the Year; Mark Cuban will murder a referee on national television; Kobe Bryant will finally be recognized as the biggest Douche in the Universe, taking the title from Rick Pitino; Ron Artest will retire from the NBA and become and astronaut and be the first person from Queens Bridge on the moon; T-Will will be the only ex-Cardinal to start for an NBA team for any extended period of time.

Seriously?

OK so I know this is a sports blog and all that, but this story has got me up in ARMS, pun intended.

MSNBC - An Austrian man who lost both his arms in an accident but was able to drive because of a mind-controlled prosthetic has died after a car crash, a doctor said Friday. Christian Kandlbauer, 22, had been in intensive care since Tuesday after his vehicle veered off the road and into a tree. He died Thursday, Andreas Waltensdorfer, a senior physician at a hospital in the southern city of Graz, said. Kandlbauer was fitted with a mind-controlled robotic prosthesis on his left arm and a normal prosthesis on the other to enable him to continue living a normal life. Waltensdorfer and police in Bad Waltersdorf, a town near the crash site, said Friday it was impossible to say whether the accident was caused by problems with Kandlbauer’s artificial arms. Kandlbauer is thought to have been the first in the world to receive a mind-controlled bionic arm. The bionic arm was ripped off in the crash, the Independent reported. Doctors were forced to take off the other prosthesis during emergency surgery.

Guess that mind-controlled bionic arm that drives your car for you wasn’t such a great idea after all huh? I mean who could have seen this coming? I got a cell phone that can’t make phone calls, a laptop that freezes when I open Facebook, my Direct TV resets every time I use the DVR. But yeah I trust technology to drive a car for a guy with no arms. Listen I’m all for handicapped people trying to live normal lives. God forbid anything happened to me, I’d get fitted out in the most badass mind controlled robot outfit you’ve ever seen. The difference is I wouldn’t hop behind the wheel of a car like an idiot and put everyone in town’s life at risk while I sped around steering with my fucking brain. That’s just selfish. Like I said I’m down with this guy getting whatever he needs done to pick up groceries or walk his dog or have a catch with his kid. But when you start putting everyone within a 100 mile radius in danger because you want to go for a little joyride then you lose all sympathy from me when your freakin Optimus Prime arms take you straight into a tree.

Week 8 Recap

Another week is over, and another #1 ranked team goes down. 2 weeks ago, South Carolina shocked the College Football by ending Alabama's 19 game win streak, as well as their multiple weeks at #1.

Then last week, the first BCS rankings of the year were released, and surprisingly, the Oklahoma Sooners took over the top spot, shocking just about everyone. Then came ESPN's Game Day at Missouri, and just as swiftly as the Sooners were crowned #1, the Tigers brought them back to earth.

That left the door open for Oregon, right? Nope. How 'bout Boise State? Nada. The Horned Frogs? Uh Uh. The Auburn Tigers leaped-frog everyone to become the newest team at the top of the BCS Standings.

As a part time writer for this Blog site, unfortunately, I am not eligible to vote. If I were, my top 5 would look like this:

1) Oregon

2) Boise State

3) Auburn

4) TCU

5) Michigan State

Why Oregon at #1, you ask? While their strength of schedule isn't on par with Auburn's at this point, who else has been as dominate as the Ducks? They aren't just beating teams, they are smushing them. And this is all with a QB who spent last year on the bench behind Jeremiah Masoli.

As for #2, I still think Boise deserves to be up there. They have beaten every team put in front of them for 2+ years, and that's the whole point of this isn't it? I also think they get the nod over Auburn because the Tigers almost blew a big lead against UK.

Speaking of UK, they were primed and ready to ride that wave of momentum after defeating So. Carolina last week. A down Georgia team was coming to Commonwealth Stadium on Homecoming Day, and Randall "Whiner" Cobb had retracted his tweets about UK fans, so the stars were aligned for another big SEC victory. Right?

WRONG. Somebody forgot to tell Mark Richt that he was on the hot seat, or that Washaun Ealey was only a 5'11" 215-pound Sophomore, or that Randall freakin' Cobb was on the other team. 4 Turnovers later, Georgia stormed out of Lexington with a 44-31 victory, sending the Mildcats to 4-4 on the season, but only 1-4 in the SEC.

(Interesting how UK fans were so excited about beating South Carolina that they neglect the fact that the Gamecocks turned the ball over 4 times. Then against Georgia, the Cats give the ball away 4 times and point to this as the only reason for losing. Double standard anyone?)

Up next for UK is the Bulldogs of Mississippi State, on the road. So, by about midnight on Halloween Eve while Boogiewoogie, Monster Mash and Ryan Shooter are dressed in costumes, UK will be under .500 on the season, and a putrid 1-5 in the SEC. Make sure there's enough beer to go around amigos.

Fear not Cat fans, basketball season is right around the corner. #Where'sEnes #Where'sEnes #Where'sEnes #Where'sEnes

As for U of L, they welcomed the UConn Huskies to town with revenge on the mind. Under Kragthorpe, the Cards went 0-3 against the Huskies, and that includes the infamous "Fake Fair Catch" play pulled off perfectly by Larry Taylor in 2007. Additionally, UConn was mentioned by some as the pre-season favorite to win the Big East. Lastly, UConn had the #3 ranked rusher in Jordan Todman, who was averaging over 150 yards per game.

Well, someone forgot to tell Charlie Strong and the Cardinals "D". Not only did the Cards hold Todman to under 100 yards rushing, they pitched their second shutout of the season, and second in the last 3 weeks. Say what you want UK fans, but 2 shutouts in one season is reason to celebrate no matter who you play. And it's not like Memphis and UConn are Jacksonville State, or Charleston Southern either. If it's sooooo easy to do Mildcats, put your money where your mouth is and do it against the mighty Buccaneers of Charleston Southern (2-5 ovr; 0-3 Big South).

Another big reason to celebrate a second shutout: 4-8 last year. While Charlie Strong has brought in a few guys who are making impacts this year, the majority of contributors were there under the Kragthorpe regime. Adam Froman is controlling the offense, Doug Beaumont is finally reaching the End Zone, and Johnny Patrick has as many INT's this year as he's had in his whole Cardinal career.

In addition to the guys mentioned above, by far the biggest transformation of the Charlie Strong era is with Bilal Powell. Powell topped the 1,000 yard mark on the season on Saturday, and with the D keeping Todman in check, Bilal has now moved into #3 ranked rusher in the NATION. Saturday also marked the 5th time out of 7 games this season that Powell has been over 100 yards rushing, topping 200 yards twice.

The best part about Powell? He's confident, quiet, and deflects praise to his teammates. He doesn't lash out at the fans, refs, O-Line, coaches, or anyone else. He keeps his mouth shut and puts his hard hat on and goes to work every day.

The only negatives from Saturday's victory over UConn? Drive-killing penalties and lack of execution in the Red Zone. While it was nice to see Philpott bounce back from the Cincy game and hit 4 of 4 FG's, the Cards can't expect to beat Pitt, WVU, or South Florida without scoring TD's there. As far as penalties, U of L corrected those mistakes by going penalty-free in the 2nd Half.

With Powell's rushing, the Defense getting stronger, and Froman continuing to mature as a passer, I'm very optimistic for the Cardinal future, this season and beyond. Up next for the Cards is a road trip to Heinz Field to take on current Big East leader Pitt Panthers. At this point, the Cards control their Bowl Destiny, and anything can happen once those pads are on.

GO CARDS and BEAT PITT!!!

UK Football is Causing People to Drink Heavily

No, this is NOT Jon Hood in a bathtub full of beer cans. Although this guy looks quite similar.

In the past 48 hours 3 University of Kentucky personalities were arrested for DUI's. Former Kentucky basketball player Anthony Epps was arrested Sunday morning in Lebanon, Ky; current wide receiver Matt Roark was also picked up early Sunday in Fayette county for a DUI and has been suspended for this Saturday's game; and former UK basketball player Jules Camara was also picked up early Monday morning for the same offense.

There is one correlation that I think fits the crime of DUI: they are all drowning their sorrows in response the the up/down, all around season it has been for the Kentucky football team. Hell, I was even drinking Saturday. But that was before the game. I was too depressed to drink after the beating. It is as if the ghost of Billy Clyde has returned to spread booze around the UK community to get his revenge! And just in time for Halloween!

Take heart Wildcat faithful. I know this seems like a blackeye for the school but at least only one of the three is a current player. And at least the Cats aren't being arrested for beating up cops, or being arrested for fighting over a hairbrush, or being arrested for cracking the spine of their Baby Mama, or publicly humiliating their university by cheating on their spouse with some cheap floozy on a table in a public eatery while people watch, then paying for "health insurance" to terminate the "product" and blaming the media for demonization of character all the while. Whew! That's a lot but I am sure I am leaving somethings out.

In short: at least UK is not the bastion of criminal excellence that UofL has become. There, don't you feel better all ready!

Pete Thamel Corrected. Sort of

A photo of Pete Thamel on his childhood boyscout trip.

The New York Times printed a correction of a Pete Thamel article written about Enes Kanter but it's not really all that big of a deal. He attributed a quote made by Enes' dad about his little brother to Enes Kanter. In the long run it doesn't really help or hurt the #FreeEnes cause.

My question is this: why did the NYT not correct the quotes that Thamel lied about that dealt with a Duquence assistant coach that knew and trained Kaner? Those quotes were severely incriminating against him and were far more serious than the quote from Kanter's dad about a kid being smart and making good grades.

I am guessing that the NYT has been overtaken by letters from the Big Blue Nation and have had negative publicity due to Thamel being a lying prick, falsifying quotes, not using an interpreter, slandering a 19 year old's name by calling him stupid and being an over-all douche bag. They had to throw the angry masses a bone and I guess this is it. Too bad it doesn't make up for the rest of Thamel's jack-assery, which is a lot.

And if you can't tell I have strong feelings about this.

SOS: Same Ole Situation for Football Cats

This could also stand for "Save our Season"

I don't get it. I really don't. I was at Commonwealth Stadium this Saturday night to watch Kentucky take on Georgia in what I had hoped to be the follow up victory to the South Carolina upset. The house was packed tight, the crowd was loud, expectations were sky high and I had just partied for free at the Buffalo Trace invite only tailgate. Life was good.

And then the same old story happened. UK down 28-10 after the first half. Here are the scores from the first half in the last 5 games: Florida-21-7; Ole Miss-21-17; Auburn- 31-17; South Carolina-28-10; Georgia-28-10. Out of those 5 games the Cats managed to come back only once in order to win the game. That's a 20% win percentage when they are down at halftime. That's not very good.

And it's not like they are down by 3. We are talking double digit deficits in all but one game. I will give the Cats credit for the fact that they don't quit and they always fight back. The only blow out game was against the Gators. What does this tell me? This tells me that UK is not a terrible team and they aren't really a bad team. They are just bad in the first half. And I guarantee that if you asked Joker Phillips or anybody else on that team, they would not have a decent answer for why this is so.

And let's not do the fan blame game here. That place was jacked up. It was loud and the fans were in full support of the team. Nobody left after the first half even with the Cats down by so many points. People stayed, people cheered and people questioned whether or not this team will ever put an entire game together. If they did that they may be 5-3. But let us not play the "may" game, let us deal in reality:

• We are no longer looking at contending in the SEC East race, we are just looking at getting a bowl game


• We face a very good Mississippi State team that is 6-2 with wins against Florida and Georgia. Their only losses are to Auburn and LSU, two teams in the top 10 and one of which is the new overall #1 in the BCS. We have always had trouble with this team in the past. I can't tell you how many decent UK teams we had that had their season crushed by losing to a bad or mediocre Miss St. team. And the scary thing is that they are good this year. And they are at home.


• Mike Hartline is very good


• The Cats fumble too much and the turnovers have been Public Enemy #1


• We NEED Locke to be healthy for the rest of the season and it is looking like he will be available for Saturday


• Randall: I love you man but you need to quit whining. This week you were whining about late hits and cheap shots. You are the best player on the field and they are going to be gunning for you. Even when the play is dead.

That's all for now. The Free Enes Sportsthat shirt was a huge hit at the game and we are thinking about making some original merchandise to sell on the website. Again, just a thought but the response has been positive thus far.

Ooops

New game, same story.
The Cats dug themselves in a hole last night, but this time, they couldn't climb out. Fumble was the word of the night. Hartline coughed it up, The Rod got stripped trying to make a big play and Donald gift wrapped a 1st and goal for the Dawgs early on in the game. The Cats had more turnovers than Arby's and gave it up faster than Paris Hilton on a cocaine bender. Uggggggga.

The good:
Mike Hartline, LaRod King and the UK offense. Hartline threw for over 300 yards, completed passes as a 63% clip and threw 4 TD's. UK actually dominated this game offensively. Had 22 first downs to 13 of UGA's. Had 423 yards of offense to 290 and had the ball a full 5 minutes longer than the Dawgs. Yet they still got beat by 13. LaRod King caught 2 TD's and fought off a potential devastating knee injury late in the game.
Raymond Sanders looked good as well. Coming in late in the first half, he rushed for 79 yards on 16 attempts and caught 7 balls for 77 yards and a TD. Derrick Locke who??

The bad:
Donald Russell. 7 rushes for 13 yards. 1.9 a carry and a fumble inside the 5 yard line, going the wrong way. In the quest to replace Locke next year, I think the clear cut candidate has to be Sanders and this point.
UK's kickoff defense. Smoked. 100 yard TD return after a long drive basically sunk the Cats for the rest of the game.

The ugly:
Turnovers. A fumble on the 1st possession. A fumble on the 3rd possession. A fumble on the 6th possession. All on UK's side of the field. Combine that with a field goal and 3 punts and you're asking for trouble.
That blonde Georgia cheerleader they kept showing. I wasn't aware Georgia replaced their last mascot and got Uga IX out of the cheerleading corp... Wow what a dawg.

Looking like the Cats are headed back to Tennessee for another bowl game this year unless they get a lot of help from the rest of the league. Who would have thought 5 years ago we'd be complaining about losing to Georgia and going to a bowl??? Oh well Go Cats and win out to prove me wrong.

Please don't yell at me Randall for writing this post. I still love you guys.

And as always:
#FreeEnes

Kyle Wiltjer - Still a Cat

While it has been a drought over the past 3 months in the state of Kentucky, the rumor mills were flooded yesterday.

On message boards, blogs, and other social networks, 2011 Kentucky commitment Kyle Wiltjer was being said to have turned Washington Husky. This coming less than a week after a visit Wiltjer described as a "great" on more than one occasion via Twitter.

Wiltjer came out yesterday and nixed the rumors and said:

Everyone I don't know where your getting these rumors but they aren't true. Just had a great visit last week. Can't wait to sign to UK!

And if Wiltjer's word wasn't enough, just look at the last two recruiting seasons, since when does Washington steal Kentucky players... I think we all know it is the other way around.

Halloween in the Bluegrass

Rather it's risque or risk free, for a party with friends or a party of one, a Halloween costume is a big deal. If you're anything like me, you've been trying to figure out what to wear for Halloween since last November 1st. Here are some safe bets from local Bluegrass heroes when it comes to costumes to help you out at the last minute:

Political figures: It is always easy to find fun in the nearest politician. Rather you're going with a Bush mask, Obama outfit, or simply your favorite dictator, the world is full of egos more cartoonish than Disneyland.

Celebrities: You're probably going to a party 'in character' but what character will you be? Well the answer is as close as your remote control. Flip on your favorite movie or TV show and use one of your favorite personalities!

Pop Culture/Historical Figures: Rather you are a history buff or current events king, use the people in your life or events that have taken place in the world gather inspiration.

Couples Costumes: Going to the party with someone, well you're likely to want everyone to know you are together. Never fear, use the same ideas but pull from couples!

Life Size: If you have a job or hobby that is fun and can be made fun of, use it! Exaggerate your props and spicy up the outfit and voila!

Generic Costume: Ok, so you haven't spun any custom creative genius from the other items, Your Superman is as close as your nearest costume shop. You'll be sure to find many generic outfits to save the day.

 

Cats, Dawgs, Birds and...More Dogs, Oh My!

Georgia at Kentucky- Derrick Locke is out for the game against the Bulldogs this Saturday in Lexington. Kentucky will again be missing it's best running back and it's second best utility next to Randall Cobb. Last week Donald Russell filled in for Locke carrying the ball 18 yards for 41 yards. The running game was not the key to last week's upset victory over the Gamecocks, it was a steady dose of Mike Hartline to a host of receivers. I expect to see more of that.

Back to UK in a moment, let's talk about the Dawgs. Georgia is at an un-Georgian record of 3-4 and had a 4 game losing streak to South Carolina, Arkansas, Mississippt State and Colorado. Yes, they lost to Colorado at Colorado by 2. They have won the last two games against Tennessee and Vandy, two teams that are not the cream of the SEC crop. Georgia has been playing better due to the return of their top receiver and best player AJ Green. Since his return Georgia has put up over 40 in 2 straight games.

Georgia hasn't allowed a ton of points this season and had trouble scoring in a few games but, like I said, the return of Green has something to do with the new offensive production. The loss to the Buffaloes may have lit a new fire under them and made coach Mark Richt's seat a little hotter than it was. They now come into UK, a team they lost to at home last year, looking to try and get back into the SEC title race, which is as wide open as any in the country.

The Cats are coming off of a huge victory and cannot afford a letdown. The spotlight will be shining on Cobb for his play and for the comments he made via Twitter to some fair weather UK fans. I see Cobb answering the critics and coming up big. Hartline, Matthews and King will continue their amazing chemistry and the defense again steps up in a close game. The Cats have found a way to win and will be 5-3 heading into the stretch of conference play.
Georgia 30- Kentucky 35

Connecticutt at Louisville- The Cards lost a heartbreaker to Cincinatti last week at home on ESPN2. They lead most of the way only to let the Bearcats come in and reclaim the keg of nails for a 4th straight year. The Cards have an offensive Juggernaut in Bilal Powell and Froman seems to manage the game decent at times but makes some poor decisions when the game seems to be on the line. Silly interceptions at pivotal points have plagued them all year long.

UConn is, in a word, unspectacular as is the rest of the Big East. The Huskies were picked by some to win the conference but are looking like underachievers. UConn is 3-3 with losses to Michigan, Temple and Rutgers. They have lost their starting quarterback for the season due to off the field team violations that the coaching staff is not talking about. So it must be pretty bad. Like Tony Woods bad. Senior Zach Frazer will get the start and he has 2 TD's and 1 INT on the season. He has 553 yards and a QB rating of 107.8. He doesn't seem like a slouch.

The Cards are 3-4 and are looking to get back to .500. I see that happening with the Cards coming up big at home against a so-so UConn team as long as they start cutting out the stupid penalties that seem to be lingering from the Kragthorpe era or, could it be, that this is an indicator of undisciplined coaching. And Louisville please stop running the "Wildcard". You don't have a player like Randall Cobb or Cam Newton to do it. You looked silly in the second half last week running it and it contributed to the loss. Here's a hint of what you should do Charlie Strong: Run Powell and then run him some more.
UConn 14- Louisville 24

Last season at this point Louisville was 2-5 and UK was 4-3 going into this week. UofL is one game better but they still have a losing record and the Cats have the exact same record. Let's see how both teams respond to their new positions.

Sportsthat will be in Lexington this week for the game. Monster Mash keeps telling me about this "outfit" he is wearing. Sounds quite feminine to me. No offense to our lady readers.

Calipari on Kanter

John Caliparis is still talking Enes Kanter and for the first time it sounds as if Cal is a little nervous. Previous statements he made sounded as if he fully expects Kanter to play but his latest quotes do not have the same confident tone.

Cal says he is uncertain if Kanter will play for the Cats but that the NCAA "is not working against" Kentucky and he is confident that they will make the correct decision. He also adds that the ramifications of this decision will be a landmark ruling for foreign players that are interested in playing at American Universities.

Calipari made sure to reiterate the fact that Enes was 14, 15 and 16 when he played for Turkey. It is still unclear whether or not Pete "I hate John Calipari" Thamel's claim that $100,00o was accepted by Kanter.

The longer this goes the worse it gets. I suppose the NCAA is trying to get this right but the season is around the corner and Kanter is suffering because of it. He is watching his teammates practice get better while he sits in limbo.

The entire story can be read and the Courier Journal's website.

Some Late Night Basketball Notes

If you were eating or drinking something when you saw this, I am sorry.

It's not that late but I'm bored as I wait for the new episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia to come on so I decided to blog a bit. I know football is in mid season but it's always good to double dip into other sports and college basketball news has been abundant in the last few days.

• Bruce "Manboobs" Pearl has been working at Tennessee for the past couple of months without a contract. Pearl's contract was terminated the day before he went public with the NCAA infraction allegations that he broke rules while recruiting. And by that I mean he invited recruits to his house, took pictures with them and then lied about it to the NCAA. UT is reworking his deal but it is for less money and he may not ever see it.



• UK has been voted #10 in the preseason coaches poll. Duke is again the #1 team and that pick seems unanimous across the board. This is the highest I have seen the Cats so I think this is the best preseason poll available. Louisville received 3 votes to be in the top 25. I didn't know Rick Pitino was allowed to vote three times.



• Here is the story of Miller and Bello choosing Baylor over the Dirty Birds. What's funny is that the commitment of these tow brings them to #10. UK is still #1. Yes, the class is that damn good.

That's about all for now. Tomorrow I will have my usual Friday picks and a look at where the Cards and the Cats were this time last season to do a little comparison. Until then,

It's Official: Miller and Bello to Baylor

Once they saw the Rick Pitino "Oh" face, Miller and Bello were gone for good.

2011, it's getting worse and worse for the Cards. Quincy Miller and Duece Bello have both decided to head to Baylor as a package deal. I am sure some of this had to do with Louisville losing to the UK at the game they both attended. And the Sypher thing. And being afraid that Tony Woods will crush their spines if they make him angry. Or it could be the unwanted sexual advances by Rick Pitino.

This once again proves the point that Pitino has lost his recruiting and coaching mojo, along with his integrity, looks, health, credibility and any other positive thing one can think of. Oh how it must sting to know that his best days are behind him and hanging up in the rafters at Rupp Arena. #Burned

Brett Favre's Baby Mama: News and Notes

Brett Favre had a meeting Tuesday with the head of NFL security over the Jenn Sterger scandal in which Brett Favre sent her pictures of Little Favre and left desperate voicemails soliciting her to "hang out" in his hotel room. So far Favre's baby mama has been silent until today.

She was on the Today Show and Fox and Friends to talk about her new book which deals with her struggle with cancer. Yes, she had cancer and her husband tried to cheat on her. Allegedly. So what did Mrs. #4 have to say? Nothing much. She talked about how she is trying to use faith to get through this tough time.

As for the matter at hand, the NFL is rumored to be talking to Deadspin.com, the website that first published the voicemails and the pictures of Little Favre. This ain't over by a long shot.

On to more news!

• Derrick Locke likely will be ruled out for Saturday as Georgia comes to town. Not having Locke hurt the Cats a little last week but Donald Russell did an admirable job as the premier back and UK still got the win. It's homecoming. Let's beat the Dawgs. Don't get too excited Mike Vick, you are supposed to be reformed.


• The Football Cards caught a huge break for this Saturday's home game against UConn. The Huskies starting quarterback Cody Endres has been suspended for the rest of the season for reasons the team is not making public. I don't think it matters one way or the other. Louisville will probably win this ball game.


• Here is an interesting article of Mike Hartline's rise to where he is today from the Courier Journal. Hartline has had a rocky career at UK until this year. I actually thought he was having quite the season last year until he was injured. He deserves all the good publicity he is getting.


• Are you following the MLB playoffs? Neither am I. All I know is Texas is up 3-2 over the Stinkees and San Fran is clocking the Phils 3-1. Who do I want to win? I don't have a dog in this hunt so I guess I'm rooting for whoever plays the Yanks. I guess that means you Texas...


• Joker lands another 3 star recruit! D-tackle David Washington out of Georgia had offers from Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Virginia. Georgia and Auburn were also showing interest. Joker has been recruiting on defense heavily the past couple of months. He understands where the Cats need the most help.


• For all of those people that say that John Calipari cares more about recruiting than coaching, here is something for you; the NCAA is looking at eliminating recruiting players in the month of July. Cal has been one of the most outspoken coaches on this subject. His view is that he wants to spend more time with the players on the team than players that are still in high school. Go for it Cal!


• Calipari spoke his last words on the Enes Kanter situation and stated that he thinks the NCAA will do the right thing and that Enes is still an amateur. Here is more of what he had to say.

And last: Monster Mash posted that Rick Pitino and UofL have pulled out of the Qunicy Miller race. Basically because they knew they weren't going to get him. Another top recruit gone for Pitino. And yet another reason to laugh at the Basketball Cardinals.

Not the first time, Louisville's Pitino Pulls Out... of Miller Recruitment

What!?!? Baylor really? But I'm RICK PITINO! Tom, do something!

Today, in a lesson Coach Rick Pitino and the Cardinals learned about 7 years ago, the Cardinals officially pulled out of Quincy Miller's recruitment to Louisville. As Boogiewoogie noted earlier this week, Miller is now said to be highly favoring Baylor over "The Boys" at UL and to avoid futher embarrassment, they quit before being fired.

Along with Miller another 2011 recruit, Deuce Bello, is now said to be heavily eyeing Baylor as well. That career saving class of 2011 is shaping up to be the career ending.

In other indication that the coach is losing it, FoxSports.com writer Jeff Goodman is reporting that Pitino voted St Johns as the #1 school in the Big East in the coach's poll.

Seriously, it isn't funny anymore... it is just sad.

Go Giants!!!

Before watching this I didn’t really care who won the World Series as long as it wasn’t the Yankees. But now it’s official. I’m rooting for the Giants.

Tom Jurich=Hugo Chavez

His Colors Even Match with The University of Louisville! I think I uncovered something big!

For those of you that don't know who Hugo Chavez is, please click this link and take a look...still waiting...thanks. Now that you are educated I can proceed with the following: Hugo Chavez limits, restricts, edits, revises and sometimes bans TV, radio, Internet and the written word in the country of Venezuela. He is Socialist and that's how he rolls.

Well, it seems we have a mini-Hugo Chavez right here in Louisville, Kentucky. Tom Jurich, in response no doubt to the PR nightmare that is Tony Woods and Rick Pitino, has decided in his infinite wisdom to not let Rick Pitino host his OWN COACHES SHOW ON WHAS.

And to further show his power and control over all things UofL, Jurich has fired Terry Meiners as the host of the Rick Pitino show and as a sideline reporter for Louisville games. I'm no Terry Meiners fan (I don't think he is funny) but Meiners is a Louisville staple and a HUGE Cards fan and Rick Pitino supporter. Why the firing? Because he covered the Sypher trial in an honest light and he has been critical of the Tony Woods move.

It's not like this hasn't happened with Jurich before. If you recall there was one local sports talk radio station in Louisville about 3 year ago called "The Ticket". It covered local and national sports and simulcast with ESPN Radio. It was great. I happened to be listening on the radio the last day it was on air and one of the DJ's, Johnny Renshaw, explained what happened. Some of the shows, his included, were criticizing the Louisville football program and coach Steve Kragthorpe. Jurich made an unannounced visit, told everyone there that no local media outlets should ever criticize the University of Louisville and then stormed out. He later went to Men's Warehouse to buy some new turtle necks to make himself feel better. The next day was the stations last day. Coincidence? I think not!

Renshaw must have been a UK fan, right? Wrong. He was from Maryland and was a Maryland fan. I heard him criticize UK more than UofL and admitted that he disliked UK more that UofL. Jurich is a control freak that didn't want his mistake, i.e. Kragthorpe, to be discussed in the public.

And then there is the infamous post-Sypher press conference he gave in which he declared he didn't watch the trial (I call BS) and that none of the Sypher activities happened on University of Louisville property. A member of the media then clarified to Jurich that there were meetings between Sypher and Pitino at the Yum! Center with their lawyers. Jurich gave an evil glare and the reporter has not been seen since.

This is what it comes down to: Jurich wants everybody to forget about Karen Sypher and forget that Tony Woods is a piece of crap. He believes everyone in this city should bow down to UofL and worship the ground he walks on. To not let the media have access to a coach is downright insane. His way of dealing with the Pitino problem is to ignore it and try to make every else do so by not giving access to Pitino.

Tom Jurich needs to realize something: he is the athletic director of the University of Louisville. Not the mayor of the city, the governor of the state, or the president of Venezula. Get over yourself.

Update: Rick Bozich of the CJ just tweeted that Pitino isn't doing the show because he wasn't happy with the Sypher coverage and he plans to take the year off. Where does the arrogaance of this man end?

Good Googly Moogly... A Yankee Battle Cry

Occasionally on this website, we write about sports. When we do its about the teams we like and the sports we follow and that means it is the norm to see Kentucky and Louisville football and basketball articles. However, when the situation presents itself, we may throw in some NFL or MLB news.

Well tonight is that time my friends. The Yankees lost again this evening and are down 3-1 to the Rangers. In the 6th inning, the Yankees found themselves on the wrong side of a 7-3 deficit and ultimately a loss. I in turn found myself in the mindset of "If I change the channel before the last out, maybe it never happened."

With the realization that the only way the Yankees can make the World Series is if they beat Cliff Lee in a Game 7 situation (assuming they make it past games 5 and 6), I had one thought. Good Googly, Moogly... Followed by another, Good Googly, Moogly... we could see a Giants/Rangers World Series. A championship that would be left with the same fate of the Jaguars-Titans Monday Night Football game this week - one without viewership or people that care about the outcome. And then a positive Good Googly, Moogly... at least it isn't the Cubs or Red Sox.

So with that, I present to you my new Yankee Battle Cry for the 2010 season... performed by Academy Award Winners 3-6 Mafia and Project Pat:

Pat Forde does a local edition of the Minutes

Pat Forde, had some nice words to share this afternoon about some local teams in the area during his standard "Forde Minutes". His typical UL biased was unshown as he gave the Cats and Cards some due love. Here's a sample:

SEC East. What an absolute slag heap the once-dominant Eastern Division of the SEC has become. Collective record of the six: 19-20. There is one ranked team -- that's South Carolina (4-2), which dialed up a Chicken Curse doozy Saturday night by blowing an 18-point second-half lead against Kentucky and blowing all momentum from its upset of No. 1 Alabama. Despite that, the Gamecocks and Vanderbilt (2-4) meet Saturday with the winner in control of its destiny in the East. Repeat: Vanderbilt has a chance to control its destiny in the SEC East...Kentucky (4-3) could be tied for first if it hadn't given up 42 points to a Mississippi team that lost to Jacksonville State...

Joker Phillips, Kentucky. Record so far: 4-3. Highlight: Coming back to upset South Carolina to become the first Kentucky coach to beat Steve Spurrier. (Four previously had tried and failed.) Projection the rest of the way: Should have the Wildcats in a fifth straight bowl.

Charlie Strong, Louisville. Record so far: 3-3. Highlight: Destroying Memphis 56-0. (No, Memphis isn't any good -- but predecessor Steve Kragthorpe never beat an FBS opponent by more than 19 points in three years.) Projection the rest of the way: A competitive 5-7.

Randall Cobb, Kentucky jack-of-all-trades. (Randall Cobb wrote mean stuff on Twitter)...The problem with the (twitter comments): Over the blighted decades, few schools have fans more willing to support bad football than Kentucky. On results alone, there is no reason for the school to have a 70,000-seat stadium, much less fill it regularly. Don't bite the hands that clap for you.

Calipari: An Open Letter to Big Blue Nation

Per CoachCal.com, John Calipari wrote an open letter to Big Blue Nation:

With the first four official practices of the 2010-11 season completed over the weekend, UK Coach John Calipari took a few moments on Monday morning to pen a letter to UK fans. Here is that letter:

Dear Big Blue Nation:

First off, thank you for making Big Blue Madness the special evening it was for all our men’s and women’s players. I know I speak for all of us when I say that you gave us chills throughout the entire evening. And how about that energy and passion carrying over to Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday night? Well, let’s just say that you guys are the greatest fans in all of sports. Thank you for your continued devotion to all of our student-athletes.

My job this year is a real simple one: How do we get this team to be the best it can be? Right now, I have no idea what that means. But that’s the question I’m asking my staff and myself: How good can we be?

I want you all to understand that our staff won’t be spoiled by the past – be it last year’s remarkable season or our unprecedented record over the last five years. I have been blessed and yes, a bit spoiled by these past several years. It’s no different than a high school player who is spoiled by his past successes and then gets to college and finds out the competition is stiffer and more daunting. He must rise to that level and figure out how to compete and survive.

With last year’s team, after a few days, I said right up front that it would be the most talented team I’d ever coached. But early on it might have been the fifth or sixth best execution team I’d ever coached. Let’s face it, early in the season we won on sheer talent and a “will to win” by a few of the players. We simply Refused to Lose. The other teams executed better than we did and as much as I hate to say it, were probably better coached than our team.

Big Blue Madness signified the "turning of the page" from last season

But as the season progressed, what that team became was truly a pleasure to watch. They got better every day; became closer every day; and they got mentally and physically tougher every day. They sacrificed for each other and by the end of the year we were best team in country – with some flaws, yes – but in my opinion, still the best. Also, by the end of the year we executed as well as any team.

From Day One – everyone said our Achilles heel was our shooting and as much as I hate to admit it, that was what got us in the end.

As I said on Friday night, we have now turned the page. This year’s team will need to have a steady climb – how steep is that climb? I don’t know yet. How big is that mountain we’re going to climb? I don’t know yet. People who are rating us right now be it high or low, they don’t really know – they’re all guessing. If I don’t have any idea where we are, you can be sure no one else does!

That being said I love this team and I love its potential and I love their receptiveness to coaching.

There are many questions to be answered: Will we be tough enough both physically and mentally? Will we have players with the will to win? Will we have a few catalysts that will make plays at big moments? Will we execute well enough early in the season to win some games we should not win? And will we be a long, active defensive team that relies on defense more than anything else?

Right now we may be the worst rebounding team playing basketball today – that has to change. And, as was the case last year, we have some awful “freshmen habits” that need to be changed, some that have be to eliminated and others that have to be added. But I think this team is receptive to that and I really think this team understands what it means to play in a Kentucky uniform and what it means to be ready to play every possession of every game.

Where we stand right now with toughness and rebounding, we probably need to struggle early because only a crisis brings about change. I hate to lose – you all know I hate to lose – but at times it’s necessary for a team like this to take its knocks early in order to get them to realize the importance of rebounding and defense.

The same may hold true in league play – we may need to be in some dogfights early during SEC competition to get this team to understand and realize how every possession matters and that it’s not for “funsies” any more. You’re either into winning or you’re into yourself – you can’t be into both.

Sometimes, only a loss or two are the kind of crises that brings about change. My hope is we can learn from some close wins like we did a year ago, but I’m just not sure yet that will be the case with this team.

Now, there is one thing in the way that I threw out in front of these young men as an obstacle and it’s called “The Schedule” – the toughest non conference schedule in the country and a conference schedule that will see us, in my opinion, face four NCAA tournament teams twice each, along with another NCAA tournament team or two once each. All that while being possibly the youngest team in the country!

Why would I do that to this team? Well, no one’s ever accused me of being smart!!

Big Blue Nation, I’ll leave you with this: I love this team and I love its potential. We are nowhere close to where we need to be but I’m going to have a ball coaching this team and I want all of you to enjoy the path.

Your coach,
Coach Cal