Don't make Kentucky angry...

Kentucky has been a sleeping giant for a few years now. Since the double overtime loss to Michigan State in the 2005 regional finals, Kentucky has only been a ghost of the once proud program that dominated the Southeastern Conference, and at times, all of College Basketball in the 1990's. Tubby Smith's tenure had its ups and downs after the 1998 national championship, but his final two seasons were painful to watch. After he resigned and retreated to the less stressful confines of Minnesota basketball, Billy Clyde Gillispie was brought in to rebuild Kentucky basketball to it's former glory; but, we all know how that went.

Enters John Calipari, the coach that took both UMass and Memphis from the cellar of their mid-major conferences to #1 national rankings and Final Four appearances. However, there's a cloud of doubt hanging over the coach due to past infractions handed down from the NCAA. Forget the fact that the Coach has never been linked to either of the infractions, they happened under his watch, and the naysayers won't let anyone forget it. Because of this, Cal most likely has something to prove once and for all... win and win big at Kentucky, and without even the faintest hint of a gray area.

Yes, the sleeping giant is stirring, and it's best not to make him angry. However, it might be too late... and if it is, the SEC, as well as the rest of the College Basketball universe, had better watch out.

For more thoughts on this notion of an angry and determined Kentucky basketball program, read this article by the excellent Larry Vaught.

New Depth Chart

Click to enlarge...

09-10 'Cats pose with the Keightly Family

Gomez here... Coach Cal arranged this picture of this year's team with the Keightly family. A nice gesture from a classy coach who truly loved Mr. Wildcat. More news and views later...

Sunday Night Headlines

If you haven't noticed, it's sorta been a slow weekend around here. We haven't gotten in the habit of just posting useless junk just for the sake of posting useless junk, but we'll always be sure to post fun, entertaining and informative information when it becomes available to us, IF we think it's worth your time. Now a few headlines...

The football team had their last scrimmage yesterday and are entering their last week of preparation for the new season. Coach Brooks saw plenty of positives and negatives and is very aware of the amount of work that needs to be done in order for this team to be competitive in the SEC. Check out this video for some brief remarks from the coach (thanks to our man, Tom Leach!)...


On the basketball front, Cal and the staff are continuing their individual workouts, and everyone is getting more excited with each passing day. By everyone, I mean coaches, players, and fans. While September means college football for everywhere else in the country, in Kentucky, it means we're oh so close to midnight madness. If your wait for the madness is as painful as ours, try satisfying your basketball craving with a brief look at the SEC from Andy Katz. Lots of talk about Cal and his Cats.

As you all know, this week was a crazy week for Kentucky coaches, both past and present. No, I'm not talking about Eddie Sutton, Tubby Smith, and Joe B Hall's wild fishing trip... I'm of course talking about Calipari, Pitino, and Billy Clyde. DeCourcy over at the Sporting News has some worth reading remarks on the trio of coaches. It should be noted that in our opinion, DeCourcy is one of the most sensible and fair writers on the College Basketball landscape.

Tomorrow is the beginning of a new work week, and I have a busy week ahead of me. Besides my full time job, I have a number of obligations that will tie me up even more than usual. A long time friend of mine (an excellent writer and fellow blue-bleeder) has joined the team and will be writing alot this week to cover for my absence. He posts under the name Gomez, because he has a high paying government job where national secruity is often at risk and he doesn't want to roll the dice. He had posted some already under my name, but since his writing is pretty darn good, I didn't bother to tell anyone the truth. I have no doubt that he'll quickly become one of your favorite writers on here. If there's anything earth shattering announced, I'll show up and post when I can. However, as President Palmer would say, in the meantime, you're in good hands.

That's it for tonight, Big Blue Nation. Good night and good luck.

You Only Get One First Impression

As you now know, Coach Calipari will be arriving at Paducah's Carson Center on September 7th. The Big Blue Nation Report would like to hear what you would first say to Coach Cal if you had the chance to meet him. Please leave your feedback in the comments section.

Saturday Notes and Links...

I've got a busy day ahead of me, so I'm jumping right in...

:: The football squad will be having their last preseason scrimmage game today before the season officially begins next Saturday. We'll try to post some notes and highlights from the game as soon as we have them. Meanwhile, it was announced earlier this week that Aaron Boyd will redshirt this season. Click here to read about these tidbits and for complete UK football coverage.

:: Andy Katz's blog has some interesting insight into the first few days of individual workouts for the basketball team. It seems Calipari really likes this team, but also sees plenty of room for improvement. Click the link above to visit Andy's site... scroll down a bit to read the comments about UK.

:: Next year's number one recruit, Brandon Knight, has narrowed the list down some, and Kentucky is still on there. However, he does not seem really anywhere close to a final decisicion.

:: Extreme western Kentucky, an often forgotten and overlooked portion of BigBlueNation, is certainly hopping as of late. Tom Leach was in Paducah on Friday promoting his new book, Coach Cal is coming on Labor Day to visit the Carson Center, and Mid-Continent University is hosting a UK themed weekend in October. There's never been a better time for Western Kentucky residents to follow the UK program so up close and personal. You better enjoy it while you can.

More later today... enjoy your Saturday.

Billy G's only hope as an assistant?

Gomez here... Andy Katz says Billy G's only hope of returning to coaching is most likely as an assistant.

Of course, every good coach needs a drunk on the bench...

Friday Quick Clicks. . .

Rick Pitino is struggling folks. Two days after his rambling press conference, people continue to turn on the once "white knight" of the bluegrass. There may not be any harsher commentary than one written by Greg Couch over at Fan House. If you haven't seen it, it's worth the read.

Here's a nice article about the football Cats' offensive line. As the article states, it's probably the deepest offensive line Brooks has had since being in Lexington which could help an offense that struggled at times last season.

Another article about the grid iron as the Lexington Herald scouts the Cat's running back options.

And finally...for those of you following Tom Leach's book tour here is a nice article about his recent stop in Radcliff. Thanks to the fine folks in Hardin County for the heads up.

Cal coming to Paducah

Chris here... In case you didn't know, Coach Cal is coming to the Carson Center in Paducah on Labor Day. The doors open at 5 PM and the event starts at 6 PM. Tickets will be $5 to $20 and all proceeds will go to the McCracken County United Way. Tickets go on sale on Monday, August 31 at the Carson Center Box Office and their website.

Football Update

Today wasn't a great day on the football field. Several UK Football related Twitter accounts have mentioned that this morning's practice was less than successful. Here's a few samples...


Randall Cobb: "horrible practice today- that's unacceptable. Gotta come back hard tm"

Coach Brooks: "Practice started slow and they need to get used to morning practice now. School and early morning work. New schedule!! Need better focus."

Matt May: "Rich Brooks is ready for game day... LIKE NOW!"

Clearly, the beginning of classes and the move to morning practices have shaken the team's focus a bit. It could be worse (ask Pitino or Clyde), but Coach is ready to get to gameday and end the long, and sometimes grueling, process that is the fall football practice preseason.

Cal is back on the court...

Click here for a good read about Coach Cal's week. It's nice to get our minds off of the Pitino/Billy Clyde madness for a few minutes. There's some good quotes from Cal and the players, including some minor responses to the Memphis situation. More later... stay tuned.

Billy Clyde has lost it...

If the allegations of DUI prove to be true, they are yet another example that former UK coach Billy Gillispie is not in touch with the real world. (Check out his latest mugshot on the left.) Our former coach didn't foresee the consequences of his various prickly actions. He behaved like Bobby Knight, but without the winning track record. He apparently lived in a world where recruiting and toughness were all that it really took to 'cut down some nets.'

There were various instances and rumors of mistreatment of UK players, belittling sideline reporters (even The Voice of the Wildcats, Tom Leach), and his inability to rub elbows with the right people, not to mention the rampant rumors about his night life. All of this led to a complete lack of any good will from those that controlled his fate, especially considering he had done nothing to produce wins on the basketball floor, either. So, he was fired, and rightfully so.

Had Billy G just licked his wounds, taken what money UK was willing to give him, and then quietly caught the first train out of town, he might already be coaching somewhere by now. However, he instead chose to sue UK, continue to bar hop every night in Lexington and Louisville, and then pose for pictures with dolled up girls half his age. The icing on the cake is this DUI arrest in Kentucky. Keep in mind, he was only back in town to negotiate his settlement with UK, in the hopes he could get some more money out of them. I'm guessing getting busted for a DUI at 3 AM wasn't a part of that strategy.

Billy, it's time you just say "I got whipped!" and leave Kentucky for good. Yes, you've certainly taken a beating in recent months, only this time, it's not from the likes of Gardner Webb, VMI, or a crappy NIT field. It's a whipping from your own boneheaded mistakes.


Written by: Austin Martin

My take on the Pitino presser...

I wanted to do a blog post about my initial feelings on the UK bball schedule and talk about how many games I thought the football and basketball teams would win. But then, BAM, crazy came out of left field and really took ahold.

Let me temper this by saying this is only opinion, not fact. It is meant to be humorous and not in anyway slander anyone. I’m just reacting to an event that actually took place. Let me start off by saying I love Rick Pitino. The 96 team he assembled was the best team in college basketball history. I am glad for everything he gave me as a UK fan. I did jump on the bandwagon and throw some hate his way when he started at Louisville, but that dissipated slowly. Now I just choose to root against Louisville but not hate the man that brought me a ton of joy. He has also given us a fair share of comedy. Before this scandal I thought he would never top the white linen suit he had to change at halftime because he was sweating and it was becoming see-through. He had gone from a championship coach to a college girl on Spring Break after her 3rd Margarita.

Then this whole story hit. I'll be honest, as a fan of comedy and train wrecks this brought me a ton of glee. Our former coach, that had antagonized UK fans by going to their in-state rival, was just getting annihilated in the headlines, and it was hilarious to watch. I don't watch soap operas but this was playing out like one, and it was a beautiful mess. Depending on how much you chose to believe of the rumors and reports it was just breathtaking (its kinda' fun to just believe it all, even if all evidence points to the contrary). In fact the joke "pulling a Pitino" is my new favorite catch-phrase to throw out when I see a couple getting a little too affectionate at a restaurant.

Now let’s get down to the business of today. I'll try to avoid reusing anything I heard on Bill Simmons Podcast and just keep everything to the presser but there was some great stuff from him as well. Especially about how weird it is that the woman he had an affair with married his equipment manager and good friend, so they would be seeing a lot of each other I guess.

Pitino steps up to the mike and decides that there will be no questions, he's just gonna let the crazy flow.

From the beginning, he said: "I said I wouldn’t talk about this," -- Probably not the best idea; he seemed a little underprepared and had apparently been told not to talk by EVERYONE. But when he stepped to the mike I was on the edge of my seat. He keeps saying I'm a proud New Yorker--what does that even mean? I don’t even have a joke here, that really made no sense to me.

He is pretty upset about Ted Kennedy dying and the lack of reporting on that--I'm not making light of a disease but when a hard drinking, hard living 77 year old man with a terminal illness dies it’s still breaking news, and I'm sure that was reported earlier in the day, but it’s not a "everybody stop talking about everything else" story. Pitino really should have had this happen during the Michael Jackson freak-out. Picked the wrong deceased celebrity, so it seems. Why would Pitino think the Louisville papers would not cover something about the Louisville basketball coach? There is more than 1 page in the paper. Why would sports writers in Kentucky want to break the Ted Kennedy story? And why is he surprised that people are more interested in a high profile sex scandal. Apparently, he’s never read the news…ever. We have loved this stuff since Washington was president. We love a good sex scandal and this has everything... a crazy woman, a high profile guy, some cover up stuff, some inside stuff, lots of juicy details.

And I know he is worried about his wife, but maybe, just maybe, that means he shouldn’t have done anything with another woman. Maybe she is upset because her husband cheated, not because some tapes got out. And honestly I would have had no idea about the tapes unless there was some crazy press conference telling me not to talk about them.

Speaking of the tapes from Ms. Sypher, would anyone have given them an ounce of credibility? I'm sure people would have written about them or let people know what they said, but it would have been dismissed in 2 days. Now, it just seems like its starting back up a freak show that was already dying down.

Then, Pitino spends a lot of time trying to discredit the woman who has already been discredited by everyone. We all know she lied to get her name out there and get famous and tried to extort him which is pretty shady. But that’s what crazy people do. That's what you get when you hook up with a real life crazy person. They usually aren't the discreet, "yea let’s keep this between us types". They are more the Fatal Attraction types. Pitino is lucky he didn't end up with a boiled rabbit. I know what it’s like. It seems like a lot of the girls I attract are crazy people (could be they are all crazy but I'm sure there are like at least 7 that are sane, jk ladies its gotta be in the tens) But it’s always a memorable experience. You always get some kind of wild story to tell your friends who may or may not believe you. But we all know that those are the kind of people that don't play by rational rules and can't be reasoned with. Of course she tried to extort him and is doing interviews to get her name out there...She's crazy. It seems like Rick would be better off letting her spew her nonsense to just kill her credibility than to go hardcore on the offensive. It almost makes it seems like there is something said there that struck a nerve, that he wants to deny a little too quickly (just opinion but that’s how it possibly looks).

I personally don't believe a thing Sypher says, I’m not even sure that’s her real name. But this thing is playing out like Jerry Springer; next thing you know, we'll find out she was a guy all along. I expect to see her on the next Dancing with the Stars, SCANDAL edition. With Jessica Hahn, Monica Lewinsky, Darva Konger, the runaway bride, the Brazilian girl that the SC Gov went "hiking in the Ozarks" to see, and many more. I apologize to all the scandal ladies I left out, but it’s late and I don't read Us magazine or the Enquirer.

And He wants this to go to trial--REALLY???? REALLLY??? yeah cause he seems to love when things get out in the public record. Wouldn’t he want this to go away quietly even if he didn't do anything just so he could stop talking about it?

Pitino ends the conference with a statement that this hasn't effect recruiting at all--well good for you Rick. I'm sure the school being a laughing stock and the coach going off and having to defend himself in press conferences every few weeks will have no adverse effect on the parents of your recruits. Even if it doesn't that's the only thing I would have talked about, just said there is a lot of stuff being reported or said and it’s not true, I'm here to talk about basketball and that is going fine. It would have been better to be calm and collected or just ignore the tapes all together and wait for the trial he keeps calling for.

Also on that last statement. He seems to be yelling, almost like he is trying to convince himself, the Louisville brass or the reporters who cover the team. Why not just show them it’s going well, they will report what they see. I know he is thinking, if we lose a recruit they will blame the scandal but seriously, just go out there and get recruits. Actually...don't do that, forget I said anything. Keep having press conferences, have 1 a week, have 1 a day.

In the end we don't know the whole truth and probably never will. There will keep being rumors and leaks and things to talk about but it will be tough to take them at face value. All we do know for sure is this, if the UK-UofL game wasn't already the most anticipated of the year with all the other story lines (2 great teams w/ great players, Cal vs. Rick, the usual rivalry) it definitely is now. Just to see how players, coaches, and especially fans react. It could be the most hostile environment ever with the most ammunition ever. Who knows how it will play out, but frankly, I can't wait to find out.

Billy G busted for DUI

Billy G was busted for DUI earlier this morning in Central Kentucky... his third DUI in the past ten years.

SEC's Stock on the Rise

In these tough economic times, safe and secure investments can be hard to come by. I submit to those looking for a stock that is on the rise, you should look no further than Southeastern Conference Basketball. SEC Basketball has seen its stock slip in recent years, but is on the verge of rivaling the success normally reserved for the gridiron. The nature of college basketball dominance is a bit more cyclical that the perennial dominant SEC Fooseball, but those cycles of success are about to feature the SEC more prominently.

Every power conference starts with at least one blue-chip program that can bring in the best players and generate the most fan support. In my estimation there are only a handful of programs that can claim to be true Blue Chippers: UK, UNC, Duke, UCLA, Indiana, and Kansas. Don't believe you need a flag bearer to carry a conference to national prominence? The SEC and Big Ten's decade of decline just so happened to coincide with the decline of Kentucky and Indiana basketball. These are good examples of the Blue Chip theory.

These power brokers can't carry a conference on their own, but they serve as a measuring stick to second tier programs. These second tier programs come and go. Some are more relevant than others. At the top of this group are programs like UConn, Louisville, Syracuse, Pitt, Michigan State, Texas, Arizona and Florida. These programs are fully capable of winning at the highest level, and are capable of challenging the top tier teams on a consistent basis. The quality of these programs will end up determining the overall strength of the conference. The shear size of the Big East has afforded them the ability to stave off down years and makes them somewhat of an exception to the rule. They have seven or eight programs that can feel this role any given year, and are almost always going to have legitimate Final Four contenders. Give any other conference four quality BCS teams and you would see the same result. An example would be the SEC adding Memphis, Louisville, Cincinnati, and West Virginia. That would make for a perennially stacked basketball conference similar to the Big East.

I think everyone agrees that Kentucky is now fully capable of carrying the torch for the SEC year in and year out during the Calipari Era. It is the programs around them that are just as much a part of this rising stock. Florida was dominant for a stretch, but they still weren't equipped to win on the same level as the Blue Chip programs. They are perfectly casted as the Robin to our Batman. Or maybe the Scarecrow... I will have to let one of the Lee Brothers hammer out the details on that analogy. But the Cats are definitely Batman. We will be breaking down the SEC in detail a little later. Coaching, fertile recruiting grounds, the new television deal with ESPN, and the arrival of Batman (aka Calipari) are just some of the reasons the SEC is back in a big way. In the days that come I will provide a little insight into each school's future prospects... Not as detailed as our preseason preview, but something to talk about in the meantime.

Slick Rick Update

SportsCenter just reported on the Pitino press conference. ESPN actually had Pat Forde on to talk about it, and he had some somewhat critical words for his buddy, basically calling today's press conference a misstep and bad idea. ESPN anchor Steve Levy even disclosed that Pat Forde was Pitino's co-author. Has Pat Forde finally turned the corner on how he's going to handle this saga? No, not really. Forde did manage to throw in that Sypher's allegations have been discredited by the authorities and Pitino has been cleared of any wrongdoings... in case you didn't know.

At any rate, Forde was right about one thing, today's presser was a horrible idea. All it served to do was throw the fiasco back on the front page of every sports related newspaper, sports show, blog and twitter account in the country. Way to go, Rick. In case you haven't seen the press conference yet (AKA: Pitino's further descent into madness), check it out below.

Pitino presser this afternoon at 2 PM CST

I just received word that Slick Rick is having a press conference today at 3 PM EST. No word yet as to why, but these unplanned pressers are usually to announce some major news. Stay tuned...

UPDATE: The presser was not worth a darn. If Rick hopes to let the Sypher situation fade away, he needs to meet it head on by answering the media's questions. Period.

Cal updates his blog...

If you're a member of coachcal.com, you should check out our coach's latest blog. He's very excited about finally getting some time with his new team and preparing for the upcoming season. Last night, he had individual meetings with his players and they took the annual team photos. Today, he begins individual workouts, and he promises to keep us updated on how that goes.

Mark Krebs earns final scholarship

As was expected, Cal has given the final available scholarship to Mark Krebs. Congrats Mark!

That leaves a total of zero walk-ons for this year's squad.

More later...

Wall and Bledsoe prepared to dominate...

John Wall was the recruit with all the hype. He was the guy getting slammed with offers from every major school from every major conference as a 15 year old kid. He was also the kid to be projected as the number one pick in the 2010 NBA draft while still playing high school ball for The Word of God Christian Academy in North Carolina. And then, as if the hype wasn't high enough already, the video of him dunking all over Jerry Stackhouse made headlines on every sports show in the country. Yeah, John Wall is the truth.

Yet, in the midst of this hype and speculation, another name has gathered some attention, and it just so happens to belong to another freshman point guard from Kentucky... Eric Bledsoe. Rumor has it, Bledsoe has played just as well as Wall in the summer pick-up games, and some have even gone so far as to say he's been the better all around player. Yeah, if you didn't know Wall from Bledsoe from Adam, you might walk away from watching one of these games without knowing which one was the number one recruit, Wall or Bledsoe.

This is an exciting notion for UK fans. It is quite possible that Wall and Bledsoe will both start, and end up being the best backcourt in all of college basketball. While I'm a big fan of Michael Porter and wish him the best in his future endeavors, the upgrade we're getting at the point is such a major improvement, there's really no words to describe just how good it is. They will play right away and will dominate nearly every match-up they see, and yes, you can bank on it.

If there is one glaring liability the two have, it would be that neither are particularly good at jump shooting. In my mind, that's why Jodie Meeks's departure to the NBA probably moved Kentucky from a preseason #1 ranking to a #2 or #3, or perhaps, even a little lower. Kentucky will see a lot of zone defense; the kind that clog the lane around Patterson and Cousins and force the others to shoot from the outside. With Meeks, that would have been just fine; without him, it could be the difference between an 8th NCAA Title or just a solid Sweet 16 finish. (After what we've endured in recent years, a Sweet 16 finish would still be a step in the right direction!)

But there's still no denying the quality of play that Kentucky can expect from the guard position, even without the prolific shooting of Jodie Meeks. Ultimately, that's why John Calipari is so excited about this team, and why they could eventually end up cutting down alot of nets next March.

The "Voice of the Cats" coming to a town near you!

That's right! Mr. Tom Leach will be in town this week promoting his new book, with two book signing events.

August 27 Benton/ Community Financial Services Bank 3:00-4:30pm

August 28 Paducah/Market Square Coffee 11:00am-1:00pm

The title of the book is “Rich” Tradition -- How Rich Brooks Revived the Football Fortunes of the Kentucky Wildcats. It covers Brooks’ resurrection of the Cats’ football fortunes, as well as look back at a similar turnaround the coach orchestrated at Oregon, culminating with that school’s first outright Pac-10 Conference title and a trip to the Rose Bowl. The book examines Brooks’ stint in the NFL, as head coach of the St. Louis Rams and defensive coordinator of the Super Bowl runner up Atlanta Falcons.

I would love to make one of the signings, but work will not allow it this time. So make it out, if you can. You can see his complete schedule here.

Papa Brooks gives football update...

Our favorite grandfather, Rich Brooks had given us an early morning update on the UK football schedule, via his Twitter account. "We will have our last day of practice before school starts. Players get the day off tomorrow witch is the first day of classes. Warm up!!"

Some creative spelling there for the word "which," but we won't hold that against him. His desire for the weather to warm back up, instead of this fall-like weather we've been experiencing, is apparently so he can give his waterboy some much needed practice before the season begins. Or, maybe, he wants his team to practice in the same kind of heat that will most likely be present for the first half of the schedule, especially the games further south. With classes starting back, practice will be moved to the morning hours, which have been unseasonably cool. Apparently, Papa doesn't want his players (or waterboys) getting soft.

Coach Brooks also said that his staff will spend this week putting together the game plan for their first game, against Miami (OH), on September 5.

FX picks up "March to Madness"

FX has picked up a new sports drama, "March to Madness," a series about the good and bad of college basketball. The story will center around a college basketball coach that has had to compromise some of his character and integrity in order to remain competitive in the sport. Don Cheadle and Dave Miller are producing while Joel Silverman is the writer. Silverman should know what he's writing about since he spent several years as a sports journalist, covering ACC basketball for outlets such as the Washington Post. Meanwhile, Dave Miller's career includes serving as an assistant basketball coach at USC, Arizona State and Texas. Cheadle is also a big college hoops fan and a terrific actor. So, it seems these guys have both the inside knowledge of college basketball and the talent to put together a good show. Time will tell.

Monday Night Headlines

Very eventful day for the site. I had the opportunity to visit on the air with Travis Turner and Ed Chapman on the Travis Turner Sports Show on ESPN Radio out of Murray. We discussed the current situation surrounding the Memphis Basketball program and their former coach, John Calipari. I think we were all in agreement that Memphis was given a raw deal. Apparently, we're in good company, as Dick Vitale has finally aired his two-cents in regard to the NCAA's ruling, and he's not a fan of it either. Meanwhile, CBS sports writers, Greg Doyel and Gary Parrish have voiced their confusion as to why Memphis was penalized while a similar situation involving Duke and Corey Maggette went unchecked. While there are still plenty of naysayers out there, it is nice to see the media, on both the local and national level, voice some support for Cal and his former program at Memphis. As for getting a little airtime, I certainly appreciate the opportunity and look forward to chatting about UK sports with Travis in the future. Also worth noting, we're very thankful for Michael Toon publishing some information about our site in upcoming issues of his newspaper, The Carlisle Weekly. Though we hope our site becomes a place for all of BigBlueNation to be a part of, we are very appreciative for the opportunity to partner with our local media so that we can provide the very best coverage of UK sports as possible.

In some news of the weird, Bill Murray's son Luke is now an assistant at Arizona. It just seems odd to me, for some reason, that Peter Venkman's son would be a coach at a major college basketball program. I mean, he's got a better job than Isaiah Thomas (Florida International) or former UK player and coach Winston Bennett (Mid-Continent University). Don't get me wrong, maybe he deserves it; I'm not familiar with his career, so I wouldn't know. Hey, if nothing else, I'd say Arizona has an inside track on getting the ghosts out of the Arizona locker room.

Okay, just allow me to say that the NFL headlines have to get more interesting than Michael Vick drinking a vodka tonic at the airport, a retelling of Plaxico's boneheaded mistake that resulted in shooting himself in the leg, or why Brett Favre only threw the ball four times in his first game in a Vikings uniform. If not, it's going to be a long and redundant season for the National Football League.

And hey, I gotta give a shout out to my St. Louis Cardinals. John Smoltz looked pretty darn good yesterday, which only makes a great team that much more solid. I'd say they're a safe pick to be in the NLCS, and perhaps even the World Series.

More tomorrow... good night, BigBlueNation, and good luck.

Stallings shows class...

In this dreary offseason, where negative press has dominated the College Basketball headlines, it's worth pointing towards some positive tidbits, right here in our Southeastern Conference.

Kevin Stallings, head coach at Vandy, declined a raise in order to pay for his team's summer trip to Australia after budget cuts didn't leave enough funds available to pay for the travel expenses. In light of the bad economy and the school's shrinking budgets, Stallings declined the raise rather than cancel his team's summer trip.

So, we salute you Coach Stallings. It is nice to see a classy SEC coach get some positive imagery. With that in mind, we still hope to dominate you on the hardwood. You gotta' whoopin' coming!

Support your coach...

It really does amaze me how quickly the Memphis community has turned their back on their once and future king. The press, the fans, and even some of the school's administration have been outspoken about their former coach, and this was even before the announcement of the NCAA's decision to vacate the 38 wins and Final Four appearance from two years ago. Let's not forget, the administration at Memphis was fully aware of the NCAA's investigation into Rose's test score long before they had multiple closed door meetings with Cal, begging him to stay at Memphis, while also calling in big money from alumni and boosters to sweeten the pot. Meanwhile, fans flooded message boards and blogs, begging Calipari to stay at Memphis.

Clearly, all of this caused Calipari to struggle with the decision to leave Memphis. He had made it their home for over nine years, and it truly was home to him and his family. He poured blood, sweat and tears into not only the basketball program, but the school and the community that it represented. When having a press conference at the front gate of his Memphis estate, Calipari was visibly shaken, and had to retreat indoors to recompose himself. This wasn't a man running for the hills because of some investigation or a bigger pay check. No, this was a man wrestling with the decision to move his life from Memphis to Lexington, with the notion of transforming from a Tiger into a Wildcat.

Calipari was a millionaire before taking the UK job. He was a successful coach, author, and business man, and he certainly didn't need the Kentucky job to secure his family's future or his own financial security. No, that was already settled long before stepping foot on the bluegrass. He didn't even need the Kentucky job to win a National Title. He had already built Memphis into a perennial powerhouse, dominating the C-USA year in and year out before earning a high seed in the NCAA tournament each March. Eventually, he would have won a title at Memphis. No, this was a man leaving a good situation in Memphis for his dream job in Kentucky.

Before the public announcement of the Rose investigation, the Memphis fan base's complaints seemed like sour grapes, but afterwards (at least in their own minds), they had a legit reason to condemn their former savior. However, had Calipari stayed at Memphis, the Tiger fans and media would have been quick to rally around their coach and program and push away the naysayers. But Calipari isn't at Memphis, and the people that once supported him are now throwing stones.

No, Cal isn't in Memphis... he's in Kentucky, and now is the time for BigBlueNation to stand united around our new coach as we start down this Glory Road together.

It's Close....Very Close

In less than two weeks the Wildcats open their campaign to another successful season. With most of the focus in the Commonwealth being on the off season moves by the basketball team the football program has obviously fell to the back burner. With that being said set your alarm clock on Sept. 5th, put on your favorite UK football apparel, load up with extremely unhealthy choices for food, and get together with your closest friends. Football season is just around the corner and it's time to root on our Gridiron favorites.

2009 University of Kentucky Schedule

Sept. 5 vs. Miami (Ohio) (in Cincinnati) 12:00pm

Sept. 19 vs. Louisville 12:00pm

Sept. 26 vs. Florida TBD

Oct. 3 vs. Alabama TBD

Oct. 10 at South Carolina TBD

Oct. 17 at Auburn TBD

Oct. 24 vs. Louisiana-Monroe TBD

Oct. 31 vs. Mississippi State TBD

Nov. 7 vs. Eastern Kentucky TBD

Nov. 14 at Vanderbilt TBD

Nov. 21 at Georgia TBD

Nov. 28 vs. Tennessee TBD

Make or Break

In less than two weeks the Cats will open up their football season in Cincinnati against the Miami of Ohio Szczerbiak's (RedHawks). This is sure to be an interesting season that in my opinion will have four really important games and probably not all the four games you're thinking. Being realistic, this team has a few questions, so it's hard to tell just what team will show up. Will it be stifling defense? Will the passing game make it's grand entrance from a year of absence? Will the backfield be able to get out of the backfield? Who knows at this point? One thing is for certain, the Cat fans will be ready.

Back to the four games I think will be the deciding factor in the Cats going Bowling once again. Sure being a Cat optimist I would love to believe that we could knock off an Alabama, or Georgia, or Tennessee which truthfully in a year of change and question for those teams, it could possibly happen. Being a realist I want to focus on games I truly believe UK could have the upper hand in but are toss ups.

#4 Auburn

Questions, questions, questions, are flying in Auburn, AL about this coming season. The hiring of former Iowa St. head coach Gene Chizik was scrutinized by fans, media, and even former Tiger's basketball star Charles Barkley. Chizik was just 5-19 in two seasons as the Cyclones head coach. Then there is the return of Kodi Burns at the QB. It is no secret that this job is not solidified. I'm sure going into the new season the Tigers will try different scenarios but Burns with his experience will head into season as the starter. He was not very successful passing last year but was very convincing with his legs. Bouncing him around though could cause some confidence issues. There are also a few questions with the depth of the D-line as well, which could bold well for the Cats. If Hartline has time for multiple options I think the passing game will unfold. This is not a game the experts will probably have UK favored in but I will not be surprised if we walked away with a sloppy one on the road. Keep an eye on this one as it's a middle of the season game and we could be running on all cylinders.

#3 Mississippi St.

Truthfully this game should not be major test for UK but when these two teams get together it's usually just ugly, state fair tank top funnel cake ugly! Having witnessed this disaster of a game last year first hand in Starkville, I can honestly say I really though both teams were trying to lose. With the departure of the much criticized Crooms I can say I think State made an excellent hire in first year head coach Dan Mullen. Former Florida assistant under Urban Meyer brings in a new system for the Dogs. The Spread Offense. No he won't have the same personnel and talent he was working with at Florida but I think eventually he will turn what was the bottom of the barrel in the SEC last year into a contending program once again. Sadly senior RB Anthony Dixon was arrested in July for DUI and had a court date last week. I'm not sure the punishment or if it has been passed down but this could slow he and the new system down for a bit. What does all this mean for the Cats? Well with all the new positive changes, Kentucky needs to get the Bulldog's while they can. I believe they will work their way up the SEC ladder in the next few years. Again it's a new coach, new system, questions will personnel that could all benefit UK. Should we win? Simply yes. I just hope when the Dog's come to town our offense is clicking and we can make this a prettier win than last years 14-13 win in Starkville that essentially came down to a blocked extra point.

#2 Vanderbilt

53 years. Yes that was how long the Commodores had suffered since their last Bowl win. Like UK, Vandy has started to gain a little respect in the college football realm. Do they scare people? Ehh not really, but people know who they are now. Once fellow cellar dwellers with UK, the Commodores and coach Bobby Johnson are making some noise, especially after ending their 26 year drought of not even making a Bowl appearance to actually beating Boston College in the Music City Bowl. UK and Vandy have become quite the rival on the football field more or less because it's a game both teams have circled in previous years as a probable win. Again like the previous mentioned teams there are some personnel questions with the Dores especially at QB and in the secondary. The rest of the defense barring injury should be back from last year. The O-line looks to have all it's starters back this year as well. This will be no game to circle as a for sure win especially as the Cats must travel to Nashville this year.

#1 Louisville

I'm sure you are shocked. Yes I picked the disappointing Kragthorpe and the Filthy Birds as the game I think could really make a difference. No motivation is needed when these two teams meet but the Cats sure could use a jump start to their season before going down the Murder's Row of their schedule when they meet Florida, Alabama, and South Carolina in consecutive weeks. This is one of those make it or break it games for Wildcats who should have the upper hand going into this once having more experience in most of the positions. Louisville's defense was border line just terrible last year and unless some underclassmen step it up this year it could be going down the same road again. The QB spot is again up for grabs but truthfully it won't take much to surpass the disaster that was last year. UK being in the cellar of the SEC is one thing but being in the bottom of the Big Least is shameful. I don't see the stars aligning for the Filthy Cards this year and they could be looking for another overhaul in the off season. I hope we are just one more nail in the coffin for the Card's season.

These are my four games that I believe will make or break the Cats chances of making it to another Bowl this year. Barring any major upsets I, like most people realistically have UK at the 6-6 mark making yet another appearance in a Bowl game. I will say though with all the questions and getting most of the tough teams at home this year the Cats could pull off an upset of what has been the circus of off season football Tennessee Vols, or Auburn, or South Carolina and end up 7-6. I would love for a major upset of the Gators or the Tide but I'll settle for progress and another Bowl game.

OOOOOOOHHHHHHHH C-A-T-S! CATS! CATS! CATS!

Sunday Night Headlines

I've been out of the loop this weekend, so I appreciate JLee picking up the slack with a couple of good posts for us to read. Luckily, not a whole lot has transpired for us to talk about, so it's easier for me to take some time off on weekends like this. However, with football nearing kick-off, and basketball shortly thereafter, I fully realize it will be more difficult to go AWOL. Now, a few headlines...

The NCAA has granted former Kentucky forward Matt Pilgrim immediate eligibility to play this season at Oklahoma State. He'll be suiting up for Travis Ford, just making the already UK connection with OSU that much stronger. The BBNR team certainly wishes Matt the best of luck in his new home in Stillwater. Oh, and congrats to the NCAA for actually passing down a ruling that makes sense. Hey, one in a million ain't too bad.

On the football field, UK held its second formal scrimmage, and Rich Brooks is pleased with the progress his team is making. Official stats are not being released, but the coach was very vocal about how stingy the defense was, but also complimented the offense's ability to score during the 2 minute drill. He also continues to praise QB Mike Hartline's consistent improvement, as well. The football season officially begins on September 5, and we'll continue to give you updates on how the team is preparing between now and then, as well as a college football preview next week.

If you were like most of us that didn't get to see the UK schedule preview, you should check your local listings. The show is replaying at 10:35 PM/11:35 PM on Sunday night, and will also replay at other times throughout the week on other local affiliates. Of course, most of what is discussed on the show is old news now, but you might be interested in checking it out anyway.

The stink from the NCAA announcement of the Memphis penalties is already blowing over and away from the national spotlight. Some people within the media will continue to spout off about it from time to time, but the major rush of coverage has come and gone. Of course, when the appeal kicks in and is ruled upon, we'll do this all again. One thing's for certain, unlike the UMass situation, the people at Memphis, including Coach Cal and Derek Rose, are saying they've done nothing wrong, and seem determined to fight this thing to the bitter end. Although there's the slimmest of chances this will be reversed, there's always a faint glimmer of hope that the NCAA could say they got it wrong and Cal will be vindicated. Hope is a good thing... maybe the best of things... so let's hang on to that.

Well, that's all for now. We gotta busy week ahead, so stay tuned! As always, we wish you a very good night and the best of luck.

Rick Pitino no longer king in Kentucky...

Ran across this video on one of the message boards this morning. I think the fact that two sports analysts from Alabama are talking about this in August (two weeks from football season) says volumes at just how big this story is. It was also posted on the web yesterday which shows that the Memphis story hasn't made anyone forget the troubles in Louisville.

Saturday tidbits...

Well, Gary Parrish seems to be backing off his harsh take on the Memphis situation. He, like Doyel, has brought up the 1999 Duke team as a comparison. If there is any hope for Memphis to win their appeal it will be the NCAA's own ruling of that case. I guess I take back some of the bad things I said about Parrish. Just a couple of them.

In other news there are rumblings that Marquis Teague is on campus today. He is rated as a 5-Star recruit by Rivals and is ranked the no. 2 player in the 2011 class. There hasn't been much to talk about in the way of 2010 or 2011 commitments, but that may be all about to change. The offer list is impressive and given his incoming class this season, we know what Cal can do even with a short amount of time. Still we would be naive to believe there won't be some recruiting fall out over the next few months until the Memphis deal blows over. I think the long term fall out at UK with Cal isn't anything to worry about, but the cloud is still firmly above Lexington right now. Still, Teague would be a very impressive start to the 2011 class. If some of the recruiting analysts are right and Gilchrist (Ranked No. 1) is a UK lean, 2011 may be our next No. 1 class.

This guy gets it...

Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News gets it. He's asking the question that very few in the media are willing to ask. Nah, it is always more fun to shoot first and ask questions later. You gotta' read this.

More later...

Wowsers...

You know, just because something seemed like a good idea at the time doesn't mean it actually was the right move in the long run (see picture). A couple of weeks ago, on a whim, I decided to try this website, and only for the simple fact that I love UK basketball and football and want to talk about it with the rest of BigBlueNation. Since then, things have really taken off.

Just this week, we've received over 1,000 hits. Not bad for a site only 12 days old. Also this week, I've received email from Tom Leach, Jeff Goodman, and Travis Turner (just to name a few), and to be honest, I'm a little star struck that these guys are looking at the site and enjoying what they see. Forgive me for name dropping, but I gotta promote this page anyway I can. Shameless, I know.

So, anyway, I really hope this isn't an idea like the floating extension cord and surge protector in the swimming pool. I hope its something much more significant, like say, the pooper scooper or the microwave. Those guys really knew what they were doing.

Thursday Night Headlines

Unfortunately, the excitement of today's release of the new basketball schedule was overshadowed by the announcement of the NCAA rulings against the Memphis basketball program. As I'm sure you know by now, the 38 wins and Final Four appearance from the 07-08 season have been "vacated." The school was also placed on three years probation, which almost always goes with any penalty passed down from the NCAA's high court. Coach Cal hasn't said much about today's verdict, except the brief statement released earlier today, which we quickly posted here at BBNR.

The media is taking their punches now, and this was to be expected. Morons like ESPN's Pat Forde were quick to bash Calipari and just about anything else to do with Kentucky basketball. Again, we covered this earlier today, but it bears repeating. Pat Forde co-authored a book with Rick Pitino, you know, the guy that got a random (and crazy) woman pregnant and then paid for her abortion and then did everything within his power to cover it all up. Oh, and I think he coaches college basketball too. Anyway, Pat Forde was oddly absent from saying anything critical of his co-author's scandal. The few times he did show up to say anything about Pitino's indiscretions, he was always quick to point out that the Louisville coach hadn't been charged with any crimes and that it was just an unfortunate situation. Why he couldn't say the same thing for Calipari, who has not been named in either NCAA investigations, only points to his conflict of interests and biased reporting. Forde should shut his mouth, and if he won't do it, ESPN should at the very least address the situation. Of course, they won't, but hopefully Big Blue Nation will continue to call him out on his hypocrisy.

The facts are clearly in Calipari's favor. Why anyone would think Calipari would be involved in a player receiving money from an agent or a high school recruit (not yet signed) cheating on an exam is beyond me. Calipari is a smart, successful person. He knows the spotlight is on him, and he knows the penalty of being caught doing something against the rules. I'm not saying that Cal hasn't ever bent the rules (or perhaps even broken them), but I am saying that I don't believe he does it any more than every other coach looking for a quick leg-up on the competition. I certainly do not think he had anything to do with the poor decisions made by two young men, who were both trying to better themselves and their careers. And in the words of Forrest Gump, that's all I've got to say about that.

The schedule did come out today, and its a dandy. The Cats will face UConn, North Carolina, Indiana, Louisville and Virginia or Stanford in Cancun, not to mention a very improved SEC schedule after that. One thing's for certain, Calipari won't have the criticism he faced for weak schedules while coaching in the A-10 and CUSA. The fun begins on November 2nd with an exhibition game against Campbellsville. I know we'll all be watching.

Some football news was released today too... some good, some bad. The bad news first: talented freshmen linebacker, Qua Huzzie will miss this season following his recent shoulder surgery. He was expected to be a solid contributor for the UK defense, and he will be surely missed. The good news is, UK did receive commitments from a pair of highly recruited 3 star players; Tyler Brause and Teven Eatmon, high school teammates from Ohio. Brause is a quarterback that chose Kentucky over Maryland, Stanford and Syracuse, while Eatmon is a tight end, who chose UK over Louisville, Syracuse and Iowa State, among several others. We welcome them both to Big Blue Nation and look forward to their future careers in blue.

Well, I guess that's all for the night. Remember to stay positive and don't let the haters get you down. They know what's coming, and they don't like it. As always, good night and good luck, Big Blue Nation. Thanks for reading.

Cal Responds...

"I’m very disappointed and disheartened by the NCAA’s findings. I fully support the University of Memphis’ appeal and until that process is carried through to its completion, I will have no further comments on the matter. I am anxious to coach the team at the University of Kentucky beginning this Fall."

- John Calipari, August 20, 2009 http://www.coachcal.com/

09-10 UK BBall Schedule...

UPDATE: A nice printable PDF version

Nov. 2 (Mon.) - CAMPBELLSVILLE (Exh.)
Nov. 6 (Fri.) - CLARION ST(Exh.)
Nov. 13 (Fri.) - MOREHEAD STATE
Nov. 16 (Mon.) - MIAMI (OH)
Nov. 19 (Thu.) - SAM HOUSTON STATE^
Nov. 21 (Sat.) - RIDER^
Nov. 24 (Tue.) - vs. Cleveland State^#
Nov. 25 (Wed.) - vs. Stanford/Virginia^#
Nov. 30 (Mon.)- vs. UNC-Asheville*
Dec. 5 (Sat.) - NORTH CAROLINA
Dec. 9 (Wed.) - vs. Connecticut%
Dec. 12 (Sat.) - at Indiana
Dec. 19 (Sat.) - AUSTIN PEAY
Dec. 21. (Mon.) - DREXEL
Dec. 23 (Wed.) - LONG BEACH STATE
Dec. 29 (Tue.) - HARTFORD
Jan. 2 (Sat.) - LOUISVILLE
Jan. 9 (Sat.) - GEORGIA
Jan. 12 (Tue.) - at Florida
Jan. 16 (Sat.) - at Auburn
Jan. 23 (Sat.) - ARKANSAS
Jan. 26 (Tue.) - at South Carolina
Jan. 30 (Sat.) - VANDERBILT
Feb. 2 (Tue.) - OLE MISS
Feb. 6 (Sat.) - at LSU
Feb. 9 (Tue.) - ALABAMA
Feb. 13 (Sat.) - TENNESSEE
Feb. 16 (Tue.) - at Mississippi State
Feb. 20 (Sat.) - at Vanderbilt
Feb. 25 (Thu.) - SOUTH CAROLINA
Feb. 27 (Sat.) - at Tennessee
Mar. 3 (Wed.) - at Georgia
Mar. 7 (Sun.) - FLORIDA

^Cancun Classic; #Moon Palace Resort; Cancun, Mexico; *Louisville, Ky.; %New York City, NY

NCAA is a joke...

The NCAA is a joke. They remind me of a high school clique that bullies the unpopular and turns a blind eye to their own mishaps. In the past, this clique has continuously turned a blind eye to the transgressions of the chosen ones (Coach K and Roy Williams). The reality is that the NCAA is a dirty organization at every level. I trust them about as much as I trust the government to provide efficient health care. I'm sure we all know that every program operates outside of the NCAA's rules at some point or another. To what degree, and how intertwined you are with the NCAA, determines your punishment. Calipari's name is being drug through the mud and for no good reason, unless he somehow knew about Rose's situation. The NCAA clearinghouse cleared Derrick Rose to play, so Calipari played him. That is like me inviting you over to my house for dinner and then shooting you for trespassing after you show up. It is like the government encouraging banks to make subprime loans and then scolding those same banks for following their orders. Neither the NCAA (or the government) take responsibility for their mistakes.

Duke fought for Coach K in the midst of their troubles, and Kansas fought for Bill Self in the Darrell Arthur and Darnell Jackson instances, because they were still deeply invested in the success of those coaches. Memphis has little or no investment in Calipari's success, so why not throw Cal under the bus instead of fighting to keep a Runner-Up banner? If anything, Memphis would probably like to make this whole situation appear to be solely the fault of Coach Cal. I hope while at Kentucky, Cal and his staff do not allow any gray area perks, like they did at Memphis when they allowed Derrick Rose's brother Reggie to ride the team plane. It would just open up more opportunities for the NCAA to nail Cal and UK to the wall, once again.

It would be nice to know if we get caught for violations, similar to those at Kansas and Duke, that the clique would take care of us, but we all know better. The NCAA and the media will nail UK and Coach Cal to the wall every chance they get. This just means we have to be above reproach, and I think everyone in the UK adminsistration realizes this. I am not going to live in fear or wait for the hammer to drop on the Big Blue Nation. That is no way to live. I suggest that when somebody tries to make you feel guilty about our future success, by questioning Calipari's past, that you don't let it bother you either.

Pat Forde is a moron...

Pat Forde, the man who co-wrote a book with Pitino, and continues to defend him in public forums, has been out spoken against Calipari and UK today. I think all of Big Blue Nation can agree with me when I say, "Pat, shut up!"

Click to enlarge the picture on the left. That is the newly revised book cover that will hit stands later this year.

Another reason to hate Duke...

With the NCAA expected to wipe out Memphis's stellar 2008 season (38 Wins/Final Four) today, we are going to hear a lot of criticism over the next few days. However, we want to be fair to Memphis and Coach Cal and point out those that are calling out the NCAA in this case. What about the fiasco at Duke in 1999 involving another Final Four team? Interesting debate by Gregg Doyel over at CBS.

It should be noted, we don't really need anymore reasons to hate Duke. But, these are the facts, nonetheless.

Wednesday Night Headlines

The internet is buzzing with reports that Memphis will in fact have to "vacate" at least some of their record setting 38 victories from the 2007-2008 season because of the major infractions leveled against them earlier this year. The details will be released on Thursday at a NCAA press conference. When ESPN's Andy Katz asked Calipari what he knew of the soon to be released penalties, Cal said he was unaware of what would be announced on Thursday.

Big Blue Nation should prepare itself for all of the haters that will most certainly come out of every crack and crevice, once again painting Calipari as a shady coach, always willing to bend the rules to bring in the best talent. Very few will mention that Calipari has never been to blame for this situation and that the NCAA cleared the player in question (Derek Rose) before he played at Memphis. Matter of fact, most people (unfortunately, those without a pulpit) actually think Calipari runs a pretty tight ship, and that both the situations at UMass and Memphis were beyond his control. Oh well... just be prepared for the negative reporting that could surround Calipari and the UK program in the coming days. Don't worry though... the press coverage could always be talking about something far worse; just ask Rick Pitino.

Hopefully (and possibly by design), some distractions will be made on Thursday night to draw attention away from the negative situation in Memphis and redirect it to the optimism surrounding this year's UK team. The new basketball schedule will finally be released Thursday night. Few details have been released about the schedule, so far, other than the already reported games to be televised by ESPN. The new schedule will be released on the UK Athletics website at 9 PM EST, followed by a TV special at 10 PM. We'll have a breakdown of the schedule shortly thereafter.

In other news, Patrick Patterson has been named as one of the 50 candidates for the 2010 John Wooden Award, awarded each year to the nation's top player. For those wondering, John Wall was not on the list, but probably only because freshmen, medical red-shirts, and transfers are not eligible for the preseason list. Congrats to Patrick for this well deserved honor.

That's all for tonight. We'll be back tomorrow to discuss the Memphis case, the new basketball schedule, and more reports from the football team.

Good night and good luck, Big Blue Nation.

Hartline improving...

One of the biggest concerns coming into this season is whether or not Mike Hartline will improve as a passer after an up and down first season as starting QB. In 5 of the 6 games the Cats lost last year, a big pass play here or there could have made all the difference. (We won't even mention the Florida game; 50 big pass plays might not have turned that one around.)

Rich Brooks doesn't release official stats from preseason scrimmages, but the head coach has been very vocal of his satisfaction with Hartline's improvement. He told the media on Monday that Hartline looked impressive during the most recent scrimmage, leading the offense to two consecutive scores against what is believed to be a good UK defensive team. Then today, Rich Brooks tweeted that Hartline has continued to impress in today's practice, as well.

As we all know, Hartline was named third team all SEC in the preseason vote, and was recently named the number 6 quarterback in the league by Chris Low of ESPNU. While much of the preseason hype has centered around Micah Johnson and Trevard Lindley, it is nice to see Hartline get some much need confidence boosters from his head coach and the media. Just how much Hartline has improved remains to be seen, but all signs point to optimism as the kick-off to the new season quickly approaches.

We got next....

Just a little raw footage of a pick up game I found today. It's been around for a while, but we know many of you might not have seen it yet. It's not the best quality either, but hey, it's August and it's the closest thing we have until Midnight Madness. You'll have to excuse Uncle Earl's commentary through out. It's not hard to figure out who a few of these players are. Enjoy!

It's official, schedule announcement tomorrow...

We already knew this, but now, it's official... the schedule will be released tomorrow.

Three Great Buzzer Beater Victories...

Everyone loves a great buzzer beater. I've dug through the video vault to find three of my favorites...

1. Kentucky vs. Arizona 1993 (Maui Invitational)



2. Kentucky at Vanderbilt 1998



3. Kentucky vs. Louisville 1987

Wednesday Morning Headlines

On numerous mock drafts circulating the web, John Wall continues to be projected as the number one pick in next summer's NBA draft. Patrick Patterson is also figured as a lottery pick, as well. With rumors that Orton and Cousins would like to go pro, too, combined with the seniors that will be departing no matter what, next season's roster could be another reboot for Cal and his staff. It's way too early to make such predictions, but still interesting to discuss, nonetheless. Cal touched on this (and other roster issues) when talking to the media on Monday. Check out the video below:



As reported here yesterday, UK will host ESPN's College Gameday on Saturday, February 13th. The Cats will take on Pearl and the Tennessee Vols at Rupp Arena in the nightcap. That makes it at least five games being carried by ESPN in the upcoming season. The other four games will be featured on Super Tuesdays (against Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Florida and South Carolina). Calipari is excited about the exposure this will bring to his program, as he has "tweeted" about it a couple of times already. We'll know more about the schedule after Dave Baker's "Cal's Cats: The Calender" TV special, which is rumored to air on Thursday night at 9 PM CST/1o PM EST on the Big Blue Network.

Some good news from the football team: Randall Cobb saw a specialist yesterday and is rumored to have received a good report on his back injury. Meanwhile, Aaron Boyd returned to practice yesterday after his short suspension.

Congrats to Micah Johnson, who was listed on the Lombardi Award Watch list yesterday. This award is given annually to the top college lineman. Johnson joins Trevard Lindley as Cats to receive well-deserved national preseason recognition. There's also a pretty obscure rumor (probably based more on a lot of "wouldn't that be cool" internet chatter) that Kentucky might wear black uniforms for their home game against Mississippi State.

Last but not least, we would like to welcome Ryan Youngblood to the BBNR team! Ryan is a native of Western Kentucky and currently attends law school at UK. Ryan is a smart, witty, and intelligent guy, and we're very happy to welcome him on board. He posted his welcome post below, which should tease you of some of the fun stuff he'll be talking about in the days ahead.

Oh, and we're still waiting to hear from the right UK Gal! We know you're out there, so all you gotta do is email us bigbluenation@wk.net and let us know you're interested in the job! If you happen to be a UK student, Ryan will carry your books for you, and I have a $5 gift card to the campus bookstore. That's a really competitive compensation package for you to consider while you think about sending us that email.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading, Big Blue Nation! Have a great Hump Day... as always, we'll have lots more later...