In a new series, I will start with a review of a movie that's been out for a while and tons of people have seen. I watched "300" for the second time the other night and it was awesome. There is a lot of blood and guts and a lot of liberties are taken in regard to historical accuracy, but there are also a lot of kick-ass fight scenes that make you want to go out in the backyard and kill a wolf with your bare hands.

Unfortunately, there was no wolf in my backyard when I went out there. But let's just say there's a certain ground squirrel that won't be won't be showing his fangs in my suburban neighborhood ever again.

This movie is hyper-masculine, but that's what makes it so refreshing, since we live in a world where one of our modern day male movie heroes is Johnny Depp - sporting eyeliner, hair extensions, and a foppish Brit personality.

John Wayne is spinning in his grave.

But hey, it makes sense. Nowadays you turn on sports radio and hear commercials for Nivea products that promise to soften and exfoliate men's faces. Sure, they try to sound tough with their "take back the shower" pitch making it sound like you're a sissy for using whatever kind of soap your wife may have in there, but they mask the fact that your paying 8 dollars for a bottle of fruity soap while your dad has used the same bar of Dial for the past two years.

We probably can't be like Spartan men, and Spartan men themselves may not have really been as tough as they were in the movie "300", but time has come for us to butch it up a little. We're turning into a generation of males that can't even change the tire on their car. This movie reminds us of that just a little bit.

Rocket Man, Shootin' Up Some HGH

Well, loyal readers of Wildcat Blog know that I posted awhile back about the possibility of Barry Bonds' heat-catching being proportionate to the amount of pigmentation in his skin. It looks like maybe I was wrong.

See, I often wondered what would happen if a current, high-profile, lock to be a hall-of-famer, white baseball player got wrapped up in this media frenzy to catch all the cheaters in sports other than football, hockey, high school athletics, bodybuilding, basketball, and track. I had seen white guys like Rick Ankiel and others pretty much avoid the scrutiny regularly heaped on Barry and I wondered aloud if it was racial. But, with Roger Clemens' name showing up eleventeen times in the Mitchell Report on Steroids in Our Field of Dreams Pristine National Pasttime, it looks like the scrutiny does not rely on race, but on fame and how much you lie once caught.

It doesn't help if the person under allegations mimics many of our country's finest presidents and denies 'til their dying breath any wrongdoing in the midst of a mountain of evidence to the contrary. That seems to be the real catalyst for the outcries. Roger's buddy Andy fessed up (though he probably held back his level of use) and people are darn-near proclaiming him a hero.

Perhaps a lesson we could take from all this is if you get caught doing something wrong, maybe you should just say you're sorry and move on. Especially if you are famous and better than anyone else in your field. Those types of people are really expected to be more honorable than many of the people who criticize them.

Happy Hollandaise

Happy Hollandaise

To all of our 1,037 readers out there, the Wildcat Textbook Blog Team would like to wish you the happiest of holidays. By blog team, I am referring to our west KY correspondent Lifer, The Goat (resident deadbeat blogger), and the 2007 Blogger of the Year Award Winner - The Blue Donkey.

Our first year has been a work in progress, as most fledgling endeavors are. However, 2008 looks to be a great year for the Wildcat Blog. First off, we will be changing the name of the blog to My Old Kentucky Gnome, incorporating a life long dream with a force of habit, shaking it twice, stirring it once, and pulling out a rabbit. The Gnome element will bring in the world wide travels of My Old Kentucky Gnome mixed with the journalistic incompetence of the Wildcat Blog. Secondly, we will be adding writers to add more flare (15 pieces is the minimum) and more posts (per Matt Jones). We will also begin interviewing past, and on occasion, former players in typical Wildcat style.

2007 Recap: This year has not been the best of years on the court for the basketball Wildcats. Off the court, however, I would argue that is has been pretty damn good. The addition of Billy Clyde will begin to yield fruit in '08 & '09 (Blue Donkey Guarantee). Beyond that, we have added the best player to play for the Wildcats since '96-'97 in Patrick Patterson. I firmly believe this kid will take us to the promise land. He has been perfect on and off the court, possessing a basketball I.Q. the equals the rest of the team and grounded upbringing that could make him the 'Not Leaving Too Early Poster Child' of the post Tubby Smith Era.

In football, the past year and the one previous have been something that I will always remember as my immersion into Kentucky football. Even though I attended UK at the beginning of the Tim Couch era, never have I seen a Kentucky football team capture the heart of the Wildcat faithful like this one has. This senior class is simply one that should be admired, and one that I hope gets it's due respect in the history of Kentucky football (retire a jersey maybe?).

And finally, let us remember that as a fan base, what happened this year regarding the basketball coach is something that most of us wanted. The outcome of this year may not be pretty, but it is a sacrifice that needed to be made. Change is not always pretty and rarely is smooth. But in the end, remember that we are not content being pretty good - we demand to be great. That is what makes Kentucky, KENTUCKY! That is what makes people like Dick Vitale rant about us. That is what makes the national media portray Kentucky as the red-headed stepchild of college basketball. That is what our opponents fear. As Rick Pitino once said, "Success is a choice, and so are hair implants."

Meeks and Noles

There could actually be some good news on the horizon for the University of Kentucky's men's basketball team, as sophomore Jodie Meeks could possibly return to the court tonight as the Cats take on the Houston Houndawgs. Meeks has sat out much of the first part of the season in an effort to stay away from Alex Legion, who was diagnosed with Legionnaire's disease. Meeks' father mentioned that Jodie was afraid that close contact with Alex might make him transfer.

In football news, possibly 20 players from the Florida State football team may be suspended for the Music City Bowl match-up with the Wildcats. The players in question were supposedly caught cheating while taking online exams.

Wild Ride

It's been a crazy couple of weeks for the Blue Donkey. I've bought books in three different states, broken several vehicles and a trailer twice, bought alcohol in Lexington on a Sunday, and witnessed two high school basketball teams play that could beat U.K.



First off, I do feel a bit sad for Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley. They've had a rough go of things, and I'm sure their senior year is turning out far worse than they could have imagined. Looking back, Joe probably would have been better off leaving when he tried. Joe suffered from a well documented disease, which has proven to be career-fatale for him.



Legionnaire's Disease: A disease commonly found in high school All-Americans hailing from Detroit who commit to play basketball at the University of Kentucky. Typically, these poor souls commit to Michigan, then decommit to play for Kentucky. These symptoms are usually followed by an over-bearing parent that tries to play manager for their child's collegiate career. The meddlesome parents then usually have an explosive confrontation with the coach. The confrontation leads to the player to publicly leave the team before informing the university. Reality then follows, when the player and parent realize the penalty's imposed by the NCAA for a student athlete not completing the first year of the commitment, which leads the player to want to return to the team.



Will Alex's decision turn out better than Joe's? We will see.



Oak Hill / St. Benedict's - I had the opportunity to watch these two unbelievable high school teams play at my old tomato. There were two big time players from the class of 2008 on the court - Semardo Samuels (committed to Louisville) and Brandon Jennings (committed to Arizona). Walter McCarty was in the house to watch Samuels. John Calimari of Memphis and John Brady of LSU were also present. Brady was drunk and Calimari was dangling dollars bills at the players on the court. There were two 2009 interior players UK is looking at; however, I did not see any UK representatives at the game.

Go Cats - Win a Game!

Musings on the 12th Annual Hoopfest

Once again an orgy of basketball occurred during the Marshall County HoopFest in Draffenville. I am sure the Fire Marshall was absent for the Saturday evening session, but he may have been the only one. Seriously, there was a large crowd (5 to 6,000?) to witness 6 games on Sat. night. Altogether there were 18 games between teams from nine states.
DeAndre Liggins – got the biggest applause when he was introduced as “committed to UK” (the next biggest hand was for Marcus Jordan, son of the man himself).

Sightings – Bruce Pearl- I heard he had been there on Fri night and all day on Sat - he seemed right at home in Reed Condor Gymnasium – Marshall Co colors are like Tennessee’s –he sent at least 452 text messages while in my sight but he did have time to catch a shirt thrown by a cheerleader (not hers). Billy Clyde arrived during the evening session – he obviously was anxious to get away from the massacre in Bloomington. His highness Michael Jordan was a no-show as far as I know, but Harrah’s Casino is close by. A contingent from Liberty U was there watching ???
Best player names: Quackenbush from Rose Hill, he also made more three’s than UK commitment Dakotah Euton; Ge-Lawn Guyn from Scott Co., also had a nice game.
Best hair: someone suggested Dakotah Euton, but my vote goes to Jorge Guiterrez of Findlay Prep & he was definitely the MVP of his game.

Host Marshall Co with no players being recruited outplayed Rose Hill with Euton, Quackenbush, and C. Jackson. Oak Hill was their usual dominating self with several highly regarded players including Brandon Jennings being the most impressive. One defender cannot guard him-Chicago Hales Franciscan, with three or four college prospects learned that first hand. Oak Hill 83, CHF 62. Scott County has some nice players (T. Portwood, Ge-Lawn Guyn, R. Phares) and should be a factor in KY as will Lex. Catholic. Scott Co lost in a close one to Chicago Whitney Young but not because of Marcus Jordan, whose best attribute on the court is surrounding himself with several good ballplayers. Lex Cath. shot better, didn’t turn the ball over and more than held their own under the basket in beating Chicago Simeon 67-56.

Players I was impressed with: Chad Jackson, 6’4 soph from Rose Hill, Joe Jackson from Memphis White Station. Kyle Cassity from Pinckneyville, IL, Brandon Jennings is the real deal, only 6’2 and 165, but a really quick slice and dice lefty) and soph Tiny (he is not at 6’9, 300 lbs) Gallon of Oak Hill, DJ Cooper (he is tiny) from Chicago Hales Franciscan, Richie (not Farmer) Phares (6’7 junior from Scott Co), Taylor Stewart (Lex Cath)

On Liggins and Euton- Liggins seemed athletic enough to become a good college player, but he certainly didn’t dominate. Through the first half he probably led his team in rebounds and handled the ball well enough. On Euton, attempted a bunch of threes and has two more years to learn to make them.

One of the best dunks during a game was by Taylor Stewart of Lex Cath- in traffic following a missed shot. He will continue to fly high at the Air Force.

Longest roster – Lex Cath – had about two dozen players and a bartender who served drinks on demand. They would have brought their full squad but the other 2/3’s was busy sacking Cory Robinson of Lone Oak in the Class 4A state championship.

Shortest roster – Findlay College Prep, NV - only seven dressed out for game – all they needed to put a whippin’ on the boys from Wheeler, Georgia. One can only guess as to the whereabouts of Findlay’s other players, but Harrahs is between Draffenville and Vegas.

Best food – great ice cream provided by the Happy Cow (a Roy Williams favorite in past years) and some good ole Western KY barbeque – that made me pretty happy. I sort of expected to see Rich Majerus in the food line but he may have been with MJ.

Next to final comment: Oak Hill will play another home game (they have played at the Marshall Co. gym many times before) against St. Benedicts (NJ) this coming Thursday night. The game will be nationally televised by ESPN. Marshall County and Graves County girls and boys will be the opening acts.

A final serious thought: The host team, Marshall Co., had more on its mind than basketball. Gunner Gillespie, the seven-year old son of Marshall Head Coach Gus Gillespie, was just recently diagnosed with cancer. As a show of support for Gunner and his family, yellow tee shirts with Gunner’s drawing of a train were worn by many in the gym and some on the court. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Gunner and family.

Posted by Lifer

West Side Story

It is a big weekend for the western portion of our great state. Possibly overshadowing the Kentucky - Indiana basketball game, Hoopfest at Marshall County High School is taking place. The event will feature some of the best high school talent in the country, as well as top college coaches, and possibly even Michael Jordan. As always, Roy Williams will be in the house, as well as Tubby Smith, Rick Pitino, and others. Billy Clyde Gillispie probably will not be in attendance due to the timing of the Indiana game; however, the University of Kentucky will be represented.

All though I have never been to it, Hoopfest holds a special interest to me. After all, I was a graduate of Marshall County High School, class of nineteen naughty-five. Believe me, the Marshall County Marshall's Can't Be Beat. Unfortunately, due to the limitless transgressions of a pre/post Nirvana teenager on the prowl in rural western Kentucky, I am not allowed to re-enter the hallowed confines of Reed Condor Gymnasium until the year 2050. Therefore, the Wildcat Blog will be sending a guest writer to the event. 'Lifer' will be there in all his glory, set to take in Kentucky commitments Dakotah Euton and DeAndre Liggins.

So, with that said, I will provide some Blue Donkey words of wisdom / suggestions / things you may not know about Marshall County if you are attending this event.

1. Match Up to See - The Marching Marshalls taking on Dakotah Euton and Chad Jackson. The Marshalls are an annual version of Rupp's Runts. Will Dakotah's golden locks be to much for the home squad? Will the Marshall cheering section do the Funky Chicken?
2. Marshall County's head coach is named Gillispie.
3. Carmello Anthony took the ACT at Marshall County High School.
4. Best place to party after the game is Idaho. If you don't know where that is, ask Don Walker - the boys soccer coach. He will tell you.
5. Best Restaurant - Mama D's in Calvert City.
6. Marshall County High School is not actually in Benton; it is in Draffenville - Recognize!
7. Biggest Question - How will the reception of Tubby Smith go?
8. Dan Langhi played for Marshall County, as did fellow future Vandy Commodores' Aaron Beth and Barry Goheen. Dan Langhi was on my little league soccer team. I also saw him order 10 tacos at Taco John's once.
9. I am from Marshall County. I am buying books this week at Marshall University. I had a childhood friend named Marshal, the Marshall County mascot is a U.S. Marshall, and the film U.S. Marshall's was filmed in Marshall County. By the way, former U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall was a bad ass.
10. Keep in mind, this is God's country. So if you are looking for the devil's juice, you'll need to go to Paducah. I recommend the bar at Whaler's Catch. After that, head to the Quilting Museum - tell 'em you were sent by one mean son of a stitch.

The Cats and The Noles

The football Cats will be making a return trip to the Music City Bowl. After knocking off Bowden Jr. and the Clemson Paw Prints in last year's Music City Bowl, Rich Brooks and company will attempt to defeat old man Bowden and the Florida State Seminoles in this year's event.

It will be a blue new year's eve in Nashville, as tickets for the events are already sold out.

Since the Seminoles were able to get Chris Singleton, it only seems fair that the Wildcat's will get the victory in Nashville.

Mute Vitale

I simply cannot take any more of Dick Vitale.

"26 wins, Tubby Smith averaged 26 wins!"

"Sign in the yard, someone put a for sale sign in the yard."

"Full page ad, someone took out a full page ad."

"Kentucky fans, it's that five percent that are bad."

Guess what Dick? Five percent of UK fans may be crazy, but 95 percent cannot stand you. You are an idiot. You add nothing to the games you are calling and could care less about the game unless it is Duke versus North Carolina. You use your time on television to promote your products and push your own agenda. Beyond that, your not even good at what you do. The only thing you are good at is promoting yourself. For the sake of actual college basketball fans, could you find another venue to preach. We really just want to watch the game.

Another Shrimp on the Barbie?

This past week George Bush lost another key ally in his war on the environment. Australian Prime Minister John Howard was ousted from his position in a landslide election. Howard had been a huge Bush supporter in the effort to render the planet unlivable by the year 2050. Australia and the United States are the only industrialized nations not to sign the Kyoto Treaty, which aims to reduce carbon emissions to 1990 levels. Howard's Labor Party opponent pledged to sign the treaty and won the support of a large number of Aussie's by doing so. Once Rudd takes office and signs the treaty, the United States will be the only industrialized nation left to sign. The United States is currently responsible for 25% of the planet's carbon emissions.

Lots 'o News

There have been several newsworthy events since we last spoke. The Tennessee football game sort of left me in the doldrums, so I haven't really felt like posting. Also, the deviant world of textbooks is heating up, so posts may be fewer and far between.

1. Winston Guy (pictured above) gave the Wildcats a huge verbal commitment. Guy, a Lexington native, had been committed to Arkansas, but had been wavering on his decision. The departure of Houston Nutt in Fayetteville led Guy to give the Wildcats the nod this week.
2. There was a big high school basketball match up this weekend, featuring future Wildcat Darius Miller against Scotty Hopson. Hopson is rated as a top ten player in the nation by most recruiting services. Miller overwhelmingly won the battle, posting 41 points to Hopson's 17.
3. Louisville's journey to Las Vegas turned out to be less than successful. The Cardinal's ducked a possible showdown with North Carolina by dropping a game to the Stormin' Mormons of BYU. Following the loss, pictures surfaced of the Cardinal players enjoying themselves at a Vegas nightclub. When asked about the events, Louisville coach Rick Pitino stated, "I was a little disappointed in the pictures. Juan looked like he had spilled a drink on his shirt. Palacios will have to learn that he'll never be able to manage multiple relationships at one time with those type of sloppy partying habits. Other than that, I thought he looked good. The pictures of the Louisville cheerleader were better though."
4. ESPN decided to start a rumor that Coach Rich Brooks was going to retire after this season. Brooks later responded by stating he planned on being the longest tenured coach in Wildcat football history. Bill Curry responded by staring blankly in the distance with his headset on.
5. After the Kentucky loss to Tennessee, reports came out the Tennessee was stealing Kentucky's signals. When asked if this was true, Vols Coach Fulmer responded by eating an entire turkey, bones and all.
6. UK walk on Kerry Benson has left the basketball team.
7. Jodie Meeks may be out for the year. Ramon Harris returned to play last night, and Fulmer just ate another turkey.
8. It looks like Kentucky is likely headed to the Music City Bowl for the second straight year. The opponent would either be Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, or Florida State.

That is all for now. North Carolina is looming.

What's hoppin' in Hoptown

As the early signing period for college basketball comes to a conclusion, the most interesting story in the state of Kentucky may not be about who did sign, but rather who didn't. Namely, Scotty Hopson, the most highly touted high school player in the state of Kentucky. Scotty verbally committed to Mississippi State well before Billy Clyde came to town. He is currently ranked as the ninth best player in the nation in the class of 2008.

Hopson's UK recruitment was a typical Tubby Smith affair, as the Hopkinsville native made his decision before UK got around to showing him any interest. In addition, Coach Smith even had Ravi Moss (also from Hopkinsville) advising him to recruit Hopson. Kentucky native Rick Stansbury sold Scotty on Mississippi State before Kentucky ever got involved.

This week the early signing period finally gave Hopson the opportunity to make his commitment to Mississippi State official. He didn't pull the trigger. Rumors swirled all week about when, where, and whether Scotty would sign. It never happened.

Today, a newspaper in Hopkinsville ran a story stating that Hopson would not sign and that he was considering other schools. The schools mentioned in the article were Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Louisville, Kentucky, and Mississippi State.

More to come.

USC Trojan Tuesday

The president of the University of Southern California challenged coach Tim Floyd to find a bigger distraction for the class of 2008 than O.J. Mayo was for the class of 2007. Many thought it couldn't be done, but Tim 'Tool Time' Floyd knocked it out the park when he signed rapper 'lil Romeo to play basketball for the Trojans. On Monday, 'Lil Romeo signed his letter of intent at a posh Beverly Hills hotel, accompanied by his music mogul father Master P.

In other Trojan news, former Southern California recruit Leonard Washington, may or may not be almost, maybe, but not quite qualified to play basketball. Kentucky has flirted with Washington ever since he was released from his letter of intent to play for USC. USC released Washington when he failed to qualify for the class of 2007.

Washington is a interior player in the mold of Chuck Hayes. If he becomes qualified, Leonard could definitely be a welcome addition to the 2008 class. According to sources, Washington has narrowed his list to Kentucky and USC.

Given that Washington is an academic question mark, it will be very important that he places himself in an environment where he can succeed, both academically and athletically. In my opinion, living in Los Angeles and playing on a team a with rapper/movie star could be just what the doctor ordered.

Americans can rest easy now. One of the world's greatest criminals will face indictment, as the Federal Grand Jury wrapped up their investigation into Barry Bond's lies under oath concerning the use of performance enhancing drugs. The investigation, which covered a mere 4 years and cost taxpayers a piddly millions of dollars, should quickly pay dividends, as the evil Bonds will likely retire from baseball and finally end his reign of terror over America.

Bonds had began to wonder if he may evade any serious consequences when players like Rick Ankiel and Paul Byrd were leaked as names of interest in a seperate, but just as illegal, online pharmaceutical bust implicating those two players (among others) in large purchases of performance enhancers.

But, unfortunatly for Bonds, he has three things going against him that makes him far more important to federal prosecutors than those two. One, he holds two prestigious home run records while the other two barely hold spots on a major league team. Two, he's reportedly a very mean person. And thirdly, he's black.

I'm sorry, I know this is 2007, and racism is so 1960s, but it sure looks to me like Bonds draws a lot more criticism than white boys Byrd and Ankiel, who casual fans don't even know about. Split hairs and tell me those two didn't perjure themselves and I'll come back with the fact that they bought tens of thousands of dollars worth of drugs off the internet with bogus prescriptions from quacks and have yet to face the kind of criticism Bonds gets. Unless buying prescription drugs illegally off the internet is o.k., in which case I stand corrected.

Look, I don't like Bonds. First, he plays for the Giants. If they are ever on t.v., it's way past my bedtime, so I don't really follow them. Second, I've read articles about his wife-cheating, girlfriend threatening, and income tax fudging to know he's not someone I'd like to hang out with. So, my opinion is not born of some fan-boy Bonds lover. It's just that I understand quite a bit more about steroids and HGH than most reporters.

No, really, I do. See, those drugs are everywhere in sports. Everywhere. Steroids are in even more places than just professional sports. Ever been to the Johnson Center? There's fellas there on the gas. College sports? Yeah, they're there too. But reporters act like the sports world is some kind of collection of heroes who, despite any off-field problems, play their game with a purity and sportsmanship not seen since the Yalies challenged Princeton to a rowing competition. Or something like that.

Folks, that's just not based in reality. Sportswriters need to accept the fact that athletes playing for millions of dollars will dabble in performance boosting substances. Should it be legal? No, I don't think so. But let's not act like it's a crime against the sport when Bonds is indicted. Hell, I bet a hundred of his home runs were hit off of pitchers who did steroids or HGH. ALL of sports has problems with this stuff.

And enough already with baseball catching so much more crap than the others. The Patriots are eyeing the first undefeated N.F.L. season in over 30 years and people are wondering if their record will be tainted because their coach had the other team's coaches videotaped to try and figure out their playcalling. But they're not wondering if it'll be tainted because their all-pro safety missed 4 games earlier in the year for testing positive for steroids? Why aren't his career accomplishments questioned? Why don't we put an asterisk on his football from one of his Super Bowls?

Here's another one- "baseball should test like the Olympics, blah blah". Well, that's actually a good idea because it's pretty stringent testing. However, it's not going to keep 'roids and HGH out of sports because there is still 'roids and HGH in the Olympics! Ever heard of Marion Jones? C'mon people. Just test them the best you can and deal with it.

Bill Curry admitted on Mike and Mike in the Morning that he took Deca one summer (Giambi's first steroid love). Mike Golic on the same show said he tried some once. Gaylor Perry threw spitballs and Ty Cobb sharpened his spikes. Defensive linemen spray their jerseys with Crisco and defensive backs spray their hands with Stick-Um. Players on second base steal signs from the catcher and basketball players grab shorts when blocking out for a rebound. People in sports do stuff to get an edge. That's just the way it is.

But hey, we got the worst of them all now and you can put your kids to bed tonight knowing that bad ole Barry got busted and can't hurt them.

Doom and Gloom - Or Not!

Today is the beginning of the early signing period for college basketball, and there seems to be the typical doom and gloom going on in the Big Blue Nation. Yes, we did lose out on a recruit to Florida State. But..................... We need to put things in perspective. How quickly we forget the past ten years. Today, the first day of the signing period, Kentucky inked a 4 star player and a 5 star player (DeAndre did sign). Compared to recent history, this is an unbelievable success. Almost every high caliber prospect Kentucky has signed in the past couple of years has waited until the last second of the spring signing period to sign. This is a vast improvement, and one that we should enjoy.

Don't worry Cat fans. Billy Clyde is on our side!

Singleton Decision

As we expected, Chris Singleton committed to Florida State this afternoon, proving that money still talks in college basketball. Singleton discussed his thought process during the announcement. "What it finally came down to," Singleton said, "Was Florida State's willingness to match contributions up to $3000.00 in my Roth IRA. Kentucky's benefit package just wasn't that great. After you got beyond the bigger arena, the better coach, the bigger fan base (>100), being on TV every game, the obvious amount of playing time, the 30 million dollar practice facility, and the free put-put at the Old Testament Miniature Golf Course, Kentucky just didn't stack up with the Seminoles. Coach Bowden is a legend, and I can't wait to play for him."

In other news, DeAndre Liggins is rumored to be signing a letter of intent in the coming days.

One in the Bag!

Darius Miller of Mason County has signed his letter of intent to play for the University of Kentucky. Kentucky's other 2008 commitment, DeAndre Liggins, is not expected to sign during the fall signing period. There are questions about Liggins' eligibility right now, although his commitment to the Cats is firm.

Signing Day is Here!

Recruiting: The fall basketball signing period for high school seniors begins today. This is always a crazy day in the world of recruiting. For Kentucky, its an even bigger day. Chris Singleton makes his college choice known today. He has a press conference scheduled at 2:45. Chris is deciding between the University of Kentucky and Florida State. Most analysts predict Florida State will be his destination, which will leave UK in a pickle regarding a big man in the class of 2008. Gillispie was phenomenal with his last minute signings of Patrick Patterson and Alex Legion for the 2007 class, but there simply aren't many quality uncommitted big men left in this years class.

Injury Update: Jodie Meeks will be out three to four weeks with a groin injury. That is not good news for an already beleaguered Kentucky squad.

Criminal Update: Former Kentucky player Rekalin Sims was arrested this week and charged with assault and robbery. The crime was reportedly a group effort, with Rekalin driving the get-away car. Rekalin is (was) playing for the Fresno State Outlaws in his eighth and final season of college basketball. When asked about the situation, Rekalin told reporters that his back was really slowing him down, and that is probably why the cops were able to catch up with him.

Kentucky Bowl Predictions

What Bowl Will It Be?

Now that Kentucky has punched its ticket for a bowl game, the scenarios of what bowl it will be can be narrowed down a little. If the Cats want to go to a New Years Day Bowl, the path is simple. We just need to beat Georgia (at Georgia) and then beat Tennessee at home. If this happens, which is doubtful, the Big Blue Nation will most likely be spending New Years Day in Florida - either playing in the Capital One (Citrus) Bowl in Orlando or the Outback Bowl in Tampa.

If the Cats go 1-1, the Peach Bowl seems the likely destination. In my opinion, this would be the ideal scenario. The Cats playing in Catlanta on New Year's Eve in the comfortable confines of the Georgia Dome.

If the Cats lay an egg, we're likely going to Graceland and the Liberty Bowl. Most Kentucky fans would probably rather go to the Music City Bowl again. Unfortunately, the Liberty Bowl gets to pick before the Music City Bowl this year.

Compared to previous years, it will be a nice scenario to watch unfold.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The Good: The good is Chris Singleton. Chris is the forward out of Georgia who Kentucky desperately needs to help out on the interior next year. Chris is set to make his announcement Wednesday, picking between Kentucky and Florida State.

The Bad: The bad is Pierre Jordan, who is pictured above. Pierre is not a bad player, nor is he a great one. Today, Pierre committed to Florida State to play basketball.

The Ugly: The ugly is that Pierre's father is Chris Singleton's AAU coach. Chris also happens to live with his AAU coach. ------I don't think Singleton is going to commit Kentucky.

On a football note, we had a great time in Nashville. The Cats won their seventh game and became official for a bowl game. MY Old KY Gnome met a gnome cowgirl in the Music City, and we haven't seen him since (hence, no pictures).

On a basketball note, we were undefeated over the weekend.

Good Friday

Last night, the Louisville Cardinal Kragthorpe's lost out on a chance for respectability by dropping a close one with West Virginia. Luckily, Da Crew still has their back.

Former UK Football coach Guy Morris has been told he will not be returning as the coach of Baylor next season. After leaving Kentucky, Morris has led Baylor to 5 losing seasons.

On Saturday, I will be taking My Old Kentucky Gnome to Music City to cheer on the Cats as they take on Vanderbilt. My Kentucky Gnome is rather excited about the trip, as he has never met any country music gnomes before.

In recruiting news, Billy Clyde travelled to Georgia yesterday to meet with Chris Singleton. Singleton is set to announce his decision next week, choosing between the Cats and Florida State. Big man Garrett Stutz, who attended Big Blue Madness, has decided to attend Wichita State. After a brief courtship, Kentucky decided not offer Stutz a scholarship, citing that he was kind of funny looking.

Happy Birthday Billy Clyde

Gardner-Webb Coach Uri Splunkovich

Last night is Lexington, KY, Billy Clyde Gillispie celebrated his 48th birthday with 20,000 of his closest friends. It was a surprise party of sorts, as Kentucky was spanked by Uri 'The Spanker' Splunkovich and his Gardner-Webb Runnin' Ruskies. After the game, a celebratory mob of Gardner-Webb loyalists surrounded Memorial Hall, mounted it's shingled roof, and pulled the famed steeple to the ground. The crowd roared as Uri declared 'VICTORY'!

Despite the obvious carnage surrounding Memorial Hall, the Big Blue Nations greets this morning new challenges and a red behind. Who's fault was this? How did it happen? Should we have put Richie in? Everyone seems to be pointing a finger. In truth, there were many factors that led to last night's embarrassment on national television. Below we will examine why, how, who, when, where, and whoops:

1. Senior Leadership - Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley have to be able to lead this team. When the game is on the line (or we need to mount a comeback), the combined basketball IQ of the two seniors seems to go from average to remedial. On offense, these two guys can redefine ugly play. I'm not sure what the answer to this problem is. It may be graduation.
2. Talent (Parity) - Am I saying Gardner-Webb had more talent than Kentucky? No, I am not. However, Kentucky has less than they should. When the talent level of two opposing teams moves closer to equal, the more upsets like last night will occur. There were only three players on the court last night that should have been wearing a Kentucky uniform: Patrick Patterson, Alex Legion, and Jodie Meeks. The blame on this goes to Tubby Smith.
3. Coaching - We were outcoached last night. I truly believe Billy Clyde is one of the best coaches in the country. Last night, however, Uri got the best of him.
4. Fatigue - Two practices and two games in two days is TOO much. What was Billy Clyde thinking?

Now for the good news. The basketball team get two weeks off to practice and improve. Lord knows we need it.

KY Back to Blue

Commonwealth Back to Blue

On Tuesday, voters of the Commonwealth of Kentucky overwhelmingly decided to give Governor Fletcher the boot from Frankfort. The outcome of the election may have been more about getting rid of Ernie Fletcher than electing Bert Beshear. Either way, Kentucky is about to experience some severe repercussions for its voting ways. Here are some things to expect over the next four years as Steve Beshear and Dr. Dan Mongiardo put the knife to the commonwealth.

1. Taxes - Beshear and Mongiardo have promised to tax the living hell out of Kentuckians. After filling the coffers, Governor Beshear plans to challenge the governors of the surrounding states to a big game of Texas Hold'em. Paul Patton is in charge of roundin' up some women for the event.
2. 10 Commandments - The 10 Commandments will be removed from all public and private buildings. They are not allowed to be hung in private homes or churches unless they are accompanied by other historical documents.
3. Creationism Museum - The Creationism Museum in northern Kentucky will be immediately closed. Beshear claims there is too much science involved with the museum. Plus, everyone knows Kentuckians don't do well with science.
4. Homeland Security - Don't be surprised when you hear the boom. With the Republicans out of office, Kentucky will be attacked by an Al Qaeda cell from Indiana within moments of Beshear being sworn in to office.
5. Victory or Defeat - Don't be surprised when Beshear pulls our troops out of West Virginia. He doesn't support democracy or victory.
6. Embolden the Enemy - Absolutely every action committed by Beshear will embolden the enemy. Just by reading this, you have emboldened them that much more.
7. Terrorist Alert Level - Beshear plans to revamp the terrorist alert level by making the threat level correspond with a specific poker chip.
8. Abortion - Abortion clinics will be allowed to do business in Kentucky, but only on bodies of water and at racetracks.
9. Homosexuality - Gay and lesbian couples will receive all benefits that a husband and wife receive. However, they will be segregated from the mainstream population. The will have their own businesses, neighborhoods, public transportation, and websites. For instance, straight couples can buy and sell on Craig's List, but will gay couples will buy and sell on Senator Craig's List.
10. Guns - Governor Beshear supports the right to bear arms. However, citizens can only wear their bear arms to Halloween parties or between the hours 6-8 p.m.

Lexington's Finest

The UK Football Wildcats received some good news this week on the recruiting front. One of Lexington's top high school seniors, Winston Guy of Lexington Catholic, has decommitted from Arkansas. Guy, who has been noticeably present at several UK Football games this year, has decided the trouble currently brewing in Fayetteville is a little too much. Guy is rated as a 3 star defensive back and would be a great addition to the Wildcats recruiting class. He has not named a new school as a favorite for his services, but Winston did dress up as Stevie Johnson of the Wildcats for Halloween. That has to be a good sign.

One of the other top prospects out of Lexington, Henry Clay's Aaron Boyd, is rated as a 4 star wide receiver. Boyd is currently looking at the Wildcats, along with Florida, LSU, Tennessee, and Louisville. Boyd would be the Wildcats highest rated recruit if he committed to Kentucky. He also happens to be the brother of former Wildcat quarterback Shane Boyd.

First Impressions

Billy's boys took to the court for the first time last night. I was fortunate enough to have some lower level seats for the game. Overall, I was impressed with the performance. First of all, the post-Tubby offense was pleasant. There was a definite improvement in ball movement. The well publicized Bradley and Crawford dribbling expositions were not on display, which was a relief. Before the season started, concerned Wildcat fans kept asking if the team would be more up-tempo than the teams of the past ten years. Billy Clyde always seemed to dance around that question. Well, Gillispie showed that a potent offense doesn't have to run and gun. The Cats took good shots, moved the ball, put up 99 points, and won by 35. Granted, we were supposed to win by a similar margin, but it is a hell of a lot better than beating Athletes in Action on a last second 3 point shot.

Best performances:
1st - Jodie Meeks (obviously). This kid may be the real deal. NBA - let's hope not for a few more years.
2nd - Patrick Patterson - Didn't start and had over 20 point and 9 rebounds. As a freshman, this kid is far better than Randolph Morris. I only wish I could see him play with Randolph this year.
3rd - Joe Crawford - He didn't sulk about not starting and had a solid game.

Biggest disappointment - Alex Legion - I really expect this kid to score a bunch of points as a Wildcat, but it didn't happen last night.

Biggest not too surprised - Ramon Harris and Mark Coury - Maybe Billy Clyde was trying to make a statement with these two starting. When the regular season rolls around, I don't see it.

Overall - I give the team and the coach an A.

Coury's Cats

We knew the starting lineup for tonight's game might be a little wacky, but I definitely wasn't expecting this (Bradley, Meeks, Harris, Coury, and Stevenson). Patrick Patterson's upper respiratory issues have apparently kept him out of the lineup. However, the biggest issue might be how Joe Crawford reacts to not starting. One would hope Joe takes the benching as a challenge to up his intensity. Given Joe's previous reactions to adversity, I wouldn't be surprised if things get worse before they get better.

On a football note, UK has lost Marcus McClinton for the remainder of the regular season. He might be able to play in the bowl game, if the Cats make it to one.

In recruiting, Chris Singleton has set a date in early November to announce his college decision. The finalist for his services are Florida State and Kentucky. Singleton is supposedly visiting this Saturday to see the Cats play against Seattle. Singleton would be a huge get for Billy Clyde, making the 2009 class of DeAndre Liggins, Darius Miller, and Singleton a top ten class. This definitely would be a good start in recruiting for Gillispie. If Kentucky misses on Singleton, expect to hear of a commitment from Garret Stutz shortly after. Stutz is the 7'0 center from Kansas City, but he definitely is not the impact player that Singleton would be.

Starting Five?

The season starts in about 24 hours. Unlike Wildcat squads of the past, there is no clear starting lineup for this team. Billy Clyde's young team is guard heavy, with only Patrick Patterson as a clear starter on the interior. Rumors are that Joe Crawford has not yet met Gillispie's expectations, as well as being hampered by off-season knee surgery. Ramel Bradley is reportedly Billy's appointed team leader. Jodie Meeks is on the verge of exploding into a prime time player. If Bradley, Meeks, and Patterson are definite starters, what other two players will join them?

Vote to your right.

It Begins

With the loss to Mississippi State this past weekend, UK football finally lets the focus of the Big Blue Nation shift to its natural object of affection - basketball. Billy Clyde is probably thankful for the success of the football Cats, as Rich Brooks and company have allowed Gillispie's ascension to the throne be less obsessed over than a normal Kentucky basketball regime change.

On Wednesday, the University of Kentucky begins a basketball season with a refreshed outlook on life. Billy Clyde Gillispie begins his tenure as the coach of the Wildcats. In many ways, Gillispie has already found success at Kentucky. The Wildcats start the season in the top 25. Considering the talent Tubby Smith left behind, being ranked in the preseason is quite an accomplishment. Could you imagine this years team without Patrick Patterson and Alex Legion?

The Wildcats won't have long to get prepared. After the first two games, the young cats will (hopefully) find themselves in Madison Square Garden facing a two game combination of Connecticut, Memphis, and Oklahoma. The rest of the Wildcats non conference schedule will be a mix of cupcakes and top ten teams.

The conference schedule will be a typical one, with the exception of the Florida Gators. The cats should take a couple games from the defending champions, while Tennessee is likely to dominate the conference.

OFFICIAL BLUE DONKEY REGULAR SEASON PREDICTION: 23 Wins, 8 Losses

Halloween Scare

Halloween is almost here, and the Kentucky football and basketball teams have a right to be scared. Injuries are piling up for both squads at an alarming rate. The football team takes on Mississippi State this weekend - a game that UK should win. However, this weekend is not going to be an easy victory. With a healthy roster, the Cats would send the Bulldogs back to Starkvegas with their hide red from a good Wildcat spanking. Take away Keenan Burton, Rafael Little, Tony Dixon, Micah Jones, Paul Warford, and things might be a little to close for comfort. Keep in mind, this is a Mississippi State team that beat Auburn on the road.

On the basketball front, things look even worse. Derrick Jasper is currently moving backwards in his recovery from knee surgery, and he may end up having to take a medical redshirt this season. Michael Porter has a concussion. Patrick Patterson is currently not practicing due to an upper respiratory infection. Crawford is still less than 100% from his knee surgery. Jared Carter is recovering from his double shoulder surgery. Ramon Harris and Perry Stevenson have broken noses. Keep in mind, we only have thirteen scholarship players and less than a week before the season starts. -- Tubby Smith would have never let this happen.

The Home Stretch

The Kentucky football team is now entering the home stretch of their schedule. If the Cats can hold off Mississippi State this weekend, a duly needed bye week awaits them. Injuries have been piling up for the Wildcats over the course of the past couple weeks. After the break, Kentucky will play at Vandy, at Georgia, and finish with Tennessee at home. For the final four games, U.K. will probably be the better team on paper. However, two road victories will not be an easy task.

I predict the Wildcats will finish the season winning three of the last four. The Cats will be victorious over Mississippi State and Tennessee, dropping one of two on the road. If I'm right, the Cats finish 9-3 in a season where the schedule was ridiculously tough. Let's have it!

Thursday News and Notes

Tim Tebow seems to be doing well on and off the field. Little Timmy and the Florida Gators visit the Wildcats on Saturday, along with the ESPN College Game Day Show. The set for the show will be set up in front of U.K.'s Young Library. The show will air twice during the day on Saturday. Be on the lookout for some creative signs in the background from the big blue faithful.

In basketball recruiting news, Chris Singleton has dropped Tennessee and Georgetown from his lists of schools. That leaves the Wildcats battling Florida State for Singleton's services.
Historically, the Wildcats have not fared well in recruiting battles against F.$.U.

After a lazy performance in a pick-up game after Big Blue Madness, Ralph Sampson III's scholarship offer has been pulled by Billy Clyde.

After visiting last weekend, seven footer Garret Stutz has U.K. at the top of his list. This makes Stutz and Singleton the two finalists for U.K.'s open scholarship left for the 2008 class. Singleton is probably the priority of the two.

This ain't your daddy's Wildcats

Rember that old lady in Poltergeist when she tried to run off those pesky ghosts?

"We have exercised the demons. This house is clear".

What we saw Saturday was a Kentucky team that wiped out every kick in the crotch, rip your heart out, stomp your guts in demon this team has ever faced. When the final horn sounded, Danny Wuerfell's ghost had a silver bullet, a wooden stake, and holy water shoved up it's ectoplasmatic excretory orifice all at once.

And then some.

With Kentucky's win over top-ranked LSU, this year's Cats went from premature Gatorade-dumping hard-luck losers to legitimate contenders for a BCS bowl. Instead of playing the stooge in the top 10 of every "unbelievable game-ending plays" list, they ended the game in the top 10 in the BCS standings.

For years Kentucky fans have seen games like Saturday's happen every week, just not in Commonwealth Stadium. We've seen teams step up and make great plays to win a big game. We've seen programs go through tough times and turn the corner. And now, finally, we get to see it happen to our team. Heck, the whole country got to see it happen to our team. Don't think that doesn't make an impression on recruits. Don't think the current players aren't building more and more confidence with every program changing win this year.

Contrary to what I'm hearing some places though, this was not the "Bluegrass Miracle II". No. This was not a miracle at all. It was a really good team beating the number one team in the country in front of a rowdy home crowd.

If you must give a title to the game, call it the "Bluegrass Redemption", because Rich Brooks has tunneled this team out of probation prison. He has drug them through a river of poor play and bad breaks "and came out clear on the other side."

This game was huge. Biggest in decades. It should turn the program around permantly. And the best part is, I don't think it was a miracle at all.

Big Blue Boring

Big Blue Madness came and went, and I'm glad my tickets were free. There were spurts of excitement, but overall it was rather boring. Kyle Macy and a blond lady were the M.C.'s. I'm sure they did fine, but you couldn't hear them. There were too many videos. Some of them were pretty good, but they were also difficult to hear. Billy Clyde's introduction was exciting, especially for the little kid that caught on fire from the fire works. Rich Brooks also received a standing ovation, which was one of the feel-good moments of the evening.

The recruits were sitting down to my right. They acted like recruits - somewhat aloof. There were a few chants of the recruit's names from the crowd. The cheer for Chris Singleton was the loudest. A well-timed timeout was called with about two minutes left in the men's scrimmage. The recruits and their families left the building to a standing ovation. Singleton acknowledged the crowd.

I was fairly impressed with the team during the scrimmage. Patterson was very solid, and Alex Legion is going to score a bunch of points as a Wildcat. Meeks is going to have a big year, and he seems to be very confident of his abilities - always looking for a shot. Mike Williams was better than expected, and A.J. Stewart is ridiculously athletic. Bradley and Crawford were, well, Bradley and Crawford.

If Gillispie decides to put the best five on the court, the starting lineup will be Bradley, Crawford, Meeks, Legion, and Patterson. In my mind, the key to the season will be getting production from someone besides Patterson on the inside.

Recruiting Madness Begins

Above: Chris Singleton and Ralph Sampson III. Two of the 2008 recruits that will attend Madness this evening.

With Big Blue Madness, an onslaught of potential Wildcats are arriving in Lexington to check out the U.K. program under Billy Clyde. Big Blue Madness is one of U.K.'s best recruiting weapons, and Billy Clyde is seizing the opportunity. The names flying around as potential visitors have been in a constant state of flux for the past week. Including players already committed, there will be no less than ten recruits to take in tonight's festivities. The following is a list of visitors by class:

2008 Recruits
Chris Singleton - 4 Stars - (6-8, 210) Small Forward, Dunwoody, GA - Singleton is probably the best of the 2008 recruits that are visiting. With the commitment of Darius Miller, UK is not in need of a small forward; however, Singleton has the size to help out inside. Singleton's list of schools includes Tennessee, Georgetown, Florida State, and UK.

Ralph Sampson III - 4 Stars - (6-11, 220) Center, Duluth, GA - Sampson could fill a big need for the Wildcats in the 2008 class. And yes, he is the son of the NBA star Ralph Sampson (who UK also recruited). Sampson steadily improved his game and his ranking continues to climb. Sampson is also being recruited by Georgia Tech and Minnesota.

Garrett Stutz - 3 Stars - (7-0, 225) Center, Kansas City, MO - Big guy, project. See Shagari Alleyne and Woo. I recommend passing on this guy.

Verdell Jones - 3 Stars - (6-4, 160) Point Guard, Champagne, IL - We need this guy like we need another point guard. -- We don't.

2008 Commitments in Attendance
Darius Miller - 4 Stars - (6-6, 215) Small Forward, Maysville, KY - Miller was a good in-state pickup for Gillispie.

DeAndre Liggins - 5 Stars - (6-5, 190) Chicago, IL, Point Forward - DeAndre was Billy Clyde's first 2008 commitment. We didn't need another point forward, but he is too good to not take.

2009 Recruits

Jon Wall - 5 Stars - (6-3, 175) Point Guard, Raleigh, N.C. - Probably the most talented player visiting. This kid is good, and he would fit nicely into Gillispie's all point guard lineup.

Jon Hood - 4 Stars - (6-6, 185) Shooting Guard, Madisonville, KY - Good in-state talent. Duke and UNC are showing interest as well. Gillispie has travelled to M-ville to visit him. Recruiting is heating up with Mr. Hood.

2010

Dakotah Euton (the youngest player to ever commit to U.K.) will be in attendance. He is bringing his high school teammate Chad Jackson with him.

Legal News and Notes

Scott County basketball star Bud Mackey was arrested last week and charged with possession of crack cocaine. Mackey, a high school senior, had committed to play basketball at Indiana University next year.

At the University of Tennessee, sophomore forward Duke Crews has been suspended from the basketball team after being charged with possession of marijuana.

The University of Minnesota is being sued by former 'almost' assistant coach Jimmy Williams. Williams, who left Sean Sutton's Oklahoma State staff, was Tubby Smith's first 'almost' hire at Minnesota. Tubby Smith had essentially hired Williams, but the university denied his employment because of a previous affiliation with a program that was sanctioned by the NCAA for violations. Since Williams had already resigned his job at Oklahoma State to take the job at Minnesota, he is now filing a lawsuit. Saul Smith had no comment on the situation.

At the University of Louisville, no football players have been arrested this week. A celebration is being planned for Saturday.

Big Blue Badness

First, let me say that I generally am an unconditional supporter of UK athletics. There are few exceptions. The Midnight Madness ticket distribution debacle on Saturday was an exception.

5:30 a.m. - I wake up feeling pretty good, considering the previous evenings beer intake.
6:30 a.m. - Arrive at Memorial Coliseum. The line looks ridiculous, so I decide to try online at
my office. My wife, who also woke up early, is at home trying to get tickets online as well.
7:05 a.m. - No luck online for me or my wife. Ticketmaster is giving the impression that all the
tickets are gone, but I know this cannot be the case. My wife checks out what people are saying on the Catspause message board. No one on there is able to get tickets through Ticketmaster either.
7:15 a.m. - I decide to walk to Memorial to try to get tickets. The line is still fairly
long, but it is moving pretty fast. I notice that the people who just got tickets are
getting back in line to get more. A guy behind me says that it his sixth time to go
through the line.
7:25 a.m. - I am about 15 feet away from ticket booth. Sandy Bell is standing there and is
checking vouchers.
7:26 a.m. - What the hell is a voucher? Do I need one? I walk past her and nothing is said. I
proceed to the ticket window. The associate asks me for my voucher.
7:27 a.m. - What the hell is a voucher? Do I need one? The girl won't give me tickets. I tell her
that I started in the back of the line. I have waited in line. No one gave me a
voucher. Where am I supposed to get this voucher. I am sent to the back of the line.
7:35 a.m. - I start through the line again. The line is about 5 people wide. About half way
through the line, there is a non-official looking person on the left side of the line
handing out little pieces of paper. If you were on the right side of this line, this is the
guy that you did not see.
7:40 a.m. -I am second in line at the ticket booth. The guy in front of me gets the last available
ticket. As I walk away, a UK athletics official looks at Sandy Bell and says, "I think
that went pretty well."
7:41 a.m. - If that went well, I would hate to see it go badly.
9:00 a.m.- UK Athletics website posts that Ticketmaster is having problems. We are never
able to log onto Ticketmaster.
10:00 a.m.-We go to a Kroger to see if the Ticketmaster booth inside has any tickets. They tell
us the event is sold out.
10:01 a.m. - I start cursing.

At the time of this writing, I am still cursing.