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.