Game Day Approaches

It's the eve of test day, and that means several things. First off, the fear that I will flunk my Therapy test and end up getting kicked out of pharmacy school is ever present. Secondly it means T-money and his crew are busy in the basement reading notes to each other. Third off, it means there are dozens of pharmacy students spazzing out at the last minute about which body weight to use, whether we need to know the dose, and are we going to get the normal lab values attached to the back of the exam. That being said, here's what we've got going on right now.

1)Well, let's go ahead and get the UK head coaching search out of the way.

• As reported earlier it is rumored that UK has offered Billy D a contract with the terms 7 years, 3.5 per. Whether this is true or not only Billy D and his people and MB know for sure. Either way, he is without a doubt the #1 choice for the job. Here at derekaburden.blogspot.com we believe that billy d will be here by April 5.
• The question is, if billy is using UK to strong-arm cash from the 'Cats: who is #2. Since it appears that UK did not show interest in Johnnie C (to our demise) and Billy Gillespi just signed an extension with A&M, who is the backup plan? The names include Izzo, Crean, Few, Barnes?. Those aren't going to cut it. In my opinion if we strike out on option #1, and it goes on to the next candidate, we are officially weighing in for John Pelphrey. His speech at the Kentucky Hall of Fame induction should be evidence enough. I know we are taking a chance here, but how is hiring Tom Crean not taking a chance? I say if you're gonna gamble, throw all your chips on the table and see who's got the biggest cajones.
• It seems the Cats Pause report did not grow legs on the national scene like many thought it would, so hopefully that won't change the chances to get Billy D. The management of the story by the local media was beyond a joke, however.
• Message board guy has taken this rumor thing to a whole new level. The newest development involves tracking private jets to and from Gainsville, St. Louis, and any other location Billy D could be at. As stated on the message board, "if there were more UK Fans in the FBI, 9/11 would not have happened."

2)Today it was raining. This allows me to state my opinion on the use of umbrellas. I can understand why they are necessary, that it not where my main complaint lies. It lies with people not being able to use them properly. First off, I stand about 74 inches off the ground, taller than the average person. This puts the average person's umbrella right about eye level for me. This puts me in serious danger of getting my eye poked out at any moment. Also, when someone is carrying an umbrella, they do it without regard to anyone else on the face of the earth. If involved in conversation, they will just wildly rotate their body, eager for their umbrella to attack my eye. Another problem I have is this: people with umbrellas have no regard for those walking around without umbrellas. Because they are free from the rain, they feel they can walk side by side (taking up the entire sidewalk) as slow as they want. Never mind the fact that I am attempting to walk as fast as possible while getting soaked, it doesn't matter to them, they have a canopy keeping them dry. I HATE umbrellas. The only way I will even consider using them is a) on the golf course and b) if I am dressed up for something important like an interview

3)Sam Bright is having a post block soiree Friday night. Surprise, surprise he's doing something useful for a change.

4)Expect a post-test update this weekend sometime. Obviously the coaching search will be featured, along with T-money's secret life, the status of the Ivey-Durbin weddin, and plans for apothecary ball.

The Worst Day of the Year

Before addressing why this is the worst day of the year, I would like to address the current situation with the UK coaching hunt. I'll try to keep it as brief as possible.



1)After having perused the internet for all info and rumors pertaining to the UK head coach, i have developed the following opinions:

• Without a doubt the number one choice is Billy D, as he should be. At first I thought this was a pipe dream for the 'Cats and MB. I am beginning to believe more and more that this could get done. Rumors of Billy D and his family shopping for houses in the Lexington area abound (Remember a couple of years ago there were very similar rumors about Steve Spurrier buying a horse farm in Lexington.) It does appear that his wife and daughter have a legitimate interest in the Lexington area with both of them being world-class equestrians. Not sure I buy all of the scuttlebutt, but UK is going to at least get a sniff at Billy D and he will get a significant raise one way or another. ********EDIT**********The Cats Pause is now reporting that Billy D has agreen in principle to become UK's head coach after the season is over. Big stakes, 7 years 3.5 per with a 3.5 bonus at year 7. Supposedly brokered over thursday and friday by Billy D's agent in lexington. Only problem, its not signed yet. Could still be a guise to get more cash out of Florida. We will see.


• As I said before, John C. should be the #2 choice. No one else should be considered. Unfortunately, I feel that MB is going to shy away from him. No rumors seem to be leading to his being a possibility. This is a shame, besides Billy D I feel like he is the only other candidate out there that really fits all of UK's needs right now.


• From what I am hearing, the remaining candidates are: Tom Izzo, Rick Barnes, Jay Wright, and Tom Crean. In my opinion the only choice approaching acceptable from this group is Jay Wright, and I am not too excited about him

2)I promised an explanation for the title of this post. That's right folks, this is the anniversary of possibly one of the worst events in the history of time. The anniversary of the birth of none other than Sam Bright, or as those close to him affectionately call him: "idiot." This has been a big year for Mr. Bright. He has decided to enter "big people world" this year and I am very proud of him for it. Somehow he bamboozled a poor young female this year into getting engaged with him. Obviously an enormous mistake. This August our little boy becomes a man, and I follow him in December. I am not sure we know what we are getting into. Despite him being an idiot, using steroids, and various other things I have spoken about in previous blog posts, Sam is my boy and I wish him the best on the anniversary of the worst day of the year.

The REAL March Madness

It's been about a week since my last post (not coincidentally the same day the Cats fell to the Gayhawks.) Much has transpired since that unfortunate day, and I will attempt to synopsize the events and give my take on the situation.

1)First things first, on Sunday the Cats were absolutely outclassed from the opening tip-off until the final whistle. Despite all of the defenses of Coach Smith, Sunday's game was a microcosm of the current state of affairs in Big Blue Nation. Kansas exhibited big time NBA talent at every single position on the floor while the Wildcats continue to have holes at several key positions. Kansas' athleticism allowed them to create fast break opportunities off of a simple missed jumpshot. To this day I am still baffled how you can get a fast break off of a jump shot, but I guess it doesn't hurt when you have a roster full of 6'8" guys who love to run.


2)On Monday, Coach Smith was interviewed and quoted as saying "I expect to be back." The following day, he traveled to the NIT to watch his son play, and was seen on Wednesday at the Sweet 16 in Rupp (ironically his last time in the arena as the head coach of UK.)

Wednesday evenin' MB and Coach Smith had a meeting to discuss the direction of the program. I have seen no credible reports that claim MB gave Coach Smith an ultimatum at this time. It is however, apparent that MB wanted an action plan from Tubby detailing how we would get the Cats back to the top. At this time, Coach Smith makes no mention of Minn or any other job opportunity. Later on, Minnesota's AD asked for and received permission of MB to talk to Coach Smith.


By Thursday mornin' Minn AD was chartering a private plane to Lexington to come pick up Coach Smith. Early Thursday evenin' (around 1 pm) rumblings were floating around circles that something was happening in regards to Coach Smith. At 1:30 he called a meeting with the players. A couple of hours later, it was being reported by several media outlets that he had accepted the Minn job.

At 4:30 UK released this statement: "The Associated Press is reporting that the University of Minnesota is confirming the appointment of Coach Smith to their program. However Coach Smith has not confirmed with UK officials that he has taken the job."

The next mornin' Coach Smith is on Mike and Mike and various other national media outlets talking about his new job and being introduced at a press conference as the new coach at Minn around noon Friday.


3)There are several issues in the above timeline that I would like to address, but first let's say this: Tubby Smith gave this University its 7th national championship. If right now you are thinking that it was with Pitino's players, please slam your head into your computer monitor as hard as you can. I understand he did not recruit the team, but I firmly believe that Slick Rick could not have pulled off the run that Coach Smith did. Remember, he lost in the National Championship game the year before with a more talented team. Not only did he lead us to the national championship, but the 2003 and 2004 basketball seasons were two of the most enjoyable seasons I had as a UK fan. Maybe if Bogans doesn't sprain his ankle and Dwayne Wade doesn't all of a sudden decide to become a superstar we aren't having this conversation. Or maybe if we can get a rebound off a missed free throw against Michigan State it's a different story. I don't know, but I do not consider Coach Smith's tenure a disappointment. I do feel, however that it was time to go. Both sides were ready for a change. Despite the last two seasons, and leaving the cupboard pretty bare, thanks for the memories, Coach Smith.

4)There are a couple of issues I had with the whole situation transpiring. First off, let me say that by no means am I privy to everything that went on, but with what I know here are my major issues:

• It seems that Coach Smith's agent was contacted in December to feel out his interest in the Minn job. Apparently at that time Coach Smith said he was interested. Was his head really into the UK job if he was already shopping for the next career stop? I'm not so sure. To be the head coach of a major DI school is a full time job 365 days a year. Maybe he could have spent more time on the recruiting trail than he did.
  
• By the time Coach Smith had landed in the Twin Cities every major media outlet was commenting on his departure. Yet he still didn't have the decency to notify his former employer (that made him the highest paid basketball coach in the country)? This leaves a bad taste in my mouth. This is especially considering that Coach Smith just had a meeting with his boss MB the previous evenin' and there was no mention of the Minn job.
  
• UK STILL paid Coach Smith his 1.5 million dollar bonus that he was due to receive on April 3rd. WHY?? It appears it was his decision to leave, so why should we pay him a bonus? Moving expenses?

5)So that sets the table for where we are right now. UK finds itself hunting for a coach for the 6th time in 76 years. Many talking heads on several national media outlets are claiming that the Kentucky job is not worth it. Dickie V says as a fanbase we are delusional. I guess you might be able to make a case for that, but there is no fanbase in college basketball that even comes close to matching UK's passion. All you have to do is go to the SEC tournament and see that the Big Blue Nation completely dominates the attendance (even after coming off 2 bad years). You will have 24000+ at every home game. Any neutral site east of the Mississippi will magically feel like a home game. That fact is lost on a lot of people when considering UK. At other programs, one of the main jobs of the head coach is to excite the fan base enough to sell tickets. That is not necessary at UK, the tickets sell themselves. And there is one other thing: Other programs experience success with 1 or maybe 2 coaches, but UK boasts 4 different coaches with National Championships. We already had the highest paid coach in the NCAA, what makes you think the new coach won't be paid even more than that? So you can come to Kentucky, play in front of sold out crowds, get paid more than anyone in the nation, and the odds say you will win a national championship. Considering the current roster and situation at Kentucky, the new coach will be given a pass in the first year. So if you come here in the first year and shock the world, you are considered a coach of the year candidate; if you come here and don't have an amazing season you get a pass. Also in this landscape of all players having to attend college, you are only 1 recruiting class away from being back in the final four hunt. So anyone that says the Kentucky job isn't worth it simply does not know what they are talking about.

6)The short list that MB has in the file cabinet probably includes the following names: Billy Donovan, John Calipari, Billy Gillespie, Mark Few, Rick Barnes, Tom Crean, Tom Izzo, and Kentucky boys John Pelphrey and Travis Ford. Here is my personal opinion: First off, throw out Crean and Izzo because we have tried a defensive-minded coach once before and it didn't work out. The fanbase would throw a fit. Obviously Donovan is a slam dunk: Slick Rick disciple, up-tempo offense, great recruiter. I feel like the same thing can be said for Calipari. Gillespie is a little more unproven, but has shown that he can go out and get the top athletes and has turned A&M from winless in their conference to a sweet 16 appearance in 3 years. Donovan, Calipari, and Gillespie are my 1, 2, and 3. I think there is no way it gets to #3. According to Jeff Drummond, Calipari is already letting UK know he is interested in hearing what they have to say. Also Gillespi was in Lexington to interview after his Aggies fell to Calipari's tigers. My gut says that Billy D is gonna stay put and the Cats get John C. Although don't count Billy D out. Certainly, his recent comments have not ruled him out as a potential replacement. Also there are rumors that he was unhappy with the Gators' attendance this year, only selling out one non-conference game all season.

7)Sam Bright was contacted to ask who he thought should replace Coach Smith, and he replied with "Eddie Sutton is an obvious choice. It is clear from his first stint with Kentucky that he is a big time coach. His past as a moral leader and ability to run a squeaky clean program is exactly what we need during this transition."

8)T-money has spent more time in the last 2 days on the phone with Option E than he has spent watching high school basketball, and that is really saying something.

9)Lindsay and I put a wager on our NCAA brackets this year. The loser has to make dinner from a menu completely designed by the winner. At this point we are tied and if the gators pull it out tomorrow I will win. I find myself caught in a conflict of interest here.

10)Lindsay spent some time this weekend looking at the church we are getting married in and talking with Margie to get some decorating ideas. I was also informed that we need to take "engagement pictures." This getting married stuff is serious. I feel like it’s really gonna happen.

Rock, Chalk, Wildcat

Perhaps one of the cooler chants in college athletics is the one that Kansas fans do. Despite that, I hate Kansas. I went to the NCAA tournament in 2002 when we played Valpo and Tulsa (when Tay Daddy dropped 40). Kansas was also playing in that "pod." I have never encountered a fan base that was collectively a bigger set of jerks than them. My father and I would stand up and cheer on the Cats and we would receive snide looks from all of the Kansas faithful. But as soon as their team came out they reacted in the same way we did for our Cats. Needless to say, I hope they always lose and I have a special reason to root against them today. So today is day 4 of the NCAA tournament and the last day of the first weekend. Here are my current thoughts:

1)Friday was spent at Shane's house watching all of the games. 16 games in about 13 hours. The setup is unbelievable too. 61 inch lcd in the basement. We had the dual CBS feeds from high def and the mysterious channel 5 and also with march madness on demand feed on the computer. Despite the awesome setup, the games were really not up to par for a typical day 2 of the NCAA. Winthrop over the fighting irish was the only real upset of the day, but the Cats pulled it out at the end of the night, so overall it was a good day.

2)On a side note, work called me on Friday morning and asked me to come in. The pharmacist from the day before heard me talking about how i was planning to go to my brother's house and watch basketball all day. I reluctantly agreed to come in and help them, but 30 minutes later the pharmacist called me back and told me they had it covered.

3)On friday Lindsay called me around 4 or 5 to inform me she was on the side of the road and her care was overheated. The good news is she was close to the Berea exit which is only about 30 miles down the road. Luckily she got her car started again and made it to a gas station at the exit. Triple A came and reached her car to S&S tire and shane and I went to pick her up. It's gonna cost $650 to fix it, but the whole situation could have turned out much worse.

4)On saturday Lindsay and I went to visit Sam at work. He said he would "call me when he got off" which of course he didn't. There must have been a steroid dealer in town he had to meet up with.

5)Big day of games yesterday. 3 went into overtime and it seemed like there was a 2 hour stretch where basketball was being played at an amazing level. Where was this on the first 2 days of the tournament? I don't know, but I sure hope it is here to stay for the rest of the tournament.

6)Once again, a coach was faced with the foul or don't foul dilemma up 3 with very little time on the clock. I still say don't foul because that brings the possibility of losing into the situation but I might be waffling on this decision. I can for sure see both sides.

7)Ohio State and UCLA really lucked out yesterday to still be breathing today. I don't know how Thad Matta and Ben Howland can get recruits because they both play maybe the most boring brand of basketball in the history of time. 20-13 in the first half??? That is simply ridiculous. I am convinced that the UCLA Pitt game in the sweet 16 will set college basketball back at least 20 years.

8)Kentucky faces Kansas today in what is probably the second worse matchup for this team behind the Gaytors. The Jayhawks have athletes at every single position on the floor and other than Morris I really don't like our matchup against any of them. Despite this, I think that Cats will come out completely out of character and take this game from the Jayhawks. The key once again will be the big guy in the middle. If Crawford can figure out how to not shoot pull up threes and stand out top pounding the basketball and instead pass it to Randolph, we will have a great chance to pull it off.

9)Despite the fact that I promised Trissel fireworks, 3 free trips to Gattitown, the famous Chuck Hayes tear-away pants and my first born, he refused to come back to Lexvegas and watch the game with me. What an idiot.

10)The Coach Durbin Writ it Down Guarantee of the year is the Volunteers minus 2.5 against the Cavs today. Put the house on it

11)We have some sort of varmint running around in the attic. From time to time, it will scamper from one side of the attic to the other. To me it sounds larger than a squirrel, but Don Parker is on the case so I'm not worried.

12)About the Dwight Perry starting the game situation, I thinks it's kind of funny that Billy Packer said "that's the sort of thing you laugh about and then fire the assisstant who did it." Ironically, Billy you are probably correct about that one.

Beware the Ides of March

When the soothsayer Titus Vestricius Spurinna spoke those famous words to Caesar, he blew him off as a crazy old bat and refused to take precautions on the day of his assassination. That being said, the Ides of March turned out to be as expected for me yesterday.

1)Thursday and Friday of the NCAA tournament are the 2 best days of the year. What other time can you see this many buzzer beaters, Cinderellas, and passion-filled games in a short span? There is no sporting event that approaches the first 2 rounds of the tournament.

2)Unfortunately I was scheduled to work today. This really upset me to begin with because (as I stated before) I consider Thursday and Friday of the first weekend of the NCAA tournament to be the 2 greatest days of the year. I guess I could use some cash to pay for this weddin’ I’ve got coming up so it will probably work out for the best. However, work today was a fiasco. When I got there at 12:30, I found out that our computer system was down. This means that we were unable to run any prescriptions through. They did not come back up until about 5:00. This means that we were backlogged about 160 prescriptions and had to put all of them in as soon as the computers came back up. Needless to say, it was a little hectic for a while. Despite this, we got caught up by the end of the night and I got home in time to watch the end of a few of the games.

3)Luckily, I arrived home in time to see the Dukies fall to the Rams of VCU. I think it’s kind of funny how the media makes a big deal about Duke not losing a first round game since 1996 when the Cats have not lost a first round game since they were eligible for the NCAA tournament in 1992.


4)Today is the Cats opening round game, and they will face another set of Wildcats from Villanova. Reports from Chicago say that Mike Nardi will be playing at close to 100%. In order for the UK to win, Randolph will have to show up and be able to pass out of the double team. Every possession must go through him. ‘Nova cannot even get close to matching up with him one and one so he should expect to be surrounded when catching the ball. Smooth, Bobby Perry, Joe and Jodie have to be there to knock down shots when Randolph kicks it back out. If we work that to perfection expect a big win for UK, 78-65.

5)I attempted the “sagarin ratings” method for picking against the spread yesterday and the experiment turned out to be less than stellar with a 7-9 record. I am flying solo on the picks today. My big suggestions of the day: Ark +2, GT -2, Tenn -7.

6)Sam Bright claimed that he stayed home for spring break to “work.” I have developed a theory that he has just been staying at home, eating laced creatine, and dreaming about Jack Bauer.

7)I am spending the whole day at Shane's watching NCAA games on his 61 inch TV. Should be an amazing day.

Catlanta, Day 3

For all of my adoring fans expecting an update from day 2, I must apologize. I feel like i needed at least 48 hours to recover from the Cats heartbreaking loss to the Mississippi St wiener dogs. As I write this I am watching the NCAA selection show, so you can bet that this will be a major topic of conversation in this post. That being said, here are my thoughts as of right now.

1)As I am typing this the Cats received an 8 seed in the west region. This marks the second consecutive year that a) we received a seed of 8 in the NCAA and b) we had to play on the first day of the SEC tournament. Simply said, this is not acceptable. At UK, the minimum expectations should be a yearly trip to AT LEAST the SEC tournament final with UK winning at least 3 out of 5 tournaments. Also, the minimum acceptable finish in the NCAA in ANY single year should be the sweet 16. Obviously Coach Smith has not lived up to these standards in the last couple of years, and this is the major cause of dissension amongst planet blue right now.

2)Perhaps the biggest tragedy in the whole NCAA tournament draw is the fact that UL is the #6 seed and playing in Lexington for the first 2 rounds. Obviously I am completely biased when it comes to this subject because I hope UL loses every game they play from now until eternity, but the NCAA established the "pod" system several years ago to benefit the #1-4 seeds from each region. So if our beloved Tards make it past Stanford (which they obviously won't because the ghost of Adolph Rupp will not allow it) they would play Texas A & M (the #3 seed) a mere 78 miles from their campus. This might be one of the most ludicrous things I have ever heard. So Texas A & M is rewarded by receiving a #3 seed by having to play a game within the shadows of their campus. This rivals the tragedy seen when a #3 Miss St. team had to play Texas in Dallas ( a game which Miss St was defeated).

3)Despite the fact that the brain trust of Layne Sleighbaugh and Whitey endorse the firing of Tubby Smith, I am to this point just yet. Wait til after the season. Randolph Morris is showing flashes of putting us on his back and could STILL lead to a big run in the NCAAs. This will however require Smooth and Bobby Perry to actually show up the day of the game (something that did not happen against Miss St)

4)Sam Bright is still the biggest wuss on the face of the earth

5)The last time the Cats lost to Miss St in the NCAAs, we went on to cut down the nets for #6. Here's to history repeating itself for #8.

Catlanta, Day 1

Arrived in Atlanta yesterday around 830 pm. After getting unpacked Linds and I watched the latest survivor on DVR. While watching, I decided I would be an amazing Survivor contestant despite the fact that I tend to be little bossy and cannot stand stupid people. Both of these characteristics would work against me and reduce my ability to "Outwit, Outplay, Outlast."

The final total to stay at Lindsay's apartment is 10 (including Lindsay and myself). The residents for this evenin' will include: Prof, T-Money, Revenge of the Stith, Whitey, Arnold, Bildo, Layne, and Beavers. Should be an interesting crew. As predicted by me Mr. Sam "I hate fun" Bright wussed out and decided not to come, citing his inability to find his manhood in time to pack for the trip.

The 'Cats (for a change) actually put it together and played an almost complete game yesterday. Morris going after the ball and attacking the glass on the defensive side of the ball was a great sight to see. Is it just me, or does our boy from Landmark Christian Academy come to play when he faces big time post players? If he could put it together for the next 6 games, my Cats might be able to make a big run in March.

Is it just me or am I the only one that thinks Derek Jasper playing more minutes for this UK team a bad thing? Despite the fact he has an amazing first name, DJ makes plays for this team and gets easy baskets for himself and others. His ability to make amazing passes and find the open man at all times is not present in any other player on our team. He struggles with his shooting, but that is offset if he is aggressive with the ball and looks for the open man.

Also on a good note, Bobby Perry continued his hot shooting and Smooth seems to like the Georgia Dome, hitting several deep threes. I didn't like the fact that we depended on the 3 so much early, but it was good to see the Cats respond when facing an early double digit deficit. We are off to the Georgia Dome for a quarter final matchup with the Bulldogs, and I like the 'Cats chances to pull this one out.

Online Debut

So I have officially decided to enter the world of blogging and declare myself a computer nerd. I have been resisting the urge for a long time now, but I finally succumbed to urge and it shall begin. These are the things currently on my plate:

Spring break is currently approaching and a crew of us are rolling to Catlanta for the SEC tournament. Approximately 10 people will be invading Lindsay's apartment and I am going to go out on a limb here and say that she breaks down at least once over the weekend. She tends to struggle when things are not in perfect order (why is she marrying me?) and it could be a trial of her character to see how it works out. I make a bold prediction that there are a couple of hiccups along the way but she will make it through just fine.

Faculty auction was last night and we raised a lot of money for KAPS and had a good showing from the faculty. I won or was part of 5 items (tailgate with Dr. R, Homebrewing with Dr. Bummer, Homemade Pizza with Dr. Piecoro, Dinner with the Dean, and a sweet UK COP golf pullover). Prof and I gave the extra food to the Salvation Army so our good deed for the week was covered. On a side note, I received a backhanded compliment from Prof by him saying I wasn't the "most incompetent person alive" so I've got that going for me.

I was supposed to work out with Sam this mornin' but as usual he wussed out and didn't call me last night

Tonight marks the beginning of the "big time" conference tournaments and the mid-majors are still going on, so with no offense to xmas, the most wonderful time of the year has begun.
More to come on the SEC and my rant on the state of that 'Cats. That being said, I leave you with this picture of T-Money, Tudor, Clyd and Myself from the cover of the Kernel.