Update from the Dirty

I am here in Atlanta, getting ready to head out the door for the Clemson Georgia Tech game, to this is gonna be a short post.

• Sam Bright on today's game: "FAU has such a great track record in the NCAA as a long time power, I am not sure how UK can keep up. The only thing we have going for us is that their coach hasn't had very much success at his other stops in Florida"
• Bobby Dodd Stadium is a cool place to watch a football game. The sightlines of the buildings of downtown Atlanta while a college football game is pretty awesome.

On today's game, I say the boys don't overlook FAU and Dre' only has to play through 1 series in the 4th quarter. We put 'em away early and let the young guys get some playing time. Cats 56-14.

Bizzaro World

That's right folks, we are now entering an alternate dimension. In this alternate place, the University of Kentucky football team wins SEC games on the road (not including Vandy and Miss St), makes 4th quarter comebacks, and bounces back when adversity hits them. What causes this? Leadership of course. The national media all thought the Cats were ready for a fall after the big win over Louisville. What the national media forgot to factor in was that this Kentucky team is chock full of leaders that will refuse to allow a collapse to happen. Dre', Tamme, Little, Woodyard, Leger these guys will not allow our team to lose focus for one minute and take the eye off the prize. This weekend is the classic "trap game," coming off a big road win with a big road game on a short week to look forward to. Normally a game like this would make me very nervous for UK, despite the fact we are favored by over 3 touchdowns. Not with this group of leaders. We snag victory from the jaws of defeat instead of the reverse usually seen with past UK teams.

All this leadership lends to the question: what will happen to the program next year when all of our seniors are gone? That remains uncertain. UK would have to have a major collapse to not have a second consecutive bowl appearance this year, and a third consectuve post-season appearance would be great for recruiting. The main questions focus on 2 positions: QB and WR. At QB, there are several names in the possibility. Number one is Curtis Pulley (back-up QB/WR last year). Curtis will be a redshirt junior and gives the Cats athleticism and the possibility to run the spread-option made so famous by Mr Vince Young at Texas. Mike Hartline (RS-Soph) and Will Fidler(RS-Soph) are both on campus now and appear to be making strides but not to the point where they could start in the SEC next year. The x-factors remain Matt Lentz(RS-Fresh) and possible junior college transfer and former E-town QB Chris Todd. Who will win the job? My money is on Pulley or Lentz with Todd being a dark horse depending on his performance this year at JUCO. At WR, Dicky Lyons will be a legitimite threat in the slot. We just need two guys to step up on the edges. I see Kyrus Lanxter (Soph) and True freshman Aaron Boyd giving us some young threats on the edges and Senior Demereo Ford being a solid presence to keep the young guys straight.

Suey!

Big game for the Cats. We have not had an SEC road victory over a team not Miss St or Vandy since 2002. A win today and it is looking like the Cats will be ranked inside the top 15 with a Thursday Showdown against the Gamecocks in a week and a half.

• Today is the my niece's first birthday party. On this day I am a proud uncle of a beautiful little girl, but she will not remember a thing. This is a day for her parents (my brother and sister-in-law) to show her off and for her to see how much cake she can get all over her face and clothes
• Sam Bright on today's game: "I really feel like Kentucky should dominate this game, the only problem is their vaunted passing game. Luckily they really don't have anyone that can run the ball very well so I think we should be OK"
• If you really want to make a ton of money on a business, open some sort of a business involving weddings. It doesn't really matter how much your product is or how outlandish your idea is, someone will pay tons of money for it

For today's game, I see DMac taking his 28" rims and running all over our defense. Fortunately, the Hogs defense may be just as bad as UL's. They have a starting DT suspended this game for using his helmet to hit another player last week, and one of their starting corners is converting from the safety position (where he played last week). Dre' continues the black horse Heisman march, and throws for 350 and 5 tds. Cats 45-Hogs38

My Worst Nightmare

As an aside, my worst nightmare is that Andruw Jones will not get any attention on the free agent market and will end up re-signing with the Atlanta Braves. I am not officially in Jayson Stark's corner in saying that he is one of the most overrated center fielders ever. His whopping batting average of .221 this season is one of the main reasons the braves will not be in the playoffs for the second straight year. Despite the fact he has the second most at-bats with runners in scoring position this year, he does not have 100 RBI yet. (He is hitting 10 points above his season avg for a whopping .230 w/ RISP). Atlanta, PLEASE save your money and use it to lock up Teixeira long term

The Aftermath

No, no, I am not talking about the failed Dr. Dre Album. I am instead talking about the fallout from the big win last week. The picture you see above is the beloved Cards favorite symbol. I must say I walked out of the stadium with that happily thrown in the air. The last gasp for duh ville did bring back some bad memories of hail marys gone bad in UK's history, but it turned out for the best. Instead of giving you my commentary, I will allow you to read comments I have copied and pasted from the UL message board on http://louisville.rivals.com. Enjoy!

• On that last play for UK, I was watching Woodson, seeing if we were going to get pressure. When I saw him turn to throw the ball to his left, I looked over there and was absolutely sure I saw the UK receiver running out of bounds along the UK sideline, and he wasn't anywhere near Woodny, so I didn't think he was pushed out.
• I know, every game is full of blown calls and it's just part of the game. But we really did the get the short end of the stick in this game even though we let that guy be that wide open with 34 seconds to play. We should have won.
• Ok the Cats got us, our defense is a work in progress, and we continue to make mistakes. But now is not the time to scuttle the ship and jump. The fact that UK beating UL is called an upset, shows where our program is compared to theirs. They will slink back to the dog$hit leagues next season when all their playmakers graduate, while we will be talking about better things like possibly being 2 time defending Big East Champs.
• Theyve won 2 out of 9 games against us...pretty impressive. Our program is still far ahead. This stuff always seems to happen with a new coach and new system. Like Howie said last night "the blind squirrel found its nut". We'll go on next year to dominate them again as they go back to the 3 and 4 win season with only like 3 or 4 returning starters on offense. We'll have every running back returning, 3 of the oline, another top 5 QB in the country, Spillman and Mario will take over WR, and our defense returns the majority(not that its a good thing right now).
• but saying that UK was much better than UL is simply not true. I believe if UL had played a real good team on the road and played like that, it wouldn't have been close. The whole game was a recipe for disaster and UL nearly came away with a win. The bad penalties, turnovers, dropped passes, not making tackles, and blown coverages will get you killed usually against a really good team. I give credit to UK for playing a better game than UL. They didn't turn it over, but that goes to dropped passes by UL's defense. There were three passes that were picks if UL's secondary had any hands. I just feel like it was apperent UL has more talent, but the coordination is suspect. That falls on the coaches and the QB. It is not pee wee football where the coaches can make sure there are 7 guys on the line of scrimmage, that is the QB's job and Brohm blew it. The whole game was a series of disappointment for me. Congrats to UK though, they did earn it, but it would have been humiliating to show up at WVU with that kind of effort. UL would have lost by at least 30. I could easily see 5 losses if the coaches don't A) solve the penalties, B) teach the D how to tackle, C) tell Mario to catch the ball or he is riding the bench. UL has way too many playmakers sitting on the sideline for Mario to continue to drop pass after pass. Sorry, but I just had to vent. I'm done. Go Cards! Get it fixed against Syracuse.
• This is what irks me...this kind of crap-it is obvious that the refs were bias, the commentators were bias, the clock guy was bias. That win cost UK a lot of $$$$
• YES!!!***** HOME TOWN CLOCK KEEPER! HE ROBBED US THE REST OF THE GAME*****The WR was two steps in the end zone with 35 seconds left...the clocked was let go down to 28 sec*Guy returned the ball out of the endzone and was laying on the ground with 24 sec....but the clock didnt stop until 21 sec*Brohms next long pass that was almost picked was bouncing on the ground with 16 sec...the clock ticked on until 14 sec remained.*The next pass to Guy was pretty accurate, he ran out of bounds with 6 seconds, and the clockeeper stopped it at 5 seconds. I can understand it takes a second for human error.That totals up to 12 seconds lost. HUGE!!!!I counted in my head how much time would been left after Douglas was tackled...and the play went on for about 5 seconds after the regulation time was run out. Thanks to college football stopping the clock with a first down, that would have left us with 7 seconds. Plenty of time.
• We are one lucky play away from being a shoe in for the National Championship

And those are comments all taken from the message board today! Planet Red was in a state of distress on Sunday, but here's to the Cats moving on from a big W and taking down the pigs

Game Day Approaches

T-minus 12.5 hours to kickoff and I do not know if I have ever been this psyched for a game. The town is just electric and ready to carry off the Cats to be big victory. Who needs this game more? I have often wondered that myself. If duh ville loses then there goes their NC chances and a possible death spiral could ensue. If UK loses it is 5 in a row to an in-state rival which can't help recruiting. Then again if Kentucky pulls the upset over City College it could vault the Cats into uncharted waters for the rest of the season; A solid run in the SEC this year and a January Bowl would become a lot less far-fetched. If duh ville wins then it is a step they were supposed to take to become the "national powerhouse" the fan base thinks they are. So UK needs to win the game while little brother doesn't need to lose it. How does that work out to who needs it more? Who knows.

• This UK squad is highlighted by a slew of senior leaders including Dre', Tamme, Little, Burton, Woodyard, and others. These leaders need to step it up, keep the emotions in check, and whoop some ass today. We need to take it to the Cards from minute one, and never let them get comfortable. Sure City College is going to make a few big plays, but everytime they do, our leaders have to be there to respond with a big play of our own.
• In a change from the norm, Sam Bright actually did something good for a change. To help our team this week, he snuck a jar of his secret "muscle balm" that is "all natural" and "so new it is undetectable" to each one of the players. Go Sam and way to take one for the team
• As I was preparing to go for the customary pre-game run this morning I thought my iPod was giving me a sign. I put it on shuffle and the first song that came was Diddy's "Victory." Unfortunately the next song that came on was Beck's "Loser." My iPod is playing with my mind
• As for today's game the key lies in the trenches (I know that's what everyone says), but the winner of this game since it was restarted in 1994 is the one who got more out of the running game. If the three-headed monster of little/dixon/smith can establish the inside running game and break a few on the outside it bodes very well for the cats. The threat of our deep passing game with the combo of Burton and Woodson should be enough to keep City College honest enough to consistently only keep 7 in the box. If the depleted defensive line for the Cats can buck up and keep the cards to a relatively low rushing output and get off the field on 3rd down, the Cats will have this one in the bag. As for the final prediction, I say Cats 41-34 in a reversal of the score from 2005.

By the way if you want some material a lot funnier than mine about little brother, go to http://www.kentuckysportsradio.com/. If you are out today stop by the Orange Lot and say hello.

L, NO!

Let me say this. I HATE LOUISVILLE FANS. There is literally no one more annoying than a pompous fan who thinks he is entitled to more than what they are. If Alabama, Ohio State, or USC fans were running their mouths at the rate that UL fans were, I would still be annoyed yet they would at least have a leg to stand on. Just remember, Louisville fan only a short 20 years ago you could get free tickets to see Little Brother play in a minor league baseball stadium when you bought $200 worth of groceries at Kroger. Claiming that you are among the national elite is a big stretch with the lack of quality wins they possess. Yes they have been to bowl games in 9 consecutive years. But in those 9 years they have defeated the stalwarts of: Wake Forest, Boise St, and BYU. They also have losses to Virginia Tech, Marshall (twice), Miami (OH), Colorado St, and Boise St. Is Little Bro a national power? No way. Are they a legit top 20 program? Of course they are. If only duh ville fans would act like they are a top 20 program and not the greatest college football team in history I could possibly stand it a little more.

That being said, duh ville has some legs to stand when talking smack to the cats. This is my 7th year at the University of Kentucky, but I have only seen the cats beat the Cards once. (This was a glorious day in 2002 but I digress). There is nothing more annoying than your rival talking smack, unless your rival is a fan of duh ville. (Allow me to preface this statement by saying my wife-to-be is a UL alumnus and there are people in my family who are UL fans). All fanbases have those nut jobs that ultimately becomes the caricature for all of their fans. For UK this would be the mullet wearing, toothless, redneck with a Kentucky basketball shirt from the 1996 national championship (1998 doesn't count, Tubby did it with Rick's players). Also the UK fan has no knowledge of football whatsoever. They are throwbacks from the Hall Dumme era that wants to fake every punt, throw on every down, and lose an "entertaining" game 68-40. This UK caricature also includes doing the wave while a player lies injured on the ground, cheering when our team is on offense and attempting to call an audible, and not cheering when our team is on defense. (Just for reference, the typical UK Bball fan wants to shoot 40 3's a game, press for 40 minutes, and "put Ritchie in"). I realize these stereotypes are what most people think of me as a UK fan, and I am OK with that because despite the fact that they have a lot to learn about football, they come out in droves and that is a start. So go brush those teeth you have let, get ready to buy a new t-shirt when Billy Clyde hangs another banner, perm the end of that mullet and show up to commonwealth on Saturday and scream your brains out.

After some pondering, I have come up with a title that I feel befits the annoying fan of duh ville: "the urban redneck". It's a bunch of white men with jean shorts, K-Swiss, scripted "L" hats, and throwing up the universal hand signal for loser which is supposed to be a gang sign for your team. This just in: you are not Kanye West trying to dress "hip" makes you look like an idiot. Despite this gear, their fans still guzzle just as much Natty Ice as UK fans, they just try to hide it a little better. Just 'cause you come from the "big city" doesn't mean your necks are not as red as ours, you just have your collar popped to try and hide it.

That's it for this post, expect a couple of more with updates including the Coach Durbin Locks of the week.

Game Day Update

Well folks it is game #2 of the season and the Big Blue Bus is set to depart shortly. I just wanted to give a couple of tidbits before taking off.

• This is the first football game I will be attending and I am unbelievably psyched. I am about to take off for the traditional morning run to work out some of the adrenaline that builds up on gameday
• Sam Bright will not be attending this week's UK-Kent State battle on the gridiron b/c he prefers to "stay at home at watch 'real football' (aka MLS) on TV." On a side note, with Rick Ankiel and Troy Glaus recently being involved in the internet pharmacy steroid controversy, he better hope his lawyer can keep the lid on better than those current MLB stars.
• Just a random thought: I love Ewoks. I caught return of the jedi on tv last night, and I raise the point that the Ewoks might be the most loved characters in the history of film. If you don't like the Ewoks, than I don't think I really like you. Seriously, we are talking about little furry guys no taller than 3 feet that whoop a bunch of emperial soldiers with nothing more than a couple of sticks. Despite their lack of firepower, they do not lack courage in the least. And is there any sadder moment in the Star Wars series than when the Ewok thinks his comrade is merely sleeping only to discover he has moved on to a better place. I challenge anyone to watch that scene and not get a little choked up.
• I know I'm about a month too late but I feel like it is time for me to weigh in on the whole Micheal Vick thing. There are a number of ways one can approach this issue, as those in the media have. The arguments that the government going after him are racially motivated or the fact that it is a North-South cultural issue are both valid. That is not the angle I wish to take, though. First of all, I want to talk about his boys absolutely rolling over on him. We are talking about an entourage that has absolutely nothing going for them in life other than being the friends of Micheal Vick. As a member of an entourage, your only requirement is to just make sure no one gets to close to Mike. I'm sure many of these barnacles have been on board since Vick was in high school and it was obvious that his talent transcended another level. So the first thing that you do when faced with these charges is roll over on top of your boy that has given you everything while requiring absolutely nothing from you? That is pretty weak and very un-Sicilian. Just remember, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. The trouble is determining who fits into which category
• As for the game today, Dre' throws for 4 TDs, the defense stubs its toe a bit but bucks up in the second half to allow the Cats to come out with a comfortable win, 38-21

To come tomorrow, a post game wrap-up and NFL takes. Also an update on my trip to the braves game, and the State of Tommahawk Nation

The Blog: Redux

Well folks, I'm back. After a 4+ month hiatus I have decided the return of derekaburden.blogspot.com was imminent. I have received many demands from my scores of fans to continue to update the blog. (Actually it was a couple of questions from 2 people). Sure it takes time out of my already busy schedule but here at derekaburden.blogspot.com we are all about what the fans want. As a return to my status as a blogger I will make a contract with you, loyal reader and adoring fan, and myself, owner and operator of this blog. I will promise the following:

1. I will update the blog on a minimum of once every 10 days
2. With every update I will make fun of Mr. Samuel Allen Bright
3. I will give you the latest in the world of UK athletics including updates before every regular season football and basketball game
4. I will give you the latest in the comings and goings of the upcoming Ivey-Durbin nuptials

So on with the first blog post in 4 months

• I would like to make my first bullet point by congratulating the Spaztoskis on their new child, Drew. They have not officially picked him up yet but all the documents are in order and Kerney will no longer be an only child soon. Congrats to the Spaztoskis, you will make great parents. Follow the status of Drew on Mrs. Spaztoskis blog at http://ponablogski.blogspot.com/
• This just in: doing pharmacy rotations at UK is not easy. They expect a lot of you and you learn a ton, but get ready to work your butt off and not have much free time. It has been pretty much a preview of what life will be like for 2 years as a pharmacy resident, and I am ok with it. You feel like you really make a contribution and you are very much appreciated as a member of the health care team
• Moving on to Sam Bright. As most of you should know, he somehow convinced someone of the female gender to marry him over the summer. That is a miracle in itself. A little advice to Kristin: if Sam goes into the bathroom with a syringe and comes out with his eyes bulging out of his skull: stay away
• On to football: As I type this, Michigan just lost to App State. That is an upset of monumental proportions and yet another example of how the Big Ten is WAY overrated. No one plays the antiquated three yards and a cloud of dust style anymore. When you play real teams (mich vs USC and ohio st vs FLA last year in the BCS) the big ten will always be shown to be the step-children that they are.
• Today is the season opener of the Cats. As many of you know, I will not be attending. This has been pretty hard on me. I guess I am getting to that point in my life where you have to make grown-up decisions and attending football games is not the most important thing. Although as a compromise I do get to attend the braves and the mets tomorrw (glavine vs smoltz)
• For today's game I feel like it should be pretty simple (seeing the Mich App St game almost makes me wonder though). Here is the way I see it breaking down: Cats 49 Colonels 10. Woodson will play the first half plus one series in the second before handing the ball off to Hartline. The Colonels will score all of their 10 points in the first half. Although only scoring 10, they will move the ball at will using the spread option system we have seen cause problems (ala La Monroe). Once again the cats show their opportunism on defense forcing a couple of key turnovers and special teams plays to make the game a yawn fest in the second half. Woodson throws 3 tds (1 to buron 4-star steve johnson and tamme each), big micah johnson rushes for another goal line score, and the running game shows some consistency. It should be a nice tune-up for Kent State next week (who defeated Iowa St on the road this week)

That's all for the first blog post in 4 months. Look for a post-ballgame update tomorrow including the update from our first wedding shower, post-game analysis, and my take on the Ewoks.